The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-10-16
WARNS AGAINST
IMPURE WHISKY
Doctor Wiley of Bureau OF Chem
istry Says So Per Cent of the
Liquor Is Adulterated.
FRAUD PRACTICED ON PUBLIC.
Even Wood Alcohol, a Deadly
Poison, Is Mixed With Drinks
Even Clubs and Hotels
Handle Bad Stuff.


REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Washington. Oct. l5.-Folloxins close ON
the whisky fatalities in New York and
The subsequent revelations there. Doctor
II. Wiley. Chief of the Government
Bureau of Chemistry. sounded a note of
warning to-day.
In an interview he expressed the opin-
ion that fully s. per cent of all the whis-
ky sold in this country. in hotel restau-
rants, clubs and bars, is nothing less than
a cheap imitation.
While this may not be fatally poisonous.
very much of it is dangerous to the hui
man system. even aiken moderately, and
it is all a fraud OF the public. The Gov
eminent, through the Bureau of Chemis-
try, has already begun an investigation.
For a remedy Doctor Wiley suggests
better laws regulating the sale of strong
drink, the most important of which shall
be a statute compelling the real and spuri-
GUS articles to be labeled as such. The
passage of the pure-food bill now pending
in Congress. he says. will aid any laws
the States may now nave or enact in the
future.
DANGER FoRETOLD.
Il am not surprised" said Doctor Wiley
to-day. lat the revelations recently made
In New York concerning the ordinary
whisky of commerce. 1 have tried to con-
vey. a warning In times past, and the sit
uation as developed simply gives prac-
tical Illustration of the necessity of this
warming.
ers IN whisky l am led to believe that
fully S. per cent of the ordinary whisky
Of commerce is adulterated. II is a fraud
ulent transaction and should be prevented.
If lS my nnfninn that MIRA u-hiQkt ay0onf
in the most moderate quantities, is an in
jury to the human system. How much
more 50. then, must be this adulterated
compound!
"of course. ! q don't say that the adulter-
ated is fatally poisonous. Perhaps only
that in which wood alcohol Is used. as 1t
is in New York. Is likely to be immedi-
ately fatal 1 never believed that anyone
could be so utterly degraded and criminal
as TO treat whisky to be sold over a bar
with what is popularity known as wood
alcohol. one of the deadliest of poisons.
I'm the course of my investigation of
this subject not long aso ! entered a
downtown barroom to briefly observe what
was going on A rather rough-looking man
chaser The bartender handed him a glass
considerably larger. tha the ordinary
whisky glass of a hotel bar. He filled this
much beer with it. The bartender rang up
. cents on the cash register. That amount
of pure whisky and pure beer would have
CuSt IuuT tlNncS the uHn. FTOn InlS IL can
be easily appreciated to what extent this
adnlteration isrgoing on. 1t f. not confined
to the cheaper bars. / have shown you that
it is in the clubs, and it is also in the ho-
tel restaurants"
CREOSoTE IN SCOTCH"
Doctor Wiley has Just received from
Consul General Henry Clay Evans at Lon
don a choice consignment Of the essences
from which a large portion of the Scotch
whisky sold in this country is made. These
essences are on sale in the open market
at Lond showing the barefaced manner
in which manufacturers concoct potions
they give to the public as the real article.
One Of the principal ingredients of this
so-cailei Scotch whisky" said Doctor
Wiley to-day. is creosote. One pound Of
it. according to the label. will make 100
gallons of Scotch whisky. II put into SO
silent spirit as they call 1t in Eng
and. or pure alcohol. as we cali 1t here. |
This pure alcohol may be made from 70
tatoes. A small bottle of essence of real |
Scotch whisky is then used for colo,:ng |
matter. and your Scotch is ready for the
!