New Austin

Another man hanged in Tumbleweed.
By Alois Burditt
Emit G. Debus has breathed his last breath. Mr. Debus took a stagecoach from Armadillo to Tumbleweed, though how he came to Armadillo, or what his business there was, is unknown. The stagecoach driver reported that Mr. Debus requested to exit the stage coach sometime before Ridgewood Farm. “I ain’t a coward, but that man looked hardened, better to honor his request than end up dead!” the driver said.

Mr. Debus then walked into Ridgewood Farm under the pretense of his horse having tripped over a rock and breaking its leg. The ranch hand informed him they don’t normally sell directly, but he’d ask the owner if he’d make an exception under the circumstances. When he turned to walk away he was pistol whipped and when he got back to his senses he found a black Thoroughbred missing. Mr. Debus was next seen riding the saddleless horse into Tumbleweed, which seemed odd to Sheriff Freeman, who sent a deputy to follow him.

His luck would run out while visiting the stables, where he hoped to sell his newly “found” horse. The stable hands recognized the horse as being owned by one of the ranch hands at Ridgewood Farm and used the pretense of inspecting the horse to get the horse out of Mr. Debus’ possession. As soon as he saw the deputy approaching him he pulled out his revolver. However, before a firefight could ensue a stable hand nudged Mr. Debus in the back with a double barrel shotgun, which proved enough to knock the bravado right out of him.

He was arrested and was hanged until dead the very next day, which took longer than expected. The platform got stuck when it was supposed to drop, which lowered Mr. Debus slowly. By the time the platform dropped fully, the poor horse thief had no hope of a clean snap of the neck and hung, struggling, for several minutes. Sheriff Freeman threatened to hang anyone who tried to mercy kill the thief.

Noble quest ends in death.
By Alois Burditt
An adventurous and self-assured cowpoke rode west of Tumbleweed to Cueva Seca where he saw a camp of bandits. Tumbleweed residents heard shots echo in the distance and said it only lasted a few seconds. Moments later the man’s horse rode back into town with the cowpoke’s dead body stowed on the saddle, having realized the true danger of Gaptooth Ridge far too late.

West Elizabeth

A most curious mauling.
By Ela Q. Asken
The remains of a would be hunter were found at Bearclaw Camp. They were at least two days old, but they were picked clean so it’s hard to be certain. The man was killed by a large grizzly, which appeared to have caught the hunter unaware, as the hunter’s remains were face down with the bear’s remains on top. The curious nature of the scene comes from the state of the remains. Both the man and the bear were picked apart by numerous animals.

Speaking to a tracker in Manzanita Post, I can provide this chain events: After the bear killed the hunter, it began to feed. Though it did not get far into its meal before a cougar pounced onto its back sinking a perfect, and deadly, bite into its neck. Wolf teeth marks are visible as well, indicating that the cougar either ate its fill and left or was run off by a pack of wolves. The large bear and the would be hunter were enough to fill the pack and other scavengers, as smaller teeth marks also adorned the bones. The identity of the hunter is unknown.

Blackwater shootout.
By Ela Q. Asken Blackwater played host to an unexpected shootout. Two opposing groups of gunfighters met in the town and started a gunfight the local lawmen could not quell. Nobody is sure why the fight started, but as many things do, it started in the saloon. Two townsfolk and three three lawmen died in the shootout before one group fled into the Great Plains. A few lawmen rode out to chase them, but most held defensive positions around the town in case they returned.

The police chief put a bounty on both groups and was able to enlist the help of a posse of cowpokes eager to make some money. The bounty hunters returned victorious, with only one member of their group wounded. Unfortunately, one of the two townsfolk who died was the town doctor. They travelled to Valentine with all haste, but at press time, his fate was unknown.

Ambarino

Theft in the empty Grizzlies
By Jane Duran
Few attempt to survive in the harsh Grizzlies West, even fewer attempt to live there. And it is just that quality that inspired Jake and Sadie Adler to make their residence in the lonely mountains.

However, they were not as isolated as they had hoped. Bandits robbed them and stole a wagon of supplies meant to last them for weeks. Ambarino has no police force and federal forces have shown no interest in going into the wild frontier. Jake Adler said he’d happily pay any man or woman willing to retrieve their property for them. Honorable work for honorable folk.

Frozen remains found.
By Jane Duran
Frozen remains were found just east of Colter, the abandoned mining town. It is possible the man was on his way to the Adler ranch. The man was wearing overalls with no shirt and no shoes, hardly what one would expect for a trek in the freezing Grizzlies. A feathered hat was found partially buried in the snow nearby and a cleaver was attached to his belt. A piece of meat that smelled lightly of mint was found in his grasp; a single bite was missing. Upon closer inspection, that bite was still in his mouth and completely unchewed.

New Hanover

Assault on Valentine Sheriff’s Office.
By Emery Cosberry
A masked posse rode into town with guns blazing. They started the massacre off by shooting deputies outside the sheriff’s office. The remaining deputies, and the sheriff himself, took cover in the building and were effectively pinned down. The group fired in what seemed like a chaotic frenzy, shooting out windows and at anybody who moved. During this time, a bank robbery was occurring. Although amidst the chaos nobody outside of the bank realized this until after it was all over.

A man with a “big, bushy beard” entered the bank and stepped into line like every other customer. When the shooting started, the man pulled out a pistol of his own and killed the guard before turning it on the bank teller. In short order he had two bags full of money and was out of the bank before the chaos died down. When the rowdy posse rode off, only a couple of deputies followed, shooting a few shots from too far off to be effective. Having no idea about the bank robbery, they were more concerned with the town’s safety than giving chase.

By the time their error was made clear to them, it was too late. The trail led toward Heartland Overflow where they found the beard on the ground, apparently a theater costume piece. From there the trail spread erratically into many trails. It appeared they split up, though this investigator wasn’t satisfied with that conclusion. A woman waiting for the train was eager to tell her story of witnessing a group of rugged looking people ditching their horses and boarding two different stage coaches and departing their separate ways. This information was provided to the Sheriff, but he says he does not have the resources, or the authority, to follow a lead that goes outside of the state.

Train accident north of Annesburg.
By Van R. Seldon
Nobody was hurt, but the accident left many shaken up. A supply train was left abandoned just north of Annesburg. The cargo was still intact and nothing appeared to be damaged or missing. What happened to the conductor or why the train was taken only to be left abandoned is still a mystery. Annesburg residents noticed the train coming in fast a little earlier than expected. However, it never slowed down and drove past the stop. The man driving the train was not the conductor but was wearing a full face mask and was unable to be identified.

A second train, with a proper conductor, rode by on schedule. However, the conductor did not notice the stalled train ahead, having no reason to expect such a thing, and collided with it. The conductor was able to pull on the brake in time to slow the train down enough to avoid significant damage. The Central Union Railroad stated the official reason for the conductor not noticing the stalled train was conductor fatigue and that they will ensure conductors are given proper resting periods from here on out. It must be said, though, that more than one passenger claimed to have smelled booze on the conductor’s breath. Central Union quickly shifted the blame on the stolen train which only brought up questions about the lack of security on Central Union trains.

Lemoyne

Mystery river boat ride.
By Aloysius Levron
Saint Denis – Local man named Claudius Chauvert claims to have ridden on a river boat called the Proud Mary. He said he had been tired from, “workin’ for the man ev’ry night an’ day,” and was fishing southeast of Saint Denis on the Lannahechee River when the river boat showed up. “They was wavin’ and beckonin’ so I swam out an’ got on the boat.” Mr. Chauvert went on to say others swam through the Lannahechee River to board the Proud Mary as well.
The boat was full of all manner of odd and eccentric folks, from brightly dressed merchants to grey cowboys with a tough look in their eye. But he was never scared because on the Proud Mary, everyone was enjoying themselves and nobody wanted to fight.

At one point he said he got hungry and, “’membered I didn’t have no money and folks jus’ started givin’ me food. Jumbalaya, oyster sandwiches, gumbo, fried shrimp. Good eatin’ an’ I ate an’ ate an’ never got full!” The unlikely story becomes unlikelier still when one looks for any registration for a river boat called the Proud Mary. Such a boat simply does not exist. And yet Mr. Chauvert is convinced it happened, though he does not recall exiting the boat. “I open’ my eyes an’ was back on the river fishin’ but I felt real good.”

Bayou vacation goes wrong.
By Mathilde Orry
The Rudnab family was struck by tragedy this week. Hoping to enjoy an exotic vacation, the family came to Bayou NWA, Lemoyne from New England. They sought an adventure in “America’s watery jungle,” but the Rudnab’s got more than they bargained for in the bayou. After several hours the family noticed that their son was missing and immediately began to search for him.
The boy’s hat was found on the shoreline of the swamp but there was no sign of the boy himself. While many have conjectured that the boy was a victim of the swamp’s dangerous creatures, likely an alligator, the mother holds out hope saying, “I would know if my boy was gone and I can feel that he is still alive. Someone took him, I just know it. I can feel it!” The Rudnabs have temporarily relocated to Scarlett Meadows to continue the search.

Across the Nation

Protectionism has a high cost.
By Adam Parvey
The Dinson Tariffs continue to push costs up on imported goods used by many. President MacAlister, however, maintains his support for the tariffs. “Prices are only going up on imports, buy American and you won’t pay more,” he said in an official statement. Of course you will not find a large domestic source for silk, but do not tell the President that!

Some have projected the tariffs will continue to increase the cost of living for all people, rich and poor alike. With so many already struggling to survive, a further increase in the cost of living could mean death for some. It is likely that the tariffs will not last long, least the damage done be deep and long lasting.

New jobs promised, but not delivered.
By Lucien Privitt
There was a minor uproar when newly promised jobs did not come to fruition this past week. Though no date was given for the new jobs, many who are eager to work were hoping the openings were coming last week. Rep. Houser has cautioned against expecting anything that hasn’t been announced, but for those living hand to mouth any delay in the new jobs could mean starvation. The hold up is the passing of government bonds, which are needed to pay for the new positions. The goal of the bonds is to encourage expansion into the wild lands in the west, where risk often outweighs the potential profit.

The hurdle is that many, perhaps most, Members of Congress do not see subsidizing the risk of private enterprise to be an appropriate role of Congress. In absence of Congressional action, a collection of wealthy men have come together and pledged to fund this endeavor. The Bureau of Hurdling a Tarrying Congress claims that it will take a few weeks to gather the necessary funds, but that progress is underway.

Pugilist disappoints in effort to better two men in one night.
By Rutherford X. Downings
Renowned boxer Jeffrey James Jackson vowed to take on two opponents in one night and come out victorious. He only half delivered on the promise, and even then couldn’t stop his first opponent within the first 10 rounds as promised. Though the fight itself met expectations, Jackson’s great boasts led many to place bets in his favor when they bought into his hype. The disappointment only doubled when it was announced that Jackson would not compete in the second due to a hand injury. There was nearly a riot until a round of booze was offered on the house.

The World Abroad

Exploding ship an act of sabotage? Seems unlikely.
By Ivy Seager
Tensions continue to rise between the United States and Spain following the death of 266 American sailors when the USS Lewiston exploded in a Cuban harbor. While many so called newspapers are engaging in yellow journalism to increase sells, the Five States Herald need not resort to such tactics. Speaking on a condition of anonymity, an investigator revealed that the evidence suggests the explosion came from within. As it is unlikely that an agent snuck a device onto the ship itself and so it seems that the explosion was an accident. The investigation suggests a coal fire ignited the ship’s magazines. If this is indeed the truth, hopefully a war with Spain can be averted.

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