The St. Johns herald., 1891-07-09
AN OLD GUN. :.
Wartime Outlaws Story Recalled by
 a Revolutionary Relic.

Wartime Outlaws Story Recalled by
 a Revolutionary Relic.
 It is more than six feet long-six feet seven inches. Pretty good length for gun barrel? And a shotgun at that!
 Standing in the corner of McQueen's restaurant on Decatur street is this old revolutionary relic, says the Atlanta Constitution There is no such shotgun in Atlanta as that. It was purchased by MT. Donald Mcqueen in Charleston, $. C.. in 1922. It was pretty well worn when he purchased it, having seen serv- ice in the revolutionary war.
 It was a fine gun in its day, finished with the finest of flint and steel locks, and besides the Tories that it had slain, deer, turkeys, squirrels and birds turned their toes heavenward when the old blunderbuss was brought to bear upon them.
 During the last days of the late war there existed gang of notorious outlaws in Robinson County, N. C., known as the Lowry gang" One of the mem bers of this band of bushwhackers was Henry Berry. He was as brave as lion and as reckless aS-wel, he was an out-and-out free-booter, who regarded neither God nor man.
 He got on spree one night, and in his marauding around the country he came in contact with party of sol diers. He retreated at once to his stronghold, but carried with him this old gun, which he had pilfered from the Mcqueen homestead. Fearing that he would be overtaken and captured, he prepared to defend himself. Placing his foot on the hammer, he blew in the muzzle of the gun to see if it was load ed. As matter of course it was. Eff teen blue whistlers went crushing through Berry's skull and the country was well rid of one daredevil outlaw.
 The old gun had nothing to do with the next tragedy, but there was close connection between it and the case. A little tallow-faced fellow named Jim Donehoo read in the newspapers the offer of a reward for the capture of Steve Lowry, who became chief of the band of outlaws after Berry's death. He tramped all the way from his plantation home in Alabama to North Carolina. The reward offered was six thousand dollars. Donehoo learned of the where abouts of Lowry and effected the capt. ure of the outlaw by deliberately shoot ing him. Donehoo drew the reward from the State; the Lowry gang became a thing of the past, and Donehoo, the little Alabamian, purchased a farm in North Carolina with the money that was awarded him for killing Lowry. He settled down to lead a quiet and Deaceable life. But he was not des- tined to enjoy the fruits of his labor un- interruptedly.
 Steve Lowry left little boy, who was imbued with his fathers fearless and undaunted spirit. This boy, even though he was but a child at the time of the tragedy, swore to avenge his fathers death. He endeavored to keep his word, but was unfortunate.
 Donehoo was justified. He killed the father, drew the reward and killed the son twenty years after in self-defense. That is what the coroner's jury said.
 The old gun, which is only link in the chain of circumstances that make up this strange story, is now brcech- loader, with several inches of the origi- nal barrel cut off. And it is still six feet seven inches long.