Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-02
MANLY ART" IN CONGRESS-
Notable Exhibitions Of Thuggery Preceding
the South Carolina Affair.
ASSAULTS AND THRILLING EPISODES
Brief Review u ~scrappy Events I'm
Congress, the Cause and the
OutcOme-HumorOus
Side Lights.

The exchange Of hstic argument by sena-
tors Tnlman and McLaurin of South Caro-
lima has naturally wrenched the dignity Of
the senate and shocked the country at
large. A search Of the records Of the upper
house affords no precedent for the en-
counter, inasmuch as II occurred during the
session Of the senate. There have been
several notable personal encounters be-
tween senators in years gone by, but in
each instance they occurred during adj
Journment or outside the senate hamber
Consequently the Tillman-McLaurin brawl
establishes a new precedent.
OF previous affairs OF the kind the most
notable vas the assault upon Charles Sum-
ner by Preston Brooks, May %. 1856. No
act SO thoroughly aroused long-concealed
resentments. Charles Sumner. as senator
from Massachusetts,, in 1855 had made a
sarcastic speech against slavery in the new
state Of Kansas, then knocking for admis-
sion to the union. Part Of Summers speech
tore into bits the speech Of Senator Butler.
a South Carolina member, and the southern
members of congress were terribly excited.
Preston Brooks, a member of the house
n a nephew OF Butler, came into the
senate after adjournment. With him was
l. NJ. Keitt OF the same state.
A Cowardly Assault.
Sumner was sitting at his desk intent on
some work before hin when Brooks came
up and said: Senator sumner, you nave
libeled my state and slandered my relative.
who is aged and absent. 1 feel It to be my
duty to punish you" Brooks made a period
for his sentence by striking Sumner over
the head with a heavy cane. Blow after
blow, with all the force Of an enraged and
brutal man, descended upon the bare head
and neck Of the senator. In vain he tried
TO rise and in his frenzy he wrenched the
desk from It's iron ~fastenings In the floor.
He had no chance against such a terrible
rain Of savage blows and fell unconscious
from his seat covered with blood and
gashed in a dozen or more places. Brooks
was a man of great physical strength and
he struck with murderous force every time
the cane fell upon the defenseless victims
head.
No one could interfere with Brooks. He
had come in a cowardly fashion, attended
by two friends-Keitt and Edmondson-whC
kept everybody away while Brooks was do
ing the brave" and "chivalrous'' act o.
~assaulting a man who could not defend
himself. Senator Morgan finally got Il
Sumner and lifted him up. Senator Murray
grabbed Brooks, who, when grappled b.
men on their feet who could offer defense
was as meek as a whipped cur. Crittenden
from the south, ventured to condemn thu
outrage.
The floor OF the senate was a pool o
blood where Sumner lay and the adjoining
desks Of other senators were spattered witt
blood, as were the papers and books Of thu
assaulted senator. For months Mr.. Sumne
was confined to his room in great suffering
At first his physicians said he could not re
cover and the most painful and heroi
methods known TO surgery were necessar.
10 proloug his life. The cuts made by tn
Eutta percha cane developed into ulcers
Ghe glands OF the neck were terribly swollei
and e~rysipelas set in, to the great con
eternation of the surgeons. 1t was not un
I'll 1859 that Senator Sumner was able I
resume his duties.
The outrage caused q great storm of In
dignation and den~unciation in the north
but only rejoicing in the south. Brook
was called to account by the house and
after long investigation. an attempt wa
made to expel him. but It failed Of two
thirds majority. However. his disgrace wa
sufficient, as 121 members voted to expt
him
Brooks resigned. On his return to Sout
Carolina banquets and public o~vations wer
given ID MS uOuOI. ludI uloSdoeu sent
ment which showers bouquets upon a muI
derer was active toward Brooks and he wa
OF course, "vindicated" by unanimous RI
election. But his success was soon owe
As II in fearful retribution the finger
God smote him a few months later, and
January, 1857. he died.
A disease OF the throat attacked him an
IN his agony he tried to tear open h
throat with his own fingers that he migl
escape the horrors OF strangulation. \
wretch upon the scaffold ever suffered
much as did this man. whose victim WI
even then lowering between life and deal
in Washington. Senator Butler died fo'
months later. Keitt. who had been one
the conspirators, lost his life hghtiI
against the union and history has new
given to any Of the coterie an enviab
place. Sumner lived until 1874 and was
power in the councils of the nati'
throughout the years Of war and recoi
struction. For twenty-four years he W
senator from Massachusetts, and. In poi
OF consecutive service. was father Of q
senate
The most dramatic OF senate episodes W