Browse:Graveyard Dirt (Volume 1, entries 2495–2504)
Graveyard Dirt
Volume 1, entries 2495–2504. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → BUSINESS AND CUSTOMERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2495
In business yo' kin go an' take a penny - yo' take de head of dat penny an' put it down head-down an' let it stay dere, an' take dat dirt from round dat grave an' sprinkle it any place an' yore business will be successful. If yo' want 'em to move out [to put them out of business], yo go back to de same grave an' take that penny an' put it head-upwards dere, an' yo' take some of dat dirt from de left part de foot part of grave an' sprinkle dat under those steps or inside. Dey'll go.
Entry 2496
Yo' take de infant dirt from de grave [dirt from an infant's grave], take sulphur, yo'll take table salt - three things. Yo'll git up in de mawnin' at fo' 'clock 'fore de sun an' yo' starts from yore front do', jes' lak if, yo' know, yo' want plenty - ever'body tuh come in. Well, yo' stand to de do' an' throw it in de house, "In de Name of de Father an' Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Ghost, ah wants all de customers dat ah kin git." An' yo' have mo' people den yo' evah able tuh git through with.
(When you get that dirt, you give it this money?)
Yessuh, always give odd pennies. Nevah give two or nevah give fo' - give odd.
Entry 2497
Dey take de same one foot of yore sock. Git chew - go to a baby's grave an' take three pieces of white cloth an' one silver dime. Yo' dig dis hole like dat, an' when yo' take dis three pieces of white cloth - dat's a baby grave now - three pieces of white cloth. An' a silver dime - yo' paying dis baby off. Yo' understand. Yo' dig a hole about lak dat, "In de Name of de Lord, yo' take care of dis in Jesus name. Ah'm only givin' yo' dis in Jesus name." Yo' put dem three pieces of cloth an' dat dime down dere. Befo' yo' put dat dere, yo' git out a handful of dirt. Den yo' put dat dime an' dem three pieces of cloth in strips - jes' little strips - in dere, an' yo' cover it on back, an' yo' take dis with you an' go on.
(What do you do with that, then?)
Go on an' fill yore sock with dat an' one silver dime. Yo' take it an' - either corner of de house yo' could put it. Or either yo' could run it up under de sill, it'll be good.
(What will that do then?)
Keep de police away. (Keep the law away. Well, why did you put those three pieces of cloth in the grave? What was the idea of that?) It's a baby an' a baby is in de arm an' is harmless an' sinful from de world.
(I mean what do those three things represent - those three pieces of cloth?)
Dese Three are One.
(Those three pieces of cloth represent the Three Who are One.)
Don't chew see.
Entry 2498
Yo' kin keep de law away from de house. Go to a colored cemetery an' git chew - go where yo' know dere's three people dat chew know, dat yo' wus dere when dey buried 'em. Take yo' fifteen cents an' yo' pay each one of 'em nickel a piece, yo' see, fo' each person. But let dis be newly buried - jis' yesterday or de day befo'. An' git chew ten pounds of dat dirt an' put it in yore bucket an' set it where yo' sweep yo'self. Dey won't even come near yore steps. Dose are spirits dat keep 'em back. Dat dead folks dirt whut wus buried, dey cain't come ovah it.
Entry 2499
Yo' know de truth always is right. We runs - we wus fulla dem things, too. Befo' mah husband died we run de same thing an' we run de same years, but de lawyers nevah caught us. Well, now ah'm goin' tell yo' whut we use on dat. It was learned to us tuh use dat an' ah used dat. Dat was saltpeter an' dat copperas, table salt an' red peppah, an' we made a powders of dat. An' a dead spirit from de graveyard to get de dirt - yo' know, after yo' done talk to de daid spirit an' tell him whut he want do. An' den mix dat togethah an' make a powdahs, an' he has crossed de road on many a time and de law could nevah come by our do'. (Well, how did you fix that - I mean what would you do with that after you fix that up?) Yo' jes' mash it all up fine.
(Then what do you do with it?)
Throw it in de road - jes' cross de road where dey come 'cross. Jes' ary road dat lead in to yore house with de law, why yo' put dat 'cross dat road - any distance yo' wanta from de home, where yo' know he kin turn in. An' if he evah git to dat one time, he ain't comin' in no mo'.
Entry 2500
Say jes' git graveyard dirt, red peppah, cayenne peppah, sulphur an' alum, an' beat it together an' sprinkle it all around yore place an' they say that will keep it away - say that will keep de law away. (What is the difference between red pepper and cayenne pepper? Is there any difference?) Well, dere's one ground, an' yo' know dere's one whole grain.
Entry 2501
Yo' go to a ole-time grave an' git chew some dirt. See, dig down in de grave lak dis an' git chew some dirt out of de grave. Well, yo' take dat dirt an' yo' mix dat dirt up with salt. Yo' put table salt in dat dirt an' yo' mix it up. All right, den yo' go to de sto' an' yo' buy yo' some lucky perfwme, Heart Perfume, yo' see. Yo' git chew some Heart Perfume. Well, yo' mix that in there with it. See. Jes' put Heart Perfume all in dere with it. All right, den yo' go an' yo' git chew some sulphur an' yo' put that sulphur in there with it. See. All right, yo' go an' git yo' some John de Conker an' den git chew fo' diff'rent cans - fo' diff'rent small cans, tin cans, where yo' kin put 'em airtight. See. An' yo' put 'em in a circle - jes' lak yo' runnin' a bootlaig place, yo' put 'em in a circle all de way round.
(Around what?)
All way round yore place, yo' understan', de place of business yo' carr'in' on - all de way round, yo' see. Den yo' take, aftah yo' put 'em all de way round [one can on each side of the business], yo' take dat salt an' git in de street all de way round where yo' got chure cans an' yo' care it all de way round yo' see, till yo' git clean round yore house. Well, aftah yo' gone all de way round yore house wit de salt, yo' come on back right where yo' left from an' say, "Ah put dis out, In de Name of de Father, Son an' the Holy Ghost, that ah may have no trouble." Then yo' spit up in dere three times. Yo' won't have no trouble. If yo' have any trouble atall, yo'll git out of it. [The four tin cans with seal-type lids, one on each side of the house, should have been sufficient - an airtight protection.].
Entry 2502
" Yo' go into de graveyard an' yo' gotta go a certain hour - about twelve 'clock in de night. If you got any kinfolk bury in dat graveyard, you'll explain to them exactly wot and wot not. Then you git some dust outa that graveyard - offa dat same grave which you have explained dese matters. You take dat qrave- yard dust and go home, and you jest sift it light right aroun' yo' step and you say, "Now, you take ca'h de home. Ah don't want no law or nobody else officiate round heah." You go on about your business and dey'll take ca'h of it. Dey'll nevah look dat way. Dey'll come right by dere an' when de git dere dey'll throw up dey head and go on by.
Entry 2503
Then agin, I git de graveyard dirt from somebody relative who is dead, [died] good -, ou know, make peace. Any person who dead, git dat dust you know. Den you git de white-horse manure, mix that with salt and sulphur, and sprinkle around yore place. An': hey'll [officers will] call round yore place but they'll go away - wouldn't stir about chuh.
(Keeps the law away.)
Keep away because yo' have a white horse in de pasture and dey'll tell de party, "Oh! Looks like a white horse." (That white horse keeps them away? This is supposed to be the white horse in the pasture?) Yes. See, if you have a white horse in de pasture, dat horse will fight all other horses, but dey never fight dat white horse. (Those other horses won't bother a white horse. That is why the white-horse manure is good.) Yes.
Entry 2504
Take dat graveyard dirt - take some and divide into each one, see, and git you some salt. Some of de graveyard dirt into each one of de shells.
(Of these shells?)
Yes, dey done already shot, you see. And you take another shell and git some of de gunpowder and put - divide it and put some in each one of those shells. And then you take a needle and stick it in each one - stand de needle up in dere like you goin' sew some cloths, but jest right on de tip. And put dat stuff in dere round and pack in around dere tight - jest like you fixing de shot in de shell, see. And then you take that and put one under your front step, and then you turn around and put one under the back step, you see. And if you got any side windahs or anything like that, chew kin jest take and put one at de main windah where you always keeps open, you see. [Three shells.] When de revenuer comes he'll come round to everybody house but chores, and people wonder how come he won't stop to yores - and you selling whiskey in dere, too. But he jest won't have no spirit to come towards that house. He figure there won't be nothing there, when the revenuer comes there. Never won't have no spirit. Co'se ev'ry- body don't know that, you see - don't know everybody telling that. See, if I tell a person that, I want some money fer telling that.