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CITIT
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference
C.O.
882 /10
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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Sir Hector van
wanted to know the name of the writer of the paragraph, and he referred him to the proprietor. That was about a fortnight after the incident. Cuylenberg told me if I was summoned to go and bear testimony to what I had written.
Cross-examined by the Attorney-General: I live at Darley Road, just opposite the late Honourable Mr. F. C. Loos' house. I left home at about 10.0 o'clock and walked to the junction. It generally takes ten minutes. I know to a certainty that I looked at the clock at the Maradana Junction. The thing was fixed in my mind because the sub-editor and I discussed the matter in the office. He asked me what time the thing took place, and I told him that I had looked at the clock that day at the junction and it was ten minutes past 10.0, and so we fixed the time at 10.30. This was when I went in to give the news to them. They asked me what time the wreck- ing took place, and I said about 10.30. That was after my breakfast, about 12.0 It was about 10.30 when I got to Keyser Street. The mob was running, and I followed them. We are expected to be in office at 11.0 o'clock and get our instruc- tions I was an hour late that day in getting to the office. I take breakfast at about 11.30 or 12.0. On this occasion I breakfasted before I got to the office because I was late, having been detained in the streets.
The Attorney-General: On this occasion you did not go to your office till after breakfast. I put it to you that it was because you had delayed in the streets, and that you were too late to get to the office by 11.0 o'clock, that you had your breakfast and got to the office much later.
riots.
Witness: I had an excuse to make that I had to write up something about the
The Attorney-General: If you were in Keyser Street at 10.30 and the looting was then well finished, you could have got to your office well before 11.0. There would have been no occasion to take your breakfast first.
Witness: I was in Keyser Street for about twenty minutes.
The Attorney-General: Even so you had time to get to your office. Witness: It is about fifteen minutes walk.
The Attorney-General: You could have got to your office at 11.0 o'clock. As a matter of fact, what time did you get there?
Witness Shortly before noon. I fix 1.0 o'clock as the time I wrote the paragraph because it was at 1.30 that we usually despatch our copy to the Censor-the first budget. I do not actually remember writing it before 1.0 o'clock. It was not written later in the afternoon, because I wrote it before 1.0 o'clock and gave it to the sub-editor and got it at about 4.0 o'clock again.
The Attorney-General: But you say you cannot recollect writing it at 1.0 o'clock. You say that you only conclude that you did so because it was probably sent out with the first batch. It may have been written afterwards.
Witness: The paragraph in question was telephoned to the proprietor. From the time the Kandy riots commenced orders were given that matters relating to the riots should be submitted to the Censor. Ordinarily I get to office at about 11.0. If there had been nothing to attract my attention I would have got there that morning at 11.0 as usual. On ordinary days I am allowed to leave the office for my breakfast. The time I am allowed for breakfast is not limited. I am allowed to go for my breakfast if I get to office at 11.0 o'clock, and am not expected to go back after breakfast.
Re-examined by Mr. Norton: Before I put down 10.30 in that report I con- sidered the hour and by calculation arrived at 10.30.
(To the Court): I looked at the Maradana Station clock.
Eugene Mark Buultjens, sworn.
(To Mr. Drieberg.) I am sub-editor of the Ceylon Independent, and have been so for about four or five years. The paragraph in the issues of the 2nd June, relat- ing to the looting of the Crystal Palace, was written by Mr. Wootler. I put in some interpolations here and there. I was out myself that day and remember going in the direction of Keyser Street at about 11.0 o'clock. The Crystal Palace had been broken, and looting was going on. I saw people taking things away. I know the accused. I did not see him there nor did I see a motor-car there. I did not notice any Moormen. I did not go to Keyser Street. I was standing at F. X. Perera's corner. The crowd was armed with sticks. The report in question came into my hands at about 1.0 or 1.30. We had been told by the Censor that everything had to be submitted to him-in fact, I telephoned to him and asked him whether we had
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to send this copy to him that very day. It was at about 1.0 o'clock. The paragraph had to pass the Censor's office to be set up in print. The members of the staff have necessarily to exercise some care as regards the things which have to be passed by the authorities. In touching up the paragraph I left alone the statement regard- ing the time of the occurrence. I had no reason to doubt its correctness. remember inquiries being made by somebody interested in the defence as to who wrote the article in question. It was about twenty days ago. I referred him to the proprietor. The permission of the proprietor has been obtained for my giving evidence. I am a Burgher. I know the accused for ten or fifteen years. been coming into contact with him in business. I do not know him socially or privately. I have never been to his house.
I have
Cross-examined by the Attorney-General: The question as to what time the occurrence took place was discussed in the office generally directly Wootler came to the office about 12.30, as far as I remember. Keyser Street. I concluded that the Crystal Palace had been looted because I saw I had only passed along a part of people coming out. I got to a distance of ten or fifteen yards from the Crystal Palace, and saw then that it was in the hands of the looters. That was 11.0 o'clock. We were short-handed that day, and, the occurrence being a big thing, I could not very well stay in the office. (The witness indicated what portion of the paragraph was written by him.) I saw the first incident myself. That was about 9.0. usually got to the office at 11.0. I was at Sir Hector van Cuylenberg's at 7.30 that morning. I went to see him on some private business. I had been in the office from 10.0 to 10.30, and went out again at 10.30 along the Pettah.
Attorney-General: What fixed the fact in your mind so closely, and why might
it not have been 12.0 or 1.0 when you discussed this thing?
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Witness: I had my watch with me, and when I left the office it was just 10.30 by the clock tower. From the office I walked to the Pettah Library, and walked upstairs. I did not want to pass Main Street, as there was pelting of stones. The Town Guard had not yet taken possession of Main Street until the afternoon. The Sinhalese were pelting stones at the Moors and the Moors at the Sinhalese. There was no shooting. I stayed at the Pettah Library for about ten or fifteen minutes. I then went to Keyser Street and came back to Main Street. There was a big crowd of Moors collected at the end of F. X. Perera's shop.
The Attorney-General: I put it to you that the Moorish crowd was at Second Cross Street, blocking the entrance to the mosque.
Witness: That is so.
The Attorney-General: That is not quite what you said. F. X. Perera's shop
is not quite there. And did you go along Main Street? Witness: I did. Stone-throwing was going on. row in Main Street. Station, and went back to the office along Norris Road.
I did not see the end of the
I went as far as the Town Hall, cut across to the Pettah
The Attorney-General: As a matter of fact you did not see either the big row in Main Street or the looting of the Crystal Palace, but you would say that the looting of the Crystal Palace took place before the termination of the big row in Main Street. There was pelting of stones, a Moorish crowd was at the corner of Second Cross Street, but before you had seen that you say that the Crystal Palace had been wrecked. Assuming that the row was not over in Main Street, the Crystal Palace was wrecked before the finish of the row!
Witness: I do not know the condition of the row in Main Street. about it afterwards. I heard about the shooting in Main Street the following day. I heard No mention appears in my paper about this incident; it may have been censored.
Re-examined by Mr. Norton: The Library where I said I was standing is at the end of the racquet court (indicates it on the plan). From the Library I could
see what was going on in Main Street. The first row began at about 11.15. I went and saw the Main Street rioting before I saw the Keyser Street rioting. fifteen minutes elapsed between my seeing the Main Street rioting and my standing About at F. X. Perera's corner. It was from that corner that I saw people running away from the Crystal Palace with things in their hands. I was ten or fifteen yards from the Crystal Palace, and could see the entrance. I did not go beyond that corner. I do not know whether any paper made any reference to the shooting in the Pettah. At this stage the Court adjourned till 9.0 o'clock the following morning. Sperling Tweedale Wootler, sworn, recalled.
(To Attorney-General) (Shown paper.) Who wrote that! Witness: I wrote that.
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