Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-06
BOh| MAY WE'D RICHES
Reported Now to Be Arranging
Marriage to Nine. LeteIIier.
SHE WAS TWICE DIVORCED
Is One of the Richest Women in the
World.
TALE OF CASTELLANE'S DEBTS
Borrowed Money From a Dressmaker
and Sailed Very Close to Com
mon Swindling.
SHE WAS TWICE DIVORCED
rALE OF CASTELLANE'S DEBTS

PARIS, December 6.-Count Boni de Cas-
tellane is reported today to be in England,
arranging for his marriage to Nine. Le-
TELLER, who was divorced by two husbands.
Baron de Forest, adopted son OF Baron
Hirsch, and Albert Menier the millionaire
chocolate king Nine. Letellier is said to
have fortune almost. If not quite as great
as that of Anna Gould. who recently d.
vorced the count
If this union is effected. II will place De
Castellane once more in position to crafty
his tastes for vast expenditures. for he
Will, If his wife is liberal, be one Of the
richest citizens of France, able to Guido
even his extravagances when he held his
former wife's share of the Gould millions
in his hand.
The count has disappeared from his ac-
customed haunts in this city. and that he
is in England is the opinion of fashionable
folk who keep track of his affairs.
Nine. Letellier is the daughter of Henri
Letellier, publisher of lie Journal. She
was a friend of Anna Gould and has been
entertained by her and the count. She is
worth sum estimated to be not far from
15,Ooo,O00 francs, owns a chateau in the
provinces, many horses, a steam
yacht and a Paris hotel. and is the idol of
her father.
Her position in society, even the society
if the count marres her he will elevate her
in rank, as far title goes, but she will
bring to him, in addition to her cash, en-
trance into that upper world of socialdom
where he and his American wife never
flourished
Nine. Letellier is handsome widow of
about the age of Boni Her career has
been most romantic. After her divorce
from Menier she met and loved Baron de
Forest whose fosterfather. the great Aus
TRAN railway magnate, left him a vast for
tune. Before his death Baron Hirsch Gre
ated a furore throughout Europe by fore
closing the mortgage on the Paris Sports
Club, which he had secretly bought up. be-
cause the clubmen backballed him twice
when he applied for membership.
Baron de Forest did not live long with
Nine. Letellier, but while their honey
moon was yet young deserted and later
divorced her. He then married the sister
of Lord Gerard, a handsome woman. after
long struggle to gain papal consent, as
Lady Gerard was a Catholic and member
of famous old English family.
Bought and Sold Goods.
At the hearing Of the Castellane creditors
cases yesterday Maitre Cruppi. as Nine.
Anna Goulds lawyer. told how Count Bont
fell into the hands of the money lenders
and how he was driven to desperate straits
to raise money Count Boni the lawyer
said even compelled to descend into
trade to raise money and bought ana sold
goods just like the common tradesman
whom it is the fashion of the French aris-
tocracy to denounce.
Cruppi demonstrated how Count Boni had
been the victim of Insurers lsidore Ziegler.
the principal creditor, claiming over a mill
ion francs for sums advanced with which
to manage the Counts household affairs
Ziegler showed himself the chief OF the
band of money lenders and Cruppi said
that Ziegler was a sly fox, for he ad-
vanced the least possible amount of money
himself and always got somebody else to
furnish the funds.
Boni Owes a Dressmaker.
Cruppi showed how a dressmaker. claim
ing nearly 10000 francs. did not furnish
any dresses to the countess, but lent the
money to Boni So, too an antiquity
dealer claiming payment for numerous OBJ
jects of furniture, really sold the countess
only two. The other items Of the bill
figuring as pieces of furniture were dis
guised loans.
One dealer claims that he sold the Cas-
tellanes two sofas, for 60OO francs
and the other for $1,000 francs; chest
of drawers for 5000 francs and a desk for
20 000 francs
Countess Anna says the last two items
were delivered at her house, but she never
saw the others. Notes for the same were
signed by Count Boni without his wfe's
knowledge. Another dealer sent bill for
a coffee pot, 200 francs. and antique
bottle 20 900 francs, but these objects Boni
sent as presents to his women friends.
Concerning Count Boni's extravaganza
Cruppi said he not only spent his wife's en-
tire income, which She paid directly into
his hands out of generosity, but used up
his personal sources Of revenue. Cruppi
detailed mortgages amounting to nearly
seven million francs raised by Count Boni
on five separate personal and real estate
properties. Bon also specialized In an
Equities, but did not have much luck in
these transactions He generally lost, and
Anna had to foot the bills However,
sometimes Boni did make a profit, notably
in a transaction with Seligman, the anti
quarian of the Place Vendome. Here Boni
bought goods which he resold making
profit Of $4,000 francs. This sum should
have been contributed to the expenses of
the household, but it was not. 1t went in
the usual direction of lordly extravagances.
Running Close to a Swindle.
Count Bonis extravaganza Cruppi said,
sometimes ran pretty close to what by
any one else might be called a swindle. One
piquant detail concerned Mademoiselle
Nimidoff, great beauty and a singer at
the Grand Opera here. She sold Boni q Job
lot Of rich rings. pins and necklaces for
10000 francs. She holds Bonfs receipt
for the goods but never got the money.
She applied to the countess for payment,
but Anna declared she had never set eyes
on the jewels or heard them mentioned,
Bonf when asked for an explanation. de-
clared he had shown them to Anna and she
had picked out those she preferred and
had sent them to jeweler to reset and
he had intended returning the remainder to
Mile Nimidof. 1t turned out. however,
so Cruppi declared. that Boni had simply
taken the Jewels around the corner and
sold them to a jeweler for 5000 francs.
Nimidoff then wrote Count Boni let
ter which was read In court, saying that
she knew all American women wereecharm-
ing and was sure that the countess would