On October 1, 1877, members of the society sent a condolence telegram to the city hall of
Iași in Romania, in order to mark the centenary of the beheading of
Grigore III Ghica, who had refused to cede Bukovina to Austria. A second, celebratory, telegram was sent to the Romanian capital
Bucharest in order to mark the
Fall of Plevna during the war. The imperial Austrian authorities, also taking into account the subsidies received from Romania, considered these as acts of treason, and disbanded the society on November 11. This act prompted a fierce reaction in the Romanian-language press, both in Hungarian-ruled
Oradea, and in Iași and Bucharest. In particular, an article by
C. A. Rosetti published repeatedly in
Românul created a stir within Bucharest's diplomatic circles, and also drew notice from
Vienna. A search at Arboroasa headquarters revealed compromising documents from societies in the Transylvanian cities of
Blaj and
Gherla, as well as in Vienna. It was during this prison stay that Porumbescu contracted the
tuberculosis that would lead to his death. The trial drew notice from
Mihai Eminescu, who wrote about what he considered the mistaken policies adopted by the imperial court at Vienna toward Bukovina's Romanians. Despite the acquittal, the ringleaders were placed under surveillance and expected to limit themselves to cultural manifestations. ==Notes==