The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-04-23
LETTER FROM WILLIAM
TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SIMEON R. ADAMS.

county, that | had done anything TO creat
much feeling l supposed that Mr.. Pac,
would prefer retirement, always dear to hin
and that he be not unnecessarily advertised
and was uneasy; but | met man in Texa,
who thanked me, and yesterday received q
letter from DeKaIb, Mississippi, full of thanks
The sketch was published at the suggestion OF
Mr. Jones, and furnished by him He sends
me another and requests its publication Ii
seems that our schoolmaster took notes as he
went along:
AT the spring term of the Circuit Court OF
Kemper county, in the year 854, held at De
Kalb, / met man to whom afterwards 1 be-
came much attached, by reason OF his kind
Offices This man was
HON SIMEON r. ADAMS,
editor of the Eastern C1arioa a newspaper,
published in the town Of Paulding, south Of
Kemper county. | was introduced to him by
Judge Turner Reavis, OF GAINESVILLE, Alabama,
a gentleman, whose name / never call or hear
called, without the yelling up OF a feeling of
profound gratitude. Col. Adams was, at the
time l met him, in the flush of growing
success. He had, from small beginning and
no profits, built up a handsome income, and
his energy increased with each and every
manifestation OF prosperity. l afterwards
learned that ne was native OF Vermont, but
grew to manhood in the State of Ohio. His
parents were poor, and, at an early age, he
was placed in printing Office to learn what
was then known of the art of printing Hav-
ing finished his apprenticeship he and his two
brothers, William and Joseph left Ohio and went
to New Orleans. Here Joseph died. and Simeon
went to Mississippi. He worked in one or
two offices with acceptability, and read and
learned, by absorption, very much of current
information. Finally, he made the acquain-
lance of Hon. Albert q. Brown, in the year
1887. Mr.. Brown was then the rising man of
Mississippi, and conceived a great partiality
for young Adams, and saw in him many of
those qualities, which were subsequently
developed. At that time ex-Gov. John j.
McRae was publishing at Paulding the
Eastern CgaIIon and Pudding Palladium, rather
formidable name, but very small paper.
Adams was at work on the paper. McRae
offered to sell to Adams but Adams had no
money and declined. In 1888, Governor
Brown went to Paulding and became surety
for Adams, on note that purchased the
paper, and the latter became Editor and
Proprietor Of the Eastern Clarion, dropping
one-half the name. At the same time, he was
Editor, Foreman, Pressman, and Devil, and
paid out nothing that came to the office
except for material. He continued this only a
short time for he saw that the business to
he got a little ready cash, he secured a good
printer and started out for subscribers, adver-
tisements, and Job work, and there being no
other office in all the region roundabout, he
secured a large list of subscribers, and not
little job work, in the way pamphlets &C.
He enlarged his force and increased his office
gradually Fortunately for him, he fell in
love with Miss Isabella Bowman of Paulding,
and they were married. Then when he went
off, to look up business his good wife would
trim and stitch pamphlets, and fold and direct
papers, and do all those things until mid
night almost nightly for several years.
1t was a custom of Col. Adams to attend
Circuit Court in all the counties he could
reach; and he was on one of those trips, when
| met him. He was very well dressed, and
one thing noticed particularly; he wore a
massive, gold chain around his neck, and car
ried cane with a gold head He had on a
velvet vest of brownish color, with spots of a
brighter hue and thought the effect OF the
velvet, the spots and the chain was striking.
Being poor schoolmaster, with ten dollar,
silver watch, suspended to a black cord, was
in condition to appreciate magnifcence.
His manner, when l was first presented, was
rather patronizing. His size and general
make, did not contribute much to overawe.
In person he was rather ungainly, being about
FIVE feet four inches high, with rather long
body His face expressive. One eye lid
seemed to be swollen always, which caused the
left eve to appear smaller than the other.
His forehead was rather low not remarkably
so. and he wore his hair, of which he had an
abundance, rather long. few moments after
we met, large man without vest, and with
no cravat, with collar open, walked up and
began to curse the Colonel. The latter tried
to explain, when the large man struck him
and knocked the Colonel to his knees. They
were promptly separated, and the Colonel APP
proached me and said, "What you saw is one
of the fruits of editing spirited and fearless
paper That fellow published a letter sheet
below this, and l exposed some of his ISLANDERS
of the Democratic party. When he came up.
| was Just going to advise you to advertise
YOUR school in THE CLARION, and to sub
scribe" l replied that my school was merely
a country school, and advertising could do no
good He insisted, and said that Achilles
would never have been known but for
Homer, and, that unless l advertised, not only
would my school always be an old held
school but l would be an old field man. To
the contrary. if I advertised, my name would
become familiar to the three thousand readers
of THE CLARION, and, if it did my school no
good it would do me good, in my future et-
forts. He went on to say that, when THE CLAIR
ION became a friend to young man, it remain
ed friend, and gave more than value received.
for all it charged. had no money to spare
but gave him my name as subscriber, and
under his dictation, wrote small advertise
ment. After that finished, he asked me II
I knew the officers of the court. l replied IN
the negative, and he proposed to go with me to
the Court House and introduce me- de
INJURED; but he insisted, saying that his &C
auaintances were his capital, etc., and then
went with him and was introduced to Geo. L.
Welsh, P. H. Gully and ]. w. Hull, men at
forwards always my friends Col. Adams
asked every man he saw to take The CLARION,
and never suffered himself repulsed by trifes.
but persisted, and in majority of cases sue
ceeded He was specially fond of young men,
and of the friendship of young men, and
nothing gratifed him more than to see
young men, whom he patronized, prosper.
Col Adams was a partisan, but never let