Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-03-04
TWO STRANGE TRIBES.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE WHITE, NE
GRO AND INDIAN BLOOD.
Ono OF the Tribes IL Credited with 30
Ing Descended From whites
Lost Colony which Was Sent
Out by Raleigh.

towns ana RAILROADS., i've the rem
nants OF two strange tribes OF people.
They are the descendants of negroes
Indians and whites who have inter-
married among themselves for more
than century, and the colors and
characteristics OF the three races have
become oddly blended and developed.
The members OF one OF these tribes
are known as Indian negroes. while
the other tribes arc credited by local
history and tradition with being the
direct descendants of Whites lost
colony. The latter live in Robinson
county and the former in the southern
part Of Moore county, some fifty miles
/ distant.
Som after the discovery OF North
Carolina by Sir Walter Raleigh an
English navigator named White
landed at the same point on the coast
south of Cape Hatteras. lie was &C
companied by small band of follow
ers, who decided to settle there A
rude wooden fort was erected. and
some twenty men agreed to remain,
while White with his ship returned to
England for supplies and the families
OF the intrudlng settlers On the re-
turn voyage the vessel was lost and
it was many months before the few
sailors who escaped drowning were
finally picked up and carried back to
England.
1t was then some two years before
another vessel was fitted out to return
to the Carolina coast to reinforce the
colony. When the second ship finally
landed on the shores OF the new world
only trace OF the little colony was
found. The rude fort had been de-
stroyed, and the men who had been
left there had disappeared. On the
trees in the vicinity few words had
been carved with knives, and from
these it was learned that the men had
run out Of provisions and had gone
into tho interior.
A few Indians were found who by
signs indicated that the pale faces had
gone far into the interior many moons
before, says the Philadelphia Press.
The rescuing party returned to Eng
land without learning anything more
OF Whites lost colony, but when the
state was settled many years after
ward, the English settlers were sur
prised to find far in the interior q
number OF half breeds who could speak
n little English. From them it was
learned that tho men left behind by
White had joined q tribe OF Indians
and had married Indian wives.
These half-breeds bore the name of
some of the men who were known to
have been a part OF tho lost colony,
They were Barry, Strong Lowry and
Applewhite. These half breeds con-
tinucd to live with the Indians until
the latter were driven West Then
they founded colony and located in
Robinson county, where their few de-
scendants still live, They were lazy,
worthless lot and lived chiefly by
hunting. fishing and theft They lived
in ruined cabins. and their settlement
was finally given tho name of ScuL1le-
town. which it still bears.
The place in time became the resort
OF runaway slaves. who were pro-
tected by those half. breeds Then
slaves who had purchased their free
dom were admitted to the colony on
terms OF social equality. Then came
m arriages with blacks and mulattoes
! md the character Of the tribe. already
bad enough. rapidly grew worse.
! The men were cunning and treacher-
Gus. and nearly always escaped pun
ishment for their many crimes. I'm
til the late war their criminal acts
were confined to theft and robbery
with an occasional murder that coul
no. be proved against them.
Some twenty years ago Scuffletown
developed one of the worst and most
successful bands of outlaws that ever
existed in this country. They were
led by Henry Barry Lowry. u young
member of the tribe. OF unquestoned
courage and the cunning of an Indian.
| The outlaws were known far and wide
at the time as the Lowry gang. "
! They committed no less than twenty
brutal murders and as many daring
robberies and for mon hs terrorized
the entire country. The band was
finally broken up. most Of its members
killed and the others driven from the
state. A few families o. the Lost
Colony" tribe remain at Scufletown.
distrusted by the whites feared and
hated by the negroes.
In appearance these people arc tall
and well built Their skin is dark
and swarthy, the marks OF their indian
and negro blood being most prominent
Their hair is black and coarse, but it
does not kink like the hair OF the ne
gro and mulatto. They have the high
cheek bones OF tho Indian, the thick
| lips Of the negro, while the nose and
general shape OF the head show the
trace Of the Caucasian blood that re-
mains in this odd mixture Of races.
The origin OF the Indian negroes is
not so clear. 1t is said in the locality
where they live that about the time OF
the revolution. or perhaps before that
time. q mulatto. who. had purchased
his freedom, married an Indian squaw.
and from them descended the present
tribe.
This seems plausible, rs those now
living appear to have less OF negro
blood than that OF the other two races.
The striking peculiarly OF their APP
pearance is that their skin is not the
same color on all parts OF their
| hnJic. SAp.a ~ than, fpnt,, thn