A Present to His Royal Highness - The Prince of Wales — Page 68
68 instrument of their vengeance. The missionaries were the first to drag him into court thinking that the courts of a Christian Government would surely show favour to them. A Christian missionary made a report that Ahmad (peace and the blessings of God be upon him!) had sent a man to kill him, and by wiles and machinations induced a vagabond to state that he had in truth been sent by the accused to procure the death of the missionary. On this, men of all religions became violently excited and sided with the missionary, and the Prophet of God was left to contend single-handed against an hostile world. God had, however, informed him beforehand that he would experience trouble in a matter in which the Government would be concerned, but that there was no real danger behind it, and that in the end he would be ‘acquitted. ’ The case was tried by the District Magistrate, Captain Douglas, who subsequently became Chief Commissioner of the Andaman Islands. His enemies rejoiced that now would “this self-styled Messiah” be punished and disgraced. But, as in the case of the first Messiah, God had disclosed the truth to Pilate, so did He now open the heart of Captain Douglas, who, after hearing the statement of the principal witness, expressed an opinion that the case appeared to him to be a concoction and that the witness was a liar. He directed the Superintendent of Police, who was a European, to make a full investigation into the case and to submit his report. The latter, seeing that the witness lived in the mission compound and was under the influence of