The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-04

The OutiaWeC IlOWefyS Oh rSortn N~E~sA""
aud Governmental supineness.
The deeply interesting story of the outlawed
Lowerys which we present in to-day's
HERALD, written in the midst Of the scenes
and curious personages described, will be
startling revelation to those who have only re-
called the existence Of this gang of bandits as
from time to time the particulars OF an addi-
tional murder were woven in with their long
list of crimes. The graphic picture of Robson
county, North Carolina, and its mongrel in
habitants, tells frightful tale Of social and
racial decentralization, which becomes an I'M
solvable enigma when attempted to be argued
back to its causes. The puzzle is not that the
brigands have defied the local, State and
federal authorities over period of nine years,
with rewards mounting up to forty-five thou
sand dollars on their heads, but that plum
dered and outraged community should, through
favor as well as fear, have remained
passive with such deadly cut-throats
in their midst. The swamp land around that
significantly named village Of Scuffletown has
become to the Lowerys what Sherwood forest
was to the band of the somewhat mythical Robin
Hood, while the hybrid inhabitants, springing
from Scotch, Portuguese, Indian, negro, and
Lord knows what other racial germs, replace
the friendly Saxon Doors Of post-Norman
Yorkshire. Taken as bold and crafty robbers,
treacherous, with by times spice Of bandit
honor, murderers of cool, yet savage and
relentless stamp, they appear to have CON-
bned in their intricate characters q problem
human nature with positive tinge Of genius
and a distinct trace of snch of the better
phases Of our nature as can be ex-
pected TO appear in human beings the
branded Ishmaelites of semi-barbarous
people. The truth is that it is ques
ton of wealth as well as comparative
civilization. No people with much Of the
good things Of this world, with hope of in
creasing them, could permit for a month the
existence of marauders Of this bloody stamp
prowling around them. II is the social curses
of the whole South brought to a focus of fifteen
miles square of swamp land. We can discern
there the deadly canker OF slavery with its
vile, irresponsible and promiscuous admixture
of race; its so-called chivalric haughtiness and
disregard of human life; its improvidence in
the master, its Incidence in the slave, and its
grovelling sensuality for generations every
where With this cursed fabric overturned;
with a country worried by depicting war,
which upset the slpshod economy of century
past, the people seem like men scarce Weakened
from horrd dream, and without energy left of
the sort that strips to the waist and tolls to
recover lost ground. This is indeed sad
dening state of things, and one which it
behooves all who love their country and its
greatness to see remedied
The enterprise and manly vigor which have
built up one village in the East North or
West, would have cleared away such human
pests as tue Lowery gang before anything
else was thought Of But the bandits of
Robson county are as natural an OutgrOwth
upon the population as poisonous fungi upon
decayed vegetable matter-explainable in the
same way as the bl(gands of Greece, Italy or
Mexico. We wish for and must have better
state of affairs in our republic where tn G
rotten portions of our social organism have
been uprooted, and it needs but the exercise
of will to set the rest right. The Old North
State cannot for shame's sake stand carelessly
by on the principle, ''Vacuus c0ntat cordns
dt,0nes yidtor," while her name becomes
by-word and a reproach. The failure Of one
attempt at the capture of these mongrel
bandits should not be made the excuse by
either the State or federal government for a
shameful inactiOn.