Mission giver

Hosea Matthews

Voiced by Curzon Dobell

4 missions given

Hosea Matthews hands out 4 of the 128 story missions, the first The Spines of America and the last Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego.

Hands out work. Their initial is the marker you drive to.

Role: Mission givers
Voice actor: Curzon Dobell
Status: Not stated
Occupation: Comedian (formerly) Stage actor (formerly) Outlaw Conman
Affiliations: Van der Linde gang (co-founder)

Player notes

Born around 1844 in the Appalachian Mountains, Hosea Matthews loses his parents as a teenager and narrowly escapes a hanging after being caught stealing a chicken. He abandons ambitions to become a priest, comedian and stage actor, then becomes a confidence man willing to steal or kill. In the mid-1870s, he tries to swindle Dutch van der Linde beside the road to Chicago. Dutch has already taken Hosea's money and gun, and the two recognise each other's talent before becoming partners.

Hosea and Dutch recruit Arthur Morgan in 1877, later helping raise John Marston after Dutch saves him from a hanging. Hosea marries Bessie and briefly leaves the gang to attempt an honest life, but returns to crime. Her death leaves him drinking for a year. By 1899, he is Dutch's oldest companion and lieutenant. He distrusts the gang's growing violence and favours careful cons over bloodshed, though he remains loyal as its focus shifts from aiding others to surviving.

After the Blackwater ferry robbery collapses, Hosea and Arthur ride in from the other side of town to help the gang escape. With the survivors trapped in a blizzard, Hosea rides beside Dutch into the Grizzlies and urges him to find shelter. At Colter, he checks an empty cabin and has Davey Callander brought inside. He sends Arthur and Javier Escuella to search for John, then prepares the gang to move east when the weather clears. In New Hanover, Hosea and Arthur stay behind to repair a broken wagon.

Trivia

◆Hosea is buried next to Lenny in Bluewater Marsh. However, they can only be visited after "Fleeting Joy".
◆Both Hosea and Lenny state in a random dialogue that they wanted to be buried with friends, foreshadowing that they would be buried together.
◆The relationship between Hosea and Lenny is comparable with that of Arthur and John. Both relationships feature an older gang member (Hosea and Arthur) initially being unsure about their more junior comrade but later growing to like them, while the younger one (Lenny and John) wishes to prove themselves despite the older one suggesting that they leave.
◆Arthur's journal contains a quote (after the mission "Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego") stating that he loves Dutch, but in many ways, loves Hosea even more.
◆Very rarely, Hosea can be seen on guard duty. The most likely opportunity to encounter this is before starting any mission in Chapter 2.
◆Oftentimes, when Hosea and Arthur fake their identities, Hosea makes Arthur play the "idiot" archetype. This notably occurs in missions such as "Advertising, The New American Art," as well as a rare camp encounter in Horseshoe Overlook where Hosea tells two strangers that come across the camp that Arthur "was dropped on his head as a child."
◆Matthews can often be heard coughing and wheezing, leading to speculation from some other gang members that he has some kind of lung disease, which is further confirmed by Hosea himself if the player chooses to converse with him while he is making medicine in Chapter 3. The nature of this illness is unknown, but by his symptoms and lifestyle, emphysema would be the likeliest culprit. At Guarma's camp, the player can talk to Micah, who then comments on the recent deaths of the two gang members: "Hosea was dying anyway, but Lenny... You know what they say about pride before a fall."
◆Hosea is a fan of crime novels, particularly the Aldous Filson mystery series. Arthur can find one of these books, The Case of the Deceitful German, around his tent or sleeping area.
◆If Arthur picks the book up to read it, it is possible to trigger a request mission in which Arthur can find his old friend another book by the same author. As a gesture of gratitude, Hosea will leave some predator bait by Arthur's tent.
◆This is the only request mission which is not given directly by the person asking for the item.
◆The name Hosea is Jewish, as it belonged to an eighth-century BC prophet in Israel who appears in the Hebrew Bible. He authored the book of prophecies that bears his name, which means "salvation", "he saves", or "he helps".
◆Both of the revolvers used by Hosea look almost identical to John's Cattleman Revolver - they have the same color scheme and worn appearance but the grips have a Buck Cattleman logo while John's Cattleman doesn't.
◆Hosea's secondary weapon is a custom Semi-Auto Shotgun in blued steel with a browned frame and the stock varnish.
◆Hosea's history with surviving the death penalty for a petty theft is possibly based on the book series about Richard Sharpe by Bernard Cornwell, where Obadiah Hakeswill told a similar story.
◆While chatting around the campfire, Hosea states in a random dialogue that he originally wanted to be a priest, although he "didn't know you had to be a Catholic to be a priest", implying that he is or was either irreligious or from a different branch of Christianity, or even raised in the Jewish religion as suggested by his first name.
◆When playing dominoes with Arthur, Hosea will give hints on shops' illegal side businesses and ask Arthur to check them out. Hosea's robbery tip depends on which chapter the player is on. For example, he will reveal the Valentine doctor's illicit protection business when the player is in Chapter 2.
◆Hosea and Micah are the only members of the Van der Linde gang to prefer the cavalry draw, a method used to extract a revolver or pistol from a holster that is designed to carry the pistol or revolver butt forward.