Document text
Forms to be Filled out for Eacn Interview
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
STATE mor YORE
NAME OF WORKER Marion Charles Hatch,
ADDRESS 842 First Ave.
DATE D.C. 8, 1988
SUBJECT ,HIRE#8 A, GOOD OBS* YARNS OF NEWYORK HACKIES.
1. Date and time o interview Saturday agOilnoon Dec. 3, 1938
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
2. Place of interview
Rirint sal, Taxi Drivers Union of Greater Nem York,
RiiiA100$, 1947 Broademy
3. Name and address of informant Jack Ryan, address above, organiser in
:WO it taxicab *gateman**, Sidney Nurcusky, welfare director
84 above.
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
Several hackies suggesteeted I try the taxi union.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accowpanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
As suggested by*. Mertes I will later write a general lead under mhieh an
taxicab stories can be assembled. Because of the manner in +Ai& these stories are
told it is difficult to obtain the information under form B. lathe ease of some
informants I maybe able to do this later.
PLEASE CHANGE THE INFOAMANT#8 NAME IF ANY CF THE MATERIAL 18 PUBLISHED.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, eacn
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
FOLiCLO
FORM C
STATE NET. York
Marion Ltarles 5atch,
ADDRESS SSE First Ave. New York
DATE 74c. 5, 1988
SUP;JECT "HLi'S A GOO: YARNS OI ALr
NE OF ''.0
rjil HACK I LS
INDIAN PCOL STORY 4. TOLL ifY JACK aYAN
Now here's ono that actually happened.
At Atlantic Avenue and ostrand Avonue, brooklyn, there is a Parallels cab
stand there and at this stand, working, theme was a little inoffensive fellow marriod
to a very beautiful Girl. but he had to Get permission from his motherAnlaw when
ever he wanted to se* his wife. The fellows were constantly kiddin‘ tan *lout this,
how tho devil he could manage to Get along without having any women, oseept an
the very rare occasions when his motherAin..law allowed him access to his wit.. So
the follows on the line oodkod up a scheme. He happenA to be a tight wad. He would
never buy anything. He had to '.:42 tight beoause his motherinAlaw made him turn in
all his remsipts. Ono of the fellows by the name of Joe klore went to him one day
and described to him a very beautiful Indian woman and told him that this Indian
woman had seen him and liked him very much and had asked Fiore to arran,e for him
to cove up to her house and see her. She wasn't by any means 4 Gold digger. All
she wanted him to do was to bring up some fruit and a bottle of whisksy and take it
up to her roam that niGht. He gave him the number of her roomini; house. This girl
lived on the fourth floor of a walk-up apartment. All he had to do 111114 Go up to the
Fourth floor and knock on the door and the girl would admit hie. He wus to have the
.2.
the whiskey and the fruit along with him. This fellow agreed to do this. In the
meantime Joe Flore oame up to the garage and he got the mechanic there to give him
a lot of burned out electric light bulbs. Heeent with these electric li„ht bulbs
and parked himself on the fifth floor at the appointed time. After awhile this driver
came up with the whiskey and the bag of fruit. Z knocked on the door where the
supposed Indian woman lived and as soon as he did this Joe fire dam the bulbs one after
another. They sounded like pistol shots in the confined space of the hallways. Just
like Piitel shots. At the same time he started running dawn the stairs, making a
heavy noise with his feet and yelling, "You're the soneofea-biteh that been after
my wife." The fellow dropped his package of whiskey and ran for his life. Of course
all the boys had a lot of fun with the fruit and the whiskey. Strange to sa-, they
pulled this on him a secone time. They told him the Indian woman had been down and
told how sorry she wes that it happened. This time her husband was definitely out
of town and wouldn't be back for months, for him to 001110 again with whiskey and fruit
and she would see that there was no interference this time. The guy went back the
second time and Joe %us ahainereet%ine for him. This time he yelled, "You ran fast
last time but this time, you bastard you won't et away from me. I'll follow you
to the ends of the earth," or words to that e ect. The guy ran out of the house,
left his cub where it was and he's never been seen by any of those men sinoe. He
just faded out of the picture, disappeared completely. I'm the guy that gave Joe Flore the
bulbs and had some of the whiskey too.
"YOU NEVeR KNOW JUO PICKS YOU UP" told by Sidney Sumoweky.
They get you in the cab and they tell you they are Gov. Lehman or President
Roosevelt and just go ahead and break the speed laws. Until some cop picks you up.
That is the one cop they don't know.
I once had u guy he picks me up on Williams street and we go over to the
West Side Highway. He starts telline moo "a fine piece of work," and I says to him
ege
"What are you tuleleh ubout?' "This is a fins piece or work this best leid. Hihhway.
i &hilted, its e iine hiece of work. 'You know who built it dont' you?" I said, No who
to hell did?" lie taeid "I did". I'm James e. Stewart," he said.
he 1168 just a bum.
1,0t 01 pooele wouldn't even believe that its true. You get a slob
with u weeee aid ae weete to npress the woman he's somebody. He will tell you he did
this and ho did thee.. here's aiile story to show you what I mean*
once worked for the Yellows that WU3 in the olden days about thirteen
yours ueo. 5.'m seat out on the job. You know they call up the place and you pick
up the fare. teees -he eround to a lot of places. he takes me to a bank. The
Chemieel eetioeel eeee, think. You snow he hnes into the bank and I wait outside.
lie's in elere eeoet
hoer. An ee !eekes ee to e reseaurunt. I see the guys
easy with honote you kaow, and I eat the rihht thing, with a hey like that you don't
order a Glass of beer.
developed a severe eese of heart burns. lie take me into
drui; &taro eae ha faille the huy to eie ep seeie meeicine for me. I says to aim,
you, eeyway?" elle he says. 'I'll show you who I aml" He tikes me
down to Polyclinic hostital and when he hot in there everybody in the place sows,
"Hellos" the hirls an. the nela workinc there all know him. 7e picks up a lot of
stuff eed Ifound out he was on of the best medical illustrators in the oountry. He
draws and Taints, u kidney, you knew, for the do -tore to lecture on. He takes me
down stairs an shoes me .ere they perform aetopsies and all that. After fussing
around he takes mo out to 'ran'efood, N. J. He took me around and the bill was $28.00
je :Ives me a check. So I told him, "This is no eocel for me. I can't turn it knS"
ho took. :act to every leedine citizen in the town and they all swore by their
kids their futhers, ane eothees that they uint hot no ohanhe. Next day I went over
to the bank on 41st Ot. aml Medison„ The Chemical hee,lonal. Its on the southwest
corner. I eo in with check and they tell me, "eo fundsl" I toll them he was in
looks out of the window and sees a very odd looking building, about two blocks
swore, and enquires from his friend "What is that building, pray t On a41
'What is the name of that building across the street*" His friend says to him, "That's
the Pennsylvania station*" He says, "Holy Cow," he suys, "only last night I cane off
the train at the Pennsylvania station I engaged a taxicab there and told him to take
me to the Pennsylvania Hotel. After takinL me for a joy ride crossing several bridges
we finally arrived three hours later*" This friend said, "You did, hey? I'll have
that driver reported." So they come down the next day and started to lock for that
driver and they recognized him and they got him. After being threatened by the
Company that they would turn him into the hack bureau and have his license revoked,
he finally settled the bill for five dollars. He turned back half of what he
secepted and everythbv was honky dory after that.
STATE
Tcxt of
FORM C
New York
NANT OF W(L.XER Marion Churls* Hatch
662 First Ave.,
ADDRESS
DATE
roe E8 1938
"JARGON OF NEW YORN XIC/J3 DRIVEZ8,"
SUBJECT
Colleetod from numerous taxi drivers in many
different looations.)
Raokic taxiotib drivor.
ladk ary cab
FOLKLOttE
NOY YORK
Load.a oabs sartieularly an old, dilapidated oar.
Lunp.a oebs *anything they donut like.*
Blimp one of the tic *Tomn Cabs* with 'artillery*
An oldefathioned ear. Ono of the first etream.linsd oars thit came out
about 1938.
Crato.same as lead.
Heap.a oabs *anything they donut like."
Jiloppl an old oar
Skunk passenger who doss not tip, paying inocotly what'e on the
meter. To be 'skunked, is to fail to got a tip.
°leek the meter.
Watch same
Rip A trip with a passenger.
din the are To ride with the flag up, that is with the motor not
rogisterings *heating the company out of the money.
Stick up Bans as Ion the arm.'
4•24o
"JARGON OF NEW YORK TAXICAB DRIVERS."
with his banner flying .0 same as 'on the arm.'
21416jatjaulThis is the opposite situation. This is riding with the flag
down, with the (Ilea& in a recording position. This oeours when the driver has bad
a bed ni;ht and knows the hose won't give him a cab the next morning if he doesn't
show more returns. So he puts his own money up. for the time he is riding with the
flag down.
Riding his cap
When the hackie puts his cap against the book window so that it appears as
though a passenger were there. This is the same as 'riding the ghost.'
Jockeying (First steaming)
It is against the law to permit any other dirver to drive a cab dispatched
to a certain driver. On the other hand the hackie may want to go to a shoe. If he
doesn't make enough bookings he won't get a cab the following day. HI get* 'jockey'
to drive the cab for him for a few hours to keep the bookings up. The 'jockey'
turns over only the company's share keeping the usual percentage of the driver.
Jockeying (S000nd meaning)
This word is also used to mean giving a friend a lift or diding passenger
in the front (Impartment of the car either free or by giving something to the driver.
TEE Cony's end
The company's share of receipts which, throughout New York is 67 0 per sent.
The Driver's end
The driver's share which is 42 0 per cent.