Compare Documents

London, May 25 — There was the usual crowd of interested spectators in the court room of the Old Bailey this morning all anxious to witness the trial of Oscar Wilde. When the court adjourned yesterday, Sir F. Lockwood, solicitor-general, had just commenced his address to the jury on behalf of the prosecution, and it was expected he would denounce Wilde in strong language when be resumed his argument today. Wilde took his seat in the prisoners' dock, facing the jury, and looking extremely anxious. As expected, when Sir Frank Lockwood resumed his speech, he dealt very severely with Wilde in his reference to the prisoner's intimacy with Lord Alfred Douglass. Referring to the much commented upon letters which Wilde wrote to Lord Alfred Douglas, counsel said the jury had been told they were too low to appreciate such poetry, and he (Sir Lockwood) thanked God it was so, as be hoped they were above the level of beasts. (Applause.) Sir Edward Clarke, leading counsel for Wilde, here interposed objections to such appeals as has just been made by Sir Frank, which counsel claimed should not be allowed. Sir Frank Lockwood continued his speech. He warned the jury to render a verdict which would prevent such "a detestable and abominable practice to rear its head unblushingly in the country."

Mr Justice Wills began summing up at 1:30 p.m. The general tenor of his address to the jury was favorable to Wilde. The Jury retired at 3:30 p.m., and after a brief absence found him guilty on all the counts of the indictment, including the charge with reference to persons unknown who were also pronounced to be guilty.

Alter a short interval the judge called Wilde and Taylor to the bar and they were each sentenced to two years' imprisonment at hard labor.

While the jury was out, at the request of the representative of the Associated Press, Wilde's counsel procured the following statement from Wilde who was waiting in the prisoners' room below the dock: "The charges alleged against me are entirely untrue. Youth in every form has fascinated me, because youth has naturally that temperament to which the artist has to try to attain. All works of art are works produced in a moment of youth, and I have a sense of all the serial grades. I love society, the rich and well-born, on account of their luxury, culture and the graces of their lives, and the external accidents of comely life. But anyone, plough boy, fisherman, or street arab, has an interest for me. Mere humanity is so wonderful, I do not ask of the young what they do, I do not care who they are, their ignorance has its mode of wisdom, their lack of culture leaves them open to fresh and vivid impressions. (Signed) Oscar Wilde."

The document of the above statement is written in Wilde's own writing.

While the jury was absent from the court room there was such a babel of voices that counsel engaged in the case went into the lobby in order to discuss events. Everybody expected the jury to disagree, as upon the previous trial, and as the jurymen fled back into their box, every person present rose in suppressed excitement and the court room became still as a death chamber. The jurymen answered to their names in firm and decided tones and seemed to be immensely relieved when the ordeal was over. A stifled ejaculation of surprise went round the court when the foreman announced that the jury found the prisoner guilty.

Immediately after the verdict was rendered, Mr. C J Gill, the counsel for the prosecution, said to the Associated Press reporter: I am somewhat surprised at the verdict myself. I thought that surely one member of the jury would stand out.

When Mr. Gill was asked if there was any chance of a new trial, he replied; "No indeed, it is now disposed of for ever, thank Heaven."

Mr. Travers Humphreys, of counsel for Wilde, also told the reporter of the Associated Press, that the verdict was a surprise to him. He added: "The sentence is for two years on all the counts of the indictment, and on each count separately. Now that they have hit their man, I am certain his health will break down and possibly the authorities will favorably entertain the idea of a pardon.

Sir Edward Clarke, leading counsel for Wilde, applied to Mr. Justice Wills to postpone passing sentence upon his client until the next session of the Central Criminal Court, but the judge refused to do so.

Oscar Wilde and Alfred Taylor were, after the conclusion of the trial, taken without delay to the Newgate jail, where they waited until warrants were signed for their detention. Both men were then conveyed in the prison van to Pentonville where they will serve out their sentences unless a petition should be granted or they should be transferred to another prison before the expiration of the term of their imprisonment.

The punishment which Oscar Wilde is sentenced to undergo is the severest known to the law. It practically means a continuous period of solitary confinement for the two years term of his sentence. Regular "jail birds" always prefer five years of penal servitude to two years imprisonment, owing to the easier conditions of the former. Wilde will not be permitted to see any visitor for three months, but by exceptionally good conduct he can secure a slight reduction of his sentence. Lord Alfred Douglass said that if Wilde were convicted he would take a house near the prison until his release, but it is now clear that if Lord Alfred returns to England be will be arrested on the same charge Wilde is.

LONDON, May 25. - Oscar Wilde’s trial having reached the final stage, the Old Bailey court room was filled with interested spectators today. Sir Frank Lockwood concluded his address to the jury. The prisoner’s intimacy with Lord Alfred and the exhibition of a younger man by an older one at hotels and public places in and about London were commented upon. Referring to the letters Wilde wrote to Alfred, counsel said the jury had been told they were too low to appreciate such poetry, and he thanked God it was so, for it showed they were above the levels of beasts. (Applause which the judge promptly suppressed).

Sir Edward Clarke, leading counsel for Wilde, here interposed objections to such appeals. Lockwood asked the jury to return a verdict which would prevent such a detestable and abominable vice to rear its head unblushingly in this country. Justice Wills began summing up at 1:30 p.m. The general tenor of his address was favorable to Wilde. The jury retired at 3:30 p.m. The jury returned at 5:30, having been absent four hours, and returned a verdict of guilty.

During the address of Justice Wills to the jury the foreman asked whether, in view of the intimacy between Lord Alfred Douglas and Alfred Wood, one of the men whose name has been brought prominently into the case, a warrant for Lord Alfred's arrest had ever been issued. The judge replied that he thought not. The foreman then asked if it had ever been thought of.

To this the judge replied that he could not say. He added that the suspicion that Lord Alfred Douglas would be spared if guilty simply because he was Lord Alfred Douglas, was a wild idea and a matter which they could not discuss. The present inquiry was as to whether the man in the dock was guilty of immoral practices with certain other men.

The jury found Wilde guilty on all the counts of the indictment, including the charge with reference to persons unknown, who are also pronounced guilty. This probably refers to the Savoy Hotel evidence, to which place Wilde was accused of taking Charles Parker, a gentleman’s servant, after treating the latter to a choice dinner in Kittner's restaurant. The announcement of the verdict caused a great sensation in the court, as it was the general impression that Wilde would be acquitted.

When the foreman of the jury delivered the verdict, Wilde, who had entered the prisoner’s dock a moment before, rose from the chair on which he had been seated throughout the trial and stood with his arms on the rail in the dock. The silence which prevailed throughout the courtroom was really painful as Justice Wills ordered that Alfred Taylor should be also summoned before him. Then in a voice trembling with emotion, the justice said:

"I never before had such a case as this to deal with. To men such as you are by the nature of your crimes lost to all sense of remorse for what you have done. To think that you, Taylor, should be the keeper of a male brothel, that you Wilde, a man of culture, should be such a perverter of young men. There is no doubt but that the verdict is a just one, and I shall give you the full penalty allowed by law, and I only regret that it is not more severe. You are both sentenced to hard labor for the term of two years."

Wilde did not look at the judge while the sentence was being pronounced. His eyes roved around the room and his face never changed colour, and he looked like a man who had made up his mind to make the best of a bad situation. Taylor smiled when the sentence was pronounced.

While the jury was out, at the request of a representative of the Associated Press, Wilde’s counsel procured the following signed statement from Wilde: "The charges against me are entirely untrue. Youth in every form always fascinated me, because it has naturally that temperament to which the artists try to attain. All works are works produced in the moments of youth. I have no sense at all of social grades. I love society and the rich and well born on account of their luxury, culture, grace of their lives, external accents of a comely life. But anyone, ploughboy, fisherman, street arab has an interest for me, mere humanity is so wonderful. I doubt if I can ask of the young what they do. Their lack of culture leaves them open to fresh and vivid impressions."

As Wilde turned in the dock and started to go back to the prisoners’ room, the crowd yelled, "Shame, shame!" This shouting caused Justice Wills to rise and exclaim in a loud and determined voice, "Silence, silence."

During the time the jury was debating on the verdict Lord Douglas strolled out of the court room and into the court yard, where he walked about, nervously smoking a cigarette. His face still showed traces of his recent encounter with his father, his left eye being much discolored. During the final stages of Wilde’s trial today there was an immense crowd in front of the Old Bailey, and the windows of all the neighboring houses were filled with highly interested spectators.