Kid Cann
Encyclopedia
Isadore Blumenfeld commonly known as Kid Cann, was a Jewish-American organized crime
figure based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for over four decades and remains the most notorious mobster in the history of Minnesota. The power and influence he held in Minneapolis was often compared to that of Al Capone
and was associated with several high-profile crimes in the city's history. Among these was his alleged involvement in the murder of a cab driver and the attempted murders of police officer James H. Trepanier and newspaperman Walter Liggett
. He is thought to have also participated in the dismantling of the Twin City Lines street railway during the early 1950s.
He was convicted of violating the Mann Act
in 1959 and, after a short prison term, retired to Miami Beach, Florida
, where he and Meyer Lansky
operated a real estate empire. He was involved in organized crime in Miami Beach and Havana, Cuba, until his death.
n shtetl
of Râmnicu Sărat
, Buzău County
to a Jewish family. According to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
documents, his parents emigrated to America in 1902 via the port of Duluth, Minnesota
. His father, a furrier, settled the family in Near North, Minneapolis
. During childhood, he had to leave school and support his family by selling newspapers on the streets of Minneapolis's "Newspaper Row." At the time, the best selling locations had to be held by force against gangs of other boys. Kid Cann would also tell stories of how he had made extra money picking up bus tokens and reselling them. Enraged by the poverty of his family, he turned to running errands for the pimps and madams of Minneapolis's red light district
.
, Kid Cann and his brothers were transformed from small time hoods into major figures in the American Mafia. His ties to the Chicago Outfit
and New York's Genovese crime family
date back to the prohibition period.
According to a later trial, they would legally import industrial grade alcohol from Canada, ostensibly for their perfume factory, and divert it to their illegal distilleries in the forests near Fort Snelling. Also, according to the book Minnesota 13
, Kid Cann and his brothers made frequent trips to Stearns County, Minnesota
to purchase the area's legendary moonshine
from local farmers. Some was disposed of in the Twin Cities, but most of it was sold to the Chicago Outfit, which was then bossed by Al Capone
. The same book also alleges that the Blumenfelds owned a lake side cabin near Melrose, Minnesota
.
By his 20s, Blumenfeld and his brothers, Harry Bloom (family name had been changed by this time) and Yiddy Bloom held considerable power over the Jewish neighborhoods in North Minneapolis, and oversaw illegal activities such as bootlegging
, prostitution, and labor racketeering. According to Twin Cities crime reporter Paul Maccabee, Kid Cann's rivalry with Minneapolis's Irish Mob
ended after he and Irish Mob boss Tommy Banks divided their territories with a handshake.
There was a high degree of political and civil corruption in the region in the 1920s and 1930s. The mainstream newspapers hardly mentioned what was going on, as any outlet that published articles critical of the status quo were threatened. Some small, tabloid newspapers attempted to report what was going on, but reporters and editors quickly became targets. Howard Guilford of the Twin City Reporter was shot and killed on September 6, 1934. A decade later the paper lost another reporter when Arthur Kasherman
was killed on January 22, 1945.
, the founder and editor of a weekly paper called The Midwest American. He had been threatened and offered bribes to stay quiet, but he persisted in reporting on links he found between organized crime figures and Minnesota's ruling Farmer-Labor Party
. Liggett was beaten up, prosecuted for a non-existent rape incident, and finally died after being machine gunned in the alley behind his home on December 9, 1935. His wife and daughter witnessed the assassination as did several neighbors. All identified Kid Cann as the shooter. Kid Cann was indicted by a grand jury
, but poor investigative work and a careless trial meant that he was acquitted. Liggett's widow would always believe that Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson was deeply implicated in the murder. Her husband had repeatedly accused the Governor of corruption.
As the area streetcar system, operated by Twin City Rapid Transit
, was being dismantled in the early 1950s and replaced with diesel buses, Blumenfeld owned a 16% stake in the company. He was accused of allying himself with a corporate raider, using force to intimidate stockholders, and disposing of the scrap metal on the black market after their hostile takeover had succeeded. Some historians believe he held considerable responsibility for what happened, but when a Federal court case years later led several executives from the company to go to prison, Blumenfeld was not convicted. What remained of Twin City Rapid Transit
was taken over at the behest of governor Orville Freeman
by noted Minneapolitan Carl Pohlad
in 1960.
). Although this conviction was later overturned on appeal, he was again tried and convicted of jury tampering
and extorting kickbacks from bars and nightclubs throughout Minneapolis. The extortion was carried out by threatening to deny them liquor licenses. During the sentencing phase of this trial it was revealed that Kid Cann was receiving a cut of the money skimmed from at least one Las Vegas
casino.
with his friend Meyer Lansky
. They reportedly continued to make money through illegal activities, though they changed tack, focusing instead on stock market fraud, money laundering
, and questionable real estate dealings. He frequently visited his family and friends in Minnesota and declared to a Minneapolis reporter in 1976 that he had recently turned down an offer to write his memoirs. He said, "I have nothing to say, really." He died in Minneapolis of heart disease in the summer of 1981. Rabbi Max Shapiro of Temple Israel
recited the graveside services when Kid Cann was interred at the Adath Yeshurun Cemetery in Edina, Minnesota
.
Rabbi Shapiro later recalled,
, similar to Al Capone
or Whitey Bulger.
Two tales are told of the origins of his famous nickname. According to one legend, he picked up the name during a brief attempt at boxing. Another story told by his fellow North Side Jews alleges that young Isadore Blumenfeld would always lock himself in the outhouse
to avoid gang fights in the neighborhood. Kid Cann indignantly denied both versions.
In later years, he was alleged to have installed bulletproof windows on his suburban house and to have been able to fix any problem with a single phone call. During his lifetime, Kid Cann bore a love–hate relationship with his legend, on one hand glorying in the attention and also feeling infuriated by the increased Federal Bureau of Investigation
surveillance that it brought him beginning in the early 1950s. In a 1976 interview he snapped, "Ninety percent of what was written about me is b--- s---!"
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
figure based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for over four decades and remains the most notorious mobster in the history of Minnesota. The power and influence he held in Minneapolis was often compared to that of Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
and was associated with several high-profile crimes in the city's history. Among these was his alleged involvement in the murder of a cab driver and the attempted murders of police officer James H. Trepanier and newspaperman Walter Liggett
Walter Liggett
Walter W. Liggett , was an American journalist.Liggett was a crusading newspaper editor in the Minnesota of the 1930s...
. He is thought to have also participated in the dismantling of the Twin City Lines street railway during the early 1950s.
He was convicted of violating the Mann Act
Mann Act
The White-Slave Traffic Act, better known as the Mann Act, is a United States law, passed June 25, 1910 . It is named after Congressman James Robert Mann, and in its original form prohibited white slavery and the interstate transport of females for “immoral purposes”...
in 1959 and, after a short prison term, retired to Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, where he and Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
operated a real estate empire. He was involved in organized crime in Miami Beach and Havana, Cuba, until his death.
Early life
Isadore Blumenfeld was born in 1900 in the RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n shtetl
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
of Râmnicu Sărat
Râmnicu Sarat
Râmnicu Sărat is a city in Buzău County, Romania. It was declared a municipality in 1439. On December 21, 1994 it celebrated its 555th anniversary....
, Buzău County
Buzau County
Buzău is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 496,214 and the population density was 81/km².*Romanians – 97%*Roma – under 3% declared, and others....
to a Jewish family. According to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
Immigration and Naturalization Service
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , now referred to as Legacy INS, ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as...
documents, his parents emigrated to America in 1902 via the port of Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
. His father, a furrier, settled the family in Near North, Minneapolis
Near North, Minneapolis
Near North is a community on the north side of Minneapolis. Contained within it are six smaller neighborhoods. Near North is the primary area represented in the North Minneapolis Encyclopedia, InsideNorthside....
. During childhood, he had to leave school and support his family by selling newspapers on the streets of Minneapolis's "Newspaper Row." At the time, the best selling locations had to be held by force against gangs of other boys. Kid Cann would also tell stories of how he had made extra money picking up bus tokens and reselling them. Enraged by the poverty of his family, he turned to running errands for the pimps and madams of Minneapolis's red light district
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
.
Prohibition
With the onset of ProhibitionProhibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, Kid Cann and his brothers were transformed from small time hoods into major figures in the American Mafia. His ties to the Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
and New York's Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
date back to the prohibition period.
According to a later trial, they would legally import industrial grade alcohol from Canada, ostensibly for their perfume factory, and divert it to their illegal distilleries in the forests near Fort Snelling. Also, according to the book Minnesota 13
Minnesota 13
Minnesota 13 was the name given to the corn liquor moonshine distilled on many central Minnesota Stearns County farms. It became well known across America and Canada as "Minnesota 13", a premium quality twice distilled and properly aged whiskey,...
, Kid Cann and his brothers made frequent trips to Stearns County, Minnesota
Stearns County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 133,166 people, 47,604 households, and 32,132 families residing in the county. The population density was 99 people per square mile . There were 50,291 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
to purchase the area's legendary moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
from local farmers. Some was disposed of in the Twin Cities, but most of it was sold to the Chicago Outfit, which was then bossed by Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
. The same book also alleges that the Blumenfelds owned a lake side cabin near Melrose, Minnesota
Melrose, Minnesota
Melrose is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,598 at the 2010 census. It is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
By his 20s, Blumenfeld and his brothers, Harry Bloom (family name had been changed by this time) and Yiddy Bloom held considerable power over the Jewish neighborhoods in North Minneapolis, and oversaw illegal activities such as bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
, prostitution, and labor racketeering. According to Twin Cities crime reporter Paul Maccabee, Kid Cann's rivalry with Minneapolis's Irish Mob
Irish Mob
The Irish Mob is one of the oldest organized crime groups in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish American street gangs of the 19th century — depicted in Herbert Asbury's 1928 book The Gangs of New York — the Irish Mob has appeared in most...
ended after he and Irish Mob boss Tommy Banks divided their territories with a handshake.
Heyday
A number of deaths are attributed to him and his gang, including journalists who were killed after writing articles exposing the inner workings of his organization as well as his ties to corrupt politicians from several parties. A Jewish restaurant owner who recalls this era once said that the Blumenfelds were worshipped by several generations of neighborhood boys.There was a high degree of political and civil corruption in the region in the 1920s and 1930s. The mainstream newspapers hardly mentioned what was going on, as any outlet that published articles critical of the status quo were threatened. Some small, tabloid newspapers attempted to report what was going on, but reporters and editors quickly became targets. Howard Guilford of the Twin City Reporter was shot and killed on September 6, 1934. A decade later the paper lost another reporter when Arthur Kasherman
Arthur Kasherman
Arthur Kasherman was a publisher of the Public Press, Newsgram and other alternative newspapers in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the 1930s and 1940s...
was killed on January 22, 1945.
The Liggett murder
The most notorious murder was that of Walter LiggettWalter Liggett
Walter W. Liggett , was an American journalist.Liggett was a crusading newspaper editor in the Minnesota of the 1930s...
, the founder and editor of a weekly paper called The Midwest American. He had been threatened and offered bribes to stay quiet, but he persisted in reporting on links he found between organized crime figures and Minnesota's ruling Farmer-Labor Party
Farmer-Labor Party
The first modern Farmer–Labor Party in the United States emerged in Minnesota in 1918. Economic dislocation caused by American entry into World War I put agricultural prices and workers' wages into imbalance with rapidly escalating retail prices during the war years, and farmers and workers sought...
. Liggett was beaten up, prosecuted for a non-existent rape incident, and finally died after being machine gunned in the alley behind his home on December 9, 1935. His wife and daughter witnessed the assassination as did several neighbors. All identified Kid Cann as the shooter. Kid Cann was indicted by a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
, but poor investigative work and a careless trial meant that he was acquitted. Liggett's widow would always believe that Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson was deeply implicated in the murder. Her husband had repeatedly accused the Governor of corruption.
Notoriety
Blumenfeld was indicted for the killing of a taxicab driver, and was also suspected of being responsible for the attempted murder of police officer James H. Trepanier. Paul Maccabbee, however, writes that Kid Cann, while present, had no part of the shooting, which was likely committed by fugitive bank robber Verne Miller.As the area streetcar system, operated by Twin City Rapid Transit
Twin City Rapid Transit
The Twin City Rapid Transit Company , also known as Twin City Lines , was a transportation company that operated streetcars, and buses in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota...
, was being dismantled in the early 1950s and replaced with diesel buses, Blumenfeld owned a 16% stake in the company. He was accused of allying himself with a corporate raider, using force to intimidate stockholders, and disposing of the scrap metal on the black market after their hostile takeover had succeeded. Some historians believe he held considerable responsibility for what happened, but when a Federal court case years later led several executives from the company to go to prison, Blumenfeld was not convicted. What remained of Twin City Rapid Transit
Twin City Rapid Transit
The Twin City Rapid Transit Company , also known as Twin City Lines , was a transportation company that operated streetcars, and buses in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota...
was taken over at the behest of governor Orville Freeman
Orville Freeman
Orville Lothrop Freeman was an American Democratic politician who served as the 29th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1955 to January 2, 1961, and as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
by noted Minneapolitan Carl Pohlad
Carl Pohlad
Carl R. Pohlad was a successful financier and the owner of the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from 1984 until his death in 2009.-Early life:...
in 1960.
Conviction and imprisonment
In 1959, he was convicted on Federal charges of transporting a Chicago prostitute named Virginia Tollefson across state lines (see Mann ActMann Act
The White-Slave Traffic Act, better known as the Mann Act, is a United States law, passed June 25, 1910 . It is named after Congressman James Robert Mann, and in its original form prohibited white slavery and the interstate transport of females for “immoral purposes”...
). Although this conviction was later overturned on appeal, he was again tried and convicted of jury tampering
Jury tampering
Jury tampering is the crime of unduly attempting to influence the composition and/or decisions of a jury during the course of a trial.The means by which this crime could be perpetrated can include attempting to discredit potential jurors to ensure they will not be selected for duty. Once selected,...
and extorting kickbacks from bars and nightclubs throughout Minneapolis. The extortion was carried out by threatening to deny them liquor licenses. During the sentencing phase of this trial it was revealed that Kid Cann was receiving a cut of the money skimmed from at least one Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
casino.
Later years and death
After his release from prison, he moved to Miami Beach, FloridaMiami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
with his friend Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
. They reportedly continued to make money through illegal activities, though they changed tack, focusing instead on stock market fraud, money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
, and questionable real estate dealings. He frequently visited his family and friends in Minnesota and declared to a Minneapolis reporter in 1976 that he had recently turned down an offer to write his memoirs. He said, "I have nothing to say, really." He died in Minneapolis of heart disease in the summer of 1981. Rabbi Max Shapiro of Temple Israel
Temple Israel (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish synagogue in Minneapolis, Minnesota.The congregation was founded in 1878 as an Orthodox congregation known as Shaarai Tov....
recited the graveside services when Kid Cann was interred at the Adath Yeshurun Cemetery in Edina, Minnesota
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
.
Rabbi Shapiro later recalled,
"After Kid Cann’s funeral, I received a call from someone who asked, how could I possibly officiate at the funeral of such a terrible human being? And I answered, it’s my belief that every Jew at death, no matter what he did in life, deserves to have the Mourner’s KaddishKaddishKaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service...
– the last prayer – said for him. So I said Kaddish for Kid Cann."
Folklore
In Minnesota today, tales of Kid Cann and his rumored dark deeds may be considered to have made him a local urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
, similar to Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
or Whitey Bulger.
Two tales are told of the origins of his famous nickname. According to one legend, he picked up the name during a brief attempt at boxing. Another story told by his fellow North Side Jews alleges that young Isadore Blumenfeld would always lock himself in the outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
to avoid gang fights in the neighborhood. Kid Cann indignantly denied both versions.
In later years, he was alleged to have installed bulletproof windows on his suburban house and to have been able to fix any problem with a single phone call. During his lifetime, Kid Cann bore a love–hate relationship with his legend, on one hand glorying in the attention and also feeling infuriated by the increased Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
surveillance that it brought him beginning in the early 1950s. In a 1976 interview he snapped, "Ninety percent of what was written about me is b--- s---!"
Further reading
- Paul Maccabee, "Alias Kid Cann", Mpls. St. Paul, November 1991.
- Marda Liggett Woodbury, "Stopping the Presses; The Murder of Walter W. Liggett," Minnesota Historical SocietyMinnesota Historical SocietyThe Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
Press.
- Almog, OzOz AlmogOz Almog, an Israeli–Austrian artist was born on April 15, 1956, in Kfar Saba, Israel. He comes from a family of Russian/Ukrainian pioneers and Romanian/Russian immigrants...
, Kosher Nostra Jüdische Gangster in Amerika, 1890–1980 ; Jüdischen Museum der Stadt Wien ; 2003, Text Oz Almog, Erich Metz, ISBN 3901398333