Nuhou, Volume II, Number 20, 3 October 1873 — Charles Sumner and Prestou S. Brooks [ARTICLE]

Charles Sumner and Prestou S. Brooks

j Ko seir-respeotlng Nortlicrner, who, heventecii yeārs ago, was old enough to tlunk and to feel, cati ever tear out of liis life theleaf on whieli was sfeaimped, at the time } the storjof Brookb % assauit upon Chae. Sumner. The whole truth ah-jut that aflair has oot jet oomo forth, hut it is comiDg f i bifc !>y bit, as Ueath and polilieal change un»cul lipß that eoukl not epeak before. One item of fact is now abundantly established. Brcoks was huntcd to death bj ehame and remor?e. That, at does eome honor to Brooks; fbr manj • thou2;ht him a ruflsan unmitio;ated bv citlier O O v ehame or remorse. Moreover, it has lately been stated bj Mr. James L. Orr, now the American Miiīi6ter to Kuesia, tha,t he liad himself heard of the intended a»6ault 6cveral hours before it was niaele-. Ile asserts, ako, that he iiad intcndcd to but th;it, on his waj t.o the Seoate ( Chambcr for that purpose, he took thepreeaution, to stop at the library on a literary emnd, and,: being detained there, lost-th'e opportunitj of ia-j fcerrupting the manufacture of eome verj miserabie history, \Vedonot doubt Mr. Orr ? e testimony ; for iie (:6 ia an hohorable man ; eo.are thej all, all iionorahle men/' Onlj this oecurs to us: the propcr time for Mr. Orr to havc made public t!uit heroie intention of hīs, whieh was so unfortuMtelj thwarted bv literary rescarches at the librarv, was scventeen jcars ago. Then it would havc bcen hcroism. Now it i? onlj antiquarianism,'^:Ch.risfian Union. ■ The'alx>vc is from the vaiuablc journal of the celebrated Rev. llenrj \Vard Eeeehei*, and as we were familiar with the event and parties epoken of, We desire to put on record a few particulars of an aflair that had more share in ehaping certain poliiieal sentimeot in America than it deserved, and we maj do this as t£ antiquariansbut we never had au opportunitv to eaj our tav before, as we have now. We lirst mct Mr. Sumner, in 1830, at his iodgings on Fifth etrcet, in companj with an art.iat. W. (\ Brainerd, who was taking his portmt -and we wcre well acquainted with Jlr. Brooks when he lirst- entered Congress in 1854. We met him frequentlj in companj with hiā eolleagueß, Messrs. Orr, Bojce, Keitt audMcQueen f at PliiU'a llotel. Col. Brooke was a verj quiet, uudemonstrative luan, aml quite a eontrast to his| impetuous friend KeīU. Brooks was noted in societj for his gentlenes>. 110 w T as particularlj fbnd of childvcn. One of his rccreations was to vieit a eehool on Capitol Ilill, and when we, boarded with Mrs. Earle on Pour and a llalf Btreet ? he would oftcn eall at her house 4 and instead of giving his attention t» Senator Peliee, Messrs» MorrilK llail, and other uoted public men he met thcre, he would be happilj oeeupied with a ehild, thc daughter of Mr, Wharton, of -the' "Armj. Ile was the delight of little ones; and he seemcd trnlj happj in taking pavt iuthcir innocent sports. lle was bj no means an aetive politician, nnd we have heard him teproached bj Mr, Keilt for his lukewanune^. When. Col. Brooks was in the Uouse of Kepresentative?, his unele Judge Butler was in the Senatc. This unele was n man of renuukAt>le venetable nppeamnoe, with flowing while as drivcn sno\v, that graec\l a vivdoj rutucuud # lion like old fafe» TUo Judge looked like thc Ne*tor of the Senate, and hewa> opposcd iu Jebato to lts Apollo. Thi< wa/Mr/Sumuer s iu the early pvime of veuv>! tall. welt-made» *troug %

! pmid, an-1 m diintilj dre>K I. We weH member hiia on thc, Aveuue iu 1850 } e!ot!sr I s jauntj proraenade stut; a rat?ier f jppi?h *tjl fine brown cutawaj ; while or bu2T ve=t ;; 2rrav pant-, buff gaiters, with i (ancj ivvij L-r~: ed eune in band. w!nch he dalntlj bwucg .-.5 sauntercl towa rd ti>e Capitol. This 4 handsomc Bostonian. trained in thc ath!e*. . sports of his polishcd eity. wa? a strikipg Cv,it:to the ruggcd, hoarj[ old S'juth CaroliniaLi, wh.wi!d white locks !iad nuinhere! their veari. In dcbate oil one c>ecasion. the • * I * Senator rcSeeted somewhat upon the veraeltj the old Judge. This īrritated the nephew . he gave no seriou6 heed to whaī had been until the o3ensive lapguage was repeated bj M Sumner in the Senatc on a second dav wheii M Butler was not pic>ept. The feelings of the qu!.. |Brooks were now aroused ; but we are / f that he did not ccnteiiiplate anj personal a?-<v'. ! to averge his oM unole, until urgeritlj pro:ap*e ' ! bj violent and indi?clreet īf left to hl:. self he wou!d not haye rushed into such a vir.J".cat!on of his aged relative as he did. Nolhia^ but regard (perhapsj mi*tuken) fe>r the hon«.r . ~ his kindred acted ujon the mind of Brooks • this matter ; but no 3oubt he wos inducei to I 1 morc than his better judgment wou!d lv;r». prompted hiin to do bj friends influenced nia;- v bj the aeceiiutj ufj political opposition. C>u quiet child entertaiper, when arousei t,- k; Bimplj armed hīmself| with a gutta pereaa ea.-. abouthalf an laeh ii(i diameter, and he ' the Senate after an adjoumiue:.: f when the moet of the Senators had retlred. M: Sumner was still setitcd at his dcsk, oeeupii,* with papers. when Brooks approached, : he with a Srni loud voice, said to Mr. Sumne: ! " You have insulte.l mj unele, and I am going . ! punish you," or worlls to that eSect; and t:u j etruck Mr, Sumner oa thc head. The first V.; did not bj anj means fell the Scnator to the ā:. as he sought to eheHei' himself bj interposing deek between himsc|f and his enemj ; but tii. Btrong and rapid blows descending upon Bhoulders and spine,'soon disabled liim, aui 1. lay bleeding and prostratc on the Soor of Ohamber. Mr. Sumner was l>orne to his l w \lging' by friends; and Mr. Brooks was congratulate; by some of his for wliat he had done. We ka: v that he regrettcd the oeeunenee as so:u first heat of his passion had subsided » w. are sure that ncither ihen, nor &fterwar«ls waī L. oppresseii with a shaiite or rcmorse that ik aua:ej | And why should lle be? Was he a skutk*~~ midnight assassin? TUd he assault some fc<Vl. and vcncraMe man? Or some weuk and tectcd woman ? Nothmg of the kiod Hc down in open dav, and in a p>uMie plaee, a aa. of about lns own age| l>ut fullj huha :.:i\ <. tnany pc>un(?t hiaii>:r. 110 might have pectcd that such a man would close wiih luuuu, tcnd himsc!f with a e!iau\ or jerk the eane ea: / his hand : or at anv tkte would spring up at first sound of augcr, cand if dcfcncclcs>, with !us assailant 4 a,nJ strikc backjas he le^ Ic6uld' Tf Mr. Sumn|. x r v?as umietYed l>j*the II:so\md of assault, Mr. ftrooks K\d tio right te jKVt such an casj a|-eompushiuciit of his task Ani thereforc tf he feH rcgicts aftcr\varas, it on aeeounl of his act of vieleuce great Councll Chambct of his C. v antrj f anl :au. he had so far forgottca t! s .e d%iutj e: Uglslator \nd tf ;>*\cr a tiaie, it w. -

cm a<souflt of aa aillog state of body lie brougbt with him to WaßluDgton., wherc he was partieularlj Benßitivc to the 6troDg wiudß of the Fotomac V r alley ; and at last' a too long neglecfced coldfastoned upon tonsils and other delieate glands, and he died in consequence of aceuoiurated pi]legm iu the Cbroat. We' remembcr ihe cireumstancea of t!ūs event very dl3tinctly. We witnessed them partly; and have endeavored to give a fair iDipartial etatemeiit.