Subject:Dust
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Entry 6637
Ah heard 'em tell dey could git a snake, a poisonous snake, an' take kill 'im, see an' dry him. Dry him out an' dat would make a dust, yo' undah- stan'. An' take dat dust an' put it in dere shoes, an' it would kill 'em. Ah don't know how true it is, only whut ah heard. Jis' put in 'is shoes.
doubted report of harmful dust from an explicitly poisonous snake. Both Ah heard and Ah don’t know how true it is, only whut ah heard must remain visible. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 6640
Dey'd dry it [a rattlesnake] an' grin' de dust up - make a dust of it. An' dat's why de oldah people didn't wan' choo tuh open lettahs an' things, becuz if it git in yo' eyes or yo' inhale it, it'd be vury injur'us. Ah think dey say it's de rattles [dust comes from the rattles].
reported drying before dust-making with qualified object/body-part attribution. The rattlesnake identification is bracketed editorial wording; Ah think dey say it’s de rattles remains the informant’s uncertainty. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 7927
Yo' take a sock an' put dat dust in dere. (What dust?) Yo' take dat sock an' yo' git some graveyard dust [and put in], dat willah leaf an' yo' put dat in dere, but yo' gotta let it stay in de sun an' let it dry good. An' dey put dat in de ground. It's all dif- f'ren' kinda ways [to use graveyard dirt] an' dat's a simple thing tuh do.
(What will that do if you put the willow leaf in that sock?)
Put it in dat sock? Dat'll run yo' crazy.
Entry 9933
Yo' kin take a person's stockin's an' take de same thing, toadfrog dust an' bury it in de root of a tree, a young tree while it's yet growin', an' in a few yeahs dey'll pass away. Dey daid. (You mean you put this frog dust in this stocking?) No, yo' take de same dust an' wrap it up in de socks an' pick yo' a good little place in de root of de tree, whah de root growin' whah it's goin'a covah it up. Well, fin'ly dat root covah it up an' smothah it so it cain't git no air, yore gone.
Entry 88
I heard of a woman, she wanted people to move out de house next do' to 'er, cuz dey always kep' too much noise. She used to at night git up an'.go out to de graveyard an' come back with dis yere graveyard dust dat ah tole yo' befo'. She used to take it an' take an' sling it all up against de windahs on de porch an' dat would bring such a damp an' musty oder into de house until it made all dose people re'l sickly feelin' all de time. De always wus hearin' a lota screams an' noises in de house until dey had to move out.
Entry 168
Dey say dat is de devil in his chariot an' if yo' wanta jes', yo' know, do wicked things, why yo' could git dat dust an' sprinkle roun' a person's premises. It will always keep a man an' his wife at arms at each othah. It will keep a household in confusion if yo' jes' take dat dust, yo' know, an' sprinkle it roun' dere premises; an' it will always be ways where they would be at arms at each othah, an' break up de peace of a home wit dat same dust.
Entry 182
Dat de whirlwind dust goin' roun' an' roun'. Well, dey say dat's de devil showin' his power, whut he kin do. Sometime ah saw dem things when dere not a breath of air stirrin' - de devil wit de angry sinnahs.
(What is he doing with them?)
He whuppin' 'em - dat's de devil wit de angry sinnahs, not a bit'a air stirrin'. Had a ole fellah heah yeahs ago, tole us, said, "Boys, dat's de devil yo' see yonder. Yo' can't see him but yo' kin see de whirlwind. De devil havin' a time wit his imps" - de same thing ah'm talkin' 'bout, He says, "Dey tryin tuh do 'way wit him but dey can't do 'way wit him. He's wrestlin' wit 'em."
Entry 190
Dey study where de whirlwind stop at, mostly settle, so dey kin git some of de dust. See whut ah mean. Jes' de last whirl an' go way an' leave it, when wust part gone, see. It will go 'way an' it might have several places, yo' know, it leaves where de whirlwind's gone an' left off, dere be's a whirl. See. Well, if they kin git some of that an' make a wish with it, dat yo' kin do a lotta persons some damage with it. Git some parts of it. See whut ah mean. Dey does a lotta trouble wit dat.
Entry 1306
Jest like I had a mother died or you had a mother died and de spirit you know, de spirit keep worrying you. See, lota people don't believe in it but colored peoples do believe in it. You git chew - you go to de grave and git some of that dirt and sprinkle it around de door and den de spirit won't bother you. Ah believes in it.
(Did you ever try it - did it work?)
Yes, sir - it worked.
Entry 1307
I heard that a spirit came to a woman's house one time and she didn't know how to keep it away and a woman told her to go out in the graveyard and get some fresh dirt off of a grave. She told her to take it and put it in a box and put a hole on top of the box and bury it under your house. She did that and she didn't have any more trouble with this spirit. She said that's what kept him away. That happened down on Vine Street here in town, Hampton, Va., (31), Ed.] had this woman's child and she kinda thought it was this woman [the dead mother] coming back because she had this child.
Entry 1310
Ah hear about dat too an' ah knows of it. But chew have to pay three pennies but chew gotta go to someone's grave dat chew knows well. Jes' lak, yo' know, some of yore family dat's been buried an' yo' go to de head of dis grave an' yo' pay dat dead man or dat dead woman - whoevah yo' knows -.de three cents. An' den yo' take some of de dirt an' den yo' tell dem to give yo' luck, don't let nobody harm yo', an' yo' bring dat graveyard dirt - git a han'ful of de graveyard dirt an' bury it undah yore steps. Bury it undah yore step an' den nobody can't do yo' no harm cause de dead will pertec' yo'.
Entry 2428
In case if you gotta persons coming tuh yore house and you want 'em there who've lotsa money, friends who have lotsa money, when dey walk out yo' take a brand new broom and sweep de dust back up under de house, and they will always come back and bring money to yore house.
Entry 2435
Jes' lak if yo' runnin' a business an' a congregation of people come in an' yo' want 'em tuh come back again - if dey leave - after dey leave, yo' sweep dey tracks, yo' know de dust off dere feet in through a crack or somepin lak dat.
(In the floor?)
Yes.
Entry 2502
" Yo' go into de graveyard an' yo' gotta go a certain hour - about twelve 'clock in de night. If you got any kinfolk bury in dat graveyard, you'll explain to them exactly wot and wot not. Then you git some dust outa that graveyard - offa dat same grave which you have explained dese matters. You take dat qrave- yard dust and go home, and you jest sift it light right aroun' yo' step and you say, "Now, you take ca'h de home. Ah don't want no law or nobody else officiate round heah." You go on about your business and dey'll take ca'h of it. Dey'll nevah look dat way. Dey'll come right by dere an' when de git dere dey'll throw up dey head and go on by.
Entry 2672
Yo' go tuh de drug sto' an' yo' git some Duke's Mixture an' yo' come back wit de Duke's Mixture an' yo' take it an' sprinkle it on that graveyard dust that chew have [sprinkled]. An' when yo' got a place of business dat chew want customers, in de mawnin' yo' git up an' yo' sweep out clean, jes' fer as out aroun' yore do' dere, an' befo' night come or befo' de day gone anyway, yo' goin' have mo' people in dere den yo' kin shake a stick at. Dey be comin' tuh look an' see whut othah people's seein'. Now dere in de club- room ah done dat mahself right heah.
Entry 3181
Den aftah she git back to yo', yo' takes an' goes anywhere an' git a fish. Yo' takes de gill of dat fish - de gill of dat fish an' yo' take 'is gall an' de livah [3 parts] of de fish. Yo' take it an' yo' parch it - de FISH gill, livah an' gall - tuhgethah as a dust. When she gits back, yo' got it all fixed up but have it kinda in lak a sponge - do lak dat [demon- strates], in a sponge. Well, whilst yo' playin' wit 'er lak dat, regardless of what kinda clothes she be in - if she be in 'er night clothes, OR GOT ON OR'NARY CLOTHES LAK YO' GOT ON YO' NOW - yo' jis' take it lak yo' playin' wit 'er an' touch 'er lak dat wit it an' sprinkle some of dat dust on 'er. [For heart, liver and gall of fish, see cure for blindness, 1256, p.439 from Book of Tobit in Apocrypha (6:1-4; 11:10-14).]
(Any place on her?)
Anywhere on 'er. Yo' jis' 'noint it. She wouldn't have no kinda mind of leavin' yo' or bein' worried wit nobody else but yo'.
(That's to keep her after she comes back?)
Aftah she comes back.
Entry 3420
Yes sir, ah heard about dat. Dey say dat when a dog is in heat, yo' take an' cut de end of a she dog'8 - de she dog, jes' dat tip-end of it. An' yo' take an' bake it till it git hard to a dust. An' den yo' take an' sprinkle it ovah a person feed, an' den he or she, or whoevah it 'tis have a connection wit anothah person, will hitch up lak a dog.
Entry 5743
Or else yo' take his track - take de dust outen dey track an' put it tuhgethah an' separate 'em when yo' git where yo' goin' an' put it down. Dem party bound to separate, dey cain't stay tuhgethah. (How do you mean, take the dust from their track?) Jis' lak yo' take de dust outen dat toe an' carry it on back if yo' don't want 'em 'gethah. Take it at de toe an' carry it all de way back tuh de heel. Pick it up. Dat'll separate 'em. An' take his dust outen 'is shoe track an' put it one place an' hers in anothah. Dat'll sep- arate 'em. Dey cain't stay tuhgethah.
Entry 6661
Yo' kin have a live snake in ahm [arm] or chicken feathahs, but how dey put dat in yeh is by a dus'. Dey give dat tuh yo' in somepin tuh drink, an' den by 'umanation [incubation]. It breeds in yore skin.
Entry 7166
She'll go in de graveyard an' git 'er a li'le graveyard dust an' use it. An' when she come back she take it from undah dere an' he wake up. (Oh, you do the same thing if a woman wants to step out, put that graveyard dirt underneath the bed.
Entry 9261
Dey take graveyard dust, dey take a aig. Dey take dis aig an' dey wind [roll] dis aig all ovah dis graveyard dust. At twelve 'clock in de night dey take dis egg an' dey throw it up on de top of yo' house. An' jes' [like] yo've seen a quarrel or fussin' or sompin lak dat all day long in de house, well yo' throw dat aftah yo' go git dis graveyard dust. Yo' take dis aig an' put it [graveyard dirt] tuh- gethah an' event'ly [eventually] de nex' day er [or] dat night, twelve 'clock, yo' throw it on de top of de house. De nex' - well say 24 hours, de person dis- appeahs.
Entry 10408
Dry up a snail and mix this dust with fluid from bitch in heat - put on woman, man will stick to her [Norfolk, 516:7]. [Beliefs about The Hag and Witch in Hag Form will be found in the section so named, numbers 429-544, pages 135-164, volume 1. Similar beliefs are scattered through the complete or partial interviews, volume 2, etc. Theoretically a hag disturbs a sleeping person, rides him or her; an old-fashioned witch does not - yet see No., etc.]
Entry 11277
Then they kin - you may take the same skull and scrape a little of the dust out of it, send into a letter and make a person either come to you at once or see you. [444:2.]
Entry 11664
Go to the forks of the road. You gotta get - there's a certain dust on the middle part of the forks of the road. Well, they take that and they put it in a clean cloth and they make nine knots - tie it in nine knots. And they take that and wear it around their waist, and now they got you stopped. [This is a protection against con- juration.] (Well, what do they wear that for?) Well, they - what they wear that for? Well, they kin harm you a whole lot, see. They kin make you go to a certain distance as they want you to go, and they kin stop you at a certain distance, if they wanta stop you, see.
(Well, how would they use that?)
[Informant has already answered my question.]
How they?
(Do they use it in any way? Or do they just wear it around their waist?)
Just keep it around their waist [for protection]. [New Orleans, La., (884), 1457:5 0r 4.]
The informant describes dust from the middle of road forks tied in a clean cloth with nine knots and worn at the waist, discussing control or harm. Hyatt labels it protection, including a final bracketed gloss. Preserve that difference in purpose and the interviewer's repeated questions without converting editorial protection into the informant's explanation.
Entry 11787
If someone sprinkles graveyard dust at your doorstep and reads Psalm 117, "that will make you move." [Psalm 117 has two short verses: "O praise the Lord, all ye nations...the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise ye the Lord" - King James Version] [Mobile 962:1.]
Entry 11821
Graveyard dust sprinkled around house causes confusion in home.
[Elizabeth City, 403:6.]
Entry 13036
If you are hurt, file portion of silver quarter or 25c pence, boil this dust and drink, and you will become well. [Wilmington 73:3+85.]
Entry 13037
To kill live things in baby, drink tea from the dust of silver half- dollar scraped upwards. [Vicksburg 1032:9.]
Entry 13071
Says yo' take a snail shell an' dust it up an' put it in a lettah, an' dey says when it goes to anybody an' dey git it an' open it, say dat dust git in dere eyes it will blind dem. [Waycross 1751:3.]
Entry 13101
Well, yo' kin take dat bow an' yo' kin put - if yo' kin git holt of some rattlesnake dust out of a rattlesnake's rattle an' put it in dat hat, it will run de man blind.
(Well, just how would it run him blind? How would it do that?)
Well, jes' a...yo' wearin' dat hat, while yo' wearin' dat hat yo' sweat, dat scum git in his [you] eye an' hit'll blind him [you].
Entry 13104
Yo' wanta run him an' make him blind, why yo' go out in any woods most anywhere an' find yo' a snake shell [shed]. Yo' know jes' lak dey say he crawl outa his "shell." An' slip it into his hatband. He lose his eyesight. De dust from dat snake shell will take his eyesight. [Memphis, Tenn., (1537) 2778:4.]
Entry 13121
Beat up a dried rattlesnake head to a dust and scatter this in a dusty road your enemy walks. This dust will blow up into his eyes or get into some way and blind him. [Wilmington 225:1+85.]
Entry 13122
The dust from a snake shed or liquid dust sent to a person in a let- ter will blind him. [Richmond 300:7.]
Entry 12134
[Years ago this healer visited a home to cure a patient after the smallpox sign was up! This information did not come from the healer, the reason for lack of details. [Wilmington 142:1+85.] [Another note of mine refers to a case in Norfolk, Va., in which a healer visits a home to sprinkle a little dust or do something to keep a smallpox sign from being put up! These two notes made years ago are attached to the manuscript.]
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 1308
Yo' take anyone dat chew wanta die - it's accordin' to whut chew want done - if it's anything yo' want done good - anything dat chew want done good, yo' know a person dat died good, well yo' go to their grave at twelve a'clock at night. When yo' go dere yo' have prayer, see. After yo' have prayer, yo' tell de - yo' talk to dem jes' lak ah'm talkin' to yo', "Ah am takin' dis dirt from yore grave for yo' tuh take care of me. Yo' know, when yo' wus livin' yo' always believed in things that were right. Things is goin' wrong wit me an' now ah want chew to drive away all evil spirits an' bring good things towards me - guide me, lead me. An' ah'll take dis dirt from yore grave dat chew protect from now.on, In Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost." Well when yo' take dis dirt yo' place a dime in dis place an' cover it back ovah. Den yo' take dis dirt. If yo' wanta use it fo' yo' own home affairs, yo' take it an' place it in yore home - see, a secret place.
(What would that do? What is the idea of putting it in your home?)
If it's evil spirits dat cause yo' tuh [be] like unhappy in yore home, dose good spirits will drive dose evil spirits away. Now, if yo' wanta do harm wit dat graveyard dirt, yo' goes to a sinner grave. Yo' go dere to a sinner grave; yo' don't have tuh pray wit a sinner. Yo' go dere an' git dat dirt, yo' go dere an' cuss em. Yo' cuss em jes' like he did - jes' de life dat he lived. Yo' go to his grave an' git it an' act jes' lak ah'm tellin' yo'. Yo' say, "Yo' know yo' raised hell an' made things go jes' yore way. An' now, ah'm comin' heah tuh git dis dirt from yo' tuh make things go mah way: -jes lak yodid when yo wus livin". An git it.
(When you got that graveyard dirt, how could you cause harm with it?)
Well, when yo' go fo' harm yo' go rough. Well, now, jes' lak yo' go git dis dirt, yo' see, yo' know dis person died bad - yo' low his life yo' see, yo' know how he lived. If he was a gambler yo kin git it fo' gamblin', an' if he wus a man dat raise hell an' bring confusion git it fo'that. Well, now, yo' go an' git dat dirt an' throw it on a person do' or steps an' ease it underneat' dere house, see. Well, it penetratin' dere. Yo' can't so well throw it in de yard because dey'll 'scover it, but chew kin put underneat' dere steps where dey transfer over it. De evil spirits will follow 'em all de time an' dey can't live in peace.
Entry 1309
De objec' of de graveyard dust - now, we'll have tuh git dat graveyard dust a sutin [certain] way. Now, yo' gotta pay nine cents. That's, yo' might say, buyin' spirits from de graveyard to perteck yo'. Yo' see whut ah mean. Take nine cents an' carry it to a graveyard, an' go to a pusson who hasn't been dere grave, who hasn't been dead fo' very long, somepin lak two or three yeahs, somepin lak dat. Dat ain't too long. An' go right about midways of their heart of the body - 'bout where dey heart is. Yo' drives it down in dere about eight or ten inches, an' drop that nine cents there and bring up that much dust - see. When yo' bringin' up dat dust, yo' say, "I git chew in de Name of God de Father God de Son, to protect me in all affairs of life." See. Yo' take that an' yo' compose it with that same salt, sulphur an' stuff. That keeps that spirit alive an' full of activity an' vigor - watch fo' him, see.
Entry 1529
I remember one time of a gentleman in our home taken violently sick and what was the ailment nobody knowed. They had the medical doctors to come to him and they seemed to do him no good - the medicine they gave him put him in a rage. So then they decided to go and get some root doctor and see if they could do any good. So at last one day they found a man named Doc F., who came to see this man how he was. And after getting there he walked into the room of this sick man and asked his wife, "How's his urine?" And she told him the best she knew how. So he asked her did she have a Canadian piece of money. She told him yes. So he asked her for a dime of Canadian money. She got it and gave it to him. And he compound this piece of Canadian money into dust, mixed it with whiskey and gin and vaseline, and gave it to this man to drink. He dranked it. He stayed with the man all night. And during the night he gave the man two doses of purgative medicine, and the next morning the man was under complusion to have a discharge; and after having this discharge, they found ground puppies, frogs and snakes, and everything of this kind in his urine pot. [Old Point Comfort, Va., (27), Ed.; Dinwiddie Co., Va.,1916.]
Entry 2010
You kin take a horseshoe nail an' you take it an' make you a ring for your finger an' you kin wear that. An' then [a second method] you kin git choo three horseshoe nails. An' you know this hoof where they cut off the horse's feet; an' you kin git that little dust. An' you take an' put that in your pocket, an' put them three horse- shoe nails in there, an' put that little dust in, an' you'll have real good luck. Ev'ry time you git ready to shoot dice or play cards, you take an' rub that stuff on your hand.
Entry 2336
Lak a thunderbolt hit a tree, it blazes all de way down an' goes down to de ground. Dey take dat tree fo' trickeration - fo' trickin' people, an' giv 'em ramblin' min's - spells lak.
(What does a thunderbolt look like?)
A thunderbolt looks lak a flintrock - it's kinda shaped lak a Indian [arrowhead], lak a glaze rock. Yo' see a glaze rock. (An Indian rock?) Yeah, it's made somepin lak dat. [For another description, see p.214.] (What could you do with one of those thunderbolts? What are they good for - anything?) Use graveyard dust. Tie it up in a little bag. Sew it up with luck oil an incense, an' that'll be very lucky fo' de house fo' gamblin'.
Entry 2690
Dat good to make a linament out of it - anything of garlic lak dat. Git six red onions an' she kin boil all dat up some day when dere ain't nobody dere, an' git a bunch of cedar [branches] an' mop yore flo's wit it; keep it secret yo' know from anybody. Mop up flo's an' dat's luck - make her have hustlin' luck - customers, anything she wants - sellin' whiskey or anything.
(Now what would she boil up together, you say?)
Cedar, garlic - one dose little burr of garlic, an' git a nickel worth of red onion an' jes' chop it up, an' chamber lye - git a whole quart of chamber lye. Mop dat flo' wit it. Don't mop outside an' don't sweep de dirt out de room out- side - take it up on a dustpan an' burn on de flo'. Always go backwards wit de mop. Don't mop out. Yo' know a lotta people mop out. Dat's yore luck goin' outdo's - mop back.
Entry 2760
[At least three Helens, all working at the same time, are indicated by the margin-title Miss Helen, Madam Helen, and Mother Helen. The original Helen must have had quite a reputation. Was this original the Helen of the Seven Sisters (2736, p.745 and Index)? Was Helen actually the Seven Sisters - one woman playing seven parts?] No, sir, they are not supposed to be hoodoos. They supposed to be God-sent people - so they tell the people, but they do's hoodoo work.
(Who are these people from Algiers who have altars and candles in the room?)
Well, those are what you call hoodoo spirituals. They are supposed to do whatever you want them to do with prayers, and like if your wife is gone, or like if you are gone. Yes, sir. I brought a fellow to one of them here that had earthworms in his body:
(Well, give the whole story about the whole thing.)
This fellow came to me. I was back on a street right here in town called Magnolia Street. He came to me - say a woman had fixed him up in Mississippi. He say she took and cooked those earthworms and she made a salve out of them and she rubbed him and that caused him to have earthworms in his skin. Well, I told him, I say, "I don't know what to do for that for you, but I can bring you to Madam Helen." That is a fortuneteller lady over the river. [My informant, a doctor not accepting live-things-in-you cases (for such cases See pp.227-239), refers and personally takes his patient to a specialist, Madam Helen. I, the author, for a few minutes once enjoyed the exhalted rank of specialist - see p.279.]
(Is she still alive?)
She is still alive. Well, I brought this fellow over there to her and she told him that she couldn't do nothing for him, in nine days [magic delay] to come back. Well, he say, he told her he was suffering pretty bad and he couldn't sleep because things were creeping in his skin at night, so she told him to come back in nine days. Well, he made it his business to come back in nine days, and after he went back in nine days why she took and she rubbed him with dead man dust. When she rubbed him with dead man dust and gave him nine drops of blood with sweet oil - sheep blood. She keeps lots of sheep, snakes and everything in her house. She gave him nine drops of sheep blood and she rubbed him with this dead man dust. There is a lot of places over the river there where they cremate the bodies over there. She got bottles lined all up in her house, different dead peoples dust in it and she rubbed this man and gave him that blood and this man is a well man right now.
(When you went into that room, did she have an altar in that room?)
She had an altar. It had a lot of candles burning - black candles, blue candles, purple candles, white candles, amongst diff'rent pictures [of saints] she had.
(Was the room light or dark?)
One [reception room] was light, but the room where the candles was burning of those great heavy stockings. She had on about three or four skirts. She dressed something like a gypsy woman do. They call her Madam Helen. She is over in Algiers on Pelican and 26th.
(When you first came in what did she say to you?)
She said, "Come right in," she said, "I know what is the matter with you." She told this gentleman. "You [informant] stand right outside, mister, you can take a seat on the gallery. I know what this man come for." [See You Don't Have To Tell Me, p.316; and The Doctor Knew What She Came For, p.317.] She said [to patient], "Something's wrong with you. How long you been like that?" "Well, I've been like this about three years." She said, "Well, you won't be like that long if you get me $50." That is what she cured this man for - for $50. And the man is healthy, strong and got a job. He works right here at the Public Service Gas right now and he hadn't did a lick of work for three years.[ New Orleans, La., (809), 1138:1.]
Entry 6683
[This fortuneteller woman or healer] tole me dat somebody, a woman had taken mah sistah's hat an' dressed it, dressed it up fo' her, an' she suffabed Wit headaches. She tole us whut she done wit dese earthworms - yo' know, dese fishing worns about dis big [demonstrates]. Take dem fishin' worms an' parch 'em up. An' so dat dust wus sprinkled aroun' in mah sistah's hat, an' as she wore it, well, de perspiration got tuh it an' drive it on tuh 'er brain. An' SHE WENT JIS' AS CRAZY AS ANY FOOL IN DE WORLD. But aftah while We got 'er back again.
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 9271
Yo' take a black hen egg. Yo' boil dat. Yo' git graveyard dust. Yo' git dirt dauber. Yo' boil dat togethah. Den yo' git war watah. An' yo' mix that up together an' put it back in this egg shell. Yo' put it in red, a flannel yo' know, [in] somepin or othah, [because] yo' t'row it [and the mix- ture must not fall outl. In nine days time de person will move aftah dey walk over dis. Yo' t'row it on top of de house.
(What do you do with that egg?)
Yo' break de egg. Yo' boil it see, first. Den yo' break it in dis dirt dauber.
(I want to know just how they use the egg.)
Yo' take de whole [boiled] egg out de shell. Den mash it like yo' gon'a mash- mash potato wit a fork. Yo' take de dirt dauber nest. Yo' mash dat up in dere. Yo' take graveyard dirt off a bad sinner's grave. An' yo' mix dat all up tuh- gethah an' yo' put it in de stoVe. An' yo' kin GIT SOME OF DIS RED GROUND PEPPAH [ground red pepper] FROM DE HOODOO DRUG STORE an' yo' mix dat [in there]. Den yo' stuff dis shell back wit dat egg an' tie it up [in the red flannel] dis way [demonstrates, probably wrapping the string away from you, though a notation of the manner was not made at the time]. An' yo' gon'a t'row it upon dat house. Yo' t'row it in a manners so it'll roll [off and break]. An' de folks won't stay dere long.
Entry 11216
Dirt dauber's nest, yeah. You take a dirt dauber's nest. You take it after it's dry. You take that and use that as a dust. You take that, you take sulphur - you take sulphur, you take carppis [copperas = green vitriol or ferrous sulfate].
(Carpus?)
[To my ears later the word was copperas.]
Coprus, yes. You mix that together. All right, you sprinkle that before the person's door or put it anywhere where they can step in it, see. And it'll worry them where they can step in it, see. And it'll worry them and it make their feet be tender. It gives them bad feet, so that they can't get around, see.
Entry 11747
Dey tell me dey will git some graveyard dirt an' go tuh a wasp where wasps make a nest at - an' aggravate some of 'em an' kill dem. Den dey go an' git de frog an' aggra- vate de frog an' kill him. Den dey go an' git a snake an' aggravate a snake an kill him. An' den dey would take de head offa all of "em an' burn 'em. An' aftah burnin' it, mash it on up into a dust an' mix dat graveyard dirt wit it. An' if yo' go dere an' have yore hat wit chew or anything lak dat, an' dey kin git a little of it in yore hat. Aftah puttin' yore hat on, dat's all dey have tuh do tuh git it in yore clothes somehow or 'nothah, an' it'll be in yo'. Weah dat in yore clothes. An' at de young moon, dat's de time dey have tuh do it, on de young moon, an' as de growin' of de moon, why it will grow in yo'.
(What will grow in you?)
Dat wasp an' dat snake an' dat toadfrog.
(That puts live things in you?)
Dat put live things in yo'.
Entry 12131
(Well, where do they put this bow then? Where do they put this bow?)
Well, sometime a person take dat bows an' tote it in dey pocket fer a length of time. See, den dey go neah dis hickory bone[?l root.... (What kind?) Hickory bone [bush]. Dey go along with dat and graveyard dust. Dat's to lingah yo', to run you crazy. And now you wanta meet anothah man [hoodoo doctor] who kin do dat job to keep you. from run- nin' crazy. Dey gotta use ca'line [cayenne] peppah, and chamber lye and salt and kerosene. Let it steep three days and den go back ovah de head ag'in. Den use [bush?] to burn it and den dat fellah will turn yo' loose. He'll come to yo' house and de first thing he goin' ask - "I match chew fer salt." Dat's [what he want, to match yo' [for] salt [or he asks you for a match or salt] because he know he could git chew right back again [in his power] if yo' give 'em de salt. He got chew. And if yo' give him de match, he got cha right back. [This is a well-known witchcraft theme: see NEVER LEND TO WITCH, No.16338 p.875 in FACI. If you lend to her you are back in her power.] (Well, now why were you telling me about that "louse" in the head? What was that about? The louse in this woman or something? How was that done? I don't umderstand that.) Well, if dey git de bow out de back of yo' head, it has de sweat. Well, dat louse run from de mole [mold of the head] right frum heah [demonstrates], come right back down. She [louse] keep atravelin' right straight back. (This louse keeps traveling back and forth right on top [of your head] from the forehead right to the back where the mole [mold of head] is?) Dat's right. And if she kill dat louse, it kill you. (Well, that [hat] bow is connected with that louse. If they take that bow, they are taking that louse then, aren't they?) Well, de acick [acid] from dat - yo' see, de acick from dat; all dat louse powah fall back to dat bow. You cut dat bow. All dis powah fall back to de band of [bow of] yo' hat. Now de only way you don't have dat - like I got dis hat right chere now [is he talking about his own hat or mine on interviewing table?]. All right, dis hat chere now ain't got anything in it [his hat]. Now, I wanta weah dis hat and throw it down anywhere I wanta throw it down. I goes back home and take a dirty dishrag wit de dirty water and rug [rub] it over dat [bow]. I kin throw it [hat or bow] anywheres. You go and pick up dat bow and do anything wit dat bow, dat's a dead bow, dat bow is done cured. See dat cured dat bow. [No one can take the hat bow and hoodoo you.] But now, if I don't do dat, I haven't cured dat bow. I done cured dat bow in case I be's careless. You kin take it out [of the hat] but nothing kin be done.
Entry 16
My uncle, he was awful scared of ghos'es, and he stayed that-a-way for about three year'. After them three year' was up he sent and got some man, who never tried religion, to see if he couldn't do somepin. So he went and got this fellah - de fellah come from down de South. He got him to see if he couldn't break him from being so scared. So we went and got some graveyard dust, sand, got a rabbit's foot or somepin - this fellah told him a graveyard rabbit, and took and fix it up [dressed it] for him. He took the rabbit foot and put it in a little bag and put de sand in there with it. He was to take it and wear on a belt. About two year' he got he'd see 'em right on but he wasn't scared of 'em.
Entry 1385
Yo' kin take the dust from a ants bed an' it's lucky to yo', because de ant dey say is got de busiest body of de creatures dat lives or somepin lak dat an' yo' kin use the dust fo' luck. Yo' don't have tuh use anything with ant's dust fo' luck, jes' perfect luck. But if yo' wanted it fo' gamblin' or somepin lak dat, yo'll have tuh take de ants dust an' take May-watah, yo' gotta use jes' one month - see, May-watah, whut it rains lak when it first rains. Yo' git this May-watah an' use it in a bottle an' use this ant's dust in it an' it's lucky fo' gamblin'. Yo' have tuh stop it up real tight an' let it set in a dark place, see, fo' luck.
(You don't carry that with you when you gamble or anything?)
No, yo' washes yore han' in it - wash yore han' in it befo' leavin' home.
(The May-water is the first rain in May?)
De first rain in May, yo' gotta git dat fo' luck but chew cain't use it. Jes' lak if it already done rain in May, don't git de second watah, yo' gotta git de first watah.
(Anything else you can do with May-water?)
Yo' kin use fo' eyes, yo' kin use it fo' sore places, use it fo' any kinda 'fected part of disease. If a person prob'bly have de siftic [syphilis] or gon'rhea 'bout de body, yo' kin use dis May-watah but chew gotta use othah things with it. [See May-water, No. 986, p.381.]
Entry 1757
In 1931 ah owed a big furniture bill and wasn't working and didn't have anyone to help me. Well, I had a brother, too, was in trouble - supposed to been in trouble. So I went to Jackson [Mississippi] over there to a man, and he told me about how ah could do - that he would fix up something for me and he said the furniture man wouldn't worry me and neither would the rent man. Well, ah was behind in both and ah was afraid. And so I went over with another girl - she was telling me about him. Well, he told me - when I went back home - he. gave a little old piece of bottle with some dust in it - hit was broken off - he said he usually did fix them that way - broke off - empty it in your hand, you know, and sprinkle in your front door. Well, hit was some kind of brown-looking stuff - kinda looked like it had little black spots or something in it, and he told me that I could sprinkle that a little before the rent man and a little before the furniture man got there and [he] say, if they come, they wouldn't ask for money at all. And so I did that. And so that Saturday morning [rent paid by the week] the rent man came down and he passed my door and went to another girl and asked for her rent. He didn't do anything but just speak to me. But I don't know what that stuff was - but I know he gave me that, and I didn't have no trouble until I got a job out here on [?] Avenue.
(You went over to Jackson to get that?)
To Jackson to a man named A. J. Williams.
(Williams - a colored man?)
A colored man.
(What did he charge you for that?)
Charge me for it? We only give him three dollars - was all I had. He said that he charges round ten and twelve dollars but he told me in the next two or three days if I could get a job, then I could send him a dollar along like that. [Brilliantl 'I am trusting you, trust yourself. Stop worrying - this will work" Also good business.] He didn't never charge much. But I never did pay him but five dollars after I worked. [The breaking of bottle could be magic act (No. 1015, p.389) or trademark of handnaker.]
Entry 2136
Fo' luck in gamblin' yo' use de John de Conker. Yo' take dat an' yo' kin put it in a bag an' yo' put chew a little steel dust in dere an' put chew 45 cents - two dimes an' a 25 cents piece, nuthin wit even money. See. An' put dat in a bag an' wear it in yore pocket. An' yo' take any high [smelling] perfume an' yo' 'noint dat wit dat, wit dat perfume. It seems lak yo' would give de man a ambition, an' give him dose silver [pieces], an' when he bet he bet always right until de othah fellah dat is playin' wit chew - understan', he beats him so many times until he lose ambition, see. An' he be a certain amount loser thataway an' he will always play. When he first start losin' he plays tuh win, when he find out he's losin' he plays tuh ketch back. An' he gits so far around de fellah, he beat him so much until he jes' lose all ambition.
Entry 2314
For luck in gambling you get you some lodestone, you get you some steel dust, and you mix it together and you get you some paradise seeds, and you put all that together in a flannel bag and you sew it up. It's a bag about that size. And after you sew it up in that flannel bag, you take it and you put it down in a saucer - a round saucer and you pour some whiskey - or either good gin on it. You see, you gotta pour that on it. That's to season [feed] it. And you sprinkle a little steel dust on it - you see, that's to season it, and that is supposed to give you luck in gambling. You see, the steel dust supposed to draw and the lodestone. The paradise seeds - well, they include help to make it a success. I got lots of that stuff.
Entry 2439
If dey wanted tuh take roomers an' all lak that an' business wus kinda dull, an' take an' git whut is known - dere's a powder dey call it Good luck Powder. Take it an' use that powder - take an' use that with some of the dust that is swept outa de house. Says dey go an' git that dust that's swept outa de house - lak dey go to de end of the walk when dey sweep back, dey git that an' when they git it there, dey take [and] work it together an' sprinkle it about de house. An' they burn incense with that. An' that would draw his customers.
Entry 2642
I've been in that condition myself. A ole man charged me five dollahs one time. He tole me - I gave the five dollahs [first] - he says, "Want choo git twenty-one ole shoes, I want ever' one to be a lef' shoe, an' seven [rubber] boots." He said, "I don't care whurther yore boots are lef' or right or not. Put 'em into a can, a lard can, close the top up. [Years ago meat packers packed hog lard in very large cans for butcher shops.] Go into yore back yard an' burn that can an' everything in there concern. Take that dust an' scatter it all over yore house an' sweep it north an' south, east an' west, four diff'rent way, an' go ahead an' sell yore whiskey." I did it an' I declare the law didn't never run down on me.
Entry 3640
Ah heard 'em say dey ketch a snail an' git dat dust where he lay, an' take dat an' mix it wit some grease or sompin, an put it on a person's haid an' it will take all dere hair out. SLICK IT WIT A SNAIL, ah've heard dat. (Get that slime from the snail?) Dat's right, wipe it on dere.
Entry 3690
Dey tell me dat dey kin do things to 'er so dat a man cannot have intahco'se wit 'er at all. Say he kin go an' git 'im a snail, an' GIT DE DUST FROM WHARE DE SNAIL'S CRAWL- IN'. Take de snail an' fry dat snail plumb till it cook up. Yo' kin roll it up, yo' know. Put all dat dus' togethah an' jis' when he kin have intahco'se wit 'er, jis' have dat dus' an' git some of it on 'is han's an' rub on 'er, an' dey say a man nevah could - don' cay [care] how he tried, nevah kin have anything to do wit 'er.
(That's to protect his home while he's gone?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 4354
Oh! a person kin do a lot wit dat.
(Well, what for example? One thing.)
One thing, yuh kin take dat.
(This chamber lye.)
Put it in a bottle, put some lodestone in it, steel dust, nine pins an' nine needles. Turn it upside down in yuh home. Dat would make a man stay. Yuh kin take it an' do dat wit it. If yuh want tuh harm 'em, yo' take dere pee an' stop it up in bottle wit a new stopper an' bury it: Bury it where dere's no watah, an' when dat bottle busts, dey will die. But if yuh jis' wants 'em, have dem beggered an' be wit yuh, put it undah de hydrant [considered run- ning water] where it's cool, dat watah, an' dat bottle will nevah - nevah bust, cuz de watah, it won't sour. It'll keep it cool. But yuh see, dat stuff, well hit gits strong in a bottle somewhere up in a warm place. Yuh know yuhself it will bust. Well, when it busts, dat's de last of a person.
Entry 4879
Tuh keep a man home, yuh take his sock an' put it in yore room, an' yuh put sugah, an' yuh put a little cloves, an' yuh put some anvil dust. An' when- evah he happen tuh scrape his feet [rough skin on bottoms of feet caused by walking barefoot], jis' lak yuh know some people scrape dere feet, git some of dat an' jis' put it right in de do' where he walk ovah it. Jis' place it out real flat an' put it right in de place ovah [under] de rug where he walks at.
Entry 4972
If he is away from yuh, if yuh wan' 'im tuh stay wit yuh, yuh take it an' yuh git cheh some steel dust - dat's drawin' - an' lodestone, dat's drawin'. Yuh put it in 'is sock. Yuh take dat sock jis' lak dat goin' in. (Going into the house.) Intuh de house. Yuh put it down in de groun' an' yuh bury it wit de feet goin' in. He cain't stay away from dat house.
(I see. You take the left.)
[Left is nowhere mentioned. Informant may be repeating story and assumes I know which sock; or after story completed I may have turned off machine and then asked left or right before restarting machine in time to catch the answer.]
Entry 5193
Ah started tuh make uh gurl love me an' ah did jis' lak de root doctah tole me. He tole me tuh take tuh grain of black peppah [2 pinches of black pep- per] an' take an' weah in mah shoe. Yo' has it [pepper] on a piece of papah. Take a piece of brown papah an' yuh put it ovah dere. Keep it right down by yuh baid unbeknowin' tuh 'er. Yuh take tuh [fresh grains] evah mawnin' an' put in yuh right shoe fo' nine mawnin'. Leave it dere. An' shō [sure] in de nex' mawnin' tuh put tuh mo' in dere. Do dat fer nine mawnin'. [THIS IS AN INCREASING AMOUNT RITE.] Yuh put on yuh shoe an' weah yuh shoe. Weah 'at [that pepper] in yuh shoe. An' den aftah ah weah dat in mah shoe, be sho ven [when] ah pull mah shoe off [eachnight] tuh take an' put mah shoe unduh [under] de cornah of de baid jis' whure she sleep at. Evah mawnin' [during these nine days when] yuh git up, yuh hug 'er. An' den he give some kin'a dus'. He said evah mawnin' sprinkle dat dus' on 'er while yuh huggin' 'er. Den aftah dat [at the end of nine days] go outdo' an' take dis shoe an' dig yuh a hole right undah de front steps, right whure she got'a walk out. Bury de [eighteen grains of] peppah. An' aftah yuh [do] dat, she'll fall in love wit chuh an' yuh cain't git away from 'er, an' she cain't git away from yuh. [Here is my comment on my original pencil transcription: Voice clear but vemy difficult to transcribe - a primitive mind [[not in a technical sense]] - recheck [[original]] before final using - No.311 is a Negro from the Sound [[Wrightville Sound]]. After informant had left room, my contact man Mr. Gavin came in to ex- press his sorrow for him. He had never seen anyone quite so inexperienced and isolated from simple forms of normal life.]
Entry 5452
Ah would go an' ah would fin' de foot tracks, an' ah would pick up de dust of de foot track - where de foot track made a print. Ah would go tuh de graveyard an' ah would git some graveyard dust, an' ah would mix it all tuhgethah, see. Den ah would place it in mah shoe an' walk on it. Dat would make yo' come - jis' like yo' hate me, are an enemy against me, undahstan', dat will make yo' come tuh like me.
Entry 5516
People wan's people tuh move out of a house, why dey gits de drop on dat fellah when he's walkin' an' watch 'im, yo' see. An' prob'ly [they] take a bottle or maybe tobacco can or snuff- box or somepin an' git de dust out of 'is lef'-foot track dere. Prob'ly walk aroun' dat house an' throw it across it. An' well, dey can't live dere no more.
(Where do they throw it across?)
Throw it across de eaves.
(Right across the roof of the house?)
Yes, sir. As it go ovah, he leaves it open so dat it might scattah as it go across, yo' know. (I see, leave that bottle or can open as you throw it over the house, and scatter the dust over the roof. That will make them leave the house.) Well, dey becomes tuh be dissatisfied wit de house, won' be satisfied until dey move. An' it ain't goin' be very long befo' dey moves.
Entry 5527
Ah'm tellin' whut experienced. Dey take de dust, de dirt out from yure lef' foot, an' dey put it in a li'le small bag an' mix wit Devil Lye. An' put it in a secret place dat chew kin walk ovah it, an' dat'll cuz pain in yore foot. Yo"mem- bah [remember] readin' duh Bi- ble whah [where] it says, in Numbahs [Nuonbers] de 27th and 15th [chapter 27, verse 15].
(What Was that? From the Bible?)
De Numbahs, ah say, de 27th an' 15th, say, "Warned he dat hideth anything in a secret place dat yore neighbor finds it not."
(That's from Numbers, 27th chapter,15 verse?)
[The preceding guotation comes not from Numbers but from Deuteronomy as fol- lows: Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen" - King James Version.] [While recording machine was stopped I must have asked informant, "Where did you hear this?" He evidently answered, "From my uncle."]
(Where did he live, here?)
Oh, he daid now. He used tuh live in Perry County, in Perry County, Ala., Scott Station.
(What was his name?)
His name Jim Herod. An' one [another uncle] named Winston Williams. Well, he daid.
(Well, he wasn't your uncle?)
Both of 'em mah uncle. Both uncle on mah mothah's side, but dey had diff'- ren' fathahs, see.
(Well, whose remedy was this? Who told you this?)
Mah uncle Jim Herod.
(Well, you tell me which one of your uncles you learned these things from?)
[This man Was brought to me as a root doctor. Two comments of mine are on the original transcription: "not much" and later "may use as [[an example of]] a fake R.D.[[root doctor]]. THE LATTER CRITICISM IS UNJUST. I WAS TOO SEVERE ON THESE EARLIER INFORMANTS. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS LYE-TRACK RITE, AS THE PRECEDING AND LATER-IN-DATE EXAMPLE FROM BRUNSWICK, GA., SHOWS.]
Entry 5631
Well, dey gits up de foot track an' dey prepare dat up an' tote it. We use red peppah an' black peppah - sech as dat. We sprinkle dat down an' we salt it. Salt is sup- posed tuh save things. We use salt wit de idea in view of de savin' powdah by dat. We put de salt in dere tuh save it. As long as de salt holds it strength, we got holt of de undahtakin' at de time. SALT IS A GREAT IHING BUT LOTTA PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IT.
(Just what do you do with that track now?)
Well, We takes dat track - IT'S NOT BUT A VERY FEW PEOPLE IN DIS DAY'S TIME HANTS TUH KILL A PERSON, BUT DEY WANTS DEM TUH COME UNDAH DERE CONTROL AN' HOLI "EM, Yo' KNOW. When dey do dis, so den dey use dese means.
[Informant, professional worker, starts another rite.]
Put DUST IN YORE SHOES. PREPARE IT WIT THREE DIFFREN THINGS. An' dey uSe dat tuh sprinkle dat in yore shoes. Dere certain things yo' kin do tuh pertect yo'. Yo' kin walk ovah any kind whatsomevah it is. It melt away. Why.all yo' would do - use salt, nine drops of vinegah.
(How would they use that?)
Weah three needles in yore cap or hatband or whatsomevah yo' gwine tuh do. Stick it - conceal it away.
(What did you do with that salt and vinegar?)
Well we take de salt an' vinegar an' drop nine drops in each shoe. Jis' put a little pinch of salt in dis shoe an' one in dis one, an' we walk anywhere we vanta go.
(You can walk over anything?)
Walk ovah anything a man kin put down.
Entry 5678
Well, yo' kin take dat dust from de feet, if yo' wanted a person in yore neighborhood ~ an' yo' had a fuss wit 'em - an' yo' wanted tuh run 'em away. Yo' goes at de ninth hour, yo' see, tuh runnin' watah an' yo'll take dis here dast, whut yo' have swept up at de ninth hour, an' yo' throws it ovah yore lef' shouldah wit yore lef' han', not tuh look back, wit a curse word. An' yo' are forced tuh leave unbeknown tuh yore ownself. Yo'll pack up. Yo'll jis' leave. Yo' have tuh walk away.
Entry 5790
Yo' take a wasps nest an' take a person's track halfways; scrape de dirt back from right about middleways in de foot tuh de heel [demonstrates].
(From the MIDDLE OF THE FOOT BACK TO THE HEEL.) Yeah, back tuh de heel, an' den back tuh de toe [demonstrates]. (Then you begin in the middle and SCRAPE FROM THE MIDDLE UP TO THE TOE.)
[To scrape from hollow or middle of foot track to heel, then from middle to toe, is unusual if not rare.] Git dat sand or dirt. Burn yore wasp [nest] in yore stove an' git dose ashes of de wasp nest, an' mix de ashes an' de dust tuhgethah, de foot dust. Yeah, mix it all up good tuhgethah an' take dat an' put it in de palm of yore han', an' yo stand out [doors] an' yo' say, In de Name of de Father, de Son, [an' Holy Ghost]. An' whichevah way dat wind blows, why a person dat yo' don' wan' aroun' or sompin, dey'll go away. Dat's a easy way tuh git rid of 'em. Dey'll go on off.
(You take either foot track?)
No, take de left one. [This rite comes from my second trip to Memphis and it was given by an informant different from one in preceding rite.] [The spirit of the wasps chases away the spirit in the foot track.]
Entry 5795
Aftah yo' leave a foot track in dust, well dey say yo' take dat per- son's foot track up, see, de whole print of dat track. See, yo' git chew a stick or spoon or somepin an' yo' pick it up, an' yo' put it in a 'east [yeast] powdah can. An' dey say yo' go tuh de rivah on de ferry boat, an' dey say let de boat git in de middle of de rivah. An' when yo' think it's in de centah of de rivah, say yo' throw dat can ovah yore lef' shouldah an' make a wish. An' dey say, as long as dat can drift up an' down de rivah, dat yo'll drift; an' when dat can begin tuh seep watah an' fall tuh de bottom, dey say yo' die.
(I see. Well, now, how many tracks? Do they get a special track or what?)
No, dey say yo' take de lef' track.
(Oh, only your left track?)
Only de lef' track.
Entry 5895
Git hold of yore hair an' ruin yo'. Take yore hair an' ball it up an' Pt sulphur, black pepper an' an ole toadfrog dust in it an' throw it in de rivah r burn it up. Dat kill yo' or make yo' sick. Yo' couldn't do nuthin.
Entry 6026
Git a plait of hair an' yo' plait it undahwards, yo' know, lak dat [demonstrates]. Don't plait it ovah lak we plait our hair, plait it undah lak dat. Den tie a little bow of ribbon on dere. An' aftah yo' tie dat hair in dere, yo' take an' put a piece of lodestone wit it, an' yo' put nine pins an' nine needles in dere, an' yo' sew dat up in a flannel bag, an' yo' puts a little sugah in dere, too - ah'd fo'gotten dat - an' anvil dust lak at de blacksmith shop, dat dust where dey grind.
(From the anvil?)
[From the hoodoo drug store or mail order firm I should have said.1 Yes. Put dat anvil dust in dere an' a silvah dime. Dat's tuh keep de person dat chew love, yo' know, keep dere minds contented towards yo'.
Entry 6056
Well, I was running around with a girl. That was when I was young. I bad some of her hair - no, her private hair. No, I didn't do it for any purpose, just crazyness I guess. And I kept it in a little velvet box in my trunk. That girl died. I went to look at that hair just after that and it vas dust. I heard several fellows say that, that if you have some of that hair aod that girl dies, it will turn to dust right away. That's a fact. [This is Probably my only example of the belief.] [Informant 25, Hampton, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 6532
Goin' tuh a red ants' bed - jis' like yo' wanta put ants intuh some- body. Dat will jis' eat 'em up. Jis' git dem antses an' take 'em outa dere an' put 'em in anything dat dey'll parch up tuh a dust. Put 'em in dere live an' put 'em where dey'll parch up tuh a dust. An' git de Bible an' read de 37th Psalms while it's parchin', an' take it out. An' anything yo' put dat intuh, if dey nuse [use] it, drink it or eat it or anything, why dem ants will come alive in dem - jis' eat 'em up. [Why Psalm 37 should be used, I do not know.]
Entry 6536
Yo' take dis bat an' put 'im in bucket or box or somepin an' let 'im dry - jis' perish tuh death. Den yo' take an' if it's a person dat chew wish tuh harm, yo' feed 'em dat dust in some of dat food or watah dat dey have tuh drink, an' it'll cuz a person tuh have live things in 'em.
(What kind of live things?)
Bugs. [Bats are supposed to be full of bugs - see FACI, 1841, p.83, 1st ed.; 2007, p.78, 2nd ed.]
Entry 6595
Yo' jis' take a snail an' beat it up real fine an' use dat dust.
(What will that do?)
Yo' know, use de dust, an' if yo' kin git a little drop of dat blood - well, jis' lak, now if yo' wanta do somepin tuh somebody, yo' take a drop of dat blood an'( dat dust from dat snail where yo' done parched it, an put it in whiskey an' give it tuh 'em. Well, yo' become tuh have live things in yo:. (What blood do you get, snail blood or blood from the/ person?) No, snail blood.
Entry 6824
Dey could take de dirt from de grave an' put it, weah in yuh shoes. It could be dust. Dust, dey say, is bettah dan de compoun' dirt. Yo' git de dry pulverized dirt an' put dat in yuh shoes, an' yo' kin weah dat if a person is seek- In' tuh put somepin down where yo' might walk ovah tuh [harm you] or cripple yuh in some way, or deform yuh from gittin' aroun' an' makin' a livin'. Why yo' weah dat, dat prevents dat, dat graveyard dirt.
Entry 7049
(How do you do that?)
Yo' kin even make 'em stop drinkin' whiskey.
(How do you do that?)
Now, yo' know a man dat drinks whiskey. Yo' take a man dat's a heavy whiskey drinkah, when he comes home, if he drink anythin' lak coffee or tea, or anythin' lak dat. Yo' go tuh 'is shoes, when he come in at night, an' take any dust - some dust off of one of 'is shoes. See, yo' jis' take de dust off of any shoe yo' git off of 'is foot. An' take dat dust an' powdah it. Powdah it up good an' fold it in a piece of paper, an' let 'im sleep wit dat undah 'is pillow. Evah time he come, whethah he come in sobah or come in drunk, take it away where - wrap dat good an' put it undah 'is pillah, an' let it stay undah 'is pillah fo' nine days. An' aftah it stay undah 'is pillah fo' nine days, yo' take it an' take dat same dust an' po' it intuh any drink dat he drinks - whiskey or gin or anythin' an' dissolve it an' mix it well. Jis' drop it in, jis' a li'le particle of dust on dere, from any one of 'is shoes. An' let 'im sleep wit dat undah 'is head fo' nine days, an' po' it in 'is drink. An' ah'll bet if yo' continue doin' dat - if dat don't give him de natchal [natu- ral] effect de firs' time, use it on 'im ag'in. An' ah'll bet dat he'll - it'll stop 'im from drinkin'.
Entry 7186
Git chew some whiskey, some anvil dust an' vinegah jis' where he lay down. Yo' lay down wit 'im an' leave it up undah 'is bed, an' he won't wake until yo' come. Jis' undah de bed. [Memphis, Tenn., (949), 1530:15.] [This fifth and final subsection of section FOLK MEDICINE gathers fragments either from doctors themselves or from patients or their relatives or friends talking about doctors. Actually, similar fragments scattered throughout Hoodoo, show that many of these brief statements could have been placed elsewhere.]
Entry 7414
I say dey done takes dat bone, a dead person's bone, an' den dey pow- dahs dat up, makes a dust out of it. An' den dey gits de watah dat yo' bathe 'em in an' dis graveyard dirt an' dis cayenne [pepper], all be togethah, an' mixes dat up an' dust dat on 'em, dust where he sit down at. (The water they bathe in. Which water? The fellow who is doing it? Or the one against whom he is doing it?) Yes, sir, de one dat's doin' de work. Gits dat dead person's watah, bath watah, see what dey bathe him in, an' mixes all dat together an' dust it, yo' know anywhere he sit down at, or anywhere he walk at, or yore room or yore bed, eithah one.
(What will that do?)
Dat will kill yo'. Sure it will ruin yo'.
Entry 7700
They say that chew can take the headboards of a dead person, I mean where they're placed at their grave, or footboards, either one, and burn them; and then get some of that dust of the grave with that, those ashes, and put them down under a door- step of an indivi- dual, and they'll become effected so that they can't handle themselves. They become tricked so they don't have any definite understanding about anything.
Entry 7733
You can take graveyard dust and sprinkle in your bed, sprinkle in your bed nine times - once on each of nine consecutive days, that'll fix them so they'll die.
Entry 7785
(What do you go out to the forks of the road for?)
Yo' go out tuh de fo'k of de road tuh git a kinda root. Yo' git a kinda root de' calls de Conkah root. Aftah yo' git dat conkah root, yo' goes on back tuh de house. Dat's when yuh madam done quit yuh - lak yo' mä'ied [married] an den yuh madam done quit yuh. An' aftah yo' git dat root, why yo' goes on back an' yo' take de root an yo' parch it-lak, yo' undahstand. Yo' make a kinda dust outa it, jis' make a dust an' yo' mix it wit graveyard dust, yo' undahstand. An' den yo' gotta rejoin dat tuhgethah.
(Well, what do you do with that, after you mix all this stuff?)
Aftah yo' fix it, yo' jis' take it in a li'le sack. Take it in a li'le sack an' jis' wash it roun' yuh waist-lak, yo' see.
(I see. That's to bring the woman back?)
Yes.
Entry 7826
I have heard of them getting a hold of graveyard dust and putting it in a bag. And they wear that on the left side of the breast, in a woman; and if it is a man, they put that in his [left] pocket. They want to wear that next oo the skin and they will get them.
Entry 7842
Dey go tuh de graveyard an' dey git some dust. Dey go tuh de store an' dey buy a new pack of needles whut ain't be used. All right, dey take dose needles an' dey cross dose needles, an' den dey sews 'em up intuh a piece of red flan- nel. An' dey: make whut dey call a bag outa it, an' dat's fer good luck.
(How many needles do they cross?)
Two of 'em, jis' two needles. Dey cross 'em. When dey put dose two needles in dere, dey put's a piece of lodestone about so big [demonstrates] in dere wit it, see. Dat's fer good luck.
Entry 7924
I have heard of people giving graveyard dust. You throw it in running water. The person you want to go away or come back will come or go. You throw it over your right shoulder and don't look back but keep walking and have the person in mind.
Entry 8029
Well, dey sprinkle it roun' yore house in yore home, de dust of dat dead person - de dead folks' dust yo' know roun' yuh home. Dat creates confusion. If dey want chew tuhleave, dey do dat jis' tuh run yo' 'way from dere. From de dead person bone, dis ole dust from de bones rotten.
Entry 8810
Dey could take yore handwritin' on a piece of papah, but de way how it is, how it comes in, ah'm goin' give yo' de beginnin' of it. It's de same if yo' should happen tuh go - if somebody should happen tuh go away an' dey should write tuh yo'. Well, all right, dey'd put it in an envelope. Well, dey puts some kind of powdah in dere. Ah forgot de name of de powdah, but dey put dat powdah in dere to seal it, yo' know, an' dat powdah will come out de minute yo' open it. Yore handwritin' will be in it. If yo' should happen tuh go an' write a person a lettah [like that] an' dey. take it an' burn it on de fo' cornahs, or pro'bly burn it all up tuh dust, an' put it back in de mail an' mail it back tuh yo' - well, dey stay dere demself. Dey find dat dey jes' don't care tuh have nuthin to do wit choo.
Entry 9072
You kin go to the drug store like the Crackerjack. That's a wonderful drug store for all hoodoo methods. You can go there and get you some Jerusalem root. You take that Jerusalem root, you beat it up, you put it the left shoe, and you make four signs of the cross with your back turned.
(Show me how you do that.)
That's the infidel sign, they call that. They make that four times like that [demonstrates]. And when you go and face this man, well you're not supposed to look off from him or nuthin like dat. Yo' are supposed to wave his conscience from 'is eyes, an' that dust is helpin' yo' more so to win 'im, becuz yo' got confidence an' faith in dat dust. Therefore he'll look over maybe $25 or $30 [theft] and give you a break. Yo' make that cross before yo' meet 'im. On your back. See yo' can't make de regular sign in front, yo' got to make it four times wit yore back turned. They call dat de infidel sign. [Did he make this cross on his back or backside?]
Entry 9154
(Tell me right from the beginning of it.)
From de beginnin' of de accident an' all?
(That's right, and how she had to pay this and all, you know.)
Well, she cooks fo' C. P. D. Dat big man up dere tuh Something & Company. She been workin' dere two years.
(This is your daughter.)
Ah works fo' So-an'-so, de jeweler uptown in de store. All right. Well, on de second Sunday of each month Mrs. D. lets Emily off, she's mah daughtah, fo' her tuh nuse [use] Sunday. She jes' go an' gits break- fast an' don' have tuh clean up, jes' dust. Dat's her commune Sunday. An' she jes' go an' git breakfast an' jes' dust around, make de beds - spread de two beds an' dust around. Yo' know, make things passable. An' she gits off. Well, this partic'- lah Sunday, which dis Sunday gone - a month now - wus de second Sunday. Well, she came home befo' ah did. She got off befo' ah did. She got off befo' ah did an' she came home an' she went tuh de garage an' got her car out. Well, she started to go to a girl's. She had her hair done dat Sat'day. Well, she started tuh go tuh dis girl tuh jes' have her hair turned undah yo' know. She got up dere on de cornah of Amherst an' George Street. She met two friends of hers an' dey said, "Oh, mah feets hurtin' me!" Said, "Would yo' take us home, Emily?" Emily?" say, "Why, yes, ah got time ah reckon." She looked at de watch. She says, "Yes, ah guess ah got time." Well, she went right on down de street dat way an' on House[?] on Egmont Street is where she got in dis collision wit de water - whut chew call it?
(Hydrant?)
Yes, dat's whut dey call it. An' she jes' ran right up intuh it. De steerin' wheel got locked on her. Yes, got locked on her. Well, den, it's nuthin she could do. Well, dat jes' tore de pipe all up an' muddied de streets with water an' everything, see. Well, someone ah guess up dere called up de police. Dat's de bes' thing yo' could have done. Dey came out. Well, dey 'rested [arrested] 'er an' made 'er git in dere cah. So dey called up dere at de wreckah, de Chevrolet wreckah. De Chevrolet wreckah came an' taken 'er car down tuh de Chevrolet place. [Police] taken her along tuh jail. Well, jes' about dat time - she wus in jail about five minutes. Ah got off from work an', cos' [of course] quite natchly [naturally], she gone tuh de co't- house right down dere. Evah'body ran tuh meet me, "oh Mirandy, Mirandy, have yo' heah whut happened?" Ah said, "No - no - what?" Said, "Well, Emily wus in a wreck." Ah said, "Did she git killed or git hurt?" Ah jes' wus flusterated den yo' know. So dey said, "No, she didn't git hurt. Dey taken her tuh jail." Ah said, "Well, all right." Ah went - rushed right on down tuh de fail. Dey said ah couldn't see her but dere wus nuthin wrong wit 'er. Well, where ah wus workin' at de time, ah wus workin' fo' one of de police's sistahs an' he stayed right dere, de little fellah dat rides de motorcycle, Andy C. He said, "No, Mirandy, ah wouldn't tell yo' a story, yo' know, yo' mah cook. Ah would not tell yo' a story." Ah said, "All right." So den ah came on back home aftah ah couldn't see her or talk tuh her. Ah Went ovah dere tuh Mr. G. an' ah axed Mr. G., ah said, "Goodness sake, whyn't yo' call me up an' let me know dat Emily wus in jail?" He said, "Mirandy, it jes' happened jes' now." Said, "Ah didn't know where tuh call yo' an' ah knowed yo' would see me." Ah said, "Well, ah do see." Ah said, "Ah want mah chile out, " ah say, "Emily is no jailbird." Ah said, "An' accidents are likely tuh happen tuh anybody at any time, an' especially wit a cah." Ah say, "Ah seen some cahs would go sailin' by hers a thousan' times an' say be wrecked, " ah say, "an' ah've read in de papahs where a man an' his wife were jes' married on dere honeymoon, got killed an' hurted." Jes' went on explainin tuh 'im. He say, "Yes, " he says, "Don't chew be worried." He said, "If it any sech thing lak money tuh git 'er out, why she's comin' out." Ah said, "Well, 'phone 'em an' ask is she hurted?" So he did. Dey said, "No, dey wasn't anything wrong wit Emily nor de people - de two girls whut wus in de cah. Ah said, "Well, all right." Mr. G. say, "Go on home." Ah say, "No. Well, no." He say, "Yes, yo' go on home." Ah went on home an' as soon as ah unlocked de do' an' opened up de house, den she came. Well, dat wus on Sunday, de second Sunday in last month. So Monday, dat Mon- day, yo' know, dey had co't. Well, de judge didn't wanta fine me, becuz he knows me an' 'er folks, yo' know, an' den ah worked fo' 'im. Ah have worked fo' 'im. Haven't worked fo' 'im. recently but ah have worked fo' 'im. Anyway he knows me. An' de Chief, Chief Francis, said, "Judge, dat Mills woman" - he wus talkin' 'bout me - he says, "ah've knowed her, been knowin' 'er fo' ovah 25 yeahs." He says, "She's a truthful woman. Ah believe evah word she says." He says, "She's all right." But yet, yo' see, de city had tuh pay fo' dat hydrant tuh be put back an' it cost - dey only charged her fo' dat hydrant tuh be put back. Dey had tuh hire extry help, yo' see. De watahin' people had done knocked off at dat time, yo' know, an' dey had tuh call on extry help. Dey had tuh call on extry help. Why ah guess dey had tuh pay dem extry. Ah know dey did.
(Overtime or something?)
Yes. So de Judge wus very lenient wit 'er. Dey only charge her $25.50. $25.50 but aftah she back ovah tuh de co'troom or tuh de jailroom - whatevah yo' call it - why she had tuh pay $26.50. All right, dat wus settled right fo' dat. She didn't have tuh go tuh jail. All right. Den she went on back an' fixed dinnah fo' her people. Well, de cah wus still at de Chevrolet place where she bought it from. So de one tuh go ovah - ovahhaul de cah an' see whut it would cost an' check up on it, yo' know, see whut dey could do. Well, Mrs. D., de lady dat she worked fo', friend - a personal friend is a businessman. So he tried to do it cheap as he could an' it wus $63. Well, latah on de watah people taken a 'tachment [attachment] on de cah an' Sued 'er fo' $55.55. BUT DEY'LL BE AS LONG GITTIN' DAT $55.55 AS YO' OR I WUS GITTIN' GROWN. AH'M GOIN' SEE TUH DAT PART. AH'LL TAKE CARE OF DAT MAHSELF. (Now, you were going to tell me what you have done now to take care of that - make a nice story of it.) Well, ah taken me a piece of stick - common ordinary stick an' ah hew it down jes' about lak dat [demonstrates].
(About as long as your long finger.)
Yes. Ah hewed me anothah piece about a inch, about two inches long. Ah make a cross in dat.
(You made a cross of those two sticks.)
Ah taken it an' ah put it in de back seat undah mah cah - undah de back seat of de car - our cah, de flivvah, mah cah. Well, it's mah daughtah's but ah call it mine.
(The car that was in the wreck you mean?)
Yes. Re'lly, it is mah daughtah's cah. Ah taken me three new nails, three rusty nails an' put dem in de back of dat cah. Ah got me some dust outa dat cemetery an' ah put some peppah, gunpowdah an' salt in a little sack - jes' made it about dat much - jes' a little lak dat, of each [demonstrates].
(Just a pinch of each.)
Jes' lak dat an' ah put it undah de.... [demonstrates].
(Under the seat?)
Uh-huh. Well, yo' know, ah hol' up de hood of mah cah wit a pencil [demonstrates].
(Made a cross with a pencil like that.)
Dat's de end of it.
(Well, now, where did you put those nails?)
In de back seat - undah de back seat of mah cah an' dat cross.
(Well, now the nails - usually they drive them into the wood?)
No, yo' jes' throw dem careless [demonstrates].
(Just throw them careless.)
Yes, careless.
(And just lay the cross in there?)
Jes' lak yo' would have jes' ole rubbage in yo' cah.
(Just throw stuff in.)
Yes, any stuff dat chew might need.
(And that was done so that they couldn't win this suit. That the idea?)
Dey will nevah win it, unless ah die or dat git misplaced. But DEY'LL BE AS LONG GITTIN' IT AS YO' OR AH GITTIN' GROWN UP.
Entry 10265
They say that chew can take the water off of a silver dollah and also the water off of a copper cent, and sprinkle a little bit of that with some snail dust in a woman's place there, and when a man comes there he'll get stuck just like a dog. [Following rite 10266 by same man.]
Entry 10630
They have a ginseng root. You take a piece of gingseng root and a he and she Adam-and-Eve. See, the he Adam-and-Eve is just a little ball-like, a little white ball - looks like a ball, but it's a root. Well you takes and you mash 'em [Adam-and-Eve and ginseng] up together.
(What does the she look like?)
The she look the same way only it's more longer, see. Well, then, you take and mash up them he and she, Adam-and-Eve, and the ginseng root and Angelico [for this root see later]. Mash it all up together until it's just a powder, see. Put it on the stove and scorch it. Take flour, mix a little flour - sort of like it's burned, scorch it good - and put it in a sack and just dust arou d there. Dust around your house for nine days.
(What will that do?)
Well, that will - you'll get under control.
(You do what?)
Under control, that controls your house.
(Oh, you do that just so this person comes under your control?)
Yes, sir.
(If there's a woman in the house, she would begin to like you?)
Yes, sir. [The preceding Angelico: originally while reading this I annotated 'angelica the candied "angelique"; but could it be in U. S. A., the roots from the Hercules club?]
Entry 9640
Ah heard dat chew take yore chamber lye an' dis salt an' peppah, an' throu it evah mawnin' befo' sunrise at chure do'. Dat'll keep de laws from run- nin' on yo' an' all fren's will come to yo'. An' don't sweep no, none of de dust out chure house, out chure front do'. Don' nevah throw none out; throw it in de fiahplace. Dat always brings in luck. But nevah carries out any [sweepings]. (If you are in business of any kind, especially bootlegging?) Yes, bootleggin' an' gamblin'.
Entry 9825
[That] create dissatisfaction in a man's home. They kin take and bot- tle them. Take so many pins and so many needles - about nine [each] - so it's a odd number. You put them pins and needles, stick them through a piece of flannel. Roll 'em up and drop 'em in a bag. Well, natchly in pass- ing in de house, in and out, if you kin get some of de dust that they sweep up off the floor, yo' puts that in that bottle too. And as long as you keep it, why it causes a great dissatisfaction in the home, so as to completely break it up. It's never known but dey use them needles and pins that way to cause dis- satisfaction in the home.
Entry 9988
Live frog, rabbit foot, lodestone, steel dust, red pep- per - in red flannel bag. Frog is put in alive.
Entry 11060
Dey tell me, says, if yo' wanta make dat person move out, dey tell me yo' git some stuff [soot] from up de chimley an' sprinkle it round de do' evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's, an' dey'll sweep dey ownself away 'cause dey'll sweep dat dust - soot - away from de do'. (They are sweeping their own chimney away?) Yes sir.
Entry 11110
They couldn't harm you with your handwriting. If you left finger- prlnts upon the table on which you had been writing, they could not harm you with the writing, but they could with the fingerprints. Well, like if you had a little bit of dirt or dust or something on your finger, well that is more harm than the writing. They will take that dust off there and put that in a [small] bottle, and they put that in a coconut and throw that in the river sbere it floats. And it won't be long before you be right in that river with that coconut.
Entry 11129
Dey scrape it off a black cow horn, dey say, if anybody is bothahin' yo', to mix some John de Conker wit it an' some kinda dust. Mix dat togethah. Ah fo'got whut kinda dust dey call it. Ah cain't rem- embah de name of dat dust, but anyhow yo' put dose three things togethah an' dey say put it 'roun' yore do'step an' in de cornah of yore house. Say nobody can't hurt chew. [Four corners of house and door the fifth point, rite which occurs frequently, is a type of quincunx.]
Entry 12466
To make 'em move outa de house, dey got a dust dey call moving dust. Dat's not no good by itself. Yo' git dat at de drug sto' but it not no good by itself. Yo' git de mov- in' dust an' git some fresh cow manure, jes' aroun' a dairy, jes' as it been spattered yo' know, fresh cow manure. An' yo' take dat movin' dust an' put it in dat cow man- ure. An' if dey got no steps, jes' lak a room in heah, so yo' kin bury it, if dey got no steps.... Yo' take hit an' some oil of cinnamon. Yo' take de [oil of] cinnamon an' yo' rub it on de do' knob an' take de fresh cow manure an' bury it. Carry dat an' put it undah dat [points] see dat piece? [He points to the middle of the interviewing-room door.]
(Under that piece that goes across the door? The door saddle?)
Yeah, yo' put it undah dere. Git dat fresh cow manure an' jes' line a little bit on de latch whah [where] dey gotta come an' put dere han's in it - what dey gotta put dere han's in it. An' ah'll guarantee yuh dey won't be dere but two weeks. Dat moves 'em. Dey gotta go.
Entry 12693
(What are you sup- posed to do with those? A sturgeon?) A porpoise. (Oh a porpoise!) [On the American Atlantic coast probably the bottle- nosed dolphin.] I know what you kin do about some of his filth. You kin take his filth and dry it.
(Of the porpoise?)
Yes. You walk to the seashore an' you find dese little small round balls. That his manure.
(That's his manure?)
Yeah. You take that and you'll dry it till it a dust, sprinkle it in your [victim's] clothes an' you [victim] can't stay in dere.
(Can't do what?)
Can't stay in your clothes. You can't stay in your own clothes, burns you just the same as pepper.
(People do that to somebody to harm them, I suppose. That the idea?)
Yes, but it will make them uneasy and make 'em miserable.
(Are these round balls hard or are they soft, that you find on the shore?)
Well, it depend on how long it had left his bowels.
(Oh, I see. Is it any particular color?)
Black, little round balls about long as that [demonstrates].
(About an inch round.)
Yeah, you take some of them and dry 'em,
Entry 12703
It 'sposed tuh be, whut we use, is called quick lightnin' dust, Blue Ridge Mountain an' lodestone.
(What is Blue Ridge Mountain?)
Blue Ridge Mountain is 'sposed tuh be - well, hit's a dust. De quick light nin', de re'lly fac' [fact] about it, hit's a dust. Well, ah guess yo' know whut lodestone are, nog. Well, dose things, re'lly de fac' about it, suh, if yo'uses dose. Jes' lak if yo' puttin' oust medi- cine, or whatevah it is, at de end of a knife - grains. Yo' uses dose accordin' tuh yore fingah. Ah mean fingah an' toes. Re'lly de fac' about it, if yo' wants tuh make a wonderful [something] why yo' goes tuh wortt an' ases, jes' lay dey [anyone] has 10 fingers an' 10 toes. Well, yo' use 10 gralns roun' an'roun', it 'sposed tuh be gen'lly [generally] of dose 3 [fingers]. 3tunes 10 is 'sposed tuh be 30. Dat's a mixture den an' yo' uses it. Yo' goes tuh work with yore [ingredients] an' yo' drops yo' out 30 drops of Hearts Cologne on dat stuff. An' yo' den stitches it up [in cloth] very tight. It supposed tuh be until it a small object lak yore thumb. [And this thumb-like object is called a hand!] An' den jes' place it intuh yore right pocket, an' take it tuh a game, de really fac' 'bout it. An' den about every 10 minutes yo' changes dat thing from right tuh left [pocket] an' shuffle. yore cards den. Dat put chew den in good luck in good standin'. [Quick-lightning dust should be the soil near a tree struck by lightning and Blue Ridge Moumtain dust should be dirt from the Blue Ridge Mountains, these latter covering a great amount of space. The iden- tity of what a doctor uses or a hoodoo shop sells is not always a certainty.]
Entry 10916
Heard dem say if folks wanta give you bad luck, dey kin go to grave- yard and git graveyard dust. And they kin take - and dey kin git some hair off a dog's back and cut de hair off a black cat's tail, and bury it under yore door, and dat will give you bad luck. (All those things together?) Suah [sir], all dem together and tie dem in a sack and put it under yo' door and give yo' bad luck.
Entry 11492
[This is the very first rite given by a young woman who came into the interviewing room without saying a word, not even answering my greeting, pulled out a deck of cards, and standing opposite the table in front of me began to run the cards - tell my fortune. I no longer remember ghat she said but I am certain it was something favorable or flattering. The rite given here is page or rite No.l of her interview. On this sheet I wrote soon after the interview: Memphis, second trip, 1518 [informant's number],43 Sages [this does not mean full pages but rites, some of them very short like the present one]. My comment at the close of 1519 [presumably on page 43] reads, ne girl, 1518, when she first came in, took out a deck of cards and ran through them. Will break up [interview later]. Several removed for cures and protectior To be guoted in part in Interview Section. This I never did.] Dey say dey kin git de dust from yore foot track an' use it, an' bury it some place an' cause yo' tuh lose yore eyesight, yore hearin's - accordin' tuh whut dey wanta do - yo' know, jes' 'fect any part of yore body. Dey kin cause it tuh be yore death or sompin lak dat. [As I have said somewhere in this section, in- tention is everything.] [Memphis 2685:1.]
Entry 12671
Ah understan' about de snail an' a person's photo. Well, yo' kin take a photo an' bury it upside down in de graveyard, an' yo' take a snail an' yo' git some steel dust an' yo' write dat indivi- dual name down an' yo' glue it onto de snail yo' see. An' whatsomevah yo' make yore wish, whatsomevah yo' wants tuh, yo' know, make it fo'. If yo' want a person tuh drag lak dat [snail] an' as dat snail crawl yo' see an' de picture fade away, well, dat person will jis' drag until dey die. (You do those two things but you don't do anything to the photograph at all except bury it in the graveyard.) Yo' take de photograph an' yo' write de person name on it nine times, an' if yo' want 'em tuh drag or sompin, why yo' write whatsomevah yo' want, yo' know, tuh happen tuh 'em, an' turn it upside down [and bury it] in de graveyard. An' probably, maybe somebody whut chew know died bad yo' see. Yo' turn it, point it tuh where dey died [buried?] at yo' understan', upside down. An' yo' take de snail an' yo' git some steel dust an' yo' write dere name down on a piece of papah an' yo' put dat steel dust in dere, an' yo' take it - glue it, yo' know, onto de snail. An' yo' see, yo' know, a snail crawl away slow; an' jis' as dey [the snail] crawl an' dat picture fades away, well, dose people will drag an' dey'll pass out.
(Do you write this in any special way, with just an ordinary pencil or what?)
Well, yo' could write it with blue ink if yo' wanted tuh.
Entry 12954
Woman burns her old shoe to dust, mixes this with graveyard dirt and puts in a man's shoes: "that would go to his brain and that would make his mind always stay on me." [Newport News 511:3.]
Entry 13093
Well, they can take your clothes and they can take your hat. In oth- er words they can take your hat and they can put rattlesnake dust - you can buy it in this town - see, rat- tlesnake dust, and they can put it in your hat. And when you sweat in your hat, it makes you blind. (I see, I see.) [I heard little about selling snake dust to blind.]
Entry 13094
Well, dey tell me if yo' wanta harm a person dat way, dat chew kin kill a rattlesnake an' let him dry till yo' kin pound his bones up an' make a dust out of his bones - skin an' all. An' put some of de dust in a han'kerchief. Heet dis person an' turn yore back to de wind an' dey face to de wind. Take de han'kerchief out an' shake it jes' lak if yo' were goin' tuh wipe soiled han's, an' let dat dust go in dere face. Dey will nevah see no mo'.
(That will make them blind.)
Entry 13095
Kin put different things in it to cause yo' feet tuh swell, such as rattlesnake's - take de haid of a rattlesnake an' go out dere an' dry it in a sack yo' know an' take dat dust - dat aw- ful poison yo' know - jes' a little bit of dat. Dat's de same way as dey do tuh kill yo' - right through dis country. Dey'll take dat rattlesnake haid an' dry it yo' know an' git a dust an' lak yo' vanted a drink, dey'd be standin' aroun' an' yo' happen tuh po' de likker out, dey drop de least bit of dat in dere, yo' know. Dat's rank poison. Yo' drink dat whiskey an' it kill yo' an' it hardly kin be detected. Or dey put dat in yore shoes an' cause yore feet tuh swell.
Entry 13099
Oh, dey'd run yo' crazy in a way wit it, wit de dust from a rattle- snake's rattles. Take de dust out of a rattlesnake's rattle an' put dat in dat bow or either sprinkle it inside of dey hat, an' if dey sweat from it, why it will run 'em blind. Ah know two-three blindin's heah today dat result of dat thing.
Entry 13106
Just like I wanted to do you harm. I can get some snake dust and get some graveyard dust and - just like you are in the habit of, when you are cooking anywhere you feel. Like in the country we cook on a fireplace - like you put your hand up there. And perhaps you may find a brick that is loose where I can stick that dust before anybody can catch me. When you have your back turned - and you may rub your eyes or something like that, like you rub your face some- times. They can hide that dust in that chimney and if you should get wet on your hands, it will cause your hands to swell up, and if you get it in your eyes, it will cause you to go blind. [This rite given by a professional doctor.]
Entry 13107
Dere is such things as dat. Dere's a little graveyard dirt. You kin get it in - you get graveyard dirt and you get de dust from a rattlesnake's rat- tle and make you a powder of it. And den he'd come along and 'tempt to play with you. Take your hat off, "Oh, dat's a nice hat." Take your hat like dat and probably look at it. Put dat dust in dere and you put your hat on. It may be warm or it may drift down your face if you perspire, or anything, run down and blind you. You never will see again. (You have this rattlesnake dust and the graveyard dust mixed.)
The informant describes graveyard dirt mixed with rattlesnake-rattle dust and a hypothetical hat-handling scenario, with claimed blindness. The quoted compliment is prescribed or imagined speech within that account. The interviewer restates the mixture without a recorded confirmation; harm claims remain source reports.
Entry 13108
An' den yo' kin take it again. Yo' kin take dis graveyard dirt an' yo' kin git rattlesnake dust an' mix it together, an' it will run anybody stone blind.
(Just how would they do that?)
Jes' take de rattlesnake dust an' de graveyard dirt an' mix it tuhgethah. Mix it up tuhgethah an' git anybody hat an' sprinkle it in de hat dat dey gotta dem stone blind.
Entry 13112
Dust from rattlesnake rattle and graveyard dirt in your shoes make feet swell. [Norfolk 526:7.]
Entry 13113
If someone sprinkles snake dust in your shoes, in 9 days your feet will swell and you can't walk. [Norfolk 515:3.]
Entry 13233
They take a shoe - the bottom [insole] out of your shoe - and they can put some steel dust in there, you see. Steel dust! And you walk on it, you see. Well, that steel dust in there, you see, that's to swell your foot up. You see. (You put this in the bottom of the shoe, you say?) Right in the bottom of the sole of your shoe, you see, and you walks on it, you understand, when you get that.
(If they put that steel dust in your shoe, then you would see that?)
No, some of 'em could put it - you see that piece what goes in the bottom of the shoe, that leather rag, they puts it under the leather [insole]. See.
(I see.)
Entry 4466
(To stop my bowels up, what do they do with that?)
They take dat an' stop de bowels up, an' git some red oak leaves, yeah, an' mix 'um tuhgethah an' put dat down in de dust. Dat keep yuh from doin' any busi- ness. (They bury it in the ground?) Yes. [The red oak leaves are a substitute for a red oak tree or for any tree.]
Entry 4525
De' take de dust of a rattlesnake an' put it in a person's hat, an' when he sweat dat sweat rolls down towards 'is eyes an' it'll blind 'im. But it's nuthin'll do dat no good [there is no cure for it], if it's a rattlesnake.
Entry 13305
I'd go to the graveyard where a sin- nerman' buried, and get me some graveyard dust and some coffee grinds and put it in a bottle with some war water. And whilst the people be asleep, I'd take the war water and sprinkle all over the front step and they couldn't be in there 12 days.
(You put all these things in that bottle, in the same bottle?)
In the same bottle.
Entry 13372
Take de hickory tree bark an' beat it up right fine until it come tuh dust - beat it right fine. Beat it up right fine, jes' keep abeatin' it up right fine an' turn roun' an' pee LOVE on dat bark. See. Let dat pee dry on dat bark. See. An' den take some Heart Perfume [red hearts on label] an' put on dat bark an' give it ouh a person. Dey'll always love 'em.
(How do you give them that bark?)
Well, yo' see, yo' take de bark an' yo' beat 'em up, see. Yo' beat de bark up. Now listen an' ah show yo'. Yo' beat de bark up good intuh a dust. All right, yo' take a lil' dat dust, if yo' got some chewin' gum. See. Yo' kin take an' put it on dat chewin' gum an' seal back in de packet right good an' nice, an' say, "Have one." Well, see, she go tuh eatin' dat, see. She eatin' dat bark an' dat pee, dat yo' got mixed up dere an' she always love yo'.
Entry 691
If you get snake dust inside of you, in twenty-four hours you'll have live snakes in you. [This must be record time!]
Snake dust is named in a conditional twenty-four-hour claim; its composition and effects are unverified.
Entry 1827
Oh, after you move out, you mean? (No, if you are trying to make him move out.) Oh, yeah, dat's to throw some kin'a stuff called de devil's dust.
(They throw it at my house?)
Yes, sir.
(Where do they get this devil's dust?)
They gets it from de drug store.
(I see. That makes you move.)
Yes sir.
The informant names devil's dust in a prompted account of making someone move out; its contents and effect are unverified.
Entry 9044
Go tuh a cemetery where yo' nevah been dere befo' in yore life, 'way off by yo'- self an' git yo' [this dirt]. Yo' reach down an' pull up a handful of sand an', put it in yore pocket. An' yo' put dis dirt in yore pocket an' yo' git ready - lak yore case come off tuhmahah, well, yo' be dere. Lak yo' say, "Now mah case will be called." Yo' be in co't tuhmahah at ten aclock. Jes' have it dere in yore pocket. Have yo' a hole in dere an' yo' go all ovah dat place an' jes' throw dat dirt. MAH DADDY KILLED HIS WIFE [not informant's mOther] JES' HEAH - WELL, IT"S BEEN ABOUT THREE YEAHS AGO AN', AN' MAH DADDY WUS A FREE MAN UNTIL HE DIED ON DE NINTH OF DIS MONTH, AN' AH DIDN'T EVEN DO NUTHIN BUT USE DAT DUST. Jes' throW dat dust all round. Dat's right, dis graveyard dirt. Dat's all yo' have tuh do.
Entry 6650
Yo' kin take a snake an' take de shell [shed] off a snake or anythin'. Jis' git de dust from it. An' if yo' kin git real clost [close] an' let 'im git dat snake dust in 'im- let 'im git dat snake dust in 'im tuh create a snake in 'is system. Or dat way, a woman gits a snake in 'er. [Is informant saying this dust can be given in inter- course, women being more vulnerable?]
The printed account explicitly mentions dust. Its claimed bodily effects remain reported belief; the bracketed clarifications and speculative question are editorial.