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.
BHTNC announces new sanctioned horse races and offers bonuses for current races
By Rutherford X. Downing
Though enjoyed by few, the BHTNC has announced plans to open several new races across the Five States. These new races will include by traditional races with a set course and the so called open races, where the participant chooses the order in which they go through each checkpoint. Additionally, both race types will offer variants with weapons scattered throughout the race to be picked up and used. These weapons are loaded with special ammunition designed to hurt but not kill targets. “If you think race weapons are harmless, you’ve never been shot in back with a shotgun full of rock salt,” said one cowpoke. Throughout this week the BHTNC has paid out bonuses to race participants to build up excitement for the new races. Racers across the Five States are excited, however, most cowpokes seem to be reacting to the announcement with disappointment.
“I’m an outlaw, but don’t tell no one,” said a cowpoke who did not offer their name, “what good is a race for me?” Bounty hunters, traders, collectors, and the unemployed have all shared similar complaints. Dedicated naturalist have not complained at all, a sign that they may have lowered their expectations after months on the job. The bonuses for races did increase the number of racers. “There’s never been a better time to be a horse racer in the Five States,” said Gertie Thorngate, who spends a lot of time racing, “new races and more folks racing.” The clear success of the increased rewards for racing has led to many calling for such payouts to be made permanent. “Imagine the number of racers every day if reward were always so generous,” Ms. Thorngate expressed excitedly. The BHTNC said there are no plans to make such bonuses permanent.
Cowpoke outside of Armadillo offers “fish on fish delicacy”
By Wylie Frey
A man set up camp just northeast of Armadillo not far from the road. There, he called on passing cowpokes to join him a bit of “fish o’ the sea stew. While most cowpokes ignored the invites, several accepted and joined him at his camp. There they grabbed a bowl of the special stew. After enjoying the stew and a beer or two, most cowpokes left, making room for others yet to taste the fishy meal. One passerby who tried the stew said it was good, but wondered if two types of salmon were necessary. “I saw the ingredients as he made more, fresh cleaned salmon, canned salmon, and celery,” the passerby said, “I get the celery but why both fresh and canned salmon? Why not just fresh?” Being that I am a reporter and not a chef, I could not answer their question. I managed to reach the man’s camp just before he left and tried the stew for myself. It was, as others said, delicious. As to why fresh and canned salmon? The man said, “a chef never reveals all his secrets.”
Wintergreen berries under threat due to mass picking
By Jane Duran
Conservationists in Ambarino have turned their focus on potentially endangered plants. “Wintergreen berries have been over-picked this week and this could have a devastating effect on wildlife,” warned Elbert Larson. Larson explained that native species rely on the plant for food. A drop in food means a drop in animal populations, something long time Five States residents have experience with. Larson has called on the government or the BHTNC to step in and ban the picking of this plant. This is unlikely to happen, of course. The Ambarino legislature has said that even if it were to enact such a law, enforcement is near impossible. “The folks who live in Ambarino live off the land, how can we stop their survival?” one legislator said. Some have suggested laws that prohibit non-Ambarino residents from picking the berries, though that is likely just as difficult to enforce. Another conversationalist, however, has suggested that Larson’s concern is a lot to do about nothing. “Sure, lots of folks may pick these berries in waves, but they are hardy and fast growing,” said Cal Waymire, “and I expect they’ll be there tomorrow just like they were yesterday.”
Caravan from Riggs Station ambushed
By Daisy Fairman
A caravan of wagons departing from Riggs station toward Strawberry was ambushed by outlaws. The contents of the caravan are unknown, however, it is likely the contents were valuable as several escorts were hired. The four riders and three shotgun messengers were enough to push back the assault. However, the attackers tried again a little further up the road. Once again the defenders pushed the outlaws back, however, this time the riders gave chase. Reports indicate that several of the attackers were killed while only one of the defenders were was shot. The hired help did not stay in Strawberry long. One witness said the group complained about a lack of alcohol in the town and then rode south, presumably to Blackwater, where there is plenty of alcohol.
Public dispute leads to arrest of a bootlegger
By Van R. Seldon
Two men got into a dispute outside of the Van Horn Saloon over a price descrpency. Witnesses overheard the two men arguing about how much one should pay the other, given that several bottles of moonshine were broken. The seller asked for more money, saying, “the price per bottle doesn’t drop that much because of a few that got lost, I had to outrun revenuers!” A fist fight broke out between the two men, leaving the bootlegger still standing. He mounted his wagon to leave when revenuers showed up in the small, mostly lawless, town. The locals kept a hand on their weapons, but the bootlegger gave up without a fight when he realized the revenue agents had the drop on him. The locals watched the revenue agents suspiciously. The agents for their part acted quickly and tried to not disrupt the locals, arresting the man and riding off without the wagon full of moonshine. The original buyer, who was unconscious when the revenuers arrived, woke up shortly after and shared the moonshine with the town.
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Valentine Sheriff Station overrun with captured bounties
By Emery Cosberry
Saturday proved to be a busy day for the Valentine Sheriff and his deputies. Bounty hunters brought captured outlaws into the station at a record pace. By the end of the day, the Sheriff Station was filled to capacity, with the cells barely having room for standing outlaws. Several prison wagons arrived throughout the day to transfer the overflowing outlaws to larger holding cells, but the transfers could not keep up with the pace of New Hanover bounty hunters. Sheriff Malloy said that he had considered closing the Sheriff Station entirely, but decided against it. “Ain’t good conditions in there, but these people are criminals,” Sheriff Malloy said, “so it’s not like they are innocent victims here.” Many outlaws claimed their rights were being violated, however Sheriff Malloy said that is for the courts to determine. “Much of that rights stuff doesn’t apply to us local law,” Sheriff Malloy stated, “so they can just stuff it.” As of press time, it appears that the rate of bounties being taken to Valentine has dropped back to normal rates.
Man and horse survive miraculous jump
By Donna Deschner
A man arrived in Valentine with a wild tale. He said while riding on a cliffside road, some cowpoke seemed to have gotten startled and turned hard, leaping off the cliff into the river below. Miraculously, man and rider survived. “I stopped only long enough to see that they survived the jump,” the man telling the story said, “but I figured if they went through such extremes to avoid me on the road they probably won’t wanna see more of me.”
Braithwaite Guards Tragically Kill Innocent Cowpoke
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
It’s pretty well known that the Braithwaite/Grey feud is not for the faint of heart. The body count between those two families is probably in the three-digit range by now. It isn’t even just family members getting blasted; innocent people are sometimes killed, as is what happened last evening.
An unnamed cowpoke was delivering mail to someone in Rhodes and decided to take a shortcut through a field. Unfortunately, two Braithwaite guards were under strict orders to not let anyone through the area. They saw a figure on horseback and immediately opened fire. The man was struck several times and fell, almost on top of one guard.
Lawmen in Rhodes are not happy at all that an innocent courier was gunned down and intend to press charges. That being said, this isn’t being done out of the kindness of their hearts, as the Greys are technically in charge of the law. In reality, this is just another proxy for this silly family feud; the only change is one less person draws breath in the Five States.
Pettiness isn’t a word often used to describe armed conflict, but it perfectly fits this little war. Two old families with a blood feud, probably caused by some old murder in some old year. Yet, it continues to generate new murders in this year. Truly the best of southern society.
Saint-Denis Mafia Continues to Rise!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
The so-called mafia of Saint-Denis has been around far longer than most people can remember. Established as early as 1860, it has been a source of various illegal acts, both minor and major. Theft, robbery, extortion, murder, all of these crimes occur under that banner.
Led by Italian “businessman” Angelo Bronte, this organization has dug in deeply, infecting all manners of organizations. Law enforcement, politicians, construction, the fire department, everything! Yet somehow, this isn’t even enough. They are reportedly expanding because nothing is ever good enough.
What kind of expansion? None can say; some hope it’s something minor like riverboat gambling. Others fear Bronte might be eyeing high-scale robberies such as train or bank heists. Whatever he and his lieutenant Guido Martelli are planning, it cannot be good.
There are even rumors that Bronte and Martelli might have been behind the still recent high-profile escape of Myra Rose Hart. The investigation is still ongoing into that event, but if this is true, one only can wonder what they expect in return, especially since she didn’t have a positive relationship with them.
I fear dark days are ahead of us in Saint-Denis. Corrupt bounty hunters and full-scale insurrection might never happen again, but systemic corruption from a bunch of organized thugs seems unlikely to end anytime soon.
Rumors of growing criminal network concerns lawmen across the Five States
By Adam Parvey
Law enforcement officials in all five states in the region have warned honest folks of an impending rise in crime. Though the source of this crime wave is unknown, several lawmen have independently confirmed an increase in criminal activity that seems to be well organized. “It was difficult to see the pattern at first,” said the federal agent who first noticed the crescendo like build in criminal activity, “but once I noticed it, it was clear as day.” The agent explained that the pattern could not have been noticed at the state level and highlighted the importance of federal police. The information was provided to the Five States, where new lawmen are being hired. The federal agency overwatching the rise in crime has pointed to Lemoyne as the likely epicenter. “The odd thing about Lemoyne is that, there seems to be an absence of officially reported crime that doesn’t quite match the reported arrests,” said an agent anonymously, “this is particularly alarming in Saint Denis, as the city is rapidly modernizing its reporting procedures.” The agent went on to imply that high level government officials may be covering up a larger criminal enterprise. Whatever the truth, cowpokes are cautioned to be prepared.
Union General during the Civil War dies of old wound
By Fredrick Vannesse
A cousin of Davey Crockett, Charles C. Walcutt was born in Ohio. He served in the state’s militia during the early part of the Civil War, as the federal force from Ohio was already filled. Walcutt’s prowess as a leader of a state militia earned him an appointment to the Union Army as a major. Walcutt participated in several battles, including the Battle of Jackson. Throughout his time leading soldiers, Walcutt proved invaluable and earned several promotions. He often was singled out for fighting with distinction and praised by his superiors, particularly Major General William T. Sherman, who praised Walcutt’s leading his brigade when Brig General John M. Corse was seriously injured. Along with praise and promotions, Walcutt earned his share of battlefield injuries, having been shot twice. By the end of the Civil War, Walcutt had obtained the rank of Major General. He then retired to be the warden of the Ohio State Penitentiary. A bullet that remained in his body had festered, causing his health to deteriorate. Just before he died, doctors amputated his arm hoping improve his health. Unfortunately, it did not and Walcutt passed away.
‘Trelawney of the Wells’ premiers in London
By Ivy Seager
The play, written by Arthur Pinero, is said to be a throwback to the 60s. From early previews, the costume and production design are all meant to evoke nostalgia for the era. Pinero said his inspiration came from the lack of “good comedy” in the modern era. The play follows Rose Twelawny, an actor who wants to leave acting for true love. This sets up Trelawney’s journey of self discovery, where she must decide if love is enough or if the stage is her true calling. The play received lukewarm reviews in its early showing in January, however, enough buzz was generated to warrant the scheduling of new shows. For those in the United States hoping to see Pinero’s work, patience is all that is needed. The play is currently scheduled to arrive in New York in November later this year.
The Five States Herald 