The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-03-04
A Printer who Stepped into a Fortune
and GambIed 1t Away.

George r. Sims, whom the president
pardoned yesterday from the southern !.
Illinois penitentiary, where he was sent
for five years for participating in an
attempt to defraud the government, is
we'll known in Louisville. George Sims
was one of four brothers, whose father
was a wealthy citizen of Columbus, In
diana. Just previous to the consolida-
tion of the old Journal and Courier Sims
came to Louisville end worked in the !
Courier job rooms as printer.
He was a fine workman, and wes q
general favorite among his fellow. :
craftsmen, and among sporting men with
whom he fraternized largely. While he
was yet at work in the Courier job rooms
his father died, and his fortune of $780,
900 was equally divided between the
four brothers, their mother and a sister.
Soon after this Sims was joined in Louis
vile by his brothers. They led gay
life and gambled continually. The
consequence was that their fortunes were
soon dissipated. George. left Louisville
before he had spent all Of his money and !.
went to Cincinnati. There he lost the
remainder of his fortune at the faro
table in single play. he then returned
10 Louisville and went to work at his
trade on the Courier Journal. He asso.
ciated with gamblers and sporting mel.
generally, and lived at very rapid rate.
His winnings at faro were sometimes
very large, but his financial condition
varied, fuctuating like the stock market.
He was large man, weighing about
24O pounds, and not handsome. He also
stammered slightly.
Sims secured enough money to pur-.
chase the Southern Stock Yards hotel,
then in the southern part of the city,
which he ran for several years. In q (
fracas which occurred at the hotel he
received bullet wound in the hand which
deformed that member so that he could
not again work at his trade. He failed
in the hotel business and found himself
fiat on his back, financially. he went
to Chicago and was next heard of as a
divorce lawyer, advertising literally
throughout the country. He achieved
considerable unsavory notoriety in that
line, and at last was compelled to aban.
don it, as the law was fast getting grip
on him for illegal doings. He then be.
came snide jewelry fakir and confidence
man generally.
His last venture was when he became
pension lawyer IN Indianapolis, and
secured an illegal claim OF $4,000. he
was detected in this fraud and tried,
receiving sentence of FIVE years in the
penitentiary.
It is related of Sims that while at work
on the Coyier-.lournal he visited a faro
bank at No. so Fifth street, run by one
Featherly. He lost all his money, and
becoming enraged, seized the table with
it's gambling paraphernalia and broke
the entire layout to pieces. The room
was filed with men whom he defied and
who did not venture 10 interfere. The
last work he did on the Courier-Jomnal
was for two weeks as sub, and his inal
stake" was to set up the head and skee.
ton ofan election table.
While young he married o Miss Bal
lard, of Lafayette, Indiana, an estimable
Young lady whose father was well l.to.do,
prominent citizen of that place. While
he practiced law in Chicago as q divorce
lawyer his wife carried on the business
of a physician for females, advertising
largely and selling patent medicines
While private in the Union army,
Sims and 4 comrade found coffee sack
containing 5000 in greenbacks. The
lucky fellows did not know what to do
with the find, and carried it for several
days. They became frightened and f.
nally decided to surrender the money to-
the colonel of their regiment. They did
SO, and shortly after, the war was over
the colonel built an elegant house at
Nashville and gave every other evidence
of being man Of great wealth. Often
in his later life Sims would sit and swear
at himself for furnishing the money TO :
buy palace which he could never oc.
cupy.
George Sims served throughout the
rebellion in the Federal army, and was
promoted for his galIantry to the rank Of
captain, which position he held when
mustered out. After the war Sims cor
ceved an ingenious method whereby he
could secure pension. He tied his arm
in an awkward position and kept it
bound in this way until it became stiff.
He then applied for and received pen,
sion. 1t was found that he was perhaps
manned for life, but after considerable
treatment by skilled physicians the arm
was righted.-LoAisviNe Gwier.Journas.s