The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-07-01
SNAPS HER FINGER
 AT NOBLE DUKES Miss Bertha krupp Will Mary
 For Love ANNUAL INCOME S5,OOO,OOO She Is Queen of the 25o,ooo Inhabit- ants of Essen and Its Environs.
 Is the Richest Girl In
 All Europe.
ANNUAL INCOME S5,OOO,OOO

Special correspondence of the Cincinnati
 Enquirer.
 Berlin.-The romantic match which Miss Bertha Krupp the sole proprietress of the world-renowned iron and steel works at Essen is about to contract with a young diplomat is exciting unusual in- terest in Germany, where the career of the young heiress has been followed with sympathetic attention.
 The lucky suitor. Gustavus yon Bohlen- Halbac, secretary of the Prussian lega- ton at the Vatican, comes of blue blooded aristocratic family tracing its descent back to the twelfth century, but otherwise would be regarded as an un- desirable partner for the heiress.
 Hundreds of suitors have been candi- dates for Fraulen Krupp's hand. They included dukes, innumerable noblemen, millionaares, geniuses, etc., but Fraulein Krupp refused them all, and insisted on choosing a husband according to the dictates of her heat.
 Her mother relatives and guardians were at first opposed to the match, but Fraulein Krupp remained firm, and finally had her own way.
 Rules Like a Queen.
 Miss Krupp is sole proprietress of the Krupp works. and, indeed. of the town of Essen, with its 250.00 inhabitants.
 The Krupp works employ upward Of 40 900 men, and contain about $500 steam engines, 1500 furnaces, 500 steam cranes, 200 steam hammers and several dozen Bessemer converters. Apart from the be- wildering maze of iron and steel works at Essen, Miss Bertha Krupp owns b4I iron mines situated in different countries, three coal mines, and numerous quarries. The factories and the whole town or Es- sen are lighted by gas and electricity works belonging to the Krupp firm.
 The Krupp works contain within their boundaries more than 50 miles of rail- ways 100 miles of telegraph wires and 200 miles of telephone wires. Miss Bertha Krupp is absolute owner of her Kingdom for the 40.000 workers toiling for her com prise, with their families, total of more than 100000 persons dependent on her nod. If the other concerns be added. we have a total of 100000 persons in her kingdom
 In the spotIess Town.
 Besides her factories. mines, railways, telegraphs and telephone, Miss Bertha Krupp also owns her own bakeries slaughter houses and general stores, which supply her employees with the ne- cessities of life at remarkably cheap prices. With few exceptions, her work men inhabit model cottages belonging to her and let to them at very cheap rents. Her subjects are under her scepter as under no other ruler throughout the em- pire
 She has her own army, regularly drilled. with stern rules of discipline. It is called a fire brigade, or corps of watchmen, be- cause it would be unpermissible by law for Miss Krupp to enlist troops, but they are as much a body of picked troops as any in Germany. Her army under these two appellations numbers more than 300 men, all of whom are well armed. They guard not only the factories at night, but also Miss Krupp's own private residence at Essen.
 A Special Body Guard.
 Miss Krupp also maintains, like any monarch a special bodyguard of detec- tives to watch over her personal safety, for many ruthless anarchists have threat ened to assassinate the owner of one of the greatest capitalist concerns in the world, and many malcontent employees Of the Krupp works who have been dis charged by their superiors for one offense or another have menaced her with per- sonal violence.
 She owns the churches, the hospitals, the hotels, the art and science institutes and the museums at Essen, where she is commonly known as Queen Krupp." Her estate and power, as we'll as her income, go on increasing from year to year.
 The reserve fund of the Essen works, according to a balance sheet recently pub lished. amounts to nearly s1O0,0Oo.0OO and Miss Krupp's net income from the Essen business last year exceeded 100000 This amount added to other supplementary revenues, brings up her total annual in come approximately to s5,000OO0. Miss Krupps great-grandfather was a humble village blacksmith, and her grandfather started life in the same capacity.
 Longing for Freedom.
 Knowing human nature, 1t is hardly surprising to find Miss Krupp's employees do not appreciate her good qualities and charitable ways The lack of personal freedom jars on them. They admit that the Krupp works are conducted on hu- lnanitarian lines, but they declare that 1t is all too grandmotherly to suit their tastes
 Great care has been taken to prevent Miss Krupp from becoming spoiled by the possession of vast wealth. She has been framed 10 ledu Sllllpit Hdlui di ile I'll the old home at Essen. She is a fearless rider keen tennis player, and an en- thusiastic participant in every outdoor pastime She rows, skates and plays golf or hockey with equal facility. She has mixed very little in fashionable society, and so far from indulging in luxury in dress, her costumes are always conspcu- ous for their extreme simplicity.
 She is fair. and rather pretty than ot !, Son1ewihat below rnedi11np height and reveals a tendency toward