The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-13
A CAROLINA FEUD.

-gzstl and West. fsGfts which set family
sgsins, family ard divided communities
ard counties into hostile camps. ever grow
tnx aad exsending Their ramitieasions by
ssse tIes Of Elth, kin aud relationship. The
HAtae.si- Mccoy vendetta, which has re-
suatee ia a score 81 murders and spread
into txo states. still exists and its end t.
not yet IL view. Bot there Sas another
vendetta. more bitter than Corsscan and
slcilEan feueis Of blood, which has been
s.eeping nov these sixteen years and TO the
world il dead, yet lives. and may again
spTinR Up.
Who that read the newspapers twenty
sears ago does not remember the dee'is 81
the Lowry gang. or swamp Angels,
whose headquarters were IN and around
scrabhleson. Robson county. y. {. ? More
terrible than the Hathesas, a. daring
as tie James boys the Lowrys for over four
years dsfled and held at bay county sbef-
isr and the legal arms OF North Carolina
There are those who wsli tTefnbse when
they hssr that Henry Gerry Lowry stu
lives. The writer Of this article last week
talked With prominent North 1arolinian.
who assures hira that the famous leader s
in the flesh and can be found when the
time comes.
A quarter Of g century before tae civil
wsr vessel vas wrecked on the North
Carolina coast under somewhat suspicious
circumstances. Her captain, Portuguese.
went 10 the interior al North Carolina. ard
Icing good judge OF lard. bon ght a fertile
estate In Robeson county. Here ne soon
married a creole woman with 3 trace Of
eoIarei blood in her veins.
The Portuguese have no color prejgdiees.
To this is due Their reIuaF kaois success III
dealing with sayages in the tropics. II
they had scientific training they would be
the greatest explorers OF the world. 10 is
fact not generally known that Portuguese
traders had penetrated every nook and
Granny Of Africa. from the Zambe 10 the
Congo and Niger on the north and the
Zanzibar coast on the east, IN search Of
gold aud ivory, long before Livingstone or
Stanley set loor on the Dark Continent.
The torrid climate agrees with them. Al
ready thousands oil Portuguese haf-br
are proving the kcenest Of traders through
nil the country not monopolized by the
ereoles.
The Portuguese captain. 10 return. cut of
from hts neighbors. partly by his lonely
location. partly by his birth and marriage,
aud still more from INCLINATION. lived a
quiet life. hunting in the neighboring
woods and swamps. raising corn, tobbaco
aud cotton for a little ready money, and
distiiling spirits for his own use. When
the war broke out a half-doxen stalwart
sons and daughters had grown up around
him. The girls were magnificent brunettes,
adorned with more than ordinary comli-
ness, and the sons were splendid speci-
mems OF manhood, powerful in physique
dead shots, daring riders. and as hand
some a. Spanish torcadors. by marriage
the sons and daughters had attached sew
eral families and powerful interests to the
Lowrys. Like many North Carolians they
were intense Unionists, and after the attack
ou Fort Sumter found themselves between
tao fires.
Robson county Is on the South Carolina
line, and Cheraw. with its hot-hloo2ed Sc
eessionists. was but a half-day's ride "a
the West. In order to avoid CONSUMPTION
on himself and kinsman, one Mclean, a
leading Citizen, organized a Home
Guard, one OF those unpopular organiza-
tons which sprang up all over the South,
With the sole purpose OF acting as draft
gangs a. enforce their unwilling neighbors
to take up arms for the Southern Confed-
eYacy. The MGNeils aud McCiarys, kns-
men of Mclean, made up its membership
Along ~ istS after numerous unsucce-s-
fui attempts 10 capture the Lowry boys
Captain Mclean. with his press gang, one
day rode up 10 the Lowry house
called out Captain Lowry, then past
his prime. and ordered him To tell the
hiding place Of his boys. lie refused In
furlated they stripped him 10 the waist.
bound him ;o tree and gave him 100
lasheS. His back and arms mass az cut
and bleeding flesh. the heroic Portuguese
stu refused 10 heiray his sons. Turning
him around they rijdlcd him with bullets.
and he fell, diving, 90 the ground. Missing
maiedietions in his native tongue through
eienchei teeth on his murderers Win
mingled fear and fury fear lest = witness
mieht be iclt, fury that their vengeance
should be haIked-the press gang xtroye tn
wrest the secret from Mrs. Lowry
"D--~n her; give the wench the same
treatment" shouted one ~ the maFaulers.
ln a moment she, TOO. fell dead hy her
murdered husband. Their foul deeds done.
hui baitied Of the prey they sought. the
Home Guards Hed toward i.Gmbsrton. Ey
their crimes soad was born.
When Henry Lowry discovered the dead
bodscs az his father and mother he gathered
the family and made them swear never to
cease their vengeance while a Mclean. a
Mcneil o. a McClary was left alive In Robe
sen county. The times were unpropitious
then TO- carrying on the fsud. IL SUM
tefet and the l.oNryS hided their time. In
}'h9 Mclean was shot mar Lumherten.
fae following year Two Mcieans and a
Mcneil we're killed. and EolSSon county
avose 20 the fact that the feud was on
Before isH had closed a half dozen
* The three offending families
had bitten The dust snd the Iowrys had
hardly began. sheriff after sheriff sought
- arrest thcgl and failed In the .mrene-
iyahle TeCesses % the swanps the Tosrvs
h-d. emerging ca ihelF erfands ~ death
Through paths known only to themselves.
Net Nhcg a month or tao % peace haa
brought = seeming RESPITE. thc IoSrys
ARMED &c 1he teeth. would Si3e the high
way ~ Resseson. dash Through The streets
81 LIal1ertott. an8 even strike across the
ine 20 ChcfaW. uncc HeNry Barry fowry
Nas captured lie Immediately escaped
AEaA@ Or ga caPtugva Aad taken a. .he
Wlat'9Etsn lsi, tor sAss kespiag Il was
taerv thas the writers informant .a,er-
s'evrd htal
= wAs pre-. 8!.ee4 against ;hc Lowry.
said be % hat kneea nothing og their
s'.e ot TIE STORY urt3 az oIa Methodist
y escher AAA lolA see when he heard u
Jenrr Eevr> lowrv ravtare. og lie strong
sSa}P4.6s sh5ca uaav g-retsc haa fuF lie
's&&tcF AteF-f. wav sitae e. go see hiua
Ia f5F atefeFs fooI ~ tee " Aen The
oRtlas es .er Nts Sesea rrtcrs ua rs
head eals ERE apartment. saa 4 saan
q Sc uia ges-.. ga. aoG sg5sndi8,y prol.or-
ssosest her .esr evan. ARR darx Span
ia L. e.. .---.-..--.-. -. aA-.-.--a. -