Bernard vanCuylenberg
The sylvan surroundings, bracing climate and majestic mesmerizing landscapes of the tea estates in the plantation districts of Sri Lanka are an inspiration to the poet, artist, and philosopher. But beneath this facade of nature at her very best, lie tales of dark secrets and murder most foul, two of which are given in this article. The first, and perhaps best known was “The Whitehouse Murder” which took place in 1949.
Mr. Bruce Whitehouse was the Manager of Madampe Group, Rakwana in the Ratnapura district. Every month he would travel to Colombo, a distance of approximately 150 kilometers each way, to collect the staff / workers wages. On these trips he would follow a set routine.
Having collected the wages from the National & Grindlays Bank, he would visit the Colombo Swimming Club for drinks and sometimes lunch, after which he would drive back to Ratnapura. Mrs. Whitehouse usually accompanied him on these trips. Unknown to Mr. Whitehouse, his trips to Colombo and back were meticulously charted and studied by none other than the kingpin of the underworld in Colombo at the time – a veritable Al Capone of the day – the notorious and much feared "Laathara Baas ".
This worthy gentleman was
responsible for many crimes, murder included, and had fallen foul of the law on
several occasions, but thanks to a slick lawyer, he always evaded being put
away for life. "Laathara Baas" and his cronies were particularly
interested in the trips Whitehouse made to Colombo and back due to the large
sum of money he carried on the return trip. The criminal network was so well
organized that they knew the exact day he would leave the estate. It transpired
later that he was even followed to Ratnapura on a few occasions by a car which
kept its distance, in order to ensure that the murderous plan these thugs had
in mind would succeed when it was eventually carried out.
On that fateful day, true to form Whitehouse followed the script."Humourous" is a word I do not care to use considering the events to follow, but into this drama comes the humble tomato (Thakkali in Sinhalese)! Mr. Whitehouse had a fondness for tomatoes, and sometimes during these visits he would go to the Pettah market (a public market in Colombo having many varieties of vegetables and fruits for sale) and purchase a sack or two of the best tomatoes to take back to his bungalow.
On that fateful day, true to form Whitehouse followed the script."Humourous" is a word I do not care to use considering the events to follow, but into this drama comes the humble tomato (Thakkali in Sinhalese)! Mr. Whitehouse had a fondness for tomatoes, and sometimes during these visits he would go to the Pettah market (a public market in Colombo having many varieties of vegetables and fruits for sale) and purchase a sack or two of the best tomatoes to take back to his bungalow.
On the day in question he did just that, and three sacks
of tomatoes were placed in the boot side by side with the bags of cash. Now it
happened that the bags of tomatoes bore a close resemblance to the bags of cash
stacked side by side, and this odd mix played an important part in this sordid
tale as would be seen later. So dear reader, take another sip of Merlot and
steel yourself for the action down the track, or in this case, along the
Colombo – Ratnapura Road.
As usual on this day Whitehouse was followed to the bank, to his club, and then to the Pettah market; and from there to Ratnapura. In the vehicle trailing him were "Laathara Baas" himself and three of his hoodlums with one intention – to waylay the car at a designated spot and steal the cash. Unaware that they were being followed, Mr. and Mrs. Whitehouse drove on, until at a sharp curve near the old bridge on the Ratnapura road a vehicle suddenly overtook theirs and blocked the road. Mr. Whitehouse slammed on the brakes, and before he could even begin to think, "Laathara Baas" and two of his sidekicks, fully armed and masked, thrust a gun in his face demanding that he handover the cash. If they thought that Whitehouse was an easy target, they thought wrong.
To their surprise he put up a defiant struggle, attempting to grapple with the thugs. It was three against one and proved futile. Incensed at being thwarted, the thugs responded in the manner best known to them – they shot Mr. Whitehouse at point blank range, and while his horrified wife watched on, opened the boot and took four bags of cash, making a quick getaway.
As usual on this day Whitehouse was followed to the bank, to his club, and then to the Pettah market; and from there to Ratnapura. In the vehicle trailing him were "Laathara Baas" himself and three of his hoodlums with one intention – to waylay the car at a designated spot and steal the cash. Unaware that they were being followed, Mr. and Mrs. Whitehouse drove on, until at a sharp curve near the old bridge on the Ratnapura road a vehicle suddenly overtook theirs and blocked the road. Mr. Whitehouse slammed on the brakes, and before he could even begin to think, "Laathara Baas" and two of his sidekicks, fully armed and masked, thrust a gun in his face demanding that he handover the cash. If they thought that Whitehouse was an easy target, they thought wrong.
To their surprise he put up a defiant struggle, attempting to grapple with the thugs. It was three against one and proved futile. Incensed at being thwarted, the thugs responded in the manner best known to them – they shot Mr. Whitehouse at point blank range, and while his horrified wife watched on, opened the boot and took four bags of cash, making a quick getaway.
Not quite..in their haste, they
had taken two bags of tomatoes along with two bags of cash, leaving the rest of
the bags in the boot. Mrs. Whitehouse meanwhile – full marks to this gallant
lady – got behind the wheel, and cradling her mortally wounded husband in her
lap, drove the car to the Palmgarden Estate factory around 3
kilometers away. She could not save him - Mr. Whitehouse died soon after.
The full force of the law,
and the best detectives worked on the case, and after about three weeks,
"Laathara Baas" and his henchmen were arrested. Following a trial
which gripped the nation, "Laathara Baas" and his cronies went the
way that all "good" criminals go. He and three of them were hanged at
the Welikade jail, while one got a life sentence and died in prison.
To this day, the bend in the road where this gruesome murder was committed is known as "Thakkali Wanguwa" (Tomato Bend). I have seen it and in fact on one occasion stopped awhile at this bend attempting to visualize in my mind’s eye the horrible events as they happened that awful day in 1949. Unfortunately, not many are aware of this spot because the last book on this murder went out of print over fifty years ago, and with the passage of time events like this tend to be shrouded in the dark mists of memory.
To this day, the bend in the road where this gruesome murder was committed is known as "Thakkali Wanguwa" (Tomato Bend). I have seen it and in fact on one occasion stopped awhile at this bend attempting to visualize in my mind’s eye the horrible events as they happened that awful day in 1949. Unfortunately, not many are aware of this spot because the last book on this murder went out of print over fifty years ago, and with the passage of time events like this tend to be shrouded in the dark mists of memory.
*'Thotum' - Estate
Meet the writer: Bernard VanCuylenberg
Prior to migrating to Australia my working background was in the field of tourism and hospitality.
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6 comments:
Devaka, thank you. That was a gripping tale. I wish Mr. Whitehouse had survived, but hats off to his courageous wife. Looking forward to Part II.
The strategy adopted by Mr.Whitehouse was to put the money in identical sacks as of tomatos so that something could be saved on such eventualities and his strategy paid off, unfortunately he lost his life.
Such a sad yet sweet and hilarious story. Much of the tea tales seem rather impossible to those outside the cohort but the fact is that such events are many.
Gripping story! Looking forward to part 2
Most of the time it is the royal life of tea planters that comes to light and is often talked and written about , especially by the outside world. But it has not been so as 'The Whitehouse murder' the real lifestory depicts. It gives one goosepimples !!! What the lady must have gone through!
The history is witness to many incidents that would read like Greek tragedies... when i look back on my 37 years in Assam I recollect many incidents - accidents by drowning, wild life killings, lonliness and depression, suicides, lynching of senior staff..kidnappings ..
Now sitting in my cosy secured sitting room in the city I often wonder was it all real... ? ?
waiting to read part 2.
I have heard this story before but not about the Tomato. The bend where this happened is no more as the road at this point has been straightened and the bend or rather loop is being turned into somebody's frontyard!!
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