 Updegraff, an ardent abolitionist who was a vital member of the Underground Railroad in Lycoming County, was able to convince his peers that the rioters deserved to be punished.The first jury vote was 11 to 1 in favor of acquittal, with Updegraff being the lone dissenter.Updegraff argued that "we have been sworn to try this case according to the law and the evidence presented and that if no contradictory evidence [is] offered by the defendants than we could do nothing more than to convict them."