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Why was the outlaw John Shaw removed from his coffin?

After John Shaw was killed in the Canyon Diablo shootout in 1905, he was quickly buried in a shallow grave near the scene of the gunfight.

However, within 24 hours, his body was exhumed by a group of drunken cowboys.

The cowboys felt that Shaw had been unjustly denied his "last drink" before his death, as he had been killed mid-sip at the saloon in Winslow.

They wanted to give him that final drink.

The exhumed body of John Shaw was propped up against a fence, and a bottle of whiskey was placed on his chest so he could have his last drink.

This macabre scene was captured in a series of six photographs by a cowboy in attendance.

After the bottle was emptied, the cowboys solemnly placed Shaw back into his coffin, rested the empty bottle on his chest, and said a few hurried prayers before reburying him.

Folklore and legends surrounding John Shaw's afterlife treatment suggest that his remains may have been viewed or displayed by curious locals after his death, adding to the mystery and intrigue around his outlaw story.

The Canyon Diablo shootout that led to Shaw's death was a brief but violent confrontation between a pair of bandits (Shaw and his accomplice William Evans) and local lawmen.

Shaw and Evans had robbed a saloon in Winslow the night before the shootout, making off with around $200 in coins.

This robbery set the stage for the deadly encounter the next day.

Interestingly, Shaw's body was not immediately reburied after the initial exhumation and final drink.

Records indicate it may have been left exposed for some time, further fueling local legends.

The practice of exhuming bodies and providing a "last drink" was not entirely uncommon in the American West, as outlaw figures were often romanticized and given elaborate posthumous rituals.

Forensic analysis of Shaw's remains could potentially provide insights into the specifics of his death and burial, but the whereabouts of his body after the initial reburial remain unclear.

The Canyon Diablo shootout and Shaw's unconventional burial have become emblematic of the lawlessness and frontier justice that characterized parts of the American West in the early 20th century.

Historians and researchers continue to investigate the details surrounding Shaw's life, death, and the legends that have emerged, offering a glimpse into the complex and often sensationalized narratives surrounding outlaw figures.

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