Blackwater Ledger No. 65

**Blackwater Ledger No. 65** is one of the newspapers in Red Dead Redemption 2.

MOONSHINE TRAFFICKING SUSPECTS.

DEAD AND DYING IN THE STREETS.

Rhodes - News was received here today of a tremendous escalation of the decades-old blood feud between the Grays and the Braithwaites, two prominent local families who have been arguing since long before the war. The town of Rhodes and its residents were the true victims in a fight between these powerful families. The recent altercation originated in the Rhodes Parlour House, which is owned by the Gray family. Reports say that moonshine or money was the basis of the argument.

Shots rang out, and voices screamed, and then bullets sadly hushed them. Once prominent families, the fortunes of the Grays and the Braithwaites, and other once-wealthy landowners like them, have been on the wane since the war. The plantation families have been at odds since before the War of the States, claiming some mutual theft of gold or property over a century ago, a motive of which nobody can claim reliability to this day.

Reports say the new altercation began when some associates of the Braithwaites entered the Rhodes Parlour House and offered customers plenty of free, untaxed liquor.

### Prisoner Escapes

MURDERER WAS SET TO HANG.

SCORE OF LAWMEN DEAD IN WILD SHOOTOUT.

SMALL MOUNTAIN TOWN IN MOURNING.

RESIDENTS OF STRAWBERRY IN FEAR.

A prisoner set to hang for a brutal murder escaped from jail in Strawberry, setting the town on edge after a horrific shootout. The violence erupted in rapid fashion, catching the Sheriff and other law enforcement off guard. Tens of lawmen are dead in what is described as the most brazen jailbreak in years. An accomplice surprised lawmen and the normally peaceful town erupted in gunfire.

The accomplice and prisoner escaped during a massive running shootout. The local doctor was so overwhelmed with the dead and wounded that he has not been seen in town since. A handkerchief said to be worn by one of the robbers was found in the tracks of their escape, with part of a tooth and other evidences of wounding. However, one official said that so many had been involved in pursuing the duo that it could have been one of the many dead that it belonged to.

### Quincy Statue Defiled

CONFEDERATE WAR HERO.

FOUGHT BRAVELY AT SCARLETT MEADOWS

A dispatch from the Saint Denis Constable reports that the statue of General Quincy Harris was defaced in a craven act. The hero of the War of Northern Aggression saw his bravest men cut down in front of his eyes at the Battle of Scarlett Meadows in 1864. The word "coward" appeared on the statue, no doubt placed there by the handful of ill-advised citizens who seek to tarnish the name of a General that historians agree was a courageous military man.

The battle that day was hectic and a scene of carnage, with conflicting accounts soon discredited, and General Harris is remembered as one who never turned coat in the face of adversity.

### A Modern Steam Marvel

CORNWALL ORDERS FASTEST STEAMSHIP IN THE WORLD.

EXPECTED TO ARRIVE WITHIN THE WEEK.

Industrialist and rail magnate Leviticus Cornwall has ordered delivery of the nation's first turbine-powered steamship, a marvel of engineering from the United Kingdom. First unveiled as an experiment vessel in 1894, it was then demonstrated as the fast ship on water.

Now beginning commercial production, the Turbinia class, as it was first christened, is expected to be a private vessel for Mr. Cornwall, built to his exact specifications and including a level of opulence and grandeur not before seen on modern sailing vessels.

### Lawman Found Dead

HENRY JENKINS WAS VETERAN OF FORCE.

ANGELO BRONTE SENDS CONDOLENCES.

FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED.

Officer Henry Jenkins was found dead last Tuesday of a gunshot to the head, in what has been described as an ambush that left the veteran officer slumped forward in his outhouse near the abode that he shared with his wife of twenty years. Jenkins had led an investigation against prominent local businessman Angelo Bronte, 55,who resides in a mansion on Flavian Street. Mr. Bronte has long been a supporter of local constables and law enforcement and frequently appears at social events celebrating Saint Denis politicians.

Some have accused Bronte of being involved in a syndicate that deals in smuggling and racketeering, though numerous officials vouch for him as a fine member of the local business community. They say that his Italian heritage is being held against him and that Bronte is of great benefit to the community, contributing to fundraisers for local schools as well as supporting causes to help the infirm and elderly.

### A Fifth Person Slain

PATTERN IDENTIFIED.

MESSAGE SCRAWLED IN BLOOD.

WORRIES INTENSIFY OF PLAGUE.

SIMILAR TO DEATHS YEARS AGO.

Residents of Saint Denis are living in fear as the ritualistic deaths from years ago have returned. The pattern is the same. Teeth marks like those of a hyena or dog on the body are noticeable. There are messages scrawled next to the body in blood. Some had attributed the deaths to yellow fever, but others cite vampires as the cause. Saint Denis lawmen announced years ago they had caught the culprit and indeed did hang Bosco Lopez, who had spent many years living in Argentina before arriving in Saint Denis by frigate.

Now that the fifth victim has been found, lawmen are expressing caution, indicating that all residents should avoid traveling alone in the evening wherever possible, and keep all residences without locks barricaded overnight. Women are especially advised to show caution, as they are more often than not the victims of attacks.

### The King of Corsets

EXOTIC FINERY BOOMS IN SAINT DENIS.

Since the wife of King Henry II of France enforced a ban on thick waists of court attendance, the corset has remained in high fashion for all who can afford it. Using exotic lace and stays and whalebones and metal supports, much cherished local artisan Algernon Wasp fashions striking corsets at his world renowned workshop and greenhouse in the Mansion District of Saint Denis.

His military work and corsetry are all the rage amongst the fashionable members of the higher classes, who prize his use of rare and most delicate materials such as orchids and egret feathers. With a long list of elite and aristocractic clients from all around the world, Mr. Wasp's workshop toils into the night to make the waists of aristocrats slimmer and their heads dainty with finery. He remains an example of Saint Denis's status as a cultural capital of the world.

### They Have Fled

LEMOYNE RAIDERS NOW IN TEXAS.

The ex-soldiers, renegades, and criminals that loosely comprised the Lemoyne Raiders militia have mostly fled to Texas after repeated clashes with the government and law enforcement.Preaching the "Free Stater"anti-government and anti-tax doctrine, their message soon grew tiresome for a populace that simply wants to move on after the War Between the States.

The scrappy militia has spent the last few years robbing government employees and institutions and regular civilians as well. After some stinging defeats, the Lemoyne Raiders fled to areas of Texas, where it is repeated their disdain for paying tax or supporting the government is more readily received.

### A Massive Motif

CLIFF SCULPTURE IN GRIZZLIES

Wayfarers in the Grizzlies have reported a massive cliff face sculpture is under way, courtesy of an as yet unknown artist. Undertaken by a lone man toiling a with hammer and chisel, but rarely seen, beating to to accomplish his artistic vision of carving a face into a prominent rock face. The project began several weeks ago according to travelers, who say the man has undertaken it as an homage to his beloved wife.

### War Brewing in Europe

POWER STRUGGLE IN AFRICA AT ISSUE

BRITAIN KILLING SCORES OF DUTCH SETTLERS

The struggle for power in Africa continues. The territories of rival European powers are being disputed once more. Great Britain has plunged into full-scale war against Dutch settlers in Southern Africa known as the Boears. Despite the belief that a compromise would be found, hostilities have commenced to crush the Boers as Great Britain rushes to send men and munitions to Southern Africa.

Rival European powers accuse Great Britain of threatening legitimate claims to territories controlled by others, and the gold and diamond mines there that create immense wealth. Also of concern is that the vast and unruly native populations may prove restless, ungrateful, and resentful towards their European masters.

### Women Should Keep Silence

ALLOWED TO SING BUT NOT SPEAK IN CHURCH

SHE IS SUBORDINATE TO MAN

The first day's synod of Virginia was spent with devotional exercises led by Reverend T.M. Spriggs, speaking on giving the work of God to all people. His committee was tasked last year to study the scriptural position of women in the home and church and their duties and came to some unsurprising conclusions, Order remains heaven's first law, and it necessitates the due subordination of the ruled to the ruler.

This subordination of women by divine appointment is, sadly, ignored or denied by "the women's movement." The home is the special sphere of a woman and indeed this is her throne. The church and indeed the scriptures forbid a woman to hold office or bear rule, lead prayer in a public assembly, and they command her to keep silence.

The scriptures teach what a woman may do in church, her home, or in public. She may sing in mixed-sex devotional services or in meetings of her own sex. The report was signed by all five clergymen and they remain unanimous on the women question, as does this newspaper, which suspects the natural order of things, even though we are men of science, first and foremost.

### Bank Robbed

VALENTINE INSTITUTION RECOVERING

THIEVES CRACKED SAFES

The Bank of Valentine has been robbed by an outlaw gang thought to be responsible for several recent holdups and a spate of violence.The bank's manager was distracted by a female accomplice of the gang, then forced to open the vault. The safes were cracked and it is believed that several thousand dollars in cash, notes, and commercial papers were taken or destroyed. The gang tried to sneakout of town, but was soon ensnared in a gun battle.

The gang evaded capture, and soon it seemed as if the entire town were after them. They were chased by authorities who were sadly unsuccessful in capturing the culprits.

### Coach Ambushed

ASSAILANTS FLEE, BURN BARN

SEARCH CONTINUES FOR ROBBERS

A supply coach operated by Cornwall Industries was ambushed just south of Scarlett Meadows in Lemoyne. The band of thieves, numbering four in all, ordered the guards to abandon the coach. they then immediately fled with the stolen coach. The victims of the coach robbery gave pursuit to a local farm where the assailants were discovered later that night.

During a massive gunfight,the highwaymen set fire to a barn, which burned to the ground. They escaped to the woods in the south and authorities are searching the area for their whereabouts.

### The Art of Angling by Jeremy Gill

CHANNEL CATFISH

As a world-famous master of both rod and pen, it often troubles me to see this fascination with factories and machines. They can dull the senses. I have long prided myself as a fisherman free from exhibitions of vanity and self-conceit, which is why I am often asked to lecture on my extensive travels sharing the successes of uncanny ability to catch any fish, and also on spiritual, romantic and economic matters.

Indeed fishing once helped me stop a major European land war, but that's another story, for another day. Catfish care not a jot for major battles, overrated or otherwise. My next challenge - catching a monster sized Channel Catfish. They love muddy waters and prefer crayfish over other baits. Fish in overcast weather - these mysteries of the deep detest the sun,much likeour British counterparts. Happy hunting!