The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1911-09-16
Dr. Hunter Was One of the Pioneers at the Business
Removed to Morgan's Point in 1922


Mr. Hunter said that later this
church was demolished and many of
the older houses have chimneys and
foundation pillars composed of the
bricks from this church.
Dr. Hunters friendship with the
Indians continued He had quit trad
ing, but they often visited his home
and camped on what was known as
the camp ground north of his
house He often ministered to their
wants and helped relieve their Ill.
nesses, and by these actions won
from them a friendship that contln-
ued throughout his life. General Sam
Houston, then rising to his ascendant
cy. often visited the Hunter home,
and during the Texas war of inde-
pendence the Hunter ranch was
mecca for Texans and MeXlcans
alike. Both armies pillaged his
stores and killed his stock, there. be-
ing about 4A0 beeves, several hun
dred hogs and many bushels OF corn
taken during the war. His home was
not destroyed by the Mexicans, as II
was then the finest in that section,
and the Mexican officers coveted II
| for their own.
DR.. Hunter was dyed in the wool
| patriot and an instance of this is CT
| ted in the events that followed the
war. When the new Texas repuDhc
! passed an act to reimburse all those
| who had suffered from pillaging by
| both Mexican and Texan army should
| be reimbursed he placed Dill Tor
1 $4,000 and later received an order
| for the amount A neighbor, who had
not lost one-fourth the amount Dr.
| Hunter had, put in bill for $20,-
| 600. When DR.. Hunter heard OF IT
he said, Damn patriot VINO tries
to rob his country" and placed the
| order for the $4,000 in the fireplace
| In those days the prairies swarm
ed with deer and many kinds VI
| game, Mr.. Hunter stating that ms
| father had often told him of the
| ducks. turkeys and prairie chickens
| that were everywhere to be found
and the quantities of game in the
woods and pastures, Bear were
| especially numerous. Mr.. Thomas
| Hunters father used to set up dead
| fall-an old blunderbus in a fence
corper-and one and sometimes f"o
+! bears were killed each week.
Cattle brought a low premium
Most of the cattle sold for about "
cents a pound and was used mostly
for making tallow candles rms
cent and one-half meant the dressed
animal after the refuse, hides, hoofs'
head and many bones had been
thrown away, so that good slzed
beef only brought 81 or 50 eachs
Tallow candles were used in those
DAYS and it meant many beeyes to
supply the tallow and much beeswax
for hardening. In the latter the
Indians carried on good trade.
| while the cattle raisers supplied the
beeves A whole beef would be put
into a big pot and boiled down for
the tallow in the flesh, After 1t
was thoroughly rendered the meat
was cast aside for the hogs or buz-
za-ds Millions OF pounds of good
beef were wasted in this manner.
| All DeeNeS brought 10 MAJ NET,
whether for eating or tallow pur-
poses, were fat and sleek. The tai
low makers would not accept lean
! beef for there was no tallow in its
, carcass, so all had to be plump.
A number of children were oorn to
! Dr. Hunter and wife. William Hun
ter, the father of Thomas Hunter,
was born 1880, and Thaddeus Hun
ter. an uncle to Thomas Hunter, was
born in 1923. Thomas Hunter
I states that his uncle was the first
/ white child born in Texas.
Or. Hunter died in 1858, and the
war few years later r." ght as
much havoc with the HUI 'eH man
| sion as the majority of such estates
/ in the South The house and barn
4 were destroyed and the family and
stock scattered The Hunters are
! one Of the oldest representative fam
! lilies in Texas and the offspring OF
I the three head of cattle with which
! DR.. Hunter started into the cattle
/ business are now scattered far and
| wide over the state.-Houston Post