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The Bullied 10-Year-Old Arrested And Jailed For Not Paying Debt To His Tormentor In 1910
A young New Jersey child had the terrifying experience of going to jail and being forced to file for bankruptcy to satisfy non-payment of a lawsuit judgment
Being incarcerated for not paying debts seems like it should be a thing of the distant past. However, that has not always been the case, even when it comes to children. In 1910, a bullied 10-year-old New Jersey boy was ordered to jail by a Judge because he hadn’t paid a debt that was the result of having been sued by another youngster for retaliating and hitting him with a rock.
The February 11, 1910 issue of The New York Times reported on the very unusual case of Bromislow Niemaszck, a 10-year-old from Newark, New Jersey. Previously, the boy had been sued by 16-year-old Edmund Nilmansi and his parents after the younger boy was alleged to have assaulted him by hitting him in the head with a rock after an argument.
However, it was later reported that Niemaszck was being bullied Nilmansi and other older boys, who twisted his arm, pushed him around and then threw his hat away. Once he was able to get away from them, he threw a rock, striking and cutting Nilmansi on his back.
