The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-06-11
CLAIMS WANTED $4,000.
Whiskey House Man Makes An In
teresting Witness-Feature Of
Dispensary Investigation.

News and Courier.
Columbia, June 9.-The only reve-
lation at this mornings session OF
the winding up commission was the
testimony offered by Mr.. H. A. Cu;iel
who resumed the stand today, that
James Farnum visited Mr.. Curiel III
| New York and carried there in person
an order from the dispensary board
signed by two members. and at the,
time asked for commissions on the
order which Mr.. Curiel says he turn
ed down. The other feature OF the
session was the tests submitted by
Col. Fielder, Of various kinds Of whls-
KEYS tending to show that the goods
! shipped into this State were not
straight wihiskey, but was a comblna-
ton of cologne spirits coloring mat
ter and an article called "extract OF
rye.'
The contention of the State is that
this inferior class Of goods was sent
here, and the prices charged were the
same as for the better grades, and IN
this manner the firms were able to
pay the large commissions out OF
which the dispensary board is al"
leged to have gotten its share. The
! latter contention is borne out by the
affidavit Of Dudley read yesterday
afternoon. and the State will endeav-
or to prove to the satisfaction OF the
commission that the tests are correct
by bringing here on June Is the ex-
pert chemist, who gave the formula
by which the whiskeys might be separ-
ated into their constituent parts.
During the entire session this
morning from 9:3O until l o'clock,
/ Mr.. Curiel was on the stand and ne
! was questioned and cross-questloned
!'bv the attorneys for the State and
| his own attorneys. When the examl-
jnation was begun it could be seen
that Col. Fielder would pursue a line
of questions along the line of deter
! mining to prove that inferior goods
were shipped into South Carolina:
He asked Mr.. Curiel if Farnum had
not told him that goods charged for
as "Three X might be shipped
/ from the "One X stoc< ara! cAarg-
ed for at the "Three k price III
order for the commissions to be pa1d,
to which Nh. Curiel replied that che
may have given me to understand
that the dispensary board knew MOTH
ing about the grades of whlSkey.
Mr.. Curiel denied that he had ever
added to the prices in order to be able
to paw the commissions charged, but
that this method had been suggested
! to him. He did not recall whether
Farnum or Wilson had made the sug-
gestion, but he turned it down.
! Mr.. Curiel was as ked many queS-
tions as to the methods Of making
whiskey, and then came Col. Fielder s
test as to the constituent parts OF
whiskey sold here.
First. he took some whiskey out OF
bottle Of Hunter, Baltimore rye,
and placed il in a vial, into which
was poured some substance. The et-
feet was that there was a separation
apparently of the parts making up
! the composition. A dark substance
settled at the bottom. which Col. Eel
der saws is the coloring matter used.
| In the middle portion Of the vial a
lighter substance was distinctly out
lined. This he said. was the cologne
spirits. and at the top was a small
! division of a dark substance. which he
SAWS was tie extract of rye. Col.
Fielder statel that he would be able
to establish to the satisfaction OF all
that tie test was correct, and that
rhp whisky was not such. but was
COMPOSED If the substances shown by
: the test. Mr.. Curiel did not under
stand such a test, and did not recog-
u;ze It as correct. Later he charac-
ter:zel the test as ''humbug-
After ii, test with the Hunter rye
Col. Fielder tiled the same thing with.
Green River whiSkey. which did not
show the different constituents as
we're shown in the Hunter rye. This,
he declared. was straight whlSkey,
being Of the bonded variety. Col.
Fielder referred to the notorious
Fuss X" sold here to the dispen-
>arv. which. he said, was aged by
dropping in one ball of potash to age
on wear. two balls to age the stuff
two wears. and 50 on. until the sixth.
which would kill.
il, IL