As our story begins this week, we find that several members of the Lowry gang have been captured. Henry Berry Lowry was not among them but two members, George Applewhite and Stephen Lowry, are both being tried in Whiteville for the murder of Reuben King (sheriff of Robeson Co) at that time. The trials were moved from Lumberton because of local tension.
The states most damaging evidence was supplied by John Dial, former gang member. Dial had said his former confession of the gang’s activity had been extracted by force and was untrue. Despite this testimony, the two defendants were convicted and sentenced to be hanged.
Meanwhile, other members of the gang that had been captured were still in jail in Lumberton. Only by the help of a woman, probably Ronda Strong Lowry, did some of these prisoners manage to escape. One of these escaped prisoners was Shoemaker John, who also had turned state’s evidence. After the escape, John just seemed to have vanished and was never seen in the area again.
The few Lowry Gang members that hadn’t escaped from Lumberton plus Steve Lowry and Applewhite were sent to a maximum security jail cell in Wilmington N.C. and would you believe with the help of the same woman they escaped. A Lumbee tale says that Ronda Lowry walked the eighty miles from Scuffletown to Wilmington and with her womanly charm created a diversion while an aid slipped in some tools allowing the gang members to escape.
It took a month for the gang members to make their way back to the swamps of Robeson Co. Traveling through the wilderness and trying to avoid recapture took time and guts but they were soon all back together and continued their raids in the southeast.
By 1870, Henry Berry Lowry had become the most hunted and feared man in N.C. history. The state legislature placed a $12,000 bounty on his head and $6,000 each on the other gang members, dead or alive. Authorities and bounty hunters alike found capturing or just getting a glimpse of the gang members, was a hard row- to- hoe.
There had to be another approach to capturing these outlaws. That’s when the authorities started rounding up and arresting anyone who they thought was helping the gang, including member’s wives. Ronda Lowry was at the top of the list and all were charged with “aiding and abetting” the outlaws.
It just so happened at about the same time, eighteen militiamen, commanded by Captain Charles McRae, had an unusual and surprise confrontation with Henry Lowry himself. Seems the armed militia was resting at Wiregrass Landing along the banks of the Lumbee River when they heard the sound of someone paddling down the river. To their surprise, they looked up and saw Henry Lowry paddling a small crow boat down the river. Instantly, the whole party opened fire on Lowry. Lowry threw himself into the dark waters of the Lumbee with only the boat between him and his attackers. With the boldness of this move and the accuracy of Lowry’s gun fire, the soldiers fled like rabbits while the Indian leader escaped unharmed.
The fight at Wiregrass Landing added greatly to Lowry’s reputation as a marksman and a brave warrior. Stories and legends about him began to spread like wildfire.
As far as the arrest of gang member’s wives, the authorities soon learned that intimidation was a poor weapon against the gang. Early on the morning of July 14,1871, Henry Berry, along with his brother Steve and the two Strong brothers, went to the home of John McNair. Mr. McNair was a well- known merchant and farmer in the area and was also known by the Lowry Gang. They informed McNair they had come for breakfast and a meal was quickly prepared and served to the gang members. When they finished the meal, Henry Lowry told his somewhat shaken host. “Mr. McNair, I want you to gear-up and go to Lumberton. Tell the sheriff and the county commissioners down there that if’en they don’t let my wife and the other women out of jail by Monday evening- the life of every government official in Robeson Co. will be in jeopardy.” To further get his point across, Lowry and the rest of the gang signed their names or made their mark on a sheet of paper declaring what they were going to do if their demands were not met.
Although the authorities in Lumberton wanted to stand firm on their decision to hold the women in jail, the local white citizens were very fearful that the outlaws would carry out their threats.
After several days of hesitation, the authorities gave in to public pressure and released the wives of the gang members. To speed things up, the women were placed on a train and returned to Red Bank station around Scuffletown. The train arrived late in the afternoon on the day the ultimatum was to expire. All of Robeson Co. breathed a sigh of relief!!!
Although this one event ended peacefully, the determination of the local authorities to capture or kill the Lowry Gang members remained but the gang’s determination to survive became even stronger.
By late summer, 1871, most Robesonians agreed that a peace treaty between them and the Lowry Gang had to be drawn up. So happened the adjutant-general of N.C., John Gorman, was in the area with a detachment of Federal troops. Gorman agreed to meet with the outlaws and try to work out a deal to end the conflict. Both sides pledged their good behavior. Gorman later described the meeting saying that Lowry denied responsibility for some of the murders attributed to him and his band, and insisted that the ones they had committed were justified. The adjutant-general also noted that all members of the gang were in the prime of young manhood, and seemed to be in the best of health. He said the gang members were dressed in homespun clothes and armed to the tee. Henry Berry, himself, carried a “Spencer rifle, a double-barreled shotgun, two revolvers, and a bowie knife; also each gang member carried a double-barreled shotgun, several revolvers, and he was sure they carried weapons under their clothes.”
The meeting lasted about an hour and when it came to an end, Gorman asked Lowry why he didn’t just simply leave the state. Henry Berry replied, “Robeson County is the only land I know. I can hardly read, and do not know where I would go if I leave these woods and swamps, where I was raised. Only if I could get safe conduct and a pardon would I go anywhere- but these people will not let me live and I do not plan to enter jail again.” Gorman was moved by the Indians plight, but told Lowry he lacked the authority to grant the terms he sought. During the weeks of the talks the outlaws conducted themselves as well as could be expected. Yet in the end, Gorman and the federal troops were withdrawn because of “lack of progress.”
Shortly after Gorman left, the state legislature increased the reward for the outlaws. Bounty hunters became more abundant and aggressive than ever and the Indian guerrillas retaliated in their own personal way by planning a big robbery in Lumberton.
Forgive me if I take up another column to end this story. The many details of this story are based on facts and actual events of our local history. There is one thing I do know and that is if we don’t learn from the lessons of our past, they are bound to repeat themselves.