The Life Of David Belden

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Born in Connecticut in 1832, Belden went to California in 1853. He served on the Nevada County Court from 1857 to 1861, in the State Senate from 1865 to 1868, and on the District and Superior Courts of Santa Clara County from 1871 until just before his death in 1888.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This volume is the most comprehensive bibliography of purely biographical material written by Americans. It covers every possible field of life but, by design, excludes autobiographies, diaries, and journals.

Early outlaws tell their own raw tales of holdups, shootouts, and desperate flights from the law. Witness the cruel confessions of California bandits during the opening days of the Gold Rush, stage robbers, and California highwaymen. These tales of harrowing and sometimes hilarious antics are accompanied by many rare photographs.

Authoritative guide to everything in print about lawmen and the lawless—from Billy the Kid to the painted ladies of frontier cow towns. Nearly 2,500 entries, taken from newspapers, court records, and more.

Guilty or innocent? Historians have devoted much time and effort investigating whether or not Henry Plummer, the sheriff of Bannack, Montana, actually committed the crimes for which he was hanged by vigilantes on a bitter, cold January night in 1864. The question of his innocence has plagued Western historians for fifteen decades. In May of 1993, a posthumous trial was held in Virginia City, Montana, where a Madison County jury consisting of twelve registered voters split the verdict6-6. The judge declared a mistrial and had Sheriff Plummer been alive, she would have told him, You are free to go. Henrys life tells the tale of a lawless West and epitomizes many a mans experience in these untamed, violent mining towns of the 1800s where shootouts and duals rule and life is sometimes worth only a handful of gold or the dispute over a lady, proper or fallen. Henry, a well-educated and handsome man, delicate and consumptive, soft-spoken and refined, appears dedicated to the law and yet, is also capable of instantly shooting a man dead. Trouble follows him everywhere. By the time Henry Plummer becomes sheriff in Bannack in 1863, he has killed five men in self-defense and has loved and lost three women. Henrys time spent at the faro tables pans out better than his time spent as a miner or as a lover. The hunger for gold dust brings every manner of men from all corners of the country and beyond to enjoy the easy reaping, and with them come more robberies and murders. Rumors and suspicion become rampant, leaving no one untouched, including Henry Plummer, a man swept along by the tides of his time.