Evening star., 1932-03-13
BLUE BEARD 'CALM,|
AWAITING GALLONS
Harry F. Powers Appears
Bored as End Approaches
for Staying of Five.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CLARKSBURG, w. Va, March l2-
The strangest character these West Vir-
ginia hills have ever known will be led
to the gallows on the stroke of o'clock
Friday night for a bizarre crime-the
1ove-racket Staying OF Northooro'
Mass, divorce.
Eight months ago, spurred on by the
disappearance of an Illinois widow, po-
lice here followed a slim clue and ar
rested a man of hundred aliases
Harry F. Powers, Harm Drenth, Corne-
Illus Orval PierSon. Those were feW OF
the names he used.
He was mild hammered, pudgy man
who looked like successful salesman.
He suuinted through his glasses when
they talked to him, and chewed gum
between his quiet denials that he had
ever committed crime.
But while he was in jail police MADE
a discovery that branded him as the
perpetrator of a series of ruthless, cold
biooded murders.
Bodies Are Found.
They went out to a peaceful sylvan
SPOT called Quiet Dell, where Powers
had spent much of his time. They found
a strange building windowless,
soundproof garage" with subterranean
chambers and queer gas connections.
There were bloodstains on the floor
and three trunks full of women's cloth
ing. but still no trace of the missing
Illinois woman, Mrs. Asia Buick Eicher
of Park Ridge, or Of the three chlldren
who vanished with her.
Then they started digging in drainage
ditch near the garage. Late in the att
ernoon they brought up the body OF
child. Dusk came and the digging con-
ttnued. During the night the other
three bodies were disinterred.
The news spread through Clarksburg
and a crowd gathered outside the city
1ail where Powers was held. The terri
fed prisoner was spirited away to the
county jail, then to the morgue to view
the bodies.
isn't that awful" he exclaimed, still
denying he knew anything about the
crime.
Makes Confession.
After a night of ceaseless grilling, the
bland prisoners nerve broke and he ex-
claimed
Il did it! Give me a chance to rest a
little and I'll tell you all about 1t" i
Twelve hours later he signed brief
confession admitting he was the slay-
eT. IL was JOSJ IWO AhOSA oAAAS
the men who had been digging con-
stantly at Quiet Dell brought fifth
body from the trench-that OF Mrs.
Dorothy Pressler Lemke, Northboro
divorce.
Powers had regained his suave de-
meanor and was playing cards with
other prisoners when he was asked
about the fifth body.
She's from Chicago, but don't
know her name" he mumbled, as he
squinted at his cards and asked that
his game not be interrupted
Gradually investigators pieced to-
gether-from letters. matrimonial
agency files and information Powers
gave reluctantly-the whole strange
story of the mans love-racket activi-
ties.
Corresponded With Women.
He had been carrying on Nation
wide correspondence with widows and
divorces He made ardent love to all
of them and proposed to dozens.
His arrest brought flood OF COM
plants from women in all parts of the
country who claimed they had been
Tilted or robbed by the glib-tongued
man who culled technical terms from
scientific books and romantic phrases
from love stories to use In weaving
his net around his victims.
Several weeks before Christmas his
trial began in Clarksburg's old opera
house within a block of where Stone
wall Jackson was born. On stage
once trod by famous actors. Powers sat
and chewed gum while a jury was
chosen.
Only once during the four-day trial
did Powers shell of immobility break
That was when he wept as he men,
toned the name of his dear WIFE
the woman who had remained loyal to
him while he was sending impassioned
love letters to long list Of pros
poets"
Blames Others.
His only defense was that the crime
had been committed by two other
fellows"
The townspeople who jammed the
sidewalks outside the opera house
cheered when the verdict was an
nounced, but Powers heard his doom
pronounced in silence.
He remained unconcerned during a
futile effort to win a new trial. And
his jailers expect he will go to the gal
lows that same way-as if he were
bored by the whole proceeding.