Jacques

Appeared from Saturday, January 3, 1942 to Tuesday, January 27, 1942

Panel from January 10, 1942

Jacques was the crooked owner of a night club called the Bird Club and brother of B-B Eyes. Jacques was short with slick black hair and a small black mustache. He had faked his marriage to the rich debutante, Debby Thorndike, and was extorting money from her in order to run his night club. Two of Jacques’ gang members were Red and Sliver.

When Jacques realized that Tracy had taken an interest in helping Debby mend her incorrigible ways, he planned to do away with the detective. He arranged for Debby to get into a fight in the club and then he and his gang trailed Tracy and Debby to the Thorndike mansion, where he got the drop on Tracy. Jacques took Tracy beyond the city limits where several caissons for a new extension bridge were being dug. He pushed Tracy into a deep caisson hole and then, using the bumper of his car, shoved a huge granite boulder into the hole on top of him.

The ten ton “life-crushing weight” slowly inched its way through the clay soil sides of the hole toward Tracy. Tracy realized the bottom of the hole was made of wooden boards. He heard voices beneath him and he called out. Tunnel workmen below him heard his cries and cut a hole in the board floor, which was in the ceiling of a tunnel under construction, and let Tracy out. The granite rock plunged down after Tracy reached safety.

In the meantime, Debby had telephoned Pat, who, with Chief Brandon and the police, went to the bridge site and shot it out with Jacques and his gang. Jacques was hit in the arm and he was shocked to see Tracy alive. Tracy explained Jacques’ error to him. ”They were not caissons holes! They were merely ventilator shafts for this tunnel!”

Jacques was taken to prison, but he managed to escape and went to the Bird Club to kill Debby. Debby was there with Tracy and her aunt, Bea Thorndike, when Jacques burst in with his gun pointed at Debby. Tracy shot first and killed Jacques instead. Tracy found out that Debby’s marriage to Jacques was faked and told her about it. Debby then bought the Bird Club, redecorated it, and reopened it with great success.

Also Appeared:

  • April 30, 1978: Jacques was featured in the Rogues’ Gallery.

Adapted and reprinted with permission from the author Victor E. Wichert, “The Dick Tracy Encyclopedia, Oct. 4, 1931 – Dec. 25, 1977”. Dick Tracy is a registered trademark of Tribune Media Services, Inc.