The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-12-31
NOVEL BIRTHDAY PARTY
Alfred A. Hewlett Asks Many
Widows to Dine With Him.
HE WILL BE THE ONLY MAN THERE

Retired Banker of Syracuse Who
Looks Forward to Celebrating His
Eight y-second Birthday Has En-
gagged Mattresses and Orchestra of
Women to Entertain One Hundred
and Twenty-Five Fair Guests.
There are few more interesting char
acters than Alfred A. Hewlett of Syr-
acuse, who has announced his intention
of giving party to over 100 widows in
celebration of his eighty-second birth
day anniversary on Feb. II, says the
New York World correspondent The
guests will be the widows Of men with
whom Mr.. Hewlett was personally ac-
Quainted, many of them living in other
cities. In accordance with his idea
mot to have a man around the house"
Mr.. Hewlett has engaged an orchestra
Of women and mattresses. The invita-
tons have not been sent, for Mr.. How
lett is waiting until he can think of all
those he wishes to invite. He started
with a list of seventy-five, but this soon
got UP to 100 and then 12o, and finally
Mr.. Hewlett said he had thought of
several more.
For fifty years Mr.. Hewlett was pres
ident of the Salt Springs National bank
and directed it's affairs with great abil-
ity, resigning only two years ago on ac-
count of his age. He was formerly
president of the Syracuse and Chenan-
20 Valley railroad and president Of the
connected with score of enterprises.
He was one of the first salt manufac-
turers of Syracuse. He once ran
packing house in Geddes and later
drove cattle on the Wabash river. He
has made and lost millions. His health
is excellent, and his. eyes are bright.
They twinkle when the widows party
is mentioned. One of his friends said
recently:
''This party will lengthen his life. He
will get more enjoyment out of it than
the widows themselves"
for joke, practical or otherwise, and
his friends are racking their brains to
get some Sood one on him on the day
of the party, which will last from 4
o'clock in the afternoon until 8 o'clock
in the evening.
To the correspondent who inquired
about tine dinner Mr.. Hewlett said:
boy, want you to understand that
the widows are the best people In this
town. l don't propose to tell whom
invite. Widows are good company. /
shouldn't wonder if they would all
come. have engaged an orchestra,
and the dinner will be good. What
more can they ask, Ell? ~ Ee~f
"People don't seem to remember that
widows are most always left out of
society altogether, and 1 want to give
them good time.
"Some of the men are jealous. They
are trying to have fun with me, but if
/ live until the 18th of February that
party will come off, My son has got to
get out, and am going to do the enter
tanning all alone. Any man that comes
prowling around will get kicked out"
Two years ago, to celebrate his birth
day, Mr.. Hewlett asked in ten widows
whom he knew we'll. They had such a
good time and told their friends so
much about it that he has been busy
since explaining to other widows why
he did not invite them. Finally he de-
termined to invite every widow he
knew. He was surprised that the pa
pers should make fuss about a man
dining with 125 widows if he wanted
to. His idea was simply to amuse his
friends and himself.
Mr.. Hewlett has been q trustee Of
Syracuse university for several years.
He is also prominent member of the
First Presbyterian church. He tells
this story of how he came to be
Presbyterian:
''When I was married, l said to my
wife, Minerva, where are we going to
church? She replied that she was
Methodist. l proposed that we go to
the Unitarian church My wife wouldn't
hear of that, and finally | suggested as
compromise that we go to the Pres
byterian church, as | considered that
about between the Methodists and the
Unitarians."
Five years ago he was at Deaths
door, and New York specialist was
sent for. 1t was not thought that he
would live more than a few hours
Wishing to find out if he had much
favor tho snocialiSt asked.
''Docs he crave water?
"Crave water?" shouted Mr.. Hewlett,
rising in his bed. Il stopped drinking
water in the sixties. Give me some
whisky"
The specialist dropped the case right
there and laughed all the way back to
New York.