Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1872-03-28

! anu AdJ tuCiC ali uiSHl. w hlonJ, Sli
Mayor Martin, "will reduce them in time
but they are very careful whose liquc
they drink in these days. Henry Berr
Lowery left his flask hanging on fence
few weeks ago, and when he returned t
get it he made everybody at the static
t drink with him."
Early in the morning, Monday, Febru
ary &c, L took the train for Lumberton
and from the forward car to the tail th
freight was Lowery. In the second clas
carriage, escorted by two sheriffs, McMil
Ian and Brown, of Robson county, wa
Pop Oxendine-thc previous said to b,
his literal name-brother of Henderson
Oxendine. the only one of the outlaw
who was ever brought to trial and hanged
He was chained to a regular army soldie,
who had recently murdered negro Al
Scuti1etown, and was a remarkable look
ing mulatto, with yellowish olive skin
good features, and..a handsome, appealing
unreliable, uninterpreta5le pair of blacl
eyes. So good looking mulatto man
with such complexion, l had not seen
Like the rest, he had the Tuscarora Indi
an blood in him, with the duplIcity of the
mixed races where the white blood pre-.
dominates. He WAS ironed fast to the
seat, and looked at me with look inqus.
tive, pitiful, evasivc, and ingenionsly by
turns. If l should describe the man by
the words nearest my idea 1 should call
him negro-Indian gypsy.
The passengers were apprehensive and
inquisitive together, wanting to know
! ohout T.ouarv !, nd lrao5;no 20 o,oo,o1 -.
him. The fullest, and often very intelli-
gent, explanations were made to me, and
every facility was rendered to assist me
to form accu0te conclusions as to the
characters in the band.
Col. S. l.. Fremont. General Superin-
tendcnt of the Rutherford Railway, will
permit no passenger carrying arms for the
purpose of shooting Lowery to ride on
his trains, as he fears that such permission
will endanger the safety of the railway.
Lowery could toss train off almost any
day, bat he seems to hold superstitious
respect for the United States mails.
Y few months ago man by the name
of Marsdcn announced that he meant to
travel up and down the road as a detec-
t tive, and kill Lowcry on sight. To pnt
him to the test, Lowcry and ali the band
appeared with cooked shot guns at Moss
Neck station, and stood at respectable
| yet furtive present arms" while the
braggart, for such he was. crawled under
the car seat. Lowery offered 500 re-
ward to anybody who would tell him
whether Marden or Marsdcn was on the
| train, as he meant to follow the fellow up
the road, but he would not cross the plat
form himself The conductors and engi-
neers say that there is perfect safety on
the trains, although none know when the
outlaw leader may take ofFense against
the company or its officers.
After five hours ride we came to the
weather-blackened, unrainted town of
Lumbcrton, on the flowing Lumber River,
a branch of the Peedee. Lumberton is
the seat of Robson county, the stamping
ground of Lowcry's band. With one ex-
ception-and that disputable as the act
of the band-no murder has been com
mitted by the Lowerys' beyond the lines
of this county.
Henry Berry Lowcry, tho leader of the
most formidable band of outlaws, consid-
ering the smallness of its numbers, that
has been known in this country, is of
mixed Tuscarora, mulatto, and white
blood, twenty-six years of age, FIVE feet
nine inches high, and weighing about one
hundred and fifty pounds. He has
straight black hair, like an Ihdian, dark
goatee, and beard graceful in shape,
but too thin to lookvery black. His face
slopes from the cheek-boncs to the tip of
his eoatec, so as to give him the Southern
American contour of physiognomy but
it is lighted with eyes of different color,
eyes of grayish hazel, at times appear
ing light blue, with a drop of brown in
them, but IN agitation dilating. darkening
and although never quite losing the ap-
pearance of smile, yet in action it is a
smile of devilish nature. His forehead
is good and his face and expression refined
remarkably so, considering his mixed
race, want of education, and long career
of lawlessness.
To match this face. the outlaws body
is of mixed strength and beauty. 1t Is
we'll knit, wiry, straight in the shoulders
and limbs, without physical flaw in it,
and as one said to me who had known
him well since childhood, ''He is like a
trap ball, elastic all over:'' He has feet
which would be noticeable anywhere,
pointed and with arching instep, so that
he can wear very shapely boot, and his
extremities like his features, indicate
nothing of the negro. A good chest,
long bones, suppleness, proportion, make
his walk and form pleasing to see. He is
negligent about his dress, but his clothes
become him and never disparage him.
People have told me that he wears fine
clothes but when questioned to the point
of re-examination, admitted that be had
nothing on but wooden blouse and trcus-
ers and black, wide-brimmed, st'ff,
woolen hat.
He can run like deer, swim. stand
weeks of exposure in the swamps and
forest, walk day and night. and take sleep
By little snatches. which i'll a few days
would tire out white or negro. Although
tippler, he was never known to be drunk
"a fact not 10 be asserted of bis confed-
crates. Brought suddenly at bay, he is
observed to wear that light, fendish, en-
ioying smile which shows a nature as its
depths savage, predatory, and fond of
blood. The war he has waged for the
past nine years, within a region of twelve
or fifteen square miles, against County,
State, Confederate and United States au-
thorities, alternately or unitedly. is justi-
fication for the terror apparent in the faces
of all the white people within those limits.
Lowery's band gives more concern to the
Carolinas than did Carleton's Legion
ninety years ago.
w hat is the meaning of this?" said /
to ..Pafson' Sinclair-the fighting parson
of Lumberton. 'How can this fellow,