06/11/2025 Murder in the Dell from MURDER! MURDER! Anthology by Valhalla Books
- Candace Nola
- Jun 11
- 2 min read
This story is one of my lesser known and less extreme horror stories but is loosely based on a few facts taken from the Harry Powers, or the Lonely Hearts Killer, case from the early 1900s. Per the old newspapers, Powers lived in Quiet Dell, West Virginia and was a man that began placing personal ads in his local paper as a way to prey on lonely women.
Perhaps the most well-known incident, and the one that led to his arrest, was the murder of Asta Eicher and her three children, who disappeared shortly after answering one of Power's personal ads. Her body and those of her children were discovered in a ditch outside the farm that Powers shared with his wife, Luella Strother. It is still unclear how many murders Powers committed but when arrested, dozens of letters to his future, and most likely intended, victims, were found in his possession.
I set my story in his home, changed the town name to Dell instead of Quiet Dell and went from there. For the story, the former Powers home, was purchased by young newlyweds, who found out the family that lived there just prior to them were killed by the husband, that had been committed to the local state asylum a few miles away.
The overall idea was that he had been driven mad by the spirit of the serial killer that once lived there (Powers) and things unfold from there that involve both the mental asylum, and the newlyweds. This story can be found in the anthology from Valhalla Books as well as in my Gold & Gore collection that can be ordered directly on the website.
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