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THE CRUEL MURDER OF MINA MILLER BY KENKOUWSKY, alias “KETTLER.”
A THRILLING AND REMARKABLE CASE, WHICH RECALLS THE MURDER OF MARY RODGERS, “THE SEGAR GIRL,” WHICH TOOK PLACE ON THE SAME SPOT, THE SCENE OF OTHER MURDERS OF A LIKE CHARACTER.
BARCLAY & CO., Publishers, 21 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, by BARCLAY & CO., In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
On Friday morning, the 13th of last May, a German, whose purpose was to gather green leaves to sell to florists in N. Y. city, entered the path leading from Bergen avenue, in the district known as Bull’s Ferry, north of Weehawken. He had followed it eastward toward the river about 100 feet, and had turned aside to the right about twenty feet, when he was appalled by almost stepping upon the dead body of a woman. He hurried away to inform the police.
Early in the afternoon Coroner Wiggins, of Hoboken, visited the spot and made a careful examination. He judged that the woman had not been over 25 years old. Along the top of the head, on the left side, was a deep gash, and beneath it the skull was fractured. There was another gash over the right eye. Both of these gashes were apparently made with the edge of a stone. The nose was broken in the middle. The right side of the head had apparently been crushed by a stone. The left ear was injured as if an ear-ring had been torn from it. Search was made for the missing ear-ring, but it was not found. Her face had become blackened by the sun, which shone upon the spot where the body lay. The features were small and symmetrical. She wore number one or number two buttoned shoes.
An investigation was at once begun by the coroner, but without much success.
On the 18th the young woman was completely identified as Mrs. Philomena Muller, the wife of Simon Muller, a tobacconist, at 502 West Thirtieth street, N. Y. Mr. Muller called at the Morgue at 3 o’clock on the afternoon of May 18th, in company with a lady whom he introduced as Miss Maria Schmidt, his wife’s sister. He said they desired to look at the body. They were led into the damp vault, and at sight of the body Miss Schmidt was overcome, and she retired to the adjoining basement. Mr. Muller gazed upon the body calmly. The jewelry and clothing of the dead woman were shown to him, and he positively identified them as the property of his wife. He said that he had given her the cameo brooch. Mr. Muller said that some time ago his wife deserted him, and since then she had not lived with him. Miss Schmidt had seen her sister about two weeks before. Mrs. Muller then informed her that she had found a decent man, who was going to marry her and take her to Germany in the steamer L’Amerique, which was to sail on the 4th of May. When Miss Schmidt told Mr. Muller of this he went to the wharf of the Transatlantic Steamship Company on the morning of May 4th, and remained at the gang plank of the vessel until all the passengers had gone aboard. He was certain that his wife was not among them, but he did not know her paramour.