"Yellow Kid" Weil: The Autobiography of America's Master SwindlerBilked bankers, grifted gamblers, and swindled spinsters: welcome to the world of confidence men. You'll marvel at the elaborate schemes developed by The Yellow Kid and cry for the marks who lost it all to his ingenuity—$8,000,000 by some estimations. Fixed horse races, bad real-estate deals, even a money-making machine—all were tools of the trade for the Kid and his associates: the Swede, the Butterine Kid, the Harmony Kid, Fats Levine, and others. The Sting (1973), starring Paul Newman and based largely on the story of the Yellow Kid, is entertaining, but is no match for the real deal. |
Contents
Foreword | 1 |
Chapter 1 Early Adventures in Chicanery | 3 |
Chapter 2 Chicanery in Chicago | 13 |
Chapter 3 A Tip for Mr Macallister | 21 |
Chapter 4 How to Beat the Horses | 41 |
Chapter 5 Two Unwary Strangers | 48 |
Chapter 6 From Nags to Riches | 60 |
Chapter 7 Giving Away Real Estate | 74 |
Chapter 15 The Man with a Beard | 162 |
Chapter 16 The Faro Bank Payoff | 174 |
Chapter 17 Meet Me in St Louis | 192 |
Chapter 18 The Law Catches Up | 209 |
Chapter 19 Magic Money | 212 |
Chapter 20 The Hotel Martinique | 233 |
Chapter 21 The Leavenworth Country Club | 236 |
Chapter 22 The Comtesse and The Kid | 240 |
Chapter 8 The GetRichQuick Bank | 87 |
Chapter 9 Red Letter Days | 96 |
Chapter 10 Millionaires and Murder | 106 |
Chapter 11 I Tried To Go Straight | 130 |
Chapter 12 Easy Money on Rainy Days | 142 |
Chapter 13 A Deal with Father Flanagan | 151 |
Chapter 14 Some Credit and Lots of Cash | 155 |
Chapter 23 The Case of the Refugee | 252 |
Chapter 24 A Proposition for A Hitler | 265 |
Chapter 25 Tricks of the Trade | 269 |
Chapter 26 The Little Things Count | 282 |
Chapter 27 Where the Money Went | 288 |
Chapter 28 The Last Word | 292 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
agreed AK Press asked banker betting bill Billy Black Fonso bookmakers bought Buck Buckminster called cash Chicago club Colonel Porter Company Comtesse confidence game convinced course Danford Deacon deal decided dollars Essen faro bank Father Flanagan fellow Fetterman Galesburg gave Geezil George Gross girl give glass hand Hans Luther Hoffman Hogan horse Hotchkiss interested Jack Carkeek Jerry Hunt Joe Weil John John Bauer Kahn knew later letter looked Macallister McFetridge McHenry never operator owner paper police poolroom race replied returned Reuel saloon scheme Schwartz sell soon stooge story Strosnider suckers Suppose sure Swartz Swede swindled talk tell thing told took track uncle victim wager waiting wealthy Western Union Western Union building winner Winterbill wire Yellow Kid Zambole دو وو