The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-10-22
TEST LEGALITY OF
GROCERS SELLING
LEMON EXTRACT
WHICH CONTAINS HIGH PER
CENTAGE OF ALCOHOL. CASE
TO BE TRIED FRIDAY

Special Officer Cock on Thursday
served warrant on Oscar Emery, the
head clerk in the Celrite Grocery store
in this city. Emery being the man who
cold lemon extract with which, later
on Alvin Crystler and Charles Ming,
became intoxicated and after oeiIls
placed under arrest and soperiils up
were sentenced to thirty days IN tne
county Jail as punishment Ior thsin
offense against the peace ana uigih.$
of the people CT the great stats u
Michigan. The warrant had peer
sworn out in Justice Laphams cour.
ON complaint Of Special Ofhcer Oooh
and the case will be tried out on .ne
coming Friday. Meanwhile MT: EN-
erv is at liberty on his promise 10 ap-
near in court at that time.
Mr.. Emery says that he Is guilty. %
No crime and that when he MADE tns
nart;cular sale which kicked up al
tbe rumpus he thought no more Oh tne
matter than he did when ne had mace
n,anv other sales of other articles !, In
+ha store 1t has always been the poll
cv Of the store to buy in huge guam
t;t;es of any commodity when. they
,,,,rchased and their stock was always
literally advertised with prices IN
MANY cases far below that ordinarily
CHARGED and people in trading at Ohe
store would Law in supply Oh any
cartain article which would last LOT
months ahead. Mr.. Emery says tnat
he did not pay any attention TO VINO
hought the goods, whether it was lem
on extract. soap, flour, potatoes or
anvthinp else anymore than any oUner
GROCER in the CITY would were some
One to come in and call for anything.
He saws that a number of we'll known
and respectable people, who having
raad the advertisement in this paper
last week. purchased lemon extract
and other extracts which contained
b;oh percentage of alcohol and ne Is
certain that those people would not
PURCHASE il for the alcohol which II
contained He also said that he woulo
NOT sell such articles to people wnon
he knew to be addicted to drink ano
who he had reason to believe wouio
use Il as an intoxicating beverage
Mr. Emery stands high in the esteem
cf the people of this city and wner
he saws so it can be taken as the
truth. ,..r,
brands If lemon. vanilla and other va.
rieties of extracts and the alcono
content in them range all the way
from "a per cent to 81 per cent, tps
latter being the percentage winch tn'
kind had which caused the trouD,e
The same or similar varieties can o.
found in any grocery store IN the cit!
undoubtedly and it is safe to stat'
that there is not a groceryman IN TN
city who would sell any of the stuff i
he had reason TO believe that 1T wa
to be used for an Intoxicating drink
A number of cases have since came .
light where respectable and avowedi.
prohibition people have purchase
these n-alcohol-content extract
for baking and other uses in the hous
hold and the fact that the men VIII
purchased this particular kind an
quality could not be taken to ciearr
indicate that it was sold fer an lille
gal purpose.
The chances are that at the hearing
and trial which will be had in the cas-
on Friday the public will be given IN
formation as to whether the sale o
extracts or other liquids which contai
a percentage of alcohol in excess
that established in the national
state prohibition laws, is illegal o
not and if so there is possibility tina
some of the wholesale grocery house
and others who have furnished eS
tracts will be called upon to take bac
a lot of the goods which have foun
their way to this city.