Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-03-06
The Last North Carolina Outlaw
Killed.

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The Wilmington IN. CO. papers furnish
full details of the death Of Steve Lowry.
the last of the outlaws who for so long a
time wasa terror to the people of Robson
county. He was shot and instantly killed.
about II O'Clock Monday morning by three
young men named Daniel Holcombe,
Thomas Sutton and Mcneil Patterson, at
a point OIL the Carolina Central Railway,
about sixteen miles west Of Lumberton,
the county seat of Robson, and on the
plantation and not far from the house of
Mr.. John McNair, a gentleman who has
been repeatedly robbed by the outlaws
The journal gives the following ac-
count
The three young men above named,
have been out searching for the outlaw for
several weeks past. They were out to-
gether IN Sunday and about midnight APP
preached a whiskey camp on MI. McNair's
place, where there were two wagons con-
tanning whisky and tobacco, belonging to
a MAI named Burns. of Randolph county.
Here there was quite a crowd of negroes
and a few white men drinking and carous-
ing together. Among the gang was Steve
Lowry, who seemed. to have been imbibing
pretty freely.
The young men approached the outlaw
and began to converse with him. He made
many boasts of what he had done and what
he could do, and said he could show more
gold than any man in Robson county,
After awhile the young men arose and
babe Steve good night, saying that they
were going home. After getting well out
OF the range Of the camp they made a
detour and crept up to within twenty yards
of the outlaw. Here they remained quiet
for a 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 a banjo, drumming it. One col
ored Individual crept near him, so as to
more readily get his fill of the music, and
was so near Lowry that for some minutes
the young men hesitated to fire for fear Of
injuring him. But the opportunity was
not to be lost, and so, at a given signal,
they all three fired. There was but one re-
port from the three guns, and the outlaw
sprang into the airssand fell dead on the
ground. The mai who Was standing near
him had his ears slightly scratched by the
shot and fell on his back on the ground ex-
claiming that he too was ssdone kill dead"
He rejoiced, however, to find shortly after
wards that he was not injured.
The body was a perfect arsenal Of balls
and buckshot, the face being covered with
blood, presenting/a fearful sight. The
head was perforated in several places, and
there were three large wounds in the breast,
any one of which would have proved fatal.
Only a few articles were found in the pock-
cts Of the outlaws clothing, among which
were a large bunch of keys.
The outlaw was armed to the teeth, there
having been found in his possession, when
he was killed, a large Henry rifle, two pis-
tolls and a knife With a blade about twelve
inches in length. He was only about twen-
ty-eight OF Twenty-Five years of age and,
like all of the outlaws, died young. He is
said to have been the most cowardly and.
at the same time, the most treacherous and
vindictive Of them all. Rhody Lowry, the
widow of the defunct Chief, Henry Berry
Lowry, was among the crowdat Lumberton
yesterday, attracted there by the new of
the tragedy. 1t is said she seemed actually
rejoiced to learn that the last of the gang
had gone to his long account.
1t is understood that the lovely Rhody
wants to marry again, but that Steve had
threatened to kill her if she did so. There
are many who believe, however, that Hen
ny Berry is not yet dead, and it is asserted
that he has recently been seen in New
York city. Certain it is that the simple
name of the outlaw chief excites as much
terror in the classic precincts of Scuffie-
town, as did that of Richard Cgur de Leon
among the Saracens in Palestine during
the crusades.
The rewards for the killing of Steve
Lowry amount, in all, to 5000, and this
amount will be paid over to the three
young men who killed him. The band,
whose extinction is made complete by the
dealh Of Steve Lowry, originally consisted
Of five active members, viz. Thomas Low
ny, Andrew Strong, S ephen Lowry, Hen
ry Berry Lowry and Boss Strong.
80 q
Death of John wesley.
He rose in the morning the first of his
household. Once, he relates, he was up at
half-past five, went to the chapel, but
found no one of his assistant preachers