This week continues a summer long series of history stories by the late Ashley Harris that were first published in 1994 and 1995. This story appeared in the July 7, 1994 issue of The Tunica Times.

On March 30, 1908 two men had an argument on the streets of Tunica.  Their friends separated them.  It should have ended there.

The two were prominent men.  One, J.T. Lowe, was a lawyer.  The other was P.M. Houston, Secretary and Treasurer of the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board.

Both men went home and armed themselves.

They met again a few minutes later.  After a brief conversation Mr. Lowe shot Mr. Houston in the temple, killing him almost instantly.

The two men had been, up to that very day, “warm personal friends.”

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This week’s Board of Supervisors meeting resolved several lingering issues but left others hanging.

Supervisors came out of executive session at 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5, with Board attorney John Perry announcing two votes taken in closed session:

• authorization of a letter to Frank Barton asking him to move a boat that is docked at the Tunica RiverPark;

• termination of a contract with Bill Wenzel for building inspections.

Earlier, the Board had discussed its resolution, approved last month, to contract with Code Solutions for “flood plain management, planning services and construction permitting, including code review and code enforcement,” as outlined by county administrator Adrian McKay.

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A children’s parade, complete with a new take-off point, water fun courtesy of the Tunica Fire Department, and watermelon on a stick – what could be more red, white & blue? Children of all ages filled the Veterans Park on Friday, July 1, for the Tunica Main Street/Tunica Chamber of Commerce  Independence Day event.

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This week continues a summer long series of history stories by the late Ashley Harris that were first published in 1994 and 1995. This story appeared in the June 30, 1994 issue of The Tunica Times.

On April 25, 1913, the Town of Tunica woke up to a disastrous surprise.  The Bank of Tunica was forced to close its doors, as was the Memphis firm of Lesser-Ely.  Both were headed by a man named Leo Lesser, who came to Tunica from Tate County in 1888.

There is a blueprint for those who want to become indispensable, and Leo Lesser followed it.

He went to work as a clerk in the store of Hugo Cahn, his brother-in-law.  Lesser soon became the owner of his own mercantile store.  He invested his profits in real estate.

He was Treasurer of Tunica County for four years, then Treasurer of the Town of Tunica.

He became a member of the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board and of the Yazoo-Coldwater Drainage District.

He was a Shriner, a Knight of Pythias, and a 32nd degree Mason.

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