Joseph Weil
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Yellow Kid" Weil (July 1, 1875—February 26, 1976) 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." Over the course of his career, Weil is reputed to have stolen more than $8 million.
"Each of my victims had larceny in his heart," explained Weil.
at age 17. Weil noticed his peers pocketing
small portions of the boss' proceeds. His career progressed into the protection rackets
. For a cut
, offered Weil, he wouldn't share his knowledge of their perfidy. Plenty complied.
Under the tutelage of Chicago confidence man Doc Meriwether, Weil started performing short cons in the 1890s at public sales of Meriwether's Elixir, the chief ingredient of which was rainwater.
," 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."
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.
"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."
He served a jail Sentence at Atlanta Prison from 1940 to 1942.
Weil died in Chicago in 1976 at the age of 100.
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
of his era. Weil's biographer, W. T. Brannon, wrote of Weil's "...uncanny knowledge of human nature." Over the course of his career, Weil is reputed to have stolen more than $8 million.
"Each of my victims had larceny in his heart," explained Weil.
Early life and career beginnings
Weil was born in Chicago, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Weil. He left school and started work as a collector in his home town's bustling loan-sharking industryLoan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
at age 17. Weil noticed his peers pocketing
Skimming (fraud)
A form of white-collar crime, skimming is a slang termhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/skim that refers to taking cash "off the top" of the daily receipts of a business and officially reporting a lower total.- Examples :* A skimming crime may be simple tax evasion: the owner of a business...
small portions of the boss' proceeds. His career progressed into the protection rackets
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
. For a cut
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
, offered Weil, he wouldn't share his knowledge of their perfidy. Plenty complied.
Under the tutelage of Chicago confidence man Doc Meriwether, Weil started performing short cons in the 1890s at public sales of Meriwether's Elixir, the chief ingredient of which was rainwater.
Life as a con man
The nickname "Yellow Kid" first was applied in 1903 and came 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. "There have been many erroneous stories published about how I acquired this cognomenCognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
," 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."
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.
"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."
He served a jail Sentence at Atlanta Prison from 1940 to 1942.
Weil died in Chicago in 1976 at the age of 100.
External links
- .p.181 1918 Law report mentioning Weil
- Excerpt from Con Man: A Master Swindler's Own Story by J. R. Weil and W. T. Brannon, Random House Web site
- Find A Grave