Life of Ahmad — Page 553
as DR. CLARK DRAGS HIM INTO COURT 553 also a known fact that even a section of Hindu and Muslim priests joined hands with the Christians. The Hindus were represented by Pundit R a m Bhaj Dutt, a well-known pleader of Lahore, who volunteered his services as a legal adviser and assisted the prosecution from beginning to end. The Muslim priests were represented by Maulaw i Muhammad Husain of which Abdul Hamid was apprehended on the l7th June at Rawalpindi. On the 20th June he was produced before a Magistrate at Gurdaspur, the Deputy Commissioner being temporarily at Dalhousie. Remands were ordered to the Judicial Lock Up, pending notice to the Government Advocate, who could not appear until the 9th August when he applied for the summoning of two witnesses. One of these M. Ghulam Haidar, Tahsildar of Murree, could not attend until the 8th September, when the present trial commenced. ' Ahmad as had forgiven all the culprits. The unholy alliance of his enemies had automatically been dissolved and they had to hide their faces in frustration and shame. But the law must have its course. Abdul H am i d had to pay the penalty inspite of his truthful confession. He was convicted on September 11th, 1899, and sentenced to nine months rigorous imprisonment whereof 44 days had to be passed in solitary confinement. To Mr. J. R. Drummond it was all a mystery. He was constrained to remark in his judgment. 'It is by no means clear what the springs have been that produced this chapter in the obscure history that has centred seriously for the past few years round the new religious movement of which Abdul Hamid pretended (falsely as one of my predecessors has held) to be a selected emissary. ' He did not know Ahmad as nor could he understand the Divine hand that worked underneath. Abdul Hamid stuck to the truth and Ahmad’s as innocence was wonderfully vindicated. Mysterious indeed are the ways of God and subtle the forces that govern men’s minds! Thus was fulfilled the Word of God which had come to Ahmad as several years before. He was discharged just as Jesus as and Moses as had been declared innocent. Abdul Hamid confessed his guilt just as the women confessed their guilt in respect of Jesus as and Moses as.