Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-09-08
Mr.. Bull and Mrs. Egypt.
London Echo.


John Bull was charged before the
Bench with having committed a gross
assault upon Mrs. Egypt at Alexandria
on the 18th ultimo. The complainant,
a respectable looking woman, who said
she was the mother of large family of
children, depOsed that not very long ago
her late husband, who was unfortunately
man of very extravagant habits, fell
into the company of a gang of advertis-
ing money lenders. Knowing that he was
a substantial householder. these loan Of
flee keepers had persuaded him to take
loans at a most extortionate rate of in
terest, ranging at from 13 to 264 per
cent. Only portion of the sums bor-
rowed was paid in cash, the remainder
being paid in pictures, wines, iewelry
and other useless articles. Since the de-
mise of her late husband she had made
the most desperate efforts to keep up the
installments which were due to the loan
Office, and had even parted with the
clothes of herself and her children
in order to raise the necessary pay
ments. The loan Office people had put
in the defendant and others as brokers'
men. Her sons had guaranteed the
payment of the installments of the debt,
but as they had not at the same time paid
the expenses of the men in possession,
the defendant and those acting with him
on the 18th ultimO proceeded to make
wanton attack upon her property, which
had brought her to the very verge of
rum. She had resisted as well as she
was able, but the defendant had commit
ted a cruel assault upon her in conse-
quence, the signs of which were manifest
to ali who were present in court.
The defendant, a strong, powerful
man, stated that he was only acting in
obedience TO orders. He was wholly
unacquainted with the circumstances
under which the debt was incurred, and
when the loan Office people, who were
connected with him by ties of relation
ship, employed him TO interfere, he had
been careful to conform to the strict let
ter of the law. He was sincerely sorry
for Mrs. Egypt, whose late husband had
led her into such trouble by his reckless
and extravagant conduct, but he sub
mitted that the legal claim Of the peo-
pie upon whose behalf he acted was in
disputable.
One of the magistrates here asked
whether the defendant disputed the
plaintiffs statement that the money had
been lent at from 10 to 264 per cent. IN
terest.
Defendant replied that very likely it
was true, but he had nothing to do with
that. The plaintiff had threatened his
men, and was about, indeed, to turn
them out of the house. The assault oc-
Cured through his attempting to disarm
her and prevent her doing any mischief.
He denied that he had used more VIC
lence than was necessary under the cir
cumstances.
The Bench said that there could be no
doubt that the poor woman had been
most cruelty treated by the rascally usur-
ers who had tempted her husband to his
destruction. There could be no moral
justification for the defendants conduct,
though he might have legal defense.
The defendant would be remanded in
order to give HIM an opportunity 10 pro
duce the power under which he acted.
whose validity would be examined by
the court. He deeply sympathized with
the plaintiff. Through no fault of her
own she had been victimized by an art
full set of schemers. who had run up
against her exorbitant claims, the greater
part of which were fictitious.