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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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“Why do you have all these quarters?”
Even in the early days of Jersey City PPG (Post Pre Genrtrification) there really was no such thing as an unusual event. Through the Looking Glass style, everything always was wildly spinning out of control. Case in point: Back in … Continue reading
Jersey City Heights resident goes to Greenville to buy a $2 bag of heroin.
Remember Jimmy Time Bomb’s buddy Joe? He had a story about just happening to be driving with some friends south on Kennedy Blvd., down by Lincoln Park. Stopped at a light, for no particular reason, he looked off to the … Continue reading
Our Lady of Graham Bell
I was attempting to navigate the fog of 6:45AM and coffee not having kicked in yet, when all of a sudden, after nearly forty years, this reef of memory surfaced. # # # Me and some other guys were hanging … Continue reading
The phone regularly rang with people looking for the jail.
When I was a kid, our telephone number was 656-3060; the jail’s was different by just one digit. Weekends — and during the full moon — the phone regularly rang with people looking for the lockup. I’d tell ’em the … Continue reading
The case of the meandering nightstick
Are any of these stories like for real? Nah, course not, I jus’ make ’em all up. BTW, the abraded area at the business end was from where the serial number disappeared. Back in the anything-but-boring ’70s, there was a … Continue reading
A case of misplaced economy
After my computer repair shop got the heaveho from Hoboken Ave over by Jersey ’cause of the construction of the Light Rail, I moved lock, stock and old van over to Grand Street by the Turnpike exit. In this new … Continue reading
The Lone Drinker at the Candlelight Lounge
I guess it was back in ’77. I bounced into the Candlelight Lounge on the corner of Congress and Summit one morning. As I was walking in, I noticed that empty space had replaced what previously had been a window. … Continue reading
Tommy’s pharmaceutical festivities
The party lasted a long time at Tommy’s North Bergen cliffside retreat. Here and there, there were — as is to be expected for a dealer in rare powders — low points. A La Cosa Nostra associate showing up one … Continue reading
Back in the late ’70s, the Candlelight Lounge — on the corner of Congress and Summit — was a jumping joint.
Back in the late ’70s, the Candlelight Lounge — on the corner of Congress and Summit — was a jumping joint. Peter the Bulgarian — then most recently formerly partners with Tommy (a North Bergen cliffside dealer in rare powders) … Continue reading
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