TX TX - Private J. W. Woods, 1893

http://www.odmp.org/officer/18659-private-j.-w.-woods

Any new info-should contact ODMP

On September 1, 1883, J. W. Woods enlisted as a private in Company B under the command of Captain John H. Rogers. Pay records show Woods still enlisted in Company B as late as February 29, 1884.

On January 1, 1893, Captain John H. Rogers formed Company E and recruited J. W. Woods. Rogers’ biography reported that Woods was promoted to corporal in March 1893, but ranger pay rolls indicate he was a private during this enlistment.

In the summer of 1893, the sheriff of Menard County requested assistance from the Texas Rangers with cattle thefts. Captain Rogers assigned Woods to work undercover and Woods went to work at a local ranch. In July of 1893, Woods simply vanished. His body was never recovered and no one was ever prosecuted for what the Texas Rangers determined was a murder. On November 30, 1893, the Texas Rangers declared him dead since no one had collected his pay check since July.

No personal information is known about J. W. Woods at this time.


Read more: http://www.odmp.org/officer/18659-private-j-w-woods#ixzz1uZ82FPbk

This July will mark the 100 year anniversary (centennial) of the death and disappearance of J. W. Woods, Texas Ranger.

Bumping this case up. It has now been 105 years...

The obvious assumption is that he was rumbled by the rustlers or others involved with them and murdered as a result. The question is whether he accidentally outed himself by something he said or did, or was he betrayed by someone he thought he could trust, eg a member of the Rangers who was in the pay of the rustlers? Rhetorical question - the chances of us ever finding out are precisely zero.

This is not related to this case but: I found some old documents in an antique store once, they were arrest warrants for different men. I still have them. The dates range from the late 1700's to early 1800's. It is hard to read the handwriting on some but they are chocked full of information on the transportation of these men to the prison the sheriff was taking them to. My point is; you never know what you might find in an old document stashed somewhere on J.W. Woods. Even though I know the possibility is very small.

Valerio said:

This is not related to this case but: I found some old documents in an antique store once, they were arrest warrants for different men. I still have them. The dates range from the late 1700's to early 1800's. It is hard to read the handwriting on some but they are chocked full of information on the transportation of these men to the prison the sheriff was taking them to. My point is; you never know what you might find in an old document stashed somewhere on J.W. Woods. Even though I know the possibility is very small.

Click to expand...

This is true. In these threads is a story about two buffalo hunters named Foss and Cartwright who went missing, along with a string of horses, a wagon loaded with buffalo hides, etc. back in 1876. They had been listed as missing by the mother of one of them who lived in Colorado.

In an old book from the early years of the 20th century, the author mentions having been showed the grave of one of the men and told the story of how they had been murdered. Unfortunately, the information never got to the man's mother when she was alive and searching.

Additionally, it is now possible to do genealogical searches on persons from many years back to obtain further information - if not actually solve a crime.

I will have to look that up, it sounds interesting!

Dead Man's Cave

Per this article, J.W.'s first name was James, and he was born in 1859, making him 34 years old at the time of disappearance.

Texas Ranger J.W. Wood has now been missing for 110 years.




The Texas Rangers were organized into two groups following Reconstruction. The Frontier Battalion (1874-1901) operated state-wide, and the Special Forces (1874-1881) were stationed between the Rio Grande and Nueces Rivers. Under the command of the Texas Adjutant General, Rangers were charged with protecting Texas from Indian and bandit raids. Beginning in the 1880s, each Ranger carried a Warrant of Authority and a Descriptive List. These documents provided proof of the Ranger’s authority and a physical description. Ranger badges first appeared during the Frontier Battalion Era, when their focus shifted from frontier defense to law enforcement.

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