The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-09-19
WOODS CAREER
IS PICTURESQUE
He Is President Of the $751;
100000 WOODEN Trust.
INDICTED ON SIX COUNTS.

Si''H.@ = -.----- i:i, e
Charge 10 Conspiracy, In Connection
With the Alleged Planting Of Dyna-
mite During tho Textile Workers
Strike In Lawrence, Mass,
William M. Wood, president of the
American Wooden company, who has
been indicted on charges Of conspiracy
IN connection. with the alleged 1pant-
ing" Of dynamite in Lawrence, Mass,
during the strike last spring, is one of
the most conspicuous figures in Amer
lean industrial life.
Although he rose from the very bot
tom of the laboring class, Wood Is re-
garded by labor as it's bitterest enc
my. Els life story is picturesque His
father, was Portuguese named ia
cintho. who was brought to Edgar
town, on Martha's Vineyard, by Cap
tain Henry Pease, whaling master,
on whose ship Jacintho had been en-
ployed! as cooks assistant. Jacntho,
according to custom, took his benefac-
tors name and became q cobbler in
Edgartown. He married, and his first
child, known as William M. Wood,
was born April 5, 1881.
The son began life as q mill worker.
When DR.. Frederick Aver of Lowell,
the patent medicine man, was Obliged
to take over the Washington mill In
Lawrence because that. institution
could not repay his loans to it., Will
MO %y,oxy
man for New Bedford mandatory.
Dr. Ayers new manager, a man named
Sampson, got Wood to join his force
and later made him assistant manager.
Held Trade Secret.
Mr.. Wood had one Of the trade &C.
crets of the day--a method Of blend
Ing woods SO that he could sell cloth
Of apparently a certain grade far be-
low his competitors. Hits concern
made money In the face Of hard times.
Meanwhile he had come into social re-
lations with DR.. Ayers family and
eventually married the doctors daugh-
ter. All the Aver money then became
available for the develupment of the
Wood business.
When men were forming combina-
tons Of manufactures of an kinds it
occurred to Mr.. Whitman OF the Ar
i1ngton mill that this would be q good
thing to do in the wooden industry. He
began it and incidentally, took, in Mr.
Wood and his washington mill. oonnlyg
to find later on that Mr.. Wood was the
head and center Of the undertaking
and that his Arlington mill had been
left outside altogether.
Mfr. Wood built the biggest WOODEN
mill in the world. He has installed
many improvements which are direct
~ for the benefit and the comfort Of
the employees, putting an escalator in
the mill, Tor instance, to save stair
climbing and building cottages which
are rented to employees, improving the
Workrooms themselves and even in
stall1ng restaurant in the mill. where
food Is sold at cost
Yet It was against Mr.. Wood that
the bitterest feeling was shown during
the Lawrence strike, and, on the other
hand, 1t was Mr.. Woods action which
regulated what the other mill owners
should do in the matter Of settling the
strike or. holding out against settle
ment.
The Penalty.
Mr.. Wood has q luxurious winter
home in the Back Bay district of Bos-
ton at Fl Fairfield street. He has a
home also In Andover and country
houses at Cuttyhunk and Prfde's Cross
Ing. He is member Of the Eastern
Yacht club and the owner Of several
yachts and automobiles. He Is q mem
Der Of the prominent Boston clubs and
stakeholder and director In leading
Boston industrial and financial institu-
tons. He carries one Of the largest
life insurance policies Of any man in
New England.
The American Wooden company,
which bore the brunt Of the great
Lawrence strike from Jan. IL until
March II, controls thirty three manu-
featuring plants IN New England and
New York state. 1t has q capitaliza-
ton Of $75 100000 and employs $4,000
operatives when all the machinery is
In motion. About $1,000 persons are
on the Dayrols Of the company's mills
in Lawrence.
The maximum penalty In the event
OF conviction on the conspiracy charge
Is three years. Imprisonment In the
house Of correction on each Of six
counts contained in the indictment.