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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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Tag Archives: Sal Sr.
A Place Like This
Deep in the heart of darkest December, it was a cold Saturday afternoon. The tavern was empty. The one room was about forty feet long, with maybe eight feet from the bar to the wall. Originally there were two windows. … Continue reading →
The Calendars
I never found out why James Leightnin left the Bowery. He’d been on the bum in New York for a couple of years. But now he was back in Jersey City, back home, sitting on the steps outside the Tunnel … Continue reading →
Threatening to Kill the President
James Leightnin stumbled out of the restroom of the Tunnel Bar. All of a sudden, jumping right up out of the front page of a newspaper tossed on top of some boxes of beer, it hit him in the head … Continue reading →