The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-26
OSCAR WILDE GUILTY.
Sentenced to Two Years in
Prison at Hard Labor.
DOUGLAS MAY BE ARRESTED.
Verdict P1eases the Crowd, Who Yell
ssshams'' as the Cigarette Fiend
The Convict Never wfnces-

London. May g-Osear wGtes trsal
having reached its final stage. the Old
Bailey court room was flied with inter
exted spectators today. Sir Frank Lock
wood, soIicitor general, concluded his ac-
dress 10 thu jury The prisoners tnta-
macy with Lord Alfred Douglas and The
exhibition OF the younger man b. the
elder one az hotels and public places IL
and about London were severely CON-
rneuted upoa. Referring 10 the letters
Wilde wrote 20 Lord Alfred Douglas.
counsel said the jury had been told they
were TOO low 20 appreciate such poetry,
and he thanked God II was SO, as II
showed they were above the level Of
beasts. Applause, which the Judge
promptly suppressedD
sir Edward Clarke. leading counsel for
wilde. here inserpossd objections 20 such
appeals.
Lockwood asked the Jury 90 render q
verdict which would prevent such de-
testabie and abominable vice to rear It's
head unbiushingIy IN this country.
Justice Wills began summing up az I'D
.. m. The general tenor OF his address
was favorable to wilde. The jury re-
tired AZ s.so D. m.
while the Jury was out, at the request
Of the representative OF the Associated
Press, wiide's counsel procured The fol-
lowing signed statement from Wide;
The charges alleged against me ars
entirely untrue. Youth in every form al
WAYS fascinated me, because youth has
naturally that temperament 10 which ar
flats try 20 attain. All works OF art are
works produced in the moment OF youth.
have no sense at all OF social grades.
! love the society 81 the rich and wei
born on account Of their luxury. culture.
the trace Of their lives. the extrnal ac-
cidnts Of comeIy life, but any one. plow-
boy, fisherman or street Arab. has an
interest for me. Mere humanity 10 so
wonderful do not ask OF the young
what they do: don't care who they are.
Their ignorance has IT'S mode OF wisdom (;
their lack of culture leaves them open
10 fresh aud vivid impressions.
OSCAR WILDE"
Tn fury returned at $50. having been
absent from the court two hours, ana
returned a verdict OF guilty. A sentence
Of Two years Imprisonment at hard labor
was imposed The same sentence was
passed on Alfred Taylor.
During the address OF Justice wills 10
the Jury the foreman asked whether. IN
view OF the intimacy between Lord Al
fred Douglas and Alfred Wood. one OF
the men whose name was brought promi-
nentiy into the case, warrant lot Lora
Alfred's arrest had ever been Issued Inc
fudge repifp1 tn6t ne tiONSAN iihts 80
foreman then asked II IL had ever been
Thought OF. To this the Judge replied
that he could not say. lie added that the
: ,spicion that Lord Alfred Douglas
, ouh be spared IL guilty. simply because
was Lord Alfred Douglas. was wild
ga. and n matter which they could not
scuss. The present inquiry was as TO
neither the man In the dock was guilty
c' immoral practices with certain men.
N all the
counts OF the Indictment. including the
charge with reference to persons I'M
known, who were also pronounced guilty
This probably refers TO the Savoy hotel
syidence, to which place Wilde was ac-
cusod Of taking Charles Parker. a gentle
mans servant, after treating the latter
TO a choice dinner al a restaurant.
The announcement of the verdict caused
a great sensation I'm the court. as 1t was
the general impression that Wilde would
be acquitted. When the foreman OF the
Jury delivered tbs verdict. Wilde who had
entered the prisoners dock moment
before. rose from the chair on which he
had been seated throughout the trial
and stood with his arms on the rail OF
the dock. Tho silence which prevailed
throughout the court room was really
painful as Justice Wills ordered that Al
fred Taylor should be also summoned
with emotion. the Justice said:
II never before had such case as this
10 deal with. Two men such "a you are.
by the nature OF your crime lost 10 all
sense OF remorse for what you have done,
To think that you, Taylor should be the
keeper Of male brothel. and that you.
Wilde a man OF culture should he such a
rerverter OF young men! There Is no
doubt that the verdict is Just one. and |
st.tf
law, and only regret that II is not more
severe. You are both sentenced 10 hard
labor for the term of two years"
Wilde did not look at the Judge while the
sentence was being pronounced. His eyes
roved around the room. his face never
changed color. and he looked like a man
who had made up his mind TO make the
most OF n bad situation. Taylor smiled
when sentence was pronounced. As Wilde
turned in the dock and started 20 go hack
20 tho prisoners room the crowd yelled
shane shame" This shouting caused
Justice Wills 10 rise and exclaim in a loud
and determined voice. silence. silence"
During the time the jury was debating
on the verdict. Lord Douglas strolicd on,
of the court room and into the court yard
where he walked about, neryously xmoE-
ine a cigarette. Ills face still showed
traces or his recent encounter with hls
father. his LETT eye being much dscolorei
During the final stages OF Wilde's trial 20.
day there WAS An immense crowd I'm front
cf thu old Bailey. and the windows 81 al
the neighboring houses were filled with
highly interested spectators.
Oscar Wilde and Taylor were. after The
conclusion OF the trial. conveyed without
delay 10 tho Newgate jail where the,
waited until warrants were signed fol
their sentence. Both men were then con
yeyed In the prison van 20 Pentonvflle
where they VIII serve out their sentences
unless a pardon should be granted or the,
should he transferred 10 another prison
before the expiration Of their sentences.