in the 1850s, eminsang established himself as a merchant on the gold coast. in 1859, while doing business in kumasi, eminsang had a conflict with the asante chief kwasi brantuo, whose porters lost five textiles from a shipment eminsang had ordered from anomabu. asantehene kwaku dua i panyin ruled in favour of eminsang and ordered that brantuo pay 15 engels compensation to eminsang. eminsang still refused to pay the wages of the porters, however, leading brantuo to complain to asante chief akyempon yaw, who regulated elmina affairs in kumasi. the conflict became so heated that the dutch agent in kumasi, pieter de heer, offered to pay eminsang's debt from his own pocket, but eminsang flatly refused and swore a coromantee oath that no payment would take place. after eminsang started to insult the asantehene, he was arrested and imprisoned. eventually, pieter de heer managed to persuade asantehene kwaku dua to release eminsang to send him for trial by the dutch governor in elmina.