The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-03
WOOD ALCOHOL FOR MOURNERS
DEATH AND BLINDNESS AFTER
SlNAGOGUE TREATS.
Man Arrested Four Times for Moonshinlng
said 10 Have Sold the Poisonous
spirit-oiany Of the Victims Hired 10
Pray for the Dead-seVeral Made Ill.,

fray Tor INC UeaN-AeNcral Maue Ill,
One man IL dead. another is totally blind.
several are sick and others have been sick,
all on the lower East Side, "a the result Of
drinking what il believed to be moonshine
wood alcohol whiskey. All of the victims
were professional mourners in u Jewish
synagogue,
1t Is the custom in the Jewish church
after member Of family dies fer a male
member of the family of the deceased TO
repeat Kadish-nrayers for the repose Of
the soul of the dead. He must spend eight
days in his home with his shoes OF and Sc
cure the services Of professional mourners,
usually ten, who pray in the synagogue.
The member of the bereaved family Is also
expected to visit the'synagogue once a day
for year and offer up prayers. He also
is expected to supply the hired mourners
with food and Enthusiastically whiskey.
1t was common talk on the East side yes
terday that many mourners OF late have
been treated to whiskey purchased from
moonshiner who sold his goods on Suffolk
street, near Stanton. 1t was cheap.
A week ago last Wednesday, Aaron
Kolish, 90 yea ~ old, OF Al Essex street, who
had been saying prayers for the dead for
a year at the old Constantine (fussian)
Jewish Synagogue, at 20 Orchard street,
finished up his year of Kadish. He had
ten professional mourners to help him pray
and he supplied them with a gallon of
whiskey, which was purchased at the Suf-
folk and Stanton streets place. He drank
some OF the whiskey himself. day or
two later he was dead,
Since then nearly all the mouners have
been seriously sick. Joseph Zede, 90 years
old, % - Orchard street. the sexton OF the
church was seriously Ill few hoqrs aI,er
drinking the whiskey. He has lost his
sight although his eyes appear natural
save for distention OF the pupil. He has
been treated by Dr. Cistin Of Ninth street
and Prof. Knapp OF the Eye and Ear lnfirm-
airy, but they offer little hope OF his recover
ing his sight.
Schlome Babish of 81 Scanned street,
usually a pedler, but occasionally pro-
fessional mourner, was also taken sick
the same day. He got out Of doors yes
terday. He says, that on the day that he
drank the whiskey he becsme partly
blind and his head felt as if it had swollen
to several times its usual size.
Both Babish and Zeide said that all the
rest Of the moumers who drank the whis-
key have been sick. Some were still seri-
ously III. They didn't know their names.
At the house where the members Of the
church said tho whiskey was bought the
janitress said last night that the man who
sold it moved to Rvington and Suffolk
streets a month ago because she had had
him dispossesGed.
police and revenue officers while he was
here she said He lived upstairs and
stored his whiskey in the basement. |
understood that his son ran still out on
farm in New Jersey. The stuff was shipped
over here. Sometimes as many as fifty
barrels arrived in one day
Part OF the whiskey was kept up in the
mans rooms. The rest was kept in the
wood house in the basement he hired
two extra wood houses for that purpose.
The police and revenue men have kept
an eye on him. A policeman once stood
in front Of the basement for a week Once
the Federal authorities got him and took
several barrels of the stuff. He did a big
business. The stuff he got looked like
alcohol. l didn't think II was whiskey.'
Several of the members Of the synagogue
were worked up about the case yesterday.
They had secured samples Of the alleged
wood alcohol whiskey and said that they
would take It TO the Department of Health
for analysis. Others said that they would
call the attention OF the Federal authon-
ties to the illegal sale of the whiskey.