THE LOVE INTEREST

Laura Upthegrove was John Ashley’s partner in crime and romance

BY GREGORY ENNS

Besides Hanford Mobley, Clarence Middleton and Roy Matthews, another person worked behind the scenes to execute the Bank of Stuart robbery, casing the bank in the weeks before with how-to instructions relayed by John Ashley from prison. Her name: Laura Upthegrove, John’s lover.

Laura likely met John in 1920 during the three years he was on the lam. John had made his first prison escape from the state convict camp at Milligan on July 10, 1918, with Tom Maddox of Madison County and was recaptured in June 1921.