Browse:Palmetto (Volume 1, entries 2200)
Palmetto
Volume 1, entries 2200. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2200
To keep the law away from your place. Weli, here's the way they told me to keep the law away. You go in the woods and find a he palmette root.
(They find a what?) A he palmetto. (He?)
A he palmetto root like a man - a palmetto - man.
[Somewhere I have a man-shaped root.]
(Palmetto root?)
Yes, sir - man palmetto root. (Do you mean that little thing that looks like a palm? That root? Looks like a spear?) [My questions are ridiculous in words. Actually here is a good example of occasional hand-talking. For little thing I indicate a low bush looking like a palm - I had seen millions of palmettos up and down the southeastern coast. To make certain we meant the same plant, I air-draw a cleft leaf - each cleft looks like a spear. Informant's answer shows the result.1 Yes, sir, got big wide leaves on it.
(All right, all right.)
Well, you get a he palmetto root. You take this he palmetto root and you bring it to your house and you cut it off just at that bush. After you cut it off at that bush, you put three splits in it - right in the bottom of that root, you put three splits in it. And you takes the judge's name, the district attor- ney's and the prosecuting attorney's name in there. Put it [names] on a piece of paper nine times backwards, you understand. And put it [paper] in between them splits, understand, and wear that in your pocket. I guarantee you they'll [the law will] all stay away from there.
(That's if you are bootlegging?)
That is if you are bootlegging.