The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-05-24
Il HEST HOBOKEN ROMANCE.
A Trial that Recails an Exciting Epi-
sode OF the Mena Muller Murder I'm
Guttenburu.

sode OF the Mena Muller Murder I'm
Guttenburg. a,a
The trial oil Robert Proctor for hbelupon
Constable Judson Francois, in the Court
of Sessions the other day, brought one of
the most exciting and dramatic incidents
of the Mena Muller murder, for which
Kankowski suffered on the gallows few
years ago, to mind. Old florist Kuettler,
who lived in West Hoboken where Fran
co.'s exists, had pretty daughter named
Bella, who was not as good as she might
have been. She became acquainted with
the Constable, and, in spite of the fact that
he was married man, allowed him to
make love to her. All of a sudden she
disappeared. Her father hunted high and
low for her, but without avail till he acct
dentally learned that the expressman who
had delivered her trunk to her new home
had left it at a house on 18th street, New
York. Keuttler went there to seek her,
but found that she had moved. Except
that she had gone to place on Hudson
street, the inmates were unable to say where.
The old man made up his mind, however,
that he had gained a point in learn
ing that much, and impressed an old
sleuth-hound he had on his premises to
help him in the rest of his search. First
rubbing the animals nose with q pair of
old shoes that Bella had left at home in
her flight, he took the dog across the river,
and led him by string to Hudson street.
He walked the animal the whole length of
the street, but the animal showed no sign
of having got the ssscent" till they were
making the second tour of the street.
Near Canal street the dog started as
though he had struck the trail. His ears
were pricked; his nose was pressed to the
ground, and he shifted and snorted as he
pressed eagerly forward, pulling the old
man behind him, faster than the old man
cared to travel When he reached the
stoop of No. AIT, he bounded up the steps
and beat with his paws against the door.
The old man was satisfied that his daughter
was there, and led the dog to neighboring
saloon to remain there while helnquired at
the house. There he found her passing as
the wife of Constable Francois After much
persuasion she returned home, but it was
not long before she was off again with her
married lover. When he searched her room
40 4OAA1Q AOtO OAO AdO ACAb OCAIAQ AOIs
He was unable, notwithstanding tireless
efforts, to find her. She had been gone two
or three weeks when the body of the MUIR
dered Mena Muller was found in the woods
at GutteAberg. The whole neighborhood
was talking at the time of Bella Kuettler's
disappearance, and two-thirds of the North
Hudson residents believed that Francois
had killed her and left her body to be
found. In fact, some of her companions
went to the morgue and found eyid ence
that the body was hers in the size of her 5
feet and hands, and its general appearance.
A happy thought struck the stricken old
florist. With solemn face he walked into the
morgue and looked upon the body. He
neryously examined the hair on ebody of
the corpse. 1t was switch made by Fran
cois-who was barber-partly with Bel
las hair and partly with her mother's-he
declared; and that sack upon the body, he
knew it, because her mother had made it
with her own dear hands before she died. 4
The feet and hands they, two, were his
daughters, and he moaned and wept over
the body as though he really thought it was
Bella's. The Identification of the body as
that of Bella was practically charging Fran
co.'s with having killed her. Old Kuettlers
son seized his fathers gun and rushed out
to kill the suspected constable, but was
stopped by the old man. Avigilance COM
mittee waited upon Francois, and demand
ed Bella He protested that she was alive, and
the citizens gave HIM until evening to pro-
duce her--or die. Coroner Wiggins con-
suited District-Attorney McGill as to the
ACCESSIBILITY of arresting Francois for muir
der. Special Officer Stanton was just about
to start off for West Hoboken for him,
when Ex-Judge Hoffman, Francoiss coun-
sci, stepped up.
s'We'll take you," he said, "to where
Bella is. and show her to you" peg
The Coroner and Constable Stanton wepe
led to an establishment in New York. A
young woman stepped forward when Bella
Kuettler was asked for. Neither Stanton
nor Virgins knew Bella; but Virgins had
a pair of her shoes with him. ~ bsA
elf you are Bella Knettler," he said,
/" these will fit you"
She put forth her dainty foot. The
shoe fitted like a glove. She was indeed
Bella. The old man had, by making the
false Identification, frightened the be-
trayer into revealing her whereabouts after
her second flight Uys ass4as
TWAS for having made references, in a
circular distributed last Fall to defeat
Francois, to this romantic little story, that
Proctor was indicted for libel. The jury
very properly acquitted him after few
minutes deliberation. rs. ~
The Children's Day. 5ls5