Offender Record · OFF-2026-146
Harry Powers (photo from the Radford University biography)
Harry F. Powers
Also known as Harm Drenth, Herman Drenth, Cornelius O. Pierson, Cornelius Orvin Pierson, Joseph Gildow, John Schroeder, A.R. Weaver
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'4"
Weight
175 lbs
Born
1892
Custody
Deceased
States
OH, WV, WI, IA, NL, MD, MN
Distinguishing featuresWore thick glasses; described as pudgy and unattractive with pig-like eyes (document; WV Encyclopedia)
Custody
Executed by hanging on March 18, 1932 (Wikipedia; WV Encyclopedia; WCHSTV)
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Harry F. Powers was a Dutch-born serial killer convicted of first-degree murder. In 1931, Powers lured a 50-year-old woman and a 43-year-old woman with three children (ages 14, 12, and 9) to his property in Quiet Dell, West Virginia through fraudulent 'lonely hearts' advertisements, where he murdered them by strangulation, beating, and starvation. He confessed to five murders and was suspected of up to 50 total victims. Powers was convicted on December 11, 1931, sentenced to death, and executed by hanging on March 18, 1932, at the West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Jun 23, 1931, Quiet Dell, West Virginia
First-degree murder
Harrison County Sheriff, West Virginia · Harrison County Circuit Court, Clarksburg, West Virginia · Arrested Aug 27, 1931 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death by hanging, executed March 18, 1932
Dorothy Lemke, age 50, a widow from Massachusetts, responded to Powers' lonely hearts advertisement and traveled to his property in Quiet Dell. Powers, using the alias Cornelius O. Pierson, claimed to be a civil engineer seeking marriage. He murdered her by strangulation with a belt wrapped around her neck and buried her body in a drainage ditch beside his garage. Police found her body with the belt still in place during excavation of the property.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Powers, Harry; e-WV - Harry Powers; Letters to Death: The true story behind West Virginia's first serial killer; The Bluebeard of Quiet Dell
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
5
Victims convicted
5
Victims confessed
50
Victims suspected
Active years
1931–1931
Stated motive
Financial gain
Range from home
interstate
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Marital history
Married
Children
0
Died
1932-03-18 · executed
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Harrison County Sheriff's Office · WV
Sheriff Wilford B. Grimm obtained search warrant; held Powers at Harrison County Jail; investigated crimes
Clarksburg Police Department · WV
Detective Carl Southern traced Pierson alias to Powers; arrested Powers August 27, 1931; conducted interrogation
Harrison County Prosecuting Attorney's Office · WV
Agency case Felony No. 10357
Prosecuted first-degree murder charges; sought death penalty; tried case in December 1931
Park Ridge Police Department · IL
Initiated investigation into Eicher family disappearance on August 26, 1931; contacted Clarksburg police
Harrison County Criminal Court · WV
Agency case Felony No. 10357
Trial held December 7-11, 1931; Judge John C. Southern presided; jury convicted Powers December 12, 1931
West Virginia State Penitentiary · WV
Held Powers from September 20, 1931 until execution; executed by hanging March 18, 1932
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
IA
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
approx. 1910 – 1926 · Family settled in Cedar Rapids after immigration; Powers lived with family initially
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
approx. 1910 – 1918 · Farm work; left complaining of boss
MD
Oakland, Maryland
Jun 1927 – Jun 1927 · Married Luella Blanche Strother June 1, 1927
MN
Benton, Minnesota
Aug 1924 – Sep 1924 · Moved August 24, 1924
NL
Beerta, Groningen, Netherlands
1892 – 1910 · Born to Wilko and Jantie Drenth
OH
Cambridge, Ohio
Sep 1924 · Moved September 9, 1924
Mansfield, Ohio
Dec 1924 – Dec 1924 · Arrested December 1924 attempting to sell stolen articles under alias Joseph Gildow
Mansfield, Ohio
Apr 1925 – Apr 1925 · Arrested April 29, 1925 on warrant for stealing money and jewelry from Lena Fellows under alias Gildow
Ohio
1926 – Jul 1926 · Arrested July 11, 1926 for theft of vacuum cleaners from Eureka company
Ohio
Jul 1928 – Jul 1928 · Arrested July 11, 1928 for stealing vacuum sweepers
WI
Madison, Wisconsin
1918 – 1919 · Moved 250 miles from family home; resided at hotel
Madison, Wisconsin
Jun 1919 – Jun 1919 · Arrested for vehicle theft June 1919; escaped Dane County Jail June 28, 1919 with Walter Bartkoski
Barron, Wisconsin
1921 – Oct 1922 · Served less than 15 months in Wisconsin state prison for burglary conviction; released October 11, 1922
Town of Three Lakes, Wisconsin
1924 – 1924 · Grand larceny of garage; arrested with wife
WV
Quiet Dell, West Virginia
approx. 1926 – Aug 1931 · Home with wife Luella; farm property with detached garage used as murder chamber. Located south of Clarksburg in Harrison County.
Clarksburg, West Virginia
approx. 1928 – 1931 · Door-to-door salesman for Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company; also small grocery store operator in Broad Oaks neighborhood
Clarksburg, West Virginia
Aug 27, 1931 – Sep 1931 · Held at Harrison County Jail; transferred to Moundsville Penitentiary in September 1931 after mob attempted lynching on September 20, 1931
Clarksburg, West Virginia
Aug 27, 1931 – Aug 27, 1931 · Arrested August 27, 1931; initially held at Harrison County Jail in Clarksburg
Moundsville, West Virginia
Sep 1931 – Mar 18, 1932 · West Virginia State Penitentiary; inmate #21649; death row; executed by hanging March 18, 1932 at 9:11 p.m.
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1931 unknown unknown unknown – Automobile in trunk of which love letters were found addressed to multiple women; used to transport victims
approx. 1931 – Aug 1931
Love letters found in automobile trunk during investigation
Timeline
Nov 17, 1892
Born Harm Drenth in Beerta, Netherlands to Wilko and Jantie Drenth.
1910
Immigrated to United States, settling in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with family.
1911
Arrested for stealing liquor in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
1918
Began using the name Harry G. Powers; moved to Madison, Wisconsin.
Jun 1919
Arrested in Madison, Wisconsin for vehicle theft; his wife brought him tools to escape.
Jun 28, 1919
Escaped Dane County Jail with fellow inmate Walter Bartkoski.
1921
Convicted of burglary after breaking into home of Rose and Thomas Strickland; sentenced to Wisconsin state prison.
Oct 11, 1922
Released from Wisconsin state prison after serving less than 15 months; dropped out of sight from family.
Apr 16, 1924
Under alias Joseph Gildow, married Mrs. Allie Province age 50; disappeared with her valuables after drugging her coffee.
Sep 24, 1924
Failed to appear for court date regarding grand larceny charge in Three Lakes, Wisconsin and forfeited bail.
Dec 1924
Arrested in Mansfield, Ohio under alias Joseph Gildow attempting to sell stolen articles.
Apr 29, 1925
Arrested under alias Gildow on warrant for stealing money and jewelry from Lena Fellows who had accepted his marriage proposal.
Jul 11, 1926
Arrested for theft of vacuum cleaners from Eureka company.
Jun 01, 1927
Under alias Harry F. Powers, married Luella Blanche Strother in Oakland, Maryland.
Jul 11, 1928
Arrested for stealing vacuum sweepers.
Jun 23, 1931
Murdered Dorothy Lemke, age 50, from Massachusetts, by strangulation after luring her through lonely hearts advertisement.
Jun 24, 1931
Murdered Asta Eicher, age 43, from Illinois, and her three children by strangulation, starvation, and blunt force.
Aug 27, 1931
Arrested in Clarksburg, West Virginia on suspicion in disappearance of Asta Eicher and her children; taken to Harrison County Jail.
Aug 28, 1931
Police find bodies of Asta Eicher and her three children buried in ditch on Powers' property.
Aug 29, 1931
Powers confesses to murders of Asta Eicher, her three children, and Dorothy Lemke; police find Dorothy Lemke's body.
Aug 30, 1931
Edwin H. Mayer examines Powers and concludes he is sane and capable of knowing right from wrong.
Sep 20, 1931
Mob of thousands surrounds Harrison County Jail attempting to lynch Powers; tear gas and fire hoses disperse crowd; Powers moved to Moundsville Penitentiary.
Dec 07, 1931
Trial begins for the murders of Dorothy Lemke and Asta Eicher and her children at Moore Opera House in Clarksburg.
Dec 11, 1931
Jury finds Powers guilty of first-degree murder after deliberating approximately two hours.
Dec 12, 1931
Judge sentences Powers to death by hanging; ordered to be hanged March 18, 1932 between sunrise and sunset.
Mar 18, 1932
Harry Powers executed by hanging at West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville at 9:11 p.m. inmate #21649.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Catt's True Crime Corner ·
The Bluebeard of Quiet Dell“On August 28th, 1931, Sheriff Grimm was granted a search warrant for the Powers home, and the garage. Harry Powers was convicted of the murders of Dorothy Lemke, Asta Eicher, Greta Eicher, Harry Eicher, and Annabel Eicher.”
Other government record · West Virginia Encyclopedia ·
e-WV - Harry Powers“In August 1931, Harry F. Powers, the 'Bluebeard of Quiet Dell,' was charged with killing Dorothy Lemke of Massachusetts and Asta Eicher and her three children of Illinois.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Powers, Harry“Born in Beerta, Holland to Wilko and Jantie Drenth. Jury finds Powers guilty of first-degree murder. Executed at 9:11 p.m. March 18, 1932.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Harry Powers“Harry F. Powers (born Harm Drenth; November 17, 1892 – March 18, 1932) was a Dutch-born American serial killer who was hanged in Moundsville, West Virginia.”
News report · WCHSTV ·
Letters to Death: The true story behind West Virginia's first serial killer“Only 100 days after his arrest, Powers was indicted for the murder of Lemke, Eicher, and her children. On March 18, 1932, Powers was hanged at the West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville.”
News report · Appalachian History ·
West Virginia bluebeard“Herman Drenth, alias 'Harry F. Powers,' startled the nation in 1931 after he confessed to the brutal murders of three women and two children.”
News report · WVU Libraries ·
The Harry Powers Murders: Crimes that Inspired West Virginia Authors“Less than a month earlier, he had admitted to the horrific murders of two women and three children on his farm outside of Clarksburg in the small community of Quiet Dell.”
Submit a Tip
Know something about Harry F. Powers: a place they lived or worked, a vehicle, another name they used, or a connection to a case? Tell us here. Solve the Case passes information about this person to the right agency. If someone is in danger, call 911.
Discussion
Casual discussion about this record on the community forum. The facts live on this page: to add a place, a vehicle or a source, use the Edit record button under the photo so a moderator can review it. Please name no one else, never name a victim, and do not connect the person to any case not listed here.Open the topic on the forum
Corrections and removal. If a charge on this page has been dismissed, acquitted, overturned, pardoned or expunged, or any fact is wrong, tell us through the correction form. Corrections are free, reviewed within five business days, and a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed. Information here may not be used for decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and never to harass, threaten or harm anyone. Where a source is an offender registry, that information is reproduced as of the date shown and is subject to the conditions of use of that registry.