Iowa Old Press
Alton Democrat
February 18, 1938
[Front Page Headline reads]
WEDDING IS HELD—BUT IN HOSPITAL
BOTH BRIDE AND GROOM ARE INJURED
UPSET IN CAR THE NIGHT BEFORE WEDDING
Not as they had planned to be married, in St. Mary’s Church at Alton,
Tuesday morning, Joseph L. Arens of Alton and Miss Gertrude Francis Nolan of
Struble nevertheless were married Tuesday, but with the bridegroom lying on
a cot in the De Bey hospital at Orange City, the bone in one leg fractured
below the knee and one eye severely cut. The bride also sustained a long
gash near the mouth which required eight stitches, and had several teeth
knocked out, but she was able to leave the hospital Tuesday night.
Very Rev. M. A. Shemel performed the ceremony in the presence of immediate
relatives. Miss Margaret Nolan, who was to have been bridesmaid, wore the
costume she had planned to wear in church, moon blue in color with navy blue
redingote, navy blue hat and other accessories. Al Arens, who was to have
been best man, also was present at the wedding ceremony in the hospital.
Others present were the parents of the bride, Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Nolan;
Richard Nolan, the bride’s brother, and his wife; Bernard Nolan, another
brother; Mrs. Joe Bennier, sister of the bride, and Mr. Bennier, of
Granville; Miss Joan Nolan, another sister; Miss Germaine Arens of Alton,
sister of the bridegroom; and Mrs. Marie Mahar, nurse at De Bey hospital,
another sister of the bridegroom.
The ceremony occurred at about 4 P. M. Dinner for the relatives had been
served at the Nick Arens home at Alton as planned, except the bride and
groom were not able to be present.
The bridal couple crashed into a ditch late Monday night while enroute home
to Alton from Struble. It happened as they met a truck over the top of a
hill, Joe states the truck was on the wrong side of the road and failed to
turn over to his own side. Joe honked his horn but the trucker turned too
late and the Alton man was forced into the ditch. The trucker failed to stop
and the couple estimate they were unconscious from injuries for some time
before Miss Nolan came to. She went to a farm yard to obtain help and Joe
was taken to the hospital at LeMars where he regained consciousness and both
his and his bride-to-be’s injuries were dressed. Besides the fractured leg
Joe has a badly injured eye. They were removed to the De Bey hospital at
Orange City Tuesday afternoon, the groom’s sister, Mrs. Marie Mahar, being a
nurse and the wedding took place Tuesday as planned.
A Sioux City eye specialist held out hope, after examining the eye as
thoroughly as possible in its present condition, that they eye, can be
saved.
Joe is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Nick Arens of Alton and is a truck driver for
the Alton Rendering Works in which employment he has a fine record. His
bride, Miss Gertrude Francis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James J. Nolan, of
Struble, is popular among a wide circle of friends, and the couple have the
best wishes of all who know them for a happy and prosperous wedded life.
With such a hard beginning, Joe and his bride have the consolation of being
pretty sure that most of their troubles must be over for a long time to
come.
Relatives of the couple would like to learn the identity of the truck which
forced them off the road around midnight Monday night. Up to this time no
clew had been discovered. The accident happened straight east of Struble on
the graveled road, about two miles west of highway 33 toward which the
couple were driving.
~Thanks to volunteer researcher, Viv Reeves, for tracking down this Sioux
County news article. Viv also found that later in post in a Sioux county
paper reports that poor Joe did lose that right eye which was removed the
following month.