Subject:Circle
Entries
Entry 4040
Use some cloth dat yuh have, if de party don't wash fo' yuh. Nobody'll evah wash fo' yuh, dey can't make yuh move out, 'cept come tuh yuh do' roun' five a'clock in de mawnin' an' throw de night- watah roun' de do' see. An' dey put salt in de night-watah, yuh see. Dat's fer tuh make 'em move out - an' de smell of de watah. Den yuh go an' dig up some dust an' put on de watah in de back of de house, an' taken some turpentine an' throw it on top of it, an' yuh cannot go.
(That is, if you don't do it, it will make you move.)
Yes, [if] yuh leave it stan' out dere.
(I.see. But if you do that, they can't make you move. I see.)
An' if anybody comes tuh yuh an' tell yuh dey comin' tuh 'rest [arrest] yuh fer dat crime, [you] say, "Dey won't come here." Yuh take yuh a mouthful of cold watah, undahstan', an' take a mouthful of hot watah behind dat wit a little salt in it. Salt in de hot watah aftah drinkin' de cold watah an' walkin' in acircle. AH'M GIVIN' YUH FAX [facts].
Entry 6746
Yo' take some black peppah an' salt an' sulphur an' a piece of homel spun; put a piece of homespun around it. Take black peppah, salt an' sulphur an~ put it on dat [package] an' as it burns tell it whut chew want it tuh do an' dey won't come back any mo'. Take a piece of new homespun an' cut it nice [demonstrates]. (Cut it round like a cir- cle.) Yes, yo' have tuh cut it out lak a circle. Den as yo' take sulphur, take a pinch of sulphur - sulphur an' salt [and black pepper] an' put it tuhgethah an say, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name of de Holy Ghost, whut chew want it tuh do.
(That will make them stay away.)
Entry 7295
A dog won't track yo', yeah. Yo' kin keeps dogs from trackin' yo'. Yo' mean bloodhoun's. Yo' go to a cow stable an' yo' run fourteen steps, yo' know steps, an' git cow [manure] - yo' know, quite natural yo'll put it in de tracks where yo' step an' den go round. Don't come back to de same tracks, go round, yo' know, leavin', an' dey can't track yo'. Dey stoppin' right dere.
(You take fourteen steps into what?)
Fourteen, yo' know. Lak yo' goin' off - ah mean, yo' done left de stable now. An' mean yo' goin' on off on yore way. (Oh! You walk through this cow manure and then you walk - you take fourteen steps. Then you make a circle around those fourteen steps and go on about your business.) Dey can't go a bit furthah den right dere when dey gits to dat.
Entry 7319
If yo' do anythin' an' gittin' away an' de dogs in behin' yo', go to a cemetery to a fresh grave an' run across a fresh grave an' git chew some dirt an' make yore track an' put dat fresh grave [dirt] in it. Take dat fresh graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it around in a circle an' go on off. An' de dog couldn't go no furthah den dat track from dat cemetery dirt from de fresh grave.
(You sprinkle it in a circle.)
Yes, make a circle round lak dat.
(Where do you make the circle around?)
Jes' where yo' standin' at. Jes' take yore dirt an' git chew a handful an' sprinkle it round like dat an' go on off dataway. De dog wouldn't come no fur- thah den dat dirt, where dat dirt at - couldn't pick it [track] up no mo'.
Entry 7601
[Among the many graveyard-dirt rites in Hoodoo, here we have a rare and unusual one, my only example of it - see my comment at the end of rite.] When yuh go tuh de graveyard in de aftahnoon tuh git dis dirt, yuh have tuh go at sundown, see. An' when yuh go at sundown, yuh have tuh git middleways of dis person. Middleways is the center or fifth point of the four-pointed or four- cornered grave, which makes a quincunx.] Git dis dirt an' yuh put a nickel [or] dime down. An' when yuh put de nickel down dere yuh git de dirt, yuh payin"en fo' de dirt. An' if yuh vanta run anybody away, yuh git dis dirt an' walk on back tuh dere house. Sprinkle dis dirt all de way roum' dere house [the rite of circumambulation]. An' aftah yuh sprinkle dis dirt all de way roun' dere house, yuh turn off an' walk sideways an' walk on back tuh de street. [Somewhere in Hoodoo I have explained why a person walks sideways, if he has en- closed himself within a circle.] An' aftah yuh git tuh de street yuh go hone. An' den aftah yuh go home, den yuh throw some of dis dirt roun' yore do' an' dey'll leave. Dey can't stay roun'.
[Our informant says sprinkle dis dirt all de way roun' dere [[victim's]]
house. This means the graveyard-dirt sprinkler goes completely round the house. Here we have a rite of circumambulation, also a circle of graveyard dirt about the house. As soon as the dweller within passes over the graveyard dirt, he will be driven permanently from house and perhaps town. But the sprinkler himself has trouble. He is inside the graveyard-dirt circle! If he walks out of the circle, crossing the dirt, he breaks his spell against the dweller; moreover, the spell automatically turms back upon the sprinkler, who now will be chased by the spirit! Our sprinkler solves his problem with a magic rite I have never recorded or met before. He proceeds neither forwards nor backwards; he sidles sideways. If sprinkler moves forwards or backwards across the dirt, at some point of each step his legs and feet pass and are at the moment of passing in a straight line. In an instant the spirit pounces upon him! But if sprinkler slides his right foot sideways to the right, then his left foot sideways to the right, not letting left foot touch right, then legs and feet are never in a straight line. He always presents to the waiting spirit only one half of his body at each step. The spirit is tricked! Why does sprinkler on reaching home sprinkle some of the same graveyard dirt at his own door? Graveyard dirt is a protective device against a possible call from departing victim and chasing spirit.]
Entry 7933
I have heard of them drawing a ring in the ground, and they make the shape of a coffin in the ring. Then you make a mark like this [a straight line lengthwise] through the center of the coffin, and take seven grains of pepper seed and put all up and down that mark and cover it over. Then you draw a mark through the coffin like this [a straight line crosswise]. And they can't get by there. They're going to drindle [dwindle] and drindle. Nothing will do you no good. You're going away from there. That doesn't aim to put you to death at once, that just puts a spell on you and you never get over it. They put that on the path or at the gate where you can't miss it. [Despite my comment in the preceding rite, in the present one I actually managed to squeeze in two comments to show that one straight line bisected the length, the other the width of the coffin.] [The informant's father was a well-known cunjure man, but the son has not been very successful in carrying on the work.]
Entry 7978
Yo' takes a photograph, see, an' writes on de back of de photograph yore name, her name cross it. Don't write 'em straight. Yo' write chure name down an' yo' come back an' write her name on top of it. Yo' go to de grave- yard an' take yo' two han'- fulla dirt an' sprinkle it ovah dis picture, an' fold dis photograph up an' puts it in a envelope an' sprinkle dat dirt in de envelope, jes' 'nuff tuh put in dere an' fold it up an' puts it in de box. An' in seven days, regardless tuh where she is or who she is, she cain't be still - she'll return. She gotta come.
Entry 8622
(Suppose I want to keep the law away from that bootlegging joint, what would I do? How would I keep the law away? Any particular way?) Well, they have several dif- (4) ferent kind of way to keep de law away, if yo' want de law dat is on dis beat. Now, well, let's fix up - we want de law away. Of course, if we go to work an' work direct on de police on de force, dat Wouldn't stop 'em from raidin'. Now, listen! Let's see what we going to do about stoppin 'em raidin' in general. All right. Yo' going to get de chief of detectives, yo' goin' to get de chief of police, yo' goin' to get de captain's name, yo goin' to get everybody dat's in authority over dat group, which, if they goin' to raid, dey'd have to go up to dese particular men before dey can make a raid. Do yo' get de idea?
(I see.)
It got to come from dem. Well, we'll start wit dem. We are not concerned wit de ordinary man, dat is, de common ordinary police officer. We get de head of 'em. Well, we take dat head in dere an' we are goin' to draw a round ring six inches from de centah - a round ring. We goin' to place all dose names in dat ring on parchment papah.
[No ordinary paper for the important police!]
(Six inches from the center - that is, the diameter will be twelve inches then?) Yeah, just de same [demonstrates] if yo' say six inches from here [center of circle] an' yo' just hold it [a string] dere an' yo' go aroun' [draw the circle].
(The circle is twelve inches in diameter?)
Yeah, twelve inches in diameter.
(All right.)
Now, yo' going to take each one of dose officers - see, de twelve of 'em dat's in authority. [Informant is surely thinking of the 12 signs of the Zodiac rather than the 12 Apostles; the signs to protect place of business from police all year.] Yo' goin' to place 'em direct in dat center an' yo' goin' to sweeten 'em up. An' aftah yo' sweeten dem up.
(How do you sweeten them up?)
Well, yo' can takd dis Lureen Oil [surely Zuring oil, an oil to lure the police], dat Oil of Lureen, when it come for anything beneficial, all good things, this is to use for dat most particular purpose [beneficial to oneself]. Like yo' can use seven drops of dat Oil of Lureen, an' aftah yo' use it round in dere, why yo' goin' to take what yo' call a tappan[?] beans come from Central America.
(What kind of a bean?)
Dat's a bean come from.... Central America, from Las.... G....de capital of Las....
(What do you call those beans, what is the name of them?)
Santoine[?] beans.
(Santoine[?] beans and where do they come from?)
Central America.
(From where? You said some place in Central America?)
Well, sir, G....is the capital of Las....but dey bring 'em from G....to Las.... an' dat's de seaport.
(I see. All right.)
Now, why each one of dose names I done going to take pure white thread. It made kind of like wit four corners an' it grows in a bean [pod] an' dere may be twelve in one bean [pod], eight or ten, like dat. Yo' take it an' yo' sew it right in de center of dat name. Like my name would be Paul B. Dickson. Where the "D" at, yo' could write it twixt de "D" right in de center. An' whosomevah [whatever policeman] go back there [in your place of business, you complain to him] an' say, "Well, this is a quiet zone an' they raisin' Sam an' singing over there. Ah can't sleep at night. How yo' want me to work an' I'se lonesome an' all of that stuff." "Well, all right, " [says the officer] "we'll take care of dat." An' before he [officer] gets out of there [your place of business], dat stuff [you prepared] got him. (How do you do that? You sew one of these beans on each one of those names? Then what do you do with that parchment, then?) On [a bean on] each one of dose name. Den yo' take dat parchment an' yo' just fold it in like that an' just take it ovah dere an' put it in [your] show- case. Just keep it anywhere. Then it has a tendency to - wheresomevah your funds at, yo' can keep it right in yore funds an' it has a tendency to draw funds.
(You mean, the money?)
Yeah.
(In your money box where you keep your money?)
Yeah.
(I see.)
Entry 8763
Yo' buy a brand-new tin pan out de stā' an' do' nuse [don't use] it fo' nuthin an' don' set it dwon on nuthin [don't touch the earth theme]. Yo' git it an' come right back home. Yo' gits yo' a pencil an' mark it disaway an' data- way. [I interrupt.] (Just like you were quartering a pie - into four parts.) [If informant did not under- stand guartering, I added four parts.j Yes sir. Yo' put his name heah, put chure name heah, an' den yo' put his name ovah dere an' his name heah... (Wait a minute! In this [I demonstrate on paper] upper left-hand corner as you are looking at it, you put his name. Underneath that you put your name. Then up above in the right hand corner you put your name, and then his name underneath. In other words, his name and your name are opposites.) [See my diagram for quartered pie.] Yes sir.
(All right. Then what do you do with that pan?)
Yo' take it an' turn it bottomside upwards an' walk out de do' backwards, see, an' shove it right underneat' yore do'step. Yo' don't bury it. Jes' put enough sand ovah it, yo' see, to keep anybody from seein' it. It won't be two weeks [2 seven-day periods] befo' he'll be back there. Ah've tried dat mahself.
Entry 8929
I know a case about a fellow name of William Mitchell. He broke in a fellah's house an' he stole some suits. An' he [a hoodoo investigator] goes on to this house there an' he seen where he broke in that house. An' they suspected this man, which it was. An' they took William Mitchell name an' they buried William Mitchell name at the back steps. They bury this at the back steps an' walks on down, an' they sprinkle some sugar, yo' know, out to de trail. An' as yo' go out, say, "William Metchell, Willy Mitchell, Willy Mitchel." Yo' gotta say it nine times, yo' see. "Yo' re- turn them goods." Yo' see. But he did return de goods, but I'll tell yo' how he did return them goods. He returned them goods in another party's house - under de house, yo' know. So he [doctor] told de party [hiring him], he say, "I seen de people who broke in dat house an' I seen where they cached de stuff." [Doctor saw this in a vision or by other means]. Yo' see? But dat sugar - yo' see when yo' sprinkle it out there, yo' see [you sprinkle] behin' 'im. An' they had his name down there nine times an' they had it crossed - across it nine time an' with that circle. Well, he couldn't get rid of de stuff. De stuff was found at another house before they was - under de house - but he did take de stuff, all right.
Entry 9400
Ah heard dat chew take a aig an' yo' put de person lettah [initial] on it. Jes' lak - ah heard it dis way - if somebody's goin' wit yore man, yo' write de firs' lettah of 'is name an' put a ring round it. Den yo' write de firs' lettah of yore name an' put a ring roun' dat. Den write de firs' lettah of de person name dat goin' wit mah man an' put a ring roun' dat. Den go all de way roun' de aig lak dat. Den yo' jes' brand it all, fes' lak mark it all ovah dat aig. (What kind of marks?) Jes' tell me yo' jes' write whatevah yo' want it tuh do. (You just mark the egg up?) Yes. An' den yo' take it tuh dat person's house an' throw it up in de house an' cuss 'em an' tell 'em whut jew mean fo' 'em tuh do. Dat fix dem. (In other words if some other woman was going with your man, that is what you would do to get rid of her?) Yes. Ah knew a woman dat 'er husban' done go 'way from 'er 'bout three yeahs, an' when he come back - he used tuh come back an' he used tuh treat her so mean. Aftah he come [back] tuh 'er [after 3 years] an' he didn't bring anything - an' she used tuh wanta git rid of 'im. An' she did dis same thing wit aig. An' he sure did leave den an' nevah did been back.
Entry 9683
They say that if a person doesn't like you, they'll draw a ring in the road right at your house and they'll sprinkle salt, soda, ashes, lime, other chemicals, sulphur. That will keep you from being an enemy against him. SPRINKLE IN IT: ASHES - LIME - SALT - SODA - SULPHUR
Entry 11685
Ah've heard dat yo' go to de fo'k of a road, somewheres roun' where fo' fo'ks run dis way, one dis way, one dis way an' den dis way - de crossroads, yessuh. At fo' fo'ks. An' make a round ring dis way [demonstrates circle on ground] an' drive a stick [stake] right into de center of de ring - drive it to 70 degrees - an' de stick probably is nine inches or twelve inches [long]. An' drive it clean down to twelve inches. It shouldn't be ovah twelve inches long. [This means stick is level with ground.] An' dat takes great effect when a per- son walkin' along dere. Sometime a person will stumble [but he does not stumble over stick!] an' dey don't know whut cause 'em tuh stumble. Ah've heard of dat, too, an' it taken great effect. (You do that against some of your enemies or some- thing?) Yes. If yo' have a enemy, yo' know, an' dat's de way yo' want to git 'em. Cause 'em to have a [physical] downfall.
(Does he just fall down or what?)
He fall down an' git full of pain or somepin lak dat.
Entry 13250
I stayed at a place up north. Every morning when I kindled de fire- I gen'a'ly made de fire - they had a package of sulphur there on that stove. When it was hot, they would sprinkle de sulphur on it, to fumigate de house with sulphur. They said that kept off the evil spirits and give it luck. (Every morning?) Every morning they'd sat- urate dat stove, when ft. got hot, you know, so that sulphur Would burn, they would sprinkle some of that sulphur on the stove. Said that kept off the evil spirits and give them luck. Druv [drove] the evil spirits out of the house, which, you know yourself, that there are more evil spirits than there are good ones. We are told by the Bible that many's the soul to walks this earth, visible or invisible. What they meant visible ones is the ones that we want to get rid of, don't want to be bothered with 'em. Well, now, we'll go back to de sulphur question. When you go to dig money, you make a circle around, all de way around de place yo' goin' to dig. Now a fellah tole me this to be a fact. Ah never seen it. An' sprinkle sulphur all around it [circle], an' yo' dig inside de ring of sulphur. When de evil spirit comes up there, he can't get inside that ring over that sulphur.
Entry 2370
It's like if yo' live in de middle of de block, see, and yo' want, if somebody was coming to yore house dat yo' didn't want to come dere, in case of de law or anything like dat, why yo' make a round ring at each corner, each corner of de block. Jest like yo' living in de middle of de block and dis is a corner and dat's a corner. Well, yo' make a round ring at dis corner and it's some kin' of stuff yo' gits out de drug store called van-van. Yo' take that and yo' po' some in dat place. Well, yo' go to de next corner and yo' po' some in dat place. Well, dey kin come to each one of de corners and yo' living in de middle of de block, dey ain't nevah coming to yore house.
Entry 413
Or some people say yo' put de money in de ground an' yo' bury a chicken or bury a cat or somepin - whatever dey bury, ah don't know what. Why, dis thing will come back wit chure money. Or bury dis Negro - why dis Negro will be so strong, somepin to make yo' 'fraid an' keep yo' 'way. (Is there any way that a fellow can go there at all and prevent that and get the money?) Well, dey say if yo' git chew a Bible an' go to dis place readin' yo' Bible, when dis stuff start - yo' got chure gang an' yore shovel wit chew - go ahead an' dig de money up. Don't pay any 'tention, jes' go ahead an' yo' see de stuff fall, jes' walk right on lak yo' don't see it; reads yo' Bible - readin' God's word, yo' see. An' dey said, when yo' git to dis place, why yo' got an idea how much room it might take, yo' know, to dig dis money up - yo' know, yo' all stand round in a ring round dere an' keep on reading de Bible. Say, den one man will walk around dere dragging his foot chew know, an' mark de place out, while dey be reading de Bible. Why den when dey git through reading dis Bible, take dis Bible an' lay it down on de line, puts it de way dey came - come dis way an' lay it right down on dere where he came in; on dat land marked round dere, lay de Bible, an' dey say yo' git right down dere an' dig. As long as dey didn't talk - don't talk an' don't, yo' know, make a fuss. Git right down dere an' dig. Say all kind of animals - all kinds of mess will come right up dere live, but pay no 'tenshun to 'em. Yo' dig right dere, jes' don't make no fuss, yo'll git chure money. Git dat money an' sit right on de - all kind of animals will come right to dat line, but co'se dey wouldn't come in 'cause dat's de Bible - see, wouldn't come ovah dat Bible.
Entry 415
I really had experience of that my ownself. Another fellow and I went out one night to try and locate a hidden treasure. And after getting to the place, he drew a circle around it and made a gate to it. And after leaving the gate he sprinkled sulphur, milk and so forth all around, and then he began to sound with his apperrattox [apparatus] and he struck what he thought was money. That was a iron rod about six feet long: And we began to dig. And while we were digging - I had never been upon that occasion [adventure] before in my life - you can't talk - whatever you want you must make signs - and I was digging and I held up my head to ask him for something to work with, and I looked and he was gone and I was all there alone. The ring which he made was surrounded by lots of people, but who they were I know them not. And all I had to do then was to come out of the hole and make my getaway - and I beat it, too. [Old Point, Comfort, Va., (27), Ed.; Norfolk Co., Va.,1896.]
Entry 417
Go to the graveyard at midnight. But chew have to go by yourself and you take a penny. You got'a give 'em, take something with you 'cause then - when you go walk round the grave two or three times see, around the head and you walk round the foot two or three times. And then you go back - well, about nine times all together, and then you kneel down. But yo' have to put yore hand - dig down, put chure hand in and git the dirt from this, right off the coffin. See. But then, when you do that, you have to leave a penny or some vinegar or something.
(Why vinegar?)
Well, that's to keep the spirit from hurting you. You kin even have whiskey on you, see, to keep the spirits from harming you; you see, so they don't be disturbed [see Spirits and alcohol, in Index]. Course ah never did this but ah -
(I know, you are just telling me what you heard.)
And then when you go out, if you don [leave a gift] when you git to that gate, they will rassle [wrestle] with your soul. Even if you call spirits in here now, you make a circle and call spirits; you'd have to fortify that circle, because if you don't - course you do that around twelve 'clock at night. You fortify that circle. You kin call the spirits and when you - they scare yuh to death, but if you fortify it and sit inside that they can't harm you.
(How would you fortify that circle, then?)
Well, you have to make crosses you see - make a circle for yourself to sit in. And then you make a gate like and you put - make a cross there and then you have to use holy oil and holy water and candles, and then you set inside of it and then you can call de spirits and sit there quiet and pray and they'll come. But you has to have a dozen candles. [Washington, D. C. (627), 804:2.]
Entry 906
A man was telling us one day [about] a woman's daughter. She had lovely hair on her head. And this woman's daughter and her [another woman's daughter] used to go to church together. It seems that this other woman didn't like this girl because her hair was so much better than her daughter's. So she fixed this child - she used to go and comb her hair. Finally, one evening this girl went off crazy. And then her mother asked this old man [who told the story to informant] did he know anybody that could do her any good. And he told her, "Yes, I'll have to go five miles to get to this man's house." So he got a fast horse [and buggy] and he got away from there that night. And when they got to this man's house the man told him, "I know what you all came for. Sit down a minute. You all came here because the girl is crazy and you want me to do something for her." They told him, "Yes." He said, "You all go ahead and I will be there presently." So they went on and got to the girl's house. They weren't there more than two hours when he came in. So when he got in he spoke to them and said, "Get me a basin full of hot water and a towel." And they got the basin and towel for him. And he put the towel right down in the boiling water and wrung it out and put it right to her head. After he put this to her head she came to real life and knew where she was at. He must have put something in the water, but the old man didn't say. He stayed there until four o'clock next morning. Before he left the girl had come to and knew everybody in the house. And he told this man that went after him, "Son, you know what I want you to do? Come on and go around the house with me." They went around the house. It Was getting kind of light then. They carried a lantern. This girl's father was with them. They had a spade. When they got to the corner of the house he told him to dig right down. He dug. They found a little barrel. They dug it and picked it up and gave it to him. They took it into the house. He asked them did they Wwant it and they said no they didn't want it. So when they opened it, the lmage of this girl was cut out of a piece of black cloth. It had needles and pins in there and a whole lot of stuff. He did not say what all was in there. This man said, "You all don't want this?" And they said, "No." So he took it himself. And he said, "Before I go I am going to leave something here for you to do." He told this other man to come on outdoors with him. And he took a stick and drew a ring all the way around the house, and he gave this man some white powder and said, "You sprinkle this all away around on this mark and you all watch the results" - he left about nine-thirty - "at ten o'clock you'll all see who fixed this girl." And he said sure enough they all sat there and watch when he was gone, and exactly at ten o'clock they say they seen somebody come up and try to get in where this girl was, but they couldn't get over this ring. [Did the doctor - or a confederate left outside and away from the house - try to "get over this ring' and then "vanished away?"] After they couldn't get over this ring they turned and went on and vanished away. And they didn't see no more of them. An' old gentleman told me this about eight years ago [1928] and he said it happen 35 or 40 years ago over in Wight [Isle of Wight] County, [Virginia] where he lived.
Entry 923
Now mah wife, I an' her wus togethah heah year befo' last. We separated Christmas gone a year ago. Ah reckon we lived heah three months ago. Now, she wus fixed, although she's impregnant - understand. Sometimes she would grow out an' den sometimes she would go back in. Ah could lay mah han's on her stomach an' I could feel somepin knockin' lak dat - jes knockin'. Well, ah tried doctors - de doctors stayin' in town heah now - Dr. Fields, Dr. Olson, Dr. Roach. She wus workin' in de Georgia Power an' Light Company. So she came home an tole me, she say, "Well, now," says, "ah don't feel no bettah." She say, "Ah jes' have de fainting spells, ah don't feel no bettah atall." Well, dose peoples next do' to us would come ovah an' he'p do fo' her. Well, ah wus a man an' ah had no business doin' all those things fo' her. Some things I could do an' some things ah wouldn't do, although ah wus her husband. Well, dey would come ovah an' dey would do fo' her. So ah tole 'er one day, ah said, "Say, listen, whut de doctor say?" Ah say, "Did yo' went to him?" She say, "Yes, ah went to him." She say, "Dr. Fields say an' also Dr. Walker say I was impregnant. She say, "Well, ah tried Dr. Whitman, an' he say de same identical thing," she say, ''but ah can't understand it, ah'm not impregnant." Well, ah say, "Ah don't know - dis way is funny - mahself - but," ah say, "de blame is on yo' - ah don't know." She went like that fo' seven months an' she come out well. Well, she had to be operated on fo' first of October - Dr. Louis told her she had to be operated on de first of October, also Dr. Whitman, an' wus operated on. So ah tried an' tried an' tried an' tried an' at de main time dat de chile Wus supposed to be born, if it wus a chile; but it wusn't no chile, wusn't nuthin. So ah goes to a fellah - de fellah's in town now. Ah goes to him an' ah walk to de do' an' look round. He say, "Hello there." [I] say, "Hello." [He] say, "How yo' feelin'?" [I say] "All right." He says, "Well, yo' comin' tuh see about chure wife?" "Yes, ' ah say, - "Yessuh, '' [I] say, "she's come with a little condition." Ah say, "Well, from whut ah kin learn, ah can't understand de matter she's in, can't understand de sickness." He say, "Her sickness is not nach'ral," say, "she wus run home - dat's where [when] she got her dose - yore wife is a woman dat she loves tuh run round" - well now, he wus tellin' me wit dis on cards. He says, "Yore wife loves to run round," he says, "she's not a woman true to one man, she wants yo' an' fo' or five or six men." An' he say, "She messed wit a man's wife up dere an' jumped on de woman about her husband an' de woman had her fixed like dat. Now, she's fixed an' perhaps she is pregnant." Well, ah know de girl - tell yo' de truth, Boss, she nevah come in de house [came home] at all. He said, "But chew go back to de house an' yo' go up under about three feet," he say, "under de do'step." He say, "Go up under de house an' stop, dig jes about dat deep." He says, "Dat's where de mess lays - all messed up." He say, "Can't chew smell somebody's chamber lye all round yore house?" Ah tole him, "Yes sir." He say, "All right, den yo' go back to yore house an' git dis." He give me some kinda thing like vaseline, but it wasn't vaseline 'cause ah smelled it - it wasn't vaseline. It was greasy - to keep de misery from comin on me, yo' see. [This thing like vaseline was to protect him, especially his hands, while digging up the mess.] He said, "Yo' git this an' yo' bring it to me." He said, "Yo' go in de woods an' git me three," he say, "git me three piece of cedar-tree root, jes' about dat long," he say, "an' bring dem back to me. Ah tole him, "All right, sir." He say, "Co'se ah won't have it fixed fo' yo' till tomorrow," see, "sometime," he say, "but tonight at twelve a'clock zactly, yo' go out chure back gate, come all round de streets dat chew come in de front do' an'," he say, "have yo' some salt an' some red peppah." He say, "Sprinkle dat salt all de way through yore house from de gate on out to back an' back round de house again." He say, "Make a round ring," he say, "an' den put some dat peppah de same identical way." He say, "Now, dese people will go to yore home tomorrow to git a match. In case yo' don't let dem have de match, dey gon'a be back ovah dere to borrah some lard." Ah tole him, "All right." He say, "Now, yo' have to give me chance - tomorrow ah'll have her all right." He say, "Co'se she gon'a be operated" - she wusn't operated on den. He say, "Co'se, she got'a be operated on - operation do her good, but still ah do somepin an' let somebody else [the surgeon] do something fo' her, or," he says, "she'll be in a terrible condition till she die."
[This is my only example of cooperation between doctor and doctor.]
An' ah went back an' got dis stuff from under de house an' carried it back tuh dis man, an' dis man fixed it. Now, what he put in it - ah don't know whut he put in de stuff. But ah tell yo' whut was in de stuff dat wus fixed fo' her. Dey had a piece of her hair. Dey had some of dis heah cut from de seat of her underclothes. Somebody had eithah slipped in de house an' got dat stuff - see, she wouldn't let nobody do washin' or anything - co'se dey prob'bly had a chance tuh cut it off de line out dere while it hangin' up on de line dryin'.
(The seat of her underwear?)
Dat's right, an' dey got a piece of her underskirt - right up undah heah [demonstrates].
(Under her arm?)
Dat's right, dat wus in dis mess - now, ah'm tellin' you whut ah seen in dis mess. Dat wus inside dis mess whut dey had fix fo' her. An' a little somepin - ah don't know whether it wus tomatoes or don't know whether it was some of her ministration or whut, but hit wus inside a little rag, it wasn't in no bottle, it was in a rag. An' ah carried it on back ovah dere an' gave it tuh him. So after ah gave it tuh him, he say, "Well, now, don't chew git uneasy," he say, "in a few days she'll be all right." An' so - well, it wus on a Friday when ah had taken it back ovah dere to him. An' dat Sunday, she got 'long jest as - nevah been sick no mo'. (Do you know what he did with those three pieces of cedar root that you took to him?) Ah don't know, suh. He wouldn't even tell me whut he did wit it. After ah'd taken her back dere wit me, he wouldn't even let me come in de room whilst she's in dere. When ah got de cedar tree root ah give it tuh her. Yo' see, ah went back ovah dere wit dem all right but ah give it to her, an' him an' her went in a room, like yo' in heah now [and no one else in the room], an' he wouldn't let me come in dere at de time he fixin' dat fo' her. An' he tole her tuh wear dat. Cause she's living now - ah reckon, if she's not daid - but ah haven't seen her in 'bout a year an' three months, cause I an' her separated.
Entry 1740
And then you know, your decacal [index] finger, you see that's your blood right from your heart.
(You do what with your finger?) See, that's the finger - that's the blood that comes right from your heart. [Points to right index finger.]
(Which finger?) )[I doubt index finger.]
Your decacal finger.
(Oh, this one right here?)
Yes.
(Which hand?) [I am still doubtful about hand.]
On your right hand.
(Oh, your right hand, I see.)
You prick that with a silver needle - have never been sewed with, a goldeye, understand.
(I understand.)
You'll take that blood and you'll take a sheet of paper - not lined paper but your writin' paper what is unlined, and you write your name at de top with your crimson blood. You write his name just as small as you can and you - with dat needle but not wid a pen - and you make nine circles around that and then enclose that and you bury it at the ninth hour at night under your front steps. Really, that's why sometimes you see people try to break from the county road [chain gang] and the penitent'ry. If that is done, they goin' break away and come to yuh. There's nuthin 'tall kin hold 'em from you - they'll take any chances they can and come to you [see No.77, p.32].
Entry 2501
Yo' go to a ole-time grave an' git chew some dirt. See, dig down in de grave lak dis an' git chew some dirt out of de grave. Well, yo' take dat dirt an' yo' mix dat dirt up with salt. Yo' put table salt in dat dirt an' yo' mix it up. All right, den yo' go to de sto' an' yo' buy yo' some lucky perfwme, Heart Perfume, yo' see. Yo' git chew some Heart Perfume. Well, yo' mix that in there with it. See. Jes' put Heart Perfume all in dere with it. All right, den yo' go an' yo' git chew some sulphur an' yo' put that sulphur in there with it. See. All right, yo' go an' git yo' some John de Conker an' den git chew fo' diff'rent cans - fo' diff'rent small cans, tin cans, where yo' kin put 'em airtight. See. An' yo' put 'em in a circle - jes' lak yo' runnin' a bootlaig place, yo' put 'em in a circle all de way round.
(Around what?)
All way round yore place, yo' understan', de place of business yo' carr'in' on - all de way round, yo' see. Den yo' take, aftah yo' put 'em all de way round [one can on each side of the business], yo' take dat salt an' git in de street all de way round where yo' got chure cans an' yo' care it all de way round yo' see, till yo' git clean round yore house. Well, aftah yo' gone all de way round yore house wit de salt, yo' come on back right where yo' left from an' say, "Ah put dis out, In de Name of de Father, Son an' the Holy Ghost, that ah may have no trouble." Then yo' spit up in dere three times. Yo' won't have no trouble. If yo' have any trouble atall, yo'll git out of it. [The four tin cans with seal-type lids, one on each side of the house, should have been sufficient - an airtight protection.].
Entry 416
You have to use them too, for treasures.
(Hunting treasures?)
Hunting treasure. Take a piece - not take the whole [tomb]stone, but take a piece of it. Supposing we were going to dig money here. We come down and locate the treasure right here. All right. Now, you are the party got a headstone. We knew he died - when he died and passed out. He did good things all of his days. Well, we take that along with us and we dig a hole in the ground so the people passing wouldn't see that light, and we'd light that light there - a pure white candle at that headstone. We'd light that light there, then we'd go ahead and we'd make a circle round there after we locate the treasure - to keep the spirit from entering the ring, and we'd go to work and we'd sprinkle all around there mustard seeds, mustard seeds all around there. Then we'd go ahead down in and we found - we done found the treasure - we got the sounding rod right on top of the treasure. Now, after we'd go through that process, why, then we'd go ahead right on down and dig. That have a tendency to keep the spirit away and the treasure won't move.
Entry 557
If yo' wanta know whether yo' goin' git married or not, yo' kin take a spoon an' put it in a cup an' po' coffee grounds in it an' if dose coffee grounds circle roun' an' makes a circle right roun' de top part of dat spoon, then yo'll git married; but if it doesn't, yo' not goin' tuh git married.
Entry 764
Den if you wanta turn anybody around, keep 'em from coming in yore premises any way, take in de road an' makes a round ring like a wheel an' cross it; make two crosses in it like a wheel - dat make like a spoke in de wheel, an' take yo' some salt an' sulphah an' put in each one of dem places, each one of dem places where hit in de round of de wheel. Yo' see, jes' drop a little piece in each wheel - dat be about fo' places in de wheel yo' have [only one cross made in circle], an' dat will turn'em round, yo' see.
Entry 2099
If yo' got a woman an' wanta make love wit her, yo' goes to her house. She don't want chew dere yo' see, but den yo' go to her house - make it specially to go tuh her house to git a few words wit her. Then yo' mess roun' an' if yo' kin git a chance tuh ketch her han's, yo' git de lengt' of dat lef'- han' fingah - dat dog fingah [demonstrates]. (The index finger of the left hand?) The fingah off her lef' han' - de dog fingah. See, yo' git de joint of it, de first joint.
(What do you do? You are not taking it off of any woman are you?)
No, yo' don't take it off, yo' jes' ketch it an' git de measure of it, somepin lak dat. Den go out git chew nine dem broom sweepers - see, git chew nine straws about de same length, every one of 'em, see. Git one of her gloves, see, an' yo' let it go out [straighten it out] an' cut de fingah off right in dere, an' yo' tie it with a string, tie it up in dere.
(What do vou tie up in that?)
Dem nine straws.
(You tie those nine straws in that little finger that you cut off the glove.)
Den yo' put chew nine single pins in dere an' tie it up an' wear it in yore pocket, an' dat girl will love yo' from den on, an' wouldn't make love wit any othah individual either - jes' tie her. [This is called tying a person.] (Here's what you do, get the length of that first joint of the dog finger - the index finger of the left hand. Then you get nine broomstraws that length. Then you get her glove with that same finger and cut the end of that glove finger off and put the nine broomstraws in there.) [To measure a finger joint measures the whole body because part of the spirit equals the whole of the spirit (see p.21). Measuring is like drawing a circle about a person or scratching a circle on the ground for him to walk over - you confine him, control him. By the law of the opposite, treasure hunters put a circle about themselves as a protection against spirits (see the Magic Circle, p.123).]
Entry 2916
You could take holy water and sprinkle it around - just like there any- thing that you had that you thought somebody was going to steal it. You take holy water and make nine steps round your article - whatever it was - like it was this here [my record- ing machine on the table between usl and you had an idea that somebody was going to steal it. Just make a circle round that nine times and set a black candle.
(I see. And what do you do? You take nine steps around that?)
Nine circles around that.
(Oh, you make nine circles around it? I see. And then what will that do?)
After you takes your ninth circle, then you light it.
(Light the candle. What will that do?)
That will - they'll be afraid, they won't even come around your house. [For circle or ring as protective device, see Magic Circle, p.123f., Nos. 2197-2198, p.626.]
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 4366
If de person know de man name - yuh goes an' know de man name. Yuh care [carry] a li'le bottle, dis cologne bottle, an' yuh call 'is name an' stop 'im up - jes' bottle up de man [see 38, p.24f.] in yuh fob pocket. An' den yuh [go] talk tuh 'im an' he say he ain't got no job. All right, chew go back home an' fer de nex' nine mawnin's - an' yuh got 'is name all right - yuh take a cord an' tie it aroun' yuh waist an' double it nine times. Make yuh chamber lye on it an' put it in de bottle. An' go back [to the boss] an' call 'is name ag'in, stop 'im up, an' den he'll give yuh a job.
(I see, you get the spirit of his voice in this bottle.)
[An old comment of mine in pencil about this rite reads Use with care. This rite is quite all right, except I failed to understand the word double when first checking transcription with the cylinder. Thinking that the waist measure was increased 9 times, I wondered how such a long string could be squeezed into one of those tiny bottles of perfume then sold for lOc at the Five-and-Ten-Cents Store. At the time of recording I probably knew the meaning of double because I do not ask a question about it, but I must not rule out knowledge coming from later experience. Here is what happens. The man wraps a piece of ordinary pack- age-wrapping string about his waist, ties a knot, and cuts off the two unneeded ends. He now has a loop or circle of string, say about 30 inches in circumfer- ence, which he pushes down over his thighs and off his body. This string he stretches out into a straight line of double string 15 inches long and at a right angle to his body; the knot being at one end, this end away from hi. This knot he now folds toward him until it coincides with the other end of the string. This once-folded string is now 4 parallel strings each 7 1/2 inches long. Turn- ing this shortened string 180°, so that the knot is again away from him, he a second time folds the knot to him, reducing the multiple strings to a 33/4 inches length. Remember, he is folding strings soaked with his urine. The strings are folded to him 9 times, at least theoretically. All this is not stated explicitly in the rite itself; it is implicit in this type of folding rite. No boss having his spirit triply captured - tied into a knot about applican'ts body, folded up towards applicant and in applicant's urine, and finally stopped up in a bottle - no boss could possibly resist such multiple magic.] [Charleston, S. Car., (519), 616:3.] [Human excrement rites are less numerous than those about urine. Numerically the ratio is perhaps 1 to 10. As a special feature, most of them concern trees - two-thirds to be exact. The best one, an unusual love story, will be found else- where in 822, p.284.]
Entry 4719
Yuh has some dirty undahweahs. Dey will go take yore undahweahs an dey will burn 'em. Dey have tuh burn 'em tuh ashes. Dey take it an' take 'em [ashes] wit 'em, see, an' blow it away dataway an' dat'll keep yuh on de drag, so when yuh got shoes, yuh need a hat; when yuh got a hat, chew need a coat; when yuh got coats, yuh need a pants. Dat keep yuh on de drag. Now, if yuh kin - if anybody yuh suspect, yuh undahstan', or whosomevah dat did so, yuh see, yuh take yuh dat parchment papah an' yo'd write dere name on dat. Den yuh write chure name roun' dat. See [demonstrates].
(You write the [your] name right around the [in a] circle?)
Yeah, yuh got dem in a circle. Take dat same papah an' burn it tuh a powdah. Put it in a plate an' blow. Yuh blow dat same luck back on 'em [this is return- ing the spell].
Entry 5510
De track yo' know. Dey take de track, take it from de heels tuh de toes jes' lak dis [demonstrates]. [If he]' walks dat way [away from you], why yo' take it from de heel, jes' from de heel tuh de toe. Take dat track an' throw it tuh where jes' lak dey walks on [throw it direction he is walking]. Throw it dat way an' dat'll keep 'im goin', yo' see - goin'. Lak if yo' wanted 'em comin', why yo' take it from de toe tuh de heel.
(What would you do with that, then?)
Yo' takes de track den an' yo' throw it off - yo' know, throw it so far goin' from yo' [as far as possible from you] an' dat makes 'em go.
[Informant misunderstood my question, I ask it another way:]
(What if you wanted to bring them back, what would you do with that track?)
Why, if yo' want tuh bring 'em back, why yo' kin take de track from de toe tuh de heel an' keep de track. Take de track in de design lak ah wus tellin' yuh, from 'is toe tuh 'is heel, an' keep it an' he come back. Or eithah a ring outa his shirttail. Jes' cut a roun' ring outa his shirt- tail. Cut a roun' ring outa dat an' yo' kin keep it an' he'll come back. (Just cut a ring out of his shirttail and keep it. That will make him come back.) [In addition to a ring or circle of cloth cut from clothing, squares and oblongs (coffin symbols), perhaps other designs are also cut out.]
Entry 7198
Yo' take an' make a circle wit chalk an' when yo' make dat circle, den yo' make a "x" yo' know. When yo' make dat "x" - when yo' make de circle dat's God. (The circle is God?) Yes sir, an' de "x" de firs' lettah is de - circle is God an' de firs' cross is God de Father, an' de nex' one is God de Holy Spirit. (Where do you make this circle with the cross? Where do you make it? Where do you draw that?) Well, right in de room where whutevah wus taken from it. [Here I turn off recording machine. What informant says, I restart machine and repeat the lost information.] (You make a circle on the wall or on the floor. And you put an "x" inside. And then inside the "x" you do what?) Well, when yo' done make dat "x" in Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, den yo' wish whut chew want 'em tuh do. Jis' carry it right roun' jis' lak dat. (You mean just carry this circle around. You mean you keep marking the chalk around?) Yes, jis' make a roun' ring. Have yo' got a pencil? An' ah give it tuh yo' aftah [return it] right away. (Wait a minute! You draw the circle [I demonstrate]. That's God the Father. Then you [I demonstrate]. That's the Son. And [I demonstrate] Holy Ghost.) An' make yore wishes whut chew want. (And you keep going around and around and around. Like turning a wheel around.) Yo' do dat three time, three Godhead.
[I demonstrate again.]
You draw a line right through that circle and call the son, then you draw another line across it and say the Holy Ghost, and then you keep drawing that circle around and around and around, while you make your wishes for them to bring that article back that they have stolen.) Long as yo' speakin' of whut chew want done, yo' jis' keep yuh han' goin' roun' an' roun'.
Entry 9060
One time mah brothah he wuz in a serious case, one time, an' so she [wife] had a ole man [doctor] workin' fo' 'er. An' de ole man told 'er, if she'd go tuh de graveyard tuh a fresh grave, an' take huh right han' an' reach down as fur as she could, an' git de graveyard dirt 'fo' de sun rise, an' take it tuh de co'thouse, an' make a roun' circle all de way roun' [circumambulate] de co'thouse, an' he say dat would free 'im. Ah know he come free. Ah don' know if dat done de work or not, but ah know he come free.
Entry 10113
You get hold of a cat to do different things with. You can use a - take a cat, a black cat. You take a black cat and you kill the black cat. And you kill this black cat, you boil it. And you take a bone from him after you boil 'em. You boil 'em until every bit of the meat [here, having heard this much many times, I stopped recording. The words "round bone" restarted machine].
(You get that round bone, you say?)
Yes, sir. (Any kind of a - you mean a bone like the tip of your finger, or it's round that way?)
[Here I may have demonstrated a circle.]
Yes, sir.
(Then do you do anything with that bone?)
I'll cut four corners in it.
[Informant must have gone through motions of filing.]
(Then you file those?)
I'd file the sides, make it good and round. I don't want no rough edges, no corners on it at all. (Oh, I see, you round each end of that round bone?) Yes, sir. (I see.) Then I... [pauses]. (Then what do you do?) Then I'm going to cut it. You see, I cut it [demon- strates] thisaway; cut it like that, and then disaway. (Make four notches in it?) Four notches on each end. Now, when I get them four notches in this bone, I take - well, I get me a piece of silk thread. See, I get silk thread and I'm going to wrap that bone thisaway nine times into them notches. (Now, this bone is like the little stick that you wrap your fishing cord around?) Yes, sir.
(You have the notches - the notches don't run round the [thickness of the]
bone, but it [the notch] goes out to the end [the length] of the bone.) My notches come on the end, you see, and my notches set like this [demon- strates]. See, I got four notches on each end.
(I see, go ahead.)
See, the notches cut in the bone cross the two ends thisaway, see [demon- strates]. Well, I'm using this bone different. I'm going to wrap this bone thisaway [demonstrates]. (You only have two notches in that bone, in the end of that round - it's like a cross [+] on each end of the bone?) Yes, sir.
(0r like grooves, one groove across the other one.)
Yes, sir. They cross.
(That makes four grooves?)
Yeah, four grooves.
(All right.)
Well, I'll take and use silk thread; see, blue or pink. I take and I cross it this way for nine times. I wrap it for nine times thataway and then I come back nine times thisaway. I gets me [I interrupt to annote]. (You wrap the thread nine times around one of those notches at each end and you turn around like that and wrap it nine times through the other notches in the opposite end?) You see, I'm wrapping it by the straight...
(I understand that.)
Jest come down straight thisaway, not thisaway.
(I understand.)
Thisaway. And I get me - after I wrap it around that bone, I get the thread around the bone thataway, I go and I get me some of this war powder. I'll get me war powder and with this powder that I'll scrape off of this bone, I'm going to mix that together, see. I lay this bone into a piece of silk paper.
(What kind of paper?)
Silk.
(Silk paper.)
Silk paper, see. And I lay that bone in there and I gets me one of these small candles. Small candles. You know them little bit of yellow candles. They are about three for a nickel.
(How high are they?)
They little bit of candles about this [high].
(Oh, just small candles. All right.)
Little small candles, about little bit bigger than a match stick. They about that long. Get you one of those - three, I mean. And I'm going to lay two - one on each side of this thing - this bone, you see. But I'm going to lay it in a Way, I'm going to put it in a frame-like, but it ain't going to burn, and I'm going to light them candles. Light all three of them, but I'm going to light two here and I'm going to light one on the top.
(You have these candles in a triangular form, and the bone's inside the form?)
In the center. I lights those and now when I lights these, I let 'em burn. I light 'em at twelve o'clock in the day. Every day for twelve o'clock - no more, no less. I light 'em at twelve an' let 'em burn 'till about twelve-thirty, see. Twelve- thirty, if the work ain't done, I put 'em out, an' the next day I light 'em at twelve-thirty. And then for about three or six days, whatsomever I'm after, it's got to come in the six days. In the sixth day I get whatsomever I'm after. (Here's your - now, let me talk. Here's your cat bone - it's round like that. [I should have given description!] You file off both ends and you make the both ends round. Then you make a groove, you put a cross on top of the groove. At each end make a groove. Then you wrap the thread nine times around this way and nine times around that way - just like you wrap fishing tackle.) That's right.
(All right.)
Entry 12875
Well, dey got a root dey call de Sampson Giant root.
(Sampson what?)
Sampson Giant root. It's a root, it's impossible almost to break it. Well, it would, could stand a tremendous pressure to break it, but jis' hand it to a person ordinarily, they can't do anything with it. An' they call it the Samp- son Giant root. And they claim that you kin take it and by using it through a perfume, or else using a piece of gum, and you apply for a job, that nine times out of ten, whoever you ask for a job, he will write you up to go to work or give you a proposition to come back at another time. That there's no way to refuse you as long as you got a piece of it, and kin get around him so as to encircle him. Why you got him under your influence during that time.
(You have to go and circle around him?)
Circle and naturally he'll stop. And you tell him your business, that you come to apply for a job. And of course he's more 'an apt to look over and give you somepin to do. That's known as the Sampson Giant root.
Entry 2274
Said dat if yo'd like to run a person from a place, yo' could put salt around their bed, an' dey wouldn't be interested in staying dere no longer - dey would soon leave.
(How do you put that salt around their bed?)
Well, jest po' a little slight stream, yo' know, wit de hand - a little hand- ful, yo' know, jest round de bed in a circle.
Entry 2144
Nail 'em, somepin lak dat - lak yo' nail a person when dey passin' by lak dat. Take nine nails an' put 'em all round in de ground an' cuss 'em. Any time yo' nail, de nail hurt 'em an' de blood poison will kill 'em. (What would you do with those nails?) Stick 'em in de ground - jes' make yo' a round ring all round yore house when yo' think dat he [policeman or enemy] goin' come by. See, yo' drive dese nails into him an' blood poison him - his flesh.
(You drive the nails in a circle.)
The informant describes a round ring of nails around the house. Circle is a local arrangement reading; poisoning and death remain source claims.