Browse:Onion (Volume 1, entries 2172–2195)
Onion
Volume 1, entries 2172–2195. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2172
Dey say it's good to keep in yore home - dey's luck - jes' tuh have onions in yore home, red onions. An' dey say yo' take de outside, peel it an' burn it, an' yo' know make the wish to yoreself - yo'll be lucky. Most any home yo' go in, yo'll see 'em, both white an' colored.
Entry 2173
Yo' git a red onion - yo' usin' 'em in yore house. Well, don't let de peelin's hit de flo'. Burn dem up, de hull, because it makes a confusion in yore house - makes a big fuss in yore house.
Entry 2174
Burn sulphur an' onion peelin's together an' dat'll draw mens to yore house wit money, an' all lak dat.
(When do you burn that?)
Yo' kin burn it in de morning[
Entry 2175
She burn incense. An' then she take de peelin' offa red onions, she burn de peelin'. An' she put 'em on de stove on a brown piece of papah an' sprinkle sugah an' let 'em burn ev'ry mawnin'. She say dat bring luck. (You mean just that dry peeling off the onion? She burned the dry peeling - just the dry peeling?) Jis' de dry peelin'.
Entry 2176
Dey say yo' take a red onion an' put it on yore stove if yo' sellin' whiskey an' it will keep de law out chure house.
(How do you mean, put it on the stove?)
Jes' take an' cut dat end off lak yo' goin' cut it half in two an' lay it on de stove an' let it burn.
Entry 2177
Take your onion, a raw onion and put it in the middle of the fish, don't sprinkle it, just take a whole onion and put it in there. You clean it and put it on in the fish, and you ain't going to have none left - all them going to be sold out.
(That's when you're having your fish fry. Do you put it in each fish?)
That? No, just put that in the skillet in the first fish you fry - just that whole onion in the middle of it when it's frying. Put it on top of the fish there and let your fish fry. And your next one [skillet] you fry, just put it on there, all your fish will be eat.
(Each fish that you fry?)
Not each fish, just in the front of the skillet. Turn your fish over and take the onion up and set it back, don't set it where it'll burn, set it on top of there. You clean it but you don't cut it up. Use catfish and buffalo. All of them will sell out.
Entry 2178
Yo' take table salt an' yo' put it in de palm of yore hand, jes' a little, an' yo' build yo' a fire. Yo' take onion peelin's an' put it in de palm of yore hand, say, "God de Father, God de Son, God de Holy Spirit," an' throw dis in de fire. "Strike de fire in mah house. Bring success an' peace an' money an friendship in mah home." Yo' throw it in dat blazin' fire. (And you take each one of those things that you say and throw them into the fire?) Dat's right - de salt.
(The salt and those pieces of onion?)
No, yo' put de onion in yore hand an' jes' three pinch of salt.
(Three pinches of salt on the fire?)
Three heads - God de Father, God de Son, an' God de Holy Spirit.
(That is to bring in customers.)
Entry 2179
Onions is very lucky things to use. Yo' take a red onion an' you take the outside offa dat onion, den yo' burn dat onion in yore house fo' nine days - it's lucky. Yo' always burn yo' onion - dat's very, very lucky. Yes, a red onion is lucky. Den yo' kin carry dat onion an' dat'll make yo' lucky. If yo' steal a red onion - yo' go an' pick up a red onion quick, steal it, an' use dat in yore pocket. That's lucky.
Entry 2180
Dey say if de law be af'joo [after you], dey say you gits a red onion an' put a dime in it; jis' tote dat in you' pocket. Den dey say if you happen to see de law or anyt'in', you know, jis' squeeze dis onion, you know, like dat, an' dey say dey keep right on by you.
Entry 2181
You kin take a red onion and put nine drops of spirits of turpentine on it and a half teaspoonful of salt, and a piece of homespun, and take dat, wear it on you. And beat it up real fine, if you're in any trouble [with the law]. I was goin' wit a man and he didn't like dat [using a whole onion], and he beat it up fine and squeezed dat juice in his shoe.
Entry 2182
Take a red onion an' cut it in four pieces an' sprinkle salt on it an' tie it up tight in a hand'chief or jis' any ole kin' of cloth, a clean cloth, an' tote dat aroun' in yore [left] pocket an' when yo' go dere yo' sprinkle a little sulphur at de door an' when yo' be talkin' [to the boss] jis' mash de onion down in yore han's tight, hol' it tight.
Entry 2183
You take a red onion an' rub it on yer haid, an' take a little piece of it an' chew it - a little piece of it. It's a little root tha' choo git out of the woods, it's got a green leaf with black spots on it - they call it Adam an' Eve. It's supposed to be a lucky root. An' it's another one called the High John the Conker. You kin take that an' put it in a bottle an' put some Hearts Cologne on it an' it will drink it up in two or three days. An' you keep, you know, puttin' it on there. An' jes' like whomsoevah you wan' to git a job of, you jes' wear that - you know, jes' sprinkle it on yerself an' jes' let 'im git a whiff of it.
Entry 2184
You take a red onion an' git choo a rice[?] button - well, that's a white button jis' about 'tween as big as 'tween a ten-cent an' a nickel. You put a hole in the onion thataway, you see. Well, you put that button inside of the onion. Then you git some spice an' put inside, jis' put in there an' cork that onion up, an' keep that string in there an' put it aroun' yore wais'. Cause I know a man who fixed mah brother up like that. He had 'im on a $500 bond. When he come to court the jury acquit 'im.
Entry 2185
You go to a fortune tellah an' you tell 'im - he ast you whut you want. You tell 'im you wan'a job. He'll go back an' he'll git 'im a red onion, take the knife an' cut that red onion in half, put a penny betwixt it [the halves], take a piece of thread an' wrahp it aroun' an' tie it back together, an' go in the woods an' git 'im three pieces of blacksnake root an' cross em. You cross two like that, then take the othern an lay it like - kin'a looks like that, you see [demonstrates].
(Like a rail fence.)
An' them three pieces crossin' one 'nother, take the thread an' tie 'em to- gethah. You keep it in you' pockit an' befo' git to 'im you start to rubbin' 'em, the little sticks togethah - jis' like that. Then you take that red onion an' tie it in the cornah of you' han'ke'chief, an' a little befo' you git to 'im, you take that han'ke'chief an' wipe you' face. Don't nevah look down - always look 'im in the eye if you gon'a ast 'im fo' a job. He couldn't help from givin' it to you.
Entry 2186
Git a red onion. You know how a red onion is. Git a red onion and cut it four ways. You cut it like that and then cut it like that [demonstrates].
(The onion is quartered.) [See correction later.]
And then put salt each way.
(Salt in the four ways you cut it.)
Salt in the four ways you cut it.
(You cut it all the way through?)
No, don't all the way through; jis' split [girdle] it so the salt kin git in it. Then take you a string and wrap it right around it [putting the string in the girdled cuts or grooves]; then put it in yer pocket, either pocket choo want to. But befo' you do that, you git up in the mornin' and put cher underwear on wrong side outwards, put yer socks on wrong side outward - put all yer under- clothes on wrong side outward. Then take that onion and fill it [the cuts] full of salt and put it in yer pocket. Have you ever heard people say, "How come you do so-and-so-and-so?" [The questioned person answers] "I knows mah onions." Have you ever heard that said?)
(Yes.)
Well, that's what it is. Then you put some salt in your shoes, git choo some ole Hearts Cologne, then git choo ole John de Conker an' jis' put it on; put some Hearts Cologne on that ole John de Conker, and take that ole Hearts Cologne and put it all over yah. Any man'll give you a job.
Entry 2187
Git choo a red onion and put choo nine pins in there - nine needles, either one, jis' as it somepin with a sharp point. Take it and wear it in yer pocket. Make you a wush, jis' like you wush fer somepin - I'll go here and wush dis man would give me job this mornin'. Well, of course he might not give it to you right off, but choo stan' aroun' a little while and dey say you'll git it. [Red onion - like red flannel ball or bag for hands - symbolizes the human heart.]
Entry 2188
Yes sir, yo' take dat onion an' put chew nine pins - de red onion, yo know dese big ole red onions. Yo' put chew nine pins in it. Well, jes' how many's in dat case, yo' gits every one of 'em. Well, when de jurors go in jes' tighten on dat onion - jes' squeeze dat onion jes' as tight as yo' kin squeeze whilst de jurors is decidin' on de case. Yo' know, de jurors - whut dey does. Hold dat onion jes' as tight as yo' kin hold it. An' den when de come out vo hol' dat onion on dat judge. Dat judge will pass de sentence an' he may clear yo' an' he might give yo' two days. But if it's a fo' or five yeah case, he: ain't gon'a give yo' a sentence of thirty days. [For holding something on person or object see No. 436, p.137; man holding knife on a light.]
Entry 2189
I have hear tell of 'em usin' onions wit nine pins in 'em - stickpins. Well, yo' take a red onion an' yo' bo' yo' a hole all de way through de onion in de middle part of it, an' yo' put a string in dere an' yo' tie dat string around your neck an' let it hang somewheres roun' yore waist an' put nine stickpins in it, an' yo' jes' wear dat roun' dere until it git to de place yo' know, dat it dries up, an' yo' have to rechange it. But when yo' rechange it, conceal it wit de same nine pins dat yo' put in it at first, whether it be de same onion or not; but which an' evah it gits so small an' dryin' up on yo', gitin' hard, yo' take de nine pins out whut yo' put in de first an' put in de second one. Continue wit dat - keep it dataway. But soon as one dry up, why exchange wit anothah one.
(What will that do for you?)
That's supposed to be luck fo' selling whiskey. [Stickpins are not ornamental pins but ordinary pins; likewise straight pin in following rite.]
Entry 2190
If yo' wanta git a job, yo' git chew a red onion an' yo' take dat red onion an' yo' pack dat red onion wit sulphur, "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost." Den yo' take yo' some good perfume an' yo' po' it down in dat hole, "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost." an' stick nine straight pins in it, an' yo' go to apply fo' a job an' it's hard fo' 'em tuh turn yo' down. [See stickpin in preceding rite and single pin in following rite.]
Entry 2191
Take yo' a red onion, see, take a pencil an' mash yo' nine holes in it an' yo' fill dat up - dat hole - dem nine hole - jes' fill 'em up wit sulphur, an' physic salts an' table salt - sulphur, an' yo' got chure red peppah, yo put it in dere. Den yo' stop 'em back up, jes' seal it up wit a piece of papah or somepin lak dat till it git cake[d] in dere. If it stand, it will git hard in dere. Yo' take nine single pins an' stick in de end of it - roun' lak dat, right in de end of de onion - see, de top come out de top of de onion - stick 'em right roun' in dere. Den yo' take it an' yo' wear it in yore left-hand pocket on de back till it git dry, den yo' keep it an' yo'll be lucky from den right on. But chew keep de onion.
(What kind of luck do you do that for?)
Gambling, so forth an' so on. [See stickpin and straight pin in two preceding rites.]
Entry 2192
Yo' kin take a red onion an' twelve straight pins an' stick 'em down in dere an' put de onion in sulphur an' wrap it up good. Keep it wrapped up an' wear it in yore pocket, an' yo' go out on de street anywhere like yo' boostin' customers, yo' have it in yore pocket an' yore han' in dere on it tight, an' yo' talk to 'em, squeeze it tight an' dat gives good luck, an' dey'll come aroun' an' [that] draws 'em.
(You do that if you are in any kind of business.)
Bootleggin' or anything.
Entry 2193
Burn incent an' take a onion an' keep a onion hang up upside down ovah each one of yore do's. Dat'll keep de law away.
(Any kind of an onion?)
Any kind of an onion.
Entry 2194
Jes' like yo' in business like sellin' whiskey or somepin like dat, yo' put a red onion ovah each one of yore do's, an' de Lord Prayers have it written, if yo' don't want nobody tuh pay no 'tenshun to it chew know. Git chew a small onion, de smallest one, an' jes' tack it up ovah de do' dere an' take de Lord's Prayers an' put it undahneat' yore carpet on yore floor right at chure do'. Well, yo' know yo' can't walk ovah God - dey can't go but so far ovah Him - yo' know yo' can't go ovah Him atall. Yo' take de Lord's Prayers an' put it down undahneat' dere. Co'se ah always use nine or ten.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will give yo' good luck an' no evilness kin come aginst yuh.
(That will give you luck for selling whiskey and keep the law away?)
Shore, an' people commence tuh envious against yuh. Dey'll come an' 'stead of bein' an enemy to yo' dere min'll [mind will] change an' dey'll be yore fren's instid of a enemy.
Entry 2195
How many cornahs has dis house got? Fo' cornahs ain't it? Well, you kin take fo' needles an' stick each in ev'ry cornah of dis house, an' take a red onion an' bear [bury] it, one to de front do' an' one to de back do', an' dey
[the law] cain't come in.