necessary proofs of ownership were not in evidence. These facts
coupled with the publicity of the Mahan trial brought about the
peculiar legislative commission from Kentucky.

Here was a delegation from a slave commonwealth sent to a free State
to demand a rigorous fugitive slave law for their own benefit. The
Kentucky committee went even further and suggested the provisions of
the proposed enactment--and the remarkable thing was that they
actually succeeded. Although Ohio was known to be the home of
anti-slavery interests the law passed without any difficulty. By its
provisions a slave owner or his agent could appear before any judge,
justice or mayor, who was authorized to issue a warrant to any sheriff
in Ohio calling upon him to arrest the fugitive and bring him before
any judge in the county where caught. Upon proof of his ownership to
the court the owner was entitled to a certificate for removal. A heavy
fine and imprisonment were the penalty for any interference with the
execution of either the warrant or the removal of the slave. The vote
on this measure in the House of Representatives was 53 to 15. There
has been made an analysis of this roll call, which shows that the
opposition all came from northern Ohio--whereas those in the southern
part of the State voted for it because they were not inclined to allow
any disturbance of the friendly commercial relationship which they had
with their neighbor State to the south. Moreover, they objected to
their locality being used as a place of refuge for unfortunate
Negroes.[334]

Henceforth Ohio became a veritable hunting ground for fugitive slaves,
but the wiser of the Negroes and the abolitionists diverted their
efforts to other fields of escape, especially through Indiana and
Illinois. The legal authorities at this time began to realize that
their hope lay in the enactment of a federal law but no definite steps
were taken until after the affair of Francis Troutman at Marshall,
Michigan, in January, 1847. Troutman came from Kentucky to Michigan to
bring back six runaways that had been located at Marshall. When he had
found them and was about to take them before a magistrate for
identification, a crowd of citizens of the town put in their
appearance and threatened injury to Troutman and his three Kentucky
companions. Although the latter were acting in accordance with the law
the mob would not let them proceed in any manner--not even to appear
before the magistrate--bu