Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-08-29

CUSTER MASSACRE
John Jacob (Jabez) Hodkin. one of
Names adopted sons, has had cram
med into his three score and fifteen
years Of life a good many peculiar in
cidents. He was born at sea, under
q British flag May 10, 1872, while his
parents were en- route from Cork, Ire
land, to this country. His mother
died and was buried at sea, leaving
Jabez and a little twin sister to begin
life. His father. Patrick McMurphy,
| being dissatisfied with conditions in
Ireland embarked on a sailing ship for
America, and landed at Castle garden,
New York coming to Maine and setting
| in Portland. When he took out his
citizenship papers he changed his
name to Hodgkin. Mr.. Hodgkin senior,
was for many years a teamster and
died at the age Of Sc While with a six
A, horse team at South Casco.
the world and started to be sailor,
but his one trip Of % months on the
Storm King under Bully" Water
house which took him to Zanzibar on
the west coast Of Africa, where grow
parrots and natives mainly, was
enough for him. This trip showed
/ him lots of the world and plenty of
seafaring life. While there Hodgkin
captured a parrot which he trained
and taught many cute" and unique
I phrases of American language; also
many tricks among them that of
smoking This was the death of the
parrot for one day he lost a cigar
I butt in his beak and strangled to
death. This trip was the beginning Of
the making of a vegetarian Of Hodg-
kin as he says that he consumed too
much meat. the finishing Of this was
when he was in the calvary under
General Cook in the Indian war, the
uprising of Sitting Bull, where too
much meat was again served him: for
nearly forty years meat and Hodgkin
have been strangers.
While under Cook he helped to bury
the dead at the time of Clusters mas
sacre on the Little Big Horn. Soon
after this he left the service and was
for while a pony express driver and
!, shotgun messenger. While in the
West he learned to be two gun man
and he often gives the boys an exhibit
ton with the Shooting iron" as he
called a gun.
But being one of the itching feet
clan he drifted back East and for
many years teamed with the circuses
as in those days they hauled from city
to city he was out with the Stone and
hurry, Stangees. Royal British and
the Sells Brothers. While with the
tented outfits he drove every thing in
the shape of a circus vehicle down to
the "Razorbone" wagon.
| Then came a trip to Canada where
he began numbering and later back to
Maine where for II years he was boss
of wood crew and river drivers for
! q Lewiston firm which developed the
Androscoggin river. He is an expert
riverman. being white water man"
and had a number of narrow escapes
! from death while breaking jams and
running logs in white whipped stream.
/ For long time he drove team for
the Sebago Ice company of this city
and was a familiar figure on the
streets of Portland. Seven years ago
while on Commercial street with
pair of mules, a shifter struck his
team and killed the near mule and Incl
dentally broke three ribs for Hodgkin
He don't count little things like that
! A story on Hodgkin without the his
! 1an
writing a book without a hero Maud
is twenty four this month and in good
health, without a bad habit. Jabez got
her when she was a week old and
brought her up on milk by a bottle
and today she is partial to milk.
| In his many years of roaming about
the sea and highways of this country
he never became the slave of Lady
! Nicotine and never touched his lips to
liquor Together with his forty years
of abstinence from meats, he is a
healthy man in appearance about
fifty-five or sixty and can out-work
the man of that age. If early TO bed,
makes you healthy, wealthy and wise.
Jabez can easily quality for the job.
for he is abed by eight O'Clock or
half past at the latest and up by three
or three fifteen morning in and morn
ing out the year through.
| In his travels he has collected a
bunch of songs of the woods, sailor
ditties. rivermen chanties. circus songs
and all of the old fashioned songs dear
to the hearts of our forefathers. He
has a good tenor voice and often en-
tertains the netghbors with an even
ing's recital. Every day while about
his work whether it be early or late,
fair or stormy he sings.
Mr.. Hodgkin has for the past two
years been employed at South Wlad
ham for the local express man. He
and Maud deliver a lot Of express and
make many friends-Jabez. not Maud,
for although gentle as kitten her
race has bad name, hence the alb