Hosea Matthews

A master con artist, gentleman, and thief, Hosea has been Dutch's closest friend and right-hand man for over twenty years. Intelligent and quick-witted, he can talk his way into, or out of, just about anything.

Hosea Matthews is a major character in Red Dead Redemption 2. He is a senior member and co-founder of the Van der Linde Gang. As the right-hand man to Dutch, Hosea's word carries much weight in the gang, and all members respect his wisdom.

Meta Information

Along with Uncle he is one of the oldest members of the Van der Linde Gang.

Hosea Matthews is voiced by Curzon Dobell.

History

Early Life

Hosea hasn't talked much about his past. He claims to have been "raised in the mountains" but never gives a clear place of birth. One of the only aspects of his past he talks about in any detail is his father, whom he only ever saw three times in his life. His father allegedly lived a life of "sin and debauchery that would make an emperor blush". He died at age 75. Hosea began his life of crime early on, being a robber already as a kid.

Meeting Dutch

Matthews' account of meeting Dutch van der Linde in or around 1878 - other evidence suggests the actual date was two years earlier - is that they had tried to rob one another. Following that incident, Matthews and Dutch became close friends and partners in crime. Soon after they founded the Van der Linde Gang and Hosea became Dutch's right-hand man.

Good old Dutch, my best friend. You know how we met? A pair of hucksters trying to rob each other, back in '78 or thereabouts.

At some point before 1899, Hosea temporarily left the Van der Linde Gang when he attempted to settle down with a woman called Bessie. Hosea and Bessie married and tried to make a life within the bounds of the law. Bessie died for unknown reasons, and Hosea rejoined the gang.

Events of Red Dead Redemption 2

Hosea appears alongside Arthur and Dutch in the game's opening cinematic as the gang is escaping the aftermath of a robbery gone bad in Blackwater. After the gang settle in Colter to recoup, Hosea convinces Arthur and Javier to go look for John Marston, after Arthur refused to do so when Abigail asked him. Later on, it is Hosea who informs Arthur of the plans to move eastward.

When the gang moves into the New Hanover area, Charles, Arthur and Hosea stay behind to fix one of their carriages. Later at the new camp, Hosea helps Arthur with crafting. When the gang stages the robbery of Cornwall's train, he takes part in the heist, as well as in the assault on the O'Driscoll camp.

In the second chapter of the game, Hosea doesn't play a major role. He is seen hanging out around the camp, occasionally berating those members who get drunk often. He and Arthur go out hunting together as Hosea knows of a particularly large bear in the area. After they fend off an attack, Hosea and Arthur return to camp.

In the next chapter, Hosea encounters Leigh Gray and Archibald MacGregor while riding with Dutch and Arthur. Leigh and Archibald, both lawmen, are transporting a number of prisoners, gang member Josiah Trelawny among them. Some of the other prisoners escape, and after Arthur helps recapture them Leigh lets him go as thanks. Hosea, Dutch and Arthur may go fishing together after this.

Hosea later goes along with Arthur when he tries to sell stolen moonshine to Catherine Braithwaite. Catherine agrees, but instructs the men to distribute the moonshine at a nearby saloon which is owned by the Gray family. Hosea takes part in this as well but is forced into a shootout when Lemoyne Raiders attack him and Arthur. Near the end of the chapter, Hosea takes part in the mission to rescue Jack while attacking the Braithwaites.

In the Saint Denis chapter, Hosea is among the characters who attended the party. Hosea is adamantly against the kidnapping of Angelo Bronte however Arthur's deciding vote sets them on the task nonetheless. During the gang's bank robbery, Hosea and Abigail are tasked with providing a distraction. While they succeed and the gang manages to rob the bank, agent Andew Milton finds the pair, capturing Hosea. Milton confronts Dutch mid-robbery and kills Hosea as an example to him.

Hosea's body is recovered by Sadie Adler during the time when the gang is split in two with one half being stuck in Guarma. He and Lenny Summers are buried in Bluewater Marsh together with attention paid to their mentor-mentee relationship.

Personality

Hosea is a smart and learned man, preferring wits and diplomacy over violence. He is experienced and wise, and tends to favor caution over brash action. His age and skill have earned him the respect of everyone in the gang, which is rare. Alongside Dutch, he too acts as a kind of fatherly figure to everyone else in the gang.

Hosea knew Dutch the longest and was his closes friend, however Dutch's actions during the events of the game have occasionally put the two men at odds. Hosea had a close bond of friendship with Lenny Summers to whom he was something of a mentor. Like Arthur and John, Hosea tried convincing Lenny to leave the gang and lead a peaceful life.

He enjoys reading and likes crime novels in particular. Arthur has the chance to get Hosea a book by his favorite author, which Hosea thanks with Predator Bait.

Mission Appearances

Red Dead Redemption

• None

Red Dead Redemption 2

• "Outlaws from the West"
• "Enter, Pursued by a Memory"
• "Old Friends"
• "Who the Hell is Leviticus Cornwall?"
• "Eastward Bound"
• "Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego"
• "The Spines of America"
• "A Strange Kindness"
• "The New South"
• "Advertising, The New American Art"
• "The Fine Joys of Tobacco"
• "Blessed are the Peacemakers"
• "Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern"
• "The Battle of Shady Belle"
• "Angelo Bronte, A Man of Honor"
• "The Gilded Cage"
• "Horsemen, Apocalypses"
• "Country Pursuits"
• "Banking, The Old American Art"
• "Red Dead Redemption"

Trivia

• Hosea is a Roman Catholic.
• He carries a pair of custom Cattleman Revolvers.
• A newspaper clipping mentions a job Dutch and Hosea ran in 1877, meaning he is misremember the date of their meeting when he says 1878.