## Chapter 86: The Counterfeit Merchant
The Scotland Yard, as a newly established police force, lacked not only professional detectives but also struggled to maintain daily patrols.
Their primary duty was merely to maintain order on the streets and apprehend petty crimes like theft and robbery.
Unless a major case, like a murder involving a missing body, arose and attracted public attention, cases with less social impact were usually brushed aside.
If this case had occurred in another precinct, it might have been casually dismissed.
However, for Arthur, who was dedicated to investigating major cases and expanding his influence, he wouldn’t easily let go of a case that could yield rewards for success and carry no consequences for failure.
For such a missing person case, the best approach was to seek information from local kingpins.
Arthur knew the prominent figures operating in Greenwich, if not intimately, at least superficially.
In this era, highly organized criminal groups like the Mafia were yet to emerge. London in the early 19th century was more characterized by groups with the nature of trade associations.
While their businesses weren’t strictly illegal, they might not be entirely legal if scrutinized closely.
In terms of information access, Judd Martin, a merchant specializing in counterfeit goods, was undoubtedly one of the most well-connected individuals in Greenwich.
The reason was simple: most street vendors in Greenwich relied on Judd Martin’s counterfeit store for their supply.
His merchandise included, but was not limited to:
* Pickled vegetables dyed green with copper
* Cream made by mixing bad milk with rice flour and tapioca starch
* Multicolored candies made with sugar, starch, and kaolin
* Lemonade laced with tartaric acid
* Gloucester cheese dyed with red lead and annatto seeds
* Vegetable sauce brewed with leftover distillate and vinegar, combined with walnut shells, spices, chili powder, peppercorns, salt, and unsold rotten mushrooms
* Various fake medicines with a small chance of curing illness and a high probability of worsening the condition.
By modern standards, Judd Martin would be an undeniable criminal.
But in 19th-century England, Mr. Martin’s business wasn’t illegal. Parliament turned a blind eye to counterfeiting and selling fake goods, as many factories supplying these counterfeit goods were major taxpayers across Britain.
Furthermore, both the Whigs and Tories adhered to economic liberalism, with some members even defending these counterfeit factories and merchants.
They claimed that counterfeiting effectively reduced product prices, allowing the poor to improve their quality of life.
Others argued that it was the government’s greedy tax policies that caused counterfeiting to flourish.
Britain imposed high protective tariffs on most imported goods from foreign countries.
For consumer goods like tea, the protective tariff was once as high as 100%.
Drinking tea was an indispensable part of British life, from aristocratic merchants to ordinary workers, everyone had to drink at least one cup of sweet tea per day.
However, with such high tariffs and the expensive costs of long-distance transportation, the price of tea was bound to remain high.
These counterfeit merchants claimed that they had to use blackthorn leaves as a substitute for tea, frying and selling them to meet the lower classes’ demand for tea.
Therefore, counterfeiting and selling fake goods could be considered a widespread social phenomenon.
Although some social activists occasionally spoke out against food and drug safety issues, they rarely made much of a stir.
Frederick Accum, a chemist who exposed food safety issues in England, was continuously framed and eventually expelled from Britain for touching the interests of these adulterating merchants.
Arthur had no interest, nor the ability for now, to fight those large factory owners who produced counterfeit goods.
However, if he simply wanted to manipulate Judd Martin, it would be a piece of cake. After all, the latter was just a distributor and primary manufacturer in the counterfeit industry. More importantly, Martin had several weaknesses that Arthur held in his grasp.
Arthur, accompanied by Tom and Tony, walked into a narrow alley in Christmas Road. At the end of the alley, overflowing with sewage, was an open courtyard gate, and a pungent, sour, and sticky aroma of milk wafted from afar.
He arrived at the gate and saw a large pot bubbling with milk in the courtyard.
Two workers, wearing coats with numerous pockets, stirred the milk with sticks as tall as themselves, occasionally reaching into their pockets to grab handfuls of multicolored powder and throw them into the pot.
As the sticks stirred and the various ingredients were added, the sour smell faded, and the flowing milk began to thicken, gradually acquiring a dark reddish hue.
Martin, clad in blue work clothes with a dirty apron tied around his waist, wasn’t idle.
He first emptied sacks filled with kaolin and peppercorns onto the ground, then meticulously mixed them together with his hands.
He was kneeling on the ground, engrossed in the mixing, when he noticed a pair of boots appear before him.
Martin looked up and immediately put on a smile.
He wiped his hands, covered in peppercorns and kaolin, on his apron, then stood up, bowing and saying, “Officer Arthur? What brings you here today? Why don’t you come in for a cup of tea? It’s genuine tea, not like the ones I sell.”
Arthur didn’t want to waste words with him and directly took out a notebook from his pocket.
“Mr. Martin, we received a report that a group of guests at a hotel experienced vomiting and diarrhea after eating Gloucester cheese purchased from your store. They were all hospitalized for treatment. I intend to arrest you on charges of poisoning. If you’re agreeable, let’s head to the station.”
As soon as Martin heard this, his face changed. He said, “Sir, I did sell Gloucester cheese, but it was imported from other factories, not produced by me!”
“Is that so? Then let’s try another one.”
Arthur flipped to the next page of his notebook. “A lady complained to us that she served cream purchased from you to her guests, and they all developed high fevers. We suspect that you…”
As soon as Martin heard this, he hurriedly raised his hand to stop Arthur. He fumbled around in his pocket for a while before reluctantly pulling out a wad of banknotes, trembling as he handed them to Arthur.
He said with a smile plastered on his face, “Officer, it’s my fault. You’ve been in office for so long, and I haven’t even congratulated you yet. For the sake of these, please don’t pursue this matter further.
After all, you know, nowadays, everything has a little something added to it. As long as it doesn’t kill anyone, it’s fine. If someone dies, it’s their body’s problem.
You’re an upright officer, the newspapers have praised your youth and competence. My poor, humble little merchant is not worthy of your attention. Instead of wasting your energy on me, why not take care of those thieves and murderers? Don’t you agree?
If you need anything, just ask. Don’t be shy.”
Arthur stared at Martin for a while, a smile playing on his lips. “Mr. Martin, you’re indeed very discerning. Since that’s the case, I won’t be polite.”
He took out a portrait from his pocket, pointing at the curly-haired, fat man in the portrait and asked, “The police just received a report that this gentleman is missing. Can you ask those street vendors if they’ve seen him anywhere?”
As soon as Arthur finished speaking, Martin forced a smile and said, “I can ask, but for this kind of thing, I think you’d be more efficient going directly to the docks and asking those Cambridge fellows. They seem to be in that line of business.”
“Cambridge?” Arthur frowned and asked, “What do they do?”
(End of Chapter)