The Morning Post - Wednesday, May 22, 1895

THE WILDE AND TAYLOR CASES.

At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, before Mr. Justice Wills, the trial was resumed of Alfred Taylor, aged 33, of no occupation, on an indictment charging him with certain misdemeanours.—The Solicitor-General (Sir Frank Lockwood, Q.C.), Mr. C. F. Gill, and Mr. Horace Avory prosecuted on behalf of the Treasury; Mr. Grain defended. The prisoner denied on oath the whole of the allegations made against him.—Mr. Grain, continuing his speech, asked the Jury to discard altogether from their minds the evidence of the accomplices, as it was tainted and unworthy of belief and he submitted that as the Crown had failed to produce reasonable proof of guilt the prisoner was entitled to an acquittal.—The Solicitor-General replied on behalf of the Crown.—Mr. Justice Wills, in summing up, observed that it had been a long established practice in criminal cases for juries not to act on the uncorroborated testimony of accomplices. It was purely a question for the Jury to determine what weight they ought to attach to the evidence, and whether there was corroboration sufficient to convict.— The Jury retired at 25 minutes past three o'clock, and, after an absence of about 40 minutes, sent a communication to the Judge which contained certain questions bearing on the counts of the indictment. The Jury convicted the prisoner on two of the counts, but not upon a third, in respect of which it was stated that they were not prepared at that stage to return a verdict.—The Solicitor-General said that he was content to allow the third count to drop, and accept a verdict of guilty upon the two counts.—Sentence was postponed pending the decision of the case of Oscar Wilde, which will be heard to-day.