Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 518 of 1,110

                                
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

leans, a daughter of Charles and Winnie
(Scott ) Gallagher, well known and highly esteemed
residents of the Crescent City.  Her
mother was a daughter of Matthew T. Scott,
who was for many years the able president of
the Northern Bank, of Lexington, Kentucky.
Colonel and Mrs. Hunt have had two children:
Winnie, deceased in infancy, and G.
Drummond, a youth of great promise.
Both parents are members of the Church,
to which they render much valued assistance.
Colonel Hunt is an Episcopalian and Mrs.
Hunt a Presbyterian.
The Colonel is Past Commander of the
Rosseau Post, G. A. R., at Graham, Texas,
and is a member of the Knights of Pythias.
He cast his first vote for Bell and Everett,
in 1860. Under president Lincoln he was
appointed Major of the Fourth Kentucky Infantry,
and the Colonel las served in some
Government position under every succeeding
president. This was in part owing to the influence
of Senator Beck, of Kentucky, who was
formerly overseer of the large estate of Colonel
Hunt's father, and who, after attaining to
his high position, gave the subject of our
sketch the benefit of an enduring friendship.
The Colonel was the first to suggest to the
Government the idea of settling the Indians
on land in severalty, in its present form.
This will be seen by his report of August 31,
1885, to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs,
at Washington, which was published and laid
before Congress that fall. Senator Dawes,
Chairman of the Indian Senatorial Committee,
acknowledged to Senator Beck, the Colonel's
friend, that the Colonel's report contained
much merit, and he, two years later,
embodied those suggestions in the "' Dawes
Bill," which advocated, among other things,
the settlement of Indians on land in severalty,
and the purchase of surplus lands by the Government
for white settlers.  In this way
white people began settling up the Indian
Territory in a legal and satisfactory manner.
Another material service which he rendered:to
the Government was in 1875, when
he was "Supervisor of Internal Revenue."
As it has long since been a matter of history,
there is no hesitation in mentioning the fact,
as it is found in the report to the House of
Representatives of the Forty-fourth Congress,
which report was drawn up by a committee,
consisting of R. L. Gibson, Jo. C. S. Blackburn;
A. E. Stevenson (now Democratic
candidate for Vice-President, who stands deservedly
high in the Colonel's estimation, on
account of his probity and many sterling
qualities of mind and heart); 0. D. Conger;
C. B. Darall and others.
On receiving his appointment Colonel
Hunt was approached and offered a very
tempting bribe by the distillers of New Orleans,
to let them  have their own way in
evading the law. He, however, on his trip
to Washington for instructions, asked and
secured permission, carte blanche, from President
Grant and Secretary Bristow, to do as
his judgment dictated in enforcing the law
and bringing the guilty parties to justice,
the result of which was that, in thirteen days
he, with his picked men, took charge of and
closed all the distilleries in that locality. This
occurred at the same time that the Government
made a raid on the distilleries in St.
Louis. Since then no attempt has been made
to manufacture whisky in New Orleans, for
the reason that, owing to the climate, it
could not be manufactured profitably, without
stealing about one half of it.
Colonel Hunt was one of the four who had
the honor of being in the entire confidence
of General Bristow in that gentlemans fight
against the great whisky ring, which ring