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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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Recent Posts
- Late one night in the Tunnel Diner
- James Leightnin had a story about aimlessly shuffling through the streets of the Lower East Side very early one cold morning.
- Who remembers the two people who back in the late-’80s were outside around Central and Manhattan no matter how cold it got?
- Bookie’s wife’s try for a Get Out of Jail Free card
- Tunnel Bar patrons enjoyed many hours of true crime diversion.
Recent Comments
- Anthony Olszewski on Eddie Sarge’s partner Vito Genovese
- Dom Perruccio on Eddie Sarge’s partner Vito Genovese
- Colette Golightly on Barney’s
- daphne on That’s how you play the game.
- N.Labruno on A week or so after the abduction and murder of Butch Cap, . . .
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
- Lost Indian Tribe Surfaces In Jersey City –…
- The father of “Crazy” Joe Gallo was in…
- Rape, Murder and Kidnapping
- Aniello Dellacroce was a financial wizard
- When Workman shot “Dutch” Schultz in Newark
- The Malcontent
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Category Archives: The Tunnel Bar
Go on till you come to the end: then stop.
At one point in the ’60s, Hal, armed robber and free lance enforcer for La Cosa Nostra, lived in a relatively large apartment house in Bayonne. The residents were all White — as was the entire neighborhood. Everyone in the … Continue reading →
Did you ever think about becoming a fence?
One of the regulars in the Tunnel Bar was Grumpy Will, an 85 year-old gent who had done a long stretch in Dannemora for murder. One day he asked me, “Did you ever think about becoming a fence?” “Nah, buying … Continue reading →
Jungle Juice Willy’s benediction
Jungle Juice Willy — Jersey City Heights resident, longshoreman, WWII combat veteran and patron of the Tunnel Bar — had a story about a visit from a priest. (God only knows now why the good Father was in the apartment … Continue reading →
Herby the Mailman’s jail watching
Herby the Mailman lived across the street from the old City / County jail on Pavonia back of the courthouse. (My memory is that somehow or other the place had a Central Ave. address?) He had a couple of funny … Continue reading →
Jersey City and TB — Perfect together?
All the Ebola hoopla reminds me of back when communicable diseases were handled with like a no margin for error policy. That was long ago. For well over ten years now, Jersey City has had one of the highest rates … Continue reading →
Grumpy Will, TV Charlie and Billy Goat
Old Grumpy Will’s place at 212 15th, Jersey City was a hub of homosexual action down by the Tunnel Bar. This was not any first wave colony of creatives wending their way to Jersey City. Instead, these were some who’d … Continue reading →
A case of mistaken identity
Back in the early-‘80s, I had a Harley-Davidson Super Glide. Though the engine was the same 74 cu. in. as a police bike, lacking the racks and packs, the appearance was quite dissimilar. With shoulder-length hair and clad in worn … Continue reading →
The indigents’ graveyard
Early on one bright, warm, spring afternoon, a boozer not previously known, bounced into the Tunnel Bar. As winos start to wander when the weather breaks, and so newcomers generally were not a surprise, this gent had some noteworthy features. … Continue reading →
He didn’t say no.
One day back when Jimmy still owned the Tunnel Bar, a stranger walked in, took out a twenty dollar bill, sat down and asked for a Seagram’s 7 with water. Jimmy put a shot glass and a chaser in front … Continue reading →
Hurricane Carter’s prison bout
One of the regular customers at the Tunnel Bar who we shall here call Hal was a long-time friend of Hurricane Carter, all the way from Yardville to Rahway. Hal told of an unusual Boxing match in prison with Carter … Continue reading →
Rambling Ray, Vinny the Rapist and the Motorcycle cop
Rambling Ray was in the Tunnel Bar getting ready to head out to a mega used car lot in PA that was supposed to be like the Holy Land for everything with four wheels. Vinny Buchelle (affectionately known to all … Continue reading →
What’s in your wallet?
In response to one of any of many examples of bizarre and strange behavior, I commented to a regular customer of the Tunnel Bar, “You can’t imagine how many people that come in here don’ belong out on the streets.” … Continue reading →