The Pall Mall Gazette - Tuesday, April 30, 1895

WILDE'S TRIAL AT THE OLD BAILEY.
A NEW DEVELOPMENT.
THE PRISONER IN THE WITNESS BOX.

As usual, there was again a big crowd at the Old Bailey this morning to witness the closing scenes in the terrible drama known as the Wilde trial. Sir Edward Clarke and Mr. Grain had a consultation, after which both counsel for the defence had interviews with their clients. On Mr. Justice Charles taking his seat on the bench Mr. Gill, on behalf of the Treasury, said he should not ask for a verdict on the counts for conspiracy. Sir E. Clarke: If they had been withdrawn in the first instance I should have asked that the defendants should be tried separately. The Judge: After the evidence given it occurred to my own mind that the counts for conspiracy were really unnecessary counts altogether. Mr. Gill: That is the conclusion at which I have arrived after the evidence which has been given. As to the prisoners being tried separately, the charge against Taylor is of procuring. Sir Edward Clarke asked if he understood that his learned friend showed there was no evidence on the charges of conspiracy. He wanted to know what was the exact position -- whether his learned friend asked his lordship to strike out these counts from the indictment. Mr. Gill said he was adopting the course of not asking for a verdict on the conspiracy counts; because there would be a difficulty in calling the prisoners, on account of these counts being in the indictment, he desired, therefore, to take this course, in order to avoid that difficulty. The Judge: You are entitled to take that course, Mr. Gill, and I understand you don't ask the jury to give a verdict on these counts. Sir E. Clarke: I ask that a verdict of not guilty should at once be taken. The Judge: I cannot assent to that. Sir E. Clarke: Of course I am entitled to a verdict at some time or other. The Judge: I think, at the present state of the trial, all I can do is to say that I accede to Mr. Gill's application. Sir E. Clarke: At some part of the case I should claim that a verdict of not guilty be entered on these counts.

THE SPEECH FOR THE DEFENCE.

Sir Edward Clarke then proceeded to address the jury on behalf of Oscar Wilde. An important and significant announcement, he said, had just been made, and it would be his duty to comment upon it later in the day. He would put Wilde in the witness-box to give evidence. The decision to take that course had not been arrived at at that moment in consequence of the statement of his learned friend. In reference to the tardy withdrawal of charges, he said that if they were not intended to have been proceeded with they ought not to have been put into the indictment. Wilde was entitled to give evidence, and he would go into the box and give an absolute and unqualified denial of the charges made against him. He (counsel) asked the jury, as his learned friend had done, to dismiss from their minds all they had heard elsewhere as to the charges. Among other remarkable characteristics of the case was the course taken by a large portion of the press, who had dealt with the matter in a manner which he said was disgraceful and which must be injurious to his client. It occurred to him that it was not quite fair in this case for his learned friend to insist on having read the cross-examination of Wilde upon his books and what he read. An attempt had been made to judge Wilde not by the books he had written, but by books written by others, and in reference to that article which he had described as " horrible." The reading of the cross-examination of Wilde Sir Edward denounced as grossly unfair, and was done simply for the purpose of biassing the minds of the jury against his client. With regard to the Chameleon and Wilde's contribution to it he claimed that the axioms were mere paradoxical phrases, and read several of them to the jury, observing that two of them would sound very well in a play, but contained no artistic importance at all. The phrase " religions die when they are proved to be true " was

A VERY REMARKABLE TRUTH.

The prosecution asked the jury to criticise and make adverse comment upon phrases, whether silly or wise, which were published in October, 1894, in order to make them think that in December, 1893, Wilde was committing offences, but counsel hoped such a course would not commend itself to them. In reference to the story in the Chameleon, Wilde had communicated with the editor upon the subject, as he was insulted at having his name upon the title-page of the publication. Wilde was on terms of friendship with Lady Queensberry and her family, and so long as Lord Queensberry's insulting letters were addressed to these persons he ignored them, but the moment Lord Queensberry made a public accusation against Wilde he went to his solicitor, had a warrant applied for, and Lord Queensberry was given into custody and committed for trial. Wilde withdrew from that case and consented to a verdict against him. For this action he, Sir Edward, was responsible, and it was partly because he was responsible in that case that he was again appearing on behalf of the accused, who did not shrink from any investigation, and denied the accusations made against him. Sir E. Clarke having finished his speech, Mr. Grain said he also proposed to call Taylor.

WILDE THEN ENTERED THE WITNESS-BOX

and gave evidence. In answer to Sir Edward Clarke he gave a general denial to all the accusations made against him. Then Mr. Gill rose to cross-examine, remarking that he did not propose to keep Wilde long in the box.