Subject:Fire
Entries
Entry 3877
Ah heard of people takin' women's monthlies an' hide it - put it in a tree an' smoke.
(How do you mean smoke it?)
Well, dey build a fiah up undah it an' leave it stay dere. Well, de fiah gotta go out, but den ag'in dat'll kill de tree, an' den it will kill de person. (Where do they put that cloth?) Put it in de hollow of a tree, see. Dey put dat cloth in dere an' when dat rottens, it rotten de tree an' dey rots down an' dey dies.
(How do they smoke it?)
Well, dey smoked it first fo' a purpose.
Entry 5184
If she's away from me and I want to bring her back, I'll get nine old shoes, burn one each night at midnight with [nine] ingredients: egg shell, sul- phur, ashes, salt, pepper, alum, saltpeter, cloves, ginger, and walk around this fire and say, Send me my wife, sister or friend or whatever it is, back. And the ninth morning take this ashes, all from the whole nine mornings, and throw the ashes toward the direction the person is. You must have the wind blowing that direction. [The wind blowing the right direction on the 9th morning could make this a difficult rite.]
Entry 5486
Ah heard 'em say, jis' lak if dey wanta run a person away, git a li'le of de dirt out dey right feet track an' put it in a gunpowder shell - put a li'le bit in de shell. Take de li'le shots out an' put a li'le bit of dat in dere an' put de li'le shots back in, an' shoot it in de way yo' want 'em tuh go. Say dat will jis' keep 'em goin'.
Entry 5487
Take a shell. Yo' kin take dat shell an' yo' kin empty de shell, an' yo' kin git a spoon or eithah jis' a little bit, jis' about as much as dat dere [demonstrates], of dirt outa man's track an' put it in dat shell. An' when yo' put it in dat shell, if yo' don't want 'em roun' heah, yo' git right tuhwards sundown an' yo' fire dat gun. An' he'll nevah come nowhere roun' yo', nevah be roun' yo' no mo'. Won't have no mo' trouble wit 'em.
Entry 5930
Yo' take a man if 'is wife quit 'im. See. He kin take piece of 'er hair, git it out de lef' side. Cut a piece off if she got long hair, cut a piece off her plait if she sleep at night - any time he kin git it. He could plant dat piece of hair, see. She ain't gwine 'way. If she in Chicago, she comin' back. Plant dat hair - plant it in 'er house or out do's. Yo' kin plant it in de house wit 'er wall - lak a mantelpiece roun' where dey put de foundation of concrete. Take yo' some cement an' take a little augah an' put dat piece of hair down an' plastah it undah dere. Dat's yore own busi- ness. An' she gonna come dere. Ah don't [care] wherevah she goes, she comin back dere. An' dey do de men in de same way, but if he leaves de house, den yo' write his name or 'er name down on a papah, an' yo' kin put it in a lamp, or put it amdah de candle. Burn it. Dat brings deyself. An' now ah don' care how much dey fussin' in a house or whut dey doin' or how mch dey cut up, take some table salt, jis' de plain table salt, an' throw it on de fiah an' burn it. Dat breaks dat - do's it right now. Ah kin throw it right at 'em - dat ceased. Dey don' have tuh go on fussin'. Dat brings back love an' hy dat hair's planted. When she goes, she comin' back dere.
Entry 6548
Yo' kin take a toadfrog an' hang 'im up an' kill 'im. Hang 'im fron' de fiah an' git nine drops of blood out dis frog an' put it in whiskey. Take de frog an' take an' kill 'im. If yo' kin git a snake, yo' kin take an' kill a snake an' git nine drops of 'is blood, an' put it in whiskey fo' yo'. It won' kill yo' right away. Yo' gon'a live an' be sick, but atter while dey gon'a be so big [inside you] dey kill yo'.
(How do they get those live things out?)
Well, lak dey put 'em in yo'. Go ketch yo' a snake an' don' kill 'im. Jis' split 'im open 'live an' - lak he's mad hot - an' smash it on dere, an' dat takes [those live things] outa yo'.
(Well, how do you get those frogs out?)
De same way wit snakes. Don' kill de frog, jis' ketch de frog while it's hot. Jis' play wit 'im or somepin an' make 'im mad. An' git 'im while he's mad, yo' see, an' split 'im right open an' slap it right on dat place, an' it will take de frogs out.
Entry 7235
Dat would be whut de root man, dis hoodoo doctor - dat would be whut he would do.
(What will he do? Will you tell me that again? What would he do?)
Now in case dat yo' wus hurted by anyone an' yo' would go tuh a root doctor. Well, dis doctor, he would draw dis pichure of de individual who did dat tuh yo' an' den, aftah dat, he would build a fire an' in front of de smoke, yo' see, he'll hold de pichure up yo' undahstan'. Put it, yo' know, on a stick or somepin an' den yo' shoot [the picture drawn by the root doctor].
(Who does the shooting, you or he?)
Yo' do it. Yo' will do it yuhself.
(That keeps away trouble.)
Entry 7722
Go tuh de cemetery an' make de changes wit de bo'ds out dere. Put three pennies intuh de groun', intuh de grave. Bring some of dat dirt back wit chew an' put some red peppah an' some cay- enne peppah in dere wit it, an' burn it intuh de fire, call- in'; In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, dat yo' may have luck in gainin' de influence of all of yore frien's. An' yo' will have luck.
(That is to get customers if you are bootlegging?)
Yes.
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 8140
Take dey photograph an' git dis gunpowdah out of a shell, wit sulphuh an' salt, an' go out in de field or in de house, wherevah yo' want to. Co'se de gunpowdah makes sech a noise. Yo' kin put dis pichure face down on dis an' make a fiah undah it. (Face down on what?) On de fiah. See, yo' make a fiah an' den yo' put dis pichure face down on a piece of papah wit de gunpowdah an' sulphuh, an' salt an' graveyard dirt. Tell it dat, "Ah want chew tuh run dis person away. Ah want chew tuh kill 'em." But mos'ly tuh kill de person. When de fiah ketch on de pichure, it will kill de person.
Entry 8246
(If a man leaves his wife, how would she make him come back?) Make him come back?
(How would the woman make him come back?)
Well, dey kin go buy a box of salt an' take his pichure. Take dat pichure an' de box of salt an' put dat pichure head foremost - put de head down an' feet up - dat [feet] on top, de top of 'is feet in dere. See, dis side up. An' aftah it set in dere nine days, yo' take dat salt off. Take dat pichure, aftah he come - soon as he come home - take dat pichure an' put it up. If yo' wan' tuh make him come quick, take dat pichure an' put it in a li'le frame, an' put it close tuh de stove, an' keep a fiah in dat stove. An' den, if yo' want's it hot, den yo' sprinkle peppah on de bottom part of dat pichure. I heah sometime dey put....
Entry 8262
Ah heard dat if yo' wanted tuh kill a person wit dere photograph, yo' could take his photograph an' set it behin' a burnin' bush or a pile of bushes, an' shoot it wit a rifle or pistol or sompin of dat sort. (Set it behind what kind of a bush?) Behin' a briar pile of bushes. Builds up de fiah an' put de pichure ovah tuh de side of it an' shoot through de fiah. Dat will kill dem. (You build a fire with the bushes and then you put this picture near the side. Right on the side?) On de side an' shoot right through de fiah.
Entry 8263
If someone wanta give yo' real bad luck, says dey kin take - if dey got a grudge ag'inst chew - dat dey kin go an' git chure pichure an' take dis pichure an' build a fiah, an' set de pichure behin' de fiah. Dat's [demonstrates] de pichure an' heah's de fiah. Dat's de pi- chure. Set it off lak dat. Yo' git ovah heah. Yo' [they] take a gun an' dey shoot through dis pichure, through dis fiah an' hit de pichure. Take a shotgun, scattah shots. An' shoot through de fiah an' shoot a hole through dis pichure. Well, when dey shoots a hole through dis picture, dey says den, dat gives yo' bad luck. It'll take dat - on dat time in evah yeah an' evah month, on dat day, yo'll have pains. Whatevah day of de month it was, dey say yo'll have pains, sharp pains jis' lak if yo' were shot. (Now this is the picture across the fire, and it is looking at you - face towards you?) Yes sir.
Entry 8264
Yo' take a photograph an' go in de woods tuh a tree, an' yo' jis' lay it up from de ground up side de tree. Yo' kin go dat high from de ground, eight feet high. Ah'd take a ten- penny nail an' drive dat through de forehead ontuh de tree. An' git choo some splintahs - fat-lighter [pine] splintahs [here, split pieces of wood, not small splinters] - some people call 'em torches - an' make a smoke right down here [at the bottom of the tree]. Jis' make a fiah, an' de smoke goes right straight on up [over the photo]. An' yo' git choo a shotgun an' go back about twenty-five or thirty feet from de tree, an' shoot right through that smoke at dat pitchure. Dey tell me dat'll kill yuh. [Large pieces of fat-lighter pine (several pines so called) were used at night as outdoor hand torches. This is described some- where in the text by a woman, from Orangeburg, S. Car., whose grandmother de- scribed a slave burial at night - a limited number of torches, no singing, etc.]
Entry 8549
A rock, not a brick, but a rock - yo' kin take a brick too, either one of 'em, so it's hard, sompin won't bust to pieces when one of 'em is throwed in de fire or in de stove, an' let it stay in dere. An' yo'll leave my house, yo' won't be there many days. Leave my house, love de town, an' yo' keep goin'. (That's all you do, just throw that rock or brick in the fire?) Just put it in de fire an' name it yo'. (Oh! Name it you.) Like your name is - name it yo' an' put it in de fire, an' let it stay in dere. An' yo'll leave an' yo' won't come back dere.
Entry 8852
Dey kin take yore handwritin' an' mess yo' up a great deal. An' maybe kin take yore handwritin' an' by takin' a glass an' holdin' ovah yore handwritin' like dat an' read yore writin' through a glass. An' aftah yo' read yore writin' through de glass - read down from about de second line - den cut de second line in a "v" shape an' throw it in de fire at sundown, an' dey say dat will give yo' a nervous feelin' in yore hand. (Like you would hold a mirror over this writing and you read that writing in the mirror. Read down to the second line. And then how do you cut that?)
[See my comment on word mirror at end of rite.]
Dat's right, cut it in a "v" shape.
(How do you mean cut it in a "v" shape?)
Jes' take a scissors. (Here's the letter now. [I hand my Numbers Book to informant.] Here, what would you do with that?) In a "v" shape...
(How do you mean you cut that in a "v" shape?)
Now, jes' lak dat's a line an' dat's a line an' dat's a line [informant is pointing to lines in Numbers Book]. Read tuh de third line an' den take a scis- sors an' cut a "v" shape in dat. (You cut a "v" out of it, make a hole like a "v". That's the little piece you throw into the fire?) Yes. [My word mirror in paragraph 2 was badly chosen, magnifying glass in the pre- ceding rite would have been much better; but best of all, the meaning here is surely an ordinary drinking glass. Few persons receiving letters and intending evil work with them had a magnifying glass handy. Quite different are these two glasses. Look through a magnifying glass and you see the real world enlarged; look through a cheap drinking glass, probably an ex-jelly glass in informant's case, and you behold a distorted world, the confused and unreal world of hoo- dooism. Understand, look through the mouth of the drinking glass and out through the bottom; use it as a magnifying glass. After three consecutive lines of the letter are read, a solid "v" shape is cut with two strokes of the scissors from the second line and dropped into a fire. This 'V' shape can be made on either edge or side of the page. Though informant says nothing, I suspect he did not touch the "v" with his hand, but clipped and carried it to the fire with the scissors. His own fingerprint Would not be burned. WHAT DOES OUR "v" SIGNIFY? First, since this trick produces a nervous feeling in yore hand, our 'v"', despite its solidity, symbolizes the Roman numeral V, the Arabic numeral 5, the 5 fingers of the hand. Second, our solid "v" is a triangle, showing that this rite works In the 3 Highest Names. True, the triangle should be equilaterial for the Trin- ity, but do not expect such theological accuracy of hoodoo. Three, our "v" as- sures Victory or success for the rite.]
Entry 8960
I have went to jail for fighting and lotsa time never stayed in no longer that then I could get word [to someone] which they got some dust they call this murlee dust.
(Morlee?)
[Name impossible to transcribe; probably a local hoodoo-store dust.]
Morlee dust, tell you. But the trouble [is] jis' lak if yo' happen to be fightin' somewhere an' go to jail. Take some of this Morlee dust an' yo' let your people bring you a shirt, and put it in that [shirt]. Yo' understand. (A clean shirt?) Yes, any kind you got, so long as you wears it - a brand-new shirt. And you put it [this dust] down in the lining of the sleeve or anywhere around the collar lak dat, about nine different places and you wear it. See. Yo' get it an' yo' put it on there when yo' going to court there. Yo' wants to be cut loose from that place. Well, yo' get a beef tongue. Let 'em get a beef tongue an' yo' put jes' as many needles in that beef tongue as yo' could. Set it in yore grate." Jes dig a hole down in de grate, if yo' have a grate. Take a brick out to put it [tongue] down in there.
(In your fireplace?)
Yes, sir. Then, when yo' going to court, when yo' walk in there, yo' have this shirt on with that stuff [in 9 places]; when yo' walk in an' enter into that place, where de lawyer done turn yo' over to be tried. He [is] talking With the jury, who are going to try yo'. He'll be pretty easy with yo'. If yo' got any jurymen on yore case or anything like that, first thing yo' know, yo' have this beef tongue [at home working for you] an' this beef tongue is by yore fire. Well, it be frying; yo' know, hot. Well, that make them needles get red hot an' they couldn't but just fine yo'. The judge do nuthin of de kind. They just have to turn yo' loose, let yo' out of dat jail. (In the jail you wore that shirt there, and at home someone is cooking the beef heart. Is it a beef heart or beef tongue?) Yes, the beef tongue. Get up in de mawnin' an' put [in tongue] as many needles as yo' can. De more needles yo' [can put in, the better]. An' yo' jis' stick the needles all down in it; yo' know, to de limit. An' yo' - if yo' have to, take up a brick - an' yo' put it down in de fire hearth an' put the brick back on. And the time when yo' going to court, light a fire in there. An' when that beef tongue commence to cooking like that, any, evahbody just as calm with yo' as evah. Couldn't find no evidence against [you] and won't find yo' guilty. All they could do, jis' [let] yo' loose without bail. An' they'll never come against yo' no more.
Entry 9139
Yo' kin say dat [see incantation later] whenevah yo's [you is] in trou- ble or anythin'. Now, lak yo' git in trouble or somepin, go befo' dat judge an' nobody be on yuh side, yo' know, tuh see dat chew come out. Yo' jis' take dat salt befo' - if yo' git out on bond, yo' know - befo' yo' go tuh co't. Yo' say, "Fo'sake [forsake] ebahbody in de worl' but me. In de Name of de Fathah an' de Son [an' de Holy Ghost], Who made us all." An' drop dat salt on de fiah. [A note of mine reads, "Light re- cording because informant had gone over to fireplace to demonstrate." I remember this young woman quite well. At one point she went hopping about the room with an imaginary broom sweeping someone into jail. This should be recorded some- where. Another note of mine on the original transcription reads, "For this com- plete salt rite, given by the same informant and used by a woman to draw some man to her, see No." (Missing). I just took time out to search for the missing reference and found it! No.2271, p.641-642, is quite a rite! Fortunately my comments were made several days after the original recording.]
Entry 9576
[If you] wan' 'em tuh move out sometime or don' wan'a be bothahed wit nobody dere in dat house, yo' - someone says tuh put red peppah in de fire an' burn it, an' throw salt ovah de flo', an' as dey walk out yo' sweep behin' 'em. Sweep it on out an' yo' won' be bothahed vit'em no mo'.
Entry 9577
Take yo' some peppah - ah mean red peppah - an' den yo'll fix it, yo' see, an' yo' go jes' lak yo' wan's tuh pay a visit ovah deah. Yo' go an' set down deah, see, an' pay a visit, an' den yo' have dat peppah in a lettah [enve- lope] or sompin an' make lak [pretend] yo' git some fiah or light off de stove. An' yo' take dat peppah an' throw it in dere - in dat stove yo' see. An' outside, as yo' come on de outside, well yo' put some of it right down on de stoop an' some salt. Salt an' peppah tuh- gethah sprinkle it on de stoop, right on de top, right on down tuh de groun' an' trall it on tuh de cornah [of the street].
(And that makes them move out of the house.)
An' den aftah yo' do dat clean tuh de cornah, jes' take whut chew have leaved [left] in yore han' - take it an' throw it dat way [demonstrates] tuhwards de side where de wind is blowin', an' dey'll shore move out in less dan...
Entry 9653
He say him an' 'is wife couldn't git along an' dey's fussin' an' fightin' all de time an' he wanted tuh leave huh. An' he say a man tole 'im tuh do dat an' she would leave.
(Tell me just what he did, now.)
Say, he tole me, git a teaspoon fulla black peppah an' a teaspoon fulla table slt an' mix it tuhgethah, an' throw it in de fiah three times an' leave dere. An' he [man supplying rite] say she would leave. An' he said he did it but she left.
(He did it three times in the same day?)
He done it fo' three days.
(Did he do it at any special time of the day?)
He tole 'im do it in de mawnin'.
Entry 9706
If yo' stayin' in a house an' de rent man wanta come dere tuh put chew oot an' yo' don' wanta git out, why yo' ain't gotta git out. Yo' kin fix a way tuh stay dere. Yo' kin go evah mawnin' jes' 'bout time fo' him tuh come - jes' lak if he dowp dere an' yo' see him comin', yo' jes' go tuh work an' take some sulphuh an' salt an' throw it in de fiah. Boa't let no one see yo' an' make a path. He'll ride right on by yuh house. "Caz why ah know dat? "Cuz de girl ah stayed wit she done dat, an' we didn't pay rent fo' God knows how long. An' ah axed 'er why she do dat, an' she say dat's luck.
Entry 10189
Bottle oil of bergamine [bergamot], box cooking soda, teaspoon salt- peter, take bath in that. Break a candle, make a wish, light [same] candle, let candle burn out. Then get brimstone, burn brimstone Monday, Wednes- day and Friday and make wish. Put sugar in it [brimstone], throw into fire. Can make money. [This is a rite for business.]
Entry 10793
Take a broom, or either a horseshoe, an' put it up ovah yore do'. Take a broom yo' know an' nail it crossways yore do', keep witches out. (Where do you put it, down on the floor or what?) Lay it right down by de do', on de flo'. (What will that do?) Dat will keep 'em out. Or ei- ther, if a person come in yore house an' yo' don' want 'em dere, yo' kin take a pod of peppah an' throw it in de fiah, an' make dem go.
(Just burn the pepper while they are in the house or after they leave?)
While dey in yore house.
Entry 10889
There Was another boy fell in love with her and she did with him and I went a trying to break 'em up. I goes and gets me dere lef' - a handful of dr dirt out of de lef' track from her and a handful of dirt out of his. I moxes doze two toget- her. I goes and gits me a dog, and I goes and gits me a cat, and I cuts de tip end off of each one of them's tail. I mixes them together with that sand all out of each one of doze tracks. I t'rows dem into a fire stove. I says, "Cats and dogs can't get along together, I'll be damn if you all shall." And it worked, broke dem right up.
Entry 11370
Ah heah mah grandfather say dat evah yo' workin' fo' a man an' felt lak he wanted tuh git rid of yo' or somepin othah, it slow on de job, yo' jes' go an' take a fig leaf an' Write de 23rd Psalm, ah think, an' put it in a lil' red bag an' keep it an' let it stay in a stream of runnin' watah fo' about eight days. Say he won't fiah yo'.
Entry 11732
They kin hant [= hoodoo here] choo to death by throwin' a ole grass around yuh do'; yo' know, dried-up grass. An' you git you some kerosene oil [kerosene] an' some ashes [from fireplace or stove] an' all like that, an' throw it right around your do' an' dat'll make you move out. [Informant here has combined two separate rites: first one, anything dead left or thrown at your door will hant (haunt) or hoodoo you; second one, fireplace ashes (originally) or kerosene (another substance connected with fire) will conquer the dead grass.]
Entry 12510
An' ah have heard a fellah [tell this]: De girl dat chew want an' is in love with, an' yo's in trouble wit de [law] officer an' she don' wanta come nowhere round yo'. [This is a unique situa- tion in HOODOO!] Yo' go git chew a red onion, a real one, not a white one - a red onion. Take hit [a needle] an' stick it right down in de center of dat onion - stick yore needle. Take yo' a brand-new needle that nevah been used, sewed a stitch or nuthin. Take it an' stick it in de center of dat brand- new onion. Let de onion be new an' de needle be new. Stick all those right down through it. Take hit an' put it down. Take yo' some fiah an' build a fiah around it, an' let dat onion burn to a fire-coal [unusual word!] an' when dat onion burn to a fiah-coal, yo' takes that onion an' goes to a secret place where nobody won't bothah yo' an' throw it undah dere. In a week's time she'll be back to yo'. Where she ain't nevah visit chew, she'll come an' see yo'. (That is if the fellow is in trouble [with the law] - is in jail or some- thing.) In trouble, or if he's outa trouble - in trouble or outa trouble, either one. Jes' take dat onion. Jes' buy yo' a [new] red onion an' take that onion [needle] an' stick it straight down in de center of dat - dat needle in de center of dat onion, an' call dere name three times. Den take that onion an' put it in de fiah. An' when yo' put dat onion in de fiah, [say], "Ah hope an' trust de Lord she will come back." An' burn dat onion. An' take dat onion out an' wrap it up an' dat needle an' stick it in a closed place an' dat needle leaves. Yo'll nevah see dat onion an' needle any mo' but she'll come back. Yo' can't find hit no mo'.
Entry 12518
Yo' git a bran'-new red onion dat's nevah been used an' yo'd have fiah. Yo' put dat red onion in dat fiah an' put some sugah in it an' den axe fo' whatevah yo' want. Make a wish fo' whatevah yo' want an' yo' mo' den successful in yore undahtakin'.
Entry 12540
Take dat red onion peelin' an' yo' take some nice clean pot, an' sulphur, brown sugah fo' colored an' white sugah for white - whoevah yo' workin' it on. An' put it on a shovel on some red coals, de fiah, yo' know, an' yo' let dat burn. Go to each cornah of yore house at five a'clock in de evenin' an' make yore wish, an' whatevah yore wishes is dey'll come true.
(What would you wish, for example?)
Well, jes' whatevah yo' wish fo', yo' know, jes' de main thing whut yo' wish fo' - anything.
Entry 12598
Jes' lak ah come to yore house an' ah misplace sompin of yores. When ah leave, yo' won't be mad wit me in one way, an' den in anothah way yo' will. But still yo' goin' be laughin' an' talkin' tuh me. Well, dere ain't but one thing yo' gotta do. Dat is tuh carry yo' a little bit of peppah in yore pocket an' throw it in dat fire, an' ah'll forget an' speak about sompin nothah - ah'll go git it dere an' show it tuh yo' an'( den yo'll know it's yores. But it gotta be red cayenne peppah, dat ground-up peppah. See, yo' jes' put some of dat in a piece of papah see. An' yo' go tuh dat person's house, yo' know jes' visitin' yo' see, an' it jes' might be in de wintahtime or somepin othah - dey got a fish in de stove. Yo' make out [pretend] lak yo' vanta light out de stove. Yo' drop some of dat papah [holding pepper] in dere. See, ah'll fo'git, so busy talkin' tuh yo'. Say, "Oh, yo' know ah got sech-an'-sech a thing, ah wanta show it to yo'.: Shore is purty."
Entry 12603
Take red peppah, jis' take it an' sprinkle it ovah de stove where yo' cook at, sprinkle red peppah in de stove or eithah throw it in de fiah.
(What will that do then?) Dey won' come neah dere. (That will keep the law away?) Sho'.