443: Iowa's Notorious Carter Gang w/ David & Rose Donovan

443: Iowa's Notorious Carter Gang w/ David & Rose Donovan

From Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast by Blue Ewe Media

June 25, 2026 · 1h 6m

About this episode

The episode discusses the notorious Carter Gang and their criminal activities in early 20th century Iowa.

In the first decades of the twentieth century, saloon proprietor Erastus Wallace Scott of Des Moines―with his cousins in the infamous Carter Gang―operated a campaign of murder, fraud, corruption, and prostitution from his bar on East Court Avenue. In 1908, the local paper denounced the neighborhood as “given up almost entirely to houses of prostitution. At one end stands a notorious saloon, the scene of many crimes, even murders, and for years a harbor for criminals and a plotting place for the evil minded." That reviled enterprise was none other than Scott’s seedy shack of sin. Initially, Scott gained the most notoriety, due to a slaying, numerous assaults, and sex trade associated with his establishment. But a subsequent murder brought cousin Will to the forefront. A land fraud scheme involving all three Carter brothers followed, including grand theft and even more deaths. Authors David and Rose Donovan, authors of The Nastiest Saloon in Iowa: Murder, Prostitution, and Corruption in the Heartland, recount the long-forgotten story of a crime family’s nefarious reach beyond the red-light district. The authors' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574329629177…

People in this episode

Guests: David Donovan, Rose Donovan

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Carter Gang, The Nastiest Saloon in Iowa: Murder, Prostitution, and Corruption in the Heartland, Blue Ewe Media, Facebook, Arcadia Publishing

Places: Des Moines, East Court Avenue

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