Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-08-14
ADULTERATED COFFEE.
GROCER WHITE FOUND GUILTY
OF VIOLATING OHIO'S PURE
FOOD LAWS.

Roasting of COGEee Brought Out by
Scientific Experts-Presence OF Bac-
terin.
TOLEDO, o., Aug. 3-The jury in Judge
Meck's court in this city has found
James White, local grocer, guilty Of
selling adulterated coffee. The prose-
cution was based on a package Of Ar
buckles Ariosa coffee.
The State of Ohio, through the Pure
Food Commission, prosecuted White.
The case was on trial for nearly a
month and attracted national atten-
ton.
The manufacturers of Ariosa coffee
conducted the defense for Grocer
White. The best attorneys in the
country were retained to defend him,
but, after a short consultation, a YER
dict of guilty was returned by the jury.
The State Of Ohio considers this q big
victory. Pure Food Commissioner
Blackburn has been waging warfare
on spurious food articles and the de-
partment has been successful.
The complaint of the State Of Ohio
was that Ariosa coffee was coated with
q substance which concealed defects in
the coffee and made it appear better
than 1T is. The State charged this
coating or glazing was a favorable me-
dunn for the propagation Of bacteria.
Prof. G. A. Kirchmaier, of this city,
a we'll known chemist, was the princi-
pal witness for the State He had
made scientific examinations of sam
pies Of Ariosa purchased from Grocer
White in the open market. He found
that each Ariosa berry contained an
| average of 300 bacteria. Mr.. Kirch-
maier further testified that other cof-
fees he examined contained few bacte-
ria or none at all. He declared that
the glazed coffee was not wholesome
| food product.
Chemist Schmidt, of Cincinnati, cor
roborated the testimony of Prof. Kirch-
| maier The State did not present fur
ther testimony.
The defense through the Arbuckles,
who prepared this glazed coffee, Sc
| cured some of the most eminent chem
lists and scientists in the United States
to give testimony in their behalf. Prof.
H. w. Wiley, Of the United States Ag-
richltural Department; Prof. Vaughn Of
Ann ArbOr University; PrOfs. Bleile
| and Webber, of the Ohio State Univer-
| sity, were called to defend Artosa. DR..
Wiley had made careful examination
of the method Of manufacturing Ar1o-
50. He told of the 100000 eggs used
| by the Arbuckles yearly In the prepara-
| ton of this glazing. On this point in
cross examination, the States attorney
| deftIy drew from him the information
that these eggs might be kept in cold
storage by the Arbuckles for a year or
| two at time.
The experts who heard DR.. Wiley's
| testimony were pleased to be able to
"catch" so famous a chemist. The doc
| tor at one point In his testimony ex-
planned very clearly how 1t Is that the
| egg put into the coffee poe by the house
wife settles the coffee. He said that
| the heat coagulates the egg, and as it
sinks to the bottom Of the pot it carries
the fine particles OF coffee with it, and
| thus clarifies the drink. 1t is the act Of
coagulation in the coffee pot that does
| the work. Later on in his cross exam
| ination, he had to admit that when the
egg was put on Ariosa coffee at the
factory it became coagulated, and as
| egg cannot be coagulated but once, that
the coating on coffee was practically no
value, as a "settler" when 1t reached
the coffee pot.
Prof. Wiley acknowledged that the
glazing might be a favorable medium
for the propagation Of bacteria, al
| though he would not testify positively
either way because he was not q bac-
teriologist.
Prof. Vaughn, Of Ann Arbor, also a
| witness for the Arbuckles, said he
found bacteria on Ariosa coffee.
Prof. Belle, another witness for the
| defense, found any number Of lively
| bacteria on Ariosa coffee he examined,
and he agreed that glazed coffee surely
was a more favorable medium for the
propagation Of bacteria than unglazed
| coffee.
Pure Food Commissioner Blackburn
says: 'oThe State Is very much eIated
| over its victory against this corpora
| tion. We are now considering the ad-
visibility of informing every grocer in
the State of Ohio that it is an infrac-
ton of the laws to sell Ariosa, and at
the same time give warning to con-
sumers that the coffee is an adulterat
ed food article"
The verdict Of the jury in this case is
| Of national Importance because a great
| many other States have pure food laws
like that Of Ohio, and it is natural to
suppose that similar action will be
taken by other Pure Food Commis-
J sioners to prevent the sale Of glazed
coffees, -