Subject:Alcohol
Entries
Entry 77
[An excellent example of this belief will also be found in my interview Beer For St. Peter - Whiskey And Cigar For St. Anthony. Here we have a desperate situation demanding exceptional power and daring to make an unwilling man run away from a chain gang.] Now, ah show yuh. It's two miles from heah to de cemetery ovah beyond [Somebody's] Hill, an' a man tole a woman tuh go to de cemetery at first dark an' git some graveyard dust an' fetch it tuh him, an' her husband was in yonder fo' nine months out chere tuh de chain gang. An' he says, "Ah will have him released in ten days. Ah went wit Mag to de cemetery dat night - went round to de cemetery wit her but ah did not git ovah in de cemetery - an' she got de graveyard dust dere; tole her to go right to de head of de grave an' go down in dere about half a foot an' git it, yeah, down in below de ground. Mag come back [to where Informant was - outside the graveyard] an' me an' her come on back home to mah home where ah stayed. Ah says, "Well, Mag," I says, "did joo git chure dirt?" [Mag could not speak between her leaving and returning home; no one could enter the graveyard with her.] She said, "Yes." She showed it to me. She had it tied up in a hand'chief, Mag did - had de graveyard dust tie up in de hand'chief dere. An' ah says, "Well," ah says - dere's a fellah by de name of Ole Man Andrew, he was a hoodooer an' dat. She says, "Yo' tell Mr. Andrew ah'll see him in de mornin'." He was de hoodoo ah had rented de room from in de two-story buildin' where I had a room. Next mornin' Mag come ovah dere an' seen duh ole man Andrew, an' she give ole man Andrew, she did, de graveyard dust. Ole man Andrew tole 'em, says, "Ah'll use it jes' as ah wanta use it." He sent me den de next day after a quart of likker. Ah goes an' ah gits de quart of likker fo' him. He gives me de 75 cents - ah goes an' gits de quart of likker. He says tuh me, he says, "Cal," he says, "now, ah want chew to keep dis kin'a secret" - says, "ah'm gotta fellah tuh run away from de chain gang an' go to his wife to Hastings [?] an' git her an' go to Florida in eight or ten days. Yeah. An' sure 'nuff dis boy come away from de chain gang tuh mah house [his room in the doctor's house] that night. When he was in there, he took the graveyard dust an' put whiskey on it an' put it in a bottle, yeah. An' when Mag come de next mornin' he give it to Mag an' he tole Mag to take that graveyard dust an' in dat whiskey whut he shook up an' use it round her bed an' out in her back yard. Yeah. An' she said dat she done it - she tole me dat she was gon'a do it.
(What will that do then?)
Dat 'fects dat fellah - dat made dat fellah git away from de convict camp. He come to my place, de first time when he broke out - he come to mah place an' den went on up heah to Fairfax an' him an' Mag went tuh Florida, ah know dat much, an' his time wasn't near up. [The bottle and contents is a hand, the whiskey is the spirit's payment for Work to be done, the giving of liquor is called feeding, and the shaking is to activate and incite the drunken spirit. My transcriber heard the doctor's name as Ander or Anders; I as Andrew or Andrews.]
Entry 843
Ah have a catalogue from a company dat gives a 'scripshun of all dat. Dey claim some kind of a powder called devil's powder, an' yo' sprinkle dat round dere door early in de mornin' so dat dey'll walk ovah it an' they'll event'lly git so miser'ble in dat home till dey'll leave dere. But dat's jes' - ah read dat in de catalogue. De only thing ah know of dat - ah guess yo' heard of an incense, a powder called incense. Wal, ah re'lly believe it's not de powder in dat but it of co'se goes wit a prayer - dat's only thing lak dat. It's diff'rent kinds of it - some, it's sandal incense an' some rose. Each has a diff'rent name, yo' know, but after all it's incense.
(Well, do you burn that at any special time or at any place?)
Well, each individual has dey own hours. See, fo' instance, ah may believe that five a'clock in de mornin's an' twelve a'clock at noon. An' someone else may believe in it six a'clock in de evening.
(Each person sort of has his luck at his own time.)
[We had just started to talk about root workers.]
Some of 'em [root workers] stay drunk.
(The root doctors?)
Yes. Ah don't know - dey claim that helps them out.
(That helps them in their work, you say - that's a strange sort of thing.)
Entry 2835
Dey baptize 'em in alcohol. Baptize three of 'em in alcohol. Them are tuh kill yo'. (You have to have two or three - you have to have three black candles in this alcohol. How do you baptize them?) Tie 'em together an' po' yo' alcohol in somepin an' baptize 'em. If yo' want dose black candles tuh kill somebody, yo' let 'em burn down to de end. (How do you use them?) Set 'em all afiah at once, those three, an' make yore wish who it's on an' write their name, an' turn they name down to de table, an' set dem candles. (Write the name on three pieces of paper and put a candle on each piece of paper.) Turn de name down, den put de candle an' let 'em burn down to the bottom of de candle. Won't know whut dey did [what hit them]. It'll kill 'em. Dey'll die.
Entry 4787
I have had de luck tuh see 'em brought back. If dat man leaves dat house an' he leaves any of 'is clothes dere, especially socks, undahweah or 'is top-shirt, or SOMPIN DAT REALLY HE OWNS, yuh kin cut a piece outa de seat of dose undahweahs, or a piece outa de tail of 'is shirt - anywhere roun' de privates, yuh see. Put it in a alcohol bottle an' stop it up, preserve it, an' hide it somewhere he cain't see it. Git it intuh dat lamp. An' dat man's comin' back dere, if yuh kin preserve 'im [preserve his piece of clothes]. Well, when he comes, yuh know what he's goin' tuh say? Yuh know what I heered a fellah say? An' ah seed de woman do dis. Ah know she done dis. I seed de woman when she done it. An' he come back, back dere on about de fo'th day, an' he walks up de steps he says tuh 'er, he says, "Hello, Honey." She says, "Lawd, where did yuh come from?" He sayed, "Ah come home tuh die." He say, "Looked lak ah'd git worried tuh death. Couldn't stay away no more." He say, "Ah'll nevah leave yuh no more long as ah live." He say, "Ah wanta stay here."
Entry 5088
Yuh kin [take] yore shoes an' yuh kin put alcohol in yore shoes an' wrench [rinse] it roun' in yore shoes. Yuh kin take dat alcohol out an' yuh kin po' it into any kinda drink an' give tuh a person. Well see, when yuh take dat alcohol an' po' it intuh any kinda drink an' give tuh a person, why dat'll give him den - his mind, he'll lose his mind. HIS MIND GONE FROM 'IM RIGHT STRAIGHT.
Entry 5806
Ah said dey would put it in a bottle. (What would they take?) Dey would take some of yore urine. Yuh know whut dat is don't chew? An' put in dat wit dat. (Tell me right from the beginning everything they do. What do they put in the bottle?) De hair, an' den dey put in alcohol wit dat. Hit'll make it grow yuh know. An' hit carry yuh right off. Yuh can't stay dere in dat place.
(You told me they kept it in there a certain length of time.)
Ten days.
(And where do they keep that bottle?)
Oh, somewhere close in de house - undah de bed, sompin lak dat.
(What do they do after they keep it ten days?)
Dey take it an' bury it.
(And what will that do to you?)
Dat will run yuh, won't let chew come back no mo'. [To bury something of yours to run yuh is not logical, but intention is everything in hoodoo.]
Entry 5807
Yo' kin do dat, yo' kin take de hair outa woman's haid. Co'se [of course] ah don't know if a man do anythin' to anothah man. But if yo' have a goman yo' wanta make love wit, yo' jes' take de hair outa de mole of 'er haid if yo' POSS'bly kin. YO'D HAVE TO STEAL IT OUTA DERE CUZ WOMEN WON'T LET CHEW GIT DAT OUTA DERE IF DEY KNOW IT. An' if yo' kin, some hair out de mole of de woman's haid, yo' kin put dat into a little bottle, see, an' put some alcohol over it, see, an' put a flannen [flannel] stoppah in it - a red flannen stoppah. DAT COME DIRECT DOWN FROM DE HOODOO BUSINESS cuz ah've had dat. An' tote it in yore pocket an' dat woman'll come back to yo'. Don't care where she is, she'll come back to yo'. If she don't come back she'll go crazy. [For alcohol, see also margin title WHISKEY.]
Entry 5808
Now, yore hair - see now, yo' kin take yore hair. Yo' kin take yore hair - a person kin take yore hair. She kin take yore hair an' she kin take one stran' of it, jis' say one stran', an' double it an' kinda twist it an' put a silk thread aroun' it. Take dat bair an' put it into somepin lak alcohol. Keep it in dat alcohol 24 hours. Take it out an' weah it in yore pocket, an' yo' nevah have no mo' good sense. Yo'll jis' - yore haid will be jis' worryin' yo' all de time. People been callin' dere,
[you] say, "Well, ah got a bad headache. Mah haid worryin' me." Doctors [M.D.'s]
lagu it, but yet - still dey don't know whut it is. Ain't no good to do, unless dey could git dat hair an' do 'way wit it.
Entry 6059
Heah's anothah thing. Dey tell me dat yo' kin take duh hair of a wo- man's, yo' know, private see, down dere an' take hit an' put it in a bottle. Go to de drug sto' an' ask fuh alco- hol, not de wooden [wood] alcohol, de pure alcohol yo' know, an' take hit yo' know an' bear [bury] it up undah yo' back do'step, yo' see, an' dat'll tie huh to yuh where she cain't leave yuh.
(Do you bury this bottle in any particular Way or just bury it?)
Nawsir, jis' any way, an' as long as yo' keep dat bottle dere yo' see, den she will always, yo' know, COME UNDAH YO' OWN JURISDICTION an' stay right wit chew. Nobody cain't 'suade [persuade] huh away an' den she cain't leave. Don't care hoW mad she git, Why it Won't do no good. Jis' HAVE HUH UNDAH YO' OWN CON- TROL.
Entry 6482
Well, yo' kin take a li'le bit of yore dirt from undah yore fingah- nails. Well, yo' git some salt an' git some alcohol, some vinegah - salt, an' put it in a bottle an' shake it up, an' make yo' do jis' lak dey want chew tuh do. (Do you get that dirt from under your fingernails or under mine?) No sir, git 'em from undah yore fingah- nails. Make yo' do jis' lak ah wan' chew tuh do. (Who would do that? Some woman to a man or man to a man? Something of that sort?) Eithah one could do it if dey knew [how]. Jis' lak yo' were mah wife an' yo' runs aroun' an' ah couldn't keep yo' home. Well, ah could git a li'le bit of dat dirt, yo' know, from undah yore fingahnails, an' make yo' do jis' lak ah wanted yo' tuh do.
Entry 6673
(A turtle. What do they do with a turtle?)
Well, ah see a person take a turtle aig. Take a turtle aig an' break it raw an' put alcohol on it, an' yo' save it. (You save it?) Yo' put it aside. But ah think a fellah mean an'( dirty enough tuh take dat few drops of al- cohol off dat turtle egg. An' yo' put it in some whiskey or somepin an' give somebody dat tuh drink. It will kill 'em right away. Dat's de way yo' kill people dataway.
Entry 7353
Well now, jes' lak if he done de killin', [he] say, "Ah wants tuh git away." Well, he'll go to work yo' see an' git 'im a pair of new shoes, he'll git 'im a bottle of turpen- tine. He'll take dat turpentine an' he'll pull 'is shoes off an' rub undah de bottom of 'is feet wit dat turpentine, an' he'll po' a little in 'is shoes. He'll go to work den an' he'll git 'im jes' about nine grains of black pepper, six grains of spice, an' git 'im jes' about a piece of bluestone a little bit biggah den a black-eyed pea. An' he'll put all dat togethah. He'll go to work den an' git 'im a dime bottle of alcohol, an' evah mawnin' regardless to where he goin', he'll take dat alcohol an' rub behin' 'is ears, rub across 'is fo'haid, an' he'll take dat turpentine an' 'noint 'is shoes - under de bottom of 'is shoes - an' he'll chew a grain of dat black peppah, one grain of dat spice, evah day, an' jes' a little crumb of dat bluestone mixed togethah. An' as long as he continue wit dat, he'll always keep a-goin'.
(Can't catch him.)
He'll keep a-goin'. [Waycross, Ga., (1097), 1771:5.] [Rites for catching a murderer are much more varied and interesting than those permitting him to escape, egg rites alone being amazing both in number and diver- sity. Everywhere the spirit of the murdered person is present or its presence assumed.]
Entry 8182
Well, dey kin take yure photograph. Well, dey kin cut it all out roun' but chure haid, see. An' put dat in a bottle of alkyhol [alcohol] an' let it stay fo' awhile an' burn it up. An' dat'll ruin yo'. Dat'll run yo' crazy.
Entry 8276
Alcohol - put three drops of alcohol on it, on de photograph an' stick it up side a tree an' shoot it, an' yo' ain't goin' stay heah long.
(What will it do, drive you away or kill you?)
Kill yo'.
Entry 8468
Well, dey will get chure photo an' a glassful of whiskey an' turn dat photo upside down [over the glass] an' de person dat de photo b'longs tuh will come. If he's away or wherevah he is, he'll come tuh dat place.
Entry 8470
Now, whut ah've heard about de photograph. Yo' kin take a woman's photograph, if yo' lovin' dat woman an' yo' can't git any love wit her, yo' kin take dat an' weah it in yore pocket an' a bran'-new pocket han'ke'ch'ef. Keep it wrapped up in it an' jes' keep it damp wit a li'le likkah. An' dat woman will go crazy ovah yo' until yo' be's ready tuh quit 'er.
(You keep that pocket handkerchief anointed with liquor?)
A bran'-new one ain't nevah been used.
(Do you have to keep it in your pocket in any particular Way or anything?)
Yes sir, in yore left [the heart] pocket.
Entry 8473
Dey take alcohol.
(After they got the fingernails.)
After dey got de fingahnails an' aftah yo' take de alcohol, dey put it intuh dis alcohol. All right, den dey go git chure photo, yore pichure. Dey have tuh take yore photo an' dey puts yo' down, standin' down on yore haid. Well, all right, dey takes an' put fo' strings in dat; dat's if a woman wants a man tuh come back tuh 'er. (They put the four strings in what?) Intuh dis pichure. (How do they put them into the picture?) Wal, take a thread, yo' know in de fo' cornahs. Den dey turn it down, turn yuh down on yo' haid, see; an' dey take dis pichure an' dey place it ovah, behin' dis alcohol wheah yo' fingahnails is. See, an' den go tuh de back of de baid an' den dey tie dis string [in each of 4 corners of photo]. Well, dey covah it [photo] up where yo' cain't see it an' den event'ly [eventually], yo' come.
(This man is supposed to come home?)
Yeah.
Entry 8873
Dey take yore han'writin' an' draw [up] yore fingahs, see.
(How do they do that?)
Dey tell me dey take dat han'writin', a lettah - jes' lak ah write chew a lettah an' yo' wanta do sompin tuh me. When yo' git mah lettah, why yo' satis- fied. Well, yo' take mah lettah dat ah wrote chew an' yo' put it in a halfa glass of vinegah an' alkeehäl [alcohol]. Well, dey say den, if ah try tuh write, ah can't write. Mah fingahs an' mah veins will commence tuh draw. See, dey jes' commence tuh draw an' finely [finally] why ah gits lak a person deformed or sompin. Ah can't do nuthin becuz yo' got mah fingahs tied up intuh vinegah an alkeehal. Yo' see, it's strong. Well, dat jes' got mah veins tied. Ah can't write. Ah kin try but ah can't do nuthin.
Entry 9970
Well, yo' kin take a frog, jes' a or'nary frog whut jup 'round de iouse, see. Yo' take dat frog alive an' yo' kin put 'im in a containah or jah or anythin' an' yo' kin jis' take alcohol, any kind of rubbin' [lotion] or any- ching [and fill bottle] an' let 'im stay in dere till he petrify. Well, yo' kin take dat frog an' put 'im in yore pocket an' yo' kin weah him in dere an' yo'll always be lucky. (With what in particular?) In keepin' a job an' stayin' in peace wit people an' havin'- yo' know, jes' socialize wit 'em.
Entry 11183
Yo' go out early in de morning in de summertime when de bushes is blossoming yo' know. Yo' take dat string 'fore day at sunup an' pull dat string up. (What kind of string?) Devil's-shoestring. It's a long root. Yo' pull dat up an' yo' bring it round yore finger seven time. Dere seven day in de week, isn't it?
(You bend that root around your finger seven times. Any particular finger?)
Seven times, jes' any two [adjoining] fingers. Yo' see dere seven days in de week, yo' know. Seven times. An' jes' tie de thing in yore pocket, yo' know. An' keep it dressed with alcohol, yo' know. An' chew dat an' go to a man an' ask fo' a job, why he more den apt to give you a job.
(You only go out there once to get that root?)
Yes sir, one time. (And you bend this around your finger [2 fingers] seven times. That's to get a job.) Yes sir.
Entry 12248
That High John de Conkah or sulphur and salt, that'll keep 'em [law] off to a certain extent; but mostly the way that a person kin do that, you kin keep 'em off all right and a person don't really have to be a stooly pigeon [see comment later]. But you kin meet around them [the law] with the right herbs, such as High John de Conkah and Adam-and-Eve, and have it [roots] dressed. If you have it dressed, well, you kin dress it with any kind of perfume. But have it roun' your do'r, and dey come in, won't never look.
(They come and won't do anything?)
Yes. They come and there will always be harmony wit yuh. They won't hardly ever look for nothing. They walk right over the stuff [bootleg alcohol] and won't find it. [Here my informant says police will scarcely bother a stool pigeon, a police informer, who is selling a few bootleg liquor drinks. That is how seller keeps in touch with the underworld. Stool pigeons occasionally came in to see what I was doing. Usually my local helpers informed us, occasion- ally I myself spotted one, as I explain somewhere in the text. Fortunately I never did anything to cause police action, though twice I was mistakenly raided.]
[Norfolk, Va., (472).484:2.]
Entry 12440
You take a mockingbird.
(A mockingbird?)
Yeah, you take a mockingbird egg and a canary bird egg, and you put them twd eggs in a bottle together. And you take a person's name and you put alcohol on that, but you mark the name in initials and you put it in a good bottle. [One bottle is used in this rite.] (You just put their ini- tials on that?) Yeah, and you put it down in that bottle and shake it with that person's [name] that you don't like or do [person who has done] you something. It will just make 'em talk all over from their mouth, send them to jail, give them trouble, make them get in a fight and get in trouble.
(You say this will make them talk?)
Make them talk aplenty, make them get in trouble.
(Well, why does it make them talk?)
Well, you see, the two birds don't agree - make 'em chatter.
Entry 13374
Yo' kin use dey chamber lye an' boil it in his coffee or use it in his tea, or eithah if he bringin' his whiskey home, yo' kin [use] it, but chew gotta boil yore chamber lye an' let it set befo' yo' give it tuh him. See, let it set prob'ly a week or sompin lak dat. An' den boil it an' strain it by itself. See, aftah yo' boil yore own chamber lye, it forms a drugs [dregs] lak in it, an' yo' po' it off an' strain it an' po' it den. Use it in his coffee, eithah in his tea, anything dat he drinks or eithah po' it in his whiskey. Yo' don' have tuh po' dat much. Ah say roun' 'bout fo' or five drops jes' in dere tuh stop him from drinkin'.
Entry 6622
Ah nevah tried it but dey tell me yo' kin take a snake aig. When yo' find a snake aig, break it intuh likkah or somepin. Whutevah a man drinks or a Woman drinks, an' put dat aig in dat likkah. An' if he evah drinks dat likkah dat will cuz a live snake tuh come in 'is body. But whethah it's true or not, ah don't know.
[After I turned off recording machine, informant added lizard.]
(They do the same thing with a lizard egg?)
Yes.
human body as the alleged destination of a live snake after drinking. Retain both nonperformance and uncertainty, without upgrading either to confirmed disbelief or confirmed fact. conditional drinking as the delivery route in an untried snake-egg report. Keep never tried and whether true I do not know with the whole selected claim. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 78
[An alcohol-loving spirit or the alcohol spirit itself has no scruples about assisting with a drinking spell.] Well, it's a lady doesn't stay so far from me. It was a lady liked her hus- band an' she couldn't git him because her husband loved her more than he did her. So she framed up a way to git him away from her. So she goes an' gits some liquor an' she tells dis lady, say, "Come ovah tuh mah house an' have a drink." Co'se dis lady went ovah there an' she had somepin put in there, an' that has been about two - two an' a half years ago. An' so ever since that lady took that drink she got to de place she jest can't stop drinking - drinking - drinking. Wherever she goes [to a doctor], they all tells her that it's a drinking spell's been put on her tuh make her stay drunk to make her husband leave her. An' so she says, "Well, ah kinda thought that be- cause ah knows that ah can't stop drinking - jest drink all de time" - so she asked him [a doctor], say, "Whut kin ah do to stop me from drinking?"
Entry 114
Ef he killed dis man, you'd git chew a pint of likkah an' lay it right in his breast - crossways in de grave an' dat man cain't stay 'way from dat grave - right across his breast in dat grave an' de man dat killed him, ef he's gone away - don't keer where he done go - he kin go to de No'th Pole - dat's 'bout fer as yo' kin go, to de Eskimo. Well, ef he get ovah to de Eskimo den an! his life is spared an' he git back, he comin' right smack to dat same graveyard, an' he jes' walk around dat grave. Yo' ain't got to hunt fer de man 'tall - jes'
[take a] turn around dat grave.
Entry 808
[I was called other things (see Introduction) besides doctor:]
Yo' not a bootleggah, are yo'? [I shook my head.] Ah jes' wanted tuh know. Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do. See, go tuh de drug sto' an' git chew a ten-cent bottle of this stuff yo' call rubbin' alcohol. All right, leave from dere an' git chew a ten-cent bottle of witch hazel, an' jes' mix dat together, an' ever' mawnin' when yo' git up, jes' rub it on yore han's. All de people jes' comin' in rushin'.
(Simple as that.)
Simplest thing - cost yo' twenty cents. [Brunswick, Ga., (1210), 2045:7.] After informant - root doctor and bootlegger - leaves, I comment to Telediphone, "This woman came yesterday and she wouldn't talk to me."]
Entry 966
I was sitting to my machine sewing when I taken sick in this arm and in the spine of my back; felt just like-a chill begin to run over me. And from there my heart begin to beat too fast and I thought once or twice that I might just had a dumb chill when it first struck me. And my mind just lead me to get up and I'd gotten up from my machine and I walks to my front porch and I sits down. And then another spirit told me to pray and I prayed. And whilst I was doing that I walked on a ways and I come back and had taken some medicine. From there on I rang-ed [rang = telephoned] up my brother that I thought that I had a stroke or was taking one from the way I was and he came to me. And from there they prevailed with me to go to someone that knowed a little more than I did. And they [the doctor] told me how come that I had it; that my [sewing] machine was dressed on this side. [For another bewitched sewing machine, see FACI,2ed., No.16337, p.875, white person.] And the chair that I setting in, it had - liquid was poured in it and from there I lost the use of this arm, had no use for it. And when I'd stand up my heart would just go so that I had to lie down. But it wasn't but one thing cured me and that was that ammonia and cooking soda. And then they told me how come I to get it. I got it through a piece of meat and by my machine was dressed and chair. And the minute that I begin tc take it and begin to read the Bible, it begin to leave me.
(You did what?)
I read the 7th Chapter, Psalms of David, in the morning and the 7th and 8th of Psalms, I read it in the afternoon, and before noon I'd taken that teaspoon of soda and ammonia. You don't drap the medicine, cause when the Bible speaks of witchcraft you shouldn't drap it; you should pour a certain amount instead of drapping it, cause if you drap it, it'll do you just as much harm if you hadn't taken it. You pour it.
[Whether to drop or pour medicine - not in the Bible so far as I know.]
(Well, how do you pour it then?)
Just hold it and pour it - a certain amount as you think you should take into the glass, instead of drapping it. Well, that's what I'd taken and then from there on I begin to rub this arm with alcohol to help to gain the strength back and by reading the Psalms of David - just taking it right back to the one who put it on me. (Did you also take this medicine in the afternoon when you read this chapter in the afternoon?) I'd taken the medicine in the morning and read the chapter right along with it
(You didn't take any medicine in the afternoon?)
No, just in the morning.
(Once a day. I see.)
Entry 1237
If yo' have a fever, yo' know, take it an' put it in whiskey or brandy.
(The dogwood tree bark?)
Yessuh, de bark, yo' know whut ah'm talkin' about now. Yo' jes' skin dat bark off - de inside skin. (Any place on the tree?) At de sunrise side, but ah don't believe in dat. Anyway, an' yo' put dat in dere. It's a fine tonic. (You take that bark off the sunrise side of the dogwood tree and make a tea with it if you are running a fever. Any kind of fever?) Yes, dat's whut ah've heard.
Entry 1612
Dey kin take yore chamber lye - jes' lak anybody go tuh work an' poison yo' or anything, yo' see. Well, yo' kin git some sweet milk, yo' see, an' honey, yo' understan', an' a lil' likker an' mix dat chamber lye - jes' a little, yo know - an' likker an' honey an' vinegar. Well, yo' take dat yo' see an' dat would make yo' vomit it up yo' see.
Entry 1711
Well, I'd say for 'n-instan' [an instance] a man - a woman's not much, but a man you know is the top piece of the earth. In other words, if you get a dead man's hand and take it and put it in alcohol and let all the flesh come off of this hand, that will molt, that hand will get jes' like that; see, the fingers will be drawn togethah, they'll go right in like that. That alcohol will draw it togethah. And then you take it and sew it in a piece of red flannel. And when you sew it in a piece of red flannel, then you tote it on you daily - care it in your bag. You'll make a bag, tie it around your waist and care this and you'll always have good luck. And you do a baby's hand the same way: The best hand is a baby. You get the right hand of a man. The baby's hand is the best. If you can go and git a baby's hand, you got something. [See later, Dead - Hands From, Thief's Candle.]
Entry 2590
If yo' wanta sell likker or do anything lak dat an' didn't want de police or sheriff or nuthin coming to yore house, git some table salt an' some sulphur an' mix it together an' throw it out chure back do' an' [or] throw it out chure front do' - whichevah do' dey'd come in yo' know. Jest do dat regular fo' about nine mornings. Whenevah dey come dere, if dey was lookin' fo' likker, dey wouldn't come no further den de do' an' talk to yo' an' turn round an' go on back. Dey would nevah search yore house.
Entry 6996
(What do you call them?)
Kints.
(Kints?)
[Here we have the same trouble as in the preceding rite.]
Yes, sir, dat's whut we call 'em here.
(What do you do with that, then?)
Yo' gits dis blood - jis' lak yo'd come in drunk, well yo' have dis likkah all ready dere an' yo' take dis chinches an' yo' squeeze dis blood outa dere in dat, an' yo' give it tuh 'im, "Do yo' wan'a drink?" Well, yo' po's it out an' yo' give it tuh 'im. Aftah dat he ain't goin' tuh git drunk, 'cuz ah did dat mahself.
(That will stop you from drinking?)
Yes, sir, indeed it would.
Entry 7010
Well, yo' git some likkah an' put cigah ashes in dere an' den yo' make 'em drink off it. He won't drink no mo'. [Everywhere I found tobacco ashes a cure for alcoholism.]
Entry 7011
Tuh stop a man from drinkin' when he's [a] real heavy [drinker], when a man's real heavy [drinker], yo' ain't got a thing tuh do but git chew some cigarette ashes, undahstan', an' put it intuh a pint of whiskey an' shake it up. It'll stop 'im.
Entry 7019
Yo' kin take a eelskin, take an' ketch a eel. Take his skin an' let it git dry, an' yo' take dat eelskin aftah it git dry an' pound it up, an' put it in whiskey an' give it tuh 'im. Well, now when he drink dat, he might drink a halfa pint of it. It'll make him so sick until he'll jis' vomit till he 'bout th die. Well, dat'll break 'im from drinkin' whiskey.
Entry 7026
Fathah Graybeard. Yes sir, it's a tree grows an' have a beard jis' lak a man. Yo' go dere an' dig dat tree up an' git de very top of de roots. But chew cain't take it off from de end, yo' gotta go up in de - where it grow up in de big part of de tree. An' git de chips outa dat an' put in de whiskey. It'll make dem sick dey lak tuh kill demself.
(You put this root in the whiskey to make a man stop drinking?)
Yes sir.
(You get the root just as it goes into the trunk of the tree.)
[The graybeard tree in the southern states of the United States of America is the fringe tree (Chionanthus virginica), a small tree with clusters of white flowers. The dried root bark is used as an aperient and diuretic. Whether this is the Father Graybeard of the present rite I do not know.]
Entry 7028
[For MINNOW and MULLET, see later; CATFISH already given.]
Yo' kin take fish. Den yo' mash de fish an' put hit in some whiskey, a raw piece of fish. Put it in whiskey. An' if yo' wan' chore husban' or yore wife tuh quit drinkin' - an' evah time dey ask fo' a drink of whiskey, yo' give dem a drink of dat.
Entry 7029
He's drink, he don' know whut he's eatin', an' dey say if he eat a bit of dat, he won' drink no mo'. Well, now, when yo' clean de fish, yo' know, an' yo' will take de entrails out an' if he drunk anyhow, an' if he eat any of 'em, an' dey say dat makes 'im sick, he'll vomit an' he'll turn against likkah.
Entry 7053
A woman could take her watah or chamber lye an' put it in a man's coffee or anythin' lak dat, if he's a bad likkah drinkah, an' he'll quit off right den; won't know whut's de mattah wit 'im tuh cuz 'im - he'll think he jis' quit it.
Entry 10606
If you don't want a baby, you understand, you kin taken a chicken gizzard, brown it and put in French brandy, kills it.
Entry 11355
Eel skin in liquor to stop alcoholic drinking, from Fredericksburg by Ediphone.
Entry 13154
Dey take a sock an' put some red peppah in it an' a dime, some sul- phur an' burn it a little bit an' soak it in de alkyhol, an' dey kin do jes' whut dey wanta do wit chew. [Florence 2186:2.]
Entry 710
Well, being hurt now, I been hurt myself - my self experience. Well, I loves beer and so one night I had come out de field from picking berries, I had never picked any befoah, and I said to my husband I wanted some draft beer. Well, he went and got it. A lady lived next door to me, she said, "Since you is so tired, I'll go get de glasses." She sprinkled some snake dust in de glass settin' outdoors on de porch and de moon shinin', not seein' it you know, I drank it. I didn't know it until I was taken sick and got somebody [doctor] to wait on me and he told me about dis beer drinking - how it was fixed. And you see dat created young ones in me. Well he came, he told my husband to go to a dairy an' get some fresh sweet milk - put it in a tub. And I disrobed myself and sit over it and all them things came out of me. And he said, "Don't drink sweet milk while dere in you, 'cause fast as you get de old ones out, creates young ones."
Entry 6990
De use dat fo' toothaches an' thin' [things] is all ah evah know'd dat tuh be used fo'.
(This lightning-struck tree.) [Brunswick, Ga., (1189), 2009:6.]
[This is the third subsection of section FOLK MEDICINE. Back in the days when I collected general folklore, cures for the drunkard, like remedies for venereal diseases, were not quite proper procedure; consequently many fruitless healing methods have probably been lost. Alcoholism is a legitimate part of hoodoo be- cause it can be the result of a spell cast - See DRINKING SPELL, P.33.]
Entry 204
Mah ole parents said that she was witchcraf' once by a buzzard, zhoo know. They had witchcraf' 'er so that buzzard follow 'er, follow 'er. An' she stuck [stunk = stank] jis' like de buzzard. Didn't care where she go, she could look up, why no buzzard would be ahnd [or 'oun = round] 'er, swimmin' ahnd ovah de house but that one buzzard. An' she went to a witchcraf' man. An' he tole 'er that that buzzard had been fixed to follow 'er, that she had been witchcraf' with graveyard dirt - she got it in likkah.
(Who was this person?)
Mah mother.
(Go on with your story.)
She said this ole fortune teller man [witchcraft man, who like most profes- sional workers was also a fortune teller] tole 'er she git it in graveyard dirt in likkah - she was a great likkah drinkah - an' they jis' fixed, got that grave- yard dirt, fixed it in likkah, an' give it ta 'er." They fixed it so that buzzard jis' follow 'er. She stuck [stunk = stank] like that buzzard.
(How did she get rid of that?)
Well, she was cured by yurts [= y-eart's? = earths? = roots] in de woods.
Entry 1963
I got in trouble one time about some liquor and I went to de devil, Suppose to be - not persal [personal], you know what I mean [not the devil him- self]. I went to him. He said, "I can't do nuthin fer you until you pay me." He said, "I can do anything to clear you." And I already had 18 months out de 'corder's [recorders?] court. Went to de big court and I didn't have no lawyer atall and I went to dis man suppose to be workin' wid de devil. And he give me somepin and I got jes' as clear as you rockin' in dat chair [see later]. He give me a red bag. In dat bag was a piece of Juicy Fruit chewing gum and some onions and this powder dat was in it I don't know de name of it. I was supposed to chew the chewing. gum and hold it [the bag] in my left hand [during the trial]. [Between boyhood and present day this is the only time I was ever in a rocking chair and despite his words I was not rocking. It happened to be the only armed chair in the house, a necessity when sitting hour after hour at a small machine- laden table upon which I could not lean. The man's bag or hand cost $15.00.]
Entry 2072
You kin fix that yourself, far as I know. I have did it and I know it holped me out, 'cause I was selling whiskey and I used it. Now, you take the John the Conker and a little lodestone, that is [if] you kin get hold of a piece, a lady piece, and make you something like a toby - just sew it up in a piece of flannel with silver in it. They sav vou use a silver dime and you keep it damp with alcohol. Keep it damp with alcohol all the time and put it up over your door where your customers come in at. Then that will draw plenty of customers. One will bring the other and everyone pays his own way, and they'll be back again - everyone.
Entry 2415
Wash yore face in sugah de first thing in de mawnin' with yore han' first [not with washcloth] an' go out an' meet de person an' den yo'll have good success. An' yo' know, take consecrated [concentrated] lye an' mop yore place 'fore de do' heah an' don't say nuthin to nobody while yo' takin' care of dat. Dat'll bring luck to de place an' yo' sell a lotta liquor.
Entry 2752
My husband left me and I wanted him to come back. I loved the man, I love him 'till today, and he jis' walked away from me without any cause that I know of. Course I was jealous of 'im and I wouldn't let 'im go when he felt like going all the time to those awful taverns because he was drunkard - ev'ry time he go out he'd get drunk. Well, I tried to keep him at the house all I could and make things as pleasant as I could for him, see - so he would like home, see. I had a beautiful home across the street there, and there was nothing for him to worry for. He was a working man, he was no sweetie - he was a working man, worked every day. But when he'd go out and get amongst mens and womens, he'd get drunk and carry on. And if he had his payday before he came in, he'd let 'em rob him. He'd be home all the week, ev'ry day in the week, but on Saturday night when he got his pay he'd go ev'rywhere but home. I got disgusted with him. He went away from me and then I said, "Well, I'm going to try to see if I can get him home." I had heard so much, you know. I say, "I'm going to try a mess and see if I can get him home." So I goes across the river [to Algiers], knowing a woman through somebody else.
(What was her name?)
Ah forgot her name now. I got her name of course on a paper at home. But anyhow, I went over there to see her and ask her about it. I says, "Listen, '' I says, "Miss Whatchacallum, my husband done left me. ". And I says, "Is there any way that I can get him back, you think?" She says, "Yes, sure," she says, "you can get him back." She says, "How long has he been gone?" I says, "He been gone about five weeks now." She says, "Well, I'll be over there to see you," she says, "and when I come," she says, "I'll tell you what to get." So she says - and I says, "All right." So she says, "The first thing while you's downtown, go by the Ten-Cent Store and get me a 25c box of canary bird seeds." I went there and got 'em [after I left her]. She says, "When I come over, I'll tell you what else to get." When she come over she say, "Get me a pound of sugar, one pound of sugar and she said, "get me two boxes of raisins." You see, one pound of sugar, two boxes of raisins and 25c worth of bird seed. Well, she took a pan I have over there, a blue pan, and she mixed all that together. She made me write his name. She made me write his name, you know, each nine times - made me write his name nine times and after writing his name nine times, she made me write my name right on top of his name. My full name right on top of his name - each nine times on two different lines. Then she took that paper and put it in the bottom of the pan - I noticed her - put that paper in the bottom of the pan and she mixes all this mixture right up together and put that on the canary bird seeds and all. But, of course, he hasn't come back home yet.
(What else did she do? What did she do with that then?)
She made me put the pan back under where it couldn't be seen and then she told me to get the candles. She made me get three candles - ten-cent candles, long candles.
(What color were they?)
White candles - what you call white wax candles. I got the three ten-cent candles and she told me to dig a hole in [for] each in that. That thing [mixture] was about that thick with that ingredients - was that raisins and that in the pan, and put these candles, put three candles.... ["She coughs. Unintelligible. She has a coughing spell." Penciled notation made when transcription checked with cylinder.] (Well, how did she put them? She put one there and where did she put the other one?) [Coughing again.] Three together.
(She put three in a row. All right.)
And let 'em burn nine days.
(And let them burn out?)
And let 'em burn out. She says, "Don't blow 'em, pinch them out." So I burns [coughing again].
[We must allow for brief pauses during these coughing spells.]
(Now, those three candles wouldn't last nine days, would they?)
Now, when those burns low, I just lighted three more and just pinched them out and take them out of that little hole, you see, and put three more there, see.
(I see. All right, go ahead.)
Uh-huh.
(When the nine days were up, what did you do?)
After they burned out - see, they burned as long as they can. Then after they burned there nine days, she told me not to disturb that pan, let it that pan stay there. And so it stayed there and still it haven't made any success with me. But even so, she was charging me for it, so I said, "Well?" She told me to come back over there. Well, I'd taken sick and I haven't been back over there since. I used about a dollar's worth [candles] - ten-cents apiece.
Entry 10046
Well, dey tell me if yo' wanta have good luck, git chew a coal-black cat an' take him out tuh whah de roads crossin' some ole faraway road an' take yuh a pot an' take dis cat an' cook 'im, evahthin' but 'is eyes. Dose is de two thin's dat chew have yuh a [some- thing?] right wheah yo' put chure fiah, jis' enough tuh not burn de eyes. [See comment later about these eyes.1 Cook it tuh wheah it'll be hard, an' cook dat cat. Dey claim dat diff'ren thin's [spirits] come up out de pot but dat ain't true. (These things [appearance of spir- its] really don't come about?) Dey don' come about, but it is true tuh mah knowledge about de cat. An' yo' cook dis cat tull [till] he's per- fek done; ev'ry stran' of de meat's offa de bone. An' go tuh some spot-a watah where de watah is standin' perfekly [perfectly] still an' yo' drop dose bones in dere. An' dere's one li'le certain bone, dat's jis' a small bone, dat'll stay on topa de watah, an' de resta de bones dey goes down tuh de bottom. Dat bone yo' kin take it an' keep it fo' maybe ten or twelve days, an' take it tuh some place tuh where yo' kin dress it wit strong alkihol tuh wheah it has a strong scent. Have it wheah yuh kin smell dat scent. Den yuh kin keep it in yuh pock- et, lak yuh's a gamblah or some kinda card playah, an' it re'lly brings luck tuh yuh.
(What would you do with those eyes of the cat?)
Aftah yo' dress yore bone yuh git dose eyes an' place dem somewhah whah yuh's, in yuh residence whah yuh live at, whah dey kin stay whah nuthin'll bothah 'em. An' dose eyes - yuh know he [cat] has a gray eye. Dey'll begin tuh turn green. An' de whole thin'll git jis' as green as a gourd. Den yuh keep dose fo' yuh- self; not fo' nobody else but chureself. [Those preceding cat eyes are interesting! At the moment I do not recall anything quite similar in HOODOO. The fact that these natural eyes turn hard and then gradually change color from gray to green, shows we are concerned here with two cat's-eyes: gems exhibiting a chatoyant [[reflecting a single streak of light ohen cut in a cobochon]] luster, especially a variety of chrysoberyl, the ori ertal or precious cat's-eye. Though this is my only example - compare following rite - could present rite be an attempt to sell glass cat's-eyes as devil stones? Years ago at the turn of the century a cat's-eye shooting marble was alast a Superstition with some marble shooters. Perhaps an antiquarian could infona us.]
[For another example of black cat's eyes, see No. .]
Entry 2723
Well, you have to take and - just like you scrub, you have to keep scrubbed up all the time. Then you take and write his name. You got to get the officer's on the beat, see, and write his name nine times. Put it into a bucket of water. You gotta throw - you throw eight buckets of water and scrub with that cinnamon and stuff, and then after that last bucket of water you have with his name, and talking to five people, and throw it in front of the door and that washes him away. (I see. Well, now, what do you put in those nine buckets of water? What solution do you put in that water, now?) The same things - cinnamon, steel dust, van-van, fast luck and white rum.
(White what?)
White rum.
(Is it liquor? The liquor rum?)
Well, it's rum. You can get that from the drug store. It's the white rum. I always bought it at the drug store.
(Is it [something]?)
It's licris [liquid]. Use that for drawing - it's for drawing [customers?].
(White rum?)
White rum.
(How do you spell that?)
R-O-N-E.
(It's made from sugar? Is that the liquor that's made from sugar cane?)
I don't know.
[He means white rum. White rum is used in candle rites later.]
(Eight buckets with this mixture - this water - and then you tear this offi- cer's name out and put it into?) Into that last bucket.
(Into the last bucket.)
[Talking to five people? After the eighth bucket, operator had to speak - good morning or something - to five persons passing by or within speaking dis- tance. If five were unavailable within reasonable time, an experienced operator would name five persons and pretend-talk to them. You tear this officer's name out? This can only mean the informant - either in a previous rite or while machine was turned off - pretended to write a name in an imaginary paper tablet and to tear out the sheet. Did my small Numbers Book with spiral binding in front of me suggest the idea?]
Entry 427
(The Rev. Young is going to tell his story again about his experience in New Orleans.) [The preceding words are not for Mr. Young who heard them, but for the concealed microphone - a notation to remind me later that his story the preceding day had not been well recorded. My previous knowledge of his adventure is the reason why I can prompt the rerecording.] This man was named Scott - that lived at Moundville, Alabama - an' he came to New Orleans and was stopping at de Chicago Hotel, run by a man by the name of A. O. Smith on de corner of [name began with P] and Liberty Streets. He come to New Orleans to see one of these wizards as they call them [never so called], or either fortune-tellers or hoodoos, and he was talking to the proprietor, Mr. Smith, relative to having someone who knew New Orleans who would take him around. He [Smith] told him he knew a young man who was in school at Leland University, and that he would possibly be there and that he was just the man he was looking for. So, while they were talking, I happened up that afternoon. I simply happened up and Mr. Smith says, "Here's the very man we Was talking about" - introduced me to him and said, "This is Mr. Scott from Moundville and he wants to go with someone who knows New Orleans, to go about with him." Well, first thing he explained the nature of his business to me, and said whatever ah charged him for mah time, he would give it to me. He was looking for a man that Would help him to find some money that was supposed to be buried on his premises, on his property. The first thing he wanted to do was to find him some of those barrooms where he could find him some gin, and he claimed that gin was lucky to him, and after clearing about a quart of this gin - drinking it - why we went round sight-seeing in New Orleans and visited a deal of places up until about possibly ten-thirty or 'leven 'clock that night. Then we went out, way out Bienville - near Galvers Street - way out - seventy-five blocks away, possibly - way out in New Orleans, Way out to Bienville Street - dat's about two blocks from Canal Street, parallel to Canal Street. We got out there, ah suppose about ten-thirty or 'leven 'clock and knocked on a door and dey - mostly all downtown houses in New Orleans have dese blinds and shutters, and de people is very superstitious - it's a very hard matter to find anybody round New Orleans. If you knock on a person's door and dey'll ask you who you looking for and sometimes you's talking to dis party, and dey won't answer you. And if dey are somewhere else in de house dey'll call 'em and perhaps yo' gone, and if you wanta see dat person perhaps they'll call you back. So [before] we went in and - his wife said, "Oh, sure it's you, Percy?" Ah said, "Yes." She said, "Come on in." Ah said, "Ah got company, someone to see Professor Frank." She say, "Why he's in bed asleep." Ah said, "Well, this is rather important and I would be glad should you call him." She say, "All right." So she went and called Professor Frank and he came out dressed in a very gorgeous robe, seem'ly made of red velvet and large arms - had a cap on same as that which a priest wears, and had dis man to come and kneel. [Since I did not ask for a description of this cap "same as that which a priest wears," I evidently assumed that it would be a biretta rather than a zucchetto and that the color would be black; this article and color being more accessible to him at a Roman Catholic religious shop. But I had not yet visited New Orleans and had much to learn - the cap was probably red.] De room was lighted with two large candles on either side of the mantlepiece - red candles - de carpet on de floor was red, and then they had a large altar over in de corner. It seem to set the room off katycornered, and there was a stool [prie-dieu] by which a man could kneel down upon as the people do in some of the churches to pray. This man knelt down on this stool and he told him to put his right hand on his heart and his left hand on a book which was supposed to be the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses of witchcraft and superstition. Then he mumbled some words, turned his back to dis man and looked up as in meditation and mumbled something and turned and told him dat he would seek what he was lookin' fo'. This altar I didn't describe it as I had yesterday - the robe [frontal] on de altar was of deep, dark red velvet with fringe all round and worked wit gold and various colors of stars, and de moon. It had a large gold and silver horseshoe mingled with seem'ly various colors - ivory.
(You spoke of that awning [his word] being held up, yesterday.)
Yes, this awning [canopy] over the altar was caught up right in de center in front, seem'ly by dis horseshoe and den draped down to a point on either side and went almost round de - in fact, it covered de altar. This altar Was made very similar to that of a pulpit - suppose it was about two and a half or three feet and about eighteen inches wide - something like dat - and he stood with dis heavy robe on him - this large robe girded round him in fringes on de end.
(It was the kind of a robe that a priest throws around him?)
Yes sir. And he had the bottom of his hand up this way - his right hand - he was seated in front of a table. Now dis table was something similar to a living- room or a parlor room mahogany table, seem'ly about four feet possibly and about eighteen inches in width, very heavy carved, de legs - I didn't say dat yesterday but it was large ole antique furniture. On this table was a large red covering with fringes that went up and down in the center. It didn't exactly cover the table. On this table was a large reading lamp with a shade seem'ly probably of gold, and he went behind dis table and sit down in large reclining revolving chair. But before he sat down in this chair - no, after he sat down in de chair, he pulled out a drawer in dis table and got out a kind of pipe - seem'ly it was gold - had a little crooked pipe stem to it [surely a calabash - my first pipe] - got some what we call moss tobacco or cut-plug - something similar to cut-plug tobacco and filled his pipe with tobacco continuously looking at this man, who sat dere and seem'ly half out of his wits and trembling - looked upon dis man as some supernatural being or some man dat was extraordinary - out of the ordinary person. He continuously looked at him searchingly, and dis man would look up at him guardedly. After he had filled his pipe with tobacco, still looking at dis man, he got out a - out from underneath his robe - the robe was lined with heavy satin - ah don't think I said that yesterday - he pulled out dis gold match- lighter and some way pushed a spring and out come a blue flame which seem'ly had something else in it - resembled that of lightning - still continuously looking at dis man. After lighting his pipe, put this cigarette lighter out and stuck it back in his pocket. He sat down and looked at this man and told him what he came there for. First he told him that his mother was dead and that he lived with his father; that he Was in a business and that he was very successful in this business, and he had a large amount of money and had come to New Orleans looking for him and that he Would find there was heap much money on this property of his buried. Seem'ly it was probably buried there by the Indians who seem'ly had formerly owned - lived in that settlement before it was thickly inhabited or populated.
(Then he sent you away for the night, didn't he?)
Yes sir. He had us to leave with the understanding that at ten 'clock de next morning he would come back and not say a word to anybody and bring $75 with him, which dis man did. We meets at de hotel and de next morning ah brought him back, since he didn't know New Orleans, and we came back - made it our business to be there exactly at ten 'clock. Came there and then he took him in his back yard. They had a rod that resembles a lightning rod, something like a lightning rod.
(What was the shape of this rod?)
Hit was round and at the ends it went down in an inner case and was made so it went down in an inner case and was made so it would go up and down at a certain length, a certain depth.
(Yesterday you said it was like a drill.)
Yes sir - it was like a drill in one end and it was curved like curved wire - like a curved lightning [rod] wire.
(How long was it?)
Oh it was possibly - probably six feet near as ah kin judge. And he went in his back yard and had some wires attached to it [the drill] - he apparently had these wires [also attached] on de wall of his house [in] back- yard, but it seems he attached them to some other wires connected with, possibly the electric wires, and place this machine out in de middle of de yard. Had it to drill itself - worked it a certain way that it worked itself down in de yard, and stood off from it, waved his hand like magic and said some peculiar words three different times, and then flames of fire like lightning flamed up at the top of [this] rod - flamed up three different times at de top of this rod. Well, the man as well as mahself, we stood there amazed because it was - well, now you understand it. We, when we went out of his house - dere was a little alley between his house and the next house - the houses in New Orleans are built very closely together - went out in the street and right in front of his home was a gutter that jes' carries off the Water, a ditch, very seldom cleaned out and there was Water in it, stopped up - stagnant water dere most all de time. Stuck dis rod down in de Water, but he never left the rod off the wire as he went through the yard - that wire was coils you know.
(He kept on to this wire - the wire was still attached to the house?)
Yes sir - still attached to the house and he uncoiled it. as he went on through the alley and sent this same rod - it was made to go down in de ditch of water, and said those same words he said in the back yard and waved his hand over this wire and then the flames came up seem'ly out of the.water through this wire. Jes' how it was [done I] don't know [!ii]. But after that he said to this man that regardless of where dis money was buried, if it was an old well, if it was in Water anywhere, or it was on dry land, dis machine would be sure to find it. And this man gave him the $75. He gave him that when he first went in the house the second day. And he was to go to this man's home at Moundville, Alabama - this side of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, up on de Alabama Great Southern Railroad between Meedan [?] [Meridian, Mississippi] and Tuscaloosa [Alabama]. And sometime that afternoon they left all of a sudden for Moundville where he was supposed to go to find dis money.
(This man went with him?)
Yes sir, this man went with him. [As the reader has already suspected, when the professor "waved his hand like magic his wife inside the house pulled the switch!] (You were telling me yesterday about this candle-burning: You said it is very prevalent along the Gulf here and New Orleans to burn candles.)
[This was several weeks before I reached New Orleans on my first trip.]
Yes sir. (What was your idea about why they burn candles in other parts of the country; you told me that yesterday.) Well, because de religious idea seem'ly is borrowed from de Catholics who burn candles in their religious ceremonies. A deal of dese people are persuaded, some of them are Catholic persuasion and some of them belong to the Catholic Church. Those who do not belong to the Catholic Church, as the Catholics to some extent predominate along the coast and in New Orleans, through Mexico, down through Central American - these peoples ideas are molded by their religious worship. These superstitious get the idea that they use these candles - they use highly perfumed candles. (You were telling me about the perfume they use over there in New Orleans - what was that?) Van-van they name it. The name is van-van - it's a highly perfumed powder jest a little above the odor of oil of peppermint - oil of cinnamon. It has a Wonderful pleasing effect on people who smell it. The people around New Orleans, white and black, around certain districts use that in scrubbing their doorsteps and houses, and even pouring this van-van which is very expensive oil - perfumed oil in the water with which they scrub their floors and even sweept off the brick pavement around their doors. They claim that it brings good luck. Racehorse men and racehorse women who play lots on racehorses are known to use this perfume greatly on their clothes. It's a very frequent thing to meet people with their clothes highly perfumed with this van-van odor. (You were telling about the women in the fast houses; do they use that in some way?) Yes sir - very much so. How do they use that? They use it perfumed in their bath water - they use it also in having their maids to scrub their houses. It's also used in these candles. Some of these candles that they burn, they are very expensive and they are perfumed. They burn that candle and practically shut that room up practically all day. Well, everything in dat house is perfumed with dat incense or whatever they call it.
(What do they do that for?)
That brings luck - that makes dem very successful or lucky, and nine times out of ten luck comes their way.
[After my informant left, I comment to the microphone.]
(This is the Rev. Mr. Young telling some of the things he told me yesterday - I just wanted to make sure I got them down.)
supposed buried-money premise in a rerecorded treasure-search account. The story was rerecorded with prompts based on a poorly recorded prior telling; no verbatim-audio fidelity. narrator-described apparent flames in a wired demonstration. Preserve the rerecording and separate Hyatt wife/switch explanation; the editorial mechanism is not an independently witnessed fact. reported repeated unknown words during a criticized demonstration. Preserve staged/criticized context, narrator uncertainty, wires and Hyatt separate switch explanation. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 128) · Read full source (printed page 129) · Read full source (printed page 130) · Read full source (printed page 131) · Read full source (printed page 132)
Entry 888
And that's another experience I had. You see, I'm kind of old - I know a whole lotta things. Well, I had a friend once, years ago after I lost my first husband - I've had three husbands and they all dead - and you know, he was a drunkard. And when he got to drinkin' he was rough - he'd fight me, he'd bite too, he bite and knock, and he bit me on the shoulder. It right there to show for itself. Ah told a lady one day, ah say, "You know Vander and he was fightin last night," and I say, "Vander bit me.
(What was his name?)
Vander - Vander Graham. I say, "Vander bit me," and I said, "I don't like it neither," I say, "comin' bitin' me like I was a dog or nothin'." And she say, "Let me see it," and I let her looked at it and she say, "You got any chickens?" I say, "Yes." She say, "What kind of chickens you have?" I say, "I have all kind - I have no special, they all mixed up." She say, "You have no black chickens?" I say, "Yes, I have a black hen - and she settin' though." She said, "Well, that's more the better," she say, "come on and I go home with you." And we go on home and she went in and say, "Where is the black hen?" I showed 'er and she went and runned 'er up. You know, quite natch'ral you run a hen up and she been settin' there so long she do what she goin' have to do. Well, she did a whole lot. She say, "Well, that's all I want." And she'd taken it and rubbed it on this place [the bite] and do you know that all his teeth dropped out. Not a tooth did he have. He wus jes' as toothless as I am now - co'se the doctor had all of mine pulled out on account of my health, and that ain't done me much good 'cause i' tain't nothin' but that ole medicine, you know, they give you. And so he'd sit down to de table sometimes eatin' and he'd say, "Ugh," he say, "you know, ah believe I'm goin' lose ev'ry one of my teeth - they're all loose.' Ah say, "They is?" And he say, "Yes." He say, "Ah had a pretty set of teeth." He didn't have a decayed teeth in his head. But this old lady put this on me and she say, "Any time anybody bite you, you stop 'em from biting you," she say, "jis' git some black hen manure and put on that place and let it heal up with it. and they won't have nothin' to bit with nc more." I'm telling you it was true.
(After that what happened?)
And when he left me - now, I'm goin' tell you this. I runned him away from me because he was too bad drunkard and fightin', but he'd take care of me nice and everything. He would dress me nice and buy plenty of food and everything, and he bought a nice little home and everything for us, but oh! he Was awful drunk', you see, and fighting all de time - all de time he was drunk. He would work, he was smart, but from Sat'day - he would come in Friday from his Work, didn't go back till Monday. He worked de [that] way - all de time. And he'd come in with 'im a jug of liquor and he would drink and fight me - he would make me sit up all night long under a gun.
(Under a gun?)
Under a gun - have a gun on me and didn' 'low me to close my eyes. I just got sick of it. And this same Doctor Tiggers - I had him run 'im on away from here.
(How did he run him away?)
I don't know - he never give me anything, you see, but chew just tell him what you Want, write him, anything. Tell 'im what chew want him to do and when it's done - he'd say, you don't worry, everything will come around all right. He'd never write you much [see No. 887, p.319]. But hit'll come just like he say. He sent him away from me and I haven't seen Vander since.
(Well, why did he hold a gun at you that way?)
Well - me? Just mean to keep me from going to sleep. I'd be so sleepy I'd be just noddin' off and he'd say, "Wake up," and curse me. "Wake up - wake up or I'll blow your brains out." I got sick of that. But when he left me, he didn't have no teeth. I ain't got none now but the doctor's pulled mine - his'n dropped out.
Entry 1147
Well, there's a little willow that grows about that big [demonstrates height] and it spreads all out - it's called button willow. [Cephalanthus occidentalis L. Probably button bush - unrelated to true willows.] (It grows about four or five feet tall?) That's all.
Yes, sir, many thousands of 'em - look white - looks like a stone mountain flower when you off a distance - only this one is white. But when you get to it, ain't nothing to it - it ain't no flower. You take that and you get two or three limbs and break it up - small enough to get it into a vessel and boil it in a gallon of water down to a half gallon of water. And you kin take that and get you some grain alcohol and put you - well in that quart of water you put in about a half of a half pint and you sweeten it. You take a half of a half of a pint of grain alcohol, you understand, and you pour that into that half a gallon of button-willow water that you boil down, and then you sweeten it. And then you put you about - well, somewhere around about two tablespoonsful of sweet spirits of niter into that, and you let her take a tablespoonful of it about every three and a half hours. And them chills is going to leave her. Same thing with the typhoid fever. Hit'll sweat her and hit'll work her just the same as any other kind of medicine or purgative medicine that you kin give her - something like them - pills or calomel or something like that. Hit'll clean her system up ~ do away with those chills - yes, sir.
Entry 1312
Yo' kin take maybe half a pint of likker or half a dozen aigs an' go to de graveyard, an' right down somewheres on de breast of someone dat yo' knows is buried dere, an' git up some dirt. Put dis down in dere, de aigs or de whiskey.
(How many eggs do you put in?)
Half a dozen.
(Half a dozen and a pint of whiskey do you say?)
Yessuh, tuh pay him tuh take care - tell 'em, "Ah'm payin' yo' tuh take care of de situation." Carry it on back with yo', dis dirt - carry it at chure home. Starts to de right corner of de house an' sow it clean back on round and yo's jes' taken pretty well care of - de house is taken care of.
(What will that do to the house?)
Den yore enemies won't bother yo'.
(You do this to your own house?)
Yessuh, to yore house.
The opening offers half a pint of liquor or half a dozen eggs; the interviewer later combines eggs with a pint of whiskey and receives confirmation. These differences remain unresolved. The quoted payment words are prescribed speech, and the protection claim is source-reported.
Entry 2131
[I must emphasize Silver here, because the silver coins of the United States of America in the 1930's and 40's contained silver and were in hoodoo and witchcraft magic objects - see Silver in Diagnosis, Pp.204-208; in Cure and Protection, Pp.484-493. Not every bag hand held a dime or silver piece but many of them did.] Staht [start] dat right from a dime. Yo' use a dime. Yo' kin do dat from a dime to a dollah. Yo' go tuh work an' yo' git chew a halfa pint of de very best gin Ziquor dat chew kin git holt of. Take a sewin' thimble an' yo' po' a sewin' thimble fulla Hearts Cologne into dat halfa pint of gin Ziquor an' dat 'mount of money, if it's a dime, from a dime on up to a dollah, lak yo' let it soak dere ovah night into dat half pint of gin liquor. An' yo' put dat into yore right pocket an' yo' go befo' de boss de next mawnin'. De re'lly fac' about it, suh, yo' may have tuh make 'bout three trips. Yo' may make three trips befo' he make any oath - befo' he give yo' de job.
Entry 2326
Yo' see dose little fishes. Sometime when it rainin' down dose little minnows - little small fishes dat be in de waters sometime when yo' don't see no fishes. Take three of dem an' put in a pint of whiskey an' give to anybody - dey'll stop drinkin'. [For fish falling during a rain, see FACI,2ed., No. 1537, p.61.]
Entry 2423
I had a woman one time give me bluestone to put in the watah to wash up mah house. That make luck in the house, that help you build up trade in the house. I was sellin' liquor. [Bluestone is usually used in a combination of ingredients.]
Entry 2585
An' if yo' sellin' likker, it's a simple thing an' it don't cost but a nickel - spill salt. Git chew a box of salt - S-A-L-T. An' yo' sprinkle from de corner of yore house or yore fence lak dat, chew know, round dat way an' cuss em - yo' know, call dem by dere names an' curse them out an' they cannot enter yore premises. Dey can't come dere.
(You begin to sprinkle that salt down where?)
Jes' lak, yo' see, where did lot run. Yo' sprinkle it from right in front of yore do' right straight on 'cross.
(Just in front of your property?)
An' cuss 'em out. Turn roun' lak dis yo' see [demonstrates], cuss 'em, "Don't come in mah house." Cuss 'em out - talk nasty to 'em. Jes' lak dat an' turn yore back an' don't look back. Keep talkin' to 'em, "An' don't come back. Don't come tuh mah house. ". See. An' dat's easy tuh be done.
Entry 2744
You've gotta know something about de Bible to do it. Comes from de devil, let it go on back [to him]. I would nevah try to do nothing to people and I wouldn't, and ah don't put no spells. De people come and dey says, "Well, could you put dis back." It don't work. Long as I git you well and work for yo' happiness, then it's all that's necessary. (Well, what sort of cure do you use? If I came to you and - had a spell put on me, what sort of a cure would you use?) Well, de first thing ah'd do - I heals, too. That's the next thing. The first thing I heals and then I use salt. Salt is used fer a thousand things that is good and bad. I puts this salt on a plate, saucer, then the party that's sick, I let them make a hole in dis salt wit de big finger [demonstrates].
(Of the left hand.)
Any hand but jest only dis finger - not de index finger, the middle finger. And then I repeats certain words from de Bible and let dem repeat after me and tell em - oh, yes, ah pour alcohol in it and let it burn, and de word dat dis light goes out on, it [sickness] stops right there. Then they must sleep over dis salt overnight. Then take it to the deep rivah and throw dis salt in de rivah and let it go. That watah running and dis salt will take away your con- ditions. Course dere's nothing you kin do fer nobody if they don't believe nothing. If a person don't believe nothing - nothing doin'. Becus if dey comes tuh me and if ah'm even jest goin'tuh heal dem ordinarily, ah says, If you don't be- lieve in God and you don't believe ah kin, ah don't wanta bother with you - no use using de energy:"' And then I always repeat certain words over a person when ah'm healin 'em.
(Are those words a secret? Or something you wouldn't want to tell me?)
"May it please thee, O Jehoges, to prosper" - I mean, "May it be thou most holy will, O El Mejah to heal de body and soul of dis person." You gotta call de mother's name and de person that you are healin'. "May it be thou most holy will, O El Mejah, to heal de body and soul of John or Susan, free 'em from plague and oppression."
(What were those words that you read out of the Bible? Were those secret?)
No, dat wouldn't be secret. It would be secret to people dat come to see me but not secret to persons dat knows - you know what I mean, if you understand. It's the loth Psalm of the Book of Moses. [We must remember here as well as everywhere in hoodoo, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses - probably in a number of versions and under various names - is considered by believers to be a part of the Bible.] Dis one dat keeps running in mah mind is de Psalm dat you read three times befo' sunrise. Dat's de 4th Psalm. That is in order to accomplish things that you desire. There's a certain name, a certain spirit, that you call upon.
(Is this Psalm in the Bible or in the Book of Moses?)
Both - but de meanings is in de Book of Moses - Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses. The 10th Psalm - well dat Psalm whut you use fo' healing and removing conditions from a person.
(Do you use any other book in addition to Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses?)
You kin take and look in de Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses and find out whut to read, and den you go in yo' Bible and read it from yo' Bible. You go to the fo' corners Of the earth and you take nine new keys and you call the spirit of this person - nine keys and walk to the four corners and you call the spirit. Yo' go dere at midnight and you call de spirit of de person whut you Want and this person will come. You worry 'em - de spirit [identified later] will worry 'em. Yo' send out yore thoughts through dese new keys and that brings the person back that you desire to.
(You mean the spirit of the dead person back?)
[This also brings the spirit of a living person.]
Yes, because you are sending out a self-conscious mind and yo' sending out the Spirit forces to bring this one back what chew want.
(Why do you bring this person's spirit back?)
Why do you do it? Well, because you wanta see this person that's away. When you making charms you use sugar with Adam-and-Eve, tea, coffee and sugar, 'cause everybody likes sugar in dey coffee or sugar in dey tea, and you mix that three together in your charm. That's the onliest way ah knows.
(What is the charm for?)
The charm is fo' those things ah told you about while ago, but chew gotta put Adam-and-Eve in it. If Adam-and-Eve is in, it holds the two together close, the man and wife, or sweetheart and friend.
Entry 3003
(St. Espidee is what?)
Is a lawyer. Dat's a case of co't too. Well dey use de candles fo: him an' pray tuh him an' give him a glass of milk if yo' kin give it, or git white rum, an' give him yore case an' he'll plead it fo' yo'. Light a candle an' a glass of milk, or eithah yore rum if yo' kin git it, but yo' cain't git no mo' rum now.
(What kind of color would you light to him?)
A white one to St. Espidee.
(What do you do, put him on the floor, too?)
No, no - yo' leave him right up. He's gotta git up on de stand an' he's gotta talk fo'yo'.
Entry 3638
Dey tell me yo' kin take a snail - git a snail when he's in de shell, see, an' put 'im in alcohol an' dry 'im up. An' when yo' intahco'se wit a woman yo' kin put - jes' wipe yore han'-lak, yo' know, ovah her laigs, an' anothah man can't touch 'er if he try.
Entry 3639
Well, now here's what I wanted to get information on. Dere is tricks can be turned - it's kind of a woodsy trick, things lak dat. Whether yo' wanted to heah dat.
(Yes. Oh yes, go ahead.)
Well, I have known of people, man to have a connection wit a woman an' to git hung dere lak a dog or anything. Well, de beginnin' of dat, yo' kin take one of dese ole snails. Yo' see dey have a house. When dey stretch out an' crawl dey pull dis house along wit 'em. A shell dey call it. Well, he carries a slime along as he goes. Yo' git a little of dat slime an' yo' go in de woods an' dere's a bug - a black bug an' we used to call 'im a betty bug. It's about so long [demonstrates].
(What kind of a bug do you call him?)
A Betty Bug. Yo' see it's a big black bug dat stays in ole rotten woods an' stuff lak dat. Well he's got where his neck come, his body connects togethah, it's only one drop of blood in it. Break 'im an git dat drop of blood, a little hartshorn [not sal volatite, etc., but a fairly common pronunciation of the per- fumes Hearts Own and Hearts Cologne] an' dis slime from de snail, an' use it be- fore it gits dry or anything, an' yo' kin dress a woman wit dat yo' see. A man goes an' has a connection wit 'er an' he'll git hung dere de same as a dog would to a female dog or anything. If a man want to take dat off dere, he's gotta use dat same snail, a little new milk an' prob'ly somepin lak alcohol or real good whiskey. Dat'll git 'em apart.
Entry 5529
(Suppose you begin that right from the beginning now. What do you do with this woman's track?) Yo' take dis woman's track, de lef'-foot track. See, yo' mus'n't [must not] ketch it gwine from yo'. Ketch it jes' lak - yo' ketch it comin' tuh yuh, jes' lak ah'm comin' tuh yo' heah, now. Jes' lak yo' call me, say, "Come heah, Jim." Ah goes tuh yo', an' yo' watch de lef' foot yo' see. Well, now, maybe when ah turn mah back an' go on de othah way - yo' know, ah don't know whut chure idea is. Yo' git it lak dis, yo' see. Yo' watchin' me goin' de othah way, yo' see. Yo' ketch it lak dis - go back to de heel [demonstrates].
(From the toe to the heel. Pick it up.)
Yo' pick it up. Den yo' goes tuh work an' goes - don't go tuh a steer. Yo' KNOW WHUT'S A STEER IS? A steer is - he has been a bull but he been cut, yo' Know. An' yo' goes tuh a bull lot. Yo' goes in dere an' aftah yo' goes in de bull lot - make it dere befo' sunrise an' de bull be layin' down yo' know. Yo' stir 'im, make him git up, yo' see. When he git up, he goin' stretch yo' know. Hell, when he stretch he goin' do his business. Well, yo' see, yo' ketch de second turd befo' it hit de groun' - don't let it hit de groun' yo' see - de secon' turd. Jes' as de first one - yo' let de firs' one hit yo' see.
(You grab that?)
Yo' grab dat yo' see. Yo' take dat an' go on off an' put it in a ole tin pin [pan] an' set it on de fiah. An' yo' go tuh work aftah yo' set it on de fiah - dat parch it. Yo' have seen people parch coffee. Yo' set dere an' yo' stir it yo' know an' parch it. An' yo' take dat track, an' yo' take dat bull's stuff, an' go tuh de drug sto'. Go tuh drug sto' an' git chew a bottle of cologne, or eithah de Ten Cent Sto'. Yo' mix dat up wit one of dem track yo' see. Yo' mix dat up tuhgethah an' go git chew a vial: Den yo' goes tuh work yo' see an' yo' gits yuh a li'le bottle - see, 'bout lak dat [demonstrates].
(A small bottle about the size of your middle finger.)
Dat's right, a small bottle. Den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' gits dat Heart Cologne. Git chew a li'le bit of likkah. Heart Cologne, dat trouble. An' git chew a li'le bit of likkah an' a li'le camphor, yo' see. An' yo' put all dat in dere, yo' see, intuh dat bottle. Put dat mixture yo' mix outa dat bull turd an' 'uh track. Put all dat in dat bottle. Yo' see de idea. An' aftah yo' put it intuh dat bottle, yo' shakes it up lak dis yo' see [demonstrates]. Yo' take a stoppah an' yo' puts it intuh a stoppah [into the bottle] an' yo' git chew a piece of silk cloth an' yo' sews dat up. YO' KNOW WOMENFOLKS IS KINDA SHARP, yo' know, an' yo' sews dat up. Den yo' go tuh work an' yo' tote dat right nex tuh yo'. Yo' see, if yo' kin git it in dis li'le fob pocket chere [here], yo know, nex' tuh yore skin anywhere. Yo' totes dat yo' see. Well, yo' feeds dat jes' lak yo' feeds [yourself], 'bout three time a week. Yo' go tuh work an' buy a li'le mo' likkah, yo' know, an' yo' put on dat yo' know. Take a li'le bit mo Heart Cologne an' yo' po' on dat, yo' see. Yo' po' dat right on de rag, yo' un- dahstan'. Well, now, dat's carried. An' evah time yo' go by 'uh, anywhere, yo' say, "Looky heah, honey, how 'bout [so-an'-so]?" "Yes, all right.'" An' jes' git a li'le bit of it, yo' know, right out de top of 'uh heah [demon- strates].
(The top of her hair - top of the head?)
Jes' about three strands. Be sharp enough - be sharp enough aftah 'uh sleep- in'. Yo' see de idea. Go right heah [demonstrates].
(By her privates?)
Yeah. An' take 'bout three strands, de long one right heah, yo' know. Take dat an' mix it all tuhgethah an' put it right in dat bottle. She'll follah 'im anywhere in de worl'.
(And keep her?)
Yessuh. See, ah tried dat. Ah had so much trouble wit womenfolks, dat, yo' know, ah'd...
(Who taught you - who told you that?)
Well, ah tell yo', AH MET A LADY [doctOr] FROM LOUISIANA. SHE WUS TRAVELIN' AN' SHE WUS THROUGH HEAH. So ah been havin' quite a lot of trouble wit wimmins yo' see. Ah used tuh be a woman lovah, yo' know. Ah did love womenfolks, yo' know, an' AH HAD MAH HAID BUMPED BY MANY, yo' see. An' ah tole huh 'bout it N' she tole me whut tuh do. An' ah has tried it - RIGHT TODAY, YO' HOL' DEM AN' PUT "EM UNDAH YORE FOOT. Yo' hol' dem, an' long as yo' kin keep 'em down undah yore foOt, yo' kin gO. But DE MINUTE DEY GIT DE UPPER PULL ON YO', DEY GOT CHEW AN' GONE. Yo' see? Dey got chew an' gone.
Entry 6379
Dey say a woman, eithah a man, if dey want dey husban' or dey wife tuh stay home. Yo' take yuh fingahnails - trim yuh fingahnails, trim de toenails an' wash undahneath each one of yore arns an' if dey drink likkah, put it in likkah an' let it set fer three days. Don' let 'em see it. Jis' conceal it somewhere. An' dey say dey would nevah leave, jis' hang right aroun' dere - stay home.
Entry 6583
Take a scorpion ag'in an' take some of dat same scorpion an' put it in whiskey or wine or sompin an' drink it. It will have scorpions runnin' all about in yore skin.
(Is there any way of getting those things out of you?)
Why ah don't know how yo' git it out, but dere's a man dat could git it out.
Entry 6619
Yo' kin take a - take a rattlesnake - yo' kin take anythin' dat wandahs in de woods snakelike - yo' take 'im an' yo' cut 'is haid off. Well, yo' put dat snake up an' let 'im be dried by de sun. Yo' take dem snake bones an' beat 'em up tuh apowdah, an' yo' put jis' a little bit of dat whiskey - alcohol, anythin' - an' yo' kin set dat bottle up, if yo' wan'a do it. Yo' set it up dere an' if yo' don' happen tuh give it tuh 'em dat day, or dat night, den mawnin' when yo' git up de snakes will be in it [bottle] - little snakes. [Snakes in the bottle next morning proves that snakes would have been in a victim, had you given the snake blood to him the day or night before.]
Entry 6992
Yo' go tuh a person dat is very sick an' make 'em hold a apple in dere hand. An' bring dat apple back home an' leave her eat dat apple, an' dat'll stop 'er from drinkin'. (You have to do this with someone that is very, very sick. Put the apple in that hand and then you bring that apple back home and make her eat that apple.) Yes, dat'll stop 'er from drinkin'. [I believe my informant, marked excellent, has given me an incomplete trans- ference-of-disease rite so common in getting rid of a wart or sty - see many examples in FACI, 2nd ed. Surely, after our alcoholic has eaten the apple, the core should be returned and placed again in the hand of the very sick person. The latter on dying will carry away the disease or spell afflicting our patient.l
Entry 6993
If yo' have a frien' dat drinks likkah an' yo' wants tuh stop 'im from it, yo' take - yo' cut 'is own shirt right undah de arm where he sweats at [de- monstrates]. (Under the left arn.) Uh-hmm. An' yo' boil it in a li'l watah. Den yo' take an' strain it an' po' it intuh some moonshine or whiskey - yhutevah he drinks - an' put it where he kin git it 'isself. When he drink dat, he'll nevah drink anothah drop.
(Take a piece from his own shirt, his undershirt.)
Entry 6998
Dey says yo' kin take a beef gall an' give him de beef gall in coffee an' dat'll stop 'im from drinkin' likkah.
Entry 7017
Take some fish eel, dose fish eel yo' know whut chew skin 'em. Yo' kin take dat an' dry it. Put it up an' dry it an' let it come tuh a powdah. An' put dat intuh 'is whiskey, an' dat supposed tuh stop 'im from drinkin'.
Entry 7020
Well, if yo' is a real heavy likkah drinkah, a woman kin take a - jis' lak if she don' want chew tuh drink, she'll go tuh work 'erself an' buy yo' a quart of likkah. Well, now, yo' know she have it. An' git 'er a eelskin. Yo' kin skin a eel an' let 'im dry. An' aftah dat eelskin dry, take an' put it fn dat likkah an' let it stay in dere a night or two. Den take him out. He couldn't know it. An' den go an' give it tuh 'im. Dat'll break 'is likkah drinkin' up.
Entry 7021
Well, dey say dey take de eelhide. Dey do an' put in sompin an' let soak in dere fo' a couple of days.
(In some liquor?)
Yes sir, fo' a couple of days, an' den yo' remove dat. Strain dis stuff. Well, if yo' wanta - if it looks kinda druggy or too bad, yo' put some mo' tuh it an' let it set dere an' settle. An' den yo' drene [drain] it off an' give it tuh de person, an' hit'll make 'em sick till dey quit.
(They stop drinking.)
Yes.
Entry 7022
Says git a eelskin an' soak it in whiskey, about a pint of whiskey. Take dat eelskin an' soak it in dat whiskey fo' 'bout three days, an' den yo take dat eelskin out. An' jis' lak he be drinkin' an' come in an' eat suppah or sompin, yo' give 'im dat an' it make him purtty sick- heave a lot. But it will break 'im up from drinkin' whiskey.
Entry 7024
Git a eel an' git 'is blood an' put three drops in dere, in dey whis- key, whutsomevah he drink, an' give it tuh 'im. Dat'll make him sick an' he'll stop drinkin'.
Entry 7030
Supposed tuh break any habit prakly [practically]. See, in de fo'k of de road where de road come tuh join dataway [demonstrates], or eithah cross data- Way [demonstrates] yo' go an' yo' git dat dirt. An' use it wit blue di'mond, whut dey sell at de drug sto', git John de Conkah, an' put dat in a airtight bottle. An' if de man have a habit of drinkin', or anythin' dat way, dat's de end of dat. Git some dirt in de road... [I interrupt].
(What do you do with that stuff in that bottle then?)
Jis' leave it stay shet up an' put it in de house where he live, 'custom [accustom] tuh live at.
(What is this blue diamond? What is that?)
Yo' git it from de drug sto'. It's lak dis steel dust, sompin lak dat.
Entry 7031
Ketch a frog an' put a pint of whiskey on a live frog an' de frog dies. [A small frog is squeezed into a bottle, whiskey poured on him, and the bottle corked up. I believe there is a simi- lar example of this frog treatment in Hoodoo.1 When de frog dies on de Viskey - it ain't goin' tuh hurt nobody - it'll make 'im sick. Jis' call a certain person, dat who all drinks so heavy, an' let 'im drink about two drinks off dat. Well, one drink, a good big drink off dat frog, an' den he won't nevah drink no mo' - have no mo' appetite fo' whiskey no mo'.
Entry 7034
Yo' take dat an' airtight it, yo' see. An' yo' wan'a hurt anybody, yo' airtight dere watah good an' put it - yo' put three pennies down in de grave [to pay the spirit] yo' see, an' po' [pour] it [urine] down dere [in the hole with] yuh watah an' dose three pennies an' close it up. Dat's in ordah tuh keep yuh from drinkin', takin' strong drinks.
Entry 7038
Yo' kin git de blessed watah from de Cath'lic Church, anybody; but dey don' give it tuh yuh tuh do dat. Dey give it tuh yuh fo' tuh use fo' yuh own use; anything yuh wanta use it fo', yo' see. But ah did heah dat anythin' yuh ask... (Well, now, how do you use that blessed water, if this man was a heavy drinker?) How would ah give it tuh 'im?
(Yes.)
Oh, yes, when he's might ask yuh fo' a drink a watah, an' den yuh put some a dat blessed watah in dere, an' call In de Name of God, de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Spirit, hopin' dat he would quit drinkin' so hard. An' in dat way - dat's all dere's tuh dat.
Entry 7040
If he a heavy drinkah - if a man a heavy drinkah, yo' git chew a king snake. See, a king snake about dat size [demonstrates]. Aftah yo' kill de king snake, yo' take his haid. An' yo' take de tip end of 'is haid an' yo' boil dat down. Boil it down tuh a medicine-lak, jis' about dis much, tuh put in a vial. An' aftah he goes tuh drink - he might drink wit chew. An' aftah he drink wit chew, yo' put about dis much of dat lik- kah in de whiskey. An' aftah he taste dat, he won't drink no more. Make him sick fo' 'bout twenty-some [twenty-one?] days. [The king snake of the southern United States of America is called king because it kills other snakes. Actually it lives chiefly on mice and rats.]
Entry 7043
Take anybody who's a bad habit of drinkin' an' yo' know, lak yo' wanta try tuh break 'em from drinkin', dey tell me yo' kin ketch three li'le minnows yo' know, an' put 'em in a bottle of whiskey an' let 'em die in dere, an' den give it tuh dat party, yo' know, who's a bad drinkah, who cain't do wit'out it. Give it tuh dem an' dey'll stop. Dat stop 'em from drinkin'.
Entry 7044
Ah hear'd a woman say yo' take - go tuh de sto' an' git chew some fresh mullet fish, an' yo' take an' yo' split dat fish. Don' put de bone part in it, [use] de meat part. An' put it in a pinta likkah an' let it set all night. An' de nex' mawnin' she give him dat likkah an' it make him so sick he wouldn't wan' any mo'. Dat would stop 'im.
Entry 7045
Take a fish - take a mullet fish tail an' anybody drinkin' likkah... (A mullet fish?) Yes sir, take de tip end of de tail, an' take a black string an' tie it roun' dat tail, an' put it in a bottle of whiskey. An' let it set all night an' let it 'solve [dissolve] an' take it out. An' anybody git a drink of dat, dey won't drink any mo - stop 'em from drinkin'.
Entry 7046
Git nine rusty nails an' soak 'em in a short pint of likkah nine days. Den take dose nails out an' strain dat likkah an' give it tuh 'em tuh drink. He'll nevah drink anothah drop. Ah'll guarantee dat, cuz mah uncle, dey broke him wit it. HE WUZ 80 YEAHS OLE. (He was 80 years old when they broke him?) Yes sir.
Entry 7048
" Of it he drink likkah, don't chew know, yo' could jis' take de Bible, an' read de 69th Psalms about five times, an' jis' contin'ly [continually] read it, don't chew know, an' say, "Lord, ah hope he'll stop: In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name of de Holy Ghost. An' he'll stop. An' yo' continue tuh read dat mawnin' an' night an' he'll stop. He'll leave it off.
Entry 7049
(How do you do that?)
Yo' kin even make 'em stop drinkin' whiskey.
(How do you do that?)
Now, yo' know a man dat drinks whiskey. Yo' take a man dat's a heavy whiskey drinkah, when he comes home, if he drink anythin' lak coffee or tea, or anythin' lak dat. Yo' go tuh 'is shoes, when he come in at night, an' take any dust - some dust off of one of 'is shoes. See, yo' jis' take de dust off of any shoe yo' git off of 'is foot. An' take dat dust an' powdah it. Powdah it up good an' fold it in a piece of paper, an' let 'im sleep wit dat undah 'is pillow. Evah time he come, whethah he come in sobah or come in drunk, take it away where - wrap dat good an' put it undah 'is pillah, an' let it stay undah 'is pillah fo' nine days. An' aftah it stay undah 'is pillah fo' nine days, yo' take it an' take dat same dust an' po' it intuh any drink dat he drinks - whiskey or gin or anythin' an' dissolve it an' mix it well. Jis' drop it in, jis' a li'le particle of dust on dere, from any one of 'is shoes. An' let 'im sleep wit dat undah 'is head fo' nine days, an' po' it in 'is drink. An' ah'll bet if yo' continue doin' dat - if dat don't give him de natchal [natu- ral] effect de firs' time, use it on 'im ag'in. An' ah'll bet dat he'll - it'll stop 'im from drinkin'.
Entry 7051
Break yo' up completely from drinkin' whiskey. All right, yo' go in de woods an' ketch chew a snail, an' put 'im intuh a pint or half a pint of whis- key, an' shake him until all dat slime come off 'im. When it come off 'im, yo' remove de snail from de whiskey an' den give it tuh whosomevah yo' wanta stop drinkin'. An' dey won't nevah drink whiskey no mo'.
Entry 7055
If she take his watah, chamber lye...
(The man's?)
Dat's right, but it have tuh be his wife.
(His wife would do this?)
Take his chamber lye an' stop it up in a bottle but don't bury it. Keep it concealed fo' nine days, an' aftah nine days yo' take dat bottle an' po' it on de sundown side - aftah yo' stopped it up in de bottle. An' he would have no taste fo' likkah or any othah strong drinks - no mo'.
Entry 7056
Yo' have tuh git a young chile's urine. See, an' git some, lak if he loves tuh drink wine. Well, yo' know he loves tuh drink dat wine. When he comes home tuh dinnah - but it has tuh be a woman chile. See, a kid nine, six or seven yeahs ole. An' yo' make her urine in a bottle an' yo' take... [author interrupts].
(Must it be a girl?)
It must be a girl, an' yo' make her urine [urinate], yo' know, in a cup or somepin; but chew mustn't let yer fingahs touch nowhere. Yo' know whut ah mean, jis' [no] mo' den tuh po' it out in de bottle, yo' see. An' yo' give him some. Po' dat urine in dere an' den yo' git some likkah, wine, an' mix dat tuhgethah. See, an' when he drink dat, dat jis' make his stomic upset. An' evah time he go tuh drink dat, give him dat. Well finely it weahs off an' he cain't stan' it. See, it makes 'im sick. [Algiers, La., (1590), 2989:3.] [Informants call these rites tricks (Nos.7081, 7086, 7091). They are one of many methods for capturing a person's spirit, the very essence of hoodoo, always dangerous for the believer. Nowhere has a time limit been set to the spell, ex- cept the return of the spellcaster (almost all rites). Thus the sleeping victim could burn up, if the house caught fire (No.7086). Similar keeping-asleep rites scattered through the interviews of Hoodoo will add greater variety to the mate- rial presented here.]
Entry 7728
Ah hear'd dey could take graveyard dirt an' some gin an' assafetadee [3 ingredients] an' mix it tuhgethah, an' go tuh a person's house where a family. Jis' lak a man an' woman livin' dere an' dis woman - he got anothah woman yuh know, an' she [latter woman] go an' git dat an' sprinkle all aroun' de do'. Dey say dat'll break peace, dey [the two inside] always fussin' an' fightin' one anothah. [The gin is for the spirit in the graveyard dirt - see ALCOHOL FOR THE SPIRIT, p.32].
Entry 7779
An' dey could take graveyard dirt an' put it in likkah an' dey could give yo' dat. (What would that do to you?) Well, dey jes' have yuh jes' crazy, jes' foolish all de time. Yo' don't have yore right mind about it, anything.
Entry 8580
They tell me to take a piece of brown stuff - yo' see these brown paper bags - just likes yo' want somebody to come back to yo'. Take an' write yore name coming to you like this nine times. (Coming to you like this. How do you mean, coming to you? You mean, writing toward me?) Uh huh. (Do you write it toward you that way?) Uh huh. Yes. Instead of writing from you [demonstrates] like that, write to you like this.
(I see, sort of writing backwards.)
Uh huh.
(You write it nine times?)
Uh huh.
(What'll that do?)
You take and fold that to you, you don't fold it from you, and you put that in a lamp. And you keep that lamp burning with that in it until he come back, or she. And then you take and do the same thing with a bottle with gin in it. You put that gin in a corner and you puts some nutmeg in it and you say, when- ever you think about the party, you say, "Let" - call the name and say, "Please come back to me." Well, I have never tried that.
(You put this gin - in the gin bottle with some gin in it?)
And in the lamp too.
(You put gin in the lamp?)
No! No!
(Just the name in the lamp?)
Uh huh.
(But if you want to, all you need to do is put it in the gin bottle?)
YO' HAVE TO PUT IT IN THE GIN BOTTLE AN' IN DE LAMP TOO.
(Oh, both those?)
Yes, sir. An' yo' have to keep that lamp where people can't get because they'll be suspicious.
(Do you put any gin in the bottle?)
Yes, sir. Gin and that piece of paper with de name on it, just like in de lamp.
(Let it soak in the gin?)
Just let it stay in there. An' every time yo' think about those parties, yo' look at it an' say, "Ah, " just like if yo' are near them, say, "Please come back to me."
(You use both the lamp and the bottle together.)
Yeah.
folding inscribed paper toward oneself, explicitly not away. They tell me and I have never tried that limit source authority; no firsthand use or efficacy. desired single he-or-she return in a reported untried method. Preserve They tell me and the explicit statement that the informant has never tried the method. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3525) · Read full source (printed page 3526)
Entry 9006
Yo' got a case yo' know. If a person has got a case in co't, yo' use a black hen aig, de yellah of a black hen aig. Have tuh throw de white away an' use de yellah. Take some rum an'
[this egg yolk and] make pills an' give 'em. Dat's all ah've evah seen 'em do wit dat.
Entry 9922
Ketch a toadfrog an' kill 'im an' drop nine drops of blood in a blf pint of whiskey, an' dat'll stop him.
(From drinking - a heavy liquor drinker.)
Entry 10932
Yo' takes a person dat's heavy drinker. Yo' git chew a live catfish- alive, any kinda fish. It don' have tuh be no special kind of fish. Yo' cut de tail off an' yo' ketch some of dat- jes' ketch three drops of that blood, an' yo' put dat blood into dat. Yo' git some likker, whatsomevah likker dey likes, an' put dat blood in dere an' give it to 'em to drink. He goin' drink it. [Catfish blood to cure alcoholism is a common belief along the Mississippi River from Memphis down through New Orleans. For cat fish blood and alcohol, see also Nos.7000-7007, p.3156-3158, v.4.]
Entry 11393
Lotta mens an' dey drink plenty of whiskey or gin, an' dey goin right by, dey tell me yo' take some of yore fingernails an' put in it, say dat will help bring business. Put dat in dere. [Fayetteville 2599:8.]
Entry 11741
Well, jes' lak now probably dat ah wuz sellin' likker. Well, ever' time ah turn roun' an' somebody knock at de do', ah think it's a customer come in dere. Ah open de do', "Ooh! It's de law." Well, ah goes tuh mah neighbor, yo' know, sell a lotta people roun', "Ah ain't got no luck. Ever'- time ah open mah do's, it's de law comin' in. Ah don' unnerstan'.: Seem lak de law gotta pick at me. Ah want dat law quit comin' tuh mah house." "Well, "' ah declare. "May[be] it's hard luck put on yo', '' [he] says, "dey's things lak dat." Well, jes' lak dat, talk along an' talk along. Ah wuz sellin' right along, gittin' on all right, thinkin' ever'thing wuz okay. Oh, makin' mo' money, yo' know, an' jes' gittin' 'long. Fus' thing ah knows, "Knock, knock." "Who's thah?" Twarn't nuthin but de [wind?] but still it wuz a lil' strange. Goes opens de do'. Who but it is de law ag'in. Well, ah sigh to mahself, "Well, ah taken dese chances but ah don't wanta take nO mo' chances." Ah goes tuh talkin' fo' fair den. So ah got one mah best fren'. Ah call her mah best fren'. So mah best fren' says, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do," say, "yo' go git luck, 'cause dere's bad wishes put on yo'. Yo' gotta have luck. Dere's a bar ovah dere" [someone over there could recommend a hoodoo]. Okay. An' so ah goes an' git luck. So fo' de luck he tole me, says, "Go tuh de cemetery an' git chew a lil' graveyard dirt, an' yo' git it on de off side - cf side of de right. Yo' dig down an' yo' pay. Yo' pay him an' yo' git dis dirt. Dig a hole jes' lak dat an' let chure han' go down in it, jes' lak dat [demonstrates] an' dig yo' up jes' a lil' dirt jes' lak dat. Den yo' put three pennies down in dere where yo' got dis dirt at. An' yo' take it home an' don't look back. When yo' git dis dirt jes' take it an' come right on home an' don' look back. When yo' git home, yo' put a spoonful of sulphur in dat graveyard dirt an' yo' sprinkle jes' a lil' bit of black peppah in dere. An' den yo' jes' put dat - yo' put some right under de front steps, an' den yo' go round an' put some undah yore back steps. An' den yo' gotta speak three times tuh hit, 'Name of de Father, name of de Son an' de Holy Ghost, stay an' nevah come no mo'." Dat'll do it.
(That keeps the law away.)
Keep de law away.
Entry 12562
(Well, nog, suppose I'm bootlegging amd I want to keep the lay aoay from the place, what would I do to keep the lay away from the place?) Well, you use this here sugar. You get this sugar, you get some of this saltpeter, and every time that you think of the law or anything, at night, you do it yourself or the one that be's in [the shop] there. You fix it up in a bottle with any kind of green leaf - you know, any kind of green leaf - but leave it be different leafs: might be willow leaf or Palm Of Christian or any kind of leaf. Just a differ- ent leaf. You take it in a bottle with this sinimond [cinnamon], sugar...
[I interrupt. Palm of Christian had to be explained!]
(Now, wait a minute! Where does this Palm of Christian grow?)
That Palm of Christian? Well, just put it in there like that, but stop... (Where does that grow? Here in Louisiana? Does it grow here?) [In New Orleans?] Yes, sir, it grows here - find it everywhere - in the country - they got some right uptown there. (It grows out in the woods - you mean that little palm - that little short palm?) It grows up about that high but with wide leaves.
(Oh! I see.)
[I did not know what it was at the time but I soon found out!] Well, you could take some of them leaves and sprinkle like that - get different leaves, just so its green. And you put it in a bottle and you take - put that sugar and cinament in the bottle like that. Every morning - that's when you thinking that the law's is [= 's & is here] coming and interfere with you, you see - coming and made a raid on your place. Every night and every morning, through the day, re- gardless of how many people are in there [your illegal liquor joint] don't say anything to nobody. Jest take your bottle [of green leaves] like you cleaning up and walk at the end of your property and jest like you'd take the broom and you shaking that bottle, you know, jest like sprinkling to keep the dust down - on back in [into] your place. Any time the law coming there, when he get to your property, he - he jest as pleased as ever. He'll come in there - probably be like this - he'll drink. He'll ask you to give him a [free] drink, a [free] cigar or somepin of the kind like that. And he'll tell you, remember that [a boss] be's over him. He'll tell, too, he'll say, "Well, you be particular, you can git what you want. I was just passing by this way. Well, you jest keep that sugar and ciniment right at your steps, wherever you comes down. And re- gardless of who comes there, he'll never do you no harm. And in prohibition time, well, the time the town went dry, I sold liquor here - I hit on [which he does, you can hear him]. Never had been caught yet. Never have been scared about no law - no prohibition or nothing of the kind... never have. [See margin title PALMA CHRISTI, No.2199, P.626, v.1, and my long comment there.]
Entry 12568
Yo' kin take one peanut and plant, put it dere. Yo' kin plant one peanut dis yeah. Well, yo' kin take jes' one an' yo' kin put jes' one spoon- fulla fertilizer dere. Well, dat'll make a big- ger root in de ground in de whole field, den if yo' have planted it [pea- nuts] all ovah de field. Dem lil' peanuts got lil' strings out. Jes' got one peanut dere an' it can't git no draft aroun' nowheres cross de earth, but dere's a great big root on de bottom called de [taproot?]. An' yo'll see it [the same thing] on de tree when de tree's picked [dug up] an' ain't growed out [up]. Well, dat root's right on de bottom dere. Den yo' take dat root an' yo' kin parch dat root and anybody's got a bad cold or anything, think it set into TB's or somepin othah, jes' boil dat root an' put chew some Adam [Adam-and-Eve?] in it. Well, Adam is a thing, yo' know, dat's mighty good fo' yo', dis garlic dat yo' cook with. Well, yo' put a lil' Adam in there an' put a lil' cream of tartar into any- thing dey drink. An' den put 'bout a half teaspoonful of gin in it, an' den de next thing yo' do, put in about a spoonful of camphor an' let it set dere fo' 'bout a day or two. Den yo' take. Dat will release all dat [something] on yore throat dere.
(That will cure that trouble you have?)
Dat's right.
Entry 12569
An' yo' kin take fo' pegs, yo' know. An' cut little pegs an' put 'em round yore house an' put 'em down out dere an' say 'bout "De Lord is mah shep- herd.... An' de sher- iff - ah don't care how much likker an' stuff yo' sell, dey won't even come round. Don't care whut chew do dere, dey won't come to yore house.
(How many pegs do you put down?)
Jest git chew some little wooden pegs.
(How many did you say?)
Foah - an' peg on each side of yore yard, an' de sheriff won't even come no- where round dere. [The pegs are at the 4 cardinal points of the compass.]
Entry 12183
Take animal manure and dry it. See, you got a good animal and dey want it. See, dey take de animal manure and dry it right dry. Take an' dey pound it up, see. And dey will take alcohol, see, and put in dat manure and bury it. See, and den bury it under dere doorstep. And you'll often be to their house to sell 'em dat horse. See, you'll want to sell him dat horse better dan anybody else. And he [horse trader] kin git de horse from you cheaper dan you bought de horse fo'.
Entry 12584
Jes' lak if yo' wus sellin' likkah or anythin' lak dat an' don't want de law tuh run in on yo'. Whut ah used tuh do. Dey told me tuh take six pen- nies an' go early in de mawnin' jes' at sun- rise tuh de fo'k of a road, bury three [pen- nies] an' say a prayah. Goes on tuh some wicked person, or some needy person, an' give de othah three pennies tuh dat needy person. Goes on back home an' say mah prayers, say, an' dey [police] won't worry yo'.
Entry 12896
Now, if you want to divorce her - if you want to break this up - if you get on to [suspect] her - you are suspicious. [If you suspect she had you tied up, has made you sexually impotent.] Jis' go on, put you on you some clean socks, walk on to a beer joint - some place. (To a beer joint?) Yeah. Get you a bottle of beer and go on walking. Walk far enough where you begin to perspire and when your feet get hot and you perspire, stop and sit down. Take the left shoe off. Pour this bottle of beer in that left shoe. Drink the beer out of the shoe instead of the bottle. Close the bottle. Stand this way [demonstrates] and turn your hands [this way] and throw it [bottle] straight out in front of you, with your wish [that your impotence leaves]. It [potency] comes back again.
(I see.)
Yes, all the affection is taken away from her. (I see. Take this beer bottle in the left hand, then, you bring it around to the back of your neck.) Yes, that's right. And take that [bottle] in your right hand and throw right directly in front of you.)
(I see. And that breaks the spell of that string around her waist.)
Sure. Yes, sir. [My preceding comment is a good example of my using in- formation informant had given before researching began. Woman had "tied him up by measuring him with a string and tying it about her waist.]
(It should do it?)
Sure. I've seen it do it.
(I see, I see.) [The wish is the power!]
Entry 9993
(What do you mean yoo were running a house?) Running? Well, jis' liktah joint, gamblin' joint, all lak dat yo' ondahstan'. An' he [root doctor] said dat'll hold de laws away. Well, ah diddat
(What did he tell you to do now?)
Take fo' [four] frogs, fo' toadfrogs an' care [carry] 'em an' put 'em undah each pillah [pillar] of dat house in de fo' cornahs. [The average small house in the lowlands rests off the ground on 4 wood pillars.] Well, ah did dat.
(What did that do?)
Oh, no! Ah nevah had no trouble while ah wus dere an' ah stayed dere fo' two or three or fo' yeahs. (You mean that was to keep the laws away?) [Notice how much later I use his word laws.] Keep de laws away. Ah nevah had no trouble wit fellahs. Kin'dove [kind of] a jute [jutebox?] house, yo' undahstan'.
(What house?)
Jute house, yo' undahstan' - sellin' likkah an' gamblin' an' all lak dat.
Entry 1245
Dey takes a little alcohol an' elder root and go an' bath [not bathe] 'em, if it's [a live thing] in de laig - bath 'em right on out de laig.
[Jacksonville, Fla., (586), 752:6.] [Alder (p.411) and Elder are often confused.]
Entry 3192
I went to a man [root doctor or wise man or two-header]. A woman had done quit me. An' he ast me if dis woman drink whiskey. I tole him she does. He said, "Well, yo' go back home, git choo a half a pint of whiskey." He said, "Yo' git in a close place so kin nobody see yo'." He said, "Yo' go in dat room, shut up in dere, jack yore fist [masturbate], see; an' take about three or four drops of dat stuff an' put it in de whiskey, an' shake it until yo' can't see it in dere, an' jes' keep on givin' it to her, yo' know. Absolutely bring 'er love back."
Entry 6995
See, jis' lak dis bed is, yo' take a fellah - ah don' care how he dressed, where he comin' from - de easies' thin' is a church. (Church?) [My transcriber could not understand this word - see later.] Yeah, an' den invite him, whahevah he be at, if he's a fellah love tuh drink an' - it jis' as easy - jis' swipe [swish] dat in dere an' put it in 'is likkah. An' he'll nevah regret seein' likkah no more.
(That's a bedbug, isn't it?)
Yeah, a bedbug. [The preceding word church should be chinch, a legitimate word for bedbug (Cimex lectularius). Several times I also heard about a different bug, the chinch bug (Blissus leucopterus) destructive of grass and grain in the U. S. A. during dry seasons.]
Alcohol is the retrieval label for likkah in the reported drinking context; no chemical composition is established.
Entries from source headings
These entries are listed under the following headings in the source volume:
- Doctor and Alcohol — Volume 1, entries 843. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → THE DOCTORS THEMSELVES: BIRTH TO DEATH: DESCRIBED BY LAYMEN.
- Alcohol for the Spirit — Volume 1, entries 77. Source context: SPIRITS → GHOSTLORE.
- Baptize Them in Alcohol — Volume 1, entries 2835. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → SHRINES: ALTARS - CANDLES - SAINTS; NEW ORLEANS AREA → (2) CANDLES.
- LAMP - CLOTHES AND ALCOHOL IN SMALL BOTTLE - HIDE IN BOWL OF — Volume 3, entries 4787. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → CLOTHES EXCLUDING HAT, SOCKS AND STOCKINGS, AND SHOES.
- TURTLE EGG BROKEN INTO ALCOHOL — Volume 4, entries 6673. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- MOCKINGBIRD EGG - CANARY EGG - VICTIM'S INITIALS; ALL IN BOTTLE WITH ALCOHOL - MAKES TALK TOO MUCH; GETS INTO FIGHT OR TROUBLE - LIKE 2 BIRDS DISAGREE — Volume 5, entries 12440. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
Source passage
printed interview with editorial and production layers · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
see me all de time, don' choo? [Asking Cubby.]
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
Yeah. I see you all de time.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
(Well, just tell Mr. Cubby and tell these people I'm not a policeman, you can see that.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4497
Dere's a lotta dem [healers]. Dere's Zeffie Hill.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
I was tellin' 'im about her.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
MIFFIN
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
Tha' Zeffie Hill is good.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
I was tellin' 'im about them. Those are the people who say they heal. That's those yo' were tellin' about comin' in on Sundays.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
MIFFIN
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
Yeah. Dey don' do nothin' but heal, give yo' numbahs to have luck an' things. But dese othah people - dey supposed to be good.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
I heard also there was some good ones down in Clewiston.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
MIFFIN
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
Yeah, dere's some good ones in Clewiston, Florida. But where at in Clewiston, Florida?)
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
I know I could find that out from her. She gits in on the weekends. She lives in Clewiston but she lives in...
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
[Mrs. Miffin breaks in before Cubby finishes statement.]
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
But yo' know whut, if Jera
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
[?]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
hadn't o' died - I know one lady tha' he'ped them a lot. But Jera died and Jera always say,
reported or enacted speech · Miffin (speaker in this passage) · Named speaker in the recounted account; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"I'm goin' give yo' this woman's address if anythin' evah happen, give her my name an' tell 'er I sent yo'.'
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
But I didn't get to Jera before... Yo' remembah Jera Jones an' she died?
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
[Asking Cub- by.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
She say,
reported or enacted speech · Miffin (speaker in this passage) · Recounted woman whose identity is unresolved; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"I could git yore son out of trouble.
reported or enacted speech · Miffin (speaker in this passage) · Recounted woman whose identity is unresolved; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
I don' know why I sat down so long, I didn't have the money to pay an' go like dey was goin' an' I jis' lef' ev'rythin' in the han's of the Lawd. Tha's jis' how I wus 'cause I didn' b'liev' in 'em, but now I do. "
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
Cause I see too many things happenin' now. Tha's true, don' choo think so?
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
[To Cubby.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
In some cases.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4497
In some cases, yes.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
[A pounding noise here - apparently it is her children pounding their fist on the car door glass]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"Darrell get away from there!"
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"Go ahead home!"
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
I've seen some things happen I can't explain them myself so it would tend to make yo' sorta believe it.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
(Well now let me give you an illustration - that man you talked to that said he was going to put warts on your arm. Now if you were in the proper frame of mind it's just possible that he could put them on you. See what I mean?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
Sho', look what I did about 3 weeks ago. I went to a house - me an' this girl was goin' wid dis same boy. Dis woman, ol' 'nuff fo' my Momma now. This stuff from spirits from whut I know fo' myself. Okay, dey kep' sendin' fo' me an' I know I don' drink no likker. I know good and well I don' drink likker. An' I goes up there - sit there - de bar. Dey had a ha'fa pint settin' up there on de table an' I said to 'er, I said,
reported or enacted speech · Miffin (speaker in this passage) · Speaker quoted in the local account; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"Well, look, I don' drink no likker."
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
reported or enacted speech · Miffin (speaker in this passage) · Speaker quoted in the local account; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"Yeah, drink some."
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
An' the devil tol' me to drink tha' likker an' boy I'm tellin' yo' - my little daughtah could tell yo' - I came back downstairs, I be- gin to git real sick. She po'ed the likker an' she po'ed the Coca Cola in. The Coca Cola floatin' in the likker an' I came back downstairs an' in about 30 rinutes I got deathly sick an' I got so sick I jis' layed across de bed. An' dis same little girl whut was standin' right dere
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
[she may be referring to one of the children who earlier was pounding car window]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4497
. I sta'ted vomitin', an' san, dese li'le things - white an' dey are wrapt up jis' like a worm. Jes' like a worm an' dey come outa me for about 30 minutes an' I wus so sick! Yo' lmou I got a fo'k an' I took one out an' I tried to unwrap it. Ev'rytime I try to unwrap it they wrap back up an' there's about 30 of 'em in dere an'I gen' to de doctah an' yo' know whut he tol' me? I was likker poisoned!
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(You were what?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Likker poisoned. Dat likker was poison.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(Uh huh.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
[At least I am noncommital!]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
An' yo' know right today she come right dere an' sit on dat step, dat bench right dere ev'ry day. An' I JIS' HATE 'ER TO MY HEART. An' I jis' came right - an' I tol' 'er de othah day,
reported or enacted speech · Miffin (speaker in this passage) · Speaker quoted in the local account; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
"Don't come to my house no mo'."
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
She ol' 'nuff to be my momma an' she goin' wid dis young boy.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(Well why did she do it to you? Is she jealous of you?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Goin' wit de same main. I mean, yo' know she's do dese hot things yo' know, dese lookin' things an' dat woman couldn't see me ag'in no mo', 'cause dat guy is good an' I could git dat money an' a lot of women can't see no man takin' care of no woman. Dere Some Women dat cain't. AN RIGHT DEN AN' DERE I MADE UP IN MY MIN' UNLESS IT'S JESUS, BABY, DAT'S THE ONLIEST PERSON CAN GIVE ME A DRINK - JESUS. If I drink it I be by myself. It's somethin' I bought by my- self, not wit nobody 'cause I been deathly sick from likker. I won' bother wit it. An' she go to dis main up here all de time but he don't do nothin' but heal, yo' know?
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Heal.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Up in Tumesea[?], yo' heard of 'im?
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(What's his name?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
I don' know his name.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Tumesea
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
[?]
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
, Georgia?
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Yeah. Doc - dey call him Doc.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(Where is it now, what's the town?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Tha's in Tumesea
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
[?]
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
, Georgia.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Dat's in Thomasville.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
[Now it sounds like they are saying Thomasville.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(Thomasville?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Yeah. But Honey
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
[Who is called Honey?]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
yo' know he got his church, but he do not do no nasty deal. Tha' man's straight. He's a healer, he's straight.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(Just a healer. In other words he doesn't put any conditions on you but he will remove evil conditions.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
He will move evil conditions but he will not put nothin' on you.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(I see.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Now, I def'nit'ly knows dat.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(Well ther'e
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
[there are]
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
some of these people I'd like to talk to just to get their experience.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
[My desire will be granted in some of the following interviews.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Yeah. But dere's a lot of 'em yo' go to yo' git a good cussin' out, dat's whut yo'll git 'cause most people don' wan' choo to know dey doin' things like dis. A lot of 'em don', do dey?
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
[Asking Cubby.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
No, dey like to keep it a secret.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Lak to keep it a secret.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
CUBBY:
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
They have quite a few 'roun' here, but yo' can't fin' out.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Dere's a lot of 'em roun' here. I'm lookin' at one dere...yo' know who I'm talkin' about, lookin' at one dere right yonder. I mean yo' don' git nothin' dere an' I know yo' don' git nothin' from 'er but a good cussin' out. Oooh, cause she don' - she will not talk to yo'.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(In other words you just have to take it along easy.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Yeah.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(And they have to really trust you and know who you are and all that sort of thing.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Yeah, yeah. Dese people roun' here do not trust yo' too much, yo'd better b'lieve.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Well, I don't blame them. I tell you today the way the world is...)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Mos' of 'em - yo' tell 'em somethin' they go on an' tell the pollece, don't they?
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[Says to Cubby.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
That's right.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4499
De pōleece dey turnin' up givin' yo' all kin'a dirty things. An' yo' jis' cain't blame people fo' tryin' to pertek [protect] themselves.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Well years ago there were a lot of stool pigeons. Are they dropping out?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
No...dere's a lot of 'em bein' dropped, dere's a lot of 'em bein' kilt.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Well, certainly as sure as a white man came around they ran and told the police that some fellow was out there working...)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Yo' fin' a few. Well, yo' don' fin' - yo' wus young when there wus stool Pigeons. Boy, that Abraham, Abraham, uh Alford... It was so many of 'em dat... dat fellow got kilt... James. Dere's a lot 'em got kilt, them gangsters from Tampa had dem kilt off. Yo' can't be bothahed...dose b'lievers...dose people don't b'lieve in things. Aw, they had them dropped off.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[She rambles on and on in this paragraph. I was uncertain of most of this. Mrs. Dyel.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(What about those people who give you lucky numbers? Have you ever gone to anyone to get a lucky number?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
I'll go to one. I go out dere on Hamm Road ev'ry week to get me one
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[laughs]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
The lady I took you to the other day.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[Meaning Dr. Hyatt I believe. Mrs. Dyel.]
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Ev'ry week. An' yo' know what...
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Oh, oh, which one was she? The white woman or the colored?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
The white Woman.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Oh, she gave numbers - from Palmetto?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Yes. Yo' know I went out dere an' yo' know whut she tol' me? She tol' me to play a one-six an' a five-six. Yo' know whut, I didn't have but $5. Yo' know that I stood up dere an' let dat one-six came by an' paid $85. I wen' out dere a Thursday an' do yo' know it came out on Friday night an' I stood up dere - I didn't have but $5. I stood up dere an' said,
reported or enacted speech · Miffin (speaker in this passage) · Speaker quoted in the local account; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
"Dere ain't going to be no one- six, de odds is too high."
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
An' here comes one-six. $85... I was sick. She gave me dat number. I gave 'er $2. She gave me a one-six and a five-six. The five- six came in de las' race. $85...an' I wus dead broke. An' she gave me the two- eight, the two-eight came...
editorial recording or production note; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[Transcriber Mrs. Dyel says, "The paragraph was dif- ficult to transcribe. She is talking very fast."]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Well how would she get those numbers?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
I don't know...she wus a min' reader. She read 'em.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Do you know I talked to that woman. Yeah, isn't that right Mr. Cubby?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Did she talk all right?
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(She wasn't doing much talking to me.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
She was lookin' at yo' do'
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[though]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
wasn't she? Studyin' yo'?
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Well this is the white woman, isn't it?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Yeah, yeah, but I like tha' main
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[man]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
bettah.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Is there a husband, that man in the same house?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Yeah. I like that main
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[man]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
bettah than I do tha' woman.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(Well, I think she's clever.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
She is re'ly clevah.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(She's quite a talker and quite intelligent. What was her name? Something? Something?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
editorial recording or production note; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[Name purposely omitted.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Yo' know what else she do? Now I've knowed people to git into a little trouble an' dey have to pay her so much, about $37. But she's straight dey say.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
(I think she was a little bit frightened about me.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Yeah, she prob'ly was.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(She may talk to me again. I don't know. She was verv nice about it. I think if these people knew they were not going to be personally involved, that there is no name given or anything of that sort, I think they would really talk, don't you?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Yes. I think they Would. That's the main problem.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4500
But there is so many things bein' goin' on when dey wus tellin' de po-leece ev'rythin' - I mean yo' can't blame 'em, can yo'?
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(Oh, I know. Well, how is Palmetto? Years ago you used to always...)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Oh, no, no. It's no mo' o' dat now. Now, if yo' hear of a number, ev'rythin' comes strictly from de dogs. Yo' cain't even fin' none 'roun'. People got so bad in turnin' dem up dey jis' had to give it up.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
[Cubby says something and she repeats it. I cannot tell what they say.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Cubie stop an' people stop wit it, yo' see?
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
That's right.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4500
When they stopped dat over in Cuba they automatically...they prob'ly be doin' some kin' of ol' mess from the dog. But they don' bothah wit it. I don' know nobody over here [in St. Petersburg?] playin' no Cuba anymo'. Dere's no sech word as a Cubie no mo'.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(Cubie?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Cubie.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(Cubie? What's that?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Jes' a number, dat's wha' dey call it at Palmetto
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
[Florida]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Jus' a number. Jus' a new name.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4500
An' boy I used to know some people used to write [or ride] it 6 or 7 hundred dollars a week but all of 'em gone, dey jes' forgot 'bout it.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(People who sold numbers?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
If dey were throwin' time on yo'
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
[giving prison terms]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
like dey wus throwin' on dose people, yo' would've stopped too. 10 or 15 and 20 years. Who want dat time? Nobody!
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(In other words you can't go around to shops - years ago you could go around and buy numbers any place. You could get them for a penny a piece.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Ooh, no. Yo' can't buy 'em here no mo'. Know
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
[Do you know]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
where ev'rybody go at night? To the dogs. Ev'rybody
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
[go]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
to the dogs
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
[dog races]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
now. An tha's fas' money too.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(I see. Did you ever get a lucky number that worked?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Who, me? No, 'cause I'm a lucky dreamer. See, I can dream my own numbers, see. I'm my own...
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(What do you mean dream a number?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Well, don' choo dream?
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(Yes.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Well, I jes' dream. I have good dreams. I'm a good dreamer.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(And do you remember any numbers in the dream, things of that sort?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Who me? I remember ev'rythin' I dream.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
(I evidently don't sleep well. I don't remember my dreams.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Yo' know wha' I did Thursday night? I had my rent - $60! The rent man there put up a sign to move. I wusn't workin'. Sixty dollahs behind in de whole time I been dere. At leas' I got my four kids home. Here he comes wit a sign. I layed down We'nesday night - I'm jis' goin' to tell yo' what I did. An' I wen' to bed. I wus so disgusted We'nesday night. Yo' know whut I dream? A main [man] whut I use to go wit came an' tol' me, I said, "Where yo' been so long?" He said, "I got in some trouble." I say, "Yeah?" I say, "What kin' o' trouble?" He say, "For a cell mate." I say, "How much did yo' git?" He say, ''$42, 000." I got ready - I had $3.00. This jis' to show yo' yo' got luck on yo'. [She
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"Well, look, I don' drink no likker."
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"Yeah, drink some."
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4497
Dere's a lotta dem [healers]. Dere's Zeffie Hill.
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4497
In some cases, yes.
Nested source context: continuing window edge · Vol. 5, p. 4497
see me all de time, don' choo? [Asking Cubby.]
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4498
"Don't come to my house no mo'."
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Up in Tumesea[?], yo' heard of 'im?
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Yeah. Doc - dey call him Doc.
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Dat's in Thomasville.
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Lak to keep it a secret.
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Dere's a lot of 'em roun' here. I'm lookin' at one dere...yo' know who I'm talkin' about, lookin' at one dere right yonder. I mean yo' don' git nothin' dere an' I know yo' don' git nothin' from 'er but a good cussin' out. Oooh, cause she don' - she will not talk to yo'.
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4499
"Dere ain't going to be no one- six, de odds is too high."
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4499
De pōleece dey turnin' up givin' yo' all kin'a dirty things. An' yo' jis' cain't blame people fo' tryin' to pertek [protect] themselves.
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Yo' fin' a few. Well, yo' don' fin' - yo' wus young when there wus stool Pigeons. Boy, that Abraham, Abraham, uh Alford... It was so many of 'em dat... dat fellow got kilt... James. Dere's a lot 'em got kilt, them gangsters from Tampa had dem kilt off. Yo' can't be bothahed...dose b'lievers...dose people don't b'lieve in things. Aw, they had them dropped off.
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Ev'ry week. An' yo' know what...
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4500
"Where yo' been so long?"
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4500
"I got in some trouble."
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4500
"Yeah?"
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4500
"What kin' o' trouble?"
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4500
"For a cell mate."
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4500
"How much did yo' git?"
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4500
But there is so many things bein' goin' on when dey wus tellin' de po-leece ev'rythin' - I mean yo' can't blame 'em, can yo'?
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Cubie stop an' people stop wit it, yo' see?
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4500
When they stopped dat over in Cuba they automatically...they prob'ly be doin' some kin' of ol' mess from the dog. But they don' bothah wit it. I don' know nobody over here [in St. Petersburg?] playin' no Cuba anymo'. Dere's no sech word as a Cubie no mo'.
Nested source context: unlabeled live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4500
An' boy I used to know some people used to write [or ride] it 6 or 7 hundred dollars a week but all of 'em gone, dey jes' forgot 'bout it.
Nested source context: continuing window edge · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Yo' know wha' I did Thursday night? I had my rent - $60! The rent man there put up a sign to move. I wusn't workin'. Sixty dollahs behind in de whole time I been dere. At leas' I got my four kids home. Here he comes wit a sign. I layed down We'nesday night - I'm jis' goin' to tell yo' what I did. An' I wen' to bed. I wus so disgusted We'nesday night. Yo' know whut I dream? A main [man] whut I use to go wit came an' tol' me, I said, "Where yo' been so long?" He said, "I got in some trouble." I say, "Yeah?" I say, "What kin' o' trouble?" He say, "For a cell mate." I say, "How much did yo' git?" He say, ''$42, 000." I got ready - I had $3.00. This jis' to show yo' yo' got luck on yo'. [She
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"I'm goin' give yo' this woman's address if anythin' evah happen, give her my name an' tell 'er I sent yo'.'
Nested source context: reported quotation · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"I could git yore son out of trouble."
Nested source context: live aside to present children · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"Darrell get away from there!"
Nested source context: live aside to present children · Vol. 5, p. 4497
"Go ahead home!"
Nested source context: present recording context · Vol. 5, p. 4497
[A pounding noise here - apparently it is her children pounding their fist on the car door glass]
Nested source context: unresolved place and addressee qualification · Vol. 5, p. 4498
[Now it sounds like they are saying Thomasville.] (Thomasville?) Yeah. But Honey [Who is called Honey?]
Nested source context: healer scope qualification · Vol. 5, p. 4498
(Just a healer. In other words he doesn't put any conditions on you but he will remove evil conditions.) He will move evil conditions but he will not put nothin' on you. (I see.) Now, I def'nit'ly knows dat.
Nested source context: transcription uncertainty qualification · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[She rambles on and on in this paragraph. I was uncertain of most of this. Mrs. Dyel.]
Nested source context: transcription difficulty qualification · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[Transcriber Mrs. Dyel says, "The paragraph was dif- ficult to transcribe. She is talking very fast."]
Nested source context: name suppression qualification · Vol. 5, p. 4499
[Name purposely omitted.]
Nested source context: transcription and voice uncertainty · Vol. 5, p. 4500
[Cubby says something and she repeats it. I cannot tell what they say.] Cubie stop an' people stop wit it, yo' see?
Nested source context: cross page production qualification · Vol. 5, p. 4500
[She
Nested source context: cross page production qualification · Vol. 5, p. 4501
continues with this story, speaks rapidly and in incomplete sentences, does not speak clearly - impossible to transcribe]...an'
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4497
Dere's a lotta dem [healers]. Dere's Zeffie Hill.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4497
In some cases, yes.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Up in Tumesea[?], yo' heard of 'im?
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Yeah. Doc - dey call him Doc.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Dat's in Thomasville.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Lak to keep it a secret.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4498
Dere's a lot of 'em roun' here. I'm lookin' at one dere...yo' know who I'm talkin' about, lookin' at one dere right yonder. I mean yo' don' git nothin' dere an' I know yo' don' git nothin' from 'er but a good cussin' out. Oooh, cause she don' - she will not talk to yo'.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4499
De pōleece dey turnin' up givin' yo' all kin'a dirty things. An' yo' jis' cain't blame people fo' tryin' to pertek [protect] themselves.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Yo' fin' a few. Well, yo' don' fin' - yo' wus young when there wus stool Pigeons. Boy, that Abraham, Abraham, uh Alford... It was so many of 'em dat... dat fellow got kilt... James. Dere's a lot 'em got kilt, them gangsters from Tampa had dem kilt off. Yo' can't be bothahed...dose b'lievers...dose people don't b'lieve in things. Aw, they had them dropped off.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4499
Ev'ry week. An' yo' know what...
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4500
But there is so many things bein' goin' on when dey wus tellin' de po-leece ev'rythin' - I mean yo' can't blame 'em, can yo'?
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4500
Cubie stop an' people stop wit it, yo' see?
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4500
When they stopped dat over in Cuba they automatically...they prob'ly be doin' some kin' of ol' mess from the dog. But they don' bothah wit it. I don' know nobody over here [in St. Petersburg?] playin' no Cuba anymo'. Dere's no sech word as a Cubie no mo'.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4500
An' boy I used to know some people used to write [or ride] it 6 or 7 hundred dollars a week but all of 'em gone, dey jes' forgot 'bout it.
partial continuing interview window with context only edges
These pages contain part of the continuing Miffin, Cubby and interviewer conversation; neither the complete interview nor every topic is included.
The opening address to Cubby continues from the preceding page and is included as context only.
The closing dream and rent recollection continues on printed page 4501 and is included as context only. The following context reports that transcription was impossible; no dream-number account is reconstructed.
Unlabeled switching turns retain localized Miffin/Cubby holds; explicit labels do not qualify every following unlabeled line.
Transcriber uncertainty, name suppression and literal place-name alternatives remain visible.
Honey question and Thomasville suggestion do not resolve identity.
Reported healing/poisoning/success and healer/harmful-working distinction remain attributed historical claims; privacy/police qualifications retained.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 5, p. 4496 · Vol. 5, p. 4497 · Vol. 5, p. 4498 · Vol. 5, p. 4499 · Vol. 5, p. 4500 · Vol. 5, p. 4501
Source passage
continuous interview or recording context · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
Good. Good. Mr. Cubby is going to continue right now. All right there you are.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
CUBBY
informant · Current interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
There's a old neighborhood rumor goin' on aroun' about a Miss Williams who lives at 1911 Melrose Avenue South. I knew Miss Williams ever since I was a kid. I grew up near her. She was a very weird person also. She kep' to her- self. She believed strongly in God. She always said that if anyone ever drink alcoholic beverages or anything of this sort they could never live in her house after she died. This house at 1911 Melrose Avenue South is still standin'. Miss Williams has been dead over 7 years. There has been numerous families who have tried to live there but none were able to live there because they were run out at night. I know for a fac' that doors are openin', lights have turned on without people turnin' the switch, because I lived right across the street at first', at 1910 Melrose. However, now my father resides there. There is one gentleman that I believe could tell you better than I can because he lived next door to her. No one out of the... I'd say 15 or 16 or 17 families maybe, have tried to live there has been able to stay in that house over a period of 3 days. All the families that have moved there have either had to leave that same night or some stayed 2 days and 3 nights, the 3rd day they were gone. I believe that possibly there is a spirit in the house because I've seen even after I've grown up that the lights will come on at night, the doors will open. You can hear voices in there. You can hear jus' as though someone was carryin' on church services in the house and there's no one in the house. The house is still standin' vacant. She has a brother who lives in the back of the house, in a little one room cottage that he has. He has never been able to stay in the house, though the house was willed to him. He continues to fix it up as though someone lives there but there is nc one that resides in the Williams house. This is the end of my story.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
Have you ever heard - you've told that ghost story - have you ever heard there is something you can do to run the ghost out of the house or protect your- self against the ghost or something of that sort? You know of anything like that?
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
CUBBY
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
I've heard once that you could burn some type of incense. An' the story that goes to get rid of the spirit of Miss Williams is that if this house is re- done that her spirit would go away. But her brother has tried repeatedly to re- model the house. He's never completed one thing he's done. As much as he's got- ten to do is paint the house, put in new windows. He's never been able to tear a single board from the house.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
They've never been able to tear a board off the house?
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
CUBBY
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
Not a single one. He says that everytime he tries to tear a board away it seems as though it's the hardes' thing in the world to do. He's had on one occasion to slip from a ladder while tryin' to do something. He felt that she possible shook the ladder. This is his own belief.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
That's what he thinks. Well that's good, that's a good addition to the story.
Nested source context: attributed third party belief · Vol. 5, p. 4754
He felt that she possible shook the ladder. This is his own belief.
Nested source context: interviewer suggested retrieval frame · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT Have you ever heard - you've told that ghost story - have you ever heard there is something you can do to run the ghost out of the house or protect your- self against the ghost or something of that sort? You know of anything like that?
locally coherent printed subpassage
This printed narrative and its follow-up distinguish rumor, possible spirit, claimed observations and the brother’s belief.
The alleged shaking of the ladder is explicitly attributed to the brother’s belief, not Cubby’s witnessed mechanism.
Hyatt introduces protection and removal alternatives; they are not spontaneous interviewee prescriptions.
The house details remain source wording; no current resident, property or ghost identity is asserted.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 5, p. 4752 · Vol. 5, p. 4753 · Vol. 5, p. 4754 · Vol. 5, page image