Compare Documents

LONDON, April 3. - The town to-night talks in subdued tones. The topic requires it: Oscar Wilde and a scandal. The esthetic Oscar, he of the passion poems, was on the stand today in his libel suit against the Marquis of Queensberry. The dense crowd in the Old Bailey had waited long for his appearance. When, at last, a figure in a light blue overcoat appeared in company with Lawyer Humphrey, it was recognized as Wilde.

The poet looked bored. The crowd stared. Then the accused Marquis, wearing a frayed overcoat, was called to the dock. He was asked as to the truth of the charge against him. "Not guilty" came the answer. "The so-called libel is true, and I made it known in the interest of public morality." The Marquis spoke with a tremor of suppressed anger. As he took his seat he glared at Oscar. He clenched his hands and then started up suddenly from his seat, all ready in an instant to annihilate the esthetic one then and there. Others hastily interposed and the dignity of the Old Bailey did not suffer. But the Marquis looked more daggers at the poet.

Sir Edward Clarke, counsel for Wilde, mentioned the writing on a card by Queensberry, charging Wilde with gross immorality. He observed that other gentlemen were concerned in the same accusations, and that they would appear later. Edward spoke of Wilde paying the fare to America for a man named Wood, who made offensive statements against the poet based on letters written by Oscar to Lord Alfred Douglas. One of these prose sonnets was read in court. This letter, Sir Edward said, was merely an expression of high poetic sentiment, which the jury must remember emanated from one moving in artistic circles.

WILDE TAKES THE STAND.

Here Wilde took the stand. He testified in his usual drawl that he paid Wood’s fair to America at the latter's earnest entreaty. A man named Allen, he said, came to him claiming to have a damaging letter in his possession. One was a missive said to have been sent by Wilde to Actor Beerbohm Tree. Allen asked $300 for this. Wilde said he laughed at this demand, as he had never received that price for his own short prose writings. He told Allen he had better sell the letter to someone else. Subsequently he donated half a sovereign to Allen.

When the Marquis of Queensberry called at his house in 1893 Mr. Wilde asked him whether he had come to apologize, and Queensberry said "No." Wilde then asked the Marquis if he really accused him of what his suggestions implied, whereupon the Marquis replied: "If I ever catch you with my son again I will thrash you."

Mr. Wilde, continuing, said he replied to the Marquis: "I don't know Queensberry rules, but the Oscar Wilde rules are short and at sight. The letters you have written about me are infamous. You are trying to ruin your son through me." Then when they were in the hall he said to his servant: "This is the Marquis of Queensberry, the most infamous brute in London. Do not let him enter the house again."

Under the fire of cross-examination the poet became nervous and sought refuge frequently in drinking water. A chair was placed at his side, to be in readiness in case of possible collapse. The strain began with the questions touching on the morality of his passion writings. The Marquis' lawyer, Carson, opened fire by questioning passages from Wilde’s to novel, "Dorian Gray."

WORSE THAN IMMORAL.

Pressed to say whether the articles in the Chameleon were not immoral, Mr. Wilde replied: "They were worse; they were badly written."

Wilde frequently ran his fingers through his hair, a habit which is peculiar to him. Several times he propounded paradoxes to Mr. Carson, and in the course of the questioning contended that the letter addressed to Lord Alfred Douglas, which was read in court, was beautiful, but that it could not be judged as a letter apart from art. He denied that he had madly adored Lord Alfred, a man twenty years his junior. He did not adore anyone except himself, nor did he believe that any book affected the conduct of its reader.

"I don’t care tuppence what is thought about my writings," he said. "I don’t believe what I write."

BEERBOHM TREE’S CONTEMPT He Declines to Discuss the Matter of the Anonymous Letter.

WASHINGTON, April 3. – Beerbohm Tree, the English actor, was shown today a copy of the report of the hearing in the Queensberry-Wilde case, in which Mr. Tree is mentioned as having had in his possession a letter purporting to have been written by Wilde, and on which a man named Allen attempted to levy blackmail on the esthete.

"I know nothing more about the matter than is stated in the dispatch," said Mr. Tree; "but I always treat anonymous letters with contempt."

Mr. Tree declined to discuss the matter further.

London, April 3.—The central criminal court, Old Bailey, was densely packed with people long before the hour of opening at 10:30 a. M. to-day, the attraction being the trial of the action of Oscar Wilde against the Marquis of Queensberry for libel. Justice Collins took his seat on the bench promptly at 10:30, and the case was called. The prosecution was conducted by Sir Edward Clarke, Q. C., M. P., and the Marquis of Queensberry was defended by Mr. Edward H. Carson, Q. C., M. P. Lawyer Besley watched the proceedings on behalf of Lord Douglas, of Harwick.

Oscar Wilde, wearing a light blue overcoat, entered the court room in company with his solicitor, Mr. Humphreys. He resolutely maintained an air of unconcern, despite the fact that everybody was staring at him, and took a seat in front of Sir Edward Clarke. The Marquis of Queensberry entered the dock, and, in answer to the usual questions, pleaded not guilty, adding that the so-called libel was true, and had been made known in the interest of public morality.

Sir Edward Clarke, in opening the case, reviewed the evidence taken in the police court, dwelling upon the writing on the card, which constituted the libel complained of. The writing alleged that Mr. Wilde had been posing immorally.

It had been noticed, he said, that it was not charged that there was any actual offense, but the gravity of the case consisted in the fact that the libels complained of had extended over a long period of time. The Marquis of Queensberry, Sir Edward said, had also accused Mr. Wilde of having solicited a number of gentlemen to engage with him in a series of grave offenses. Several of these gentlemen would be called to deny whatever the Marquis might say on cross-examination.

The Marquis Glared at the Poet.

At this point the marquis, who, with clinched fists, sat glaring at Mr. Wilde, made a movement as though he intended to attack him, and he undoubtedly would have done so had it not been for the persons between them. Sir Edward, continuing, said that Mr. Wilde had been a close friend of the Queensberry family until 1893, when he learned of the offensive statements being made against him by a man named Wood, who had either stolen or found some letters written by Mr. Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas. He offered to return these letters for money, and afterward, at Wood’s earnest entreaty, Mr. Wilde paid his fare to America. Later, Mr. Wilde learned that two men, named Knebly and Allen, pretended to have in their possession compromising letters, but Mr. Wilde refused to purchase them. Mr. Wilde, he said, admitted having written, in 1893, a most extravagant letter to Lord Alfred Douglas, in answer to a poem the latter had written. Despite the sentiments expressed in this letter, the jury must take into consideration the artistic circle in which Mr. Wilde moved. Mr. Wilde, himself, described this letter as a "prose sonnet."

In 1893, Sir Edward said, the Marquis of Queensberry openly libeled Mr. Wilde is the latter’s own house, and was shown the door in the presence of servants and refused further admittance. The annoyance was aggravated by the behavior of the Marquis of Queensberry on the first night of the production of any of Mr. Wilde’s plays.

Oscar Wilde’s "Prose Sonnet."

The letter which Mr. Wilde had written to Lord Alfred Douglas was read, as follows:

Mr Dear Boy: Your sonnet is quite lovely. Your roseleaf lips seem made no less for the music of song than for the madness of kisses. Your slim, gilt soul walks between poetry and passion. I know that Hyacinthus, who was loved by Apollo, was like you in the Greek days. Why are you alone in London, and when do you go to Salisbury? Do you sleep in the gray twilight of Gothic things? Come here whenever you like, but go to Salisbury first.

The marquis, Sir Edward Clarke said, now attacked Mr. Wilde respecting his "Dorian Grey" and his articles in the Chameleon, which, it is alleged, he published in the interests and for the furtherence of immoral practices.

Mr. Wilde was then called to the stand, and detailed his relations with the family of the marquis.

Mr. Wilde testified that Wood produced three letters, which were of no importance. Afterward, in response to a strong appeal from Wood, he gave him £15 with which to go to America. Later Allen brought to him a copy of one of these letters which had been sent to Mr. Beerbohm Tree. Allen demanded £60 for the letter. Mr. Wilde laughed at him and refused to pay the money, saying he had never received as much as £60 for his own short prose writings. He told Allen he had better sell the letter to somebody else. Subsequently he gave Allen a half sovereign for himself. Mr. Tree had handed him (Wilde) what purported to be a copy of a letter written by Mr. Wilde. When the Marquis of Queensberry called at his house in 1893 Mr. Wilde asked him whether he had come to apologize, but Queensberry instead of apologizing declared that he (Wilde) had taken furnished rooms for Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde asked the marquis if he really accused him of the crime implied; whereupon the marquis replied, "You look it, and if I ever catch you with my son again I will thrash you."

Relations with Lord Alfred Douglas.

Mr. Wilde, continuing, said he replied, "I don’t know the Queensberry rules, but the Oscar Wilde rules are short and at sight. The letters you have written about me are infamous. You are trying to ruin your son through me." Then when they were in the hall he said to a servant: "This is the Marquis of Queensbury, the most infamous brute in London. Do not let him enter the house again."

Mr. Wilde said it was absolutely untrue that he had taken rooms for Lord Alfred Douglas or that he had stopped with him at the Savoy Hotel. He had no connection with the Chameleon and strongly disapproved of the article entitled "Acolyte and Priest" which had been published therein. As regarded "Dorian Grey," Mr. Wilde said it had first appeared as a serial in Lippincott’s Magazine, but had been altered when published in book form.

Cross-examined by Mr. Carson, Mr. Wilde admitted that he had stayed with Lord Alfred Douglas, Mr. Cromer, and Mr. Worthing at various hotels in London. He was aware that Lord Alfred had written articles in the Chameleon. One of them, entitled "Two Loves," he did not regard as improper, though the "loves" were boys. He regarded portions of "Priest and Acolyte" as disgusting, but did not think it blasphemous. He knew that the Chameleon had a circulation among the students of Oxford University.

Referring to his publication, "Philosophy for the Young," Mr. Carson asked Mr. Wilde if he believed what he had written. Mr. Wilde answered: "I rarely write what I believe is true." Continuing, Mr. Wilde said that he believed that the realization of self was the primal end of life.

Art and Its Meaning.

Mr. Wilde further said that the man Allen, when endeavoring to obtain money for the copy of the letter in his possession, had remarked that it might bear a curious meaning. To this, Mr. Wilde testified that he replied: "Art is rarely intelligible to the criminal classes."

Pressed to say whether the articles in the Chameleon were not immoral, Mr. Wilde replied: "They were worse: they were badly written."

Throughout his testimony Mr. Wilde maintained perfect composure. He frequently ran his fingers through his hair, a habit which is peculiar to him. Several times he propounded paradoxes to Mr. Carson, and in the course of the questioning contended that the letter addressed to Lord Alfred Douglas, which was read in court, was beautiful but that it could not be judged as a letter, apart from art. He denied that he had madly adored "a man twenty years his junior; he did not adore anyone except himself, nor did he believe that any book affected the conduct of its reader."

Mr. Wilde said that he gave Wood the £15 because Lord Alfred Douglas had asked him to assist Wood. He admitted that he thought the matter was blackmail, yet he gave the man £5 besides his dinner, the next day, and saw him off for America. He knew a youth named Shelley. He and Shelley had often dined together, and he had given Shelley £9 upon one occasion. He denied any misconduct with Shelley. He also knew a youth named Conway, and had met young Worthing. He had given the latter a suit of clothes. Nothing of an improper nature had ever occurred between himself and Conway or Worthing.

Mr. Beerbohm Tree, the English actor, who closed an engagement in Washington last night, was shown yesterday a copy of the report of the hearing in the Queensberry-Wilde libel case in London, in which Mr. Tree is mentioned as having had in his possession a letter purporting to have been written by Wilde, and on which a man named Allen attempted to levy blackmail on the aesthete.

"I know nothing more about the matter than is stated in the dispatch," said Mr. Tree. "I always treat an anonymous letter with contempt."

Mr. Tree declined to discuss the matter, but he again indicated that the letter received by him was anonymous.