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London, April 6.--Mr. Oscar Wilde, who for twenty years has, after one fashion or another, attracted to himself the attention of the cultivated world both of England and America; who has posed by turns as a languorous aesthete, as a caustic cynic and as a producer of brilliant epigrams and witty paradox is, as I write, the occupant of a Bow Street Police Court cell on a charge which in the eyes of most honest men is even more odious than that of murder.

Yesterday was a day of sensationalism which, though one at least of its startling effects was carefully prepared in advance by a master hand, was in its essence intensely dramatic.

When Mr. Justice Collins took his seat on the Bench at the Old Bailey at half-past ten, the Court to outward appearances was the same as that of the two previous days, with the same crowd of standing and sitting spectators, with the Marquis of Queensberry quietly lounging over the rail of the dock in his customary attitude and with the long array of counsel fidgeting over their papers and briefs. But there was a feeling of expectancy as though something were about to happen, which in some vague way changed the entire aspect of things.

That the prosecutor was not in his usual place by his solicitor's side added, doubtless,to this strained feeling, but as his presence was not absolutely required at this stage, nothing conclusive was shown by his absence.

A CABLE DESPATCH FOR THE JUDGE.

The Judge, after making the customary bow to the jury, the Court and the bar, opened and read with impressive countenance a cable despatch which was lying on his desk. He said no word, however, but nodded to Mr. Carson to resume his address, which the latter did in his usual solemn but effective manner.

He began by saying that he now came to the more painful and distasteful part of his task, for he had to call one by one the subordinate actors in a hideous drama. After hearing the evidence they would have to hear, the jury would wonder, not that Lord Queensberry should have acted as he did, but that this man Wilde had been tolerated in London society so long as he had.

He then proceeded to outline the evidence which he was to produce, and clearly showed it was of a most horribly conclusive nature. While Mr. Carson was making this scathing attack upon the absent prosecutor, an attack which at times rose to the utmost height of withering vituperation, Sir E. Clarke had quietly left the Court, and had remained absent for some minutes.

THE FIRST SENSATION.

When he returned Mr. Carson was dealing with Mr. Wilde's conduct at Worthing and elsewhere, and pointing out in the most trenchant fashion the disgraceful audacity of his behavior upon the witness stand. At this point the first sensation of this sensational day occurred. Sir Edward plucked Mr. Carson by his gown and for a few moments the opposing counsel conferred together.

Then Sir Edward rose and, addressing the judge, said that Mr. Carson had on the previous day referred to certain literature and letters, and had hoped he had said enough to convince the jury on that score alone, without dealing with other issues. Lord Queensberry, in the libel complained of, had used the word "posing," and his colleagues knew that they could not resist a verdict of "Not guilty" in this case.

ASKS TO WITHDRAW.

Taking into consideration the word "posing," he now said that on behalf of Mr. O. Wilde he would ask to withdraw from the prosecution, and if at this stage of the case that were not allowed he was prepared to accept a verdict of "Not guilty" in reference to such parts of the plea of justification as referred to Dorian Grey and The Chameleon.

Mr. Carson said, so far as Lord Queensberry was concerned, that if the verdict should involve that he succeeded in his whole plea of justification he was quite satisfied.

Mr. Justice Collins in clear, precise tones set forth that in his opinion he did not think it was any part of the functions of a judge or jury to insist on going through prurient details when the prosecutor was prepared to acquiesce in a verdict of "Not guilty," but he went on:--

"As to the jury putting any limitation upon the verdict of justification, the justification is one which is justification of the charge, which is of "posing". If that is justified, it is justified; if it is not, it is not; and the verdict of the jury upon it must be "Guilty," or "Not guilty." I understand the prosecutor to assent to a verdict of "Not guilty."

A STORM OF APPLAUSE IN COURT.

He then directed the jury to return a verdict to this effect, which, in accordance with the usual formalities they proceeded to do, the foreman, however, adding that in their opinion the libel had been uttered for the public benefit. Then there arose such a storm of applause as has seldom been heard in a court of justice.

I am told on the best authority that the arrangement as to Mr. Wilde's withdrawal from the prosecution was arrived at between counsel late on Thursday night. Mr. Carson, however, insisted that he should be allowed to continue his address to the jury long enough to bring out such essential facts as he deemed necessary. Indeed the signal for Sir E. Clarke's rising was actually given by Mr. Carson himself, when he thought the proper moment had arrived.

Before Lord Queensberry and his counsel left the Court the following letter was written to the Hon. Hamilton Cuffe, Director of Public Prosecutions:-- Dear Sir,--In order that there may be no miscarriage of justice, I think it my duty at once to send you a copy of all our witnesses' statements, together with a copy of the shorthand notes of the trial.--Yours faithfully, Charles Russell.

And, then so far as Lord Queensberry was concerned, the case was ended. The rest lay with the Public Prosecutor.

"DONE MY DUTY.

"I think," said Lord Queensberry to me later in the afternoon when I found him at Carter's Hotel, Albemarle-street, his table littered with congratulatory telegrams which continued to arrive in batches at intervals, "I think I have done my duty, not only to my family and myself, but also to the community. It has cost me £1,200 and now if the law of England does not step in I must make my own law. I have sent a message to this creature Wilde that if he chooses to leave the country, I, for one, shall certainly not lift a finger to stay him, but he must distinctly understand that if he takes my son with him I shall follow him and shoot him like a dog. But I think he ought not to be allowed to leave the country; I think he ought to be placed where he can ruin no more-young men.

"For the part I have taken myself in this matter I can only say I acted absolutely and entirely from a sense of duty. Many of my friends have said, as many of these telegrams received also say, that I am to be commended for my pluck. I do not see that pluck had anything to do with it.

"I do not see that I could have acted otherwise than I have done and have preserved my self-respect I may tell you that the full measure of this man's baseness was not revealed to me until after my own arrest at his instance.

DEPTHS OF IMMORALITY.

"Then the evidence which accumulated and the voluntary confessions which were made to us showed us a depth of immorality which is almost incredible. But I have come to the conclusion that the man, if man you can call him, must be demented. No sane man could have adopted the tone he did on the witness stand ; no sane man could have made the ridiculous assertion you tell me he has concerning the reason of his counsel's withdrawal.

"Why he has not long since fled the country I cannot imagine, for he knew of our defence and our witnesses days ago, and must have anticipated the only result possible. I may tell you that our evidence was irrefutable, peculiarly so, indeed."

As I was talking to Lord Queensberry a serious conclave was in progress at Bow Street police court. When Mr. Russell's letter reached the Treasury the Hon. Hamilton Cuffe chanced to be there and at once went through the papers and communicated with the authorities at Scotland Yard.

They in turn applied to Sir J. Bridge, the presiding magistrate at Bow Street, who after personally examining two of the witnesses subpoenaed by Lord Queensberry's lawyers, signed at a quarter-past five a warrant of arrest for Mr. Wilde on the most serious charge short of a capital offence. This was taken by two detective-sergeants to the Cadogan Hotel, Sloane-street, where Wilde was known to be.

CLOSELY SHADOWED.

I may say here, by the way, that for the last six weeks he has been closely shadowed by the police authorities. At the hotel Mr. Wilde was found sitting in an armchair, smoking and chatting with the two Douglas boys.

When one of the detectives explained the nature of their visit, Mr. Wilde quietly said: "Oh ! May I ask what you are going to do with me?" He was told he would first be taken to Scotland Yard, and the warrant was read. "Shall I be kept in a cell all night?" he asked. "Yes," was the reply. "Can I be bailed out?" "That," said the detective, "is not a matter for me to decide."

Picking up and taking with him a number of the Yellow Book which lay on the table he then put on his coat and hat and accompanied the detectives in a cab to Scotland Yard. It then became evident that he had been drinking heavily. As he left the cab he nearly fell and reeled somewhat as he crossed the pavement.

At half-past eight he left Scotland Yard for Bow Street. On the way he asked various questions as to the treatment he might expect. Whether he might smoke in his cell, and so forth.

CONDUCTED TO A CELL.

Arrived at the station he was at once charged and while the warrant was read stood quietly and collectedly in the dock with his hands in his pockets. He said nothing in answer, save to ask that the date of the alleged offence, which was March 25, 1895, might be repeated. He was then searched, all valuables and papers taken from him and was immediately conducted to a cell.

Later a Mr. Rosse arrived with a bag containing Wilde's dressing-gown and so forth, but was not allowed to see him or to leave the bag, and later still Lord Alfred Douglas appeared with a substantial sum in his possession which he was prepared to offer as bail. It was, of course, refused. Wilde is treated as an ordinary prisoner, no indulgences of any sort being allowed to him.

I am told that the case had already been informally submitted to the Public Prosecutor, and so there was not the least delay in the action taken by that functionary.

I also heard that the detectives have been scouring the city in search of the man Taylor, for whom a warrant is already signed. He has been under police surveillance for some time, but unluckily was allowed to slip away early yesterday morning and has not been seen since. It is not expected that he has left the city.

I need not say that London yesterday afternoon and night was completely possessed of but one idea, and that idea concerned itself with the arrest of Mr. Wilde. Not only has he been for a very long time a prominent figure in literary and artistic circles, but for the last few years rumors and innuendoes which have caused Lord Queensberry to insist upon his son breaking off his intimacy with the dramatist have been prevalent, and have included the names not only of Wilde and his close intimates, but many well-known men of social as well as artistic distinction.

Things, indeed, have been fast reaching a point at which no man's name has been safe, and it is therefore felt by everyone that Lord Queensberry has rendered a positive service to the community. This at all events is the opinion I have heard expressed on every hand to-day.

Interest has of course attached to the course that would be taken by the managers of those theatres at which Mr. Wilde's plays are at present running. It was expected, indeed, by the majority of people that both would be immediately removed from the boards.

Neither Mr. Alexander nor Mr. Morrell, however, adopted this course. The author's name was omitted from the programme and the advertisements, and that was all. The attendance at both houses was, however, slight.

The prisoner will be brought before the magistrate at ten o'clock this morning.

London, April 5.—Oscar Wilde, who for twenty years has, after one fashion or another, attracted to himself the attention of the cultivated world of both England and America, and who posed by turns as a languorous aesthete, a caustic cynic, and a producer of brilliant epigrams and witty paradoxes, is to-night the occupant of a Bow street police court cell on a charge which, in the eyes of most honest men, is more odious than even that of murder.

Yesterday was a day of sensationalism which, though some of its startling effects were carefully prepared in advance by master hands, was in its essence intensely dramatic.

Thus I am told on the best authority that an arrangement as to Wilde’s withdrawal from the prosecution was arrived at between counsel late on Thursday night. Mr. Carson, however, insisted he should be allowed to continue his address to the jury long enough to bring out such essential facts as he deemed necessary.

Indeed, the signal for Sir Edward Clarke’s rising was actually given by Mr. Carson himself when he thought the proper moment had arrived.

I also hear the case had already been informally submitted to the public prosecutor, and so there was not the least delay in the action taken by that functionary in relation to obtaining a warrant for Wilde’s arrest.

Wilde Drunk When Arrested.

Wilde when arrested had been drinking heavily and very nearly fell upon the pavement when he arrived at Scotland Yard. His three hours’ detention there, however, somewhat sobered him, and during the journey to Bow street he chatted familiarly with the detectives, asking various questions as to the treatment he might expect in the cell, whether he would be seen by friends, and so forth. He was somewhat chagrined to find that he would be treated like any ordinary prisoner and that no indulgences would be allowed him.

Late to-night I hear that detectives have been scouring the city in search of the man Taylor, for whom a warrant has already been signed. He has been under police surveillance for some time, but he was unluckily allowed to slip away early this morning, and has not been seen since. It is not expected, however, that he has left the city.

With the placing of the evidence in the hands of the public prosecutor, the case ends as far as Marquis Queensberry was concerned.

"I think," said he to me this afternoon, when I found him at Carter’s Hotel, with his table littered with congratulatory telegrams, which continued to arrive in batches at frequent intervals, "I think I have done my duty, not only to my family and myself, but also to the community. It has cost me £1,200, and now if the law of England doesn’t step in I must make my own law.

Queensberry Threatens to Shoot Him.

"I have sent a message to this creature Wilde to the effect that if he chooses to leave the country I, for one, shall not lift a finger to stay him. But he must distinctly understand that if he takes my son with him I shall follow him and shoot him like a dog. But I think he ought not to be allowed to leave the country. I think he ought to be placed where he can ruin no more young men.

"For the part I have taken myself in this matter I can only say that I have acted absolutely and entirely from a sense of duty. Many of my friends said, as many of these telegrams received also say, that I am to be commended for my pluck. I do not see that pluck had anything to do with it. I do not see that I could have acted otherwise than I have done. I have preserved my self-respect.

The One Topic in London.

"I may tell you that the full measure of this man’s baseness was not revealed to me until after my own arrest at his instance. Then the evidence which was made to us showed us a depth of immorality which is almost incredible."

I need not say that London this afternoon and to-night has been completely possessed of but one topic of conversation—the arrest of Oscar Wilde. Not only has he been for a very long time a prominent figure to literary and artistic circles, but during the last few years the rumors and innuendoes which caused the Marquis of Queensberry to insist upon his son’s breaking off his intimacy with the dramatist have been insistently prevalent, and have included the names not only of Wilde and his close intimates, but of many well-known men of social as well as artistic distinction.

Things had indeed been fast in reaching a point at which no man’s name would have been safe, and it is, therefore, felt by every one that the Marquis of Queensberry has rendered a positive service to the community. This, at all events, is the opinion I heard expressed on every hand to-day.

SIR EDWARD DECLINES TO DEFEND.The Jury Promptly Declared the Marquis of Queensberry Guiltless.

London, April 5.—The case of Oscar Wilde against the Marquis of Queensberry for libel was brought to a close this morning in a verdict in favor of the defendant. The jury found not only that the defendant was not guilty of libel, but in a subsidiary verdict declared that the Marquis of Queensberry’s charges were true, and had been made for the public good.

The Old Bailey courtroom was crowded almost to suffocation this morning, when Mr. Carson resumed his speech in behalf of the Marquis of Queensberry. It would be his painful duty, he said, to put upon the witness-stand men who would speak freely of the nature of their connection with the plaintiff Wilde. The ages of these men varied from eighteen to twenty-three years. They were of the class of servants, valets, &c., not belonging to Mr. Wilde’s station in life, not interested in literature or art, yet they addressed this distinguished dramatist by his Christian name, Oscar, he in turn calling them Charle, Freddie, &c. Mr. Carson said he would produce overwhelming evidence of the abominable immorality of this man Wilde.

Sir Edward Clarke interrupted Mr. Carson and said he had undertaken a great responsibility in defending Wilde against the charges brought against him by the Marquis of Queensberry. In regard to the literature which Wilde had published and upon which Mr. Carson had questioned him, he (Sir Edward) had come to the painful conclusion that it could not be expected that the jury would find a verdict of guilty on the actual words used by the defendant, viz.: That Wilde was posing as a devotee of unnatural practices. He had consulted with Wilde in the interim of the adournment of the court and in order to save the court from the painful details connected with the rest of the case, he was prepared to accept a verdict of the jury in regard to Wilde’s literature.

The judge interposed and said if the jury were justified in agreeing upon a verdict on one part of the case they must return a verdict of guilty or not guilty as regards the entire case.

Verdict Found Against Wilde.

The jury then rendered a verdict of not guilty, to which Sir Edward Clarke ascented, and supplemented their verdict with the declaration that the charges made by the defendant against Wilde, which constituted the libel complained of, were true, and that they had been made in public interest.

When the verdict was rendered, the Marquis of Queensberry left the dock amid loud cheers.

The judge granted an order requiring Wilde to pay the costs of the defense.

The Marquis of Queensberry’s solicitors sent to the public prosecutor a copy of the statements of all the witnesses which the defense intended to call to the stand, together with a full shorthand report of the trial as far as it had gone.

Sir Edward Clarke held his consultation with Wilde within the precincts of the court this morning.

Wilde and a companion drove from the Old Bailey to the Holborn Hotel, where they were joined soon afterward by Lord Alfred Douglas and a companion. The four took luncheon together in a private room, Wilde’s carriage remaining in front of the hotel.

At 3:30 o’clock this afternoon Mr. Lewis, solicitor of the treasury, obtained a warrant for Wilde at the Bow street police court, which was at once placed in the hands of officers for service.

Later in the afternoon Wilde was arrested by Scotland Yard detectives and taken to a cell in the Bow street station.

Before Wilde was taken to his cell, the charge, indicated by his testimony in court, was read to him. He stood with his hands in his pockets, silent and apparently unconcernedly.

Sworn informations have been lodged against several persons mentioned in the trial, some of whose names were not made public, and the civil officers are only awaiting the authority of the treasury department to make the arrests.

Effect Upon Wilde’s Plays.

This afternoon a reporter visited the Haymarket and St. James Theaters, where Oscar Wilde’s plays are running. Mr. Morrell, one of the managers of the Haymarket, in reply to the question how the result of the case would affect future business, said he would rather not express an opinion. He would say, however, that Mr. Wilde’s name had been taken out of the bills and advertisements of "An Ideal Husband," and from this the public could form its own conclusions.

Mr. George Alexander, manager of the St. James Theater, where Oscar Wilde’s play, "The Importance of Being Earnest," is running, said: "When the scandal was first rumoured business here was slightly affected, but it is now normal. Mr. Wilde’s name has been withdrawn from the bills and advertisements of his comedy, which is the most innocent play in the world. It doesn’t contain a line that could hurt the most tender susceptibilities. Whether the trial will cause a change in the business in the future remains to be seen."

Mr. Alexander said also that "The Importance of Being Earnest" would be kept on the stage, pending the public verdict. If he should be compelled to withdraw it, some 150 persons would be thrown out of work, as he had nothing ready to replace it.

It is reported that the Criterion, to which "An Ideal Husband" was to be transferred from the Haymarket, has declined to put the play on its stage.

The Daily Telegraph will say to-morrow, in a leader on Wilde’s case:

Comment of the London Press.

"It was a just verdict and must be held to include with Wilde the tendency of his peculiar career, the meaning and influence of his teachings, and all the sallow and specious arts by which he attempted to establish a cult and even set up new schools of literature and social thought."

The Daily Chronicle will have a long leader to-morrow on the Oscar Wilde case. It will say: "Either Mr. Carson’s brief contained a series of the wickedest slanders of the prosecutor perjured himself unspeakably."

Rose Coghlan Shelves Wilde’s Play.

Detroit, Mich., April 5.—Mr. Leslie, the manager of Miss Rose Coghlan, who has been playing Oscar Wilde’s "A Woman of No Importance" here this week, was asked this evening if the play would be shelved because of the scandal affecting Wilde. He said it would be impossible under the contract to take Wilde’s name off the play bills and out of the advertisements of "A Woman of No Importance," and therefore it had been decided that the play should be taken out of Miss Coghlan’s repertoire.

Wilde’s Name Out of the Bills.

New York, April 5.—Mr. Frohman, of the Lyceum Theater, where Oscar Wilde’s play, "An Ideal Husband," is now running has decided, on account of the termination of the suit against Wilde, to have the playwright’s name erased from all the bills and programmes of the theater after to-morrow. All their printing contracts have been canceled in order to admit of these changes being made in the advertisements also.