The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-02

pared and that was adopted by the meet
ing will be spread on the records of the
federal courts of this district and circuit
and of the Court of Appeals at Chicago.
and a copy will be presented to the wife of
Judge Woods. 1t is as follows:
William Allen Woods was born on May
16, 1887. near Pennington, Marshall county,
Tennessee. He was the youngest of three
children and the only son, and he was only
a month old when his father, who was a
Presbyterian preacher, died at the age of
twenty-six years. When he was seven
years old his mother married John Miller
and the family moved to lows and located
upon a farm.
He attended school during the winter
months until he was nearly fourteen years
old. Afterwards he was employed in a mill
and was for a while a clerk for the village
store. He worked out a subscription for
the building of an academy at Troy by
carrying a hod for the plasterers and he
prepared himself for college while he was
an assistant teacher there.
n entered Wabash College at Craw-
louisville, Ind, in 1855 and was graduated
from that institution upon the completion
or the customary academic cour ' in 1859.
After his graduation he was employed for
a year as an instructor i'm Wabash College
and was subsequently employed as a teach
er in a school at Marion. Ind. While at
Marion the civil war broke out and he
offered himself as a soldier in the Union
army. but his offer was rejected on ac-
count of a physical disability.
He began the study of the law imme-
diately upon his graduation from Wabash
College and on March Is. 1852; he opened
an office at Goshen, Ind, and began the
practice OF it. In 1866 he was elected to the
Indiana Legislature and served with dis
tinction as a member of the judiciary COM
mittee, a number Of the bills which were
proposed by him being enacted into laws.
In 1873 he was elected judge for the thirty
fourth judicial circuit of the State and
was again elected in 1878 without opposi-
ton. His record as a circuit judge gave
him such prominence that in 1850 he was
nominated by the Republican party as its
candidate for a place upon the Supreme
Bench. he was elected judge of the SUI
preme Court and entered upon the dis
charge OF his duties in January, 1881, and
served as a supreme judge until May. 1883.
, Arthur United States district Judge for the
district of Indiana and succeeded Judge
Gresham, who had become postmaster gen
erai. lie served as district judge until he
was appointed by President Harrison one
of the United States circuit judges for the
Seventh circuit and subsequently became
and was at the time of his death on June
States Circuit Court of Appeals for that
circuit.
H was married on Dec 6. 1870. to Mata
Floyd A. and Alice n. Woods, survive him.
ELEMENTS OF THE MAN.
In any retrospect of a mans profess
sional life the circumstances under which
1t was begun and pursued are always
worthy of consideration. 1t is really i'm
possible TO separate any part of his life
from the rest of 1t. All of the parts of 1t
are closely interviewer with one another
and bear upon it's final outcome. The life
which has just closed was begun amidst
privation and hardship. AT an early stage
of 1t the boy learned to work for a living
for himself and others. The love of knowI-
edge was born with him and he worked
for an education. He fully appreciated the
opportunities that he gained in this way
and he made the most OF them. There was
also a sense of justice in him from the be-
ginning Of his existence which made il inn
possible for him TO embrace those oppor-
tunities at the price of another mans in
voluntary and unpaid labor. He would not
mount from the back of a slave, and there
upon the slave became free by the masters
act while the master labored on. 1t was
that love OF knowledge that made an ac-
complished lawyer OF him., and II was that
sense OF justice that made him an upright
and honored judge.
HE applied himself with great zeal and
a resolute will TO the equipment of his
mind with scholastic and professional
knowledge. Whatever he learned he
learned il thoroughly. The amount and
the acquisition OF IL his intellectual facul-
ties were developed and disciplined, and
the acquisition OF II never ceased. All OF
his utterances bear the mark of a trained
mind. IL was a logical and discriminating
mind, with a turn for nice and close dis
tinctions which sometimes approach the
verge of subtlety. His mind was vigorous
as well as acute. and his reasoning ALWAYS
exhibited a strong and firm grasp upon the
subject matter under his consideration. II
his premises were admitted, IL was difficult
10 resist his conclusions. 1t was also a
quick and eager MIND that anticipated and
outran the argumen of others and merci-
lessly exposed its weakness or absurdity
He loved intellectual fence and thoroughly
enjoyed the heat OF controversy as long as
controversial strife was kept within the
bounds of decency and decorum. He was
ordinarily a patient listener during the
progress of before him and tol.
Grant of any superfiuous admonition from
the bar.
DEVOTED TO SYMPHONIES.
"If the division Of great judges by ar
English writer into judges for the lega.
profession and judges for the parties be &C.
cepted as an accurate classification oi
them. he would not be assigned a plac,
among those judges who are simply con.
tent with the correct adjustment Of a par.
ticular dispute and an assignment OF theil
reasons and authority for IL. but he would
be given a high place among those judge:
who md In the dispute an opportunity fol
the most ample and lucid exposition OF IN,
principles which are applicable 10 IL ane
thereby endeavor to fix and establish IN,
law Of the and upon a secure and durable
' foundation. Judge Woods rendered the bal