Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 4, entries 5206–8881)/Part 29
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 4, entries 5206–8881. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 7446
Yo' take yo' a aig an' yo' write his name on it.
(Whose name?)
De fellah's name whut did de killin', nine times, an' yo' bury it. An' in nine days he will come back. Dat's if he's run away some place an' dey cain't ketch 'im, cain't git 'im. (Where do you bury that egg?) Yo' bury dat aig right undah yore steps.
Entry 7447
Ah've hear'd dis about a person dat got killed. Jes' lak ah would kill somebody an' nobody roun' know who done it, but de way tuh find out who done it, who really done it, is wit dis dead person. Yo' put an aig in dey han' an' write on de aig. "Mur- derer come back." An' let it stay 24 hours an' dey'll ketch 'im.
Entry 7448
(How long ago did it happen?)
Long as they make [I interrupt].
(This story that you are going to tell me, how long ago did it take place?)
What about, de eggs?
(Yes.)
Of a man killin' a man?
(Yes, well, you said it was about three months ago?)
Yeah, about three months ago I saw dat happen, jes' whut I'm speakin' about now.
(Well, tell me the whole story.)
[This murder occurred near the end of 1937.]
A man, he wus livin' wit a woman an' him an' dis woman had separated. Dis wo- nan mixed up wit anothah man. An' so, well, dis man what had been livin' wit de woman come by de house. So dis [new] man, he hadn't been roun' dere long, no one knows nuthin of 'im. So he told dis man, he say, "Listen," he said, "I'm livin' here now," he say, '"I don't wan' choo to come nowhere roun' where I'm livin' at, I don't wan' choo a-comin' wit dis woman." So, he [former man] say, "All right." So he leaves dere. So one day de man wus off workin' an' he came by dere an' somebody told 'im dat de nan had been by dis house again. So it wus dat Saturday night. So dat Saturday night he couldn't fin' dis fellah. Dat Sundah jes' about twelve o'clock, he finded dis fellah. He wus playin' cards - him an' anothah fellah vus playin' a game dey call Coon Can.
(Coon Can?)
Coon Can, yes, dat's a game dey play wit ten cards - [something] was 'leven. An' when dis [former] fellah saw 'im - he had told people all up an' down Morris- town, dat anywhere he see dis fellah, he wus goin' to kill 'im.
(That was here in New Orleans?)
No, dis was out in de country at a little town dey call Morristown. I was done raised dere. An' so when dis fellah gits near 'im - some of 'is frien's had told 'im dat dis fellah had been lookin' fer 'im wit a pistol to kill 'im. Well, when he saw dis fellah, he wus settin' down behind a barrel. An' when dis fellah walked aroun' de barrel, well, dis fellah saw 'im an' he jumps up an' run. But he had de seven of di'monds in 'is han'. He shot 'im four times - four times - shot him twice through de heart, once in de leg an' in de side - killed 'im an' lef'. Nobody knows nuthin of 'im, didn't know where he had came from or nuthin of de kin'. So, a old lady, she took two eggs an' put 'em in 'is han's befo' he got stiff, put two eggs. Dey waked 'im [held a wake for the corpse] wit two eggs in 'is han's. Well, when dey comin' down to bury 'em dat nex' day, dey buried 'em - she told 'em, she say, "Now listen, dis man gone. We knows nuthin' about 'im, don't know whut way he gone, or nuthin of de kin'." An' so dey buried dis man on 'is face. An' she say, "De day when dem eggs bust, dis man will be back." Sure 'nuff, dey did dat, de family agreed to do it. Well, in about eight or nine days, close as I could guess, dem eggs must-a busted, cuz de man comes an' gives up 'imself. He walked into a big old, tavern-like, a white fellah has. Mr. Tim [Somebody], he runs a big ole place of business, yo' know, like dat, an' he walks up in dere. So, Stinwall was de sheriff, yo' know. Someone undah 'im [deputy], so he told 'im, he said, "Well, I come to give myself up." An' he wus speakin' to Stinwall's brother at de time - dey call 'im Amos. He said, "Give yourself up?" He said, "Yeah." Well, he didn't know 'im. He said, "Who are yo'." An' he said, "I'm de one dat killed de fellah in Morris- town." He said, "Well, mah brothah ain't here, "' he said, ''but wait a few min- utes." Like dat - which he didn't have no business comin' up in dat white de- partment, you see. So dey rings 'is brothah up an' de brothah came down dere an' got 'im an' carried 'im to Pepulo? jail. Dey ast 'im why had he come back. He said, he jes' couldn't have no peace of 'im leavin' from dere. He didn't think he'd done jes' right, dat he had taken somepin dat he couldn't give. (HOW DO THEY WAKE A PERSON UP THERE IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY? What do they do?) Well, jes' like you die. Well, out in de country dere ain't no place fo' to embalm 'em, see. Dey jes' have to keep yo' ovahnight, but here dey takes yo' an' jes' like de undahtakah gits us - well, dey take yo' an' dey embalm yo'. Well, dey don't have nuthin but singin' an' prayin' ovah yo', yo' know, like dat. Jes' like if any of yo' is Baptist or Methodist or Cath'lic, or anythin' like dat. Well, if dey's Cath'lic, well dey don't have no wake, dey'll jes' be a-settin' up dere wit yo'. Den de priest - befo' yo' die, de priest comes an' gives yo' a blessing.
(Well, how do they wake them out in the country?)
[I want a few more details about the country wake.]
Out in de country, well dey jes' preach a funeral or tell 'em yore life - yo' know, jes' de life yo' lived, if yo' wus a Christian.
(If you had a good or bad life?)
Yeah, if yo' followed Christianity.
[I do not forget the eggs!]
(Well, when they buried this fellow, did they take the eggs out of his hand?)
Left 'em in 'is han' - buried 'im wit de eggs in 'is han's.
Entry 7449
If de man daid an' dey wanta know who killed 'im. Well, dey take dis daid man an' put a aig in each one of 'is han's an' yo' bury'i on 'is face. De person dat done dat will return an' acknowledge dat dey did dat. Dat's whut dey tell me.
Entry 7450
Put an egg in each hand of the murdered man, bury him face doon, and that will bring murderer back.
Entry 7451
All yo' do, go whah dey got, yo' know in de country whah dey got fresh- laid aigs. An' dat daid man, yo' take 'im an' bury 'im wit one fresh aig in each han'. An' in two or three weeks time, dat man whut did de killin', he gon'a come right back.
Entry 7452
Ah tell yo' whut chew do, if a man git killed an' yo' don' know who did it, tryin' tuh find out. Yo' kin take two fresh hen aigs an' put 'em in each han'. Now lotsa times yo' jes' write de man's name yo' think it is, or sompin lak dat, but de main point, yo' jes' write, "Murderer give up. ". Jes' write on it, "Murderer, give up, " an' "In the Name of God." An' put it in 'is han's. Keep 'im out de groun' 36 hours, den go 'head an' bury 'im, if he's not come. But ah'd be willin' tuh bet he'll be dere befo yo' bury 'im.
(You don't bury him with those eggs in his hands?)
Yessuh, de aig in each han', let 'em stay in dere, hen aig. Jes' so it's a fresh one. Now yo' don' want no cold storage aig. Yo' wants a fresh hen aig. An' if he hasn't give up in de 36 hours, he will give up an' it 'twon't be long.
Entry 7453
An' den yo' kin take a egg, or de same egg, same kin'a egg, if somebody kill someone, an' aftah dey kill someone - well a fellah killed one of us color- ed an' my grandfathah did dis. I know dis. An' he take dem eggs an' he put 'em in de person's han's an' cross de han's jes' lak dat, an' dey caught 'im. (When they put those eggs in the hands, they had to cross the hands?) Yes sir, cross de han's jes' dat way witeggs. (Cross the breast?) Cross de breast, an' he couldn't go away. Dey caught 'im.
Entry 7454
When you put him in this casket [cof- fin] jis' put two hen aigs - fresh hen aigs - [one] under each arm [in each armpit].
Entry 7455
Put an egg under each arm of the mur- dered man and leave three days and break them just before burial.
Entry 7456
De aigs from a black hen. (Get two eggs from a black hen.) Yo' bury 'em, one undah each pit of de dead man's arm, an' when yo' bury 'em dat way, den dis fellah wandah back.
Entry 7457
Ah've heard 'em say if a person killed a person, befo' yo' bury 'em, if yo' take a aig from a black [hen] an' put it undah each arm befo' yo' bury de body, whosomevah it is kilt 'em will come; if de aig busts befo' yo' bury 'em, dey'll have tuh come an' give deyself up. Both of 'em yessuh, up undah de arm- pits.
Entry 7458
Yo' take two black hen aigs. Yo' take one an' put it at his haid on de left side in de coffin or casket or whatevah it is, an' yo' take one an' put it in his left hand. Dat's whut ah've heard, an' say when dat aig bursts, dey'll have tuh come back. Say, dey'll have tuh come back an' surrender.
Entry 7459
Yo' take a black hen aig, jes' lak anybody git killed, an' yo' put one in de man's han' when yo' bury 'im. Den yo' bury one at de haid of de grave an' de person cain't go no place. Dey'll come back an' admit whut dey did.
(Which hand do you bury it in, either hand?) Let's see, ah think it's de left hand. Turn it down, yo' know de sharp point down. (When you bury these eggs, at the head of the grave, bury with the sharp point down.) At de haid of de grave, yes.
Entry 7460
(Do you take these two black eggs from the same hen, then?) No, sir. Yo' have to get a egg from each hen. (From each black hen?) Each black hen. (That you put in this man's hands?) In his hands. (To bring back the fellow that ran away, that killed this man?) To bring back the fellah dat killed 'im.
Entry 7461
Get two black hen eggs, Write mur- derer's name all over eggs, put one in each hand.
Entry 7462
Dey put two fresh eggs in de dead person's hands an' bury 'im wit dem two fresh eggs - black hen eggs - an' he'll come right straight back to where he done it den.
Entry 7463
This is only a small parable I want to give as an idea. If a young girl would go out wit some boy [if] he would drown this girl. Af- ter this girl had been drowned, she would rise in three day's time. All right. They go to some foreteller an' she say, "Yes, that's what you want." Well, the final facts - if the people want to see the facts - wants this boy to do the same thing that this girl did, commit suicide. Yo' may go to work an' take a rope, before buryin' dis girl, an' place aroun' 'er neck. Tie it, bring through each arm an' tie each arm.
(Tie her arms behind her?)
No, tie 'em down.
(I see, tie them down.)
The next knot goes in around her waist, but a piece of new rope. Then tie the legs together. May look an' git two black hen eggs, put in each hand an' cross 'em up in each hand. Bury the girl on 'er face. In nine days time or five days, this fellow will be floatin' round the same place where this girl was picked up from.
Entry 7464
Bury 'im on 'is face wit a aig in each han' an' tie him wit a piece of seagrass rope. Dat wuz done heah not so long ago right in dis town, ovah de ri- vah at least. (What will that do then?) Dat'll make 'im come back an' give himself up. (You tie that on his hands or?) Tie de feets togethah wit dat piece of seagrass rope, an' dey han's wit de two aigs. Not at dey face, but dere han's wit de two aigs, an' dey'll sho' come back. Any kinda chicken aigs, hen aigs, yo' know.
(You bury the man on his back?)
On 'is face.
Entry 7465
Yo' kin take, yo' see, lak if a man would kill a person, go to a stream an' take three eggs, jes' git yo' three eggs an' bur' 'em in de watah in somepin dat de eggs'll stay down dere 'til dey rot. Take dem eggs an' bur' 'em until dey git soaked in watah. Take three eggs while dis pusson is bein' waked - lak at a wake. An' bur' 'em. Bury dat per- son wit dem eggs in dere han's. Put de eggs in dere han's. An' when dat pusson is buried, if dem eggs bu'st in dere han's, aftah dey are buried - when dem eggs bu'st, aftah dem eggs bu'st, dat pusson dat kill dat pusson is comin' back to dat same scene at where he committed de crime.
(What did you bury those eggs in the water for?)
Yo' take dose eggs an' bur' dem in de watah, if yo' don't bur' dem, don't git a chance to bur' dem in de pusson's han's when he's bein' bur-ried, yo' kin take dose eggs an' wrap 'em in somepin an' bur' 'em in de watah. Yo' undahstan'?
(Oh! I see.)
An' bur' dem in de watah. But be sure dat de eggs dat yo' use come out of de house where's de pusson who is waked. Dat's been - dat's in dat house dat night, dat pusson who is waked in dat house. An' bury 'em undah watah, bury 'em in somepin so dey can't come up on de top of de watah. An' when dem eggs bu'st undah dat watah, dat pusson'll come back jes' de same if dose eggs were buried in de han's of dat pusson.
(How many eggs did you say you used?)
Take yo' three if yo' bury 'em in de watah. If yo' bury de pusson [use two eggs], put a egg in each han' - in each han' of de pusson.
(Well, why do you take three if you bury them in the water?)
Becuz yo' got no body - yo' buryin' two eggs wit de body. But when yo' bury de three eggs, one egg represents de body, an' de othah two eggs represent de han's of de pusson dat dey in.
(Oh! I see.)
Yo' undahstan' now? How it is?
(Yeah, I undahstan'.)
Yo' got no body in de watah.
(Any particular kind of eggs?)
Hen eggs.
(From any kind of a chicken?)
Take a black chicken. Eggs from a black chicken. Git yo' three eggs from a black chicken.
Entry 7466
If a man killed somebody an' run away, yo' will take de daid one an lay 'im on 'is face. An' yo' git three fresh aigs an' put one in each han'. Put one in each one of 'is han's an' lay one undah heah, right up undah his chin heah. Lay 'im on 'is face, de daid one. Dat's if yo' cain't identify de fellah, yo' lay de dead one on 'is face an' put one dem fresh aigs in each han' an' lay de one right undah his neck heah undah his face. If dat man, if he won' come back dere, he be put where he kin be seen.
Entry 7467
Yo' take three black hen eggs an' yo' shore [sure] dey black hen eggs, an' yo' take an' yo' put - yo' half boil it [them] an' yo' put [demonstrates] one undah dis heah an' one dere an' one 'tween 'is legs. [One...heah an' one dere are quite all right while I watch informant's actions of pointing under each arm, but next week or next year I may not understand the words. That is the reason why I must always describe actions when possible, as follows:] (Wait a minute! You put one in his left armpit, and one in his right armpit, and one there, next to his privates.) In dere, yes. An' den yo' put on 'is clothes an' bur' 'im, an' whoevah killed 'im, dey got to come to dat spot an' dey be picked up.
(I see, they'll be picked up.)
Dat's for sure.
(I see.)
Well, yo' have to half boil dose black hen eggs - jes' halfways - to control dat dey won't be so easily rotted. Dey -yo wants 'em good enough to stan awhile. Use half-boiled eggs.
(I see.)
Cuz if dey are raw in handlin' de dead dey bu'st. A half day dey are bu'sted. (I see. Don't use raw ones because they might bu'st in handling the dead. That's the reason they boil them, so that they will be harder?) Yes, a little bit. An' de party will natchly [naturally] come back where he killed dat man an' want to be [taken].
[Informant now adds a variant of what can be done with the third egg.]
Put de party's name on a piece of papah - de one who killed 'im, write 'is name on de papah an' put it 'tween 'is legs wit a egg 'tween 'is legs. He has got to come to dat spot.
(I see.)
Entry 7468
Well, if a man kill a man an' yo' know where he's at an' yo' want 'im to die, at de same moment durin' de right time, yo' takes three eggs. (What kind of eggs?) Black hen eggs. Yo' go to 'is house an' yo' throw dat egg on 'is house an' call 'is name an' cuss 'im de same time. Nex' mawnin' de undahtakah dere - de coffin man.
Entry 7469
Lak he be dere. Well yo' kin put two aigs in each 'is han', bury 'im Wit two aigs in each han'. An' yo' kin put a bran'-new pocket han'chuf ovah 'is face, an' whoevah dat kill 'im, dat will draw dat person back.
(How do you put that handkerchief over his face?)
Jis' put it catah-cornah [here diamond-shaped to face] ovah dey face lak dat [demonstrates]. (One point to the head [forehead], one to the throat, and one tovard each shoulder. You mean put two eggs in each hand. Use four eggs. Any kind ofeggs?) Yes, any fresh hen aigs.
Entry 7470
Put two eggs under each arm and one under the head of the murdered aan, and after these five eggs rot and bu'st in the grave the murderer will return.
Entry 7471
If a man happen tuh kill a man an' he fall of his face. If he fall on 'is face, if yo' kin go dere tuh de spot where he fall, an' git some of dat dirt where his face wus lyin', an' take dat dirt an' carry it right tuh dis person house whut kill 'im, an' sprinkle it roun' in de yard, or undah de step where some of 'is family prob'ly walk ovah it, dat'll bring 'im back.
Entry 7472
Turn the murdered man on his face an' leave him on his face until the next day. [If the man fell on his face, leave him face down until following day. In former days and until recently in isolated communities, the body was buried the day after death.]
Entry 7473
Jes' lak if a man is dead, killed, an' yo' wanta keep 'im [murderer] from runnin' away, dere ain't - yo' ain't got but one thing to do. Jes' like ah'd kill a man an' dey wanted to ketch me an' didn't want me to git away, he wouldn't have but one thing to do. Bury de man on 'is face. Bury 'im on 'is face an' dere ain't no ways fer 'im to git away. Might go off but he'd have to come back.
Entry 7474
Jes' lak yo' kill some of mah fren's. Ah dunno [don't know] who done it, but ah got-a idea dat sech-an'-sech-a-one done it. Ah'll take de dead per- son an' turn 'im on 'is face an' de man who done it [I interrupt]. (Where are you going to turn him on his face? Where?) Turn 'im on 'is face in de coffin. Co'se yo' don't want it tuh be public. Yo' kin git de undahtakah to turn dis person on 'is face when he go tuh bury 'im. Covah 'im on up, an' aftah dat de fellah who done it will go tuh lingahin'. He'll go to lingahin' an' he'll nevah stop till he die an' follah shortly aftah. An' if dere fo' or five in de crowd dat kill.dis man - fo' or five in de crowd dat kill 'im - all who in dat crowd will certainly follah [because they did not help victim or report the crime, etc.].
Entry 7475
If he kill dis man an' put 'is han' on 'im [abuses body after the kill- ing] an' go away, why when dey bury dis man an' turn 'im on 'is face, den dis per- son hav to come [back] an' dey git 'im.
(What do you mean that if he put his hand on him?)
Lak if he killed dis man an' knock or move him aroun' aftah he kill 'em an' 'is han' went on 'im, why den when dey bury dis person dey turn 'im on 'is face an' dis person will have tuh come back.
Entry 7476
Lay de man on 'is face, put 'im in 'is casket [coffin] an' bury 'im on 'is face, an' dey says dat de man dat killed 'im will come back an' confess.
Entry 7478
Bury dat [murdered] man on 'is face an' he'll [murderer will] come back.
The account says to bury a man on his face. The murdered and murderer identifications come from editorial insertions; no burial or return is established.
Entry 7480
Bury murdered man on face to bring murderer back.[ Vicksburg, Miss.,
(?), 1034:1.]
The printed statement presents burial on the face as intended to bring a murderer back. Its attached citation remains separate; no burial or return is established.
Entry 7482
If the murdered persons falls on his face and is buried on his face the murderer will return.
Entry 7483
Yo' kin kill a person an' go to a fig tree an' git some of de leaves off dat fig tree an' put 'em in each one of yore shoe. No mat- tah whut chew done done, dey can't ketch yo' den.
Entry 7484
Ah know two diff'rent ways yo' kin use a file. Perhaps yo' is out some place an' yo' is run intuh somepin. Yo' might be in de road yo' might say, an' yo' might be afraid tuh stay in de road or on de highway, yo' know, an' yo' might have tuh take to de woods. Well, yo' wouldn't wanta do dat. If yo' had a bran'-new file, yo' could jes' stick dat: file in a telegram [telegraph] post an' dey couldn't call [telegraph] nowhere. An' dat'd give yo' a chance tuh git away until dey'd come an' fin' dat file in dat post.
Entry 7485
Jes' lak if a person's goin' - jes' say yo'd walk ovah dis flo' heah. Now, yo' could take yore square yo' know an' yo' could take de measure of dat. Take de measure of dat shoe [foot track]. Take de measure of dat shoe an' yo' cut dat, cut dat jes' lak dis heah, yo' undahstan', jes' de shape of dat shoe. See [demonstrates], heah yo' go. See, yo' take dat shoe [track]. Yo' take dat shoe an' yo' measure dat. Yo' take dat up an' yo' watch it, yo' watch de shape of dat shoe. An' yo'll take, say a horseshoe an' yo'll nail dat right up ovah as yo' come - forty inches about dat gate dere - nail dat up dere. An if dey done did anythin' dishones', dey'll come back jes' lak a dead man, de per- son who made dat track, dey'll come back to dat place.
(If they killed anybody?)
If dey killed anybody dey'll come right back to dat place. (Do you put up this shoe track you make [from measurement] under the horse- shoe?) Yes, put dat undah de horseshoe. Nail dat horseshoe.
Entry 7486
Ah've heard of dem takin' de man's tracks, de one dat done de killin', taken 'is tracks an' puttin' dat dirt into de casket, jes' sew it up in a bag, an' put it right into de casket, an' dey claim dat man, if he leaves, he will come back. (The man that did the killing, he will come back if his foot tracks are buried in the casket.) In de casket wit de dead man dat he killed.
Entry 7487
(What do you do now when this man is killed?)
Get dis niggah's tracks what killed 'im an' put 'em right by dis man's grave, an' turn dis man ovah face on dat track. He can't go.
(He can't run away.)
[The word nigger is used four or five times by black persons in HOoDoo.]
Entry 7488
Dere's a way dat dey could bury 'im. Ah know dat a personal fact. A frien' of mine got killed an' dey turned 'im on 'is face - dey buried 'im on 'is face. An' it's a known fact dat if somebody killed anybody, an' if yo' bury 'em on dey face an' yo' turn dey haid eastward an' face it westwards, dey can't go nowhere - dey gotta come back. (The fellow that killed him will come back?) Yessiree. It ain't no if about dat business. Dat Big Boy Brown killed a frien' of mine. Big Boy wus a friend of mine an' also dis ole man dat he killed. Ah know becuz ah got in some trouble right chere mahself at de time an' ah had tuh go to jail. Me an' 'im wus in jail at de same time. Had 'im in dere firs' an' ah got in a little trouble aftah.
(This other fellow that killed the old man?)
Yes sir.
Entry 7489
It depends upon how he fall. If he fall wit 'is face to de groun', yo' can't help but come back. But in ordah to bring 'im back, yo' take dis man an' keep 'is body laid east - head east an' feets west. An' yo' reads de Ten Commandments wit dat, an' wit'in de nex' nine days he'll have to come back.
Entry 7490
Ah tell yo' it make sure yo' wouldn't last long. Dat's de easiest method. Ah seed dat done right in mah home. (In Orangeburg.) In Orangeburg [S. Car.]. Ah knowed dey [normally] dig dat grave lak dat - digs de grave up an' down, east an' west. Well dey turn it lak dat [demon- strates north and south, see later], see, an' drives de footstep, de footpost [footboard] down so yo' can't see dat atall, an' leave de head [headboard] stand- in'.
[I now explain preceding demonstrations.]
(You make this grave north and south and you drive the footboard all the way down.) All de way down an' de head [board] you leave high. Den yo' go back home, now, an' yo' done find out dis fellah git killed, an' yo' goes an' yo' turns - jes' lak yo' dies on dis bed [in interviewing room]. Dat's dere three days. Yo' lay ovah a couple of days. Yo' take dese clothes whut he gits killed in an' bury de clothes. Bury de same clothes. Be sure dat yo' bury 'em at, right by 'is do though.
(By whose door?)
By de fellah who do de killin'. Well, he cain't git away dere cuz he have to walk both ways. An' de firs' time dat he walks ovah it, or de firs' day dat he be's neah around it, he'll git right up an' say, "Ah don't feel good," an' he start tuh throw up. He start tuh throw up in is sleep, yo' know, "Sech-an-sech- a-one bothahin' me. Oh, ah gotta go pay dis man. Ah gits sick." Dat wus fer de - dat wus fer de murderer's death sure. Ah see dat happen. Ah standin' in de room right nex' to - lak dat room dere, an' he's talkin' to me. He's dead but he - he gotta go to pay a debt. Now, dat ketch 'im, he ain't gonna live long cuz yo' done crossed 'im 'cross de world, see [with the north-south grave]. But he's goin' follah 'im down. Dis man [his spirit] gonna worry 'im. Soon as he see dat, he goin' - well he ain't goin' live long: He'll die about a day or two aftah.
Entry 7491
Bury 'im on 'is face crossways of de worl' - no'th an' south. Yo' know, prack'ly [practically] dey buries 'em east an' west, but chew jes' bury 'im on 'is face, bury 'im no'th an' south an' he'll come back.
(That fellow who killed him will come back?)
Yes sir, he'll come back.
Entry 7492
Lak if ah wus to kill a man an' tried to git away, an' yo' want me caught. Why yo' jes' when yo' bury dis man, don't place dis man east an' west. Jes' take him an' bury 'im on 'is face north an' south, an' if ah go anywhere why ah turn an' come back.
Entry 7493
Well, dey takes 'im, de dead man who got killed an' bury 'im on 'is face. Den dey cut a lock of hair out de mole of 'is haid. Den dey bury dat near as dey kin find neah where dis man killed dis man at, an' dat man will be caught. An' den de person who bury him, de kinfolks, will walk ovah aroun' dis man three times an' bury de thing, dis lock of hair, an' he will be caught in three months or three years. (After they find this dead man they bury him and they walk around him three times and then bury his hair out where he was killed?) Yes. (Do they walk around the dead man as soon as he is killed or after he is buried or what?) After he is buried.
(Then they catch the fellow who has killed him.)
Entry 7494
I know how to do dat if dey wanted tuh ketch dat man. Said yo' go to de cemetery where dey bear [bury] dat man. Jes' lak dey bear de person. Den yo' go dere an' change dem stakes, change dat footbo'd an' dat headbo'd. Jes' lak yo' take de footbo'd an' put it tuh de haid an' take de head- bo'd an' put it to de foot. An' said dey would have tuh come back if dey gone.
(You go to the grave of the man who was killed?)
Yes.
(And do that to bring back his murderer?)
Yes, an' he have tuh come dere.
Entry 7495
Yo' kin take an' go to dat grave where dat man whut got kilt. Go to his grave an' yo' kin take de headbo'd an' carry it to de foot. Take de foot- bo'd an' carry it to de head, an' say, "Whosomevah kilt dat person." He's shure tuh come back an' admit dat he did de crime.
Entry 7496
Mah gran'mothah says, she says, it's a devil's shoestring. She say yo' tie dis roun' yore waist - roun'about, yo'know right 'long heah [demonstrates], an' yo' git chew a little bag a sand an' put on each end of dis devil's shoestring, an' de man dat'll appear - yore mind will jes' come to 'im [your mind will show you a. picture of the killer]. De man dat did dis to yo', yo'll see 'im. An' in othah words yo' be lookin' out fo' dat. An' de first man dat chure 'tention [attention] strike an' he gits in yore mind, vell dat's de man dat really did de killin'. Yo' kin take, lak dis [dead] man dere, yo' kin git some of de dirt offa his grave an' jes' scattah it round, yo' know, lak.
(This dirt now, what about that?)
Three days aftah de man is buried yo' kin take dis dirt an' scattah it along dis road, an' if dis man evah comes along dis road ag'in, he'll show 'imself up. In othah words, if he evah cross where yo' scattah dis dirt, in othah words, de spirit is not normal till three days aftah, den yo' git it offa dere an' scattah it 'cross de road.
Entry 7497
Go tuh de graveyard ag'in an' take a piece of silvah. Yo' take a large piece of silvah when yo' want chure work done. Yo' go tuh a baby's grave - yo know, a child's grave, an' yo' say - face de risin sun - an' yo' say, "In de Name of de Fathah, an' Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Ghost, de man dat killed mah husban', brothah, sis- tah or whoevah it wuz, ah want chew tuh bring 'im back befo' de sun sets." An' dey say gen'ly [generally] comes. Come back an' connect aroun' where he kin be caught.
Entry 7498
Dey says if yo' kin git dis man track, yo' kin bring 'im back. If yo' can't git 'is track, take anythin' belongin' to dis man an' anythin' lak dat. (The man that did the killing?) Yes sir, an' he gone. But, jes' lak yo' kin take de bow off 'is hat. If yo' kin git any hat or anythin' dat belongs to de man, yo' take dat an' wheah dis crime is committed an' wit graveyard dirt, yo' bury it dere.
(You bury it where?)
At de graveyard. [No], yo' git de graveyard dirt an' yo' bury it wheah dis crime is committed, yo' know wheah he did de killin', an' he'll have to come back; if not, to dat house, he'll come back in dat neighborhood.
(Out of what graveyard do you get that dirt?)
Yo' git it out from on top of a wicked grave, a person dat chew know died wicked. Yo' go an' git 'is dirt.
Entry 7499
If you git his [the murderer's] dirty clothes, you kin take his dirty clothes an' yo' kin carry 'em to de cemetery an' yo' bury dem clothes.
Entry 7500
An' jes' lak if a murdah' [murderer] have did somepin, why go tuh de cemetery tuh a fresh grave, de freshest grave dat chew kin fin'. Go dere an git chew some graveyard dirt an' take two pennies an' some watah an' put it into a bottle an put that graveyard dirt in dere an' shake it up an' set it aside until yo' see bubbles come from it, until bubbles from dem pennies in dat watah. When dem bubbles start, 'is min' is gittin' bad. He'll come right straight back tuh where he killed dis fellah.
Entry 7501
Jes' take of dat dirt, yo' know graveyard, an' a frog. Yo' lay 'im on his back in dat dirt an' yo' put some weight on 'im an' cover 'im an' let 'im stay dere, so he cain't move no ways. Well, he's stay dere - see, he'll smothah in dat. Well, he's comin' back an' he'll find out.
(Well, where are you going to put this frog?)
Undah de steps. Yo' put dat weight ovah 'im, lay 'im on 'is back. (What do you do this for? For what purpose?) Tuh make him come back, de murderer.
Entry 7502
But de way dis would be done, yo'd have to know de person name - yo' have to know de person name. (The man who killed this man.) Lak yo' knew 'is name an' yo' know he done it, dey ain't caught 'im yet. Well, now yo' could take de Bible an' a key an' dere certain words yo' could say den an' dat pahtiklah [particular] person when yo' git to dat name, dat Bible would turn an' fall. [For Bible and key rites, See 550f., p.167f., and elsewhere.]
Entry 7503
Bury the murderer's name [if known] with the corpse to bring back mur- derer.
The account says to bury a name with the corpse but does not specify its physical carrier. If known is editorial, and the intended return is not established.
Entry 7504
They tell me if anybody git murdered an' de fam'ly don't know who do it, or if dey know an' dey can't do anythin' about it. Sometime dese people [who murder] have deyself fixed lak dat an' yo' can't do anythin', see. (This is my only example of a person contemplating murder can go to a hoodoo doctor to be dressed so that he will never be caught or convicted. A person can also have himself dressed by a doctor as a protection against being murdered.] Dey say yo' jes' write de person's name an' put 'em undah de dead tongue an' den yo' [I interrupt].
(You write the person's name and put it under the what?)
Put it in de mouth under de dead tongue.
(Oh! Under the tongue in the dead man's mouth.)
An' den yo' go an' eithah yo' dress de box [coffin] fer de person [murderer], or yo' put somepin in de grave [dress de grave] befo' yo' bury de dead, ah hear dem say. An' dey say dat person won't be long befo' dey follah de dead. (Well, when you put this name under his tongue, do you have to do anything else?) No, sir, 'cept to put de name undah de tongue. De person name, yo' jes.' write 'em on dere an' put it undah.
Entry 7505
Well, it's jes' lak dis now, if yo' kill my brothah, or my sister, or any relation of me. All right. Well, dey'll take 'im to de undahtakah an' de undahtakah will 'balm dat body. Well aftah 'balmin' dat body dey will take 'im, an' have a wake - jes' lak dey call set up, yo' know, set up wit 'em yo' undah- stan' dat night, see. An' de nex' day dey bury 'em. [This burial the day fol- lowing death is almost the rule in these 4 volumes of HOODOO.] Well, dey set up wi t 'em dat night an' de nex' day dey'll take 'em to de cemetery. Well, aftah takin' 'em to de cemetery, yo' let 'em lay dere three days see, an' de third yo' die an' de third day yo' rose. All right. Aftah dey rose - yo' will rise on de third day - an' aftah dey rose, an' I knows it's de third day, well, I'll go to dat grave an' I'll stan' at de haid an' I'll call dat person who kill yo'. I will call 'im three times. See. Aftah I call 'em three times, I will call 'em twice, an' [after] I call 'em twice, den I'll turn around an' call 'em once [magic of diminishing amount] right at de head of de grave. An' [when] I call 'em once, den I'll kneel down an' I ask de Lord fo' what I want to be done to 'im. An' jes' de same [way] he killed yo' or me - if he killed me wit a knife, somebody will shoot 'im an' kill 'im; an' if he shoot me, somebody will cut 'im to death. [Murderer will suffer a death different from the one he gave.] See, but he'll have to die somehow.
Entry 7506
Dere's things yo' kin do to de dead man. If yo' go to dis dead man, dey claim to his grave, nine mawnin's an' call 'is name an' ast 'im who killed 'im, dey claim dat he'll tell yo' in de ninth mawnin'. (What time do you go out there in the morning? You go out there in the ' morning, you say.) Yes, go out to dis body jes' 'fore day - jes' since it's night.
Entry 7507
Shot to death. Well, now if yo' is shot to death, yo' jes' take an' go in de woods an' dey git somepin dey calls scrubby oak [second-growth oak?] switch. Well yo' git one of dose switches, an' de very person whut's dead in de coffin, yo' take an' put dat in 'is han'. Put dat switch in 'is han' in de coffin, see, an' tell 'im, say, "Whip dis person across de whole worl'" - jes' who his name wus, yo' undah- stan' - "whip him until he git enough." Jes' call de dead person name an' also dis othah man's name - see, what did de killin' - an' den yo' close 'is hand on it. See [demonstrates] jes' close his hand right up on it, an' he'll finish drawin' up [!!!]. See. An' den when yo' bury 'im, in spirit dis same scrubby- oak switch an' dis fellah in spirit will whip dis othah fellah until he die. He won't live very long. If he live six months he doin' good. [Charleston, S. Car.,
(?).639:2+85.]
Entry 7508
I have often times hear, that if you kill a man and it is not proven that you killed him, and you really did kill him, and you go in his presence, and his eyes being shut and he is dead, you take an eye prop and open this man's eyes with the eye prop. And the last man that was in his presence of the dead man, his picture will be in the eyes of the dead man. [This belief known everywhere, see Fayetteville, N. Car., No.94, p.37.]
Entry 7509
If murdered person's eyes remain open, the eyes will follow 'em [murder- er]; gazing in direction murderer went.
[For the same belief from Wilson, N. Car., see No.95, p.37.]
Entry 7510
In de olden time, mah fathah tole me dat a man had got in a lil' argument wit a man an' de man killed 'im an' run away, lef' town - left outa town altogethah. Well, de peoples den worried about 'im an' wanted tuh git 'im back an' wanted to make him pull some time [spend time in jail] fo' it or have him killed [by the law]. Dey went to dis man [doctor]. Dis man fixed up a lil' sack about dat long, an' said, "Yo' tote dis in yore pocket fo' yoreself." [This sack or hand was given to dead man's brother.] An' says, "Ah'm goin' fix [cunjure] 'im. Ah'll have him back in three days." He [doctor] taken de man's pichure an' 'is name an' put it in dat pichure, an' so he went to de do'step an' put it down [buried it] an' said, "Dis man will come back in dis house fo' dis pichure, come back to dis house." An' he [brother] went on an' did dis. He didn't think dere wuz anything to it. In three days de man come back an' he axed 'im did he know anything about his brothah bein' killed an' did he commit it, an' he's de one killed 'im when he left.
Entry 7511
If dey kin git 'is pichure, jes' lak if yo' wuz stayin' heah an' yo'd kill somebody an' ah wanted tuh git chew back home. Ah wanted tuh find out who it wus did it, ah'd take an' come heah an' git chure Pichure. An' take some quicksilvah an' some sulphur an' some salt an' put it all togethah. An' den some Adam-an'-Eve [root] an' put dat wit it. An' take it an' sew it up an' carry it tuh mah house, an' put it undah mah do'step, an' in two day's time yo'd be back. An' yo'd tell somebody dat chew de one dat did it. It would keep worryin' yo' till yo' did.
Entry 7512
If a person kill a person, yo' kin take an' take dere pichure. [You do not photograph the murderer but try to find a photograph of him.] Jis' have dere pichure an' yo' kin take dat pichure an' - de one dat done dis killin' yo' undahstan' - an' yo' kin take it roun' in de cornah in de south end of de house on de block an' yo' kin bury dat on its face. Dat'll make him come back, too, outside of [the same as] dat aig. It's bettah den dat aig. [Informant had pre- viously given an egg rite.]
(You bury the picture to the south side of your house?)
Yessuh, becuz reason ah know, a boy kill mah brothah an' he sho' [sure] come back an' dey caught 'im right heah in'Memphis.
Entry 7513
Dey could bring 'im wit 'is pichure as ah fir' [first] said. Well now, dey take his pichure an' turn it bottomside upward to de wall on Write his name wit blood.
[This rite is also used to bring back a lover - see No.3839, p.2511.]
(With blood?)
Yeah.
(What kind of blood?)
Well any kinda blood. Write his name in dere an' turn 'is pichure up ag'in [against] de wall like dat, where nobody would 'sturb [disturb] dat pichure. Let dat pichure stay fer 9 days. Well, ef dat pichure's dere, wheresomevah he is he's worried. Well, he'll be worried until he comes back to de same place where he done de killin' at. (In using that blood, do you use a person's blood or the blood of an animal or what?) Why yo' kin use de blood of a animal or anything, but chew have to have his initials.
Entry 7514
Bury 'im wit 'is head down an' is feet up.
(You mean upside down, standing on his head?)
Yes sir. Dat'll bring 'im back. [Here again, as in the preceding rites, it is assumed that the killer is known and that his photograph is available. Despite the indefiniteness of informant's statement, a photograph, not the corpse, is buried head down.]
Entry 7515
If yo' find a person daid an' yo' wanta find out who killed 'im - ah jes' tell yo' whut dey said, ah don' know. Dey say 'cordin' to how de man is layin', which way he's facin'. If he's layin' ovah on 'is side turnin' ovah on 'is face, de fellah dat killed 'im comin' back. An' says if yo' wan' to, when dey give de man a Wake, yo' go dere three nights han'rnnin' [= hand running = consecutively] at one 'clock at night an' say a prayah an' de one dat killed [him], he'll come dere durin' dat prayer. (You say if they found a man killed they just let him lie there and then his friends would go there every night for three nights and pray over the body, and the fellow that killed him would come back?) Durin' de third night. He would have to heah de prayah. [My comment apparently says the dead body lies at the scene of the crime of three days, so that his friends could go there three consecutive nights and pray over the body. My mistake began with the word when - when dey give de man a wake When, of course, here means after - after dey give de man a wake etc. On the three nights following the wake, friends at one o'clock visit the scene of the crime and say a special prayer to bring back the killer. The body was buried the day after the wake, that is, the day after the murder.]
Entry 7516
Dey take graveyard dirt an' put it in dey shoe an' dat will keep dem from interferin' in de family, an' it will cause dere death. Say, if yo' kill dat person yondah, well yo' bury 'em. An' ah'll go take some graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it ovah yore flo' an' put some in yore shoes, an' when yo' go out an' travel on, yo' tell it 'fore yo' know it.
(You'll find out on me that I killed that man. How would you find it out?)
By dat graveyard dirt. Yo' lay down an' go tuh sleep an' yo' know yo' did a bad crime. an' yo' - why den yo' go an' tell it. Dey go an' stick yore fingah in a pan of watah [while you are asleep] an' yo' tell evahthing about it. [Wilson, N. Car., (1474), 2654:7.] [This section contains merely a part of the many beliefs and rites in Hoodoo about death, burial and graveyard (see preceding section MURDER and everyvhere); therefore the subject matter here is not as complete as it could be. I have divided the section into three subsections, the first two concerned with grave- yard dirt: (1) HOW TO OBTAIN GRAVEYARD DIRT, and (2) WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT; and (3) COFFINS REAL OR MOCK - PHOTOGRAPH AND COFFIN - DOLL BABY - ANIMAL SUBSTITUTE - BONES FROM THE DEAD. This latter subsection (3) will be given in lettered subsubsections as we reach them.] [Graveyard dirt or dust, the most deadly and feared hoodoo substance, is act- ivated by the spirit of a dead person - a dangerous power to handle. An amateur would be wise to leave graveyard dirt in the hands of an expert, but if he or she desires a do-it-yourself experience or wants to avoid professional expense, here are the rules and procedures to be observed, beginning with a few words about the spirit itself.] [The Spirit in Graveyard Dirt is the same spirit we met at the beginning of Hoodoo (vol.1, Pp.19-164) and elsewhere in the text. Beliefs and rites in this subsubsection reestablish former atmosphere:]
Entry 7517
Yes sir, ah kin go to de graveyard an' git some dirt an' put it into dis room [in Wynn Hotel where I was interviewing, see INTRO. v.1, p. XXX, line 9] an' ah betcha [bet you] can't stay in heah at night. Dere be's somepin all in de cornahs - jes' well, yo' gotta git eveh [every] grain of dat [dirt], yo' can't [become scared and] back aways from 'em [spirit]. Dat's to make, to run a person outa de house, see. Dat will run yo' outa de house. [This opening paragraph contains one of the great laws of the spirit: the complete spirit is in every grain of that graveyard dirt - see margin title, PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE OF SPIRIT, p.21.] Dey take dat stuff - ah kin take some an' carry it to a person's house what ah wants [to move into] an' jes' walk in dere wit it in mah pocket, an' throw it all aroun' in de cornahs wit'out people not knowin' it. In a few days dey'll say dere house is ha'nted, dey'll move. Well, dat's de evil spirit comin' back fer dat dirt, to take it back to dat cemetery. To git some of dat dirt, what chew gotta do, yo' gotta put one cent down dere 'fo' [before] yo' kin bring it away; else yo' can't bring it away, so much racket be aroun' dere [the grave] dat yo' can't bring it away.
Entry 7518
An' dey put it in yore bed.
(This graveyard dirt?)
Yes sir, eithah sprinkle it aroun' yore house or anything like dat. (Well, what do they put it in the bed for? What will that do if they put it in the bed?) Well, yo' see, de dead would come where de dust is. Dat'll harm. Yo' see, yo' can't sleep at night. Take it - an' de bed will 'come [become] de way de dust is, if it wus somebody who wus evil, becuz dey done me like dat.
Entry 7519
People say dat chew could go tuh de fo'ks of de road - like two roads cross [crossroad] yuh know. A person walk in dere an' if yuh wan' 'em back, yuh kin take yore han' an' pull away de left [foot] track - dis is de heart [side] chew know - back tuh yuh, jis' a little bit of dirt out de hollah [= con- cave portion of bottom of foot, called ball of foot by some informants]. An' take dat an' put a little bit of - go tuh de graveyard an' git chew some, jis' lak if somebody yuh know is dead, Mary or John, somebody. Yuh say - yuh go tuh de grave yard an' says, "Mary, ah wan' chew tuh help me. An' ah wan' chew tuh follah me." Says, "Ah wan'a buy some of yore dirt." See, if yo' don't drop dem pennies yuh'll be robbin' de dead. An' run yore han' down about lak dat [usually to the elbow] where it nex' tuh [over] de heart an' take out a snuffbox full. Take dat an' some black peppah an' de track, an' jis' put a little bit in de cornah of yore house de foah cornahs. [This is one of the many four corners of the earth rites in Hoodoo.] An' if it's a woman [who left], she'll come right back - she can't leave. If it's a man he'll come back. An' dat spirit will follah yuh, guide yuh evahwhere yuh go.
(Make you come back.)
[This same rite, with a slight variation, is now used for customers if you are in business:] Fo' frien's [customers], de same thing ah tole yuh 'bout dat grave. Yuh know frien's will speak tuh frien's. Yuh git chew some dirt, don't have no track in it yuh know. Jis' go dere an' git dat dirt an' have a little - yuh git a [new] box of black peppah an' don' use it fo' nuthin but dat. Shake a little bit of black peppah in dere an' jis' carry dat black peppah an' de graveyard dirt [back home]. Yuh wanta gain frien's when yuh in business. An' put some in yore coat Pocket an' yuh be laughin' an' talkin', jis' sorta foolin' around - yuh be - lak shakin' yore han's or somepin. [Here informant, according to my penciled nota- tion made while checking original cylinder reads: "Lowers her voice and begins to whisper." Evidently she was afraid someone could hear through the closed door.] Slap [throw] dat roun' an' wherevah it be it will draw dem - wherevah yuh at, in yore store or any business. An' dey will flock tuh yuh. Now ah've heard dat.
(You use black pepper and graveyard dirt together.)
Dat's right.
(And you get the graveyard dirt just the way you got it before?)
Yeah. Now, yuh see, yore han' drop in three pennies, an' covah de grave up, jis' lak yuh do wit chure han's yuh know. If yuh don't drop in pennies, yuh will rob de dead. If yuh carry somebody wit chew, den yuh will drop in silvah, a dime [tol keep from robbin' de dead. [THE LAST STATEMENT - PENNIES IF ALONE OR A DIME IF SOMEONE ACCOMPANIES YOU - IS PROBABLY MY ONLY EXAMPLE OF THIS BELIEF. As We shall see, a dime, no longer of silver, is sometimes given to the spirit; BUT TAKING A COMPANION WITH YOU VIOLATES THE NORMAL CUSTOM OF ONE PERSON APPROACHING THE SPIRIT.]
Entry 7520
[Florence, South Carolina - scene of my following experience with a doctor in 1939 - was with the surrounding country still a prominent hoodoo lo- cality. For years before my time it had been ranked along the Atlantic Coast as second only to Beaufort (Bū'fert) of the same state. My question to the doc- tor is unrecorded but easily recoverable from what he says. Here we have an expert at work.] Now dey've put it [witchcraft] on yo' an' sont [sent] chew 'way from heah. All right, yo' come tuh me, er [or] some of yore folks come tuh me an' say, "Mah husban', er mah son, er mah sistah, er mah fathah, er [mah] mothah's gone away an' ah haven't done anythin' in de worl' tuh 'em." All right. Dey'll come tuh me an' ah'll say, "Well, yo' come back heah in de mawnin'." Ah wouldn't do anythin' in dat time [in the meantime]. [Here is the magic delay frequently found in Hoodoo but prominently mentioned 329.6 only once - see 964, p.361.] Yo' come back dere in de mawnin'. Yo' lay yore han's upon mine an' ah'll look up tuh de no'th an' ah'll talk tuh God. An' aftah ah talk wit God, ah take a piece of red flannel cloth an' take two pennies. Ah'll tie nine knots in dat cloth an' ah'll give it tuh yo'. Ah'll say, "At twelve a'clock tuhnight or twelve a'clock tuhmorrah, yo' be at de ceme- tery. Be dere at twelve on de minute." Aftah yo' be dere, yo' go down an' yo' take de haidbo'd [headboard] up, take up de haidbo'd an' say, "Dead! Dead! Dead! Mah son is gone away, " er "mah hus- ban'" - jes' eithah one [who left] yo' know. "Ah want dem tuh return." Take dat haidbo'd an' care [carry] it tuh de foots, an' pull de feet up an' stick it dowa dere.
(Stick the headboard down at the foot?)
Yes sir. Come on roun' wit dat foot tuh de haid, an' git tuh de feet chewself. "Dead! Dead! Dead! Mah some is gone away from me. Ah wants 'im tuh return." Turn dat on roun' heah. Yo' git dere at de haid." 'Dead! Dead! Dead! Mah son is gone away. Ah want 'im tuh return." Take dose two pennies an' stick 'em right down in dere.
(In that hole at the head?)
At de haid. An' stick dat haidbo'd [footboard] down in dere. Undahstan' me plainly. Stick it down in dere. An' git chews up, call 'em three times at ary [each] place an' take up three [demonstrates]. Dat's one, two, dat's three, handfuls of dat sand dirt.
(Where are you picking that up from, now?)
Out de haid. Den yo' put dose pennies down in dere. Den yo' take dat dirt an' put it in a piece of red flannel cloth an' tie nine knots in it, an' take it tuh yore house, at twelve a'clock an' put it in de chimley. Take nine little bits outa dat [graveyard dirt] befo' yo' put it in dere, an' go tuh evah cornah of yore house an' put [demonstrates] one dere, one dere an' one dere, an' one heah - dat's fo' cornahs. Put 'em dere an' den put dat in de chimley. An' don' Say nuthin tO nObody an' gO on out. DON'T LOOK BACKWARD OR YO' BE IN DE CEMETERY. Don't say nuthin tuh nobody until yo' git home tuh yore gate. DOSE ARE THIN'S DAT CHANGES FATE.
(When you go out there at twelve o'clock what is it, day or night?)
Don't make any diff'rence. (When you first go there, you take the footboard up - no, you take the head- board up and you put it down at the foot. Then you take the footboard up and put it down at the head. Then you take them again?) Oh, nO! Yo' CHANGE DE END WIT DE WORL'. IT'S WHAT CHEW WILL, yo' understan'.
[Here is the importance of will or intention.]
(This is to bring them back?)
An' when ah change de end wit de worl' he comin' back. [As an explanation of change de end wit de worl', I can only repeat informant's preceding words: Dose are things dat changes fate.]
(And when you get this dirt, you only get it from the head?)
From de haid. (And you put those pennies down in the headboard hole, and you take the dirt out of the head [board] hole and take it back to the house.) Yes.
Entry 7521
Gotta go to graveyard at night 'tween one an' two - dat's de time yo' gotta go. When yo' go dere yo' gotta have a heartless spirit - yes, dose terri- ble dead people yo' know. Well, jes' de way some of 'em is kilt, dey fs holler- in' dat same thing an' doin' it. Well, yo' go to dat certain grave dat dis person want dis dirt off. Ah'll go dere in de daytime an' pick dat grave out. Den ah'll go dere in de night, go in dere at one 'clock an' fes' dig doom in dere an git de dirt off dat certain person's grave. Well, ah'll come to yo' an' tell yo', ah say, "Nou, yo' take dis dirt an' if yo' wanta move such a one out chure house, yo' take dat dirt an' sprinkle it all roun' in dat house an' dat person can't say in dere to save dere life." An' dat very man yo' wus talkin' to he knows all about it, 'cuz he's de one tole me about it.
Entry 7522
Jis' what sickness, what disease dey died wit - why where dat woman is, maybe she step ovah it, why she will git de reflect of dat. If dey dies wit T. B., why de T. B's will reveal on yo'; an' if dey dies wit rheuma- tism, yo'll take effect of dat. See, all dat comes out of dat bone, yo' see.
Entry 7523
Listen, yo' kin go tuh de cemetery an' go to a grave dat chew know, know who it is dat's buried dere. Yo' kin git chew five pounds de dirt off dere, if yo' know who dey is. Take dat dirt but leave a ' nickel. Listen! Stick it in de top of dat grave an' jis' spread de dirt back ovah it. See, yo' payin' 'em fo' dat dirt, yo' see. Yo' bring dat dirt back in dat tin pan an' set it in de no'th cornah of de room. Ah don' ca' [care] who move dere. But let dis dirt come outa de colored cemetery, not de white, becuz white rules de while an' colored rules de colored. An' set it in dere an' cain't no- body stay in dat house, until dey goes an' moves dat dirt - whoevah puts it dere take it out an' destroy it.
(You would see that dirt in there wouldn't you?)
Yes, yo' would see de dirt, but if yo' would disturb dis dirt - yo' could throw it out, why you couldn't even stay dere. If yo' destroy dat, yo' jis' take it outa dere, yo' bound tuh walk an' git some of it on yo' feets. Dat's jis' as well as puttin' it in de house. An' s'long as yo' keep it roun', it disturb yo', s see.
Entry 7524
[Despite the rule in the preceding margin title, the following two rites are the exceptions proving the rule. Moreover, if I remember correctly, they are also the only two beliefs permitting a black person to use graveyard dirt from a white per- son's grave. The fol- lowing words may be a third exception: yo' could go tuh de grove- yard...take...three pennies an' go PAY WHITE OR COLORED - see interview RAGGEDY HAN, p.2195, line 19.] [I have never heard how you] harm anybody wit graveyard dirt but I have heard dis: I've heard dat yo' git graveyard dirt, an' a button from a rattlesnake, an' two teeth from a cotton-mouth blacksnake - two of 'is front teeth. Dey say dat yo' kin take dat dirt, but graveyard dirt from a white person's grave - not from a colored person's, a white person's graveyard - an' dey say yo' kin come into a lotta wealth. I've heard of dat dataway.
(Well, what do you do with these teeth and things?)
Well, now yo' put all dat togethah an' tie it up in a little red flannel cloth an' yo' wear it roun' yore neck - jes' tie it roun' yore neck an' yo' wear it. An' evah mawnin' befo' speakin' to anybody yo' have prayers. I disremembah what de prayer is an' den yo' kin become very wealthy. FROM DE WHITE PEOPLE I'VE HEARD DAT.
Entry 7525
[A person] jis' died, yes. Git graveyard dirt, dig it off de head of a white man's grave. Undahstan', go tuh a white man's grave. Go out an' git some wood ashes - ashes burnt from wood, yuh know. [Wood ashes are the payment!] An' put it in de grave an' take about, aroun' about a half a tablespoonful of cayenne peppah, an' put it in through dat [graveyard dirt] an' stir it up - mix it all up. An' when yuh git dat mixed up, make dust out of it yuh undahstan', an' pass it on de hants. Called hants [al spirit, yo' know.
(What will they do with that? What will they do with that then?)
What will yuh do wit it?
(Yes?)
Well, de spirit, somepin like yore hants be - have de spirits. Git yuh dat dirt an' jis' sprinkle it aroun' yore place of business - round about, like dis house is [your place of business]. Well, yuh jis' sprinkle it all aroun' yore house, sprinkle it jis' dere [nowhere else].
(What will that do then?)
That will run 'em away.
(Run what away?)
De hants.
(The hants?)
Yes.