St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-28
HEIRS OF COL. THOS. W. HUNT,
THEIR ATTORNEY SAYS THAT
THERE WILL BE A DETER
MINED FIGHT, AND
THAT THE MONEY MUST BE pam
Regulations of Those Ipterestaa
have Been RuthIessly AssaiIed
Some Startling Facts.

mcst notable law suits ever tried in the
west. Col Hunt died suddenly Sept.
80 last, at 1O61 Hague avenue, the resi-
deEce of his son, Thomas A. Hunt In
this city. The colonel had been once
very wealthy. For some time previous
TO his death, however, although still re-
'aihihg possession of large amount
OF mortgaged property, he had been en-
Pioyeu as an agent for publishing
ccihpahy on moderate salary. His
headquafters were in st. Louis. In that
city MS social position was of the best
he mad been colonel in the Confed-
crate army and belonged to an excellent
southern family. He became acuuaint-
ed several years ago with Mrs. Adah
wilson McCue, widow of Don II. McCue
or st. Louis. Mrs sMcCue was a poetess
Oh rather more than local reputation
ana moved in the best of st. Louis So
clety. Col. Hunt is said to have bor
rowed large amount of money of Mrs.
McCue IN order to retain his title to his
embarrassed properties. But a short
ume pefore his death the colonel in
sured his life for almost $4,000. More
than half of the entire insurance he
carried was in favor of his wife and
children. The balance was made paya-
BILE to Mrs. McCue in order to rejn,-
purse her for money loaned the insured
Col. Hunt died when on visit TO his
son. The circumstances of his death
eAclted some suspicion Of suicide. which
was allayed by the official autopsy con-
Quoted by Deputy Coroner MacNamara
Inc coroner found that death had been
caused by enlargement of the heart
Soon after the colonels Death rumors
We're printed in st. Louis newspapers
lntlmatlng that he had perished by his
own hands, and questioning the nature
VI MS business relations with Mrs Nc
cue. The reports have reappeared at
frequent intervals. To ascertain the
exact truth of the affair G. OBJ e re-
porter called yesterday upon Thomas
Il fauntleroy, who is attorney for Col.
Hunts heirs. Mr.. Fauntleroy had on
several previous occasions refused To
make any statement for publication. but
yesterday he said that Col. Hunt had
the following insurance at the time of
his death:
TWO policies in the Aetna Life Assurance
company OF Hartford for Sc, 900 each
One policy in the Merchants Life Insurance
Company of the United States of st. Louis
for $1,000
One policy in the Bankers Life Association
OF Des Moines for $1,000.
Two policies in the Aetna Life Assurances
company for $1,000 each.
Three policies In the Bankers Life Assocdo.
ton OF st. Paul for 81, 900 each
-Four policies in the National Life Associa-
ton of Hartford for $1,000 each
Two policies in the Mutual Life Insurance
Company OF New York for $1,000 each
Would you be willing" asked the re-
porter, ito tell the G o b what you
know about this insurance."
Yes" REPLIED Mr. Eaupflerox- Hto
some extent l am willing to- AS the
companies, except the Bankers Life
Association of st. Paul, Mimi, which
already has paid it's three policies,
amounting to $4,000, promptly, and
without any trouble or disposition to
put the heirs of Col. Hunt to any
trouble-all of the other companies, L
understand, have organized together
for the purpose of
RESISTING THIS INSURANCE,
and are doing, and have done, every
thing which human ingenuity could de-
wise, to resist the payment of the poll
cies, and to prevent the family and Mrs.
McCue from collecting the same, and
as the papers have attacked the char
acter of all parties with hideous SLAM
ders. 1t may be proper for me to
speak"
What do you mean by this?"
We'll, L will tell you exactly what
mean by it. Col Hunt died on the
last day of September, 1895. He was
very large and heavy man, and was
found dead in his bed on the night of
the 3Oth of September last. He carried
at that time $4,000 of insurance in the
various companies mentioned, and,
most all of it, had been taken out be-
fore his death but a short while. AS
soon as he died, his family placed the
administration of his estate in my
hands, and with it came these policies.
Immediately the next morning after
his death, 1 wired to each one of the
companies, and notified them of his
death, and on the same day wrote let
ters to each company notifying them
of the facts relating to his death. We
waited, and heard nothing from them,
and after three or four days his body
was taken to the crematory at Detroit,
Mich, as requested, and cremated.
Owing to some sensational newspa-
per articles, and for the purpose of saw
ing any possible questions as to wheth-
er his death was one of suicide or not,
we had the viscera and brain removed
by DR.. MacNamara, the assistant cor
oner, and had both subjected to the
most extreme tests that science knew
of, to see if there was any trace of
poison, or exceptional circumstances
cAlStlIS, III TeldllOI 10 MS QedIU. All
the tests, which were the most minute
and exaeting which science could en-
ploy, showed that his death was an
honest one, and that there was no
trace of poison.
"Some six weeks after his death, a
Mr.. Merrill, one of the adjusters for
one of the companies interested,
appeared upon the scene, and stated
that he was here on behalf of the COM
panies interested in the insurance to
make an examination. /, at once, laid
before him all the facts which were
in my possession, and told him that
all the yiscera and brain of Col Hunt
which were not used in the experiment.
al examinations, which were made by
and under the direction of the coroner,
were in Jars in DIR. MacNamara's Of
flee. 1 also told him that 1 would be
willing to let them take the viscera
and brain at the proper time, and have
any examination made, which they de-
sired, provided, of course. that the
heirs had representative present at tho
examination. He assured me that 1t
was perfectly satisfactory. and that he
might wish to avail himself Of the Of