On November 21, 1855, the pro-slavery man Franklin N. Coleman shot anti-slavery man Charles Dow in the head. This killed him. This happened after many angry arguments between them about land claims. When Sheriff Samuel Jones investigated the crime, Franklin Coleman said he shot Charles Dow in self-defense. Jones believed Coleman because they both were pro-slavery men. Jones decided to arrest Jacob Branson, a friend of Charles Dow and an anti-slavery man, for disturbing the peace. A group of anti-slavery people saved Branson.