3 Apr 1895 - The Echo (London)
Page 3, Column 2, Link
Quite an hour before the day's business opened at the Old Bailey this moring people were using every effort to gain admission to the old Court, in which such cases as come before Her Majesty's judges are usually tried. With the exception, perhaps, of some strangers in the gallery, admission was limited to representatives of the Bar, Corporation, magnates, and people actually concerned in the case that was down for hearing - that of "Wilde v. Queensberry." The Marquis of Queensberry, it will be remembered, stood committed from the Marlborough-street Police-court on a charge of libelling Mr. Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wilde, playwright. The case came on late in the present Sessions because a plea of justification had been put in, and would, in fact, have gone over to the next Sessions had not both parties been anxious to have it disposed of forthwith.
COUNSEL IN THE CASE
The counsel for the prosecution were Sir Edward Clarke, Q.C., M.P., Mr. Charles Mathews, and Mr. Travers Humphres; the accused was represented by Mr. Carson, Q.C., M.P., Mr. C. F. Gill, and Mr. A. Gill; while Mr. Besley, Q.C., and Mr. Monckton watched the case on behalf of Lord Douglas of Hawick, son of the Marquis of Queensberry.
The accused entered the Court shortly after ten o'clock in company with his solicitor, Mr. Charles Russell. Mr. Oscar Wilde, who appeared ten minutes later, was also accompanied by his solicitor, Mr. Humphreys. By that time the Court was crowded almost to suffocation, and scores of barristers were unable to obtain seats.
Mr. Justice Collins took his seat on the Bench at half-past ten o'clock. The judge was accompanied on the Bench by Alderman Sir Reginald Hanson, Bart., M. P., Alderman Faudel PHillips, Alderman Davies, Alderman Vaughan Morgan, and Alderman and Sheriff Samuel.