Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. But we pass briefly over his youth, giving merely a running sketch, his after life being of most import to the reader. Suflice it to say that young Belt was ever skipping from trouble, first to Kentucky and then back to Illinois. A depredation would be committed in Egypt, whereupon he would flee to the Dark and Bloody Grounds to escape punishment by the strong arm of the law. Ere long, however, he would commit some deed in violation of the laws of Kentucky and another skip from justice would follow. In youth he depended altogether upon time to rust the wheels of justice in mature manhood he relied solely in scaring off and killing off important witnesses. Those that could not be frightened into fleeing the country were killed, and thus the ends of justice defeated.

But we pass briefly over his youth, giving merely a running sketch, his after life being of most import to the reader. Suflice it to say that young Belt was ever skipping from trouble, first to Kentucky and then back to Illinois. A depredation would be committed in Egypt, whereupon he would flee to the Dark and Bloody Grounds to escape punishment by the strong arm of the law. Ere long, however, he would commit some deed in violation of the laws of Kentucky and another skip from justice would follow. In youth he depended altogether upon time to rust the wheels of justice in mature manhood he relied solely in scaring off and killing off important witnesses. Those that could not be frightened into fleeing the country were killed, and thus the ends of justice defeated.