The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-02-27

blood or blasted their souls with other at
trocious crimes. They set themselves up
as avengers of the wrongs of their
brethren who had been held IN bondage,
and the blood of the former shareholders,
by the swords and knives Of these gueri-
las, paid for the blood Of the slave drawn
with the lash. They were unlawful aveng-
ers of blood, and their own lives paid the
forfeit. For more than ten years, this
small band have defed the civil and mill
tary power of the state, and were only ex-
terminated at last by the other sclf-consti-
tutcd avengers. This, also, illustrates the
kind of warfare that could have been
waged by the south, after the disarmament
of her armies. In the light of their history,
we can see that there was a greater posi-
bic danger from guerrilla warfare than
we, even, dreamed of.
These Lowerys, If we understand Alright,
were never slaves, but were of that class
of North Carolina mulattos who have been
"immcmorally' free. They were six in
number, had been brought up by their
fathcras carpenters and were, it Is said.
"gcncralIy Industrious, apt and locilc until
the beginning of the civil war. The whites
with their hatred of free labor, particularly
disihcl this colored settlement, had been
in the habit Of imposing upon them when
possible. and, finally, and impressed them
to work on the defenses OF Wilmington
with only slaves as their cO-laborers. AT
this they reyoltcd and they deserted to the
mountains and swamps. No more able to
obtain livelihood by honest labor. their
free and easy life in their retreat naturally
led to loose habits and awoke spirit OF
retaliation. They robbed and assassinated
only those who adhered to the confederate
cause. The runaway slave and the Union
soldier escaping from the prison pens Of
the south always found in them ready
friends protectors and guides into our
lines. To Sbermau's army, and particular
ly the 'bummers," they rendered "aid and
comfort, so that after the army had passed
on, the white residents murdered in cold
bloud the father and one of the sons, who
had not been connected with the dcprcda-
lions of the others. Before this time, they
had only acted in self defense and for self
subsistence, but now Their whole natures
changed and they became almost demons,
although 1t was some two years before they
entered, in earnest, on their career of ra-
pine and bloodshcd. The band never cx-
ce,ded ten IN number and waS generally
composed of only the five brothers who, as
the report says, accepted outlawry us a
Of war, and slew without re-
morse all who hunted them or had pcrsc-
cuted their kim United, with the aid of
their sympathaers, they defeated large
body Of the state militia, reinforced by
volunteers and n detachment the regular
army, but only to he assassinatcd in turn,
when alone. During their whole outlawry
they were never known to trouble an Or
iginal Union man, citizen from the north
or former slave. Their vengeance has
been terrible as their wrongs were grieyous
While there is nothing in their. life or death,
during the past ten years, to excite sym.
pathy or justify their actions, yet there
will be many who will see the hand OF
God both in their vengeance and their final
taking off. 1t may be so, but lawlessness
and crime can never prosper, because God
has said vengeance is mine and will re-
pay" Their butcheres can, however, only
be viewed as one of the inevitable results
of slavery and rebellion, and if one should
choose between them, which heaven for
bio. where would the greater crime be
placed, on the head of the Lowreys, the
slave holder or the ku-klux?