1827 Wine and spirit adulterators unmasked

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employed. On referring to the note containing the abstract of this trial, it will be seen, that, al- though the flavoring and mixing of Cape Wine with a portion of Shorry, to make the mixture sell for genuine Sherry, was not brought home to the had frequently bought small quan- tities of Wine of him, but never, at any one time, so large a quan- tity as to require a permit. He never bought, altogether, so much Wine of him as 288 gallons. He never saw the permit for 288 gallons of Wine, purporting to have been bought by him of the defendant. Mr. Tooke, examined by the Attorney-General. He (Tooke) knew the defendant; these permits were obtained with the know- ledge of the defendant, and for the purpose of accounting, for the disappearance of a large quantity of Cape Wine, which was mixed with Sherry, and sold under the name of the latter. It was not sufficient to mix Cape and Sherry alone; any one would detect the imposture. The mixture thus formed, must be doc- tored, before it could be made to pass for Sherry. The mode of doctoring, was by mixing with the Wine, a composition, made of Bitter and Sweet Almonds, Powdered Oyster Shells, and Chalk; the Bitter Almonds gave the Wine a rough taste, which the Sweet Almonds, in some degree, softened; the Powdered O \ster Shells, and Chalk, refined the mixture. There was a large vat, in which the mixture was made. The vat was erected for tiiis purpose; the mixture and doctoring were both made with the de- fendant's knowledge and approbation. Oldfield was then in the King's Bench Prison; witness had frequent conversations with the defendant, in prison, and carried him samples of the Wine thus mixed ; the ingredients for doctoring the Wine were bought by wit- ness ; the bills then produced in court, were tire druggist's bills for the same ; witness was remunerated for these ingredients, by Porter, Oldfield's clerk. The defendant, Oldfield, carried on the business of a Wie Merchant, under the name of the Westminster Wine Company. There were two mixtures of this Wine made in June 1823. Oldfield went to prison in February 1822. There were knew the defendant Oldfield ;