Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-07-05
COUNT DEMANDS
$5,0DO,00O, SAYS
BARBARA HUTTON
Custody of Son Is Reported
Also Included as Price
of Divorce.
THREAT TO SHOOT RIVAL
LIKE DOG IS CHARGED
Reventlow Described in Tears Over
Wife's Letter-Hearing Off
Until July 10.
BACKGROUND

6AChGROUND-
First hints OF trouble betueen
Count Court Hduguits- ReUentiow
and his Woolworth heiress ,DJe
came early last month, ,uhen it ,ras
reported their son Lance, 2, had
been threatened and the former
Barbara Hutton iUent into court
to obtain special order for his
protection. The count subsequently,
Uent from Paris to London and sub
mitted to arrest on his ,Uife's ,Uar-
rant.
BY the Associated Press.
LONDON. July 5.-Countess Bar
bara Hutton Haugwitz ReventloW' S
battery of noted legal talent today
accused her titled Danish husband of
demanding 100000 and their q
year-old son Lance in return for a
divorce in tense hearing in Bow
Street Court.
In the course Of two and half hours
OF sensational testimony to support
charges against the handsome Count
Court, he also was accused OF threaten
Ing to shoot an unnamed Mayfair So
ciety man like a dog"
The golden-haired, black clad Wool
worth heiress kept her sad, childlike
eyes on the back of her husbands head
as her attorneys declared he had
threatened to put her on the spot"
and had laughed at profered gift of
e25() C00 as IAN insult ~
Hearing Is Adjourned.
The hearing was adjourned until
July 10. Today's testimony was on
the Countess charges that her hus-
band had placed her in fear of her
life or bodily harm.
He was released again on bail of
c2,000 (S10,000), as in the case of his
FIRST hearing last Friday Immediately
after returning from France to face
his wife't charges.
The skillful Sir Patrick Hastings,
noted Kings counselor, and Solicitor
William M. Mitchell. attorneys for the
countess. related a long series of
threats they said the distraught count
had made in Paris.
They said he talked of a duel"
called his wife obscene names.
threatened to seize his son and give
Barbara three years of hell and head
lines"
He limited. too of suicide, they said,
and declared people would blame his
wife for driving him to it.
On cross-eXamination Mr.. Mitchell
testified that the count was seriously
disturbed" because of another gentle
man" and wanted to know if the
countess would marry him if she got a
divorce.
1t was Mr. Mitchell also who dis
llosed that the countess first thought
of settlement of f25000O ($l,250 OO0)
on her estranged husband but decided
TO offer the smaller sum, s250,0O0, as
"a gift"
Grieved by Letter.
There also was mention of a letter
belonging to the countess which the
count had taken and which "grieved
him very much" Mr. Mitchell added
chat the count had studied grounds for
divorce in Danish law.
At another point Mr.. Mitchell &C
FUSED the count of "blackmail talk"
and said the count had told him he
made mistake in signing New
York deed" by which he renounced a
husbands rights to certain of his wife's
property.
Wearing blue serge suit and blue
shirt and holding brief case, the
Count, in the raised dock. constantly
wrote notes and passed them to his
Attorney, Norman Birkett.
He looked at the Countess just once
She glanced quickly at the floor as he
turned his head and he quickly faced
forward again.
The Countess wore large black hat
And a long, fragile veil covered her
(See HITTTON paoe A3I