A Notorious Negro Woman and Keeper of Dive Disappeared Mysteriously

Title

Source Type

Newspaper

Publisher

The Caucasian

Publication Place

Shreveport, LA

Publication Date

07/26/1910

Transcript

Last night about midnight a party of masked white men entered the city jail, according to the women prisoners, and took out Laura Porter, who was locked up Saturday night, and since then no trace. of the woman has been found. The woman was taken out nude and about an hour later the men returned and got her clothing. Just what happened to Laura Porter may never be known, but the talk on the streets today is that she was drowned in the Ouachita river after being taken from the jail. It is said that she was put in the river near
the Stewart shingle mill. This is the common report of the occurrence, but there is absolutely nothing that is definite or certain about the story. The men who entered the jail used a
regular key, as the lock was in no way damaged. Laura Porter has been the keeper of a notorious dive in East End for some years, and many robberies, it is said, have taken place in her house. It is said that she would entice white men to her house and would rob them with the assistance of one or two negro men. She has given the police officers more trouble than all other denizens of the 'red light" district put together. She
has been run out of town repeatedly, but usually in less than a week's time she would be back. She was warned to
leave last week, it is alleged, but so defiant has she grown that she refused to go. She was arrested Saturday night on a robbery charge. It looks very much like she has left town for good this time.

Sources for

Laura Porter