Compare Documents

For the second time in the past three months the Marquis of Queensberry has appeared in a police court. This last time he was with his eldest son, Lord Douglas, of Hawick, whom he had punched vigorously on the street the evening before, and who had a reminder of the family quarrel in the shape of a beautiful black eye. If ever young Lord Douglas got it into his head that he could successfully cope with his sportive parent, he has had now a good opportunity to change his mind.

The Marquis was crossing over Piccadilly, in the direction of Albemarle street, where his hotel be situated, on the evening of the fracas, when he was met by his son, who appeared to be in an excited condition, and apparently without any preliminary beyond asking his father how he dared send insulting letters to Lady Douglas, pushed, rather than struck, the elder man. The latter was staggered somewhat, and his hat fell off, but recovering himself, he struck out at his son.

At this juncture a policeman appeared on the scene, and putting his arm between the two, request them both to refrain from making a scene.

Lord Douglas, however, in returning his father’s blow, struck the policeman violently in the mouth, though, of course, only accidentally.

After a short discussion the gentleman in blue somewhat wisely retired from the scene, but the combatants a few yards further along Piccadilly, resumed their verbal altercation, and eventually came again to actual blows.

In short, in the sharp encounter which followed, the author of the Queensberry rules put his pugilistic theories into practice, and, when the police, who had by this time reappeared, separated them, Lord Douglas of Hawick was the possessor of a scientifically discolored eye. Both representatives of the noble house of Douglas were then incumbently marched off to the Vine street police station, where a charge of disorderly conduct was preferred against them. As they were perfectly well known they were allowed to depart when they had entered into their own recognizances to the sum of £2 to appear in court in the morning.

When they were arraigned in the Marlborough Police Court both men were placed in the dock together to respond to a charge of disorderly conduct and fighting on the street.

The Marquis said that his son was the aggressor having first assaulted him, and that he only struck back in self-defense.

Lord Douglas of Hawick, said he merely desired his father’s assurance that he would cease writing obscene letters to his (Hawick’s) wife reviling her husband. His aim in meeting his father was to stop these foul and obscene communications.

Lord Queensberry objected to the letters in question being called obscene. Hearing that Oscar Wilde was residing with Lord Douglas he went to the latter’s house and obtained the assurance of his daughter-in-law that his younger son, Lord Alfred Douglas, was not there also. He thereupon ceased writing letters to Lord Douglas’ wife.

Lord Douglas’ lawyer wished to read the letters in question, but the magistrate would not allow it. The lawyer said that at the conclusion of Taylor’s trial the Marquis of Queesnberry had sent a telegram to Lord Douglas and his wife which was as follows:

"I must congratulate you on the result of the trial. I cannot on Percy’s appearance. He looks like a dug up corpse. I fear he has had too much madness of kissing. Taylor guilty. Wilde’s turn tomorrow.

"QUEENSBERRY".

Both the Marquis and his son were bound in sureties of £500 each to keep the peace for six months. The marquis, who wore a fresh boutonniere and prosecuted a very jaunty appearance, admitted that he had offered to fight his son, Lord Douglas of Hawick, anywhere or at any time for £1,000. Lord Douglas showed a very black eye as the result of his encounter with his father, but the latter did not show a mark. The crowd cheered the Marquis as he drove away in a cab, and as earnestly hissed and hooted Lord Douglas as he took his departure.

The Marquis went directly from the Marlborough Street Police Station to the Old Bailey Court, where he was an attentive listener at the trial of Oscar Wilde.

Special Cable to The Inquirer, Copyright, 1895.

LONDON, May 22. — While Oscar Wilde's trial was proceeding at Old Bailey this morning two of the eccentric Queensberry family—the Marquis and his heir apparent, Lord Douglas of Hawick, whom he hates almost as furiously as he does his younger son, Lord Alfred Douglas—were in the Marlborough Street Police Court explaining about their fight in Piccadilly yesterday afternoon.

Lord Douglas, with his left eye black, a hugely swollen witness of his old father's prowess, was content to be heard through his solicitor, but the Marquis of Queensberry had no lawyer and was loquacious in his own defense.

He told how he had written letter after letter to his eldest son about the Wilde affair in general and Hawick's stand for Wilde in particular.

"At last," said the Marquis, "my letters were returned unopened. I was forced to write to my son's wife in order to reach him.

"I wanted to find out where Lord Alfred Douglas was, and whether it was true that my eldest son was harboring Wilde.

"Yesterday my son rushed up to me and, without provocation, assaulted me. I defended myself.

"Three times we were separated, and each time he followed me and attacked me again."

THE MARQUIS' LETTERS.

Lord Douglas' lawyer said the Marquis had been writing filthy letters to his client's wife. These letters were produced and were read by the justice, who resisted Queensberry's excited entreaties that they be put in evidence and given to the public.

Douglas' lawyer read one communication, which was in the form of a telegram to Lady Douglas of Hawick. Queensberry must have sent it only a few minutes before his son attacked him and after the verdict of the jury in the Taylor case had been announced:

"I must congratulate you on the result of the trial. I cannot on Percy's appearance. He looks like a dried up corpse. I fear he has had too much madness of kissing. Taylor guilty. Wilde's turn to-morrow."

Lord Douglas' lawyer then said:

"Again and again my client has requested him to stop sending these communications to his wife. He promised to stop, but only the other day he sent a picture of an antediluvian monster with 'this is Wilde's ancestor' written under it.

"My client approached the Marquis of Queensberry yesterday, solely to ask him to cease his obscene writing to Lady Douglas."

Both sides produced witnesses, but the testimony all showed that however aggressive a apart of the famous boxing Marquis may have taken in the row, the onset was made every time by his son.

FATHER AND SON BOUND OVER.

The Magistrate deplored bringing a family quarrel into the police courts, and reprimanded both father and son and bound them over in £500 to keep the peace six months.

Farther and son were side by side in the dock during the whole hearing. They stood side by side while signing the bond and went out of the court room together, but neither spoke to the other.

There was a great crowd outside the court room, and the Marquis was loudly cheered when he appeared. Immediately after the court proceedings the Marquis repaired to Willis' rooms, the most fashionable of London restaurants, where he had luncheon with a lady and a young girl.

He was in great glee. He wore a very large white boutonniere, and evidently enjoyed the attention he received from the other guests. He showed to his companions the picture he had sent Lady Hawick.

It was a full-page representation in one of the weekly papers of a prehistoric iguanodon as restored by Professor Woodward and placed in Kensington Museum.

A TALK WITH THE MARQUIS.

The Marquis of Queensberry talked with the utmost freedom to The Inquirer correspondent this evening. He said:

"The cause of my son's anger was this: Before Wilde was released on bail I went to Holloway Prison and left a note saying if he went about with my younger son, Lord Alfred Douglas, after his release he would do it at serious risk. He sent no reply. I accordingly put detectives on him and called at the hotel after his release, but he refused to see me. My other son, Lord Douglas, took him and his lawyer to dine, but just as they were sitting down to dinner I appeared, and Wilde forthwith fled cut of the house.

"I heard next day that Wilde had gone to stay at Lord Douglas' country house at Kingston on the Thames and that Alfred was there. I represented myself at the house and was received by Lady Douglas, who refused me admission and said I should not come there. Subsequently I learned that Alfred was at Rouen, Oscar Wilde having frightened him into leaving the country by falsely stating that a warrant had been issued for his arrest."

"Do you believe Wilde will be convicted?"

"A million to one on it, though I was scanning the jury to-day and I think there are a couple of queer looking fellows among them."

"Do you believe the authorities want a conviction?"

"It looks as if they didn't. They have got no fresh evidence, as they might have done. By the way, there is on matter I would like you to mention—that is the shabby way the authorities have treated me. They are relying altogether on the case prepared at my expense. It has cost me £2000, and when I applied to the Treasury for compensation they offered me £35. I protested against this meanness and they offered me £100, but I told them they might keep it. I intend to get a question put in Parliament on the subject when the case is concluded, and have already seen Labouchere about it. I am a poor man and can't stand this expense.

"My sole object was to keep Wilde and Alfred apart, so I hope Wilde will be convicted. Should he escape, I will pursue him until I am satisfied the intimacy between them is stopped."

BALLARD SMITH.