A Candy Crime

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Back in the 19th century, the British government decided that they would put a tax on sugar as it was so popular but the less well off members of society were unable to afford the delicious sweets and candies that the higher orders enjoyed so, in order to accommodate the poorer people,some candy/sweet recipes were adapted and, instead of the full amount of sugar the considerably cheaper plaster of Paris, chalk or limestone (called gypsum) were added to the sugar mix. These alternatives weren't harmful but, due to an awful series of events, a small mistake caused the deaths of 20 people in Bradford, England and caused a further 200 people to become severely ill. William Hardaker sold sweets at a market in the centre of Bradford and one of his suppliers, Joseph Neal, made peppermint humbugs which required peppermint oil and sugar. However, he added gypsum, one of the cheaper alternatives, to the mix for William Hardaker as his customers tended to be less affluent. Joseph Neal got this gypsum from a local pharmacist called Charles Hodgson who was well respected and reliable. On the day in question, Joseph Neal, the sweet maker, was busy so he sent his lodger James Archer,to collect the gypsum. Unfortunately, when James Archer arrived at the pharmacy Charles Hodgson wasn't available to serve him so his young assistant William Goddard, dealt with him. William Goddard wasn't sure where the gypsum was kept so asked Charles Hodgson who informed him where to find it in the store room. William retrieved the gypsum and handed it over to James Archer who, in turn, returned it to Joseph Neal. Joseph Neal, in turn, sent the peppermint oil, sugar and gypsum to an experienced sweet maker, James Appleton, who worked for Joseph from time to time. James Appleton made the peppermint humbugs but thought they looked a little different to normal. However, he didn't consider there was anything drastically wrong with the. He returned them to Joseph Neal. However, it was later reported that James Appleton had felt unwell during their production of the sweets William Hardaker, the market stall holder, demanded a reduction in price when he saw the sweets but, again, he knew that his clientele wouldn't mind them looking a bit unusual - all they wanted was a cheap, tasty sweet treat. William Hardaker did sample one of the sweets before putting them on his stall and fell ill but thought it was just a tummy bug. On that day William sold the sweets at three ha'pence for two ounces and, as a result of those sales, 20 people died and around 200 others became sick. The first two fatalities were children and it was thought at the time they'd died from cholera but the police, having investigated further when more people died or became ill, discovered arsenic poisoning was the cause and this was traced back to William Hardaker's sweet stall. The police then managed to track the source back from William Hardaker to James Neal and from there, back to Charles Hodgson where it was confirmed that William Goddard had been the seller of the arsenic. Young William Goddard was arrested and appeared before magistrates on 1st November 1858 and not long after Joseph Neal and Charles Hodgson were committed for trial alongside William Goddard on a charge of manslaughter. Thankfully, all three were discharged when the case came before the York Assizes in December 1858 as it was evident that the whole chain of events had been a horrible mistake . One good thing did come out of this case. The Adulteration of Food and Drink Bill of 1860 changed how ingredients could be used and mixed together and in 1868 the UK Pharmacy Act brought in more stringent regulations as to how pharmacists handled and sold poisons.