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.
Lost Long Ship Captain Remains Identified!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax – Lead Correspondent
The sea rarely gives up its dead; ocean currents, held down by wreckage, or simply too cold for a body to float up. When a man dies at sea, that is often just the end of the story, no hope of ever being seen by family and friends. This is why the recent news out of Lemoyne, is so unique.
A skull and some bones washed up on shore earlier this month. At first, it was assumed to be related to a murder, but the lack of gunshot or knife wounds made it clear this was something else. No identification papers were found with the bones; only a watch was found. After much effort, the initials on the watch were discovered, H.G.
A local student from Saint-Denis thought it might have been connected to a shipwreck, so he looked over records. In 1844, a schooner called the Europa sank with all hands in a mighty gale near Saint-Denis. The captain was a man from West Elizabeth named Henry Goodspeed. Flushed with spare time and money, the student went to Blackwater asked if there were any descendants of Goodspeed; he found an aging daughter. With a photograph of the watch at hand, he showed it to her, and through tears, confirmed it was her father’s.
When the skies turn gloomy, the ocean’s fury grows. But sometimes miracles happen, and this one, is truly a miracle.
Bow shooting contest turns deadly
By Jose Chavez
A bow targeting shooting contests being held in at Gaptooth Breach quickly turned into chaos when contestants started firing on each other. “I had just marked down the score for one contestant when they fell over, an arrow in their back,” said one of the judges, “I assumed it was an accident, as they do happen from time to time, but then others started firing on other contestants.” Witnesses say that judges and onlooker fled for cover. “I could only hear screams and the occasional whirring of an arrow flying by,” said a judge who survived the ordeal. The event was put together by private organizers and there was no police presence. The chaos continued for several minutes, with many contestants dead. One of the survivors managed to flee to Tumbleweed and a posse rode to the Breach to investigate. There were hundreds of arrows on the ground and dozens in people. Several were dead with many more injured, though exact numbers are not yet available. Authorities are investigating to find out why it all started and if there was an aggressor. The contestants who took part in the chaotic massacre claimed they were defending themselves. It may take legal minds month to figure out what should be done.
Competition for condor egg thwarted by naturalists
By Jane Duran
A private company held a competition to recover a rare condor egg in Ambarino this week. The condor had bee spotted in the area and it was believe it was building a nest. The company, which did not disclose its name in the competition documents, promised a reward for recovering the condor egg. Several cowpokes went out searching for it, but learned quickly it had already been found. The person who found it was an unidentified naturalist who started blowing up anyone who got near with dynamite.
“It wasn’t worth it at that point,” said one cowpoke participating, “so I just gave up.” Others pressed on, explosion after explosion until the naturalist was chased off. They were successful in keeping the participants away but their work was for naught, as the egg was shattered when it was found. It is likely the several dynamite explosions caused the damage.
Murder in Blackwater
By Odell Clifton
Blackwater Police attempted to arrest a man who committed murder in broad daylight. If that were not bold enough, the murder was committed right outside of the police station. Witnesses say a man was walking down the road when the murderer pulled out a pistol and started twirling it. Many figured it was just a gunslinger who learned fancy gun twirling tricks but one witness continued to watch. “As soon as he thought no one was watching, he gripped that gun proper and fired,” the witness said, “straight to the head.” The murderer did not realize a policeman had also been watching and a short gunfight followed. The murderer fled north, likely looking to escape into the wooded areas of West Elizabeth. When everything settled down, policemen went to retrieve the body of the murder victim, but it was gone. “Strangest thing, we all remember it happening and some of us remember seeing it happen,” said the policeman, “the gunfight surely happened, but the body was gone, no blood to be found.” The mystery of the disappearing corpse remains unsolved.
Emerald Ranch sees an increase in visitors, much to owner’s chagrin
By Emery Cosberry
Emerald Ranch is a common sight for many travelers. Its location near fertile hunting grounds, a railway station, and close proximity to Valentine, result in the area getting its fair share of visitors. Once a small but growing settlement, Emerald Ranch today is largely made up of the farm ran by one Eugene Wegner. Mr. Wegner is well known but not well liked. Though his home is in a frequently traveled crossroads, he has not warmed up to the many people who come near his ranch. “I get that he ain’t liking folks on his property, but he don’t need to be so aggressive,” said one traveler who frequented the area. Though others under stand Mr. Wegner’s anger. “Folks sometimes attack his cattle,” said one of Mr. Wegner’s farmhands, “so maybe he is a bit cranky at times around strangers but he has his reasons.”
So what was driving so many to the home of a man who threatens to shoot strangers? Dogs. The ranch dogs are known to greet travelers, leading to many to stop for awhile and pet he dogs. This week there were a lot more people traveling through the area than usual, which meant more people to stop to pet the dogs. Several witnesses reported seeing Mr. Wegner on his porch, rifle in hand. However, the dogs were leaving the property to greet travelers. “The dogs probably can’t get enough friendly people, seeing as Eugene is such an ass,” said one person who does business with Mr. Wegner but asked not to be identified. Mr. Wegner did not respond to our request to be interviewed for this article.
Saint Denis caught off guard by surprise fight club
By Donna Deshner
A swarm of cowpokes numbering over two dozen rode into Saint Denis this week and caused quite a stir. At first, the attention was primarily focused on the size of the group. “We see travelers riding through that do not belong in Saint Denis all the time,” one local said, “but rarely is it in a group exceeding three riders, so this drew quite the amount of interested watchers.” Among the interested watchers were the Saint Denis police. “We kept an eye on them because with a group that big you can’t be too careful,” a policeman said, “in a moment a couple dozen folks can cause a lot of trouble.” The group rode through the city minding their own business and acting politely. Witnesses say they yielded to pedestrians and did not cause any trouble at all. Until they did, that is.
“By nightfall the group dismounted near the gazebo in the city park and, they started fighting,” a policeman said, “not with residents or onlookers, but with each other, in an organized fashion.” The riders were not holding a fight club openly in Saint Denis. Police surrounded the area, which is meant to be a public space, but they did not immediately stop the fighting. “We had to assess the situation, and we decided that rushing in could risk harm to innocent residents,” said Chief of Police Benjamin Lambert, “so we kept it contained and allowed them to leave once done.” Residents of Saint Denis were divided, with some believing this was a “soft on crime” approach while others praised Chief Lambert for his foresight in preventing harm to residents. Federal investigators appeared the next day to ask about the fight in connection with a bounty hunter fighting ring that is being investigated. No connection was found.
Legislators representing the Five States stand firm against bounty hunter prohibition
By Adam Parvey
Last week we reported that Congress was considering a nation wide ban on bounty hunting. Though opposition was noted at the time, the Congressmen in both chambers representing the states in the Five States have announced they will stand together against any legislation that bans bounty hunters or bounty hunting. These lawmakers do not always align but on this they stand resolute. They are joined by other lawmakers in both chambers. Though support for banning bounty hunting is higher in the House, it has very little support in the Senate. At present, there is no plan for the bill to be voted on in either chamber and it is just something that is being discussed. With this new push against the bill, which was already unlikely to be passed, it seems the path to ending bounty hunting just got a little bit harder.
The Five States Herald 