The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-01-23
aOLE0 SOLD AS BUTTER.

case OF fiagrant deception and
gross violation of law by a we'll.
known vender in our curb stone
market that has ust come to light.
The infringement in question was
nothing less than the act of selling
oeomargarine as butter. The dis
covery of the fraud came about in
3 this way. A few days before Christ
n mas Officer Van Glider purchased in
market pound of butter, which was
represented as the creamery product,
of Elias Williams, who lives with his
father, ID. ID. Williams in Valley town.
ship. AS soon as Mrs. Van Glider
began to make use of the butter she
became suspicious that it was not
the genuine article. To test the
matter Chief Van Glider boxed up
specimen of the butter and forwarded
1t to the State Department at Harris.
burg for analysis. On Tuesday last
James Terry, Deputy State Dairy and
Food Commissioner, put in an ap-
pearance in Danville and hunted up
Chief Van Glider. Mrs. Van elders
suspicious had been verified. The So
called butter had been subjected to
an analysis by DR.. Henry Lehman,
Expert analyst. 1t was found to be
pure oleo there was not an ounce of
milk in it. The Dairy and Food
Commissioner, accompanied by Officer
Van Glider drove out to the Williams
farm. They did not find any of the
oleo here although Williams did not
deny that he had been dealing in the
article. The neighboiing farm of
William Ashton was also visited, as
he was suspected of being sort of
partner of Williams in the nefarious
traffic he was carrying on with bogus
butter. Here the officers succeeded
in finding a quantity of The oleo.
Some important facts were here
gathered that eliminated both parties.
The partnership between Ashton and
Williams was acknowledged. Neither
was it denied that they sold the article
as butter with the full knowledge that
1t was not genuine. Mrs. Ashton ex-
planned that they saw an advertise
ment OF butterine; that they placed
themselves in communication with
the dealers of 1t and ordered quantity
of the stuff. She said they received
the oleo from the cars at South
Danville for IL cents per pound, ad.
mitting tina. they sold it in Market as
creamery butter for 22 cents per
pound. They seemed to see the utter.
futility of setting up any defense and
accepted the situation as gracefully as
possible.
Their only desire was to settle the
case then and there. This Mr.. Terry,
the Dairy and Food Commissioner,
informed them was impossible at that
time. Later, when summoned for
hearing it would be their privilege to
enter nolocontendere and pay a
fine, which together with the costs,
he assured them would not be less
than $Ioo a piece.
Mr.. Terry returned to Harrisburg
on last Tuesday to come back to Dan
vile in the course of ten days, when
legal proceedings will be begun against
the persons who so grossly defrauded
our unsuspecting citizens. Meanwhile
the guilty parties in Valley twp. are
trembling in their boots, as much in
dread of the exposure that is sure to
follow as of the actual punishment
inflicted by the law. In addition to
the fact that the article sold Chief
Van Glider was oleo represented as
butter, a pound in weight, it was
found to be two ounces short. The
quantity seeming small for pound
officer Van Guilder weighed it before
taking it home. So that Williams
may have to answer for the additional
offense of giving short weight.
Chief Van Guilder is entitled to
credit for bringing about the exposure
OF the two fraudulent dealers. But
for his timely discovery and the
prompt and judicious course he took
In sending the oleo to the State De-
partment our citizens might still be
victims of the fraud practiced SO
openly.
The question naturally suggests it.
self to what extent may our citizens
not have been imposed upon in the
past, if not still the victims of dishon-
est venders. Citizens owe it to them
selves that they inquire more closely
into the practices of dealers and as
sure themselves that they are getting
pure, genuine and healthful article
when they are paying for it.
WHAT is oLEoMARGARINE (?
In the manufacture of oleomarga-
rine liquid oil is first produced made
from animal fats, especially beef fats,
by separating the greater portion of
the solid fat by crystallization. Oleo,
as generally understood is an artificial
butter made by churning the oil as
obtained above with more or less