Poge 6, The Corolino Indion Voice
The Life and Times of
Henry Berry Lowry
This is the final testimony
given by Andrew Strong at the
October Term of Superior
Court in Robeson County 1870.
This was a preliminary hearing
trying John Taylor for acces
sory before the fact of the
murder of Malcolm Sanderson
Q. Cross examined by the
defendant state whether or not
on the week that these matters
occurred to which you have
deposed, it was reported that
Angus Leitch was robbed by a
band of out laws and robbers,
and on the same day Mrs.
McKay a neighbor of his was
also robbed by the same gang
of desperadoes, she being a
widow lady unprotected.
A. Yes. Sir.
Q. Who constituted this band
of robbers?
A. I don’t know sir, 1 have
heard who they were.
Q. Who do you understand
them to be?
A. As 1 hear them say, its
Henry Berry Lowry, Stephen
Lowry, Boss Strong, George
Applewhite and Henderson
Oxendine. This is what I hear
people say.
Q. What relation are you to
Henry B. Lowry?
A. Henry B. Lowry is my
brother in law.
Q. What relation are you to
Boss Strong?
A. He is my brother, said to
Q. Are you related to Stephen
Lowrv? If so, how?
A. No sir, my mother was a
Lowry, but she was related to
H.B. Lowry’s father, I am not
aware of it.
Q. Did the citizens collect
together and pursue the rob
bers?
A. I don’t know anything about
Q. How far do you live from
those robbers?
K. FtoTO each ot the Lowry’s I
live about the same distance,
being five mi/es, Boss Strong
lived it is said with his sister
the wife of H.B. Lowry, I live
at a distance of three miles
from Applewhite’s house, and
about four miles from where
Henderson Oxendine lives, at
his father’s.
Q. State whether or not the
pursuing party overtook the
robbers that week near George
Applewhite’s house and if the
robbers did not fire into them
and kill Steven Davis?
A. That is something I do not
know, I would be as ready as
anyone to answer it if I Imew
anything about it.
Q. Have you seen either your
brothers Boss Strong or your
brother-in-law Henry B. Lowry
since Davis was killed?
A. No, I have not.
Q. How long before that time
was it you saw H.B. Lowry,
Stephen Lowry, Boss Strong,
George Applewhite or Hen
derson Oxendine?
A. I have seen George Apple-
white and Henderson Uxen-
dine last when they left the jail
in Lumberton to go to Wil
mington last^March. 1 saw
Stephen Lowry at the same
time last. I saw some two or
three men pass about three
hundred yards firom where I
was dripping boxes in July last
and it seCmed to me Henry B.
Lowry and Boss Strong were
among them, 1 thought they
were the men.
Q. Who was dripping boxes
with you at the time?
Q. How long before July last
was it since you saw these
before?
A. Last August was a year ago
on Saturday before the Mon
day which 1 surrendered my
self to Col. Sinclair. Henry B.
Lowrv and Boss Strong were
together on the bank of the
creek, and no other person was
with them.
Q. Have you had any con
versation with either of them
since last August was a year
ago (H.B. Lowry Sc B. Strong)?
A. No, Sir.
Q. Have you ever seen either
of them at Harper's Ferry, if
so when?
Q. Have not those robbers
been accused of numerous acts
of murder in the county?
A. Yes they have.
Q. Was it not a long time
currently reported that you
were yourself acting with
those robbers in their acts of
robbery and murder?
A. It was so reported before I
came in and surrendered
myself to the law.
A. The men who had us
arrested the crowd.
Q. Which one of the crowd?
A. I can’t tell.
Q. In your answer that the
crowd who arrested you killed
Mticoim Sanderson do you
base your judgement from the
circumstances under which
you last saw him or fiom your
own observation as a fact?
A. I base my judgement upon
the circumstances under which
I saw him last and what 1
heard then but I never saw any
one kill him.
Q. Can you on your oath as a
matter of fact state at what
time he was killed?
Q. Had you been concealing
yourself before that time?
Q. With whom did you stay
while concealing yourself from
the officers of the law?
A. With nobody at all.
Q. Were Henry B. Lowry &
Boss Strong concealing them
selves at the same time that
you were?
A. Yes, Sir, they were.
Q. How did you come to
surrender yourself and who
advised you to do so?
A. I had determined to live in
peace and was advised to
surrender myself by William
Gibson. James Roberts, An
gus Baker and Col. Sinclair.
0. Were you outlawed at the
time you surrendered?
A. It was said to be.
Q. Was this William Gibson
with whom you conferred
about surrendering yourself
acting as Deputy Sheriff at
that time?
A. No. Sir.
Q. Did you attempt to assist to
arrest those robbers or either
of them?
A. I did not, I never was asked
to do so.
Q. Did you ever hear the
defendant John Taylor counsel
command or procure the mur
der of Malcolm Sanderson.
A. I did.
Q. Have you had conversation
with any one about this
question shice Court adjourn
ed on yesterday? - '
A. No more than we had here
about it yesterday when you
were aH talking about it.
Q. What were the words used
by the defendant and to whom
were they uttered in relation to
the murder of Malcolm San
derson?
The words that he used to the
captain.
A. It is a hard question to
answer, Mr. Taylor seemed to
rule the crowd, he was talking
to the men who had us in
custody at some distance from
where 1 was so that I could not
understand what they were
talking about, 1 could hear talk
about robbery and murdering,
but 1 never as I could hear
think he said Malcolm San
derson and me particularly, he
said that the colored people
had run Peacock off and th^ir
determination was to run him
off too, and 1 understood that
both Malcolm Sanderson and
myself were included among
the colored people that he
spoke of.
Q. Did the defendant say
colored people or robbers had
run Peacock off?
A. He never said robbers.
Q. What were the precise
words used by Mr. Taylor In
designating the partiet that
ran Mr. Peacock away?
A. They (making a motion with
both his hands as including all
the people of the settlement).
Q. Do yon then upon reflec
tion say upon your oath that
you did not yourself with your
own ears hear the defendant
advise any one to kill Malcolm
Sanderson?
A. That question I can’t
answer rightly because these
men seemed to notice Mr.
Taylor’s Calk because they
would come to me and Mal
colm Sanderson and make
threats to us of what they were
going to do to us but I never
heard him advising the men to
murder me or Malcolm San
derson.
Q. Did you ever hear the
defendant accuse Malcolm
Sanderson of robbery, burning
or any other crime?
A. No Sir.
Q. Were not the defendant and
Malcolm Sanderson on friend
ly terms?
A. I do not know.
Q. Who killed Malcolm San
derson?
Andrew Strong dismissed."
The transcript speaks for
itself. The • truth lies within
Andrew Strong’s testimony.
Sufficient evidence was found
to hold John Taylor for the
murder of "Make" Sander
son. The Reverend James
Sinclair ruled that Taylor be
held without bond in the
Lumberton jail to await the
next session of Superior Court
in Robeson County at which
time he would be charged for
accessory before the murder of
Malcolm Sanderson.
What lies in store for John
Taylor? Henry Berry Lowry
vows to kill him if the courts do
not take proper action.
To be continued next week.
Water
Planning
Urged
OXFORD - Lt.
Gov, Jim Hunt called
Wednesday for state plan
ning and action to mert its
water needs.
Speaking at a ground
breaking for a CertainTeed
Corp. plant in Granville
(^nty, Hunt said the slate
has no idea of its water
needs and no plan for
meeting those needs.
“Our cities—like Raleigh
and Chapel Hill and Greens
boro— are left to shift for
themselves, to go begging to
other cities or to the federal
government for help,” Hunt
said.
He said the state cannot
afford to continue to have
water shortages because
they hamper economic de
velopment.
“We’ve got to face the fact
that North Carolina is
failing in this area,” he said.
Hunt called for establish
ing a strong water resources
development program in
state government to deter
mine the stale’s needs and
to develop a plan for meet
ing them.
"And then we must aggres
sively seek out the federal
assistance that will enable
us to obtain the water we
need.” he asserted.
Thursdoy, September 9, 1976
Pembroke Senior High Spruced Up and Exploring new ideas
‘ Lyceum
Series
underway
atPSU
A. I cannot.
Q. Have you good reasons to
believe that Malcolm Sander
son was not kilted at the time
and place where and when you
made your escape from the
crowd?
A. I have.
Q. Can you state upon oath
that there were no other
persons present with you that
night who had not at some
time or other been robbed by
the robbers besides the defen
dant?
A. I don’t know whether there
was or not.
Examination in chief resumed
Q. When you got to the place
where you understood both
yourself and Malcolm San
derson were to be shot did you
recognize any of the party who
were detailed to do the shoot
ing and if so state the name of
the party?
A. Sandy McNeill was one.
Q. Is Sandy McNeill any
connection of Mr. Taylor and
if so state the connection?
A. Sandy McNeill Is a brother-
in-law of Mr. Taylor, so said to
be.
Q. Is this the Sandy McNeill or
person whom you said in
another part oi this examina
tion held a private interview
with Mr. Taylor on the
bannister of W.C. McNeill’s
house before you were led into
the bay?
A. He is.
Hit
Aadtuw “X” Stnag
Mark
secretay, Mrs. Peggy Locklear
his assistant principals, “Pete
Clark, Fred Lowry and, above
all else, he praised the student
body at PSHS. “The pupils at
PSHS care about what hap
pens at Pembroke.’’
Exciting things are hap
pening at Pembroke, New
horizonss are being reached in
education. He lauded Col.
Zandiotis and his Junior
ROTC. “Why,” said Dr.
Thompson, “he has involved
more than 120 students (male
and female) in our Jr. ROTC.
His Drum and Bugle Corps is
developing into a real show
piece. They recently presented
the colors at the ground
breaking for the new housing
units for the Town of Pem
broke.”
For the first time in the
history of the school, WJSK
Radio is presenting the games
of PSHS to their listening
audience this year.
AND A DREAM NOT
YET REALIZED—
A special dream of Dr.
Vernon R. Thompson is to
build a first class fieldhouse at
Pembroke Senior High without
tax money. “We want to build
it as a labor of love. We are
approaching a beginning date.
If everything works out and we
The first of six Lyceum
Series attractions this year at
PSU was held Tuesday on
campus.
The National Theatre Com
pany presented “Catch a
Rising Star," a presentation of
comedy routines, songs and
impressions, in the Perform
ing Arts Center.
Other attractions planned
for this year include the
Danish Gymnastics Team on
September 13, the Pickwick
Puppet Theatre presenting
“Arabian Nights” on October
26, the Paul Price Percussion
Ensemble on November 16,
George M. Cohan’s “The
Tavern”on January 27, and the
National Opera Company pre
senting an opretta on Feb. 8.
For more information, call
521-4214.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This Is the
first in a series of four articles
highlighting the four tradi
tional Indian high schools in
the Robeson County School
Unit, including Pembroke Se
nior High fthe subject of this
week’s article], Prospect,
Magnolia and Fairgrove.
The first thing one notices
about Pembroke Senior High
School is the immacuiate
grounds. Principal Dr. Vernon
Ray Thompson has a thing
about cleanliness and insists
that the grounds, buildings
and appearance of Pembroke
Senior High School be spot
less. Since Thompson became
principal two years ago. shrub
bery has been planted, smok-
ingareashave been marked off,
and the one thing immediately
noticable by onlookers is, as
one Pembroke townsman put
it, “the cleanest school in
town, or the county for that
matter...”
Dr. Thompson gives Waltz
Locklear and his CETA crew
the majority of the praise for
the new look at Pembroke.
Said Dr. Thompson, “They
care about what they are
doing. They have pride in their
their work. They are an
example of the usefulness of
the CETA program. They have
made a world of difference at
Pembroke Senior High.”
Dr. Thompson also has a
theory about symbolism, the
look of a school: “A clean and
landscaped campus creates
pride -in the faculty and the
student body. You just feel
better when you are spruced
up, dressedup, and primed up
for a busy day.”
ORGANIZATION AND
DISCIPLINE KEYS TO
LEARNING
Dr. Thompson also stres
ses discipline and organization
at Pembroke: “I believe there
is a role for everyone to play.
The key to success is to define
the role of the individual and
give them the-responsibility of
that role. And discipline is the
medium to getting the job
done, wheifrer it is in the role
of a student, faculty or parent.
Discipline is essential to the
learning process.”
INNOVATIVE IDEAS
There are approximatley
800 students enrolled at Pem
broke Senior High. There are
forty-three fteuhy members.
Dr. Thompsoa praises his
faculty profustly. Said Dr. ;
Thompson, "1 brieve we have ff
the best faculty iin the county
school unit, bdtteg things
are happening, look
around you...”
He mentioned soitie of his
faculty by name... Mrs. Clara