A US congressman almost beat a US senator to death within the US Capital; who were these two men and when did this happen?

queproblema

Oh, Star, I checked in just for a minute and here you ask a question right up my alley. This was Preston Brooks, who nearly killed Charled Sumner with a gutta percha cane. If he hadn't beaten the cane to bits the poor Senator would probably not have survived. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Brooks#Sumner_assault Dec 11 09, 7:37 PM

queproblema

I missed the date--May 22nd, 1856. He was fined $300 but hailed as a hero in the Southern press. The House couldn't muster enough votes to expel him, a true indication of the temper of the times. Sumner took several years to recover from the assault, but was never restored to perfect health. http://www.ushistory.org/us/31e.asp http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Caning_of_Senator_Charles_Sumner.htm Just a week ago I read a comprehensive narration of the story in Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals," a history of Abraham Lincoln's nomination as the Republican presidential candidate, and his shrewd incorporation of his defeated rivals--Seward, Chase, and Bates--into his cabinet. The book was too bulky to bring along, so I can't supply the page numbers. "...her description of the caning of Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor by South Carolina's Preston Brooks, just one week prior to the Republican National Convention in 1856, is skillfully placed to highlight the hatred and vilification of the opposing factions that was developing between the slavery and anti-slavery factions within that party at the time." http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-6770591/Team-of-Rivals-The-Political.html Kinda changes the perspective of calling the president a liar, doesn't it? Dec 12 09, 10:14 AM