The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-09-09
TONI w AS, \ |. o DIED.
Soh9me 10 Got Hsvsnss on st
:'s Louis Manufaotu ters of q ss'
Proprietary Arflnla.

sss,ss TO pri0SAry AtSl0le, $50
81. Louis. Mo-. Aug. q. The local
branch Of company which manufactures
tonic known throughout the United
Stntes in dire distress.
With the advent Of summer business
opened briskly with the company, and
many thousands Of cases Of the drink were
shipped 70 customers. AS the summer
grew hotter business became better md
the prospects, for u handsome inNrgin OF
proht for the season were the best until
the company began 10 receive unusual let-
tern from its customers. IS,
/. These commenced |. Touring in 1 few
the goods. They fermented. And worse
they blew mp. e e 5s$ asss
The whole July brew. was loaded, and
from the way the letters piled in at the
office 1t became evident that the erst-
while gentle and well-behayed bottle
drink of the company was possessed 81
some deyiiish. new energy and that the
bottles were blowing up like so many
dynamite mines ina thousand drug stores
and popping and shooting to the terror of
timid people in 5000 corner groceries.
Some of the letters were s0f an ugly
tenor. Customers said they had pur-
chased stock of the stuff sppon the rep-
resentation that it would stand In stock
1usCsSI saAu SmlMayS s DC keul rs SOOO as
new; that had they known the stuff was
full of dynamite they would not have
bought il, and that the company would
surely have to pay for all the dana ge'
which this frightful fluid had inflicted
upon glassware sitting near the scene Of
the explosions. 81 u - IS
Others said the people up at the factor
les must nave slipped q cog somewhere.
Tor they had handled i the company's
wares for some time and never knew
tnem to misbehave so upr0a riously II They
refused to, pay the bills when they be-
came due, and the chaos which treigned
almost drove. the men at the factory mad
Ihey could not imagine what had hap
In their distress they wired for the
founder of the business, who resides IN
BE s came Is st.. Louis aa fast as trains ,,
could transport him. He walked into The
office, and his stern features were dis
torted into one. great and ominous inter-
rogatlon point which necessitated upon
ms part the articulation of never a word.
! had happened. As he stood LISTENING ~
case of good which had been set upon
the front walk for the express wagon be-
gan TO go of. For half q minute the air
|. was full of nerve cure and sharp granu-
les of glass, and after the fasiiade the
case OF ware was q wreck, and the doc
TOE from Lowell had; torn ont of the Of
nee with the exclamation that, "What
VIC need Is a detective and a chemist" = 4
The detective and chemist were en-
ployed. The chemist went to the factory
ana asked to see the tanks. He was
taken toza 226-gallon tank and had the
contents taken out and examined the bot.
TOM -. : :" - = ~,
=, When he had examined the incrusta-
ton which had formed upon the bottom
of the tank he informed the Eastern man
that someone had been placing yeast;
cakes i'll the tanks. and that with these
the chemical equilibrium. Of eymixfure
had been destroyed in such a way that
after standing something like three weeks
the. fluid fomented and let. CO. l. : .zs-*--..:
The detective is at work on the case
now. Officers of the company say the.
trick was turned perhaps by some old en-
ploye who: was in a revengeful mood.
chemist. ~''tS ~ $50 - T's:77:*''
Meanwhile the company continues to re-
ceive letters, and UP to date it's losses are
as much as71OOO' cases Of goods: worth
$2.lO per case. In addition to this the
company loses much of the stock Of goods
in the factory. and the injury to .rcputa-
ton is something which may become, they
tear, the chief item of injury.