Browse:Used about House (Volume 1, entries 1622–1646)
Used about House
Volume 1, entries 1622–1646. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → FOLK MEDICINE → CURE AND PROTECTION → Urine. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 1622
Well, yo' keep it an' po' it undah yore step every mawnin' an' dat'll keep it down - keep down hands an' things. Jes' lak if somebody put somepin down fo' yo' [to walk over]. (You put the chamber lye under there.) Yessuh - under yore step every mawnin'.
Entry 1623
That ah know one thing 'bout chamber lye - throw chamber lye at chure front do' 'fore sunrise an' dat'll keep yore enemies away.
Entry 1624
I had a cousin. He say he 'us poison. He say they had to put some graveyard dirt on him or somepin or other, you know, to break him an' his wife up. They got him so he couldn't stay with his wife; he couldn't go home without fussin'. A ole lady tole him they went to de graveyard an' got some graveyard dirt an' throwed on him an' sprinkled it around his house to keep him fussin' an' fightin' all the time. So she told him to get some chamber lye an' keep it around his house an' that would kill it.
Entry 1625
That'll keep a root worker from the house if you know what to do with it. If you use chamber lye overnight an' let it set - let it set an' don't let it sunshine on it without [before] choo wan'a use it. [If] you wan'a use it, bottle it up - see, that creates a good odor, a strong odor. Well then, you see you say, "I don't want this devil to come here." You see, you git up in mornin' an' you pour you some out - don't care de whole bottle out. Take a whole jugful. pour you some in a sprinkling can, git to yore do' [an' sprinkle it]. Well, you see, dey come up dere an' dey can't come no further.
Entry 1626
Mah auntie had to use that. They say when a person tryin' to poison yo', they say git up ev'ry mawnin' fer nine mawnin's an' throw yore chamber lye out backward over yore left shoulder backwards an' don't look back at it an' that will keep 'em from poison yeh. Yo' do that before the sunrise.
Entry 1627
Ah heard that if anybody has any witchcraft buried around yore home or anything of that kind, that chew kin take chanberline chamber lye an' throw it out there each morning to de front an' back steps or either yo' kin take fo' cans of Red Devil Lye an' put it to each post of yore house [many small houses in the lowlands rest aboveground on four posts] - dat will eat it all up.
(Do they throw that chamber lye there every morning?)
Yes.
(And they just put these four cans of lye one in each corner of the house.)
Red Devil Lye.
Entry 1628
Ah know dis mahself. Ah wus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, once an' ah wus workin' ovah dere. Ah lived ovah dere fo' seven-eight yeahs. An' a girl dere she had a boy fren' an' she liked him. Well, ah nevah know anythin' about her - she wus a Virginia girl. An' so she goes somewheah, ah dunno wheah an' - it wus mah idea - de [first] time ah evah knowin' sech things tuh happen, yo' see. An' she goes some place, ah dunno wheah. Dere wus a lil' path come right up from - lemme see now - jes' lak de house up heah. Well now, ( dey has upstairs. Yo' know people lives upstairs jes' lak yo' do downstairs. Dey live downstairs jes' lak dey do upstairs. Well, dis lady had a kitchen an' de bedroom. Well, ah had - an' dey had two rooms right back behin' dere, see. Well, yo' come right up dere out de front street into de gate right straight down de lil' steps, right straight on down to where ah wus to de house, an' den come up. [The house was below the street and on the side of a hill.] We wus all in de same house. An' so she came right on up de steps, goin' upstairs into de kitchen an' den goin' on upstairs. Ah saw dis fo' mahself. So a girl from Alabama, she wus tellin' me, she said, "Yo' watch dat girl." Say, "she goin' try trick yo'." Ah said, "Trick me? How? Whut she goin' do? Ah dunno what chew talkin' 'bout.' Well, ah wus dumb to de fac' 'cause ah nevah deal wit nuthin lak dat. An' so she said, "Well, now, yo' watch." She kept tellin' me dat. Ah wus workin'. Ah had a good job at $lO a week - yo' know, not knowin' - jes' mahself - not knowin' much about work. So ah goes back an' started tuh bed an' she says, "Come heah a minute." De windah wus up an' it wus upstairs an' we looked out an' she says, "Look." Yo' know de higher yo' up, de bettah yo' kin look out down on de groun'. An' she had somepin she wus puttin' it down, her an' a man - jes' strewin', strewin' it all roun'. An' ah said, "Fo' heaven's sake, whut is dat?" She say, "Well, don't chew go out dere. She done aim tuh trick yuh." Say, "She goin' kill yuh." Say, "If yo' cross dat stuff she's puttin' down dere she put it all down at de do' an' den back up to de gate - yo' know, back aroun' to dat place wheah ah walked. An' she say, "Now, ah tel 1 yo' whut chew do tomorrah mawnin'." It excited me 'cause ah nevah wus in nuthin lak dat. Says, "Ah tell yo' whut chew do tomorrah mawnin'." Says, "Yo' go somewheah an' yo' do sech-an'-sech a thing." We had a slop jar upstairs, yo' see, jes' fo' all three of us - us three women. An' so we did - we used it in de mawnin'. Well, de nex' mawnin' she tole us tuh put a box lye in it an' table salt, an' dis girl taken it herself an' carried it out in front of me, an' she jes' po'd it an' jes' strewed it yo' know. An' she said - well, ah wus afraid tuh go out. She said, "Dat's all right, yo' kin go on now." Ah re'lly know dat to be true - ah saw dat.
(They poured chamber lye around to keep out the stuff she put down for you?)
Yes - an' de box lye an' salt. Say de box lye eat it up an' de salt. [This old-fashioned term is box lye not box of lye - to distinguish it from chamber lye.]
Entry 1629
A woman was mad at my sister and I was staying across the street from her and she came by my house. And I got up next morning to go out and she had a whole lot of graveyard dirt throwed all over my porch. And do you know, I had to move out of that house - made me move. They sure make you move. I didn't know she put it there but someone tole me after I moved that she did. Of course, if I knew it, I wouldn't move I reckon. They tell me how to kill that out - to get some chamber lye and salt and pepper, and throw it all around yore house and that'll kill that out.
Entry 1630
I had a sister-in-law her husband tried to hurt her and she'd taken a simple thing - there was table salt, and red pepper and chamber lye and mixed it together, and sprinkled it all around her house - in her house (see No. 1634), and it killed what he had put down for her.
Entry 1631
To protect yo'self against dat if someone had put somepin down fo' yo' to walk ovah, why yo'd git joo some red peppah an' salt an' git joo some chamber lye an' put in that red peppah an' salt, an yo' would put that red peppah an' salt aroun' yore do' fo' nine mornings. This is, if something was planted aroun' yore do', yo'd put dat salt, red peppah an' chamber lye.
Entry 1632
All yo' have tuh do is take some chamber lye an' red peppah an' nine drops of turpentine an' some salt an' take yo' a halfa can of potash - probably a can of potash an' git up soon dat mawnin' an' sprinkle it all de way around yore house an' under yore step. Den dere's no way fo' no roots tuh take effect of yo' at all.
Entry 1633
Yo' kin take chamber lye an' sulphah an' cayenne peppah an' mix it all up togethah, an' go out one dark night, a real dark night, an' jes' throw it all roun' yore house, an' will jes' drive all enemies an' things from yore home.
Entry 1634
Yes sir, ah hear it. Well, yo' take de chamber lye an' yo' take it an' place into a can, an' yo' take some sulphur an' yo' take cooking salt an' place into dis heah pot [can], an' yo' take it an' put it into de house an' take yo' a little old sprayer like an' jest spray it all round into de house (see No. 1630). An' dat would bring luck.
(Any particular kind of luck?)
Bring luck into yore home, see.
Entry 1635
Yo' kin take a - yore urine, see. If yo' think somebody put somepin down round yore place, yore steps, overnight joo understand, to do yo' some harm, yo' kin take yore urine an' put chew some salt an' sulphur in it an' stir it up good, an' bluestone, an' jes' [get] chew a swiss [swish] broom, see. [Swish broom is a one-handed broom; handle broom or stick broom requires two hands. Many substances were used: long grass, broom sedge (which see), leafy twigs, etc. Neither the short whisk broom nor longer besom describes this home- made article. I remember one of the housefly swishes; one large green top, or several small ones, of asparagus gone to seed.] Stick it in dere - put it in a pan - put in de broom, jes' [demonstrates].
(Sprinkle it around.)
Dat's right - yo' do dat fo' two-three mornings. Anytime dat yo' think that things is goin' wrong yo' jes' - dey kin put it there but it will kill it jes' as fast as it hit de ground. Now dese things ah'm telling you, ah've experienced dem.
Entry 1636
Well, dat's whut ah'm tellin' yo' - dat's jis' de same. All yo' do is put chure urinate in that saltpeter into somethin' an' ev'ry mawnin' 'bout fo' a'clock yo' git up an' po' that right down dere. Ah know it.
(Down where?)
Down at chure do' - po' that down at chure do' an' jis' continue fo' a long time an' dere cain't nuthin harm yo'. Dat saltpeter is wonderful.
Entry 1637
Ah wus fixed. Ah wus dressed one time an' ah wus tole to take some table salt an' go roun' an' roun' mah buildin' three time a week an' jes' scatter it 'long. An' take some of my chamber lye at night an' in de mawnin' throw a han'ful in de fire an' jes' sprinkle dat chamber lye right in de fire behin' yo' an' don't look back at it - jes' back up to de fire an' throw it in an' don't look back. An' it 'move mah misery - it painful all ovah.
(You threw that handful of salt in the fire every morning [for three mornings]
and then you threw that chamber lye behind it?) Yes - fo' three mawnin's, befo' sunrise.
(And you threw that salt around the house three mornings in the week?)
Three mornin' in de week.
(One morning right after the other or what?)
Yes sir, three mornin': Monday mornin', Tuesday mornin', an' Wednesday de last momin'.
Entry 1638
When a person git yore fingernail er toenail, he take de sweat - what ah mean, not de sweat - de chamber lye from his body and put it in a bottle and begin to shake it wit nine needles and he'll do that [for a] length of time. And how you got'a git rid of that - you got'a make yore chamber lye near de stove or anywhere you make a fire - make yore water in it and throw a handful of salt in dere fer nine mornings, and call "God de Father, God de Son and God de Holy Ghost." And git up [do this] four a'clock every morning. Then he'll turn you loose.
(What does he do with those fingernails: and toenails?)
Well, de fingernails and toenails in de bottle with it. (He puts them in the bottle, too. I see. And what is this supposed to do to you?) Well, he make you do jest what he wanta do. [Charleston, S. Car., (519), 613:4; Doctor San Mongain.1
Entry 1639
If a person poison yo', give you some kind of deadly poison, yo' know, tuh poison yo', take yo' a hoecake of [corn]meal out chure flour an' take yo' jes' any amount of chamber lye dat chew have from de night ovah an' mix it up. But chew buy yo' a brand-new yard of homespun cloth [almost always homespun; cloth rarely added] an' right at chure fireplace mix it up jes' like yo' mixing up dough. An' yo' make, yo' know, jes' a flat roun' hoecake an' put it in de backside of yo' fiahplace. Dat befo' yo make yo' fiah in de mornin', yo' under- stand, an' den builds yore fiah on top of it. An' whosomevah done anything to yo' - whosomevah poisoned yo', say dat'll turn it back on dem.
Entry 1640
This here thing of puttin' a spell on anybody, you takes that off wit dere water - see, dere own water. You make it in a bottle an' you git - it's nine pins. See, you turn four de p'ints up - de p'int of de pin. You tie them into a thread. Take a thread an' tie fo' of de p'ints up - de fo' cormer of de world, an' five down, you understand, an' jis' like it's joo, you take an' leak in de bottle an' put dese pin in dere, see, an' jis' stop dat bottle up. You go to a ole wrecken [delapidated] house dat nobody lives in an' take up a brick. [I ask a lost question] yeah, yeah, in de fiahplace some ole house in de country or anywhere dat dere nobody livin'. You know, take up a brick, take dis bottle - you got but three words to say to dis when you set it, see - you understand whut I mean, "Bad luck go away, good luck follah," three times. You set it [bottle] down an' place dat [brick] jis' like it was before, an' you go ahead an' return home. Don't look back - no lookin' back atall. I'm tellin' you ezactly whut will do dat. An' you go right on home. Den after you git in de house, you kin come out an' look where you wan' to - after you git tuh de house. Well, in nine days it'll [the spell will] be off. De fellah dat put it on them [you], dey'll
[he'll] be feelin' it.
Entry 1641
He lived in Vashington befo' ve were married - Vashington, D. C. Dat's when ve vus co'rtin'. An' 'bout six-eight mont's he fooze vritin' me [refused to write me] an' I didn't know why he fooze vritin' me. An' he say he vus jis' as blin' as a bat [and therefore could not write] jis' from - he say someone had hurt 'im. He vent to cunjure doctor an' he tole 'im dis fellah hurt 'im ovah dis Ind'an gurl - yerah fine-lookin' gurl. An' he tole 'im jis' take a small amount of his ureene [urine] you know, put it in a little bottle an' set it undah de sill of [other man's] do'step: He say 'e [she really says "e" instead of "he" everywhere] thinked dey hurt 'im ovah dis Ind'an gurl. De Ind'an gurl didn't took part in it. An' he [sayl take dis [iis'] a small amounta he ureene an' put in a bottle each mornin' jis' befo' de sunup, an' he'd stick [it] undah dat fellah do'step, an' - vell, hones' de true, he say 'es [his] eyes beginnin' tuh come open wit de furse mawnin' soon as 'e set [the urine] undah deah. An' 'e continoo dat fer six veek an' 'e got so 'e could see jis' as good as yo' or I. An' when 'e died why 'is eyesight vus perfectly nahmal. [Indian means American Indian, often with Negro blood, or a Negro with Indian blood.] [This transcrip- tion, never done by my transcriber, comes from my original pencil transcription, an unsuccessful attempt to spell what the woman says.]
Entry 1642
[This rite and the following one are examples of the well-known scrubs of New Orleans, which offer protection against anything, even the law. More of them will be found under subsection Business and Customers.]
(You say you get up early in the morning. What time is that?)
Roun' six o'clock or five o'clock in the morning.
(Yes, and you do what?)
You get up and you take you a bucket - you understand, your wash-scrub bucket and you put you some urinate in it and put some of that incense in there. Take you some lye and pour down in there, and you come there and you scrub it - don't put no clear water at all in it. Just mix all that up together and scrub your porch, just back and forth you know, but be always scrubbin' yourself inside always. Don't never scrub yourself out. Just like you'd have to scrub, you know, just scrub this way - scrub yourself right on back in your door. Like there's a step there, you are going to scrub from your step up - bring yourself inside all the time.
(What do you do that scrubbing for?)
Well, you see, that's to keep them from putting anything - from planting anything around your home to harm you. They can't do anything.
Entry 1643
I went to a lady onest an' it was a place I couldn't stay in de house, an' she told me to get up every morning and soon an' sprinkle a box of table salt all around the house, and leave that go until it penetrated into the place, you see. An' then around twelve o'clock, get out there with a box of lye, Red Seal Lye, and broom and some chamber lye, you know, and you scrub it. And said after that then throw nine buckets of water, clean water, and that will wash it all away - that's if somebody tricked around your place.
Entry 1644
Take an' sprinkle that aroun' yore do' - take chamber lye an' salt an Hearts Cologne, when yo' scrub off de step. Jes' keeps de evil from takin' effect, whut de mean people put down. Dat's whut ah hear dey say.
Entry 1645
Yo' use dis stuff ammonia an' lye - concentrated lye, an' chamber lye, that's yore watah, an' wash round dat place. Yo' takes a can of lye tuh cut out all devilment dat anybody would throw, 'cause if dey goin' throw dey goin' always mostly throw undah - lak a buildin' dat's made yo' know lak this where it's a steps. Yo' takes dat can of lye - yo' don't use none of it - yo' take it an' yo' open it an' sprinkle so much all around undah dere, dry. Den yo' take that can an' yo' bury it upside down, an' that ketches all de devilment that's throwed around.
(What do you do with that other stuff, that other stuff you spoke about?)
Yeah, dat's tuh wash - if yo' think anybody's doin' devilment, wash aroun' an' dat cleans all de devilment out. Don't care whut dey put down, dat cut it up.
Entry 1646
[Take] that there snakeroot and John de Conker root and boil it and take de urine after boilin' it and put some of that in it, and Hearts Perfume, and boil it so it git de odor through the house, and sprinkle in de front do' and back, mornin' an' night.
(What would they do that for?)
That would bring luck and stop de man from puttin' yo' out.
(Putting you out of the house.)
Yes, an' ah didn't have de money - didn't give a cent and he didn't put me out. Suah stopped that.