Compare Documents

The trial of OSCAR WILDE, 40, author, and ALFRED TAYLOR, 33, upon an indictment charging them under section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act with the commission of acts of gross indecency, some of the counts charging Taylor with procuring the commission of those acts, and other counts charging the prisoners with conspiring to commit and to procure the commission of those acts, was resumed.

Mr. C.F.Gill and Mr. Horace Avory conducted the prosecution on the part of the Director of Public Prosecutions; Sir Edward Clarke, Q.C., Mr.Charles Mathews, and Mr. Travers Humphreys defended Wilde; and Mr.J,P. Grain and Mr. Paul Taylor defended Taylor. Mr. Leonard Kershaw held a watching brief.

The witness Alfred Wood, who gave evidence yesterday, was now cross-examined by Sir EDWARD CLARKE. The witness said that he told Wilde that he wanted to go to America to get away from certain persons, and it was for that reason that Wilde gave him £30. He went to America and got employment there. He subsequently returned to England. After his return from America witness and Allen between them got £300 from a gentleman, of which sum witness had £175. Allen might have given Charles Parker £30 of it.

Frederick Atkins gave evidence as to Wilde's having asked him whether he would go to Paris with him as his private secretary, to which he replied he would. He went with Wilde to Paris.

In cross-examination by Sir EDWARD CLARKE the witness said that no act of indecency ever took place between him and Wilde. Witness and a man named Burton had never got money from men by threatening to accuse them. On June 10, 1891, witness and Burton did not get a large sum of money from a gentleman. Burton did not demand money from a gentleman, and witness did not take the gentleman's watch and chain and give it to Burton. Witness and Burton were not taken to Rochester-row Police-station, and witness did not give up the watch and chain there. A gentleman did not give Burton a cheque for £200, to witness's knowledge. Burton did not extort a large sum of money from two American gentlemen.

Sidney Arthur Mavor stated that he was introduced to Wilde at a dinner at a restaurant. Some time after he went to the Albemarle Hotel one evening as Wilde's guest. Nothing improper took place between them.

Edward Shelley, a young man who had been in the employment of a firm of publishers, said that in 1891 Wilde came to his employers' shop on business. Witness became acquainted with Wilde, and in 1892 dined with him at the Albemarle Hotel.

In cross-examination by Sir EDWARD CLARKE the witness, alluding to a passage in a letter written by him, said he had the impression at the time he wrote it that people thought he was not quite right in his mind; he had been overstudying, and he felt that his mind was overstrained and that he wanted rest.

The witness Frederick Atkins was re-called, and, in reply to further questions from SIR EDWARD CLARKE, he said that on June 10, 1891, Burton and he were taken to Rochester-row Police-station for hitting a gentleman. The gentleman declined to prosecute, and Burton and witness were allowed to go. The reason why witness said that Burton and he were not taken to Rochester-row Police-station was because he did not remember.

The hearing of the case was adjourned until Monday.

At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, before Mr. Justice Charles, the trial was resumed of Oscar Wilde, 40, author, and Alfred Taylor, 33, of no occupation, on an indictment charging them with certain misdemeanours.

Sir. C. F. Gill and Mr. H. Avory prosecuted on behalf of the Treasury; Sir Edward Clarke, Q.C, Mr. Charles Mathews, and Mr. Travers Humphreys defended Oscar Wilde; Mr. J. P. Grain and Mr. Paul Taylor defended Alfred Taylor.

Mr. C. F. Gill intimated that he intended to withdraw from the Jury the counts of the indictment for conspiracy. This course would enable his learned friend, Sir Edward Clarke, to put Oscar Wilde in the witness-box.

Mr. Justice Charles said that after the evidence that had been given, he thought that there was not anything to support the counts for the alleged conspiracy.

Sir Edward Clarke said that had he known that the Crown intended to withdraw the conspiracy counts, he should have applied for the trial of his client to be taken separately.

Sir Edward Clarke, in his address to the Jury, on behalf of Oscar Wilde, commented in strong terms on the adverse criticism of a certain portion of the Press on the case affecting his client. It was grossly unfair to an accused person, calculated to imperil the administration of justice, and in the highest degree prejudicial to the case of his client, and disgraceful. In some respects the importing into the case of matters for which Mr. Wilde was not in the least responsible was an unfair proceeding on the part of the prosecution. He invited the Jury to discard every element of prejudice, and to judge the conduct of his client in a fair and impartial manner. Could they believe that, if he were a guilty man, Mr. Wilde would have faced such accusations in a Court, and have invited, as he had done, the fullest inquiry into his relations with the different persons brought forward for the purposes of this prosecution? It was impossible that the Jury could believe the testimony adduced, it being in the highest degree improbable that Mr. Wilde misconducted himself. He gave an unqualified denial to the whole of the accusations. After hearing Mr. Wilde's denial on oath he ventured to think that if any doubt existed in the minds of the Jury as to the guilt or the innocence of Mr. Wilde, it would be at once removed.

Oscar Wilde gave a denial on oath to all the allegations made against him.

Alfred Taylor, called by Mr. Grain, gave also an entire denial to the charges against him. He was, he said, educated at Marlborough, his late father being connected with a very large business. When he came of age he received a legacy of £45,000.

Sir Edward Clarke, continuing his speech, commented on the literature branch of the case, and said that the importance put upon it by the Crown was unwarranted, for Mr. Wilde was not the author, or in any way responsible for its production. The courage that he had shown in facing the charges from the first was in favour of the theory of his innocence. He dealt at some length with the various points in the evidence against his client, and urged the Jury to disregard altogether, as unworthy of belief, the testimony of the tainted witnesses. Did the Jury believe that such evidence was honest and entitled to be regarded as true? They were dealing with matters which happened a long time ago, and in respect of which it was impossible to produce evidence beyond Mr. Wilde's positive denial. He asked the Jury to allow their judgment to be affected only with regard to testimony that was reliable, to guard themselves from the prejudice which floated about the case, but which he trusted had to some extent been dissipated, and to apply their minds to the test to be put upon the evidence. If they did this, he trusted that the the result would be to gratify a thousand hopes, and to release one of the most renowned and accomplished men of letters of to-day from a most grave charge and to clear society of a stain.

Mr. Grain, in defence of Taylor, argued that the evidence of the principal witnesses was tainted and wholly uncorroborated, and that under all the circumstances, as the testimony of these persons was unreliable, it was impossible for the Jury to convict; and, therefore, he asked for an acquittal of Taylor. The case against him rested solely on the statements of a set of blackmailers and on prejudice.

Mr. Gill replied on behalf of the Crown. The trial was adjourned until to-day, when the learned Judge will sum up.