Subject:Bootlegging
Entries
Entry 7722
Go tuh de cemetery an' make de changes wit de bo'ds out dere. Put three pennies intuh de groun', intuh de grave. Bring some of dat dirt back wit chew an' put some red peppah an' some cay- enne peppah in dere wit it, an' burn it intuh de fire, call- in'; In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, dat yo' may have luck in gainin' de influence of all of yore frien's. An' yo' will have luck.
(That is to get customers if you are bootlegging?)
Yes.
Entry 7724
Yo' git a headboard from de grave, de headboard, why dey claims it'll make yo' lucky. Yo'll have luck in hittin' de numbers; or if yo' are bootleggin' yo'll have luck in sellin' it. (What do they do with that headboard, though, to get that luck? What do they do with it?) Well dey keeps it somewhere roun' dere home. Dey jis' [keep] it - don't do anything wit it, jis' keep it aroun' dere home.
Entry 11286
On 7lst Psalm of David. See: Oh, Lord God in thee I put my trust. Never let me be put confusion in [be put in confusion]. Thy have beholdth from the womb. Thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels and my praise shall be contained in thee. [More or less like the King James Version.] This is the only Zuization, [Does he mean Utilization? In any case translate word remedy.] that I know of to keep your sexual force, you understand, away from you in that respect, and that don't he'p you very much, but the still of that is to keep down - the enemy's force down. Says, Cast me not off in the time of old age, and forsake not my strength, for my enemies speaks against me. And they that lay waste my soul take counsel to- gether. [Also from Psalm 71.] That's the second chapter Proverb. There's the 9th, 10th and 24th verse, yeah of the 7lst Psalm of David. Now, that's a very good portion of Scripture that I know dey use in that respect.
(In what respect?)
I say in that respect what you asked me just now about.
(About what?)
About the bootlegging proposition, yeah.
(Oh, bootlegging, yes, if you want to keep the law away from there.)
I mean, that's a very good chapter, I mean for to keep you successful in
[your] own undertaking there.
Entry 11651
You git that brown sugar, an' you git that flaxseed, an' you git some steel dus' [3 ingredients] an' mix it up. An' jis' like I'm livin' on this - you livin' on this corner an' you bootleggin'. All right. You take an' you sprinkle it both sides of the street on each corner. The law ain't gon'a bother you.
Entry 12339
When you leave yo' house, if yo' know that yo' are going after whis- key [as a bootlegger], you understand - if you going after whiskey, you wanta dress [magically protect] yourself before you go. You wanta dress yo'self be- fo' yo' go. Anyhow dress yo' car. (How do you dress it?) Well, yo' take dat lobelia an' put one piece in de back, right in de back of de car, an' sit on de odder [other] piece underneath yo' seat, an' den nobody will tetch yo' car. An' coming in an' going out nobody ketch yo' car. Nobody ever hear yo'. Lobelia and hippo, yo' git dat out de woods.
Entry 12562
(Well, nog, suppose I'm bootlegging amd I want to keep the lay aoay from the place, what would I do to keep the lay away from the place?) Well, you use this here sugar. You get this sugar, you get some of this saltpeter, and every time that you think of the law or anything, at night, you do it yourself or the one that be's in [the shop] there. You fix it up in a bottle with any kind of green leaf - you know, any kind of green leaf - but leave it be different leafs: might be willow leaf or Palm Of Christian or any kind of leaf. Just a differ- ent leaf. You take it in a bottle with this sinimond [cinnamon], sugar...
[I interrupt. Palm of Christian had to be explained!]
(Now, wait a minute! Where does this Palm of Christian grow?)
That Palm of Christian? Well, just put it in there like that, but stop... (Where does that grow? Here in Louisiana? Does it grow here?) [In New Orleans?] Yes, sir, it grows here - find it everywhere - in the country - they got some right uptown there. (It grows out in the woods - you mean that little palm - that little short palm?) It grows up about that high but with wide leaves.
(Oh! I see.)
[I did not know what it was at the time but I soon found out!] Well, you could take some of them leaves and sprinkle like that - get different leaves, just so its green. And you put it in a bottle and you take - put that sugar and cinament in the bottle like that. Every morning - that's when you thinking that the law's is [= 's & is here] coming and interfere with you, you see - coming and made a raid on your place. Every night and every morning, through the day, re- gardless of how many people are in there [your illegal liquor joint] don't say anything to nobody. Jest take your bottle [of green leaves] like you cleaning up and walk at the end of your property and jest like you'd take the broom and you shaking that bottle, you know, jest like sprinkling to keep the dust down - on back in [into] your place. Any time the law coming there, when he get to your property, he - he jest as pleased as ever. He'll come in there - probably be like this - he'll drink. He'll ask you to give him a [free] drink, a [free] cigar or somepin of the kind like that. And he'll tell you, remember that [a boss] be's over him. He'll tell, too, he'll say, "Well, you be particular, you can git what you want. I was just passing by this way. Well, you jest keep that sugar and ciniment right at your steps, wherever you comes down. And re- gardless of who comes there, he'll never do you no harm. And in prohibition time, well, the time the town went dry, I sold liquor here - I hit on [which he does, you can hear him]. Never had been caught yet. Never have been scared about no law - no prohibition or nothing of the kind... never have. [See margin title PALMA CHRISTI, No.2199, P.626, v.1, and my long comment there.]
Entry 12661
Well, I'll tell you. If you're sellin' liquor, you can go ahead and sell it and have de house fixed so when dey [officers of the law] come dey can't come in. (How can you do that?) Well, you jes' git you some uh, you go to a 'simmon [persimmon] tree, you git a 'simmon tree, the bark, and tie it to de step - don't put it way under de step - and dey can't come in until you git everything out de way. [The magic here could be, you must get this bark while the tree has unripe persimmons on it. Bite into one of them and you will leave the others alone.]
Entry 12710
If yo' wuz sellin' whiskey an' de law wuz pretty bad, botherin' yo' aroun' yore house an' yo' wanted tuh keep 'em away, why yo' kin take a rabbit - kill a rabbit an' yo' kin kill a chicken. Take de chicken foot an' de rabbit foot an' bury dem tuhget- hah in de gate where yo' come intuh yore front do' at. Put dem in de ground an' bury dem tuhgethah. Den yo' goes back in de house aftah yo' do dat. Yo' goes back in de house an' yo' probably stay in de house ten or fifteen minutes an' den comes back out. Yo' comes back out an' yo' digs dis rabbit foot up an' dis heah chicken foot, an' yo' don' bury 'em tuh- gethah nex' time; yo' bury one on de right-han' side an' one on de left-han' side. De way ah heard it, don' make any difference which one yo' put on de right an' which one on de left. Yo' bury one on de right an' one on de left - on de left side of de do'steps, by de cornah of de do'step. An' yo' takes one of de toes off de chicken foot an' carry it roun' tuh de back do' tuh keep 'em 'way from de back, an' yo' bury dat down dere. An' dey say yo' won' have no trouble wit de law as long as dem feets is solid. An' when dey rot - yo' kin tell when it will rot down dere. Yo' have tuh bury some mo'. An' yo' won' be bothahed wit no law. A lady down heah in town heah, she had a experience wit dat.
Entry 12758
How, [of] course I Was bootlegging myself and I had a powder that I used to use. Of course, this pow- der come from Germany [which may nor have been true]. (What was it called?) Well, I don't know the name of the powder, but it was mixed up with a simple thing, some Gretna. (Oh, you called it Gretna?) [This could be something sold by someone in Gretna back in 1938.] Gre tna.
[I turn off machine but restart it at word sugar.]
(Yes, and you mixed it with sugar, you say?)
Mix it with sugar.
(And it turned what?)
It would turn red, and after [that] you would burn it, you'd have to burn it With solid white paper. And after you would burn this, about ten minutes after that, you wouldn't have to worry. You could be sitting down and people would come from all, every direction, to your place to buy stuff there.
(How much did you pay for that?)
One dollar.
(One dollar, I see.)
Yes, sir.
(They made it in Germany. What color powder was it?)
It was a red powder. [This is an interesting illustration of hundreds of special or isolated mixtures floating about, compounds that never came into general use. I am guessing that this Was a cheap incense, though a dollar dur- ing the Great Depression Was money!]
Entry 12885
Now, if you bottleggin', you want trade. Now you go to your drug store. You buy you a pound of that brown sugah, you understand. You get choo a codfish ball - you know what dat codfish, big O [ole] codfish! You get that and get you a nickel's worth of pahsley [parsley]. Now, you gona take dat pahsley, codfish ball, the sugar. You take your water, about 2 quarts or quart an' a half. Fix what you want, any kind of water. An' yo' put it in a pot or bucket, or whatsomever will hold it. And put all that stuff into the water and let it boil. Let it boil down to one quart [the magic of diminishing amount]. An' use your pot every morning, like Friday's, that myst be your busy day for Saturday. Like Wednesday you wan'a take that day for cleaning up. Well, you take that water and git you someone to go out to clean up your place for you - just sprinkle that water - go to the front - come to the front like this [demon- strates], you see, an' come right on in [from the front door, leading future customers in]. Now, I don't tell you that people will spend their money there, but I'll guarantee you'll have a crowd there an' you won't have standing room. But somebody will spend money. You understand how that is? That'll square you. I do that.
Entry 13257
All yo' have tuh do is tuh git chew some sulphur an burn an' all. Yo' ketch his [policeman's] eyes whensomevah he come in an' look after him, an' let him walk across it, see. (This burnt sulpbur?) Yes sir, burnt sulpbur, an' when he come in yo be lookin' after 'in. Try tuh ketch his eyes. An' he nevah come tuh yore house no mo'. Or yo' could jes' take some - if yo' sellin' whiskey, each maslin' befo' yo' open yore do', befo' anyone come in, yo' jes' take jes' a certain aomt of it [whiskey] an' jes' throw it ovah yore do', both doors, as de customers comes in an' out, see. An' then yo' be fixed - de law will nevah bother yo'.
(You mean you throw the salt and sulphur over the door?)
No, yo' kin take some of yore whiskey.
(Oh, the whiskey. That's to keep the law away, too.)
See, when yo' burn dis sulphur, den yo' throw de whiskey ovah de head - yo' know whut ah mean, jes' throw some ovah de head of de do' up there an' dey won't nevah bother yo'.
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 2469
Yo's sellin' likker - bootleggin' dey call it, used tuh call it boot- leggin'. Now, yo' go tuh work ovah heah an' git chew herbs an' yore stuff whut chew want from a certain person - anybody's [anybody who is] makin' dis. Well, he tell yo' tuh go out dere tuh de fo'ks of de road or somethin' lak dat. Be sure an' try tuh git chew one, understand, dat's leadin' down by yore house - de fo'ks of de road. An' be shure, understan' dat chew git yo' in yore house, make no diff'rence if its a mark in de house. All right, git to de fo'ks of de road, an' yo' know dat mark ah make lak dat - go dere an' dig yo' a hole right in de fo'ks of de road an' bury dis in de fo'k of dat road.
(Bury what?)
[I must ask this question before I forget it, but I interrupt him. He will answer later.] Now if de sheriff's - de deputy sheriff or policeman, an' ev'ry time dey's comin' dere tuh yore house an' dey's gon'a ketch yo' - yo' see, dey gon'a set a trap an' dey ketch yo'. After yo' go up dere to dis road to de fo'k an' do dat, yo' understan', an' dey come down - yo' see, yo' knows which way dey comin', dat's why yo' go tuh de fo'k of de road - dey'll drive ovah it, see. An'when dey drive ovah it, stid [instead of] yo' house, [they go to] somebody else. Stid dey gwine to yore house start worryin' yo', den dey drive ovah it lak dat dere, right straight up de road dey goin', or right down de road dey goin' an' ain't stoppin' take time tuh look at yore house.
(What will you bury in that hole?)
Well, yo' go tuh work an' git some - yo' kin take a piece of bluestone - yo' know whut dat is - a piece of bluestone an' gits yo' den a root dey call devil's- shoestring, an' take one dem dey call High John de Conker. Put dem in dere an' den whut chew wanta do, make it stronger, go tuh de woods an' find yo' snake shed. Git chew a snake shed an' put dat in wit it - put it down in dere wit all dat together. An' dere's a root grows dere right at de edge of de forest, has a great big flower on it, wit a mane hang down lak dat, jes' lak a man mustache... call it De ole man is daid - De ole man is daid. Hit jes' lak it. Yo' go git chew a root offa dat tree. Ain't ever'body kin find dat, dey see it but don't know whut 'tis, an' put dat down dere - de root offen De ole man is daid. De root off hit is de one gotta do de work. An' yo' put dat down in dere, under- stand, an' cover dat down in dere. Den yore safe, yore safe.
Entry 2597
Hit wus like burnin' sulphur and salt, and yo' do that - burn a little sulphur and sprinkle a little salt roun' de place, an' de law won't nevah come around. I know of places right chere in Jacksonville and I been knowin' dey's been bootleggin' fer a numbah of - don't know how long and de man hasn't nevah been dere. It's right what yo' might say on de highway an' de man have nevah been dere. [Jacksonville, Fla., (597), 769:7.] [Similarly].... Ev'ry mornin] when he'd get up he'd throw sulphur an' salt on his floor [to keep the law away].
[Jacksonville, Fla., (586), 752:1.]
Entry 2418
I'm tellin' you now how to bring 'em - you see, if you are bootleggin' and you want to bring a crowd to your house. You take the nine pods of red peppers, you'll take you three ounces of sugar.
(Three what?)
Three ounces.
(Three ounces of sugar.)
Of sugar and you put that in the water. And you get you some nutmeg already ground up - you put that in your water. And then you take and get ammonia - you put that in your water. And then you'll take and scrub. And you'll get you some fast luck and put it in there and you take the broom and sweep all in the corners of the house then. Never sweep it, de dirt out de front - always let everything go to the back. And when you use that essence - that water you scrub with - you always carry it all to the back. And that draws a crowd in your house. Then, as soon as you are done, you take the beer or a little wine, anything what you got, and you put some of that in the water and scrub. But let your scrubbing always go to the back.
Entry 2508
You wan'a bring in trade. Well, fo' whut ah've experienced about bringing in trade - ah used tuh be a bootlegger mahself, and ah kin say that ah done that mahself and got benefit out of it. Now hit's a oil - well hit's a water whut chew git and whut chew put in yo' scrub water, hit's whut chew call van-van oil. [See margin- title Van-van later.] An' put five drops in de water, even if yo' don't do nuthin wit it but jes' put it in de water, shake it up and jes' sprinkle it roun' in yo' business place. An' yo' take you some of dat same oil and some brown sugah - about a tablespoonful of brown sugah and about five or seven drops [uneven number] of dat oil, an' put it in a bottle and a tablespoonful of honey, an' take it an' put it in a bottle and fill de bottle most fulla water. An' den put two teaspoonful of holy water in it an' shake it good and set it somewhere close aroun' where yo' kin easily git chure han' on it. An' every time yo' see de law even down dere, if yo' think de law comin' in - but yo' sprinkle yo' place of business good wit dat water every morning. Every morning when yo' come in open up yo' business - when yo' open up yo' do's and do roun' lak dat - jes' sprinkle some roun' yo' do's an' up aside yo' do' facin' and all. But be shore tuh shake well befo' usin'. An' that'll jes' make business come in real breese [brisk] - yo' jes' be tuh de place - yo' jes' be overhanded wit business.
(And that will keep the law away?)
Yassuh. Ah experienced dat.
Entry 2522
If you are bootleggin', to keep de officers away from your house, you get nine pieces of hoof of a horse - go to de blacksmith shop git nine pieces of de hoof of a horse, see, and git nine nails. (What kind of nails?) Horseshoe nails out of de shop - see, nine pieces of de hoof and nine horseshoe nails. An' git chew two piece of ginger and ten pieces of black pepper, see, an' grind it up together and boil dose horsehoofs and nails all to- gether. Den sprinkle dat from yore gate to yore house, see, and when de officers come dey can't - dey turn down de other street and can't come by your house.
Entry 2670
There's diff'rent kinds of perfume that you can get to wear on you and if you - it's the Three Jacks and the Three Kings and Jack of Clubs. You go to the drug store and you get two bits [25c] of that and have it mixed all together. Don't wear it on your clothes. If you go into a clubroom and sit down to gamble, you'll always have it handy where nobody kin detect you puttin' some on the floor in the clubroom. And then you take this incense, luck incense, you know, and a shoe, a old shoe, if you got a clubroom and you want your clubroom to be - to bring money and to bring plenty people there to gamble to make money. You scrub your place out just as I told you and use those nine buckets of water. And you put that old shoe with some sugar and cinnamon and burn that incense in there. Close the house up and that's luck for gambling. No, don't use lye here - just the nine buckets of water - clear water - and burn the old shoe. Let the last bucket, the ninth bucket be with sugar in it.
(You can do that for bootlegging too?)
Yeah, because I bootlegged several years. Sure.
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 3101
You know I wus bootleggin' an' de law come furce. Dis bad luck had been planted aroun' de house to ketch some bad luck fer me, you see, and I jis' had bad luck all de time. De law constan'ly come, constan'ly come. So I fixed salt an' t'ings down dey would tell me to, but dat didn't do no good. So den I goes to S'uth Car'lina - Doctor Small in S'uth Car'lina.
(What town does he live in?)
Florence, S'uth Car'lina. Doctor Small - I[J?]. H. Small.
[For Small, also see 3079-3080, p.897.]
He gits his cane an' he shake his cane up an' tells me all dese men's names. He tells me about Kid-eyed Reeves[?].
(Kid-eyed Reeves[?].) [The liquor man who supplied her?]
He tells me who sent 'em in dere. An' he gave me dis piece of luck - jis' somepin he [had].
(Did someone tell you about him being down there?)
Someone told me - someone sent me to him.
(How did he shake his cane?)
He had dis cane. He put somepin in dis cane. It was loaded - a loaded cane - and he shake zit up: An' he went on to tell me where dis cousin Ivry [Ivy] is, an' why mah husband an' I didn't agree [because] he liked dis cousin. Whut to do with his cousin. If he got a chance he'd kill 'er [wife] - dat he wus so jealous dat he wanted 'er so bad, he'd do anything to harm 'er [wife]. Den he went on to tell me dat he [husband] sent de law. An' he named all de officers names one by one - ev'ry one of 'em name, an' ev'ry time he shake de cane he give me another one name. An' he told me, he said. "You take dis [piece of luck = hand] an' t'row it over - he told me between North Car'lina, I mean S'uth Car'lina, an' Richmond [Va.] - to t'row it over in runnin' water. But I was afraid dat it might go up against de bank [of river] or somepin by not knowin' dat [where?] was travelin'. So I waited till I came home.
(You were traveling in an automobile?)
No, I was on a train. He told me to throw it in de runnin' water when de train pass but I didn't take a chance on it. I was afraid it might lodge some- where on a bank. So I brought it back here.
(Did you look at it? Did you know what it was that he gave you?)
I tell you. It was somepin on de order of - frankincense is one thing. You know he put four or five differen' little things. An' he'd shake up his bottles an' things an' mix dose things together. An' when I came back - an' he give me some lucky stars [see LUCKY STAR, p.607; 2541-2544.p.702f.1] So I came back an' he told me de next mornin' [after returning home], I get in mah car an' I goes to a bridge an' I named all dose men name an' threw it [the piece of luck] off. An' den, jes' after I threw it, I went to court. It was all through in de court [case was dismissed].
(You say there was something buried for you in the front yard?)
Yeah, it was buried.
(Who took this up?)
A spiritual taken it up. She dig it up: You're not suppose to handle 'em. He [Doctor Small] sent some spirit-man an' he found it. An' then, you don't suppose to handle [it] yourself. He didn't let me handle it - I couldn't put my hand on it.
(Who worked this for you?)
[Doctor Small may have sent a spirit-man to locate the buried article, but who dug it up?] It was a spiritual of Lakeside, whut lady went to see at Lakeside.
[Was she the person who had sent client to Small?]
(A spiritual?)
But she's a fortuneteller of Lakeside. She found it. She told me where it wus an' she come over dere an' found it.
(It was like a ball?)
[This shows I had turned off my machine somewhere, or informant had told part of the story before recording began.] Yeah, like a ball. I paid her to take care of it.
(Names of these officers, when did you call them?)
I called all four name, an' de last name I called, I t'rew it over mah left shoulder into de runnin' water on de bridge. An' dat case wus absolutely dis- missed.
Entry 2722
For bootlegging or something like that, well you use cinnamon, rain water, or any water from any river.
(What do you do now?)
Get clear rain water and van-van - a oil you get from the drug store, they calls Van-van. You put three drops in there.
(In this rain water?)
Yes sir. And then scrub the place before the sun rise. You scrub it all round before the sun, but always scrub it coming in, not going out - see. And the law won't even trouble you, from my understandin'.
Entry 1729
If you got a bootleggin' still out in de woods and if you don't want de law to come near it, you kin git a lot of black cats and you keep em tied round in diff'rent spots in dat woods only at night - dat law wouldn't even come round dere in night er day atall, dey'll come jest about dat far. It seem like dere's always a sort of a heavy black mist to keep 'em away from dere. But chew always have to keep dose cats fed offen nothin' but jest daid rotten catfish dat dey ketch in de ribah heah. If you don't keep 'em well-fed wit dat catfish, dey'll soon die right quick on yo'. But always keep 'em tied - nevah turn 'em loose, keep 'em tied dere all de time in diff'rent spots.
Entry 1958
[Here is mv first knowledge of Doctor Frank Hall, whom I searched for and found the following year - a feat coupled with the finding of Madam Griffin, an experience described in the Introduction.] There's an old man by the name of Hall, a very rich man. He has I guess fifteen farms. He has some very palitable[?] [palatial] houses on these farms. He lives in a little shack. Each day there will be seen many cars around his home, both white and colored. He is known as a cunjure. He is able to keep the law away and many people going to court to be tried always have him to sit in the courtroom. [This practice has been fairly common; see Court in Index.] There is something he does. Nobody can see what he does. His fame has gone out that he clears the person because most every time he's in the courtroom the person being tried gets out light or becomes clear. This old man is known to sell a little bag to law breakers and bootleggers. In every bootlegger's home that is prosperous in this town can be seen one of these little bags hanging up on the side of the wall. You need not worry about the law coming in as long as you see that little bag. This little bag is known as Hall's Hand, Hall's Lucky Hand. That's what they call it. That's down in Suffolk, Va. [Informant came from Suffolk, seat of Nansemond Co., but Hall lived out in the country.] [Ocean City, Md., Ed.]
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 2209
Yo' bootleggin' an' you wanna keep de law from yo' house, you go in de deck and git jack of diamonds, jack of hearts, jack of clubs, jack of spades. Git 'em to de fo' corner of yo' door and yo' callin' dem laws man, and you take a penny and you put 'em to de foot of yo' door. You take nine needles and you hit 'em across chure door. Then you take - begin again to burning dragon's blood and incense, and ev'ry man come to dat door - as a man in power, he'll have to pass dat door.
(That will keep them out.)
He'll come but he'll have to pass dat door.
Entry 2425
If ah wus bootleggin' or runnin' a good-time place an' wanted tuh keep de law away, ah would take me some honey an' sugah an' wash mah house out wit it, an' ah would cross a broom in mah house, an' de law cain't come in.
(What do you mean by crossing the broom?)
Ah put it crossways of de bed, crossways undah de bed lak. (You mean, this is the bed like this - you don't put the broom like that, you put it like that?) Yo' put it lak that - dat's crossways of de bed.
(Sort of catercorner under the bed?)
Yes.
Entry 2427
If yo' wanta be a bootleggah an' sell whiskey, don't evah sweep de tracks out do's; always take de tracks an' sweep dem in de corner of de house an' put cookin' salt in em an' put em in de stove. An' if yo' wanta keep de police from your house, keep from runnin' back an' forth out chure house, go an' git chew a new coffeepot an' git chew some loose salt, table salt, an' yo' full up dat coffeepot, two of 'em, an' put 'em to de back do' an' de front do', "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost," an' dat will keep de man from yore house.
(That will keep the officer away?)
Yes sir.
informant-recited invocation accompanying salt-filled pot placement. Preserve the exact Father/Son/Holy Ghost formula without appending words, theological identity or Prayer/Incantation equivalence. stated aim of keeping police away, with interviewer-confirmed officer referent. No housing eviction claim These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 2448
If you are bootlegging and want to keep the law away from you, they say they got some - wait, let me see the name of this stuff. If they don't want them to come around, they got some - well, you take witch hazel, red pepper and salt. When they be passing in front of your door, you know, then you throw that out behind them. And after they been visiting your house, trying to break you up from doing it, and you don't want them there, say you take a chair like this [demonstrates], and you turn the chair bottom up, you know, crossways of the door, and put a broom 'cross that chair. They'll never come to your home no more.
(Just turn the chair upside down and.)
And put a broom 'cross it.
(Just an ordinary broom across it?)
Yes sir, and throw you some red pepper and salt behind them and make a wish - just say, "I wish they keep agoing and don't never come back no more." And when you throw it you mustn't look at them an' they won't never worry you no more.
Entry 2485
Wait until the first Friday of the month - the first Friday of each month - you get you some cinnamon and sugar and get you some lye water.
(What kind of water?)
Lye water - purely lye.
(Like concentrated lye?)
Concentrated lye, and scrub that house. And in the four corners of this house after you have scrubbed it, you set that house aburning in the four corners of that house, you see. Set some sugar and cinnamon, mix it and light it, and I'll guarantee you'll rent your house.
(You really will rent your house?)
You'll rent your house.
(What do you burn in those four corners?)
Cinnamon and sugar.
(I see. But you only scrub with the lye water?)
Only scrub with the lye water. [One cylinder later in answer to my question about how a business could bring in customers, informant begins to repeat what had been said about renting a house - a further detail being added.] (Now, wait a minute - if you were bootlegging now, what are you going to do about it to bring in trade?) To bring in trade?
(Yes.)
Well, you scrub your house - scrub your place of business and after you scrub it, you know.
(Now, wait a minute. Now, tell me what you told me before.)
Well, every first Friday of each month.
(Every first Friday of each month?)
Of each month, yes sir.
(All right.)
And then, after you scrub your house every first Friday of each month, see, you close it up and put you some cinnamon and some sugar and mix it thoroughly and put it in each corner of the house. See. And if it's a business place, put it right in the center of the floor. And burn it until all of it's burned up. And then the-next morning you get up and open the door, and you let all kind of trade in. You do that every first Friday.
Entry 2517
De law never was dere befo', see [and you do not want him to return]. You puts de horseshoe right ovah dat door, see, turn de toes up and write three "x's" behin' your door - three "xxx" - and lay one penny right on dis step, de doorsill. Ev'ry time I go [by them], pick at 'em, pick at 'em. Den you git four sticks jest like dat - get four sticks jest about six inches [long], put one in de under sill of yo' door, and put one on de corner, and put one in dis corner, and put one jest about five feet from yo' door and drive it down till you can't see de head. And I'm goin' dress dese sticks ev'ry day, keep up wid de sticks - keep it so dat nobody dig around it, see.
(How do you dress these sticks?)
Well, you see, you puts half cord - wrap one end of it on de end with cord, with the string, and the other with cord and the next one clean. De clean one must be a little higher den de end ones. But dat one in de yard [five feet from yo' door] - don't wanta put nothing on it. That's a footwalk. Ev'ry time dey be walking on dat, dey mighta know what coming. And if you feel, while dis man coming in - turn on it - must never be backward and all - let him come right in de house - let him look - no matter where he look. He might hunt chure house up and down, look at this, looking at that walking stick, that stick what you got in the middle of your yard, and he'll come out chure - ain't nuthin in yore house.
(That's if the law has come after you to arrest you for bootlegging.)
Put 'em [sticks] there and they walk over 'em all de time.
(Well, now, that stick in the middle of the door, how do you wrap that?)
Don't wrop dat atall. De two on de sides [of the door] you wrap dat - dat's de two guards, like two guards.
(Ohl You wrap that string around the two on the sides?)
De cord. Wrap it about that thick, couple inches on both ends - what chew leave on de top and drive it on down you know. And have it clear dat nobody won't have to stub. Drive that other one down without anything on it. Wit de fourth sticking out - one about five feet from de door, de step, put dat down so dat nobody will stumble over it.
(Do you put any cord around that one?)
No, de two of 'em dat be - two have to be not have anything on 'em. (The one in the middle of the door [at the sill] and the one out in the middle of the yard [five feet from de door] don't have anything on them.) See, dat's what you call dressin' dem two on de [each] side [of the door] - de guards, see. (I see. Now here's the stick on the side. You wrap around the top of that, wrap around the bottom of the stick, and then you drive it down in the ground.) Even down in the ground - see, so's nobody won't see it.
(You leave part of that stick outside the ground?)
No, don't leave part of that out of the ground atall. De middle stick, you leaves jest about a tip-end - dat's you guide, you see. You use de head right out, leave dat little out and then you kin pull dat eny time. When you pull dat you see, you shake de whole three. See, dat's fo' dem to care fo' you and yo' whole house.
Entry 2553
On bootleggin' it you have to - all bootleggers scrubs at four o'clock in the mornin' before de law's walkin'.
(Before the Lord's walking?) Yes, sir. (Before the Lord is walking?)
Before the lawr - like detectives - is walking.
(Oh, before the law is walking.)
Jis' like on your beat, dey scrubs so they'll pass up [police will pass by not bothering you]. You git dat cinnamon an' sugah, an' you git Jockey Club an' you put dat in an' scrub it - scrub your banquette, an' wash your banquette, an' you won't never be bother. Ah bootleggin's fo' fo' years an' never been caught. [This is banquette scrubbing, separate from house scrubbing.] [New Orleans, La.,
(790).1102:2.]
Entry 2561
Fo' luck aroun' mah home lak that, tuh keep the laws or anything lak that from botherin' me, if ah wus a-hustlin' or bootleggin', ah would take an git me some lye an' git me some sugah an' lay it undah mah do'step an' sprinkle it all roun' de house an' on de inside an' dat will keep de laws away.
Entry 2573
You are bootlegging and want customers. You go, you git some good - some sugar. Git you some cinnamon powder and you git you some luck - some van- van. See. You take it and put it in a bottle and you boil it - see, parsley. (Yes.) You take some parsley and you take all that [other ingredients] and you put it down in a pot and you boil it - let it boil about a solid hour before you take it out. And you take it out, you take you a whole quart - boil it first, boil it down to a quart. Then you take and you go to the alley gate - see, go to your gate or whatever it is and when you git there you start to sprinkle it backwards, you know, coming back to the house. See, just like you walking and you walk back [backwards]. Just have your mind on what you want and sprinkle it down, and you go right on the inside and you puts your bottle down. The next few minutes you see customers startin' comin' in.
Entry 2579
You is bootlegging or anything like that and you want customers. You get you some [sounds like red'nin' = reddening].
(Red ink?)
Looks red like grapes. You get you some red'nin' [reddening] and you get you some lucky perfume and you get you some van-van and scrub your house Wednesdays and Mondays and Fridays - three times a week, and you throw the water in the street. And you see by.you got all that in your water scrubbing with, that draw the crowd right into you. I've seen that did.
Entry 2596
Ah'm goin' tell yo' right quick now what ah did. Ah was bootleggin' down in Taylor County [Florida] and de sheriff was comin' on me - and ah'd taken some salt, jes' table salt, and dis here same cayenne pepper - jes' wropped it up in something, you know, and put it back of de heater - in a little ole heater stove - right back in dere where it couldn't burn up right quick - [in a place where I] jes' stored de wood - it was in de wintertime enyway - and den made de fire upon it and den when it go to burn, it would burn slow and den the ashes from dat - de smoke of dat goes out, chew see, and den as dat goes out it accumu- lates in de air and nobody dat comes dere do yo' no harm - do yo' no harm. If dey come dere, dey'll come dere, shake hands with yuh. "How do yuh do, Ed." "Jest fine. How a'yo'?"
Entry 2623
Yo' use dat urinate tuh dress a house with - it's fine fo' dressin' a house. An' if you're bootleggin' an' wan'a dress a house an' wan'a bring in yore trade, yo' have to use sea salt an' urinate. (Sea salt?) Dat's de stuff yo' take a bath with, sea salt. Sho' yo' bathe with it. Whut chew do, yo' urinate - only use yore urinate. Well, yo' take that sea salt - yo' have tuh heat dat urinate good, an' den when it gits cold yo' put dat in dat. See, dat resolves [dissolves those] little balls [crystals] in dere, aftah yo' heat it. Dat's de reason yo' have tuh heat it. An' den yo' jis' clean all roun' yore house with it. [Sea salt is bath salts, perhaps a local trade name. It should consist of crystals of sea salt, probably borax to soften the water, and aromatic substances for a pleasant odor.]
Entry 2634
Burn sulphur and one foot on de left shoes into a bucket from de front to the back. That would keep dem away. When dey get far as dat, dey will turn and go another way.
(That is to keep the law away if you are bootlegging?)
Yeah.
Entry 2638
If you was bootleggin' - you'd sit around, look like nobody much didn't come dere. So you kin take your old shoe, take you some onions and peel 'em and take de peelin' - dese dry hulls off de onions and put 'em in dat shoe. Take you a little sugar and put it in dat shoe, and a little salt and put in dere, and walk to de stove and take de heel part and turn it right up over de toe like dat, and put it bottomside upwards into de stove [upside down rite] and let it burn dere. In ten or fifteen minutes you have more people in your house den you kin wait on.
Entry 2656
Sulphur and sugar draws trade if you are bootleggin'.
(I see. Well, how do they use that?)
Oh, you burns it on de stove.
Entry 2684
Well, you have to dress the house. Now, that chamber lye which you was speaking about a few minutes ago - if you bootlegging or selling something, you takes that chamber lye which you were speaking about. All right. You takes it soon in the morning, no one around, you take that chamber lye and you wash from your door - porch-step on back. Never, never sweep out your trash out on the outside; always sweep back, going back in the house. Sprinkle that chamber lye every morning for seven mornings and you will have so many people at your place until you just won't have seats for 'em.
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 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 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 7221
Well, ah've heard 'em say dat if yo' bootleggin' an' yo' wanta keep de law away from yuh house, yo' git out soon in de mawnin'. Yo' take incense. Yo' kin buy dat, an' yuh burn dat, but here's de nex' thing yo' kin do dat ah suggest dan incense. Yo' kin take an' go tuh work an' git dat dirt whut ah suggest tuh yuh.
(What dirt?)
Soon in de mawnin' dat chew go out an' yo' mix up.
(What dirt?)
De dirt dat chew go an' stand on. Aftah yo' make dis dirt, aftah yo' make it up in a mixture. Yo' understand. All right, an' yo' stand on it, an' yo' reach down an' yo' git some of dat dirt. All right. An' aftah yo' reach some from undah de bottom of yuh feet - dis is whut chew call, whut ah told choo 'bout dose twelve head of dose officials, high offi- cials.
(I see.)
But yo' mus' call twelve high officials in de city which yo' live in - names, yo' mus' call dere names. An' yo' put dis dirt in dis pan an' den yo' brings dis pan back. [Then you] goes tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt outa de graveyard. An' den yo' takes dat salt an' yo' sprinkle dat salt ovah dis dirt. An' as yo take dis dirt soon in de mawnin', den de nex' mawnin' 'fo' de sun rise, yo' go all de way roun' yuh house an' sprinkle dis dirt an' say, "As ah cast dis dirt out, ah wants tuh cast [then call some of those officials' names] from dis groun' dat ah stand on." An' dey won't - yo' won' be worried wit 'em. (Will you tell me that story again - over again - you told in the beginning about standing out in a certain part of the house and calling those names. I don't quite remember that.)
[This was a part of the story told before recording began.]
All right. Here it is. Yo' go tuh de east side of de house - de east side, now - an' yo' dig dis dirt [the dirt upon which you stand]. Yo' make it up jis lak yo' wuz makin' a bread; git it good an' crumbly an' soft, yo' see, an' - but choo mus' stand. Yo' want me tuh show yo' how tuh stand?
(Yes.)
Ah'll show yuh [demonstrates]. See? Yo' mus' - aftah yo' git yuh dirt made up good, an' all, den yo' stand upon it lak dis [demonstrates]. See?
(With your shoes on?)
Wit yuh shoes on.
(I see. All right.)
Yo' stand upon it. An' see, when yo' standin' upon it, yo' supposed tuh be standin' on de high officials' heads, becuz dey comes from dust, accordin' tuh de Bible. An' den yo' reach down an' yo' take... [I interrupt].
(Well, didn't you say something about calling names or something?)
Call twelve of dese names of de high officials in dis town, or in de town yo' live. Ah wouldn't know whut dose names is.
(I see. Well, go on again with the story.)
In de town yo' live, see. Yo' call twelve high officials - rulin' powahs in dat town - an' yo' git dat dirt. An' whenevah yo' gits dat dirt from right undah de bottom - de sole of yuh feet - yo' put it in dis pan. An' den yo' takes dis pan an' yo' goes directly from dere tuh de cemetery an' yo' gits some dirt offa de daid body. An' yo' put dat in dere an' yo' mix it wit dat whut choo got from de east side of yuh house. An' aftah yo' do dat, yo' go tuh de table - tuh yuh table or wherevah yuh salt is - an' yo' git some salt an' put in it. An' yo' po [pour] dat salt in it an' den de nex' mawnin' yo' git up soon 'fo' de daylight, den go out an' yo' throw dis aroun' yuh house an' yo' say, "As ah throw dis salt" - jis' throw it out - "dat good fo' nuthin, aftah he [salt] done losed [lost] his savor, but tuh be trampled undah de feets of men." An' den yo' call some of dose twelve officials, high officials, an' yo' won't need worry.
(I see. He would go away, not make him move.)
Yes, keep from makin' yo' move or keep from any officer [keep any officer away] - anything.
(Keep the officers away?)
Yeah, away from your house.
(Trouble of any kind?)
Dat's trouble of any kind.
(I see.)
Entry 9150
What dey call tuh hoodoo de judge, dat mos' all of de bootleggahs in dis country use. Dere's a root - one of it is called de Virginia snakeroot [Aristolochia serpentaria] de othah one is called High John de Conkah, though both of dem roots is fine fo' medical purposes. But dey claim by takin' 'em an' roastin' 'em till dey powdah, pulverize 'em good, dat yo' kin place 'em in yore do'ways or ovah yore windahs an' always use de words, Judge ye not.
(Judge ye not?)
Judge ye not. If yo' in de co't at a trial, say yo' set dere an' jes' con- centrate yore min' on de judge all de time, while de case is goin' on, an' yo' repeat dem words, Judge ye not. Sprinkle a little of dat dust what's yo's [you has or you isl got from dose parched herbs aroun' wherevah yo're settin' at, an natch'ly [naturally] he can't. - no way dey kin convict yuh. He's gotta let yuh out.
(IS THAT OFTEN DONE DOWN HERE?)
DAT'S CONTIN'LY [CONTINUALLY] DONE HERE IN DIS PLACE, IT'S A DAILY PRACTICE. DERE'S SEV'RAL MEN RIGHT HEAH IN DE TOWN DAT DON'T DO A THING IN DE WORLD BUT STAY AROUN' DE POLICE COURT AN' DE CORPORATION COURTS FO' DAT PURPOSE. DAT'S ALL DEY DO. TACK A MAN DOWN AN' DEY LEARN WHAT HE'S IN DERE FO', DEY PREPARE IT AN' GIVE IT TUH 'IM. TELL 'IM WHAT TUH DO. GO IN AN' HE'LL HOODOO DE JUDGE DEN AN' GIT DISMISSED ON DOSE CHARGES.
Entry 9784
To keep the law away? Well, I want to tell you. Well, you keep the lag off - of course, you can't keep 'em away, but you can get so that he'll never catch you or nothin'. You understand. You bootleggin' he'll never catch you or nothing. You understand. Well, you take you two - that's a separate thing - and yoa take two pins.
(Too what?)
Too stick pins.
(Two stick pins.)
[The ordinary pin is frequently called "stick" to distinguish it from safety pin.] And wear it in a cross, like a cross, and wear it right up in the center of your hat, you see. Right in the center of your hat, like this here [demonstrates by pointing to inside of his hat].
(Inside.)
Yeah, inside [demonstrates again].
(Like that, inside.)
Yeah, inside your hat.
(You get these two straight pins.)
Two straight pins. You put a cross on you, see. And a course, the law'll be looking for you but he'll never get you. Only way he'll get you, he got to walk up on you. But you always kin git away from him.
Entry 12187
Hang a horseshoe ovah de back do'.
(Who does that?)
De bootleggahs.
(What do they do that for?)
Tuh bring in trade.
(Horseshoe over the back door?)
Dat bringin' in trade. [You] know de horseshoe is supposed tuh keep de law out. An' de [they] git sulphur an' sprinkle round dere do' tuh bring trade.
Entry 12393
Well, every mawnin' yo' want people tuh come into yore place. Yo' go tuh de sto' an' git chew dis same bottle of dis heah cologne - Hearts Cologne - an' a box of lye. [No- tice - new articles are purchased.] Well, in de mawnin' 'fore de sun rise, scrub yore house thoroughly - good - befo' de sunrise in de mawnin' soon - wit dat Hearts Cologne an' dat lye. Scrub yore house soon dat mawnin' 'fore de sun rise. Pur chure pee [urine] in dere too. Scrub yore house good every mawn- in' when yo' git up. After den, take yore lye [I] mean yore chamber lye, yo know, an' throw dat out on de front po'ch, right on out tuh de do'. Dat bring plenty customers. Dat fo' bootleggahs - sompin lak dat.
Entry 9329
( Git nine black hen aigs an' write de 'nitial of de big low name on de two big: Sheriff, de chief of police, if yo' in a town, write dere name. Bury one [of the 9 eggs] undah yore back do'step, bury one in front, den lay one up ovah yore do', an' den chunk de rest east. Won't no law come round, yo' kin sell likkah. Ah've toted it up an' down dese streets heah by de gallons, dey ain't no law 'rest [me] yet fo' likkah. Ah've sold likkah right in mah house, ain't no law 'rest [arrest] yet fo' no likkah. [Informant is the same as in the preceding rite.]
Entry 4295
Well, yuh wan'a keep de law away, if yuh're bottleggin'. Evah mawnin' fer nine mawnin's yuh git up, yuh go tuh de front do' - don't evah sweep yuh dirt out de front - befo' de sunrise. Sprinkle chamber lye an' - but firs', burn ole shoe sole an' take de dust of dat ole shoe an' sulphuh, an' sprinkle it all aroun' yeh house out- side. An' den do all dat when de sun go down in de evenin'. As de sun goin' down yuh burn de shoe sole [and the sulphur - see later]. Nex' mawnin' befo' de sunrise, sprinkle it aroun' yeh house [shoe-sole ashes] an' sulphur, an' den sprinkle chamber lye all de way roun'. Den as zhoo sweep yuh house, sweep de dirt all back, from de front all de way back. Take it up on yuh shovel an' befo' sundown dat evening take dat dust whut choo sweep out cheh house an' burn it up in sulphuh an' ole shoe sole. An' do dat fer 9 mawnin', don't miss a mawnin', befo' de sunrise. An' as de sun goin' down in de evenin', yuh burn yuh shoe sole. An' continue sprinkle dat chamber lye aroun' yuh house. An' de officahs, dere wouldn't be anothah step about choo, won't nevah think about chew an' yuh likker.