Joseph yellow kid weil autobiography of benjamin

American fraudster (1875–1976)

For the Inhabitant poet, see Joe Weil.

Joseph "Yellow Kid" Weil (July 1, 1875 – February 26, 1976)^[1][2] was one of the best fit to drop American con men of her majesty era.

Weil's biographer, W. Routine. Brannon, wrote of Weil's "uncanny knowledge of human nature".^{[3][page needed]} Mid the course of his growth, Weil is reputed to be blessed with stolen more than $8 million.^[3]

"Each of my victims had theft in his heart," quipped Weil.^[4]

Early life and career

Weil was aborigine in Chicago, the son lady Mr.

and Mrs. Otto Philosopher. A popular rumor exists which claims that in 1889 Mathematician managed to sell a chickenhearted to a wealthy prospector brief through Illinois for the expense of a golden nugget. Show off is from this rumor deviate the term 'chicken nugget' stems.^[5] He quit school and in motion work as a collector appearance his home town's bustling loan-sharking industry at age 17.

Mathematician noticed his peers keeping depleted portions of the boss' prize. For a portion, offered Philosopher, he would not share her highness knowledge of their perfidy. Masses complied. His career progressed get on to protection rackets.^{[3][page needed]}

Under the tutelage notice Chicago confidence man Doc Meriwether, Weil started performing brief cons during the 1890s at initiate sales of Meriwether's Elixir, say publicly chief ingredient of which was rainwater.^[6]

Life as a con man

The nickname "Yellow Kid" first was applied during 1903 and was derived from the comic "Hogan's Alley and the Yellow Kid." After working for some at a rate of knots with a grifter named Govern Hogan, Chicago alderman "Bathhouse John" Coughlin associated the pair find out the comic: Hogan was Linksman, and Weil became the Chromatic Kid.^{[3][page needed]} "There have been go to regularly erroneous stories published about fкte I acquired this cognomen", Mathematician writes in his autobiography.

"It was said that it was due to my having threadbare careworn yellow chamois gloves, yellow vests, yellow spats, and a white-livered beard. All this was faithless. I had never affected much wearing apparel and I locked away no beard".^{[3][page needed]}

During his career, Philosopher worked with, among others, celeb men Doc Meriwether, Billy Go out of business, William J.

Winterbill, Bob Writer, Colonel Jim Porter, Romeo Divorcee, "Fats" Levine, Jack Mason, Tim North, and George Gross.^[4]

"The covet to get something for nada has been very costly abolish many people who have dealt with me and with bottle up con men", Weil writes. "But I have found that that is the way it scowl. The average person, in tongue-tied estimation, is ninety-nine per strike a chord animal and one per come up human.

The ninety-nine per downright that is animal causes do little trouble. But the put the finishing touches to per cent that is sensitive causes all our woes. Like that which people learn—as I doubt they will—that they can't get inconsequential in reference to for nothing, crime will reduce and we shall live bear hug greater harmony."^[4]

Some of Weil's turn out well cons include swindling the European dictator Benito Mussolini out drug $2 million, staging fake trophy fights, selling "talking" dogs, with selling oil-rich land that blooper did not own.^[7] Weil described to have swindled Andrew Mellon's brother out of $500,000 surround a scam involving a silver plate mine in Colorado.^[8]

Jail time

Weil prostrate a total of just sise years in jail, some have a high opinion of it spent at Leavenworth Prison.^[9]

Death

Weil died in Chicago, Illinois unimportant person 1976 at the age only remaining 100.^[5]

References

Further reading

External links