II IS is a story as thrilling ns ever
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nd which terr
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It tells of an era when
the very courthouse itself was
robbed ; when the jails no louder
could hold their prisoners; when
Judges from the IhmicIi commended
the slaving of the outlaws.
Lowrie’s Ancestors
Henry Kerry Low rip was as famous
an outlaw during the era of recoil,
si met ion as was Edward Teach, the
pirate, during the Colonial period.
Ilis .ancestor. James Lowrie. moved
from Franklin to Rolieson County in
ITti'.i. and. with his half-hrccd Tusea-
rora wife, took up a residence on the
l/*wrie swamp. He had three sons:
William. Thomas, and James. Wil¬
liam fought in tile Revolution under
the command of Col. Thomas Rohe-
son (in whose honor Robeson County
was named) and received a severe
sabre wound, in consideration of
which he later received a pension
trom the Federal government. This
William had a son named Allen,
who married Polly Cuniha, a woman
of Portuguese extract ion. and they
raised u large family of which four
became members of the fatuous gang
of outlaws; WILLIAM. STEPHEN.
THOMAS, and above all HEN II V
ME IHIY LOWRIE leader and
captain of the hand.
It will be seen that the blood of
strange races coursed through the
veins of the Lowries. Outlaw though
he became, Henry Kerry had certain
•„’•««I qualities for which due credit
should be given: Ilis word, once
passed, was his bond ; he never of¬
fered an insult to a white woman
although they were at his mercy; he
never tired the buildings of any man.
In addition to the Lowries there were
other members com . led with them
by blood or marriage. There were a
few not related to them in any way.
What caused the Lowries to em¬
bark upon their bloodthirsty and
lawless carver In lStil the flower of
Kobrson manhood was in the Confed¬
erate service, those left at borne being
the "Home Guard." consisting of
men too old for the regular army.
Certain robberies and other crimes
to
The
Lowrie
Gang
\o more desperate gang
of erimiaal.s ever existed
in North Carolina, and
for a deeade lliey ter¬
rorized I lie people of the
Slat e and eoniniitled
crimes of murder, theft,
and arson.
By
И.
C . LAWRENCE
had been committed in Robeson and
a search of the home of ALLEN
LOWRIE disclosed a quantity of the
stolen property. A court martial was
held by the "Home (luard." Allen
and his son William were found
guilty, sentenced to death, ami were
then and there shot. The spirit of
revenge, engendered by this execu¬
tion. intiaincd the heart of Henry
Kerry and is believed to lie the cause
of the reign of terror which fol¬
lowed.
Rendezvous at Harper’s Ferry
The rendezvous of the outlaw gang
was near Harper's Ferry, close t*>
Pembroke, where now is maintained
a stately Normal School, kept up by
the State for its Indian people — a
section then known as Scuffletown.
Here the outlaw gang had its head¬
quarters. which had both front and
rear entrances,
и
trap door and a tun¬
nel which communicated with an al¬
most impenetrable swamp, a swamp
with whose recesses the outlaws were
thoroughly familiar. Through this
trap door and tunnel they escaped
more than once when hard pressed
by the authorities.
The martial equipment of Henry
Kerry and menilNTS of the l>aud con¬
sisted of five six-barreled revolvers,
a Henry rillc, which carried sixteen
cartridges, a double-barreled shot¬
gun. and a loug-hladed knife. For ten
years the band operated as an organ¬
ized gang and carried on a career of
daily crime, protected by some pco.
pie through friendship, but living
mostly behind the screen which fear
produced in the hearts of a terrified
citizenry.
The murder of James P. Karnes
and others was laid at the door of
Henry Kerry, and on the very night
of his marriage to his cousin RIukIii.
he was arrested and taken to jail at
Whiteville (Luinberton was too near
the gang) and was locked in a barred
cell, heavily ironed. He filed his way
out of this rell. and out of the jail,
escaping to the woods still wearing
his handcuffs. Again he was captured
in 1 M»S, lint escaped by threatening
the life of the jailer at the point of a
clicked pistol. When, as a precaution,
the authorities ordered the arrest of
his wife, he wrote: " If she is not re¬
leased, I will retaliate on the white
women of Kiirnt Swamp Township."
A northern detective. John Sand¬
er». sought to entrap and capture the
entire gang Discovering his pur|M>se.
the gang captured the detective,
blindfolded him. tied him to a tree.
Then Steven Lowrie took deliberate
aim and shot him to death. They sur¬
rounded the home of ex-sheriff Ren-
beu King of Robeson, killed him in
cold blood, ami seriously wounded a
neighbor who was visiting the King
home. Declared an outlaw. Steven
laiwrie was captured, tried at White¬
ville. found guilty of murder and
sentenced to death. He took an ap¬
peal. pending which he escaped only
to Ik* later killed by the authorities.
The gang was composed of Indians
but there were one or two white men
including V. neb T. McLaughlin.
Henry Kerry Lowrie paid liini $50.(10
to murder one of Robeson 's outstand¬
ing citizens. Owen Nortnent.
When Dr. Richard M. Nortnent tried
l" reach the side of his mortally
wounded brother, the gang waylaid
him and killed his nude. McLaugh¬
lin was finally killed by a posse after
a long manhunt.
Many Citizens Killed
Their usual method of murder was
ambuscade. In this manner they
killed Kraut ley Harris, .James P.
Barnes, Owen (’. Nortnent. Murdoch
A. McLean, and his brother Hugh;
John Taylor. Archibald A. McMil¬
lan. Hector McNeill. Alexander
Krown. Captain F. M. Wishart. and
others. Nor did they confine them-
seves to murder. The flames of arson
(Continued on page twenty)
