The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-04-17
Hon. William IL. Hunt.

Inc announcement by tne 81, AlOaDS
Messenger, on Tuesday of last week,
that Hon. w. H. Hunt was very seri-
ously i'll was the fret intimation the
greater body of his friends and ac-
quaintances had received that he. had
not for some weeks been engaged in
his accustomed activities. The sorrow
that the intelligence would naturally
cause was deepened to sadness by the
tidings that his malady was fatal one,
and that the end of life was near. On
Wednesday, though prepared for the
worst, the news of his death was re-
ceived with shock of pain.
Mr.. Hunt first became known to the
general public as a member of the legis-
lature, representing ST, Adams in the
general assembly of 1892. He was one
of the bright men of that body, not
given to much speech making, but ex-
hibiting practical business ability and
showing a quick, comprehensive grasp
and sound common sense in respect
of the public measures demanding his
consideration as a law-maker. When
he addressed the house he spoke briefly,
to the point, and his reasons were laden
with conviction. To the declarations
of the orators advocating the enactment
of the weekly-payment bill, then before
the legislature, he opposed the simple,
unadorned, pungent phrases of bust
ness man, convinced of the unwsdom
of the measure and the absence of any
adequate reason for such law in Yer
mont. His few clear-cut sentences,
going to the pith and marrow of the
subject, outweighed the sea of talk in
favor of the bill, aud it was defeated.
He was a senator from Franklin county
in the present legislature, and sus-
tanned in the upper branch of the gen.
eral as sembly the reputation he had
established in the house. Governor
Fuller had made him one of the trus-
tees of the state insane asylum. There
he displayed his business judgment
and training. He believed it was time
to cease tampering with the question of
the completion of the buildings for the
institution, and the bill for an appropri-
alton large enough to finish the asylum
in accordance with the original plans
found in him an advocate able to grasp
and enforce the reasons, both on eco
nomic and humane grounds, why it
should become law.
Mr.. Hunt was paymaster of the Gen.
trail Vermont railway, succeeding his
father in that office. He had held and
filed with efficiency various municipal
offices, and when, some years ago, the
Messenger company was reorganized,
he was made its business manager.
Mr. Hunts was a pleasing personality.
He was frank and courteous, with the
frankness and courtesy of sympa-
thetic, manly, honest nature. 1t was a
pleasure to know him. He has passed
away before his life had reached its
noon, but his bright record is a satisfy
ing prophecy of what the full fruition
of his life and powers would have
been. We account his untimely death
loss to the state.
The governor and many high state
officials, members of the legislature
and prominent personages from all
parts of the state, showed in their
presence by his bier their love and re-
spect for the dead. Floral emblems
were profuse, telling in fragrant SYM
bols of an interesting life ended in mid
career. There was nothing perfunctory
in these demonstrations of grief. They
expressed "the deep tribute, the hon.
age of mans heart" to the silent
sleener