Subject:Evil
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Entry 925
A fellah wus poisoned an' he turned black from his toes - left foot - he got black all up to his thigh. An' after he got black he stayed that way fer about three or four weeks an' he couldn't git well. An' they car'd 'im to four or five diff'rent hospitals in Florida an' he couldn't git well. An' so fin'lly, he taken from one thing to another an' his side were gittin' a little bettah. After it got a little bettah, well, a fellah got sick in de hospitial - de fellah who poisoned 'im, an' he send for 'im. So he went to dis fellah an' he wus confess on his bed dat he's dyin', see, an' he told 'im dat he poisoned 'im. He axed 'im whut he poison - said, "What choo poison me fer?" He said, "Well, jis' didn't like you; somebody axe me to poison you an' I jis' had to do it to make mah money." An' he axed 'im an' said, "Well, how will I get cured?" He said, "I'll tell you whut I poisoned you with, an' I'll tell you whut I cure you with - you kin cure yourself with it." He said, "Whut choo poison me with?" He said, "I poisoned you with runnin' huckleberry, it's de root; an' go into a graveyard an' dig right down in de center of de grave, an' git some of dat dirt an' put it in dere with dat runnin' huckleberry root, an' ball [boil] it an' take dat tea an' put it in some whiskey, an' that how you poisoned." When he axed 'im, he said, "Well, how will I git well?" He telled 'im to go in the woods an' find 'im some silkweed - it's some sort of silkweed that when you mash on it, milk it look like will come out. An' you [put it] right in some watah an' ball it, an' after it ball, you put fifteen drops of turpentine in - add it up to a quart of watah. An' you take a glassful like dat for nine mornin' until you take it all up. Be sure an' take it all up in nine mornin'. In nine mornin' your colah'll come back an' that'll cure you. Dat bin mahself. He poisoned me. I's de fellah he poisoned.
Entry 1852
Some people down there [round Charleston, South Carolina], they claim they have the evil eye. Whenever they meet one of these persons, especially if they look them right in the eye, they're supposed to walk backward and count ten. That is to break the bad luck spell.
Entry 5396
Dey say yo' kin take dat track - jes' lak dey wanta run yo' away - dey'll pull de track from de heel tuh de toe. An' take dat track an' take a aig, an' bo' a li'le hole in de aig an' dreen de contents of de aig out. An' put dat track in dat shell an' put a li'le bit of papah ovah it. An' go tuh a rivah, a stream or somepin dat's runnin', an' turn dat back an' throw it ovah de shouldah an' use three words dey say. Dey says, "In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, let dis evil one leave." But de 'Father, Son an' HolyGhost' is de word de' speak. An' throw it ovah de shouldah an' walk away an' not look back. An' dey say long as dat aig float, yo'll continue tuh go.
(Do they take either foot track?)
Eithah one or both.
(If they want to bring you to them?)
Dey git in fron' of yore track, yo' see. Let see, yes, an' pull it from de toe tuh de heel. Well, den dey don' throw dat in no rivah. Dey take dat an' fill it full of de track, de aig, an' put sompin aroun' tuh keep it from break- in' - real tight. An' dey bury dat egg undah yore steps or put it in de middle of a loose mattress where yo' sleep. An' yo' can't leave dere. Yo'll go but yo'll come right back.
Entry 5988
Okay, we have a way of gittin' a new piece of cloth an' ballin' it [hair] up tight. Sew it up an' soak it in Hearts Cologne an' throw it away. An' say a evil prayer an' call yo' name. (What will that do?) Dat's hard luck tuh yo'. (What do you do with the hair?) We ball it up in dis sewed cloth. Jes' sew it up an' say a evil prayer an' call yore name after soakin' in Hearts Cologne.
Entry 6329
Yuh kin take a stran' out de mole of yuh haid an' carry it tuh a run- nin' watah an' throw it up de stream - don' throw it down de stream, throw it up de stream. Dat'll drive yuh crazy in two days. Yuh be jis' as crazy as a bug. [Here again, as in the preceding rite, we have a magic term, upstream, meaning against the stream. Upstream or its equivalent against the stream is a common feature of black cat lucky-bone rites - see Pp.74-97 and elsewhere.]
Entry 6832
Yo' take gunpowdah an' wet it, DAT GUNPOWDAH IS EVIL, IT'S JIS' LAK A EVIL SPIRIT. An' yo' kin take it yo' know an' wet it up. Put chure foot ag'inst de watah. Ah don' know whethah yo've evah seen dat done. Yo' put enough of it in watah an' jis' keep ' a stirrin' 'till dat watah come tuh be perfec'ly black, an' it's all dissolve jis' lak, yo' know, jis' lak sugah. Wal, den yo' take dat watah den an' reverse [see later] it on dat track whah yo' walk. Yo' put some tuh de front, some tuh de back, an' dat do's de work.
(What will that do?)
Wal, dat jis' keepS a man safe, DAT DRIVES DE PART OF EVIL AN' DE SICKNESS AWAY FROM YO'.
(This evil away from you?)
Yes. [First, you protect or cure yourself by dropping gunpowder into a bucket. Wet it up means a little water on the gunpowder in the bucket. Put chure foot ag'inst de watah shows that you mix the water and gunpowder with your foot in the bucket. Next yo' reverse it [the water], not by stirring the gunpowder water in the contrary direction, but by pouring it on dat track whah yo' walk. You pour it on one or more tracks from toe to heel, backwards, opposite the direction of your made tracks. Rites from toe to heel - reversing rites - usually sending maker of the tracks in the opposite direction, are fairly common in Hoodoo. In the present rite the spell is turned back to its sender.]
Entry 7208
Ah've hear'd sev'ral diff'ren' things about de fo'ks of de road. Ah bear'd dat when people wan' tuh separate people, dey go tuh fo'ks of de road; an' when dey wan' tuh put dem tuhgethah dey go tuh de fo'ks of de road, but it depends on whethah dey work on eithah de left or de right hand side. If yo' want people tuh separate, well dey'll write de person's name, de woman's name, nine dues on a piece of brand-new papah wit a brand-new pencil, tablet an' pencil dat nevah been used. If dey wan' tuh separate dem, dey'll write de man's name nine times an' den dey'll write de woman's crosswise nine times. Den dey take de pencil an' dey think all de evil dey kin: I jis' hope yo' son-of-bitches jis' fuss an' fight an' scratch lak cats an' dogs. [Informant scratches all over the [paper.] An' dey go dere an' dey dig down a few inches.
(They scratch that paper all up.)
Yes, jis' scratch up lak yo're mad at it an' curse dem an' think all de evil yo' kin. An' den yo' dig a hole dere an' yo' bury dat on de left-hand side of de road at de fo'k where de fo'ks meet. An' aftah buryin' it yo' po' watah on L, yo' know, tuh pack de groun' down where dat kin rot. An' by de time dat papah rots, dose people'll begin tuh disagree, an' in from three tuh nine days aftah it rots, dey're separated. An' if yo' wan' tuh put dem tuhgethah, yo' write dere names nine times an' yo' fold it tuh yuh. Of co'se de lady involved has tuh do dat huhself. She has tuh be told. An' she writes 'er lovah's name nine times an' huhs acrost it, an' she folds it tuh 'er nine times. Den she turns it aroun' an' folds it small way, dis way; an' turn it aroun' an' fold it to 'er dis way. Den she takes it an hides it on de right-hand side of de road wit all good wishes.
(Then what happens?)
Well den aftah de same period of time, aftah from three tuh nine days aftah it rots, dis person'll become vi'lently attached tuh 'er.
Entry 7517
Yes sir, ah kin go to de graveyard an' git some dirt an' put it into dis room [in Wynn Hotel where I was interviewing, see INTRO. v.1, p. XXX, line 9] an' ah betcha [bet you] can't stay in heah at night. Dere be's somepin all in de cornahs - jes' well, yo' gotta git eveh [every] grain of dat [dirt], yo' can't [become scared and] back aways from 'em [spirit]. Dat's to make, to run a person outa de house, see. Dat will run yo' outa de house. [This opening paragraph contains one of the great laws of the spirit: the complete spirit is in every grain of that graveyard dirt - see margin title, PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE OF SPIRIT, p.21.] Dey take dat stuff - ah kin take some an' carry it to a person's house what ah wants [to move into] an' jes' walk in dere wit it in mah pocket, an' throw it all aroun' in de cornahs wit'out people not knowin' it. In a few days dey'll say dere house is ha'nted, dey'll move. Well, dat's de evil spirit comin' back fer dat dirt, to take it back to dat cemetery. To git some of dat dirt, what chew gotta do, yo' gotta put one cent down dere 'fo' [before] yo' kin bring it away; else yo' can't bring it away, so much racket be aroun' dere [the grave] dat yo' can't bring it away.
Entry 7556
Well, yuh could take graveyard dirt an' make anothah separation, keep confusion. Jis' lak somebody livin' nex' do' tuh yuh. Well, yuh go out in de graveyard an' git some evil - if yuh know someone died evil. Yuh know whut ah mean. Yuh drop dat [dirt] an' sprinkle it an' wish 'em bad luck tuh move 'em.
Entry 7642
Well, dey takes a tombstone, from mah undahstandin', from a person dat dey knows is very evil an' lived a wretched life. Jis' lak if ah wanted tuh have disturbance in de home or anythin', well, ah take dat from dere an' ah put it anywhere aroun' yore house. (What do you take, the whole tomb- stone?) Take de whole tombstone - de dirt on it. (Oh, the dirt on it?) Yes, an' put it anywhere roun' yore house an' dat. Yo' ain't goin' tuh live in dat house. Yo' undahstan'?
(How do you get that dirt off this tombstone, how do you get it?)
Dig it.
(Oh, you dig it near the tombstone?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 7672
He [my contact man] wus askin' me about how would yo' git a woman away from yore home, if yo' didn't want 'er. Wal, ah tole him dat dey kin go tuh a graveyard where yo' know it's some evil person had.died, an' dig down dere about three feet an' git so much - 'bout three teaspoonsful of sand an' mix it in with some black peppah an' take an' mix some sulphur in it an' carry it an' throw it ovahbo'd in a bot- tle, an' curse dat at de present time, lak 'Go.' Curse at de present time three times an' holler "go" - "go" - "go."
Entry 7676
If any harm wuz roun' yore place, go tuh a graveyard tuh de wickest person dat chew know dey buried in dere. Yo' come in on de right-han' side of dat grave as near as yo' kin. (The right hand side as you enter, come to the head of the grave.) Yes, dat's it. An' yo' go down, run yore han' down in dere an' come out wit as much dirt as yo' kin hold in three fingers [demonstrates].
(In the thumb, the index and the middle finger of the right hand.)
Yes. Den yo' go ahead an' yo' git chew some bluestone, pound it up fine. Den yo' go tuh all fo' cornah of yore steps an' yo' sprinkle dat down, but yo' do's dat at nine-thirty at night. An' ah don' cah [care] whut nobody put tuh de dat steps, dat stuff will run it 'way from dere.
Entry 7682
Tuh put evil spirits behin' yo', yo' goes tuh a graveyard an' yo' gits de dirt off of a grave but chew do not git it offa a person grave dat died - dat wuz a Christian an' vent tuh heaven. Yo' gits it off a sinner's grave, a person dey know God won' pardon dere sins. See. An' when yo' goes tuh git dat dirt chew leaves a dime, an' yo' takes dat dirt an' sprinkle it anywhere where anybody's dead [alive] an' call dat person name whut's daid an' tell 'em yo' want 'em tuh to'ment 'em. An' dey will tō'ment dat person an' dey won' be able tuh stay no- where roun' where yo' puts dat dirt.
Entry 8054
Well, yo' take a bone, say dis wrist bone here [demonstrates].
(The left wrist.)
Yeah. Yo' take de left wrist. If it's a evil person, say like some fellahs ah might recite yuh [or their] name fast: "George Bohall," "Up-jump, de Devil" [etc.]. All dose fellahs had police records, bad. Dey got kilt, dey died bad. Dey had tuh hold 'em down. Well, yo' take his bone an' yo' would bring it ovah tuh de house, an' yo' have what yo' call de dead pot.
(Dead what?)
Have a little pot about dat high, what de women use fo' po'in' [pouring] on.
(For what?)
Fo' po'in' on, tuh keep dere comb warm when dey are straight'en' [straight- ening] women's hair. Well, dey got a small little pot lak dat. It's a little stove, yo' know.
(Yes.)
Well, yo' take dat bone from dat evil spirit [the spirit of the bad man killed] an' yo' take it dere, an' yo' git some good whiskey. Yo' know, an' if he died a drunk. Dose are people dat yo' know [about], yo' know where dey grave, buried at, an' yo' go tuh dat most pahticlah [particular] grave an' git dat bone. Yo' put dat on de fiah an' yo' boil dat. Now, yo' set three hick'ry sticks across dere an' yo' set dat right on top of dat bone. Aftah yo' set dat on dat bone, why yo' take whiskey an' yo' po' ovah 'im, po' ovah dat mos' pahticlah bone. An' aftah yo' po' it ovah 'im, yo' demand 'im tuh go an' kill So-an'-so-an'-so.
(I see.)
An' dey goes on an' yo' do's de work.
(I see.)
Or else, yo' wanta, say, run 'im ovahbo'd [make him jump overboard], let 'im, let a automobile run ovah 'im. Yo' always place him in a place dat he'll git kilt.
(I see. You cross those hickory sticks?)
Cross 'em across. (And then when you - this [I demonstrate] is your pot. Are the bones in the pot?) No, dat's what de sticks are dere fo'. Supposin' de pot about dis size [dem- onstrates]. Well, yo' place [demonstrates] one here, one dere, an' one here. An' den yo' place de bone right 'cross dere lak dat [demonstrates].
(Oh, across the sticks.)
Across de sticks. Dat is tuh [I interrupt]...
(Then what do you do with the pot?)
Well, yo' mos'ly use a li'le turpentine an' linseed oil in dat pot - turpen- tine an' linseed oil in dat pot. But yo' start yuh fiah slow, jis' so, so she [pot] make an ord'nary steam. Dat is tuh keep a certain pressure on 'im. Den yo' demand 'im wit controllin' powah, say, "Ah demand yo' wit controllin' powah tuh go ovah an' do such-an'-such a thing. Go ovah an' kill Such-an'-such a one." An' yo' [the spirit] must do so. (I see.) [New Orleans, La., (819), 1171:2.] [As we have seen, there are many substitutes for the human body: (l) anything that came from the body, such as blood, semen, urine, excrement, sweat, spit, hair, fingernails, toenails, and footskin; and (2) anything that has touched the body, especially clothes. In this division we shall examine three entities that are not a part of the body and yet preeminently represent it - photograph and name and letters and handwriting. Of these three, name already has occurred so many times in the preceding rites, I shall start here with photograph.]
Entry 8786
If you want to make a person jis' drift an' jis' become a vagabond going here and there an' nevah content in one place, yo' write dere name wit evil wishes on a teeny piece of board, wood joo know, thin board, an' yo' git choo a lots of nails an' put anothah piece on. Dere name is tacked on dat first piece of board. An' den yo' put a thin piece of board on top of dat an' nail it down fine, jis' put plenty nails in rotation. An' at 12 o'clock at night yo' throw dat in de rivah, an' as dat board floats an' drifts down de stream, why dat person will drift. Dere mind will become unsettled an' dey'll jis' go to an' fro.
Entry 8799
They burn it [hand- wmiting] an' make dere wishes an' it'll cause yore hand tuh tremble.
Entry 10118
Get a black cat, cut the right hind leg and get a bone out...and carry that around your neck, and there won't be any evil spirit harm you, and it will keep cunjures away. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 10178
It also is said that if any evil things coming around at night also, if you keep those candles burning all night long by your door, an' that will also project [eject] the evil of [from] the house. (Well, how would they burn those candles? What kind of candles would they burn?) Well, they burn one to the front an' one to the back, of the enteries [entrances] of the house, right in de middle of the hallway; very small candle, not a large one. That will also protect [you against] the evils of the house. An' also will make the family live in harmony an' in peace with each other.
Entry 10185
Git three fo' cornered, yo' know... [probably demonstrated].
(Get three four-cornered files.)
An' git about three, an' put 'em in de third [three] ways: one lak that, an' one lak that, an' one lak that right straight. (One at each side of the house, and one in the middle?) [The files are parallel to the front and two sides of the house.l Dat's it. An' den on de back [inside] of yore house, yo' burn dis heah same stuff - candles, dese same three gold [sometimes called yellow] candles.
Entry 10201
(Tell me that again.) Yes, see, if you have a wife and she wouldn't stay home, doing some evil doings, you could pray and burn to St. Michael a red candle. Well, they say, that would be good to stop 'em, to change 'em, but I....
Entry 10202
You do the same thing, you sprinkle the house down with holy water and put your light to your saint, you know. Always keep a light to St. Michael, a red light. (A red light, why?) Well, see, that light, that keeps any evil away from going into your home.
Entry 10548
If dey wanta sell deyself tuh de devil, in lotta cases tuh de fo'ks of de road, dey makes a trip down dere nine successful [successive] mawnin's an' de ninth [morning] de devil 'sposed tuh meet chew dere. An' so he an' de devil come tuh a 'greement on dat, an' de devil give him a cer- tain length of days an' yeahs - see, he gi's 'im [gives him] all dat power. Den he turn himself loose tuh him. Dat's death. Now, yo' go dere [to the forks of the road] fo' mo' den one purpose. Ah may be lak ah wuz dancin'. Ah goes tuh de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawnin's, tuh see if dere anything dat would be in de way; see, tuh pacify yo'. Yo' go fo' nine mawnin's. Yo' go fo' nuthin [but] good, yo' goes in de Name of God, de Father, God de Son an' God de Holy Ghost. Now, when yo' goes fo' de bad, yo' takes de devil, an' all his temptin' ways tuh do de evil things. Well, yo' go dere. Ah'm comin' tuh do good an' yo' comin' tuh do de harm. [Informant demonstrates all this!] Now, ah'll come down In de Name of de Father, Son an' de Holy Ghost, down heah, see, tuh do de good; an' yo' come up heah in de way of de devil an' all his imps tuh do de harm. Well, when ah git up heah, ah beat chew an' we have a fight right heah. All right, if ah whup yo' heah, see, ah call yore name heah an' turn yo' back. Now, dose all sech things yo' do's at de hour in de mawnin' jes' befo' sun- rise. Dat whut chew do at de fo'ks of de road. [Between informant's treatment of me and my being on the devil's side, author appears to have had a hard time!]
Entry 10792
Keep de witches out (How do you do that?) Jes' take de broom an' put it across de do'. Dat's all ah know 'bout de broom.
(What will that do?)
Dat will keep de evil spirits away.
(And the witches out.)
Yes sir.
Entry 10941
Ah would jis' simply - ah would make me a smoke, an' dat would knock evahthing in de haid. (How do you make that smoke?) Ah would make it wit de fish livah an' heart. Ah would take de fiah an' ah would put de heart in a saucah an' leave dat set fo' 'bout nine days. An' aftah dat ah would take a furnace an' ah would take jis' a li'le small pinch of it. An' it drives all evil spirits clear away. Absolutely.
(What kind of fish do you use, any kind of fish?)
Catfish. De oldah de catfish is, de bettah it is.
(Now you make this smoke, then what do you do?)
Dat explores all ovah de house where yo' live. De party dat wants tuh git chew out, dey cain't be successful.
(If I want to stay in the house, I make that smoke and they can't move ne out?)
Can't move yo' out.
Entry 11073
Well, if you wants to stop 'em, if yo' goes out, from the law getting in connection with you. That's very easy to do that, too. Here's whut chew do. Yo' [go] an' git chure own garment, git a piece of your clothes that you had on this day, that has perspiration on it, an' git a piece of theirs. Take those two pieces together an' tie 'em with a piece that you don't want. Tie 'em together and put 'em in a running stream of water. And they never will do nuthin to yo'. That nmning stream takes away the evil thought between you an' him. Run that away. Run that spirit away. [I had asked about keeping the law away from the house, but informant turns my question into anyone seeking to harm you. You begin your protection with a piece of clothing you wore that day, because the perspiration in it is a part of your spirit, hence the whole of your spirit (see PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE OF SPIRIT, p.21-23, v.1). Next, you obtain something recently worn or handled by the enemy. Then, using a spiritless piece of clothing you have discarded, you tie your spirit and enemy spirit together, making a tight knot. And immed- iately and finally you rush off and throw this package into running Water. Run- ning Water kills or purifies evil work. You understand, of course, that the evil spirit permitted itself to be tied only because it was being tied to you, now even an easier prey. This rite is called a trick. I did not understand this rite when I heard it back in 1939; the reason why my note about informant on the original transcription reads, use with care! This rite is logically illogical!]
Entry 11137
Yo' see now when yo' use that, that's somepin like a [something guard or hand] you mix that thing [cow manure] with black mulasses. I've got somepin [like] that with black molasses all now [right now]. You mix that with black molasses, see, and it gets real hard. It's nothing but hard [like] corn meal. And you make little balls of it, cut it up and make little balls. Anybody [patient] come to you [I am considered a doctor] give 'em one of those balls [pills]. That keeps away harm. No harm, anything, nothing kin come in [your house].
(Well, suppose you gave me one of those, what would I do with that then?)
You keep it off of here [your place] you [it] keep off [yourself]. [For animal manure against witches see FACI, 2ed., No.16487, etc.]
Entry 11226
Nine dirt dauber's nests, 9 pinches out of victim's left foot track, pound up together, make wishes over, take to a grave of evil person, bury you there, you will soon die. [This is my condensation of a long rite in the material of an interview missed by my transcriber. I never had time to return to it. Original condensation in pencil attached to final manuscript.]
Entry 11326
Those [are] doll babies. But inside of those doll babies, there's somepin they have in there belonging to the person that they Want to do harm to. And of course, they make them a doll baby and sit it on the dresser, anywhere, nobody will never take any- thing of yours. That's how come they make those doll babies to hide what they are doing. [Here a doll baby is an ornament that also protects against thieves, but it is also an ideal place for an evil person to hide his cunjure.]
Entry 11362
They have some powder - you go to. the Cracker Jack Drug Store dowatoun you know They calls it the Evil Powder. (Evil Powder?) Yes sir. You takes it and sprinkles it around your house or on your steps, you understand. And finally - not tomorrow you going to move, but finally, you get disgusted of the place and you'll move on away from that place.
(I see.)
Entry 11385
Policeman comes several times and you wanta keep him away, and you doin' underworld work. You have to get you oil of cinnamon, use your chamber lye, and cayenne pepper, and scrub every morning before the sunrise. Scrub into house [for trade], never out. Then you get you two brand-new files and you put 'em to your door and cross 'em. They can't come over that.
(Well, where did you put these at the door then? How would you put them?)
What, the files?
(Yes, at the door.)
You would put them underneath the doorstep.
(Underneath the doorstep. I see, so they won't come in.)
You have to use 'em in de back door like dat [also] if there is two entrances going in. Well they can't come across those two new files.
Entry 11731
Lak dis house - yo' got a house. An' dat grapevine, yo' takes off so much of it [indicate length] an' burn it. An' dem ashes yo' put around dat do', in front of de do', an' sweep [ashes out door] an' use dat grapevine fo' dat. An' yo' kin take a bath with grapevine.
(What does that do?)
Dat's fo' luck. Keep people 'way; bring folks in an' he'p yo' undertake [overcome], yo' know, de devil.
(Overtake the devil.)
Keep de devil away.
Entry 11835
I get some gumbo filet. That's what you put in gumbo. Perhaps you don't know what filet is. It's a leaf [from sassafras tree] that grows out in the woods, and it ground up and it is used instead of okra, when you making gumbo and the okra is not in sea- son. That is what you call filet. I get a pail of that and I get some garlic and some whiskey and mix those three together and pur [pour] it under the steps, or either if you come out of a alley, I pour it up side the alley, that you come out of, and you would have to go.
Entry 12175
I have heard a gentleman, people, say that you take a piece of horse- hair and put it under your doorstep and you won't have any trouble with a evil person coming to bother you, coming to your house. [Some- how this belief sounds old. Horses and hags and witches are associated with horses. Does the presence of a horsehair confuse the hag-witch and hold her to daybreak? My wife and I stop- ped one night here at the hotel in Petersburg, Va., on our way from Old Point Comfort (not in Richmond as I said somewhere in HOODOO some years ago) - to War- renton on our Way back to New York City. At both one-night stands I interviewed the bellboy. My original transcription by hand is attached to manuscript. This vas informant No.33.1
Entry 12252
John de Conkah root.
(You call that John the Conquer root.)
It's a little thing like that, supposed to conquer anything that - anything around you: people sneezing and doing like that. Why you supposed to take that and tote it along with you, keep things like that away from you. No evil things - anybody can't do things like that way.
Entry 12387
Dis heah Red Devil lye, it's good. Yo' know it's good an' yo' know it's bad. Take it an' make good out of it an' take it an' make bad out of it. (Tell me how you can make bad out of it first?) Well, yo' kin take that an' eat so much dat'll kill yo', yo' see. An' den yo' kin take it ag'in if yo' know anyone wanta do anything to yo' roun' yore home an' yo' not knowin' it. Git chew fo' boxes of it an' yo' put chew fo' holes in each one of 'em. An' take yo' some bluestone, salt, red peppah an' put all dat in dat bottle [box] an' yo' take an' yo' bury dem at each corner of yore house. If yore yard evah be covered wit watah [after a rain] why yo' know den everything killed. (Everything is killed that they put down for you.)
Entry 12388
Yo' kin take a box of soda, jes' [as] ah tole yo' - said about de co't [court]. Yo' take de box of soda, an' yo' could take dat soda an' tote it along wit chew. Yo' could bury some undah yore back steps, an' some undah yore front steps. Den yo' kin take three boxes of Red Devil Lye an' yo' kin bury each one of them at chure - yo' know, each [front] corner of de house, an' bury one of 'em at de gate. But be shō [sure] yo' bury de soda from [at] de back steps to [at] de front steps. Dey could come by dere but dey nevah could stop. (They bury one of those Red Devil Lye's at the gate and the other two at the front corners. And one at the gate?) That's right.
Entry 12428
Take gunpowder an' milk, a woman's breast milk, jes' take an' 'dult- erate it out an' give it to a woman. Give it to 'em in anything, make 'en evil, cranky, an' all lak dat, makes 'em nervous. (You mix this gunpowder With this womam's dlk. and that makes then fight all the Une?) Yessuh.
Entry 12769
(What do they do with that if they get hold of your blood?)
Dey kin git a hold of yo' blood an' have yo' kind of paralyzed; or have your blood stuffed, by taking it an' putting it in a certain place. An' yo'll have to use prickle feet an' bloodroot an' blackroot to run dat bad blood back, an' to run dat evil blood what de [they] wanna put dat stuff in. (What do they do with your blood, if they get hold of it?) Oh, dey cud take dat blood an' have silver plate put in it [put your blood in a silver plate]. By dat's chure blood an' yo' drawin' out de silver plate, an' yo'll have someone near, close to yuh, to give dat blood back to yuh, after yo' done draws it wit de silver plate. To have plates to be drawin' in yo', some of yo' close relatives.
(How can you get that blood back in you, then?)
They drink it. (And how do you fix these plates up to get that bad blood out of you again? How do you fix those roots up?) Well, you take de prickle feet an' yo' set it in whiskey. Yo' take de blood- root an' yo' set 'at in whiskey - right on de prickle feets. Yo' set de black- snake root right on de prickles feet root, an' drink it three spoonful a day.
(That gets the bad blood out of you?)
Take de bad blood out. (Well this fellow that gets your blood, what does he do to make it bad blood?) Set it in a silver plate. After he set it in de silver plate, de blood draws in de silver plate. Den he begin to scrape. Put hot water on dere, a little water, an' it draws dat back an' it start back to yuh by some kind of drink yo' use. Yo' best friend will give you dat. He cannot give it to yo', 'cause he cannot git to yuh. After he git dis blood, he'll have to git someone else to git to yuh.
Entry 12781
First day of each month buy new box of salt, hold in right hand and throw in every corner, all four corners of the world, [throw in the 4 directions oa throw into 4 corners of room or 4 corners of house] nobody can harm you. [Informant got this in New Orleans, went there with lady friend for 3 days.]
Entry 13219
To ketch a spirit - I know a fellow who done it. You take and you gets you books [a writing tablet], gets you a pen and ink. (You get what? Pen and ink?) Yes, sir, pen and ink, writ- ing tablet and get you a bottle. Get you one of these small center tables, get you a chair, and put them in an empty room, but let that room be dark. And put these things in there. Put you a light on the table but don't light the light. Put you a lamp - you know what I mean, put your lamp on the table but don't light it. If it's a good spirit, he'll come in there and he'll write everything that's been done to you. He'll write everything that'll be done to you, he'll write that down in that book [tablet]. Next morn- ing you get up and you'll find that in that book [tablet]. You can read it for yourself. That's what a good spirit will do. But that evil spirit, he'll turn everything over in that room, and liable to come in your room and run you out of there, if there is a evil spirit there. [Rites similar to present one I have collected under DIAGNOSIS, pp.165-217, v.l. Similar ones are scattered through- out HOODOO. In the present rite I do not ask purpose of empty bottle. Could it be a lingering vestige from an earlier day, holder for a candle? I doubt it. That stopperless bottle is to entice my spirit passing by. For catching these spirits with curiosities, see TO CATCH A SPIRIT, Nos.38-47, v.1, and frequently in HOODOO.]
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 13250
I stayed at a place up north. Every morning when I kindled de fire- I gen'a'ly made de fire - they had a package of sulphur there on that stove. When it was hot, they would sprinkle de sulphur on it, to fumigate de house with sulphur. They said that kept off the evil spirits and give it luck. (Every morning?) Every morning they'd sat- urate dat stove, when ft. got hot, you know, so that sulphur Would burn, they would sprinkle some of that sulphur on the stove. Said that kept off the evil spirits and give them luck. Druv [drove] the evil spirits out of the house, which, you know yourself, that there are more evil spirits than there are good ones. We are told by the Bible that many's the soul to walks this earth, visible or invisible. What they meant visible ones is the ones that we want to get rid of, don't want to be bothered with 'em. Well, now, we'll go back to de sulphur question. When you go to dig money, you make a circle around, all de way around de place yo' goin' to dig. Now a fellah tole me this to be a fact. Ah never seen it. An' sprinkle sulphur all around it [circle], an' yo' dig inside de ring of sulphur. When de evil spirit comes up there, he can't get inside that ring over that sulphur.
Entry 13278
If somebody's interferin' [with] yo' aroun' yore home, ev'ry mawnin' yo' git up yo' go tuh de do' an' yo' make yore wishes an' bow tuh de sun 3 times, an' ask de Lord tuh re- move de evil spirits - tuh move away evil spir- its. An' do that three times an' do that fo 'bout 9 mawnin's. Walk tuh de do' an' make a bow tuh de sun. Yo' know de sun is a whole lot in success, yo' know. Yo' bow tuh de sun 3 times. An' aftah yo' bow tuh de sun an' [then] yo' axe Him ["De Lord"] tuh move away evil spirits.
(You do that three times for nine mornings.)