The San Francisco call., 1898-03-04
Health Officers of Los Angeles on the Trail
 of Butchers.
Colts Cut Up and Sold to the Public as Choice
 Veal.
Two Markets Found to Contain Flesh Wholly Unfit for Human
 Food.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LOS ANGELES, March 3.-Horse meat and the flesh of colts has been sold in Los Angeles markets for veal and nice cuts of beef. Not until to-day was this fact clearly established be- yond any doubt, although the police and health departments have for some weeks been aware of the fact that ex- traordinary flesh of some kind was be- ing worked off on the public.
 Meat Inspector Hughes has discov- cred that B. Gatterez, who owns and conducts a meat market at Ord and New High streets, is one of the syndi- cate who have been disposing of choice roasts off young colts and steak that came from the body of old and de- crepit mustangs. At an early hour this morning Gatterez was held up by Po- lice Officer Lennon. He was driving a double team at the time, and when asked what he had in his wagon said that 1t was the carcass of calf which he had purchased with the COW that he was leading. The officer only made a superficial examination, and when Cat terez gave his place of business and said that he had purchased the stock from dairyman named Andorf, Tn Eagle Rock Canyon, he was allowed to go his way. It was quite dark at the time, but whether the officers suspi- cions were aroused by the peculiar ap- pearance of the alleged COW, which aft erward turned out to be yearIlng colt, or some other cause, he reported the matter to headquarters when he went in.
 As soon as Detectives Auble and Hammer came in they were not flied, and, knowing that Gate reg was under suspicion, they, with Meat Inspector Hughes, at once commenced an investigation. Hammer drove out to Andorf place and found that Gatterez had purchased two colts there the evening before. This fact being established Auble went to Gatterez's shop and after making some inquiries went out into the Dack yard where he found one of the colts tied up. There was what appeared to be a pile of gunny sacks lying on the ground, and when these were turned over the headless carcass of the other colt was found The first joints Of the legs had been removed, evidently at the place where the colt was butchereo' as no traces of them was found, but on searching about the place the missing head was found in barrel.
 Later Inspector Hughes returned on a new trail He had traced another horse last night to hovel on New High street occupied by an Italian butcher named Cicci, who runs the Arizona market. The house contains three rooms and is filthy in the ex- treme. In one of the sleeping rooms there was indisputable evidence that some sort of a carcass had been butch cred during the night. There were nu- merous bloodstains on the floor, as well as ntaces of bone and flesh, which h. snector Hughes unhesitatingly pro- nounced horsef1esh.
 Another visit to Gatterez's shop dis closed the fact that a COW absolutely putrid was being weighed preparatory to being cut up for customers. Inls was condemned and carried away. The Meat Inspector will push his lnVestlga- t;on and the sale of meat, colts horses and putrid cows will become demor- alized local industry.