The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-03
BUTCHER STOPPED
BOUT OF b0N| De
CASTELLANE
Count Boni and Prince Sagan
Fight in Church
PRINCE WOULD WE'D ANNA
De castel!ane, Sa!utins His Cousin
With "Ihere Is Your Christmas
Present" Spatin His Face.


tellane, from whom his wife, who was
Miss Anna Gould Of New York, re.
Gently was divorced, and Prince Helis
de Sagan, who on several occasions
was reported to be engaged to Nine.
Gould, had a personal encounter here
at the church of st. Pierre de ChaillOt
while service to the memory Of Lady
Stanley ErringtOn, relative Of both
men, who recently died in England,
was In progress.
Beginning inside the church, where
Count Boni claims the prince insulted
both him and the sacred edifice, 1t was
resumed at the doorway, where Count
Boni, followed by his brother Count
Jean de Castellane, overlook the
prince.
Count Boni spat in his cousins face,
and then came the clash of canes, fol-
lowed by rough and tumble fight on
the pavement, which ended In the gut
ter, where the men finally were sepa-
rated by a big butcher. Count Boni at
the moment of Intervention was hold.
ing down the well nigh insensible
prince, while Jean, according to eye
witnesses, was administering to him a
severe kicking.
When the police arrived, the butcher
was holding the two principals in the
fight who were covered with mud. The
prince was bleeding profusely from a
wound in the right temple, where he
had been struck by Count Boni's heavy
stick.
With the butchers hand on his col
lar, Boni was haranguing crowd
which had gathered as to why he had
spat In the princes face. The police
invited the two men to so to the sta
ton house, and this after some disput-
ing they agreed to do.
All three of them, despatched with
mud, accompanied the police and, fol-
lowed by several thousand persons,
were marched off to the station, where
they made explanations.
Both Count Boni and the prince gave
their own version of the quarrel, each
claiming that the other was the ag-
grcssor, but the prince lodged com
plant charging the brothers with as
sault.
The count denounced the prince in
unGeasured terms, and duel is immi-
nent.
Count Boni declared that Prince He.
lie and some of his friends had been
lying in wait for him. Both men were
finally released upon their own recOg-
nizances.
Prince Helie is laid up In bed, with
his head swathed in bandages, while
Count Boni spent several hours in Wis.,
iting the newspaper Offices, telling the
story of the encounter.
When seen by correspondent, he
was in splendid humor. Throwing
back the lapels of his fur coat in order
better to display one of his famous
white silk waistcoats he began with
the recital Of the history of his cousin,
whom he painted in the blacklist COL
ers, declaring that Prince Helie had
been ostracised by his own family,
aons Of whom would permit him to en-
TER their house.
Count Boni then proceeded to ex-
plain the episode and declared that 1t
had nothing to do with Nine. Anna
Gould, but was the result Of an old
grudge between him and the prince.
"a odAad thut bo hoA nnf hoop
invited to the ceremony at the church.
Count Boni said he took no notice of
the prince. during the service, which
proceeded without incident until the
elevation of the host, when the prince
rose.
AS he passed me-" said Count Boni.
che jammed his hat on his head and
looked insutingly at me, this within
twenty feet of the altar. | immedi-
stely got up and followed him, and
when | reached the vestibule outside
] said, 4 have not given you your
Christmas present. and spat full In his
face. He raised his cane to strike me,
but got in the first blow, opening his
temple. We then closed"
Count Boni dramatically acted the
part as he told the story and declared
at the conclusion that he only had re.
sented what he regarded as an insult
to himself and the church. He was
convinced that the prince on account
Of his past career would not dare to
prosecute the complaint
PRINCE Helie de Sanari 1vhnn seem La