The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-25
COURT ROOM TANNED.
Great Crowd to Hear BOni's Suit
Against His Former Wife.

Paris, Nov, 25.-The suit of Count
Boni de Castellane against his for
mer wife, who was Miss Anna Gould
of New York, and is now the wife of
Prince Helie de Sagan, for the custody
of his three children was opened here
today. The court room was damned
to the doors when the hearing was
called, many Americans being in the
throng. e.
Count Boni de Castellane occupied a
prominent place in the room.
This is the first time the French
newspapers, which are forbidden to
publish divorce proceedings in court,
have had an opportunity to ventilate
this scandal and they were represent
ed in force by reporters and artists.
From the very beginning of the pro-
ceedings it was apparent that it was to
be a war to the knife between the ad-
versaries and that no one would be
spared. NJ. Bonnet, representing the
count, was the first to be heard. He
presented the general grounds upon
which his client stated that the chill
dren be confided- to the care of their
grandmother, the counts mother, and
that the Princess de Sagan be COM
PEELED to contribute 100000 annually
to their support, namely, that the
moral atmosphere of the Sagan house
hold was unfit for the children. This
allegation was in three parts:
First, the alleged scandalous con-
duct of Prince Helie de Sagan in the
since his marriage-M. Bonnet said he
was prepared to prove that the prince
had seen two of his former miStreSSeS
since the date of his marriage-and,
third, that the conduct of the princess
before her marriage to de Sagan had
been improper.
Proceeding NJ Bonnet developed this
theme, keeping constantly to the fore
the claim that the count was seeking
only the welfare of his children. He
said it was with a sad heart that the
count had been compelled to bring a
suit involving his former wife, whose
alliance with de Sagan, he declared, was
dragging her into an abyss of shame
and whose pride and hatred rendered
a settlement out of court impossible.
To prove that thep princess had
contemplated seeking a separation
from her present husband M Bonnet
recounted certain alleged consultations
held November s, between the Prince
and Princess de Sagan and the counts
lawyers. He said the princess on this
occasion admitted the difficulty of haV-
ing the children live under the same
roof with the prince, and proposed to
turn two of them over to the count
and keep the third herself. The
prince, at this consultation, complain
ed that if there was a separation his
creditors would descend upon him and
seize his effects. Two days later.
however, the princess publicly denied
that a separation was contemplated
and this ended the hope of a compro-
mise.
NJ. Bonnet declared that his client
desired to respect the dignity of his
former wife. He said that if the count
had committed a grave wrong in the
past this had been fully expiated, and
that he would not intervene now had
the princess married a man of reason
able moral responsibility; but by her
marriage to the prince she had forfeit
ed her right to her children. NJ Bonnet
then entered upon an elaborate exposi-
ton of the grief of his client He de-
scribed among other things the HUI
initiation to which the count on several
different occasions had been subjected.
Once, when he brought the children
back to their home after visit to him
the servants of the princess on their
mistress orders refused to allow him to
pass through the gate and after his
election to the chamber of deputies she
replied to a telegram of congratulation
from one of his constituents in the fol-
lowing words:
Il am happy that you are content
that you have elected a rome instead of
a worthy man."
This was before she secured her d.
vorce from the count.
Turning to the Prince de Sagan, NJ.
Bonnet said that before his marriage
he was reduced to a pitiable plight. He