Dirty Dave Rudabaugh

Losing Your Head in Old Mexico

Greetings! I thought I'd share a few photos in honor of the new episode on Dave Rudabaugh.

Is this Dave Rudabaugh?

If you’re not familiar, Dave was an outlaw associated with the likes of Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday, the Dodge City Gang, Billy the Kid, and more. He started robbing trains in Kansas, was a crooked constable in Las Vegas, and eventually drifted down to Fort Sumner, where he began riding with William H. Bonney. Rudabaugh was arrested by Pat Garrett at Stinking Springs and sentenced to hang for the murder of a Las Vegas jail guard. He eventually escaped and spent his remaining days in Mexico…maybe.

Many think that Rudabaugh was also involved with Curly Bill over in Tombstone and that he participated in the shootings of Virgil and Morgan Earp. Still others believe that Dave eventually made his way to Oregon, where he died an old man in the late 1920s.

I discuss all this and more in the latest episode, including Rudabaugh’s various nicknames (was it Arkansas Dave or Dirty Dave?) and why the above photo - despite being literally all over the internet - doesn’t truly depict him.

The episode on Rudabaugh is now available on all podcasting platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc) and will be released on YouTube this evening at 6:45 PM Central.

WARNING: The last two photos are very graphic and depict a severed head. If you think you may find that disturbing, please do not scroll further than the photo of John Joshua Webb.

Below, you’ll see an image of Las Vegas, New Mexico. I couldn’t determine the date, but I believe this is close to what Vegas would have looked like when Rudabaugh was there.

Las Vegas, New Mexico

Below is an image of the Las Vegas windmill where three men were executed via a lynch mob; one by hanging and the other two simply shot to pieces. It’s unknown if Rudabaugh took part in this execution, but I do think it is likely.

Las Vegas, NM windmill

John Joshua Webb

Above is Rudabaugh associate John Joshua Webb (white circle). Webb was standing in front of the Las Vegas jail where he was incarcerated when this photograph was taken. This is the same jail where Rudabaugh and a buddy would attempt a daring break out.

Fun fact: Many experts think the guy directly to Webb’s left is Doc Holliday. Webb and Holliday actually owned a saloon together in Vegas.

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW!!!!!

But first, an announcement:

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OK SERIOUSLY, GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW!!!! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!!

These are the only authenticated photos of Dave Rudabaugh. They were taken shortly after his death by a traveling photographer. There were originally four images, but Mexican authorities confiscated two of them. What you see below are from the supposedly lesser-quality undeveloped negatives.

Dave’s head on a pike

Rudabaugh’s head

The above image of Rudabaugh’s head is much clearer. To this day, nobody knows what became of it. His body was reportedly buried in an unmarked grave outside of Parral, Mexico.

Big shoutout to historian David G. Thomas. His book, Dirty Dave Rudabaugh: Billy the Kid’s Most Feared Companion, was invaluable when researching Rudabaugh.

Thank you all for listening; I love you! Next week, we’ll discuss Deacon Jim Miller!