Shrader-Dague Crime Spree - New Castle PA

NOTE: Below is a brief synopsis but it hardly does this fascinating story the justice it deserves. I spent two years researching this story, which included trips to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Arizona. I ran this story down like no one had ever before. In early 2026 I released a full-length book (560 pages) on this topic entitled, “Iron Irene.” It’s available for purchase in the LCM Store and on eBay.

On the late morning of Friday, December 27, 1929, the alarm was sounded after a brazen robbery was reported in downtown Butler in Western Pennsylvania. Several suspects were observed fleeing west on the New Castle-Butler Road in a green Chevrolet sedan with Ohio license plates. Camped out along the road in Shenango Township was a motorcycle and attached sidecar manned by Corporal Brady Paul and Private Ernest Moore, two officers of the Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol. Paul and Moore were on alert as they began stopping and checking the few cars headed west. Meanwhile, the suspects’ car barreled west on a collision course with the two officers. What took place next set off an intense manhunt that enthralled the citizens of Lawrence County as well as the entire nation.

Irene Vera Crawford, the youngest of eight surviving children, was born on February 17, 1909, in the town of Benwood, West Virginia, just south of Wheeling. When she was eight her mother Martha died and she subsequently spent time living with several of her older sisters including Ruby (Crawford) Shrader. As a child Irene was prone to petty theft, which intensified as she grew older. In 1925, when she was fifteen, she married Homer Shrader, the brother of her brother-in-law Ray Shrader. Together they had a son named Donald or “Donnie.” They had a very unhappy marriage and when Irene was eighteen they split up and were later divorced.

Irene bounced around for a time before settling down and finding work as a waitress in Wheeling. It was here that Irene started a secret romance with a married man named Walter “Glenn” Dague, a former Methodist Sunday School teacher and Boy Scout leader currently employed as a used car salesman. Glenn, a World War I veteran who was thirteen years her senior, left his wife Theresa and two children in April 1929 to be with Irene. To make matters worse he lost his job soon after this.

Together, Irene and Glenn, along with her four-year-old son Donnie, hit the road looking for work in various locations in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Unable to find gainful employment they apparently decided to resort to a life of crime. In about August 1929 they purchased several revolvers from pawn shops in Pittsburgh. They (including Donnie) hit the road again this time robbing numerous gas stations and small stores in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. By the end of the year, they were safely back in Wheeling. On Thursday, December 26, 1929, Irene and Glenn, along with her older brother Tom Crawford and son Donnie, departed West Virginia headed up into Pennsylvania. After a tour of downtown Pittsburgh, they made their way up to Butler, where they spent the night under an assumed name at the Arlington Hotel on South Main Street.

The next morning, apparently on a whim, they decided to rob the nearby P.H. Butler Company, affiliated with a grocery chain based out of Pittsburgh. At about 11:15am Glenn entered the store to scope it out. He left and soon returned. Irene, with Glenn following behind, entered the store to do the dirty work, while Crawford stood guard near the front door. Donnie waited in the car alone. Irene asked the clerk, Wish Angert, for three pounds of apples. Irene and Glenn soon pulled out their guns and forced Angert into the backroom. Glenn bound and gagged him while Irene robbed the contents of his pockets. She then came back out of emptied the cash register of $69. In the midst of this crime an elderly male costumer entered the store unaware of what was happening inside. He was bound and gagged and robbed of his wallet as well. With Glenn at the wheel of the getaway car the suspects soon sped off towards New Castle.

Meanwhile, at about 11:30am, State Highway Patrol officials in Butler made a call to the Colonial Hotel on East Washington Street in New Castle. The hotel, owned by John Crowl and his wife Mollie, was the headquarters and living quarters of the small local detachment of the State Highway Patrol. The State Highway Patrol, established in 1923 to patrol the growing highway system within Pennsylvania, was later merged into the State Police in 1937. Taking the phone call was twenty-five-year-old Corporal Paul, a four-year veteran of the force. Paul was told about the robbery and instructed that the three culprits were possibly headed their way. Paul and his partner Ernest Moore jumped on their motorcycle (with attached sidecar) and drove a short distance to the east, where they took up a position along the New Castle-Butler Road just west of the intersection with Baldwin Road.

Paul and Moore had already checked a handful of vehicles when a sedan that fit the suspects’ vehicle approached the checkpoint at about 12:00 noon. As the vehicle came to a halt they saw the three adult occupants but may have dropped their guard when they saw a young boy standing up in the front seat. Paul went up to the driver’s side window and asked Glenn for some identification, while Moore walked around to check the rear of the vehicle. Accounts vary but the official record of what happened next goes something like this.

Glenn drew his revolver and quickly exited the vehicle, with Irene right behind him after scurrying across the front seat. Paul backed up and soon bumped into a startled Moore as he retreated. The action developed into two separate actions – Irene backing up a defenseless Paul, while Moore was pursued by Glenn and Tom Crawford (from inside the car).

Moore attempted to go around the rear of the car, but Crawford fired from the back seat and shot Moore across the bridge of the nose. Moore continued around the car and headed towards the front. Crawford fired at Moore again, shattering the passenger side window, but missed. Glenn followed Moore from the driver’s side of the car trying to zero in on him. Moore, pinned down by the radiator, was soon being fired at by Crawford, inside the car, and Glenn, near the driver’s side door. Moore was struck in the forehead, this time with a glancing blow. He collapsed and lost consciousness.

Meanwhile, Paul slowly backed away with his hands slightly up as Irene pointed her revolver at him. She fired twice and struck him in the left arm and lower left leg, but Paul – although staggered – continued backing up. She fired again, striking Paul in the right lower abdomen and dropping him to his knees. Irene then broke off her assault and rushed back to the passenger side of the vehicle – at the tail end of the attack on Moore.

Several nearby residents witnessed the shooting and saw the suspects’ car flee westward. Both police officers got back on their feet and staggered around while they attempted to regain their bearings. A local truck driver named George Book, who also saw the shooting from a distance, arrived on the scene first. Paul climbed into his truck as they rushed to Howard Kelley’s Funeral Home on East Washington Street across from the Colonial Hotel. From there a weakened Paul was transported by ambulance to Jameson Memorial Hospital. Two young ladies helped Moore into their car, and he was also transported to the hospital. Paul was rushed into surgery where doctors prepared to operate on him. It was quickly apparent that little could be done for Paul. Mollie Crowl, who was like a mother hen to the officers staying at the Colonial Hotel, clutched his hand.

Mollie later testified in court, “I took hold of Paul’s hand and asked him if he knew me. He said yes, and was glad that I was there when he was dying. He asked me to get him something for the pain. He looked at me again and said. Mollie, I am dying. Tell the boys I did my duty, I did the best I could. Dr. (Eliah) Kaplan came in and gave him aid. Then Brady said. Mollie you’ll soon see my mother. Kiss her goodbye for me. I asked Dr. Kaplan if there wasn’t something to be done, and he shook his head. Paul’s breathing was coming with difficulty.” At about 12:55pm Paul took his last breath and slipped away. Moore, who was extremely fortunate for being shot in the head twice, was treated and made a full recovery.

After the incident on the New Castle-Butler Road the suspects fled into New Castle, where they flagged down a unique Chrysler 70 roadster on Adams Street. They robbed the two occupants (Ray Horton and Elsie Nickum) of their valuables, abandoned their own vehicle and jumped into the Chrysler, and sped off into the heart of New Castle. They made their way south and then banked west into Ohio. They took a winding route and were back in Wheeling later that night. They hid the stolen Chrysler in rented garage and soon parted ways with Tom Crawford. After dropping young Donnie off with Irene’s father in Benwood, the murderous duo hit the road again. They headed south to Parkersburg, where they hid out in a rented room for a few days.

Authorities in New Castle had no idea of the identities of the suspects, other than they were looking for two men, a woman, and a small child. Investigators combed over the abandoned Chevrolet sedan and found several clues. The car was reported stolen from St. Louis, Missouri, but turned out to have a license plate stolen from Toledo, Ohio. The most promising lead was a sales receipt for a red scarf from a store in Wheeling. State Police investigators descended on Wheeling and questioned the employees of the store. It was apparently determined that a red scarf was recently purchased by a customer named Irene Crawford Shrader, who had several family members living in the vicinity. Police began tracking down her whereabouts.

A memorial service was held for Corporal Paul at the Colonial Hotel on Saturday, December 28, and the next day his fellow motorcycle troopers escorted his remains to his hometown of Hickory in Washington County. A funeral service, attended by members of the Highway Patrol and the State Police, was held and he was laid to rest with full honors in Mount Prospect Cemetery.

On the evening of Monday, December 30, 1929, local investigators arrived at the home of Ray & Ruby Shrader in Bellaire, Ohio, where Irene’s father had since taken his grandson Donnie. While questioning the family the officials were astonished when Donnie appeared from a back room and said something to the effect that, “Mommy shot a cop just like you!” They questioned Donnie alone and now believed Irene Shrader was the woman they were seeking! Donnie indicated his Uncle Tom (Crawford) and “Papa” were also involved. Police initially though “Papa” might be Irene’s husband Homer Shrader but learned he had previously relocated to California. It took another day or so, but police soon identified Glenn Dague as Irene’s companion. When Irene’s surname was initially released to the media by the police it was incorrectly spelled as “Schroeder” and it stuck. That variation of the spelling, although her family spoke out about the error, has persisted ever since.

Irene’s father Joseph and brother-in-law Ray Shrader were detained by the local police for the time being. Her father claimed he didn’t see Irene drop off Donnie on December 27. He said there was a noise out front and when his housekeeper checked the porch Donnie was standing there. The police obviously did not believe a word of this. Donnie’s photograph and story soon began appearing in newspapers across the country. The boy was taken into custody by the Pennsylvania State Police and attended the funeral of Brady Paul on Tuesday, December 31. Donnie was then transported to New Castle and safeguarded in the Colonial Hotel with the State Police. A day later young Donnie, who soon became a media sensation, was placed under the supervision of Lawrence County Probation Officer Jack Dunlap. He was moved to the Juvenile Detention Home near the Lawrence County Courthouse and came under the direct care of Dunlap’s wife Vivian.

On Monday, December 30, Irene and Glenn came out of hiding in Parkersburg and abandoned the Pontiac for a Chrysler coupe stashed nearby. It was later speculated that one of Glenn’s friends may have dropped off the Chrysler for him. They then drove south to Charleston, West Virginia, then headed due west at a slow pace passing into Kentucky. Irene dressed in men’s clothes and often ducked down when they went through populated areas. At night they usually slept in the car and huddled up for warmth on the freezing nights. In Louisville, Kentucky, they stole a license plate from a parked track and affixed it to their Chrysler. From there they continued west for two days and reached St. Louis, Missouri. It was here that they first learned they had been publicly identified as suspects. Newspaper accounts across the country detailed their exploits and touted Irene as the “Trigger Blonde,” “Tiger Woman,” “Iron Irene,” or the “Gun-Girl.”

Later that evening, at about 10:00pm, a St. Louis Police Officer named William “Bill” Kiessling was patrolling the business district on foot. He soon noticed a car moving slowly along Morgan Street near the Eads Bridge. He thought the occupants of the vehicle might be preparing to rob a nearby jewelry store. Kiessling, blowing his whistle, commandeered a ride from a passing vehicle and forced the bandit car to pull over on nearby Franklin Avenue.

Kiessling approached the driver’s side door and Glenn quickly stepped out. The officer said, “I want to talk to you!” A hand-to-hand scuffle ensued, and Glenn somehow grabbed Kiessling’s Smith & Wesson .38 service revolver. One shot rang out as they wrestled, possibly followed by two others. As the officer got the upper-hand and began to take Glenn down, Irene – dressed like a man – came to her partner’s rescue pointing her revolver at the officer’s face and cursing at him. Glenn then struck the officer on the head and knocked him down. Glenn kept Kiessling’s revolver and he and Irene jumped back into their vehicle. Kiessling, although dazed, pulled another weapon from an ankle holster and fired at the bandit vehicle as it sped away. He was extremely lucky as his overcoat had several powder burns and bullet holes in it. Oddly, this incident did not receive great news coverage, nor does it seem authorities in Pennsylvania became aware of it until several weeks later. (AUTHOR’S NOTE: The story of this encounter was several variations, one of which has Irene firing several shots at Kiessling.)

They veered southward passing through Oklahoma and into Texas, giving rides to unsuspecting hitchhikers in exchange for money or food. On about January 8, near Pecos in West Texas, they picked up 38-year-old hobbling hitchhiker named Vernon Lester Ackerman, an ex-convict and scam artist from Guthrie, Oklahoma, who fit right in with them. Ackerman, using the alias of Joe “Red” Wells, had recently (on December 26) been released from an 18-month stint for larceny in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

Ackerman, armed with a handgun and a blackjack (or sap), taught them a thing or two about scamming people for money while pretending to be down on his luck. He walked with a noticeable limp and claimed to have a wooden leg due to injuries he suffered during the Great War. He would knock on his fake leg to draw sympathy, when he was really knocking on a piece of wood inserted down his pantleg. He was “street smart” and could cook up a tasty meal over a small fire with a minimum of ingredients. Despite his perceived resilience, Ackerman wasn’t in the best of health and was suffering from a serious heart issue.

The trio traveled to El Paso, Texas, and along the way Glenn and Ackerman held up a few vagrants to obtain gas money. They continued westward passing through New Mexico and into Arizona. In Florence, Arizona, southeast of Phoenix, they made a stop on Tuesday, January 14, and it was here that their luck began to run out.

They headed north on Main Street and decided to have Irene use the “no money – sick mother” scam at several local service stations. Irene would pull up alone to a service station and say she desperately needed money to visit her sick mother in Yuma. In each case Glenn and Ackerman would watch Irene from nearby. Irene visited three gas stations that afternoon. At the first one she obtained a small amount of gasoline, but at the second station a Pinal County Deputy Sheriff named Joe Chapman walking nearby thought she looked suspicious. Irene was denied gas at the second station and headed one block up to try at a third station.

Chapman (who was unarmed but carried handcuffs) confronted Irene and asked for proof she owned the vehicle. Irene began sobbing and slumped over the steering wheel, hitting the horn and signaling to her cohorts that she needed help. Glenn and Ackerman, with their guns drawn, snuck up behind Chapman and forced him into the vehicle. Irene then drew her weapon and cursed at young attendant ordering him back into the station. Chapman was handcuffed and threatened with harm if he didn’t help them escape the area. Glenn sped off with Chapman (in the middle) and Ackerman up front, while Irene sat alone in the rumble seat. The bandits drove off as the police in all neighboring counties were alerted and set up checkpoints.

Ackerman, displaying a nasty streak, beat Chapman multiple times with his blackjack to subdue him. Ackerman reportedly wanted to kill Chapman, but Irene insisted they use his knowledge of the surrounding area to escape. Chapman deceived the gang and soon had Glenn driving in circles on the confusing roads in the vicinity of the remote Casa Grande Ruins near Coolidge. It was a frustrating day for the bandits as they couldn’t seem to get clear of the area. Late that night Chapman, knowing police officers would be waiting, said the best chance to escape west would be to head through nearby Chandler.

Police officials were worried as it was about 11:00pm and a full seven hours since the kidnapping. It wasn’t long before four alert law enforcement officers, at the Wayne Heffner automobile service station in downtown Chandler, noticed the suspects’ car approaching. Shirley David Butterfield and Robert “Lee” Wright, deputies with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, were sitting in Butterfield’s car with the engine running, while two officers were standing nearby and watching for vehicles. Butterfield and Wright immediately took up the pursuit.

Butterfield aggressively pulled alongside on the driver’s side and forced the smaller and less powerful vehicle into the curb near the historic San Marcos Hotel. Both vehicles came to a sudden halt and a wild, chaotic scene unfolded. Ackerman, in the rumble seat, immediately opened fire at close range. Deputy Wright, on the inside and closer to the suspect vehicle, was at a severe disadvantage and was shot in the left shoulder before he could exit the vehicle. Chapman (not handcuffed at this time) grabbed the arms of Glenn and Irene, who had drawn their weapons, and wrestled with them. This prevented them from getting off any shots. Deputy Butterfield got out of the driver’s side and returned fire. Wright, severely injured, staggered out the passenger side and blasted his sawed-off shotgun into the cab of the suspect vehicle. Chapman, in a struggling match with Glenn and Irene, took the brunt of the shotgun blast to his left hand and left side of his face.

Chapman then managed to open the passenger side door and slide out to the ground. Some reports claim he was thrown out. Either way, he attempted to yank Irene out with him, but she struggled and broke free. Chapman fled across the plaza and was shot at again (they missed) by an officer on foot. Glenn quickly backed the vehicle up and sped off to the north. Butterfield fired off a few rounds at the fleeing vehicle.

The three officers involved in the exchange were left dazed at the scene. Wright, a 55-year-old veteran cowboy and lawman hailing from San Saba, Texas, was shot in the upper left arm/shoulder and had an injury to the left side of his head. Chapman suffered a shotgun blast wound to his left hand and left side of his face. Butterfield was not shot but was injured in the face by shattered glass. Chapman appeared to be the most seriously injured (left hand was mangled), but Wright’s upper arm wound hit an artery and was concerning.

Once out of Chandler the bandits drove west and south through the night. At some point they were fortunate to find an open service station and obtained some gasoline. They attempted to avoid the police while searching for a suitable road to head towards Yuma. South of Phoenix they left the main roads and began driving on winding desert trails that completely confused them. They drove in circles and became frustrated when they ended up in the same spot every time – near the Dobbins Lookout in the South Mountain area.

They then headed north and turned west on Southern Avenue driving towards the mountains. Sometime before daylight they saw several distant vehicles which they mistakenly believed to be the local police. They soon abandoned their vehicle near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers, heading south on foot after swimming across the rivers. Irene, who couldn’t swim, required assistance. The trio, ragged and hungry, walked across several miles of fields and tough desert lands until they reached the foothills of the Estrella Mountains. Extreme heat was not an issue as wintertime temperatures dropped into the low 40’s during the night.

At midnight, Maricopa County Sheriff Charles Wright had made a series of calls and organized a posse of lawmen, local ranchers, and a few trackers from the surrounding Gila River Indian Reservation. At about daylight there was a report made by some duck hunters that several people had been spotted crossing the Gila River. Maricopa County Deputy Hanciford “Hance” Coor, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran hailing from Dublin, Texas, quickly responded to the area and the bandit car was found nearby at 6:30am.

Anywhere from 50-75 lawmen and local ranchers arrived at the scene, got organized, and took up the pursuit. Bloodhounds from the state prison in Florence and a civilian aircraft were also utilized in the manhunt. The determined lawmen, some on horseback, pursued the trio into the foothills, and then broke up into smaller groups. One group led by Hance Coor was soon hot on the trail. This group consisted of five experienced deputies from Maricopa County – Coor, Oscar Roberts, George Pruitt, Albert “Al” Rhodes, and John “Jack” Carter – as well as a Maricopa Indian named Leon Sundust – a local rancher, competition cowboy, and expert tracker. Sundust was initially unarmed, but Roberts gave him a firearm.

Sundust was the first to spot the bandits at about 12:00 noon, high up in a rocky outcrop. The officers came under fire from the fugitives and ducked for cover. They steadily closed in over the next few hours. The team separated into two wings, alternating climbing up while the other group slowed and rested. Eventually, Sundust, Jack Carter, and Oscar Roberts got into an advantageous position on a rocky ledge just above the bandits. Sundust, looking down over Irene and Ackerman, yelled out for them to surrender. The two of them stood up with their hands raised. Glenn, about fifty feet away, required further coaxing but also surrendered to Jack Carter and Oscar Roberts. Coor, Pruitt, and Rhodes, providing cover from down below, climbed up and joined the group.

At about 4:00pm the exhausted fugitives, almost out of ammunition, were finally in custody. All three of them, with torn and tattered clothing, were badly scratched and Irene had a minor neck wound, Ackerman was slightly injured, and Glenn had a semi-healed gunshot wound near his left hip that aroused suspicion. The authorities believed they had captured Irene, Glenn, and (mistakenly) Tom Crawford. The three-week national manhunt was finally over! The bandits were handcuffed, and a search was conducted of the immediate area. Only two firearms – the .38 service revolvers of Ernest Moore (used by Glenn) and Bill Kiessling (used by Ackerman) – were recovered at the scene. The two Spanish guns used during the incident on the New Castle-Butler Road – and Ackerman’s firearm – were not found. The handcuffed bandits were led down the mountain and once they reached the lowlands, horses were utilized to return to the main roads.
The trio were taken to the Maricopa County Jail but claimed they were not the suspects the police in Pennsylvania were searching for. When Irene was shown a photo of her son Donnie she reportedly replied in a calm voice, “He doesn’t belong to me.” Police were also bewildered when they learned the other man in custody was not Tom Crawford as they initially suspected. Authorities in Pennsylvania and Arizona briefly sparred over extradition proceedings, but an agreement was soon worked out. Irene and Glenn would be returned to New Castle, while Ackerman would stand trial in Arizona. Irene and Glenn later indicated that Tom Crawford was killed as a result of the shootout on the New Castle-Butler Road. They said they buried him in West Virginia, but police believed he was still at large.

A small group of law enforcement officials boarded a train and departed New Castle on Saturday, January 18. They were bound for Phoenix and tasked with returning Irene and Glenn to New Castle. The contingent was led by Lawrence County Detective H. Martin “Peck” Lee, who had traveled to Harrisburg to acquire the extradition paperwork from Republican Governor John Fisher. The rest of the party included State Police Lieutenant Thomas Boettner, Lawrence County Sheriff Frank Johnston, Lawrence County Jail Matron Olive Johnston, wounded officer Ernest Moore, New Castle Police Matron Minnie McKibben, New Castle (PA) News reporter Bart Richards, and Charles Evans of Benwood, West Virginia, a former classmate of Tom Crawford’s who went along to help with identification. Two additional Pennsylvania State Police officers, Sergeant Edward Bergen and Private James Brooks, soon joined the group in Cleveland, Ohio. Brooks was the officer that had escorted young Donnie from Bellaire to New Castle a few weeks prior.

The Pennsylvania arrived in Phoenix on Monday, January 20. Ernest Moore was soon able to positively identify Irene and Glenn, while Charles Evans immediately knew the other man was not Tom Crawford. Further investigation would be required to fully identify the third prisoner. Irene and Glenn continued to deny they were the suspects wanted in Pennsylvania. During the extradition hearing, on Tuesday, January 21, Moore positively identified Irene and Glenn as the suspects in New Castle.

The next morning, at 12:45am, the entire contingent boarded train in Chandler for the journey east. Irene and Glenn, bound for Pennsylvania, were allowed to sit together on the train during the day, knowing it might be some of their last moments spent together. It wasn’t long before Irene broke down sobbing, fully admitting her identity and asking about her son Donnie.

The group, changing trains several times, traveled eastward while stopping at such places as Tucson, El Paso, Tucumcari, Kansas City, Chicago, Toledo, Warren, and Cleveland. They encountered large crowds of spectators and reporters at the various stations where they stopped along the way. The Daily News of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, January 25, 1930, reported, “Irene had another big moment yesterday morning when the ‘Apache’ rolled into Chicago and the party changed trains for Cleveland… Handcuffed to Lieutenant Tom Boettner of the Pennsylvania state police, Irene left the stateroom that had been her home for three days, walked down the platform for 100 feet and boarded another train. Thousands of commuters who heard that Pennsylvania’s ‘Golden Tiger’ was going through pushed and jostled to get a glimpse of her.”

As they neared New Castle the crowds at the train stations increased. It was reported that as many as 10,000 people were gathered around the station in Youngstown, Ohio, to see Irene pass through. The contingent finally arrived at the train station at New Castle Junction on the evening of Friday, January 24. Several thousand people were waiting to catch a glimpse of the bandits. The escort whisked the duo through the crowd and into several vehicles and sped away to the Lawrence County Jail.

On Tuesday, January 28, 1930, they were both quietly arraigned before Alderman William Marshall on various charges including the murder of Corporal Brady Paul. Both refused to enter a plea without an attorney present so a plea of “not guilty” was entered for them. They were soon both denied bail and ordered to undergo separate first-degree murder trials beginning in March. Things got even more complicated when word came from Arizona that Deputy Lee Wright died of his injuries on January 29.

The New Castle (PA) News of Wednesday, January 29, 1930, reported, “First degree murder charges were being prepared this morning by (Maricopa) County Attorney George Wilson against Irene Schroeder and Walter Glenn Dague. Alleged slayers of a Pennsylvania police officer… ‘We never shot Lee Wright’ snarled W. Glenn Dague in his cell today when informed by Sheriff Frank N. Johnston that the Arizona deputy had died as the result of gunshot wounds received in the street battle in Chandler, Arizona… Upstairs, Irene Schroeder, calmly hearing the recital from the lips of Sheriff Johnston said, ‘That’s too bad, but then we didn’t shoot him.’ She also said Wright was shot by his own posse.”

A memorial service was held for Deputy Wright in Mesa, Arizona, on Friday, January 30, 1930. Numerous government officials and police officers from surrounding jurisdictions attended the solemn service. Afterwards, Wright was laid to rest in the City of Mesa Cemetery with six of his fellow police officers serving as pallbearers.

It was determined that Irene and Glenn – in separate trials – would be prosecuted by local District Attorney John Powers with assistance from high-powered Special Counsel Charles Margiotti, who later served as the District Attorney for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Margiotti, a nationally known attorney with vast experience in murder trials, was dispatched by the Attorney General of Pennsylvania to ensure the prosecution was top-notch. It was no surprise that the prosecution was seeking the death penalty for both suspects. Irene would become only the tenth woman ever tried on first degree murder charges in Lawrence County, but so far the previous nine had escaped the death penalty. Newspapermen and curiosity seekers flocked to New Castle and local hotels were sold out for months.

While Irene was headed back to Pennsylvania, the Crawford family initiated a legal battle for custody of her son Donnie, who had been under the care of Lawrence County officials since late December. On Thursday, January 23, 1930, Wheeling attorney Ben Rosenbloom arrived in New Castle and conferred with District Attorney Powers about Donnie’s release. Powers listened but responded by going before City Alderman William Marshall and requesting a writ to officially hold Donnie as a material witness. The request was granted with a shocking $20,000 bond (almost $390,000 in 2026 dollars), an unheard-of amount at that time. Rosenbloom threatened further legal action but soon dropped his initiative.

There are various types of defense strategies to be utilized in a murder trial including alibi or innocence, self-defense, defense of others, coercion or duress, insanity, violation of constitutional rights, witness intimidation, and illegal confession. Just what defense(s) Irene would utilize remained a mystery.

The prosecution would almost certainly be relying on the strict felony-murder statue in Pennsylvania which in its original form read, “All murder which shall be perpetrated by means of poison, or by lying in wait, or by any other kind of willful, deliberate and premeditated killing, or which shall be committed in the perpetration of, or attempting to perpetrate any arson, rape, robbery, burglary, or kidnapping, shall be murder in the first degree.” Essentially, any person who participates in a felony listed above (i.e. robbery) is considered equally responsible for a death that results from it – including while fleeing from it. This includes getaway drivers and anyone who participated in the felony but wasn’t even armed. With a first-degree murder conviction Irene, Glenn, and Tom Crawford could all face the death penalty regardless of who fired the shot that killed Brady Paul.

On the morning of Monday, March 10, Irene’s trial, in the courtroom of Judge R. Lawrence Hildebrand, got underway with jury selection – and her plea of “not guilty.” Despite the earlier indictments for four charges to include murder (of Brady Paul), manslaughter (of Brady Paul), felonious assault and battery (of Ernest Moore), and robbery (of Raymond Horton), Irene was only going to trial for the death of Brady Paul. If found guilty of first-degree murder (with an intent to kill), she could face the death penalty or life imprisonment. A verdict of second-degree murder could bring a maximum verdict of life imprisonment. The lesser verdict of manslaughter (killing without malice) could result in various terms of imprisonment.
Irene and Glenn shared a skilled legal team led by local attorney Thomas Dickey, a former District Attorney who later served as a Lawrence County Judge, and Farrell-area attorney Benjamin Jarrett, a former state senator and future member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Seventy-seven witnesses testified against her in the trial, which included night sessions to hasten the process. Irene denied firing the fatal shot that killed Corporal Paul. Her defense team said she had some issues as a child that led to her irresistible thrill to steal cars and rob stores as an adult. It was also claimed she might be mentally ill or possibly pregnant with Glenn’s child.

The proceedings wrapped up on Friday, March 21, with the closing arguments by Special Counsel Margiotti and then the defense team. An account in the New Castle (PA) News reads, “The room was hushed, saved for a few stifled sobs of many spectators and as he (Margiotti) dramatically declared “if you do not give this woman the chair, then the death penalty in Pennsylvania should be abolished” the very air seemed to be charged. Somehow that atmosphere boded no good for the defendant, Irene Schroeder.” The defense team, overwhelmed with the evidence presented against Irene, pleaded that her young life be spared. The jury was tasked with not only deciding her guilt, but (if they found her guilty) they also had to decide between a sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty. The jury returned their verdict in about two hours.

At 9:20pm Judge Hildebrand made an announcement that no loud demonstrations or outcries would be tolerated. The jury was brought into the courtroom and Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts Ralph Campbell asked if the jury had reached a verdict. They answered in unison with, “We have.” The New Castle (PA) News of Saturday, March 22, 1930, reported, “Slowly, with just a trace of nervousness, L. Judson Rodgers, 69 years of age, the foreman of the jury, arose at 9:26 and intoned the verdict, which if carried out, means that Irene Schroeder will pay for her crime with her own life. ‘We find the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree and fix the penalty at death.’ Attorney Thomas W. Dickey for the defense then asked for a polling of the jury and as his name was called each juror arose to his feet and repeated in solemn manner the verdict read by Foreman Rodgers.”

The same article mentioned Irene’s sisters with, “For a moment incredibility was written in the faces of the women. This was replaced with horror and as the full enormity of the penalty exacted by the law dawned upon them, they broke out into hysterical sobs. Mrs. Sarah Jane Muldoon, the elder sister, collapsed in her husband’s arms while Mrs. Mayme Baum (Bom) and Mrs. Ruby Schroeder sobbed out their grief as the strain of the past months broke. Even though the verdict had been expected, spectators sat rather awed by the sight of seeing a woman receive a death verdict, and for a moment the court room seemed deserted, save for the sobbing of the sisters of Irene Schroeder. Perhaps it annoyed her, perhaps she meant her remarks kindly but if she did the expression on her face did not indicate it. Turning around at her counsel table she looked back at her sisters and almost audibly whispered, ‘Don’t do that.’ No emotion, no tears, no indication that the verdict of death had been anything off the beaten path of human experiences, and she sat there eyeing the court, the jury and the spectators. If she felt any emotion, her face was a perfect mask for those emotions.”

Glenn’s trial commenced on Monday, March 24, 1930, and was really just a formality. It was hoped that Glenn could at least avoid the death penalty as Irene had already been convicted for killing Corporal Paul. Prosecutors made the point that even though they believed Irene fired the fatal shot that killed Paul, Glenn also shot at the police officer and was just as guilty. Just over a week later the jury returned with the same verdict and sentence as was given to Irene. Both were soon scheduled for state execution (later scheduled for late February 1931) pending their appeals. At some point during the trials the fiery Methodist minister Harold Teagarden, a native of Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, arrived in New Castle to provide spiritual support to Glenn.

Meanwhile, back in Phoenix, Arizona, their accomplice Vernon Ackerman went on trial in May 1930 for the murder of Deputy Wright. He was found guilty of murder, but the jury decided against the death penalty and gave him life in prison. He later died in the state prison at Florence, Arizona, in October 1931. Irene’s brother Tom Crawford, the accomplice in the shootout on the New Castle-Butler Road, evaded capture for the time being.

Just as her trial was nearing the end, reports started coming in that Irene and Glenn were going to confess to robbing a service station east of Moundsville, West Virginia, in September 1929. Jack Cotts, the proprietor, said he was robbed of about $60 by a tall man and a short woman who had initially asked for some soft drinks. A couple who fit the description of the culprits, Frank Howell and his wife Norma of New Martinsville, Ohio, were arrested and tried for the crime. Frank Howell was convicted and sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment, but somehow his wife was acquitted in a separate trial. However, as she left court after her acquittal she was arrested and subsequently tried for a similar robbery (by a couple) that took place in Cadiz, Ohio. Once again, she was acquitted, but her husband was off serving his lengthy sentence at the West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville. The buzz about Irene and Glenn possibly confessing to the robbery brought Frank Howell some real hope. It took some time, but Howell was finally released in January 1931.

Irene and Glenn were confined in the Lawrence County Jail while their legal team filed various appeals over the next year. On Wednesday, February 17, 1931, Schroeder, on her twenty-second birthday, was allowed to see her son Donnie for the last time. On that day her father Joseph Crawford and son Donnie paid her a much-needed visit. She had previously asked for a new spring hat and her father made sure it happened. Irene was six days away from her scheduled execution. Their final appeal was exhausted the next day when the State Board of Pardons denied a motion to overturn their death sentences.

Glenn, getting close to the end, asked to see his family. His wife Theresa, son Delmer, and daughter Marlys, traveled up to New Castle on Wednesday, February 18, with Glenn’s cousin Frederick Dague. The next morning his wife and two children arrived at the Lawrence County Jail at 10:30am. It was a brief and extremely emotional visit. Glenn asked his kids to be good and finally asked his wife to forgive him. The New Castle (PA) News of the same day reported, “It was the last time on this earth that Dague will see his wife and family, the last time he will have opportunity to plead for a pardon for the disgrace of them, and this he did… ‘Theresa, forgive me for what I have done to you.’ This was Walter Glenn Dague’s last message to his wife… Mrs. Dague said but little… Chokingly she sobbed out a goodbye, tears streaming down her face she turned from the cell and walked to the door, the last time she will she Dague in her lifetime. Delmer, the young son of the Dagues, was in tears also. Although he is but nine years of age, he knows only too well what the scene in the jail corridor means today… Little Marlys is not old enough to comprehend what it all means.” Theresa Dague, who remained extremely loyal to Glenn, told the press that although she didn’t want to come, but, “Despite what he has done, I cannot forget the vows I took, and I cannot forget that he is the father of my children.”

Friday, February 20, was an uneasy and tension-filled day for Irene. She had a much-needed distraction by playing with Sonny Boy, a stray kitten that had been recently visiting Irene in her cell. She knew her appeals were about exhausted, and a transfer to Rockview Penitentiary was going to happen at any time. Rockview in Bellefonte near State College, Pennsylvania, was where the state maintained its electric chair. The official death warrants were received at the jail that same day. Irene was number #261 and Glenn was #262, meaning she would go to the chair first. Warden Stanley Ashe of the Western Penitentiary in Pittsburgh (who also had responsibility of Rockview) was tasked with carrying out the executions during “the week” (at any time) of February 23-27, but it was custom in Pennsylvania to do so at 7:00am on Monday. The 7:00am time on Monday was confirmed by prison officials.

On the morning of Saturday, February 21, Irene and Glenn were instructed to prepare to leave for Rockview. The inmates were all engaged in singing religious hymns, when Irene and Glenn were taken from their cell blocks at 11:20am. They both bid farewell to the remaining prisoners as they walked along the corridors one last time. They were handcuffed and escorted out the back entrance and into a courtyard, their first time in the outside air in over ten months. Several cars were waiting to transport them. Irene, in good spirits, thanked Sheriff Frank Johnston for allowing her and Glenn to sit together during the trip to Rockview.

The caravan traveled at high speed along the New Castle-Butler Road to Butler, passing along the spot where the shootout occurred on December 27, 1929. They continued east along Routes 422 and 22 through Kittanning, Indiana, Ebensburg, and Hollidaysburg, and then headed north through State College to Bellefonte. The group made several stops along the way to gas up, eat lunch, and take restroom breaks. They arrived at Rockview Penitentiary at about 6:00pm and the high-profile prisoners were immediately whisked into the Death House for processing. The lover-bandits then changed into their prison clothes and were escorted to their cells. This was the last time they would ever see each other. The eight cells of the Death House had been separated in half with a temporary partition, and they had no way to communicate.

At 7:00am on Sunday, February 22, just twenty-four hours before the scheduled time of execution, they woke up and Irene ordered breakfast for herself and Glenn. Irene asked for the Sunday “funny papers” or comic section from as many newspapers as the prison staff could find. The prisoners had received about a hundred “fan letters” and were allowed to read them. Irene was very lively and chatted with the prison matrons, but there was no talk of her pending doom. Glenn wrote several letters but was quiet and reserved as usual.

The next morning, Monday, Febraury 23, 1931, prison officials awakened Irene and Glenn at 5:20am and served them coffee and a light breakfast. The Reverend Teagarden – soon joined by Prison Chaplain Carl Lauer – arrived at 6:10am and visited with both prisoners, tending to their spiritual needs. The 800 or so prisoners at Rockview were marched to the mess hall for an early breakfast so they could return to their locked cells before the executions commenced.

Irene was escorted from her cell at 6:58am by a female matron and two prison guards. She was wearing a loose-fitting grey dress with white trim, biege stockings, and black slippers. The matron led the way with the Reverend Lauer, while the two guards walked beside Irene and lightly held each of her arms. Lauer read aloud from the the 23rd Psalm. They made the short walk to the death chamber while passing Glenn’s obscured cell. Not a word was spoken by either prisoner at that moment.

Irene entered the chamber without needing any support and walked the few steps to her right to get to the front of the chair. She sat back in the ghastly instrument by herself. A white light from above cast illumination on Irene and the chair like a prominent centerpiece. The matron stepped aside and the three prison guards, monitored by Elliott, fashioned the restraining straps and placed the dark-brown leather hood over her head and face. The hood was adjusted to ensure the rear electrode was making contact with the shaved spot on the back of her head. Her left stocking was rolled down to allow the electrode on her left calf to make contact. Irene was completely silent but a faint smile is said to have appeared on her lips. Elliott returned to the control panel as Lauer continued to read aloud from the 23rd Psalm.

The New Castle (PA) News reported, “No hysteria, no sobs, no pleas for human mercy… There was almost a carefree attitude about Irene… There was no muscular tremors as she entered that cold, dank cheerless room, no drawing back in horror, nothing but a matter-of-fact attitude that seemed to be-speak a haste to get the whole thing over… As the Rev. Lauer walked slowly into the room ahead of her he repeated the Twenty Third Psalm. As the gruesome leathern mask went down over her face, obliterating almost all signs of it, not even did she wince or cry.” A few moments later, at 7:05am, Schroeder was declared dead. Dague was marched out in similar fashion soon after and declared dead at 7:13am.

Their executioner was Robert Elliott, a prolific New York-based executioner known to have taken part in 387 executions in six states during his lifetime. Over time Elliott put to death several famous criminals to include Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1927), Ruth Snyder and Henry Judd Grey (1928), and Bruno Hauptmann (1936).

By prior arrangment, the bodies were turned over to local funeral director Edgar Widdowson. The Dague family communicated very specific demands to Widdowson that Glenn’s body be seperated from Irene as soon as possible. That meant leaving Rockview in different vehicles and being sent home to Wheeling on separate trains. Widdowson and his staff picked up Glenn’s remains first, with plans to take the air-tight metal case directly to the train station in Bellefonte. The case was held in the hearse at the train station for some time, then quickly loaded aboard the train just before it departed at 3:00pm.

Irene’s remains were removed to the Widdowson Funeral Home in Bellefonte and scheduled to be transported to Wheeling at 3:00pm the next day. New Castle (PA) News of Tuesday, February 24, 1931, reported, “Meanwhile, Irene’s body was being prepared for shipment at the funeral parlors conducted by E. E. Widowson. Assistants at the mortuary reported they had been beseiged throughout the day with requests to view the body. In deference to the wishes of Irene’s father, Joseph Crawford, no requests were granted. Newspapermen were also barred.”

On Tuesday, Irene’s casket was driven to the train station and loaded aboard just prior to its departure at 3:08pm. After switching trains in Pittsburgh, the remains arrived in Wheeling at 10:00pm and were immediately escorted by family members to the Cooey-Bentz Funeral Home in South Wheeling. It was announced that the separate funerals for Irene and Glenn would be held the next day.

On Wednesday, February 25, 1931, A private service for Irene was to be held at the Cooey-Bentz Funeral Home with burial at the nearby Rose Hill Cemetery (later Greenwood Cemetery) in the hills overlooking Bellaire. The Crawford family attempted to throw off the newspapermen by holding the funeral service at the Cooey-Bentz parlors at about 5:00am. Only family members and a few close friends were in attendance. The brief service was led by the Reverend Minor Sprague. After the service the hearse and several cars slipped away in the dark, crossed the river into Ohio, and headed for the Rose Hill Cemetery overlooking Bellaire.

A small group of photographers and reporters were waiting at the cemetery. The Crawford family, particularly Irene’s father Joseph, threatened outright bloodshed if anyone tried to take photos of the service. The burial ground was just outside the jurisdiction of the Bellaire Police, and the Belmont County Sheriff was summoned. Four photographers, three representing New York publications, were temporarily detained to keep the peace.

The burial service, which began at about 6:30am, was conducted in the glowing shimmer of twilight. It was solemn and peaceful and afterwards Irene’s casket was lowered into her grave. She was buried in the Crawford family plot beside her mother. Among those circling the gravesite were members of her heartbroken family to include her father, her sisters, and her son Donnie. After the family departed about sunrise (which came at 7:04am) the four detained photographers were released. They immediately returned to the cemetery to take photos.

Later that afternoon the Dague family hosted a private service for Glenn. The memorial service, led by the Reverend Teagarden, was held in the Crider Brothers Funeral Home in Elm Grove, and afterwards his flag-draped casket was transported to the Mount View Cemetery in nearby Dallas. He was interred in the Dague family plot, behind a row that contained the graves of his mother Angie, sister Olga, and brother Edward. He was not buried right “beside” his mother as some articles suggest. That spot was apparently reserved for his father Albert.

Irene’s brother Tom Crawford was finally brought to justice in southeast Missouri in early 1933. Crawford and an accomplice robbed a restaurant in Morehouse, Missouri, on Monday, January 2, 1933. The next day the police tracked them to a hideout in nearby Cape Girardeau, where the two fugitives were killed during a protracted gun battle. It took about a week, but Crawford was finally identified by fingerprint records on file from a previous arrest.

Irene’s son Donnie Shrader was raised by his various family members and returned to relative obscurity once the excitement died down. As he grew up, mainly with his father in Gary, Indiana, it seems he did his best to hide his past from those he knew. He joined the U.S. Army Air Forces (later known as the U.S. Air Force) and saw service during World War II and Korea and later worked as an engineer supporting NASA and the American space program. His first marriage, which produced a child during World War II, ended when his new bride’s parents apparently found out who he was. He soon remarried and had three more children. Don lived a long life and passed away in Orlando, Florida, in late December 2009, at the age of eighty-four.

The wild exploits of Irene and Glenn, sensationalized in many true crime-type comic books during the 1940’s and 1950’s, pre-date the celebrity of other “Public Enemy Era” bandits to include John Dillinger and the gang headed by Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow. Some issue has been made about whether it was Irene or Glenn (or even Tom Crawford) that fired the actual shot that killed Brady Paul and if it was really lawful for both of them to be put to death. The bottom line is that their actions, whether directly or indirectly, led to the death of two police officers (Corporal Paul in Pennsylvania and Deputy Wright in Arizona) and as a consequence they paid the ultimate price for their choices.

UPDATED: 15Oct2026

After they met in Wheeling WV in August 1927 the duo of Glenn Dague, a car salesman, and Irene Shrader, a waitress, seemed destined for trouble. In August 1929 they purchased some firearms in Pittsburgh PA and began robbing small stores and gas stations throughout the neighboring states. The beginning of the end came on December 27, 1929, when they robbed a grocery store in downtown Butler and engaged in a fatal shootout with police officers in Shenango Township. Over the next three weeks they blazed a trail of mayhem westward across the country until they were finally captured near Phoenix AZ. (1930) Full Size

Irene is shown here soon after being captured in Arizona on Tuesday, January 14, 1930. She is on horseback with Leon Sundust as she is being led out of the foothills of the Estrella Mountains. Sundust, a Maricopa Indian, was a local rancher and expert tracker who played a vital role in capturing the bandits. The inset photo shows Irene’s son Donnie. (Jan 1931)

The mugshots taken of Vernon Ackerman (aka Joe “Red” Wells) and Glenn Dague in the Maricopa County Jail in Arizona. While Irene and Glenn were soon extradited back to Pennsylvania, Ackerman remained in Arizona to stand trial for the death of Deputy R. Lee Wright. Ackerman was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Ackerman, already in ill health, died in prison in Florence AZ in October 1931. (Jan 1931)

About a week after their capture in Arizona on January 14, 1930, the duo was transported back to New Castle to stand trial for the murder of Corporal Brady Paul. New Castle took on a circus-like atmosphere as numerous reporters and throngs of spectators packed the downtown area for the next few months. The wild exploits of Irene and Glenn pre-date other “Public Enemy Era” bandits to include the infamous gang headed by Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. (1930) Full Size

Irene’s young son Donnie. (1930)

About four days after the fatal shooting on the New Castle-Butler Road, 20-year-old Irene Shrader/Schroeder was identified as a suspect after her young son Donnie (shown above) told the police something like, “Momma shot a cop just like you!” Before too long Glenn Dague and Tom Crawford were also identified and the hunt was on! (c1930)

Irene is led through the Lawrence County Jail by Sheriff Frank N. Johnston and jail matron (and his wife) Olive Johnston. In the background are Sheriff’s Deputy William Reynolds (on left) and Jail Warden Andy Venditto. (1930) Full Size

Irene is seen here in the Lawrence County Jail, her home for most of the last year of her life awaiting the outcome of numerous unsuccessful appeals. She was noted for being calm and composed just prior to her execution. (1930) Full Size

Schroeder seen here in the Lawrence County Jail, her home for most of the last year of her life awaiting the outcome of numerous unsuccessful appeals. She was noted for being calm and composed just prior to her execution. (1930) (Lawrence County Historical Society photo)

The duo were put to death by Robert G. Elliott (1874-1939), a prolific New York-based executioner known to have taken part in 387 executions in six states. Elliott put to death several famous criminals to include Bruno Hauptmann, convicted in the death of young Charles Lindbergh Jr. and executed in 1936. (c1930)

This is the opening panel of a story in the November 1947 issue of the Lev Gleason comic book Crime Does Not Pay, greatly exaggerating the facts while depicting Irene as a cold-blooded killer and the mastermind of the crime spree. Another story in the same issue features female bandit Bonnie Parker. Full Size

This panel from the same story of Irene Schroeder depicts the shooting of officers Paul and Moore on the Old Butler Road. Full Size