This article recounts the story of Irene Schroeder – the first woman to be electrocuted in Pennsylvania and the fourth woman executed by electrocution in the United States – who was put to death at Rockview State Prison on February 23, 1931. The content is for educational and historical documentation only, based on court records, contemporary newspapers, and historical sources. It does not aim to glorify violence or advocate for crime.
The Execution of “Trigger Woman”: Irene Schroeder – The First Woman Electrocuted in Pennsylvania
In the early decades of the 20th century, the electric chair was still a relatively new and controversial method of execution. Between 1899, when Martha Place became the first woman electrocuted at Sing Sing Prison in New York, and 1931, only three women had died by electrocution in the United States. On February 23, 1931, a 24-year-old woman named Irene Schroeder became the fourth. She was also the first woman to be electrocuted in Pennsylvania – and the last woman executed in the state for more than a decade.
The press gave her many nicknames: “Trigger Woman,” “Iron Irene,” “Irene of the Six-Shooters,” “Animal Woman,” “The Blonde Tiger,” and “The Blonde Bandit.” But behind the sensational headlines was a troubled young woman whose life had spiraled out of control. This is the story of Irene Schroeder – her crimes, her trial, and her execution.
1. Early Life: From Small-Town Pennsylvania to a Life of Crime
Irene Schroeder was born Irene Griffin on October 4, 1906, in New Castle, Pennsylvania, a small industrial town north of Pittsburgh. Little is known about her childhood, but by her late teens, she had fallen in with a rough crowd. She left home and began drifting, working odd jobs and living a transient lifestyle.
In 1926, at age 20, she married a man named Glenn D. Schroeder. The marriage did not last. By 1928, she had left her husband and was living with a man named Walter Glenn “Buck” Dague, a small-time criminal with a record of petty theft and burglary. Dague was six years her junior – only 18 years old when they began their relationship.
Together, Schroeder and Dague embarked on a crime spree across Pennsylvania and Ohio. They robbed gas stations, convenience stores, and small businesses. They carried guns. And they were not afraid to use them.
2. The Crime That Sealed Her Fate: December 27, 1929
On the night of December 27, 1929, Schroeder and Dague were driving through Butler County, Pennsylvania, in a stolen car. A Pennsylvania State Trooper named Brady Paul pulled them over. What happened next would be disputed for decades.
According to the prosecution’s version of events, when Trooper Paul approached the car, Schroeder opened fire with a .38 caliber revolver, striking the officer in the chest. Dague then emerged from the vehicle and fired additional shots. Trooper Paul died at the scene.
Schroeder and Dague fled, triggering a massive manhunt across several states. They were eventually captured in West Virginia a few weeks later.
The defense would later argue that it was Dague – not Schroeder – who fired the fatal shot. But ballistics evidence was inconclusive, and both suspects gave conflicting statements. The jury would have to decide whom to believe.
3. The Trial: A Media Sensation
Schroeder’s trial began in May 1930 at the Butler County Courthouse. It was a media circus from the start. Reporters from across the country flocked to the small Pennsylvania town to cover the case of the “Blonde Bandit.”
The prosecution portrayed Schroeder as a cold-blooded killer who had shown no mercy to Trooper Paul. They presented witnesses who testified that she had boasted about shooting officers. They highlighted her criminal record, her relationship with a known felon, and her failure to show remorse.
The defense countered that Schroeder was a victim of circumstance – a young woman trapped in a life of crime by a manipulative boyfriend. They argued that Dague had fired the fatal shot and that Schroeder had only been present at the scene, not an active participant in the killing.
The jury deliberated for several hours. Their verdict: guilty of first-degree murder. The sentence was death by electrocution.
Dague was tried separately. He was also convicted and sentenced to death. But his sentence would later be commuted to life imprisonment.
4. The Press and the Nicknames: How Media Shaped the Narrative
The sensational coverage of Schroeder’s case was a product of its time. The late 1920s and early 1930s were the golden age of tabloid journalism, and newspapers competed fiercely for readers. A young, attractive woman accused of killing a police officer was a goldmine.
The nicknames they bestowed on Schroeder tell us as much about the era as about her:
“Trigger Woman” – emphasizing her willingness to use guns.
“Iron Irene” – suggesting a cold, unfeeling nature.
“Irene of the Six-Shooters” – romanticizing her as a kind of outlaw heroine.
“Animal Woman” – dehumanizing her, making her seem less than human.
“The Blonde Tiger” – evoking both her physical appearance and her supposed ferocity.
“The Blonde Bandit” – the most enduring of the nicknames, linking her to the glamorous “bandit” archetype popularized by movies and pulp fiction.
These nicknames were not neutral descriptors. They were designed to sell newspapers. They also influenced public opinion, making it harder for Schroeder to receive a fair trial.
5. The Execution: February 23, 1931
On the morning of February 23, 1931, Irene Schroeder was led into the execution chamber at Rockview State Prison in central Pennsylvania. She was 24 years old.
The electric chair at Rockview had been used for executions since 1915. It was the same chair that would later be used to execute Corrine Sykes in 1946. It was an oak chair with leather straps, connected to a generator capable of delivering more than 2,000 volts of electricity.
Schroeder was reportedly calm in her final hours. She had no last meal. She spent her final night speaking with the prison chaplain.
When the executioner threw the switch, 2,000 volts passed through her body. The first jolt rendered her unconscious. The second jolt stopped her heart. She was pronounced dead within minutes.
She was the first woman to be executed in Pennsylvania’s electric chair. She was the last woman executed in the state until Corrine Sykes, 15 years later.
6. The Execution of Buck Dague: A Different Outcome
Walter Glenn “Buck” Dague was tried separately from Schroeder. He was also convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. But unlike Schroeder, Dague did not die in the electric chair.
Dague’s sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot, a progressive Republican, was skeptical of the death penalty and commuted several death sentences during his time in office.
Dague served 23 years in prison before being paroled in 1954. He died in 1977 at the age of 67.
The disparity in their fates – Schroeder executed, Dague spared – raises uncomfortable questions about gender and justice. Was Schroeder punished more harshly because she was a woman who had violated societal expectations of femininity? Did the jury see her as a “monster” in a way they did not see Dague? These questions have no easy answers.
7. The Controversy: Was Justice Served?
The case of Irene Schroeder remains controversial more than 90 years after her execution. Several factors have fueled the debate:
The Question of Who Shot Trooper Paul: The evidence was inconclusive. Both Schroeder and Dague gave conflicting statements. The jury had to choose whom to believe. Some legal scholars have argued that reasonable doubt should have spared Schroeder’s life.
The Role of Gender: Schroeder was a young, attractive woman who had left her husband and taken up with a younger man. In the moral climate of 1930, this was seen as deeply transgressive. Some have argued that she was judged not just for her actions but for her lifestyle.
The Media Frenzy: The sensational coverage of her trial made it difficult to find impartial jurors. The nicknames – “Trigger Woman,” “Blonde Tiger,” “Animal Woman” – dehumanized her and made her seem like a caricature rather than a person.
The Disparity with Dague’s Sentence: Dague, who was at least as culpable as Schroeder (and possibly more so), received a commutation. Schroeder did not. This disparity has troubled many observers.
8. The Broader Context: Women and the Death Penalty
Irene Schroeder was the fourth woman executed by electrocution in the United States. The first three were:
Martha Place (executed at Sing Sing, New York, 1899) – the first woman to die in the electric chair.
Mrs. Mary Farmer (executed at Sing Sing, 1914) – a nurse convicted of poisoning her husband.
Mrs. Rhoda “Dolly” Deeter (executed at the Ohio Penitentiary, 1929) – convicted of conspiring to kill her husband.
Schroeder was the first woman executed in Pennsylvania’s electric chair. She remains one of only two women ever executed in Pennsylvania (the other being Corrine Sykes, executed in 1946).
Women have always been a small minority of those executed in the United States. Since 1976, when the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, only 17 women have been executed nationwide. Men account for over 98% of executions.
This disparity reflects both the lower rate of violent crime committed by women and a lingering reluctance to execute women. But when women are executed, their cases often involve factors – such as domestic abuse, mental illness, or coercion by male partners – that raise questions about the fairness of their sentences.
9. The Legacy of Irene Schroeder
Irene Schroeder’s name has largely faded from public memory. She is not as well-known as later female killers like Ruth Ellis or Aileen Wuornos. But her case remains significant for several reasons.
First, it illustrates the role of media sensationalism in capital cases. The nicknames, the breathless coverage, the romanticizing of her as a “blonde bandit” – all of these shaped public perception and may have influenced the outcome of her trial.
Second, it raises questions about gender and justice. Was Schroeder sentenced to death because she was a woman who had violated societal norms? Did the jury see her as a “monster” in a way they would not have seen a man in similar circumstances?
Third, it reminds us that the death penalty is applied unevenly. Dague, who was at least as responsible for Trooper Paul’s death as Schroeder, was spared. Schroeder was not. This disparity is not unique to this case; it is a feature of the capital punishment system as a whole.
A Life Cut Short
Irene Schroeder was 24 years old when she died. She had lived a hard life – one marked by poverty, instability, and poor choices. She committed a terrible crime. But whether she deserved to die for it is a question that continues to divide opinion.
What is not in dispute is that her case exposed the flaws in the capital punishment system. The sensational media coverage. The questionable ballistics evidence. The disparity between her sentence and Dague’s. The role of gender in shaping public opinion and judicial outcomes.
Schroeder was buried in an unmarked grave within the grounds of Rockview State Prison. No headstone bears her name. But her story – and the questions it raises – remain relevant more than nine decades later.
Primary Sources:
Butler County Courthouse records – Commonwealth v. Irene Schroeder (1930)
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections – Rockview State Prison execution records
Contemporary newspaper reports – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Butler Eagle, The Philadelphia Inquirer (1930–1931)
Historical studies of women and the death penalty in the United States
Death Penalty Information Center – statistics on women executed since 1976
Rockview State Prison historical archives