Browse:Devil Vinegar (Volume 1, entries 1833–1834)
Devil Vinegar
Volume 1, entries 1833–1834. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 1833
Ah heard yo' taken dat chamber lye an' put some devil vinegar in it an' some war watah, an' take de chamber lye an' bury it into de bottle. An' as long as dat bottle in dere, yo' goin' suffer real bad until yo' pass away to bones come through yore body. (You have to get hold of some of that person's own urine, own chamber lye, and put this war water with it and this devil vinegar, and put it in a bottle?) Yes.
Entry 1834
Well, dey kin take yore hand-writin' - sho' dey kin. Ah've heard that. Dey take - lak yo' write me a lettah an' ah wanta do yo' something, ah take yore writin' an' ah fold it, ah fold it nine times. Den ah put me some pins an' nee- dles, nine needles an' nine pins in that an' put it in some steel dust an' some devil watah an' some ammonia an' bury it. Den yo' act'lly goin' tuh die.
(What is devil watah?)
Devil watah is devil vinegar. (And when you fold it how do you fold it? Fold it to you like this?) [I demonstrate.] No, fold it from yo'.