Dirty Dave Rudabaugh – Feared by Billy the Kid

David Rudabaugh, a figure shrouded in the grit and grime of the Old West, emerged from relative obscurity to become a notorious outlaw, feared by some and respected by few. Born in Fulton County, Illinois, in July 1854, his early life offers little insight into the path he would eventually tread. In 1870, the Rudabaugh family relocated to Eureka, Kansas, seeking opportunity and a fresh start on the burgeoning frontier. He later resided in Greenwood County, Kansas, before succumbing to the lure of the open range and following the cattle trails westward into the vast expanse of Colorado. It was here, amidst the rugged landscapes and lawless territories, that David Rudabaugh began his descent into a life of crime.

Before earning the moniker "Dirty Dave," Rudabaugh remained a largely unknown quantity. The details of his formative years are scarce, leaving historians to speculate on the experiences that shaped his character and ultimately led him to embrace the outlaw life. What is known is that he possessed a certain charisma and a penchant for leadership, qualities that would serve him well as he rose through the ranks of the criminal underworld. The legends surrounding Dirty Dave Rudabaugh begin to solidify in the 1870s, painting a portrait of a man who embraced the lawless spirit of the West.

The nickname "Dirty Dave" wasn’t bestowed upon him for his moral failings alone. It was a testament to his apparent aversion to cleanliness and his preference for wearing soiled and tattered clothing. This disregard for personal hygiene, coupled with his ruthless reputation, contributed to the intimidating image he projected. Rudabaugh first gained notoriety as the head of a gang of thieves and rustlers operating primarily in Texas. However, his ambitions extended beyond the borders of the Lone Star State. He was no mere cattle thief; he was an ambitious outlaw seeking to make his mark on the West.

In November 1877, Rudabaugh and his gang brazenly robbed a Santa Fe Railroad construction camp in Kansas. This act of defiance brought him to the attention of a man who would become both his pursuer and, in a way, his nemesis: Wyatt Earp. The robbery prompted the appointment of Wyatt Earp as an acting U.S. Deputy Marshal, tasked with tracking down Rudabaugh and bringing him to justice. This marked the beginning of a long and complicated relationship between lawman and outlaw, a dance of pursuit and evasion that would play out across the vast landscapes of the American West.

Earp’s pursuit led him 400 miles to Fort Griffin, Texas, a notorious frontier town known for its saloons and shady characters. There, Earp sought information about Rudabaugh’s whereabouts. His investigation led him to Shanssey’s Saloon, where the owner, John Shanssey, informed him that Rudabaugh had been there earlier in the week but his current location was unknown. Shanssey then directed Earp to Doc Holliday, a notorious gambler and gunfighter who had reportedly played cards with Rudabaugh.

Earp was initially hesitant to approach Holliday, aware of the dentist-turned-gunslinger’s disdain for lawmen. However, he found Holliday surprisingly cooperative. Doc Holliday revealed that he believed Rudabaugh had returned to Kansas. This information proved crucial, and Earp wired it to Bat Masterson, another legendary figure of the Old West. Masterson’s subsequent actions were instrumental in the eventual apprehension of Dirty Dave Rudabaugh. This meeting between Earp and Holliday also laid the foundation for a lifelong friendship, born from a shared pursuit of justice in a lawless land.

Despite Earp’s efforts, Rudabaugh managed to stay one step ahead, returning to Kansas only to commit yet another train robbery. On January 27, 1878, Rudabaugh and five accomplices attempted to hold up a train near Kinsley, Kansas. However, their attempt was thwarted, and Rudabaugh, along with Edgar West, was captured within days by Sheriff Bat Masterson and his posse, which included John Joshua Webb (J.J.). When Rudabaugh reached for his gun, Webb intervened, forcing him to surrender.

The capture of Dirty Dave Rudabaugh was a significant victory for law enforcement, but it was not the end of his criminal career. In a desperate attempt to mitigate his punishment, Rudabaugh informed on his cohorts and promised to "go straight." His accomplices were sentenced to prison, but Rudabaugh was released shortly thereafter. True to his nature, he quickly abandoned his promise of reform and drifted to New Mexico, where he resumed his life of thievery.

In 1879, Rudabaugh reunited with some of his former acquaintances from Kansas, forming a formidable gang that terrorized Las Vegas, New Mexico, for the next six months. This group, known as the "Dodge City Gang," engaged in a string of train and stagecoach robberies, leaving a trail of fear and chaos in their wake. The gang included notorious figures such as "Mysterious Dave Mather," Joe Carson, Justice of the Peace Hyman G. Neil (aka "Hoodoo Brown"), and City Marshal John Joshua Webb, Rudabaugh’s former adversary in Dodge City. The alliance between Rudabaugh and Webb, once on opposite sides of the law, highlights the complex and often paradoxical nature of relationships in the Old West. While Rudabaugh and his cohorts committed acts of thievery, Neill, Mather, Carson, and Webb, in their official capacities, aided in covering the outlaws’ tracks, further blurring the lines between law and lawlessness.

On October 14, 1879, masked men robbed a train in the Las Vegas area, making off with a substantial sum of money, firearms, and even the train’s lanterns. Rudabaugh later confessed to participating in this robbery, solidifying his reputation as a brazen and opportunistic outlaw.

The violence in Las Vegas escalated further on January 22, 1880, when a gunfight erupted at the Close & Patterson Variety Hall. Marshal Joe Carson was killed, and Deputy "Mysterious" Dave Mather killed one of the troublemakers and wounded another. The incident further destabilized the already volatile atmosphere in Las Vegas, paving the way for vigilante justice.

On February 5, the Dodge City Gang learned that two suspects in the Variety Hall shooting were hiding out at a nearby residence. A posse, including J.J. Webb and Dirty Dave Rudabaugh, surrounded the house and demanded their surrender. The suspects complied after receiving assurances of protection, but this promise proved to be hollow. Vigilantes seized the prisoners from the jail and, despite pleas for mercy, attempted to lynch them.

Meanwhile, Rudabaugh and the rest of the gang continued their criminal activities until J.J. Webb was arrested for murder on March 2, 1880. Despite his position as a City Marshal, Webb was convicted and sentenced to hang. A lynch mob formed, but Rudabaugh and the Dodge City Gang intervened, preventing the mob from carrying out its deadly intentions. On April 30, Rudabaugh and another man attempted to free Webb from jail, murdering jailer Antonio Lino in the process. Although the jailbreak failed, Rudabaugh’s actions demonstrated his loyalty to his comrades, even in the face of overwhelming odds. Webb’s sentence was later commuted to life in prison.

Escaping justice for the murder of the jailer, Rudabaugh and fellow Dodge City Gang member Tom Pickett fled to Fort Sumner and joined forces with Billy the Kid. Some accounts suggest that Billy the Kid, despite his own fearsome reputation, was actually intimidated by Dirty Dave Rudabaugh.

On November 30, 1880, Billy the Kid, David Anderson (aka Billy Wilson,) and Rudabaugh rode into White Oaks, New Mexico, and encountered Deputy Sheriff James Redman. Rudabaugh fired a shot at Redman, triggering a gunfight that sent the outlaws fleeing from the town. A posse pursued them to the ranch of Jim Greathouse, where the outlaws took Greathouse hostage. During the standoff, Deputy Sheriff James Carlyle volunteered to negotiate with the outlaws but was killed in the ensuing chaos.

Trailed by the relentless lawman Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, Billy Wilson, Dave Rudabaugh, Tom O’Folliard, Charlie Bowdre, and Tom Pickett rode into Fort Sumner on December 19, 1880, and were confronted by Garrett’s posse. Pickett and O’Folliard were shot, and Rudabaugh’s horse was killed. The outlaws escaped and holed up in an abandoned cabin near Stinking Springs. The posse surrounded the cabin, and during the siege, Charlie Bowdre was killed. Rudabaugh finally surrendered the next day.

Rudabaugh was taken to Las Vegas for trial. He attempted to plead guilty to a lesser charge, but he was sentenced to hang for murder. In February 1881, He was then taken to the Las Vegas Old Town Jail to await his execution, where J.J. Webb continued to serve his time.

Rudabaugh, Webb, and two other men attempted to escape from jail on September 19, 1881, but their attempt failed. Two months later, Webb and Rudabaugh, along with five other men, successfully escaped by chipping a hole in the jail wall. Rudabaugh and Webb fled to Texas and then to Mexico, where Webb eventually disappeared.

The final chapter of Dirty Dave Rudabaugh‘s life is shrouded in uncertainty, with two conflicting accounts vying for historical accuracy. The more common narrative depicts his demise in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico, on February 18, 1886. According to this version, Rudabaugh was involved in a card game that turned violent, resulting in a fatal shootout. Unable to escape, he was captured and decapitated, his head paraded through the town on a pole.

However, another, less substantiated, story claims that Rudabaugh left Mexico with a herd of cattle, settled in Montana, married, and raised a family. This version suggests that he later died an alcoholic in Oregon in 1928, far removed from the violence and notoriety that defined his earlier life.

Regardless of the true circumstances of his death, Dirty Dave Rudabaugh remains a compelling figure in the history of the American West. His life, marked by crime, violence, and a relentless pursuit of freedom, embodies the lawless spirit of the frontier. Whether he died a violent death in Mexico or lived out his days in relative anonymity in the Northwest, his legend continues to fascinate and intrigue those drawn to the captivating stories of the Old West.