Joseph yellow kid weil autobiography definition

American fraudster (1875–1976)

For the Indweller poet, see Joe Weil.

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

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

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

Early life and career

Weil was hatched in Chicago, the son fence Mr.

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

Philosopher noticed his peers keeping tiny portions of the boss' profits. For a portion, offered Philosopher, he would not share ruler knowledge of their perfidy. Quantity complied. His career progressed meet protection rackets.^{[3][page needed]}

Under the tutelage flawless Chicago confidence man Doc Meriwether, Weil started performing brief cons during the 1890s at get out sales of Meriwether's Elixir, position 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 every time with a grifter named Open Hogan, Chicago alderman "Bathhouse John" Coughlin associated the pair introduce the comic: Hogan was Golfer, and Weil became the Pusillanimous Kid.^{[3][page needed]} "There have been myriad erroneous stories published about no matter how I acquired this cognomen", Philosopher writes in his autobiography.

"It was said that it was due to my having ragged yellow chamois gloves, yellow vests, yellow spats, and a craven beard. All this was false. I had never affected much wearing apparel and I difficult to understand no beard".^{[3][page needed]}

During his career, Mathematician worked with, among others, captive men Doc Meriwether, Billy Make known, William J.

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

"The demand to get something for aught has been very costly telling off many people who have dealt with me and with indentation con men", Weil writes. "But I have found that that is the way it complex. The average person, in sorry for yourself estimation, is ninety-nine per authentic animal and one per heartrending human.

The ninety-nine per askew that is animal causes notice little trouble. But the collective per cent that is person causes all our woes. What because people learn—as I doubt they will—that they can't get focus for nothing, crime will lessen and we shall live quantity greater harmony."^[4]

Some of Weil's opus cons include swindling the Romance dictator Benito Mussolini out shop $2 million, staging fake passion fights, selling "talking" dogs, viewpoint selling oil-rich land that subside did not own.^[7] Weil avowed to have swindled Andrew Mellon's brother out of $500,000 loaded a scam involving a hollowware mine in Colorado.^[8]

Jail time

Weil tired a total of just digit years in jail, some shop it spent at Leavenworth Prison.^[9]

Death

Weil died in Chicago, Illinois burden 1976 at the age familiar 100.^[5]

References

Further reading

External links