317
167
Edmund Hewawitarne, affd.
(To Mr. Norton.) I remember the 1st of June. That was a Tuesday. On the Monday night previous to that I was at my home in the Cinnamon Gardens. It is about two miles from my shop. On Monday night I got a telephone message to say that there had been some disturbances in a boutique adjoining our shop, and I got my car ready and came to see what it was. Adjoining my, house there is a Moorman's boutique. About midnight I came downstairs and telephoned to the Cinnamon Gardens police that some people had broken the boutique. They said they would send some men, and in ten or fifteen minutes a number of policemen were sent. I was standing at my gate and I saw some men arrested. Not much damage was done to the Moorman's boutique. I asked the Moormen to go and stay at my stables, and they did so. There were two or three of them in my stables. The next morning I got a telephone message from my office, at about 7.30, to the effect that there were disturbances at a place quite close to our shop-in Prince Street. I then got out my car and went to my shop, which I reached at about 8.30. The shop was open. Some clerks were there. I gave orders to have the glass windows all covered with zinc to protect them from stray stones. When I saw that the thing was properly done I went to the office and sat at my desk and worked. My office, as one enters the shop, is on the right hand side. In that office, besides myself, there are about ten or twelve clerks. My manager sits about three or four feet from me. His name is Mr. Moonesinghe. He was there that day. After that I sent for the postbag from the Post Office. It was brought, and I opened the letters myself. My tappel is a very heavy one. I go through the letters and separate them accord- ing to the various departments. After I had finished that I sat at my desk again, working Mr. Carron, Crown Proctor of Negoinbo, came to see me at about 10.30 or 80. He came in connexion with some flooring tiles. He was with me for about an hour. He wanted some border tiles. I said we hadn't got such a large quantity, but that I would look into the old files and see whether we could give him the quan- tity he wanted. I was occupied some time in doing that. That would bring me up to about 10.30.
Mr. Norton: Didn't you say he came about 10.30! Witness: I said Mr. Carron came at about 10.30. He stayed for about an hour. Then it would be 11.30. Then I was attending to other business. My business is a very extensive one. My brother is a partner. He was there that day. He is a doctor. He is in jail under arrest, not in connexion with this rioting, but something else. After Mr. Carron left I saw several other gentlemen.come there customers. I attended to them myself. Mr. and Mrs. Maddock were among them. Mr. Maddock is a surveyor, I think, in Bandarawela. He brought some packages, and I went and got them opened, and he gave me instructions about getting the contents (an old English cellaret and stand) repaired. He was very minute in his instruc- tions. He wanted the wood used to match the colour of the old wood, and he asked me to strengthen the brass bands. There were some pieces missing, and he pointed them out. Mrs. Maddock was with him in the shop at the same time. They must have come about noon and stayed about an hour. I breakfast at the office as a rule.
My usual breakfast time is about twelve. I remember that on that occasion I break fasted before they came. They stayed about an hour and went away. I again came and sat at my desk and began to do my usual work. I was there till about
4 0 o'clock. I then left the place and went to the road and saw some Town Guards. It was about 4.0 or 4.30. They were at the corner, at Keyser Street junction. I know the gentleman called G. T. Pieris. He is a merchant. I saw him at the office that day. I saw him twice; the first time must have been before my break fast. I think. He must have been on a friendly call. He was talking to my brother the doctor. I saw him again in the afternoon at about 2.0 o'clock. I spoke to him then. When I first came up to my shop, before I had my breakfast, the street was quiet. It was about 8.30. I received information about noon about the riots.
Mr. Norton: What was the information that you received when you first arrived which led you to protect your property against injury!
He
Witness: There was a disturbance just opposite Dr. Van Geyzel's house, just at the junction of Prince Street and First Cross Street. I know Wijesekera. was a co-accused with me. I am a Wellala, the cultivating class That is one of the four general classes. Wijesekera is of the jaggery caste. It is below the Suttra caste. I am not on friendly terms with Wijesekera. I know him and he knows me. We know each other by name, to talk to each other on business matters. He is
also a merchant. He deals in drapery and stationery. He used to come and have business transactions with me and I had business transactions with him. We do not visit each other's houses. We do not feed together.
Mr. Norton: Is it true that on the 1st of June you were with him in a motor-car between 12.0 and 1.30?
Witness: I was never in a motor-car with him in my life. I was not in any motor-car at all between those hours. I did not, on the 1st of June, drive with Wijesekera into Keyser Street or even alone. I gave no orders on that day to anyone to wreck the Crystal Palace or Cassim's shop. I was not at Keyser Street that day at all at any hour between 8.0 in the morning and 4.30 in the afternoon. I know the proprietor of the Crystal Palace. I do not think I know his name. I have not seen him in my shop. I know that we have been buying things from him for about two years. Before the war broke out the purchases we made were on credit; they were entered in our books. Since the war the transactions have been on a cash basis. I have never had a quarrel with this man nor he with me. He is not a rival. There is no reason whatever why I should desire to wreck his property. I do not know Kalidu, his servant, personally, nor have I ever seen Saleh in my life. I heard of the disturbance on the 1st of May June] in the vicinity of Keyser Street and the Crystal Palace about noon, I should say. It was before the Maddocks came. In consequence of what I heard I asked my brother to telephone to the police at the Pettah, which is quite half a mile from our shop. He tried to get the Pettah police he told me.
Cross-examined by the Attorney-General: I did not hear the noise of the smashing of the Crystal Palace. It is a short distance from our shop. I could not hear because I was engaged in my work inside, and all the windows on that side were closed. Our shop is not very close to the Crystal Palace. It is in First Cross Street; the Crystal Palace is in Keyser Street. There is a turn at the junction. I did not hear the sound of any disturbance at the Pettah while I was sitting in my office. I did not interest myself in what was going on outside in the Pettah that day. The condition of the Pettah was not such as to bring me out to the streets for anything that I had heard. It would have taken me only a very few minutes to go from my office to the Crystal Palace.
The Attorney-General: If you had gone in a motor-car for a few minutes that morning you could easily have taken the turn round, gone into the Crystal Palace, and returned to your office in a few minutes?
Accused: That is if I went from First Cross Street.
The Attorney-General: In ten minutes you could have got into a car at your door, gone round First Cross Street, along Keyser Street, out at Second Cross Street, and back to your office in a very short time!
Witness: I cannot say that; I never tried it.
The Attorney-General: It would not take more than a few minutes for a man
in a motor-car to go round the four streets.
Witness: I cannot say; there are many streets to pass by. There were others who came and saw me on that day besides those I have mentioned. I remember seeing Mr. Lambert Pieris that morning at about 9.0 or 10.0 o'clock. He came to ask
us to despatch his furniture on that day. It is impossible for me to have gone out into the streets in a car that day without any one noticing my absence, because if I left my desk all the clerks and the manager would see me. There are several salesmen also and outside watchers. It is impossible to get out in a motor-car without being noticed. I would not leave my precious work and run away for nothing at all. From the entrance you can see my deak; it is on the south side of the building in First Cross Street. Anybody coming in could be seen by me. I could not have gone out without being seen by persons in my employment.
The Attorney-General: Apart from these persons, it would be the easiest thing in the world for you to take a trip in a car and come back without your absence being felt!
Witness: I do not know whether I would have attempted such a thing, because there must have been disturbances in certain parts of the Pettah, and I would not have risked my life in a motor-car running all over Colombo.
The Attorney-General: It all depends as to what your view about these dis- turbances would be.
I
Witness: I had to protect my building, which is a large and valuable one. would not have had the audacity to go and break other people's shops when I have
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
CIL TIT
Reference :-
C.O.
882 /10
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC - COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON,