Hosea Matthews

appearance

By 1899, Hosea is a lean, elderly man with neat, silver hair cut short and a clean shaven face. In hotter temperatures, Hosea wears either an orange or a striped blue vest over a shirt which is faded blue or plain white, as well as black trousers tucked into embossed, brown leather boots and with a faded red neckerchief and a black hat. In more temperate climates, he can be seen wearing an unbuttoned dark green coat, yellow vest, white shirt and black trousers tucked into embossed, brown leather boots with faded orange spurs. While he is in Colter, Hosea wears the same dark green coat buttoned up and a red and black striped scarf loosely hanging around his neck with a navy blue hat. For the mayor's party and the bank robbery in Saint Denis, Hosea wears a white shirt, a dark blue waistcoat and a black jacket with a black bow tie. In terms of weaponry, he owns two custom Cattleman Revolvers with bone grips and steel frames, both of which are in a reverse position in their holsters with the grips pointing forwards, designed for a cavalry draw. In his younger days, as seen in a photo featuring him, Dutch and Arthur, Hosea appears to have had light blond or white hair, and wore a white shirt with a darker colored jacket over it.

Personality

In a conversation with Dutch he says that the gang has turned into just "a bunch of killers" and comments on how he dislikes both the killing and himself for putting up with it in a story he tells around the campfire. Like Dutch, the gang seems to view Hosea as a sort of fatherly figure. Hosea is one of the few members of the Van der Linde gang that seems to be respected by all of its members, except by Micah Bell, and he openly dislikes him. He's viewed as a more level-headed leader than Dutch, with Arthur even remarking in his journal that although Arthur loves Dutch like a father, he "loves Hosea even more".

Personality

"It isn't my fault, all the unkindness and misery and I can't stop it. I can't change it, but I can improve things... just a bit." Matthews Hosea is an intelligent outlaw in touch with his wits, having worked as a con-artist and a thief for over two decades. He appears to be a slick talker, using his brains to get into and out of any situation in hand. Unlike Arthur or Dutch, Hosea prefers not to use violence as a means of obtaining money. Instead, Hosea often resorts on elaborate schemes to swindle people out of their money, playing a character to distract and disarm those he is trying to rob. However, Hosea is willing to resort to violence when he feels that it is warranted, such as when he killed a man who tried to rob him,[17] when he pulls a gun on Bill and threatens him,[18] and when he participated in the assault on Braithwaite Manor.[19] Hosea is generally a calm and patient man and rarely loses his temper or raises his voice to anyone, however his calm disposition and preference for non-violence is shown to have its limits when he catches Sean MacGuire sleeping while on lookout and subsequently kicks and berates the latter in a moment of anger, going as far as threatening to slit Sean's throat in an uncharacteristic outburst.[20] Having known each other since at least 1877, Hosea became Dutch's right-hand man and closest friend over the duration of two decades of association. By 1899 he appears to be Dutch's most trusted lieutenant, with only Arthur Morgan rivaling if not surpassing him. Over the course of the game, his relationship with Dutch is somewhat tested, as Dutch's increasing brashness and violence begin to clash with Hosea's preference for non-violence. Hosea seems to have much remorse for his past actions in life and how they hurt people.

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After arriving at the new camp, Hosea, Arthur and Dutch go out riding, looking for a spot to go fishing. On the ride, they come across Sheriff Leigh Gray and his deputy, Archibald MacGregor, who are seen transporting Trelawny and a group of young outlaws. Soon, the outlaws escape, and Arthur recaptures them, leading to Trelawny's release at Dutch's request. If the player wishes, then Dutch, Hosea and Arthur can go fishing. On the fishing trip, the three reminisce about old times and eventually row back to camp after catching enough fish. Later, Hosea and Arthur attempt to sell the moonshine that the gang stole from the Braithwaites back to Catherine Braithwaite. Despite being initially hostile, Mrs. Braithwaite agrees to purchase the liquor, under the condition that Hosea and Arthur give the moonshine away at a local Gray owned saloon. Hosea and Arthur enter the saloon under the disguise of advertising and successfully give the liquor away, before they are interrupted by a group of Lemoyne Raiders. As a result, the two are forced to shoot their way out of the saloon and escape the town. Hosea continues bartering with Catherine Braithwaite for jobs to do for her, in exchange for money. She eventually asks for the Gray family's tobacco fields at Caliga Hall to be torched; Arthur and Sean are sent to do this while Hosea continues to negotiate with Mrs. Braithwaite. The Braithwaites eventually see through the gang's duplicity after finding out that it was they who stole the family's prized horses.

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After setting up camp, Hosea can be seen wandering around camp, doing various activities. Later, he gives Arthur a Raven Black Shire horse and the two go out hunting in Ambarino for a "1000 pound bear." After nearly being attacked, him and Arthur either return to camp together, or they will part ways. He also gives Arthur a map of the legendary animals. Soon afterwards, Hosea heads to Emerald Ranch in the hope of finding a lead. Arthur finds him talking to Seamus, who asks Hosea to prove himself by stealing a stagecoach from Bob Crawford, his “cousin by marriage.” Despite hesitation from Arthur, Hosea accepts, and the two ride to Carmody Dell. Upon arrival, the two observe that Crawford is in, and the player can decide to steal the stagecoach now, or wait until night. If they decide to do it at day, Hosea will distract Bob Crawford and his son, while Arthur loots the house and steals the coach or, if they do it at night, Hosea will steal the stagecoach and Arthur will loot the house. After commandeering the stagecoach, the two take it back to Emerald Ranch, and get paid $300 by Seamus. After the shootout in Valentine, Hosea strongly opposes Dutch's idea of moving east, arguing that the West is where they should be going. Despite Hosea's opposition, Dutch still goes ahead with the plan to move east, much to Hosea's dismay.

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Hosea is first seen riding with Dutch on the wagon in the opening cinematic. He tells Dutch that they need to find shelter quickly, and then points out Arthur up ahead. When they arrive at Colter, Hosea is seen investigating a cabin. After discovering that it is deserted, he tells the others to bring the mortally wounded Davey Callander inside. The following morning, Abigail begs Arthur to find John Marston, who hasn't returned after two days. After a slight argument, Hosea steps in and tells Arthur that they are all worried about him, before sending Arthur and Javier to go and look for him. Along with Charles Smith, Hosea stays behind at camp while the majority of the other gang members are attacking a nearby O'Driscoll hideout. He later voices his opposition of robbing the Cornwall train that Dutch has set his sights on, and is absent from the robbery. He is then seen a few days later helping to load up the wagons, preparing to leave. Upon arriving in New Hanover, Hosea and Arthur hang back to fix the wagon's broken wheel with the help of Charles. Hosea then points out the Native Americans positioned atop the ridge and tells Arthur and Charles about their history, which leads to a discussion about Charles and later, Arthur's upbringings. He later hands Arthur some Ginseng and Yarrow before reaching the new camp.

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In 1887, the gang committed its first bank robbery, which Hosea was part of. He, Dutch and Arthur raided the bank of Lee and Hoyt and made off with $5000 of gold. After the robbery, they lingered around the town, giving the money away to orphanages and the poor.[16] During its early years, the gang made a genuine attempt to help the poor. However, Hosea eventually became disillusioned with the gang over time, when it stopped helping others and instead focused on its own survival, in addition to becoming increasingly violent. Despite his reservations, Hosea remained a loyal member of the gang. As of 1899, Hosea is both the most senior member of the gang and Dutch's lieutenant. Intelligent and level-headed, Hosea regularly advises Dutch and is valued for his wisdom. As much as he shares similar ideals, he tends to favour peaceful methods of making money and is more pragmatic in his understanding of what lies in store for the gang.

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March 1877, the two managed to escape their cell, robbing and binding the sheriff in the process.[13] That same year, the two came across a 14-year-old delinquent named Arthur Morgan, who they took under their wing.[14] The young Morgan benefitted hugely from the mentoring of his two adoptive fathers, Hosea and Dutch. Around the same time that they met Arthur, Dutch would begin a relationship with Susan Grimshaw.[15] This group of four would eventually expand over the years and become the Van der Linde gang. At some stage, Hosea met and fell in love with a woman named Bessie, whom he later married. He later left the gang for a time to be with her, but he slowly drifted back into it over time. Despite this, Bessie understood who Hosea was and the two stayed together, although she died at some point before 1899. Hosea says that he was "drunk for a year" after Bessie's death.

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In his early years, Hosea aspired to become a priest, not knowing that he needed to be a Catholic to do so. As a young man, he also pursued a career as a comedian, practicing his slapstick routine in local theaters and on the streets. Along with comedy, Hosea loved drama and even attempted to read one, although he struggled to understand it. Nonetheless, he dreamed of performing in a drama onstage. One day, he snuck onto the stage of Cyril Tourneur's The Revenger's Tragedy, where he flubbed a line and was booed off stage. Following this failure, Hosea abandoned pursuing a dramatic career. Eventually, Hosea turned to a life of crime, developing into an experienced conman. Shedding any scruples, he would lie, steal, and even kill when necessary, targetting anyone and anything he could. In the mid-1870s, Hosea met another outlaw named Dutch van der Linde at a campfire on the road to Chicago; he tried to con and rob Dutch, pretending to be the son of the French ambassador, only to realize that Dutch had stolen his money and gun in the meantime. Both saw the skill that the other had and laughed, before deciding to become partners in crime. The two grifters would roam the country together, running tricks and scamming people they thought deserved it the most. In early 1877, the pair found themselves in Kettering, Ohio. They began conning several people over the course of several weeks, posing as international merchants and conning twelve locals into investing $300 into a fictitious Portuguese shipping company. They were eventually discovered and arrested by Sheriff Carmichael. However, on 8th March 1877, the two managed to escape their cell, robbing and binding the sheriff in the process. That same year, the two came across a 14-year-old delinquent named Arthur Morgan, who they took under their wing.[14] The young Morgan benefitted hugely from the mentoring of his two adoptive fathers, Hosea and Dutch.

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Hosea is both the most senior member of the gang and Dutch's oldest friend. Intelligent and levelheaded, Hosea regularly advises Dutch and is valued for his wisdom. As much as he shares similar ideals, he appears to be much more pragmatic in his understanding of what lies in store for the gang. HoseaMatthewsBio Biography in RDR 2 (click to enlarge) Hosea Matthews was born circa 1844 in the Appalachian Mountains, where he spent much of his younger years. Hosea is of English descent, as his grandfather was a turnip farmer from Lincolnshire. His father was a three-time bigamist and reprobate who lived "a life of sin and debauchery that would make an emperor blush" and died at the age of 75. Despite only seeing him for three months in his enti