Title supplied by cataloger.; Photograph was edited for publication purposes. The Metha Nelson was a was a wooden-hulled sailing schooner. The vessel, which was chartered to Mario Bello, former stepfather of Jean Harlowe, sailed from Long Beach on September 10, 1938, sailing to Guatemala. Two men, Charles Segal and Abraham Kapellner, claimed that the captain of the ship, Robert Hoffman, treated them badly because they were Jewish and he was German. Segal and Kapellner went ashore in Guatemala and boarded the Italian ship Cellina to return to Los Angeles. Hoffman radioed the captain of the Cellina and told him to hold the pair as mutiny suspects. Two days later, the Cellina, responding to distress flares, encountered the Metha Nelson, its sails in tatters and its engine disabled. When the ship reached San Pedro, Segal and Kapellner were arrested on charges of mutiny. Hoffman admitted using chains to restrain and beat crew members because of necessity. Most of the crew and guests aboard the ship disagreed with the captain and a grand jury refused to indict the two men. Photograph caption dated January 11, 1939 reads "Boatswain Bearman is shown holding a chain with which he says Capt. Robert Hoffman, of the Metha Nelson, struck him."
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Hoffman, Robert--Trials, litigation, etc Sailors--California--Los Angeles Chains--California--Los Angeles Men--California--Los Angeles Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express photographs Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
