Night Watchman John Wilson Slaughter

John Wilson Slaughter

At approximately 1:15 a.m., Night Watchman John W. Slaughter was making his regular rounds in the downtown area when he was shot and killed by an unknown person using a 12 gauge shotgun. Slaughter's body was found the next morning lying in Sully Street between City Hall and Parson's Produce. Tire marks by the body indicated that someone had sped off in a vehicle. A filling station had been broken into during the night and officers suspected Slaughter may have attempted to stop the burglar.

The citizens of Clarendon raised $2,000 as a reward for the capture and conviction of Slaughter's killer. Over two years later, in July 1929, John Scott of Wichita Falls gave a statement implicating S.P. Scroggins, aka: S.B. and O.B. Scroggins as the killer. Scroggins was charged with the murder. Scroggins was arrested and then released on bond and died of a heart attack or stroke in September 1929 before he could be tried on the murder charge.

Slaughter's wife, Bessie May Slaughter, preceded him in death. He was survived by two small children and other relatives. He is buried in Citizens Cemetery, Clarendon, Donley County, Texas.