The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-29
THE CATS PAW SAUSAGE
TRACED DEFINITELY TO AN IN
DIANAPOLIs PACKING HOUSE.
state Health Board COnfrOnts the
Firm, Which Is Now Investi-
eating at Chicago.

The full membership of the State Board
of Health spent yesterday investigating the
cats paw" sausage which was brought to
light in Fountain City d few weeks ago,
and which nearly caused the serious poi
soning of a whole family that partook of it.
In the early stages of the investigation
it was ascertained that the sausage was
made in this city-at least it had been
shipped by local packing house to the
butcher at Fountain City. who. in turn. sold
it to the customer whose family was poi
soned. 1t required great tact and delicacy
to fasten it beyond dispute on the proper
firm, but after some hard work it was
proved conclusively that it came from one
of the best known packing firms in Indian
apolis.
Yesterday all the members of the board
came to Indianapolis at the invitation of
Secretary Hurry, and together they went
to the packing house None of the mem
bers of the firm had been expecting visit
from the board, and all were much sur
prised to see the officials enter the office.
No time was lost in stating the business
which had brought the members of the
Health Board together. and, when the
proofs were presented. the members of the
firm broke down completely. No defense
was attempted, but each member of the
firm was shocked beyond utterance They
freely admitted that it was possible that the
cats foot, in some manner might have
gone through the sausage machine, but not
one of them could account for its presence
there. The firm insisted on the board in
specting the plant, and, while going through
all the departments took pains to show
how improbable it was that the cats foot
could have been placed in the sausage in
tentionally. The force of the disclosure was
SO great that the members Of the firm were
apparently paralyzed in thinking what it's
efIectS would be on their business if it
should become known 10 the public that
such products had been turned out from a
factory as we'll known throughout the
United States as theirs. They even lacked
the strength to explain the matter. and al
lowed the board to draw its own conclu-
siOnS in the matter
One of the members of the firm. however.
did attempt TO account for the eats paw
by saying that it was customary with the
firm to draw on other packing houses for
meats at times to fill large orders at once
when their own stock was not sufficient to
supply the demand, and that, while 1t was
possible that 1t had been placed in the sau-
sage in their own factory, 1t was also pos
sages which had been bought from outside
packing houses to meet such an emergency.
The members of the State Board of Health
were all impressed with the truth of the
story as told by the members of the firm
and, while expressing regret for the affair,
each one voluntarily expressed confidence
in the integrity of the firm, whose plant
as they saw it yesterday, was a model OF
cleanliness in all departments. Although
the firm did not ask the board to keep the
facts from the public. 1t was decided. as
the affair was neither Intentional with the
firm nor possible to guard against in the
firms with which it does business in other
cities, that it was the duty Of the board to
say nothing publicly about the matter.
The business manager of the concern is
now in Chicago investigating the matter
from that point Before leaving the city
he told the members of the State Board of
Health that hereafter the firm intended to
exercise more caution than ever in the
handling of its product In the factory, and
also advise the firms they are compelled to
draw supplies from occasionally of what
might have been the serious results of some
ones carelessness. and, by exercising ex-
treme care all around, make it practically
impossible for such a thing TO occur again
The firm, like many others, has been in con-
troversy with organized labor in the past
and it is the opinion of many that if the
cats paw was not Intentionally placed in a
sausage by some of the enemies of the firm
in this city, it was done by some of the
employees in a Chicago packing house, who.
knowing that the goods were to be sent to
fill the orders of the Indianapolis firm, put
the cats foot in the sausage Intentionally
in order to precpitate sensation to the
discredit of the firm because OF it's stand
rate. there will be nothing more done in the
matter by the State Board of Health, viii n
is satisfied that no one regrets the matter
so much as the members of the firm.