Browse:THEFT (Volume 4, entries 8881–8950)
THEFT
Volume 4, entries 8881–8950. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 8881
Well dey take yore han'writin'. Well, jes' lak yo' write on dis side of de lettah. Well, yo' know, a pusson don't usely [usually] write on one sheet on both sides, jes' lak yo' write on dis side of de lettah. Well, yo' may mail dat tuh me. Now, ' yo' is de woman an' ah'm de man, see. Yo' may mail de lettah tuh me. [Informant begins to demon- strate.] Well, ah'll write on dis side. Well, when ah write on dis side, ah'll write between lines. See, ah write between lines. Now, ah don' write zactly [exactly] on yore lines. Jes' lak yo' write a line dere, an' write one dere, see. Well, ah'll write in de middle of yores, see. An' in mah time of writin', why ah'll make mah wishes, what ah wan' tuh happen tuh yuh, see. An' jes' as ah writin', ah makes mah wishes. Co'se yo' have tuh have a good education tuh do dat, yo' know. An' den when ah make mah wishes, why yore wishes will certain- ly come out. Co'se den mah lines will be tangled up. Yo' understand, aftah yo' done write it de long ways betwixt lines, den yo' go an' write it across, see.
(Then what do you do with that?)
Well, yo' keep it. Keep dat an' tote it. [Charleston, S. Car., (511), 576:7.] [This division can be gathered into sections: THEFT, COURT CASES, THE AMAZING CHICKEN EGG, SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS, NAILS - NEEDLES AND PINS - TACKS, FROG and BLACK CAT LUCKY BONE AGAIN. Smaller amounts of diversified material, with margin titles only, will follow in division "CHANNEL DE WORLD."] [Closely related to theft are: (l) the loss of an article by mere losing or misplacement; (2) the loss or theft of a husband or wife or lover, illustrations being numerous in Hoodoo; and (3) the reverse of losing, the finding of the object causing conjuration. To locate or identify conjurating objects is the very heart of hoodoo. Many of these latter methods have been given in Hoodoo - see DIAGNOSIS, Pp.165-217, and elsewhere. Yet, despite all do-it-yourself magic, the true be- liever in these volumes will imitate Biblical precedents, if the loss or theft is considerable. He will copy the experiences of Saul by visiting a seer (1 Samuel, chapter 9) or a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor (l Sam. 28:7), whom our modern believer knows by various professional titles: Doctor, Madam, Mother, high man, wise man or wise woman, two-head or two-header, fortuneteller, reader, healer, foreknower, foreteller, hoodoo or hoodooer, root-man or root-worker, witch, witch-crafter, 'crafter, cunjure or cunjure-man, etc. Finally, may I call your attention to the first margin title, BIBLE AND KEY. Some of its rites have been used for other purposes than theft: to discover whether a wish would come true, No.550, or whether you have been hoodooed, No.551, both on p.167. At the end of these Bible-and-key rites are two rare ones of unusual interest concerning two keys, or crossed keys, or the Key Of St. Peter. My special comments about them, because they concern me personally, should be read.]
Entry 8882
A brass key, dat's lak a coppah key, Git chew one of dose coppah keys an' put it right in de Bible at a certain chaptah. An' den he'd wrop [profes- sional worker visited by informant would wrap] dis Bible wit a string an' let chew hold dat key lak dat [demonstrates]. Ah've helt [held] it mahself an' den he [hoodoo man] read a chaptah [from the Bible]. It says: By St. Petah, by St. Paul, by de Lord dat made us all, if sech-an'-sech Q man - jes' call de name, see yo' have tuh git de name - is got chure money, ah pray dis Bible turn an' fall. An' it shore will fall when yo' hit it right. Ah've tried it, helt dat [Bible]. But ah don't know as ah could do it lak he [doctor] did. [Informant thinks this by-St. Peter rhyme is a chapter from the Bible! How our hoodoo man and informant held Bible and key will become apparent as we proceed.]
Entry 8883
Put a key intuh a Bible an' hole [hold up] de Bible by de tip comahs wit dat [key in- side] an' yo' say de verse in de Bible: By St. Petah, by St. Paul; by de good Lord dat made us all; if So-an'-so has - name de person - taken so-an'-so, spin n' fall. An' it's true dat dat will happen.
(You can find out who stole the thing.)
Entry 8884
Lak if yo' lose somepin in dis room - if yo' or me lost somepin. Well, yo' see, yo' take a brass key an' let somebody put it in de page where St. John, yo' know [see comment later]. An' den yo' put - dey hold it don' chew know an' dey call evahbody name dat wus in dis room. Yo' say a little prayah, say, "By St. Petah, by St. Paul, by de grace of de good Lord who made us all." Den dey call de name, dey said, "If Sech-an'-sech a one stole sech-an'-sech a thing, pray Bible wheel an' fall." An' it fall on de name who took it. Well, ah've seen dat done. [St. John here is evidently the author of Revelation, not of Gospel, and the passage could be: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the KEY OF DAVID, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth and no man openeth (King James version, Rev.3:7). Informant considers By St. Peter rhyme a prayer!]
Entry 8885
Yo' kin find out an' it [the rite] don' tell no lie. Yo' go git aBible an' yo' gits a brass key, an' yo' put dat brass key in dat Bible an' yo' ties it up tight, an' yo' holds it in yore han' lak dis - lak dat [demonstrates]. (With two fingers.) Yes, two fingahs. If not dat, chew kin git somebody else tuh hold one of de fingahs, an' yo' hold one an' say: By St. Petah, by St. Paul, 'tain't but de one God saves us all; if Sech-an'-sech a one stole mah money or anythin', any article, ah pray Bible wheel an' fall. An' dat Bible wouldn't move until yo' call de right one's name whut stole it. An' dat Bible jes' ease, ease roun' till it drops.
Entry 8886
Use de Bible an' git de 50 Psalms [Psalm 50] of David in de Bible an' yo' read it three times. An' yo' git chew a do' key, a large do' key. Aftah yo' read dat Psalms, yo' write dat Psalm down on a piece of papah. An' yo' take dat do' key an' yo' put it on dat Psalm, an' yo' tie it wit string an' yo' read de Psalms. An' aftah yo' read dem Psalms, yo' call dis person name three time an' yo' hold dat do' key; an' if it's de individual name yo' call, dat done took sompin from yo', when yo' read de Psalm, dat do' key goin' turn roun' in dat Bible. Jes' lak yo' turn it in de lock of a do', jes' turn; an' if it ain't de individual whut took it, de do' key goin' tuh stay still. But if it's anyone dat took it an' yo' know dere name, yo' call dere name, dat key is gonna turn in dat Bible. (You write this 5Oth Psalm on a piece of paper and then you wrap that around the key?) No suh, de key is tied intuh de Bible on de 5Oth Psalm aftah yo' write it down. See, yo' write it down so yo' kin read it, an' yo' readin' it three times. An' aftah yo' read - while yo' readin' it, yo' don' call de individual [name]. Aftah yo' read it, den yo' call de individual name an' yo' hold dat key. Hold de Bible an' hold de top end of de key, an' when yo' hold dat key yo' have it tied tight in dat Bible; an' if it's dat individual, dat key's gonna turn in dat Bible jes' lak it would in de do'.
[Since key does not fall, By St. Peter rhyme not used.]
(This key though is put into the Bible where this Psalm is. The only reason that you write that 5Oth Psalm is that - so when the Bible is closed, you can read the 50th Psalm?) Yes.
Entry 8887
As the proof, yo' will take a Bible, the Testament. Yo'll take a great big brass key. Yo'll place it in that Bible. Tyin' it well, hold it with two individual forefingers sayin' this word: By St. Peter, by St. Paul, by the Lord that made us all, if Chester have my pocketbook, leave the Bible, key, turn an' fall. An' if he's got it, it'll turn an' fall. Yo' kin call twenty differen' men's names an' when yo' get de right one, it turns. De other individuals, it stays neutral.
(I see. Then what Would you do to make him bring it back, anything?)
Why yo' go to 'im an' yo' tell 'im to bring it back, if yo' found out fo' sure he got it.
Entry 8888
Say fer instance if someone stole somepin from me, ah'd take de gartah offa mah laig an' put it aroun' de Bible, an' [I would get] yore front do' key, an' get someone else [to help me] with our big two [two big] fingahs, jis' lak dat [demon- stratesl.an' hole [hold] dat key undah dere [the garter]. Ah've seen dis done. Hole dat Bible right straight, don't let it move, an' yo' say: By St. Peter, by St. Paul, by de God dat made us all, if So-an'-so stole of mine, whutsomevah it is, de Bible turn an' fall. Well, if dey didn't take it, dat Bible won't move; an' if dey did take it, it'll jis' whirl aroun' offa yore fingah. [For similar rites, See BIBLE-DIME-GARTER, P.167f.]
Entry 8889
Yo' go an' git chew a brass key. Yo' walk on an' yo' git de Bible. Yo' look up on de Ten Commandments. Yo' place dis key dere on dis Bible, turn de Bible. If yo' got 'em on one [a Bible], yo' turm 'em upside... (Wait a minute! You say you look up the Ten Commandments. Then what do you do with them?) Put de key on de Ten Commandments. All right. Brass key. Den yo' turn de Bible up an' call dis fellah by his name, an' 20 minutes from den he may don't come. If he won't, yo' git two brand-new needles - needles, yo' know, dat yo' sew wit. An' yo' stick dem dataway - open de Bible an' yo' stick dem dataway in de Bible [demonstrates].
(Under the leaves.)
Yeah, undah de leaves, by de key - one on each side of de key. Den yo' call dis fellah. Soon he may don't come, but a couple of hours he come an' ast yo fer somepin, lak he wanta borrah somepin. [To borrow something is from well- lmown witch rites.] He may ast yo' to lend 'im a iron or any kind of instrument in de house, see. [To borrow iron is unusual.] Well, now yo' know dat's de fellah cuz yo' done call 'is name on dat commandment. (You know that's the man that stole the thing from you.)
Entry 8890
If yo' wanta find out de person dat done de stealin', yo'll git de Bible an' git a brass key, an' find de middle verse of de Bible - de very middle leaf an also de middle verse in dere. Ah don't know now [what it is], yo' see, 'cuz ah not much of a Bible readah. An' yo' jis' take dat [place] an' take dat key an' put it in de centah, an' tie a string on it an' tie it aroun' on de backside of de book, see. An' den'yo' git chew anothah fel- lah, yo' an' 'im tuhgethah, an' he put it on 'is fingah an' let de othah fellah bold it on 'is fingah. See, jis' put one fingah apiece on it, two persons. All right. Den de man whut wanna find out who did de stealin' - jis' lak us all be lined up, chew say, By St. Peter, by St. Paul, ain't but one God made us all. See. An' yo' supposed tuh say somepin else wit it but ah don't know jis' zactly [exactly] whut chew say, yo' see. An' den yo' say, If so, Henry stole so-an'- s0 - dis box or book - Bible please reel an' fall. An' if he stole it sure 'nuff [enough], dat Bible'll turn ovah. See, dat Bible'll turn right on 'is han' [hand] an' fall on de table or on de flo' on de [Bible's] face; but if not, it won't move. Dat whut chew do tuh find out.
Entry 8891
Put it on a glass, see. An' yo' put a brass key on top of de Bible. Put dis Bible on a glass first, an' a brass key on top of de Bible; but yo' gotta be a Christian, can't be a sinnah. Yo' undahstan' whut ah'm talkin' about. An' yo' kin call a person name three times. Or yo' kin git some Christian somebody tuh do it fo' yuh. Yo' kin call a person name three time an' de third time yo' calls dat first person yo' called, dat Bible will turn aroun' jes' like dat [demonstrates].
(Right on top of the glass.)
Right on top of de glass. Nobody don't touch it. Ah've seen it done. An' jis' as sure as it turn, dey goin' bring it back tuh 'im.
(If they have anything they've stolen from you.)
Entry 8892
Well, de 12th Psalms... [I mean] de 24 Psalms an' de 12th verse. Yo' read it fo' nine mawnin's an' put a key intuh it, an' dey says dat if yo' read dat fo' 'bout nine mawnin's an' make yore wish, an' de man whut did it, dey say he'll come back. He'll come right back tuh yo'. (You put the key into what?) Intuh de Bible. Yo' have tuh put de key in dere an' fine [find] dis chaptah an' read it. Yo' place de key in de centah [of Bible? or of Psalm?] an' yo' close de Bible up, an' yo' make wish, an' yo' have tuh do dat fo' nine mawnin's, an' dey says he certainly will come back. Ah've heard dat.
(What did you read now? What Psalm?)
De 12th Psalm an' de 14th verse. [Informant's Psalms and verses are meaning- less in this present rite.]
Entry 8893
Well, ah'll tell yuh, yo' take a brass key, if yo' [want to] find out who it is; an' aftah tyin' de brass key in de Bible, put de brass key down in dat Bible, takin' two men - a woman must nevah hold any of dose keys - sayin', By St. Petah, by St. Paul; by de Lord dat made us all; if Such-an'-such has mah money or watch, leave de [= dere= there] key Bible an' all. [For preceding obscurity see later.] It has been proven dat way. De party dat chew had no suspicion for, would feel guilty an' return it. He will volunteer to come back with it. [THIS IS MY ONLY EXAMPLE OF A WOMAN FORBIDDEN TO HOLD A KEY! The reason is obvious. A key is something that goes into a hole, unlocks. Elsewhere in the text I have written about former moral theology forbidding women to assume the superior position, either she lying or sitting. Folklore cautions her against stepping over a man lying on the floor or crawling over him in bed. Here We also have the locked-room theme of Blue- beard, who gave the keys of the castle to his wife, forbidding her to unlock one room.] [The preceding bracket [[= dere = there]] properly placed in its context reads: leave there key, [[leave]] Bible an' aZl.]
Entry 8894
If yo' wanta find sompin dat's stolen - if somebody steal sompin from yuh - yo' take dat Bible an' git chew a brass key whut we call a skeleton key, but it's brass. Yo' take dat key an' a cord string an' run de string through de Bible dat way [demonstratesl, an' twist it on de string, dis end, an' twist it on de othah end de same way. Each end of de string is wrapped ovah on de key. An' yo' kin take dat key, yo' an' anothah person, an' hold yore fingah upon dat key, an' dat Bible ain't goin' move till yo' call de right name. An' whoevah yo' thinks got it - yo' call several names befo' dem tuh be shore yo's undahstandin' whut chure doin'. An' when yo' git tuh de right person, dat Bible will turn roun' an' fall.
Entry 8895
Yo' kin take de Bible an' lay it down open. Open tuh David's [Psalms] uh [orl eithah tuh St. Luke. Jes' let it be layin' heah on de table an' yo' be sayin' yore prayahs. Say de Lord's Prayah. An' yo' sayin' yore prayah. Dat's when it fus' [first] start tuh work. An' so yo' sit dere an' yo' call dese names as ah fus' said, By St. Petah, by St. Paul, by de Lord dat made us all; now ah wanta be true in whut ah'm doin'. Says, Now, Lord, ah wants yo' tuh be true. Say, Ah don' wanta beah [bear] no false witness. Ah don' wanta 'cuse [accuse] no one wrong. An' yo' set dere an' yo' call names, an' when yo' git tuh de right person's names, dose Bible leaves jes' go turn ovah jes' lak yo's [you is] turnin' 'em.
(Then you can find out who stole the article by doing that?)
Yes. Sometimes yore mind will jes' come tuh yo', yo' jes' know dat ah'm
[I have] got yore hat.
Entry 8896
Well, lak if ah would steal sompin from yo' an' yo' know dat ah wuz de only one dere, but yo' didn't know whethah person'ly dat wuz me. Well, yo' kin git de Bible an' tell dat. Dat tell yo', de Bible an' a key. Well, yo' kin git de Bible an' yo' read de firs' verse of Psalms an' yo' close de Bible. An' yo' ties a string roun' de centah of de Bible. An' yo' gits a key, a do' key, an' hangs on dat string. Hangs it on each string where it hang steady, an' let it stay dere until it git perfectly still. Den yo' say: By St. Petah, by St. Paul, if John took so-an'-so from me, turn Bible an' fall. An' he didn't, dat Bible will not move; but if he did, yo cannot hol' [hold] it till it turn.
Entry 8897
Then, you want to find out who it was, stealing? Well you get the Bible and put the key on the Seven Songs of Moses [whatever that is] and turn it [key] nine times. [Does in- formant mean the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, the hoodoo or witchcraft man- ual?] If you think of that person - you mean, if you want to know who it was?
(Yes, and then I want to make them pay [bring] it back, too.)
Turn that key on 'im an' jes' say: By St. Peter, by St. Paul, by the Lord and God who made us all; if So-and-so took it, turn key, Bible, and fall. If it's him, it'll fall. If it's this man it'll fall. And if it falls on this man [when his name is called], what you do, you get some lodestone; if you know where he lives. You got'a know where he lives to make him bring it back. Get some lodestone and put it up under his step in a little sack. Put nine pearl buttons in there. And if he walks over that, he will bring back whatever he took, right back where he got it from. But you got'a put that name what you called in that sack at the bottom step.
Entry 8898
Take a Bible, a small Bible. with a new do' key. an hang de new do' key - tie de Bible aroun' disaway, six times wit a cord. Tie de key into de leaves of de Bible, intuh Genesis chaptah. Hang it on a nail an' name it. An' de nex' mawnin' dat Bible will be turned right tuh de direction of de one who did de damage.
(Whoever stole the stuff?)
Yes.
Entry 8899
Git chew a bran'-new nail an' put it in de Bible an' git a key. Yo' git de key. Yo' git de key, say: By St. Petah, by St. Paul, by de Lawd God dat made us all, whosomevah did so- an'-so must come tuh me or fall. Call dere names an' it might be [one of] a dozen of dem roun' dere. All yo' gotta do is takes yore li'le fingah - see, say, By St. Peter....
Entry 8900
[These two unusual rites demand two explanations: (1) an illustration of the crossed-keys design, which has been a detail of the Papal coats of arms for centuries; and (2) a reference to my experience with this ancient symbol. 2+ Since these crossed keys point upward symbolically unlocking the gate of heaven, they are important indeed. How important they become in hoodoo we can learn by reading the remarkable interview called CROSSED KEYS AND VISIONS, Pp.1048-1059, vol.2. The doctor who granted me this interview will now be quoted in the following italicized words; my comments during the interview will be as usual in parentheses, my later-dated comments in brackets:] Ah'm 79 an' ah works mah business [healing and hoodoo] wit de "works of gifts." Ah'm "gifted" - "born gifted, " "born wit a sign." Ah make mah own medicine an' "doctor" people. An' den ah works wit people dat gits in trouble, lawsuits an' all sech things [for this latter type of work, see the following section CoURT CASEs]... Ah was born wit a cross mark on my forehead, an' ah was twenty years [old] befo' ah evah come in contact wit any "workin'" [of healing or conjuration].
[He now tells why and how he started this work.]
Blasting rock way back [years aqo] in mah home ah found dat key undah a rock, stronge form [for a key]. Ah work dat key fo' evahthing.
[He shows me the key and here is my immediate description of it.]
(They are double keys, the keys that are crossed.)
Ah worked evahthing by dem, don't care if yo' in a lawsuit or whut. Ah don't give yo' no "roots, " don't make no "hand" tuh send yo'. [For HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS see pp.519-669 and everywhere.]
(You found this key?)
Yes.
(You had a mark on your forehead, you say?)
One lak dat, de mark of dat [crossed] key, right in mah forehead. [This "x" on his forehead was not a birthmark but some prominent crossing in the web or netting of that part of the amnion forming the caul at his birth. I was especially interested in this "x" because two years previously at Charleston, S. Car., Doctor Brown could see the same mark on my, the author's forehead: "The mark that Doctor Brown inwardly saw on my forehead was the tav or taw =.sign or cross, 22nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Presumably - or at least I hope - I bore the mark of the elect or chosen of God (Ezk.9:3-7); not the mark of the beast (Rev.14:9)" - p.1290, v.2.]
(And then later on you found this [double key in the.form of a cross]?)
Yeah, aftah twenty yeahs. Now, ah was born wit dat mark on mah forehead. Ah found dat key undah a rock where we's [we was] blastin! one day, I an' daddy. We went back to take up de rock an' we found dat key, an' it wus jes' as bright as it wus [is] today. An' ah kin do evahthing ah want. Ah kin work business by dat ring [in the key, he points to it].
(That little ring on the end.)
Ah kin work diff'rent object [parts of the ringl, 'cordin' to whut yore case is. Ah kin work dat mark [something on key] an' ah kin work dis heah key up heah - jes' 'cordin' to whut de case is.
(You use various parts of that key for various cases?)
Yessuh. [Though informant's double key is appropriate here, one problem remains. Did he lie about finding the key 60 years before my arrival? Even a lie would not invalidate his actual work. Another fact we must remember, the difference be- tween the real world and the world of dreams and wishes is very thin in hoodoo. What I mean can be learned by reading the interview, SHE FORESAW AUTHOR IN A DREAM, PP.1085-1097, vol.2. Finally, WHAT A REVERSAL OF CLAIMED HISTORY IT WAS TO FIND THIS KEY UNDER RATHER THAN UPON A ROCK!] [These Papal keys, stamped from metal, were formerly sold in religious, curio, occult, and hoodoo shops, as well as by mail-order firms. Also used, especially as good luck pieces, were old coins and medallions. One of the latter was given to me by an informant back in the late 1930's. It reads on one side, Bullock Electric Mfg. Co. Cincinnati; on the other side, National Association of Station- Hrmy Engineers, Boston, Sept. 2-6, 1902. One of the most interesting of these many devices were the two colored stones or rocks used by a doctor in New Orleans, see margin title ROCKS, pp.198-204, vol.1. What I found in the field among be- lievers back in the late 1930's and early 1940's may not be there today. Fashions in this sort of thing change rapidly in the world of wishful thinking and commer- cial magic.]
[We have not reached the actual rite:]
You can take the Bible and you put a key - you get the KEY OF ST. PETER. You take that key and you wrap it with the handkershief. See you wrap the Bible with handkershief. And you have the key in the Bible. And you get another friend with you which is going to talk with you, he has gotta say the same thing you say. Well, each side you hold the Bible and then you speak. Each of you use one finger. You don't leave any other finger touch it but those two. And you hold it. And then you say this little prayer. You say: By St. Peter and St. Paul, the one who stole my things, turn Bible and fall. Now, if you say: Mack or Henry stole it from me, turn key, Bible and fall, then if Henry stole it, that Bible will turn and you can go right to Henry and get the goods. Go right to Henry, or George or Peter or whosomever it may be and that's the words they use: By St. Peter. [New Orleans, La., (809), 1137:4.] [For anyone interested in the development and use of the preceding keys, see David Lindsay Galbreath, A Treatise on Ecclesiastical Heraldry, Part I, Papal Heraldry, Cambridge, England, W. Heffer and Sons, Ltd., 1930. This learned work, well illustrated and docu- mented, gives many arrangements of the keys from coats of arms, seals, bookstamps or bookplates, architectural decorations, gonfalons, etc.]
Entry 8901
It's a different key from any. It's not lak de ordinary key dat we has. It's a key dat's shaped kinda lak a scissors. Yeah, shaped kinda lak a scissors. An' yo' take dat key an' yo' hold it up. Yo' git up evah mawnin' 'fore de sun rise an' yo' take dat key an' stan' up in de direction de sun's risin'. An' tell dat key whut yo' want, whoevah it wuz dat stole anythin' from yo' or whoevah yo' wanted 'em tuh bring it back, an' dat key will turn in yore han'. An' as dat key turn in yore han', if he stole anythin', he's goin' bring it back. An' if it don't turn, why yo'won't git it back. It's a key dat isn't made lak de ordinary key. It's a key shaped jes' lak a scissors, crossed.
(It's two keys crossed - like two keys crossed?)
Yes.
Entry 8902
Chicken feathahs - a black chicken. Take black chicken feathahs an' put hit undah de steps. Whenevah a person steal or anythin' lak dat from yo', when yo' expectin' somebody tuh come in on yo', don't chew know, befo' dis chicken die, put dem feathah undah dere, an' dat'll scare dem away. (If somebody is coming fn to steal something from you?) Yes, if yo' expectin' a burglah tuh come in, yo' git three feathahs out of 'is left wing befo' he die an' bury dem undah yore steps. An' whenevah he comes aroun' tuh bothah or anythin', why dat chicken will run 'im away from dere.
Entry 8903
Jes' lak dey's steal somepin from yo' an' yo' wants tuh find out who is de one dat done it. Why yo' take an' git chew a piece of black gum [wood] an' burn dat wood till it come tuh a ashes. An' den yo' take dat ashes an' put it intuh a vial an' put some Hearts Cologne in dat vial where'bouts chew got dat ashes. An' yo' let dat sit dere fo' 'bout five days an' if dat cologne turns de color of dem ashes, why whosomevah stole dat stuff, dey bring it back. Now ah ain't nevah tried it but ah heah dat. [What would my informant in the State of Georgia call a black gum tree? Normally I would say the tree (Nyssa sylva- tica), which has closed-grained wood, entire leaves and small blue-black drupa- ceous fruits. This tree, growing east of the Mississippi River, is also called sour gum, tupelo, and pepperidge. Closely related is a tree (N. biflora) con- fined to the southern United States. The preceding tupelo, a word from the Creek Indian language meaning Swamp tree, could also mean any other tree of the genus Nyssa, especially N. aquatica of the southeastern United States. After this rite Was transcribed years ago I marked it doubtful because I could not understand how black-gum ashes were able to divine theft and make the thief return the stolen property. Later a possible answer came. In the Southern states years ago a bee- hive Was made from a section of a hollow gum tree. Surely the original ashes came from a piece of beehive supplying stinging power. Join this with intention.
Entry 8904
If a person stole a.thing from yo' an' yo' wanta find out if it's dem dat did it, yo' gotta git chew some coffee grinds [grounds] aftah de coffee's [coffee has] been made. Git dose coffee grinds. An' den yo' take some coffee grinds an' let dem set outdo's [outdoors]. Don't leave dem in de house, yo' let 'em set outdo's. An' den yo' will git chew a bottle of turpentine. Now, dey done stole it an' yo' wanta find out de fak' [fact]. An' den, when yo' git some turpentine an' dose coffee grinds - an' den yo' take dat eggshell an' brown hit an' put it in dere. An' den yo' take dat eggshell - aftah yo' take dat egg- shell. An' yo' make yore wish while yo' fixin' it up. Yo' make yore wish while yo' fix it up an' den yo' take dis eggshell. An' den yo' take an' beat up some garlic an' brown dat garlic. Yo' gotta brown evahthin' yo' use. An' den yo' take, if yo' have an idea who got it - if somebody tell yo' dese people got it an' yo' know where dey live at...
(If you have an idea who did, what do you do with it then?)
Take it tuh dere do' an' bury it right up undah de centah of dere do', right up undah de centah of dere house eithah much [if you prefer]. [Center of house makes this a quincunx rite.] An' if dey got it dey'll bring it back. Dey'll bring it back.
Entry 8905
Yo' take a person now dat steal anythin' an' yo' wanta make 'em bring it back. Well, yo' don' know whut tuh do. Yo' go tuh work an' yo' goes tuh de no'th side of de house an' yo' count seven three times, jes' 1-2-3, count 7. Den yo' walks an' go tuh de sun- rise. Yo' takes watah in de Washpan an' wash yore face an' throw it three mawnin's [towards] sunrise. Well, now, aftah yo' throw it three times, de las' mawnin' yo' throw it out, yo' say jes' so, says: God de Fathah, God de Son, God de Holy Ghost, three in one; say ah wants mah thing - whatever it is - tuh be put back by six a'clock in de mawnin' regardless tuh who got it. It might not be put in de same place, but it will be put right back where yo' kin git it.
(That is if somebody stole this thing from you.)
Entry 8906
See, jes' lak a person leavin' an' goin' tuh town, say: Well ah'm gona leave de house heah an' ah ain't got nobody tuh leave heah. Well, now dat's called, dey dressin' [magically preparing] it [the house]. Yo'll take a cow horn. Yo' take dat an' yo' scrape it - yo' scrape dat cow horn, an' put [scrap- ings] jes' on a piece of tin or sompin an' set it afire. Well, now, hit'll git tuh burnin'. Well when it git tuh burnin' an' it'll burn down tuh nuthin but ashes. When it burn tuh ashes, dat smoke commence tuh rollin' all roun' de house - goin' roun' all de house. Well, when it go all roun' de house, yo' kin go anywhere yo' wanta, leave de house, nobody bothah nuthin in dere. Evahthin' will be right dere.
Entry 8907
If somebody take anythin' from yo' - they come in yore home an' take somepin - yo' get yo' some dragon's blood. It's a stick [it comes in the form of a stick], a dragon's blood. Yo' get yo' some quicksilvah an' yo' beat dat dragon's blood up into a powdah. An' if yo' know de person, who dat is dat stole it from yo', an' [you take] dat quicksilvah. Wheresomevah dey live, yo' go to dere home an' try to get it undahneath de door - get into dere room. If yo' can't get into dere room, yo' try to put it on de step, but yo' have to get watah or somepin an' scrub it, get dat dragon's blood on dat step. Dat's goin' to drag dem wit what dey brought from yo' back. [The drag in dragon's blood makes thief drag stolen goods back!] But yo' gotta get dere name an' yore name, an' write yore name undah de bottom of deres an' dere name on top cause dey goin' to drag what dey brought from yo' back to yo'. [The magic of their name on top is not too clear!] See.
(Well, where do you put that name?)
Yo' take dat name an' place it undah dere steps - undah dere steps into de mud wide open - into de mud. Jes' put it down dere an' jes' put de mud ovah it. An' put dragon's blood in dere, an' every time dey walk ovah dat [thief will say]: "Ah'm shore is sorry ah took dat from Mr. So-an'-so. Ah'm goin' to bring it back. Ah've got de pass [ticket where he had sold the article]. Ah've got to go where ah done sold it. Ah've gotta go get it an' bring it back." Gotta drag it back dere or dey [thief] goin' to drag like a dog.
(What did you do with that quicksilver?)
QUICKSILVER IS TO MAKE 'EM BRING IT QUICK. [This quick from quicksilver and the preceding drag from dragon's blood are good examples of magic thinking at its worst! Or best?]
(Well, what did you do with that quicksilver?)
It's in a runnin' form but yo' gotta ketch it quick an' put it in dat dragon's blood. (Oh, you put it in the dragon's blood - that's what I wanted to know. That's all right.)
Entry 8908
You can take a bone of a person and do lots of harm. They can be the biggest crook in the world, the one that has got the bone - like the professional stealer, the one that has the bone. And as long as they have that bone, they will never be caught because they got the dead man's bone. And the dead man's bone keeps all other spectators away and nobody perhaps hardly sees what this man with that bone is doing because it is a real dead man's bone.
Entry 8909
(How do they do that?)
They go to the graveyard and get a bone. And like some - ah knowed a fellah, he went to the grave - he tote [carried] it iin his pocket. He say that was his lucky piece. He'd tote it in his pocket an' he'd pass it through his mouth and put it back in his pocket, go any- where. He.say he could do anything he wanted, nobody wouldn't do him nuthin. They couldn't do him nuthin or nuthin like dat. He'd pass dat bone through his mouth, go anywhere he felt like going, and do what he wanted, and nobody would bother him. [To pull a black cat bone through your mouth also makes you invisible - see Nos. 301 and 303, p.90.]
Entry 8910
If yo' had a idea of who it wuz. (That stole this thing.) Dat stole de stuff. Sometime when dey wuzn't thinkin', yo' take an' throw somepin at 'em, an' if dey blink dey eyes, yo' know dat dey stolt it.
Entry 8911
You go to work and find his track, and make nine wishes and wish for your stolen'things to come back. Then you bury that [foot track] right where he took that from you.and he'll come back to look for more. And he'll stay right there until day lookin' over it all. [The preceding until day is an element taken from hag and witch lore, see pp.135-164, especially Nos.481,530, 542, etc.] Yo' do hyp'otize 'im. An' then yo' say anythin' to 'im, he'll come out; but yo' can go right there an' arrest him without sayin' anythin' to him. Then yo'll find him in dere next morning, when yo' gits up, lookin' over yore stuff. An' dat he's got he'll bring it back. If he's done used it up he'll come to yo', tell yo' he's got it. [Near Suffolk, Nansemond, Co., Va. Doctor Frank Hall (see Intro. P. XXIX, v.1, where Harris is a mistake for Hall), by hand.]
Entry 8912
Den if yo' got a idea dat I stole it - yo' know, like if I steal somepin from yo' an' yo' got a idea - I seen yo' come aroun', I mean. Yo' kin get some of my foot track or anythin' an' I'll bring it back, but if yo' don't know.... [I tum off recording machine here because rite did not sound promising. Then he says something about foot track and I begin to record.]
(What do they use?)
Well, yo' know, wheresomevah yo' step like dat, see right between de palm of yore foot an' de heel; see, yo' get a knifebladeful an' yo' put it in a handker- chief an' fold it.
(How do they fold it?)
[Informant begins to demonstrate.]
Fold it to yo' an' den fold it...yo' fold it like dat, an' den back like dat, but yo' don't want a rag as large as dis, see. An' den double it over like dis, back like dat. Well yo' won't want no - no piece no bigger'n [bigger than] dat in dere. An' den put it undah yore do'step an' cross it evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's an' name it, like if my name are John, see. Yo' cross it evah mawnin fo' nine mawnin's an' call my name 'fo' sunrise. De ninth mawnin' yo' go dere an' take it up, an' den yo' pick it up an' put it in yore pants, anyhow yore belt, an' de ninth mawnin' ah'll be dere.
Entry 8913
Take de white of an aig an' beat it, an' if yo' know which way dey come in yore house, providin' if yo' wasn't dere - see, if yo' knew which way dey come in, yo' take dat white of a aig an' beat it. Take yo' some brown sugah an' lay it on de stove. Burn dat sugah an' take de white of dat aig an' put it where he came in de do'way. An' he will be de second one or de first. Yo' cooks de yellah but don' eat it. An' he'll be de nex' one come back to yore house, de one dat stole it from yo'.
(What do you mean you put that white of the egg where he came in?)
Yo' takes de white of dat aig.an' if yo' kin find his track, puts it in his track an' takes it up. Yo' takes up his track an' ties it up in a cloth an' put it up ovah yore do'. Quite natural he will come back [for his track which is a part of him].
(What do you do with that yellow of the egg if you don't eat it?)
Yo' takes de yellah of dat aig an' cooks it, dries it up. Yo' cooks it hard an' let it dry lak. Yo' boil it an' grind it up in de palm of yore han' lak dat, until it come to a dust. Yo' takes de dust of dat an' mix it wit dat whut yo' have taken up from his feet, an' dat would draw him back. Wit dat alum dat would draw him back. Yo' takes de alum an' put it in it. Dat alum is a drawin' somepin. See, ALUM WILL DRAW ANYTHIN DAT CHEW PUT IT ON MOSTLY. YO' take N put it on dere an' it will draw him back. [It is a common belief in hoodoo that alum draws, draws up, but I wonder about alum being used here. Is informant confusing the albumen of egg white with alum? Is he calling egg white alum?]
Entry 8914
I have heard 'em say that you could take a fork and stick it down at the gate or the entry or around the building near where you think they're going in, and make your wishes. And that'll keep 'em away, if you think a person's trying to steal - to perwent [prevent] a person stealing from you. And that'll keep people from talking about chew too, they say. Keep 'em from bothering you in any way, shape or form or fashion. [This fork rite has been taken over from methods to keep a hag or witch out of the house - see No.510, p.154, etc.]
Entry 8915
Yo' take a frog. Dat's when yo' wanta go in to git somepin. Yo' wants to go into a place to git sompin, certain things out. Well, yo' take dis frog an'you put him in yo' pocket live today. Well, yo' go in dis place an' smoke dis place off today. Well, yo' won't git nuthin today, but tuhmahrah [tomor- row] yo' intend to git whut chew Want. Yo' bring dis frog back an' buy yo' 15 buckshots, which yo' shoot in a gun. Yo'll put him over heah in de corner. He ain't going move. Yo'll roll dem shots to him an' he'll swallow every one of dem. Den yo'll pick him back up an' go to de store an' evahthing yo' calls for, evahthing yo' call fo', he'll nevah ask yo' fo' no money. [A frog swal- lowing buckshot is widely believed.]
Entry 8916
If a person steal somepin from yo', take sompin good, yo' know, somepin useful to yo', yo' kin take an' write dere name three times. Yo' write In de Name of de Father, Son an' de Holy Ghost three times. Den yo' write dat straight across lak dat three times [demonstrates], an' den yo' turn it an' yo' write it dis way [the same way], an' den yo' take dat an' fold it.
(Do you write the person's name first?)
No, yo' write it In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, three times.
(Then you turn it around and write it crosswise, in the same words?)
De same words, an' yo' writes de person name, too, but yo' write it undah dat, under de Father. See, yo' write it In Name de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' den de nex' line will be de person's name. An' when yo' writin' dis note, yo' makin' yore wishes to yoreself fo' de Lord tuh bring dese people back. An' den yo' write dat ag'in, an' den ag'in de [person's] name, an' [again] de Son an' de Father an' de Holy Ghost, until yo' git three of each. (First one and then the other [the names are on alternate lines]. There must be three of each on this paper. Then you turn your paper sideways and write the same thing down across the other six [lines of] names. Six crossing six?) Sho' [sure]. An' yo' place dis undah yore lamp, one dese li'le small lamps, yo' know. Dey call 'em scent [saint] lamps. Well, yo' take an' set one dem lamps on top of dat an' make yore wishes fo' dis person, an' in three days time whatevah yo' wish fo' comes [true]. [Years ago lamp rites were very common in New Orleans and the areas of its influence. This lamp was a real lamp, sometimes very small, always with a wick in a burner. Sanctuary or shrine or holy lights, giving lights of different colors and using floats were something else. Then, of course, candles surpassed all other forms of magic illumination - see for these candles, Pp.797-862, v.1, and other places; for 34 lamp rites, Nos.8578-8612, Pp.3524-3535, v.4, and other places. During my collecting days in New Orleans, scent or sent could mean saint, and also incense or scent.]
(They will bring back that article they have taken from you?)
Yessuh.
(They call them saint lamps?)
Yessuh.
Entry 8917
Somepin you - ah write dey name on it.
(You say in case you know who they are? This person that stole it from you?)
Yeah, dis person dat stole it, hit's goin' run in yore mind who got it, yo' see. Yo' goin' purtty near know about who de last person was in yore house, yo' see. An' take an' write dey name on a piece of papah an' put it in dat lamp an' burn dat lamp. An' de longer dat fuel - dat coal oil burn in dat lamp an' dat begin to makes him get worried. Make 'em feel bad, yo' see, an' dere conscience will condemn 'um. Dey'll say, Ah'm - ah took dis frm [from] him, ah'm qoin' carry it back to 'em. If dey don't bring it back to yo', dey'll put it where yo' kin get it, yo' see.
(I see.)
Dey'll bring it back in yore house - dey get a chance an' dey'll lay it down somewhere an' yo' find it.
Entry 8918
Well, if yo' didn't know just exactly who it was who stole it. If yo' knowed, had a idea, knew that was the one that brought it back - stole it - why yo' could, but if yo' didn't know, well, I have [never] heard what yo' could do.
(Well, if you know who stole it, then what should you do?)
Well, if yo' knowed who stole it, yo' could take his name an' he'd bring it back. You could take his name nine times an' wear it - put it in your lamp, put it in a closed place. Put it in the dark. Yo' could PUT IT IN A LAMP AND SET IT IN A DARK PLACE! And when that lamp burnt down, when that oil burnt down to that name, why he'd bring it back. [To burn a small lamp for hours in a dark place, sometimes a closet, could be a fire hazard!]
Entry 8919
If yo' wanted to go some place an' yo' wanted to - yo' just get yo' some mistletoe. Yo' boil dat mistletoe an' shrimps together.
(Shrimps?)
Mistletoe and shrimps. Yo' boil dat together an' yo' put some German Hearts Perfume with dat. (German Heart's Perfume?) German Hearts Perfume. Yo' put dat with de mistletoe an' de shrimps, yo' boil all dat together, an' yo' wash yore house good an' sprinkle dat. An' yo' could go out an' leave your door open, ain't nobody comin' in dere.
(To steal anything?)
No, sir, to steal anything.
Entry 8920
If you know de party's name wot got it, jes' write it down on a piece of paper, an' take a horseshoe an' nail it right in de center of de door, an' de same somebody wot got it will come back to yo' an' bring it. (You nail this name right in the center of the horseshoe over the door?) Jes' write it on a piece of paper an' put de nail dere an' put de paper dere too - put de paper on de nail first an' put de shoe right on top of it - right ovah de center of de door. De same party wot got it dey'll come an' have de sense to bring it back.
(If they stole this thing?)
If dey stole anything from yo'. An' if dey don't bring it back right den, dey will be messin' aroun' yuh an' dey commence to hintin' an' will bring it back. An' den tell yo': Yo' know all about such an' such a thing? Dey wants to see yo'. An' yo' don't know who it is. An' dey'll come an' have to sense of letting yo' have it back.
(How do you nail that horseshoe over the door?)
How do you nail it? Why yo' jes' take de nail an' set it up on dere.
(Are the two points [of the horseshoe] up or down, or how?)
Oh, de two points down.
Entry 8921
Now, if anyone has stole anythin' from yo', yo' go tuh some runnin' watah an' yo' write his name on dat piece of papah an' put slime or mud, whatso- evah it 'tis, an' call de Three Great Names - dat's de Father, Son an' de Holy Ghost, "may he bring dis back to me, ' an' throw it ovahbo'd. An' dat runnin' watah hit'll run back to yore house, bring it back to yore house. He pick some chance tuh bring it back, 'thout [without] chew seein' 'im. [The preceding expression Three Great Names is rare compared to the more usual ones of Three Highest Names and Three Holy Names. (If you think that's the person that stole the article, you write his name on a piece of paper, and you put this mud on the piece of paper.) Right on top of his name.
Entry 8922
Yo' will write dere name on paper an' stick it in a glass of water an turn it up right - if anybody done anythin' to yo', see, yo' turn dat paper bot- tom upwards, up side de house, an'when it tries to fall down, yo' do dat nine times. It shuh [sure] will bring 'em back. Don't care who it is. (Now, this is to bring them back. You write that name on a piece of paper just once. Then what do you do with that paper?) Jes' stick it up side de house, an' when it dry wit de water - see, jes' stick it in a glass of water an' stick it up side de house, an' when it dry, it will fall down. Well, de next time - like if yo' do it today - well, don't do it but once a day. An' de next day yo' do de same thing. It will jes' fall down. Nine days dey'll come back... If dey stole anything from yo' dey'll bring 'em back. (Do you put that paper on any particular side of the house or any place in the house?) Any place in the house jes' long as yo' hang it up side of de house.
Entry 8923
If yo' have any ideas who done it.
(Who stole that thing?)
If yo' have any ideas who done it, yo' git dere names, as ah tole yo' at first. An' have yore name on top, an' dere name at de bottom, an' take it - if dey stole yore chickens or a hog or whatsomevah dey stole, an' pin dem names down. An' dey'll be de first person de next mawnin' come tuh borry sompin, an' say, "Billy, ah've gotta tell yo'" [The first person to borrow something is a frequent element in witchcraft - 8ee FACI, 2nd ed., No.16338; and Hoodoo, Nos.497,499, p.151; etc.]
(If that person stole anything?)
Yes.
Entry 8924
Yo' kin write de name [of suspected thief] off of [with liquid from] Old Hundred [not the familiar tune first published about 155i, but a plant] an' witch hazel. Yo' git it [Old Hundred] out de ground, but chew [you] chop it up fine an' put witch hazel on it an' write de names off of dat. [This mixture is used as an lnk. I do not know either ordinary or scientific name of Old Hundred. Could this be hundred-lead grass, the yarrow (Achillea millefolium)?] An' de people whut stole anything, dey'll come back whah yuh is. An' put chur name on top of it [thief's name] an' weah [wear] it dat way. [Needless to say, the word witch in witch hazel, as well as intention, power this rite.] [Wilmington, N. Car., (220), 134:4+85; my original transcription by hand in MS.]
Entry 8925
When yo' git all to yo'- self - yo' know, at a certain time of de day, git off to yo'- self an' yo' meditate on dat, jis' lak yo' see 'im, yo's talkin' to him. Yo' say, call his name, says, "Charlies, yo' stolen mah pants. Ah want chew to bring 'em back." Jis' a few words, yo' know, sompin lak dat. Yore mind an' his mind will turn an' contact together. That's what chew call kind of auto-suggestion. (I see, that will make him bring back this stolen article.)
During a described meditation, the informant supplies 'Charlies, yo' stolen mah pants. Ah want chew to bring 'em back' as example words addressed as if to the person.
Entry 8926
If someone done stole somepin from yuh an' yo' might have a idea who it is - yo' might spot him [catch sight of him by chance] - yo'll pass by his home. Yo' might spread jis' a little stuff [when you are passing his house]. An' while yo' burnin' dis incence [at home] yo'll call his name three times, an' have yore back do' or yore back room window hysted [hoisted]. While yo' call his name, jes' trouble to leave yore window up an' he'll bring it back an' throw it in de house.
(You say you burn something?)
Yes, yo' burn this incense an' call his name three times.
(I see, and he'll bring it back.)
Yes, he'll bring it.
(That's in a case where a fellow doesn't want to go to the law about it.)
Entry 8927
If a person come in here an' steal somepin from yo', he may steal five dollars or he may steal ten dollars. Well, now yo' go to bed. Yo' wanta go down an' put de law behin' [the thief], but don' chew do dat. Yo' ain't gotta put de law behin' 'em. Den go to work an' lay down in yore bed at night an' de fust thing yo' dream yo' git up. De fust thing yo' have in yore dreams, yo' git up. Yo' go an' take up yo' right-footed shoe. An' take it an' put it at de head of yo' bed, underneath chure head. Well, de fust thing yo' dream after yo' put it underneath chew head, yo' come downstairs an' take some soda, cookin' soda, in yo' hand. An' take some table salt an' put it in yo' hand, an' a little bit of red pepper an' put it in yore hand. Go to de do' an' call three names of de ones dat been to yore house. An' dat man will come back dat night an' bring dat back an' say he got it.
Entry 8928
If yo' is in time, he ain't git rid of it, yo' understand. Dere's whole lotta time a person steal somepin from yo', why - now jes' like ah came in here, yo' might have a pin or sompin. I might take dat pin [I had no pin but a cheap fountain pen lying near my Numbers Book on interviewing table.] [I] done steal it an' carry it to a pawn shop an' pawn it, sompin lak dat; or done sell it to somebody, see. But now, if I ain't sell it, if I jes keepin' it to wear it fer myself; well, dere's a way fer me to make yo' bring dat back, yo' see. Yo'll wonder [wander] around de house an' wonder who taked dat pin off chere [here, off the table]. Wonder who carried dat knife or somepin of mine - dis whatsomever be steal. "Well, So-an'-so been heah today. He must be him. He must be he carried it." Jes' like yo' might have a girl friend or somepin like dat. She might come in dere an' she might take it away, see. Well, yo' go to work an' yo' call dat person name three times, see. Yo' call de name three times as yo' walk to dat do' an' den yo'll walk back into de house. Yo'll walk to de windah dere. Yo'll walk to dat windah an' I'll call her name again, twice see. Right from de do'. Yo' walk in de do' first. All right, yo' walk back from de do' to de windah. When yo' walk to de do', yo' call her three times. Yo' walk back from de do' an' yo' walk to de windah an' yo' call her twice. All right, yo' walk, well, perhaps yo' might have - yo' might go to de windah in de room. Yo' go to de windah in de room an' yo'll say, "Oh, Daisy! Oh, Peters!" er [or] sompin like dat. Or "James." Well, yo' jes' don't make a big call, yo' understand. People think yo' might be crazy or sompin like dat. But, yo' see, when yo' make dat last [call], perhaps she might be back to see yo' in an hour, be back in de mawnin'. She jes' couldn't keep it, or he, who- somever got it.
(The last time you call right out the window?)
Loud. Yes, de last time yo' call one time. The first time yo' call three times, the second time yo' call twice. Jes' like yo' go to de do', walk to dat, etc.
Entry 8929
I know a case about a fellow name of William Mitchell. He broke in a fellah's house an' he stole some suits. An' he [a hoodoo investigator] goes on to this house there an' he seen where he broke in that house. An' they suspected this man, which it was. An' they took William Mitchell name an' they buried William Mitchell name at the back steps. They bury this at the back steps an' walks on down, an' they sprinkle some sugar, yo' know, out to de trail. An' as yo' go out, say, "William Metchell, Willy Mitchell, Willy Mitchel." Yo' gotta say it nine times, yo' see. "Yo' re- turn them goods." Yo' see. But he did return de goods, but I'll tell yo' how he did return them goods. He returned them goods in another party's house - under de house, yo' know. So he [doctor] told de party [hiring him], he say, "I seen de people who broke in dat house an' I seen where they cached de stuff." [Doctor saw this in a vision or by other means]. Yo' see? But dat sugar - yo' see when yo' sprinkle it out there, yo' see [you sprinkle] behin' 'im. An' they had his name down there nine times an' they had it crossed - across it nine time an' with that circle. Well, he couldn't get rid of de stuff. De stuff was found at another house before they was - under de house - but he did take de stuff, all right.
Entry 8930
Well now, if you - like you was to take a dollah, say fo' 'ninstan' [an instant = an instance], if you'd take a dollah, or if yo' took mah glasses, or if yo' took anything out mah house, or anything yo' take from me, if yo' steal it from me in the street, I gits a red onion. Listen at me good. I splits dis red onion, but not let it come apart. See, yo' jis'gash it like that [demonstrates].
(You turn it like that, gash it through the side, not from top to bottom.)
Well now, you take an' git five drops spirits turpentine. Yo'll write your name on a cigarette papah. Like your name John James, I'll put in on a ciga- rette papah, put five drops of spirits turpentine, put that name [in the split onion], then put about two little pinches of cayenne pepper, an' spit in it five times, an' make yo' a woosh [wish]. An' then I take yeh [the onion holding your name] an' bur' [bury] mah things back. If yo' don't it'll run yo' crazy, if yo' didn't. See, that will drindle right on your mind 'bout choo takin' mah glasses.
Entry 8931
I wouldn't say that would have power to bring 'em back, but I tell yo' what yo' can easily do. Yo' can do this: If a person steals somepin from yo', yo' can take three pins - three safety pins. Yo' can take three safety pins an' write that person name on there. (On what?) On a piece of plain white writing paper like - take like yo' write letter, like yo' see me do now [demonstrates]. Write that person name, three times, with three pins, an' stick 'em through their name, through that name, the three names, an' wrap it up an' wear it in your pocket, an' I'll bet yo' what- ever [money] yo' got. Yo' jis' take three ordinary safety pins of the same size an' wrap 'em through that, stick 'em through that paper an' wrap it, an' put it in your purse or your pocket an' wear it. An' I'll bet yo' them stolen things - it won't be three days before yo' find out who and where it is. If they don't bring 'em back, yo'll give 'em a chase. But yo'll get it.
Entry 8932
I've heard them say that you can take a red-hot poker and stick it in the chicken house and all the chickens will jump on it and you can take them out and no one will ever know it. [For another chicken-stealing rite, see 8936.]
Entry 8933
(You'll know who stole it.)
Then you can make them bring it back.
(How do you do that?)
Now, I got to give you the Bible for that ag'in. You read the 65th Psalm three times a day and when you read that Psalm, you say your prayers and call dat person's name and they'll come back. If they don't give it to you, they'll put it on back where you can find it. [This Psalm may have been picked out of the hat (number chosen at random) or it may depend upon verse 2: O thou that hearest prayer, unto' thee shall all flesh come (King James Version). A great many rites, mere statements of Bible reading or praying, I never recorded. Here a Psalm 3 times a day could be considered a magic rite.]
Entry 8934
If anybody would take anything from yo' an' yo' wanted 'em tuh return it back, dey tell me yo' takes an' put rice in ev'ry do' an' yo' walks ovah dis do'. Yo' walks ovah de rice fo' nine diff'ren' days, an' dey say dat dey would return it back.
(Anything that they have stolen.)
Entry 8935
Yo' get yo' a old shoe somewhere, see, an' yo' take an' yo' cut it up good - jis' want de sole of it. An' cut it up good. An' yo' get yo' some brim- stone, see that's a powder, jis' like steel dust. See. An' yo' get yo' some sweet cinnamon an' yo' mix that up together. Yo' takes dat shoe sole an' yo' lights it. See, make a smoke out of it. An' get yo' a little bit of, small quantity of sul- phur, yo' see, an' sprinkle that on that shoe sole. That's to make it burn, yo' understand. All right, then yo' takes this other powder and sprinkle that on there, an' yo' wraps it up in a cloth, preventing it from burn- ing out so soon, yo' see. An' yo' lights it, yo' see. Well, that's goin' burn to a smoke, yo' see. Well, when that smoke starts to smoking, there's nobody gona fool 'round that house atall. See, ever'body comes there an' 'tempts [at- tempts] to go in there, it creates a fear on 'em. See, they losing no time in bothering 'round there atall. Yo' kin leave your house wide open, there ain't nobody goin' in, yo' see.
(That will keep the thieves away?)
Keep the thieves away - ain't nobody goin' in.
Entry 8936
They take some sulphur and set it on fire and put it through the chicken coop. They tell me that sulphur [stops] 'fusion [confusion], the noise of the chickens, an' yo' kin go right in there and get up all chickens. [For another chicken-stealing rite, see 8932.]
Entry 8937
To keep a dog from interfering with you, take a piece of biscuit or a piece of bread and wear it under your arm, then take that to any man's house, no matter how bad his dog is, give him that piece of bread, any hour of the night, and he will eat it, and you can go there and he won't do anything.
Entry 8938
Yo' go an' git some - his [one of thief'sl han'ke'chef. Dat [handkerchief] chew wipe yer sweat wit, an' put some cologne on it. Wrop 'em [handkerchief] up tight. Wrop 'em up in yer han' an' dat will 'fect chew [the thief].
(Well, how can you do it, if you don't know who stole those articles?)
[Informant ignores or does not understand my question.]
An' when yo' go tuh dis court, yo' start tuh wipe yer face wit it.
(But what about the person that steals something from you?)
Well, dat would be de same.
(Well, how would you know that this is the person that stole it from you?)
Becuz he be roun' yo', he come tuh yo' an' pick talk wit chew, an' ast [ask] chew: Ain't chew lost sompin? Yo' say, Yes.
Entry 8939
If yo' got any way of leaving your friends, if yo' got a idea of that, of somebody goin' to come there an' trouble yo', yo' understand. Yo' know, all yo' have to do, use this here steel dust and this cinnamon an' sugar. That will sweeten up the place there and they will change their mind. Yo' see, yo' takes a bottle of vinegar and the apartment have - probably may two or three windows into the apartment where you at. Well, yo' take this fresh bottle of vinegar - yo' could get a nickeZ[!] bottle of vinegar - an' yo' put it in a dif- ferent bottle [bottles numbering] just how many windows or doors that you got. Yo' take your cinnamon an' this steel dust an' yo' put down in there [bottles] an' sugar. Put it [bottle] down beneath any window or any door, where they could enter into the building. Just put that there. Every time they get there, their mind is upsetted - changed.
(Do you mix this stuff with the vinegar or use the vinegar alone?)
The vinegar and this here steel dust and this [cinnamon and sugar].
(What do you use the vinegar for?)
The vinegar, that's the strength - to strengthen, to sour it.
(Oh! To strengthen it.)
And sour it. Yo' see, that's to sour that - just like that sugah, that sugah sweetenin' that vinegar. Yo' see? Then yo' take lemons, such as lemon juice, an' squeeze it down in there. Well, yo' put it at all the windows in any little bit of bottle - small little bottle - an' just shake it. An' yo' put it in dere. Well, anywhere round that building they come at, that sugar an' sweetening. When they get there, they'll say, "Oh, well, I'll delay that for another day."
(They won't take anything from there? Won't steal anything from there?)
No, never would take nuthin.
Entry 8940
Somebody stealin' anything from you an' he passes.through de door - he's gotta, yo' know. Yo' take a axe an' go right over de door, on de inside an' on de outside, cut off little splinters, don't care how small it is. An' go right out into the yard where there's a cart, or a wagon or automobile or anything. If it's a automobile, you've got to jack the wheel up. Then yo' lose it so yo' kin pull it off de axle an' put de two splinters right in there, an' shove it right back on. An' yo' call this thief: Thief, turn your ways backwards. Oh, Thief, yo' shall be turned back. Yo' shall stand up in your track. Yo' shall not walk one inch front nor back until yo' come back an' bring my stolen' goods to me. Say that three times. An' stop asking him to bring it back and walk away. In less time than thirty minutes, yo'll see someone coming.
Entry 8941
Yo', go tuh - jes' lak yo' know dere name - well, yo' ain't gotta know dere name. Yo'd know zactly who did it. Yo' go tuh a wagon - yo' know jes' lak dere a ole wagon settin' out in de lot or somepin. Yo' go dere an' - de firs' thing yo' do, de do' where dey go out of, yo' go tuh it an' trim de facin' of dat do'. Jes' trim a li'le offa de face on each side of dat do'. Go tuh dat wagon an' take dat hub off. Take dat wheel off an' put dem trimmin's right on dat axle, on dat hub dere, an' put chure wheel back on it. Ah reckon it'll stay. An' den yo' turn it backwards one time an' turn it forward twice. Tell dat thief tuh bring dem goods back. An' dey brings it back. (You turn that wheel backwards once, and then forward twice while you are telling him to bring those things back. You only get some shaving though of each side of the door and put them on the axle and put the wheel back on the wagon?) Dat's right. Yo' understand.
Entry 8942
No - if yo' know where - if dey went in de front do', yo' jes' cut a piece off dat do' an' yo' take it an' pull off a wheel - jack up de wagon an' yo' stick dat wood in dere [on the axle] an' yo' [restore wheel and] turn it to yo' all de time. Yo' turn dat wheel to yo' an' jes' [say], "Ah demand yo' to return dis stolen goods' or sompin lak dat. Dey'll come tuh yuh, yes sir [and return goods]. But chew cut a piece from de gate or any place which dey'd be in - git chew jes' a small piece - it don't have to be so large an' yo' turn de wheel. Turns it to yuh, if yo' would have dem come to yuh, which dey more den apt.
Entry 8943
De do' what chew goin' thru, de threshhold of de do', an' yo' cut a piece of chip from dere.
(A chip out of that door, that the thief has gone out.)
Yes. An' den ag'in, dey gits a wagon in de yard. Put dose chips into de axle of de Wagon an' den turn it backwards. An' call de thief name: In de Name of de Father an' of de Son an' de Holy Ghost, bring back whut chew done took. See, say dat, an' turn de wheel backwards. Say [turn] it backwards fast. An' yo' turn dat backwards fast. An' fo' [before] three times three days, dem people come back. If dey don't bring dat, dey'll put it on a place somewhere yo' kin find it. (This thing they took from you.)
Entry 8944
" Jes' lak somebody take somepin outa dis room heah. Yo' kin take a knife an' trim off a li'le trimmin' off dat do' dere, where yo' go out. An' yo' kin take an' care [carry] it - go tuh a man who got a wagon an' take de left-hand reah [rear] wheel off. An' put dat on dat spindle where dat[wheel] turn ovah on - put dat trimmin' whut chew got off dat do'. An' put de wheel back on dere an' yo' say, Thief, return, an' yo' turn dat wheel far- vards three times an' den yo' turn it backwards. Say, Thief, return de stolen goods which was taken outen mah possession. An' in seven days he'll return dose goods back to yo' - money or anything else. An' if he haven't got de goods, he'll come an' tell yo' dat he'll pay yo' fo' dose goods.
Entry 8945
If somebody steal sompin from yo' an' yo' want 'em tuh bring it back, yo' take dere names an' write it on a piece of papah an' put it in de wagon, undah [inside] de wagon wheel. Put it in dere an' turn dat wagon wheel ovah nine times. An' dey will be forced tuh bring it back to yo'. Call 'em when yo' turn dat thing - turn dat wheel - call 'em an' tell 'em: Yo' must come back heah tuh me an' bring dat whut chew took away. Yo' must come back an' bring it to me. De Father bids yo' come, de Son bids yo' come, de Holy Ghost bids yo' come, an' yo' must come back an' bring it back in Jesus Name.
(Do you turn that wagon wheel around either way?)
Turn it to yo' nine ways [times - see preceding nine times].
Entry 8946
If someone steals somepin from yo', take a wagon wheel, an' yo' chop nine - if yo' find de door, yo' kin make dem bring it back. Yo' chop nine pieces out of the wagon wheel an' yo' get by de door an' yo' roll de wagon wheel back an' forth, an' [while] demanding de person to bring back de packages of merchandise which dey stole. (You roll this wagon wheel back and forth?) But never around. (In the door?) In de door. Jis' get there an' start in de door wit de wagon wheel an' carry it round an' roun' but don't never carry it all de way over. Somepin like a spinnin' wheel, say it's a spinnin' wheel. Well, yo' put this on two pieces of wood lak dat an' carry it half an' half - half an' half, but never all de way around. (How do you mean you put two pieces of wood? Do you put pieces of wood through the hub?) Yeah, [put stick, only one] through de hub an' yo' stand it [wheel] up. On [through] it [the stick], an den yo' roll it half disaway an' half dataway, jes' turn it lak dat: Yo' return my dress, yo' return my dress, return my dress, return my dress, thief. (And what do you do with those nine pieces of wood you took out of the wagon wheel?) De nine pieces of wood is fo' de nine days dat dey's to return it in.
(What do you do with the wood then?)
Yo' jes' throws de wood away. De wood is not necessary to chop, it's in de wheel dat counts.
Entry 8947
I tried it mahself. Yo' can take a wheel off a wagon an' dere's a word yo' use, but ah can't speak, but ah know it's in Hebrew. An' yo' spins dis wheeL An' at a certain time dey'll [thief will] bring it back. Take it off a wagon, see, but ah can't speak de words not by experi- ence of 'em. (I see, that will make them bring back that stolen article.
Entry 8948
Ah've heard tell of 'em gittin' a li'le splinter, a li'le chip out de Wagon wheel. Ah've heard tell of 'em gittin' a li'le piece out de wagon wheel an' yo' carry dat, in case a person took anything from yo'. An' carry dat to an oak tree an' drive dat wagon wheel [chip] in dere, dat li'le stob. Yo' drive it an' yo' hit in nine mawnin's. An' dey say dat de rogue will return de stuff back to yo'. Whosomevah took anythin' from 'em, dey will return it back to 'em. Dat's whut dey say about a wagon wheel.
Entry 8949
They say that you can go to a brook where the water runs continuously, nice, clear brook and you naturally have suspects. You get water from the brook right there and you put sand in the bot- tom of the container, sand from around the place, and you put the names of all the suspects in that container. When they get wet they'll go to the bottom but the guilty person's name will rise to the top.
(To find out the person who stole from you?)
Yes sir.
Entry 8950
You will go to a creek where ther's water running at. You get you some of that sand out of the bottom of that creek. See, some of that white sand, and you get you some of that run- ning water, see. You brings it back home, you puts it in a clean basin. See, put that sand in the bottom of that basin. You puts that water in there. You take and you write your name on a piece of paper nine times. See. And you puts it in that water. Well, it's natural when that paper gets wet, it's going to sink under that water, you understand. That paper sinks under there and you stand up in it and you repeat the Lord's Prayer for seven times and make your wish. And whosomever got anything from you, they ain't going to rest until they bring it back.
(I see, if anybody has stolen anything?)
If anybody stole anything, it keep 'em tormented until he bring it back. (What do you mean by repeating the prayers seven times? You mean all on this one day?) Yes, sir.
(Or seven different days?)
Oh, no sir, just one time, yo' see. An' while yo' repeating that, that paper going to come back to the top of the water, you see. And when it come, it going to begin to float around, see. It float around, you see on that water. An' then you don't take it out; see, yo' leave that paper float in that water. See. And it's goin' keep him tormented until he brings that back. It going to create a fear on him, he can't rest nowhere.
(I see.) [New Orleans, La., (873), 1426:4.]
[Despite the following do-it-yourself rites about court cases, it was always advisable in serious crimes to employ the service of an expert, especially of a legendary person like Doctor Buzzard, who never appeared in court but sent an animal to do his work (pp.891-905). At an earlier date some witchcraft people could break up a trial by thunder and lightning, so it is said. Much of this court material is scattered throughout Hoodoo - see interview COURTROOM SPECIAL- IST, Pp.1423-1449, v.2; SIFTER AND SCISSORS, No.604, p.204, v.1; and especially a rite, No.9024 in this present section, one of the finest statements in Hoodoo; My amazing experience with Doctor Washington of Charleston, S. Car. He, using me as a guinea pig, explains how he could free me from the clutches of the law, if I were a bootlegger and had been arrested! This freedom he describes by asking me questions and then answering them himself - Shakespearian! Indirectly he will bribe the court through a go-between with the money I pay him in advance, keeping a part of it as his commission, and work his real magic with 2 black hens. Washington, after talking to me, had a fight with another doctor out in the court- yard of the house where I was interviewing. I refer to this fracas later while in Brunswick, Ga., after two doctors likewise had a quarrel outside the house where I interviewed (lines 5-6, 15-16, p.337, v.1). Washington, as also most other doctors, paid me the great compliment of my life, without any suggestion or pretense of mine. He and they considered me a hoodoo man from New York City! Big-city life would make me ignorant of animals that crawled or hopped or flew. Consequently he offered to help me by taking over any live-things-in-you cases coming my Way in Charleston - See DOCTOR WASHINGTON ASKS FOR DOCTOR HYATT'S "LIVE-THINGS-IN-YOU" CASES, pp.2253-2258, v.3.]