The Daily Colonist - Monday, May 27, 1895
This report was originally published in English. Machine translations may be available in other languages.
CABLE LETTER.
Oscar Wilde’s Sentence
[…]
The jury yesterday found Oscar Wilde guilty on all the counts of the indictment, including the charge with reference to persons unknown who were also pronounced to be guilty. After a short interval the judge called Wilde and Taylor to the bar and each was sentenced to two years' imprisonment at hard labor. While the jury was out, at the request of a representative of the Associated Press, Wilde's counsel procured the following signed statement from Wilde, who was waiting with the prisoners in the room below the dock: "The charges alleged against me are entirely untrue. Youths of every form always attracted me, because youth has naturally that temperament to which an artist has to try to attain. All works of art are works produced in the moment of youth and I have seen all serial grades. I love the society of the rich and well born, on account of their luxury, culture and the grace of their lives, but anyone, ploughboy or street arab, has an interest for me. Mere humanity is so wonderful. I do not ask of the young what they do ; I do not care who they are, their ignorance has its mode of wisdom, their lack of culture leaves them open to fresh and vivid impressions. (Signed) Oscar Wilde." The above statement was written throughout in Wilde's own writing.
While the jury were out, at the request of a representative of the Associated Press, Wilde’s counsel procured the following signed statement from Wilde, who was waiting with the prisoners in the room below the dock: "The charge alleged against me are entirely untrue. Youths of every form are always attractive, because youth has naturally the temperament to which the artist has to try to attain. All works of art are works produced in a moment of youth, and I have seen all the several grades. I love the society of the rich and well-born, on account of the luxury, culture and grace of their lives, but any one, ploughboy or street arab, has interest for me. Mere humanity is so wonderful, I do not ask of the young men what they do, I do not care who they are. Their ignorance has its mode of wisdom, their lack of culture leaves them open to fresh and vivid impressions. [signed.) Oscar Wilde." The document of the above statement was written throughout in Wilde's own writing.
While the jury was out, at the request of the representative of the Associated Press, Wilde's counsel procured the following statement from Wilde who was waiting in the prisoners' room below the dock: "The charges alleged against me are entirely untrue. Youth in every form has fascinated me, because youth has naturally that temperament to which the artist has to try to attain. All works of art are works produced in a moment of youth, and I have a sense of all the serial grades. I love society, the rich and well-born, on account of their luxury, culture and the graces of their lives, and the external accidents of comely life. But anyone, plough boy, fisherman, or street arab, has an interest for me. Mere humanity is so wonderful. I do not ask of the young what they do, I do not care who they are, their ignorance has its mode of wisdom, their lack of culture leaves them open to fresh and vivid impressions. (Signed) Oscar Wilde." The document of the above statement is written in Wilde's own writing.
While the jury was out, at the request of the representative of the Associated Press, Wilde's counsel procured the following statement from Wilde who was waiting in the prisoners' room below the dock: "The charges alleged against me are entirely untrue. Youth in every form has fascinated me, because youth has naturally that temperament to which the artist has to try to attain. All works of art are works produced in a moment of youth, and I have a sense of all the serial grades. I love society, the rich and well-born, on account of their luxury, culture and the graces of their lives, and the external accidents of comely life. But anyone, plough boy, fisherman, or street arab, has an interest for me. Mere humanity is so wonderful, I do not ask of the young what they do, I do not care who they are, their ignorance has its mode of wisdom, their lack of culture leaves them open to fresh and vivid impressions. (Signed) Oscar Wilde."
The punishment which Oscar Wilde is sentenced to undergo is the severest known to the law. It practically means a continuous period of solitary confinement for the two years term of his sentence. Regular " jail birds" always prefer five years of penal servitude to two years imprisonment, owing to the easier conditions of the former. Wilde will not be permitted to see any visitor for three months, but by exceptionally good conduct he can secure a slight reduction of his sentence. Lord Alfred Douglass said that if Wilde were convicted he would take a house near the prison until his release, but it is now clear that if Lord Alfred returns to England he will be arrested on the same charge Wilde is.
The punishment which Oscar Wilde is sentenced to undergo is the severest known to the law. It practically means a continuous period of solitary confinement for the two years term of his sentence. Regular "jail birds" always prefer five years of penal servitude to two years imprisonment, owing to the easier conditions of the former. Wilde will not be permitted to see any visitor for three months, but by exceptionally good conduct he can secure a slight reduction of his sentence. Lord Alfred Douglass said that if Wilde were convicted he would take a house near the prison until his release, but it is now clear that if Lord Alfred returns to England be will be arrested on the same charge Wilde is.
The punishment which Oscar Wilde is sentenced to undergo is the severest known to the law. It practically means a continuous period of solitary confinement for the two years term of his sentence. Regular "jail birds" always prefer five years of penal servitude to two years imprisonment, owing to the easier conditions of the former. Wilde will not be permitted to see any visitor for three months, but by exceptionally good conduct he can secure a slight reduction of his sentence. Lord Alfred Douglas said that if Wilde were convicted he would take a house near the prison until his release, but it is now clear that if Lord Alfred returns to England he will be arrested on the same charge as Wilde.
The punishment Oscar Wilde is sentenced to undergo is the severest known to the law. It practically means a continuous period of solitary confinement with hard labor for two years, the term of his sentence. Regular "jail birds" always prefer five years of penal servitude to two years' imprisonment, owing to the easier conditions of the former. Wilde will not be permitted to see any visitor for three montas, but by exceptionally good conduct he can secure a slight reduction of his sentence. Lord Alfred Douglas said that if Wilde were convicted ha would take a house near the prison until Wilde's release, but it is now clear that if Lord Alfred returns to England he will be arrested on the same charge as Wilde.
The punishment Wilde is sentenced to undergo is the severest known to the law. It practically means a continuous period of solitary confinement for the term of the two years term of his sentence. Regular "jail birds" always prefer five years of penal servitude to two years imprisonment, owing to the easier conditions of the former. Wilde will not be permitted to see any visitor for three months, but by exceptionally good conduct he can secure a slight reduction of his sentence.