Most people did not know it at the time, but the Commonwealth of Virginia as it had existed died the day the Lexington Gazette printed the front page article “Where is Ruby Freemon?” She was not a native of Lexington, but her husband was, and he was one of their favorite doctors. The fact that he had been elected Vice President was a matter of pride. His arrest by the new President angered them. The disappearance of Ruby enraged them. The Gazette’s total suppression on nearly all public networks turned that into a cold hatred. They shifted to old style paper and private virtual networks to get the word out, and they soon became the newspaper of record when it came to any news about Ruby. Their broadsheets spread far and wide all over America via hidden distribution channels. Everybody knew their name and their message, even if few dared to repeat their words in public.