The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-05
BAD WHISKY Turks
UNDER BOND STAMP
Food Commissioners Finds Im-
pure Liquor Under Federal
Label


Paul and one in Minneapol appear
ed in the municipal courts of the two
cities yesterday and pleading guilty to
the charge of selling impure whisky
were fined s25 each.
In each of the three instances the
saloonkeepers claim that they had
been selling direct from barrels Ship
ped to them from government ware
houses, but the samples Of the stuff
purchased by the state dairy and food
commission did not stand the required
test. All samples contained too
great quantity of fusel oil.
w. A. Bergen, 24S East Fourth
street, and John Froehlingsdorf, 452
Broadway, were the st. Paul men who
paid the penalty for disposing of
liquors not conforming to the state
pure food laws, and S. Nelson, 1905
Washington avenue, Minneapolis, was
the Mill City man who pleaded guilty
in his home city. Several other cases
are pending, and with the favorable
results in the first cases brought, the
dairy and food commission will con-
tfnue the investigations that have
brought such startling results.
Froehlingdorf pleaded guilty to hav-
ing sold Sunny Brook rye whisky,
taken direct from barrels that he pur
chased from the distillery, and which
were shipped direct to him from a
government bonded warehouse The
report of the chemist of the dairy and
food commission showed that the
liquor contained .56 per cent of fusel
oil. Nelson, the Minneapolis man, ad-
mitted selling the same brand of LIQUOR
and claimed that he took it direct from
the barrel, just as it was received. In
each instance the barrels were regu-.
tariy stamped and marked by the gov
ernment gaugers and inspectors and
guaranteed to be SO proof.
Purchased From DistiiIery
Bergen makes a like defense as to
whisky he sold. He claims that he
purchased it direct from the Economy
Beaver county, Pa. Securing direct
shipments from the distillery, he was
OF the opinion that he was getting the
best goods on the market, but the
chemist of the dairy and food commits
sion alleges that there was found .55
per cent fusel oil in the samples sub.
mitted to him.
went before the court and without ask
ing for a trial admitted the charge,
which was preferred by Inspector Rou-
leau, OF the dairy and food commits
sion. In some instances the arrests
were made some days ago, and it was
claimed by Rouleau that the dfstil-
ier1es interested had sufficient time In
which to investigate and defend the
charges made against their goods. if
they sought to do anything of the kind.
Mr.. Rouleau expects that there will be
like disposition of the other cases
that are pending and are to be brought,
claiming that the evidence against the
whisky cannot be disputed.
News that government bonded
whisky may be decidedly impure, and
that the government only guarantees
the age and proof of the article proved
startling to whisky drinkers, a large
percentage of whom had been Of the
opinion that.the government stamp on
either barrel or bottle guaranteed the
purity of the contents. 1t is claimed
that the investigation by the dairy and
food commission has proven that the
average bottle of whisky contains from
5 to SO per cent of fusel oil, and that
the quantity in an ordinary bottle of
liquor would be sufficient to cause the
death of guinea pig.
Public Under False Impression
'The retailers of whisky and the
general public believe that the pres
ence of the government stamp guaran-
tees the purity of the liquor" said a
man familiar with the subject. ABut
such is not the case. Having been long
engaged in pureS food prosecutions
have learned that the government only.
warrants the age and purity of the
goods carrying the stamp. Personally
1 am of the opinion, and this is based
upon investigation, that bonded whisky
contains more injurious substances
than ordinary whisky. The man who
thinks that because he sees the green
stamp OF the government on the bottle or
barrel that the contents are guaranteed
pure by the government is making
big mistake. The whisky is turned over
to the bonded warehouses by the dis
t1lleries and when barrels are purchased
from the distillers and removed from
the warehouse for shipment, the proof
is reduced to any point that does not
fall below so. The government merely
stamps the barrel showing the age of
the whisky and the proof. 1t does not
in any case go beyond that point"
State Chemist Hortvett declares that
these violations of the pure food law
are the most fragrant that have come to
his attention. In every instance it was
found that the presence of fusel oil
tion of the liquor was positively dam
gerous. During the past year thirteen
persons have died in the Minneapolis
city hospital from delirium tremens,
likely superinduced by impure whisky.
In all forty-tw cases of this character
have been treated in the hospital.
Two Grades of Booze
Strictly speaking, there are two gen
>eraI grades of whisky on the market.
One comes direct from the bonded
warehouses of the government the
saloonkeeper and consumer. If the
proof is reduced it is either done by
the government at the warehouse by
the saloonkeeper or consumer The
other general grade is that sold by rec
tifiers. The rectfier purchases the
bonded goods, just as does the saloon
keeper, but he puts it through a process
that he claims takes from the liquor its
injurious qualities. A rectifier is IL
censed by the government and is held
to as strict accountability as. are dis
tillers, but in this case, as with the
bonded warehouses, the government
does not go beyond certifying to the
proof of the whisky after it has been
rectified, So-called.
During the past several years prorli-
nent distilleries have maintained local
st. Paul agents, who have made spe-s
ciaI efforts to convince the trade that
the whisky from the bonded ware
houses is most pure. It is. therefore.
natural that the inception of this cru
Sade should be charged to sfl1a rect ifi-s