Safety not Prioritized in New Austin Mine!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
With all the constant gun battles and horse accidents, one would probably assume being a cowboy was the most dangerous job in America.  Fortunately or perhaps unfortunately, that isn’t entirely true; mining is easily the most hazardous job you could ever do.  This has sadly been proven to be quite accurate this Wednesday in New Austin.

Gaptooth Breach is a mostly avoided area in western New Austin, not far from Tumbleweed.  It’s populated mainly by miners who work for some nondescript company.  They tend to use dynamite or something similar during working hours; it’s all pretty standard.  What’s not standard is the box suddenly exploding without warning!

At least three miners were killed, and about a dozen were wounded; the assumption is a stray spark from a cigarette may have landed and set it off, although this cannot be fully proven at this hour.  Regardless, it’s the fifth incident in a year involving an accidental detonation; it’s just the one with the largest death count.

Much is made about industrialists in the Five States.  From Tremaine to Cornwall, but little attention is ever put on small-time mining companies that operate independently of the big dogs.  These people are arguably even more dangerous and ruthless, and that’s honestly saying something.

Mt Hagen claims another bounty hunter
By Delphia Atwood
A mountain climber came upon the remains of a failed bounty hunt. They first noticed a wagon partially buried in snow, but upon investigation found that there dead bodies inside the wagon and a couple spread around it. “The bodies were almost entirely buried,” the witness said, “had I not seen the wagon I wouldn’t have noticed the bodies.” The mountain climber returned to civilization to round up a posse and then returned to with authorities to investigate the area. A few of the dead men were identified as wanted men, offering the first clue as to what happened here. “Mount Hagen often claims the life of bounty hunters and their captured outlaws all the same,” said Strawberry Sheriff Farley. While the wagon could not be safely removed from the mountain, the bodies were removed and brought into Strawberry.

The bounty hunter was found down the mountain some ways. “Poor bastard must have fallen off the wagon and was unable to stop his descent,” said one of the posse members. As a result, the bounty hunter slide down the mountain in a rough manner. His body was bruised and bloody. As the party was riding back into town, the bounty hunter surprisingly sat up. “I was surprised they survived,” said one posse member. The bounty hunter was taken to the town doctor, who said they will recover after a week of rest. The bounties of the recovered dead outlaws were used to pay the doctor bills for the bounty hunting.

A man was arrested in Big Valley for murder he claims he did not commit
By Odell Clifton
Authorities arrested a man for murder, accusing him of killing two people. The man, however, claims he was an innocent bystander trying to offer aid. “Can’t really believe him,” said a Strawberry deputy, “killer will say anything to avoid the gallows.” The man was found by a patrolling deputy who said he saw the man looting one of the dead men. “I immediately drew my rifle and arrested him,” the deputy said proudly. The man, however, claims that hte deputy got it wrong.

“I wasn’t looting, I was trying to help those poor men,” the man said. According to his story, the men collided on horseback. “I saw the whole thing, they collided and both men stood up and got into a scuffle,” the accused murderer claimed, “then both horses, if you can believe it, kicked out and kicked their owner’s attacker!” The Strawberry doctor confirmed that both men had wounds that could have been the result of being kicked by a horse. “It is certainly possible that both men were kicked a horse, leading to their death,” said the town doctor, “but it seems incredibly unlikely to have occurred.” The doctor could not, however, point to any evidence that supported the claim that the accused was actually the murderer.

Conman said to be roaming the New Hanover
By Donna Deshner
A conman is said to be taking advantage of skilled hunters in New Hanover. The man’s con works by recruiting hunters into a short term posse, with the promise of a share of the trade profit in return for help hunting animals. “It was mutually beneficial,” said one of the victims of the man’s con, “group up and hunt, then have a large group to protect the trade goods as we deliver them.” However, that did not occur. “As soon as we filled up his wagon, he kicked us from his posse,” another hunter said. The conman refused to begin transporting goods and instead, reportedly fled the region alone. The hunters were furious. “I spent hours hunting, and as peaceful as it was, I ain’t keen on having my time and efforts stolen,” the hunter said. The victims are issuing a warning to other hunters. “If you don’t know them, don’t accept some temporary work for hire deal,” the hunter warned, “least you spend hours hunting and have all your work stolen from you.” Though none of them would confirm, other townsfolk who heard the hunters talking amongst themselves said a posse was being rounded up to hunt the conman. The identity of the conman is presently unknown, as despite working with him for an hour none of the hunters offered a detailed description of what the conman looked like.

Man found dead near the docks, witnesses saw the murder
By Emeline Vickroy
Witnesses say they saw a cowpoke kill a man at the docks. While many witnesses acknowledge seeing the “fisherman,” most claim to have not witnessed a murder. “I saw a man fishing at the docks,” said one witness, “it was very clear from my vantage point.” Others, however, claim that most of the witnesses missed an important detail. “There was a man in the water at the other end of the killer’s lasso,” said the witness, “that’s right, weren’t no fishing pole in his hands but a rope.” The Saint Denis Police Department responded to a report made by a witness, and at first were not convinced that foul play occurred. “I was talking to folks at the docks who reported only seeing a fisherman,” said one of the policeman who responded to the scene. However, when a body was found floating in the water the police took the report more seriously. “As soon as we knew there was substance to the reports we poured all available resources into finding the killer,” said a Saint Denis Chief of Saint Denis Police Benjamin Lambert, “we couldn’t waste the public’s resources until we were sure a crime had been committed.” Unfortunately, the killer was nowhere to be found. None of the witnesses saw the killers face, only describing a brown coat and hat. Sheriff Lambert promised Saint Denis residents that the killer will be caught and brought to justice.

New rotary plow developed
By Frederick Vannesse
Mr. W. D. Glenn tested out a new “rotary plow” this week to great effect. Those who witnessed the occasion said the plow looked unwieldy and clumsy. The plow is mounted on three wheels and cuts up the soil with a revolving disc. The disc is lowered to the desirable level with a hand lever, enabling the plow to easily move across the soil when necessary but to penetrate deeply when it is time to perform. The plow is sold by Messrs Grist Cousins ,who claim that use of their plow will enable the growth of vegetables over five feet tall. The plow is not for all farmers, however. It requires at least three horses to pull it, with four horses being reccomended. So small farmers may not have the resources to make use of the rotary plow, at least yet. “Eventually, we’ll see a self driving plow just like we see those new motor vehicles!” said the plow’s designer.

Pillsbury keeps lead in 15th round of international chess tournament
By Ivy Seager
Despite drawing with Alapin, Pillsbury managed to maintain his lead. Alapin, with a record of 9 wins and 5 losses, holds the second best record. A win over Pillsbury, who has a tournament record of 10 1/2 wins and 3 and 1/2 losses with the latest draw, was not under threat of being dethroned from the lead. A win for Alapin would have given him some momentum as he heads into the 16th round of the tournament, where he will face off against Janowski, who has a record of 8 1/2 wins with 4 1/2 losses. A win for Janowski puts him close to pushing Alapin out of second place. Pillsbury is expected to win his 16th round game. All eyes will be on the match between Tarrasch and Schiffer. Should Tarrasach win, his record will go to 11 and 3, which will put him in 1st place should Pillsbury be upset in his match. For fans of chess, this could bring an exciting end to the tournament.

Previous Issue

Next Issue