 Gibbs took both Covey and Pratt to New Haven, where they were housed under the protection of Lewis Tappan and the committee for the defense of the captives of the "Amistad".Covey stayed in New Haven for four months, until he had translated the testimonies of three Mende-speaking captives in the Amistad civil trial in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1841.Because of his own experience, Covey was instrumental in interpreting and communicating the details of the kidnapping, terror, and eventual rebellion.