Browse:Spirit Gives Treasure (Volume 1, entries 382–386)
Spirit Gives Treasure
Volume 1, entries 382–386. Source context: SPIRITS → SPIRITS GUARD BURIED TREASURE. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 382
The people was afraid of the banks then [before and during the Civil War] and they would hide their money. They put it in a iron or copper pot and seal it, and then they would always take someone with them to where they would hide it, and then they would ask this person if they wanted to mind the money, and then they would kill this person and bury them with the money and they would always kept a watch over it. Sometimes they [the spirit] would get tired [of watching the money] and give it to someone. They are the only people who can get it. The spirit comes in and asks, "Do you want the money?" And they take you to this place. She was living out in the country and a white gentleman [he had been killed and buried with money to watch it, and had become tired of his task] came up to the gate. He was dressed in a long-tailored coat and high silk hat. And he spoke to her and said, "Good evening." And then he asked her did she want some money. And she said, "Yes." And he said, "I will be here tomorrow at twelve." And he vanished. And she got frightened because he went away so quick. And she went to bed. When noon [next day] came, he was right on the dot, knocked on the gate and said, "Are you ready?" She said she was sick. She was so scared she didn't want to go with him. And then he steps in the house. He made one step and went to the bed and rolled her in the bed and said, "Now you will be sick." And she was flat on her back for one year. He did it because she told the story.
Entry 383
A house set on the hill and a spring was in the bottom and a tree was nearby the spring. And everybody who lived in that house, the ghost would meet them on the way to the spring and would talk to them. This ghost would follow them to the spring and tell them about the money but they were afraid to talk to him. This was supposed to be the ghost of the person who put the money in the tree and died before he got it out. A fellow followed this ghost to the spring and the ghost told him to cut in the tree with an axe. He cut in the tree but found nothing. The ghost told him again to cut the tree down. And he did. He found a pot of money in the tree and became to be a wealthy man.
Entry 384
I know that when I was three years of age, we lived in the country. There was a big cherry tree out in front of my house. Every day about three o'clock in the afternoon I would see a man clad in a suit of armor, a helmet on his head, running out break-neck speed around this cherry tree. After he would run around the tree a few times he would run down the lane and disappear. I would call my mother and sister and try to show them this man, but they would tell me that they saw nothing and would wonder why it was that I would say I saw something. One day when I was trying to show them this, my grandmother came to my rescue and said there was money buried there under that cherry tree, that a man who had been a soldier in the Civil War had buried it there, and there was no doubt that it was that man's spirit who would appear to me every day, because maybe he wanted me to have this money. Later, my mother never consented to allow me to dig at this tree. My grandmother also tried to explain that the reason I could see and the others couldn't was maybe due to the fact that I was too young to be afraid of what I saw.
Entry 385
Well, he [informant's father who was a doctor] said dat chew could go to de fo'k of de road an' yo' could contact spirits an' dey would give yo' treasures an' give yo' information of people who've lived long. Den spirits would appear an' dey would give yo' treasures an' tell yo' where hidden treasures were. (Well, how would you contact them - how would you get in touch with those spirits - what would he do out there?) Well, he said burn incense - yo' kin burn incense dere, or yo' could take yore money needle an' it would lead yo' where de money wus of course.
Entry 386
He went right roun' an' roun' it [the grave]. He had had tuh had a red sack of sand. He had went roun' dat certain one grave, an' he had tuh be very careful of dem sacks - said he would of call up some animosity dere. He had a red sack of de graveyard sand an' a white sack, an' he taked an' empty it right aroun' de grave dere, walkin' right roun' an' roun' de grave of his wife [magic circle] an' emptied de red sack right around de grave dere an' after he empty de red sack he emptied de white sack. An' after he do dat, he stan' right in de middle of de grave an' his wife's spirit come up an' she tell him everything dat he wanted tuh know an' everything - an' anything she had done, where she had leave it an' everything.
(Where she had left this money?)
Yeah.
(Well now, this man, what does he do when he first goes out to the graveyard?)
He goes to dat certain grave - his wife grave an' goes roun' an' roun' dat grave dere - circle lak towards - lak de sun circle - twelve a'clock at night.
(Where did he get the graveyard dirt?)
Right in de heart of de grave - right in de heart of her grave right dere.
(He gets this dirt from her grave?)
Yeah. (Then he must use this red sack and white sack - then he sprinkles it back on her grave?) Yeah - he sprinkle it roun' an' roun' her grave - like de circlin' of de sun.
(And who told you this?)
Ah heard mah grandmothah said dat wus true. (The old man had done this. His wife had died and left some money and he did not know where the money Was. So he went out there to find it - to speak with her to find out where this money was buried?) Yeah. (He went out there and he circled around her grave and then he stood in the middle of her grave and got this dirt and put it in these sacks. Then he went around the grave again and circled it and sprinkled this dirt around her grave. Then he stood on her grave and she told him where it was?) Yeah.
(Your grandmother told you the story?)
Yeah.