Men Killed In Car Wreck
Arthur (Son) Mahan and Logan Jackson
Lose Lives in Disastrous Spill
2 Escape injury
The Mayo Trail once again exacted it ghastly toll Sunday, June 13 at 11:30 am when the lives of two men were snuffed out almost in a twinkling of an eye in an automobile accident three miles south of Louisa.
The victims of the accident were Arthur (Son) Mahan 32, and Logan Jackson, about age 26, both of Paintsville.
According to the information furnished to the Herald representative by a relative of Mr. Mahan who arrived on the scene shortly after the disaster, Jackson had gone to Huntington to bring home a Mrs. Collins, an aunt of his wife. While waiting in Ashland to make the connection with the Greyhound Bud Line up Big Sandy, Earl Butler, also of Paintsville came along and offered to bring the party to Paintsville. They accepted Mr. Butler's invitation and started the trip to Paintsville. Butler was driving an a Hupmobile car and when three miles out of Louisa they overtook a man driving a Ford coupe. The place where the accident occurred was about half way up the hill with quite a steep grade. Butler it was said was making quick time across the hill and when near the Ford coupe Butler blew his horn for the Ford driver to lay over so he could pass. This the Ford driver did but when Butler's car neared the ford the driver evidently became confused and brought his car to the middle of the road, and to prevent a collision Butler swerved his car quickly to the left and sent the care careening on two wheels on the edge of the embankment for a distance of twenty five feet. Butler's car passed the Ford without a collision and the driver quickly cut his car to the right of the road in order to gain the middle of the road. The car was evidently cut to suddenly for the car tripped suddenly and rolled over a few times in the road, again landed right side up on four wheel, the engine reversed and sent the car backwards to the bottom of the twelve foot embankment with Butler at the Wheel and Mrs. Collins in the rear. When aid arrived Mahan and Jackson were found laying by the roadside badly mangled, while Butler and Mrs. Collins were in the car which was sitting in an almost pendicular position, the rear wheels at the bottom of the embankment at the top almost at the road.
Examination reveled the fact that both Mahan and Jackson were fatally injured, while Butler had sustained only minor injuries and Mrs. Collins, except for being badly frightened escaped unscathed. How Butler and Collins escaped death is almost miraculous.
The injured men were rushed to the Louisa Hospital for medical aid but Mr. Mahan died 45 minutes after the accident. Jackson lived until Monday noon. Mahan was conscious up until the last breath and talked with friend and family and expressed his love and devotion for his wife and babies. His whole family was present. Jackson never regained consciousness,
The Hupmobile was badly demolished, the top being completely torn away and all that was left of the steering wheel was one spoke, but not withstanding the condition, the car was later driven under its own power.
Parties who examined the ground along the edge of the embankment where the Hupmobile had careened giddily along the edge, say the wheels had cut deeply into the soft dirt except for a space about eight feet indicating that the car had evidently leaped into the air and cleared the eight foot spot as no signs of wheels were visible.
Both men killed in the wreck were married men with families. Arthur Mahan is survived by his widow and four children. He also leaves an aged mother, Mrs. Henry Mahan, three sisters, Mrs. Smith Ward, Mrs. Henry Pelphrey and Mrs. John Melvin; also a half brother, Carl Stafford, all of Paintsville.
Logan Jackson is survived by his wife and one daughter, together with several other relatives of Paintsville.
The accident has shocked and saddened the population of Paintsville and much sympathy is expressed for the bereaved, especially the aged mother of Mahan who was her youngest son and the idol of her old age, and whose grief over his death is pathetic and heart-rendering.
Arthur Mahan's father was Henry Mahan, an old time hack man, well known throughout Eastern Kentucky and who died in Paintsville two years ago.
Mr. Mahan's funeral was conducted at the home of his sister, Mrs. Smith Ward in East Paintsville, and internment was had in the Turner Cemetery two miles west of Paintsville in charge of the American Legion of which he was an honored member.
The funeral of Logan Jackson was held at the Jackson home Tuesday and the burial in the charge of the American Legion, Mr. Jackson being an ex-serviceman. The remains were laid to rest in the old Huff Cemetery on the point near the county bridge across Paint Creek.
June17, 1926
The Paintsville Herald