WHISTLE BLOWER
HIDES OUT
IN SMALLVILLE

Eugene Daniels And Daughter Flee Protective Custody

By Kathy Romita

Metropolis native Eugene Daniel's--alias Ed Brooks--a HardCon employee, fled protective custody and landed in Smallville for almost two weeks authorities disclosed late last night. Daniels, a former vice president of HardCon, reportedly blew the whistle on his employer after discovering enormous accounting errors in company books. It is believed that Daniels went to the authorities with allegations of fraudulent bookkeeping and promised to provide proof via computer disks, accounting files and memos. Daniels' teenaged daughter, Jessie, accompanied her father on this escape. It is not known whether Daniels forced his daughter to leave their haven or whether she was a willing participant.

Using less than Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
(GAAP), HardCon had a falling out with its accounting firm, Norbertsen, when the highly respected CPAs found discrepancies in HardCon's internal books from February forward. Brent Meyers, a Norbertsen senior auditor, recalled, "I have never seen such 'creative' accounting in my life. The financial statements were a mess. Revenues were highly inflated, and debt and expenditures were incredibly underreported. We refused to condone this type of bookkeeping."

It is believed that Daniels shot and killed U.S. Marshall Ted Palmer (see accompanying article), the man assigned to protect both Daniels and his daughter. According to Sheriff Ethan, "Several pieces of this puzzle are missing, but we're working closely with the feds to straighten it all out."

UNITED STATES MARSHAL FOUND DEAD IN LOCAL FARMHOUSE

By Gena McGuiness

Acting on an anonymous tip, federal agents descended upon a Smallville farmhouse yesterday where they found the body of United States Marshal Ted Palmer, the victim of a gunshot to the chest. The home had been rented in the name of Edward Brooks, whose daughter, Jessie, was a new student at Smallville High, according to S.H. Vice Principal Martin Gibbons. "She seemed like a bright girl, but she didn't take direction well. Extremely rebellious," says the administrator. Landlord Percy Thatcher rented the home to the Brooks family two weeks ago after his previous tenants relocated to Edge City. Says Thatcher, "The father seemed nice. He paid the first two months in cash. Said his wife just died, and he and his daughter was trying to start over. The daughter wasn't too friendly though. Sure is a shame about that marshal fella."

Local authorities have no criminal record for an Edward Brooks, but our sources say Brooks is the alias of ex-HardCon V.P.-turned-whistleblower Eugene Daniels, a key government witness in the federal case against former energy superstar HardCon (see accompanying article). Ted Palmer, a ten-year veteran with the U.S. Marshal Service, was assigned to the protection of Eugene Daniels and his daughter, Jessie.

Federal officials have taken charge of the investigation and will begin conducting interviews as soon as this afternoon. Eugene and Jessie Daniels (aka Brooks) are wanted in connection with the death of U.S. Marshal Ted Palmer and have been added to the U.S. Marshal's and FBI's "Most Wanted" lists. If you have any information, please call the USMS District Office at 555-0193.

COLLEGE STUDENT ELECTROCUTED

Police Say Death Looks 'Suspicious'
By Angie Perez

The body of Metropolis University student Kyle Waterston was found by a custodian earlier this week in the men's locker room. Investigators are calling his death an accident but add that the circumstances are somewhat
suspicious, though they declined to give details. Waterston, 18, a freshman at the university, apparently died when a radio fell into a whirlpool, electrocuting him. M.U. security guards, who were questioned at the scene, report that the student was alone, and there are no known witnesses to the fatality.

NO ORDINARY TOWN

Creekside Foundry--Key to Smallville's Colorful Past?
By Christopher James Beppo

Last year, the Ledger printed a fanciful article written by a student at Smallville High School. As outrageous as the subject matter was--"Superboy Turns Superpsycho!"--it inspired a lot of water-cooler discussion amongst the sometimes world-weary worker bees here. One outcome was the article "Mysteries Still Grow Wild in Burnham Woods," a follow-up to my earlier attempt at paranormal sleuthing, "Smallville's Own Bermuda Triangle?"

Needless to say, there was some grumbling from the boardrooms about journalistic integrity regarding these departures from the Ledger's time-honored tradition of straight news reporting. Any small town, indeed many large cities, would be proud to be served by this paper, yet the past few years have convinced all but the most cynical citizens--and newspaper editors--that Smallville is no ordinary town. Perhaps there is room, the current thinking goes, for an open mind such as the one demonstrated by our teenaged tyro.

In that spirit, I've been asked to extend those speculative pieces into
an informal series of articles reexamining recent events in a historical context. Even before the meteor shower, Smallville was a colorful and unique place. Future columns will explore the founding of the town in the mid-1800s by the fur trapper and trader whose family name it immortalizes. Who exactly was Ezra Small, and what is his bizarre connection with the Creekside Foundry, a forlorn structure on the outskirts of Smallville that is said to echo with voices from the past?

Other topics will reveal the true story of the Ledger's humble origins. Longtime residents may recognize the name of our very first editor in chief, but many might be surprised to learn the intriguing legacy of "old man Silas." And perhaps the most fascinating theory of all is rapidly becoming a "rural legend," as it were: Was there something more than space rocks in that meteor shower? Some locals think they know the answer to what's going on.

Could it be that Smallville's history contains strange precursors to some of the unusual occurrences of today? Let's take the journey together.