Oscar Wilde, Volume 1 (of 2)

candal which had long been rolled on the tongue in semi-privacy was to be discussed in

ghly spiced and all the

woman with a great literary reputation as a poet and writer who was idolized by the populace for her passionate a

of the professor of medical jurisprudence at Trinity

seduced by Dr. Sir William Wilde while under his care as a patient. Some went so

ies were invented and repeated with breathless delight; on all

ant Armstrong led for the plaintiff, helped by the famous Mr. Butt, Q.C., and Mr. Heron, Q.C., who were in turn backed by Mr. Hamill and Mr. Quinn

residing with a special jury. The trial was expected to last a w

ay it presented itself. The action was not even brought directly by Miss Travers or by her father, Dr. Travers, against Sir William Wilde for rape or criminal assault, or seductio

Bray, M

makes it appear that she has had an intrigue with Sir William Wilde. If she chooses to disgrace herself, it is not my affair, but as her object in insulting me is in the hope of extorting money for which she has several times applied to Sir Willia

F.

. Tra

e was a libel reflecting on the character and chastity of Miss Travers, and as Lady Wilde was a mar

nces set

aint: thirdly, a denial of the publication, and, fourthly, a plea of privilege. This last was evidently th

ndalous pamphlet under the title of "Florence Boyle Price, a Warning; by Speranza," with the evident intention of causing the public to believe that the booklet was the composition of Lady Wilde under the assumed name of Florence Boyle Price. In this pamphlet Miss Travers a

he had "an animal, sinister expression about his mouth which was coarse and vulgar in the extreme: the large protruding under lip was most unpleasant. Nor did the upper part of his face redeem the lower part. His eyes were

illiam Wilde was giving a lecture to the Young Men's Christian Association at the Metropolitan Hall, she caused large placards to be exhibited in the neighbourhood having upon them in large letters the words "Sir William Wilde and Speranza." She employed one of the

eny is qu

o hate such

I'll have,

Wilde breed

an call th

blasphemous production." Moreover, when Lady Wilde was staying at Bray, Miss Travers sent boys to offer the pamphlet for sale to the

and accompanied these applications with threats of worse pen-pricks if the requests were not acceded to. It was under these circumstances, according to Lady Wilde, that she wrote the letter complained of to Dr. T

s camp by thus suggesting that Miss Travers

he beginning that the case was so painful that he would have preferred not to have been engaged in it-a hypocritical statement which deceiv

r of a brother-physician, he thought it an honour to be of use to her. Serjeant Armstrong assured his hearers that in spite of Miss Travers' beauty he believed that at first Dr. Wilde took nothing but a benevolent interest in the girl. Even when his professional services ceased to be necessary, Dr. Wilde continued his friendship. He wrote Miss Travers innumerab

was necessary to discover some dramatic incident to change benevo

still continued to examine the cicatrice from time to time, pretending to note the speed with which it was disappearing. Some time in '60 or '61 Miss Travers had a corn on the sole of her foot which gave her some pain. Dr. Wilde did her the honour of paring the corn with his own hands and painting it with iodine. The cunning Serjea

of the accusation. Sir William Wilde, he said, was not the man to shrink from any investigation: but he was only in the

ravers at this time, in which he tells her not to put too much iodine on her foot, but to rest it for a few days in a slipp

ins to be dangerous: I do not wish to aggravate the gravity of the charge in the slightest by any rhetoric or by an unconscious over-statement;

erjeant Armstrong had said, she went on to tell the jury that in the summer of '62 she had thought of going to Australia, where her two brothers lived, who wanted her to come out to them. Dr. Wilde lent her ￡40 to go, but told her she mu

ers refused to do this, and took umbrage at the embracing and ceased to visit at his house: but Dr. Wilde protested extravagantly that he had meant nothing wrong, and begged her to forgive him and gra

were cumulative; the doctor was besieging the fortress in proper form. The story o

of the children had not been well, and she thought the sea air would benefit him. Dr. Wilde was alone in the house. Miss Travers called and was admitted into Dr. Wilde's study. He put her on her knees before him and bared her neck, pretending to examine the burn; he fondled her too much and pressed her to him: she too

ally imploring her to come to her senses, while dabb

k," he cried, "I'l

ough she heard him talking. But gradually consciousness came back to her, and though

uld hate you, but I can't. I swore I would never touch your hand again. Attend to me and do what I tell you. Have faith and confidence i

wn for some time. She afterwards left the house; she hardly knew how; he accomp

terposed with the

that you had b

hlessly; after a short pa

es

rs next told how in Dr. Wilde's study one evening she had been vexed at some slight, and at once took four pennyworth of laudanum which she had bought. Dr. Wilde hurri

lde for money: she thought nothing of it as she had agai

adies had heard all they had hoped to hear, and it was noticed that they were not so

ination in chief had been, for in her story of what took place on that 14th of October, weaknesses and discr

the 15th or the 16th: it was Friday the 14th, she thought.... It was a great event to he

nyone of what h

N

en your

N

y n

wish to giv

Dr. Wilde's study af

es

in and again,

es

ttempt to repe

es

n to say that the Doctor was rude to her again; she did not know his intent

cond offence

es

er repeat

es

t once again Dr. Wild

returne

es

this man who had violat

es

ed him f

es

have told about this second

e witness

chloroform and the handkerchief she became confused. At the outset she admitted that the handkerchief might have been a r

hands, then, all the ti

n't k

show it

ness wa

t know whether it burnt or not; could not in fact swear that it was chloroform Dr. Wilde had used; would not swear that it was anything; believed t

nterposed with th

ng about chloroform

witness

s a toothsome morsel still: but it was regretfully admitted that the charge of rape had not been pushed hom

fence, and some thought the p

ing to show at any time that he believed in his Muse, and was prepared to do more than cheer

Sir William Wilde, but she would not have it. She did not for a moment believe in her husband's guilt. Miss Travers wished to make it appear, she said, that she had an intrigue with Sir W

persuade the populace, but had small effe

lied that she did not hate anyone, but she had to adm

s when she wrote telling you of you

in the matter," was

take than this. When the time came

t; an admission that Miss Travers' story of her betrayal was true and could not be contradicted. But the refusal of Sir William Wilde to go into the box was not, he insisted,

interest in

ut Lady Wilde hated her husband's victim and took no interest in her seduction b

anced the already great reputation of the man wh

it was difficult to believe in the story of rape whether with or without chloroform. If the girl had been violated she would be expected to cry out at the time, or at least to complain to her father as soon as she reached home. Had it been a criminal trial, he p

ted her. It was said that he was only formally a defendant; but he was the real defendant and he could have gone int

onclusions from his omission to do what one would have th

whether the letter was a libel and if

nto consideration the fact that the defence was practically a justification of the libel. The fair-mindednes

a farthing damages and intimated that the farthing should carry costs. In other words they rated Miss Travers' virtue at the very lowe

doubted that Sir William Wilde had seduced his patient. He had, it appeared, an unholy reputation, and the girl's admission that he had accused her of being "unnaturally passionless" was accepted

at the time; but naturally I wished if possible to hear some trustworth

ecoid person of extraordinary sensuality and cowardice (funking the witness-box left him without a defender!) and that his wife was a highfalutin' pretentious creature whose pride was as extravagant as her reputation founded

f Sir William and Lady Wilde. An artist, however, would lean to a more kindly picture. Trying to see the personages as they saw themselves he would balance the doctor's excessive sensuality and lack of self-control by dwelling on the fact that his energy and perseveranc

ather and mothe