The Standard - Thursday, May 23, 1895

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Wills.)
TRIAL OF OSCAR WILDE.

Oscar Wilde, 40, author, surrendered to take his trial a second time on an indictment charging him with certain misdemeanours. — The Solicitor General (Sir Frank Lockwood, Q.C.), Mr. C. F. Gill, and Mr. H. Avory prosecuted ; Sir Edward Clarke, Q.C., and Mr. Charles Mathews defended. — The Solicitor General said the charges alleged against the Prisoner extended over a period from February, 1892, to about March, 1893. One of the charges was made in respect of a man named Shelley, who at the time that he made the acquaintance of Oscar Wilde was employed at a publisher's office. Another charge was made in respect of Alfred Wood, who was living in 1893 at the house of a man named Taylor, in Little College-street. They met at a cafe, and afterwards had supper together. Wilde was a man of high literary accomplishments, and the author of several works, whilst these persons with whom he, on various occasions, associated himself were in a much lower station in life. He thought the Jury, after they bad heard the evidence, would be of opinion that the statements of the Witnesses were corroborated, as far as they possibly could be. Wilde gave money to Wood in March, 1893, and Wood went to America. Betore going there he visited Wilde at the Savoy Hotel. There were also charges of impropriety with persons whose names were unknown, in respect of which evidence would be given by a chambermaid from the Savoy Hotel. In support of the allocations, further evidence would be given, from which the Jury would draw their own inferences. It would be shown how two brothers, of the name of Parker, made the acquaintance of Oscar Wilde, and the Jury would have given in evidence what occurred in regard to these individuals. The Solicitor General alluded to farther incidents, and evidence was then called. — Edward Shelley detailed the circumstances under which he made the acquaintance of Oscar Wilde, and his relationship with the Prisoner, his evidence being a repetition of that given at the last trial. — Sir E. Clarke subjected the Witness to a searching cross-examination with a view to testing the truth of his evidence. He was questioned particularly with regard to the correspondence that had passed between himself and Wilde at a period subsequent to the dates mentioned upon which alleged acts of misconduct occurred. In one of the letters tbe Witness asked Wilde for help, and stated that he was in great poverty, but he "was willing to accept poverty as part of his religion," &c. In regard to the other communications questions were put to the Witness relative to the state of his mind at tbat time. — Alfred Wood was again called in support of the case for the Crown. In cross-examination the Witness said he received 175l. from a man named Allan, who had got a sum of 400l. or 500l. from a gentleman. It was suggested that this money was the proceeds of blackmail levied on this gentleman. Witness said he had worked for his brother, who was a Turf commission agent. He received about 80l. from a solicitor named Tidy of Sackville-street, in May, 1894, under his father's will. Witness was closely questioned with reference to the alleged acts of impropriety between himself and the Prisoner.— Charles Parker gave evidence as to what occurred between himself and Oscar Wilde during the period of their acquaintanceship and was cross-examined at length. Parker admitted that since these proceedings he had been practically under the charge of the police. who had provided him with board and lodging.— The trial was adjourned, Wilde being released on bail.