The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-10

| by one the Croatan leaders were nick
| ed off in guerilla warfare. Lee sur
| rendered and peace was declared. His
| veterans returned to their homes and
| addressed themselves to the task Of
| rebuilding a wasted civilization. But
| there was no peace for the veterans
| of Robson. They laid aside their
| uniforms but not their arms; a noble
| foe was but exchanged for an ignoble
/, one; the artillery's roar gave place to
| the silent ambush, and the dashing
charge on the field of battle to the
| midnight man-hunt.
| The band of outlaws was controlled
and held together by the powerful per-
sonality of their chief, Henry Berry
| LOWrie.
This remarkable character excites
| by turns our hatred and our admira-
| ton, never our contempt Over his
| lawless band he exercised the absolute
sway of q monarch. His word was
| law. and woe betide the unfortunate
who opposed his will. On one occtt-
| sion he shot Steve Lowrie, his brother
and trusted companion, through the
| eye for INSTRUMENTATION.
In his veins flowed a strange COM
| mixture, the Cavalier blood of Eng
| land, the blood of the vagabond Por-
tuguese and the blood of the Indian.
Each strain was traceable in his ap-
| in himself three distinct persons, and
first one then the other, and now the
third shows itself in his remarkable
career
His person was distinctly pleasing
and handsome; in his color the Indian
copper predominated, noticeably tenn
Dered by thc white; he had straight
black hair and wore a small goatee
His figure was of medium height erect
as a young pine, sineWy and supple
in the extreme his shoulders were
broad and his chest deep; his head
and neck firmly and gracefully car
ried. His forehead was good, high
broad and massive; his eyes were soft
grayish hazel in repose, but would
diIate and darken in anger. A smile
usually played over his face, but when
he was aroused it became the smile
of a demon.
The formidable equipment which he
constantly carried was in keeping with
the dread he inspired. In his belt he
wore five six barreled pistols and a
long bowie knife; shoulder straps sup
ported u siXteen-shOt Henry rifle and
double-barreled shotgun. His whis-
key flask and heavy cartridge box
brought the weight of his armament
to the astonishing total of ninety or
a hundred pounds. He was thus ready
without notice to go on long cam
paign or to stand off a large body Of
pursuers His endurance was pho
nomenal With this load he could
run, swim, hide out for weeks in the
swamps and in short undergo, unaf-
fected, hardships and fatigueS the very
thought of which would diSmay an or
binary man,
Ten thousand dollars was offered for
his body, dead or alive. With this
enormous price upon his head, carry
ing night and day As loaded muzzles,
for ten years he waged fierce warfare
against county, State, Confederate and
United States authority. AnsWerable
to neither God, man nor devil, SUI
preme among his people, supported
solely by the manhood nature gave
him, hunted like the wild beast he
was he lived his life in hopeless vet
fearless deftnce of society. Twice
imprisoned, ambushed and fired upon
times without number, he played
touch-and-gO game against death with
a jest in his heart and smile on his
lips. Robber and murderer by choice
and circumstance he never broke a
promise, never committed arson and
never offered insult to a white woman.
Black is his record; rightly detested
is his name; yet this obscure Croatan
outlaw showed a courage whose ampli-
tude and intensity are wonderful.
AS he lived in violence he died in
mystery. His end is supposed to have
come accidently by his own hand NO
man knows his sepulchre, and to this
day on the books OF North Carolina
is standing the reward of $4,000. for
Henry Berry Lowrie, dead or alive.
Operations of The Outlaws.
The band which he led grew from
small nucleus till at one time 1t
numbered so or so. Efforts to ex-
terminate it met only with lukewarm
assistance or yelled opposition on the
part of the Radical authorities. on
one occasion nine white men who an
dertOok to protect the property and
lives of their neighbOrS were them
selves outlawed and forced to flee the
State Escaped Yankee prisoners
from Florence, native white criminals
and desperate negroes SWeIled the
numbers of the bandits. Wholesale
robberies were boldly and openly COM
mitted, and objection or resistance
was met by death. Men known to be
active in their opposition to the gang
were ambushed and shot. Indian
methods of warfare were used by the
Croatans and pitched battles with the
whites avoided. They wandered around
in small bands on their raids OF plum
der and murder. When large body
of whites assembled the Croatans dis
banded and each man hid out for
himself in the woods and sWamps
Some Of the CrOatan houses were pro-
vided with a trap-doOr and under
ground passage to be used in case the
owner should be caught at home and
surrounded.
At last the whites began to fight fire
with fire and to hunt the leading out
laws down, one by one. huge game
Of hide and seek, with death as the
penalty for an unskilful move, was
inaugurated. Concerted action among
the whites was difficult for reasons
stated above, and the deplorablc pc
riod of bloodshad lasted for an almost
incredible time. Gradually the sltua-
ton assumed a bloodier and grimmcr
tinge until a bare chronicle of the
facts causes US to shudder with hor-
hor
Two Instances will suffice-the muir
der of Mr. O. G. Norment and the kill
ing of John Sanders, the detective.
Mr. Norment was shot March IL,
1870 The murderers chose the early
part Of the night for their deed. An
unknown number slipped up to the
house and surrounded IT. Let Mrs.
Moments own words tell the story:
with the laughter of innocence ring
ing in their ears they took their po-