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
- 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
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
Category Archives: The Tunnel Bar
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 →
As seen on TV!
Vinny Buchelle, one of the regulars at the Tunnel Bar, some decades before had been sent off to Trenton State Prison for statutory rape, or so he claimed. Underneath all that steel and concrete, Vinny suffered a breakdown and so … Continue reading →
Bobby with no legs
One of the Spanish guys who’d hang out all weekend at the Tulsa gas station on Henderson Street was in the Tunnel Bar for a six pack of beer and a pint of rum. Sal Jr. was the bartender. As … Continue reading →
Jackson came in from the cold.
Teddy Kucz (“Jackson”) first became homeless during a summer of endless drinking. When the steady freeze of January set in, being free as a bird was not enjoyable for one unable to fly south. Cold and hungry in Journal Square, … Continue reading →
Rites of passage
One of the regulars at the Tunnel Bar, Hal, was something of an expert on the NJ correctional system. He had an amusing story of his graduation from a youthful offender to an inmate. Transported from Hudson County early in … Continue reading →