Subject:Cologne
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Entry 2254
Ah told him [my contact man Edward] absolutely dat ah believed in dese things an' dey could do - dese things could be done. Dere is roots dat ah know of dat ah've got faith in. Yo' take de rattlesnake marster, dat's one of de wonderfulest roots dat will bring luck an' carry it fo' yo' - keep yo'. Ah have experienced whut ah'm tellin' yo'. Yo' take it - yo' kin an' have it round yo' an' yo' kin hold a job. Ah know that - ah believe it - got faith in it. Yo' take de blacksnake root - dat's a good root an' in usin' it with whiskey yo' kin keep love. Yo' kin love them.... Then there's a root dey calls de shoestring - devil's shoestring. Yo' kin wear it - dat'll keep luck. Dat's good fo' luck. Den yo' take the - ah've got faith in it 'cause ah've tried it. Yo' take - dere's a bull nettle. Well, whenevah a man an' a woman - a woman kin fix a man so dat he kin have nuthin tuh do with othah women.
(How would she do that?)
How she do it - dey tell me dey take worms, these earthworms, an' fry 'em an' git de grease an' rub it on him. He can't have nuthin else to do with no othah - take it an' use de grease an' he can't have nuthin tuh do wit a woman. But now, if he take dat bull nettle, he kin overcome it. Nuse [use] it by puttin' it on whiskey, gin whiskey [= white whiskey, either gin or moonshine (uncolored) whiskeyl, puttin' it on gin whiskey an' drink it. He'd overcome it. Well, dere's a butterfly root. Now dat's a wonderful root tuh keep a woman with yo' jes' as long as yo' want her.
(How would you do that?)
Yo' kin use de root dis way. Take hit an' boil it, git all de suction [juice] out of it, an' put it in a vial an' keep it with yo' all de time in that vial - a small vial, jest as small as yo' kin git it. Keep it with yo' all de time an' she nevah will leave yo'.
(You don't use it?)
Don't use it - jest keep it with you....
(What is the name of the root?)
Shoemake root. Dey tell me if yo' take hit an' git tuh de person an' git it somewhere dat dey have tuh step ovah it - they will have tuh come back. Dey tell me if yo' take dis heah thing - ah calls it [Graney?] Greybeard.
(Graney Greybeard.)
Take hit an' use it or wear it. Soak it ovah night de first night yo' git it an' use it gamblin'. Ah tried dat. Ah know dat. Soak it ovah night in some kinda cheap cologne - perfume it an' use it. Do dat once a month an' ah believe it's luck. Ah tried it.
(You just wear that thwn you go to - )
Wear it dat way - soak it once a month.
Entry 739
It's a root in de woods dey call de shame bush root. It's a brier, see. It run away off like dat, an' de bushes on it, yo' kin tetch it anywhere on de end - jest tetch it - all dem bushes will, yo' know, will shet up. Dat why dey call 'em de shame bush - yo' know, de leaves on it. [This very common root in hoodoo is called the shame brier; outside hoodoo circles it is usually known as shame vine. This is the sensitive brier Schrankia uncinata.] Well, yo' go dere an' dig dis root up. Hit grows a pretty good piece down in de ground - ah reckon 'bout three-fo' foot deep. She grows an' hit's a prong, see, on de end of it. Well, yo' go on down dere till you git to de prong. Well, yo' bring that on up an' cut it off right to de prong, see. Well, yo' take it den an' sew it up in a rag an' git chew some John hearts cologne an' puts it into another little bottle an' po' dat John hearts cologne onto it, an' dat's whut chew do wit de rest.
(What will that do?)
Dat make yo' lucky in anything - success in anything.
Entry 1247
Yo' go to a fig tree an' dig yo' some roots from three diff'rent ways of de world - take some from de no'th, some east an' some south. Yo' don't want nuthin from de west - don't want nuthin tuh carry yo' down, yo' wanta build yo'self up. An' tote dem roots in yore pocket - pocket book. An' de longer yo' tote dem roots de better it will smell. Anybody will tell yo' to put Hearts Cologne on dere, but chew kin take dem fig tree roots an' long as yo' tote dem de better it will smell. Den yo' kin let chure wife or somebody else smell it an' yo' can't smell it - it's dead. [As in any hand, to let anyone touch it, smell it, even sometimes to see it - kills its power.]
(Why do you carry these roots?)
Fo' luck - protection - fo' friends.
(Would this protect me against any bad luck?)
Yes, it's good. People whut will hate yo' will come to be yore friends.
Entry 1352
[John the Conqueror or John de Conker - plain, high or low - is not the name of a root; it is the commercial label of several roots - identity depending upon digger or seller.] Yo' cud [could] git John de Conker. Yo' writes to New York an' gits dat John de Conker. Yo' git John de Conker an' - why yo' keeps it perfumeded wit Hearts Cologne an' dat's whut dey call de root, King Of de Worl', an' hit'll bring happiness, good luck to yo'. Everything that chew undertake to do, that chew'll have successful at. Yes, ah've tried that mahself.
Entry 1387
Well, a mistletoe is a bush - a little bush dat grows.in de oak tree down in de swamps. Doesn't grow any higher den dat [demonstrates]. An' yo' git that. As long as yo' keep dat - (What do you do with that after you get it?) Yo' take it an' yo' keep it dressed.
(What do you mean by keeping it dressed?)
Wit Hearts Cologne.
(And what do you do with it after you dress it with Hearts Cologne?)
Keep it with yo'.
(What does that do?)
Well, dat keeps yore enemies off yo'.
Entry 1577
Jest git chews - like ah said wit dat cologne stuff an' sulphur, an' sprinkle it around yore place. That kills all the bad luck an' de good luck comes in [cf. margin-title Begin Rite By Removing Hard Luck Spirits, p.328].
Entry 1717
Well, yo' kin - yo' ain't gotta keep de whole bat. Yo' kin git jes' even de two right wing off it, yo' see, an' yo' jes' kin sew it up. Keep it yo' see an' use dis same Heart Cologne.
(What is that good for?)
Good fo' luck - good fo' gamblin' - good fo' success in work an' all lak dat.
(Just the wing?)
Yes sir - de right wing - or yo' kin git two or three of dem, yo' see, jes' enough tuh make a little package yo' know - dey ain't large nohow. [Brunswick, Ga., (1249), 2123:7.] [These bat hands with many variations are everywhere and too numerous to catalogue here.]
Entry 1736
Ah went to a man fo' dat, too. He went an' gi' me a root - it wus a white bone. It wusn't a root, it wus a white bone. He give me a white bone whut chew call a blacksnake bone an' he said, "Yo' take dat bone an' yo' wrap it up in yore - put it in yore pocket an' tote dat bone." An' he say, "Fo' every nine mawnin's, yo' take some Hearts Cologne an' dip dat bone in it an' yo' have plenty of customers an' won't be worried. An' de law will come up an' yo' always know whut de law does." Ah taken dat bone an' kept hit until dat bone broke an' ah kept de bone on. An' he come back an' he give me anothah, an' he give me whut chew call a black- snake root de next time an' anothah bone. It's a little bone jes' about that long - jes' 'bout big as, whut yo' call a small little bone. Ah taken dat bone an' kept it an' de law come an' taken me. Dey come an' taken de jar of whiskey out de house an' dey tole me to meet co't. An' ah tole him ah didn't have no money, ah couldn't meet co't. He say, "Well, if yo' ain't got no money," says, "ah'll have tuh lock yo' up.' Say, '"But ah won't lock yo' up now." Said, "Go an' meet me up there next week." By de next week come, dat Sunday, ah taken de car an' went to anothah fellah an' he tole me - we went back to dis same fellah [first doctor], an' he said, "Well, '' says, "ah'm goin' fix yo' up." Says, "Then the only thing yo' kin do is jes' go outa town an' stay fo' three days an' come back an' he won't bother yo'." He give me that bone an' ah went outa town an' stayed three days, an' ah come back heah in town - dey had fo' cases against me an' dey laugh off ever' one.
Entry 1762
Git de buckeye and wear it in yore pocket. Yo' wanta sprinkle it though about ev'ry other day with some Hearts Cologne and wear it in yore pocket, and git dis incense and burn it around de house co'se, an' git some peanuts and put on de front [but not in the house]. Dat buckeye now, yo' need tuh git on de no'th side of de tree. Dere's a he buckeye and a she buckeye, yo' wanta git dose on de no'th side of de tree. A he buckeye supposed to have two eyes and de she one. Yo' wear dem in yore pocket.
(This is to bring in trade?)
Yes sir.
Entry 1771
If yo' see somebody - some folks dat want a lucky piece, dey goes to work an' take a eggshell wit [from] a hen dat nevah went wit a rooster, see. Take dat hen dat nevah touch a rooster an' yo' boil dat aig an' after yo' boil it, yo' take de top offa dat shell an' yo' put it in dat little bag an' po' some Heart Cologne on it, an' keep it long as de money's wit chew - whut chew workin' in de game. See. Well, dat have happen - ah don't know whether dat's real but ah've seen it done.
(That's for luck.)
Yeah, dat's fo' luck. (Now, you take this egg and after you boil it, take the shell off the egg? Or do you take the egg out of the shell?) Yo' take de egg outa de shell an' eat de egg if yo' wanta eat it - throw it away if yo' don't want it. But take dis shell an' yo' kinda bundle it up yo' know an' mash it up an' put it in a piece of bag yo' know - leather bag or shoe tongue or somepin like dat. It jes' make a small thing. An' yo' po' Heart Cologne on it - somepin dat it will go through. An' keep it lingering round wit chure money. But dat aig - de rooster not supposed to touch dis individual hen. Yo' rubs it in yore han' yo' know like dat - dat little package yo' know.
(This little package you made?)
Yeah, rub it in yore hand like dat an' go off somewhere [to gamble]. An' yo' lay dat in yore han' an' rub it - rub it down yore pants if yo' want, an' yo' go in to gamble. Dat's all yo' do fo' dat.
(All you do is put some dirt on it.)
Yassuh, each time - jes' like yo' comin' in dis game now.
Entry 1806
You can take a coffin nail and do anything that chew wish to do as long as you use that coffin nail. If it's a man, he gets the coffin nails from a wo- man's, outten a woman's coffin; and then he can do anything he wish to with that nail whenever he wishes to. And if it's a woman, she gets it from outten a man's coffin and wishes whatever she want to do. Well, they carry that nail with 'em. They keep that nail in they personal affairs somewhere here where the nail'll keep warm. They wrap that in flannel or anything. And they keep that saturated in Hearts Cologne.
Entry 1829
All right, yo' kin take Hearts Cologne. Yo' git chew Hearts Cologne an' yo' go to de - yo' know de devil's-shoestring. Yo' git de devil's-shoestring an' yo' cut it in fo' pieces to a inch - one inch long, an yo' put it into yo' little sack an' yo' keep dat devil's- string. Wear it in dat Hearts Cologne, keep it where it'll smell loud, an' whensomevah yo' go to gamble why yo' renew it ovah wit dat Hearts Cologne. Keep it where it will scent - where everybody kin git de scent of it. Dat's lucky in gambling.
Entry 1886
I had a person tuh fix me up one of those things once. He had me tuh git a toadfrog an' kill it an' hang him on de west side of a pine tree until he dries, see. Then take him then an' sew it up in a piece of flannel, red flannel an' go to a drug store an' git yo' a bottle of Hearts Cologne - keep dat 'nointed with it. Go to a skin game. Why jest befo' yo' go to skin 'em, jest unbeknowst to anybody, jest 'noint it yo' understand an' rub yore hands - rub it in yore hands. Yo' know how yo' take dese powder puff an' jest dope yore hand wit it an sit down dere. Dat's purtty lucky, too. Ah've tried dat.
Entry 1908
Ah've heerd of 'em usin' garlic. Jes' say fo' an instance, ah wanted to be lucky in a skin qame. Ah would take a piece of garlic an' place it into Hearts Cologne. I would stick it in dere an' ah would go dere an' ever' time ah would make a bet into a skin game, ah would take an' po' some dis stuff into mah hand. An' 'long as ah was doin' dat ain't no way ah could - ah would win all de money into dat game 'long as ah used dat stuff.
Entry 1930
Well, ah have use it. Yo' take graveyard dirt an' put Hearts Cologne wit it an' use it fo' luck fo' gamblin'.
(Just how would you do that?)
Go to de graveyard where a grave's been - where de grave be about six months old, de dirt. An' yo' go dere an' git dat dirt an' bring it back. Git chew a piece of red flannel. Yo' sew dat dirt an' a dime up together, a dime an' de dirt up together, an' keep dat wet in Hearts Cologne or even in good whiskey.
(What does that do for you?)
Dat's tuh give yo' luck fo' any kinda games an' gamblin'.
The informant says the material has been used and describes dirt from a grave about six months old. Hearts Cologne and good whiskey are stated alternatives for wetting it; the luck claim remains source-reported.
Entry 1965
De onliest time when ah used to be gamblin' ah went to a fellah an' he sold me a hand, an' in that hand he had a piece of charcoal an' had three fish- hooks an' it had two hairpins in that wropped up wit a piece of flannel. Then yo' had to dress it with cologne - with this heah Hearts Cologne. So ah found out that the Hearts Cologne was luckier den the other stuff. Ah found out that.
Entry 1973
Go to a graveyard for a gambling hand, git dat graveyard dirt and sew it up into a bag, and puts dat lucky lodestone into hit - into that bag. Yo' feeds dat lodestone. If yo' went to de graveyard, yo' feed it with whiskey, yo' puts whiskey on it; an' if you didn't go to de graveyard an' uses de lucky lodestone, yo uses de Hearts perfume on it - it'll 'vaporate, it keeps that lodestone damp and it makes yo† lucky.
(In gambling?)
Shore.
(Well, why do you use whiskey when you use graveyard dirt?)
Well, dat's a wicked person - yo' git de graveyard dirt from a wicked person. Use dat Hearts Cologne on de lodestone. Dat's de diff'rence.
Entry 1975
[Here, as so often, we have within one ceremony a combination of magic rites - feeding, rubbing and smelling. Smelling is important: fragrant odors for Court, Job and Love; unpleasant odors for evil spirits or persons. Examples of Rubbing are given in this subsection and elsewhere - see Index.] De main root, one of 'em ah called now - one of 'em ah done called, dis heah Eve-and-Adam. Dat's good. John de Conker is better dey say cause it don't - hit conker de worl'. Dat's whut dey say. If yo' go 'fore de jedge wit dat - an' dey say dey uses whut chew call dis heah Hearts Cologne on it to keep it alive. An' yo' keep it - it will keep 'live. It will keep it moist. Yo' rub it when yo' go dere - jest go close enough to de jedge fo' him to smell dat Hearts Cologne. Dey say it change his mind. (You would use Eve-and-Adam the same way that you would use John the Conquer root with Hearts Cologne in going before the judge?) Yes sir.
Entry 1997
Well de simplest thing yo' kin do if yo' pore an' haven't got any money lak me - de cheapest an' best thing to do is tuh go to the drug store an' git a ten-cent bottle of Hearts Cologne and take that cologne an' put it in a spray - jest like yo' spray fo' insects - jest spray the room that chew sleep in an' close it up. If yo' don't do that, yo' kin smoke a cigar. Yo' kin put it in yore eyelashes, in yore hair, anywhere about chew, the Hearts Cologne. An' then yo' kin take it an' po' it on money, if yo' have a dime - anything except a nickel or a penny. Yo' kin put it on a dime or fifty cents or a quarter an' rub it in de palm of yo' hand. Each time that chew rub the money, make a wish fo' de job dat chew want an' yo'll git it.
(And you use it also in the room for a job.)
Entry 1999
Dis Hearts Cologne - ah seen a lady had some. She had it - she would not let anybody nuse [use] it but her, an' see she'd nuse it. But she had it settin' where yo' could see it, but she wouldn't let anybody nuse it but her. Well, see if anybody else nuse it, it would give dem bad luck.
(What did she use that for?)
Good luck - to keep de policeman off from yore house, or to draw customers.
(How did she use that perfume?)
She puts it on her.
(On herself?)
Yes sir.
Entry 2002
Yassuh. Now yo' kin take a person's tracks. Dey take de left-foot track an' pick it up wit a shovel - git one cake of it.
(How do you pick it up?)
Well, jes' run it undah it, yo' see. Jes' lak yo' be followin' behin' some- one an' yo' take an' git a bo'd an' [or] shovel an' pick de whole foot-track up. Well now, yo' kin take that and yo' git chew 'bout 20 cents wuth of Hearts Cologne - dat ole stuff yo' know dat got heart, h-o-r, ah think yo' spell it on there. [The label has one or more red hearts; sometimes the bottle is heart- shaped.] Yo' take that an' yo' put it in de sand [of the foot-track]. Then yo' git chew 15 cents wuth of love powders an' put it in dat sand. Den take dat sand an' put it in a papah bag an' carry it to some diff'rent corner lak dat [points].
(Corner of the room.)
De corner of de room behin' where nobody won't interfere wit it, an' the woman will be yore gurl. [This is a love hand.]
Entry 2007
De Southern John de Conker - yo' git dat. Git chew some Heart Cologne an' yo' git chew some five-finger grass - yo' know dat, five-finger grass. Yo kin git favors from anybody wit five-finger grass, yo' know. Five-finger grass, Heart's Cologne an' Southern John de Conker. Put de cologne wit dat an' Jes' put it on yo'self an' when yo' git ready tuh go - jes' bathe yore face lak dat. Yo' jes' take dat yo' know an' rub it ovah yore han' an' face jes lak yo' goin' tuh ask fo' a favor.
(This holy oil - do you use it in addition to the other stuff you are using?)
[Informant had previously mentioned holy oil.]
Right on 'long with it. Yo' jes' do dat in de mawnin' jes' lak yo' goin' out tuh look fo' a job - yo' jes' take some of dat, yo' know, jes' lak anybody goin' grease dere face. We call it down heah - we call it - ah'm tryin' tuh remembah now whut chew call it. But de proper name is holy oil. Well, de Holiness People use it - olive oil. But de proper name - we call it holy oil, but it's olive oil.
Entry 2020
[I have already given some hands called Jack, divining hands (pp.190- 193 and Index), but in the following example Jack does not divine, he does some- thing else:] Ah have heard in times past dat a fellah gamblin' - co'se he would take his money an' he would take it an' put it wit sulphur an' red peppah an' alum, table salt an' wear it next to him, see, fo' so many days 'fore he start tuh gamblin', nine days. An' den when he goes in an' gambles, why he would be lucky. An' den, if he would happen tuh have a little bad luck, he would take an' put a little Heart's Own Cologne on it. An' co'se he would name it Jack. He would name that hand, Jack - that would be a hand. He would name it Jack. An' if he would begin to fall [to lose] he would take it off an' say, "Jack, Jack, three times, an'he would go back agin an' he start agin. But he supposed to keep it loaded wit dis heah cologne. [Calling Jack three times is a part of recharging the hand.] (He would put this money in a little piece of cloth or something of that sort. He doesn't gamble with that? He would just keep it all the time on his person? On his body?) On his body.
Entry 2030
You kin get some John de Conker and chew dat John de Conker when you go to de man, jes' like you wanta go to look for a job, you kin get dat John de Conker - well, you know what John de Conker is, don't you? You take dat John de Conker and you chew it and when you go to de man talking to him, you chew dat John de Conker and look him right in de eyes like this. And have some Heart's. Cologne on a pocket han'chief and when you talking, spread dat out and he'll give you a job.
Entry 2058
Use Hearts Cologne an' lodestone fo' luck. Well, yo' take yore Hearts Cologne. Take yore lodestone an' jes' sew it up in a piece of flannel. Yo' feed that lodestone with that Hearts Cologne. That's for luck. [This is a simple lodestone hand - nothing else in the bag.]
Entry 2065
I mean you get some lodestone like dust, carry de lodestone in a little bag. You get [can buy] dat already sewed up in a little bag: Get chew a bottle of perfume - Hearts Cologne. Well you feed dat bag and whenever you go to a man fer a job, when you talk with the man, you just squeeze on de bag while you talk- ing to him and you see, when you squeeze on it all dat perfume go in his face, and you give him a look. He'll say, "You want a job?" 'Yes, sir." "You not working?" "No, sir." Without fooling around he will give you a job. Man don't need have anything but that tote [toby] in your pocket.
Entry 2092
(White lodestone? What does that do?)
Dey has a kind dey call de magic sand an' dey take hit an' put it wit de lode- stone. Say dat supposed tuh draw money. Dey put it in a yarn rag, put it in flannel, an' dey wear it in two sacks - put red flannel next to it an' put it in a white little sack, an' keep it wet with Heart Cologne or lucky oil, either one.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will draw de money - dat's fo' gamblin', dat give yo' luck.
Entry 2096
Git a root dat chew call master of de woods - dat's a common root, an' yo' kin tote dat an' yo' anoint it with Heartshorn Cologne, an' yo' be successful winning money in games. [See margin-title King of de Woods.]
Entry 2100
I entered a house to clean it and hang some paper. Nobody had lived in it for about six months. The colored man who had lived there had moved out. There were about three daughters in the family. And when I went in the house and started to tear the paper down I found in a crevice in the wall a little ball of red flannel saturated with Hearts of Cologne. There were about 25 needles stuck in it. The fellow that was with me told me that was a mojo - a good-luck piece or to put somebody into a stream of bad luck.
Entry 2111
(How would you do that?)
Well, yo' kin take an' drill yo' a hole right in de center of it an' drive it in de center of yo' do' - inside of yo' room. Let de head of it be facing inside an' wet fo' nine mornings wit Hearts Cologne an' that will bring yo' luck.
(Well, what kind of luck?)
That's fo' luck fo' winning money on games.
Entry 2131
[I must emphasize Silver here, because the silver coins of the United States of America in the 1930's and 40's contained silver and were in hoodoo and witchcraft magic objects - see Silver in Diagnosis, Pp.204-208; in Cure and Protection, Pp.484-493. Not every bag hand held a dime or silver piece but many of them did.] Staht [start] dat right from a dime. Yo' use a dime. Yo' kin do dat from a dime to a dollah. Yo' go tuh work an' yo' git chew a halfa pint of de very best gin Ziquor dat chew kin git holt of. Take a sewin' thimble an' yo' po' a sewin' thimble fulla Hearts Cologne into dat halfa pint of gin Ziquor an' dat 'mount of money, if it's a dime, from a dime on up to a dollah, lak yo' let it soak dere ovah night into dat half pint of gin liquor. An' yo' put dat into yore right pocket an' yo' go befo' de boss de next mawnin'. De re'lly fac' about it, suh, yo' may have tuh make 'bout three trips. Yo' may make three trips befo' he make any oath - befo' he give yo' de job.
Entry 2221
I went to a man when I was in North Carolina when I didn't have no work to do, an' he told me to go get somebody to kill me a rabbit, get me the right feet and tie that right feet up in a piece of red flannel, and get me a bottle of Heartshorm Cologne and makes some of my water and mix it together and pour it on that rabbit feet, and for me to go out and go from door to door and ask people if they don't want nobody to do some Work. And I have got jobs like that, and that luck did me some good.
(Well, now which foot did you use - the right foot?)
His right feet.
(Both of them or just one?)
One of them - his right feet [foot].
(I see - the front or the back one?)
The front feet [foot].
Entry 2222
Ah used tuh gamble an' ah have all kinda han', but de only lucky han' ah evah had wus a rabbit's foot - a lil tiny rabbit's foot. Now ah paid him fo' it. Aftah he gave it to me, ah take dat foot an' wrapped one end of it tight - put three buckshots between his toes an' wrapped it tight, an' soaks it in Hearts Cologne. An' yo' wrap red thread around it wit de bones stickin' up. An' he give that to me. Long as ah carried, nobody in de worl' could beat me gamblin'.
Entry 2230
Take a rabbit's foot an' tote it in yore pocket an' keep Hearts Cologne on it fo' nine days an' yo'll have good luck in gamblin' - anything, in almost 'anything.
(What foot do you take from the rabbit?)
His right foot - back.
Entry 2240
Well, sir, yo' hear tell of de rattlesnake marster. Well, git de roots of hit an' git some Hearts Cologne an' cut it up into a bottle; an' jes' when yo' be round people, be wit people, keep yore face an' hands 'nointed wit it. Say it draws friends an' plenty customers.
Entry 2242
Perfume - why yo' use it fo' luck. Yo' takes de rattlesnake marster an' John de Conker an' de three fingers an' put all in dat Hearts Cologne. [A three-roots rite.]
(Three fingers?)
Yes sir, an' put it in dat Hearts Cologne and yo' know, like sportin' womens put it all ovah dem. Dat's gon'a grow money fo' dem.
(Take this juice off those roots and put in that perfume.)
That's right.
Entry 2350
Well, I tried a little thing like that on myself that people advised me to do. I went to work an' got me some Adam-an'-Eve an' got me a root they call twin brothers, an' got me some Hearts Cologne an' put on them. An' when I went to ast fer the job I take it an' rub it on my hands an' rub it on my face. Then I walked up to him an' ast him for the job. An' he's supposed not to deny yah.
Entry 2361
It's a root choo call de Eve-and-Adam. You ever heard of that? Well, you kin take it and you get choo a bottle of Hearts Cologne and den put those roots in there. Put a little bit of your urinate in that, jis' about three or fo' drops - you know, not enough to smell, and put that little bit on [yourself] like that and always make you have lots of friends and make people be - when you go away from home jis' put a little bit on you, about once a week.
Entry 2362
You put three drops of urine in a bottle and then empty the contents of a bottle of Hearts Perfume or Cologne, and in that you put nine new needles or new pins and a small piece of lodestone about the size of a pea, and then you drop - if you know that someone's angry with you - you drop nine grains of spice in there. Well, if you gon'a have a chance to meet these persons, you jest drop a few drops of it in your hands and rub yore hands together and then rub them over your face like that. When you meet that person he is going to be pleased with you regardless to how angry - they mighta been most angry with you but that would put them in good humor.
Entry 2383
If dere a person you wants a get a job from, dere diff'rent roots that you kin git, that are used in Heart's Cologne. Now, if you wanta job, go to a white person for it, you go looking fer a root called White Man de Conker. Then, if you go in to get a job at a colored place, you bring along High John de Conker. Well, you kin take that root, and if it's a white man, conquer de white man's mind. You cut it up fine and put it in a little vial. You let it soak over night and you put that on you and that will calm the person's mind towards you. Don't care how angry they are, that will kinda calm their mind towards you. But it's very seldom you kin get dat root without a person know exactly what it is, cause some people sells you fakes. (And you do the same thing in getting a job from a colored man, with the other root?) The Hiah John de Conker and the White Man's Conker.
(Well, do you put anything with that root?)
The Heart's Cologne and a little of your chamber lye.
(Well, what do you do with that?)
Well, after it's soaked all night, you don't have nuthin to do with it but take it with you and sprinkle it on you.
Entry 2444
Go out in de woods some place out of town where yo' kin kill you a buzzard, an' git de buzzard feathers an' bring 'em back an' burn 'em. An' take dem buzzard feathers an' sulphur, saltpeter, alum an' cologne, jest any kind of cologne, common perfume yo' know, an' burn dat in yore fireplace jest lak dat wood done burning dere. [Informant refers to fire in fireplace - for cold damp weather at Waycross, See in Introduction my comments to Telediphone at the time of collecting.] An' yo' take dat, after it's burned - dem feathers in de ashes an' yo' jest throw it all round yore house, front an' back, an' yo' git jest as many customers as yo' wanta git or more.
Entry 2546
Heard of that. Well, now, pract'lly ah noticed - ah learnt all dat since ah been heah. Ah notice dat dese fellows, dey git dis Hearts Cologne, yes sir, an' den dey use dis sen-sen whut dey burn. Dey say it's fo' luck. Dey take dat sen-sen an' put it in dere pocket an' saturate dis round dere chest an' dey hat wit dis Hearts Cologne.
(When they go for a job?)
Yes sir.
Entry 2654
Take de same thing whut ah was tellin' yo' 'bout - dis Hawthorm Cologne [= Hearts Cologne]. An' yo' put dat Hawthorn Cologne, sprinkle it on de floor - puts wit sulphur yo' know where it kill dat odor of sulphur. An' all yo' do, prob'bly befo' de night when yo' clean up, yo' sweeps - start at de front do' like dis. Heah's de front do' where de entrance is. Come in. Yo' sweep all to de back an' don't sweep dis way, yo' see. Den yo' take dis Hawthorn Cologne an put it in a can or somethin', any kind of little container or somethin', an'po' de cologne on dat. Jest a little bit - not to wet it. Den stick a match to it an' burn dat. Ah'll guarantee dey will come in dere after dat. Den close up fo dat night - see, jes' close up. (That is to bring in trade. What do you put in that can to burn?) [I wanted the word sounding like hawthorne repronounced.] A little bit of pure medical sulphur an' Hawthorn Cologne.
(I see, you put this cologne on it.)
Jest a drop or two. Yo' don't need not enough to wet it - jest a drop or two.
Entry 2660
Yo' kin burn sulphur an' Hearts Cologne, put a little sugah in it. Burn them an' have a wish. Ah've tried these things mahself, dat's de reason why ah kin say dat. An' have'a wish that - make yore wish like on Friday. Yo' start to burn 'em though like a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday night. So Friday yo' make yore wish.
(What time on Friday?)
Well, any time dat day is all right - after midnight Thursday night make yore last burnin'.
(What would you wish?)
Yo' make wish to make $40 or $50 or a $100, or yo' know.
(Any kind of wish in gambling.)
Any kind of wish in gamblin'.
(Well, don't you do anything with this stuff that you burn?)
No sir, jes' burn it in yore room.
Entry 2688
Dirt dauber nest is awful lucky tuh women (see p.432). Women kin take dirt dauber nest an' dey kin take it an' Hearts Cologne an' alum, an' dey kin use dat in de mornin' at dey front. Dey use chamber lye wit it too. An' use dat at dey front an' back do' an' dat place - women [do] dat, spo'tin' women dat way - plenty men will come round dere an' give it to 'em, have plenty friends.
Entry 2716
To make people come buy from you now, if you'd scrub your house out. You just would get you - just like I told you this before, if you wanta keep from getting hurt. Just get you some lye, man, and some linsin soap and put in that water.
(What kind of soap?)
Linseed[?]. That's that heavy coarse soap, but it's brownish-like. Cracker- iack Drug Store got all that right there - sell you that any time you calls for it and show you the same thing. And you put that in that water and it going to be dissolved in the water - just let it dissolve there you understand. And take that and scrub your place every morning - just about five a'clock you scrub your place with that. And you kin have that old van-van stuff and just throw it all around there every time you come in the house, and the place just going to smell likes it's cologne up in your house. [People come] thinking that you got nothing [but] cologne and such things. Well you - all your customers just going to be coming there and coming there - coming backward and forward and see you. Keep the law - the same thing, off you.
(The same way, I see.)
Entry 3204
If a woman wants a man tuh drive away - well if yo' kin git in touch wit 'er, if him an' 'er have a intahco'se, yo' git de rag where dey use an' yo' take dat rag, an' yo' go to de graveyard or cemetery where dere somebody jes' fresh buried, an' git some of dat dirt an' mix it wit it an' put some Heart Cologne on it, an' bring it right back an' drop it right undah de step where dey walk ovah. It will take 'em on away.
(That is to separate the man and his wife, the man and woman.)
De man an' woman.
Entry 3902
[The following rite is good illustration of one of the many headaches of hoodoo field work.] Dey feed 'im on dey period... [Three dots show that I had heard dey feed 'im on dey period so often, I turned off my machine. Informant continues talking, until I restart machine after ask- ing, How can a man get rid of that?] Well, yo' takes tuh git rid of dat, a man quit eatin' - don't eat fro 'em, an' when yo' do eat... [Again I stop machine until informant begins a cure. Just before restarting machine I ask for a repetition of the lost words:] He gits a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' evah time he eat from her, he'll take a little bit of dat, jes' [demonstrates] like, an' wipe down in his body, an' dat kill evah bit of it.
(If she is using some of her monthly?)
Yes, kill all of it.
Entry 4160
Yuh take saltpetah an' yuh own watah an' Hearts Cologne an' use dat aroun' de bossman, an' he'll give yuh a job. Ah've hear of sech as dat bein' done. Dis same stuff; saltpetah, Hearts Cologne an' yuh own watah, aroun' where yuh doin' business at, an' de' say dat will draw yuh customahs.
Entry 4188
Now dis is about six needles - three needles up and three down, see [demonstrates]. (You put three up like that and three up like that - I mean down. Or do you put them like this [I must have demonstrated]?) Three up an' three down [demonstrates]. (One's up and one's down, one's up and one's down, and so on.) [The needles are alternately up and down.] See, yuh turn three point up an' den down, an' yuh takes some of de hair out chure haid an' yuh put it in de bottle - a glass bottle. Yuh buys some perfume, put about dat much in dere, yuh see; I mean full enough tuh covah dat - de haid [and points] of dem needles. An' yuh take yuh toenails an' put dat down in, den yuh take some of de hair from down below an' yuh watah.
(And your water on both.)
Yes, yuh puts some of de watah in dat an' mix dat wit dat cologne. Yuh kin bury dat. Yuh buries it right about three or four inches in de groun'. When dat bottle work out de groun', when dat bottle will bus' [bust], dey stop comin'. Dat person gone.
(Where do you bury this?)
Yuh buries it right aroun' de steps, de same somepin like what ah tole yuh while ago.
(Well, will this bottle come up out of the ground?)
Yes, dey work out de groun'. Yuh see, somepin like when it rain, work outa de groun'. See, work up. Some days dey work up dat much [demonstrates]. See, stick de haid up, de stoppah, an' keep aworkin' up an' git dat much out de groun'. An' den de bottle shoot up at a certain time when [something] an' bottle bus'. De man gone.
(Well, whose hair and stuff do you put in that bottle?)
His, his 'cuz he ain't buyin' any whiskey. See, whilst he's sleepin', she is playin' aroun'.
Entry 4504
(And what about the bath water?)
Well, take de bath watah an' put some sugah in it an' Hearts Cologne, an' den take an' [in the morning] throw it to de sunrise; an' if yuh don't want 'im, in de aftahnoon yuh take an' throw it tuh de east - ah mean west. (Well, what do you throw it to the sunrise for in the morning? Well, dat's to make him cling tuh yuh. (I see. If you don't want him, you throw it to the west.)
Entry 4522
Now, dere wuz a boy wuz goin' wit me an' ah took 'is hat. He wuz in New York but he's done been back heah since dat. An' ah took 'is hat an' ah dressed de bindin' of it, de wide bindin' inside. Ah took an' pur [poured] a few drops of dis heah dragon's blood an' a few drops of John de Conkah. Hit [the latter] wuz oil yuh see, not de wood. Sometime yuh qit it in bottles. Well, ah has some of dat an ah dropped a few drops roun' in dere, an' a few drops of dis heah cologne. An' he been wit me evah since. We've been married.
Entry 4590
Dat bow out of a person hat, dat's de only thing tuh make a man love a woman. Dey kin take it an' put it in cologne, de Hearts Cologne. Dey kin use de bow an' Hearts Cologne an' carry it in a small bottle wit dem, an' dat will make a man crazy fo' dem.
Entry 4592
Take dat li'le bow an' yuh dress it wit some - keep it sweeten all de time wit Heart Cologne, an' he think dat sompin dey put on 'em tuh make his hair stick, an' den dat will make him keep home - keep 'im from lovin' anybody else.
Entry 4594
Take dat bow an' dress it wit Hearts Cologne an' wear roun' 'er wais', an' jes' as long as she keep dat bow an' wear it, yuh can't stay from roun' 'er. An' she kin git all of 'is money an' kin treat chew any kinda Way she wants tuh an' yuh nevah will leave 'way. An' if she wears it till she lose it, den dere where she lose yuh lovin'.
Entry 4690
Dey tell me yuh take dat bow out dat hat an' puts Hearts Cologne on it an' a little of yore chamber lye. An' put it in a flannen rag an' wear it right nex' tuh yore flesh. Say dat will make a man love yuh.
Entry 4691
Take dat bow out of a man's hat, like dey take dis bow heah [demon- strates]. Well, dey kin take dat bow - a woman kin git dat bow out 'is hat. She take an' put it in some choambah watah an' she put some Hearts Cologne on dere. Well, if she kin git dat bow back in yore hat wit'out chure knowin' it, dat will make yuh fall in love, really in love wit 'er.
Entry 4714
She used it tuh bring 'er man back. Heah's whut she does. She eithah take a piece of undahshirt where he sweats undah heah, undah de lef' arm. An' she takes dat an' balls it up in a knot an' dress it wit Hearts Cologne an' buries it undah de step. An' usely [usually] he comes back.
Entry 4749
Git a person's clothes an' dress 'em an' let 'im wear 'em, wear dose clothes an' yuh kin make 'im love yuh dac way. [To] dress de clothes, why yuh take dat love powdah an' jis' sprinkle it in 'is clothes, an' git chew fo' fish- hooks an' tie 'em up, an' put 'em inside de pad of de linin' of 'is coat chere. An' put dat Hearts Cologne on it. Yuh kin dress 'em lak dat.
Entry 4847
Or dey kin take de seat out dere undahwear an' wear it aroun' yore waist an' let it drop down - a woman kin wear it roun' 'er waist an' let it drop down, an' he'll give yuh evah penny he kin rake an' scrape up - an' she use Hearts Cologne wit it.
(What do you mean by drop down?)
Let it drop down roun' de navel - jis' wear it slack, be down roun' de navel. Dey'll give 'em ever' penny.
Entry 6836
If someone tryin' tuh hahm [harm] yo', yo' kin jis' go tuh work an' git chew some Hearts Cologne an' jis' fumigate yuh rooms wit it an' leave it on yuh clothes all about [all about or over your clothes], an' it's nuthin dey kin do wit yo' 'bout it wit'out dey gits somepin in yuh food.
Entry 7602
Den it's de las' one ah know - pahtic'ly [particularly] good, yo' see. Ah wanta tell yo' sompin whut ah done experienced mahself. Now, if yo' goin' off anywhere an' yo' goin' wit some mean folks, befo' yo' go, yo' goes yo' knows people at de cemetery becuz mos' any cemetery - people dat lives in a city or anywhere dey come tuh know somebody dat buried in a cemetery. Yo' goes dere first dark an' yo' carry one penny wit chew. An' yo' goes right tuh de head of 'is grave an yo' call 'im three times, yo' say, "So-an'-so, So-an'-so, [So-an'-so], ah come fo' some of yore dust, an' ah goin' pay yo' fo' it." See, an' yo' take it right off 'is breast right heah [demonstrates]. (Right off the middle of his breast.). An' yo' stick dat penny down an' - stick dat penny way down fur as yo' kin git it. Den yo' take dat dirt an' put it in whut chew wanta put it in [the container unimportant here], an' covah dat grave back up.
(What do you do with that dirt after you get it?)
Yo' kin take dat dirt an' yo' jis' kin sew it up in a red flannen or any piece of brand-new - yo' gotta sew it up in a brand-new piece of cloth, not no cloth dat been used. Jis' go an' git a nickel worth of some kinda cloth, an' sew dat dirt up in dere good an' yo' totes it. [This becomes a hand.] An' about once a week, yo' take a little bit of dis ten-cent cologne, yo' know, an' yo' puts on it [you feed it], an' yo' totes it in yore pocket. An' yo' kin go anywhere in any crowd of mean people, dey won't say a word tuh yo', an' yo' git 'long jis' as good as yo' want tuh.
Entry 11128
Yo' takes a cow horn, burn it, an' then, when it parches up it'll burn jest like gutta percha, somepin othah. Yo' know, parch it up, an' yo' kin git chew some prepared alum, already powdered alum. Dat's simple but it's a fact. Ah ain't nevah lost a job yet. An' mix dat cow horn tuhget- her wit dat an' Hearts Colo- gne an' rub it in yore hand. If yo' kin git tuh git his [boss] glove or anything, jest let de scent of dat git on it - de scent from your hand git on his glove. An' have yo' a piece of union 'erb. It grows in de woods. It's a little root about dat long an' it's got a top on it jest like a - yo' seen a carrot top. It grows sorta like a carrot top. An' have yo' a piece of ABC root [a root that has the letters of the alphabet!], dat grows like a fern, an' jest cut it. Cut until yol cut de first letter of yore name, an' yo' take dat an' put it in yore left hip pocket. Yo' take dat union herb an' put it in yore mouth an' chew it whilst yo' talkin' to him [boss] or makin' yo'self acquainted wit him, while de wind of yore breath is goin' in his face, an' de scent of dat cow horn an' alum is on his hand. He'll give yo' a job. Jest whatsomevah yo' require him tuh pay a day, he'll pay it.
(Do you use all these things together?)
Put de ABC root in yore left pocket, yo' have dis heah burnt cow horn an' alum on de hands. Rub it on yore hands an' have [it there].
Entry 11155
A piece of skull bone or dust ground from skull bone is pat in a bag with roots: John de Conkah, St. Elizabeth root, devil's shoestring, etc.; and kept wet with Hearts Cologne for gambling luck. [Charleston 609:10.]
Entry 12123
Soak a man's hat bow in cologne and lay it over the door for love.
[Wilmington 231:4+85.]
Entry 12143
Oh yes, indeed, sure she could.
(What do they say about that?)
Well, she could do the same as I was telling you, if any way that she could get Hearts - you know Hearts Cologne? Perhaps you have smelled it a lot of times. Well, she will git Hearts Cologne and she will dress herself with it from her right hand. She oill invite you to her home and she will dress herself with her right hand all over her face and her body. Understand? And if you make your appearance in her bome and - she will have this here - if she kin get a chance, she will put some in her hand and she rubs it over you like that, or just pat you on your face or stroke your hair back. You couldn't stay away from her. You'd be compelled to ooe, but why you wouldn't know. And she will keep that and if she don't do more than just dress you with that hearts....
(I see, that will keep him there.)
Entry 12145
Dey say yo' kin git yo' some of dis Hearts Cologne and yo' kin pour dat all ovah yo', and go dere, and dey say dat will change his mind.
(The boss's mind.)
Entry 12146
Dey say yo' take dis Hearts Cologne an' yo' rub it on yore han' befo' yo' go out in a game; an' when yo' git in de game, say yo'll be lucky. [Florence 2192:12.]
Entry 12147
Use Hearts Cologne an' wear it under de left arm or in de breast an' if he'll quit, he'll have to go back. [Waycross 1856:8a.]
Entry 12262
Use de John de Conkah root.
(You use the same thing when you go to get a job?)
Yeah. An' then yo' kin take Hearts Cologne an' po' that on there an' go down an' ask fo' a job. [Fayetteville 2558:2.]
Entry 12266
Yo' git a piece of root, John de Conkah, an' put a little bit of this cologne on de John de Conkah, an' have it in a little bag in yore bosom. Yo' go down dere an' talk to 'em an' dis odor will adhere to him. Dat's how...
(You'll get a job?)
Yeah. [Florence 2265:11.]
Entry 2000
Dey say, take Hearts Cologne an' rub it in yore han' an' drink it like dat, yo'll have good luck in gambling; but ah nevah haven't tried it, see. (You mean you rub this Hearts Cologne in your hand and then you drink some of it, after you've rubbed your hands. That gives you good luck in gambling. Ye ssuh. [On one of my visits to Savannah, I interviewed a man with a slightly befud- dled mind. Afterwards I heard he was a perfume drinker, having acquired the habit during prohibition.l
Entry 11550
"Jes' lak yo' walking, dey kin take yuh [left] foot track, de length an' de wide of it. Well, now, right in your instep dey take a grain of sand, jes' pick up jes' what yo' kin git in your fingah. An' dey put it in a bottle an' git, well, I would say around about 10 or 15 drops of Hearts Cologne. Dey'll put dat in dere. An' dey will jis' keep adding dis powdahs in dere with it. Some kinda powdah. I forgit de name. Jis' feed it with powdahs. Well, dey claim den, if dey do dat, why you can't walk." [Richmond 462:8.]
Entry 12093
~ "They take that little bow and wear it near de skin round de waist... on de left side nearest to de heart...round about de belt where it'll keep warm all de time. And they keep that saturated in their you-reen [urine] and Hearts Cologne and make wishes. [Elizabeth City 402:6.]
Entry 1362
You put dis dime and den if you use de same root what I tell you about.
(John the Conquer?)
Yes - John de Conker and dis dime and call it a bodyguard. A dime and dis John de Conker and dis same Hearts Cologne use that together, and den yuh take dat and you make dat up like a bag, and den you got'a put John de Conker and dis dime, fix dat together and put 'em in a glass, in the chamber lye and let it lay over all night. See, leave that lay over all night and den de next morning dey take and dey feed it and dey wear dat around dere waist. See, den nobody can't hurt cha. [To feed is to dampen, letting the cloth soak up liquid - see Feed in Index.]
(What do you feed that with the next morning?)
You feed that with that same Hearts Cologne. Now, dey take dis and dey get a bottle of de Hearts Cologne, see and they put that in that, and you draw that together and put that aroun' - and dey put 'em around dey waist and then you take the Hearts Cologne and put it in another bottle. You do that over your face in the morning-time when you go out in de morning-time - dress your face. You go out like dat and ain't nobody can't worry you - you see, if you got a enemy and you puts that thing on your face like that, you see, it will stick there.
(I see, and they can't harm you.)
Entry 1878
Use a toadyfrog for lotsa luck an' fo' gamblin' or somethin' lak dat. Yo' kin take a frog an' put him in yore left pocket an' when yo' take an' put him in yore left pocket, yo' take dat cologne an' yo' kin jes' kinda sprinkle it on him in yore pocket. But chew have him tied so dat de people would [not know you had him] - have him tied up. An' jes' whenevah dat yo' go to de gamblin' game or anythin', if dat frog start tuh jumpin' or somepin lak dat, well yo'll be suc- cessful in whut chew doin'; but if he's not, dere won't be anythin' to it.
Entry 1902
Ah used de nest of de red ants mahself - see, ah used to be a gambler. Yo' git a frog an' take tie him up, both his laig, to a stake ovah a nest of dose large red antses an' let dem eat de flesh off his bones, see. An' den yo take de bones an' wrap 'em up in a cloth an' dress em wit cologne an' yo'll win. But it's dangerous - yo' have tuh pay fo' it.
(What do you mean by that?)
Well, yo' li'ble lose a member of yore body, yore arm or laig, toe, yo' know, or lose somebody in de family yo' love, or either yore life. Yo'll have to pay fo it. It s de devil's trick.
(What do you do with that frog? You stake - you mean?)
Yo' stake him - yo' torture him - yo' let de red ants eat de flesh off him - stake him alive. Yo' tie him up, all fo' of him laigs where de ants kin git to his flesh.
Entry 1940
You kin git chew a little dis talcum powder, git chew a little grave- yard dirt. Go as near de center of de graveyard as you can. It don't make any diff'rence where [whether] you git it off de grave or not, but you git from sandy dirt like. Take dis talcum powder and mix dat and de graveyard dirt together. Prob'bly you have to put it in de stove somewhere and let it dry out so's it'll be dust. You go and git chew a little of de best cologne dat you kin find and sprinkle into dere. Well now, if you kin git right on to dis boss or kin roun next to 'im, you may drop some of it roun' his feet like dat or run your hands - keep some in your pocket all de time. Run your hand in your pocket and sprinkle a little roun' dere. Well, you take dis same Adam and Eve root. It don't hurt cha if you put it in yo' mouth. You take and place one in each jaw, walk roun' de boss and talk to 'im. Spit ever' once in a while roun' in dere. If dere's anything on his desk or anywhere [like] dat, you kin prob'bly spit in your hand and go and lean on it - jes' like I'd come in chere and ask you for a job, I'd lean up here [against my work table] and talk to you. Now I got dat spittal in my hand you see and put it on his desk. He can't tell nuthin.
Entry 2011
When yo' do lak dat, yo' goes where peoples take - to a horseshoe shop where dey shoes horses an' mules. Yo' understand dat. Yo' git chew, understan', nine p'ints [points] of de horseshoe nails - nine p'ints. Whut ah mean by nine p'ints now - de whole horseshoe nail when yo' shoein' de horse, dey drive it in de hoof, an' yo' takes yore pliers, yo' drive it [nail] through de shoe into de hoof, through de hoof an' it come out ovah heah an' dat leaves de p'int stickin up lak dat, a good little piece. Well, dey rings dat off on dat side an' files it off wit a file. (They clip those little points off?). Yeah, clip dem off. Yo' pick 'em up down dere on de ground. Yo' tells de man, say, "Ah wanta, Boss, a han'ful or so of dese little p'ints of dese little horseshoe nails." Says, "Go ahead," says, "ah don't care nuthin 'bout dem - ah'm done with 'em." Pick yo' up nine p'ints an' put 'em in yore pocket. Den when yo' git dat, yo'll go back an' go where yore cow is, or mah cow, or lak dat, a cow stall or in a cow pasture, an' git chew, understan', a han'ful, jes' about dat much, of dry cow dung. Be sure dat hit dry an' hard - not green, not half-green. Gits de ole dry cow dung dat's hard an' dry, an' come back an' crumble that thing up, yo' understand, an' take dem nine p'ints of dem horseshoe nails an' put it in dere wit it. Sew it up in a lil piece of flannen, if yo' wanta, an' put it in yore pocket an' take den an' git yo' dis - git chew some dis heah whut dey call Hearts Cologne. Yo' kin git dat an' dat smells so high, so high in a crowd lak dat, yo' kin leave hit off [and use a linament]. (If you don't use the Hearts Cologne, you use this linament. Now what is it called?) Ah'm tellin' yo' now - whut dey call Nerve and Bone Linament, an' po' it on dere. Wet it good wit dat. Dat Nerve an' Bone Linament, dat takes all de man's nerves dat he git. If yo' git a man nerve, den yo' got him up any time where yo' Want him. He ain't no damn good. Yo' kin work him any kinda way yo' wanta. Dat takes de nerve 'way from all de rest of 'em. Yo' see, yo' got de nerve down. When a man's nerve gone, he's no good.
(That's for luck in gambling.)
Entry 2059
To make yo' keep a job after yo've got it. Dey tell me yo' kin git chew some - somepin dey call lodestone. Yo' orders it from a book. Yo' kin git dat an' git some sulphur an' bluestone an' mix dat all up together fine, an' take yo' a new piece of cloth an' sew it up in dere good an' wear it round yore waist or anywhere on yo. Keep it damp wit Heart Cologne. Say dat keep de police out
Entry 2289
If you wanta have luck in gamblin', if yo' married or got a wife or got a girl fren', jes' git a piece off her bloomers an' a piece of her hair an' a hairpin, an' put Heart Cologne wit dat an' a piece of garlic, an' sew dat into a cloth together with a dime an' keep it in yore pocketbook or in yore pocket. Yo always have luck in gamblin'.
Entry 2506
Well, ah tell yo', fo' good luck like that yo' git the good luck insane [incense]. Yo' want mah ideas? Yo' git the good luck insane an' yo' burns that with the holy oil every morning fo nine mornings. An' yo' take six drops of Hearts Cologne, one teaspoon of sugar to a gallon of water. Yo dust yore house down, yo' take yore linen off yore bed, clean up one room at a time. Pick up that dust an' put it on a piece of newspaper. Clean up yore next room an' take all de linen if you got a bedroom. Do the same room like that. Put all that dust, all yo' create, git it up off de floor on that one paper. Then buy yo' a box of table salt an' yo' use one cup of that table salt on all that dust that chew taken up. Take yore linen out of doors an' yo' wash it. Clean up everything. Wash yore bedsteads an' yore springs off an' put on clean linen an' everything. An' take that trash that yo've gathered up in those rooms and take one cup of table salt, take it out an' take a shovel an' dig a hole, an' place it in de ground an' kiver it up. Fust one go tuh sleep that night will dream a good dream an' it will be a good luck dream, be a game in it. If yo' play a game of chance yo'll win.
(Now you do all this cleaning up in the house for luck in the home?)
Fo' luck in yore home. (That is if you want to bring in customers to rent your rooms or something of that sort.) An' then when yo' go out, before yo' go out, yo' take that Hearts Cologne an' yo' sprinkle yoreself with it. Every time yo' go out yo' do that an' yo'll advance with everybody - influence with everybody. Anything yo' go after yo'll have influence with the people.
Entry 2542
If yo' got a roomin' house an' yo' haven't no roomers an' cain't make no success, yo' git up befo' day in de mawnin' an' yo' scrub roun' in yore house an' den yo' scrub yore po'ch. Yo' scrub it with urinate, Hearts Cologne, oil of cinnamon - jes' diff'rent things lak dat. Den yo' make a wish. An' aftah that when yo' git through, den yo' come in an' yo' burn sandalwood incense or either dis Lucky Star - jes' anything yo' prefer burnin'.
Entry 2639
Dat's fo' luck. Well, on Mondays an' Fridays yo' supposed tuh burn red onions. Yo' git a man's left shoe an' yo' put a piece of garlic an' yo' put some of de hull of a red onion an' yo' put some sulphur an' yo' put some sugah an' yo' put some Hearts Cologne in de heel of that man's shoe. Well, yo' put all de rest of that - some of everything yo' put in de heel - on top of de stove at twelve a'clock an' yo' burn it.
(What will that do?)
Dat's supposed tuh be lucky - jes' whatevah yo' want, jes' lak if yo' want luck in de home, or yo' tryin' tuh ketch de policy, or yo' tryin' tuh git some money or somepin lak dat. Yo'll burn dat Fridays an' Mondays.
(You burn that shoe on top of the stove, too?)
Yo' burn de shoe in de stove, an' den put de rest of de stuff on top of de stove an' let dat go through de house, an' let de othah whut's in de heel go out in de ash.
Entry 2647
Well, I couldn't tell you but I know I worked in the [red- light] district thirteen years and around sporting women, you know I know plenty. (Well, suppose you tell us about that. What do they do for good luck or bad luck around those houses? Those sporting houses?) Good luck? Oh, there's plenty of things. There's essence of geranium.
(How would they use that?)
They would scrub in it. Banquette [scrubbed with it].
(What was it supposed to do?)
Well, it draw plenty of men so they can turn tricks - turn the trick.
(That is all they would use?)
Sell plenty of beer.
(Well, what else would they do around those sporting houses?)
They smoke 'em. They get incense and brown sugar and they put it on a shovel and they light it, and you let 'em take and step over it.
(Keep stepping back and forth across it?)
Step over it nine times - each one, each woman.
(Without any clothes on or does she?)
She don't fust let it touch her clothes, she just pull her dress up when she step over it. But now they wear the dresses so short they don't need to hold 'em up.
(Who did that? These white women did that?)
White women Colored women burns it 'cause I used to burn it for them. They paid me for it.
(What was the sign for bad luck? What wouldn't they let you do around there?)
If you eat peanuts, the hulls is bad luck [see p.710]. Pecan hulls is bad luck - crossed to the house, crossed to the house, and the landlady put you out when she find out that you eat plenty of that, 'cause she. ain't going to have you there 'cause you are bad luck to yourself and everybody else around there. Scrub the banquettes - wash theirself - bathe theirself round a little - take a little Japanese Honeysuckle Cologne and put it in the water and bathe theirself off with it.
(What is that supposed to do?)
That will make 'em be lucky, make 'em catch tricks. They always have one they love - they give him money.
(What do they call him? What is he called?)
Called "Daddy," "Honey," and all kind of pet names.
(What would they do to hold him?)
Oh he's - he going to stay there because they giving him money.
(I see. White men?)
White men. He going to stay 'cause he getting by. He ain't working, he ain't doing nothing for a living and they taking care of him - getting his eat- ing and getting his sleeping price. (The same things where they have colored women? Do they do these same sorts of things?) Say where they have colored women?
(Colored sporting houses.)
Oh, yeah - all of 'em does. Oh, yes.
Entry 4012
Well, it's a powdahs dat ah have used but ah don't know de name of dat powdah. Dey use de chamber lye fo' two-three diff'ren' things.
(Tell me one of them first.)
Well, yo' kin take - if yo' kin ketch any of dey own, jis' lak, yo' know, dey go in a bucket at night. Well, yo' kin go dere an' git it. Yo' go dere an' git it an' boil it. Yo' gotta boil it thoroughly. Yo' take de white of a aig an break it in dere. An' yo' take de white of de aig an' let it stay in dere till it cook up, an' take it right back an' put it in a bottle. Take some Hearts Cologne an' po' in dere wit it, an' yo' go right back an' bury it right at de gate where dey have tuh walk ovah it.
(What will that do?)
Well, dat's fo' givin' people luck when stayin' at a house, where dey been in bad luck an' been havin' confusion.
Entry 4246
If dey take yuh chamber lye an' put it in a bottle an' put saltpetah in it an' Hearts Cologne, an' sprinkle it in de path where a person walk along, an' it'll cuz 'em tuh like yuh, come aroun' yuh an' visit yuh.
Entry 7203
All right, a man take an' do wit a woman de same way. A man cut de seat, a piece where she sweat undah here, undah de ahm. (Under her arm. Both arms or just one?) Both ahms. All right, he takes dat an' he puts some li'le roots in dat - some kinda li'le roots.
(Do you know the name of those roots?)
Dey put - whut's de name of dat root now? Some kinda - devil's-shoestring. Cut dem tuh be short. See, dem shoestring dat long [demonstrates].
(The devil's-shoestrings about three feet long?)
Yes, sir, some is dis long. Some is long accordin' as jis' how much yo' take out de groun' an' dey will pop off.
(You cut them about an inch or two inches long?)
Yes, sir, dat much off see. An' yo' put 'em in de bottle. Well, dat's tuh keep 'em at home. Dat's tuh make a woman dat run about tuh dance an' shows, lak dat, run aroun' lak dat, dat keep 'em home. De mō' [more] he feed dat bottle, dat keep 'er down. If - he don' do it tuh kill 'er, yo' know, jis' tuh keep 'er home.
(And what does he feed that bottle with?)
With cologne.
(And where do you keep this bottle?)
Keep it in 'is pocket. Yo' don't bury dat, keep it in 'is pocket. (That all he puts in there, these pieces of her clothing and the devil's-shoe- string?) Yes sir, an' he shake dat bottle up, yo' know. Yo' see, de man [the doctor] tell 'im tuh shake it up, an' feed it. Feed it an' put it back in 'is pocket. Don' put it in nobody's hand. Keep it in 'is pocket jis' a small ole cologne bottle.
Entry 7775
A man tole me one time when ah used tuh try tuh gamble - ah nevah was nuthin but a game-fan [watcher] - but ah've quit dese things now. But ah remem- bah dis in mah youngah days. Ah'm tellin' yo' de truth. He always tole me, said, "If yo' wanta be lucky, B" - called me B, mah name is Bidgood - he says, "if yo' wanta be lucky, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' go intuh de breast of de grave, an' put chure hand down as deep as yo' kin git in an' git some-a de dust. Git chew a piece of red flannen an' put it in dere, an' put some black peppah, some honeycomb" - lak de bees make honey, use de comb sometime fo' curin', but de honey's gone - "an' tie it up an' put it in yore pocket. When yo' go tuh a pokah game or skin game or crap game, jis' take dat ball out an' roll it in yore hands disaway [demonstrates] an' evahthing lak dat, ' an' says, "yo' prob'ly make a couple of passes on de dice - craps. Well," says, "yo' keep dat up an' rub yo' hands [until they] gits warm an' hot. Go tuh a drug store an' git chew some good cologne an' put all through dat so it have a sweet smell tuh it." He says, "Yo' more den apt tuh be lucky." But ah have nevah tried it.
Entry 10063
Now, if it's a hand dat he wants, he'll go in de fo'k of de road 'fo' day in de mawnin' at fo' 'clock. He'll be dere by foah. Well, he take jis' thin's. Yo' evah heah talk of dis root dey call John de Conkah? Well, it's de root dat chew git - it's a blacksnake root also. Well, yo' take de root. Well, it's a bone. It's lak a chicken bone. It's on a black cat. Ah could almost tell yuh where tuh git it from. [I too can tell where tuh git it, wishbone from, but you wo won't find it in a black cat! I have discussed this matter elsewhere in HOODOO.] Yo' take dis cat an' yo' kill de cat, see. Yo' take de bone, it's long lak a chicken. Well, yo' take dis bone, de blacksnake root an' yo' take dis John de Conkah, an' yo' takes dis bone, an' yo' goes in de fo'ks of de road. An' yo' draws somepin in de Way of a triangle. Dis way [demonstrates] in de mawnin' at fo' 'clock when- evah yo' make yuh wish. An' yuh hand dat chew wants, yo' sellin' yuhself tuh de devil, also, whenevah yuh do dat. Den yo' take de sinnahman's dirt from 'is grave an' nine pennies which yo' pays de devil fo' 'is work. Yo' give him dis stuff an' leave it dere. An' he'll come up jis' de same as a natchal man. An' when yo' give him dis, he give yuh a hand an' dere's nobody kin break it up.
[All hands can be broken by counter charm or powerful doctor.]
(This is the hand for gambling. Where do you put all this in this triangle?)
Right in dis triangle. Jis' lak in de fo'ks of de road: one comin' dis way an' one goin' dat way an' one's behin' yuh. Well, yo' stands right in de fo'ks of de road an' yo', yo' know, so nobody cain't git it up. Yo' know, dig it up, an' yo' stand right dere, if yo' have nerve enough, an' yo' fix all of dis in heah [demonstrates].
(In this hole?)
In dis triangle in de hole [in the hole in the triangle]. An' whenevah yo' do, yo' talk tuh hit, yo' know, jis' talk jis' lak ah'm talkin' tuh yuh: Ah wan' chew tuh do so an' so, an' ah wants a "hand, " an' ah wants tuh win evahthin'. Well, whenevah yo' do dat, well, dere's yuh luck right dere. Well, den yo' kin take, when yo' git ready tuh leave, yo' take a piece of each of de roots an' de black cat bone, an' put it in a ten-cent vial of Hearts Cologne. [This ten-cent vial of Hearts Cologne as hand we have elsewhere.] An' when yo' go in yore game yo' 'n'int chureself wit it, an' dat'll cuz evahbody tuh come right tuh yuh.
(Where do you put these pennies?)
Yo' take dose pennies. Well, see, yo' bury dose pennies. Yo's payin' 'im [devil] fo' yuh hand.
(Where do you put those pennies?)
Yo' put it right in de triangle an' yo' bury it. See, yo' won' take dose pennies [away] wit chew, yo'll leave 'em dere.
(You take the roots with you?)
Takes a piece of de root, jis' a piece. See, de roots join. Jew evah seen a piece? De root's [root is] join [has joints].
(You take a piece of it and you leave the rest of the root in the hole.)
Leave de rest of de root. Jis' take a piece of each piece of dis heah, but chew takes dat bone an' put it in de jah [jar], right in de jah, an' den yo' put chure - den yo' stops it up, each piece of de root. Den yo' 'oint [anoint] yuh- self when yo' git ready tuh go on a game.
The informant describes a four-o'clock road-fork triangle rite with named roots, a black-cat bone, grave dirt and pennies, and later carrying parts in Hearts Cologne for gambling. Hyatt disputes the bone identification and indestructibility claim. Preserve the source's shifting root description, represented request, payment recipient and editorial qualifications without equating roots or bones globally.
Entry 9881
Yo' takes an' go out an' yo' ketches jis' a or'nary frog an' yo' turn 'is haid toward de wall, an' 'is tail from yo'. Bring 'is tail see, an' cut him open dat way [demonstrates]. [To record informant's ac- tions required a question.] (You cut him open in his belly or his back?) Cut 'im open in de back. Cut 'im( open an' den open 'im up an' find 'is li'l heart. An soon as yo' git it - don' say a word whilst chew cuttin' 'im. Jis' lay him back out dere an' let 'im [leave him] kickin' an' back back from 'im three steps. Turn on roun' an' go on 'bout chure business. An' yo' takes jis' a piece of bran'-new flannel an' sew it [heart] up. When yo' sew it up yo' lay it so [demonstrates] an' yo' lay yore han' on it lak dat - carry yo' han' lak dat [demonstrates]. Ah do dis In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost. (You just sort of move your hands back and forth with the flat of your hand over it, back and forth?) Yes. An' yo' go on about chure business an' yo'll back up anybody.
(What is that supposed to do?)
Dat? Well, now, jis' lak if yo' goin' tuh back somebody or sompin lak dat, dat would bring 'em back. Jis' give it tuh 'em an' tell 'em tuh weah it in de right side in de chest. Dat'll bring 'em back.
(Will it do more things than that?)
Oh yes. Jis' lak if yo' want tuh git 'em 'way, if it's a man, den she weahs it in huh lef' pocket. Jis' tell 'er [informant assumes I am a doctor] tuh weah dat in 'er lef'-han' pocket. Dat'll bring 'im all de time. An' if she wan's tuh keep dem away, put it in de right pocket. Remembah dat. Well, now, yo' kin take de bull bat an' do de same thing - one dese ole leath- ah-wing bats, yo' know dese li'l things dey's got on de end. Cut 'im an' git de heart an' yo' kin do de same thing, but hit mo' fo' gamblin'. Yo' take dat li'l heart an' sew it up, dress it wit Heart's Cologne an' whis- key, but chew use it de same way.
Entry 3898
If it's a woman, yo' kin git some of 'er sanitary things of hers an' keep 'em yo' know. Jes' keep 'em in a close place an' put - either jes' wash 'em an' put de water in a little bottle or somepin, an' mix it wit dis Heart Cologne. An' den if yo' kin git some of de hair, put it in dere an' keep it. She goin' come back.
Entry 5937
Ah heard yo' kin take a person's hair an' put Hearts Cologne on it an' wear it, an' de person dat dat hair come from it will cause dem to llke yo'.
Entry 5946
Ah heard dem say dey take yore hair an' put it in a Hearts Cologne bottle an' throw it ovahbo'd an' it will run yo' crazy.
(Do you mean an empty Hearts Cologne bottle?)
Wit de Hearts Cologne in it.
Entry 5948
Well, mah sistah, dey nevah did git along, dey'd always be hollerin' an' goin' on an' fussin'. I guess he got between 'er an' some man. She wuz tuh marry someone else an' dis fellah tol' 'er dat he wuz gon'a have 'er. Of co'se she nevah would - she took it tuh be a joke. An' sure enough he got revenge. So he taken, I guess by goin' tuh bed or somepin lak dat, he taken an' cut some hair from de top of 'er haid, an' 'er track, an' raked it fo'ward lak dat, from de heel to de toe, an' put it in some Hearts of Cologne an' put it in runnin' watah. An' she went crazy an' fin'lly she died.
Entry 8233
Take de photograph an' dey'll put it in- tuh a basin an' dey'll put cologne on it until it change it's face, dat chew'll fall in love wit 'em. Now dat's true. But dey keep it in dat basin till it fades. Yo'll fall in love wit 'em den.
Entry 44
(Do you know how they do that - catching a person's spirit?)
Well, yo' takes nine peas an' yo' put these peas in a bottle of hearts cologne an' yo' take it an' yo' ketch his shadah [shadow] - his shadah is his spirit, chew know. An' yo' take that an' yo' ketch that an' yo' put nine peas in a cologne bottle - hearts cologne bottle. Yo' Jes' watch 'im dere as he go along, yo' see, yo' jes' stop it up tight - yo' ketch his speech when he speak, yo' take advantage of it an stop that up tight.
(Well how do you get that shadow into the bottle?)
Well, jes' lak a person walkin' 'long - walkin' 'long lak dis an' yo' may walk up to him, anyway - yo' jes' unstop de bottle lak dat an' his shadah go in dere. Dat hearts cologne an' dat peas will draw it in dere.
(Then you stop it up quickly? That's got his spirit?)
Yeah, yo' got his spirit.
(And then after you got his spirit in that bottle, what happens?)
Well, yo' kin do anything wit it dat yo' want - anything - yo' jes' got his spirit den. Yo' got his spirit there - yo' could use 'em most any way.
Entry 794
[The preceding margin-titles, Live Things in You and Roots (see No.720)
left opportunities for a doctor's ingenuity, but the following trick at the end of informant's account is one sold by the hoodoo trade:] Ah tell yo' 'bout dis hoodoo. Ah spent money an' spent money an' ah lak tuh lost mah home an' wife on account dat. Ah spent money fo' dat to git love wit other women an' buy whole lotta ole junk - dirt, graveyard dirt an' stuff an' put in a rag an' tie up, an' git mah home, git mah mind all tore up by thinkin' 'bout whut he says. An' quit mah home, mah min' all tore up an' there won't be a thing in de worl' tuh ut. It's jes' git chure min' all tore up an' yore family goin' crazy an' yo' be worried 'bout dat. Den yore home jest be tore up fo' nuthin. Ah tell yo' one thing ah've had done. Ah've had a person heah - ah paid a person five dollars year befo' last to give me luck. He had me tuh go to a - he had me tuh go git a bull bat - bull bat dat fly, a leather-wing. He had me git him a leather-wing bat - dat's fer hoodoo. An' ah put out a 'ward [reward] for him to a little boy - give him fifty cents 'ward an' he find him one night. An' ah tuk him an' cut his heart out wit a - he's livin'. Ah put mah foot on his head an' cut his heart out, an' den ah carried it back home, den went to a grave- yard, dis graveyard right ovah heah, one dark night, dark night, an' reached in dat grave wit mah han' like he said, in it an' got some of dat dirt an' carried it back home an' put it in dis bull bat, wit dis bull bat an' tied it up in a piece of red flannen an' dat's [a hand] fo' mah luck. An' ah like tuh went crazy, an' to de chain gang an' ever'where there. Dat's one of badest lucks ah've never seen. Ah've spent thousands an' thousands of dollars. [This is like I've had every doctor in town.]
(Did you go to the chain gang because of that?)
No, sir, like to went. Yes, sir, ah nearly did gwine jes' on account dat dirt Dat hard luck.
(He had you do that to give you luck?)
To give me luck. Yo' wants tuh know about somepin 'bout gittin' yore wife back. Well, yo' go buy yo' ten cents bottle of hearts cologne. He buy a ten cents box of talcum powder an' he put dat wit dat perfume an' den he puts it on yo' - dat's gittin' yo' wife back. Dere no sech thing as that. It's all 'magination. Well, it's some kind of root, it's a kind of a root that goes off in sprouts. Yo've seen dis heah stuff called lodestone - kinda dirt, de rock dey dig up wit fur on it. Dey'll git dat, den dey goes out an' gits some kind of a root with little ends on it - call High John de Conker. Dey git dat an' dey tie it up - it be's all lak together an' den dey'll give it to yo' fo' to tote in yo' pocket, an' ah paid $25 for it. Ah tote it in mah pocket an' tote in mah pocket an' lost everthing. [Lodestone or loadstone is magnetite, an iron oxide and important iron ore. What the hoodoo trade uses I do not know, though I have seen numerous pieces of it - all looking different. A stone having fur, being fed, and growing - this is beyond my visual and tactile experience.] Now, dere one'll come dere. He'll have somepin he kin burn; he jest 'maginat' [working on the imaginations of the] people, see. He may call dis woman outa de crowd an' she'll come dere an' he'll make her think she's got her head hurtin'. She ain't got a head hurt. Den he'll splain to her den, her head hurt an' some- body done somepin to her. She'll say, "Yeah." Say, "A long time ago in yore hat." She say, "Yeah." It won't be a thing but he jes' git dere 'magination. Den he have some kind of a root den, an' he'll burn dat root an' dat root curl up jes' lak a snake. Den he'll make lak dat'll come out of her haid - make lak dat come outa her haid an' den he won't let nobody pick it up but her. Den dey carry it back heah an' throw it out. It ain't nuthin but a root burn an' curl up lak a snake. [A chemical, not a root, is burned - an old trick.]
Entry 1087
They had something like snakes in 'em; whole lot of things just working up. So I fixed up a remedy and she passed all those from her. I got the stuff and gave her it and she passed a rattlesnake first - the first dose I gave her. And then the next dose I gave her, she passed a whole lot of little things just working up. I was working down here and someone knocked at the door, the first time. He woke me up and he says, "Go to the back door." And there was a bottle at the back door. I went there. He told me to carry it to her. Well somehow another somethin' said, "You can't go." And I got the axe and took that in there and I struck the bottle and broke the bottle up. It was a bottle about that long and in this bottle was a piece of her dress - the back part of her dress. The reason why I know it was the back part, we found the dress on the back porch balled up in a corner and that's why I know it was a piece of her dress. We found it. And then there was a piece of hair in there and a whole lot of piece of needles - sharp-pointed needles and pins. In this bottle it smelt like cologne. And there was a piece of root in there - it looked like High John de Conquer root - was in this bottle. And there was a cork stopper in the bottle. We opened it - course I didn't, but I got another lady to open it for me. And we'd taken 'em out later on in a piece of paper and looked at 'em. This girl was almost crazy. So I got some - something told me to do this. I went and got some Jerusalum root. I reckon you've heard talk of Jerusalum root - a root that grows.
(Jerusalum root?) [Jerusalem artichoke?]
Yes. I just got that root and then I got some of these pokeberry roots and I got me some red pepper - pod pepper and I got me some fish salt and I put it into a boiler and boiled it all up together - cooked it all up together, and just cooked it enough to have enough for her to bath in. And I bath-ed her in this here for nine mornings, and then I had another - and her hair come off her head just like your hand [handfuls] she was just almost crazy. Then after bath-ing her with this, then I takes up this red pepper and some grease and mix it together with olive oil and just greased it good all over with this here pepper and oil together, after bath-ing her for these nine mornings. Then after doing it nine mornings, bath-ing her, then I told her to take those bottles and throw it all overboard, but not to do it before because I've heard people say if you were tricked and before you were cured, if you throw that away if you found it, why it wouldn't do any good.
Entry 1437
Well, ah heard if someone tryin' tuh harm yo', why yo' could git chew some Hearts Cologne an' rattlesnake marster root, an' yo' could take that an' put it in a bottle an' use it; an' as yo' go out, put that on yo' an' it would keep dem from hurtin' yo'.
Entry 1644
Take an' sprinkle that aroun' yore do' - take chamber lye an' salt an Hearts Cologne, when yo' scrub off de step. Jes' keeps de evil from takin' effect, whut de mean people put down. Dat's whut ah hear dey say.
Entry 1939
Dat graveyard dirt, why ah've got it mahself to be lucky. Why ah take it an' some Hearts Cologne an' git me a silver dime an' put into it, an' wrap it up in some red flannel an' wear it in mah shoe fo' nine days - in mah left shoe fo' nine days. An' ah change it out an' put it in mah right shoe fo' nine days. An' de tenth day, why if ah felt like it, if ah had a job or gambling, ah'd go back to gambling, why ah'd always be lucky.
Entry 1982
Ah went to a man to make conditions better at home. He had me tuh git a dime an' he grind it up an' he had me git twelve needles an' he broken dem in parts an' he put 'em into a - he ball a cloth up, made a round ball out of it, an' had me to wear dat round mah waist an' put Hearts Cologne on it, an' each day that would bring happiness into mah home. (Did it?) Yes sir, it seemed to he'p - fact mah wife seemed to act bettah an' mah - were mo' together an' we got along bettah. Then, on another occasion ah was tryin' tuh find happiness. Ah went to one [another doctor] an' he tole me tuh go out to de graveyard. An' mah little baby had jest died about two mont's, an' he said reach mah han' down in dere jest at sundown as fur as ah could git it an' bring up some sand, an' take that clay an' parch it until it become where ah could handle it somepin lak sugah - he said, lak where it would be lak sugah. An' had me to take it an' go an' sprinkle some of it ovah mah mother's haid, an' she laid down an' sprinkle some in mah wife's haid, an' sprinkle some all through on de flo'. An' that brought mo' harm than evah befo'. We had been fussin' but we got tuh fighting. It ran me clean away from dere. Instead of bringin' together, it did mo' harm than it did good.
(What did he tell you to do this for?)
Tole me to do dat in order to bring happiness. Ah was seeking happiness. Ah wus tryin' tuh git mah - see, mah mother-in-law, seemed lak she didn't like me, an' mah sister-in-laws - ah jest couldn't git along wit de family. An' ah went to him - someone tole me to go to him an' ah went to him an' he had me to bring that to him an' go through dis performance with dis graveyard dirt. An' of course, instead of bringin' happiness, it got worse. An' on another occasion dat dis same gurl ran 'way from me - an' ah went around to one lady an' she had me to go lie down flat on mah back. Ah lie down flat on mah back, an' she put a dark cloth ovah mah face an' tole me to call her name, an' ah called her name. So she told me to go to Sarasota [Florida]. Ah went there an' ah found another one an' she tole me, "She's in St. Petersburg [Florida]." An' then ah went to one an' he give me help. He said that chew'll find her. Told me to go git two tater roots. [Potato in much of the South is sweet potato, not Irish potato.] Ah got two tater roots an' he tied 'em together an' told me to wear dat round mah waist, an' told me to go on an' when ah come to de first little town where ah could git a boat, go out into a boat an' throw dis ovah into de water, an' come on back and rest on it an' in a day or two she come up. Ah did that. Yes sir, she came back. (When she put a black cloth over your head, did she do anything else for you or did she just send you to another person?) She put the black cloth ovah mah haid when ah laid down. Den ah got up an' then she had me to read de 23rd Psalm, ah think it was, an' after ah read de 23rd Psalm, then she had me to stand up an' go through some motions with her, yo' see. She carry her han' out dat way an' up dis way [demonstrates]. An' she tole me tuh hole mah haid sidewards an' ah did that, an' then she begin tuh read [the cards] an' tell me various things. And of co'se from that, why she tole me tuh go an' ah went where she tole me, but ah did not find her.
(Well, after she finished with you, then she sent you on to somebody else?)
Yes sir. Once ah desire to go out an' ah couldn't go out an' ah went to a fortune- teller an' ah asked why. He tole me, said, "Yo' go home," he said, "an' yore wife has used de dishrag an' sewed it up in a mattress." He said, "When yo' kin ketch it - yore wife's off from de house, look in de middle of de mattress an' yo'll find dat dishrag. Take it an' go to back do' an' look towards de east an' wipe yoreself an' then go ahead an' throw de dishrag ovah de field - ovah there some place." An' he says, "Yo'll find complete results." An' ah did it an' ah really got results. That had me tied. Ah used that an' soon find out. [Dishrag is a widespread cure for impotence caused by tying.]
Entry 2087
Ah know a lady dat she got sage an' cal'mus roots an' wropped it up in a bag, an' gits dis same Hearts Cologne an' Lucky Heart an' put it in a lil sack - a lil flannel, red flannel - an' tote it on her. An' then take this white Lucky Heart Powder - whut yo' jes' got it [preceding Lucky Heart] fix in dat lil bag, yo' know - an' rubs in front of yore house across de front do'steps an' cross de back, an' de law won't come dere. Dat s de way she did ovah heah an' dey nevah did come.
(You use White Lucky Heart Powder. Face powder?)
Yes. [Calamus should be the sweet flag (Acorus calamus).]
Entry 2319
Fo' luck in gamblin' yo' go in de woods, an' it's a weed dat chew git in de woods it has a little yellah flower. Some people call it candyweed, an' some of 'em call it peppermint, but it's real sweet - de root, when yo' pull it up. De flower ain't got no scent 'tall, but yo' pull hit up hit got a sweet root. Now yo' put dat Heart Cologne an' yo' rub it in yore hand an' go amongst de people in de game. An' then yo' kin take salt, table salt, an' yo' rub it in yore hands until yore hands sweat from rubbin' that way. Why den, if it's necessary, yo' go into a game; but if yo' don't sweat, why den don't go into de game 'cause yore luck is not on.
Entry 2332
Anyhow, I went for a job - I needn't tell de names - I went for a job and de job was pile drivin', you know at de wharf on a pile driver, and I asked de man did he want to hire a man. He looked at me and he says, "Yes, go 'board of de driver dere." I walked round dis man with my means on me three times and he hollered 'board dis driver - holler 'board [to] de captain of de driver, 'Here's a man I'm goin' to send you." "I don't want him," [answered the captain]. I walked around him third time. He says to me, "Go on walk aboard dere," he says, ''dat is my driver." I went off aboard and I says - he asked me, the captain did, asked me, "You ever been on a driver before?" 'No, sir." "Well, what de hell good are you here?" I says, "This driver is on water and I'm a waterman from your heart." All right.
(A waterman from where?)
From his heart. He say, "Well, if you stay here, I find you out." All right. All at once de harmer fall - broke. Dat dat pulls dat big hammer up - it broke. He told a man he had dere with him, "Mike a'go up - Pete," he said, "and put dat cord together." He went up dere. "An' take dis fellah on with you" - dat's me. "Take dis fellah up along with you," told him, "help you hold it." He took me along with him. And I went up dere - harmless, you know, don't know nuthin now. All right, I hold it for 'im. Presently, I see dey was doin' it wrong - dat dey were strikin' it wrong. I says, "Pete, if I was you, I wouldn't put it together like dat." The captain says, "Turn it." over to him and see what he kin do with it." I took it and I holds it together just like it ought to be, you know, be- cause I been a sailorman all de time. I'm a rigger. I took it and I put it to- gether and come on down. He says, "I rated you at $1.50 a day but," he say, "now I'll give you as much as I'm givin' the other men. That's $2.50." "Yes, sir - thank you, sir." Now, puttin' that [cord] together caused dat. Oh! And den the boss come down [to the driver], the head boss, the one that I hired my- self with, you know - dat [boss] settin' off dere - wit my tricks dat I done had around me. I got in de favor of him with my tricks [such as circumambulating him], and he made me go up aboard dere. So, I don't know nuthin about what somebody else do outside of myself. I done that.
(Well, now what else did you do when you walked around him?)
I had cologne root, the kind of a trick I had for to gain him. I had cologne root. [Cologne root is your favorite root in cologne.] I had dis root into a bottle and I 'n'int myself with it - had pure cologne with it, you know, with this root, and I 'n'int myself with it and jes' de scent of it made him do dat. And I walk around him - you know when a fellow talkin', you know, he walking aroun', some of 'em, any old time, and I was walkin' around talkin' with him, you know, lookin' at dese here big pipes standin' six foot high, walkin' around lookin' at it and I round him three times.
Entry 2371
Drop nine drops of vinegar inside a bottle of white Heart Cologne an' yo' make a wish dat chew want a job an' yo' want to be lucky with a job, an' yo' take that Heart Cologne an' bury it at chure do'steps an' let it stay down dere fo' nine days. An' after nine days, yo' take dat Heart Cologne up an' jes' lak yo' - de time dat yo' wanta git dat job, yo' po' it every direction on yore clothes, yo' know, all in front of yo', an' po' a little bit in yore shoes, an' dey say dat known tuh make a person git a job. Say de man give it to yo' without any huntin' fo' it, but yo' must let it stay buried fo' nine days after yo' make a wish.
Entry 2386
[Here and in the several following margin-titles I have grouped a few statements about the terms hoodoo, conjuration, witchcraft and rootwork; more material will be found in the Index. Sorry about indexing Wise Man after Wishbone, but it goes with this group.] Go in de wood down on de rivah.
(Do you get it from somebody, this bottle?) [Bottle hand?]
Me an' 'nothah fellah out in de country went an' got it togethah. Ah know dis when ah see it. Well, yo' take dis Adam-and-Eve, an' it's one is Adam an' it's one is Eve, see. An' yo' put one of each in de bottle.
(Those are two different types of roots? Take the plant?)
Yessuh, two diff'rent plants. [See preceding margin-title, Root - A Triple.] Yo' kin put fo' of 'em in dere if yo' wanta. See.
(Two of each?)
Yessuh, two of each. An' den yo' put yore gunpowders in dere. An' yo' go downtown an' yo' git some Heart's Cologne in a bottle jes' lak dat, an' den yo' po's de whole bottle in dere if it will hol' it, an' stop it up tight. Ever time when yo' git ready tuh leave yore home, shake it up lak dat an' po' it on dere - put a lil of it on yo'. That throws yore trouble behin' yo, see. Yo go to a game an' very seldom yo' ain't winnin'. Go tuh ask fo' a job an' very seldom yo' miss gittin' it - somepin tuh do if it's nuthin but a day's work. Dat's all dere is to that, only it will keep yore home together an' happy - live happy in yore home an' yo' won't hardly be hard up fo' anything 'long as yo carry dat in yore pocket. Ah know dat mahself.
(You fixed: this bottle up yourself?)
Me an' de othah fellah did. He intend tuh be a wise man. Ah've heard dat he's been ovah heah tuh see yo.
Entry 2740
Well, now, dere's lota other things whut ah hear people talk about gamblin' han's. Ah hear a fellah say a time ago dat he went to de Seven Sisters in Virginia, but he said he went dere fo' a gamblin' han'. Well, he wus give a gamblin' han fo' - by, not de people he went tuh see. He went to see dem [Seven Sisters] but dey wasn't in at present, but he found some man dey call Mr. G. H. Smith. He called tuh be a confidence man, which an' evah he is. G. H. Smith & Company ~ de books Company'S name on dat. Spells his name lak dat - G. H. Smith & Company. Dis man gived him a piece of lodestone an' he gave him a piece of somepin dey call de five-fingers [grass]; but dis was to be found in de woods, dis five- fingers. It's like a flower grows - it grow in de shape of five fingers, jest lak dose five fingers [demonstrates]. Dey gave him a piece of dat, after gitting dis lodestone, an' den he told him dat he would give him some othah kind of mix- ture. Dat wus wrapped up in a cloth an' it looked lak dat wus graveyard dirt. An' he told him to put dis all in dis little bottle an' every mornin' he tole him tuh feed dis heah wit Hearts Cologne. Now, dis stuff - ah looked at de thing an' it eat up de stuff, dat Hearts Cologne jest lak yo' take water an' drink it. Now, yo' could po' some of dis bottle like dis morning an' fill dat bottle half full, an' twelve a'clock every bit of dat stuff be gone. Dat stuff - whut dey had in dat bottle wit dat five- finger - would suck it up. Now, dis man could go into a gambling hall - no one knows de truth if I would tell it - he could go into de gambling hall an' money - jest walk in an' hold de cards - pick up any cards - doesn't matter whut cards he pick up - he could pick up any card an' that card would get him through. Now he could sit there an' jes' beat de skin game.
Entry 3137
De way she do tuh take his nature away from 'im. AH WANT CHEW TUH LIS- TEN AT DIS GOOD, so ah - dis is mah wife an' dis is me an' dis is anothah woman. Well, ah'm goin' wit dis woman, an' dis is mah wife heah. She don't undahstan about not bein' wit 'er as much as ah do wit dis othah woman. Well, dis othah woman ovah heah, well, ah had a communication wit 'er, an' she taken a rag an' she take some of de diff'rence twixt me an' 'er an' puts it in a bottle, a li'le perfume bottle, an' took dis Heart Cologne an' po'd it on top of it an' stopped it up, an' keeps it in 'er trunk. Dat took it [my nature] away. An' de fellah dat ain't git sharp enough tuh git dat, it'll [his nature will] stay away. Well, mah wife kin do de same thing an' bring it [my nature] right back, make hers [the other woman's magic] no good.
Entry 3313
Now, yo' kin take dis heah man havin'a intahco'se wit a woman. Well, she wanta make him be so dat he won't have no one else but 'er. She kin take his socks an' take it an' git some of 'is watah an' mix it. An' she take his sock an' put it in dere, wad it in dere. An' when he gits 'sleep at night she take an' rub - rub 'is thing wit dat sock an' he can't have no intahco'se wit no one but 'er.
(Use either sock?)
Eithah sock - take ary [either] one of 'is socks.
(Does she rub it any particular way?)
[Informant does not understand my question and evidently does not know.]
Put it in dat chambah watah an' let it stay in dere three days. She take it out an' she put some Hearts Cologne on it an' vinegar. An' she take it when he sleep at night an' she rub it on 'im, rub it on 'is private. Dat'll gain 'im. When he put de sock back on, he can't have no one but 'er.
Entry 3580
Yo' take a cotton string - all dat's tyin' 'em. Yo' take dat cotton string an' yo' git yo' a bottle of Heart Cologne an' yo' drop it in dat bottle as yo' tyin' dem knots, see. An' yo' drop it in dat bottle an' name dem, tie a knot, den drop it in - tie it nine times.
(Each time you tie a knot you let the string fall down into that bottle?)
Down in de bottle till de las' one git on it [string]. Take de string den an' yo' tie it roun' yore waist, an' yo' wear it roun' yore waist. An' yo' git chew a piece of hair from de top [of the head] an' a piece from down dere an' make a li'l' ball - jes' a li'l' ball about as big as a match, de fiah part of de match, an' put a little piece of cloth to it, an' tie it in one dem knots an' let it hang right down, right down on dere.
(On the privates?)
Yeah. An' dey'd wear it. An' see, dat's tyin' 'em.
Entry 3663
Oh, dey said if she goin' out wit anothah man an' he wan' it fixed so dat she won't have no courage fo' no othah man. Well, in othah words, so when de man goes tuh be wit 'er he'll fall befo' he evah be wit 'er. Git chew a ten-cent bottle of Hearts Cologne. An' when yo' git dat ten-cent bottle of Hearts Cologne, git tuh playin' roun' wit 'er. An' take an' saturate his han's wit dat Hearts Cologne, prob'ly jis' befo' he git ready tuh go tuh bed an' be wit her. An' when he do dat, why he takes den an' bathe her down - rub her down [demonstrates].
(From her hips right down?)
Yessuh, from de hips down - all in heah. An' do dat fo' three time a week - dat means evah othah day. An' dey tell me when yo' do dat, why den when she'd go out, de man dat gon'a be wit 'er - but when he gits to de place his courage will fall. He can't have any intahco'se wit 'er.
Entry 3712
Go out to de henhouse an' git yo' nine dry hen turd an' put 'em in sompin an' let dat watah git lukewarm. Take dat an' stroke yo'self down good. Jes' lak yo' expect to go dere tomorrah, why yo'll do dat today. Den say, dat aftah tomorrah, de nex' day, yo' go an' buy a little bottle of Heart Cologne, an' go on back an' bathe wit it.
(That will restore his nature?) Yessuh, an' he do dat mo' den one time.
Entry 3727
[Here is Surely ONE OF THE MOST ORIGINAL CURES IN FOLK MEDICINE, my only example of it - a man making the sign of the cross with his whole body over the whole body of a woman!!!] If a man loses 'is na- ture an' wants to have a woman, why he kin take an' git 'im a aig an' a bottle of gingerale or two aigs: a bottle of gingerale, an' git him some Hearts Cologne, an' take nine swallows eight mornings. Dat'll give him nature. An' de first woman dat he evah have communication wit, de first woman, why he jes' lay right 'cross 'er. Lay wit 'is head to de west an' 'is feet to de east [body facing east as in burial, to see rising sun on resurrection dayl. An' den turn roun' an' lay straight up an' down jes' before he uses 'er. Dat will bring 'is nature back.
Entry 3774
Well ah'm tellin' yo' facts about dat, but ah'm tellin' yo' some things dat ah have heard - but it's actually. But now, would yo' lak to know how to remove dis spell? (What I could do or any man could do.) Anyone. Well, ah tell yo' somepin dat ah have heard about last year - year befo' last. An' dere ouz a man dat had some serious disease an' dey didn't know about, an' a lady wuz tellin' me what [would] it cost to remove dat. It would be a very small sum. Cost yo' prob'ly 15c. Well, I told de lady, I said, "Well, I know someone could relieve de spell." She said, "He's got money becuz he draws money from de Gov- ernment, an' he would be able to pay any amount - any price." I said, "Well, I know a person dat would remove de spell an' he wouldn't charge ovah $25, but I'm jes' a person, of co'se." [The preceding, I'm jes' a person, of co'se, means the speaker was not a doc- tor. She sold medicine, roots, powders, etc. Every aspect of the hoodoo field was known to her. She also had personality and brains.] She said, "Go ahead, ah'm goin' send 'im aroun' to talk to you." An' ah said, "Well, now, if yo' know de person really would have de money, ah'll talk to him, but if not, ah wouldn't care to talk to him; but ah know dat dis spell will be removed wit'in nine days." SHE SAID, "WELL, COULD YO' GIT IN TOUCH WIT DE MAN?" AH SAID, "YES, I SELL MEDICINE FO' HIM SOMETIMES. An' I could go to him wit de money an' I could git de medicine fo' him." Well, so when she sent 'im down, he wuz very anxious to talk wit 'im an' HE ACTUALLY PAID ME $25. WELL, NOW, AH TELL YO' WHUT CHEW GIT. DAT DOESN'T MEAN DIS PAHTIK'LAH SPELL REGARDLESS TO WHUT KIND OF WAY DEY PUT DAT SPELL ON YO'.
(THEY PUT IT ON IN DIFFERENT WAYS.)
MORE DAN TEN DIFF'REN' WAYS. Well, now, say fer instance, do yo' know whut bull's nettle are?
(It's a plant that little prongs [thorns] on it?)
[I WAS THINKING OF HORSE NETTLE WHICH I KNEW QUITE WELL.]
Has stingahs on it. Stingahs. Has somepin in de form of de way a bull's [something hangs]. Yo' see dat.
(It's a plant, isn't it?)
It's a plant, an' if yo' touch one of dose ball's, it will sting yo'.
(It's called the bull nettle?)
Bull nettle. Well yo' git de root of dat. It has de very form of a man's privates. Yo' have nevah seen dat?
(I have never seen that.)
[I have a few examples of root shapes in HooDoO, snake and man and woman being important. These and other shapes known and sought for centuries had been dying out in my time, with the disappearance of the old herb or root doctor who gather- ed his own roots. Perhaps the recent revival of witchcraft, all kinds of isms and superstitions, will revive the root trade.] Were yo' born in de South?
(No, I wasn't born in the South.)
Dey grow mostly in dis state [Alabama], Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia - roun' lak dat. Well, now, yo' go an' dig dis root up. It has de very shape of a man. Yo' take dat root an' dry it. Yo' keep it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' yo' git - it's anothah little plant, ah can't git it's name right dis minute, but ah will tell yo' latah.
[I turn off recording machine until she says, '"Like a tomato."]
(Like a tomato? Is it the castor oil plant?)
No, no, it's a plant dat has stickahs on it. (Tell the plot [rite or cure] to me. You might think of the name of the plant later on.)
[She tells another remedy for the same ailment.]
It's fer de same thing. But yo' know what cockleburs are?
(Yes.)
Yo' kin git nine cockleburs an' yo' kin mix 'em wit dis same root dat ah tole yo' an' put it in a bottle.
(You get the nine cockleburs and put them in this bottle with the bull nettle?)
Dat's right, an' put de contents of a 15c bottle of Hearts Cologne in dis bottle, an' den three tablespoons of urine.
(Whose urine?)
Dis person's urine, whoevah has dis spell on dem. An' yo' take a piece of new linen cloth, aftah dey have had dere bath in de mawnin' an' jes' bathe demselves wit dat pahtiklah stuff.
(This liquid.)
Dat's right. An' den make a tea of dis bull's nettle an' drink a swallah of it evah mawnin' fo' nine mornings, an' it will absolutely disappear.
(Take that spell off?)
Dat's right. An' WHEN DIS PERSON IS TAKIN' DIS TREATMENT, DEY ARE NOT SUP- POSED TO MENTION TO ANYONE DAT DEY ARE GOIN' UNDAH IT.
(They must keep it secret.)
[Several days later I asked Mrs. Brady to come for another interview, some of her material had been badly recorded.] Yo' remembah me tellin' yo' about de bull nettle. An' yo' remembah ah tole yo' dere wus anothah weed dat grow in de yard dat chew use in connection wit dat one pahtiklah weed. It's called tread salve - t-r-e-a-d s-a-l-v-e. It has a little yellah ball growin' on de weed somepin lak a tomato. Yo' know what dat [tomato] is. Well, yo' kin ask any southerner, dey kin tell you. Dey grows in all southern yards an' in de commons out in de fields or in de yards. [For the identity of this plant, see later.] Now dat is somepin fo' removin' de spell dat we were speakin' of - yo' know, dat people place on people. [I once thought preceding yellow tomato was the mayapple, Podophyllum pelta- tum, a plant I had known from childhood, having eaten its tasteless egg-shaped fruit. Later I realized it must be the maypop, a passionflower (described some- where in HOODOO), the Passiflora incarnata of the southern U. S. A.; also an in- sipid, yellow, applelike fruit.]
Entry 3783
Wal, if yo' run aroun' wit a woman an' yore wife didn't want chew to go out dere, she kin take, when yo' have communication wit chure wife, she kin jis' only go git a dish towel an' wipe yo' wit it. Yo' can't go wit no othah woman but 'er. (Is there any way I can get rid of that?) Yes sir. Wal, yo'd have to go to work an' git chew some Hearts Cologne, an' some dis powdah called love powdah, an' some pure olive oil, an' dis heah pure lard, an' mix it togethah an' jis' saturate yoreself. An' yo'll come to where yo' kin go out; but not dat [if you don't do that], yo'll nevah will bothah wit no othah woman but dat one. Evah time yo' start to covah 'er, why yo'll fall.
Entry 3996
Yo' put some yore chamber lye intuh a vial, an' put some Heart Cologne in dere, put some Eve-an'-Adam in dere. Den yo' po' de least bit of dat watah out of dat vial in yore han's an' rub it In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost, an' den goes tuh work an' shuffle yore cards. An' derefo' yo' will have luck ingamblin'. (What is the other way of getting a job?) De nex' way dat chew could git it, take yore same watah dat chew shuffle yore cards wit. Take some of yore chamber lye an' put it into a vial an' put some Heart Cologne in dat, an' Eve-an'-Adam into it - dat vial. Rub it into yore han's thoroughly, In de Name of de Fathah, an' dress yo'self down three times an' make yore wish. An' go an' have a talk wit 'im an' he'll think about it.
(You get the job from the boss?)
Yes.
Entry 4156
If dey wanna go ag'in - tuh keep 'em from goin' ag'in, yuh'll have tuh clip a piece from she [demonstrates].
(From the top of her head.)
An' a piece from she private an' put it in de bottle wit nine needles, an' take yuh chamber lye an' some German Heart Cologne, an' mix it tuhgethah an' hol' dat in yuh pocket fer de fus' [first] nine mawn- in's. An' den take it an' po' it in one of yuh suits, an' she will nevah go tuh dat pocket tuh take it out. An' SHE'LL STAY DERE FOREVAH AN' FOREVAH.
(I see. That keeps her.)
Entry 4195
A three ounce bottle will hold three ounces. Yuh put three tablespoon- ful of urine in dis bottle. Yuh put de contents of one bottle of Hearts Cologne - yuh see dat's tuh dispose of de urine odor. An' yuh put a piece of lodestone de size of a pea in dis. Yuh put nine small needles in dat bottle an' if yuh are angry wit me - jis' like now [if] ah made yuh angry wit me, yuh git nine grains of spice an' drop in dat bottle [with this] an' say, "Well, ah want chew tuh always be pleased wit me, it is not my desire tuh have enemies." Dat person will immediately git in good humor wit yuh de very nex time yuh see dem. Dey will meet yuh wit a pleasant smile. Well now, not only dat, yuh kin put nine grains of spice in dere, if de boss is de only one dat is angry wit yuh. Dat works for dat one person. Well, maybe yuh do dat dis mawnin', an' it might be a week latah dat someone else will git angry wit yo'. Well now, let me tell yuh about a lady livin' on South Union Street in Mont- gomery [Ala.]. Well, at one time ah had a [little trouble with a woman] an' dis woman she wuz very angry wit me, an' ah had heard about dis [hoodoo] woman, an' a woman tole me, said, "If yuh go tuh dat woman, she sure goin' tuh tell yuh jis' whut tuh do." An' evahthin' worked out all right. She [hoodoo woman] said, "Dis woman will not appear in co't ag'inst chuh." Well, ah didn't har'ly believe it, but ah jis' thought ah would go on anyway. But de woman wuz one of de worst enemies ah had. I went tuh dis [hoodoo] woman an' she fixed dis bottle fo' me - tole me tuh fix it an' tole me jis' as ah have tole joo. Tole me tuh drop de spice in dere, an' ah did dat. Dis is true: Dis woman came ovah tuh mah house 'bout a half an hour befo' co't an' she tole me, she says, "Ah'm not goin' tuh court ag'inst yuh or no one else. It jis' came tuh me dat ah'd be doin' de wrong thin'. Ah'm not goin' do it." Den ah know it wuz workin'.
Entry 4362
They take the underclothes and they can cut a piece out of the man from under his arm or from the tail of the shirt and wear it on a person. They sew that up in a piece of red flannel. They take that and satu- rate it, you know, with the same in- gredients, urine and Hearts Cologne. [This, of course, is a hand - pp.519-669.] They say then they can control 'em like that. Or they can take them and throw them away. They can carry them back in the woods and hang 'em up on the west side of a tree where the wind just blows and wears it all the time. They say whenever that blows and wears down from up there, why then the person will die. But chew got a new cord, like this wrappin' twine. You get that right off from the ball, right off from the cord where there's never any been pulled off, and fasten it on that tree or bush or what chew put it on. But you put it so the wind can blow it and the rain beat it. And whenever this cord rots, you see, and that blows away from where it's at, they say the person then'll soon die.
Entry 4614
(What about that little bow?)
Yuh take dat little bow - it used to be olden times when yuh wore corsets - but dey don't wear corsets no mo'. Dey wears supports. Now, if yuh wants tuh... (Well, what did they do in the olden times with the corsets? Tell me that first, what they did with that; and then you can tell me what they do now. You see?) Yuh see, dey can take dat little bow an' dey can kill yuh wit dat little bow. An' dey can make yuh go crazy - no, not go crazy out of de mind, no. Jes' [like] if yuh got a wife an' she loves yuh, or ah got a husban' an' ah loves 'im. Ah'd fix 'im so he'll jes' stick wit me. He'd turn 'is mind clean offa evah body but me, an' he wouldn't keep a nickel in is pocket fo' hisself. It's all fo' me. Ah could take an' jes' be - ah could bring boy frien's in dere on 'im an' he'll jes' love me jes' dat much [more]. Well, DAT OLE HOODOO [MAN] DEN WHAT AH USIN' KNEW, AN' LIVES AROUN' HERE, he say he [husband] jes' love me dat much, but [I told him?] not tuh open 'is mouth an' say nuthin. [A NOTE OF MINE HERE SAYS DO SLOWER LATER. INFORMANT WAS TALKING FAST.] AH COULD TAKE HIS MONEY RIGHT IN FRONT OF 'IM AN' GIVE IT AWAY. HE'LL JES' LOVE ME JES' DAT MUCH BY BEING HOO- DOOED.
(How would you prepare that bow? That little bow?)
She takes it an' she put it in 'er pocket, down intuh dat little thing yuh see. Yuh untie dat bow an' yuh tie nine knots in dat bow, an' put it straight where it would have been weared down in dere. Well, dat's jes' as if yuh have a tool, yuh know, not what she love yuh; cuz if she love yuh an' if he loved yuh, dey wouldn't want tuh bring somebody else in de home an' go off an' have.... But yuh are jes' undah a muddle. Yuh can't say nuthin, yuh see. Yuh can't do nuthin, yuh see.
(Do you dress that little bow any Way?)
Yuh dress dat little bow wit love powdah. Dey got some powdah - dey got some cologne dey call love cologne. Well, yuh done use dat Follah-me-boys. Dat's good.
[Follow-me-boys appears several times in HOODOO.]
(What 1s?)
Follah-me-boys.
(Follow me, boys.)
Dat's good.
(Is that a powder or perfume?)
Dat's perfume. Now, dat Follah-me-boys - yuh kin use Follah-me-boys right now, yes sir, right now. Yuh kin Walk out from right dere - IF YUH DON'T BELIEVE DAT'S TRUE, an' [then] GO BUY YUH A LITTLE BOTTLE OF FOLLAH-ME-BOYS, AN' YUH JES' SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE BE FOLLAHIN' YUH. BUT DEY WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT DEY FOLLAHIN'. YUH SEE, DAT'S A HOODOO COLOGNE. (I see. Now, in the old days they used to wear the corset, nowadays they wear?) Dey weah dem girdles now. Yuh see, yuh take, if yuh want dat tuh control yuh man or yuh woman. Yuh put it in yuh girdle, weah it in yuh girdle. Nine knots.
Entry 4615
Dey kin take de bow outa yore hat, dose bows in yore hat, an' run yuh crazy. Dey take de bow in de hat an' run yuh blind, jes' make yuh blind. Take de bow outa de hat - inside of dat band, take dat bow. An' it's tied. An' un- tie dat bow, stretch dat bow out. Aftah yuh stretch dat bow, den yuh git chew some cologne. An' yuh take Heaxts Cologne, it's a powahful thing, an' put in dere, dat little ole flask - in dere wit dat bow of dat hat. An' aftah yuh put- tin' dat bow outa dat hat, den yuh takes - now dat's tuh be worn. Now, dat's fo' wimmin tuh do. Yuh takes mens, dey don't have nuthin like outa a hat fo' a man tuh do anythin' wit 'em. But dat's wimmins do dat. Yuh take - ah kin go wit a woman an' ah left 'er, ah quit her. Well, she take dat bow. Dat's tuh run me crazy or tuh drive mah love tuh 'er. Yuh undahstan'. Now, she'll take dat bow outa mah hat an' she'll untie dat bow an' she'll put dat bow in a little ole flask - little small flask. Dat's tuh wear on 'er. An' aftah she do dat, den she go uptown an' she git 'er some Hearts Cologne. Now, WHENSOMEVAH DAT AH GOES TUH INTAHCO'SE WIT 'ER, yuh see, den SHE'LL TAKE DE CLOTH DAT AH USE. AN' SHE'LL NUSE DAT CLOTH ERSELF, BUT SHE WON'T USE IT IN DE SAME MANNAH DAT AH USE IT AN' DE SAME PLACE DAT AH USE IT. See, jes' lak now she take de cloth heah [demonstrates with handkerchief]. Well, if ah nuse it heah, she ain't gonna use it dere. Yuh undahstan', she gonna move off furthah. SHE GOIN' TAKE DIS PART CHERE [used by man] AN' PUT IT IN DAT BOTTLE. See, wit dis boW off mah hat. Now, when she put dat in dat bottle wit de bow out de hat, she wear dat fo' nine mawnin's. An' aftah she wear dat fo' nine mawnin's, she goin' take dat an' she goin' tie her nine knots in dat bow. Den she bury dat on de young moon - when de moon jes is young. An' aftah she bury dat, it stay buried dere until ah comes 'er way. NOW, de ONLIEST WAY DAT YUH KIN REMOVE DIS, YUH HAVE TUH GO DERE AN' GIT IT UP YORESELF. [First you must know where to look! This means a doctor or fortune- teller who has many methods for a problem like this.]
Entry 4721
If yuh kin git holt of 'is photograph or anythin', yuh kin git 'im back ag'in.
(Do you know just how they do that?)
Well, yuh git holt a piece of 'is clothin'. Now, if it's a woman dat wants 'im back ag'in, yuh git aholt of a piece of 'is clothes an' yuh dress it in cologne. Yuh take it an' fold it de way [direction] he is. If he is east, no'th, west, or south, yuh take dat piece of clothin', a small piece of it, an' fold it [demonstrates] an' make yore wishes.
(Fold it toward you.)
Towards yuh evah time. Points it de way he is an' fold it back evah time. An' yuh git yuh a couple of needles an' pin it each way, bottom an' top, an yuh split dat needle. Lets 'er wear one in 'er right shoe here, an' give her de othah one an' let 'er hold it in 'er han'. An' she kin walk - an' let 'er go straight tuh runnin' watah an' drop it ovahbo'd. Ketch de wind - she has tuh do dis on de grown [growing] of de moon an' ketch de wind blowin' towards de way she wants 'im tuh come. If she is in New York, ketch de wind blowin' disaway.
(Blowing south?)
Dat's right. Drop dis ovahbo'd an' walk backwards from it about nine steps, turn tuh left an' go on. Make her wishes an' he'll come right - in nine days he'll be dere.
(I didn't quite understand you about putting these needles?)
Yuh see, if yuh fold de clothes, prob'ly fold it dis way. Well aftah yuh git a little pad of it made, git yuh a needle on each side of it. Git chew a pair of keen - anythin' dat's sharp an' split dem needles in two.
(Oh, I see! You cut the whole package in half.)
De needles den will be on each side of it.
(Two halves of the needles will be in each side of the package.)
An' have dem needles so dey won't injure her foot an' let 'er wear it right in 'er shoe. Fasten it in dere in a way dat it won't slide backwards an' for- wards. Take dis half an' fold it in yore han' an' when it gits warm, when yuh go tuh de watah wit it - an' throw it ovahbo'd. Ketch de wind blowin' from de Way dat yuh want 'im tuh come home.
Entry 4830
De story about de woman?
(About the man, to make him come home.)
Yuh could git 'is underweah. Well, take 'em in de fron' an' wash, yuh know, in jis' a li'le watah, an' put it in a bottle. If yuh kin git some of 'is hayah [hair], put it in dere wit it an' stop it up wit some Heart Cologne. (With it, what will that do then?) Bring 'im back.
Entry 4951
A [dirty] stockin', yuh takes it an' ties three knots [one on top of the other - a threefold knot] in it. Dey say yuh take yeh right one. Gits yuh some Hearts Cologne, po' it in dere. Gits yuh nine pins, nine needles, an call dis person by name, whosomevah it is. Make yeh heart wish. See, jis' like if yuh wants yeh sweetheart tuh do sompin, tie dis tuh yuh. Every time yuh make a knot, pull yeh string [stocking] tuhwards yeh an' call dere name three times. An' put dem pins an' needles in dere [in the threefold knot]. Yuh takes dem pins, yeh lays de pins dis way [demonstrates].
(Alternate heads and points.)
An' yuh puts dis cologne on dere. An' yuh kin weah dat in yeh pocket. Dat'll make yuh - if yeh girl away from yeh, she'll come tuh yeh.
Entry 5043
Says yuh take a man's ole dirty stockin' an' yuh take it an' pinch out de toe, clip a li'le piece outen de toe an' wear it. An' take de sock an' turn it towards de back of de house - jis' puts in de do' an' let de foot go inside, an' de top of de stockin' go outside. An' de toe whut yo' wear, wear hit wit Heart Cologne.
(What will that do?)
Dat will keep 'im home.
(You put this sock in the doorway?)
In de middle of de do' undah de rug, where nobody cain't see it.
Entry 5087
She jis' gits a piece of de inside sole [insole of your shoe], puts it in a bottle wit cologne an' red peppah, salt, sulphah - dat keep zhoo in love wit 'er - wit Eve-an'-Adam [Adam-and-Eve] in it. Dat li'le root dey call Eve- an' Adam; it grows, looks lak a li'le tinsy [tiny] Ish [Irish] potatah. De Eve is a woman, Adam is a man. De man one'll swim, an' de she one'll sink. Dey grows on a hillside wit a li'le leaf looks sorta lak a heart leaf.
Entry 5146
Ah burns de sole of 'is shoe an' take de ashes an' gits dragon's blood an a bottle of cologne an' wear it on me. An: ah would git some graveyard dirt.
(What would you do that for?)
Well, tuh keep 'im roun' wit me. Wear it in yore bosom.
(You put this stuff in the bottle? After burning his shoe sole?)
Yes sir.
Entry 5149
Dey kin take de bindin' in de back right in where yore [a man's] heel rub, cut out a little of dat skin in dere, dat little place of skin. If a woman want a man, dat will keep him. (What will she do with that then, after she took it out of there?) She take dat an' mix it with Adam- an'-Eve root an' wear it with Heart Cologne an' nine grain of spice. Jes' wear it right next to her skin, an' she puts on it a perfume. An' when he be roun' dere an' smell it, yo' know, he don't know whut de contraction [attraction], but he jes' go roun' 'er.
Entry 5301
He kin take de inside sole of a woman's shoe an' burn it - burn it into a powder. Beat it up fine an' git chew some Heart Cologne an' peppermint candy an' melt it, lak yo' use a syrup, melt it, take dem things an' mix up in dat, an' git chew some red peppah an' wear it in yore shoes. Why he will git 'er back.
Entry 5405
Now, say if yo' got'a employah - sompin lak dat - an' he's gittin' bad wit chah an' yo' wan's tuh git 'em down. Wall, yo' kin - don' git 'is track goin' from yuh, git 'is track comin' tuh yuh. Jis' take yore fingah an' pick up 'is track dat way, de right-foot track an' put it in yore han'. Take some sulphuh an' sugah wit it an' sew it in a sack, an' 'noint dat track wit Hearts Cologne an' jes' tote it in yore pocket. An' he'll come calm.
(He becomes quiet.)
Yes.
(His mind changes toward you.)
Entry 5495
Ah says dere wuz once a man an' wife twan't [they were not] gittin' 'long good. Dey wuz gittin' 'long happy at one time an' den dey had some sort of misundahstan'in' an' dey couldn't git 'long tuhgethah. So he wuz studyin' a way how tuh make her love him an' git 'long happy tuh- gethah. So he taken some of de dirt outa her lef' track an' he fixed it up wit Hearts Cologne an' sweet camphor. [Does informant mean sweet niter, or camphor with a sweet in- gredient?] Tuk [took] an' he mixed dat all tuhgethah, an' he got three stran's of her hair out of her haid, an' he fixed it up in a li'le small sort of sompin lak a li'le small package. An' he tied it wit a string an' jes' bind it so it rest right up undah his left, right in de hairs of 'is ahm [arm], so it git de sweat on it. Well, den aftah while dey got 'long very happy.
Entry 5529
(Suppose you begin that right from the beginning now. What do you do with this woman's track?) Yo' take dis woman's track, de lef'-foot track. See, yo' mus'n't [must not] ketch it gwine from yo'. Ketch it jes' lak - yo' ketch it comin' tuh yuh, jes' lak ah'm comin' tuh yo' heah, now. Jes' lak yo' call me, say, "Come heah, Jim." Ah goes tuh yo', an' yo' watch de lef' foot yo' see. Well, now, maybe when ah turn mah back an' go on de othah way - yo' know, ah don't know whut chure idea is. Yo' git it lak dis, yo' see. Yo' watchin' me goin' de othah way, yo' see. Yo' ketch it lak dis - go back to de heel [demonstrates].
(From the toe to the heel. Pick it up.)
Yo' pick it up. Den yo' goes tuh work an' goes - don't go tuh a steer. Yo' KNOW WHUT'S A STEER IS? A steer is - he has been a bull but he been cut, yo' Know. An' yo' goes tuh a bull lot. Yo' goes in dere an' aftah yo' goes in de bull lot - make it dere befo' sunrise an' de bull be layin' down yo' know. Yo' stir 'im, make him git up, yo' see. When he git up, he goin' stretch yo' know. Hell, when he stretch he goin' do his business. Well, yo' see, yo' ketch de second turd befo' it hit de groun' - don't let it hit de groun' yo' see - de secon' turd. Jes' as de first one - yo' let de firs' one hit yo' see.
(You grab that?)
Yo' grab dat yo' see. Yo' take dat an' go on off an' put it in a ole tin pin [pan] an' set it on de fiah. An' yo' go tuh work aftah yo' set it on de fiah - dat parch it. Yo' have seen people parch coffee. Yo' set dere an' yo' stir it yo' know an' parch it. An' yo' take dat track, an' yo' take dat bull's stuff, an' go tuh de drug sto'. Go tuh drug sto' an' git chew a bottle of cologne, or eithah de Ten Cent Sto'. Yo' mix dat up wit one of dem track yo' see. Yo' mix dat up tuhgethah an' go git chew a vial: Den yo' goes tuh work yo' see an' yo' gits yuh a li'le bottle - see, 'bout lak dat [demonstrates].
(A small bottle about the size of your middle finger.)
Dat's right, a small bottle. Den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' gits dat Heart Cologne. Git chew a li'le bit of likkah. Heart Cologne, dat trouble. An' git chew a li'le bit of likkah an' a li'le camphor, yo' see. An' yo' put all dat in dere, yo' see, intuh dat bottle. Put dat mixture yo' mix outa dat bull turd an' 'uh track. Put all dat in dat bottle. Yo' see de idea. An' aftah yo' put it intuh dat bottle, yo' shakes it up lak dis yo' see [demonstrates]. Yo' take a stoppah an' yo' puts it intuh a stoppah [into the bottle] an' yo' git chew a piece of silk cloth an' yo' sews dat up. YO' KNOW WOMENFOLKS IS KINDA SHARP, yo' know, an' yo' sews dat up. Den yo' go tuh work an' yo' tote dat right nex tuh yo'. Yo' see, if yo' kin git it in dis li'le fob pocket chere [here], yo know, nex' tuh yore skin anywhere. Yo' totes dat yo' see. Well, yo' feeds dat jes' lak yo' feeds [yourself], 'bout three time a week. Yo' go tuh work an' buy a li'le mo' likkah, yo' know, an' yo' put on dat yo' know. Take a li'le bit mo Heart Cologne an' yo' po' on dat, yo' see. Yo' po' dat right on de rag, yo' un- dahstan'. Well, now, dat's carried. An' evah time yo' go by 'uh, anywhere, yo' say, "Looky heah, honey, how 'bout [so-an'-so]?" "Yes, all right.'" An' jes' git a li'le bit of it, yo' know, right out de top of 'uh heah [demon- strates].
(The top of her hair - top of the head?)
Jes' about three strands. Be sharp enough - be sharp enough aftah 'uh sleep- in'. Yo' see de idea. Go right heah [demonstrates].
(By her privates?)
Yeah. An' take 'bout three strands, de long one right heah, yo' know. Take dat an' mix it all tuhgethah an' put it right in dat bottle. She'll follah 'im anywhere in de worl'.
(And keep her?)
Yessuh. See, ah tried dat. Ah had so much trouble wit womenfolks, dat, yo' know, ah'd...
(Who taught you - who told you that?)
Well, ah tell yo', AH MET A LADY [doctOr] FROM LOUISIANA. SHE WUS TRAVELIN' AN' SHE WUS THROUGH HEAH. So ah been havin' quite a lot of trouble wit wimmins yo' see. Ah used tuh be a woman lovah, yo' know. Ah did love womenfolks, yo' know, an' AH HAD MAH HAID BUMPED BY MANY, yo' see. An' ah tole huh 'bout it N' she tole me whut tuh do. An' ah has tried it - RIGHT TODAY, YO' HOL' DEM AN' PUT "EM UNDAH YORE FOOT. Yo' hol' dem, an' long as yo' kin keep 'em down undah yore foOt, yo' kin gO. But DE MINUTE DEY GIT DE UPPER PULL ON YO', DEY GOT CHEW AN' GONE. Yo' see? Dey got chew an' gone.
Entry 5738
Dey git twelve of yore tracks. Ah'm tell yo' whut ah knows. Red Devil Lye, rose watah, anothah potash - ah can't name it, ah think it's [something] - Hearts Cologne. Fix all dat up an' throw it in runnin' watah. See, dat will cuz yo' or ah tuh run away. (You take up one step right after the other, both right and left. Twelve of them?) Yes.
Entry 5787
Well, dey supposed tuh go an' gittin' yo' left feet an' git some of dat md; take that sand an' jes' put it in a han'kerchief, an' take dat an' go an git some John de Conkah an' some whiskey an' some cologne, an' take an' ball it up, an' jes' take an' cologne it. IF YO' DRINK WHISKEY, TAKE AN' PUT A LIL' WHISKEY ON IT TEE TIMES A DAY - JES' AS OFTEN AS YO' DRINK WHISKEY - AN' KEEP IT CONCEALED ' BOT LET NOBODY TECH IT. Dey says, dat'll keep 'er Watchin' yo'. Don' mat- cahs who git 'er, he can't keep 'er - dat if yo' wan' 'er. Qou do this to your girl and she couldn't leave you? That is to hold your girl or a woman could hold her man?) Yessuh.
Entry 5813
Dey tell me dey take hair out de top of yore haid an' dey mix it wit Hearts Cologne an' den sews it up wit a new piece of homespun an' wears it undah dere arm. Dat's fo' love.
(Which arm do they wear it under?)
That arm there [you are holding up], that's the left arm.) Yes sir.
Entry 5819
I have heard of people gittin' fixed by de hair to make 'em love yo'. Take it an' put it in a Bible an' let it set for about fo' or five days an' take it out of de Bible an' put it in a cologne bottle an' jis' keep it.
Entry 5909
Well, yo' kin take de hair out de top of a woman haid an' go to de graveyard an' git some of dis graveyard dirt. Put a dime down in dere an' den yo' kin tie a little piece of new cloth - right new cloth. (You tie this hair and the graveyard dirt [and dime] together into this new cloth.) An' put it in a little bottle an' put dis stuff dey call Heart Cologne on it, an' yo'll keep 'em fo'evah - dey nevah will leave yo'.
Entry 5934
Uh-huh, fer love. A person takes two stran's of yore hair, see; dey pulls it if dey kin by de roots, see. But if dey can't, at night when yuh are asleep, especially if yore wife or husband dat's sleepin' wit yuh, dey jerks dat out as quick as dey kin. Dey take two stran's, see.
(From where do they pull it now?)
Uh-hah - right heah, see.
(The left side of the temple.)
Uh-hah, takes it from de left side of de temple, an' dey jerks it out. An' dey gits dis clovah oil an' dey puts dat into a bottle. Dey gits Hearts Cologne an' dey puts dat - an' mix it up intuh a bottle. Dey carries it to runnin'watah an'( dey throws it in. An' dat's tuh make yuh love, see. But dey want it tuh go down de stream, instead of up. If it go up dat's fo' bad. See, if it goes down de stream dat's fo' good. Dey want chew to love 'em. Dey got chew all at dere command, see; an' dere's nuthin yuh kin do. [Normally the throwing of hair into running water is not a love rite, as we have seen; but our informant, marked excellent, turns it into a rite of love by adding Hearts Cologne and clover oil to the bottled hair, and by using A BELIEF OCCASIONALLY FOUND ALONG THE TIDEWATER REGION: ANYTHING GOING DOWNSTREAM OR OUT WITH THE TIDE IS A RELEASE OR GOOD WORK, AND ANYTHING GOING UPSTREAM OR COMING IN WITH THE TIDE IS A CONFUSION OR BAD WORK.]
Entry 5939
Yo' take a person's hair an' yo' shet it up in a bottle wit Hearts Cologne an' yo' bury it. An' when yo' bury it, aftah it stay dere sech a lengt' of time... [There is a long pause and I interrupt.] (How long Would it have to stay there?) Well, dey says [after] nine days, yo' finda, yo'll begin tuh have a headache. From time tuh time - it 'cordin' tuh how yore blood stand, it li'ble tuh run yo' crazy, if yo' don't find someone tuh relieve yo' of it.
(Someone to get the bottle?)
Yes.
Entry 5940
Take de hair - jes' lak yo' gits de hair right out de mole of yo' haid, place it in a Hearts Cologne bottle an' stop it up real tight. Let it stay in dere a certain length of time an' take it somewhere an' bury it.
(What will that do?)
Dey say dat run yo' crazy 'bout a person. (About this person. What do you mean, you let it stay there a certain length of time?) Well, nine days.
(You let it stay in this bottle nine days. Then what do you do with it?)
Dey take it up an' jes' lay it - jes' let stay dere if dey wanta. Let it stay dere fo' nine days an' finish de nine days why de work is did.
(This begins to work after nine days.)
Entry 5941
Ah kin take - jes' lak if ah wanted to take de hair out of a woman's haid. Well, ah gits dat hair, see, out de mole of 'er haid an' puts it into a little bottle an' put some Hearts Cologne into it, an' den take it an' bury it somewhere roun' de house, an' she will be in love wit chew.
(This hair and Hearts Cologne?)
Yes sir.
Entry 5942
Dey kin run yo' crazy wit chure hair. Dey kin take two stran' of yore hair - two or three stran' of yore hair - an' put it in a cologne bottle an' put some more dat cologne in dat bottle. An' bury it an' it run yo' crazy, makes chew lose yore mind.
Entry 5944
Ah've heered 'em say - well, lak ah heered a guy say once he wuz goin' wit a girl an' he fell in deep, in love wit dis girl, an' she didn't seem tuh care anythin' much about 'im. He wuz very much in love wit 'er. So he tuk a stran' of hair out de mole of dis girl's haid, an' he tuk it an' put it in a bottle of Heart's Cologne, an' throwed it in a stream of strong runnin' watah. An' he said in about two months or three months aftah dat he tuk dis hair an' throwed it in a stream of watah in dis Hearts Co- logne in dis bottle, it wuzn't long 'fore dis girl wuz crazy.
Entry 5945
Ah heard 'em say yo' could git some hair from in de mole of yore haid, an' take an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologme an' put it in dere an' put a stoppah in it, an' throw it in runnin' watah an' it would run yo' crazy.
Entry 5947
An' ah tole him [my contact man Edward Bufford] 'bout takin' de hair from de mole of yuh haid, an' takin' an' puttin' it in a bottle of cologne, an' go tuh any kinda runnin' stream an' jis' drop it ovah. An' dat wuz anothah way tuh git rid of 'em, run 'em away.
Entry 5972
Now if dere a ole lady yo' can't git away from yore house- dere a ole lady dere or someone roun' dere an' yo' want 'em tuh leave an' yo' can' git rid of 'em, stick roun' wit 'em where de man git 'is hair cut or sompin lak dat. Git some of 'is hair, see. Git some of 'is hair an' put 'is hair in a little flannel rag an' use some Heart Cologne. An' yo' take dis hair an' dis Eeart Cologne an' yo' do it up in dis rag. Don't sew it, yo' tie wit cotton string an' yo' do it up good. An' jes' befo' yo' do it up, tie nine knots in it, jes' about a inch from de end of de cotton string. Tie nine hard knots in it an' 'noint 'em all good in spirits of turpentine, an' make a wish evahtime yo' make a tie. See. Evahtime yo' make a tie in it, wrap it aroun' an' make a tie. Well, yo' make a tie fo' nine times, an' den jes' put it in yore pocket an' walk on tuh a runnin' creek an' throw it in dere, an' don't look back, keep a-goin'. Yo' won't have any trouble wit 'em atall no mo'.
(Runs him away.)
Yessuh, he gone.
Entry 5975
An' if yo' got a sweetheart an' she got long hair, yo' wants tuh make er love yo'. She got long hair, yo' take nine: knots in 'er hair; if yore girl frien's got long hair, yo' make nine knots in 'er hair. An' if she got short hair, yo' git nine stran's of 'er hair. An' put it in a bottle of Heart Cologne an' stop it up tight an' yo' use it fo' nine mawnin's. Yo' jes' put it right on yore body fo' nine mawnin's, quit off fo' nine mawnin's. When yo' use up de whole bottle of Heart Cologne, den yo' use it as reg'lah as yo' feel lak. Dat's tuh make yore girl frien' love
Entry 5986
Well, if she kin git 'im back she go to de Ten Cent Sto' an' buy her a bottle of Hearts Cologne, if she kin git in touch wit 'im to git dat much of hair oata his haid - a strand of hair. Put it to de Hearts Cologne. Turn de bottle apside down an' call 'is name. When he answah, screw de top - shut de voice up in dere an' he can't stay away. HE'LL COME BACK IN SMILES.
(She does this when he is gone. She gets some of his hair?)
His hair. She hide some place while he gone, an' whensoevah he come in, she has his hair in de bottle, an' jes' call 'im quickly. He'll glance up quickly. Screw de top. She's got 'im. [To hold a bottle of perfume upside down with the cork stopper unloosened, while calling a name and waiting for an answer, could be a delicate operation. But we must realize that the cork is barely untwisted and that the spirit in the answering voice can fly - or what- ever a spirit does - through the smallest crack.] [For catching spirit in a bot- tle, see p.24.]
Entry 5988
Okay, we have a way of gittin' a new piece of cloth an' ballin' it [hair] up tight. Sew it up an' soak it in Hearts Cologne an' throw it away. An' say a evil prayer an' call yo' name. (What will that do?) Dat's hard luck tuh yo'. (What do you do with the hair?) We ball it up in dis sewed cloth. Jes' sew it up an' say a evil prayer an' call yore name after soakin' in Hearts Cologne.
Entry 6000
The following expression was surely devised by someone tired of hearing the well-known expression: You give me a headache! Yo' wuz speakin' of hair. A person kin do yo' a great deal of trouble wit yore hair. Prob'ly git yuh 'sleep or git some of yore hair unbeknown to yo' - git dis hair unbeknown to yo'. Yo' take dis hair an' git yo' a little Hearts Cologne an' put it into a bottle an' yo' git choo a small piece of flannen an' cross yore needles between dat flannen an' put it in dere.
(What do you mean cross your needles?)
Make a kind of a X [a cross] out of it [the 2 needles].
(Two needles?)
Two needles, an' make yo' kind of a X out of it. An' twist dis hair aroun' dese needles an' place it in dat cologne, but don't stop yore bottle stoppah tight - prob'ly fo' nine mawnin's. Yo'll leave dat stoppah in dere fo' nine mawn- in's, if yo' should git a chance to git co mah bed or to mah do'step, an' let dat bottle [stand] straight up so I got to valk ovah it, it will keep me suffahin' wid a headache. I'll lingah aftah yo'. I still suffah wid dat headache, but when I gits where yo' is, look lak it kinda Vanishes away-lak. I'll jis' lust aftah yo'. A man do a woman dat way or awoman dat way or a woman kin do a man dat way.
(You only have the headache when you are away from them?)
When yo' are away from 'em yo' have a dull headache an' yore mind, look lak yo' is worried. An' yo' arn't [are not] - it jes' stays on dem.
(You never put that cork in tight. You never put that in tight?)
Don't put it in tight, jes' leave it so yo' kin go dere an' touch it fo' nine Mvnin's, becuz de ninth mawnin' yo'll push it in tight.
Entry 6003
An' he [author's contact man] ast me did ah know any Way tuh try tuh hold a woman, an' ah tole him a way dat chew could take a bottle of cologne an' one stran' of 'er hair, an' go an' buy three bran'-new needles an' put in dat cologne. An' whilst dat hair be suckin' up dat cologne - jes' let it stay in dere until it suck up all dat cologne - jes' put it anywhere in de mattress, or eithah sew it up in a feathah pillah or mattress where it can't be found.
Entry 6005
An' yo' wanted to keep dat fellah. All right, chew take jis' one of de whole plait out de top of dis fellah's haid. Yo' grabs one of dose plaits an' cut it off, an' yo' cut dat plait off dere clean. Yo' take dat plait an' yo' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' fo' needles, steel needles - fo' needles stick right down 'side of it an' stop it up tight. An' den yo' carry dat bot- tle wit yo' roun' about 'leven or twelve 'clock at night an' yo' go to de graveyard an' yo' set it to
[the grave of] someone dat chew know an' - co'se he [the spirit in the grave]
arrive befo' yo' have de house [he reaches your house before you]. He unnahstan' dough [though]. He'll arrive befo' yo'. All yo' gota do is tell 'em [spirit] what chew want [done or] what chew wanna know. An' yo' bring dat bottle back [home] an' evah time yo' use it - see [demonstrates] de stoppah will be 'bout dat long. De more yo' shove dat [stopper into the bottle], de worse it will git; de more yo' pull on it [pull it out of the bottle], de lessah it will be.
(In [and out of] this bottle? You have a long stopper about a foot long?)
Dat's right, an' yo' see, de more yo' shove [the stopper] in dat [bottle] de more yo' shove dem [the man] down' but de more yo' pull it [the stopper out of the bottle], why dat de more he [man] be up. Now, if he's down an' yo' jis' take dat same stoppah an' yo' got it dis way [demonstrates]. Well, yo' got it down. Well, de othah way [up], yo' gona ease 'bout a half inch or quarter of inch, increase. But when yo' want 'im to go back down, why yo' jis' shove it on back down dere - lak dat [demonstration ends]. Reep 'em, can't leave home - ain't anyway in de worl' fer 'em to leave home. An' keep dat wid joo - dat is contin'en [continuing] 'is min' d'reck [direct] on yo', his min' couldn't leave.
Entry 6021
Dere one thing yo' kin do wit hair. Yo' kin take hair, nine stran's of hair out de top of yore haid. Ah'm tellin' yo' de way ah know, now. Ah don' know de way anybody know it, tell yo' de way ah know. Take nine stran's of hair out de top of yore haid an' git a white pocket han'kercheff, a bran'-new white pocket han'kercheff, an' put nine pins in it. An' wrop dat nine stran's of hair up tight wit dat nine pins, an' put five drops of Heart Cologne fo' nine days. An' put it into a dry place an' let it stay about nine days an' den take it up an' put it anywhere on mah body. Or de Woman could put it anywhere on 'er body where it won' git wet an' wear it. An' dat'll gain a man fo' yo'. A man'll go tuh her an' nobody else cain't git dat man but 'er. Dat man go tuh 'er.
Entry 6051
Take dat hair undah de arms when a man wanta tie a woman. Dey git de hair from undah a woman's arm an' dey put it in a little bag. Put it in de bag wit Hearts Cologne. An' when dey wear dat undah dere arm where dey per- spire an' let de two combine togethah. Well, dey gen'ly [generally] lak yo' sew it - yo' see, if it's thick undahwear. Dis woman nevah knows it. Well, see, when he's in de presence of dat woman an' she inhale dat cologne an' dat perspi- ration togethah, why she jes' fall fo' dat man in evah way. Dat hold's 'emclosah togethah.
(He doesn't put that in anything? In the urine or?)
[Informant probably had been speaking about urine before I turned on machine.]
No, jes' de scents off de body.
Entry 6057
Ah hear dat [they] kin take a piece hair out de man's - chice[?] of a man an' de man is sich of dem. Tell me dey git aholt of de hair.
(Of the head?)
From de head.
(Yes?) [= continue, because informant had stopped.]
An' dey git holt of de hair from down below.
(That's right [= keep talking]. Now, what do they do with that?)
An' den dey take dem two an' put it in a bag, an' ah don't know what dey do's. Dey takes dose two [kinds of hair] an' put 'em in a bag, an' put a dime intuh it. An' put dat same othah root whut ah tell yo' 'bout [pronounced boat].
(John the Conquer?)
Yes. Put some of dat an' dey git dis [informant unable to remember].
(And what else do.you put in there, then?)
Yo' put dis John de Conkah in dere an' den yo' git holt of dere hair - de two hairs - an' den yo' git a dime. An' yo' sew it up in a bag an' yo' wears it aroun' yo'. Yo' eithah put it aroun' yo' waist or wear it aroun' yo' neck. An' den yo' feed it wid dis same - de same cologne ah tell yo' about.
(That Hearts Cologne, you feed it?)
Yo' feed it wid dat. Eveh once in a while yo' feed it wid dat, see.
(And what is that supposed to do?)
Suh?
(What will that do then?)
What'll dat do? Well, if yo' got a husban' or anythin', or any man or any- thin', he gotta dump [give] evahthin' he got tuh yo' - couldn't git aroun' [with other women, gamble away his money, etc.l. He's gotta come home.
(That's to hold him, to keep him.)
Entry 6066
Dey git de hair off de haid, or de hair from undah de pit of de left arm, an' yo' take it an' put it in a bottle wit Hearts Cologne, an' yo' stop it up an' keep dat wit yo', or put it in a pahtic'lah place somewhere in yore house, if yo' wanta bring dese parties back. An' dey are away from yo', it will bring de people back - de hair off de haid.
Entry 6068
Dey kin take yore hair from down at chure privates. All right. Now, dis heah is love now. Whut dey drove in de tree is [to make you] crazy. All right, dis is fo' love. All right, yo' take it an' put it in somepin, wrap it up tight, an' put it in de lef' foot of yore shoe an' wear it. An' den yo' takes Hearts Cologne an' dress dat hair fo' nine mawnin's. Den yo' in love jes' as hard as yo' evah wanted tuh git in love.
[Savannah. Ga., (1252).2124:6.]
Entry 6090
(There is another way of bringing them back, too, you say?)
Yo' kin take some of de hair from down dere.
(Some of the private hair.)
Yessuh, take it. It 'tain't only but one stran'. An' yo' take an' carry a han'ke'ch'ef wid joo when yo' use it to dry it away. Yo' take it [hair] an' tie it in de cornah of de han'ke'ch'ef an' yo' keep it de same length of three days. An' yo' - an' puts yo' on it dis Hearts Cologne. Put it on Heorts Cologne. Take it an' yo' bury it at de right-han' cornah of yore steps, de right-han' cornah. Den yo' take it an' wear dat den on yo' fo' nine hours, nine or ten hours, sompin lak dat, an' go on back home. Stay right dere. Yo' go on back home an' make yore wishes, "Ah wish Sech-an'-sech-a-one Would come. Ah want So-an'-so back." Dat's anothah way yo' kin bring 'em back.
(That is if you happen to have some of their hair before they leave?)
Yes, if yo' could git holt of any of it befo' dey leave, if yo' kin find any anywhere - don' care how long dey been gone. Hair undah dere arm will do de same thing.
Entry 6091
Yessuh, yo' kin take a woman, she kin take her hair an' take yore hair. (The woman would take some of her hair from her head and some of your hair, and what else?) An' take yore private [hair] while yo' sleepin' an' wrap it aroun' an' tie three knots in it an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne.
(How would she get that off then?)
Yo' see she tied it in knots, yo' see, an' slip it off lak dat, an' take it an' put it in a bottle of ten-cent Heart Cologne, an' yo' can't fool wit any othah woman but 'er. (You can go with other women but you can't do anything with them, but you can still do something with her?) Yo' kin still do something wit 'er.
Entry 6100
Yo' kin take dat hair an' do three or foah diff'ren' thin' wit it. Yo' lin git de hair outa woman's haid, yo' take it an' carry it to de man's house, an' yo' buries it undah de step in a red piece of flannel. Well, he walks ovah dat hair. Bell, dat's tuh gain 'is influence towards de woman - dat's gainin'. If yo' kin git dat hair of de woman's an' carry it tuh his house an' put it in a piece of red flannel an' po' some Hearts Cologne, an' let him pass ovah it fo' five days. Dat's fo' one part of de hair.
(The woman does that in order to make him like her?)
Tuh make him like 'er.
Entry 6174
(What do they say about that?)
Well, yo' take Hearts Cologne lak ah tole yo', lak dey git it an' dress it fo' to keep yo'. Well, yo' git 9 pins, bran'-new pins what have nevah been used, an' yo' git Hearts Cologne. An' when yo' buy dat bottle of cologne, yo' take de stoppah out - yo' see, cuz dat stoppah been used. An' yo' buy a new stoppah, cork stoppah, an' yo' stick 9 pins in dat cork stoppah. Undahstan? An' put it right down in dat Hearts Cologne. Now, lak dere's some man ah want. I will try to git a piece off 'is clothes, anythin' an' put it in dere, yo' undahstan', fo' 9 days. Well, aftah I gits it in dere, whatsomevah ah want - den ah try to git a piece of 'is hair, an' some of 'is fingahnails an' toenails. If ah can't cut 'em, ah'll jes' take a little file here an' make out ah'm jes' playin' wit 'is han', an' file it off at de same time an' gittin' it in mah han'. Undahstan'? An' if ah kin git a piece of hair from undah his arm, yo' undahstan', an' git a piece of hair from de lowah Part, an' put it all in dere, an' 'tis nuthin atall he kin do unless ah command 'in to do it.
(I see.)
Entry 6260
[To swing, either oneself or something else, can be a magic rite.]
An' anothah way yo' kin git 'er, if yo' kin jes' git three stran's of 'er hair from de mole of 'er haid an' stick it into a cologne bottle an' let it stay dere. Don't airtight it, jes' let it stay dere, jes' so dat it, yo' know, kin be a li'l bit of air gittin' to it all de time. She'll love yo' right out. But if yo' wanta quit 'er an' don' want 'er be worrying aftah yo' an' follahin' aftah yo', de way fo' yo' tuh do. Yo' carry dat hair down tuh a stream of watah, where de watah runnin' swift; an' tie it an' let it swing dere. An' long as dat hair swing dere, she'll swing 'way from yo'. She won' gi' [give] yo' no trouble. Yo' kin go wit whoevah yo' want an' she won' say a harmin' word 'ginst yo' - have nuthin tuh say 'ginst yo'. [Please notice the man's Christian act of leaving the bottle open so that the Woman would not suffocate or lose her mind!] [This belief could also have been placed under the hair and running water rites given later.]
Entry 6267
Now, jes' lak if dey wanted yo' or loved yo' or somepin, dey would take yore hair an' put it - yo' know, jes' put it in a li'le bag or somepin - li'le ole red flannel or somepin lak dat, sew it up. Put cologne on it, jes' a li'le Hearts Cologne, an' keep it - jes' weah it, keep it. An' den dey take dere watah - yo' know, pee on it. Dat's whut dey tell me dey do wit dat.
(Why Would they do this?)
To make dem love yo'; yo' see, care fo' yo'.
Entry 6268
Dey tell me dat yo' kin take hair yo' know an' tie it up an' put cologne on it an' yo' know, make watah on it, an' dat'll create love - make yo' love who- evah did dat.
(You would get my hair to do that?) Yes sir.
Entry 6337
Well, ah kin go out tuh de fo'ks of de road, if ah wants tuh go out dere an' put down a little magic work for business. Ah kin go out dere tuh de fo'ks of de road an' git me a little dirt [see FORK-OF-ROAD DIRT, p.688, and elsewhere]. De fo'ks of de road comin' so [demonstrates]. Prob'ly one comin' - Memoirs.of Alma Egan Hyatt Foundation - east an' one comin' west. Well, ah gits right in de middle of dat fo'k of dat road. Ah don't git very much of dis, jis' a li'le bit of it, dat dirt. Take dat li'le dirt an' has me a li'le bottle, or cup or anythin ah wants tuh put dat dirt in, an' go on back home. Well, ah kin fix dis right up out tuh de fo'ks of de road. Aftah ah git dis dirt an' put it in dat bottle, den ah has me a ten-cent bottle of Hearts Cologne. Put dat Hearts Cologne on dat - nine drops, see. An' aftah ah po' dat in dat bottle, den ah puts anythin' - any othah article ah got lak hair or any- thin'. Ah'll fix dat up. Well now, heah's what all goes in dere: Dat dirt out de fo'ks of de road. Buy a bottle of Hearts Cologne jis' about dat big [demonstrates], a ten-cent bottle. Yuh po' dat intuh dis dirt or whatsomevah dat chew got tuh put dis dirt in, a bottle or cup. An' aftah yuh put dat in dere. den yuh takes hair. Don't care whut part it come from - come from out yore haid, puts it in dere. An' aftah yuh put dat hair in dere, yuh stop dat hair up airtight an' takes it back to dese peoples' home an' bury dis fo' nine inches under de ground. Dat represent de nine mawnin' dat she'll leave dere. [She'll leave on or before the ninth day.] Den go back an' take it outa dere an' goes to a runnin' stream of water an' throw dis in a runnin' stream of water. An' when yo' throw dis, throw it high enough to give a splash tuh dis bottle. Don't look back - jis' throw it ovah yuh haid, don't look back atall. An' jis' long as dat watah an' dat bottle floats - it don't be a big bottle, a little bottle, so [demonstrates]. So long as it goes, dat person dat yuh's aftah, dey is gone.
(You throw it high enough?)
High enough tuh make de splash be heard [over] dat curse words. [My transcriber ommitted dat curse Words; a common practice to end a rite with a cursing incantation. Why the splash had to be heard during or after the curse words is a sort of So be it or Amen.]
Entry 6380
[This may be my only example of the rare term badge, meaning hand, or toby or mojo.] If yo' wanted 'er tuh love yo', why yo' jes' take some of - jes' lak yo'd take a bath an' git some of de dirty skin from undah de bottom of yore feet, de hollah of yer lef' feet. Trim yer fingahnails good an' close an' git some of de dirt from undah dere. Take dem an' parch dem, parch de fingah- nails. Parch dese fingah- nails brown, beat it up, an' git some of 'er hair an' burn it - de hair from 'er haid an' burn it. Mixes it tuhgethah wit Hearts Cologne an' sulphur, an' weah it undah-yer lef' arm as a badge.
(Wear it under your left armpit as a badge.)
An' in seven days she'll eithah come or she'll write yo' a lettah.
Entry 6466
Yo' see yo' scrape dat feet an' yo' take dat feet an' put it in a bot- tle of cologne an' black peppah. Mix wit it an' git some iron whut rust, rus' iron. An' yo' stuff down in dere wit it an' dat'll continue tuh eat dat, commence eat up dat feet dirt from yore feet. An' yo' feet will be eat de same, long as - de mo' dat dat thing, de mo' dat dat rus' commence eatin' dat scuff off yo' feet, de mo' yo' feet will be eaten.
Entry 6469
[The two rites following explain each other:]
They say, kin get your fingernails. If you kin get a man's fingernails, or his toenails, or a piece of hair, you know, say, you get a piece of red flannen, I think, an' sew that up. An' you get chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne. An' I think you get that on the day when the moon's on the last quarter, I think. An' you fix that up and sew that up between nine and ten, an' make your wishes. An' then I think they wear that somewheres near the body, near the heart.
[Informant starts another hair rite:]
(I see. And what do they put in that bag? What would they put in that?)
Well, they's put in that a bag, it's some kind where they got their finger- nails and toenails or some of the hair where they - it's a kind of root they get dey call de Eve-and-Adam. See, those roots are twin roots together. They name one the man and the other one the woman. And then they keep it saturated, I think, in Hearts Cologne. They wear that near the body and make a wish for every stitch they make, sewing up that bag. They makes a wish. They make a bag an sews on it. They make a wish an' puts nine stitches each way [demonstrates]. (Nine stitches in the bag. This is a square bag, nine stitches on each side, nine stitches on each of the four sides of the square bag. I see. And that wish would get them, or something of that sort?) Yes, then they wear that near the heart. (That's different from the - adding that root? That's different from the first thing you told me?) Yes.
Entry 6499
Ah don't really know dis, but ah heard it, dat yo' kin take de girls fingahnails aftah she clip 'em off, dat's tuh keep de law off yo'. An' put 'em in a bottle an' urinate in de bot- tle, an' put a li'le Hearts Cologne on it, an' she'd follah 'im evahwhere he'd go. An' dat fellah, ah've nevah know 'im tuh lose a girl yet.
Entry 7378
Yo' kin take dat man's, some of 'is garment whut he wear nex' to his skin, an' take an' dress it wit Hearts Cologne an' carry it back where dis man got killed, an' spread it out an' let de sun shine on it, an' it won't [be] but sev'ral days fo' he show up.
(The man that killed him?)
Yes sir, de man dat kill 'im show up.
Entry 7384
To bring a fellah back whut's went off an' done sompin an' run off, yo' go to work an' git a piece of dis fellah's clothes or eithah a shoe or sompin, an' yo' take dat an' carry it to yore place of [hoo- doo] business, see. An' yo' dress dat wit dis heah - git some of dis Heart Cologne, see, wit drawin'-love powdah an' some dis heah High John de Conkah root. An' yo' take dat an' yo' come back home den, an' yo' take it an' bury it undah yore house, see. Yo' take it an' bury it right undah yore house right behin' undah yore dohstep. Hell, fo' so many mawnin's yo' go round yore house, about nine mornings - one time evah mawnin'. Inside of dat time dat fellah goin' eithah be back or sompin be's happen to 'im.
Entry 7863
Dey git graveyard dirt an' sew it up in a li'le piece of red flannen an' wet it fo' nine mawnin's wit Hearts Cologne an' weah it in yore pocket. Dat brings yo' luck in gamblin' an' on dese [playing] cards.
Entry 8032
Git chew some Heart Cologne, git chew some black gunpowdah. Go tuh de graveyard an' go down dere as fer as yo' kin reach. If yo' kin reach de casket an' git a bone - jis' any bone yo' git - take it, specially a ole graveyard where de bones is awfully rotten. Git it an' make a dust [of it]. Jis' git bone enough tuh make a dust out of it. Make it kinda in a powdah. Go dere - [I mean] go back home an' put it in a flannel [cloth] an' weah it undah yuh left arm. Git chew a piece of blacksnake root dey calls it, git hit an' put it in yuh mouth. Chew it up. Aftah six days yo' dere, go tuh dis place where yo' wanta git dis job an' git tuh talkin' tuh dis fellah, an' evah now an' den yo' spit. An' he might herd joo off de firs' time, but de second time yo' go back dere an' yo' git a job.
(You wear this stuff under your arm?)
Yo' weahs it fo' six days, goes down tuh de office an' carries it on. Nevah take it off until nine days aftah yo' git chure job. (Don't take this away until you have been on the job for nine days. And then you don't have to wear it any more.)
Entry 8053
Well, ah've toted mahself in cologne fo' luck, a woman bones. Her small toe bones an' den her fingah bones, dese heah two fingahs heah [points].
(The two middle fingers?)
Dat's right.
(What did you tote that for, what kind of luck?)
Luck in gamblin' an' luck fo' sellin' whiskey.
Entry 8181
If a boy wan'a girl or a girl wan'a boy, git 'is pitchure an' cut off all but de haid. An' fol' de haid up an' put it in a bottle of cologne, an' tote it in yure pocket.
Entry 8424
If yo' wan' tuh make a boy love yuh, yo' take a glass of watah, a glass dat choo're not gon'a evah use ag'in, an' turn dat pitchure down ovah dat glass an' put nine drops of Hearts Cologne or Blue Moon perfume, eithah one is jis' as good, in dat glass of watah. An' let dat pitchure stay ovah dat glass of watah until yo' see some results of dat boy comin' towards yuh. If de boy has turn ag'in [against] sho [you] all tuhgethah an' yo' kin git 'is pit- chure, why dat'll bring 'im back. Put de glass under de haid of yuh bed.
Entry 8761
A tin plate. If me an' yo' had done fall out or ah had sompin yo' Want an' yo' nevah could git it from me, ah come tuh yo' an' borrah [borrow] one of yore pans. Take dat pan tuh de house. Ah take it an' nurinate [urinate] in it. Keep it fo' all night wit dat nurinate an' let it set in dere. Ah take it de next mawnin' an' wash it out good an' drop some. Heart Cologne on it an' carry it back tuh yo'.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat's tuh gain de influence of me an' yo' back.
(Bring us back together again? To restore former relations?)
Yes.
Entry 8838
( Git a flyin' squirrel [Glaucomys volans]. Git de heart of a flyin' squirrel, git some Hearts Cologne, an' git some red peppah an' answah dis lettah. [This is my only example of flying squirrel in Hoodoo.] (That is if I would write somebody a letter, you would get all these things?) Yes. (They would then go ahead and answer my letter.) Answer it. Den dey will sprinkle dis ovah dere, put it right ovah de lettah. See, aftah yo' - let dat squirrel heart stay in dere so many days. Stay in dere firs' until it git rot- ten, so dat dey could mix it up an' put it intuh de lettah, jes' lak yo' would make a big spot on de lettah while writin'. Den seal it [letter] an' carry it an' send it back tuh yo'.
(What would happen to me then?)
It would git chure mind, if dey wanted yo'. Why yo' come where dey want yo'. (Come to them. Use the heart of the flying squirrel. What other things did you say they put in there?) Heart Cologne an' red peppah.
(What do you do with that Hearts Cologne and that red pepper?)
Yo' mix it all tuhgethah, yo' see. Yo' know. when it rots an' make a lick- rish [= licorice = liquid] of it. Or eithah grind intuh a powdah an' sprinkle it intuh dere. An' send it tuh yuh. Purtty soon yo' git de lettah an' natchly [naturally] when yo' opens it yo' git de inhale of it. Yo' git uneasy den an' wants tuh go where dey are.
Entry 8858
Kin take yo' han'writin' an' if yo' run off from home, yo' take dat han'writin' an' fetch yo' back. Dress 'em wit cologne an' put some salt on it. Yo' could be in California, yo'll come heah in Savannah.
Entry 8859
When yo' write de lettah, jis' have yore mind right on who yo' writin' tuh - on who yo' writin' tuh - an' git chew a bottle of Heart Cologne an' drop nine drops for nine days in dat lettah. Den git chew a box of Sweetheart Powdahs an' yo' sprinkle some on dere. Den yo' seal dat lettah up an' yo' send it tuh 'em. When dey git dat an' inahale dat, why den, see dat will bring 'em right back tuh yuh.
Entry 8903
Jes' lak dey's steal somepin from yo' an' yo' wants tuh find out who is de one dat done it. Why yo' take an' git chew a piece of black gum [wood] an' burn dat wood till it come tuh a ashes. An' den yo' take dat ashes an' put it intuh a vial an' put some Hearts Cologne in dat vial where'bouts chew got dat ashes. An' yo' let dat sit dere fo' 'bout five days an' if dat cologne turns de color of dem ashes, why whosomevah stole dat stuff, dey bring it back. Now ah ain't nevah tried it but ah heah dat. [What would my informant in the State of Georgia call a black gum tree? Normally I would say the tree (Nyssa sylva- tica), which has closed-grained wood, entire leaves and small blue-black drupa- ceous fruits. This tree, growing east of the Mississippi River, is also called sour gum, tupelo, and pepperidge. Closely related is a tree (N. biflora) con- fined to the southern United States. The preceding tupelo, a word from the Creek Indian language meaning Swamp tree, could also mean any other tree of the genus Nyssa, especially N. aquatica of the southeastern United States. After this rite Was transcribed years ago I marked it doubtful because I could not understand how black-gum ashes were able to divine theft and make the thief return the stolen property. Later a possible answer came. In the Southern states years ago a bee- hive Was made from a section of a hollow gum tree. Surely the original ashes came from a piece of beehive supplying stinging power. Join this with intention.
Entry 8938
Yo' go an' git some - his [one of thief'sl han'ke'chef. Dat [handkerchief] chew wipe yer sweat wit, an' put some cologne on it. Wrop 'em [handkerchief] up tight. Wrop 'em up in yer han' an' dat will 'fect chew [the thief].
(Well, how can you do it, if you don't know who stole those articles?)
[Informant ignores or does not understand my question.]
An' when yo' go tuh dis court, yo' start tuh wipe yer face wit it.
(But what about the person that steals something from you?)
Well, dat would be de same.
(Well, how would you know that this is the person that stole it from you?)
Becuz he be roun' yo', he come tuh yo' an' pick talk wit chew, an' ast [ask] chew: Ain't chew lost sompin? Yo' say, Yes.
Entry 9066
Well, dis jes' lak dis now, tuh change de judge mind. When it time fo' yuh co't - people talk about Hearts Cologne but dat stuff stands fer a lotta things, dis yere Hearts Cologne. Well, yo' take dat. Take a li'le dat Hearts Cologne an' yo' sprinkle it in de band of yo' hat. All right. Yo' take a li'le an' yo' put it intuh de mole [mold] of yo' haid, see. All right. Yo' take a li'le of it on yer fingah an' yo' smeah it across yo' chin. All right. Yo' put some on both sides of yuh face. See. All right. Den yo' drink de rest. An' dat's [that]. Jes' what chew ask de judge tuh do, he will come yer way.
Entry 9090
[Here is a rare rite, magically a logical one, my only example of it in Hoodoo. See my comment at end.] When yo' are goin' befo' de judge, yo' go up dat morning. Befo' yo' leave to go up befo' de judge, yo' got what dey call Jockey Club Co- logne. All right, yo' get up in de mawnin' an' yo' wash yore face an' hands, but don't wash wit yellah soap. Wash wit what chew call dis white soap. Yo' call - forgot what yo' call - proximine soap.
(Peroxide soap?)
Not wit peroxide - proximine soap. It's a soap dey call proximine soap, a bar about that long.
(Is it white?)
White - it cost 25c.
[At that date an expensive soap and probably sold by a hoodoo shop.]
(All right.)
Yo' eat yore breakfast, take dat Jockey Club Cologne an' yo' rub it on yore hands an' yo' get yo' dat John de Conkah, an' when yo' go in de co'thouse, yo' jes' chew it. [Years ago at the time of collecting this rite, I lacked experience to under- stand it. Later when I read the transcription, I still misunderstood what was staring me in the face. Consequently I wrote on the transcription sheet, still there in the manuscript, ng, meaning no good. Later and suddenly meaning came. Instead of using that cheap yellow soap your wife or mother uses for washing clothes, and you also use for washing hands, buy the white man's soap. Momen- tarily at least, you a yellow or black man will be an equal facing the white judge. Besides, your hands will be white or clean. Even the name of the soap, proximine, looks suspicious. Since informant was a little uncertain about this name, could it have been something like prox-mine, suggesting that informant near the judge would be playing a part by mimicry. In any case color symbolism is frequent in hoodoo, see COLOR SYMBOLISM, p.797f., vol.1.]
Entry 9136
Well, ah tole 'im [author's contact man] in de case of bein' in trouble which ah had one experience of dat - cus [because] ah have been in trouble mah ownself - twice fo' murder[?] - an' ah've taken an' got some rattlesnake mastah, which ah wus tole tuh git dat, an' it wus sent tuh me an' put in cologne, wit some mustard seeds in it. An' tuh use dat cologne an' tuh wipe it ovah mah face about three days befo' mah trial, an' havin' dat mustard seed scattahed around, twelve mustard seeds around by de co'thouse. An' put twelve sage leaves in de bottom of yore shoes, six in each one, an' take an' write twelve names of de apostles on it. An' do dat all in three days, an' when yore trial come, it would not be anythin' tuh it.
(Well, now, where did you put those mustard seeds?)
Jes' scattah 'em anywhere roun' de co'thouse, anywhere round.
(Inside or out?)
Anywhere yo' wanta, outside right tuh de do', twelve of 'em.
Entry 10554
Well, yo' know a leather-wing bat. Well yo' kin take hit an' split him open, an' yo' kin git nine drops of blood from him, an' den git some Heart Cologne an' mix it together. An' yo' kin tote dat in yore pocket an' dat's very good luck. (Well, how would you carry all this stuff, in a rag or in a bottle or in a wallet, what?) Well, yo' take yo' a bottle whut chew buy de Hearts Cologne in an' yo' po'es dat in it.
(You put this blood in the Hearts Cologne bottle.)
Dat's right, an' den yo' see, yo' watch it an' yo' feeds it on dat all de time, yo' see, an' it, yo' know, grows an' grows, makes yore luck be stronger an' stronger.
Entry 10579
Yo' kin take a leather-wing bullbat an' cut his heart out whilst he 'live, an' put it on a straight pin [ordinary pin, not safety pin]. Run a straight pin through it an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' rub yore han'. Rub it on yore han' every time yo' go to a skin game an' yo'll win.
Entry 10622
Use Hearts Cologne on Adam-an'-Eve. They git a pair, which is Adam- an'-Eve an' 'noint it with this Hearts Cologne perfume. That is to draw the Woman friend to them in love. (What would they do after they anoint those roots? What would they do with those roots?) They keep those roots into a jar or either a bottle, an' they take this per- fume whut they roots is soakin' in an' 'noint themselves.
(That is to help them [women] get a man?)
Yes.
Entry 9837
Why ah heard dat chew git needles an' yo' git a piece of red flannel. An' yo' take nine needles an' fold dat flannel. Take nine needles, stick five dis way an' fo' de nex' [opposite] way. Den yo' git Heart Cologne an' wet dat an' sew dat up in somepin. Place it anywhere an' dere will be confusion in your house from den until yo' move.
Entry 9847
[This rite I preserved only in my own original notations made soon after the interview.1 Her sister, they found her hair and nine needles and nine pins in a cologne bottle - salt in the hair - buried under the house beneath the head of the bed. She broke out in sores and pains. A root doctor called in and told them the woman had been tricked. To prove his diagnosis he crawled under the house and came out with the bottle. He showed the bottle but would not let anyone touch it, especially the patient, who would have died!]
Entry 9901
Yo' kin take a frog an' put 'im in a pot an' boil 'im. Git chew nine red ants an' put in dere. Aftah yo' boil 'im, yo' take de frog out an' strip 'is laigs. Jes' lak yo' ketch de frog in dis han' [demonstrates] yo' ketch 'im by his laigs an' strip 'is laigs. Pull 'is laigs through de soup - de watah dat boilin'. [I describe informant's demon- stration.] (You hold him up by the legs and pull his feet down tovard the body.) Take dat, aftah yo' git de meat off - take his haid off - strip 'im enough tuh git de meat off wit'out teahin' 'im too bad. Take him an' git chew some cologne an' some linseed oil. Yo' 'noint 'im good wit dat linseed oil an' cologne. Take an' tie him in a bag. Put dat bag undah yore mattress. If yo' wan'a keep it from fallin' out, [put] 'tween de spring an' mattress. Gits a cloth an' put it up 'tween de mattress an' he [man] lie on dat.
(What will that do?)
Dat will keep 'im wit 'er.
(Do you take this meat off all the bones or what?)
Jes' offa one, his lef' hin' laig.
(And you put the whole frog under there?)
De whole frog undah de baid. An' take de meat dat chew got off 'is lef' hin' laig an' one dose bones, an' tie hit an' weah hit between dere in a bag. Weah it roun' 'er waist in a bag, let it hang down in front of 'er.
(This is to keep the man.)
Reep de man, yeah, at 'er place.
Entry 10739
Whut dis man did, dat wuz down in South Ca'lina, he wuz goin' wit a girl, yo' know. Well, she say she's a big shot. Ah goes wit anybady ah worta, nobody kin hurt me. Ah qoes wit de man. Well, so - she wus purty good. She went every time. So dis man got mad one day, he says, Well, de bettah ah do, de worsah she gits tuh me. So ah think ah'm goin' do sompin. So he goes off tuh a ole woman. She wus about ninety yeahs ole. So he went tuh huh an' said, Well, now, mah ole woman don't treat me lak she used tuh an' ah wants sompin done. Okay. Says, Well, Zisten. Ah tell yo' whut chew do. Yo' go back an' de end of de mont', yo' bring me a lil' somepin of huhs in a bottle, 'cause yo' have tuh bring it in somepin lak dat; jes' a drop of two, but if yo' kin, try tuh git me nine drops. Okay, ah'Zl do dat. So sho' 'nuff, she wus nice 'nuff, watched huh yo' know, when she went tuh use de chambah. He wuz smart enuff tuh git it out of de chambah. So he got it. So he take dat an' he put, added cologne - two kinds. It wuz Lily of de Valley - an' Hearts Cologne. She mixed dat tuhgethah wit it, huh ministrate [menstrual blood] an' put it back in dis same bottle - mixed it tuhgethah yo' know. An' tole him tuh take dat an' keep it an' tote it, an' dress hisself wit it fo' three days, straight mawnin's, an' he'd speak tuh it: Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, dis woman will always be mine an' nobody else's. He didn't have no mo' trouble wit huh.
Entry 10834
Yo' go to somebody an' yo' git a little ole sompin dey calls a buck- eye, an' yo' tote dat in yore pocket. Sew it up in a lil' sack. An' yo' go to de drug sto' an' git some Heart Cologne an' po' dat on dere, an' jes' go an' ask fo' a job an' he git chew a job.
Entry 10880
Heah's anothah instan' [instance]. Yo' kin take a black cat an' cut some of de hair from right undah his tail. Well, yo' take some Hearts Cologne or eithah whiskey. Well, yo' bury it. Yo' taked dat cat hair an' yo' sew it up, put it wit dat whiskey. But chew bettah, if yo' kin git any part of her undahweah, or if it's a man, any of his clothes, yo' kin make 'em go like dat. Jes' bring it right back dere an' jes' drop it right in de yard, any place dat he kin walk ovah it. Or eithah yo' kin git some of dere dirt. Jes' watch hin an' whenevah he come out - man or woman - git some of de dirt of one of de shoe where he track ovah an' mix dat. Mix it in wit dat hair. Yo' kin make 'em move out de house like dat. (This cat hair - suppose you are driving me away - you get some of my hair and the cat's hair and put this in some of my clothes and put it out where I can walk over it. That's to drive me away?) Dat's to drive you away. [Brunswick, Ga., (1188), 2002:8.]
[Two cylinders later informant returns to black cat hair:]
Ah always heah 'em say keep dat same black cat hair, keep it round yore place an' keep it wet in vinegah - ah mean in Hearts Cologne or good whiskey - dat black hair. Keep it round yore place. Tell me dat's lucky fo' yore business.
(How do you get that black cat hair?)
Why, yo' ketch a black cat, any black cat, an' jes' cut de hair from undah his tail or his belly part. [Brunswick, Ga., (1188), 2004:11.]
Entry 11034
Ah heard dem usin' a chicken feather. Yo' take a black hen feather an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' stop it up airtight. Dat's good fo' luck.
(You carry that for luck.)
Entry 11158
Now, I have heard that you can take a piece of devil's-shoestring; that is, you take the root. Some calls it the lady slipper, some calls it lady's tail: that's because the flow- er [blossom] looks like a tail [the orifice of the vagina]. And you can take that, the root, and put it in whiskey or cologne. You put this liquid in your hand and you rub it over the woman some place, and you can handle that woman whatever way you please. [Hoodoo and root doctors normally used the word devil's-shoestring as a singular. If I have iden- tified the plant correctly, botanists have named it Tephrosia virginiana - com- monly called catqut, a good description of its qualities - qoats-rue and wild sweet pea. This plant of eastern North America, especially in the South, is a herb almost prostrate with long wiry roots. The flowers are yellowish purple.]
[Berlin, Md., by Ediphone.]
Entry 11343
Take dragon blood an' dress it with Hearts Cologne, sompin lak that, a' jes' use it in yore home. That would make it lucky fo' things lak that. (If you were selling liquor or anything of that sort.)
Entry 11373
Said yo' go to a fig tree an' yo' git a root from de no'th side, a root from de west side, dat de side de sun set on, yeah. An' git de root from three different parts; don't git it from foah, git it from three, three different directions, [they] say. An' yo' keep dat root an' put a little Hearts Cologne on it, an' jest keep it in yore pocket an' yo' kin demand anything yo' want done. Dat's all from a fig tree. [For another version of this rite, also from Waycross, see No.1247, v.1.]
Entry 11640
Well, it's a powder dey makes. Yo' buy some of it outa de drug store - love powder. Dey call it love powder. An' den yo' git so much of dis same Hearts Cologne an' yo' gits three fishhooks. An' yo' put it together an' yo' rub it - rub it right close to dat powder until settle. After yo' put dat Hearts Cologne in dere, it sit an' it git dry. An' dey put it together an' den yo' sprinkle it. An' if yo' want de person to love yo', [he'll love you]; if yo' want 'im to hate chew, he'll hate chew.
Entry 11867
Carry person's hair and fingernails in bottle with Hearts Cologne for love. [Wilmington, 169:3+85.]
Entry 11868
Woman stops up man's private hair in a bottle with Hearts Cologne and whiskey and wears. [Wilmington 257:9+85.]
Entry 11945
Her private hair and hair from the mold of his head, stopped up in a tree or in a bottle with Hearts Cologne will run the man crazy about her. [Nor- folk 457:8.]
Entry 11997
Woman plats a man's hair, puts it in a bottle of cologne, and he can- not go anywhere. [Charleston 582:2.]
Entry 12082
Take dat bow outa de back of a man's hat an' wet it wit Heart Cologne an' wear it roun' her neck an' gain him. (What will that do?) Keep him home. [Wilson, N. Car., (1499), somewhere near cylinder 2667 which contains material by 1499.
Entry 12120
You should keep a hat bow shut up for awhile in a bottle with cologne and witch hazel and then wear it in your shoe for love. [Wilmington 133:3+85.]
Entry 12139
If yo' wanta go tuh git a job fo' good [a steady job], yo' go tuh dat job. If yo' kin git tuh de office where he's at, understan', git tuh de office where he's at, yo' kin git chew some dat stuff whut chew eat. Whut dey call - yo' kin git it at most any drug sto' - shellac. Yo' know, shellac, sompin dat chew paint things wit. Jes' take an' drop one drop anywhere. jes' lak yo' wuz heah [in this rooml, jes' drop one drop anywhere on de flo' heah where yo' step ovah it. An' den yo' go on back den an' take de rest of it. Go on back an' mix a little bit of Hearts Cologne, two or mo' drops of hit, an' puts hit in de bottle. Den yo' go tuh him, yo' may go ovah tuh him, dere ain't any jobs, an' if dere somebody else on de job, yo' tell him 'bout dat job. [He will ask], "Whut kin yo' do?" Yo' say, "Anything. All right, perhaps ah wants a job real bad. De next time yo' go to him, says, "Well, ah don't want but 75." [Is 75 cents an hour the wage back in 1937?] "Come back sech an' sech a time." An' when yo' go back de third time ag'in, yo' git dat job an' start workin' right off.
(And you just drop one drop of that shellac where the boss can walk over that?)
Dat's right, in de office.
Entry 12142
She [root doctor] tell me. Ah'm goin' tell yo' whut she tole me 'bout de gamblin'. She gimme a bag an' tole me go tuh de drug sto' an' git a bottle of Hearts Cologne. An' ever' time ah go in a game wet it wit dat Hearts Cologne; an' say wet it wit de Hearts Cologne an' rub it on yore han's, de Hearts Cologne - rub de bag on it.
(What was in the bag?)
Well, she [told me] yo' wusn't 'sposed tuh open it.
Entry 12148
Dey jis' git dat, jis' git de plain water, an' jis' put it in a co- logne bottle with a little Hearts Cologne, an' jis' stops it up, jis' put it right under de bed, an' dey got yo'. Dat holds yuh. [Wilmington 160:4+85.]
Entry 12160
De cow hoof or hog hoof - yeah, anything lak dat. Yeah, yo' burn dat. Yo' git dat cow hoof, hog hoof, whatsomevah what it is, an' yo' git chew some Hearts Cologne an' sprinkle ovah dat an' yo' burn dat. Burn it in yore house. While yo' burnin' dat, yo' hook yore han' [fingers] together an' yo' make yore wish. Dat's good wishes. Yeah yo' jes' lock yore fingers together. Dat's good wishes, dat's sompin good. Dere no harm in it. Ah haven't heard it, dere's no harm in dat.
Entry 12236
Say take John de Conker. It's in de woods, it's a weed, yo' take hit. It's got a whole lotta spring to it. An' put it in a bottle an' feed it, feed it with cologne or whiskey. Yo' feed it ever' time yo' eat, or ever' time yo' go tuh gamblin'. Feed it an' dey say hit's lucky.
Entry 12246
You git you a assafidadee [asafetida] see, an' beat it up fine, an' put some turpentine in it, some Hearts Cologne. And git chew a piece of John de Conkah root, and cut dat up fine and sew it up tight, and wear it right around yo' neck, an' leave it lay right on yo' chest, and nothin' kin nevah harm yo', if somebody goin' poison you.
(Nothing will ever harm you, I see.)
Even if somebody give you [him] sompin to eat, it couldn't go into his stomach. His stomach like a stone.
Entry 12289
Tie 9 knots into twine string or raw cotton string an' wear it around their waist, an' they say just once in a while they just dip it in Hearts Cologne and they own water [urine]. That's sure to hold them.
Entry 12363
Now, ah tell yo' if a pusson git holta [hold of] yore hair. Dey kin [git] yore hair and dey kin take dat piece of hair maybe and wrap it up tight. Sew it up inna piece of cloth, use some oil on it, pin it down - jis' like yo' love a pusson an' yo' wanna make a pusson love yo', yo' see. Yo' git dat piece a hair an' yo' gits some dis powdah yo' calls love powdah. Yo' take dat love powdah an' yo' puts dat piece a hair an' dat love powdah in de clot', an' yo' sew it up tight an' yo' use cologne - a certain kin'a high-class cologne yo' use on it. An' evah day yo' gotta fed [feed] it [this hand] dat. Evah da' po' a lil' dat cologne on. Pin it right to yo' side; an' why yo' kin git dat pusson. Yo' want 'em.[ Charles- ton, S. Car., (?), 643:1.]
Entry 12393
Well, every mawnin' yo' want people tuh come into yore place. Yo' go tuh de sto' an' git chew dis same bottle of dis heah cologne - Hearts Cologne - an' a box of lye. [No- tice - new articles are purchased.] Well, in de mawnin' 'fore de sun rise, scrub yore house thoroughly - good - befo' de sunrise in de mawnin' soon - wit dat Hearts Cologne an' dat lye. Scrub yore house soon dat mawnin' 'fore de sun rise. Pur chure pee [urine] in dere too. Scrub yore house good every mawn- in' when yo' git up. After den, take yore lye [I] mean yore chamber lye, yo know, an' throw dat out on de front po'ch, right on out tuh de do'. Dat bring plenty customers. Dat fo' bootleggahs - sompin lak dat.
Entry 12404
Ah know dat chew could git a job jes' by goin' to a magnolia tree. Yo' take an' git - jes' a little piece of cloth an' den sew it up in a heart- style bag in shape of a heart. Yo' take dat heart- style an' yo' fill it up wit nuthin but table salt, salt dat nevah has been used. An' go to a magnolia tree wit three roots dat's runnin' east. Don't care how small or how large it is, an' yo' tie it up together an' feed it off de cologne. An' it's a certain chap- tah in Psalms in de Bible - de Psalms of David. Ah disremembah, but chew repeat dat three times in de mawnin' befo' yo' go fo' three mawnin's, an' aftah dat third mawnin' dat chew'll be successful in gittin' a iob an' holdin' it as long as yo' kin hold dat.
(You put these magnolia roots into this little bag?)
Yes sir, yo' puts it in dat an' sew it up right wit de salt in de heart- style [bag].
Entry 12608
Jes' plain lye and this here Hearts Cologne, and put a mixture of that together and put red pepper in it, and throw it away from the house. Chase it [bill collector, law, etc.] away dey claim dey never would come back.
(Keep them away from around the house.)
Entry 12722
Take an' wear dat [rabbit foot].
(From which foot?)
De left foot.
(Which one, front or back?)
De front 'cause de back is longer, de front is a little short foot. Dey take an' run a string - yo' bo' a hole in it if yo' kin, an' yo' wear it round yore waist or either round yore neck. All right, yo' got a rabbit foot den, an' whoever yo' wearin' dat foot fo', 'cause den yo' be dealin' wit dat person an' yo' goin' keep dat foot rubbed up fo' dem.
(How do they rub it up?)
Hearts Cologne.
(What will that rabbit foot do for them?)
Aw, that's luck, sech as gamblin' an' all, playing bolito...
Entry 12723
Then yo' take - now if yo' a gamblin' man, yo' kin take a rabbit an' ketch him. Take his left front feet an' cut it off right in de knee joint dere, an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne am' put on it. Keep it up tlll it git dry, yo' take it an' put it right in yore fob pocket up heah on yore pants, an' go to a gae an' rub it in yore han' lak dat [demonstrates]. Rub it in dere. Go in dere am' vin whut chew wanta win. Dat de way ah did.
Entry 10886
Take a black cat hair, dog hair - don't make no difference whut kinda dog - an' nine grains of peppah an' some of dey urinate, an' put it in a bottle. An' if yo' wanta break up any- body, take dat nine grains of peppah, Heart Cologne, an' dat dog an' cat hair, an' bury it where dey walk, either one of 'em. Dey git so dey soon bust up.
Entry 12772
Yo' wanta git a job from de boss. Yo' take dat prickle feet an' yo' make chew a small bag an' take an' put nine drops of Hearts Cologne an' drap it in yore hand. Rub yore prickle feet befo' yo' go. An' when yo' go to de boss, yo' go to him wit it in yore hand - talking to him. An' when yo' gits through talkin' to him, yo' cast yore hands out like dat [demonstrates] an' he can't do no mo' den say yes.
[Remember, you rub prickle feet only after you have removed the prickles.]
(How do you use this prickle feet?)
Yo' go in de woods an' git dat - go in de woods an' git dat prickle feet. Yo' cook dat prickle feet. Yo' kin cook it or yo' kin use it dry. Or yo' hn pinch off a little piece an' rub it [demonstrates]. (Do you rub it with that liquid, too? Do you rub them together or [leave them] separate?) Yo' kin rub it. After yo' git it - it's about dat long [demonstrates]. Yo' kin pinch off a little bit of piece, a little piece of it, an' yo' kin rub it in yore [demonstrates] han'. An' whenever yo' gotta go, yo' git dat nine drops of Hearts Cologne an' rub it in yore hand like dat, de whole tine dat chew talkin' to dis man. Want dis job. He will talk to yo'. An' quick as yo' done open yore hand, dat odor done hits his face, yo' see. Understand? Well, he gotta say yes.
Entry 12929
An' some say yo' git dis heah Be Shame Root, Be Shame Brier an' git hit an' cut it up an' put it in dere an' put dis heah Hearts Cologne wit it.
(What do you put that root in?)
In a cloth an' sew it up an' wear it. Say dat will make yo' be lucky in any- thing yo' put chure han' tuh do. [Root became a normal hand for any kind of luck.]
Entry 13003
Usin' a bull dollah - a silver dollah.
(They call it a bow dollar? Why do they call it a bow?)
Dey always claim they could work roots with it. (That's what they call a silver dollar: a bow dollar - bull dollar? Do you mean like a bow - like this kind of a bow?) [I demonstrate either by holding and drawing a bow, or drawing design on paper.] Ah don't know how yo' spell it. It jes' a bow. Git chew a bow dollah an' go to any sto' an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne. An' yo' take this heah bow dollah an' yo' take an' rub it with this heah Hearts Cologne. An' take an' put it in a red flannel sack an' wear it round yore waist, where it will 'cumu- late money to yo', bring happiness to yo', an' yo' jes' be lucky all de time.
Entry 13079
Ah've heard dis. Yo' kin jes' run a black- snake down or ketch hin 'live an' cut his tail off. An' take it [tip of tail and blood] an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' hit'll make yo' as good a jomoh as yo' want.
(That's for luck.)
Entry 1239
I had a mother, she wus poison. Somebody took her hair. The fellah that come to cure her said they put it in a bottle, a cologne bottle, put it in some runnin' water - that cause her min' wus goin'. He didn't zackly make her, you know, straight; but he told 'er whut wus ailin' her. He told er to git up every night jis' befo' mid- night, she wus livin' in de country, an' walk to the fork of the road. She do that fo' five or six night. I don't know zackly how many nights that he told 'er, but I know he told 'er go to de fork of a road. He told 'er take some dirt from under her front steps an' wear it aroun' her head as a poultice. He said that would help 'er. It helped a lot.
Entry 4546
If dey jes' take some of yuh hair out chure haid, dey takes dat hair an' buries it. See, dat's tuh git chew in de action tuh work like dey want chew tuh work. An' jes' like if dis cap [informant's own], OR DIS HAT [MY BLACK HAT ON RECORDING TABLE]. Dis heah boW yuh see in dis cap [demonstrates], why yuh kin take dis bow heah out of dis cap an' run me crazy. See, ah gen'ral' [generally] WHEN AH GITS A CAP OR HAT AH ALWAYS TAKES DIS [demonstrates] OUT, CUZ IT'S DANGEROUS, see.
(Well, how would they do that?)
Well, dey takes dis bow heah out of yuh cap or hat an' dey takes dat bow an' dey dresses it, see. Dey dress it wit dis heah, some kinda whut de' call Hearts Cologne. Takes it an' put dat on it, an' dis heah stuff dey call - dat's a great thing - table salt. Dat's great. Dey take dat an' put dat in dere wit it an' dey sew it up, an' dey try tuh work in a way tuh git where yuh stay at. See, play partnahs wit yuh. An' when dey git tuh where yuh stay at, dey put it up ovah yuh do'. Den, when yuh git tuh actin' funny an' gittin' crazy [anything of yours over a door you walk under makes you light-headed], see it will run yuh crazy, an' yuh won't even know whut it's all about.
Entry 4595
A man's hat - a man's bow outa 'is hat an' yuh kin take Hearts Cologne an' put it in. Yuh see yuh shoe heah has a last [insole] in it, see; an' yuh pull dat last up an' put it undah dere an' po' dis Hearts Cologne on dat bow an' yo' keep it wet. Dat will make him go crazy about chew, too.
Entry 4596
Git de bow of 'ls hat, de toe [toes] of 'is dirty socks, see. Put it in a bottle. Git dis Hearts Cologne an' stop it up, see; an' turn it on its haid. Well, it wouldn't be long 'fore he'd be back home an' acknowledge he did wrong.
Entry 4597
Dat bow - yuh take a bow out of a man's hat an' git chew a bottle of Heart Cologne, an' yuh dip it in de Heart Cologne an' yuh sew a cord string aroun' dat bow an' tie it round yore waist. Dat'll make 'em crazy 'bout chew, jes' love no one but chew.
Entry 4598
De bow of de cap or eithah de hat an' put it in a Hearts Cologne bottle an' bury it under de step an' turn it upside down, an' he will come back.
(Well, suppose the bow in his hat is worn away?) Take de bow of de cap, eithah de hat or de cap. (He has to leave them behind though before she can get them?)
Yes.
Entry 4599
Yuh take de bow out of a man's hat. Yuh take dat little bow out an' de seats of de woman's bloomahs. Dere's two partition in it. Jes' rip one dem li'le partition an' put it 'tween dere an' sew it back up, an' wear dat bow right down In dere right in dat drawahs. Wear 'em. An' den put Hearts Cologne on it, jes' sprinkle it right down in dere.
(What will that do?)
Well, dat Will MAKE HIM JES' FOOLIS' 'BOUT DEM UNTIL DEY GIT READY TUH GIT RID OF "IM.
(They wear that in the bloomers in the front or in the back?)
Right in de seat where de partition, right 'tween dere.
Entry 4603
Dey say yuh kin take a man's hat an' take de bow out of a man's hat an' take dat bow an' put it in a bottle of Heart's Own Cologne. An' aftah takin' dat bow an' put it in a bottle of Heart's Own Cologne, yuh take dat bottle den an' put it de right side, not de left but de right, an' stand it on its haid lak dat, an' make yore wishes about it den. An' dat thing will bring a man home. An' dat thing will make a man do things.
Entry 4705
Well dey say dey takes dat bow. Take dat bow out an' dey puts dat in Hearts Cologne. Aftah dey put it in Hearts Cologne, git it in somepin airtight where no watah cain't git in it. Dey put it [in] sompin lak a rivah dat's runnin' an' throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah, make yore wish an' walk away from it an' don't look back. Dey say dey'll go crazy. (That is to make that person go crazy? Who owned the hat that the bow came from?) Yes.
Entry 13334
(How Would you fix [put a spell on] her?)
Well, ah tell you. Ah'd ketch me a little sparrah - see, ketch me a little sparrah alive, and ah'll git me a little fat from a cow or fat from hog - sompin like dat - or fat from a chicken, eny kin' fat chew know to make some grease an' fry dese birds, see. I'll git dem fat an ah'll fry dem birds, see. Fry dem birds an' ah'll take a little piece of new homespun cloth, see. An' ah'll take dat homespun an' ah'll take dat grease, an' pour it onto dat homespun, see. An' after ah take dat an' pour 'em onto dat homespun, why ah'll git another [O.K.] piece of cloth an' ah'll wrop [wrap] it see. An' den ah'll take a needle an' a spool of thread wot [what] nevah beer used an' sew dat up. See, sew it up tight with dat cloth wit de grease on it, so it can't even ketch air. An' ah'll stick dat in de mattress right where she sleep at, see. Ah'll git a little Hearts Cologne an' den ah'll put a little sweet spirit of niter, see. An' ah'll pour a little bit of dat on her, see.
(On the woman herself.)
Throw a little sweet spirit of niter in front of her and a little Hearts Cologne in her back, on her right shoulder. An' she'll think the world, de sun rise an' [go] down on me.
(That is the [another] way you will get her.)
Entry 12092
"You kin put graveyard dust in dat [hat bow] and two or three drops of cologne and wear dat round your waist." [Norfolk 492:13.]
The account explicitly names two or three drops of cologne; hat bow is an editorial identification. No formulation or verified outcome is supplied.
Entry 12138
Take Hearts Cologne an' Sen-Sen - yo' know, dis heah dope [breath- sweetner] dat people take - an' Two G. Sody, [brand name?] - cookin' sody [sod- ium bicarbonate] an' put it in a lil' [container], quite naturally yo' know, sompin dat chew kin shake it out lak dat. An' if yo' were jes' gittin' out of jail, an' yo' know who dis person who yo' goin' [to see] tuh git de job. Yo' shake it [contents of container] all de way roun' [where you meet the boss]. Quite natural, yo' know how some folks is. Dis per- fume is goin' tuh smell, an' yo' be talkin' with 'em [boss] an' yo' kin rub it in yore han's. Well, he'll ketch holt of yore han'. An' yo' know quite natural when a person talkin' tuh yo', dey goin' ketch holt of yo'. Dat's de way mah brother got a job. He still dere. He be workin' fo' thirty-five yeahs.
Hearts Cologne is explicitly named in a job-directed account. The editorial ingredient/boss glosses stay distinct, and the reported employment outcome is unverified.
Entry 12257
Well, this is another. Yo' take de High John de Conkah an' dis same Hearts Cologne, an' yo' put it on yore person, an' yo' more den apt to git de job.
Hearts Cologne is explicitly named for personal application; 'more den apt' states a likelihood of a job, not a verified employment result.