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Red Dead Redemption 2

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All stranger missions
The Mercies of Knowledge

The Mercies of Knowledge

Given by
Not stated
Protagonist
Not stated
Chain position
Not stated
Unlocked after
Not stated
Locations
Northern Saint Denis
Target
Not stated
Rewards
Not stated
Unlocks
Not stated
Counter value
Not required for 100%

Player notes

Arthur Morgan meets Professor Andrew Bell III behind a house in northern Saint Denis. Bell is building what he calls a "machine of love" and asks Arthur to obtain one hundred gallons of moonshine, insisting it is for an experiment rather than drinking. Arthur travels to Rhodes and speaks with Alden at the station, who supplies information about a moonshine shipment bound for Saint Denis.

Arthur waits near the wooden bridge outside the city for the wagon from Bluewater Marsh. He kills the driver, his armed companion and the mounted escorts, then takes the wagon of moonshine to Bell. The professor reveals that his device is an electric chair, but says he needs official permission to test it publicly. Arthur goes to the Saint Denis Police Station and obtains a permit from Police Chief Benjamin Lambert.

Back with Bell, Arthur learns that the intended subject is Wilson J. McDaniels, a wanted criminal. Bell gives him McDaniels's poster, and Arthur rides to Moonstone Pond, where McDaniels is with his gang. Arthur fights the gang, catches McDaniels as he attempts to flee and ties him up. On the road back to Saint Denis, the men whose moonshine Arthur stole attack, but Arthur kills them and delivers McDaniels to the professor.

A crowd gathers at the Saint Denis gallows for Bell's demonstration. McDaniels is shaved, strapped into the chair and gagged with a cork. Bell activates the machine, which burns McDaniels as he screams. He tries twice more to prove the chair's humanity, but the third surge kills Bell himself. McDaniels spits out the cork, begs to be shot and dies in pain as the horrified crowd disperses.

Trivia

  • โ—†Players should complete this mission before "Our Best Selves", as it will disappear and not be available afterwards.
  • โ—†Despite only being available for Arthur to complete, the mission description in the save game menu never mentions him - other stranger missions only available to one character mention said character, while those available for both avoid mentioning either. This implies the mission was originally available to John as well, but was removed for unknown reasons (probably to stay historically accurate as by 1907, the electric chair was no longer an experimental execution method). If the game is modded, John has his own dialogue but no facial animations in cutscenes.
  • โ—†After the player delivers the moonshine to Mr. Bell, he may remark "all this wonderful methanol." Methanol is a non-drinkable alcohol made from wood - ethanol, made from grains, is what is supposed to be in moonshine.
  • โ—†The player can either "Ask" or "Demand" the permit from the Police Chief. If the player chooses the first option, the permit will cost $100 initially and $50 after negotiation. If the player demands the permit, it will cost them $150 non-negotiably, as the Chief would "not like" Arthur's tone.
  • โ—†In Part VII, Henri Lemieux can be seen shaking his head and leaving in dismay at the repeated failed attempts to execute McDaniels, implying Bell had invited the mayor to come and view the use of the electric chair; however, Lemieux will still be shown even if the player has already spared Jean-Marc and received his letter revealing that Lemieux is no longer in office.
  • โ—†If Arthur returns to Benjamin Lambert for a bounty hunting mission after the execution, the Chief will comment on this event and call Arthur a lousy executioner.
  • โ—†During Part VI, when returning McDaniels, hostile animals and wanted levels are disabled. The player can explore Blackwater without the risk of Pinkertons or lawmen, but New Austin is still guarded by a sniper.

This mission shares a wiki page with others in its chain, so page-level facts are not attributed to it.

View on Red Dead Wiki โ†’

Stranger quest data from Red Dead Wiki, CC BY-SA. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games.

Last verified September 14, 2026