Blogroll
- Anthony Olszewski
- aolsz@bellatlantic.net
- 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 – Print Edition
- Second Thief, Best Thief at Google Books
Categories
Tags
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
- Steve on A Place Like This
- An attempt to murder all five heads of the New York Families | Second Thief, Best Thief - Jersey City Short Stories by Anthony Olszewski on The Malcontent
- Stepjac345 on “Our Computers Don’t Make Mistakes.”
- sam colacurcio on When Workman shot “Dutch” Schultz in Newark
- Jimbo on Survivor — Hudson County Style
Most Read Stories
- Rape, Murder and Kidnapping
- “Our Computers Don’t Make Mistakes.”
- An attempt to murder all five heads of the New York Families
- Martin Casella: Don’t you know who I am?
- Lost Indian Tribe Surfaces In Jersey City – Branch Of The Lene Lenape Plans To Open Casino!
- George Washington to Run for Office!
- The father of “Crazy” Joe Gallo was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on a fine Italian dinner.
- Aniello Dellacroce was a financial wizard
- When Workman shot “Dutch” Schultz in Newark
- Nietzsche as a boy – The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe at the 2012 Austin Psych Fest
- “Criminal Attorney” JACK TERRIER’S HOUSE ARREST!
- The Mind Reader
- Karate expert and Jersey City Police Oficer, Don Nagle
- Before Bride of Frank
- A Place Like This
Archives
Meta
Tag Archives: The Reprobate
The Reprobate opened the front door to the tenement apartment
The Reprobate opened the front door to the tenement apartment and then started to walk up the stairs. After about six steps there was a second door that was supposed to be locked. It wasn’t. The Reprobate opened that door … Continue reading
The Reprobate knocked on the door of the tenement apartment.
The Reprobate knocked on the door of the tenement apartment. Bo opened the door. Before the Reprobate could walk inside, Bo stepped out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. “Shhh, I gotta talk t’ ya ‘bou’ somethin’. We’s … Continue reading
