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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.
Masked gangs up the level of terror leading up to Halloween Night, masked vigilante nearly killed
The roaming masked gangs that were reported last week escalated their attacks. Previously, only one masked gang was reported as murdering anyone. This week, however, masked gangs have violently attacked travelers without warning. Roads all across the Five States have been soaked in innocent blood as these masked terrors have attacked with near impunity. The mildest case reported was a beating and robbery. A family was traveling to Blackwater from Strawberry when the masked gang accosted them. The father tried to defend his family, but was hogtied and beaten. The wagon was stolen with one of the children still on it, though luckily, that child was later brought to Blackwater. One of the folks from Manzanita Post brought the child to the Blackwater Police Departmant saying that the boy was dropped off hastily by a group heading south toward New Austin.
On Halloween night, a large masked gang of nearly a dozen cowpokes began terrorizing the town of Valentine. Residents reported that the masked outlaws were at first just unruly, but then began damaging property and even lighting people on fire. The local Sheriff and his deputies were held down in their Sheriff Office, rendering them impotent as the masked gang tried to burn the town down. Witnesses reported that the masked vigilante called the Grey Cowboy arrived to fight the masked villains. “He was outnumbered, but a good enough shot to make a difference,” said one witness. Based on other witness statements, it is likely the Grey Cowboy was using a Springfield Rifle. He cut through many of the outlaws before heading into Smithfield’s Saloon, where residents were held hostage. It was here that the Grey Cowboy was struck from behind by the butt of a masked man’s rifle.
Several of the gang members joined in kicking the downed Cowboy, however, this left the residents in the saloon with nobody watching them. It is well known that nearly everyone in Valentine is armed and in a moment everyone in the saloon pulled out their guns shot the masked outlaws. The Grey Cowboy is reported to have slowly stood up and picked up his hat and tipping it to the residents before leaving the saloon. The rest of the masked gang could no longer hold the lawmen in the Sheriff’s Office and fled. The Grey Cowboy was not seen again. Authorities will not say if they think this masked gang trend is the result of the season or a new type of aggressive outlaw.
Man who moved from Saint Denis to Tumbleweed found dead
By Alois Burditt
A former dock worker who had worked hard to achieve his American dream, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the forehead near his new home of Tumbleweed. “I don’t know why he chose Tumbleweed, Lord knows the town is dying,” said Sheriff Freeman, “but he was tired of the Saint Denis docks and I guess our dying town was the best he could afford.” Ethan Colston spent two decades working on the Saint Denis docks and even had a brush with death during that time. He had been interviewed, though his identity was kept secret at the time, in regards to his witnessing a murder committed by the Smoking Gun Killer. Though it is unknown if the Smoking Gun had ever seen Colston, Colston often bragged about surviving an encounter with the Devil.
Colston’s body was found north of the town by a courier. Tumbleweed residents did mention that they heard a faint gunshot, but did not think much of it. The last place Colston was seen was at the Tumbleweed Stable, where he was looking to buy a horse. “The new hand helped him and I suppose he did look a bit caught off guard, maybe spooked,” the stable owner said, “but I mean, wouldn’t you be a bit spooked if you were staring at a hero?” This was a reference to the ranch hand saving the lives of stable workers when he shot a would be thief in the forehead. Colston left the stable saying he wanted to consider his options. He was not seen again. If you have any information about Mr. Colson’s murder, you are encouraged to contact the Tumbleweed Sheriff.
“Abominable snowman” said to have killed hikers
By Jane Duran
A group of hikers looking to challenge themselves against the cold Grizzlies West environment was found nearly all dead. A single member of the party survived and they reported being attacked by a monster. She described a massive creature, over nine feet tall. It was described as hairy and white and able to blend into the snowy environment. The survivor said they heard heavy breathing, but no growl and that it was upon them and attacking before she even saw it. She said the creature ripped apart one of her friends causing her to scream. The unidentified creature then struck her with long arms.
She fell to the ground and reported that the next thing she knew one of her friends had been tossed on top of her. It took a moment before she realized that her friend was dead. She froze at that point, saying that, “I was unable to speak. I don’t even know if I was breathing.” For several minutes she could hear her friends scream as the creature attacked. Then she heard the sound of gnashing as the monster chewed on her dead friends for several minutes. After hearing nothing but silence for, “a long time,” she fled to Strawberry. A posse rode out from Strawberry to investigate and found the remains of her group. However, it appeared that several scavenger animals had picked through the corpses, making it impossible to identify specific bite marks.
Gunfight in the Great Plains
By Nick McCrary
Several hunters reported being forced to retreat from the Great Plains when two posses engaged in a gunfight. Details are scarce as to what started the fight, but it lasted for about an hour. One hunter who saw the beginning of the gunfight said it started when a man rode toward another a cowpoke on foot. The mounted man fired and the other retaliated, though his shot appeared to have killed the rider’s horse. The witness reported that the rider crashed down before being killed. Moments later more riders came and a gunfight ensued.
The witness then chose to flee to Blackwater. Other witnesses missed the beginning of the fight, but reported a prolonged gun battle between on foot cowpokes, indicating all of the riders dismounted at some point. All of the witnesses fled and as a result, there is no account of the gunfight after that. Authorities were hesitant to engage and advised locals to stay in their homes. After the sound of gunfire ended, lawmen explored the area to find two dead bodies and a dead horse. Nobody was identified.
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Locals Make Sure Dead Don’t Return
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Following reports of graves being found empty, some locals across the Five States have taken matters into their own hands. Travelers have noticed a recent trend starting in New Austin and spreading eastward. In places like Coot’s Chapel, bodies of the recent deceased are repeatedly staked before burial.
This practice may sound barbaric, but it goes back to ancient Ireland, where corpses had rocks shoved into their mouths in the chance they ever came back. Most farmers are fairly sure there isn’t anything to worry about, but why take a chance?
These locals don’t know what type of monster the dead take the form of; they just know its best to make sure they don’t have the chance to come back.
For now, it appears the practice will continue until at least after All Hallows Eve; perhaps by then, worries about armies of the dead will have faded like the tombstones they inhibit. Until then, if you see someone staking a corpse, just keep walking; it’ll be easier on you if you don’t make a scene.
New Hanover Governor issues warning about large gatherings amidst news of masked killers traveling the Five States
By Emery Cosberry
As reports of attacks by masked travelers increased every day this week, the Governor of New Hanover warned residents against large gatherings on Halloween night. “I understand folks want to celebrate Halloween, but it just isn’t safe,”the Governor said. The Governor’s office elaborated and stated that if gatherings cannot be avoided, residents should at least wear masks. “There have been no reports of masked gangs attacking other masked gangs,” a spokesman said, “so wearing a mask should help you blend in and keep you safe. Moreover, small gatherings are likely safer than large gatherings” Residents of New Hanover, however, appeared to have different ideas of protecting themselves. Gun sells soared. Valentine gunsmith R.L. Dalton claimed to have sold more guns in the last week than he has in the last month. When Halloween Night arrived, it became clear that residents were not going to comply with the Governor’s orders. Masked and non-masked folks marched across New Hanover, armed like a small army. No attacks were reported.
Lemoyne Raiders killed in back-alley slaughter
By Xavier Phillips (Freelancer)
The Lemoyne Raiders may have been infamous within the state of Lemoyne for years as a ruthless band of thieves and killers obsessed with the past, but their fearful reputation offered them little protection recently when eight of their number were brutally slain in an alley off Lamarque Street in Saint Denis. Rather than a shootout with a rival gang of outlaws or the police, however, reports suggest the carnage may have actually been the work of a single individual.
One witness, who declined to be named for fear of potential reprisal, said, “I was walking along Lamarque Street when I heard voices coming from the alley, from what I could make out it sounded like a number of Lemoyne Raiders threatening someone. That’s when a man crossed the street up ahead of me and walked right into the alley. His hat cast a shadow across his face so I didn’t see it clearly, but he wore a brown duster coat and carried a revolver and knife on his hip, and walked like a man with purpose.”
After this unidentified man entered the alley, gunfire from multiple firearms rang out, the shooting accompanied by other sounds of violence as well as a clamour of furious and panicked voices and cries of pain. Silence eventually fell again and several witnesses claim to have seen a horse fleeing the area soon afterwards, although there are conflicting reports on whether the animal was carrying one rider or two.
When Saint Denis police arrived on the scene they found eight Lemoyne Raiders in the alley, all dead, six killed by gunfire and two by a knife, with one officer being overheard describing the scene as an “absolute bloodbath.”
Although police have refused to comment on whether the killings were indeed the actions of one man or what his motivations may have been, the witness I spoke to was adamant: “I know what I saw. That man walked into that alley with a pistol and a knife and look what he left behind him. The Lemoyne Raiders are always talking about how the south will rise again, but I’ll tell you one thing: the boys in that alley certainly won’t.”
Dreadful Crime Committed in Saint-Denis
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Most people anticipate the coming of All Hallows Eve; who isn’t entitled to at least one good scare? Well, the lawmen of Saint-Denis are one such group not overtly joyful for the occasion. They dreaded the hissing of the wind and the pale moonlight. Every year it seems someone gets the idea to commit some ghastly crime to mark the occasion. From gory stagecoach robberies to men and women found without blood, it’s become almost routine. Unfortunately, that streak continues once more.
In the early morning hours of yesterday evening, a lone officer stood watch in the streets as the fog rolled into town. Douglas Abernathy was just waiting for his shift to end when he noticed a strange puddle near an alleyway. He couldn’t tell if it was water or blood; he sadly found the answer very quickly. The trail led to a woman’s corpse, bloody but strangely devoid of wounds. It wasn’t until he looked down that he noticed entire chunks of flesh were missing from her body as if she had been stabbed without clothing on.
Abernathy ran to find help; within an hour, half of the Saint-Denis police department was combing the alleyways. The woman was soon identified as Josephine Levine, a high-class society woman that was rumored to sometimes work as a prostitute. The autopsy was grim, to put it lightly. She had been strangled, stripped, and repeatedly stabbed all over her stomach. Entire organs had been removed; there were even bite marks on the flesh. After the killing, the killer dressed poor Ms. Levine like a doll.
In her belongings was a bloodied letter hidden in her purse. It read as follows.
“I sometimes question my place in life, but it always fades. I know deep in my heart what I am, and I enjoy it so. Whether it’s the time of year or my deepest desires, I always knew this day would come. Oh mother, if you could see me now, I ate a woman like my sisters always claimed. Through flesh and bone, it tasted right. Either demon or human need it matter? Y’all sees me all the same. Until we meet again, either here or beyond…Black Rose.”
Even for a woman who wasn’t above murdering children or politicians, Saint-Denis officials were disgusted. A few superstitious folks claimed she’s more Wendigo than human now, perhaps possessed by the spirits of the damned. It made little difference to the police department, who intend not even to bother having a trial. Like a rabid dog, they plan to kill this mongrel and be done with it.
Devils spotted across the Five States, making some wonder if the Hell spilled over on Halloween Night
By Frederick Vannesse
While overshadowed by reports of masked attackers, many residents of the Five States have claimed to see “devils” stalking them in the dark. “I know it seems silly, but I know what I saw!” one witness claimed. “It had a red face, an evil smile and horns! It may have been the Devil himself!” As outlandish as it seemed, several witnesses shared similar stories. Eloisa Wince, a resident of Rhodes, went outside for some fresh air and a cigarette when she felt like she was being watched. “I can’t describe it,” Miss Wince said, “just a feeling, you know? And I turned and looked and there it was staring at me with yellow eyes.” Miss Wince turned and ran back inside and locked all of the doors.
I was unable to find a single report where one of these “devils” attacked anyone. Self proclaimed devil hunter Samuel Dean, said these people were lucky. “The veil between our world and other worlds is thin on Halloween night, but most devils still cannot project themselves in way they can do real damage,” Mr. Dean claimed. However, he claimed to have come across several “powerful manifestations” that would have killed innocent people had he not intervened. Mr. Dean then warned, “fighting a devil is not like fighting a normal man, most should just run.” He claimed to have “vanquished” half a dozen devils and provided exact locations to be investigated. Those investigations will be conducted immediately by the Five States Herald with findings to be published in a future issue.
Group of boys ransacks Manitowoc, Wisconsin
By Adam Parvey
The night of Halloween proved to be a frightening night for many Manitowoc residents. A group of boys decided it would be fun to perform pranks on the entire town. One resident reported that their milk had been stolen, later it had been found spread across the town. Planks for sidewalk were removed, inconveniencing many. Several wagons were stolen or sabotaged. One stolen wagon was found in the brush, damaged but salvageable. Another was found on nearby railroad tracks after it had been driven through by a train and destroyed. Even a meeting of townsfolk discussing political issues was interrupted by a loud racket. No serious injuries were reported, though one wagon driver was thrown from his wagon when a wheel had come loose after being undone sometime before. Witnesses report boys in costume, but no arrests have been made.
As Halloween celebrations die down, Samhain begins
By Ivy Seager
While many Americans believe Halloween to be a unique American invention, it has its roots in the Irish tradition of Samhain. Samhain marks the end of the harvest year and the beginning of the darker half of the year. During Samhain, it is believed that passages to the “Otherworld” open up, much like Halloween. While the tradition is believed to date back to ancient times, details have only recently emerged and much is still unknown. Celebrators enjoy feasts and festivals from the evening of October 31st to the end of November 1st. It is also believed to be a time of sacrifice. Scholars believe the food, drink and sacrifices are meant to appease ancient “fairy” spirits to gain favor for bountiful harvests and healthy livestock. As Americans seek to hide from the spirits that allegedly roam this time of year, Samhain celebrators embrace them.
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