While many might know the fates of the Van der Linde gang and how the events ofRed Dead Redemption 2unfold, they might not know how each gang member actually became part of the Van der Linde gang in the first place, leaving the origins for these outlaws untold.
With so many outlaws as a part of the Van der Linde gang, it’s worth knowing how each character found Dutch before the events ofRed Dead Redemption 2, and how joining the Van der Linde gang would forever change their lives for better or worse.
25Dutch Van der Linde
Dutch Found Hosea, a Man Who Was His Thief Equal
Dutch Van der Linde formed the Van der Linde gang alongside Hosea Matthews after the two attempted to rob each other in the mid-1870s. The duo saw their potential after they managed to rob each other, and Dutch’s silver tongue convinced Hosea to partner up as a duo that could rob the rich and give to the poor – a notion that enticed the good moral standings of Hosea.
24Hosea Matthews
Hosea Found Dutch, An Equally Talented Thief
Hosea Matthews met Dutch Van der Linde at a campfire, where the duo, unknowingly robbed each other at the same time. Hosea, impressed by Dutch’s skills and charisma, decided to join him across America as the two would live their own version of a Robin Hood life to rob the rich and give to the poor, albeit without the interference of the law.
23Arthur Morgan
Arthur Was An Orphan, Raised by Hosea and Dutch
After the death of Lyle Morgan, Arthur Morgan’s father,Arthur was an orphanwho didn’t have much skill, but when he ran into Dutch and Hosea in 1877, they saw his potential. The duo took Arthur in as their own and raised him as a son, teaching him how to read, write, shoot, and become an outlaw just like they were.
22Susan Grimshaw
Also around 1877, Dutch Van der Linde got himself involved with a fiery woman known as Susan Grimshaw. The romance between them blossomed and may have later fizzled, but the two remained inseparable after she joined up with the trio, turning thisold guard of outlawsinto the beginnings of a family.
21John Marston
John Was An Orphan, Saved and Raised by Dutch
Around 1885, a young orphan was to be hanged for thieving but was saved by Dutch Van der Linde. This young orphan was John Marston, who would soon come to be Dutch’s golden boy. Like Arthur, Dutch taught John how to read and shoot, and John would become the second son of the gang, with Arthur as his older brother. John is loyal to the Van der Linde gang, but he did leave them for a year after his sonJack was born.
20Josiah Trelawny
A Charismatic Scammer Who Comes and Goes As He Pleases
It’s likely that Josiah Trelawny joined in with the Van der Linde gang escapades after being won over thanks to Dutch’s charisma, perhaps when the two met in a saloon. Josiah isn’t directly involved with the Van der Linde gang and comes and goes as he pleases, but he often has useful information regarding scores and bank jobs which has him cross paths with Dutch over the years.
19Uncle
A Roaming Freeloader Who Becomes Dutch’s Court Jester
Uncle would have joined up with the Van der Linde gang prior to 1894, and it’s not exactly specified why Uncle joined the gang or how Dutch found him. It’s more than likely that Dutch found Uncle amusing, and saw him as a court jester to keep him entertained and charmed, even if he was rather lazy and didn’t likedoing any dirty work, or any work at all for that matter. Uncle was a good company to have around, so it’s likely that Dutch saw Uncle getting into drunken trouble in a local town and brought him with him.
18Simon Pearson
A Navy Cook Who Got In Trouble With Loan Sharks
After leaving the Navy after just a short stint, Simon Pearson was down on his luck and needed the financial aid of loan sharks. However, when things went south, Pearson was saved by Dutch Van der Linde, a passerby who took a liking to Pearson’s stories and abilities as a cook, and so Pearson joined as the camp’s cook.
17Orville Swanson
A Reverand Who Saved Dutch’s Life
Orville Swanson may be a man of the cloth, but he’s also a man of alcohol and morphine. Swanson’s strong moral standing never gets in the way of his substance abuse, which is why he was of the right mind and body to save Dutch Van der Linde in an unspecified incident, perhaps an altercation at a saloon that Dutch was trying to rob with his charisma, only for Swanson to talk everybody down. Dutch owes Swanson, which is why this reverend is allowed to stick around.
16Tilly Jackson
An Orphan Who Fled Her Gang to be Saved by Dutch
Tilly Jackson was forced to become an outlaw at the age of 12 after being kidnapped by the Foreman Brothers, a gang that would abuse her until she retaliated and killed the cousin of the gang’s leader, Malcolm Foreman. Alone and orphaned, Tilly was rescued on the roadside by Dutch Van der Linde, who raised her just as he had done before with Arthur and John.
