Hard to Kill
by J. Young

Dave Rudabaugh, also known as “Arkansas Dave” or “Dirty Dave,” is believed to have acquired these monikers long after his death. Some historians speculate that he was given the name “Dirty” due to his unkempt appearance and body odor, which is based on opinion. The nickname “Arkansas Dave” likely gained popularity following its use in the film Young Guns 2, and may have originated from Rudabaugh’s criminal activities in Arkansas. While his reputation may have been primarily shaped by these nicknames, it is also true that Rudabaugh was a notorious outlaw who ran afoul of the law throughout his life.
David Rudabaugh’s possible birth date was on July 14th, 1854, in Fulton City, Illinois. His family’s original surname was Radenbach, but overtime and culture amalgamation during the westward expansion, the name became Rudabaugh. Unfortunately, his father’s involvement in the Civil War may have resulted in his passing. Subsequent to that, his mother relocated the family, first to Eureka, Kansas and then to Ohio. Ultimately, they returned to Kansas in 1870 at Greenwood. In the mid-1870s, Dave, with or without his family, made an appearance in Arkansas.
In Arkansas, Dave joined two other individuals to engage in a string of criminal activities. His accomplices were identified as Mysterious Dave Mather and Milton Yarberry. Together, they were involved in illegal activities which included theft and robbery. Unfortunately, during one of their cattle heists, a rancher was injured, causing them to flee to Decatur, Texas. Following this incident, reports suggested that the group disbanded, and Rudabaugh made his way to the Black Hills of South Dakota where he continued to engage in stagecoach robbery before eventually making his way to Texas.
In 1876, Dave teamed up with Dan DeMent and Michael Roarke to form a gang called “The Trio” in Texas. In November 1877, they robbed the men at a railroad construction camp, prompting U.S. Deputy Marshal Wyatt Earp to pursue them. Wyatt and his Deputies tracked The Trio out of Arkansas to Fort Griffin in Texas, where he learned that they had been spotted at Shansseys Saloon, also known as “The BeeHive.” From the owner, John Shanssey, Wyatt discovered that The Trio usually played cards with Doc Holliday, known for his disdain toward lawmen. Wyatt was surprised by Doc’s friendliness when they met, and the two would become lifelong friends. Doc informed Wyatt that The Trio had gone back to Kansas, leading Wyatt to send a wire telegraph to his partner, Bat Masterson, about Rudabaugh’s whereabouts at Kingsley, Kansas.
In 1878, Edgar West, J.D. Green, and Tom Gott joined the Trio, Rudabaugh and Roarke, which subsequently became known as the R&R gang. The gang’s first train robbery was on January 27 near Kinsley, Kansas, which ended in failure. After the failed attempt, the gang split up to evade arrest. However, Bat Masterson and his deputies, including J.J. Webb, apprehended Dave Rudabaugh and Edgar West. Rudabaugh was reportedly ready to fight, but Webb persuaded him to surrender peaceably. Rudabaugh and West were incarcerated, and they later betrayed their fellow gang members, leading to their arrest and imprisonment.

In the late 1800s, tensions were high in the Colorado territory. One of the most infamous conflicts was the Royal Gorge War, a battle between two powerful railroad companies vying for control of a crucial stretch of land. In order to gain an advantage, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway recruited a group of gunfighters, including the likes of Webb, Bat Masterson, and a lesser-known but equally skilled Dave Rudabaugh.

Rudabaugh was a prime candidate for the job. He boasted a reputation as a clever and fearless gunslinger, which made him an intimidating presence on the battlefield. Furthermore, he had nothing to lose, having drifted through various outlaw gangs and earned himself a reputation as a ruthless criminal. This combination of attributes made Rudabaugh the perfect candidate for the dangers that lay ahead in the Royal Gorge War. He would go on to play an instrumental role in the conflict.
The conflict occurred between two prominent railway corporations, namely Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe, and The Denver Rio Grande Railroad Company. The dispute arose due to the placement of rails from Royal Gorge through Raton Pass and into New Mexico territory. Despite the tension between the two companies, Dave and his team served as excellent protectors of their client’s interests while maintaining a non-confrontational approach.
After the conclusion of the rail job, Rudabaugh aligned himself with the Dodge City Peace Commission of Las Vegas, a group composed of experienced gangsters such as Billy Wilson, Tom Pickett, J.J. Webb, Mysterious Dave Mather, Bill “Slap Jack” Nicholson, and John “Bull Shit Jack” Pierce. Together, they pledged their allegiance to their leader, Hymann G. Neill, or “Hoodoo Brown,” as he was commonly known. The group eventually relocated to New Mexico Territory, where Hoodoo became the Justice of the Peace in Las Vegas. Under his authority, Hoodoo began appointing his men to critical law enforcement positions, including street patrol officers. Dave Rudabaugh was named Las Vegas’ Police Chief, with J.J. Webb serving as an officer, Tom Pickett was entrusted as the chief of the Merchants police.

JJ Webb eventually was arrested for the federal crime of murder, when he killed Michael Kelliher on March 2, 1879 and was put in the Las Vegas jail. One day while visiting Webb, Rudabaugh was accompanied by Jack Allen. Also known as little Jack or little Allen. Prisoner William Mullen recalls, “Dave came into the jail and greeted Webb and I with a handshake through the bars. As Dave was talking to Webb, Jack Allen turned to the jailer and said, “you son of a bitch, give me those keys!” They were only in the jail for about a minute when shots were fired, killing the jailer, Antonio Valdez.” Allen had killed the jailer. Dave yelled out, “what the hell did you do that for?” and turned to run. But Rudabaugh noticed a man running out of a room with a revolver in his hand and jumped back out of sight and then ran for the doorway where he ran into the street. J.J. Webb remained in jail. Allen then came out of the jail and caught up with Rudabaugh. They hopped into a coach wagon. The driver of that wagon recollects; “I turned around to look in the back, that’s when Allen said, “you son of a bitch if you make a move, I’ll blow your brains out!”

Rudabaugh took the reins and they drove out.

Reluctantly Rudabaugh and Allen decided it would be best to leave the area. Pickett tagged along. They turned up in Fort Sumner at the Yerby Ranch, where they asked for work and shelter. It was granted.

While working for Tom Yerby, Rudabaugh began to feel like Jack Allen had ruined his life and was going to throw Dave under the bus if he could. So Rudabaugh possibly killed him, as he was no longer around. Sometime in May, Rudabaugh and Pickett were introduced to Billy the Kid by co-worker Charlie Bowdre at the Yerby Ranch. They quit their jobs and joined Billy the Kid and became engaged in cattle rustling throughout New Mexico and the Texas panhandle.
In November 1880, the outlaws began drawing attention to themselves when they arrived at White Oaks and were joined by known gangster Billy Wilson from Dodge City. After reportedly stealing from a store and leaving without payment, a local informant named Barney Mason informed Sheriff Will Hudgens. The Sheriff promptly deputized a posse, which included J.W. Bell and James Carlyle, before tracking and surrounding the gang. During the confrontation at the Greathouse Ranch, Joe Steck, the cook, surrendered himself after receiving a note from Sheriff Hutchens. 

The Cook Joe Steck recalls;
“I took the note in and delivered it to the one I knew to be Billy the Kid, “He read the paper to his comrades, who all laughed at the idea of surrendering.”
At the scene, the cook and Jim Greathouse were accompanied by a message from inside declining the offer of surrender. A member of the Posse urged them to surrender, but Billy Wilson declined and asked for James Carlyle to come and discuss it further. Sheriff Hudgens granted Carlyle permission to enter and try to persuade the boys to turn themselves in while Greathouse remained outside with the posse. Upon entering the house, Carlyle was searched for weapons and sat down. This was just prior to noon. Inside, the fugitives were planning to wait until dark to attempt escape. 

Steck remembers the Kid forcing Carlyle to drink so much that just after noon, he was under the influence of liquor and insisting on going out. A couple hours go by and someone yells from outside; “come out or we will shoot Greathouse” Silence for a minute until posseman Joe Eakers “accidentally” fires his weapon. Hearing the shot, Carlyle panicked, thinking that they killed Greathouse and jumped through a closed window landing in the snow, and was filled with bullet holes.

“I stopped and turned, when crash… a man came through a window, bang, bang, the man’s dying yell, and poor Carlyle tumbled to the ground with bullets in him,” Joe Steck recalls.

The men in the posse claim Billy’s gang shot Carlyle from inside. Billy later claimed it was the posse shooting Carlyle as they were scared when he leaped through the window. Later that night, the boys were able to just ride out of town unharmed as the posse left and abandoned their mission. Rudabaugh probably felt like there was no turning back now…he was an outlaw for life.

The boys continued to ride, sleeping where they could and stealing what they could fence. On December 19th 1880, while Rudabaugh, Billy, Bowdre, Pickett, Wilson and Tom “O” were riding into Fort Sumner, Sheriff Pat Garrett and a Posse were waiting for them. They opened fire from beneath a porch surprising them. The hot lead killed Tom Folliard and also Rudabaughs horse. Rudabaugh then jumped on the back of one of his pals horses, they turned and bailed.

Just a few days later on December 23rd 1880 the boys were sleeping at an old forage station known as Stinking Springs. Their pal Charlie Bowdre stepped out to feed their horses and was gunned down.The boys refused to surrender at first, before they were starved out. Rudabaugh was the first one out. They then became Garretts prisoners and headed to Las Vegas.

The men were locked in the jail overnight while Garrets posse slept at a hotel. The next morning the posse arrived at the jail to retrieve the prisoners. They were to take the 3 prisoners, Rudabaugh, Wilson and the Kid to Santa Fe on Federal charges, which Garrett held the warrants. Sheriff Romero brought out two prisoners Wilson and the Kid , but not Rudabaugh. For the death of the jailguard, (Lino Valdez) Sheriff Romero wanted him to stay, most likely for a lynching.. After a little argument the Sheriff fetched Rudabaugh. They left Tom Pickett in the Las Vegas jail, as they had no federal warrant for him. The posse took the three prisoners and boarded the train and noticed quite a commotion stirring up outside. A mob had quickly formed to try to remove Dave Rudabaugh off in the train car by force, for a little lynch mob justice. Garrett pulled down the shades and warned the other passengers “if any of you people don’t want to be in it had better get out before I lock the car as we are liable to have a hell of a fight in a few minutes!” The Posse took positions in the windows of the train. Sheriff Romero and a few others came up to the door of the train, “let’s go right in and take him out of there!” one was heard saying.

Garrett shouted “if you wanted them so badly why didn’t you go out and get them yourselves!?” Someone replied. “we’ ll take them now!” Deputy Frank Stewart responded by saying “as soon as the first shot is fired we will unloose these men and arm them!” The posse shoved up the windows, Deputy East recalls, “Tom Emery took one window and I on another, we made all the prisoners get down on the floor of the coach so they could not be shot through the Windows.” Garrett again raised his voice at the mob to back off and get off the steps of the train and this time they complied. A post office detective observed the commotion and pulled out 2 six shooters and jumped into the engine room of the train and demanded the train start rolling!

When they arrived in Santa Fe, the prisoners were tossed into jail to await court. They were poorly treated during their stay, including starvation.
On February 16th 1881, Rudabaugh was indicted on two charges of robbing the U.S. mail, and another of attempted train robbery. For that he was sentenced to two 22 year sentences in prison. Upon leaving the courtroom Rudabaugh spotted guard George Parker who was thought to have been eating the prisoners meals instead of feeding them. Although shackled, Rudabaugh delivered a blow to Parker’s head and knocked him to the ground. Rudabaugh was then rushed back to his cell.

During their stay in Santa Fe it is rumored that Rudabaugh, the Kid and Wilson tried without success to dig their way out. A couple weeks later Dave was transferred back to Las Vegas to stand trial for the murder of the Jailer (Valdez). He gave testimony; “I was a police officer prior to the time of the killing and I was a personal friend of Jay Webb. Valdez never refused me admittance when I went to see Webb. The jailer and I were good friends.”

Dave proceeded to tell his account for the day of the murder.
“I went earlier to the Summer House saloon in West Las Vegas. On the way I met Allen, who asked to go along with me. I did not refuse him and we went in together. I went there to see a man who owed me money. His name was Tom Pickett. I was told that he was home sick in bed. I went to the place where he lived and talked to him for about 20 minutes. He decided to get up and go to town. I waited for him to dress and we went to town together. We stopped at the summer house and Allen had some drinks. He had also been drinking some before we met that day. Tom decided to stay there while Allen and I went to the jail to see Webb. While I was asking Webb how he felt, I heard a shot and saw the jailer fall. I said to little Alllen, what did you do that for? the other jailer drew a pistol on me and I jumped out of range. There was a knocking on the front door. I opened it and ran out. I ran down the street and overtook a cab-coach I originally used to get there. I asked the driver why he didn’t wait. By the time I got into the back Allen was there. He got in. He was a bit drunk. He took out his pistol and tried to load it. He couldn’t. He asked me to. We drove down the street to Goodlett’s saloon, where Allen had left a double-barreled shotgun. We then drove to the hardware store. Alan told me later that he was acquainted with the Stokes brothers and had tried to get in to see them but was not admitted. He knew of my visits to Webb and that’s why he wanted to go with me. That is how we got together that day. Allen was only slightly acquainted with Webb.”

Despite Rudabaugh not actually being the triggerman for the murder of a jail guard during a jailbreak on April 2, 1880, Rudabaugh was found guilty of first degree murder and was sentenced to death by hanging. His last day on earth was slated for May 20th 1882. But Dave had other plans…

First he was transferred back to the Santa Fe jail, to avoid a lynching from the citizens of the mob at Las Vegas. But because of an escape attempt on April 5, 1881, and the death of another prisoner named Thomas Duffy, They sent Rudabaugh back to the Las Vegas jail where he was reunited with JJ Webb. Rudabaugh put in for an appeal which was to be seen that next month in January 1882. But Dave found an opportunity and seen his way out…
On December 3, 1881 in the early hours before dawn Rudabaugh, Webb, and five other prisoners; Tom Quilian, Frank Kearney, Jack Kelley, William Goodman and S. Schroeder dug through their cell wall using an old pick, an iron rod poker and case knife and then dug again through an outer northeast jail wall and escaped through a 7″ by 20″ hole. Four more prisoners may have tried to get out but were too big to get through and were left behind. It was evident that those who made it out did try from the outside to break out more brick and mortar but gave up.
JJ Webb, disappeared… Some believe JJ Webb went to Kansas where he took the name Samuel King and worked as a Teamster. If Webb was Sam King, he died of smallpox in 1882 Arkansas.
Tom Quilian who was waiting to be transferred to a Texas jail was arrested by Deputy Marshal Pat Garrett and officer Franklin at Santa Fe as he had a warrant out for a murder in Clay County Texas. Not sure if Quiian was ever found.
Dave Rudabaugh fled to Chihuahua and Parral, Mexico.
The other four escapees were in jail for larceny and theft charges.
According to The Las Vegas Gazette, December 4, 1881 The County commissioners assembled at the courthouse at an early hour yesterday morning and examined the jailers and four prisoners who stayed behind. The jailers all testified to the same thing, that they were all asleep and heard nothing of the escape until yesterday morning. The prisoner’s testimony was very similar to the facts given above. By the way, every prisoner when sent to jail should be photographed, especially such characters as Rudabaugh web and Quillian.”

Dave fled to Arizona territory and wound up in Tombstone. He may have joined up with the Clantons and the Cochise County Cowboys, and was possibly dragged into a fight against the Earps. Dave possibly participated in the assassination of Morgan Earp, and a hit on Virgil Earp that left Earp crippled. It is also possible that Dave was there for the gunfight at the OK Corral, and the Iron Springs gunfight where Wyatt Earp killed Curly Bill Brocius. However this is just speculation.

Things got too hot for Rudabaugh, being a wanted man, so he fled South to Mexico, where he worked on several different ranches, and in his spare-time, stole as much as he could from his employers. In 1886 he was fired from a ranching job for stealing their cattle and from there he went to Parral, Mexico where he loafed around town making it his stomping grounds.

On February 18,1886, Rudabaugh was over in the cantina playing a card game with a few locals. An argument began and guns were drawn… Dave shot one of them through the head killing him instantly, before turning his revolver on the next man, shooting him through the chest killing him and again one more shot wounding another in the arm. Dave was unhurt and walked out to get on his horse, but couldn’t find it. He later came back into the cantina and before his eyes could adjust to the darkness he was shot several times by the citizens of Parral, and killed. Rudabaugh’s reign of terror was over. The citizens then cut his head off and stuck it on the end of a pole and paraded around town where a couple photos were taken. Rudabaugh was 31 years old when he was killed. His severed head was placed on a stake and displayed for almost three weeks. The rotting head attracted flies and maggots. Some say that later, a few men took the severed head off the pole, placed it on the ground and took turns defecating on it. His body was either buried and lost, destroyed or left in a ditch rotting for the vultures.

In my personal opinion, according to the pictures the man’s head looks like an old man. Dave would have been 31 years old at the time. Also why would he, even if he couldn’t find his horse return to the Saloon where he just smoked some people? Sounds like we have yet another mystery?

There are rumors that Dave had lived to be an old man and died in 1928 at Oregon.