The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-14
HORSE MEAT AS
PURE FOOD
Chicago Abattoirs Where Draft
Animals Are
Killed.
PRODUCT SHIPPED ABROAD
SAY BUTCHERS, BUT INSPECTOR
THINKS DIFFERENTLY.

Chicago. May 13--The discovery that
horses are being butchered in Cook
county for human food has led to a
series of investigations on the part of
the Illinois food commission to learn
where the meat is sold. In spite of the
claim of the horse killers that their
product is exported to Copenhagen,
Denmark. Inspector Hoey of the COM
mission gives his opinion in an Of
fetal report just made that part of
the meat. at least, is sold in cheap
restaurants and free lunch saloons in
Chicago
The investigation resulted in the dis
covery of two horse slaughter houses,
one of which was in operation when
visited by Inspector Hoey. The pro-
prietor made no pretence that he was
butchertng anything bat horses, but in
sisted the meat was for circUses and
for export Thirty barrels of cured
and sailed horse meat were found at
his place.
The horse packing plant which was
found in operation is on the line of
the Joliet & Chicago electric railway,
one mile west of the city limits. at
Archer avenue. 1t is operated by
Charles Beigel and, according to his
sta tement, kills fifteen horses a week
The other plant had been operated by
Walter Johanese, and was five miles
west of Dunning. 1t had been aban-
doned when visited, and the proprietor
| had moved to a new location on the
lDeSplaines river.
Sausage castings made from horses
were found at the Beigel plant The
proprietor insisted that they. too, were
exported TO Denmark; but Johanese said
morse killers frequently disposed of the
house in Chicago.
] Be1gel admitted he furnished horse
meat to his neighbors, farmers living
outside the city limits; but said he did
4 e. -
that he had never turned a poor per-
son away empty handed
! The food inspector based his state
ment that horse meat was being de-
IVered to cheap restaurants and saloons
upon observations made by himself dur
ing score of trips to the vicinity of
the horse packing house. and upon the
evidence of persons with whom he
/ talked during these trips. A delivery
wagon from the horse packing house
made frequent visits to saloons on the
West side, he said.
He secured evidence that the wagon
neighborhood in Summit, Ill, where
Austrians employed in the quarries
nearby live. These boarding houses he
| reported. obtained meat at &C a pound
while the proprietor OF a market in that
/ town complained that the lowest price
he could make on beef was &c a pound
The report of Inspector Hoey was
made to the state food commission and
recommended legislation which will
\ enable the department to control the
killing of horses in Illinois. 1t en-
! braces series of investigations started
a year ago and not yet completed
Business was good at Charles BeigeTs
/ horse slaughter house. BeigePs sentry
saw the inspectors turn from the road
| toward the slaughter house, and came
to meet them. The visitors insisted OF
being shown the plant, and the sentry
reluctantly opened the door.
/ Dressed meat from twenty horses
was hanging in the cooling room
| Thirty barrels filled with cured horse
meat, ready for shipment, were found
| in the picking room. In the principal
wOrxroom a huge kettle of hot water
was boiling over fire, where men had
been preparing castings to be used or
sausages.
Beigers explanation was that he was
killing merely to supply circuses with
food for animals. He explained he fur
| Dished meats for two circuses during
| winter On several Of the quarters were
| cards upon which was written: Nor
ris & Rowe, circus, Evansville, Ind"
! In an old barn three freshly slaugh-
| tered horses were hanging from the
rafters. The two halves of each car
| caSs were as neatly severed as the best
beeveS in a packing house.
You take a reat deal of pains with
them" Inspector Hoey remarked
They are for Ringing Brothers cir
| GUS" the packer said. al ship them
| forty quarters every two weeks. They
are wintering al Baraboo, Wis"
| The inspector pointed out that some
| thing had been gnawing on one side
| of a carcass which was in contact with
! one of the pests supporting the roof OF
the barn.
! Those pesky rats have been at II
and spoiled it," Beigel said, as he saw
the marks. But it doesn't matter. Ii
| is for the animals anyway.
| You have cut the tenderloins out
What do you do with them? ?"
I'VE eat them ourselves. That is the