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.
Entry 69
I was a girl about seven years old and my mother had let me go to these people - their name was Kane - to rock the baby. And after this baby Went to sleep, her little sister and I went outdoors - it was in the summertime - to play. And the moon Was shining as bright as day. You could see from one end of the field and woods to the other. She [the other girl's mother] was in the kitchen making light bread. And all at once I look towards the barn and I said, "Oh, look Mary! What's coming?" And she turned around and looked and she said to me, 'Oh, Lucy! What is that?" I said, "I don't know." And at that time it was something looked like Jesus. He had a white robe throwed around Him and He wasn't touching the earth. He came from the sunrise and kept rising higher and higher and went to the sunset. Then we got frighten and run in the house and hollered. So the madam says, "What is the matter with you?" And we told her what we seen. And she said, "It is a story. You didn't see anything. It's just a lamp setting in the window." So next night we tried it again, and the next night we tried it again. And I have never seen it since.
Entry 1338
An' then, if you wan'a makes sores on a person - you wan'a know about that?
(Yes.)
Well now, if you wan'a make sores on a person fer jes' sass [perverseness], eat 'em up jes' like it do vitrine [vitriol], you know - eat choo up if they throw vitr'ol on you. Well now, you see these horses go up an' down the street? Well, you see them little black places on 'em? Those rough places?
(Those little knots like warts?)
Yeah. Dat's wha' choo call horse night-eyes. Now, I'll say fer a ninstance - now, if I wan'a hurt choo or harm you in any way, I cut dat out dat horse. Ain't gon'a hurt 'im, cut it out. An' then I take it an' rubs on your clothes, on your wearin' appureZ. See, rub it all on your collah [collar] - see, like this. An' then when I rub it on there, when you put them clothes on, that jes' continues to eat choo up - sores all over you.
Entry 3872
She was - yo' know, she'd git someone firs' to git somepin about 'im, some of 'is clothes, his garments, some of 'is undahgarments - yo' know, of de clothes. Yo' know, cut a piece of it an' git some of 'er frien's to git dat. She'd take it an' do what she wanted. [She'd] git some of 'er monthlies, yo' know, an' put on it. An' den she'd bury it undah- neat' de do'step or whutsomevah. An' well, den when he'd come in dere, he'd jis' be crazy about dat woman. He'll come right back jis' like dat.
Entry 4650
Take dat bow offen a man's hat an' wear it in yore garment, in de seam nex' tuh yuh in yore skirt.
Entry 4799
If she gone an' leave yuh, if she leave any she clothes in dere.lak a dress or petticoat, lak dat, jis' take an' ball it up, an' put it 'neat' [beneath] chure pillah. An' she will come back less dan three day's time, if she able to.
Entry 4871
Yuh kin take a piece of 'er garment dat she wears nex' tuh 'er an' bury it in de back yard an' she'll nevah leave. [Baltimore, Md., (148), 93:12.] [This is the fourth subsection of section SWEAT, one of the functions of the human physical body. As previously explained, clothing such as socks and stock- ings are placed here only because of the magic power of human perspiration.]
Entry 7085
Ah've heard of - if a woman got a husban' or a sweetheart an' he's wit chew at night, an' yo' wanted tuh go out an' he'd go tuh sleep, yo' kin take yo' garment, de piece yo' weah nex' tuh yo', an' hang it on de haid of de baid right ovah where he sleep at, an' he'll sleep right dere until yo' come back.
Entry 7110
Sho', jis' take yore shimmy whut chew weahs. When he drops tuh sleep, yo' in de bed wit 'im, pull off yore shimmy an' turn it on de wrong side, an' hang it, lay it right cross 'is haid. An' he won't wake up till yo' come an' take dat shimmy from off dere.
Entry 8765
(How did they do that?)
He went tuh a man [doctor or fortuneteller] and this man had taken a bran'-new tin plate, a common tin plate, an' he write on de back of dis tin plate in red- ink writing. Ah couldn't read de writin' but ah - when dey come - ah was livin' wit de people. Dis girl, she didn't leave de state, but she stayed aftah she left. An' he brought dis tin plate dere an' asked 'im to sign 'er name. An' he said he couldn't sign it [he could not write]. An' so, he got me to sign de girl's name at de bottom. An' he'd taken her coat - she had a little velvet coat - an' wrapped it up in dat an' put it in behin' de ceilin's in de wall. An' told 'im when she come back, tuh take it [coat] an' bring it back tuh 'im an' he [would put] 'em tuhgethah again. (And bring it back to him?) Bring it back tuh 'in. An' he tole 'im tuh go in dat room, yo' see, an' turn tuh de direction where she was, an' pray three times a day. An' said, dat inside of fo' days she would be back. An' she certainly was. (WILL YOU TELL ME THE STORY RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING. HOW IT ALL STARTED - THE WHOLE STORY, THE DETAILS.) Of dis? (Yes, the whole story. How it happened. About her leaving and that sort of thing. Tell all the story.) When she left, she didn't go tuh stay.
(She didn't go to stay?)
No, sir, she didn't go tuh leave, yo' know. At least, she didn't tell 'im she was. She had tole othah people when she left dat she wasn't comin' back.
(I see.)
An' so, her brother-in-law died an' dat's how she got away. She went tuh Louisiana.
(To Louisiana?)
Yeah. An' aftah she got over dere...
(Where was she living?)
She was livin' here in Vicksburg.
(Oh, I see. All right.)
Yes, sir. An' aftah she got ovah dere, she didn't come back an' she wrote, keep encouragin' 'im dat she would be back. An' so she wrote fo' 'im tuh send her things dere. An' he did do it. An' aftah he sent her things dere, she still didn't come back. An' so he went tuh dis man an' dis man tole him dat she wasn't thinking about comin' back.
(Did he go to a man here in town?)
Yes, sir. An' he told 'im dat she wasn't thinkin' about comin' back. An' so he told 'im dat he could brin g'er back fo' 'im. An' he went tuh 'im an' he come. Dis man come tuh 'is house an'
(YOU MEAN THIS "DOCTOR" CAME TO THIS MAN'S HOUSE?)
YES, SIR, CAME TO HIS HOUSE AN' HE BROUGHT DIS TIN PAN WIT 'IM, WIT DE WRITIN' ALREADY ON IT.
(Well, how Was it fixed up, this pan?)
De pan? Jes' a plain tin plate, yo' know pie plate, an' de writin' was on de back of it, jes' like, jes' like yo' would write a letter tuh somebody. But ah couldn't read it, but it was writin' jes' like yo' would write a lettah tuh somebody, an' at de bottom of it he wanted - somebody else had tuh sign 'er name.
(And how was it written, you said before? Written with what?)
With red ink.
(Red ink?)
Yes.
(Did it look like English writing or what?)
Yes.
(You really think it was Written in English, but you couldn't read it?)
No, sir.
[The words may have been written with English letters but meaningless.]
(I see. All right. And they [he] brought this pan back to the man's house?)
Yes.
(And then what happened?)
He took this pan and got one of her pieces, had tuh have somepin dat she wore, an' wrap dis pan up in it.
(But you signed that name though?)
Yes, sir, at de bottom, an' put it ovah behind de ceilin' of de wall.[ Vicks- burg, Miss., (775), 1066:3.]
Entry 11071
Dey say if a man's runnin' round - jest lak ah'm got a husband an mah husband would be runnin' with a other lady, an' ah want 'im to break off. Ah could take a garment dat he wear next to him. Let it be dirty, have his scent in it, an' sleep on it every night. Put it between mah sheet an' de mattress an' sleep on it every night, an' dat'll make him stay home. Ah have tried dat an' dat worked.
Entry 11091
To control person, take his garment, bury it in the middle of a three- pronged road. [Washington, no reference.] [The center of a three-pronged road is rarer than the center of a four-pronged crossroad, this latter with object in center creating a quincunx. I have sometimes called this three-pronged road a "Y" crossroad.]
Entry 11097
Man buries in back yard garment woman wears close to skin, she'll never leave. [Baltimore, no reference.]
Entry 866
I can tell you one thing they can do to hurt you. This is very true. I know a lady. She ministrated. A woman taken her clothes and carried it away and buried it in the cemetery. This woman began to get thin. She ministrated every day for about five years. An old woman came by one day traveling and told this woman - the cemetery wasn't far from the house - she told her exactly where this thing Was buried. She carried her out to this spot underneath a big oak tree. It was buried in brown paper. It looked like brown salve. And it had needles and pins - these great long horsepins - and a piece of rusty wire, and it had about six or seven strands of grey hair. And this was put into a little tin box [symbolic coffin]. The box was covered with a piece of someone's shirt or dress. It was buried under this tree. This old cunjure woman taken it up, she burned something and held it over it. She taken this woman down to the branch. She repeated something for her about three times. She let her drop something out of this tin box, each time she repeated these words, into the stream. She taken one of the old rocks which was near and held it on top of the can and bore nine holes in it, and put the rock in the can and dropped it in the stream. The woman now is living. She is not ministrating. She is about fifty-eight years old. [The created situation must have been frequent at one time, both in city and rural districts - see margin-title Doctor Plays Both Sides, p.257; especially story of Old Woman and Razor, No. 782, p.258.]
Entry 4300
She said she cut dis piece of 'is clothes, cut out a roun' plug. Ah reckon de plug mus' have been dat roun' [demonstrates], jis' 'bout de size of a dollah. Cut it outa de seat of 'is drawahs. She said she took it an' put it in a bag an' put some fish brine salt in dere wit it. An' she said, an' carried it on de no'theast cornah of 'er house an' dug de hole an' put it in dere. She said evah mawnin' befo' de sun rise she'll go roun' dere an' make watah on it. She done it fo' nine mawnin's, she said. An' dey say he left here an' nevah did come through here [Richmond] no more. [Richmond, Va., (340), 373: l, about 1929 in Richmond.]
Entry 4800
Ah heard dat chew could take de garment yuh wear nex' tuh yuh, have tuh be de one yuh wear nex' tuh yuh, an' bury it. Put nine pins in it an' bury it, an' dey say yuh won't live. Dat's whut ah heard.
Entry 4840
Take a piece of yore garment dat yuh wear nex' tuh de skin. All right, take a piece of yore undahshirt, place it wit dat piece of garment dat chew have. Yuh undahstan', fasten it [them] tuhgethah, so dat it will stay tuh- gethah - jis' stay tuhgethah. See, yuh an' 'er is man an' wife. Yuh all is supposed tuh stay tuhgethah. See, den keep dat secret. Don't let 'er know yuh got it, yuh undahstan'. Yuh see, don't let 'er know yuh got it, see. An' dat, yuh undahstan', will cuz 'er attention tuh turn tuh yuh.
Entry 4854
Aftah yuh wear yore garments, when dey git soiled, don't chew know, yuh put 'em off. A person kin take dem an' wash 'em. Dey've got yore odors. Dey take dat Water an' bury it right in front of de steps. An' dey will al- ways have yuh, yuh know, what chew might call footpath, lappy dog. Dey jis' walk in here lak [lappy dog] see. An' anythin' dey comman' yuh tuh do, yuh've got tuh do.
Entry 6041
Git a stran' of a woman's hair while she sleep, if yo' an' 'er are liv- in' disagreeable an' can't git along. Take hit an' wear it in yore right-han' pocket or put it in yore pocketbook. Yo' know dey keep dese little purses in yore pocketbook, an' keep dat in dere. An' dat will git her mind sort of waver- ed back [to you]. An' den if she do take a notion to go off, an' yo' kin githold of a piece of 'er garment dat she wear close by her skin, an' keep it to de head of yore bed, an' sleep wit it undah yore pillah, dat will bring 'er back.
Entry 7392
If a person git killed an' yo' want dis person tuh come back, dis per- son will have tuh fall on his face [see p.324lf. and elsewhere.] Den ah heard ag'in dat chew kin take de dead person's hat. Jes' lak yo' be killed an' somebody find de hat, turn it on de wrong side. Turn de right - no, turn de left-hand sleeve of dis person's garment - coat, shirt or undahshirt an' fold it. An' wherevah or who dis party wus whut killed dis per- son, if dey's away, dey gotta return ~ dey can't stay away.
(You turn this left sleeve of his coat inside out or roll it up?)
Roll it - jes' lak on de left now, ah'm usin' mah left hand. If yo' killed me or ah killed yo', well yo' want me tuh come an' ah'm gone. Well yo' jes' turn mah shirt, or eithah mah hat. Turns 'is hat on de wrongside an' turn de bow. Yo' know how dere be's a bow in dat hat. Well now, when yo' roll it, yo' have to roll it tuh yo' wit de bow comin' tuh yo', seams an' all jes' comin' on tuh yo'. He'll have tuh come back, he can't stay away.
Entry 7395
If a man murdah somebody an' git away from home, if yo' could git a piece of 'is garment an' twist - jis' lak yo'd git yore shirt, jis' git 'is shirt an' put sixteen knots in de tail of 'is shirt, an' dey say he couldn't stay 'way, no way tuh escape. He'd have tuh come back an' surrendah himself tuh de officahs.
(You get the shirt of the fellow who did the killing?)
Yessuh, jes' lak ah'd kill someone, yo'd git a garment dat ah been wearin' - jis' lak in a shirt or any of mah undahweah.
(That would bring you back.)
Entry 7405
Ah've hear'd dat if a man kills a man an' runs away or do somepin - misdemenah [misdemeanor] whatevah it done be - an' gits away. Well, an' dey Wants tuh do somepin tuh make 'im come back. Well, yo' go - yo' gotta have some kinda piece which dis man wo'. It don't make no diff'rence what - if it wus 'is coat or whut - but it must be some kinda piece which he has wo'. An' yo' takes it, see. An' yo' dresses it. Yo' dresses it wit three diff'ren' mixtures, an' yo' puts it in a place where it won't - no one partici- pates in [frequents or looks into], dat place, yo' see. An' aftah thirteen days dat individual [murderer] will show up on de scene dere. But yo' must take it an' yo' gits one of yuh, one of dese [ingredients] dat yo' dress it wit; dat ah've hear'd yo' dress it wit, is de left horn of a cow.
(The left horn?)
De left horn of a cow.
(The left horn of a cow.)
Yo' take dat an' in... [I interrupt].
(What do you do, take the whole horn?)
No, yo' jis' git some of dat. Yo' jis' take a knife an' jis' scrape, jis' scrape some of dat left horn of a cow. An' de nex' thing yo' git, yo' goes down tuh de graveyard an' yo' gits yuh some dirt - some soil. Den yo' go tuh de west enda [end of] dis individual house. Yo' mus' know where he lived at - where he lived at.
(What did you say now?)
Go tuh de west enda his house where he lived at, an' yo' dig up some soil an' yo' mix dat. Den yo' bring it back an' yo' goes an' yo' git a piece of 'is socks, an' yo' put dat in dere. An' yo' puts dis in a secret place where nobody lives an' yo' waits about thirteen or fourteen days. An' yo' go git it an' bring it out, an' sprinkle it down with salt an' watah. An' in a few days dat guy Sii show up on de scene. So ah heard.
Entry 10180
Some people say tuh weah a garment. Yuh piece nex' tuh yuh, pull it off an' turn it wrongside out [and wear it that way]. Dey do say dat will put 'em out.
(Put these candles out that they are burning for you.)
Entry 11388
Take a file an' place it undah yore [their] do'step, dat cause 'em tuh move. Git a piece of dere clothes, yo' know, a piece of cloth in dey garment. Prob'ly a person when dey washin' or sompin lak dat, not knowin' dat yo' have anything against 'em, cut a piece of dere garment off an' use it. Bury it undah yore [their] steps. Yo' have to do it at night quite natural.
(Whose steps do you bury it under?)
Undah dere steps. (If I wanted to harm you, I would get a piece of your garment and bury it under your step?) Yes.
Entry 12931
Well, you take a man dat - a person what wanna have you home all de time an' mix up, mix up [confused] from time to time dat - he would come in your home and he would git a piece of yore garment. Jes' like you got dat shirt [author's shirt brings a version of the shirttail rite to informant's mind]. If he [the man we started with] would see anything keerless around your home [soiled clothing], like you gotta hang yore shirt [but don't], some stuff around not put in de dirty bag. He [the man we began with will soon be changed to a woman because this is a shirttail rite] would take your shirt and carry it on home and take a small piece out de back, right under de back. [Here informant changes to a woman.] And a woman - most woman do it, no man. But most women do dat to keep up de home when she want dis man. See. She would take a small piece out of it and cut dat out dat shirt and slap dat [shirt]. [She] come on back and put dat shirt back where he is. And dat man would all de time be cross with his wife. [Woman cutting piece out of man's shirt is not his wife.] Nothin' she do could suit him.
Entry 1708
[Informant tells this story backwards - first part being "de ole folks would say," and second part his own experience. This sort of thing happened often (see No. 10, p.7). Sometimes the impersonal or anonymous part containing no essential information could be omitted. Here the first part has important details, which show what retelling a story does to it. The identity of Adam-and-Eve root is discussed in No. 1092, p.410.] De ole folks would say yo' would take a Adam-an'-Eve root - dat's whut ah understand yo' gotta have. Yo' take a Adam-an'-Eve root if he had a girl an' he want her. An' he would take that root - one is name Adam an' de flat one is name Eve, an' de roun' one is Adam. An' he would take that an' he would wear it on him fo' three mawnin's an' he go tuh runnin' watah. An' he would put Eve in runnin' watah an' put Adam in runnin' watah up above Eve. Den he gin tuh talk to it an' tell Adam whut he wants Eve tuh do. An' he would take that back out aftah he stays there three hours, an' he would take that an' get it back on his person, an' that would control her. [This is one of many, many love hands.] One time dere wus a fellah said his wife left home an' co'se he went to a fellah an' ah carried him to him, an' de fellah told him, says, "Well, yo' have to git some of her clothes dat she wearin' next to her body." So he went an' he got a piece of garment dat she wear next to her body, co'se he carried it right to him. An' he says, "Now," he says, "ah'm goin' tuh take dis heah an' ah wants a piece of yores. An' he tuk dat an' he tuk de Adam-an'-Eve root, an' den he Wrapped one up in Adam, [I mean] dat Eve in her garment. An' tuk his'n an' put dat in his garment.
(Put Adam in his garment.)
Put Adam in runnin' watah up above that, an' he put Eve down below that. An' he tole him tuh carry it tuh runnin' watah that would nevah go dry, an' tie a weight to it an' jes' let it stay there until it rots away, an' she would come an' nevah go away.
(Now, he put Adam in his garment.)
An' put Eve in her garment, an' put Adam in his garment an' put it up above dat, an' made his wishes.
(Where did he put the man's garment?)
[These tiresome repetitions when everything is quite clear often produce the added detail, as here; also show my deep concern - see Introduction.] Put de man garment up above in de runnin' watah, so it wus runnin' down on the othah, where he would control her. An' dat woman come back to him an' dey livin' together today. Dat's de facts."
Entry 4646
[There are many rites in which one or more substances must be new, or new and used only for that one particular time - not the same rite repeated. Any remainder of this substance must be discarded in one of various ways. At times a substance can be reusa- ble, but only in the same kind of rite; for example, Hearts Cologne, in the following rite:] Git dat bow out de back of 'is hat an' git chew some Heart Cologne. Dip dat bow in Heart Cologne an' yuh take dat bow an' yuh wear dat bow. An' as long as yuh wear dat bow evah wheresomevah yuh goin', put dat Hearts Cologne on it. But don't use dat fo' nuthin else but dat Heart Cologne. Don't use it fo' nuthin but dat pahticulah [particular] thing. An' even in usin' de salt [is some other rite].
(Where does the woman wear that bow?)
She kin eithah wear it - jis' lak she - on 'er bloomahs. Pin dat on 'er bloomahs so it will tetch down nex' tuh 'er private; see, wit a little small safety pin.
(That will keep him.)
Entry 4792
If dey leaves some urine an' a person garment, maybe take dere undah- weah lak dat. Takes dere urine, I don't know whethah dey had any certain amount. I don't know dat dey might have had, but ah heard 'em speak of needles an' pins lak dat. Stick it down in a bottle, or cram it down or anothah, or jar, somepin lak dat, or a glass, an' bury it. Said A PERSON'S ENTRAILS WOULD BECOME FULL OF HOLES
Entry 7403
Dey say now, if a man run off an' yo' want 'im back, ef yo' kin git his garment, whut he wear nearest tuh 'im, an' yo' kin cut de seam out undah heah an den dere, an' bury it wit some of 'is hair an' some of 'is ole shoe, bury eastward an' put one cornah westward, he'll come back. He'll come back, he can't stay [away] no mo'.
(Whom Would they do this for?)
Yo' do dat fo' de party dat dey want, jes' [like] ah killed somebody an' some- body come git chew do it fo' me, anybody. (Bring you back. You cut a piece under the left arm and from the seat of his pants [or] trousers [and] underwear.)