New Austin

Skirmish over relics
By Alois Burditt
The state of New Austin has seen many wars and displaced peoples, which makes it a land full of buried treasures. Collectors across the Five States who know their history well have made New Austin a destination state. This week however, collectors found more than they bargained when they searched for relics on an old Indian settlement site. A group of Indian warriors attacked and killed most of the collectors. Survivors were unable to accurately determine how many Indians attacked, some claimed hundreds while other claimed dozens.

A posse was rounded up in Tumbleweed, including a few deputies and they were joined by a couple of able bodied men from Armadillo. The posse escorted the Armadillo undertaker to the site to collect the bodies of the dead. The Indians had not fully retreated. They watched the posse collect the bodies from afar. Taking it as a warning, the large posse returned to Armadillo as soon as the last body was loaded in the undertaker’s cart.

Thieves landing triplets not real?
By Wylie Frey
The triplets of Thieves Landing are so astonishing they bring tourists to a very unfriendly place. Full of vagabonds and criminals, Thieves Landing is not kind of place you expect travelers to stop. While some are drawn to the criminal element, most come to see the triplets. However, Clarice Lewis of the Respawners says people are just wasting their time.

“The triplets aren’t real,” she says with a laugh, “but neither are we.” The Respawners are a curious bunch who were covered in the Herald’s second issue (Ritual suicide more than it seems?). For those who do not recall, the Respawners believe we all live in a “false” world. To them, what we see is not real but a poor copy of the real world. For evidence, the Respawners offer something that only they can perceive, unfortunately. When one dies, they are reborn into the world having ascended just a bit higher in their understanding of the world.

Respawners claim to have died many times already, but that everyone else has likely died many times already as well. “Ya’ll just don’t notice it. Ain’t your fault, you ain’t supposed to notice it.” The triplets, according to the Respawners, are part of the poor copy. Ms. Lewis showed me a picture which she said showed a different set of triplets, evidence that the “false” world had a problem copying the real world sometimes. However, the photo did not look like anything to me.

Misfit Bunch Leader Unmasked!

By Jose Chavez
A picture and subsequent warrant has emerged for the leader of the “Misfits of the West”, known only by the alias “Mister T.”. The photograph, obtained from an undisclosed source, will aid servants of the court on their search to locate this elusive outlaw and hopefully dismantle this dangerous gang that has brought nothing but violence and death since it’s arrival. This picture is the first and only lead authorities have obtained in their struggle against this mysterious bunch that has terrorized, with cold precision, multiple mining and oil operations, by stealing their heavily guarded assets during transport by stagecoach and train.

Although it is difficult to attribute with certainty which robberies this gang has committed, since they are careful to hide their identities and leave no witnesses to their crimes, the first reports of a “bunch of misfits wearing blue” in the Cholla Springs region coincided with the start of a series of ruthless robberies affecting the most prominent industrialists operating in the State, and with a spike in gang violence resulting in the killings of notorious criminals that plagued this region, most notably the Owlhoot Family whose senior members were found lynched (by the Misfit’s own hangman according to rumor) and several Del Lobos.

Authorities are convinced that this Misfit Bunch is just part of a larger, loosely organized group of outlaws whose reign of terror spreads into multiple states, from north to south, east and west. When the murder rates in New Austin recede, you can bet that the modus operandi of this bunch will start to show it’s ugly face in other regions.

Tom Watson, a detective assigned to track down these Misfits from the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency hired by industry leaders in the State, said to the Five States Herald in a brief statement: “Now that we can put an actual face to this self-proclaimed “brotherhood of outlaws”, it’s only a matter of time until the law catches up with them. Thanks to an anonymous tip we now know what the leader looks like, we know the alias he goes by and we also know he’s a foreigner. We’re working diligently to unmask and find the rest of this criminals and we’re getting closer and closer to the day we’ll inevitably get to hang them or shoot them like the dogs they are”, he concluded.

With this new breakthrough in the investigations on this dangerous and mysterious gang after a long period of no headway and frustration, we urge our readers to collaborate with the law and to not fall for the false narrative that the Misfits of the West are just a “brotherhood of outlaws who live by a code and who aim to be free” and seek to join them; they’re simply ruthless killers that are standing in the way of progress and civilization and who need to be put down.

Ambarino

Giant bones
By Jane Duran
The Five States bounty hunter initiative is often credited with taming the wild lands. If so, then it is that very initiative we have to thank for a new discovery. Tamed lands bring more explorers and men of learning to the Five States. On one such expedition in the Grizzlies, the skeletal remains of a giant humanoid was found, maybe 20 feet tall. “We have a lot of work left to do, but this truly is a remarkable find! My colleagues think this is a primitive relative of man, but I think it was a human-dinosaur hybrid!” said Ms. Deborah McGuiness before the others ran her off.

“Pay her no mind, she is… enthusiastic, but her theories are wild,” said Mr. Forest Gibbs. Though I saw Mr. Gibbs next proclamation no less wild than Ms. McGuiness’ claims. “You know, these bones obviously belong to a dead creature, but not necessarily from an extinct species. Maybe there are more alive.” I do not think I would want to run into one of these creatures while they are still alive.

The Smoking Gun melts a man in the hot springs
By Ela Q. Asken
Early this week news came over the wire from a colleague in Ambarino. It described a most unusual death; a man boiled until melted in a hot spring. However, the next note led to me boarding a train and bribing the conductor to stop at Cotorra Springs. The Marshal who first arrived noted the body was already mostly melted away, though he collected a few fragments of items floating at the top of the spring. Among those items was what he believed was formerly a section of the victim’s pants and a piece of reinforced rope, indicating the victim was bound.

At Cotorra Springs I spoke to the Marshal, who agreed to meet with me. These are the facts as he presented them. There was a single horse trail leading to the hot spring and a single horse trail leading away. The horse was traveling at a leisurely pace in both directions. Further, there was a single trail from where the horse stopped and the edge of the hot spring. The footprints going to the hot spring were slightly deeper, indicating a body was indeed carried to the hot spring, but not back. This was definitely no accident. Near the horse, partially buried I found what I was looking. A cigarette filter, the kind used in a hand rolled cigarette. The kind favored by the Smoking Gun.

That confirmed in my mind that the Smoking Gun was responsible. But I was about to confirm a little more. The Marshal was notified by an Annesburg resident who had been hunting in the Grizzlies and saw the whole thing. “A man threw that poor feller in, but I couldn’t see his face much. His horse was black and white, maybe dark brown and white. He wasn’t so close you see,” the man retold me his story over a hot meal. I had assumed until this point that the Smoking Gun was a man, this confirmed it. Presently, I do not have enough information to identify the Smoking Gun, but I’m getting closer.

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West Elizabeth

Strawberry mayor demands Sheriff arrest drinking deputy
By Ela Q. Asken
Strawberry Mayor Nicholas Timmins is in the middle of a crisis. Mayor Timmins has been on a quest to turn Strawberry around from a quaint, quiet, and away-from-civilization town to a quaint, quiet, and away-from-civilization resort town. To make a town a resort town, Mayor Timmins believes alcohol must go. However, Timmins, who is an academic, has had a hard time getting the Strawberry residents (hunters and those use to roughing it out) to accept his authority.

Mayor Timmins has mostly chosen to ignore the blatant violations of his new policies, until this week. A deputy sat in front of the Sheriff’s office drinking a bottle of moonshine. The deputy refused to tell Timmins where he got the moonshine and the Sheriff refused to arrest the drinking deputy. “If you want to enforce your damn no drinking laws, then by all means, arrest him. I won’t stop you,” the Sheriff teased as he even offered his revolver to the mayor. Mayor Timmins opted not to make the arrest himself and retreated to the Visitors Center.

Friendly competition turns deadly
By Mick McCrary
A group of strangers formed a posse for a fishing competition. The cowpokes started fishing on their own while eyeing each other and loudly boasting about their largest catches. Eventually the three decided to have a little competition and placed a wager on who could catch the largest fish in an hour. At the conclusion of that hour the three cowpokes came together to compare their catches. One of the cowpokes had a bit to drink and insisted his fish was the largest, though one of the other cowpokes stated the drunk had the smallest fish.

The drunk fisher pulled out his pistol and shot both others. One was shot in the head and killed instantly. The other, a woman named Marietta Tinson, survived. It was Miss Tinson’s testimony that exposed the drunk, identified by only by his first name of Hyrum. Miss Tinson was able to mount her horse and while holding her wound made it to Blackwater long before Hyrum, who had passed out on his way. By the time Hyrum arrived in Blackwater, his murderous deeds were exposed and he was promptly arrested. Miss Tinson was attended to by a visiting doctor and is expected to make a full recovery.

East Coast judge not getting the quiet vacation he thought
By Nick McCrary
In a bizarre turn of events. a bounty has been issued for Bart Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh is a judge on the second circuit court of appeals. Recently it was alleged that Mr. Cavanaugh attacked a woman at a party. Mr. Cavanaugh denied the allegations vehemently, but did not deny allegations that he drank a lot. “I like beer! So what?” he said in during an interview. Mr. Cavanaugh was able to avoid legal consequences and decided to vacation in Big Valley, West Elizabeth.

A bounty was promptly issued by the BHTC. “The Summer Bill authorizes any of the Five States, or the BHTC itself, to issue bounties under whatever criteria we choose, so long it is consistent and not arbitrary. We believe Cavanaugh to be a danger to residents of the Five States, so we issued a bounty. Mr. Cavanaugh can leave the Five States or face justice,” said the BHTC liaison as the bounty was issued.

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New Hanover

Arsonist to see Justice
By Van R. Seldon
Cecil C. Tucker has been brought in to face Justice. In a short frame of time, Tucker murdered dozens of people, including children, by setting their houses ablaze. In a twist, the bounty hunter who caught him was a survivor of one of his fires. She lost her family, including her husband and two children. While Tucker’s arrest was celebrated by those who live in the slums of Saint Denis, the bounty hunter refused to say a word. She gave the money to others in the slums and rode off on what others described as a horse long past its prime.

It was believed that Tucker had political connections in most of Lemoyne and the bounty hunter who caught him appeared to have known this. She made the long ride to Tumbleweed to drop Tucker off in the custody of Sheriff Freeman, far away from the influence of Tucker’s political allies. The Governor of Lemoyne has remained quiet on the issue. It is believed that Tucker will be swinging from the gallows by the end of the week.

Valentine increases number of deputies
By Emery Cosberry
Nearly a month ago Alfredo Montez was captured by a group of cowpokes working with U.S. Marshal Tom Davies. While many celebrated the capture of the Del Lobos leader, it raised a logistical problem: Montez must be held until trial and the Del Lobos are real keen on getting their leader back. Sheriff Curtis Malloy has used his entire budget to hire more deputies and requested aid from the state of New Hanover, as well as from New Austin and West Elizabeth. “I sent word to Davies. This is his problem and he needs to fix it. In the meantime, we got a few folks eager to keep Montez alive until trial. We’ll keep watch,” said Sheriff Malloy.

While the tension in the air is obvious and oppressive, the townsfolk do not seem to notice much. “This is Valentine, shoot outs are normal. Hell I get nervous when we haven’t had a shootout in awhile!” said one resident. Perhaps that is true, but one must wonder what kind of chaos defines life when moments of peace are more tense than shootouts.

Is Cumberland Forest home to a terrifying monster or a simple hoax?
By Emery Cosberry
A hunter came across a creature he could not explain in Cumblerand Forest. “It was as tall as a bear, but thin and lithe, and had no fur. It had strange, somewhat shiny skin,” Arden Waters said. He had been tracking a deer that suddenly bolted in a different direction. “Any hunter knows when a deer suddenly changes direction, there is a predator around.” The hunter then proceeded with caution and came across the beast sleeping and was able to take this photograph.

“After that I creeped away as quick as I could and wrote ya’ll,” said Waters. “I figured you’d like to know about it and getting my name in the newspaper ain’t so bad!” I traveled to Cumberland Forest and searched for the beast, but found nothing. I did find a curious track. Something large was dragged away, leaving a trail of blood and broken blades of grass. I found no large body but whatever moved through this forest, did not move of its own accord. A final curiosity at the location was that where the dragging trail began, a bear trail ended. Perhaps the beast was not unknown after all.

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Lemoyne

Industry set to kill the Frontier?
By Doc Deschain (Freelancer)
The township of Saint Denis has seen rapid expansion in the last decades from the quaint swamp harbor town to a heaving industrial hotspot in less time it took for the West to be won. The people of Saint Denis have seen their worlds change around them and for most they have adapted to that change with the same alacrity, becoming industrialists in their own right: shopkeepers, saloon and brothel keepers, railroad tycoons and the like. But the expanses around Saint Denis have remained largely untouched by this progress.

From New Hanover to New Austin, most the land west of the Lannahechee remains untamed and out of this tangle of lawlessness will occasionally emerge a lone gunfighter, a swamp-man, outlaw, bandit, or even wandering vigilante, hunter, fur trader, fisherman, bounty hunter. Relics of a soon to be by-gone era if the writing on the wall is correct. The signs seem to point true that we could be seeing an end to the various frontier pursuits that many have taken to as part of their struggle in the Five States. Whether it is today, tomorrow, or in a years’ time, change will come. That is inevitable. As the Five States grows and evolves in the churning tides of time, we could be seeing those same self-made men and women out on the frontier becoming the new class of tycoon, railroad baron, museum owner or even marshals and lawmen of their own developing townships.

Time will tell, but no doubt the most lucrative work may be found in the beating heart of the industrial fumes and may be seeing the end of the Frontier as we know it. While some are in a rush to see this bright golden future, this reporter believes that enjoying the simple things in their own time, is more valuable than any amount of bullion can be.

Two year old bounty resissued when murderer long thought dead is spotted in the bayou
By Aloysius Levron
Two years ago a man named Philip Carlier embezzled thousands of dollars from the company he worked for, Castille Cotton Company. When a coworker found out, Mr. Carlier killed him and fled into the swamps of Saint Denis. The Castille Cotton Company funded a search for Carlier and bounties were issued, though in those days bounty hunting licenses were not so easy to come by. After months of searching it was decided that Carlier was likely killed by one of the many dangers in the bayou.

Toward the end of the search, searchers moved into Night Folk territory and were often attacked. The Night Folk are Lemoyne residents who reside in the swamps of the bayou. They largely keep to themselves during the day but attack unsuspecting travelers at night, hence their name. “He’s gotta be dead, not that I’m sad, given that he killed my friend. But Carlier wasn’t the kinda man who could survive in the swamps amongst the Night Folk,” said a coworker. However, a man living among the Night Folk has been identified as being Philip Carlier. Authorities are uncertain, but have issued a bouny for Carlier hoping to finally bring the man to justice.

Lemoyne issued firm warning amidst rumors of Hallowe’en raids
By Aloysius Levron
President MacAlister has warned the state of Lemoyne to not ignore violence against “underrepresented people.” The warning was issued through a spokesperson and contained the language, “failure on your part to protect all citizens equally will result in the U.S. army showing up in Lemoyne.” The BHTC took the strong words of President MacAlister and turned them into action. In a broad application of their power, the BHTC has issue bounties across the Five States for anyone in, “a white hood or otherwise wearing all white.”

Across the Nation

Disgraces Senator rebounds as support grows
By Frederick Vannesse
Former Senator Frank Cross continues to defy the odds in California House race. The man who cannot shake his reputation of corruption has embraced it as part of his core message of redemption. Perhaps that is why Frank Cross moved out west, where many folks have gone to escape their deeds and start anew. In California, the story of redemption is more powerful than in other states. A crafty politician, Mr. Cruz. But has he truly put his corrupt ways behind him?

President asks for declaration of war
By Adam Parvey
Following the release of an official report stating an external explosion sunk the USS Lewiston, President MacAlister has appealed to Congress for a declaration of war. The President acts as Commander in Chief, however the Constitution delegates the power to declare war to Congress alone. It is largely expected that Congress will pass a declaration of war soon. Spain has denied any part in the attacks, but investigators say Spain is the only country with motive without considering the possibility of an accident.

Around the Globe

Clouds gather over Southern Africa
By Doc Deschain (Freelancer)
Anglo-Boer tensions have been on the rise in recent months as resentment of British intervention in the affairs of the Boer Republics increases. The Transvaal government, now allied with the Orange Free State as a result of the military pact of 1897, has been levying strict taxes and duties on English citizens working the Rand goldfields in Johannesburg.

The Transvaal has become one of the richest and most powerful states in the region in recent years, upsetting a delicate balance of power between the colonial powers of Southern Africa. These English settlers are known, somewhat disparagingly, as uitlanders and it is the rights of the uitlanders that Britain claims to represent. The Boers respond that Britain is merely trying to wrest the largest store of wealth in the Southern Africa from the independent Boers. The British have shown their willingness to interfere in the past.

In 1895-96 the infamous affair known as the Jameson Raid tried to spurn an uitlander uprising against the Boer government in the Transvaal. Dr Leander Starr Jameson and his BSAP volunteers from the colony of Rhodesia failed in this endeavor, but the message was clear: the British were coming, this despite the fact the British government distanced themselves from Jameson and his rogue band. The year is closing without any signs of imminent war, but tensions are at a heightened point and could boil over at the slightest provocation. Time will decide the fate of the region, but it is becoming clearer that force of arms may decide the future.

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