Harry Powers
| Harry F. Powers | |
|---|---|
1920 mugshot
|
|
| Born |
Herman Drenth 1892 Netherlands |
| Died | March 18, 1932 (aged 39–40) Moundsville State Penitentiary, Moundsville, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Other names | Cornelius O. Pierson, A.R. Weaver |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouse(s) | Luella Strother |
| Children | None |
| Parent(s) | Hiram Drenth |
| Killings | |
| Victims | Asta Eicher (50) and her children Greta (14), Harry (12), and Annabel (9); Dorothy Lemke (50) |
Harry F. Powers (born Herman Drenth; 1892 – March 18, 1932) — also known as Cornelius O. Pierson and A. R. Weaver — was a convicted serial killer who was hanged in Moundsville, West Virginia, USA.
Powers lured his victims through "Lonely Hearts" ads, claiming he was looking for love, but in reality murdered them for their money. Davis Grubb's 1953 novel The Night of the Hunter and its 1955 film adaptation were based on these crimes.Jayne Anne Phillips's novel Quiet Dell (2013) examined the Powers case anew.
Herman Drenth was born in 1892 in the Netherlands. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1910. They lived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and then migrated to West Virginia in 1926. However, Herman did not want to be an immigrant farmer like his father. He wanted a higher standard of living and planned to use the resources and opportunities available in America that were unavailable in his home country to gain money. His death warrant says that he never served in the military.
In 1927, he married Luella Strother, an owner of a farm and grocery store, after responding to her lonely hearts ad in Lonely Hearts Magazine. Although he was now married, Powers decided to take out his own lonely hearts ads to gain more money and companionship. He posted false information in his ads in an attempt to capture the attention of lonely women. Many women wrote in response to his advertisement. "Postal records later indicated that replies to Powers’ advertisement poured in at a rate of 10 to 20 letters per day." Powers constructed a garage and basement at his home in Quiet Dell; the garage was later discovered to be the scene of the murders, of which he was convicted.
After his 1931 arrest, police investigation using fingerprints and photographs revealed that he had been incarcerated for burglary under his birth name in Barron County, Wisconsin in 1921–1922. Although not charged, Powers was suspected of involvement in the 1928 disappearance of Dudley C. Wade, a carpet sweeper salesman with whom he had once worked, and the unsolved murder of a Jane Doe in Morris, Illinois.
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