The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-01-23


paved streets. The town is very
well laid off on a wide, flat ridge. 1t
is for the most part quite level. The
site is all that could be desired. But
the streets are dirty, unpaved, mud
dy, and anything but credit to peo-
pie who own so many handsome res
licences and business houses, along
with so many high priced automo-
biles
/ On Thursday Mr.. McLaurin and
took a trip in Mr.. McLaurin's big
Cadalac car to Lumberton, about fif-
ty miles to the east of Bennettsville.
The route lay through what is COM
monty held to be the choicest agri-
cultural section of Marlboro, passing
through the little towns of Tatum
and McColl, crossing the Little Pee
Dee river at Barnes bridge, few
miles over the North Carolina line
in what was formerly Robson, but
now Scotland county. The country
through which the road runs is al
most as level as floor. There is
not a hill to be climbed anywhere.
/ The soil is of grayish yellow, with
lots of sand in it, splendid material
for roadbed, yet the road is not
nearly as good as that between
Yorkville and Rock Hill, or York
vile and Glover. 1t is all cut up in
ruts and does not have the appear
ance of having ever been dragged.
/ No intelligent traveller from abroad,
aware of the fact that Marlboro pro-
duces more cotton to the acre than
any other county in the United
States, would ever have believed
that he would find the principal
/ thoroughfare of such a county in
any such condition certainly not
when with but little labor and ex-
Ipense the road could be made per-
feet.
The difference in road conditions
was noticeable from the time we
crossed into North Carolina. We
went over the line at Barnes's bridge
noted in local history as the scene
Of many holdups and murders COM
mitted by the Henry Berry Lowrie
gang in the late sixties and early
seventies. There is no change in
the topography or the character Of
the soil. The country is level and
flat and the soil is a grayish yellow
sandy loan. Forty years ago all
this country was a swampy wilder
ness, covered with pine and other
timber. The ruling price was about
40 cents an acre. That was the sit
uation for more than fifty miles to
the east. But it is not that way now
Great drainage ditches have been
cut through the country, the swamps
have disappeared, the road is drag
ged every few days with split long
contrivances drawn by broad wheel
Ford automobiles and from the Marl-
boro line to Lumberton, more than
thirty miles, it is the most thickly
populated rural district 1 have ever
seen. Many of the houses are large
two story handsome structures Of
eight or ten or more rooms, while
others are smaller and still others
are mere shacks. Many Croatan In
dians are to be seen along the road
in varying stages of prosperity, and
most Of them at work, either about
their homes or on their farms, or
travelling the roads in their wagons,
taking produce to market or bring
ing back furniture and other arti-
cles purchased from the towns OF
Maxton and Lumberton.
The country through which we
passed, now so progressive and
prosperous, is the same that was
once the stamping ground of Henry
Berry Lowrie and his notorious, but
nevertheless famous band of out
laws. Henry Berry Lowrie belonged
to the tribe of Croatan Indians that
is said to be descended from Sir
Walter Raleigh's lost Roanoke col
ony.
1 can very we'll remember hearing
members Of my family talking about
Henry Berry Lowrie at the dining
table and around the living room
fire when I was a child of 7 or 8
years. He and his gang were head
liners in the newspapers in those
days, and they cut as big a figure
throughout the whole country as did
Jesse James, Bill Dulin, Bob Dalton
or any Of the rest Of them. Lowrie
robbed right and left, attacked court
houses and jails. carried away the
safes Of sheriffs and other officials
and killed people who got in their
way. The State Of North Carolina
offered reward Of $4,000 for the
body of Henry Berry Lowrie, dead
or alive, and although other men,
bers Of the gang were taken and ex-
ecuted, no one was ever able to claim
the reward for the outlaw chief him