John Joshua Webb

John Joshua Webb (February 14, 1847 – April 12, 1882) was a noted lawman turned gunfighter and outlaw of the American Old West.

Webb was born February 14, 1847, in Keokuk County, Iowa, the seventh of twelve children born to William Webb Jr and Innocent Blue Brown Webb. Webb moved about often in his youth. The family moved to Nebraska in 1862, and later to Osage City, Kansas. Webb headed west on his own in 1871, working as a buffalo hunter and miner along the way.

Webb drifted to Dodge City, Kansas, where he came into contact with several notable personalities of the old west, including Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. While there, he took part as a member of several posses and served periodically as a deputy. By January 1878, Bat Masterson was the newly appointed sheriff of Ford County. Masterson deputized Webb and two others, Kinch Riley and Dave "Prairie Dog" Morrow, to track down outlaws who had robbed a train.

One of those outlaws was "Dirty Dave" Rudabaugh. The deputies caught up with the outlaws and, during the arrest, Rudabaugh went for his gun but was overwhelmed by Webb and disarmed. Rudabaugh informed on his cohorts, and they received prison sentences, whereas he was later released.

In September 1878, exaggerated reports of Cheyenne raids on the populace prompted the government to send firearms to Dodge City to be used for self-defense by the citizens. Army Lt. Colonel William Henry Lewis selected Webb, Bill Tilghman, and others to serve as Army scouts.

In 1879, Webb was selected to serve as a hired gun by Bat Masterson during the fight for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway during the Railroad Wars in Royal Gorge Colorado. He moved on from there to Las Vegas, New Mexico, joining Dave Mather, Doc Holliday and others, to include Dave Rudabaugh. Shortly after arriving there, he partnered with Doc Holliday in running a saloon, where Doc spent most of his time gambling. On July 19, 1879, the two were seated when a former Army scout named Mike Gordon began yelling loudly at one of the saloon girls. When the man stormed from the saloon, Doc Holliday followed him. Gordon produced his pistol and fired one shot, missing. Holliday immediately drew and fired, killing Gordon. On July 26, 1879, the Las Vegas Daily Gazette reported that eyewitnesses had not identified the shooter. No town records have been found to confirm if Holliday was ever identified or charged with the crime. Not until two years later was Holliday cited by Optic editor Russell Kistler as the "identical individual who killed poor, inoffensive Mike Gordon." In 1886, Masterson remembered the day of the Gordon shooting, saying, "Gordon raised his revolver to fire a second time, but before he could pull the trigger, 'Doc' had shot him dead." His account was also reprinted in the Tucson Weekly Arizona Citizen on August 14, 1886.

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