The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-26
VILE JELLY
POISONED
A FAM|LY
Mrs. Desmond and Two Chill
dren Taken With Vic
lent Cramps.
THEY ATE IMITATION
GQo0s.
The Mother tainted Away After
Having Partaken of Very
Little.
DIR. TUCHLER'S OPINION OF TIT
x ,URE.
1t Was the Worst Adulteration He
Ever Saw-Dockory Will Make
Arrests To-Day.
DIR. TUCHLER'S OPINION OF TIT
NIX .URE.
1t Was the Worst Adulteration HI
Ever Saw-Dockory Will Make
Arrests To-Day.

The necessity for the rigorous enforce
| ment OF the pure-food law was illustrated
last night by the poisoning of family
consisting of a mother and two children
after eating part of the contents of a can
| labeled raspberry jelly.
If the mixture, which was a cheap imi.
| tation of raspberry jelly, had been less
| nauseous to the taste, the three innocent
persons who partook of it would have
died within the hour, but the stuff was so
vile that the mother and children could
eat but little of it, and to this fact is due
their escape.
Mrs. Desmond, poor woman residing
at 1850 Temaha street, sent one of her
children to the cash grocery of M. de Witt
| raspberry jelly. The child received a can
| of the Colum bus brand OF raspberry jelly,
| put up by Fontana d Co. OF this City.
| The mother spread the "jelIy" thinly on
slices of bread, and she and her baby and
| two of the older children ate OF it.
They were Immediately taken with vio-
lent cramps and vomiting. The mother,
| who was in delicate condition, faint ed
away, and DIR. Alexander S. Tuchler. the
| family physician. 1133 Polk street, was
! hurriedly sent for.
! When he arrived he found them
suffering with all the sym ptoms of poison,
| but alter administering the proper anti
dotes the patients were soon brought ont
| of danger, although they remained very
sore from the effects of the cramps and
| the retching.
! The matter was reported to the grocers,
| and A. de Witt, a member of the firm,
| made a statement to the effect that he
| sold the can to the Desmond girl; that it
| was la beled Colum bus brand raspberry
jelly. and that the firm bought it from
Fontana & Co.
| He added that when his brother was
buying the goods he asked member of
| tie firm or the employee of the firm of
| Foptana d Co. whether the raspberry
| Jelly was "all right" and the man replied
| that it was. This was the first can that
tho speaker had sold personally, and he
| had not heard any complaint except the
present one. After learning what had
happened at the Desmond resid ence he
gave orders to his clerks to put the re-
mainder of the goods away, not TO sell an
other can under any consideration and to
return the lot to Fontana & Co. in the
| morning.
DR.. a. s. Tuchler was interviewed ALSO
He said that the contents of the can were
the vilest imitation and adulteratIOn of
rasp berry jelly he ever saw. When the
family tasted It their mouths pucKared
up as though it were alum. He added
that it was owing to this fact that the
Desmonds did not eat more and that they
were not fatally poisoned.
M. J. Fontana, member of the firm
which sold the goods to NJ. de Witt & Co.,
replied, when asked to make statement.
that there was no statement to be made;
that there was no such thing as poisoning
in the case. Mr.. Fontana was asked
whether the jelly was made of raspberries
or whether it was an imitation. He re-
piled that he supposed" that it was
raspberry jelly.
He added that all Theoretically sealed
goods, no matter of what kind, should be
at once emptied out OF the vessel contain
ing them, and should be eaten and not
put away.
Chief Food Inspector Dockery an
nounced last night that this morning he
would arrest the parties who sold the vile
pound.