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This page compares two reports at the paragraph level. The column on the left shows the first report in its entirety, and the column in the middle identifies paragraphs from the second report with significant matching content. The column on the right highlights any differences between the two matching paragraphs: pink shows differences in the first report and purple in the second report. The Match percentage underneath each comparison row in this column shows the percentage of similarity between the two paragraphs.
Original paragraph in
Bristol Mercury - Wednesday, May 1, 1895
Bristol Mercury - Wednesday, May 1, 1895
Most similar paragraph from
Evening Herald - Tuesday, April 30, 1895
Evening Herald - Tuesday, April 30, 1895
Difference
At the Old Bailey, London, yesterday, before Mr Justice Charles, the trial was resumed of Oscar Wilde, 40, author, and Alfred Taylor, 38,
of no occupation, on an indictment charging them with certain misdemeanours.
Mr Gill, on behalf of the Crown, formally withdrew the counts of the indictment alleging conspiracy, and said he did this to avoid any
difficulty in calling prisoners into the witness box.
On the trial of Oscar Wilde and Alfred Taylor being resumed to-day at the Central Criminal Court, London, Mr Gill, on behalf of the
Crown, formerly withdrew the counts of the indictment alleging conspiracy, and said he did this to avoid any difficulty in calling the prisoners into the
witness box.
Sir Eward Clarke asked that a verdict of not guilty on the conspiracy counts be at once returned, but his Lordship did not assent to
this.
Sir Edward Clarke asked that a verdict of not guilty on conspiracy counts be at once returned, but his lordship did not assent to this.
Sir Edward Clarke began his address for the defence of Wilde. He accused the public press of having imperilled the interests of justice.
Oscar Wilde was called and sworn. He described his academical and literary career. Sir Edward Clarke—In cross-examination in Wilde v.
Queensberry you denied all the charges against you? Was that evidence absolutely and entirely true? Witness—Entirely true evidence. Is there any truth in
any of the allegations of indecency brought against you in this case?—There is no truth whatever in any one of those allegations.
Mr Gill, in cross-examination, quoted from a sonnet of Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde replied that the love there spoken of was the love of
David for Jonathan—the passion described by Plato as the beginning of wisdom, a deep spiritual affection as pure as it was perfect. In this century it was
misunderstood, and a man was put in the pillory for it.
Counsel then called the attention of witness to the statements of Parker, Shelley, and Atkins, to which he gave a general denial.
At the close of his examination Wilde again took his place in the dock, and Alfred Taylor, his co-prisoner, entered the witness box. He
said he was educated at Marlborough, and was formerly in the Militia. In 1883 he came into £45,000, and had since lived a life of pleasure. The allegation
brought against him by Charles Parker was absolutely untrue.
Sir Edward Clarke again addressed the jury. He said the Crown rested their case upon the tainted evidence of a band of blackmailers, and
had Mr Oscar Wilde been a guilty man he would have avoided the ordeal of the witness box. He trusted to letters of the witness Edward Shelley to erase
impressions created by his evidence.
Mr Grain addressed the jury for Taylor, and Mr Gill then replied an the whole case. At the conclusion of his address at seven o'clock,
the court adjourned until this morning, when Mr Justice Charles will commence him summing up.