According to indictment No. 24, my father and three other men "feloniously did make an assault and from the person and against the will of said Thomas F. Murray by violence and by putting him, the said Thomas F. Murray, in fear, one watch and one wallet of the value of $50.00 of the property of said Thomas F. Murray forcibly, violently and feloniously did steal, take and carry away."

They also "did commit an atrocious assault and battery upon Thomas F. Murray by wounding him with a chair upon the head, body and legs, contrary to the provisions of B.S. 2:110-1, and against the peace of this state, the government and dignity of the same."

They don't mention anything about the accused acting against the dignity of themselves, though. Nor against the dignity of human life. Nobody talks about an assault against one's own dignity anymore. Yet I'd wager that's what held my father back the most from this incident: not jail time, but long-term loss of personal dignity.

Once it's gone, it's hard to reclaim.