Browse:Incense (Volume 1, entries 2524–2552)
Incense
Volume 1, entries 2524–2552. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → BUSINESS AND CUSTOMERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2524
Now in that line [bootlegging line] ah have sold whiskey. Ah haven't tried anything but sell whiskey in that line. Ah goes downtown to a drug store and ah git some incense, this incense and burn that and ah have been successful in selling whiskey - didn't have trouble about de police. (What kind of incense did you buy?) Any kind of incense.
(You burn that at a certain time?)
Yes, yo' burn it in de morning and at night - early in de morning and at night.
Entry 2525
Yo' git de dragon blood, devil's-shoestring an' incense, an' yo' burn dat in yore house all de time; git chew sulphur an' yo' burn dat an' yo' incense, an' yo' have plenty customers an' nobody tuh bother yo'.
Entry 2526
Oil of cinnamon, dragon's blood, an' den devil's-shoestring. [Three ingredients.]
(Well, now, how do you prepare those? What do you do with them?)
Yo' buys dat right out de druggist. Yo' burn 'em, burn 'em all together an' put 'em in de fo' corners of yore house - jes' same as yo' in heah now in dis house heah.
(What would that do for me then?)
Give luck - good luck an' successful.
(Bringing in customers to buy from me.)
Entry 2527
Yo' git dragon's blood an' yo' git de wisteria incense an' yo' git lodestone. [Three ingredients.] Yo' pound dis up together - dis dragon's blood an' yo' put it wit dis wisteria an' de lodestone. Yo' git pulverized [lode]stone an' yo' burn dis at de do' at nine a'clock in de mawnin' an' as yo' close at night. Dat'll make yore business prosperous.
Entry 2528
Some use dragon's blood an' put it under de steps an' ovahhead of de facin' of de do' wheres yo' come in, an' dey won't come in yore place.
(To keep the law away?)
Yes sir.
Entry 2529
I understand that you get this high-graded incense. You use that, you smokes that up over your door. Course he'd come around, but he wouldn't never come for no kind of trouble. You understand? It keeps him quiet.
(I see. That's all you do - use that incense?)
That high-graded incense.
Entry 2530
Ah tell yo' whut ah does: Ah've been usin' few things round mah house since - see, nobody would patronize me. Yo' understand whut ah said? Nobody patronize me. Ah goes tuh work an' ah got me some of dis thing whut chew call de incense. Ah burns some incense an' some sulphur. Now [at present time], ah burns sulphur right on, an' ah've got all de friends - ah don't keep a thing. Ah used tuh use sech as kerosene an' soap an' all lak dat. Why ah had jes' a regular ole common 'fair [commissary?] an' ah can't keep none of it - dey runs in jes' buyin', jes' as fast as ah kin [restock], an' when ah first got it, why nobody 'tended me. Dey said ah wus independent an' all lak dat. But after ah used dat - ah burns me some sulphur. Right now ah put de pile in a plate in de flo' an' ah burns dat, an' befo' it kin git through burnin' de people is ies runnin' in, Yo got any soap - yo got any kerosene - yo got any this - here is yo' money - yo' got any sech-an'-sech-a thing?' Goes off lak dat.
Entry 2531
The grains [qrins?] of Job - you may hear'd of 'em. You ever seed 'em?
(They say there are Job's tears. Are they something like Job's tears?)
Well, it's a smaller size, but it looks just like a little fish-eye. You ever see a fish-eye? (Yes.) [If the eye of a fish is meant.]. About the color, but they weren't that - they are known to be the grains of Job. The grains of Job was used in the particular way of burning the oriental incense - any incense from Asiar - that's what they call clairvoyant incense. You burn two of them together and you take the ashes of the two what you burn ever' other morning and plant 'em around your place in the earth right outside - any place in the yard or around your place. You may repeat, as lots of 'em repeat, you know, "As I pray the prayer the Eastmen do, may sweet, etc. etc." You will not have to speak, you know, like they do in Asiar, but you kin say a very short part of it: 'In the Name of the Father, of the Son and Holy Ghost, there will be no one be coming to this home - officer or no one into my place of business." Either way that will take care of it and no one will ever bother your place.
(Never bother you.)
"In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, as no one will come near here to harm me - officers, or revenuers, or no deputies."
Entry 2532
Burn incense - rosgum [rosegum?] incense. Mix it wit de black incense.
(What kind of incense?)
Rosgum incense - the kind they call rosgum incense. Well, dey take dat and dey take de btack mans [black men] dey call incense, and cut dis black man up and put it all in de same top what you goin' to burn it in, and burn it and make your wish. And he won't come back.
(That keeps the law away.)
Entry 2533
Dey gits a powder called de incense an' burn it - it's not a powder but blocks 'bout lak dat. An' dey burn it in dey home. Say - dey claim it keeps de men - dey have customers. Ah have gone in houses an' dey says nobody has been in dere all day an' de time dey light one or two, dere comes two or three customers in.
Entry 2534
Dey tell me that chew could use de incense. When yo' runnin' any kind of a business an' yo' use incense, yo' jes' take an' light chew one an' sets it up on de table or anywheres on de floor an' makes yore wishes dat chure place will be crowded an' that yore place will be successful or anything lak that.
Entry 2535
Well, you will have to get some incense, lueky incense and brown sugar, and mix all that together and take - scrub the house out in the four corners and you burn your incense in the four corners in each room. You burn the incense in each room and then you wash your house out with oil of cinnamon and brown sugar and you scrub it out with that. Don't put no washing powders or nothing in it - just scrub it out with the clear water.
(What will that do then?)
That will give you luck to get your house rented.
Entry 2536
(When do you make your wish for roomers?)
When yore incense is burnin' yo' make yore wish lak that. Now yore incense need tuh be in all business places dat dere are - most in Memphis [use incense]. An' yo' burn that at six a'clock in de mawnin' in de business place. Well, yo' put a little dragon [dragon's blood] in there - a teaspoonfulla incense an' maybe halfa teaspoon of dragon aftah yo' scrubbin', an' at six 'clock make yore burnin' an' den call yore customers [by wishing].
Entry 2537
Well, yo' goes to de drug store an' buy yo' some of dis lucky incense an' burn it fo' de sunrise in de morning an' walk to yore do' an' throw de ashes de way de sunrise. That will keep 'em away.
(Keep the law away from your place if you're gambling or anything like that?)
Yes - keep 'em away.
Entry 2538
Burn garlic an' onion leaves an' incense, dis lucky incense. Lak it's goin' be a big dance or somepin close aroun', an' yo' wanta git in a lotta tran- sients, yo' know, why yo' burn dat stuff hard all dat week on yore stove. An' keep dat garlic layin' roun' an' draw in a lotta customers, transient customers.
Entry 2539
Burn candles - they's fer luck too. See, then you kin burn incense too. See, some burns these little incense they calls Black Men and some burns red and some burns de orange blossom - diff'rent kinds. But if they have perfume in 'em those incense is very good.
Entry 2540
Ah have heard of that. Yo' kin buy these Lucky Hearts an' burn them at nine a'clock, twelve a'clock an' three a'clock in de evenin'. An' de incense [Lucky Hearts] yo' burn dat at nine, twelve an' three hours lak dat on Tuesdays, Thursdays an' Saturdays. If yo' got any kinda trade or anything lak dat, dat will draw yo' know de customers to yo'.
Entry 2541
Jes' lak yo' got a place an' yore business is dull. In de mornin when yo' open up yore store, sweep de sto' from de front do' to de back - sweep yore trash out de back: An' about every night a little befo' yo' close up yo' burn a Lucky Star. Yo' kin go down to de drug sto' an' git 'em. Ah think yo' git about six fo' a dime. An' yo' put it on a little tray an' set it in yore store an' burn it. It smells kinda like perfume. Dat give yo' all de luck dat chew want.
(For bringing in customers.)
Yessuh. [See Lucky Star, p.607.]
Entry 2542
If yo' got a roomin' house an' yo' haven't no roomers an' cain't make no success, yo' git up befo' day in de mawnin' an' yo' scrub roun' in yore house an' den yo' scrub yore po'ch. Yo' scrub it with urinate, Hearts Cologne, oil of cinnamon - jes' diff'rent things lak dat. Den yo' make a wish. An' aftah that when yo' git through, den yo' come in an' yo' burn sandalwood incense or either dis Lucky Star - jes' anything yo' prefer burnin'.
Entry 2543
Ah use tah burn de Lucky Stahs. An' some of these things, understan', ah would burn de Lucky Stahs fo' diff'runt [times]. An' ah would burn five fo gamblin' an' ah would burn 'em befo' twelve a'clock - any uneven numbah, becus ah found fo' mahself that uneven numbahs wus luckier fo' me then even numbahs. If ah would burn 'em aftah noon ah would burn 'em at a unlucky [even] hour, an' it use tah bring me lotsa good luck.
(For gambling?)
Dat's it.
Entry 2544
First is incense powder. Dey takes dat and dey burn it and den dey takes - ah don't know where dey git dat, but dey takes a Lucky Star. What dey call a Lucky Star. Dey split dat star in half and dey takes a little birthday candle - little bita birthday candles, den they puts it on each part of this star and let chew burn dat in dey home. Dat's to keep de police away. Now I hear'd several people say it worked very good, but still de police don't [stop]. (But now that burning the incense and the star. There are two different ways of doing that?) Yes, dere's two diff'rent ways of doing it, but de Lucky Star supposed to be de best.
(What is the Lucky Star?)
Det git de Lucky Star at Savannah, Georgia - back in dat time from a woman on Miner Street. Dey called her Lizzie H. Yes, Mrs. H. Ah think she gets de Lucky Stars somewheres around Cincinnati, if I understood it.
(What did they look like?)
Jest looked like a little round something but they had four [five?] corners - which dey called Lucky Stars.
(Well, were they made out of metal or cardboard or what?)
No, it gots a something like a powder but it's hard, see - it was diff'rent from de incense powder. Twas a powder too, but it was diff'rent from the incense and then it smelled diff'rent. It smelled kinda sweet.
Entry 2545
Ah have run a rooming house an' ah didn't have no roomers. An' dere was a powder dey call de Sen-Sen Powders. An' yo' take that an' yo' burn it in yore house nine mornings an' nights, an' yore house will become full of roomers. Ah have tried dat.
(What time in the morning and the night do you burn that?)
Burn it about six 'clock in de morning an' about eight 'clock at night.
Entry 2546
Heard of that. Well, now, pract'lly ah noticed - ah learnt all dat since ah been heah. Ah notice dat dese fellows, dey git dis Hearts Cologne, yes sir, an' den dey use dis sen-sen whut dey burn. Dey say it's fo' luck. Dey take dat sen-sen an' put it in dere pocket an' saturate dis round dere chest an' dey hat wit dis Hearts Cologne.
(When they go for a job?)
Yes sir.
Entry 2547
Yo' git chew some spiritual incense, burn dat in yore place. Burn dat on Friday. On Tuesday burn sulphur. Now, dat'll bring people to yore place.
Entry 2548
Yo' take sulphah an' sugah tuh draw luck to yo'. Yo' take sulphah an' sugah an' burn it on de stove, see, or somethin' hot. Jis' sulphah an' sugah an' mix it up an' burn it an' it will draw luck to yo'. An' when yo' wants a quick way tuh git a small piece of money, yo' lights yo' a - ah cain't think of the name of it. Anything will do jis' since it's incense. Light de incense an' put it on yore bed - place it on yore bed, "In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost," an' put it in a white saucer. An' in less time den three hours somebody will give yo' a piece of money if it's nuthin but a nickel or somepin othah lak dat - a nickel or a dime.
Entry 2549
It's kind of like a stick that they made or something like that. Well, they has a little concern like - like where he cut - it just about a little cup - just sits there just like a finger I hold up.
(I see.)
Well, you set that [stick] in here and burn it and the smoke goes up and after the house is full of smoke, why, they puts that out and let that smoke settle in the corners. That's the way they does that.
(What do they do that for?)
Do's that for luck.
(For luck? What kind of candles do they burn?)
Yes - they call it the lucky candle.
(What color is it?)
It just about the color of that cigar [I am smoking].
(Sort of a brown color?)
Yes, sir.
(I see. Luck for what? What kind of luck?)
Luck for your home - you know, to keep, to make friends come to your home. [Informant is describing what some persons call a lucky candle, a stick of incense or joss stick which stands in a holder "like a finger I hold up" with "a little cup."]
Entry 2550
They burns a - they got something - sweeps your house in de morning. Just like you done business in here, you sweeps your place out - sweep all your dirt, all your trash one way. You mop it, you mop it all one way and then you got some little old incense candles. You burn one in that corner and one in that corner, one in that corner and one in that corner, and one on your cash register.
[Here five candles form an approximate quincunx - see p.710.]
(I see. And how do you mean by sweeping this dirt one Way?)
All one way - don't never sweep nothing back thataway, sweep it all one way. Just like you going thisaway with it, sweep it all that Way and mop it the same way.
(I see. And what do you do with that stuff after you get it swept up?)
Sweep it right on out de door. (Sweep it outside the door? Do you sweep it to the front of the house or to the back of the house?) Right on out de front. (Out the front, I see. And you burn these incense candles in each of the four corners of the room where you are doing business and put one on cash register?) One right on the register.
(And that is supposed to bring in trade?)
Bring in trade.
Entry 2551
(Candle is used for what?)
Lucky fo' yore house, tuh bring peoples in yore home. Yo' burn it at seven a'clock, 'leven a'clock an' seven at night. Dat's de way yo' burn dem. Yo' burn two. If yo' want a big crowd, yo' burn seven an' yo' have 'em in a row right there. Yo' have 'em in a thing tuh burn 'em on. An' it's 'cordin' to how many yo' want, yo' burn dem many candles. Ah don't mean de candles, burn dem many incense [sticks].
Entry 2552
Scrub with Red Seal Iye, table salt an' sugah, bluein'. Take about a teaspoon of bluein' and de mo' sugah, have it white sugah, pure sugah - half a cup, teacup of sugah. Burn a little incense an' call 'em three time while it's burnin'.
(What do you call?)
Call yore wish - if yo' wanta make a call an' wanta make yore wish an' den call. Yo' kin call a special person or yo' kin call, "Send me a man." But chew make dat wish three times.
(Out loud.)
Whilst it's burnin' - not let it go out. Wait until it's burnin' an' make it three times on there. [This is a rite for roomers.]