St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-28
FISHING FOR FORTUNE.
4 Son of the Famous Southern Novelist,
Simms, Believed to Be the Heir
to $5,000,000.
How a Ohicagoan With a License and a
Revolver Married a Maiden
Against Her Will.
The Dream of n Michigan Woman
Which Caused Her to Break Her
Husbands Foot.
Ohio Salvation Army Cranks Go into
Trance-~The Phenomenon
Unexplained.
Heirto Millions.

Special to the Globe.
New YORK. March 27.-Govan Single
ton SimmS, a son of the famous Southern
novelist. w. Gilmore Simms, is promising
young actor. now Ion the road" and is
prospective heir to millions which he is
seeking to recover. The property consists
Of a villa near Bristol, England, and half a
dozen warehouses in Liverpool, which are
estimated to be worth about S5, 600, 900 or
81, 900. 600. 1t is not often that such
mint of money goes begging.
when it can be obtained. almost
for the asking, and yet this is actually the
case, strange as it may seem with this
estate. Thrty-fve years ago young
Simms' grandfather inherited this splendid
property from his aunt, Miss Mary h. Nash,
who died in Bristol, The grandfather's
name was Nash Roach. and he was then
living on the Simms' plantation of 5000
acres in Woodlands, S. c., with the family
of the novelist, whose wife was Mr.. Roach's
only child. A copy of the will was for
warded from England TO Mr.. Roach, who
was then advanced in years and
ENJOYING HIMSELF QUIETLY
as became wealthy old Southern planter.
He dreaded thediScOmfOrtS of an ocean voy-
age, and shortly after the copy of the will
was received he exclaimed: Il wouldn't
have money enough for me and mine as
long as we live. and | am satisfied with
that" Mr.. Roach did not long after the
property that was beQueathed TO him, and
when the war broke out the exciting
events of that period, together with
his eXacting literary laborS left
MI SmmS no opportunity to go
abroad. When the Simms family were
forced to refuge" IN Columbia, Gen.
Sherman put a guard around the plantation
to protect it from straggers. After the
generals troops passed on the 200 slaves of
Mr.. Simms pillaged the princely mansion
of its valuabes and fired the place. In the
cOntlagration was destroyed library that
the novelist would not have parted with for
$50 600, and the copy of the will Of Mary
L. Nash. Mrs. Simms died
BEFORE THE WAR
was over, and the novelist followed in 1870.
He left no will. and his plantation, under
the old English law, went to his eldest,
who bears his name and is now clerk of
the circuit court of Bamberg. ). c. Some
years ago a member of the SmmS family
wrote to Judah Benjamin at London, offer
ing him a retainer to look up the will, but
that gentleman haughtily replied that will
cases were mot in his line" An advertise
ment appeared in newspaper in San AntO-
Mo, Tex, in 1878, inquiring after the Slmms
heirs, but unfortunately the family did not
hear of it until four years atterward in
roundabout way. and every effort TO pro-
cure a copy of the paper failed. The orig
inal will was seen in London few months
ago by a lady friend of the Simms family,
who wrote over TO that effect, but she did
not think far enough ahead to have copy
made of 1t. Govan Simms, who has made
hit as DR.. Ceneri in Called Back" and
is ambitious to avail himself Of the ad-
vantage of
A HANDSOME FORTUNE
to attain the front rank in the profession,
has decided to make a strenuous effort TO
recover the property in question for him
self and brothers and sisters He has in
trusted the matter to the care of Lawyer
Dudley r. Horton of Blair & Horton, No.
l49 Broadway. Mr.. Horton has written to
London for a copy OF the will. and on its
receipt will at once take the necessary
steps toward putting the Simms heirs in
possession of their property. Besides
Govan Simms, the other heirs to
the property in England are his sister.
Mary L., wife of Col. John NJ. Kinloch,
cotton merchant of Charleston. S. c.;
Cheveette E., wife of Justice ID. q. Rowe
of Bamberg, S. c.: Carol Simms lawyer
who recently married Judge Mahen's
daughter in Bamberg, and w. Gilmore
SimmS. GOvan Simms is a fine-loOking
young fellow of IS, and is now travelling
with the Brooklyn Theater company
through the West and South. After he
comes into possession of his share of the
London estate he intends to devote his
time to the stage, in hopes Of winning as
much renOWn as an actor as his father die
in the South as q novelist.