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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.
Expanded access to the Five States coming this week at the expense of popular loyalty program
By Adam Parvey
With the population of cowpokes in the Five States dwindling, the five governments representing each state and the BHTC have deepened their relationship. Together they are planning on revamping an old program meant to make entering into the Five States easier. In the past, entrance fees to enter the Five States were waved entirely for a small group of people. “That program worked well, but was costly,” a representative from the BHTC said. Folks who met certain qualifications, including a paid membership in a partner program, were able to have all of their travel costs to enter the Five States paid for. The program was very short, which proved controversial. Many of those who gained entrance into the Five States through the program were forced to pay new fees to remain in the Five States or leave.
The new version of the program targets a wider group of people. “We aren’t limiting this program to a small group, but because more people will qualify we aren’t subsidizing the costs as much,” the spokesman elaborated. The new program will require a one time fee for entrants. This fee will be small. The BHTC and the five state governments will be subsidizing over 90% of the cost of moving into the Five States for those who choose to take advantage of this program. “Folks can still enter the Five States without this program, but we think it is important to make it easier for folks who may not be interested in making a large investment to move into a deadly region,” the spokesman said.
Time will tell if this new program will be successful in increasing the population of the Five States. Many are concerned that if the population of the Five States continues to decline the region will be forgotten and neglected. “Investors have to be able to make money by coming and staying in the Five States, otherwise, they will just leave,” said the spokesman. However, this announcement comes with the major modification of the Five States Challenge program. That program was designed to encourage cowpokes to explore a wider variety of activities by offering gold nuggets for completing various tasks. To reward especially loyal residents, the program increased the amount of gold nuggets awarded to cowpokes who maintained a daily streak of completing Challenge tasks.
The increasing gold nugget rewards will remain, however, streaks will be capped at 28 days. At which point, even the most loyal of cowpokes will be treated as if they just started participating in the program, meaning their Challenge streak will be considered to have started over from day one. Long time residents have already responded to the announcement with a flurry of criticism. One resident remarked succinctly, “I’m tired of giving a shit about the Five States.” With the reduction in gold earning from the Five States Challenge program, many realize they will need to invest more of their money into gold if they want to keep up their reserves. Something most have made clear that they will not do.
While the new residents drawn by the partial subsidization of moving costs may see a modest loyalty program and view it positively, long term residents who became used to the generous program of the past will have a difficult time finding something to like in the modified program. Moreover, there is concern that the new residents coming to the Five States may not make up with the number of long term residents fleeing.
Unexplained Disappearances at Pike’s Basin Bridge
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Over the past few weeks, people have been vanishing in the state of New Austin. Specifically around Pike’s Basin. Normally one would suspect gang activity, wild animals, or some infamous psychopath. But this is different; cowpokes are entering the basin and simply vanishing. No gunshots, no corpse, nothing.
A local rancher says he witnessed a ranch hand go up to the bridge in the basin to look for stray cattle. The ranch hand was never seen again; only his knife was found stuck into the bridge. A couple of days later, a lawman from Blackwater who was looking for a missing partner also vanished. The total number of disappearances is unknown, with estimates as high as two dozen.
It didn’t take long for cowpokes to start claiming the disappearances were supernatural. Perhaps a curse left on the bridge by local Indians. Maybe local reports of witch gatherings were accurate. Nobody has a concrete answer to this mystery, and the family of these victims want answers. Further investigations are required in order to even possibly understand what is happening in that basin.
Moonshine operation at the base of Mount Hagen busted
By Caylen V. Hornby
The Bureau of Internal Revenue managed to add another point to their win column after busting a snowy moonshine operation. The Bureau said they were given an anonymous tip regarding the operation. “Anonymous tips are always suspect, but this one checked out,” said an agent with the Bureau. Details were provided that showed familiarity with the moonshining business. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was a competitor who gave the call,” the agent said. He explained that it is not uncommon for moonshiners to use the authorities against each other. Though this could not be confirmed.
Agent Artemas Mallicoat is said to have been the one to make the call to act on the tip. Though he did not lead the charge. The Bureau was silent in regards to Agent Mallicoat’s whereabouts at the time of the bust. However, I was able to confirm through independent sources that Agent Mallicoat was on scene, though he kept his distance. Further, it appeared he and a few other agents arrested other onlookers who were hiding in a copse of trees. The Bureau provided no information regarding these arrests and whether they were related to the moonshine operation they busted. Their only response was, “everyone arrested was guilty of moonshining or bootlegging.”
Man saved from vicious pack of wolves
By Daisy Fairman
A man was nearly killed when he was caught off his guard this week. The man had said he had set up a small camp to make himself a modest Thanksgiving Dinner out on the road near Diablo Ridge. “Must have been what brought the wolves to me,” the man said. He did not hear their approach until it was too late to grab his gun. “I threw my food toward them and ran up the tree!” the man said. The wolves appeared determined to wait him out. However, he was rescued when a woman heard the growling wolves and intervened. The man said she fired her rifle with deadly accuracy, firing once for each wolf and killing them all. He climbed down the tree and offered to share what was left of his food, before realizing the wolves had already had at it.
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Family killed on way to settle in Big Valley
By Nick McCrary
A family recently moved to the Five States and stayed for a time in Strawberry, before heading out to property they purchased near Little Creek River. However, the family never arrived. They were found dead, having been ambushed, on the road heading north. The land they land purchased will be auctioned off, though many are calling it cursed.
BHTC to Create Bounty Hunter Units to Combat Crime
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
As most people probably know, crime is on the rise across the Five States. People merely need to stick their heads out, and they are liable to be shot. Numerous infamous criminals continue to terrorize countless people, from cattle rustlers to mass murderers. The Five States have bore witness to several nightmarish outlaws who have become boogeymen. The Great Plains Sniper is the bane of any government agent in the western United States. Myra Rose Hart possibly set women’s rights back decades while killing enough people to fill the Gettysburg National Cemetery. One outlaw known only as “The Dirty Man” is infamous for killing and robbing people simply as a challenge to pass the time. This is all before you get to various gangs robbing trains and killing each other.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the BHTC is very desperate. Under siege in both Congress and the court of public opinion for corruption, they have decided to start creating teams of elite bounty hunters. They are specifically giving licenses to former military soldiers, prize-winning sharpshooters, famous hunters, and other skilled shooters. Seasoned bounty hunters are also given the opportunity to join these units. Each unit is tasked with going after one specific target, usually a high-profile criminal.
Among these units are the two remaining members of the disavowed Hangmen’s Bureau, Sandra Walsh, and James Frazer. Despite universal hatred for their tactics, they are still considered the toughest bounty hunters in the country. It is currently unknown who they will be tasked to hunt down.
The reaction to this move has been less than stellar, with many cowpokes decrying that more bounty licenses will not stop crime. It remains to be seen if this daring maneuver will save both the BHTC and the lives of ordinary citizens or drag both down into the abyss.
Pair of naturalists scold collector for collecting eggs
By Emery Cosberry
The Five States is full of folks all trying to make a living in a variety of ways. However, at times, those various ways of earning money conflict. A cowpoke who calls himself a collector learned this first hand. He came across a nest of bird eggs near the Heartland Overflow and while collecting them, he was accosted by a pair of naturalists. “They said I was an evil man, killing babies before they had a chance to fight back,” the collector said. The pair then allegedly threatened to “tell Harriet” and make sure he can never do naturalist work in the Five States. “Suited me fine, I’m not a naturalist,” the man said. He claimed to have tried to walk away but the naturalists continued to follow him and “pestering” him about the eggs he collected.
“I finally had enough and just threw one of the damn eggs at the man’s face,” the collector laughed. The naturalist with egg on his face began to gag and scream about innocent life lost. The other naturalist raised her rifle and fired, but she evidently had forgotten it was loaded with sedative bullets. “It hit me pretty hard, but I realized pretty quickly that she had the wrong ammo for a gunfight,” the collector said. He said that as it dawned on the naturalist’s face that she made a mistake, he pulled out his pistol and aimed. However, she dropped her rifle immediately. “I knocked them both out and hogtied them for good measure, didn’t want them shooting me while I road away,” the collector explained. The identity or whereabouts of the naturalists is unknown.
Wanted man tracked to Annesburg mine, deadly shootout follows
By Van R. Seldon
A bounty hunter rode into Annesburg this week following a lead. He entered the mine, believing the wanted man he was pursuing had taken a job as a miner. The bounty hunter’s information was good and he found the wanted man. The criminal refused to go peacefully and opened fire. The gunfight that followed killed several workers, setting back mining operations at least a few days. The mine owner has threatened the bounty hunter, the New Hanover government, and the BHTC with a lawsuit. However, the BHTC responded saying, “the bounty hunter had qualified immunity. Any damage to property or life that occurs during a sanctioned bounty hunt is not the responsibility of the bounty hunter, the BHTC, or any state or local authority.”
Sinister masked knifeman encountered in Bluewater Marsh
By Xavier Phillips (Freelancer)
The swamps of Lemoyne are not for the faint of heart, being home to treacherous footing, swarming insects, lethal alligators, and the silent cutthroats known as the Night Folk. Now, Luetta Harper, a native of the area, has come forward with a warning about another potential threat lurking among the trees of Bluewater Marsh: a menacing, knife-wielding figure in a skull mask.
“I was collecting gator eggs,” Miss Harper said, “and was almost done – sun was going down and I don’t wander the marshes at night if I can avoid it – when a rider came out of the mist with a knife in his hand and some kind of metal skull mask hiding his face.”
Armed with a bolt-action rifle, Miss Harper stood her ground as the silent rider approached, stabbing the air with his knife but making no move to actually harm Miss Harper besides jostling her with his horse.
“Most people don’t last long in the marshes if they don’t know how to handle a firearm,” Miss Harper said, “but I’m not going to kill a man unless I absolutely have to. Acting strange and ignoring my warning like he was, the fella in the mask was asking to be shot, he was just lucky I know how to control my trigger-finger.”
After silently harassing Miss Harper – who insists the man was not a member of the Night Folk despite his muteness – for a brief time, the rider turned and disappeared back into the mist from which he emerged, leaving behind no clues as to his identity or intentions. Miss Harper explained she came forward with her story as a warning to others who might encounter the sinister figure, although she herself was left unfazed by the incident.
“I’ve seen far stranger things in the marshes, things that can make you question everything you think you know,” Miss Harper said. “Some fool in a mask looking to get himself killed won’t give me any sleepless nights.”
New serial killer haunts the Five States
By Frederick Vannesse
Months ago it was reported by Harriet Davenport that she had been sent packages of human skin. Since then, various local authorities have received packages wrapped in what turned out to be human skin. However, these reports were not made public as federal authorities attempted to gain control over the matter. This week, these reports were finally leaked. Local authorities who have been sent such packages include the Blackwater Police Department, Valentine Sheriff Office, and Rhodes Sheriff Office. Federal authorities are refusing to comment officially, but a source with knowledge of the investigation revealed authorities are not any closer to solving this than then they first started.
The leak comes as local authorities struggled to keep missing person reports quiet. Following the leak, our reporters were able to confirm dozens of reports of missing persons occurring within the last several weeks. Federal and state authorities are scrambling to respond to the public.
New England ice storm claims many lives, sinks several ships
By Adam Parvey
For two days this week the New England coast was rocked with a devastating ice storm that took over 400 lives. Among the over 150 ships sand boats sunk was the PS Portland. Said to be one of the safest vessels in New England and night unsinkable, even she could not stand against mother nature. Logs showed the Portland carried 192 people on it. None were found among the shipwreck and all are believed to be dead. Searches are ongoing for any survivors, but authorities are not hopeful.
English surveyor George Goyder dies
By Ivy Seager
George Goyder is most known for his work surveying the Australian countryside. He was said to be a key figure in determining the best land for farming and grazing, and establishing Darwin, the capital of the Australian Northern Territory. The English government stated that without Mr. Goyder’s expertise and determination, the Australian colony would have been an absolute failure. Mr. Goyder retired from his position as Surveyor-General in 1894 and pursued a quiet life until he passed away peacefully.
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