The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-27
SELLING DISEASED MEAT,
CHINESE BUTCHER-SHOP RAIDED
BY MARKET INSPECTOR
DAVIS.
WHITE PEOPLE FOUND BUYING I'M
NATURE VEAL AND MEAT WITH
TUBERCULOSIS.

Chief Market Inspector Ben Davis con-
demned lot of diseased meat in China
town yesterday and tomorrow he is going
to swear out warrants for the arrest of a
number of Chinese butchers. The meat
seized was in 8 frightful condition. The
beef was from an animal in the last stages
OF tubercuIar disease. The butchers had
been so careless in preparing the carcass
for market that they had not taken the
pains to remove the tubercles. They would
have undoubtedly been cooked with the
rest of the meat by the purchaser.
-Four unnatural calves were also discovered
in the same shops. While the inspector was
bringing up his buggy two of them were
struggled away. The inspector and two
policemen hunted the shops in the vicinity
but were unable to again find any trace of
the condemned calves. The chances are
they will be cut up and offered for sale
when there are no m arket inspectors about.
This is not the first condemned meat
selzeu and destroyed by Inspector Davis,
by any means, but it is one of the worst
cases that he has found in long time and
adds its weight to the proof that the Chi
nese butchers do not hesitate to sell meat
known to be diseased. In the present
case the evidences of tuberculosis were so
apparent that child would have known
the meat was poison. Any tyro would
have scoffed at the assertion that the
calves were not immature veal.
The raid of the inspectors on the Chinese
butchershops is important, because so
many white people living on the borders
of Chinatown buy their meat there-be-
cause it is cheap. The reason the meat is
sold so cheap is because it is diseased, of
course. For instance, the COW from which
this tuberculosis meat was obtained sold
for 50. The market inspector knows that
for a fact, because he was watching her for
several days in order to arrest any man
who should kill her for butchers meat.
The Chinese, however, have way of buy
ing up diseased cattle and siaughterlng
them secretly in out-of-the-way places.
The immature calves captured sold for
rs cents each. Of course no butcher in
legitimate business can hope to compete
with butchers who get their stock at such
prices.
Wholesale Butcher Jefferson ]. James
testified before the Supervisors last Friday
that any beef that dies in transit is worth
SIS to its owner, on account of the hide. etc.
| A very ordinary beef carcass is worth $50,
and very ordinary sized veal will fetch
So. A Chinese butcher, therefore, who
buys COWS at less than So and calves at
less than 81 can afford to make big cut
in his prices in order to attract customers.
1t is said on pretty good authority that
| number of cheap butcher-shops and
cheap hotels have been going to China
town of late to get their meats. If that is
so diseased meats have been pretty widely
sold il the City.
On the last trip of the Board of Health
| through Chinatown the members rooted
out and condemned lot of this diseased
| and decaying meat. Whole sides of
| beeves and carcasses Of sheep and calves
were found in horrible condition in the
| dark closets of a number of butcher-sh shops.
They were being offered for sale cheap
because they were In such an advanced
| stage that they could not last much
| longer. When questioned about the
| matter the owners answered stolidly and
lndlfferently. Apparently they thought
| If customers bought such meat the conse-
quences had to rest on the head of the Gus
| toners. They treat the matter pretty
| much as they do the raids on the gam bling
| and opium dens. AS soon as the inspector
disappears they order IN a lot more of
cheap meat and go right on selling it as if
nothing had happened. Instances have
| been known where they recaptured the
condemned meat and coolly hung it out
| for sale again.
Inspector Davis has been lecturing these
| butchers and condemning the diseased
| and decaying meats till patience has
| ceased to be a virtue. Now he proposes to
| make an example of some of them and stop
| the traffic. Tomorrow he will swear out
warrants for the arrest of Quang Sang e.
| Co. of G26 Jackson street and Lee Sung of
| 10% Washington alley, the butchers who
yesterday offered the diseased meat for
| sale.