The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-14
ERI1SCHE'S WHISKEY SEIZED.
.r>T no APPRAISERS STORES
--PtNIC IN DISTRNT.
purr wood Alcohol Found on Premises
Police blame saloon for All Deaths
Man Denies All knowledge Of Poison
rake WhIskey Very Commonly sold.

rake Whiskey Very Commonly sold
r,it,d states Special Internal Revenue
oe,cc- e. o. Fellers. accompanied by hall
,l,,,, Government agents and two detec-
zoos from the West Forty seventh street
,,a,iou. went to the saloon OF Rudolph
rrit-chr. ut 723 Tenth avenue. late yester-
.av afternoon and seized eight barrels OF
vLi.,nv which were stored IN the rear ot
rho place. The barrels were sent to the
.uur,i4cr4' Stores Before sending them
rellrr. took a quart from each barrel
az a sample to be sent to Washington Tor
analysis
great crowd gathered around the place
turing the visit OF the Government officers,
srd fearing that additional damage might
he done to the saloon, Capt. H,ussey ordered
a.. squad of reserves to the scene. Then
the crowd scattered.
The agitation resulting from the numer-
,,s sudden deaths in the district has led
10 greater reforms than even the most
optimistic Prohibitionist ever dreamed OF.
Everybody in the district seems to have
climbed upon the water wagon. The
nrieetS in nearby churches have been Kept
busy recording pledges and the saloons
are doing little or no business Everybody
who suffers from an ache Immediately as
cribe.s it to bad whiskey.
A. so'clock last night, when Capt. Hussey
in the West Forty seventh street station
was giving orders to his men detailed to
watch gambling houses. young man
rushed into the station and cried;
They're after me. They're going to
kill mel"
It took four cops TO hold him down and
find out that he was George Weiss OF AIS
West Fifty-second street. Weiss said ne
had been drinking Tenth avenue whiskey
and that his stomach felt as il on fire lie
wac sent to Bellevue Hospital.
few minutes later n policeman dragged
into the station man who had been Shrek
ing and causing disturbance at the corner
Of Tenth avenue and Forty street.
He said he was Joseph Fleming, brick
layer
Well, what's the matter with your
asked the sergeant.
Just Tenth avenue booze answered
Fleming.
He also was sent to Bellevue.
The police of the West Forty seventh
street station and Coroner Scholer expect
TO receive to-day n complete analysis OF
,arious samples of whiskey taken from the
loon of Rudolph Fritsche at 723 Tenth
venue and a number of other saloons in
the Strikers Farm" district. where the
deaths from bad whiskey have occurred.
They also expect to get a report OF the
ANALYSIS of the contents Of the stomachs OF
several of the supposed victims.
Coroner Scholer said yesterday that with
this evidence it might be possible to bring
a serious charge against Fritsche or any
other saloonkeepers whose whiskey may
show the presence Of a poison such as wood
alcohol Fritsche is now held as "suspi-
cious person." His examination on that
charge comes up next Tuesday.
Police Captain Hussey said yesterday
that in his opinion the whole trouble was
confined to Fritsche's place. Samples OF the
wbiskey sold in several other places where
the s,Ipposed victims were accustomed to
drink have been sent to the Board OF Health,
but no wood alcohol has 80 far been found in
anv of them. Against Fritsches place the
evidence seems TO be overwhelming, the
police say, although the person responsible
las not yet been determined.
Capt. Hussey received yesterday a report
from the Board OF Health showing an
ANALYSIS of the contents Of a two gallon
can found in Fritsche's cellar near one OF
the suspected whiskey barrels. The re-
port was that this can contained pure wood
alcohol. Capt. Hussey said that he had
tailed to find any other purpose for which
this could have been used in the saloon
than for mixing it in the whskey. The
ran had evidently been purchased recently.
In the top Of it, in addition to the regular
vent hole, very small hole had been cut
from which bottles might be filled
Fritsche continues to deny all knowledge
Of how this can came to be In his place
and also how his whiskev came to be doc
tored" with any such stuff. Michael
McAuliffe, Fritsche's last bartender, is dead,
supposed victim Of the poisoned whiskey.
The only other person the police have heard
about who might give them the evidence
thew want Of what went on behind the ba r
i, a bartender whom FIitsche employed
before he hired McAulinfe. This man the
police are now looking for.
The Internal Revenue inspectors laugh
at the Importance attached by some to
hook giving recipes for various kinds OF
whskeys which was found by Coroner
Scholcr in one of the places in the district.
The recipes have long been recognized
as ways OF making wnat are Known as
"coored- spirits. Any rectifier holding a
license from the Government is allowed to
make such whiskey from pure spirits. and
it is this whisitey which is offered for sale
for five cents a glass. 1t is Enthusiastically
had whiskev, but it is not poisonous. A
lot OF rectlfiers distribute these books to
their customers
As a warming against purchasing liquor
thus made" said one Of the officers. you
arc apt to find such book anywhere, and
you're apt to catch saloon keepers using
these recipes themselves anywhere. When
We catch them, We fine them $50. We
find a. many in the Tcnderloin and in tho
GOOD districts a. We do on Tenth avenue.
II We could show our records. thing we're
not allowed to do, a good many might have
their confidence in liquor dealers badly
shaken. 4 man il cheated when he gets
That stun, hut he isn't hurt much by it.
In the case of Frank Clarke. book
FeePer. who died suddenly yesterday
morning at PAS West Fifty-first street
and vas reported first a. "whiskey death. :"
WIS found that he died Of heart disease.
Tic said b" had had scrap with friend
aud was knocked down. He had been
drinking tho night before and abottle bo
and another man had bought at a saloon
n the district was sent by the police to the
b"hrd Of Health inst for precaution. 1t
brand