The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-12
Rey Sues the Inter Mountain for
$4,000 Damages.
THAT HORSE MEAT STORY
He Claims to Be tho Only Italian Butcher
in Butte and Asserts That the Pub
LEGATION of the Ar ticle Has
Injured His Business.

demanded for damages The plaintiff
| is Ludwig Rey, an East Park street
butcher, and the suit is the result of the
| publication of the narrowing horse
meat story which was told around the
city hall few days ago The COM
| plant in the case says the plaintiff is
an Italian engaged in the butcher bust
ness and is selling dressed meats at
retail to customers and to other per-
| sons IN the county of Silver Bow. The
business of the plaintiff as a butcher
and retailer of dressed meats largely
| depends upon his reputation for hon
esty and fair dealing with his patrons
and customers and with the public
| generally and upon his general reputa-
ton for the good quality and whole
| someness of the goods sold by him.
Previous to the publication of the ar
! ticle complained of he had always borne
| a good reputation for honesty and fair
dealing and for the good quality and
wholesomeness of the goods which
he sold. On the 9th day of December
! the defendant published in the Daily
Inter Mountain. including large head
| lines, the following false and defama-
! tory matter: 1T Is Horse Meat-Some
of 1t in Evidence Around the city
Hall-Sold Here as Rib Roast'-It Is
Shipped Into Butte in Barrels-Some
/ Tests to BE Made"
THE confidence Of many Butte fam
J lies III their DutcnefS VIII be fuue!y
shaken by the knowledge of a discoV-
cry made to-day by the city health de-
| partment. The discovery was that
horse meat has been shipped into Butte
and sold to families as the genuine
meat of the COW. Heretofore it is be-
lieved that hogs fattened on horse meat
have found "A market in Butte. but
this new discovery shows that some
enterprising fellow has found a new
and more profitable use for the thou
| sands of valueless cayuses that roam
the ranges of the Rocky mountain re-
gion.
The credit of the discovery, however.
does not belong entirely TO the health
department. The attention of H. T.
Tobin. the sanitary inspector. was
called to the matter to-day by a pur-
chaser of some of the meat. A lady re-
siding in the southeastern part of the
city recently purchased a barrel of
what she believed was rib roasts'
from an Italian butcher on East Park
street. The lady cooked some of the
meat for the first time to-day, and be-
ing an old and experienced cook. she
was surprised when she took it out
of the pot to find that it was of a
flaming red color and stringy. She
made a closer examination and noticed
that the ribs were much larger than
those of a COW and that the tallow
that floated TO the top of the water
was Of character hitherto unknown
to her.
The lady communicated her suspic-
ions to the health department and Mr..
Tobin went down to her house and car
ried the cooked meat to the city hall.
En- route he visited several veterinary
surgeons. who said the stuff had all the
appearances of horse meat DR. Schultz,
the city physician, was in his office
when Mr.. Tobin arrived with the meat.
The doctor had eaten horse meat dur
ing the siege of Paris, but he declined
to taste the piece brought for his in
spection. He said the only thorough
test Of the article was by chemical an
alysS and he will make such q test on
the raw product to-day. Until then he
declined to express an opinion, although
he believed that a veterinary surgeon
should be pretty good judge of horse
meat.
THE stuff is not manufactured in
Butte evidently, but is shipped in from
some outside point probably not a great
distance away from Butte After being
cut UP and salted it is said to be very
difficult to detect any difference between
il and the genuine article, except that it
is more stringy and considerably
tougher. If it proves to be horse meat
and it has every appearance Of being
So the health department will take
some action To prevent its sale under the
title of rib roasts.
DIR. Shultz called attention to-day to
d peculiar lttls lIt StN ell llltIi TIL
ploys inspectors at big salaries to exam
Inc all the meat shipped from this coun-
try to Europe and exporters are very
careful to pack none but the best for
foreign countries. For home consump-
ton, however, any old thing under the
name of meat is allowed to be sold to
consumers without any examination
wha
Continuing, the complaint alleges that
the defendant. by the words Italian
butcher on East Park street" meant
and described the plaintiff. and ii was
generally understood by his customers
and friends and by the public in gen.
eral to mean and describe the plaintiff,
who is the only Italian butcher on East
Park street and he is informed and be-
lieves the only Italian butcher in the
city of Butte on Dee 10 the defendant
published an additional libelous article.
relating to the same matter under the
headlines: IT Is Cayuse, in language
as follows:
The health department has not yet
made a chemical analysis of the meat
supposed to be a portion of a horse
which Inspector Tobin of the depart
ment yesterday brought to the city hall.
Another employe of the department.
whose business il is to attend to such
matters. resented the interference of /
Tobin in the matter and gives il as his
opinion that the meat is all right. only
of an inferior quality. the greater por-
ton Of which has been condemned. Ex-
perienced veterinary surgeons. however. /
who have examined the meat, are posi-
tive that it is horse meat. but DIR. /
ShultZ's test of il will be conclusive
All Of the matter published in the two
articles concerning the plaintiff. says
the complaint. is false and malicious.
and was published by defendant intend
ing that il should be believed. ON ac-
count Of the publication of the false
and defamatory matter the plaintiff has
been greatly injured and damaged i'm
his good name and in the good will Of
his business and trade have greatly |
declined and fallen Off. and thereby he
has been damaged in the sum of s1O.-
900. for which amount Judgment is
asked
O. NJ Hall is attorney for Rey.