Supreme Court once declared slavery legal, but only for sailors

Published: Dec. 19, 2019, 2 p.m.

Four mariners on the sailing ship Arago, in Astoria, tried to quit and were tracked down by police and forced to return to work, like runaway slaves. When they sued, the Supreme Court issued an astonishing ruling against them. (Astoria, Clatsop County; 1895) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/1607c.slavery-ok-for-sailors-says-scotus.400.html)