Browse:Name (Volume 1, entries 2147–2158)
Name
Volume 1, entries 2147–2158. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2147
Just like in this precinct where there Capt. Barrett[?]. You gotta get the captain's name, you gotta get the lieutenant's name and you gotta get the Sergeant's name. You gotta get three names. You gotta write them names down, you see. And in your place of business if they come there, you put it right under your counter, you see. And you gotta add a little sugar to that three times a week. You see, that'll keep peace and keep 'em under control. But you gotta have their names. If you don't have their names, you can't do nothing. But you gotta have the head official names, not the police on the beat because he don't do nothing unless he's instructed to. But the head officials s they gotta have. I had that place there and everybody's there and everybody is paying $10 a week, but I was running the place myself and I say, "Well, I'm not running this for no dago [Italian], I can't afford to pay." They tell me, "Well, we know you's all right - go ahead and do the best you can." Well, I run that three years and they tore the place down. Got trapped all right, but got trapped by the Prohibition people not by the police. Not me. People worked there. I did excellent business down there, but I was good with the precinct.
(When you pass up, you handed this money over to the police?)
Well, you supposed to give the police ten dollars a week. Everybody else was doing it. But I was giving them $20 a month. See, I wasn't giving them no $10 a week, because I was running it myself - couldn't afford it. I was making money all right but you don't have to let them know that. They used to come by there and get quarts of whiskey, you know, for nothing and I used to treat them some kind of way. Well, they give me a break. Got raided there once. That was by the Prohibition department. Well, I couldn't do nothing with them.
(They wouldn't take anything?)
Well, if I'd a been there - you see, I know the under cover agent, you see, but the guy who was working [for me] supposed to know him and didn't know him, and he come in and he sold him liquor. See. Well, after they got the counts on him they raided place, but they didn't take me - they'd taken him. Well, I had another boy in the place. I was renting him and letting him stay there and he took sick and they took care of him in the hospital, and after he had them Prohi- bition spotters come around the place, and I told him, I say, "I don't want these fellows coming around my place." Cause he had dogs and as a matter of fact they wanted him training the dogs, see. Well, I made him move. He goes on to the post office and told Mr. Lazell[?] that the place wasn't [what it was supposed to be]. See. Well, I used to work over at the office for Mr. Lazell.
(Who were you working for when you did this?)
Wm. J. Burns - Judge Barnes' Detective Agency.
Entry 2148
Jes' write it on a piece of papah, jes' write their name down, put it on a piece of papah an' flush de toilet. Dat'll make dere water run an' dat'll give 'em a runnin' mind.
Entry 2149
Lak if he say, "Ah'll hire yo' maybe two-three days." An' when he git chew in dere, yo' find out whut his name is an' then when he tell yo' his name, yo' say lak dis to yoreself. Yo' don't have to let him know an' neither his wife. De way yo' do, yo' turn, look east. Course ah gits five dollars fo' dis. Ah don't tell ev'rybody dis one. All right, we look east lak dis an' jest say, "De Lord is mah shepherd."
[Hard to hear - she turns from microphone. After a while I hear myself say:]
(Will you say that toward me. I didn't hear some of the words. I don't hear Very well.) [See Introduction for my hearing.] All rightee, all rightee. Yo' look east, yes, an' yo' say, "De Lord is mah shepherd, de Lord is mah shepherd, de Lord is mah shepherd." [Three times.] An' then yo' say, "My Lord, my Lord, hast thou forsaken me? My Lord, my Lord, has thou forsaken me? My Lord, my Lord, has thou forsaken me? Three times. An' then yo' say, call his [boss's] name, and say, "Lord, have mercy upon Sech-an'-sech-a-one. Peace be still, he know not what he's doin'. Lord, have mercy upon Sech-an'-sech-a-one. Peace be still, he know not what he's doin'. Lord, have mercy upon Sech-an'- sech-a-one, he knows not what he's doing." [Three times.] An' he will begin to keep you on dat job.
(He will keep vou on the job?)
Yes sir, yo'll stay dere.
Entry 2150
You get your boss's name, you take bottle of sweetened water - sweet - sweet - sweet - and you put your boss's name in there and your name, and you take it and you shake it up: [This is the magic rite of shaking.] Ev'ry now and then you think about that and you shake - shake it up. Now, you go and do that this morning. All right. You say, well, I'm going down this morning - you done fixed the bottle - I'm going down this morning and see what my boss say. Well, your boss - you going - maybe you'd have it in your pocket and - not too large - just big enough so when you be's talking to your boss, you be having it like this - swinging it - swinging your hand - shaking it - just like that [demonstrates]. Well, you'll get him - spirit up - you get his interest. He may start up like that and want to say - it look like he want to say something and he don't want to. You just keep - shaking it - shaking it - shaking it. And after while he will say, "Oh, come back tomorrow." You go on home and do that same thing, the same way, and the boss done give you a job.
Entry 2151
If yo' know de boss name, yo' git chew a piece of High John de Conker root an' put dat same cayenne peppah an' salt in it 'fore yo' leave home, an' says, "Name, son-of-bitch, ah have to have a job. Ah want mah job back." An' yo talkin'to de root. An' den put it in yore pocket an' go on down dere an' he say, "Come heah, John, go tuh work. What's de matter? Where yo' been?"
Entry 2152
(You get the boss's name?)
An' write it down, see. Well, yo' bring it home an' yo' take salt an' sugah an' sprinkle it ovah dis piece of papah whut choo got de boss's name on it... an' wear it in yore shoe fo' nine days, an' jis' keep a-goin' back, back tuh him. An' git chew some of dis heah oil of clover an' oil of bergamine [bergamot] an mix it togethah, an' Jockey Club perfume an' mix it together. [Three perfumes.] Git chew some root dey call John de Conker. See, aftah yo' got his name in yore shoe, well, yo' put dat oil of clover an' oil of bergamine wit dat Jockey Club perfume. Dat Jockey Club perfume keeps dat oil of clover and oil of bergamine from smellin' an' yo' sprinkle it on yo'. An' den yo' have dat John de Conker vine or root in yore mouth an' yo' chew it well, an' when yo' walk up to 'im talkin' about jobs, see he'll git de influence of dat odor, an' den yo' be jis' spittin jis' lak yo' chewing tobacco, an' yo' keep a-goin' dere an' event'lly he'll give yo' a job.
Entry 2153
You take the boss's name and write it nine times and fold it to you, and wear it in your left shoe under the - you know, under the strip in your shoe. Fur that makes the boss patient, you know, puts his mind on you, and it will natch'ly, if the boss get his mind on you, he's considerin' you fur work or fur raise of salary. Something that confuses the boss's mind in your favor.
Entry 2154
I don't know how to get him to give you a job, but I know how to hold a job.
(All right, how's that?)
Well, I use his name the same way. I write his name down nine times. I write my name down nine times across the other way. [A cross is made with the names.] I fold it to me, each time I fold it I make a wish, and I wear it down in the sole of my shoe.
(What shoe are you wearing that in?)
I'm wearing it in the lest shoe - in the left, I wanta say.
(The left shoe, I see. That's to hold your job?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 2155
You can take a piece of paper about that square, about that round, and write his name on it three times and yourn. Take the inner sole of your shoe up and put [it] down there and wear it in your shoe. You have heard people say, "I got you under my feet." That's what they mean - "I got you under my feet."
Entry 2156
He likes her and she don't like him, he can take and write her name nine times backward and wear it in his left shoe with a silver dime and that will cause her to be wanting him all the time. See, he can make her like him with his - with her name, cause he got her in his shoe, she can't help herself.
Entry 2157
One I lived with about six years - the first girl I lived with - she had my name writ all kind of ways, and cinnamon and sugar wearing in the bottom of her shoe. That's for peace.
(How do you mean she had your name written all kinds of ways?)
She had it seven diff'rent ways, cause I looked at seven diff'rent ways - Thomas Keeler, Thomas Keeler, Thomas Keeler, Thomas Keeler - just cross, cross. And had cinnamon and sugar wearing in the bottom of her shoes. When I found it I was just setting on the side of the bed, you know, and I picked up her shoe. I and her used to fight quite a whole lot.
Entry 2158
Well, if you want to make 'im love you, you take their name and you write 'em on a piece of brown paper - write it nine times, backwards. And then after you write it nine times backwards, you take it and you fold it [toward you] into that name, and you take that name and you get you a bottle of holy water. You know what holy water is, huh?
(Yes.)
You take that bottle of holy water and put that thing down in there and you do like this - just shake it before you put it in there. And after you put it in there, you set it up in the north corner of the house where nobody can't see it, in the dark. And they'll fix you with that.
(What will happen to you?)
Well, you can't - you'll love him just better than ever.