The San Francisco call., 1908-12-14
ACCUSE CATERER OF
BUYING POOR BEEF
Doctor Charges Leon Cohn Fur
nished Meat Inferior to That
Called For in Contract
Physician Ascribes Wholesale
Illness From Banquet to
Cheap Article Supplied

|: That Leon Cohn, the caterer who
served the luncheon at Mare island at
the time of the Prometheus launching.
furnished beef of quality inferior. to
that-called for in his contract is the
direct charge made yesterday by Or.
j. j. Hogan of Vallejo. who is taking
an active part in the Investigation of
the Wholesale poisonings which fol-
lowed the banquet. DR.. Hogan fur
ther charges that the poor quality of
the beef, together with the fact that
II was undercooked, made rapid decay
possible.
ence neld at the Union league club by
Dr. Hogan with DIR. I. b. W. Leland,
coroner, and DR.. Martin Regensburger
OF the state board of health
Dr. Hogan had previously been in
formed that Cohn paid cents pound
Tor most of his beef and that some of
II mad been cooked on the Wednesday
preceding the luncheon, while all of
II II mad been left exposed two nights
thursday. night in Cohn's establish
ment In Church street and Friday night
IN the machine shop at Mare island
All of my Investigations point to
one hagrant source of the poisonings.
namely, the beef said Dr. Hogan.
The ham was bad in spots, but as far
as ! can determine all of the beef was
tainted
The beef was of a very coarse quality
ana was not thoroughly cooked. Cohn
himself admitted that had it been
cooked longer it would have been as
tough as leather. Cheap meat of this
KIND will decay much more rapidly
than prime beef. and together with the
1aet that it was rather rare made rapid
decay very easy
quest into the death of James c. Reyn-
olds. Coroner Leland will await the re-
suit OF DR.. Hogan's Investigations. He
mas submitted a list of questions to
Dr. Hogan which he desires answered
and these answers will, to a great ex-
tent, determine the course which the
inquest will pursue.
Both DR. Leland and DIR. Regens-
burger acquiesced in Dr. Hogan's
charge that Cohn had furnished cheap
beef, which was undercooked They
also agreed with DIR. Hogan in his
statement that such beef decays very
rapidly
III Cohn has been guilty of criminal
carelessness he will be prosecuted and
IL he is found guilty of knowingly buy
ing tainted beef he may have to face
a charge OF, manslaughter but chances
or this are remote" said DIR. Leland.
Dr.. Regensburger said that he did
not believe Cohn had purchased the
impure food knowingly
Naval Constructor Holden A. Evans
at~Mare island received another letter
yesterday from a man signing himself
as John Schmidt. In his first letter
Schmidt charged that the meat fur
nished by Cohn had been shipped to
San Francisco from the east imInedi
ately after the earthquake In his
second letter Schmidt reiterated his
charges and added that Ed Kiehl of
1924 OFarrell street could give the
authorities information on the corfdi-
ton of the meat. I<iehl is one of the
walters who worked for Cohn at the
luncheon. but when seen last night
said he knew no John Schmidt
The letter was turned over to Medi-
cal Inspector Frank Anderson at Mare
island and later sent to DIR. Regens-
burger. s-sssss.ssi ss ~