'UR *pectator: august 2nb 1851
A COWKEEPER and his wife of Liverpool, having circulated statements that Fleet, a " pork" butcher of North Street, used diseased meat for his sausages and other delicacies, Fleet pro- seethed them in the Court of Passage for slander. For the defence, the cowkeepers called witnesses who proved that Fleet bought diseased cows—cows that died of the milk fever- " jigged " cows—calves, or " staggering bobs," a day or two old—" all sorts of cows," and so on, boiling them or chopping them up. From the cow meat were manufactured " pig's " head and sausages. The meat was " very black," and " smelt awful." One witness sold a heifer to Fleet for the benefit of his customers, though the witness would not give it to his pigs. Cross-examined, he said—" I turned the machine at the plaintiff's, and helped them to chop up the meat, but it made me sick. I can stand a bit of a smell, but I couldn't stand that. I asked the lad that was chopping the meat, did he ever eat any of it himself ; and he said ' No, nor they can't get me to eat it either.'" As " truth's a libel," the Jury found for the plaintiff, but with only a farthing damages.
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