Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-04
STARVATION THE CAUSE
A Man Falls From Exhaustion in Public
Park.
Sad Case of A. c. Chewning-Pathet ic
Letters Found I'm the Pockets
Will Probably Recover.

Last evening about o'clock, when the
scores of persons who had enjoyed the
warm afternoon in the Smithsonian grounds
were returning to their homes, leaving in
the park the many loving couples to &C.
cupy the benches in the shadows of the
few gas lights. there was one unhappy man
left to pace the walks and think over what
appeared to him to be his approaching end.
He clinched his fists and occasionally was
seen to strike himself on the head, and
soon his nervous system was no longer able
to endure the strain and he fell from ex-
haustion. Hunger was his trouble, and this
added to thoughts of his suffering family,
almost drove him insane.
When he fell on the walk near the build
ing the ambulance was sent for and the
sufferer was conveyed to the Emergency
Hospital. There 1t was found that his name
is A. c. Chewing. He Is about forty-five
years old, and is a resident Of Basic City.
Virginia. Several weeks ago he came here
from Virginia, expecting a government
situation. In his pockets the doctors found
TWO letters, receipt for room rent and
papers to show that he had probably been
in communication with the civil service
commission and the Treasury Department
officials. One of the letters. from Mrs. NJ.
j.. Chewing, his wife, mailed at Basic
city, tells sad story of the condition OF
the FAMILY, reading as follows:
Pftfful Letter.
Acpt ffOn you as Idr as i could our
real state. hoping every day that you would
be able to send few cents. at least. to
get pound of butter and some sugar to
put on the children's bread. We have bread.
but are without lard. tea or coffee.
thought you couldn't possibly relieve us,
but as you say yop will send small means
today. 1 viii tell haem so. We have had
nothing to eat since we left Miss Sues, and
this is as long as We can starve without i'll
etc rinor and
pleading for food, that cannot give them,
and 1t is nothing to my credit to keep 1t
from you, even though 1 know that you
are doing the best that you can. You
should have told that man Wednesday that
your wife and children were starving, and
asked him to pay you something. God find
feed to strengthen you. You cannot work
without eating
Continuing, the wife tells of how the
neighbors had fed the little ones at times
and closes with an appeal to God to better
the condition OF the family.
His own Letter.
There was also an unmailed letter writ
ten by the husband, and probably writ
ten soon after he received the letter from
his wife. In this letter he said:
GENERAL DELIVERY,
Washington, d. c., May 81. 1894.
My Dear Little Wife and Our Very
Dear and Precious Children: am now en-
tirely out of both work and money, and
you at home daily looking and hoping for
some money from your husband and papa
to keep starvation away; but, alas! have
not one cent to save life.
Besides. 1 am sick and growing worse
daily. l feel very much like / felt when
we lived in Roanoke, before / had that
severe attack of brain fever. My aching
brain feels like II would burst.
"Oh. my dear. little. helpless family!
what will you do? What can you do these
hard times II j should be stricken down
with that dreadful brain fever? God pro-
tect. preserve, shield, spare and provide
for you, / have been fighting against some
kind of sickness now for about two months
with great desire to see you all and be
with you. l am your suffering husband
and papa,
"A. c. CHEWING, Sr.
Sweet little Alex and Isla / want to
see you i pray for you daily. Love man.
ma, love God and keep His commandments
God bless and preserve you.
Your Loving Papa"
"P. ST. have not one cent. nor a stamp
to put on this. but will try to ger one some
way. May be i can get a few minutes
work, IL no more.
Il suppose that 1 have put the correct
date on this letter, but do not know ex-
actly what day Ii Is. A. c. c."
The patient was unable to take nourish-
ment when he first reached the hospital,
but under DIR. Johnsons treatment he soon
showed signs of Improvement, and this
morning he was decidedly better. The
doctor is certain that he will recover.