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.
Coal Killer’s hand seen across all five states as fresh victims are counted
By Adam Parvey
Reports of the so-called Coal Killer, not seen since last December, have taken on a darker breadth this week as authorities across the Five States quietly confirm multiple new deaths bearing the same grim signature. In Valentine, a cattle broker long accused by hands and kin alike of cruelty was found slumped beside his desk, a bullet set cleanly through the heart and a lump of coal pressed into his coat pocket. Near Strawberry, a mill overseer known for hard fists and harder words was discovered at dawn, stabbed once beneath the breastbone. Similar scenes followed in Rhodes and Armadillo, each victim marked not by theft or spectacle, but by that same mute token, as if to announce judgment rather than robbery.
Lawmen concede, though often off the record, that the pattern leaves little room for doubt. Each of the dead had drawn the ire of neighbors, family, or employees through abuse of authority or habitual unkindness, and none showed signs of struggle beyond the single fatal wound. Witnesses in Blackwater and Annesburg speak again of a large white man moving across roofs and alley shadows with surprising speed, clad in red and white and crowned with a flowing white beard, a figure so outlandish in description that it has only sharpened public unease. The memory of his earlier capture in Saint Denis, followed by his unexplained vanishing from a prison wagon before arrival at the station, has returned to haunt city officials who once assured the public the matter was settled.
What troubles authorities most is not merely the number of victims, but the reach implied by their spread, from bayou to desert and mountain alike. With no clear trail and no claim made beyond the coal itself, the killer appears unbound by state line or season, moving with a purpose that suggests patience and intent rather than frenzy. Lawmen across the region have urged vigilance and restraint.
Revenue agents on receiving end of a holiday surprise
By Jose Chavez
Revenue agents stationed at a remote New Austin checkpoint spoke this week of an odd and cheerful surprise, one some are already calling a small holiday miracle amid the cold and dust. Bundled against the weather, the agents reported fewer travelers than usual, though several wagons did submit to inspection before the long day waned. It was only as the men set about dismantling their post and preparing to depart that they noticed two bottles left behind near a crate, vessels none of them claimed to have brought and which had not been logged among seized goods.
Curiosity soon overcame caution. Upon uncorking the bottles, the agents found the liquor bore a minty scent with a pronounced berry taste, smooth enough to invite more than a cautious sip. “There was no evidence this was illegal untaxed alcohol,” one revenuer said with a grin, “a kind traveler must have left it, so it would be wrong to not enjoy it.” No complaints have since been lodged, and no sickness reported, leaving the incident as a rare tale of goodwill on the frontier — proof, perhaps, that even those tasked with the law may still find themselves recipients of unexpected generosity.
Frozen hunter found along Ambarino road
By Caylen V. Hornby
A grim discovery was made in the Ambarino wilds when a lone cowpoke was found dead and nearly frozen a short distance from the road, the body lying no more than ten feet from the road. The cowpoke’s face bore severe burns, and several deep lacerations marked the body, signs that investigators believe were inflicted not by animal or blade, but by the violent failure of a firearm. A rifle was recovered nearby, split and twisted as though it had burst from within, its shattered state offering mute testimony to the force unleashed.
Those examining the scene now believe the cowpoke had been using explosive ammunition, which detonated inside the chamber rather than leaving the barrel as intended. The blast may have rendered the hunter unconscious or too grievously injured to reach the road and summon help. Left exposed to Ambarino’s unforgiving cold, death by freezing would have followed swiftly. Authorities have offered no name, and few belongings were found to suggest where the cowpoke had been headed, leaving the case as another stark warning that in the high country, a single mistake can turn skill and preparation into fatal misfortune.
Gunplay diversion in Blackwater ends in blood and arrest
By Nick McCrary
What began as idle amusement on a Blackwater thoroughfare ended in tragedy when a bounty hunter’s practiced gun tricks went awry, drawing a swift and sober response from city authorities. Witnesses say the hunter, enjoying a lull between contracts, entertained a small crowd with deft twirls, quick draws, and sharp target shots that rang cleanly and true. The display drew passersby, some applauding the flourish and others standing back in wary admiration, until the performer attempted a flourish meant to toss a revolver over his left shoulder and catch it behind his back.
The throw went wide. The weapon struck the ground, discharged upon impact, and sent a round into an onlooker standing too near the spectacle. Panic followed as the wounded man fell and the crowd scattered, the show’s applause replaced by shouts for help. Blackwater police arrived within minutes and took the bounty hunter into custody on charges of criminal negligence, citing the reckless handling of a loaded firearm in public. The injured onlooker was carried off for treatment, and officials reminded citizens that skill with a gun does not excuse carelessness, especially where innocent lives stand within reach.
Sudden death at Smithfield’s stuns patrons
By Donna Deshner
Smithfield’s Saloon in Valentine, a place better known for loud laughter and louder poker games, was struck silent last night when a local man collapsed without warning in the middle of his usual evening ritual. According to patrons gathered near the bar, the man had been seated on his familiar stool, cigar in hand, when he swayed, and fell to the floor. He took took one last deliberate puff before closing his eyes for good. He was dead before anyone thought to fetch water or call for help, and those present insist there was no sign of a fight, a cough, or any complaint that might have warned of what was coming.
The deceased, whose name is being withheld at the request of family, was known to visit Smithfield’s near nightly and was regarded as quiet company rather than trouble. Sheriff Curtis Malloy arrived shortly after the incident and ordered the saloon cleared while the body was examined, though no obvious wound or mark of violence could be found. Some whisper of bad liquor or a weak heart, others of darker causes better left unspoken, but as of this writing no clear explanation has been given. What is certain is that Smithfield’s, for all its noise and warmth, proved no shield against sudden death, and many regulars left early, cigars left unlit.
Icy streets turn deadly as young man is killed beneath a cable car
By Aloysius Levron
A sudden winter chill and treacherous footing were blamed yesterday for a most unsettling death in Saint Denis, where a young man lost his life beneath a city cable car. Witnesses along the street report the man was running at speed, glancing back as if pursued by something unseen, when he turned a corner and struck a patch of ice. His feet flew from under him, and instead of stopping, his body continued to slide helplessly across the frozen stones and directly into the path of an oncoming cable car. Though such conveyances move at a measured pace, the cruel alignment of distance and momentum rendered that mercy irrelevant.
The cable car’s operator rang the bell and attempted to slow, but there was no time to avert the outcome. Several onlookers spoke in shaken voices of a dull, “squish”-like sound as the vehicle passed over the fallen man, a detail many wished they had not heard and will not soon forget. Authorities have not determined what, if anything, the victim was fleeing, and no companion or pursuer has yet come forward. The scene required hours to clear, with workers spreading sand over the ice-streaked street long after the crowd dispersed, leaving Saint Denis with another grim reminder that even its modern comforts cannot overcome the hazards of winter.
Dracula Production Causes Panic!
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax – Lead Correspondent
You may have heard about a little book from across the pond called Dracula, released a few years back by a British author. It’s been wildly successful in print and on stage. So much so that the cast of the West End visited Saint-Denis this week, to show off the skill and craft of British actors and British writing. It should have been just that; instead, it became something else.
Lead actor Richard Mansfield was the actor playing Dracula. When he first appeared, audiences hushed all their voices and acted as if they were in a trance. When he scaled down the walls like a lizard, a few audience members shrieked and had to be held by loved ones. When he emerged again to bite Lucy, a complete panic began. One man yelled he was attacking that poor woman for real, some rushed the stage, and others ran out of the theater. Pandemonium ensued, ending with 13 police officers restoring order and saving Mansfield from the crowd.
He is reported to have complained that it has happened again, citing an incident in the 1880s when he played Jekyll and Hyde, and to have been bemused that at least it proves he’s a talented actor. The production is expected to not continue tomorrow, and the actors shall leave America by Sunday morning.
The Five States Herald 