Roll of Honor
Incident
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.
Survivors
He was survived by two small children and other relatives.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-TX-ABA02367- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Night Watchman Slaughter served with the Clarendon Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Clarendon community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Night Watchman Slaughter.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Night Watchman John Wilson Slaughter is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Wilson Slaughter's cause is highlighted.
How John Wilson Slaughter Compares
Offender Outcome
Died before trial
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Wilson Slaughter is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Wilson Slaughter was killed by shotgun.