Not much is known of Jeb's background. His brother, Hamilton Murphy, is buried at the Coot's Chapel graveyard and lived from 1867 to 1903. He was 36. The epitaph reads, "Loving brother of Jeb Murphy." It's never explained how he died. It can be assumed they had a good relationship. At some point he had a son who died from Cholera sometime before 1911.
Events of Red Dead Redemption 2
In 1907, during the Cholera Outbreak in Armadillo, his shop can be found completely boarded up and closed.
Events of Red Dead Redemption
He is the Gunsmith in Armadillo so the player will come in to contact with him when they visit the shop, if he happens to be there at the time. He sells ammunition and guns. The player can also sell hides, skins, furs, and other provisions to him. His shop is located in the middle of town two buildings down from the doctor's office and is decorated with various antlers of wild animals. He also has a small chest containing money hidden in the back of his shop.
When not working at his store, Jeb can be found wandering behind his shop for a smoke break or walking around the Armadillo livery. Occasionally he will enter the saloon for a drink and some chatter.
Like with Moon and some other residents of Armadillo, Jeb often comments on Marshal Leigh Johnson and accuses him of various wrongdoings.
Dewey Greenwood regularly comments on Jeb. He remarks that "there is something odd about that Jeb Murphy." He could be referring to Jeb being a gunsmith in a town filled with crime, like Armadillo, since it would be easy for him to make money there.
Whilst inside or around the gun shop, the player may hear some citizens mention that Jeb lost his son. This is curious considering he doesn't possess a tombstone within Coot's Chapel or any other known graveyard. It appears he had him buried somewhere else.
He is very enthusiastic towards his customers, and jokingly likes to comment on their hygiene.
Sometimes when entering the store, he will not be there. He can be found out the back door smoking, urinating or fiddling around with a revolver. He will then move to the desk to serve the player.
It seems that Murphy is affiliated in some capacity with Sydney Tanner, a regular civilian, as Murphy will call out Tanner by name if they are in close proximity of one another.
If the player attacks Jeb with his fists and pulls a gun out before he runs away, Jeb will pull out one of his rifles and start firing, causing him to be shot by the law as long as the player doesn't shoot him. However, he can take a large amount of damage from the law before he dies, which is a glitch shared with a few other shopkeepers.
