The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-29
DEATH OF WIDOW
 RECALLS STRANGE GERMAN ROMANCE
Noted Newspaper Publisher Married Girl Who Entered
 Contest

BERLIN, July 2s.-Tyrolean Bellies, who entered newspaper beauty con- tests twenty or more years ago, did not always land distinguished hus- bands, as European marriages in the better circles were not contracted along such democratic lines In those days Yet such was the fortune that came to Frau Therese Scherl, widow of August Scherl, Berlin's most suc- cessful newspaper publisher, who died the other day.
 A oomely maid. tho daughter of a Txrolean village schoolmaster. a photograph vr Therese attracted Scherl as he was mastering com testanes for a beauty competition he was conducting in a circulation cam paign for the Loka1 Anzieser and his
 Scherl promptly eetao eta eta in various other publications.
 Soheri promptly eliminated Theress from the competition with Bavarians Pomcranians, Saxons and other Ger man frauleins, and post haste des- patched his trusted managing editor to the girls Tyrlean home with fn- struotionz, plus 8 large amount of cash, to inform her parents that their daughter was exactly the type of wife he had been searching for. The modest but dignified schoolmaster and wife naturally were flabergasted over
  total stranger had assumed to bid for their daughters hand through an equally unknown go-between.
 But scherips emmisary, who by tho way. had learned the newspaper game in the United States many years be- fore, proved a skilfui neSotiator. He succeeded in overcoming the parents early scruples and such other em- barra ssing details as the question of hat- Ao1 d0TUTy airtight option on Therese he hurried back to Berlin, while the schoolmaster and his wife and the blushing Therese scanned the Tyrolean horizon for signs of tho coming of the girl s unknown suitor.
 scherI went to the<Tyroiean village, won the approval of the parents and the love of Therese, and the engage ment of the couple was arranged without much delay. Scher1 died two years ago. His widow passed away in her Tyrolean home the other day: Friends and business associates or the couple declare that the union which was contracted under such TO- mantle circumstances was an ex- tremely happy one, and that the Tyro- lean schodlmast CT 8 daughter proved a valuable intellectual aide to Scherl, whose life was wholly wrapped up In developing his gigantic publishing projects.
 The demisea of Frau Scherl has re- vived a score of stories about her publisher- husband, who achieved fame and fortune through American meth ods. which enabled him to gather in thousands of SUI pIbscribers and count less columns of classified advertising and also to develop his domestic and foreign news services. Socially Scherl lived the life of a recluse. Only his nt personal touch with him. He was a comparative stranger to majority of his employees.
 It was this circumstance that once almost cost a young reporter his job. Scherl, so the story goes. once con- fessed to a. confidante that in his boy hood days he robbed a bird nest, an act which he regretted all his life and for which he vowed to do penance' His penance consisted in his filling a huge cage with birds of all varieties and transporting them into the Tier garten, where he would give the birds freedom. This was his annual sac- rificial offering for his boyhood off, fense.
 Returning to his office late one day when he had made his annual pil- grimage to the Tiergarten, Scherl's eve fell upon a double-banked news item in the Lokal Anzeiger to this effect.
 This morning comical-looking individual, who gave evidence of be- ing demented, was seen driving in a fashionable equipage through the Tiergarten. On his knees rested 8 huge bird cage containing several dozens of frightened birds. Suddenly the carriage halted, the strange man opened the cage and releasing the birds and then disappeared. His iden- tity is not known, although one of the caretakers In the Tiergarten said he was sure 1t was the same indi- vidual who came there last year with a big cage of atl kinds of birds"
 There was momentary panic in tho editorial room of the Lokal Anzeiger but the reporter was absolved of blame for the story he had brought in.