J. W. Woods
Agency patch
Private

J. W. Woods

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX
Felonious
End of Watch November 30, 1893
Tour of Duty 6 mo
The Vigil Panel 12 ›
Gender Male

Incident

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.

Pvt. Woods, On today, the 130th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of the state of Texas.

R.I.P. USBP

Anonymous United States Border Patrol November 30th, 2023

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-2E271CFC
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

133 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Woods served with the Texas Rangers.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Texas Rangers
Type Other
Location Austin, TX
Platform Identity tr.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 30, 1893
Tour of Duty 6 mo
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Unknown weapon

Private J. W. Woods is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Texas Rangers, 104 of 122 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.2% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Rangers
104
of 122 officers
85.2% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. J. W. Woods's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How J. W. Woods Compares

Years of Service
0.5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. J. W. Woods is highlighted in Nov.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. J. W. Woods was killed by unknown weapon.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909