The New York Herald Newspaper, March 26, 1872, Page 3

THE SWAMP ANGILS. Lowerys. he Father of the Ox- endines. JA Three Mile Horseback Ride Through the Swamps and Woods. /THE MOTHER OF THE LOWERYS. ‘Her Bitter Story by the Grave of the Murdered. Rhody Lowery, the Queen of Scuflletown. FACE TO FACE WITH THE TERRORS, Their Appearance and Equipment---The Cor- respondent in Their “Turn.” Reading McQueen's Story of Kill- ing Boss Strong. A Night in fthody Lowery’s Cabin. ‘THE LIFE OF THE HUNTED MEN. ‘How They Eat, Drink, Sleep and “Pick” the Banjo. THE BANDIT CHIEF DEAD. ‘Killed Accidentally by His oe Gun in a “Blind.” - PERRIBLE TALES FROM TERRIBLE TONGUES, A Blindfold Journey to Their Hiding Places— Tho Island Armory, RELEASED FROM BONDAGE. ‘Presents from the Bandits and Faith in the Herald. EXCITEMENT IN WILMINGTON. ‘Inner History of the Herald’s Exploit. The Chivalry on Outlaws and Enterprise. Witminaton, N. C., March 25, 1872. ARRIVAL OF THE CORRESPONDENT. To the amazement, and yet to the great satisfaction, of the public here the HzRratp correspondent who has been for nearly ten days past lina in the swamps of the Caro- outlaws returned this afternoon by road, which traverses the Scuffletowo district, Up to the time of his arrival in Wilmington little or no hope was indulged of his safety, in view of the threats against him ‘which have recently been made by the outlays Se His safe arrival in Wilmington this afternoon aw... OREATED AN INTENSE EXCITEMENT, and despite the fearfully stormy weather the Hgratp correspondent was the object of curiosity and the Hgraup was the theme of discussion and praise. The universal sentiment in Wilmington is that the HERALD. correspon..- ent is the hero of a wonderful feat of daring, ard there is universal rejoicing that he has finaliy escaped the great perils which have for more than a week past environed him. Details given by your correspondent regarding his adven- tures among the outlaws confirm the accounts given in the Herp despatches of the PERIL AND DIFFIOULTIES which he has undergone, He left for New York this afternoon, and will give to the Herarp the follest possible details of his ‘orilling adventures, On Friday last your correspondent was taken by the outlaws farther into the swamp, and OONDUOTED BY THEM BLINDFOLDED from Rhody Lowery’s cabin to several of their moat secret hiding places, At the moment of leaving Rhody’s cabin the HRaLp corre- spondent experienced the greatest sense of personal danger suffered by him during his career with the outlaws, Tom Lowery had especially urged the killing of the ‘DAMNED YANKEB,” and as the other outlaws conducted him away from Rhody’s cabin, with the remark to Rhody that he would never see daylight again, your correspondent had little hope but that Tom Lowery’s savage threat would be - executed, Conducted by the outlaws through the swamp blindfolded, except when his captors chose to remove the bandage, he to Wilmington the Charlotte AVIV OTT Thies eo ee csc coieas neeae | ibd ers tas wemmeneen™s en amcaelane iaoe AMUN Tans up Ven oes bo as Gaur m | benbesl in OMA bGliees aa Gidem’ct ik | Mi) SiNl Ge wlare wes ne can we in some vlaces wading almost WAIST DEEP IN WATER, and again reaching solid ground, thus gaining one of the hiding places of the outlaws, which Our Correspondent Among the | ne inferred to be situated upon an island. ‘ The blindfold was removed, and he found him- Lowery Bandits. self an inmate of a m. pitched cabin, in which @ moderately tall man. could not pos- A Week in the Hands of the | sibly stand erect. In this cabin were from SY eee eee NEW YORK HERALD, TUESDAY, MARCH 26, ne ee ee ee ann aka Mandate Alka. etal a Li Saal | 5 —TRIPLE SHEET. THIRTY TO FORTY SHOT GUNS but no smaller arms. The outlaws would not permit him to look out of the window and Make any observations of the surronndings. He was told that he was already the possessor of more of their secrets THAN ANY OTHER HUMAN BEING outslde of their gang, and more than they in- tended anybody else should ever have access to again, While in the swamps your corre- spondent was repeatedly informed by the out- laws of their suspicions that he would attempt to chloroform them, and that he was a govern- ment spy sent to repeat the réle in which the Detective Saunders had been caught by them. “A DEMOORATIO DEMON. He was also told by Steve Lowery that a prominent democrat of Robeson county had given them information that he was a federal spy and that he would“ undoubtedly do them great harm before he left them. “Still,” sald Steve, “we believe that you are bonest, and we will trust you; but DON’T UNDERTAKE TO COME HERE AGAIN. because you know too many of our secrets,” Steve then added, ‘‘We have trusted three other men besides you and they all betrayed us, but still we will trust you and let you GIVE THE HERALD ALL THE INFORMATION you can about us.” After leaving the swamps the outlaws carried your correspond- ent on Sunday back to Rhody’s cabin, and this morning accompanied him to Moss Neck, ‘WAVING A FRIENDLY ADIEU TO HIM as the train left. As a mark of their con- fidence in the honesty of his intentions toward themselves, the outlaws gave the HeraLp correspondent > A DOUBLE-BARRELLED SHOT GUN, formerly belonging to Henry Berry Lowery, the deceased outlaw chief, and Steve Lowery presented him with three silver pieces, to bé given, one to his wife, another to his baby, and the third to be kept by himself asa souvenir of hia trip among the ‘Carolina ont- laws. Your correspondent is warm in his ac- knowledgment of Rhody’s services to, himpaelf in aiding him to retain the confidence of the outlaws, and PRAISES HER COURAGE and intelligence. Rhody carried him to many points of interest, among others to the grave of the unfortumate Saunders, a spot which the outlaws seemed to dread visiting with @ remarkable superstitious apprehension, Upon one occasion the H&RaLp correspondent was within half a mile of the grave of Saunders and begged the outlaws to CONDUCT HIM TO THE GRAVE, but they refused, as they also did to visit the graves of other victims of their vengeance, The satisfaction of the community of Wil- mington at the safe arrival in thelr midst of the daring Hzratp correspondent is height- ened by his confirmation of the previous tidings from him of the deaths of Henry Berry Lowery and of Boss Strong, the second in cleverness and courage of the gang of outlaws. Daring the absence of your correspondent in the swamps the excitement io Wilmington was at fever heat and found some curious forms of expression. INTEREST IN THE HERALD MAN. Mrs. Oates’ dramatic troupe was perform- ing at the Wiimington Theatre, and Mr, Allen, one of the troupe, recited, amid the great- est merriment, the following :— “Oh, have you heard the news From Robegon go Dowery? Lowery has the Herat mail; But the HERALD-ain’t gut Lowery.”’ AN ILLUSIONIST WANTS HIM. Another incident, illustrative of public in- terest here in the recent career of the HkRaLp correspondent, now so happily escaped from the clutches of the outlaws, was the offer made to him by the agent of De Castro, the illusionist, of one hundred‘dollars per night if he would appear in a private box of the thegire during the performance of De Castro and permit the announcement of the presence of the HERALD correspondent. FIRST LETTER FROM OUR OCAP- TURED CORRESPONDENTS. ‘ScurrLaTON, Ronesow counry, x. o>) Maroh 20, 1872, That th the thrilling pictures given in the HEwaLD of the outlaws of the Robeson county swamps, in North Carolina, with the history of their deeds of daring, murder and rapine, had awakened a decp sensation over the United States, was everywhere evident, It seemed incredible that a band of five men shouid persistently defy a community such as the Old North State, The criminal supineness of the State authorities, the inactivity o1 the rederal government and the terrorizea condition of the in- habitants of the district all expressed an anomalous condition of affairs which CALLED FOR THR FULLEST INVESTIGATION, ‘rhe account given by another correspondent had exhausted all the information surrounding the gang, had given graphic sketches of the now famous mulatto settlement, with its ominous name of ScaMetown, had ‘detailed the outrages by the gang, and traced back their history to the days of the rebel fortifications at Wilmington, when Heory Berry Lowery first took to the swamps, to avoid impressment to work with the slaves of the South. ern planters, Eacaped federal prisoners, too, (rom seen fitting across the swamps and HIDING FURTIVELY AMONG THE SHANTIES of the free negro settlement of ScuMetown to take their places awhile with Henry Berry Lowery and is fellows in the swamps. By and by came the the Confederate prison at Florence, 8. ©., were lated how the “bummers’? found guides and sup- porters among the free mulattoes of Scuffietown. It came out, too, in a ghastly way, that tne rebel whites of the district, wishing to wreak their veu- meance on the colored people, came in the night to old Allan Lowery’s cabin, and, dragging forth him- self and bis son William, mercilessly SHOT THEM, FATHER AND BOY, with the one volley, and then went their way, putting two of their supposed enemies out of the Way only to create a pack of avenging devils in the persons of the old man’s sons and their outlawed friends. The war closed, and, rightiy or wrongly, the white people of Robeson county, true to their murder of the father, exempted the Lowerys from the act of oblivion, How truly has it been said that “we can never forgive those we have injured!” The end of the strife between North and South brought RO peace toScuMetown, The angels” were in the swamps robbing by day, murdering by night; the rebels had become Ku Klux, and from fighting man- fully in the sunlight were trooping in THEIR MURDEROUS MASQUERADE, under the pimes and cypresses at night, and drag- ging a negro here and thore from his shauty, levting him sing his wild, hurried prayers for @ minute or two, and then stopping it all with buckshot, but carefully skirting the outlaws themselves, some aay to fall, like John Taylor, under a “bead” drawn by Henry Berry or one of his brother outlaws. This ‘Was not civilization. ‘The irresponsible lex taltonis ot the hater and hated, the state of tnings that created in the land of Muscovy between serf ana feudal master the phrase that described the murder of vhe latter by the former as “the wild justice of revenge,” existed In the land of the Lowerys with more degrading surroundings than ever before or in any other country, ‘hat social, restraining force called government had failed to put an end to It, and there seemed, previous to the HERALD's expose, to be a@ sort of laissez aller agreed on in tacit apathy by all parties, But even yet the outlaws themselves had not spoken, THE OUTLAW’S STORY FOR HIMSELF was unuttered, except through his sentence of death by word of mouth, followed pretty surely by “execution through the barrel of arifie, In perhaps any other state of things no more would be needed Previous to setting about his capture. As things stood jt seemed that there must be something needing fuller detall—something of moment in their position which neither the shivering sympa- thizers of their own race nor the vauating but trembling white foes thereof would or could impart, ‘This was to be got from the outlaw’s lips alone, It did not require much deep reasoning to arrive at this conclusion, It torced itself naturally forward, | and the journal which had enterprise enough to gather the first part of the story could surely learn the second. Without, then, any feeling of rashness or bravado thatIam aware of, but simply in the exercise of a grave daty, to shrink from which would be aphorrent to my nature, 1 LBFT FOR THE WOODS AND SWAMPS of Robeson county. My preparations were simple a8 my mission was direct, and relying on my ability to make the honorable nature of my purpose appar- ent even to the desperate men it was my deliberate Purpose to meet face to face, Passing over the in- cidents which do not properly belong t6 my narra- tive, 1 may say that on my arrival in Wilmington I found the Lowerys and the HERALD expos¢ to be the only topics of interest in that quiet Carolina town, and the tone of the well-dressed, lounging chivalry about the hotels was not at all encouraging. 1 told the object of my visit to several, and the universal verdict was, “A DANGEROUS GAME, STRANGER, rather you than me.” ‘They recalled to me with all the discouraging emphasis which a slow ejacula- tion of alternate words and topacco-spittle can command of the fearful fate of Saunders, the detec- tive, and generally finisn by saying: “AN’ HE WAS SMARTER’N YOU LOOK, BTRANGER.”! This continual replication of warning did not tend tocheer me, It recalled in a paintul way I had never before imagined the poem of Excelsior with its dismal fdrevodings 0! a fatal end to my venture, but I dashed these all away in the thought that Longfeliow’s aimless young madman woo died in the snow, had nowhing in common with a mao endeavoring in bis own humble way tuserve the aieligatian wheak jay on --+4 wsvuaud OUt in the swamp region beyond. If the scare had reached Wilmington, I reasoned, I shall not then have much diMcuity in getting the whites of Robeson county to assist me in ridding them of the objects of their terror through, perhaps, A MORE MERCIFUL Way than killing tnem off like dogs. But in thisI was destined to be mistaken. Excepting Vapiain Mor- Tison, the ‘king of conductors” on the Wilmington, * Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad, and Ed Hayes, of shoe Heel, no one encouraged me to proceed, From the ticket agent, from whom I bought a ticket for Moss Neck, at Wilmington, with hig horrified ejaculation— My God! stranger, you are not going to stop there |” tothe merchants of Shoe Heel, who assured me death would be the sure fate of any stranger who ‘would venture into ScuMetown, I heard bat the one opinion, that the Lowereys were devils and would welcome an opportunity to kill a white man, Be- fore leaving Wilmington I prepared A LETTER, DIRECTED TO H. B. LOWERY, stating that I desired to interview him for the HERALD and offered to give myself into his hands if we would grant me the interview. It was my in- tention to stop at Moss Neck and attempt to finda messenger who would deliver my letter, but on the train Captain Morrison advised me to go on to Shoe Heel where I would find better accommodations than at Moss Neck, and from where I could cer. tainly send @ messenger to the outlaws, 1 took his advice, but was unable to find any one in or about Shoe Heel who would deliver or who knew any one Yho would present my “petition to the “King” of Robeson county. The reported killlog of Bons Strong, it was supposed, had 80 ENRAGED THE OUTLAWS that the time was particularly inauspicious for my visit, I met here James McQueen, or Donahoe, of Richmond county, N, C., who asserted he had killed the notorious Koss. He 1s a tall, awkward, sham- bling, dark complexioned man, of Scottish accent, twenty-five years of age; he has very small eyes, which he has a trick of dropping the instant he 1s jooked at. His story will appear hereafter, The next morning, March 14, 1 left Shoe Hee) and came to Eureka, or Buie’s Store, half way between Moss Neck and Red Bank. Atthe store, close to the railroad, the colored clerk, of whom I enquired the Toad to Patrick Lowery’s, left the store to point it outtome, To him I stated the object of my visit, and asked him to inform any of the outlaws he might see what I was after THE FATHER OF TWO MURDERERS, Soon after leaving the store I met an old negro who asked me if 1 was looking for anybody, when I told him I wanted to go to Pat Lowery’s, He told me 1 was in the right road, and adaea;— “Ps skeered Of strangers most to deff, but you hain’t got no gun.” ‘This was Jack Oxendine, the fatner of Henderson, who was hung im Lamberton in 1870, and Calvin, who is now in the Wimington jail, charged with being implicated in the King murder. At the con- clusion of nis introduction ne said: — «Fore God, dis 14 &@ powerlul bad country to live in; ebery now and den de Ku Kluck come in yer, and with their shootin’ an’ whippin’ an’ hangin’, an’ de men out by deyselves totin’ dere guns, I's scart to det.” A short half mile from the station brought nie to THE HOME OF PAT LOWERY, the oldest brother of Henry Berry, and a preacher. When I got there he was working 1n his carpenter shop, near his house—for ne is not above honest labor, notwithstanding his profession. I at once unfolded the object of my calling, an Ked if I could be permitted to stay with him a few days while I would make efforts to meet the outlaws. He was perfectly willing I should make bis house my home while here, but thought my chance of seeing Henry was very slim. It had been reported for the past four weeks that he was dead, and many believed it, even some of his friends, while the ma- jority thought the story had been originated by nis wife and brothers to cover his escape trom tne county, Patrick told me Stevo and Tom Lowery HAD PASSED 118 HOUSE A FEW DAYS BEFORE, but it might be a long time before they would be in their immediate neighborhood again, After a loag conversation between him and James Oxedine, @ sWeepes Mucrinan’s army to he sea, and it wasre- | well-to-do mulatto Jarmer living newr by, it wag decided that my best plan would be to go over to the home of old Mra, Lowery, the mother of Patrick and Henry. They both assured me it would be per- fectly safe, for the outlaws never interfered with any but those who troubled thom. For aconsidera- ton Patrick consented to give me his horse on which to ride over, and his son Allen, a bright boy of sixteen, to guide me, After a dipner of CORN BREAD, BACON AND COFFEE we started on our journey, and I must confess to & slight sinking of the heart as I lost sight of the ratl- road and plunged into the swamps, the lurking Places of the Lowery outlaws. IN THE OUTLAWS’ LAND. Thad ridden avout a mile, when the discomfort produced by my horse’s miserable galt, and the banging of my vaiise against my legs, became too great, and I proposed to my guide that he should ride awhile, But tne change was not for the better, and it nad scarcely been made when we came to one of the low places in the road that are so com- mon here, cailed “branches,” and which are feeders 4o the swamps. Along one side of these branches are laid, or ereoted in stumps, logs for the convenience of pedestrians, They are generally unnewn, all very uarrow, Many of them decayed, are very few that stand firm under any movement, At the firat of these I came to, after dismounting, 1 LOST MY BALANCE, and got into the water knee deep, I remounted the horse, then, and, excepting the gait and banging aloresald and crushing of my legs against the trees, first on one side and then on the other, as | followed Allen in the narrow footpath through which he Jed me, 1 suffered no great inconvenience. About two and a half miles from Pateedo we came to the “Back Swamp,” where for about three hun- dred and fifty yards the biack water crosses the road, flowing sluggishly through the brush and cy- Press trees, Along the foot logs here Allen ran, ‘with the contidence inspired by long practice. AXDREW STRONG'S CABIN, About a mile from the Back Swamp we passed the cabin of Andrew Strong, one of the outlaws, Where his younger brother, Boss, was shot the Fri- day before. We passed close to the house, and a couple of women came to the door, and stood there as long as the house was in sight, As I ave since learned, there wos another pair of eyes watching us froma thicket near the house, Andrew Strong himself, with HIS GUN READY FOR A SHOT, in his band, studied me as 1 passed. Another long stretch of water, mud and sand, and we came to Henry Berry Lowery’s house, now in the occupancy of his wife, Rnody. A quarter of a mile furtuer and We reached our destination, the home of OLD MRS, ALLEN LOWERY. Here we were greeted by the loud and decidedly savage barking of three large dogs. Two or tree very light mulatto girls drove them away, and Opened the gate for me ; as | passed in 1 was put in the presence of the old woman, who gave me a very hospitable reception, and assured me 1 was Weicome to stay ag long as I pleased, if 1 could put Up with their rough fare. Mrs. Lowery has the jargest house in this section of country ; it 18 weather-boarded, has four good sized rooms, and a kitchen attached, and a wide Porch in tront It is on a plantation containing about seventy-five acres, and has numerous out- wuildings connecied with it, There has been no ivision of the estate or property since old Allen Lowery was killed, the children GIVING ALL THE PROFITS TO THEIR MOTHER. One son, Sinclair, living near, superintends the farm, and assists her when necessary. This httle Plantation produced last year eight bales of cotton and four hundred bushels of corn. Soon after my arrival I met Sinclair, who 1s @ dark mulatto, with a good countenance, He told me he did not know whether Henry Berry was alive or dead; that no one had seen him for four or five weeks Mrs, Lowery said the same. Sioclair added:— “I will be glad if he is dead, for he is a very bad man, and has done a heap of harm.’’ He further told me he bad not been on friendly terms with Henry since the marriage of the latter to Rhody Strong; the marriage it had been an- Bounced would be solomnized at his mother’s house, on the house OyCke aMGErs In Pareuit oF Hears, ob: jected to the ceremony being performed there. When Henry was arresed he accused Sinclair of having informed on him, ond they had never been on good terms afterwards, Steve and Tom T00K PART WITH HENRY in this quarrel; so that Sinclair could give me no information o1 the outlaws. “J would here remark that this band are known in their neighbornood by the name “outlaws; tneir friends call them ana they style themselves out lows. When I returned to the house after the conversa- tion with Sinclair, who was working in a fieid, I was presented to Rhody, the wife of Henry Berry Lowery, THE “QUEEN OF 8CUFFLETOWN.”! This young woman is remarkably pretty; ber face oval, of a very light color; large, dark, mourn. ful-looking eyes, with long lashes; well shapea mouth; white, small, even teeth; well rounded chin; nose slightly retrousée, with a profusion of straight jet black hair, combine to make her a very pleasant object to gaze at. She has small hands and feet, and on the latter she wears No. 2%, though she could wear No, 2, and still cramp her Jeet legs than the majority of white women, She is of medium height, with @ very well developed figure, and is between twenty-one and twonty-two years old. When I add that sne has a low, sweet voice, and @ great many litule graceful motions of her head and body, it will be seen that she is a rara avisin ScuMetown, To the above description I re- gret that I am compelled to add that this queen cannot write, and that she SMOKES A PIPE AND RUBS SNUFF. ‘When Rhody learned the object of my visit she said she would undertake to have my message con- veyed to the outlaws, and she had no doubt they would grant me an interview. Henry Berry, she said, Was away, and she could not tell when he would return, 1 walked home with her, and ex. amined carelully the home of the notorious outlaw leader, THE OUTLAW’S NEST. ‘The cabin of this man is built precisely as are all those o1 the poorer mulattoes—one story high, logs trom three to eight inches apart, the interstices not filled in as in log houses at the North, but covered by boards on either the inside or outside, never both. ‘This nouse had the boards on the outside, There are two doors, opposite each other, secured by modern bolts and buttons, and on the tnird side Is the capacious hearth or fireplace, with chimuey built of logs, lined and floored with clay, On the side opposite the fireplace stands the bed, and above and beside it are stretched several poles, upon which hang the clothes of tne family, ‘There are no W.ndows, not any openings for light but the doors aud chimney. Indeed, of some twenty houses of mulattoes I visited, Tfound but two, those of Mrs. Alien Lowery and Patrick Low- ery, in which there were windows, The house of H. B, Lowery 18 within a small en- closure, which is surrounded by @ larger one, and ig on hisfather Allen’s estate, The furniture of thig house consists of A BED, A TABLE, THREE CHAIRS, and three stools, Over the fireplace are pasted a number of pictures cut from the illustrated papers, while @ colored print, labelled “The Two Beauties,” hangs over the table. Rhody had left her “help” — alight mulatto, who had been engaged by Androw Strong to stay with her for six weeks for @ pair of shoes and a calico dress—in charge of HER CHILDREN— Sally Ann, aged five; Henry Delany, aged three, and Neelyann, aged one .year and two months, They are ali of a very bright color, strong, active and healthy, the boy belng particularly bright. He is said to bear a strong resemblance to his father, Ispent an hour or more with Rhody, Sho told me, further, if 1 would come back the next morning she might have some information for me, and that in the meantime I might rest assured I would be in no danger from the outlaws or thelr friends, BY THE OLD MAN’S GRAVE—OLD MRS, LOWBRY'S STORY. The next morning (March 15) 0:4 Mrs, Lowery took me to a small unenclosed grave in a field near her house, where, marked by four rails lying on the ground, was the grave of her husband and son William. The old woman’s voice was broken, and | the tears rolled down ner withered face even now had been no trouble between them and any of their | shot Boas and there was no sign of life after that white neighbors, except that some of their sons had fed from the oMicers who wanted to take them to Work in the rebel fortifications at Wiimington. Pat- rick and Sinclair had gone with the officers, but Henry, Thomas and William had evaded them. Steve wasa fireman on the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad, The Lowerys had also been accused of assisting soldiers who had escaped from the rebel prison at Florence, S. C., to the federal lines, In 1864 a party of whites, commanded by James Barnes, came to the house and took the old man and William, away, at the same time, THEY ASKED FOR SPADES, and took some along with them; some of them re- turned directly and carried old Mrs. Lowery and her two daughters to the house of a white man, obert McKenzie, where they were locked up in @ smoke house, While they were conflned there they heard McKenzte propose that they burn them up in the smoke-house, but this was opposed by others, wno Said 1t would make too much talk; then McKenzie sald there would be no use in killing the men if the Women were allowed to live, because he could not get the plantation if any were left alive, McKenzie then went away saying he was going up to see how the Lowery men were faring. After ne had gone, some one outside wondered if they were going to Kill the old man and Bill, or only the old man, to which another answered ;— “McKenzie’s got to kill both, and get the rest of the boys out of the way before he couid get the plan- tation,” THEY HEARD THE RBPORT OF GUNS. Towards morning, a little after daylight, they Were released with the threat, “If you deny that your family has robbed from us whites it will be mighty bad for you.” When they returned home in @ thicket, not far from the house, they found a new-made, shallow grave, in which were the bodies of Allen and Wil. Mam Lowery, lying one above the other, riddled ‘with musket balls, Tne next day they came back and took me out Anto the woods, and said they were going to Kill me if I didn’t tell tuem where the Yankee prisoners were hid, J didn’tknow, and! told them 0, but they would’t believe me, Taey blindfolded me and tied me toa tree, and sald they were going to shoot me. I heard them firing, and then I fainied, When I fainted they untied me and sent the girls to bring me too,”” This was old Mrs. Lowery’s story, and all the mulattoes whom I met and questioned about it told me about the same thing. ‘hat its trathful- ness is denied by the whites is no more than is to be expected, thongh several of them told me they haa never heard of Allen Lowery being accused of steal- ing. He was sald to bo a consistent member of the Methodist Church, in which he was @ class leader. Mre. Lowery 1s a member of the same church and SEEMS TO BE GENUINELY PIOUS. She has family worship night and morning, in which she leads herself, and always asks a blessing @t the table. From the grave of the Lowery’s I went straight to Rhody’s house. AsI entered the gate of the outer enclosure I noticed aman standing 10 the doorway who stepped back within the house, as I reached the inner gate he again came tothe door and I CONFESS TO SOME NERVOUSNESS ag Teaw his equipments. Bur it was no time to stop now, and in a moment I was in Henry Berry Lowery’s house, in the presence of Steve Lowery and Andrew Strong, two of the famous swamp out- aws, With as composed an air as the nature of the case would permit I stepped forward. “1 believe these are the men" (lam not sure but that 1 said gentlemen) “I wanted to see,” and ex- tended my hand to the one nearest me, who grasped it cordially as Rhody mentioned ms name, Andrew Strong, and mine, and then repeated the ceremony with Steve. Both of them offered me chairs; but [ accepted that from which Andrew had just arisen, it being nearer the fire, and immediately BXPLAINED MY PURPOSE in seeking them. I told them the great paper of America had given some attention to them, and had published their histories as furnished by the white people of Robeson county; but that the people of the United states might have a clegeny” down to abe them, hear their stories and the circuiiistances that had made them outlaws and see how they lived, I told them further that 1 HAD NO WEAPON BUT A SMALL REVOLVER, which they coula nave whie I was with them, but which they would obiige me by returning when I left them. ‘They replied that Rhoay had told them the na- ture of my business, that they were glad of an op- portunity of giving their story 0 the country, for the “papers were telling 80 many d—d lies about them,” that 1 woula be »perfectly safe with them, and tnat J might keep my pistol. THE MEN I MET. Steve Lowery is five teet ten inches high, thick- set, with long arms and legs, and is very strong; he has a very dark yellow complexion, hazel eyes, bright and resticss, black straignt bair and thin mustache and goatee. He was armed with a Spencer rifle, two double-barrelled shot guns, one of the latier and the rifie being siung from his shoulders, and three six-barrelled revolvers in his beit, while two United States cartridge boxes nung from his shoulders, andrew Strong 1s nearly white, about six feet high, with rather mild eyes aud reddish beard and hair, the latter cut snort. He carried a heavy rife nd thesame number of shot-guns, revolvers and cartridge boxes as Steve Lowery, besides a heavy canvas haversack, His impedimnenta turn,” he calls it) welgha not less than a hundred pounds, He ADJUSTED ALL EIS EQUIPMENTS ON ME, @nd I could barely stagger across the floor with ‘them, After a few geveral remarks, Andrew told me they would tell me all I wanted to know if I would question them, As the shooting of Koss was the chief topic I had heard discussed after leaving Wilmington, J told tuem [had seen James McQueen or Donahoe, at Shoe Heel, and had taken down his version of the affair, and would now like to know if it was correct, Iread to them McQueen's story as Jollows:— DONAHOR’S STORY OF KILLING BOSS STRONG, “Last ‘Thursday might (May 7), 1 reached the house of Andrew Strong, on tne edge of Scuilie- town, about ten miles from here, at twelve o'clock, 1 fixed a good blind about 150 yards from the house, ‘and lying down I watened the reat of the nigat and allthe next day, eating some provisions 1 had brought along. About hail-past seven P, M. Fri- day Andrew came out of the woods, and alter stop- ping and looking around him tn all directions he ‘went Into the house, and directly came out and gave alow call, when Boss came out of the woods to the house; they were. each armed with two rifles and two or toree revolvers, A littie after eight o'clock, when] thought they would be at supper, I slipped up to the house and looked io through the cat hole In the aoor, as | supposed they were eating their supper by the light on the hearth. Besides Andrew’s wile, Flora anda Miss Cummings were there, Ikept watching there until Boss laid down on the floor with his feetto the fire and his head towards me and commenced PLAYING ON A MOUTH ORGAN. ‘Then I saw my chance, and I pushed the muzzle of my rifle (a Henry) through the cat-nole anti it was not over three feet from his head, took a steady aim by the light of the fire and shot. When I fired the women screamed and said:— gg's SHOT,” “NO HE ISN'T,” “YES 118 18,” and | looked in a8 quick as I could get my gun out of the way. Boss’ arms and legs had fallen straight from his body, and there was a little movement of the shoulders as if he was trying toget up, Andrew Strong was then standing IN THE SHADOW IN THE CORNER and he stayed there until I left, He said to bis wife, “Honey, you go out and see what it 18.7 and opened the door opposite the one I was at and pushed her out, “She came out, but did not come around to the side 1 was; but went in directly and gaid there was nobody sbout. He hth a fate look in the corners 4 pos atcennn try yf got well out he said, “Come back, honey, he was blowing on tuat thing and it busted and blowed his head off,” and directly after be said, “My God {he's shot in the head; st must bave come from the cat hole,” and sent bis wife out again, and I slipped off, When returned the cat hole was shut up and the house was all dark. Then Tcame back to Shoe Heel and Gor A FORCE TO GO APTER THR BODY. asnhe told mo how they mey thelr deat, Therg | 1 Warued at the cat Hole @ good bal hour alter 4 Movement of his shoulders. The next day when we went back we could not find the pody nor any blood, but the floor had just been scrubbed and we asked what they had been scrabbing for, and they said they had a dead body in the house ali nigot, but that Steve and Tom Lowery and Andrew strong had carried it off about an hour before, We searched the house and found @ lot of boots, shoes, blankets, wine, brandy and cigars concealed about the house and in the woods, #038 has been IN THE WOODS SINCE HE WAS FIFTEEN years old, [tell you he was a taougand times woraé than Henry Berry Lowery was. He wonld. ravish Wolen, burn houses, abuse children and ao every- thing else that 1s devilish if it was not for Henry Berry. Iam not afraid to stay here now. 1 would lke to have the reward that was offered tor Boss, dead or alive. Itis now over $6,000, and I think I ought to have it, for know I killed nim, and no Person can ever find his body.” THE BANDITS’ COMMENTS. While I was reading tney interrupted me free quently with such expressions as— “Well, that’s ad—d lie, “He is nothing but @ robber himself,” “Let me get a bead on him once,’ and at the conclusion Andrew sald:— “Wecan prove that Donolioe is @ Mar; gal (ad+ dressing Khody’s servant), come yer; you was in the house when Boss was shot, pin which of us gos up from supper firste “Florey did,” she drawled out. “Did I hide in the corner?!” “NO; you went to pick Koss up.’” “Dar, now, he’s proved to pe a damned lar; and he didn’t stay about dere no half hour, Why, Pil take you out dere to-morrow an’ show you de tracks he made when he done run away. 'Pears if he JUMPED SIX YARDS EBRY TIME, I jumped for my gun an run out soon as de shot was fired, an heerd him gwine fru de bushes power- ful. I'll ‘save’ him yet. Why, his back ts full of shot holes now dat he done got up in Richmond county for stealing chickens, He had to go away from dere, He is a low, no-account nigger. He ain’t no white man, He call hisself McQueen, I'd like to know what right he has vo call hisself McQueen when his mother’s name was yvonahoe, and she WAR'NT NEVER MARRIED TO MCQUEEN, and his mother was a mulatto same as me is. If dey was anybody dey wouldn’t marry niggers, would dey? His two sisters is bof married to niggers in Richmond county. By God! Pll lay forhim, He didn’t kill Boss neither, but he hurt him powerful bad. He hit him tn the neck, but he ain’t dead yet, Now, Rhody, you was dere de nex’ day when dey come alter Boss, You tell dis gentleman avout it, RHODY LOWERY’S STORY. " “glory come over in de morning an’ tole me Boss ‘Was shot, an’ when I went dere Andy an’ Steve was juss gwine to tote him away; ne wa’n’t dead, no- how. Den we done scrub de flo’; peoples kin scrub they’s flo’s if dey want to, I reckon, Den when Donahoe’s party come up dey stopped 200 yards from de house an axed 1f dere was any men about, an den dey come up. None of we didn‘t tell they Boss was killed; we juss sald dey had toved him away. Den dey searched de house, but ali dey found was a Pair of boots and shoes and a vottle of peach brandy dat Andy had bought at Floyd uxendine’s sto’ dat day, as you kin prove if you ax him,’ “YOU PUT DAT ALL IN DE PAPER, MISTER, and den put in dat we is gwine to Kill Donahoe sure; we'll find him an’ we wont shoot him through a@ cat hole, neither,” said Andrew, to which Steve, who had been periectly silent before, added, “Yes, Gou damn him, his life is gwine to be powerful short," “WHERE IS HENRY BERRY LOWERY? It is reported at Shoe Heel that he 1s dead, and most of the people seem to believe it. Mr. Hayes, though, told me he had seen him last Wednesday night, about ten o'clock, near Oxendino’s store.” “Well, sir,” answered Steve, ‘ne att dead, but he’s went away; he went nigh onto four weeks ago, and he ’spected to be back in tive or six weeks. But he ain’t dead, nohow.”” “Have you any objections to telling me what he went away for, if he expected to return?” “Well, he didn’t tell nobody his business, I de paper dat Henry Berry Lowery atn’t dead.” SPENDS THE DAY WITH THE OUTLAWS. I spent the day with these men until four o’clock, About noon Steve, Andrew, Rhody and I sat down toa dinner or {ried eggs, bacon, corn bread and coffee, Andrew, for Rhody, apologized for the din- ner, saying if sho had Knowa I would be there she would have ‘done ‘killed @ chicken.” Steve, who ‘was very taciturn for an hour or more alter 1 met them, gradually became more loquacious, and has ever since been the most commuuicative, most friendly and MOST JOLLY OF THE PARTY. Alter dinner Steve asked to see my pistol; he examined it and pronounced it rusty, whereupon Andrew took it apart, olled tt and returned it to me. Steve wanted to buy @ plated gold rng I wore, but upon telling him it had been presentea tome, he sald I should keep 1t, but he would like to have agold ring and. asked me tne prices of them, They gave me much information as to their way of living, the hunting parties that had been tn search of them, and their successful and often nars row escapes from their pursuers and from jail, which I will make the subject of future letters, THE OUTLAWS HOLD A COUNCIL, Before they left they went out of the house and held an animated conversation of perhaps balf an hour’s duration in the garden, after Which Steve addressed me:— “we've trusted three men before and ebery one of dem betrayed us, an’ weswo’ we'd neber trust no stranger agin, but you look honest, an your story ‘pears to be all right, an’ we 1s gwine Lo trust you some, Now you's got about Donanoe’s shootin Boss, we are gwine to keep you heah till you can PUT IN DE PAPER HOW WE KILLED DONAHOB. We won’t hurt you, an’ you kin travel about whar you hab a mind to in dis place, but you must swear an oath dat you won't try to go away without us lettin’ you, We'll treat you well an’ show you whar Saunders was captured an’ gilied an’ whar Make Sandgrson. an’ Taylor an’ all de rest of dem was killed, and tell you all about dem, But you hav got to stay heah a week, and we is gwine to send a telegraph to de paper for @ joke dat we hab got you, so dey will see thé ontiaws uin’t all dead yet. YOU CAN'T GET AWAY, NOHOW, without our knowing it, and den it might be power- ful bad for you.’? 1 was somewhat dismayed at this speech, but ex- pressed myself satisfied with the arrangement, I saw I would have an opportunity of seeing wild iife ‘not often enjoyed by Northern men, and felt that was in no great danger if 1 acved honestly towards a i PART TO MEBT AGAIN. ‘The outlaws then slung on their equipments, aod after promising to meet me at the “New Bridge,’ three miles distant, the next morning, strode into the heavy pine forest, and I weat back into the cabin, where Rhody porate me now to rab snuf, SECOND LETTER ‘R FROM OUR CAP- TURED CORRESPONDENT. RNS ScuFFLETOWN, March 22, 1872, {ns DEATH OF HENRY BERRY LOWERY. ‘As this letter cannot be read by the people of this’ settlement before Ihave left it, the most important piece of information I have to communicate shall be given first, Henry Berry Lowery, the notabie cnief of the notorious swamp outlaws 1s actually. dead, Thiv is dented by all of his comrades, and nig relatives profess to be ignorant of bis fate. But from evidence the most reliable, whem connected with o well-connected chain of circumstances, I am, enabled to give yous correct account of THE DEATH OF THIS ROBBER CHIEF, Between Feoruary 13 and 16, in company with 11s fidus <Achates, Boss Strong, Henry Berry Lowery was ranging the country im the neighborhood of Moss Neck im search of some persons whom he had been informed were hunting him, while Steve and Tom Lowery and Andrew Strong were stationed at a rendezvous on Lumber River, near the “new bridge.” About one and vbree-quarter miles from Moss Neck station, within short gunshot of the road leading from Inman’s Bridge to MoNeii’s mill, tney discovered in the bushes a newly-made “biind” (@ place of conceal. MeDt OF ANUS HA DK AMAR WMIOS He PEARERER