Dave Rudabaugh
| David Rudabaugh | |
|---|---|
| Born |
David Rodenbaugh July 14, 1854 Fulton County, Illinois, United States |
| Died | February 18, 1886 (aged 31) Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Occupation | Cattle Rustler Train/Stagecoach Robber Cowboy |
| Years active | 1870s-1886 |
David Rudabaugh (July 14, 1854 – February 18, 1886), was an outlaw and gunfighter in the American Old West. Modern writers often refer to him as "Dirty Dave" on account of his alleged aversion to water, though no evidence has emerged to show that he was ever referred to as such in his own lifetime.
Rudabaugh was born in Fulton County, Illinois. His father was killed in the Civil War when Dave was a boy. The family moved to Illinois, Ohio, and later Kansas.
The outlaw career of Dave Rudabaugh began in earnest in Arkansas in the early 1870s. 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 in the death of a 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, Rudabaugh 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 Rudabaugh taught Doc Holliday to use a pistol while Doc taught him the finer points of playing cards.
In October 1877, Rudabaugh robbed a Sante Fe Railroad construction camp and fled south. Wyatt Earp was issued a temporary commission as Deputy U.S. Marshal and he left Dodge City, following Rudabaugh over 400 miles (640 km) towards Fort Griffin, Texas. Rudabaugh arrived at the frontier town on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River ahead of Earp by just a few days. When Earp arrived, he walked into the "Bee Hive Saloon," the largest saloon in town, and owned by John Shanssey, who Earp had known since he was 21. Shanssey told Earp that Rudabaugh had passed through town earlier in the week, but he didn't know where he was headed. Shanssey suggested Earp ask gambler "Doc" Holliday, who had played cards with Rudabaugh. In what would be the first conversation in a long friendship between Earp and Holliday, Holliday said he thought Rudabaugh was headed back towards Kansas, and Earp telegraphed the new information to Bat Masterson, which led to Rudabaugh's later capture.
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