Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-04-05

hearing that H. B. and William Lowrey
were at their fathers (Alien Lowrey)
house, proceeded there and arrested the
three-Allen, III. B. and William-and held
them prisoners while some OF the party
searched the premises, and found in a cave
under the house stolen goods of various
kinds, guns, pistols, &C., some of which
were recognized as the property of some of
the party then present. They then held a
consultation, and some of the party voted
for shooting the three; others, and gener-
ally the older men of the party, counseled
moderation, and advised that they should
be carried to Lumberton to be dealt with
by the law. The others, however, pre-
vailed, declaring that they would be libe-
rated by Sherman's army, who were then
daily expected to reach this county, and
| declaring that III. B. and William deserved
shooting for the two murders they We're
known to have committed. They finally
tied the three, and a squad stepped off to
shoot them, but just before the firing COM
menced, II. B. Lowrey burst his bonds
and fed, escaping to the swamp, which
was close by. The other two, Allen and
his son William, were then shot. Some
other rash measures were proposed, bu:
! overruled. After this III. 3. was Joined by
his brothers, Stephen and Tom, and by the
| two strongs, Boss Strong, mere boy at
| the time, and commenced regular course
! of crime. They were afterwards joined by
| Henderson OXendine and George Apple
white, the latter a negro, having for wife
! Henderson OXendine's sister. The crimes
| committed by this gang of outlaws, after
this organization, are two we'll known to
require me to trace them out in all their
| sicllening and bloody record. Suffice l. to
| say that they are chargeable with some
! seventeen brutal murders, in only one of
which they can claim any show of justi-
tication, even if revenge might be
admitted as an excuse for muir
der. 1t only remains for me now to
correct a few Of Mr.. ToWnsend's false
statements, and then have done with
| the details Of a set of tho veriest fiends
who have cursed this county for eight
| years, not so much by their own proves as
! by the aid and comfort afforded them by
! their own class, as we'll as by the cOunten-
| ance Of men whose duty it ought to be to
arrest and frown down crime in every
case, but who have made use Of this gang
ID prosecute their neighoors and breed con-
| tentiOn and strife in the county.
| The correspondent Of the New York
Herald, Mr.. Townsend, has devoted a
short paragraph in one OF his ettcrS to the
two McLeans, III which occurs the greatest
misrepresentation of tho elder Of the two.
l can, of course, readily suppose that Mr..
! Townsend had 10 motive whatever for
aspersing the character of good mar,
! unless, Us his letters would seem to indi-
cate, he intended to become the apOlOgist
of the Lowreys. | am rather disposed to
adopt the charta able view that he got his
information from some bitter enemy Of
Mr.. NcLean's, who took that cowardly
method of stabbinG his memory or iniuriDg
his fair fame. Murdoch 4. Mclean re-
o1Iitp- pTIiooiSF This t.OIintV still can
not let the occasion pass without correcting
the record which appears over Mr.. Town
sends signature. | have been more init
mato with Mr.. Mclean than L have been
| with any other young man in the county,
and / can safely say that l have never
known him to he guilty of a contemplate
! or mean act. He was faithful in the dis
charge Of his duties, fearless also, and
rea(.y at any and all times TO oblige a
friend or neighbor, or to afford relief to any
! one in distress without regard to race,
color or condition. The last act of his life
was one Of unselfishmcss. At the time Of
/ his death, the militia Of the county had
been called cut by order of the Adju-
tant General, and was sent to the
camp at Eureka, in details OF fifty
from each regiment, to serve two
weeks, and then be relieved by other
details. NJ. \. Mclean had served two
that his brother Hugh was detailed for the
following two weeks. Hugh being in
feeble health Murdoch determined that he
should remain at home and he would serve
two weeks more in his stead, and it was
while driving over to the Depot to take the
cars-Hugh going to take the horse and
buggy back home-that they were both
| shot
Another instance where a foul-mouthed
I, hoc do of Ar 10
pen, to asperse a good and pure man, is in
the case Of Rev. J. II. Coble. This gen.
tleman is alive to defend his own cause,
but as | am dealing with facts in connec-
ton with the LOwrey gang L will state
| what [ have heard from parties who were
present at the killing Of Allen and William
/ LOwrey. Mr.. Townsend calls Mr.. Coble
the high priest of the devil, and states that
| he fired off his prayer and his shotgun at
the same time at the two Lowreys. This
is simply false. Mr.. Coble is represented
as having been earnest in his endeavors to
quell the passions Of the parties who adj
vocated the shooting Of the LOwreys, coun-
seled an appeal to the only proper tri-
bunal-thc law-and did, when he found
that his advice avalled nothing, offer up an
earnest prayer for the pardon Of the
two who were then about to be
shot and afterwards, when some Of the
|
whole family, he interfered SO decidedly
that he prevented further bloodshed and
saved the life OF Allen LOwrey's wife. 1t
is easy for lis here to guess from whom
Mr.. Townsend gets such information in re-
gard to the two persons named above; and
we know that the parties are only bruising
their own heads i'll attempting to butt hon
est people"
1t is only necessary TO cite one other in
stance Of the source from whence such in
formation rs he publishes comes The
prosecuted ''pious ':old aunt Phoebe"
Of whom he speaks, is miscalled both in
name and character she is the hardest
case in this entire settlement, can out
drink, out swear and out lie anything in
the shape OF 4 negro that | have ever met
with. Respectfully yours,
ALEX. MACRAE.
Columbus COurt-JHdgc RusscII-Mia-
cescnafiOn-Calyin Oxendine-A Mo
del COuHty-AGFicuItut Interests.
De0I Journal One week ago to-day,