William B. Slaughter (rancher)
| William B. Slaughter | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Baxter Slaughter 1852 Freestone County, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | March 28, 1929 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Palo Pinto, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Rancher, banker, county judge |
| Spouse(s) | Anna McAdams |
| Children | Coney C. Slaughter |
| Parent(s) |
George Webb Slaughter Sarah Mason |
| Relatives |
Christopher Columbus Slaughter (brother) John Bunyan Slaughter (brother) Robert Lee Slaughter (nephew) |
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.
William Baxter Slaughter was born in 1852 in Freestone County, Texas. His father, George Webb Slaughter, was a Baptist minister from Mississippi and early rancher in Texas. His mother was Sarah Mason. One of his brothers, C.C. Slaughter, became known as the "Cattle King of Texas." Another brother, John Bunyan Slaughter, was also a large rancher.
Slaughter grew up in Palo Pinto County, Texas. 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.
Slaughter went on a cattle drive to Jefferson, Texas with his brother C.C. in 1867. Two years later, in 1869, he drove cattle on the Chisholm Trail with another brother, Peter. The two men drove cattle all the way to Abilene, Kansas. In 1870, he drove 1,600 head of cattle to Kansas City, Kansas. On his way in Red Fork, Oklahoma, Slaughter and his retinue encountered members of the Osage Nation, but they quickly became friendly.
In 1877, Slaughter invested in steers with his brother John. The two brothers drove the cattle to Kansas, where they sold it annually. Later, they moved to a ranch near McDonald Creek in Crosby County, Texas. They sold it in 1883, and William moved to a ranch in Sierra County, New Mexico. (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. William was wounded in the fight. When Luna sued the brothers, he won the lawsuit. Meanwhile, William ranched in New Mexico and drove cattle to Nebraska and Wyoming annually until 1894. He was associated with the American Valley Cattle Company of New Mexico in 1895.
...
Wikipedia