general dispatched two companies of the 4th Regiment U.S. Artillery to Robeson. By the end of the summer many Robesonians had concluded that it was not worth the effort to suppress the gang and sought a truce. The Lowry Gang contacted Wishart and asked him to connect them with North Carolina Adjutant-General John C. Gorman, who was accompanying the federal soldiers, to negotiate a deal. Gorman met them alone in a swamp, where they maintained they were not guilty of some of the crimes ascribed to them, and claimed they had always acted in self-defense. They assured Gorman that they would not attack any U.S. troops, but told him that since they were unable to find work they would continue taking food and supplies from local farmers. They also indicated to him that they would leave the country if permitted. Gorman told them that he lacked the power to settle to their terms, but had several more meetings with the gang. The North Carolina General Assembly refused to offer terms to the outlaws. The federal troops were withdrawn by October 15. Over the next few months little gang activity was reported in Robeson, aside from the theft of some meat from a plantation in December. Evans wrote, "Perhaps they felt that more extravagant foraging would spoil efforts that were being made to obtain for them pardons or safe conduct beyond the borders of the United States." In early February 1872, the General Assembly appropriated more money to increase the bounties on the outlaws, raising the total state bounty on Henry Berry Lowry to $12,000. Tom and Steve Lowry, Henderson Oxendine, George Applewhite, and Boss Strong were all accorded cumulative $6,000 bounties. Andrew Strong, being a newer member to the group and not the subject of any previous appropriations, was only worth $5,000. Lumberton raid and disappearance of Henry Berry Lowry Early in the morning on February 16, 1872, the Lowry Gang broke the apparent peace in the county by staging a raid on Lumberton. They stole a horse and wagon from a livery before breaking into the Pope and McLeod store and stealing the iron safe inside. The safe contained $22,000, much of it reportedly belonging to various citizens, as the town had no bank. They also seized about $1,000 worth of merchandise from the establishment. The gang then stole the safe from the sheriff's office, but, finding it too