References
William Hammersley Hodgins was the eldest son of William Ralph Hodgins. He played cricket with Cloughjordan and was secretary of the club in 1873. The Hodgins family emigrated to
Kansas in 1877. After the death of his father William returned to Cloughjordan.
In June 1881 he was evicted, by Lord Dunalley, from land near the railway station. William was active in the Cloughjordan Land League. James Wall, a journalist from Borrisokane, was jailed in Kilmainham, along with Parnell, for Land League activities in 1881. On their release, in April 1882, James Wall returned by train to Cloughjordan. Local Land League members William Hodgins and Philip Reilly led the huge crowd that greeted him. Then, along with several bands, all marched to Borrisokane. In 1904 William received compensation under the new Land Purchased Act for his eviction in 1881.
William emigrated to New York and joined the Police Department in 1888 where he was known as ‘Big Bill’ Hodgins. By 1903 he was promoted to Captain. He was active in Irish American affairs and secured employment for many emigrants in New York. He was a great supporter of, and a financial contributor to, all Irish causes. In 1907 the Police Commissioner forced William to take early retirement because he was overweight and considered unable to perform his duties.
He fought his case in court and in 1910 was reinstated as Captain and awarded $1,000 in
compensation. He died suddenly at his home in October 1912.
An old friend James Wall, by then a journalist in New York, wrote a moving tribute to him in the Nenagh News. Recalling the train journey to Cloughjordan after his release from Kilmainham Jail, Wall said,
‘Shall I ever forget that night – the stirring strains from the bands, the drenching rain and the long march of the procession, headed by carriages, from the railroad station in Cloughjordan to my home is Borrisokane. ‘Bill’ Hodgins was everywhere that night, directing, encouraging and cheering on every mother’s son in that big gathering.’
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1856 (circa) | |
| Date of Death | 1st Jan 1912 (circa) | |
