The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-05-30
FAMOUS BROoKs-SUMNER,
INCIDENT SO YEARS AGO

sixty-three years ago Friday, May
%, Col. Preston S. Brooks, then
member of the lower house of con-
gress, severely chastised' Senator
Charles Sumner of Massachusetts fol-
certain aspersions cast on Senator
Butler, also from South Carolina.
and an uncle of Colonel Brooks. The
following story from the New Or
leans Times-Picayune will be read
with interest today on this the 63rd
anniversary Of an incident which
famed into consuming flame the
heated passions between the North
and the South:
A paper was being circulated in
this city authorizing call for a
mass meeting Of citizens, irrespective
of political afiliation, to be held in
Lyceum (City) Hall on the evening
of the 29th Of May, 1856. The OBJ
ject of the meeting was to adopt
resolutions expressive Of the sympa-
thy of New Orleans for Col. Preston
s. Brooks of South Carolina, then a
member of the lower house Of con-
gress, and making manifest its con-
viction Of the justification Of Colonel
Brooks assault upon the Hon. Char
les Sumner of Massachusetts,, on the
22nd in the senate chamber at the
capitol. This affair was the sensa-
ton of the day and, it was said, did
more to hasten the war between the
North and South than even the ques-
ton of slavery itself. All over the
South the conduct Of Colonel Brooks
in this ehastising Senator Sumner
for the ridicule and sarcasm which
the latter heaped unsparingly upon
Senator Butler was universally palli-
ated, if not applauded, from the fact
especially that Senator Butler was
an uncle Of Colonel Brooks, and Hes
absent from the senate at the time
the language resented was used. It
was recalled by the New Orleans pa
pers that Colonel Brooks, had served
gallantly in the Mexican war, where
he had brother killed. He was rep
resented, by persons who knew md
had seen him in congress, as a splen-
did specimen Of man-open, gener-
oushearted, kind and chivalric, in
capable Of q dishonorable act on
feeling. He was 80 years Of age, re-
markably fine looking, very popular
in congress, and was said to have
beet, OH good terms with and liked by
many of the most violent abolition
lists. Senator Butler, on the other
hand, was an old man, with long
white hair, and venerable in appear
ance, while Sumner was quite young
enough to be his son; and this fact
probably added greatly to the, provo
cation, which The Delta observed,
"must be great indeed to have inluc-
ed such a man as Colonel Brooks to
punish Sumner in the way and at the
time and place he did," i.
"The illustrious example given by
Henry S. Foote and Thomas H. Ben
ton," said The Picayune, comment
ing upon the Brooks Sumner affair,
Gin. their famous senatorial rencon-
ire, appears likely to have many inni-
tators, and official life in Washing,
ton is every year becoming less digni-
fed and less agreeable. A short time
since, Horace Greeley, a professed
non-combatant, was violently as
saulted by Mr.. Rust Of Arkansas.
who had an easy victory over very
weak individual, who was inferior TO
him in physique. 1t appears that
MIR. Greeley reviewed one Of Mr..
Rust's speeches rather severely, but
his remarks were not such as to de-
mand the very harsh penalty exacted
for them" ... ..t
Col. Preston S. Brooks took ex-
ception to the following language
used by Senator Sumner in his
speech of the 22nd: "With regret ]
come again upon the senator from
South Carolina, (Mr. Butler), who
omni-present in this debate, over
flowed with rage at the simple sug-
r,aet;on +hot Koncos had ann1ipd for