The New York Herald (European Edition) - Thursday, May 23, 1895

London, May 23.--The journalists who crowded into Marlborough-street Police Court yesterday to witness the appearance of the Marquis of Queensberry and his son were surprised to see Lord Douglas of Hawick step into the dock beside his father. The HERALD was the only paper which gave a correct version of the affray in Piccadilly, the morning papers, with one exception, all mentioning Lord Alfred Douglas as the chief actor in the little drama.

The Court was densely crowded when father and son answered to the summons charging them-with disorderly conduct. The policeman who had interposed in the scuffle related his story of the episode, which was practically a recapitulation of the facts already published in the HERALD. He stated, however, that on the way to the station Lord Douglas accused the Marquis of having written obscene letters to his wife, but this, on the officer standing down, Lord Queensberry denied. He wrote to Lady Douglas, he said, simply because his son had refused to receive letters from him.

Mr. Stoneham, solicitor, who appeared for Lord Douglas of Hawick, read the following telegram, which, he said, had been sent by the defendant to Lady Douglas on the previous day:--

To Lady Douglas: Must congratulate on verdict. Cannot on Percy's appearance. Looked like dug-up corpse. Fear too much madness of kissing. Taylor guilty, Wilde's turn to-morrow. (Signed) - Queensberry.

Mr. Plowden, the magistrate, said he did not mean to go into the family affairs of the defendants, and the case then resolved itself into a question of who struck the first blow.

Numerous eye-witnesses were produced but their evidence, although somewhat in favor of the marquis, was conflicting, and finally the magistrate concluded that whoever commenced the squabble there was no doubt that both father and son were making a disturbance in the street. They were therefore both bound over to keep the peace for six months, in their own sureties of £500.

The World - Wednesday, May 22, 1895

LONDON, May 22. -- While Oscar Wilde's trial was proceeding at Old Bailey this morning, two of the eccentric Queensberry family--the Marquis and his heir apparent, Lord Douglas of Hawick, whom he hates almost as furiously as he does his younger son, Lord Alfred Douglas--were in the Marlborough Street Police Court explaining about their flight in Piccadilly yesterday afternoon.

Lord Douglas, with his left eye black, a hugely swollen witness of his old father's prowess, was content to be heard through his solicitor, but the Marquis of Queensberry had no lawyer and was loquacious in his own defense.

He told how he had written letter after letter to his eldest son about the Wilde affair in general and Hawick's stand for Wilde in particular.

"At last," said the Maruis, "my letters were returned unopened. I was forced to write to my son's wife in order to reach him.

"I wanted to find out where Lord Alfred Douglas was and whether it was true that my eldest son was harboring Wilde.

"Yesterday my son rushed up to me and, without provocation, assaulted me. I defended myself.

"Three times we were separated, and each time he followed me and attacked me again."

Lord Douglas's lawyer then said that the Marquis had been writing filthy letters to his client's wife. These letters were produced and were read by the Justice, who, however, resisted Queensberry's excited entreaties that they be put in evidence and given to the public.

The Marquis Congratulates.

Douglas's lawyer, however, read one communication, which was in the form of a telegram to Lady Douglas of Hawick. Queensberry must have sent it only a few minutes before his son attacked him and after the verdict of the jury in the Taylor case had been announced:

"I must congratulate you on the result of the trial. I cannot on Percy's appearance. He looks like a dug up corpse. I fear he has had too much madness of kissing Taylor guilty. Wilde's turn to-morrow. "QUEENSBERRY."

Lord Douglass's lawyer then said:

"Again and again my client has requested him to stop sending these communications to his wife. He promised to stop, but only the other day he sent a picture of an antediluvian monster with 'this is Wilde's ancestor,' written under it.

"My client approached the Marquis of Queensberry yesterday, solely to ask him to cease his obscene writing to Lady Douglas."

Both sides produced witnesses, but the testimony all showed that however aggressive a part the famous boxing MArquis may have taken in the row, the onset was made every time by his son.

The Magistrate deplored bringing a family quarrel into the police courts, and reprimanded both father and son, and bound them over £500 to keep the pece for six months.

Father and Son Side by Side.

Father and Son were side by side in the dock during the whole hearing. They stood side by side at signing of the bond and went out of the court-room together, but neither spoke to the other, unless frequent exchange of savage looks may be called speaking.

There was a great crowd outside the court-room, and the Marquis was loudly cheered when he appeared. He has become a sort of hero with the masses ever since he cast aside all restraints of family pride in his exposure of Wilde and the gang of unspeakable wretches who took or pretended to take Wilde as their high priest.

The Marquis has suffered but little in his reputation for heroism from the fact that he has frequently had public rows with various members of his family on all kinds of pretexts, besided making a number of general exhibitions of his eccentricity.

Within a month after his marriage to a young woman down at Eastbourne about a year ago, she had her marriage with him annulled. It was shown that Queensberry left her immediately after the ceremony, and locked himself in a distant part of the hotel at which they were stopping, and refused to have anything to do with her.

Queensberry in Great Glee.

Immediately after the conclusion of the Court proceedings to-day the Marquis repaired to Willis's rooms, the (Continued on Sixth Page.)

QUEENSBERRY LATEST FIGHT (Continued from First Page.)

most fashionable of London restaurants, where he had luncheon with a lady and a young girl.

He was obviously in great glee. He wore a very large white boutonniere, and evidently enjoyed the attention he received from the other guests. He showed to his companions the picture he had sent Lady Hawick.

It was a full page representation in one of the weekly papers of a prehistoric iguanodon as restored by Prof. Woodward and placed in Kensington Museum.

Lady Hawick,to whom he has been sending these remarkable letters, is a daughter of Thomas Walters.

Her husband is only twenty-six years old and made a considerable fortune in the mines of Australia before the death of his older brother last year. Since he went bail for Wilde he has not been so well thought of as before.

Highlighted DifferencesNot significantly similar