Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-11-15
COUNTESS SECURES
DIVORCE FROM BONI
End of Famous Case Comes
Suddenly.
DECREE VICTORY FOR COUNTESS

'"~ ~0H"1 OSmano Tor SoU ,UOO An
nuaI Allowance Was Pronounced by
Court To Be Without Foundation of
Law, and Was REJECTED.
Paris, Nov. 1.-THE Tribune of
first instance of the Seine, Judge Ditte
presiding, at noon Wednesday grant
ed divorce to the Countess de Cas-
tellane 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 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 and, as
reported, the public prosecutor did
not even ask to be heard
As soon as the court assembled
Judge Ditto handed down the judg-
ment, which is a sweeping victory
for the countess. In granting her Pc
ton 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 in the
control of their education, which was
not contested.
The count is given the right to see
the children at stated periods at the
home Of their grandmother and keep
them a month annually during the
holidays.
The counts demand for an "ali-
mentary allowance of $50, 900 annual
ly," 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 on the countess to take
the children out Of France without
their fathers consent.
The court appointed the President
Of the Chamber of Notaries to liqui-
date the affairs Of the husband and
wife.
The Judgment was given with costs
against the count. The decree, the
reading of which hardly consumed 5
minutes, was delivered by the judge
in voice so low as to be practically
inaudible to the eager crowd filling
the court room. Many women had
climbed upon their chairs in vain eff
fort to hear the decision, and when
they were aware that divorce was
granted, they seemed actually to re-
sent the loss of public trial at which
people of high society would be COM
PEELED to testify.
Anna Gould, the youngest daughter
of the late Jay Gould, was married
to Count Ernest Boniface de Castel-
lane, the eldest son of the Marquis
de Castellane, at the New York res
idence of her brother, George J.
Gould, March 4 1905, the late Arch
bishop Corrigan officiating. Miss
Gould's doWery was understood to
have been SIS, 900, 900, and it was
further stated that her income was
$500, 900 a year. Immediately after
the marriage the couple fet the Unit
ed States for France, where the ex-
travagant 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 embar-
assed, it being alleged that the count
had already spent about 81 900, 900 of
his wife's money. An adjustment of
the affairs of the count and countess
became necessary, and considerable
litigation followed, with the result
that the Gould family interviewed and
the income Of the countess was cut
down to 5000 900.
On February 5, of the present year,
the Countess de Castellane entered a
plea for divorce, the hearing of which
began before Judge Ditte, Maitre
Crupp, appearing for the countess
and Maitre Bonnet for the court. Ev-
idence in the shape of correspondence
between the count and women was
presented and the case was adjourn
ed to November z, when the final
pleas were made and the suite ad-
journed until Nov. IA. On the fol-
lowing day, Nov. 8, the case of the
counts creditors was presented to the
court and adjourned for two weeks.
The three children of the Castel-
lanes are George, Boni and Jay, the
youngest being the namesake of his
mothers father, the late Jay Gould.