Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 4, entries 5206–8881)/Part 42
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 4, entries 5206–8881. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 8486
Well, it's - a woman kin take some of 'er blood an' take dis man's name; yo' know, write his name [with her blood] on a piece of papah. An' tie dis up in dis piece of papah an' tie a strand of thread around it. An' yo' kin sew it up in a mattress, or jis' sew it up in anything an' let it [stay] dere. Well, he will pine away dat way. He will die.
(Yes? He will die?)
Yes, sir, he will die.
(Just take her ordinary blood or her period blood?)
Dat's right, her period blood.
Entry 8487
Dey will take a brand-new ink pen an' pick dis fingah [demonstrates]. (That's the ring finger, next to the little finger on the left hand. All right.) Uh-huh, on de left hand, nex' tuh yore heart. An' prick dat fingah an' git de blood outa dat fingah, an' write de name on a piece of clean [new] papah, an' bury it tuh [in] de east cornah of de house, jis' facin' lak dat [demon- strates] east cornah ovah dere. An' make yore wish. If yo' had a gurl fren' or somebody wus in New York or some place an' make dat an' bury dat stuff, an' she'll come regardless.
(That brings her back to you.)
Entry 8488
Yo' take dat blood out of yore left [demonstrates].
(The middle finger of the left hand.)
Dat's right, an' yo' write a person's name an' den yo' write yore name 'cross dat. Yo' write yore name 'cross dat an' dey will come tuh yuh. (What do you do after you write those names?) Yo' bury it de ninth hour aftah yo' do dat. (In the ninth hour you bury this paper.)
Entry 8489
Yo' kin take fingah- nails from yore fingahs, pick 'em an' yo' put 'em in some graveyard dirt. [Fin- gernails are now forgotten.] Pick undah dis fingahnail, dis fingah heah. (The middle finger on'the left hand, and get some blood you say.) Until it bleeds, an' drop it in dis. Drop nine drops in dis han'ke'ch'ef wit dis graveyard dirt in it. Den yo' take it, lak dis heah, tie it up, an' yo' put it in a bottle airtight an' whoevah it is, her name in it.
(Put the name on a piece of paper.)
Dere yo' are, on a piece of papah. Den when yo' stop dis bottle airtight, an' then in nine [days] evahwhere [anywhere] she are, she'll be 'way [leave] from dere.
(Where do you keep that bottle during the nine days?)
In de nine days, yo' bury it undah de left cornah of yore house. (When you get this graveyard dirt, you put it in a little saucer or something and put the blood in it?) In a little vial.
(In a little bottle.)
An' yo' got drop dis blood - nine drops of blood in it out from undah his fingah.
(The middle finger of the left hand.)
Dat's right. (Do you get this graveyard dirt any special way, or just go out there and pick it up?) Go to de haid of a man's grave - see, an' put it in dis vial.
Entry 8490
Ah heard dat, an' ah heard dat de way dey do, is tuh go ovah tuh dem an' git de folkses name who are runnin' dis business. An' dey will write dere name on a piece of papah. An' say yo' will go back an' stick it undah where dey have tuh come along [and walk over it]. Dat whut dey tell yo' would git a job dere.
Entry 8491
Now dey kin write a piece of de bossman's name befo' yo' gittin' tuh him, read it three times an' call 'is name three times, when yo' git dere. Why he mo' den apt tuh give yo' a job an' raise yore wages. (What do you write?) Jis' write his name an' call it three times befo' yo' git dere. An' aftah yo' git dere, why he put chew tuh work or raise yore Wages [if you already have a job.]
Entry 8492
Put cinnamon an' sugah an' yo' weah it in both of yore shoes. Now if yo' know dere name, yo' kin take dere name an' put it in dere, an' whenevah yo' git tuh 'em dey'll give yo' a job.
Entry 8493
Takin' dat parchment papah an' puttin' de boss name an' wearin' it in de left shoe wit his name on top - wearin' it in de left shoe. Aftah takin' it, take a powder - can't commit de name but it's a high-class powder.... Takin' dat powder an' po'it in dat parchment papah an' foldin' dat parchment papah Wit de boss' name at de bottom an' yores at de top an' wearin' it in de shoes, an' yo' kin be standin' there in de audience wit 50 mens, an' by some reason, he will come an' pick yo' out an' give yo' de first preference.
(Is it some sort of a love powder or smelling powder?)
It's a controllin' powder.
Entry 8494
It's a thing dat choo call a John de Conkah root an' yo' see, while dat chew talk tuh de boss, jis' as ah tole yo' befo' 'bout dat piece of papah dat yo' write an' put it in de stove. Yo' write de boss name, if yo' know it, in a cross. (Just how do you do that now?) Yo' write his name dis way an' den yo' write his name dis way, an' den yo' put dat in de stove jis' de same as yo' did - jis' de same as ah 'splain tuh yo' befo', in de ashpan an' let dat hot coal drop down on it. An' when yo' go tuh him yo'd have a small piece of dis John de Conkah root in yore mouth, an' yo' make yore wishes befo' yo' git tuh him. An' yo' chew dis while yore talkin' tuh him. An' it supposed tuh bring yo' a favorable answah. Once each day make a cross.
Entry 8495
If yo' wants tuh be on de job or anything an' yo' want tuh stand in good wit yuh boss, yo' takes 'is name an' yo' git some loaf sugah, yo' put it in a bottle, yo' writes 'is name nine times, writes it tuh yuh, not from yuh. An' ah put's mah name on top of 'is, an' ah folds it tuh me, an' ah puts it in dis bottle. (You cross it or what?) Ah puts it ovah his'n an' ah crosses it, too. See, ah write his name first dis way an' den ah changes it an' write it dataway, an' ah switches ag'in - forward an' backward, undahstand.
(I see. All right.)
See, den ah folds it up an' ah puts it in dis bottle wit cinnamon an' sugah, an' ah buries it. An' ah weahs his name in mah shoe an' keeps it dere in mah shoe. An' when ah weahs it out, well ah puts anothah one in dere. See, dat's tuh stay on de job.
Entry 8496
Well, yo' git dat boss - try tuh git holt of some one of de mens dat works dere, an' git aroun' dem an' ast 'im what de boss name. Well yo' git 'is name an' yo' weah dat boss name. Yo' take it an' write it nine times goin' an' comin' towards yuh, an' put it in yuh shoe; but be sure dat yo' put some sugah in it. An' dat's gotta be brown sugah yo' undahstand.
(Why brown?)
It jis' have tuh be brown sugah.
(All right.)
Entry 8497
Git 'is name.
(Get the boss's name.)
Uh huh.
(What do you do with that?)
Yo' write de boss name nine times an' den aftah yo' write de boss name nine times, yo' git chew three lumps of cut loaf sugah - three lumps. (Cut loaf sugar.) An' aftah yo' git dem three lumps of cut loaf sugah, yo' takes de boss name of de nine times writin' an' yo' take it an' fold lak dis here - yo' know, lak a envelope is fold. Fold it lak dat. [Fold the name as you would fold a sheet of paper to put in envelope.] An' yo' take de boss name an' aftah yo' fold it lak dat, yo' turn around an' yo' put it in a brand-new silk pocket han'ke'ch'ef. An' yo' put it in dat brand-new silk pocket han'ke'- ch'ef an' yo' weah it along in heah.
(Where? Where do you wear it?)
Weah along heah [demonstrates].
(Right along there?)
Yeah. An' he's sure goin' tuh send fo' yuh tuh come back.
(I see. Where do you put that sugar?)
Yo' put dat sugah wit it.
(In those three things?)
[Three things = 3 lumps of sugar.]
Yeah.
[I now for the first time reveal the Wearing place.]
(You put it down near your private?)
Uh huh. An' when dat sugah comin' [commence], tuh meltin', yo' take dat sugah out dat's comin' tuh dissolvin', an' yo' put it one - yo' know break it. Yo' take an' put one lump in dat cornah, one in dat one, one in dat, one in dat.
(You put a half lump in.)
Each cornah.
(Of your own house?)
Each cornah of yore own house - nobody else's house, in yore own house.
(Well, there are three lumps of sugar and you break two of them.)
Yeah, an' put it in each cornah, an' de boss, he'll send fo' yuh.
(I see.)
Entry 8498
Ah'll tell it ag'in, see, jis' lak ah say, "Margrit?" An' she say, "Ooh!" Covah de bottle, covah de bottle stoppah up.
(What will that do?)
Dey done fo' good. Ah think dat's tuh drill yuh away. Now, ah'm not positive. (What is in that bottle?) Nuthin but jis' de voice. An' dey go throw dat in runnin' watah an' don't look back. Tell me yo'll dreen [drain] away or eithah move or go outa dis town. (That's catching your spirit.) [See TO CATCH A SPIRIT, p.24 and many places in text, especially margin title BLACK WINE BOTTLE in present section.]
Entry 8499
Perhaps someone come tuh yore house an' yo' didn't want 'em dere any mo', yo' could take a broom, make yore wishes, an' call 'im a bad name. An' take yuh a broom an' sweep )'im out an' he won't come back any mo'. [This is not the ordinary rite of sweeping behind a departing person. The departing is pretended and the person's name is intended or wished at least.]
Entry 8500
Befo' de sun rise of a mawnin's yo' kin sweep yore porch off an' call a person's name three times, dat chew wanta see an'dey'll come.
Entry 8501
Yo' take an' write his name on dere nine times all de way roun' de broom, straight though, not backwards. An' whenevah it time fo' him tuh come, yo' sweep in, an' put dat broom undah de baid an' he's comin'. (You just write it on the broom handle you mean?) On de broom handle wit pen- cil. All dat ah tole yo' should be wrote wit indeli- bin, de bad an' de good.
Entry 8502
Write name on piece of paper. While burning paper say: I want him to leave here and never come back no more.
Burning paper appears in the printed instruction. The following departure wish remains a stated aim; no performance or result is established.
Entry 8503
[For burning, see also long mar- gin title LAMP.] If yo' wanta git somebody back tuh yo' or somepin, well yo' would - if yo' were usin' somepin lak yo' were goin' tuh burn somepin tuh bring dem back. Well, yo' would repeat dere name. Yo' repeat dere name, say, "Well, Johnny, let Johnny - Hoodoo Conjuration - Witchcraft - Rootwork come back." Well, fo' so many times whilst chew were burnin' yore - whut dey use tuh bring 'em back yo' see.
Entry 8504
Git me some white stationery paper without a line on it. Dat why ah say white. An' ah kin write chore name on it. See ah could write chore name on it an' slowly burn it each mawnin' as de sun rises. Zhoo know, jis' a li'le fo' de sun rises, start it tuh burnin' an' jis' smoth- ah it out. Jis' burn a li'le fo' each mawnin' fo' 9 days, dat choo would heah [hear] from dem. Dey comin' if dey have tuh walk an' hoboin', anything else. Yo' kin bring 'em right back here if dey gone.
Entry 8505
If yo' had a wife an' she was doin' somepin an' yo' Wanted to break her from it - don't chew know, goin' out wit other mens or somepin like dat, an' yo' caught her an' didn't want her to do dat. Yo' would take dat - sulphur an' aloes an' saltpeter an' mash it up an' yo' would put it together an' git chew a piece of papah an' write her name an' dat party's name down nine times. (You mean you Write this man's name down nine times. What do you do with her name then?) Put it down underneath it nine times.
(You write both of them nine times each.)
An' burn it fo' nine days.
(Burn what?)
Fix dat ovah fo' nine days.
(Well what do you do with those ingredients you mentioned?)
Yo' take dat stuff an' put it in dat writing. Yo' put de sulphur an' de aloes [and saltpeter] in dat writing, see; an' den yo' set it afire an' burn it. An while yo' burn it yo' cuss it, say, "Ah wish yo' would break this [whosoevah it is, yo' know] up." An' jes' cuss it, jes' everythin' bad yo' wanta say to it. Dat will break them up.
Entry 8506
If you want to bring a person back, like a lady friend or gentleman friend, you get a catfish and you take that catfish and you bury it. And when he soon rot away, he finally will come back. Just take the fish and bury it, put his name in it - in the fish, that's all.
Entry 8507
Well dey use a catfish bone. It's one dose li'le fo'ked bones an' it's kinda shaped lak a ink pen. Yo' seen some fish bones dat's kinda shaped lak dat. (When you get this bone out of the catfish, what do you do with that then?) Yo' dip it in ink an' write chure name wit dat catfish bone, an' fole dat papah tuhwards yo' lak dat. An' yo' stick it down in de fo'k of dat bone, an' yo' place it wit a string aroun' [demonstrates]. (I will write your name with this fishbone on a piece of paper, and just keep folding it to me. Then, what do I do with that paper then?) Well, yo' weah dat in yo' hat. Dat's tuh draw dem.
(Do you use ordinary ink in that pen?)
Yes.
Entry 8508
Why, if it's a person dat chew want 'em tuh drift or jes' don' want 'em tuh stay heah in town. All right, yo' take a coconut an' open de eyes [for eyes See margin title later] an' git de watah out of it, an' write dose people name. An' yo' don' write it right [forwards] always backwards; see, about nine or ten times, see. An' den put it in dat coconut an' throw in de rivah an' den dey'll drift. Dey cain't stay.
Entry 8509
Dey take dat an' dey put it in a coconut.
(This bath water?)
Dis bath watah.
(What else do they do?)
An' dey write yure name nine times each way [forwards and backwards] on a piece of papah, an' put it in a coconut an' chuck it in de rivah. An' dey call it a dirty name, what- evah dey wanta call it, an' tell it tuh go. Well, dat floats yuh on away, dat coconut. Long as dat coconut go, it keeps yuh on de go.
Entry 8510
(What about gunpowder?)
Well, yo' take gunpowdah an' yo' take Red Seal Lye. Yo' take gunpowdah, yo' take Epsom salt, an' yo' take de individual name. Yo' put it down in a coconut an' yo' bury dat coconut, an' yo'll keep dat party as crazy as crazy kin be. See, dat gun- powdah is de ambition, dat red peppah [Red Seal Lye] is hot, an' dat Epsom salt jis' keep - dat Epsom salt keep 'em from havin' anythin'. Evahthin' dey git slip away from 'em, yo' see. Keep 'em wit a rovin' mind.
(A roving?)
A rovin' mind, yeah. Yo' know, jis' ambition, fightin' an'....
Entry 8511
(What do you do with that graveyard dust?)
Well, yo' take graveyard dust an' put it wit - tuh break up a woman an' a man.
[Long pause by informant.]
(How would they handle that? How would they use that?)
Well, dey take de graveyard dust an' steel dust an' guinea seeds an' war wa- tah, an' put it intuh a coconut, yo' see, an' red peppah, cayenne peppah, Epsom salts an' bittah apple an' bury it. An' yo' see, dat cuz a 'sturbance. Den dey writes de man's name an' de woman's name nine times an' dat break 'em up, cuz dem tuh make terrible 'sturbance. An' dat cuz dem tuh break up, see. (Where do they bury this?) Well, dey bury it undah de porch - bury it in de ground, bury it in de ground. [For preceding guinea seeds, see long margin title GUINEA SEEDS... GRAINS OF PARADISE, p.57Of. Red pepper in present margin title could be a repetition for preceding cayenne pepper, but more likely it means a piece of hot red-pepper pod. The preceding bitter apple - also called bitter cucunber and bitter gourd - is the colocynth (Citrullis colocynthis), a Medi- terranean and African vine related to the watermelon.]
Entry 8512
Take nine needles an' nine nails, an' also nine pins, an' a coconut wit a eggshell.
(An eggshell?)
A eggshell, an' dis quicksilvah papah.
(Quicksilver paper?)
Quicksilvah.
(You mean the paper they put around tobacco?)
[I am referring to tin foil.]
Yes, sir. Yo' take a indelible pencil an' write someone name on it nine times across.
(Over that silver paper?)
Yes. An' yo' write it nine times across dis way [demonstrates].
(You mean cross them like that, like an "x"?)
Yeah, an' den yo' cross dat again. See, jis' keep it all covahed up. Yo' are writing dere name backwards doh [though]. Yo' don't write it, yo' know, lak it should be, but yo' write it backwards. See, lak if yure name is WELLS, well yo' start wit dat SLLEW an' go right on lak dat. Write it fo' nine times, jis' lak dat, each way, backwards an' forwards, same way. Den, yo' take an' jis' put it inside of de coconut - take dis inside of de coconut an' take it tuh a midstream, an' throw it upstream, but it must be flowin' down, lak a drift [cur- rent], see. Yo' take dis coconut an' throw it out [into the stream] an' when dis coconut go down, dis person whatevah yo' wish tuh drift, dey'll come tuh dey can't be satisfied nowhere neah. If dey have no place, dey'll set out. Dey know dat yo' live in dere, an' dey'll come in an' dey won't see no peace at home. Dey are always on de go. Dat's if dey stay dere. Finally, dey'll git so dat dey can't stay in de house. Dey'll pack up whut dey got an' if de things dat dey have is too much trouble fo' 'em, dey'll take an' pro'bly sell it an' jis' go on adriftin'. Yo' pro'bly may nevah see 'em no mo'.
(What do you do with that eggshell and that stuff?)
De eggshell, dat goes intuh de coconut.
(Oh, that goes into the coconut.)
Egg, [coconut] milk, de quicksilvah, evahthing inside of dis coconut. An' yo' put it in dere an' yo' throw it ovahbo'd.
(I see.)
Entry 8513
Open it [coconut], yo' know, tuh get de juice out of it. An' dey can put yuh name in dere an' stop it up an' throw it in runnin' watah. Dat'll keep yo' runnin' all de time. Dat's coconut.
Entry 8514
(What are you going to do when you get the coconut?)
Whut chew goin' do wit de coconut? Yo' goin' empty de watah [milk or juice] out de coconut, dry it out good. See, don' leave no watah in dere, let it drain good. An' den put jis' a li'le steel dust an' a piece of lodestone, an' yo' orite dat name nine times. Write his name nine times. Take dat spool of thread, No.8 black, an' wrap dat comin' tuh yuh [saying] "Ah want chew tuh stay heah. Yo nst stay an' yo' gotta stay. Ah want chew heah." Yo' put dat intuh dat coconut an' yo' take a li'le stoppah an' yo' cut de stoppah off, an' shet dat up an' bury it undah de steps. See. (Is there any special way you must bury it under the steps?) No, yo'jis'.... Yo'see, yo' have tuh bury it up lak dat [demonstrates]. Yo' bury it up lak dat, but de coconut is in de ground. See. Now ah did dat. (What will that do then?) Well, dat brings 'is mind, makes 'im stay dere, an' him an' her been tuhgethah evah since.
Entry 8515
Dey use coconuts fo' diff'ren things. Yo' kin kill a person wit a coconut an' yo' kin kill 'em wit a lemon.
(Well, how would you kill them?)
Wit de coconut? Well, say fo' instance, if somebody is got a grudge 'ginst yo' an' dey don' lak yo', an' dey wants tuh git up tuh yo' an' put chew tuh death. Dey gits de coconut an' take one of de eyes out of it, an' write chure name in dere wit a indelibin [in- delible] pencil. [The name is written on a piece of paper, which is inserted through eye hole into coconut and corked up.] Shet it up right tight [close opened eye] an' throw it in driftin' watah an' let hit go. Well, when dat in- delibin pencil [written name] commence tuh meltin' away [because of the coconut milk or juice] yo' begin tuh takin' a pain heah [demonstrates] see.
(Up in the head.)
Yassuh. Begin tuh take a pain in yore haid an' when de last lettah's [last letter of name is] gone, yo' gone. De same way wit a lemon, de same thing wit a lemon. A lemon will knock yo' out mo' quickah, kill yo' mo' quickah.
(Why is that?)
Well, it's de acik [acid] in it. See, de acik in it.
Entry 8516
In a she coconut - yo' know de she coconut?
(What is a she coconut?)
A she coconut got two eyes.
(All right.)
Yo' take jis' one of dem eyes an' push it out an' drain dat milk [coconut juice] out. An' yo' put someone's name in dere, if yo' wanta drive dem away from yuh, an' throw it ovah yuh left shouldah [into running water]. An' it's goin' tuh drift, an' wherevah it drift dey gotta go. (Can you bring them back with a coconut?) Yes, if yo' Wanta bring 'em back, yo' gotta git dis he coconut. De he coconut has got three eyes. Yo' push one eye out but yo' gotta be sure dat de right eye yo' pushin' out doesn't got [does not have] a white spot. An' dat main eye dat's de eye yo' push out. An' put a stoppah in dere an' dump dat milk out. [The stopper is inserted after the milk is out.] Now, yo' throw dat disaway, dataway, dat's bringin' 'em back, see [demonstrates].
(Throw it over your shoulder. Throw it at your house?)
Yeah, throw it at your house. [Throwing an object towards the house, door, etc. is a common rite to bring a person back.l
(Over your right shoulder?)
No. Over yuh right shouldah? Yeah, ovah yuh right. (And when you want to bring this man back that's away, you throw it over your right shoulder?) Throw it ovah yuh right.
Entry 8517
Whut yo' can do wit the bees [see later] like yo' gotta man an' he's away from yo', yo' git yo' a she coconut.
(A she coconut?)
What I mean by a she coconut, a she coconut has got three eyes. A she coconut have three eyes, a he one only have two. Now, yo' take that coconut an' yo' get those bees, honey bees. Yo' go to any- where where yo' can get that black oil off a train an' yo' mix - put that bees, the black oil, and write that person's name nine times, and put it [all] in that coconut. And get a stopper and stop it up and put it - and put it just anywhere in your house. And if that person is away, he'll come to you. But you gotta roll that coconut after, you know, you stop it up. You can keep it in the house, but every mawnin' yo' gotta git up an' roll it from the front door back to the back. Every mawnin'. An' when yo' roll it, if yo' want him to come to yo', yo' call him by his name an' he'll come to yo'. If yo' Want him to go from yo', just call him an' curse him: Yo' son-of-a-bitch, go an' don't never come back. But like that [to send him away] yo' must roll it from the back to the front to keep him going. Yo' catch those live bees an' put them in there. Yo' see, that's because they fight an' they gits mad an' they is furious, yo' know. Yo' put the bees in there with his name and when they gets in a place where they can't get out, they starts fighting. [I must have asked about coconut water.] No, yo' pour that water out of the coconut.
Entry 8518
Now when a man and a woman are together and some other party wants them completely separated for good, wants to break them up completely, they buy them a new cocoanut. And they punch the three eyes out of that cocoanut and leave the milk in. And they write those two peoples' names the same as they do when they're going to the crossroads ["they'll write the man's name nine times and then they write the woman's crossing nine times" - from the same cylinder, 1574:3 somewhere in text]. And cross each other and they curse them for everything they can think of, and they fold that paper tight and stick it down in the hole of that cocoanut. Then they put anything that purges, like Epsom salts, or black draught. And they put pepper sauce in there, something very hot - pepper sauce and red peppers. And they put salt in there and saltpeter. And they write those two persons' names across each other, like this, on three separate pieces of paper, and fill the eyes of that cocoa- nut. And then at 12 o'clock at night they go to the river and throw it over their left shoulder. And if that black draught and that different stuff in that cocoanut begin to work, you know when it gets stale.it'll work, those two people begin fussing and fighting, and within a period of nine days they're absolutely separated. And there's a whole lot in that. [Memphis, Tenn., (973), 1574:5.] Those cocoanuts.
(Different from what you told me?)
Yes, just a little different. They use gunpowder instead of the salt and pepper and stuff like that. That makes people mean and drift and they can't have any luck at anything at all they do. [This woman is marked excellent pro- fessional. She was from Shreveport, La.] [Memphis, Tenn., (973), 1577:2. The first reference for this rite Was given in the text.]
Entry 8519
Well, dey take de nine needles, an' aftah takin' de nine needles, write de name down nine times, whosomevah fellah it is, or de woman, den write chure name down nine times down on top of dat. Den aftah dat yo' put de cinnamon an' sugah in dere, an' de urinate, into de coconut. Den kick it from de front do' tuh de back do' nine times, fo' nine times. Take an' throw it ovah intuh de rivah. Dat guarantee tuh dry 'em up. Stop any woman in de worl'. Dry dem up, run 'em stoneZy crazy.
[The latter expression is usually stone crazy.]
(Dries up their urine? Kills them?)
Kills 'em yeah. (The person who is killed, you have to take that person's urine to put in that coconut?) Yeah, yo' take dat lady's urine, de one dat chew wanta fix, an' write dere name nine times. Den yore name on top of dat nine times. (You write his or her name nine times that way. Then you write yours on top of it like that?) Yeah. all on top of dat nine times. [New Orleans. La., (1561). 2857:7.]
Entry 8520
Take a coconut an' put a person name in it, an' if yo' wanta throw it in de rivah, an' dey go. If yo' don' wanta, yo' don' have tuh; yo' could take it in yore home an' kick it aroun', but yo' have tuh have two. Yo' take one an' put it in de rivah, throw it in de Missi'ppi Rivah, an' yo' keep de othah one. Dat's separation, dat's a separation between two people.
(How do you do that?)
Yo' see, yo' put de names in each coconut, yo' see. Yo' undahstan', jis' lak yo' wanta separate somebody. See, lak somebody got chure girl fren'. Well, yo' put one name - yo' undahstan' whut ah mean, de pair of 'em in dere [coconut]. Den yo' keep one [coconut] at de house. Yo' take de names an' put 'em in de coconut.
(You put this man's name and this woman's name in the same coconut?)
In de same coconut in each one of 'em. An' yo' throw one in de rivah. An' yo' keep one home an' yo' keep rowin' wit it, beatin' it an' cursin' it an' goin' on. [The preceding to row (not rō but rou), a colloquialism, means to assail roughly; here, as already stated, to kick the coconut about the house while also verbally abusing it.] (JUST TO BE SURE THAT I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TAKING ABOUT. Here's the cOCOnut. I put his name and her name in there, both names in that one coconut. Here's another coconut and I put his name and her name in that coconut?) In that coconut.
Entry 8521
Coconut - yo' see, lak yo' livin' in a house an' de landlord wants tuh put yuh out, an' yo' ain't got no job, yo' undahstand, an' yo' ain't able tuh pay yure rent. Yo' take dis coconut an' bore itright in dat eye [for eye see mar- gin title]. Yo' undahstan'. Put 'is name down in dere in dat coconut, [written] nine times. Yo' undahstan'. An' put some sugah in dere on dat, white granulated sugah. An' stop dat coconut up good an' cut dat paper off [paper used as cork] right, right, yo' know even wit de coconut. An' bury it in yure back yard. Yo' kin stay dere jis' as long as dat coconut stay out dere in dat yard. If it's fifteen yeahs, yo' kin stay right dere, dey ain't goin' tuh worry yuh. Evah time dey'd come an' ast joo 'bout yure rent, yo' say, "Well, ah ain't got nuthin dis time, nex' week or nex' month." An' he'll walk on off wit a smile.
Entry 8522
(How do you do that?)
Well, yo' use a coconut to make a person come to yo'. Yo' take an' pluck out de eyes, but yo' don't let that water come out of there. And you take the name and put it upon this Venrick [brand name?] parch- ment [paper imitation] and put it in there, inside, and you seals it up with the wax that drops from the candle. And just roll it. Start from the front door and be rollin' back inside an' speak to it just like yo' speakin' to 'em an' call 'em by their name. That'll draw 'em to you.
(That will make them come back.)
Entry 8523
Yo' take de name an' put it in a coconut. Write de name nine times on a piece of parket [parchment] papah. Dat's white papah. It looks like a linen but it's somepin like a of a kink in it. Yo' cain't tear dat good [difficult to tear]. Yo' write de first name nine times [see later margin title FIRST NAME]. Yo' git choo nine needles, nine pins, nine new tacks. Yo' roll dat up in dat dere [parchment]. Yo' put it in dere [the coconut]. Git choo a teaspoonful of dis hot peppah FROM DE HOODOO DRUG STORE. Yo' git some bittah aloes an' put in dere [the coconut]. Yo' take yuh a lemon, a lemon dat's neah rotten. Yo' squeeze it intuh it [the coconut]. Den yo' take dese li'le ole green hot peppahs. YO' BURY DAT FROM DE HOODOO DRUG STORE. Yo' put nine of 'em down in dere [the coconut] with nine steel tacks [new?]. An' yo' git chew a little cork [surely new from de hoo- doo drug store] to fit dat hole [by punching out an eye of the coconut] an' yo' stop it [coconut] up. An' yo' git in de [Mississippi] river on the boat [ferry I used twice a day when I collected on the west side of the river in Algiers - the west bank]. An' when yo' git midways of de rivah, when yo' tinks [thinks]it's about middleways, yo' drop dat coconut. Well, long as dat coconut will drift an' won't git broke, why yo'll drift. But finely [finally] no doubt de coconut'll git tuh a place where it'll git jambed an' gits broke. Well, den it'll stop. But long as dat coconut drift like dat, yo'll drift.
Entry 8524
You get a coconut and you open that coconut and you leave that water out of that coconut. See. And just like I want you to drift and drag around, I'll take that coconut and put your name down in that coconut, you see. Then I take some dust, graveyard dust and put it down in that coconut. Then I take that coconut and stop it right back up with your name in that coconut. And if I Want you to drift and, drift up and down the river, I walk to the river and throw it in there. Then, otherword [in other words or otherwise] I could take the coconut and keep it where I just use you, just roll it backwards and forwards, see. And I'll have you planted [at home] and just any way what I'll want to do with that coconut, well you'll just have to do.
Entry 8525
(Take a coconut?)
Yeah. Take that coconut, put their name into that and some red beans, and they will use that cayenne pepper and stuff, and poke it and his name in the hole. Open that, you know, the hole, and put them down in that, in that coconut, and stop it up. And then they roll it. Roll it over the floor so many days and make their wishes and roll that coconut.
(You say they put red beans in there?)
Yeah, red beans down in there.
(What do they put red beans in there for?)
I don't know.
Entry 8526
(With the coconut, how do you do that?) Well, you take this coconut - get a fresh coconut with the Water in it and you punch out one of them eyes, and.you takes the name and you push it in there. If you want 'em to come to you, why you rolls, take and kick it and roll it to you, thataway. And you call this person name three times. You do's that for three morning on the full of the moon. If you want 'em to go from you, you put the name in there and you kicks it from you thataway. That's what you use the coconut for.
Entry 8527
All right, if yo' wanta separate a person - ah mean, yo' undahstan', if yo' wanta break 'em up, too. Yo' drain de watah out de coconut. Yo' know, dey have a li'le hole an' yo' git a li'le cork, a perfume [bot- tle] cork. An' yo' git: devil war watah, dat same ingrediment, chew remembah dat in- grediment, double- strength war watah; rattlesnake dust; double-strength wal- wal powdah [used a number of times in text]; an' de strong-strong cayenne peppah.* Let it be red- hot fresh. An' strong-strong white peppah. Yo' know whut dat is, dat [is] strong, strong. An' Epsom salts, cookin' salts, soda an' lemon. Den nine steel needles across dat. name. An' yo'[ [also] stickin' intuh dere nine pins. An' yo' put it, an' yo' roll it, an' yo' shake it, an' yo' roll it. Yo' keep it rollin' an' yo' nevah raise it, an' yo' jes' keep it rollin'. BUT BE SHURE WHEN YO' GIT THROUGH, YO' KNOW HOW TUH DO WIT CHURE HAN'; DAT CHEW WASH YORE HAN' TUH GIT TUH DO YORE GOOD WORKS. [AFTER YOU DO EVIL WORKS LIKE THIS, YOU MUST WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE ATTEMPTING GOOD WORKS.]
(What do you do with that coconut after you roll it then?)
WELL, YO' PUT IT OUTA DE WAY. IF YO' WANTA GIVE IT TO ONE OF YORE CUSTOMERS [INFORMANT, WOMAN, PROFESSIONAL WORKER] TO HELP THEM, BUT BE SHURE THAT THEY NEVAH KNOW WHUT'S INTO IT. YO' see.
(What will this do?)
Aw, it'll break 'em up, oh yeah.
Entry 8528
(Now, you are going to tell me something else. Now, all right.) Now, then yo' kin get yo' a coconut. Yo' git yo' nine seeds of punkin [pumpkin]. (Pumpkin seeds, nine of them.) Nine of 'em. (All right.) Yo' get yo' nine chicken corns [kernels of maize, Zea Mays]. (Nine what?) Chicken corns. (Chicken corn, what's that for?) Dat's to put in de coconut. (Well what is chicken corn?) Dat's what de chicken eats. (You mean the same thing as a horse eats, the same kind of corn the horse eats? Chicken corn? Ordinary corn like a roasting ear of corn. All right.) Yo' get that nine pumpkin seeds, nine chicken corn, the man name, but yo' take de water out de coconut. Yo' put de man name nine times an' de woman, if in case yo' wanta break 'em up. Put it in there.
(How do you put the woman's name in there?)
Yo' put de woman name crossways, this way [demonstrates].
(Across his name. All right.)
Across his name. Then yo' make a cross toward this way [a cross is added to the paper]. Then when yo' do that, then in that, then yo' takes this cayenne peppah an' yo' set it right up in de center [of the paper] and yo' bring it to yo'. An' yo' cuss 'em as yo' putting it to yuh. An' yo' roll it on dis side an' yo' put on dis, always rolling it to yo'. An' then yo' cuss it an' yo' stick it in there.
(In this coconut.)
An' then yo' take a stopper an' yo' stop up de two eyes, then yo' take de coconut an' yo' roll it fo' nine days in yore home. Then yo' take it an' yo' goes to de rivah. Takes fifteen cents an' throws in de - de fifteen cents be- hind it [coconut], to pay spirit for the work]. An' just let it go each way or de other, an' let it float anywhere where it's gotta go. An' yo'll have him just agoing from one to de other. He'll lose his mind or else go to de river.
(What do you mean by these two eyes?)
SEE, DE COCONUT GOT TWO EYES WHERE DE WATER DRAINS OUT.
(All right, on account of those two eyes you have two corks in that coconut?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 8529
Yo' write de name seven times. After yo' write de names, yo' bore yo' a hole in a coconut an' pour de water out. An' take that piece of paper what yo' write de name an' stuff it in de coconut. Then yo' put de stuff they call moving powder. Yo' get that at the [hoodoo] d drug store at X Street. Yo' sprinkle dat in there. That's when yo' want to put a fellow on a drift. When yo' sprinkle in there an' close it [coconut], yo' take that an' care [carry] it down to de [Mississippi] river an' jis' turn yore back, an' throw in de river like this [demonstrates] an' say, Damn yo', yo' go. Nevah have no good luck as long as yo' live. Throw it back over yore right shoulder. Yo' never have no good luck as long as yo' live. No success or nothing. It'll put yo' on a drift. Yo' could be a millionaire, you're gon'a be down.
The account predicts 'No success or nothing'; whether those exact words are prescribed recitation remains uncertain.
Entry 8530
I would take a piece of this man's underwear - between de leg, right where it is tightest. I would take me some love powder, oil of clover, and I would take that and I would take a coconut. And I would bore a hole in the coconut and drain the water out. I would sew that powder and stuff [including name, see later] in a piece of flannel - no, the paper [with the name] will evaporate - and I put in the coconut. Sew it up tight so none of the stuff wouldn't get out and stop that coconut up. I would go and I would shake that coconut for nine mornings, under- stand, and that makes your [his] mind to come back home. You have that in that piece of red flannel too, all together, you gotta sew it, you understand, that name of the person you are working on.
Entry 8531
Take and punch that hole - punch that hole out of that coconut see, and let that water out. And then they take some of their own urine, and your name and write it on a piece of paper - on that same side and hang it up there, see, and roll it small, and put that coconut on her bathtub or on her bed and stop it up. (What will that do?) What'll it do? Most any- thing - have you out of your head, run you almost crazy [about her] see.
(They put it in the paper?)
See, dey write your name just like this, see [demonstrates].
(That way.)
Just like this, see [demonstrates] this Way, thataway. (In the shape of a triangle [name written 3 times in shape of triangle] and they put that with this urine in the coconut and stop it up.) Yes.
Entry 8532
Use a coconut, put turpentine in dere an' de party's name, an' stop it up tight an' throw it intuh de Mississippi River, when it will float in de watah, an' de party will leave dere home. Turpentine in dere, yes.
Entry 8533
Take the name of the man and your name, and take a coconut and pour the water out of it. Take the water out of the coconut and put it [names] in the coconut and turn it upside down. That's supposed to hold a man.
(You just write your name and his name on a piece of paper?)
And put it inside the coconut. No [not once but] nine times. His name under- neath and yours on top.
Entry 8534
Woman writes man's name on four corners of piece of paper, makes wish, says Psalm, puts in bottle of honey, screws lid down tight, puts in secret place, man will come back, will be sweeter than ever to her.
Entry 8535
Take dat name an' write it fo' ways on a piece of papah. Write it disaway an' den write it dat way. Take it an' write it on each cornah of a piece of papah, an' yo' kin take it an' fold it up an' bury it. Dat'll worry 'em, jis' worry 'em...
[I stopped machine before death and had to include it.]
(Worry them to death?)
Yessuh.
Entry 8536
Now, if it's a lady yo' write chure name first an' den yo' write her name undah yore name. An' den dey'll count de lettahs in dat name. An' if yo' got mo' lettahs in yore name den she got in hers, why yo' kin mastah her. An' if she got de most lettah, den yo' gotta use somepin by which tuh ovahpowah her name so yo' kin control her. Without yo' cain't nevah win 'er. (Do you know what to get to overpower her name?) Ah don' know whut dey use.
Entry 8537
Go to this place and keep it sweetened down with sweetened water and cinnamon and sugar. (How would you do that?) Well, you'd take and write his name three times and write your name three times, see.
(How would you do that?)
Write your name three times up over his'n and write his name three times across, see. And put it in - fold the paper three times to you - and then put down into a glass or anything with water, sweetened water and cinnamon. And that keeps his name, his mind drawing for you all the time.
(Keeps drawing toward you. I see.)
Entry 8538
Ah say jes' lak if yo' got a loved one an' he's gone away. Yo' know, sometimes people be co'tin' [courting] yo' know each othah, an' dey go off ex- pectin' tuh be right back. An' dey may git a job or sompin, undahstand an' hold dem a little longer den dey wanta. Or some- times dey jes' quit an jes' tell yo' ah'll be back tomorrow an' yo' leave tuh not evah come back no mo'. Well, yo' go to de no'th- west side of yore house an' yo' turn yore face to de direction dat dis person is at. An' yo' place yore hands up ovah yore heart an' yo' call dis person's name three times, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name.of de Holy Ghost, an' yo' tell 'em tuh come on to yo', Oh, ye loved one. An' in nine days' time dey'll be home, will be back to where yo' want 'em to be. Dey say yo' have to do this three mawnin's in succession at de hour of three a'clock each mawnin'.
(Did you say something before about a cross mark?)
Yes sir, yo' jes' make this cross mark.
(Where?)
At de no'thwest side of de house, an' yo' stand, yo' know, by de mark or - it don' make no diffunce [difference] jes' so long as yo' make it by de house on de no'thwest side an' turn yore face to de direction [person has gone].
(Do you make that cross mark on the house or on the ground?)
Yo' make it on de ground.
Entry 8539
They tell me that if a person will cross two sticks and then make a cross mark, and have those sticks standing up cross each other right in that cross mark, and put nine pins in there, in that same mark around there, that whichever one that has the longest end to it, the indi- vidual that you have something against, if he has to go that direction [in the direction of the longest mark], put it down there and he'll cross over it for nine days, and then finally his mind'll get confused and he'll wander away from home.
Entry 8540
They said they make nine marks and cross 'em.
(How do you mean nine marks and cross 'em?)
Just make nine straight marks, you know, an' cross 'em tHHHHH+ ttItitt or That makes ten. The tenth mark, that's ten. (What is it supposed to do?) Well, that will put 'em to traveling, yo' know. (Well, how - where do they make these marks?) Well, yo' could make 'em with a stick or anything, yo' know, and make a wish, yo' know. Call de person's name an' make a wish, an' cross those things an' they say that it's more than apt to come true. Make a evil wish towards 'em.
Entry 8541
Git de person an' write his name. Take de first letter capital, write dat on. Write chure name under it. Bury it at de doorstep. If dey be in dere an' if yo' want 'em out, yo' bury it this way if yo' want him out; if yo' want 'im to stay, yo' kin put it this way. When yo' bury it that way, in seven days he'll be moved if he livin' in dere; if yo' don't want him in there, he'll go. (If you want him to go, you point his name away from the door; if you want him in there, you point his name in at the door?) Yes sir.
Entry 8542
I will.
(All right.)
Well, the things that have been used to do such things as that is take a couple of things what is called bluestone, brown sugar, write the name of a per- son nine times on a piece of paper, wrap that to- gether. If by any chance you can hide or bury that under the steps of that person, sort of in a position where it can face with the name reading from east to west, where the sun rise and go down, place it under the steps of the people and face it from east to west. And you then will be able to take a power over them people by using that in that way.
(I mean just what kind of power do you want to have over them?)
A power, the person not being [stationary] at no certain place, and the per- son not being able to stop as long as you have that stuff under his steps that they lives in. But wrap it in red flannel.
(I see. Will that make them move or it just gives you the power over them?)
Give you the power over them that will keep them on the move.
(Oh, I see.)
Entry 8543
Take a chicken egg and write a person's name on it and bury it. Can make 'em come your way. Just bury it right underneath of your step. Not flat, but turn it this way [demonstrates]. Write the name upon there nine times and bury it. (You mean with the little point down?) Yes, sir. (Well, how do you mean, you make 'em come your way?) Well, just like they off somewhere and you wants: 'em to come to yo'.
Entry 8544
An' de nex' [third] way if ah has someone an' dey's runnin' wit a woman an' ah wanta bust 'em up, ah go tuh de sto' an' buy me a dozen of aigs, see. An' fuh [for] nine days ah'd write on dat aig whut ah wanted, jis' if ah wanted him an' her tuh quit. Ah'd write on dat aig an' ah'd throw a aig evah mawnin' befo' sunrise fo' nine days an' dat busses [= busts = bursts] 'em up. (Where do you throw that egg?) Throw it up against de wall in de east side of de house. [Twelve eggs are bought, only nine are used.]
Entry 8545
Like if I love anybody, I'd take his name and write it and put it in a glass of clear watah. Well ah don't eat anything all day long, just fastin' an' just prayin'. Pray to de Lord that he'll come back tuh me. (That's all you have to do?) That's all I ever heard them doin'. An' I've known girls that do so an' I knowed de boy come back. (Just his name on this piece of paper in a glass of water and then you fast and pray all day long.
Entry 8546
(Give me that parable again now. Tell me the whole thing.)
Just like I come to see you to your house and your fire hearth got a end of brick loosened somewhere. Well, I take a piece of paper and write your name down on it unknowst to yo', an' I slip your name up under that brick, and they say, your wife would leave you. (My wife would leave me and go with you?) Yes, go away. [We must remember here, that name is not enough; there is also the mental intention for woman to leave and come to you.]
(Well, is there any way, you can check that? Cross that up?)
Yes, yo' kin check that, cross it up.
(How would you do that?)
Well, the way yo' do that, yo' get yo' some parsley, and yo' tell her put: 'er underclothing wrongside out, after yo' get de parsley. Yo' put that parsley in de bottom part of her shoe an' put some garlic in de bottom part of her [other] shoe an' make her wear that. That'll check it up. [Wrongside out, parsley and garlic are well-known witchcraft deterrents.]
Entry 8547
If a person - jes' lak if yo' don't like them or anything like dat, well yo' write dere name on a piece of paper an' yo' take gunpowder an' sulphur an' bluestone an' burn it in de fireplace an' dat will cause dem tuh be in hard luck.
Entry 8548
Ah've heard that if dere's two people dat chew wanted, tuh break up, yo' kin take two names an' yo' give 'em names of each one of dem two people an' drive 'em in de back of a chimley [fireplace] an' that will separate 'em.
(In whose chimney would you put those two names?)
Yores.
Entry 8549
A rock, not a brick, but a rock - yo' kin take a brick too, either one of 'em, so it's hard, sompin won't bust to pieces when one of 'em is throwed in de fire or in de stove, an' let it stay in dere. An' yo'll leave my house, yo' won't be there many days. Leave my house, love de town, an' yo' keep goin'. (That's all you do, just throw that rock or brick in the fire?) Just put it in de fire an' name it yo'. (Oh! Name it you.) Like your name is - name it yo' an' put it in de fire, an' let it stay in dere. An' yo'll leave an' yo' won't come back dere.
Entry 8550
Dey cannot do anything wit cher last name, but [they can with] cher fust name. [This may be my only example of this belief, but considering name rites I would say this is a legitimate belief.]
Entry 8551
Take a fish an' yo' write a person's name backwards, de two parties, if it's two, lak yore husban' is wit a woman.an' yo' cain't break 'em up, an' yo' wants 'em clean away from round yo'. Yo' don't wanta see 'em. Den yo' gits yo' a fish an' yo' dry it, but chew dries it into a perch fish. Dries hit into salt, yo' know, lak yore mack- eral - salt 'em down. Now - but chew have hit open already. Now, yo' takes dem nails backwards lak ah told yo' concerning de lemon, an' put it into dat fish an' sew dat fish up. An' carry 'im an' put 'im into runnin' watah, an' dat run de two away - dey couldn't stay dere. Dey have tuh go.
(The fish is killed before you put it into salt?)
Yes.
(How do you write those names on that?)
BACKWARDS. ALL RIGHT, MAH NAME IS VIOLA DORSEY. DORSEY VIOLA, DAT'S BACK- WARDS. Yores [if it] is Freddy Jones, [write] Jones Freddy. Dat cuts across dere.
[Freddy bisects Jones, the two names forming a cross.]
(That cuts across dere, cross the names?)
Dat's de idea, an' backwards. Cain't be straight fo' good.
Entry 8552
Take a sheet of paper, write their name - de person's name - five times [one under the other], yours five [under that, one under the other], fold it [to you] three times, an' weah it in your right shoe. Cause dat person to like yo'.
Entry 8553
[When he leave home, she writes his name about five, or even nine times is best, and she folds it towards her and wears it in her right shoe.
(What will that do?)
Well, that'll keep him home.
(Oh that keeps him home, I see, brings him back.)
Brings him back.
(I see.)
Entry 8554
Put de name on a papah, write it this way [demonstrates]. Cross it all the way up. Take that papah an' fold it to yo'. Always fold it to yo' an' that will draw 'em back.
Entry 8555
A person that yo' wanta git rid of all together, an' if he's working against chew, an' yo' kin git his name, yo' understand an' write it, jest write it jest lak yo' writin' a lettah, an' Wrop it comin' tuh yo'. That's if he's against yo' an' yo' Want him to come to yo', wrop it to yo'; an' if he's against yo' an' yo' want him tuh go from yo', wrop it from yo'. An' then if yo' kin git to his steps where dey goes in an out, an' whate'er side, yo' stick de end of that paper, yo' understand, dat yo' had his name, dat's de side he'll go. An' he'll go dere too an' he keep goin' dere, too.
Entry 8556
They write your [a man's] name up here [at the top of a piece of paper] and hers down here [at the bottom] and fold your name on top of it [fold man's name over woman'sl and wear that in your left shoe. That's in order to bring
[her] his way.
Entry 8557
Ah heard dat chew kin take a man's name, if yo' doesn't want him. Write his name down an' double it up [fold it] twice in a piece of papah, an' walk down like there some runnin' watah somewhere, yo' know, roun' in a branch. An' yo' take it an' throw it ovah yore left shoulder in this runnin' watah, an' yo' won't have no mo' trouble with this man. Whosomevah it is harmin' yo'.
(How do you fold that paper now?)
Fold it lak that and fold it lak that [demonstrates].
(Just as though you were almost folding a letter, in three parts.)
Yo' doesn't have tuh fold it no mo'.
Entry 8558
Ah heard 'em say dey write chure name down on a piece of papah an' den dey fold de fo' corners, see. Dey fold it jis' lak yo' take a piece of papah lak this [demonstrates], yo' know, yo' fold it lak this an' den turn [it] round an' yo' fold it [like this]. (You keep folding it in four corners? Folding it in half?) Yeah, lak dat. An' den jis' lak if yo' want them tuh leave. See, yo' want them tuh leave all ways round, well yo' take dat name an' fold it dat way, an' put it in a bottle an' stop it uP an' gO tO any runnin' watah OR DRAP IT IN DE LAVATORY ANYWHERE, an' dey jis git on all away. Dey jis' cain't stay there.
Entry 8559
A paper you know and cut it out, if him and her was fussin'.
(What would you cut it out of?)
Cut it out of paper, and if they know the name of the person, and if the... (Well, what else do they do now?) If they take that paper and roll it, fold it to 'em. (Fix the paper up. Then what do you do?) Write the person's name once to you, but you gotta write it three times and fold it to you.
(What do you do with it then, after you roll it to you? Then what do you do?)
You kin wear it right in your waist so they kin come to you.
(All right, now, suppose you wanted someone away, what would you do?)
Fold it from you, if you don't want to have nuthin - gettin' them away from you. If you don't want no connection with 'em, fold it from you and wear it.
(And wear it where?)
Around your waist.
(Or in the shoe?)
Yes.
(I see.)
Entry 8560
Yo' wants tuh know of any 'vantage of people don't chew? Oh, ah have experienced dis mah ownself. Ah've seen people do - dey take a piece of papah, see. Well, he'd write three names on dere an' he would take it an' fold it. Take an' fold de paper to yo'. Yes, an' if he wants to make anybody do whut he wants dem to do, yo' know - jest lak yo' wanta take 'vantage of a woman. Yo' take her note [or letter] an' write three names on dat note.
(What three names do you write on that paper?)
Three of one woman's names, jest de same woman. (In other words if her name was Helen, you would say [write] Helen, Helen, Helen.) Helen, Helen, Helen. An' yo'd write it an' yo'd fold it to yo'. An' yo' go out an' yo' take saltpeter an' yo' take bluestone, an' yo' would take it an' carry it home an' burn [it] see. Dat's to make her do whut chew want her to do. (You put saltpeter and bluestone in this piece of paper when you fold it up, or do you burn it after the paper has been folded up?) Yo' fold it up an' put it in an' burn it, see.
[Put it in and fold it up and then burn!]
(That is to make her do what you want her to do?)
Entry 8561
Git his name an' yo' write his name an' yo' fold it nine times to yo', an' put it up ovah de do' where he gotta go in an' out. Dat's good.
(What will that do?) Well, he'll stay at home.
Entry 8562
Now, jis'lak yo' goin' ast me mah name. Yo' know, ah gotta give yo' mah right name, yo' see. Well, yo' take mah name, lak ah says ah'm named Mary. Now yo' take dat name - gimne dat piece papah an' lemme show yo'.
[I PASS MY NUMBERS BOOK TO INFORMANT, WHO BEGINS TO DEMONSTRATE.]
(Cut it square?)
Yes. Look, see heah. Yo' write Mary right 'cross heah, see. (Diagonally across that square [oblong] piece of paper [in my Numbers Book]. Then you fold it in a triangle. Then you fold it in a triangle again.) Yo' see dat. Yo' know whut them ten-cent snuffboxes is. Well, yo' don' want a little nickel box, yo' wants a ten-cents box, an' yo' have me. NOW, YO' woRKIN FO'ME, DON'T CHEW SEE. WELL, YO' HAVE ME TUH BRING YO' DAT OLE SNUFFBOX, YO' SEE. Bog, yo' take this name an' put it in that snuffbox, see. Aftah yo' put this name in the snuffbox, yo' says three words, Father, Son an' Holy Ghost. See! Den yo put it in de box, put it in dat snuffbox, see. An' when yo' put it in that snuff- box - now, yo' know whut white lodestone is, don't yo'? Sprinkle on it. [During the Great Depression these little boxes, frequently used as snuff- boxes, could be bought in the Five and Ten Cent Store.]
(Sprinkle some of that white lodestone on it?)
Yeah, yeah, sprinkle it on there and shet [shut] it up an' yo' give it to me yo' see. Shet de box. YO' GIVE IT TO ME, yo' see, 'CUZ AH'M DE ONE GIVIN' YO TUH DO DE WORK, don't chew see? An' yo' carry it on to de rivah or where it's a runnin' stream. AH GOTTA CARRY IT MAHSELF, See, 'CUZ YO' DOIN' DE WORK FO' ME.
(You are my client?)
[OR SHOULD I HAVE SAID PATIENT?]
Yeah. Throw it in an' go on back home. An' in five or six or seven, eight, days, dey'll [I'll] go.
(Drive them away. You will come to me and say, "I want to drive Mary away?")
Dat's right. (And I would do this, and you would throw that into running water. Any special way?) Yeah, now listen. When yo' throw it in, see, jis' lak ah'd walk to de rivah, ah jis' throw it in an' come on back home.
(That sends Mary away?)
She gotta go.
Entry 8563
Dey take yore [bare] footprint, ketch de track wheresomevah yo' make it, an' picks it up an' puts it in a can or bottle, eithah one, an' writes your name down in it an' put it in a bottle, an' throw it anywhere where dey got runnin' watah. (How do you write the name?) Yo' write de name - lak whatsomevah yore name is, well yo' write yore fami- ly name first an' yo' write chure given name last. See, suppose tuh write chure family name first an' den write chure given name last. Yo' write it down nine times, wit a indelible pencil. An' yo' cross it. Every time yo' write it an' yo' put dat dust an' yo' cross it, an' den yo' put it in a bottle, or in a can, sompin dat chew kin seal up. An' yo' throws it splash into dat runnin' watah.
(Either foot track, it doesn't make any difference?)
Either foot track, jes' so long as dey git de track wheresomevah yo' put chure print, shoes or barefooted, eithah one.
Entry 8564
Git de dirt from a person foot track an' yo' could put some steel dust with, an' hair from undah yore arms, an' yo' could bury it, an' yo' could keep a person down lak that. Either yo' could make 'em travel. Yo' could take a person's foot tracks an' yo' could take de steel dust, hair from undah yore arms an' dirt from undah yore fingernails. An' yo' take dis ole [anything you measure with] yo' know de length that yo' measure. Measure it [foot track] crossway an' straight up an' down, too. An' yo' could write de name [on a piece of paper or article used for measuring] an' bury it an' yo' keep 'em down. An' yo' could take a piece of their sock with that, yo' understan'.
Entry 8565
They say you go to the forks of the road an' care [carry] yore name down to the forks of the road, and plant [bury] it. You [they] do that to run you crazy.