22 JAMBS BAIRD WEAVER
fleeing from bondage with her eye on the North
Star. In close pursuit was her cruel master
with his bloodhounds hard after her, just as she
crossed the Iowa line from Missouri. Clench-
ing his fists and advancing toward Dodge he
demanded to know if he under such circum-
stances would turn that fleeing mother and her
infant back to her pursuing master. Before
the breathless multitude Kirkwood shouted at
the top of his voice 'Answer my question!'
Dodge replied, 'I would obey the law.' Kirk-
wood retorted,' So help me, God, I would suffer
my right arm to be torn from its socket before
I would do such a monstrous thing!' The
crowd broke into a frenzy that resembled, the
sweep of a cyclone through a forest. Men grew
pale and clenched each other in frenzy. The
whole audience and everybody were carried off
their feet. The moral sense of the multitude
had been reached and it was vain to attempt to
reverse the deep impression which had been
made.

"However, so evenly balanced were the
opposing forces in the field that the official
returns only gave Kirkwood a fraction of above
3,000 majority in the state over his sturdy
antagonist, which demonstrated conclusively
that it was skill in debate and presenting the
claims of freedom that insured victory in that
historic struggle. We were passing through