The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-03-13
STEVE LOWERY.

How the Last OF the North CarOlins
swamp Angels was Killed.
Stephen Lowery, the last and proba
bly, the worst of the Carolina Swamp
Angels who rioted in blood and held
such high carnival of crime in North
Carolina for so many years, W. killed
in the Scuffletown region by three
| young white men, all farmers, named
| David Holcombe, Thomas Dutton and
| McNeill Patterson. The scene of the
| tragedy is located about two miles from
Red Banks, on the Carolina Central
railway, about sixteen miles west of
Lumberton, the county seat of Robe
son county, and six miles from this
point. 1t was also on the plantation,
and not far from the house of Mr..
John McNair, a gentleman who has re-
peatedly been robbed by the outlaws.
The three young men mentioned had
been ont searching for the outlaws for
several weeks past. They were on this
mission together ON Sunday, and at
about midnight approached a whisky
camp on Mr. McNair's place, where
there were two wagons containing
whisky and tobacco, belonging to man
named Burns, of Randolph county.
Here there was quite a crowd OF
negroes and few white men drinking
and carousing together. Among the
number was Steve Lowery, who seemed
to have been imbibing pretty freely.
The young men approached the outlaw
and begun to converse with him. he
made many boasts of what he had done
and what he could do, and said that he
could show more gold than any other
man in Robson coanty.
Af'er awhile the young men arose
and bade Steve good night, saying that
they ere going home. After getting
well ont of the range of the camp,
however, they made detOur and crept
up to within twenty yards of the out
law. Here they remained quiet for
long time, waiting for a shot, but were
deferred for more than an hour BY the
fact that there were others near him.
Finally they all separated, and Steve
picked up banjo and begun humping
on it for the amusement of his friends. |
One colored individual kept near to
him, but the young men were deter
mined not to lose this opportunity, and |
so at a given signal they all three fred. |
There was but one report from the |
three guns. The outlaw jumped from |
his seat and Immediately afterward fell |
TO the ground dead. The negro who |
was near him had his ears slightly |
scratched by the shot, but was reioice6 |
to find that he, too, was not killed.
The young men then reloaded their |
guns and advanced to the dead body,
which they secured and bore away. A /
cart was hired and the body placed on
it and taken to Lumberton. 1t was
hny fol IN Z bp MI
on the table in the sherifrs Office.
Immediately there was a wild COM
motion in the town, and the streets were
soon filled with an excited crowd dis
cussing the tragedy, and all rejoicing that
the last of the outlaws had be IN killed.
The body was perfectly riddled with
balls and buckshot. The head was
perforated in several places, and there
we're three large wounds in the heart,
any of which would have proved fatal
There were found on the body but very
lew articles, among which were bunch
Of keys and copy of the Wilmington
Weekly Post.
The outlaw was armed to the teeth,
here being found on his person when
le was killed, a Henry rife, three pis-
OILS and a knife with a blade about
WE'VE lucueS III leDBGn. he was only
about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years
Of age. Like all the rest of the out
laws, his earthly career has been cut
short before he had reached the prime
Of life. He is said to have been the
most cowardly, and at the same time the
most treacherous and vindictive of
hem all.
"Rhody Lowery, the widow of the
iefunct chief, Henry Berry Lowerv.
vas among the crowd at Lumberton. 1t
s said that she seemed actually rejoiced
70 learn that the last of the gang had
gone to his last account. Tt is under
stood that Rhody wanted to marry
again, but Steve had threatened to kill
ler il she did so. There are manv per-
sistent persons who believe that Henry
Berry Lowery is not yet dead; it is