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.
Grim Discovery on the Lannahechee!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax – Lead Correspondent
You never know what will be discovered when you dig into the Earth. Numerous historical findings began as construction workers dug into the soil. Workers in Lemoyne made a discovery of that sort this morning, although it was perhaps a bit more distressing than usual.
Workers were attempting to expand a dock for the city of Saint-Denis, routine nothing unique in the slightest. While digging, something metallic was struck. It was cast iron and shaped like an oversized bell. These workers were not historians, but they knew well enough to stop construction.
Police were the first to arrive; they helped raise the device, it was rusty from countless underwater years, but it was clearly a diving bell, a cheap device used to get a person, often a slave, down to the sea floor for salvage purposes. After some work, a hatch was found to get inside the bell, where two skeletons were found, with human flesh still present in places. We as of yet have no idea how old the bell is, nor who these unfortunate souls were, let alone why it was in the Lannahechee River. One can only hope the end came quick.
Prospector loses fortune to fraudulent silver claim
By Alois Burditt
Great excitement spread across western New Austin after word circulated of a supposedly rich silver vein in the hills west of Tumbleweed. Advertisements and whispered endorsements persuaded a well-to-do gentleman from outside the territory to purchase what he believed to be the mining rights, reportedly paying a sum that many considered well beyond his means. Witnesses said the hopeful investor arrived in Tumbleweed with a modest crew of hired laborers, fresh tools, pack wagons, and the confidence of a man expecting to strike wealth from the desert. By most accounts, he had committed the greater part of his savings to the venture.
The optimism proved short lived. After days of digging, the promised silver failed to appear, and inquiries soon revealed an even crueler truth: the claim itself had never legally been offered for sale. Local officials believe the unfortunate purchaser had fallen victim to confidence men who vanished with his money before the first shovel entered the ground. The deserted hills now hold little more than an abandoned work camp and a costly lesson that fortunes are more easily mined from hopeful men than from barren rock.
Hunter survives sudden wolf attack near Cotorra Springs
By Jane Duran
A lone hunter returned from the Grizzlies East bearing torn clothing and a remarkable tale after surviving an attack by a pack of wolves near Cotorra Springs. The pack swarmed the hunter while he was resting at a small makeshift camp. Most of his injuries occurred in that moment, as the animals caught him off his guard. The hunter said he grabbed kindling from the fire and threw it at the wolves, with the fire momentarily stopping the attack. He grabbed his valuables quickly and steady resolve, the frontiersman managed to drive the animals away and flee to a nearby shelter. Trappers advise travelers to keep fires burning brightly during the night, as hungry predators have been seen descending from the mountains with unusual boldness.
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Outlaw insists bounty hunter “was no ordinary man”
By Odell Clifton
An outlaw delivered to the Blackwater jail this week spent less time protesting his innocence than warning anyone willing to listen that the bounty hunter responsible for his capture possessed supernatural abilities. The prisoner repeatedly claimed he had taken every precaution to avoid pursuit, traveling over stone where possible, doubling back across streams, and carefully brushing away sign from the trail. “I covered my tracks, ain’t no way for them to have tracked me!” the outlaw shouted as deputies escorted him through town. Several bystanders laughed off the tale, though a handful admitted the prisoner’s conviction was enough to leave them wondering whether the hunter enjoyed uncommon fortune or uncommon skill.
The bounty hunter herself dismissed such talk with a hearty laugh when questioned outside the jailhouse. Asked whether there was any truth to the outlaw’s claims, she offered only a single remark before riding away. “You covered your tracks but not your scent, and well, that is strong enough to wake the dead.” The sharp-tongued reply drew no shortage of chuckles from those gathered nearby, while the embarrassed outlaw could only glare from behind the bars. Whether the hunter spoke in jest or merely wished to humble her quarry, one fact remains certain: no supernatural explanation was required to collect the bounty, though it appears a keen nose for foolishness may have helped.
Freight train delayed after bison herd blocks the line
By Emery Cosberry
A westbound freight locomotive was brought to a standstill this week after a sizeable herd of bison wandered onto the rails east of Flatneck Station, forcing engineers to wait while nature claimed temporary ownership of the line. Railroad hands, joined by several passing ranchers and trail riders, patiently worked to ease the animals away without violence, waving hats and shouting from a respectful distance. Their efforts appeared to be succeeding until one impatient traveler, whose name was not learned, discharged a revolver into the air in hopes of hastening the affair.
The report startled the entire herd, sending the great beasts charging across the prairie in the direction of Valentine. The spectacle drew no shortage of colorful language from railroad workers, who had nearly finished clearing the tracks before the interruption undid their work. Fortunately, several daring cowpokes on horseback quickly gave chase, circling wide around the frightened animals and gradually turning them toward Heartland Overflow before they could thunder through the town. Train service resumed after further delay, and while company officials lamented the lost time, one brakeman was overheard remarking that “it takes a special sort to think a gunshot improves the judgment of a bison.”
Revenue agents seize illicit moonshine outside Rhodes
By Mathilde Orry
Revenue agents, accompanied by deputies from Rhodes, dismantled a hidden moonshine operation concealed among the trees of Scarlett Meadows after following reports of suspicious wagon traffic into the countryside. Officers descended upon the still shortly before dusk, smashing barrels, destroying equipment, and scattering those present. One suspected distiller escaped into the timber before deputies could bring him into custody, prompting a brief but unsuccessful search of the surrounding woods.
The raid may not have told the entire story. A local witness claimed another armed man had been quietly watching the operation from concealment well before the officers arrived. “I saw that fella sneaking in the woods with a rifle at the ready,” the witness said, “watched from long range and only pulled away when the lawmen crashed the still.” Whether the unidentified rifleman intended to rob the illicit operation, settle a score with its operators, or simply observed events from a cautious distance remains unknown. Authorities declined to comment on the account, though locals were quick to suggest that outlaw enterprises often attract more predators than partners.
Blackwater Trick Shooter falls in astonishing duel
By Daisy Fairman
For months, the fellow townsfolk had come to call simply the Blackwater Trick Shooter had delighted crowds with feats that seemed to laugh in the face of common sense. He split arrows already in flight, punched holes through tossed tin cans before they struck the ground, and was said to have plucked vegetables from volunteers’ heads without so much as disturbing a hair. Yet for all his exhibitions, attentive observers noted peculiar habits. He politely declined every invitation to duel, refused to let anyone examine his revolver, and always insisted upon loading and holstering it himself. Such oddities became the subject of endless speculation, though few questioned his uncanny marksmanship.
That confidence came to an abrupt end yesterday afternoon when an unfamiliar stranger strode into Blackwater dressed in garments loud enough to draw every eye on the street. His colorful waistcoat, polished boots, and flamboyant manner stood in sharp contrast to the reserved gunslingers usually seen passing through town. Most striking of all was his curious facial hair, a curled mustache adorning only one side of his upper lip. The other half was clean shaven, for reasons known only to the wearer. Witnesses reported the stranger confronting the Trick Shooter before a growing crowd, declaring, “I’m gonna shoot whether you prepare yourself or not, so best prepare yourself.” With little room to preserve his reputation otherwise, the famed marksman reluctantly accepted.
Silence settled over Blackwater as the pair faced one another in the dusty street. Onlookers scarcely dared breathe. Then came a single report. Before many realized what had happened, the Trick Shooter crumpled backward into the ground, his revolver slipping harmlessly from his grasp. A bullet had struck him squarely through the heart before he had even managed to raise his weapon. The stranger remained standing, calmly lowering his smoking revolver as stunned spectators stared in disbelief. Whatever mysterious gift had carried the Trick Shooter through months of impossible exhibitions, it proved powerless against a man whose draw was simply faster. Witnesses claim the stranger holstered his revolver and then calmly collected the the weapon dropped by the Blackwater Trick Shooter and departed from Blackwater calmly but quickly. By the time deputies forced their way through the gathering crowd, the victorious challenger had disappeared, leaving behind little more than questions, whispers, and the end of a legend that many had believed untouchable.
The Five States Herald 