Biography

Preston Brooks was mentioned in a letter from Frances Adeline Seward (nee Miller) to her sister Lazette Worden on May 30, 1856. The context specifically relating to Brooks surrounded the injuries of Mr. Charles Sumner, who Brooks violently attacked in Washington, D.C. According to the letter, Brooks' punishment for the act was not yet determined; Frances said to a friend, "I thought he ought to be hung now but that in the event of Mr. Sumner's death no law would be enforced endangering the life of Brooks – none are punished here but the poor slaves..."