And as if to answer the interrogation affirmatively,
the paragraph concludes in these words:

"On the cards of six of the men whose bodies have been found with the
murdered multi-millionaires, reference to the Committee of Forty is made
point-blank. One asserts: 'In the future, arrogant capitalists will not
sneer at the protestations of a committee of the people. As a
deliberative body the Committee of Forty was impotent; as the avenger of
the downtrodden, it will never be forgotten.' Another bears this strange
inscription: 'When anarchy seems imminent, take courage, for an honest
leader will deliver you from harm.'

"There are two cards which quote direct from the Scriptures: 'The wicked
in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices
that they have imagined.' This gives the motive which supplied the
assassin of the Sugar King with courage to commit a double crime. He was
a religious fanatic. The name George M. Watson was scribbled on the back
of the card. This is the name of one of the Committee of Forty.

"The other card reads: 'And the destruction of the transgressors and of
the sinners _shall_ be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be
consumed.'"

Here is a matter which sets Trueman thinking. He knows every member of
the Committee of Forty; they are men who would not take part in a
dastardly crime.

But is this terrible annihilation to be looked at in the light of an
ordinary crime?

"Metz is a member of the committee." Trueman resolves this thought for
several minutes.

The train rolls on at a rapid rate; the towns of Jersey are entered and
passed so quickly that no idea of the excitement that is stirring them
can be formed. It is not until Trenton is reached that Trueman hears the
news of the deaths of still other prominent men.

He buys a paper and returns to his seat. This extra contains the details
of the threatened uprising in Wilkes-Barre, and the statement that the
Committee of Forty has converted itself into a Syndicate of
Annihilation.

When the train reaches Philadelphia a battalion of the State Militia
goes on board. The Major in command has instructions to report to the
Sheriff of Luzerne County. This means that the militia is to be handed
over to the Magnates.

As the train is about to leave the depot a telegram is received at the
dispatcher's office, which causes a delay. A freight on the Wilkes-Barre
division has jumped the track. The wrecking train is