Subject:Glass
More specific topics
Entries
Entry 2085
On de order what chew call a little lucky glass - it's about dat long.
(Long as your finger.)
Yeah, wit a whole lotta little diff'rent shinin'-lookin' things in it - some of it look like gold, some look like silver, all diff'rent colors. De directions tells yo' how tuh use that - jest tote it in yore pocket. Well, when yo' go down dere to de job, jest put chure hands on it an' begin tuh talk to de bossman an' he'll hire yo'.
Entry 2814
Take dey photograph, lak a photograph pitchure [not a tintype], if yore ole man is away. Tuh bring him back, yo' git a black candle an' write his name on de black candle, an' put a glass of watah down 'side de candle. Light de candle an' den lay his pitchure 'side de candle, an' let de candle burn an' yo' make a wish. Dat's tuh git him back if he's gone, if yo' got his pit- chure.
Entry 2948
I've heard that you could take a glass and take a - if a person's burn- ing a black candle on you, you would take a glass and break the bottom out of it, and turn hit bottom upwards over a white candle and light it and sprinkle devil dust on that candle and let it burn. It'll worry that person just as much as it will you. (It won't put the other candle out though?) No, sir.
(But it will worry them. I see. You mean by devil dust that devil's snuff?)
Yes, sir. [Chances are that devil snuff comes not from devil's-snuffbox but from hoodoo store.]
Entry 3275
[Ah] broke up a man an' 'is wife.
(Tell me the whole story.)
How ah did it?
(Yes.)
Well, de reason ah'd taken a min' tuh do it, she messed wit a man of mine, an' 'er husban' wus away [in the army]. Durin' de time when dey got bonus [World War I] he come back. An' ah started goin' wit 'im. She start- ed runnin' roun' fo' tuh 'rest [arrest] me - put me in jail. Ah wus workin' fo' de law durin' de time [she was working in jail]. Well, ah jes' put in de ticket. Den aftah she made me pay a fine. An' ah would take 'im off an' ah would buy thin's fo' him. Ah would give 'im GON'A BLOW ON JUDGMENT DAY. Ah'd do anythin' in de worl' dat he'd ast me tuh do an' dat he didn't ast me tuh do. Well, ah jes' gained love wit 'im. Ah didn't stop 'im. Den ah told 'im to go tell 'er dat he didn't wanta take me up den, an' tell 'er dat he didn't wanta right befo' mah face. Well, he did. Dat was cold blood on gen'ral principles. Dat wus nuthin, jes' lak witchcraft fo' money. But dat wus jes' cold-blooded. But if ah hada done it [retaliated] ah woulda [here is what I could have done]: Ah'd have taken a string an' measured 'im an' tied nine knots in it an' wore it roun' mah waist an' he couldn'ta have nuthin to done wit 'er tuh save his life. He woulda had tuh go wit me. If ah couldn'ta got In gen'ral principles, ah knowed whut ah could git 'im wit. Why ah coulda took a snail - yo've seen dose snails. Yo' kin take a snail an' break de shell, break 'em in yore han', an' wipe de man down [wiping down is a magic rite] wit it an' he can't have nuthin tuh do wit nobody but chew. Yo' kin spit three times in a glass of watah an' give him tuh drink an' he can't have no love fo' nobody but chew. Dat'll break up a man an' a woman quick- ah den anythin'. WHY DESE WHITE PEOPLE WHUT RAISED ME, A WHITE WOMAN BROKE UP 'IM AN' 'IS WIFE DE SAME WAY. AH SAW WHEN SHE DID IT. SHE'D TAKEN DE DIRT OUT FROM UNDAH HUH FINGAHNAILS AN' SHE CUT 'EM.: SHE PUT IT IN DAT GLASS OF WATAH AN' SHE SPIT THREB TIMES IN IT, an' she carried it to Mr. H. D. [name in original mamuscript]. He wus in de bed sick down heah at OOO Teaboe [Thibault?] [address In origlnal manu- SCript]. SHE CARRIED IT TO HIM TO DRINK. HIS WIFE WUS SICK IN DE HOSPITAL, AN' WHEN 'IS WIFE COME OUT, HE DIDN'T PAY HER NO MO' 'TENTION DEN HE DID HE - AN' AH WUS A NIGGAH. He's wit dis woman in Miaml now - married. Daisy B. [last nane in original manuscript]. He sent 'er to de south. [Notice that informant of Georgia calls Miami de south.]
Entry 6494
Dat would make yo' painful. Yo' scrape dat off de bottom of a person's feet an' den put it in a glass - in a drinkin' glass. Jis' put it in a drinkin' glass an' put 17 drops of kerosene on it. Put 17 drops of kerosene on it, a pinch of sulphuh - jis' lak yo' put a pinch up lak dat, of sulphuh. An' git some borax - take a level teaspoonful of borax an' put in dere. An' jis' let it set up.
(Where?)
Jis' let it set somewhere in a dark place lak up in de loft of de house or in a closet where nobody nevah visit at. An' it will dry out de marrah in 'is arms.
Entry 6790
If a person bites yo' wit blue gums, yo' kin take a li'le of yore action, yore action an' put it on dere an' rub it in dere roun' good. (Rub it into the bite?) Yeah, an' go git chew some sulphuh an' burn it an' put it on dere, an' slip tuh 'is house. When yo' git dere, an' jis' lak yo' wanta a drink of watah, say, "Git me a glass of watah - git me some watah." An' carry a li'le dat burnt sulphuh wit chew an' - now, lak yo' wan' some watah. Rub it roun' intuh dat glass an' blow yore breath in it three times an' set it down nice, an' tell 'em tuh 'ave a drink of watah. He'll take a drink of watah an' he'll start tuh sufferin' wit de pyorrhea, los' [lostl de teeth outa his haid. (That burnt sulphur that you use in putting on your arm, that is out of the same batch of stuff?) Yes.
Entry 7259
Years ago my mother walked acrost the yard one time going to the well. A pain taken her in the foot. She was as well as she could be before. And she became sick. A white doctor 'tended [her] and she became nothing but skin and bones. We saw he couldn't do nothing so we got a cunjure, some lady. I don't know who she was. She came back [with us to our house] and said I was the only one to go and GET WATER FROM A HIDDEN PLACE. If somebody saw us going we had to change and go somewhere else. I was just a little girl. She came back [a second time] and brought something in a box - I had to rub [on] her [the mother] in a bath. No one could do anything for her but me: You're the only one to rub your mother, nobody else but you. You have to do all the cooking, everything she eats. No one else is to cook it. We [I] had to go some- where in the Woods and get HIDDEN WATER AFTER DARK.
[The mother's situation became worse.]
She was going [barefoot] acrost the floor one night and stepped on a splinter. [This of course was the work of an enemy.] In the meantime [before this] a [strange] man came in. [After he left] that kitchen sprung up. [The floor buck- led causing the splinter her mother stepped on.] I don't know what it was. Every time that spell would come upon her she would rage. One day [some years later] as I was going to work this woman [cun.iure] came around the [corner of the] house and we happen to meet at the same time. And she said, "You're hurt. All your misery is right there." And she put her hand on your [my] stomach. She said, "You're hurt with your hair and with your pic- chure." And I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to said a word to her. And she said, "Let me go in and I'll tell you." [I took her inside.] "Give me a glass of water." I gave a glassful. SHE SET IT ON THE FLOOR. "IF YOU'RE GOING TO GET WELL, I'LL SHOW YOU BY THIS WATER. THIS WATER WILL BOIL." We sat there and looked at the water. And the water boiled over the glass. IT WAS COLD WATER. And she said, "You're hurt." She said, "If you don't say anything about it when you feel better, you'll get well; but if you tell anybody, you'll die." And every time mama felt better and would say something about it, she'd get worse. Just a week before she died she up and got out of bed. She said, "You all think I'm going to get better but I'm going to die." That evening, Friday evening, she Was taken speechless and stopped talking. She called for fish and corn bread. I gave it to her. I was upstairs and I would hear a funny noise. I went down and called her. She said, "No, nothing is the matter with me. I'm just eating. That was just a little while before she stopped talking. She coml menced eating and stopped talking and couldn't say a word. She died that night.
Entry 7632
Yo' kin take de graveyard dirt an' boll it an' put it in a bottle dat kin broke easy. An' yo' an' a person come in contact, dey fixin' tuh fight [you], if yo' git a chance tuh break dat bottle ovah dere haid an' cut dem an' bring de blood out, why dey'll linger an' pine away an' die. (You do that if you think you are going to get into a fight, get into a fight with anyone?) Yes. See, see him comin', why crack dat bottle ovah his head an' bring a little bit of blood an' let de watah run down. [I suggest that the graveyard dirt is boiled to arouse the captured spirit of the graveyard dirt to fighting madness.]
Entry 7890
Take de graveyard dirt an' put it in a glass an' set it ovah dere man- telpiece fer seven days, an' aftah [that] yo' turn it undah de bottom of yo' steps see. An' dey says dey kin harm yo' lak dat.
(Well now who gets this graveyard dirt? The person that is trying to harmyou?)
Yes.
(All right, do I put the graveyard dirt on your mantle then?)
Dat's whut ah'm speaking about.
(And then put it under your step.)
Put it undah mah step.
(Well, you would see it on the mantle, wouldn't you?)
Sometimes yo' bury dat.
The informant describes graveyard dirt in a glass on a mantel for seven days, then beneath steps, and attributes harm to what people say. The interviewer supplies the proposed victim perspective in several questions; the informant also mentions burial. The bracketed time completion is editorial.
Entry 8196
If a person is away an' yo' wan' 'em back, yo' could take a photograph, no mattah whethah it's tin or pastebo'd. No mattah if it tin or papah, dey kin take dat an' put it on top of de dressah, what choo call de bu- reau. Git ready, yo' take dat. Take a pichure, male or female, an' yo' could take dat an' wrap it up. If a woman wan' tuh bring 'im back, take a piece of 'er clothes an' weah it nex tuh him. [Informant has right idea but may have had a drink.] An' he wrap dat pichure up an' turn it on de haid an' rip dat piece, yo' know whut ah mean, be- hind de glass [of the mirror] an' put it dere lak dat [demonstrates]. Ah don' [care] whäh he is, aftah nine days he'll come, or twelve days, soon as he kin git dere.
Entry 8197
Take yure pitchure an' put it in a looking glass [the carboard behind the small.hand mirror having been removed]. An' turn it [photo] upside down [against mercury backing of mirror, restoring card- board back] an' put it undahneat' [you] an' sleep on it or walk on it or put it somewhere somebody'll tread on it an' break de glass, an' yo' [person of photo] got tuh come back. Go tuh de do' an' burn some disinfect [disinfectant] an' make yure wish [wish] an' burn it in de house. Den go to de do' an' make yuh wush [again] an' come back. An' 'at [that] been done in Short[?] William Street alley [here in Richmond]. Den [another method] yo' put it [photo without mirror] undah- neat' de carpet or in a trunk upside down tuh draw yuh back. Well keep yuh on yure haid or yuh feet till yuh git back home. An' use dat powdah, insex, love insex [love incense] dey call it. Burn it on a stove.
Entry 8210
Now if a man's wife leave him, or 'is sweetheart leave him an' he can't git her back, he takes an' he git a piece of papah an' he write her name. Write his name first an' hers second an' he writes each name three times, an' den call 'er by name. An' he goes an' he git 'er photo an' he goes an' git a glass of cleah watah. An' take dat pichure an' turn it head foremos', turn it head down tuhwards dat watah, jis' don' let it tech de watah. An' in three days why she'll be back.
(What do you do with that paper?)
[A rite of diagnosis (see pp.165-217) follows:]
Take dat papah an' yo' drop it in de watah first, an' if she's comin' back, why dat papah will, when yo' drop it in dere, yo' know, it go tuh de bottom when yo' drop it. When - if she comin' back, it'll rise up tuh de top an' it rise up tuh tech dat pichure. In three days den she'll come back.
Entry 8300
Well, yore photograph, dey kin weah it in de hose tuh make yo' love 'em or eithah put it ovah a glass of watah, if yo' off from 'em an' draw yo' tuh 'em. (You just lay this photograph over the water?) Yes sir, turn it down ovah a glass of watah an' dat'll draw yo' tuh 'em.
Entry 8402
Well, dey kin run yuh crazy, or kill yuh, or make yuh git down sick, eithah.
(How do they do that?)
Dey take dat photograph an' git chew a saucah an' fill it about half full of vinegah, an' turn dat photograph down on de face in dat vinegah, an' take yo' a drinkin' glass an' set ovah it, an' let it set dere. An' when de vinegah eat all dat, yuh future [features] out of dat photograph, why yo' go crazy. Dey keep dat glass ovah it tuh keep de air from hittin' it. Yo' see, yo' can't let de air git in dere.
Entry 8407
Well a man tole me - lived right heah in town, supposed to be a expert root doctor - he tole me dey take yo' pichure an' put it in a glass of watah. Tip it up, wit chure face turned down. He claim dat it kill yuh in so Bany days, say it would surely kill yuh.
Entry 8412
Well, fo' instan' yo' could take, if dis photograph is on a tintype, if yo's off some place, say, "Now, dere's a gurl, ah want 'er back tuh me, she's gone." Or a man gone or a woman wanta bring 'im back. Yo' take an' put dat photo- graph on a glass of watah undah de haid of de baid an' set it, if it's on a tintype, an' set down undah dere, an' purtty soon he'll 'vance [advance] back.
Entry 8413
Jis' lak ah'd have a man's photograph an' wanted dat man an' he had quit me, say. Why ah kin take dat photograph an' carry it - take it an' put it in a glass of watah. Put it undah de haid of yore bed turnin' de haid down, intuh dat glass, an' dey say dat makes de man come back tuh yo'.
Entry 8414
Dey take yuh photograph an' turn it bottomsides upward over a glass of watah, an' tie it tuh de haid of yer baid. Turn yer haid downwards in de watah an' dat'll make a man love yuh.
Entry 8415
Take a glass of watah an' put it behin' de bed, an' turn de face down on de glass of watah - ovah de glass of watah. (This photograph?) Yes, dat will keep dem home, but ah don' know about runnin' 'em crazy. [Sumter, S. Car. (1353), 2363:4.]
Entry 8416
Well den, if he leave home lak dat, yo' kin take a glass of watah an' set it tuh de no'th side of yore bed lak dat, in a dark place an' put 'is photograph up ovah de watah, see. An' when dat photograph, dat pitchure change, lak dat 'is face be goin' off it, ah don' care where he is, well dat'll draw him back home, if he not daid some place.
(How do you put that photograph glass? Show me.)
See, jis' lak dis de glass of watah. Yo' put it on de no'th side of de bed lak dat, in de da'k right behin' dere. Well, yo' take dat pitchure an' put it ovah de glass of watah, see on top de glass of watah jis' lak dat, wit de face down tuh de watah.
Entry 8417
Or yo' kin take yore pichure - ah heah mah ole grandmothah talk about dat often. Yo' kin take a pichure an' put it ovah a glass of hot boilin' watah an' - in othah words yo' sterilize it - an' den yo' go crazy. Dere isn't anything yo' kin do fo' dat. Aftah yo' git dat pichure sterilized see, when dat pichure fades away, well dey say den yo' crazy. Yo' be upset an' yo' be wantin' tuh go places all de time.
Entry 8418
If ah want chew tuh come back tuh me, well ah would put it [photo] in a glass of watah an' set it in a cornah, in a dark cornah, an' let it stay down dere. Turn de haid, heel foremost Iturn head where heel should bel yo' know. So ah jis' let it stay in dat dark cornah an' yo' is comin' back home.
Entry 8420
Take yo' pichure now - if yo' had a fellah's pichure an' wanted tuh draw 'im back tuh yo', take dat pichure an' turn it down ovah a glass of watah. Put a lookin'-glass on top of it.
(You turn that face down over the glass of water.)
Face down. (Then you put a mirror over that? A mirror ovah it. Dat'll draw 'im back tuh yo'. Dat's all yo' have to do.
Entry 8421
An' ah hearn dat chew kin take one [photograph] - jes' lak somebody's Way off at somewhere in a furrinah [foreign] country or sompin an' yo' want 'em tuh come back - take it an' turn it down on a glass of watah, an' push it undah a bed an' let it stay nine days, an' in de tenth day dat person will come. Ah've seen dat happen.
Entry 8422
Yo' kin take a person's pichure an' set it in a glass of watah an' put it in a washstand right facin'. An' set de pichure down in de cornah of it. [Set corner of picture cater- cornahed in glass of water.] Don't kear [care] how long dey been gone, if yo' way in New Yawk somewheres, yo' mind will fall on de people whut's back heah an' dey'll [you'll] come. (You put this glass of water on the dresser. Where do you put this picture now?) Put it in dere [glass] katyfied [catercornered]. Put de cornah of it [photo] kinda lak dis.
(What we call cater-cornered. Do you put it in the glass of water?)
An' set it right in de face of de washstan' drawah, an' let it set dere fo' nine mawnin's. An' dem folks will come in less time den two weeks.
(Do you put this picture in the glass of water or behind it?)
Set it [photo] down in it [glass]. Let one cornah [of photo] be in de glass of watah, an' dat pichure will fade away, but hit'll come back. (You put that glass in that drawer and close that drawer so as to hold the photograph?) Yes sir.
Entry 8423
Yo' take de man pitchure, if yo' wan'a draw 'im back, an' put it on a glass of watah, face tuh de watah, ovah top'a de watah an' put a heavy weight on, an' let it stay dere fah nine days, an' he'll come back.
Entry 8424
If yo' wan' tuh make a boy love yuh, yo' take a glass of watah, a glass dat choo're not gon'a evah use ag'in, an' turn dat pitchure down ovah dat glass an' put nine drops of Hearts Cologne or Blue Moon perfume, eithah one is jis' as good, in dat glass of watah. An' let dat pitchure stay ovah dat glass of watah until yo' see some results of dat boy comin' towards yuh. If de boy has turn ag'in [against] sho [you] all tuhgethah an' yo' kin git 'is pit- chure, why dat'll bring 'im back. Put de glass under de haid of yuh bed.
Entry 8425
Dey say dey kin take yuh photergraph an' turn it ovah a glass of watah intuh a dahk place. Put it in a dahk cornah, an' turn yuh photergraph de haid up tuh dis watah. An' put some spice an' cloves in it, an' let sit dey [there] fo' nine mawnin's. Well dey say, well, if's anybody leaves yuh, anybody da'choo [that you] want, dey say he'll come back tuh yuh.
Entry 8426
Ah take de photograph an' put it ovah a tumblah of.watah an' set it undah de edge of mah bed, de watah an' de pichure undah de bed. "In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, ah want chew tuh love me."
(You - how often do you do that?)
Fo' nine nights.
(You say that once for nine nights?)
Yes sir.
Entry 8431
De reason ah know dat, a woman, she tell me dis. Her husban' went away an' leave her an' she want 'im tuh come back home. An' she had a pichure of his'n an' she take a glass of watah an' set it in a dark corner in de house an' turn de pichure down ovah it an' call his name. An' when dem nine mawnin's wuz up, he came home. (Did she just call his name once?) Three times. (How did she call his name?) She call his name three time. (Just that one time when she put that picture over there?) When she put dat watah, de glass of watah in a dark cornah, turn de pichure down ovah it an' she call 'is name three times.
Entry 8471
( Get a person's photograph. Yo' kin take that an' use the best of whis- key an' put it in a dark closet. An' yo' kin take their photograph an' turn it bottom upwards. Well, they won't be satisfied till they see the person according tuh the wishes yo'd make. If yo'd wish fer them to stay away, they'll stay; if yo' wish fer 'em tuh come tuh yuh, they'll come.
(What do you do with that whiskey?)
Yo' takes the whiskey an' puts in a glass. Yo' turns the photo bottom upwards over the glass.
(The photo doesn't touch the whiskey at all?)
No.
(I see, it just sets over the glass of whiskey.)
But yo' is standing on your head.
Entry 8475
Say yo' takes 'er pichure. Yo' goes an' git a gun an' regardless tuh who she is or how much money she got, if yo' loved 'er, git 'er photograph an' turns 'er photograph on de desk, layin' de photograph an' call 'it 'er pichure, an' mark it wit a "X' - a cross, 'X'. Take an' folds it up in a piece of news- pahah an' put it in yore shoes. Hoids up de linin' of yore shoes an' put it in dere, an' turns de haid of 'er pichure down tuh de ground an' tuhward de back of yore heel. Weah it three days an' take it an' delivah it out. An' pertends [pretends] yo' drinkin' whiskey, two glasses. Drink yores an' name hers wit de pichure ovah it. An' let it stay dere fo' three days an' she'll return tuh yo'.
(After you wear this in your shoe, you take it, the third day, and then you?)
Put it in two drinks of likkah, put it in two separate glasses. Fulls [fill] de glasses up each, an' drink one. An' put de othah one back an' name it wit de pichure in it, ovah de glass wit de face down tuh whiskey.
Entry 8545
Like if I love anybody, I'd take his name and write it and put it in a glass of clear watah. Well ah don't eat anything all day long, just fastin' an' just prayin'. Pray to de Lord that he'll come back tuh me. (That's all you have to do?) That's all I ever heard them doin'. An' I've known girls that do so an' I knowed de boy come back. (Just his name on this piece of paper in a glass of water and then you fast and pray all day long.
Entry 8779
Jis' lak if yer girl is away an' she's in de same town yo're in; but if she's outa de town, why ah don't know way [whether] it'll work or not. But yuh kin jis' take a glass of watah. Yo' puts de glass full of watah, jis' as full as yuh kin tote [carry] it, an' set it undah de baid, middle-way de baid, in de centah of de baid, an' call 'uh [her] name three times; an' in three days dey'll be dey [there].
Entry 8845
Yo' kin take nine nails every - [on the] night dat chew write dis let- tah, an' yo' take nine nails an' lay 'em in a glass crossways wit watah [lay them crossways in a glass of water] an' put some dirt [identified later] in de bottom of de glass an' sprinkle a little bit of dirt in de powdahs [identified later] in de envelope, an' dey say dat'll bring 'em back. Bring 'em back an' dey'll stay wit chew long as yo' keep it up.
(What sort of dirt do you use?)
It's graveyard dirt.
(What kind of powders do you use?)
It's some Lucky Heart Powdahs. [Lucky Heart is name of firm selling the powders - see interview AGENT FOR CURIOS (Jacksonville, Fla.) pp.1075-1085, first few paragraphs of text.] (You send the letter after you put these nails in the glass of water. You put this graveyard dirt in the water and this lucky powder. Then put this letter in the water, too?) No, yo' sprinkle some in de lettah, if yo' goin' send it tuh anybody.
(What do you put in the letter, just put dust?)
Yessuh. (If you write a letter to somebody, you put [in it] this graveyard dirt and this lucky powder. What do you do with these nails in the water? What do you do that for?) Dey say de nail keep dere till dey git dere or somepin lak dat, ah hear'd de ole people say.
(You keep these nails in the water.)
Until dey git de lettah, yeah, an' dey'll come. (They'll come back. But all you do is just put the nails in the water, nothing else?) De nail an' dat dirt.
(The dirt and the powder. Then you don't put anything in the letter?)
Yes sir, see yo' puts dat powdah an' a li'le dat dirt, an' call dere name.
(You put some of that dirt and powder into the water and also the letter?)
Yeah, an' call dere name.
Entry 8851
Prob'ly yo' might write tuh somebody an' dey dislike yo'. Well, ah heard dat dey could take yore hand[writing] wit dis lettah dat chew sent dem. An' take a piece of cotton an' put a little sul- phuh or a little cayenne peppah on it an' hold it out in de sun. An' take a magnifying glass an' hold it up ovah it until all de words on dis lettah is burnt off - jes' burn it all de way round it, burn it off. Dey say yo' will git misfigured in yore hands some kind of way.
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 8980
Now if yo' go before de iudge, de judge goin' to discharge yo', ac- cording to what kind of case, yo' know, yo'll have. Well, if yo' got people against yo', yo' know, an' yo' don't want to have dem part of de jury. Yo' going before de judge, like if it's a criminal case, yo' know, yo' got to have de jury. Yo' see, dey have [a panel of] 75 jurors [to select jurors from]. Well, yo' don't know what people [will be on the jury]. They don't pick out but twelve. Now, yo' don't know what twelve dey going to pick out. Dat makes yo' gotta use de whole panel. Yo' see, ah [in my work] done use 'em all.[ Well, now, de person - what jurors is against yo'. Yo' go an' get yo' a beef tongue, a fresh beef tongue. Pay odd money fo' it, not even money - 25 or 35 cents or somepin like dat. Let de money be odd money. An' yo' go an' take dat tongue an' yo' get these peoples names what is against yo', what done harm yo', don't yo' see or what yo' done harm. Yo'll take dat tongue, yo'll write de names on a piece of papah, an' yo'll write all dem jurymen's names, de dis- trict attorney.
(The whole 75 of those names?)
Yeah, just put de whole 75. Yo' have to use de 75, because outa dem yo' get twelve.
(I see. All right.)
Now, yo' get de district attorney what is de man to prosecute yo'. Yo'll get his name an' put it on dere, but not de judge in dat part. An' yo'll -git yo' dat tongue. Yo' get yo' nine needles an' nine pins. Yo'll get yo' dese people names an' yo'll put down on dere an' yo'll put dat down in de throat of dat tongue. Yo'll take dat tongue an' yo'll hang it up in de chimney. An' den aftah dat, yo'll take an' git yo' some watah an' yo'll get yo' some peppah. Yo' git yo some coarse snuff an' yo'll burn a - light a candle.
(Coarse snuff?)
Coarse snuff, dat coarse snuff; not dat in a box. An' yo'll light dat candle an' yo'll put it.in dere. Now, yo' want to come clear an' yo' want de judge to be lenient wit yo', so yo' take de judge's name. An' yo'll take de judge ame, den yo'll git yo' a block of ice, 'bout fifty pounds of ice. Yo' put it in a little pail an' yo'll sweeten it. Den yo'll light de candle, but yo'll light it straight up [the candle will be standing upl. An' den yo' see, sweeten de judge. But this othah part what yo' do, yo' take an' yo' put de candle - yo' turn 'em upside down, yo' get dat coarse snuff an' all dat, an' put in dere. Well dat make de district attorney be fightin' against dem. An' de people, what he got fo' witness, goin' to speak against yo'. Anything dey drink, perhaps dey drink whiskey. Some might drink gin or somepin like dat. Well yo'll get dat [liquor] an' yo' put dere name an' set yo' a little glass. An' put dat candle on dat [name and liquor in the glass] an' ah'll guarantee every one of 'em will go to court drunk. An' yo'll come out clear 'cause dey'll be drunk. Dey won't know what they're sayin'. They'll be lying backwards and forwards.
(What'll that ice do?)
Well, yo' see, de ice, dat's to cool, dat's fo' yore part. De ice makes yo' cool. Yo' know ice makes yo' cool. [Usually ice freezes apponent's tongue.] Well, de judge won't be fiery wit yo'. See, he'll be cool an' calm. But on dis othah side, yo' get dat snuff an' yo' put dem names in dere an' yo' get dat beef tongue. Yo' put dem things in dere an' shove dat tongue, all down in de throat, an' just hang dat tongue up an' den yo'll see. Yo'll see an' dey'll be lyin' an' dey'll be drunk. Just what dey drink, yo' set dat candle in dere [in the glass]. An' dey'll be lyin' an' dey won't say a thing against yo'. What color...just what candles you select. Don't try de black candles.
(Anything but black?)
But black candles.
(How many do you burn?)
Yo' burn - see, if dere's five people, yo' put five candles. An' if it's three, yo' put three; just accordin' to how many is against yo', yo' put dem many candles. An' den what they drink, yo' get a little glass, just what fit de candle an' put dat [liquor] in dere, an' ah'll guarantee yo' every one will be drunk.
Entry 9235
Wal, yo' take de eggs from a chicken an' yo' take de shell an' yo' grind 'em up, jes' mash 'em up real fine. An' yo' take dose shell - eggs out dem shells an' yo' put 'em intuh a glass of watah an' let 'em set fo' nine days. An' den yo' take dat glass of watah an' yo' strain it out until it come tuh be perfect cleah, an' den yo' give dat to anyone. Jes' lak someone come tuh yore house an' want a drink of watah, yo' take some of dat watah an' po' in anothah glass, an' put some mo' watah intuh it an' give it tuh dem tuh drink. Dey'll certainly love yo'.
Entry 9339
Yo' kin take a aig an' yo' kin do dis, if yo' have a husban' or any niggah man dat chew want money outa 'im. [My transcriber, Miss Hayes (her work- ing name, actually a married woman with young school children) put a question mark over the word niggah, being surprised that one black person would call an- other black, niggah. The word niggah probably appears about 3 times in Hoodoo.] Yo' git chew a hen aig. Some says dat, but de' way ah know of it, yo' takes a hen aig if yo' husban' uh [or] man is colahed, an' git chew yo' two switches an' yo' git dis aig. Some say dat chew...but dis de way ah knows. Yo' take dis aig an' yo' care [carry] it tuh de house an' yo' set it up tuh de side of it. Git chew a glass-a watah an' hold de egg ovah de glass wit' watah in de glass. Yo' pop dat egg an' let jis' de white run intuh dat watah an' dat egg [white] will show [di- vine by initial or other form] whoevah been givin' yo' trouble wit dat man. She'll come down [come round] jis' lak she mah friend. Dey'll sprung up, de switches [as soon as informant sees in the egg white the woman causing trouble and pretending to be a friend, the use of the following switches springs up in her mind.] Den yo' go an' take dem switches, two perslmmon switches, an' put 'em in yore baid where he's gotta go tuh baid at. Put yo' one undah de steps where he's comin' in. Put chew one, jis' [lay] it down across lak dat [demonstrates].
(Put it across that door.)
Yes, he comin' right in de do' an' de othah two is in de baid. Well, he'll git in dat bed an' start tuh talk wit chah an' he's goin' step on dere, dat one comin' in de do'. An' when he goes tuh baid, yo' an' 'im will lay down right on dat switch [2 switches] dere. Well, ef he got any money, ah assure yuh, he'll han' yo' evahthin'. He goin' pay yo' what money he got.
(How many of these switches do you git?)
Git two fer de baid an' one fer de do'.
(That is all you have to do and he will give you all his money?)
Yes, sir, an' he'll give it tuh yo', too.
Entry 10100
Now, dis is not mah personal experience. Dey take a black cat down by a stream of runnin' watah an' a pot, piece of glass an' so forth. An' put de cat in dis pot full of watah. Aftah yo' build a fire an' de watah begin gittin' warm, put dis cat in dere an' have a top on it. Now, yo' must hol' dis cat in a certain way an' slip 'im in dis pot, an' git dat lid down befo he hollahs as yo' do dat. An' den let 'im boil den until he's thoroughly [done] an' de meat absolutely floatin' aroun' in de pot. Den yo' take dat glass an' look through it [it is a piece of glass and not a mirror] an' jis' take up each bone in dere an' bite it. Bite de meat offa it umntil yo' come tuh de right bone. An' yo' git dat bone an' de glass will dis- appeah from befo' yuh. Then yo' take...
(Then you get the right bone. How do you know it's the right bone?)
Well, at de disappearance of de glass. Den yo' take dat bone an' do certain articles wit it. Ah don' know jis' zac'ly what dat is. An' it will enable yo' tuh become in de knowledge of how tuh slip out of dere hide. [I turn off machine too soon.]
(Whom do you say does this? Do the witches do this?)
Yes, den dey become de witch when dey become so dat dey kin slip outa dere hide. An' yo' can't ketch 'em. Yo' know what ah mean.
(You can catch them?)
Yo' know what ah mean. Lak if he'd kill somebody out dere. He come in de store an' steal somepin or othah lak dat. Yo' can't run 'im down an' ketch 'im. So law kin ketch 'im. If dey ketch 'im an' put 'im in jail - dey locks 'im up in dere - an' den walk down de street an' he's standin' aside of 'im pattin' 'im an de shouldah. Walk along an' say "Hello' all dose kinda things. Now dat's vbat chew call tuh mah knowledge witchcraft.
Entry 10157
You take the photograph and you take a new glass of water [new glass fllled with water] and a new saucer, white saucer, and you take the photograph yoa turn it upside down on top of [against] the glass of water. You take a F] red candle and you light it and write [on new paper] his name nine times demeath and write yours nine times on top, and you burn that [candle] three das a day. (What'll that do?) That is to bring him back, bring him to you. (Now I place the glass of water and this photograph I turn it upside down?) You hand [lean] it up with the feet up [head down] and the glass of water in the center of the photograph [photo centered against glass] and the name underneath it and the candle right in front of it. The name is under the glass. You write the name nine times on a piece of parchment paper, and nine times write yours on top. See, you always got yours on top and you got him underneath you. And put the paper under the saucer, and the water in the glass, and the picture upside down. And you burn that candle three times a day - a red candle. You burn it at six in the morn- ing, at twelve o'clock [noon], six in the evening; only three times a day.
Entry 10176
A bird's nest - a person can take some of your hair and put it in that bird's nest, you see. And take some of that bird's feathers and put that in there and then take your hair and put it in there. And then every, every morn- ing they take and set a light [candle] right in there [the nest] but not burn the nest. Just take that light and set that light in there [in a drinking glass]. And if they want to do you harm, get you some coarse snuff [often leaf of dried tobacco rubbed in hands] some hot pepper [sauce] and put it in there. And burn a light on it for nine mornings - you see, one hour for [each] nine days.
Entry 10194
[Informant has a good rite here but fails to explain it.]
Write that name down and put a glass of water - write that name down over a glass of water nine times. Then put that glass of water before dat, put the... Now, I take and I put that glass of water there over that paper and take three swallows out of that glass of water nine mornings [see correction lat- er.] (Drink that water for nine morn- ings.) For nine mornings take three swal- lows out of that glass of water - I mean for three mornings. You take nine swallows out of that glass three mornings. Do that for three mornings. Den after you do dat for three mornings, get you a blue candle and let it burn right over dat man name. Don't you worry about him.
(After you burn that candle over his name.)
[I am merely making a comment to myself.]
What?
(I say, all right, go ahead.)
Well, you just - like I explain. Like you burning that candle over his name, perhaps you don't want the man - you don't wanta see him. You drink three swal- lows of water out of there for three days!!! That keep him away. See you drink three swallows each three time a day, twice in the day, and three [the third] at night. That'll be nine swallows. You take those glasses of water. Then you... see, like you agreein' with him, see you drinkin' with him. Then, you put your candle there and let it burn. Set that candle there and let it burn there.
(What will that do then?)
Well, he can't come there.
(The law can't come there?)
Yes.
(You write the policeman's name down on that piece of paper.)
Shore. (Well, how do you burn that candle? Do you put the candle down in the glass to burn?)
[The shaky answer is according to my following comment.]
(You take the glass away and put the candle on the name?)
That's what you do.
(Long as that candle burns, it keeps him away?)
Shoh, he keeps away, too.
Entry 10493
"Glass of water under the bed keeps hag away" [Wilmington, (254), 174:3+85].
Entry 11146
Go tuh de fo'ks of de road, fo' [to make] a man tuh go in a diff'- ren' d'rection. Take a lookin'glass an' dey beat dat up right fine, an' if he's goin' tuh de fo'k of de road, yo' take dat an' jes' throw it in de fo'k of de road 'bout sunset - 'tween dak [dark] an' sunset, an' he won' go dat way no mo'. He'll turn roun' an' go back. Yo' do dat tuh stop him from goin' dat way. He won' go dat way no mo'. He tu'n [turn] his back.
(If he's running away after some other women or something?)
Yes.
Entry 11720
She [hoodoo woman] tell me, if you wan'a make a man an' a girl break up, jis beat up some glass right fine an' put it in a bottle with a little whis- key on it. Drain it [the glass] off of dat whiskey - strain it [the glass] off [of the whiskey], you know. An' when yo's having a party or somepin, jes' slip dat [strained whiskey] into de drink dat you gon'a give dis person. [The person who drinks this strained whiskey will have in him or her a part of the spirit of the broken glass, because spirits share a weakness for whiskey and PART OF THE SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE OF SPIRIT, No.24, p.21, v.1. Even so the rite is dangerous.]
Entry 12995
Take a silver dime. Yo' [a woman] git a silver dime from him an' yo' take dat silver dime an' yo' put it in a glass an' put two teaspoonfuls of sugah on dat dime an' set it back in a corner. If he makes any money he'll bring it. He'll bring it to yo'.
Entry 13431
Jes' lak yo' may have people in New York or othah foreign distance place, an' yo' want 'em tuh come home or yo' want tuh see 'em. Yo' take a clean watah glass an' yo' full dat glass wit watah an' yo' take dat, glass right be- hin' de lamp - see. Dat lamp should be shaded very plain - no flowah or nuthin', jes' a plain white shade, yo' know, a plain glass. Jes' have it clean. Yo' know, sterilize it so yo' kin see through it. An' have dat glass full of watah, an' yore lamp shade is clean so yo' kin see through dat. Den yo' take a lookin' glass an' put behin' dat watah, understan'. An' yo' jes' always say, "Come home." Call dem by dere name, 'Come home, come home. Ah vants tuh see yo', ah wants tuh see yo'." An' dey'll appeah right in dat watah behin' dat lookin' glass. Ah'm tellin' yo' dem things, ah've done it mahself.
(The lamp is lighted?)
Yessuh, gotta be light. An' do it midnight in de night.
Entry 3271
Well, when a man is runnin' aroun', yo' ask 'im fo' a silvah dime. He [does not] give yo' a silvah dime an' he gives yo' two nickels. Well, yo' know, [say], "oh! honey, ah don't want dis becuz ah don't want it aroun'." Or somepin lak dat. Give him some kinda story in ordah to git a silvah dime from 'im. Well, yo' takes a dime of yore own, go to de drug store or any store dat sells Hearts Cologne an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne. Git chew a piece of white cotton, jes' enough to covah a dime. Den go wash out a jar, yo' know, a vaseline jar dat's large enough. Whenevah at night de man have intahco'se wit de woman, well he kin take [the cloth], or she rathah - it [cloth] be [at] de woman's side. Most mens take first but in [this case] a woman must take first. She takes dis cotton an' jes gits - jes' sodge [massage] it in dat, see. Fold it ovah dis dime an' drops it in de bottom of dis little glass jar. Den po's de Hearts Cologne ovah it [cloth] an' tighten it [jar] up tight, an' den set inside in de clothet. Or if a man, he kin do lak dat. He kin keep it in 'is pocket jes' in ordah where nobody won't see where - where she won't see it. Dat will keep 'im where he won't go out any mo'.
(How many dimes do you use, just the one or two?)
Jes' one, but when yo' see it's dryin' out, why yo' jes' renew it wit Hearts Cologne, dat's all. Den jes' massage it ovah ag'in an' use de Hearts Cologne.
predicted keeping a partner from going out after a concealed preparation. No verified control These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 2376) · Read full source (printed page 2377)
Entry 42
Yo' mean gains influence wit anybody? Well, yo' could take an' wash yore hands [and] yo' could put it in whiskey or put it in water - or blow yore breath in a glass three times an' give them that glass to drink water out of; jest blow yore breath in that glass three times an' talk to dem.
(What will that do then?)
Gains influence -.dey'd have mo' care tuhwards yo', they'd do anything yo' say do. They couldn't he'p deyself.
Entry 11283
Now, I was in Beaufort, South Carolina [pronounce Bū'fert, but for Beaufort, North Carolina pronounce Bo'fort] where de real herbsman is. Dat's where I leanred it [from the] leading herbsman [he means Doctor Buzzard] of the country [lived]... [later I asked about any initiation ceremony]: (When Doctor Buzzard taught people, did he initiate them in any way?) Oh, yes. (Did he have some sort of initiation when they became doctors? Or something of that sort? Some sort of a ceremony or something of that sort? What did he do to make a person a root doctor?) You don't supposed to give them initiation signs away, but ah kin show you.
(Well, suppose you show it to me. If you can't give it away, show it to me.)
[Informant gives a worthless demonstration, faintly whispering while I coml ment:] (put two hands back of your neck. Wash your hands in the wine, in the water, and then stand back to back. Turn back, glass over hand. What kind of glass? Mirror? Spyglass? Just pick a glass. And take and spell root, spell it three times. What do you mean by getting black?) The hands will turn dark. The inside of your hands, after he has examined them. (After he examines you in your work, the hands will turn dark, if they are or if you are not pure.) He's got a glass that he hold up like that, see. Big old glass. Then you go to the mirror. You put that stuff in your hands.
[Informant is demonstrating.]
(You put your hands against the mirror, one, two, three times.)
If that hand turn black, why you are no good! [You will never be a root doctor.] (Well, now, do you mean that if you should meet somebody in a different city, that you'd have any password so you could identify each other or something of that sort, or do you know each other?) No, ah got something to tell you. Every herb doctor knows dere but one special one any part de city dey go. Give me de book and I'll tell you that.
[Is he asking for my Numbers Book so that he can write it down?]
(When you meet this fellow, what do you say to him?)
Them same words.
[Informant makes some noises!]
(Momentary Rrr? Momentary Ah, ah.)
An' you say this to me.
[He says something I repeat.]
(I N T E. Then he knows you are a root doctor?)
Oh, yes. Suppose dey [a doctor] come in here to you, jes' say momentary, "Ah-ah, " and he tell you, "I love P. D."
Entry 299
After you play de moosic a certain lenck of time [at the fork of the road], all de rest of spirits gon'a leave but dey gon'a leave dis spirit standin' dere. Dis de spirit da' choo want to git chore gif' from. An' den yo' ask 'im an' den he'll tell you, whut to do an' how to do it. It jis' de same as usin' a black cat bone an' ev'rything like dat. Now, de black cat bone is used at de same fork of de road. Gi' choo a black cat roun' about de ahur [hour] of twelve o'clock at night. You go out dere [to the fork of the road] an' you boil 'im out dere. You take a lookin' glass out dere wit cheh. Put it in fron' chore face like dis. Do [though] when you put dat cat in dat boilin' water, you gon'a be worried wit a-many pains, becah' zhoo got'a put 'im in dere live - you can't kill 'im an' put 'im dere, you got'a put 'im in dere live. An' you take dat cat out when de meat all boil off de bones. Now, dis is hoodooism, too. You kin git anything you want any ahur [of the] day, go in any place. You take dat glass, you hold it like dis at twelve o'clock at night, an' if it dark an' rainy would be de best. You go out dere, you pass ev'ry one dem bone crost yore mouf. You see, ain't gon'a be no meat on 'em. De meat is gon'a be boiled off de bone, but it gon'a be a hot bone. Take an' cross 'em out of yore lips. An' de bone tha' choo gon'a git, it gon'a have three forks [prongs] to it - two long forks an' a little small fork [a devil's trident?]. You pass em all aroun' in yer mouf. Well, if you didn't know dis bone, you might have to pass - dat might be de las' one you git to, cah' zhoo don't know which bone it is. But choo jis' gon'a pass till you git to de bone. When yo' git to dat bone, yore pitchure disappear from dis glass. You see, dat wha' choo call de disappearin' bone. You kin walk in a place - when you walk in a place you use dat bone in yore mouf [demonstrates].
(Hold it in your mouth like that.)
Dat make de people can't see you - you disappear. Dey may hear 'em walkin', but dey think it a cat or somepin. You understand, dey can't see you as long as you got dat bone in yore mouf. Well, dat bone don't 'pose to be used - when you gon'a go in a place - in yer pocket; it suppose to be used in your mouf. Jis' [like] you goin' into a bank or somepin to rob it; well, when you git to de doar, jis' befo' you git to de doah, put chore bone in yore mouf. By de time you git in de doar you be done disappear. You be in de bank but nobody kin see you. Well, dat used [the way you did it] at de fork of de road, bu' choo got'a talk to dis spirit when you pass dem bone across yer mouf [at the fork of the road]. Why dey gon'a be spirits all dere, out dere. Some have maybe eye like a ball of fiah; some make fiah come out dey nose. You see, some people can't stand it. It's jis' natchral somepin joo got'a go through wit to git de gif'. An' dis spirit will coumand you to go to do whatso- mever you wanta do. You see, dis is a evil spirit - he died in a evil way. You see, dey got a good spirit but de most of de people dese days dey lookin' fah somepin evil - dey not lookin' fah de good. You got to dress that bone.
(Well, why do you dress that bone?)
To be sure dat it will work. You take it to a hoodooism, an' dey'll take dat bone an' dey'll polish it. You see, dey'll polish it jis' like a lookin' glass. Now, here's a way for when you first git it. But it not 'posed to be finished. You have to take it to a hoodooism to git it finished. Now, dey take it an' dey call dat poZishin' it. Dey'll take an' dey'll have it jis' like a lookin' glass. An' den dey'll dress it. You see, in dressing it, dey'll put it down wit somepin else in it about ten or fifteen day. An' dey'll soak in dis an' dey soak it in somepin else, an' dey'll soak it in somepin else [soak it in three things]. Well dat'll cos' zhoo money to git dat done, but you wouldn't min' payin' money to git somepin done you gon'a live off of. See. An' dey will take dat bone an' dey'll dress dat bone. An' when dey give you dat bone back, dey'll let you try it. You see, dat whut dey [call] test it. If you wouldn't go give it test an' put it in yore mouf - you'd want somepin to guarantee it. Maybe, before you put de bone in yore mouf - well, you say, "How many years you goin' to guarantee it?" Now, in dis room dey gon'a have you in, it gon'a be glass all roun' you, all aroun' you. Dey put choo in a room where dere's nothin' but glass. An' den you put dat bone in yore mouf an' you look - you can't see yoreself. An' whosomever be in dere wit you, dey can't see you. Well, dey tell you to take de bone out chore mouf. You have to take de bone out chore mouf yoreself. You see, still alive in yore natchral use. You kin be in dere usin' yore arms, you see, but de other feller can't see you. Yore [you are] de same as a person dat 'vaporated away: Now, ain't many people use black cat bones becuz dey don't wanta go through - see, you have to sell yoreself to de devil. Any hoodooism is sold to de devil. You got to go dere twelve o'clock at night. A rainy night de best becuz de evil spirits walks more. When it lightnings an' thunders spirits travel more dan dey do any other night. But any ahur of night at twelve o'clock de evil spirits out.
Entry 1362
You put dis dime and den if you use de same root what I tell you about.
(John the Conquer?)
Yes - John de Conker and dis dime and call it a bodyguard. A dime and dis John de Conker and dis same Hearts Cologne use that together, and den yuh take dat and you make dat up like a bag, and den you got'a put John de Conker and dis dime, fix dat together and put 'em in a glass, in the chamber lye and let it lay over all night. See, leave that lay over all night and den de next morning dey take and dey feed it and dey wear dat around dere waist. See, den nobody can't hurt cha. [To feed is to dampen, letting the cloth soak up liquid - see Feed in Index.]
(What do you feed that with the next morning?)
You feed that with that same Hearts Cologne. Now, dey take dis and dey get a bottle of de Hearts Cologne, see and they put that in that, and you draw that together and put that aroun' - and dey put 'em around dey waist and then you take the Hearts Cologne and put it in another bottle. You do that over your face in the morning-time when you go out in de morning-time - dress your face. You go out like dat and ain't nobody can't worry you - you see, if you got a enemy and you puts that thing on your face like that, you see, it will stick there.
(I see, and they can't harm you.)
Entry 2703
She kin go and git brown sugar, coated tacum [talcum] - coated face Powder - and she'd mix 'em together. Then you git oyster shells and then they pound it together. And when they pound it together, well then if they do ketch a trick, well ev'rytime they ketch a trick, they [the woman] urine, they put 3 drops in this little vial where this brown sugar and this coated powder and the oyster shell. If they can they kin jes' urine in a glass, and take a eye dropper and you know and drop 3 drops in when [until] they get to 9 drops. An' then, after they do that, why then they git their own luck. And then after they get the 9 men - why then after the 9 men go, then you [the woman] take a dropper whenever you wanta get a date - you see you take the same eye dropper - and jis' take one drop out [the vial], jis' drop it on the bed. Of co'se when they out [the vial is empty] they still got that powder, but when they urine over, they kin do the same thing over again.
Entry 2746
Well, the trouble I had - first, the misery started in the thigh, the left, and this moved around to the right; then, something came on up and stopped in my throat. It choked me a great deal. I was troubled with that for about eighteen months. I couldn't lay on neither side. I could only lay flat on my back for eighteen months. There wasn't a doctor in Fredericksburg that could do me any good. So I met a fellow from Washington, [D. C.] and he was telling me how it was with him. From his talk he had the same complaint I had. He talked it in me for to go to Washington and see an old lady. So finally I decided to go. He taken me up there for to see this woman. When I got there now, this woman she came to the window and she says to this man, "You got Jim O. [informant] with you." She'd never seen me before. She says to me, "I know what you come for." She says, "Come on in and look around. I haven't got time to do any readin' for you today [magic delay]." So she says to Henry M. [man who took him to Washing- ton], "Bring him back Friday. So he taken me back. When I walked in she says to me, she says, "You've got a snake in your belly." She says, "Take a seat over there," and commenced then to read. When she commenced to read she brought out several people - she brought their photographs out. She showed me these pictures - she named them, she knowed them [see later]. The old lady had a glass of water in her hand and she passed me this glass of water. So I drank this glass of water. Then after awhile she passed me another glass of water - so I drank that. She said she [some woman in Fredericksburg] gave me something in a glass of water, that's why she [doctor] gave me a glass of water. And right from that I commenced to feeling bad. So she says to me, "You got a snake in you - I can't draw it from you alive." I says to her, "No, I wouldn't like to see it." So she gave me a certain glass of medicine to pass that snake the other way. She gave me a treatment in the hair [scalp treatment], then she put me in a tub of something that was black. She gave me a good bath, and while she was bathing me a lot of smoke came out of my flesh, and right from that I commenced getting better. "You is all right now - you can go back home now and do anything you are big enough to do." And while I was there she showed me a lizard in a jar that she took out of a girl's throat. She had that setting on the shelf in alcohol. It looked just like a lizard you see crawling up a log. She told me she had drawn several snakes from different people. The snake pass from me after I left there - I never did see it. I finally got better. I only spent ten days with her - she charged me $12. John N., he was tricked the very same way, so he came to me and I was telling him about this woman. Then I got it for him to go up and see her. And she cured him the same way. Her name was Mother Jones. She came from North Carolina. [These pictures - she named them - she knew them - were a new device to me; an effective one, more so than the similar and impersonal device of a deck of photographs rather than of cards. These pictures were supposedly photographs of persons she had brought out while reading the cards. Informant could not have known any of them; he was not expected to identify any of them. Henry M., man who took informant to Washington, looks like a man out in the bushes beating up trade for Mother Jones. She could not have known Jim O's name without a letter from Fredericksburg or a telephone call after his arrival in Washington. Her words look around are a most important part of the atmosphere - she wanted him to see her medical museum (see in Index).]
Entry 10156
A black ket, yo' take him tuh a place from yuh home at twelve o'clock at night an' would cook 'im alive. Jis' put 'im in a pota hot watah an' cook 'im alive. An' at twelve o'clock de nex' night, in twenty-fo' hours time, go back an' git 'im an' bring 'im back. An' what he [black cat] be tellin' yo' along [the way], which ah don' know, yo' keep dat tuh yuhself. An' dey say, yo' take dose bones an' suck 'em all, each one of 'em, until yo' git tuh a certain bone. An' when yo' git tuh dat bone yo' look in de glass, an' when yo' can't see yuh- self, well, which dat is de right bone.
(Then what do you do with that bone?)
Well, yo' take dat bone an' tote it aroun' jis' lak it's magic - disappeahin'.
(You can't see him?)
Yes. [Vicksburg, Miss., (744), 1014:1.] [Previous candle rites will be found principally in volume 1, pages 744-888, der division called ALTARS - CANDLES - SAINTS. Similiar material occurs among rhe interviews of volume 2 pages 933-1843, and volume 3 pages 1859-2339. The falogig beliefs have been divided into 5 subsections:]
Entry 2730
You can go to the east and make your wish, "In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit," and throw three glasses of water and make your wish for anything you want - to make a success and get it.
(Do you face the east or turn your back to it?)
No, you face the east.
(And throw the water?)
And throw the water.
Entry 2987
Get two glasses of water and set one on each corner of the mantelpiece [often used as altar]. And if you have a idea who it is, jest call their name and knock three times and leave the glasses of water set up there. And you see, gradually, if the water be seeping out the glass, the candle's goin' out. The water goes out, jest shifts out like somebody poured it out. (If the water in the glass goes down, that's a sign the candle's going out. I see.)
Entry 4153
Yuh kin take a woman now, an' yuh kin git de hair outa her haid an' put it in a glass wit de pee in it. (A glass of your urine?) Yeah, an' yuh kin put it in a box [bottle] an' put it in undah de do'step where she walks ovah all de time, an' covah it wit somepin undah de bottom step, an' she can't leave, yuh got 'er tied.
Entry 571
Yo' take a chicken aig - yo' take that aig an' hold it up, look at it jest that very way. Well, now, if dere's a person have did anything an' yo' Wants tuh find out 'bout it, yo' take that aig an' yo' hold it up that-a- way: Now, dere's a certain Way to break dat aig, an' yo' kin go directly to de person whut did dese thing: Yo' break de aig - some folks break it 'cross, but chew break it straight.
(Break it the long way.)
Yeah, de long way. De reason yo' break it de long way - dat holds all de yellow part right together. Take dat yellow den an' put it in a glass. Yo' put it in a glass an' yo' take a magnifying glass an' look through it an' yo' kin see de streets an' de shape of de person, de way dey goin'.
(This is to find out who your enemy is and where he lives.)
That's right, anywhere yo' enemy is why yo' kin take it dere - take a magnifying glass an' look through it an' yo' kin tell 'zactly which side dey coming or which way dey is.
Entry 1051
Yo' use a dime to keep anybody from poisonin' yo'. Yo' take dat dime an' a new file - yo' take a new file an' ten cents an' file it into a glass. Den yo' put into that about two good mouthfuls of sweet milk an yo' drink it down. Dat cures fo' seven yeahs - dat nobody can't hurt chew fo' seven yeahs. Yo' kin step ovah anything yo' wanta, eaten anythin' yo' wanta, an' dat silver will turn it. Dat ah've proven out dat, cause ah had a uncle dat had eaten somepin. [Could this remedy derive from the belief that, "The entire composition of the body changes every seven years?" FACI, 1st ed., No. 2855, p.139; 2ed., No. 3534, p.159.]
Entry 1824
When a person speak about dey write de dead, yo' know - fo' de numbers yo' know. (Just how do they do that?) Well, dey jest write 'em - jes' yo' write some yo' peoples, says, "Dear Fren', I would like tuh hear from yo'. I am writin' yo' few lines to let chew know I am well. I wants dis number. I wants chew will please send hit to me tonight while ah'm sleep. An' yo' set chew a glass of water an' fold de letter up - set de glass of water on top de letter, an' dis ghost will come an' bring yo' de number in yo' sleep. He might come in de form of a cow or a dog or a horse but he'll bring yo' de number.
Entry 2479
Yo' wanta have business with whiskey an' yo' business no good with whiskey. Yo' take yore toenails an' cut 'em off an' scrape out from under yore fingernails an' cut dem off, an' put dem into a little bottle or into a little glass wit de whiskey - about dat much an' let it set three days. Let it set three days an' then take it an' strain it out an' put it into a gallon of whiskey. Put it into dat gallon of whiskey an' de first customers come in dere an' buy, sell 'em dat; an' de more customers come in, sell it to 'em, an' after while yore business will be so great dat ever'body be flockin' right to yore business.
Entry 2915
Get you a John Ruskin cigar.
(A John Ruskin cigar.)
Cigar, and put it in a glass. Get a lump of ice and put it in a tub. And when you gon'a go before the judge, you have glasses round in there and have a candle, nine candles, and let somebody - when you going down to the court - light those candles and have that glass setting in the center with them two John Ruskin cigar in it, and light them and let them be smoking. And have them candles burning. The judge will discharge you. (And you get a cake of ice - here's your cake of ice - and you put this glass on top of the ice with the two cigars in it?) Set it on top of the ice with the two cigars in it and all the glasses around, but you got to buy new glasses what ain't been used.
(And how many glasses do you use around that cake of ice?)
Nine.
(And what color candles do you put in those nine glasses?)
White. (Oh, white. I see. And these candles and the cigars are burning at the same time?)[See comment.] Burning while your case is going on - while you go into court.
(But they must be John Ruskin cigars?)
John Ruskin cigars.
(I see.)
[An ordinary water glass is put in the center of the cake of ice and into it are set two John Ruskin cigars. Circled about this glass with cigars stand nine white candles in glasses. The candles are lighted and apparently the cigars also; but the latter will not "be smoking." On this cake-of-ice altar, a cigar- smoking judge is confined by the magic circle of pure white candles - See Magic Circle, p.123, and the circular candle-rites of Doctor Yousee's interview. The glass with cigars in the center of four icy corners also completes a magic quin- cunx (p.710), giving us an unusual quincuncial altar.]
Entry 3169
A simple thing. Ah's been did dat way by mah wife. Lak she go on an' have connection wit yo', see. Well, now, aftah yo' git through, take an' wash, yo' undahstan' an' she takes any kinda cloth whut yo' might dry wit, takes an' puts it in any kinda can, a coffee can or eithah a glass, somepin small lak a can, an' puts it ovah de roof of de do' an' let it stay dere. Well, where a man don't pay no 'tenshun tuh it lak dat. An' whensomevah he goes back tuh de same place where he jes' came from, dat othah girl, well he cain't even git up no courage fo' her. He'll be jes' as soft as when he git through. Jes' as long as she keep dat in de can, he can't.
(He can't do anything.)
Entry 5457
Ah heard a lady dat ah knew, she wanted tuh do a person a very bad trick. She taken a bran'-new bucket, a tin bucket dat nevah been used. Put dat bucket dere an' put some graveyard dirt in it. An' put dat lady's name in whut she jis' didn't care much fo' in dere. An' walked tuh a place an' took 'er left foot, mashed it in de ground, so she could git de print of 'er foot. An' put dat in dat new bucket, an' bought a bran'-new looking glass - bran'-new ten-cent glass an' put dat in de bucket. An' den she buried dat. Dat's tuh turn them down against de world. She buried dat glass an' de left print of foot, an' de graveyard dirt, an' put it in dis new bucket an' buried it. She wuz buryin' 'er down. (She put this graveyard dirt in the bucket and then she puts this woman's name in the bucket.) De name on a papah. (Then suppose I'm doing this to you. Then I make my own footprint, put my own footprint on top.) Ah'm de one supposed tuh be puttin' mah prints on top of yo'. (You are putting your prints on me to keep me down. I understand.) [An old note of mine read, "Woman talks so fast."]
Entry 6297
A person could take a stran' of hair outa mole of yuh haid, direc'ly outa de mole, an' put it in a glass vial - sompin lak a li'le vial dey use at de drug sto' fo' dang'rous medicine. Put dat hair in dere an' cork it up right tight an' throw it intuh run- nin' watah. An' dey say it will run yuh wit a bad haidache all yuh live, an' almos' run yuh crazy.
Entry 6501
An' take de dust an' put it in a glass, an' put some vinegah on it an' salt, an' dat will fix 'em. (What will that do to them? Suppose they took this dust from my fingernail. What would that do to me then?) Dat will make yo' wandahing.
Entry 7012
As so often in hoodoo, the same rite can be used for an opposite pur- pose like the following one:] Git close tuh de people. Treats [de people] dere one night [when opening a bootlegging business]. Git chure trade worked up right. An' den, aftah dey come in, yo' drop a li'le sompin, cigah dust, cigah ashes. Put it in dere glass an' serve dis tuh 'em. Serve dere stuff on dat, an' dat will bring dem right back tuh yo'. (But they must come first. And the cigar ashes will bring them back there, if I am bootlegging.) Yes sir.
Entry 8537
Go to this place and keep it sweetened down with sweetened water and cinnamon and sugar. (How would you do that?) Well, you'd take and write his name three times and write your name three times, see.
(How would you do that?)
Write your name three times up over his'n and write his name three times across, see. And put it in - fold the paper three times to you - and then put down into a glass or anything with water, sweetened water and cinnamon. And that keeps his name, his mind drawing for you all the time.
(Keeps drawing toward you. I see.)
Entry 10094
Cats? Dey took one of 'em an' throwed 'em on de inside of a pot of hot boilin' watah, an' aftah - ah mean, aftah dis cat done boiled tuh pieces, yo' undahstan', dere'll be two bones whut swims upon de top of de watah. Yo' see, in de pot. Well, now yo take dose two bones an' yo' carries dem befo' de mirrah, an' yo' looks intuh de mirrah. An' de one derein dat chew could see yuhself in de glass, well dat, it not de bone. But de one where yo' cannot see yuhself intuh de glass, dat will be de one yuh want. Yo' cannot see yuhself. Well, all right, [that is] sellin' yuhself [to the devil]. [Could there be concealed here a forgotten catch or trap? Originally did you have the choice of either bone? If you failed with the first one, you had to start all over again, possibly meaning ad infinitum.]
Entry 10234
Dis aig - yo' take an' buy yo' a bottle of gingerale, an' break de aig into a glass an' po' de gingerale on top of it, an' stir it up like yo' making milk-shake, yo' know, an' drink it. Dat brings it [sexual potency] back. Do dat three times a day. (That brings your nature back?) Yes. (Drink that three times a day and it will bring your nature back.)
Entry 11265
[Here is one of three interviews from Memphis, lost because my tran- scriber missed them and I failed to return to them. I did transcribe a few rites and made abstracts of a number of others. My original sheet, attached to this selection, reads: "960 - will use the best of her material beginning with her: I works with water. Use all her candles. Pencil transcriptions attached."] I works with watah. I blesses mah watah... I works with watah. (In what way do you use this water?) This watah. All right, now. Jis' like if you were in a place of business [usually your own house] an you wan'a keep down evil spirits - in your home or anything like dat - yo' take a glass of watah. Yo' say the Lord's Prayer ovah it an' yo' set dat watah up. You understand? Yo' change that watah ev'ry 3 days. Yo' throw it [the water changed] out of a side windah [this is new in HOODOO] a side windah, you see, that ketches all the evil spirits an' things. An' then, jis' like if yo' wan'a favor - yo' know, understand, like dat, dat yo' wan'a favor - yo' git a glass of watah, yo' pray ovah it. Yo' pray ovah this glass of watah. Yo' say, "In the Name of the Fathah an' the Son an' the Holy Spirit, " please let me obtain sich- an'-sich thing, that I wan'a do. Please let me be successful all my route or what I gon'a undertake to do. See, you understand. An' then you drink that watah down. Well, all right. Then yo' kin use the watah in this way. At 12 a'clock at night, jis' like if yo' got some people you're workin' for. Your people, yo' know, in business. You write all of those people's names down on a piece of papah. An' yo' take the glass of watah, fill it up, an' put it on the 23rd Psalm, open your Bible. An' say the Lord's Prayer. You understand? You say, Lord, please enlighten these people's brain. Let them be lucky, successful. Let dem have their wishes. Take care of 'em, jis' whatever you want done. An' Dlease let me be successful. Don't let nothin' overthrow me. Please show me so- an'-so. An' then you drink [a little of] that watah down. You do that 12 a'clock at night, but you keep this watah settin' up [there]. That [trouble] goes away as that watah go [evaporates] away. Yo' see, that drives them things [enemies, evil spirits, etc. away]. A person may come in the house to try to do somepin to you and that ketches all the evil spirits. That water ketches all the evil spirits. [Repeats] That watah ketches all the evil spirits. Then you kin sprinkle it over your place [house or place of business] an' say the Lord's Prayer [walking] from the front to the back, jest as you sprinkle that [water] that draws you in trade, if you're in business; an' keeps peace in the home, too; to keep peace, you understand.
Entry 11352
Well, yo' know, as ah first said, if somebody yo' have somepin in fo' 'em - ain't goin' de way yo' want 'em - tuh puttin' 'em tuh walkin' or sompin othah, anything. Well, yo' go down tuh de rivah an' yo' fish an' try tuh ketch a eel. Yo' know it's a long ole fish look lak a snake. Well, yo' cut de haid off an' have a bottle or a glass or sompin ready, an' hit's one drop of blood dat will drop from dis eel's haid. So yo'll take dat an' yo'll take some honey. An' dey'll take some honey an' de root dey call de High John de Con- ' kah an' dere's one dey call de Low John de Conkah. Well, yo' take dis root an' yo' boil dat an' yo' make a kind of a syrup-lak, an' as yo' go tuh dis friend or whoevah it is, house, an' jes' lak dey shoes be's sittin' undah de dressah - somewhere yo' know, round de house. Well, yo' kin drop three drops in de shoes or anywhere jes' so long as it be's neah de shoe or a little bit git on de shoe. An' yo' kin say whatevah yo' want tuh be done, "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost." An' in de limits of time, dey say it will come tuh pass.
(What did you do with that drop of eel's blood? What did you do with that?)
Yo' take dis drop of eel's blood an' yo' fixes it wit dis honey an' dis othah root - High John de Conkah.
Entry 9055
Yo' take de vine, de bramboo vine.
(Is that like a fishing pole?)
[I am asking, is that a bamboo?)
Yes, but it's got thorns on it, bramble vine, an' de devil horseshoe string [devil's-shoestring]. An' take dem two pieces an' put it in a glass, an' put three spoonsful of salt in dere wit it, an' a few reesins [raisins] whut growed on de vine - like yo' buy 'em out de store on a vine [unstemmed raisins]. An' put 'em in dat glass 'bout fulla watah an' put it undah yore baid an' sleep ovah it. Den git up de nex' mawnin' an' take, throw de watah out de sunrise, an' take reesins out an' cast some of dem on yuh an' take de othahs an' de two roots an' carry 'em to de graveyard an' bury 'em. An' dey tell me dat dey won't git a trial an' dey turn 'em loose free. (What are the names of these two roots now that you put in there?) [Machine stopped too soon for answer already given.]
Entry 12879
Take de scissors an' don' close 'em up, open dem out yo' know, an' stick dem [them] down jes' undahneath yore bed. Stick de points up lak dat [demonstrates]. Keep yo' in good luck.
(Have the scissors open and the points sticking up under your bed?)
Yes. Yo' know, jes' lak de scissors open dis way, an' jes' stick dem down dat way [demonstrates]. [Points of scissors stick down into floor.] Or eithah a glass of watah. Yo' see, dat glass of watah, jes' have enough watah in it to know dere's watah in de glass undah yore bed. Dat's for luck.
(The points of the scissors are sticking down to the floor under the bed.)
Entry 13433
Take a glass wit some watah in it an' yore wife is sleepin'. Jes' stick her finger down in it an' she tell yo' everything, every place she been, she'll tell yo'. But chew can't keep it too long, 'cause she'll die. (Why would she die if you keep it too long?) Ah don't know. Dat take her nerve or take her breath away, but long as she sleepin' yo' kin go dere. But if yo' ain't [careful] when yo' git it from her, she liable tuh go off [die].