Subject:Hand
Entries
Entry 261
You take a black cat on a dark stormy night an' go in a swamp an' take this cat, an' let the water be boilin', an' drops this cat in there. Then you gits all his bones togethah an' take 'em - after you finish boilin' - take the bones an' go down to a stream of watah an' drops these bones in the watah. An' when you do that, they say the devil will raise up from the other side of de rivah an' shake your hand. An' they say you then have sold yourself to de devil an' you cannot be harmed by no human person.
Entry 1729
If you got a bootleggin' still out in de woods and if you don't want de law to come near it, you kin git a lot of black cats and you keep em tied round in diff'rent spots in dat woods only at night - dat law wouldn't even come round dere in night er day atall, dey'll come jest about dat far. It seem like dere's always a sort of a heavy black mist to keep 'em away from dere. But chew always have to keep dose cats fed offen nothin' but jest daid rotten catfish dat dey ketch in de ribah heah. If you don't keep 'em well-fed wit dat catfish, dey'll soon die right quick on yo'. But always keep 'em tied - nevah turn 'em loose, keep 'em tied dere all de time in diff'rent spots.
Entry 2057
[The best known of living hands is the toadfrog, but there are more - chicken, louse (human), snake and others.] Git chew nine - git chew nine red ants, put them in a red bag, use them fo' luck. Go to de red ant hole an' yo' git chew nine red ants. It's luckier tuh git 'em as dey come out de hole. Yo' set there an' ketch yo' nine. Ketch yo' nine red ants an' sew 'em up in there live. That'll make yo' luck fo' anything - yo' jis' be lucky in gamblin', anything lak dat.
Entry 2313
Wild cherry white - it's a root, an' you take that an' you tie it up in a piece of cloth [this is a tied-up hand], an' then you keep in your pocket, your right-hand pocket. They say you jis' squeeze that jis' ever' once in a while, it'll be right hot, choo know. An' you squeeze it until your hands go to sweatin', an' you could tell if any- body got anything against you, about takin' [stealing] anything from you, any- thing like that.
(How can you tell?)
Well, you squeeze it an' your hands go to sweatin', you know; an' de same person that you figurin' on goin' to do that, you have him on your mind whilst you do the squeezin - see, then your hand go to sweatin'.
Entry 2315
De graveyard dirt by itself is not no good, but it's a certain time yo' gotta go git de graveyard, de dirt from de graveyard. One minute aftah twelve yo' supposed tuh be dere tuh git it from a fren' dat yo' an' him been long nice good - yo' an' him been good, see jes' lak a fren'. Yo' swap money wit him - could handle money wit him or somepin lak dat. One minute aftah twelve on de dot, yo call him by dey name when yo' go down dere by de graveyard, one minute aftah twelve. Say, "Joe, Jim, '' say, "come heah, ah want some luck from yo'. Ah wanta git a little de dirt." An' don't git de dirt right off de top of de groun'. Git it from as close by de casket [coffin], if de casket ain't rotted up, but it's bettah if yo' could git it right out it if de casket done been long 'nuff fo' it tuh done rotten. An' yo' take it an' mix it wit steel dust an' take yo' a silver dime - dat graveyard dust, de silver dime an' take yo' a piece of red flannen, an' git chew some oil of cinnamon an' mix wit dat an' make yo' a little bag an' wear it on yore left side. Dat's luck. Put de steel dust down in dere wit de silver dime, put it down in dere wit it an' wear dat on yore left side. Dat's luck fo' gamblin'. Success. But it's dangerous! Lightnin'! De dust, it draws. De steel dust is de same as lodestone, yo' know, it's always dangerous. Be sho' tuh take it off yo' in de case of thunder or lightnin' storm. Yo' should take it off yo'.
Entry 3361
Ah've heard now - not dat ah know. Say when a man runnin' aftah a woman an' if yo' wanted tuh break 'im up from it, say git chew a snail or adish- rag, ary [either] one, an' rub dis snail on de dish- rag an' when he have connection wit 'er, gib 'im dat rag - steal de dishrag - an have him wipe, straighten hisself down wit it dat way. Wipe himself aftah he git through wit 'er. An' dey say he can't have no connection wit nobody but 'er.
Entry 3737
Well, yo' wit wimmin folks an' can't - can't even, yo' know - yo' ain't even got no nature. Well, it's some othah wumman workin' dat fo' yo'. Yo' take a man dat runnin' roun' all de time, see wit dis wumman an' dat wumman. Well, it's some wumman gonna mess wit im some way or 'nother. Well, jes' lak dis othah wumman is workin' on 'im. well yo' take an' go tuh anybody's house an' steal a dishrag an' wipe off wit it. Wipe yo'self down, see. Well yo' go on out den an' yo' take it in yore left hand an' chunk it ovah yore left shouldah an' don't look back at it, an' dat'll break dat up.
Entry 3745
Yo' takes a dishrag. Go tuh anybody's home an' de dishrag is hangin' lak dey use it dis morning, yo' go tuh dere 'long 'bout now so hit's damp. Yo' steal de dishrag. Don't ask fo' it jes' steal it. An' go out tuh de way de sun rise an' turn yore face, turn yore face dat way [to east], turn yore back sunset, an' yo' takes an' yo' wipes three times straight down wit de dishrag, den across jes' lak dat [dem- onstrates].
(That will cross it out.)
[Informant's words down and then across, and my words cross it out, show in- formant makes sign of cross 3 times.l Across yore stomic.
(Oh, cross your stomach. From left to right or right to left?)
Bring it from de left tuh de right. An' yo' fold it tight, take it in yore lef' han' an' throw it ovah yore head an' go straight, don't look back. Go two blocks or mo' straight. Don't look back, jes' keep straight walkin'. Don' say nuthin to nobody. It's purtty hard tuh do 'cuz yo' might meet somebody, but place yo'self in a place whah yo' won't have tuh even speak tuh nobody. An co'se whatsomevah she got on yo' crossed up, she gotta redo it ag'in. But dat'll uncross yuh.
Entry 3846
Yo' take de firs' fingah from de lef' han' an' yo' take a new needle an' yo' stick dis fingah [demonstrates].
(The index finger of the left hand.) Yes, an' yo' git three drops of blood an' it will bring love. (What do you do with that blood after you get it?)
Entry 3993
Dey tell me yo' take an' pee in yore han's an' rub yore han's, see; an' put chure han's on de dice. Go an' pee in yore han's an' leave yore han's back; walk on, see. An' den yo' kin very well put chure han's between yore laig an' yo' snatch up right quick, an' yo' reach back ag'in - three times, see, an' shoot.
(How do you mean reach back 3 times?)
Reach back heah three times [demonstrates].
(You draw your hand three times between your legs.)
An' roll de dice in yore han's lak dis, see; an' chunk 'em out. Yo'll come lucky an' yo'll win.
(That is to give you luck in gambling.)
Entry 3994
( Git up soon in de mawnin', pee in yore han', an' if yo' gotta do [some- thing?], put dat stool in yore han' an' rub it [in your hand], go 'head an' go tuh de bossman, an' he'll give yo' a job. [My something? shows a lacuna of 10 periods left by transcriber for a colloquial expression meaning excrement, which I also did not fill in years ago. The word stool in the text indicates what the omission was. For- tunately there is at least one, if not two rites in HooDoO using excrement in the hand when asking for a job! Most amazing of all, we have one of the finest things in HOODOO, the incredible excrement rite of love - see 822, p.284f.]
Entry 3995
Ah have tried it workin' on mah han's in dealin' wit de cards an' ah have been prosperous. (You found it lucky?) Absolutely.
(You mean peeing on your hands?)
Yeah. (Well, now that's something I asked and you thought you didn't know.)
Entry 3996
Yo' put some yore chamber lye intuh a vial, an' put some Heart Cologne in dere, put some Eve-an'-Adam in dere. Den yo' po' de least bit of dat watah out of dat vial in yore han's an' rub it In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost, an' den goes tuh work an' shuffle yore cards. An' derefo' yo' will have luck ingamblin'. (What is the other way of getting a job?) De nex' way dat chew could git it, take yore same watah dat chew shuffle yore cards wit. Take some of yore chamber lye an' put it into a vial an' put some Heart Cologne in dat, an' Eve-an'-Adam into it - dat vial. Rub it into yore han's thoroughly, In de Name of de Fathah, an' dress yo'self down three times an' make yore wish. An' go an' have a talk wit 'im an' he'll think about it.
(You get the job from the boss?)
Yes.
Entry 3997
The same old gentlemen what I just spoke to you about [a root doctor near Columbus, Miss.], his method of bringing a person to you mediately [was] by taking your urinate. Take a bran'-new piece of red flannen, urinate on it and rub it through your hands, sit down and write a letter to the person to come at once. They will do so.
Entry 4501
Jes' like yuh wanta have control an' influence ovah people. Aftah yuh wash yuh face an' han's, jes' throw it out de front [door] an' make a wish. Wish tuh be successful in yuh wishes - of being, like man- agin' an' gettin' dere mind in influence.
Entry 4505
Well, now, dey kin take yuh watah whut chew bath in an' yuh kin take dat watah an' po' out jes' like de sediment - dey ketch de sediment, de bottom. Dey don't ketch de top, git de bottom part of de dirt. It's from, yuh know, what comes from de hide. Yuh undahstan' me, from yuh hide. See, de sediment goes into de bottom. De watah dirty on top, but chew kin take time an' po' it out an' ketch de drainin's. Ketch dat dust. All right. Yuh'll take dat an keep it fer twelve days, undahstan' me. Den aftah de twelve days, yuh'll take it an' yuh'll go tuh a creek, forward, an' don't nevah look back. Whilst yuh's goin' it's diff'run', yuh mind is on goin' to dat creek. Don't look back'tall fer nuthin. When yuh get to de creek - yuh gets tuh de creek or rivah or what- somevah it is an' throw it back like dat. Yuh take dis han' heah [demonstrates].
(Your left hand.)
Dis han' here, dis yore heart. Throw it ovah dere an' go on about chure business. Don't look back.
(You throw it over your right shoulder?)
Yes, take dat lef' han'
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat is - dat man dat yuh wants tuh do dat tuh, dat gives 'i, he cain't stay nowheres. He has tuh jes' - see, de creek is got dat goin', an' jes' like he is goin'. He be here an' aroun' tuhday an' tuhmorrah in anothah little town somewheres, an' on an' on, unless yuh save a little of dat watah an' yuh git tired of 'im goin'. Yuh save a little watah an' change it. Go tuh a creek an' take dis han' an' throw it ovah. An' aftah it gits far as yuh wanta - if it git fer enough from yuh, dere ain't no way fer 'im tuh git back, becuz he'll nevah have de mind tuh git back tuh yuh. (In other words, if you want him to stop roaming, you take the other hand, the right hand, and throw this stuff over the left shoulder.) Yes sir, ovah de right shouldah [see correction later]. Take yuh lef' han' an' throw it ovah yuh right shouldah [see correction later].
(That's to get rid of him?)
Yes. (What's to make him stop then, when you take that other piece of dirt? When you go back to the creek the second time?) Well, yuh save some of dat sediment an' throw it ovah yuh left-han' shouldah [here is the correction] but don't look back. Well dat stops 'im. (You take the right hand and throw it over the left shoulder. I see.)
Entry 4582
Dat bow be's right back dere. Now yuh kin take dat bow out chure hat, ah've heard dat. Yuh take dat bow out dat hat an' yuh kin, whut chew call dress it. Yuh dress dat bow an' yuh kin take dat.
(With what?)
Yuh take dat bow an' yuh kin dress it.
[As we now learn, it is dressed with sweat.]
Jes' lak a woman take a bow outa man's hat. She kin take dat bow yuh see an' den rub it undah her arm, also between 'er laigs [to dress it]. An' when she take dat bow an' do dat, take it an' wrap it up in a piece of red flannel. [This is now a hand, see p.519f.] She kin eithah wear it roun' 'er neck or roun' 'er waist or eithah put it ovah 'er do'. Well, now if she put it ovah 'er do' or wear it anywhere, keep it anywhere in a close place, it'll always keep 'is haid kinda wandahin' - his mind. He'll nevah have no good mind. Jes' keep 'im wan- dahin'. He's heah today an' tuhmorrah 'is mind jes' wanta go. He can't be con- tented nowhere he goes.
Entry 5023
[There are a number of rites in which a woman asks a man for a dime or a piece of silver; the following one being quite complicated:] Do dat tuh make a man bring 'is money home. Well, yuh kin take a man's sock an' let 'im weah it an' yuh weah one of yore [stockings], de right-foot sock [and stocking]. Den yuh git a dime, a silvah dime from 'i, outa his han. Den yuh writes 'is name nine times tuh yuh. Write it nine times, write, "Ah want chew tuh bring yore money home tuh me an' don't cash yore check until yuh git it tuh me, '' nine times. Den yuh takes dat name an' dat silvah dime, dat he give yuh outa his han', an' yuh fold it nine times [demonstrates] an' yuh tell it whut chew Want it tuh do [demonstrates].
(You are folding it toward you, aren't you?)
Uh-huh. Yuh talk tuh it, yuh know, "Ah want chew tuh bring yore money home tuh me." Make dat nine folds on it tuh yuh. Den yuh take yore stockin' an' fold it. Yuh take dis dime yuh know an' de name yuh know, aftah yuh fix it up an' put it in de toe of 'is sock, his right-foot sock, his'n, whut he'd been weahin'. Den yuh take one of yores an' yuh write on dere mah name, an', "Ah Wants tuh be boss. Ah wan' chew tuh bring yore money home tuh me. Ah'm yore wife." or "yore girl fren', " or whut-not. Den yuh fold yore sock [stocking] tuh yuh [and say], "Ah'm goin' bring it home. "See, lak dat [demonstrates]. "Ah'm goin' bring it home." Den yuh puts de man's sock in yores. See, yuh wants dis, an' shet it inside lak dat. Den yuh buries it where he kin walk inan' ovah it. An' HE WON'T CASH 'IS CHECK.
Entry 5281
Den ag'in yo' could take a shoe - jis' lak yore ole lady leave yo'. Well, if she stay away an' ah don' ca' [care] how long she stay, well yo' take her shoe. An' IT'S REALLY SIMPLE. Yo' don' have tuh do so much tuh dat but rub yore han's in it. Rub yore han' until it git hot, yore right han', an' set 'em intuh de do', tuh de front do', an' turn 'em up. See. Well, de nex' day she'll be home or else dat night. She cain't stay.
(How do you turn those shoes up?)
Yo' have tuh turn 'em up, yo' see. Aftah rubbin' yore han' well, yo' turn 'em up an' have each one of 'em on each cornah of de do', jis' lak dis do' heah [demonstrates].
(The toe is pointing out of the house like that?)
De toe in. [The toe was pointing out because I was on the opposite side of the table and demonstration.]
(Why is that?)
Well dat's fo' tuh tuh walk right on in.
Entry 5409
Yo' take yore fingahs lak dis an' draw back from de end of de toe, back tuh de heel an' git de track, if yo' kin git de right foot. An' tie it up an' take it tuh a runnin' stream of watah an' - a new piece of home- spun - an' make yore wishes an' throw it ovah yore right shoul- dah. An' walk away an' not look back aftah it. An' dat would make yo' be in love wit 'im right on, make him come back tuh yo'. If he quitted yo' or sompin lak dat, yo' could do dat. (You just get his foot track between your two fingers, your index finger and little finger. Of the right hand.) Yeah. Say dat would draw 'im back. If yo' wanted tuh run 'im or drive [him away], say yo'd take yore lef' han' an' make bad wishes.
Entry 5424
Yo' go down tuh de fo' fo'k of a road an' yo' git de lef' track of a person. Yo' take it from de toe back tuh de heel wit de lef' han' an' yo' keep dat wit yo', if it's some- one dat chew love an' try- in' tuh git back tuh yo'. (You wrap that up in some- thing?) Yes sir, yo' put dat in de piece of cloth - red flannen.
Entry 5678
Well, yo' kin take dat dust from de feet, if yo' wanted a person in yore neighborhood ~ an' yo' had a fuss wit 'em - an' yo' wanted tuh run 'em away. Yo' goes at de ninth hour, yo' see, tuh runnin' watah an' yo'll take dis here dast, whut yo' have swept up at de ninth hour, an' yo' throws it ovah yore lef' shouldah wit yore lef' han', not tuh look back, wit a curse word. An' yo' are forced tuh leave unbeknown tuh yore ownself. Yo'll pack up. Yo'll jis' leave. Yo' have tuh walk away.
Entry 5790
Yo' take a wasps nest an' take a person's track halfways; scrape de dirt back from right about middleways in de foot tuh de heel [demonstrates].
(From the MIDDLE OF THE FOOT BACK TO THE HEEL.) Yeah, back tuh de heel, an' den back tuh de toe [demonstrates]. (Then you begin in the middle and SCRAPE FROM THE MIDDLE UP TO THE TOE.)
[To scrape from hollow or middle of foot track to heel, then from middle to toe, is unusual if not rare.] Git dat sand or dirt. Burn yore wasp [nest] in yore stove an' git dose ashes of de wasp nest, an' mix de ashes an' de dust tuhgethah, de foot dust. Yeah, mix it all up good tuhgethah an' take dat an' put it in de palm of yore han', an' yo stand out [doors] an' yo' say, In de Name of de Father, de Son, [an' Holy Ghost]. An' whichevah way dat wind blows, why a person dat yo' don' wan' aroun' or sompin, dey'll go away. Dat's a easy way tuh git rid of 'em. Dey'll go on off.
(You take either foot track?)
No, take de left one. [This rite comes from my second trip to Memphis and it was given by an informant different from one in preceding rite.] [The spirit of the wasps chases away the spirit in the foot track.]
Entry 5792
Git de feet track meetin' it.
(Pick it up meeting it - that is, they are coming to you.)
Yes. Yo' pick it up on a paddle or yo' know somepin. Pick it up whole. Yo' duap it intuh yo' lef' han'. An' take it on in [house] an' mix black peppah an' salt wit it. An' call yo'[victim's] name three times as yo' mix it. Now, yo' will have tuh take dat fer nine mawnin's an' go out wit de sunup. An' in de evenin's wit de sundown. An' cast it befo' de fo' winds, yo' know, an' put down certain words.
(What words would you put down?)
Ah don' know whut de words are. [There are many examples of these words of dismissal in HOODOO: Go, never return, etc. Often a curse is added.] Now, den, dat will put chew tuh wandahin', run yo' away, or run yo' crazy. Yo' ain' touched [in the head], yo' won' have no mind tuh do nuthin, yo' ain't crazy; [you] jes' wandahin'.
(Restless.)
Entry 5840
Co'se yo' kin take, really. [a person's hair] an' ball it up wit hen feathahs an' throw it into runnin' watah wit yore left hand. Dat will run a person off. Yo' kin [take] hair, anybody's hair yo' know, an' knead it wit hen feathahs an' throw it into runnin' watah an' run any- body off - any kinda hen feathah an' throw it wit chure lef' han'.
Entry 5915
Yo' kin take yore own hair, take a man's hair or a woman's hair [a man or woman can do this], put [wit it] graveyard dirt, three coppah cents, six pins - no needles - six pins - an' put it eithah in buckskin or eithah in red flannel. An' go to a runnin' stream, throw it wit yore left hand in dat watah. If it sink it's all right. But as long as dat stay in dere, yo've got to travel. Yo' ain't satisfied nowhere, yo've got to leave yore own home.
Entry 6076
Ah have heard dat chew could take a person hair an' gain de influence of 'em by carryin' dere hair in yore pocket. Yo'could take dere hair an' git chew a piece of bran'-new cloth, piece of bran'-new white cloth sech as be de - yo' know, don't be flowered lak dis. Yo' know, jes' any kin'a bran'-new cloth dat don't cost but 5c a yard - plain cloth. Yo' kin take dat an' take nine stran's of a person's hair an' carry dat nine stran's of a person's hair in yore pocket nine days, an' DE NINTH MAWN- IN' yo' git up outa de bed an' yo' say de THREE GOD MANHEAD: God de Father, God de Son, God de Holy Ghost - de ninth mawnin'. An' yo' take dem nine stran's of bair an' WALK TO DE BACK DO'. Wit yure left han' throw dem nine stran's of hair away. Don't look back aftah yo' throw 'em away, jes' throw 'em anyuay. Don't look back aftah yo' throw 'em. An' de person who yo's in love wit, y jes' lak yo' throw dere hair away, dey'll come back to yo'. [Even cloth at 5c a yard vas amazing back in 1939 - see INTR0., p. XXXV for date.] An' if it's a person dat chew wanta git away from yo', de seventh day yo' cake dat hair an' walk to de front do' jes' at sunrise an' say de THREE GOD MANHRAD, an' put it right in de centah of de do'step - right in de centah of de do'step. Den take a horseshoe - YO'VE SEEN A HORSESHOE - an' lay dat horseshoe right down ovah it; jes' yo' know square each way, jes' so it'll extend each way an' it'll be level each way. Yo' take dem nine stran's of hair an' dig a little hole an' bury it. Put dat horseshoe ovah it. Take yo' nine pins an' drive down in dere. Jes' try tuh drive 'em on top of de head of each othah it'll be bettah. An dat'll drive 'em away from yo', so yo' won't have any trouble wit dat person any
(You cover up that horseshoe so it can't be seen?)
Yes sir, yo' covah it up lightly so it can't be seen. [Despite the absence of pubic or armpit hair in this rite, I have placed it here because of 9 hairs snd9 days.]
Entry 6229
Ah've heard about de hair, two diff'ren' things. De hair out de haid, take dat hair an' put it in a papah, an' nailin' it tuh Le no'th side of a tree, an' attendin' it - go tuh it, say nine times, once a Lg. Go tuh dat hair an' jis' put 'is han' on it lak dat, an' dat's de way yo git results. (You just nail it up on the tree?) Yessuh, on de no'th side. (And you go there once a day for nine days Id just put your hand on it. That is all you have to do?) Dat's so if anybody would mess wit it. Yo' put it dere purposely.
(Well, what is that supposed to do to you?)
Well, it supposed tuh carry yo' down.
Entry 6383
An' dey could trim yer fingahnails, yo' know. Say now, like if yo' set dere an' trim yer fingahs, I'd gathah dem up. See, I'd gathah dem up an' take dem - or toenails, eithah one of 'em. Take 'em an' put 'em in a li'le vial. An' aftah yo' put 'em intuh de li'le vial, yo' would keep 'em in dis vial fo' 'bout nine days, wit a li'le vitrus wit 'em fo'.tuh git 'em soft. Den yo' take 'em out of dat vitrus an' dry 'em off, an' put 'em in anothah vial den an' put othah stuff wit 'em. (What other stuff do they put with that second vial? What do they put in that second vial?) Intuh de secon' one yo'll put some of yer own chamber lye, an' a li'le bit of cologne root.
(Cologne root?)
Cologne root. An' yo'll take dat an' shift it aroun' [in the bottle]. Dat is tuh do 'em harm.
[Cologne root is probably a product of the root-seller or hoodoo drug store.]
(Well, what do you do with that bottle then, that has that stuff in it? This second bottle, what do you do with that, then?) De bottle? Well, yo' could take dat bottle out some place an' bury it. Bury dat bottle an' dat'll make dem useless in dere han's or foot, wherever dese nails come from.
Entry 6465
Now yo' take a person toenail. Yo' take yo' toenail, yo' fingahnail. Yo' kin take dem yo' see, jis' lak we trim de fingahnail. Well a person take yo' fingahnail up. He kin take dat fingahnail up an' he kin pound it up, kinda parch it an' pound it up. Take dat an' put it in whiskey. Well, in puttin' it in whiskey hit'll create sompin lak a gern or sompin. Take dat whiskey, see, an' as long as dey keep [it], well jis' say yo' fingahnail, well de worms an' bugs will commence to eatin' undah yo' fingahnails.
(And what do [did] you say people think it is?)
DEY CALL DAT CUNJURATION.
(No, people say they think you have what?)
DEY THINK YO' HAVE DE LEPAHSIES [LEPROSY] - SOMPIN LAK DE LEPAH [LEPER], YO' SEE. IT START IN DE FINGAHNAIL AN' IT JIS' EAT, AN' [AS] DAT GERM EAT, YO' SEE, WELL HIT GOES ALL UP YORE HAND. IT MAKE YO' HAND SPOTTED 'BOUT. AN' PEOPLES CALL DAT LEPAHSIES. IT DON' BE LEPAHSY, IT BE'S DAT CUNJURATION.
(That is if you drink your own fingernails, that causes it?)
Dat's right, if yo' drink yo' own fingahnails.
Entry 6521
A person kin take yore fingahnails - dey kin trim yore fingahnails, trim three of yore fingahnails from each hand. (Which three?) Yo' usely [usually] git dese three [demonstrates]. (The three center ones.) De three centah ones. An' yo' kin take dese fingahnails an' it's a kinda root by de name of devil's shoestring. An' yo' kin boil dose roots in dose fingahnails an' put it in whiskey or somepin lak dat. When a person drink it, dem gristles will grow inside from dis nails heah. An' dis devil's shoestring will be a likkah-lak. An' dey put dis in whiskey an' yo' drink it an' den dey grows gristles in yo' - inside of yo'.
(What will that do then?)
Well, jis' grow gristles - be somepin lak a tumor jis' grow biggah an' biggah an' biggah. Will kill yo'.
Entry 7181
An' dey kin [go] right straight along ag'in, an' yo' kin go tuh sleep. An' yo' have any money, yo' kin go tuh sleep, an' if ah kin git tuh yo' - yo' done dead tuh de worl' when yo' drop tuh sleep. Dere's dis han' layin' on de kivah [cover], dis han' - dere's de right han' [demonstrates]. De lef han' is jis' lak dat [demonstrates]. An' yo' sleep dere till ah git anythin' dat ah want in yo' home.
(What do you do with that left hand?)
Git a basin of watah - an' yo' be sleepin' now - an' set it right side de baid an' lay yo' han' in it jis' lak dat [demonstrates] in yo' sleep, an' yo' sleep right on dere until dey git jis' whut de wants. Den when dey gits whut dey wants, dey'll make a li'le racket an' throw de watah out an' yo'll wake up. Ah knowdat, mahself.
Entry 7212
[Two weeks after margin title RATTLESNAKE OIL received its typing for the printer's photographic process and had been followed by other material in final page form, I found the missing page mentioned in lines 24-26, page 3098, volume 4. Here it is:] (This is Tuesday, June 29, 1937, working in Charleston, beginning the morning's work, testing the machine. In case I lose these slips [of paper] in my note book [later called Numbers Book, a book numbering each informant and making a comment about him] written out by Doctor D. Giles, root doctor, Number 512. [Here] is his recipe for making rattlesnake oil. Calls [for a] bottle of mint lOc, witch hazel lOc, sassafras root lOc. That makes snake oil.) [As the reader can see, I am testing the stylus by repeating what Doctor Giles had said the day before just in case I lost the slip or slips of paper he had written out. He had not been the last informant of the preceding day.l Now, for [the bath or the anointing you] strip [take off clothing], put two [both] hands back of the head, [then] wash hands in [sassafras] root water [wash- ing] forwards [that is, away from you]. Turn over [hands and wash other side]. Get glass [a mirror] and hold hands before mirror, and [if] they get black, why you are all right [a spell has not been put on you]; if they don't [get black] why you are not [all right]. [This is merely one of many methods of diagnosis used by doctors; see DIAGNoSIS, Pp.165-217, especially MIRRoR, p.193 and the danger of looking into it.] [To end this rite] put glass [mirror] over hand and spell root, spell root three times - R-0-0-T. (Another root doctor says [not R-O-O-T but] M-0-N-Q-T-O-N-Y or it looks like monotony. Don't think I've ever heard it before. [After repeating the word three times] the little [hand mirror] answers, "I live [by the power of God or something similar].")
Entry 7333
Like if a fellah done kilt a man, regardless of what nationality or what color or whoever he are, he's goin' up befo' de judge - he's goin' fer 'is neck or life sentence. Yo' know some fellah, de fellah - yo' know what ah mean, dat he have kilt. Yo' go, yo' have to take anothah fellah wit yo' to do dis. Yo' take yo' a spade or whatevah yo' kin. Of co'se, yo' kin always git in de cemetery at night. Yo' gotta know where dis party's buried dat he kilt. Yo' dig 'im up till yo' git to his lef' ahrm [arm]. Yo' can't wait too long befo' yo' do dis, yo' gotta git 'im befo' he is spoiled. Yo' git 'is lef' ahrm or eithah his han' - anythin' yo' kin git. Yo' git all of dose fingahnails, de whole five of 'em offa dere. Yo' take 'em an' yo' git yo nine needles an' yo' heat dese needles. Yo' bore a hole in each one of dose fingahnails wit each needle. Yo' take dat an' yo' make a necklace outa hit. Now, dis is fo' de fellah dat did de killin'. Yo' give dis necklace to de fellah to wear when he go up befo' de judge, he's gotta get discharged.
(I see. You dig up that left arm. You mean you don't have to get the [whole]
left arm, just so you get the left hand?) Jes' so yo' kin get de...
(You don't want to get the left arm, just so you get the left hand?)
Git de fingahnails, dat's all yo' want. Yo' don't want de flesh at all, yo' jes' want de nails offa de hand.
Entry 7338
Ah've seen dis done - pardon me. Ah've seen 'em git some cayenne pep- pah an' put, yo' know, cayenne peppah an' salt, table salt - dey gits real table salt. Put a teaspoonful of cayenne peppah an' a teaspoonful of table salt an' put it into - jes' put it on some papah an' stir it up, yo: know. An' den dey take dat cayenne peppah an' put's it in dey left hand [of] de person dat done some devilment, yo' know dat shot a man - jes' like dey had killed 'im - an' he throws it ovah his left shoul- dah. Throws it ovah his left shouldah, den he walks right on. Don't look back. An' he walks right on an' nobody don't bothah 'im.
(If he had killed a man. So they won't catch him.)
Yassuh, ah've seen dat done.
Entry 7352
I have bin lak dat way in de South, zhoo know. A man down dere lak tuh kill a fellah once. It wus mah secon' cousin, yo' know. So he went one night - he had tuh be taken on de Manning [S. C.] Road - I had tuh cart 'im, yo' know - taken on de Manning Road. I take 'im on down dere [road] tuh a little ole neighbor's house, zhoo know. So he tole huh whutevah he wants. She said, "Well, yo' in a very bad con- dition, becuz, yuh know, a murderin' case, " she said, "that's one case that any- one har'ly git ovah." She said it wusn't goin' to cost no more dan thirty-five dollahs, she said, tah clear it. He said, "Well, de thing whut I wan'a git aftah is not ta ketch me." He said, "If they don't ketch me, " he say, "I'll leave, if I kin git out de way." She says, "Well, all right." She went back in there, she stepped back in de room again, she gits sumpin in a little bottle - red jis' like vinegah. She mix some vinegah wit it, she take a little turpentine an' she put in it. Dat whah I seed 'er put in dere mahself. She take sumpin come-like - it looked like table salt. Well, she fixin' it so it boil. So he come back home tuh town dat night jis' about 'leven-thirty. So I drived up to de nex' cornah of de road [just beyond the town] an' let 'im git out an' come on back [to town] yo' see. He take his left-footed shoe, an' taken some turpentine an' put in de bottom of de left-footed shoe, an' some salt; den he went up to de law office [courthouse] see, de office's on left-hand side de road. Well, he takes some of dat [liquid] from de bottle given to him by de witchcraft woman, an' po'ed it right down 'neath de steps. An' dey ain't nevah did ketch 'im.
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 7394
Buy new brand [brand-new] pocket- knife an' put it in de dead man left hand an' put it in de left pocket. (Put his left hand in his pocket.) Yeah, wit de knife open in 'is pocket. (What will that do?) Dat will make him [murderer] die too. (That is a different way from the other way. There're two ways of doing it.)
Entry 7422
An' yo' kin take parsley an' do de same thing [catch a murderer].
(How do you do that?)
Yo' take de parsley, green parsley an' yo' - yo' don't put de leaves part in it, de root part, an' yo' put one root in dis han', put jes' lak dis [demon- strates] lak dis is. Jes' carry 'em disaway, an' take de othah one disaway, an' close de han'. Put it back dere dataway. An' dey won't go away. (Just cross their hands with parsley in it, across their breast, and the fellow can't go away.) Yes, can't go away. (I see.) [A piece of fresh parsley root is placed in each hand of the corpse and then the hands are crossed across the breast making separate crosses with folded hands and roots - a type of dou- ble-cross. The intention to bring back murderer is also there.]
Entry 7426
If a man kill a man, see, ketch a raw egg quick an' bust it in de man, de dead man's han', dey'll ketch dat man in less time dan a hour if he gone.
(How do they do - I mean how do they catch him by doing that?)
Jes' git de egg an' bust it in 'is han'.
(In the dead man's hand?)
Yes, jes' de egg in de dead man's han', an' dey'll ketch 'im. If dey don't ketch 'im dere, dey'll ketch 'fore he kin git away.
(Any kind of a fresh egg.)
Entry 7427
De man what dey bury, whut got killed, bury 'im wit a - wit a egg in his lef' han', a egg, an' dis fellah cain't stay away.
Entry 7428
Well, yo' know dat dead fellah, yo' kin put a aig in 'is han' an' dis is fac's an' a bran'-new pair of scis- sors undah 'is haid. When dat aig busts he'll come back an' give up. Ah know dat happen right heah in Memphis.
(What hand is that egg in?)
In de left han'.
(Any kind of an egg?)
A hen aig, gotta be a fresh aig, see.
(And a scissors under his head?)
Undah de dead woman's haid, an' de aig in de dead person's han', see. An' dey buried wit dat aig in dere han's.
Entry 7429
(Why is an egg placed in a dead person's hand?) They go ahead and take an egg and put it in the dead man's hand - you see, he know who done it and that egg makes him come back. Turn him on his face.
Entry 7430
Put egg in hand, tie hands together, murderer can- not escape. [Mobile, Ala., (669 t0 671), 883:8.]
Entry 7431
De man whut's daid, yo' take a fresh hen aig an' put it in 'is right han', an' close 'is han' up wit dat fresh hen aig in it, an' place it across 'is heart, see wit 'is han' close up, an' when dat aig bustess in 'is han' dis man will come an' give up.
(Put it in his hand and then lay his hand right over his heart?)
Dat's right.
Entry 7432
I used to hear it said, that if you get a black hen's egg and put it in his hand that was killed, either hand, you can tell exactly who killed him. That will keep him from nmniag away. He will come right back to that house. If that party touches him [corpse] it will bleed where he touches then. [This old woman was a young girl (almost grown) before Civil War, near Woodville, Mississippi. I interviewed her in my study, 130 East End Ave., N. Y. C., in 1936, March?]
Entry 7433
If somebody kill yo', well yo' [someone] takes a black hen aig an' put it in yore han' an' shet it up. Dat brings 'em [murderer] back.
Entry 7434
Jes' lak if a man gits killed, some man gits killed, somebody gits killed an' yo' don't know who killed 'em. Fin' somebody dead an' dey run off an' don' know who kill 'em. Yo' take a black hen egg, but have to be sure it's a black hen. Yo' take a black hen egg an' yo' bury de people wit de egg in 'is lef' han', an' in two week's time, jes' wheresomevah dat people bury dat, well, whosomevah kill 'im will come dere an' give hisself up. Ah've seen dat did.
Entry 7435
Yo' go to work an' yo' git choo a black hen's aig. Yo' take dat aig an' yo' bring it back to de party whut dat he killed, if yo' could git to 'em [the corpse]. Yo' put dat aig into his right han', yo' shet dat han' up on it, an' bury 'im wit dat aig in dere han'. An' he [the killer] boun' to come back to 'im. He'll come right back to dat same house where dey killed dat pusson [person].
Entry 7436
If he foun' dat man dead an' dat dead man jes' dere. Well, if dat dead jes' layin' - Jesus Christ said, "He dat kill shall be killed." Yo' git a fresh black hen's aig an' put it in, bind it in dat dead man's han' an' turn dat dead man ovah on 'is face, an' dat murderer will come dere.
(You put it in either hand?)
Put it in 'is right han'.
Entry 7437
I would git a fresh yard egg from a frizzly hen an' I would take an' place it in dis man's right han', de dead man's right han', an' I would bury 'im on 'is face. An' aftah nine days he be in de groun', de egg would bust an' dis man would come an' give himself up.
Entry 7444
[Well, when dey bury de man dat's dead, well, dey gen'ly [generally]
write de man's name dat is gone an' put it undah 'is feet an' up undah 'is haid, an' put a aig in 'is right han', an' when dat aig bust, an' as long as dat paper wit dat name is dere, when dat name goin' to rot, de man will re- turn. He got to come back. (You mean when the name is going to rot?) Rotten in dat papah, dat will cause him to [come back].
(You put one paper at his foot and one at his head.)
De man's name dat did de killin'.
Entry 7445
[My recording machine was 3 or 4 words late starting.] An' runs away, yo' take a dead person, yo' bury 'em on dere face, lak dat. Yo' take de man dat killed 'im an' yo' write his name three times. If it's possible dat chew kin git dis [dead] person's han' open, yo' put one name in dis han' [demonstrates].
(The right hand.)
See, an' yo' take a egg from a hen, white hen, if yo' kin git it. (A white hen.) If yo' kin git it, an' put dat egg in dat hand [demon- strates]. (In the left hand.) [Explained later.] If yo' can't git it in de han', put it as neah de body as yo' kin. Be sure dat dis name is in dis han' an' dat party'll come back an' give up.
(There's one thing about that. What do you do with the other two names?)
Jes' write de three names in dere an' put it in dis right hand. An' yo' put de egg in de lef' han'.
(You put the name three times on a piece of paper?)
Yes.
(I see.)
An' put it in dis han' [demonstrates].
(In the right hand.)
An' den yo' put de egg in dis han'.
(Put the egg in the left hand. All right.)
Entry 7448
(How long ago did it happen?)
Long as they make [I interrupt].
(This story that you are going to tell me, how long ago did it take place?)
What about, de eggs?
(Yes.)
Of a man killin' a man?
(Yes, well, you said it was about three months ago?)
Yeah, about three months ago I saw dat happen, jes' whut I'm speakin' about now.
(Well, tell me the whole story.)
[This murder occurred near the end of 1937.]
A man, he wus livin' wit a woman an' him an' dis woman had separated. Dis wo- nan mixed up wit anothah man. An' so, well, dis man what had been livin' wit de woman come by de house. So dis [new] man, he hadn't been roun' dere long, no one knows nuthin of 'im. So he told dis man, he say, "Listen," he said, "I'm livin' here now," he say, '"I don't wan' choo to come nowhere roun' where I'm livin' at, I don't wan' choo a-comin' wit dis woman." So, he [former man] say, "All right." So he leaves dere. So one day de man wus off workin' an' he came by dere an' somebody told 'im dat de nan had been by dis house again. So it wus dat Saturday night. So dat Saturday night he couldn't fin' dis fellah. Dat Sundah jes' about twelve o'clock, he finded dis fellah. He wus playin' cards - him an' anothah fellah vus playin' a game dey call Coon Can.
(Coon Can?)
Coon Can, yes, dat's a game dey play wit ten cards - [something] was 'leven. An' when dis [former] fellah saw 'im - he had told people all up an' down Morris- town, dat anywhere he see dis fellah, he wus goin' to kill 'im.
(That was here in New Orleans?)
No, dis was out in de country at a little town dey call Morristown. I was done raised dere. An' so when dis fellah gits near 'im - some of 'is frien's had told 'im dat dis fellah had been lookin' fer 'im wit a pistol to kill 'im. Well, when he saw dis fellah, he wus settin' down behind a barrel. An' when dis fellah walked aroun' de barrel, well, dis fellah saw 'im an' he jumps up an' run. But he had de seven of di'monds in 'is han'. He shot 'im four times - four times - shot him twice through de heart, once in de leg an' in de side - killed 'im an' lef'. Nobody knows nuthin of 'im, didn't know where he had came from or nuthin of de kin'. So, a old lady, she took two eggs an' put 'em in 'is han's befo' he got stiff, put two eggs. Dey waked 'im [held a wake for the corpse] wit two eggs in 'is han's. Well, when dey comin' down to bury 'em dat nex' day, dey buried 'em - she told 'em, she say, "Now listen, dis man gone. We knows nuthin' about 'im, don't know whut way he gone, or nuthin of de kin'." An' so dey buried dis man on 'is face. An' she say, "De day when dem eggs bust, dis man will be back." Sure 'nuff, dey did dat, de family agreed to do it. Well, in about eight or nine days, close as I could guess, dem eggs must-a busted, cuz de man comes an' gives up 'imself. He walked into a big old, tavern-like, a white fellah has. Mr. Tim [Somebody], he runs a big ole place of business, yo' know, like dat, an' he walks up in dere. So, Stinwall was de sheriff, yo' know. Someone undah 'im [deputy], so he told 'im, he said, "Well, I come to give myself up." An' he wus speakin' to Stinwall's brother at de time - dey call 'im Amos. He said, "Give yourself up?" He said, "Yeah." Well, he didn't know 'im. He said, "Who are yo'." An' he said, "I'm de one dat killed de fellah in Morris- town." He said, "Well, mah brothah ain't here, "' he said, ''but wait a few min- utes." Like dat - which he didn't have no business comin' up in dat white de- partment, you see. So dey rings 'is brothah up an' de brothah came down dere an' got 'im an' carried 'im to Pepulo? jail. Dey ast 'im why had he come back. He said, he jes' couldn't have no peace of 'im leavin' from dere. He didn't think he'd done jes' right, dat he had taken somepin dat he couldn't give. (HOW DO THEY WAKE A PERSON UP THERE IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY? What do they do?) Well, jes' like you die. Well, out in de country dere ain't no place fo' to embalm 'em, see. Dey jes' have to keep yo' ovahnight, but here dey takes yo' an' jes' like de undahtakah gits us - well, dey take yo' an' dey embalm yo'. Well, dey don't have nuthin but singin' an' prayin' ovah yo', yo' know, like dat. Jes' like if any of yo' is Baptist or Methodist or Cath'lic, or anythin' like dat. Well, if dey's Cath'lic, well dey don't have no wake, dey'll jes' be a-settin' up dere wit yo'. Den de priest - befo' yo' die, de priest comes an' gives yo' a blessing.
(Well, how do they wake them out in the country?)
[I want a few more details about the country wake.]
Out in de country, well dey jes' preach a funeral or tell 'em yore life - yo' know, jes' de life yo' lived, if yo' wus a Christian.
(If you had a good or bad life?)
Yeah, if yo' followed Christianity.
[I do not forget the eggs!]
(Well, when they buried this fellow, did they take the eggs out of his hand?)
Left 'em in 'is han' - buried 'im wit de eggs in 'is han's.
Entry 7452
Ah tell yo' whut chew do, if a man git killed an' yo' don' know who did it, tryin' tuh find out. Yo' kin take two fresh hen aigs an' put 'em in each han'. Now lotsa times yo' jes' write de man's name yo' think it is, or sompin lak dat, but de main point, yo' jes' write, "Murderer give up. ". Jes' write on it, "Murderer, give up, " an' "In the Name of God." An' put it in 'is han's. Keep 'im out de groun' 36 hours, den go 'head an' bury 'im, if he's not come. But ah'd be willin' tuh bet he'll be dere befo yo' bury 'im.
(You don't bury him with those eggs in his hands?)
Yessuh, de aig in each han', let 'em stay in dere, hen aig. Jes' so it's a fresh one. Now yo' don' want no cold storage aig. Yo' wants a fresh hen aig. An' if he hasn't give up in de 36 hours, he will give up an' it 'twon't be long.
Entry 7453
An' den yo' kin take a egg, or de same egg, same kin'a egg, if somebody kill someone, an' aftah dey kill someone - well a fellah killed one of us color- ed an' my grandfathah did dis. I know dis. An' he take dem eggs an' he put 'em in de person's han's an' cross de han's jes' lak dat, an' dey caught 'im. (When they put those eggs in the hands, they had to cross the hands?) Yes sir, cross de han's jes' dat way witeggs. (Cross the breast?) Cross de breast, an' he couldn't go away. Dey caught 'im.
Entry 7458
Yo' take two black hen aigs. Yo' take one an' put it at his haid on de left side in de coffin or casket or whatevah it is, an' yo' take one an' put it in his left hand. Dat's whut ah've heard, an' say when dat aig bursts, dey'll have tuh come back. Say, dey'll have tuh come back an' surrender.
Entry 7460
(Do you take these two black eggs from the same hen, then?) No, sir. Yo' have to get a egg from each hen. (From each black hen?) Each black hen. (That you put in this man's hands?) In his hands. (To bring back the fellow that ran away, that killed this man?) To bring back the fellah dat killed 'im.
Entry 7462
Dey put two fresh eggs in de dead person's hands an' bury 'im wit dem two fresh eggs - black hen eggs - an' he'll come right straight back to where he done it den.
Entry 7463
This is only a small parable I want to give as an idea. If a young girl would go out wit some boy [if] he would drown this girl. Af- ter this girl had been drowned, she would rise in three day's time. All right. They go to some foreteller an' she say, "Yes, that's what you want." Well, the final facts - if the people want to see the facts - wants this boy to do the same thing that this girl did, commit suicide. Yo' may go to work an' take a rope, before buryin' dis girl, an' place aroun' 'er neck. Tie it, bring through each arm an' tie each arm.
(Tie her arms behind her?)
No, tie 'em down.
(I see, tie them down.)
The next knot goes in around her waist, but a piece of new rope. Then tie the legs together. May look an' git two black hen eggs, put in each hand an' cross 'em up in each hand. Bury the girl on 'er face. In nine days time or five days, this fellow will be floatin' round the same place where this girl was picked up from.
Entry 7507
Shot to death. Well, now if yo' is shot to death, yo' jes' take an' go in de woods an' dey git somepin dey calls scrubby oak [second-growth oak?] switch. Well yo' git one of dose switches, an' de very person whut's dead in de coffin, yo' take an' put dat in 'is han'. Put dat switch in 'is han' in de coffin, see, an' tell 'im, say, "Whip dis person across de whole worl'" - jes' who his name wus, yo' undah- stan' - "whip him until he git enough." Jes' call de dead person name an' also dis othah man's name - see, what did de killin' - an' den yo' close 'is hand on it. See [demonstrates] jes' close his hand right up on it, an' he'll finish drawin' up [!!!]. See. An' den when yo' bury 'im, in spirit dis same scrubby- oak switch an' dis fellah in spirit will whip dis othah fellah until he die. He won't live very long. If he live six months he doin' good. [Charleston, S. Car.,
(?).639:2+85.]
Entry 7673
De bes' thing dat ah would do, ah would go to de cemetery twelve a'clock at night an' take [dig] six feet of dirt down to the bottom of de grave wit mah lef' han' an' sprinkle dat roun' yore front do'step befo' de sunrise. Well, dat house will become unearthly fo' yo', an' yo' gotta move out. [Informant, of course, does not dig down 6 feet. He digs down 6 inches, which symbolizes the 6 feet.]
Entry 7681
[Here is a rare rite. While talking to the grave spirit, ask him to give you a sign before you 'leave the grave, that you will be successful in your undertaking with his dirt.] What dey do wit it? Well, dey take dat, yo' see, an' dey go an' shake hands wit de dead yo' see. Den dey give dat to dem. (Well, how do they do that? They get hold of your handwriting. And how would they shake hands with the dead, then?) Well, yo' see, yo' go tuh a pusson who's neighbah yo' know died, yo' know [buried]. An' yo' go down elbow deep an' yo' know, when yo' git down elbow deep, down dere it'll be as cold as de pusson is dead, yo' see. An' yo' talk tuh 'em an' yo'll request whethah yo' be successful an' tell 'em give yo' a sign. Well, if it's a calm day, yo' call de sign, an' yo' tell 'em tuh make a - shake a limb on a tree or shake a bush or send a breeze of wind. An' he give yo' a sign by dat, yo' know. Yo' know whethah yo' be successful when yo' leave [the grave] or not. He give yo' de sign 'fo' yo' leave, yo' know.
(Well, what do you do with this handwriting?)
Dey jes' take it an' put it right - as yo' go down dere elbow deep, dey'll put it in dat hole an' pay 'em two cents an' tell 'em whatcha wanta happen wit dis, yo' know, what chew Wanta happen - kill
Entry 7725
Take de footbo'd an' put it tuh de haid an' de haidbo'd an' put it tuh de feet, an' let it stay fo' [for] fo' [four] days. Go back an' reverse de footbo'd tuh de left-side an' de haidbo'd tuh de right-side, an' name de othah per- son - name de per- son [victim]. Take de length of dat grave from de haid wit a rule [string can be used]. Carry it back through a [paper bag suggested later] an' pass it tuh dem [the victim]. Give it tuh dem or some of de ones in de house - or de one dat shure tuh be condemned. Dat'll be de one who'll soon pass out of de house. (How do you mean? You go there and put the headboard to the foot and the footboard to the head?) That's right. (Then you go back there in four days. And then what do you do with those boards?) Take 'em an' jes' place 'em tuh de side, one tuh de left an' one tuh de right Iside of grave].
(Well, which is which?)
De haidbo'd tuh de left [heartside] an' de footbo'd tuh de right. Jes' take dem an' jes' push 'em dere; jes' push 'em dere an' name 'em.
[Somewhere along here informant said something about a sign on the grave.]
(That you make a sign on the grave?)
Yo' make a "x" on de grave, dat's right. Carry it [measurement] back an' give tuh de person.
(What do you give to the person?)
De measure. Yo' measure it wit a rule or a string; anything yo' want tuh, jes' since yo' git it back [to the house]. Yo' take de measure an' give it tuh dis person, somebody in de house. Yo' gotta give it tuh 'em in a papah bag or sompin - in de bag or sompin. Be sure dat chew give it tuh 'em. [Sumter, S. Car. (1384), 2460:5.]
Entry 7861
Take graveyard dirt an' spidahs an' eggshell an' dis stuff yo' call quicksil- vah, an' put it tuhgethah an' put it in person pump where dey pump. An' dey drink dat watah an' it will kill 'em. De ole people [in the country] uses pumps. Yo' put it in dere an' it kill 'em. [Somewhere we have a rite about quicksilver drying up a pond.]
Entry 8039
Ah heard dat dey take de middle-fingah bone an' if dey wants tuh be lucky.
(What do you call the middle-finger bone?)
Uh, dis fingah heah [demonstrates].
(The middle finger on the left hand.)
Yessuh, dis one [demonstrates].
(The third joint. That's the joint right next to the hand.)
Yessuh. An' dey take dat an' dey let it git hard an' dry, an' dey take den an' dey put dat in de stove an' let it bake till it becomes - it bleaches white an' lak crumbly. Den dey takes it an' dey crumble it tuh ashes. An' dey take dose ashes, take de ashes from dat middle fingah, an' den dey take de ashes of a dove's laig, of dis lef' laig, an' dey take dose two ashes an' put 'em tuhgethah, an' den dey put lode- stone in dere. An' aftah dey put de lodestone, den dey take den an' dey put dis silvah; not de liquid quicksilvah, [but] yo' know dis silvah dat's kinda lak dey shake it out jis' lak powdah. An' dey take dose three thin's an' dey mix 'em all tuhgethah.
(The silver is just like a powder you mean. It's a silver just like powder?)
Yessuh, grind it tuh a silvah powdah. Yo' know, not de quicksilvah whut chew po's out, whut chew po' lak watah. An' dey takes an' dey mix dose three thin's tuhgethah an' dey say dat it will cuz dem tuh have powah an' dominion ovah me tuh rule 'em.
(A man would do that to get power over another man?)
Yessuh.
Entry 8043
Take de dead man's bone, take fo' of 'is fingahs. Yo' see, dese: one, two, three, fo' fingahs here. An' take each one of 'em j'ints. Yo' undahstand. Yo' take de end of dem fingahs, aftah all de meat's done faded offa dem.
(Either hand?)
No, no, take off de right hand.
(All right.)
Dat's 'is gamblin' hand, makes a gamblin' hand outa it. Dat's tuh make yuh win, undahstand. Dat's supposed tuh make yo' lucky, make yo' win. Take dem fo' fingahs here an' dey chip 'em right in half. When dey chip dem fo' j'ints in half, dey puts 'em intuh a li'le bag, yo' undahstand. An' put some steel dust in dere an' lode- stone an' six needles, gold-eyed needles, an' sew dat up an' give it tuh yuh. Call dat a lucky hand.
(For gambling.)
Entry 8046
An' den, yo' could take a dead man's fingah.
(A dead man's finger. Which finger do you take?)
The decical fingah. It's de only fingah dat is any good [demonstrates].
(Which hand is that?)
The right hand.
(But the little finger of the right hand.)
Yes, an' dis j'int.
(The first joint.)
Yeah - no - yeah. Dis one, de second j'int. Dis [demonstrates] de firs' j'int an' dat's de second j'int. (I see, the second joint at the top of the finger. All right.) An' yo' take dat an' carry it wit chew in yuh pocket. Ah could come right tuh yo' an' long as ah has dat, but ah have tuh have - now, dat's de decical fingah of de dead man. Ah have tuh have mah decical fingah on dis bone in mah hand, yo' see. See, ah'm goin' have mah hand shut, but ah gotta have mah fingah right on dere, mah decical fingah tuh, right on dis bone. Ah could come tuh yo' an' ah say, loan me a dollah, loan me five dollahs. Yo' will be, yo' couldn't hesitate at all.
(Almost anything you want, you get.)
Entry 8048
Yo' know what dat candle's fo'? (No.) Dat candle's fo' gamblin' purposes. (Well, how would you prepare any- thing of that sort?) Bell, if yo' kin git de bone of a dead person - de bes' thing dat yo' kin use from a dead person, if yo' kin git dat bridge of de nose, what's in a person here. If yo' would put it in... [I interrupt.]
(You mean the bridge of the nose?)
Yes, dat bridge in de nose. If yo' kin git dat an' take dat an' put it in, go tuh an' make a novena[!] ovah dat, an' burn two candles. (Well, after you get that bridge of the nose, where do you make that novena? In your home or in the church?) In yuh home.
(In your home. Then what do you do?)
Den yo' set two candles tuh burn.
(You mean two candles before, or near it, or what?)
Two candles ovah it - undah whatevah yo' got de candles in burnin', have it. Have whatevah yo' got de candles in big enough so dat de wax from de candle will rum right down in dat containah what it's settin' in. An' have dis bridge of de Dose undah dat containah. Yo' undahstan'? An' let dose two candles burn out ovah dat.
(What sort of candles do you use in a case of that sort?)
Yo' kin use two white candles.
(I see. All right, go ahead.)
An' yo' wrap dat bridge of de nose of dat person wit one piece of garlic. Divide it an' tie it aroun' de bridge of dat nose, an' sew it in red flannel. An' let dat person keep dat piece of - dat in dat pocket, an' when dey go tuh a gamblin' house, or any place tuh gamble, rub dat ovah dere hands an' den rub dere hands ovah dere face, an' put it back in dere pocket. An' dat's all dey've got mah do wit it.
(That's a gambling hand?)
It's a gamblin' hand.
(I see.)
Entry 8488
Yo' take dat blood out of yore left [demonstrates].
(The middle finger of the left hand.)
Dat's right, an' yo' write a person's name an' den yo' write yore name 'cross dat. Yo' write yore name 'cross dat an' dey will come tuh yuh. (What do you do after you write those names?) Yo' bury it de ninth hour aftah yo' do dat. (In the ninth hour you bury this paper.)
Entry 8489
Yo' kin take fingah- nails from yore fingahs, pick 'em an' yo' put 'em in some graveyard dirt. [Fin- gernails are now forgotten.] Pick undah dis fingahnail, dis fingah heah. (The middle finger on'the left hand, and get some blood you say.) Until it bleeds, an' drop it in dis. Drop nine drops in dis han'ke'ch'ef wit dis graveyard dirt in it. Den yo' take it, lak dis heah, tie it up, an' yo' put it in a bottle airtight an' whoevah it is, her name in it.
(Put the name on a piece of paper.)
Dere yo' are, on a piece of papah. Den when yo' stop dis bottle airtight, an' then in nine [days] evahwhere [anywhere] she are, she'll be 'way [leave] from dere.
(Where do you keep that bottle during the nine days?)
In de nine days, yo' bury it undah de left cornah of yore house. (When you get this graveyard dirt, you put it in a little saucer or something and put the blood in it?) In a little vial.
(In a little bottle.)
An' yo' got drop dis blood - nine drops of blood in it out from undah his fingah.
(The middle finger of the left hand.)
Dat's right. (Do you get this graveyard dirt any special way, or just go out there and pick it up?) Go to de haid of a man's grave - see, an' put it in dis vial.
Entry 8588
Then if ah want this woman an' ah can't get to her, ah kin take mah e 'er name first at de top, my name second at de bottom, her name third an' my name fourth. See, ah ain't got to write it but four times. An' ah fold dat papah. Every time ah fold dat papah, ah fold it to me, an' ah leave it wit three corners, an' have all three of those corners turned to me. An' ah put dat in de lamp, an' ah lights dat lamp, an' ah'll burn dat lamp slowly. Ah turn dat lamp on at seven o'clock. (Seven o'clock in the morning or the evening?) Seven o'clock in de mawn- in'. Ah burn dat lamp slowly till six in de evening. Den ah turn dat lamp down low. See, ah won't blow dis lamp out. Instead of me blowing de lamp out, ah ketch it an' pinch de wick of it. An' see every time ah pinch de wick of it, dat makes it burn on your mind. Dat burn yore name into mine an' my name into yours. Well, dat draws de mind of yo' to me, see. Dat drawin' yore mind.
(You pinch the wick out?)
Ah pinch de wick out.
(Out of where?)
Pinch it plumb out, pinch it till it goes out. See.
(I see.)
As long as it burn - pinching on dat wick [demonstrates] ah'll pinch dat lamp, pinch dat wick plumb out.
(You pinch it with both hands?)
Yassuh, wit both hands till ah pinch it out.
Entry 8622
(Suppose I want to keep the law away from that bootlegging joint, what would I do? How would I keep the law away? Any particular way?) Well, they have several dif- (4) ferent kind of way to keep de law away, if yo' want de law dat is on dis beat. Now, well, let's fix up - we want de law away. Of course, if we go to work an' work direct on de police on de force, dat Wouldn't stop 'em from raidin'. Now, listen! Let's see what we going to do about stoppin 'em raidin' in general. All right. Yo' going to get de chief of detectives, yo' goin' to get de chief of police, yo' goin' to get de captain's name, yo goin' to get everybody dat's in authority over dat group, which, if they goin' to raid, dey'd have to go up to dese particular men before dey can make a raid. Do yo' get de idea?
(I see.)
It got to come from dem. Well, we'll start wit dem. We are not concerned wit de ordinary man, dat is, de common ordinary police officer. We get de head of 'em. Well, we take dat head in dere an' we are goin' to draw a round ring six inches from de centah - a round ring. We goin' to place all dose names in dat ring on parchment papah.
[No ordinary paper for the important police!]
(Six inches from the center - that is, the diameter will be twelve inches then?) Yeah, just de same [demonstrates] if yo' say six inches from here [center of circle] an' yo' just hold it [a string] dere an' yo' go aroun' [draw the circle].
(The circle is twelve inches in diameter?)
Yeah, twelve inches in diameter.
(All right.)
Now, yo' going to take each one of dose officers - see, de twelve of 'em dat's in authority. [Informant is surely thinking of the 12 signs of the Zodiac rather than the 12 Apostles; the signs to protect place of business from police all year.] Yo' goin' to place 'em direct in dat center an' yo' goin' to sweeten 'em up. An' aftah yo' sweeten dem up.
(How do you sweeten them up?)
Well, yo' can takd dis Lureen Oil [surely Zuring oil, an oil to lure the police], dat Oil of Lureen, when it come for anything beneficial, all good things, this is to use for dat most particular purpose [beneficial to oneself]. Like yo' can use seven drops of dat Oil of Lureen, an' aftah yo' use it round in dere, why yo' goin' to take what yo' call a tappan[?] beans come from Central America.
(What kind of a bean?)
Dat's a bean come from.... Central America, from Las.... G....de capital of Las....
(What do you call those beans, what is the name of them?)
Santoine[?] beans.
(Santoine[?] beans and where do they come from?)
Central America.
(From where? You said some place in Central America?)
Well, sir, G....is the capital of Las....but dey bring 'em from G....to Las.... an' dat's de seaport.
(I see. All right.)
Now, why each one of dose names I done going to take pure white thread. It made kind of like wit four corners an' it grows in a bean [pod] an' dere may be twelve in one bean [pod], eight or ten, like dat. Yo' take it an' yo' sew it right in de center of dat name. Like my name would be Paul B. Dickson. Where the "D" at, yo' could write it twixt de "D" right in de center. An' whosomevah [whatever policeman] go back there [in your place of business, you complain to him] an' say, "Well, this is a quiet zone an' they raisin' Sam an' singing over there. Ah can't sleep at night. How yo' want me to work an' I'se lonesome an' all of that stuff." "Well, all right, " [says the officer] "we'll take care of dat." An' before he [officer] gets out of there [your place of business], dat stuff [you prepared] got him. (How do you do that? You sew one of these beans on each one of those names? Then what do you do with that parchment, then?) On [a bean on] each one of dose name. Den yo' take dat parchment an' yo' just fold it in like that an' just take it ovah dere an' put it in [your] show- case. Just keep it anywhere. Then it has a tendency to - wheresomevah your funds at, yo' can keep it right in yore funds an' it has a tendency to draw funds.
(You mean, the money?)
Yeah.
(In your money box where you keep your money?)
Yeah.
(I see.)
Entry 8791
De finger, dat finger right dere [demonstrates], pick it till it bleed. (That middle finger in the left hand.) An' write 'im a lettah. Jes' take a pencil an' daub it in dere an' write 'im a lettah an' he come back home.
(What would she do with that letter after she writes it?)
She don't do anythin', jes' mail it tuh 'im. [For writing with blood, see also Nos.8485-8489, etc.]
Entry 8792
(Suppose you want to bring them back if they are gone?)
Oh, yo' kin do dat.
(How do they do that?)
Well, yo' kin, don't care where dey are, even if dey are dead; yo' see dey [dead], yo' know, dere spirit. Yo' kin take dis way: on yore left hand, tuh yore heart [demonstrates]. (Take the middle finger?) Yes, dat's supposed tuh be yore heart, lead [immediately] tuh yore heart. Well, yo' git a ink pin [pen often called pin and pin called pen] bran'-new ink pin wit a point dat's nevah been used fo' nuthin, writin' pin. Well, yo' take dat pin [pen] an' yo' pierce dat right in until yo' git enough of blood tuh write wit, yo' see. Yo' git a plain piece of papah an' yo' take an' write wit chure blood - write dere name an' yore name an' yo' buries dis papah at midnight wit de writin' down. No mattah where dey'll be dey'll come. Dey'll come. If dey dead, de spirit, yo'll see it.
(You'll see the spirit.)
Entry 8799
They burn it [hand- wmiting] an' make dere wishes an' it'll cause yore hand tuh tremble.
Entry 8800
If yo' got a purtty han'writin' an' a person don't lak it, an' if dey get a holda yore writin', dey'll take yuh writin' an' burn it up wit cayenne peppah an' salt, an' dat'll get choo nervous in yuh writin', yo' know, when yo' start tuh write, an' yo' can't write a nice decent hand as yo' once did, yo' know, cuz yo' can't hold it [pencil or pen] level.
Entry 8814
Yo' burn de fo' cornah of de lettah [you receive from someone] an' fold it down tight an' put it away in any secret place, where it won't be misplaced. It'll make yo' [the reader] have yuh hands tremblin' lak yo' have de palsy an' yo' can't have de use of yuh hand.
Entry 8822
They kin take yore han'- writin' - dey kin receive a lettah from yo'. Dey take dat lettah an' dey clip all four cornahs of it, see. Don't clip the whole lettah, clip all fo' cornahs of it off like dat, see. Dey take dat lettah den an' dey burn a little hole in it right in de middle, see. Aftah dey have burnt dat den, dey goes out an' dey. gets a lizard, an' dey takes an' dey kills dis lizard, yo' see. An' dey parches 'im up to where dey kin make a powdah out of it. Aftah dey make dat powdah, den dey sprinkle it all ovah dat lettah, yo' see. Dey folds dat lettah up good, see, an' dey folds it up an' dey take it an' bury it some place in de ground, yo' see, an' yo' lose control of dat hand.
(I see.)
Entry 8829
If yo' write a lettah tuh any- one an' dey git hold of yore han'- writin', dey kin bury dat. Dey kin jes' fole dat lettah, yo' know de cornah of it, an' take it an' bury it, an' dat will cuz yore han's tuh go bad on yo' [demonstrates].
(You mean fold that letter from one corner to the other.)
From one cornah tuh de othah, In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, an' go ahead an' bury it.
Entry 8831
And they knows yore handwritin' - get holt of it, dey can.
(What will they do?)
Well, dey will take dat han'writin' an' dey kin cross-write yore han'writin', yo' see, so ah'm told. Cross-write yore han'writin', jes' like yo' write a lettah straight; well, now, dey'll go 'cross it.
(I'll write it straight?)
Straight, an' dey'll turn it [the paper upside down] an' go across it. (I see, just cross it - just turn the paper around and cross it.) Cross it, see. Dey turn de Papah aroun' an' cross it. Well, when dey cross it, den dey'll fold dat papah differently, yo' see. An' dey'll puts it in a draw, draw it with heat or watah, see. An' aftah drawin' it with heat or watah; de sweat from dat papah is what dey uses, yo' see. Well, if dey use dat sweat, dey got yore han' jes' de same, yo' see. An' dey put it in a bottle an' use it, cause yore han' tuh swell up. Dey put salt, peppah an' alum in it an' dey'll lay it in a place undah de step, an' it will cause yore hand to swell.
Entry 8837
Well, dey say yo' kin take dat, yo' han'writin'. Dey say dey kin take yore han'writin' an' dey kin put - yo' see, yo' take yore han'writin' an' yo' roll dat up, an' yo' put dat in a bottle wit sulphuh, red peppah an' gunpowdah. An' yo' put chamber lye in dis bottle an' yo' set it up dis way [demonstrates]. Stop it up airtight an' den yo' put fire aroun' dere. It will shoot up in dere - de stoppah will shoot up in dere an' de bottle will bu'st. Dey say dat will take effect on yore nerves - dat will effect yore nerves an' stuff lak dat - yore hands. Kinda throw yo' in palsy-lak, whut dey tell me.
Entry 8842
Dey taken 'er han'writin' an' go tuh de graveyard, a child's grave, an' dig a hole long enough tuh put 'is han' right through. An' take a piece of sil- vah an' tell dis silvah whut choo want it tuh do, an' sompin will happen tuh yuh hand [writer's hand] (You leave that handwriting and the silver right in the grave?) Yeah, don't bring it away. [In hoodoo or witchcraft a person may and frequentIy does talk to an inanimate object, such as the present silver, but at the grave the spirit of the dead per- son buried there controls all action and any dirt carried away. This power of the grave-spirit is abundantly displayed in Section DEATH-BURIAL-GRAVEYARD, Pp.3293-3385, and elsewhere in the total text. However, if informant believes that the silver does his or her work, that is the magic truth for him or her!]
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 8854
Yo' know when yo' writin' a lettah, an' yo' got chure han's on de pen, mah [your] wrist is on de lettah. Well, dey cuts dis off. Dey cuts dis heah off de lettah, see. Well, dey take dat lettah whut yo' done Wrote an' wipe it on a piece of fresh meat, a piece of fresh meat, an' take dat meat an' carry it somewheres an' put it up. Put dat meat up until it completely dry. When dat meat completely dry - yo' take dat meat an' keep it where de sun stay hot an' all - an' when dat meat dry up, yo take dat meat an' yo' put it in a can airtight. It's hard dry. Dat kill yo' right dere. Yo' lose control of yore han', yo' have no mo' use of yore hand.
Entry 8872
Dey take yore han'writin' an' run yo' completely crazy, an' git chure fingahprints from de lettah dat chew wrote, an' jes' mess yo' all up in yore han's lak it be's a kin' of a stroke.
(What would they do with that?)
A woman tole me dey take it [letter] an' dress it. [Thinking informant had ended, I stopped recording machine but had to restart for an addition.]
(After they dress it, they stop it up in a green tree?)
Dress it an' den stop it up in a green tree.
Entry 8873
Dey take yore han'writin' an' draw [up] yore fingahs, see.
(How do they do that?)
Dey tell me dey take dat han'writin', a lettah - jes' lak ah write chew a lettah an' yo' wanta do sompin tuh me. When yo' git mah lettah, why yo' satis- fied. Well, yo' take mah lettah dat ah wrote chew an' yo' put it in a halfa glass of vinegah an' alkeehäl [alcohol]. Well, dey say den, if ah try tuh write, ah can't write. Mah fingahs an' mah veins will commence tuh draw. See, dey jes' commence tuh draw an' finely [finally] why ah gits lak a person deformed or sompin. Ah can't do nuthin becuz yo' got mah fingahs tied up intuh vinegah an alkeehal. Yo' see, it's strong. Well, dat jes' got mah veins tied. Ah can't write. Ah kin try but ah can't do nuthin.
Entry 8879
Well, if a person kin take yore han'writin' an' if dey kin take it an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' burn it on each end [4 corners] befo' dey do, evah time yo' go tuh write, yo' hardly kin write. Yore han' will be zig- zag on de papah. Yo' couldn't hardly write, yo' tremble so bad till yo' git somebody tuh write fo' yuh. Becuz ah know a gentleman dat wuz lak dat.
Entry 9007
De aig is a lucky aig in de line if yo' in trouble an' if any- body wants tuh git chew outa trouble. Well, dey take a black chicken aig an' boil it an' carry it tuh yo' while yo' in jail, an' let chew jes' keep dat aig in yore han' parta de time. Jes' lak yo' says, "Ah'm gon'a eat dis aig, '' but yo' nevah would eat it. Jes' do dat way. An' fin'ly yo'll git outa jail.
Entry 9014
Well, ah heard dat chew kin git chew a black hen aig, see, an' carry it home an' boil it. But yo' have tuh go tuh de graveyard fo' dat. Yo' have tuh go tuh de graveyard an' dig down in dere by de person's haid where he was buried, up tuh yore elbows, yo' know, an' git a handful of dust an' come back, an' put it intuh dis pot what chew boil dat aig in. Put dat dirt dataway an' den take de aig an' carry it on up tuh de co'thouse. Jes' lak yo' de one wants tuh git out an' ah slip yo' de aig, an' yo' carries dat dere wit chew. Den yo' jes' let it drop somewhere on de floor an' bust it, an' dat'll help yo' tuh git a light fine. Sometime it cleahs yo'.
Entry 9109
Den ah tell yo' anothah thing dat's very good. Yo' use dat oil of amber. Yo' cross de bottom of yore feet wit dat, both feet, an' rub it on yore- self [demonstrates]. (You rub it on the hands like this, and then you rub it right at the top of - the middle of the temple, and then right down your chin.) An' yo' kin go anywheres an' dey will be so sympathizing wit yo'.
(You mean that is to get out of trouble or...)
Most anythin' [even a court case]. Ah had a girl in de hospital, she wus goin' - wanted to be graduated, goin' to be a nurse, an' she was doin' some li'le things she shouldn't have done, an de head nurse was goin' to discharge 'er. An' she didn't wanta leave fer any- thing. An' ah jest give her de stuff an' tole 'er what to do an' she stayed dere - jest graduated.
(You use that for little minor things.)
Entry 9151
To discharge the case against you?
(Yes.)
The best things you can do for the judge is to get you a thing they call spice. Get you a spice and after you wash your face, combed your hair, you stand with your back to the door - not with your face to the door - stand with your back to the door. Rub your hands, rub that powder, that spice on your hands and brush your face backward, back like that [demonstrates]. Brush it three times before you go out that door. And then wheel out that door, just turn and walk out that door be- fore you open your eyes. But brush your face backward three times after you ground that spice, wash your face, comb your hair and everything, be ready to go. Smooth your face three times like that and turn your back, with your eyes closed and go out that door. And I'll bet you won't have no trouble and your case will be done closed.
Entry 9162
Yo' know it's twelve disciples an' dere's 12 jurymens. Well, yo' take dese twelve disciples an' yo' put six - write six names on one piece of papah an' six on de othah, an' put dem in yore shoes - each shoe. An' yo' rubs garlic in yore hand, if yo' kin git tuh it. Yo' see an' go intuh de courtroom, or yo' kin turn evahthing. Jes' lak de trial goin' tuh be tuhday. Turn evahthing in yore house from de cups on tuh a chair, turn it upside down, mattress an' evahthing yo' see. He [judge] can't [go] ovah dat. If dey do, yo' ain't goin' git much. See, he don't know how tuh git tuh yo'. See, dis Work 'em upside down. Dey don't [know] how to git up tuh yo'. Yo' see dose 12 disciples, ah can't call 'em by name right now, but any- way it's twelve. It's 12 jurymen. Well, see de disciples are jurymen.
(That's when you go up before the judge.)
Entry 9238
Yo' kin take a chicken aig an' yo' kin - jis' lak dat de aig [demon- strates] turn it dat way, de haid of it. Take dat chicken aig an' go outside where any couple's house is - yo' know, a married couple be - an' take dat chicken aig an' bust it up side of dat house, de haid of dat aig is turnt, an' dat'll bust 'em up. Dat'll separate 'em. (Do you use any kind of a chicken egg?) Any kind.
Entry 9304
[For eggs and murder rites see No.7425-7470, pp.3276-3285 in MURDER section.] Wherevah dis [murdered] person lies, wherevah dey got killed at, yo' have de peoples tuh let 'l [dead person] hold a aig in 'is hand. See. An' when- evah, if dey evah bring dat person in whut kilt him, he'll squeeze dis aig in 'is han' - de daid man.
(What will happen when he squeezes that egg then?)
Dat's de one, whoevah come roun', uh-huh. Jes' lak if ah walk up tuh dis
[dead] man, undahstan' an' place de aig in 'is han', he'll [dead man will]
squeeze dis aig an' dat aig will burst. An' [or] eithah yo' kin - jes' lak yo' suspicious of sech-an'-sech-a-one, yo' take 'em all up dere [to the corpse] an' let 'im step back 'cross de [dead] man. An' his [dead man's] nose will start tuh bleeding, [if] de one who did de killin' [steps across the corpse.]
Entry 9305
Yo' take a black hen aig if a person has murdered somebody, take two. Lak if de person wuz murdered, yo' put a aig in each one of dere han's, a black hen aig. An' be shuh [sure] it's a black hen aig, an' put it in each one of dere han's. Git a piece of grass rope. (What's that?) Dese heah ropes whut people ties bundles an' things with. An' yo' git a piece of dat an' yo' make nine knots in it, an' yo' tie it on dere wrist. An' when yo' git ready tuh bury dat person, yo' turn dere face bottom upwards [back of head upwards]. An' de one whosomevah murdered 'em gotta come back where dey did dat murdah. Wit dat black hen aig.
(Do you tie that rope on just one wrist?)
On both of 'em, both wristses, put a aig in each han' an' shut dat han' up. An' when yo' git ready tuh bury 'em, yo' turn dere face down. Yo' see, dey gen'ly [generally] bury people wit dere face up, in place of puttin' de face down tuh de bottom of de coffin.
Entry 9306
Lak de man is daid, yo' put a aig in his han' an' de man's.name whut done it on dat aig, an' put it in his hand an' he supposed tuh come back in 24 hours.
Entry 9450
Take some table salt an' yo' wrop it up in a little piece of white rag, an' tie it up an' tote it in yore pocket. An' aftah yo' tote it in yore pocket, yo' take a little bit in yore han' an' jes' rub it right lak dat [demonstrates]. An' rub it all ovah yore haid an' face an' all lak dat.
(Over your hands?)
Yes sir, an' aftah yo' done rub it all in yore han's, jes' go [to the boss] an' he'll look out fo' yo'. Prob'ly yo' don' git de job tuhday, prob'ly not tuhmahrah, but befo' dat week or so out he'll give yo' sompin tuh do.
Entry 9451
If yo' goin' tuh hunt a job an' yo' think yo' not goin' be a success, yo' always tote yo' a li'le salt in yore pocket. Have salt in yore pocket evah mawnin' when yo' on dat job or when yo' goin' jes' tuh look fo' a job, see. An' jes"fore yo' git tuh yore boss, yo' put a li'le bita dat salt in yore han' an' goes up wit chure han' lak dat [demon- strates] an' jes' rub. An' go on tuh yore boss.
Entry 9788
An' ah heard ag'in that yo' take a needle an' make it cross lak that, an' say de Lawd's Prayer [demonstrates].
(You take two needles then?)
Yes. An' say the Lawd's Prayer an' say - when yo' say the Lawd's Prayer, then yo' - turn right around an' put chure hand up this way [informant demonstrates holding right hand up into air]. (Just as if you were swearing an oath in court?) Yessuh. Put chure han' up an' [this man] said: "In His Name, an' in his own will an' time, will he plead when dis man came." An' said, "An' leave there [home]." An' dey said he'll come back [home from court]. Dat's one way ah heard.
Entry 9890
Dey say dat yo' kin take a toadfrog an' tote him till he dies, an' yo' kin cure any kinda complaint dat yo' wants; any complaint, if yo' ketch 'im an' tote him till he dies. (Then what do you do with him?) Yeah, jis' don' squeeze him, but yo' tote him till he dies. Any kinda complaint come tuh yore hand, yo' kin cure it.
Entry 9963
Kill a frog while he's hot. Take a frog while he's hot an' kill 'im an' split him open while he's hot. An' take an' rub yore han's on 'im an' rub down yore han's lak dat. An' yo' go out tuh any card game yo' wanta an' yo' be successful. Git chew a live frog an' split him back open, an' rub yore han's on 'im down dere.
Entry 9980
Jis' lak a fellah's gamblin' an' wan'a han' tuh gamble an' lak dat, he kin take - he wants tuh win in gamblin' - take a frog, one dem small green frogs, an' put 'im in 'is pocket. Put 'im in a papah sack an' put 'im in 'is pocket. Rub 'is han' ovah 'im about three time an' den put 'im in dat papah bag. An' put 'im in 'is pocket an' go on tuh de game an' break de gaime.
Entry 9987
Tuh git luck fo' gamblin' yo' goes an' git chew a toadfrog. If a man is a gamblin'-man, he goes an' gits 'im a toadfrog an' take dat toadfrog an' ketches 'im an' goes tuh any drygoods sto' [to distinguish from Wetgoods store!] an' buy 'im a box of black peppah an' red pappah an' some table salt. An' he put it in dat frog's mouth. An' when he put dat in dat frog's mouth, de frog'll go tuh coughin', an' he [man] come on back tuh dis gamblin' - where he be gamblin' at - an' he take dat salt an' throw yuh [his] han' out lak dat [demonstrates] tuh throw dat salt all ovah de whole crowd. An' dat frog he'll go tuh coughin' wit dat peppah an' will start tuh movin' roun'. An' he wins at evahthin' da' 'tis [that is] in de game. Jes' gits 'im a toadfrog, jis' a hoppin' toadfrog. Toadfrog anywhere hoppin' 'long - anywhere, jis' pick 'im up. Jis' reach down an' grab 'im an' take dat frog an' rub 'im in yore han' lak dat [demonstrates] an' go on tuh a game. An' go buy yo' some black peppah an' take it an' throw about a box in 'is mouth, an' shet 'is mouth up an' go on tuh de game. An' git chew a handful of salt an' when yo' git in de house, yo' take dat salt an' does lak dat [demonstrates]. An' when yo' do's lak dat, dat frog go tuh coughin'. When he go tuh coughin', well dat starts evahbody tuh lookin', an'evahbody lose all dey winnin's.
Entry 10017
De man paid another fellah, but dis wuz a culud [colored] fellah comes up from [some place south of us]. An' he got acquainted wit me, or he got tuh learn of me, an' ah took 'im home wit me [to rent him a room]. Well, he had de dice [money to pay]. An' he said, did ah could git holt'a [hold of al black cat. "Can yuh find a black cat? Don' tell no one." So ah tell 'im, "Well, ah'd see." An' we got holt'a de black cat, right black cat wit not no white spot or nuthin about 'im. We put dat cat in a pot an' boil 'im down, all de meat off 'is bones, an' den taked tuh de watah, a big tub of watah, an' empty all dat [boiled cat] right in dere. An' he says, "Well, Butch, ah'll tell yuh whut ah'll want. Now, yo' mus' take dis han' [surely left hand] an' de bone dat swims on top of de watah, dat's de lucky bone." Dat black cat, ah heah 'em talkin' about it, but ah've never seen [the use of] it tried. [Since running Water is required, surely our operator before boiling commenced swished his hand about in the tub to suggest motion; or, if these men used city tapwater, we must remember that the latter when turned on becomes run- ning water many places in HOoDO0.]
Entry 10047
Take a black cat - ketch 'im an' put 'im in a pot'a boilin' watah alive, an' den let 'im stay in dat pot'a boilin' watah until he dies. Den take him down tuh a stream of runnin' watah an' cos [of course] quite natchal he'll be's intuh bone [bones will be separated from flesh] an' dere'll be a bone dat'll stay on top'a de water. An' yo' take dat bone an' take it an' keep it in yuh pocket. An' den yo' gone a week from dat, dat day dat chew did dis [= 7 days later] go down tuh de fo'ks of de road an' sell yuhself tuh de devil. An' yuh be able tuh do anythin' yuh want tuh do. (What do you do down at the forks of the road? [Pause.] Do you know? [I am not making myself clear.] When you go down with that bone in your pocket, is there anything that you do at the forks of the road?) Well, yuh jes' - yo' hold it [bone] in yuh lef' han', an' dat de time yuh sellin' yuhself tuh de devil.
Entry 10152
Hold it [a black cat bone] in your hand, in the palm of your hand - until it sweat, and just smooth it [bone surely, not palm of hand] over your face; and anything that you undertake to do, that you'd be successful with.
[Vicksburg, Miss., resumé, 989:8.]
Entry 10217
Wal, she measure him dere. She takes dat length an' she measure him lak dat an' she takes yore hair an' begin dat thing about dat. She takes de string an' takes dat measure of dat [demonstrates a hand]. (Of the hand?) Dis one [demonstrates]. (The left hand?) Dat's right [informant contin- ues to demonstrate, I describe actions]. (And she measures the middle finger....from the end of the middle finger, right up over the hand joining to the wrist. And from the second joint of the middle finger down to that bone.)
[Bone = wrist bone, see later.]
She takes dat den, takes dat little cotton string an' holds it an' vraps it. Takes dat hearts [Hearts Cologne] an' put it on it, an' ever' time dat she messes wit chew, yo' see, she take it an' put her han' lak dat. An' when she git through she rub dat on yo'. Dere's no other woman dat chew kin bother wit.
(She rubs that string on herself after.)
Zackly.
(But how could she measure a man? Would he let her measure him that Way?)
Dat's de length of his.... [informant demonstrates].
(Oh! I see, she has to measure his hand - he's asleep - so he won't know it.)
She kin do it if he ain't wise, ain't got no sense. She could [say], "Let's see ho' long yo' finger - long as mine." Jes' lak dat. See, dat's de way dey get it.... [informant demonstrates again while I comment]. (They measure the middle finger of the left hand, the second knuckle from the top dam to that protruding bone right by the wrist joint.) [Here a woman afraid to measure a man, substitutes a left-hand measurement supposed to indicate his size!]
Entry 10228
Jes' him an' her could mate together. She would take de dishrag an' give it to him an' let him use it, an' take it an' put it in de middle of her mattress an' sleep on it ever' night. Dat will keep him from messin' wit any othah woman.
Entry 10579
Yo' kin take a leather-wing bullbat an' cut his heart out whilst he 'live, an' put it on a straight pin [ordinary pin, not safety pin]. Run a straight pin through it an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' rub yore han'. Rub it on yore han' every time yo' go to a skin game an' yo'll win.
Entry 10590
Well, you just take your bat, catch you a live bat, cut him open and take his heart. You gets you one yard of ribbon, red ribbon. Yes, sir. And anything you deal with, you take that ribbon and that heart and you tie it together. Take two brand-new needles and stick 'em an' make a cross in there like shen you going out, and that'll make you successful. Gambling success. That's called a gambling hand. You pin on the hand you use, on the hand you are using: if you deal with the left hand, on the left; and if you deal with the right, you use the right hand.
Entry 10612
If yo' want a job, yo' go down tuh de boss. Well, if dis fellah want- ed a job, didn't have no work an' didn't have nowhere tuh stay, an' everybody dat he went to, had turned him away. An' he went tuh a fellah dat supposed tuh know. De fellah give him three kind of roots: give Adam an' Eve, an' dis blacksnake root an' dis heah devil snakeroot [see later]. He taken dat root.... (Devil snakeroot or devil's shoestring?) Devil's shoestring! Dey called it de devil root. Take dat root an' fix dat root up in a kind of a compound an' he go down dere. When he git dere tuh dat man he take it an' goes an' git him a buckeye an' puts hit in his pocket. An' he wears dat buckeye. De buckeye made out of - dem lit- tle black buckeye lak dat. He takes dat an' he goes down an' he talks to de man. He put all of dat in Hearts Cologne an' he goes down dere to de man an' he gits tuh rubbin' his hand lak dat. An' walks up tuh de man an' started tuh talkin' with de man. De man will tell him, no, but be shore tuh come back de next day. Well, he'll come back de next dat still a-rubbin' dat root. Well, he'll git dat root, every one of 'em, one in each pocket an' one in each foot. An' he gits dere an' de man go tuh talkin' an' he'll have a piece in his mouth chewin'. When he git dere de man go tuh talkin' an' say, "Well, ah guess, if yo' think yo' kin work, ah'll give yo' a job." An' yo' tell de man yo' kin work. Jes' as long as yo' keep dat roots rubbed up an' keep it fulla Hearts Cologne, well de man will nevah fiah yo', but de time dat yo' lose dat root, yo' lose yore job.
Entry 10694
Oil of evergreen [wintergreen?], oil of berga- mine [bergamot], mix those two things, rub some of it in your han' when your time tuh shoot chure craps.
Entry 10695
Oil of bergamine [bergamot] and some oil of wintergreen when yo' go tuh gamblin', jis' rub some of it on yore han' an' some White Rose Perfume.
Entry 10744
Lucky Star perfume, mix it with urine, get lady's sponge she uses for monthses[?], when yo' go to gambling. Urine on sponge that has perfume on it. Rub [sponge] on hands, them gamble. Use sponge a woman has used.
Entry 10767
Bluestone - dat bluestone is lucky. Gunpowder is lucky, but you have to use it in such a peculiar way. Yo' know gunpowder is dangerous. Well, all right, you take dat blue- stone and gunpowder to- gether - dey call dat [bluestone] de lucky stone. Yo' mix dis bluestone an' gunpowder together an' put it in a little bag an' jes' tote dat in yore pocketbook. Well, all right, jes' lak yo' may walk off to a big poker game. Yo' walk aroun' de poker game an' yo' got yore hands in yore pocket, an' he laugh an' say, "How about it?" or "Take a chair." Yo' say, "Well, ah don't mind." Bang! Take a shot. Well, yo' bettin' on what chew got in yore pocket. Yo' ain't bettin' on what dis othah fellah got. Well, dat bluestone an' dat gunpowder - see, dat's hot, sure be luck fo' de winner. Now, ah knowed a man - mah uncle used to try dat. Dat wus good.
Entry 10850
Well, if a person - dey's got good hair an' de othah one got bad hair, an' jes' keep on boastin', "Yes, yo' pick yo' hair. Let me pick yo' hair back, lak dis heah." "Well, now if it's a man, 'Well, ' he says, "ah'll fix yo' so's yores be's jes' lak mah hair, ' Dey'll go an' git dat buz- zard manure. Yes, an' dey cain't git to yo' deyself, but dey'll give it to yore friend. Dey'll pay yore fren' an' yore fren' will git to yo', be combin' yore hair, an' put dat in de hair. Lak, now, someone be combin' yore hair an' yo' spit in yore han' an' rub it on yore haid, an' yore hair'll go. (You mean spitting on your hand will take your hair out? The buzzard manure will do that also? And spitting on your hand will do it?) Jes' comb yore haid an' spit on yore han', be combin', an' take yore han' an' wipe down heah an' comb down. Dat take every bit out.
(Wipe your hand where?)
"Tween yore laigs. An' comb yore hair down. Take every bit out.
(That's two other ways of doing it. What do you do with that buzzard manure?)
Put it on yore haid.
(Then another way of doing it is to spit on your hand?)
Dat's right. (And another way of doing it is to rub your hand between your legs and put it on the person's head?) Dat's right. [See preceding rite for something similar.]
Entry 10860
When I was gambling, I always would get me a jet black cat and I would stroke his tail seven times with the hand I was going to gamble with, before I went to the game. (The hand you use? Do you mean the little bag or your own hand?) My own hand, yes. (Oh, your own hand.) Yes, if I was going to use my left hand most in the game, I would stroke it seven times with my left hand, and if I was going to use my right hand, I'd use my right hand. But so far as me being fixed or anything, I never have been. Nothing Was wrong with me but once, and everbody said that I was fixed.
Entry 10875
(Well, now, how would these people make you move out? What would they do to make you move out?) Oh, that. That is very easily done. You see, you kin take - you know, two tom cats fights whenever they meets. Well, they kin git to you very easily. You git two tomcats - their manure. That [is the] frontyard there and that [is the] front porch. I will take, if I wanted to do you harm, I would take my left hand any time at night and I will probably throw it [manure] over that porch or over dat front yard where you gotta cross for to come into the porch. I will throw it thataway, see, as I'm going on up. I would walk de lenk [length] of that porch or de lenk of the front yard. I will take my hand, the left hand, and throw thataway, and don't ever look back. Well, you bound to cross it. Well you, if you stay there, you'll stay there in trouble; tormented forever and you'll be glad to get out, because them two tomcats - just like they was fight- ing all the time, that will keep you like that.
(I see, but you have to get the two tomcats.)
Yeah, the two tomcats. Well you take them two and you kin [do] enything and break up enybody - break up eny home.
Entry 11023
jes' lak yo' have a sweetheart an' yo' want him tuh come tuh love yo' [want him to fall in love with you]. Yo' want him tuh come tuh love yo', yo' take an' draw de feathers out of dat cock's tail, an yo' press 'em three times in his hand. An' den yo' take his [dis?] hand [hand] an put it into yore right hand pocket an' look him dead in his eyes an' den kiss 'im, an' he will take sides with yo'.
(You take the feathers out of any cock's tail?)
Yes sir. [Surely the woman does not put the man's hand into her right pocket! She takes feathers, probably 3, from the rooster's tail and presses them into the man's hand 3 times to absorb his perspiration. The feathers themselves become a hand or jomo. This she puts into her own right pocket.]
Entry 11158
Now, I have heard that you can take a piece of devil's-shoestring; that is, you take the root. Some calls it the lady slipper, some calls it lady's tail: that's because the flow- er [blossom] looks like a tail [the orifice of the vagina]. And you can take that, the root, and put it in whiskey or cologne. You put this liquid in your hand and you rub it over the woman some place, and you can handle that woman whatever way you please. [Hoodoo and root doctors normally used the word devil's-shoestring as a singular. If I have iden- tified the plant correctly, botanists have named it Tephrosia virginiana - com- monly called catqut, a good description of its qualities - qoats-rue and wild sweet pea. This plant of eastern North America, especially in the South, is a herb almost prostrate with long wiry roots. The flowers are yellowish purple.]
[Berlin, Md., by Ediphone.]
Entry 11165
Dere's a root out dere, ah don't know whether it's round here or not. Dat comes out de woods. [Take that] an' saltpeter. It's de devil's-shoestring! Dat's whut dey call it, de devil's-shoestring. An' beat it up - jest beat it up an' put it in yore pock- et - yo' understand, an' walk on in. An' as yo' walk in de office - dis is de office heah [demonstrates] jest put it in yore pocket an' rub yore hand lak dat over it. An' bit off a little piece an' jest lak yo' chewin' a piece of chewin' gum or somepin lak dat, an' talk to him. He'll give yo' a job. Yes sir, he'll give yo' a job.
(Do you come from South Carolina?)
North Carolina.
Entry 11166
(What do they do with the devil's-shoestring?)
Dey take dat and put it down in a bottle of perfume with some garlic and ies keep it in a bottle, you see. And if you got it at home, well every time you leave out of home, why you take it and rub it on your hands. Dat's fer luck. And fer your protection op de streets, you git dat devil's-shoestring and you take it and put it around your waist right to your skin. You tie it around your waist.
(What will that protect you from?)
Dat's to protect you from de law. All you gotta do is tie it to yoar shn.
Entry 11219
You get the mud dauber.
(Yes.)
Out of a big stable anywhere. You stick this finger.
(Which finger?)
This one.
(The middle finger of the right hand?)
Yes. Get the blood out of it.
(Yes.)
Get all the blood. You write the name nine times on a piece of paper. You roll that mud dauber, that name, steel dust, lodestone, wrap it up. Roll it up tight, and you get [have] some luck. (It separates them.) Man and woman.
Entry 11264
[As I said in No.7228, p.3216, v.4, "I met a galaxy of doctors in Charleston, S. Car., before I had sufficient experience to handle them. Two years later I would have been better prepared." This man has also appeared in the preceding text as follows: No.1221, P.434; No.1417, P.464; No.1638, p.507; and No.2209, p.629. Here follow other parts of the interview:] Dey take de watah yo' take a bath in, tuh do anythin' tuh harm yuh. Dat's only de occasion of if a man wanta woman, don't want nobody else tuh be wid'er. (How would you do that?) Well, dey take de [bath] water and put it in a bottle, nine needles, and de sill of yo' doorway - cut a piece of [a splinter from] de sill of yo' doorway, [dat] piece of stick dere [points to the saddle], de sill of yo' door - and dey put dat in de bottle. And you call her names and [informant shakes imaginary bottle].
(While you shake it up.)
While you shake it up. And den maybe she wanta go. Yo' turn 'em [bottle] back [to you] and she come dere - towards yo' place [demonstrates].
(You turn the head of the bottle back to you and she will come back?)
Dat's right. If he know de person and he steal it - if de person [from whom it was stolen] know him, know his [thief'sl name - if he haven't git rid of it, you kin make dis person, dis other person, and he will give it up, because he figured on it and he'd be in trouble. And in doing dat you'd have to have de root chew call Indian Conker [Conquerer].
(Indian Conquerer? What do you do with that root then?)
You take dat root, de Indian Conker and Devil's shoestring and put it toget- her [in a bag with string?] and tote it in yore pocket, and she [bag] spin around jest like a top and tell yo' who in dis section, who got it.
(You spin this around?)
You spins it around and until you asks it any question you wanta, according to how you feel it. [Here we have ubiquitus Jack - an individual, companion, fetish - who answers questions by swinging out the answers. Our great example of this device I have mentioned several times, the Jack-ball (ball hanging from a string) of informant No.1534, the doctor I interviewed in Memphis, who gave us that great page 1254 in volume 2.1
(Then after you have found out who has it, then what do you do?)
You go to the person and he'll give it up. [Yes, at the time of this interview, the average thief would restore the article if a doctor was working on the case.]
(That's when you found out who stole it?)
Yes.
(Where did you learn? Who taught you how to cure? From whom did you learn?)
My grandma Was a West Indies.
(Oh, your grandmother was a West Indian. I see. What part did she come from?)
Kingston, Jamaica.
(Where did she live when she came to this country?)
Why she came down here in slavery time....she died 1909 - see - in dis part of de country - to Meggetts [Meggett], South Carolina, Posting Line [postal ad- dress].
(Where did she live during her life in South Carolina?)
Over to....[?] South Carolina.
(What was her name?)
Flora Linton, Milton....
[I must have turned off machine accidentally.]
(Flora Milton. And she could heal people. She knew all this work. And you learned from your grandmother?)
(And she came over here in slavery time.)
Slavery time.
(Did you ever hear of Doctor Buzzard?)
I have known Doctor Buzzard.
(Was he good?)
Aw, his method all right. Some things was all right and some was not. Any man is good to kilt. Any man kin take a shotgun and write a man name and blow his brains out twelve clock at any time.
(How did he do that?)
With powder!
(And he boosted that kind of work?)
That's his daily occupation.
(I see. How long has he been dead?)
It's round about seven - eight years. A root doctor meet a root doctor dey kin tell one anothah. Why? Because de' use a stick dey calls de gum-bush sticks.
(What?)
Sweet gum.
(They call it gum?)
Gum-bush stick and that come to crossing their mind. You don't tote dat stick, but you cut dat off when yo' first start out and bury it in de ground. Hell, dey may have it buried in New York and may not go dere no more through life, and if I'd meet chew and you do mine [my line], well I kin tell if you outen my line [of work]. I kin tell.
(Well, how can you tell, then?)
By de spirit, using different points.
(You wouldn't question me or anything? You just let the spirit tell?)
That's right. See, I'd git mad wit chew; jest like two dog would meet one another an' git mad. Know then you was out of my line. You ain't not in my line. But I'm better 'em you but you ain't got to won yo' point. Yo' can't hurt me, but I kin hurt chew, but then I don't want you to be long wit me be- cause the other fella think I'm doing the same work you doing. That's how we tell one another. (You bury this stick when you first begin your work before you take your first case up?) That's right. (And always leave it buried the rest of your life, you never go back there again.) No mo'.
(Who cuts this stick?)
You cut it yo'self.
(And you bury it yourself?)
That's right. Cut it with your left hand? (You cut it with your left hand. And where do you bury it? How do you bury it?) At sundown.
(What do you mean by that?)
Jest like you stick a stick in de ground when de sun go down. See, it be dat tall [demonstrates] maybe dat tall, and you beat it down dere until you git it down to the ground. (And then you beat it down to the ground in the sunset - sundown - all the way into the ground, and then what do you do?) Well, then you jest throw a penny in the hole and yo' tole 'em what chew wanta do....whether you want to be de master king or such and such a thing, or you wanta be de master king of....of all roots, and don't want chures root to sour on hand - that's why yo' bury yo' stick. See, if yo' medicine sour and a person bring it back to you next Monday, "This medicine ain't no good - it sour." And you take it back and cure it again. Give dem the same medicine back and ther carry it back there. (You never go back to that stick again, and you drive down all the way into the ground.) That's right.
(Do you do anything before you leave this stick?)
No, jest pay it and then go on about chure business. [No other person men- tioned such a gum stick.]
Entry 11327
(Your mother was sick?)
Uh-huh an' de doctor said dat somebody had put somepin down for 'er. So I kin remembah dat he dug up - you know, dey had dese fireplaces, an' he had taken up threw whole bricks. [I] remembah when he'd taken up dese bricks. Dey had a bot- tle buried an' had a form as a baby wit feathahs. Dat Was sewed up in a piece of yellah cotton [or unbleached homespun] an' in dat - see, he opened it - an' in dat dey had a red piece of flannen an' red cayenne peppah intuh dis bag. An' dis baby had its legs an' feet an' arms made outa feathahs.
Chicken feathahs. An' some of 'er hair was in dis bag. An' so he tole my mothah tuh leave it tuh him, dat he would 'tend tuh dat bag. So, well, I don' think he did anythin' good enough. But still he put somepin else down dere, but my mothah always said dat whoevah put dat stuff down; dat dis man instead of workin' fuh 'er, he was workin' fuh de people what put it down. An' she didn't give him dat. [Patient keeping doll baby is most unusual. Poor doctor!] (Well, how was your mother sick? I mean - how did she happen to call him in? How did it start?) She had, she was kept wit dese wretched headaches, you know, an' she had de [medical] doctor, couldn't do nuthin. She kept sick all de time an' was jes' pinin' away tuh nuthin. An' so somebody told 'er tuh see one of dese root doc- tors. An' so she got one. An' de time he come dere, he says, "Yes, dere's somepin right here." An' she [said], "Dere's somepin dere? Go get it." He went an' got it. Looked like he know right where 'twas.
(Was it inside of the house or outside?)
Inside de house, in dat hearth, 'neath de three bricks, an' dere it was all laid out fer 'er. (Was this thing in a - what did you say the name of the thing, this feather thing was in?) In a, you know, a bag, in a yellah cotton bag. Was made on purpose fer it, so it would be shaped all of de baby.
(The bag was in that shape, too.)
[The bag was a baby doll form stuffed with feathers.]
Uh-huh. Dey done fixed it an' had made it out of feathahs, an' put it down fer 'er. Now, my mother's ['s = was] sick all de time.
Entry 11328
A woman, that she didn't appreciate what choo do for her, and you want her to be in bad luck an' didn't want her to keep any money. An' yo' get you one dollar from her, you burn the dollar to ashes. Blow it out of your hand that way [demonstrates]. And she will never be able to keep anything in the world.
Entry 11346
If you be out of work and you want's to get a job, you go to the drug swre and you get you some cinnamon bark - not the ground cinnamon - cinnamon bark. You chew that. You get you 25 cents of what you call - it's a drawing powder - and you gotta pay attention too when you get that. After you get that powder... Now, for you, you have to get pink. They got two kinds of it. got the pink and white. You get that drawing powder. Of course, you rub of it in the palm of your hand like that [demonstrates]. You take that cinnamon bark and you chew that cinnamon bark. And when you get around there where the boss is, of course, spit it but not enough so nobody will pay atten- tion to you. You take some of that powder and you put it in some of your pock- ets, and because it's got a sweet smell to it, nobody never pay attention to it anyway. In your pockets. When you close to him, spit that cinnamon bark around there. And that powder will draw him to the person [to you] and he will give you a job.
Entry 11708
Yo' kin take garlic an' if yo' wanta have good luck, take garlic an' put it in a bottle an' put some Hearts Cologne [in it]. Dat kills de odor of it. Take fo' instance, yo' go out an' yo' wanta git a job or anything or any kind of success. Jes' take some of dat garlic like dat an' rub it on yore hands an' on yore face, den yo' go out. An' yo' be - oh, yo' be too lucky. [Waycross (1093) 1762:12.]
Entry 11853
Well, ah tell you dis one den. Well, dere wuz 'nothah boy goin' wit a girl an' he loved her, yo' know, an' she didn't love him atall. She didn't have a bit of feelin's fo' him. An' he loved her. He jes' loved her bettah an' bettah. Well, he'd buy pretty things an' give her yo' know, an' all lak dat, chew know. Yo' know, tryin' tuh win her dat way. But still she didn't love him. She two-time him wit othah mens. So he gittin' aroun' an' so he got tuh talkin', says, "Look lak de mo' ah do fo' her, de worster she treats me." Says, "Ah love her - oh, ah do love her." Says, "An' it look lak she don' treat me half way right." [Friend] says, "Well, ah tell yo', if yo' loves her, an' yo' don' put out a whole lotta money on her, spent money on her an' she look lak she goin' backwards 'stead a-comin', an' yo' say dat she's two-timin' yo' wit othah mens," says, "whyn't yo' tie her down. Tie her down. Tie her down." "Well, ah tell yo', yo' come he'p me out on dat." [Friend] say, "Well, let me tell yo' whut chew do right short on dat." Say, "Do yo' stay dere wit her?" "Yeah, ah stays wit her at night but she jes' fusses an' yowls all de time." [Friend] say, "Well, do yo' evah comb her hair?" Say, "Yeah, ah comb her hair at night." [Friend] says, "When yo' comb her hair, yo' git some hair out right from de mole [mold] of her haid. Right in de mole of her haid. Yo' gits jes' a lil' bit, if it ain' mo' den fo' strand [probably 3 strands originally] jes' so it come from de top [or mold of her head]. Yo' git dat, an' do yo'all cut her fingernails?" "Yeap." [Friend says] "Well, yo' set down an' cut her fingernails, an' git her finger- nails an' yo' put three off each finger [hand] in dere. An' yo' tote dat." Says, "She'll come on back to yo'." Says, "She won' love nobody else but chew."
Entry 12058
Dey'll go an' dey'll git some kinda somepin dey call cedar bush, an' dey pound up dat an' dey sprinkle some of dat on yore han'writin'. An' dey tell me dat'll cause yore han' to be afflicted kinda-lak, say poisoned-lak yo' have palsy han's.
(You say a cedar bush?)
Yessuh.
(Do they use the bark or what? Or the leaves?)
The leaves. Pound up de leaves.
(Any cedar bush?)
Yessuh, jes' de cedar bush dat grow out in de woods.
Entry 12136
Dat's usin' dis heah, whut chew call oil of peppermint an' Hearts Cologne. Yo' kin take dat an' mix it together an' every morning when yo' git up, before yo' speak to anyone, yo' kin put it in yore hand an' rub it in yore hand, an' den jest say, "De Lord is my shepherd" - hold yore hands touards de sun an' say, "De Lord is my shepherd an' I will"... [demonstrates]. (Hold the palms of your hands up like that.) Yeah, de palms of your hands up towards de sun an' say, "De Lord is my shep- herd an' I shall not want." An' you will be very lucky all that day an' things will come to yo' whut chew wouldn't a thought would come to you, see. It gives yo' better luck all dat day.
Entry 12233
Dat High John de Conkah root by hitself, yo' kin take dat in de mawn- in' an' yo' kin git up 'fore de sun rise, an' dere's a word dat chew have tuh say befo' de sun rise, an' look to de east. Po' a little of it out of de bottle, de liquid offa de root into yore han' an' rub it cross yore face three times. (What will that do?) Dat's to inherit mo' money. (What words do you say?) Jes' say, "So we live, so we die, ' po' a little bit in yore han' an' rub it cross yore face an' look to where de sun risin' in de mawnin'.
(What kind of liquid do you put in the bottle?)
Yo' kin put gin whiskey on it, or eithah Hearts Cologne - nuthin excusin' dat. Hearts Cologne or eithah pure gin whiskey [gin or white whiskey].
Entry 12242
If you get holt of a piece of a root - what they call dis root? John de Conker. See. They'll put that in their mouth and they chew it, see, and they spit it in their hand. The juice from that root, they'll spit it in their hand and then they'll rub it on their face. And then they go and talk right in- to the man's face, and whenever he gets a scent of that, why then he'll have to either do one way or tuther [the other]. Tell you to come back or tell you not to come back - one of the two.
Entry 12244
(Now you are going into the woods to: do some- thing. What do you do in the woods?) Well, if yo' didn't wanta do dat, yo' could go in de woods an' git some King over King. Hit's a leaf, it's a leafy hair [ leaf with hairs?]. Well, yo' could put it - jes' lak yo' wus comin' behin' me fo' a job, yo' could divide it. Yo' could [put] one part in yore bottom lip an' another part in yore top lip, an' spit in yuh han' an' tap it on yuh fo'head an' jes' say, "Well, ah Want chew to do so-an'-so an' sich an' sich a thing." All right, ah spit [it out of my mouth] jes' so ah [you] could git de wind of yuh breath.
Entry 12299
You can take lemons. Well, that makes you - if you going up the street right now and you got a big transaction on with a person. You take a lemon, just take a lemon and take all the peeling off the lemon. Don't break the white part of that lem- on. See, just take all that yellow peel off the lemon and take that lemon and sew it up. Rub it over good. Just rub it over good in your pockets in your hands. And ball that lemon up and put it in your inside coat pocket. Wrap it up in pure white paper with no marks or nothing on it - pure white paper. Wrap that lemon up. And on your Way down [to business transaction] just take the lemon and pass it through your hands, rub it over your hands good and put it in your inside [pocket]. Wear it on your right side, in your inside coat pocket, or your right side of your right pants pocket. But if you peel that lemon and break that white - that white skin on the inside of that yellow skin - well that lemon is no good to you. Get you a lemon and don't break that skin. Peel it off careful, but don't break through it so the juice will run off. But take that yellow peel off the outside and wrap that lemon up. Wipe that lemon off good with sugar. Rub it over good with sugar and wrap it up good in a piece of red flannel and rub it through your hands. And when you go there [place of business transaction] go in the lavatory or any private place and take that lemon out of that flannel again and rub it. Or take plain white paper. If you don't use red flannel, use plain white paper. Don't use no paper with no marks or nothing on it. No yellow or no colored paper at all. If you don't use white paper, get you a piece of red flannel and wrap it in there and go down the street with it. And as you go to the lavatory take that flannel or that paper off and just rub it over your hand again - before you go on with any business transaction - with the lemon. (What do you go and do that in the lavatory for?) [Informant has me going around in circles!] Well, you just freshen your hands up. Freshen your hands up with this. Con- tinually rub your hands, keep awashing that lemon against your hands.
(Well, what do you do that for?)
Well, that gives you a power over the man that you got a business deal with.
(Oh! I see. You do that until you get his....)
Keep awashing that lemon on your hands - like you get - like you know, you going to the next corner here, and you coming to the place, or you are in a bar, or any private place.
(You do it in secret so he can't see you.)
Yeah, you just do it in secret - just any place for secrecy. That's all.
Entry 12343
Tuh git a job, yo' jis' have tuh dress yo'self an' ah tell yo' jis' whut chew have tuh do. Yo' have tuh dress yo'self wit lodestone an' quicksilvah an' Jockey Club Perfume - both togethah. Ah tell yo' jis' how yo' do now. Yo' git chew a red piece of flannel aftah yo' beat it all up dere to- gethah. Git chew a red piece of flannel an' den take a thread outa yore sock. See, jis' lak yo' got a pair of socks, but let it be a pair of socks yo' done worn amn' take a thread from dat sock an' tie it aroun' dis, an' den befo' yo' go in dere, yo' know, yo' kin'a run yore han's lak dis [demonstrates]. Yo' see, yo' rub yore han' lak dis an' den when he [boss] git tuh talkin' tuh yo', yo' have tuh kinda hold yore face lak dat. An' when yo' go, yo'll kin'a throw yore fingahs lak yo' kinda throwin' yore fingahs tuh him yo' know, an' he'll git de odor of it all right. Dat Jockey Club Perfume dere. The're [there are] two chances tuh one yo' won' be turned down.
(You rub this bag in your hand?)
Dat's right.
Entry 12345
Yo' git chew a piece of lode- stone an' yo' put it in a little piece [of cloth] or yo' kin put it in yore pocketbook, an' a piece of dat in- cense, an' put it together an' keep it. An' yo' tote it in yore pocketbook an' every time yo' go to work, why yo wash yore face an' hands in dat Van-Van an' dey won't turn yo' off.
Entry 12364
Yeah, you can get some love powder and you can put that on you, and after you get the love powder put on you, they got some kind of oil: say, I think they calls it coconut oil, an' coconut butter, and witch hazel, and Van-Van. See, you put all them four diff'- ren' - it together. An' they say, when you get most to the place, you have it in your pocket, and you put red pepper with it. So when you get most there, see, you rub your hand with it like that. But don't let 'em see it on you. See, after you rubbing your hand with it like that, see, the bossman, he can't tell you "no." He got to give you something to do.
(I see.)
Entry 12459
Now, dat works wit de moon. Now, when it's de new moon an' if he's gone an' she wants him tuh come back, she'll go tuh dat moon three times a week an' bow. Now, when dis moon gits full, she'll bow, an' every time she bow tuh de moon, dat is fer de moon tuh come down. She bows three times. An' wherever he is he is tuh come back. (Now she bows three times during the new moon?) Yes, sir, an' three times tuh de full moon, an' every time she bows, she wave her hands three times. Dat's fo' him tuh come back.
(She waves her hand at what, the moon?)
Yes, sir [demonstrates].
(Wave down like that?)
Yes.
(Does she go out three different nights to the new moon, or just once?)
Three fo' de new an' three for de full.
(And each time she goes out to the new moon she bows three times?)
Yes, sir, an' makes a wish an' say, "Will you please come back."
Entry 12504
Ah used tuh run a gamblin' joint, but ah'm not now. Well, ah went ovah by Harsville an' dis [hoodoo] person tole me if ah wanta do it, dat all ah had tuh do - he gimme two pieces of brown stuff. Ah don't know whut it wus, an'[he] say, yo' start, [he] say, yo' rub em [2 brown pieces] in yore han's befo' yo' put chure han's on any cards. Den put 'em [brown pieces] back in yore hip pocket. Put 'em in yore hip pocket an' nevah think of 'em again [that game].
(What did they look like? Were they stones or roots or what?)
Ah tell yo' whut it wus. Whut [do] dey call dis stuff heah whut dey put in food? Ah call it in a minute if yo' give me time.
(Cinnamon? Raisins? Nutmeg?)
Nutmeg! Dat's whut it wus.
(He gave you two?)
He gimme one - he didn't gimme one. He cut it. It wus cut. He cut it up an' gimme two of 'em. It wus a whole one. Well, yo' know how large a whole one is, but he cut it. When he cut it - seemed lak it wus 'bout dat big. Dese three pieces of it - jes' 'bout dat large. An' ah took it an' ah used it. (It was a whole nutmeg cut in two. That is all you had to do with that nut- meg?) Dat's right. Dat's all, jes' rub it. He tole me tuh do it. Well, ah tried it.
(It didn't work?)
It did work twice.
Entry 12768
(Well, how do you get them out with prickle feet?)
De prickle feet is shaped jes' like my hand [demonstrates]. See how my hand is shaped. All right, you shape it sompin like dat an' she [root] got a bobble [bump] on top. (What?) See, dem little ball. All right. Sometimes you find 'em wit three balls, sometimes dey come out wit one. She got a face in it. An' yo' picks de teeth out. Yo' cut it in half. Don' let de stingers hit chew because dey sticks in yo' finger an' yo' have to pick at it all day long tryin' to git one out - half hour to git one stinger out. An' yo' cuts dat [root] open an' set 'em on [in] de bes' whiskey yo' got an' give it to eny person if dey got a cat [dog] in 'em. She'll pass 'em out. If she got a rat in her, dat bring it out. If it in yore haid, it come through yuh mouth - mouth, nose an' ears. Can't nowhow stay in 'em no less dan ten minutes aftah yo' git dat medicine. Comes right out of 'em.
(What is this prickle feet? A plant or a fish?)
Dat's a plant, dat's root. [Charleston, S. Car., (519), 614:1.]:
Entry 12888
The word seal in HOODOO means a small slip of paper on which a design or message is printed or written. Some hoodoo shops during the Great Depression sold a printed seal for a feu pennies to entice custoaers into the shop, where they also sold salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, etc., all of them considered purer and nore power- ful than in an ordinary food shop. Some doctors made their own seal for clients or patients. And finally the seal degenerated [if that is the word] to a point where anyone could design or write his own seal! This latter word, seal, had become somewhat holy because of its use in The Revelation of John, last book of of the Bible. As I said elsewhere, seals are hands, see No.2279, p.643, v.1.] A seal - get you some. I've had one myself.
(A what?)
A seal.
(A seal?)
Yes, sir.
(You buy these?)
You buy de seal. Use'ly kin buy one out here at New Orleans [what a strange expression for a person in Vicksburg to use!]. And after getting this seal, it's not suppose to be - it supposed to be wore on you. You just wear that yourself - [protection against] the law...
[I turn off machine too quickly and must repeat informant's words.]
(It's a white piece of paper?)
Yes, sir. It's got a seal [a design] on it, but it's sompin that you gets out chere at New Orleans.
Entry 12927
(How do they use that?)
Well, they tell me that you have to get it at midnight.
(This shame grass.)
Shame grass.
(What does it look like?)
Well, it's, has thick leaf and if you run your hand over it, the leaf will wither up. If you put your hand over it, you can tell it. (I see.) And you can take the root of that and mens carries it in their pockets or either chew it in their mouths. And every what [whatever] they walks up to a woman and wants her to [do], command her to do, she'll have to do just what he says do. You takes it - you can tell it. It's a herb that grows and runs on the ground like a vine, and the minute you do like that [touch it] the leaves will close together.
(That's all he does, just chew it?)
You chew it or either carry it in your pocket. And any time you rubs it in your hands and lays your hands on her body anywhere, she'll do just what you Want her to do.
Entry 13081
Use de snake shed when yo' a great han' fo' breakin' up de dishes. [I had never before heard this piece of ordinary folklore nor have I since.] Take a snake shed an' run yore han's in it, why yo' won' break 'em up.
(That keeps you from breaking dishes?)
Yes.
(Any kind of a snake shed?)
Yessuh, any kind.
Entry 13082
Rattlesnake buttons - his rattles - jes' cut 'em right off an' wrap 'em up. An' put 'em in yore [breast] pocket right up 'side yore h'aht an' carry dem with you. An' if de sheriff or anybody dat is pursuing yo' tuh do yo' a vital injury, dem things would rattle jes' lak a rattlesnake would rattle an' notify yo' dat he's near.
(That the danger is near?)
Yeah. Den dey use a drop of camphor on dem to keep dem kinda saturate. Some people keep dem 'live - keep life in 'em. If yo' haven't got camphor, use a little whiskey. All dat have a tendency to keep 'em live - quickening. Dat's whut rattlesnake rattles is fo'. A man have given me $15 fo' one. I killed de rattlesnake an' cut de buttons off. Ah didn't know dat wus what he want with 'em.
Entry 13301
(What would I do to keep the law out?) Well, yo' kin use Jockey Club perfume, sweet oil and [oil of cloves - see later].
(What are these things you take, now?)
Oil of cloves, Jockey Club perfume and sweet oil.
(What do you do with those?)
You just take them and just get you a bottle of Jockey Club perfume and keep your hands on it [have it handy], keep it in your pocket. See, when they [the law] gets too fast, why you dampen some on your hands [demonstrates] that oil of cloves, Jockey Club and sweet oil.
Entry 13432
Take fo' instance if yo' married an' yo' go out without yore wife, an' yo' done a misdemeanor, an' yo' tave a tendency to talk in yore sleep. Well, if you have done anything, well when yo' go to sleep an' begin snoring, why she kin put chure hand in a cold pan of water an' everything that chew have done, you'll tell it.
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].
Entry 13434
An' if a person 'sleep an' be layin' in de bed an' yo' want 'em tuh talk tuh yuh, yo' git chew a pan of watah an' put dere han' in it. Jes' put doon dere fingahs down in de watah an' dey'll tell yo' jes' whut dey done durin' dat day. Dey talk in dere sleep. But if de wind would change de time dey got dere han' in dere, well it would kill 'em. (If the wind outside would change it would kill them?) It would kill 'em. [My only example of this belief. Presumably spirit of sleeping person to recall scenes of day must revisit them. A sudden change in the wind prevents him from returning to his body.]