A Barnstable County jury found Gorman Cowell, captain of the brig Roleson, his first mate, John Orlando, and the brig's owner not guilty on charges of kidnapping. The case had resulted from the returning of the stowaway fugitive slave Columbus Jones to slavery from Hyannis, Massachusetts the previous May. The argument for the verdict was largely based upon the doubtful jurisdiction of the county over events that happened off-shore. (By John Osborne)
Record Data
Type
Legal/Political