Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-06-13
The Chewing Sensation.

The correspondence, as published first by
the Washington Post, and copied by the
SPECTATOR and other papers, between A. c.
Chewing in Washington and his wife in
Basic City, in which his wife represented her
self and children as suffering for the want OF
food created quite a sensation wherever read,
and great surprise here, for it was considered
very wonderful that she and her children
could be in that condition in Basic City with
out any ones knowing it, and all felt that, if
known, their necessities would be at once sup
piled there as at any other place in Virginia.
The restitution of Mrs. Chewing and chill
dren was not known, because they had been
there but few months, and she had pur-
possly avoided making their condition known,
and hence it was not known there till the
citizens there saw the publication, in the
Washington Post, of the letters found on the
person of A c. Chewing after he had been
picked up in the Smithsonian Park in Wash
ington in almost dying condition. The
Washington Post Of last Friday says
I'm regard to his wife having lived in a
first-class boarding-house in Basic City, it APP
pears that Chewing put his wife and two
children in clearinghouse when he started
for Washington two months ago, and agreed
to pay s25 month for the three. Over two
weeks ago the wife found herself over $50 in
debt to the landlady, and, knowing that
Chewing was doing nothing, she engaged one
small garnet room at So a month for herself
and children. There she lived in the most
miserable manner, cautioning her children
not to tell the neighbors of their condition.
The family was in this room, living on I'M
hrrtt 1raad wi 81 N no 1att Tor
which was found in Chewning's pocket, and
which did as much as anything else to shake
his tottering brain, held up as it was by an I'M
nourished body. Letters to the Post from
Basic City substantiate these statements as to
the wifes condition"
Both husband and wife are greatly humil-
lated at the unfortunate turn the affair has
taken and both said that they would like to
return the money which was given because it
seemed to be needed and which was not So
licited by the hospital, the Post nor the
Chewnings themselves. Mr.. Chewing said
that as soon as pOssible-he is still sick man
he would get employment here and that he
felt rich with so much money and would use
it to the best possible advantage, but that he
was perfectly willing to give it to the Post to
return to individual contributors OR to hold
for some other purpose. But, in view of all
the above facts and because the wife, at least
deserving, it is believed that those who gave
the money meant the family to have every
cent Of it for new start in life and that they
do not believe he is a fraud, in spite of the
stores which have been so theoretically cir
culated.
The Waynesboro' Sentinel of June 8th,
says
"a representative of the Sentinel visited
Basic City for the purpose OF investigating the
matter, and learned that Mrs. Chewing and
her children Weye not starving, but were get
ting three good meals day"
1t is probable that Mrs. Chewing, in her
distress and helpless condition, exaggerated
the restitution of her family, but she did not
say they were Stds0ing and that they were
proper objects of charity there can be no
doubt, and no one doubts that relief would
have been at once given by the citizens of
that place. if the extreme wants of the family
had been made known to them.