The Pall Mall Gazette - Saturday, April 6, 1895
This report was originally published in English. Machine translations may be available in other languages.
THE CHARGE AGAINST WILDE.
TAYLOR IN THE DOCK.
There was an eager little crowd round the outer doors of Bow-street police-court this morning. But very few of the men anxious to get a last glimpse of Oscar Wilde got into the court. Sir John Bridge, anxious to keep the atmosphere of the regular court as clear as possible, took the case in the little court upstairs. There is room for very few people in the court, and when the witnesses and the crowd of reporters had been accommodated, there was not much left for the ordinary curiosity-mongers. It was about eleven o'clock when Sir John took his seat. Immediately Oscar Wilde appeared through the doorway leading from the cells, he glanced round apprehensively as he entered the court. Then he was marched directly into the dock. Mr. Gill began at once. He appeared, he said, on behalf of the Public Prosecutor, to prosecute the prisoner on a series of charges under the 11th section of
There was an eager little crowd round the outer doors of Bow-street police-court on Saturday. But very few of the men anxious to get a last glimpse of Oscar Wilde got into the court. Sir John Bridge, anxious to keep the atmosphere of the regular court as clear as possible, took the case in the little court upstairs. There is room for very few people in the court, and when the witnesses and the crowd of reporters had been accommodated, there was not much left for the ordinary curiosity-mongers. It was about eleven o'clock when Sir John took his seat. Immediately Oscar Wilde appeared through the doorway leading from the cells; he glanced round apprehensively. Then he was marched directly into the dock. Mr. Gill began at once. He appeared, he said, on behalf of the Public Prosecutor, to prosecute the prisoner on a series of charges under the 11th section of
THE CRIMINAL LAW AMENDMENT ACT.
He would also be charged with conspiring with Alfred Taylor. The first case would be that of Charles Parker, to whom Wilde gave a gold ring and a cigarette case, various sums of money, and took him to the Crystal Palace and elsewhere. Parker was now leading a respectable life, and he would come forward and tell a story which would be corroborated in every particular. The police had enormously difficult duties to discharge. The difficulty they had in obtaining evidence would be well within his worship's knowledge. Taylor and his calling were known to the police, and the police had obtained access to his rooms, and gone through them. This case was a most unpleasant one, but it was of enormous public importance that it should be known to offenders that there was only one end to a life of crime and that end was the gaol. Charles Parker, a smartly dressed young man of nineteen, then went into the box and told the story indicated by Mr. Gill.
In the middle of this boy's evidence there came a pleasing interruption. Mr. Gill stated that he was just informed that Taylor had been arrested and might now be put in the dock with the other prisoner. This announcement did not appear to upset Wilde's equanimity. He only moved cumbrously up to the end of the dock. Taylor, in smart clothes of a sporting cut, came bustling into court smiling. Parker then went on with his story of the introduction to Wilde, and the subsequent developments.
LORD QUEENSBERRY'S THREAT.
Lord Queensberry states that as soon as the trial ended yesterday he sent this message to Wilde "If the country allows you to leave all the better for the country ; but if you take my son with you I will follow you wherever you go and shoot you." Oscar Wilde's name was yesterday removed from the play-bills and programmes of the Haymarket and St. James's Theatres, where his plays "An Ideal Husband" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" were performed respectively.
THE PUBLICATION OF "THE CHAMELEON."
To the EDITOR of the PALL MALL GAZETTE.
Sir,--On behalf of Messrs. Gay and Bird, the publishers of the first and only number of
this publication, we ask you to be good enough to allow us to say through your columns that our clients, of their own act, stopped the sale directly they
were aware of the contents of the magazine. Such sale was not stopped at the request of a contributor, or any one else. They were requested to renew the
sale, and refused. Had the trial proceeded, we should, at the proper time, have tendered our clients to give the above facts in evidence.--We are, your
obedient servants,
85, Gracechurch-street E. C., April 5. WARD, PERKS, AND MCKAY.
Sir,—on behalf of Messrs. Gay and Bird, the publishers of the first and only number of this publication, we ask you to be good enough to allow us to say through your columns that our clients, of their own act, stopped the sale directly they were aware of the contents of the magazine. Such sale was not stopped at the request of the contributor or anyone else. They were requested to renew the sale and refused. Had the trial proceeded we should, at the proper time, have tendered our clients to give the above facts in evidence.—We are, your obedient servants,
"On behalf of Messrs. Gay and Bird, the publishers of the first and only number of this publication, we ask you to be good enough to allow us to say through your columns that our clients of their own act stopped the sale directly they were aware of the contents of the magazine. Such sale was not stopped at the request of a contributor or anyone else. They were requested to renew the sale, and refused. Had the trial proceeded we should, at the proper time, have tendered our clients to give the above facts in evidence."
Messrs. Ward. Perks, & M'Kay (86, Gracechurch Street), solicitors, write as follows with regard to the "Chameleon"—"On behalf of Messrs. Gay & Bird, the publishers of the first and only number of this publication, we ask you to be good enough to allow us to say through your columns that our clients of their own act stopped the sale directly they were aware of the contents of the magazine. Such sale was not stopped at the request of a contributor or anyone else. They were requested to renew the sale, and refused. Had the trial proceeded, we should, at the proper tims, have tendered our clients to give the above facts in evidence."
Messrs. Ward, Parks, and M'Kay (85, Gracechurch-street), solicitors, write to us as follows with regard to toe Chameleon:--"On behalf of Messrs. Gay and Bird, the publishers of the first and only number of this publication, we ask you to be good enough to allow us to say through your columns that our clients of their own act stopped the sale directly they were aware of the contents of the magazine. Such sale was not stopped at the request of a contributor or any one else. They were requested to renew the sale and refused. Had the trial proceeded, we should, at the proper time, have tendered our clients to give the above facts in evidence."