Belden Oliver Whitted was a middleweight pugilist in Florida, Michigan and Oregon during the 1920s and 30s, fighting under the name of Freddie Walker. In 1931, he was sentenced to three years at the Florida State Prison Farm in Raiford (now Union Correctional Institution) for his role in a cigarette theft. He escaped in 1932, and was eventually pardoned. He served in the United States Navy during World War II as a Seaman 1/c.
Belden was born on December 9, 1905, in Oneco, Florida, to Allen Whitted and Annie Viola Whitted née Walker. In 1910 he was residing in precinct 16 of Manatee County. His father died in 1919, when Belden was 13 years old. In 1920, he was residing at Saw Grass Valley in Oneco, Florida.
He married his first wife, Olive Fern Barnes, on December 19, 1924, in Tampa, Florida. He had a son out-of-wedlock who was the child of Estella Johnny Capo; the child, Virgil Edward Mora, was born in January 1925. Belden took a position with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office around 1925, and was one of the first motorcycle officers in Sarasota. Belden and Olive's first child, Dorothy Evelyn Whitted, was born in October 1925.
In April 1926, Belden was discharged from his position as a county traffic officer after a complaint was made that he had used profane language on a public highway (which was a crime at the time). The county commission requested Belden to return to his position a month later in May 1926, after county commission chairman George Prime stated that "Whitted was the best man that could be obtained for the work", and that he believed the one month suspension to be a sufficient punishment. Belden was, however, charged criminally with the use of profanity on a public highway in the Sarasota County Court. Belden and Olive's second child, Belda Fay Whitted, was born in October 1926.
Belden was a local pugilist, and fought throughout the Tampa Bay area and in Michigan, under the name of Freddie Walker. He fought Bobby White in Venice on October 13, 1927. In September 1927, criminal desertion and non-support charges were filed against Belden in the Hillsborough County Court. Belden and Olive divorced in February 1928.
He married his second wife, Margaret Addie Wilkins, on May 29, 1929, in Lucas County, Ohio. On April 19, 1930, he was working as a metal finisher for General Motors and was living at Holt, Michigan, with his wife and their first child, Belden Omer Whitted, who was born in January 1930. By August, he had returned to Sarasota.
He fought Enrique Ponce de Leon, a one-eyed Cuban welterweight, at the Tampa Cuban Club on August 4, 1930, a fight which ended in a draw. He was arrested in early August 1930 after failing to pay attorney fees owed to J. Douglas Arnest from his divorce suit with Olive. He was released three weeks later after promising to pay the $100 due. He fought Harry Clare on November 25, 1930 in Bradenton. He fought Sam Crosby at the old Sarasota theater on December 15, 1930.
On the evening of January 26, 1931, Belden, along with brother Floyd and brother-in-law Archie Foy, was arrested in Tampa on the charge of stealing $1,088 worth of cigarettes from the warehouse of Southern Grocery Company, which was located right across the street from the Sarasota police headquarters. Belden and Floyd's older brother, policeman Walter Whitted, while making his rounds that evening, saw them outside a nearby hardware store. Walter chased his brothers and brother-in-law on foot while they drove their Hudson sedan in the direction of Tampa. Sarasota County Sheriff W. A. Keen notified officials in Hillsborough County. The same night, $100 in cigarettes were stolen from the Roth Wholesale Store. A mechanic witnessed three men pull the job.
Hillsborough County Sheriff R. T. Joughin and Constable Fred Newberger arrested Belden, Floyd and Archie in Tampa after they purchased a used car using $350 in cash which they had obtained from the sale of the stolen cigarettes. The trio was returned to Sarasota with Sheriff Keen on January 29, 1931. The following day, another brother, Clyde, was also being held for questioning in the theft. A newspaper article on January 30, 1931, depicted the brothers refusing to allow police to take their fingerprints and making jokes about the inferiority of Sarasota jails as they faced charges. Chief Deputy Sheriff Ed Garner picked up the keys to the cell and summoned Belden. Belden started downstairs ahead of the chief with, "So long, chief", as though he intended to go home. Floyd was quoted as saying "Why, I had this much room by myself in Tampa", referring to the cell filled with prisoners. Trial on the case began in the Circuit Court on July 28, 1931, against Belden, Clyde and Archie. The charges against Floyd were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Belden and Clyde were acquitted of all charges, but Archie Foy was sentenced to serve 15 years in the Florida State Prison.
In August 1931, Belden and two others robbed the Golden Brothers Warehouse in Thomasville, Georgia, of several hundred dollars' worth of cigarettes. The same month they robbed the Pittman Cigar Store in Palm Beach County, stealing $2,000 worth of cigarettes. Belden, along with Herbert Gilette, Emmet Mathews, and Troy Hargrove had attempted to sell the cigarettes in Miami, representing them to be "bankrupt stock". Miami police recovered about half of the stolen cigarettes.
On October 9, 1931, Belden was convicted by the Criminal Court of Record of Palm Beach County on the charge of breaking and entering, and was sentenced to serve 3 years in the Florida State Prison. Belden was taken from Palm Beach County to the Florida State Prison at Raiford (now called Union Correctional Institution) on October 14, 1931. In 1931 alone, Belden and his accomplices are estimated to have stolen in excess of 4,500 cartons of cigarettes (45,000 packs).
In March 1932, Belden and one of the other cigarette thieves, Emmet Mathews, escaped from the State Prison Farm (now Union Correctional Instutiton) at Raiford. After his escape, Belden traveled to Oregon, where he fought in matches on the Pacific coast. Belden surrendered in May 1933, to serve the remainder of his sentence. Governor David Sholtz granted Belden a conditional pardon and he was released from Florida State Prison on December 17, 1933. He was later granted a full pardon on December 4, 1940.
After his release he returned to Michigan, where he and Margaret had their second child, Allen Oliver Whitted, born in October 1935. However, the marriage ended in divorce on March 25, 1937. Two days following his divorce, Belden remarried to his third wife, Vivian June Gephart, in Steuben County, Indiana. On April 9, 1940, Belden and Vivian were residing on Walnut Street in Elizabeth City, New Jersey, and Belden was working as a foreman at an automobile assembly plant. By 1942, Belden had returned to Sarasota.
Belden enlisted to serve in the United States Navy on September 23, 1942. He was medically discharged in December of that year due to a perforation of the ear drum. By 1945, he and Vivian were living at Fort Myers Beach. He again returned to Sarasota and took a position as Superintendent of the City Garbage and Trash Department. In 1950, he established the Sarasota Asphalt Paving Company. He also taught golf lessons.
In his later years, he and Vivian owned a mobile home park called Whitted Estates in Chiefland, Florida. Belden died on August 18, 1993, at Trenton, Florida, survived by his wife Vivian, five children, 11 grandchildren, and many great and great-great grandchildren.
--- Robert T. Koehler, 2019
Belden was born on December 9, 1905, in Oneco, Florida, to Allen Whitted and Annie Viola Whitted née Walker. In 1910 he was residing in precinct 16 of Manatee County. His father died in 1919, when Belden was 13 years old. In 1920, he was residing at Saw Grass Valley in Oneco, Florida.
He married his first wife, Olive Fern Barnes, on December 19, 1924, in Tampa, Florida. He had a son out-of-wedlock who was the child of Estella Johnny Capo; the child, Virgil Edward Mora, was born in January 1925. Belden took a position with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office around 1925, and was one of the first motorcycle officers in Sarasota. Belden and Olive's first child, Dorothy Evelyn Whitted, was born in October 1925.
In April 1926, Belden was discharged from his position as a county traffic officer after a complaint was made that he had used profane language on a public highway (which was a crime at the time). The county commission requested Belden to return to his position a month later in May 1926, after county commission chairman George Prime stated that "Whitted was the best man that could be obtained for the work", and that he believed the one month suspension to be a sufficient punishment. Belden was, however, charged criminally with the use of profanity on a public highway in the Sarasota County Court. Belden and Olive's second child, Belda Fay Whitted, was born in October 1926.
Belden was a local pugilist, and fought throughout the Tampa Bay area and in Michigan, under the name of Freddie Walker. He fought Bobby White in Venice on October 13, 1927. In September 1927, criminal desertion and non-support charges were filed against Belden in the Hillsborough County Court. Belden and Olive divorced in February 1928.
He married his second wife, Margaret Addie Wilkins, on May 29, 1929, in Lucas County, Ohio. On April 19, 1930, he was working as a metal finisher for General Motors and was living at Holt, Michigan, with his wife and their first child, Belden Omer Whitted, who was born in January 1930. By August, he had returned to Sarasota.
He fought Enrique Ponce de Leon, a one-eyed Cuban welterweight, at the Tampa Cuban Club on August 4, 1930, a fight which ended in a draw. He was arrested in early August 1930 after failing to pay attorney fees owed to J. Douglas Arnest from his divorce suit with Olive. He was released three weeks later after promising to pay the $100 due. He fought Harry Clare on November 25, 1930 in Bradenton. He fought Sam Crosby at the old Sarasota theater on December 15, 1930.
On the evening of January 26, 1931, Belden, along with brother Floyd and brother-in-law Archie Foy, was arrested in Tampa on the charge of stealing $1,088 worth of cigarettes from the warehouse of Southern Grocery Company, which was located right across the street from the Sarasota police headquarters. Belden and Floyd's older brother, policeman Walter Whitted, while making his rounds that evening, saw them outside a nearby hardware store. Walter chased his brothers and brother-in-law on foot while they drove their Hudson sedan in the direction of Tampa. Sarasota County Sheriff W. A. Keen notified officials in Hillsborough County. The same night, $100 in cigarettes were stolen from the Roth Wholesale Store. A mechanic witnessed three men pull the job.
Hillsborough County Sheriff R. T. Joughin and Constable Fred Newberger arrested Belden, Floyd and Archie in Tampa after they purchased a used car using $350 in cash which they had obtained from the sale of the stolen cigarettes. The trio was returned to Sarasota with Sheriff Keen on January 29, 1931. The following day, another brother, Clyde, was also being held for questioning in the theft. A newspaper article on January 30, 1931, depicted the brothers refusing to allow police to take their fingerprints and making jokes about the inferiority of Sarasota jails as they faced charges. Chief Deputy Sheriff Ed Garner picked up the keys to the cell and summoned Belden. Belden started downstairs ahead of the chief with, "So long, chief", as though he intended to go home. Floyd was quoted as saying "Why, I had this much room by myself in Tampa", referring to the cell filled with prisoners. Trial on the case began in the Circuit Court on July 28, 1931, against Belden, Clyde and Archie. The charges against Floyd were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Belden and Clyde were acquitted of all charges, but Archie Foy was sentenced to serve 15 years in the Florida State Prison.
In August 1931, Belden and two others robbed the Golden Brothers Warehouse in Thomasville, Georgia, of several hundred dollars' worth of cigarettes. The same month they robbed the Pittman Cigar Store in Palm Beach County, stealing $2,000 worth of cigarettes. Belden, along with Herbert Gilette, Emmet Mathews, and Troy Hargrove had attempted to sell the cigarettes in Miami, representing them to be "bankrupt stock". Miami police recovered about half of the stolen cigarettes.
On October 9, 1931, Belden was convicted by the Criminal Court of Record of Palm Beach County on the charge of breaking and entering, and was sentenced to serve 3 years in the Florida State Prison. Belden was taken from Palm Beach County to the Florida State Prison at Raiford (now called Union Correctional Institution) on October 14, 1931. In 1931 alone, Belden and his accomplices are estimated to have stolen in excess of 4,500 cartons of cigarettes (45,000 packs).
In March 1932, Belden and one of the other cigarette thieves, Emmet Mathews, escaped from the State Prison Farm (now Union Correctional Instutiton) at Raiford. After his escape, Belden traveled to Oregon, where he fought in matches on the Pacific coast. Belden surrendered in May 1933, to serve the remainder of his sentence. Governor David Sholtz granted Belden a conditional pardon and he was released from Florida State Prison on December 17, 1933. He was later granted a full pardon on December 4, 1940.
After his release he returned to Michigan, where he and Margaret had their second child, Allen Oliver Whitted, born in October 1935. However, the marriage ended in divorce on March 25, 1937. Two days following his divorce, Belden remarried to his third wife, Vivian June Gephart, in Steuben County, Indiana. On April 9, 1940, Belden and Vivian were residing on Walnut Street in Elizabeth City, New Jersey, and Belden was working as a foreman at an automobile assembly plant. By 1942, Belden had returned to Sarasota.
Belden enlisted to serve in the United States Navy on September 23, 1942. He was medically discharged in December of that year due to a perforation of the ear drum. By 1945, he and Vivian were living at Fort Myers Beach. He again returned to Sarasota and took a position as Superintendent of the City Garbage and Trash Department. In 1950, he established the Sarasota Asphalt Paving Company. He also taught golf lessons.
In his later years, he and Vivian owned a mobile home park called Whitted Estates in Chiefland, Florida. Belden died on August 18, 1993, at Trenton, Florida, survived by his wife Vivian, five children, 11 grandchildren, and many great and great-great grandchildren.
--- Robert T. Koehler, 2019
Belden Oliver Whitted was a middleweight pugilist in Florida, Michigan and Oregon during the 1920s and 30s, fighting under the name of Freddie Walker. In 1931, he was sentenced to three years at the Florida State Prison Farm in Raiford (now Union Correctional Institution) for his role in a cigarette theft. He escaped in 1932, and was eventually pardoned. He served in the United States Navy during World War II as a Seaman 1/c.
Belden was born on December 9, 1905, in Oneco, Florida, to Allen Whitted and Annie Viola Whitted née Walker. In 1910 he was residing in precinct 16 of Manatee County. His father died in 1919, when Belden was 13 years old. In 1920, he was residing at Saw Grass Valley in Oneco, Florida.
He married his first wife, Olive Fern Barnes, on December 19, 1924, in Tampa, Florida. He had a son out-of-wedlock who was the child of Estella Johnny Capo; the child, Virgil Edward Mora, was born in January 1925. Belden took a position with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office around 1925, and was one of the first motorcycle officers in Sarasota. Belden and Olive's first child, Dorothy Evelyn Whitted, was born in October 1925.
In April 1926, Belden was discharged from his position as a county traffic officer after a complaint was made that he had used profane language on a public highway (which was a crime at the time). The county commission requested Belden to return to his position a month later in May 1926, after county commission chairman George Prime stated that "Whitted was the best man that could be obtained for the work", and that he believed the one month suspension to be a sufficient punishment. Belden was, however, charged criminally with the use of profanity on a public highway in the Sarasota County Court. Belden and Olive's second child, Belda Fay Whitted, was born in October 1926.
Belden was a local pugilist, and fought throughout the Tampa Bay area and in Michigan, under the name of Freddie Walker. He fought Bobby White in Venice on October 13, 1927. In September 1927, criminal desertion and non-support charges were filed against Belden in the Hillsborough County Court. Belden and Olive divorced in February 1928.
He married his second wife, Margaret Addie Wilkins, on May 29, 1929, in Lucas County, Ohio. On April 19, 1930, he was working as a metal finisher for General Motors and was living at Holt, Michigan, with his wife and their first child, Belden Omer Whitted, who was born in January 1930. By August, he had returned to Sarasota.
He fought Enrique Ponce de Leon, a one-eyed Cuban welterweight, at the Tampa Cuban Club on August 4, 1930, a fight which ended in a draw. He was arrested in early August 1930 after failing to pay attorney fees owed to J. Douglas Arnest from his divorce suit with Olive. He was released three weeks later after promising to pay the $100 due. He fought Harry Clare on November 25, 1930 in Bradenton. He fought Sam Crosby at the old Sarasota theater on December 15, 1930.
On the evening of January 26, 1931, Belden, along with brother Floyd and brother-in-law Archie Foy, was arrested in Tampa on the charge of stealing $1,088 worth of cigarettes from the warehouse of Southern Grocery Company, which was located right across the street from the Sarasota police headquarters. Belden and Floyd's older brother, policeman Walter Whitted, while making his rounds that evening, saw them outside a nearby hardware store. Walter chased his brothers and brother-in-law on foot while they drove their Hudson sedan in the direction of Tampa. Sarasota County Sheriff W. A. Keen notified officials in Hillsborough County. The same night, $100 in cigarettes were stolen from the Roth Wholesale Store. A mechanic witnessed three men pull the job.
Hillsborough County Sheriff R. T. Joughin and Constable Fred Newberger arrested Belden, Floyd and Archie in Tampa after they purchased a used car using $350 in cash which they had obtained from the sale of the stolen cigarettes. The trio was returned to Sarasota with Sheriff Keen on January 29, 1931. The following day, another brother, Clyde, was also being held for questioning in the theft. A newspaper article on January 30, 1931, depicted the brothers refusing to allow police to take their fingerprints and making jokes about the inferiority of Sarasota jails as they faced charges. Chief Deputy Sheriff Ed Garner picked up the keys to the cell and summoned Belden. Belden started downstairs ahead of the chief with, "So long, chief", as though he intended to go home. Floyd was quoted as saying "Why, I had this much room by myself in Tampa", referring to the cell filled with prisoners. Trial on the case began in the Circuit Court on July 28, 1931, against Belden, Clyde and Archie. The charges against Floyd were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Belden and Clyde were acquitted of all charges, but Archie Foy was sentenced to serve 15 years in the Florida State Prison.
In August 1931, Belden and two others robbed the Golden Brothers Warehouse in Thomasville, Georgia, of several hundred dollars' worth of cigarettes. The same month they robbed the Pittman Cigar Store in Palm Beach County, stealing $2,000 worth of cigarettes. Belden, along with Herbert Gilette, Emmet Mathews, and Troy Hargrove had attempted to sell the cigarettes in Miami, representing them to be "bankrupt stock". Miami police recovered about half of the stolen cigarettes.
On October 9, 1931, Belden was convicted by the Criminal Court of Record of Palm Beach County on the charge of breaking and entering, and was sentenced to serve 3 years in the Florida State Prison. Belden was taken from Palm Beach County to the Florida State Prison at Raiford (now called Union Correctional Institution) on October 14, 1931. In 1931 alone, Belden and his accomplices are estimated to have stolen in excess of 4,500 cartons of cigarettes (45,000 packs).
In March 1932, Belden and one of the other cigarette thieves, Emmet Mathews, escaped from the State Prison Farm (now Union Correctional Instutiton) at Raiford. After his escape, Belden traveled to Oregon, where he fought in matches on the Pacific coast. Belden surrendered in May 1933, to serve the remainder of his sentence. Governor David Sholtz granted Belden a conditional pardon and he was released from Florida State Prison on December 17, 1933. He was later granted a full pardon on December 4, 1940.
After his release he returned to Michigan, where he and Margaret had their second child, Allen Oliver Whitted, born in October 1935. However, the marriage ended in divorce on March 25, 1937. Two days following his divorce, Belden remarried to his third wife, Vivian June Gephart, in Steuben County, Indiana. On April 9, 1940, Belden and Vivian were residing on Walnut Street in Elizabeth City, New Jersey, and Belden was working as a foreman at an automobile assembly plant. By 1942, Belden had returned to Sarasota.
Belden enlisted to serve in the United States Navy on September 23, 1942. He was medically discharged in December of that year due to a perforation of the ear drum. By 1945, he and Vivian were living at Fort Myers Beach. He again returned to Sarasota and took a position as Superintendent of the City Garbage and Trash Department. In 1950, he established the Sarasota Asphalt Paving Company. He also taught golf lessons.
In his later years, he and Vivian owned a mobile home park called Whitted Estates in Chiefland, Florida. Belden died on August 18, 1993, at Trenton, Florida, survived by his wife Vivian, five children, 11 grandchildren, and many great and great-great grandchildren.
--- Robert T. Koehler, 2019
Belden was born on December 9, 1905, in Oneco, Florida, to Allen Whitted and Annie Viola Whitted née Walker. In 1910 he was residing in precinct 16 of Manatee County. His father died in 1919, when Belden was 13 years old. In 1920, he was residing at Saw Grass Valley in Oneco, Florida.
He married his first wife, Olive Fern Barnes, on December 19, 1924, in Tampa, Florida. He had a son out-of-wedlock who was the child of Estella Johnny Capo; the child, Virgil Edward Mora, was born in January 1925. Belden took a position with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office around 1925, and was one of the first motorcycle officers in Sarasota. Belden and Olive's first child, Dorothy Evelyn Whitted, was born in October 1925.
In April 1926, Belden was discharged from his position as a county traffic officer after a complaint was made that he had used profane language on a public highway (which was a crime at the time). The county commission requested Belden to return to his position a month later in May 1926, after county commission chairman George Prime stated that "Whitted was the best man that could be obtained for the work", and that he believed the one month suspension to be a sufficient punishment. Belden was, however, charged criminally with the use of profanity on a public highway in the Sarasota County Court. Belden and Olive's second child, Belda Fay Whitted, was born in October 1926.
Belden was a local pugilist, and fought throughout the Tampa Bay area and in Michigan, under the name of Freddie Walker. He fought Bobby White in Venice on October 13, 1927. In September 1927, criminal desertion and non-support charges were filed against Belden in the Hillsborough County Court. Belden and Olive divorced in February 1928.
He married his second wife, Margaret Addie Wilkins, on May 29, 1929, in Lucas County, Ohio. On April 19, 1930, he was working as a metal finisher for General Motors and was living at Holt, Michigan, with his wife and their first child, Belden Omer Whitted, who was born in January 1930. By August, he had returned to Sarasota.
He fought Enrique Ponce de Leon, a one-eyed Cuban welterweight, at the Tampa Cuban Club on August 4, 1930, a fight which ended in a draw. He was arrested in early August 1930 after failing to pay attorney fees owed to J. Douglas Arnest from his divorce suit with Olive. He was released three weeks later after promising to pay the $100 due. He fought Harry Clare on November 25, 1930 in Bradenton. He fought Sam Crosby at the old Sarasota theater on December 15, 1930.
On the evening of January 26, 1931, Belden, along with brother Floyd and brother-in-law Archie Foy, was arrested in Tampa on the charge of stealing $1,088 worth of cigarettes from the warehouse of Southern Grocery Company, which was located right across the street from the Sarasota police headquarters. Belden and Floyd's older brother, policeman Walter Whitted, while making his rounds that evening, saw them outside a nearby hardware store. Walter chased his brothers and brother-in-law on foot while they drove their Hudson sedan in the direction of Tampa. Sarasota County Sheriff W. A. Keen notified officials in Hillsborough County. The same night, $100 in cigarettes were stolen from the Roth Wholesale Store. A mechanic witnessed three men pull the job.
Hillsborough County Sheriff R. T. Joughin and Constable Fred Newberger arrested Belden, Floyd and Archie in Tampa after they purchased a used car using $350 in cash which they had obtained from the sale of the stolen cigarettes. The trio was returned to Sarasota with Sheriff Keen on January 29, 1931. The following day, another brother, Clyde, was also being held for questioning in the theft. A newspaper article on January 30, 1931, depicted the brothers refusing to allow police to take their fingerprints and making jokes about the inferiority of Sarasota jails as they faced charges. Chief Deputy Sheriff Ed Garner picked up the keys to the cell and summoned Belden. Belden started downstairs ahead of the chief with, "So long, chief", as though he intended to go home. Floyd was quoted as saying "Why, I had this much room by myself in Tampa", referring to the cell filled with prisoners. Trial on the case began in the Circuit Court on July 28, 1931, against Belden, Clyde and Archie. The charges against Floyd were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Belden and Clyde were acquitted of all charges, but Archie Foy was sentenced to serve 15 years in the Florida State Prison.
In August 1931, Belden and two others robbed the Golden Brothers Warehouse in Thomasville, Georgia, of several hundred dollars' worth of cigarettes. The same month they robbed the Pittman Cigar Store in Palm Beach County, stealing $2,000 worth of cigarettes. Belden, along with Herbert Gilette, Emmet Mathews, and Troy Hargrove had attempted to sell the cigarettes in Miami, representing them to be "bankrupt stock". Miami police recovered about half of the stolen cigarettes.
On October 9, 1931, Belden was convicted by the Criminal Court of Record of Palm Beach County on the charge of breaking and entering, and was sentenced to serve 3 years in the Florida State Prison. Belden was taken from Palm Beach County to the Florida State Prison at Raiford (now called Union Correctional Institution) on October 14, 1931. In 1931 alone, Belden and his accomplices are estimated to have stolen in excess of 4,500 cartons of cigarettes (45,000 packs).
In March 1932, Belden and one of the other cigarette thieves, Emmet Mathews, escaped from the State Prison Farm (now Union Correctional Instutiton) at Raiford. After his escape, Belden traveled to Oregon, where he fought in matches on the Pacific coast. Belden surrendered in May 1933, to serve the remainder of his sentence. Governor David Sholtz granted Belden a conditional pardon and he was released from Florida State Prison on December 17, 1933. He was later granted a full pardon on December 4, 1940.
After his release he returned to Michigan, where he and Margaret had their second child, Allen Oliver Whitted, born in October 1935. However, the marriage ended in divorce on March 25, 1937. Two days following his divorce, Belden remarried to his third wife, Vivian June Gephart, in Steuben County, Indiana. On April 9, 1940, Belden and Vivian were residing on Walnut Street in Elizabeth City, New Jersey, and Belden was working as a foreman at an automobile assembly plant. By 1942, Belden had returned to Sarasota.
Belden enlisted to serve in the United States Navy on September 23, 1942. He was medically discharged in December of that year due to a perforation of the ear drum. By 1945, he and Vivian were living at Fort Myers Beach. He again returned to Sarasota and took a position as Superintendent of the City Garbage and Trash Department. In 1950, he established the Sarasota Asphalt Paving Company. He also taught golf lessons.
In his later years, he and Vivian owned a mobile home park called Whitted Estates in Chiefland, Florida. Belden died on August 18, 1993, at Trenton, Florida, survived by his wife Vivian, five children, 11 grandchildren, and many great and great-great grandchildren.
--- Robert T. Koehler, 2019
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