United States v. Albers

115 F.2d 833, 1940 U.S. App. LEXIS 4780, 1941 A.M.C. 370
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedDecember 9, 1940
DocketNo. 900
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 115 F.2d 833 (United States v. Albers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Albers, 115 F.2d 833, 1940 U.S. App. LEXIS 4780, 1941 A.M.C. 370 (2d Cir. 1940).

Opinion

SWAN, Circuit Judge.

The appellants were unlicensed members of the crew of the Steamship “Ewa”, a merchant vessel of the Matson Navigation Company which sailed from the port of New York in December, 1939. They were convicted under an indictment charging in count one, that between February 26 and April 2, 1940, at the harbor of Colombo, Island of Ceylon, at Kolachel Anchorage, Tranvancore, India, and at various other places on the high seas, they endeavored to make a revolt and mutiny on board said vessel, contrary to § 292 of the Criminal Code, 18 U.S.C.A. § 483, set forth in the margin.1 Count two of the indictment charged a conspiracy to make such revolt and mutiny. Upon the second count the jury brought in a verdict of acquittal; but upon the first count all the appellants were found guilty, with a recommendation of extreme leniency. Eleven of them were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, the longest being three months. As to five, Whitlock, Solon, Sokolowsky, Iversen and Blades, imposition of sentence was suspended and each was placed on probation for one year.

The appeals of the five appellants placed on probation with imposition of sentence suspended must be dismissed. There is a distinction between suspending execution of sentence and suspending imposition of sentence. If sentence is imposed but execution thereof suspended, there is a final judgment from which an appeal will lie. Berman v. United States, 302 U.S. 211, 58 S.Ct. 164, 82 L.Ed. 204. But if imposition of sentence is suspended, no final judgment is entered; hence no appeal is possible. Birnbaum v. United States, 4 Cir., 107 F.2d 885, 126 A.L.R. 1207; United States v. Lecato, 2 Cir., 29 F.2d 694.

The appellants assert numerous errors in the conduct of the trial. Their first contention is that the charge of the court did not accurately define the statutory offense of endeavoring to make a revolt or mutiny, but permitted the jury to convict for mere acts of disobedience of orders of the master. Reading the charge as a whole we do not think this criticism can be supported. The charge contains the explicit statement: “I will say to you that to constitute an endeavor to commit a revolt it is necessary that there should be some effort or acts to stir up members of the crew to disobedience of the master.” This definition of the offense charged in count one of the indictment was adequate. To constitute an endeavor to make a revolt within the meaning of the statute as construed by the [835]*835courts, it is not necessary that the accused shall intend to usurp the master’s command and put another in his place; concerted disobedience by only part of the crew or an effort by only one member to incite or encourage disobedience by others is enough. Thus in United States v. Haines, C.C.Mass., 26 Fed.Cas. 62, No. 15,275, seven members of the crew who refused to do any work under a new captain in the belief that they were not bound to serve under him were convicted of an endeavor to commit a revolt. In Hamilton v. United States, 4 Cir., 268 F. 15, certiorari denied, 254 U.S. 645, 41 S.Ct. 15, 65 L.Ed. 454, the ship put into a harbor or refuge and while there the six months’ period for which the crew had signed on expired. They refused to do further work, contending that their service was ended; but they stayed aboard the ship and a new crew was hired to bring the vessel home. The old crew committed no violence, nor did they intend to take over the command. Nevertheless they were held guilty of an endeavor to make a revolt. This case parallels the case at bar almost exactly. In both the men believed that they were legally justified in their acts, and in both they remained on the ship but concertedly refused to obey orders to work. Similarly in Rees v. United States, 4 Cir., 95 F.2d 784, where the crew refused to work while “scab” stevedores were loading the ship, it was held that the concerted refusal to work resulted in a transfer of authority from the master and constituted a violation of the statute. In the light of these decisions the court’s charge as to the elements of the offense was sufficient and we find no error in refusal of the requests to charge on this subject.

A further attack upon the charge is based on the instructions given with respect to the rights of the crew under 46 U.S.C.A. § 597. This statute entitles a seaman to demand and receive, at any port where cargo is laden or delivered during the voyage, one half of the wages earned and remaining unpaid at the time of such demand. It provides that any failure on the part of the master to comply with the demand shall release the seaman from his contract and entitle him to full payment of wages earned. The Ewa arrived at Kolachel Anchorage on March 4, 1940. About 3 P. M. on that day three delegates, who respectively represented the men in the deck department, engine room, and steward’s department, asked the master for a “draw” of wages. The master refused with some irritation. Half an hour later the delegates returned and announced that the crew considered the articles broken and wanted their full pay. That evening the master computed the amount of each man’s draw and early the next morning informed the delegates that the men could have their draw. They refused the offer, standing' on their contention that the articles had been broken. The crew then roped off part of the after deck for their own use and refused to do any work. Loading of cargo was carried on by the officers and natives whom the master hired. Though orders were given to sail on March .12th, they were not obeyed by the crew. Both the master and the men had been communicating by wireless with the American consul at Madras, the men demanding that he come and pay them off, and the master seeking advice. The consul advised that settlement of the dispute should be postponed until the ship reached Aden, where a vice-consul was stationed. The delegates informed the master that the crew would not go to Aden, but finally, after the master had gone aft and ordered each man by name to turn to, the ship did sail on the 15th. From Aden, on the advice of the vice-consul, it proceeded to Port Said. There the crew refused to prepare the vessel for the return voyage to the United States. They were paid off and the ship sailed home with a new crew.

The appellants contend that by virtue of the above mentioned statute the master’s refusal of their demand for half wages on March 4th released them from their contract, and any offer on the following morning to pay the draw was immaterial. The trial judge in effect charged that, if such offer was made, the shipping articles were not broken and the crew had no right to disobey any of the captain’s orders. The cases interpreting the statute indicate that the drastic consequences resulting from a refusal of the seaman’s demand require a certain liberality in determining "what shall be considered as constituting a refusal. They hold that the master must be given a reasonable time — at least if he requests it— in which to ascertain the situation and meet the demand; further, the demand must be made in good faith and may not be used to obtain a technical breach of the articles in order to enable the men to abandon a ship which for other reasons they [836]*836no longer wish to serve. The Havenside, D.C.N.Y., 14 F.2d 851

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
115 F.2d 833, 1940 U.S. App. LEXIS 4780, 1941 A.M.C. 370, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-albers-ca2-1940.