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Entry 917
I heard of two old devil-heads. They used to call a cunjure devil-head. They had a lot and they had a tree on the line. One said, "I'm going to cut the tree down." The other one said, "Don't cut it." He goes there and starts to cutting in this tree and the other man come out and told him to stop. So they go to arguing. And he [the second man] say, "Now, I want you to cut this tree down. I'm just as strong as you are." So this other fellow starts to cutting and he can't do a thing. Then this other fellow gets a axe and Was going to show him he could cut it down. He couldn't do nothing - the other fellow used his power against him. Then both of 'em devil-heads start to cutting and they couldn't even skin the bark of that tree. That tree is still standing there. That is up in Glouster County [Virginia]. That was in slavery times.
Entry 4177
De chamber lye - yuh takes dis chamber lye an' put it in a jar an' git chew eight nails. Yo' turn fo' of 'em haid down an' fo' haid up. De down head is de woman, an' up is de man. Dat will break dem up. Yuh bury it right undah dey steps where yuh [they] kin walk ovah it.
(Well, whose chamber lye do you use?)
Use de man only. If yo' de man's wife, use de man only. If ah has a husban' an', yuh see, he's goin' wit anothah woman. Ah take his nurine an' put it in a jar wit eight nails, fo' nails haid down an' fo' up, an' close it up good in a jar tight. (What do those nails rep- resent now, what do they represent?) Dose fo' [down] de woman an' dose fo' up represent de man. Yuh take an' put de top on it tight, seal it tight, an' yuh take it an' go dig a deep hole an' yuh bury it. Den yuh covah it up real good, dat he may leave, go roun' 'er no mo'. He'll stay home.
(You don't call their names or anything like that?)
Don't call dere name.
Entry 4951
A [dirty] stockin', yuh takes it an' ties three knots [one on top of the other - a threefold knot] in it. Dey say yuh take yeh right one. Gits yuh some Hearts Cologne, po' it in dere. Gits yuh nine pins, nine needles, an call dis person by name, whosomevah it is. Make yeh heart wish. See, jis' like if yuh wants yeh sweetheart tuh do sompin, tie dis tuh yuh. Every time yuh make a knot, pull yeh string [stocking] tuhwards yeh an' call dere name three times. An' put dem pins an' needles in dere [in the threefold knot]. Yuh takes dem pins, yeh lays de pins dis way [demonstrates].
(Alternate heads and points.)
An' yuh puts dis cologne on dere. An' yuh kin weah dat in yeh pocket. Dat'll make yuh - if yeh girl away from yeh, she'll come tuh yeh.
Entry 5562
You get a pinch of dirt out of their left-foot track, bind that in a package, an' put seven nails in that package. You put three nails with the point [head] up, and four with the head down. Take that to running water and throw it over your left shoulder. Go on away and don't look back. And you won't be both- ered with them no more, so I have heard old people say.
Entry 5887
Yo' kin take a pinch of dere hair, out chure hair, an' den some undah yore arms, an' burn it up to a ashes. Yo' kin take it an' sprinkle it in dey food, or else yo' kin take it an' sprinkle it in dey plate, an' dat'll make 'em stay wit yo'. Jis' burn all dat hair togethah. [Memphis, Tenn., 1542:6.]
Entry 6091
Yessuh, yo' kin take a woman, she kin take her hair an' take yore hair. (The woman would take some of her hair from her head and some of your hair, and what else?) An' take yore private [hair] while yo' sleepin' an' wrap it aroun' an' tie three knots in it an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne.
(How would she get that off then?)
Yo' see she tied it in knots, yo' see, an' slip it off lak dat, an' take it an' put it in a bottle of ten-cent Heart Cologne, an' yo' can't fool wit any othah woman but 'er. (You can go with other women but you can't do anything with them, but you can still do something with her?) Yo' kin still do something wit 'er.
Entry 6656
Whilst doin' dat, somebody gota go tuh de country an' git a he an' a she moccasin snake.
(Moccasin snake?)
Moccasin snake an' lays 'em head tuh tails, puts 'em down undah - buries 'em in de north cornah.
(North corner of what?)
Of de fence - right down undah de fence, undah a sill lak dis an' den...:
(Do they bury this under a sill or under a fence out in the yard?)
Out in de yard. It's nobody dat knows it dere but dem. It lays dere nine mawnin's an' dey'll begin to molt. Yo' go dere de nex' nine mawnin's an' turn 'em ovah, an' let 'em lay dere anothah nine mawnin's. After dat is ovah, dem nine maw- nin's, evah time dey touch 'em dey makes a oath. Dey goes dere den an' gits de snakes an' cuts de head off an' puts dem heads tuhgethah an' put 'em up ovah de do'sill an' let 'em dry - make an oath - lay 'em up there an' let 'em dry. Then they gets dry good, they crumbles them up right fine an' gets a powder - beats 'em up fine. Then they take 'em an' put 'em in a bag. Well, enybody they want, they go an' gets de dust of de snake head an' sprinkle it in whatever they gives 'em - they gives a party of some kind, an' they wants to go tuh, they gives it to 'em in somethin' to drink.
(What will that do to them then?)
Kill'em. [Richmond, Va., (?), 380:2. A similar method for killing with graveyard dirt is given by same informant in 300: l&3.]
Entry 9836
Git chew nine needles. Yo' have tuh git de goldhead [usually goldeye] needles an' put five of 'em haids up an' turn fo' of 'em [heads] points down. An' yo' kin bury dem at chure gate where de people walk ovah - at de front gate. An' nuthin in de world will do yo' any harm.
Entry 9843
Dey said git a wasps' nest with nine needles, brand-new needles an' nine brand-new pins an' put de pins dis way an' de needle haid dat way, object [opposite] each othah. An' take dat an' yo' know, 'vide [divide] 'em up in nine pieces, split it, stick it intuh de Wasps' nest, holes [cells of the nest] yo' know. An' go 'long where dis person at an' jis' drop it, an' dey'll walk ovah it.
(That will harm them? What will it do to them?)
Well, it will jis' cuz 'em tuh rave an' go on home an' raise disturbances wit mos' evahbody dey meet. (You take these nine needles and nine pins, and you stick them into that wasps' nest.) Make nine holes an' stick each one in dose nine holes an' let 'em walk ovah it an' dat would make 'em very cross.
(You bury that in the ground, then?)
Bury it right in de ground.
(You leave those needles sticking in that wasp's nest?)
Dat's right. (That will cause confusion and quarrels and things of that sort.)
Entry 10877
Git two cats, yes- suh, an' rub dere haids tohl gethah till dey git nad l till dey git real mad at one anothah. Den yo' smarch a lock of hair outa each cat's hzid, yo' know, an' yo' fold it togethah. An' put some red peppah an' salt in it 血' care it an' put it in de no'th cornah of dere house. Dey'll leave, dey'll part. Dat's whut separate 'em.
(Separate this man and woman?)
Ub-hah.
Entry 10913
Jes' lak if yo' got a dog an' a cat - ain't chew seen two dogs and two cats meet, an' de cat make up his bristles an' de dog make up his bristles? An' while dey got dere bristles made up, yo'll git de hair behin' both of 'em's neck, see; an' put it in a piece of cloth an' fold up de cloth, an' pin nine straight pins in it - one each way. See [demonstrates] pin one in it [cloth] dat way - an' one in it dat way [heads and points, alternated] an' dat jes' will make 'em fuss an' fight. (Well, now what do they do with that cloth after they pin it up? Where do they put that?) Yo' tote dat in yore pocket, see. When dey git together jes' lak dat dog an' cat fight yo' see; jes' fuss an' fight, be mad [every] time dey see one 'nother. Do dat wit de hair. (But they have to get near one another.) [Here without suggesting an answer, I am asking informant how all these concerns the two victims. Do they walk over Package? Is it thrown into their house? Does he name pins them? Without some such device all this is done by informant's intention.]
Entry 12406
Take them [matches] and take their heads off and put 'em with Capricorna, and put it in the top [sweatband] of your hat, it will run you crazy.
(Cat foot corner?)
[This is what my transcriber thinks I say, but actually I say the preceding capricorna and informant now tells us what it was.] It's little brown powder just like snuff. [I also add the preceding comment, dust from drug store - hoodoo drug store. I never attempted to investigate these hoodoo drug stores and mail order houses, that would be a life-time task in itself!]
Entry 12407
If yo' take mat- ches an' take an' cut de haids of 'em off, an' put 'em in your husban's clothes, say dat will make him love yo'. Jes' cut de haids of de matches off an' 'solve [dissolve] 'em yo' see, an' take de watah off of dem an' cook his food with it. That will make him love yo'.
(Well, how do you mean make him love you?)
Jes' take, lak if he didn't ca' fo' terbacca [tobacco] wus runnin' roun' an' wouldn't stay home, den yo' could take dose matches an' take de sulphur out of 'em an' make him stay home.
Entry 12418
They take the matches an' take the head off 'em an' beat 'em up an' sew 'em up in jes' a small piece of new cloth - 10 matches. An' put 'em up ovah yuh doah faced [top of the door] or eithah down where yo' have to walk ovah it. An' [they] say that'll keep down quarrels, if he's fussin' or anything like that.
Entry 12743
I have heard that in some parts of South Carolina - of course it seems as though they have quite a...something against South Carolina - that you crush snake heads. One woman would pay so much for rattlesnake heads, just cut this rattlesnake head off and make a powder from then. And they would send these to the people who were envious towards the others, and that would cause snakes to come in their bodies. I imagine this povder they put in their food.
Entry 68
Sometimes you see a woman with no head on. Sometimes she will be naked. That's a spirit. And she'll follow you around. And you say,"0, get behind me Satan," and she will vanish off.
Entry 121
An' ah'll tell yo' anothah one. What ah'm goin' tell yo' it's true, 'cause it happened 'bout mah brothah - whut he experienced, yo' see. Well, we were at whut dey call de Peedee River. Ah don't know whethah yo' know where dat is or not. Well, it called Peedee Rivah. Ah wus haulin' wood one time. Ah wus livin' in town but ah be keepin' roun' de stable an' haul de wood into de town. An' ah come in dere [to town] dat night. When ah come in mah brothah say - he say, "Ben, let's go see some girls." Ah say, "Well, ah don't care." An' whensomevah we got ready tuh go dat night, he says [to the man he was visiting], "Leave de fiah to yore home." He [de man] say, "Why leave de fiah?" An' he tole him, "Tuh go on dat day." An' he say, "Ah'm goin' come back tuh school tomorrow." Dat's de fellah wus seein' his own death. [He had been attending school (staying with this man), had dropped out, and had suddenly decided to return to school tomorrow - "Tuh go on dat day."] An' when he said dat den, jes' as he walk out de do'step, a light come this-a- Way an' come right down by de corner of de steps in a big ball of fiah - jes' lak down, an' it come right down by de corner of de steps an' it stayed a good while. So we went on to dis girl's house - it wus a big dance, a big dance. An' we went on tuh dance. An' he say, "Ah don't b'lieve ah'll dance tonight." He says, "Ah b'lieve ah'll sing," he says, "ah'll git mo' bettah sense outa singin' den ah will dancin'." He went tuh singin' an' he sing a lot - he sing - sing - louder. An' so he says, "Ben," he says, "let's go." Well, when we starts back on de southboun' track, train comin' south - we wus on de no'thboun' track comin' southwards. We went on de - ah mean comin' no'th- wards, de train on de southboun' track comin' no'th. An' we jes' walkin' 'long, an' here wus dis train. He begin to - he says, "Well, ah'm off till tomorrow." An' ah.wents ahead. [Two persons walking in the narrow space between the rails walk Indian file - one behind the other.j An' when ah look back he wus behin' me - jes' lak, yo' know, he not payin' any 'tenshun to anyone. He wus behin' me when ah look back. De train wus jes' dat close when ah look, de train wus jes' dat close. An' he look back, which-an'-why - when ah turn roun' an' look back, he turn roun' an' start lookin' back too. An' whensomevah he looked back dat train ketched him. See, de train ketch him, jes' clipped him - all de back of de haid off, broke all de ribs of his back, broke both laigs.
Entry 233
I have seen a spirit in the shape of an animal. I was going home one night from the lodge. My daughter and myself were together. And we came to this pool of water and a great big mule, he was standing up in this pond and he didn't have any head on him. I said to my daughter, "Look at that big mule." And she got scared and run and said, "I don't see no mule." So when we got home she told papa, "I ain't going with her no more-at night. Mama seen a ghost tonight and I didn't see nothing." He asked me what it were and I told him it was a mule but it didn't have no head.
Entry 273
A little humpbacked man, he spent ever' cent he got for to win girls. I didn't see him do it but seen the finger. It was told me he went to the grave- yard and cut off a woman's right [index] finger - I seen the finger - cut that off and was carrying it around in his pocket. He went to the graveyard, so I was told, but he says so hisself. He went to the graveyard and carried a black cat and cut this black cat's head off. He's to go back to the graveyard nine days and he meet the devil there. He'd have to go back [each time] after dark and carry de black cat's head with him. And the ninth time the devil met him. Well, I know one thing. He was drawed up, the ugliest thing - his back had been broke. He couldn't take amongst girls, I was satisfied of that, but he could do some peculiar things. [Deal Island, Md., (108), 22:1; at Deal Island,1896.]
Entry 669
Jest a - yo' see yo' git a snake - yo' kin take a rattlesnake an' dry his haid up, pound it up, an' den yo' kin go to work an' use dat as goofer dust. Kill anybody.
Entry 1407
Take de red onion an' split it open an' if yo' got hot fever, yo' kin bind it to yore haid or bind it to yore breast, anywhere 'bout chew lak dat, an' it'll break a fever.
Entry 1567
You git a bran' new [corn]cob pipe an' yo' fill dat wit sulphur. Yo' smoke dat an' yo' inhale dat through yore nostrils. Dey all tell me dat relieves a spell by de haid - yo' know, in case dere somepin wrong wit yore haid an' yo' ailin', why dey say yo' git a brand-new cob pipe an' yo' put sulphur in dat. (What kind of a spell do you mean - that you have in your head?) Well, yo' know, probably jes' lak somebody may be gone off wit yore hat 'bout somepin an' probably put somepin dat's not right in yore hat. Dat will cause yo' tuh have haid spells.
(This would cure it?)
Yes, dat would cure it.
Entry 1998
De thing tuh do when yo' go befo' de judge - yo' don't need nuthin but one thing - is yo' gotta put a han'chief upon yore haid. Yo' don't have nuthin tuh do but wipe yore face. If he wus angry wit chew, he have tuh calm down an' be meekly wit chew.
(You said this is a plain handkerchief?)
A plain han'chief wit Heart Perfume. But it's dressed befo' yo' got dere.
(It's only dressed with Hearts Perfume? That's all?)
Dat's all.
Entry 3291
[Wal, yo' kin take yore undahclothes whut chew weah, yore bloomahs [for example], an' when yo' have intahco'se wit 'im yo' kin use dat. Wipe wit yore bloomahs an' put it undah de haid of yore baid, an' where yo' sleep - see, yore haid be layin' on dat. He can't have nuthin to do wit no one else but chew.
(You have that hidden so that he can't see it?)
Yeah, have it undah de mattress an' see, yo' lay on dat.
Entry 7084
Lay down wit 'im. All right, she ain't goin' tuh sleep yo' undahstan'. She pull off 'er undahweah right nex' tuh 'er private, see, an' jis' hang it right up ovah 'is haid. He goin' sleep right dere till she come back an' wake 'im up.
Entry 7087
If a woman wants tuh stay out all night an' 'er husban' is in de baid, befo' she leave she take her bloomahs an' put it ovah 'is haid. An' if she gon'a stay where she Wanta stay, stay all night, he'll nevah wake up 'till she come back.
Entry 7093
Well, take yore undahweah whut chew weah daily. Jis' lak yo' got on yore undahweah now an' he jis' ovah dere sleep. Yo' hang 'em up ovah dere haid. Jis' put it right ovah dere haid lak dat. Den yo' turn ovah, lak yo' goin' wake 'em up. YO' CAIN'T WAKE 'EM UP LESSEN' YO' TECH 'EM.
Entry 7094
Take yore bloomahs, yore dirty bloomahs, if yo' wanta keep 'im asleep, an' lay dem Ovah 'is haid. YO' DON' HAVE TUH JIS' LAY IT OVAH 'IS FACE. JIS' LAK YO' GOT A TABLE OR SOMPIN DERE, JIS' LAY IT OVAH DE HAID OF DE BAID WHERE HE SLEEPIN' AT, OVAH IS HAID.
Entry 13117
Dey say yo' kin take a snake an' cut his haid off, an' put him in de sun an' let it dry an' parch it, an' put it into sompin tuh drink, an' dey said dat will create snakes in 'em. [Sumter 2417:4.]
Entry 2988
Take some matches and put in your head across, a little salt, a little ammonia and rub it in the middle of your head. And if you want them candles to go out, you wear your clothes on the wrong side. Every piece you got underneath, excusin' the top, you wear em on the wrong side and the candle'll go out. Well, you can tell when someone knows the candle's burning on 'em, when they take and change their clothes. Just like the candle was burning on you, you come and you say, "Oh, my head hurts me so bad." I say, "Someone is burning a black candle on you. I say, "Put your clothes on the wrong side." You'll change your clothes and when you start to change your clothes, the candle goes - start to popping. The candle don't go out. You keep your clothes on there and put that salt in your head, them two matches like a "x" in your head, and in that way the candle will go out. And if you don't wear your clothes on the wrong side, them candles is not going - they going to burn 'em until you die.
Entry 11948
"Nail girl's hair from head into maple tree. Futher [farther] nail it in, more she love you." [Richmond 364:1.]
Entry 13217
Put it [spider] in anybody's supper to eat. If yo' look like yo' cookin' dumplin's, yo' kin take a spider an' put it in dis dumplin' - in any- thing like dat. Well, dat'll make him sick an' he liable tuh kill hinself. [This is an expression somewhere in HOODOO: I'm gon'a put a spider in your dumplin', meaning here, I am going to put a spider in your head, drive you crazy.] [Brunswick 2006:1.]
Entry 558
I had a aunt, she got hurt, and it started up in her head and it jes' keep on worryin' her head. And so she went to a doctor and found out that some- body had put somepin down for her. It somepin wrahpped up in a little bondle and they had it over the door. It was some kinda powder and some sharp instruments in there, look kinda like pins - it didn't have heads on it but it jis' was straight sharp. It was a rootman find it. He took a little somepin like a watch and laid a fifty cents on that, and anywhere they got anything down, it was a little hand turned [either a compass or buried-treasure finder], and that little hand turned toward that door and he went and got it. He took that [cunjuring object] - I don't know what he did wit it. He gave her some sweet milk and sheep bur [round droppings - dung] and sul- phur mixed together. They boil that [sheep dung] and get the juice out of it - the sheep bur - and pour that in there and then mix the sulphur with it. And then she got well. [Wilmington, N. Car., (245), 241:5; happened near Sumter, S. Car.,1934.]
Entry 612
I know a lady in Baltimore, she was taken to the asylum. She was hurt with some kind of white stuff. Someone next door throwed it in her hair. She Was crazy. A man told us he could cure her. The day she was to be taken away he came to see her. He put a Bible under her head and told us to wash her head with tobacco and we did so. Before he did that he taken a glass of milk, he taken a silver ring off of his finger and let it stood in this milk, and give it to her to drink. It [milk left in glass after the drink] didn't turn black, so he said she wasn't hurt inside. He said let her go on to the asylum and he guaranteed in four weeks time she'll be out. So we did. He give me a [dressed] handkerchief, a brand-new one. He told me don't let my hands touch it, carry it to the asylum and give it to her to wipe her face. And I did. I could tell a diff'rence in her before I left. In four weeks time she was at home.
Entry 869
[How Hippocrates began a consultation I do not know, but his descendants in ancient Rome, the Greek-slave doctor, always started with, "Do you drink white wine or red wine?" Two thousand years later their modern descendants, Doctors of Medicine, still ask a similar question, "How many packs do you smoke a day?" Yet my root doctors and witch doctors, colored and white, have kept the longest healing tradition, one predating Hippocrates, "Scare hell out of them!" Without primitive mask and rattle we will now learn how the scaring is done:] Ah hear dey use de fish - dey take live fish aigs an' dey give 'em to whatevah individual dey kin put 'em on in watah, to drink it down, an' dat will cause live fish to come in 'em. An' dat fish goes to worryin' yo' - dey'll grow until some- body take dem outa yo'. Den dey use snakes - dey use snake's blood. Dey got'a kill de snake, 'cause he daid, his blood is good. Or jes' bruise him enough to git a grain or two of blood. An' dey stretch it out fo' de person whatevah dey goin' aftah. An' de snake will live right on an' long as he live dat blood will live in him. See, dat woman or whosomevah dey be, it will cause snakes to form in 'em.
(Is there any way that you can get these live things out of a person?)
Yessuh, dere a way we kin git 'em out. We goes then an' we find a ole sorcerer - whut we calls ole witchcraft. We tells her - she tells us tuh come in an' we don' have tuh tell her nuthin. She says, "Somepin wrong wit chew." Den she goes on down an' she carries us to de room an' she says, "Someone has did somepin to yo'." Yo' tell her how yo' been actin' - say, "Yes, it feel lak dere somepin jes' movin' all about down in dere." Say, "Ah went to de doctors three or fo' times - six or seven time an' he don't seem to be doin' me any good." She say, "No, de doctor can't reach yore case." Say, "Ah'll have to cure yo but chew like tuh waited too late to give yo' time tuh git it up. Well, den yo' git scared an' say, Yo' reckon ah waited too late?" She say, "No, prob'bly ah kin reach yore case. Den she goes back an' she calls 'em.
(Calls whom?)
Calls dis heah plague dat chew have in yo' - she calls 'em by name, she have de name. De sorcerer have de name for it. Yo' kin find only 'bout a few of 'em. Dere's very few now. She calls 'em an' she takes her han's an' she carries it an' she holds one on de top yore haid an' one right chere - de back of yore neck right chere. An' she calls 'em an' she gives yo' some watah an' tell yo' drink three swallows an' hold yore mouth ovah a pot, an' he comes out. Den she gives yo' somepin tuh take.
(What comes out?)
Dis heah plague whatsomevah it may be - it comes walkin' right out - dis live thing comes out. She shets him up an' shows 'em to yo' an' she axe vo' - she axe yo', "Whut yo' want done about it?" Say, "Do yo' want me tuh put it back on de party whut put it on yo'?" She calls de party name whosomevah may be did it - she say, [whoever] did it, say, "Ah kin have them fixed that way by night, if yo' wanta." Well, yo' might feel at first, "Yes, let 'em have it." Well, yo' go den an' yo' leave dat house an' yo' go dere an' find dat person in de same shape. Dat's whut dey do. But lotsa times, yo' see, it kinda raw yo' know tuh turn de trick back on de person dat pulled it ovah on yo'. But first dey got'a git somethin' in yo' to do it completely. Dey do it through anything dat chew love - sometime dey do it through a friend. (You say the fortune-teller and the sorcerer are different?) [Sorcerer = a witchcraft said informant.] Dey entirely different - dey both obtain de same thing, but de sorcerer, he have de power to take things from 'em. Lotsa fortune-tellers doesn't have dat. De fortune-teller an' de sorcerer, dey have de power of tellin' yore fortune. He kin tell yo' whut happen to you an' tell yo' who done it, de way dey did it an' whut chew wus doin' when yo' wus did. An' de fortune-teller he kin tell yore fortune - tell whut yo' lost an' where yo' stole dem goods at, tell yo' whatsom- evah yo' lost an' whatsomevah yo' ain't, love cases. Dat's de fortune-teller - he reads yore fortune.
Entry 906
A man was telling us one day [about] a woman's daughter. She had lovely hair on her head. And this woman's daughter and her [another woman's daughter] used to go to church together. It seems that this other woman didn't like this girl because her hair was so much better than her daughter's. So she fixed this child - she used to go and comb her hair. Finally, one evening this girl went off crazy. And then her mother asked this old man [who told the story to informant] did he know anybody that could do her any good. And he told her, "Yes, I'll have to go five miles to get to this man's house." So he got a fast horse [and buggy] and he got away from there that night. And when they got to this man's house the man told him, "I know what you all came for. Sit down a minute. You all came here because the girl is crazy and you want me to do something for her." They told him, "Yes." He said, "You all go ahead and I will be there presently." So they went on and got to the girl's house. They weren't there more than two hours when he came in. So when he got in he spoke to them and said, "Get me a basin full of hot water and a towel." And they got the basin and towel for him. And he put the towel right down in the boiling water and wrung it out and put it right to her head. After he put this to her head she came to real life and knew where she was at. He must have put something in the water, but the old man didn't say. He stayed there until four o'clock next morning. Before he left the girl had come to and knew everybody in the house. And he told this man that went after him, "Son, you know what I want you to do? Come on and go around the house with me." They went around the house. It Was getting kind of light then. They carried a lantern. This girl's father was with them. They had a spade. When they got to the corner of the house he told him to dig right down. He dug. They found a little barrel. They dug it and picked it up and gave it to him. They took it into the house. He asked them did they Wwant it and they said no they didn't want it. So when they opened it, the lmage of this girl was cut out of a piece of black cloth. It had needles and pins in there and a whole lot of stuff. He did not say what all was in there. This man said, "You all don't want this?" And they said, "No." So he took it himself. And he said, "Before I go I am going to leave something here for you to do." He told this other man to come on outdoors with him. And he took a stick and drew a ring all the way around the house, and he gave this man some white powder and said, "You sprinkle this all away around on this mark and you all watch the results" - he left about nine-thirty - "at ten o'clock you'll all see who fixed this girl." And he said sure enough they all sat there and watch when he was gone, and exactly at ten o'clock they say they seen somebody come up and try to get in where this girl was, but they couldn't get over this ring. [Did the doctor - or a confederate left outside and away from the house - try to "get over this ring' and then "vanished away?"] After they couldn't get over this ring they turned and went on and vanished away. And they didn't see no more of them. An' old gentleman told me this about eight years ago [1928] and he said it happen 35 or 40 years ago over in Wight [Isle of Wight] County, [Virginia] where he lived.
Entry 1774
Yo' take dis black chicken - lak ah'd move, dis is a dwelling house an' ah'd move here an' sorta thinkin' somebody was trying to get me - get me a black chicken, take it round on de side where de sun rise an' kill him an' dress him an' eat de chicken. Take de head an' sprinkle it wit black peppah an' brimstone, bluestone an' salt, an' put it in a nice little sack an' bury it jes' like yo would somebody. Cover ovah [make a burial mound over] dat sack an' dey tell me dat nobody won't nevah interfere wit chew.
Entry 1856
I have tried dis when ah first came to St. Petersburg - go an' look me round, couldn't git me a job nowhere. One fellah tells me, says, "Now yo' go an' take yo' a dime, '' he say, "an' buy yo' a crocus fish [fresh-water drumfish]." After yo' git dat fish, yo' cut de head off dat fish an' yo' kin do whut yo wish. Yo' kin eat de fish or yo' kin throw it away. But be shure yo' git de head of dat fish an' cut it open an' git dem two rocks outa dere an' put it in a sack an' wear it in yore pocket. Dere can't nobody turn yo' down fo' a job.
Entry 11635
Pound up a fish head, dry to powder, mix with salt, give in whiskey to a person; creates a live fish in him. [Washington, D. C., 625:5.]
Entry 988
Then I hear of a man having a cap. Where he worked at a man didn't like him on account of his job and every time he put this cap on his haid - see, he kept this cap where he worked, he wore his other hat home. And the minute he come and put this cap on his haid, he'd fall out with head trouble. So he went to an old man and this old man told him to take this cap and in crossing dis Water throw his cap over his left shoulder and don't look back - cross the water, cross the bridge. So he did that and that head trouble went away.
(That cured him?)
That really went away - 'cause that was my husband did that.
(Well, did he use the cap again or just - )
He used it - he tried it once more - he put it on his head that morning and the pain came back.
Entry 2932
(How do they burn a candle on your photograph?)
Well now, a photograph, if I want - you mean that if I want to harm you or.
(Yes, either harm you or do any good or any way.)
Well now, if it's to harm you - I tell you if it's to harm you. I tell you what they do to your photograph. I use a candle again, but I use a black candle. You see, you get a black candle. You gets a black candle and instead of writing the name down thisa- way, you write it around the candle. See, you write that name [demonstrates], like you start here, you write it here - every, about every inch, you write the name. You take the photograph and you turn it upside down, what I mean, turn it on the head, and you burns it by that black candle. You take one of - if you can get two of 'em, you get two [photographs]. It would be better. You got one there by the black candle and you [get] the other one and you pin it or shove it up under your fire- hearth, you see. It's not going to burn up under there. Just put it in that fire-hearth, you make all the fire you want. You put it up under that fire- hearth, but you put it on the left-hand corner of your fire-hearth and put it as high as you can get it. And you can make fire and everything else, it's not going to burn at all. It's going to do more harm than anything else, it's not going to do no good; if it burns, it ain't going to do no good. See. But it's best not to let it burn. And, if I was going to do that to you - see, if I was going to do that to you, I would put the photograph, the second one, on the left- hand side of my fire-hearth. And I'm got one on the mantelpiece, upside down, burning by the candle. I'm got your name and I get me what you call a melt.
(A what?)
A melt.
(What's that?)
[I wanted to be certain he is not talking about melted wax - see CANDLE SPONGE BURIED, p.848f.] That's something that looks like a - it comes from a cow, looks like a cow's tongue almost, but it's called the melt.
(The melt.)
[Melt of course is milt or spleen. For example: "If hogs are slaughtered in autumn and the small part of the milt lies toward the head...sign of an open winter; if the large part...a severe winter. At times...belief differently ex- pressed...if the milt...ends in a blunt point...a cold winter...tapers to a point, a warm winter. Milt is usually called melt are rarely spleen." (FACI, 2ed.,1965, p.28.) With the original belief, I debated some time whether to use melt or milt. Moreover, I broke it up into two parts; using milt for the first
(No. 307) and spleen for the second (No.308) - FACI, 1st ed.,1935, p.12.]
I'd get me one of those melts, see. I'd get that melt, you see. I'd get that and I'm going to spread it. I spread it. I get your name and if I can get any of your filth at all, I'll cut that [melt] open and I'm going put it into this melt. I'll put this in your [my] melt and I'll keep it hung up there for three days in that fire-hearth where your picture is. Then from there I take and I goes bury that melt. I bury that melt and when I bury that melt, I take this picture from there and I buries it alongside of that melt. And after burying that picture with that melt, I cover it and I lights me another candle, but I move that candle. The first candle I got, I won't light it there [in the fire- hearth], I'll light it in a dark place. See, I'll [put] this candle in a dark place for nine days. I'll limit it to nine days and in nine days I'll have you just where I want you. Yes, sir.
(Do you light that black candle at any particular time?)
Well, I got - I light my black candle. See, if I light a candle, I light it at nine o'clock in the morning, I light it at three, and I light it at six - that's three times a day, that's all.
Entry 2984
You could make the candle go out easy. It's a simple thing. Get to running water. Go there three times a day - any running water you go to, if you can get to the river. You can tell w'ah [whether] ah got a candle burning or not on you, because your head's done always feel hurted. Regardless of what you use, it's not going to stop your head from hurting. But if you think of it, go to the river - that's running water. Bathe your head three times. I mean - you see, just put your head - take your hand and throw water and let it run back to your neck and run on down there. It's nothing if you wet your clothes. Just let it run on down, see. Three times. You just duck your head three times and let that water run back on you like that. You do that three times a day and that will put the candles out.
Entry 5948
Well, mah sistah, dey nevah did git along, dey'd always be hollerin' an' goin' on an' fussin'. I guess he got between 'er an' some man. She wuz tuh marry someone else an' dis fellah tol' 'er dat he wuz gon'a have 'er. Of co'se she nevah would - she took it tuh be a joke. An' sure enough he got revenge. So he taken, I guess by goin' tuh bed or somepin lak dat, he taken an' cut some hair from de top of 'er haid, an' 'er track, an' raked it fo'ward lak dat, from de heel to de toe, an' put it in some Hearts of Cologne an' put it in runnin' watah. An' she went crazy an' fin'lly she died.
Entry 6079
Yo' got a wife an' yo' wanta keep 'er, see. Now, if yo' wanta keep er regardless of wahr she go, she comin' back. Yo' kin git some hair outa her haid, see, an' from 'er stomic [pubic hair]. Put it in a bag an' wahr it in yore umdabr clothes nex' to yore skin, an' don't care wahr she go, brothah, she comin' back.
Entry 6097
Well, ah heard if a person git chure hair - wanta run yo' crazy, dey take yore hair an' jes' ketch a rabbit an' split its forehaid, right behin' yo' know, an' lay it in dere an' sew it back up an' turn 'im aloose. As long as dat rabbit run, yo'll be crazy.
(You split the forehead, behind the forehead?)
Dat's right.
Entry 8340
(What do they do with a person's photograph?) Well, yo' kin take one an' nail it de height of a person on de tree. Git de height an' put dis pichure on de tree an' nail de nail through de haid, an' kill de person - through de haid of de photograph. Or yo' kin shoot it an' person will die.
Entry 8353
Yo' kin take dat photograph an' put it up an' stob a tenpenny nail intuh it. Put de tenpenny nail right about de heart an' yo' go dere nine days, nine mawnin's an' drive dat; or nine evenin's jes' befo' de sun go down. An' hit it jes' one lick, an' yo' keep dat up until yo' drive it down tuh de haid.
(What will that do to you?)
It will kill yo'.
Entry 8387
De one dat's left, dey take dey photograph an' turn de haid down lak dat an' de feet up, an' dat would make 'em come home an' dey couldn't leave again.
Entry 103
Once upon a time I heard the story that a man - two men were at variance with each other and one of the men died. After two or three months this living man was passing along the road near this house where the other man that was dead did live. And all of a sudden he imagined he saw something and kinda hesitated, and something slapped him, and his head became one-sided and he had to move through life that way. He was never able to turn his head around straight again.
Entry 321
Well, dere ain't but one thing ah know about this black cat bone - dis superstitious way yo' git all of these black cat bones. Yo' keep this black cat bone undah yore haid an' yo' keep it there nine nights. Yo' sleep with it undah yore haid nine nights. An' after that then yo' take this black cat bone an' yo wear it on yo'. In case yo' go to make a deal or somepin lak dat, why yo' put in yore han' an' yo' squeeze it an' yo' make yore wishes. Den yore wishes come true.~
Entry 390
I'll tell you one thing that I have heard. A long time ago people used to bury their money instead of putting it in the banks. The person that buried the money believed that if they killed someone or an animal and cut the animal's head off or the person's head off and bury the head with the money that it would keep someone else from getting the money. At a place on the road [Maryland State Road No. 12] between Snowhill and Salisbury, near the Worcester County line, there's a tree, an oak I think, where they claim that somebody was buried. And this man - this was before the Civil War, killed a little colored boy and cut his head off and buried it with the money. Later on people heard about this money being buried there and a number of them tried to get it. Everyone who tried to dig up this money never succeeded and the belief was that this head protected the money and kept the people from getting it. They claim that on certain nights, especially dark nights, people going along this road from Snowhill to Salisbury see a little light like and this light seems to flicker and it is near this tree. They claim that that's the way you know money is buried there. Well, one man, I don't know whether it is true or not, tried to dig up this money. So he took some other man with him to help him. So they dug and dug under this tree and they almost got to the money and just as he looked up he claimed that he saw a sword suspended by a hair from the limb of the tree and he claims that he heard a voice say, "If you touch the money the sword will drop." His companions also saw and heard the same thing and they left him and ran away. But he stayed as long as he could but it seems that something Was holding him back all the time. But he didn't get this money. One night [1935] I was driving along that way and it was a very rainy night and dark and it seemed as though we could see this light twinkling. It might have been my imagination. They called it the money gold light.
Entry 816
A white fellow came to me and asked me to go with him down to one of these double-head doctors. He made a deal with a party and he [party] wasn't satisfied and was going to law. He wanted to know if he couldn't stop his ideas of going to court. We goes down and she fixed him. She told his fortune and told him what to do and stopped him from going to court. That was down in Caroline [County, Virginia]. I heard of taking hair out of people's head and cut it up and put it in a bottle and put in a little water and seal it up tight and it will make snakes. They put it under the door [for you to walk over] and they tell me as long as that is there you will have misery in the head. You get one of these double-head doctors to find it.
Entry 820
[The following two stories are told by the same man - see my comment at the end of the third story:] This fellah has a skull - a head, and claims this is his brother's head. He claimed his brother could do mostly anything he wanted to do and most he learnt it was from whut his brother learnt 'im. His brother wanted him to preserve his skull and keep it with him fer action. And whenever he went in to do anything he worked up to a power from this skull. He dealt with this skull, he talked to it, he sang to it, he danced to it, and it seemly he gits his power and he goes right on. Now, he would go to work, he had five lamps, he placed one in the center of each hand, he placed one on each shoulder and one on his head, and buck danced. He - I mean danced - he wasn't trying to dance, he danced! And danced jist as about as fast as any that choo would find in any theatre. Then he Was able to go right on and do anything or say anything that he would want to say to anyone. He could tell you anything mostly you wanted to know. And he said that the power that he persessed [possessed], that he could walk into any trust company, any bank, any store, or any place of business, and take, go right in to the counters, right behind the counters, open the drawers and take all the money he wanted to take, and walk out and not a soul could see him; if he wanted to do it, but he didn't want to travel that way any more. So it seemly as though he had did it once in his life, but said he didn't want to travel that way any more. And he had a lamp that he kept in his room that he only had to light it or replenish it onest every six months. And he said when that lamp should go out he'll have to go out, he can't stay in that room. [I think the informant missed the point here. This is probably an example of a person's life depending upon the condition of some material object - so common in folktales.] And he came to me one day here to my work [in the hotel] and says to me, he was visiting [boarding with] me, and he says, "Is there any place you kin take me out of town? Anywur we kin go?" "Well, '' I said, "we kin go down to Deals Island and out around the water and back, sight seeing out dere this afternoon." He says, "That's fine. Carry me anywur." He says, "De spirits are bothering me so I can't rest nowur I go." And he says, "I've got to get away, '' he says, "around the water will be a lovely place this afternoon. And that day, when we got back here that night and we jis' started into the diningroom, the people were jist calling me up all over this town asking that I would arrange an interview with this fellah for them. That was fist as though he Was jist that slick on that sort of spirits. He would read 'em [tell fortunes]. He didn't want to do it. He'd give a show. He was traveling, he had a show of his own. And his hands were so dried up they were at least three shades blacker than his face was. And the skin was right tight to the bones as though someone had been dead for months. And he wore gloves to keep anybody from seeing his hands. It looked that desperate. It would frighten you to look at his hands.
(Were you afraid of him?)
I was jis' as skeered of him as could be. I seen him hypotize [hypnotize] a boy. He hypotized a boy, and honestly, I got angry with whut he did to that boy.
(Was the boy from around here?)
Yes sir, our own boy right here in town. He stood him on his head. He stood him on his feet. He made him do anything that would be silly act before everybody. Then he jumped up and laid this fellah flat on the floor on his back, and got up in his breast and the lower part of his stomick, and just jumped up and down with both feet all he wanted, the center of this boy's stomick. When this fellah came to he stood there and laughed. Our own boy right here in town.
[As a part of his show the man escaped from a locked-up coffin.]
The: folks got nervous, very nervous. And when they put him in the coffin and sealed him all up, covered this up, he says, "Set still," he say, "if any of you want to go, I'll let choo go in a few minutes; but if I go down that door and turn around three times, not a one of you kin git up and go out. So you jes' as well set still."
Entry 1024
People tie - hear of 'em take thread-string an' tie nine knots in it an' tie it roun' dey haid.
(What will that do?)
Well, dey claim dat stop de headache.
Entry 1232
Even if yo' bald, git de milk from de dog an' bathe de part dat's bald of the cranium an' yore hair will event'lly grow back.
Entry 1607
Why they dress that hat fo' yo' head, an' they take that same chamber lye, as ah tole yo', an' bath that hat in it, saturate it in that water, and then bath yore head fo' nine mornin's that way. That relieves yo', yo' see in de haid.
(If they dressed your hat.)
Entry 1857
A man learnt me, a hoodoo man, to take a crocus fish - it's a little fish called crocus fish, an' yo' take dat head off, an' yo' take a knife an' split dat head open an' dere's two rocks in dere. Well, yo' git dem two rocks out an' yo' put dem two rocks in a little bag an' yo' sew dat bag up. Well, when yo' sew dat bag up den, yo' give it to de party an' den he goes to de man an reports for a job, an' yo' can't hardly be turned down. An' ah have seen dat an' he have done me dataway de reason ah know. An' dat's de way he said and dat was de end of dat.
Entry 1892
Fo' gamblin', ah heard 'em say, yo' kin git chew a frog - a toadfrog. Well, a frog is got a numbah undah his neck right undah dere. Take dat frog an' git one wit de even numbah. Don't git no odd numbah lak three or five, but git chew one got a two or fo' an' take him 'live an' put him in yore pocket an' go to de skin gome or any kinda gamblin' game an' yo's lucky in winnin'. An' if yo' think dat dere's somebody else dere dat's got some roots or somepin dat's tryin' tuh win too, yo' jes' take an' git chew some table salt an' put some sulphur in yore shoes, yo' see, 'fore yo' leave home an' go on there. Yo' take dat salt an sprinkle it on their haid an' dey'll lose. Dey roots won't be no good to em.
(That kills that?)
Dat kills dat.
Entry 2711
Take yore urinate an' put sugah in it an' wash from face an' yore haid, down on down, an' give yo' all de luck in de worl'. Everywhere yo' go yo' kin sell anything or jes' git money jes' lak dat [snapping the fingers). [Comment by transcriber who heard fingers snap. So do I hear them.]
Entry 3900
If a man got a woman an' he wanta keep her down, ah heard dat he'd take a piece of 'er ministration rag, an' de hair from underneat' 'er ahm [arm], an' a dirty sock, an' a piece outa huh haid, an' sew it up in a bag an' nail it 'cross de do', an' she could nevah go 'way.
(Could never leave.)
Entry 4424
Ah have seen dat, dis chamber lye [see later]. Dere wuz a man heah 'bout ten yeahs ago - no, it's been about twenty yeahs ago [1919]. He'd taken me, mahself, taken mahself an' buried me in a tree. An' when he buried me in a tree he sup- posed tuh hit it - tap dat wedge nine days an' den ah'd die. But he didn't tap it nine days. De Lord fixed it so dat ah wuz able tuh light [loosen] it an' knocked it out befo' ah begin tuh take bad. Befo' ah begin tuh take bad ah found it an' knocked it out.
(What did he put in the tree?)
[I ask this because of the preceding chamber lye.]
He put some of mine in-stuff in de tree, put nine needles in it.
(He put some of your passage?)
Yes sir.
(How did he prepare that?)
He took it somewheres an' put it in a tree, bo'd a hole in a big tree wit a augah, an' aftah he bo'd wit dat augah in de big tree, he'd taken nine needles an' put dem in dere. Den he made dis wedge, wedge or stoppah, an' put in dere an' hit it fo' nine masniln's, an' he didn't git a chance tuh hit it fo' nine mawnin's befo' de Lord fixed it so ah could find it. When ah founds it ah knock- ed it out an' ah got bettah.
(What did you do wdth it. just leave it there?)
Ah'd taken an' carried it to de house an' showed it tuh 'im, but de pains wuz shootin' up through mah haid lak dat. An' if ah had let it stayed dere an' he'd ahit it nine mawmin's, ah wouldn't have been heah today. Ah wuz goin' down, be- fo' ah'd taken tuh bed.
Entry 4671
Yuh take de bow out of a man's hat an' carry it home an' put it in matchbox an' put it undah yore haid, an' dey say dat will make 'em love yo'. [I stopped machine too soon and had to add:] (You said sleep on it.) [The matchbox, a coffin symbol (confinement) and the match, a sexual one - a frequent combination in HooDoO - explain them- selves.]
Entry 6096
Now along de hair line. Yo' kin take de hair outa de top if any in- dividual's hair, say if yo' wanta send 'em away. Dis is mo' from sperience ah'm tellin' yo' dat. [Now follows a good example of giving a rite and then illustrating it with a personal ex- perience.] Yo' take dat hair an' ketch a rabbit den, an' split 'is skin right in de fo'head dere, an' place dat hair in dere an' sew it up. Jes' turn 'im loose. Well, who- Cvah hair den dat yo' put in dere, if yo' want 'em tuh leave, when yo' turn dat rabbit loose dey can't stay. [We lived] cross town togethah. I an' 'im were good frien's, too. Well, he bad a right clevah wife. So ah nevah said nuthin tuh anyone heah 'bout dese things jes' like yo' talkin' tuh me now, 'bout runnin' off people. So ah says, "Well," says, "ah kin take de hair outa anybody's head, outa de zole [mold or mould] of de haid an' ketch me a rabbit," ah said, "an' ah kin nm a off quickly." She said, "How do yo' do dat?" Ah said, "Well, yo' git de hair out de mole of dere haid an' ketch chew a rab- bit an' split 'im right in de fo'haid," say, "an' put dat hair in dere an' sew it Turn de rabbit loose. She say, "Shuah 'nuff?" Well, ah didn't pay no mo' 'tenshun tuh it. Two-three days latah ah wus out in de woods cuttin' crossties. [Railroad rails are laid on and spiked to crossties.] All of a sudden he pulls off 'is clothes, all but 'is top-shirt. Ah nevah bothah. Ah reckon about fifty yards distance betveen us - us dere a log-cuttin'. An' when 'is cuttin' stopped, ah stopped aattin', looked tuh see whut wus he doin', weren't thinkin' about nuthin. So chen ah looked he wus standin' up on de log lookin' right straight off tuhwards de cypress pond. He got down off de log an' he walked right straight on off de Way, de direction he wus lookin' tuhward dat pond. He walked on off down dere an' he walked on it. Well, ah nevah pay any 'tenshun, ah went on back cuttin'. Ah say, "Maybe prob'ly got hot an' he's about gone [to] cool off." Dat's whut ah thought tuh mahself. So ah worked on about a hour an' he hadn't came back yet. Ah jes' worked on, hadn't nevah give it a thought. Well, it's about three hours he hadn't come back, so ah thought ah'd go down tuh de pond. Ah went on down tuh de pond where it wus muddy goin' in jes' 'fore yo' git tuh de water. Ah tracked 'im on tuh de watah. Ah whistled an' whistled an' called an' called. Aftah ah couldn't [find] 'im, ah went on aroun' de pond, an' when ah got on de othah [side] de back of de pond - ah seed where he come out. Still ah couldn't git no hearin', ah called an' whistled. So ah went on back, ah said, "Maybe he jes' went off tuh look fo' some [something]." But still he wus in his shirt, nuthin but 'is shirt. Ah went on back an' ah worked on till time tuh knock off. He hadn't came back yet. Time tuh knock off, ah couldn't call 'im up, couldn't whistle 'im. So ah went on back home. So ah went on down tuh his house aftah ah got suppah. He hadn't showed up yet. His wife couldn't tell nuthin about 'im atall. De nex' mawnin' he hadn't showed up. So ah went back out in de woods where his clothes still hangin' dere where he lef' 'em. Well, ah come back tuh de house den tuh tell 'er about it. He git plenty time to git 'rested [arrested for being in his unclothed condition.] Some- body mdght search fo' 'im. Well, de people dat know 'im - de law, dey took 'imup an' dey look fo' 'im dem two weeks. Dey nevah did find 'im. So' 'bout six-eight weeks latah dey got ahearin' from 'im. He wus in de 'sylum. So, I an' 'is wife wus talkin' dere one day aftah he had gone on an' she say, "Yo' know one thing?" "Whut?" Say, "Yo' know whut chew tole 'bout dat rabbit?" Said, "'Yes?" She says, "Ah tried dat. Ah thought yo' wus roun' devilin'," say, "an' dat's whut run mah husban' off from heah."
Entry 6144
Well, yo' kin make a person do anything yo' want 'em tuh do, wit de bir of a person. Yo' kin take de hair off a person's haid, if it's not but one strand, an' if it's a woman, yo' put it wit three pieces of devil's shoestring a yo' could wear dat in de bottom of yore shoe, providin' yo' goin' wit dis an, an' she'll do anything dat chew want 'er tuh do, jes' as long as yo' let dat hair stay in de bottom of yore shoe of de right foot. Well, now, if a woman wanted a man, she gits a piece of 'is hair from de tem- ple an' wears it in 'er right shoe, an' keep it dere always, an' he'll jes' al- ways yield tuh her jes' lak she wants 'im tuh do.
(Where would the man get the hair from the woman?)
Hell, he kin git it off 'er haid if it's jes' a personal love affair, an dat'll make her jes' do anything he want 'er to do, but he puts it wit dis de- vll's shoestring - three pieces.
(But the woman only has to use the hair from his temple?)
De hair from a man's temple wit'out de devil's shoestring.
Entry 6298
Wal, dey take yore hair, git it from de mole of de head in yore sleep. An' dey git dat out de mole of yore head an' bottle it up and take it to a run- ning stream, an' dey throw dat in a runnin' stream an' dey say dat got a bad effect on yore brains some way. (They bottle it up and just throw it in that running water.)
Entry 6394
Dey take fingahnails an' toenails an' cut 'em up, an' place 'em intuh a stove. Parch 'em - parch de fingahnails brown. Aftah dey is parched brown, den dey takes 'em an' carry 'em, an' when dey git tuh yore do' or de front do', or dey git someone else dat's stayin wit yo' tuh place 'em ovah yore head, don't chew know, aftah dey parch 'em in de stove. Dat's de way ah learned of dat.
(What will that do to you then?)
It will cuz yo' not to leave home.
Entry 6577
Ah heard a woman in Birmingham, Ala., say dat if yo' had a enemy an' if yo' wanta git de enemy out de way, say yo' could take a lizard an' dreene [drain] it. Yo' know, make de blood come outa it. An' take dat lizard's blood an' put it on a rag all de way roun' de rag. An' den take dat bloodly rag from de lizard an' put it in de band of a hat. An' dey said dat yo could take dat from a lizard an' put it in dere, an' in nine days, lizards be run- nin' all roun' in yore haid an' up an' down yore body.
Entry 6599
Well, she takes de snake an' she dries 'im up an' she takes 'is bones outa his tail, which dose de softes' bones, an' she dries dose bones up. Dey make a dust outa dem an' put dat intuh a vaseline, or hair oil, or hair grease dat he uses, an' he passes dat ovah 'is head when he combs 'is hair. An' it will penetrate tuh 'is - through 'is skull intuh 'is brain. An' he will al- Ways have a min' dat he wants tuh drown 'imself, or he will always have a min' he wants tuh kill 'imself or commit suicide. But de Way tuh keep 'imself from doin' dat, committin' sui- cide, HE WILL HAVE TUH GO TUH ONE OF DOSE PEOPLE OVAH DE RIVAH [IN ALGIERS], SOME OF DOSE TWO-HEADED PEOPLE, AN' DEY WILL TELL 'IM JIS' WHUT IS WROEG WIT 'IH AN' DERE IS NO DANGAH FO 'IM, BECUZ DEY KIN GIT IT BACK OUTA 'IS SKULL BEFO' IT
(How do they do that?)
Dey shave all de hair off, yo' see, an' dey use fresh lard an' sulphh an' hot towels, an' dey will draw dat - draw dat right out, an' he will have tuh pot eat anythin' fo' nine days. He should not have anythin' on 'is stomic, nuthin in "is bowels, nuthin. Give 'im two or three big dose of salts, an' dey contimue usin' dat fresh lard an' sulphuh on 'is head. An' in about nine or ten days, he il begin tuh come back tuh 'imself, an' den he will realize den whut dangah be sus in.
Entry 6619
Yo' kin take a - take a rattlesnake - yo' kin take anythin' dat wandahs in de woods snakelike - yo' take 'im an' yo' cut 'is haid off. Well, yo' put dat snake up an' let 'im be dried by de sun. Yo' take dem snake bones an' beat 'em up tuh apowdah, an' yo' put jis' a little bit of dat whiskey - alcohol, anythin' - an' yo' kin set dat bottle up, if yo' wan'a do it. Yo' set it up dere an' if yo' don' happen tuh give it tuh 'em dat day, or dat night, den mawnin' when yo' git up de snakes will be in it [bottle] - little snakes. [Snakes in the bottle next morning proves that snakes would have been in a victim, had you given the snake blood to him the day or night before.]
Entry 6893
Yo' know lak dey have neuralgy [neuralgia] in de throat an' mouth an' haid. All right, yo' be swoled all up. Yo' go tuh a red oak bark tree an' git de bark on de sunrise side an' make tea off it, an' jis' steep yo'self wit it lak dat. Jis' have de watah, dat tea, in a pan an' jis' steep off, steep off. Open yuh mouth an' jis' let it, let it go all on. An' yo' kin make poultices if yo' wanta tuh put all roun' yuh neck or wherevah it's hurtin', an' dat'll scattah it.
Entry 7057
Ah heard a woman say dat 'er husban' did 'er dataway. Said he taken a broom, got de broom out de cornah an' laid it aside huh, wit de broom part whut chew sweep, up de side of 'er haid. An' say he went down tuh 'is mothah's an' stayed till neahly day, an' come back an' she didn't wake up until he moved dat broom. Ah heard about dat.
Entry 7069
She do somepin tuh keep 'im home, so he won't want tuh leave dere.
[Here is a new purpose for bloomers over his face!]
(What will she do to him?)
Well, dis is mighty funny.
(That's all right, anything you want to say. I've heard lots of funny things.)
He lays down in de baid lak he goin' tuh sleep. She comes an' lays down in de baid tuh go 'sleep. An' she pull off 'er bloomahs an' jis' take 'em an' spread 'em ovah 'is haid, an' let 'em lay ovah 'is haid awhile. See. Den 'fo' he wake up, she'll take 'em off. She might let 'em stay on dere ten minutes, but he won't wake up till she take 'em off - lay right dere sleepin'. Den she taken 'em off. She'll use 'em lak dat awhile. An' aftah awhile maybe she fixes de pillah. May- be she put it undah dere, or a dress dere de same way. An' when she puts demdere lak dat, why he jis' keep layin' off from goin' anywhere. He go limpah an' limpah until he jis' git so he don't want no more dere [away from home]. An' he don't go nowhere.
Entry 7086
Now, yo' take quite natchel if right tuhnight mah wife wanta make a date, yeah, out yondah. Ah wus sleepin' heah. If ah know how tuh tie her down, from - tuh keep 'er from gwine yo' know. Money an' likkah an' - dat ruin' 'em yo' know. If yo' find a woman drink likkah an' loves money, dey'll go - put chew tuh sleep an' go. Well, all right, she kin commence. She kin ketch me layin' in de sleep. She kin go tuh work an' take her undahclothes, jis' 'er bloomahs an' spread it ovah mah haid, an' ah'll sleep heah 'itll she come back. De house could burn down an' ah nevah Wake up. NOW, DAT'S JIS' A LITTLE SIMPLE "TRICK: Ah have see women try dat. De husban' didn't know anythin' atall about it, yo' see.
Entry 7171
Yo' take three matches an' cross 'em undah 'is haid - right up undah 'is haid. He'll sleep right dere until she come back an' move dose matches.
Entry 7175
Write his name three times an' take it an' stick it into his shoe an' put it under his head.
Entry 7353
Well now, jes' lak if he done de killin', [he] say, "Ah wants tuh git away." Well, he'll go to work yo' see an' git 'im a pair of new shoes, he'll git 'im a bottle of turpen- tine. He'll take dat turpentine an' he'll pull 'is shoes off an' rub undah de bottom of 'is feet wit dat turpentine, an' he'll po' a little in 'is shoes. He'll go to work den an' he'll git 'im jes' about nine grains of black pepper, six grains of spice, an' git 'im jes' about a piece of bluestone a little bit biggah den a black-eyed pea. An' he'll put all dat togethah. He'll go to work den an' git 'im a dime bottle of alcohol, an' evah mawnin' regardless to where he goin', he'll take dat alcohol an' rub behin' 'is ears, rub across 'is fo'haid, an' he'll take dat turpentine an' 'noint 'is shoes - under de bottom of 'is shoes - an' he'll chew a grain of dat black peppah, one grain of dat spice, evah day, an' jes' a little crumb of dat bluestone mixed togethah. An' as long as he continue wit dat, he'll always keep a-goin'.
(Can't catch him.)
He'll keep a-goin'. [Waycross, Ga., (1097), 1771:5.] [Rites for catching a murderer are much more varied and interesting than those permitting him to escape, egg rites alone being amazing both in number and diver- sity. Everywhere the spirit of the murdered person is present or its presence assumed.]
Entry 7367
[I am adding a number merely to call attention to several unusual rites that could have been included here: (l)
Break a straw into two pieces and cross them on the forehead of the murdered man. Each suspected person must then step over the dead body. As the murderer steps across, the corpse will begin to bleed (see No.109, p.40); (2) Two straws are crossed on the murdered man's stomach and a new pair of scissors is also used
(see No.7421, p.3273).]
Entry 7573
Take some of dere hair an' yuh carry it an' bury it right 'side somebody yuh know. An' make yore wish whethah yuh wan' 'em tuh stay or leave. Dey'd have tuh leave, dey couldn't stay [if you wished them to leave].
(Where would you bury that hair?)
Yuh bury it right de side of a christian, yuh know, right at de haid.
(Somebody's grave.)
Entry 7575
Well, jis' like yuh had two wimmens an' wanted 'em both tuh git along, wanted 'em tuh live in de house tuhgethah. Well, yuh go tuh a graveyard where a young baby is buried an' jis' run yore han' down dere an' git some dirt off 'is haid. Come back an' sprinkle it aroun' yore house evah nine mawnin's, an' dat - dat'll make peace. Dey will git along. (What do you mean by having two women in one house and want them to get along?) If yuh have two of 'em, jis' wan' 'em tuh git along. If dey stay in a separate house it'll be all right, but yuh know yuh have tuh sprinkle it aroun' both houses.
(I see.)
Yuh could put 'em in de house tuhgethah if yuh use dis dirt.
(You mean the two women?)
Yes.
Entry 8049
Ah hear'd about dey gittin' de bone, de haid part.
(A bone from the head?)
Yes, sir. Ah hear'd dat dey go out an' git dat, goes out dere an' dig it up. Git de haid of a pusson. An' when dey git de haid of a pusson, beat up dat an' make some kinda diff'ren' li'le thin's dey calls hands, so dat dey have good luck an' all dat. Dat's what dey do wit dat. [For headbone see also pp.38,282 & 283.]
Entry 8117
Ah have mah pichure made an' den de person who made mah pichure would bring it an' ah refuse tuh take it out [to pay for it?l. Somebody would take dat pichure an' scratch out de eyes an' turn de head-part down, an' dat would run yo' blind.
(How do you mean put the head down? Where do you put it down?)
Ah don't know dat. Dey jis' tell me dat.
(Where do you set it down though?)
Yo' jis' set it down any place, anywhere yo' kin.
(You mean on a table or something of that sort?)
Jis' lak yo' walk tuh de house an' set it down tuh de side of de house lak dat.
Entry 8232
Well, yo' take dat pichure an' put it in yore pocket, if yo' wanta carry it wit chew. Yo' kin take dat pichure an' yo' want dem tuh love yo'. Dat whut chew wanta know. Take dat pichure an' git some olive oil an' put nine drops of dat pichure right around, yo' know, right around de haid. An' put dat pichure in yore pocket an' tote it wit yo'. Den fo' nine days yo' read de 23rd Psalms ovah it, an' dat'll make dem people care fo' yo'.
Entry 8337
Takes de photograph an' carry it out tuh a tree an' stick a ice pick in it, right intuh de fo'haid. An' dat person will git killed.
Entry 10623
De Adam-an'-Eve root, yo' takes de Eve [part] an' yo' takes it an' yo' weah it in yore pocket. If not dat, chew take a lil' root chew call - dat lil' root chuh call Adam. [Adam-and-Eve are on the same root.] Yo' take dis lil' root an' yo' take dese three needles an' yo' break 'em all three in three pieces, each one needle broke in three pieces. Well, dat supposed tuh be nine pieces. Yo' takes dis root an' dese needles an' let 'em stay in dis root three days. Takes dese needles from dis root an' throw it in runnin' watah [I inter- rupt]... (You throw the needles in the running water?) In runnin' watah. Yo' take dis dime an' puts it wit dis root an' tie it back up, an' if yo' goin' out fo' luck or anything, yo' wipes it 'cross yore face - wipes it 'cross yore face an' haid. An' takes de root an' puts it up, keep it from bein' annoyed - [anyone] git atter [get after] dis root - if yo' wanta have any luck.
Entry 10967
Take the aig and boil it.
(What kind of an egg?)
Hen aig. And take the yellow out of it, de yellow core out of it, and take de white and - take de shell of hit and you wrap it up in somepin. Put it up under his head, under de mattress up where he sleep - under his head. (What will that do?) Make him be honest and loving, leave other women alone. (I see. Well, now do you put this yellow and the white together, or separately or what?) Take de yellow out of it, de yellow ain't no good - jest use de white.
(Oh, I see. And you put this white - what do you put it in?)
Jest wrap it up in somepin like a cloth, and put it under de mattress - up in under his haid. [White of chicken egg - cooked or raw, especially the latter- is a symbol for human semen: see rites under IMPOTENCE.]
Entry 11031
Yo' kin take black chicken feathers an' take nine of 'em an', yo' know, tie de ends of 'em together an' hang 'em up ovah anybody's haid. An' every time dey walk in dere, dey'll feel funny an' dey won't even stay dere no mo'. (You take these nine feathers from a black chicken and tie them together like a necklace?) Yes sir, tie 'em together an' hang 'em up ovah anybody's haid where dey gotta pass at.
Entry 11045
De rooster, ah know a little sompin 'bout him. Yo' kin take a rooster three yeahs ole an' kill him. Take his haid. Yo' see a ants' bed haven't yo'? Jes' take dis ole rooster's haid an' jes' put it in dat ants' bed an' let it stay. Yo' know de ants will shore eat de meat off de skull. An' let it stay dere jes' long enough fo' dose ants to git all de meat off de skull, go through his haid an' git all de brains an everything till it come to be testified [petrified?] an' ole. Well, dat's luck.
(How would they use - what would they do with that?)
After den, dis ole fellah tells me, yo' goes tuh de 67th [6th and 7th] Book Of Moses an' den he'll give yo' de direct answer.
Entry 12035
A woman may cut hair from a man's head, put it in a sack, keep it on her side of the bed in the mattress, and sleep on it all the time for love.
[Memphis 1560:3.]
Entry 12045
As a substitute for hair, a woman may use dandruff from his head in his coffee or whiskey. He cannot leave here. [Mobile 904:4.]
Entry 12122
Sleep with the bow from a man's hat under your head 9 nights "to win you a boy friend." [Wilmington 194:3+85.]
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 11043
A chicken head and they write your name in it - write your name, you know, on a piece of paper.
(Yes.)
And they put a chicken head and they take and bury that chicken head.
(What will that do?)
That to keep they husband or they boy friend, or whoever it is, if they figure their boy friend is about to get away from them. They get their name and they write, just like I shoved you just now, nine times, and they put it in that chicken head and they bury it either at their front door or at their back door, where they can walk over it all the day long.
Entry 12017
Hair from mold of head, inner sole of shoe, one tenpenny nail, bury at doorstep. That'll make them love you. [Mobile 918:6.]
Entry 12862
As an unusual method of protecting yourself against conjuration, wear salt, pepper and sulphur on top of your head. [A note of mine reads: This is used in one cure story. Which?] [Wilmington 119:6+85.]
Entry 13121
Beat up a dried rattlesnake head to a dust and scatter this in a dusty road your enemy walks. This dust will blow up into his eyes or get into some way and blind him. [Wilmington 225:1+85.]
Entry 1239
I had a mother, she wus poison. Somebody took her hair. The fellah that come to cure her said they put it in a bottle, a cologne bottle, put it in some runnin' water - that cause her min' wus goin'. He didn't zackly make her, you know, straight; but he told 'er whut wus ailin' her. He told er to git up every night jis' befo' mid- night, she wus livin' in de country, an' walk to the fork of the road. She do that fo' five or six night. I don't know zackly how many nights that he told 'er, but I know he told 'er go to de fork of a road. He told 'er take some dirt from under her front steps an' wear it aroun' her head as a poultice. He said that would help 'er. It helped a lot.
Entry 2958
You take and cross two new needles in your head - two new needles in your head and get some holy water, see, and just take that holy water for nine mornings and throw it backwards over your head - over them new needles.
(Over? You just throw it back over the needles?)
Over the needles - over your head.
(I see, and what will that do then?)
That would cause the candle - if the candle been burning, the candle would do no harm. It make it burn out and it wouldn't do you no harm.
Entry 7091
Co'se now, a man is a uncomfortable man dat do it. I haven't heerd a man [doing it], but a woman, she kin go tuh work an' she wanta put 'er husban tuh sleep. An' she kin git up an' throw off 'er nightgown an' hang it up ovah de haid of de baid, right down ovah 'is haid. An' den she kin go on out an' come on back in, an' he would nevah know until she take dat gown down an' wake him up. He would nevah wake up.
Entry 771
If a person is going to put a spider in your head, they say, "I'm gon'a put a spider in your dumplin'."
The short item names the head in a conditional spider-placement statement; no placement is reported as having happened.
Entry 7082
Ah 'sperienced dis mahself. Me an' anothah girl fren' of mine wus home one night an' a boy come dere. Jis' lak ah stay heah an' she stayed nex' do', but she wus married. Well, mah girl fren' went ovah dere 'bout eleven 'clock one night an' knocked tuh 'er do'. An' when she did she wus home an' 'er husban' wus home. Co'se he wus asleep but she wus awoke. An' den she came tuh de do' an' ast 'er whut she wanted. Says, "Well, dere's a fellah ovah heah tuh our house wanted tuh see yo'." She say, "Well, tell 'im ah'll be ovah dere in a minute." So she came back home an' tole 'im. So he waited dere an' in a few minutes she came back ovah dere. Den we got in de cah an' we went out chere tuh de bar- becue stand an' got some barbecurin' whiskey. An' when we came back - we stayed out dere 'bout two or three hours. Well, aftah we stayed out dere, why den we came back. Well, it's been den roun' about one or one-thurty ah'd say. Well, ab didn't say nuthin tuh mah ole lady 'bout it, but dis man jis' lef' 'er den. Den we went on back an' den me an' 'er went tuh bed. So about two or three mo' days she tole mah ole lady. At least ah ast mah ole lady, ah say, "How'd she git 'way from 'er husban"thout 'im sayin' nuthin tuh 'er all night?" Seemed like she'd come back an' den waked 'im up. An' den so she say, "Ah'm goin' ast 'er." So she ast 'er. An' when she did, she say, well, she put 'er girdle ovah 'is haid. An' she say he nevah will wake up. Ah tole 'er, "Don't chew nevah put nuthin ovah mine, dough."
Within the informant's story, a woman is reported to have put her girdle over a man's 'haid'; the narration and the woman's reported action remain separate.
Entry 7092
["To keep man asleep, woman throws her drawers over head of sleeping man." My reduction of longer statement to a note soon after collection years ago. H. M. H.]
This is the collector's reduction of a longer statement, not a verbatim informant quotation. It places the drawers over a sleeping man's head and reports an intended effect.
Entries from source headings
These entries are listed under the following headings in the source volume:
- Head Bone — Volume 1, entries 100. Source context: SPIRITS → GHOSTLORE.
- HEAD - HIGHER THAN YOUR — Volume 3, entries 3374. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → DISHRAG.
- CORNERS 4 - KNOTS 4; HANDKERCHIEF PERFUMED; FOLDED ELABORATELY; CIRCLED ABOUT HEAD 3 TIMES; SEWED INTO BAG OR MATTRESS — Volume 3, entries 3538. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → KNOTS AND TYING → KNOTS FOUR.
- NAME CALLED EACH TIME KNOT MADE - TALK TO THEM; MEASURE PERSON FROM HEAD TO FOOT - 9 KNOTS — Volume 3, entries 3582. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → KNOTS AND TYING → KNOTS NINE.
- BOW HEAD 3 TIMES TO RISING SUN — Volume 3, entries 3702. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CURES FOR SEXUAL IMPOTENCE.
- BED - HE BOTTLES HER URINE - SETS IT UNDER HEAD OF — Volume 3, entries 3999. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- NAILS 8 - IN JAR OF URINE - 4 HEAD UP - 4 HEADS DOWN; DOWN HEADS THE WOMAN - UP HEADS THE MAN; WOMAN BURIES THIS UNDER THE OTHER WOMAN'S DOORSTEP — Volume 3, entries 4177. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- (16) 9 NEEDLES - 9 PINS - 9 NAILS - HEAD AND TAIL; DROPPED INTO BOTTLE OF URINE - CALLING NAME; AND WISHING 27 TIMES - SHAKE - TURN UPSIDE DOWN — Volume 3, entries 4267. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- TREE - HANGING BOTTLED URINE IN; HIGHER THAN HEAD — Volume 3, entries 4337. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- HEARTS OWN COLOGNE - BOW IN BOTTLE OF; TURN IT ON RIGHT - STAND IT ON HEAD - WISH — Volume 3, entries 4603. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → HAT - SWEATBAND - BOW → BOW FROM SWEATBAND OF HAT.
- HUMAN FORM SYMBOLIZED - BY SPREAD-OUT CLOTHES - SLEEP ON; (1) REVERSED ON BED - HEAD TO FOOT - FOOT TO HEAD; 2 NEEDLES CROSSED AT HEAD OF BED - WISHES — Volume 3, entries 4761. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → CLOTHES EXCLUDING HAT, SOCKS AND STOCKINGS, AND SHOES.
- FORKS OF ROAD - BURY 3 HAIRS FROM HEAD - 3 EYELASHES; 3 FROM ELSEWHERE - URINATE ON DAILY - CURSE — Volume 4, entries 5890. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- HEAD - MOLD OF - SILK THREAD - HEARTS COLOGNE — Volume 4, entries 5929. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (25) 3 HAIRS: PUBIC - LEFT ARMPIT - HEAD 9 STRANDS — Volume 4, entries 6075. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (34) 3 HAIRS: ARMPIT - HEAD - PUBIC - IN TOE OF — Volume 4, entries 6085. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (35) 3 HAIRS: MOLD OF HEAD - ARMPIT - PUBIC; BURY AT A YOUNG GRAVE TO HOLD PERSON — Volume 4, entries 6086. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (36) 3 HAIRS: HEAD - PUBIC - NOSE; WEAR THEM AND HIS PICTURE — Volume 4, entries 6087. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (37) 3 HEAD HAIRS; 3 DOWN BELOW; BOTTLED - BURIED — Volume 4, entries 6088. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- 3 TYPES OF HAIR: ARMPIT - HEAD - PRIVATE; OLD FOOTSKIN WATER - ALL IN BOTTLE - FOOD OR DRINK — Volume 4, entries 6173. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- 3 TYPES OF HAIR: HEAD, ARMPIT, PUBIC - 9 NEW PINS; NEW BOTTLE OF HEARTS COLOGNE - NEW STOPPER - PIECE; OF HIS CLOTHES - FINGERNAILS AND TOENAILS - 9 DAYS — Volume 4, entries 6174. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- TIE FROG UNDER SLEEPING PERSON'S HEAD — Volume 4, entries 6569. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- BLOOD FROM CUT-OFF SCORPION HEAD - BLOOD FROM PERSON; SMEAR EACH ROUND AN EGG 9 TIMES AND BURY; TO WALK OVER THIS CUNJURE PUTS LIVE SCORPIONS IN YOU — Volume 4, entries 6587. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- CUT SNAKE'S HEAD OFF - LET HIM DRIP; AS MANY DROPS OF BLOOD - SO MANY SNAKES IN ENEMY — Volume 4, entries 6611. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- SNAKE MUST BE HOT OR ANGRY BEFORE KILLED - GRAB HIS HEAD; WITH FORKED STICK - CUT OFF HEAD - DRY IN CHIMNEY - PARCH — Volume 4, entries 6607. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- BLACKSNAKE'S HEAD CUT - HANG BY TAIL - CATCH BLOOD; PUT IN PERSON'S FOOD - KILLS INSTANTLY — Volume 4, entries 6612. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- SNAKE'S TAIL CUT OFF - HANG BY HEAD - CATCH BLOOD; POWDER BODY - MIX WITH BLOOD - BURY IN VICTIM'S PATH; SAYING: LORD, JESUS CHRIST, HIS NAMESAKE; FILL HOLE - 3 STEPS BACKWARD - FINISH INCANTATION — Volume 4, entries 6614. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- HEAD OF RATTLESNAKE FOR POWDER — Volume 4, entries 6625. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- MOCCASIN - HE AND SHE - LAY HEAD OF ONE TO TAIL OF OTHER; BURY UNDER NORTH CORNER OF FENCE 9 DAYS - ANOTHER 9 DAYS; TURN OVER WITH OATH - AFTER THESE 18 DAYS CUT HEADS OFF; LAY ABOVE DOORSILL - OATH - DRY AND POWDER - IN DRINK — Volume 4, entries 6656. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- RED OAK - BLACKBERRY - MULLEIN: 3 ROOTS; 4 CHIPS FROM EAST SIDE OF RED OAK - 4 FROM WEST; VINEGAR - BATHE FROM HEAD TO FOOT IN TUB; BLACKSNAKE - ARROWROOT - HIGH JOHN DE CONKAH: 3 ROOTS — Volume 4, entries 6895. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- (4) 9 TIMES FAN HIS SLEEPING FACE WITH DIRTY CLOTHES; 9 TIMES MAKE WISH HANGING CLOTHES ABOVE HIS HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7080. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → TO KEEP PERSON ASLEEP.
- (5) HEAD - LAY ARTICLE ON VICTIM'S; OR HANG ON BED ABOVE HIS HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7081. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → TO KEEP PERSON ASLEEP.
- (17) HER LEFT SHOE UPSIDE DOWN UNDER BED; HER UNDERWEAR UNDER HIS HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7135. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → TO KEEP PERSON ASLEEP.
- GLOVER ADDS A MEASURING-OF-BODY RITE; FROM TOP OF HEAD TO BOTTOMS OF FEET - TYING; 5 KNOTS: NECK - WAIST - KNEES - ANKLES - SOLES — Volume 4, entries 7214. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → A FEW MORE DOCTORS.
- BLOODSTAINED [?] SOIL FROM UNDER; HEAD OF MURDERED MAN ON GROUND; RUB DOWN MAN'S FACE 3 TIMES — Volume 4, entries 7376. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- (3) GARMENT OF DEAD MAN UNDER HIS HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7381. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- 1 EGG IN LEFT HAND - SCISSORS UNDER HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7428. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- 2 BLACK HEN EGGS - ONE IN LEFT HAND; OTHER AT LEFT SIDE OF HIS HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7458. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- 5 EGGS - 2 IN EACH HAND - 1 UNDER HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7470. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- (1) HEAD EAST - FEET WEST — Volume 4, entries 7488. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- BOTTLE OF THIN GLASS - BOILED GRAVEYARD DIRT IN; BREAK OVER ENEMY'S HEAD - DRAW BLOOD — Volume 4, entries 7632. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → GRAVEYARD DIRT MUST BE BOUGHT FROM SPIRIT → CONTAINERS FOR GRAVEYARD DIRT.
- 3 PLACES ON GRAVE OPENED THAT DAY - DIRT FROM; FEET - STOMACH - HEAD - SNAKESHED POWDERED; THROW IN FORM OF CROSS - WHERE DEVILMENT IS — Volume 4, entries 7664. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → GRAVEYARD DIRT MUST BE BOUGHT FROM SPIRIT → DIRT TAKEN FROM WHAT PART OF GRAVE.
- (3) AFTER A RAIN - GO TO MURDERED SINNERMAN'S GRAVE; KNEEL AT LEFT-HAND SIDE OF HEAD - RIGHT HAND; PICK UP DIRT - TELL WHAT YOU WANT - HOLD DIRT; UNTIL REACH HOME - WRITE REAL LETTER TO SAME MAN; ENCLOSE DIRT - SEAL - SLEEP WITH UNDER HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7823. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT.
- NEEDLE THROUGH SHROUD - BURY HEAD DOWN IN VICTIM'S PATH — Volume 4, entries 7946. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → COFFIN - DOLL BABY - BURIAL - BONES → COFFIN REAL OR MOCK.
- NAME - PICTURE OF PERSON ON TREE - ADD NAME UNDER; DRIVE NAIL IN CENTER OF HEAD - HIT ONCE 9 MORNINGS — Volume 4, entries 8209. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- HEAD OF EGG - THE BIG END - HOLD OUTWARD IN HAND; TO HIT THIS HEAD AGAINST HOUSE OF MAN AND WIFE; EGG HITTING HOUSE HEADFIRST WILL SEPARATE THEM — Volume 4, entries 9238. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → THE AMAZING CHICKEN EGG.
- BOSSMAN: TIE SALT IN WHITE RAG - CARRY - LOOSE; SALT RUB ON HANDS-HEAD-FACE - SEE BOSS FOR JOB — Volume 5, entries 9450. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- 9 NEEDLES IN A ROW - POINTS UP; UNDER HOUSE - UNDER HEAD IN BED; IN NINE DAYS YO'LL BE DAID — Volume 5, entries 9831. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → NAILS - NEEDLES AND PINS - TACKS.
- SHOOT A BLACK CAT CROSSING YOUR PATH TO RIGHT; TAKE 3 BONES: (1) THIGH BONE OF FRONT RIGHT LEG; (2) FROM BACK OF HEAD - (3) A RIGHT FOOT BONE; WEAR IN SACK ABOUT WAIST - CAN DO ALL TRICKS — Volume 5, entries 10136. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → BLACK CAT LUCKY BONE AGAIN.
- PERSON WANTED BY LAW CAN ESCAPE IF YOU RUB HIS; HEAD WITH BLACK CAT OIL MADE BY BOILING LIVE CAT; IF HE STAYS 13 HOURS SOMEWHERE BEFORE LEAVING — Volume 5, entries 10142. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → BLACK CAT LUCKY BONE AGAIN.
- CROSS 3 OR 4 LIVE MATCHES ON HEAD AGAINST CANDLE — Volume 5, entries 10181. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → MORE CANDLE RITES.
- WOMAN MEASURED SLEEPING MAN WITH ONE OF HIS; HEAD HAIRS - WORE IT IN SACK - IN HER ARMPIT — Volume 5, entries 10214. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SEX AND IMPOTENCE REAPPEAR.
- TO RESTORE HIS NATURE HE URINATES INTO BOTTLE; POURS HER URINE ON TOP - ADDS SUGAR AND CINNAMON; PUTS UNDER BED - UNDER HIS HEAD - AFTER NATURE; RETURNS - HE HIDES BOTTLE SOMEWHERE PERMANENTLY — Volume 5, entries 10277. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SEX AND IMPOTENCE REAPPEAR.
- MAN'S URINE STOPPED UP IN VERY SMALL BOTTLE; LET REST OVERNIGHT - THEN STAND BOTTLE IN PAN; OF WARM MILK - TAKE OUT - LET MILK BOIL ALMOST; AWAY - CATCH OWL AND SHOVE BOTTLE DOWN OWL'S; THROAT KILLING IT - BURY OWL HEAD UP BOTTLED; URINE STILL IN THROAT - MAN IMPOTENT FOR LIFE — Volume 5, entries 10279. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SEX AND IMPOTENCE REAPPEAR.
- HEAD OF BAT WIFE PUT UNDER HUSBAND'S PILLOW; TO MAKE HIM FLY AWAY FROM HOME AND CHILDREN — Volume 5, entries 10570. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → BAT - THE LEATHER-WING.
- BIBLE UNDER HEAD - SLEEP WITH - FOR GHOSTS — Volume 5, entries 10704. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- BLOOMERS OVER SLEEPING MAN'S HEAD TO KEEP HOME — Volume 5, entries 10757. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- BROOMSTRAW 1 UNDER HEAD IN BED - UNLUCKY — Volume 5, entries 10826. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- BUZZARD - RED-HEADED ONE - CUT OFF HEAD - BOIL; BURY NORTH SIDE OF HOUSE - BELOW TOP SOIL - LUCK — Volume 5, entries 10839. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- CHICKEN FEATHERS AND LICE FROM CHICKEN HEAD — Volume 5, entries 11024. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- RUB CHICKEN DUNG ON SLEEPER'S HEAD - HIS TEETH ROT — Volume 5, entries 11059. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- EEL - HEAD OF - DROP OF BLOOD FROM - MIX WITH HONEY; HIGH JOHN DE CONKAH AND LOW JOHN DE CONKAH; GET 3 DROPS INTO VICTIM'S SHOES - PUT TUH WALKIN; IN DE NAME OF DE FATHER, DE SON AND DE HOLY GHOST — Volume 5, entries 11352. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- 2 HAIRS FROM HER HEAD - 2 FROM BELOW - HER SICKNESS; TIE IN BAG - EACH MONTH FEED IT A DROP OF HER BLOOD; DOCTOR'S REMEDY FOR 'GIT CHEW SOME LUCK' IN FAMILY — Volume 5, entries 11855. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- HOLLY LEAF - ON SUNDAY - THROWN OVER HEAD OF GIRL; STOOPING AT A SPRING - SHE HAD SPURNED THROWER; SHE WENT STONE CRAZY - THIS WAS AN OLD-TIME TALE; SIMILAR SUNDAY AND HOLLY TALES ELSEWHERE IN HOODOO — Volume 5, entries 12161. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- MEASURE SLEEPING MAN HEAD TO FOOT - USE NEW STRING; TIE 9 KNOTS - WEAR ABOUT WAIST - HE CANNOT RUN ABOUT — Volume 5, entries 12421. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- 9 FINGERNAILS - 9 TOENAILS - 9 HAIRS FROM HER HEAD; CUT OPEN RED ONION - MAKE HOLE IN ONE SIDE - ENCLOSE; THESE 27 OBJECTS - STOP UP ONION - GO TO SUNRISE SIDE; OF HOUSE AND BURY ONION - THIS WILL HOLD THE WOMAN — Volume 5, entries 12548. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- PENNIES 2: 1 AT BACK DOOR - TAIL UP; 1 AT FRONT DOOR - HEAD UP - LOOKING IN — Volume 5, entries 12579. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD" → PENNY - OR ONE-CENT PIECE - RARE WORD BROWN MONEY.
- RATTLESNAKE MASTER AND SPICE - CHEW FORMER FIRST; HOLD JUICE IN MOUTH - SPIT THAT WHEN SPEAKING TO; BOSS - ALWAYS TURN HEAD AWAY TO SPIT - ASK FOR JOB — Volume 5, entries 12751. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- SEX: MAN'S NATURE [SEMEN] AND WOMAN'S [MENSTRUAL]; IN MATTRESS UNDER HIS HEAD - FEELING ONLY FOR HER — Volume 5, entries 12894. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- URINE MADE AT NIGHT = NIGHT WATER: IN THIS URINE; BOIL 3 ROOTS: SNAKEROOT - CHERRY BARK - CHEROKEE; CORK THIS BOILED URINE IN BOTTLE - BURY HEAD DOWN; VICTIM WHOSE WATER WAS BOILED CANNOT MAKE WATER — Volume 5, entries 13352. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- HAIR OF HEAD — Volume 3, entries 3206. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → MISCELLANEOUS.
- KNOT 1 - TO HOLD - HEAD AND PUBIC HAIR; IN CORNER OF DISHRAG - KEPT IN CENTER OF MATTRESS — Volume 3, entries 3376. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → DISHRAG.
- SOCK - TOE AND MIDDLE - PERIOD CLOTH - HAIR PUBIC AND HEAD; TRACK - ALL HERS - UNDER HER HEAD IN BED — Volume 3, entries 3934. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → BLOOD → "HER PRIVATE TIME".
- HAIR FROM HER HEAD - IN BOTTLE OF URINE - UNDER DOORSTEP — Volume 3, entries 4153. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- HEAD HAIR - PRIVATE HAIR - GERMAN HEARTS COLOGNE; BOTTLED WITH URINE - MAN WEARS 9 DAYS - POURS ON SUIT — Volume 3, entries 4156. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- (11) 9 NEEDLES - 9 PINS - NEW - HAIR 3 PLACES ON HEAD; RED FLANNEL - URINE - BOTTLED - RIVER — Volume 3, entries 4355. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- (17) URINE BOTTLED - WITH HAIR FROM RIGHT SIDE OF HEAD; THROWN INTO INCOMING TIDE - TO BRING PERSON BACK; TO SEND AWAY - HAIR FROM LEFT SIDE - OUTGOING TIDE — Volume 3, entries 4361. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- LIZARD - SPLIT OPEN - HANG TAIL-UP HEAD-DOWN - SUNRISE; PUT IN: EXCREMENT - RED PEPPER - 3 DROPS TURPENTINE — Volume 3, entries 4400. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → EXCREMENT.
- WATER RUNNING - BOW TIED IN - HEAD RISES OR FALLS WITH TIDE — Volume 3, entries 4707. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → HAT - SWEATBAND - BOW → BOW FROM SWEATBAND OF HAT.
- INSOLE - MAN'S SHOE - WRAPPED ABOUT HER UNDERPIECE; UNDER HIS HEAD ALL NIGHT - IN MATTRESS OR ON FLOOR — Volume 3, entries 5167. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SHOES.
- HAIR 3 STRANDS HER HEAD - HER LEFT TRACK - HEARTS COLOGNE; SWEET CAMPHOR - TIED IN PACKAGE - WORN IN HIS LEFT ARMPIT — Volume 4, entries 5495. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- HAIR FROM HEAD - HAT BOW - TRACK - BAG - UNDER STEPS — Volume 4, entries 5498. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- HAIR FROM HIS HEAD - HIS LEFT TRACK - SHE WEARS OVER PUBES — Volume 4, entries 5496. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- HAIR TOP OF HEAD AND BACK OF NECK - TRACK - WEAR OR BED — Volume 4, entries 5497. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- HAIR FROM HEAD - TRACK - TIE IN BAG - RUNNING WATER — Volume 4, entries 5508. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- MANURE - NEW - FROM BULL - IN BOTTLE WITH - HER LEFT TRACK; COMING TO YOU TOE TO HEEL - HER HEAD AND PUBIC HAIR; 3 STRANDS - HEARTS COLOGNE - LIKKAH - CAMPHOR - SHAKE; SEW INTO SILK CLOTH - FEED 3 TIMES A WEEK - WEAR — Volume 4, entries 5529. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- (1) ONE HAIR FROM HIS HEAD IN EACH HEEL OF HER SHOE — Volume 4, entries 5797. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR → A FEW EXAMPLES: HAIR TAKEN FROM BODY STILL GROWS.
- (2) BURY HAIR FROM MOLD OF HEAD — Volume 4, entries 5798. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR → A FEW EXAMPLES: HAIR TAKEN FROM BODY STILL GROWS.
- ANT NEST - HEAD AND PRIVATE HAIR; TWIST - TIE WITH RAVELING — Volume 4, entries 5812. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- BOTTLE - HAIR IN - BURIED HEAD DOWN — Volume 4, entries 5826. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- HEAD - LEFT SIDE - HAIR FROM - BURY 9 DAYS; DIG UP - SEW INTO BAG - WEAR - TELL BAG YOUR WISHES — Volume 4, entries 5932. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- HEAD - LEFT SIDE OF - HAIR FROM; PLANT AT DOOR - OR IN CONCRETE OF MANTELPIECE - OR IN WALL; OR WRITE NAME - IN LAMP - OR UNDER CANDLE; SALT INTO FIRE - OR ON PERSON — Volume 4, entries 5930. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- HEAD - LEFT SIDE OF - HAIR FROM - TOENAILS - FOOTSKIN; 3 INGREDIENTS - BURY UNDER DOORSTEPS — Volume 4, entries 5931. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- HEAD - LEFT SIDE OF - HAIR FROM - INTO RUNNING WATER — Volume 4, entries 5933. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- NEEDLES 9 - PINS 9 - MIND WATER - CINNAMON; HEAD AND PUBIC HAIR - IN CORNER OF HOUSE — Volume 4, entries 6025. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (10) DIME - JOHN DE CONKER - HEAD AND PUBIC HAIR; WEAR IN BAG - FED WITH HEARTS COLOGNE — Volume 4, entries 6057. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (7) CATFISH - HEAD AND PUBIC HAIR INTO SENDS AWAY; SEWED INTO BAG UNDER PILLOW KEEPS PERSON — Volume 4, entries 6054. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (16) LEFT ARMPIT HAIR - HEAD HAIR; IN BOTTLE OF HEARTS COLOGNE — Volume 4, entries 6066. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (19) MAN'S HEAD HAIR WORN ABOUT HER WAIST; SO THAT IT HANGS DOWN OVER MONS VENERIS — Volume 4, entries 6069. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (20) UNDERCLOTHES - PIECE OF HIS AND HERS; HAIR FROM HIS HEAD AND HER PRIVATE; GRAVEYARD DIRT - COLOGNE - ALL IN BOTTLE; SHAKE - CALL HIS NAME 9 TIMES; BURY - LET HIM WALK OVER 9 DAYS — Volume 4, entries 6070. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (21) NEEDLE - THREADED WITH - HEAD AND A PUBIC HAIR; STICK INTO WOOD OF DOORSTEP — Volume 4, entries 6071. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (28) PUBIC AND HEAD HAIR WORN FOR LOVE — Volume 4, entries 6078. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (30) SALTPETER - PUBIC AND HEAD HAIR - IN BAG - WORN — Volume 4, entries 6081. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (33) 3 HAIRS: BOTH ARMPITS AND HEAD - INTO RUNNING WATER — Volume 4, entries 6084. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (42) WOMAN'S HEAD HAIR - PUBIC HAIR - URINE: 3 INGREDIENTS; COLOGNE AND MAN'S URINE ON - POCKETBOOK — Volume 4, entries 6093. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (7) HAT BOW - NEW DIME - HAIR PUBIC OR HEAD; IN FLANNEL - WORN IN BOTTOM OF SHOE — Volume 4, entries 6123. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (27) RIGHT SHOE - WEAR IN - FLANNEL COVERED - FED VAN-VAN; 3 HAIRS: MOLD OF HEAD - TEMPLE - DOWN BELOW — Volume 4, entries 6143. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (5) FEATHER FROM CHICKEN HEAD - HAIR FROM MAN'S HEAD; SHE WEARS IN STOCKING - OR ABOUT WAIST — Volume 4, entries 6151. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- (7) MOLD OF THE HEAD HAIR — Volume 4, entries 6359. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- (11) PAPER - WRAP IN - MOLD-OF-HIS-HEAD HAIR; SHE WEARS SEWED IN SACK — Volume 4, entries 6363. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- HAIR - ARMPIT AND PUBIC AND HEAD - FINGERNAILS AND TOENAILS; PARCH ALL - IN FOOD OR DRINK — Volume 4, entries 6461. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FINGERNAILS - TOENAILS - FOOTSKIN.
- 3 INGREDIENTS: 2 LITTLE FINGERNAILS - 2 BIG TOENAILS; MOLD-OF-HEAD HAIR - UNDER RIGHT CORNER OF DOORSTEP — Volume 4, entries 6485. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FINGERNAILS - TOENAILS - FOOTSKIN.
- MAKE SNAKE ANGRY - CUT OFF HEAD; HANG IN CHIMNEY - DRY 9 DAYS — Volume 4, entries 6608. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- SNAKE'S HEAD CUT OFF - HANG BY TAIL - CATCH BLOOD; SPRINKLE IN SHOES - SNAKE CRAWLS UPWARD BENEATH SKIN; CHOKING TO DEATH IN PERSON IS CAUSED BY SNAKE; TRYING TO LEAVE HUMAN BODY THROUGH PERSON'S MOUTH — Volume 4, entries 6613. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → LIVE THINGS IN YOU.
- BROOM AT FOOT OF BED - BLOOMERS ABOVE HIS HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7061. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → TO KEEP PERSON ASLEEP.
- (20) SHE TURNS HIS SHOES UPSIDE DOWN UNDER FOOT OF BED; HE HANGS HIS PANTS OR DRAWERS OVER; TOP OF BED AND HER HEAD — Volume 4, entries 7138. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → TO KEEP PERSON ASLEEP.
- NAME ON 2 SLIPS OF PAPER; ONE AT FOOT AND OTHER AT HEAD; 1 EGG IN RIGHT HAND — Volume 4, entries 7444. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- KNOW SINNER WHO GOT KILLED - HEAD OF GRAVE - DIG DOWN; WRIST DEEP - 3 PENNIES - TELL SPIRIT TO GIVE HELL TO PERSON; BOTHERING YOU - TAKE DIRT - DON'T LOOK BACK - MIX WITH DOG; AND CAT HEAD AND TAIL HAIR - URINE - SALT - RED PEPPER; THROW AT VICTIM'S HOUSE - DON'T LOOK BACK - RUN THEM AWAY — Volume 4, entries 7684. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → GRAVEYARD DIRT MUST BE BOUGHT FROM SPIRIT → TALK TO OR INSTRUCT GRAVE SPIRIT.
- BIBLE STAND PHOTO ON HEAD IN — Volume 4, entries 8062. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (13) GRAVE - PHOTO BURIED OVER HEAD OF CORPSE; DO THIS ON FIRST FRIDAY OF MONTH — Volume 4, entries 8166. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (16) GRAVE - NEW - BURY PHOTO IN - HEAD; POINTING TO SUNDOWN - PENNY ON TOP — Volume 4, entries 8169. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- COAL OIL [= KEROSENE] - BLUE OR RED DIAMOND POWDER; BURY PHOTO - HEAD DOWN - RED FLANNEL — Volume 4, entries 8179. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- HEAD - PHOTO STANDING ON — Volume 4, entries 8174. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- HEAD - PHOTO STANDING ON HEAD - IN CORNER — Volume 4, entries 8178. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- HEAD OF PHOTO CUT OFF - CUT PERSON'S THROAT — Volume 4, entries 8180. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- HEAD OF PHOTO CUT OFF - IN BOTTLE OF ALCOHOL - BURN — Volume 4, entries 8182. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- HEAD OF PHOTO CUT OFF - WEAR IN BOTTLE OF COLOGNE — Volume 4, entries 8181. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- MANTEL - PHOTO STANDING UP HEAD DOWN ON — Volume 4, entries 8190. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- MIRROR - REMOVE BACK - PUT PHOTO HEAD DOWN AGAINST GLASS; WEAR PIECE OF HIS OR HER CLOTHES - RETURNS IN 9 OR 12 DAYS — Volume 4, entries 8196. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- MIRROR - PHOTO HEAD DOWN AGAINST BACK OF - SLEEP; OR WALK ON TO BREAK GLASS - BURN DISINFECTANT - WISH; OR LAY UNDER CARPET OR IN TRUNK - BURN LOVE INCENSE — Volume 4, entries 8197. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- MIRROR - PHOTO STANDING ON HEAD FACING; TO BRING BACK DAUGHTER WHO RAN AWAY — Volume 4, entries 8198. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- SALT - PHOTO HEAD DOWN IN - 9 DAYS; THEN HEAD UP NEAR STOVE WITH FIRE — Volume 4, entries 8246. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (f) HEART OR HEAD - SHOOT PHOTO ON GREEN TREE — Volume 4, entries 8280. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (J) 9 MORNINGS - SHOOT IN HEART; PHOTO HEAD DOWN ON TREE — Volume 4, entries 8284. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (2) STAND PHOTO ON HEAD UNDER BED AND SAY:; YO' LEF' ME BUT CHOO'RE COMIN' BACK; YO'LL BE ON YER HAID TUH SEE ME — Volume 4, entries 8304. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (4) 9 MORNINGS - TALK TO HEAD-DOWN PHOTO - AT HEAD OF BED — Volume 4, entries 8306. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (27) NAILS 2 - CEDAR TREE - DRIVE; INTO HEAD AND HEART OF PHOTO — Volume 4, entries 8344. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- UPSIDE DOWN - PHOTO - HEAD DOWN AND FEET UP — Volume 4, entries 8388. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (5) PHOTO UNDER HEAD OF BED - HEAD DOWN INTO GLASS OF WATER — Volume 4, entries 8413. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (10) DARK CORNER - GLASS OF WATER IN; HOLDING PHOTO HEAD DOWN — Volume 4, entries 8418. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (38) PHOTO TIED TO BANK - HEAD DOWNSTREAM - FEET UPSTREAM; 22 MORNINGS SHE RAISES PHOTO TO EXAMINE IT; UNLESS HE RETURNS BY THAT TIME - HE GOES MINDLESS — Volume 4, entries 8454. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (39) PHOTO - HEAD DOWNSTREAM - FEET UPSTREAM; RUNS PERSON CRAZY IN 9 DAYS — Volume 4, entries 8455. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- WATER (8) - TIDEWATER; (45) WRITE VICTIM'S NAME AT BOTTOM OF PHOTO; YOURS AT TOP - CARRY TO TIDEWATER STREAM; TO TREE UPON WHICH WATER RISES AND FALLS; TACK PHOTO HEAD DOWN TO IT WITH RUSTY NAIL; SO THAT IT WILL RISE AND FALL WITH TIDE; AS TIDE COMES IN VICTIM WILL GO CRAZY; AS TIDE GOES OUT HE SLEEPS ALL THE TIME — Volume 4, entries 8462. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (5) WHISKEY - HALF GLASSFUL - PHOTO HEAD DOWN INTO ADD 3 OLD BRASS PENNIES — Volume 4, entries 8472. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (6) MAN'S PHOTO ON HEAD STANDS IN ALCOHOL WITH; WOMAN'S FINGERNAILS - STRINGS TIED THROUGH; CORNERS OF PHOTO TIE PHOTO TO BACK OF BED — Volume 4, entries 8473. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (8) MARK HER PHOTO WITH AN "X" A CROSS; FOLD INTO PIECE OF NEWSPAPER - PUT IN YOUR; SHOE UNDER INSOLE - HEAD DOWN FACING HEEL; WEAR 3 DAYS - PRETEND TO DRINK WHISKEY; TWO GLASSES - DRINK YOURS - HERS WITH PHOTO; FACE DOWN OVER GLASS - NAME - LEAVE 3 DAYS; THEN WHAT HAPPENS TO SECOND GLASS - GUESS — Volume 4, entries 8475. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- HAIR FROM HEAD ATTACHED TO PHOTO - WISH - IT WILL COME TRUE — Volume 4, entries 8477. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- LEMON AND NAMES; (1) BOTTLE: PUT IN HAIR FROM MOLD OF HEAD; JUICE OF LEMON - NAME 9 TIMES - SHAKE; SET SUNRISE SIDE OF WORLD - LOSE MIND — Volume 4, entries 8623. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → NAME.
- NEEDLES 9 - STICK HEAD AND TAIL INTO NAME OF; ABSENT PERSON ON PARCHMENT PAPER - INCANTATION; MAIL THIS AS LETTER AND HE OR SHE WILL RETURN — Volume 4, entries 8855. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → LETTERS AND HANDWRITING.
- CARRY LIVE FROG IN HOLE-PUNCHED SNUFFBOX TO; FORKS OF ROAD - RETURN 9 MORNINGS - AT "TWIL OF DAY"; = JIS' BEFO' DAYLIGHT - ANT-EATEN BY 9TH MORNING; TAKE LUCKY BONE FROM FROG'S HEAD - WEAR IN POCKET; TO GET A FAVOR - ASK IT AND LAY BONE NEAR PERSON — Volume 5, entries 9905. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → FROG AND TOADFROG.
- TIE 9 KNOTS IN A RAW THREAD AND SCRATCH; LEFT LEG OF TOADFROG - CATCH 9 DROPS OF BLOOD; TIE IT ON RIGHT HIND LEG OF SAME TOADFROG; BEFORE SUNRISE - WISH - CALL PERSON'S NAME; TURNING HEAD TO RIVER - TELL VICTIM TO GO; CALL 3 TIMES: MARY GO! MARY GO! MARY GO!; THE WAY TURNED-LOOSE FROG GOES - SHE WILL GO — Volume 5, entries 9943. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → FROG AND TOADFROG.
- BIBLE - OR A GOOD-READING BOOK - UNDER HEAD — Volume 5, entries 10495. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → HAG AND WITCH RETURN.
- BIG RED ANT IS COW ANT: COW LEGS AND HEAD AND EYES; STIR UP THEIR NEST - CALLING ENEMY'S NAME - CUT; OFF HEAD OFF 1 ANT - HEAD GOES ONE WAY - BODY GOES; ANOTHER - SEW UP HEAD - KEEP IN YOUR LEFT POCKET; YOUR ENEMY GOES IN DIRECTION ANT NO-HEAD PART WENT — Volume 5, entries 10641. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- OPENED BIBLE UNDER HEAD - SLEEP WITH - FOR GHOSTS — Volume 5, entries 10705. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- FORK OF ROAD - BOTTLED MINISTRATION - BURIED; HEAD DOWN TO UPSET - ADD HAIR TO DRIVE CRAZY; INTO RUNNING WATER MAKES TO WANDER AND DROWN — Volume 5, entries 10743. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- BUZZARD MANURE OR HANDS WIPED BETWEEN LEGS; RUBBED ON PERSON'S HEAD TAKES OUT ALL HAIR; SPIT RUB OVER PERSON'S HEAD TO REMOVE HAIR — Volume 5, entries 10850. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- CAT HEAD HAIR UNDER DOOR - CAT NEVER LEAVES — Volume 5, entries 10861. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- HAIR FROM CAT'S TAIL AND HAIR FROM DOG'S HEAD; OR VICE VERSA - LITTLE PEPPER - 3 PODS RAT MANURE; MAKE IT A BALL - ATTACH STRING - DIP 3 TIMES INTO; FAMILY'S WATER BUCKET - THIS BREAKS UP A HOME — Volume 5, entries 10887. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- FEATHERS 2 FROM FRIZZLY CHICKEN HEAD HELD TOGETHER; WITH NEW PIN - PUT ON PERSON'S BOSOM - CRAZY IN HOUR; CAN POISON FAMILY WITH FRIZZLY SOUP AND FINGERNAILS; FRIZZLY SOUP - MADE FROM THE BUM GUT - IS A DISASTER — Volume 5, entries 11018. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- COFFIN - LIVE RED-HEADED SCORPION PUT IN - BURIED; IN CENTER OF CROSSROADS - THIS CENTER BEING 5TH; POINT IN MIDDLE OF 4 INSIDE CORNERS OF CROSSING; THIS MAKES THE RITE A QUINCUNX; AFTER YOU CROSS SCORPION YOUR HEAD BEGINS TO SWIM; PRESUMABLY YOU SUFFER THIS AILMENT REST OF LIFE — Volume 5, entries 11124. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- HAIR FROM MOLD OF HER HEAD - 3 FINGERNAILS FROM EACH; OF HER HANDS MAN TAKES AND WEARS TO TIE HER DOWN — Volume 5, entries 11853. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- TO MAKE MAN STAY HOME - WOMAN TAKES HAIR FROM MOLD; OF HIS HEAD - 2 COPPER PENNIES - EACH WITH WOMAN'S; FACE - PUT FACES FACE-TO-FACE WITH HAIR BETWEEN; HOLD COIN-SANDWICH TOGETHER BY WINDING THREAD ABOUT; EDGES - WRAP PACKAGE IN ONE PIECE OF PAPER - HIS AND; HER NAME ON IT - KEEP IN SACK - EVERY TIME SHE EATS; SHE MUST OFFER FOOD AND DRINK TO THIS SUBSTITUTE — Volume 5, entries 11856. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- RATTLESNAKE MAKE MAD - CUT OFF HEAD - DRY AND POWDER; PUT IN VICTIM'S SHOE - RUNS HIM AWAY - IN HAT BLINDS — Volume 5, entries 12742. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- RATTLESNAKE HEAD DRIED AND POWDERED; IN SHOES FEET SWELL - IN DRINK KILLS — Volume 5, entries 13095. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
Entry 100
Dere wus a man in slavery time - he went, started to cross de woods. In slavery - mah cousin wus one de slaves, an' he come in de house an' he says, "Boss, ah see a head bone down heah in de woods an' dis head bone said, "Turn yore teeth towards de" - nuthin' dere but de head bone, all wus gone but de head bone. De head bone talked to dis colored fellah an' tole him when he passed - it wus layin' down on de ground as he passed - it say, "Tell [him] mah teeth called me out chere." Well, dat means - tell 'im [boss, overseer or master] de teeth caused de head bone tuh be out dere, yo' see.
(Caused the head bone to be out there?)
Dat's right - tuh be out dere. An' so he said, "Well, ah'm gon'a tell de boss, dat ah see a head bone out chere an' it say, "Mah teeth called me out chere." All right, he went on an' he says, "Boss,"' say, "ah see a head bone out yondah in de woods says, "Tell 'im mah teeth called me out chere." An' want chew tuh go out dere an' see." All right, [he] said, "John, if dat head bone don' say, "Tell 'im mah teeth called me out chere, ' ah'm gon'a kill yo'." "Yassuh, Boss, dat head bone will talk." All right. Den he went out wit de Boss - dis darky went on out in de woods where de head bone wus, an' dis Boss took de head bone teeth an' kicked de head bone an' de head bone wus silent. He says, "John, didn't ah tell yo' ef dat head bone didn't talk ah wus gon'a kill yo'?" He say, "Yassuh, Boss, hit gon'a talk good an' plenty." So he kicked de head bone an' de head bone didn't 'gin say nuthin'. Well, all right. Den he said, "Well, John, ah say ah wus gon'a kill yo' if dis head bone didn't talk." So de Boss turn roun' an' killed John. An' when he kill John, de head bone say, "So mah teeth called yo' out chere, too." So both of 'em wus dead. See, tellin' him his teeth called him out heah. [This device is frequent - the attribution of a well-known story or folktale to oneself or relative or acquaintance; here a cousin.]
Entry 3206
Jes' lak yo' have a intahco'se wlt a man - a woman would, see, an' she wanta make dis man love her. Well, when she use dis towel tuh wipe wit, see, she wipe her han's on dis towel an' take her han's an' run 'em through dis man's hair - run it ovah his haid, see, jes' lak dat. An' dat will make a man love yo'. (Well, how does that affect you, you say?) Wal, ah figured it must - in 'is haid ah guess - jes' goes to 'is braln or sompin. But ah guess it in 'is haid - whut a person study, quite nat- urally it is in dere haid.
Entry 3374
If he have connection wit anothah woman an' she know it, she kin take de dishrag an' wipe 'im an' put it up ovah dere [informant points to high piece of fur- niture] in a can, lak dat. Jes' since she put it up ovah yore haid. Don't have tuh be undah lock nowhere.
Entry 3376
Take de dishrag when yo' mess togethah, only de woman mustn't dis- charge. Gen'ally de men do all dat. Den yo' take dat dishrag an' yo' clean 'i off wit it. An' take de hair out de top of 'is haid an tie it togethah, an' put it up 'tween de mattress an' put one knot in it in de cornah, an' put it right in de middle of de mattress. An' he stays dere, he won't go. (You said the hair from the top of his head and the hair from down below, and you put it in the dishrag - tie it up in the dishrag. Then you put one knot in the dishrag.) Dat's right.
Entry 3538
Dey say, jes' lak if yo' got a man an' yo' think a whole lot of 'im, an' yo' don' want 'im tuh run roun'. An' dey said when yo' an' 'im have any- thing to do wit each othah, jes' take dis han'ker- cheff or cloth an' tie a knot in each cornah. Take it an' sew it up in yore mattress an' dey say dat sould - jes' lak if he go an' makes a date wit anothah woman, he would fall, yo low. But it's some kinda perfume dat yo' git. Yo' kin git it at any Five an Ten Cent Sto'. Ah fo'git de name of it. Ah know it when ah see. Take dis per- fume an' yo' put on dis stuff [in the handkerchief]. An' yo' git it an' yo' supposed tuh fold it dis way: to yo' half way, an' fold de othah part back. An' den take a string an' tie aroun' it tight. Carry it up ovah yore head three times an' put dis Lucky Heart Powder [trade name] in it, if yo' have any, an' den take it an' sew it up. An' den yo' got 'em.
(How do you fold that handkerchief, now?)
Fold it three times dis way an' three time back dat way. Double it de two cornah lak dat. (You have the handkerchief out flat like that. Then you fold it three times. Now, here's the handkerchief. Suppose you show me how it's done.) Yo' fold it three times here: one, two, three, till yo' get it exactly in de centah of de han'er'cheff. All right. Den yo' fold it three times away from yo': one, two, three. Den yo' take dese two ends an' fold 'em as yo' kin. An' git it jes' as tight as yo' kin possibly git it. Yeah, an' take a cord string an' tie it around. Wrap it jes' as tight as yo' kin git it.
(What do you do with that then?)
Jes' sew it up in anything. If yo' have little bag, den sew it up in a little bag, or in yore mattress or sompin.
Entry 3582
When yore husban' lie down to take his rest, when he git tuh sleep good, git chew a cord string. Git chew a cord string an' take it an' measure it an' tie nine knots in it. (Measure him. Where does she measure him?) Start tuh measure him from de head down to de toe, an' put nine knots in dere, an' take it an' tie it - tie nine knots in dere an' wear it aroun' yore waist.
(What will that do?)
Evah time yo' tie it yo' call 'is name an' tell 'im tuh come back to yo'.
(What are you doing that for, tying those knots for?)
Well, dat's tuh bring him back home.
(Make him stay home?)
He'll stay home when he come back.
Entry 3702
Yes sir, ah heard jes' like if yo', yo' know, yo' be wit a woman yo know an' can't do nuthin - yo' undahstan' whut ah'm talkin' about? (You've lost your nature?) Yes sir. Well, jes' befo' yo' go tuh bed at night wit dis woman, whosoevah it is, an' if yo's sleepin' wit 'er, well jes' befo' yo' goes tuh bed, well from de way de sun rise evah mawnin', well yo' goes out at night chew know an' bow back ovah lak dis three times in de way de run rise [demonstrates].
(You turn your back to the sunrise and turn your head back toward the sun.)
An' bow lak dat three times but don't mess wit 'er dat night, but from den on why yo' won't have no trouble. [See bowing to the new moon 3 and 7 times, FACI, 2nd ed., 8399-8400, p.373.]
Entry 3934
[Take] de toe of de socks, an' git a piece of de middle, an' take dat socks an' 'er periods cloth.
(NoW you are taking her sock and her period cloth or are you taking my socks?)
Her socks an' her periods cloth. An' git some of de hair from roun' 'er pri- vate down dere, an' a little from offa heah, de mole of 'er haid, an' put it all togethah an' step to de do'. If yo' see her go outside in de yard, step to de do' an' ketch up as much of 'er track, lak dat, an' put it altogethah dere. An' ball it up an' sew it up tight as yo' kin git it, see. An' bury dat an' put in de mattress or de pillah right where she puts 'er haid. An' yo' got 'er jes' as yo' wanta - like a footstool.
Entry 3999
Yo' stop dat up in a bottle.
(This chamber lye?)
Yes, yo' stop dat up in a bottle an' dey'll have a hard time of urine [uri- nating], see. Jes' drops, yo' know, now an' den. An' den yore urine, if yore husban' or yore wife is purtty fussy an' 'noys 'im when he come in, yo' don't urine in dat same pan she do. Yo' urine in sompin else an' git 'ers, an' stop dat up an' set it to de haid of yore baid, ovah dere. Dat'll make her, yo' know, git 'erself togethah, see; an' won't be fussin' 'er mouth, growlin' all de time.
Entry 4153
Yuh kin take a woman now, an' yuh kin git de hair outa her haid an' put it in a glass wit de pee in it. (A glass of your urine?) Yeah, an' yuh kin put it in a box [bottle] an' put it in undah de do'step where she walks ovah all de time, an' covah it wit somepin undah de bottom step, an' she can't leave, yuh got 'er tied.
Entry 4156
If dey wanna go ag'in - tuh keep 'em from goin' ag'in, yuh'll have tuh clip a piece from she [demonstrates].
(From the top of her head.)
An' a piece from she private an' put it in de bottle wit nine needles, an' take yuh chamber lye an' some German Heart Cologne, an' mix it tuhgethah an' hol' dat in yuh pocket fer de fus' [first] nine mawn- in's. An' den take it an' po' it in one of yuh suits, an' she will nevah go tuh dat pocket tuh take it out. An' SHE'LL STAY DERE FOREVAH AN' FOREVAH.
(I see. That keeps her.)
Entry 4267
Anothah' way dat dey take it an' control of love wit it.
(This chamber lye.)
Kin control love wit it. An' den dey use it tuh draw a person tuh yuh. Tuh draw a pusson tuh yuh, yuh take dat an' put in it nine needles an' nine pins an' nine nails in a bottle, wit dat, jis' stop it [up]. An' drop de nails in head an' tail, de pins head an' tail, an' de needles head an' tail, callin' 'em evah time [you drop], an' make yuh wishes. An' den jis' stop de bottle up tight. Pusson apt tuh be settin' dere all alone, yuh shake dat bottle, yuh know, an' call dere name an' turn it upside down. Any place dey is, if dey ain't got de fare, dey be walkin', comin'." If dey ain't got de fare, dey try tuh be walkin' comin'.
Entry 4337
Take dere chamber lye an' make dem stay wit yuh or love yuh or be roun' yuh. Or yuh kin take dat chamber lye - well, ah know dey done mah brothah-in-law lak dat one time. Dey took 'is chamber lye an' put it in a bottle, an' den put it up in a tree above his haid, an' had 'im hangin' up dere all de time. Said dat'd keep 'im sick an' stop 'is watah jis' lak he had gravels or sompin lak dat.
Entry 4355
Takes it from [demonstrates] de top an' de side an' here.
(The top and both sides, the hair.)
An' tells me dat dey puts it in a bottle wit red flannel, nine new needles an' pins.
(How many pins?)
Nine. An' git some of yuh urine, stops it up, turn it [bottle] bottom up- wards. Jis' as it dreeps [drips] out, jis' as yuh dwindle away. An' den when dey don't turn it bottom upwards dey throw it in de rivah. Drive yuh - Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft: Rdtvorl crazy. Dat's what dey say dat dey kin do wit it.
(If they turn it upside down?)
Yuh pines away, an' if it's throwed in de rivah in quick runnin' watah, yuh'll go crazy. [Washington, D.c., (628), 805:9.]
Entry 4361
Well, if dey wan' 'im tuh go away, dey will take a lock of de right head - hair on de right side, two or three locks of it - right side of de head, an' put it in a bot- tle an' put some urine in it, an' throw it away in a stream dat goes - tuh a stream dat goes up [river], carry it up, so dey [he] will go. Well, it's jis' de opposite if dey wan' 'im tuh come back, dey take it [hair] off de left side an' throw it in a stream comin' in tuh 'em - vice aversy. [This is a tide- water stream, coming in and going out.]
Entry 4400
Take a lizard. Ah've heard 'em say yo' take a lizard an' tuh split 'im open on 'is back. An' when yo' split 'im on 'is back, take an' hang 'im up where de sun will rise on 'im. An' when de sun rise on 'im, see, when de sun is goin' up, yo' hang'im wit 'is tail up an' 'is haid down; an' dey tell me dat will turn dey bowels up so dey can't be unlocked.
(Well, how do you know what person you are working on?)
Well, yo' take an' yo' git some of dere action, an' yo' put it in dere. Put it on dis lizard, inside of 'im, de fo'wards side nex' to de sun, wit cayenne peppah on it. Yo' know, cayenne peppah draws too, it draws up, an' three drops of turpentine. An' den when yo' git dat bone, den yo' hang it up dere. An' dat lizard will dry up to nuthin but jes' dat skin. An' as long as he's hangin' up dere, why dey can't have an action. Dat's whut ah heard on dat.
Entry 4603
Dey say yuh kin take a man's hat an' take de bow out of a man's hat an' take dat bow an' put it in a bottle of Heart's Own Cologne. An' aftah takin' dat bow an' put it in a bottle of Heart's Own Cologne, yuh take dat bottle den an' put it de right side, not de left but de right, an' stand it on its haid lak dat, an' make yore wishes about it den. An' dat thing will bring a man home. An' dat thing will make a man do things.
Entry 4707
Dey take dat little bow out chure hat an' carry it an' put it down to de edge of de rivah an' tie it wit a string, an' jis' like dat watah is raisin' dat bow in dat hat, dat de way yuh hair will be raisin', long as somebody don't git dat bow. Yuh will be sick in yuh haid an' yuh wouldn't nevah come tuh yuh right senses no mo'. But de sweatban' of yuh hat is jis' like dat, jis' about de same [you can do the sweatband the same way].
Entry 4761
Well, ah've heard ag'in, if yuh've got a man away an' yuh want 'im tuh come back tuh yuh, an' he leaves some of 'is clothes dere, said yuh take clothes tuh make him be on 'is haid. Put de clothes - put 'is undahweah an' 'is shirt, put de haid of it down towards 'is feet [dem- onstrates]. (On the bed?) Yessuh, yuh've gotta lay on dere yuh see. Put it down dere tuhwards 'is feet. Dey take his undah- weah an' take de bottom part - take de laigs of it an' put 'em up tuhwards de haid of de baid, an' let de body go down tuhwards it. Den yuh take his socks an' yuh take one an' bring it 'cross dis way an' let it be tuh de front of de baid.
(The head of the bed?)
No suh, de front. Yuh see - listen. Heah's whut ah mean. Now, yuh layin down dat way.
(Here's the bed. This is the head and that's the foot?)
Yessuh, now yuh lie dat sock dat way.
(Which is the foot and which way does the other part of the sock point?)
De foot part of de sock goes at de haid.
(That points to the head of the bed?)
De toe goes tuh de haid of de baid. Den heah comes de othah, de mouth of de sock, yuh know, where yuh put chure foot in. Let it be out tuh de front [demon- strates].
(One sock crosses the other.)
Yessuh. An' den aftah doin' dat. Let's see - man's sock, undahweah an' de top-shirt. Dat, she might lay in it, an' de rest of 'em yuh lay on top of 'em. Don't put a thing on top of 'em but a sheet. Den befo' yo' git in baid, make yore wishes. Put one needle up an' de othah one cross at de haid [demonstrates], 'tween de haid. Lak dis is de haid of de baid, put it down in dere, in between in dere. Don't let it git down by yore haid, but let it be up above.
(At the top of the head of the bed, you cross two needles.)
Yessuh. An' so yuh lay on dose things, an' ah think she said, in nine days he would come home.
Entry 5167
An' anothah one: a girl say de way she make a man come back. Take de inside sole [insole] of 'is shoe. Take de inside sole of a man's shoe, don' make no diff'rence which it is [left or right], an' take yore undahclothes - yo' know, de bottom pieces. An' take an' wrop it up in de sole of 'is shoe, right heah in de centah heah. An' in de night when he sleeps, tuck it undah 'is haid an' let it stay dere all night long. An' she says, she goes de nex' mawnin' tuh take it out, say he won' let chew move it. Let it stay dere an' say he'd can't git away tuh save 'is life.
(That is to hold the man?)
Yes.
Entry 5495
Ah says dere wuz once a man an' wife twan't [they were not] gittin' 'long good. Dey wuz gittin' 'long happy at one time an' den dey had some sort of misundahstan'in' an' dey couldn't git 'long tuhgethah. So he wuz studyin' a way how tuh make her love him an' git 'long happy tuh- gethah. So he taken some of de dirt outa her lef' track an' he fixed it up wit Hearts Cologne an' sweet camphor. [Does informant mean sweet niter, or camphor with a sweet in- gredient?] Tuk [took] an' he mixed dat all tuhgethah, an' he got three stran's of her hair out of her haid, an' he fixed it up in a li'le small sort of sompin lak a li'le small package. An' he tied it wit a string an' jes' bind it so it rest right up undah his left, right in de hairs of 'is ahm [arm], so it git de sweat on it. Well, den aftah while dey got 'long very happy.
Entry 5496
Now, ah tell yo' whut chew kin do. If ah taken some man - ah tell yo' yo' kin let a person walk away form yo' or sompin lak dat an' yo' kin take dere lef'-foot track an' pull it back tuh de heel. Yo' pick up jis' as much as yo' kin pinch in yore fingah lak dat [demonstrates] an' if yo' kin ketch 'im 'sleep, see [demonstrates] yo' git chew some hair from right up heah.
(From the top of the head.)
Yassuh. An' yo' take an' yo' put it in a bag, an' yo' weah it aroun' ovah yo' yo' know whut ah mean.
(Right over your private?)
Yeah. Weah it daily an' anythin' in de worl' dat yo' got in yore view tuh worry dat person, it will surely come tuh rest dere. Cain't he'p it. Some thin's [I know are true]. Dat's whut ah have did.
Entry 5497
Git de dirt outen dere track, in de middle of de feet, in de right feet, goin', an' git it outen de left. Den yo' take dat an' git de hair from heah [demonstrates] an' from de back.
(The hair from the top of the head, [and] the back of the neck.)
An' yo' mix dat tuhgethah an' yo' totes dose fo' luck. Totes dose fo' luck tuh git 'im back. Jes' lak if yo' have a husban' an' yo' cain't do anythin' wit 'im, an' den yo' take dat stuff an' put it tuhgethah. Dat'll always keep 'is mind always comin' back home.
(Where do you put this stuff after you get it?)
Well, yo' put it - jes' sew it up in yore dress, or eithah take it an' tie it up an' put it in yore baid mattress or yore pillah where yo' sleep on it.
(That will bring a man back.)
Entry 5498
Well, yo' take a stran' or two of yore hair out chure haid an' dey'll take an' git de bow out de back of yore hat. Yo' take dat hair an' de bow out chure hat an' yo' git a few grains of sand outa yore shoe track - out de streets an' den take an' put it tuhgethah. Sew it up in a little bag an' put it undah yore steps an' yo' cross ovah it. Why dat jes' upsets yore mind altuh- gethah. Dat's de way dey trick yo' dataway.
(Now whose steps would they put this under, mine or...?)
Dey put it undah de steps where yo' come ovah. (Well, now suppose they got all that stuff from me. Would they put it under Ty step or under your step?) Undah de step dat chew goes ovah.
(That is to upset my mind?)
Yassuh.
Entry 5508
Well now, if yo' got a man an' yo' wan's tuh drive him away - ah mean, If yo' wan'a git rid of 'im, yo' git some dirt outa his shoe track an' git some Wdr out of haid, out de top of 'is haid, an' tie dat intuh a rag an' throw it ia rummin' stream of watah, goin' downstream, an' dat will carry 'im away.
Entry 5529
(Suppose you begin that right from the beginning now. What do you do with this woman's track?) Yo' take dis woman's track, de lef'-foot track. See, yo' mus'n't [must not] ketch it gwine from yo'. Ketch it jes' lak - yo' ketch it comin' tuh yuh, jes' lak ah'm comin' tuh yo' heah, now. Jes' lak yo' call me, say, "Come heah, Jim." Ah goes tuh yo', an' yo' watch de lef' foot yo' see. Well, now, maybe when ah turn mah back an' go on de othah way - yo' know, ah don't know whut chure idea is. Yo' git it lak dis, yo' see. Yo' watchin' me goin' de othah way, yo' see. Yo' ketch it lak dis - go back to de heel [demonstrates].
(From the toe to the heel. Pick it up.)
Yo' pick it up. Den yo' goes tuh work an' goes - don't go tuh a steer. Yo' KNOW WHUT'S A STEER IS? A steer is - he has been a bull but he been cut, yo' Know. An' yo' goes tuh a bull lot. Yo' goes in dere an' aftah yo' goes in de bull lot - make it dere befo' sunrise an' de bull be layin' down yo' know. Yo' stir 'im, make him git up, yo' see. When he git up, he goin' stretch yo' know. Hell, when he stretch he goin' do his business. Well, yo' see, yo' ketch de second turd befo' it hit de groun' - don't let it hit de groun' yo' see - de secon' turd. Jes' as de first one - yo' let de firs' one hit yo' see.
(You grab that?)
Yo' grab dat yo' see. Yo' take dat an' go on off an' put it in a ole tin pin [pan] an' set it on de fiah. An' yo' go tuh work aftah yo' set it on de fiah - dat parch it. Yo' have seen people parch coffee. Yo' set dere an' yo' stir it yo' know an' parch it. An' yo' take dat track, an' yo' take dat bull's stuff, an' go tuh de drug sto'. Go tuh drug sto' an' git chew a bottle of cologne, or eithah de Ten Cent Sto'. Yo' mix dat up wit one of dem track yo' see. Yo' mix dat up tuhgethah an' go git chew a vial: Den yo' goes tuh work yo' see an' yo' gits yuh a li'le bottle - see, 'bout lak dat [demonstrates].
(A small bottle about the size of your middle finger.)
Dat's right, a small bottle. Den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' gits dat Heart Cologne. Git chew a li'le bit of likkah. Heart Cologne, dat trouble. An' git chew a li'le bit of likkah an' a li'le camphor, yo' see. An' yo' put all dat in dere, yo' see, intuh dat bottle. Put dat mixture yo' mix outa dat bull turd an' 'uh track. Put all dat in dat bottle. Yo' see de idea. An' aftah yo' put it intuh dat bottle, yo' shakes it up lak dis yo' see [demonstrates]. Yo' take a stoppah an' yo' puts it intuh a stoppah [into the bottle] an' yo' git chew a piece of silk cloth an' yo' sews dat up. YO' KNOW WOMENFOLKS IS KINDA SHARP, yo' know, an' yo' sews dat up. Den yo' go tuh work an' yo' tote dat right nex tuh yo'. Yo' see, if yo' kin git it in dis li'le fob pocket chere [here], yo know, nex' tuh yore skin anywhere. Yo' totes dat yo' see. Well, yo' feeds dat jes' lak yo' feeds [yourself], 'bout three time a week. Yo' go tuh work an' buy a li'le mo' likkah, yo' know, an' yo' put on dat yo' know. Take a li'le bit mo Heart Cologne an' yo' po' on dat, yo' see. Yo' po' dat right on de rag, yo' un- dahstan'. Well, now, dat's carried. An' evah time yo' go by 'uh, anywhere, yo' say, "Looky heah, honey, how 'bout [so-an'-so]?" "Yes, all right.'" An' jes' git a li'le bit of it, yo' know, right out de top of 'uh heah [demon- strates].
(The top of her hair - top of the head?)
Jes' about three strands. Be sharp enough - be sharp enough aftah 'uh sleep- in'. Yo' see de idea. Go right heah [demonstrates].
(By her privates?)
Yeah. An' take 'bout three strands, de long one right heah, yo' know. Take dat an' mix it all tuhgethah an' put it right in dat bottle. She'll follah 'im anywhere in de worl'.
(And keep her?)
Yessuh. See, ah tried dat. Ah had so much trouble wit womenfolks, dat, yo' know, ah'd...
(Who taught you - who told you that?)
Well, ah tell yo', AH MET A LADY [doctOr] FROM LOUISIANA. SHE WUS TRAVELIN' AN' SHE WUS THROUGH HEAH. So ah been havin' quite a lot of trouble wit wimmins yo' see. Ah used tuh be a woman lovah, yo' know. Ah did love womenfolks, yo' know, an' AH HAD MAH HAID BUMPED BY MANY, yo' see. An' ah tole huh 'bout it N' she tole me whut tuh do. An' ah has tried it - RIGHT TODAY, YO' HOL' DEM AN' PUT "EM UNDAH YORE FOOT. Yo' hol' dem, an' long as yo' kin keep 'em down undah yore foOt, yo' kin gO. But DE MINUTE DEY GIT DE UPPER PULL ON YO', DEY GOT CHEW AN' GONE. Yo' see? Dey got chew an' gone.
Entry 5797
An' den if yo' fall fer a man an' a man don't care very much about chew - eithah a woman kin do it or eithah a man kin do it - yo' take an' pull two stran's of 'is hair outa his haid an' yo' put it in each heel of yore shoe, an' yo' wear it in yore shoe fo' nine days. An' aftah yo' wear it in yore shoe fo' nine days, he'll start to fallin' fo' yo' an' he'll be so crazy about chewden dat he wouldn't even leave yore house. Yo' see de longah dis hair grow, de long- ah 'is love will grow fo' yo'.
(You take two strands of his hair and you put one strand in each shoe?)
Yes sir. [Florence, S. Car. (1322), 2266:2.]
Entry 5798
Dey say dey kin take yore hair an' run yo' crazy. Dat why so [many] people is crazy today. Dey say yo' kin take dis top cleft from de mole of yore hair, an' dey say yo' kin take an' bury dat, dey say, an' long as yo' live, dey say, yore hair jes' begin to grow, grow longah. An' dat make yo' lose yore mind. (What hair grows longer? On your head or the hair they take?) De hair what dey takes, what dey kin git from yo'. Well, yo' see, dey take an' plant dat hair. Well, long as dat hair is planted dere, an' yo' livin', yo' see, it will grow; but when yo' die, well it will quit growin'.
(I see.)
Entry 5812
[Version 1]: Yo' kin take yore hair, take my hair, an' de man's hair Lat, yo' know from down here, yo' know, an' wrap it togethah an' a ravel out from ondah his arm - yo' know, right nex' to where he wear 'is clothes.
(In his armpits.)
Jis' a ravelin'. Take dose two hairs, yo' know, an' wrap 'em togethah, an' den yo' git a ravel from out de seat of 'is pants - out de seat of 'is undahweah. An' wrap all dat togethah - jis' wrap evah bit of it togethah, an' go to a ant's nest an' dig in dat ant's nest. Yo' know, if he's not treatin' yo' right, dig in dat ant's nest an' put dat in dat ant's nest. An' jis' as long as he - jis' as long as he live, he'll be worried. He'd jis' be worried, he worry hisself almos' to death. [Version 2]: Git some of 'is hair an', yo' know, twist it togethah, an' git de ravels from 'is undahclothes an' git de ravel from down here in de seat of 'is undahclothes. An' yo' roll dat - tie it hard, yo' know. Roll it jis' as hard as yo' kin, yo' know. Go to a ant's bed an' open it.
(Well, you've got these things before.)
[I am telling her she is repeating.]
Yes, sir. An' open it an' den yo' put it down in dere, yo' see an' dat jis' keeps 'em fussin', fightin' an' quarrelin', until dey [separate]. [The two rites. are similar but the purposes are different.]
Entry 5826
Ah've heard 'em say, yo' know, dat chew kin take a, a individual's hair a' place it, yo' know, into a bottle dat way an' stop it up tight an' bury it undah de do'step, or jes' anywhere in de dirt wit de head of it down dat way. An' dey say dat will run 'em, yo' know, kinda bout half crazy where dey'll have diff'ren' minds yo' know, have a wanderin' ird, see, not to stay in one place.
(You don't put anything else in that bottle do you?)
Nuthin else in dere, jes' de hair.
Entry 5890
(What do they do out there?)
Well, dere's sev'ral diff'ren' things dat dey do out at de fo'ks of de road.
(Well, tell me one of them, if you know one of them.)
Well, when yo' git to de fo'k of de road - co'se some people uses a lady's hair or her hose dat she wear or her urine or somepin lak dat. Well, in any way dat yo' wanta use her hair, yo' could take her hair when yo' git to de fo'k of de road, yo' could put 'er hair into de groun', but yo' must go dere evah day an' urine on dis hair, see. An' aftah yo' urine on it, yo' must curse it. Yo' have to curse it fo' it to work.
(What will that do?)
Well, yo' see - take fo' instance, yo' got a lady frien' dat yo' wants. When yo' git to de fo'k of de road, now yo' want dis lady frien' an' de lady frien don't want yo'. Yo' could make her want yo' by takin' - firs' yo' git three stran's of hair from 'er head, three from 'er eyelashes, three off any portion of 'er body dat yo' want, but it must be nine in all. Yo' have to take dese rine stran's of hair to do dis wit, an' if yo' got a lady an' yo' wants 'er, yo git dere an' yo' do dat wit it. An' if she's in China, she gotta come back to y~ Qou mean, you bury that hair out at the fork of the road?) At de fo'k of de road.
(I see.)
Entry 5929
[Well, I tell yo' [about hair] in makin' love, an' den yo' kin take hair an' make 'em love yo'. I'll tell yo' mah experience from makin' love an' takin' hair. Take a twist in de mole of she [her] haid - yo' know, de soft part of de haid where de baby's haid is jointed [joined]. [This soft part is also called the soft spot - see FACI 1st ed., Nos.2593-2594,2736,2762.] Yo' kin take a twist in de mole of she haid, like dat. Yo' kin slip out a piece 'bout dis long, about a quartah of a inch of she hair, an' wrap it up in a silk twine, po' Hearts Cologne on it, roll it up an' put it in de sweatband of yo' hat. Weah dat. Why she go but she come back, regardless of where she go, an' he do nuthin [else]. Co'se she - she'll Devah have no love fo' him.
Entry 5930
Yo' take a man if 'is wife quit 'im. See. He kin take piece of 'er hair, git it out de lef' side. Cut a piece off if she got long hair, cut a piece off her plait if she sleep at night - any time he kin git it. He could plant dat piece of hair, see. She ain't gwine 'way. If she in Chicago, she comin' back. Plant dat hair - plant it in 'er house or out do's. Yo' kin plant it in de house wit 'er wall - lak a mantelpiece roun' where dey put de foundation of concrete. Take yo' some cement an' take a little augah an' put dat piece of hair down an' plastah it undah dere. Dat's yore own busi- ness. An' she gonna come dere. Ah don't [care] wherevah she goes, she comin back dere. An' dey do de men in de same way, but if he leaves de house, den yo' write his name or 'er name down on a papah, an' yo' kin put it in a lamp, or put it amdah de candle. Burn it. Dat brings deyself. An' now ah don' care how much dey fussin' in a house or whut dey doin' or how mch dey cut up, take some table salt, jis' de plain table salt, an' throw it on de fiah an' burn it. Dat breaks dat - do's it right now. Ah kin throw it right at 'em - dat ceased. Dey don' have tuh go on fussin'. Dat brings back love an' hy dat hair's planted. When she goes, she comin' back dere.
Entry 5931
Dey take de hair off de left side of yore haid, yo' know, an' de toe- mils, an' scrape de bottom of yore foot ah think. Dat's tuh make de man love e - or love yuh, or stick [stay] aroun' yuh some Way or othah. (What do they do with that stuff?) Dey bury it - undah de front de do'step. If dey want chew dey put it undah yore do'step.
Entry 5932
I say, dey say dey kin take yore hair, see, jes' a clip of yore hair Octa yore head - I think it's on de lef' side, see - an' take it an' bury it wit some soda an' table salt fo' nine days. An' den dig it up an' sew it in a bag an' wear it. An' what- eah dey say dey wanta to it [whatever they tell the bag they want done], why yo lin be wishin' it. Dey say it'll come true - if dey run yo' crazy or make love Tvhatevah dey desire.
Entry 5933
Den if yo' wan'a woman tuh leave yo' or if yo' wan'a git rid of 'er - lf yo' goin' wit a woman an' yo' ti'ed [tired] of 'er - take a stran' of 'er hair eff de lef' side of 'er hair, two stran's ah say, an' go to some runnin' watahan throw it in dis watah, an' it'll go upstream. [Informant probably means hair will float upstream rather than throw it into incoming tide.] An' if she don' leave, she'll eithah die. Yo'll git rid of 'er some way. She goin' do one 'tothah [one or the other].
Entry 6025
If a woman wants 'er man back, well she takes 'is hair off de top of 'is head an' down on de bottom, yo' know, of 'is trousers. [andl put de needles an' pins an' mind watah in a can, a ole can, any kine of can. Shut it up an' put it in a cornah of de house. Dat's what dat is fo' - 9 needles an' 9 pins. Well, dey bury yore hair in 9 nee- dles, 9 pins, an' cinnamon, an' put it in mind watah." Shet it up in a can. Dat's to keep yo' wit 'em. Dey put dat can in a cornah.
(Did you say mind water?)
Yes sir. Yo' buy dat. It's to keep yore mind wit 'em. Yo' put dat in a can wit 9 needles, 9 pins, an' yore hair, an' dey'll git yore hair from down in, yo' know, when yo' sleep. Dey put dat in a can where nobody kin run across it. Dat's jis' to keep yo' wit 'em, keep yore mind towards 'em. [These ingredients can also be put in a bottle.]
Entry 6054
Jes' lak yo'd cut de hair out de mole of yore haid an' take de hair from de othah place, an' put both of dem hair togethah an' take dat hair an' sew it up in a bag. Dat's when yo' wanta keep yore man, yo' see, or yore wife or whoevah it is. An' seu it up in hah pillah or 'is pillah. Well, dat'll keep 'em right dere. But of co'se if yo' wan' 'im tuh leave, yo' wan'a run 'im off in de rivah, why yo' take dat hair an' yo' ketch a catfish. An' yo' take a stick an' jes' stuff it down in dat catfish's mouth right good an' den throw dat catfish, throw 'im backwards [demonstrates] out in de rivah. An' jes' as fur as dat fish goin', dat person, uboevah goin', tryin' tuh ketch up wit dat catfish, an' aftah while he'll drown.
(You throw that over your left shoulder.)
Yessuh.
Entry 6057
Ah hear dat [they] kin take a piece hair out de man's - chice[?] of a man an' de man is sich of dem. Tell me dey git aholt of de hair.
(Of the head?)
From de head.
(Yes?) [= continue, because informant had stopped.]
An' dey git holt of de hair from down below.
(That's right [= keep talking]. Now, what do they do with that?)
An' den dey take dem two an' put it in a bag, an' ah don't know what dey do's. Dey takes dose two [kinds of hair] an' put 'em in a bag, an' put a dime intuh it. An' put dat same othah root whut ah tell yo' 'bout [pronounced boat].
(John the Conquer?)
Yes. Put some of dat an' dey git dis [informant unable to remember].
(And what else do.you put in there, then?)
Yo' put dis John de Conkah in dere an' den yo' git holt of dere hair - de two hairs - an' den yo' git a dime. An' yo' sew it up in a bag an' yo' wears it aroun' yo'. Yo' eithah put it aroun' yo' waist or wear it aroun' yo' neck. An' den yo' feed it wid dis same - de same cologne ah tell yo' about.
(That Hearts Cologne, you feed it?)
Yo' feed it wid dat. Eveh once in a while yo' feed it wid dat, see.
(And what is that supposed to do?)
Suh?
(What will that do then?)
What'll dat do? Well, if yo' got a husban' or anythin', or any man or any- thin', he gotta dump [give] evahthin' he got tuh yo' - couldn't git aroun' [with other women, gamble away his money, etc.l. He's gotta come home.
(That's to hold him, to keep him.)
Entry 6066
Dey git de hair off de haid, or de hair from undah de pit of de left arm, an' yo' take it an' put it in a bottle wit Hearts Cologne, an' yo' stop it up an' keep dat wit yo', or put it in a pahtic'lah place somewhere in yore house, if yo' wanta bring dese parties back. An' dey are away from yo', it will bring de people back - de hair off de haid.
Entry 6069
Dey take yore [a man's] hair - yo' see, dis hair [demonstrates from his head] [and wear] right across yore [a woman's] private.
(The hair from [at] the privates.)
An' wear it around yore waist. Let chure head [hair] hang right heah. Tie it roun' wit a string an' tie it roun' yore waist an' jes' wear it. An' as long as yo' wear dat hair de man'll run yo' down [chase or run after you]. (You mean the woman wears a man's hair from his head, right across her privates, and that will keep him as her lover?) Dat's right, shure will.
Entry 6070
[Take a piece of] de petticoat an' [or] de bloomahs an' cut de - a little top of dere hair off. Well, an' git de same thing off a man [his under- clothes]. An' mix it togethah in a soda-watah bottle. An' take it an' carry it to de end of de do'step an' put it - not too deep, jes' a little deepah 'nuff where yo' know dey could not tell it. An' let 'im walk ovah it fo' nine mawnin's. Dey say dat will come to keep 'im at home an' he'll come to love yo' an' can't no othah woman git 'im.
(Wait a minute! You take the hair from the top of a man's head, you say?)
De mole of 'is haid, yes. Den dat from right on yo'self down dere, yo' know, jes' cut about two stran's.
(From a woman?)
Yeah, an' mix it togethah, an' git chew half a bottle of 'logne [cologne] an' so' dress it wit dat. Well, yo' go right - cut 'er bloomahs right in de seat of 'em. Well yo' git it out de seat of de man de same. An' put it togethah. Well, aftah yo' do dat, chew take about a little teaspoon - not a little, jes' a drop, but not so much, an' let it be kinda graveyard dirt. Put it in de bottle an' shake it up. Well, yo' go right to de end of de do'step an' yo' call a person nine times. Well, when yo' call 'em nine times, take it an' stick it right to de front of de do'step - put it down dere yo' know, kinda deep undah where yo' couldn't tell it. An' nine mawnin's - fo' nine mawnin's, well, when yo' git up yo' [call?] 'im [his name] about six [nine] times. Well yo' take it out from dere an' carry it to a cornah right where yo' know he comes out backwards an' forwards - dat same route road - come right to de cornah. [Does informant mean corner of the outside chimney, the old-fashioned country toilet, where he would urinate on this conjure or hand? I do not believe corner of a path or crossroad is meant, where other people would walk over the buried object. Bottle was orig- Inally buried at "corner" of doorstep. This is cornering a man.] Why yo' bury dat an' let it stay dere fo' so many days, certain days. Well, aftah yo' do dat, see, dat'll keep dat man an' woman togethah. See. [A comment of mine made while checking cylinder reads, "Talking too fast."]
Entry 6071
Anything lak a man's wife is gone off an' he wanta git 'er back. Well, de way he git 'er back, why he take a stran' of hair out de mole of 'er haid, an' a stran' outa heah, an' put it in a needle whut chew sew wit. (A strand of hair from the top of her head and the hair from below.) An' stick it in a needle An' stick it up in de do'step. De mo' where she come out an' go ovah it, de mo' de mo' think about chew. So she can't leave him, she'll go back to him.
Entry 6075
She could git 'is hair from 'is private an' de hair from undah 'is left arm an' nine stran's outa his head an' bury it undah de steps. Dat'll make him be's home; he goin' stay roun' home.
Entry 6078
Take it outa de hollah [hollow = mold] out from de middle of dey haid, an' take dat an' put dat wit dey hair offen dey body an' tie it up. (You mean down below?) Yes, an' tie it up an' wear it fo love. Make dat person love yo'. Qou get this hair from the other person's head and use your own private hair?) Yes.
Entry 6081
Well, dey said yo' kin take yore hair an' some of yore hair down below an' put it togethah, parch it an' put it in - an' a piece of saltpetah. An'dat's to make love. An' sew it up [in a bag] an' wear it nex' to yo', nex' to yo', nex' to yore flesh. An' tie it aroun' yo' - wear it aroun', pin it to yo' some way. An' dat makes de man or wumman love dat person, whoevah dey want.
Entry 6084
Well, ah heah 'em say dat dey take de hair from undah yore arms an' de top of yore-haid, an' dey say take an' tack it on a piece of pastebo'd - put it in a little bag an' tack it on a piece of paste- bo'd. Den throw it in runnin' watah an' dey say dat'll, jes' lak if yo' wanted tuh drift 'em away from yo', dey say dat would make 'em walk off in de rivah.
Entry 6085
Make them come back? I don't know about the track [foot track to bring a person back], I jes' know about de sock.
[I turn off machine but decided to hear about the sock.]
About de sock? Take a sock, a dirty sock, an' take it an' put hair from undah is arn, 'is head, an' on 'is private, in de toe of it, an' take an' roll it to yo', an' roll it an' roll it 皿til yo' git to de end. Aftah yo' git to de end, why mke yore wish. Wish he'd come back or wish he'd stay dere, an' bury it undahde foot of yore steps. Dat'll make 'im come back an' he'll stay.
(Either sock is all right?)
Eithah sock is all right.
Entry 6086
Well, ah heard in mah days past if yo' had a woman or a man an' yo' wnted tuh make love wit 'em an' wanted tuh make 'em stay wit yo', [take] some [hair] from de centah of de top of dere haid an' some of de hair from dey body down heah. An' some of de hair from undah dere arms. An' Cobine dat an' carry dat wit yo' to a young grave, where yo' could bury it. Or, yo' know, yo' could take all of dat an' if yo' wanted to make a person leaveyo', S0 dey'd worry 'bout yo' an' wanta come back to yo', but dey couldn't come back yo', jes' throw it in runnin' watah.
Entry 6087
Take his hair [from his head], de hair undah his nose, an' de hair from down dere, an' den wear his picture, an he'll come back.
[I do not recall nose hair elsewhere in HOODOO.]
(What would you do with that hair?)
Jes' wear it, wear it all de time.
(From his head, his nose, and down there. Wear it and he'll come back.)
Entry 6088
Take three stran's out chure haid an' three stran's down below, an' take it an' put it in a bottle an' stop it up. Yo' buries dat.
(What do you do that for?)
It'll kill yo'. (Do you bury your own hair?) Yore own hair. (Won't that kill you if you bury your own hair?) It'll kill yo'. (You Want to kill yourself?) Run yo' blind, sho' it would. [We do not understand one another. Informant merely Bys your stopped-up hair will kill you, whether you or enemy does it.]
Entry 6093
Yo' want to know how to make a wumman stay wit yo' or sompin lak dat. Dey said yo' - well, yo' do her jes' lak yo' do a man. Take her watah or take de hair off 'er haid. Yo' take, yo' know offa both places an' keep cologne on it an' keep pee on it. Jes' wear it all de time, keep it in yore pocketbook.
Entry 6123
Some takes dat. (That little bow from a man's hat?) Yessuh, an' a dime, a new dime, an' strain it wit hair from down heah, if dey kin git it, or eithah out de mole of 'is haid, an' dey sew dat up in a little piece of flannen rag an' put it in de bottom of dere foot an' wear it.
(What do they do that for?)
Dat's fo' tuh keep 'im controlled.
Entry 6143
(What else do they do with the hair?)
Well, yo' kin take it an' use it in anothah way. Dey kin take yore hair - dey git it in certain places.
(Where?)
In de mole of yore haid, or in de temple, or down below, an' dey kin wear dat hair in dey foot - de shoe. Put it in dey right shoe. Put it in a little thin piece of cloth, yo' know, flannen cloth an' wrap it, an' yo' git some of dis what chew call van-van an' wet it wit it. An' puts it in de bottom of yore shoe an' put a piece of newspapah on top of dat an' wear daily in yore shoe. Well, dat kinda runs yo' crazy 'bout 'em.
(Hakes you like the person?)
Makes yo' love 'em.
Entry 6151
Yo' kin take a man's hair, or eithah a woman's, an' yo' kin take dere hair an' a chicken feathah outa de top of 'is head.
(A feather off the top of a chicken's head?)
Yes sir, an' wear it in yore stockin's or about roun' yore waist or somewhere. Den yo' - den dat'll make dat man or woman can't do no way, yo' can't go nowhere. (Can't go with other women or other men?) Yes, sir. (You have to take that person's hair and a chicken feather from the top of a chicken's head?) An' de hair from de top of 'is head.
Entry 6173
Take de hairs from underneath yore arm an' de haid - yo' know, undah yore clothes down dere, an' wash yore feet. An' yo' know, sometime yo' don't wash yore feet in a long time, dere be lots of ole dead skin on it, yo' know, an' yo' kin take an' scrape dat off. An' den yo' kin take dis watah yo' see an' put it in sompin. A woman had mah brothah fixed lak dat. AN' AH PROMISED DE LORD AH'D NEVAH FIX A MAN NO HAY. IF ONE DON'T WANT ME, AH DON' WANT 'IM. So she had mah brothah fixed jes' lak dat - she had 'im fixed up jes' lak dat.
Entry 6174
(What do they say about that?)
Well, yo' take Hearts Cologne lak ah tole yo', lak dey git it an' dress it fo' to keep yo'. Well, yo' git 9 pins, bran'-new pins what have nevah been used, an' yo' git Hearts Cologne. An' when yo' buy dat bottle of cologne, yo' take de stoppah out - yo' see, cuz dat stoppah been used. An' yo' buy a new stoppah, cork stoppah, an' yo' stick 9 pins in dat cork stoppah. Undahstan? An' put it right down in dat Hearts Cologne. Now, lak dere's some man ah want. I will try to git a piece off 'is clothes, anythin' an' put it in dere, yo' undahstan', fo' 9 days. Well, aftah I gits it in dere, whatsomevah ah want - den ah try to git a piece of 'is hair, an' some of 'is fingahnails an' toenails. If ah can't cut 'em, ah'll jes' take a little file here an' make out ah'm jes' playin' wit 'is han', an' file it off at de same time an' gittin' it in mah han'. Undahstan'? An' if ah kin git a piece of hair from undah his arm, yo' undahstan', an' git a piece of hair from de lowah Part, an' put it all in dere, an' 'tis nuthin atall he kin do unless ah command 'in to do it.
(I see.)
Entry 6359
[Mold or mould (the latter British) a term for a special place on top of the head, had few sayings or rites in Folklore from Adams County Illinois, lst ed. These few beliefs concerned the top of a baby's head, the still unjoined skull sutures which informants called the soft spot - anatomically the fontanel. An adult mold, sutures grown together and the center from which hair spread in all directions, informants knew as the crown or crown of the head. Some persons knew the name mold for the top of the head but no folklore about it. This top- of-the-head significance of mold appears in Websters New Intermational Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd ed., 1942; but The Random House Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged (1966) omits the definition. Does this omission indicate infrequent usage or obsolescence for a word as old as the Anglo-Saxon language? There are many hair-from-the-mold-of- the-head rites in Hoodoo.] An' den dey kin take de hair ag'in out de mole [mold] of yore haid an' weah it on de body an' make 'em love yo'.
Entry 6363
[Paper is a magic substance in hoodoo: type of (including imitation parchment), color, new, ruled or unruled, shape, etc. Folding and wrapping and tying are magic rites.l If he's got othah woman roun' an' dey ain't got de habit of hittin' it off, she could jes' jes' git a stran' of hair out de mol' [mold] of 'is haid, an' wrop it up in a piece of papah, an' jes' make a sack fo' her tuh weah yo' know, jes' sew it up in some of 'er clothes she's gon'a weah. Why he couldn't leave dere no time, unless he goes tuh 'is business - couldn't stay no longah.
Entry 6461
(No, no, go ahead.)
Well, tuh make a man stay wit chew. Yo' cut all de side of yuh fingahnails an' yuh toenails, hairs undah yuh arms, hairs from yuh head, undah dere, an' yo' parch it brown, brown, lak de dust. When, if he drinks coffee, yo' put it in de coffee. If he don't, well yo' take it an' yo'll make it brown jis' lak it wuz black peppah. An' yo'll take it an' yo'll sprinkle it all ovah 'is fish, an' yo'll give it tuh 'em. Well, he'll come tuh lak yo' an' he'll love yuh.
Entry 6485
If yo' kin git de nail offa each li'le fingah an' de big nail off each [big] toe of de person, an' a lock right out de mole of dey haid an' put it un- dah yuh right steps, dere ain't no way in de worl' fo' dem tuh leave until de house burn down. Ah don't ca' [care] who it be. Undah de right cornah of yuh step. Whutevah way it is dey is comin' in from de no'th is de right cornah of yuh step where yuh house settin'.
Entry 6569
You take a frog and tie him to a brand-new shingle, and put dat frog right underneath of the house wherever his [victim's] head is lying [under the head of the bed above], and as her [frog] weaken down the person will weaken; and when he
[frog] dies, makes his last gasp, the person will die.
Entry 6587
They tell me that you can take an egg and cut off a scorpion's head and put with that egg, and then take the blood and mark it around that egg so many times, nine times they claim, and then take the blood of an individ- ual and do the same thing. And then take that egg and that scorpion head and bury that, and the individual who has to travel and walk over that will get to a place they claim that he'll have scorpions in him.
Entry 6607
Yo' run 'im.
(Either the frog or the snake.)
Until he gits real hot. Yo' git chew a forked stick like dat [demonstrates] chew know. Yo' grab 'is haid while he's hot. Yo' cut dat haid off, yo' see. Yo' take it an' carry it tuh yore home, an' put intuh a chimley tuh dry tull it git so yo' kin jis' do it dataway [demonstrates] de dust of it. An' if yo' don' like a person, like ah don' like yo' an' pertend [pretend] like ah like yuh, yo' sprinkle it intuh dere food. An' dey tell me dat will certainly bring live things intuh de stomic.
Entry 6608
Well, ah heard tell of 'em usin' snakes fo' killin' peoples. Well, ah've heard tell of 'em takin' snakes - take de snake haid, cut de snake haid off whilst he's live. Make him angry an' cut 'is haid off short. Take dat snake haid - cut: 'is haid off whilst he's real short, yo' know, whilst he's live. Don't cut it off aftah 'e's daid. Cut it off whilst 'e's life [alive]. Den yo' take dat snake haid an' yo' dry it. Hang it up yore chimley dey say an' dry it fo' nine days. Den yo' kin take dat snake powdahs whut chew git from dat snake haid, an' it supposed tuh lill yo' daid. If dey kin git it intuh coffee, food, anythin' - dat snake powdah It'll be so dry till yo' kin jis' pound it up yo' know. An' den yo' take dat poudah, an' yo' kin sprinkle it in anythin' an' dat'll kill a person.
Entry 6611
Now, dey tell me tuh take a snake, cut de snake's head off, let 'im drip, an' while his blood is drippin' ketch de blood in somepin as it drips. Jis' as many drops of dat blood yo' ketch, jis' as I - if I is a enemy, jis' how many snakes yo' desire tuh be in me, an' I lie - yo' let dat blood drip - drop - fall intuh some vessel. Whut kinda whiskey I drink, why yo' po' dat whiskey drink on dis blood, an' shake it in dere wit dis whiskey. Shake it tuhgethah an' give me dis whiskey tuh drink. Very soon I'll come tuh be fulla snakes.
(You'll have little snakes in you from those drops of blood?)
Yes, dat's right.
Entry 6612
Ah heard 'em say yo' kin take an' ketch a blacksnake an' cut 'is head, yo' know, an' hang 'em up by de tail an' let dat blood drip in somepin. Put it in a bottle an' lak if yore frien's come roun', anybody come, yore frien's or prob'- ly yore enemies too, an' if yo' don' lak 'em, an' lak if yo' have a li'le coffee at dinnah or somepin lak dat, yo' put a li'le bit dat on dere cup an' dat will kill 'em instan'ly.
(What?)
De snake will kill 'em.
Entry 6613
Git a snake an' put a snake in yo'. Dey kin go ketch a snake an' kill it, cut 'is head off an' hang 'im on de limb [of a tree] by de tail. Tie a string aroun' 'is tail an' hang 'im up an' put a tin cup or tin plate undah 'im an' ketch 'is blood. Let 'im bleed in dat tin plate or tin cup, whutevah it is. Now dey take dat blood an' dey kin put dat blood intuh yore food or somepin tuh drink; or dey kin let dat blood dry until it comes jis' tuh a hard powdah. Dey kin sprinkle it in yore shoes. An' de perspiration from yore feet will such up de strength of dat blood an' cuz yore body tuh attract dat, an' it will go all through de body an' kill de body. An' it will be crawlin' jis' undah de skin, all about, mostly from de point where dey entered. Depends upon how long it is when it gits in de stomic an' come on up. An' he'll choke yo' tryin' tuh come on up.
Entry 6614
If you walk upon [meet] a snake or lizard, catch him, don't kill him, hang him up by his head with a string around his neck. Cut off the top [tip] of his tail, and put a bowl right under his tail and catch his blood, dry it. You have to catch all of this blood until he is dead. Then you take him and lay him up on a dry place and dry him. His bones and his flesh, after it gets dry, you powder it up. You take this and this blood and mix it, and they put it down for you. They'll dig a hole in front of your door and put this in that hole and call the Lord's Name: Lord, Jesus Christ, His Namesake. You fill it up, take three steps backward, and say: Now, I've got you; that will hold you, that will take you away to an unknown world. When he comes along and steps over that, he's gone. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 6625
Well, yo' kin use a rattlesnake haid. Yo' kin use a rattlesnake haid, if yo' git someone tuh kill a rattlesnake an' take de haid of it, an' put 'im in de stove an' let 'im jis' stay in dere undah a hot fiah, an' let it parch up fine. An' yo' kin take dat an' put it in anybody's [water]bucket - jis' de dus' from it, yo' know. Aftah yo' take an' beat it up, pound it up good, git de dust of it an' sprinkle it in anybody's watah bucket. Ary [or] a li'le pinch of it in dey food. An' it'll kill 'em.
Entry 6895
Den yuh kin git some root whut dey call de blacksnake root, grain [green] root, an' arrowroot, an' High John de Conkah. Well, dat's de root, dat John de Conquah, dat is goin' tuh conquah mos' anythin', any kinda HO0- DOO dat come. DAT'S A Did yuh git chew [down] [blacksnake root] grain root, an' de arrowroot, an' John de Conquah? DAT RooT'S VERY EXPENSIVE AN' AH KNOW ZACTLY WHERE TUH GIT IT, see. Yuh kin [take] dose roots an' boil 'em tuhgethah an' if anybody wuz HOoDOOED, if mah lady wuz HOODO0, take some of dat root when it's dry an' beat it.up an' give it tuh a lady in some ine an' dat'll perform. Yuh kin see it, scorpion drived an' - given in powdah tuh someone - movin' in 'er laigs. Git dat stuff an' boil it an' make tea out it, an' in ten days dat git de pain outa yuh body. Dat came out. One time she couldn't walk straight. Evah time she stand up she fell on de floah. Ah goes tuh dat dere fellah an' ah says, "Look, ah wan' chew tuh drive me out tuh de country. See yo' got a li'le hatchet." Ah want tuh get me a hatchet an' he gave me de hatchet, an' ah went tuh de red oak tree. Ah trimmed off de white bark an' de black bark ovah it an' cut down tuh de juicy wood. Ah cut me fo' chips out on east side. Ah goes tuh de west side of de tree an' ah cuts me fo' more. Ah cut de chips off de east side firs', den ah go tuh de west side. Den ah git me some blackberry root, chew undahstan'. Den ah git some mul- lein an' ah take dat home, put it tuhgethah. Ah gits home an' ah tell mah wife, ah say, "Look, git me about two quarts of vinegah." An' she put dat on de fiah an' boil it, boil it an' boil it. An' she let it cool. Den she bathe me from mah haid tuh mah feet [downward bathing so that it will go out through his feet] in de tub, an' ah ain't had a pain in dis laig since.
Entry 7061
Ah heah dat a woman kin take a broom an' lay a broom at de foot of de baid, an' put 'er bloomahs above yore haid an' do anythin' she wanta - yo' won' notice it - an' go on out. Heard of 'em fixin' dat. (At night?) Yes sir, at night.
Entry 7080
Or eithah yore dirty bloomahs an' hang 'em ovah de haid of de baid right ovah 'is haid. An' fan it nine times dataway ovah 'is face while he's sleep an' make a wish, fo' nine times. Make a wish fo' nine times dat he stays asleep. An' den hang 'em up ovah de haid of de baid right ovah 'is haid. An' he won' vake up. Yo' kin go all ovah town an' come back, an' he be sleepin' sound.
Entry 7081
Ah had a girl one time. Ah wus ovah in Lockenberry den an' ah wuz quite a kid. Ah reckon ah wus 'bout 18. She's a fast woman yo' know. Ah didn't make no money 'en jis' give it tuh 'er jis' as fast as ah git it, yo' know. Well, she figured 'cuz ah bein' young an' drinkin' a lotta whiskey, undahstan', she figured ah might ketch 'er in wrong-doin' an' kill 'er, don't chew see. Cuz some time ah'd follah 'er don't chew know. So she worked a trick on me one night. An' ah wus lucky enough fo' de boy in de nex' room tuh wake me up 'fo' she come back in. But ah wuz hard tuh wake up. Ah could heah 'im talkin'. Looked lak ah wus half drunk, an' ah hadn't drink a drop. So dis boy he come in an' jis' kept acallin' an' acallin' me. So aftah while ah woke up. An' when ah come tuh mah senses, he says, "Look up. Don't look at me, look up." So ah looked up lak dat right at de haid of de baid. Dere wus 'er bloomahs hangin' ovah mah haid. So ah wus jis' layin' up dere sleepin' lak a [dog or] frog wit 'er bloomahs hangin' up dere. So ah took it. So - he wus oldah den me, yo' see - so he tole me, said, "Well, now, yo' jis go put it back up dere an' lay down an' don' bothah, an' make lak yo' don' know nuthin 'bout it, undahstan'." An' say, "An' de nex' time she pull dat trick," Say, "ah'm goin' watch her." An' says, "If yo' be asleep, ah'm goin' take it from ovah yore haid an' let yo' go out an' ketch 'er." So dat's whut she done to me, put de bloomahs ovah mah head.
Entry 7135
If a woman's gittin' ready tuh go out, if she got sense, she'll lay on de bed wit 'er husban'. She pulls off 'er clothes an' while he's not lookin', she'll take and place her undah- weah undah 'is head. She'll take an' place her undahweah undah 'is head, an' he'll lay dere an' go tuh sleep an' he'll nevah wake up. Den she'll take his lef' shoe an' TURN IT DOWN IN UNDAH DE BED, AN' SHE KIN GO TUH HELL AN' COME BACK.
(And she must put the underclothes under his pillow - under his head?)
Her undahclothes undah 'is head.
(Under the pillow or under his head?)
Undah 'is head. Put 'er undahclothes undah 'is head. It kin be, as long as it's undah 'is head, she kin even put it undah de sheet. Yo' know, she put it somewhere where he can't see it.
(Oh, I see.)
Entry 7138
Ah tell yo' whut a woman kin do. Jis' lak if 'er an' 'er husban' gone tuh baid an' she wanta step out, she'll git up an' she'll take his shoe, turn 'em bottomside upwards in undah de foot of de baid. See, he cain't wake up until she come back an' turn dem shoes ovah. Den a man kin - he kin, jis' lak if he wan's tuh go out an' leave her dere asleep, all he's gotta do, jis' git up yo' know an' take his pants off or some of 'is drawahs, yo' know it's dirty, an' hang: 'em ovah de top of de baid ovah 'er haid dere, an go on off about 'is business. An' she won't wake up until he come back an' move dem things.
Entry 7214
Dat whut chew call tyin' down. Dey'll wait until de man come in an' go tuh sleep, an' dey git a bran'-new ball of cot- ton yarn an' puts it on de inside of de baid, where de man gotta sleep. Why dey measure from de tip of 'is haid tuh de sole of 'is feet. Tie a knot tuh de neck, an' tie a knot tuh de waist, an' tie a knot tuh de knees, an' tie a knot tuh de ankles, an' tie one tuh de sole of yuh feet [5 knots]. An' den dey take dat an' dey care [carry] it undah de baid tuh de side dat he sleeps on an' tie it, yo' know, undah de springs wit de two ends tuhgethah double. Tie it right undah where [demonstrates]. Dis part of de body.
(Near the backside?)
Yes. Dat keeps 'im down, dat keep 'em from runnin' aroun'. [Charleston, S. Car., (514), 599:5.] [For more material by Doctor Glover, see Pp.2258-2259; No.112, P.41; No.272, P.79; and No.335, p.99.]
Entry 7376
Ah heard sev'ral diff'ren' p'ints about dat. Now dey says jes' lak if someone killed somebody else, an' yo' wants to fin' out who killed dat indivijal. When yo' git where he is yo' goes an' lay yore han' if he layin' on 'is back, lay yore han' an' drill it up three time lak dat from 'is face down to 'is nostel [nostril] an' say, "It will be a hot heat' - when yo' drill yore han' three time up an' down 'is nostel [nostril]. Well, turn 'im ovah an' right to [at] de back of de haid, git jes' a little pinch of dirt from outen dere. Take it to de house an' take yo' a pinch of table salt an' put it in dat, an' tote it wit chew fo' foah days. Aftah de foah days is up, walk an' throw it in de fiah, an' whosoevah killed dat indivijal, dey'll pass yore home - undah six days dey'll appear in yore home. Dat's de one dat killed de indivijal den. (WHEN YOU FIRST GET TO THAT DEAD MAN, YOU TAKE YOUR HAND AND JUST RUB IT DOWN OVER HIS NOSTRILS THREE TIMES - DOWN OVER HIS WHOLE FACE. Dat's right.
(Then what? It'll feel warm you say?)
It will feel warm on de third time, an' den yo' jes' take right in de back of de head, if he is laying down on de dirt or anywhere - take out a pinch of sand, if he's layin' on de ground - from undah his haid, any kin'a dust from undah his haid. Care [carry] it home an' put chew a pinch of salt in dat an' keep it until de third mawnin'. De thlrd mawnin' throw it in de fiah an' dat indivijal dat done de killin' on de sixth mawnin'll be to yore home.
Entry 7381
Well, suppose you kill me, tisn't but one thing. But do dis now. If you kill me right now - why do you kill any person, woman or man - go to yore house an' get one shirt, or one undahshirt, or one drawers, or a pants, or a sock, anything dat chew wear [wear]. Put it undahneat' dat woman or dat man's head, an' yo' can't go anywhere. Yo'll come back. It'll be far, but yo'll come back in town.
(That's the way they catch you, if you kill somebody.)
Yes, sir, if yo' kill somebody - if yo' jes' shoot 'em, why dey can't get yo' anyway. If yo' kill somebody, yo' can't go. Yo'll go but yo' won't sleep, an' don't care where yo' sleep, yo' goin' to git so tired dat yo' come an' give yore- self up to de law. [The dead man's spirit will not let the murderer sleep. It pesters the killer until he returns and gives himself up to the law.]
Entry 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 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 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 7470
Put two eggs under each arm and one under the head of the murdered aan, and after these five eggs rot and bu'st in the grave the murderer will return.
Entry 7488
Dere's a way dat dey could bury 'im. Ah know dat a personal fact. A frien' of mine got killed an' dey turned 'im on 'is face - dey buried 'im on 'is face. An' it's a known fact dat if somebody killed anybody, an' if yo' bury 'em on dey face an' yo' turn dey haid eastward an' face it westwards, dey can't go nowhere - dey gotta come back. (The fellow that killed him will come back?) Yessiree. It ain't no if about dat business. Dat Big Boy Brown killed a frien' of mine. Big Boy wus a friend of mine an' also dis ole man dat he killed. Ah know becuz ah got in some trouble right chere mahself at de time an' ah had tuh go to jail. Me an' 'im wus in jail at de same time. Had 'im in dere firs' an' ah got in a little trouble aftah.
(This other fellow that killed the old man?)
Yes sir.
Entry 7632
Yo' kin take de graveyard dirt an' boll it an' put it in a bottle dat kin broke easy. An' yo' an' a person come in contact, dey fixin' tuh fight [you], if yo' git a chance tuh break dat bottle ovah dere haid an' cut dem an' bring de blood out, why dey'll linger an' pine away an' die. (You do that if you think you are going to get into a fight, get into a fight with anyone?) Yes. See, see him comin', why crack dat bottle ovah his head an' bring a little bit of blood an' let de watah run down. [I suggest that the graveyard dirt is boiled to arouse the captured spirit of the graveyard dirt to fighting madness.]
Entry 7664
Dey go tuh de cemetery, a person would, if dey try tuh do yo' mean. Jes' lak somebody's buried dis evenin', go dere an' git de dirt outa his grave. Go dere an' git it down nex' tuh 'is feet an' outa his stomach an' outa de haid. An' take it an' git chew a snakeshed an' put all dat - mix 'em tuhgethah an' cross 'em [throw dirt in form of a cross] an' yo' aim dat whare dey doin' yo' dirty. (Well, now you get this dirt from three places out of the grave, but it must be a grave that's been opened that day - must be a grave from that day. And you put this inside the snakeshed and you grind the snakeshed up like that. And then you mix the grave dirt with that. Show me what you do with this powder then.) Yo' take dis powdah an' put it, an' bury hit undah yore steps. If dat person come at night an' do anythin' dere, dat'll keep 'em away from dere. Dey'll jes' go an' travel an' travel, an' jes' come tuh be nuthin but skin an' bone. Always travel.
(What about the eyes going down?)
If yo' use snakeshed an' graveyard dirt. Yo' see, all dat jes' goes wit de body, yo' see. Dey ketches de same disease. De snake, yo' know, jes' lak he bit chew, see.
(Well how does it get into them? Does it get in through his eye or what?)
It will git intuh de eye, but people use it in diff'ren' kind [of ways]. Jes' lak yo's heah an' ah do's disaway. Well, when ah'm talkin' an' yore haid - take mah han' disaway, it will kill 'em [you]. (Which way are you going to do. After you get this snakeshed and graveyard dirt ground together, now what are you going to do with it? Are you going to throw it around that person or are you going to put it under your door. Which are you going to do with that? Or do you do both things?) Put it roun' yore home.
(And what is that supposed to do then?)
It 'sposed tuh break up whut dey wan' tuh do tuh yo'.
(And what will happen to them?)
Sompin happen tuh 'em, dey has bad luck.
Entry 7684
Yo' go tuh a - if somebody troublin' yo' an' yo' jis' want 'em tuh git in trouble, see. Yo' go tuh a sinnah - yo' gotta know somebody wuz a wicked sinnah an' got killed - yo' see, a gamblah. Yo' go tuh 'is haid an' dig down about wrist deep. An' put three pen- nies dere an' jis' tell it - jis' lak yo' talkin' tuh in - jis' lakyo' know'im, say, "so- an'-so-an'-so, ah wan' chew tuh go tuh Such-an'-such-a-one an' give dem hell, jis' give dem hell. Wham! Fight 'em, make 'em fight. Make 'em kill if it's necessary." An' yo' put de pennies dere. Kivah [cover] de hole up an' go off. Walk off an' nevah look back. Yo' take dat graveyard dirt an' yo' ketch yore dog an' cut some hair off de end of 'is tail, see. All right, yo' ketch chew a ket [cat]. Yo' cut some hair off 'is haid an' 'is tail. An' yo' take dat dog an' cut jis' a li'le bit of hair out 'is fo'haid. Yo' git some of dis urinate, see. All right yo' git yo' some red peppah, table salt, put wit dat. An' yo go by where dem people stay an' jis' tell 'em [dirt and its ingredients] what chew want 'em do wit it. An' throw it.] Don't evah look back, keep goin'. An yo' ain't goin' be a minute off fo' yo' see 'em raisin' Sam [Sam = devil]. Dey goin' move from dere. Aftah while dey goin' move from dat state.
(That is to run them out of there, run them away.)
Dat's tuh run 'em away. Dat's hard tuh ovahcome. Now ah heah'n [heard] a man tell dat an' ah seen it work. See, fo' a fact he used tuh git me tuh go by dere sometime an' throw it dere. Dis ole Doctor Bush.
Entry 7823
Tisn't [It is not] but one place at ah knows of in de graveyard dat yo' kin git any dirt dat will do anythin'. Not any kind of dirt in de graveyard will not [omit not] anything. [Such a belief] it's a fake. If yo' go tuh a murdahed man's grave... [I interrupt.] (Some man that was killed?) Yeah, murdahed. He gotta be a sinnahman, a worldly man lak a gamblah or gangstah or somepin of dat kind. Yo' goes tuh 'is grave an' on 'is left-hand side at 'is haid, yo' take yuh right hand, yo' puts it down in dat earth. Yo' try tuh make it [reach the grave] aftah it rains, 'cuz de earth is soft. [As we shall see, you must grasp this dirt until you reach home and write a letter; consequently not one grain of this dirt must be dropped.] An' yo' kneels dere an' yo' ask 'im whut yo' wanta be done. Undahstan', an' as yo' ask 'im, yo' close yuh hand whilst yo' got it down in dat hole, an' den yo' brings dis dirt out. Undahstand? Yo' brings dis dirt out. Well, den yo' take it home. Yo' writes a lettah jis' lak ah'm writin' tuh a live person from which ah got dis dirt. An' in dat envelope ah'll put dis yere [here] dirt whut ah had in mah hand in dat envelope. Nevah let it [dirt] loose, nevah turn it loose until ah put it in dis envelope. An' den ah will take de sheet of papah an' ah will write tuh dat [dead] man. An' whutsomevah ah wan 'im tuh do, ah will seal dat lettah up wit dis dirt an' put it undah mah haid An' he will do anything dat yo' ast 'im tuh do. An' dat's de only place in de graveyard dat de dirt is any good.
Entry 7946
Take a new needle out of a pad dat's nevah been sewed an' go tuh a un- dahtakah's shop an' run it in de garment of de dead person. An' if yo' wanta control dat person an' dere's a track aroun' de house an' in de yard, take dat needle an' yo' nail it down, wit de haid down firs' where dey step. An' dey will not leave yo'.
Entry 8062
If dis party is off, 'way off, an' yo' wants tuh see dem, well if dat pichure - dey say is a tintype pichure - dat yo' could turn it up on it's haid in a Bible, upside down, an' if dey can, why dey'll come.
Entry 8166
Yo' kin take a person's pichure jis' lak ah take yer pichure yo' see. Yo'd gimme yer pichure tuh keep. Ah'd take dat pichure an' ah goes tuh de grave- yard on de firs' Friday of de month. Ah take dat photograph an' ah digs a hole right un- dahneath [over] a person's haid. Yo' know where dey wuz laid out at in de graveyard. Jis' dis be de face [demonstrates] ah take dat an' ah turns dat bottom upwards an' ah plants dat.
(The face planted down.)
Jis' planted downward. Ah mean, yo' know, buries it. De face is down. An' ah buries dat. An' when dat pichure rots, well yo' goes jis' lak dat pichure. Yo' go crazy.
(Would it kill you or what?)
Sho'[sure].
Entry 8169
Yo' kin take dat pichure ag'in, dat whut ah'm tellin' yo' 'bout, carry it tuh a grave. Now, dis is somepin dat will run a person from yer house, too. Take dat pichure an' carry it tuh a new grave an' turn dat pichure sundown side on its face. See, dat now, an' covah it up wit dat same dirt an' put a penny on top of it. An' dat'll run 'em jis' as crazy as kin be, dey go tuh de 'sylum.
[We now struggle to understand one another.]
(How do you mean turn down to the sundown?)
Yo' see yo' turn dat pichure down on its face. See dat? [Demonstrates.] Put 1 penny on top of dat.
(What happens on the sundown side?)
It will run 'em crazy.
(Well, how does that picture face?)
Well, yo' know dis [demonstrates] is de face of de pichure, ain't it? Well, yo' see yo' put it in de grave an' yo' turn it down lak dat on de face an' put a penny on top of it.
(Which way is that picture pointing?)
Which way it pointin'? Where de sundown - southeast. (You put that picture down. You told me you put it to the sundown side. What do you mean by the sundown side?) Ah mean turn de pichure towards sundown.
(The head towards sundown?)
Uh-huh - yes.
Entry 8174
Dey could take yure pichure an' put it 'tween two cream jars upside [head] down an' no mattah how fah yo' away from 'em, as long as dey keep dat pichure of yures 'tween two cream jars upside down, well yo'll be thinkin' about only dem all de time. An' graj'ly [gradually], yo'll always be tryin' tuh come back tuh 'em, becuz it seems lak she jis' ha'nts [haunts] yo'. Seems lak she jis' callin' yuh all de time. (What do you mean between two cream jars? One cream jar and the picture up- side down and the other cream jar on top of it?) Naw [no], two cream jars standin' side by side an' de pichure between it, upside down wit de haid pointin' tuh de ground.
Entry 8178
Take his pichure an' quite natchel [natural] she kin keep dat pichure an' jis' - wherevah yo' at, she kin turn it upside down an' she kin run yo' crazy by having dat pichure upside down. If she's a good-hearted person, have yure pichure standin' up. Long as dat pichure's up, yo' won't be bothahed. She kin take dat pichure an' set it down in a cornah somewhere, or eithah hide it. Long as she's got dat pichure.... [The inference here is this photo standing up can be turned on its head.]
Entry 8179
Well, if it's on a tintype, take an' turn it upside down [here head dowal in coal oil, takin' red flannel an' red di'mond an' buryin' dat photo, dat photograph upside down yo' see. Dey claim dat dat man aftah a certain length of time, he will git so yo' undahstand, his mind will nevah be stationary on one thing; he will nevah be satisfied at anything he do. See, anything dat he would do look lak, look lak he could do bettah, an' jes' keep 'im an' he'll go from bad tuh worse.
(This photo is buried, you put it in the ground?)
Upside down wit de haid down an' de feet up. Yeah, but it cain't be done unless it's on a tintype.
(And you put this coal oil on it?)
Coal oil, kerosene oil, yeah, an' red di'mond.
(What is red diamond?)
Dat de same thing as de blue diamond an' de blue di'mond an' de red di'mond. It's some kinda thing, yo' git at de drug sto'. It's a kinda powdah.
Entry 8180
Yo' could take photograph an' take it an' - ah've heard yo' could take a photograph an' cut de head off of it; jes' lak ah got chure photograph or yo' got mine, an' cut de head off. An' ah head dat [cut the head off your photo] by an' by, jis' lak yo' do dat [to] dat photograph [of mine]. If somebody do dat, see, yo' run upon dat same thing. Jis' lak yo' cut mah head off mah photograph, somebody do dat same way [to yours]. Dat whut ah heard about dat.
(Who would do that to you?)
Who would do dat tuh me? Ah would git intuh trouble or git in a argument wit someone an' someone would cut me jis' lak dat photograph is cut. Somebody cut me de same way. Cut mah throat, see.
Entry 8181
If a boy wan'a girl or a girl wan'a boy, git 'is pitchure an' cut off all but de haid. An' fol' de haid up an' put it in a bottle of cologne, an' tote it in yure pocket.
Entry 8182
Well, dey kin take yure photograph. Well, dey kin cut it all out roun' but chure haid, see. An' put dat in a bottle of alkyhol [alcohol] an' let it stay fo' awhile an' burn it up. An' dat'll ruin yo'. Dat'll run yo' crazy.
Entry 8190
An' den yo' kin take a persons's photograph an' jes' lak ah'd [Iwould] take yure photograph, an' yo'ere [you were] mah fren'-lak, an' yo' wuz away from me an' had treated me wrong. Well, ah'd take yure photograph an' stand it up on de mantel. Well, now, yo'd [you bad] tuh come back tuh me, or eithah worry yo'self tuh death.
(How would you stand it up on the mantel?)
Stand it up on it's haid. See, it be up lak dat [demonstrates], see, yo' ondahstan', an' he'd be standin' down on 'is haid, upside down. Dat'll make him cme back.
Entry 8196
If a person is away an' yo' wan' 'em back, yo' could take a photograph, no mattah whethah it's tin or pastebo'd. No mattah if it tin or papah, dey kin take dat an' put it on top of de dressah, what choo call de bu- reau. Git ready, yo' take dat. Take a pichure, male or female, an' yo' could take dat an' wrap it up. If a woman wan' tuh bring 'im back, take a piece of 'er clothes an' weah it nex tuh him. [Informant has right idea but may have had a drink.] An' he wrap dat pichure up an' turn it on de haid an' rip dat piece, yo' know whut ah mean, be- hind de glass [of the mirror] an' put it dere lak dat [demonstrates]. Ah don' [care] whäh he is, aftah nine days he'll come, or twelve days, soon as he kin git dere.
Entry 8197
Take yure pitchure an' put it in a looking glass [the carboard behind the small.hand mirror having been removed]. An' turn it [photo] upside down [against mercury backing of mirror, restoring card- board back] an' put it undahneat' [you] an' sleep on it or walk on it or put it somewhere somebody'll tread on it an' break de glass, an' yo' [person of photo] got tuh come back. Go tuh de do' an' burn some disinfect [disinfectant] an' make yure wish [wish] an' burn it in de house. Den go to de do' an' make yuh wush [again] an' come back. An' 'at [that] been done in Short[?] William Street alley [here in Richmond]. Den [another method] yo' put it [photo without mirror] undah- neat' de carpet or in a trunk upside down tuh draw yuh back. Well keep yuh on yure haid or yuh feet till yuh git back home. An' use dat powdah, insex, love insex [love incense] dey call it. Burn it on a stove.
Entry 8198
Jis' lak if yo' got a daughtah run away from home, yo' undahstan', an' she might run away wit some young man dat married, yo' undahstan'. An' yo' don' know where she at an' don' know where she gone, an' she won' write chew or come. See, lak yo' got 'er pichure dere. All yo' gotta. do, take dat pi- chure dat's dere an' turn it bottom upwards. Turn it bottom upwards [demon- strates].
(Take the picture and turn it like that?)
Dat's right.
(Turn it on its face.)
Thah's de pichure right dere leanin' back 'ginst de wall lak dat, yo' see. Bell, all yo' gotta do - some of 'em say take dat pichure an' put it 'ginst de nirror lak dat [demonstrates].
(Put the face to the mirror?)
Dat's right. Well, now, de way ah heah it. See, lak dat [demonstrates], de pichure's facin' yo'. All yo' gotta do, turn de haid down dataway.
(Have the picture standing on its head?)
Dat's right.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat'll make her git on de haid about chew, an' den she'll come back home.
Entry 8209
An' den yo' would take an' write a person's - draw a person's pitsture am'write dere name on a tree.
(Do you draw their picture on the tree?)
Yo' draw dere pitsture on a tree, jis' lak yo' would take an' go dere an' draw a pitsture on de tree. If yo' don' wanta skin it where anybody would take notice, yo' would draw a pitsture on de tree, namin' it him, an' den write undah it dat it him. An' take a nail, a fo'-penny nail, an' drive right in de centah of 'is haid. An' says yo' nail dat fo' nine mawnin's, yo' go dere an' tap it, an' de ninth mawnin' yo' drive it plumb in. An' dis person will die.
(You write his name and just say It's him on it?)
[He may have said It's him before recording began. He now says person must not be plainly identified.1 Yo' write his name, yo' make it kinda a sign. Don't make it plain where peo- ple kin read it an' all lak dat, don't chew know, but jis' lak imitatin' writin'. Well, yo' name it. Dat's 'is name. An' yo' draw dat pitsture, jis' - yo' know. An' den yo' take an' drive dat nail in dere an' - fo' nine mawnin's yo' would go dere an' tap dat nail an' de ninth mawnin' yo'd drive it in.
Entry 8246
(If a man leaves his wife, how would she make him come back?) Make him come back?
(How would the woman make him come back?)
Well, dey kin go buy a box of salt an' take his pichure. Take dat pichure an' de box of salt an' put dat pichure head foremost - put de head down an' feet up - dat [feet] on top, de top of 'is feet in dere. See, dis side up. An' aftah it set in dere nine days, yo' take dat salt off. Take dat pichure, aftah he come - soon as he come home - take dat pichure an' put it up. If yo' wan' tuh make him come quick, take dat pichure an' put it in a li'le frame, an' put it close tuh de stove, an' keep a fiah in dat stove. An' den, if yo' want's it hot, den yo' sprinkle peppah on de bottom part of dat pichure. I heah sometime dey put....
Entry 8280
Take it an' carry it in de woods an' cut a green pine - or any green tree - an' make it smooth [a smooth place] an' tack dat photograph up ag'inst de tree, an' git off at yore distance an' shoot dis photograph. Try tuh hit it in de haid or in de heart, dey say, an' jes' lak yo' do dat photograph, dat jes' lak whut would happen tuh de person. [Green tree is a common term for live tree, ordinary meaning avoid a dead tree or a tree not in leaf.]
Entry 8284
Dey go ahaid an' tack it [photo] up on de tree an' shoot it, an' dat'll kill yuh. Dey go dere nine mawnin's an' shoot it. Dat'll kill yuh. Jis' turn it bottom upwards an' shoot it about de heart.
Entry 8304
Dey [a woman] said dey could take yo' pitchure. Jis' lak if a woman husband leave huh or eithah a man leaves 'is wife, or somepin, dat dey could take de pitchure an' turn it on de haid, turn de pitchure down on its haid, somewhere where it kin stan' up undah de bed outa sight. An' tell it [she, who told informant the story] said dat, "Yo' lef' me but choo're comin' back; yo'll be on yer haid tuh see me." She [woman who told her experience.to informant] said dey'll come back or be on dere haid tuh come back. An' dey will come back.
Entry 8306
Go an' git 'is pichure an' stand it on it's haid undah de haid of 'er bed an' talk tuh it. Call 'im back nine mawnin's an' he'll come back.
Entry 8344
All right if yo' wants tuh kill a person, yo' gits yo' a pichure an' drive a sixtypenny nail through de haid an' through de body. Carry it to an ole cedah tree an' drive it in dat cedah tree. Ah'll guarantee yo' in twenty-fo' hours dey'll be daid. (How many nails do you drive in there, just one nail?) Two nails, one through de heart of de pichure an' one through de haid. An' ah'll guarantee yo' dey'll be daid in twenty-fo' hours.
Entry 8388
Yo' kin take his pichure an' turn it upside down an' dat'll make dem love yuh. Wilmington, N. Car., (243), 166:1+85.]
Entry 8413
Jis' lak ah'd have a man's photograph an' wanted dat man an' he had quit me, say. Why ah kin take dat photograph an' carry it - take it an' put it in a glass of watah. Put it undah de haid of yore bed turnin' de haid down, intuh dat glass, an' dey say dat makes de man come back tuh yo'.
Entry 8418
If ah want chew tuh come back tuh me, well ah would put it [photo] in a glass of watah an' set it in a cornah, in a dark cornah, an' let it stay down dere. Turn de haid, heel foremost Iturn head where heel should bel yo' know. So ah jis' let it stay in dat dark cornah an' yo' is comin' back home.
Entry 8454
Well, dey tell me, if yo' do any hahm [harm] tuh a woman an' she love yuh in any way, she could take yuh pitchure an' turn it down a certain way. Yo'll have tuh come back [to her] or it run yuh mindless until yo' kin git tuh yuh pitchure or have some root doctor git it. An' [she] have it turned down in run- nin' watah. Jis' turn it right - haid upward, an' yuh foots up an' yuh haid down [downstream] on runnin' watah. She place it [tie it] down dere where it cain't git away, yo' know. She goes down dere evah mawnin' an' look an' take it up an' let it go back down. Evah mawnin' fo' about ah think twenty-two mawnin'. Den aftah dat happen, an' if shoo [you] don' come back tuh 'er, yo' jis' go crazy.
Entry 8455
Dey say yo' take de pichure an' put it in runnin' watah an' dat will run yo' crazy. Put yo' wit de haid down de stream an' de feet upstream, pointin' up. See, yore haid go down which will be in front, an' it will run yo' crazy in nine days.
Entry 8462
Ah kin give yuh two practices on dat. Now, dey kin take yure photo- graph, yo' know, what yo' have already gotten yureself, since dat's yo'. Write chure name at de bottom first, write chure name on de top an' tote chew right down tuh any stream of watah dat goes up an' down [tide- water stream], you git tuh a piece of wood [= woods, collection of trees] where dere a tree what de watah comes up on. Yo' know, as it comin' up it looks lak dat [water covers a part of the tree trunk].
(As the tide comes up?)
Dat's right. Turn de haid right down an' take a rusty nail an' nail it right in dere. Don't drive de nail haid in, don't drive de haid in. Jis' drive it enough tuh hold it. Evah time when de tide comes up, why yo' know yo' will jis' be all crazy, evahthing looks funny tuh yuh. An' when de tide's goin' out, why yo'll jis' set in one place - lie down in one place an' sleep all de time. Sleep comes ovah yuh jis' lak dat.
Entry 8472
Now, if I wan'a keep yo' in trouble - kin yo' hear me? [I probably nodded yes.] If I wan'a keep yo' in trouble, I get a glassful of whiskey, half full, and turn you [your photograph] down in [not on] that glass, and put [in] three old brass pen- nies, yo' know. Pennies, yo' know. And let it [photograph] stay upside down in there, and you will be in trouble the balance of yore days. [3 pennies symbolize Three Holy Names or are taken over from payment to grave spirit for graveyard dirt.]
Entry 8473
Dey take alcohol.
(After they got the fingernails.)
After dey got de fingahnails an' aftah yo' take de alcohol, dey put it intuh dis alcohol. All right, den dey go git chure photo, yore pichure. Dey have tuh take yore photo an' dey puts yo' down, standin' down on yore haid. Well, all right, dey takes an' put fo' strings in dat; dat's if a woman wants a man tuh come back tuh 'er. (They put the four strings in what?) Intuh dis pichure. (How do they put them into the picture?) Wal, take a thread, yo' know in de fo' cornahs. Den dey turn it down, turn yuh down on yo' haid, see; an' dey take dis pichure an' dey place it ovah, behin' dis alcohol wheah yo' fingahnails is. See, an' den go tuh de back of de baid an' den dey tie dis string [in each of 4 corners of photo]. Well, dey covah it [photo] up where yo' cain't see it an' den event'ly [eventually], yo' come.
(This man is supposed to come home?)
Yeah.
Entry 8475
Say yo' takes 'er pichure. Yo' goes an' git a gun an' regardless tuh who she is or how much money she got, if yo' loved 'er, git 'er photograph an' turns 'er photograph on de desk, layin' de photograph an' call 'it 'er pichure, an' mark it wit a "X' - a cross, 'X'. Take an' folds it up in a piece of news- pahah an' put it in yore shoes. Hoids up de linin' of yore shoes an' put it in dere, an' turns de haid of 'er pichure down tuh de ground an' tuhward de back of yore heel. Weah it three days an' take it an' delivah it out. An' pertends [pretends] yo' drinkin' whiskey, two glasses. Drink yores an' name hers wit de pichure ovah it. An' let it stay dere fo' three days an' she'll return tuh yo'.
(After you wear this in your shoe, you take it, the third day, and then you?)
Put it in two drinks of likkah, put it in two separate glasses. Fulls [fill] de glasses up each, an' drink one. An' put de othah one back an' name it wit de pichure in it, ovah de glass wit de face down tuh whiskey.
Entry 8477
I have heard they take your photograph and get the hair out of your head, and wish anything would happen to that image, and attach that hair onto your pic- ture, and that wish will come true.
Entry 8623
Well, yo' see, jis' like a person asleep, they'll take this hair out de mold of yore had. Dey put it in a bottle. After dey put it in a bottle, dey take a lemon. Dey squeeze dat lemon juice in dat bottle, an' take yore name. Yo' write dat name nine times an' put it in dat bottle, an' shake it up, an' set in de sunrise side of de worl'. Jis' as de sun goes [from sunrise to sunset], dey say yo' lose yore mind.
Entry 8855
[Yo' do this] wit nine needles. An' if ah'm gone an' yo' wanta heah from me an' yo' wanta break me up from where ah'm at, yo' take nine needles an' yo' take a piece of papah. Yo' evah hear'd of dis parchment papah? (I understand.) All right. Yo' take dat parch- ment papah an' write my name on it. Write Emmaline Williams on it, yo undah- stand, an' stick a needle all.de'long [along] in dere. An' yo' stick one dis way an' one dat way, one upside down an' one straight down.
(One with the head up and one with the head down Alternate them?)
[Often with needles or pins called heads and tails.]
Yes, zigzag. Yo' put dem in a lettah an' say, "Ah wish, ah wish, ah wish, tuh God, if dis lettah reach 'er, an' will tear 'er from wheresomevah she be's." Dat will bring 'em.
(You don't send the letter?)
Yassuh, yo' send it to 'em. Yo' see, yo' don't leave 'em out in public. Yo' take anothah piece of papah an' put ovah dat parchment papah, yo' undahstan'.
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 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 9831
An' den a person kin take needles an' put 'em in a - up undah yuh house. Put so many needles undah dere, nine needles undah yuh house, right wheah yuh haid is, right on dere. An' dem nine needles will kill yuh in nine dasy. In nine days yo'll be daid. (You put them under where you sleep.) Undah wheah yo' sleep. Dey go up undahneat' de house. An' stick nine needles up dere in a row wit de p'ints up. An' dem nine needles in nine days, yo'll git sick, an' 'fore de nex' nine days out, yo' daid.
Entry 9905
Tell yo' about frogs. Take a frog an' put 'im in a snuffbox an' punch holes in it, an' ca' it down tuh de fo'ks of de road. An' at de twil of day go back fo' nine mawnin's, an' de las' mawnin' he'll be et up by de antses. An' take him den an' take de bone outa his haid, an' keep it in yuh pockit. An' if yo' wan' someone tuh do whut chew ast 'im [ask him] take an' put dat somewheah neah dem, an' dey'll do anything yo' as'cum [ask them].
(When do you take that frog down there to the road?)
At de 'twill of day - yes sir, jis' befo' daylight. (The twill of day, that means just before daylight.) [This last remark of mine is merely an editorial comment for the future. I may have another example of twil but I am not sure. Does it mean at the twilight of day? Somewhere in HOODOO I think we have the expression first Light. Does the latter equal dawn?]
Entry 9943
Yo' got a enemy an' yo' don't want 'em an' [or] yo' jis' lak a man come in an' take yuh wife. Now, it's two ways tuh do it. Yo' ketch a toadfrog dat hops an' yo' take a brass pin an' scratch 'er left laig. An' yo' git a raw [not spun or twisted] thread. Tie yuh 9 knots in it. Scratch de left laig an' ketch 9 drops of blood, see. All right, yo' tie it [thread with blood] on de hind right laig an' yo' meet de sun before it rises in de mawnin' [you do this before sunrise]. An' make a wish, call dis person's name an' turn yer haid toward de rivah [the Mississippi] an' tell 'uh [her] tuh go. Call it three times jis' lak it's Mary, say: Mary go! Mary go! Mary go! Well, de way dat frog go [after you turn him loose] dat's de way whoevah it is vill go.
Entry 10136
They say you must shoot a cat going right, a black cat crossing your road going right. Shoot him dead and then get that main bone what's called the thigh bone or femor bone of a cat, the right leg, front. And then get the bone right back of the head, and one of the right-foot bones also. Three bones. And put them to- gether and wear them in a sack around the waist, and a person can do anything he Wants to do that's devilish and tricky.
Entry 10142
Git dat same oil whut ah wuz speakin' of jis' a minute ago. Ah did nah fathah dat-a-way when he left [this part of the country]. Ah took dat same oil an' rubbed 'im wit it, an' he spent de night in mah sis- ter's home. He walked right on out de street, an' de sher- iff wuz lookin' fo' 'im. He nevah did come back. Went tuh Texas an' nevah come back.
[I now repeat what informant had said before recording began.]
(You took some of this oil that came from the black cat when you boiled it. [Most black-cat oil comes from hoodoo shop!] You had to rub some all over him. Then he had to stay some night, 13 hours in one night, at some place before he vent?) Yes sir. It wuz jis' rubbed on 'is face. Yo' can't track dat. [For black axt oil see also No.1121, p.417, v.1.]
Entry 10181
Well, someone says yo' kin take three matches and put in de top of your head, cross 'em - three or four matches. Wear them in de mole of your head. Some says that will put 'em out. (These candles out.) [Here are some of the ways to cross 3 matches or 4 to make these rimless- wheel rites we have met before: see 3 and 6 spoke wheel, No.5720, p.2919; 3 hairs crossing 3 hairs, No.6055, p.2987; six-point star like a wheel, No.8214, p.3447; cross marks 9 in No.8540, p.3515; 2 crossed keys, No.8900, p.3616; wheel with rim No.8946, p.3632; and cross diagram No.9365, p.3756, v.4; and 3 names crossing No.10206, p.3968.]
Entry 10214
I hear dat she could take a strand of häh out of a boy's head an' - this is a little bad - put it down an' [while he is asleep] measure hisself [she measures his penis with his hair]. An' she took that hah an' put it in a bag, an' put it up under huh ähm where she sweat at, an' he couldn't do nuthin to no other woman but her.
Entry 10277
To fix him up. Now he wants to get his nature back, all he got to do, he take and he urine in a bottle. You see, he....
(He urinates into a bottle?)
In a bottle, you see. Now, he urinates in a bottle and, if he urinate in that bottle and he can get to some of hers, see, he pour hers on top of his. Now, when he put that together, he take sugar and cinnamon and he puts that all togethah. He mixes that up good. See. Now, he put that under the head of the bed; see, where he sleep at, where he knows she can't find it. If he's got time enough to do that and she's done fixed the bed herself, he puts that hisself there, you see, because he has to do hisself good, you understand. Now, at night when he comes in - if he done come from work or if he's got work anywhere - when he comes in, long about, prob'ly it might be midnight. He'll raise up, you see. He's going to raise up. Now, when he get [raise] up, he'll get there to her, see. And as long as he keep that there [under bed] until he get hisself back together, done got back all his nature again, why then he can take that same bottle of stuff and keep it hid on the top of anything that's high where she can't get to it. And she'll have more trouble with him than the day is long. She'll have plenty trouble with him then, because he'll always want to be on her, see. He done got his nature back. (I see, that's to bring his nature back, so that he can do this with his wife.) With his wife.
(I see.)
Entry 10279
There's another thing. They can take your chamber lye again and stop you from using a woman.
(How could.they do that?)
They take your chamber lye and put it into a little small bottle like that, and after they put it into a small bottle, they let it rest overnight. And after it rest in overnight, they take that [bottled] chamber lye and put it down into some warm milk and take it [bottle] up. Draw it [bottle] up and let that milk boil away, that it almost gone out that bottle [pan]. And take that [small] bottle again and ketch a owl and shove it up in that owl's throat until it kill him. And take that bottle [with urine inside] and bury it in the ground with his [owl's] head up. Then you'll go for the balance of your life.
(You do what?)
You locked up [impotent] for the balance of your life, you can't use a woman. (You put an owl in there, an owl, a bird, an owl that steals a chicken, an owl that flies around at night?) [I am wrong. Owl is not put in bottle but very small bottle with urine is put in owl's throat.] Yeah. (An owl? And this milk. Do you pour the urine into the milk or put that bottle down into the milk?) [Again I am wrong!] Put the bottle [with urine] down in there [the milk].
(But you don't let any milk get into the bottle?)
No, you have it sealed.
(Yes, but you let this [bottled] urine boil in the milk?)
Yeah.
(I understand, I see. But you have to kill this owl, inside the bottle?)
[As I explained, owl is not in bottle.]
Yes. (And bury the bottle [in owl's throat] with the owl's head up. You have to ase a large bottle for that [no!] I understand. [No, the urine is in very small bottle in owl's throat, but owl buried head up.]
Entry 10495
Dey say, if dose hags wear yo' out ev'ry night overnight, to put a basin of water right in de line about halfway of de person an' den sleep wit de Bible under dere head. (Where do they put that water?) Dey put de water on de floor right in front of de bed. In de front of de bed on de floor about half- way to de bed but it be's outside, not under de bed. [This is a broken bone rite!] An' den sleep with de Bible, or a good-reading book, under yore head. [This is my only example of a good-reading book!] Dey will also stop bothering yo'.
Entry 10570
Dey tuk a leather-wing bat, tuk his head and put it into a little something and put it under mah pillah. And ah laid - mah wife it was did dat in Tallahassee. When ah laid on dat pillah it wasn't long fo' ah got worried - been living well in mah home and me an' her be'd to- gether seventeen years. And dey parted us. Dat was done into dat pillah, and after a while ah got along; you know, left mah home - jest raised up [and left after] living together all dat time. Got up and left, left everything, and five children. Got two girls right chere in town to prove it. Yes, sir. Jest one voan [all because of her].
(Well, who did that?)
Who did dat? It was a man, [living] wit mah wife now. He's wit mah wife 0v. Yes sir, he did dat - [man] by de name of Berkin. He's de one did it. Yes, sir, he did dat. [At a later dat I probably would have asked informant: Did you find the bat heat under your pillow? Or after you had left home did 3i ask a fortuneteller what had made you leave?]
Entry 10641
Red antses - jes' lak if, yo' know, yo' wit 'em an' yo' wanta git rid of dose people, jest anybody. If yo' don't wanta put 'em on de go [become a wanderer] yo' jest git - dey [ants] bores a hole in de ground. An' yo' jest stay right dere an' git jest a weed [or] sompin - not a stick - weed of any kind an' yo' jest continue tuh stir when dey come out dat hole, jest lak dat. An' de person dat chew don't want, yo' jest call dere name as yo' stir. Well, when yo' quit stirring, now when dey come out, if dey comes out an' go dis way or dat way - or dat way, dey ain't comin' back dere any mo'...dey goin' make [a new nest] 'long as dey kin git tuh de church or some place lak dat...but dey goin' tuh leave dat place. See, when dem [ants and] things come out dat hole like dat, see dose people is going.
(Those people whose names you called, that will drive them away.)
Dat's one de easiest way dey'll go den.
(These are big red ants.)
It's a big red ant, it a cow ant.
(Oh! Cow ant. A cow ant?)
Yeah, it made like a cow. When yo' cut his head off de other part will go right on, yo' see, dis part go an' dat part go. Well, yo' take dat an' yo sew it up.
(Sew up what? Sew up the head?)
Dat's right, dat other part will keep agoing.
(And what do you do with that head then?)
Yo' call dat person name an' watch it. See how long he be dere.
(You take this head from it [ant] while you call this person's name.)
You have tuh sew it up an' put it in yore left pocket. (And that person whose name you called will be going the same way that ant's body is going?) Jest lak he's going.
(This is the cow ant? Why do you call them the cow ant?)
Dey made lak a cow. Dey got laigs lak a cow, got a haid lak a cow. Look lak his eyes big as a big head. [Two parts of cow ant working in opposite directions is no more wonderful than the doctor who could see a tombstone rock in section HEADBOARD OF GRAVE ANSWERS DOCTOR GLOVER BY ROCKING, p.2258f., v.3.]
Entry 10704
Well, if de house is ha'nted an' yo' can't git rid of de ha'nts, if yo've got a Bible, jest sleep wit it under yore haid. Dat'll stop de ha'nts.
Entry 10705
Well, if you wanted tuh be protected from de spirits, ghostes or things - wanta rest - lak if dey worrying yo' at night, yo' take a Bible an' lay it right under yore pillah wide open. An' yo' kin go to sleep an' rest all night long, and it won't no ghost an' no evil spirit or nuthin lak dat bother yo'.
Entry 10743
An' what they'll do, they take lak a woman has ministration...an' put it in a bottle. They take it to that fo'k of de road an' turn it down on de haid an' bury it. (The head of the bottle?) Yessuh. Sometime they'll put their hair in there with that ministration and that will cause them to go crazy. An' they kin take that an' put it in swift runnin' watah an that'll make 'em wander aroun' somewhere an' git drownded.
Entry 10757
A woman kin take a pair [of her] bloomers an' put it over the had [of] yo' bad unknowin'st tuh yo' an' make yo' do anything she wanted tuh make yo' do. An' yo' inhale dat thing, yo' can't help from comin' back home.
Entry 10826
Put 2 broomstraws crossways [make cross with 2 broomstraws] over door and sweep behind, for unwelcome visitor. [For 2 broomstraws crossed and buried to be walked over in the tobacco fields near Wilson, N. Car., see No.1758, v.1.]
Entry 10839
About de vulture - de buzzards. Ah heard dat chew could git de redhead buzzard an' cut his head off, an' boil it an' git his brains, an' put it in a cup or in anything, jest confine it an' dig to de clay [dig through the top soil] an' bury it. Said dat would give you luck.
(Where do you bury that?)
On de no'th side of de house.
(Do they have any buzzards around here?)
Dey had red [head] buzzards heah, yes sir.
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 10861
Like if you want a cat, you take his hair and cut it off from his head, and bury it under your doorstep and he will always stay wit you.
(Always stay home.)
Entry 10887
Take de hair out of a dog hair an' de hair out of a cat tail, or eit- her git it out of one of 'em's tail an' de other out one of dere haid - either one of dem animals. Yo' kin git dat an' put it together, an' when yo' put it together, yo' put it an' makes a ball of it. But den yo' wanta put it - yo' jes' have de least little bit of peppah in it, any kinda peppah, an' yo' make dat ball with a string to it. Put de string lak dat, but yo' take de biggest part of it now - chew git dat cat hair an' dat dog hair an' yo' put it in a piece of cloth an' den yo' git three pods of rat manure, an' yo' put dem in an' sew it up together. Yo' make dat ball together an' yo' kin come roun' - if it mah pump or mah bucket or any- thing, an' den yo' dump it in dere three times. An' den yo' throw it away. Dat'll broke us up fo' life, won't.enjoy life no mo'. Ah see dat done.
(You are supposed to go out and'drink that water?)
It jes' make us fall out fo'evah.
(If you drink the water?)
Entry 11018
Now, dere one chicken feathah you could use, to do any harm, dat's a frizzly fowl. A frizzly fowl is good and is bad, onnerstand. Now, yo' kin take a feathah from de top of a frizzly fowl's head and you kin take a feathah from de top of a frizzly fowl's back. And you kin take dat feathah what you git from de frizzly fowl and take one new pin and pin dem two feathah togethah and I kin take dem feathah and put 'em in your bosom or anybody's bosom and you is a crazy man ovahnight - in an hour.
(Supposed to make him lose his mind?)
Yes, sir, crazy fer de next. Yo' kin put 'em in dere dis hour and de next hour somebody gotta tie 'em down.
(Well, what else can you do with that Frizzly hen? Can you do anything else?)
Yes, you kin use de bun gut, you know.
(Gut? The intestine? The testicle?)
[My preceding questions merely ask for more information. The meaning of the word bun in the sense of anus or buttocks I had known for years, but bum gut did not penetrate immediately because I had translated the words into rotten gut
[stomach trouble, etc.l also a folk term.]
Dat's real good. You kin take dat and kill a nation. [You can kill a nation because of all that hoodoo poison that goes through a frizzly hen - see margin title DOCTOR FRIZZLY Pp.59-63, v.1, and many places.]
(How Would you do that?)
Well, you take dat and you cook a soup. Cook in a chicken soup, onnerstand. Well, I hate dat house dere. I wanna poison dat whole house, but dey is my neighbors. Well, I git dat soup and carry over dere, go across wit it.
(You poison them?)
De whole house. But now you gotta put in dat, Doc - des scrape dem in it - de fingernails. Keep dem dirty and scrape 'em - [into the soup].
Entry 11024
Ah heard of 'em using chicken feathers tuh make 'em move. Well, dey take de chicken feathers - dere's a mice [sounds like lice] on every chicken feather, chicken mice [mice?]. (You mean lice?) Lice. Dey takes dem lices offa dat chicken an' take his haid, his bill, an' beat dat up fine an' put some kerosene an' some sulphur in it, an' dat'll make yo' move. Put it in yore mattress or under de haid of yore bed.
Entry 11059
De chicken stuff from a chicken an' rub it in de top of his head when he's asleep, an' all his teeth will rotten out.
Entry 11124
Dey take de rule, de pocket rule.
(What do they do then?)
And say dey take dis to de crossroads and dey fix it. Dey fix it so and when you come along dey'll make you fall. Yes, sir. [I] hear: 'em tell dat, at de crossroads where you go down, and de roads comes across like dat [demonstrates] and dey fixes it. (I see. What would they fix there? I mean what would they put there?) Dey say dey'll get - dey'll get a scorpion, a red-headed scorpion. (A red-headed scorpion?) Yes, sir. Fix him and dey put him - make sompin like a coffin and dey'll put him down in de middle of dat fo'k, yes, sir. Yes, sir, in middle of de fo'k.
(In the middle of the fork?)
[The center of two roads crossing is the center of a square or a quincunx rite.] Yes, sir, in de middle of de fo'k and you git dere and you won't know it, but you commence having swimming 'bout de head. Head commence swimming, feeling bad; yes sir, and make you fall. I hear say dey tell dat.
(They put this scorpion in sort of a little coffin-like?)
It is a coffin. What I mean, sompin dey makes like a coffin. Dat what dey tole me. And dey'll put him in dere alive and when dey fixes him, it make you tremble, you know. And he'll die. Dey'll fix him dataway.
(I see.)
Entry 11352
Well, yo' know, as ah first said, if somebody yo' have somepin in fo' 'em - ain't goin' de way yo' want 'em - tuh puttin' 'em tuh walkin' or sompin othah, anything. Well, yo' go down tuh de rivah an' yo' fish an' try tuh ketch a eel. Yo' know it's a long ole fish look lak a snake. Well, yo' cut de haid off an' have a bottle or a glass or sompin ready, an' hit's one drop of blood dat will drop from dis eel's haid. So yo'll take dat an' yo'll take some honey. An' dey'll take some honey an' de root dey call de High John de Con- ' kah an' dere's one dey call de Low John de Conkah. Well, yo' take dis root an' yo' boil dat an' yo' make a kind of a syrup-lak, an' as yo' go tuh dis friend or whoevah it is, house, an' jes' lak dey shoes be's sittin' undah de dressah - somewhere yo' know, round de house. Well, yo' kin drop three drops in de shoes or anywhere jes' so long as it be's neah de shoe or a little bit git on de shoe. An' yo' kin say whatevah yo' want tuh be done, "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost." An' in de limits of time, dey say it will come tuh pass.
(What did you do with that drop of eel's blood? What did you do with that?)
Yo' take dis drop of eel's blood an' yo' fixes it wit dis honey an' dis othah root - High John de Conkah.
Entry 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 11855
Well, yo' see now, it's anothah story. A lady an' her husban', yo' know, dey were gittin' 'long all right. So she saw somebody else she liked an' so she, yo' know, comes right to de front of it wit her husband an' dey nevah wanta agreein' in de home, so she say, "Well, ah dunno, seem lak mah mome is gittin' too upset. Ah dunno, seem lak ah dunno whut tuh do." So dis kept on workin' lak dat. So ah guess in travelin' an' talkin' roun' - prob'ly in, up an' down de streets, so dis [would spread] - 'nothah man or woman, somebody, say, "Whut? Yo' dunno whut tuh do wit chure home?" Says, "No." Say, "Don' be silly, go an' git chew some luck." Said, "It'll make yore home all right." Say, "Will ah be able to work ut? Ah don' know whut tuh do or how tuh do it." So, [she or someone] said dat dis man says, "Well, ah'll see yo' ag'in an' talk wit chew."
['"Dis man" wanted time to inquire about doctors.]
"Okay." An' so prob'ly latah dey got tuhgethah, see. Say, "Seem lak mah home is still gittin' worsah an' worsah an' 'stead a-git' tin' bettah, ah want chew tuh prove whut chew wuz talkin' tuh me 'bout." Says, "Okay." Says, "W'yn't [why not] yo' git chew a cah [car] an' go down South an' git chew some luck. Don' chew know whut tuh do tuh take ca' yo' home?" Says, "No." Says, "Well, ah've got de money if yo' kin git a cah." Says, "Well, ah kin git chew a cah all right." So he got a cah an' so dey went down South. So de ole man commence 'splainin' tuh him whut it wuz all about. So he tole 'em, says, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do." Says, "Yo' right easy when she go tuh bed," says, "at night," says, "cut so many strands of her hair." Says, den go down below an' cut so many down dere." An' he says, "Yo' git dat all tuhgethah an' put a lil' of 'er sickness. Ketch onto her monthly an' take a lil' of 'er sickness, an' two strands off 'er haid, two down there, an' a lil' of her sickness, yo' know. Put dem togethah an' tie it up in a lil' bag." An' said, "An' every month when she be lak dat, yo' watch closely an' yo' git a drop of her sickness an' jes' damp it wet lak dat, see, an' she be all right. She'll take care of yo'."
Entry 11856
To make the man stay home, you takes a piece of the strand of the hair right in the mole of the head, and get you two copper cents - but let it be two women's faces.
(Two pennies that have a woman on them. All right.)
And take the strand of the hair and then put it in between the women's faces. You get a piece of string or thread [demonstrates].
(You place these two pennies face to face.)
Face to face.
(And put that hair between them. All right.)
And then you wind the thread all around it until it holds together. Then you take a bag and you put it in a little bag with your name and his name in there, wrapped up in a single. paper, and every time you take a drink, you gotta give it something to drink. [There are a number of these rites in HOODOO of- fering food or drink or both to absent person.] (Water or liquor?)
Entry 12161
Now in So'th Ca'lina, one man wanted a girl an' de girl wouldn't notice him. An' he got a holly leaf. Now dis is whut ah heard. Now, ah don't know dis [myself]. He got a holly leaf. As she stoop- ed down tuh git her water out de spring - dey have a lotta springs dere - he throwed dat leaf ovah her haid an' dey say she went stone crazy. Ah didn't 'sperience dis an' ah can't be a eye-witness, an' ah haven't 'sperienced dat.
(Well, where was this supposed to have taken place in South Carolina?)
Ah think it at a place dey call de Beaver Dam. Dat was way back in startin' of slavery.
(What day did it happen on did you say?)
On a Sunday.
(Did he have to do it on a Sunday?)
Dis happen on a Sunday wit dis Holly leaf.
Entry 12421
He lay down in de bed - jes' like he lay down. Now, you go right dere when he's sleeping. Git a little cord, new cord, and if he stiff and hard [if his body is stretched out] you kin measure, you know, right straight on down to yore [his] feet.
(From your head to your feet.)
Yes sir, and then you put nine knots in it, see, an' tie 'em around yore Waist - jes' like you'd lock a person's trunk, dey can't git out - can't gc no more, can't go.
Entry 12548
(For a man to hold a woman.)
You take 9 of her fingernails and 9 of her toenails, and then get a red onion, and get 9 strands of hair out de mole [mold] of her head. And take that onion, red onion, and cut it open and dig a little hole in it. And then take them 9 toenails and 9 fingernails, and that 9 strands of hair out of her head, and place together and put it in there, and stop that onion up. And go round the house towards where the sun rise, and dug [dig] a little hole, and put it [in] there and then cover it up. [Copied from my rough original pen- cil transcription made soon after recording; original copy attached.]
Entry 12579
"Yo' git chew two pennies if it happen dat chure place of business got two do's to it. An' yo' take an' - take one penny an' go to yore back do' an' stick a hole in it [door or coin?] an' turn de haid - or turn de tails up. See, tail it up. Den at chure front do' den, yo' take an' turn de haid in [looking into place of business]. An' dey say dat will keep de law away, see, den, from bothering yo' place of business.
(On the back door the tail is up and on the front door the head is up.)
Entry 12742
Dey kin take yore shoes dat chew wear every day, if dey kin git holt of it an' if dey kin git a rattlesnake. Git de haid. Git him mad an' git dat rattlesnake haid an' dry it. Let it come so yol kin jes' compound it up. Understand, compound it up good an' put it in somewhere - inside de linin' of his shoe. It got linin' in dere, an' it surely runs yo' off. Or yo' kin put it in de band of yore hat. Either one. Den yo' can't see. It will blind yo', cause yo' know yo' sheds yore skin, an' yo' kin git blind from it. Jes' as shure as....
Entry 12751
Well de first thing would be if yo' wanted a job. An' dat go fo' a job, a favor or money or anything. Dat chew would git chew some of dis root whut de' [they] call rat- tlesnake marster, an' spice. An' yo' take dat root an' yo' chew dat rat- tlesnake marster, but chew have [hold] de spice in yore mouth. An' yo' spit dat when yo' speakin' tuh him. "Fore yo' consult him yo' spit from him an' nevah spit tuh him. Den he cannot turn yo' down even [whether] it's money or job or whut. If he don't place yo den, he will place yo' [later], but don't nevah spit, jes' spit tuh him but [when] chew spit jes' turn away from him, turn yore haid from him an' spit.
Entry 12894
If a man have a lady out dere whut he consumin' his time wit an' she devoted to him, well if it ever come a time when he can find no sensation wit her, well it isn't but one thing that she had to do. Well, that nature that flows, jes' put it on a rag or somepin like that an' put it away in de bed under de mattress jes' so he don' know it - under his head. Well quite natural he won't have no feeling fo' no one else but her. [Recording bad, I evidently ask whose nature.] Both of 'ems.
Entry 13095
Kin put different things in it to cause yo' feet tuh swell, such as rattlesnake's - take de haid of a rattlesnake an' go out dere an' dry it in a sack yo' know an' take dat dust - dat aw- ful poison yo' know - jes' a little bit of dat. Dat's de same way as dey do tuh kill yo' - right through dis country. Dey'll take dat rattlesnake haid an' dry it yo' know an' git a dust an' lak yo' vanted a drink, dey'd be standin' aroun' an' yo' happen tuh po' de likker out, dey drop de least bit of dat in dere, yo' know. Dat's rank poison. Yo' drink dat whiskey an' it kill yo' an' it hardly kin be detected. Or dey put dat in yore shoes an' cause yore feet tuh swell.
Entry 13352
Dey git different root an' cork 'em down in a bottle an' bury 'em... (And bath water?) And - dat's right - and you bury 'em, and after you bury 'em you either stop up dere night water [or bath water] you understand, or dey git a pain in de head - sompin like dat. Dey cork dem dat way.
(I'm speaking now of the water you take a bath in.)
I understand. You mean de water that you taking washing in. Can't do nuthin [no hoodoo] wit dat.
(But this water, the night water?)
Dat it [you can do something with that] you kin bury dat.
(Well, what sort of root do you put with that?)
De' goes out and gits somepin dey calls snakeroot. Snakeroot for a pain in de stomach - sompin like dat. Yo' go roun' an' yo' gits cherry bark and chero- kee [cherokee rose?] you understand, and you bile [boil] dat together and yo' put dat together, de' fool around wit chew an' put dat in yo' water, yo' under- stand, an' dey'll cork dat bottle an' bury it.
(What do they do with the head after they cork it? How do you put it, down?)
[SORRY FOR THAT SLIP OF MINE!]
Turn de head down.
(I see. Do you leave the water run out or just tight?)
[I WAS STILL A LITTLE INEXPERIENCED AT CHARLESTON, BUT MY LEADING QUESTION IS IGNORED.] No, you have it fix so de water can't run out.
(I see, that will keep you from making water.)
Yes.