Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-11-15
COUNTESS Gets
DIVORCE
PARIS Nov II

PARIS, Nov. IA
The Tribunal of First Instance of
the Seine, Judge Ditto presiding. at
noon today granted divorce 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 con-
sent of their father, Count Boni De
Castellane.
The end of the famous case came
suddenly. The court brushed aside the
demand of the Counts lawyers for an
examination of witnesses aud, as an
ticipated, the public prosecutor did
not even ask to be heard.
VICTORY FOR COUNTESS.
AS soon as the court assembled Judge
Ditto handed down the Judgment,
which is a 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 rights to
see them and share i'll the control of
their education, which was not CON
tested.
The Count is given the right to see
the children at stated periods at the
home of their grandmother and keep
them month annually during the
holidays.
NO ALLOWANCE FOR COUNT.
The Counts demand for an "alimen-
tary allowance of 500, 900 annually"
was pronounced by the court to be
without foundation in law and was
rejected.
The only point decided in the
Counts favor was the imposition of
the inhibition of the Countess to take
the children out of France without
their fathers consent. @1
The. .court'appointed the President
Of the Chamber of Notaries to liquid
ate the affairs of the husband and
wife.
COSTS PUT ON THE COUNT.
The judgment was given with costs
! against the Count. The decree. the
reading Of which hardly consumed five
minutes, was delivered by the judge
in voice so low as to be practically
inaudible to the great crowd filling
the court room. Many women climbed
the chairs in vain efforts to hear the
decision, and when they were aware
that divorce was granted they seemed
| actually to resent the loss of a public
trial at which people in high society
would be compelled to testify.
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
Anna Gould, the youngest daughter
Of the late Jay Gould, was married to
| Count Ernest Bonitace de Castellane,
the eldest son of the Marquis de Castel-
lane, at the New York home of her
brother, George J. Gould, March 4,
1896, the late Archbishop Corrigan,
officiating Miss Gould's dowry was
understood TO have been $18, 600, 600,
and it was further stated that her in
come was $500, 600 year. Immediate
ly after the marriage the couple left
the United States for France, where
the extravagant manner in which they
lived attracted considerable attention.
About five years after the marriage
the Count and Countess de Castellane
were reported to be financially en-
barassed, it being alleged that the
Count had already spent about $1,000,
600 of his wife's money. An adjust
ment of the affairs of the Count and
Countess became necessary and consid-
cradle litigation followed. with the
result that the Gould family interven-
ed and the income of the Countess was
cut down to 200,
PROCEEDINGS BEGUN LAST FEB
On February of the present year
the Countess de Castellane entered a
plea for divorce. the hearing of which
began before Judge Ditte, Maitre
Cruppi appearing for the Countess and
Maitre Bonnet for the Count Evidence
| in the shape of correspondence between
the Count and women was presented
and the case was adjourned to Novem-
Der 7, when the final pleas were made
and the suit adjourned until Novem-
Der ii. On the following day, Novem-
ber s, the case of the Count credit
ors was presented to the court and ad-
journed for two weeks.
The three children of the Castellanes
are George, Boni and Jay. the young
est being the ame-sake of his moth
er 8 father, the late Jay Gould.