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.
Deadly Criminals Working as Bounty Hunters?
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
The big headline recently about the Black Rose outlaw Myra Rose Hart working for Leviticus Cornwall sent shockwaves through the lawmen community. Many questions were raised, and the most important was, how did this happen? Well, in the weeks since, new information has come to life, and the news is fairly bleak.
It seems Miss Hart was able to obtain a legitimate bounty hunter license. We know this because the police officer who carried Etta Doyle to her cell noted the figure who dropped her off was a registered bounty hunter. How an infamous outlaw obtained such documentation is not known, she didn’t use her real name when obtaining them either. So it’s entirely possible that this wanted woman has been capturing people for money for months. An unhinged killer has been paid to kill other people. She is likely using the system as a way to get rid of rivals, but she isn’t the only one.
We at the Five State Herald have discovered dozens of criminals have registered as bounty hunters. Individuals such as the Hendrick Brothers, wanted for strangling a wealthy woman in Blackwater, and Butcher Pete, the feared psychopath from Butcher Creek. These wretched men and women have been using the law itself to their advantage, going after rival criminals and usually killing them for money. If that doesn’t terrify you, then I dare not ask who you are.
Lawmen across the Five States are promising to look further into who is accepting bounties, but progress is likely to be slow. Until then, when someone offers to hunt down someone with a bounty, think long and hard before hiring them.
Man found dead, bitten by multiple snakes
By Wylie Frey
A poor soul was found dead south of Tumbleweed, not far from the road. The man was armed with a bolt-shot rifle, loaded with express ammo, and a varmint rifle loaded with tranquilizer rounds he appeared to have manufactured himself. What the man was doing is anybody’s guess, however, his fate is obvious. His body displayed the marks of several dozen bites. Tracks of multiple snakes also surrounded the body. Why so many snakes attacked is also unknown. The body was taken to Tumbleweed. If it is unclaimed, it will be taken to a nearby potter’s field. The man’s physical description is as follows: roughly six feet in height, light brown hair cut short, brown eyes, a thick brown mustache and a scar across his left eye.
Hunters and naturalists looking for rare Marble Fox run afoul of Del Lobo gang
By Jane Duran
The legendary Marble Fox has drawn several cowpokes to a region not commonly explored in the Grizzlies. Naturalists seek to draw samples of the animal’s blood while hunters seek to claim a rare pelt. Both types of seekers of the Marble Fox have run into problems with a group of Del Lobo gang members far from their usual stomping rounds. Confrontations with the gang have ranged from inconveniences like scaring off the Marble Fox to full fledged gunfights. Authorities warn cowpokes to avoid the region. Though they have not publicly admitted it, one source claims the government has given up expelling the gang from the area, claiming they are too entrenched to be displaced for a reasonable cost.
Woman claims to have turned into a whitetail buck
By Daisy Fairman
Strawberry Sheriff Hanley arrested a woman so she could, “rest off her craziness.” The arrest was in response to the woman’s wild claim that she became a wild animal, specifically, a white tail buck. “She claims that some, Harrietta Daven something or other gave her the task to collect a special herb and become ‘one with the buck,'” said Sheriff Hanley. Upon investigation, this herb was identified as Harrietum Officianalis, which was discovered by naturalist Harriet Davenport. Little is known about the herb at this point, other than alleged hallucinogenic properties. It is these properties that may explain the woman’s claim that she experienced life as a buck. According to Sheriff Hanley, after sometime the herb appeared to wear off and she was released, saying, “She didn’t hut nobody, so no reason to hold her once she was no longer a danger to herself or others.”
Gang ambushed, leader left hogtied and unconscious for authorities
By Emery Cosberry
The so called “Grey Cowboy” has struck again, this time at Cumberland Falls. Residents in Valentine reported hearing gunshots coming from Cumberland Falls, prompting a local lawman to round up a posse to investigate. They arrived to find close to two dozen dead bodies and an unconscious man hogtied. The deputy with the posse recognized the man as outlaw Zack S. Appleby. After being taken to Valentine and placed in a cell, Appleby described a man in grey, wearing a black mask over his eyes, attacking the gang with a fury he had never seen before. One of the outlaws managed to tackle the Grey Cowboy, but was unable to keep him down, according to Appleby. “He threw his bolas at me and while I was tangled and scared, he just picked up his hat, put it back on then kicked me. Next thing I remember you lot had brought me here,” Appleby said to the Sheriff.
A few members of the posse broke off when the deputy headed back to Valentine with Appleby secured on his horse. Those few were looking for signs of the Grey Cowboy. While tracks were spotted, the trail went cold before the Cowboy could be found. Lawman across the Five States have reacted differently to the Grey Cowboy, with many appreciating what he does while others expressing concern over “masked vigilantes claiming to act in the name of Justice.” One lawman who asked not to be identified said, “the outlaws have long been wearing masks, hiding themselves to commit untold violence. Maybe it’s about time the good guys mask up too, and deliver some Just violence instead.”
Horse headed man spotted in Cumberland Forest
By Van R. Seldon
A traveler was out for a ride along the Dakota River when they came across something unexpected. A man stood just off the road with a horse’s head instead of a man’s. “I couldn’t believe it, the fella just stood there, brushing his own horse,” the traveler claimed. Realizing quickly that nobody would believe this story, the traveler asked the horse headed man if he would mind posing for a photograph. “Much to my shock, he said yes,” the traveler said. His photograph was provided so a copy could be made for this paper.
According to the traveler, the horse headed man never stated their name. Their voice was described as, “what you might expect from a man with a horse head.” While we provided a copy of the photograph for the this article, we did not have the original in pour possession long enough to test it for authenticity. Some in the photography business have claimed techniques exist for creating fraudulent photographs. Indeed, in 1840, a photograph was developed entitled “Self Portrait of a Drowned Man” and clearly pictured Hippolyte Bayard after drowning. However, Mr. Bayard was also the one who took, developed, and displayed the picture of himself after he died. Mr. Bayard did not reveal how he made such a convincing forgery, but did prove it is possible. What say you readers? Is this photograph of a horse headed man fake? Or is the a horse headed man roaming the Five States?
Aggressive Sun alligator killed before local alligator population decimated
By Aloysius Levron
The rare Sun Alligator has been spotted in Bayou Nwa for several weeks. The Sun Alligator was reported as very aggressive, having claimed several domesticate pets. However, the aggressive alligator did not stop there. “The beast killed other ‘gators. Just attacked them and left their dead body behind,” said one local. It is likely the alligator was establishing itself as the new alpha in the region, but in doing so it was decimating the local alligator population. “Folks depend on the ‘gators for food and trade. Was hard times when the ‘gators nearly went extinct recently and looked like hard times was coming again,” they elaborated. As a result, the locals banded together and hired Akanowa.
Best known as a skilled tracker, Akanowa often employs her skills in the bayou, hunting alligators for pay and trade. The locals said Akanowa went to work immediately, asking the locals to hold the pay until the job was done. Days later, Akanowa reported she had tracked the Sun Alligator and recruited a photographer to document the kill.
According to the photographer, who was the only one to witness the actual killing of the Sun Alligator, Akanowa was swarmed by alligators upon approaching the Sun Alligator’s location. “She was quite impressive with her Springfield, killing the alligators before they could get close enough to bite her,” the photographer said. However, in the middle of fighting off the alligators, the aggressive Sun Aligator charged. The photographer said Akanowa dropped the Springfield and pulled a long gun with massive barrels that was likely an Elephant Gun from her shoulder. She fired twice, sinking both rounds into the big beast’s head. As the Sun Alligator entered its death throes, smaller alligators continued to attack. Akanowa killed them until they stopped coming, before taking a photograph with the legendary beast.
This is not the only large alligator sighting in Lemoyne recently. The rare Teca Alligator was spotted in the southern end of the bayou. While rare creatures such as these are indeed a sight to behold, some have worried that they will decimate local animal populations. The Sun Alligator’s rampage through local bayou alligator’s seems to confirm those concerns. However, other animal experts have said that as soon as a new animal establishes itself as the alpha, it will no longer prey on the local population. Those same experts also remind people that these rare animals are still living creatures subject to the rules of biology thus, there are likely more of them out there.
WANTED!
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Photographers:
To take photographs to be used in the Herald.
Can also do all three!
Last Caribbean Pirate Captured!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Albert Langford, the so-called last pirate, has been captured following a brief battle with the US Navy. He likely knew time was running out following the announcement that the war with Spain was officially over.
Sure enough, possibly by chance, Langford’s flagship, the Odessa, happened to run into a passing American armored cruiser. Noticing the infamous black flag, the cruiser immediately opened fire. Langford returned fire, but it was clearly all for not. In order to spare the life of his crew, he quickly raised a white flag.
Langford was taken to Jamaica and tried for piracy against the United States. Ironically, he stood in the shadow of Port Royal, the town Henry Morgan had run centuries ago. Luckily for Langford, he seems to have escaped the fate of other pirates tried in Jamaica like John Rackam. The witnesses that were summoned all noted his gentlemanly demeanor and the vital fact he never killed anyone. Although found guilty of piracy, it seems the United States took a more merciful approach compared to the British.
Langford is expected to begin his sentence of five years in prison starting next week. He claims to be already writing a memoir of his exploits. A shipping company in the Great Lakes has already offered him a job once his five years are up. For a convicted pirate, life seems to be on the up for Albert Langford, who would have believed such a thing was possible in the twilight years of the 19th century.
Celebrations held for returning soldiers
By Adam Parvey
Though the war between the Untied States and Spain only officially ended last week, both sides have been scaling down their war assets in the region. As a result, the first waves of returning soldiers has already started. “This first wave represents a small segment of our forces that were removed from the frontlines weeks before the official end of hostilities,” stated a spokesman for the United States Armed Forces. Larger waves of returning soldiers are expected in the coming weeks. Parties have already been held in honor of those who have returned, with more expected.
Coal workers strike in Wales
By Ivy Seager
Strikers are seeking to end the practice of paying workers based on the price of coal. Presently, workers are not paid a flat rate for their work, but instead are subject to a sliding scale that fluctuates based on the market price of coal. Workers say this may be beneficial for owners, but it makes life difficult for workers who are unable to gain stability with an unstable income. Owners have so far said workers are free to look for other jobs if they do not like the pay. Workers have criticized the practice as giving the owners too much power and want to see a new system adopted where workers are paid based on how much coal they actually mine. Workers claim such a system would create an incentive for workers to work harder than usual, as they would then be eligible for more pay.
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