Browse:Women-Cause-Trouble Theme (Volume 1, entries 422–424)
Women-Cause-Trouble Theme
Volume 1, entries 422–424. Source context: SPIRITS → SPIRITS GUARD BURIED TREASURE. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 422
Ah thought ah could tell a story of once ah went to - it wus about some money. It wus one night mahself an' mah fren' an' another lady an' her fren' we went to a place to dig some money an' de older couple dey give up dere nerve, an' mahself an' de othah boy we's de younger couple. So we's supposed tuh hold out, but den ah heard such a lamentation, so ah got frightened an' so ah screamed an' so ah begin tuh run, so dis boy he begin tuh run with me. An' dere wus a awful noise, but dey still got'a stick an' git de money.
(You said she couldn't get the money because of what?)
She looked roun' every time she hears dis - looked roun' at dis lamentation - dis draggin' an' dis noise of dis chains. She said it sounded lak a chain and it be right close to her an' she would look roun' tuh see wus it on her. An' co'se de man dat wus doin' de diggin' he claim he nevah did see it, but she would see it. It wus her father an' her stepmother dat died an' left her dis money buried under de tree. We heard about it an' we went tuh diggin'.
(So she never got it because she looked away from the money?)
Yes - she looked aroun' lak dat - she didn't nevah keep her eyes on it.
Entry 423
When I was a child I hear'n of the old folks say they knew where there was some hidden money and they come to the conclusion that they would go and look for it. They wasn't positive sure it was there. And they appointed a night that they would go and try and see if something would happen. The leader was a woman. And when they got there they stop and draw a large circle on the ground. They drew that circle right around the money, where they had ideas to believe that it was there. And they was to come inside of that circle. And there must not be any conversation here at all inside of that circle. So she [the leader] said, "Lets try it." And so they got inside of that circle, and she took her stand about here, [demonstrates], and she was reading a lesson from the Bible. After that was over they had to go to work. She put her spur [spear] down into the ground, a rod, a money rod, right in the center of the circle. And there was something else they did but I can't think of that. But anyhow, this rod, after it got to a place so deep, it looked like somebody dancing - it just shivered. Then they start to dig and they got down to the money jar. They were.about to put it on top of the ground, and just as they reached down to get a hold of the jar, the woman said, "Up, up." Boom! it went back into the earth and disappear. So they didn't get it. But they say a fellow came back a couple of nights after that and got it. That happen sixty-four years ago [1872] down here near Snowhill [Marylandl. [Ocean Citv. Md., (16), Ed.
Entry 424
After I married Mr. Banks, there was a big crowd went out one night to hunt money and they were getting to the box. They had a woman reading the Bible. They always say to read the Bible to keep down the spirits. They had one man that was digging in there, he had one leg, and he had on a red shirt. And they say everything came in the shape of dogs, hogs, and everything. The last thing came was like what they call a red devil. He had to tail to him, long ears, and a spear in his hand, and spoke. And he said he wanted the man with the red shirt on. It so scared them all they all run away. And they left this poor man in the hole by his own self and he had a hard time getting out because he only had one leg: That ain't no lie. They went digging in there and all got scared and left. A lot of the men are dead and a lot living today. They never got the money. I don't know how they located it. They seen the box all right when these things came. There's certain Scriptures you read for spirits, they say. I don't think this woman could of been reading the right one or the spirits wouldn't have come so fast and scared them.