Testimony of Edward Shelley
Shelley was examined by Horace Avery
Shelley--I
am twenty-one years of age. In 1891 I was employed as a
clerk in
the offices of Messrs. Elkin Mathews & John Lane,
publishers,
of the Bodley Head, Vigo Street, W. In 1892 they were
publishing
a book for Mr. Wilde. Mr. Wilde was in the habit of coming
to the
firm's place of business; he seemed to take note of me, and he
generally
stopped and spoke to me for a few moments. As Mr. Wilde
was leaving
Vigo Street one day he invited me to dine with him at the
Albemarle Hotel.
I kept the appointment. I was proud of the
Invitation. We dined
together in a public room. Mr. Wilde was very kind and
attentive,
and pressed me to drink. I had champagne with dinner, and
after had
whisky and soda and smoked cigarettes in Mr. Wilde's sitting
room.
Avory--What happened
afterwards?
S--I do not like to say. . .
.Mr. Wilde's conversation was principally about books and
myself.
Mr. Wilde said, "Will you come into my bedroom?" I did not know
what he
meant. As I went into the room Mr. Wilde kissed me.
He also
put his arms round me. I had been taking a lot of wine. I
felt insulted,
degraded, and objected vigorously. Mr. Wilde said he was
sorry and
that he had drunk too much wine. I stayed the night and
shared his
bed. Mr. Wilde saw me next day and again kissed me and
there was
a repetition of the previous night's performance. Mr.
Wilde said
he could get me on, and he invited me to go with him to
Brighton, Cromer
and Paris, but I did not go. He made me a present of a set
of his
writings, including The Picture of Dorian Gray. He wrote
something
in the books, "To one I like well," or something to that effect,
but I
tore out the pages bearing the inscriptions. I only did
that quite
recently, after I heard of the charges suggested by Lord
Queensberry.
My father objected to my friendship with Mr. Wilde. At
first I thought
that Mr. Wilde was a kind of philanthropist, fond of youth and
eager to
be of assistance to young men,of any promise. But certain
speeches
and actions on the part of Mr. Wilde caused me to alter this
opinion.
I also received letters from Mr. Wilde which I kept until about
a couple
of years ago. At the same time I wrote Mr. Wilde a letter
in which
I said that I could not have anything more to do with a man of
his morality
and that I would break off the acquaintance.
Cross-examined by Sir Edward
Clarke-About
two years ago, in 1893, did you write a certain letter to Mr.
Wilde?
S--Yes.
C--On what subject?
S--It was to break off the
acquaintance.
C--How did the letter begin?
S--It began "Sir."
C--Give me the gist of it?
S--I believe I said, "I have
suffered more from my acquaintance with you than you are ever
likely to
know of." I further said that he was an immoral man and that I
would never,
if I could help it, see him again.
C--If such a thing as you
allege
happened you must have resented the outrage upon you?
S--Yes, I did.
C--Then why did you go and
dine
with him the very next day?
S--I suppose I was a young
fool.
I tried to think the best of him.
C--Are you sure that you
have
not made any mistake with reference to what you say occurred
between you
and Mr. Wilde?
S--No, I have made no
mistake.
C--Did it occur to you after
the second occasion that it was a sin?
S--Yes, it did occur to me
that
it was a sin I was committing.
C--Did you become familiar
with
some of Mr. Wilde's writings?
S--Yes.
C--And did you talk to him
upon
literary subjects?
S--Yes, before I went to the
Albemarle Hotel.
C--You seem to have put the
worst
possible construction on his liking for you. Did your
friendly relations
with Mr. Wilde remain unbroken until the time you wrote that
letter in
March, 1893?
S--Yes.
C--Have you seen Mr. Wilde
since
then?
S--Yes.
C--After that letter?
S--Yes.
C--Where did you see him?
S--I went to see him in Tite
Street.
[Counsel read from a letter written by Shelley to Wilde after the commission of the alleged acts:]
Dear Oscar,
. . . I can never forget your
kindness
and am conscious that I can never sufficiently express my
thankfulness
to you . . . .
C--Was it present in your
mind
at the time you wrote this that Mr. Wilde had insulted you when
you had
had too much to drink?
S--Certainly, I could not
forget
such a thing.
C--Were you under the
painful
sense of having committed sin?
S--I tried to forget
it.
I wanted to think some good of the man. I thought Mr.
Wilde was really
sorry for what he had done.
C--What do you mean, "for
what
he had done"?
S--His improper behaviour
with
young men.
C--Yet you say he never
practiced
any actual improprieties upon you?
S--Because he saw that I
would
never allow anything of the kind. He did not disguise from
me what
he wanted, or what his usual customs with young men were.
C--Yet you wrote him
grateful
letters breathing apparent friendship?
S--For the reason I have
given.
C--These letters were
written
to one whom you thought an immoral man?
S--Yes.
C--Well, we'll leave that
question.
Now, tell me why did you leave the Vigo Street firm of
publishers?
S--Because it got to be
known
that I was friendly with Oscar Wilde.
C--Did you leave the firm of
your own accord?
S--Yes.
C--Why?
S--People employed there, my
fellow clerks, chaffed me about my acquaintance with Mr. Wilde.
C--In what way?
S--They implied scandalous
things.
They called me "Mrs. Wilde" and "Miss Oscar."
C--So you left?
S--I resolved to put an end
to
an intolerable position.
C--You were in bad odour at
home
too, I think?
S--Yes, a little.
C--I put it to you that your
father requested you to leave his house?
S--Yes. He strongly
objected
to my friendship with Mr. Wilde. But the difference
between us was
made up again.
C--I find that in January of
this year you were in serious troub1e?
S--In what way?
C--You were arrested for an
assault
upon your father?
S--Yes, I was.
C--Did your father tell you
to
leave his house?
S--Yes. It was because
of my friendship with Mr. Wilde.
C--Did your parents accuse
you
of idleness?
S--Yes, they thought me
idle.
C--Were you quite in your
sound
mind when you assaulted your father?
S--No, I couldn't have been.
C--Where were you taken?
S--To the Fulham Police
Station.
C--You were offered bail?
S--Yes.
C--Did you send to Mr. Wilde
and ask him to bail you out?
S--Yes.
C--What happened?
S--In an hour my father went
to the station and I was liberated. My father withdrew the
charge
and the case was dismissed.