The Brooklyn Daily Eagle - Friday, April 5, 1895

London, April 5– The suit of Oscar Wilde against the Marquis of Queensberry came to a sudden and unexpected termination this morning shortly after the third day’s proceedings were commenced in the Old Bailey, before Justice Collins.

The result was apparently brought about by the terrible denunciations in the opening argument of Queensberry’s lawyer, Edward M. Carson, M. P., who began yesterday his statement of what he proposed to prove against Wilde. To-day he continued laying down further the line of defense that he intended to offer, and had proceeded a few minutes when Sir Edward Clarke, Wilde’s leading counsel, left the court room. He returned after a brief absence, and amid an impressive silence asked permission on behalf his client, Wilde, to withdraw the suit and submit to a verdict of not guilty in regard to the libel alleged, written by the Marquis of Queensberry. The jury, under instructions from Justice Collins, returned a verdict of not guilty, coupled with the statement that the justification set up as a defence by the Marquis of Queensberry was true in substance and in fact and that the statement complained of was published for the public good.

The verdict was received with loud applause, which was not checked by the presiding justice, and the Marquis of Queensberry was discharged from custody and left the court triumphant, smiling and surrounded by his friends.

The Old Bailey was filled before 10 o’clock with a crowd which had brought lunches, prepared to stay to the end of the day. No one had the remotest idea that the end was so near at hand. The Marquis of Queensberry entered the court room at 10:20 o’clock, looking calm and confident of the result. Promptly at 10:30 Justice Collins took his seat on the bench and opened court. It was noticed that Wilde was not in the court room, but nothing was thought of the circumstance, for the plaintiff was late yesterday.

It was learned later, after Sir Eward Clarke retired, that Wilde was in the anteroom to which his counsel had gone. After a brief interview with his client Sir Edward Clarke returned and withdrew the suit, as noted above. Wilde left he building hurriedly when his counsel began his statement of withdrawal.

Sir Edward Clarke, who is a prominent conservative and who was solicitor general under Lord Salisbury’s last administration, seems desirous of setting himself right for taking the case behalf of Wilde, and the developments of the trial the stated to be altogether surprising to him.

Oscar Wilde has written a letter to the newspapers in which he says:

"It was impossible to prove my case without putting Lord Alfred Douglas in the witness box against his father. Lord Alfred was extremely anxious to go into the box, but I would not allow it. Rather than put him in such a painful position I determined to retire from the case and bear upon my own shoulders whatever shame and ignominy might result form not prosecuting the Marquis of Queensberry."

Shortly after it was announced that a warrant for the arrest of Oscar Wilde was to be applied for, all the papers in the case having been submitted to the public prosecutor.

Later in the day the application was formally made at the Bow street police court before Sir John Bridge, the presiding magistrate, for a warrant for the arrest of Oscar Wilde and the magistrate granted the application.

Officials of the treasury department, under which branch the government public prosecutions are directed, visited Bow street police court several times this afternoon, previous to the granting of the warrant for Oscar Wilde’s arrest. Upon the question of their last visit they were accompanied by a detective and two boys. After a short-consultation between the treasury officials and Sir John Bridge, during which several questions were addressed to the detectives and to the boys, the magistrate issued the warrant. Wilde during the day spent several hours in company with Lord Douglas, at a hotel in Holborn. His brougham was waiting in front of the hotel. Early in the afternoon Lord Alfred drove to a bank, cashed a check and returned to the hotel. Soon afterward, both Wilde and Lord Alfred drove away.

Oscar Wilde Arrested.

London, April 5– Oscar Wilde was arrested at the Cadogan hotel this afternoon.

He was taken to Scotland yard by two detectives.

Los Angeles Herald - Saturday, April 6, 1895

LONDON, April 5. -- The jury in the case of Oscar Wilde against the Marquis of Queensberry found the plea of justification submitted by the Marquis of Queensberry was proved and the Marquis was discharged from custody.

The verdict was received with loud applause from the courtroom, which the Judge did not check.

Before 10 o'clock every available foot of space in the Old Bailey conrtroom was filled with spectators, armed with newspapers and packages of sandwiches, and otherwise ready to spend the day in court in the most comfortable manner possible. The Marquis at 10:20 entered the court, looking calm and confident of the result. Promptly at 10:30 Justice Collins entered and court was opened. Oscar Wilde, however, was absent. Edward M. Carson, Q. C., leading counsel for the defense, resumed his speech, which was not concluded yesterday when court adjourned.

Carson said he hoped he had demonstrated that the Marquis was justified in bringing to a climax, in the way he did, the connection between his son, Lord Alfred Douglas and Wilde. Continuing, counsel said he now approached a more painful duty. It would be his task to call several young men who would tell their own tales and who would show that the man Taylor, frequently referred to during the proceedings, was Wilde's procurer. It was no wonder the Marquis of Queensberry protested against the intimacy between his son and Wilde. The wonder is, counsel said, that this man had been so long tolerated in London society. Wilde's conduct regarding the boy at Worthing, continned Carson, was an instance of his disgusting audacity. He picked up this boy on the pier and introduced him to his family, dressed him up as a gentleman and put public colors upon his hat. Carson was continuing his terrible denunciation of Oscar Wilde when Sir Edward Clarke and others of the plaintiff's counsel left the courtroom for consultation. They soon returned and Sir Edward asked for permission to interrupt the proceedings. Then amid an impressive silence, leading counsel for the plaintiff announced the withdrawal of the case on behalf of his client. The chief concern of Sir Edward Clarke seemed to be his desire to justify himself in undertaking the case for Wilde. He said that after consulting with his client, who by the way, was in the room to which his counsel had adjourned, and who left the building hurriedly when Sir Edward Clarke began his statement, he asked the withdrawal of the suit and on Wilde's behalf submitted the Marquis was not guilty in regard to the words "poisoning as a -- --." Counsel said he did this more especially in view of the extracts which had been read in court from Wilde's novel of modern social life, Dorian Gray, and from the magazine, The Chameleon. Carson here interposed saying that if there was to be a verdict of not guilty, it also involved a verdict of justification, as the case of his client must succeed upon that plea. Justice Collins said as to the jury putting any limit on their verdict, that the words "posing as a --" were either justified or not justified. If the jury consented to the course suggested and were to return a verdict of not guilty, they were also to find the justification set up by the defense was true in substance and in fact, on that the words complained of were published for public benefit.

The jurymen consulted together a moment and then, without leaving their seats, returned a verdict as directed by Judge Collins, namely, that the Marquis of Queensberry was not guilty of libel, and that the words he had written on the card, which formed the basis of the suit, were published in the interest of the public. The verdict was received with loud applause in court, and Justice Collins made no attempt to check i . The Marquis of Queensberry was then discharged from custody and left the court triumphant, surrounded by friends. The defense, it appears, had a long array of witnesses on hand, including waiters employed in the hotels of Paris, London and other cities which Wilde had visited.

LONDON, April 5. - Oscar Wilde was arrested at Cadogan Hotel today. Oscar Wilde has written a letter to a newspaper in which he says: "It was not possible to prove my case without putting Lord Alfred Douglas in the witness box against his father. Lord Alfred was extremely anxious to go into the box, but I would not allow it. Rather than put him in such a painful position I determined to retire from the case and bear upon my own shoulders whatever shame and ignominy might result from not prosecuting the Marquis of Queensberry."

The name of Oscar Wilde has been withdrawn from the playbills and advertisements of two theaters, the St. James and the Haymarket, where two of his plays are running.

Wilde wore an ulster and a silk hat. He was very pale but cool when he arrived at Scotland Yard. Few persons witnessed his arrival and those who did remained silent. At 8:10 p. m. Wilde was arraigned at the Bow street police court. He had merely called at the Cadogan hotel with a couple of friends, when at 6:30 o'clock, a detective walked into the office and asked for him. He was shown the room where Wilde was, and put him under arrest. Wilde said nothing, but immediately went with the detective, who took him to Scotland Yard, where the warrant was read. The prisoner remained silent throughout the proceedings. He was then taken to Bow street. He was not arraigned in the police court as at first stated, but was placed in the dock in the police station. Here he stood with his hands in his pockets while the charge against him was being taken. A police inspector then read the charge aloud and asked Wilde if he had anything to say, adding the usual warning that anything he said might be used against him. The prisoner remained silent and apparently indifferent.

He was then searched, after which he was locked in a cell. Shortly after he had been locked up one of his friends arrived in a carriage at the station, with a Gladstone bag containing a change of clothing and other necessaries, but the police refused to permit him to leave it. Later Lord Alfred Douglass went to the police station and inquired whether Wilde could be admitted to bail. The police inspector explained that Wilde had been arrested for a criminal offense which did not allow of ail being accepted until he had been arraigned in court.

Lord Alfred was greatly distressed by this information. He was told by the inspector that Wilde had a blanket and all requisites in his cell to be as comfortable as the regulations allowed. The prisoner would be allowed to receive food from a hotel until tomorrow, when he will be arraigned on a charge regarding the penal offense.

The Leader publishes an interview with Lord Douglass, in which the latter says: "Myself and every member of the family except father, disbelieve all the charges. We think them simply part of the persecution father has carried on against us ever since I can remember, and that Mr. Wilde and his counsel are to blame for not showing as they should have done, that that was the fact."

The Chronicle says: It suffices us to know, as some return for damming the public tidal stream, that our life is rid forever of a pestiferous poser which has received its deathblow, and the way is clear for increased wholesomeness in life. We seem, for some unhappy purpose, to have been shuddering witnesses of a bastard revival of society under the late Roman empire, or against the dark background of the Italian renaissance.

BALTIMORE, April 5. - Beerbohm Tree, the English actor whose name was mentioned in yesterday's proceedings of the Queensbury-Wilde case at London, refused to comment upon the subject further than to say that his only connection with the case was the handing over to Wilde of a communication which he had received concerning the latter. Mr. Tree expressed keen regret that his name had been linked, even remotely, with so scandalous an affair.

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