"Yellow Kid" Weil; the autobiography of America's master swindler

10.8 MB·English

by  Weil, Joseph R

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The Autobiography of America's Master Swindler
AS TOLD TO
W. BRANNON
T.
ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO
COPYRIGHT, 1948, BY ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may
be reprinted zvithout permission of the publisher.
*^
ZIFF DAVIS
PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO . NEW YORK . LOS ANGELES
•
ZIFF-DAVIS LIMITED
London
•
ZIFF-DAVIS-PATEL LIMITED
Calcutta • Bombay
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FOREWORD
Long before I ever met the Yellow Kid, I had heard of him. His
adventures fascinated me. I had a yen to know the inside story be-
hind those fabulous tales I heard and read in the newspapers.
When I started to dig, I learned that the Kid had been a figure
in criminal circles so long, that he had become a legend. Criminolo-
gists had devoted considerable space in their books to his exploits.
But all this was third person stuff, based on a mixture of fact, rumor,
and hearsay.
I determined to get acquainted with the Yellow Kid. But that
was something of an undertaking. I trailed him all over Chicago
before I finally found him. Not that he was trying to evade me.
He's just an elusive sort of fellow. I can imagine how the police of
two continents must have pulled their hair when they were trying to
nab him during his heyday.
Far from finding the Kid a man of superficialities, I discovered
that he has many real accomplishments. One of these is his uncanny
knowledge of human nature. In this respect, he may be far ahead
of some of our more celebrated psychologists. He can size up a man
and accurately forecast his reactions to almost any given set of cir-
cumstances.
Another trait of the Kid's which rather surprised me was his
knowledge of world affairs. Not only does he keep abreast of im-
portant happenings at home and abroad, he has very strong opinions
about them. He is never indifferent about anything; he is either for
it, or against it.
Some of his opinions have been interwoven into the story of his
career. But, in the main, this has been written to entertain the reader.
For I have tried to present Mr. Weil as he portrayed himself to me:
a very colorful gent.
I hope you'll enjoy reading of the Yellow Kid's exploits. Don't try
to imitate them!
Chicago, Illinois W. T. Brannon
January 1. 1948