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.
Austrian Gunmaker Markets Self-Loading Rifle
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Rifles, for as long as many can remember, were single-shot weapons. In the past decades, firearm innovators have created ways to have a rifle shoot several times without reloading. There was lever action; with a twist of the wrist, you could fire repeatedly. Bolt action seems to be the way of the future, until perhaps now.
A popular Austrian gunmaker by the name of Ferdinand von Mannlicher, has created a rifle that might usher in a new age of warfare. His new weapon, the Mannlicher 1898, is a rifle that can repeatedly fire without any external device required. In essence, it fires like a Maxim but can be aimed like a Lancaster!
The weapon, called a self-loading rifle, using the very recoil unique to firearms to force the next bullet from the magazine into the firing chamber. The magazine holds five rounds, with the possibility of more being an option.
Tests have concluded that the weapon is quite remarkable but has notable downsides. The recoil is relatively strong, and cleaning is expected to be nothing short of a nightmare. Still, militaries around the world, including the US, are taking note.
Whether this remarkable firearm makes it to the Five States is unlikely; more probable is an American company creating a similar device. Regardless, it seems the future of war will be dealt with automatic weapons, whether fired from a fixed position or on the move.
Collectors befuddled in Hennigan’s Stead
By Wylie Frey
Two collectors ran into each other while tracking down an item with their metal detectors and were shocked to find that they each dug up a different item. “I didn’t notice him at first and, well, when I saw him digging already I was a bit perturbed,” said one of the collectors, a woman named Eleanor. “But I noticed that my metal detector kept vibrating even though he picked up the item, so I stepped forward as he retreated and dug up an item of my own!” This was their first surprise, as Eleanor could not understand how they both found an item in the same spot. That the items were different shocked them even more. To explain this, we spoke to a member of the Respawners, who many readers may recall believe the world we live in is fake.
“Well the explanation to this one is real simple,” said William, who has been a Respawner for over a year now. “Whoever buried the first item, also buried the second. Do people really expect to dig up the same item in the same spot?” William asked with a laugh. “Isn’t that a bit odd? Folks don’t bury two or three of everything in a hole you know.” William did have a good point, seems more likely to find a trove of different items. The two collectors went on their separate ways after a taking a cigarette break together.
Supply caravan ambushed, outlaws get away with the goods
By Alois Burditt
Three wagons left Benedict Station on their way to Rathskeller Fork carrying supplies the small ranch was in need of. Given the value of food and other supplies in the desert, the caravan was guarded by shotgun messengers. However, they were ambushed so quickly that all of the guards were killed nearly at once. “I… I don’t know how to explain it. It sounded like a single really loud shot, but they all fell dead,” one of the wagon drivers said. He pulled out his own pistol but thought better of it and tossed it to the ground. “I ain’t a coward, but I know when I’ve been gotten and I had been gotten right then.” One of the drivers did wave their pistol around looking for the shooters, but he was killed as well. The remaining drivers got off the wagons and ran away.
“I figured if I never saw their faces, they wouldn’t care so much if I lived or died, so I just left and so did my friend. Call us what you want, but we are still alive.” No other information is known about the attackers. Investigators headed to the location only to find that the wagons were gone. They followed the trail to eventually find the wagons completely stripped off goods, but nobody else in sight.
Gang takes over abandoned train station and holds train hostage; Grey Cowboy saves the day
By Jane Duran
Bacchus Station, once used as a freight station to support Fort Wallace, has been abandoned for several years. From time to time the station is patrolled by federal agents or security guards hired by the various train companies that have interest in the station. In between those patrols, however, outlaws have been known to take over the location as a hideout of their. Typically, these gangs lack the resources to threaten passing trains, which often speed up to get passed the station in a hurry. This gang, however, managed to block the tracks with debris and explosives. The train conductor had no choice but to stop or risk death. The train riders took cover but the outlaws never boarded the train.
“I wasn’t quite sure but I thought I saw a fellow riding up on a dark grey horse. The man himself was dressed in all grey and had a black mask around his eyes,” remarked one rider. They admitted that at first they were afraid to see another masked man, but that man quickly began shooting the outlaws. “I had never seen anything like it, first few outlaws were killed with a lever action shotgun at close range,” another would be hostage told me. “Then he threw the shotgun over his shoulder and pulled out two level action pistols, firing with one while with the other. He was a machine.” The man fit the description of the masked vigilante, The Grey Cowboy.
The Grey Cowboy was first seen in the Five States apprehending gang leaders. Recently he was spotted turning in a bounty before tearing down the local bounty board, apparently in a display of disapproval over the alleged corruption of the BHTC. According to witnesses, the gang leader pleaded for his life, however the Grey Cowboy did not show mercy this time. “He hanged the man from Bacchus Bridge,” the train conductor said. The Grey Cowboy helped other guards remove the debris and explosives, allowing the train to continue on its path before riding on his way.
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Gang war in West Elizabeth
By William Cormac (Freelancer)
Early this week 12 corpses where found in the Upper Montana River, there were 3 Skinner brothers and 9 O`Driscoll boys. The Marshalls believe that the fight started in the Owanjila lake.
Since I stumbled upon that scene I decided to investigate how big and how long this conflict was.
First I questioned Police Chief Dunbar from the Blackwater Police Department for sightings of either gang in southern West Elizabeth. Although I knew that the Skinners operated from time to time in Tall Trees he also informed me that sometimes the O`Driscolls moved through Thieves Landing to Hennigan`s Stead before they go to New Austin. He also mentioned that neither Skinners nor O`Driscolls were aggressive towards the Del Lobo, wichh makes him believe that maybe they both have a kind of unspoken non-aggression pact. An idea that I agree with thanks to other evidence of coexistence that I found between the Del Lobo and the other two gangs.
My second stop in this investigation was in Strawberry where Sheriff Hanley was not as cooperative with me as chief Dunbar, telling me that I have to leave the investigations to the marshals or deputies. Luckily, a deputy named Vernom Farley was kind enough to answer my questions. He told me that the most active gang in the region were the O´Driscolls but he knew that they clashed with the Skinners very often in Grizzlies west, usually to take control of the abandoned mining towns in the area. He also mentioned that Flaco Hernandez and some of his boys where spotted and that no skirmishes were reported between Del Lobo or any of the two gangs.
My last stop was with an old friend and well known resident of Ambarino Hamish Sinclair, who told me that the Skinners had a more prominent presence in the area but ocasionally they would confront O`Dricolls passing through. He also told me that the Skinners usually stay away from Roanoke Ridge, probably to avoid the Murfree brood. Though one will be inclined to think that the two gang would get along but perhaps that is not the case.
If you are traveling through any of these places be extra careful, because if they do not rob you, you might find yourself in the crossfire of these gangs. On the other hand, I am going to investigate how much presence the O’Dricolls have in New Austin, if they have any presence beyond some other lagging group and hopefully you will be able to read about the results of my investigation next week.
Man claimed to have been attacked by wolves, but had several human bite marks on his body
By Van R. Seldon
Residents of Van Horn were treated to a bloody sight when a man walked into town with ripped up clothing and several bite marks. “He was bleeding pretty bad,” a resident said, “it was a wonder that he could walk at all.” He did not continue walking long, as witnesses stated that he fell over in the middle of the road after several minutes of stumbling and screaming about wolves attacking him. According to witnesses, the man had no weapons on him, but he did have an empty holster on his belt. An old man who had been a field medic in the Civil War tended to the wounded man, however, he succumbed to his wounds before anything could be done. The man never spoke coherently, just screamed and muttered about a pack of wolves ripping at his flesh.
The old veteran cleaned up the dead man’s wounds and remarked that though there had been several bites consistent with a wolf, he found deep bites that appeared to have been made by a human. This shocked the veteran. The immediate speculation was that the Murfree Brood had attacked the man. The wild group has been known to engage in animalistic attacks. However, they are not known to use packs of wolves. This led to speculation of a wolfman, a creature with a wolf’s body but a man’s head. Of course, such thing could not exist, could it? Whatever the source of the attack, travelers should be wary while traveling in Roanoke Ridge.
Saint-Denis Man Buys Expense Horse, Proceeds to Sell it Back
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Francois Caron is a wealthy landowner in Saint-Denis. For about a year, he had patiently waited for an incredibly rare Black Arabian horse to arrive from the Middle East. He even paid for several armed guards to prevent outlaws from stealing or killing it. Well, this Thursday, it finally arrived.
Caron drove his fancy carriage to the stable hours before it was even open; he couldn’t be happier. He was the first customer of the day; it took only five minutes to sign all the papers. As the sun rose, this rich man was proudly riding a Black Arabian through the streets.
His joy ride ended rather abruptly when a black rat scurried across the road. The horse freaked out, bucking Caron onto the muddy road. He took off his hat and immediately walked back to the stable, demanding a refund. He had no idea the horse, rare as it may be, is well known to be quite the coward.
As of this writing, Caron reportedly only got a third of his money back; nobody has bothered to buy this horse since.
Investigation underway for killer who skins their victims, potentially alive
By Adam Parvey
What started as an unenthusiastic investigation into harassment claims has turned into a serious investigation with a dedicated task force. Harriet Davenport reported to the Saint Denis police that she had been sent a package full of animal furs and skins. This was not illegal in itself, however Miss Davenport claimed it was a form of harassment. As such, the Saint Denis police began an investigation. “Our plan was to catalogue the items and hopefully identify the sender,” one of the policeman said, “If we couldn’t identify the sender with the contents, well then not much we could have done at all.” However, as the cataloguing went on, a particular item caught the interest of the police. “The skin did not look like the other skins, it was two and a half feet long, little over a foot wide,” the policeman said.
A specialist was brought in to analyze the skin and he confirmed that this was, in fact, human skin. Moreover, he believed that the victim may have been alive when the skin was pulled off him. “Or, it is possible the skin was pulled off soon after the victim’s death,” the specialist elaborated. He was unable to provide any information about the victim, beyond what was already obvious from looking at the skin. Upon learning this development, Miss Davenport was reported as being shocked and appalled. The animal furs and skins in the package represent a wide selection of animals from all over the Five States. They were all cut perfectly, indicating a skilled hand.
Given that the Smoking Gun’s reign of terror throughout the Five States is still fresh in folks’ minds, the Saint Denis Police Department is not taking this lightly. A task force has been established to investigate the items in the package in further detail, establish a “profile” of the killer, and ultimately, identify and apprehend the killer. While little is known for certain, the investigators do believe with high certainty that the killer is a skilled hunter and skinner. As details emerge, you can count on the Herald to keep you informed.
Black owned insurance company opens in North Carolina
By Frederick Vannesse
The North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association was opened in North Carolina this week by John Merrick and other local black leaders. The company provides $100 in burial services for the price of $0.10 per week. Workers sign up one week at a time, offering flexibility and value. Mr. Merrick is no stranger to breaking down barriers, at one timing owning five barber shops, two of which served white customers, though all five only employed black barbers. The company promises to offer black workers the dignity of a proper funeral that often alludes them.
World leaders warn of new age of American Imperalism
By Ivy Seager
To the public, the Spanish-American War is over. All hostilities have ended, American flags have been raised, and the Spanish forces have retreated. However, an official treaty has yet to be entered into. While nobody expects the war to suddenly escalate back into a physical clash, some have warned that negotiations hint toward an age of American Imperialism. An anonymous source has informed me that negotiations include the U.S. taking ownership of several island nations formerly claimed by Spain. Though U.S. spokesmen have been upfront about a transition period in which they would need to provide infrastructure and defense for these nations, the negotiations do not include timetables for returning ownership of the islands to the people who live on those islands. The U.S. government did not respond to my request for a comment.
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