William Earnest “Spider” Matlock was born in St. Joseph. ( June 30, 1901 – January 27, 1936 ) He was a stuntman, stunt pilot, champion motorcycle racer, car racing promoter and mechanic.
The way that Matlock became a stuntman was just by chance. Being in the right place at the right time and finding his passion there. Spider was a student at the Burdette Air Port and School of Aviation in Los Angeles and on a day that an air show was scheduled the performers didn’t show up. Ronald MacDougall, a part owner of the airport, talked Matlock and another student, Ken Nichols into helping him. After five minutes of instruction the pair preformed as wing walkers with MacDougall flying the airplane.
At this time the field of aviation was growing in Hollywood and stunt pilot’s were needed. In 1924, the three, MacDougall, Nichols and Matlock formed a group called the Black Cats later to be renamed the 13 Black Cats to set standards and rates for aerials for movies. Each of the Black Cats had a name 13 letters long, which is how “Spider” became Matlock’s name. MacDougall got “Bon” and Nichols was “Fronty.” Among several stunts, they could blow up airplanes in mid- air of which they charged $1,500. Matlock was asked by a news reel company to do that at 2,000 feet. Something went wrong and the explosives they set on the wings went off prematurely before Matlock could parachute to safety. He survived but had many injuries. At the end of the 1920’s the 13 Black Cats closed due to increased safety regulations and competition.
Matlock also participated in auto racing. He was a promoter and a starter in California outlaw racing circles. He was the riding mechanic for winning the 1930 Indianapolis 500 with driver Billy Arnold. They hold the record, of leading all of the 200 laps of the race. They teamed together again for the 1931 and 1932 races but crashed both times while in the lead. The first time, Matlock was flung into the grass 200 feet and broke his collarbone. He was badly injured in the second crash with a skull fracture and many broken bones ( collarbone, six ribs, a shoulder, pelvis and hip ) but he was back racing in six weeks and breaking his nose and thumb in that first crash back. Matlock also teamed with Ernie Triplett in the 1933 Indianapolis 500. He was involved in many races and he was scheduled to compete as a driver in the 1936 race for Ford.
On January 26, 1936 he and Al Gordon crashed at Legion Ascot Speedway in Los Angeles in front of 35,000 spectators. Gordon died that day and Spider the next day. After the accident the race track became known as the “Killer Track” and was closed. Eight months later the grandstand was burned to the ground by the former janitor, Linden Emerson. He turned himself in saying that “even though the track was closed by then, I thought they might reopen it and kill some more of my friends.”
