Browse:"CHANNEL DE WORLD" (Volume 5, entries 10604–13458)/Part 33
"CHANNEL DE WORLD"
Volume 5, entries 10604–13458. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
1 listed entry is unavailable here.
Entries
Entry 13165
A woman nails a man's left sock under the door saddle with 9 nails to keep him home. [New Orleans llol:?]
Entry 13166
Pin both socks together, toe to toe, put at door [usually inside house] cover up [with carpet], let toes point into house, they will always come back. [Washington, D. C., 806:2.]
Entry 13167
Put right-foot sock under rug, up to door, foot walking in, man com- ing back. [Memphis 1556:6.]
Entry 13168
[Here is an unusual folding or rolling rite:] Roll dirty sock back to you 3 different ways, turning the pile after each roll, bury under steps: "you can't go off and stay no length of time 'fore you comin' back to dat same place." [Mobile 952:1.]
Entry 13169
A woman rolls up a pair of man's socks and buries them under her doorstep to keep him away. [This rite comes from an excellent hoodoo woman. As I have said elsewhere, it took me a long time to understand how socks could be buried to hold a man or to send him away. Intention of course is the power be- hind the purpose and wish.]
Entry 13170
Take your [his] stockin's an' turn 'em wrong side outwards, don't Wash 'em, git 'em dirty, an' fold 'em de toe to yo', right on to you till yo' roll it up. Bury 'em under your doorstep. It'll bring you [him] back. [Wil- mington 79:2+85.]
The instruction involves stockings and burial beneath a doorstep. The predicted return is a claim, and the bracketed pronoun changes remain visible.
Entry 13171
If you want your husband to stay at home, you get a pair of his dirty socks, take it [the right] by the toe an' fold it up, fold it to you, and bury under your step. [Wilmington 116:8+85.]
The source mentions a pair; the later bracketed specification remains separate editorial context.
Entry 13172
Cut bottom out of man's dirty sock, starting from the toe and [roll or fold] coming to you, put in cloth band and wear about waist to hold man.
[Memphis 1551:7.]
Entry 13173
Take his socks...fold it [l or 2?] and lay it over the door...that will bring him home. [Vicksburg 1057:6.]
The source associates placing folded socks over a door with bringing him home; its ellipses and [l or 2?] uncertainty remain unresolved.
Entry 13174
Dirty left sock and dirty left stocking, sprinkle red pepper over, put names of each in, roll tight, bury together: "makes 'em get that much closer to you." [Mobile 876:5.]
Entry 13175
Woman cuts toes from man's socks and wears one in each armpit to control him. [Memphis 1558:1.]
The printed statement describes cutting the toe portions of socks and wearing them in the armpits for control; no performed action or successful result is established.
Entry 13176
Man takes both stockings of woman, must be dirty, put on them 3 ingredients: salt, sugar and his urine. Keeps these [surely pieces of them] in his pocket. She won't have other man. [Memphis 1545:12.]
The account says the stockings 'must be dirty.' The editor's [surely pieces of them] is conjectural; the claimed control remains unverified.
Entry 13177
A woman cuts a piece out of the man's left sock and wears that piece: "'that will drive you [a man] to them [a woman]. [New Orleans 1180:3.]
Entry 13178
Woman can take their [man's] socks and wear 'em round their waist an' you [man] can't fool with no woman; you [he] won't have no nature for no woman. [Vicksburg 1107:8.]
Entry 13179
You take their stocking an' [or] either you take an' get some of that woman's hair an' her stocking an' wear it around de waist...they kin hold 'em like dey wants to. Vicksburg 1001:9.]
Entry 13180
He done left home and she want him back, she'll get [one of his socks] an' wear it around her waist. Get her a cotton thread string an' tie 9 knots in it, put dat around her waist. Write his name an' wear dat in her shoe. An' dat draws him. [Vicksburg 996:8.]
Entry 13181
His left sock an' tie it up, the woman can, an' put 9 knots in it an' wear it around her waist. That's a good way of tyin' him up. [Mobile 977:7.]
Entry 13182
A dirty sock, don't wash it, wears it around her waist and he does jes' what you [woman] want him to do. [Norfolk 492:12.]
The source presents this as a short statement. Its opening notes attribute unbracketed text to informants; verbatim wording is not established.
Entry 13183
Take de sock from de left foot, de man's sock dat he left behind find dat an' put dat on her right foot, an' den put it in her shoe an' wear dat [wears his left sock on her right foot] an' dat will have a sensation to draw him back. [Vicksburg 1018:1.]
Entry 13184
She kin git a hold of your sock an' turn your sock [inside out] an' git de dust from under your feet. She conceals it in a bottle an' wears it.
[Purpose not given but evident.] [Richmond 308:3.]
Entry 13185
Could take one of your socks and bury it, say that will run you part crazy. [Norfolk 447:11.]
Entry 13186
Sock buried draws person. [Mobile 967:5.]
The abbreviated statement links a buried sock with drawing a person; it supplies no fuller procedure or verified outcome.
Entry 13187
Husband's left sock under door, he won't leave. [Wilmington 236:6 +85.]
The source presents this as a short statement. Its opening notes attribute unbracketed text to informants; verbatim wording is not established.
Entry 13188
Take your dirty sock and bury it underneath de step, that will make you stay home. [Charleston 623:5.]
Entry 13189
She keeps husband's dirty socks under door to keep him home. [Wil- mington, 72:7+85.]
The source presents this as a short statement. Its opening notes attribute unbracketed text to informants; verbatim wording is not established.
Entry 13190
A woman buries man's right sock under the doorstep to keep him home or to hold him. [Memphis 1568:13.]
The statement describes burying a man's right sock under a doorstep to keep him home or hold him; these are stated aims without a demonstrated result.
Entry 13191
Piece of toe or heel of woman's stocking buried under front step, she won't leave home. [Vicksburg 1037:1.]
The source presents this as a short statement. Its opening notes attribute unbracketed text to informants; verbatim wording is not established.
Entry 13192
Well, shore, dey kin take your socks and put - bury yore socks under- neath the door of the house, or right where you live at, and every time you walk over that, that will keep you be aching - nervous all de time. [Charleston 653:10.]
Entry 13193
Git dat man's sock dat he worn an' put it in de stove an' dry it up. Take dat dust an' put it under de step - have dat w'ere he will walk over it... he won't pay attention to no one else. [Jacksonville 786:1.]
A printed ellipsis follows the walk-over instruction; omitted wording is not supplied.
Entry 13194
They take your socks, or anything that dey wear close to you, as to perspiration, an' bur' that into a damp place, an' that will ca zhoo [cause you] to go into bad health. It will take the use from your limb. [Richmond 295:3.]
In this belief narration, socks or other clothing associated with perspiration are said to cause illness; that result remains a source claim, with the bracketed gloss retained.
Entry 13195
Woman with cruel husband, doesn't want her to go anywhere. She puts a teacup of sugar in his right sock, buries where he walks over, an' you's free to go anywhere you want and he'll be pleasant for you to go. [Mobile 969:4.]
Entry 13196
Take man's right foot sock, put sugar in, stop up in bottle or jar, bury under house, he can't leave. [Memphis 1560:11.]
Entry 13197
She kin git a little salt an' pepper, mix dat together an' put it in the [his left] sock and bury it under her floor mat, right in front of de door where he got to come in and out, and he'll be 'umble unto her. [Left foot was mentioned only after I asked left or right.] [Wilmington 172:3+85.]
Entry 13198
Bury man's left dirty sock in walk, throw urine and salt on; 'he'll leave home and he won't come back any more." [Mobile 961:3.]
Entry 13199
Take yo' socks if yo' are away an' make yo' stay home: that's by putting a silver dime in it, an' put 3 knots, an' call your name, and bury it at de foot of your steps; jes' like you cut off a dog's tail if you want him to stay home and mind de house. [Left foot after questioning.] [Charleston 615:2.]
Entry 13200
Take your socks, the left foot...tie 9 knots in dem an' dey'll bring you from anyw'ure you was...bury it. [Charleston 602:6.]
Entry 13201
Get [she will] some of your [man's] socks...bury it...and walk over it...for 9 mornings and make a wish [to bring the man to you or back] an' den she'll wear it next to her, an' after dem 9 days you goin' in dere. [Norfolk 476:4.]
Entry 13202
[Women] cut de right-footed toes off [a man's sock], tie it up tight an' sew it up tight into a bag, an' bury it to de foot of yo' [a woman's door- step] an' yo'[a man] can't stay away from her. [To tie, to sew, and to bury makes this a tripled powered rite!] [Charleston 627:8.]
Entry 13203
Bury one [sock] undah de front doah an' bury a sock undah de back doah...soz [so that] you'll stay home. [Little Rock 1459:15.]
Entry 13204
They could do sompin with a dirty sock, turn it wrongside out and put it under the steps, make him stay home. [Vicksburg 987:13.]
Entry 13205
Man turns woman's stocking inside out, buries under his step, and she will come to his house anytime he wants her. [Here is a double-barrel rite, reversing and burial.] [Washington, D. C. 823:7.]
The account describes a stocking turned inside out and buried beneath a step. The later visit is a claimed result; the bracketed explanation of the combined rite is editorial context.
Entry 13206
Nail right sock on new shingle and bury at your front door: "he can't leave there to save his life." [Mobile 878:12.]
Entry 13207
A woman takes a man's left sock, dips it into urine, add potash, soda, etc., and sets [buries] it on east side of house. This runs the man away. [Jacksonville 751:7.]
The bracketed buries is an editorial gloss on sets; the two words are not silently equated.
Entry 13208
She takes his right sock, puts into it some of his right footprint, sews sock up and buries where he will walk over it: "will keep 'em coming where you are." [Mobile 896:1.]
The burial action is stated outside the quotation; the quoted prediction remains separate context with unresolved attribution.
Entry 13209
A woman puts needles in man's sock and puts it under the doorstep so that toe points towards house - brings him back or keeps him home. [Memphis 1570:10.]
Entry 13210
Bury de socks and de shoes...to keep you at a certain place. [Jack- sonville 691:12.]
Entry 13211
Sprinkle soda at door and sprinkle hot water over it so that it will sink down into the ground. [This is done for protection against harm of any kind. Today [1977] baking soda is put into refrigerators to absorb odors, these latter originally being caused by the devil and his imps said popular be- lief. In my time Red Seal Lye, a can or package bearing a red seal, has taken over the task of keeping evil away. The original of the belief is under SALT - SODA - SULPHUR list.
Entry 13212
Solomon's Wise Stone whut chew find in de othah cities. [You take this] stone an' read de 121 Psalm an' say a prayer of earnest. Yo' ain't earnest fo' some things, an' yo' will obtain de job.
(What do you do with this stone?)
Wear it in yore purse. Solomon's Wise Stone.
(Where do you get that? Order it from some place?)
Yo' order it from dis company heah in Memphis, yo' order it from Chicago.
(What is the name of that company in Memphis?)
[Evidently no answer.]
Entry 13213
When they [children] have it [a spasm] take ever'thin' off [the child] an' take those thin's an' throw 'em right in the stove an' burn 'em up an' they won't have no more [spasms]. Make you a wish [surely not for anything you want but for the recovery of the child].
Entry 13214
Get live spider, close up until he died, make dust [of him], put in food or drink, live spiders in you. [This is magic of death by starvation, one of the torture riees, such as multilating an animal by cutting off a part, boil- ing animal alive (black cat lucky bone), etc.] [Memphis 1552:8.]
The abbreviated account names food or drink as alternatives. Its claimed bodily effect remains unverified; the bracketed comparison is separate editorial commentary.
Entry 13215
To keep law away, get spider or web, put in box of black pepper [probably a new box], set anywhere in your place [of business]. If you can't get spider, use the web. [The magic here: spider on the watch-out, the veb entangles.] [Memphis 1552:7.]
Entry 13216
Get cobwebs, wrap around nail, push it [nail] into meat to be cooked, let stay in 4 or 5 hours, take it out and cook meat. Do this 5 or 6 times, if you want to get rid of somebody. They get so they won't like you; if they stay, it'll kill 'em.
Entry 13217
Put it [spider] in anybody's supper to eat. If yo' look like yo' cookin' dumplin's, yo' kin take a spider an' put it in dis dumplin' - in any- thing like dat. Well, dat'll make him sick an' he liable tuh kill hinself. [This is an expression somewhere in HOODOO: I'm gon'a put a spider in your dumplin', meaning here, I am going to put a spider in your head, drive you crazy.] [Brunswick 2006:1.]
Entry 13218
Dat's done dis Way. Say, fo' ninstan' now, dat a spirit is worryin yo', maybe yo' done perhaps kill somebody maybe yeahs ago, an' dey spirit keep worryin' yo'. Yo' go to a small stream where it's a bridge an' yo' git a lighter [fat-lighter stick] an' peg, an' drive it down at chure left toe, den yo' walk backwards cross dat stream an' drive an- othah peg down at chure right toe, an' yo' tie dat spirit betwixt dere - cross de water an' dey won' follow yo' no mo'. (What do you mean you tie it across the water?) Well, yo' see, when yo' drive de peg down, an' yo' call de person's name three times, den yo' know he's wit chew, dat de spirit is. Den when yo walk backwards, cross de bridge, he still following yo' in front, but when yo' stoop down an' drive anothah peg at chure toe, yo've got him. In othah words, dat's whut chew might call dat chew bury de spirits. [As I say in margin title, our doctor here is a law unto himself, since a spirit cannot cross running water; but here doctor pegs sprit across running water so that his client can return to his own side of the stream. Nice Work!]
Entry 13219
To ketch a spirit - I know a fellow who done it. You take and you gets you books [a writing tablet], gets you a pen and ink. (You get what? Pen and ink?) Yes, sir, pen and ink, writ- ing tablet and get you a bottle. Get you one of these small center tables, get you a chair, and put them in an empty room, but let that room be dark. And put these things in there. Put you a light on the table but don't light the light. Put you a lamp - you know what I mean, put your lamp on the table but don't light it. If it's a good spirit, he'll come in there and he'll write everything that's been done to you. He'll write everything that'll be done to you, he'll write that down in that book [tablet]. Next morn- ing you get up and you'll find that in that book [tablet]. You can read it for yourself. That's what a good spirit will do. But that evil spirit, he'll turn everything over in that room, and liable to come in your room and run you out of there, if there is a evil spirit there. [Rites similar to present one I have collected under DIAGNOSIS, pp.165-217, v.l. Similar ones are scattered through- out HOODOO. In the present rite I do not ask purpose of empty bottle. Could it be a lingering vestige from an earlier day, holder for a candle? I doubt it. That stopperless bottle is to entice my spirit passing by. For catching these spirits with curiosities, see TO CATCH A SPIRIT, Nos.38-47, v.1, and frequently in HOODOO.]
Entry 13220
You take a little - if you have a certain powder, ah don't [know] what powder it is that this company has - but anyhow if you use [you can use] plain snuff. You know snuff that the people use, Jes' take that in your hand and put a little bit on that way, if you feel a enemy is near. You kin put a little bit on the stove and Watch it and you git all excited, see, an' you jes' blow a little bit out there and con- trol people that way. (In other words if you put this powder on the stove, then I couldn't hurt you - if you burn that snuff and [or] powder.) No, you couldn't do anything to me. See, that would upset you, you would git nervous. Then, if you wanta draw people to you, jes' put a little on yore hand, blow your breath out there and say something, you see. But you have to always say somepin 'cause thoughts are [powerful?], whatever you say. For instance, now if you wanted me to do anything, you say. Ah wouldn't dc anything 'cause ah wouldn't know but chew gotta ask me to do such-and-such a thing. And thats it. Whatever you do, you gotta always talk to the spirits and ask 'em to do it. Whenever you want the powder to do anything, you say, "Powder, I want Hattie so-and-so or Mary so-and-so to do so-and-so, In the Name of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." But it be's for God and everything, but not by darkness. God's our pal.
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 13222
A true sign that someone is going to die in their family soon, either [that of] the bride or bridegroom: This is at a wedding. They're leaving home to get the train, going away on a honey- moon. And the horses prance and keep prancing forwards then back. I knew it to happen in my home. A young man home from New York, he married a girl at my home near Elizabeth City [N. C.], and when they were leaving the church, when the mother came on out, she was the last, something sound like a tray of glasses smashed down in the church. She looked back and didn't see anything, and came on out and said, "My, my, what a terrible crash. My, I didn't know there were any glasses in the church." She said to one of her servants, "Sarah, what's that mean?" Sarah said, "That's the sign of death, Miss Jane." And she said, "Now you watch it. Someone is going out of the family soon." It proved to be true. So when they drove off, they had a hard time to get the horses to go. They kept tramping and backing to and fro, to and fro. They just kept that going for about ten or fifteen minutes. When they did go they went all in a rush. In three weeks time this young woman was called to come back home and visit her mother. Her mother was sick for one month and then passed away. She stayed a week and went on back home. In no time there was a telegram the daugh- ter was gone. She only lived to be a married woman about one year. That was about forty years ago [1896] in a family I knew well. [This belief of course is not hoodoo but it happens to be spirit lore upon which hoodoo is built.] [Informant No.6 in New York City by Ediphone, she coming from near Elizabeth City, N. Car.]
Entry 13223
You burn sulphur and nail horseshoe over door to keep ghost [and spirits] away. [St. Petersburg 1635:2.]
Entry 13224
Ah've heard of 'em taking sugar an' de spit from dere mouth, jes' lak de spit from mah mouth, an' take sugah an' mix it into a biscuit with buttah, an' put it undah yore arm an' wear it undah dere. At meal- time an' give it to a man, an' dat man will always love yo'. He'll give yo' 中 every penny he kin make, but chew gotta keep it up.
Entry 13225
Lak ah wus yore cook an' ah wanted tuh gain influence wit chew some way, ah would fix yore coffee or yore tea, or yore ice cream an' spit in it. Yo' gotta do dat nine times. Yo' go ahead, yo' done drink it. Yo' don't know whut ah'm doin' an' when yo' do, dat'll give me de influence of yo'.
Entry 13226
I heard a woman say...ever' time she go by a lady's yard, say she jis' spit right in de path ever' mawnin'. Said she know she'd leave dere. Not jis' walk by [back] an' forth by her place, but ever' time she had business by dere.
[Richmond 318:14.]
Entry 13227
Spit into cut 3 times for 9 mornings before pouring in coffee, he won't leave. [Memphis 1515:6.]
Entry 13228
If yo' wanta keep yore wife wit yo' always - jes' lak if yo' got a wife yo' know an' yo' can't keep her home an' she love tuh go all de time. Jes' take a brass spoon an' dip it into yore sugah dish an' sweeten her coffee. Yo' put it in dere yo'self an' let her take it herself an' stir it. An' yo' evah will have a wife tuh stay at home. Let it stay in dere a few minutes 'fore yo' call her. Yo' understan' me, an' yo'll evah have a wife tuh stay at home - wit dat brass spoon.
Entry 13229
A man kin go tuh work jes' like yo' workin' fo' a man. He kin go tuh dat man house where yo' handle roun' an' drive a spear down fo' yo' sharp - sharpen at both ends an' drive it down, it's not - it's sorta flat yo' see. See, den yo' sit dere an' dig a hole round it enough tuh take his knife an' whittle it up sharp. Den cover it ovah where yo' can't find nuthin. An' yo' ain't goin' stay dere, yo've gotta go. Yo'll be on pins all de time. Dat's whut chew call settin' 'em on pins.
(You put this piece of wood down in the ground around his house?)
Yes sir, sharpen it tuh de end an' sharpen it tuh de top but chew drive it down befo' yo' sharpen it. Den yo' take yore knife an' sharpen de top part. Den cover it up.
Entry 13230
Take a stave an' nail it down dere, jes' nail it down an' make a wish. Wish nobody could nevah live dere again, an' nobody can't live dere again, an' nobody can't live dere in peace. If dey move in dat house dey'll move out, dey jes' can't live in dere.
(Where do you put that stave?)
Jes' kinda in de middle of de lot-like. [Here is the center of a square or parallelogram, a quincunx rite.] If de lot got a garden or anything yo' know, jes' stomp it down, an' say, "Ah wish dat nobody would nevah live an' have suc- cess heah any mo'."
Entry 13231
You can get that party to leave you and there is no one will touch you. Like if you go to the druggist and ask for some stay away powder. It's a powder they sell down there and they call it stay away powder, like if you don't even want any visitors at your home, you sprinkle a little bit of it around your window and around your door. Take a little bit of it in your hand and blow it on your doorknob, jes' blow on your doorknob and, if any one know you and want to see you, they won't come there.
Entry 13232
All right, ah'm gonna tell yo'. Yo' take de sock, de dirty sock. Yo' take de seven steak. Yo' git a little seven steak wit a number seven on it. [A seven steak or 7 steak is a T-bone steak, its bone shaped something like a 7!]
[It took me some time to identify the steak!]
(Where do you get that?)
[I must have thought this was a stake with No.7 on it, something from a hoo- doo shop!] At de market. Yo' git de raw meat. Git a box of salt an' a box of Epsom salts, red peppah. Git a spool of black thread. [Don't forget] cookin' salt, cayenne peppah. [Informant does not complete this holding two-persons-together rite. These articles are put in man's soiled sock and tied with a piece of the new black thread. We now come to the separating-two-persons rite.1 Yo' wanta break this person's footsteps [that is, separate two persons but using their footsteps] or break 'em up with that person an' - yo' write their names nine times across [you write his name down 9 times and then cross them with her names 9 times] an' yo' put it. An' then you'll bury it in yore yard, yo' see.
(That heals them up.)
Entry 13233
They take a shoe - the bottom [insole] out of your shoe - and they can put some steel dust in there, you see. Steel dust! And you walk on it, you see. Well, that steel dust in there, you see, that's to swell your foot up. You see. (You put this in the bottom of the shoe, you say?) Right in the bottom of the sole of your shoe, you see, and you walks on it, you understand, when you get that.
(If they put that steel dust in your shoe, then you would see that?)
No, some of 'em could put it - you see that piece what goes in the bottom of the shoe, that leather rag, they puts it under the leather [insole]. See.
(I see.)
Entry 13234
Well, of course, if they got you in jail, of course, you done have somebody [usually a hoodoo doctor] on the outside to handle that for you. Now, you get you some sugar and you get you some cinnamon, you get some steel dust and lode- stone. You beat that all in a powder, you see. Now, when you beat that in a powder - now they got you before the judge, you have somebody come in the door, and when they [pris- oner] come in the door, in the judge's door - while he be coming in, he [your doctor] be dropping it and he be counting nine times, long as it take you - until you get clean up to the stand. See. Just drop a little of it on the floor the ninth time. I bet you walk out of that place.
(But somebody else has got to do that for you?)
Yeah, somebody got to do that for you, you see, because they already got you in there.
(I see.)
Entry 13235
Well, now, yo'll go an' get a good gol' ring, you know a nice quality of ring an' jes' rub that eye down like that [demonstrates] 9 mornings, 9 times, an' the tenth mornin' it'll be gone. Each mornin' 9 times, jes' like that [demonstrates]. An' make a wish, say, "Sty, go away."
Entry 13236
That is only used in a drink. Now if you know a person is an ex- cessive drunkard, you know that you can always give them in something to drink- mostly using wine, or where eggnogs or cocktails are concerned. You get a little bag, a little new bag - linen or domestic white cloth, cotton. You put three tablespoons of sugar in this little bag and sew it up. You have seen a sachet bag. You make a sachet bag out of that and wear it under the arms, where you know nearly everyone will perspire under de arms. (Which arm do you wear it under?) Under the left. You wear that for nine days and then you take this and add it to the per- son - well, even if they drink coffee, you mix that in the coffee. But be sure that chew don't drink it, you see. [In hoodoo is is always dangerous to sample any of your own work!] But you'll put that in the sugar dish after you wear it, but if not, if they drink, you put it in their drink. That is the way that is done. [Despite this reference this rite continues as follows: Mobile, Ala.,
(650), 866:3.]
[The preceding account comes from a Mrs. Brady, a woman with great experience in the world I wanted to meet, she having sold curios, given advice to women in trouble, told fortunes, made hands, etc. In fact she became one of my helpers. Unfortunately my first day recordings were so bad I had everyone back for another session. Here is what she said the secone time - substantially the same, but of greater interest.] Git chew a piece of new domestic, any kind of new white cloth, and you make these little bags [as I said, she made hands]. You've seen little sachet bags. Put about three tablespoons of sugar in each one and sew it up, and then you pin it under the pits of the arms.
(Both arms?)
Sure.
(One under each arm.)
There are other people wear 'em other places but it's not so nice. They do that. But ah tell you it really does have a strange effect on people. Ah've seen things carried out like that - it really does. And then after they have worn that nine days, then it will absolutely do the work.
(Then what do they do with that?)
You put it in the coffee or in wine, anything that you have to use anything sweet in.
(And what will that do - hold them?)
It will hold them, influence them towards you.
Entry 13237
Wimmin use dat to trick men with.
(With sugar? How do they do that?)
Jes' place a piece of papah on de floor and dey go to de store an' buy a pound of sugar. They'll take that and they'll pull off de bloomer, you lmog, an' jes' rub that sugar in de middle of it, an' put it right back in de [sugar] dish on de table, an' anybody eat dat will love 'em an' become dey friend. But perhaps dere be around a crowd of people and de one man yo' wanta ketch, dey might be fulla superstitions [be suspicious]. Well, you fix dat, anywhere yo' got dat, fer dat same man an' yo' choose de one yo' want. He sweeten with dat sugar, yo' know.
Entry 13238
In the morning when you get up to go to your landlord, the fellah that owns the property [you rent], you take and put sugar and [in] a brown piece of paper, wrapping paper. And fold it to you 9 times and put it in the bottom of your right shoe. And any favor that you'd ask him to do for you, he would do it. He can't turn you down whether he's out [of] money or not.
Entry 13239
You go to a job, you have never been dere an' yo' look, yo' don't know de man when yo' walk in dere. Yo' have a little sugah in your pocket. Let it be brown sugah [if you are a black man]. An' ast 'em, if somebody [standing about], whoevah recommend to you [tell you], who is he [the boss] - de one dis [dat] de boss. An' sprinkle dat sugah [on the ground near the boss], say, De Name of de Father, de Son an' Holy Ghost, I guar'tee you git job.
Entry 13240
Take a little bit of sugar and a little bit of coffee and tie it up in your handkerchief - or bread, either one, it's very good. It's luck, if you put it inside of your handkerchief and carry it around on you. It's very good.
(That's for good luck?)
Sugar is drawing you know - they all is drawing you see, because the spirits 11kes those things.
Entry 13241
Sugar and cinnamon and mix it up well together and put it in your pocket. Jes' like I'd come in here and I'd wanta see you, I'd come in and I'd have my hand in my pocket, and as I'd enter the door, I'd jes get a little in my hand and sprinkle it about. And I ask you for a job. Well, you'd be more than apt to give it to me.
Entry 13242
Ah said, if yo' an' yore husban' or yo' an' yore girl fren' is in a argument or sompin lak dat, an' yo' don' ca' tuh argue, git chew about fo' tea- spoonfulla sulphur an' a teaspoonful of sugar an' put it in a rag. See, mix it up good an' sprinkle a little bit ovah de flo' an' de arguments gone - it won't be no mo' arguments. [Sulphur kills evil, sugar is fo' peace.]
Entry 13243
Well, whut she do to make him stay, she take a teaspoonful of wood ashes an' a teaspoonful of spice, an' a teaspoonful of sugar, an' put it in de bed whbre he sleeps at. If he sleep on it he'll stay there.
Entry 13244
Get a pound of white granulated sugar and just take it and sprinkle it all out to the front, and just sprinkle it all around inside, and that will sveeten [his] disposition when he walks in. [New Orleans 1130:4.]