Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-03-23

rsat the Refrigerated Beef Was EN-
baImed and That 1t Wasn't Expert
says 1t Could Not BE sent to London
Without Chemical MISUNDERSTANDING
House Chemist Says No Chemicals Are
Used-Canned Meat Containing Drugs.
| Chicago. March 23.-The first witness
before the beef court of inquiry TO cause
a stir was David VI. F'leishchman. for
merly employed at the Morrison hotel.
FIeischman said lie went to the stock
yards one day last June with a man
who had been stopping a the Morrison
and assisted in burning some sort OF a
ooncootion in 4 car filled with meat. He
did not know the strange mans name.
Ut the latter told him he was expert
menting with a new preventative. The
mark on the car in which the expert
ment was conducted was Tampa, Fla.
He said: II put my finger on the meat
and tasted il and it burned the end of
my tongue. called attention to the fact
that the meat looked rather larger than
when we were there before. He said
that was simply an enlargement of the
meat from the ice"
Mason's Evidence Discredited.
Lieutenant Hartwell. who was in
Lakeland. Fla. at the time. according
to Sergeant Mason's testimony, when
embalmed beef was received there by
the carload. was summoned to explain
in detail the condition surrounding the
issue of beef at Lakeland. Fla. Wit
ness said he was regimental commissary
at the FIoriGa station and superintendent
the issuing of meat to his men. At
LeaVenwOrth Sergeant Mason told the
court that he and Hartwell had been
told that the meat was chemicalized,
but the lieutenant said he recollected
no such conversation with Armours
agent. He said Sergeant Mason's beset-
ting fault was a love for drink. and that
he had been relieved from his work as
sisting in the issuing of beef on that
Lieutenant Hartwell. however.
said he had never heard Mason's We
racity questioned. Lieutenant HartweH
said he never had reason to suspect that
any of the beef. canned or refrigerated,
had been treated with chmeicals.
Detected Che micals in Corned Beef.
DIR. +. p. Murdoch. of the Chicago
health department., testified that he had
examined samples of canned roast beef
and fresh roast beef brought to him by
certain parties" last summer. He de-
tected chemicals in all the beef and told
the court he reported to the mysterious
persons who furnished him with the
SdIilllltS li!dl the treatment WHICH Ildu
been administered to them made the
beef unwholesome and Objectionable in
several other respects. From four
pounds Of the canned beef witness said
he was unable to obtain enough extract
Of beef to experiment upon. There was
practically no extract. In his examin-
alton of fresh beef he found some had
been coated with boracic acid and
treated with salts. one sample had been
treated with salicylic acid. This acid.
said the doctor. was in sufficient guam !
lily to antagoniZe the process of diges- !
ton. and would produce a nauseating
effect. |
Corned Beef Was Bad Food.
DR.. Carlton l.. +. Sterritt assistant |
surgeon of the Third Illinois regiment. !
furnished the court the first evidence !
given in Chicago TO The effect that the
corneG beef furnished the troops
was rausoatirE and unpalatahle. He
read from his notebook references he
had made To patients under his charge
whose sickness he had traced TO eating
soup made from roast beef