Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-02-05
HODGINS HISTORY.
They Thought He Had B. an Kinsj
by Indians
Hls Adventurous " snderinzs In the Wes
During Seventeen Years, and Why
lie stayed Away From the New
York Village tie Called Home

he stayed Away FROM the New
York Village He Called Home
n. T. sun.l
John Hodgins was born In Rye village,
NJ Y, thirty years ago. He weat 70
school shere up 70 his fifteenth year, and
all the residents knew him. he was very
strong for his age, and, being next 70 the
eldest Of eight children, IL was decided that
he must begin TO help support the large
family. he was sent 70 Sing Sing, and ap-
pTenticed 10 become a mason, like his faith
er. he worked steadily for year, but bis
master, All Englishman, treated him with
great severity, giving him only enough
money 10 pay his board. He grew dis
couraged, and at the end Of that time ne
packed up his things AMI ran away 70
Boston with two bricklsyers. He wrote
home that he had been unable 10 Obtain reg
ular work on account OF being an apprentice
aud asking 10 have some money sent 20
him. His father az once inclosed the mon
ey, but the letter came back TO Rye un-
opened, and nothing more was heard from
John Hodsins until two years after. Then
John Dunn, who had been bis schoolmste,
went 20 New Orleans as an engineer ON
him, and made an appointment, which was
not kept, 70 meet him again
when Dunn brought word 20 Rye that
he had seen Johnny Hodgins il turned the
village upside down. Old friends came
constantly 70 see IL Johnny had arrived,
and his mother spent hours talking 70
the younger children about him and
watching for him; but nothing further
was heard from him for years, until it
was read in a 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 gossips
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.
inc 10 some one who remembered her lost
son.
Now Rye village is excited once moro
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
card 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
liin. A week ago, at seven O'Clock In
the evening, tall man got of the east
hound train at Rye, and looked around tn
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 if 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
20 SO fast, grabbed him by the coat tails,
and said:
You're Johnny Hodgins."
II was true. Michael had been coach
man when Hodgins was a boy, and used
TO let him drive his horses. They went up to
the 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 70 ses
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 few
steps TO admire him, or TO declare that hs
was the handsomest son she had. She WAS
much aDszed to learn that she was the
grandmother OF five boys, all alive and
hearty. and that she had a daughter
law, alive and hearty, too.
John found things good deal a. he had
left them, and there was nothing TO feel
badly about but the death of his father.
His brother Thomas, two years old when
he left, was now six feet high, and well
pleased with tho mason's trade, which his
brother had discarded. All of his brothers
and sisters were well, but his mother was
the only one who knew him.
As soon "a the neighbors had stopped
pouring in he began TO toll about his own
adventures. From Boston be had gone 10
Bangor without hearing from home. He
worked there at odd jobs for a week, and
then shipped to the West Indies on a sail
Ing vessel. Thence be went to New Or
leans, where Dunn saw him; afterward
70 South America with prospecting par
", who hunted around for q long while,
and had adventures enough TO al a book,
all OF which Mrs. Hodgins insisted upon
hearing In detail. They made
some money, too, and all
came back to this country. Meanwhile be
wrote home, but, probably through errov
In addressing. his letters were returned
with the mark Of the dead letter Office, and
he concluded that bis family had moved
away. When the travellers got hack TO
this country the oil excitement was At ito
hoi zht. and they decided that oil speculs-
tion would BE- the proper thing 70 swell
their savings into fortunes. They tried il,
lost all they had. and disbanded. John
HOlgins went 10 Erie, Pa. fell in love, and
was married. That is where bis home 10
now. During the Black Hills exciternent
he went out as = prospector and scout. he
was with Custer, but had left him just in
time. he was shot at and hunted by the