1911 : ETHEL PROUDLOCK MURDER AT KL

On 23 April 1911, a significant event occurred in Kuala Lumpur that would eventually inspire world-renowned literature and filmWilliam Crozier Steward, a British mine manager, at the Victoria Institution (VI), Kuala Lumpur. This was the shooting of . 

Here are the details of the incident and its historical aftermath:

The Incident

• The Victim: William Crozier Steward, a 34-year-old manager of a tin mine in Salak South.
• The Location: The headmaster’s bungalow at the Victoria Institution (which at the time was located near the Klang River, where the Pasar Seni LRT station stands today).
• The Shooter: Ethel Mabel Proudlock, the 24-year-old wife of William Proudlock, the acting headmaster of the school.
• The Event: While her husband was out dining with colleagues, Steward arrived at the bungalow by rickshaw. Shortly after, the rickshaw puller heard shots and saw Steward stumble out onto the veranda. Ethel followed him and emptied all six chambers of a Webley revolver into him.

The Trial and Controversy

Ethel claimed she acted in self-defense against an attempted rape. However, the prosecution argued it was a crime of passion, suggesting they were lovers and she had discovered he was seeing another woman.

• The Verdict: In June 1911, she was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by hanging. She was the first European woman to be sentenced to death in the Federated Malay States.
• The Pardon: The verdict caused a massive outcry among the local and British communities. Thousands signed a petition for her release, including the staff and students of the Victoria Institution. Eventually, Sultan Sulaiman of Selangor granted her a full pardon.

Cultural Legacy

The case became a cause célèbre and lived on through various artistic interpretations:

• Literature: W. Somerset Maugham heard the story while traveling in Malaya and used it as the basis for his famous short story and play, The Letter (1924/1927).
• Cinema: The story was adapted into several films, most notably the 1940 classic The Letter starring Bette Davis.
• Modern Reference: More recently, the case is a central element in Tan Twan Eng’s 2023 Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, The House of Doors.

Other Readings:

1. Malaysia 1786 - 1957 : The Ethel Proudlock Murder Trial which scandalised British Colonial Society in Malaya in 1911. 
2. Victorian Times : Ethel Proudlock case
3. Wikipedia : Ethel Proudlock case

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17 January 2026: 6.56 p.m