Thrown into a rocky bedded stream and is skull fractured in a half dozen places, W.H. Ray, conductor for the Pennsylvania Railroad, met instant death and Ernest Crawford and Andrew “Bub” Smith were seriously injured about 3 o’clock Monday morning when the car in which they were riding swerved from the highway near the bridge over the North Fork Creek a short distance from Swannanoa.
The three young men were en route to Asheville to attend the Labor Day festivities here. Crawford and Smith, who are now in the French Broad Hospital, live in Marion, while Ray was on a short vacation with relatives, who reside in that place. The dead man was 24 years old and is survived by his father and mother and Mrs. J.P. Ray and one brother, J.V. Ray, all of Marion.
The car was practically new and belonged to Crawford. It plunged down an embankment of some 12 or 15 feet, landing on the wheels, right side up. As the machine left the road, it is believed Ray was thrown from it by he impact, his head crashing against sones in the creek bed, where his lifeless body was found.
Smith is suffering from lacerations on the head, arms and knee. After the accident he dragged himself to the residence of Deputy Sheriff Lance, 300 yards away, and gave the alarm. Crawford is also suffering from lacerations and concussions about the head and it is reported he is suffering from internal injuries, several ribs having been broken. Late last night Crawford was not resting well at the hospital here, but he has a fighting chance at recovery. Smith, the attending physicians asserted, was resting comfortably.
An inquest was conducted at the chapel of Hare and Reynolds yesterday afternoon by Coroner E.R. Morris, and Deputy Sheriffs Lance and Dillingham, who investigated the accident were the only witnesses. It was the verdict of the jury that Ray came to his death from an accident due to his dangerous and reckless driving.
The brother of the deceased, who was notified of the fatality, hurried to Asheville and informed his father, who is a deputy sheriff of McDowell, but who was on duty at the local railway shops at the time. Reports were gathered by deputy sheriffs that the dead man was at the wheel of the automobile when the accident happened. This was denied by Ray’s brother, who claims that Crawford was drifign and this fact has been substantiated by Smith.
The body of the victim was sent to Marion and funeral interment will take place Wednesday morning, the hour to be set later.
Taking the witness stand at the coroner’s investigation, Deputy Lance said he was aroused from his bed by Smith, who, though in much pain, explained to him that an accident had occurred. He placed Smith on a couch and rushed to the scene of the mishap. Here he heard groans of Crawforfd and found the body of Ray in the creek. He returned to his residence and phoned Brown Brothers, taxicab operators in Black Mountain. The two injured men were first taken to Black Mountain in the taxicab and after receiving emergency treatment were brought to the hospital here. Both officers stated that they found a quart jar of whiskey in the machine.
Ray and Smith were at the depot at Marion at 1:30 o’clock yesterday morning, waiting for Train No. 35 to come to the city. They obtained a report that the train was not coming, and they then asked Crawford to drive them to Asheville to spend Labor Day. At the time of the accident, it was reported a fog had settled in the vicinity and the lights did not afford a very clear view of the road ahead.
From the front page of the Asheville Citizen, Sept. 5, 1922
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