The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-04-06

oy WOIu OF WOulu. Nudl we w
know throws light on the possibilities
of the son. After the fighting at
New Orleans he began to think more
and more about his son. The follow
ing year he undertook to make the
trip back to Charleston on horse
back, resolved to bring the boy back
with him. He found the boy more
than he had hoped for, of fine
physique, a lover of adventure and
burning with a fiery imagination. He
gained the boy at first with stories
of his Indian fights, stories of the
pioneers and wild escapades in the
frontier country When he broach-
ed the subject of taking the boy
back with him to Mrs. Gates, she op-
posed Fbitterly and refused to give
him up. Simms demanded it. The
latter went into the courts and the
sjudge left it with the little boy,
who decided to stay with his grand
mother. This decision had a real
and apparent affect upon his works in
later years. His grandfather hav-
ing lived during the war times her
tales to him of the numerous expert
ences, escapades, etc., were his
Mother Goose and nursery rhymes.
The little boy devoured her stories
of thrilling experiences. 1t has often
been said that child's impressions
are all made at the age of seven, and
if that is true, Simms at that age
must have had his mind saturated
with historic tales. When he began
to write he had a wealth of material
to draw from. Add to these his
fathers adventures, and we have his
extensive storehouse.
From the time that his apprentice
ship at the drug store began his life
was one of bare opportunity and hard
work. His nights still were his own.
Any spare money he could keep he
bought books from secondhand shops
and read and studied far into the
night. He studied Latin and French
by himself. He even made surrep-
titious attempts at composing poetry.
During the following years he acquir-
ed an immense amount of knowledge.
He always regretted that he did not
have a college education, though
there were few men of that day who
were possessed of a wider range Of
information than he had acquired
for himself. At. the age of Is he be-
gan the study of law. Even in his
poverty he clung to the. idea Of CIV
ing himself the requirements Of
gentleman, although he had to work
hard for them. In no other state
could it have been harder for him
than in South Carolina. He was
determined to work out his destiny
and bring himself to the eminence
which his grandfather had in the city
in his day. His adversities were
many and would have broken the
spirit of weaker man.
At the age of 1S his father wrote
him begging him to come on a visit
to him. He accepted readily and
sailed from Charleston by boat to
New Orleans and from there on
horse back to Mississippi where his
father was then living. He stopped
at night in the frontier cabins and
Indian villages as his father had
done. It must have been wonder
full experience to the boy who hau
been shut up in druggist shop most
of his life. When he reachef his
father he found him just returned
from the Indian country several hun
dred miles to the west. He took
similar trips with his father visiting
the Creek and Cherokee nations. He
spent days with the Indians learning
their languages and customs. He
often spoke of the idea Of the taci-
turnity of the Indians being a mis-
taken one, that after they trusted
you they we're the greatest chatter
boxes in the world.
When Simms began to write he
had all the material for his Indian
stories first hand. He does not pre-
sent us, as Cooper did, with the In
dian who only existed in his mind.
During his visit to his father he ate,
slept and lived with all manner of
man, the pioneer, the robber, the
scout, the pioneer woman, the ped
dler. He was picturing people he
actually knew lived at the time and
when he described scenes and condi-
tions he was telling about places he
had seen with his own eyes. At the
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