DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the one riding shotgun on the story. Bill Brunt was born in 1910 near Alto, Cherokee County, out on his family's farm off Sand Flat Road. And from those East Texas roots, this young man built himself a reputation — honest, hardworking, trustworthy — the kind of reputation that follows a man around and eventually lands him in the middle of something much bigger than a farm.
After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, served, and was honorably discharged. Then Southern Pacific hired him as a railroad detective down in Houston.
You'd think that was the track his life would stay on. But then Alto came calling. Concerned townspeople made him an offer: come be City Marshal.
The town had a problem. Illicit alcohol sales, gambling, other vices had taken root, and they needed someone they could trust to pull that weed. Bill Brunt took the job.
And he got to work. After successfully curbing many of those problems, he ran for Sheriff in 1936 and won — at the age of twenty-six. Now, there is one name you need to hold in your mind here.
Isaiah 'Red' Creel. A local bootlegger of some infamy. Creel had eluded Sheriff Brunt on multiple occasions.
Arrested several times — and every single time, no charges ever stuck. That's the kind of thing that wears on a lawman. Then came August 3rd, 1939.
Just after midnight, Brunt received a tip: Creel was headed from Kilgore with a load of alcohol. The pursuit was on. And then — Creel's car blew a tire, forcing him to abandon the chase near this very site.
As Sheriff Brunt approached Creel's Chevrolet Coupe, Creel fired a .45 caliber revolver and struck the Sheriff. Both men fired several times. They mortally wounded each other, and reportedly fell dead on either side of the road's center line.
Right there. Right at this spot. An estimated ten thousand people attended Bill Brunt's funeral.
His widow, Mary Dear Brunt, twenty-six years old, was appointed Sheriff in her late husband's place and served until 1940. She chose not to run for election. But Bill's brother, Frank Brunt, was elected and served as County Sheriff until 1954.
One road, one farm, one family — and a name in Cherokee County that did not go quietly.
What the marker says
Bill brunt (1910-1939) was born near Alto on his family's farm off Sand Flat Road in Cherokee County. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Upon honorable discharge, Brunt was hired by Southern Pacific as a railroad detective in Houston. Soon after, however, due to his reputation as an honest, hardworking, and trustworthy citizen, he accepted an offer by concerned townspeople in Alto to fill the post of City Marshal. The area had become host to illicit alcohol sales, gambling, and other vices. After successfully curbing many problems of the town, he ran for Sheriff in 1936 and won the election at the age of 26. One infamous local bootlegger, Isaiah "Red" Creel, had eluded Sheriff Brunt on multiple occasions. Although Creel had been arrested several times, no charges ever stuck. Brunt received a tip just after midnight on August 3, 1939, that Creel was headed from Kilgore with a load of alcohol. In the pursuit that followed, Creel's car blew a tire, forcing him to abandon the chase near this site. As Brunt approached Creel's Chevrolet Coupe, Creel fired a .45 caliber revolver, striking the Sheriff. Both men fired several times, mortally wounding each other and reportedly falling dead on either side of the road's center line. An estimated 10,000 people attended Brunt's funeral. His 26-year-old widow, Mary Dear Brunt, was appointed Sheriff in her late husband's place and served until 1940. She chose not to run for election, but Bill's brother, Frank Brunt, was elected and served as County Sheriff until 1954.