BANK BOAT HEIST LARGEST ROBBERY IN YEARS. DUTCH'S GANG ACCUSED, BOUNTIES PLACED.
FURNISHES A SENSATION AMONG RESIDENTS.
MONEY BELIEVED STASHED BY OUTLAWS
PRESIDENT DEMANDS A MASSIVE HUNT ON THE GUNSLINGERS
After a bloody shootout that resulted in the seizure of a large number of Federal Funds being shipped by a boat. Pinkerton Detective Agency officials have restricted access to the town of Blackwater while a massive manhunt is underway. President Alfred MacAlister shipped a boat filled with Federal Funds to fulfilled the debt America was having trouble with, only to be robbed by Dutch Van Der Linde and his gang. President Alfred issued a "shoot to kill" order on Dutch and his gang, most commonly known as Dutch's boys. The Federal Funds looked to shipping assets via boat as a more reliable means of transportation, impervious to thieves. The Pinkerton Detective Agency was tasked by the President to put these murderous outlaws to justice.
The deadly attack resulted in the loss of $150,000 - the largest robbery in the region in recent years. Authorities believed that the men may have successfully escaped with the stolen loot. Dutch Van Der Linde, the leader of his gang, Hosea Matthews, his second in command and master conman, and Arthur Morgan, prisoner escapee of Illinois State Penitentiary and the gang's most trusted member, these three men were thought to be extremely dangerous ever lived while the rest of the gang, Bill Williamson, Ex military soldier, and prisoner escapee of Columbia State Correctional Center, Javier Escuella, Mexican terrorist, and prisoner escapee of Carcer City Penitentiary, Sean MacGuire, and Lenny Summers were also recommended to be captured dead as well.
President Alfred MacAlister vowed to the country that he will not eat, he will not sleep until these gunslingers were brought to justice.
Arthur read the newspaper he just bought in Valentine. He knew from the start that robbing the President is the last thing they ever had done in their lives, but Micah persuade Dutch even further to rob him. They need to get some money fast before anyone comes for them, and those Federal Funds from Alfred MacAlister are not easy money to make. And it may forever haunt them for the rest of their lives until they die, Blackwater was heavily patrolled by the Pinkertons, with no point in trying to get the money.
But speaking of Blackwater, Sean might still be alive there, and Dutch reminded him to join Josiah, Javier, and Charles to go rescue. Despite the "shoot to kill" order being placed on him and the rest of his gang, he knew they have to take the risk and their wits about them.
So he mounts up Marcella and rides away from town and to West Elizabeth, it is only a matter of time until the story reaches New Hanover, so they have to make this quick.
After 10 minutes, Arthur eventually arrived in Great Plains, he knew it was heavily patrolled by the Pinkertons so he have to be extra careful. Great Plains is wide open, the Pinkertons might have already spotted him from miles away, but Arthur tries not to think about it and goes to find Javier and Charles, and he hoped they didn't get themselves captured and be shot to death.
Arthur quietly galloped his way to the edge of town to find a small camp set up behind some trees and bushes and he saw Javier and Charles lying on the edge, scoping Blackwater. So he dismount his horse and quietly joined them.
"How many?" Javier asked Charles who was scoping the place with binoculars.
"A lot," Charles replied silently. "Uniforms everywhere."
"You see Sean?" He asked Charles.
"No, I don't think so..." Charles replied.
"Dammnit, where's Trelawny?"
"Who knows?" Charles told him.
"Just keep your eyes open," Javier said.
Arthur silently lies down between them, "Hey," he greeted both of them.
"Hey," Charles replied back.
"Where's that little Irish bastard?" Arthur asked them silently.
"I'm not quite sure," Charles answered. "Trelawny's off trying to find out."
"Has anyone been to Blackwater to see how things lie?" Arthur asked them.
"Place is crawling with Pinkertons," Javier protested. "Bounty Hunters, State Marshalls, and 10 of the President's men. Pictures of Dutch and Hosea."
And he is right, the whole town was filled with plenty of Pinkertons and Authorities, they don't see any way to retrieve the stolen money. Well, at least they don't know they hid underneath the town.
"We got a lot of money sitting in that town," Arthur complained silently as Charles handed him the binoculars.
"And that's where it's gonna remain, for now," Javier told him.
Arthur used the binoculars to get a good look at Blackwater, he only saw patrols, all of the shops were closed, the citizens were staying in their homes. But he can't see Sean.
"Why haven't they hanged Sean, I wonder?" Arthur asked.
"I think he's bait," Charles answered, taking the binoculars back. "or they want to trial him publicly."
"We were on the run from the President," Javier told him. "The bastard might have executed him privately for all we know."
Just then, Josiah arrives, joining the trio and they saw him coming.
"Gentlemen," Josiah told them silently as he joined them. "Sean is being moved up the Upper Montana, then to a federal prison out west."
"Damn," Arthur said. "Well, we rescued folk from federal prisons in the past, we either rescue him now or cut him loose."
"We're not cutting anyone loose," Charles told him.
"No, of course not," Arthur replied.
"Ike Skelding's boys are moving him to camp nearby," Josiah continued. "before handing him over to the government."
Arthur nodded, at least they don't have to commit another prison break so that's a relief. But Sean was about to be taken away soon, it's now or never, time to save him.
"So, I guess," Arthur said. "we need to stop them before they get to camp," he turned to Charles. "Charles, why don't head up on the north side, and we'll head up on the other side of the valley and meet you that we have them at either direction." Charles nodded and went on his way silently, "Javier, Josiah, come on, let's go see." Arthur told them.
So then, they silently stood up and walk away but not before Arthur take one last look at Blackwater, he swore himself to never show himself here again. Charles already left, so it's just the three of them as they walk to their horses.
"You know Arthur," Josiah told him. "The President himself, he's not angry, no, he seems to be very furious."
Arthur nodded at that. They pissed off America's high political figure, and he hoped that Dutch is working on a plan to get away from the Law and the Pinkertons.
"Sure, well," Arthur replied. "we'll rescue Sean, and then we'll get ourselves lost, good and proper. It's a big country."
"I hope so," Josiah said.
So then, they mount on their horses and follow Arthur as he rides to find a boat the Bounty hunters were taking.
"Follow me," Arthur told them once they were distanced away from Blackwater. "Let's up river and find this boat."
"Keep your eyes open for Pinkertons," Javier warned them. "They've got patrols out all over this area."
"Yes," Josiah agreed. "south of the West Elizabeth isn't a very welcoming place right now."
"It's definitely as bad as we feared in there, Arthur," Javier told him.
"I keep hearing about this woman, Heidi McCourt," Josiah said. "Some young mother they're saying Dutch murdered on the boat?"
Arthur sighs, he's been wondering about that lately. He even asked Dutch a while ago but Dutch just denied it, saying he did what it had to be done for their safety.
"I don't know about that," Arthur said. "I wasn't there, bad day."
"And no money yet, it seems," Josiah added. "I'm sure you know where that is at least."
"Dutch says he knew," Arthur told him. "but it was trapped, hidden in the town."
Until then, they eventually by the edge and saw a boat with bounty hunters on board. That must be them, and they must have Sean in custody.
"Down there," Arthur pointed to the men on the boat. "reckon those might be our boys."
"Alright, gentlemen, follow me," Josiah said as they followed him slowly, riding by the edge. "Keep your gubs away until we know it's Sean, okay? I know what you two are like."
"You think they can see us?" Arthur told him.
"If they can, we're just three fellers out on a trail," Josiah assured him. "Act natural, we'll be fine."
They continued with their conversation while tailing the bounty hunters on the boat until they eventually stopped at Upper Montana.
"Look, they've stopped," Josiah told them. "Ge your binoculars out, let's see what we're dealing with here."
Arthur took out his binoculars and zoomed in to see the bounty hunters dragging someone with a bag in his head out of the boat. After confirming that was Sean and they took him up the canyon, leaving two bounty hunters on guard, they set out a plan to how they rescue him. Josiah comes up with a plan to distract them so Arthur and Javier silently kill them.
They waited for Josiah to do his thing, while he continues to talk about a sob story, getting their full attention, Arthur and Javier slowly crept up across the river with their knives in their hands. They stabbed both of them in the neck, killing them both.
"A pleasure as always, gentlemen," Josiah told them as he runs back to his horse. "I think you have it from here."
Yeah, go and disappear on is like you always do, Arthur thought.
"Come on," Javier told him. "we got two halfway up the canyon to deal with."
With Trelawny left, it is only Arthur and Javier. Arthur kills them both with ease, thus igniting a gunfight. The two outlaws shoot up the canyon as more bounty hunters fired back at them. The two of them dodged the bullets, used the big rocks as cover, and fired back, killing them one by one. They hold on their own as they slowly gain some space, Charles was also up at the canyon, taking care of some of the bounty hunters, giving Arthur and Javier the advantage from below.
With them taken care of, they run up to the hill, killing some bounty hunters on the way. With them dealt with, they met up with Charles as he joined them.
"All good?" Charles asked them.
"Wouldn't go that far," Arthur replied.
"Their camp's up this way, come on," Charles said as they run ahead to the camp.
"Charles, you take the right, Arthur you're with me," Javier told them. "Let's take this Hijos Putas!"
They quickly took cover as the bounty hunter spotted them and fired rapidly at them. The trio constantly took cover, and killed a few of them as more and more bounty hunters showed up.
"Goddamn army of these bastards!" Arthur yelled as he reload his rifle. "How much is Sean's bounty?!"
"Maybe we should've brought him in ourselves," Charles suggested as he took out a few bounty hunters."
"Still time..." Arthur muttered.
They continued to shoot back at the bounty hunters and while they try not to hit Sean, who was hanging upside down by a tree. More of the bounty hunters were still coming but the three outlaws hold on their own as the shootout lasted for 1 minute and 30 seconds. The three gunslingers survived, and the bounty hunters, dead.
"Okay... let's get Sean," Javier told Arthur.
So Arthur shot the rope, does Sean falling on his head. Arthur quickly went up to him and cut the rope that tied his feet.
"You know," Sean told him with his Irish accent. "you're a lot less ugly from that other angle, Arthur."
Sean MacGuire is the "incompetent" member of the Van Der Linde gang. Despite his incompetence, Dutch and Hosea still took him into the gang when they met him at South Elizabeth when he tries to rob them but failed. Over a month ago, he volunteered to join in the boat robbery in Blackwater to prove his worth to the gang. But of course, given how badly the situation was in Blackwater, Sean was left behind and so does Mac.
"Come on," Arthur told him as he help him up, he starts to walk away but Sean stopped him.
"Do I get a hug, Arthur?" Sean asked him. "A warm embrace for a lost brother now found?"
Arthur chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You know," Arthur told him. "nothing means more to me than this gang. The bond we share, it's the most real thing to me. I would kill for it, I would happily die for it, but in spite of all that, I would have easily left you here to rot if Charles hadn't stopped me."
"I don't believe a word in that, Arthur," Sean told him.
"Get him out of here," Arthur told the other two slightly annoyed.
"You're a great man Arthur Morgan," Sean told him. "the kind a young whippersnapper can really admire."
"Oh, shut up," Arthur said. "Right, we should split up. Javier, will you escort Mr. MacGuire back to camp. Charles, best you ride separately. And be careful, there are patrols everywhere."
Charles nodded and walk back to his horse, Javier turns to Arthur, "What about you?" he asked Arthur.
"I'm gonna see what's worth taking here. I'll meet you back there as soon as I can."
Javier nodded in agreement and mount back to his horse.
"Oh, I've got stories for you," Sean announced, he was riding on Charles' horse.
"Yeah..." Javier sarcastically replied. "Can't wait."
"I imagine you missed me a lot," Sean said. "But fear not, the joy's back in your lives now."
Arthur shook his head as they left. It was bad enough they had the country's president on their tail, and Sean's blabbering is going to make it worse. But he just hoped he will behave for the best of the gang. Not wanting to waste time, he loot every dead body he can possibly find and went on his way as fast as he can. No doubt the Pinkertons may have heard all those gunshots.
Night had fallen, when Arthur comes back to Horseshoe Overlook, he saw everyone was enjoying themselves. Dutch explains they are having a party for Sean's return. So Arthur decided to join them and cherished this night, he listened to Sean's speech, singing a song with Javier, Karen, and Sean. Danced with Mary-Beth as Dutch danced with Molly. Mary-Beth seemingly to have a crush on Arthur, although he ultimately decided to remain a widow for personal reasons, still, understands where Mary-Beth is coming from. Mary-Beth respected his decision to stay as a widow and tries to stay friends with him. When the dance is done, he has to deal with Reverand Swanson's drunk encounter, he must remind himself to make himself look busy so Swanson doesn't constantly bother him.
He joined on the campfire with Sean, Uncle, Javier, and Pearson and they all sang the Ring Dang Doo, a song that Arthur loves despite barely memorizing the lyrics but he had fun tonight. The mess in Blackwater is a terrible idea, but he know to learn from his mistake and move on. It's just the way it is.