Browse:Money: Penny (Volume 1, entries 2108–2127)
Money: Penny
Volume 1, entries 2108–2127. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2108
[This hand I picked up from my colored porter on the Pennsylvania Rail- road between Chester, Pa., and Baltimore, Md., while on my way to collect hoodoo in Fredericksburg, Va. Later I would duplicate this trick by gathering up a May Day rite on the Mississippi River while ferry- ing between New Orleans and Algiers (see No. 986, p.381.] I just happen to be there in this bootleg place - a man goes around sometimes to get a drink - and I noticed pennies nailed across the door. There was a hole right in the center [of each penny]. I guess there was about four pennies. I asked them what that was and they said that was to keep the police away. That was during Prohibition at Tampa, Florida.
Entry 2109
Take a penny an' drive it down in de front of yo' do' an' everybody come ovah dat penny - take a manhead penny an' drive it down in de front of yo' do' where everybody has tuh come in an' ovah dat penny an' yo' have good luck.
(What kind of good luck?)
Selling whiskey or any kinda luck yo' wants. Jest any.
(Just take a penny with a man on it?)
Yes, a manhead penny.
Entry 2110
Jes' in a small business. Like havin' a house. Yo' know like dese houses are. Yo' kin put a Indian heah, penny wit de face pointin' tuh de street, de head on dere wit de face pointin' toward de street, an' a horseshoe ovah de do', an' dat'll draw 'em.
(Draw trade. What kind of a house did you say?)
In any kinda house where dey operatin' - it draws business, sellin' things.
(Selling liquor.)
Entry 2111
[Use a penny fo' luck.
(How would you do that?)
Well, yo' kin take an' drill yo' a hole right in de center of it an' drive it in de center of yo' do' - inside of yo' room. Let de head of it be facing inside an' wet fo' nine mornings wit Hearts Cologne an' that will bring yo' luck.
(Well, what kind of luck?)
That's fo' luck fo' winning money on games.
Entry 2112
Take two pennies an' nail 'em right up to de bottom of de do'sill - yo know, under dat crosspiece.
(Under the sill of the door?)
Yes sir, under de sill of de do'. Dat's lucky to yo', too - two pennies, two rusty pennies.
(That's to bring in trade to the house?)
Yes sir.
Entry 2113
To fix chure house up kinda lak if yo' wanta keep de police an' any- thing out dere. Yo' take a Indian head penny - take two Indian head pennies an' set 'em in de face of yore do' [demonstrates]. (You put one on the right side of the door and one on the other side of the door.) Yassuh.
(Which door do you do that at?)
De front do' - de way dey comes up, dey way dey comes in front.
(That keeps the law away.)
Entry 2114
Drive a penny right in de center [sill] of yo' do' - drive one or two pennies, one in de front do' an' one in de back do'.
(What would that do then?)
Well, dat have - yo' go to de chinaman an' he got some stick, good luck stick. Put dat in yore house an' yo' light dat at twelve a'clock in de day. Dat law won't come to yore house. [Good luck stick = joss stick.]
(That will keep the law away?)
Yeah.
Entry 2115
If yo' bootleggin' an' yo' wants tuh have a plenty customers - when de customers come to yore house yo' jes' offer them a drink of whiskey an' after yo' offer dem dis drink of whiskey, yo' take an' put the sulphur up undah this glass they use an' let it sit there about an hour, an' then yo' take it an' wash it out an' after yo' wash it out an' rinse it out, yo' sit it back there an' yo' git two Indian head pennies an' nail one at yore front do' an' one at chure back do', an' yo'll always have customers. (Now here's the glass that he has used. You put some sulphur in' the glass or under the bottom?) Undah the bottom of the glass.
Entry 2116
Take a penny an' nail a penny down to each one of yore do's, den take it an' drive it down wit one dese little keen nails. Take an' drive dat down les' as fur as yo' kin undah de edge of dat do' - dat front do', an' dey said dat brings luck. An' one up ovah de top.
(One up over the top of the door, too?)
One up ovah de top an' one down to de foot.
Entry 2117
Nobody can hear us? [This root doctor, a good one, a woman, was evi- dently nervous. Either I nodded or turned off my machine for a moment.] Well, yo' take yore pennies an' yo' put dem down in yore do'way. Yo' take three pennies an' put it down in yore do'way an' that would keep de officers from de house, if yo' was selling whiskey round de house.
Entry 2118
Yo' git pennies in de odd year like 17 or 13, somepin lak dat, an' yo' git three of 'em an' yo' put one to de front do' an' one to de back do' an' one in between where they have to cross ovah de pennies, an' it will keep the law away.
(Where do you put them at the door?)
In de center on the carpet strip.
(Down at the bottom?)
Yes sir.
Entry 2119
If yo' wanta engain [gain] customers - if yo' engain customers - jes' lak ah'm runnin' a business, want customers to come mah way, nail a penny to that [front] do' an' nail one to de back do' an' nail one tuh de back post as yo' go out down de step. An' yo' engain customers.
(You put it right in the center of the door?)
Right in de center of de do'.
(Down on the floor.)
Nail dat penny heah.
(On top or underneath?)
De haid up - de penny, dere's a haid on it. Nail it right in de center of de do' dere...that is luck an' that keeps them [the law] away, too.
Entry 2120
If the law's comin' to yore house, you take you seven pennies an' drive holes in 'em an' nail one up ovah every do' yo' got - it jest 'cordin' to how many do's yo' got. But don't nail none up ovah no windah but chure front windah. Nail one up ovah every do' yo' got an' dat would keep de law down.
Entry 2121
Wearin' seven pennies roun' yore neck, dat's good luck tuh bring folks money. Yo' kin take an' bo' a hole - drill a hole in 'em. Ah got a little gold piece heah now. It not a gold piece but it a piece dat look lak a gold piece dat ah wus wearin'. [I evidently looked at it.]
Entry 2122
Say dey take, to bring 'em to yore house, dey will take nine pennies an' put 'em at de front part dere house, an' dat'll keep company dere all de time, an' dey comin' in.
(Where do you put these nine pennies?)
Right out to de front of de do', dey bury 'em in de ground.
(You bury them in the ground. All together?)
Yo' bury dem in de ground all together. Dat keep people coming.
Entry 2123
A person dat is runnin' a gamblin' house - well, yo' take a person dat is runnin' a house, dey is de boss of dat house, see. Well, lak dey Want money to stay in dey home, see - jes' lak if yo' comin' in tuh gamble, see, an' de person want dat money tuh stay in de home. Well, nachur'lly, dey'll git a can of potash an' yo' dig a hole right tuh yore front steps. Well, yo'll put one can of potash down an' yo'll take nine pennies an' sew it up into a little bag an' into sulphur, an' yo'll leave dat on top of dat can of potash an' yo' cover it. Well, dat brings luck into yore home. No policeman kin do yo' no harm. De money'll still be in yore home, see. An' then yo' take some of dat potash an' yo' po' it into a basin of watah an' yo' go round to eve'y one of yore room windah an' throw it up an' let dat watah dreen down, see. Well, jes' lak dat watah dreen down de people'll be comin' in. Well, jes' lak dey come in, well, dat money's leave into yore home. (Just a moment. You throw this water on the windows. On the outside or the inside?) On the outside an' let it dreen down.
Entry 2124
An' a penny, yo' take a penny and cut a penny half in two, if you wanta be lucky wit money. Yo' take a penny an' cut it half in two and put one-half in yo' left pocket and leave de other half home, and yo' goin' be lucky den in get- ting money in any kind of business yo' go at. Dat's luck - ah've test dat out that's 'streme luck.
Entry 2125
Fo' good luck, take one penny an' cut it into fo' parts an' take two parts off de head part an' put it in yore hair - jest in a little band crost yore head jest lak [demonstrates] - let it come down 'long heah, an' wear it jes' long as yo' have plenty good luck.
(What do you do with the other two parts of the penny then?)
Jes' throw dem away - dey's no good.
(You cut two parts of the penny. Indian head penny?)
Indian head penny, yes sir. (And you wear one part at one side of the top of your head and one at the other side, and you hold them there with a band. That is for luck. Any kind of luck?) Any kind of luck.
Entry 2126
Now, if yo' tryin' tuh hol' a place an' somebody don't want chew tuh stay in dat place, yo' take yo' ten [eleven] nails an' yo' nail 'em in yo' do'- sill an' den put dat do'sill [door saddle] on top of 'em an' put chew one penny an' nail dat one penny down. Nobody can't cause yo' tuh move or do anythin' else wit chew dere.
(You put ten [eleven] nails in a row under the saddle of the door?)
Right undah dat do'sill.
(And also a penny under there - nail it down.)
Nail one [nail] through de penny.
(You nail one of the ten [eleven] through the penny?)
No, de 'leven one through de penny, but let de 'leven - let de penny be in de middle an' have five on each side.
(But you use eleven nails?)
Dat's right. But de ten nails is substantial [necessary structurally], but dat penny is fo' protection becus it's got a image on de haid watchin' fo' yo'. [The ten nails merely hold the removed saddle in place. A symbolist could see them as the ten fingers of the human hands, meaning a guarding hand (hand) on each side of the concealed hand - the nailed penny. For nail as hand, see margin-title later.]
Entry 2127
An' travelin' agin. An' a poah person ain't got nuthin, yo' kin take copper - yo' know, a penny an' bury that in a rich person's track in de fo'ks of de roads an' that makes them come from bad tuh good. Dey'll be successful.