Joseph Weil
Joseph Weil, often referred to as the "Yellow Kid," was a notorious American confidence man born to German American grocers in Chicago around 1875 or 1877. Initially a gifted student, he dropped out of high school at seventeen and soon found himself embroiled in a life of crime after discovering embezzlement at his first job. His criminal career spanned forty years, during which he reportedly swindled approximately eight million dollars from various victims, including prominent bankers and professionals. Weil specialized in elaborate scams, often involving horse races and fake financial ventures, using psychological manipulation to ensure his victims would not report him to authorities.
His criminal activities led to brushes with the law, including a three-year prison sentence after members of his gang turned against him. After his release, Weil turned his life around, becoming a lecturer on fraud and authoring a book about successful salesmanship. Notably, he testified before the U.S. Senate in 1956, providing insights into crime and deception. Weil's life and exploits are believed to have inspired the acclaimed 1973 film "The Sting," highlighting his lasting impact on popular culture and the understanding of con artistry.
Subject Terms
Joseph Weil
American swindler and con artist
- Born: 1875 or 1877
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: February 26, 1976
- Place of death: Chicago, Illinois
Major offense: Mail fraud
Active: c. 1900-1941
Locale: Chicago, Illinois
Sentence: Three years in prison
Early Life
Joseph Weil (weel or wil) was the son of honest, hardworking German American grocers in Chicago, born either in 1875 (according to Weil) or in 1877 (as indicated in official records). Weil watched his parents struggle for a meager living and was determined to have a much better life. Despite being a gifted student, he dropped out of high school at age seventeen. His first job was as a collector for a firm at which the bookkeepers and cashiers robbed their employer. Being observant and clever, Weil noticed their embezzlement and confronted them. To protect themselves, they paid him to keep quiet. Later, Weil acknowledged that his first job taught him that cunning and blackmail paid much better than his parents’ ethical lifestyle.
Weil was offered a job by con man Doc Meriwether that entailed helping Doc sell phony elixirs composed of rainwater and alcohol that were touted as a cure for tapeworm.
Criminal Career
From his first two jobs, Weil learned how to prey on people’s greed and fears. He became a high-earning confidence man who swindled both urban and rural people out of eight million dollars over his forty-year career. He earned the nickname the Yellow Kid because he frequently read the comic strip “Hogan’s Alley” featuring a country bumpkin character of the same name.
Most of Weil’s victims were leading bankers, businessmen, doctors, and lawyers with the common desire to make money quickly. Many of his frauds involved horse races. Weil would convince others that the races were fixed. Wanting to get in on a sure thing, people would give him money to bet. Weil would collect the bets but leave with the money.
Weil’s scams were staged in such a way that his victims would not report him to the police. For example, he persuaded victims that he had a duplicating machine that created legitimate-looking copies of their money. During the duplicating process, his accomplices would arrive in the guise of police raiding the premises. His victims would depart the premises to avoid jail but without their money.
In 1907, Weil staged an illegal boxing match during which a boxer, who was guaranteed to win, was pronounced “dead” by an accomplice posing as a doctor. Frightened bettors left without their money. Weil also set up buildings to look like legitimate banks or brokerage houses and hired accomplices to pose as employees. After conning people into making investments, he would take off with the money, leaving only empty offices.
Legal Action and Outcome
In 1926, when members of Weil’s gang believed that he had swindled them out of their share of income from selling stolen bonds, they reported him to police. Weil was jailed for three years. He was again jailed briefly in 1941 before ending his criminal career and going straight.
Impact
After giving up his life of crime, Joseph Weil lectured on swindlers and their methods. He wrote a book on “practical successful salesmanship.” In 1956, he testified in the U.S. Senate as an expert witness before the Kefauver Committee, which was investigating American crime. The 1973 film The Sting, which received the Academy Award for Best Picture, is widely considered to have been inspired by Weil’s life.
Bibliography
Algren, Nelson. Chicago: City on the Make. Fiftieth anniversary ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001. An account of the history of Chicago. Annotated, with explanations of the people, events, and scandals that shaped Chicago’s history.
Haller, Mark H. “Urban Crime and Criminal Justice: The Chicago Case.” Journal of American History 57, no. 3 (December, 1970): 619-635. A historical review of the relationships between urban crimes, the social lives of ethnic groups in urban slums, and attempts to reform the criminal justice system.
Klapp, Orrin E. “The Clever Hero.” Journal of American Folklore 67, no. 263 (January-March, 1954): 21-34. An account of criminals who were admired by the public for their ability to use power over others and who became social forces in their communities.
Weil, Joseph R., and W. T. Brannon. Con Man: A Master Swindler’s Own Story. 1948. Reprint. New York: Broadway Books, 2004. Weil’s account of how he swindled the public.