New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1902-08-30
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-Prcsence of Bac-
terra.
TOLEDO. O., Aug. 3-The jury in Judge
| Meck's court In this city has found
James White local grocer, guilty OF
selling aduterated coffee The prose
cution was based on a package or Ar
buckles Ariosa coffee.
The State of Ohio, through the Pure
! Food Commission, prosecuted White.
The case was on trial for nearly
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
diet 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. 4. Kirchmaier, Of this city,
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 800 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.
j. 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. |
II. w. Wiley, of the United States Ag- |
ricultural Department; Prof. Vaughn Of |
Ann Arbor University; Profs. Belle |
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- |
sa. He told of the 100000 eggs used |
by the Arbuckles yearly in the prepare
ton of this glazing. On this point in
cross examination, the States attorney |
deftly 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 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. It 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 Settler" when it reached
the coffee pot.
Prof. Wiley acknowledged that the
glazing might be a favorable medium
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 more favorable medium for the l.
propagation Of bacteria than unglazed
coffee.
Pure Food Commissioner Blackburn |
says: ''The State is very much elated
over its victory against this corpora.
ton. 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 adultetat-
ed food article
The verdict Of the jury in this case is
If national Importance because great
many other States have pure food laws
ike that Of Ohio, and it is natural to +
that similar action will be
aiken by other Pure Food Commits.
'ioners to prevent the sale of glazed
,offees.