The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-08-16
PURE FOOD
LAW VIOLATED,
Interesting Facts Concerning the Roasting
OF Coffee Brought Out by scientific
Experts-Prcsence OF bacteria.

TOLEDO. August loth--The jury In
Judge Meck's court In this city has
found James White. local grocer.
guilty OF selling adulterated coffee.
The prosecution was based on pack.
age Of Ariosa coffee.
The State OF Ohio, through the Pure
Food Commission. prosecuted White.
The case was on trial for nearly n
month. and attracted national atten-
tion.
The manufacturers OF Ariosa coffee
conducted the defense for Grocer
White. Attorneys OF erllnence
were retained TO defend him.
but after short consultation a verdict
OF guilty was returned by the jury.
The State OF Ohio considers this a big
victory. Pure Food Commissioners
Blackburn has been waging a 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
a substance which concealed defects
IN the coffee and made II appear better
than IL Is. The State charged this coat
ing or glazing was a favorable medium
for the propagation OF bacteria.
Prof q. A. Kirchmaier. OF this city
a well.known chemist. was the prin
cipal witness for the State. He ties.
titled that he had made scientific ex.
aminations OF samples OF Ariosa
purchased from Grocer White IN
the open market. and found that
each berry contained an average
Of 800 bacteria. Mr.. Kirchmaier
further testified that other cof.
fees he examined contained few bac.
teria or none AZ all. He declared that
the glazed coffee was not a wholesome
food product.
Chemist Schmidt, of Cincinnati, cor.
roborated the testimony OF Prof
Kirchmaier. The State did not present
further testimony.
The defense secured some OF
the most eminent chemists and
scientists in the United States
TO give testimony in their behalf. Prof
II. w. Wiley. OF the United States
Agricultural Department: Prof.
Vaughn. OF Ann Arbor University
Profs. Belle and Webbcr, OF the Ohio
State University. were called TO de-
fend Ariosa. DIR. Wiley made n care
ful examination Of the method of man.
ufacturing. He told OF the 19.-
100000 eggs used yearly In the prepar-
alton OF this glazing On this point.
In cross examination. the States at
torney deftly drew from him the in
formation that these eggs might be
kept In cold storage for year or two
at n time.
The experts who heard DIR. Wiley's
testimony were pleased TO listen
TO so famous chemist The
doctor at one point In his testimony
explained very clearly how II Is that
the egg put into the coffee pot by
the housewife settles the coffee. He
said that the heat coagulntes the egg.
and az IL sinks TO the bottom OF the
pot II carries the fine particles or
coffee with II. and thus clarifies the
drink. IL is the act OF coagulatlon In
the coffee pot that does the work.
Later on I'm his cross examination. he
admitted that when the egg was
put on Ariosa coffee at the factory II
became coagulatcd. and as egg cannot
be coagulated but once. that the coat
ing on coffee was practically no value.
as a settler" when II reached the
coffee pot.
Professor Wiley acknowledged that
the glazing might be n favorable
medium for the propagation OF bac-
terin, although he would not testify
positively either way because he was
not bacteriologIst.
Professor Vaughn. OF Ann Arbor
also witness for the defense. said
be found bacteria on ArIosa coffee.
Professor Blelle. another witness for
the defense. testified he found any
number OF lively bacteria on Ariosa
coffee he examined, and agreed that
glazed coffee surely was a more favor.
able medium for the propagation OF
bacteria than unylazed coffee.
Pure Food Commissioner Blackburn
says: "The State IN very much elated
over It's victory. We are now concider-
ing The advisabilIty OF informing every
grocer In the State OF Ohio that II Ia
an iDfraction OF the laws TO sell
ArIosa. and at the same time give
warning to consumers that the coffee
is an adulterated food article"
The verdict Of the jury In this case
is OF national importance because n
great many other States have pure
food laws like that OF Ohio. and II
is natural 10 suppose that similar nc.
ton will be taken by other Pure Food
Commissioners TO prevent the sale Of