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.
Protests continue to Ramp Up with No End in Sight!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
The protests against the lack of jobs continue to be going strong after several weeks; unfortunately, the results have been tepid at best. People continued to march in the streets, chanting and shouting for new opportunities. Law officials have, however, become skittish about some of the protests, resulting in more and more frequent clashes.
In Valentine, the sheriff and some deputies had to try and calm a group actively throwing beer bottles at windows. One man was severely blinded by shattering glass; another was thrown through a saloon window.
Saint-Denis bore the brunt of violent activity this week. Some cowpokes had grown tired of hearing no response, so they started fighting with other protest groups. This resulted in a pitched battle near the market that ended with at least ten fatalities and far too numerous injuries to count. Police feel they are overwhelmed from the experience and can’t hold everyone in the local jails.
To say the situation in the Five States has gone downhill is but an understatement. It feels like the fabric of society is untethering, lord only knows what awaits us down the road.
Naturalist defending animal rights gets in the way of a hunter
By Wylie Frey
A hunter was prowling the deserted New Austin landscape, looking for game to take down. However, according to the naturalist hte hunter was no using a rifle. “As much as I abhor hunting, if it is at least done with a rifle it is painless, a merciful way to feed yourself,” the naturalist said. This hunter, however, was armed with throwing knives. “I came across them throwing knives and a poor pronghorn,” the naturalist complained, “the poor beast had knives just sticking out of its skin, oh how it cried out in pain!” Though they said it was not enjoyable, the naturalist raised their own rifle killed the pronghorn with a single shot. “Someone had to end the suffering,” they said. The hunter complained, raising a pistol at the naturalist. “That was the fifth one, couldn’t find no more damn rabbits and I want to go to bed, you ruined it!” the hunter screamed. The naturalist raised their own rifle and aimed it at the hunter. The tense situation ended when the hunter looked past the naturalist and screamed, “Squirrel!” The hunter then rode away, once again wielding a throwing knife. “I harvested the poor creature, couldn’t let its death be in vain, you see,” the naturalist said with a certain hungry look in their eyes.
Visitors swarm Mount Hagen, relive past failures
By Jane Duran
In and effort to, “remind folks of the splendor of our world,” the BHTNC offered gold nuggets to anyone willing to travel to the dreaded Mount Hagen. Despite the location being remote, cold, and difficult to get to, visitors were eager to accept the challenge. I made my way to the mountain top to interview those who would take such a dangerous trip, and of course to claim the reward myself. Throughout the day multiple folks arrived at the top of Mount Hagen. Each was eager to take a moment to rest and chat amongst themselves. The folks reminisced about their past experiences on the mountain’s peak. “Came for six, if you can believe, and got them all in my wagon,” a bounty hunter said, “but made a wrong turn and lost the wagon down the mountain, barely survived myself.” “That’s nothing,” said another bounty hunter, “I had to carry one goon down the mountain after the body of another dead goon who flew right off the mountain with my bolas around him!” FOr some, it was their first time up the mountain. “I’ve heard bad things, so I stayed away, but figured now as good a time as any to check the place out,” said a cowpoke who only recently arrived in the Five States. Two folks were brought back together. “You see I earned quite a bounty and hid here at Mount Hagen,” said one of the cowpokes, “when this fool came up here looking for me.” The two got into a gunfight, they said, before the wanted cowpoke turned themselves in. “Glad they did,” said the bounty hunter, “figured we’d both have died in the cold.” Now, well over a year after the encounter, they can share a laugh and a bottle of whiskey.
Abandoned hot air balloon found in Tall Trees
By Odell Clifton
A cowpoke traveling through the dense forest of Tall Trees saw something they did not expect. “Well, there was a light and so I rode close and quiet,” the cowpoke said, “I was pretty shocked to see what I saw, not quite knowing what it was until later.” At the time, the cowpoke said they thought it was some kind of craft from another world. “I read the paper, I’ve read about other worlds and monsters coming in our world,” the cowpoke said. After raising the alarm that an invasion from another world may be under way, a posse of gunslingers and lawmen showed up and immediately put everybody’s worry to an end. “It was a hot air balloon,” said a posse member who had ridden in one before, “looks like the fella driving it got it stuck in a tree.” The balloon was removed for safety reasons. “That burner was still running and there was lots of trees around, had to get it out of there before Tall Trees became burnt trees,” a lawman said. The owner of the balloon was never found.
WANTED!
Investigators: Travel the Five States and report on what is going on.
Writers: Write the stories investigators find!
Photographers:
To take photographs to be used in the Herald.
Can also do all three!
Stand off in Valentine ends explosively
By Donna Deshner
Two cowpokes got into a dispute, agreed to duel. One of the cowpokes ran into a barn and hid. Witnesses say the other opponent, who is known in the town as “Mr. Something,” waited outside of the barn, until finally losing patience. Mr. Something lit a stick of dynamite and threw it at the barn. The dynamite hit with enough force to slightly push open one door, however, it was the explosion that finished the job. Witnesses say the doors shattered when the dynamite exploded, leaving the hiding cowpoke exposed. Mr. Something opened fire during the chaotic moment, killing his opponent in the barn. Though several witnesses say it was a legitimate duel, another witness reported the incident as a murder. Mr. Something was out of the town by the time deputies came to investigate.
New bounty hunter wonders why they do not have access to more lucrative bounties
By Emeline Vickroy
A cowpoke decided to take their gunslinging skills down the bounty hunter route. Like all would be bounty hunters, this meant heading down to Rhodes and picking up a bounty hunter’s license. After purchasing their license, they immediately took a look at the bounty board. However, there seemed to be some confusion. “Why can’t I take the bounties worth more money?” the new bounty hunter asked. Sheriff Leigh Gray laughed a bit, before clearing his throat when he realized the bounty hunter was serious. “Well, you see, you have to show you are worth those better paying contracts before you can take ’em,” Sheriff Gray said. The new bounty hunter then shrugged, and said, “Okay, thank you,” and got right to it. As they rode off in pursuit of their first bounty, Sheriff Gray said, “you know, half of ’em never make it back.”
Man vows to never leave the Five States
By Lucien Privitt
Among the protests and loud proclamations of people fleeing the Five States, one cowpoke says he will never leave. “I don’t care if all economic investment into the Five States ends,” the man said, “I will always find something to do because every day I seem to discover something new!” He explained that the waves of cowpokes leaving the Five States has no effect on him. “It may seem like I’m the only one sometimes, but I know there are others are there who feel the same,” the man said. Indeed, after the man made his bold proclamation, others voiced their own support. “I love this place, ain’t another place like it,” said one cowpoke. “Nothing relives the stress of the day like riding around in the Five States,” said another. The optimism drew plenty of attention, even from those who say the experience is getting older. “It’s true that there ain’t a whole lot to do, but what there is to do is better than any other place in the world,” said one cowpoke to nods of agreement. While the protests and mass exits gain all the attention, some refuse to leave the Five States behind.
Holy Grail of the Great Lakes Still Hidden!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Another month has gone, and another month that the most fabulous prize in US waters remains undiscovered. In 1679 the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle built a sailing ship, the first one in recorded North American history. He called it Le Griffon; it was small by today’s standards, but it was a breakthrough at the time. Sadly it was lost within a year to a freak storm; the first American ship became the first American shipwreck.
It held nothing of note on board, just fur and similar luxury goods, nothing that would survive the passage of time. It’s the historical value that has intrigued people, the first ship! This value has motivated man after man, woman after woman, to try and find this ship.
People have swum the lakes, dug up the ground, searched the seashores, anything to find a legend. None have found it. The best claim was a lighthouse keeper who claimed he found wooden debris and several skeletons buried under the sand of a beach. But it was never confirmed to be Le Griffon.
I applaud the efforts of many to try and find something great, but much like the actual Holy Grail, it’s probably been lost to history, gone like the lost man-hours spent finding it.
Two international composers die in the same week
By Ivy Seager
This story comes with some delay, as both composers died at the end of January. Interest in the deaths has grown since learning they occurred in the same week. The first of those deaths was Austro-Bohemian composer W.A. Remy. Remy, the son of a lawyer, was pushed to pursue a legal career himself. At the age of 25, Remy earned a doctoral degree in law. Though in the following years, Remy performed well in his legal profession, it was not his calling. Remy picked up music again, a hobby he had dropped in pursuit of his career, in 1862. He worked as a conductor and composed several compositions himself. By 1870, he retired as a conductor and focused on his own works while offering private lessons. He died in the city of Graz at the age of 66.
The second composer death was Alexandru Flechtenmacher, a Romanian composer. Like Remy’s father, Flechtenmacher’s father was also an attorney. However,it is unclear how, if at all, this influenced Fechtenmacher’s career decisions. Between 1853 and 1858, Fechtenmacher lived in Craiova, Romania. There he composed some of his most well known music, including the famed Operetta. Fechtenmacher died in Bucharest, Romania at the age of 74. Despite the close timing of their deaths, it was determined that they are unrelated. “It seems strange that we must proclaim they are unrelated,” said an investigator, “they were old men who died in different countries, how could they possibly be related?” Both composers will be remembered for the joy their works brought to their fans.
The Five States Herald 