Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-02-07
A NOVEL BIRTHDAY PARTY
Mr.. Alfred A. Hewlett Asks Many
Widows to Dine With Him.
WILL BE THE ONLY MAN THERE
A Retired Banker Of Syracuse Who Looks For
ward to Celebrating His Eighty-seccrd
Birthday.

ward to Celebrating His Eighty-second
Birthday.
There are few more interesting char
acters than Alfred A. Hewlett Of Syr-
acuse, who has announced his intention
Of giving a party to W 100 widows In
celebration Of his e-ighty-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 &C
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 seyenty-fve, but this soon
got up to 100 and then 125, 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 its 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-
go Valley railroad and president of the
Syracuse Savings bank. His name is
connected with a score of enterprises.
He was n of the first salt manufac-
turers of Syracuse. He once ran Il
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"
Mr.. Hewlett has always been ready
for a joke, practical or otherwise, and
his friends are racking their brains to
get some good one on him on the day
IF the party, which will last from 4
o'clock In the afternoon until s o'clock
II the evening.
To the correspondent who inquired
about the dinner Mr.. Hewlett said:
"Boy, want you to understand that
the widows are the best people in this
town. | don't propose to tell whom |
invite. Widows are good company. l
shouldn't wonder if they would all
come. | have engaged an orchestra.
and the dinner will be good. What
more can they ask. eh?
People don't seem to remember that
widows are most always left u of
society altogether, and | want to give
them a 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 nm going TO do the enter
tanning all alone. Any man that comes
providing around will get kicked out"
Two years ago, to celebrate his birth
day, Mr.. Hewlett asked In ten widows
whom he knew well. They had such a
good time and told their friends so
much about it that he has been busy
9 SlDCt eADldlIAlls " OlhGl NAdONS WY
he did not invite them. Finally he de-
termined to invite every widow he
knew. He was surprised that the pa
pers should make n 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 a trustee OF
Syracuse university for several years.
He is also a prominent member of the
First Presbyterian church. He tells
this story of how he came TO be a
presbyterian:
when ! was married, | said TO my
wife, Minerva, where are we going to
church, She replied that she was a
Methodist. | proposed that we go to
the Unitarian church. My wife wouldn't
bear of that, and finally suggested as
a compromise that we go to the Pres
byterian church, as | considered that
about between the Methodis+s and the
U~nitarians."
Five years ago he was at deaths
door. and q 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
fever, the specialist asked:
Does he crave waterF"
"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 10
New York.