The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-05

u,
1 was relieved 10 ind that 1t was merely negro
LAD. rejoicing In his rights a. . freeman, who
wanted to escape. Lowery fashion, from MS mother
| and brother, and vent his whiskey courage upon
| somebody. There are many negroes. "a found
| whose freedom taxes the form OF Boosting aud
| cursing.
failed to perceive In the attorneys and merchants
Of Lumberton any particular cruaeness or inieri-
ority. Judge Leech ana several others were repre-
sentative men of good sense but OF strong. unman-
aaeable political and social prejudices and they
nave succeeded IN segregating and solldifylng The
negro vote, so that the two races may about be said
to make the TWO political parties.
Here, In the large aud motley crowd assembled TO
atend court were TO be seen the rival elements OF
TINS provincial population. The whites generally
wore butternut, copperas-coOreo or gray homespun
sun, and iarge-rimmed. nat stin iet hats. Maay
OF them were very ignorant and could not read and
| Caesar.
'iou just stand up and when your name is called
you say guilty ana pay your money" heard u
| qured vast herosm to say even as much.
| THE sCuFFLETOwNERS AT COURT
here, also were the Scuffetown mulatJoes-that
curious race-lmposed upon Tor many generations
| by master and slave, their husbands cuckolded
| their women debased and inundated their free
exerted decent endeavOrs to protect these imme
mortal free people. when slavery was the law and
the horrible radical had not yet suDverted the con
stituuon'-wnich few OF the folks who weep for It
ever read, or, reading. resDectedthis existing out
II,
| over whose name and etym0logy there seems to be
debate possibly got Its name from the long scuile
Of the whites ana the slaves TO reduce II to peOnage
| and make freedom, under the condition or color,
contemplate among the mulattOes.
Nobody In the whole region could account for this
free negro settlement-one OF two large aggrega-
lions OF yellow men winch has existed In North
Carolina since the organization Of society There
We're many theories, but no reasons at hand for
| them. l conceive that these negroes might have
been the slaves Of tories driven from the State at
| the close OF the Revolution. or OF the emancipated
slaves OF the Quakers. and that they increased and
multiplied BY accessions from runaways, by the
birth rate of force exerted on them ana by the ne
cessity OF union or the sympathy Of all neighborng
| free negroes with homogeneous settlement. The
So ao ssd ne ws strange ao
| some arriving on mule back, some In short, home
made carts many on foot There was good deal
and ogling among the girls. Virtue was evidently
not uniformly high In ScuiiietOwn.
SCUFFLETOWN GEOGRAPHICALLY.
The Rutherford and Wilmington Railroad runs
westward from Lumberton for many miles up the
nOrtnwesward 1t strikes the station OF Moss Neck.
Seven miles from Moss Neck 1t strikes the station
town, which spreads besides three or four miles on
both sides OF the track, and Is surrounded On three
S irou@ ~ a wet Weather. eacH ~ Of ese
swamps receives or supplies "Days," bottoms, or
pools, winch permeate the muatto fortress In
district nst OF North pa" and south Carolina, below
the terrace Of hills, and yet is nothing
unlike our notlon or the swamps OF Florida and
Louisiana. These swamps enclose the rivers and
their arteries aterally Tor lew yards, and Oten.
OF generally, as the stream winds. there is swamp
on one side and low clay or sandbluns opposite.
1t is mean country for troops trespass upon, out
not an impregnable country. believe am safe IN
saying that no Northern society would plead this
region as excuse Tor not following up anu annlhl-
Iating such q crowd as LOwerys band.
THE LAND OF L0wERY
Taking lhe railroad as the axis OF reference and
see Raft swamp leave the river first. and after Six
seven miles incursion northward, send on, parallel
Wi hn on rfnnf SVyl
Panther Swamp and Richand swamp, extensions
OF each other. On this side OF the track Lowery's
band have never committed murder, unless they
killed the McLeods.
Two or three miles above Raft Swamp-thc river
itself swamp grit, sends OF At opposite sides Bear
swamp Tor JACKS Branch) which encloses Moss
Neck and Bme's stations, and Back swamp, which
miles, and projects 10 the southwark Ashpole
Swamp and Aaron swamp,
the swampy Lumber RIVER The swamps are only
mile or two apart and their feeders dimlnish
the distance On Back swamp the Lowery band
keeps Its ambush and secret camps. The Lumber
River Is It's line OF defence from the railway. The
swamps around Moss Neck are the scenes OF us
ooldest assasslnations. The house OF Henry Berry
Lowery, ttre leader, Is beyond Back swamp, live
the rear by Ashpole and Aaron Swamps,
and oil , scudletown Is :, his political
directed against MIN start from Lumberton on the
east and Snoe Heel the west twenty one miles
apart, and each twelve miles from mis- fastness
Little Pedee River, aud the Great Pedee as WELL
send up parallels OF swamp. Florence. great
miles behind him. AS Old Aunt Phoebe said 10 me
at Shoe Heel,
"B0SS, Henry Berry Owery Is de king o. dis cOun-
try !"
scUFrLErowN AS DEFENSIVE TRACT:
me Tree negroes settled upon the Scufietown
tract because the poverty OF the soil and the half
inundated condition OF the region brought 1t within
their means and debarred 1t from the yapacity Of
white men. ln wet weather, after rams, when the
Lumber River and its tributaries rise. this region is
almost flooded, and then the only means Of inter-
communication are small paths, known only to the
inhabitants, which connect the lslano-ike patches
and afford labyrinthian mazes for escape 70 any
who keep the clues. The Lumber River has
bridges at but one or two points, and, being SWIFT
aud deep, must be crossed by scOws Or RATS. In
swamps and low places and even the prairie pine
land. so that one cannot see his own length while
In winter the streams are full OF water and the
swamps more extensive. The gallberry tree, sweet
gums, post oak, hickory, cypress and all the pine
varieties, grow In the swamps and on their margins
ana the bamboo vine, stretching ont eccentrlcally
abatis.
including every variety OF the moccasin, the rattle
snake, and the largest specimens OF water and
v n fS m pa
pear III the pools, creeks and bays. The woods are
plentfuly supplied with wild cats. which Kill pigs
and lambs; ana the silence OF the night In the
replilian region is broken by tile great iomeDed
OWL which uIters no mere 'tu-whit," but appas
the silence with his long f0rebOdlng note, like the
very demon oil the woods mourning for prey.
A TOUR OF sCUFFLEr0wN.
The stranger VINO expects to see in Scuffletown
any approach TO a municipal settlement will be dis
appointed II Is the name OF a tract OF several
miles covered at wide intervals with nuts and log
cabins OF the rudest and simplest construction,
sometimes a half GOZen or these hus being prOXi-
mate. Two or three places to sell low character
OF spirits exist where the dwellings are densest.
The people have few or no horses, but often keep
kind of stunted to haul their short, rickety CARTS
and man with SUCH bovine nubbin and a pair
OF old wheels Is esteemed rich; vet living upon sucn
land and for SO many years, the muatoes OF Scuie-
town would have esteemed themselves well to DO
had they enjoyed any security from their white
neighbors They had little more equity before
jury than negroes, and II was no
great offence TO violate their asylums and court
their wives and daughters. The whole Lowery war
aTterward began with Brant Harris keeping in
sort OF servile cencublnage some girls cOurted by
the Lowerys.