The San Francisco Call - Sunday, May 26, 1895

LONDON, ENG., Mag 25. -- Oscar Wilde's trial having reached the final stage, the Old Bailey courtroom was filled with interested spectators to-day. Sir Frank Lockwood, Solicitor-General, concluded his address to the jury. After the arguments were finished Justice Wills began summing up at 1:30 p. m. The general tenor of his address was favorable to Wilde.

During the address of Justice Wills to the jury the foreman asked whether, in view of the intimacy between Lord Alfred Douglass and Alfred Wood, one of the men whose name has been brought prominently into the case, a warrant for Lord Alfred's arrest had ever been issued. The Judge replied that he thought not.

The foreman then asked if it had ever been thought of. To this the Judge replied he could not say. He added that the suspicion that Lord Alfred Douglass would be spared if guilty simply because he was Lord Alfred Douglass was a wild idea and a matter which they could not discuss. The present inquiry was as to whether the man in the dock was guilty.

The jury found Wilde guilty on all the counts of the indictment, including the charge with reference to persons unknown, who were also pronounced guilty. The announcement of the verdict caused a great sensation in the court, as it was the general impression that Wilde would be acquitted. When the foreman of the jury delivered the verdict, Wilde, who had entered the prisoner's dock a moment before, rose from the chair on which he had been seated throughout the trial and stood with his arms on the rail of the dock. The silence which prevailed throughout the courtroom was really painful as Justice Wills ordered that Alfred Taylor should be also summoned before him.

Then in a voice trembling with emotion the Justice said:

"I never before had such a case as this to deal with. Two men such as you are by the nature of your crime lost to all sense of remorse for what you have done. To think that you, Taylor, and that you, Wilde, a man of culture, should be guilty of the offenses charged.

"There is no doubt but that the verdict is a just one, and I shall give you the full penalty allowed by law, and I only regret that it is not more severe. You are both sentenced to hard labor for the term of two years."

Wilde did not look at the Judge while the sentence was being pronounced. His eyes roved around the room and his face never changed color, and he looked like a man who had made up his mind to make the best of a bad situation. Taylor smiled when sentence was pronounced.

As Wilde turned in the dock and started to go back to the prisoners' room the crowd yelled "Shame!" "Shame!" This shouting caused Justice Wills to rise and exclaim in a loud and determined voice, "Silence, silence!" During the time the jury was debating on the verdict Lord Douglass strolled out of the courtroom and into the courtyard, where he walked about nervously, smoking a cigarette.

His face still showed traces of his recent encounter with his father, his left eye being much discolored. During the final stages of Wilde's trial to-day there was an immense crowd in front of the Old Bailey, and the windows of all the neighboring houses were filled with highly interested spectators.

Oscar Wilde and Taylor were, after the conclusion of the trial, conveyed without delay to the Newgate Jail, where they waited until warrants were signed for their sentence.

Both men were then conveyed in the prison van to Pentonville, where they will serve out their sentences unless a pardon should be granted or they should be transferred to another prison before the expiration of their sentences.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle - Sunday, May 26, 1895

London, May 25– While the jry in the Wilde case was out, at the request of the representative of the Associated press, the defendant’s counsel procured the following signed statement from his client, who was waiting in the prisoners’ room below the dock:

"The charges alleged against me are entirely untrue. Youth in every form always fascinated me, because youth has naturally that temperament to which the artist has to try to attain. All works of art are works produced in the moment of youth. I have no sense at all of social grades. I love society and the rich and well born on account of their luxury, culture, the grace of their lives, the external accidents of comely life. But anyone, ploughboy, fisherman or street arab, has an interest for me. Mere humanity is so wonderful. I do not ask of the young what they do I do not care who they are. Their ignorance has its mode of wisdom; their lack of culture leaves them open to fresh and vivid impression. (Signed.) "OSCAR WILDE."

The document from which the above statement is cabled is written throughout in Wilde’s own writing, which is extremely graceful and firm, on a sheet of foolscap paper, and it is signed with a flourish.

When the foreman of the jury delivered the verdict, Wilde, who had entered the prisoners’ dock a moment before, rose from the chair upon which he has been seated throughout the trial, and stood with his arms on the rail of the dock. The silence which prevailed throughout the court room was really painful as Justice Wills ordered that Alfred Taylor should also be summoned before him. Then, in a voice trembling with emotion the justice said:

"I never before had such a shocking case as this to deal with. Two men such as you are by the very nature of your crime lost to all sense of remorse for what you have done. There is no doubt but that the verdict is a just one, and I shall give you the full penalty allowed by law, and I only regret that it is not more severe. You are both sentenced to hard labour for the term of two years."

Wilde never once looked at the judge while the sentence was being pronounced. His eyes roved around the court room, his face never changed color and he looked like a man who had made up his mind to make the best of a bad situation. Taylor only smiled when the sentence was pronounced.

As Wilde turned in the dock and prepared to go back to the prisoners’ room, the crowd present cried: "Shame! shame!" This caused Justice Wills to rise in and exclaim in a loud and determined voice, "Silence! silence!"

During the time the jury was debating upon the verdict, Lord Douglas of Hawick strolled out of the court room and into the courtyard, where he walked about, nervously smoking a cigarette. His face still shows traces of his recent encounter with his father, his left eye being much discolored. During the final stages of Wilde’s trial to-day there was an immense crowd in front of the Old Bailey, and the windows of all the neighbouring houses were filled with highly interested spectators.

Immediately after the verdict was rendered Mr. C. F. Gill, of counsel for the prosecution, said to a representative of the associated press:

"I am somewhat surprised at the verdict myself. Not that I doubted Wilde’s guilt, but I thought that sure one member of the jury would stand out."

When Mr. Gill was asked if there was any chance of an ew trial he replied: "No, indeed. It is disposed of forever, thank heaven."

Mr. Travers Humphreys, of counsel for Wilde, also told the representative of the Associated press that the verdict was a surprise to him. He added: "The sentence is for two years on all the counts of the indictment and not on each count separately. Now that they have hit their man I am certain his health will break down and possibly the authorities will favorably entertain the idea of a pardon."

Sir Edward Clarke, leading counsel for Wilde, applied to Justice Wills to postpone passing sentence upon his client until the next session of the central criminal court (Old Bailey) but the judge refused to do so.

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