Subject:Scrub
Entries
Entry 4158
An' den yuh use a basin wit yuh chamber lye an' when yuh scrub, scrub wit it, an' also po' it on de front po'ch - an' Hearts Cologne.
(Put some Hearts Cologne in that, that will bring in trade?)
Yes sir.
Entry 4168
Dat stuff yuh talkin' about burnin'. Ah make a wish an' ah will scrub de steps down in chamber lye an' dat will draw trade.
(What do they burn, you say?)
Jis' incense.
Entry 4169
Take chamber lye an' scrub yuh house out, say dat'll bring yuh luck. (chamber lye and what?) An' Blue Eagle Lye. (Blue Eagle Lye, I see.)
Entry 4219
Go tuh de drug sto', if yuh want aplenty customahs. Jes' lak when yuh use yuh slopbucket at night an' have yuh urinate in dere. Git chew a dime of oil of cinnamon an' a ten-cent can of Red Devil Lye, an' yore urinate. Mix it in de bucket an' let somebody scour yuh front porch wit it, an' plenty customah come in tuh yuh - be comin' dere evah day.
Entry 4229
Take a - jis' lak some chamber lye an' put a box of potash in it an' scrub de stoop wit it, an' let it be in front of de steps, an' as long as it be dere, dat will keep de jinx away an' de policeman can't come to de do'.
Entry 4242
( Chew kin take chamber lye an' make peace an' yuh kin take chamber lye an' make evil.
(Well how do you do each one of those?)
If yuh want tuh make peace wit chamber lye an' yuh wanta make de home pleas- ant, yuh take de chamber lye an' salt an' peppah an' yuh scrub wit it an' yuh use oil of mint, if yuh want tuh make yuh home pleasant. If yuh wanta have luck in yuh home, yuh know, yuh doin' any kinda business.
Entry 4243
Burn sulphur an use de same chamber lye an' salt an' scrub wit it an' burn sulphur in yore house, an' dey'll hardly come.
(Keep the law away. What do you scrub with chamber lye?)
[Informant does not understand my question.]
chamber lye an' potash [and salt]."
Entry 6786
Yo' scrub yuh steps wherevah yo' may be, yo' know, down wit de nine buckets of hydrant watah; [I mean] eight buckets down, yo' know, an' de las' bucket throw it up. An' smoke yo'self in dragon's blood an' wash yo'self down wit linseed oil. (What will that do?) Dat'll keep 'em from harmin' yah. An' keep yuh salt throwed aroun' yah steps, wit chamber lye - yah know, yahurine. [There are many scrubbing rites in Hoodoo, most of them from New Orleans, some of them complicated. For a few of these beliefs see margin titles WATER and WATER THROWN (pp.740-743) and SCRUBBING in INDEX (vol.5). The present 9 buckets of hy- drant water - considered running water and therefore of magic power - are for rinsing what has been scrubbed. Eight buckets are dashed down; the ninth bucket is tossed up into the air, either all at one time or a particular number of times.]
(You do all these things together?)
Yo' mix dat [salt and urine] but yo' smoke yuhself in a new can by itself wit dragon's blood; or insant [incense], dat's good. [This is a protection rite against hoodoo of any kind.]
Entry 6863
Red Seal Lye, bury it undah de step, takin' witch hazel, takin' para- dise seed, takin' oil of clovah, mix wit parsley an' boil well. All dose things tuhgethah, scrubbin' de place where yo' live at from de front do' tuh de reah. Aftah scrubbin', takin' de same watah, throw one glass tuh de east an' one tuh de west, sayin' In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost. Well it [what was put down for you] don' taken no effec'. Dat'll kill off any bad spell, DEY CAIN'T HAHM YO'; NOT UNLESS YO' EAT SOMEPIN YO' SEE.
Entry 8919
If yo' wanted to go some place an' yo' wanted to - yo' just get yo' some mistletoe. Yo' boil dat mistletoe an' shrimps together.
(Shrimps?)
Mistletoe and shrimps. Yo' boil dat together an' yo' put some German Hearts Perfume with dat. (German Heart's Perfume?) German Hearts Perfume. Yo' put dat with de mistletoe an' de shrimps, yo' boil all dat together, an' yo' wash yore house good an' sprinkle dat. An' yo' could go out an' leave your door open, ain't nobody comin' in dere.
(To steal anything?)
No, sir, to steal anything.
Entry 9518
[New Orleans was the scrubbingest place of them all, special prepara- tions often being called a scrub.] She take some salt watah an' evah mawnin' befo' day - it wouldn't be quite light yo' know - she'd take dat watah an' scrub de whole place an' scrub 'er room. An' when he'd come she'd rest his hat, lak anyone would do yo' know. An' she'd have a soft damp rag wit de same solution, an' when he'd be readin' or othahwise lak dat, she'd dampen his hat, jes' take it lak dis [demonstrates] an' dampen it.
(Just dampen the hat with the rag. What is that supposed to do then?)
Keep him dere, yes. [To keep him from being taken away would have been a better answer.]
Entry 10788
Or you kin take just plain lye and boiling water and go and scrub your house and scrub yore steps and brush it in. And every morning sweep your steps down. And when you walk through your house, wherever you go, sweep the dirt in. Never sweep it out.
(What will that do?)
Bring you luck.
(What kind of luck?)
Like if she would want to take in roomers, she would want 'em to come in, if it was business, she... (Both of those things. Onions do the same thing.)
Entry 10803
You get you some cinnamon and sugar. All right. You sweep. you go to sweep, don't sweep your dirt outside, you sweep your dirt in [into] the building. And you get this cinnamon and sugar and put it in the water, amd you scrub your floor. And then when you get through scrubbing that floor, you just take - get you some oil of clover. See, you buy some oil of clover at the drug store and you put water in there [scrub bucket] and you put a bottle of beer mixed in with it. (Bottle of beer?) Bottle of beer, yes. And you takes - start at the front door and you sprinkle it all the way back into the place, and your place will be packed.
(The place will be packed?)
Yes, sir, your place will be packed with people, all through the day.
Entry 11385
Policeman comes several times and you wanta keep him away, and you doin' underworld work. You have to get you oil of cinnamon, use your chamber lye, and cayenne pepper, and scrub every morning before the sunrise. Scrub into house [for trade], never out. Then you get you two brand-new files and you put 'em to your door and cross 'em. They can't come over that.
(Well, where did you put these at the door then? How would you put them?)
What, the files?
(Yes, at the door.)
You would put them underneath the doorstep.
(Underneath the doorstep. I see, so they won't come in.)
You have to use 'em in de back door like dat [also] if there is two entrances going in. Well they can't come across those two new files.
Entry 11696
It's a simple thing, scrub yore house out every first Friday. Yo' scrub yore house out an' yo' git dat drawin' powders. Ah jis' fo'git de name of it. But anyhow, if yo' got a place of business an' dey have sawdust - not only sadust, yo' could even sprinkle it. [There are many scrubbing rites, mostly fra New Orleans and Algiers, scattered throughout HOODOO.]
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 12394
Well, now, if yo' sellin' whiskey. To bring new customers, every mawnin' yo' have yo' a box of potash [usually Red Devil Lye] an' every mawnin as long as [you need it]. Yo' take dat potash an' put it on yo' stove, take yo' a broom - don't git down on yore knees an' scrub it. Yo' take yo' a broom an' scrub yore po'ch a lil' every mawnin' wit dat potash wit yore broom. Jes' sweep it right out in de street lak dat, an' ah'll okay [0. K.] yo'll be successful. Yo'll have mo customers den yo' kin be able tuh 'tend to.
[Turned off recording machine too soon.]
(You sweep it out into the street you say?)
Yes sir, out in de street.
Entry 12396
Take about 3 cans of concentrated lye, bury one about a foot deep right in de gateway, another one between dat an' de door, an' the other under your steps. Dere's no way on earth they kin do you any harm. [Mobile 962:5.]
Entry 12883
You can go to that same drug store and you can buy some dust they call gavan dust. You take this gavan dust and you - with your overnight urine - a whole bucketful of overnight urine. An' yo' mix this gavan in the overnight urine and you stir it up. And you put that all round the ban- quette at your place. You scrub with it. And every customer that passes, and if they smell it, it attracts big attention. Catch them and they come right on into the place where you is. And if they got a nickel or dime, they is going to spend it.
(You mean van-van or...)
Gavan. They got van-van and gavan, but van-van is red and gavan is black. [My transcriber heard this word as Gagan, which may be the original.]
Entry 12884
Scrub it out good with Red Seal Lye, got the red seal [trademark] on it...an' yo' wrench [rinse] it good this day - like today - and tomorrow you go there and you use nine buckets of water. And the ninth bucket of water you put sugar and cinnamon and Burben fast luck in it, and it'll be lucky and you'll, can rent the house.
(What kind of fast luck?)
Berb - bur - I believe - Burbeans - you know that spells beans.
(Burbean's?)
Yeah, Burbean's Fast Luck.
(What is it, an oil or a powder?)
It's a oil-like. You gets that outa the drug store.
Entry 12886
To keep the laws away, stick that lye and keep scrubbing lye - chan- ber-lye [urine] - use that and scrub well with it, all around the door place, the doors and on the porch where they go backwards and forwards at. And then you - you get some oil of bergamine [bergamot].
(Oil of what?)
Oil of bergamine.
(Berg...)
Bergumine - oil of bergumine.
(What's that?)
[Here may be the first time I ever heard this troublesome word bergamine. Other hearings of the word followed. The long process by which I came up with bergamot I no longer remember. Many words gave me trouble.] That's a oil jest like oil of cinnamon. It's got a scent, only de scent is different. See. And you put that in your bath water and bathe with it.
(What do you do that for?)
What do you do that for? Well, anytime you come in contact with the law, you kin almost - always square 'em up.
(I see.)
Entry 13221
If a man leaves home an' a woman wants tuh make him come back, well - vell, ah understan' she could take de measure of his whole body an' dat she could take de measure of his- self, an' tie nine knots aroun' it. An' den at de bed where he sleep, de side dat he sleep on, tie it de whole length of de bed. An' den whatsomevah... Yo' know yo' always have a spirit dat chew pray tuh, well are him tuh back yo' up, yo' see. An' make yore wish whut chew want him tuh do. If yo' want dat man tuh come back home, make yore wish an' den scrub yore house oat wit sweeten watah. (What do you do with that length from the head to the foot? What do you do gith that length, that string?) Yo' measure it...yo' tie it de full length of de bed, yo' know, on de spring- Lak, from de haid tuh de foot.
(You don't tie nine knots in it do you?)
Yeah, nine knots.
(And you tied nine knots in the other string too?)
No, yo' tied nine knots in dat string.
(What do you do with that short string?)
Well, dat othah short string yo' wear aroun' yore waist.
Entry 13428
Kin you understand what I say, now?
(I understand now.)
To make you move out of the house, you go and get some holy water, see [and] war water and you sprinkle that. And then you go to the graveyard, get some graveyard dust, and you go and sprinkle it with black pepper and salt. And you sprinkle it all around the step and put it underneath the steps. If it got a brick there, you put it underneath that, where they can't see it. And when anyone can't see it, it's more better. When you come down the steps and walk away, you'll cross over it. See, when you cross over it, then maybe you'll start to go black [not feel well] and then you'll come back 'round and you'll start to scrubbing - get some lye. You says, somebody's been sprinkling me. All right. You'll go and get some lye and your urinate, and take it and scrub that up. Well, the next morning, I'll go back and do the same. And when you do find it, you say, "Well, I'm going to move. Somebody is sprinkling 'round here. They must be wanting the house or something." And I done move out of the place. So that's why I give it to 'em and that's why I move.
Entry 757
Old Mr. Ed., he's dead now. The children were playing hopscotch on the ground. When he started in his gate he saw these marks and jumped back and thought somebody Was going to fix him. He went around the back Way and gets over the fence and comes in the house. He made his wife go out and scrub those marks off.
Entry 2572
The best thing you can do to keep the law away from your place - you sees what they call nutmeg. You use dry nutmeg after you scrub your place good: scrub it thoroughly, clean - and walk. Take you two whole balls of nutmeg and grind them and when you walk out of your place, sprinkle that stuff yourself; sprinkle one on the right side of the door and one on the left side of your door - out with nutmeg, out the door. After that is stayed down there all day, that night scrub; scrub out your building outside, scrub it outward. Don't scrub it in, scrub it out, and you'll have no trouble with no law. But if, if ever an officer come to your place - he ever come to your place that they - when they going to make that visit, take that nutmeg that you ground and sprinkle that behind him after he go out. Sprinkle it behind him and let that just be down there 'till morning. And scrub your building, but scrub it out - don't ever sweep it in.
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 12391
Go to de sto', de groc'ry sto', an' git chew a box [2 boxes] of lye. An' yo' scrub yore house wit chure box of lye an' git chew a whole box an' put it undah de foot of yore steps, well de law'll come to yore steps but he won't come in, he'll turn roun' an' go back.
Entry 1642
[This rite and the following one are examples of the well-known scrubs of New Orleans, which offer protection against anything, even the law. More of them will be found under subsection Business and Customers.]
(You say you get up early in the morning. What time is that?)
Roun' six o'clock or five o'clock in the morning.
(Yes, and you do what?)
You get up and you take you a bucket - you understand, your wash-scrub bucket and you put you some urinate in it and put some of that incense in there. Take you some lye and pour down in there, and you come there and you scrub it - don't put no clear water at all in it. Just mix all that up together and scrub your porch, just back and forth you know, but be always scrubbin' yourself inside always. Don't never scrub yourself out. Just like you'd have to scrub, you know, just scrub this way - scrub yourself right on back in your door. Like there's a step there, you are going to scrub from your step up - bring yourself inside all the time.
(What do you do that scrubbing for?)
Well, you see, that's to keep them from putting anything - from planting anything around your home to harm you. They can't do anything.
Entry 1643
I went to a lady onest an' it was a place I couldn't stay in de house, an' she told me to get up every morning and soon an' sprinkle a box of table salt all around the house, and leave that go until it penetrated into the place, you see. An' then around twelve o'clock, get out there with a box of lye, Red Seal Lye, and broom and some chamber lye, you know, and you scrub it. And said after that then throw nine buckets of water, clean water, and that will wash it all away - that's if somebody tricked around your place.
Entry 2104
Bluestone, some blueing.
(Is that the blueing you was with?)
Yeah, blueing. Bluestone, brown sugar and scrub your floors first, and den take dat and put it in dat water and rinch your floor. Rinch your floor with it after you mop it, and sweep dat water out de door - all de time, all de time. Ev'ry morning git up and take dat blueing Water and bluestone and brown sugar and make it up and scrub your house. Get you some ensums [incense] and burn dem in dere and den de people be comin'. [Rinch = rinse.] You could be on dat corner and I could be on dis one and if you gittin' all de trade down dere and I ain't gittin' none here, I kin go down dere and stop you from gittin' anything. If de people is comin' by me gwinin' dere, I'll stop 'em from comin' by me. Dey won't never git no further den here. Dey ain't never gwine down dere cus I'm goin' stop 'em on dis end, you see, I'm goin' stop 'em. I'm goin' go out dere and cross 'em out in de road, you see. And when dey get to dat mark, dey goin' - instead of goin' on dey goin' turn and come in here, you see, all de time.
(I see. What sort of a mark did you put in the road?)
Well, I'd go out dere and draw me a mark and take me some.
(What kind of mark did you put?)
I'd just go out dere and draw just a straight line cross de road, just about dat deep, and take me some lucky powder and some lucky mojoo and put it right down in dat and put it on a little piece and put it right down in dat little trench and cover dat right back up, right where de people walk right by. Well, when he git dere he ain't gwine by, he gonna come in here and he ain't got no How come? See, the other fellah be dere and you be down dere, come to argue - how come he ain't gittin' no trade. Ah done took your trade, you see. [Lucky mojoo here is a perfume.]
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 2461
I would get me some cinnamon and I would get me some lump sugar and get me a spice. I would go and mix it all up together - see, grind the spice up. Take that and make a tea out of it, understand. Then I would take that tea and I would sprinkle my house, and then I would take me some water, see and I would take nine buckets of water and I would scrub my house. But I would take the Water and not throw it out the door but in the door toward my house. Then I would scrub that and I would take after I scrub my house, I would take and Sprinkle me some sugar, see, brown sugar made out of pure syrup, and sprinkle it at the bed. Well that for luck. That will bring you somebody - a tenant to rent your house.
Entry 2466
Git a codfish an' boil it. Git chew codfish an' sugah - codfish, cinnamon, sugah, bluein' an' van-van. Well, yo' boil yore codfish first an' yo' take yore watah an' yo' scrub wit chure watah. Yo' put all yore fixin's in dere an' scrub wit chure watah an' yo' take yore codfish an' put it up in a bag or somethin' an' hang it up in de place where nobody won't notice it so much - but back. Yo' know dis is de front do' an' hang
[it near] an' dat'll draw customers - any kinda business.
Entry 2512
I keep holy water tied on my bed - that's to keep the evil spirits away, and I sprinkle it in the four corners of my house-like when I scrub like that for luck. I scrub my house good like today and if I'm going to use lye, if I have any kind of suspicious idea of some of my enemies have crossed the sill of my door. You see? I scrub with lye today and tomorrow I will go aver my house with nine buckets of water. And I'll take that holy water, after the floor dries, and go to the four corners of the house and sprinkle some in each corner. You see? And I make the sign of the cross.
(That's supposed to prevent all evil?)
Evil. That keeps all evil spirits away.
Entry 2571
The seed of paradise. [See margin-title Paradise Seed.] Then you kin get codfish balls. That's what you get - dried codfish, that's right dried cod- fish. You put the seed of paradise and the codfish tdgether and that fast luck together, cinnamon and sugar. And yoù must get 15c of sugar, you must get 15c of codfish, and you - everything you buy you must get 15c. And you boil that. Then you take - you must scrub before six o'clock in the morning. What I mean by six, I don't mean that you go at three o'clock in the morning. I mean two or three minutes before six - and the bell be ringing, you be scrubbing there.
(I see.)
And you scrub and go out of your door. You take and you get you some whole grain rice and take and be walking there throwing, throwing it there any place like - in all four of your corners.
(How do you throw that rice?)
Just take it in your hand [demonstrates].
(Yes?)
You sprinkle it on the sidewalk and when you be coming in, you walks along - Walk backwards like this, and then you walks over in this corner and you take it and throw it over your left shoulder.
(You throw it over your left shoulder. Yes?)
And go in this corner and you throw it over this left shoulder, and throw it here over your left shoulder.
(You throw it in all four corners. I see.)
That's right. And once in a while - you know when you be cleaning up some of it going to come out, but you make sure the first morning, and the next morning put some more there.
(I see. What did you say about when you do this?)
It must be done before six o'clock in morning when some of the bells ring.
(All right. What then? When? What day?)
What day that must be done? On the first Monday in the month.
Entry 2578
Well now, the way yuh have to do. You git de cap'un [captain of the police] of the presint [precinct] name, then you'll burn his name in this same stuff - honey an' cinamint [cinnamon]. Then you'll take honey, cinamint, an you'll scrub wit dat. An' when you git through, you'll take jis' plain cinamint- water wit dat, an' you sprinkle roun' your front doah wit it. You take you some brick - red brick - beat up fine. You done put verbena-water wit dat brick - red brick - an' sprinkle it aroun' your doah wit sugar, brown sugar. The law won't come.
Entry 2664
Yo' take coffee grounds, codfish an' wintergreen oil. Any kinda stuff dat's put down in front of yore do' an' aftah yo' picks it up, yo' gits a clear bucket of watah an' yo' puts dat coffee grounds in dere an' yo' puts dat codfish an' dat wintergreen oil an' yo' scrubs with it. Jes' dem three 'gredients in de watah, an' yo' scrub with it an' when yo' git ready tuh wash de sidewalk, yo' git chew nine bucket of watah an' yo' stan' from de gutter - from de street an'yo po's it back towards de steps an' leave it run down [into the gutter]. An' den have yo' some of dat codfish watah - yo' need nine bucket of watah, an' de last nine bucket [ninth bucket] of watah, use dat codfish, coffee grounds an' winter- green oil an' yo' scrub. Any kinda hoodoo or anything lak that, dat's put down fo'yo', scrub dat up wit it.
Entry 2676
Well, you could take - you go to the grocery store. You buy you a two- pound box of sugar. You get you a five-cents can of cinnamon. Now, before you start to scrubbing in this house, you sweep this home. Don't ever sweep the dirt out; you sweep the dirt in. And after you pick up the dirt and throw it into the garbage can, then you take this cinnamon and sugar and you burn it. See, you gotta use it three ways. You must burn and you must sprinkle it on your floor [and scrub with it?], and in the next two or three days this house gotta be rented.
(You burn that sugar and the cinnamon - you burn it, don't you?)
You burn it.
(Then what do you do?)
After you burn it?
(Yes.)
Then you scrub this place. You see, you got this into a little powder or something like that, but it must be burned with white paper - not newspaper or no brown paper, or no other kind of paper.
(Well...after that's burned...what do you do with that?)
The powder, the paper that's left? You kin always throw that out, you don't have any special use [for it].
(Now, wait - just a minute.)
That cinnamon and sugar?
(Yes.)
Well, you don't have to do anything with it partic'larly - you know what I mean. You just - after you finish burning it, then you kin throw that right into the garbage can, too. And after you finish, then you turn your mop upside down right at the door, as you going out.
(Well...you haven't done any mopping yet. When you going to do the mopping?)
Well, I told you, you mop already.
(Oh, you mop first?)
Yes. You mop first. You see, you get you a - you got to mop this place - get you a bottle of ammonia, bottle of blueing, see. And then you get - you go to any drug store and you get you some Logger's Oil or Miner's Oil, or any of those oils, you understand, to scrub with. See, that's to rent the place. See, that's to rent the place.
(Well...do you scrub...before you burn the sugar or after?)
You have to scrub before you burn the sugar, you see. You see, the place is thoroughly clean. (Oh, I see. And what kind of oil? Any kind of oil. All right. Burn the sugar and cinnamon, don't you?) That's right.
(Then after you burn that, you throw it out?)
Yes, sir.
(Then you get this oil and stuff and scrub the place?)
Yes, sir.
(Then you set your mop behind the door upside down?)
That's right - mop and broom.
(And broom. And then you rent your house?)
Yes, sir.
(All right. I want to get those things in the right order.)
[I was trying to solve the problem of using sugar and cinnamon informant's three ways.] That's right.
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 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 4220
chamber lye is fo' success. Dey put it in de watah dat chew mop yuh flo's wit. Put chamber lye an' put sugah in de watah an' oil of cinnamon, an scrub yuh flo's. Start at chure front do' an' scrub on back in de house. Scrub yuh do' facin's an' all, wash 'em down. If yuh got varnish do's an' yuh cain't scrub 'em, why yuh jis' sprinkle 'em; but yuh scrub yuh flo's wit it, mop 'em yuh know lak dat.
Entry 8605
Now wit chure hair, lak if yo' an' yore ole man's tuhgethah an' if some woman is tryin' tuh bust yo' up from 'im, yo' kin take some of his hair an' put it in a lamp. An' yo' kin write this woman's name an' his name on a piece of papah an' fold it tuh yo', an' put it in dat lamp an' burn it fo' nine mawnin's. An' aftah de ninth mawnin', yo know, put de lamp out. An' den yo' 'noint chure room wit oil of [verbena probably]. Hearts Co- logne, an' scrub roun' yore flo' wit some urinate, sugah an' a li'le cinnamon. An' dat breaks dat [affair] up.
(You put his hair in this lamp?)
Yo' put his hair in de lamp an' yo' write dis woman's name who he's goin' with. Write her name crossways [this is crossing them up] an' bring his'n - yo' know write hers down first an' den bring his'n cross. An' yo' put it in a lamp an' burn off it fo' nine mawnin's. [A great many scrubbing rites are scattered through Hoodoo. That oil, instead of verbena, could be a word I eventually dis- covered was oil of Bergamot, this last word appearing in a variety of forms: bergamine, Essense instead of oil might have helped the decipherment.]
Entry 10168
Well, you can git those mounds, the blue and brown ones, and git the holy incense. Now she'll go to work and git sugar and a little alum, and start at the back of the house and scrub all the way through to the front. And be sure that you take a sufficient amount to come all the way through; and have enough to pour all the way round her steps. And then, when she do that, then she take some clear water with sugar and put some holy water in that, and wrench [rinse] it off with that light [lightly]. Then when she gets that finished, why she'll light a taper, a holy taper. Take a chance and set it jes' direct in the middle of the window; if she possibly can get it and let it burn for one hour every night. And if he is anywhere close, he will come back to her. Now, if she's havin' a little trouble an' she can't depend on that to hold him; you see, if he's been gone before - now when he comes back now, she must get some Jockey Club perfume, and leave the candies [used on a cake] in the room. Get those candies and you put them into that. She take, put about a half ounce of the Jockey Club and a half ounce of Love Boquet, and put about no more than 15 of the little candies [used on a cake] and be sure every one is a different color[!]. An' when he comes, be very careful, and she'll rub him along - rub it all down him; just love him up and rub it all over. He may want to go but every time he start out, he will turn around and go back again. [The preceding word taper sometimes means candle. The scrub water in this rite is one of the many many different "scrubs" of New Orleans given in HOODOO. The colors of the 15 candies are mixed varieties, not 15 separate colors.]
Entry 1649
Yo' could take de same thing ah tole yo' about de success an' den yo' could take three buckets of watah an' pitch out yore do' an' yo' scrub it - yo' know, right in front yore do', lak yore steps in front. Take that an' that'll keep 'em from doin' yo' any harm.
(Just three buckets of water, that is all you use?)
Jis' three buckets of watah, clear watah. Jis' keep throwin' dat out dere ever' mawnin' roun' six a'clock - see, aftah yo' say yore prayers. Yo' git three buckets, if yo' got a hydrant in yore home - yo' know whut ah mean, inside yore house, jis' pitch out de three buckets of watah an' make yore wish. See, any evil works - cus lotsa people work de evil yo' understan'.
(That will keep down the evil?)
De three buckets of watah - dat's supposed tuh be the Father, Son an' de Holy Ghost.
(Say that when you put it down?)
Yes.
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 2724
[The preceding informant gives a similar rite as follows:]
Well, just you scrubs it. You gets van-van, steel dust, cinnamon, fast luck and scrub your house from front to back. Start at the front door and then you take and pour nine buckets of water and blueing, and throw that nine buckets of Water in front of your door, and that's to draw in a crowd.
(Either for bootlegging or [men for] women?)
Anything. It the same thing.
Entry 2727
Well, yo' git chew some incense from de drug store an' a bottle of Van-van and yo' burn de incense in de house and open de front do' where it will go in de street. Well, everybody dat pass, well dey takes a notion to stop by.
(What do you do with that van-van oil?)
Yo' take that van-van oil and yo' put it in yore scrubbing water and mop yore front porch with it. After yo' git through mopping yo' chunk de water out in de street an' it cause a congregation.... That van-van - po' it in yore scrubbing water, yo' mop yo' front porch an' steps with it, when yo' git through yo' take an' chunk it out in de street. Dey might pass de street, but dey ain't coming in de house.
(That will keep the law away?)
Yeah.
Entry 2728
Go to de drug sto' an' git some van-van, oil of clover, oil of winter- green an' Heart-horne Cologne, an' mix it together an' scrub with it, and always throw yore water at de gate. [Informant means Hearts Own Cologne; not Hawthorne Cologne or Hartshorn Cologne.]
(Throw the water at the gate?)
After yo' git through scrubbing an' dat will draw de crowd. (You told me about the oil of wintergreen and Van-van. You use that to get a job, too?) Yassuh, yo' use all that.
Entry 1360
Well, you could go to the drug store. There's some sort of a root there you call John.de Conker root. You see, they got j'ints [joints] in 'em and you get three j'ints in the root, or else you could go to the woods - old people could go in the woods and git them themselves without going to the drug store. Yes, sir. You knows 'em in the woods that they's used. You can't miss 'em. And you can get them roots and boil 'em, and scrub your steps down with 'em with water and ah - for nine mornings, and sprinkle it round on your gallery. Then you could break that up [whatever the devilment was].
Entry 1441
[Red-brick powder is an ordinary red brick (soft baked) ground to a powder. Redding is sometimes used as a substitute. Both could be bought at a hoodoo drug store.] If you stay and that wouldn't work, wouldn't do no good, you take your lye water - you see, water that you urinate out. [This is usually called chamber lye.] Take that water and you pour it on your step, rinse your step down - Wash it, scrub it off with that and let it drip.
(And it what?)
Yeah, lye water - your pee water, you see. And you put it on your step and you wash it off with - rinse off your step with it and that [hoodoo] won't hurt you.
(And then sprinkle red brick around?)
Red brick all around - scrub your step with red brick.
(Oh, you scrub your step with red brick?)
Yeah, and you put your urinate water in - your water in, you see, and scrub. And that'll move it [hoodoo] away.
Entry 1459
The best thing you do, when you go out in the morning, if you got - before you leave your home, if you feel that such as that is carrying on around you, you take such an ordinary thing as - take salt, black pepper and mix that together in a bottle, and scrub your place out. Don't scrub it inward, see. Always scrub out from your place. And with that water you mix salt and black pepper and scrub every morning before the sun rise. Make that a habitual habit to scrub in the morning before the sun rise - every morning scrub out your door before the sun rise, and that will give you a natural protection against anything that's evil. Somebody's put something against you, down for you, that will give you protection against that. [Many scrubbing rites for protection are also given under subsection Business and Customers.]
Entry 1644
Take an' sprinkle that aroun' yore do' - take chamber lye an' salt an Hearts Cologne, when yo' scrub off de step. Jes' keeps de evil from takin' effect, whut de mean people put down. Dat's whut ah hear dey say.
Entry 2402
Ah've heard a lady say. She tole me tuh do it. Course ah never did experience it mahself, but she tells me like dis - to take on a Wednesday morning before twelve, never let twelve get dere befo' doing it, which ah said ah was gon'a try it mahself to see was she telling de truth. Yo' git chew a half a cup of sugah, allspice and put it into yore scrubwater.
(You get a half cup of sugar. And how much spice do you get?)
Yo' git about a tablespoonful of allspice. Yo' put it into the water that you scrub with. Yo' put chew a little piece of saltpeter with it and start at de front of your house and scrub before twelve to de back. They say that will draw any kind of luck into yore house yo' want.
Entry 2403
And if you don't do it thataway, you takes cinnamon and sugar and you sprinkle that cinnamon and sugar in the front of the door, but be sure to scrub - use nine buckets of water, one bottle of the ammonia. But when you scrub, don't scrub out your door - scrub in. You understand what I mean. Scrub it inside. Sweep your water in all the time. And after you do that, then you can sprinkle ycur cinnamon and sugar and that house'll get rented. Yes, sir.
Entry 2404
I've been around places where I've seen it done. They always dress the front of their house and the front of the house is kept - is supposed to be kept perfectly clean, scrubbed every day with lye and ammonia. And after scrubbing your house with lye and ammonia, you have a thing that you burn - a couple of the incense. And then after you burn that, that's in the house and your house is perfectly clean - you uses that in there - causes for the luck to keep the law away.
Entry 2422
(What do you do about the landlord, now?)
You wake up on a Friday morning, don't let a black woman cross your floor - cross your door-sill, the sill or your door. You get up in the morning and you get your scrubbing brush and you get you a bucket of water, don't put no soap in it at all. Put you a little blueing in it and about two tablespoonsful of sugar - white granulated sugar, something like rock Sugar you know. And put it in that water and you scrub your house, and your landlord going to come there - he can come there for six months. Well, you tell him, say, "I ain't got nothing." He say, "Well, all right, when you got some- thing, give me something." He's gone - he ain't going to put you out, you can stay right there in that house. But the nextdoor neighbor can't make you move.
Entry 2460
If you have a business place - this is your business place an' you wan'a - now, you git up in the mornin', you throw three buckets water to the sun- rise, In the Name of the Father, the Son an' the Holy Ghost. You git choo some cinnamon an' sugah an' scrub your place. Don't scrub it out, scrub your trade in; you don't want chore trade to go out, choo want it to come in. An' you have all kinds of trade.
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 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 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 2580
Take cinnamon, brown sugah, reddenin' - it's jis' lak a powder but it's red, an' yo' scrubs with that. Yo' scrub with dat powders an' dat brings yo' luck. [Three ingredients.]
Entry 2645
Tuh keep de police away yo' git de salt, keep de salt - git dis heah Bluebird Salt an' jes' sprinkle it good roun' yore do', an' keep yore flo's scrubbed wit lye. Scrub every Friday mawnin' wit concentrated lye. An' it's a silver sand dat chew use - yo' know, silver sand. Well, yo' git dat sand an' yo' sprinkle dat roun' yore do'steps. If yo' wants tuh make a place be bad or if a man is got a place tuh rent an' if yo'wanta keep him from havin' much success, yo' gits some parsley seed an' throw em out roun' de do'. Dere won't nobody hardly go dere tuh stay.
Entry 2651
They can take a little Van-van or sugar and put it in the four corners of your house and give your house a good scrubbing out with lye. Set a lump up on that side and set a lump on that side and a lump on each corner. And quite natural be the ants'll get to it. (Lump of what?) Sugar. And the sugar will make for drawing - make for them ants going and com- ing, that just ehe same way as a person. You see, them ants could go all day and they wouldn't bother the people. And that - by the end of that, you sweep that out. And just like that sugar in that house will draw that whole crowd, that crowd will come just like them ants do. As you put sugar in there, the ants going to find it and you'll find a crowd in there unknownst to you - they'll just have a crowd with them.
Entry 2652
Take de cow manure an' yo' boil it. Yo' boil dat cow manure an' yo' put chew some Jockey Club Perfume in it, Hearts Cologne [three ingredients] an' yo' start tuh scrubbin' at chure front. Start tuh scrubbing at chure front - from yore front to yore back, all in yore house. An' when yo' git through scrub- bin', yo' git chew some sugah an' yo' start back in dis corner [demonstrates].
(The right-hand back corner as you come into the house.)
Yo' sprinkle yore sugah in that corner, then yo' sprinkle it in that, an' yo' sprinkle it in this one, then yo' go an' sprinkle it ovah in that corner. (As you are going into the house, you sprinkle first at the back right-hand corner, then you sprinkle it at the left-hand back corner. Then you come in and sprinkle it at the right-hand front corner as you are coming into the house.) Yessuh, then yo' sprinkle this corner.
(Then you sprinkle the last corner.)
De last corner right to de do', see. Then yo' take yo' some sugah an' yo' jes' drop a few grains, yo' see, all aroun' ovah de flo'. Dat's tuh make 'em cam [calm] an' easy, an' dat fo' luck yo' see in gamblin'.
(That is, if you are running a house, that keeps down all disturbance.)
That keeps eve'ything cam an' easy when dey come in. Yo' see, dey gotta be, yo' know. No suh, dey won't quarrel at all.
Entry 2665
You get you some cinnamon and some sugar and Three Kings Oil [three magi: Gaspar, Melchior, Balthasar]. You put that cinnamon, sugar and that oil those three things, in the water and you start scrubbing your house from the front. You scrub before the door first and scrub your house back to the back. And after you get through scrubbing your house, then you come out on the banquette [sidewalk] and makes the same. Use only three buckets of water [three buckets is unusual - one for each king] - two for the house and one for the banquette. That's draws 'em - that's to draw in. That's if you want a roomer in your house. [For another example of Three Kings, see Nos. 2669-2670, p.729.]
Entry 2667
That kind of woman scrubs her house with oil of bergamine [bergamot], oil of cinnamon, and oil of cloves - the three combined. Three little small bottles, all three of them poured into a pail of water and sugar and scrub with that and scrub her steps going down. But she doesn't scrub them going out, she scrubs them coming in. She starts at the bottom of the steps and come up and scrub all the way back to the back of the house. That brings trade in - men.
Entry 2681
When yo' git up in the morning if you is worried with the polices or most anything like that, you'd git up early before de sun rise and scrub yo' porch wit chamber lye and dey not supposed to worry yuh.
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 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 2726
If yo' runnin' a place an' want luck fo' customers, yo'd git chew some cinnamon an' yo'd git some sugah an' git yo' some oil of verbena, an' take pars- ley - yo' know parsley whut chew season food with. Yo' put it in a bucket an' put it on de stove an' boil it well. Aftah it boil, yo' start tuh scrubbin' yo' business from de front to de back. When yo' git through scrubbin' it goin' to de back, dis same watah dat chew scrub wit, throw a glassful to each way - one tc de east, one to de west, one to de south. [Presumably, unlucky north purposely omitted.] All right. When yo' git through that, yo' take yo some cinnamon agin an' yo' take yo' three of those good incense, an' yo' let dat burn very slow. Take some sugah an' mix it up well, an' throw it right in front of de do', an' throw three buckets of watah on dat. Den de place won't be able tuh hold the people.
(What do you do with that incense?)
Burn it. Mix it wit de sugah. Have tuh sterilize de'sugah aftah yo' burn it, see. Well, throw it out an' throw three buckets of watah on it.
Entry 4000
[If dey] hoodoo yuh at yuh place, tell yuh whut yuh do. Yuh go, yuh take some black molasses or else black [dark brown crude] sugar - molasses. Yuh take some cinnamon an' yuh take dere urinate, like yuh urinate tuhnight. Yuh don't let nobody touch dat. Yuh mix all dat tuh- gethah an' yuh go an' yuh scrub it. An' yuh scrub it aroun' an' yuh put it all down. Dat's tuh keep de police - de policeman'll come an' yuh'll see de policeman will pass. It goin' tuh draw a lot of flies - yo' see, dat sweet'nin' goin' tuh draw a lot of flies. De policeman will git - he'll git mos' [most] dere an' he'll turn aroun' an' go back. He'll have a mind tuh go in - yuh see yuh got, yuh get dose policeman but on dat beat. Yuh undahstan'? Yuh git dat one on dat beat. Well, if like yuh say, he intahfere wit business. Dey wouldn't be, only it de govern- ment man. It's all de same, yuh know. Yuh jis' take dis an' yuh jis' keep 'em. All dat will jis' bring in a crowd [of customers], dat cinnamon an' dat sugah an' dat. An' take some, take a lodestone an' put it all aroun' dere an' yuh scrub wit it an' jis' take dat an' do like dat. When de policeman come, yuh'll stan' up an' yuh talk wit 'im. Let 'im walk right on it. Don't be scared. He'll talk wit yuh an' when he come in he'll look aroun'. De policeman will be doin', he'll look aroun'. Yuh take yuh some cinnamon [bark], an' yuh take dat an' yuh be chewin' it. Yuh see, as dey be comin' on in dere an' yuh let 'em look like dey goin' searchin', look fo' de likkah [liquor], all yuh be doin' jis' aroun', stirrin' aroun', chewin' yuh cinnamon. An' yuh'll take yuh - like yuh be's here an' yuh think dey are comin' an' yuh start tuh scrubbin' like yuh always scrub. Aftah while dey'll say, "Aw, come on, let's go. Dere ain't nuthin here. Dat jis' low-down done [information] we got. We didn't git de dope, de right dope." Yuh see, den dey go away. Yuh keep de policeman away. Well, dey won't come back.
Entry 7371
There has always been a saying that where a person is murdered or killed that any of the blood has been spilled, you can always tell because it will show itself afresh whenever it's cloudy weather or raining. The stain will become inevitable in the floor, if it's on a board, and it can't be prevented. You can scrub it but it will always come during stormy rainy weather. [New York City, by Ediphone, informant No.lO, from near Orangeburg, S. Car.]
Entry 12390
(What do they do in a case like that?)
Well, they usually burn sompin undah de steps or put sompin in de [the 4] corners of de house, but she kin take some lye lak dat an' scrub it out. That kills all that.
Entry 12392
If yo' wanta bring luck into a home, ah heard of someone goin' tuh Work an' buyin' sompin yo' call Red Devil lye. Ah guess yo've seen that. An' yo' go tuh work an' buy Red Devil lye an' this Heart Cologne. This Heart Cologne is a [perfume]. An' yo' go tuh work an' yo' scrub yore home, yo' know, befo' sunrise in de mawnin', yo' see, an' dey say that will bring luck in. Ah nevah have tried it. Ah heard about dat, yo' see.
Entry 12395
One thing dat ah hear, dat's dis heah Red Seal Iye. Scrub yore place every mawnin' befo' de sunrise with this Red Seal Iye. Scrub it out every mawn in' wit dat Red Seal Lye fo' 9 mawnin's an' dat'll draw de customers.
Entry 12397
Burn incense, scrub out house from back to front with Red Devil Lye, red pepper, 9 spoonfuls of sugar, and throw used water eastward - to rising sun.
[This is for protection in business and also customers.] [Newport News 500:7.]
Entry 12402
If anything is put down, scrub with concentrated lye to kill it.
[Mobile 968:10.]
Entry 12403
To do that choo know they have to have some kind of powder, have a magic powder see. And when they scrub the doorsills every man who pass by till [it will] take notice. It brings men, see, but they have to have a sign, like some woman sent to the window or somepin of that sort, an' they pass by you wink or smile.
Entry 12400
Scrub in and out of house with Red Devil lye, punch hole in the can, bury under steps, no one can put anything down to harm you.
Entry 12882
Scrub your home with sugar, cinnamon and wintergreen and you mop that out. Don't put no soap or no powder, just mop the place in. Always start at de sill of the door, mop it in. Then after that, take you some cinnamon and steel dust and sprin- kle all around into the home, just sprinkle it into the place - the four corners of the house. And that draws openers for you for business.
Entry 4218
Well, yuh kin git dis chamber lye an' oil of cinnamon an' lye an' scrub yuh house each an' evah mawnin' an' dat brings luck tuh yuh house jis' as yo's - whut yuh'all desire.
Entry 4221
Mostly dey uses dere in houses in dere watah [urine], whut are used fo' men. Whut ah mean, sech as de wash watah. Wash watah are used an' only one oil is supposed tuh be used intuh it. See, dat's de oil of pennyroyal, an' flo' is supposed tuh be scrubbed wit it. De balance of de watah is tuh be po'ed in front of de do'. Dat is tuh continue of mens goin' - comin' backward an' fo'- wards.
(That is to keep the men coming.)
Jes' keep 'em comin' backwards an' fo'wards, mens, see de room whut dis watah is come out of. Dis washin' an' de urine watah is all used tuhgethah tuh scrub de house wit, yuh know.
Entry 13370
Well, it's lak if yo' wanta have luck in business, yo' wanta have luck in business, yo' git chew some consecrated [concentrated] lye an' yo' save yo' own chamber lye. If yo have roomahs in de house let dem save deres. See, jes' lak, yo' tell 'em fo' in- stance whut chew want, yo' know. Yo' want tuh use it fo' somepin or somepin lak dat. Git chure friends, if yo' ain't runnin' a roomin' house, or eithah fo' yo'- self. Yo' use yore chamber lye an' git chew some consecrated [concentrated] lye an' git chew some sugah an' put it in dere an' boil it. See. An' aftah it boils - yo' gotta boil it outdo's, yo' cain't boil it in de house - an' scrub yore house all de way through wit it an' yo'll have roomahs.
Entry 13375
Use chamber lye fo' luck, chamber lye an' lye. Scrub yore house all with that an' throw it on yore front po'ch an' on yore yard, on de concrek in de front of yore yard, where peoples have tuh walk across. [Memphis 2695:8.]