Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1911-01-19
Collier Says
Post Is Faker
coNTINURD FRoM ava PAGE.

-
rONTINUED FROM 9TH PAGE.
If impending appendicitis and chronic
Indigestion. These testimonials are
never signed but they always con,
Eclude: Name given by Postum Co.,
Ltd, Battle Greek. Mich. There's q
Reason" And, finally the Post adver-
|tising proclaimed, the Endorsement Of
prominent physician" snd health of
|fcers. Let US mention here that no
physician Of standing would give pub
lie Endorsement to patent food any
more than he would perform Grim
inal operation or refuse aid 10 a sick
pauper. It is against the ethics of the
most highly honorable of all profes-
sions.
Post got those testimonials by adver-
Using for them. In New York he used
for that purpose the New York Maya
zine of Mysteries" whose editor is
now in the Federal penitentiary for
fraudulent use of the mails. For ex'
ample, Post announced in that maya
zine in 1907: more boxes-of Gold and
Many Greenbacks 325 boxes of gold
and greenbacks will be sent to per
sons who write the most interesting
and truthful letters on the following
topics: 1. How have you been affect
ed by coffee drinking and by changing
from coffee to Postum 2. Give
name and account of one or more cot
fee drinkers who have been hurt by
it and who have been induced to quit
and use Postum, ETC., ETC."
For each ofothe five best answers
the Postum Company offered a prize
of a $40 gold piece in a box, to the
aext twenty jS5beach. to the next one
hundred So, and to the next two hun
dred ST. He varied that copy with
another headed "Y O-Grape Nuts. !"
Prizes were offered to the persons
forming the greatest number of words
from the above combination of letters.
One read far into the conditions be-
fore he learned that each answer must
he accompanied by testimonial to
AGrape-Nuts.
Post admitted on the stand that he
got 10000. 100000, 100000 testimonial
letters year by this method. And
by his own admissions these letters
were rewritten before publication.
Post, in fact, declared under oath that
not one of them had ever been printed
Just as it was. written by the author.
Further, the Postum Company never
made any attempt to investigate the
truth of the testimonials. Still further
the company sent stamps to the au-
thors of popular letters, that they
might answer inquiries. The roigfnals
Of these testimonials never reached
the jury. Mr., Golfers attorneys de-
manded them during preliminary exr
animation held at Battle Creek. "They
are in the hands of our New York at
torney.' said Post; "I promise to pro-
duce them at the trial. When, at the
trial, James w. Osborne, of counsel for
Mr.. Collier, demanded them, Mr.. Phil
bin. representing Post, said: II have
never seen them. Why didn't you
serve the customary five days notice?'
Probably the world is poorer in laugh
ter for the suppression of these valu-
able human documents.
In the cracible Of law. the testimon-
ials from prominent physicians" and
shealth officers melted down to one
item-the Endorsement of DR.. B. F..
Underwood. Mr.. Post, it is true, had
promised to put health officer on the
stand; but the man telegraphed at the
last moment that he could not come.
Mr.. Underwood, however, was there.
He was the only author of Postum
Cereal Company's testimonial who ap-
peared in court, and Golfers" produc-
ed him. And this is his story-the
essential facts from his testimony,
the rest from private conversation.
Posts "Prominent Physician"
He is no longer physician. He is
printer. Once, however. he practiced
in small Pennsylvania and New Jersey
towns as homeopathist. He held the
belief that coffee is common cause
of common ills. Knowing of the Post
anti-coffee campaign, he tried to patch
out his income by writing him an anti
coffee article. Post looked over the
article and amended it by adding two
sentences which mentioned Postum
He sent it back to Underwood, saying
in effect: sIfsyou get this published,
including the name of Postum, in some
medical journal, / win pay you for it. !"
Underwood had it printed in the
American Physician" lately born and
now dead. And Post made good. He
sent Underwood $40. That article,