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.
Letter from the editor:
Dear readers,
This past week our paper, your paper, was attacked. For reasons not yet known, some vandal or vandals saw fit to sabotage the operations of the Five States Herald. Sadly, they succeeded in the short term and took The Herald out of commission. However, they failed to keep us down. The Five States Herald is back running at full capacity. We have increased our security and hired private investigators to find the culprit. or culprits.
Whether this attack was focused on The Herald or one or more of its writers, we will find them and bring them down!
-William Warrington III, Editor-in-Chief
Dark Words, Dark Consequences
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
I do dearly hope the readers have had a fine week. I cannot in good conscience say the same for me. It all began with a letter, a dark handprint over a knife, the sign of the Black Hand. Small-sized gangs, usually in Saint-Denis that try to extort money with threats of violence. I’ve gotten a few over the years; it’s never meant much.
Waking up to gunfire striking my home is quite another. Several windows were shot out, and it looks like a serious attempt on my life and not just ruffians making a message. A fire was started in a stable, nearly killing my horse; that was another sign of trouble.
It ended with the printing presses that allowed the Five State Herald to reach audiences near and far, being sabotaged. Now, that’s not quite normal; never in all my years here have I ever seen such a thing.
Is this a singular individual with a vendetta against me? A gang of people who hate the news of the world? I don’t know; my hand trembles as I even write this, knowing full well this won’t be the last time I have to deal with the aftereffects of aggression in this nation. I only silently pray, that my heart still beats till next we meet.
Bounty target dies in Tumbleweed Sheriff’s custody
By Jose Chavez
A man turned into Sheriff Sam Freeman alive died five days later while still in Tumbleweed. The man began sweating profusely and shaking just a day after he was turned in. “The man was turned in with an arrow still in his ass,” Sheriff Freeman said, “but it smelled foul, like spoiled animal parts.” Tumbleweed has no town doctor and so they had to wait for the prison transfer. “We are out here on our own, and that transfer wagon was the soonest transport,” Sheriff Freeman clarified. The bounty was dead before the transport wagon could arrive. This is not the first death related to tracking arrows, arrows coated in animal scent glands that allow bounty hunters to track targets for miles. However, there is not indication that such arrows will be prohibited any time soon.
Nearly a dozen women arrested over the last week
By Jane Duran
Special Agent Rice Philips has come under criticism following the arrest of several women over the last week. Two weeks ago a man claimed to have been nearly killed by The Executioner and said it was a woman that attacked him. However, the man said he never once cheated on his wife and had only traveled with the woman to make it clear he was not interested. Special Agent Philips took the claim seriously and ordered his agents to arrest any woman who seemed suspicious. That turned out to be nearly any woman riding alone. Special Agent Philips declined to comment for this story, though the agency released a statement, claiming due process was being respected and that if any of the arrested women are innocent they will be released.
Treatment for newly discovered bug underway in Blackwater
By Odell Clifton
Researchers believe they have found a solution to the blackout bug. The treatment includes spraying pesticides in areas that the bugs live and breed in, an ear drop treatment that carries a mild form of the same pesticide into the the patient, and potentially eclectic shock. Blackwater was chosen as the location to test the treatment due to its high number of cases as well as access to electricity, which is necessary for the electric shock portion of the treatment. The researchers say the electric charge that passes through the person is mild and causes no harm to the individual while being strong enough to kill the bugs. If treatments are proven to be successful and safe, it will be rolled out to the rest of the region.
Ship Collision off Coast of Virginia!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
The Virginia coast is among the busiest in the United States, with ships traveling up to New York and DC and down towards Charleston or Savannah. It’s a wonder they don’t frequently crash into each other, which appears to have happened today, unfortunately.
Off Hampton Roads, two steamers, USS Mount Vernon, and USS Niphon, were traveling through the foggy morning, and didn’t see each other coming. There wasn’t a lightship nearby to direct the traffic, and running lights could not see through the fog. Both bows appear to have directly impacted, buckled, and caused severe damage to the Mount Vernon and Niphons front section.
Thankfully, nobody died during the incident, and the ships have not yet been reported to have sunk. This stands in good contrast to incidents over the years involving collisions where one or both ships sank with heavy casualties.
The event brings to mind a Civil War-era incident in the same general area, where the USS Monticello rammed the USS Peterhoff after a misidentification. Nobody died either, but the Peterhoff was lost. Despite how far we advance ship technology, they are always fragile vessels, and it takes little for Mother Nature to seize them.
Turkey hunt ends with injured cowpoke
By Emery Cosberry
Demand in turkey suddenly skyrocketed this week, resulting in far more hunter than usual seeking out the notoriously easy to hunt bird. Nearly half a dozen hunters patrolled the area just outside Valentine looking for turkeys. Normally the bird is abundant but the several hunters scared them off. According to witnesses, it remained peaceful in the area until a single turkey waddled out of the brush. The hunters descended upon it and several shots were fired. The bird managed to get airborne and fly off, bit one of the hunters was on the ground bleeding.
The hunter had taken two missed shots from other hunters. Thankfully, one of the men got the man to the town doctor. None of the witnesses could say for sure who had shot the poor cowpoke. None of the hunters stuck around for the investigation either. The injured cowpoke had the bullets removed and is expected to make a full recovery.
Woman abducted in broad daylight!
By Emeline Vickroy
A wealthy man is being criticized by feminist groups for allowing a woman to be taken. According to witnesses the wealthy man in question, Stephen Stratton, was standing with Abigail Wyham, another known Saint Denis socialite. A cowpoke walked up to the pair and without warning, hogtied Ms. Wyham and tossed her on a horse. The cowpoke then rode away while Mr. Stratton stood around doing nothing. “That lazy sap just leaned against he pole, as if he was the one being put out!” said one witness. However, Mr. Stratton defended his actions.
“First, the abductor was a woman, would you have me attack a woman?” Mr. Stratton said, “second, and more importantly, as the abductor was a woman would I not have been anti-feminist to stop her?” Women’s Suffrage groups in Saint Denis say that Mr. Stratton should have stepped anyway. “He is merely trying to absolve himself,” said one feminist, “it was obvious to witnesses that Ms. Wyham was taken against her will and a decent man would have done something.” Ms. Wyham was found later one walking back into the city. She claimed to have been dropped off near the farms north of Saint Denis and was warned that Mr. Stratton was not the type of man to associate with, lacking gentlemanly responsibilities.
Cloth Merchants of Yesteryear Attempt Revival!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
That little piece of cloth in your household, seems so simple. Centuries ago, people would bleed and die for it, become rich beyond dreams over it. That was the way of life in a faraway city, and it might come again soon.
In the Middle Ages, cloth was predominantly spun in Ypres, in what is now Belgium. It was the center of the cloth trade in Europe; it was big money. Not for the weevers, they got bled dry and paid little; it was of great value to the merchants. Flemish cloth merchants were known across the continent; the Great Cloth Hall was the center of trade for the Middle Ages. But it died off after many centuries of competition, plagues, and wars. The city itself became a fortress town and is only now becoming a trading hub. The Great Cloth Hall still stands, and many are again stocking its halls with cloth.
The aim is to restart the cloth trade, which is now far more international than it used to be. Many probably don’t want a return to the wage theft weevers suffered, but they don’t mind the taxes and income it will provide. San Francisco and New York are cities expected to receive Flemish cloth; perhaps it will reach Blackwater or Saint-Denis before too long. Anything is possible; today, something might be dead; tomorrow, it lives again.
The Five States Herald 