Kid Cann
Kid Cann was Minnesota's best known gangster. Born Isadore Blumenfeld, in Romania, his family settled in Minnesota when he was a toddler. His career began hustling on the mean streets of North Minneapolis. A Jew, young Isadore, was subject to the rampant anti-Semitism that defined life for Jews in Minneapolis.
A bootlegger, he used his connections to Mob up the 'legit' liquor industry after the repeal of the Volstead Act. He was connected all the way up to Governor Floyd B. Olson, the Yiddish speaking Scandinavian political giant, who also hailed from the North Side.
Or so claimed journalist Walter Ligget before he was beaten, framed for rape, and eventually shot down in front of his family. The Kid was indicted, but beat the rap do to a shoddy prosecution.
He was involved in a number of rackets, murders, and other crimes, but the law couldn't get him. Among his accomplishments was the dismantling of the Minneapolis' mass transit system in the 1950's.
Eventually he did do time for his involvement in prostitution. After release he moved to Miami with his pal Meyer Lansky. The two involved themselves in respectable crimes like: money laundering, stock market fraud, and real estate.
He got his name because it was said anytime there was a fight the Kid could be found hiding in the can. It is said that he preferred to be called Fergie. He died in 1981.
A bootlegger, he used his connections to Mob up the 'legit' liquor industry after the repeal of the Volstead Act. He was connected all the way up to Governor Floyd B. Olson, the Yiddish speaking Scandinavian political giant, who also hailed from the North Side.
Or so claimed journalist Walter Ligget before he was beaten, framed for rape, and eventually shot down in front of his family. The Kid was indicted, but beat the rap do to a shoddy prosecution.
He was involved in a number of rackets, murders, and other crimes, but the law couldn't get him. Among his accomplishments was the dismantling of the Minneapolis' mass transit system in the 1950's.
Eventually he did do time for his involvement in prostitution. After release he moved to Miami with his pal Meyer Lansky. The two involved themselves in respectable crimes like: money laundering, stock market fraud, and real estate.
He got his name because it was said anytime there was a fight the Kid could be found hiding in the can. It is said that he preferred to be called Fergie. He died in 1981.
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