In 1910, at age 18, he emigrated with his family to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Cornelius O. Pierson, is the scene of much activity, Aug. 30, 1931. also found the body of Dorothy Lemke, a 50 year old widow from Northboro, The family moves to Quiet Dell, where they are murdered as they try to escape And then the research began…. In 1931, Quiet Dell was the scene of multiple murders committed by serial killer Harry Powers. The Quiet Dell murders were among the first big, sensational crime stories of the Depression: A serial killer corresponded with vulnerable widows he … Herman Drenth, AKA Harry Powers, AKA Cornelius O. Pierson, AKA Joe Gildaw, AKA The Bluebeard of Quiet Dell, AKA The Bluebeard of Clarksburg, AKA The Lonely Hearts Murderer. Phillips' new novel retells the tragedy through the eyes of a young reporter. Writer Jayne Anne Phillips learned about the murders from her mother, who was a child when the deaths became a media sensation. There he began to assume the character of an Oklahoma oil-stock promoter, the first of several aliases he adopted over time. The Unusual Story Of The Man That Lived In His Wife’s Tomb, The Strange Case of Olivia Mabel: Black Magic & Mysterious Death, The Mummy Of Bessemer Hall: Strange Life Story Of Hazel Farris, The Legend Of John Baptiste: Soulless Grave Robber Of Salt Lake City, Not for the Faint of Heart: How the Human Body Decays, Doctors Monsters: Nazi Human Experimentation. Underneath the barn Drenth had built a secret torture chamber where he starved and gassed the family as he watched and pounded his pudd. View Slideshow 1 of 2. 5.0 out of 5 stars 6. Harry Powers. and used sleep deprivation to get him to confess to the murder of the Eichers and Lemke. In an afterword, Jayne Anne Phillips reveals that there are only four characters in her new novel, QUIET DELL, who were entirely invented. On August 27, 1931, lurid headlines shocked the town of Clarksburg W. WA. quickly took the nation by storm as a grisly story unfolded from the nearby "It's Oh So Quiet" is a song by American singer Betty Hutton, released in 1951 as the B-side to the single "Murder, He Says". This item: The Bluebeard of West Virginia: The Infamous Quiet Dell Murders by Douglas MacGowan Pamphlet $4.95. In 1931, Quiet Dell was the scene of multiple murders committed by serial killer Harry Powers. did not recognize the name and dispatched detective Carl Southern to the Fortunately, it was shortly after this that police caught up with Drenth while investigating the disappearance of the Eichers and discovered his blood-soaked torture chamber. The garage is at center, background, and at left is the ruins of a burned cottage in which additional bones were found. The subject matter of her fifth novel, “Quiet Dell,” leaves no doubt that the story won’t end well. He married and bought a home home in Quiet Dell, WV, but soon began taking out personal ads in the paper claiming to be looking for love. The attraction was quickly done with, when locals burned the property to the ground. Four victims of Quiet Dell Bluebeard - the Eicher Family. The nation soon knew him as the “Bluebeard of Quiet Harry F. Powers was born Herman Drenth in the Netherlands in 1892. On the morning of August 28, police escorted Powers to the garage and Harry Powers was born Herman Drenth in the Netherlands in 1892. The Quiet Dell murders were among the first big, sensational crime stories of the Depression: A serial killer corresponded with vulnerable widows he met through lonely hearts clubs, then lured them to their deaths. Clarksburg Telegram March 19, 1932 POWERS KEPT IRON NERVE BLUEBEARD CONFESSED TO DOCTOR Forty-two Persons Witness Execution at Moundsville Penitentiary By WILBUR M. SWIGER Moundsville, March 19. Her father was informed of the death by a letter signed with one of Drenth’s many aliases. The Quiet Dell murders were among the first big, sensational crime stories of the Depression: A serial killer corresponded with vulnerable widows he met Haunted by this real-life tragedy that took place near her hometown, Phillips makes much of the contrast between the name’s suggestion of a safe countryside idyll and the gritty reality of what happened there. On the afternoon of August 28, while Harrison County man pleads guilty to 2019 Quiet Dell murder Crime. Either Drenth was busy learning the ropes at the grocery store he and his wife were running or he was extra careful with his murders. Later the missing vacuums would be found in Drenth’s garage but the whereabouts of Wade’s remains are a mystery to this day. of Eicher and her children, despite the lack of solid evidence or the Additional information led police to a board and batten garage on a The Quiet Dell Murders - Serial Killer - Harry "Pig Face" Powers. In August of 1931, police arrested a Quiet Dell, West Virginia shopkeeper named Harry Powers on suspicion of murder. Crowds gather on Aug. 30, 1931, at the site of the Quiet Dell murders. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Police searching his garage found blood stains and a noose, prompting them … 14-year-old Greta and 9-year-old Annabel died like their mother, however. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. 1931 Description: Serial killer Harry Powers used this ditch on his own property to hide the bodies of his victims: Asta Eicher, her children, and Dorothy Lemke. In August of 1931, police arrested a Quiet Dell, West Virginia shopkeeper named Harry Powers on suspicion of murder. In 1931, Harry Powers killed two women and three children at his home in Quiet Dell, W.Va. After complaining of a stifling odor emanating from the garage that Drenth was renting, she says he left town and hours later the body of an unknown female was found wrapped in burlap on the side of the road. There was just something he needed everyone to help him with first. Evidence of … Once under his spell, he not only robbed them of everything they had but sometimes murdered them and their children. Related Program: All Things Considered. Quiet Dell: A Novel by Jayne Anne Phillips Paperback $18.00. bodies of the missing people. Photograph courtesy of the Clarksburg-Harrison Douglas MacGowan. The saga began with a phone call from more than 500 miles away. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. He was caught and convicted in 1931 and executed in 1932. The rest were inspired by real-life figures involved in a murder mystery that has fascinated the author since childhood, when her mother first told her the story of the murders that happened in Quiet Dell in 1931. The Quiet Dell Murders and Two Home Invasions in West Sydney...Herman Drenth was a vile pig of a man with several aliases who trotted his way into women’s lives through lonely hearts club letters that were made of lies. The Killer from Quiet Dell / Mark Gribben / Asta Eicher must have been at least a little disappointed when Cornelius O. Pierson showed up on the doorstep of her Park Ridge, Illinois, home in … There you have the long and disturbing tale of the Bluebeard of West Virginia, Herman Drenth. After a body-filled ditch was found on his farm, Drenth was subjected to a brutal third degree where police broke his arm and nose, placed hard boiled eggs under his arms (?!) Harry Powers: Bluebeard of Quiet Dell. The garage is at center, background, and at left is the ruins of a burned cottage in which additional bones were found. police about a widow and her three children who had been missing for more For much of her life, novelist Jayne Anne Phillips has been haunted by a series of murders during the Great Depression. CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – A Harrison County man entered a guilty plea Thursday in the shooting and stabbing death of another man in 2019. Only 15 left in stock (more on the way). The community's name is descriptive. The mother, Asta Buick Eicher, had left behind 27 letters 'Quiet Dell,' by Jayne Anne Phillips, Scribner, 480 pages, $28 By May of 1928 Drenth rose to management at a local vacuum sales company when his boss, Dudley Wade, mysteriously vanished. “Quiet Dell Murders: West Virginia’s Crime of the Century” - WV Culture article by Stan Bumgardner. Key retail businesses in Quiet Dell include the Adventure Grill (home of the giant yeti carving), the 7-Eleven-BP and Exxon gas stations, Dollar General, and Stonewood Bulk Foods. Crowds gather on Aug. 30, 1931, at the site of the Quiet Dell murders. Only 15 left in stock (more on the way). Quiet Dell, West Virginia: one can hardly imagine a less appropriate name for a town where a serial killer murdered five women and children in 1931. The Bloody Benders: America’s First Serial Killer Family, Graham Young: Fantastic Mind Of a 14-Years-Old Poisoner, In Japan, Allowed To Grow Hybrids Of Humans And Animals, New Theory Suggests That We Travel To Parallel Universes When We Dream, Pyramids Discovered In Russia Twice As Old As Egyptian, Mummified Captain Found In Ghost Ship Drifting At Sea, Loveland Castle: One Of The Most Haunted Sites In Ohio. It offers a portrait of rural America in a time of crisis and dramatizes the lives of a number of characters who are fascinating and memorable. Harry, 12; and Anabel, 9. Cornelius O. Pierson, is the scene of much activity, Aug. 30, 1931. Quiet Dell is a novel based on a series of actual murders committed in the 1930s by a man calling himself Harry Powers. Listen to this episode from Murder Down South on Spotify. As a young man in Iowa he was caught torturing farm animals and was busted for stealing a car but escaped prison with the help of his girlfriend. After a few days he swept Asta and her children off to his home in Quiet Dell. Following up on a tip from a local 15 year old boy, police uncovered In 1931, Harry Powers killed two women and three children at his home in Quiet Dell, W.Va. a drainage ditch beside the garage. Additional information led police to a board and batten garage on a small farm Powers owned in Quiet Dell — located today just off the Nutter Fort exit of Interstate 79. After days of torture she was strangled with a belt and buried with the others. Shortly after, Drenth was seen with a local shoe shop owner, Stamatifos Sfikas, the day of his mysterious disappearance. Authorities reported a … Another chilling detail is that they found letters where he was in correspondence with over 200 other women, many of whom he had marked for death. and quickly took the nation by storm as a grisly story unfolded from the nearby community of Quiet Dell. Deprivation to get everyone settled in to their new home Booze & Boos is an Ohio-based tour company offers... Ads, he not only robbed them of everything they had but sometimes murdered them and their.! Nearby community of Quiet Dell, W.Va.99 at Amazon.com and will soon be available iTunes! In which additional bones were found Interstate 79 and West Virginia, Herman Drenth in! The way ) next time I comment nurturing his predator/prey relationships via Lonely killer. Eicher, had left behind 27 letters from cornelius O. Pierson, a.k.a 1927 settled. 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