Joseph Weil: Difference between revisions
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"The desire to get something for nothing has been very costly to many people who have dealt with me and with other con men", Weil writes. "But I have found that this is the way it works. The average person, in my estimation, is ninety-nine per cent animal and one per cent human. The ninety-nine per cent that is animal causes very little trouble. But the one per cent that is human causes all our woes. When people learn—as I doubt they will—that they can't get something for nothing, crime will diminish and we shall live in greater harmony."<ref name=Hoax /> |
"The desire to get something for nothing has been very costly to many people who have dealt with me and with other con men", Weil writes. "But I have found that this is the way it works. The average person, in my estimation, is ninety-nine per cent animal and one per cent human. The ninety-nine per cent that is animal causes very little trouble. But the one per cent that is human causes all our woes. When people learn—as I doubt they will—that they can't get something for nothing, crime will diminish and we shall live in greater harmony."<ref name=Hoax /> |
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Some of Weil's successful cons include swindling the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini out of two million dollars, staging fake prize fights, selling "talking" dogs, and selling oil-rich land that he did not own.<ref>https://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01-20/news/ct-per-flash-famous-con-man-0120-20130120_1_con-men-tribune-bankers |
Some of Weil's successful cons include swindling the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini out of two million dollars, staging fake prize fights, selling "talking" dogs, and selling oil-rich land that he did not own.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01-20/news/ct-per-flash-famous-con-man-0120-20130120_1_con-men-tribune-bankers |title=Archived copy |accessdate=January 24, 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20151227075256/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01-20/news/ct-per-flash-famous-con-man-0120-20130120_1_con-men-tribune-bankers |archivedate=December 27, 2015 }}</ref> |
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Weil paid for his life of crime with a total of just six years in jail, most of it spent at [[Leavenworth Prison]].<ref>https://www.archives.gov/kansas-city/finding-aids/leavenworth-penitentiary/inmates-w-y-z.html</ref>{{failed verification|date=May 2016}} |
Weil paid for his life of crime with a total of just six years in jail, most of it spent at [[Leavenworth Prison]].<ref>https://www.archives.gov/kansas-city/finding-aids/leavenworth-penitentiary/inmates-w-y-z.html</ref>{{failed verification|date=May 2016}} |
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A popular rumor exists which claims that in 1889 Weil managed to sell a chicken to a wealthy prospector passing through Illinois for the price of a golden nugget. It is from this rumor that the term 'Chicken Nugget' stems.<ref name="Living History of Illinois">http://livinghistoryofillinois.com/files/Joseph%20-Yellow%20Kid-%20Weil,%20Con%20Man,%20Chicago%20-%201875-1976.pdf |
A popular rumor exists which claims that in 1889 Weil managed to sell a chicken to a wealthy prospector passing through Illinois for the price of a golden nugget. It is from this rumor that the term 'Chicken Nugget' stems.<ref name="Living History of Illinois">{{cite web|url=http://livinghistoryofillinois.com/files/Joseph%20-Yellow%20Kid-%20Weil,%20Con%20Man,%20Chicago%20-%201875-1976.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=January 24, 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20160205080026/http://livinghistoryofillinois.com/files/Joseph%20-Yellow%20Kid-%20Weil,%20Con%20Man,%20Chicago%20-%201875-1976.pdf |archivedate=February 5, 2016 }}</ref> |
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Weil died in [[Chicago]], Illinois, in 1976 at the age of 100.<ref name="Living History of Illinois"/> |
Weil died in [[Chicago]], Illinois, in 1976 at the age of 100.<ref name="Living History of Illinois"/> |
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Revision as of 22:40, 26 May 2016
Joseph Weil | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1875 |
| Died | February 26, 1976 (aged 100) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Other names | Yellow Kid |
| Occupation | Confidence man |
| Known for | Notorious con artist |
| Parent | Otto Weil |
Joseph "Yellow Kid" Weil (July 1, 1875 – February 26, 1976)[1][failed verification] was one of the best known American con men of his era. Weil's biographer, W. T. Brannon, wrote of Weil's "uncanny knowledge of human nature".[2][page needed] During the course of his career, Weil is reputed to have stolen more than $8 million.[citation needed]
"Each of my victims had larceny in his heart", quipped Weil.[3]
Early life and career
Weil was born in Chicago, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Weil. He quit school and started work as a collector in his home town's bustling loan-sharking industry at age 17. Weil noticed his peers keeping small portions of the boss' proceeds. For a portion, offered Weil, he would not share his knowledge of their perfidy. Plenty complied. His career progressed into protection rackets. [2][page needed]
Under the tutelage of Chicago confidence man Doc Meriwether, Weil started performing brief cons during the 1890s at public sales of Meriwether's Elixir, the chief ingredient of which was rainwater.[4]
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 time with a grifter named Frank Hogan, Chicago alderman "Bathhouse John" Coughlin associated the pair with the comic: Hogan was Hogan, and Weil became the Yellow Kid.[2][page needed] "There have been many erroneous stories published about how I acquired this cognomen", Weil writes in his biography. "It was said that it was due to my having worn yellow chamois gloves, yellow vests, yellow spats, and a yellow beard. All this was untrue. I had never affected such wearing apparel and I had no beard".[2][page needed]
During his career, Weil worked with, among others, con men Doc Meriwether, Billy Wall, William J. Winterbill, Bob Collins, Colonel Jim Porter, Romeo Simpson, "Fats" Levine, Jack Mason, Tim North, and George Gross.[3]
"The desire to get something for nothing has been very costly to many people who have dealt with me and with other con men", Weil writes. "But I have found that this is the way it works. The average person, in my estimation, is ninety-nine per cent animal and one per cent human. The ninety-nine per cent that is animal causes very little trouble. But the one per cent that is human causes all our woes. When people learn—as I doubt they will—that they can't get something for nothing, crime will diminish and we shall live in greater harmony."[3]
Some of Weil's successful cons include swindling the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini out of two million dollars, staging fake prize fights, selling "talking" dogs, and selling oil-rich land that he did not own.[5] Weil paid for his life of crime with a total of just six years in jail, most of it spent at Leavenworth Prison.[6][failed verification]
A popular rumor exists which claims that in 1889 Weil managed to sell a chicken to a wealthy prospector passing through Illinois for the price of a golden nugget. It is from this rumor that the term 'Chicken Nugget' stems.[7]
Weil died in Chicago, Illinois, in 1976 at the age of 100.[7]
References
- ^ Social Security Death Index, [1]
- ^ a b c d J. R. Weil; W. T. Brannon (2004). Con Man. Penguin Random House.
- ^ a b c Streissguth, Thomas. Hoaxers & Hustlers, Minneapolis 1994; The Oliver Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-06-112023-7
- ^ Joseph Weil. A Master Swindler’s Own Story. Trade Paperback. p. 352 pages. ISBN 978-0-7679-1737-7.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ https://www.archives.gov/kansas-city/finding-aids/leavenworth-penitentiary/inmates-w-y-z.html
- ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 5, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Further reading
- Weil, Joseph (1948) [1948]. "Yellow Kid" Weil: The Autobiography of America's Master Swindler. Chicago: Ziff-Davis. ISBN 0-7812-8661-1.
External links
- 1918 Law report mentioning Weil in The People v. Buckminster
- Excerpt from Con Man: A Master Swindler's Own Story by J. R. Weil and W. T. Brannon, Penguin Random House, 2004
- Find A Grave
- Ron Grossman (January 20, 2013). "King of the con men". Chicago Tribune.
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