Bennett taken alive after deadly dash through New Austin
By Jose Chavez
The outlaw Benjamin Bennett was captured this week under circumstances so violent and strange that even seasoned lawmen have been left shaking their heads. Bennett, long known for hiring muscle to shield himself from capture, was reportedly taken by a bounty hunter in a daring confrontation. Bennet leaped from his horse to the train and began his assault, moving from the first train car to the last, leaving dead bodies in his wake. He tied up Bennet before forcing the train to a halt. Whatever confidence Bennett placed in numbers and motion proved misplaced.

The train itself was only located after Bennett was already brought in, bound and breathing. Nearly every one of his hired guards was found dead aboard the cars, the scene described as brutal and final. The sole survivor was the outlaw driving the train, who authorities say had been shoved from the engine during the chaos and left for dead. He was later discovered limping through the desert, injured but alive, and able to give a partial account of the terror before being arrested. Bennett’s run has ended, and New Austin has gained yet another grim tale of iron rails, spilled blood, and survival by narrow margins.

Hunter’s triumph near O’Creagh’s Run ends in baffling blow
By Jane Duran
A solitary hunter working the cold timber near O’Creagh’s Run reports a strange and troubling turn after what should have been a clean and successful hunt. The man claims he tracked a bull moose for several minutes through snow and brush, took careful aim, and dropped the animal with a single, well-placed shot. He recalls stepping forward to claim his prize and then nothing more until he awoke sometime later with his face pressed into the frozen dirt and a pounding ache behind his eyes.

When he regained his senses, the moose was already skinned, its pelt gone, and no sign remained of whoever had taken it. The hunter believes he was struck from behind and robbed while unconscious, though he remembers neither attacker nor sound of struggle. Despite the violence implied, he reports no lasting injury beyond the headache and bruising, and has since returned to his camp under his own power. In the Grizzlies, where the land is harsh and men grow careless in moments of success, some warn this incident may serve as a reminder: even after the shot is fired, danger may still be close at hand.

Family spared bloodshed in West Elizabeth road hold-up
By Odell Clifton
Travel along the roads of West Elizabeth grew more perilous this week after a couple traveling with their young child reported being held up by two armed outlaws. The family stated they were overtaken without warning, the men emerging suddenly with weapons drawn and harsh demands. Though the travelers carried a rifle of their own, they chose not to risk a gunfight with their child so close at hand, surrendering their valuables instead. The outlaws reportedly took what they could carry and vanished, leaving the shaken family unharmed but deeply rattled.

Authorities across the state have issued renewed warnings in light of what they describe as a noticeable rise in road-side robberies. Travelers are being urged to avoid isolated stretches when possible, move in groups, and remain alert even during daylight hours. While no arrests have yet been made in this latest incident, officials stress that compliance, though costly, likely spared the family far worse harm. A grim calculation that many on West Elizabeth’s roads may soon be forced to make.

Gunfire fails to fell woman in Valentine street
By Donna Deshner
A baffling and violent scene unfolded along Valentine’s main thoroughfare this week when a woman was fired upon by a stranger in full view of several citizens. According to witnesses, the man leveled his weapon and discharged multiple shots, each one striking true. The woman did not flee nor fall. Instead, she stood her ground, her attention narrowing as though the noise and danger were of little consequence. Calmly, almost deliberately, she drew her own pistol and ended the affair with a single shot to the man’s head, killing him where he stood.

What followed only deepened the mystery. The town doctor pressed forward, insisting on tending to what should have been grievous gunshot wounds. The woman refused him outright and departed under her own power. Those closest swear there was no blood upon her clothing and no sign of injury upon her body. Deputies later combed the scene and recovered several spent bullets, all flattened and misshapen, as if they had struck something unyielding and solid rather than flesh.

As word spread through Valentine, older rumors resurfaced. Some residents claim they have seen the woman before, in other towns and other scrapes, always untouched by harm. These voices have begun calling her the “Iron Lady,” claiming she bears a peculiar immunity and allows would-be attackers to empty their guns upon her before delivering judgment in return. Whether this is frontier myth, rare composure under fire, or something yet unexplained.

A thing of too many limbs terrifies Rhodes
By Emeline Vickroy
Rhodes was thrown into rare disorder this week when a creature of alarming and unnatural form appeared within the town limits, sending residents fleeing from porches and storefronts alike. Witnesses described the thing as possessing multiple limbs, bent and wrong in their arrangement, flailing wildly as it lurched through the street. Its movements were erratic and unsteady, and its presence alone was enough to draw cries of terror and hurried prayers from those who saw it emerge.

Accounts differ as to the creature’s intent. Some swore it was attacking, striking out at whatever lay closest, while others insisted its actions seemed driven less by malice than by panic. Several onlookers said the monstrosity moaned loudly, a sound likened to pain or confusion, and that it appeared disoriented, as though trapped in a place it did not understand. After several moments of frantic motion, the creature reportedly collapsed in the road, its limbs folding beneath it in a final, shuddering heap.

By the time I arrived with my camera to document the remains, the body was already gone. Townsfolk admitted freely that they had taken it upon themselves to remove and destroy the creature, fearing it to be a demon or curse best erased entirely. No official record of its disposal exists, and no remains were kept for study. Thus, Rhodes is left with only shaken nerves, conflicting testimonies, and the uneasy knowledge that something wholly unfamiliar walked its streets.

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