The case originated from claims the United States government could not prosecute Henry Jones for committing murder on Navassa Island during a riot.

These lands would be proclaimed territory of the United States and, according to Section 6 of the act, any crimes or offenses committed on or adjacent to these islands "shall be deemed committed on the high seas, on board a merchant ship or vessel belonging to the United States; and shall be punished according to the laws of the United States relating to such ships or vessels and offenses on the high seas ..."[2] In 1857, the Navassa Island, claimed under the Guano Islands Act, was under the ownership of the Navassa Phosphate Company of Baltimore.

During the riot, five supervisors died, and eighteen workers were returned to Baltimore on a U.S. warship to await three separate trials on the charges of murder.

The defense claimed the accused were justified in their action under the contention that Jones acted in self-defense, and that the United States did not have jurisdiction over the island.

Harrison subsequently commuted the sentences to prison time and the case was brought up in the 1891 State of the Union Address.