1880 Brutal Assault

All in one paragraph -- an assault, trial and ultimate fines were described by G.L. Adams in The Fowlerville Review:

On Thursday evening at about half past nine o'clock as Isaac Simpson was watering his cows, he having been absent from home until late in the evening, two men came along the road past his house -- two miles north and one and a half miles west of this place -- driving a single horse and buggy, and Simpson mistaking one of them for Ruel Vandyke, called him by name and asked him where he was going, and received a reply that 'it was none of his d--- business,' whereupon he hastened to explain that he had made a mistake in the person. The party in the buggy then replied that 'he wanted a d--- good licking, and that he was the man that would give it to him' when Simpson ran into the barn, closely followed by the other, who proceeded to kick, cuff and strike Simpson in a lively manner. Simpson did little but yell and hallow 'murder!' which brought his wife out of the house, and, picking up a club, started to help her husband, when the other ruffian caught her by the hair of the head and threw her down by a pile of rails. The rascals, thinking that by this time their cries must have alarmed the neighbors, got into their buggy and drove rapidly towards Fowlerville. Geo. Horton, a nearby neighbor, hearing the cries, ran across the road and awakened Nelson Swarthout and both went to Simpsons togeteher. The three then followed the parties to this place, where they learned that the parties who did the pounding were Eugene Mann and his brother, Augustus. They were arrested the next day and gave bonds for their appearance before Justice Gould for trial for assault and battery on the person of Mr. Simpson on Monday. On Monday the boys were tried, found guilty and sentenced to pay a fine of $25 each and cost of suit or 90 days at Ionia. The fines and costs together amounted to $86, which they paid. Simpson then intended to take them for personal damages, and also for assault and battery upon Mrs. Simpson. They settled all further suits with Simpson by paying him $100. The boys have always been more or less engaged in fighting scrapes, and we hope this will learn them a lesson, for it has cost them over $200.