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.

Belfast News-Letter - Monday, May 27, 1895

At the Central Criminal Court, London, on Saturday last, before Mr. Justice Wills, the trial was resumed of Oscar Wilde, 40, author, on an indictment charging him with certain misdemeanours. This was the sixth day of the trials of Wilde and Taylor. The Marquis of Queensberry was again in attendance. The Solicitor-General Sir Frank Lockwood, Q.C.), Mr C. F. Gill, and Mr. Horace Avory prosecuted ; Sir Edward Clarke, Q.C.. Mr. Charles Mathews, and Mr Travers Humphreys defended.

The learned Solicitor-General, resuming his speech in reply on behalf of the Crown, dealt in detail with the arguments laid before the jury by Sir Edward Clarke in defence of Mr Wilde, and he commented in strong terms on observations that were made respecting the lofty situation of Mr. Wilde in connection with his literary accomplishments for the purpose of unduly influencing the judgment of the jury in considering the issue before them, and said that the jury ought to discard absolutely any such appeal, to apply their common sense to the testimony, and to form a conclusion on the evidence, which he submitted fully established the charges. He was commenting on another branch of the case when Sir Edward Clarke interposed on the ground that the learned Solicitor-General was alluding to incidents connected with another trial. The learned Solicitor-General maintained that he was strictly within his rights. The judge held that the learned Solicitor-General was entitled to make the comments he was making. An observation from the Solicitor-General bearing on the interruption of Sir Edward Clarke evoked laughter in court. The judge said that this sort of thing was most offensive to him. It was painful enough to have to try such a case as the present and keep the scales of justice evenly balanced, and when the Court was pestered with applause and other expressions of the feelings of senseless people, who had no business with the case, but came only to satisfy the cravings of a morbid curiosity, it was intolerable. If it were repeated he would have the court cleared. The learned Solicitor-General criticised the answers given by Mr. Wilde to the charges, which explanations, he submitted, were not worthy of belief. The jury could not fail to put the interpretation on the the conduct of the accused that he was a guilty man, and they ought to say so by their verdict.

The Judge, in summing-up, referred to the difficulties of the case in some of its features. He regretted that, if the conspiracy counts were unnecessary, or could not be established, they should have been placed in the indictment. The jury must not surrender their own independent judgment in dealing with the facts, and ought to discard everything which was not relevant to the issue before them, or did not assist their judgment. He did not desire to comment any more than he could help about Lord Alfred Douglas or the Marquis of Queensberry, but the whole of this lamentable inquiry arose through the defendant's association with Lord Alfred Douglas. He did not think that the action of the Marquis of Queensberry, in leaving the card at the defendant's club, whatever motives he had, was that of a gentleman. The jury were entitled to consider that these alleged acts happened some years ago. They ought to be the best judges as to whether the testimony of the witnesses was worthy or not of belief. The letters written by the accused to Lord Alfred Douglas were undoubtedly open to suspicion, and they had an important bearing on Wood's evidence. There was no corroboration of Wood as to the visit to Tito Street, and if his story had been true he thought that some corroboration might have been obtained. Wood belonged to the vilest class of persons that society was pestered with, and the jury ought not to believe his story unless satisfactorily corroborated. Their decision must turn on the character of the first introduction of Wilde to Wood. Did they believe that Wilde was actuated by charitable motives or by improper motives?

The Foreman of the Jury, interposing, asked whether a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Lord Alfred Douglas, and, if not, whether it was contemplated that a warrant be issued.

The Judge said he could not tell, but he thought not. It was a matter that they could not discuss at that stage. The granting of a warrant depended not upon the inference to be drawn from the letters referred to in the case, but on the production of evidence of specific acts. There was a disadvantage of speculating on this question. They must deal with the evidence before them and with that alone.

The Foreman—But if we are to deduce guilt from the letters it applies equally to Lord Alfred Douglas as to the defendant.

The Judge—In regard to the question as to the absence of Lord Alfred Douglas, he warned the jury not to be influenced by any consideration of this kind. All that they knew was that Lord Alfred Douglas went to Paris shortly before the last trial, and had remained there since. He felt sure that if the circumstances justified it the necessary proceedings would be taken. His Lordship dealt with each of the charges, and the evidence in support of them, and he then, after thanking the jury for the patient manner in which they had attended to the case, left the matter in their hands.

The jury retired to consider their verdict at half-past three o'clock, and returned a verdict of guilty.

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

The Press Association says—On last Saturday evening, immediately following the passing of the sentence on Wilde and Taylor, the prisoners were removed to the cells in Newgate Prison, adjoining the Central Criminal Court, pending the preparation of the legal warrants authorising their detention for two years. Both were suffering from nervousness, and betrayed their mental anxiety. From the first they were separated, but travelled in the same prison van to Pentonville Prison, where they will serve the preliminary portion of the sentence, a period to be eventually decided by the officials of the jail. When handed over to the governor of Pentonville the prisoners were taken separately to the reception ward, and each had to give details of his identity, religion, and submit to medical examination, after which they passed through the hands of the prison bathroom attendants and barber, and exchanged their own clothes for the prison garb, being afterwards handed over to the care of the chaplain. Yesterday they attended the prison chapel with the other occupants of the jail, and, with the exception of exercise time, they were confined to their cells, where they will in future be kept, unless their health becomes such as to entitle them to infirmary treatment, in which event the prison doctor will decide the nature of the work they must perform. By the terms of their sentence they will be isolated from their friends, except upon four occasions each year, and even this privilege may be forfeited by indifferent conduct.

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