A Halloween Tribute to Weegee

Despite the weather the city was in full swing, the revellers having a ball down in the East Village. I am sure the parade was full of people on the streets leering at each other, checking out each other’s costumes: sexy witch, sexy cheerleader, many Michael Jacksons. They could have their fun. Tonight I am working elsewhere.

A few weeks ago a mysterious woman, her face hidden behind beautiful tresses of long reddish-brown curls and dark glasses, pressed a flyer into my hand. I was on a street in Brooklyn, photographing another case. Before I had time to say anything she was gone, disappearing down the dark streets in long strides. The sound of her heels struck the pavement, echoing as she went. I looked down at the flyer. All it said was “The Ghost of Boss Hague,” and under that a hastily scribbled address. That’s how I came to be in Jersey City on the eve of Halloween…

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For Halloween I was invited to the party being held by my wife’s colleague. It was in an apartment building in Jersey City built by Frank “I am the law” Hague, the former corrupt mayor of the city from 1917 to 1947. Boss Hague had stipulated that each apartment would have a safe built in, as well as a closet specifically designed for furs–so you can imagine what kind of characters would have been living in the building.  His own apartment on the top two floors was massive and included its own chapel. The people who threw the party had hired a safe-cracker to crack their own and several of their friends’ safes in the building. We were encouraged to guess what loot would be in them, potentially left by some old bourgeoisie of Jersey City: a pearl necklace maybe, a swag bag with a $ sign on it, a severed hand perhaps. Who knew?

The party was a lot of fun. To go with the theme guests were asked to dress as gangsters, gun molls, flappers, thieves, crooked politicians, etc. Inspired by a recent post by Julie over at Caliber that cited Arthur “Weegee” Fellig I decided to go as a 1930′s press photog acting on a “tip-off.”

Above you can see that the ghost of Boss Hague himself made a visit to the party. The shots in the gallery below include another guest as Bonnie Parker; a peacock feather; fragments of a feather boa; the only witness left at the scene–Cooper; and one of the cracked safes with some loot found (placed) inside.