OUTLAWS Ep. 4 | “Dirty Dave Rudabaugh: Lincoln County Outlaw”

Summary

Episode Summary: "Dirty Dave Rudabaugh: Lincoln County Outlaw" (Ep. 4)

Podcast: Legends of the Old West
Host: Black Barrel Media (Chris Wimmer)
Release Date: April 9, 2025

---

Introduction

In the fourth episode of Legends of the Old West, titled "Dirty Dave Rudabaugh: Lincoln County Outlaw," host Chris Wimmer delves into the tumultuous life of Dave Rudabaugh, an infamous outlaw whose actions significantly impacted the American West's law and order dynamics. This episode, part two of a two-part series, explores Rudabaugh's intricate relationships with other notorious figures like Josh Webb and Billy the Kid, shedding light on the chaotic events that defined his legacy.

---

Background: Josh Webb and the Dodge City Gang

The story begins with Josh Webb, the recently murdered town marshal of Las Vegas, New Mexico, who was entangled in the Dodge City Gang—a criminal syndicate exerting considerable influence over the town's operations.

Chris Wimmer [00:54]: "The previous marshal and Josh Webb were part of a criminal syndicate in Las Vegas that was known as the Dodge City Gang."

Webb's downfall began in March 1880 when he fatally shot a man in a saloon, an act that the townspeople soon suspected was motivated by greed rather than self-defense. This incident led to Webb's arrest, conviction for murder, and a death sentence.

Michael Meglish [01:29]: "Webb claimed the man had been reaching for his pistol and Webb fired in self-defense."

---

Dave Rudabaugh: The Outlaw's Connection

Enter Dave Rudabaugh, also known as "Dirty Dave," a seasoned robber and rustler from Arkansas and Kansas with a complex history intertwined with Webb's. Despite being arrested by Webb two years prior after a failed train robbery, Rudabaugh later partnered with Webb during the Colorado railroad wars, eventually joining the Dodge City Gang in Las Vegas.

Chris Wimmer [01:57]: "Rudabaugh, also known as Dirty Dave Rudabaugh or Arkansas Dave Rudabaugh, had an interesting history with Webb."

---

The Failed Jailbreak Attempt

Faced with Webb's impending execution threatening the stability of the Dodge City Gang, Rudabaugh orchestrated a jailbreak in April 1880, aiming to free his friend. Alongside his accomplice, John Llewellyn, Rudabaugh devised a seemingly straightforward plan:

1. Hire a carriage and position the driver nearby.
2. Enter the jail, surprise the lone deputy, secure Webb, and flee swiftly.

Chris Wimmer [04:24]: "Dave Rudabaugh and John Llewellyn... drew up a straightforward plan to break Webb out of jail."

However, the execution faltered dramatically. Upon confronting the deputy, Antonio Valdez, the outlaws opened fire after Valdez refused to hand over Webb's cell keys. Instead of swiftly freeing Webb, Rudabaugh and Llewellyn panicked, inadvertently causing Valdez's death.

Chris Wimmer [05:14]: "Deputy Valdez allowed the visit, but a moment later he was staring at the barrels of two revolvers."

The failed escape not only resulted in the deputy's death but also thrust Rudabaugh further into a fugitive's life, forcing him to flee alongside Billy the Kid.

---

Alliances with Billy the Kid

Rudabaugh's alliance with the legendary Billy the Kid marked a significant chapter in his outlaw career. Rudabaugh integrated into Billy's crew, participating in various criminal activities, including horse and payroll thefts, as well as stagecoach robberies.

Michael Meglish [14:37]: "It was said by some that Dave was one of the few people who unnerved the Kid."

This partnership solidified Rudabaugh's reputation as a formidable and unpredictable outlaw. However, their spree was interrupted in November 1880 during a violent showdown at Great House Station, resulting in multiple deaths and further tightening the grip of lawmen like Pat Garrett.

---

Encounters with Pat Garrett and Final Capture

Pat Garrett, newly appointed sheriff of Lincoln County and a determined lawman, intensified the pursuit of outlaws like Rudabaugh and Billy the Kid. The relentless chase culminated in December 1880 when Garrett's posse cornered Billy and Rudabaugh in Stinking Springs. After a tense standoff, Garrett successfully captured both men.

Chris Wimmer [17:43]: "Garrett and his posse managed to track Billy, Dave and the rest of the gang through the snow."

Rudabaugh was charged not only with stagecoach and payroll robberies but also with the murder of Deputy Valdez, leading to his eventual conviction and sentencing.

---

Another Escape and the Final Days

Undeterred by his initial capture, Rudabaugh attempted yet another escape in September 1881. Utilizing wire and a pistol, he tried to pick the cell lock but failed, resulting in his return to confinement.

Faced with a likely guilty verdict and a death sentence, Rudabaugh, alongside Josh Webb, planned and executed a successful escape from the San Miguel County Jail in December 1881. Their freedom was short-lived, as Rudabaugh's solitary path led him to Mexico in 1886.

---

Death in Mexico and Legacy

Rudabaugh's final days were marked by violence and turmoil in Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua. Struggling with alcoholism and gambling, his volatile behavior led to fatal confrontations in a cantina on February 18, 1886. Rudabaugh met his end in a chaotic shootout, which was gruesomely followed by the townspeople desecrating his remains.

Chris Wimmer [32:25]: "Dave Rudabaugh... his end would not be for the faint of heart."

Despite his death, Rudabaugh's legacy endured through various rumors and legends, some suggesting he survived and led a quiet life post-Mexico, though these tales lack verifiable evidence.

---

Conclusion

"Dirty Dave Rudabaugh: Lincoln County Outlaw" offers a comprehensive exploration of Dave Rudabaugh's life, showcasing his rise within the outlaw circles, his failed and successful escape attempts, alliances with other infamous figures, and his ultimate demise. Through detailed narration and insightful commentary, the episode paints a vivid picture of the challenges and perils faced by outlaws in the Old West, while highlighting the broader socio-political landscape that shaped their destinies.

Chris Wimmer [34:17]: "But of all the rumors associated with Dirty Dave Rudabaugh, the one where he lives out a quiet life as a family man and a rancher seems the most far fetched."

---

Notable Quotes

• Chris Wimmer [00:18]: "Busting a prisoner out of jail came with risks..."
• Michael Meglish [01:29]: "Webb claimed the man had been reaching for his pistol..."
• Chris Wimmer [16:00]: "Deputy Carlisle was one of the men in charge of the posse."
• Michael Meglish [25:20]: "Wyatt Earp's vendetta ride..."
• Chris Wimmer [32:31]: "As drunk as Dave was, he wasn't so drunk that he couldn't shoot a man right between the eyes."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode enriches our understanding of the complex web of relationships and events that defined the American West's outlaw era. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Legends of the Old West brings to life the story of Dave Rudabaugh, highlighting both his notorious crimes and the intricate circumstances that led to his downfall.

---

Note: Advertisements and non-content sections from the original transcript have been excluded to maintain the summary's focus on the episode's core narrative.

Transcript

[Chris Wimmer]

Busting a prisoner out of jail came with risks, and getting a prisoner out of the Las Vegas, New Mexico jail on North first street was no exception. Also called the San Miguel County Jail, the facility's holding cells were adjacent to a plaza that connected law offices to the town's courthouse. There were only three cells in the jail, so one lawman could easily keep an eye on his prisoners. Ironically, a prisoner in one of the.

[Michael Meglish]

Cells in the spring of 1880 was a lawman, or at least he had.

[Chris Wimmer]

Been until very recently. Josh Webb had been the town marshal.

[Michael Meglish]

For probably six weeks before he landed in his own jail. The previous marshal had been killed in a shootout that resulted from a confrontation with four unruly cowboys. The previous marshal and Josh Webb were.

[Chris Wimmer]

Part of a criminal syndicate in Las Vegas that was known as the Dodge City Gang. Members of the gang held various important.

[Michael Meglish]

And official roles in town, and they.

[Chris Wimmer]

Used those roles to their advantage. In March of 1880, Marshall Webb confronted a man in a saloon and ended up shooting and killing the man.

[Michael Meglish]

Webb claimed the man had been reaching.

[Chris Wimmer]

For his pistol and Webb fired in self defense. But very quickly, people in Las Vegas started to believe that the real reason for the confrontation was that Josh Webb wanted to steal the $1,900 that the man was carrying. Webb was arrested, convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. Now he sat in jail waiting for his execution, and his friend Dave Rudabaugh.

[Michael Meglish]

Wanted to break him out.

[Chris Wimmer]

Rudabaugh, also known as Dirty Dave Rudabaugh or Arkansas Dave Rudabaugh, had an interesting history with Webb. Dave had been a robber and a rustler in Arkansas and Kansas, and he had been arrested by Webb and Bat.

[Michael Meglish]

Masterson two years earlier after a failed train robbery. A few months later, Masterson hired Webb and Rudabaugh to act as gunmen during the Colorado railroad wars.

[Chris Wimmer]

After the last big fight between gunmen who represented the two competing railroads in.

[Michael Meglish]

Southern Colorado, Webb and Rudabaugh drifted south to Las Vegas, New Mexico.

[Chris Wimmer]

They joined the Dodge City Gang that.

[Michael Meglish]

Ran much of the town and made.

[Chris Wimmer]

Illegal money for several months. But the situation changed dramatically after Webb recklessly killed the man in the saloon. Webb's arrest threatened to upend much of the Dodge City Gang's operation. And Dave didn't want to see his friend hang, so he organized a jailbreak. By the end of April 1880, Dave and a pal named John Llewellyn had.

[Michael Meglish]

A plan in place.

[Chris Wimmer]

It really wasn't that complicated, nor did it need to be. They weren't assaulting a federal prison they were trying to break one guy out.

[Michael Meglish]

Of a jail that only had three cells and a single guard.

[Chris Wimmer]

But as with most of Dave's plans, the jailbreak went desperately and fatally wrong. Dave would be forced to go on the run again for at least the third time in his relatively short life as a fugitive. Dave would run out of the frying pan and into the fire by joining up with Billy the Kid in the last few months of the outlaw's life. From Black Barrel Media, this is Legends of the Old West. I'm your host, Chris Wimmer, and this season we're telling the stories of infamous.

[Michael Meglish]

Outlaws, Charlie Bowles, better known as Black.

[Chris Wimmer]

Bart, Dirty Dave Rudabaugh and the Doolin Dalton Gang. This is episode four, Dirty Dave Rudabaugh Part two of two Lincoln county outlaw.

[Michael Meglish]

Dave Rudabaugh and John Llewellyn, who was nicknamed Little Allen, drew up a straightforward.

[Chris Wimmer]

Plan to break Webb out of jail. They would hire a carriage and ask.

[Michael Meglish]

The driver to wait nearby.

[Chris Wimmer]

The two partners would enter the jail, surprise the lone deputy who guarded the.

[Michael Meglish]

Prisoner, grab Webb and hustle him out to the carriage.

[Chris Wimmer]

The escapee and his helpers would be gone in a matter of seconds. The plan was simple, but the logic behind it was problematic and the execution of it was worse. The first issue was the idea to hire a carriage. Carriages were slow and Dave would have been wiser to use horses. Second, the carriage driver would be an accomplice who could later turn against them. Third, it doesn't appear as though Dave and John told Webb that they were going to break him out of jail.

[Michael Meglish]

Nevertheless, on the morning of April 30.

[Chris Wimmer]

Dave and John hired the carriage and ordered the driver to wait in front of the Las Vegas jail as the two outlaws approached the building. The deputy who guarded the jail that morning was Antonio Valdez. He wasn't surprised when Dave and his partner entered the jail. Dave said he was there to visit Webb and to give him a copy of the town's newspaper. Deputy Valdez allowed the visit, but a moment later he was staring at the barrels of two revolvers. Dave and John pulled their pistols and demanded the keys to Webb's cell. Deputy Valdez refused to give up the keys and the outlaws opened fire. Valdez collapsed to the floor and the outlaws panicked. Instead of grabbing the keys from the dying deputy and unlocking the jail cell, they snatched the keys and tossed them into Webb's cell.

[Michael Meglish]

Dave and John rushed out of the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Jail, hopped in the carriage, and told the driver to speed away. Dave assumed Webb would unlock his cell and find his own way out of town. But Webb stared at the scene in confusion and made no attempt to pick up the keys. Unbeknownst to Dave, Webb had filed an appeal in his case. If Webb escaped, it would have ended his legal options, and it would have confirmed his guilt in the court of public opinion. In the carriage that drove across town, Dave and John didn't know that their.

[Michael Meglish]

Plan had completely fallen apart.

[Chris Wimmer]

When the carriage made it to East Las Vegas, the outlaws kicked the driver out and stole his rig. Dave took the reins and drove to a local hardware store, where he hopped.

[Michael Meglish]

Out and went inside.

[Chris Wimmer]

Dave pulled his pistol and threatened the store owner. Dave stole two pistols and two rifles, then raced out of the store, hopped in the carriage and sped off down the street behind Dave and John. The gunfire and the commotion in town drew attention. Deputy Antonio Valdez was dead on the floor of the jail, and the citizens quickly formed two posses to chase the killers. The first posse failed to make any progress, but the second followed the carriage.

[Michael Meglish]

Tracks for about 25 miles outside of Las Vegas.

[Chris Wimmer]

There, the posse found a disconcerting sight. The carriage and its horses had been abandoned at a sheep camp. According to a witness, Dave Rudabaugh and John Llewellyn stole water and fresh horses and took off. It was the first confirmed kill of Rudabaugh's criminal career, though no one would be shocked if there were others buried in his past. Dave Rudabaugh was now a verified killer in addition to all of his other criminal activities, and he was on the run in Las Vegas. Josh Webb's appeal partially failed. His conviction wasn't overturned, and he didn't receive a new trial, but his sentence.

[Michael Meglish]

Was reduced from death to life in prison.

[Chris Wimmer]

Dave's attempt at a jailbreak was a failure. But as fate would have it, Rudabaugh.

[Michael Meglish]

And Webb would have another go around in the near future.

[Chris Wimmer]

By then, things would be very different in New Mexico. After Webb's murder conviction was upheld and the attempted jailbreak led to the death of a deputy, the Dodge City gang began to crash. Townspeople rose up against a criminal syndicate. Hyman Neal, the leader of the outfit who was known as Hoodoo Brown, was driven out of power and he fled the territory. The rest of the gang members scattered, and ironically for Dave Rudabaugh, Josh Webb decided to break out of jail. Webb did not relish spending the rest of his life in prison, so he joined a few other prisoners, and they successfully escaped from the San Miguel County Jail. While Las Vegas was in upheaval Josh Webb and Dave Rudabaugh were on the run at the same time. They would both face the same lawmen soon, but Rudabaugh would do so while he was an associate of Billy the Kid.

[N/A]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Shifting a little money here, a little there and hoping it all works out well? With the name your price tool from Progressive, you can be a better budgeter and potentially lower your insurance bill too. You tell Progressive what you want to pay for car insurance and they'll help you find options within your budget. Try it [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states. There are many ways to entice a potential new customer with flashy branding and calculated marketing strategies, but at the end of the day, the success of a business comes down to the ability to close the sale. And for businesses like Thrive Cosmetics, All All Birds or Skims, it's what goes on behind the scenes. Making, selling and for shoppers, buying simple that makes the difference for them and for millions of businesses. That difference is made with Shopify. Businesses that want to grow grow with Shopify. Because if your goal is growth, your commerce platform better be ready to sell wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling. And Shopify will make sure you're ready on the web, in your store, in their feed, and everywhere in between. Nobody does selling better than Shopify, and with Shop Pay they boost conversions up to 50%, meaning way less carts going abandoned and way more sales going. It's no wonder Shopify is home of the number one checkout on the planet. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout Allbirds uses. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at shopify.com realm all lowercase go to shopify.com realm to upgrade your selling today. That's shopify.com realm.

[Michael Meglish]

John Little Allen Llewellyn.

[Chris Wimmer]

Suffered from rheumatism and tuberculosis. He was hurting mightily as he and Dave spent long hours in the saddle.

[Michael Meglish]

During their escape from Las Vegas.

[Chris Wimmer]

At some point, John told Dave that he couldn't continue depending on the source.

[Michael Meglish]

John asked Dave to put him out.

[Chris Wimmer]

Of his misery, and Dave obliged.

[Michael Meglish]

Regardless of how they parted ways, Dave.

[Chris Wimmer]

Rudabaugh rode into Fort Sumner by himself.

[Michael Meglish]

At the end of April 1880. By that time, Fort Sumner had been a town much longer than it had been a military outpost.

[Chris Wimmer]

The army fort was constructed in 1863 to help supervise the new Bosque Redondo reservation for the Mescalero Apache, a reservation which Kit Carson was instrumental in establishing. As always on the frontier, a town.

[Michael Meglish]

Developed around the fort.

[Chris Wimmer]

When the army closed the fort in 1868, the town stayed in place and.

[Michael Meglish]

Kept the name of the military base.

[Chris Wimmer]

By 1880, Fort Sumner was the closest thing to home that Billy the Kid had. Henry Antrim, originally named Henry McCarty, also known as William H. Bonnie and nicknamed the Kid, would eventually become one of the most famous people in American history.

[Michael Meglish]

And would be known to the world.

[Chris Wimmer]

As Billy the Kid. When Dave Rudabaugh rode into Billy's adopted hometown in the spring of 1880, Billy.

[Michael Meglish]

Had 14 months to live, and he.

[Chris Wimmer]

Was seven months away from beginning his.

[Michael Meglish]

Cat and mouse game with Sheriff Pat Garrett. In the short space of three years, Billy the Kid had established himself as a notorious figure in New Mexico territory.

[Chris Wimmer]

He had been a ranch hand for.

[Michael Meglish]

A young Englishman named John Tunstall before Tunstall was murdered by gunmen who worked for L.G.

[Chris Wimmer]

Murphy and Jimmy Dolan, two prominent men.

[Michael Meglish]

In a widespread criminal and political machine known as the Santa Fe Ring. After Tunstall's murder, Billy and other Tunstall.

[Chris Wimmer]

Supporters, who were called the Lincoln County.

[Michael Meglish]

Regulators, battled the Murphy Dolan faction in the Lincoln county war of 1878. The Murphy Dolan faction won the war, and afterward Billy and a few of the surviving regulators were indicted for a murder that they likely did not commit. Billy eventually allowed himself to be caught.

[Chris Wimmer]

And taken to jail because he thought he had secured a secret deal with the governor of New Mexico Territory. Billy thought that if he provided testimony in court about a different murder, charges.

[Michael Meglish]

Related to the previous murder would be dropped.

[Chris Wimmer]

But in the summer of 1879, Billy.

[Michael Meglish]

Believed the governor had backed out of.

[Chris Wimmer]

The deal and Billy escaped from jail. He laid low for six months, but in January 1880, he killed a man named Joe Grant in a Saloon in Fort Sumner. And that's where things stood in April 1880 when Dave Rudabaugh showed up in Fort Sumner.

[Michael Meglish]

One of Billy's friends was a rancher named Jim Greathouse, who ran a tavern and a stage station. It was through Great House that Dirty.

[Chris Wimmer]

Dave met Billy the Kid.

[Michael Meglish]

Dave felt right at home with Billy's crew.

[Chris Wimmer]

It was said by some that Dave.

[Michael Meglish]

Was one of the few people who unnerved the Kid. Rudabaugh was unpredictable and he could be nasty with little provocation. A close confidant of the Kid once.

[Chris Wimmer]

Said, if ever there was a living.

[Michael Meglish]

Man the Kid was afraid of, it was Rudabaugh for The rest of 1880, Rudabaugh teamed up with Billy the Kid.

[Chris Wimmer]

And his gang, which included Tom O'Folliard, Charlie Beaudry, Tom Pickett and a few others. At various times, Dave helped them steal.

[Michael Meglish]

Horses and army payrolls.

[Chris Wimmer]

He also aided gang members in holding up stagecoaches. But their crime spree hit a snag in November 1880.

[Michael Meglish]

The gang stole a bunch of horses and a posse eventually tracked the gang to Great House Station and Tavern. On the morning of November 29, 1880, the posse surrounded the ranch house. They captured the cook when the man went outside while preparing breakfast.

[Chris Wimmer]

The posse used the cook to relay messages inside to the outlaws. In response to an order to surrender.

[Michael Meglish]

The outlaws sent out a scrap of paper on which was written a brief Go to hell. Deputy Sheriff James Carlisle was one of the men in charge of the posse.

[Chris Wimmer]

At some point during the tedious exchange of messages, it was decided that Jim.

[Michael Meglish]

Greathouse would go outside as a hostage.

[Chris Wimmer]

And Deputy Carlisle would go inside to speak to the outlaws in person. Carlisle was inside for quite a while.

[Michael Meglish]

Maybe for hours, and the posse grew restless. The dramatic shift happened at about 2pm the reason will forever remain a mystery, but one of the men in the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Posse fired a single shot. Deputy Carlisle may have thought it was a warning shot that was supposed to be a signal, or he may have thought the worst case scenario had just happened. The posse had executed Billy's friend, Jim Greathouse. Whatever the thinking, Carlisle dove through the.

[Michael Meglish]

Tavern window and landed in the snow.

[Chris Wimmer]

And shattered glass outside.

[Michael Meglish]

He jumped up and raced away from the building.

[Chris Wimmer]

Behind him, the outlaws opened fire.

[Michael Meglish]

At least one bullet, and maybe as.

[Chris Wimmer]

Many as three, struck Carlisle and killed him. With Carlisle dead and about 75 shots exchanged between the two groups, the posse withdrew. When the outlaws believed it was safe, they exited the Great House Station and.

[Michael Meglish]

Tavern, climbed onto their horses and rode away. Billy the Kid, Dave Rudabaugh and the others were in the wind. No one knew who fired the shot or shots that killed Deputy Sheriff Jim Carlile. Later, Billy tried to blame the posse for killing the lawmen with friendly fire. Rudabaugh said at least three outlaws fired.

[Chris Wimmer]

At Carlisle, but he stopped short of.

[Michael Meglish]

Assigning blame or credit to a specific person.

[Chris Wimmer]

Either way, the shootout and the killing added urgency to the effort of Pat.

[Michael Meglish]

Garrett, the incoming sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico.

[Chris Wimmer]

Garrett was elected in early November and he wasn't supposed to take office until January, but he started work early. The outgoing sheriff made Garrett a deputy so that Garrett could start tracking Billy the Kid.

[Michael Meglish]

Right away, Garrett also received an appointment as a deputy U.S. marshal so that.

[Chris Wimmer]

He could chase the outlaws across state and territorial boundaries. As Billy and his gang were known to move stolen horses between New Mexico and Texas, Garrett and a posse hurried in pursuit of Billy's gang after the.

[Michael Meglish]

Great House shootout, and Garrett quickly caught.

[Chris Wimmer]

A gang of horse thieves and fugitives.

[Michael Meglish]

But it wasn't Billy's gang.

[Chris Wimmer]

Garrett ended up catching Josh Webb, who had been on the run for about seven months after escaping from jail in Las Vegas. Garrett quickly turned Webb over to the authorities in San Miguel county, and Webb.

[Michael Meglish]

Went right, right back to the jail.

[Chris Wimmer]

From which he had escaped.

[Michael Meglish]

A couple weeks after the interlude with.

[Chris Wimmer]

Webb, Pat Garrett learned from a local cattleman that Billy and his crew were headed to Fort Sumner for a night of entertainment and relaxation. On December 19, Billy the Kid, Dave Rudabaugh and other members of the gang rode into town, and Pat Garrett and his posse were waiting for them. The posse opened fire and and the.

[Michael Meglish]

Outlaws scrambled in every direction.

[Chris Wimmer]

As they galloped away from town, one.

[Michael Meglish]

Outlaw was hit and fell dead, and.

[Chris Wimmer]

Dave Rudabaugh's horse was badly injured. Outside town, Dave hopped onto outlaw Billy Wilson's horse to finish the escape. When the lawmen examined the body of the dead outlaw, they hoped they had.

[Michael Meglish]

Killed Billy the Kid.

[Chris Wimmer]

Instead, the dead young man was Tom.

[Michael Meglish]

Ofoli, Billy's closest friend.

[Chris Wimmer]

A vicious snowstorm pelted New Mexico, and.

[Michael Meglish]

The frigid weather delayed Pat Garrett's pursuit.

[Chris Wimmer]

But within four days, Garrett and his.

[Michael Meglish]

Posse managed to track Billy, Dave and the rest of the gang through the snow. The five gang members were holed up in a tiny stone house in an.

[Chris Wimmer]

Area known as Stinking Springs. The crude building had no windows and.

[Michael Meglish]

Only one door, and it was the perfect trap. On December 23, 1880, Garrett and his.

[Chris Wimmer]

Posse moved into position near the house.

[Michael Meglish]

Soon afterward, Charlie Beaudry, one of the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Original Lincoln county regulators, emerged from the.

[Michael Meglish]

House to feed the horses.

[Chris Wimmer]

The posse opened fire and hit Beaudry multiple times. He was bleeding badly as he tumbled back into the doorway of the stone house. With Beaudry blocking the doorway, the outlaws realized they would get shredded if they tried to make it to their horses. They had no other avenue of escape, no food, no water, and no hope of winning a shootout against Pat Garrett and his posse.

[Michael Meglish]

According to Garrett, it was Dave Rudabaugh who waved a handkerchief in the doorway of the house and said the gang would surrender. Garrett promised that if they came out unarmed, then he and his men would hold their fire.

[Chris Wimmer]

The four outlaws complied and stumbled out of the shelter. Garrett recalled that Billy and Dave were.

[Michael Meglish]

Surprisingly cheerful when they were taken into custody. But Dave's attitude changed when he learned that he would have to go to Las Vegas to face a murder charge. First he was taken to Santa Fe, where he was charged with robbing stagecoaches.

[Chris Wimmer]

And stealing federal payrolls. He was convicted and sentenced to prison. Then he was shipped to Las Vegas to stand trial for the murder of.

[Michael Meglish]

Deputy Sheriff Antonio Valdez during the failed jailbreak of Josh Webb. The Las Vegas that Dirty Dave Rudabaugh returned to was vastly different from the.

[Chris Wimmer]

One he had fled in a carriage eight months earlier.

[Michael Meglish]

He had hurried out of town at the end of April 1880 after killing Deputy Valdez and failing to break out Josh Webb. And it was now the early part of 1881.

[Chris Wimmer]

The Dodge City gang was gone, and.

[Michael Meglish]

The townspeople were ready for a new direction. For Dave Rudabaugh, a guilty verdict was virtually guaranteed. While Rudabaugh awaited the inevitable, he sat.

[Chris Wimmer]

In a cell in the San Miguel County Jail near his friend Josh Webb. Webb had arrived a few weeks earlier.

[Michael Meglish]

After having been caught by Pat Garrett right before Garrett caught Rudabaugh. Webb and Rudabaugh sat in their cells month after month in 1881. In July, Pat Garrett killed Billy the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Kid in Fort Sumner.

[Michael Meglish]

Or didn't, depending on which story you want to believe.

[Chris Wimmer]

Two months later, in September, Dave Rudabaugh decided he was done waiting for his trial.

[Michael Meglish]

No one knows exactly how Dave managed.

[Chris Wimmer]

To procure wire and a pistol, but he used the wire to pick the lock on his cell. Then, with the pistol in hand, he crept down the hall and discovered the guard asleep in the jail.

[Michael Meglish]

For reasons that are unknown and make.

[Chris Wimmer]

No sense, Rudabaugh woke up the guard and fired a shot from the pistol. The alert ended his hope of escape, and he returned to his cell to face his trial.

[Michael Meglish]

The prosecution had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dave Rudabaugh committed the crime and that he had planned to kill Deputy Valdez.

[Chris Wimmer]

Rudabaugh refuted both claims by saying that he didn't kill Valdez.

[Michael Meglish]

Rudabaugh said his partner, John Llewellyn, who.

[Chris Wimmer]

Was now dead, pulled the trigger. The prosecution was not able to prove that Rudabaugh committed premeditated murder, but the jury returned a guilty verdict nonetheless. Dirty Dave Rudabaugh now had a date with the gallows and even more motivation.

[Michael Meglish]

To break out of jail.

[Chris Wimmer]

A group of five prisoners, including Rudabaugh and Josh Webb, used a knife, a fire Poker and a pick to tunnel out of their cells. In December 1881, Dave Rudabaugh and Josh Webb escaped from jail and were fugitives once again. The two men headed east to Texas and said their final goodbyes. Josh Webb continued traveling east until he reached Arkansas, where he reportedly lived under the name Samuel King until he died from smallpox in 1882.

[Michael Meglish]

For the first time in a long time, Dave Rudabaugh was truly on his own.

[Chris Wimmer]

As such, his story became even more.

[Michael Meglish]

Shrouded in mystery than normal.

[Chris Wimmer]

But the most popular story of his next adventure saw him continue his journeyman ways. His life had already overlapped with legends.

[Michael Meglish]

Of the west like Bat Masterson, Josh Webb, Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and of course, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

[Chris Wimmer]

At the end of 1881 and the.

[Michael Meglish]

Beginning of 1882, if there was one hot spot in the west that would.

[Chris Wimmer]

Be logical for an outlaw to head to, it was Tombstone, Arizona. Newspaper accounts and eyewitnesses placed Dave Rudabaugh in the area around Tombstone in late 1881 or early 1882. One of the eyewitnesses was reportedly Wyatt.

[Michael Meglish]

Earp himself, who thought Rudabaugh might have been present at one of the most.

[Chris Wimmer]

Iconic moments of the Tombstone story and.

[Michael Meglish]

The Wyatt Earp biography.

[Chris Wimmer]

Rudabaugh was definitely not in Tombstone during the year and a half of tense buildup between the Earp family plus Doc Holliday and the outlaw gang known as the Cowboys. And Rudabaugh wasn't there for the gunfight.

[Michael Meglish]

That happened in a vacant lot on.

[Chris Wimmer]

Fremont street on October 26, 1881. He was running with Billy the Kid's.

[Michael Meglish]

Gang in New Mexico at the time.

[Chris Wimmer]

But it's possible that Rudabaugh drifted to the extreme Southwest in time for the.

[Michael Meglish]

Second half of the Tombstone story, the phase known as Wyatt Earp's vendetta ride.

[Chris Wimmer]

After the cattle Season of 1879 finished in Dodge City, the Earp clan moved to America's newest boomtown, Tombstone, Arizona.

[Michael Meglish]

The town sprang up in record time around rich silver mines and the Earps and Doc Holliday wanted in on the action. At the same time, a loose knit group of rustlers and thieves known as the Cowboys operated in the area for more than a year and a half. Pressure built between the Earps and the Cowboys. On October 26, 1881, it exploded in the most famous shootout in American history, the Gunfight at the O.K.

[Chris Wimmer]

Corral.

[Michael Meglish]

Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday battled the Clanton brothers and the McLaury brothers. The result was three men dead. Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury and two wounded, Virgil Earp and Morgan Earp. Four days after the gunfight, Ike Clanton, who had been unarmed and had run away when the shooting started, filed murder charges against the Earps and Holliday. A combative month long hearing before Judge Wells Spicer concluded with Spicer condemning the actions of the Earp faction but ruling in their favor. They did not break any laws.

[Chris Wimmer]

The cowboys and their supporters were outraged and on December 28, 1881 they began their plan for vengeance. That night, Virgil Earp walked out of.

[Michael Meglish]

The Oriental Saloon and began to cross fifth street when shotgun blasts erupted from a vacant building on the other side of the intersection. Virgil survived the ambush, but his left arm was crippled. And it's at about that time that stories start to place Dave Rudabaugh in Tombstone. If he were there and if he had joined up with the Cowboys, it's unlikely that they would have involved a new guy in a high profile assassination attempt. Three months later, on March 18, 1882 gunman successfully killed Morgan Earp. Rumors also swirled that Rudabaugh may have helped in the assassination, but he wasn't one of those who were identified afterward. And again, his participation is unlikely. The murder of Morgan pushed Wyatt to form a posse with Doc Holliday and several others to hunt down the outlaws who had been attacking his family. Wyatt's relentless pursuit and take no prisoner strategy became known as the Vendetta Ride.

[Chris Wimmer]

And the most famous part of the Vendetta Ride was the confusing but incredibly exciting shootout in the Whetstone Mountains west of Tombstone. Wyatt's posse rode to a well known.

[Michael Meglish]

Spring in the mountains where the men.

[Chris Wimmer]

Expected to meet a courier who was bringing them money so they could continue their mission. To everyone's surprise, the posse found a group of cowboys at the spring who.

[Michael Meglish]

Were led by Curly Bill Brocius.

[Chris Wimmer]

A gunfight exploded almost immediately. According to the legend, Curly Bill fired.

[Michael Meglish]

A shotgun at Wyatt that peppered Wyatt's.

[Chris Wimmer]

Coat with holes but didn't hurt the man himself. Then Wyatt blasted curly bill with a.

[Michael Meglish]

10 gauge shotgun that nearly cut Curly Bill in half. The shootout roared across the spring until the cowboys retreated.

[Chris Wimmer]

It was the last major action of Wyatt Earp's Vendetta Ride and the story was told and retold many times over.

[Michael Meglish]

The years in competing accounts. Wyatt suspected that one of the cowboys that day was Dirty Dave Rudabaugh.

[Chris Wimmer]

But Wyatt wasn't sure. Then, according To a newspaper editor from.

[Michael Meglish]

Dodge City, Wyatt confirmed that Rudabaugh was at the shootout. But the story will always be hotly contested, regardless of whether or not Dave Rudabaugh was in Southern Arizona and participated in any of the events surrounding the Earp war with the Cowboys.

[Chris Wimmer]

The wildest part of the Tombstone story was done. By the summer of 1882, most of the Earps and Doc Holliday were gone from the territory and the Cowboys were essentially defunct. Dirty Dave Rudabaugh seemed to become a ghost for a few years until his.

[Michael Meglish]

Final hurrah south of the border in 1886. Dave Rudabaugh bid farewell to the United.

[Chris Wimmer]

States and went to the Mexican state of Chihuahua, bordering New Mexico and Texas. Chihuahua was a region full of cowboys and small communities, and Rudabaugh settled in Hidalgo del Parral. At one point, it was called the best silver mining location in Central America.

[Michael Meglish]

Silver still flowed into the city with regularity, and the influx of money sponsored an active nightlife. Saloons, bordellos, and cantinas operated late into the night.

[Chris Wimmer]

Rudabaugh tried to make a living as a cowboy, but then he became a rustler. When he grew tired of stealing horses and cattle, he tried his hand at being a butcher. Then he spent most of his time.

[Michael Meglish]

In the gambling dens, and he stopped trying to find work.

[Chris Wimmer]

When he was at the poker table. He applied the tricks taught to him by Doc Holliday in those long ago days of 1877. But he didn't have Doc's ability for cards, and his demeanor did not endear him to the people of town. Hard drinking and gambling were a volatile combination, and Dave Rudabaugh soon crossed a line. On the night of February 18, 1886, Dirty Dave was in a cantina as usual.

[Michael Meglish]

He had allegedly downed a bottle of.

[Chris Wimmer]

Tequila before playing, so he was painfully.

[Michael Meglish]

Drunk while trying to play poker. His irritability intensified because of the chatter coming from the other players at the table. Rudabaugh couldn't understand Spanish despite his many.

[Chris Wimmer]

Days in Mexico, and he thought the.

[Michael Meglish]

Other players were monsters.

[Chris Wimmer]

Dave's luck worsened as the game progressed. He loudly claimed that he was being cheated.

[Michael Meglish]

One source said it was actually Dave.

[Chris Wimmer]

Who was cheating, and one of his opponents stood up and told him so in English. The man moved his hand toward his gun and Dave drew his pistol and.

[Michael Meglish]

Fired before the man cleared leather.

[Chris Wimmer]

As drunk as Dave was, he wasn't so drunk that he couldn't shoot a.

[Michael Meglish]

Man right between the eyes.

[Chris Wimmer]

As the dead man tumbled backward, another card player drew his gun and fired. The man missed, but Rudabaugh spun in his chair and shot the second man in the chest. Dave turned again and shot a third man. In seconds, two men were dead, one was wounded, and the card game was.

[Michael Meglish]

Well and truly finished.

[Chris Wimmer]

Dave stood up and walked out of the cantina only to find that the.

[Michael Meglish]

Horse he had tied up out front was gone.

[Chris Wimmer]

When he turned back toward the cantina with his pistol in hand, his time.

[Michael Meglish]

Was up and his end would not be for the faint of heart.

[Chris Wimmer]

Someone in or near the cantina shot.

[Michael Meglish]

Rudabaugh with a rifle.

[Chris Wimmer]

More shots followed and the reports echoed through the cantina and the street. Rudabaugh's legs buckled and he fell down dead in the street. People raced out of the cantina and.

[Michael Meglish]

Other buildings and a mob began to swarm around the body of the 31 year old outlaw.

[Chris Wimmer]

A man with a machete decapitated Dirty.

[Michael Meglish]

Dave Rudabaugh like a macabre parade.

[Chris Wimmer]

Townspeople marched through the streets with Rudabaugh's head held aloft. One account claims the people put Rudabaugh's head on a spike. They hastily buried his body in a nearby cemetery and later buried his head with it. Like many outlaws, his friend Billy included, rumors circulated that Rudabaugh did not die a terrible death in Mexico, but instead he returned to America, got married, raised.

[Michael Meglish]

A family and turned himself into a cattle rancher.

[Chris Wimmer]

But of all the rumors associated with.

[Michael Meglish]

Dirty Dave Rudabaugh, the one where he lives out a quiet life as a.

[Chris Wimmer]

Family man and a rancher seems the most far fetched.

[N/A]

Foreign.

[Chris Wimmer]

Next time on Legends of the Old west, we'll begin the story of.

[Michael Meglish]

Bill Doolin and the Doolin Dalton Gang.

[Chris Wimmer]

In the waning days of the Old west, the Dalton Gang and its successor, the Doolin Dalton Gang, were some of.

[Michael Meglish]

The preeminent outlaws of the time.

[Chris Wimmer]

Their story starts next week on Legends.

[Michael Meglish]

Of the Old West.

[N/A]

Foreign.

[Michael Meglish]

Members of our Black Barrel plus program don't have to wait week to week to receive new episodes. They receive the entire season to binge all at once with no commercials and they also receive exclusive bonus episodes. Sign up now through the link in the show notes or on our website black barrel media.com memberships are just $5 per month. The series was researched and written by Michael Meglish. The producer was Joe Garra. Original music by Rob Valiere. I'm Chris Wimmer. Thanks for listening.

[Anne Foster]

Have you ever heard about the 19th century French actress with so many lovers that they formed a lovers union or what about the aboriginal Australian bandit who filmed faked going into labor just to escape the police? Which she did escape from them. It was a great plan. How about the French queen who murdered her rival with poison gloves? I'm Anne Foster, host of the feminist women's history comedy podcast Vulgar History. Every week I share the saga of a woman from history whose story you probably didn't already know and you will never forget after you hear it. Sometimes we re examine well known people like Cleopatra or Pocahontas, sharing the truth behind their legends. Sometimes we look at the scandalous women you'll never find in a history textbook. Listen to Vulgar History wherever you get podcasts. And if you're curious, the people I was talking about before the Australian woman is named Marianne Bug and the French actress was named Rochelle no less. Name just Rochelle. And the queen who poisoned her rival is Catherine de Medici. I have episodes about all of them.

[N/A]

Live from the Internet's red carpet, it's Vrbo's 2025 vacation rentals of the Year, our annual showcase of the very best of Vrbo. Selected from over 2 million private vacation rentals, this year's list features breakout hits like a ski in, ski out, mountain chalet and a modern beach compound. With unobstructed ocean views, and with discounts on select stays of one week or longer, these critically acclaimed homes might be more affordable than you'd think. Head over to vrbo.com that's vrbo to check out the official list and make it a VRBO.