OSCAR WILDE AND THE MARQUIS OF QUEENSBERRY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 10278, 5 April 1895, Page 2

OSCAR WILDE AND THE MARQUIS OF QUEENSBERRY.

A LONDON' SCANDAL.

John Sholto Douglas, Marquis of Queensbem-, was arraigned before Mr Newton, Magistrate, in the Great Mar sborough Police Court, London, on the aft6rnoon of March 2/on a charge of having libelled Oscar Wildo.

Mr Wilkes Lawyer, iv presenting the case, set forth that his client was a husband who was living upon the most affectionate terms with his wife and two sons. For the last nine or ten months, he said, the Marquis of Quoonsberry had persecuted Mr Wilde with tho utmost cruelty. Tho last act of persecution occurred on February 28. whon tho Marquis.lef C for Mr Wilde at a club of which both are members, an open card, upon -the back of which was written, a vile "epithet. The porter of the club, upon reading the words, enclosed the card in an envelope so that it might not be seen by any other person than Mr Wilde. Tho detective who arrested the Marquis at Dover on the morning of Marcii 2 testified that when" he approached the Marquis aud informed him of tho coiiplaint upon which he was arrested his ' Lordship said — " This has been going on -for two year*." ' Shr" George Lewis, the Marquis of Queensberry's solicitor, in his address to the Court, said that when the facts became fully known it would be found that the Marquis had been acting undor the icfluenco of great indignation, based v on abundant provocation. It has not boen a secretj saya the despatch, that ,tho r.eas,o.n .for tb.Q Marquis ot Qiiociisbbrry's resentment was to bo found in the iutimatu relations existing between Mr Wild, a and Lord Alfred, who, until the death of Lord Drumlanrigg placed hint i.est ia succos sion, was the. young son of thu Marquis. Owing .I to tho friondship existing between Mr Osoar'Wildq, and Lord Alfred, the latter became estranged from his father, who,' feeling his "position more actutely by reason of sundry reports concerning v the .nature 'of the relations between Mr Wilde and his son, which which are also common property, conceived a most \iolent autipathyto Mr Wilde. - ■- ..

At the trial on April 4th, Oscar Wildo was subjected to a striugent crossexamination, with tho view of showing tho " Dorian Grey ' and some other articles in that magaaiuo Chameleon, with which ho is connected, are of an immoral tendency. Wilde insisted that they were merely an expression of the artistic faculty. His lottors to Douglas wore prose pooms, extraordinary, perhaps, but not justifying immoral interpretation, lie admits he gave one of his alleged blackmailers twenty-one pounds and lunched with him in a private room afterwaids. Tho case was adjourned, defendant being admitted to bail.