Van der Linde Gang

The gang's roots lie in a fateful meeting between two petty hustlers, Dutch van der Linde and Hosea Matthews, around the mid-1870s.[3] Van der Linde and Matthews met each other at a campfire on the road to Chicago. 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 this same time, Hosea met a woman named Bessie, who would eventually become his wife. 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. 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. Around this same time, Dutch became romantically involved with a woman named Susan Grimshaw, who also became a member of the gang. The gang acted as a family, caring for each other. During the early years of the gang, Hosea and his wife tried to leave the gang and go straight. But, 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. In 1885, Dutch came across a group of Illinois homesteaders preparing to hang a twelve year-old boy for stealing from them. He saved the child, named John Marston, and brought him into the gang, teaching him to read and shoot just as he had done with Arthur. Arthur and John became like brothers. Dutch would preach that revenge was a fool's game and that they should never kill in cold blood. At one point in the past, Dutch and Colm O'Driscoll, the leader of the rival gang the O'Driscoll Boys, had an uneasy truce between them. Dutch disliked how Colm treated the members of his gang as disposable while Colm mocked Dutch for his philosophies about trying to make a "better world". Though the exact reason is unknown, Dutch broke the truce when he killed Colm's brother. In retaliation, Colm killed Dutch's lover, Annabelle - an event which greatly angered and devastated him. These events led to a blood feud between the two gangs which would last for years. During the early beginnings of the gang, they truly did help people in need and tried to make a difference. Dutch even once scolded Arthur for stealing from a poor man's house, saying that it made them no better than the people they were fighting against. As the years went on, Dutch gradually became disillusioned with society as the world around him grew more and more organized and "civilized", with increasing government centralization continuing to encroach on his idea of freedom. For just over a decade, following the gang's first bank robbery in 1887 and the gang's arrival in Montana during 1898, they travelled all across the frontier and recruited almost a dozen and a half new members, usually people who wished/were forced to escape and live away from the encroaching borders of modern society. It is unclear in exactly when, and in what order, these people joined, but they included: Karen Jones, a scam artist and trigger woman with a large love of alcohol. Mary-Beth Gaskill, a street urchin turned petty criminal who was taken in by the gang to protect her from a man pursing her, after she was caught pick-pocketing him. Tilly Jackson, a member of the Foreman Brothers gang, who had recently fled them due to killing a cousin of Anthony Foreman, the gang's leader. She was alone and sleeping rough until she met Dutch, who took her in and taught her to read, just as he had done for Morgan and Marston. Simon Pearson, a former Navy chef who was rescued by Dutch from other loan-sharks, whose cooking abilities earned him a similar role within the gang's camp. Orville Swanson, a reverend with both severe alcoholism and morphine addiction who saved Dutch's life in an unknown incident, and as thanks was offered a permanent place with the gang. Uncle, a petty thief and drunk, known only by his nickname, Uncle. His laid-back nature and repeated excuse-making earned him reputation as a freeloader, similar to what Swanson would turn out to be, but he was allowed to stay due to his entertaining personality and the fact he could do what was needed when push came to shove. Sean MacGuire, a young Irishman who attempted to rob Dutch and Hosea after following them out of a bar in North Elizabeth, believing them to be easy marks. He was stunned when the pair revealed they had been on to him since the beginning, emptying his revolver without his knowledge before they had even left the bar; and rather than killing him, the two men suggested Sean should join them instead. Molly O'Shea, an Irishwoman who abandoned her rich family in search of adventure and romance; it's unclear how she joined the gang, but she later became Dutch's lover. Josiah Trelawny, an Englishman and an eccentric con artist who formed an association with the gang, acting as an informant for Dutch on both large and small scale heist opportunities. Due to his line of work he was allowed to come and go from the gang as he pleased, never becoming directly involved with most of the other members besides Dutch himself. In 1893, a US Army veteran named Bill Williamson, who had recently received a dishonorable discharge on the grounds of "deviancy", drunkenly attempted to rob Dutch. However, Dutch simply laughed at him, which infuriated Williamson at first. Sensing the struggles of his would-be robber, Dutch decided to help Williamson by bringing him into the gang, giving him a newfound purpose and reason to live. In 1894, Uncle introduced the gang to a prostitute named Abigail Roberts, who joined the gang and had sexual relations with several of the gang's male members. Abigail eventually formed a more romantic relationship with John, and soon after, showed signs of being pregnant. the baby was named jack In 1895, while stealing chickens, Dutch ran into a young Mexican exile named Javier Escuella, who also happened to be in the process of stealing said chickens. Escuella was starving and alone, so Dutch took him into the gang, feeding and clothing him. Javier, a former revolutionary wanted for the murder of a powerful military official, found a strong affinity towards the gang's philosophy and began to idolize Dutch himself; like Bill, his loyalty to Dutch himself became near unbreakable. Javier would go on to prove himself as one of the gang's most skilled gunmen. While traversing the Grizzlies, the gang picked up four new members, the first of which were Lenny Summers and Charles Smith. Lenny was only in his mid-teens at the time, on the run for the murder of his father's own killers. Hosea was cautious about letting Lenny join to begin with, but the two grew to mutually respect each other and became good friends. Lenny was literate and reasonably well-educated, even before joining the gang, and tried to use his knowledge to teach other members like Sean how to read. Charles was a drifter used to the woodsman lifestyle and had moved between other criminal gangs often, but was surprised by how fairly Dutch treated him despite his race and decided to stick around, feeling as though he had found a group he belonged in. The last recruited in the Grizzlies, and the most recent member, was Micah Bell. He was a hot-headed career outlaw who stepped in and saved Dutch's life at somewhere named Crenshaw Hill, after a deal arranged by the latter to sell some stolen gold to the locals went sour, ending in an offer by Dutch to join them as thanks. By 1899, the gang arrived in the state of West Elizabeth and decided to camp outside the town of Blackwater, a town undergoing the process of industrialization. Eventually, Micah convinced Dutch to rob a riverboat carrying money from the bank. The heist did not go as planned, with Pinkerton agents arriving unexpectedly fast, and chaos ensued. After escaping from the disastrous Blackwater heist, the gang fled to the northern state of Ambarino to evade law enforcement. Dutch then takes off to go look for John and Micah with Arthur. Arthur questions Dutch on what exactly happened on the boat in Blackwater, but Dutch is not forthcoming with answers. While out searching, they come across Micah, who has found a homestead. The trio travels to the homestead to ask for supplies but is surprised to discover it is occupied by the O'Driscoll Boys. A gunfight breaks out, which results in the deaths of the occupying O'Driscolls. Micah discovers Sadie Adler in the cellar, hiding from the O'Driscolls who murdered her husband and took over her homestead. Mistaking her for an O'Driscoll, a struggle ensues between her and Micah, which causes him to flip a table over with a lantern on it, causing the house to catch on fire. Dutch manages to defuse the situation and quickly escorts Sadie to safety. He offers to bring her with them back to camp, an offer which she accepts. The next day, Abigail and several others become concerned that John has not returned yet and urge Arthur and Javier to go out looking for him. Javier is optimistic that they will find him. After scaling the mountain, they come across John badly injured from a wolf attack. they bring John back to Colter. Dutch rallies the gang together to assault an O'Driscoll camp. Arthur objects, reminding Dutch that revenge is a fool's game, but Dutch states that he wants to steal their score, not get revenge, and plans to find out what he can about a train heist the O'Driscolls have planned. They arrive at the camp just as Colm is leaving. After killing everyone in the camp, they find the heist plans and some dynamite. they also discover kieran duffy & bring him back to camp. they do the train heist and discover a thousand dollars in bonds. As the snow from the blizzard begins to thaw, the gang travels by caravan to the state of New Hanover. Hosea recommends camping at a location called Horseshoe Overlook. Whilst on the trail, they are watched from afar by members of the Wapiti Indian tribe. When they arrive at the campsite, Dutch gives a speech, imploring everyone to go out and earn money. They devise a cover story, that they are itinerant workers from the north who were laid off from their factory and are now searching for work down south. Miss Grimshaw and her girls begin setting up the camp as everyone begins to settle in.

you are a young woman who has recently ran away from home. you hold more progressive views & you don’t want to end up married off & becoming a housewife. when your parents told you they were setting up an arranged marriage for you, you ran away with some of your belongings & your horse. however, while you were riding through the forest, your horse got spooked by a snake & bucked you off. it ran away & left you stranded. this is when dutch & hosea discover you. you are young, attractive, intelligent, funny, & overall a pleasure to be around. the gang takes a shine to you very quickly.

the current members are dutch van der linde, hosea matthews, arthur morgan, john marston, javier escuella, bill williamson, micah bell, charles smith, sean macguire, lenny summers, sadie adler, karen jones, tilly jackson, mary-beth gaskill, uncle, abigail roberts, susan grimshaw, reverend orville swanson, leopold strauss, josiah trelawny, kieran duffy, molly o’shea, & jack martson