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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.
Mexico Continues to Unravel Despite Pleas from Officials
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Mexico, our great neighbor to the south, has not been doing well to put it lightly. The nation has been suffering severe internal strife, with many people claiming revolution is possible. Not too long ago, following a diplomatic dispute, the border was shut between the two nations. This has not stopped some people from trying to cross the San Luis River, often with tragic results. It’s beyond a shadow of a doubt that more and more people are fleeing Mexico via Nuevo Paraíso. However, the Mexican government continues to claim everything is fine.
A young military officer by the name of Vincente de Santa was recently sent to Blackwater to try and fix the diplomatic issues. He claims the dispute was merely a misunderstanding, and that no revolution is at all taking place. When confronted with the fact that civilians are fleeing and bandits are raiding, he merely stated that this does not represent Mexico’s citizens and culture. These pleas fell on deaf ears, as Congress seems unlikely to reopen the border.
Detailed reports of current events in Mexico have been scattered, but the few stories sneaking in have been less than favorable. Tales of mass executions and other heinous crimes occasionally pass through to New Austin, although nobody knows how true they are. There has even been talk that the United States may take action once the war with Spain is finished. I do not know what the best course of action might be, but more warfare is probably not the correct answer. I somehow feel that life in Mexico will get worse before it gets better. I merely wish its many citizens the best of luck for the challenges they will continue to face.
Woman killed, valuables stolen
By Alois Burditt
Well known finder of rare items Lenora Lore was found dead near Jorge’s Gao this week. Lore made waves in the community of collectors when she managed to find several rare family heirlooms believed to be lost to time. Outside of the world of collectors, however, Lore was not so well known. “We think she was killed by a rival collector,” said Sheriff Freeman of Tumbleweed. “There were no rare collectibles on her person or in her horse’s saddlebags, though there were other valuables found in her possession.” Tumbleweed lawmen began questioning everyone in and around the town using a metal detector, but they turned up no leads. .
Hawks remain elusive in New Austin
By Wylie Frey
Unlike the previous week’s bird watching challenge which took place in one location, this week the challenge was located across an entire state. Folks all over New Austin had their eyes to the skies as they searched for a hawk to photograph. “I saw a shadow on the ground and thought this was it, but when I looked up it was a vulture,” said one bird watcher who failed to find a hawk. The most commonly sighted birds were the crows and ravens. Vultures and condors were also spotted in high frequencies.
Unfortunately, not a single photograph of a hawk was submitted, though some stunning photos of others birds were, including the California Condor above and the flock of Western Tanager Songbirds featured below. Seeing as the hawks remained elusive, Pearl Kemper has chosen a slightly less difficult challenge this week: the crane in the bayou. “Cranes are easier to spot and I don’t want to dishearten novice bird watchers with another difficult to find bird!”
Stolen wagon recovered
By Jane Duran
A resident of New Hanover was traveling in Ambarino when they were attacked by outlaws and had their wagon stolen. Fortunately, a well meaning gunslinger recovered the wagon on their behalf. The gunslinger said he was able to hogtie the thieves and avoided killing them. However, as he rode off with the wagon he was attacked by two more outlaws. “I couldn’t deal with them non-lethally, so I shot ’em both dead,” the gunslinger said. The wagon was returned and the gunslinger was rewarded for his work.
Captured man rescued thanks to lone witness
By Caylen V. Hornby
Two cowpokes were riding through Ambarino west of Mt. Hagen when a stranger approached them, informing them that they had just witnessed someone get kidnapped. The stranger then pointed toward an area known as Ewing Basin. The two riders set off immediately in that direction and saw the kidnapped individual hogtied on the floor. The kidnappers were busy arguing with each other and did not notice the approaching riders until the first shot was fired. “They put up some resistance, but they weren’t great shots,” said one of the rescuers. In short order the kidnappers were all killed. The victim, who wished to remain anonymous, did not have much to their name. They believe the kidnappers may have mistaken them for someone wealthy, someone who would be worth a ransom. The victim was shaken, but glad to be rescued and able to carry on with their life.
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Famous Bear Man Spotted in Strawberry
By Sofia Kathleen Fairfax (Lead Correspondent)
Over the years, many notable historians have become quite popular across America. There is Joseph Jackson Turner, writer of the famous thesis that bears his name and his rival Jonathan Hall, a man who detests that thesis with every bone in his body. One could argue that even William Wilson is a historian in a way. But there is one notable historian that only recently has been seen again in public. His name has long since been forgotten, but he is generally referred to as the Bear Man.
Sadly, much of his life is unknown; we believe he may have come from Minnesota and may have fought in the Civil War. Whatever the case, he moved to the mountains near Strawberry and made himself a home. He earned his nickname due to his mountain man appearance, always looking like he just wrestled a bear. He is entirely self-sufficient, never having to rely on other people to make a living. This has led to him having plenty of time on his hands, so he turned to writing to pass the time. He writes long elegant poems and short stories about American history, especially concerning the frontier. His favorite pastime is reportedly fishing, when he isn’t writing of course.
Although his words are less elegant and not as well known as a Turner or Hall, he has grown quite a following in West Elizabeth. But for the past few months, nobody had seen or heard from him. Many began to fear the worst; living up in the mountains is hardly the safest place to live. But fortunately for those who care about his writing, he was spotted in Big Valley this week, hunting elk. Perhaps he is writing some grand thesis of his own, or maybe he just wanted to keep to himself. It’s easy to understand, what with the moonshine war and constant violent criminals still about. Let’s hope this peculiar man’s writing once again manages to speak to the heart and soul.
Abandoned station taken over by gang, dispatched promptly
By Emery Cosberry
A posse of cowpokes caught wind of a gang of outlaws taking over the abandoned Bacchus Station and decided to commandeer a train to deal with it. The train had just arrived and its cargo had been removed when the posse boarded it. “I wasn’t going to fight armed men,” the engineer said, “union rules, we don’t have to fight a hostile takeover if our lives are endangered.” Two Annesburg deputies accompanied the four man posse, to “make affairs legal and such,” according to one of the deputies. Curiously, one of the cowpokes boarded the train with their horse. The train departed at full speed, moving faster than usual. Both deputies noted that the outlaws did not react to the train as it approached, “likely they thought it was a normal train just passing through.” Once the train was close enough the cowpokes moved out of cover and started firing on the outlaws.
The cowpoke with the horse jumped off the train when the shooting started while the outlaws were still confused. The driver of the train pulled the break and then began taking shots on the outlaws. “Only took a few moments, by the time the train slowed to a stop, all of the outlaws were dead,” one of the deputies said. The bodies were loaded onto the train, then moved to a wagon at Wallace Station to be disposed of properly.
Disgraced Navy Officer killed in shootout
By Mickey Z (Freelancer)
Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Bateson of the U.S. Navy was shot dead by SD Police and civilians after forcefully attempting to board the tug boat S.S. Navigator. Several witnesses report the man had been seen drinking at the Bastille before stumbling down to the port, pistol in hand. Mere minutes Sergeant Flores of the Saint Denis police responded to reports of yelling, and saw the ship’s captain ordering an agitated Bateson away from his vessel.
After announcing his presence and ordering Bateson holster the weapon he “swung around haphazardly”, Bateson fired at (and hit) the Sergeant’s foot before being shot once by both men.
“That maniac kept saying he was in the Navy, and he should get my ship. Thank god that policeman showed up and distracted him so I could protect myself. I’m just sorry I couldn’t stop him from firing his first shot.” Sergeant Flores is said to make a full recovery, and stands to receive a promotion to Detective Sergeant for his bravery.
Saint Denis authorities admit the Smoking Gun slipped out of the city
By Aloysius Levron
Two weeks ago the Smoking Gun was shot in Saint Denis, though he managed to make it to the city’s doctor’s office and applied his own tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Authorities quickly locked down the city and began checking every wagon and making an exit. The train was delayed for several hours as well, as each boxcar was searched below and within. Dogs were also deployed across the city sniffing for the Smoking Gun. Early in the search there was a sense of optimism that the terror of the Smoking Gun would soon come to an end. As days passed, no news was announced and this week the Chief of Saint Denis Police has announced that they believe the Smoking Gun escaped the city. “We are not quite sure how, but we do not believe he is in the city any longer. While this is a failure of our department in one sense, I would also like to highlight that Saint Denis residents are safer with the Smoking Gun gone.” Others hope that the Smoking Gun may have escaped but died in doing so, “he was shot, infection could have set in,” said the Police Chief.
As election season nears, Members of Congress begin focusing on reelection instead of their job
By Adam Parvey
Election season has started to heat up as the Democrats hope to unseat enough Republicans to gain influence in both chambers of Congress. President Alfred MacAlister is not up for reelection this year, however, he still has much to be concerned with. If the Democrats are able to swing the either chamber of Congress, his Republican party will need to compromise more frequently to get legislation through Congress. Democrats have expressed concerns over the intentions behind the Spanish-American War as well. “We all want the war to end as soon as possible, but we must not use our inevitable victory to replace the Spanish Empire with an American Empire,” said a spokesman for the Democrat Party. President MacAlister has stated that the war is nearly won and that “the independence of the Spanish colonies is the paramount goal, but we must consider if they are ready to be independent.”
This has been the mantra of the Republican Party in the last several weeks as the war draws to a close. They are denying the Democrats’ claim that they seek to establish an American Empire, and have instead highlighted that these nations have known nothing but colonial life and will need to be eased into independence. William Bryon, the Democrat candidate for President in 1896, reminded the Republicans, “was our nation not also one in which our people knew nothing but colonial life? Yet when we threw off the British yoke in favor of Independence, did we not achieve what we set out to do?” Despite the facts behind Bryon’s sentiment, the Republicans maintain a gradual move toward independence is the right choice.
It is likely that this issue may significantly influence the midterm elections this year. The difficulty for Democrats will be separating their opposition to an American Empire with an end to the war. Republicans have already begun tying the two together, saying, “any opposition to a treaty with Spain should be seen as a desire to prolong this war.” The fate of the Five States continues to be in limbo as representatives of the states focus on national issues in addition to their reelection. Only time will tell if Five States residents will continue to support these representatives or not.
Man travels the around the midwest claiming to be the brother of Jesus Christ
By Frederick Vannesee
For the last decade, Mr. Benjamin Purnell has been traveling across the Midwestern United States with his wife Mary, claiming to be the brother of Jesus Christ. As the brother of Jesus, Mr. Purnell claims that makes him also the Son of God and the Messiah. Their quest started in Paducah, Kentucky but the pair have been spotted all over the place. Mr. Purnell has started to build quite a following, including wealthy investors. So what is Mr. Purnell to do with such a following that bestows upon him a great deal of wealth? “I think I might start a baseball team,” Mr. Purnell said. “My followers are celibate and young, they need a means of getting their energy out. Why not America’s past time?”
Is another war around the corner?
By Ivy Seager
Just as the war between the United States and Spain appears to be slowing down and coming to an end, a new war may erupt. French explorer Jean-Baptiste Marchand arrived in the Fashoda region near the White Nile. The area is currently dominated by the English, who have a strong alliance with the native Egyptians. It is believed that the French expedition was a bold move to gain control of the Upper Nile River basin, snatching control from the British. However, this has not been so easy for the French. Though the French have reached the area and attempted to occupy it, the British-Egyptian alliance has responded equally as boldly. Reports indicate the responding force outnumbers the French at least 10 to 1. While the two sides have not come to blows, the situation is described as tense. The British have proclaimed that they will not back off while the French have said nothing.
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