Were you ever mugged?

Yes. It was in a subway station in Boston—Symphony, one of the few where you don’t (didn’t) enter through a turnstile but just walk in and then pay your fare on the train. I don’t know how it is now.

Two teenagers who’d been lurking nearby suddenly accosted me. (They really were actively lurking.) One put a blade to my throat and the other grabbed my shoulder bag. I was perpetually impecunious, but I’d put together enough cash to take my mother out to dinner for her birthday. That’s where I was going. The idea that somebody would just come along and steal that from me made me so mad that I grabbed the bag right back, completely oblivious to the danger.

“You can’t take it,” I said. “I’ll give it to you.” I opened my wallet and gave them all the cash I had, except that I insisted they leave me enough for trolley fare.

But I kept my purse, with all my important cards, my checkbook, etc., and together those things were probably worth more than the approximately $50 they took from me. This was about 1973, and $50 was a lot of money.

They did miss a $70 negotiable, unsigned money order that was beneath my wallet, all I had to live on for the next two weeks. Anybody could have signed it and cashed it.

Good for you @Jeruba !

The cops told me that was really dumb.

I’ve been told to never try to negotiate with a robber who is pointing a gun at you. If it ever happens to me I’ll say “What do you want? My wallet and car keys? There you go.” as I through the wallet as hard as I can in one direction, my car keys in another direction while run as fast as I can in a third direction.

No, thankfully. The worst that’s happened is a drunk guy once tried to threaten me after I told him I didn’t have a dollar.

I met a man once who claimed he used to make a living that way. I didn’t know him well. I never pried for many details. He had a line he used which he said was quite successful. He would tell his victims, “This is a robbery, don’t turn it into a homicide.”

Thankfully no.

When traveling in cities, I try not to carry a handbag. I’ll bring cash and one credit card and make do with that. Maybe that helps.