University of South Carolina Libraries
OLD SIMSTOWN. (By Mrs. Julia Rainey Farr) Simstown was first settled by Capt. Charles Sims from whom it took its name. Capt. Charles Sims, who had served wtih Gen. Sumter, had an eventful life during the Revolutionary war, one very serious one was having his life saved by being a Mason. At a place on Broad river, where Ixjckhart Mills now stand, a company of Tories had a rope around his neck ready for the tree, when a British officer came riding up, to whom Capt. Sims gave the "Mason's Sign." The officer "ordered immediately his release," and then gave him a "parole," which forbade his fighting again in South Car lina. He went back to his old home country, Hanover, Va., and Gov. Patrick Henry pave him a "commission" to organize a company, which he did and foupht there until the surrender f Cornwallis. When he first came to South Carolina, he made his home on Tiper river, in Union District, but in a few years after the war ended about 1784 he came up and took in a larpe prant of land in the bend of Broad river, where he first built a wood house, in which he lived several years; then he broupht him a brick mason from Virpinia and built a larpe two and one-half story brick house, where he reared his family, consistinp of one son and four dauphters. His only son, William, inherited his lands and larpe brick house, where he raised his family, of five sons and one dauphter? William Sims divided this larpe prant of land amonp his children, the old homestead with the larpe brick house came into the possession of his son. Clouph Sims, who had four dauphters. Consequently, in 18">4, it was sold for a division amonp his heirs and the old brick house and lands around it came into possession of Mr. .Tames Scaife, and .0011 apain sold to Mr. .Tames .Tet"t\ and his pranddauphter. Miss Knipht, now has possession of them. In the early days of Old Simstown, there were no railroads in the country nor did the stape coach travel the hiphway to Columbia, but Broad river was used for all means of transportation and pleasure. They had bateau pleasure boats and larpe boats in which all the cotton in that part of the country was carried down to Columbia and sold there, hrinpinp back barrels of supar and hops head of molasses for the next year's supply for the family and plantation. No sorgnum was ever cultivated until during the War Between the States. In early days the Catawba Indians would come over and pitch their tents near the river for the summers, depending on hunting and fishing for their meat, and getting their coyn and flour from Mr. W. A. Sims, exchanging thir baskets and beautiful homemade pottery, decorated with white and red and black flowers, from their own dye stuffs. They would never honor white people by addressing as Mr. and Mrs., but call them by their given name; for instance, Old Philip Keg, the leader of the purchasing of provision, would walk in and say, "Sarah, where is Billie, I want some torn and flour." Otherwise, they were very kind and harmless. Old .lenny < Joe was the leader in selling the baskets and pottery. The portion of land of the old grant inherited by William A. Sims, bordered by Broad river for almost a mile up towards Worthy's ferry, and contained beautiful low lands on which he raised herds of cattle, horses and sheen in abundance: also a park, where roamed 12 or 15 head of deer among them a beautiful white doe, which they called "The White I>oc of Raylston," from Tennyson. During the War Between the State-; the wool from those sheep clothed | many a soldier, as Mrs. Sims had three , hand looms in constant use, managed , by the negro women. As no bought dyes were to be had to make the Confederate grey, all ' home articles had to be used, the 1 leaves from the alder and sumach bushes were mostly used. .Mrs. Sims sent the Hev. Mr. James, the chaplain of the 1Mb Regiment, in which she had two sons serving, a full suit of > Vw..~ 1 iiwim.-- wen cm * oiii iMicriiic grey jeans to Petersburg, Va. During the war 1 Mr. VV. A. Sims also cultivated flax ; and made his own shoe thread, the flax thread being spun by an old erni- 1 grant from Ireland, Mrs. Gregory, being two complicated for negroes to undertake, which drew forth the remark from him "that flax made for i Ireland and cotton for the negro, as cotton would wait on their leisure time." He also cultivated a brown cotton called N'ankin, as the seed was brought over from Nankin, China, by one of the United States consuls, which made beautiful brown suits for boys which required no dye stuff. I)uriu _ ..it i__*i ? viiv war an icauier uscu was made : from the hides of these sheep and cattle, and all shoes were made by their own shoemakers, and beautiful kid slippers in which the young ladies danced at the balls given in Unionville, (as the county seat was then called. Old Simstown had its own school and teachers for the hoys and girls until they arrived at the ago to be sent off to colleges. Some of the old negroes on Mr. W. A. Sims' plantation never left their old home, and when he and his wife, Mrs. Sims, passed away, they were nursed in their last illness by some of those faithful old slaves. Mis old home- ' stead was destroyed by tire in 1000, in which many valuable relics were lost. Among them was ("apt. Charles Sims' old Revolutionary gun with a barrel five feet long, bayonet and flint lock, also an old loom and little spinning wheel over 100 years old. Sev eral old militia uniforms and swords worn by the sons of olden days, and a solid mahogany sideboard handed down from one of their old ancestors. A portion of the grant of land made to Capt. Charles Sims was in possession of one of his descendants until December, 1915, when it was bought and came into possession of Mr. Frank Sinclair. (Capt. Charles Sims, from whom Limestone received its name, is the Revolutionary ancestor of Mrs. Farr, the author of this article. Regent). LETTER FROM COLORED MAN. Urges Consideration of Thoughtful Citizens to Certain Conditions. (Published by Request) Gibbs, S. C., Jan. 3, 1917. U. T ?i D: ? iUlt li. ATX. Union, S. C. Dear Sir: As nearly all of the older white men of the country are leaving and going to town the colored people are becoming very much alarmed, not of the things that surround them, as the scarcity of the times nor the high cost of living, but from what they see transpiring around them. Our country is full of men inducing our boys to migrate to the North. I am not in favor of my race migrating North nor West and never have been but as these white men point to our boys the high price of wages North and the better treatment they receive it overrides any argument we can produce or bring to bear on them, so they are moving much of the best and strongest negro boys from our country and they are doing it secretly. They do not come in as agents but as contractors. One of them told me that they expected to take 50,000 of the best negro laborers from South j Carolina; that Union county was booked for 500 and if they succeed , on until April as they have been since ' oepiemoer iney win nave their re- ; quired number. I can miss 40 boys from our township since September. April is the time they have set to ! make a general draw on our colored boys. They tell them that the weather will change and be warmer and that by next winter they will elimati'/ed sufficient to stand the Northern climate. The things these men call to the attention of the colored people is strongly considered. They tell us that the courts and jurymen of the country are against us and it must be admitted that the word of a negro is not recognized in our courts and the men who compose the courts as jurymen are commonly the enemies of the negro. The jury is drawn from the class of white men who are poorly educated and wish to get clear of the negro and they seem to take this method to force him away, all this being pointed out to the negro by these men; also the magistrates of the rural districts are mostly men who dislike the negro and if the negro is brought before these men and he disputes the word of a white man it means the conviction and chaingang for the negro, and the negro is deprived of getting his case to the city, where he can get an intelligent magistrate and jury to try his case. He is forced to be tried by the nearest magistrate who may be the inferior of the one from whom he has fled, and it is a fact that the lawyer knows when he goes before an uneducated jury there is no chance for a negro. These things are being laid before these boys and we old negroes who know this to be true can not dispute these men when we see this thing taking place every day. When a negro is carried into court he is advised by his lawyer not to dispute the word of a w^ite man; if so, his case is lost. If the land owners intend to work the land with negro labor a change will have to be made. The hatred to the negro, which is growing, can be checked only by promnt action of the white men of the countrv who know the negro. The tide of the immigration of the negro will be on in the warmer season of this year if it is not stopped by some means. The intelligent Southern negro finds no fault with the segregation of the white and colored. We find no fault with the Jim Crow case. We do not object to the full rightaway of the white to rule the country; we oni> ask protection to our person and household goods, which we are not getting. We are tired of political confusion and we do not wish to move and will not move as long as we can feel that there is a chance of life and safety of our nerson but tbir?<?o I are beginning to look dark on our part. If many of our old white men wore back here and could see the condition of the negro they would call a halt. It is a fact that whenever our ] legislators meet the man who offers ( something to damage or disgrace the negro becomes more noticeable than anybody else among the masses that hate the negro. These white men who are now contractors and are inducing negroes to go North are bringing these arguments to bear on our people, some of which are very convincing, but I think the best thing for the colored men to do is to lay our case before the best element of Southern white men who are interested in the welfare of the country before we take any other steps and see and hear 1 what they say and then we will under- J stand what course we should take. It ' is very clear that if the list from which the juries are drawn can be re- < vised so as to put on nothtng but in- < telligent white men. } I writp vou because you are a ouh- , i;? ?i ?- ?? "L-! - iicivuill mill <?II Diii.spuKl'[l *_ynrisiian man and are helping to shane th" public mind and deeply interested in the welfare of the country. John I). Norris. HER TREATMENT. In a certain hospital of this town there is a pretty nurse who receive a number of proposals of marriatre ev cry month. On one of the most re- ) cent occasions the proposal was made i in this way: "Will you he my wife < when I recover " I "Certainly." i "Then you love me " i "Oh. no; thats merely a part of the 1 treatment. I must keep my patients I cheerful. I promised this morning to I run away with a married man who has lost hoth his lens."?London Times. 1 VETERANS TO MEET LATE IN APRIL Dates Tentatively Selected for Chester Reunion. Chester, Jan. 7.?The South Carolina United Confederate Veterans will hold their annual reunion in Chester on April 24-25. These dates have been tentatively agreed upon by Capt. W. H. Edwards of the Walker-Gaston camp, United Confederate Veterans of Chester, provided same is satisfactory to all concerned. It will be far enough away from the Washington crav and hln<> reunion whi/?h will nr?t be staged until the latter part of May. The United Sons of the Confederate Veterans will also meet in Chester on this date, as is their custom. Already Capt. Edwards is beginning to map out his plans for the reunion. In this he will have the assistance of the Chester Chamber of Commerce. It is planned to make this the great and most enjoyable reunion the old soldiers have ever held in South Carolina. It is planned to open up the private homes to the boys of the 60s and they will be turned over to them for the two days. WINSTON-SALEM PAYS BIG REVENUE TAXES Winston-Salem, N. C., Jan. 1.? Winston-Salem has paid to the United States government during the past year in revenue on stamps ior cnewing and smoking tobacco and cigarjttes manufacturer here the sum of $15,279,659.46, according'to the figures if Deputy Collector N. L. Crawford. Phis is a remarkable increase over 1915, the (inures for that year being $9,228,444.90. HOMDElG CUTS DOWN BILLS But It Must Be a Real Garden, Kept Planted Through Season, Says Hastings. Atlanta, Ga. ? (Special) ? "The greatest obstacle to permanent farm prosperity in the south is the 'store bill' made for food and grain that could and should be grown on every southern farm," says H, G. Hastings, president of the Southeastern Fair Association and of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, in an interview on agricultural conditions in this territory. "A real garden," says Mr. Hastings, "properly prepared and planted, and kept planted throughout the season, will help mora to decrease store bills than anything else the farmer can diST "There are lots of what I term 'one planting' gardens made, gardens with a few struggling rows of beans, a few dozen cabbages and tomato plants, with some watermelon off to ope corner, but that's not real gardening any more than a youngster's first drawing of a cat or a dog on his slate, is fine art. Our southern folks generally don't take the garden seriously, when as a matter of fact the right kind of a garden, containing a full line of vegetables and kept busy all season, is reasonably sure of furnishing at least half the livinc nf the fomiw "I have never seen a 'one crop' section, regardless of what particular one crop was grown, that did not have a poverty-stricken look, with poor school buildings, churches and homes. "1 have never seen a diversified section that did not have the signs of prosperity sticking out all over it. "And on practically every farm in these prosperous diversified sections the home garden has an honored place. "I haven't a thing In the world against the supply and general merchants, but if all of our people would take the home garden seriously, half of them would have to go out of business for lack of trade. Give your garden a square deal in 1917. Admiral George Dewey, the hero of Manila Bay .celebrated his 7!>th birthlay Tuesday. DON'T SCOLD, MOTHER! inr, i itursrs i mild is BILIOUS, FEVERISH Look at Tongue! If Coated, Clean Little Stomach, Liver, Bowels. Don't scold your fretful, peevish ;hild. See if tongue is coated; this is i sure sign its little stomach, liver and >owels are clogged with sour waste. When listless, pale, feverish, full of old, breath bad, throat sore, doesn't ?at, sleep or act naturally, has stomich-ache, indigestion, diarrhoea, give i teaspoonful of "California Syrup of Pigs," and in a few hours all the foul waste, the sour bile and ferm<Vtjng food passes out of the bowels and you nave a well and playful child again. Children love this harmless "fruit axative," and mothers can rest easy nfter giving it, because it never fails to make their little "insides" clean ind sweet. Keep it handy, Mother! A little riven today saves a sick child tomorrow, hut tret the genuine. Ask your Irujrtrist for a r>0-cent bottle of "California Syrup of Figs." which has directions for babies, children of a'! itres and for trrown-ups plainly on the tiottle. Remember there are counterfeits sold here, so surely look and see that yours is made by the "California Fitr Syrup Company." Hand back with contempt any other fitr syrup. ^^???????? Anne ! <1 Ask any of th fluenced them to 1 times out of ten w f eine and tannin ii j <1 Some imagine But it isn't, with turn at hand. Th a high-grade Java ?only the nouris] i cessed with a smi \ Q Postum comes has to be boiled; I cup, instantly. S right, they are ali about the same, efficiency in p< I % r * '1 A Wooden Leg is a poor substitute for the real article, but better than none. Poor Plumbing is a poor substitute for Good Plumbing and is worse than nothing. Poor Plumbing endangers your life, for it may cause j fatal diseases and it is not worth the time it costs to install it, for it gives endless trouble. = We do Good Plumbing. You will find that your money has been well spent when you employ us to put in your Plumbing. Workmanship and Quality of Material Guaranteed. Prices Right. Union Plumbing | & Electric Co. Phone 205-J A mt WHAT 18 LAX-FOS UX-FOS is an improved Cascara (a tonic-laxative) pleasant to take In LAX-FOS the Cascara Is improved by the addition of certain harmless chemicals which increase the efficiency of the Cascara, malting it better than ordinary Cascara. LAX-FOS is pleasant to take and does not gripe nor disturb stomach. Adapted to children as well as adults. Just try one bottle for constipation. 50c. Dr. Virgil R. Hawkins DENTIST OFFICF. OVER MUTUAL I TnJ^n C DRY <.<K)DS COMPANY UI1IUII, O. Vl. al to Rea; e great army of Postum u try this beverage, and th ill be that they were convi n tea and coffee were harm it is hard to give up cc the delightful aroma and j lis flavor somewhat coffee, but there is no coif hing goodness of wheat. 5 ill per cent of wholesome ; in two forms: Postum C nstant Postum?solublelome prefer one, some the ke delicious, and the coj There's better health. < 3STU1V There's a Reason" One Pair of ...Life til Are you abusing and negl you will pay the price later, of all headaches arise from e; aching, burning eyes that soo and many other ills are due strain. In such cases there i that is an unfailing one?pro SCHOOL CHILDREN sh carefully examined before bei if necessary, fitted with glass* A ? M1 -rvn cAciiiiiiiauon will cost yo is no need for glasses I will t for glasses are very reasonab every pair with an absolute tion. F. C. DUKE, 0 13 Main Street 1 SEVER GOOD SECOI FORD C For Sale Cheap Oi E. E. K1 T. H. MUNRO ATTORNEY-AT-LAW 1 Offices Over Milhous Drug Co. Nc is Quinine That Does Not Affect The Hesd larg< cause of its tonic aiwi laxative effect, I.AXA- or fl 117 1/ nu/\%*n ^ . . .. ?>w?iu yum i nr. is neiier niHii ordinary ufl?| initie and does not cause nervousness nor ? iK'i'K in head. Hrmembrr the full name and read ok. tor the signature of K. W. OKOVK- 25c. you wmnri? fun it men1 VE LENTO I? Jr^Quinine Pomade ^ ^ t1 o p r rijhtftl \V IjAMtPUSIHi l MAKOARI'.T BEKKY wroU ui Cftta thai they had l.ardly any hair, but afW utiog OSt ? Hxelento y?*i can thn rrntilta on their f?iMnrc$ Kinky Hair cannot be made straight. Atla V^.. A? I ' * uu iiiitviu uuvnniir neiore It can l>e straightened. Now this _____ EXELENTO 'OMADE f n I is a Hair Grower which feeds the scalp ? ^ and roots of the hair and mukcs kinky. j nappy hair grow long, soft and silky. It | ?V 1 cleans dandruff and stops f all.ng Hair nt Vo'ir oncc. Price 2Sc by mail on receipt of , . stamps or coin. r Colic AGENTS WANTED EVERYWHERE. \ Bum Write Kor PartlfuUrn it Onn ? fTfr* tXIUNTO MEDICINE CO., Atlanta, Oa. ? l # ^tetna son sers what inte reply nine incea the caf flll +/V JLU1 l/U JLlCilllll. ffee and tea. flavor of Posnbles that of ee in Postum jkilfully promolasses. Cereal, which -made in the other. Made st per cup is comfort and I " Eyes to a Tie... ecting yours? If, so, More than two-thirds ye-strain. Dim vision, n tire, granulated lids to some form of eye s but one remedy and pcrly fitted glasses, ould have their eyes ng taxed by study and es. u nothing, and if there ;ell you so. My prices le and I stand back of guarantee of satisfac. ptometrist Union, South Carolina IAL sid hand :ars i Easy Terms iLLY Free Flower Seed tastings' Catalogue Tells You About It > matter whether you farm on a 3 Boale or only plant vegetables owers in a small way, you need ings' 1917 Seed Catalog. It's y now and we have a copy for absolutely free, if you ask for it. Honing the name of this paper, addition to showing you about all irnniAifAa n# vauctico ui TcfeciouiOD, ioiui b, clover and flower seeds, this log tells how you can got free five idid varieties of easily grown, yet tiful flowers, with which to beauyour homo surroundings. >od seeds of almost every kind scarce this season, and you can't d to take chances in your seed >ly. Hastings' Seeds are dependseeds, the kind you can always nd on having "good luck" with. >u are going to garden or farm spring. Why not insure success ar as possible by starting wltb right seed? Don't take chances you do not have to. rite today for Hastings' 1917 log. It's free and will both interin d help you to succeed in 1917. . Q. HASTINGS CO., 8eedsmen, nta, Ga.?Advt. UB-MY-TISM ill cure your Rheumatism algia, Headaches, Cramps, :, Sprains, Bruises, Cuts and Old Sores, Stings of Insects Antiseptic Anodyne, used in,11y and externally. Price 25c.