The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-03-05
The Last Of the North Carolina Outlaws

The Last Of the North Carolina Outlaws.
| correspondent of the New York Herald
furnishes the particulars of the killing of Steve
Lowery, the laat survivor of the famous band
Of outlaws who infested the county Of Robson,
in North Carolina, for SO many years:
Stephen Lowery, the last and probably the
worst Of the Carolina Swamp Angels who riot
ed in blood and held such high carnival Of
| crime in North Carolina for so many years, was
killed at about half-past four o'clock this morn
ing in the Scuf1etown region BY three young
combe 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 Lumber
| ton, the county seat of Robson county, and
six miles from this point. It was also on the
plantation and not far from the house of Mr.
John McNair, gentleman who has repeatedly
been robbed by the outlaws.
The three young men above mentioned had
been out searching for the outlaw for several
weeks past. They were Oh this mission to-
gether on Sunday, and at about midnight ap-
preached a whiskey camp on Mr.. McNair's
place, where there were two wagons containing
whiskey and tobacco, belonging to man
named Burns, of Randolph county. Here
there was quite 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
began 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 county.
After while the young men arose and bade
Steve goodnight, saying that they were going
home. After getting we'll out of the range of
the camp, however, they made a detour and
crept up to within twenty yards Of the outlaw.
Here they remained quiet for long time, wait
ing for 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 began drumming on it
for the amusement of his friends. One colored
individual kept near to him, but the young
men were determined not to lose this oppor-
tunity, and so at given signal they all three
fired.
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 ear
slightly scratched by the shot, but was re-
ioiced to find that he was not killed. The
Young men then reloaded their guns and ad
vanced to the dead body, which they secured
and bore away. A cart was hired and lthe
body placed on it and taken to Lumberton,
where it arrived this morning at about nine
o'clock. It was then taken to the Court
House and placed on table in the Sheriff's
Office.
Immediately there was wild commotion in
the town, and the streets were soon filled with
an excited crowd discussing the tragedy, and
all rejoicing that the last of the outlaws had
been killed The body was perfectly riddled
with balls and buckshot. The head was per-
forated in several places, and there were three
large wounds in the heart, any one of which
would have proved fatal. There were found on
the body but very few articles, among which
were bunch of keys and copy of the Will
mington weekly Post. This latter, which IS
now before me as write, is perforated through
with hole almost large enough to have been
made by MIME ball, and in another place the
paper is torn, it is thought, by second ball.
The outlaw was armed to the teeth, there
being found on his person, when he was killed,
8 Henry rife three pistols and knife with
blade about twelve inches in length. He was
only about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years
of age Like all the rest of the outlaws, 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 them
all. '.'@
"Rhody" Lowery, the widow of the defunct
chief, Henry Berry Lowery, was among the
crowd at Lumberton to-day. tits said that she
seemed actually rejoiced to learn that the last
of the gang had gone to his long account. 1t
is understood that zRhody wanted to marry
again, but that Steve had threatened to kill
her if she did SO. There are many persistent
persons who believe that henry Berry Lowery
is not yet dead it is even asserted that he has
recently been seen in New York city.
The rewards for the killing of Steve Lowery
amount in all to SC, 200, and this amount will
be paid over to the three young men who killed
him. The dead outlaw is said to have been
recently but the ghost of his former self He
was formerly stout and robust, but had become
pale and thin Of late. Since the killing of
Tom Lowery he has kept pretty close to the
swamps; but the music of tobacco and whis-
lev caravansary was more than he could resist,
To his love of the ardent may be directly
traced his death He was older than Henry
Berry Lowery, who was, in fact, the youngest
of the brothers in the gang.
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