Ethel Proudlock case

The Ethel Proudlock case refers to Ethel Proudlock's 1911 trial for murder which took place in Kuala Lumpur, FMS (now Malaysia). The trial became a cause célèbre scandalising British colonial society.

William Somerset Maugham wrote a short story about the case which he subsequently turned into a successful 1927 play The Letter and which in turn received several film and TV adaptions; the most well known of these is William Wyler's movie The Letter. In addition, it was referenced in the 1977 film East of Elephant Rock by Don Boyd.

It was the subject of a 2000 book by Eric Lawlor.^[1]

History[]

Ethel Proudlock[]

Ethel Proudlock, née Charter, was a Eurasian who married William Proudlock, acting headmaster of the prestigious Victoria Institution for boys in Kuala Lumpur, at the age of 19 in 1907.

Incident[]

On the evening of 23 April 1911, she was alone in the VI headmaster's bungalow (near the present-day Pasar Seni LRT/MRT station^[2][3]) while her husband dined with a fellow teacher. In the course of that evening, she shot dead William Steward, a mine manager. Steward had visited her by rickshaw and had told the rickshaw boy to wait outside. Shortly afterwards, the boy heard two shots and saw Steward stumble out of the house across the veranda followed by Proudlock carrying a revolver; she then fired the remaining four bullets into him.

Proudlock stood trial for murder in June 1911. There was no jury, and her case was heard by a judge and two assessors. The trial lasted 10 days and attracted intense local interest. Proudlock claimed that Steward had attempted to rape her and that she was acting in self-defence. However, the judge found her guilty of murder on the basis of inconsistencies in her testimony and other circumstantial evidence and sentenced her to death.

Montage of historical maps of the Klang River, taken at the Pasar Seni MRT/LRT station. The Victoria Institution was located on its eastern bank when the murder occurred. The school's site was located several meters south of the present-day station, marked 'You Are Here'.

The verdict caused a furor in the local community, prompting The Malay Mail to issue the following notice ^[4]

We decline to associate ourselves with the hysterical outbursts which have followed the judicial decision...Correspondence has already appeared in our columns touching upon the case, and the opinions of our readers will receive publicity within limits. But for those who have gone to all kinds of adjectival extremes in the attempt to splutter forth their wrath against the judge and assessors, it may be added that their effusions will find the oblivion of the wastepaper basket.

Aftermath[]

Proudlock appealed the verdict and spent five months in Pudu jail awaiting her appeal. During the course of that time, a number of petitions were created for her, including one from her husband and the boys of the Victoria Institution, prompting the Sultan of Selangor to pardon her. Ethel Proudlock immediately left the colony with her three-year-old daughter for England and eventually America.

William Proudlock left soon after for England. It's not known whether he ever rejoined Ethel, but he did keep in touch. By 1931, he had moved to South Africa and ultimately to Argentina to teach at St. George's College, Quilmes. He died in 1958.

See also[]

• Lord Erroll murder case. A 1941 murder case amongst the Happy Valley set that similarly scandalised British colonial society in Kenya.

References[]

External links[]

• Chung Chee Min. "The Proudlock Saga". The Victoria Institution Web Page. Retrieved 21 March 2011.

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