Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-04-22
AN ELDERLY BRUTE
Fiendish and Unnatural Con-
duct of Father.
HEEEARLY BEATS A BOY F0DEAFH.

The Climax of a Life of Domestic Dew
iltry Gets the Old Reprobate Behind
the Bars-A Story of Cruelty Almost
Ineredibie-His Furious Resistance of
the ofheer who stopped His Atroeious
Assault on His Little Son.
CHICAGO, April 22-An Old man, rem-
bling and shivering from the effects Of re-
cent dsbauch- tottered into the dock Of the
North Side police court yesterday morning
al the sound Of his name as the clerk called
it-Nathan Dali His eyes were infamed,
his hair matted, his face dirty. and his
clothes unkempf. a more Pitisbie looking
object would be hard 10 find The procsed-
ings against him were very brief A stall
wart officer simply related that the prisoner
had outrageopsIy abused his little boy, who
was at the county hospital under treatment
five DAYS, and the old man was placed under
bonds Of 500, in default of which he was
sent back TO a cell and locked up.
4 Veteran in wIckedness.
There Was nothing in his appearance that
would indicate his character. He was too
much prostratsi by his own exeesses- This
terrible abus. Of the little boy, who Is at the
county hospital suffering from score of
cuts and bruises, Is the basis of a story of
brutality that extends over nearly quarter
Of century Dali and the boy, whose name
Is Willie. lived at iF9 Market street Dali
has wife, a grown daughter, who Is a
member Of the BIuebeari company, and p
p year-o Old son named GeorgA With the
- f.-r- az far lx had
deserted him on account Of his excessive cru
city. For years he beat his wife a. if she
had been a dog, and once or twice came so
near numbering her that her life was de-
spared Of.
His Daily Amusement.
His treatment Of the little boy il almost
without parallel Less than three weeks ago
be went home. and, finding the lad playing
with some other children, he hit him crush
ing blow in the head with a hammer. The
boy sank down unconscious, and lay in a
state Of stupOr for a whole day without at
tendance Of any sort except what the in
human parent gave him. Scarcely a day
passed that Dali did not assault the boy and
fearfully msltreat him but the little fellow
made no complaint TO the n=ighbors or his
playmate notwithstanding his cuts and
bruises On Sunday night Dali went home
drunk HIS boy was IN bed and asleep but
this did not save him
No Mercy in the Ffend.
The old brute dragged the child from his
bed, forcibly threw him on the floor and
then began 20 kick him in the face, body
and limbs. The boy struggled to his feet
once or twice and tried TO get away, but
each time was caught again, thrown down,
and subjected 10 the same punishment
Dali acted more like a mailman than one in
his senses. He kicked the PROSTATE child
with force that threatened to crush out
his life, ali the time cursing and yelling like
demon. The boy cried for mercy, but his
appeals were answered only by fsrcer
blows and kicks until lady living in the
fat overhead ran out and summoned a
police officer. When she piloted the officer
to Dall's door the boy was screaming with
agony. The brutal fathers coarse epithets,
his blows and even his deep breathing could
be heard outside the door
Struggle with the Offieer.
The officer did not wait to knock for sd-
mission He burst IN the door and sprang
on the old fend, who was standing in the
middle Of the room, striking and kicking
fraDtically at the writing form of lad
who WAS on his back A blow from the off,
GERS club sent the old man staggering into a
corner and gave his helpless victim the first
relief he had experienced in years but be re-
covered quickly and made at the bluecoat
with the ferocity of tiger The fight that
followed was a terrific one. The officer, a
big athletic fellow, had the utmost difficult
ty in handling the Infatuated brute, who
was trying to choke him TO death, and it is
doubtful If be would not have succeeded had
not another officer come in and helped
to place the fellow in irons
The Old Villains Audacity.
Dalps treatment OF his entire family for
years has been so wretched that he was una
BILE to retain any friends, but nevertheless
be tried only recently 10 marry the young
woman-hiss Julia Assman-who was in
strumentnl in bringing his brutality to the
light OF the public. Miss Assman declined
to have anything whatever TO do with him,
and he prosecuted her with a vigor that was
entirely in keeping with his treatment Of his
family. The police will try to give him the
limit of the law.