“Mysterious Dave” Rudebo

During the Lincoln County War, Billy the Kid ran with different types of people in gangs. Some were good and just got into conflicts where they had to choose sides. Others were terrible desperados with little respect for life. Each of those characters had their own story.

Today we take a look at one of the characters that was so bad. This person’s name is “Mysterious Dave” Rudebo. This story is quite long, so it will be divided into two parts. According to the Philadelphia Times, this is a true story and amazing to read. i hope you enjoy it.

Philadelphia Times

May 10, 1884

texas romance

Bold Raid on Fort Davis Stores and Consequences

cute wife of a thief

She helps her husband escape and kills herself

Times correspondent

Chihuahua, Mexico, May 1

The other day, while waiting for a friend from Paso del Norte to arrive, someone touched my arm and pronounced my name. I turned to meet him, one of the most remarkable men the Southwestern Frontier has produced. No less than the infamous “Mysterious Dave” Lou Deveaux, he was one of “Billy the Kid’s” lieutenants in Lincoln County. , New Mexico, the Cattle Wars, and then several marauding raids along the frontier with Jesse Evans. His hair was long, curly and black like the wings of a crow. He wore a neatly trimmed, waxed mustache the same color as his hair, and his semi-civilized dress was the richest expression possible. and two silver mounted six-gun handles peeked out from under the collar of his broadcoat. A large diamond sparkled on the front of his shirt and another on his left pinky finger. I returned his greeting and he invited me to the adjoining cantina for a bottle of Aguardiente and a fragrant puro (Janice Danahoo: cigar).

Rusler

“Where have you been the last two years, Dave?” I asked.

“In major cities on this side of the Rio Grande,” was the answer.

“It looks like you succeeded?”

“Success is not the name of the pig-killing time I had. I’ve just made my fortune and with any luck I’ll be able to retire and settle down in a few years.”

“Of course you follow the ‘old racket’?” was my next observation.

“You bet, and I hit it every time.”

When I mentioned “old racket,” I meant the business my dashing friend was engaged in when we last met in Texas. Back then, Dave was a real thief and no adventure was too dangerous for him to undertake.

When I first heard of him, he was a cowboy in Lincoln County, New Mexico. He was reckless, brave, and one-hit with rifles and six-shooters. He was hired by Old Chitsum, hired as a thief by the Great Ox Man when the Ox Wars broke out, and fought in several desperate skirmishes under the leadership of William Bonney, aka “Billy the Kid”. It was a. It lasted until the end. Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett rounded up and murdered “The Kid” near the old Fort Sumner in the early summer of 1881, and Dave was charged with multiple murders and robberies in New Mexico, Texas. and reunited with Jesse. Evans, who had a fight with “The Kid” in the early days of the Cattle War, struck out for himself. Evans was the leader of the frantic band consisting of George Davis, John Gunter and Graham Boys. Mysterious Dave was a valuable acquisition for the outfit. He assisted Jesse Evans in planning the raid and was the leader when they were executed.

Raid on Fort Davis

In the spring of 1881, immigrants began flooding Pecos, Presidio, Tom Green, and El Paso counties. The Indians were driven out and ranches were arranged in all directions. Fort Davis, home of Presidio County, began to improve and several stores opened. They made a thriving trade and the owners made a lot of money. One of the post office’s major trading companies was Sender & Sieben Bones. Jesse Evans’ gang expanded the location and decided to rob it. They planned accordingly, and one night, just after a boom in reverse artillery, the band ran to the shop and dismounted from their horses. The only customers in the store are two army officers. One of George Davis and Graham’s boys remained on horseback. John Gunter and Ed Graham broke into the office.

“Ladies and gentlemen, hands up!” cried Jesse Evans and his six archers, ticking ominously.

The two army officers, company members and clerk did as requested, and Gunther and his companions forced the bookkeeper to put his pen aside and marched him to the head office.

“What does this mean?” asked Mr. Sender.

“We don’t have time to answer questions,” said the mysterious Dave. Please sit near the counter. Be careful not to drop your hand. A move like that would make my Six Shooter talk and someone fall. “

The six men obeyed the outlaw’s orders, and he held a cocked six-barrel gun in front of them. Evans, Gunter, and Graham retreat to their offices and search the safe. They bundled up the money into a convenient bundle, which Evans tied to the horn of his saddle. All this time Dave was keeping an eye on the prisoners. One of his officers was wearing a solid gold watch, so the outlaws took it from him and forced him to empty his pockets. When the officer flipped up the skirt of his coat and put his hands into the pockets of his pantaloons, he revealed six bullet sheaths.

“Oh! my friend,” said Dave. He then fastened the belt around his waist.

Evans called him out and he backed up to the door. He put one of his pistols back into its scabbard, raised his sombrero and bowed low. “Good evening, gentlemen,” he said, closing his door.

robbery chase

The robbers drove off, and it took a while before the men in the shop dared raise the alarm. “E” Company of the State Rangers, under the command of Captain Charles L. Neville, was camped six miles from Mookie’s Ranch post. A scouting party under the command of Sergeant LB Carruthers set out in pursuit of Rustler. His Siebenborn, one of his members of the looted company, completely prostrated himself at this event and lay down on his bed. A nervous fever set in, and after a short illness he died. Sergeant Carruthers followed in the footsteps of the outlaws and eventually overtook them near the center of the prison plain. The gang put up a fight and the Rangers attacked them, one of Graham’s boys was wounded and George Davis died. A ranger named Jackson is mortally wounded. After a fierce battle, the outlaws surrendered, were taken back to Fort Davis, and lodged in Presidio County. Less than a week after his imprisonment, the Evans, Gunter and Graham boys were released on bail. The Graham family lost their ties and fled to Arizona. All three were then murdered in a mining camp not far from Tombstone. Evans and Gunter were tried and convicted, and in prison each he was sentenced to ten years. Some time after being taken to this facility, they attempted to escape, and Evans succeeded. He fled the state and was later known to have lived an honest life as a ranch overseer in Sonora, Mexico. Gunther was less successful. As he tried to scale the prison wall, he was shot dead by a guard. Mysterious Dave was wanted for so many crimes that he was unable to pay his bail and languished in prison. However, he had many friends who helped make his stay in prison as comfortable as circumstances allowed, and he was the only prisoner after his companions were released. However, knowing his desperate nature and fearing that he would try to escape, the sheriff sought the assistance of rangers to protect the prison, and a squad of men was stationed there. To further secure the desperate prisoner, he was heavily ironed and chained to a stone wall. One night, about a week after Dave became the prison’s only resident, the stage on the eastward overland route saw a young woman among the passengers, elegantly dressed and heavily laden with expensive jewelry. I brought She was very beautiful, with rich olive skin, delicately tinted cheeks, bright red lips, dazzling white teeth, and large brown eyes of great expressiveness. Her hands were small and shapely, and her figure was supple and supple. Her tiniest legs peeked out from under her silk skirt. She asked the way to her prison, and when a square adobe building was pointed to her, she went to a large gate and knocked for her entrance. A ranger answered the call and raised a sombrero to the visitor. The visitor smiled sweetly.

Russler’s wife

“Is Mr. Dave Rudabaugh imprisoned here?” she asked in a delicately tuned voice.

“Yes,” replied the Ranger.

“Can I meet him?”

“I think so. I’ll call the corporal. He’s responsible.”

The Ranger Corporal, who was a brave man, gazed admirably at his beautiful visitor, and when she begged him in the sweetest voice for permission to see his famous prisoner, it was immediately granted.

“I am his wife,” she explained, as they walked across the prison yard, the corporal envying that the mysterious Dave was married to such a charming and beautiful being. As the trapdoor lifted and Dave peered into the dark dungeon where she was being held captive, she closed the shutters and tears began to form in her eyes. If she had requested it, she would have set the prisoners free.

“Can I see him here?” she asked timidly. “It’s very dark over there.”

“Sure,” replied the corporal, and one of the men descended into the dungeon and unlocked the chains that had trapped Dave in the wall.

However, the shackles had not been removed and I needed help climbing the ladder. As his feet touched the floor, the beautiful woman, with a joyful cry, stepped forward in front of her and wrapped her arms around his neck. The Rangers turned their heads away and allowed the couple to speak together without interruption after the initial greeting. He was carefully searched, but nothing was found on his person.

“My husband told me you were very kind to him,” the beautiful visitor told the corporal as she left. I will stay here until Dave goes to trial. “

“Thank you ma’am!” said the corporal, leading her to the gate.

About an hour after she left the wine, a box of fine cigars was taken to the prison and handed to the ranger corporal “with the compliments of Mrs. Lou Debaud.” Rangers drank and smoked fine cigars for the health of their beautiful donors. His three rangers, including a corporal, eventually retired, complaining of unusual sleepiness. Two men remained vigilant, but they nodded at the pillars and rubbed their eyes to stay awake. In the middle of the night, when his two men on duty had to wake his two companions who kept him balanced for the night, they were both snoring loudly. Suddenly a woman got on a pony, led another, and rode down under the shadow of the prison wall. She tied up both animals and crept into the large gate. Here she waited and listened to her.

to be continued.

Contact information for historian Janice Danahoo is: jdunna@hotmail.com.