Subject:Lawsuits
Entries
Entry 8993
Yo' wanta know 'bout whut ah would do to keep people 'way from me. Ah go ketch one dese wild birds an' ah pull a feather out of his right wing an' burn it, an' burn quick- silvah with it, an' ah sprinkle this around the co'thouse do'. Well, dat beat 'em in all sech case.
(That is to beat a lawsuit case.)
Entry 800
I'm a witchcraft doctor. I studied witchcraft. [He is the only person ever to admit being a witchcraft doctor.] (Will you talk a little bit louder.) [See Introduction about difficulties of recording.] I studied fer witchcraft - different things, you know, and I doctor disease and do different kind of tricks, you know. Course, now, I don't know everything, but I know some. That right? See, I'm a doctor - ought to know somethin'. Is that right?
(Well, you can start ahead and tell me anything you want to tell me.)
Anything you don't know about or understand - anything in particular you don't know, I may be able to explain it to you as far as I know, according to my know- ledge. Course now, I studied over hundred diff'rent things - all kind of magic, courtship, you see, this hoodoo work and all that, lawsuits and so on. [Norfolk, Va., (?), 450: l; my note reading Doctor Harvey - ran out on me. How, I no longer remember - probably excused himself and did not return.]
Entry 1764
When yo' git ready to go up to de co'thouse - now, lak yo' got a case in co't an' yo' see all dem chairs yo' see - an' yo' turn down ever' one dese chairs, all de ones 'sposed to use, lak dis [demonstrates].
(You turn them down flat?)
Or listen, ah kin come lak dis with salt, lak yo' got ever' one down, an' put a little ovah there an' a little there an' turn 'em down an' go ahead on. Go out dat house an' don't look back when yo' goin' to de co'thouse. Yo' go right to de co'thouse an' yo'll win that case. (You put some salt on each corner of the chair after turning it down, and put salt in each corner of the room?) Each corner, too, an' den go right on, pay no mo' 'tenshun an' go right to de co'thouse, an' yo'll win dat case.
Entry 9019
In a lawsuit, dey say dey uses a fresh aig. Aftah dey go ahead an' fin' out de man dat's goin' try yo', dey puts his name on de aigs, an' dey puts dis name at de bottom an' yore name on top. An' dey puts de solicitor's name - ah think dey puts his name on de aigs. Dey puts de solicitor's name on de aig, too. Dey use three aigs. An' dey gotta go somewhere close by where dey has tuh sits, an' throw dem aigs up ovah de place an' busts dose aigs. Dat's all ah been told. An' make yore wishes. [In English usage, a solicitor belongs to that branch of the legal profession advising clients, representing them before lower courts, and preparing cases for barristers who try them in the higher courts. In American usage a solicitor is an officer who has charge of the legal business of a city or town.l
Entry 829
You know you heard of the Seventh Book of Moses, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. That book contains symbols. There's the symbol of Jupiter, Jupiter being the god of lawsuits and financial plenty. You cut that symbol, it is the black symbol copied from where they made them in Bible times and just before you go to trial you bury that symbol and you recite the 72nd Psalm, using the name lye[?] instead of God, which is supposed to forset all lawsuits. And those books cost $2.00, Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses.
Entry 1759
Ah hear talk of that. Yo' kin work lawsuits with that even much. Take 'em an' tie 'em in de center - de broomstraws, dem short pieces. Yo' git a piece - Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft.- Rootwork - of shame brier root an' put in between dem straws, an' if yo' wanta come out ahead in anything lak dat, an' yo' got de broom straws, yo' tie 'em together. But yo' always lay it - if he killed an' yo' wanta win, yo' gotta come up higher. Dem othah joints gotta be shorter den yours. An' when yo' git 'em up dere high, yo'll be above, an' even yo' above dat shame brier root. Den yo' kin take de rattlesnake master or a piece of root of hit an' yo'll hold them right together, an' then yo'll tie nine knots in dat string an' yo' tie 'em well. An' then yo wrop it up. Yo'll fix them things an' yo'll tie 'em up. When yo' tie 'em up den yo'll wrop 'em up in a piece of red flannel an' yo' tie it up: An' all you have to do den whenevah yo' go, always, if yo' have to meet a lawsuit or anything, yo' put it in yore pocket an' yo' nevah have to be tried. Ah seen 'em work that.
Entry 3068
[He was my son] and he got into difficulty by way of being in some bad company. Well, you see he didn't have any brothers, he was the only boy I had. He didn't have any brothers or nuthin, nobody to help him - didn't care nuthin for him, but they put it all on him. An' there was a man here they called Doctor Armour from Berkley. He's dead too, now. He'd gone to New York and he died up there a few years ago. But a lady told me, she says, "Miz Jenkins, '' she says, "ah tell you how you kin get that boy out and it won't cost you so much money." I say, "But my Lord, I 'ready paid $85." She says, "Well, you won't have much more to pay." She says, "A man here from Berkley they call Doctor Armour," she says, "and you go to see him and he will help great. And I say, "Well, I'm going." I say, "You go with me." She say, "Well, you come to my house tonight and I go there with you." Well, he was in a house in 16th street in the 5OO block. Well, I'd gone with her. She'd taken me there and he was there talking and telling folks different things. [The doctor had a private church to keep his work within'the law.] But ah told him I wanted to see him private. Well, he taken me after: de crowd left and I'd gone in the room with him and told him my troubles. He says, "Uh-huh." He say, "Well, you come back here tomorrow." Say, "Go to the Five-And-Ten [Cent Store] and buy me a five-cent handkerchief, big white handkerchief, and a bottle of Hearts Cologne." And he says, "I'm goin' fix [dress] this handkerchief, and when you come back, you go over there and give it to him. And when they have his trial you tell him how to use it," and he say, "and you goin' bring him back home." I say, "Is that true?" He say, "Yes. And I was so worried I kept right on from there and gone and got the Hearts Cologne. I got it at the drug store. And I come by a store - I couldn't wait till the next day till the Five-And-Ten opened, and I went to the drug store and got the Hearts Cologne, and went by a Jew store and got a handkerchief. Well, the next morning early I'd taken it up there to him before he'd even gotten up. He say, "You are in a hurry, ain't you?" I told him yes, I was so worried about my boy - first trouble he had began to get into. And so I'd taken it there and he'd dressed this handkerchief and he say, "You tell the boy when he get in the court," he say, "he just kind of shake it around and blow his nose. Tell him don't wash it - don't care how dirty it gets, cain't wash it." And I say, "All right, I'll tell him." And I say, "That's all you goin' do?" He say, "That's all I need to do." And I say, "Well, what is that?" He say, "You go on," he say, "that's charged high with lodestone and High John de Conker - it's in that handkerchief." And he say, "And you just go and tell him to do what I say." Well, you see, I couldn't go in the jail. And I'd carry meals but they'd take 'em in. And I would give him - I'd write on a little piece of paper and tell him what to do with the handkerchief, and told him, "Don't wet it - didn't care how dirty it gets." And he did just like I told him - well, which he did just about the same. And when his trial came up I went there and he was using the handker- chief like I had told him on de note, and I'm here to tell you when his trial was closed he went on back home with me - carried him right on home.
(How did you get this note to him?)
In his meals.
(Did you hide it in something?)
No, I didn't hide it in something. I just put it - Mr. Roy was jailer and the boy was in there and I go there so much he really knowed me. I carried him every meal he ate. And I just felt that way, first trouble he had been in, and it worried me very much, and I carried him every meal and I just put it there in his handkerchief. I had it in his handkerchief and told him to use the handkerchief, and I say, "Don't wash it no matter how dirty it get and use it just as I said." (Well when you took these meals there, did they let you take this handkerchief where he was?) No, no, Mr. Robert would take them hisself.
(Then you gave Mr. Robert this note to give to your son?)
It was in the handkerchief in the basket. I had a little basket you know and the food. Course he would go through the basket to see was they anything in there, but he didn't see anything, you know, that would harm. Well, I just had on the note for him not to wash it no matter how dirty it gets. Well, I guess he seed that too but he didn't see nothing in there - just a white handkerchief - cause he just had one you know for him to use. Well, which he did, but told it on that little note - because the handkerchief was dressed, you see. And so afterward, I brought him and I carried by there to let Doctor Armour see him. And he laughed, he said, "What did I tell you." I say, "You sure did tell me the truth." And I say, "What you charge me?" He say, "I charge you $2.02." He said, "I always charge a penny to the dollar - that's all I charges. I said, "Doctor, here's five dollars." He said, "No, I just want $2.02, and then I want that in silver - want the dollar. He wouldn't never take any Paper money.
(Well, how did your son know that handkerchief was dressed?)
Well, he didn't know, but he just only did what I told him to do.
(Just to carry it with him?)
I told him to keep this handkerchief and don't wet it whatever you do. Don't wet it no matter how dirty it gets - don't you wash it. And that's what he did.
(Then when your son came out, did you tell him about the handkerchief?)
I told him after he came out.
(What did he say when you told him?)
Well, he say he thought something funny. He'd been always a peculiar child anyhow and seemed like he's easy to ketch on things. And it seems that some people is borned with something in 'em, see, and that's the way he is. Since he'd gone to Philadelphia and all, he knowed so many tricks and turns you see, more than I does because I'm old enough to have a whole lot of experience you see. But he said he felt something when ah told him not to wet it and said he wouldn't wet it. And I told him to - ah say, "When you get in court, you always wipe your mouth and nose with it." And he says he understood - seemed like he felt like that's what it was and so I brought him on back as Doctor Armour says. And I asked him, I says," 'What in the world did you put in that handkerchief?" He says that handkerchief was charged highly with lodestone and High John de Conker. He say that will bring anybody out of trouble - it will overcome any- thing. That's what he says. [For Berkley, see Introduction.][ Newport News, Va., (482), 506:8.]
Entry 3109
Well, mah fathah back in 1904 - dat's been a long time ago, yo' know, 1904. Fo' me d'rectly ah have nevah had a thing like dat workin' fo' me, but mah fathah hired a man like dat when ah was a boy - ah's 48 yeahs old now. An in dose days, along 1904, mah fathah was - we had bought a track [tract] of land but it wasn't zactly in cultivation, so he had to rent some land from a nearby neighbor. An' so de man dat he rent de land from didn't have sufficient fence around de land. Ah goin' tell yo' about dis hoodoo business. So dis man didn't have sufficient fence aroun' de lan' fo' tuh keep de stock outa de property, yo' know, which he had corn crop in dere. See, de cows an' all went in an' destroyed de crop. Well, after de crop was destroyed den he wanted mah fathah still tuh pay rent for de land, see. So he wanted him tuh pay rent on de land. Well, ah didn't know - ah was at dat time 'bout thirteen or fo'teen yeahs ole - ah didn't know anything, such a thing as a hoodoo man until den. Well, all right, mah fathah didn't pay it an so he offered tuh put him in lawsuit 'bout de land - 'bout de crop, paying de rent on de land. But dey couldn't win because dey wasn't no law on de land, on de stock eatin' up a man crop an' make him pay rent - in dem days it wasn't, see. Well, all right, den de ole man - we had our fence couple up to him like dis, see. An' dis ole man, then he divided de fence away from our fathah's, from mah fathah's crop and dat jes' put 'im in de same - he have [to] run de fence line in dere. In de meantime befo' all dis harmness [harm] was ovah, to keep de stock from eatin' up whut crops he had on his new land - we had jes' recently bought 80 acres of land, an' den ah found out dat mah fathah was dealin' with a hoodoo man. Ah was comin' from in de direction dis farm was an' ah met a man comin' crost over de hill wit a stick in his hand - see, a little stick in his hand. Had on a vest - it long about - an' ah guess it was a mocassin flowah on it. It was Octobah - guess it was - an' he asked me whah did dis man live. So ah tole 'im whar he lived. Well, ah didn't know who de man was.
(He asked where your father lived?)
No sir, he had been to mah fathah's house an' passin' on dere an' asked me whah did dis man live. An' so ah wasn't yery fur from whar he lived at an' ah tole 'im 'bout whar he lived. Dis ole man [not the hoodoo, but landlord] had a gray horse - but ah'm 'head of de story. So ah went on back home and ah tell 'em ah met a ole man on de hill that asked me whar mah fathah [father's landlord] lived, an' mah mothah tole me den, she said, "Well, dat's de ole man ole man [somebody], '' she say, "he's been workin' fo' yo' daddy a long time." She say, "He's gone tuh see 'bout all dis foolish- ness. He's been workin' fo' yore fathah fo' years - he got him hired by de yeah." An' he went up dere an' - ah must tell yo de truth - in 'bout three months from dat, dat ole man lost de horse an' dey leave. Dey jes' moved away from de place. An' his son move in on dis place. Den de son stayed awhile an he had to move away, an' no one evah lives on dat place. It absolutely was know it was done through Doctor Wilson, a hoodoo man. Well, any trouble or disaster mah fathah got in, he come tuh his rescue.
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 2322
By gettin' yo' a bar of this black tar soap, an' yo' kin write the name of those enemies on that soap an' take it to runnin' watah an' yo' kin throw it in dat runnin' watah. An' dey can't appear against yo'. That'll hold them off. (You mean they can't appear in court against you?) Yes sir - that'll hold them off, they won't go against yo'.
Entry 3006
Saint Expadee - see, he's the conker in law suits.
(How do you handle that?)
Well you go to a Catholic church and you make your novena there, you see. You give a light. You take his picture and have it blest at the church and bring it to your house and you burn a pink candle to it all the time. Whatever you wish for, you prays to that saint and make your wishes and burn [a candle to] that saint - like if you got a case in court and you wanta conker that case. Well, you go to St. Expadee - go to the church and go to St. Expadee and make your novena to him and tell him what you want him to do. Then you come back home after you do that and you burn your candle at your home up until that case is over.
[While machine.is stopped, I ask question about his picture.]
No, you don't bring his picture to the church, you always keep it in your house. You have this picture blest at the church and bring it to your house and have your little altar made and burn a pink candle to him.
Entry 9147
[This plant, Shame Jim here, and Be-shamed brier root in rite that fol- lows, is the Shame brier (Schrankia uncinata). We have already met this plant under a number of names: Shame brier, Shame vine, Sensitive brier, Shame face, Shame Jim, Ashamin', Shamin' Judy (p.646, v.1) and Shameful brier No.3797, p.2496, v.3. The verse in the present rite, though well-known, is rare in Hoodoo.] Dat root whut ah tole yo' a li'le while ago, Shome Jim, put it right in yore- rip yore drawahs, yo' know, an' put it in de band aroun' yore drawahs, yo' know, an' let his lay right dere, an' yo' kin go up tuh de co't an' face 'im, an' den say things:: Once ah went out walkin', ah met three men; One was donb an' he couldn't speak; De othah was blind an' he couldn't see; An' anothah one was lame an' he couldn't walk. An' say dat an' look right at de jedge an' he nevah will fined jah 'er nuthin.
(Yes, now begin right at the beginning.)
Ah went out walkin' an' met three men; one was dumb an' couldn't talk; de othah one was blind an' coulan't see: de othah one had no tongue an' he couldn't do anything eithah [couldn't talk]; [and another] he was a cripple an' couldn't walk.
(When do you say that?)
When yo' lookin' right at de jedge when yo' at de trial.
court/trial setting and intended avoidance of a judge’s fine. The first-person verse is recited formula, not the informant’s autobiographical meeting with three men. Its repeated version differs and must not be harmonized. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3701) · Read full source (printed page 3702)
Entry 9026
Ah heered dem say, if yo' be in trouble or anything, why [here is] whut dey do. Jes' lak if yo' had a lawsuit yo' know, in co't, sompin lak dat, yo' kin git chew a package of needles dat ain't nevah been used, an' stick 'em straight up - stick two straight up dis Way, dis way [demonstrates].
(In your hair.)
Yes sir. Cross, ( cross 'em. An' den take two an' stick 'em 'cross de same way right chere. (Over your breast.) Yes sir. An' take a piece of chalk an' cross undah yore right feet - make a cross undah dere. An' put a dime in de bottom of yore shoe in dat [chalk] cross an' wear it. An' dey say yo'll win.
(How many needles do you use now?)
Say yo' use two up heah an' two heah. See, dat would be fo'. An' yo' jes' take a chalk an' cross undah yore feet an' wear dat dime undah dere. (You cross two needles up here in your hair and you cross two down on your breast?) Yes.
Entry 9027
Well, this devil's-shoestring, yo' take dat an' yo' tie it in three knots. An' as yo' carry it ovah an' tie it, yo' look through it [the open loop before tying] an' yo' say sompin In de Name of de Lord. Ask de Lord tuh do sompin fo' yo', jes' whut- somevah yuh want him tuh do fo' yo', see. An' yo' tie dat three times [make 3 knots in the loop]. An' evah time yo' tie dat three time, yo' hold it up an' look towards de sun, see, an' ask de Lord tuh do sompin fo' yo' - whutsomevah, jes' lak yo' in co't, say, "Don't let 'em sentence me, let de case go ovah, " or "Let 'em give me a chance, " or sompin lak dat. Dey three things dat chew ast dem; diff'ren', see. Evah time in tyin' dis devil's-shoe- string an' dis [knot?] yo' puts dat in yo' mouth an' yo' chew it. An' de whole while yo' chewin' dat root, yo' got de co't on yore mind an' de Lord, askin' Him in yore mind tuh do sompin fo' yuh.
Entry 9032
De nex' thing, tuh mah idea, whut's good, take some of yore fingah- nails. Trim yore fingahnails off. Go tuh some watah an' git dat daid skin undah yore feet. Scrape it down. Put it in sompin an' let it dissolve fo' nine days. Den take dat an' strain it. Have it in watah, an' jes' lak de jedge would have a sep'rate pitcher he drink out of, put dat ovah dere in his pitcher. Jes' lak yo' de jedge of de co't, put dat in yore pitcher. See, de chance is de co't goes up dere soon an' dey have evah-thing lined up, de jedge an' de jury. Put sompin in [the pitchers of] both of 'em. Ah'm de crim'nal. Ah'm de crim'nal, yo' know, an' yo' goin' try tuh send me tuh de chain gang. Git tuh arguin' on dat thing. Aftah while dey gits sorry fo' yuh. Things is workin' mah way. Whut chew want 'em tuh [do, that will do it]. Yo' couldn't do it. Simple things whut ah learnt wit de business [of being a hoodoo doctor].
Entry 9038
If yo' have a case in co't an' dey kin git dat an' put it aroun' dere sometime an' - roun' de co'thouse, if dat dey have been in jail. An' go tuh de graveyard an' git dirt, graveyard dirt, an' put it around dere, de co'thouse an' he will come out.
Entry 9039
Well, now, in a lawsuit or sompin lak dat, chew go tuh a graveyard an' dig down in dere jes' 'bout jes' as deep as yo' kin reach down in dere wit de arm, an' git dat befo' co't. An' if yo' git a chance tuh go in dere, sprinkle some of it aroun' down where de judge sits. An' in de lawsuit - if yo' steal somepin or somepin lak dat - yo' be lucky in dat case.
Entry 9040
Yo' kin take dat - yo' go tuh de graveyard cert'in hours at night an' yo' kin dig down dere an' git dat dirt. An', jes' lak dey goin' have me fo' trial - ah done killed somebody, see. Well, dey might bon' [bond] me out. Ah'll go tuh de graveyard a certain time of night an' ah'll run mah han' down an' git a cert'in class of dat dirt. An' ah take dat dirt an' jes' when dey goin' have co't dat mawnin', ah git in wit de jon'ter [janitor] of de co't; yo' know, de fellah whut cleans up. Well, when ah git dere wit 'im ah'm gwine jes' - ah'm goin' he'p 'im clean up. Well, fast as we sweep up an' clean up, ah've got dat li'le graveyard dirt, ah jes' git roun' dere an' sprinkle it all roun' de judge stand, all roun' de haid jury- man stan'. See. Ah done he'p 'im clean up an' den throw mah li'le dang 'um dust dey calls it.
(What kind of dust?)
Dey call it de li'le dang 'um dust. [Dang used to mean damn. This is God daorn 'em dust!] So ah be done throw dat aroun' dere. Well, now, when de co't come off, ah'm not uneasy, 'cuz ah know de judge can't do nuthin wit me.
The informant describes a hypothetical trial and calls the grave dirt 'dang 'um dust'. '[bond]' and '[janitor]' are editorial glosses; Hyatt's following explanation of the dust's name is distinct from the speech.
Entry 9042
Yo' kin go tuh de cemetery. Yo' have tuh go by yo'self an' carry jes' two or three grain of cawn [corn rare as payment] or two or three cent. An' run yore han' fur enough down in dere to tech de casket, tuh git de dirt, an' put dem pen- nies down in dere. An' when yo' put dem pennies down in dere, tell 'em, jes' say, "Ah want chew tuh do sech-an'-sech a thing. Ah want chew tuh git mah husban' outa trouble, or mah brothah outa trouble, " or somepin othah lak dat, if dey in trou- ble. An' when it time fo' trial dey'll come cleah. Yo' take dat graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it all roun' de co'thouse, all aroun' de jailhouse, or jes' where- somevah he at.
Entry 9051
Dey go tuh de graveyard an' dey gits dat dirt, if yo' got a case in co't. Ah have done seen it tried. An' yo' git all dat dirt up tuhgethah, yo' see, an' yo' brings it home. An' yo' takes it an' pound it an' put sulphur wit it, an' pound it all tuhgethah. An' go tuh co't wit it an' hold it in yore hands lak dat. An' when de trial comes up, de trial come up, dey'll dismiss it.
[Informant has been wrapping this mixture in a handkerchief.]
(They put it in that handkerchief and wrap it up. When they get to court they just keep it in their handkerchief.) Kin jes' keep it in dere han'ke'ch'ef an' evah once in a while jes' shake it lak dat. Dey don' know whut yo' doin' yo' see.
Entry 9078
Dey has a li'le root dey call John de Conkah. Dey ordahs dat from some company up in New Yawk. If yo' git in any trouble, yo' go down dere an' meet de jedge, an' yo' have one in yore mouth. An' evah time he ast chew a question yo' chew on de root yo' know, an' he will release yo' from dat whut he goin' give yo'.
Entry 9085
Go roun' tuh court. An' yo' gotta go tuh court, see, an' yo' wanta have a easy time wit de judge an' git close tuh 'em. All right. Well, den, if dey haven't got yuh con- fined - co'se yo' may have some frien's tuh work it fo' yo', if dey got chew confined. But if yo' not confined, yo' kin git chew a li'le piece of lodestone an' put it in yuh pocket. Git chew a piece of John de Conkah root an' all de time yo' settin' up dere in de chair, yo' chew dat John de Conkah root, see. Chew dat John de Conkah root, spittin' it towards de judge an' spittin' it on 'em. Jis' blow it on 'em, it's all right. De mo' yo' kin, de closah yo' git it tuh 'im, de mo' yo' draw 'is attention towards yuh. Be apt tuh cleah yuh, yo' see. Den, when yo' git up tuh speak ast de mercy of de court. Dey bound tuh grant it tuh yuh.
Entry 9102
Seventh Book of Moses, during trial let somebody read it and yo' think of what is de 7th Book, while dey were having yore trial. Or let some one slip it tuh yuh an' weah it in bottom of yore shoes during trial. [Since it would be impossible to wear this paper-back volume in your shoe, perhaps one of the pages or something copied from the book is worn.]
Entry 9103
Dere's a small root dat dey call de Moses. An' yo' take dat root an' yo' chew it de whole time dey's fixin' tuh have dis trial, yo' chew it. An' yo' be's chewin' de spit an' dere'll come on some disastah of de trial, it won't come up. Now, ah did see dat. Ah see dat happen in Waycross, Georgia. Ole man Murray dat had a son in dere, an' dey was fixin' tuh give him two years, an' de judge, de sheriff an' all de people dat was in de court, an' dat boy walked right out by 'em all an' was gone. He walks right out de co'thouse. All of de solicitors an' de judge an' evahthin' was settin' dere. It was about three or fo' 'clock in de evenin', an' when he got up an' walked out, dere didn't anybody pay him any attention. He walked right on out an' was gone thirty minutes 'fo' any of 'em detected he was gone.
Entry 9127
An' den, too, dere's anothah story sompin de same thing, dat if yo' got a case in co't, yo' git twelve sage leaves an' yo' write de twelve apostle names, one on each leave. An' if yo' gotta meet co't, den yo' put six in one shoe an' six in de othah, an' de judge himself have tuh be in yore favor. Yo' see, if yo' do dat, den by God Almighty, it's a help tuh yo', yo' undahstan'. Here we are told what is unexpressed in the similar rites. These twelve names compel God Al- mighty's help!]
Entry 9128
To win a lawsuit in co't, yo' git chew twelve - listen tuh me good - yo' git chew twelve sage leave an' write de twelve apostles' names on dem twelve leaves, an' put dem in yore shoes jes' at sunrise an' weah dat in yore shoe. An' when yo' called up befo' de co't, why yo'll win out. (You wear those six in each shoe I suppose?) [This is not a leading question be- cause I already had enough examples of this rite. My only interest in this one were the words put dem in your shoes jes' at sunrise.] Dat's right.
Entry 9156
Dat's if yo' git in a lawsuit an' yo' wanta win de case, yo' undah- stan', befo' yo' go. Befo' yo' go dere, why yo' jes' git chew some sulphuh, bluestone, alum an' borax. Beat it up right nice an' fine, an' yo' walk in dat room where de jedge an' de iury an' all of 'em. an' dey'll ask yo' tuh talk firs'. An' yo' git up an' talk an' let de prosecutor come on. Yo'll come out. [The preceding mixture is definitely carried into court and beaten up right nice shows that it was sprinkled.]
Entry 11735
[Graveyard dirt will be found everywhere in these volumes, its largest concentration appearing on pages 3293-3385, volume 4. Here I begin with a few leftover longer rites and end with the more numerous short or condensed ones, these latter to show how widespread they were.] Ah've had [have used] de graveyard dust mahself. If I was in a lawsuit with yo' an' ah wanta win de lawsuit, well ah come in dere [your office] with some graveyard dust in mah pocket. An' ah sprinkle in de - in de fo' corners of de place, an' a little in de do', an' down de steps as yo' [I] go out - when ah start out - unbeknowst tuh dem [you]. It must be done un- beknowst tuh dem. Dat's de way dey supposed tuh be tuh handle dat graveyard dust.
(Where do you sprinkle this graveyard dust?)
In de office - like dey wanted tuh move yo' out of heah or put chew tuh trav- elin', yo' see. Ah'd come in heah unbeknowst tuh yo' an' throw some in dat cor- nah, sprinkle it around ovah in de othah cornah, an' ovah tuh de othah cornah [informant forgets to mention the fourth corner], git it aroun' lak yo' want it. An' if necessary dey gits some on yuh.
Entry 9022
It jes' lak if yo' Wanta go tuh win a case. Yo' take dese three black hen aigs an' do de same thing. (How do you do that?) Well, yo' take de three aigs an' go tuh de fo' cornahs of de road, gotta be where dirt at. (And these three eggs are black hen eggs?) Black hen aigs, yeah. An' yo' jes' set [demonstrates] one heah an' one heah - undah de sand jes' lak dat, not too deep, so de automobile couldn't mash it. [Egg buried at right angle, not in a straight line.] Set de othah one on dis cornah an' set one on dis cornah...each automobile jes' accordin' tuh how it's [egg is] set, jes' go by dese two aigs an dey bust on dat side. Den de othah yo' could take it an' bring it back. Write an' tell 'im whut chew want done. Pass de case [to the eggl. Man goin' be 'lectricuted. Dat goin' bring 'im back.
(You write this all on the egg. What time do you go out to that crossroad?)
Yo' be dere twelve on de minute. Yo' start dis off at three minutes tuh twelve. THIS IS A SINGLE DIRT ROAD - YOU CAN TAKE ONLY 1 OF 3 (At night.) ROADS AHEAD - SET EGG IN RUT EITHER SIDE OF ROADS Dat's right an' yo' stay dere an' watch dat job.... 3 DOTS OF DIAGRAM =
(Until the automobile runs over it?)
3 NAILS OR NAMES. Dat's right. Yo' see a man on each one of dem automobile.