The Evening Journal - Saturday, May 25, 1895

London, May 26.- The trial of Oscar Wilde was resumed in the Old Bailey court this morning. Sir Frank Lockwood addressed the jury for the prosecution. He dilated upon the intimacy of Wilde with Taylor, and said that leniency ought not to be shown to one and not to the other because of the position and intellect of the one.

Sir Ed's Protest.

Sir Edward Clarke protested against counsel's confusing Taylor's case with Wilde.

Sir F. Lockwood expressed the hope that the jury would not regard Wilde's letters as "prose poems", but would appreciate them at their proper level which was rather lower than that of beasts.

Sir Edward Clarke objected to the language used by the prosecuting counsel and a heated argument between the two ensued. After a protracted wrangle the judge interfered, and advised Lockwood to confine himself to a discussion of the evidence and not start out upon any rhetorical denunciations of the prisoner.

Lockwood finished his address by saying that Wilde's own admissions proved conclusively his guilt.

The Judge’s Charge.

The judge in summing up said that Wylde had confessed that his conduct in regard to Lord Alfred Douglas had been such that he (the judge) could not ask the jury as in previous trials to say that there was no ground for charging him with having posed as a criminal.

In regard to Wilde’s letters to Lord Douglas, he said they might be "prose poems," but they were none the less poison to a young man's mind, and the writer was clearly not a desirable companion tor the young.

Douglas Equally Guilty.

The Judge finished his charge at three o'clock, and the jury retired. Before the jury retired the foreman asked the court if a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Lord Alfred Douglas. The judge said no warrant had been issued, whereupon the foreman said: "But if we must consider these letters as evidence of guilt they surely show that Lord Douglas' guilt is equal to that of Wilde."

The Verdict.

Wilde and Taylor have both been sentenced to two years at hard labor.

The South Australian Chronicle - Saturday, June 1, 1895

The case against Oscar Wilde was proceeded with to-day, when the accused was allowed to give evidence, and emphatically denied all the charges laid against him.

Wilde, who was very weak, was seated in the box while giving his evidence. He stated that he always understood that Taylor was a respectable man. Referring to his other associates, he said that he personally liked them and that their praise and the lionising which they bestowed upon him were to him delightful.

Sir Edward Clarke, Q.C., who appears for Wilde, said that the witnesses who gave evidence against his client were a lot of blackmailers, and that it was impossible to believe their statements.

LONDON, May 25.

The case against Oscar Wilde was concluded to-day.

The jury having retired, were absent for two hours considering their verdict, and at the expiration of that time they returned into court, the foreman announcing that they had found the prisoner guilty on all the counts mentioned in the indictment.

Mr. Justice Wills, in passing sentence upon Wilde and Taylor, spoke in tones of great emotion, and evidently found it extremely difficult to restrain his feelings. He asserted that the verdict returned by the jury was correct beyond the shadow of a doubt, and declared that it was useless his attempting to address the prisoners, who were evidently dead to all sense of shame.

The case, continued Mr. Justice Wills, was the worst he had ever tried, and although he intended to pass the most severe sentence the law permitted he regretted that it was totally inadequate to the horrible crime of which the prisoners had been found guilty.

Wilde and Taylor were each sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labor.

Taylor left the court with a firm step, but Wilde, who looked worn and haggard, appeared to be completely dazed.

Oscar Wilde, after hearing the sentence passed upon him, gazed despairingly round the court as though struck with horror, and with a palpable effort weakly muttered a request that he might be permitted to address the Judge.

The request was unheeded, and Wilde was immediately escorted by the warders to the cells.

After Mr. Justice Wills had passed sentence upon Oscar Wilde and his accomplice, Taylor, the foreman of the jury enquired whether the police authorities had any intention of issuing a warrant for the arrest of Lord Alfred Douglas, whose name had been repeatedly mentioned during the trial.

Mr. Justice Wills replied that he was not aware of any such intention, and that he was of the opinion that Lord Douglas was not affected by the issue of the present trial.

The foreman of the jury stated that if the letters written by Wilde showed him to be guilty of the crime with which he was charged the same would apply with equal force to those written by Lord Alfred Douglas.

His Honor concurred with this view of the case, and declared that if any suspicion existed that Lord Douglas would be allowed to escape owing to his high connections the suspicion was both unfounded and impossible.

LONDON, May 26.

The Marquis of Queensberry and his eldest son Lord Douglas of Hawick witnessed the conclusion of the trial of the charges against Oscar Wilde, and were present when both prisoners were sentenced.

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