Assault on Thieves Landing allegedly leaves everyone dead
By Wylie Frey
A man rode into Blackwater in a panic, leaping off his horse before it could fully stop. He ran into the Blackwater Police Department and for several minutes spoke in broken sentences and heavy breaths. The policemen on duty nearly wrote the man off as crazy. However, the frantic rider was finally able to blurt out something that made sense, “Everyone’s dead. Murdered!” He managed to elaborate that a posse of cowpokes rode into Thieves Landing and started slaughtering the people there. The small settlement is full of hardy outlaws, so such a massacre could not have been easy, but the man swears it happened. According to him, four folks rode into Thieves Landing and handled some business with a man who runs a pawn store there. Afterwards, one of the four rode off west, toward McFarlane’s Ranch while the other three remained in the settlement.

“I had just been leaving, you see I had business in Strawberry. And as I left toward West Elizabeth, a fella rode by me with a presence about him. I just knew something was wrong,” the witness explained. He continued riding north a ways before pulling off the road and using his binoculars to look back. Nearly as soon as he did so, the massacre started. “They just started shooting, not just the outlaws but everyone there!” the man claimed. Thieves Landing occupies a grey area of jurisdiction. The New Austin Rangers have direct jurisdiction, but have been inconsistent in policing the area. The Blackwater police do not have jurisdiction, however the Blackwater Chief of Police Oswald Dunbar sees an unchecked Thieves Landing as a threat to the town of Blackwater. “Somebody has got to enforce the law,” Chief Dunbar said.

He dispatched a squad of officers. However, not only was the gunfight over by the time they arrived, there were no dead bodies either. “My men came back and all reported the same thing, a lively town of outlaws not to happy to see lawmen. So they came back, seeing as no evidence of a massacre was seen,” Chief Dunbar said. The man swears the massacre happened, however no investigation can be completed without evidence of a massacre. “I don’t know… But I ain’t lying!” the man screamed. He did not smell of alcohol, nor did he appear to be under the influence of any known drugs. Yet what described could not have happened, could it?

Gang hideout cleared by mysterious ‘Grey Cowboy’
By Jane Duran
A gang of miscreants camped near a road north of O’Creagh’s Run was cleared out just as authorities were moving in to investigate. Just hours before some folks had been robbed at gunpoint and reported the camp to authorities in Annesburg. A posse had been rounded up but by the time they arrived, the outlaws were all dead except for the leader. “We were expecting to ride into a gang of criminals ready to defend their claim, but instead we rode into dead bodies and their groggy leader,” said a member of the posse who had been temporarily deputized by the Annesburg Sheriff. The leader of the gang was leaning against a tree in a state of being only “half awake.” He was arrested and as he came to, told the story of a single cowboy wearing, “mostly grey, some white and a black hat, I remember the hat. You see one of my men tackled him but was killed in the struggle. He picked up his hat calmly before punching me.”

The next thing he remembered he was waking up as lawmen and temporary deputies were investigating the camp. “He might of told me to change my ways, but that might have been me own self telling meself that…” the man said before being taken into his cell. This is the second known sighting of the so called ‘Grey Cowboy.’ Previously he had spared a gang leader’s life in Colter, though that man was hanged to death soon after. “If witnesses identify this man as the thief, he’ll hang,” said Sheriff Jones, “As for this… Grey Cowboy, vigilante justice is okay with me so long as he doesn’t start targeting innocent folk.” The camp was cleared out and the bodies removed. Stunningly, another victim of a robbery reported a new gang as taking up the same location. As of press time, authorities were gathering a posse to investigate.

Are you awakened by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience dread when criminals hide in your basement or attic? Have you or your family ever seen a criminal or crime? If the answer is yes, don’t wait another minute. Get to your nearest telegraph to contact the professionals at the Herald today! Our courteous and efficient staff is ready receive your telegram 24 hours a day! No matter how unbelievable the story, we’re ready to believe you!

Revenue agents return to West Elizabeth in force, Great Plains Sniper follows
By Nick McCrary
The Bureau of Internal Revenue is still leaderless, however that did not stop a show of force in the Great Plains. Witnesses reported several checkpoints established, covering nearly every crossroad in the Great Plains. By midweek, residents were complaining about long waits at checkpoints that delayed them an hour or longer. While the Blackwater Police Department could not do anything about the federal bureau, the Great Plains Sniper returned to respond to complaints. By Friday of this week, Bureau checkpoints were reduced by half.

The agents prepared for the Great Plains Sniper and had mounted backup hiding near checkpoints. Despite this preparation, they were unable to neutralized or capture the sniper. Surviving agents mentioned shots coming from multiple angles. This is the first time shots from multiple angles were reported. Investigators believe that Great Plains Sniper can more accurately be referred to as the Great Plains Snipers. “Previous reports indicated only one shooter, as all shots came from the same angle,” said Reuben Saxton, lead investigator for the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

The Bureau’s investigators are not sure if the Great Plains Sniper has always been multiple people, or if others have recently rallied to the Sniper’s cause and joined their ranks. “We don’t know the level of coordination between the original Sniper and the copycats, but if you are shooting a federal agent you will be arrested and be hanged until dead.” An hour before this paper went to the presses, Mr. Saxton was killed by a single shot fired from a long distance rifle while riding across the Great Plains with an escort of agents. None of the other agents were shot at.

Drunk arrested in Strawberry claims deputies stole from him
By Daisy Fairman
A man was arrested by Strawberry deputies after he was found wondering the road completely drunk. There was no violent occurrence at the arrest and the man willfully went with deputies to sleep off his drunken state in a cell. However, after waking up the next day the man claims the deputies stole his tarot card. “I had it, I remember. They must have taken it,” the man claimed. “I heard a visitor say something about finding a card down there on the bench, maybe the drunk dropped it? If so, it’s gone now,” said a deputy. No investigation is being conducted for the missing card.

Beloved Reverend Shot by Dreadful Criminal
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Thomas Washington, the popular Valentine reverend, was shot dead on Thursday morning. It was a quiet morning; very few locals were even remotely close to the church. Washington’s assistant, a Mr. Isaac Hampton, was busy sweeping the pews when he noticed a young woman walk in. She was dressed like a local waitress with an apron and a kerchief. He noticed a few locks of red hair from under the kerchief, but he paid little attention to her and continued to sweep.

Reverend Washington greeted the woman; he seemed to know her. She walked alongside him to a confessional in the corner. Hampton was now curious; he wondered why the reverend seemed to know a woman who was not a regular at the church. He slowly walked near the confessional while still sweeping. He managed to overhear part of the conversation.

“What are the sins you are confessing to my child?”

“Nearly everything on God’s beautiful Earth. I sometimes wonder why I do what I do, for I know it’s not just. I don’t know if there’s something wrong with me. Was I born like this? Sometimes on long nights, I ponder if I should fight against these urges, but I always lose. It’s an addiction to sin, and I can’t stop!”

Hampton by then, was more focused on the conversation than his daily routine. He listened intently, but no words were spoken now. Just a heavy sigh of breath was heard. Then the woman sincerely apologized for something. Seconds later, a gunshot rang out. The confessional swung open, and the woman ran out, carrying a loaded revolver. She shot Hampton, thankfully in the leg, before running to the door. A woman named Shirley was sadly also fatally shot in the throat as she was getting up from prayer.

Hampton crawled to the confession, only to find his dear friend reverend Washington slumped over, a bullet lodged in his left eye. When sheriff Malloy arrived to ask him questions, Hampton described the woman in detail. Malloy ran back to his office and returned with a wanted poster. Hampton recognized it, Myra Rose Hart.

Whether this was another ruse or a genuine attempt at failed redemption, only the lord and his humble servant now know. It’s unlikely to make her many enemies sympathetic, for they all promise that the closest she will see heaven, is at the end of a rope.

Well known bare-knuckle fighter murdered
By Ela Q. Asken
My dear readers, the Smoking Gun has struck again. After sending me many messages, including tarot cards and a victim that shed light on my family’s past, he seems to have up and forgotten about me. But I have not forgotten about him. He has murdered again, and yet this time leaves me no message. It is as if he thinks I have backed off. I have not. Stuart Barrett was a well known English bare-knuckle fighter and the Smoking Gun killed him this week. Barrett was known to be a tough fighter, having survived being stabbed in an attempt to take his winnings from him, however Barrett not only survived but beat his attacker so bad the attacker had to be taken to a hospital. A woman who wished to keep her name out of the paper, said she was with Barrett after a tough series of fights and “tending to his wounds.”

A man who fit the description of the Smoking Gun walked in and ordered the young woman to leave. “I was scared, so of course I ran!,” the woman said. “I heard them arguing then, I heard some gunshots. A couple quick ones followed by a long pause and a final shot.” She left the building, but was not far from it and so she saw the man walk out and light a cigarette. The Smoking Gun allegedly tipped his hat toward her and said, “Good evening, miss.” “If I hadn’t just saw him go in and kill Mr. Barrett, well I would have thought he was a proper gentleman!” The young woman seemed quite taken by the Smoking Gun, despite the short and murderous impression.

Investigators report that two shots hit Barrett in the body, the third shot was to the head. They believe the head shot was the final shot. While Mr. Barrett had a successful career as a bare-knuckle fighter, he spent his earnings as fast as he earned them. “Barrett lived large. He soaked in the cheers and couldn’t help himself but party with those who cheered for him. He loved the spotlight and used his body, fists, and money to stay there,” said one of Barrett’s friends, who wished to remain anonymous. My own investigation confirmed that Barrett was in serious debt, such that even if he used all of his most recent winnings to pay it down, he would only pay down a quarter of it. All of the evidence points to the Smoking Gun, however it does not reveal who is next.

Khali Rosehall still in Saint Denis?
By Emeline Vickroy
A report had come in from a citizen, a young man who wants to remain anonymous. The man had stated that he spotted someone who matched the description of a high value bounty target issued by the state of Lemoyne. The bounty in question was for a Khali Rosehall. He was seen exiting a stage coach and then entering the barber on Rue De La Dilligent while an gentleman that was driving the stage coach stayed outside the door with a repeater in hand. I have the description of the older man which is as follows; Tall athletic build, silver grey hair and thick beard, silver embossed eye patch over left eye with a large deep scar running down over his eye underneath the eye patch. He was wearing a black jacket and grey pants.

A patrol of two constables who were in the surrounding area received the tip from the citizen and responded. Unfortunately as they rounded the corner onto Rue De La Dilligent they were immediately met by a volley of gunfire hailing from the older man’s repeater. Due to lack of eyewitnesses it’s difficult to ascertain what happened and achieve a complete timeline of events. The two men were then spotted running toward the docks on the south side of the city, gunning down a majority of the responding constables. They then stormed into the post and ticket station attempting to hold the station against the pursing police members. It’s unclear at the moment how many constables were slaughtered as clean up is still being conducted. The two men then fled and were seen entering the dockyard.

Another squad was dispatched to search the docks and surrounding area. That squad was ambushed by the two men and were all killed. Unfortunately no other officers had seen them from that point on and we only have tips from the public. The two men were then spotted moving into the cemetery to the north of the city after stealing a citizen’s horse. After that no other public members came forward with any information all we have to go on now is that there is scattered reports of bounty hunters chasing them on-board a cargo train and disappearing somewhere in Roanoke Ridge.

Based on my research, it is my belief that the elderly gentleman spotted assisting Khali Rosehall in his escape was William Caine. William Caine is a renowned bounty hunter turned vicious outlaw. There is very large file on William Caine that the Pinkerton Detective Agency has kindly provided to local and state police to peruse and use in the aid of capturing both men. William’s file date backs to the civil war and not much before that. He was a confederate sniper with a large body count who then went rogue against the Confederacy yet refused to join the Union States as he waged war on both sides. It is also known that he was incredibly close with Red Morlee the vicious leader of the Morlee Marauders as to which Khali himself also belonged. It was rumored that the Marauders were no longer active as no more reports were coming in of their activity but for the past two years William Caine had been reported to be working closely with local law enforcement and sheriffs of smaller towns such as Strawberry, Tumbleweed in New Austin and Rhodes hunting and killing any bounties he could. These two men are vicious killers and will stop at nothing to get their way. It is unknown if William Caine has anything to do with the recent assassination of the governor of Lemoyne but it is safe to assume that if William Caine and Khali Rosehall were working together again this could mean the Morlee Marauders are back. Caine and Rosehall must be either apprehended or killed at all costs.

The Story of Saint-Denis’s Most Evil House
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)

The Bastille Saloon is one of the most popular locations in Saint-Denis. Every day hundreds of men and women pass through its doors looking for some drinking, gambling, or companionship. If these people knew the history of the building they were entering, it would give them pause. Its been called the Bastille Saloon only since 1895, before then it was a schoolhouse, an apartment complex, and even a furniture store. But long before even those common occupations, it was a grand mansion, owned by one woman. A woman who’s name still causes even strong-willed citizens to shutter.

The mansion was built in 1831 by a woman named Madame Marie LaLaurie, a French creole socialite. She married a doctor by the name of Louis and had four children. To her many neighbors, she was considered a cheerful and polite woman, known for charitable gifts to the poor. But deep down, she was a far more twisted individual then anyone could comprehend.

In 1834 a fire was reported at the LaLaurie estate; at first, the fire marshals were not allowed into the house. Marie and Louis said they had it under control. Well, a local judge disagreed and ordered the marshals into the home. What they discovered was beyond rational understanding. They found men, women, and children chained to walls in the attic and basement. They were missing eyes, noses, entire limbs.
The fire had been started by one of the chained women, hoping to die. Children were forced into cages, bones shattered. Whips and other tools reserved for the middle ages were found, the black instruments turned red from dried blood. LaLaurie was a monster, who cruelly treated her slaves even less then property.

Even rival slaveholders were ashamed to even share the same city with her. Later that night, a mob attacked her house, burning it to the ground. LaLaurie, Louis, and the kids were nowhere to be found. They had quickly gotten on a ship and fled to Paris.

What became of the Saint-Denis demon, none can say. A popular story circulated ten years ago stated that in 1888, at the age of 101, LaLaurie was killed by a boar while hunting. Impaled on the pig’s enormous tusks, she cried out for mercy but received none.

Whatever the case, the mansion was rebuilt and, as said before, served many functions. Although the more superstitious members of Saint-Denis claim the location is cursed. Nobody can hold onto the structure for more than ten years, and ever since 1890, owners have reported strange events. Whether the tormented spirit of Marie LaLaurie still walks the halls of her own home, one can only speculate.

So the next time you order a drink at the Bastille Saloon, remember that the bones of this grand location once bore witness to inhuman cruelty never seen before or since in this great city.

Indian protest leads to several arrests
By Frederick Vannesse
Several Indian tribes in Minnesota are accusing logging companies of deceptive practices and under payment for timber harvested. The companies have agreements to harvest dead timber, but several tribes claim the prices offered are much lower than the actual value of the timber. Worse, some companies are accused of intentionally destroying trees to purchase them as dead timber. Authorities in Minnesota responded by arresting protesting Indians, claiming a number of them are witnesses in bootlegging trials. One such protester taken was Bugonaygeshig, who escaped soon after his arrest when other Indian Pillagers attacked the arresting officers. His whereabouts are currently unknown.

New railway opens in Switzerland
By Ivy Seager
Railroads continue to be the choice of most nations looking to reduce travel burdens over long distances. For Switzerland, railways are also a way to scale mountains and get people to summits they may never have reached on their own. The Gornergrat Railway, the first electic rail in the Switzerland, connects Gornergrat to Zermatt, which itself was linked to Visp in 1891. Officials in Switzerland hope to make traveling across the country easier and less expensive for its people. The current plan is to run the Gornergrat Railway during the summer, but if it proves popular year around service may be offered. The new railway is the second highest railway in altitude in Switzerland.

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