Subject:Dirt/Fresh grave
Entries
Entry 7593
(To bring in customers.)
Yo' use de dead man an' de way dey mix it, yo' mix it wit de clay taken from a fresh grave at de full of de moon. Mix de clay an' sulphur an' red peppah an' bury it undah de foot of de step, an' it use'ly brings in per- sons.
Entry 7911
If you want to go to stealing, you go to the graveyard and get some dirt off of a fresh grave and go into a man's yard, barn, and take anything they want and the dogs won't bother them. That would be his night password. [Informant 8 years old when Civil War began in 1860.]
Entry 1790
An' old fashioned coffin, dey befo' yo' wus bo'n ah suppose, too; but lay it in dere dataway. Yo' cut it.
(Cut what?)
Take that photograph an' cut it in three P'ints jes' lak that old-fashioned coffin dey made. Yo' take it to the grave an' yo' bury it, an' yo' bury it on its face In de Name of Jesus. Yo' don't put it no way but on its face, bury him in dat grave on his face, a new grave, not a old one, an' yo' bury it in a new grave that's not been there long. He'll jes' pass on away. [My note on final transcription reads, "This elderly woman supposed to be good - was forgetful - probably a little scared."]
Entry 1891
Graveyard dirt, it's good fo' gambling.
(How do they use it?)
Well, yo' take yo' some graveyard dirt an' yo' run yore hand jest as fur down as yo' can an' git some fresh dirt, chew see, an' put it in yore pocket an' git chew one dese toadyfrogs an' put him in yore pocket. Well, if yo' go to skin - gambling, somepin lak dat, yo' know, well yo'll break everybody in dat game, if yo' got some of dat fresh graveyard dirt an' toadyfrog in yore pocket.
(Do you put this in the same pocket?)
In de same pocket - in yore right pocket.
Entry 1921
Tell yo' re'lly fac' about it. Ah know a little 'bout graveyard dirt. Ah knew dis much, suh, dat graveyard dirt kin put chew in bad luck.
(How would you do that?)
Well, if yo' take a sewin' thimble an' yo' go tuh de graveyard an' de very freshest grave dat's buried, anyone dat's buried yo' understand, an' yo' git nine thimbles of dirt off de grave an' yo' carry 'em back. Well, de re'lly fac' about it, yo' git nine triin's of de person right track an' yo' kin put it into a sifter together an' yo' mix it. Put it in de sifter jes' lak yo' were goin' tuh sift meal or anything of de kind dataway, an' yo' kin take an' spread it anywhere across de crossroad or anywhere wherein dis person walks at, an' dat puts dem in tough with bad luck - see, jes' from hand tuh mouth. See, dat person makin' five dollahs a day an' spendin' ten.
(That puts them to walking you say?)
Puts dem tuh walkin', but chew gits dat an' put it into a sifter.
(And you sift it out there at the crossroads?)
Dat's right.
(And that give them bad luck of some sort?)
Oh yeah, puts'em in bad luck. Re'lly fac' about it - round an' round dey goin'.
Entry 1941
You jes' go to 'im and - dat's if you kin git to 'im. Git to 'im and you got some of dis same graveyard dirt, but you git dis before de 12 o'clock tonight when you wan'a git a job. If you go to git a job, you go to dis grave at 12 o'clock in de night, fresh grave, and you go to 'im and you say to de dead man, "Will you let me have dis?" You say dat to 'im t'ree times before he give it. Den you takes dis direct fromst de middle, fromst de foot, and fromst de head, see. And you put dat in a little cup and you bring dat cup out [the grave- yard]. Now you know where dis bossman stay, you know dat he stay dere. Well you go to his house four o'clock.
(In the morning or at night?)
No, in de mornin' - four o'clock and you knock at de door t'ree times before you put dis down. Knock at de door t'ree times and put dis t'ing right on under- neath de steps and you go off. He comes out.
(He comes out.)
Yeah, and you gone and he ain't goin' see nobody when he come out. All right. Den next mornin' you go up to him, "Good morning, boss." "Good morning." 'Well, Boss, I's looking fer a job." 'You wan'a job?" 'Yes, sir." "What kin you do?" "Well most anything, suh, you want done." 'Well, I'll give you a week's trial." "All right, sir." That's all you want. Git in dere and after dat you is dere. [We have in this rite three actions, each performed three times.]
Entry 7769
Go tuh a good gam- blah's grave, a guy dat wuz a good gamblah. Aftah he's buried, go down dere de nex' day aftah he's buried, an' dig down tuh yore elbow befo' de sunrise. An' take it an' put it in a sock [not sack] an' tote it in yore pocket, an' yo' go tuh de skin game an' yo' don't fall.
(You put it in a sock - one of your own socks?)
Yes sir, one your own socks.
(You carry it in any pocket?)
Yes sir, jes' put it in any pocket an' tote it wit chure money.
Entry 11762
"Go to a grave where a fellah jes' buried at an' git some of dat dirt. Run yore han' down in dere, like ah put it down dataway [demonstrates]. Bring hit [up] an' tote it in yore pocket. Dat's fo' all different kind of luck." [Waycross 1929:5.]
Entry 104
(This is the old witch who wouldn't come around to see me?)
Yes sir.
(What did she do?)
She went to de graveyard an' went to a new grave, and she run her hand down in de dirt, way down about up to her elbow, and got her a handful of dirt, three handful of dirt, put it in a tin cup, an' then, she taken a penny an' put it down in de hole to pay de spirit fer de dust dat she took from de grave dirt, an' it had to be a wicked person wus buried dah. An' she went on den an' fixed de dirt an' made some bluestone dust. An' she put de bluestone dust an' de graveyard dust togethah, an' den she went to de church an' dusted it all around in de church. An' de people got so angry an' got so - an' she said to de ghost, "Go theah an' terrify 'em, terrify 'em." An' de ghost went to de church an' jis' kept ever'body confused all de time in dah an' de preacher had to leave. [A note on my original transcription reads, "Informant repeating a story he had just heard about a woman who wouldn't come to see me." This was just about the first colored witch or hoodoo who refused to meet me; also first boy friend or girl friend to investigate me for the professional worker - see Introduction.]
Entry 7534
[Depending upon the type of work you are doing, it can sometimes be easier to bury the article in a fresh or new grave:] Well, dey said tuh run yuh crazy, why dey take yore hair an' go an' git graveyard dirt an' mix yore hair - git a little bag, a little piece of new homespun, sew it up, about dat long, an' put chure hair in it. An' put de graveyard dirt in it an' carry it an' bury it in a new grave, an' in nine days yo' will go crazy.
Entry 7991
Sometimes, if you Want to carry a per- son away, why they go and bury it [a person's image drawn on a shingle] in some grave inthe cemetery, some person he doesn't know anything about, and some grave where it's sinking in. Just like, you know, a new grave will soon sink in, when it's a new dirt grave, you cram it down there. You see, as the dirt sinks in, why that'll go down. And they say whenever it gots down to the, you know, below the earth, the image, the earth level, why then this person will die. [For sunken grave, see also No.7539, p.3301.] [Elizabeth City, N. Car., (438), 403:3 0r 558:3.] [Similar to the two-dimensional photograph is the three dimensions of the doll baby, a small image of length, breadth and thickness, representing the contours of the human body. Several of these manikins have already been given in Nos.1841- 1842, p.549f.; No.2805f., P.803f., MAN-SHAPED CANDLE, and elsewhere.]
Entry 705
Yo' take graveyard dirt - go git de dirt off a sinner's grave an' git it right off his heart lak dat, an' take red peppah an' sulphah an' bread salt, an' put all those togethah an' sew that up into red flannel an' lay it away in de yard, in de east corner of de yard. [This is a hand.] Dat will do de work fo' dat. Dat will kill 'em or run 'em away, either one. Or dey kin take, if yo' hurt, an' dat.will cure it. Take that an' make a tea out of it an' let 'em drink that, an' that will cure 'em. (Anybody that has been tricked, you mean - cunjured? You take all this and make a tea out of it? You take the graveyard dirt - everything?) Yes, make a tea of it. If yo' got things in yore well, that will kill 'em.
(You use that to kill live things in the water in the well?)
Yes, jes' lak dey wus in mah well. Ah come home back to mah house. An' mah well, I jes' had it clean out an' dere wus Wigglers [in it again]. Ever' wiggler dere wus dat long - big as mah fingah an' jes' as thick in de watah, jes' as thick as dey could be. Yo' could heah 'em poppin' jes' lak dat - clak-clak. An yo' couldn't even see 'em. An' dat wus tuh kill me.
(Someone put them in there?)
Yeah, a doctor put 'em in dere tuh kill me.
(Did he put the live ones in?)
Yeah, he put 'em in dere an' dey come alive. He put de dust in dere an' dey come alive. But ah have sense enough to know how tuh kill dem.
(What did you do?)
Ah went an' got dat same dust whut yo' heah me talkin' 'bout from de graveyard offen a sinner's grave. An' ah come back dere an' ah put dat sulphah an' dat red peppah togethah an' tied it up in a new piece of cloth an' ah dropped it down in de bottom of dat well. Dey wus daid in two hours.
(That killed them out?)
Yeah, dat killed 'em.
Entry 1825
Dey build whut chew call a dead man. Dey usually goes an' dey gits clay from a fresh grave dat's someone yo' know, an' dey take dat clay an' dey mixes it up wit sulphur an' red peppah an' puts it undah de step - round de front step. Dat usually brings in people or either carries 'em out - jes' whichsomevah yo' wish. Yo' have tuh wish fo' dat.
(What did you say about making a dead man?)
Yo' use clay an' red peppah an' sulphur.
(Well, what do you mean by making a dead man?)
Well, because it's a person yo' know an' dey jes' died yo' understand, an' yo' use it because it's fresh. Yo' gits it at de full of de moon.
Entry 2498
Yo' kin keep de law away from de house. Go to a colored cemetery an' git chew - go where yo' know dere's three people dat chew know, dat yo' wus dere when dey buried 'em. Take yo' fifteen cents an' yo' pay each one of 'em nickel a piece, yo' see, fo' each person. But let dis be newly buried - jis' yesterday or de day befo'. An' git chew ten pounds of dat dirt an' put it in yore bucket an' set it where yo' sweep yo'self. Dey won't even come near yore steps. Dose are spirits dat keep 'em back. Dat dead folks dirt whut wus buried, dey cain't come ovah it.
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 7309
Ah say if a person kill a person - jes' lak de detectives is now - yo' could kill a person an' go to de graveyard an' git some of dat graveyard dirt. Go to a fresh grave, as fresh a grave as yo' could find, an' git some of dat graveyard dirt and put it in yore shoe. An' den git some an' put in yore left-hand hip pocket an' aftah yo' - don't go out of de gate, git ovah de fence. An' don't nevah look back, jes' keep a-goin' an' yo' kin git plumb away. Ah've heard dat.
Entry 7500
An' jes' lak if a murdah' [murderer] have did somepin, why go tuh de cemetery tuh a fresh grave, de freshest grave dat chew kin fin'. Go dere an git chew some graveyard dirt an' take two pennies an' some watah an' put it into a bottle an put that graveyard dirt in dere an' shake it up an' set it aside until yo' see bubbles come from it, until bubbles from dem pennies in dat watah. When dem bubbles start, 'is min' is gittin' bad. He'll come right straight back tuh where he killed dis fellah.
Entry 7562
(How do they do that?)
See, dey'll go tuh de graveyard an' dey'll git some dirt from a new grave - it must be a new grave from a sinful person, a person dat nevah prayed none. Dey'll go an' git dat dirt off dat grave, out of de grave- yard. Den dey'll take dat dirt an' dey'll put it in a box, dey will leave dat dirt stay dere fo' two or three days. An' den dey'll sprinkle dat dirt wit stuff all aroun' yore house, an' dat will make yuh disagree, an' put yuh in de worst kind of luck.
Entry 7677
If anyone disliked yuh an' wan' choo tuh move - lak yuh a nex'-do' neighbah - dey go tuh de cemetery an' git graveyard dirt tuh make yuh move. Dey say dey go in dere at twelve a'clock at night an' run dere han's jis' as fer as de joint of dere elbow right down in de earth, an' git chew three han'fulla dat fresh graveyard dirt outa dere an' put it in a bucket. An' bury three pennies in dat dirt when yuh take out de las' han'ful out. Yuh put three pennies in de grave. Dey say dat's payin' fer it. An' den yuh bring it back an' sprinkle it aroun' de person do'. An' dat will make him leave.
Entry 11763
Tie up or shut up dirt from a fresh grave and throw this container over the top of a house [most of them small and one story high] to break the peace within. [Petersburg, Va., 424:1.]