“A Gentleman Assaulting His Housemaid”

        In the June 5th, 1869 issue of The Illustrated Police News (IPN), an article “A Gentleman Assaulting His Housemaid” was published. The “gentleman” in the piece is Mr. John Bruce. The reporter gives him the character of being a gentleman, in other words, he is portrayed to be a polite, educated, and formal man. On the other hand, Angelina Prior, the victim of the assault, was first introduced and described to be “his housemaid.” She is portrayed to be Mr. Bruce’s property.
        After Mrs. Bruce complained that Angelina Prior had “spoken disrespectfully of her,” Mr. John Bruce, went up to “his housemaid,” called her a "wicked woman," and knocked her down a few times to the floor. This “gentleman” also kicked her several times then "threw water and beer over her." The next morning, Angelina Prior went to the police station with a bruised face and with exhaustion from the lack of sleep because of the pain.
        Mr. Bruce's solicitor claimed that it was Angelina Prior who initiated the attack and that she was the one who "flew at him like a fury". A "fury," as defined in the English Oxford Dictionary, is the spirit of punishment in Greek mythology that curses those who are guilty (is Mr. Bruce's solicitor secretly on Angelina Prior's side?).
        The argument that it wasn't the “gentleman” who initiated the assault was not proven since there were other witnesses in the room. Only one of the chairmen for the case believed that Mr. Bruce should not have the option to pay just a fine for the crime. Yet, with the others disagreeing, Mr. Bruce was not really claimed a criminal and ten pounds were paid. The article ended with a summons being applied against Angelina Prior by Mr. Bruce.
        In Thomas Hardy’s novel, Tess of the D’urbervilles, the character Alec, a wealthy man who raped the protagonist Tess in the novel, demonstrates this privilege that white wealthy men had (still have today) during the Victorian Era. Just like Alec who committed the crime of rape, Mr. Bruce committed the crime of assault. Yet, both of these men were not aware nor made aware of the damage they have done on the victims’ lives. In the image illustrated for this article, Mr. Bruce is shown to be in a position hunching over Angelina Prior. The victim seems to be in a vulnerable position when she was assaulted. That image is similar to Tess in Hardy's novel who was the most vulnerable when Alec hunched over her and sexually assaulted her.
        Even though Mr. Bruce was charged for the assault with this case, his privilege as a wealthy "gentleman" allowed him to pay his way out.
        This "gentleman" was evidently guilty, there were witnesses in the room who supported Angelina Prior's case. She was the one who was scarred mentally and physically from the incident. Yet, Mr. Bruce still believed till the very end that he has the ability (money and privilege) to claim his innocence, clear his name, and be a "gentleman.”