Blogroll
- Anthony Olszewski
- Anthony.Olszewski@gmail.com
- Author Page at Amazon
- Email this Page
- Hudson County Facts
- Intellectual Predator
- Jersey City Free Books
- Jersey City History
- New Jersey Mafia
- New York Metro Workout
- Posts tagged Big Boy at HudsonCountyFacts.com
- Second Thief, Best Thief – Kindle Edition
- Second Thief, Best Thief at Google Books
Categories
Tags
- Abraham Petz
- Bernie the Beat
- Big Boy
- Bo
- Bobby
- Cuz
- David Friedland
- Don Nagle
- Eddie Conte
- Flo
- Frank Meyer
- George K
- Grumpy Will
- Hal
- Jackson
- James Leightnin
- Jimmy Wolf
- Jungle Juice Willy
- Pudge
- Rambling Ray
- Sal Jr.
- Sal Sr.
- Stan
- The Friendly Stranger
- The Reprobate
- Tom
- Tommy
- Union Terminal Cold Storage
- Vinny
Second Thief, Best Thief – An Old Jersey City Saying
The Jersey City Waterfront once was covered with warehouses and piers. Adjacent to these were miles of railroad yards dotted with innumerable sheds and small buildings for use as storage and as workshops for mechanics, machinists, and welders.
During the depression, children from impoverished families would climb onto the roofs of the outlying structures, both to hide and to gain a view of the surrounding area. From up there, they'd watch for workers stealing from the docks, the trains, or the warehouses. The initial crooks would sneak off into the weeds to hide the swag with the idea of retrieving it at the end of the shift. Seeing opportunity made available, the kids would wait a bit for the situation to cool. Then, they'd climb down, grab the goods, and make a getaway through the vacant lots.
Practitioners coined the saying "second thief, best thief" to describe this method of survival.
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- daphne on That’s how you play the game.
- N.Labruno on A week or so after the abduction and murder of Butch Cap, . . .
- Alex Riddick on Tommy’s comments on the reports of his death.
- Patrick McLaughlin on The father of “Crazy” Joe Gallo was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on a fine Italian dinner.
- maria scariati on Life-long resident of Jersey City hired as Security
Popular posts:
- Martin Casella: Don’t you know who I am?
- Nietzsche as a boy – The Brian Jonestown…
- “Our Computers Don’t Make Mistakes.”
- An attempt to murder all five heads of the New York Families
- The father of “Crazy” Joe Gallo was in…
- Lost Indian Tribe Surfaces In Jersey City –…
- Rape, Murder and Kidnapping
- Aniello Dellacroce was a financial wizard
- When Workman shot “Dutch” Schultz in Newark
- The Malcontent
Archives
- January 2023
- October 2022
- April 2022
- October 2019
- October 2017
- December 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- March 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- August 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- July 2011
- June 2011
Meta
Monthly Archives: April 2022
Taking Numbers at the corner of 4th and Grove
My father had many stories about taking numbers — the illegal lottery — during the ’50s and ’60s down by the corner of 4th and Grove in Jersey City. (The Green Door tavern, Jean’s Luncheonette, Lou’s Barber Shop, the fruit … Continue reading