Browse:Power from Brother's Skull (Volume 1, entries 820)
Power from Brother's Skull
Volume 1, entries 820. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → THE DOCTORS THEMSELVES: BIRTH TO DEATH: DESCRIBED BY LAYMEN. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 820
[The following two stories are told by the same man - see my comment at the end of the third story:] This fellah has a skull - a head, and claims this is his brother's head. He claimed his brother could do mostly anything he wanted to do and most he learnt it was from whut his brother learnt 'im. His brother wanted him to preserve his skull and keep it with him fer action. And whenever he went in to do anything he worked up to a power from this skull. He dealt with this skull, he talked to it, he sang to it, he danced to it, and it seemly he gits his power and he goes right on. Now, he would go to work, he had five lamps, he placed one in the center of each hand, he placed one on each shoulder and one on his head, and buck danced. He - I mean danced - he wasn't trying to dance, he danced! And danced jist as about as fast as any that choo would find in any theatre. Then he Was able to go right on and do anything or say anything that he would want to say to anyone. He could tell you anything mostly you wanted to know. And he said that the power that he persessed [possessed], that he could walk into any trust company, any bank, any store, or any place of business, and take, go right in to the counters, right behind the counters, open the drawers and take all the money he wanted to take, and walk out and not a soul could see him; if he wanted to do it, but he didn't want to travel that way any more. So it seemly as though he had did it once in his life, but said he didn't want to travel that way any more. And he had a lamp that he kept in his room that he only had to light it or replenish it onest every six months. And he said when that lamp should go out he'll have to go out, he can't stay in that room. [I think the informant missed the point here. This is probably an example of a person's life depending upon the condition of some material object - so common in folktales.] And he came to me one day here to my work [in the hotel] and says to me, he was visiting [boarding with] me, and he says, "Is there any place you kin take me out of town? Anywur we kin go?" "Well, '' I said, "we kin go down to Deals Island and out around the water and back, sight seeing out dere this afternoon." He says, "That's fine. Carry me anywur." He says, "De spirits are bothering me so I can't rest nowur I go." And he says, "I've got to get away, '' he says, "around the water will be a lovely place this afternoon. And that day, when we got back here that night and we jis' started into the diningroom, the people were jist calling me up all over this town asking that I would arrange an interview with this fellah for them. That was fist as though he Was jist that slick on that sort of spirits. He would read 'em [tell fortunes]. He didn't want to do it. He'd give a show. He was traveling, he had a show of his own. And his hands were so dried up they were at least three shades blacker than his face was. And the skin was right tight to the bones as though someone had been dead for months. And he wore gloves to keep anybody from seeing his hands. It looked that desperate. It would frighten you to look at his hands.
(Were you afraid of him?)
I was jis' as skeered of him as could be. I seen him hypotize [hypnotize] a boy. He hypotized a boy, and honestly, I got angry with whut he did to that boy.
(Was the boy from around here?)
Yes sir, our own boy right here in town. He stood him on his head. He stood him on his feet. He made him do anything that would be silly act before everybody. Then he jumped up and laid this fellah flat on the floor on his back, and got up in his breast and the lower part of his stomick, and just jumped up and down with both feet all he wanted, the center of this boy's stomick. When this fellah came to he stood there and laughed. Our own boy right here in town.
[As a part of his show the man escaped from a locked-up coffin.]
The: folks got nervous, very nervous. And when they put him in the coffin and sealed him all up, covered this up, he says, "Set still," he say, "if any of you want to go, I'll let choo go in a few minutes; but if I go down that door and turn around three times, not a one of you kin git up and go out. So you jes' as well set still."