The man called "Spider" was a member of Jojo Nidle's gang of train robbers. He typically wore a fedora hat.
Spider and another member of Nidle's gang gained access to a railyard at night by hiding in a cattle car that was being pulled into the yard. They then subdued the night watchman and prepared to load a shipment of automobile tires into a truck that Nidle arrived in. The criminals were confronted by Junior Tracy and Brighton Spotts, who interrupted their scheme.
As the gang considered what to do with the boys, Marshal Wilkie Wilkinson arrived. As Nidle and Spider watched, the other member of the gang shot Wilkinson, killing him. The criminals then deposited the children in a tanker car. They split up, with Nidle hijacking a nearby locomotive to make his escape.
Spider and they other gang member attempted to hide, but were found by a posse of local townsfolk. The posse prepared to hang the two men, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Dick Tracy. Tracy condemned the vigilante act and insisted that the two men be turned over to the state police to face justice.
Notes[]
- 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 Spider was among them, but this cannot be confirmed. Several members of Nidle's gang were later shown receiving a phone call from Nidle, but it is not clear Spider was one of them.
- Inconsistency in the artwork makes it difficult to determine which of the two men committing the tire robbery with Nidle was which. Their clothes and facial features change over the course of several days' worth of strips. It was explicitly stated that Spider was not the one who killed Marshal Wilkinson.