ad and jerked tight, choked off his
intelligible utterance. But as the silent, ruthless men dragged him away
he gave vent to terrible, half-strangled cries.

The sun rose red over the fertile valley--over the harvest fields and
the pastures and the orchards, and over the many towns that appeared
lost in the green and gold of luxuriance.

In the harvest districts west of the river all the towns were visited by
swift-flying motor-cars that halted long enough for a warning to be
shouted to the citizens, "Keep off the streets!"

Simultaneously armed forces of men, on foot and on horseback, too
numerous to count, appeared in the roads and the harvest fields.

They accosted every man they met. If he were recognized or gave proof of
an honest identity he was allowed to go; otherwise he was marched along
under arrest. These armed forces were thorough in their search, and in
the country districts they had an especial interest in likely
camping-places, and around old barns and straw-stacks. In the towns they
searched every corner that was big enough to hide a man.

So it happened that many motley groups of men were driven toward the
railroad line, where they were held until a freight-train of empty
cattle-cars came along. This train halted long enough to have the I.W.W.
contingent driven aboard, with its special armed guard following, and
then it proceeded on to the next station. As stations were many, so were
the halts, and news of the train with its strange freight flashed ahead.
Crowds lined the railroad tracks. Many boys and men in these crowds
carried rifles and pistols which they leveled at the I.W.W. prisoners as
the train passed. Jeers and taunts and threats accompanied this
presentation of guns.

Before the last station of that wheat district was reached full three
hundred members of the I.W.W., or otherwise suspicious characters, were
packed into the open cars. At the last stop the number was greatly
augmented, and the armed forces were cut down to the few guards who were
to see the I.W.W. deported from the country. Here provisions and
drinking-water were put into the cars. And amid a hurrahing roar of
thousands the train with its strange load slowly pulled out.

It did not at once gather headway. The engine whistled a prolonged
blast--a signal or warning not lost on many of its passengers.

From the front cars rose shrill cries that alarmed the prisoners in the
rear. The reason soon became manifest. Arms pointe