The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-08-09
ADULTERATED COFFEE.
GROCER WHITE FOUND GUILTY
OF VIOLATING OHIO'S PURE
FOOD LAWS.

Interesting Facts Concerning the
Roasting of Coffee Brought Out by
Scientific Experts-Presence of Bac-
terra.
TOLEDO, o., Aug. 3.-The jury in Judge
Meck's court in this city has found
James White, a local grocer, guilty of
selling adulterated coffee. The prose
cutjon 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 Tor 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 big
victory. Pure Food Commissioner
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 it appear better
than it is. The State charged this
coating or glazing was favorable me-
dunn for the propagation of bacteria.
Prof. G. A. Kirchmaier, Of this city,
q well known chemist, was the princl-
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
Their testimony.
The defense through the Arbuckles,
who prepared this glazed coffee, Sc
cured some of the most eminent chem
to give testimony in their behalf. Prof.
Fl. w. Wiley, Of the United States Ag
ricultural Department; Prof. Vaughn of
Ann Arbor University; Profs Bleile
and Weber, of the Ohio State Univer-
sity, were called to defend Ariosa. DR..
Wiley had made careful examination
of the method of manufacturing Ario-
1 a
by the Arbuckles yearly in the prepare
ton of this glazing On this point in
cross examination, the States attorney
deity drew from him the information
that these eggs might be kept in cold
storage by the Arbuckles for year or
two at time.
The experts who heard Dr. Wiley's
testimony were pleased to be able to
"catch" so famous chemist. The doc
tor at one point in his testimony eX-
planned very clearly how it is that the
egg put into the coffee pot 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
nation, 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 settler" when it 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 bac-
teriologist.
Prof Vaughn, of Ann Arbor, also a
witness far 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: "The State is very much elated
over it's victory against this corpora
ton. We are now considering the adj
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 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 Commits
sioners to prevent the sale of glazed
coffees