New-York tribune., 1920-10-24
Slain Woman
Is Identified
By Husband
Staten Island Murder Vic
tim Was Mrs. Jennie
kussel, of Jersey City,
Mother of 2 Children
Disappeared Week Ago
Often Left Home, Asserts
Man, Who Twice Asked
Police to Help Find Her

The young woman who was found
strangled 90 death in deep thcket
in the woods at West Brighton, S.
L., Friday, was identified last night as
Mrs. Jennie Kussel, twenty-four years
old, of 439 York Street, Jersey City.
The Identification was made by the
woman's husband, Michael Kussel, who
accompanied Captain Van Wagner, ii
the Staten Island Detective Bureau, to
the morgue at West Brighton, where
the body had lain all day.
Kussel, who is a truck driver, says
his wife left home just one week ago
Saturday, after announcing that she
was going to New York to answer an
employment advertisements 1t was not
the first time, according to Kussel, that
she had left him and their two chill
dren, Gertrude and William, four and
six years old
Went to Police Twice
Always before she had returned the
next day. When she did not come back
last Sunday Kusscl became alarmed and
he went to the police at Jersey City
with his story. The police, he saws.
assured him that his wife would come
home as usual and that he had no real
cause for alarm. He accepted their
view Of the situation and waited until
Wednesday. when, she had not yet
appeared, he went once more to the
police.
Again Kussel says he was assured
that he was worrying without cause.
He heard nothing from his wife, and
Yesterday morning when a friend
showed him a newspaper describing the
finding, of a young woman with a rope
about her throat he determined to 20
to Staten Island to investigate. After
he had finished his days work, Kussel
joined those who were asking to be al
lowed to look at the body in the West
Brighton morgue. AS soon as he saw
the body he made the identification,
which the police say is complete.
According to the husbands story
the murdered woman had about 5000
worth of jewelry and some cash when
she left home. He says that she had
friends among Italians in Jersey City
who made considerable display of
money and were given to midnight
riding in automobiles. This is corrob-
VI "OSu ny tll' Jersey NIIV ponce, VINO
say they know tho woman's associates
and promise an Immediate roundup Of
her acquaintances.
1t is the theory of the Staten Island
detectives who have been working on
the case that the woman was mur-
dered in the Greenville section of Jer-
sey City, probably Wednesday night
and the body was taken to the vicinity
OF Oakland Avenue and Forest Avenue
West New Brighton and dragged into
the heart of the woods. The person or
persons who dragged the body to the
spot where 1t was discovered probably
used the stout piece of manila cord
which was found about the woman's
neck.
Home Life Unhappy
1t was established at the autopsy
which DR.. George Mord, County Medi
cal Examiner. held yesterday Afternoon
that the clothing might have been put
on the body after death. This strength
ened the theory that the murder tool
place somewhere else and the body was
brought to West New Brighton anJ
hidden in the woods.
The husband told the police, they say
that his home life had not been happy
owing to his wife's numerous disap-
pearances, at which times ten children
were left in the care of ncighb bors. He
says he had often remonstratcd but his
words had no effect and he put W
with conditions as best he could fol
the sake of the children.