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time I told him of this riot having been instigated by these two people. I went to his house and told him. He is rather a prominent man in our community; so is Mohamado Yoosoof, the Crystal Palace man. They do not speak to each other regularly or go in and out of each other's shops. I do not know whether Mohamed Cassim told Yoosoof that I had seen who incited the riot in Kevser Street. He never told me about his communicating it to Yoosoof. I gave evidence last month in the police station. The Superintendent of Police, Mr. Daniel, took me there. Until then I had not mentioned the fact of the accused's part in the incident to anyone except M. M. Cassim, my master. Long before the 25th the whole of the Pettah was as quiet as a church or mosque. I did not see high officials going about the Pettah There and speaking to the Moor people and trying to make them more confident. was a Town Guard for some time over the Crystal Palace. I did not tell any European gentlemen who came round there or any senior official that I knew this terrible thing had been done by our leading rich neighbours. My master, M. M. H. Cassim, did not make such a complaint in my presence to any responsible official. did not see Mr. Daniel very frequently at Keyser Street. I know there were guards on the streets.

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Re-examined by the Attorney-General: I know Mr. Daniel. I remember his coming to our shop one day because we complained to him that it had been broken. My master presented a petition. I put the petition in the post. It may have been about the 8th. I do not remember the date on which Superintendent Daniel came to the shop. He asked me what I saw, and I told him. He asked me to come to Maradana. At Maradana I was questioned about what I saw, and he wrote down my answers. I cannot fix the date of that.

Abdul Latif Mohamado Ismail, sworn.

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(To Attorney-General.) I am a wharf clerk, and am employed under S. L. Abdul Wahid in Third Cross Street. I remember the 1st of June. I went to my shop on that day, but did not open it, because there was a riot. I had not the keys of the shop. My master was to bring the keys. As the shop was not opened I was proceeding on my way home by Main Street to New Moor Street. At Kayman's Gate and near the belfry I saw a large crowd. I turned back and came away and went through Third Cross Street. I went by Keyser Street to Second Cross Street junction. It was about 8.30 or 9.0 when I first went to the shop, and it was 11.0 o'clock, at a guess, when I turned back and got to Second Cross Street. At the junc- tion of Second Cross Street there were some Moors in a place where one of our men has a shop. I went and joined them. I heard the noise of a motor-car coming at about 12.0 o'clock. It came by First Cross Street and stopped opposite de Mel's furniture shop. Edmund Hewawitarne, N. A. Wijesekera, another person whom I don't know, and the driver were in the car. I know these two people by these names. have not spoken to either of them. They are prominent men; everybody knows them. They alighted from the car and, turning towards the junction, beckoned to the crowd. About 200 or 300 persons came when they beckoned. They said: "Break this Moorman's boutique." I was standing with the Moor people at the corner. Then the crowd came and smashed up the place. They waited there for about five minutes. On turning to get into the car they saw M. M. H. Cassim's shop. Then they said: "That is also a Moorman's shop; break it." Then that was also broken. The two men in the car got into the car and went away by Second Cross Street. I do not know whether they went towards the mosque or the other way. When I was standing there they pelted stones at me, and I went into the mosque, where I stayed till 4.30. I did not speak to the other men in the mosque and tell them what had happened. Don Carolis's son is a well-known man. I first reported the occurrence to my master's brother about fifteen days after the riot. I told nobody else.

Cross-examined by Mr. Allan Drieberg: When I got to Second Cross Street about fifteen or twenty persons had taken refuge there. Standing at the junction I looked down Keyser Street and saw angry crowds of Sinhalese. The Moormen in Keyser Street were by the side of the verandahs. I did not recognize anybody. There were about fifteen or twenty persons whose names I did not know.

Mr. Drieberg: They were suffering no violence from the Sinhalese ! Witness: They did not come that way.

Mr. Drieberg: Then they were not in Keyser Street at all--the Sinhalese! Witness: Nobody came up to that place while I was there. Whether they came afterwards I do not know. I got there at about 11.0 o'clock. There was a small

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crowd of Sinhalese there then, but after the car arrived and they were called there was a large crowd. Before the large crowd came the small crowd did not in any way molest the Moormen in Keyser Street. I resumed business on the 12th. knew that Yoosoof had taken proceedings against the accused and Wijesekera for breaking the Crystal Palace. I heard that from Wahid's brother about fifteen days after the riot. I then told him what I knew. In that neighbourhood the Crystal Palace and M. M. H. Cassim's shop were the only two shops of any size that were wrecked. Cassim's shop is a large shop.

Mr. Drieberg: Can you give any explanation of how it is that until the 15th you made no mention of the fact that this outrage was instigated by the two leading men in your locality!

I was

Witness: I came to my shop on the 12th. Before that I was not well. unwell till the 15th. I was in my house all that time. Peer Saibo's lane is a Moorish locality. I did not meet a single countryman of mine during these fifteen days. Yoosoof took me before the Police Magistrate. Superintendent Daniel examined me before that. I cannot remember whether it was on the same day. It was near that time. I do not know whether Keyser Street was perfectly quiet at 4.30 on the 1st of June, because I was in the mosque. When I was chased and ran away it must have been about 12.30 or 1.0.

Murugesupillai Sinnatamby, Sub-Inspector of Police.

I prepared a sketch showing roughly the lay of the land. I was on duty at Maradana during the disturbances. They broke out on the 31st May in the evening. On the 1st of June there was a great disturbance and several boutiques were looted. I did not come to the Pettah. On the night of the 1st of June there was a great panic and several people were wounded. It was the same the next day, when martial law was proclaimed. Moor refugees were brought to the mosque at Mara- dana. It has a very large compound. There were very many Moor refugees. It is rather difficult to say about how long after the Mohammedans began to go about the streets.

Cross-examined by Mr. Drieberg: My permanent station is Kotahena. I was doing duty at Maradana. I do not know anything of the condition of things in

Keyser Street. I did not see any people wounded and shot where I was. Inspector Pieris, sworn.

I am now holding the rank of Inspector of Police and was in charge of the Pettah during the disturbances. I remember the morning of the 1st of June. There were riotous disturbances in all the streets of the Pettah and a certain amount of damage to the property of the Moors. The disturbances continued for about five days. At night, too, Colombo was in a state of serious riot. Martial law was pro- claimed a few days after. On the 2nd, also, there were disturbances and looting. There was rioting in Maradana and other places in the evening of the 1st. There was also looting on the 1st, including the Crystal Palace. There were riots on the 2nd also. I cannot fix the date when martial law was proclaimed. On that day the military came in and took command of the streets. The Moors were not about the streets doing business. The refugees were taken to the mosque at Maradana. I cannot remember the night when the military pickets were removed and the police pickets substituted. The Moors began to come out and go about their business about four or five days after. I was in charge of the Pettah on the morning of

I remember there was some sort of rioting in Main Street. Wijesekera at the close of that affair. He was handed over to my custody, and I I saw Mr. released him, knowing his name. I cannot fix the time. I cannot say whether it was before or after the looting of the Crystal Palace.

the 1st.

Cross-examined by Mr. Drieberg: I went to Keyser Street on the 1st of June.

I cannot say when the Town Guard was stationed there and when the military were

sure.

in possession of the roads. I may have gone there in the evening; I am not quite I am certain I went there, but cannot say whether it was in the morning or evening, or how often I went. The Moors were all crowded in Second Cross Street. and several other places; Moor Street was guarded. throughout the time of the riots the officials went freely about Moor Street in order I cannot say whether all to restore confidence. I passed that way and met Moor people. Complaints were not made to me. I made no inquiries.

This concluded the case for the prosecution.

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