Ruth Carter (1932)

CARTER, JEPSON, MARTIN

Posted By: Treva Patterson (email)
Date: 6/28/2007 at 16:25:34

Winterset Madisonian-Winterset, Iowa
December 22, 1932

FORMER RESIDENT DIES FROM MONOXIDE GAS

Bodies of Ruth Carter and Eugene Jepson of Des Moines Were Found in Car

The bodies of Miss Ruth Carter, 22, of Des Moines, and a former resident of Patterson, and Eugene Jepson, 22, of Des Moines, were found Friday morning in his parked car on the west side of Fisher's lake, eight miles north of Des Moines. The couple had apparently died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Miss Carter is a granddaughter of Mrs. Susan Carter and a niece of Mrs. Harrison Martin and Will Carter, all of Winterset.

Identification of the two bodies ended a frantic search in which their families participated. Neither had been seen since nine o'clock Thursday. The coroner attributed death to a loose exhaust pipe on the car, and it was thought that the couple had left the engine running so that the hot water heater in the car might operate.

Miss Carter who was employed as stenographer to J. W. Studebaker, superintendent of the Des Moines public schools, stayed down town for dinner Thursday night with Mona Locke, another school district employee. With Miss Locke she attended a play at the First Baptist church. After the play the two girls separated. Mr. Jepson had stopped at the Carter home and after finding the girl had gone to the play had met her enroute home. The two had been friends for some time and were engaged to be married.

C. B. Walker who lives nine miles north of Des Moines discovered the bodies. He first noticed the car when he took his children to school in Johnston. As the car was still parked in the same place when he returned, he called L. D. Holcomb who lives near by and they investigated.

Double funeral services for the couple were held at Lilly's Funeral home in Des Moines, Monday morning at 11 o'clock. Miss Ruth is survived by her mother, a brother and a sister.