The Second Criminal Trial: Reg ina v . Taylor, Reg ina v . Wilde , Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey)

This chapter reviews the late Victorian discourse of a range of printed sources that provided reports on the prosecution of Oscar Wilde all the way from the pretrial hearing to the conviction. It addresses the noticeable moments of discomfort that sundry newspaper editors expressed when they were faced with sexually explicit testimony about London's queer underworld. It references relevant legal cases, including particulars such as the network of streets, the major landmarks, and the main institutions of Victorian London. The chapter talks about how Wilde's ordeal, which involved the tiresome rehashing of evidence that had already been scrutinized before, took a toll on his performance. It mentions the actor Seymour Hicks, who came to know Wilde through Ada Leverson, and who recalled witnessing Wilde's despair at the “guilty” verdict.