Irene Schroeder
Encyclopedia
Irene Schroeder was an American criminal who became the first woman to be electrocuted in Pennsylvania
, and the fourth woman to be executed by electrocution in the whole of the United States. She was given several nicknames by the press, including 'Trigger Woman', 'Iron Irene', 'Irene of the six-shooters', 'animal woman', 'the blonde tiger' and 'the blonde bandit'.
Irene Schroeder (née Crawford) was born in 1909 in Benwood, West Virginia
. At the age of 15, she married Homer Schroeder, and they had a son Donnie a year later. She soon left Homer, becoming a waitress in Wheeling, West Virginia
. Here, she met Walter Glenn Dague, who became her lover.
On 27 December 1929, Irene, Walter and Irene's brother Tom were involved in a grocery store
robbery
in Butler, Pennsylvania
. While escaping from the scene of the crime, they were stopped by two police officers, Brady Paul and Ernest Moore. A shoot-out ensued: Paul was fatally shot and Moore was wounded. Schroeder, Crawford and Dague all escaped and went into hiding, leaving Irene's four-year-old son (who had been in the car at the time) with a family member.
Donnie was soon interviewed by the police, and his testimony was later used to help convict his mother. He stated:
Tom Crawford was never arrested; police believe he was killed in a shoot-out following a robbery in Texas
. After a long manhunt, Dague and Schroeder were both apprehended following a shoot-out in Arizona
. They were tried in Pennsylvania
and sentenced to death by electrocution - Schroeder was the first female to be executed in this way in Pennsylvania.
Schroeder was electrocuted on February 23, 1931 at 7:05 a.m., wearing "a gray dress of imitation silk with white collars and cuffs, beige silk stockings and black satin slippers" to her death. Her executioner remarked that she seemed particularly "composed and fearless". Her parting words to her then-seven-year-old son Donnie were, "I am going to die, my boy, but I am not afraid. Be a good boy and don't be afraid." Donnie was heard to remark, "I'll bet my mom would make an awful nice angel."
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and the fourth woman to be executed by electrocution in the whole of the United States. She was given several nicknames by the press, including 'Trigger Woman', 'Iron Irene', 'Irene of the six-shooters', 'animal woman', 'the blonde tiger' and 'the blonde bandit'.
Irene Schroeder (née Crawford) was born in 1909 in Benwood, West Virginia
Benwood, West Virginia
Benwood is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,585 at the 2000 census.Benwood was chartered in 1853 and incorporated in 1895...
. At the age of 15, she married Homer Schroeder, and they had a son Donnie a year later. She soon left Homer, becoming a waitress in Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Here, she met Walter Glenn Dague, who became her lover.
On 27 December 1929, Irene, Walter and Irene's brother Tom were involved in a grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
in Butler, Pennsylvania
Butler, Pennsylvania
The city of Butler is the county seat of Butler County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated north of Pittsburgh. The population was 15,121 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. While escaping from the scene of the crime, they were stopped by two police officers, Brady Paul and Ernest Moore. A shoot-out ensued: Paul was fatally shot and Moore was wounded. Schroeder, Crawford and Dague all escaped and went into hiding, leaving Irene's four-year-old son (who had been in the car at the time) with a family member.
Donnie was soon interviewed by the police, and his testimony was later used to help convict his mother. He stated:
My mama shot one cop and he laid back off the car groaning. Uncle Tom shot another one in the head. He shot right through the windshield.
Tom Crawford was never arrested; police believe he was killed in a shoot-out following a robbery in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. After a long manhunt, Dague and Schroeder were both apprehended following a shoot-out in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. They were tried in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and sentenced to death by electrocution - Schroeder was the first female to be executed in this way in Pennsylvania.
Schroeder was electrocuted on February 23, 1931 at 7:05 a.m., wearing "a gray dress of imitation silk with white collars and cuffs, beige silk stockings and black satin slippers" to her death. Her executioner remarked that she seemed particularly "composed and fearless". Her parting words to her then-seven-year-old son Donnie were, "I am going to die, my boy, but I am not afraid. Be a good boy and don't be afraid." Donnie was heard to remark, "I'll bet my mom would make an awful nice angel."