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98 tion" declared that "the inevitable result was friction and such a state of tension and excited feeling that, no wonder it ultimately culminated in the murders of Mr. Rand and Lieut. Ayerst." Of course he did not mean to suggest in any way that there was relation of cause and effect between "either of these articles and those abominable murders." Still the charge of the Judge tended to create strong prejudice against the accused, who was pronounced by 6 jurors to have committed sedition; and the Judge after complimenting the accused on his remarkable ability and influence, sentenced him (14th September 1897), to rigorous imprisonment for i8th months. A special appeal was made to the Privy Council, but it was fruitless; and in the meantime Mr. Tilak was serving his sentence in the Yeravda gaol.

Such was the result of the conflict—the first of its kind in India— between the mighty Government of Bombay with its immense resources and a solitary citizen with nothing but truth, courage and a nation's sympathy to support him. Apparently it was a blow to Mr. Tilak. Since this time his relations with Government were uniformly unfriendly and as a consequence even those who should have stood by him, generally kept him at an arm's length; from this time the influential clique that guided the course of the Congress tried their best to put Mr. Tilak down. Of course, there were leaders like the Hon. Mr. (now Sir) Surendranath, whose relations with Mr. Tilak stood the shock of this prosecution and conviction. But the generality of the Moderate element shrank from any further co-operation with him.