During Indiana’s prohibition in 1918, Henderson Road was the main thoroughfare from Henderson, Kentucky to Evansville, Indiana. It was so heavily used by bootleggers that it was described as becoming a roaring highway where the dust never settled unless it rained.

One evening, twin brothers Claude and Clarence McKinley were intoxicated and returning to Evansville with nine sacks of whiskey in their automobile when their rear tire suddenly collapsed, overturning the car. The pair was buried beneath the wreckage, and half-pint bottles were strewn about Henderson Road, west of Dogtown. The noise of the crash drew the attention of several farmers, who pulled the brothers from the car. Claude was relatively unharmed but Clarence, unconscious, was moved to the side of the road. When the farmers saw the headlights of a second car approaching, one of them stepped into the road with a lantern. He waived but the driver refused to stop. Unaware that the injured brother had been placed on the road, the driver merely swerved to one side and sped up. Clarence was run over and sustained serious injuries, including a fractured shoulder blade, breast bone, and collar bone, as well as severe cuts and bruises. It was believed that the man driving the second automobile refused to stop because he was hauling liquor himself.

Clarence was brought to St Mary’s Hospital, while his brother was taken into custody. In city court, both brothers were found guilty of violating the liquor law, but Clarence’s sentence was suspended because his injuries would not permit him to serve a jail sentence.