The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-11-19
HODGINS' HISTORY.
They Thought He Had Been Killed
by Indians.
His Adventurous Wanderlngs In the West
During Seventeen Years, and Why
He Stayed Away From the New
York village He Called Home.

He Stayed Away From the New
York village He Called Home.
IN. Y. SUM-
John Hodgins was born in Rye village,
N. Y, thirty-two years ago. He went to
school there up to his fifteenth year, and
all the residents knew him. He was very
strong for his age, and, being next to the
eldest of eight children, 1t was decided that
he must begin to help support the large
family. He was sent to Sing Sing, and ap-
prenticed to become mason, like his faith
er. He worked steadily for year, but his
MASTER an Englishman, treated him with
great severity, giving him only enough
money to pay his board. He grew dis
couraged, and at the end of that time he
packed up his things and ran away to
Boston with two bricldayers. He wrote
home that he had been unable to obtain reg
ular work on account Of being an apprentice
and asking to have some money sent TO
him. His father at once inclosed the mon
ey, but the letter came back to Rye un-
opened, and nothing more was heard from
John Hodgins until two years after. Then
John Dunn, who had been his schoolmatei
went to New Orleans as an engineer on
steamboat, and saw him there; talked with
him, and made an appointment, which was
not kept, to meet him again.
When Dunn brought word to Rye that
he had seen Johnny Hodgins it turned the
village upside down. Old friends came
constantly to see If Johnny had arrived,
and his mother spent hours talking to
/ the younger children about him ana
watching for him; but nothing further
was heard from him for years, until 1t
was read in n newspaper that he had been
killed by Indians in the Black Hills. The
father died believing that the son had
gone first, and, after the village gossps
were through talking about poor Johnny
Hodgins, hard luck, the matter was
dropped. Only when the boys saw their
mother weeping, without any apparent
cause, they knew that she had been talk
ing to some one who remembered her lost
son.
Now Rye village Is excited once more
about John Hodgins, and this time more
than ever before. The young loungers
ON the platform Of the railroad sta
ton never knew him, but they have all
heard about his being killed by Indians,
and are much excited to hear that he has
come home alive and well, without a scar
of a tomahawk or scalping knife about
him. A week ago, at seven O'Clock In
the evening, a tall man got OIL the east
bound train at Rye, and looked around IN
surprise at the new station and other i'm
provements. The stranger stopped an Old
man, and, calling him by name, Michael
Hubbard, asked him IL he knew anything
of the Hodgins family, who had lived in
the village seventeen years ago. Hubbard
said that Mrs. Hodgins was living with
her family on the hill. Thereupon the
stranger began to weep, and struck out
for the hill, but Hubbard, who couldn't
90 SO fast, grabbed him by the coat tails
and Said:
"You're Johnny Hodgins."
It was true. Michael had been coach
man when Hodgins was boy, and used
10 let him drive his horses. They went up TO
lhe house together, and Mrs. Hodgins, who
was coming in from the barn, saw two
men standing at the gate, and heard one OF
them say:
"won't your mother be glad to SEQ
ycuw
She dropped everything she had in her
hands and in a second had her arms
around her sons neck. John was intro
duced TO all his brothers and sisters, and
his mother divided the time equally be-
tween hugging him and retreating n few
steps to admire him, or 10 declare that h'
was the handsomest son she had. She was
much amazed to learn that she was the
grandmother Of five Toys, all alive nnt
hearty, and that she had a daughter-in
law, alive and hearty, too.
John found things good deal as he haC
left them, and there was nothing to fee
badly about but the death Of his father
His brother Thomas, two years old whei
he left, was now six feet high, and wei
: pleased with the mason's trade, which hi
: brother had discarded. All OF his brother
and sisters were well, bat his mother wa
: the only one who knew him.
As soon us the neighbors had stoppet
: pouring in he began to tell about his owl
{ adventures From Boston he had gone b
\ Bangor without bearing from home. II
0 worked there at odd jobs FOR week, an
a then shipped to the West ladies' on a sail
l ing vessel Thence he went . New Or
leans, where Dunn saw him; alterwar
TO South America with u prospecting par
ty, who hunted around Tor long Will,
and had adventures enough 10 illl n bool
all OF which Mrs. Hodgin1 insisted upo
n hearing In detail. Tncy mad
some money, too, and
cnme back to this country. Meanwhile !
=, wrote home, but, probably through err,
/, In addressing, his letters werJ returnt
= with the mark Of the dead letter office, al
: he concluded that his family la moy,
y away. When the travellers got back
:, this country the oil excitement was at l
. bei2ht, aud they decided that oil spscul'
!, tion would be the proper thing TO swt
:, their savings into fortunes. They tried
> lost all they had, and dsbanded. Jol
! Hodgins went TO Erie, Pa, fell In love, nj
was married. That is where his home
!, now. During the Black HIS exciteme
>. he went out as prospector AMI scout. /
- was with Custer, but had left him just
- time. He was shot at and hunted by q
:. Indians, but got away with his life, al
y came back TO prove TO his wife that nj
report that he was dead was mistal