The Times - Wednesday, May 22, 1895

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT, May 21.

(Before MR. JUSTICE WILIS.)The trial of ALFRED TAYLOR, 33, upon counts of an indictment charging him with committing and procuring the commission of act of gross indecency was resumed.

The Solicitor-General (Sir F. Lockwood, Q:C.), Mr. C. F. Gill, and Mr. Horace Avory conducted the prosecution on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions; Mr. J . P. Grain defended Taylor.

The evidence for the prosecution was concluded yesterday, and Mr. Grain then addressed the jury for the defence and intimated that he should call Taylor as a witness.

Taylor was now called and gave a denial to the charge. He was cross-examined by the SOLICITOR-GENERAL, and repeated his denial of the accusation.

Mr. GRAIN then summed up the case for the defence and commented upon the absence of corroborative evidence which was requisite to support the charge. He contended that Taylor was perfectly innocent of the accusation made against him.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL replied on the part of the prosecution.

MR, JUSTICE WILLS, in summing up, observed that it was a very long-established rule, and one which it was important should be maintained in its integrity, that no one should be put in peril on the unsupported testimony of people who, if they were telling the truth, had been accomplices in the thing they charged him with. There would be a great terror added to life under modern conditions, with the facilities which evil-minded people had of making unfounded charges--there would be a great terror added to life if that rule was not observed. If he had not thought that with respect to some of the charges there was corroborative evidence fit to be submitted to the jury, he should have stopped the case. Ho directed the jury to find Taylor "Not guilty'' on the counts of procuring in the case of Oscar Wilde and Alfred Wood, there being no evidence to support it.

The jury retired to consider their verdict at 25 minutes past 3, and, after an absence of about half an hour, they returned into Court finding Taylor Guilty on two counts of committing certain acts as regards Charles Parker and William Parker, and Not guilty on the counts dealing with the alleged procuring in respect to Oscar Wilde and Alfred Wood. On the counts charging Taylor with procuring as concerned Oscar Wilde and Charles Parker the jury said they were unable to agree; they did not find that Wilde and Charles Parker committed the act.

MR. JUSTICE WILLS said he should think that all the purposes of justice would be satisfied by the prosecution dropping those counts.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL assented to that suggestion of Mr. Justice Wills, and

The jury were discharged without giving a verdict on those counts.

MR JUSTICE WILLS said that Taylor must stand down for the present.

SIR EDWARD CLARKE.-- With regard to the case of Mr. Wilde, Mr. Wilde is here in attendance under his bail. It is getting late in the afternoon. Perhaps after a second jury have disagreed in the matter--

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL, interposing, said he objected to his friend making these speeches.

SIR EDWARD CLARKE.--I am quite content that the case should be opened now if the case is going on.

Mr. JUSTICE WILLS.-- We had better have another jury.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL.-- I think we had better put it off till to-morrow morning.

MR. JUSTICE WILLS said he thought that the case ought to be tried by a fresh jury, and that, if possible, it should be tried by a jury who had been in another court, and who had not heard Taylor's case.

The Court then adjourned until to-morrow morning.