Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-18
A TREMENDOUS APPETITE.
Champion Eater Of the Time Lives
Over in Ohio.

From Leslie's Weekly
Stories which have been going the rounds
of the daily press concerning the CASTRO
nomic feats of DR.. H. L. Bonner of Marion.
Ohio. have savored SO strongly OF Mum
chausen. the classic prevaricator. that We
have been loath to believe them, but care
full inquiry into the case on our own part
has convinced US beyond q doubt that the
most amazing Of these reports are literally
true, and that In DR.. Bonner Ohio can boast
OF man who can stow away more food In
his interior department at a single sitting
than any other man living. 1t is strictly,
though we can hardly say painfully, true
that DR.. Bonner has been known to eat
twenty-five pounds Of grapes. between
meals of an afternoon, and thinks no more
of treating himself to a whole bunch CT
bananas when he feels that way. or incl
dentally making away with crate Of
strawberries or a basket of peaches, than
an ordinary person would think of taking
two bites at a cherry And when the doctor
really gets down to business at regular
meal his bill of fare generally runs about
in onions, four dozen hard-boiled eggs. eigh-
teen boiled potatoes, a quart can OF toma-
toes, two or three pies and from Six to
nine glasses of milk fill In the chinks. Often
when the doctor comes home late OF WIN
ter night after long, hard drive he will
take a few light refreshments" before re-
firing in the shape Of a four-pound steak.
f1fty-six hard-boiled eggs. three and one
half pumpkin pies and a gallon Of milk. and
we have 1t as the direct testimony OF a per-
sonal friend that DR.. Bonner never had the
nightmare in his life. This same friend
tells US OF a chance acquaintance OF the
Doctors who happened to meet him On tho
street one day about noon and invited him
into a restaurant to luncheon. The doctor
suggested that 1t had better be Dutch
treat" but his new friend objected to that
and asked what he would have. The doctor
said that II 1t was "all the same" he would
take five-pound steak smothered in mush
rooms to begin with, and after that he
wouldn't mind having three dozen fried
eggs, a can or two of tomatoes, a dozen
there were on the bill. The acquaintance
thought the doctor was putting up bluff.
but he ordered two five-pound steaks, the
eggs and the other things on the list. After
the order was served the friend engaged in
conversation withoa gentleman passing by
and turned his back to the table. whereupon
the doctor, just for Joke, cleared off ev-
for his meal there was nothing left but the
toothpicks. The hosts remarks on this oc-
casion are discreetly left to the magma
ton. 1t would be wholly unjust to DR.. Bon
ner to close this account OF his extraor-
binary achievements at the table without
stating, in all seriousness, that he Is by no
means a glutton,i or man who cares to
pose as great eater. On the contrary, he
is a refined gentleman, a graduate of Edin-
burgh College. a lover Of art and literature
and a successful and highly respected ply
stefan. Nature seems to have endowed him
only eats what he Graves and what he
needs. as other men do. He Is well-pro-
portioned man, his weight being 22O pounds
and his age sixty-three years.