Dave Rudabaugh
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David Rudabaugh (June 14, 1854 – February 18, 1886), better known as 'Dirty Dave' for his personal hygiene habits, was an outlaw and gunfighter in the old west. Though he is not terribly well known today, he crossed paths with many of his better known contemporaries.
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[edit] Early life
Dave was born in Fulton County, Illinois . His father was killed in the Civil War while Dave was a boy. The family moved around following this, spending time in Illinois, Ohio, and Kansas. Dave may have been involved in a train robbery in Ohio in 1870 or 1871 but this is impossible to substantiate.
[edit] Life as an outlaw
The outlaw career of Dave Rudabaugh began in earnest in Arkansas in the early 1870's. He was part of a band of outlaws who robbed and participated in cattle rustling along with Milton Yarberry and Mysterious Dave Mather. The three were suspected of the death of a popular rancher and fled the state. By some accounts all three went to Decatur, Texas, but other accounts have Rudabaugh heading to the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he became a stagecoach robber.
Sometime around 1876, Dave joined Mike Roarke and Dan Dement to form the outlaw band known as the "trio." There is a disputed story from around this time that it was Dave who taught Doc Holliday to use a pistol while Doc taught him the fine points of playing cards.
In 1877, Wyatt Earp was tracking the Trio from Dodge to Fort Griffin, Texas in the hope of arresting them. He never caught up with them but befriended Doc Holliday and Big Nose Kate while in Ft. Griffin. Dave and his cronies eluded capture and built up their gang to six members. It was now known as the Rudabaugh-Roarke Gang and set about attempting to rob trains.
[edit] Capture and release
Dave's gang made their first attempt on a train on January 22, 1878 near Kinsley, Kansas. The robbery was a failure and the gang came away with no loot. The next day, a posse led by Bat Masterson, and including John Joshua Webb, captured Rudabaugh and fellow gang member Ed West. The rest of the gang was captured shortly after. Dave struck a deal for immunity with the prosecutor and testified against his partners.
Shortly following his release, Rudabaugh accepted Masterson's offer to join a group of gunfighters to fight for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in the Railroad Wars.
[edit] Member of the Dodge City Gang
During this time he became a close associate of John Joshua Webb, whom he had met during his earlier arrest. After the railroad wars, he and Webb traveled to the nearby town of Las Vegas, New Mexico where they became important members of the Dodge City Gang. This gang was a band of ruffians and gamblers who were dominating the political and economic life of the growing community. The leader was Hyman G. Neill, aka Hoodoo Brown and Dave's old friend Mysterious Dave Mather was also a member.
Webb was arrested for murder in the Spring of 1880. Dave Rudabaugh and another gang member attempted to break him out of jail on April 5th, 1880. The attempt failed and Dave shot and killed deputy Antonio Lino Valdez in the process. He fled to Fort Sumner, New Mexico where he eventually joined the gang led by Billy the Kid. Dave participated in a number of raids and several killings, including that of deputy James Carlyle. [1]
On December 19, a posse led by Pat Garrett captured Dave, Billy, and other members of the gang. They were taken to Las Vegas, but the danger of a lynch mob prompted the officers to move them to Santa Fe. In February of 1881 Dave pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in prison for several counts of mail robbery. He was then found guilty for the murder of Las Vegas deputy Lino Valdez and was sentenced to death by hanging.
Dave was reunited with his friend Webb in jail After a botched escape attempt in which a fellow prisoner named Thomas Duffy died, he and Webb broke out. [2] Dave fled to Arizona where joined the Clanton faction in their feud against the Earps. Dave may even have participated in the murder of Morgan Earp and the attempted murder of Virgil Earp, and was present at the fight in which Curly Bill Brocius was killed. [3]
As the Clanton gang broke up, Dave headed down to Mexico where he worked as both a cowboy and a rustler. On February 18, 1886 Dave was involved in a gunfight with locals in the Mexican town of Parral. The fight began over a card game. Dave drew his pistol and killed two men and wounded another. He left the saloon unharmed but, unable to find his horse, re-entered a few moments later, which turned out to be a fatal mistake. He was shot several times from the shadows, then was decapitated with a machete and his head was placed on a pole.
[edit] Trivia
- Dave Rudabaugh is best known from the movie Young Guns II in which he was played by Christian Slater. In the movie the character is known as "Arkansas Dave" though the historical Rudabaugh never used this name.
- A villain named Rudabaugh, very likely inspired by "Dirty Dave", featured in a minor role in the 2005 video game GUN. He accompanies the player character as an ally until he reveals his corrupt nature by murdering innocent people in cold blood. The player must then kill Rudabaugh, and his associate, J.J. Webb, who was himself based on historical figure John Joshua Webb.
