Pages past - July 12

On this date ...

1973: Dessie Leach was stabbed to death during a robbery of the State Line Bar that she and her husband Kenneth operated along old Route 66 in the Texas border town of Glenrio, New Mexico.

John Wayne Lee, 31, of Tennessee later was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and murder by officers in Vega, Texas. He was jailed on $50,000 bond.

Leach, 58, was alone during the robbery and attack.

Lee later was convicted of murder, and the bar closed not long after the killing. The bar building later housed the village’s post office.

At a police roadblock set up immediately after the killing, four men were arrested on marijuana possession. Each was fined and spent three days in jail.

— About $300,000 was eliminated from the cost of a downtown Tucumcari mall to be constructed by Urban Renewal. Eleven canopies were cut from the project, as were 30% to 40% of the planters in a three-block area. The city planned to advertise for revised bids on the project in late July.

— Light turnout was reported at a public hearing about a proposed technical-vocational school for Tucumcari. The informational session was before an Aug. 7 election for Tucumcari to become part of the Clovis-Texico District Area Vocational School that would set up classes here.

— The Tucumcari Dairy Queen was advertising a nearly foot-long Super Brazier chili dog for 39 cents for two days only.

— The Odeon Theatre was screening “The Poseidon Adventure” starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine and Red Buttons. The theater also was going to show “Night of the Witches” and “Blood Feast” as part of a late-night, Friday the 13th double feature.