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.

The Boston Post - Saturday, April 6, 1895

LONDON, April 5. - The case of Oscar Wilde against the Marquis of Queensberry for libel was brought to a close this morning in a verdict in favor of the defendant. The jury found not only that the defendant was not guilty of libel, but in a subsidiary verdict, declared that the Marquis of Queensberry’s charges were true and had been made for the public good. The charges were gross immorality.

The Evening News received this afternoon the following letter written upon the notepaper of the Holborn Viaduct Hotel:

"It would have been impossible for me to have proved my case without putting Lord Alfred Douglass in the witness box against his father. He was extremely anxious to go into the witness box, but I would not let him. Rather than put him in so painful a position, I determined to withdraw from the case and bear upon my own shoulders whatever ignominy and shame might result from my prosecution of the Marquis of Queensberry. "(Signed) OSCAR WILDE."

At 3:30 o'clock this afternoon a solicitor applied at the Bow Street Police Court and obtained a warrant against Wilde for immediate execution. He was subsequently found by the detectives, who arrested him and took him to Scotland Yard.

Sworn informations have been lodged against several persons mentioned in the trial, some of whose names were not made public, and the civil officers are only awaiting the authority of the treasury department to make the arrests.

Wilde was taken to a cell in the Bow street station. When the charge, indicated by his testimony in court, was read to him, he stood with his hands in his pockets, silent and apparently unconcerned.

In an interview this afternoon the Marquis of Queensberry said to a representative of the United Press: "I have sent this message to Wilde: ‘If the country allows you to leave, all the better for the country; but if you take my son with you, I will follow you wherever you go, and shoot you.'"

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