Texas John Slaughter
He stood at 5’-2” with dark eyes, and had a bad
stutter. Always seen on his person was a
pearl-handled .44 and a 10-gauge, double-barreled, sawed-off shotgun. He was born John Horton Slaughter on October
2, 1841. Slaughter was “an American lawman, Civil War soldier, and
gambler. Over the course of his long life, John Slaughter served as an honorable
soldier and lawmen throughout much of the Southwest. He fought in many
skirmishes against all sorts of enemies, including Union soldiers, hostile natives, and Mexican and American outlaws.”
He served in the military as a Confederate soldier in the
American Civil War. After his service,
he was affiliated with the Texas Rangers until 1874 when he started a cattle
business with his brother. He married
Eliza Harris on August 4, 1871, and together they had four children. Sadly, only two of his kids would only see
their adulthood. The other two died at
young ages. After Eliza died of smallpox
in 1877 in Tucson, he married for the second time, two years later to an
eighteen year old woman named Viola.
They never had biological children, but adopt a quite a few. His regular gambling games became a problem
and were a strain on the marriage. Viola
became angry and he was in jeopardy of losing her. Slaughter’s final years were spent at the San
Bernardino Ranch in southern Arizona.
This historic site is kept well-preserved.
The Slaughter House in Tombstone.
Interesting history. Gotta love Texas!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I didn't know about him until I went to Tombstone.
DeleteWhat a character! I got a kick out of that "TOUGHNUT" sign outside his house. :) Sounds accurate!
ReplyDelete