Sheriff Bill Brunt Murder Site

Bill Brunt, born in 1910 near Alto on his family’s farm off Sand Flat Road in Cherokee County, served in the U.S. Navy after high school and then worked as a railroad detective for Southern Pacific in Houston before returning to Alto to become City Marshal, a post he accepted because of his reputation as an honest, hardworking, and trustworthy citizen while the area was troubled by illicit alcohol sales, gambling, and other vices. After successfully curbing many of the town’s problems, he was elected Sheriff in 1936 at age 26. One local bootlegger, Isaiah “Red” Creel, had repeatedly eluded him, and although Creel had been arrested several times, no charges ever stuck. Just after midnight on August 3, 1939, Brunt received a tip that Creel was coming from Kilgore with a load of alcohol, and during the pursuit Creel’s car blew a tire, forcing him to stop near this site. As Brunt approached Creel’s Chevrolet Coupe, Creel fired a .45 caliber revolver and struck him. Both men then fired several times, mortally wounding each other and reportedly dying on opposite sides of the road’s center line. An estimated 10,000 people attended Brunt’s funeral, and his 26-year-old widow, Mary Dear Brunt, was appointed Sheriff in his place and served until 1940. She did not run for election, but Bill’s brother, Frank Brunt, was later elected and served as County Sheriff until 1954.

Texas · United States