A history of murder, prostitution, and police corruption have been buried for a century in Des Moines.
On today's episode of River to River, we hear the true story of Erastus Wallace Scott, the saloon keeper the Des Moines Register called "the wickedest man in the wickedest part of town." He was a killer, a con man and the head of a crime family that terrorized East Des Moines for a decade. We talk with Dave Donovan and Rose Donovan about their new book The Nastiest Saloon in Iowa: Murder, Prostitution, and Corruption in the Heartland. The book uncovers century-old murder and corruption hiding in downtown Des Moines, and in Rose's own family tree.
They will have book signings this week at Plain Talk Books and Coffee and Beaverdale Books in Des Moines and Three Bells Books in Mason City.
Guests:
- David Donovan, co-author, The Nastiest Saloon in Iowa: Murder, Prostitution, and Corruption in the Heartland
- Rose Donovan, co-author, The Nastiest Saloon in Iowa: Murder, Prostitution, and Corruption in the Heartland
