Derrick Slaughter was born in Canton, Ohio in 1858. The son of Clyde and Bertha Slaughter, the family business was a mortuary. Father Clyde was a mortician or the term more commonly used back then an Undertaker. As Derrick grew to be a young man, his father trained him with the expectation that his son would follow in his father's footsteps and himself one day become an Undertaker. Derrick was his own man and a big man he was too. He grew to be six foot six and as muscular as he was handsome. Derricks mother died when he was just a young teen.

When Derrick was in his teen years, he would read the dime novels about gunfighters and lawmen and he took an interest in becoming something of a quick draw expert. He practiced and practiced and he became quite proficient with a handgun. Often men would challenge him in a face-to face gun duel which he never lost. He soon gained a reputation for being a quick draw gunfighter.

With his reputation and his extraordinary good looks, he became a favorite with women as well. Mostly the women in the many saloons and gambling halls as he continued to develop his skill playing poker. Before long he was earning a lot of money and he became quite a ladies' man. He traveled extensively to bigger towns as he moved west. Deadwood, Virginia City, Denver, Stockton, he made the rounds and loved the women wherever he went and they loved him.

He didn't like the nickname Undertaker that he had been given by some. It reminded him of his past and his father's meager income, while working so hard preparing the deceased for a decent burial. He wanted no part of that life; so, he had separated himself from it leaving Canton, Ohio. He loved gambling, drinking, and traveling and especially women, not necessarily in that order.