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One by one their papers had to be sold, including the Memphis Commercial Appeal and Evening Appeal. For the past year they have been living modestly with Mrs. Lea, another son and two small daughters in their mansion in Belle Meade, the country club section of Nashville. There was some talk of starting a Nashville Free Press to further the Leas' desperate defensive backfire that they were being "persecuted" by Nashville Banker Paul Maclin Davis and his brother, Ambassador-at-Large Norman Hezekiah Davis. The Free Press never materialized, but anonymous stories from the Leas about the Davis brothers did. Last week the once mighty Leas were so strapped that 26-year-old Luke Jr.'s $25,000 fine could not be paid. First man they met in prison at Raleigh was Wallace B. Davis, onetime president of Central Bank & Trust. He has been doing time for his part in the bank's failure since 1932. Fourth member of the Lea bank-wrecking team, Ridley Edward Donnell, president of defunct Liberty Bank & Trust Co. of Nashville, could not be present at the gathering. He had shot himself.
