A bar brawl in the Junction leads to a night in the cells for all involved. Come the morning, all but one has sobered up and is on their way. The final man left in the cells is Councilman Slauson, the only Councilman who is standing out against the Temperance movement. The Temperance movement want to invoke the Local Option, that is, to hold a local plebiscite so that the inhabitants of the Junction (a suburb of Toronto named after the railway junction around which it is built) can vote to enact Prohibition within their city limits. At present,the Junction derives much of its income from the fact that it is the first stop on the railway line out of Union station, and thereby it is the first place one can get a drink, explaining the proliferation of hotels and bars there.
Dr Ogden, having resumed the role of Toronto Coroner, tells Murdoch that Councilman Slauson died from alcohol poisoning, but not ordinary alcohol, this was methanol, otherwise known as wood alcohol, which becomes a slow-acting poison if ingested. The irony that Councilman Slauson died from alcohol poisoning is compounded by the fact that ethanol, ordinary alcohol, is given as an antidote in cases of methanol poisoning: an ordinary alcoholic drink would have saved the Councilman.
Leading Temperance campaigner Carrie Nation is Mrs Brackenreid's guest, much to the discomfort of her husband, who makes his elder son John a co-conspirator when he persuades him to reveal where he has bidden his father's whisky bottle.
The investigation moves on to the question of who administered the poison and how. It seems fairly clear to Murdoch that Slauson's private bottle kept behind the bar was the source of the poison, but for it to take effect, Slauson needed to be prevented from taking a drink from a fresh bottle, which would have acted as an antidote to the poison. It was the bar brawl which got in the way, so Murdoch must now find out who started it.
Constable Crabtree has noticed a business opportunity. If the Junction does in the end go for the local option, then the first plot of land beyond the Junction city limits would be an astute purchase as a profitable site for a new hotel/bar. Inspector Brackenreid's eyes twinkle at the thought of it. Meanwhile, back at the Brackenreid residence, young John attempts to cover up his own whisky drinking by watering down the amber fluid, but overdoes it...
While Inspector Brackenreid and Detective Murdoch are making enquiries at the bar, Carrie Nation arrives with her Temperance supporters, including Margaret Brackenreid, and she takes an axe to the bottles of liquor displayed behind the bar, and the big jar of peanuts on the bar. The Inspector weighs in to prevent Mrs Nation doing any further damage, but then Murdoch sees the two who started the bar brawl among the Temperance campaigners...
The women campaigners spend a while in the cells of Police Station 4, but Mrs Nation is not released, as she has to answer for her destruction of property. Mrs Brackenreid speaks up on her behalf, and the Inspector knows he is beaten.
So,where does the trail of evidence lead? Will this really be the business opportunity of a lifetime for Constable Crabtree? What punishment will the Inspector hand down to his son, in light of the whisky theft? There is plenty going on in this episode, but once again the appliance of science is somewhat lacking.
Dr Ogden, having resumed the role of Toronto Coroner, tells Murdoch that Councilman Slauson died from alcohol poisoning, but not ordinary alcohol, this was methanol, otherwise known as wood alcohol, which becomes a slow-acting poison if ingested. The irony that Councilman Slauson died from alcohol poisoning is compounded by the fact that ethanol, ordinary alcohol, is given as an antidote in cases of methanol poisoning: an ordinary alcoholic drink would have saved the Councilman.
Leading Temperance campaigner Carrie Nation is Mrs Brackenreid's guest, much to the discomfort of her husband, who makes his elder son John a co-conspirator when he persuades him to reveal where he has bidden his father's whisky bottle.
The investigation moves on to the question of who administered the poison and how. It seems fairly clear to Murdoch that Slauson's private bottle kept behind the bar was the source of the poison, but for it to take effect, Slauson needed to be prevented from taking a drink from a fresh bottle, which would have acted as an antidote to the poison. It was the bar brawl which got in the way, so Murdoch must now find out who started it.
Constable Crabtree has noticed a business opportunity. If the Junction does in the end go for the local option, then the first plot of land beyond the Junction city limits would be an astute purchase as a profitable site for a new hotel/bar. Inspector Brackenreid's eyes twinkle at the thought of it. Meanwhile, back at the Brackenreid residence, young John attempts to cover up his own whisky drinking by watering down the amber fluid, but overdoes it...
While Inspector Brackenreid and Detective Murdoch are making enquiries at the bar, Carrie Nation arrives with her Temperance supporters, including Margaret Brackenreid, and she takes an axe to the bottles of liquor displayed behind the bar, and the big jar of peanuts on the bar. The Inspector weighs in to prevent Mrs Nation doing any further damage, but then Murdoch sees the two who started the bar brawl among the Temperance campaigners...
The women campaigners spend a while in the cells of Police Station 4, but Mrs Nation is not released, as she has to answer for her destruction of property. Mrs Brackenreid speaks up on her behalf, and the Inspector knows he is beaten.
So,where does the trail of evidence lead? Will this really be the business opportunity of a lifetime for Constable Crabtree? What punishment will the Inspector hand down to his son, in light of the whisky theft? There is plenty going on in this episode, but once again the appliance of science is somewhat lacking.
