Poison Sold as Whiskey Washington, July 26.—Of 80,- 000 samples of liquor seized by the Prohibition Division in all parts of the country only one per cent. were genuine. The rest ranged from mild to virulent poison, but it is what the great bulk of American people are now drinking under the beneficent effects of Prohibition. Most of the so-called whiskey which Americans buy and drink is re-distilled, de-natured alcohol, artificially flavoured and coloured. In some cases it produces instant death. If the victim lives he may expect to be made totally blind or afflicted with nephritis and cystitis.
Owing to faked labels and brands used by bootleggers, and forged revenue stamps with which they decorate bottles, it is impossible for the purchaser to know what he is buying, unless he has it analysed or is rash enough to experiment upon himself. As little as three ounces of this mixture has been known to cause death. Even when bootleggers sell smuggled liquor illegally withdrawn from Government warehouses it is made poisonous before it reaches the customer. For the sake of greater profit only a small part of the genuine liquor is retained, and the bottle filled up ith re-distilled—alcohol. While this mixture is less dangerous than straight re-distilled, de-natured alcohol, it is extremely harmful, and if indulged in for a protracted period will cause death.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.