The St. James's Gazette - Friday, May 24, 1895
This report was originally published in English. Machine translations may be available in other languages.
THE CHARGES AGAINST OSCAR WILDE.
TO-DAY’S PROCEEDINGS.
The trial of Oscar Wilde, who is charged under the 11th section of the Criminal Law Amendment Act with various offences, was continued at the Old Bailey this morning before Mr. Justice Wills. The Solicitor-General, Mr. Frank Lockwood, Q.C., M.P., Mr. Sutton, Mr. C. F. Gill, and Mr. Horace Avory appeared for the prosecution, and the prisoner was defended by Mr. Edward Clarke, Q.C., M.P., Mr. Charles Mathews, and Mr. Travers Humphreys.
Wilde entered the court accompanied by his sureties (the Rev. Stewart Headlam and Lord Douglas of Hawick) shortly after ten o'clock, and had a conference with his solicitor and counsel before the arrival of the judge in court.
On the judge entering the court Sir Frank Lockwood rose and reopened the point in reference to the case of Shelley being withdrawn from the jury, and read a judgement bearing upon the point.
His lordship said he would adhere to the course he had taken, as he had arrived at the decision after great deliberation.
Sir Edward Clarke then rose to address the jury on what he described as "what remained of the case originally brought by his client." He would, he said, call Mr. Wilde to deny again in that court the charges brought against him and he would then be submitted to a cross-examination for the third time by a fresh assailant. He took exception to the manner in which the Crown was conducting the prosecution, and reminded Sir Frank Lockwood of the fact, which he was afraid for a moment he had forgotten, that he was not there in his position of Solicitor-General to obtain a conviction at any cost, but rather to act as a judge.