Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-11-14
THE COUNTESS GETS
DIVORCE DEGREE
Decision In Famous Castellane
Case Also Grants Her Gus
tody of Children
COUNT WINS ONLY ONE POINT
Countess Do casteIIane viii Not Be
Allowed to Take Children Out of
France Without Their Fathers Con-
,sent-counts Demand For Allow
anee Rejeoted-Ended Suddenly.

first instance of the Seine, Judge Ditto
presiding, today granted a divorce to
Countess de Castellane, formerly An
ma Gould, of New Yo. and gave her
the custody of her children, who will
not be allowed to be taken from
France without the consent Of their
father, Count Boni. The end Of the
famous case came suddenly. Tne
court brushed aside the demand Of the
counts lawyers for an examination of
witnesses, >and, as anticipated, the pub
lie prosecutor did not even ask to BIZ
heard. AS soon as the court assem-
bled, Judge Ditte handed down the
judgment which is sweeping victory
for the countess.
In granting the 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 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 month
annually, during the holidays. The
counts demand for an "alimentary al
,owance OF $4,000 annually" was pro-
rounced by the court to be without
found alton in law, and rejected. Ths
= Lad fo
was the imposition of an inhibition on
the countess, to take the children out
of France without their fathers con-
sent. The court. appointed the presi-
dent of the chamber of notaries to
liuuidate the affairs OF the husband and
wife. Judgment was given with costs
against the count.
Spectators Disappointed.
The Decree the reading of which
hardly consumed five minutes, was de-
livered by the judge in voice SO low
as to be practically inaudible to the
eager crowd filing the court room
Many women climbed chairs in vain
they were aware that. the divorce was
granted, they seemed actually to resent
the loss of public trial, at which peo-
ple in high society would be compelled
to testify.
The formal counts upon which at
torneys for the countess asked for the
oft tt1 airrr ma
riage the count began to purchase fur
niture at ridiculously exorbitant prices
which he Immediately sold; that upon
the slightest pretexts the count abused,
struck and pinched the countess in
the presence of servants. Then fol-
low specific accounts of the counts
meetings and intimacies with various
women, the substance of which has al
ready been published, extending from
1889 to 1906. The text of the decree
does not go into the details of the
countess bill of particulars. Inas1nuch
as Madame De Castellane submitted
letters and documents, several of
which were from the count himself,
establishing sufficiently that since
their marriage he had relations and
correspondence with various women of
easy virtue, which was most offensive
to his wife thus rendering himself gull
ty Of acts justifying the divorce, and
as he had failed to establish recon-
ciliation, the petition of Madame De
Castellane is granted. y
The counts demand for an "alimen-
tary allowance of $4,000 annually"
was denied on the ground that the
guilty party in the divorce loses all
advantages accorded either by the
marriage contract or the course of
married life, consequently the court
refused to allow not only the counts
original claim for $4,000 per annum,
but $4,000 which the countess offered
and which it now seems the count
claimed to have accepted on October
25th.
The court also took 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 send the children on
thursdays and Sundays to their
grandmother Marquise De Castellane,
and their surrender to their father for
q week at New Years and Easter, and
q month in the summer
KAISER ELECTS ACTRESS.