The New York Herald (European Edition) - Thursday, May 23, 1895
This report was originally published in English. Machine translations may be available in other languages.
Lord Queensberry and His Son.
[BY THE HERALD'S SPECIAL WIRE.]
London, May 23.--The journalists who crowded into Marlborough-street Police Court yesterday to witness the appearance of the Marquis of Queensberry and his son were surprised to see Lord Douglas of Hawick step into the dock beside his father. The HERALD was the only paper which gave a correct version of the affray in Piccadilly, the morning papers, with one exception, all mentioning Lord Alfred Douglas as the chief actor in the little drama.
The Court was densely crowded when father and son answered to the summons charging them-with disorderly conduct. The policeman who had interposed in the scuffle related his story of the episode, which was practically a recapitulation of the facts already published in the HERALD. He stated, however, that on the way to the station Lord Douglas accused the Marquis of having written obscene letters to his wife, but this, on the officer standing down, Lord Queensberry denied. He wrote to Lady Douglas, he said, simply because his son had refused to receive letters from him.
Mr. Stoneham, solicitor, who appeared for Lord Douglas of Hawick, read the following telegram, which, he said, had been sent by the defendant to Lady Douglas on the previous day:--
To Lady Douglas: Must congratulate on verdict. Cannot on Percy's appearance. Looked like dug-up corpse. Fear too much madness of
kissing. Taylor guilty, Wilde's turn to-morrow.
(Signed) - Queensberry.
To Lady Douglas. Must congratulate on verdict. Cannot on Percy's appearance; looked like a dug-up corpse. Fear too much madness of kissing. Taylor guilty. Wilde's turn to-morrow.-- QUEENSBERRY.
"Must congratulate on verdict. Cannot on Percy's appearance; looked like a dug-up corpse. Fear too much madness of kissing. Taylor guilty. Wilde's turn tomorrow. -Queensberry.
"I must congratulate you on the result of the trial. I cannot on Percy's appearance. He looks like a dug-up corpse. I fear he has had too much madness of kissing. Taylor guilty; Wilde's turn to-morrow. QUEENSBERRY.
"I must congratulate you on the result of the trial. I cannot on Percy's appearance. He looks like a dug up corpse. I fear he has had too much madness of kissing Taylor guilty. Wilde's turn to-morrow. "QUEENSBERRY."
Mr. Plowden, the magistrate, said he did not mean to go into the family affairs of the defendants, and the case then resolved itself into a question of who struck the first blow.
Numerous eye-witnesses were produced but their evidence, although somewhat in favor of the marquis, was conflicting, and finally the magistrate concluded that whoever commenced the squabble there was no doubt that both father and son were making a disturbance in the street. They were therefore both bound over to keep the peace for six months, in their own sureties of £500.