South Canterbury Times - Thursday, April 4, 1895

THE QUEENSBERRY-WILDE CASE.

LONDON,APRIL 3.

Immense crowds attend the trial of the Marquis of Queensberry on a charge of libelling Oscar Wilde. The evidence adduced to-day showed that wilde had paid heavy blackmail for his gushing letters to Lord Alfred Douglas (the Marquis's son), which were found in the pockets of old clothes when given away. The defence is based on the revelations in these letters.

The Cromwell Argus - Tuesday, April 9, 1895

Immense crowds attended the trial of the Marquis of Queensberry on a charge of libelling Oscar Wilde. The evidence adduced to-day showed that Wilde had paid heavy blackmail for his gushing letters to Lord Alfred Douglas (the Marquis's son), which were found in the pockets of his old clothes when given away. THe defence is based on the revelations in these letters.

Oscar Wilde was subjected to a stringent cross-examination with a view to showing that "Dorian Grey" and some articles in the magazine Chameleon with which he is connected, are of an immoral tendency. Wilde insisted they are merely expressions of artistic faculty. His letters to Lord Douglas he said were prose poems, extraordinary perhaps, but not justifying an immoral interpretation. He admitted he gave one of his alleged black-mailers £21, and lunched with him in a private room afterwards. The case is adjourned. Defendant was admitted to bail.

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