The San Francisco call., 1906-11-01
AMOURs OF COUNT
BONI UNVEILED.
Divorce Suit of Countess
Shows Him as Squanderer
and a Modern Don Juan
LOVE LETTERS READ


PARIS, Oct 31-The Castellane di-
vorce case was heard this afternoon be-
fore NJ. Henri Ditte, president of the
Tribunal of First Instance OF the Seine.
Neither the Count nor the Countess was
present.
Maitre Cruppi. for the Countess,
pleaded for divorce on the document
airy evidence submitted. On extended
review he declared that the Countess
at the beginning of the suit was not
acting under influence, but solely for
the purpose of ending forever the peril
Of the moral desolation of her house
hold. He explained the marriage con-
tract, by which the regime of separa-
tion of property was established, from
p the very beginning, and stated that the
domestic dif1culties of the Count and
Countess arose over the question of
money. Ill-treatment soon followed,
the Count even striking the plaintiff
before the servants.
When he reached the question of In
fidelity charged against the Count,
Naitre Cruppi did not mention names,
or even initials, designating the CORE
spcndents as Madame A." Madame
B." and so on.
BY 1899 the Countess interests, NJ
Cruppi said, were so heavily compro-
missed by the Counts extravaganza that
it necessitated family meeting in New
AOl n anu A44G Ol d 10Bdl
trustee But the difficulties regardin g
mSney were unceasing and in order to
obtain funds the Count pawned or sold
at ridiculous prices the most costly OBJ
jects. When the Countess protested,
the Count abused her in the presence of
servants. and when she declined to at
tach her signature to documents he
pinched her and sometimes struck her,
the first time being four months after
their marriage.
WILL COME To AMERICA.
NJ Cruppi protested against the ma
licious reports in regard to the Count
ess' Intentions" and announced that
she would leave France for America
Immediately after a divorce is granted.
Recounting the Counts amours, the
first instance cited by counsel was that
with q married woman, described as
Madame A." in 1898. The Countess ac-
cidentally discovered in the Castellane
chateau a packet Of love letters and
when she protested the Count struck
her
N. Cruppi read passionate extracts
from one of the letters. 1t read:
i am kissing you on the neck. Do
you feel it?" and so on.
Counsel also detailed liaisons with
Madame B" and Madame c." whom
the Count met IN apartments which he
rented in different parts of Paris.
NJ Cruppi read from a, note book
kept by the cook of one of these
apartments. giving plain details Of
what counsel characterized as "an un-
pardonable offense against the Coun-
tess"
LINE ON COUNTS DEFENSE.
Counsel said that the Counts de-
fense probably would be that, being
young and rich, he could not protect
himself against the assaults of love
sick women.
IL Cruppi said that the Countess
was aged only 20 years when she mar
!, ried in 1885 and that the happiness of
tSSe honeymoon was disturbed on their
arrival in Paris by the Counts de-
mande for money The Countess in
come was then 100000 a year and the
Count allowed her only $50 pin money.
Counsel asked that the Countess be
given the custody OF her three chill
dren. He placed at $S,000,O00 the total
Of the Counts expenditures preceding
the appointment Of a trustee. At one
time there was seizure of property in
q suit for the recovery of a debt
The courtroom was crowded. among
those present being many members of
the American colony.