Mission Statement:
To endeavor to bring to all residents of the Five States the most current and important news from across the entire Five States region. Never yellow, the Five States Herald vows to serve only the people of the Five States, from New Austin to Lemoyne, free of charge now and forever.
Secret Photos Spread Fears!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax – Lead Correspondent
Is someone watching me? It is a primal fear that creeps up on all of us, whether we admit it or not. Paranoia, fear of the stranger or the unknown. Usually, it’s unreasonable, but occasionally, it turns out your intuition is correct.
Yesterday evening, a bunch of photographs were found on a bench in Saint-Denis. Tied around a pack of cigars, they were almost imperceptible. They showed someone taking photos of various buildings and people, mostly everyday citizens but a few officials here and there. No names were attached, but there were written words in what appears to be a Cyrillic language.
This, of course, has led to a flurry of speculation and claims, from peeping toms and just curious citizens, to Russian spies! Government officials are downplaying the latter claim, while still looking into the origins of the photos. Slavic immigrants are unfortunately being singled out as foreign spies or creeps to be kept away from women. It has set a quiet tone of discontent.
Fear of the unknown can rapidly spread to anger at the unknown. I don’t know what these photos mean; your guess is as good as mine. I only hope calmer heads prevail.
Mexican soldiers withdraw from border area
By Jose Chavez
Mexico has pulled back its soldiers from its side of the Mexico-New Austin border. While there was no official announcement, the withdrawal was noticeable. “I fish in the San Luis River often, so the soldiers were a common sight for me,” a fisherman said, “but last few days they have been nowhere to be seen.” My source in the US government told me the withdrawal is part of a deal made between the US and Mexico. The deal is the result of a Mexican soldier being arrested with Del Lobo gang members, adding to the evidence that Mexico was providing arms and support to the Del Lobos. My source could not confirm that Mexico has admitted to the transgressions but the nation is eager to maintain the peace. Del Lobo gang activity has decreased recently, which may be a result of Mexico’s withdrawal as their secret patron. A crackdown in the state is expected to start soon.
Trapper nearly killed by wolves
By Jane Duran
A seasoned trapper narrowly escaped with his life after a vicious wolf pack ambushed him deep in the frozen wilderness of Ambarino. Jasper Calloway, well-known among hunters for his expertise in trapping small animals along the Dakota River, found himself surrounded by the predators while exploring the more remote regions of Ambarino.
“I’d seen the tracks earlier, but I figured they were long gone,” Calloway recounted, “Next thing I know, they’re on me—five, maybe six of them. Big ones.” Armed only with his hunting knife and a revolver, Calloway managed to fend off the wolves, killing two and wounding another before the rest fled. He sustained a deep bite to his leg but credited his survival to years of experience and a bit of luck. “The north don’t give second chances,” he said grimly, nursing his injuries. The attack serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that lurk in the unforgiving wilds of Ambarino, where nature shows no mercy to even the most prepared.
Blackwater Saloon erupts in chaos
By Odell Clifton
What began as a lively evening at the Blackwater Saloon quickly turned violent last night when an argument over a spilled drink erupted into a full-scale brawl. Witnesses say the altercation started between two cattlemen, but as tempers flared, other patrons joined in, turning the saloon into a whirlwind of swinging fists, broken chairs, and shattered bottles.
Blackwater Policemen arrived moments after the melee spilled into the street, breaking up the fight and hauling several men off to the local jail to sleep off their injuries. Though no serious harm was reported, the saloon keeper, visibly frustrated, lamented the damage to his establishment. “This is the third time this month,” he grumbled, surveying the wreckage. Despite the chaos, the saloon reopened by midday, proving once again that Blackwater’s thirst for drink—and trouble—never wanes for long.
Naturalist turned train engineer massacres Valentine’s livestock
By Emery Cosberry
A sad story happened this week. This week, the naturalist Harriet Davenport offered gold nuggets to anyone willing to complete a challenge to not kill a single animal for 24 hours. One naturalists signed up, having recently taken as job as a train engineer, they figured that it would be easy to do this, given his long shift that day. Miss Davenport herself was on the ride, overlooking the final hours of the 24 hour challenge. As the train was coming into Valentine, however, tragedy struck. A deer darted onto the tracks and the train could not be stopped. The deer was hit and killed instantly. Miss Davenport immediately informed the challenge taker that they had failed and would not be rewarded.
The tone shifted. The engineer pulled the train into Valentine and left the train. Without a word, the engineer who had previously also worked as a naturalist, began killing the livestock indiscriminately. Residents ran for cover hearing the gunshots while lawmen went into action. The sheep stalls offer plenty of cover though and so the lawmen were unable to bring the slaughter to a quick end. Dozens of sheep were killed. Just as the lawmen surrounded the shooter, a fire started. Panic increased as black smoke filled the air. Lawmen closed in but found the burning building empty. Efforts shifted to contain the fire. Lawmen say the shooter must have escaped under cover of black smoke. Though panic had spread rapidly, no humans were harmed.
Dog finds new home
By Mathilde Orry
A cowpoke riding through Bolger Glade was distracted by a barking dog. “He sounded in distress but ran away when I approached,” the cowpoke explained, “so I followed to see what what was bothering the dog.” They said that the dog stopped and whimpered, looking up and a little sad. It was at that moment the trap was sprung. Two outlaws jumped out of their hiding places with pistols leveled at the cowpoke, demanding their money. “I don’t like to brag, but I’m pretty decent with a revolver myself,” the cowpoke said, “they weren’t ready for what I brought.” They were able to take out both ambushers quickly before either could get a shot off. “The dog looked sad, regretful even,” they said, “so I took them as my own, going to give them a new purpose.” They explained that the dog was instantly much happier.
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Woman accused of murder after being found with multiple dead bodies!
By Lucien Privitt
Lawmen on a routine patrol came across a disturbing scene this week. A woman was quickly mounting her horse and appearing to be in distress. The Lawmen rode to her to offer assistance only to see that she was surrounded by naked bodies. “I was stunned at first and realized the naked people were dead so I pulled out my revolver,” one of the lawmen said. The unnamed woman did not offer any resistance and went with the lawmen. The woman said she did not kill anybody and said that the bodies just seemed to appear out of nowhere. Investigators have been unable to identify the bodies and so far.
“This is going to be a long investigation, I think,” said one investigator, “there are too many unidentified body to match to known missing persons, so we think these women were part of a vulnerable group with few friends or family member, likely not to be reported as missing or even noticed that they are gone.” The deceased are all women as well, but there are no obvious signs to the cause of death. “There are no bruises, or breaks, no wounds, not so much as a scratch on them,” the examining doctor explained, “we briefly thought some kind of infection but so far, nobody that has contacted the bodies has become sick.” The woman who was arrested remains in police custody, though she maintains that she had nothing to do with this. She was riding when the bodies “appeared out of nowhere” and then she says she got off her horse to check it out. “As soon as I saw it was dead women, naked dead women, I hurried back to my horse,” she explained, “I wasn’t sure if the killer was still around but I had to get away!”
The Five States Herald 