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Sunday, September 16, 2018

Bill Strother, the 'Human Spider' Recovering at Home in Stantonsburg, N.C., 1918

“Falls While Climbing for the Red Cross” in the Wilson Daily Times, September 16, 1918

Bill Strother, who is known throughout the United States as the ‘Human Spider’, is now at his home at Stantonsburg, N.C., recovering from his injuries sustained while climbing in Long Branch, N.J., for the benefit of the Red Cross. Mr. Strother, who has been climbing for only one year but has climbed all over the United States, is considered champion climber of the world, having defeated the Human Fly in a climbing contest in Atlanta, Ga., in February.
The climbing contest was pulled off on the State Capitol, which is about 20 stories high. Mr. Strother defeated the Fly by 38 minutes and was sitting on the head of the goddess when the Fly arrived at the foot, which was as far as he went. The Fly’s name was Mr. Gardner, known as the “Satinet Man.”
Bill since then has been devoting his time to Uncle Sam climbing for the Red Cross Liberty Loan and War Savings and Thrift Stamps, and has raised thousands of dollars that way for Uncle Sam that would have never been gotten, one of the Richmond papers gave the Spider a write up after the climb and this was the way it was headed: Human Spider makes people buy stamps.
Mr. Strother is now walking around on crutches but he hopes to soon be able to get back on the job, for he has some important work to do as he is to climb for the Fourth Liberty Loan. In fact his climbs are already booked and he says that the only thing that will stop him now is the draft but he hopes that he will not be drafted until the Drive is over for he feels sure that he will be able to sell $200,000 worth of bonds and then Uncle Sam can have him and he will climb after the Kaiser.

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