Browse:Van-Van (Volume 1, entries 2368–2717)/Part 5
Van-Van
Volume 1, entries 2368–2717. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2688
Dirt dauber nest is awful lucky tuh women (see p.432). Women kin take dirt dauber nest an' dey kin take it an' Hearts Cologne an' alum, an' dey kin use dat in de mornin' at dey front. Dey use chamber lye wit it too. An' use dat at dey front an' back do' an' dat place - women [do] dat, spo'tin' women dat way - plenty men will come round dere an' give it to 'em, have plenty friends.
Entry 2689
You kin mop early in the morning 'fore the sunrise. You kin mop with oil of cinnamon and garlic, beat it up real fine, and your urinate overnight. Mix it with water and mop from the - start from the front steps and go back in your house and don't say nothing to nobody till you get done mopping. Jest hold your peace - don't say nothing to nobody - fore the sunrise....
(And mop it back?)
Yes, sir.
(That brings you trade - brings you customers if you are bootlegging?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 2690
Dat good to make a linament out of it - anything of garlic lak dat. Git six red onions an' she kin boil all dat up some day when dere ain't nobody dere, an' git a bunch of cedar [branches] an' mop yore flo's wit it; keep it secret yo' know from anybody. Mop up flo's an' dat's luck - make her have hustlin' luck - customers, anything she wants - sellin' whiskey or anything.
(Now what would she boil up together, you say?)
Cedar, garlic - one dose little burr of garlic, an' git a nickel worth of red onion an' jes' chop it up, an' chamber lye - git a whole quart of chamber lye. Mop dat flo' wit it. Don't mop outside an' don't sweep de dirt out de room out- side - take it up on a dustpan an' burn on de flo'. Always go backwards wit de mop. Don't mop out. Yo' know a lotta people mop out. Dat's yore luck goin' outdo's - mop back.
Entry 2691
If you want to have good luck, you kin take your chamber lye and yo' sprinkle it - burn incense and put it in there, the ashes, and sprinkle it every morning before you speak a word, out in front of your door, and that will give yo' good luck and bring people to your house.
(Bring trade to you, if you are selling something?)
Yes, sir.
(I see, if I were bootlegging or something of that sort.)
Yes, or running a rooming house - renting a few of the rooms.
Entry 2692
Take yo' some Red Seal Lye, brand-new box, an' yo' git some Hearts Perfume, git a ten-cent bottle of Hearts Perfume, and dere something in de drug store yo' call dragon's blood. Yo' put that in yo' scrub water and yo' scrub it on back. See, yo' scrub yo' floors and when yo' git through, yo' po' it all around yore gate. And yo' take a box of lye and bury it at chure steps. Bury dat lye at chure steps an' sprinkle an' po' dat scrubbing water an' scrub wit dat every morning, fresh yo' know, and put a little yore urine in it, in dat water an' yo' scrub yo' floors from yore steps backwards - on back every morning. When yo' git through, yo' po' it all around yore gate an' den from yore steps an' all. An' bury dat box of lye at de bottom of yore steps and he [the law] won't cross over it. If dey come dey will pass on by.
Entry 2693
In the morning get you a can of Red Devil Lye and you wash that front porch off with it every morning, with that Red Devil Lye. And jest like you had a chamber [pot] in your house, you would put that Red Devil Lye into that chamber and wash that front porch off with it. Then rinse that front porch off [with clean water] and that would draw the customers into your house.
(If you are bootlegging or something like that?)
Yes.
Entry 2694
Well, just like if you thought someone was doing you something - trying to harm your house or your home or something - you pour that [urine] around your house and also this here consecrated [concentrated] lye with the hog on it. [Hog roots out things.]
(With the hog on it? Or a pig?)
Uh-huh.
(With the hog on it or the pig, you mean?)
[This was new to me. I wanted to be certain.]
You seen consecrated lye got a hog on a can, a pig. (I haven't seen the hog on the can but I know what the lye is. They have to have a hog on that can?) Yes. That's the best - it's got a big old fat pig on it. Well, you sprinkle that round your house and that'll keep people from harming you.
(You sprinkle it all over with that chamber lye?)
You don't have to mix it - just either one of them's supposed to cure any kind of harm. Another thing that you kin do - just like women you know have lots of men they can get money from. They call it tricky [tricking] you know. Well, on Monday morning and Friday morning you get up, sweep and scrub your house with this lye what I'm talking about now.
(This hog - this concentrated lye.)
That's got the hog on the side of the can. And you mix it with sugar and yo' urinate in it - use chamber lye. And you'll be successful.
(That's to bring in trade.)
Yes.
Entry 2695
A can of lye.
(You take a can of lye. All right.)
Yes. You urinate in a bucket. You take that lye and you put it in there with this urine of yours. Then you fust go from one corner of that house to the other just in a circle [circumambulate exterior of house], you know, and dress that banquette [sidewalk] and the ground, and call his name when you start.
(Call whose name?)
Anybody you suspicion is going in there - and call his name when you get to it. When you start, the point is this: maybe you may figure it's Ralph Johnson and you call his name when you start. When you empty the bucket you just say, "Ralph Johnson."
(He won't come there then while you are gone.)
Entry 2696
Yo' kin take a person's chamber lye an' put sugah in it an' lye an' oil of anise, an' sprinkle dat an' make yore wish. Sweep yore po'ch back to yore house an' that brings good luck to yo'. Do dat fo' hustlin' people - bring money in yore house.
Entry 2697
Ah worked once in a woman's sportin' house in South Ca'lina in Sumter, South Ca'lina, de name of Annie H. In her house wus where ah worked, an' she said tuh me, she said, "Ah like yo' heah." She wus de houselady. Ah says, "Yes mam." She says, "An' aftah ah like yo', ah'm trustin' mahself. Luck been bad an' ah reckon dat ah'll let chew make me some." Ah didn't know whut tuh say, yes or no, cus ah didn't understand whut she meant. She first went in de house an' she brought out a - yo' know dis Red Devil Lye, she brought out a box of dat. Ah didn't ask her no questions. Yo' know asafetidy. A package of asafetidy is about de size of dat, an' it's a nickel. She took dat an' she chipped it up right fine. She took jes' about dat much watah an' she put it in a little bit of a pot an' she took about a tablespoonful of Red Devil Lye an' she took three bottles of Hearts Own Cologne an' she come tuh me an' she said, "Mamie?" "Yes mam." She said, "Yo' gotta go an' git us some dirt out de grave." Yo' know ah wus scared. Ah thought ah had done something. Ah didn't know whut in de worl' wus de mattah, whut ah done. An' she 'solve [dissolved] dis an' melt, an' aftah she melt it she made a lather out it. An' den when she made dat lather she po'ed it into a bucket - one of dese buckets whut chew might call a watah bucket. It's de size of a watah bucket but it nearly - dat wus de size of a watah bucket but - yet an' still aftah she made it up she po'ed dem in it - but dey had dat ring on de side an' a lock. Well, at dat time ah could use both mah han's. Now ah has three stiff fingahs - dey call it stiff-j'int rheumatism. An' ah said, "Miss Annie, whut mus' ah do?" She says, "Well, by God," she says, "scrub." Ah says, "Yes'm, ah don't min' scrubbin'." An' ah didn't bring no insult [retaliate] ~ no hard feelin's. Ah wanted tuh be nice endurin' dat house. She says, "All right, Mamie?" Says, "Yes mam." She said, "Did you know it's fo' a'clock now?" Ah said, "No'm, ah didn't. But it's all right. If it's all right wit chew, it's all right wit me." An' she said, "When de sun rises ah want dem beddin' rooms in de clear, so de company will be jes' de same as any day - if we havin' any company." Ah went roun' tuh every bedroom an' emptied every one of de chambers dat had de watah in it or anythin' - not de othah but jes' dat, an' ah scrubbed wit dat.
(What did you do with that water from the chambers?)
In that lye watah.
(Put it in that tub?)
Yes. An' ah scrubbed wit it an' brothah, ah wouldn't tell yo' one lie. Ah didn't git bit further den de front po ch, an' the hall clean up, an' ah started in anothah lady's room round de walls - jes' tuh wipe roun' dem. Ah couldn't do it. She says, "Mamie, yo'll have tuh set away dat till she git ovah." Ah says, "All right."
(Why couldn't you do it?)
Cause de room wus so fulla mens wantin' tuh go tuh bed wit dem wimmins till ah couldn't have chance tuh do dat. An' it jes' smelt so good an' wonderful, ah says tuh mahself, "If dis de way dey does, ah'm goin' tell ever'body." An' ah declare to goodness when time fo' me tuh go home, ah didn't think no mo' 'bout it. Now, ah 'sure yo', ah didn't know why ah wanted to. Dat wus mah aim to tell mah folks at home 'bout it an' some othah people ah know, but ah nevah thought a word about it. Ah told nobody. Ah don't think ah told nobody till ah'm tellin' yo' now. An' it had done left me. Ah nevah even thought about it no mo'. It jes' - she had up befo' sunrise. She had me clean all de rooms out befo' sunrise an' 'fore fo' a'clock struck. She said fo' me tuh be through an' be down to de kitchen tuh ketch all dese people goin' out. But ah didn't git no further den de second woman's bedroom. Some of de ladies in dere had friends with 'em by den. Dey called 'em de Catbone Wishers, an' ah waited on de three of dem ladies privately. An' so ah really know dat.
(These were white women, weren't they?)
Ever'one of 'em.
(And the madam was white?)
Ever'one of 'em. Ever'one of 'em in dat home an' all. Dere weren't nobody dere colored but me an' de cook. [I am unable to explain either bucket ring and lock or Catbone Wishers. Since I do not ask a question about the latter, I must have assumed the women each had or shared a black-cat lucky bone. Whether catbone wisher was then or now pro- fessional argot for anything else, I do not know.]
Entry 2698
You can take cinnamon and sugar and clear water and oil of verbena. See, like this is your front - well you start ascrubbing from the front, back in but not out. See, and sweep it back in. You see. Then you get what you call dragon's powder [dragon's blood]. See. You smoke the four corners up with that. [See margin-title Smoke 'em, p.723; also Incense, p.700.] Natch'ly you'll be successful in a business.
Entry 2699
Ah would use urinate an' concentrated lye an' yo' know soon in de mawnin'. Monday mawnin' an' Friday mawnin' ah'd always mop all de way through befo' anybody would enter - see, that would be roun' six a'clock in de mawnin'. An' aftah ah'd git through mopping ah'd throw de watah down de front steps, yo see. Den ah'd come back in an' burn mah incense befo' ah'd speak to anybody, see, an' make a wish.
(What would that do then?)
That would keep de law away.
Entry 2700
Ah have used - ah used tuh do this. Ah would wash mah house out on a Wednesday an' Friday with brown sugar an' lye an' urinate. [Three ingredients.] But ah would mop twice a week. Wednesday an' Friday would be mah days.
(At any particular time of the day?)
Yessuh. De first, early in de mawnin' when ah first git up, 'fore anybody would start tuh comin' around, ah would do that.
(That is to bring any kind of customers in?)
Yessuh. An' den fo' luck, ah would then take an' wash mahself an' ah would use Jockey Club Perfume an' oil of bergamine [bergamot]. Oil mahself good, yo' know, up undah mah arms an' back of mah ear lak that. Dat would be fo' mah luck then, yo' know, fo' havin' dealin's with diff'rent men.
Entry 2701
Fo' luck yo' take de chamber lye an' yo' put chew some oil of bergamot dey call it - yo' but it at de drug sto', oil of bergamot. Put dat in de chamber lye an' put chew some sugah in it an' yo' put chew some bluein'. An' yo' take that an' yo' scrub yore house all out good wit it, see. An' aftah yo' scrub yore house with it, then yo' take an' drop three drops in each corner an' make a wish. That's success fo' yore house.
(You mean for bringing in customers to buy from you?)
Yes.
Entry 2702
In de mawnin' when yo' wake up lak dat - if yo' livin' a hustlin' Zife, git up early of a mawnin' an' take yore urinate an' don't let nobody else urinate in dat bucket an' scrub de po'ch with it. An' den on Fridays, well yo' kin git dis same stuff whut ah wus tellin' yo' 'bout - dis oil of bergamine [bergamot] an' put 'bout two or three drops of it in a bucket of hot watah an' mop de house on Friday with it, an' dat draws luck fo' bootleggin' and hustlin', too, but yo' mustn't speak to nobody until twelve a'clock. Don't have nuthin tuh say to no- body when yo' git up an' mop yore house. An' on Monday mawnin's don't let women folks come in yore house because it's bad luck to yo.
Entry 2703
She kin go and git brown sugar, coated tacum [talcum] - coated face Powder - and she'd mix 'em together. Then you git oyster shells and then they pound it together. And when they pound it together, well then if they do ketch a trick, well ev'rytime they ketch a trick, they [the woman] urine, they put 3 drops in this little vial where this brown sugar and this coated powder and the oyster shell. If they can they kin jes' urine in a glass, and take a eye dropper and you know and drop 3 drops in when [until] they get to 9 drops. An' then, after they do that, why then they git their own luck. And then after they get the 9 men - why then after the 9 men go, then you [the woman] take a dropper whenever you wanta get a date - you see you take the same eye dropper - and jis' take one drop out [the vial], jis' drop it on the bed. Of co'se when they out [the vial is empty] they still got that powder, but when they urine over, they kin do the same thing over again.
Entry 2704
(These fellows that are bootlegging, what do they do to bring the law away?) They buys some sulphur an' po' it in yore bucket, yore night bucket, an' let it set. Let it set in dere an' den dey po' some of it every morning fo' nine mornings. Dey dig a hole an' po' some of it right in front of de do - in de front an' den dey po' some of it in de back, for nine mornings.
(Out of this same bucket - the same water with this sulphur in it.)
The same water that had the sulphur in it for nine mornings - den dey po' it in dere. Den dey sprinkle it [dry] iest all around yore house - ah mean dat sulphur den. All yo' ever do every morning befo' yo' git up befo' day. Ah've had dat done - sprinkle dat sulphur.
Entry 2705
You use Hearts Perfume an' chamber lye - sprinkle it all around in yore place fo' sunrise in de morning. Yo' git up an' yo' sprinkle dat around in yore place. An' then yo' use salt - sprinkle salt around in yore place. If yo' have any rug, anything dat chew kin put dat salt undah, it is very lucky. An' dat chamber lye an' dis Hearts Perfume it's very, very lucky to bring in customers. If yo' use dat chamber lye an' dat Hearts Perfume, an' if yo' will burn some sulphur - if yo'll burn some sulphur into yore place in a pan, right in de middle of de flo', an' use yore Hearts Perfume an' yore chamber lye, why yo'll bring in yore peoples.
Entry 2706
A bucket of pee. Dey puts Van-van in dis pee an' dey throws dat on de banquette an' dey take a bucket of watah an' dey rinses dat - dat urine an' dat van-van all ovah de banquette. Dat keeps de banquette damp. Ever' now an' den dey'll come out an' throw fresh watah on dat tuh keep it freshened up, so when yo' pass or anybody pass, well yore feet will get dampened by dat dere - walkin' in dat damp spot. Well, dat'll draw yore attention into dis place. If yo' go home an' yo' need anything, yo' won't go to de othah places tuh git any- thing. Yo'll go tuh dis place where yo' undah de influence of dat van-van. See, dat puts yo' undah de influence of spendin' yore money in dis place. Dat keeps de man's place packed an' jammed wit dis urine an' dis van-van.
Entry 2707
You use saltpeter, blood root, chamber lye, salt, pepper and alum. You mix it all altogether and you boil dis. You boil it in your own water MondayS, Wednesdays and Fridays and after you have boiled it down, you take the bottom of it - let it boil dry - de bottom will be a powder and you jest put it to de front door. Throw it out and rub it on yore door, and dey [officers of the law] won't come. Dey'll pass by and go to next house.
Entry 2708
A fellah told me that he wus at a place drinkin' somewheres an' he says, "One man says, "Ah dunno why ah come heah an' git mah whiskey, but ah does it," he says, "it's not because it's so nice an' clean, ' says, "but ah do come heah an' git it," he says. [Man who told my informant asks] "Well, why'd yo' reckon it wus go good?'[The drinker answer] "Well, ah don't know. But do you know, anothah fellah tole me dat she pees in it." [Cf. Menses, p.708.]
The whiskey reference is quoted dialogue within a reported account; the later contents allegation remains hearsay.
Entry 2709
Jes' like yore customer yo' want tuh come to yo', yo' selling whiskey, yo' kin take a little of yore chamber lye an' put in dat whiskey an' dey always come back dere.
Entry 2710
Know whut dey do wit chure whiskey an' make 'em pull dat - course dat's a dissipated thing. Well, yo' eat chamber lye an' yo' kin git 'em an' dey jes be crowdin' in dere - yo' can't wait on 'em fast enough.
(You put chamber lye in the whiskey.)
Entry 2711
Take yore urinate an' put sugah in it an' wash from face an' yore haid, down on down, an' give yo' all de luck in de worl'. Everywhere yo' go yo' kin sell anything or jes' git money jes' lak dat [snapping the fingers). [Comment by transcriber who heard fingers snap. So do I hear them.]
Entry 2712
You ever heard of vanilla? (Vanilla? Yes.) Vanilla that you makes cakes with. Well, you get you some vanilla, but that stick vanilla [vanilla pod?]. I don't mean this cheap vanilla - gotta be good, and you take that vanilla and you get up soon in the morning and you mop all in front of that door, and you have aplenty customers - more customers then you want.
Entry 2713
(What did you say about those men down your way?) Mens dat running or starting up a little business, de first thing dey do, dey git dem some of dis Van-van and dey scrub with it 'cause it's got a pleasant odor. And yo' scrub with dat - steps, front porch, everything.
Entry 2714
Yo' ain't gotta take nuthin but dis Van-van. Yo' git it at de drug sto'. Take van-van. You git about dat much fo' a dime, ah think it is. Yo' take about dat much an' mix it up in a quart of watah aftah yo' sweep, scrub. Sweep up [first]. Yo' sprinkle dat aroun' in dere [after you scrub]. Take de bottle an' sprinkle all around in dere, an' de customers comin'.
The informant names a bottle in the sprinkling instruction. Product details and the claimed customers remain source descriptions, without a bottle subtype or verified result.
Entry 2715
Take a little sulphur and burn in yore business place in de morning of nine mornings. Open your business place and burn that sulphur. And burn that and say a little wish - wish for your money or success in there before anybody enters. And that brings you luck, that brings your trade. But burn this every morning for nine mornings. Then you take a little van-van - keep a little mop - that draw de customers. Jest mop your floor once or twice a week - Wednesdays and Fridays. That brings you trade.
(What do you mop it with?)
Van-van. That's little thin-like stuff from de drug store. Jest put little drops in yore water and mop - jest a few drops to wipe de floor Wednesday morning and Fridays.
(Do you have to mop the floor in any particular manner?)
Jest bring it in though - all in, don't carry it out. You jest come inside - starts from de stair and come inside and then you bringing your luck in. See, to draw de persons to come tuh yo'. That sulphur you burn fo' nine mornings, that keeps your luck always. But burn it nine mornings - a tablespoon or much as you want - in de place befo' anybody cross your doorstep. Don't allow nobody to come in before you get that sulphur burn.
Entry 2716
To make people come buy from you now, if you'd scrub your house out. You just would get you - just like I told you this before, if you wanta keep from getting hurt. Just get you some lye, man, and some linsin soap and put in that water.
(What kind of soap?)
Linseed[?]. That's that heavy coarse soap, but it's brownish-like. Cracker- iack Drug Store got all that right there - sell you that any time you calls for it and show you the same thing. And you put that in that water and it going to be dissolved in the water - just let it dissolve there you understand. And take that and scrub your place every morning - just about five a'clock you scrub your place with that. And you kin have that old van-van stuff and just throw it all around there every time you come in the house, and the place just going to smell likes it's cologne up in your house. [People come] thinking that you got nothing [but] cologne and such things. Well you - all your customers just going to be coming there and coming there - coming backward and forward and see you. Keep the law - the same thing, off you.
(The same way, I see.)
Entry 2717
If you wants to draw them to you, you goes to the drug store and get you a dime's worth of steel dust. You get that steel dust and you get you a box of cinnamon. You can get a box of cinnamon for a nickel. After you getting the box of cinnamon, you take and get some van-van. This is supposed to be like - you mix that all together and you shakes it well. And you scrub out your place. You scrub out your place with this steel dust, van-van and cinnamon and sugar. You scrubs it out all around your place, around with that. When everybody is out you scrubs it out, and when you come in, as you come in, well, people come in and look like your business done pick up. That van-van done gives it a sweet smell.