Browse:DIG DOWN INTO GRAVE HOW FAR (Volume 4, entries 7666–7676)
DIG DOWN INTO GRAVE HOW FAR
Volume 4, entries 7666–7676. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → GRAVEYARD DIRT MUST BE BOUGHT FROM SPIRIT. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 7666
If yo' want a person, tuh drive 'em away, yo' take de graveyard dirt. Take an' go tuh de centah of de graveyard an' git de graveyard dirt. If yo' wan'a person tuh drive 'em away, yo' name dem in de han's of God. Crawl halfway de dis- tance up undah de house. Bring de dirt tuh de front of de house an' cast it onto de front of de house. An' whatevah way dat chew go, yo' carry it right 'long wit chew an' name it as yo' go. An' de person will go de same distance. Dey will go, dey cain't stay.
(You carry that dirt and you scatter it as you go.)
Scattah it as yo' walk. Sow it jes' lak a person would sow oats.
(You crawl under the house first?)
Go undah de side of de house an' don't look back; jes' keep right on plowin' [crawling under housel, don' look back not atall.
(You crawl under the side of the house to the center?)
To de centah.
(And from the center where do you crawl?)
To de front, right on out tuh de front; right on out tuh de front, an' jes' keep right on. But don' look back.
Entry 7667
Dey said dey would take - jes' lak yo' kin go tuh de cemetery an' dey'd git dere a certain hour in de night, twelve a'clock in de night, an' git some dirt from a dead person grave. Dey moves de top of dat an' dig a hole about fo' inches deep, an' git some dirt den from dat, if dey wanted tuh make yo' sick or sompin. An' dey come tuh yore home an' be settin' down an' talkin' wit chew an' look undah yore desk or somewhere an' a pair of shoes or sompin othah dere. Dey jes' sprin- kle a li'le of dat dust, de dust of dat grave in yore shoe, an' it would cuz yore feet tuh become sore an' boily - break out in big sores.
Entry 7668
Yo' kin go tuh de graveyard at twelve a'clock in de night; not let it be ovah twelve a'clock an' yo' reach yore han' down in de grave - say it's no harm - jes' about six inches down an' git chew a han'fulla dirt an' hold it in yore hand, not slide it out, an' hold it in yore hand-an' walk on back, an' de girl dat yo' want, if yo' want 'er tuh love yo', yo' throw it up on 'er windah, eithah way up on 'er shade or windah, or anything, so it be's 'er room. An' if yo' do wan' tuh do her some damage, don' throw it up on de house. Den she'll be sick 'long as yo' stay in town, an' git dwindlin' an' quite natchal [natural] she'll soon finely [finally] die, if she stay roun' dere an' be passin dat - attah yo' do done [dat] chew know, if yo' go tuh de daid, an' sech as dat, becuz dat's de thing dat EVAH'BODY'S SCARED TUH GO TUH DE GRAVEYARD AN' GIT DIRT LAK DAT. But dat's so about dat 'cuz ah have did it mahself. Dose things ah'm talkin' 'bout ah done it mahself.
(That's all you have to do with that graveyard dirt, throw it on her window?)
Yeah, throw it on her windah.
(What will that do to her then?)
Dat will make her love yo', if yo' throw it on 'er windah.
Entry 7669
Yo' kin dig about six inches in de graveyard, an' yo' git some of dat fine dirt, dat dirt about six inches down. Take dat an' put it in a cup an' yo' git some lodestone an' put in it too. An' yo' shet it up. (What do you do that for?) Dat's fo' a woman, tuh make her stay wit chew, yo' got dat dust. See, yo' gotta take it, see, put dat undah yore house an' she'd stay dere. She ain't goin' leave.
Entry 7670
Well, yo' kin take graveyard dirt. Run yore arm down in de grave tuh yore elbow an' take graveyard dirt. Make yo' a li'le sack. It makes yo' lucky, yo' kin jes' weah it in yore pocket. Dat make yo' lucky.
Entry 7671
Yo' kin bring up confusion by goin' tuh de graveyard an' gittin' some graveyard dirt, but yo' have tuh run yore han' as fur down in dere as yo' poss'ly kin; but chew mus' carry three pennies, brass pen- nies. Dese pennies, yo' know, jes' carry dat 'long dit chew, when yo' go out dere. Den when yo' bring yore han' up dat pays off, a'yo' do's dat.
(What do you do with it then?)
Well, yo' kin jes' use it eithah way. Yo' kin make him stay home or yo' kin make him go wit de same dirt.
(Tell me how you would use it?)
Well, yo' could put some sulphur an' brimstone wit dat. Put dem three tuh- gethah. Yo' takes dat an' carry dat an' put it inside de house an' dat will cuz confusion.
Entry 7672
He [my contact man] wus askin' me about how would yo' git a woman away from yore home, if yo' didn't want 'er. Wal, ah tole him dat dey kin go tuh a graveyard where yo' know it's some evil person had.died, an' dig down dere about three feet an' git so much - 'bout three teaspoonsful of sand an' mix it in with some black peppah an' take an' mix some sulphur in it an' carry it an' throw it ovahbo'd in a bot- tle, an' curse dat at de present time, lak 'Go.' Curse at de present time three times an' holler "go" - "go" - "go."
Entry 7673
De bes' thing dat ah would do, ah would go to de cemetery twelve a'clock at night an' take [dig] six feet of dirt down to the bottom of de grave wit mah lef' han' an' sprinkle dat roun' yore front do'step befo' de sunrise. Well, dat house will become unearthly fo' yo', an' yo' gotta move out. [Informant, of course, does not dig down 6 feet. He digs down 6 inches, which symbolizes the 6 feet.]
Entry 7674
Dey say if yo' wanted luck, if yo' havin' bad luck, dat chew could go tuh de graveyard an' dig down wit chure hand a certain depth an' git some dust near where de corpse lay at. An' tie dat up in a bag an' carry it roun' wit yo', an' yo' kin lead anybody roun' wit yo' lak dat. Dey would believe in yo' most gener'ly [generally].
Entry 7675
Ef anyone in yore neighborhood is doin' yuh any harm an' yo' don' want 'em in yore neighborhood, why yo' jes' go tuh de graveyard an' take a penny an reach down dere an' git chew some dirt chew know. An' take a pinch of dat dirt an' bring dat dirt back an jes' throw it on de flo'. An' dey sweep it out, why de spirits will worry 'em so dey has tuh leave dere, dey cain't evah stay dere.
(Whose floor do you throw that graveyard dirt on?)
On dere flo.
(Of the people that you want to move?)
Yes sir, wants tuh move 'em outa dere.
Entry 7676
If any harm wuz roun' yore place, go tuh a graveyard tuh de wickest person dat chew know dey buried in dere. Yo' come in on de right-han' side of dat grave as near as yo' kin. (The right hand side as you enter, come to the head of the grave.) Yes, dat's it. An' yo' go down, run yore han' down in dere an' come out wit as much dirt as yo' kin hold in three fingers [demonstrates].
(In the thumb, the index and the middle finger of the right hand.)
Yes. Den yo' go ahead an' yo' git chew some bluestone, pound it up fine. Den yo' go tuh all fo' cornah of yore steps an' yo' sprinkle dat down, but yo' do's dat at nine-thirty at night. An' ah don' cah [care] whut nobody put tuh de dat steps, dat stuff will run it 'way from dere.