7
son 5
t
'', T. r- !T w- , :
I- vfi AN AUTHORITATIVE HISTORY " c v
( -Inn GREAT NOItTT, J? I- OP-IIEJTRY BERRY
HIS
" HUSBAND WAS KIT T -"31ENT, WHOSE
HUSBAau WAS 1V1JLL.ED , BY Tm? . "
I'UUj .
(Republished by Permission.)
PART iy. ' ; .
Robert McKenzie, Esq. V
... iiirins: the month of : Febru-
11 1;,5 that they went to the house
Tj gentleman, and finding all the
A' .ieofi and securely fastened.
He, with his family seated
ce'd the fireside, gave no heed to
demands; whereupon they hurst
panel of the door and crowded
ugh int0 1116 room They acted
in the roughest manner,; going1
room to room, turning , up beds,
open
-.ran mattresses. DreaKine
bureaus and trunks,
Qg after the manner of Sher
. "FalHncr tn find mnnev
vlh was the object of theit. search,
of them seized Mr. . McKenzie,
$ orMind Ma hppV and
laced a ruyc " " -
Id tang him. He told them he had
fU They went out and consulted
J-!f Ms servants, returned, and in
maner renewed the search;
, furious
tailing
a before: herd anotner consul-
nco In the vard. came in I
.tnftwnu uvv , j
d searched more thoroughly ; with a
ftp result. imu w iv,-
Szie and told her if she did not
hAlr monev thev would
.to . m -
fcnohanrL and started out
hang iici ' -. - .
.
yarned and Deggea meiu to spare
5. nfp They told her then to tell
APta'vliere the silver was concealed:
. ,1 j.vm V QT7- Tiar. nnna .oil t n o
nvg tola uiein ciij
entreating . and pleading with
thpm. as only a wife can plead when
4-V.-. -- tttVi r. cs all . tT.-
t . . . . f- .t. 11.
-rld to her is ai siase. remaps it
annpnls that tiMirh-
as ner jsui"" - -
their stony hearts and caused them
tn deSlSt iroiu men iicuuiou iiu-iiuac
Thor too. had wives ana utue ones.
lv J- ;
it I is to be nopea mat, noiwiin
standing their many crimes, they were
not vholy lost to the influence of
iome affection. After releasing- Mr.
HcKenzie from custody they; took his
TatcL (a fine gold one) oisnes. Knives
fnrts. spoons, clothing bed-clothing
,a everything of value . that they
could carry. ; ;
TYhen the band became disorgan
ized from the killing of their leader,
the Federal prisoners who s belonged
to the band made their escape to their
Northern homes. On their way to Wil
mington one Of them wast conversing
with a lady on the train and acknowl
edged to her that he had been with
He robber gang in Robeson, county,
M as a proof - of . iU showed tne
watch of Mr. McKenzie, which he had
mMs possession. ', : : ; "
iien Lowrie lived in less than a
mile of Mr. McK., and continued to
annoy Mm in almost every way, possi
! He, robbing his smoke-house, gin, pan-
fry,, cutting, and spoiling his fruit
i trees, grape arbors,- &c- He finally
! moved, away from his plantation, and
tent to Florence, South Carolina,
there he continued . to , reside up to
Je time of his death, Jn. the fall of
1871 A brother of Mr. McKenzie took
; charge of his plantation " In Robeson
and fared but little better so .far, as
Jobberies were concerned. - They were
JWrag his hogs off one morning. He
flowed them.. They told him to go
back, but he refused. ' They, turned
and fired on him, wounding him in
the leg, which disabled him for some
time. He finally left the place, with
Mr. Phipkin in charge. They did not
trouble him so much, butte frequent-
met them around 'the; place and
tteywere several times at hi3 house,
tot offered no personal injury; At
one time H. B. Lowrie hung his can
teen of brandy on the fence and went
I. forgetting it He, however, re
tamed in a few days and found it" as
had left it, but being' very cautious,
and knowing he justly deserved' death
t the hands of the Robesonians, con
cluded that his brandy might possibly
drugged. Ha called .on Mr.. P. to !
a drink before he would touch it.
P. told him it was not poisoned un
she (H. B. L.) had done it. He told
he had not. He then drank some,
ftos setting the fears of the outlaw
at rest t.
Mr. Dugald McCallum.
Sometime in "EVhrnarv. 1 S65. the
of Mr. McCallum were very
""h startled by a band of armed
ia their dwelling, numbering
eighteen to twenty four white
ten. the balance mulattoes. - They
ed for supper, which was prepar
61 and set for them in the dining-
Before calling in all their band
? 8uPPer, those that were in the
lowered the curtains of the
ds, tucking them down at the
JJes i order te prevent the family
J8" seeing and recognizing the Low-
After eating their supper they
deeded tn oarTi tho different
as of the hQuse thoroughly-thrbw-Jj
the things from i the windows to
Party 0n the outside. Here they
Jed e ladies' wardrobe, an act
2 d emitted at any, of their pre
Js visits at other places. ' The
C 5 Mr. McCallum were at that
H the army, and he, a gray, head-
Illzen. the sole protector of his
tut two da-Shters. ' They took
Hap . g suns and seven -hundred
s in Confederate money, which
hTSt valueless ' being ' a short
Defore the surrender. A lot of
Hon
Wmk
t ASSOCIATES. BY MRS. tit a tv Mi1fAi'D
5
clothinsr. hprilit, . , '
b. v-ivcuius ana a purse of
booty on this occasion, -They had-a
quarrel over the silver in tL yard
before,, leaving. After their Jarch'
was completed, they prepared 0:
ho7nf galns by to the
borse4ot and harnessing two horses to
separate buggies, and removed the
things to some place of deposit and
continued their raid .by visiting the
house ;or Messrs. John McCallum and
Robert. Graham.
Mr. John McCallum.
They reached this place about-11
o clock. Mr. McCallum and his niece
were the only white persons on the
premises, and the first intimation they
had of the presence of this marauding
party was the report of a pistol on
the front jpiazza of their dwelling The
yard dog felt the effects of this, as he
was found dead the next morning in
the piazza. They called loudly to Mr.
McCallum to open the door, threaten
ing him in a rough manner; he very
reluctantly 1 admitted them,' s about
thirty in number, as near as he could
guess. They stationed a guard 'at
every, door, and the parlor, was crowd
ed with them. The white men told
Mr. McC. that they were escaped
Federal -prisoners, r They; would only
allow a : dim light, and when ' that
would chance to fall on their faces,
they - would immediately drop their
blankets over them.. They were very
profane, and showed no respect for
age or. sex. They, thoroughly searched
the house, upper and' lower story, emp
tied all the bureaus and. trunks, tak
ing every key on the place.They did
not leave a change of wearing ap
parel, and scarcely any bed-clothing.
UTwo guns and nearly everything else
of value that courd be carried off con
veniently, was taken. After they com
pleted .their search, a few of the party
went down to Mr. Robert Graham's,
taking a horse, and buggy," with one of
the negroes to drive it and the bal
ance remained there until their. return.
TheV came back before day and de
manded of Mr. McCallum his money
and.brandy. He told them that he did
not have any; whereupon, -they curs
ed and threatened to kill him if he did
not produce it'. ; They compelled him
to accompany them to his gin-house,
taking with" them a lighted candle to
search' in the , cotton fr it. They
would make- him dig down in the cot
ton, while they stood sticking the
burning candle to it. He begged them
not to f bum it, and kept trying to as
sure them that he had neither money
or brandy. The negro- boy who had
accompanied the party to Mr. Gra
ham's icld them that his master bad
something concealed in his gin-house,
and he thought it was -money and
brandy. For this reason they renewed
the search on their return. Meeting
with no success, and it then being
near daylight, they .took their depart
ure, - still . retaining the negro, horse
and buggy in their- service. The boy
returned In a few hours, but was too
much intoxicated to .tell v anything
about it. .'' ' ' - . --
Mr. John Purcell lived- about a-half
me from Mr. McCallum's, on their
direct route home, and in passing
there T. C. Bridgers was standing in
the piazza,' and they saluted him . by
firing a pistol into the house, the ball
passing just over his head.iThey never
at any time entered the dwelling of
Mr. Purcell, but his gin, store and
smoke-house were robbed several
times by the gang.: They were often
seen in the f day lurking around his
plantation. - Mr. P., in tne spring 01
1872, came upon Steve Lowrie i asleep
in the corner of the fence, with, his
gun standing a short distance from
him. This .was near tne, nouse ul a
family of mulattoes, who were Mr. Pur
cell's tenants. Steve, no doubt, was
waiting for his breakfast, as the fam
ily were known not only to cook and
wash for him, but: also to give iue
band all the information . they, could
gather. - They were near relatives of
the Strongs and Lowties. The same
day that Mr., Purcell saw Steve Low
rie, he, with Andrew Strong, went to
the house of Mr. Henry McCallum, a
r -Mr i Tnh- McCallum. and ' took
his gun and -watch. Mrs.. McCallum
asked them to give lrer the watch, and
they did it. . . - . '
' Thus for' years, they, continued to
roam the country, day and night, plun
dering, dropping , in here and tiiere
when least expected. The citi2ens
were afraid to let more than one or
two at a timointo,a plan to capture
them;-the friends of the gang were
n - numerous. - scattered ., throughout
the country; that it was impossible to
make a move without their becoming
apprised of it. Theirfriends were as
loud in denunciation of tb.em as their
enemies;, for: this reason it was im
possible in niany cases to; discover; be
tween the ; two. ; h$&
Mr. Robert Graham. ;
When the party, fifteen or twenty
in number, which left Mr. McCallum's
for Mr. Graham's; reached there it was
between twelve- and f pur . o'clock In
the morning. They immediately post
ed sentinels . in and . around the, yard,
and on every road - leading ' to ' the
house, With" instructions" to allow no
one to pass in; out, 6r advance from
any direction. These warlike orders
were issued and; obeyedwith prompt
ness. Some of the band three whites,
the other mulattoes rushed into "the
piazza of the dwelling, and -with loud
oaths and threats, demanded admit
ance. None of the family were , at
home ; except Mr. Graham ,;. and V his
daughter, v He ' went to the' door A- A
asked who-it was and what they want-
cu... iuey replied with p-horrid oaths
for. him to open the door, saying if
he- didnot .they would" set fife" to his
house. Hearing.this awful threat, he
opened . the door;' they went in, at
once making him 'prisoner, at the same
time demanding nis gunsranimunltion;
and every key on the place. This de
mand ..was made by a white man; who
termed himself Captain. After getting
the guns and keys in possession, "they
lighted their candles, with which they
seemed well supplied; and proceeded
to plunder and ransack the house of
many valuables. In this they seemed
to be ;well disciplined, as ; they would
take according to 5 rank, viz : : Captain,
first of the most valuable-a
so on. The three white men" being all
officers, had the best of the spoils, con
sisting of money to the amount of two
thousand dollars,' a purse of silver, a
watch which Mr. Graham" prized very
highly, having worn it from boyhood,
several pieces of jewelry belonging to
different members of the family, and
also the rings from Miss Graham's
fingers. The privates all being -well
supplied - with large bags arid haver
sacks; took wearing apparel of every
description, bed-clothing; boots, shoes,
hats, etc. After they had completed
their search they ordered supper to
be prepared immediately, with direc
tions how and what to prepare; they
then ordered Mr. Graham - and his
daughter to take seats in the .parlor
for their entertainment. ; None were
aHowed to enter except: the officers,
the privates being'left out in the cold,
who, by the way, seemed highly elat
ed over the spoils they had captured.
After some time spent in asking Mr.
Graham (the old man, as they called
him) many questions about his sons
in the army, war matters and the
"rebs"; generally, they told him that
he or his daughter had. to go;with them
as prisoners of war. This they posi
tively refused to' hear, when some of
the -officers proposed to take them by
force, and put, a handkerchief around
Miss Graham's neck for this purpose,
when the Captain, With a military air,
brdered that, no" violence should be
used. ' To this they quietly . yielded.
Finding that their s time (night) was
limited, they issued orders to prepare
to ; leave, not waiting for supper, as
they.: had countermanded their orders
to have it prepared.. This was sup-
.v.- L x
Bumc ul uie aei vituus wuum reuuguizu
their colored soldiery, which was after
wards found to be true. v'
On leaving they went to the smoke
house and helped themselves to the
largest bacon hams they could find.
Here the captain again Interfered, say
ing :"Boysr we have done enough bre,
let.'las .go." 'They look one 0 two,
hams, and said they would be back in
a few nights for a large supply -of
bacon and corn. They made ready to
leave, which was to Mr. Graham the
most agreeable- part of their ; nights
proceedings. In bidding them good
night, the Captain handed Mr. Graham
one of his guns, first discharging" it,
then breaking the rammer and throw
ing the flint away, saying: ."Take this;
old man, it -will' do to shoot the rob
bers with; they are becoming very
troublesome these war times, and
everybody should be prepared for
them." After his piece of advice, they
left for headquarters, then In the Back
Swamp. ;. 1:7; 1': :
: Calvin Oxendine.
On evidence of John Dial, a member
of , the robber clan,, but who turned
State's evidence against the clan, Cal
vin Oxendine was arrested and lodged
in Wilmington jail with Sf eve Lowrie
and GeorgeApplewhite, as one of their
number, at the time of the robbery
and murder of ex-Sheriff King. Calvin
refused to leave jail with them at the
time of their escape, alleging after
wards as his reason, that he was In
nocent and would be proven so on
trial. He being cousin to the outlaws,
did not believe that he could get a
fair trial in Robeson, his native coun
ty; where all their bloody, scenes were
enacted ; " it was therefore removed to
Smithville, in Brunswick county, where
he proved an alibi by a gentleman
from Richmond 'county, in whose em
ploy he had been, and was at the time
of the said robbery and murder. He
also proved by the same gentleman so
good a character for; honest industry,
that the evidence of the notorious Dial
was discredited by the jury, and con
sequently a verdict of "not guilty'
was rendered, and he was acquitted.
He was brother to Henderson Oxen
dine,' the only outlaw that died on the
gallows. :
Mr. Daniel, Baker Shot. .
On November 18th, 1866 (Monday
night) the Lowrie Bandits visited the
house of Mr. Daniel Baker who resides
about two miles from the Red Banks
Bridge acros Lumber river. Here they
commenceoT plundering, taking cotton
from, his cotton house, etc. Mr. Baker
discovering them, ordered them away,
whereupon they fired on him; shatter
ing the bones in his right leg so terri
bly that amputation had to be resorted
to in order to save his life, which was
successfully: accomplished soon after
the occurrence by Dr. W. D. McCallum,
the family physician. Now this act
of the Lowrie : bandits was nothing
more nor less than wanton cruelty;
inasmuch as .Mr.-?BakerPwa-s----tnefr
neighbor and friend. x. Axmore Indus-,
r'
trious, hard-workingr, clever f- and kind"-
hearted man could not be found in the
county .than was Mr. Daniel Baker,
yet ; this : act Of " the" Irrle bandits a
made; him '. cripple ,ior; life, ahd hair
tailed doubtless his"" earthiy: career; ;
for he suffered much pain ever after
wards until death-released him from
his t sufferings. , -' .V"';i---:;;-:
, Mr. Angus' S. Baker. :
' On ;th
Lowrie robbers went to the: residence
of Mr. Angus I S. ' Baker, broke into
his. housec about 9 o'clock P.; JVf.i. ar
rested "Mr. Baker and? wife ;iand fan
sacked the" house, taking beds, bed
ding, blankets and wearing apparel, in
short, everything of value they could
find, and left about 2 o'clock A. M.,
with their plunder for.'Scuffietown. r
: Mr Malloy McPha'ul. i C:'
In the-year 1868, the robber clan
would sometimes employ artifice to
gain" access into dwellings to obtain
such articles of food or clothing as
they deemed necessary. As an in-
stance of their cunning, I give the fol
lowing partlculara of a visit by them
to Mr. McPhauls: A white man, ap
pearing to be a traveler, called at his
house " ; and told him , he was from,
"Whitesville " (the county-seat of: an ad
joining county, where a. brotiier of
Mr. McPhaul resided) that his brother
was at the point of death and desired
him to go down immediately if he wish
ed .to r see him alive. Mr. McPhaul
made arrangements to take the first
train: arriving at his brother's, what
was his surprise at finding him "in ex
cellent health; he at once imderstood
the ruse that had been employed .at
his expense; with a mind filled with
dread forebodings and distracting fear,
not knowing to what indignity his fam
ily had been subjected, hastened back
home. . Hej was, however, inuch re
lieved to Arid them unhurt, although
the robbers had s been there in his
absence. After he was fairly on his
way to his brother's, a party of three
men went to his house and. demanded
the keys of the smoke house of his
wife; which she refused to give them,
but offered to. unlock the door for them
to which they consented. They took
bacon and other articles of food, then
left without further molestation.
The Murder of Ex-Sheriff Reuben King
On the night of the 23rd cf January,
1869, the quietVlittle village of . Lum
into consternation by the startling in
telligence that Sheriff Reuben King
berton, in Robeson county, was thrown,
had been shot in. his own house (one
and a-half miles from Lumberton) by
the Lowrie gang, afterwards known as
the outlaws. The gang at this time
was composed of Stephen, Thomas and
Henry Berry Lowrie, Andrew and Boss
Strong, George Applewhite, Shoemak
'.--t 1-
and - Calvin Oxendine, Zack McLaugh
lin and John Dial.
They had been concealed near the
house all day, watching for Sheriff
King. Late in the afternoon King re-
turned from the village, and .while
seated jat his fireside, part of the band
entered. bls house with- the intention
it is supposed), of robbing the Sheriff,
Henry Berry, who led the van, ap-
proached him with his gun presented,
and demanded of the Sheriff hi
money. Had he complied with the
bandit's demand, his life would prob-
ably have been spared; but King in-
stantly sprang up and seized the gun
of the robber chief and refused to give
up his money. It has been admitted
that the intention of thegang was
merely to get money, and not to kill
the Sheriff. The Impression was that
he trad a large amount of money on
his person or in his house, but they
were sdly disappointed, as will be
shown hereafter. V
In the . scuffle that flUid between
tne roDDer caieicam ana me onenu,
the gun -was discharged, th contents
passing through the floor. George Ap-
pie white; who was at the time stand-
ing on the piazza, near the door, rush-
ed to the rescue of his comrade by
firing a navy revolver at King, the
ball taking effect in his back; under
the right shoulder blade, lodging m
the lung. Mr. S. E. Ward, a neighbor,
was: on a visit to the family-for the
night, and at the time tne snooting
occurred was sitting by the fire near
a table. He arose from his seat and
raised his arm, when John Dial fired
at him, the load' of ahot taking effect
in his arm and side, inflicting a very
painf ul, though not dangerous wound.
They then proceeded to search the
house, breaking open trunks, drawers,
etc., carrying off a large quantity of gioom around many a hearthstone in
wearing apparel, bed-clothing and oth- a iarge portion of Robeson. -er
articles many of which were after- Mr. Mi K. Griffin,
wards found in George "Applewhite's ; - ...
house and IdUfied af those taken tte JJSSS! 5
night of the wounding of the Sheriff.
Some of the bed clothing was produced
. . 7 . ...
as evidence in tne suDsequenx inai 01
the parties for the murder of Sheriff
King; and indeed was one of the
Mfnto fh rtp riAU iMinst
them. The robbers had disguised them-
selves i by blacking their faces, etc
n rtnnnH- npri tortinn hv
the family or Mr. W. Taking advant-
age of the confusion and fright their
appearance- and outrages had occasion
ed, they made well their' escape.
Physicians were immediately sum
moned, who carefully examined the
wouncled men; and .pronounced Mr.
Ward's case -not at an serfoirs, but not
sn sHfii toHTHft tfcadlV wean-
on in the hands of the fell assassin had
made sure its aim and entered' a itai
part: -The wounds of the sheriff were
found to be mortal. With blanched would, see him again, if he .did not
cheeks : and agonized! hearts, relatives, Jhtfe of Mr- Griffin was so badly
and friends received this decision of "iptened that she hap never recover
the physicians. The fiat had gone ed'fromthe effects of it-, . 7
forth Sheriff King must dle fie would P
live a month, perhaps" six weeks. He
Ling5;r.ed t eVtn ?ee? and ?sucb5a
r-iieath! by the hands of a bandlof des
peradoes, in : the midst of his family,
and at his own hearth. Ah! methinks
if thereIs punishment greater inetedto
one than .another-, l it - wiL. certainly be
inflicted on r those midnight assassins
who committed crimes of the blackest
dye. v jr-. :r:-: -i - ,
Every effort was "made to 'capture
the. murderers, but without -success.'
The dense swamps of Robeson county
(impenetrable to all save the outlaws)
afforded them protection from justice
for some -time. After a while, how
ever, Henry Berry Lowrie was prevail--ed
upon to surrender to Sheriff -Howell
and Dr., Thomas Agent of theFreed
men's Bureau.- John Dial was arrested
by Deputy Sheriff ) McDonald. .George
Applewhite was ' arrested" at , Red
Banks; Shoemaker John was also ar
rested, and Dial became State's evi
dence in the murder of ex-Sheriff King.
Stephen Lowrie; Calvin and Henderson
Oxendine were also arrested andcon-,
fined in Wilmington jail, tried, convict
ed and sentenced to be hanged; but
an : appeal was taken to the Supreme
Court. As is , often the case,before
the' decision of said appeal; Henry Ber
ry and Steve Lowrie, George Apple
white, Henderson and Calvin Oxen
dine, effected an escape from Jail and
took iip their abode, in the swamps of
Robeson county thence arose the
band of - outlaws Their escape from
the Wilmington jail is, and ever will
remain, enveloped in mystery to those
outside of the parties who aided and
abb etted them. The jail, it must be reT
membered,- was a very ' strong one,
closely-guarded, and the jailer resid
ing within its ; walls, though : this is
only one of the many mysteries con
nected - with the proceedings, of the
"Lowrie Band." -: ' - ' -: ; A -,
After Sheriff vKiifg was 'wounded he
removed his money from his pocket,
placing it under the collar of his coat,
to prevent the robbers from getting it.
He was detected in the act by one of
the robbers, and they suceeded. in get
ting about $155 in currency and $20
in gold. At the time they were search
ing the house,, the Sheriff was lying in
the door, beseeching some one" to give
him water. The family had left" the
premises through fright, andoiot one of
that merciless band would gratify his
request, but heaped curses and abuses
on him, telling him he ought to have
died -long ago, &c. . ,v , ; ;
Mr. David McKellar. . : " '
In May, 1869 the robber clan visited
the house of Mr. McKellar, in his ab
sence, and took threee hundred and
fifty ($350) dollars and some, cloth
ing. .
' Henry Bullock, 6r.
In May, 1869, early in the evening,
Mr. Bullock was suprised by, several
nien disguised as negroes coming into
his field where he was superintending
his farm hands. He was an aged veter-
an 0f the war of 1812, and though he
was ninety-five years of age at tht?
time of their visit; was able to attend
t0 his farm; One of the" clan walked
up, to the old man, and notwlthstand-
rag his age and feebleness, jerked him
around, ordering him to go to the
houiSe and give them his money. He
told, them he had1 no money, but could
to the house with them On' their
way they had to cross a fence; they
did not allow the decrepit old man
time to get over the fence, but pushed
him over. When, they got to the
house they ordered the" old gentleman
and his wife to go in and left his
laborers- -under guard in the yard,
They arrested all who chanced to pass
the house while -they "were there, and
kept them, under guard until they
left In their search they" found thirty
(30) in specie " belonging to Mrs.
Bullock, which they appropriated.
They 'carried Off all bia .valuable pap-
ers, clothing, edGldthiflg and provi-
si0ns to a large amoUdt, They found
a jug of brandy iff the hotfse,- and be-;
fore they would drink any theniselves,
comnelled the old lady to drink a
giagS 0f it pure. They no doubt
thought it was drugged, and used this
precaution to ascertain. -They cursed
the old people in a shocking manner.
yu reader, can picture in your own
imagination, after reading this one
short sketch, the character of the gang
wfth whom the people of Robesori had
t6 contehd. Age and decrepitude
could claim no mercy at their hands,
but regardless of all reckless "of all
save their own "inordinate love of pliin-
der, they rose up; sometimes in one
Diace to-day. ten miles hence to-mor-
row casting a shadow, throwing
T B "--'a .V
www 6. - "
Mrtnhio - harrplAd arns. Thev rushed in-
. - - - -
to the yardwith guns presented, and
took Mr. Griffin prisoner at once de-
manding his money, cursing and us-
abusive language, towards him.
There were only three at his house;
they searched his person, placed one
K their number to guard him, -while
Lthe othertwo proceeded to search the
house. They took all of his and his
wife's most valuable clothing and his
gun ; they ; afterwards threw the , gun
into -' the garden and left it. - - They
inquired of Mr. G., about his 'neigh-
bosJ ;the number "of men about the
different houses, theiratrengh of arms,
&cv When they started off they turned
t0- Mrv v- with an oath, and told him
t0 say at home at night, or they
'Mr. George Williams. -
In the year A. D 1869," the TObber
gang went to Mr. Geo.' Williams' and
.broke ardoor;down? that" was on the
front side -.'of.-tile house, c
yone of his sons, but did not hit him.
The "family fled," "and left the house
J-and. ,its contents in : their -possession; -'
they however ftook "nothing off. . The
firing at young Mr.: Williams seemed
to have been merely -venting their ire
on ; account of some old grudge.
, Mr.2 William C. McNeil." T ;
uAmong the many families harassed, ,
by the "Lowrie Band" there were few '
that suffered to the same extent as Mr.
W.. C. 'McNeil, one of. Robeson's most:
quiet, inoffensive and law-abiding citi
zens. Living as he- did: on the : very -borders
of - their' settlements he was
more, frequently subjected totheirr in-
suits and depredations .thanr- thoe
more distant, and being alsV a well-to- .
do farmer, his 'larder and farinyard
possessed ; for them great-"attractfons.
Mr. McNeil had -also "incurred their
marked displeasure by. freely express
inghis Opinion and - treating with . the
utmost contempt this band and all that
he knew to be itsriends.-. ; ,
l Their first jrisit to his house was in
1869, at which' time they entered his
nanfrv nnd-"fHTifns'-rrnTTi rpHavititr them - -
of all available, articles, and eatables,
which -was' to' Mr. McNeill . and family .
a considerable loss; this act of law- -lessness
supplied v their homes with. '
many useful articles "and: themselves
with many - necessaries and luxuries. "
Iff the early part of ,1870 they again,
eritlred his : dining-room, (which had
been refurnished) stripped itas before -of
every available article. On this visit
they attempted an entrance to his ;
smoke-house by "digging underneath it .
and trying to open it with falsekey3, -(having
a goodly number of them) but
failing to affect- an entrance here
they quietly left, no doubt to attempt '
it somewhere else. ' " --
; One night in 172, Mr. McNeil was
out walking . in his lane; hearing foot-'
steps r in: -the direction of his barn,
and suspecting who they were; he hast- ,
ily concealed himselj in order' to learn
their "intentions; he had not long to
wait; immediately one man, walked to"
the barn and endeavored to 6pen .lt;
Mr. McNeil called out twice to know;-
wno tney were ; receiving no answer i
he told them , if they' did not leave he... :
would forq them to; one answered
"do you know to whom jou are talk
ing?" Recognizing the voice he made
no reply, but returned to the house, ;
took his gun and again went out; they
in'the meantime had left the barn an$
repaired to a corner of the fence ,
nearer the house; as , Mr. McNeill
walked out they haked him? he again:"
asked "who are you?"- one wjith an
oath cried out, uh is Lowrie." '
Mr. McNeill at once commenced re
tracing hi3 steps into the- house when
they fired at him; the contents' of the;
gun passed hini,' lodging in the breast v.
of his beautiful daughter and accom
plished wife, inflicting painful though
not dangerous wounds. Mrs. McNeill
and her daughter were "Standing; oq..
the piazza anxiously v watching the hus
band and father when the shot was
fired. On the following day, Henry,
Berry-Lowrie visited Moss Neck, a de
pot "on the Carolina Central Railway
and within a few hundred yards of Mr.
McNeill's residence; he denied all
knowledge of the shooting, and ex
pressed great indignation at the guilty
parties for having shot two ladies; he '
sent for Mr; McNeill 'to go to the de
pot, ne wamea to ten nim-tnat ne aia
not do it, but he (Mr, McNeil) refused
to see or to have anything whatever to
say to mm.
On the next day he. again visited
Moss Neck and' was under, the in- v
fluence of liquor; he seemed to be ex- '
cited, and several times asserted that
he did shoot at Mr. McNeill and .tried
Bis best to kill' him.
: Their visits to this family did hot
yet cease; frequently they made raids
on their fowl-house,, helping ; them
selves lavishly to all it contained. On V'
their return from one of - those raids;
they called at Mr. Dugald McCormick'i sV
passing themselves for. a squad of men s
in search of the outlaws, and request
ed.him to accompany them; he not be
ing satisfied as to their identity made ,
some excuse to remain at home; they
then gave him a bucket demanding
some : flour;, he gave thern some and. "
they went : off making no other de-: :
mand-3. , " - . - : '
The Murder of Mr. O. C. Norment..
On the night of the 19th. of March,
w " A 7 J UjiyUJi, JM.IV -
Norment was shot in his yard, only '
a few feet from the door. The party
who committed this deed had station--ed
themselves at each corner of the
house,; arid had entered the' yard by
taiung aown the palings of the, en
closure, just large enough' for. one man '
w wawi uirougn at a time. i sup.
pose the family would have heard the
noise , of -the drawing out of the pal- v
mgs, bad- jt not been for the - noise
of the children f rollicking with, their
fatliot- o ' '. m '2. '
, - ! .1.1 . . .
seemed . to favor thp-n rm- two -
casiom x With; the laughter W ' inno- '
cence ringing in their ears, thev took-
their positionto. committ. the deed so
horrible to relate. . 4 Mr. Norment was
in the habit of putting his .children to
aieey uy teiiing- tttem little nurserv
stories, and took them to the bed-near
est thev murderer ;for this
little, thinking so soon his home would'
be made desolate, - and the lace desp-
crated, yet made memorable tn m-
stricken family: by the life-blood of the
husband , and, . the father; The fiend
who sod there; and listened to' the'
er J-an? inncent ppattte.
Of his llttic-onesitV the. dark pur-8 .
S??'5 i3 C' f":iHs from them,:
their kind and lovi 'ither in so cruel
a manner must.hr-. had a heart of
Continued bn-JPage'Ten.