Jake was a member of Jojo Nidle's gang of train robbers. He had dark eyes and typically wore a flat cap.
Jake participated in one of several thefts of shipments of automobile tires that the Nidle gang committed. During the night, he and another member of the gang sneaked into a railyard and repainted the freight cars so that an empty car would be sent out instead of the fully-loaded one, which they could then steal from.
Later, Jake rode in a truck with Nidle as they planned to collect the packages of cigarettes thrown out of a railroad freight car by their associate Carty. As they drove along the side of the train, Jake and Nidle observed Dick Tracy and Railroad Police Chief Weegel preparing to confront Carty. Jake shot at the men with a machine gun, but attempted to avoid hitting Carty.
Tracy and Weegel returned fire, and Jake was hit in the face, Injured and unable to see, Jake stopped shooting. Nidle then drove off and attempted to get medical attention for Jake. They stopped at a secluded farmhouse, and demanded that the married couple who lived there call a doctor. The doctor arrived quickly, but he informed Nidle that Jake had died.
Nidle took Jake's body and fled in the doctor's car. He then pushed the car over a cliff with Jake's body still inside, hoping that police would believe that it was Nidle's body. The car caught fire, but Jake's body was apparently thrown clear in the crash. Tracy arrived on the scene with local law enforcement and the doctor, who recognized Jake from the farmhouse. Tracy identified Jake as a member of Jojo Nidle's gang, and provided Jake's real name to the local Sheriff.
Notes[]
- In the strip from July 17th, 1938, the two members of Nidle's gang were only shown in silhouette. One of the men addressed the other as "L.E.". It was later revealed that Jake's real name was Louie Enalio, so it is reasonable to deduce that this gang member was Jake.
- It is not known how big Jojo Nidle's gang was. The first time members of the gang appeared in the strip, most of the members were depicted in silhouette and none of them were addressed by name. It is possible that Jake was among them, but this cannot be confirmed. A member of Nidle's gang who could have been Jake was also shown reconnoitering the railyard before the robbery scheme was enacted, but it was not established if this was Jake.
- Additionally, it is not known how many other members of the gang Jake had interacted with, other than Nidle and Carty.