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Oscar Wilde has written a letter to the Press, which has been published this morning, in which he states that he was forced to abandon his charges against the Marquis of Queensberry in order to avoid putting Lord Alfred Douglas in the witness box.

The police, acting upon the instructions of the Public Prosecutor, have detained three of the most essential witnesses in the case.

In consequence of the disclosures in the recent libel action by Mr. Oscar Wilde against the Marquis of Queensberry, and upon the representations made by Mr. Russell to the Public Prosecutor, that functionary has issued a warrant for the arrest of Oscar Wilde.

Oscar Wilde has been arrested, and will appear at Guildhall to answer the charges preferred at the instance of the Public Prosecutor.

Several hours after the termination of the trial of the Marquis of Queensberry, Oscar Wilde, who was accompanied by Lord Alfred Douglas and two other men, was observed having his luncheon in a private room at the Holborn Viaduct Hotel. Afterwards Wilde drove to his Bank, whence he withdrew a large sum of money. The detectives, who were closely following his movements, then lost sight of him.

Later in the evening the detectives recovered his trail, and effected his capture at an hotel in Sloane-street.

Lord Alfred Douglas was very greatly distressed at the news of his capture and at his inability to obtain bail for his friend.

The Marquis of Queensberry sent a message to Oscar Wilde at the conclusion of the trial for libel, in which he threatened that he would shoot him if he attempted to take Lord Alfred Douglas abroad.

Taylor, the man whose name was so frequently referred to in the libel trial, was arrested today, and, with Oscar Wilde, appeared at Bow-street to answer the criminal charges laid against them by the Public Prosecutor.

Several witnesses were called who proved up to the hilt the case for the Crown, the witnesses citing many occasions on which meetings had occurred at hotels and at Taylor's rooms, Taylor, it was said, having acted as an intermediary for Wilde.

Sir John Bridge eventually, at the request of the authorities, remanded the prisoners until Thursday, refusing to grant bail.

Wilde's name has been withdrawn from the playbills of the theatres of London and the United States, where his comedies of "The Ideal Husband" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" are being played.

Parisian society, among whom Wilde had his own select coterie, is petrified at the facts that are now becoming public.

The trial came to a speedy termination on April 5, when Mr. Wilde's counsel withdrew from the case, and the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, expressing an opinion that Lord Queensberry's charges against Mr. Oscar Wilde were made for the public benefit.

In announcing his withdrawal the learned counsel explained that the literary works and letters of his client justified Lord Queensberry's plea, and expressed an opinion that Wilde had posed as an immoral person. He stated that he, therefore, withdrew from the case, in order to avoid the production of the appalling evidence against his client that he saw would be forthcoming if the case were continued.

This announcement was greeted by loud cheers from those present in the court, and while his counsel was making the statement Oscar Wilde hurriedly left the court.

Mr. Russell, Lord Queensberry's solicitor, in order to prevent any miscarriage of justice, sent to the Public Prosecutor a statement with notes of the evidence that would have been given by the witnesses to be called on his client's behalf.

Oscar Wilde next day published a letter, in which he stated that he abandoned the case against Lord Queensberry in order to avoid calling Lord Alfred Douglas as a witness.

A warrant was very quickly issued for the arrest of Oscar Wilde, and the police detained three essential witnesses.

After the trial Lord Alfred Douglas and two other men remained in conference with Oscar Wilde, the interview lasting several hours. They subsequently lunched with him in a private room at the Holborn Viaduct Hotel. The party then drove to Oscar Wilde's bank, where Wilde withdrew a large sum of money.

He was afterwards lost sight of until the next evening, when he was arrested at an hotel in Sloane-street.

Lord Alfred Douglas, who was with Wilde, accompanied him to the watch-house, and was greatly distressed at not being allowed to bail him out.

The man Taylor, who was mentioned in the libel case proceedings as having introduced Wilde to several young men, was also arrested and at Bow-street Police Court both Wilde and Taylor were charged with serious criminal offences.

Several witnesses gave evidence which proved the case against Wilde, and the accused were remanded, bail being refused.

The Marquis of Queensberry sent a message to Oscar Wilde after the trial declaring that he would shoot him if he took his son, Lord Alfred Douglas, abroad.

In consequence of the revelations made at the trial, the managers of the London and American theatres where Oscar Wilde's dramas, "An Ideal Husband" and "The Importance of Being in Earnest," are being played have withdrawn the author's name from the play-bills.

The trial caused a great sensation in Paris.

Important statements have been made by the man Taylor to the police, which are likely to lead to many more arrests. It appears that Taylor's lodgings were widely known and were frequented by many persons, including four witnesses who gave evidence against Wilde.

Since the revelations, several free libraries in the United States have destroyed such of Wilde's works as were in their possession.

[Mr. Oscar Wilde is 39 years old, having been born in Dublin in l856, his parents being Sir William Wilde, a distinguished surgeon and antiquarian, and Lady Wilde, a well-known poetess and writer. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and at Oxford, where he gained the Newdigate prize for poetry in 1878. In 1880 he came before the public with a volume of poems which attracted some attention. In 1881 he visited America, where he lectured on art. Mr. Wilde's name has always been prominently associated with the "æsthetic" movement, and he has been supposed to be the prototype of Bunthorne in Gilbert and Sullivan's opera "Patience." He has contributed extensively to the magazines, and his novelette, The Picture of Dorian Gray, appeared in Lippincott's Magazine in July, 1890, and was afterwards republished in book form. Latterly Mr. Wilde has turned his attention to the drama. "The Duchess of Padua," a five-act tragedy, WAS produced at New York in January, 1891. The comedy "Lady Windermere's Fan" was performed at the St James's Theatre, London, in February, 1892, and, it will be remembered, was produced here last year at the Princess's Theatre by the Brough and Boucicault Company. In 1893 he wrote "Salome" for Madame Sarah Bernhardt, the performance of which in London was prohibited by the Lord Chamberlain, as it dealt with scenes and characters from the New Testament. He therefore published it in French in Paris. "A Woman of No Importance," a comedy, was given at the Haymarket Theatre in April, 1893, his latest drama, "An Ideal Husband," is still running in London, and a farcical piece from his pen, "The Importance of Being Earnest," is being played at the St James's Theatre, London, by Mr. George Alexander's company. In 1884 Mr. Wilde married Constance, daughter of Mr. Horace Lloyd, Q.C., and has two sons, Cyril, born in 1885, and Vivian, in 1886.]