Mr. Sumner was stricken down on this floor by a brutal, murderous, and cowardly assault.
Original passage & context
"Mr. Sumner was stricken down on this floor by a brutal, murderous, and cowardly assault."
One sentence that nearly caused a second affair of honor: Butler shouted 'You are a liar!' from his seat, and Brooks sent Wilson a duel challenge. Wilson's reply: 'I thought so then: I think so now: I have no qualification whatever to make' — while refusing the duel outright.
Read it in the original — Sumner Complete Works vol. 5 (Project Gutenberg) ↗