Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-22
FORMER SCOUT
ON THE WARPATH
DECLARES MRS. BRADY Is HIS
PAID HOUSEKEEPER
Aged Man Puts a Different Version
on Charges of the Woman's Hus-
band and Says He viii
Prosec cute

Old John Belt, the negro ex-scout and
bloodhound keeper, is on the war path
owing to accusations made by Mrs,
Anna Threkeld through The Herald
yesterday morning to the effect that
Belt is keeping in a state of Sl;>very
the white wife of William Brady.
Belt admits that the woman is living
in his house near the pigeon farm, and
does not deny that she is the wife of
Brady, but he defends himself by the
assertion that Mrs. Brady has chosen
to work for him as housekeeper of her
free accord.
why, that gal is the daughter of one
of my men who served undah men
when : was scout in the Civil War.
When l seen her working like a bond
slave in negro wench's hut ovah on
New High street done seemed to
Recognize the gal and spoke to her.
Honey says /, 'Whut am yo' name, an
who am yo'?'
Soon as she told me remembahed
her fathah, and 1 just made up nah
mind that l done couldn't let her re-
main in that downtrodden condition, 50
jest told her to jump into nah buggy
and I'd take her TO nah place and give
her home
THE gal didn't tell me she was mar
ried at fust, but when l learned it
tried to persuade her to go back to her
old man. She refused, and took her
back mahself.
"a few days latah Brady brought his
wife back to me and told me to keep
her. And l did keep her, and I'm goin'
to keep her until someone shows me
can't"
Mrs. Brady was with the negro while
he was talking, and she gave ready
assent to all his statements.
"I have never lived SO well in my
life as l have since I've been living
here,'' she said. when l lived with
my old man never had clothes enough
to wear, nor enough to eat. Now l
have all that care for. John is good
to me, pays me for my work, and that's
more than can say for Will Brady
"Since have been with John he has
been here three times trying to get
the SIS per month which John pays
me for keeping his house. When l re-
fused to give him my money he threat
ened to shoot me and he was only pre-
vented from doing so by Johns inter-
ference.
II am treated with perfect respect
by Mr. Belt" she said, "and my re-
lations toward him are nothing more
than that of a houSekeeper. He took
pity on me when he saw me literally
driven from home by my husband and
because / was the daughter of one Of
MS Ola SCOUTS, ne lOOh Huo olluSl hio
roof to care for me.
81 have been sick nearly the entire
time have been here and he has spent
a great deal Of money in giving me
medical attention"
Belt said yesterday that he defed
the Humane society or Mrs. Threkeld
to do anything against him by legal
action.
II can produce evidence to show that
the little gal has been nothing more
to me than housekeepah,'' said he,
and / been payin' her $18 month reg
erly to look aftah things fo' me just
to give her a home.
'I'm goin' bring action against GER
tain folks, though. And I'm goin'
prosecute that good-for-nothin' hus-
band o. hern for threatening the life
o. his wife and for mother offense
which am still worse, and which his
own aged mothah will swear to-"
Belt has had an eventful life. He
served seven years in the West Indies
under the command Of the Canadian
army He also served during the Civil
war as scout with Sherman's army.
After the Civil war he became asso-
ciated with Allan Pinkerton, the fa-
nous detective, and was commissioned
to ferret out moonshiners in Tennes-
see and Virginia. His pack of blood
hounds which he used to trail the
moonshiners became the terror of the
two states and his name was a warn
ing to all law breakers In those days.
Belt claims that in his career as a
scout and criminal chaser he has been
shot down eleven times almost dying
on each occasion.
He now has a pack of the most
ferocious bloodhounds In the west,
and he is often engaged to join In
pursuit of fugitives from the law.
He is very proud of his distinction
as a, detective, although he is not a
regularly commissioned officer, He
displays In his home a document is
sued by some high-sounding school Of
detectives in indianapolis, constituting
him worthy disciple of their insti-
tuition and an authority on crmi-
nology