White Swallow was an extreme clipper built in Boston in 1853 for the California trade.

"She made three runs from Boston to S.F. and six from N.Y. to S.F. The fastest was 110 days and the slowest 150; average of the fastest 4, 122 days. She sailed from Boston April 18, 1860, and made land 40 miles south of the Golden Gate in 104 days."

White Swallow left New York in 1865 under Captain Elijah E. Knowles in "rum shape with rag-tag rigging"—in poor condition.

On February 2, 1866, the New York Times reported: "The crew of the clipper-ship White Swallow, just arrived from New-York, have been arrested for mutiny while off the coast of South America."

"According to the story of the crew, they were put to unnecessarily hard and dangerous work, forced by brutal beatings with brass knuckles, belaying pins and the like. One grievance was that they were put over the side on stagings while the ship was going ten knots and rolling and pitching heavily. Two men were lost overboard."

"The crew finally mutinied, seized the captain and mates and put them in irons, although the captain was allowed on deck to take observations and direct affairs, all his orders being fully obeyed. A written agreement was drawn up absolving the crew of all blame and promised good treatment. On arrival at S.F., however, six of the ringleaders were tried but were acquitted by the testimony of the passengers and admissions of the officers."

According to Dillon's Shanghaiing Days, “The name on everybody’s lips in 1865 on the embarcaderos of the world was White Swallow ... For a brief time, this enlightened attitude of the court was much remarked upon by seamen and landsmen alike. But it did not last ... In contrast to the White Swallow victory for sailors was a whole series of cases in which bucko mates and masters got off almost scot free.”

However, Gleason sees the influence of this case differently, stating that "For many years the White Swallow was famous in legal circles."