| Show I I Life Story of Omer Orner Woods Revealed I s HI Courted Myretta Myrett in Sunny Tennessee T e esse M a Personality Fails to Suggest Crime I Attractive Southerner Calm in Face of Murder Accusation Unemotional in Declaration That He Is Innocent of Brutal Killing in Apartment J By Selma Miller not G GUILTY or 01 guilty guilt 7 From ra Tennessee to Utah these words word are being heing rolled in m in the Woods Woods' V case Not guilty shout back U the e hills of Tennessee Tennee ee while from the environs environs of th the Beehive state arises rises the mutterings f for r p proof I to the contrary I An AlL all desire to KNOW possessed me as I I f faced ced I n umer Orner K R. R Woods Saturday at the county jail where he is is being I held for the brutal murder of his wife Woods is a ail an enigma Police investigations point the fi finger ger gerof of suspicion directly at him Jut but Jutas as I tall talked d with with with him him I found myself n self wondering wondering wondering won won- dering about the lack of emotion and stoicism of ot the man His Ills frame of mind is just jUt opposite the frame of mind usually attributed to a mur mur- derer I lOr am not guilty Woods asserted I in as matter fact tone as though he were answering the most trivial question question ques ques- I tion in Jn the world I I am not guilty and I intend to fight and prove that I am not he I said calmly and deliberately Just before I obtained m my Interview with Woods he conferred with his at atI attorney attorney at- at I torney torne Thomas Ramage who Instructed Instruct instruct- ed him to talk on any subject that had I no bearing on the case CAUTIONED BY ATTORNEY I Dont ask him anything about his divorce because he cant can't answer Mr Ramage said to me And with these instructions Woods I settled himself comfortably on a bench benchIn In the jail office and answered my i questions with as little feeling and andI I I concern as though he had been answering answering answering an an- a medical questionnaire or something of like nature The story that Woods unfolded about his early boyhood and manhood could easily have been the biography of any man one rubs elbows with ever every day And the surprising thing Is that his own family and his friends believe him Innocent despite the ghastliness p pf the thing p pf w which heis he is is accused I Even the three brothers and father of th the murdered wom woman n believe belleve him innocent and say they will stand behind behind be be- hind bind him to the last Woods told me that he had received a telegram to this effect from Knoxville Knoxville Knox- Knox ville yule Tenn where the murdered woman's womans womans woman's womans woman's wom wom- ans an's family lives just two days ago Then there mother is his year old in Tennessee who also believes her herson herson herson son Innocent as well as six brothers and one sister all of whom have telegraphed telegraphed telegraphed tele tele- graphed their belief bellef In him BORN ON TENNESSEE FARM one Forty-one years ago Omer R R. Woods was born on a farm In Knox county Tennessee His father was a commissioner commissioner com corn missioner of district No 20 Knox county and also a Justice justic of the peace I Y When hen Omer Orner Woods with battered straw hat on his head his breeches rolled above his knees went 1 fishing for minners In the ll littlecreek little tle creek with for bait and a worm a crooked pin little did he dream that some day thousands of miles mUes from hs h's I sunny Tennessee would there be such an ominous dark cloud hanging over I him threatening to blot out his ex ex- That same carefree unconcerned unconcerned unconcerned spirit of his boyhood pervaded the recital of his story to me inc I Upon completing his public school education Woods attended the Amen Amerl- I can Temperance university at Harriman Harri- Harri i I man Tenn a arian rian college All the roseate dreams of future accomplishment accomplishment ac- ac 1 were his His boyish I j ambitions to become a great lawyer land I and orator spurred him on to greater I I I application with the result that he heI hewon hewon I won a medal for oratory from the BIdwell Society of Oratory Oraton He lie was a member of several literary literary literary liter liter- ary clubs often being called upon to speak and a debater of great merit ENTER MYRETTA WOOD And amid that blaze of popularity came Myretta Wood the murdered wife from Knoxville Woods and she attended dances and old-fashioned old I husking bees and parties of all kinds together They hunted nuts together on Sunday and from cool sequestered I Tennessee dells delis brought arms of moss and sprays of fragrant honeysuckle and sweet blooms I After fur four or five years of Co Continued on p page ge 12 I I LIFE STORY Continued from page 1 I Woods the popular young orator and debater debater- and she the retty pretty pretty pret ret I ty artist artist girl were wed I IThen Then Tee Lee came to fill their cup I of happiness to overflowing When Tee Lee was just a wee little girl Woods Woods' candle of ambition flam flamed d bright and he decided to go to Knoxville Knoxville Knox- Knox ville yule to take the course in law lav of which he had been dreaming so lon Ion long I This he did graduating from a three- three I year ear course in 1907 I IFor For three or four years Woods Wood practiced law Jaw aw In Knoxville Then h e I II moved with his family to Boise Ida where he says he became prosecuting attorney of Boise county for two years year and was also a probate Judge for two years prior to entering the internal revenue service in which he was employed employed em em- until the Woods tragedy oc occurred occurred occurred oc- oc here MEMORY HAZY Woods' Woods memory was a bit hazy on 01 some things and he be weighed each I 1 asked him great de deliberation deliberation deliberation de- de liberation before answering I asked him what Tee Lee would do whether she would remain with him or return to T Tennessee with the body o of her mother I 1 do not know that depends upon what my y attorney advises he answered an- an Have you thought or planned in fn I any way for the future if you come clear of these charges I 1 asked Woods and he answered I do not care to discuss that I do doI donot donot I not think my attorney would wish me to Woods was collarless and his shirt was ojen oen at the neck The suit he wore was dark and but despite despite de tie- spite this it revealed a goo physique Both eyes are very black His left eye is bloodshot fiery red I was surprised surprised sur sur- to find his features so regular and ore one is led to believe that If the I bruises were removed from his eyes and he was well dressed and well I he would be an attractive man In view of the horribleness of the murder I like others expected to confront a veritable monster in the f feh eth And again I noticed his calm de deI demeanor tie tie- I meanor and spirit of self-assurance self as asha ashe ashe he ha answered my questions and again was in my mind I Guilty or not guilty One wonders |
