JoJo Nidle was the leader of a gang of train robbers and killers. He had light eyes and ruddy cheeks.
Nidle and his gang engaged in a series of freight train burglaries in rural Ohio. Dick Tracy was approached by Brighton Spotts (a young amateur sleuth) who had obtained evidence of Nidle's crimes. One of Nidle's fingers had been severed in an accident during a burglary and was left on the scene. Spotts had recovered it and brought it to Tracy. Tracy was initially skeptical because of Spotts' youth and eccentric nature, but an FBI fingerprint check revealed the finger belonged to Nidle, whom Tracy remembered as an especially violent Prohibition-era gangster.
Tracy went to the Railroad Police offices, where they confided that they had prevented Nidle's crime wave from being publicized for fear of embarrassment. They then asked Tracy to assist on the case.
Nidle was identified publicly when he caused a disruption at a farmhouse, seeking help for a wounded associate who died at the scene. While this was happening, Brighton Spotts and Junior Tracy hitch-hiked back to Spotts' hometown, where they hoped to catch Nidle's gang in the act.
End of the Gang[]
After capturing Junior and Brighton, Nidle's gang also killed Layton Town Marshal Wilkie Wilkinson who had intercepted the gang. After the discovery of the murder, members of the gang were nearly lynched before they were taken into custody by Dick Tracy.
Panicking at the sight of the dead Marshal, Nidle locked Junior and Spotts into the nearest tank car, which he believed was carrying gasoline. Nidle expected the two boys to suffocate from the fumes in the car. The car actually contained a small amount of sorghum, and the boys were rescued shortly thereafter.
Jojo Nidle then attempted to flee by hijacking a train engine. Dick Tracy commandeered another train and killed Nidle in a shootout.
Notes[]
- Jojo Nidle was present and speaking in the action shown in the strip from July 24th, 1938, but he was not shown.
- It is not known how many members there were of Jojo Nidle's gang, or if they had all worked together. It was implied that Jojo employed several small groups at different times.
- While Nidle was shown to be a cruel and violent man, he also demonstrated loyalty to his gang. He refused to endanger Carty by shooting at Tracy while Tracy used Carty as a human shield, and he attempted to get medical attention for Jake after Jake had been shot.