The Van der Linde gang also referred to as Dutch's Boys [2] is an outlaw gang featured in Red Dead Redemption 2 as the main protagonist faction. It is also mentioned in Red Dead Redemption , alongside the appearances of several of its former members. The gang's roots lie in a fateful meeting between two petty hustlers, Dutch van der Linde and Hosea Matthews , around the mids. Hosea attempted to con and rob Dutch, but realized that Dutch had done the same and stolen from him in the meantime.
They both saw the skill that the other had and laughed, deciding to team up and face the future together. The Van der Linde gang was thus founded. Around the same time, Hosea met a woman named Bessie , who he eventually married. Dutch convinced Hosea, who described himself as a "degenerate", that they could find redemption from their sinful lives by robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, similar to the medieval tale of Robin Hood. Dutch had an anarchistic vision of a world without government or corporate interference, a "savage utopia" free from the pressures and intolerance of civilization.
He saw himself as a revolutionary and thought that the gang could be an example to others who would follow their lead. They began pulling tricks and ripping off people they believed deserved it the most. The pair found themselves in the town of Kettering, Ohio, where they began conning several people. They were eventually discovered and arrested by Sheriff Carmichael. On March 9, , the pair escaped from their cell by unknown means, tying up and robbing the sheriff in the process.
Later that year, the pair stumbled across a fourteen-year-old orphan named Arthur Morgan. He was an unruly child, and they decided to take him under their wing, teaching him to read, write, shoot, and other useful skills.
The gang acted as a family, caring for each other. At some point, the gang acquired a pet dog named Copper , who Arthur grew close to and took care of. During the early years of the gang, Hosea and his wife tried to leave the gang and go straight. However, Hosea slowly drifted back to the gang, unable to fight against his own criminal nature. Bessie understood his struggle and stuck by him. Dutch ended his relationship with Susan, but she still remained in the gang. Dutch, at some point later, became romantically involved with a woman named Annabelle.
