Harry Powers was a serial killer who worked out of Clarksburg, WV, in 1931. He is known to have killed two women and three children. He was known as a "Bluebeard" killer, in that he preyed upon widows and divorcees by courting them and luring them to their death so that he could gain possession of their assets. "Bluebeard" is the original title bestowed on Henri Landru, the original "Bluebeard" killer in turn of the century France. Even in this, Powers was not original or unique.
Bottom line is that he was caught, tried, and hanged for his crimes. Yet there are those who want to revisit those gruesome and horrific deeds, even today.
I researched the complete Powers case for over 15 years. I have the complete case files, newspaper clippings, and notebooks full of eyewitness to the events that unfolded in this small city that lies two hours south of Pittsburgh, PA.
At one time I wanted to be a famous writer, but the more I studied the Powers case, the more disillusioned I became. Finally, I decided I would rather scribble in obscurity than stake my name on the deaths of Power's victims and the monster he was.
The Powers case struck the obscure little city I grew up around like thunder, drawing media coverage from all over the country. It's shameful to me as a citizen from this area how the locals sought to profit from the monstrous acts of this sick and evil man, who wasn't even a natural born resident of the state.
Salacious pamphlets and tabloids were hawked, along with poems, books and even songs about the crimes and the victims. A fence was erected at the Powers "Murder Farm" on the outskirts of the city, in sleepy Quiet Dell, and some industrious locals were charging admission for looky-loos to ogle the crime scene. Overnight, some good citizens destroyed the fence only to see it rebuilt the next day. The fence was once again dismantled with an ominous note warning them not to rebuild it.
The source of my distaste lies in what I've experienced in my lifetime, and not so much the actions of some locals over eighty years ago. Almost every sensationalized murder case in modern times has had some questionable conclusions. The Menedez brothers, Charles Manson, O.J. Simpson, and the list goes on of highly publicized cases that did not leave us, the general public, with a warm fuzzy feeling for our American system of justice. Sometimes, quite the opposite.
So why haven't you ever heard of Harry Powers? It could have something to do with the times he lived in. During the Great Depression, unemployment was rampant, transients choked the highways looking for work, and gangsters dominated the news. These were the days of Dillinger, Capone, and "Pretty Boy" Floyd. The times were aptly described in the novels of Steinbeck. The Powers case, which was competing with the Capone trial, was soon eclipsed by the news of American aviation hero Charles A. Lindberg's son being kidnapped.
Regardless, Powers has got recognition over the years. The Davis Grubb novella "Night Of The Hunter" was based on Powers, and made into a movie that starred Robert Mitchum.There is even a new book called "Quiet Dell" by Jayne Anne Phillips.
I've been contacted by a true crime writer from Chicago about my research of Powers, and even a producer for a PBS documentary. Though I cooperated, I also told them of my misgivings in publicizing Harry Powers.
Harry Powers is dead, and the world is a better place for it. His real name wasn't even the one he was tried and hanged under, but that again would require me to give a damn who Harry Powers was.