magistrate refused to act insists it was the sole responsibility to whom the ship was confined to take 2 fwhishive. the in an attempt to prove anderson was who he initially claimed to be provided what we'll call protection papers signed by a notary in baltimore stating that the man who came on board the young america was in fact phillip nettles a free black. the rescue and hearing before the magistrate generated public interest and raised questions about the international reach of american laws meant to address domestic issues, even to some observers who opposed slavery. flying an american flag, which was considered american territory was as was said, a violation of international law. if that were the case, a supporter to the rescue countered and the offense was committed on american soil would anderson have to be handed over for trial in the united states? such a conclusion would be preposterous, he insisted and it would first have to ignore the fact that at the time of the rescue, the ship was anchored in british waters. such legal niceties mattered little to the man robert monroe harrison, the