James Byron Woods: Bad Boy From A Good Family

James Byron Woods was born 8 July 1908 in Great Falls, Montana to James Elijah Woods (1876-1946) & Nelie Dorothea Jensen (1883-1950).

Inmate: 63872 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 2 Aug 1939
Crime: Petty Theft 2 counts
Term: 0-5 years
Discharged: 12 Feb 1943
Age: 30

This man was something, he came from a good home, his father was a carpenter and a good one for many, many years he taught his son his trade, but James wanted to go to aviation school and learn how to fly, his parents didn't have the money and his father said no. So what does James do? He turns on the gas to the stove and was revived at the hospital. His father must of been beside himself. Guess it didn't dawn on him to work for the money to go.

Here's a longer article:

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36331574/james_byron_woods/

So after that drama on 3rd of Sep 1930 he goes to 1415 Myrtle St and to deliver a message to a Mrs. Rock from her brother, when her soon to be X-husband Earl J. Rock shows up on his motorcycle and starts an argument with James in the apartment and James pulls out a switch blade and stabs the man, the man somehow gets on his cycle and drives to the police station and is taken to the hospital and dies from his injuries but not before implicating James in his stabbing. James is arrested and charged with murder, it then gets changed to manslaughter due to the wife and now widow's testimony. Then the judge decides to sentence him to 6 months in the care of a dentist, the judge felt prison and jail would not reform James since he had been into trouble so many times. James had impacted teeth and the 6 month sentence was for him to see the dentist during that time to have his teeth fixed..Wonder what the tax payers thought of that sentence? Although inmates in jail and prison can have their teeth fix at the expense of taxpayers. Here's the newspaper articles on this ridiculous sentence.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36332895/james_byron_woods/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36343626/james_byron_woods/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36332763/james_byron_woods/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36331400/james_byron_woods/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36332741/james_byron_woods/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36343708/james_byron_woods/

1932 James was at a gathering and gave a young women a ride home, afterward he stopped at a garage to have his headlight adjusted and the owner charged him 45 cents and that ticked off James and he assaulted him. His father couldn't find him, maybe the first place he should of looked was a jail cell. He was arrested for BAttery and Reckless driving.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36332848/james_byron_woods/

Now we come to his San Quentin conviction for 1939. He is listed on the 1940 census as an inmate. So it took a petty theft charge for him to finally be sent to prison. On the census it says he was married I did not find a solid lead to this wife. 

Here's the newspaper article for this crime.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36332874/james_byron_woods/

James had 2 sibling:

Nellie Bernice Woods 1911-1997
John Victor Woods 1912-1990

James died 19 March 1959 in Alameda County, CA. 

I did not find his obituary but I did find his dad's.

As you can see he was well liked member of society, a hard worker.

James Elijah Woods & his wife Nellie Dorothea Jensen lived here until their deaths.