John W. Walton to Charles W. Chesnutt, 6 June 1922
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1310 W. 11th St Cleveland
6 June 1922
My Dear Chesnutt
I am wondering how much it costs in these hard times to get your photograph—mental and physical, in the News!!1
They might have said many other good things about you to which I would not have filed a demurrer.
Congratulations John W Walton alias G. S. Notlaw Senex Xylo Webster [illegible] 46803Correspondent: John Whittlesey Walton (1845–1926) was a White Cleveland businessman prominent in global ship and boat supplies who was well known for his philanthropy. He helped re-establish the Cleveland YMCA after the Civil War and ran the philanthropic umbrella organization Cleveland Associated Charities in the early 1900s. He and Chesnutt were both bibliophiles and members of Cleveland's Rowfant Club; Walton became a member 1902 and Chesnutt in 1916.
1. Walton refers to the newspaper profile of Chesnutt that had appeared the previous day: "Mental Photos, No. 97—Charles Waddell Chesnutt," Cleveland News (June 5, 1922): 13. [back]
2. These are likely aliases or nicknames that Walton used in the Rowfant Club. "Senex" is Latin for "old man" and "Xylo" is a Greek combining form meaning "wood." If you have further information on the significance of these nicknames, please contact the Charles W. Chesnutt Archive. [back]
3. Chesnutt's note here is, most likely, an unrelated phone number, that of John Howard Webster, president of Variety Iron & Steel, listed in the 1921 Cleveland City Directory with the telephone number Randolph 4680. [back]
