Daily Times - Wednesday, May 1, 1895

London, May 1.— In Old Bailed to-day Justice Charles summed up the case against Oscar Wilde and Alfred Taylor. The justice in doing so said that the counsel had acted wisely in withdrawing the charge of conspiracy brought against Wilde, as he, Justice Charles, would have ordered the jury to bring in a verdict of not guilty on that specification. He admitted that there was corroboration of witnesses, but the jury, he added, would have to weigh the characters of men like Parker, Wood and Atkins, whom Sir Edward Clarke, in the justice’s opinion, properly described as black-mailers. The justice also urged the jury not to be influenced by Wilde’s writings, saying that a great many men had written indecently. The jury must exercise their own judgement as to whether Wilde’s letters to Lord Alfred Douglas breathed an unutterable passion, and he also said the relations between Sheely and Wilde would be an interesting matter for the jury’s judgement.

Daily World - Wednesday, May 1, 1895

London, May 1.- In the Old Bailey today Justice Charles summed up the case against Oscar Wilde and Alfred Taylor. The justice in so doing said that counsel for the prosecution acted wisely in withdrawing the charge of conspiracy against Wilde, as he, Justice Charles, would have ordered the jury to bring in a verdict of not guilty on that specification. He admitted that there was corroboration of the witnesses, but the jury, he added, would have to weigh the characters of men like Parker, Wood and Atkins, whom Sir Edward Clarke, in the justice's opinion, properly described as blackmailers. The justice also urged the jury not to be influenced by Wilde's writings, saying that many great men had written indecently. The jury must exercise their own opinion as to whether Wilde's letters to Lord Alfred breathed an unutterable passion; and he also said the relations between Sheely and Wilde would be an interesting matter for the jury's consideration.

The jury disagreed.

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