Browse:THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY (Volume 4, entries 8055–8881)/Part 8
THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY
Volume 4, entries 8055–8881. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 8615
Ah've heard dat chew kin take a person, like yo' might have somebody dat's always botherin' yo', de landlord or sompin jes' runnin' yo' down about de rent or sompin lak dat - dey jes' won't give yo' a opportunity or chance to pay dem. Chew jes' git his name an' write it down on a piece of fat-lighter bo'd jes' big enough to put 'is name on it, an' take it out in de woods an' tie it to a young sapling tree an' leave it out dere. It jes' turn from branch to branch. [The wind will do this.] Ah've heard dat dey will leave yo' alone, not bothah yo' so much. (You just tie it onto that tree - that's all, on this piece of fatlighter - Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft:- Rootwork - pine.) Fatlighter pine bo'd.
Entry 8616
If yore landlord comin' as ah tole yo', write his name - write chure name an' write his name first. Write chure name twice on top of his'n an' take yo' a bottle about dat tall [demon- strates] or eithah a Coca-Cola bot- tle. Now, dis is fo' de rent. An' take yo' teaspoonful of dat lead sugah. [For lead sugar, see end of rite.] An' aftah yo' write dat name, yo' fold it dat way [demonstrates] an' den fold it dat way. Den take an' set dat bottle on top of dat name. Yo' put dat sugah [lead sugar] on dere first. Den yo' set dat bottle on top of dat. Den in less - in nine days dat'll take effect. In nine days yore rentman come, yo' kin tell 'im, "Ah ain't got all yore money, today." "Well, all right, dat's all right." Well, de next time he come yo' tell 'im yo' ain't got none. Well, yo see how it works.
(How do you fold that paper, now? Show me again?)
Jes' fold it lak dis [demonstrates].
(You fold it to you once.)
Yes, fold it to yo' dat way an' den yo' turn to de othah side an' den yo' fold it ag'in [demonstrates].
(Fold it to you again.)
Den yo' fold it back dis way [demonstrates] jes' enough fo' de bottle tuh sit on dat. [Here I turn off recording machine but turn it on again pick up the additional information.]
(You put the bottle and everything under the steps?)
Everythin' undah de steps. Yo' gotta put dat undah dere at night or sometime when dere ain't nobody around. [Since I did not ask for the identity of lead sugar, I must have assumed that it was sugar of lead or lead acetate, formerly used in dyeing and calico printing, a poison with a sweet, astringent, and me- tallic taSte. PUTTING A BITTER-SWEET POISON ON THE RENT COLLECTOR'S OR LANDLORD'S NAME I CAN UNDERSTAND, BUT WHY STAND AN EMPTY BOTTLE ON BOTH? COULD THE EMPTY BOTTLE BE A THREAT TO BOTTLE HIM UP NEXT TIME AND KILL HIM?]
Entry 8617
Yo' kin meet dat lan'lord. Yo' go tuh dat lan'lord an' yo' write his name nine times, call 'is name, an' write it nine times, an' put it ovah de sill of yore do'. An' he cain't put chew out.
Entry 8618
Ah take his name an' put it in some sugah, de landlord's name, an' put it in some sugah an' shake it fo' three days an' keep it in dere. Yo' under- stan'. An' den aftah dat name rots he cain't put chew out... (You keep that name right in there, you leave it in the sugar?) Till it rots. (That's so the landlord can't move you out of the house.)
Entry 8619
People from different places write me letters for dif- ferent things. Now, ah'll tell yo' what yo' do for dat. Jes' like yo' go in a place of boot- - Memoirs: of Alma Egan Hyatt Foundation - leggin' [you become a bootlegger] an' yo' don't want de police to bother yo', or de sheriff to bother yo'. Yo' find out his name, yo' understand. Yo' get his name an' yo' write his name seven times backwards. Yo' take dat name an' yo' place it in de bottom of yore shoe, yore left foot shoe. Just wear it right [in] yore shoe an' wear it continual in yore place [of business] yo' understand. He never will worry yo'.
Entry 8620
Ef yo' worried about de law comin' round, yo' take yo' some sugah an' some - understan', an' a quart beer bottle an' yo' put one [of the two articles] at de front do' an' one at de back do'. If de law is botherin', take dem names an' Write it [them] on a piece of papah nine times. Take jis' about a bottle of turpentine an' put it [names] in dere an' jis' throw it behin' 'em an' tell 'em don't come back no mo'.
Entry 8621
Yo' git chew half a pint of whiskey an' yo' git chew a tablespoon con- sitrated [concentrated] lye an' jis' lak de - git chew a plain piece of papah an' write three, jis' lak it wus de sar- gint, poleeceman [policeman] lak dat. Well, yo' write dat on dat piece of papah, but yo' don't have tuh shake dat up. Write dat on a piece of papah an' bury it at de lef' side of yore steps wit de bottle. Lak dese heah yore steps right chere [demonstrates]. Dis [jis'] dig a hole deep 'nuff tuh put hit down an' let de bottle stoppah stay up jis' 'nuff to covah it in dere. An' let de bottle stoppah stay up an' yo'll nevah be worried no mo'. An' den let 'er set right ovah dere whilst dey [talking to her]...
[I demonstrate.]
(As you are going into your house, this is your step. You bury it at the left-hand side of your steps?) As yo're goin' into de house.
Entry 8622
(Suppose I want to keep the law away from that bootlegging joint, what would I do? How would I keep the law away? Any particular way?) Well, they have several dif- (4) ferent kind of way to keep de law away, if yo' want de law dat is on dis beat. Now, well, let's fix up - we want de law away. Of course, if we go to work an' work direct on de police on de force, dat Wouldn't stop 'em from raidin'. Now, listen! Let's see what we going to do about stoppin 'em raidin' in general. All right. Yo' going to get de chief of detectives, yo' goin' to get de chief of police, yo' goin' to get de captain's name, yo goin' to get everybody dat's in authority over dat group, which, if they goin' to raid, dey'd have to go up to dese particular men before dey can make a raid. Do yo' get de idea?
(I see.)
It got to come from dem. Well, we'll start wit dem. We are not concerned wit de ordinary man, dat is, de common ordinary police officer. We get de head of 'em. Well, we take dat head in dere an' we are goin' to draw a round ring six inches from de centah - a round ring. We goin' to place all dose names in dat ring on parchment papah.
[No ordinary paper for the important police!]
(Six inches from the center - that is, the diameter will be twelve inches then?) Yeah, just de same [demonstrates] if yo' say six inches from here [center of circle] an' yo' just hold it [a string] dere an' yo' go aroun' [draw the circle].
(The circle is twelve inches in diameter?)
Yeah, twelve inches in diameter.
(All right.)
Now, yo' going to take each one of dose officers - see, de twelve of 'em dat's in authority. [Informant is surely thinking of the 12 signs of the Zodiac rather than the 12 Apostles; the signs to protect place of business from police all year.] Yo' goin' to place 'em direct in dat center an' yo' goin' to sweeten 'em up. An' aftah yo' sweeten dem up.
(How do you sweeten them up?)
Well, yo' can takd dis Lureen Oil [surely Zuring oil, an oil to lure the police], dat Oil of Lureen, when it come for anything beneficial, all good things, this is to use for dat most particular purpose [beneficial to oneself]. Like yo' can use seven drops of dat Oil of Lureen, an' aftah yo' use it round in dere, why yo' goin' to take what yo' call a tappan[?] beans come from Central America.
(What kind of a bean?)
Dat's a bean come from.... Central America, from Las.... G....de capital of Las....
(What do you call those beans, what is the name of them?)
Santoine[?] beans.
(Santoine[?] beans and where do they come from?)
Central America.
(From where? You said some place in Central America?)
Well, sir, G....is the capital of Las....but dey bring 'em from G....to Las.... an' dat's de seaport.
(I see. All right.)
Now, why each one of dose names I done going to take pure white thread. It made kind of like wit four corners an' it grows in a bean [pod] an' dere may be twelve in one bean [pod], eight or ten, like dat. Yo' take it an' yo' sew it right in de center of dat name. Like my name would be Paul B. Dickson. Where the "D" at, yo' could write it twixt de "D" right in de center. An' whosomevah [whatever policeman] go back there [in your place of business, you complain to him] an' say, "Well, this is a quiet zone an' they raisin' Sam an' singing over there. Ah can't sleep at night. How yo' want me to work an' I'se lonesome an' all of that stuff." "Well, all right, " [says the officer] "we'll take care of dat." An' before he [officer] gets out of there [your place of business], dat stuff [you prepared] got him. (How do you do that? You sew one of these beans on each one of those names? Then what do you do with that parchment, then?) On [a bean on] each one of dose name. Den yo' take dat parchment an' yo' just fold it in like that an' just take it ovah dere an' put it in [your] show- case. Just keep it anywhere. Then it has a tendency to - wheresomevah your funds at, yo' can keep it right in yore funds an' it has a tendency to draw funds.
(You mean, the money?)
Yeah.
(In your money box where you keep your money?)
Yeah.
(I see.)
Entry 8623
Well, yo' see, jis' like a person asleep, they'll take this hair out de mold of yore had. Dey put it in a bottle. After dey put it in a bottle, dey take a lemon. Dey squeeze dat lemon juice in dat bottle, an' take yore name. Yo' write dat name nine times an' put it in dat bottle, an' shake it up, an' set in de sunrise side of de worl'. Jis' as de sun goes [from sunrise to sunset], dey say yo' lose yore mind.
Entry 8624
Just like ah may have a friend. I could be a woman an' I'd have a friend, an' I wants to part from my friend. I'll take de lemon. I'll get me some beer. After I'd get de beer, I get me a candle. Well, I take de candle an' take de lemon an' bore a hole through de lemon. Put de lemon [candle] down in de candle [lemon]. Put dat beer down in de can. When. I get the beer down in de can, an' start tuh burnin' my black candle, well, de woman couldn't stay dere ten days.
[I now try to understand the preceding confusion.]
(Now wait a minute. Here's your can of beer. Now where's your lemon?)
Yo' see, I put my beer first.
(Yes.)
Put de note second.
(What note?)
De woman name.
(Well, you didn't tell me that before.)
Yes. Mark nine times backwards. After yo' mark it nine times backwards yo' put de note in dere. After yo' put de note in dere, yo' stick de candle down in dere, an'.leave it down in dere fo' ten days, she can't stay wit yo' no more.
(What happened to the lemon?)
De lemon'll be right dere in de beer. Yo' see, like. (I see. Now, wait a minute, let me untwist these things for you: Here's the can of beer. You put this woman's name in there. You take a lemon and you put this black candle in the lemon and put that lemon down in the beer, and then you light the candle. How long do you burn that candle?) Yo' burn dat candle ten days.
(I see. Then what happens?)
De woman can't stay there no mo'.
(You just drive the woman away?)
Dat's to drive 'er away.
(Why do you use beer?)
De beer is down in de can.
(Well, why do you use the beer?)
Yo've gotta use so de lemon could have some kind of different juice to it. Dat de reason yo' use de beer.
Entry 8625
Well, ah heard some people say dey kin take yore name an' put it in a lemon, ah' shet [shut] dat lemon up an' den dey go on an' bury. Dig a hole an' bury it. An' when dat lemon rots, yo'll rot. (You just write the name once on a piece of paper?) No, nine times. Write it crossways, an' bury it. When de lemon rot, chew'll rot. [Crossways here means: one over the other in the same direction; one under the other; one over the other in different directions but on same line; or written to form the letter "X".]
Entry 8626
What other way they say they can do?
(Yes.)
They can take your name and write it nine times and write the landlord's name nine times on top of your name. Then they takes a lemon, and they gets graveyard dust, Epsom salts, red pepper, black pepper, plain salt and takes a lemon and hulls it out and puts that name down in there and bury it in de ground de butt end up, an' when that name rots, that landlord will put yo' out.
(I see, the landlord will put me out?)
Yes. Yo' an' 'im fall.out. (Now, you say - you write my name nine times in a row, then you write the landlord's name?) Across it.
(You turn it like that [I demonstrate] and cross it?)
Cross it.
(You cross it like that or just write over it?)
No, over it but cross it.
(Oh, you cross it. You turn the paper upside down and write across it?)
[Names are on same line but upside down.]
Yes.
(Well, why do you put his name on top of mine?)
To make him fall out wit yo':
(Oh, I see.)
Entry 8627
Yo' kin take an' break anybody up if it's a woman or a man, if yo' wants tuh break 'em up. Yo' take an' yo' write dere name down nine times wit indelible pencil, but chew make nine strips, an' as yo put one strip - yo put one strip straight an' yo' put one strip across. See, lak dat [demonstrates]. Yo' git chew some gunpowder, Epsom salts, some cayenne peppah an' some vinegar an' yo' puts dat in dat lemon. Yo' bo's [bores] a hole in de lemon an' yo' stick dat name down in dere an' po' all dat ingredient on top of it. But yo' have dem papahs crossed. Po' [pour] all dat ingredient on top of dat. When yo' po' it on top of dat, yo' git chew a cork stoppah an' yo' put it on dere. An' den yo' take dat piece of skin, de top skin, dat chew cuts back [end of lemon cut back as lid], an' yo' takes an' yo' sew it wit some black thread, an' yo' buries dat to de sunrise. Dat make confusion within de hour. (Now, the name is written once on nine different strips of paper. The name is written like John Edwards, just as we would write our name?) Yessuh.
(And you write this with just ordinary pencil?)
Yo' write dat wit indelible pencil.
Entry 8628
A lemon is a sour thing, 'vided [provided] whut chew wanta do wit it. Yo' take dis lemon an' yo' take all de fillin' out of it, an' yo' fill it up fulla salt, table salt. An' yo' carry it to a crossroad an' den yo' call dis indivi- dual's name. If it's three or fo' [times] it makes no difference how many it is. Yo' call dere name de third time In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost. An' den mention whut cheW want tuh be done. An' den turn yore back on it an' GO ON BACK [HOME] AN' TRUST IN DE LORD. It'll be done.
(What do you do with that lemon out there at the crossroad?)
Yo' leave it dere, jes' leave it dere. Don't chew pick it up at all.
Entry 8629
My husband has - [suppose] my husband has this here woman and ah want to break 'em up. Ah take 'er name an' his name, ah'll put it in a lemon. Red brick - right in my alley, if I'm livin' in a alley, right up out of dat alley, ah'll get, ah'll pick up a brick. Ah will dig a hole, turn dem [in. the] lemon down fo' nine mawnin'. Ah'll walks ovah it. Ah'll say, "Yo' son-of-a-bitch, ah'll keep yo' down." Ah'll walk, ah've got tuh do dat fo' nine mawnin', every mawnin', an' den he'll separ- ate from 'er. When he separate from 'er, he'll say - he'll tell his friends, he say, "Yo' know one thing, ah been mistreatin' my wife, but somehow or anothah she must be - ah don't know what she doin' - she must be prayin' or going to church or somepin. Do yo' know ah ain't got no more feelin' fo' dat woman an' ah can't go wit nobody but just my wife." De reason why he can't go wit nobody but me because ah'm got 'im like dat.
Entry 8630
Yo' take some de entrails out [of the lemon] yo' know whatsomevah it [inside of lemon] is [called] an' yo' take a person name. Yo' could take it three times. Yo' could write it three times or else nine, de most is nine, but yo' could take it at three. An' yo' puts anyone yo' want. Heah's anothah separation. Dere plenty ways fo' separation. 1 make 'em confuse an' angry wit anothah, tuh keep 'em apart. Well, yo' put dis down in dere, put de name down in dere. Yo' don' have tuh take ink, yo' could put ink or else a pencil lak dat ink - yo' know, indelible or any kind. An' yo' do it zactly lak ah said wit dis othah one. Put nine time or three time wit one on top each othah. Den yo' take dis steel dust an' dis pePpah, de same red peppah. RED PEPPAH IS REAL HELL. Well, yo' put dat red peppah an' salt an' all dat togethah, an' dis steel dust togethah, an' yo' take it an' put it down in dat lemon, see. An' yo' take de top of de lemon whut chew cut off an' yo' pin it togethah, see. Hit don' have tuh be six feet of dirt where yo' could make a little hole about dat deep [demonstrates].
(About a foot deep.)
Yessuh. An' yo' put it down in dere an' yo' curse it. AN' YO' HAVE TUH BE DRUNK. Yo' have tuh git drunk, an' let de evil come up, yo' undahstan', an' curse it while puttin' it in. When yo' be puttin' de dirt on be cursin' it, yo' undahstan'. Any kinda ole dirty cursin' yo' wants tuh do.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat's separation ag'in, dat's fightin'.
(While you are doing this, you have to be drunk to do it.)
Yo' have tuh be good an' - not say good an' drunk. WHUT AH MEAN, KNOWIN' WHUT CHURE DOIN'; BUT YO' HAVE TUH HAVE PLENTY LIKKER IN YO'. An' jis' curSe it, yo' know, while puttin' it any place in de ground.
Entry 8631
All right. Yo' take dere names an' git chew a aig [means lemon] an write it [name] down nine times on some brown papah. an' yo' take dat an' yo put some steel dust in it, yo' put some cayenne peppah, Epsom salts. Yo' take dat lemon an' yo' sew it up wit black thread, an' yo' bury it where dey have mud at to- Wards de sunrise. Dat's tuh make 'em git out de house. (You put this all in the lemon?) Yassuh, all into a lemon.
Entry 8632
(All right. Now, you are going to tell something else, now? All right, go ahead.) Now, at that price, again, if yo' cannot break 'em, yo' get yo' three chicken eggs - three. Yo' write de names nine times on de chicken eggs, but let it be de yard eggs - fresh eggs. Yo' write dem [the man's name] nine times on that [informant demonstrates and I explain later]. Den yo' write her name nine times on de eggs, till yo' make it meet to de point of de eggs. (NoW Wait! You write - her name across his?) Yes, sir, always across. Now, when yo' git through dat - yo' see, dat's de point of de egg [demonstrates]. Yo write 'em just on de point of de egg until so far as yo' get.
(Right around the point of the egg.)
Right around de point. An' den at de othah point yo' do de same thing. Den yo' get yo' a bottle of dat french vinegar [wine, not apple, vinegar].
(French vinegar.)
Dat's de strongest vinegar they have. Den yo' get a dime of cayenne peppah. Den yo' get a - three lemons an' yo' cut dose lemons in four parts. De lemon....
(In four parts?)
In four parts. Den yo' take in de eggs [put eggs in bottle]. Den yo' take a piece of papah an' den yo' write dem nine times crossways like dat. See, an' den when yo' do dat, den yo' take a handful of de cayenne peppah an' set it right in de center - an' in de center of it. An' den yo' roll it to yuh. Den yo' makes yo' [a stopper] - yo' cuts, yo' gotta cut dis. An' when yo' get through it, den yo' put it in de mouth of de bottle, an' den yo' seal it up. Now, I guarantee yo' dat dat'll cook dat egg. It will cook. An' in de ninth day it'll give yo' de satisfaction, dey'll fight until dey bloody one anothah or murder one anothah, an' quit an' nevah go back any more, 'cause ah have did it. Ah have seed [seen] it.
(You use these three eggs.)
Yard eggs. (There's just one thing, one part of it that I don't understand about. Here're the eggs. Do you write the man's name [I demonstrate] around this way or this Way? You write this way?)
[Informant demonstrates.]
(You write it the length of the egg, from the two ends [from one end to the other]. And that woman's is written around the fat, small round part [breadth] of the egg. And you keep writing it up and down until you cover the whole egg.) The whole egg.
(I see. All right.)
Entry 8633
If he be done left her, you mean?
(Yes.)
An' he living with another woman? Well, yo' take an' write his name down again, an' yo' get yo' some red peppah - yo' see, this cayenne red peppah. Well, yo' get yo' some red peppah an' yo' get yo' nine needles, brand-new needles what have never been used. An' yo' get yo' nine new pins. An' yo' stick all of dem needles an' dem pins in de wall cater- corner. An' yo' put it in dere, wit yo' know, hot peppah what yo' put on yore food [pepper sauce]. Yo' take de cayenne red peppah an' de hot peppah [sauce] an' de nine needles an' de nine pins [and the name see later] an' yo' put dat in a lemon. An' yo' bury it anywhere in de back yard, see. An' dat will break dem two people up, an' make yo' an' him come back to- gethah again. I done seen dat did.
(Well, how did she write his name in the beginning?)
Write his name? Well, just like a person's first name, like somebody is named Andrew Edmund or any name like dat. Well, yo' see, yo' put [instead of putting] Andred Edmund, put Edmund Andrew. See, yo' put it backwards, till yo' write it nine times. An' den yo' FOLD IT LIKE A HEART, COMIN' TO YO', & an' dat foldin' 'im to yo' all de time. An' yo' bury it in de backyard. An' yo' just leave it stay dere until it molds away. An' in about nine or ten day's time, his mind gets off of this othah woman an' gets back on yo', an' dat makes him leave 'er an' comes back to yo'.
(I see.) You put this name and that other mixture?)
Yes, de pins an' de needles all togethah.
Entry 8634
Dey say that chew kin take a lemon an' write they name nine times, an' put it underneath of the house. Dat would make 'em move.
Entry 8635
Now, ef ah see a person livin' good togethah an' ah want 'em confused, ah kin take a lemon. Take a lemon an' cut it in half, write their two names, the woman and the man. Then ah'd put it in there, saying, Depart, be confused. Then sew it back together with black thread and bury that. And that will cause that party, that woman to be con- fused. (You write their names on a piece of paper and put this paper in the lemon and sew it up.) An' sew it back up.
Entry 8636
Well, you can take a lemon and put your name and his name - not his, but jes' like he got some woman; yo' understand [and you, a woman, want] to separate them. Well, yo' write it [her name] down nine times all kinda ways, and then you put aloes. Yo' can put cayenne peppah an' salt, some dat have never been used, a fresh box of each - that have never been used. An' yo' take that an' yo' put it in de lemon, an' yo' put it [lemon] in a vinegar, in a bottle of vinegar. [To put lemon in bottle, cut it in 4 parts - see No.8632.] An' yo' shake it like that, an' kick it all around de floor, like yo' dog it. AN' JES' LIKE YO' "DOG" THAT BOTTLE [TREAT IT LIKE A DOG] THAT JES' DE WAY HE'LL "DOG" HER and [they will] break up. Jes' like yo' kick de bottle, yo' know, knock it around - jes' take your feet, yo' see, an' kick it an' curse it - that is the way he'll do to her. An' then they'll separate.
Entry 8637
Yeah, new live lemon. Go to de store an' buy dem eny price, an' yo' kin cut it. Take an' buy a new-brand [brand-new] knife, cut into it [lemon] an' stop it up an' cork it up with a nail, an' will cause 'em to have heart trouble.
(What do you put in that lemon?)
Nothin' in de worl' absolutely.
(Cut into it, that all?)
Jist a lemon an' a new-brand knife.
(Well how would you cut into that lemon?)
Stobb [stab] it like yo' stobbin' a person, an' call dey name.
Entry 8638
Yo' take his [murderer's] name an' write it down nine times, de party dat did de killin'. Yo' write it [murdered man's name] down nine times across his [murderer'sl name. An] den yo' stick dis into a lemon. On top of dis lemon yo' put a spoonful of salt, an' yo' bury dis at de place where he committed de crime, an' he won't leave. [This rite could have been placed under subsection (2) HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT, p.3258f. A lemon rite at this date in Washington, D. C., merely means that our informant, Doctor Sims, had come from New Orleans. For some of his material, see Nos.23,532,2091, and especially margin title IT'S A GIFT ETC., No.2742, p.746f.]
Entry 8639
De needles - lak if yo' have a girl an' yo' wants tuh stay wit her an' yo' want her tuh be wit yo', why yo' take nine needles an' put it in a lemon. Put 'em in a lemon an' put it right ovah de do'sill lak dat [doorsill sometimes in Hoodoo means over door above your head]. Well, she always will visit yo'. She always will come aroun' an' she nevah kin desert chew. (That is all you have to do, is just put those needles in the lemon?) Yes, but chew have tuh write her name. Yo' know whut ah mean, on a piece of papah, yo' know. Write her name on a piece of papah an' den put her name an' dose nine needles in dat lemon.
Entry 8640
Well, a lemon, if yo' wanta break somebody up ag'in, lak a man an' 'is wife or sompin lak dat, yo' could take such a-thing as a lemon an' yo' could take that same cayenne peppah. An' yo' write their [man's] name down nine times an' de woman who yo' wanta break 'em up from Yo' could write their name, but whosomevah doin' it, well, dey could do it, dey could fold it, fold it but always fold it from dem. An' if yo' wants tuh put some- body togethah, yo' take that man's name, if it's a woman, an' yo' write his name down first an' that woman, write her name down. An' den she takes de papah an' she fold it comin' tuh her, see. Lak yo' take a papah an' fold it comin' tuh yo' an' make yore wish when yo' fold de papah. An' den yo' take nine dressin' [ordinary] pins, eithah yo' could use needles, but de goldhead needles would be bettah - nine goldhead needles. An' de top whut chew cut off de lemon - see, yo' cut de top off de lemon an' yo' fold dat papah tight an' yo' push it down in dat lemon. An' yo' take de top whut chew put an' stick dem nine needles, yo' know, shut it back up but stick it all de Way roun'. An' if yo' got anyway a [old-fashioned] icebox an' yo' [have a drain to the outside for] dis icebox an' [or] yo' have de foam [gutter or drainage ditch] go through [by] yore house. Well, yo' dig a hole an' yo' put it [lemon] in a moist place where it goin' be wet all de time, so it could rotten. See, an' as dat lemon rot away, yo' see, it'll break 'em up.
Entry 8641
Well, if a woman's got a man - well jis' like I've got a husband an' a woman wants to break me an' my husband up. I'll say like that. Yo' get a lemon an' get yo' some cayenne pepper an' get yo' some gunpowder. Yo' take that lemon, you wouldn't cut it half in two, you only cut that top around the top, yo' know, an' yo' raise it up like that and yo' bore a hole in that lemon. (You cut the top like a lid and you bore a hole under that?) Yes. Then yo' will write this man's name nine times, and yours nine times over it, an' yo' stick that down in that lemon an' put that gunpowder - that gunpowder's for confusion, that what's it for - an' the red pepper. Then yo' would take that lid an' put it back over there like that. Yo' get yo' some black thread an' yo' tie that lemon tight, so to be sure that nuthin that's in there won't come out, an' put it up over the door anywhere. An' when [as] that lemon dries up, they'll fuss an' fight an finally dey'll break up an' never go back together again. (Do you put your husband's name in there and your name, or your husband's name and her name?) My husband's name and her name.
Entry 8642
How long yo' goin' to be here?
(I'm going to be here all this week, I think.)
WELL, YO' KNOW THIS FELLOW CALLED MACK [SEE LATER] THAT BROUGHT ME HERE. WELL, JUST BEFORE YOU GET TO LEAVE THIS TOWN, YOU COME SIT DOWN TO ME AND I'LL GIVE YOU A WHOLE LECTURE. NOW, I KIND OF KNOW WHAT YOU WANT [ARE] BUT I DON'T LIKE TO TALK TOO FAST. An' I [was brought up with this] an' my grandfather could de practically any- thing that he wanted to in that line. Yo' see, an' before he dies he instruct me a great deal and since he died I have improved more in that line. Well, you can learn more. Now, for instance, if yo' stayin' in this room here, an' someone would want to make yo' move out of this room, they would get a lemon, they would get parchment paper, an' they would sign your name nine times, five one way and four the other [an unusual arrangement], with black pepper, red pepper, an' fold it up an' put it down in that lemon, an' thrown the lemon under the house, or either bury it. An' yo' won't be there very long. [The preceding fellow called Mack we have met before: We reached New Orleans at night... "I told Edward" (my contact man from Mobile) "I would not work for several days (I wanting to be with my wife), but he was to meet me for instruc- tions next morning. I wanted him to find an old-time taximan, thoroughly reli- able, who knew the underworld of fortunetellers, doctors, healers, and the like. He came up with Mack Berryhill (see ILLUSTRATIONS). No other person would have been better and without him we could have failed" (vol.1, INTRODUCTION, p. XXXI).]
Entry 8643
Hullin' dat lemon out, an' puttin' de partchment papah in dere wit de party's name on dat, an' puttin' some red pep- pah, salt, black peppah, sewin' it up an' buryin' it anywhere in de soil, or else tro' it in de rivah." Dat break up any party dat livin' togethah in comfort.
(That is to break up a man and woman?)
Yes.
Entry 8644
(What do you do with that lemon?)
Take yore lemon - jis' 'long as de pin [as many pins as you have] will go roun' it - an' put de name of de individual dat chew want. Cut de lemon in half an' put dat name in dere, an' den stick it all roun' wit pins an' bury it. Dat'll bring 'em back, too.
(You mean you stick this lemon together by sticking pins through it?)
Yessuh. Cut it [lemon] in half.
Entry 8645
They takes the lemon and they roll it soft, and they take that name and they write it nine times, just like I showed you just now. And they take that name and they shove it down in that lemon, and they put them some cayenne pepper in there. And they get a little small stopper and they stop that lemon up, and they keep it up in the corner of the house. And every day, three times a day, they get that lemon and they roll it backwards and forwards. They roll it to them and they roll it from them. That's their husband name they got up in there. That's to keep their husband there with them.
Entry 8646
[To rub is an important magic rite we often ignore, despite our early acquaintance with Aladdin's lamp. In some cures rubbing - up or down, in a cir- cle, or number of times - shows its own importance. Even so, in the first edi- tion of Folklore from Adams County Illinois, the word mub does not appear in the Index! How could I have missed the well-known couplet: When your left hand itches Rub it on wood And it will come good. (No.3356) Moreover, there are other examples of rubbing in this division about HANDS: Nos. 3339-3342.] De shoe sole - if yo' don' want somebody at chure house, take de shoe sole an' yo' rub it till de bottom of de foot git hot. Yo' call de person name nine times. Yo' git a lemon an' yo' Write de name down nine times wit a indelible pencil. Sew it up wit black thread an' bury it undah any step or do' whut dey gotta come by. An' bury it undah dere. An' everytime dey go out, yo' take dat left-foot shoe an' yo' rub it until de shoe sole git hot an' call dere name nine times.
(Whose shoe sole do you rub?)
Anybody dat yo' don' want at chure house. Any individual, woman or man, any- body dat yo' don' want dere.
(And the name you say...?)
Yo' jes' writes it down nine times wit a indelible pencil.
(And put that in a lemon?)
In a lemon an' sews it up wit black thread, No.8 black thread, coarse black thread, an' then bury it.undah a do'step, or a step, anywhere where dey gotta come in.
(That is to keep them away from your house?)
Keep 'em away from your house.
Entry 8647
Now, yo' take a lemon an' put nine needles - nine goldeye needles - an' take cinnamon an' cayenne peppah an' sugah. Aftah dat chew take an' sew it up. Aftah yo' sew it up. take 'an' put it into de sock. Yo' Write de name nine times an' put it into dat sock. Aftah dat yo' jes' keep it. Dat is really goin' tuh stop de fellah from gamblin' an' won' fool aroun' wit any woman, anybody. If he have anything to say about anybody [woman] he see, he hate 'em, git against 'em. An' along fin- ally, naturally he leaves away. He leave heah lak on Friday, an' yo' won' see him no mo' at all, he disappeah. An' yo' come tuh find 'im an' he's somewheres layin' on de road daid.
Entry 8648
Yo' take a lemon an' yo' cut it open an' yo' write a person [name], jes' lak anybody enemy to yo' an' yo' wanta git rid of 'em. An' yo' write their name nine times. Git chew a square piece of papah, write it nine times cross disaway an' nine times disaway, an' nine in all fo' corners - jis' cross 'em nine times. Den fold it nine times to yo'. An' den yo' put it in dat lemon. Den yo' put de lemon back togethah. Sew it up wit black thread an' throw dat in de rivah an' yo' git rid of it.
Entry 8649
Yo' kin take a name, a person name an' sugah, if yo' want 'em wit chew, an' bury undah de steps, front, eithah back, wit de lemon. Well, dat make 'em stay wit chew if yo' want 'em wit chew.
(Do you put this stuff in the lemon or don't you put it in?)
Yo' put de stuff in de lemon. Ah say tuh put it in de lemon.
Entry 8650
Yo' take dis party's name an' yo' write it three times. Yo' put dis name in de lemon an' yo' walk to runnin' water, an' throw it over yore left shoulder an' call dere name three times, an' dey will go [makes person leave town].
Entry 8651
That will break up a per- son, too. (Well, how do they do that?) Well, they put the woman's and the man's name. They cut the lemon and make a hole, you dig it out, an' yo' put this person's name on it. An' yo' write their name, each name, an' yo' put it in de lemon. An' yo' sew it up an' yo' bury it upside down, under dere step, where dey have to pass back an' forth. An' dat break 'em up.
(You just write the name once?)
Yes.
(Of each person.)
Yeah.
(This man and the woman?)
Yeah.
(And you bury this name upside down.)
claimed breakup of the named woman and man. Do not call this breaking the lemon or physically breaking a person. The separately selected Cut/Dig claims describe the object preparation. cutting the lemon to make a cavity. The object is the lemon, not either named person. digging out the lemon, a hollowing action. Do not replace lemon hollowing with grave/ground digging or infer a digging implement. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 8652
If yo' don't want a person, yo' take a lemon an' yo' put it in de name - de coconut de same way, too - an' yo' go direct to de Mississippi Rivah. Yo' go to de runnin' watah an' yo' take dat lemon an' yo' throw it. Now dose people, jes' like yo' see dat lemon driftin' down de stream
[they will drift away].
Entry 8653
Yo' take a person's name an' write it nine times an' put it in dis lemon an' get in de middle of de ferry - [I mean] get on de ferry an' get in de middle of de rivah an' throw it ovah yore left shouldah. Dat will run dem clean out of de city. Or eithah yo' do it wit a coconut...de same way.
Entry 8654
If yo' wanta drive a person away from there, yo' kin take such a thing as a lemon. Yo' take this lemon an' yo' write their name down nine times. Yo' put their name into this lemon. Yo' put some cayenne pepper, which is red pepper into this lemon, an' yo' go to de rivah an' throw it ovah yore shouldah back- wards, an' they gotta go.
Entry 8655
They use bluestone into a lemon, an' salt, black pepper, an' cayenne pepper, an' the woman's an' man's name, an' throw it in the river. That makes them drift. (You put this all inside the lemon?) Yes, sir.
Entry 8656
Just like if yo' wanta dere's a woman dat ah was livin' wit an' she's livin' wit someone else an' ah want tuh put 'em in hot watah. What ah mean, ah want tuh keep 'em afightin' dat dey can't git along. Ah go an' ah gets me a lemon, an' ah cuts dis lemon open. Ah get me a fresh box of cayenne peppah an' gunpowdah. Ah mix 'em up de same amount an' puts it intuh dis lemon. An' ah puts dere name in it. Dat is if ah ain't got none of 'er wearin' [clothes], see. Ah buries dis upside down. Every mornin' ah boils me a pot of watah 'fore sunrise an' ah pours it on dat. Yo' see. An' dat keeps 'em in a uproar all de time.
Entry 8657
If he leaves 'er an' go away, an' she find out whar he is. All right, if he write her - all right, she write 'im an' he will write 'er back. Well, she knows his name, he takes an' writes de firs' lettah, capital lettah, an' de others is following. Write her name under it. She takes it to de left, jest like she coming down de steps, corner of her steps, dis way to de left bottom step, she'll bury dat. (The left of the steps coming in?) [No, left side of steps as she comes down.] Comin' in whar he used tuh go. All right, she bury it. She Wrap de papah up an' she turns it on its face thataway, yore [her] name an' 'is name, an' yo' count de days dat he's been gone if yo' kin remember, an' de length of days, if it's a hundred or if it's 150. In 150 more he'll be walkin' right back in dat do' from de time dat he left.
Entry 8658
Ah know yo' take a weepin' willow an' yo' put as many notches on it as lettahs in yore name, an' den tie it across an' throw it in de yard where yo' Work at, an' de woman dat yo' think's got yore job, say, "Yo' shall leave dere." An' yo' kin git chure job de next mawnin'. (That is to get the other per- son's job?) She take [took] mah job. Ah Want mah job back. (To get your job back, you take a willow switch and you tie as many notches in it, cut notches in it as many letters as she has in her name.) Yes, an' den tie it dataway an' tro' [throw] it in de yard an' she'll leave dere.
(You tie it like this? What - you cut it in two then?)
Yes. Nawsuh [no sir], we don' cut it in two. Jes' take de two willows an' tie a string aroun' 'em an' throw it in de yard an' dey'll leave dere.
(And you cut the notches in these willows?)
Yessuh, as many [notches as] lettahs in her name yo' see. If she got five lettahs in her name or six or seven lettahs, maybe, cut dem many. (Here are two willow switches. Now she has five letters in her name. You cut five on each stick then?) Yessuh, an' den tie it togethah an' tro' it in de yard where she take de job 'way from yo', an' she'll leave dere.
(You just make an "x"?)
[After restudying this rite I am afraid my questioning may have complicated it. Surely one switch instead of two was used, this stick being bent and tied in a circle so that the two ends formed a cross. To regain her job my informant vas crossing her successor out of the job. Two separate willow switches could have been crossed and tied for the same purpose.]
Entry 8659
You take his name an' write it nine times, an' git choo a he an' she lodestone an' put it in there with his name, an' git a silver dime from 'im. An' he'll give yo' ever' nickel of money he kin make or scrape. (What do you do with that after you get this stuff together?) Yo' make it like in a little bag an' yo' pin it on yo'. Yo' see, yo' write his name first, yo' make yore wish jis' w'atevah yo' want done, yo' understan', an' den yo' wrap it up to yo' an make yore wish an' sew it up an' wear it on yo'.
(What do you do with this dime?)
Put it in there with dat - dat lodestone. Draws it, draws his money to yo'.
Entry 8660
(How do they do that?)
Well, they makes up a little bag an' takes an' puts lodestone in it, an' this here Conkah Root; put Conkah Root Powdah, cinnamon an' things, an' if dey wanted a man they sew de man's name up in dat, with a dime in dere an' den dey weah it. (I see.) [A gambling hand becomes a love hand by the addition of a person's name.]
Entry 8661
Yo' could put three matches, three pods of red pepper, an' a man an' Woman name, an' put it in de 'east [yeast] powder cup [can] an' bury it. That breaks them up. Bury it under de house somewhere, under de steps. "East powder. Yo' know, what dey put, 'east powder in a can, what yo' make bread. Yo' stop it into de can an' bury it anywhere in yore backyard, but say it's best to be under de house.
Entry 8662
Ah kin take three matches an' stick 'em up - see, let de head be up. Yo' may walk by me. Yo' walk on by me. Ah wants to take de upper hand of yo'. Well, now ah'll take dem three matches an' when yo' git by me, if ah know yo' name, ah'll call yore name three times. Yo' Won't look back but one time. De other time yo' ain't going to look back. That's when ah wanta take de upper hand of yo'. WelI, all right, chew go on to de second block or yo' may walk to de third block. Yo' stop, yo' stop right still an' yo'll turn back. But when yo' git back to where ah'm been, ah'm gone; but ah done got de scent of yo' an' yo' do jest what ah want, an' ah kin git anythin' yo' got.
(What do you do with those matches then?)
Ah take dem three matches an' ah'll jes' let 'em - an' call yo' back. Ah'll take dem three matches an' carry dem to my house an' put 'em down an' bury 'em. [The preceding rite evidently derives from the well-known spirit-catching one in which a person's name is called and his answering voice is stopped up in a bottle. Here we catch a passing person's scent by calling his name three times. He does not answer, merely looks round once. I do not recall another example of the rite. The informant, a good one, evidently believes it.]
Entry 8663
(Measure you with cords? How do they do that?)
Well, jest like if I know yo' is five feet or [and] six inches, or three[!] feet six inches, ah'll walk by yo' an' ketch de height of myself. [He compares his height with that of his victim's.] Ah take a length of cord an' go [step] back an' put it in nine [loose] knots. Den ah'll call yo name. [Then the knots are tightened.] Den ah'd go back an' get me dat stuff [previously mentioned] and get some graveyard dust an' set it up dere, right dere. Run yo' away or make yo' do enythin' ah wantcha [want you] tuh do - leave de town [for example].
Entry 8664
A man tole me he knew how to git a person who's away, if he's in love enough an' want to come, Want to take yo' back. Why yo' - he say nail up a nail ovah de do' which dey went out de last time. An' each night before yo' retire, dat yo' must stand an' look at dis nail an' call dis par- ty's name nine times, an' says each time, 'Come back, ah WANT CHOO TUH COME back." An' do dat fer nine nights, nine times each night. An' if dey had anythin' to come wit, dey'd come back.
Entry 8665
If yo' Want to kill a person - if yo' got it in fo' dem - git chew a nail an' go to a tree. Turn jes' towards de sun, de sunrise see, an' yo' nail dat nail in de tree see, an' call his name three times. In nine day's time why he'll be dead.
(Well, now, does he nail to- Ward the sun or does he nail it on the sunrise side of the tree?) Well, jes' lak [demonstrates]
de sun risin' disaway. See de tree settin' dat way. Yo' nail dat right in de tree towards de sunrise. (While you are facing the sunrise? Or on that side of the tree which faces the sunrise?) See, de tree will face de sun.
(And you put it in that side of the tree?)
Yo' nail it right in de side where de tree face de sun. [Florence, S. Car., (1318), 2263:3.].
Entry 8666
Ef [if] yo' don' know who is in co't [court - a witness against you] but chew wanta kill 'im. When yo' know his name - well, if yo' know his name [the whole rite changes], take a tenpenny nail an' stick it up side of a pine tree. An' hit it eighteen times an' de nineteenth time he is a dead man.
(If you want to kill him.)
Yes. (I see. You call his name how many times did you say?) Eighteen time an' de 20th time - call 'im 18 time an' de 19th time yo' drive it to de butt [the head of the nail all the way].
Entry 8667
If yo' nail nine nails an' call a person name, dey'll always be down. (Where did you say they nail them down?) Nail nine nails down. (Where?) Nail 'em down on de floor. (Yes.) An' as yo' nail 'em down, call dat person's name. Don't care where yo' nail 'em at. An' call dere nail nine times as yo' nail dem nine nails. Dey'll always be down. Yo' see, when yo' nail 'em in, yo'nail 'em down.
Entry 8668
Well, yo' use needles in a.way dat a - say fer ninstance [an instance] yo' courtin' a young girl, an' yo' want tuh gain influence in a decent Way wit de girl, yo' understan', an' want 'er mind direct attached tuh yo'. Yo' take two needles an' cross 'em. Take her name - yo' first get 'er name an' 'er name's on a papah. Den yo' take two needles an' cross those two needles [through that paper] an' yo' wear dem inside of yore vest pocket, coat pocket, or shirt pocket. Den she will come an' influence with yo'.
Entry 8669
Yo' take an' git chew a pack of bran'-new needles an' yo' buy yo' a beef tongue. An' yo' put nine needles in it an' yo' take dat beef tongue an' yo' bury it toward de east coast of de tree, or right undah de tree in de no'th corner of yore garden or yore fence. Dat's tuh kill dem. Rill me or anybody else. It'll rot. Yo' put de name on de tongue. (All right. You didn't tell me that.) Well, ah'm tellin' yo' now. (Now, how do I know?) We-ll, ah'm tell yo'. (How do you put the name on the tongue, now? Tell me.) Nine time, an' on a piece of papah, an' pin it wit dem needles nine times. Nine needles, see. An' yo' pin dat an' yo' bury dat tongue upside down. An' when dat tongue rot, dey rot.
Entry 8670
Yo' take nine needles.
(Nine needles.)
An' yo' take de name of de person, yo' write his name down. Yo' see, dat's a man an' a woman's affair, too. Yo' see, yo' write yore husband's name down nine times an' yo' write yores three time ovah dat. Den yo' put de nine needles an' yo' fold it tuh yo', an' yo' wrap it up in de sock, an' yo' keep it undah linoleum or somethin' where he has to cross ovah it - pass ovah it - an' dat's to keep 'im kind [and easy to handle] yo' see.
(How do you write those names? You write his name nine times.)
No, yo' write his name nine times like dat [demonstrates]. Well, all right. Den yo' come three times across [demonstrates].
(Make it like - your name and his name forms an "x".)
Yeah - see - look. Look [demonstrates] dat's nine times, nine times, an' write three times [across]. Mine [a woman].
(You form an "x" - like a cross.)
Yes, like dat [demonstrates].
(And then you fold it to you.)
Yes, to yo'.
Entry 8671
(Take a brand-new piece of cloth.)
Write a person's name on it an' stick nine needles an' nine pins into it. That will keep them down, they can't have any luck.
(You mean it keeps them from having luck and all that sort of thing, keeps them in trouble all the time.) [Mobile, Ala., (653?) 855:2.]
Entry 8672
They put nine needles, nine pins, nine new tacks, nine loaves of sugah, a spoon of honey, a halfa spoon of drawin' powdah, a teaspoonful of John de Conkah Root Powdah [all in a bottle]. An' dey'll stop dat up fer nine day. [Afterwards, to perform the rite] they'll git to de door [their own door] an' dey'll knock three times, an' dey will call de person [your name] - wit yore name [written on a piece of paper] in dat bottle. Dey turn dat bottle upwards [upside down] [during the ceremony] an' dat's supposed to keep yo' wor- ried. An' dey call yo', whenevah dey wan' choo [want you] to come by knockin'.
[Preceding loaves = Zwmps of sugar.]
Entry 8673
(Will you tell me just what they did?) Yeah, dey planted mah name an' buried me undah de steps. (How did they do it? How do you mean they planted your name?) They write mah name down on papah an' dey buried me undah de steps. (What did that do?) Dat made me move. (Oh, that made you move?) Yes. (Just write your name on a piece of paper and that made you move out?) Yes sir. Dey put mah name down, so dey say, nine times. Ah don't know [what they did].
(How many times?)
Nine times.
(I see.)
With my name...cayenne pepper.
Entry 8674
Yo' take a plain piece of papah.
(A clean piece of paper.)
Yo' take a piece, yo' see. A man take a papah, a sheet of papah or anythin', yo' undahstand. Why yo' could write. his name nine times or most anything else [such as come home, etc.]. GIVE ME A PIECE OF PAPAH AN' AH SHOW YO' SOMPIN. [I tear a sheet from my Numbers Book.] Yo' see yo' fold dat an' see, she Write dat name nine times on nine lines. An' she write his name - just, yo' know, write it nine times, an' fold dat different ways [demonstrates].
(Fold it to you.)
Fold it to yo' all de time. Well, aftah yo' fold dat to yo', stick it up ovah dere. She's comin' back tuh dat man in no time. She can't stay away.
[His stick it up over there was too indefinite.]
(Where do you stick it? Where do you stick the paper up?)
Well, yo' kin put it anywhere yo' want. Yo' just - she's gotta come back.
(I see.)
Entry 8675
Take that name and put it nine times, and she wear it in the bottom of her foot. She keep her stockings on all day long and she keep that name right under the palm of her foot. An' keep her stockin' on, dat's to keep it from vorking out. That draw her husband back home to her.
(I see. She writes the name nine times as you showed me before?) Yes, sir, nine times.
Entry 8676
Yo' kin write his name nine times an' make a wish an' den yo' kin wear it in yore right shoe an' he'll come back.
Entry 8677
Yo' kin take a pencil an' write a man's name nine times an' whoevah yo' is, if yo' want 'im, yo' write 'is name on a piece of papah nine times an' write her name on de top of dat papah - on top de line dat his'n is wrote on. Write it on dere an' take an' let 'er wear it nex' tuh 'er skin on 'er princess slip, an' he will always have 'er on his mind.
Entry 8678
Take his name down nine times on a piece of papah an' yo' write her name down three times. All right an' she git her some sugah an' some cinnamon an' she put dat on dat papah an' fold it three times to her an' wear it in 'er left shoes. Dat's tuh git him back home. Now, when she gits him back home, tuh keep him from goin with any othah woman, she takes her fingernails an' her toenails an' git a part of her hair. An' grate dat all up togethah an' put it in whatevah she cooks, an' give it to him an' he cain't leave 'er.
Entry 8679
[The doctor in the following rite for a job has an organized mind, though I was too recent in New Orleans at that time to realize it. In face, on this original transcription I formerly had a note use with care, which can still be seen despite my later erasure.] When yo' go to get a job - ah'll tell yo' about de job proposi- tion. It just like if yo' was out of a job an' yo' runnin' in bad luck. Yo' can't be success- ful in nuthin dat yo' start. Well, yo' get yo' some of dis seniment. Yo' get some of dis seniment with this rain water. (What is seniment? What is that?) Dat's a powder. (What does it look like?) It look just like - yo' ever seen this powder what they call that brown-skin powder? (You mean cinnamon powder?) Yeah. (Cinnamon powder. All right.) [How did I ever guess it!] Yo' take dat seniment powder. An' yo' get some of dis seniment powder an' yo' get what yo' call this lodestone; but ask for lodestone, see, with candy stripes. It's got a little stripe.
(What kind of stripes?)
Candy stripes. Just say, "Give me some of de lodestone." (Like this candy - now wait a minute! It's like this candy they got in the country stores, candy stripes?) Yes, just like that; round, see.
(And what do they call that?)
Lodestone.
(You said something about four-something. Four what?)
[Informant said it while recording machine turned off.1 Fo' corners. Yo' just get de fo' corners. Well, if it ain't got fo' corners, vell yo' just take anything, a file or somepin like dat an' put 'em there.
(You have to make it square. Four corners. All right.)
Yeah. Yo' go anywhere they got them rams - yo' see, them rams, or anywhere yo' know them ramhorns at. [Cowhorn appears several times in Hoodoo. This could be the only ramhorn.] Yo' gets a file an' yo' file some of that dust down there [with the lodestone dust]. Then yo' get some of this here oil what yo' call that green - Wintergreen Pasture Oil.
(Wintergreen?)
Wintergreen Pastures Oil.
(GREEN PASTURES OIL?)
[SURELY THE ENTERPRISING HOODOO-PRODUCTS SALESMAN SHOULD HAVE NAMED IT "PSALM 23 OIL"!] Yeah, an' yo' take some sugar an' seniment an' lodestone. An' take a silver dime an' yo' file dat silver dime on a piece of paper just where yo' got this stuff [various ingredients] at. Yo' take a piece of yellah paper - it [lode- stone?] comes with yellah paper - an' yo' wrap it up twice. Yo' fold it coming to you. Then, after yo' take this Wintergreen Pasture Oil an' yo' put over it, am' yo' put it in your pocket. Keep that in yore left pocket. Then yo' goes back an' yo' get this he Eve [Adam and Eve] root, see. He Eve root.
(He Eve root?)
Yeah, yo' go back an' get that an' yo' got hit, yo' got de she root in yore pocket, yo' understand. Yo' take that - powder up that. piece there - an' yo' get some rain water an' river water or hydrant water [3 running Waters], or anything like that, an' yo' put it in two glasses. Put it in two glasses like that an' yo' let it set, after yo've mixed it. Well, heap up just about de same amount in each glass. Yo' leave it set there fo' three days. Aftah yo' leave it set there fo' three days, yo' take it an' yo' pour it into one glass. Then yo' take this here - this seniment, lodestone an' dis Wintergreen Pasture Oil. Well, yo' Put it in de glass, in one glass, an' yo' let it set there fo' three days. Den take that water off - take dat watah off before yo' go out to see about a job. Just like, if yo' know the foreman's name, yo' take his name an' yo' write his name nine times backwards, just like if yo' write it backwards this Way nine times [demonstrates]. Then yo' fold it, fold it comin' to yo' like dat [demonstrates]. Then yo' write yore name on de top of it, but yo' must write yore name forwards.
(Write your name what?)
The right way.
(You write your name forwards. All right.)
Then yo' take dat an' yo' put it down in dat water where all yore stuff is in the morning when yo' going out - just when yo' going out to the foreman. Yo' got his name. Well, when yo' get ready to go there, yo' take this water out of Chere. Yo' pour it out in a basin or anything like that, an' yo' take it an' yo' wash yo' hands good with it, an' yo' wash yore fingers. Yo' takes this here lodestone an' yo' put it in yore pocket with this she Eve root. Yo' walk to him a'when yo' get there, before yo' ask, just like yo' take a piece of chewing tobacco, cut a little piece off dat she root an' put it in your mouth. An' get this here lodestone thing in your hand like that an' rub it, an' make yore wishes, as yo' walk up to him an' ask 'im for a job. Probably he may not have nuthin to do right then, but he'll run his hand in his pocket if he got any money an' he'll give yo' a piece of money. The first opening that he have - WHEN YO' LEAVE FROM THERE, YO'LL MAKE A WISH FOR ANY - JUST LIKE ANY JOB YO' WANT AROUND THERE, YO' MAKE A WISH FOR ANY BAD LUCK TO HAPPEN TO 'EM PEOPLE AT THAT PLACE. SAY PRAYERS, AN' IN A WEEK'S TIME [7 DAYS] YO'LL HAVE A JOB. There no favor that yo' ask 'im that he could turn yo' down. If he ain't got it at de present time, he will tell yo' a way to come an' get it.
foreman’s name written nine times backwards, contrasted with own name forwards. Keep foreman nine-times-backwards versus applicant forwards on top; not all names backwards. manually inscribed arrangement of foreman’s and applicant’s names. Retain foreman backwards nine times and own name forwards on top, followed by the use of the inscribed paper in the preparation. employment sought from a foreman, with conditional intermediate outcomes and harmful wish. No immediate job guarantee: preserve probably no work, money if he has it, the first opening, and the subsequent one-week claim as attributed. river as a stated possible source of water, alongside rain/hydrant wording. Keep literal rain water an’ river water or hydrant water and or anything like that; do not convert ambiguous conjunctions into an all-three requirement or flatten all alternatives. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3556) · Read full source (printed page 3557) · Read full source (printed page 3558)
Entry 8680
Then, what they would do to make yo' move out of that house, they would get yore - try to get some close friend of yours to get yore right shoe. They Would burn that right shoe. They'd get up before day in de mawnin' an' burn that right shoe. Before twelve or one o'clock, they'd take that, they'd sprinkle it at yore door, dat [shoe ashes]. (I understand.) Well, they'd go to work then an' they'd get oil of cedar. (Oil of cedar?) They'd take oil of cedar an' they would pour dat down. (Where would they pour that?) They pour it right at your door [where they put the shoe ashes], at yore front door, where yo' are bound to come out over. Well then yo' get 'em [they have you!]. They would take yore name an' they would write it nine times an' they would fold that from them. They'd take that name an' they would bury that. Yo' begin to drift. Yo' wouldn't like that place, yo'd want to stay away from dat place. Dat's de place they'd drive yo' off.
(Do they bury that in any special place?)
They'd bury it at de door where yo' - or in de path, so you'd have to come over. They'd bury it so you'd have to come over it. Yo' understand.
(I understand. That makes you move?)
That'd make yo' move.
Entry 8681
Well, yo' can do a heap with onions.
(What for example?)
Yo' can take a onion an' write names an' open dat onion an' sew it up, put that in there an' sew that onion up. An' take that onion and put it somewhere where nobody walks. That does a lot of harm - mean things. (Do you just write the name once on a piece of paper?) Once only on the paper for that.
Entry 8682
Yes, yo' could take a sheet of papah wit lines on it an' write. Now, if she wuz a married woman an' yo wanted her, yo'd write her name [demonstrates] on dis line an' yo' turn de papah ovah an' write his name on dat line. See, her name would be goin' disaway an' 'is name dataway.
(Which way would her name be going?)
Yo' see, both sides [of the paper] has lines. Well, yo' write 'er name on dis line an' yo' turn de papah ovah an' write his name [over her name]. Well, yo' see both names wouldn't run togethah. One would run dat way an' one dis way [in the opposite direction]. Well, dat's de breakin' up [opposite of putting together] part. An' yo' would wear these names in yore shoe fo' three days, an' on de third day yo' take it out befo' de sunrise an' jes' tear it in small pieces an' bury it. Yo' wouldn't bury it very deep. Jes' rake back a li'le dirt, enough tuh keep de wind from blowin' it away. An' ever' mavnln' befo' de sun rise, why yo' put jes' a li'le chamber lye on it, an' yo' would say a prayer. (What kind of a prayer?) Yo' would say, "Lord, ah'm doin' dis in Yore Name fo' peace." An' yo' see dat "peace" would mean yo' wouldn't mean de man no harm, but chew would jes' want dis woman. An' yo' would do that fo' nine mawnin's an' de ninth mawnin', why dis woman would come to yo'. An' de way her an' her husband would split up, why he wouldn't have any suspicions of anyone. Then her mind would go from him an' his mind would go from her, an' would [go] to the one that wuz doin' this, that she loved. An' she would nevah know, or he would nevah know jes' how they broke up. But then yo would git de woman that yo' wanted.
Entry 8683
Dey kin take a person's hair an' bury it an' cause 'em tuh die. Cut de hair outa de top de haid. Yo' can't git any othah part of de hair. Yo' gotta git it from de top of de haid, understan', an' wrap it in brown papah. An' write dere name on dat papah, an' cause 'em tuh - yo' know, jes' anything dat chew wish would go wrong with de body. Dat whut chew do wit a person's hair.
(You just write that name once on the paper?)
Yeah - yeah, jes' once. On some different things yo' have tuh write it three times, but jes' with de hair yo' kin write it once, on brown papah. It's gotta be brown papah, jes' ordinary wrappin' papah, lak dat. {Memphis, Tenn., (1518), 2695:2.]
Entry 8684
Well, yo' go out there [to a crossroad] for whatsomevah yo' want [to] be done. Yo' make a cross in dat road. Yo' go to a 'simmon [persimmon] tree an git a 'simmon tree an' cut [a piece off] about 3 inches, yo' know what 3 inches is. Yo' make a split in that, in that piece yo' cut off, if yo' wan'a stop 'em from goin' de way they're goin', if dey goin' roun' some woman, somepin like dat. Yo' always urinate on it an' make yore wish an' write de name. Stick it [name] right down in dat cut chew made an' drive it in de ground.
[This is one of a number of split stick rites.]
(Where?)
Right in that cross, where you make dat cross.
(At the crossroad.)
Yes sir, under dat cross an' cover it.
The informant describes a split persimmon stick with urine, a wish and written name, buried beneath a cross mark to stop a person's going. The final exchange confirms the crossroad location; Hyatt supplies several initial explanations and classifies it among split-stick rites. The source tree name is retained without a botanical authority assertion.
Entry 8685
A persimmon? Why yo' kin take a 'simmon tree an' go on de east side of a 'simmon an' dig a root, an' whilst yo' diggin' dat root yo' name it. Jes lak if yo' wanta do sompin to a person, yo' name dat root while yo' diggin' dat root. An' aftah yo' git dat root dug, yo' carry it home an' dry it. When yo dy dat root, yo' name it as yo' put it up tuh dry. Yo' name dat root. An' in nine day's time yo' kin take dat root an' jes' whichsomevah way yo' throw dat root, name it. As yo' throw it, name it. Jes' whichsomevah way yo' throw dat root, dat person will go de way yo' throw dat root, an' yo' nevah see 'em no mo'. Yo'll nevah see 'em no mo'.
[I restart recording machine to add further information.] (You can use the root of any tree?) Any tree.
Entry 8686
[To stop a person influencin' in de world an' cut his success off, de way yo' do dat. Yo' git, yo' know, some of dis copris [copper] wiah. Yo' know dis roun' wiah kinda lak gold wiah. (Like the electric light wire?) Yes. Well, yo' take dat an' den yo' call this individual's name an' yo' tie three knots in it an' tie it roun' a green 'simmon tree. His success or his influence will be cut off. (A piece of copper wire, any kind of copper wire.) [These two notations of mine emphasize the confusion some informants had between copperas and copper. Present informant says copris.]
Entry 8687
Yo' kin go to a 'simmon tree an' go on de east side of dat tree an' cut chew a switch. Cut it up an' - yo' kin be in New York an' yo' kin take dat switch an' yo' kin notch dat switch wit nine notches. Jes' lak [demonstrates] yo' cut one heah, one heah - jes' cut it all roun' until yo' git dose nine notches on dere. Den yo' kin take dat 'simmon switch an' grease it in olive oil, an' go to de head of a person - yore bed, if yo' gonna use it yoreself. Go to de bed an' stand it up, jes' lak dis is it [demonstrates] behin' de bed. Stand it up lak dat.
(You stand that switch up behind the head of your bed.)
An' den in de mawnin' yo' go turn de switch dat way, an' den yo' go call dat person by name an' stand it up on de othah end. (You call that switch by the person's name and then turn it up on the other end.) That [is] if yo' wanta bring a person to yo'. Yo' don't have to go [to the tree] any [special] time. After dey come [back home] an' when dey come in, yo' take dat switch an' yo' break dat switch in nine pieces [at the notches?]. An' when yo' break it in nine pieces, yo' wrap dat wit de cord towards yo'. An' yo' take it an' yo' put it in a li'le bottle an' cord dat switch up right tight in dat li'le bottle. An' yo' kin keep it in yore house in yore trunk, or yo' kin bury dat. An' as long as yo' keep dat, dey will stay dere. (Now, I have that switch behind the head of my bed. Here's the switch [I demonstrate] and when I call the name, then I turn it upside down like that, on the other end. The next morning I turn it upside down again and call the name. Do that every morning until...?) Until dey come. Dey won't be long comin' either.
(And you must cut this switch off the east side of a persimmon tree.)
Off de east side.
Entry 8688
Ah heard tell of 'em takin' a nail an' drivin' it in a tree, in a 'simmon tree, about halfway, till it git to dem li'le notches-lak [just below head of nail] an' dey they stops. An' dey take an' name dat nail whosomevah dey want it tuh be, an' dey'll nail it down. [Fayetteville, N. Car., (1428), 2577.1
Entry 8689
Now, ah tell yo' 'bout de stockin's. He could take her stockin's - [she could] take his socks an' put 'em undah 'er do'step. Git a beef tongue, yo' understan', an' stick pins in it; but she gotta stick a pin dere every mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's till she git nine pins in dere. An' den take a pencil an' a piece of papah an' sign his name all ovah dat beef tongue [see correction later] an' take an' wrap it up an' den put it - jes' bury it in de groun' right at 'er do'. He'll come back.
(She also puts his socks under the door?)
Undah dere.
(Do they point them any particular way or just....?)
Jis' put 'em dere - jes' so he walk ovah dere to go back an' forwards. (Well, now. She doesn't write on that beef tongue, she writes on the paper doesn't she?) She writes on de papah.
(What does she do with the paper then?)
She takes de papah an' den she folds de beef tongue up in de papah. An' den she bury it.
Entry 8690
Yo' git nine pins an' put ovah de do', an' call 'em every mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's befo' sunup. That will bring 'em back.
Entry 8691
De quicksilver. A woman use quicksilver when she Wants tuh keep a man. [Whether quicksilver here is quick- silver or tinfoil or back of mirror scrapings, I failed to ask.] She take dat quicksilver an' she puts it in a perfume bottle, one dem li'le perfume bottle, an' when she puts it in dere, she writes dat man's name down. Write it down on one piece of papah but jes' big enough tuh fit into dat perfume bottle. She writes it down nine times, but jes' big enough tuh fit into dat perfume bottle. Write it down straight, one right behin' de othah.
(Like Sam Jones, Sam Jones?)
Yassuh. An' she put dat in a piece of papah an' she put dat quicksilver in dere. She takes dat quicksilver an' she stops it up tight so it won't come out or nuthin. An' she bo's a hole in 'er mattress, on de side where he supposed tuh lay, an' she puts dat quicksilver right down in dat bed on de side where he lays. Dat'll keep 'im. Dat whut de wimmins do. Dey uses dat concernin', dat concernin' say, lak yo' would de yellah cotton.
(Did you tell me about the yellow cotton?)
Yassuh, ah tole yo' 'bout de yellah cotton.
Entry 8692
(What's that?)
Somepin like that, if they Want to see somepin bad happen to a person, get kilt or somepin. Then you goes to"a [train] track an' yo' take their name an yo' bury it at de track an' somepin bad will happen to them then. They're liable to get runned over by a train, or knocked off de track, or an automobile or somepin will run over 'um. That's what that's for.
Entry 8693
They can go to the end of a railroad track and put your name down in there an' yo'll drift. Yes, right up on the side of the [railroad] tie. Well, you write the name backwards [last name first]. You write it up an' then yo' write it across [write it in the form of an 'x or cross] an' let it be nine times. Put it right there [on the railroad track]. Put it in a can, though, see, so it won't blow away.
Entry 8694
[There was] a man [a doctor] and he write - wrote in red ink.
(He had red ink?)
Yes, sir. Not ink, yo' know a red pencil, but red center. An' he write mine name, hers name an' - wrote de boy's name, an' de girl's name, an' then my name across it. And he [this doctor] said that would make them humble unto me. Yo' see, give me no more trouble. Well, it look like it did, see. Ah don't know. Ah know ah never did [have any more trouble with them].
(Then after he wrote those names, then what did he do with that paper?)
Fold it, fold it to him. Every time he turn it, fold it to him. Don't fold it away from him, to him. And [he] sewed it up in a little sack an' ah wore that, wore it out. That's what I experienced individually.
(You had to wear that?)
Yes, sir. (He wrote this girl's name and this boy's name like that [I demonstrate] on parallel lines.) Yes, sir. (Then he crossed - then diagonally he crossed your name on it with this red pencil? I see.) YeS, Sir. [THE READER MUST REALIZE THAT THE PRECEDING "PARALLEL LINES" AND "DIAGONALLY" ARE NOT FOR INFORMANT BUT FOR MY FUTURE UNDERSTANDING. MANY OF MY COMMENTS ARE ANNOTATIONS.]