The New York herald., 1871-03-21
STARTLING MURDERS AND OUTRAGES
immortality and Depravity Of a
Mongrel Settlement.
PARTIAL CONFESSION OF THE CRIMINAL
Repentance ON the ScaffOld-Para-
disc in Full View.
Scenes and Incidents at the
Execution.

| Execution.
LUMBERroN, Robson county, N. C.,l
March ~, 1871. !
At last one, ana the first, OF the notorious gang of
bloodtnirsty outlaws who have infested this and the
adjoining counties since the close OF the war; has met
| his just doom. Henderson Oxendne, q mulatt0,
| who would pass at any time for white man, was
executed here to-day for completely in large num-
ber OF murders during the past three years. but the
| main one, and In which he was the principal, was
| the coldblooded murder OF young man named
Davis, OF this county about three months ago. To
detail the atrocities and murders which have been
perpetrated by this gang would be q labor OF weeks
II not months. They are commanded BY notorious
desperado named Henry Berry Lowrey who has
long cheated the gallows OF just Dues Associated
/ with LOwrey are TWO Of his brothers and as many
OF the Oxendines ringieaders of the gang which
has long defed both the authority of the State and
national governments Their main force is variously
estimated at from eighty to one hundred, all OF
! whom find refuge when pursued and security
against capture In the impenetrable recesses OF
| vast area OF marsh, known as the "Big Black
swamp" In this and Bladen and adjoining county,
Procamations OF outlawry and large offers OF re.
wards, both by the county and State, have failed
not only to effect the capture OF the rngleaders but
they seem to have ma them more daring and out
rageous In their ommisson Of crime aud
atrocity. A company OF United States troops
sent here to protect the citizens and aid
| IN the capture OF the outlaws, was treated
| with the most per- ct contempt by the gang, to
prove which they one hight advanced on the United
states camp captured OF the sentinels carried
| him OF with his ammunition and accoutrements
| and murdered him. When their necessities de.
manded 1t they made an incursion on the planters In
tions Of botn money and provisions after the fashion
OF an invading army, which the citizens willingly
paid to be spared their lives. rough estimate OF
the murders committed by the gang places the num-
ber at some twenty-five or thirty in the counties
subject to their !awless raids and dominion One Of
| their favorlte amusements was
CUTTING OPP THE EARS
OF citizens who evnced disposition not TO submit
| TO their acts OF tyranny and outrage They used
frequently and in open daylight to completely gut
whole houses, tying the owners up at points from
which they could conveniently witness the spolla-
ton and robbery OF their houses ana in these raids
the
RAPE OF WHITE FEMALES
4 was not an uncommon event. SO general and Wlde-
spread was the terror created, notwithstanding the
efforts of the and military authorities to afford
rapidly becoming depopulated. As fast as the citi.
zens could dispose OF their property on any terms
that would enable them to leave the dangerous 10.
| caties they dlo So Tor lew knew when they retired
thai the rising sun would not nnd them and their
families manged corpses victims OF Lowrey and bis
| MoNGREL HORDE
OF negroes. 1t Is hard to conceive OF more despi.
| cable aud desperate set OF semi-civilized fiends
than these outlaws aie. A majority Of them hail
/ from place In this county, known by the unique
name OF "scuiiletown," which, from all the inior-
nation can CLEAN, Is a den OF the most depraved
and immoral creatures on the Continent, where mis-
ceEenaton Is the rule and ut IS wise child that
knows It's own father" Negroes, muiattoes, half
| breed Indians and some whites, the latter mostly
lewd women, congregated here and live in a state
desperadoes who have kept this section OF country In
| such constant state or terror and alarm came on
numerous occasions large bands OF citizens were
| formed to
useful In the days OF slavery brought into re-
QUESTION, but they always slgnaily failed, and the
Outlaws by superior knowledge of the swamps
successfully eluded pursuit II has recently been
disclosed by one OF them who was captured thai
their great stronghold and headquarters was on an
| island In the great swamp, which could only be
| approached by a narrow path or causeway known
only to themselves, and which could be successfully
defended by a few against large and supe
rior FORCE. On this island they have huts
erected, which are furnished with the stolen
up with ali the domestic Appliances necessary aGy
| TO rustic ease and comfort Here they kept their
arms regular g Supply or ammunition and supplies
case OF q prolonged attack or siege. Among the
! NOTED MURDERS
perperated by the gang In this county are the fol-
| lowing:-The Mcleod murder, the murder OF man
named Norment, the murder OF ex-Sherir King, the
L
| Nicholas the killing Of Tom Taylor, Ben, Bertha
| Brant, Harris Saunders and the victim Stephen
Davis for whose murder Henry Oxendine to-day
suffered DEATH This one OF their latest bloody
| deeds, which occurred some three months ago. A
then went IN pursuit of portion or the gang, with
the determination. II possible. of capturing them
1 DEAD OR ALIVE.
| They came upon them at remote and lonely por-.
tion OF the swamp, near the house of one OF the
| gang where they had been for few days. and the
outlaws at once showed fight, as was their custom
| whenever approached by any body Of men, know
| ing that large rewards had been offered Tor the
arrest OF each Of them. The pursuing party COM
manded them In the name Of the Governor, and BY
authority OF the law they had often violated, to
surrender themselves as prisoners. They replied to
tins civil summons by defiant yell. which was soon
| followed by volley. Quite skirmish ensued, in
some some Of the n' Outlaws a were We're also Also Sso wondea aI
after which the whites, with the exception
OF Davis, ned, leaving him in the hands OF
the murderous gang. 1t was afterwards ascer-
tanned that Davis had only been wounded at the first
fire, and that he was brutaly murdered by the gang
and principally by the fend OXendine. All attempts
TO capture him failed until ABOUT month ago. when
he was captured with another OF his gang and
securely lodged in jail To prevent escape his trial
| was had AT the earliest day. He was
| FOUND GUILTY
and was promptly sentenced to be hanged to-day by
Judge RUSSELL OF the Superior Court OF this judicial
district. Soon after his sentence Oxendine, seeing
there was no earthly chance OF evadlng terrible
| sentence OF the law, made
| A CONFESSION
to the Judge himself. which IS quite lengthy, and
from wnlch make some extracts He details his
| escape from the jail OF the city OF Wilmington,
where he mad been lodged for safe-keeping when
arrested some twelve months ago, and then narraes
MS exploits before reaching the headquarters OF the
gang, ana then says':-I do not know anything
| about the Mcleod murder; never heard Henry Berry
| or any OF them say anything about it. never heard
any OF them say an, Thing about the robbing OF
james II. Mcqueen. know nothing about the kill
/ Ing Of Norment; never heard who Killed MIN unJ
since nave been in jail l have heard somebody
say tnat Zach Mclanchlin Killed him: have heard
/ Henry Berry say that Norment a meddcsome
| Fellow and laugh about his being taken on, bui said
| he didn't Kill him.
BEFORE GOD
was not at the King murder-have never heard
henry Berry OF any oi them say who did xiii King.
Have heard Henry Berry or George Appewhitc say
| mat ne thought John Dial was paid To
! he did. John Dial was in the gang before we were
captured in August