The Pall Mall Gazette - Wednesday, May 22, 1895

LORD QUEENSBERRY AND HIS SON.
THE AFFRAY IN PICCADILLY.
PROCEEDINGS AT THE POLICE COURT.
BOTH BOUND OVER TO KEEP THE PEACE.

When Mr. Hannay entered his court at Marlborough-street this morning the Marquis of Queensberry, with a big white old-fashioned cravat, was sitting in the counsel's pew; and the Marquis's son, Lord Douglas of Hawick, in a fancy waistcoat, was at the solicitors' table. The Marquis immediately rose and, with the easy air of one to whom legal practice has become familiar, said he wishes to make an application.

"Eh? What?" said Mr. Hannay.

"In my case," said Lord Queensberry, "and, I am sorry to say, my son, I appeal to you to take this case first, as I am extremely anxious to get down to hear another case."

Mr. Hannay said, "Certainly," and the Marquis walked into the dock, where the one gleam of sunshine that got into court with the crowd lighted on his face and on the big yellow rose in his button-hole, making a fine splash of colour. Lord Douglas of Hawick walked after him, and the two carefully edged as far away from one another as the limits of their common habitation allowed. The charge against them was of fighting together and causing a disturbance in Piccadilly. Police-constable Morrow was called, and told in regulation style how at 5.10 yesterday he observed the prisoners fighting together at the corner of Old Bond-street, to the enjoyment of a large crowd. They were separated, but began fighting again; were again separated, but once more commenced. Eventually the witness arrested the Marquis, while another constable took the son. Lord Queensberry,

DISDAINING THE ARTS OF LAWYERS,

or feeling his case so strong, had no counsel. "I am defending myself," he said, and he put one or two very effective questions in cross-examination. The officer readily admitted that, as far as he saw, the son was the aggressor, and that on each occasion when the fighting was recommenced, it was the son who followed the father and not the father who attacked the son. In reply to Lord Douglas of Hawick's counsel, the officer said that at Vine-street the Marquis declared his readiness to fight his son for £10,000, anywhere in the country whenever he liked. The constable, who arrested the son, told practically the same story as to the fighting and who began it. On the way to the station Lord Douglas said that his father had been writing offensive letters to his wife, and refused to desist, so that this was the only remedy he had.

"Do you wish to put any questions?" asked Mr. Hannay of Lord Queensberry.

"No--no--no," said the Marquis, in fine airy Old Bailey style.

Lord Douglas's counsel did, however. He did not appear so familiar with practice in the criminal courts as the Marquis--and he asked as to the challenge to fight issued at the station. The officer's version of it was that the Marquis said he was willing to fight his son for £10,000 at any place, but he did not wish to make a scene in Piccadilly. According to the inspector who took the charge, the Marquis said at the station that it was the fault of his son, who had bailed Oscar Wilde, and to-day had followed the Marquis about, and struck him in Piccadilly. The son said it was all through his father writing letters of a most improper character to his wife. Then

LORD QUEENSBERRY OPENED HIS DEFENCE.

He had come away from the Old Bailey in a cab he said, and had walked up St. James's-street into Piccadilly when he saw his son and a gentleman walking along at some little distance. The son came straight at him and struck him, knocking his hat off.

"I struck him, I certainly struck him then," said the Marquis with conviction, "but it was in self-defence."

Lord Douglas's counsel next found its opening, and contrived to introduce some extraneous matter. Lord Queensberry, he said, had been writing letters of an improper character and had that very afternoon sent a telegram to Lady Douglas of Hawick upon the Taylor verdict, as follows:

"Must congratulate you on verdict; cannot do so on Percy's appearance. He looked like a dug-up corpse. Shall have Wilde to-morrow."

Lord Queensberry had pursued a system of letter writing of an offensive character to both his sons, to his late wife, to Lady Douglas, and to her ladyship's family. He had been to his son's house with the object of creating a disturbance, and some time ago the annoyance had become so great that counsel had laid the letters before his worship asking for the court's interference, which was refused. All Lord Douglas did yesterday was to ask his father to cease writing letters to his wife, whereupon his father hit him in the eye, and an assurance to that effect was all that Lord Douglas wished. Then came the witnesses. For the Marquis two shop assistants from a neighbouring establishment said the son was the aggressor. After this the Marquis wanted to make a statement about the letters to show that they were not of an improper character. Mr. Hannay, however, strongly recommended him not to. So the son's witness was called. This was Mr. Frederick Wisdom, of Harley Lodge, South Hampstead. The interesting part of his testimony was the answer he gave to the question who struck the first blow.

"IT WAS A VERY NEAR THING,"

said Mr. Wisdom, "but I should say the Marquis was just a shade the quicker"--an observation that made most people in court laugh. To the Marquis it seemed to give an added sense of dignity and virtue. Eventually the policeman arrested them both, "and that," said the impartial Mr. Wisdom, "struck me as the best thing the policeman could do." The Marquis then made another little scene in his anxiety to repel the charge of writing improper letters to his daughter-in-law. He heard ten days ago he said that Oscar Wilde was staying in Lord Douglas's house, and for the sake of his other son he went to see that Lord Alfred was not there too. There was a scene, and it became necessary to explain to his daughter-in-law why he did not wish Wilde and Lord Alfred to be in the same house. But he never wrote any improper letters. Mr. Hannay was very judicious as usual. Nothing mattered that either side said. They were fighting in the street, and although there was a policeman at hand neither invoked him. They were, therefore, equally responsible, whichever began it, and he should bind them both over in their own bonds of £500 to keep the peace for six months. The Marquis went off gaily in a hansom amid cheers.