BROOKS. 548 BROOM. in 1854. Soon after the adjournment of the Sen- ate on !May 22, 18.56, two days after Senator Sumner had delivered his speedi on "The Crime Against Kansas," in which he hail, spoken with great severity of South Carolina ane! of Senator Butler, from that State (then absent from the Senate), Brooks, who was related to Senator Butler, assaulted Sumner wliile the latter was writing ahme at his desk in the Senate Chamber, repeatedly striking him on the head with a cane, knockinghim senseless, and intlicting spinal in- juries from whieli Sumner never fully recovered. The House of Ke])resentiitivcs immediately ap- pointed a committee to investigate the all'air, and the committee rejiorted in favor of expelling Brooks, but the necessary two-thirds vote could not be "secured for the motion. Brooks resigned voluntarily, however, after making a speecli in justilication of liis act, but he was immediately reelected by his constituents. Some remarks of Representative Anson Burlingame, on June 21, charging Brooks with cowardice and a lack of fair play, provoked a challenge from the latter, and a duel was arranged to take place in Canada, near Niagara Falls: but Brooks declined to fight at the place designated, for the reason that he could not reach it "without running the gauntlet of mobs and assassins, prisons and penitentiaries, bailiffs and constables." The assault caused the gi'eatest excitement all over the country. The North was fiercely indignant, while the South, for the most part, upheld Brooks, and passed xesohitions in his lionor. BROOKS, William Keith (1848—). An American zoologist, born in Cleveland, Ohio, March 25, 1848. He took his baccalaureate de- gree at Williams College in 1870, and his degree of doctor of philosophy at Harvard in 1874. He was assistant in the Boston Society of Natural History in 1874-7.5, associate in .Johns Hopkins I'niversity in 187ti, and has been professor there since 1883. He has trained many of the promi- nent embryologists of the country. His work has lieen characterized by its relation to evolutionary problems. He lias published lland-linok of In- vertebnile Zooloyi/ (1882); Bereditii (1884); The Dcrclojniu lit and Protection of the Oyster in Maryland (1884) : Lucifer: A Htudy in Morphol- ogy (1881); The HtoiiHitojiodd of'lI.M.H. Chnl- Icnfier (ISSG) ; .4 Monoyruph of the (Icnus Hatpa (ls;).'i); I'onndutions of Zoology (189S). BROOKS, William RonEnx (1844 — ). An American astronomer, born in .Maidstone (Kent), England. He received an academic education, became an ex|)ert meclianical draughtsman, and in 1881, with a telescope of liis own make, dis- covered his first comet. In 1874 he established, at Plielps, N. Y.. the Red House Observatory, where he continued his astronomic studies, and in 1888 was called to Geneva, N. Y., there to take charge of the Smith .Observatory. He became known largely tluough his di.scovery of comets, twenty-three being the number with which he is accredited, A frequent lecturer on astronomical topics, he has also given much time to photog- raphy of the heavens, lie was, in 1887, elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Societj' of Great Britain. BROOKS, William Thomas Harbaugh (1821-70). An -Vnierican soldier, born in New Lisbon, O. He graduated in 1841 at the United fcitatea Military .cadeniy; served in the Third Infantry during the Florida War, and on garri- son duty in 1843-44. During the Mexican War he fought at Palo .Vlto, Eesaca de la Palma, and Monterey, and was brevetted major for meritori- ous services. Subscfpieiitly he was on frontier dtity in New Mexico and Texas. Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War he was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers, and was promi- nent in the Virginia Peninsular, Maryland, and Rappahannock cani])aigns. In lSti3-04 he com- manded the Department of the Moiiongahcla, and in the latter year the Tenth Army Corps in the army o])erating against Richmond. Va. He re- signed with the rank of major ( Eighteenth In- fantry). BROOKS OF SHEF'FIELD, A fictitious character spoken of in Dickens's Darid Copper- field. David drinks confusion to him on a bach- elor boating party, held during Jlr. ilurdstone's courtship of David's mother; but he later dis- covers 'Brooks' to have been u name given to himself, BROOKS'S, brook'sez, A Whig club founded in London (17G4) by the Dukes of Portland and Roxborough, Its place of meeting was originally a sporting-house, the first ])r()prietor of which was Almack, and the second Brooks. Its present headquarters are 60 Saint .James Street, and it continues to preserve its political nature, BROOK'VILLE. A town and county-seat of Franklin County, Ind., about ().5 miles east by soutli of Indianapolis; on the White Water River, and on the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Saint Louis Railroad (Map: Indiana E 3). It has good water-power, and is chiefly a manu- facturing place with furniture-factories, brick- yards, and saw, paper, and flour mills. Popula- tion, in 1800, 2028; in 1000, 2037. BROOK'VILLE. A borough and county-seat of .Tcflerson County, Pa., 10.) miles northeast of Pittsburg, at the confluence of Red Bank Creek with other streams, and on the Allegbenj' Val- ley Railroad (Map: Pennsylvania, B 2), It manufactures extensively varimis products of lumber, and has also foundries. Ilour-mills, brew- eries, glass-works, furniturcfaetory, brick and tile works, etc. Population, in 1890, 2478; in 1000, 2472. BROOM (AS, hrom. Dutch brem, OHG. hramo; ef. bramble). A name given to a num- ber of species of shrubs of the closely allied gen- era Cytisus, Genista, and S])artiuni, of llic natu- ral order Lcguniinosip, svibordcr Paiiilionace*, all of them having long, slender branches, along which are produced axillar_- flowers. Common liroom, Cytisus scoparius, the specific name be- ing from the Latin scopce, long twigs, or a besom, was once made the type of a genus under the name of Snrothinnnus scoparius or eonimuni.i. It is a well-known native of Europe, introduced into the United States, growing in dry soils, and in May and .June ornamenting hedge-banks, hills, and bushy places with its large yellow flowers, which are on short stalks, drooping, solitary, but produced in considerable number along the straight, slender branchlets. The whole aspect of the plant is graceful. The lower leaves have three oblong leaflets; the upper ones, which are reduced to bracts, are simple. The branches are angular and of a very dark green; very tough and much in use for making besoms. The leaves
