Subject:Garlic
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Entry 517
Take yo' pocketknife, de knife yo' tote in yore pocket, an' de witch bothers yo' or mess around wit yo', yo' jes' open dat knife ev'ry night befo' yo' go to bed an' turn de point of it towards yore bed [see No. 436]. Yo'll never have no trouble.
(What else did you say would keep that witch out of the house?)
Dat stuff right heah, dat garlic up over de do'. Yes sir.
Entry 1295
You could use diff'rent stuff. Like if yo' go to de drug store an' tell 'im yo' want yo' some bay rum, den yo' get yo' some garlic, an' yo' get yo' some white onions. An' yo' put all dat in a can an' yo' will boil dat. An' yo' would take a bath with it, an' yo' would tote some of it into yer pocket. An' whenever yo' take de bath in dat, yo' t'row it tuh de way de sun rise. Dat'll keep 'em from doin' yo' bodily hahm [harm].
Entry 1709
Yo' carries lodestone or yo' carries garlic in a bag - yo' sews that up in a little bag. Git chew a piece of garlic an' git chew some lodestone an' some of dis anvil dust an' a little sugah in there, an' yo' jis' sew that up together in dat little red cloth an' yo' keep it in yore pocket an' yo' po' whiskey on it, an' when yo' goin' in why yo' rubs that in yore han' an' keep it in yore pocket where yo' kin git chure han' on it.
(That's for luck in gambling?)
Sho'. [Lodestone = drawing power, forcing anything (money here) toward you; garlic = protection against evil, specifically, against anyone in the game trying to kill your gambling hand (see margin-titles Salt and Sex later for killing a hand); anvil dust = durability, strength, and ability to attract anything toward user; Sugar = peace, here the sweetening of competitive and sometimes combative dis- positions round you; red = symbol of life within and a warning against intruders; po' whiskey = feeding a hand, technical term for maintaining its life; whiskey = the spirit within the hand likes whiskey (see No. 77, p.32; No. 411, p.122, and Index); rubs = rubbing Aladdin's lamp, which signals the spirit within the hand to act.]
Entry 1909
Yo' jes' wear garlic fo' luck. Yo' kin take it an' jes' wear it in yore pocketbook. Co'se yo' know yo' eat it, it's good fo' yore nerves - hot
[cooked with food].
Entry 1910
Then you kin take garlic and put it in your pocket - just like you gambling, put it in your pocket and if the other person got something [a hand] to gamble with, that will kill theirs. Garlic you kin use for many different things.
Entry 1912
An' also yo' can have luck by goin' to a store an' stealin' a piece of garlic. Don't let 'em see yo' git it an' don't buy it an' don't ask fo' it. Jes' steal it from de store or anywhere an' put it ovah the door or put it in yore truck or most anywhere, or carry it in yore pocketbook - anywhere. Yo'll always have luck with yo' business.
Entry 1977
Dere is dis garlic - gits dat garlic an' yo' takes some dis seven finger root an' de King of de Worl' [magic three ingredientsl, gits dat an yo' put dem together. Dat is to carry yo' through an' good luck. (What do you mean you put them together? How are you going to put then together?) Put dem three pieces into a vial together, or sew 'em up together into a seal- like [unusual use of word seal], an' den yo' feed dat - yo' feed dat with red whiskey. Yo' kin git red whiskey now [now that Prohibition has ended] - yo' feed dat wit red whiskey [instead of moonshine white whiskey]. But now yo' could jes' feed it wit rose perfume in de place of de red whiskey, if yo' can't git de red whiskey. But while usin' dat fo' yo'self yo' don't drink dat red whiskey. Whut chew feed dat on, don't drink it. Yo' kin drink any othah kind 'scusin' red whiskey. Dat's fo' luck, carry yo' through an' he'p yo' in trouble - plenty of fren's, yo' have mo' white friends den yo' do of any othah.
Entry 2487
Chip it up. an' put it in mah scrubbin' watah, make yo' lucky. (This garlic?) Jis' chip it up an' put it in watah jis' lak yo' would a onion yo' see. Don't let nobody cross in dis house whare ah done scrubbed until it dry out.
Entry 2538
Burn garlic an' onion leaves an' incense, dis lucky incense. Lak it's goin' be a big dance or somepin close aroun', an' yo' wanta git in a lotta tran- sients, yo' know, why yo' burn dat stuff hard all dat week on yore stove. An' keep dat garlic layin' roun' an' draw in a lotta customers, transient customers.
Entry 6809
Dey tell me if yo' take garlic an' weah it in yore right shoe an' a piece in yore right-hand pocket, dere cain't no one poison yo'.
Entry 6812
Ah know whut ah done tuh keep 'em from hurtin' me, aftah dey hurt mah chile. Ah put sulphuh in mah shoes. Dey say dat wuz good. An' dey tell me tuh drink garlic. Put watah on de garlic an' drink it, an' said put sulphuh in mah shoe, an' drink milk an' sulphuh. Dat's what dey tell me.
(Drink what kind of sulphur?)
Drink milk an' sulphuh.
(Milk and sulphur. Mix the milk together?) Yes, sir, an' drink it. Say dat's good fo' poison. (No one can hurt you if you do that.)
Entry 11699
Use a piece of garlic.
(Do you carry that?)
Yes, sir. Wear that in your pocket. That's an awful lucky piece for gambl- ing. Now, honest to goodness. [It is lucky because it keeps away witchcraft and therefore hoodoo].
Entry 11700
An' in gwine in gamblin' rooms, yo' kin jis' take a piece of garlic or a live frog in your pocket an' yo'll have luck throughout de game. [Memphis
(937) 1517:4.]
Entry 11701
Take garlic an' tote it in yore pocketbook an' it bring good luck to yo'.
Entry 11702
Dat be good luck to yo'. Jes' take garlic an' put it in yore pocket- book. It be good luck to yo', if it's not cut anyway [steel must not touch it].
(It must be a whole garlic.)
Entry 11703
Take a pod of garlic, put that in your pocket for luck.
(Just for plain luck?)
Plain luck.
Entry 11704
Garlic in yore pocket....
(Keep a piece of garlic in your pocket for gambling?)
Yessuh...
Entry 11705
Jis' steal yo' a piece from de sto' anywhere an' wear it in your pocketbook, jis' a ordinary piece of garlic. Dat's lucky. [Memphis (930), 1512:5.]
Entry 11706
Lak ah'm a cook, ah'm always in de kitchen. Well, ah take brown sugah an' garlic, mash it up together. Well, when ah'd go in de kitchen ah'd put it along de stove-lak, yo' know, an' let it burn. Dat makes yo' friendly-lak always.
Entry 13007
Dey tell me dey take a piece of silver money an' put it in a red sack - flannel - an' put a piece of garlic to it an' tote it on yo'. That be fo' good luck. [Brunswick 1992:6.]
Entry 1841
You know what they make that out of?
(No.)
Well, I'll tell you what they make that out of - that's made out of snake- hides. That's what they make that out of - they make that out of snakehides. What's sewed inside of it is ordinary sawdust - sawdust and brown sugar. And you can keep that under a person's bed and a man' 11 never have no nature for his wife. [While machine is off we talk about another hand.]
(Well, what shape would they fix it up?)
Fix it up just the shape of a person - two arms and two legs with the body made to it. And if you put that under a woman's bed, she ain't going to be much service to her husband - her and her husband be fussful all the time. (What did you say they make that out of?) [I am trying to pick up what was lost while machine silent.l Sawdust - take sawdust and alum. Take you a piece of alum, powdered alum. Take you a little piece of bluestone and powder it. Take a piece of garlic and tie the garlic around it. Understand? And put it under a woman's bed.
(Well, what do you use for the outside cover?)
Outside cover on it? Just tie it around with a string, you don't have to wrap it in anything - just put in, open her mattress and put it in a mattress.
(What did you say about a snakehide a moment ago?)
A snakehide? You could take a snakehide and use that - just clip a person's, a piece of a person's hair and burn it. You understand?
(In fixing this doll baby - how was that made, did you say?)
You takes ordinary sawdust - just take ordinary sawdust. If you want to make a woman disagreeable - things disagreeable in a home for a woman and her husband, take ordinary sawdust, a piece of garlic, a piece of alum and a piece of blue- stone, and powder that. And mix it in that sawdust and sew it up in that form of a person - see, like - just like a little small doll baby - a small piece of it.
(What kind of material would you use for that form?)
For Wrapping that in?
(Yes.)
Bed ticking.
(Any kind?)
No, not any kind, bed ticking - something that a mattress or pillow is made out of, not any kind of material.
(Oh, I see. Well, why is that?)
Because you wants to lay the stripes according to the rise and fall of the sun. That's why we do that. You want to make the stripes so that on the shape of that thing like a person it lays with the rise and fall of the sun. You lays it like you take a dead person is buried with their head to the east - I mean to the west and their feet to the east. You lay that thing with the head to the east and the feet to the west. That's against the life of any person it's under.
(Now, where do you put this little doll?)
You put it in - you put it under or in a mattress. But the best way you do, if you can open the mattress and put it in there, sew it in the mattress. Just know how you got it - lay it in the position and lay it right in that mattress where they lay on that. And that woman'll have trouble in her house with her husband as long as she sleeps on it.
Entry 1853
Git chew some lump incense. Some people don't use red flannel - yo' kin use shammy skin an' yo' make yo' a little luck bag. Yo' put chew a little silver dime in dere. An' yo' put chew about three pieces of that lump incense in dere and yo' put yo' some guinea peppahs in dere, an' if yo' got a fishhead rock yo' put that in dere. Den yo' sew it up on a piece of garlic.
(Fishhead rock?)
Yeah, dat only comes in a drumhaid. Dere be's two little rocks in a drumhaid.
(Drumhead fish?)
Yessuh. An' yo' sew that up. Yo' kin po' yo' some bergamint [bergamot] on it or eithah some Jockey Club perfume - yo' have tuh keep it oiled up [fed] lak dat. Dat's fo' yore luck. Yo' kin wear it in yore pocket. Gamblin' luck.
Entry 2289
If you wanta have luck in gamblin', if yo' married or got a wife or got a girl fren', jes' git a piece off her bloomers an' a piece of her hair an' a hairpin, an' put Heart Cologne wit dat an' a piece of garlic, an' sew dat into a cloth together with a dime an' keep it in yore pocketbook or in yore pocket. Yo always have luck in gamblin'.
Entry 2630
Yo' kin git some bluestone an' a can of sulphur. Yo' take that blue- stone an' sulphur an' saltpeter, an' put it undah de front do'steps an' de back do'step an' as fur as dey kin go up undah de house - see, round inside the house. Now, yo' burn some sulphur an' put yo' some essence of pennyroyal on that sugah, wit garlic an' a red onion. Don't nevah throw a onion peelin' outa de house. Always keep onion an' garlic. Burn it in dat stove with sugah. It brings luck in the house. An' de law ain't goin' bother yo'. Mop dat front steps - it don't take but a little time. Put yo' some garlic, cut up some garlic, an' chamber lye an' mop that be- fo' seven every mawnin', befo' seven. Do dis befo' seven an"leven. Dat brings yo luck - seven an' 'leven. Do yo' burnin' 'fore seven an' 'leven.
Entry 2639
Dat's fo' luck. Well, on Mondays an' Fridays yo' supposed tuh burn red onions. Yo' git a man's left shoe an' yo' put a piece of garlic an' yo' put some of de hull of a red onion an' yo' put some sulphur an' yo' put some sugah an' yo' put some Hearts Cologne in de heel of that man's shoe. Well, yo' put all de rest of that - some of everything yo' put in de heel - on top of de stove at twelve a'clock an' yo' burn it.
(What will that do?)
Dat's supposed tuh be lucky - jes' whatevah yo' want, jes' lak if yo' want luck in de home, or yo' tryin' tuh ketch de policy, or yo' tryin' tuh git some money or somepin lak dat. Yo'll burn dat Fridays an' Mondays.
(You burn that shoe on top of the stove, too?)
Yo' burn de shoe in de stove, an' den put de rest of de stuff on top of de stove an' let dat go through de house, an' let de othah whut's in de heel go out in de ash.
Entry 2657
Well, yo' kin git chew some garlic an' git chew some sulphur an' git chew some sugar. An' turn yore pan jis' befo' de sun rise - set it in yore do', set it afiah. Close all yore do's while it's burnin'. Yo' go out. Den when yo' git it blue wit smoke, open all yore do's an' de people will run ovah heah. Ah don't ca' whut chure doin', dey'll run ovah heah, comin' tuh see whut yo' got tuh drink. It'll draw 'em.
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 11707
You pound that garlic up until it gits fine, fine, fine. Then you gets you a bottle of whiskey and put it [in] there ane let that garlic sit there 3 days in that whiskey [the whiskey is for the spirit or spirits to do you work] an' jis' care [carry] it and sprinkle it around anybody's door that you want to move. [New Orleans (855) 1351:3.]
Entry 196
[Many examples of the most powerful of spirits, the spirit of the dead, have been given. Very potent also are spirits dwelling at or called to where two or more roads meet.] De crossin' of de road is called cross-spirit [only use of this term], an' dey goes dere, if dey think dat yo' is doin' good or goin' at anything good - dis evil-minded somebody will go dere to cross yo'. Den dey has a certain thing dey put in dere. Dey dig a hole yo' know - jes' a ord'n'ry little hole an' drop it.
(What do they put in that hole?)
Dey tells me dat dey drops cayenne peppah - whut's dat othah thing - cayenne peppah an' sulphah an' garlic, yes. It's jes' a ord'n'ry hole dat chew dig wit chure fingah an' cover it ovah quick.
(What else do you do out there? What is that supposed to do?)
Den dey has some dis same wicked graveyard dirt [dirt from a wicked person's grave] wit 'em an' leave dat evil spirit dere tuh cross yo'.
reported small finger-dug crossroads hole. The recipe is introduced as Dey tells me; no firsthand ritual performance, efficacy or inferred shovel/depth. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 1290
Yo' keeps garlic on yo' fo' hoodoo, keep it in yore shoe - that keeps people from hoodooin' yo'.
Entry 1291
If a person have done yo' a little wrong an' yo' have a pain or somepin about chew - see, if anybody have done yo' wrong, why yo' git garlic and beat it up with a little salt an' wear it in yore shoes, an' den it cain't take no 'ffect on yo'.
Entry 1293
If yo' wanta put a snake in anybody, yo' kin take a snake an' yo' dry him up an' they put him in whiskey aftah they dry up, an' yo' give it to 'em in their glass tuh drink. An' den it's parsley. Yo' let chure parsley set, yo' know, lak if yo' would let somethin' set. Yo' let it set about three days an' den yo' give it to whosomevah yo' wanta give it to tuh drink. An' den in three days dat dust form aigs, an' den in nine days aftah dey become a snake in yo'. Now if yo' wants tuh take dat snake out chew, yo' take garlic an' yo' take parsley an' yo' take peppah - yo' know this horseshoe peppah. Yo' evah saw dat horseshoe peppah? Dey would call it a cayenne. It's in a powder, beat up.
(It has a horseshoe on the box?)
Yeah. [That was a lucky guess!] Yo' would take that parsley an' take de garlic an' cut it up an' yo' boil it - boil all that together an' when it git cold yo' add the peppah into it, an' yo' give it to an individual tuh drink, an' den yo' make 'em pass it up. The live things will come out.
Entry 1294
Ah heard 'em talk 'bout rattlesnake. De rattles of a rattlesnake, yo' take dem an' dry 'em an' if yo' want tuh put snakes in a person, why yo' jes' take an' shake dem in de water bucket or anything dat dey drink, an' de dust from dem rattles will turn tuh rattlesnake in 'em.
(Is there any way of getting those out?)
Yes sir, wit garlic.
(How would you do that?)
Eat it.
(Just eat it and that will bring those things out?)
Yes, sir. [This simplest of remedies comes from a doctor, man.]
Entry 1911
Yo' kin git chew a piece of garlic, yo' know whut dat is, an' yo' takes dat garlic an' yo' git nine pieces of garlic an' make yo' a little sack like if yo' were canvassing. Yo put that garlic in yore pocketbook. Quite natural it's gon'a smell. An' anything yo' doin' an' wants tuh bring luck in yore place, why yo' use that garlic. Tote it in yore pocket or in yore pocketbook or in yore sample case or anything like dat.
Entry 1987
It's lodestone, a white lodestone - yo' fix that with a piece of stolen garlic. Lak if yo' wanted this thing fixed fo' yo', yo' would steal the garlic - not ask anybody fo' it, steal the garlic without dem seein' yo', an' yo' place this white lodestone with a ten-cent piece an' dis piece of stolen garlic into a red flannel an' yo' sew it up real tight an' every nine days yo' dress [feed] this thing with whut dey call van-van oil. That supposed tuh bring yo' special luck.
(What kind of luck?)
Well, such as yo' - yo' supposed to do things an' come out of 'em clear. An' in yore dealings from person tuh person, yo' supposed to git results. Dey are supposed to pay special attention to yo'. It should be jis' de gen'ral run of all yore luck - fo' luck in de gen'ral run.
Entry 2266
Take salt an' black peppah an' three pods of garlic an' yo' wear it in de right pocket, an' if de fellah have anything dere fo' luck, yo' understand, it won't be very severe, yo' see. If he's any man with any kind of talent at all, he'll know it's somepin wrong an' he'll fin'lly quit that game, yo' see.
Entry 2689
You kin mop early in the morning 'fore the sunrise. You kin mop with oil of cinnamon and garlic, beat it up real fine, and your urinate overnight. Mix it with water and mop from the - start from the front steps and go back in your house and don't say nothing to nobody till you get done mopping. Jest hold your peace - don't say nothing to nobody - fore the sunrise....
(And mop it back?)
Yes, sir.
(That brings you trade - brings you customers if you are bootlegging?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 2795
You take his name and you write his name nine times and you write jours nine times on top of it. You place it in a saucer. You put dat honey, cinamint [cinnamon], drawin' powder, aroun' his name. If he's a white man, you gon'a burn a green can'le and his name wrote backwards on that can'le. You burn it bottom upward fer nine day. You'll dress yourself. Furce, you git choo some honey, you git dat loaves of sugar, an' you put dat in water and you'll boil it. You git choo some parsley an' let it git hot not boilin'. You take a bath wit dat. And you put choo nine pods of garlic in your pocket. And you go to the bossman: chewin' a piece of John de Conker root. When you git to him you spit. Then you'll ask him concernin' yore Job. And he have to give some kin'a def'nan [definite] answer.
(What if.the boss is a colored man?)
You do the same thing, but choo burn diff'ran can'le. If he's a black man, you burn a red can'le; if he's a brown-skin man, you burn a blue. If he's a dark man, you use a red can'le on him. [Informant gives variant of preceding rite.] You write his name nine times, you [a woman] write yours on top of his nine times, and place it in a new saucer that never was used or a [new] plate. You put nine loaves of sugar aroun' there, you put honey, you put steel dust, you put drawing powder in there. And you light that can'le bottom upward with his name wrote on the can'le, too. [His and her names each nine times were on a slip of paper under the candle.] And that'll draw him home.
Entry 2834
Well, the first thing you would do, you would get some saltpeter and sugar and Eagle Lye. And you scrub that house with it to dispel all evil that has been there from people that moved out - jinxes, as you'd call it. After scrubbing it with that, take a white candle and break it in half, not so it falls to pieces, and you burn that candle and let it burn out. [To break anything often frees the spirit within. Breaking here releases the power faster. In some cases it might double the power.] And after you've done that you will get you some garlic, three pods of garlic, and some lodestone perfume.
(What is lodestone perfune?)
There is perfume that you can buy from dealers that sell all this John de Conquer.
(I see, you can buy this lodestone [perfume]. All right, go ahead.)
And you put that in the water, and you burn the garlic peel, and you put a teaspoon of sugar in that, and scrub the house with it. And within three days that house would be ready - within the amount of pods of garlic that you put in, which was three pods of garlic. Well, within three days that house should be rented.
Entry 3047
You burn a green candle to St. Raymond. You take your green candle and you got St. Raymond on your altar and you sit the green candle before the saint and then you make your wishes to him. If you want a job - and you want the boss to give you a job, if you know his name, you take his name and you write it down nine times. You get some cinnamon and you get some parsley and you get some of this garlic and you pound that all up together and you put that in. Put it before your candle, right in front of the'candle where your saint's at and burn that, and he'll give you a job and like you. You burn it before St. Raymond. You can use a green candle. Use the same green candle for him, that the onliest kind of candle to use. You burn a white candle for peace.
Entry 3217
Now a woman kin take a man, she livin' wit 'm - she take a little bit of 'is shirttail, an' take dat same bow out his hat, an' git a little sand, jes' a little plain sand, an' a little garlic, an' a silvah dime, an' sew it up in a little bag an' wear it, an' no othah woman in de world he kin mess wit but 'er. Cuz ah know dat mahself, cuz ah done be fixed dataway an' ah took de bag an' cut it up an' looked at it an' seen whut was in it.
Entry 4777
Well, if ah'm a enemy tuh yuh an' wants tuh confuse yuh in yore home, ah mah- self, ah cain't do it. Got'a git someone tuh help me tuh do it, an' dat's by goin' an' gittin' a piece of yore clothes, sompin othah dat chew wears, don't chew know - sompin dat chew wears. An' ah takes dat an' tear it up, makes a very small string out of it. Take it an' twist it.
(Tear the whole piece of cloth up?)
Not de whole cloth, jis' git yuh a strip off about lak dat [demonstrates], whatevah it is, an' jis' tear it up in small strips. Take an' twist it dis away [demonstrates]. One [strip] dis way an' one dis way, jis' lak dat, yuh know. Jis' keep atwisting it till yuh git right intuh a fine - down-lak yuh know, tuh a string. Yuh take it den an' yuh put it - draw a knot intuh it. Yuh know how yuh tie a knot intuh anything. Well, yuh take dat an' git it intuh whatevah yuh kin git it intuh [a jar, see later]. Den yuh take some salt an' take some vine- gah an' anything dat dey'd use lak a garlic. Yuh git yuh some garlic tuh put in dere an' nine drops of turpentine. An' tighten dat up real - tighten it down howevah yuh wanta tighten it down.
(Tighten that jar down?)
Tighten de jar down, yassuh, an' den yuh prob'ly cain't git tuh de house; but git somebody tuh bury it tuh de back of de steps.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will - dey cain't git along in dere.
Entry 4989
Yuh take nine needles an' put 'em crossways in de sock, an' put red peppah, garlic an' dese little nets dat yuh buy from de drug sto'.
(Hair nets.)
Yuh take dem an' put 'em in de sock, an' den yuh git some clay dust an' pack it, an' sew dat sock up. Dat's de way yuh fix de sock against matches. Yuh take de same amount of matches. Takes nine matches an' nine needles an' fix 'em in dat sock, an' den sew it up. An' den yuh take dat sock an' jis' throw it up undah de bed, or jis' throw it on up ovah de do'.
(What will happen then?)
Well, dat's tuh bring 'em back. When he do come back, yuh take his cloth an' wear it. Aftah yuh'all have intahco'se, yuh take de cloth an' wear it nine days. An' in de mawnin' aftah yuh wear it nine days, yuh take dat cloth an' wipe his plate out wit it.
(That will hold him there?)
Keep 'im dere.
Entry 6581
Dey do it wit de fish. Dey take dat fish, de little minnow fish, an' put 'em in a little vial m' let 'im be live. An' dey go tuh work an' put dem a little garlic an' a lit- tle onion in dere. An' put 'im in a vial an' put 'im undah de doorstep. An' dat fish gits intuh de person [after you walk over it].
(Is there any way of getting them out?)
Yes suh, yo' work 'em out jis' de same as yuh did de frog.
Entry 6811
Yo' take garlic, yo' see, if a person got poison in 'em. Yo' jis' take dat garlic an' yo' stew dat down wit vinegah, an' yo' give it tuh dat person tuh eat. Dat will kill it down in dere. (What kind of poison?) Any kind. Jis' say, jes' lak dere's a person down heah gives yo' poison in whiskey or sompin. Yo' know, jis' LAK A PERSON TRY TUH KILL YO', TRY TUH GIVE YO' ANY KINDA SNAKE-HAID DUST.
(Any live things in them?)
Yeah.
Entry 6813
(How do you get those black things out?) How do yo' git 'em out? Well, yo' git dem live things out - git saltpetah an' guinea peppah, garlic an' sweet milk an' parsley - heat parsley - an' it'll make 'em come up.
(That is to get the live things out. What do you do? Make this all into a tea?)
No, yo' don't make no tea at all. Yo' jis' beat it up, don't heat it, drink it in de milk.
Entry 8048
Yo' know what dat candle's fo'? (No.) Dat candle's fo' gamblin' purposes. (Well, how would you prepare any- thing of that sort?) Bell, if yo' kin git de bone of a dead person - de bes' thing dat yo' kin use from a dead person, if yo' kin git dat bridge of de nose, what's in a person here. If yo' would put it in... [I interrupt.]
(You mean the bridge of the nose?)
Yes, dat bridge in de nose. If yo' kin git dat an' take dat an' put it in, go tuh an' make a novena[!] ovah dat, an' burn two candles. (Well, after you get that bridge of the nose, where do you make that novena? In your home or in the church?) In yuh home.
(In your home. Then what do you do?)
Den yo' set two candles tuh burn.
(You mean two candles before, or near it, or what?)
Two candles ovah it - undah whatevah yo' got de candles in burnin', have it. Have whatevah yo' got de candles in big enough so dat de wax from de candle will rum right down in dat containah what it's settin' in. An' have dis bridge of de Dose undah dat containah. Yo' undahstan'? An' let dose two candles burn out ovah dat.
(What sort of candles do you use in a case of that sort?)
Yo' kin use two white candles.
(I see. All right, go ahead.)
An' yo' wrap dat bridge of de nose of dat person wit one piece of garlic. Divide it an' tie it aroun' de bridge of dat nose, an' sew it in red flannel. An' let dat person keep dat piece of - dat in dat pocket, an' when dey go tuh a gamblin' house, or any place tuh gamble, rub dat ovah dere hands an' den rub dere hands ovah dere face, an' put it back in dere pocket. An' dat's all dey've got mah do wit it.
(That's a gambling hand?)
It's a gamblin' hand.
(I see.)
Entry 9162
Yo' know it's twelve disciples an' dere's 12 jurymens. Well, yo' take dese twelve disciples an' yo' put six - write six names on one piece of papah an' six on de othah, an' put dem in yore shoes - each shoe. An' yo' rubs garlic in yore hand, if yo' kin git tuh it. Yo' see an' go intuh de courtroom, or yo' kin turn evahthing. Jes' lak de trial goin' tuh be tuhday. Turn evahthing in yore house from de cups on tuh a chair, turn it upside down, mattress an' evahthing yo' see. He [judge] can't [go] ovah dat. If dey do, yo' ain't goin' git much. See, he don't know how tuh git tuh yo'. See, dis Work 'em upside down. Dey don't [know] how to git up tuh yo'. Yo' see dose 12 disciples, ah can't call 'em by name right now, but any- way it's twelve. It's 12 jurymen. Well, see de disciples are jurymen.
(That's when you go up before the judge.)
Entry 9164
[Preceding rites in this section have given us examples of turning household objects upside down before court. Here is one to establish the margin title:] If it's a bad case when yo' goin' tuh co't, choo turn yuh chairs bottom upward. Yo' turn evahthing bottom up. Upset things in yuh house. Yo' read de seven Psalm [Psalm 7] in de Bible. Aftah yo' read dat, den yo'll take de judge name an' yuh name an' put it in de bottom of yuh shoe. Yo' write it on parchment papah. Write his name, yuh name on topa it, an' put it in de heel of yuh shoe, de right shoe. An' yo' tote dese nine pods of garlic. Yo' have yo' piece of John de Conkah root, an' when yo' git tuh dat [courtroom] do', yo' spit three times. Den yo' walk on intuh de co'troom an' yo' spit tuhwards de judge. Den, if yo' goin' in front of de judge he'll be lenient on yuh. Yo git discharge.
Entry 9596
If de law's bothahin' yo', yo' kin take de onion an' de garlic an' cut it in fo' equal parts. Yo' jis' take de garlic, yo' don't cut it all; yo' jis' take diff'ren' pods, pieces [cloves] yo' know. An' yo' use eithah de white or de red onion, an' yo' kin jis' cut it yo' know, in fo' parts: An' go an' yo' po' a whole box of table salt ovah it, an' den yo' po'a whole box of red peppah ovah it, an' sprinkle a li'l saltpetah an' a li'l bluestone on it. Dat'll keep de law out chure house.
(What do you do with that garlic?)
Well, yo' take dat garlic an' burn it. It's fo' luck. Yo' take dat garlic an' put it in a li'l bag an' fold it up an' wit all kinds - all kinda diff'ren' li'le pieces of stuff dat chew use wit it. Weah it. Yo' know weah dat garlic. (How do you keep the law away with that onion after you prepare it? What do you do with that onion?) Yo' take dat onion an' continue tuh burn it till de third mawnin', an' dat'll keep de law away.
(Where do you do that - burn that?)
Well, yo' take it de firs' night an' let it burn up dere, yo' see. Sprinkle it all round yore house. [In preceding subsection see 3 pepper pods halved, No.9587.]
Entry 9668
Sulphur, table salt an' IN SHOES gunpowdah, jis' weah it in yore shoes. Use garlic in dat, chew laoc. Dey couldn't hurt chew tuh save dere life.
Entry 11166
(What do they do with the devil's-shoestring?)
Dey take dat and put it down in a bottle of perfume with some garlic and ies keep it in a bottle, you see. And if you got it at home, well every time you leave out of home, why you take it and rub it on your hands. Dat's fer luck. And fer your protection op de streets, you git dat devil's-shoestring and you take it and put it around your waist right to your skin. You tie it around your waist.
(What will that protect you from?)
Dat's to protect you from de law. All you gotta do is tie it to yoar shn.
Entry 11708
Yo' kin take garlic an' if yo' wanta have good luck, take garlic an' put it in a bottle an' put some Hearts Cologne [in it]. Dat kills de odor of it. Take fo' instance, yo' go out an' yo' wanta git a job or anything or any kind of success. Jes' take some of dat garlic like dat an' rub it on yore hands an' on yore face, den yo' go out. An' yo' be - oh, yo' be too lucky. [Waycross (1093) 1762:12.]
Entry 11709
Well, it's a powder yo' go tuh de drug sto' an' git which in - it's a plain powder called calomus [calamus = sweet flag] powders - jest a common powder. Yo' go tuh de drug sto' an' yo' kin git de powders in de drug sto', an' yo' kin git de Heart Perfume, an' yo' mix it up tuhgether. An' take yo' a little piece of gar- lic an' chip it up an' put it in dere. An' put it in a little sack an' wear it. An' yo' walk in dere, he [boss] mo' 'en [= then = than] apt tuh put chew tuh work.
(This is calamus?)
Yes, jes' plain calomus. (It's not calomel? Calamus that they put around a baby's neck - to wear? What do you use calamus for otherwise? What do you use it for?) Well, yo' kin jes' take it fo' a bad cold or tuh clean out chure system or anything. Ah have used it mahself wit Heart Perfume an'....
Entry 11710
Now to get a job. Well, if you going out to hunt you a job, you always get up in the morning, don't be angry, get up with a good pleasant mind. And you always keep you some sugar or the middle part of garlic. Tote that in your pocket. Take and pull all the garlic out and just the little mid- dle - that part that's in the middle - tote that in your pocket.
(What will that do?)
That will give you luck. See.
(I see.)
Fast luck.
Entry 11711
Jes' lak if a person didn't lak yo', yo' take a garlic an' yo' mostly chews it, an' when yo' git around dese people - yo' jest go around dem. Jes' if dey didn't lak yo' an' yo' wanta make friends wit 'em, yo' jes' spit around dem. Jes' continue to use dat garlic de whole time yo' around dem. Directly yo' all will be good friends an' otherwise he wouldn't even be speakin' to yo'.
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 12225
Yo' supposed tuh use Jockey Club perfume.
(It's Jockey Club or Jack of Clubs.)
Well, ah cain't git it right.
(Jack of Clubs from the deck of cards or the jockey that rides a horse?)
Yeah, jacket dat chew put on yo' Perfume [!!!]. Yo' supposed tuh use dat an' garlic. Keep garlic in yore pocket an' Jack of Clubs in yore pocket, an' yo' supposed tuh have luck in gamblin'. (What do you do, put this perfume on the garlic?) [Is this for real or a piece of concoted witticism of the moment!] Put it on de garlic an' on yore han' when yo' goin' to a game. But keep de garlic in yore pocket an' de Jack of Clubs, jis' po' a little bit out in yore han' an' go into de gamblin', see, an' have yo' garlic in yore pocket.
Entry 12476
Well, if a person do sompin an' dey wanta git away an' dey got 'em trail'-lak, say fo' instance, dey put de policemen on dere track or put de bloodhoun's. Dey git bloodhoun's behin' 'em an' trail 'em. Dey git a piece of beef livah an' jes' rub dat blood in de bottom of dere shoes. Dey git 'em some garlic an' chop garlic up an' put it all in de bottom of dere shoes. An' wheresomevah dey makes a track, kin nuthin trail 'em.
Entry 12498
Nation sack is a private purse worn by some women - always con- cealed and untouchable by other hands - in which hands, mojohs, keepsakes and all sorts of treasures are carried. Both fol- lowing accounts came from resume's of another in- formants material before all her cylinders were lost - these original pencil copies attached: (l) "Take garlic and piece about a person (fragment from clothing of person you want to hold) and your urinate, keep it wet (keeping this cloth wet with own urine is called feeding it), keep in nation sack or pocketbook." (2) "Sulphur, red pep- per, put together and sugar and wear it in nation sack, can't do yo' no harm."
Entry 12537
Ah heard of 'em using onions an' garlic - fo' being hurted - in sweet milk. Dat's good, too. (Well, how do they do that?) Well, yo' makes a tea out of it but chew cooks it all together - onions an' the garlic an' the sweet milk. Yo' puts it on an' yo' cook it together. Yo' strains it, an' then give it to 'em to drink. Well, if yo' poisoned, well, that's good fo' poison [also].
Entry 12541
Well, now dey say if yo' take dat red onion wit red pep- pah an' dat salt, everybody go in dere will be dissatisfied. (What will you do with that?) Take it an' mix it together an' put it in dere whilst de house is empty. Take it an' put it in every corner of de house, make no difference how many rooms it is. Yo' put it in dere, an' anybody go dere dey won't be satisfied wit dere house.
(That is crossing up the house?)
Yes.
(Do you put it in the corner in any special way?)
Put it in each corner jes' as close as yo' git it up 'side de corner of de house. Tuh uncross it.
(To uncross this, all right.)
Yo' take garlic an' dis oil of cinnamon an' red peppah an' mop wit it an' dat'll uncross 'em.
(So that you can move into the house if you want to?)
Yes.
Entry 12585
An' then you kin take a new bag an' put 9 pennies in it, 9 new pennies. Put a whole head of garlic an' a little sugar. An' tie it up over the door. That will keep all law out of the house. [Memphis 1544:3.]
Entry 8904
If a person stole a.thing from yo' an' yo' wanta find out if it's dem dat did it, yo' gotta git chew some coffee grinds [grounds] aftah de coffee's [coffee has] been made. Git dose coffee grinds. An' den yo' take some coffee grinds an' let dem set outdo's [outdoors]. Don't leave dem in de house, yo' let 'em set outdo's. An' den yo' will git chew a bottle of turpentine. Now, dey done stole it an' yo' wanta find out de fak' [fact]. An' den, when yo' git some turpentine an' dose coffee grinds - an' den yo' take dat eggshell an' brown hit an' put it in dere. An' den yo' take dat eggshell - aftah yo' take dat egg- shell. An' yo' make yore wish while yo' fixin' it up. Yo' make yore wish while yo' fix it up an' den yo' take dis eggshell. An' den yo' take an' beat up some garlic an' brown dat garlic. Yo' gotta brown evahthin' yo' use. An' den yo' take, if yo' have an idea who got it - if somebody tell yo' dese people got it an' yo' know where dey live at...
(If you have an idea who did, what do you do with it then?)
Take it tuh dere do' an' bury it right up undah de centah of dere do', right up undah de centah of dere house eithah much [if you prefer]. [Center of house makes this a quincunx rite.] An' if dey got it dey'll bring it back. Dey'll bring it back.
Entry 12867
Now, yo' kin take for instance in yore clothes or in yore shoes, if dey's tryin' tuh git chew tricked. Yo' wear saltpeter in yore shoes - either shoe you put in - dat saltpeter in your shoes. An' whenever yo' go out yo' got dat in. Then you kin put a pod of garlic - garlic. They don't nevah beat the garlic. They cain't nevah do you nothin' atall.
(Where do you keep that?)
Anywhere about. Anywhere you go be sure yo' got dat garlic. Morning and night you keep it on yore person - de pod of garlic. An' dat saltpeter in de bottom of your shoe - any shoe. Jes' go an' sprinkle de bottom of yore shoe with saltpeter.