Arizona republican., 1917-07-13

Just twelve hours after Sheriff Harry Wheeler started making plans. for a drive" on l. ". W. agitators and supporters. 1,200 of them were marched into railroad cars and the train rolled away for New Mexico. Six hours later the 5000 citizens and deputy sheriffs who had rid the dis trict of the element which they con- sidered a national menace, had calm ly returned to their homes, aban- doned their rifles, revolvers and shot guns and were preparing for normal , conditions in the district, which they are confident will return with the strike agitators gone.
 The action of the citizens in taking l the situation in their own hands l burst like a bombshell in the district, and probably accounted for the ab- | sence of clashes of any extent be- 1 tween their forces and those of the | I. W. W. during the rounding up ana i deportation of the latter.
 Although hastily organized, the armed citizens showed none of the actions of a mob. Every plan and movement was carried out deliber- ately. Shortly before midnight last night Sheriff Wheeler and his depu- 1 ties decided that it would be neces- sary to rid the district of every mem ! Der or supporter of the Industrial ! Workers of the World to prevent l serious trouble. Within two hours 1900 citizens had been deputized by 1 telephone and ordered to be ready for 1 duty at four o'clock. At that time no less than a dozen squads of from l 25 to 150 men each, met in as many different sections of the district, | "a dn 1noi,
 Every man who had a gun of any | description brought it with him, and
 those who had none were speedily | supplied with high powered rifles l Unaware of the actions of the citi- zens, hundreds of pickets and strike ! SympathiZers assembled at the en- ! frances to the various mines as us ual at 6:30 o'clock this morning
 marching slowly backward and for
 ward in front of the men going on and coming off shift. Suddenly five
 squads of heavily armed citizens
 swung down the five main streets of the city leading to the plaza, in | front of the postoffice Another squad sprang from the dimly lighted 1 lobby of the postoffice and cut
 off escape for the big crowd of l pickets assembled on the plaza. Mili-
 tary guard lines had been stationed
 throughout the city and the streets i were free of women and children.
 who had been warned to remain at l their homes throughout the day. When several hundred prisoners
 had been rounded up and brought to
 the plaza, they were surrounded bv
 armed citizens and carefully searched.
 The prisoners offered no resistance.
 some urging citizens to come on.
 shoot down your brothers" and a
 few mere boys pleading to be allowed
 to leave.
 The citizens then escorted their
 prisoners through the main streets
 to the railway depot. Fifty picked
 sharpshooters, members of the local
 rifle clubs, were posted on fences
 and buildings along the line of
 march, and in the center of one of
 the winding streets a machine gun.
 hurriedly mounted on the sheriff's
 automobile, commanded a sweeping
 range of the procession. At the
 depot. another favorite haunt for
 the pickets, several hundred more
 alleged l. W. w. sympathizers were l (COntinued on Page Two)