Daily Star and Herald - Saturday, June 8, 1895

London news reports that after two hours' deliberation the jury on Saturday, May 25, convicted Oscar Wilde for immorality. Mr. Justice Willis in delivering sentence declared that the finding of the jury was a just one and that he never knew of a more shocking case, and regretted that he was unable to impose a sentence over the maximum penalty of two years' hard labor on both Wilde and Taylor. Wilde's appearance in the dock was that of an utter nervous physical wreck. On the sentence of the Court being delivered the audience cried shame. On Sunday, 26th, both Wilde and Taylor attended divine service in Petonville Chapel with their hair cropped and wearing the army prison garb.

It is also stated that the London police are in possession of a list of a large number of persons who will probably be notified to leave the country to avoid criminal proceedings.

At the end of the trial the foreman of the jury asked whether a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Lord Alfred Douglas.

The conduct in court of the Marquis of Queensberry and Lord Douglas, his son, was so unseemly on the 23rd that they had to be severely rebuked by the presiding Magistrate who dismissed them under bonds to keep the peace.

The Boston Globe - Saturday, May 25, 1895

LONDON, May 25 - The trial of Oscar Wilde was resumed in the Old Bailey court this morning, Sir Frank Lockwood continuing his address to the jury for the prosecution. He dilated upon the intimacy of Wilde and 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 Edward Clarke protested against the counsel's confusing Taylor’s case with Wilde’s.

Sir F. Lockwood expressed 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 angrily 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 discussion of the evidence, and not start out on any rhetorical denunciation of the prisoner.

Mr Lockwood finished his address by saying that Wilde’s own admissions pointed conclusively to his guilt.

The judge, in summing up, said that Wilde had confessed that his conduct in regard to Lord Alfred Douglas has been such that he (the judge) could not ask the jury in the previous trial to say that there was no ground for charging him with having posed as a criminal.

The judge, in the course of his remarks to the jury, dealt with each of the charges contained in the indictment, his opinion being plainly and strongly against the prisoner. In regard to Wilde’s letters to Lord Alfred Douglas, he said they might be "prose poems," but that they were none the less poison to a young man's mind, and the writer was clearly not a desirable companion for the young.

The judge finished his charge at 3 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 that 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 Alfred Douglas’ guilt is equal to that of Wilde."

Wilde was sentenced to two years in prison at hard labour.

Taylor, whose sentence had been suspended, was also given two years at hard labor.

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