Last week, I wrote about Laura Scott‘s 1907 trial in Los Angeles County. I am still searching for information about her ultimate sentence in that case. I know for sure that she was not re-incarcerated at San Quentin after she was found guilty in that trial. She may have served time in jail but I have not yet been able to confirm that.

The next time Laura Scott’s name appears in the news is in 1908.

So once again, we have Laura getting caught stealing a watch. She clearly had a thing for them. Based on news reports, she stole a watch from Ms. Susie McNeary on September 12th 1908. She was found guilty by a jury on November 11th.

Having already been incarcerated for grand larceny in 1905 and tried and convicted of larceny again in 1907, it is unlikely that a judge would have gone easy on her in terms of imposing a sentence for her crime. Judge Wilbur [on the left] sentenced her to 5 years in San Quentin Prison on November 16th. On November 20th 1908, Laura Scott enters San Quentin Prison. She spends nearly 4 years locked up until she is discharged from prison on June 20, 1912. At that point, Laura Scott’s trail grows cold in California. One has to wonder if she decided to leave the state to find new opportunities. I would love to know what became of her.

Over the past few weeks, I have greatly appreciated the e-mails that some of you have sent to me letting me know that you appreciate reading about Laura. In the next couple of weeks, I plan to write about the Alabama of Laura’s childhood and about the Los Angeles that she and her friends inhabited in the early 20th century. I hope that these descriptions will help us to better understand the context of Laura’s life. Our childhoods impact us a great deal and I can only imagine how growing up in Alabama during Reconstruction might have shaped Laura’s character. It will be interesting to speculate on this in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!