Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-01-01
Report of Plot to Fleece
Busch Out of
Money.
DAUGHTER A VICTIM
Latest Dsvt lopment In the Ro-
mantle Society
Affair.

st. Louis, Mo, jan Announce
ment is made that the marriage of
Miss Wilhelmina Busch. the brewers
daughter, and Eduard Scharrer, officer
in the German army and rich hop mer-
chant, definitely has been postponed.
AS matter of fact, the engagement
has been broken. Miss Busch will be
packed off TO California and the Ger
man lieutenant advised to return TO his
regiment TO avoid the consequences of
a wooing that might have been consid-
cred the proper thing in the dark ages,
when might was right.
Big Dowry Demanded.
From responsible persons in Belle
vile, H., who are intimate with the
Busch family and who are familiar
with all the facts bearing upon last
Wednesdays elopement TO that city OF
the multi-millionaire brewers daugh-
ter with Lieut.. Scharrer it was learn
ed last night that there is every reason
TO believe SchaTrer deliberately pun
the young woman in a compromising
position for the purpose of forcing her
family to agree TO their marriage sud
that after Adolphus Busch learned of
the elopement Scharrer demanded that
her father settle upon her a dowry of
81 .000, 900 before marriage could take
place
This demand is said to have opened
Mr.. Buschs eyes to Scharrer's real
purpose, and he is said TO have angrily
declared that not only would he not
settle any dowry upon the daughter.
h,,F h. r<. = hn
marriage to Scharrer.
Other equally startling stories are
told of the escapade and in all of them
Lieut.. Scharrer is put in bad light.
He has remained steadfast in his de-
termination not to discuss the matter
in any place. His attitude is one of
supreme indifserence to public opinion
in the matter, although he has been
generally and vigorously criticised for
his part in the affair.
Among the things which Lieut.
Scharrer refused to discuss was SEN
sational story TO the effect that he had
used a revolver to threaten Miss Busch
and compel her TO accompany him to
the east side and to the Belleville ho-
tel. Neither would he state whether
pistol during the carriage ride from
here to Belleville to work upon the
girls fears by threatening suicide.
stories Startle 81. Louis.
When it first became known that
Lieut. Scharrer and Miss Busch, who
will one day be possessed of millions in
her own right, had eloped to Belleyille
and had registered at a hotel as Lieut..
and Mrs. Scharrer," the city was amaz
ed. Since then interest in the affair
has grown keener, for il gradually has
become more and more clear that there
is more back of the elopement than at
first appeared.
When first interviewed on the Incl
dent, Adolphus Busch said:
My daughter is engaged to marry
the lieutenant and l have no objection
to him as a son-in-law. When | learn
ed that they had gone over TO tie east
side to be married | wired to them to
come back and they could be married
at my house. The incident in Belle
vile was just little German joke,
Later, however, when stories were
as to the methods used by
Scharrer to get Miss Busch to go to
Belleville, Mr.. Busch became reticent
and there became apparent a radical
change in his attitude toward the pros
pective son-in-law and his intentions
his daughter. His resent
ment eliminated in an announcement
postponing the marriage indefinitely