"hoodlum" antedating and self-designation (?)

[Stephen Goranson]

Though the archives has (from Fred) a Dec. 15, 1866 use, one from a day
earlier
may be worth mentioning, as it includes new information, the claim that the
gang name was a self-designation. That, plus the report in the same paper that
the leader was a young (20, later, Feb. 7, 1868) Henry Hopkins, may cast doubt
on some published etymologies. OED calls the origin "lost." Any guesses?

Headline: Juvenile Vagabonds; Article Type: News/Opinion
Paper: San Francisco Bulletin, published as Evening Bulletin; Date:
12-14-1866;
Volume: XXIII; Issue: 58; Page: [5]; Location: San Francisco, California

They call themselves the "Hoodlum Band"....

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

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