Subject:Blood
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Entry 4
There was an old woman who went for a cunjure. She lived in King George and she must have been a good cunjure because she made her living in that way, putting on spells and taking them off. A neighbor lived not far from her house Was hunting squirrels in the squirrel season and he passed near her home in the Woods, and he saw she had a snake tied by the tail hanging up the tree, and she had cut its throat and catching the blood in a small bucket. She wasn't: there. And he said to himself, "Damn you! I always heard you was a cunjure and now I know it." That was about forty years ago. She was a real cunjure. Everybody. Was afraid of that woman, both white and colored. If she came to your house and asked you for anything, it paid you to give it to her. She said, "You're going to lose ten times more than that." [This is called "putting a bad mouth on you."] She went to a neighbor one day and asked for a watermelon and he did not believe in cunjuring. So he didn't give her the watermelon and lost his horse that night. And then on he took off his hat to this woman. I knew both of them.
[Fredericksburg, Va., (71), Ed.; King George Co., Va.,1896.]
Entry 171
Dey tole dat wus de devil. (That whirlwind is the devil? Did you ever hear them say that they could do anything to it?) Say yo' go dere an' take yore knife an' cut through It, it will be bloody when yo' tuk it out.
Entry 699
This wus uncle's wife. She started one day to limpin' in her right leg. She said her leg wus hurtin' her so bad she couldn't do this an' she couldn't do that. She couldn't hardly walk on it and she couldn't cure it wit that medicine. She'll feel somepin jumpin' an' runnin' - claimed that's a jumpin' an' runnin' in her laig, an' she couldn't tell whut was the matter. So a little bit after that you could see that. She held it up so ever'body could look at it. That started to run up her to her knees and run right back down to near her ankles - jis' like that, jis' as plain that you look at it. An' in that time she wus havin' fits. So ole man Henderson Bird, she sent for him. He wus a root doctor. We'd call it a witchcraft doctor. He's from Camden, South Carolina. He come there an' he give her a dose of medicine an' he anoint dat laig down with somepin - it look like mercurochrome, a red liniment. He didn't told whut it wus but he told how it could happen. He said if you ketch a scorpion or a snake, jis' like you wan'a put a snake in a person, you kin kill the snake an' cut his haid off an' hold him up an' drop that blood into some water into a bottle an' stop that bottle up; that in nine days it'll be a snake or a scorpion, jis' whutever it wus [you killed]. An' he say that's whut they dose her. They dose her in some coffee with that scorpion blood. [Wilmington, N. Car., (295), 219:1+85; near Camden, S. Car.,1900.]
Entry 731
Tuh keep evil away from de house. Well, yo' could use a herb whut chew might call de High John de Conker. If it wus a female dat did dat - there are two roots yo' would have tuh use - use de female; an' if it wus a man that did that, yo' would have tuh use de man root; that is, of de High John de Conker. Those roots are whut chew call as Eve an' Adam. An' that is a root that cures kidney trouble [and] any kind of insect that is put in 'em, yo' know, by drinkin' or handlin'. Say, yo' give me a piece of candy. Well, maybe yo' take snake dust an' run ovah that candy. Ah eat dat candy. Well, that goes down in me. An' yo' kin take care of that patient by usin' High John de Conker. Yo' git it from de schools [mail order firms or drug stores] that handles that kind of work.
(How do they use that?)
Yo' could git it in powders or yo' kin take a teaspoonful to a pint of boilin' watah - clear boilin' watah, an' let it stan' an' drink it off, an' grad'lly that insect will go off - yo' know, die and come forth in yourself. (John the Conker he root and John the Conker she root. What do you do with those two?) Well, the male root is fo' a man, a man that do's evil; an' if it wus a woman, why yo' take the female - jis' take 'em in de powder for any kinda insect. That is tuh git the germs from de body - whut chew call the old earth medicine.
(What about the Adan and Eve root? What do you do with that?)
Adam an' Eve root creates love. It's good fo' kidneys. It's good fo' blood.
(How would you create love with Adam and Eve root?)
Well, yo' buy de root. De large one is called Adam an' de othah one is called Eve. It's a small little root looks lak - it's not a very large root. Yo' buy it an' aftah yo' buy it there's a little prescription [directions] on there tells you how tuh carry it. An' anytime it's carried in his pocket, it obtains someone yo' like. If yo' see some girl yo' like an' use that root wit lodestone, natural they will smile - see, an' git in close touch. It's jis' like the love-drop perfume. If yo' use those two things an' love-drop perfume, yo' kin take any kind of woman, see. Why? because it has de high power.
Entry 1011
If a fellah wanta cunjure yo' any way wit root work, if yo' knock blood outa him he can't do it - dey say that.
(If you draw some of his blood he can't hurt you?)
He can't hurt cha.
Entry 1012
Well, ah tell you, jes' like now if a person got a spell on you - well, you have to git next to his friends see and git his friend to pull off a job for yuh. Well, you will have to just take a knife and draw his blood see, and de minute you draw his blood, why that spell is all ovah wit.
Entry 1014
What you do to break up cunjuration - you go out in the country and get a grapevine that has seven joints on it, hammer it over their head until blood comes and make a wish to the Lord [for it] to be overcome. I heard of an old fellow one time putting a spell on a man and the man heard of it and he got a stick for it, and by the time he got to whaling him over the head with the club, he told him if he let him alone he'd take that spell off. And he did take that spell off.
Entry 1163
Then ah've used a black hen's blood fo' dat - like dat. Jes' cut de hen's haid off. Ah jes' took de hen up an' jes' let it bled on it, an' it killed de shingles.
Entry 1224
Den you kin take and feed dat dog - kill dat dog and get her blood while - if she's howling and gwine on and cuttin' up, and feed it to a person and he'll howl jest like dat dog. He'll howl - you'll put him to howlin', you see, put him to howlin'. He jest howlin' like a dog: [For another method of making a person bark like a dog, see No. 775, p.256.]
Entry 1258
Dey take de blood from de catfish an' cure people of de dropsy. Dey take it an' dev put it in some oil, some cookin' oil an' dey take it three times a day. See, de catfish ain't poison, yo' know dat. An' yo' cook dat oil an catfish blood together an' give it to 'em.
Entry 1263
[Three men together are talking about two absent men:]
Ah've [informant] seen a [doctor] man take a [culprit] man's shoes an' seen 'im, you know, dressin' dem. An' so dis [third] man axed 'im [doctor], say, "Whut chew goin' do wit dis fellah [culprit]?" An' he say, "Well, he [culprit] been givin' de man [doctor's client] trouble to 'is house 'bout 'is wife." See. An' dis [client] man had hired dis [doctor] man to fix dis [culprit] man up. An' so dis happened, you know, up de country. The three men are in town.] An' so dis [third or objector] man tole 'im, say, "Ah wouldn't do dat." He say, "Yes, dat's mah job." An' so he [doctor continues] says, "Yo' ain't got nuthin to do wit it." So he went to work and he dressed dis [culprit] fellah. He say, "Ah'm goin' have to fix dis shoe and den ah have tuh [fix] dat pedal, ' say, "if ah can't git tuh fix his shoe lak ah wanta." See, he [culprit] was a truckdriver. He say, "Ah go an' dress dat dere clutch' - yo' know, where yo' have tuh put in clutch, yo' know, tuh change gears. "Ah kin git 'im good on dat." So he fixed up de shoe and dis fellah, yo' know, jes' lak ah say ah'm gon'a.
(How did he dress the shoe?)
Well, he took dat shoe and he took two toadyfrogs - see, took two toadyfrogs and he cut dat toadyfrog wide open live, see, an' got dat blood and put it down in dat man's shoe, spread it down in dere. [A frog for each shoe.] An' den he put somethin' else in dere. Whut it was ah don't know, but he put something else in dere. An' dis heah [objector] fellah heah, tole 'im, say, "Would it hurt me now if ah wear his shoes back to 'im? See, 'cause ah jes' borrowed his shoes playing partner wit 'im, see, 'cause make out lak mine was too little and want 'im to break 'em out. Ah swap wit him tull I git a chance tuh fix 'em?" He [doctor] says, "No, it ain't goin' hurt chew. It jes' goin' hurt de one hit was fixed fo'."
[Why objector borrowed shoes and then objected, I do not know.]
An' so dis fellah wears de shoes back an' so dis [culprit] man den puts on his shoes, see. Well, he goes down de next morning tuh git his truck. Well, dey got 'is clutch fixed on 'is truck. Well, when he went an' got on de truck, well dat night he wasn't able to walk home. He was hoppin'. His laig was hurtin' all up, clean up tuh 'is knee. An' yo' kin hear 'im hollerin'. Ah heard 'im my ownself. You could hear 'im hollerin' two blocks. De doctor he come. De doctor couldn't do no good. Dey had to go git another hoodoo woman - big hoodoo woman stay out from Bergen Junction, back out dere - ole lady Rivers [Ridders?]. Well, she goes tuh work an' she come dere an' she lays her han' on 'im jes' lak dis heah [demonstrates] an' drag it over 'is face - we was all standin' dere lookin' at 'em - bring 'er han' right down ovah his face jes' lak dat an' carried it straight on down, right ovah dat laig. An' she done dat three times, an' when she done dat three times, two toadyfrogs hopped outa dat man's laig, an' dat man got all right. Come out back dere where de two places 'bout tuh come to a haid - where it done, you know, formed a corruption.
(What was this woman's name?)
Rivah - Ridder.
(Is she near St. Petersburg?)
No sir, she stay right up 'cross de rivah from Rocky Ford, Georgia. [Speaker is from Georgia.]
Entry 1298
Ah've heard of a person writin' a lettah wit blood tuh do yo' some harm...we jes' say fo' instance if yo' were 'fraid of me or somepin lak dat. Dey claim dat if yo' kin git de blood from a goat - yo' kill a goat an' yo' ketch de blood whilst it's runnin', yo' know, hot. yo' see, Yo' take de blood whilst it's runnin' hot an' then yo' would use dat blood to conquer dis person, don't chew see. Yo' take a turkey's quill an' yo' dip it into dis hot blood from a goat...why yo' kill a goat an' yo' ketch dat blood, yo' know, whilst de goat is dying, an' yo' [dip the] quill in dis blood an' yo' write wit dat blood yo' see. It'll conquer yo'.
(What will that do then?)
Dey claim dat dat will conquer anybody that have any evil spirit against chew. Yo' know, yo' afraid of em - jes' lak a woman is afraid of a man, her husband. She left him an' yo' know is afraid of him - afraid he'll do her some bodily harm. They claim dat dis goat blood will vanish away all dat.
Entry 1687
It's fine fo' toothaches.
(That wood from a tree struck by lightning?)
Yes.
(What do you do at first, now?)
Yo' git that piece of that timber that's been struck by de lightnin' an' git de blood from round de tooth, somewhere near de tooth dat aches, an' carry that to a tree, a oak tree, de no'th side of it, an' pull de bark down an' put that blood in there an' shove it back up, an' that kills yore toothache.
Entry 2765
[The preceding informant, No. 820, continues with another account of Madam Helen.] I had a friend of mine, he went over to this same woman - Madam Helen. And she claimed that this woman had 'im tied up so that he couldn't get hisself right to do with no other woman. She told him, "Well," she say, "I can fix you up." She told him, she say, "Look, you go home and you get your wife and you play with her." She say, "You be playing with her and you feel around her waist and if she gets anyways suspicion, just continue on playing but never go right on to the spot. You finally," she say, "you run you' hand around until you find it, and you take and you break it off of her."
(That string?)
Yeah. "Break that string off of her, '' she say, "and bring me that string." She say, "And when you bring me that string," she say, "after you bring me that string, I can take that string and I can work her in a Way that she'll take and throw that stuff out." Well, this string has got her sweat on it - her perspiration, you see. Well, he takes that string off and he takes the string over to Madam Helen, and he brought it over to Madam Helen and exactly what she did with it, I couldn't say what she did with it. But anyhow, this woman when he came back.
(She kept the string?)
She kept the string.
(You don't know what she did with the string?)
What she did with the string, I don't know.
(What did she tell him to do?)
She told him to go home and before she say anything to him to bleed her head. [To draw blood is a well-known device against witches - see Nos. 485-487, p.148, and Index.]
(I see, her forehead.)
Yeah, bleed her.
(Yes, get some blood from her head, draw some blood.)
Yeah. And if he bleed her, it's no more harn can come to him. And he come home, and no sooner 'n he got in the house - he was sneaking in the house before she could see him - bopped her on the head and cut it. He cut it and he was all right after that.
Entry 3798
How yo' do tuh git loose? All right. De way yo' do tuh git loose from dat, yo' go an' git chew a sheep. Have tuh go an' git a sheep an' git a - kill dat sheep, yo' undahstan', an' yo' git a half a teacup of dat sheep's blood. Undahstan' good, git a half a teacup of dat sheep's blood an' den yo' puts ten drops of sweet milk in dere, an' yo' mix it all up togethah. Git chew a silk pocket han scuff - gotta git a silk pocket han'scuff an' go dere an' wipe all aroun' up in dere good wit dat han's- cuff. But chew gotta have it into dat stuff what ah tole yo'. Do lak yo' bath- in'. It'll come out. If yo' don't do dat, DE DOCTOR HAVE TUH KILL ONE TO SAVE DE OTHAH [see Nos.3334-3335 and 3460-3465.]
(What would he do, kill the man?)
He have to kill, den it will come loose.
Entry 6655
Now, yo' take de blood from a animal - jis' lak if yo' got a stud now an' a person begrudge yore stud or dey wanta git tuh yo' some way 'nothah an' dey can't do it. [Begrudger] say, "Well, ah know whut ah'll do, ah'll kill dis mule." Go tuh work yo' see, an' he'll take de mule an' he'll cut jis' a place - enough on 'im, jis' about tuh git three drops of blood. Dey take dat blood den an' dey'll 中 carry it home an' dey'll take some of heah - jis' take a snake shed an' pound 'it up an' put it in dat blood. Well, aftah dey put it in dat blood, dey'll take it an' carry it tuh yore trough, yore watah trough an' put it in de trough. Well, now dat'll create any kinda germ in 'im an' he'll soon die.
(If the animal drinks this water.)
Yes sir.
Entry 6672
De way dat's done in de time dat it's matin'-time wit de terrapins. An' if yo' git it dat pahtic'lah time, yo' git a chance tuh git a terrapin an cook dat terrapin. An' take dat ter- rapin an' wheresomevah, jis' lak a woman, if she wanta hurt somebody - lak she wanta hurt anothah woman, sompin lak dat, see. At dat pahtic'lah time [mating-time] she kin take dat terrapin an' cook 'im, boil 'im good. An' befo' she boil 'im, she kin take 'im an' take some of de blood of dat terrapin, an' mix it wit some wine, some strong wine. An' give it tuh dis othah individual tuh drink in de wine, if she's a drinkah, yo' see. She kin be doped in dat. An' when she drink dat juice out dat terrapin in matin'-time wit dat wine - now when time come de terrapin aigs oughta be hatchin', well dat terrapin goin' from in dat individual. (That will form in them and kill them. That is, if some woman wants to get rid of another woman.) Dat's right.
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 7025
A eel.
(You take: an eel?)
Yo' kin take a eel an' take de blood of a eel an' stop anybody from drinkin'. (How do you do that?) Yo' see, jis' whut dey drink, yo' take dat eel's blood an' yo' drop it in dere. An' when dey be drinkin', yo'll git enough an' yo'll do it fo' nine days. An' evah time yo' give dem a drink, yo'll put some of dat eel's blood in dere, but it'll make 'em awful sick. But yo'll stop 'um from drinkin'.
Entry 7356
Say, fer instant, now a man commits a crime. All right. Well now, yo' don't know who done de murdah. All right. But now, lak dey would go an' 'rrest a bunch of men, yo' see, dey would wanta fin' which one of 'em is de man dat done de killin' right dere. Dat is, if dey kin git dere, yo' undahstan', lak [soon aftah] it happens. Dey kin take dis man an' care [carry] him dere an' he'd place his han' on dat dead person. Why where he cut 'im or shot 'im or anythin' lak dat, he'll start to bleed ag'in.
Entry 7357
Befo' dey bury 'im, yeah. Dey said [say for instance] dat ah'd kill yo' an' so anybody didn't know who done it, dey go an' lay dere han' on 'im an' de blood would come from 'im.
(They could tell that you'd killed him?)
Yes.
Entry 7359
Well, if yo' have a crowd when he jes' git kilt - a crowd be roun' - well den yo' kin all go by 'im an' tetch 'im, an' when de right man tetch 'im he start fresh tuh bleedin'.
Entry 7360
Ah always heard dat if a individ'al would git killed yo' see, dey tell me if yo' wanta find out who killed 'im, take a bunch of mens yo' see. An' dey tell me dat if yo' lay yore han's on 'im, de one dat kilt 'im, de blood, yo' know - dat's right - would gush from 'is nose or face or show up on him somewhere or othah an' dey'd find out dat was de man dat done de murdah.
Entry 7361
Well, dey say if a man kilt a man an' dey don't know whuthah he's done it, why if dey, believe dat ah, yo' or someone done it, [the way to find out] is tuh have evah man dat's roun' dere to go an' lay dey han' on dis person, an' de one dat murdered dis person, whenevah he puts 'is hand on it [corpse], de wounded place will begin tuh bleed.
Entry 7362
See, jes' lak a person would git kilt, well yo' don't know who kilt 'im. Dey might go to work an' bury him. Well, aftah dey bury him, dey go tuh work den an' wanta find out thurly [thoroughly] about dis man. Dey ain't satis- fied. If dey ain't satisfied, dey'll dig 'im up. Dey'll have evah'body dat knew 'im tuh come. Now de one dat done de killin', when yo' walk up tuh 'im yo' tetch 'im, why he goin' purge - he'll bleed.
Entry 7365
I have heard my grandmother say, that if a person has been murdered, that one way to find out the murderer is to allow a number of people to pass one by one and let each one put his hand on the murdered person. When touched by the guilty one the corpse will begin to bleed at that place. It is said that many murderers have been detected in that way. [By my contact man, Jerry Williams, by Ediphone at Ocean City, Md., in summer of 1936.]
Entry 7366
When murderer enters room, corpse begins to bleed. [This belief is unusual because touching the dead body is an essential part of the rite.]
Entry 7370
I have heard that, if a person is murdered in a house and there is a bloodstain on the floor, it remains there unless you take that piece of wood out.
[New York City, by Ediphone, informant No.3, probably from Virginia.]
Entry 7513
Dey could bring 'im wit 'is pichure as ah fir' [first] said. Well now, dey take his pichure an' turn it bottomside upward to de wall on Write his name wit blood.
[This rite is also used to bring back a lover - see No.3839, p.2511.]
(With blood?)
Yeah.
(What kind of blood?)
Well any kinda blood. Write his name in dere an' turn 'is pichure up ag'in [against] de wall like dat, where nobody would 'sturb [disturb] dat pichure. Let dat pichure stay fer 9 days. Well, ef dat pichure's dere, wheresomevah he is he's worried. Well, he'll be worried until he comes back to de same place where he done de killin' at. (In using that blood, do you use a person's blood or the blood of an animal or what?) Why yo' kin use de blood of a animal or anything, but chew have to have his initials.
Entry 8579
I don't know about de candles, but ah do know of people burning lamps. Say, now, that chure in New York, I want you to come back. I get me a piece of dis paper that yo' make lamp shades with. (Parchment, sort of?) Ah get a piece of parch- ment paper and cut it, cut a strip about an inch and a half. And I hold mah finger right tight like that and puncture it, so a drop of blood will come out. An' I take my ink- pen and I write chure name. Either at six a'clock in de mawnin' or six 'clock at night, I write chure name on dere. An' [I] says, "I want chew to return as soon as possible, " an' I roll that up an' I stick it down in de lamp, an' I set dat lamp.
(Right inside of the lamp?)
[Paper with name is in the lamp bowl with the coal oil.]
An' I set that lamp behind de bed, or any place in a secret closet and I burn dat lamp. An' before de oil is burnt out of that lamp, that person returns or yo' will get some very good message from them.
(Do you burn that lamp at any particular time or anything of that sort?)
Well, yo' set it either at six or twelve, an' yo' let it continually buro until that oil is all gone.
(It keeps burning all night long?)
All night an' all day, continually to burn, but yo' keep it in a secret place yo' understand, because naturally people wanta know what yo' are doing. An' that's always generally kept a secret.
Entry 10360
If man and woman stuck, cut a black dog, rub some of the blood between them [then in a parenthesis I have: (slap it on three times? recheck). What that means is quite clear; use 3 times]. [Charleston, S. Car., 629:6.]
Entry 10361
Give woman dog blood, if she goes with another man they become stuck [Charleston, 617:4].
Entry 10553
One drop of bat blood on your eyes, you can see in the dark; three drops of blood on hand, you can go anywhere, take anything, you are invisible. [Elizabeth City, N. Car., 408:1.]
Entry 11636
Live fish blood in you creates a live fish in you. [This blood of course should be as fresh as possible and uncooked. A person's whiskey is prob- ably the best Way to administer it. Charleston 616:11.]
Entry 12477
Git piece of murderer's clothing, dip in blood of murdered man, bury at left-hand corner of murdered man's house, to bring murderer back. [Charles- ton 644:1.]
Entry 9941
Ketch a toadfrog an' yo' take her right fo'foot an' yo' scratch it on a piece of thread, cotton, not yarn thread. Yo' put five knots in it. Yo' scratch de foot enough tuh make it bleed, an' yo' tie her foot. Dat's de way yo' make a person leave, if yo' don' want 'em tuh stay. Dat's de second way yo' make 'em, see. An' when yo' tie 'er foot, whatevah her name is, "Anna! Anna! Anna! Anna!" Call 'er fo'times, say, "Yo' go!" When yo'name 'er an' tell 'er tuh go, yo' send yore han' out dat way an' put 'er [frog] down. Tie dat foot tight. An' yo'll nevah see de woman no mo', if it's a woman. An' if it's a man, yo'll nevah see 'im no mo'. An' yo'll nevah see de frog no mo' But chew tie dat cotton thread dat she bleed on. She'll keep a-hoppin', jes' lak yo' jes' tie it, she'll hop. [When you call Anna four times, each time sending yore han' out dat way, you are sending her to the four corners of the earth, a common expression in hoodoo from the Biblical Book of Revelation, 7:1.] (You scratch this frog's leg until it bleeds. Then you tie a string around that leg?) Yo' wet dat string three times wit de blood dat come from de foot.
(What do you do with that string then?)
Tie it to dat laig, on her laig, whatevah de name is. Turn her a-loose. An' when yo' start away, yo' don't wanta look back tuh see which way she goes. (The woman that was in here is supposed to be pretty good, but she's been ill and she couldn't get things together. I don't know whether she knows anything very much or not.)
Entry 15
Now, I think I'll almost explode de whole situation - it's mighty rough on a man's belief. I've been what you might call a globetrotter for about 20 or 30 years. I've spent my life rambling over de world. I'm a descendant from de 'foretime Indians. Well, naturally, we believe in the great virtue of roots, herbs and bark - that is, for medical purposes. But I find after I settled here in dis part of de world dat de people got a great belief in 'em doing wonderful things. These boys that - the big fellow that you met yesterday, he always runs up to see me every time he gets a little strained there. He's one of these hoodoo doctors - so he claims - but my belief about it is just actually where dey work is de will power that you got over de person that you delivering 'em to. Yo' kin take the root - well, all of 'em has some legend behind of 'em. They believe in dat and no sooner you get dat belief, why, they will do wonders for you. If you haven't got dat confidence in em, why, dey's no more than the ordinary root. But I finds through the southern part of this country, everybody is got some belief about 'em that-a-way. And I pretty well knows the growth of 'em - where dey kin be found and all. Dat's why I got acquainted with dese fellows. Dat's why I coming up dere to find out different kind of - the way dey believes, dat's, actually just what it'll do; anything they believe in, you get their belief in it. [This man, a part-time seller of roots, wanted to become acquainted with the beliefs of his customers and their patients.] Course when dey practicing dat witchcraft and all dat junk on de people, you gotta prepare your victim for you, see - you must have a go-between that prepares him for de shock dat's coming off. Well, den natural after it's passed on, you come and relieve de situation and there's no law in the world then that make him believe that you can't do those wonderful things. Well, that's just the way that I've always taken it, and since I've been here I've found that everybody, nearly, has a belief in some kind of a root or know the virtues of it.
(What State were you born in by the way?)
Well, I was born in Oklahoma. Course I left there when I was quite small. I never knew anything about my people till I was round about 27 years old. And after I found out, I made a couple of trips back dere. I brought my mother over here - she's only been dead about five years - 102 year old she was... Through here you meet an awful lot of 'em that's, you know, in that practice, selling roots and digging 'em and using 'em for different purposes - most all of 'ems in the hoodoo business. Lot of 'em comes up around dere to see me a lot of times." I do painting and decorating and I'm a mechanic too, but I just know de names of 'em and most of the natures concerning 'em - what they are in shape or de form dey is and what they kin be used for. Lot of 'em run around there time after time to see me about different ones. (Well, where did you learn these stories about them - from your own people, the stories about these roots?) [If from your own people sounds tricky, it is not intentionally so - see Introduction.] About dese roots - some of 'em and some I didn't. Now, we have a root chere, hit's well known all over de world. It's a grass, it grows with a small leaf, it's called the blood plant [the bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis] and inside the leaf it looks like it circled with blood. Well, now, you take over in de old countries, everybody over dere believes that a hemorrhage or any kind of a bleeding or issue from de flesh can be stopped in a few minutes with a tea made from that plant. Well, they claim the reason why is it's circled - well, that bloodstain, it came from when Christ was killed, when He was hung on de Cross. A man was driving nails in His feet, he got his hands bloody and when he finished he just bent down and wiped them right there at the foot of the Cross, and by Him hanging there bleeding, that from then on that grass sprung and after that it always showed a bloody stain. And they claim up until this day, it will cure any kind of bleeding or any kind of issue that-a-way. It's used purposely for that and nothing else that I know of, but a lot of these hoodoo fellows use it for other purposes - but it is, that's the legend of it. You put it in some water and steep it - the water looks like blood when you take it. (Have you heard that if a person thinks he is going to be hurt, that he can do something to protect himself?) The onliest way for him to protect hisself is the will power he's gotta have. He kin go right to de same person that really is going to fix him through [for] somebody else, and go to dem and just get him a bag of roots. Now, if he's got the confidence, if he's got 'em, nothing will hurt him. As long as he keeps that bag on him and feels that confidence in it, there's nothing they going to do. The moment he lose this bag, why den he's all to pieces - almost crazy, you see, because he knows that's what is going to happen to him...
(What tribe did you say you came from?)
From de Crowitans. (The Crowitans. Well, do the full-blooded colored people believe the same thing that you are telling me about this?) [My mind must have been tired! Fortunately, I do not think he understood the implication of my unfortunate and meaningless full-blooded. This man, like Doctor Johnson just interviewed in Richmond, was both Indian and Negro.] Yessiree - they believe that right out - positively you can't get it out of their heads - they really believe that - no way in de world to change their ideas about it. It's half of dere religion, believing in dis hoodoo stuff.
(Well, they don't believe in it as much as they used to, though?)
No, naturally, they are getting out of it some, but mighty little different you kin see today from what it was 35,40 or 50 years ago. It's actually in 'em, it's impossible to remove it from them. Why, I've talked with some of these graduates and colleges and stuff right here in this city and they are just as deep in it as their grandmother and father was - believes part of it if they don't believe it all. They've got some belief about that supernatural part, the roots and the herbs and stuff of dat kind. [Norfolk, Va., (470), 477:2...480:1.] [The belief in spirits is the foundation of hoodoo, conjuration, witchcraft, rootwork and similar superstitions. Everywhere throughout this investigation spirits are mentioned or assumed.]
Entry 684
[Because some of the preceding goofer dust was made from heads of snakes, scorpions and lizards (Nos. 668-670), here is the place to include a similar dust or powder - one creating live things in you. The basis for these beliefs is man's ages-old observation that live things get into his body as well as the bodies of animals:] I re'lly believe dat, in a way, because - now, you take a snake, blood from a snake or reptile or scorpion or lizard, and if it lay in you long 'nuff, I re'lly believe dat it'll form. It'll form and come to live thing jes' like a egg will hatch. If you keep de egg long enough it'll transform from a egg to a live chicken, if you keep it warm. And I believe dat blood of de serpent will, if you git it in you, it'll lodge in you; but consequently [subsequently] it might pass on through you and not lodge in you. But I believe if it will lodge in you, it'll transform, 'cause if a snake bite a dog and after while you happen to kill dat dog, dat dog will have a - I'm talkin' about now what [I hear], I ain't talking about what some- body say, I'm talkin' about what I seen - dat dog will have a whole lot of little snakes round his livah, little somepin like snake worms. See. And dey say dat's 'cause de snake done bit de dog so much and dere so many worms dat 'cumulated roun' his livah dat de dog died. See. Well, dat affection from de snake: bite went to his livah, see. We cured de snake bite on his leg - you could see it - but dey couldn't cure it on his livah. And dat whut de people say, if a dog died from snake bittin' so much, "An' you all cured de snake bite but you cut-him open and see his livah is full of snakes." Well, I believe dat if a person would git any part of a snake, blood or anything in you, if it git to stay in you, I believe it would 'coomulate.
Entry 688
It was years before I could stand to have anybody tell it to me. Years ago [1896] there was a woman that had something that began to move in the side of her leg and she went on for days and weeks and finally it went into months. And it seems that the moving became larger. First the doctor said that it was her blood. And then they kept waiting. And then the woman said, "Why does my blood move in this particular place and does not move anywhere else?" So she bathed it, rubbed it. And they did everything they knew. Finally, it got so large that you could see the shape of it just above her ankle. They began to bind certain chemicals to her leg which seemed to weaken the movement of whatever it was. So they poulticed it with things that blistered the skin and bound it very tight above. And all of a sudden one morning when she woke there was a little snake on her bed that had come out of her leg from where the blister was made. Then the doctor came and investigated. But he [M.D.] never liked to admit to the conjuration. While the older people that had been working on it told him that it was something that had been put on her leg by a witch. They say that that Was really true. I could have seen the person. Another occasion [a different storyl, pretty much like that, where the lizard came out of the end of the woman's toe. Either of these things I could have seen in South Carolina, if I had just gone to the next little town.
Entry 873
Ah kin [tell] yo' whut dey say about dat 'cause mah husband - he was then with a woman. Ah kin tell you whole lot 'bout dat, because he tole me this on his deathbed over there in de hospital - me an' him had been separated fo' about ten years, an' so - (Tell me the whole story - how that began.) Befo' he began to git down lak he was, he came to me to mah home. He said - asked me for some alcohol. Ah say, "Well, ah haven't got de alcohol, but ah have a dime - go out chere to doc an' ask him to credit me for a nickel an' ah'll give you a bottle of alcohol." So ah went out there and got de alcohol and brought it back in to him and give tuh him an' ah said, "Now when yo' go home" - he was tellin' me whut part of him Was daid. He says, "Mah toe is daid right up to where it joins tuh mah foot." Ah said, "Well, what caused it to be?" He said, "Ah have high blood pressure." Ah said, "No, ah have high blood pressure fo' de last ten years - yo' know that." He said, "Well, hit's a stroke." Ah said, "A stroke don't come like that, it comes right now - it don't come by degree an' by degrees." So he'd taken dat alcohol and he went home and he rubbed hisself with it once or twice - begin to do good. So fin'lly he rubbed again and it begin to git worse. When he came back tuh me agin he said, "Mah laig is daid down tuh mah knee." Ah said, "Deah me, whut on earth is de matter?" Ah say, "Why don't chew go to someone know mo' than yo' do and mo' than ah do?" He says, "Ah don't know where tuh go." Ah says, "Go 'cross de creek down heah tuh Madam Kay," like dat. He says, "Well, ah don't know." He says, "Ah can't git mah mind to do that." Ah said, "Well, all right, yo' jes' keep on an' fin'lly yo' may be dead you can't trust such things." People have sense - people have sense like that. So, when he came back again - he was goin' down to de shipyard tuh work and he come on back agin, he had fell down dere. His cousin said fo' me tuh come there, that he had fell. Ah went on ovah there. Ah says, "What's de matter now?" He says, "Ah'm jes' done got to de place where mah limbs is no good tuh me - ah can't use 'em. Ah said, "Well, ah can't see what on earth is de matter wit chew." He say, "Ah don't either - ah don't know whut's de matter with me." Ah said, "Do you think somebody's got anything dat belong tuh yo'?" He said, "No - haven't anybody got anything belong tuh me." He said, "Why don't chew bring a doctor fo' me?" Ah called Dr. Edmund. Dr. Edmund come an' he examine everywhere - all - down there and everywhere. He said tuh me, "Ah can't see what's de matter with him - without his blood's wrong." Ah said, "Well, Doctor, yo' say his heart's good, his kidney and everything - mah mind tell me if his heart is good and his kidney's, his blood cannot be wrong." Then ah said, "Cause de blood that penetrates through de heart - look like it ought to 'fect the heart, don't it tuh yo'?" He said, "That is the truth." Well, de week befo' he died - on a Sunday - he sent fo' me to come out there. Ah went on out there, he said tuh me, he say, "Yo' was a good wife to me but ah didn't have sense enough to know it - ah couldn't help mahself." He said, "Ah found those bottles in mah bed tick, ah found that piece that ah was laying on," he say, "an' Willie" - de woman was named Willie - "she had some- thing around her waist. She tole me it was to keep yo' from hurtin' her." Ah said, "Well, dat's somethin' ah don't believe in. He said, "An' that have killed me." He says, "Dey have got tuh de place now," he says, "ah'm no mo' good." He'd lost his use - he couldn't move his hands and he couldn't move his feet, he couldn't do nothin' but jest do that [demonstrates a slight movement]. When he told me that, ah went to a man, a spiritual man - called to be a spiritualZy man. An' ah didn't have any money an' ah sit there and ah begin tuh cry. He looked at me and he said, "Yo' is in trouble?" Ah didn't say anything because ah was scared to. He says, "Yore husband's funeral was arranged at de start." I said, "Mah husband." He says, "Yes, but yore not with him." Ah said, "Whut's de matter with him?" He says, "A wuman - two of 'em - a dark-brown-skinned 'un and a light-brown- skin man have got de toe of his sock - his left-foot sock and de seat of his drawers." He said, "Now it's too late. Ah said, "Can yo' do anything?" He said, "Can't do nuthin - if you had come jes' a week befo' yo' put him in de hospitai." Ah said, "I didn't put him there." He said, "His cousin did," he say, "ah could have cured him." Ah say, "Well, if I go there and ask the Sisters can yo come in an' rub him, would yogo?" He say, "Can't do any good." Ah said, "Well, whut did they take." He says, "Nuthin but de seat of his drawers and de left toe of his sock," he says, "though they got somepin on de inside with whiskey." (Well, what did they do with that piece of sock? What did they do with it - did he tell you what they did with that?) No sir, he didn't never tell me what did he do with it. Yes, yes he did - one that ah went to, tole me to go inside de graveyard gate jes' about fo' steps.
(Who told you that?)
It's another [man] called to be a hoodoo man.
(Did you go to another man, then?)
Yes sir. So ah left that man and went to dis one. And both told me de same thing, but dis man tole me where to go find it. He said go right inside de Magnolia Cemetery into the white side and jes' as yo' go in de gate, he say on the left-hand side.
(You said something about taking four steps, didn't you?)
"Jes' 'bout fo' steps inside de gate," he said, "an' yo' dig down there and you'll git a cloth wrapped tight with needles and pins," he said, "but if you git it up thare he will die right now." Ah said, "Well, if ah git it up but [or] don' git it up, he's goin' die." He says, "Yes, nuthin can be done, now." Ah says, "Well, ah jes' as well leave it there, '' ah said, ''because ah don't want him to die if he will stay here a while longer. An' ah went on ovah to de hospital an' like tomorrow was Saturday, he died the next day.
(Did anything ever happen to these people that put that spell on him?)
Not yet, there hasn't.
Entry 1127
[In the two preceding beliefs blacksnake root was a protection; here it is a crippling poison, which reminds us again that everything depends upon intention.1 My mother's sister was fixed like that. This guy went out in de woods and he got some blacksnake root, and he went and killed a rattlesnake and he got some blood off it and he cut off de rattlesnake's head, and buried it underneath the doorstep and de next morning when she step out - you know, she had to step right over it, her foot fastened up in her back and she still go about in dat position.
(It still fastened in her back?)
It still fastened in de back and she walk on crutches. (He got the rattlesnake and caught the blood and cut it up with this black- snake root.) With the blacksnake root and buried it under de steps. De first person that steps over that, that's the one goin' get it, see. [The first person that steps over that is sometimes heard, but it violates the widely accepted safety rule of It Warn't Put There For You, No. 653, p.220.]
Entry 1420
An' if ah got a wart on me, a large wart on mah han' or on mah face an' ah wanta git rid of it, ah'll go an' git me nine stickin'-pins. When ah git dese nine stickin'-pins ah'll pick dis wart until it bleeds. Well, den ah take nine drops of blood on each nine pins an' take it an' put it in a pretty white han'kerchief an' carry it to de fo'ks of de road an' throw it down; an' when ah throw it down dere'll be somebody come along an' see dat pretty han'kerchief layin' down dere an' dey pick up dis han'kerchief an' walk off wit it. Well, somebody else will be ketched
[by my warts].
The informant describes a hypothetical wart-transfer rite using nine pins, blood and a white handkerchief left at road forks for another person to pick up. Hyatt supplies the bracketed explanation of being caught by the warts. The transfer is a reported claim, not medical evidence.
Entry 2128
[A few prices for hands have already been given - here are more:]
I had one man make a hand for me once. He tole me he was going to make me a lucky hand and he charged me $50 for it. As long as I had that hand he claimed I'd always be lucky. I was lucky for about three weeks and luck began to change with me. I'd paid him for his hand then. So I went to see what was in this hand. And I began to look. And there was some black pieces of stuff that looked like lodestone, and a whole lot of hair, it looked like horse's hair, and some clay, red blood it looked like, all wrapped up nice in two pieces of rag and sewed over again with a piece of canvas bag. I paid $50 for that. The canvas bag was grey and the rags was black. I was supposed to put that around my neck and keep it over my heart. Wear it all the time, even at night. You keep that hand so no- body can fix you, and you will always be lucky.
Entry 2760
[At least three Helens, all working at the same time, are indicated by the margin-title Miss Helen, Madam Helen, and Mother Helen. The original Helen must have had quite a reputation. Was this original the Helen of the Seven Sisters (2736, p.745 and Index)? Was Helen actually the Seven Sisters - one woman playing seven parts?] No, sir, they are not supposed to be hoodoos. They supposed to be God-sent people - so they tell the people, but they do's hoodoo work.
(Who are these people from Algiers who have altars and candles in the room?)
Well, those are what you call hoodoo spirituals. They are supposed to do whatever you want them to do with prayers, and like if your wife is gone, or like if you are gone. Yes, sir. I brought a fellow to one of them here that had earthworms in his body:
(Well, give the whole story about the whole thing.)
This fellow came to me. I was back on a street right here in town called Magnolia Street. He came to me - say a woman had fixed him up in Mississippi. He say she took and cooked those earthworms and she made a salve out of them and she rubbed him and that caused him to have earthworms in his skin. Well, I told him, I say, "I don't know what to do for that for you, but I can bring you to Madam Helen." That is a fortuneteller lady over the river. [My informant, a doctor not accepting live-things-in-you cases (for such cases See pp.227-239), refers and personally takes his patient to a specialist, Madam Helen. I, the author, for a few minutes once enjoyed the exhalted rank of specialist - see p.279.]
(Is she still alive?)
She is still alive. Well, I brought this fellow over there to her and she told him that she couldn't do nothing for him, in nine days [magic delay] to come back. Well, he say, he told her he was suffering pretty bad and he couldn't sleep because things were creeping in his skin at night, so she told him to come back in nine days. Well, he made it his business to come back in nine days, and after he went back in nine days why she took and she rubbed him with dead man dust. When she rubbed him with dead man dust and gave him nine drops of blood with sweet oil - sheep blood. She keeps lots of sheep, snakes and everything in her house. She gave him nine drops of sheep blood and she rubbed him with this dead man dust. There is a lot of places over the river there where they cremate the bodies over there. She got bottles lined all up in her house, different dead peoples dust in it and she rubbed this man and gave him that blood and this man is a well man right now.
(When you went into that room, did she have an altar in that room?)
She had an altar. It had a lot of candles burning - black candles, blue candles, purple candles, white candles, amongst diff'rent pictures [of saints] she had.
(Was the room light or dark?)
One [reception room] was light, but the room where the candles was burning of those great heavy stockings. She had on about three or four skirts. She dressed something like a gypsy woman do. They call her Madam Helen. She is over in Algiers on Pelican and 26th.
(When you first came in what did she say to you?)
She said, "Come right in," she said, "I know what is the matter with you." She told this gentleman. "You [informant] stand right outside, mister, you can take a seat on the gallery. I know what this man come for." [See You Don't Have To Tell Me, p.316; and The Doctor Knew What She Came For, p.317.] She said [to patient], "Something's wrong with you. How long you been like that?" "Well, I've been like this about three years." She said, "Well, you won't be like that long if you get me $50." That is what she cured this man for - for $50. And the man is healthy, strong and got a job. He works right here at the Public Service Gas right now and he hadn't did a lick of work for three years.[ New Orleans, La., (809), 1138:1.]
Entry 2763
Well, now, I tell you about the hair. A person takes some of your hair and cut it out of your head. I know a man did me that - that's the reason I tell you so good about it. My husband was laying and I was laying down in the bed and I was asleep - laying down on my back. He couldn't find my scissors, he got up and got the case knife. I heard something going - saw - saw - saw - you know, and I woke up like that. He was setting up in the bed - had my hair sawing a piece of it, got it out. So I went to the hair-dresser and she said, "What is your hair doing cut out." I said, "My hair ain't cut out my head." She missed it, and she say, "Yes, it is." I say, "Oh, Lord, I don't remember cutting my hair out for nobody." I say, "Gee, I'm going to watch my husband tonight when he come." He was working in the swamp and when he take a bath that night, I goes in his clothes and I look and he had a plat of my hair in his pocket. I said, "What you going to do with that hair?" He say, "I cut this here, Daisy, ' he call me Daisy, "to keep you with me 'cause I love you" - to keep me from going away from him. A Egyptian woman told me - I went to her - she say, "You suffering with your head." I say, "Yes." She say, "Some man cut your hair out your head and he dead." [See margin-title If Evildoer Dies Spell Incurable, p.396.] I say, "Yes, what did he do with it?" She say, "He take it to a tree in the woods and he bore a hole in that tree," and she say, "while he may - he put that hair in the tree," she say, "and then he closed it." That what the Egyptian woman told me. I say, "Well, what you think he want to do that for?" She told me, she say, "He didn't Want to kill you, but he wanted you to be crazy about him - cause that would make you crazy, make you follow him everywhere." Because he wanted me to go to that [camp something?] and he working there - and he wanted me to go and I didn't go. She say, "Well, you go on with him." So, well, my husband he got - he put my hair in the tree. He bore towards the sunrise. He got on the side of the sunrise and he dug the hole and she told me how to go there to get that hair. I went there right away and just like she told me, it was true - my hair absolutely Was there. I went and I take a knife and I dug the plug out. And my hair had done growed long and I taken it out and it cold-like. And I say [to myself], "Well, I declare." I say, "I never did dream about any hoodoo or nothing like that. I said [to myself], "Why she told me." I went to the hoodoo woman 'over the river" - she's dead now. She say, "Don't let no hoodoo and no fortuneteller or none 'em son-of-bitch tell you that you are fixed. You're not fixed," she say, "it's your blood cause you suffer with your head."
(Who told you that?)
Miss Helen - that was a hoodoo woman told me that. She say, "I could fool you out of money just like the rest of 'em fool you out of it," she say, "but there ain't anything ailin' you but your head." Well, that's just what the Egyptian woman had done tole me [that I was fixed]. Well, I was on two opinions. I didn't know 'aht to do. The Egyptian Woman had told me about my hair and Miss Helen done told me it was the blood. Well, I got operated on. That didn't do no good and I said it must be true what the Egyptian woman say. And I go - what the Egyptian woman told me - and I goes and that's where I found my hair was in the tree. And I say to my husband, "Well, what you want do with my hair?" He say, "Oh, I love you so much," he say, "and I don't want you to have nobody else but me and that's the only thing I'se wantin'." I say, "Well, listen."
(Did your husband die after that, then?)
Ohyeah, he got drownded.
(I see.)
He was working, he got drownded - he fell overboard, he got drowned. After I'd taken [found] that [first] piece, he cut another piece and he got drownded with the piece - that piece in his pocket. Because when they caught him [his body with a grappling hook] he was just so bad, they had to bury him with every- thing on 'em, you know, and that's why my hair is in the graveyard.
(He was so bad what?)
It did up - the fishes and things had did him so bad, you know.
(Oh, I see.)
Yeah, they had did him up so bad, so that's why they had to bury him with his pockets - with all his clothes what he had on, his working clothes. So that's.
(And he still had some of your hair? He didn't put it in a tree?)
Yeah, he still had it. And I went to hoodoos and all. I went to all. I have been to a lot of them and they tell me - some would say I was sick and [some would say]. [Egyptian woman is a fortuneteller wearing large earrings and sometimes a head covering; usually a Negro, occasionally a white woman, rarely a gypsy. Along the Mississippi River a drowned body is ''dragged for with grappling hook. For folk- lore methods to recover the body, see FACI,2ed., Nos. 15127-15136, pp.696-697.]
Entry 2764
Well, my wife, she was what you call goofer dust. [For Goofer Dust, see pp.222-227.] It was put down on the step for her. In the morning she used to have to go to work very early, you know. And in the morning she come out be- fore leaving-time, come out to clean up the step - didn't have any idea that any- one was harming her, was out to harm her. She stepped in some stuff - it was very white. And that night she came home and she said - that evening late she kind of got a little ailing in her head, you know, hurting. Didn't pay.much attention to it. Well, probably for a week or so later she didn't pay any atten- tion and finally it begin to swell on her. It swell and she went to the doctor and the doctor never could reach her sickness in no way. Well, she was talking to an old lady. Well, this old lady is kinda two-head, a two-headed woman. So she told her, she said, "Daughter, you're hurt." She said, "Your leg is not infected in no way; you never stepped on nuthin or caused a bruise to have this swelling, or something like that." She say, "I want you to go to somebody that can do you some good." She didn't tell her to come to her. So she sent her across the river to a woman by the name of Miss Helen.
(Miss Helen?)
Madam Helen.
(Madam Helen. All right.)
She sent her over there and she goes over there, and the minute she got in there, the woman didn't asked her her name or nuthin, she told her just what she came in there for. She told her, say, "You're hurt." She says, "There's a woman wants your husband," she say, "and she figure by hurting you in some way like that that he'll go off and leave you because you are not able to work." You know. [The husband is telling this.] Well, the woman she told her, she say, "Now, I can take care of you." She say, "I'll charge you $20," she say, ''$20 and I'll put you sound and well again." She say, "And if you want to, I can put it across back on the people." Well, she say, "No, all I want to do is get my- self straight," she say, "I don't have to worry about her." So, I taking her back over there - it was every Wednesday she had to go there. Every Wednesday she had to go there 'fore nine o'clock in the morning - 'fore nine o'clock. Well now, she had a dominic hand. You know what is a dominic hand?
[I did know, though there is momentary confusion here.]
(A hand?)
A dominic - dominic hand.
(A dominic hand?)
[I evidently thought he was talking about a hand made from a domino.]
Yes, kind of like a checker - black and white.
(All right.)
[I knew what he was talking about.]
Sells it. It's a dominic hand. She took this hand. She didn't ring it like some people ring it; she just pops his neck.
(She broke his neck.) [I am repeating his his.]
[At this point my transcriber knew what informant was talking about and over every preceding word hand typed the word henl The word hen was often pronounced han or han or something else. When people were closer to country life than they are today, the word dominic was fairly common. A variation of the word appears in the following couplet: "Dominicker [speckled] sky; storm close by" - FACI, 1st ed.. 1935, No. 540, p.21. I guestion the preceding word 'sells in the text: "Sells it. It's a dominic hand [hen]." As soon as hand is replaced by hen, the word sells is nonsense. The word should be spelds [= splits from Scotland] - see one of the remedies under margin-title Zippy Tull. My informant rightly feeling that I would not understand the word spelds, changes it to pops.]
(She broke his neck.)
Popped it, yeah. She popped his neck and she catches this blood - she holds the chicken up like that [demonstrates] and let the blood drip. She let the blood drip into a little cup-like. And she takes this blood and she puts to it sulphur - it's yellow, sulphur, and some molasses and mixes 'em, turns it into a salve-like. It turns into a salve and she takes this leg and she strokes this leg down with that. Every Wednesday she do that, she stroke this leg down. She don't kill the hen every Wednesday, though. She make enough salve from that to apply. We didn't have to go but for nine Wednesday - it was nine Wednesdays she had to go. And for nine mornings what she had to do - get up every morning be- fore the sun rise, and get her some running water and bathe this leg. She bathed this leg down and after bathing this leg down, then she take a complete bath in this household ammonia and saltpeter. See. This is supposed to take the condi- tion off of her. See? And walk to the east and take a glass of water, make the sign of the cross and throw it over her left shoulder and walk away. Well, she did that for [nine mornings].
(Did she do that before she went to see Madam Helen?)
No, that was when she went to her. She told her what to do.
(No, but she did that each time just before she went over to see Madam Helen?)
Yes, she had to do that before she go there - every morning, see.
(Oh, she did that every morning?)
Yeah, every morning she do that, for nine mornings straight, but she still had to go over there nine mornings. See? That was to help to take this condition off of her. See? And after she did that for nine mornings, well, she stopped, but she continued to take this bath. See, she warned her and told her forever to take this bath because if some more harm was to come to her and if she would take this saltpeter and household ammonia and bathe herself in it, and some running water, that no evil could come to her. You understand? It would guard her - it would be some kind of a safeguard to her. Saltpeter is supposed to have, be pro- tective for all such lines of hoodooism.
(And you wife got well?)
Yes, sir, she's well and working today:
(I see. Now, what your wife got hurt with. Was it goofer dust?)
Goofer dust, yeah.
(What's that?) [See, Goofer dust, pp.222-227, and Index.]
That's a hoodoo - it's a powder. You call it goofer dust. They take it - they puts it down and you're supposed to walk on it and if you walk on it, and it get on you, it will work through the sole of your shoe and it will commence to swelling. And it will make you drag, sick - sick, you know, sick with your leg - just cause it to swell and pain.
Entry 2766
Ah'd taken sick with the child, you know, before I left town. So I went to my house and ah stayed there three months. So I came back and when I came back, I just, you know, something just run all over me. You know, like a chicken - like a chicken when you pick it and you fix it - you singe it - with all them pimples - come up on it where you pull those feathers out. Well, you see my flesh all over was just like that. It was all round my neck and every- where was just like that. And so I just stayed sick and stayed sick - had doc- tors and doctors and doctors and doctors. So my husband told me, say, "Well, it just don't look like you goin' to ever get well." But still I didn't give up - still I didn't give up. I told him, I said, "Well, I just strictly believe that I gotta have an operation." He says, "Well, make it up in you' mind and go on a'get it." So the doctor come to me and told me I'd have to have an operation. So they rang up the ambulance for me. Ambulance came and ah got ready to get in the ambulance. So they took me on to the hospital and they examined me and they said I was too weak to take an opera- tion. Brought me back home. And so he said, "Well, you go next week." So my cousin come and she told me, she says, "Her sickness is not natch'l. Suppose you go and see about her - go and see somebody about her and question her." So he went and got a fortunetelling man - he didn't believe in nothing like that - went and got a fortuneteller man. And he come there and told him, "Your house is dressed." Says, "She left from here and went away [see preceding 3 months] and somebody done got de key and went in her house - got the key and unlocked the door and went in the house. Under the steps is dressed and all over. The back door and front door and all in the house is dressed." He didn't believe that. He says, "I don't believe it." So he talked with me about it and I didn't believe it. So, another one of my cousins come and told me and say, "Now, you must believe things like this because it's true." And she went and got de Bible and showed me, you know, where it says witchcraft, you know, and all like that in the Bible. [For some of Biblical sources, see my comment on p.361.] So, ah told him, ah said "Now, you go and see somebody, go and see somebody, [even] if you don't believe [in] him, go see somebody." And so he did. Him and my sister and another young man went, and they went to a lady called Madam Helen. She told him, she even as much as told him about my mother [in New Orleans]. She told him when I left from him and he had ordered a hundred and some dollars worth of furniture. She told him when he got dat and the date of the month, said, "Your wife has been down and this has been working on her for about eight months and - as clean as your hand. And it was true, too. Nobody ever went down and told her about it. She said, "It's a cup right under the left side - what's called the north corner of your steps, under the back and front." [My informant may not realize it but she uses unusual symbolism here. The outside doorsteps is a threshold altar! A person facing the house and standing in front of the steps is before an altar. To speak liturgically, he is looking "east and "the left side of the steps is "the north corner or "north end of the altar.] She said, "You go there and dig that cup up and if you - these people, if you want 'em to wander away, you bring it to me and I'll fasten it up. I'll put this junk in a bottle or a [glass] jar and let you go throw it in a running stream, if you want 'em to wander away. If you don't, just take it and fill it all full of [Red] Devil Lye." There was hair in there and lots of something look like blood, and nails and hair and garments, you know, pieces of step-ins or something - look like pieces of my underclothes, you know, was all in there. And there was needles in there, in the two cups underneath my steps back and front. And so she told, said, "Now, you go back and dig that up. When you dig that up, bring it to me and what you want did about it, I'll do it." And said, "Tell her to come." Well, ah was so weak. Ah was just so weak ah wasn't hardly able to stand up, and just did not want to leave that house. She said, "And move out dat house just as quick as you can." I just didn't want to, they just had to pull me out of there. And I just couldn't hardly walk, I was so weak. I went to her and she told me what was the matter with me. And she said, "Now, I don't want you to go back in that house. Never go back in that house no more." And I didn't go back in that house.
Entry 9919
Put frog eggs in food; creates frogs inside. [Mobile, Ala., 945:4]. Tuo drops of frog blood in drink creates frogs in person. Can be cured by sweet milk, saltpeter, and alum. [Mobile, Ala., 920:4]. Starve frog to death, parch head to powder, feed to a person, frogs inside you. [Vicksburg, Miss., 997:3]. Frog burned to powder, mix with graveyard dirt, across enemy's path for bad luck. [Snowhill, Md., from man born and lived early life near Sewanee, Tenn., 9:1].
Entry 523
Dat sulphur, yo' take dat sulphur an' sprinkle it round yore house - jes' lak yo' got a room an' somepin worryin' yo' in dere, yo' know, yo' take sulphur an' sprinkle it all round in yore room. An' it won't worry yo' any mo'.
(That was a hag?)
Supposes tuh be a hag. Some folks say it a hag an' some folks say it's yore blood, because ah've been lak dat. Dey ride me in de night.
(What do they say they do to get rid of them?)
Well, some folks say yo' kin put a broom on de bed an' some folks say yo' kin sprinkle salt ovah de bed. Some folks say yo' kin take a brand new knife an' put dat - lay dat in de bed side an' dat'll keep 'em from worryin' yo' at night. But ah re'lly didn't try none of those things.
Entry 928
This is the real truth but I'm goin' tell you. When I was livin' in Florida, it's been eight chears ago [1929] I was goin' with a man. You see there's another ole woman wanted to go with the same man. An' I was workin' out but she weren't. An' I'd go to my work in the mornin' - I knew she wanted to go with him a long time before she did this - an' I would go to work ev'ry mornin' an' I always git back home in time for five o'clock. So she lived out in the country an' I lived kin'a in town. So she came in town one day: The train comes in there at Jl:30, see. An' I was workin' but I went home that afternoon about five o'clock an', as a general thing, I went an' I put my right foot upon the steps first [for luck], you see, an' after I got in the house I went on in the house an' put down my packages you know, then I begin to feel sick, an' I begin to spit foam an' white spit, an' it jis' went all over, you see, an' I set there an' I say, "I wonder what's the matter with me." An' I had a brother-in-law there an' he says, "Sister, wha' choo been eatin'?" I said, "Not a thing. I haven't even eaten any dinner [noonday meal]." So he come in there to see if there's nothin' wrong. I kep' a-spittin' that foam an' spit you see. I say, "I believe I'll lie down but first I'm goin' have a drink of water." Then I went an' lied down an' when I lied down the more that foam an' spit would come out of my mouth an' I'd have to spit. So I got up an' I said, "Bert, I feel like I have to leave you." I went to go down de front steps back out to go roun' the house [to the toliet] an' I jis' tumble - jis' my head was jis' [demonstrates] goin' over and over like that. I sort'a had to hold it up you know to keep from fallin'. An' I [came back and] went on into the house an' there wouldn't be a thing but that foam an' spit. So he went an' got a doctor - he got a medical doctor, see. The doctor come. He says, "Why, what's the matter with you - what choo been eatin'?" I said, "Nothin'." He thought - he sayed it might'a been a kin'a indigestion. I said, "I haven't eaten anything." So he give me some medicine; he give me some black froth [= black draft see Index]. First, he give me a dose of Epsom salts. But it got worse. I couldn't eat an' I couldn't keep settin' up alone. So then my brother-in-law say, "Well, I'll tell you, sister," he say, "suppose we try a root doctor." I said, "Well," I said, "anything you think you kin do." That was the next day. So he goes an' gits a root doctor. He's up there about East Palatka, Florida. An' so he got a man to take him up there. They got back that night. He came in an' immediately say, "This woman," he said instantly, "she's hurt." He [brother-in-law] say, "You think so?" He say, "No, I know." He sayed. "Now, let me tell you what choo do." He say, You go there an' you dig under her front steps tomorrow mornin' - the first thing.you go there an' dig." Well, I got along that night - he say, "After you git what's under them steps," he said, "then I'll tell what to do." He [brother-in-law?] went out there the next mornin' an' dug under there an' they got a pint bottle - a pint flask with corn whiskey [often means moonshine whiskey, white] in it an' that had frogs in it. He sayed there were frogs. He stayed around there till they got that bottle - had frogs in it an' lizards. Well, after they got the bottle out, then my leg would start funny - it would grab me like that, llke somepin crawlin' up my leg. It would get up almost to my knee an' then there would be a big knot, jis' like that - you could see that thing with the blood in it.
(What leg was this?)
The right one [she had stepped upon the steps with her right leg first]. Listen good. He sayed, "Now, I'm goin' tell yah what choo do." He: say, "You po' this whiskey off of 'em, you take these things an' burn 'em. He say, "Then, if you kin," says, "you try it," he say, "I know you kin becuz it's right on the railroad" - you see, down in Florida an' the train was always killin' cattle, you see - "an' you go down there an' you kill a buzzard [round the dead cattle]," he say, "it's against the law to kill [a buzzard] but if somebody killed one, you come back, you boil that buzzard, an' you give 'er a cup of that buzzard tea." Oh, it smells horrible! But I wanted to git well. An' then I would drink a cupful an' bathe that whole leg down with it choo know.
(Don't you bathe it up?)
No, he bathed down right on out de toe; told me to bathe right on out de toe. An' take that stuff after I bathed with it, you know, an' throw it north. An' then after that he sayed, "Well, I'm goin' try to cure you. I had four patients like this. They were in terrible condition." An' he did that with that buzzard water in that bucket for two or three days. Then he changed from that an' give me a pint bottle - he put sulphur in it an' whiskey, pure corn whiskey. An' I had to shake that up an' take a tablespoonful of that three times a day. Well, I got better - that spittin' up that foam an' stuff, you see. An' I felt good. Ev'ry day I'd feel all right. I'd go on with my own work till about time for that same - that train would come - the same she come on it that day at 11:30 - I begin to feel bad.
(Why did you feel bad when that train came?)
Oh, that the train she come on to put that devilment down, you see. An' ev'ry day when that ll:30 train come along I begin to feel bad an' I had to go to bed. Well, I - it was in summertime you see, an' I had to put on all the clothes an all the bedclothes they kin git an' put on me. An' the perspiration an' sweat would jis' roll off. An' when that train go back that she went [back] on at 5:30, I'd git all right. I'd git right out de bed - could git out de bed an' do my work. [For knot on head going and coming by time, see p.270.] Well, then I got well, I kep' takin' that sulphur an' whiskey what he told me. Then he fixed another dose [prescription] of red pepper and soda and vinegar in a bottle an' drinked that. He told me to take a swallah [of] dat ever' now an' then when I begin to feel bad an' boil all the water I drink. An' then he told me to lay hot poultices on that leg, an' ev'ry time it begin to pain to put that hot poultice of [corn] meal an' real hot pepper, an' they'd bind that to it. An' from then I began to feel better. [Wilmington, N. Car., (300), 225:3; at Burnell, Fla.,1934; the doctor charging $25.00.]
Entry 1002
De ole people say if yo' have hemorrhage - yo' know whut a hemorrhage is - well, yo' take dat blood an' put hit in a bottle an' stop it up an' throw dat in runnin' watah an' don't look back. Dey say dat will stop de hemorrhage. [Fayetteville, N. Car., (1397), 2516:7.] [The magic rite of confinement - as in drawing a circle - is also involved in the two preceding rites.]
Entry 1162
My uncle was fixed oncest and they took a chicken, a black hen - he had a black snake in his arm.
(He had a black snake in his arm?)
Yes, sir - lady that had 'em [him] fixed put it there, and when the snake came out - when the hoodoo had the snake to come out, she say, "You kill a black chicken' - we had a black-feathered chicken - 'and take that blood and cook it and put over dat place. It healed dat - where dat snake had came out. Jest take and use it as a salve, you know.
Entry 1434
Ah heard of 'em usin' de rattlesnake rattles fo' a hemorrhage. Well, yo' only Wet it - dip it in watah an' stick it to de place where yo' hemorrhage. Even if it in yore nostrils, yo' jes' stick it inside of yore nostrils; an' if it yore bowels, yo' stick it down yore lower part an' hit'll stop it right away. Ah used to tote one all de time.
Entry 1593
A fellow once, named Brown, a root doctor - me and my wife was on de outs. Course I caught her wrong and I went away from her. So he [Brown] was working in the shipyards. He say, "I found a shoe." So I say, "All right, I'll take it." He said it was a right shoe - brand new shoe - just had a little - and he had got that snake's blood and put all on de inside of it. And I put dat shoe on. In nine days time my ankle give away and commence to hurt me and so I says, "Mother, since I been wearing dat shoe Mr. Brown give me," I said, "I been having trouble with my ankle. I think I'll go to de doctor." So she looked at de shoe. So then I went to Dr. Willis and took dat shoe and cut de top off it - the entire top and give it to him and he took it and put it in something and sterilized it and found out it was snake blood. That's Dr. Willis dere - chemistry.
(Dr. Woodard?)
Willis - in the drug store.
(I see - from the drug store and he found it was snake blood?)
Yeah - what he told me.
(What did he put that in to sterilize it, I wonder.)
I don't know. He used a lot of chemistry - you know how dey have chemistry, and it all up-separated off the leather, come off the sweat and ev'rything else. And he said, "That's snake's blood, boy." I said, "It look peculiar cause ev'ry time it rained it would freshen up just like fresh paint, red paint, but when the sun was shining it was dry and looked kind of scaley, you know, kind of brownish looking.
(How did you get rid of that then - from that snake blood?)
Well, I tell you, I got rid of it. My mother took 'bacco. She turned around and took a chicken and she put a chicken poultice on there first. And then she took tobacco and my water and boil it hot and let me put my feet right down in de hot water.
(Did she boil that tobacco and your water together?)
Yes, and put my feet in there. I put it in there ever' night and put salt brine in there and it came all right.
Entry 1665
Git de willow tree bark off de sunrise, an' den go round to de back where de sun go down an' cut dat off, an' he took de piece of splinter off dat an' pick de tooth until it bleed. An' jes' take dat stick an' carry it an' wrahp it an' put it ovah yore do'. Yo'll nevah have no toothache any mo'.
(Which side do you get that splinter from? The sunrise side or sundown side?)
De sunrise an' dey go round to de sundown an' cut it de same way, but dey git de splinter from de sunrise.
(But they only get one splinter?)
One splinter - dat's all.
(Well, what do they do at the sundown side then?)
Yo' jes' cut dat de same direction - de same way.
(You don't do anything though?)
Yo' don't do anything. Jes' cut it de same way, de same direction - cut it lak dat. But yo' git dat splinter out de sunrise an' go down round de sunset an' do de same thing - lak ah tell yo' 'bout dis tidewater.
(What did you say before? Did you say something that you pick your teeth?)
Pick yore tooth till it bleeds, den spit it out an' yo' take dat splinter an' carry it an' tie it up in a rag an' put it ovah de do'.
Entry 1703
Now yo' take a woodpecker - now, he'll git up an' he'll peck a hole in a tree. Well now, yo' take dat sap [wood peckings] - dat inside whut he pick out dere, yo' take dat an' yo' kin powder it up an' yo' kin use hit fo' sickness. Yo' take dat wood he peck out dere an' yo' carry it home an' yo' keep it in a box or somepin, an'. it's lak if you have a toothache, yo' take one splinter[iil of dat, pick yore teeth until it bleeds. Well, yo' take dat blood den an' yo' wipe it on a silk piece of cloth. After yo' wipe it on a silk piece of cloth, yo' take dat little silk piece an' carry it an' put it in de fire - kinda put it right under de grate [under a brick] in de fireplace. When yo' put it under dere yo' speak two words, say, "Stay till." Don't nevah say nuthin else. Jest say, "Stay till, stay till [doomsday]." Well, now dat cures de toothache on yo'.
Entry 1716
Some peoples ketch one dese flyin' bats yo' know, one dese leather bats an' cut him an' take his heart out 'fore it - yo' know, while he's warm - while his blood is warm an' wrap it up in a piece of cloth an' den put a needle in dere - git three needles, cross 'em. Den sew that up in anothah bag an' - den git chew a piece of cotton ah mean, an' wrap it round dere an' den sew it all up together. Ah know dat's good cause [I] see dat used wit success.
Entry 1850
Take a pin an' put a little hole in it [chicken egg] an' put some of yore blood in that little hole. Yo' know, yo've seen dem little eye-dropper or nose-dropper, somethin', drain it down lak that. Take a strand of yore hair an' stick it down in there - in that hole an' carry it out in the woods where yo' know that snake's there - most any kind of a little bug or something is, yo' know. But chew put some sugah roun' there yo' see. See, that aig is goin' tuh sweat, chew know, an' that sugah is goin' dissolve and the ants or whatevah gits ovah to it first, that's jis' whut - if it be a snake, well, yo'll crawl lak a snake; if a ant gits holt'a it, well yo'll fis' wander aroun' jis' lak a ant.
Entry 2779
Now, you can take a white candle, if you want luck. You can take a white candle and three loafs of sugar, and you light it. Set [it] with a name. And you put a piece of paper under it [candle] with the name [this is setting it] and you light it and make your wish. That's for luck.
(What name do you write on that?)
Write whoever you burning it for - write your name or my name, anybody name you burning it for. That's for luck. Now, a red candle.
(A red candle?)
That's a white candle. Now a red candle is for blood.
(Well, how do you handle that - a red candle for blood?)
You take the person name, whoever you wanta get in trouble, and you write the name on the candle all around - up and down on the candle - and you burns it and makes a wish, bad wish. That's for blood, you see. Now a black candle, that's to kill you.
(A black candle is to kill you. Well how would they handle that?)
Well, they take the black candle and they write your name on there, see. And they takes and they cuts that top piece off - like this the top piece, well, they cut that off, and they take and turn it upside down and shape it [make a wick at the bottom end] and they light it upside down. Well, you liable to walk out your door and get killed most any minute.
(Do they use green candles, and blue and yellow, anything of that sort?)
Well, they burn them to different saints for luck.
(Now, are candles burned at any special time or just any time?)
Any time you can burn a candle if you got your saints and you believe in your saints. Well, different days you burn different candles.
(What do you mean by different days you burn different candles?)
Like Mondays, you burns a white candle. Tuesday you burn a green candle. Wednesday you burns a yellow candle or blue candle. But red and black ain't for no luck - that's for undermining work.
(When do you burn those candles? On any day?)
You burn the red candle any day.
(And you burn the black candle any day, too?)
Any day too.
Entry 2833
Red candle on a person - I write their name down on a piece of paper and I burn that paper to ashes and I put it in a container. And I light that candle and drip that wax down until I can sit the candle in the middle of the ashes, and I light the candle and that candle burns down into the ashes. Well I do that for nine days on that person and that person is supposed to get cut and lose blood. And if you do the same thing with a black candle it should result in the person's death.
Entry 3110
You take a boy around sixteen years old, that way. That's all their ambition. They are all that way, I don't know why. They think that the more eomen that he has connection with, that the bigger it makes him, see. Well, nothing can ruin the blood as quick as that, see. An' he gets a certain amount of germs in him an' a certain amount of bad blood. No physician can get it out because he [boy] ain't going to take that kind of treatment to get it out - see, that is to purify him. Well, all right, that boy comes to marry, you understand, an' have a wife. Then the children will have it, in- herit that, you see, by having bad blood. Well, that is worse than the other. It happen that a poor [boy] get gonorrhea or anything that way, he has a certain amount of energy in him, he can't get it out of him unless he has connection with a woman. But if he ever once has the claps, the munning range, or gonorrhea, every time he urinates he urinates some ambition, you see. That's why a man can be 45 years old and younger than a boy 25, you see, by using himself [properly] in his young days before he developes.
Entry 3415
(They do what?) Take dem to de doctor [M.D.] an' if de doctor don' git 'em apart, go right back an' git some of de dog's, some dog blood, an' grease de man back right in de centah, an' he'll come loose right immediately.
(You grease the man's back you say?)
In de centah wit de same dog blood - de same dog dat dey got de livah from [in another rite]. Dey kin git 'im right loose right immediately. [I stopped recording machine, but informant soon continued with a time state- ment I had to recover.] (And you say if the doctor [M.D.] doesn't get them apart, or you don't get them apart, they will come apart in?) In nine days.
Entry 3416
Jes' lak if yo' wanted to tie a woman an' a man togethah. Jes' lak if a woman wus goin' wit chure husban', or he wus goin' wit 'er. Jes' lak hen yo's dog be matin', yo' kin take yore pocketknife an' cut dat dog enough tuh bleed. Ah mean jes' in a piece of cloth or sompin. An' aftah it bleed on dis cloth, yo' take it an' carry it home wit yo' an' put it undah yore mattress, an' dey'll be tied togethah. Jes' fold it up in two ways - jes' lak heah mah han'kchuff now. Aftah yo' git de blood on dat - YO' DON'T MIND ME STANDIN' UP? Aftah yo' 股商 git de blood on dere, jes' fold it lak dis[demonstrates]. (Wait a minute! You fold one half to the middle and then the other half. You fold one half to the middle and the other opposite half to the middle. Then you fold it lengthwise to the middle, each side.) Den yo' put it right undah yore mattress where [the side] yo' sleep at.
(Nine folds.)
[Only one way can I understand nine folds. Surely the design here is 9 squares, a tick-tack-toe diagram, several examples of which appear in HOODOO. The handkerchief is folded twice, the two folds overlapping evenly, creating 3 equal and horizontal oblongs. These are turned vertically and folded twice, again both folds overlapping evenly, creating a stack of 9 squares. Instead of saying You fold one half to the middle, I should have said You fold one half toward the middle.] (Well, don't you do anything else with that blood first before you put it under your mattress?) No, jes' take dat blood on dis han'kschuff, lak ah got mah han'kschuff in mah han', an' put undah de mattress. In three days time dey'll git tied up.
(You don't put the blood on them or anything?)
No.
(Which dog do you get the blood from, the male or the female dog?)
De male dog.
Entry 3417
Git de blood from a dog an' de sickness of a woman an' mix dose two things togethah. Put 'em in a little bottle an' take dat bottle an' stop it up tight. Lay it down in a little groove lak dat an' put sand over it, an' dat will take her nature away from all men, any man. She can't have nuth- in to do wit anyone. (Do you take that from any kind of a dog, that blood? Any time?) Any kind of a dog, any time.
Entry 3422
Yo' kin take de hair from a dog or a cat when dey proudin' an' yo' singe it, burn it yo' know, parch it an' git it in dey food where dey kin eat it. an' when dey eat it, it will make 'em hitch up. An' a drop of dat blood, dat dog's blood - a drop of dat in dey food, yo' see. An' if dey runnin' aroun', de husban' or wife, an' yo' ketch 'em doin' dat, dey'll hitch up. Not till nine days dey come apart deyself.
(After nine days.)
Can't loose 'em. Stay dat way nine days.
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 3759
[As a piece of magic, what could be more logical magically than the following 5 ingredients: 1 of them prickly, 3 of them red, and the 5th called life everlasting?] But I anticipate. The doctor who is instructing me will explain why he uses each of the 5 ingredients.] Well, now - case now dere's some man or some woman may come tuh yo' an' tell yo' dis [my instruction by the doctor begins]. He say, "Listen, yo' know one thing, "" says, "ah haven't got no nature left at all - I ain't go no nachure left. Ah wants tuh have feelin' fo' mah ole man or mah ole woman, an' ah ain't got no feelin's left." Yo' say, "Well, all right, right. Ah'll tell yo' whut ah'll do." Yo' say, "Yo' come ovah heah an' ah'll give yo' somepin." Well, all right. Yo' walk out dere an' yo' go to a tree, an' git dis prickly ash. Yo' know whut prickly ash is. Git dat inside bark - undahstan' good - see, dat rough side yo' know is got stickahs on it lak pins. Git de inside of dat prickly ash bark. An' go in de woods an' den git chew a [wild] cherry tree an' git dat cherry bark. Git chew some cherry bark an' de inside of a red oak bark, an' it's a kinda brier dat dey call de life evahlastin' [the cudweed (not a kinda brier) - see hayfever cure, FACI, 1st ed., 4498-4499, p.216.] Git dat an' boil dat togethah an' when yo' boil dat togethah, den yo' strain dat. But yo' wanta git rain watah. Don't git dis hydrant watah, git rain watah an' yo' boil all dat togethah. An' yo' put about a half, jes' about dat much, as much cayenne peppah in dere as yo' kin hold in yore two fingahs, see. An' shake dat up togethah an' let 'em take dat, see. An' dat will give dem nature. An' see, dis peppah is fo' tuh give yuh nature, an' dis red-oak bark is fo' tuh cleanse yore blood, an' dis prickly ash is tuh make de man's thing stand. See, DAT'S WHY DEY CALL IT PRICKLY ASH. An' dis life evahlastin' is supposed tuh work yo', tuh work de filth an' stuff offa yo' kidney's an' yo' bladdah. See, evahthin' yo' gotta do wit dat is wrong.
Entry 3831
Take some of yore blood, yo' know. Take de blood an' take it...
(What blood?)
From de woman, yo' know, when dey birth a baby. Take de blood from dis woman - yo' git chance to steal some of dat blood. An' take dat, yo' know dat piece, an' den go ahead an' bury it in de graveyard. An' hit'll stop a woman, keep a woman - nevah will come no mo'. Nevah will come, an' fin'ly firs' thing yo' know she'll be daid. (This is - part of your monthly rag?) [My question is misleading. This is def- initely childbirth blood.] Any kinda monthly rag.
Entry 3833
Put it down roun' in de leak of a house. Well, jes' lak if yo' take a person's blood an' stop it up in a bottle, an' turn it down on its haid, turn de bottle upside down on de mouf [mouth]. An' let it be upside down an' put it in de leak of a house, an' see, dat'll run a person crazy.
(What do you mean by the leak of the house?)
Jes' lak, yo' know, where de watah leak down on de ground - yes, off de roof.
Entry 3835
Well, yo' could take some of de man's blood an' some of de woman's blood an' wrap it up. Jes' take some of it in a rag, of each one of 'em's blood, an' wrap it up an bury it up undah de house, anywhere up undah de house, an' dem people will stay togethah until de' die.
(Who would do this?)
Anyone.
Entry 3836
Well, dey say yo' take a piece of string, not a rag string but a cotton string yo' know, an' yo' tie a knot. Now, evahone says if yo' wan'a man tuh love yuh, or a woman, yo' kin jes' squeeze dat little thing [finger] on yore lef' han' [demonstrates]. (Squeeze the little finger on the left hand.) Squeeze it till it git kinda dead [numb], yo' know. Den yo' take a needle an' jes' keep pickin' till yo' git one drop of blood. An' yo' take dat drop of blood an' put a little bit on all nine of dem knots, an' weah it roun' yore waist. Dey'll run crazy ovah yo'.
(You take that blood from your own finger?)
Yes.
Entry 3837
I heard say yo' kin take a match an' trim de haid all off real close, sharpen 'er right down on dat point, an' pick yore fingah wit it an' carry it. An' if yo' stick it in a girl enough fo' it tuh bleed, dey say dat she'll love yo'. Den keep de match stem wit de blood on it.
Entry 3838
Ah know about one thing, yo' kin write a person's name. Yo' kin take it - now if yo' wanta be ovah a woman or a man, yo' take an' write his name in a piece of papah wit 'ers. Now, if yo' want de woman tuh be ovah de man, write de woman's name tuh de top an' write 'is name undahneat' 'ers. Den pick yore lef' arm, an' pinch enough blood outa dat lef' arm tuh spell dose names out. Den when yo' git dose names spelled, yo' take it an' wrap it up tuh yo', dat piece of papah. Fold it comin' tuh yo'. Whutevah way yo' fold it, let it be comin' tuh yo'. An' take it an' put it in a corked bottle an' bury it at nine 'clock at night. An' dat man an' dat woman nevah will quit one another. An' if dey quit one anothah, dey'll go crazy. Dey love one another so good as long as dey live. S'long as dey live, dat las' 'em fo'evah. Bury it undah de do'step at night. If yo' can't git chance tuh bury it, jes' throw it undah de do'step, an [or] in a place where dey gotta walk in an' out. An' dey nevah will quit one another, an' jes' go crazy wit dat han'writin'.
(You must get this blood out of your left arm?)
Pick it out - yore lef' arm, yo' jes' gotta pick it.
Entry 3839
[Ah] heah 'em say, if yo' got a man, someone yo' love an' he leave yo', yo' haven't got 'is pichure, why yo' take a needle an' pick till yo' git de blood out de little fingah heah [demonstrates].
(That's the little finger of the left hand.)
Yes, an' yo' git de blood out of it an' yo' have a pen, yo' know a ink pen, an' a piece of papah. An' yo' write it jis' like yo' would be writin', an' write his name, an' denwrite yores undah it; an' draw 'is pichure, if yo' haven't nary one of 'is pichure. An' nine a'clock at night yo'll put it undahneat' de chimley, de no't [north] cornah, de no't side of de chimley. Put 'is pichure dere an' 'is name an' yore name. An' put it - life up de foot of yore baid an' put it undahneat' dere nine days. He comin' back.
Entry 3842
Yo' take a pin an' scratch yo'self until yo' bleed, an' den take de blood an' write de girl's name. Jis' like if it's a girl yo' in love wit, write dat name wit dat pin wit de blood, an' send 'er dat lettah an' she would come regardless tuh where yo' wuz. She would come an' see yo'. (Do you mean you just write her an ordinary letter first, or just write her name on it?) Jis' write a or'nary lettah firs' den sign yore name wit dat blood.
Entry 3844
Prick yo' fingah an' git chure blood.
(Which finger?)
Dis fingah [demonstrates].
(The finger with the ring on, the ring finger of the left hand.)
Dat's it. Yo' prick it an' yo' git chure blood an' yo' write his name full an' yore [woman'sl name full. Den yo' make three rings aroun' dat wit de blood. An' yo' fold dat papah, yo' know, dis way, de two ends in, an' yo' bury it undah de no'th end of de house. Dat'll bring a person back tuh yo' regardless tuh who it is. It'll make him come back tuh dat pahtic'lah place. Dat'll bring anybody back. (If your husband has left, if you put the two names together.)
Entry 3847
De blood, yo' could take dat an' yo could put dat in a bot- tle. Yo' stop dat up, yo' put dat in a bottle. An' yo' put red peppah, sulphuh an' gunpowdah in dat. An' yo' stop dat up airtight, a person blood, an' dat stop dat blood from trans- mission. Dat stop dere passin' of de blood.
(The blood from any part of the body?)
Yeah.
Entry 3848
I have heard of a class of people who would get a hold of your blood. They get that from any part they can get it: from your finger, your feet or your head. And they would bury it on the shore at ebb tide, an' when the tide came in, that would flow with the tide and make them crazy. [Hampton, Va., (24, informant 8 when Civil War began), by Ediphone.] [The preceding words, all meaning the same thing, are a few of the terms to be found in the following material. White people used the same and other expres- sions. Remember, these names were collected a generation ago (before the present moment, March 1973) and are not exhaustive for their time. A careful examination of HOODOO will show that sex was not gathered for the sake of sex, but as a part of the total study.]
Entry 3849
[Here is one of those rites saying much in few words. Either the briefness of the rite deceived me or I was too tired to react immediately with questions.] (What do you do with the woman's period now?) Take it an' put it on a little piece of cloth, jes' LAK YO' WANTA EXAMINE YO'SELF AN' SEND YORE BLOOD OFF. PUT IT ON A PIECE OF PAPAH WHERE YO' KIN SEE IT, WHERE YO' DON'T SEE BUT NINE PIECES OF IT. Take it an' sew it up in a piece of cloth, an' drop it in runnin' watah. [Informant tells me a woman worried about her condition and wanta examine yo'- self (have yourself examined) can have her blood tested by putting 9 pieces or drops of it on a piece of paper where yo' kin see it and send (or mail) yore blood off. Several times in HOODOO I speak about doctors aping M.D.'s: the old medical kit, diploma on wall, calling themselves doctors, labeling medicine, the bright light, examining urine, etc. In the present instance we have a clever Operator who presumably gives blood tests by mail! Actually he avoids United States postal law by not appearing in the transaction, using a second person who may add another go-between. Or, if he becomes involved, he is a spiritual healer, who answers by letter: The specimen merely means God cures everything. I am working on your case. I cannot accept money for God's work. You feel bet- ter even now and soon will be cured. That will be time to send a thank offer- ing to help God's work along etc.
Entry 3976
Ah heard dat chew cud [could] take some dere. wearin' apparels, an' it said in person dat yo' cud place dem, an' read certain po'tion of Scriptures an dey wud [would] be removed [killed].
(Where would they place these pieces of clothing?)
In runnin' watah an' when all dat blood wud wash away - dat's de way mah mothah wuz killed - an' dat chew'll pass away.
(You do this in particular to the woman?)
Yessuh.
(Do you know what portion of Scripture you read on that?)
Yas, de 37th Psalms of David. [Either Psalm 37 is a guess or quoted out of context: For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb (King James Version). With- er has little in common with running water.]
Entry 5055
Now de woman is gone, she's gone. She jis' pick up 'erself an' gone out. She boun' tuh leave somepin in dere. Now, dat's whut she lef' in dere - dat be a cloth, a blood cloth. Well, yuh might ketch it. She might leave dat. Well, yuh ketch dat an' yuh kin take dat an' bury dat. Now, dat stockin' when she leaves, yuh take dat stockin'. Don' pin it up lak by de laig, yuh pin it up by de toe, yuh undahstan'. Yuh git chew a bran'- new - a pack of bran'-new safety pins, but don' take an' let dat git away from yuh. Jis' keep dat perfec' [perfect] fo' dat. Take it an' shove it [pin] back dere, right in de stockin' foot.
(Where do you hang it up?)
In yore dressah or in yore chiffahrobe [chifforobe], or whutsomevah yuh got. Yuh got'a hang it in dere, but hang it upside down. Now de name. Write her name nine times. Now yuh take an' yuh write de name an' yuh put dat in a bottle. Write de name nine times comin' tuh yuh all de time, not goin' from yuh, comin' tuh yuh nine times. Yuh fol' dat an' yuh put dat in a bottle. Yuh git chew some lodestone an' put dat in dere in dat clear watah, an' carry dat tuh a rivah or bayou. Ah don' care where yuh carry it; tuh de creek or anywhere. Don't set it up, turn dat down. When yuh turn dat down, dat bottle goin' turn lak dis [demonstrates]. Turn comin' tuh yuh. De mouth of it will turn comin' tuh yuh all de time. It's be comin' tuh yuh an' it'll be goin'. In nine days yuh'll see 'em right dere. [Algiers, La., (193, 2993:2.]
Entry 5811
In order to make a person lose his mind, it is said you take several strands of hair from his head and put into a bottle, and three or four drops of blood from any animal. This bottle is buried and kept buried for six months, in ohich time the person to which the hair belonged will become very sick and then vill die. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 6170
Ah have heard from people dat chew could go to de fork of de road an' see all kind of scarey things lak dat an' people kin fix yo' lak dat. (How would they fix you like that?) Well, dey kin take - some people take yore hair an' den prick one of yore fingahs till it bleed, git three drops of blood, an' have yo' crazy where yo' jis' walk a lot. (I want you to tell me the details. What would they do with that three drops of blood they got from your finger?) Dey takes it an' put it on yore hair an' dey take it an' sew it up an' dey kin fix yo' dataway where yo' won't even love no woman or anything lak dat.
(Well, what do they do with that hair then, after they put that blood on it?)
Well, dey kin wear it. (Well, now a person would get my hair and then put her blood on my hair and sew it up?) Shure, an' den yo' begin to love nobody but 'er.
Entry 6452
All right, now, heah's anothah one yo' kin take. Yo' be's roun' some person an' yo'll say, "Lemme look at yore feet." Yo' kin take - yo' know dis heah thick skin dat be's in de bottom of a person's feet. Yo' kin scrape out dis thick skin. Jis' scrape a li'le bit offen dis thick skin an' hold it in yore han'. An' if yo' wanta trick a person, undahstan', jis' lak yo' roun' an' someone sleepin' heah, an' yo'all had a argu- ment or sompin, see. Yo' take dat dere scale offen de bottom of dere skin an git chew some sulphuh, undahstan', an' yo' git chew some red peppah. Well, yo' mix dat tuhgethah. All right, den yo' go an' git chew some wild animal blood, an' put dat in dere. All right, aftah yo' mix dat up good, yo' git chew a li'le box, an' put it in a li'le box an' carry it in yore pocket. An' de nex' thing yo' do wit it, yo' carry it tuh a graveyard. See, yo' goes tuh de graveyard an' yo' do's lak dis, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' stan' up [demonstrates], an' de grave is back dere, yo' stan' up by dis grave [like this].
(You stand up with your back to the grave.)
Wit yore back to de grave, an' yo' chunk dat an' yo' say, "Ah hope yo' go 'vay from me. Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, go 'way." Yo' throw dis back when yo' speak de las' words. Dey gone an' yo' don' have no mo' trouble wit 'em.
(What will that do to them then?)
Well, he'll leave yo' an' yo'll nevah see 'im any mo'. Yo'll nevah see him any mo' an' nevah have no mo' [trouble].
Entry 6545
You take frogs and kill them and get their blood, and put it in a bottle and keep it, and put it in some- thing they eat and frogs will be in them. You can hear them hollering the same as in the spring.
Entry 6546
Yo' kin git de blood from a frog an' yo' kin put dat in whiskey an' let em drink it an' dat'll cuz frogs tuh be in 'em.
Entry 6547
Yo' take a toadfrog an' jis' lak yo' drink sweet milk, ah'll put a drog of 'is blood in dis sweet milk, an' in nine days it will come in yore body.
Entry 6548
Yo' kin take a toadfrog an' hang 'im up an' kill 'im. Hang 'im fron' de fiah an' git nine drops of blood out dis frog an' put it in whiskey. Take de frog an' take an' kill 'im. If yo' kin git a snake, yo' kin take an' kill a snake an' git nine drops of 'is blood, an' put it in whiskey fo' yo'. It won' kill yo' right away. Yo' gon'a live an' be sick, but atter while dey gon'a be so big [inside you] dey kill yo'.
(How do they get those live things out?)
Well, lak dey put 'em in yo'. Go ketch yo' a snake an' don' kill 'im. Jis' split 'im open 'live an' - lak he's mad hot - an' smash it on dere, an' dat takes [those live things] outa yo'.
(Well, how do you get those frogs out?)
De same way wit snakes. Don' kill de frog, jis' ketch de frog while it's hot. Jis' play wit 'im or somepin an' make 'im mad. An' git 'im while he's mad, yo' see, an' split 'im right open an' slap it right on dat place, an' it will take de frogs out.
Entry 6550
Dey use a frog. Kin take a frog an' kill 'im, an' git a drop of 'is blood an' a drop of someone's blood an' put it tuhgethah. An' put it in some coffee or whiskey or tea or sompin lak dat, an' give it tuh dem tuh drink. Well, dey'll be poisoned an' go crazy an' yo' have tuh send 'em tuh 'sylum.
Entry 6577
Ah heard a woman in Birmingham, Ala., say dat if yo' had a enemy an' if yo' wanta git de enemy out de way, say yo' could take a lizard an' dreene [drain] it. Yo' know, make de blood come outa it. An' take dat lizard's blood an' put it on a rag all de way roun' de rag. An' den take dat bloodly rag from de lizard an' put it in de band of a hat. An' dey said dat yo could take dat from a lizard an' put it in dere, an' in nine days, lizards be run- nin' all roun' in yore haid an' up an' down yore body.
Entry 6586
Take a scorpion, jis' lak yo' wanta scorpion, yo'd have one drop of blood, an' de joint of 'is tail give it tuh 'im.
(Just one drop of blood and [from] his tail.)
Take a joint. Evah joint's a drop of blood an' evah joint of blood will make a scorpion. Yo' jis' drop one drop in dere an' give it tuh a person, well dere will come a scor- pion. Yo' have dat little thing in dere cuz ah done see 'em right in dey feets. De feets git lak dat, gits swelled up.
(Is there any way of getting those things out?)
Not unless yo' see a person, de person dat gives it tuh yo' tuh git it. Dey kin take it, but how he take it out ah wouldn't know jis' how he take it.
Entry 6587
They tell me that you can take an egg and cut off a scorpion's head and put with that egg, and then take the blood and mark it around that egg so many times, nine times they claim, and then take the blood of an individ- ual and do the same thing. And then take that egg and that scorpion head and bury that, and the individual who has to travel and walk over that will get to a place they claim that he'll have scorpions in him.
Entry 6609
Yo' take a snake an' when he git angry kill 'im. An' dey take dat snake an' hang 'im up an' let dat blood drip. An' when de blood drip, take dat blood in a bottle an', lak if any- body dat yo' don' lak, a person yo' don' lak, yo' put dat blood intuh dere whiskey. An' dat poison a person. Say dat put live snakes in some persons.
Entry 6610
(What do they do with that snake blood now?)
Dey take de snake an' kill de snake while de blood is warm, yo' know, befo' de snake git cold, yo' see. An' take de blood an' put in milk or coffee, but if dey put it in coffee it won' show up as bad, dey say. An' yo' drink it, an' dat'll have snakes in yo'. De little snakes will crawl all dhrough.
Entry 6611
Now, dey tell me tuh take a snake, cut de snake's head off, let 'im drip, an' while his blood is drippin' ketch de blood in somepin as it drips. Jis' as many drops of dat blood yo' ketch, jis' as I - if I is a enemy, jis' how many snakes yo' desire tuh be in me, an' I lie - yo' let dat blood drip - drop - fall intuh some vessel. Whut kinda whiskey I drink, why yo' po' dat whiskey drink on dis blood, an' shake it in dere wit dis whiskey. Shake it tuhgethah an' give me dis whiskey tuh drink. Very soon I'll come tuh be fulla snakes.
(You'll have little snakes in you from those drops of blood?)
Yes, dat's right.
Entry 6612
Ah heard 'em say yo' kin take an' ketch a blacksnake an' cut 'is head, yo' know, an' hang 'em up by de tail an' let dat blood drip in somepin. Put it in a bottle an' lak if yore frien's come roun', anybody come, yore frien's or prob'- ly yore enemies too, an' if yo' don' lak 'em, an' lak if yo' have a li'le coffee at dinnah or somepin lak dat, yo' put a li'le bit dat on dere cup an' dat will kill 'em instan'ly.
(What?)
De snake will kill 'em.
Entry 6613
Git a snake an' put a snake in yo'. Dey kin go ketch a snake an' kill it, cut 'is head off an' hang 'im on de limb [of a tree] by de tail. Tie a string aroun' 'is tail an' hang 'im up an' put a tin cup or tin plate undah 'im an' ketch 'is blood. Let 'im bleed in dat tin plate or tin cup, whutevah it is. Now dey take dat blood an' dey kin put dat blood intuh yore food or somepin tuh drink; or dey kin let dat blood dry until it comes jis' tuh a hard powdah. Dey kin sprinkle it in yore shoes. An' de perspiration from yore feet will such up de strength of dat blood an' cuz yore body tuh attract dat, an' it will go all through de body an' kill de body. An' it will be crawlin' jis' undah de skin, all about, mostly from de point where dey entered. Depends upon how long it is when it gits in de stomic an' come on up. An' he'll choke yo' tryin' tuh come on up.
Entry 6614
If you walk upon [meet] a snake or lizard, catch him, don't kill him, hang him up by his head with a string around his neck. Cut off the top [tip] of his tail, and put a bowl right under his tail and catch his blood, dry it. You have to catch all of this blood until he is dead. Then you take him and lay him up on a dry place and dry him. His bones and his flesh, after it gets dry, you powder it up. You take this and this blood and mix it, and they put it down for you. They'll dig a hole in front of your door and put this in that hole and call the Lord's Name: Lord, Jesus Christ, His Namesake. You fill it up, take three steps backward, and say: Now, I've got you; that will hold you, that will take you away to an unknown world. When he comes along and steps over that, he's gone. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 6615
Well, yo' kin take de blood outa scorpion, eithah snake, eithah one, an' put it intuh a person's food In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' dey'll becone tuh have snakes in 'em, or scorpions in 'em. Den if yo' wan' dose outa dere, yo' git chew some salt, red peppah, sulphuh. Combine 'em tuhgethah an' let 'em take it fo' nine mawnin's In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost. An' dat soon will git 'em out.
(Get those live things out?)
Yes sir.
Entry 6616
I know of a man who used to kill snakes and bleed them. He cut them under the throat and let them bleed in a can and he would take that blood and get one drop in anyone's food and that would kill them.[Fredericksburg, Va., (67), happened years before 1936 (date of collecting) near Woodford, Caroline Co., Va.)
Entry 6617
Ketch a small snake 'live an' put 'im in some whiskey - cut 'im an' let de blood, a couple-a drops of blood drop intuh dat whiskey, an' give it tuh a person dat chew wanta have 'em. An' dere. will grow in 'em live snakes, in de person. (How do they get those snakes out?) Well, now, how dey would git de snakes out. Co'se dey would have tuh be got out by some othah person.
Entry 6618
Ketch a blacksnake an' jis' hang 'im up, cut 'is haid off an' let nine drops of blood drop in a cup. See, an' yo' put dat in whiskey an' give it tuh most anybody dat yo' think have harmed yo'. Well, dat poison, yo' see. Dat's poison den. (What will that do to them?) It would create snakes in dem. An' aftah a long while dat would kill 'em.
Entry 6669
[The best terrapin story in Hoodoo, a remarkable one, will be found in No.10, p.7.1 Yo' kin ketch a terrapin, dese streaked-laig terrapin. Dey tell me yo' kin ketch dose an' sech as gophahs lak dat. [Gopher along the coast of the southern states of U. S. A., is a burrowing land tortise Gopherus polyphemus.] Dey tell me dat it ain't but one way dat a person kin git dose live in yo'. Say dey'll take dem an' kill dem an' put dem out in de sun an' let 'em dry fo' so many days. Den take it an' pound it up an' put it in stuff fo' yo' tuh drink. Dey say when it mix in yore blood it'll commence tuh create dese live things.
Entry 6681
Yo' kin take a drop of frog blood, an' a drop of snake blood, an' a drop of dese here wood sawyahs. He's in dis ole rotten wood, wit a flat haid. (He's in the wood, sort of a worm. What color is the worm?) White, with a flat haid. Take dat blood an' put it on a sandwich an' give it tuh anybody; an' if dey eat dat, dose things will grow in 'em. (They take these drops from each one of these three things and put it on the sandwich, separately or what?) No, put 'em on dere tuhgethah.
Entry 6815
[Gopher, here, is the burrowing land tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) of the southern coastal regions, U. S. A.] Dat's if yo' wuz poisoned, an' it ain't no doctor [M.D.] kin cure it. Yo' kin ketch a gopher, pull 'is right laig out - yo' know he's got fo' laigs - de right- front laig. Jis' snatch it out, de blood's comin' from it. Well, yo' take dat blood an' put it in some warm water. Ah don' care whut's in yo', if somebody put in yo', dat blood an' some warm water, drink it as hot as yo' kin stand, an' it's comin' out. Ah don' care if it's 'live. He can't stay dere, he comin' out.
(What does a gopher look like?)
Well, it looks jis' lak a turtle, only dey haven't got a long tail. Dey got a hard shell.
Entry 6820
Take de grapevine an' de gourd vine an' dese things dey call sunflow- ahs, an' yo' kin make a tea wi' dat. An' dat is very good tuh take fo' de blood if anyone go tuh work an' work on yore blood agains' chuh. Well, yo' kin go tuh work an' work wit dat, an' nobody kin nevah hurt chew. A gourd vine is a very simple medicine tuh take against poison any time. If anybody take it, dey nevah git poisoned.
(Well, what would they take from the gourd vine?)
Jis' de leaves, eithah de vine.
Entry 6982
Ah've had de claps so bad until ah didn't do nuthin but a solid stream of blood evah time ah made watah. An' ah went tuh Dr. O'Leary here an' he vashed mah bladdah out an' he tole me, he said, "Yo' got a sore on de end of yo' bladdah. Yo' been havin' dat - yo' been ovahstrainin' so long until it's worked back up intuh yo' stomic." (This doctor, was he a medical doctor?) Yes, an' he nevah did do me no good. So finely, ah one day, ah wuz workin' at de shop down dere, ah ovaheerded someone, a fellah, talkin'. An' ah says, "Well, ah'm goin' tuh use dat remedy. Ah went right on home an' tried it. He says get a pint of, a bottle, an' fill it half-fulla meal.
(What kind of meal?)
Half-fulla cornmeal.
(Half-full of cornmeal.)
An' put nine drops of turpentine in dere. Den git chew some rain watah an' fill dat bottle up. An' den shake it up right good 'till it all resolve [dis- solve] an' yo' know - when it resolve [dissolve] down de meal, dat brings it down about dat low [demonstrates]. Den yo' see it sinks down in dat watah. Yo' shake it up an' take a good swallah outa dat three times a day, an' dat cleah yo' out. Ah don' care whut's de mattah wit chew. Well, ah had it so bad dat ah couldn't hardly walk, it burned me tuh walk. [I fixed] dat jah [jar] mahself, yo' know. An' ah say, "Ah'm goin' home an' try dat." Now, dis, dis is by ex- perience. Ah've done it twice. Evah time ah have it an' I've tole othah men about it. Ah know a frien' dat done dat. Ah fixed 'im a bottle of it an' it Cured 'im. Ah carried - ah goes home an' ah gits me a pint bottle, an' ah fills it half fulla meal, an' ah gits dis rain watah. [Here, thinking that informant was merely repeating, I stopped recording to save cylinder space; but immediately realizing that he was adding something new, I restarted machine to ask what he did with the cork.]
(What did you do with that cork?)
Put a trench in dat stoppah so de air will jis' sour dat meal, sour it where de air kin git out an' it won' blow de cork out or eithah bus' de bottle.
(I see.)
Or put chew a papah stoppah or somepin, so dat it won't be so tight. Well, in about three days dat will be good an' sour, an' it have a good taste from dat tarpentine. An' dat'll rid yo' - ease yo' an' cure yo' up.
Entry 6997
She kin take some beef blood an' put it in some whiskey yo' know, an' give dat tuh 'im. Yo' jis' put nine drops in dere at de time, yo' know, an' let 'im drink dat. An' dat'll make 'im sick an' dat'll turn 'im against it.
Entry 7001
[The rite under the present number and the rite to follow under a sep- arate number are almost identical, yet each comes from a different person and trip to Memphis. For a similar situation, see my introductory note on p.1872 to interVieW EUREKA HOTEL WHERE I INTERVIEWED IN MEMPHIS BUILT BY THE DEAD.1 Git a catfish whilst he's live an' stick 'im in de tail, an' ketch dat blood an' put it intuh - make it up firs' 'fore yo' put it in dere cuz de whiskey'll cook it an' make it lumpy. But chew make it up in jis' a li'le watah an' den yo' put it intuh dis whiskey an' shake it up. An' give it tuh dat man an' he won' want no mo' whiskey.
Entry 7002
Take a catfish an' git 'is blood. Stick de fish in 'is tail - he have tuh be 'live - stick 'im in 'is tail an' ketch dat blood an' mix it up in watah first, becuz de whiskey will cook de blood. Mix it up in watah an' den put it in whiskey an' shake it up an' give it tuh 'em. Dat'll prevent 'im from drink- in'.
Entry 7003
Well, she go tuh a market where she kin buy a catfish, a small-size cat. Bring 'im home an' wash 'im off nice an' clean. Split 'im on both sides of 'is tail about a inch an' a half down tuh de end of 'is tail. Hol' a saucah, a white saucah undah dere an' let de blood drip in dere. Git 'im a half a pinta whiskey an' put dat in de whiskey an' put it where he kin drink it. An' he'll nevah tech no mo' as long as he live, an' ah'll guarantee he won't.
Entry 7009
Yo' kin take a catfish or use some of de slime offa his hide, or eithah cut 'im an' git somea his blood - maybe a teaspoonful an' put it in 'is drink an' git even wit 'im. Or, if yo' wanta stop 'em from drinkin', yo' see, well, yo' see, yo' don't use quite as much, jis' a li'le. Give him dat in a drink an' he'll nevah drink no mo'. Put it intuh whiskey an' let it stay in dere fo' prob'ly, well, twenty-fo' hours. Den yo' strain it if yo' see anythin'aroun' through it. An' if dey drinks dat whiskey wit dat fish blood in it, he'll go an' throw up [vomit] - he'll try tuh turn 'is insides out. Dat's worse den eatin' [too much]. An' dat's somepin yo' kin do [to stop a person from drinking].
[Record very indistinct here so last few lines cannot be transcribed.]
But [if] yo' don't use nuthin but de slime, dat's [to] stop yo' from drinkin'; but if yo' use dat dere catfish blood, it'll kill yo'.
(It'll kill you, but the slime will cure you from drinking.)
De slime will absolutely stop yo' from drinkin'. Dat make 'im heave up a li'le, but dat blood [will kill him].
Entry 7023
(You get what?) A eel, yo' see, one of dem fisheels. Yo' git chew a live fisheel an' git one drop of blood from 'im. Now yo' take dat drop of blood an' yo' drop it in de drink dat de man is goin' tuh drink, an' den he ain't goin' tuh drink no mo'. (I see.)
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 7192
Mah mothah's [mother wasl poisoned. In cloudy weathah lak dis she got a frog run up an' down 'uh ahms [arms].
(Only in cloudy weather?)
[We have had TIME AND HOODOO SPELL: (1) Pyschological, (2) Chronological, and
(3) Spiritual, pp.349-361). Here the weather influences hoodoo spells.]
Only in cloudy weathah. An' yo' kin see dem jis' plain runnin' up an' down 'uh ahms. A woman gave huh snake blood on account of mah fathah. Dis woman doin' [that] fuh [on account of], fathah. An' she gave huh snake blood in tomatoes an' she et it. An' dat's whu' cuz [what caused] dem frogs tuh run up an' down 'uh ahms. Yo' cain't see [them] until it's cloudy weathah. Mah mothah only weighs 75 pounds. She's vury pō' [poor in health] an de' [dey = they] killed mah fathah. (They killed him? Well, has your mother gone to a root doctor to find out what's wrong?) Yes.
(What does he do for it, anything?)
He did take some money but ah don' think he kin cure huh. He's a man over at [some place I could not understand and considered it fruitless to ask for a spelling] an' dey call 'im Doctah Buzzard. Ah've guess yo've hear'd speak about 'im.
(I've heard of him. He used to be in Beaufort [Bu-fěrt] County.)
He still ovah in Beaufort County. Well, HE'S A GENUINE "ROOT MAN," yo' see. [Notice the word genuine, indicating some doctors are frauds or use few roots. Notice, too, how informant changes my root doctor to the older root man.]
(Does he come into Charleston?)
He don't come ovah here. Evahbody has tuh go ovah dere tuh see him. [For more about Doctor Buzzard, see pp.891-905.]
Entry 7363
Now, yo' kin take a man, jes' lak ah jes' go out dere an' kill a man. Well, ah'd make mah escape an' dere didn't nobody know who did it. Den yo' know somebody has fresh hen aigs fresh. Yo' goes an' gits two aigs an' put one in each one of mah han's - in de daid man's han's, an' den keep 'im out de ground 24 hours. An' at de end of 24 hours ah'll be standin' right dere.
[For use of eggs to discover or bring back murderer, see later.]
[Another method:]
Dey'd have me put mah han' on 'im, an' de minute ah put mah han' on 'im, de blood goin' go free from him lak ah jes' done it.
Entry 7371
There has always been a saying that where a person is murdered or killed that any of the blood has been spilled, you can always tell because it will show itself afresh whenever it's cloudy weather or raining. The stain will become inevitable in the floor, if it's on a board, and it can't be prevented. You can scrub it but it will always come during stormy rainy weather. [New York City, by Ediphone, informant No.lO, from near Orangeburg, S. Car.]
Entry 7627
(Right from the beginning now.)
Well, right from de beginnin' of it is: Yo' takes it from anyone dat has died bad, yo' see, an' yo' goes tuh de grave an' yuh jis' tell 'em whut chew wan' 'em do fer yuh, yo' see, any troubles of any kin. (When do you go out there?) Well, yo'll have tuh go out at de nighttime, see. An' den yo' axe 'em dese questions, yo' know. YO'LL SEE 'EM SETTIN' UP ON DE GRAVE. AN' DEN YO' AXE HIM IF HE GOIN' DO DIS FER YO', yo' unnahstan'. WHUT WOULD HE DESIRE FER YO' TUH GIVE HIM. Well, IF HE'D WANT A CHICKEN, Well yo'd kill de chicken an' YO'D BRING TUH 'IM DE BLOOD, yo' know, INTAH A BOTTLE. Or if he wanted whiskey, why yo'...
[I interrupt.]
(What would you do with that blood then?)
Well, yo'd po' it right down on de grave.
(On the grave?)
Right tuh de foot of de grave. Yo'll jis'...
[I interrupt before I forget informant mentioned whiskey.]
(I see. And what if he wants whiskey?)
An' if he wanted whiskey, why yo' pour it in de same place.
(I see. And what else do you do then?)
Well, AFTAH YO' DONE DO DAT YO' UNNAHSTAND, JIS' WHEREVAH YO' GO YO' SEE, WHY HE'LL ALWAYS BE WIT CHEW. AN' YO'LL BE SO YO' KIN JIS' DISENTANGLE YUHSELF ANY TIME, INTUH ANYTHING DAT YO' WANTA BE. (I see. And didn't you say something about praying? What did you say about praying?) PRAYIN'? OH, YEAH! DAT'S RIGHT, AH DID. IT WILL BE UNUSEFUL FER YUH TUH PRAY ANY MORE, 'CUZ YUH DONE GIVED YUHSELF AWAY. [I now ask what he means without suggesting that he has sold himself to the devil.] (And is he supposed - is that supposed to be anybody special? Or just a dead man?) Anyone who died bad, especially if dey know yuh, yo' unnahstan'. Yo' KNOW INTUH A GRAVEYARD IS A VERY BAD PLACE TUH GO IF YUH NOT KNOWIN' ANYONE, YO' UNNAHSTAN'. If a [something? Evil spirit?] will come befo' yuh, yo' might make yo' a rich man yuhself. [There is just a suggestion here that you could sell yourself to an evil spirit.]
(I see.)
Entry 7632
Yo' kin take de graveyard dirt an' boll it an' put it in a bottle dat kin broke easy. An' yo' an' a person come in contact, dey fixin' tuh fight [you], if yo' git a chance tuh break dat bottle ovah dere haid an' cut dem an' bring de blood out, why dey'll linger an' pine away an' die. (You do that if you think you are going to get into a fight, get into a fight with anyone?) Yes. See, see him comin', why crack dat bottle ovah his head an' bring a little bit of blood an' let de watah run down. [I suggest that the graveyard dirt is boiled to arouse the captured spirit of the graveyard dirt to fighting madness.]
Entry 8015
Ah learn how yo' kin kill a dog. See, yo' kin take an' kill a dog, yo' know, an' dig a hole, see. Yo' put dis dog in de hole, undahstan', an' have his haid up, yo' see, an' have his feets up. See, have him propped up in dat dere hole good an' solid, undah- stand. An' den yo' take an' git a li'le of dat dog's blood. As yo' covah dat dog up, see, befo' - don' put no blood on top of de dog when yo' take de blood, but aftah yo' git 'im covahed up, den puts dirt on top of 'im yo' undahstan' an' put de blood on top of de dirt, on de grave. Jes' sprinkle it down in dere, sprinkle it good. See, yo' let it drop back down in dere an' yo' drop back heah. All right, de time when yo' kivahin' [covering] up dis heah grave wit dis dog in it, yo' name dis person nine times. Yo' name de person nine times. An' when yo' name de person nine times, aftah yo' name dis person nine times, why yo' keep on po'in'[pouring] dat down, an' yo' say, "Daid, daid, daid, ah hope yo' be dyin'." An' nine days aftah yo' name dis dog nine times an' covah him up, in nine days dem people is daid.
(You do this to get rid of an enemy?)
Yassuh.
Entry 8085
They take it [photograph] an' lay it flat on its face, an' then take two drops of chicken blood an' cross that, and then pray ovah that: Our Fathah who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, let thy kingdom come, let thy will be done. An' then that will work for you then on your photograph.
(What would that do?)
Well, according as they use it, jis' like I said; why then accordin' to what they wan'a do. If they wan'a be good to you or wan'a be mean to you, or somepin like that, well you could do that, choo see. [The cross is made by dipping the f an "x" or cross. finger into chicken blood twice, each time drawing the stroke of an "X" or cross. Yes the Our Father Prayer can be used for evil as well as good.]
Entry 8485
Well, dey says dat dey kin git chure blood an' write chure name, an' evah whut dey wanta do tuh yuh, write dat wit yore blood. Say, if dey want chew tuh go crazy, say yo'll go crazy; an' if dey want chew tuh leave town, yo'll leave town. If dey want chew tuh stay right dere wit dem - evah whut dey want chew tuh do, why dey write dat aftah dey write chure name an' yo'll stay right dere; but chew gotta take dat, aftah yo' write it, an' put it in a secret place where cain't nobody put dere hands on it but chew.
Entry 10591
A leather-wing bat, now, understan'. Now, if yo' wanta sell a fellah a hot hand fo' gamblin', go an' ketch yo' a leather-wing bat. Git him alive. Sometime dey go in people's house an' dey knock 'em down wit brooms, in de summertime, dey fly in [there being no screens]. Knock 'em down wit a ole broom, or yo' kin go in ole stumps or ole logs where dey roost at an' yo' kin git 'em out dat-a-way. Yo' can't find 'em in daytime. Yo' take de leather-wing bat an' yo' set right down an' take yore kife, a ole lknife or somepin lak dat an' split him right open in de back. Jes' split it right open while he's live, split him right open in de back jes' lak dat, zo'reach up dere in his left side an' git his little heart out. It's a little ean, de biggest one dey is about lak dat [demonstrates]. Git his little beart ota dere 'bout lak dat. An' he ain't even daid. While he 'live git dat heart ou of dere. Jes' take yore finger an' pull dat heart out. Take dat heart an' go on back wit it, don' wash de blood off, not nuthin. An' git chew a red, an' ah mean red, too; a red an' blue piece of ribbon. Jes' as red [informant points] as dat ring round dat big coffee cup. [In Fayetteville, N. Car., I worked in a kitchen-dining room and I still remember it vaguely.] Let it be jes' 'bout dat wide, an' take it an' set it right down an' lay dat heart in dere, an' sew dat heart up in dat ribbon. Have it long enough an' sew it up in dere good an' tight. Take dat bat heart an' yo' wear it on yo' right han' [see later]. Take dat bat heart in dat piece of ribbon, sew it, make it kind of a belt-lak an' carry it up dere round yore wrist yo' understand, above de elbow, up heah, understand. Fit it up dere, sew dat on dere tight so it fit lak a belt, won't slip off, an' wear it on dere. Sleep wit it on dere. As long as dat bat heart stays in dere lak dat, yo' kin do any kinda bettin' dat yo' want done. Yo' kin win money an' gamble wit it, understand, an' yo' kin go out an' steal it. Go out an' do anything lak dat, an' people could shoot at chew, an' nine times to one, dey nevah hit chew. Wit dat bat heart yo' kin dodge bullets yo' kin dodge a shot.
Entry 9877
A green frog. All right, yo' kin put dat green frog - take him an' othah 'im in a towel. (Smother him in a towel.) Smothah 'im. Jis' smothah 'im an' yo' take dat same - den yo' take 'im an' cut 'im an' let 'im bleed, an' drop jis' nine drops in watah, er in whiskey, an' let 'em tuh drink it. An' dat frog'll come in 'im, jis' hatch in 'im jis' lak it would in de watah. [Live frogs will be born in the victim.]
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 10719
An old note of ine in red ink reads: Good ills- tration of "intention"[[pover of what you intend to doll & my difficulty trying to have informant say without putting my words into his outh.] Yo' could take a bird - yo' know birds mating, yo' know birds, an' take too of 'em whut mates an' take an' cut one of 'em's throat an' let de blood run in de nmnin' watah, an' loose de othah one. De othah one, dat will svell up an' die. Dat jest de way de man do, whensomevah yo' have an enemy dat gives yo' any- thing lak dat. Dey'll swell up an' die. (Well, how do you know that anyone will die? Do you have to do something else with that?) He jest take sick. Yo' put dat blood in dat runnin' watah. Ketch 'em both, but when yo' git 'em to de watah, cut one of 'em's throat an' let de blood run in de watah, an' loose de othah one. An' de one whut's a bad enemy against yo'; dey'll take sick - go to swelling up. (Well, how do you connect these birds with the enemy? Don't you have to con- nect them in some way?) Well, yo' kin jest tell de enemy, yo' know, he take sick. Yo' know who is by his taking sick. He takes sick den an' he keeps alingering an' he swell up an' die.
(When you are doing this, you have to have the enemy in mind.)
De enemy in mind, whosomevah is a enemy against me. Yo' may not know jest who it is, but yo' know yo's [you hasl a mortal enemy about. Yo' know lak dat. Yo' have it in yore mind lak dat.
(You take any kind of birds that are mates.)
Dat are mates.
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 10959
Ah know 'zactly how tuh do dat. Co'se ah gits ten dollahs fo' dat. [This woman is a root doctor.] "Co'se ah don't tell nobody. De way dey do dat, dey take a black chicken an' kill dat black chicken, an' take a piece of paper, don't chew know, an' write dere name wit dat blood. An' den when yo' write dere name, yo' nail it down by de do'. Nail it down by de do' an' call dere name three times. An' ah don't care where dey is dey gotta come. A black chicken.
Entry 10961
Jis' lak if someone heah an' yo' don' want 'em heah. Yo' take dat chicken blood an' write dere name up ovah yore do', an' dat runs 'em from yore house. [Walking under (as well as over) something be- longing to you is always a serious business.]
Entry 10962
Dat chicken blood an' de bat heart, an' yo' take it an' put it in a bottle. An' take de chicken blood an' po' it into de bottle an' dat makes yo' lucky in yore home...an' de heart of a bat an' use de chicken blood.
Entry 10963
Ketch de blood when it's warm. When you kill a chicken, don't let de blood get cold, ketch it while it's warm, you see. And take and mix it with sul- phur in a can or anything and set it aside and just before it get cold, if you kin get dat person to bring some of that stuff on them, that will kill them. [This is done magically by putting on vic- tim's name or handing him something that has touched on contains the mixture.]
Entry 11033
Dey take a black hen feather an' take dat an' put it in some blood, an' den keep dat in a jar, an' dat'll keep yo' from bein' fussin' an' argument [arguing] all de time.
(What kind of blood do you put that in?)
Oh, yo' have to have some of de one whut chew thinkin' of, whut chew love. (Get some of their blood on this feather and keep it locked up and that is to make them love you?) Yes. Ah say yo' kin git a black hen an' take dat feather an' put it in blood of somebody whut chew love an' put it - but yo' gotta have it in dat jar or a bot- tle or sompin. Stop dat up an' keep it dere, so dat same party will be thick wit chew all de time.
Entry 11287
You go kill a deer.
(A deer?)
Oh, yeah! Kill a deer. It's a very tame animal. You kill a female deer, save the blood and save the fat out of the side for a salve. I get that. You know the female, what they call in the east you know, is a lamb and the buck's a man. Get that fat and fry it out. That fat, I don't mind giving that fat for that. That will bring it. That will fix him so that he kin have some woman about once or twice a month. That other thing, [whatever it Was], I could not give. It's too deadly.
Entry 11331
Ah said, jes' lak someone is gone an' yo' want 'em back home, why yo kin take a dove - git chew two doves. Kill one de doves an' let de othah one be live. Jes' lak, say fo' in- stance, yo' want Charlie tuh come home. Drop three drops of dat blood outa dat dead dove on de wings of dat live dove - on each wing - an' call Charlie's name wit each drop of blood. An' drop three on de next wing an' call Charlie's name. An' turn de live dove aloose an' let him go wit dose six drops of blood on his wings, yo' see. An' dat will bring de person back home whut chew wanted back.
Entry 11352
Well, yo' know, as ah first said, if somebody yo' have somepin in fo' 'em - ain't goin' de way yo' want 'em - tuh puttin' 'em tuh walkin' or sompin othah, anything. Well, yo' go down tuh de rivah an' yo' fish an' try tuh ketch a eel. Yo' know it's a long ole fish look lak a snake. Well, yo' cut de haid off an' have a bottle or a glass or sompin ready, an' hit's one drop of blood dat will drop from dis eel's haid. So yo'll take dat an' yo'll take some honey. An' dey'll take some honey an' de root dey call de High John de Con- ' kah an' dere's one dey call de Low John de Conkah. Well, yo' take dis root an' yo' boil dat an' yo' make a kind of a syrup-lak, an' as yo' go tuh dis friend or whoevah it is, house, an' jes' lak dey shoes be's sittin' undah de dressah - somewhere yo' know, round de house. Well, yo' kin drop three drops in de shoes or anywhere jes' so long as it be's neah de shoe or a little bit git on de shoe. An' yo' kin say whatevah yo' want tuh be done, "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost." An' in de limits of time, dey say it will come tuh pass.
(What did you do with that drop of eel's blood? What did you do with that?)
Yo' take dis drop of eel's blood an' yo' fixes it wit dis honey an' dis othah root - High John de Conkah.
Entry 12004
If you put hair and snake blood in a bottle and add wine, it will poison the person who drinks it. [Baltimore, but information from Charlotte Co., Va., 60:1.]
Entry 12294
To bring someone to you, prick finger with needle, write his name or initial with the blood on piece of paper, fold to you 3 times longways, turn it and fold it to you 3 times shortways, put in bowl of lamp, burn for 9 days and nights. [Here is one of those interest- ing folding rites so well illustrated in HOODOO: to fold to you or away from you, fold into triangles or squares, etc. [This is my pencil resume of rite, attached here to original MS, before original material lost. Informant "excellent, " I note.]
Entry 12476
Well, if a person do sompin an' dey wanta git away an' dey got 'em trail'-lak, say fo' instance, dey put de policemen on dere track or put de bloodhoun's. Dey git bloodhoun's behin' 'em an' trail 'em. Dey git a piece of beef livah an' jes' rub dat blood in de bottom of dere shoes. Dey git 'em some garlic an' chop garlic up an' put it all in de bottom of dere shoes. An' wheresomevah dey makes a track, kin nuthin trail 'em.
Entry 12689
(Do what?)
You kin take a pigeon's blood, you know. And you take nine drops of a pigeon's blood an' take you some - just ltke you urinated or somepin like that. You take nine drops of that pigeon's blood and you drop it down in there. See, anywhere what you want me to go that's considered like a woman want a man, you understand. She ketch pigeon's blood and she takes your urinate and put it down in there, an' just do any way she wanta use you. Any Way she wants to do with you, she could do with you. You understand.
(How?)
"Cause she have your name and that blood, you know, all mixed up together with that urinate. See. And then they could take you, with that pigeon's blood again and plant you with that blood. You understand? Put your name and stain it with the pigeon blood and then they tie [that to pigeon and] unloose that pigeon and let that pigeon go. Den see, long as that pigeon flying, you just flying and going with a waverish mind, you understand. That pigeon just flying everywhere but still you don't know what it is all about. You see. And you - they got you tied up with pigeon blood, just long as it fly.
[I turn off machine too quickly.]
(What did you say then?)
See, like the pigeon'll die, yo'll die too.
Entry 10960
Dey use de chicken's blood fo' evilness, but now, it's somepin else dat dey have tuh use wit it. Dey takes chicken blood an' writes people's name wit it. Dey have tuh use a feathah. Dey take de feathah out of de chickens tail. Take an' write a person's name wit chicken's blood an' kill 'em. Why yo' uses dat feathah fo' yore pencil an' yo' kin write dere name in de fo' cornahs on anything an' fold de fo' cornahs, jes' lak dat. Why dat gives 'em a awful mind. If it don't kill 'em it will jes' [have] dem passin' away all de time. (What do you do with that paper then, after it has those names on it?) Take dat papah aftah yo' put dat name on it an' bury it in undah dey do'steps or any place wit dat chicken blood on it. Yo' write dey name wit de chicken's blood, dey perfect [full] name fo' times on de fo' cornahs of dat papah, an' fold it an' bury it undah dere do'steps or undah yores, any- body's elses. It don't make any diff'rence jes' since it's in de earth. An' as dat chicken blood passes away, why it gives yo' success. Dey cain't stay any place.
Entry 12718
Get a rabbit leg. Go to the graveyard and get the left-hind foot of a rabbit and get some of that graveyard dust and put it in a sack and mix some - ah forget what the man did. But dey mixed it in with it. And you know, you'll die. You'll go crazy and be buried at de same graveyard where dey go - to a colored graveyard or white graveyard. Go to a colored graveyard for colored and go to a white graveyard for a white person [and do this] and you'll die. But I don't believe that. (But they have to catch this rabbit in the graveyard?) [This catching and blood mentioned later came before recording or while machine stopped.] Yes, sir.
(And what else did they put there besides the graveyard dust? What?)
And that little - three drops of blood.
(Of what?)
Rabbit's blood, you know, gotta ketch de rabbit.
(Oh, of the rabbit?)
Yes, sir.
(And did they put something else in it too or was that all?)
That's all I knows they put in it. That's all I've heard them say. I've never tried that. (Now, they use this graveyard dirt and this left rabbit foot. The hind or the front leg?) The hind left foot of a rabbit.
(And three drops of his blood. And then you put in - a sack or what?)
In a sack.
(And then you just bury it out there?)
Bury it at the person's doorstep. But they must go either to a colored or white grave, according to whether you are a colored or a white person?) Yes, sir.
Entry 13118
Dey says dat yo' kin take dat blood from snake an' put it in whiskey an' cause live things, yo' know, tuh be inside of anyone. [Fayetteville 2535:15.]
Entry 2947
If you think candles is burnin' on you, you kin burn one on [them] yoreself. Suppose dey says, "Well, dere's candles burnin' on you." Well, you burn a candle - break it in half, if you think a candle is burnin' on you or some reader [reading the cards for you] will tell you a candle is burnin' on you. Or you feel lak a candle's burnin' on you, git a candle an' break it in half, jis' half, [and]. read, well maybe 118 Psalms, an' light it. [For other broken candles, see p.816 and Index.]
(Do you light this candle you break? Or another one?)
Light dat one - it'll burn.
(Where do you light it?)
Jis' crack it lak that - [light it] de usual place. It'll remain [lean] ovah but it'll burn. That'll stop de othah candle from burnin'.
(How would I feel if I felt that a candle is being burnt on me?)
Oooh, you feel bad, feel somethin's been crossed, an' you say, "Well, ah musta been crossed. You feel bad. You feel bad all de time an' you jis' feel lak yore livah is outa ordah an' lak that. Maybe yore blood feel lak it's a little hot. Yo' don't rest well, an' yo' don't have no success, an' jis' lak feelin' down all de time.
Entry 4527
Whut chew kin do wit a man's hat. Now, yuh kin take a silvah dime. Yuh kin take a silvah dime an' plastah it tuh de centah of a man's hat back dere an' it'll change his mine [mind] from dif- f'ren' things. Jes' say, fo' an in- stance, if ah wuz stay- in' wit a lady an' she didn't wan' me tuh leave or somepin, well now, she would take dat silvah dime, see; an' me not payin' no 'tenshun an' plastah it right in dere in mah hat undah dat tag whut be's in dere [put dime in sweatband]. An' dat'll keep me from leavin'. All right, she kin take dat same dime an' she'll kill enough chinches tuh git enough blood, jes' enough blood tuh stain dat dime off of a chinch, see. An' put dat same dime right down dere [in the sweatband] an' fold it back ovah dat. Well, when ah sweat dat's goin' run down in mah face an' goin' run me blind.
(Those chinches, that's the same as the bug from the bed?)
Dat's it.
Entry 13295
Yeah, jes' lak if yo' wanted tuh poison anybody. Jes' lak now, it lak dis, if yo' wanted tuh poison anybody yo' kin put 9 turtles in 'em. Yo' git 9 drops of dis turtle blood - or even 9 drops of snake's blood - of dis tur- tle befo' it die; after yo' kill it yo' know, whilst it warm. An' yo' put dat in whiskey - in a half pint of whiskey an' dey drink it. Dey'll [be] 9 of dem [live turtles in them] in 9 day's time.
Entry 694
[Snake blood was formerly much used in cunjuration (No. 4, p.4), especially blood dripping down through the tail. So common was this practice that they say the snakes of Currituck County, North Carolina, have no tails because cunjuremen cut all of them off. I heard this from Madam Griffith (see my interview of her or Index), born in Currituck and a large girl when the Civil War began.]
The snake-blood use is editorial narration attributed to a source; the tailless-snakes explanation remains a reported claim.
Entry 3699
If any confusion come up between 'im an' de woman, an' if it be a fight an' HE DRAW ANY BLOOD FROM 'ER, he would be able aftah dat tuh go wit de [other] woman. See, he git a drop of blood from dat - drawin' any de blood from 'er yo' undahstan', DAT UNBIND 'IM FROM 'ER, an' he go on wit dis [other] woman. (If she tied him up, and he actually draws blood from her, that would kill that [impotence spell].) Kill it.
The informant links drawing blood in a conditional fight account to an alleged release. No actual violence, diagnosis or resulting effect is verified.
Entry 7369
Wus once a fellah found murdered [on the railroad track] between Gir- dletree an' Stockton [Md.]. So they said those people [the murderers] wus infi- dels, they could stop yer blood - you know, stop 'um from bleedin' so tha' choo couldn't find out who did it [by bringing any suspected person into the presence of the corpse]. An' they kilt this fellah, taken a board up in the floor, in 'tween the floor an' the groun'. [This board was retained by the murderers]. So they stopped his blood to keep 'im from bleedin'. Den after that, well, day drug 'im out on the railroad [to suggest death by accident].
The narrative explicitly mentions blood being stopped. That remains a reported claim; the bracketed explanations are editorial and no effect is independently established.