William B. Slaughter (rancher)

William B. Slaughter (1852–1929) was an American rancher, cattle driver, banker and county judge. Born into a ranching family, he drove cattle and ranched in New Mexico before acquired a ranch in Sherman County, Texas. He founded local banks in Texas and New Mexico, and he was tried but acquitted on suspicion of faulty loans. He retired in San Antonio, Texas.

For the Virginia politician, see William B. Slaughter.
William B. Slaughter
Born
William Baxter Slaughter

1852
Freestone County, Texas, U.S.
DiedMarch 28, 1929
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Resting placePalo Pinto, Texas, U.S.
OccupationRancher, banker, county judge
Spouse(s)Anna McAdams
ChildrenConey C. Slaughter
Parent(s)George Webb Slaughter
Sarah Mason
RelativesChristopher Columbus Slaughter (brother)
John Bunyan Slaughter (brother)
Robert Lee Slaughter (nephew)

Early life

William Baxter Slaughter was born in 1852 in Freestone County, Texas.[1] His father, George Webb Slaughter, was a Baptist minister from Mississippi and early rancher in Texas.[1][2][3] His mother was Sarah Mason.[1] One of his brothers, C.C. Slaughter, became known as the "Cattle King of Texas."[3] Another brother, John Bunyan Slaughter, was also a large rancher.[3]

Slaughter grew up in Palo Pinto County, Texas.[4] During the American Civil War of 1861-1865, he helped his father provide beef from their ranch to the Tonkawa, a Native American tribe who were aligned with the Confederate States Army.[4]

Career

Slaughter went on a cattle drive to Jefferson, Texas with his brother C.C. in 1867.[4] Two years later, in 1869, he drove cattle on the Chisholm Trail with another brother, Peter.[4] The two men drove cattle all the way to Abilene, Kansas.[4] In 1870, he drove 1,600 head of cattle to Kansas City, Kansas.[4] On his way in Red Fork, Oklahoma, Slaughter and his retinue encountered members of the Osage Nation, but they quickly became friendly.[4]

In 1877, Slaughter invested in steers with his brother John.[4] The two brothers drove the cattle to Kansas, where they sold it annually.[4] Later, they moved to a ranch near McDonald Creek in Crosby County, Texas.[5] They sold it in 1883, and William moved to a ranch in Sierra County, New Mexico.[4] (Meanwhile, his brother John moved to a ranch in Socorro County, New Mexico.) However, they did not own the land and a shootout occurred between the Slaughters's cowboys and cowboys hired by Solomon Luna, another rancher, on October 30–31, 1884.[6] William was wounded in the fight.[6] When Luna sued the brothers, he won the lawsuit.[6] Meanwhile, William ranched in New Mexico and drove cattle to Nebraska and Wyoming annually until 1894.[4] He was associated with the American Valley Cattle Company of New Mexico in 1895.[7]

Meanwhile, in 1889, Slaughter began acquiring rangeland in Sherman County, Texas.[4] The town of Coldwater, which served as the county seat of Sherman County from 1889 to 1891, was on his ranch.[8] Later, they moved the county seat to Stratford, Texas, which was named after Stratford Hall, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's family plantation.

Slaughter lost his election run for Sherman County judge to Dudley H. Snyder (John Wesley Snyder's brother) in 1900.[4] When the latter died in 1901, Slaughter was appointed as judge.[4]

By 1905, Slaughter moved to Dalhart, Texas and opened a bank.[4] Later, he opened another bank in Texline, Texas.[4] In 1914, he co-founded the Bankers' Trust Company, a US$5-million bank, with his brother C.C.[4] Meanwhile, he served as the president of the Mercantile National Bank of Pueblo.[9] In 1916, he was sued by 30 customers over faulty loans.[9] Slaughter was acquitted,[10] but his brother C.C. acquired most of his cattle and ranches, and paid back his debtors.[4]

Personal life

Slaughter married Anna McAdams in 1877.[4] They had a son, Coney C. Slaughter, born in 1878.[4] Slaughter was a Baptist.[4] He invited Baptist preachers George Washington Truett and James Bruton Gambrell to speak to the cowboys on his ranches.[4]

Slaughter retired in Dallas, Texas, before moving to San Antonio, Texas, where he was an active member of the Trail Drivers' Association.[4]

Death

Slaughter died on March 28, 1929 in San Antonio, Texas.[4] He was buried in Pino Pinto, Texas.[4] His son was jailed for embezzlement at the Leavenworth Penitentiary until 1930,[11] and he committed suicide in 1932.[12]

References
  1. Clarke, Mary Whatley (1979). The Slaughter Ranches & Their Makers. Austin, Texas: Jenkins Publishing Company. p. 180. ISBN 9780836301632. OCLC 7095481.
  2. Taylor, Thomas Ulvan (1936). The Chisholm Trail and Other Routes. San Antonio, Texas: Naylor Co. p. 154. OCLC 2609719.
  3. Murrah, David J. (1981). C.C. Slaughter: Rancher, Banker, Baptist. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. p. xli. ISBN 9780292710672. OCLC 7273597.
  4. Anderson, H. Allen (June 15, 2010). "SLAUGHTER, WILLIAM BAXTER". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  5. Laine, Tanner (June 15, 2000). "U Lazy S Ranch left indelible mark on history of South Plains tackles massive chore". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  6. Sánchez, Joseph P.; Spude, Robert L.; Gómez, Art (2013). New Mexico: A History. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 159–160. ISBN 9780806151137. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  7. "Of Home Interest". The Socorro Chieftain. Socorro, New Mexico. August 9, 1895. p. 1. Retrieved January 3, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Anderson, H. Allen (June 12, 2010). "COLDWATER, TX (SHERMAN COUNTY)". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  9. "Witnesses Testify on Loans of Slaughter Bank". El Paso Herald. El Paso, Texas. April 15, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved December 31, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Slaughter Charges Not Sustained, Said Judge. Faulty Indictment Also Figured in Verdict of Not Guilty". The Houston Post. Houston, Texas. April 20, 1916. p. 14. Retrieved January 3, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Texas and Colorado Banker Released From Leavenworth After Serving His Full Time". Corsicana Daily Sun. Corsicana, Texas. March 14, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved January 3, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "An Embezzler Takes His Life. Coney C. Slaughter Convicted on Charge of Absconding $350,000 from Pueblo Bank". The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. Chillicothe, Missouri. March 19, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved January 4, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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