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Oscar Wilde has been released on bail, his sureties being Lord Douglas and the Rev Stewart Headlam.

London, May 7.

Oscar Wilde has been released on bail, his sureties being Lord Alfred Douglas and the Rev Steward Hedlam.

A SENSATIONAL TRIAL

Every available inch of the Old Bailey was occupied on April 3, when the hearing of the libel suit brought against the Marquis of Queensberry by Oscar Wilde was opened before Justice Collins.

Wilde charged the Marquis with leaving on February 28 an uncovered card at the Albemarle Club, on which was written certain foul epithets.

Sir Edward Clarke, formerly Solicitor-General, in opening the case, said the gravest issues had been raised, as the defendant in his pleadings alleged that the plaintiff had for some time acted in a disgraceful way. Certain letters addressed by the plaintiff to Lord Alfred Douglas, the second son of the Marquis of Queensberry, were brought to the plaintiff by a man who said he was in distress, and Wilde gave him £20 with which to pay his passage to America. Another letter was handed to Beerbohm Tree, the actor, who gave it to the plaintiff.

When Oscar Wilde was called, he languidly arose from his solicitor's table where he was seated, and entered into the witness-box. The plaintiff was faultlessly dressed in a black frock coat and carried his gloves in his hand, showing his fingers covered with rings. He was very pale, but seemingly composed.

Wilde spoke with his customary drawl, leaning his arms upon the rail of the witness-box, and replying distinctly to questions.

Counsel for plaintiff asked the witness about a man to whom he had given £20 with which to pay his passage to America. The witness said, "The man told me he had been offered £60 for a letter, and I advised him immediately to accept it. But finally I gave him money in order to relieve his distress, and he gave me the letter."

This letter, produced in Court, was to Lord Alfred Douglas, and the writer addressed him affectionately, and was signed "Oscar Wilde." Counsel, in explaining this letter, said it might seem extravagant to those in the habit of writing letters. But he added "It was mere poetry," (Laughter.)

Interest in the case was increased during cross-examination by Mr E. H. Carson, Q.C., M.P., counsel for the Marquis of Queensberry.

Carson began the presentation of the case for the Marquis by reading passages from "Dorian Gray," one of Oscar Wilde's novels of modern life, to show that the author upheld all that he had been accused of, the plaintiff following the counsel with a copy of the book and laughing at Carson's insinuations. Mr Carson severely repressed the levity of the witness, and began a more serious phase of cross-examination by questioning Wilde about his other vicious acts, and the questions were so pointed as to be unprintable. Wilde emphatically denied anything improper, but was troubled and confused under the terrible cross-examination and frequently drank water.

In fact, he seemed ready to faint, and a chair was placed inside the witness stand for him to use. Throughout the questioning of the plaintiff the Marquis of Queensberry stood facing him, and did not take his eyes off the man.

The cross-examination was resumed on the second day, when Wilde, upon resuming his place on the witness-stand, admitted that he had attended tea parties in the rooms of a man named Taylor, which were artistically furnished, and in which perfumes were burning.

Wilde, in answer to questions, exhibited confusion and contradicted himself frequently. He also lost his temper. Carson's cross-examination of the plaintiff was concluded at noon, having lasted over six hours.

After the afternoon recess the crowd in the court-room was larger than ever, and the hall and stairs leading to it were filled ten feet deep with well-dressed men in waiting.

Mr Carson's speech for the defence was terribly denunciatory of Wilde, who left the courtroom as soon as the counsel for the defendant began to speak. Lord Alfred Douglas was present in the court for a short time during the morning, but he did not return in the afternoon.

Carson alluded in complimentary terms to the course of Beerbohm Tree in the forwarding to the plaintiff a copy of the anonymous letter handed the English actor, whereupon Justice Collins said: "There is no occasion to mention the name of Beerbohm Tree." Carson, in reply, remarked "Nor should I do so, my Lord, had it not been that I received a cable message from him to-day asking that his connection with the case be fully explained."

"Everyone understands Mr Tree's connection with the case. It is in every way honourable and praiseworthy," said the Justice in conclusion.

Wilde's case collapsed on the third day. This and his subsequent arrest, say the London correspondents of New York papers, causes a sensation without parallel in London, since the exposure and flight of the forger Pigott during the sittings of the Parnell Commission. Still, since Wilde's first day's testimony, the result had been foreseen. The expectation was that the jury would stop the trial and return a verdict for Lord Queensberry.

Wilde's lawyers acted wisely in consenting to a verdict at the stage the suit had reached. If Lord Queensberry's witnesses had been examined the Judge would have had no recourse but must have issued a warrant for Wilde's arrest on a charge entailing as a maximum a penalty of 20 years' imprisonment, but upon the evidence already unfolded, if Wilde is convicted it can only be of a misdemeanour, for which the maximum penalty is two years' imprisonment.

Wilde looked a changed man as he slunk into the Court building on the third day. Hitherto he had been dressed according to the latest dictates of fashion and faultlessly groomed. That morning his clothes were creased and tumbled as though he had not changed them during the night. His long hair was disarranged, his eyes were bloodshot and his complexion ghastly. To an interviewer Wilde stated, in a nervous tone quite unlike his flippant audacity as a witness, that he had withdrawn from the case to spare Lord Alfred Douglas the pain of testifying against his father, adding that he willingly sacrificed himself for his friend.

That was the hollowest bluff. The truth is, Wilde's chief lawyer, Sir Edward Clarke, decided after the close of Thursday's proceedings to withdraw from the suit.

Wilde's lawyers say that up to that time he had never evinced the slightest appreciation of the enormity of the accusations against him. It was only when the imminent prospect of his taking Lord Queensberry's place in the dock dawned upon him that he lost self-command. It was reported that he had fled, but he was seen in Chelsea at 4 p.m. on the 5th, and was arrested by 7 p.m. His wife is with her children at the family residence on Tite street. She is distracted with grief. Mrs Wilde has about £500 a year of her own. For the last three years she has received no financial help from her husband.

It should be recorded in Wilde's favour that he always was very good to his mother, and supplemented her small income after the success of his plays enabled him to do so. The London public will never tolerate the performance of any more of Wilde's plays. Thus his principal means of livelihood is gone. As he lived very extravagantly, he has saved nothing from the large income he has had for some years.

After the trial Wilde went to the Westminster Bank, where he drew out the funds to his account. He was constantly shadowed. He returned to his hotel accompanied by Lord Alfred Douglas only. Remaining a few minutes, they drove off to Ely place and thence to Cadogan Hotel, where they vanished. The Scotland Yard authorities issued descriptions of Wilde and spread them over the city, and he was captured before he could get out of the country, as was evidently his intention. He was taken to Scotland Yard and locked up.