John Joshua Webb (February 14, 1847 – April 12, 1882) was a noted lawman turned gunfighter and outlaw of the American Old West.
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.
Masterson deputized Webb and two others, Kinch Riley and Dave "Prairie Dog" Morrow, to track down outlaws who had robbed a train.
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.
[1] 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.
[1] On March 2, 1880, Webb and a deputy entered the Goodlet and Roberts Saloon in Las Vegas, where they observed a man named Michael Killiher, armed with a holstered pistol.
Although seemingly justified, rumors quickly spread that JOP Hyman Niell had information that Killiher (a freightor by trade) had in his possession $1,900, and he had sent Webb to take it from him.
Webb drifted, changing his name to "Samuel King" and working for the railroad, eventually moving to Winslow, Arkansas, where he died of smallpox on April 12, 1882.