The Daily Northwestern - Friday, April 5, 1895

WILDE IS ARRESTED.
THE TABLES HAVE BEEN TURNED.
The Apostle of Aestheticism Charged With
a Heinous Crime While Marquis of
Queensbury Goes Free--The
Great Scandal Growing.

London, April 5. -- London's latest filthy scandal has grown to enormous proportions by the arrest of Oscar Wilde, the apostle of aestheticism, charged with the revolting crime of sodomy. It is reported a number of well known people will be dragged into the case. The case bids fair to surpass even the famous Cleveland street scandal of a few years ago and already great pressure is being brought to bear to suppress the case before its filthy details are flaunted before the civilized world.

London, April 5. -- The libel suit of Oscar Wilde against the marquis of Queensberry suddenly collapsed today, the plaintiff consenting to a verdict of not guilty and the court instructing the jury to report the alleged libel true and its publication justifiable and for the public good. The jury returned a verdict to that effect without leaving their seats. The verdict was received with loud applause, which was not checked by the presiding justice, who shortly afterwards announced a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Wilde would be applied for, all the papers having been submitted to the public prosecutor.

The court room was crowded on the opening of court today when Counselor Carson, leader for the defense resumed his speech. He said he hoped he had demonstrated that the marquis was justified in bringing to a climax in the way he did the connection between his son, Lord Alfred Douglass, and Wilde. He now approached a more painful duty. It would be his duty to call on several young men who would tell their own tales and show that the man Taylor, referred to during the proceedings, was Wilde's procurer. t was no wonder the marquis of Queensberry had protested against the intimacy between his son and Wilde. The only wonder was this man had been so long tolerated in London society. Mr. Carson was continuing his scathing denunciation of Wilde when Sir Edward Clarke and others of Wilde's counsel left the court room for consultation with their client. Returning soon, Sir Edward, amid a most impressive silence, announced the withdrawal of the case on behalf of his client, who agreed to submit to a verdict of not guilty for the marquis. The counsel said he did this more especially in view of the extracts read in court from Wilde's novel, "Dorian Gray," and from the magazine, "Chameleon". The verdict was then returned as stated above. It appears the defense had a long array of witnesses on hand, including waiters in hotels at Paris, London and other cities at which Wilde had stopped.