Part 4: Fifty Years Later: The Mysterious Life of Francis Miller & the Opening of Lefty’s on the Square

October 13, 1973

Saturday Evening – Greenville, Mississippi

As was his custom in retirement, Francis—formerly known as Dalton McAffry—crossed the Mississippi River from Lake Village to Greenville for dinner at Doe’s Eat Place at 502 Nelson, a rough part of town. After enjoying his usual steak, he was walking back to his car when he was shot in an armed robbery. He was the only victim.

As was his custom in retirement, Francis—formerly known as Dalton McAffry—crossed the Mississippi River from Lake Village to Greenville for dinner at Doe’s Eat Place at 502 Nelson, a rough part of town. After enjoying his usual steak, he was walking back to his car when he was shot in an armed robbery. He was the only victim.

Police responded, but Delta crime in the 1970s was rampant, and few cases saw justice. Francis was rushed to Kings Daughters Hospital, where doctors operated through the night. After midnight, it became clear the wound would be fatal. He was patched up and placed on a morphine drip.

His son, John David, and daughter-in-law, Margaret, were called and rushed to Greenville. Francis clung to consciousness—he had something he needed to say. A truth he had carried for nearly 40 years.

That final conversation would change John David’s life forever.

A Father’s Final Truth

With a trembling voice, Francis revealed a second life. On the same night he lost his father, John David also lost the name he thought was his.

He wasn’t a McAffry.

He was a Miller.

His father had once run with the likes of Al Capone and Meyer Lansky. He hadn’t always been a plumber—he had lived under an alias for decades.

Francis explained why he never returned to Magnolia. He believed the murder he thought he’d committed in 1932 still made him a wanted man. What he didn’t know was that the case had long since been cleared.

He asked John David to bury him in Magnolia City Cemetery, beside Abigail “Stella” Miller. Francis had never taken his son to her grave—but Frank McAffry, his lifelong friend, had once done so in secret.

October 14, 1973

Sunday Morning

With his story told, and strength gone, Francis Dalton Miller died in the early morning hours.

That very same night, his godson Jimmy McAffry became a grandfather for the first time—welcoming a baby girl named Christy Lynn Ouei. She would be the only grandchild Jimmy would live to meet.

A Legacy Laid to Rest

In the following days, Francis Miller was returned to Magnolia—his true home.

Known to Magnolia friends as “Lefty,” Miller had been a quiet philanthropist of the 1920s and early ’30s. He helped fund the Magnolia Library in 1929 and supported the early days of the Third District football team.

He is survived by his son, John David McAffry-Miller, and his godson, Jimmy McAffry of Lake Village. He was preceded in death by his wife, Abigail “Stella” Elizabeth Johnson Miller, his parents Bridget and Sean Miller, and his best friend, Frank Smith McAffry Sr.

 

A New Beginning, Fifty Years Later

October 2023

Exactly fifty years after his death, a new chapter began in his honor.

On October 14, 2023, Lefty’s on the Square opened its doors. It was also the 50th birthday of co-owner Christy Ouei—granddaughter of Jimmy McAffry.

Since opening, Lefty’s has been awarded the following by AY Magazine:

2024’s Best New Restaurant in Arkansas 
2025’s Best Speakeasy in Arkansas
2025’s Best Cocktail Lounge in Arkansas
2025’s Best Overall Restaurant in Arkansas