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.
Beloved Actress of the Stage Helps Child!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
We do a lot of fun things as kids, play with pretend swords, pretend to be historical figures, and pretend to know famous people. Well, one of those kids managed to do all of that and more, and he wasn’t pretending.
Francis Renault is a six-year-old child, his parents are from Paris, and they live in the small community of MacFarlane’s Ranch. Life is simple, to put it mildly, so the boy does a lot of playing and pretending. He claimed to know the legendary stage actress Sarah Bernhardt a few months ago. He further added that she’d appear in one of his plays, a Knights Story. Most of his friends didn’t remotely believe him, and for good reason, Bernhardt lives in France and only occasionally goes on tour.
To the shock of the children and MacFarlane’s Ranch, she appeared last week. Francis said he just wrote her a letter, and she was on vacation, nobody can confirm the rumors, but she definitely showed up. In full regalia, she acted the childlike lines and won applause from everyone near and far. It was a moment I do not believe will ever be forgotten. The day a legend came to a small farming community, to make a child happy.
Caravan attackers thwarted
By Alois Burditt
A caravan of goods headed from Benedict Point to Tumbleweed was attacked by bandits. The caravan was well armed, having hired several guards. The bandits were no match for the guards and were quickly fought off. “They weren’t very good outlaws, made a lot of noise but couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn,” said one of the guards, “we don’t miss, so half of them died in our first counter attack.”
The rest of the bandits quickly fled. Two of the caravans’ guards followed in pursuit briefly, ensuring they did not return. The caravan arrived in Tumbleweed as expected, only delayed a few minutes.
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Revenue agents investigating Ambarino moonshine operation
By Caylen V. Hornby
The Bureau of Internal Revenue received a tip about a moonshine operation near the Whinyard Straight, at a remote home. When the agents arrived a gunfight was already under way. “The operation we came to seize was under attack by rivals,” said one agent, “so we waited it out and attacked while they were busy fighting each other.” The agents were able to quickly subdue the moonshine operators after killing the attacking rivals. Though the investigation into the operation is ongoing, it was remarked as being of a moderate size and capable of mass production of untaxed liquor.
The location is remote, but investigators believe that it likely serviced Valentine and potentially reached as far as Strawberry and Annesburg. One surprising element of bust was that the moonshine was not drinkable. “Whatever they were brewing was poisonous, deadly so,” said an agent, “it is unclear if it was intentionally poisoned or if it was the result of the attacking rivals.” The area is currently blocked off as the Bureau searches for more evidence.
Hostage saved, twice
By Odell Clifton
A man told an entertaining tale of luck and survival while drinking at the Blackwater Saloon. He claimed to have been captured by a bunch of outlaws, hogtied near a campfire with an unknown fate. “I ain’t a wealthy man, so I’m sure they mistook me for someone else,” the man said. Before his captors could decide his fate the roar of a cougar announced an unexpected rescuer. “I could hear the cat tearing into the men as they screamed,” the man said, “I knew I was saved but that I’d soon be food!” However, his fate would shift once again at the sound of a distant gunshot. A cowpoke heard the scuffle and arrived just in time to save the captured man, both from the outlaws and the cougar. “I just heard growling and gunshots, didn’t really know there was a good guy until they untied me!” the man admitted. After getting him out of the sticky, the cowpoke took the freed man somewhere safe. “I went back later, skinned that cougar,” the man said, “poor quality but a reminder of what could have happened that day fi not for a kind stranger!”
Bounty hunters killed by fire with their bounties
By Emery Cosberry
A trio of bounty hunters were burned to death outside of the Valentine Sheriff’s Office. The bounty hunters posed their captured targets and set up to take a photograph with them. However, a pair of cowpokes rode by and threw a firebomb at them. The attack happened so fast that deputies were unable to catch the attackers. The bounty hunters seemed to react to the attack more than the fire, focusing on firing at the fleeing attackers while the fire spread over their body. When the adrenaline wore off, they succumbed to their pain. “All I could hear were screams,” said one resident, “so I grabbed a bucket and got water from the horse troughs to try to put them out.” Unfotunately, there was only one survivor of the attack.
The survivor was one of the bounty targets who had the fortune of having been tackled into the Dakota River. “Fella was still soaked, saved him from most of the burns,” said a Valentine deputy, “but he’ll have a few scars on his face and hands.” The man was treated by the the Valentine doctor and then place into custody at the town prison.
Steamship of Vices?
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Do you know where your children are and what they are doing? It might sound simple, but many families let their kids go and play without any attention. This behavior can be alright, but it can also have severe consequences.
In Saint-Denis, there is a ship that looks like any other, but inside, it carries a more sinister cargo than lumber or luxury goods. It carries gambling equipment like slot machines, it has a bar that serves alcohol, and its guests include dancers. This isn’t ballot or respected dancing; it’s stripteases with notable names like Little Egypt, alongside prostitutes that aren’t picky about the clientele.
It is this ship, nicknamed the Vice Ship, that children have been noticing boarding occasionally. Gambling away money, drinking beer, seeing adult subject matters. Such actions, of course, should be blamed on the ship owners, but we ourselves aren’t doing anything to help either. We allow such ships to continue to sail, because we are spineless in standing up to the criminal underworld that creates such vehicles.
We weep for what has been created in this city, and for has been lost for idling by. Perhaps in time, a lesson shall be learned, and change will come, but that day is far away.
Predator skins flood the market, knocking the price down
By Adam Parvey
The market for animal furs was disrupted this week when a significant rise in the supply of predator furs occurred. Predator animals, such as grizzlies and cougars, are naturally more dangerous to hunter compared to animals like deer and rabbit. Fewer hunters attempt to take down predator animals and fewer predator pelts hit the market, resulting in such pelts fetching a high price. This week was different, though. Pelts of grizzlies, cougars, panthers, and alligators flooded trading markets late in the week. One trader attempted to control the flow of pelts into the market by stashing them away, but that quickly proved useless. “I figured if I stashed ’em, I could slowly sell them off at their proper price,” said the trader, “but pelts just kept coming in that I had no choice but to sell them at a discount.”
The strategy to stash the pelts may have not worked in the short term, but as it turns out patience would have made the strategy win out. As quickly as the pelts flooded the market, they dried up. By the weekend, predator pelts seemed as scarce as before. The damage to the pelts’ price had already been done. “Even as it seemed the surplus was over, few people wanted to purchase predator pelts,” said another trader, “those that wanted them had them at a discount!” Furthermore, traders had not noticed that many sales of pelts were to the same party, one Ivie May. Miss May purchased up an undisclosed, but very large, number of predator pelts herself. “I have enough pelts to slowly release them into the market to keep prices reasonable,” said Miss May, “nice things should be available to all, not just the rich.”
Market watchers say it is too early to tell how long the market will remain destabilized.
Winton Motor Carriage Company sets its aim on horses
By Frederick Vannesse
The motor vehicle continues to be discussed as the transport of the future. Though they are quite expensive now, makers of motor vehicles say the price will come down. Many claim that one day even the poor will be able to afford a motor vehicle and it will never be easier to travel between one place and another once everyone has a motor vehicle of their own. This week Winton Motor Carriage Company took out an advertisement, the first of its kind, taking a shot at horses as a means of transportation. The ad says, “dispense with the horse” and asks consumers to instead by a motorized carriage. Less ambition than other types of motor vehicles, motorized carriages are much like horse drawn carriages, though they are modified to work with a motor. The motor vehicles will require maintenance, makers say it will be less than the maintained of a horse and that, “while a horse will eventually, a motor vehicle will last forever!”
Sibling rivalry takes center state at Wimbledon
By Ivy Seager
The Wimbledon Tennis Tournament saw high drama as two brothers climbed through the brackets to face each other. Reginald Doherty and his brother Laurence showcased their skill, dominating the competition. The drama escalated as it became increasingly likely that the two brothers would face off against each other. And face off they did, in the finals. The brothers took each other to the limit, with Reginald finally pulling off the victory in five sets. Laurance appeared disappointed in the loss, he congratulated his brother. The brothers won together in the doubles tournament on his victory and celebrated their achievement together.
In the women’s tournament, Charlotte Cooper won her 3rd singles tournament, beating Louisa Martin.
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