Subject:Garment
Entries
Entry 3311
Dey takes dat chamber lye, yeah, from a man or coman, don make any diff'rent. Dey tell me - jes' lak ah got a wife an' ah vanta take her courage down offa her fo' anybodys else but me, an' ah git 'er urine an' stop it uP. Take a piece of 'er garment dat she wears nex' to her skin - see, make no diff'rent if it 'er stockin' or 'er drawahs or whatsomevah it may be. An' yo' burn dat, see. Yo' burn dat anywhere so yo' kin git de ashes. Well, yo' po' dat into dat chamber lye an' stop it jes' as tight as yo' kin stop it, an' yo' stop 'er courage right dere until yo' git ready fo' her. Den yo' holds 'er dere until yo' git ready to turn 'er loose, so she can't have any othah mans. She might try to an' would do it, but it wouldn' do her any - she would [not] find any result of it.
(What do you put her chamber lye in?)
In a bottle. Put dat burnin' [burned] stuff [ashes] - set it anywheres in de house commonly.
Entry 4823
Now you can take a piece of the oldest lamb, a piece of his right ear, and get that.blood and get a piece of her garment and stain it. And get nine ten-cent pieces and take and carry them to a muddy branch, and make a fold of this piece of garment and bury it [blood stained garment about 9 dimes] in the muddy branch, and she'll just follow you anywhere.
Entry 4863
Yuh kin do it, but yuh have tuh git somebody's hair or somebody's gar- ments dat's got de odah in it, dat dey wore. An' if yuh take it, yuh put salt an' peppah an' sulphah in it. An' put dat in runnin' watah an' it will start 'em tuh move. (That will run them out of town, keep them on the go?) Yes, dat will keep 'em on de go.
Entry 4897
If a man leave dey home, why dey kin take dat same stockin' [sock] an bury it undah de steps an' put some of 'er garment any way cross dose. Bury it undah de step an' dat man will be satisfied tuh stay home. (Put some of her garments with that stocking [sock].) Dat's right.
Entry 5080
(Get a piece of the garment?)
De sock.
(Of the person who is gone?)
Yes, an' he takes it NOT LARGAH DEN A POCKET HAN'KE'CH'EF. Taken dat piece not largah den a pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' take it tuh a runnin' stream of watah, tuh where rock run ovah - a stream from nature, earth, dat run ovah rocks. Wash it three times an' fold it up when it's wet, an' po'l vinegah ovah it, an' go tuh de graveyard an' git some li'le clay. Wrap it tight, real tight, an' put it in brown papah, three layahs of brown papah, an' turn it, twist it, an' den put news- papah round it, an' burn de newspapah off it an' let de brown papah covah it. An' den take it aftah dat an' wrap it up in a flesh [soft] towel lak dat. A towellak dat, one dose turkish towels. Take an' bury it in red clay an' let it stay dere seven days, an' den move it. Aftah seven days yuh'll move it. An' when yuh move it, den go an' bury it right by de rock, by dat stream, an' let it stay dere 21 hours, an' den move it - throw it away. She'll be back in 21 days.
(Where would you throw that away?)
Anywhere.
Entry 7378
Yo' kin take dat man's, some of 'is garment whut he wear nex' to his skin, an' take an' dress it wit Hearts Cologne an' carry it back where dis man got killed, an' spread it out an' let de sun shine on it, an' it won't [be] but sev'ral days fo' he show up.
(The man that killed him?)
Yes sir, de man dat kill 'im show up.
Entry 7381
Well, suppose you kill me, tisn't but one thing. But do dis now. If you kill me right now - why do you kill any person, woman or man - go to yore house an' get one shirt, or one undahshirt, or one drawers, or a pants, or a sock, anything dat chew wear [wear]. Put it undahneat' dat woman or dat man's head, an' yo' can't go anywhere. Yo'll come back. It'll be far, but yo'll come back in town.
(That's the way they catch you, if you kill somebody.)
Yes, sir, if yo' kill somebody - if yo' jes' shoot 'em, why dey can't get yo' anyway. If yo' kill somebody, yo' can't go. Yo'll go but yo' won't sleep, an' don't care where yo' sleep, yo' goin' to git so tired dat yo' come an' give yore- self up to de law. [The dead man's spirit will not let the murderer sleep. It pesters the killer until he returns and gives himself up to the law.]
Entry 7393
Yo' kin take a package of brand-new pins dat has not been no othah pin out of it, put evah pin on some garment of his'n.
(0f that corpse?)
De dead man - evah pin but be sure de pin package nevah opened of de new pins, not one was taken out. Pin it in 'is garment an' when yo' git it all pinned up, yo' wishes a prayer ovah dis dead man. Dis man cannot stay, he must return - yo've pinned 'im up. Yo' use dat whole package of brand-new pins on 'im while he's layin' out as a corpse. Dis man will come whoevah he is - he's sticked, he's sewed, jes' got him pinned up. He'll come back an' give hisself up - can't stay [away].
Entry 9893
Now, if yo' got a girl an' yo' wan' 'er tuh love yo', yo' kin go tuh one dem red ants baid. Ketch yo' one dem toadfrogs, dem ole rough toadfrogs an' kill 'im. Put dat toadfrog in dat ants baid an' let 'im stay in dat ants baid until dem antses eat 'im up, till he gits tuh where he ain't nuthin but a shell [skeleton]. Den yo' take dat frog den an' yo' git dat straight bone dat runs down 'is back. An' yo' kin take dat bone den an' any woman dat chew want or any man dat chew want, whilst me an' yo' talkin' or me an' 'er talkin', ah stick dat bone in dat garment dat she had on or dat he has on. If ah'm a woman ah stick it in a man [garment] or if ah'm a man ah stick it in a woman [garment]. Yo' see, stick dat bone in dere, jes' a small piece of dat bone, an' leave it in dere. Den yo'll come tuh be mah sweetheart if ah wan' chew, or yo'll come tuh be 'er sweetheart if she wan' chew.
Entry 10798
Dat's another thing to move a man or move a woman. Put dat [broom] down by yore fireplace dere an' let it stay dere every night fo' nine nights yo' put it dere. Put dat down crossways, cross yore fire- place, an' den yo' - befo' yo' do dat dough, if yo' kin be fortunate enough to git a piece of dere garment or sompin like dat, an' tie it onto dat broom in seven knots, down next to de bushy part of it, an' let it stay down dere nine mornings. Put dat in nine nights. Dey travelin'. Yo' be discontented where yo' [he] at. About de tenth morning he goin' leave dere, yo' see. Dat's one way ah've heard about de broom. Dat'll run him. Move yo' either away from yore town or against yore success - somepin like dat.
(Who would do that? The woman would do that or the man?)
Either one.
(Somebody living in the same house or just living in the town?)
In de town - either way.
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 12620
Red peppah, brimstone, sulphur an' burn it an' blow de smoke [towards house] nex' to 'em an' [if people there] don' be in dey house - but if yo' burn it, yo' kin burn it in yore own house an' name it an' blow it nex' their house. Or git some of de garments of de house or somepin othah out of de house jes' since it's been worn. Well, yo' git a garment an' then yo' wrop de brim- stone, sulphur an' red peppah, an' wrop up in de garment. Take de garments to de woods an' bury it undah an' ole rotten log, an' that'll tear de home up altogethah.
(You mean after this stuff is burnt?)
Yes, in dat ole garment, jes' since it somepin out de house. Den de people all in de house - de man or de woman - well, yo' jes' take it an' bury it in de woods undah a ole rotten log.
(That is after you burn all that stuff?)
Yes, put it in that garment.