Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-11-15
She is Given Custody Of Three Sons and
Defense Must Pay Cost Of Litigation.
Count Boni May See Children at Stated Intervals
and Keep Them For Month During Holiday Season.

Paris, Nov. 1.-THE tribunal of the
first instance Of the Seine. Judge Ditto
presiding. granted a divorce WedneS-
DAY to the Countess De Castellane
formerly Anna Gould OF New York and
gave her the custody of her children
who however, will not be allowed to be
taken from France without the consent
Of their father, Count Bonn De CaStel-
lane.
TIE end Of the famous case came Su l.
denly. The court brushed aside the de-
mand of the counts lawyers for an eX-
animation of the witnesses, and as an
ticipated the public prosecutor did not
even ask to be heard.
As soon as the court assembled,
Judge Ditto handed down the judge
ment which is sweeping victory for
the countess. In granting her petition
for divorce, the court gave the countess
the custody of her children. the count
being allowed only the usual right to
see them and share in the control of
educatiO which is not contested.
The count is given the right to see
the children at stated periods at the
home of their grandmother, and keep
them q monthly annual during the
holidays.
The counts demand for an "alimo-
NOUS allowance o. $500 annually was
pronounced by the court to be without
foundation in law and was rejected.
The only point decided in the count 3
favor was the imposition OF an in
habition on the countess to take the
children out of France without their
fathers consent.
The court appointed the president Of
chamber of notaries to liIuidatc the al
fairs of husband and wife The judg-
ment was given with costs against the
count.
The degree, the reading of which
hardly consumed five minutes. was de-
livered by the judge in a voice so SOL
emn as to be practically inaudlbie I"
the eager crowd filling the court room
Many women climbed the chairs in
vain efforts to hear the decision ana
while they were aware that a divorce
was granted. they seemed actually TO
resent the refusal of public trial at
which high society would be compelled
to testify.
The text of the decree does not go
into the details of the countess Dill OF
particulars "inasmuch az Madame lie
Castellane submitted letters and docu-
meuts. several Of which were from the
count himself, establishing sufficiently
that since their marriage. notably in
1898 1902 and 1905 he had relations
and correspondence with various WON
en- of easy virtue, which was most Of
fensive to a wife. thus rendering him.
self guilty of acts justifying a divorce
and as he had failed to establish a
reconciliation the petition Of Madame
De Castellane is granted"
The counts demand for an "alimen-
tary allowance of $4,000 annually was
denied on the ground that the guilty
party in a divorce loses all the advan-
tages accorded either by n marriage
contract or the course of married life
and consequently the court refused to
allow not only the counts original
claim for $4,000 per annum. but the
$4,000 which the countess offered and
which it now seems the count claimed
to have accepted Oct. %.
The court also took a precaution
against any unreasonable attitude on
the part of the count toward allowing
his wife to take her children out of
France by providing that in case of his
refusal judicial authorization could be
granted.
The decree orders the countess to