Mr. Carson rose at once and insisted, as was his right, that this verdict of “not guilty” must be understood to mean that Lord Queensberry had succeeded in his plea of justification.

Mr. Justice Collins thought that it was not part of the function of the Judge and jury to insist on wading through prurient details, which had no bearing on the matter at issue, which had already been decided by the consent of the prosecutors to a verdict of “not guilty.”  Such a verdict meant of course that the plea of justification was proved.  The jury having consulted for a few moments, the Clerk of Arraigns asked: 

“Do you find the plea of justification has been proved or not?”

Foreman:  “Yes.”

“You say that the defendant is ‘not guilty,’ and that is the verdict of you all?”

Foreman:  “Yes, and we also find that it is for the public benefit.”

The last kick to the dead lion.  As the verdict was read out the spectators in the court burst into cheers.

Mr. Carson:  “Of course the costs of the defence will follow?”

Mr. Justice Collins:  “Yes.”

Mr. C.F.  Gill:  “And Lord Queensberry may be discharged?”

Mr. Justice Collins:  “Certainly.”

The Marquis of Queensberry left the dock amid renewed cheering, which was taken up again and again in the street.

FOOTNOTES: 

[13] The words which Mr. Carson could not read were:  “I would sooner be rented than, etc.”  Rent is a slang term for blackmail.

[14] A famous Italian restaurant in Soho:  it had several “private rooms.”

[15] This early poem of Lord Alfred Douglas is reproduced in the Appendix at the end of this book together with another poem by the same author, which was also mentioned in the course of the trial.

[16] Mr. Carson here made a mistake; there is no such incident in the story:  the error merely shows how prejudiced his mind was.

CHAPTER XIV

The English are very proud of their sense of justice, proud too of their Roman law and the practice of the Courts in which they have incorporated it.  They boast of their fair play in all things as the French boast of their lightness, and if you question it, you lose caste with them, as one prejudiced or ignorant or both.  English justice cannot be bought, they say, and if it is dear, excessively dear even, they rather like to feel they have paid a long price for a good article.  Yet it may be that here, as in other things, they take outward propriety and decorum for the inward and ineffable grace.  That a judge should be incorruptible is not so important as that he should be wise and humane.