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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.
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Author Archives: Anthony Olszewski
These guys would steal the hole out’v a donut.
Back in the late ’80s, I sold bird seed and supplies out of a storefront on Congress Street a couple of blocks up from Palisade Avenue in the Jersey City Heights. During the day, I did the paperwork and prepared … Continue reading
The Friendly Stranger’s Chemical Delight
Lunch hour for the night crew at White Rose Frozen Foods (just outside of the Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel) was midnight to 1:10AM. Some guys’d run across the street to the diner or Arby’s, others would bring something … Continue reading
Union Terminal Cold Storage lobsters catch Pudge
Pudge was a relatively rare bird — an overweight junkie. He lived up in the Heights near Barney’s candy store. When I first met Pudge he was doing deliveries to office buildings for a Journal Square restaurant, until typewriters began … Continue reading
Lucky Sheehan and Ambiance
One particularly unusual day at the Tunnel Bar was the Saturday afternoon that a bodybuilder (male) walked in wearing a pink dress. He proceeded to skip around the place. He announced in an exaggerated voice that he was struck by … Continue reading
Deadlier than the male?
The wife of a truck driver at White Rose Frozen food — where Don Nagle, karate expert and Jersey City Police officer had a part-time job — drank in my father’s tavern on Henderson St. and in the bar down … Continue reading
Whenever a wino new to the neighborhood bounced in to buy a bottle of Thunderbird
Whenever a wino new to the neighborhood bounced in to buy a bottle of Thunderbird, before bagging, I’d carefully cradle the flask in my hand while scrutinizing the label. I’d then say, “My, December 12th . . . That was … Continue reading
Bookmaking was considered a profession in Jersey City PG (Pre-Gentrification).
After the publication of an unauthorized biography of Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop appeared on a television talk show as an apologist. He explained that even though what was printed might be “facts,” the truth was so stretched that it was … Continue reading
The Jersey City PG (Pre-Gentrification) plan – Buy now, pay never
Once someone makes the existential choice of substance abuse, next is the practical matter of financing this new lifestyle. Since in Jersey City PG (Pre-Gentrification) rock stars and heiresses were few and far between, adventurous locals had to rely on … Continue reading
The Protohippy’s can of worms
Back before the dump behind the Statue of Liberty’s back had been turned into a state Park, the Protohippy (as luck would have it, a first cousin to the Uberhippy) was on one of his bench warming breathers between stretches … Continue reading
Roger Rajesh Chugh has found himself back in cyberspace, and he’s not happy about it.
An embarrassment returns to the Web Republican ‘remakes’ state official’s ex-site Thursday, December 12, 2002 BY JOSH MARGOLIN AND JEFF WHELAN Star-Ledger Staff Roger Rajesh Chugh has found himself back in cyberspace, and he’s not happy about it. Chugh, the … Continue reading
City Web site under police investigation
City Web site under police investigation Originally appeared in The Jersey Journal By Daniel Schiff Journal staff writer 07/23/01 Jersey City’s official Web site is now the focus of a police investigation. The Jersey Journal reported in Saturday’s editions that … Continue reading
Seventh Grade Art Class
One afternoon during seventh grade, I was in the art room with a few of my classmates (all guys). We were talking with the instructor and somehow the subject turned to photography. He said that what he found particularly interesting … Continue reading
