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.
War in Valentine!
By Emery Cosberry
For weeks the Del Lobos gang has been fighting rumors that they have been diminished. Over two months ago one of the Del Lobos leaders, Barbarella Alcazar, was captured and put in jail. Not long after that Jorge Montez was killed in a raid meant to capture Alfredo Montez, who was captured a week after Jorge’s death. Since then, the Del Lobos have defied expectations and expanded north into New Hanover.
In the last several days Del Lobos scouts were spotted around Valentine, where Alfredo Montez was being held. Sheriff Malloy sent for reinforcements, which showed up with Marshal Davies just in time. I happened to be in Valentine when this went down and as I am not a fighter, took cover in the general store. The reinforcements were assisted by Valentine residents who knew how to shoot a gun. The Del Lobos came in waves and on many occasions nearly overwhelmed the Valentine defenders.
I witnessed one of the cowpokes who came with the reinforcements take shot to the shoulder and fall down. The residents took positions to defend the fallen man while another cowpoke quickly bandaged his wound and give him a stimulant to keep going. Just as the fight was turning, however, the Del Lobos arrived with a “war wagon,” a massive fortified maxim gun being pulled by horses. The wagon was placed at the end of the main road and used to suppress the defenders. Many people were killed by the rapid firing gun and surely, I thought, I was next.
However, one cowpoke did something that seemed impossible. He pulled out an arrow and tied a stick of dynamite to it. He lit the fuse and narrowed his focus, concentrating on his target and let fly. I could not see exactly where the arrow hit, but the explosion I heard ended the rapid gunfire. Moments later the defenders were cheering as the Del Lobos still alive fled. A number of residents were wounded, many were also killed. Among the dead was Alfredo Montez, who according to Marshal Davies, was killed during the chaos of the gunfight.
Misfits of the West: Ruthless Killers or Folk Heroes
By Jose Chavez
Why has the law not been able to dismantle this gang? It seems to be smaller than other gangs that plague these lands. How could its members have maintained their identities in secret all this time? Surely townsfolk have seen strangers fitting their description wearing their distinctive colors before and after they commit their crimes. Is the law in this parts corrupt or unwilling to fight this gang? Are the people here too afraid to talk or are they misguided enough to help these criminals? Do people in these wild lands admire lawlessness?
There might be some truth to all those guesses. Lawmen seem both unwilling and unprepared to take the fight to these criminals, who have become something close to mythological figures and feared to be supernatural by the most ignorant of the deputies in these parts who claim that “Misfits leave no trace that we can follow”. All the while, settlers here seem to profit from the drinking, gambling, whoring and commerce of supplies, firearms and ammunition paid with money stolen from the rich, while sharing an obstinate distrust of the central government, industrialism and modernity.
Could these criminals not be as bad as we think? Could it be that this so called “brotherhood of outlaws” only want to live free and by not submitting to our laws, they chose to survive by stealing from those who have too much. Do they hurt innocents? We were told a story that gave us pause.
Our readers are surely familiar with the “Benedict Point Massacre”, so we’ll keep this retelling brief: Some three months ago a group of Del Lobos robbed a train by Mercer Station, killed all passengers in the process, or so they thought. In the aftermath of the robbery, a posse was formed by the ruthless Sheriff Freeman of Tumbleweed to track down and kill those responsible. What they found puzzled them. Dozens of Del Lobos were found dead in Benedict Point, a known hideout of the gang, many of them were shot, a few were lynched, but the most gruesome scenes they found were of those who were executed with a blunt weapon. No valuables were recovered by the law, but the murders met their end in the hands of a mysterious bunch. When the Sheriff came back to town he found something just as puzzling, a little girl, 8 years of age, name of Clara, the only person missing from the train. She had a bullet wound in her stomach, surely fatal if not treated by expert hands. She had been nursed back to health and brought to town to continue her healing. Not a single person saw who brought her, or so they claim.
Tom Watson, a Pinkerton detective assigned to track down the Misfits recently interviewed the little girl in the hopes to discover if these outlaws were involved in the massacre. The accusations we heard from the people about this questioning were appalling. They claimed that Detective Watson traumatized Clara by using his “Del Lobo dogs” (two men who survived an altercation with the Misfits that we reported last week) who scared and threatened her into describing who healed her and brought her to town. Mister Watson had this to say about the accusations:
“Some people here think these Misfits are some Robin Hood figures and are surely adding them. Of course it’s not true that my hired men and I scared that little girl, she was already traumatized by what she went through. They are trying to tarnish my reputation and that of anyone who stands in the way of these lowlifes and I won’t stand for it. These people seem to forgive hellraising and uncivilized behavior as long as it hurts institutions and people they see as corrupt, and of course, for as long as blood money fills their pockets”, he said. “My gentle conversation with young Clara has allowed me to confirm that the Misfits were involved in the Benedict Point Massacre, that they killed all the train passengers and then the Lobos [sic] to cover their tracks. I’ve also identified the outlaw medicine man Rick ‘Wapiti Hammer’ Scaggs, a criminal raised by the Wapiti Nation, as part of this evil Bunch”. We will let our readers decide what to believe on this one.
Red Ben Clempson captured after high speed trainbound gunfight
By Mickey Z. (Freelancer)
“The bastard is caught,” comments Sheriff Freeman of Tumbleweed, NA.
This Tuesday, a massacre of ungodly proportions took place on the 9 AM from McFarlane’s Ranch to Benedict Point Pacific Union freight train. Authorities noticed something had gone awry with the train as it passed Armadillo, but due to jurisdiction issues, a bounty hunter posse was dispatched. The private law received an anonymous tip and managed to board the train somewhere near Gaptooth Ridge. Over the next few minutes a gunfight took place as they fought their way to the locomotive.
“It were like watching almighty God himself smite the sons’o’bitches, I tells ye!” said a Gaptooth Breach squatter. In a relatively timely fashion, the gang was eradicated, and the leadership subdued. Clempson was then handed over to the Tumbleweed Sheriff’s department, where Sheriff Freeman promptly punched him in the belly three times for making him work.
This marks the NINTH high profile squad of ne’er-do-wells to be stopped by private agents in as many weeks. With this and the continuously rising powers of the Pinkerton Detective Agency one can’t help but wonder if all lawmen will soon be freelancers.
The only way to find out is to keep reading the Five States Herald every week.
Bounty hunt gone wrong at the top of Mount Hagen
By Caylen V. Hornby
Mount Hagen seems to be a popular place for bounty targets to hide. Perhaps due to the altitude, which prevents bounty hunters from being able to sneak up on targets. “I get especially annoyed when I need to get my wagon up there, not much maneuverability for the Flying Spoon,” said bounty hunter Nathaniel Cross. On this occasion he was only hunting a single target. However, when he slung his bolas at the target the momentum carried him off the mountain.
“He fell. He screamed. He died,” said Cross. After taking out his guards, Cross looked for a place to scale down the mountain to retrieve his bounty. “Wasn’t easy, but eventually I got him on the back of Bad Moon and rode off. Unfortunately, the prison wagon driver got tired of waiting and before I arrived,” Cross said. A note was left indicatinf the bounty had been canceled. It has been a problem for bounty hunters for awhile now where authorities have arbitrarily pulled bounties AFTER they have been captured. “It happens,” Cross admitted. He threw the dead body into the snow and rode south.
Gunfight at the Hanging Dog Ranch
By Daisy Fairman
The O’Driscoll gang took over the Hanging Dog Ranch, displacing the simple farmers. Showing little respect, the gang killed livestock to feed themselves and littered the property with alcohol bottles. The farmhands were forced to serve the O’Driscolls thought a couple escaped. They rode hard to Wallace Station. From there a telegraph was sent out and a few cowpokes answered the call.
They rode in the next day and met the displaced farmhands before coming down on the squatting O’Driscolls. “They were drunk and poor shots. Hardly a challenge,” one of the cowpokes said. The O’Driscolls attempted to mount a defense and even used a maxim gun. In the end it did not help and every O’Driscoll squatter was killed and the farm returned to its rightful owners.
Rare Condor Egg attracts many to Tall Trees
By Nick McCrary
A Condor sighting drew many to Manzanita Post in Tall Trees. The traveling gypsy Madam Nazar has been offering $1000 for a single Condor Egg. This has drawn very competitive collectors to Condor sightings all over the Five States. On this occasion a cowpoke spotted the egg with their refined binoculars and raced to it.
Another cowpoke noticed the as they sprinted away and followed. Having a faster horse they started to catch up. However, the cowpoke who first noticed the egg steered his bulky Breton horse in front of the chasing cowpoke. The chasing cowpoke’s faster, but smaller Criollo, never stood a chance. The cowpoke crashed by as the original egg spotter continued on, unmoved by the collision. By the time the fallen cowpoke stood up, the other cowpoke was screaming at the top of their lungs “goddamn vulture egg!”
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Doc’s Prescriptions
By Doc Deschain (Freelancer)
There was a time when this column was devoted to the methodical and rewarding process of hunting and fishing and the wide range of it across the Five States. As such I feel it is my right to throw in with the so called “malcontents” that have become increasingly prevalent the last months. Small business is booming; bounties, collections, and fur trading have become big draws for the new breed of frontiersman, but something has been left behind. We have lost what previously used to be a cornerstone of the struggle in the Five States. My own fishing pole gathers dust, in a tent adorned with posters of latest and greatest targets, between gun tools and shackles, underneath hanging pistols and cured leather (or, most usually, bundled in the back of a wagon as my camp site trundles inexplicably around the territory). My Rolling Block, essential for flighty plains game sits unused in a locker.
I haven’t hunted or fished for months. The pike industry of Valentine has quieted down to a coma, the former ‘runs’ of the Kamassas are no more, a by-gone era of toil that we shall likely never see again. The fur trade that today booms, is only curtailed by limited camp sites out in the wild as all manner of folks scramble to hunt; this in turn resulting in a rapid reduction of game across all biomes. The rivers are full to bursting, the plains are silent and echoing. What is the shape of both industries going forward? It is impossible to say for certain here but, as time has shown there may be new opportunities on the horizon that could provide a viable alternative and allow the exploitation of the fisheries to renew, drawing pressure away from the stretched game population. I doubt it will be long before an enterprise will kick off that will give us those opportunities. As usual, however, only time will tell.
Wanted!
By Donna Deshner
In a bizarre turn of events, a man looking to fight outlaws in New Austin is wanted in New Hanover. Colonel Henry Favors of the United States Army has Recently Appealed to statewide law enforcement and Freelance bounty hunter in the search for a military deserter stationed at Fort Wallace, New Hanover.
Jonathan “John” Casey Hagar II was a Cavalry Scout last seen heading southwest from the town of Valentine, Believed to be heading to West Elizabeth, then assumed New Austin, and across the San Luis River into Nuevo Paraiso. The Army Scout was last seen buying supplies from Worth’s general store in standard Army Uniform, with a Brown leather bandolier on the morning of 16th or August 1898. Witnesses report when he left, He was dressed in a Brown Cutter hat, Red Checkered Workshirt, dark pants and Beige military chaps. J. Hagar is told to be around 5 foot 9 inches tall, with medium length black hair, light facial hair, medium build and blueish-green eyes.
He was seen riding a medium-large White horse with black features.
Caution is to be taken when hunting Casey, As his Army training as a Scout makes him accute and extra aware to incoming opposition, and very agile.
Any details leading to the capture of this military deserter should be reported to your nearest government official for a reward of 450 United States dollars.
Dead body pulled from Lannahechee. Smoking Gun responsible?
By Ela Q. Asken
The body of a dead woman was pulled from the water just off the Saint Denis docks. I had been in Saint Denis, investigating the Smoking Gun when I heard about the body being pulled from the river. Many residents gathered on the docks watching as the Saint Denis police attempted to fish the body from the water.
The body was a bit far from the dock and so the police employed a long pole and attempted to pull the body close. Unfortunately, this mostly dunked the body and spun it around over and over. Eventually they managed to hook the rope that bound the body’s arms behind her back. This location was not far from where the last victim of the Smoking Gun was found. Now that I saw the rope bindings I was curious if this was another victim.
While I waited to speak to the police about the identity of the victim I decided to see speak to onlookers. A dock worker said he saw a man walking around on the docks last night, “Feller looked suspicious. I mean who works at night?” A man wearing a purple vest and smoking a cigarette had this to say, “Didn’t hear anything over on that side of the docks. Just the usual traffic going through and such. Horses hooves on cobblestones would probably be louder around here and drown out any noise too. Proper bastard though, whoever this guy is he sure doesn’t seem to have any remorse.” He kindly offered me a cigarette. While I do not normally smoke, hunting a serial killer is stressful work, so I took it.
A third onlooker told me a wild story about the devil coming to Saint Denis and so I realized interviewing these people was not going to help. I focused my efforts on the victim, who police identified as Saint Denis resident Willa Sorenson. While she was not known to gamble, she did own a failing restaurant. Someone close to her told me she had taken a few loans out to keep her business going, believing that if she could just get through one more year that business would pick up. Unfortunately for Ms. Sorenson, her life was cut short before the year was over.
Stage coach theft plagues the Five States
By Daisy Fairman
The Five States are often considered a wild place where the law is difficult to enforce. Though most criminal activity is small time, this week outlaws have expanded their ambition. Two stage coaches were stolen around the same time in two different areas. The first was stolen in the town of Strawberry, where private security and some of the hardened townsfolk put up a fight against the outlaw cowpokes. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain as the outlaws fought off the defenders and made off with the wagon.
In an interesting turn of events, a second wagon was reported stolen around the same time as the first. This wagon was stolen from the Great Plains in route to a destination that is unknown. Based on the report, the outlaws had an easier go here than in Strawberry. Gunshots were heard in Blackwater, which prompted a response from the local police. By the time the police arrived in the area the outlaws were gone.
The contents of the stage coaches are unknown. The companies who reported the thefts are not disclosing publicly what was taken. Instead, they opted to provide a vague sheet that showed the estimated costs of that which was stolen. Authorities are insisting that the stolen items be clearly identified, but if the stage coaches are not found it is likely a moot point.
Private post cards allowed by Congress
By Adam Parvey
The United States Congress has passed the Private Mailing Card Act. This act allows private companies to print official post cards. While private companies have regularly produced “souvenir” cards with fanciful designs on them, to send them through the U.S. Post required processing them as letters. Congress has seen fit, in the land of the free, to allow private companies make official cards that can be sent just like government printed U.S. Post cards.
Battle at Atbara River a turning point in war between Anglo-Egyptian forces and the Sudanese?
By Ivy Seager
The aligned forces of the British and Egyptians have pushed into Sudan and now occupy the country. The war between the Sudanese people and the Anglo-Egyptian alliance has been going on since 1896. Anglo-Egyptian forces moved down the Nile while the Sudanese forces, led by Emir Mahmud Ahmad, moved to meet them. The two forces clashed near the Atbara River outside the town of Nakheila. After using artillery to weaken the Sudanese, the Anglo-Egyptian forces attacked. It is said that the battle lasted less than an hour, with some Sudanese retreating while others were captured, including Ahmad.
The Five States Herald 