Subject:Lodestone
Entries
Entry 590
Yeah, you kin git a piece of lodestone and you kin go to de drug store and git you some turpentine - not de one you drink. You know some turpentine you gits you kin drink it - put on sugar or something like dat and take it, but chew don't git dat kind. You git de kind you can't - you see, you rub wit it but you can't drink it. Well, you kin take dat and if anybody tryin' to do you anything you know, you take dat and sulphur and burn it and dey couldn't do you nothing - dey couldn't stand you, dey wouldn't have nothing to do with you.
(What do you do with that lodestone?)
Well, dat lodestone, it just let you know when anything critical or wrong - you see, it just keep movin'.
(What do you mean?)
Oh, well, dat turpentine - you keep dat lodestone and den at times you jes' take dat turpentine and wet it [lodestone], chew know. And den jes' like if anybody's tryin' to do anything to you or putting down anything for yuh - well, dat lodestone, it would move, you know. You could feel it movin' in yo' pocket or somepin like dat and then you kin jus' rub yourself jest all over, you know, with dat turpentine and just burn it with sulphur an' old shoe, and that will kill that whatsomever it is.
Entry 3916
Ah'm goin' tell yo' somepin dat I saw here in '23 - was in '23. Ah wus workin' fo' Halstrom Brothers. An' my firs' wife - it was a girl lived right side of us named Theresa Jackson, an' my firs' wife helped to raise dis girl. Well, dis girl, she was a stout girl, an' she was workin' fo' Dr. Knox[?]. All at once she'd taken sick an' we couldn't undahstan' why she wus sick all de time. An' ah says to her, say, "You're workin' fo' dat doctah, say, "whyn't yo' tell de doc- tah 'bout it, how bad yo' feel?" Well, dere she would go to work an' have to leave work to come home. An' she tole de doctah 'bout it. Well, de doctah say he couldn't fin' no trouble - yo' know, what was 'er complaint. So she wus off on 'er off-day an' she said, "Ah'm goin' clean up my house. Ah'm goin' from de stern-wheel to de rudder" [surely an old Mississippi River expression]. Says, "All right." Ah was layin' down sleepin'. Ah been workin' at night. An' dis girl goin' to clean up 'er house. An' right behind de middle door, she found a bottle an' a little bag. Well, when she found dis bottle an' little bag, she brought it an' showed it to my wife. My wife said to her, "Ah'm goin' to wake Steve up an' tell 'im 'bout it." Which she did wake me up. When she woke me up, ah took it an' ah looked at it, say, "Dis looks mighty funny to me. I said, give me a knife." I said, "I'm goin' open dis bag." Ah opened de bag. It had a plat of 'er hair, outa her head. It had three pieces outa her pieces, yo' know, about dat size.
(Out of her monthly clothes?)
Yes. An' it had some lodestone in dere an' it had some needles an' some pins crossed dataway [demonstrates], see.
(Held that way with two crosses in it?)
Yes, sir. An' it had dat hair undah dere an' jes' like - jes' like my thumb is de hair, an' right along dere was de lodestone, see, into dis piece, an' dey had it sewed up. See. And he [the man who had tricked her] had de bottle wit 'er mon'ses [months] in hit.
(Which?)
[I either did not grasp mon'ses or wanted a fuller explanation.]
It had, yo' know, change over de moon in de bottle.
(I see.)
An' I opened it an' taked de stoppah outa de bottle an' it was jes' worsen [worse than] anythin' yo' evah smelled in yore life. Ah says to her, ah says, "Yo' take dis out dere" - ah always heard my ole uncle say dese things - ah say, "and throw it in dat runnin' watah." Dere was a little bayou - part of de bayou right back dere - part of de bridge an' de little bayou run undahneat' dere.
(Where?)
Little bayou right out chere on Rogers Street. An' she - ah say, "Now, you throw dat ovah yore left shoulder an' don't look back." An' she went out dere an' throwed it ovah her lef' shouldah in dat runnin' watah. An' he left. Dat fellow come home, but when he come home he rushed right on in de house. He says to her, "What yo' been doin' here?" She say, "Ah been cleanin' up." He say, "Yo' don't nevah clean up." He said, "Did yo' find anything of mine?" She said, "No, I find somepin of mine." He says, "What wus it?" Ah says, "If he hits yo today, I'm goin' woop 'im an' [or] he gon'a woop me eithah one." So he hauled away an' he hit 'er, an' when he hit 'er, I grabbed 'im. An' he lef' an' went to Paducah, Ky. He lef' dere an' went to Oil City, Ill. He lef' dere an' come back here to her an' stayed three days, an' went to Natchez an' she ain't been worried wit 'im since. An' she's married an' she is jes' as stout as she evah wus, an' de mothah of a child.
(She got rid of him, got rid of the fellow.)
Entry 4000
[If dey] hoodoo yuh at yuh place, tell yuh whut yuh do. Yuh go, yuh take some black molasses or else black [dark brown crude] sugar - molasses. Yuh take some cinnamon an' yuh take dere urinate, like yuh urinate tuhnight. Yuh don't let nobody touch dat. Yuh mix all dat tuh- gethah an' yuh go an' yuh scrub it. An' yuh scrub it aroun' an' yuh put it all down. Dat's tuh keep de police - de policeman'll come an' yuh'll see de policeman will pass. It goin' tuh draw a lot of flies - yo' see, dat sweet'nin' goin' tuh draw a lot of flies. De policeman will git - he'll git mos' [most] dere an' he'll turn aroun' an' go back. He'll have a mind tuh go in - yuh see yuh got, yuh get dose policeman but on dat beat. Yuh undahstan'? Yuh git dat one on dat beat. Well, if like yuh say, he intahfere wit business. Dey wouldn't be, only it de govern- ment man. It's all de same, yuh know. Yuh jis' take dis an' yuh jis' keep 'em. All dat will jis' bring in a crowd [of customers], dat cinnamon an' dat sugah an' dat. An' take some, take a lodestone an' put it all aroun' dere an' yuh scrub wit it an' jis' take dat an' do like dat. When de policeman come, yuh'll stan' up an' yuh talk wit 'im. Let 'im walk right on it. Don't be scared. He'll talk wit yuh an' when he come in he'll look aroun'. De policeman will be doin', he'll look aroun'. Yuh take yuh some cinnamon [bark], an' yuh take dat an' yuh be chewin' it. Yuh see, as dey be comin' on in dere an' yuh let 'em look like dey goin' searchin', look fo' de likkah [liquor], all yuh be doin' jis' aroun', stirrin' aroun', chewin' yuh cinnamon. An' yuh'll take yuh - like yuh be's here an' yuh think dey are comin' an' yuh start tuh scrubbin' like yuh always scrub. Aftah while dey'll say, "Aw, come on, let's go. Dere ain't nuthin here. Dat jis' low-down done [information] we got. We didn't git de dope, de right dope." Yuh see, den dey go away. Yuh keep de policeman away. Well, dey won't come back.
Entry 4195
A three ounce bottle will hold three ounces. Yuh put three tablespoon- ful of urine in dis bottle. Yuh put de contents of one bottle of Hearts Cologne - yuh see dat's tuh dispose of de urine odor. An' yuh put a piece of lodestone de size of a pea in dis. Yuh put nine small needles in dat bottle an' if yuh are angry wit me - jis' like now [if] ah made yuh angry wit me, yuh git nine grains of spice an' drop in dat bottle [with this] an' say, "Well, ah want chew tuh always be pleased wit me, it is not my desire tuh have enemies." Dat person will immediately git in good humor wit yuh de very nex time yuh see dem. Dey will meet yuh wit a pleasant smile. Well now, not only dat, yuh kin put nine grains of spice in dere, if de boss is de only one dat is angry wit yuh. Dat works for dat one person. Well, maybe yuh do dat dis mawnin', an' it might be a week latah dat someone else will git angry wit yo'. Well now, let me tell yuh about a lady livin' on South Union Street in Mont- gomery [Ala.]. Well, at one time ah had a [little trouble with a woman] an' dis woman she wuz very angry wit me, an' ah had heard about dis [hoodoo] woman, an' a woman tole me, said, "If yuh go tuh dat woman, she sure goin' tuh tell yuh jis' whut tuh do." An' evahthin' worked out all right. She [hoodoo woman] said, "Dis woman will not appear in co't ag'inst chuh." Well, ah didn't har'ly believe it, but ah jis' thought ah would go on anyway. But de woman wuz one of de worst enemies ah had. I went tuh dis [hoodoo] woman an' she fixed dis bottle fo' me - tole me tuh fix it an' tole me jis' as ah have tole joo. Tole me tuh drop de spice in dere, an' ah did dat. Dis is true: Dis woman came ovah tuh mah house 'bout a half an hour befo' co't an' she tole me, she says, "Ah'm not goin' tuh court ag'inst yuh or no one else. It jis' came tuh me dat ah'd be doin' de wrong thin'. Ah'm not goin' do it." Den ah know it wuz workin'.
Entry 4245
Yuh kin use garlic an' [or] yuh kin use onions an' yuh kin use yuh slop jar watah.
(How do you use garlic for example to keep the law away?)
Take a package of garlic, a small piece of garlic an' put it up each night, a piece of it in yore slop jar an' throw de table salt, de table salt dat chew use, an' let it git on yore table. [Let it come from your table.] Yuh jis' keep it damp somewhere an' mix it an' throw it aroun' yuh do' both front an' back. An' co'se yuh have some good lodestone an' grad'ly [gradually] dey'll pass on by yuh an' yuh kin sell right on. Dat keep de officahs away. Throw it in de grass an' all lak dat aroun' yore do', but don't walk in it yuhself. [NEVER WALK OVER YOUR OWN HOODOO!] Leave it so dat people kin pass ovah it. Let it lay dere an' dey ain't goin' worry yuh.
Entry 4354
Oh! a person kin do a lot wit dat.
(Well, what for example? One thing.)
One thing, yuh kin take dat.
(This chamber lye.)
Put it in a bottle, put some lodestone in it, steel dust, nine pins an' nine needles. Turn it upside down in yuh home. Dat would make a man stay. Yuh kin take it an' do dat wit it. If yuh want tuh harm 'em, yo' take dere pee an' stop it up in bottle wit a new stopper an' bury it: Bury it where dere's no watah, an' when dat bottle busts, dey will die. But if yuh jis' wants 'em, have dem beggered an' be wit yuh, put it undah de hydrant [considered run- ning water] where it's cool, dat watah, an' dat bottle will nevah - nevah bust, cuz de watah, it won't sour. It'll keep it cool. But yuh see, dat stuff, well hit gits strong in a bottle somewhere up in a warm place. Yuh know yuhself it will bust. Well, when it busts, dat's de last of a person.
Entry 4626
[The number of the size of a hat is rare in hoodoo, this could be my only example, though I am certain that many men while gambling have on the spur of the moment used his own or another person's number. The following rite, missed by my transcriber, is a pencil abstract of mine while checking cylinders.] "Take hat bow and the number out of hat - and put grain [ground or powdered] lodestone with it - make a bag - put [on it] old Hearts Perfune - wear next to skin - can't quit you."
Entry 4737
Now, if I got any of 'er undahweahs or anythin', well I takes dat an' I buries it. An' she ain't goin' tuh rest in peace until she come back tuh me. See, I takes it an' I mix it wit- git some cobweb. (Cobweb, spider web.) Yeah, dat's whut I mean. An' I gits me a white of a egg. I beats it up an' I mix dese up tuhgethah. Well, I takes dis - yo' know whut I mean - I mean 'er clothes, an' I folds dat tuh me an' I take an' I bury it right by de steps. An' she ain't goin' tuh be satis- fied until she come back.
(Comes back to you.)
She ain't goin' tuh git along wit no othah man. Den I kin take dat cloth, dat same cloth, an' git me some lodestone - git a live lodestone, got life in it - an' I makes a powdah wit it, an' I wraps dat up wit dat. See? I puts mah name on dis end an' 'er name here - goin' tuh make a separation, yo' see. An' I folds it so it be jis' dat much apart. See? An' I draw it tuhgethah. An' when I draw it tuhgethah dataway, well she comin' on back. No mattah where I'm at, she is comin' back.
Entry 4962
Yuh kin take a woman's stocking an' tie it in nine knots an' put it in a coffee can with live lodestone an' powdered alum an' a lick of dis heah Hearts Own Cologne an' one needle, sewin' nee- dle, an' yuh kin stop dat [coffee can] back up, an' yuh kin tie her dere jis' like she's lef' yuh an' she had come back. She'll stay dere jis' as long as dat, stay dere until dat stockin' molt away in dat can. [A lick of Hearts Own Cologne sounds unusual, even though lick can mean a small quantity. Previously I had never heard of a lick of perfume! Hearts Own here sounds like heartshorn, a pronunciation that confused me when I first started working in the South. I have discussed this elsewhere.]
(What do you do with that can?)
Well, yuh kin place it in yore trunk. Put it in yore trunk or any place like dat, yuh know, safe keepin' where nobody won't harm it.
Entry 4972
If he is away from yuh, if yuh wan' 'im tuh stay wit yuh, yuh take it an' yuh git cheh some steel dust - dat's drawin' - an' lodestone, dat's drawin'. Yuh put it in 'is sock. Yuh take dat sock jis' lak dat goin' in. (Going into the house.) Intuh de house. Yuh put it down in de groun' an' yuh bury it wit de feet goin' in. He cain't stay away from dat house.
(I see. You take the left.)
[Left is nowhere mentioned. Informant may be repeating story and assumes I know which sock; or after story completed I may have turned off machine and then asked left or right before restarting machine in time to catch the answer.]
Entry 5006
Jis' lak a man's sock or sompin, when yuh wanta break 'em up or sompin, or yuh wanta run 'em away, yuh bury it. Yuh jis' take it, jis' lak it's yore ole man or sompin an' yuh wanta git rid of 'im. Yuh kin run 'im away wit 'is sock, or: if yuh wanted tuh keep 'im, yuh kin keep 'im wit chure sock. (How would you run him away with the sock?) Well, yuh take his sock an' yuh wrap 'is sock up in sulphur, lodestone an' bluestone, an' yuh bury dat sock an' yuh put three rusty nails aroun' dat sock an' two pegs, an' yuh'll soon git rid of'em.
(How do you put those two pegs?)
Take de sock an' yuh bury his sock wit dat stuff in it. An' yuh take two rusty nails an' yuh put two on each side of de sock - one on dis side an' one on dat side. P An' put one in de middle of it, an' yuh put de pegs behin' it [like this N N N ]. What are those pegs supposed to do?) Ah dunno. [They symbolize the headboard and footboard of a grave. The design is a cross mark on the grave. She has crossed him.]
Entry 5055
Now de woman is gone, she's gone. She jis' pick up 'erself an' gone out. She boun' tuh leave somepin in dere. Now, dat's whut she lef' in dere - dat be a cloth, a blood cloth. Well, yuh might ketch it. She might leave dat. Well, yuh ketch dat an' yuh kin take dat an' bury dat. Now, dat stockin' when she leaves, yuh take dat stockin'. Don' pin it up lak by de laig, yuh pin it up by de toe, yuh undahstan'. Yuh git chew a bran'- new - a pack of bran'-new safety pins, but don' take an' let dat git away from yuh. Jis' keep dat perfec' [perfect] fo' dat. Take it an' shove it [pin] back dere, right in de stockin' foot.
(Where do you hang it up?)
In yore dressah or in yore chiffahrobe [chifforobe], or whutsomevah yuh got. Yuh got'a hang it in dere, but hang it upside down. Now de name. Write her name nine times. Now yuh take an' yuh write de name an' yuh put dat in a bottle. Write de name nine times comin' tuh yuh all de time, not goin' from yuh, comin' tuh yuh nine times. Yuh fol' dat an' yuh put dat in a bottle. Yuh git chew some lodestone an' put dat in dere in dat clear watah, an' carry dat tuh a rivah or bayou. Ah don' care where yuh carry it; tuh de creek or anywhere. Don't set it up, turn dat down. When yuh turn dat down, dat bottle goin' turn lak dis [demonstrates]. Turn comin' tuh yuh. De mouth of it will turn comin' tuh yuh all de time. It's be comin' tuh yuh an' it'll be goin'. In nine days yuh'll see 'em right dere. [Algiers, La., (193, 2993:2.]
Entry 5451
Den dey say dey could take roun' yore track an' dey kin finely [final- ly] run yuh completely away from home. Dey take out of yore lef' track, take three outa de lef' [3 left tracksl. jis' outa de palm of de track [often called the holZah = hol- lowl. Den jerk it back. Take dat an' mix it wit graveyard dirt. Put some sul- phur an' lodestone. Tie it in a li'le [cloth]. Bury any place right aroun' de house.
Entry 5454
Well, dey git some dust out of a graveyard an' mix it tuhgethah wit some peppah an' stuff like dat. See. Den aftah yo' mix it tuhgethah an' like dat, den dey will git lodestone. Dis black lodestone is a powdah-like, yo' see. An' mix it tuhgethah. Den dey will take yore track like dis. Take yore track an' where dey come an' take yore track up, den dey'll put de dust down de way yo' go - see, disaway. An' when yo' go from de home an' travelin' ovah dat place, dey sprinkle dat dust dat- away all de time. But when yo' travel ovah dat, den dat'll make yo' come away from dat house, make yo' be uncontented here. See, yo' will move, see.
(I see, I see.)
Yo' cain't be contented in dat place. Dat'll make yo' have tuh move.
(They don't pick up the track, the earth - just put stuff in the track?)
Jis' put de stuff in de track jis' where yo' go, an' den dat make yo' be...
(Just in the track.)
Entry 5468
[Yo'] takes de right foot track but yo' got'a be meetin' dose people. Yo' got'a be meetin', not git behin' an' pick up de track - not behin' dem lak dat. Dey goes dis way an' yo' be comin' dis way [to- wards them]. Den yo' meet dat person an' git de dirt out de hollah of de right track. Well, den dey put dat dirt in a place an' den dey go tuh de cemetery an' dey git some of de graveyard dirt. An' dey puts dat tuhgethah. An' dey puts dat tuhgethah an' a piece of lodestone an' takes it - let it stay nine days in dey house. Takes it den aftah nine days an' put it on a shingle, an' takes it tuh de rivah or de runnin' watah, an' put it in dere an' let it go on down jis' lak dat. An' den yo' jis' turn right roun' an' put it in dere an' walk on off away from it an' not nevah look back. Well, dey tell me dat's a good way tuh git evahthing goin' jis' lak dey wan' it tuh go, if dey Wan' chew tuh go out de country or leave out. Or whutevah dey wan' chew tuh do, why dat's whut dey do tuh do dat.
Entry 5883
Yo' take de hair wit lodestone, an' dese powdahs, an' some of de little candies [used in cake decoration], an' yo' put dat in a little bag. (What kind of powders?) De Lover's Sachet. [Whether this scented powder in 1938 was a local or wider known brand, I do not know.] An' yo' put dat [bag or hand] in de middle of de mattress. An' it don't make no diff'rence where on earth yo' go or nuthin about how de woman may abu'zhoo [abuse you], YO' GON'A COME BACK AN' GIT IN DAT BED. Yo' ain't gon'a stay aWay from 'er.
Entry 6013
Dey have hair in dat - dey git a lock of a lady's hair, men usin' dis. An' git a lock of lady's hair an' den dey git dis lodestone an' dey gits nine needles an' Hearts Perfume. Dat's whut ah heard now. An' den dey wrap it, feeds [see p.578] dat thing wit whiskey, an' wrap it in a ball, an' tie dat black string aroun' it.
(What do they wrap it up in?)
Flannel, red flannel, an' den put de black thread aroun' it an' put a string aroun' dat, an' let it hang down in dere bosom or breast an' wear it.
(What is that supposed to do?)
Dat will draw love.
Entry 6014
Yo' kin take a person's hair now, an' yo' kin take yo' nine needles up an' down [demonstrates], an' wrap dat hair between 'em wit black thread. (One needle is pointed that way and one that way.) Dat's right. Head an' tail dey call it. Yo' take dat an' wrap dat an' put chew - git chew a little red flannel bag an' git chew a dime's wut [worth] of lodestone dust an' put in dat, an' put dat in yore pocket. Yo' have de headache de balance of yore days.
Entry 6015
From mah undahstandin', yo' take nine strands of hair off de mole of yore head an' dey kin run yo' crazy wit it. Dey takes yore hair an' dey mix it up, puts it in a bottle wit nine needles, an' git some lodestone dust, an' dey puts it in dis bottle wit dis. An' dey takes an' dey bury de bottle upside down. See, it will run [you] crazy an' yo' apt to die.
Entry 6026
Git a plait of hair an' yo' plait it undahwards, yo' know, lak dat [demonstrates]. Don't plait it ovah lak we plait our hair, plait it undah lak dat. Den tie a little bow of ribbon on dere. An' aftah yo' tie dat hair in dere, yo' take an' put a piece of lodestone wit it, an' yo' put nine pins an' nine needles in dere, an' yo' sew dat up in a flannel bag, an' yo' puts a little sugah in dere, too - ah'd fo'gotten dat - an' anvil dust lak at de blacksmith shop, dat dust where dey grind.
(From the anvil?)
[From the hoodoo drug store or mail order firm I should have said.1 Yes. Put dat anvil dust in dere an' a silvah dime. Dat's tuh keep de person dat chew love, yo' know, keep dere minds contented towards yo'.
Entry 6027
If yo' kin git a stran' of hair out of a person's haid, out from de top of de haid, yo' git a stran' of dere hair. An' take dat an' git nine nee- dles an' nine pins, an' yo' git a piece of red flannel, an' git some lodestone, an yo' could git some of dere sweat - perspiration yo' know - on a piece of cloth, a bran'-new piece of cloth, an' put it in dere. Stick dem pins in dere, stick 'em cross dis way. Stick 'em cross lak dat [demonstrates].
(Like making a cross - X's.)
Dat's right. Stick dem pins in dat piece of cloth, if it don' be but jes' a small piece of it, jes' so it be's dat perspiration on it. An' yo' stick dem pins in dere an' lodestone an' dat anvil dust. Anvil dust keeps de lodestone live. An' put dat in dere an' put dat hair in dere in dat thing [cloth] an' sew it up [into a bag], an' yo' kin have a person most anywhere yo' want 'em.
(What do you do with that?)
Jes' carry it [bag or package] in yore pocket. Yo' carry it reg'lah fo'about eight or nine days, an' whenevah yo' takes it out of yore pocket, yo' put it ina real pahtic'lah place where no one will bothah it but chew. An' dat will rule a person.
Entry 6375
If she wanta take him from 'is wife. Yo' see, he's got a wife an' she wanta take him. An' 'cordin' to dat, well, he'll go an' stay wit 'er all night. Well, while he's dere, she'll cut some hair out of 'is haid, see. She'll take dat hair out an' put it intuh a quart bottle an' good whiskey on it, an' put bluestone an' lodestone in dere. An' befo' she'll speak to anybody, she'll git up evah mawnin' fo' nine straight mawnin's an' shake dat up. An' at de end of de ninth mawnin' when she shake it up, dat hair will bejes' as black as a coal in dat bottle. An' dat man will walk right out of de house an walk ovah dere tuh her, an' 'is wife won' say an'thin' tuh him.
(That takes this man away from his wife?)
Yessuh. [Memphis, Tenn., (1530), 2736:4.] [These three parts of the human body appear separately, joined with one or the other, or all together, or in various combinations with various substances. About one-third of them concern food and drink. As always in these sections of special material, not all rites are here. Others will be found elsewhere, espe- cially in INTERVIEWS.]
Entry 7669
Yo' kin dig about six inches in de graveyard, an' yo' git some of dat fine dirt, dat dirt about six inches down. Take dat an' put it in a cup an' yo' git some lodestone an' put in it too. An' yo' shet it up. (What do you do that for?) Dat's fo' a woman, tuh make her stay wit chew, yo' got dat dust. See, yo' gotta take it, see, put dat undah yore house an' she'd stay dere. She ain't goin' leave.
Entry 7789
Ah know of a man gittin' a gravevine stick, but he have it dressed, dressed, load it up wit a piece of li'le small lodestone an' brimstone an' put it in dat stick wit graveyard dirt. Put it in, in de stick. Have yo' a separate hole bo'd [bored] fo' it. Yo' 'tend [attend] tuh dat yo'self an' nobody won' observe any hole 'bout it. An' if yo' knock a man wit it, why he'll lingah - dat cuz 'im tuh lingah an' pass away. [If I may guess at the intention here: the lodestone attracts the person to be present for the hitting, the brimstone sends him to hell, after the graveyard dirt has killed him.]
Entry 7828
Git some lodestone powdah an' graveyard dirt an' mix dat tuhgethah an' dat will make yo' git a job. Put it in yuh pocket an' tote it.
(The boss will give you a job.)
Entry 7829
Said if anybody had done anything tuh yo' an' yo' didn't wan' 'em tuh know yo' done anything tuh 'em, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' git some fresh graveyard dirt. An' yo' take dat dirt an' yo' take quicksilvah, an' when yo' take de quicksilvah... (What is that quicksilver? Is it a liquid-like or that tin paper [tinfoil]? What is quicksilver?)
[Quicksilver among my informants meant several things.]
Well, ah call dat liquid silvah. An' den yo' take dat. An' yo' git dat an' yo' git dis lodestone an' yo' shivah [sliver? = shave] it off right fine. An' yo' take dat dirt an' all dat an' mix it tuh- gethah. An' when yo' git chure oin- ment made lak yo' wan' it, yo' take dat li'le wad [insole] in de bottom of yuh lef' shoe [and put it under there] an' dey'll lingah an' lingah den until dey be's put in de ground. Ah heard it lak dat.
Entry 7842
Dey go tuh de graveyard an' dey git some dust. Dey go tuh de store an' dey buy a new pack of needles whut ain't be used. All right, dey take dose needles an' dey cross dose needles, an' den dey sews 'em up intuh a piece of red flan- nel. An' dey: make whut dey call a bag outa it, an' dat's fer good luck.
(How many needles do they cross?)
Two of 'em, jis' two needles. Dey cross 'em. When dey put dose two needles in dere, dey put's a piece of lodestone about so big [demonstrates] in dere wit it, see. Dat's fer good luck.
Entry 7980
I've heard whut it'll do, dat little coffin. But jis' like I tellin' yo' a few minutes ago, dat stuff about makin' a little coffin. Put 'em undah de step, yo' see, wit de people's photo in dat coffin, de party. Dat why plenty people won't take dere photos yo' see. Put it in dat coffin wit some pins, some needles, yo' see, an' some steel dust and lodestone. See. An' dat draw dose people outa dat house, yo' undahstan', an' fix 'em so dey will nevah wan' tuh see one anothah no mo'.
Entry 8039
Ah heard dat dey take de middle-fingah bone an' if dey wants tuh be lucky.
(What do you call the middle-finger bone?)
Uh, dis fingah heah [demonstrates].
(The middle finger on the left hand.)
Yessuh, dis one [demonstrates].
(The third joint. That's the joint right next to the hand.)
Yessuh. An' dey take dat an' dey let it git hard an' dry, an' dey take den an' dey put dat in de stove an' let it bake till it becomes - it bleaches white an' lak crumbly. Den dey takes it an' dey crumble it tuh ashes. An' dey take dose ashes, take de ashes from dat middle fingah, an' den dey take de ashes of a dove's laig, of dis lef' laig, an' dey take dose two ashes an' put 'em tuhgethah, an' den dey put lode- stone in dere. An' aftah dey put de lodestone, den dey take den an' dey put dis silvah; not de liquid quicksilvah, [but] yo' know dis silvah dat's kinda lak dey shake it out jis' lak powdah. An' dey take dose three thin's an' dey mix 'em all tuhgethah.
(The silver is just like a powder you mean. It's a silver just like powder?)
Yessuh, grind it tuh a silvah powdah. Yo' know, not de quicksilvah whut chew po's out, whut chew po' lak watah. An' dey takes an' dey mix dose three thin's tuhgethah an' dey say dat it will cuz dem tuh have powah an' dominion ovah me tuh rule 'em.
(A man would do that to get power over another man?)
Yessuh.
Entry 8043
Take de dead man's bone, take fo' of 'is fingahs. Yo' see, dese: one, two, three, fo' fingahs here. An' take each one of 'em j'ints. Yo' undahstand. Yo' take de end of dem fingahs, aftah all de meat's done faded offa dem.
(Either hand?)
No, no, take off de right hand.
(All right.)
Dat's 'is gamblin' hand, makes a gamblin' hand outa it. Dat's tuh make yuh win, undahstand. Dat's supposed tuh make yo' lucky, make yo' win. Take dem fo' fingahs here an' dey chip 'em right in half. When dey chip dem fo' j'ints in half, dey puts 'em intuh a li'le bag, yo' undahstand. An' put some steel dust in dere an' lode- stone an' six needles, gold-eyed needles, an' sew dat up an' give it tuh yuh. Call dat a lucky hand.
(For gambling.)
Entry 8287
Dey take yore pichure an' draw it in willah [willow] tree an' run a speah through yer heart. See, shape yer heart an' put a speah through yer heart. An' dey shoot yer pichure nine times an' dat'll cuz yo' tuh drag until yo' die. Well, AH HAVE SAW DAT CUZ AH SAW IT ON DE BAYOU, de photo Wuz in de trE. (An ordinary photograph? Or do you draw the form of that photograph?) Yes [you draw the form as informant stated]. An' dey put it in de tree an' dey made dere wish, but dey put some kinda - dey put lode- stone in it, too, an' dey put dat blood, dragon's blood in it, an' dey had a speah through de heart. Yo' know, lak yo' speah it through de heart. An' dey shot it nine times, shot de heart nine times.
Entry 8514
(What are you going to do when you get the coconut?)
Whut chew goin' do wit de coconut? Yo' goin' empty de watah [milk or juice] out de coconut, dry it out good. See, don' leave no watah in dere, let it drain good. An' den put jis' a li'le steel dust an' a piece of lodestone, an' yo' orite dat name nine times. Write his name nine times. Take dat spool of thread, No.8 black, an' wrap dat comin' tuh yuh [saying] "Ah want chew tuh stay heah. Yo nst stay an' yo' gotta stay. Ah want chew heah." Yo' put dat intuh dat coconut an' yo' take a li'le stoppah an' yo' cut de stoppah off, an' shet dat up an' bury it undah de steps. See. (Is there any special way you must bury it under the steps?) No, yo'jis'.... Yo'see, yo' have tuh bury it up lak dat [demonstrates]. Yo' bury it up lak dat, but de coconut is in de ground. See. Now ah did dat. (What will that do then?) Well, dat brings 'is mind, makes 'im stay dere, an' him an' her been tuhgethah evah since.
Entry 8562
Now, jis'lak yo' goin' ast me mah name. Yo' know, ah gotta give yo' mah right name, yo' see. Well, yo' take mah name, lak ah says ah'm named Mary. Now yo' take dat name - gimne dat piece papah an' lemme show yo'.
[I PASS MY NUMBERS BOOK TO INFORMANT, WHO BEGINS TO DEMONSTRATE.]
(Cut it square?)
Yes. Look, see heah. Yo' write Mary right 'cross heah, see. (Diagonally across that square [oblong] piece of paper [in my Numbers Book]. Then you fold it in a triangle. Then you fold it in a triangle again.) Yo' see dat. Yo' know whut them ten-cent snuffboxes is. Well, yo' don' want a little nickel box, yo' wants a ten-cents box, an' yo' have me. NOW, YO' woRKIN FO'ME, DON'T CHEW SEE. WELL, YO' HAVE ME TUH BRING YO' DAT OLE SNUFFBOX, YO' SEE. Bog, yo' take this name an' put it in that snuffbox, see. Aftah yo' put this name in the snuffbox, yo' says three words, Father, Son an' Holy Ghost. See! Den yo put it in de box, put it in dat snuffbox, see. An' when yo' put it in that snuff- box - now, yo' know whut white lodestone is, don't yo'? Sprinkle on it. [During the Great Depression these little boxes, frequently used as snuff- boxes, could be bought in the Five and Ten Cent Store.]
(Sprinkle some of that white lodestone on it?)
Yeah, yeah, sprinkle it on there and shet [shut] it up an' yo' give it to me yo' see. Shet de box. YO' GIVE IT TO ME, yo' see, 'CUZ AH'M DE ONE GIVIN' YO TUH DO DE WORK, don't chew see? An' yo' carry it on to de rivah or where it's a runnin' stream. AH GOTTA CARRY IT MAHSELF, See, 'CUZ YO' DOIN' DE WORK FO' ME.
(You are my client?)
[OR SHOULD I HAVE SAID PATIENT?]
Yeah. Throw it in an' go on back home. An' in five or six or seven, eight, days, dey'll [I'll] go.
(Drive them away. You will come to me and say, "I want to drive Mary away?")
Dat's right. (And I would do this, and you would throw that into running water. Any special way?) Yeah, now listen. When yo' throw it in, see, jis' lak ah'd walk to de rivah, ah jis' throw it in an' come on back home.
(That sends Mary away?)
She gotta go.
Entry 8590
If a man leaves home, leaves his wife and he wants - she wants him back. Well, she will take his name an' she will write it nine times backwards. See, she take his last name and bring that first. And de woman dat he is goin' wit, well, she'll write her name on top of his name, an' she'll get her some he lodestone. (He lodestone?) He lodestone. See, they got two kinds. They got the she an' they got de he. Get de he lodestone an' yo' put it in a coal-oil lamp. An' yo' take an' attach it into dat wick. An' yo' keep dat lamp burnin' all day, but yo' turn dat lamp down low. An' yo' see yo' got his name burning in dat he lodestone, an' dat draws him right back tuh yo'. (And whose name - did you write that woman's name he is running around with, or the wife's name?) No, yo' write de woman's name when he is runnin' wit an' his name.
(I see, that'll bring him back. Bring him back.)
Entry 8592
A light, a light - she take this lamp an' she write your [a man's] name nine times, an' she take: de steel dust, dat's to draw; lodestone, dat draws; put it in dis lamp. She takes his name an' she pins it on de wick.
(On the wick of the lamp?)
Yes. After she write his name nine times, she write hers on top of his name. Always she'd be on de top (I see.) Pin that on the wick an' set this light. When she decided to set this light.... [I interrupt.] (She lights the light?) [I want to know, does set mean light the lamp.] She puts that name on there and she puts lodestone and steel dust over it right in the bottom of this light, some sugar. [To set this light means to prepare the lamp.] And she lights this light and whilst lighting it she - she light it and make the Lord's Prayer. An' say, "In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, I want this man back to me, '' an' light it an' leave it light- ed. Don't let it go out an' he'll come back.
Entry 8659
You take his name an' write it nine times, an' git choo a he an' she lodestone an' put it in there with his name, an' git a silver dime from 'im. An' he'll give yo' ever' nickel of money he kin make or scrape. (What do you do with that after you get this stuff together?) Yo' make it like in a little bag an' yo' pin it on yo'. Yo' see, yo' write his name first, yo' make yore wish jis' w'atevah yo' want done, yo' understan', an' den yo' wrap it up to yo' an make yore wish an' sew it up an' wear it on yo'.
(What do you do with this dime?)
Put it in there with dat - dat lodestone. Draws it, draws his money to yo'.
Entry 8660
(How do they do that?)
Well, they makes up a little bag an' takes an' puts lodestone in it, an' this here Conkah Root; put Conkah Root Powdah, cinnamon an' things, an' if dey wanted a man they sew de man's name up in dat, with a dime in dere an' den dey weah it. (I see.) [A gambling hand becomes a love hand by the addition of a person's name.]
Entry 8897
Then, you want to find out who it was, stealing? Well you get the Bible and put the key on the Seven Songs of Moses [whatever that is] and turn it [key] nine times. [Does in- formant mean the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, the hoodoo or witchcraft man- ual?] If you think of that person - you mean, if you want to know who it was?
(Yes, and then I want to make them pay [bring] it back, too.)
Turn that key on 'im an' jes' say: By St. Peter, by St. Paul, by the Lord and God who made us all; if So-and-so took it, turn key, Bible, and fall. If it's him, it'll fall. If it's this man it'll fall. And if it falls on this man [when his name is called], what you do, you get some lodestone; if you know where he lives. You got'a know where he lives to make him bring it back. Get some lodestone and put it up under his step in a little sack. Put nine pearl buttons in there. And if he walks over that, he will bring back whatever he took, right back where he got it from. But you got'a put that name what you called in that sack at the bottom step.
Entry 8985
Yo' take beef tongue an' dries it. Yo' make a dust out of dat, under- stand. Yo' take that an' dries it. Yo' take it - just like yo' take it an' lay it, let it just wither up. Hang it so it wither up, yo' see. Well, yo' take it, yo' take blood of dragon - dragon's blood. Yo' take lodestone. Yo' take that an' grind it up. An' yo' takes a piece of red flannel an' yo' puts them in there an' makes yo' a bag out of that. An' yo' sew it up an' yo' tote it in your pocket. He always be's lucky an' successful man, never being bothered or worried or caught up when he's out walking around. See, he ain't got no job or nothing, he's out hustling for his living. Laws and things don't pick him up an' ask him a lot of questions or any- thing. If they ask him, all he's got to do is to tell him, why he's goin' tend- ing to his business, an' they let's him go.
Entry 9097
When yo' go befo' de judge, yo' know, yo' have tuh make a vow tuh yo'- self. Now, ah'll tell yuh how yo'll have tuh do dat. Now, jis' lak now, yo know yo' goin' tuh have trial. Well, how yo' have tuh dress yuhself? Yo' have tuh git chureself some camphor balls. Yo' know dose camphor balls yo' put in clothes. Well, yo' git dose camphor balls an' git choo a piece of asafitadee. When yo' git dose camphor balls, yo' gotta beat dose camphor balls up fine; an' den when yo' beat dose camphor balls up fine, den yo' put chew some lodestone in dere wit it. An' den yo' beat dat camphor ball up, an' dis rag yo gonna put dis camphor ball in, [put rag] in gasoline, see. An' now when yo' take an' git it an' put it in dat gasoline, git de rag wet. Don' wet de camphor balls jis' wet de piece [rag] see. An' den yo' jis' use dat, jis' hold it down in yore pocket - jis' carry it right wit chew in yore pocket. An' den if yo' kin git a piece of sweet basil, carry dat 'long wit choo. Dat sweet basil gonna come in lucky. (What do you do with that camphor after you beat it up? And the lodestone, what do you do with that?) Take it an' put it in dat rag, where dat gasoline's been dipped in dere. Seu it up lak a li'le bag, A SMALL LI'LE BAG, an' yo' see, jis' lak WHEN DE JUDGE IS TALKIN' TO YO', YO' TALK TO IT LIKE YO' ARE TALKIN' TO SOMEONE.[ MEMphIS, TEN.
(936), 1515:9.]
Entry 9685
An' if yo' don't want 'em tuh come tuh yore house, yo' take table salt an' snake dust - cos' [of course] snake dust will kill yo'. Dey throw it at chew when yo' goin' tuh de house. Yo' take dat an' chunk it. Dey call it throwin' it at chew, but dey don't throw it at chew, dey put it down fo' yo' tuh walk ovah it. But if dey don't want chew tuh come tuh de house, yo' take one of yore right-foot shoes, an' sweep dat shoe, dirt an' all out de do', an' den dey'll walk backward from dat shoe in de house. Dey ain't comin' back no mo'.
(Whose shoe do they put out there?)
Yores. Jes' put a little table salt in dere. Dat will carry dem away.
(What do you do with the snake dust?)
Dat snake dust? Well, now, dat's tuh kill yo'. Dey won' do nuthin but jes' pur dat down, right down in yore pathway.
(Where you can walk over it?)
Yessuh, an' yo' walk ovah it. (But if they want to get rid of you, they just put that salt in your shoe and seep it out?) Yessuh. But dat snake dust, if yo' walks ovah dat snake dust an' dey got it in dere, why dat'll git chew, see, 'cuz dey got dat lodestone in it, yo' see.
Entry 9688
If they don't like you and want you out of the way, the way they do, they goes to the [hoodoo] drug store and they buys some steel dust and lodestone. And they put black pepper and salt in it, and they sprinkle it around your step, see. And when they sprinkle it around your step, that'll move you.
Entry 9803
Well, yo' see, de house yo' lives in has got four corners to it. Well, it's north, east, west, and south. Well, yo' take a simple thing as a needle, one needle, an' take that needle an' put in each corner of your house. An' every night at twelve 'clock yo' read the Ten Command- ments in each corner of that house. Like tonight yo' read them in one corner an' the next night yo' read them in another corner. An' then after yo' get that done, yo' take the needles out wrap them up, buy a little lodestone, put the four needles in that and put them up over the door, tack it there, an' leave it there. Yo' kin get all the trade you want. That will even keep the law away.
Entry 9820
Latsa people dey take nine needles, bran'-new needles an' dey git a piece of lodestone an' put 'em in dis way an' dat-a-way [demonstrates].... (Now wait. [I try to repeat informant's demonstration.] Put in this way and that way?) [I am making a cross.] Yes sir, cross [demonstrates].
(Cross them all.)
An' den yo' go tuh a blacksmith shop an' git chew some anvil dust, de steel from de anvil where dey make de iron, an' put it in dere. An' git chew a piece of lodestone an' put ten cents [a silver dime] in it. It's lucky tuh yuh if yo' keep it an' let nobody touch it. Feed it wit whiskey. Yo'll always have silvah money. [Even during my collecting days back in 1938 the preceding anvil dust never saw an anvil; it came from ma- chine-shop filings. Anvil dust and steel dust were the same thing, depending upon age, size, color, etc.] [In the following comment I am not talking for informant's benefit, I am an- notating for the future.] (Now in putting these needles, you put one needle like that, and then you put another needle on there like that - like a cross, sort of like little squares, like tick-tack-toe.) Yes. [Everything is arranged or sprinkled into the form of a cross before the combined materials are put in the bag.]
Entry 9988
Live frog, rabbit foot, lodestone, steel dust, red pep- per - in red flannel bag. Frog is put in alive.
Entry 9991
High John de Conkah root, red and white lodestone, frog dust, in bag, vet [feed] with Ole Hearts Perfume, sometimes with whiskey, luck hand for gamb- lers.
Entry 9992
Live frog, rabbit foot, lodestone, steel dust from railroad rail [an unusual dust!], and red pepper in red flannel bag - frog is put in alive. This is for gambling.
Entry 10003
[Show people use lodestone in their work to deceive you, but there is a Way by which you can protect yourself.] If de pusson gol' tuh go tuh a show - if yo' figah [figure] a pusson gotta go tuh a show, an' if dere's lode- stone or anythin' lak dat, yo' put dat frog in yuh pockit an' yo' valk in dere. Dat man cannot show. He'll come tuh yo' an' tell yuh tuh git dat frog out chure pockit or he have tuh break up 'is show.
(Any kind of a show?)
Any kind. If its lodestone anywhere 'bout it, a toadfrog kills it - any of dat slightly [sleight-of-hand] work dey can't work it. (Or any kind of slight-of-hand, they can't work it.)
Entry 10005
Ah heard dis about a frog. Jes' lak if yo' wanta go tuh a show, yo' take a frog - a toadyfrog. Dat whut we talkin' about. An' all dem lodestones where dey makin' all dese monkey motions in dem shows, yo' take de frog an' when yo' go dere yo' kin kill evah bit of lodestone dat dem folks is got in dere. Yo' see, yo' tote it [live frog] in yuh pocket an' dat'll kill all de lodestone dey got in dere - jes' lak dey workin' tricks or have shootin' gallery.
Entry 10030
Dey tell me it's very lucky, it's de luckiest bone in de world. Ah tried it one time but ah jis' didn't have de ingredients. Yo' take a black cat an' have boilin' hot watah, an' have a cat wit not a white hair on 'im. When dat watah git tuh boilin' good, yo' grab dat cat in a sack or somepin an' throw 'im in dere an' put de top.on 'im. An' he'll boil an' he'll boil all tuh pieces. An' de bone whut chew want'll float an' de rest'll sink, but chew use dat wit lodestone. But now ah nevah did git de full ingredient but ah did cook de black cat an' got de bone. Dat bone shore will rise. Ah know dat. (It didn't work.)
Entry 10106
Take de black cat an' git one of 'is eyes, his lef' eye, an' take it an' boil it an' yo' git dat bead. Yo' know it's a li'le white hard bead in it, dat's whut dey sight is. Yo' take dat an' mix it up wit - put some lodestone in it an' put some lucky oil, an' take dat an' weah it. (What do you wear that for?) Dat's fo' tuh keep any luck, a job or anythin' yuh wanta keep. Dat's fo' tuh be successful in mos' anythin' yo' want. [For eye of black cat and its hardness, see No.10046.]
Entry 10278
Whut chew kin do with a dirty sock, least dat is tuh keep a man with a woman, dat is she's about tuh go or he's about tuh go from her, is dis: His urine is his nature. Yo' understan' dat. Yo' git de bottle an' git de urine an' yo' git de he lodestone, steel dust, cinnamon, sugah, drawin' oil, mind oil. Write de name nine times, nine needles an' nine pins. An' yo' put dat ingrediment [ingredients] together, yo' understan', an' yo' shake it well an' put it undah de do'step. Be shure dat it crosses ovah it three times, an' den aftah yo' take it an' put it anywheres in yore place. Yes, ah kin guarantee yo' it bring de woman dat ah did de work fo' dat ah he'ped [helped] out with it, an' through prayers, goin' to de chapel an' makin' prayers.
(That'll hold the man?)
Listen, dat'll hold him an' yo'll nevah git, but don' evah - dat means a man'll kill yuh if he gits holt of dat, yo' see. Dat means death. An' it really will hold him.
Entry 10569
Ketch a bat an' take his guts out of 'im an' pack 'im with lodestone an' sompin else - ah dunno [= don't know] now [I forget for the moment]. Anyhow ah know dey say use a bat fo' gamblin'.
Entry 10572
Ketch yo' a live bullbat an' take an' sew him right up in a rag - a Retber one [batl. Dere's a leather bullbat an' den dere's a bullbat a - dey all be's up in de chimley, an' make connection lak dat. Jes' ketch one of dem. Says dat he's got a lodestone, says yo' take an' cut him right open alive an' take dat lodestone, an' dey says yo' kin git 'em [other gamblers] out wit dat. [This lodestone in a bat probably came from someone who found a dead bat that had a piece of lode- stone in it; someone's lost hand.]
Entry 10573
Yo' kin take a bat an' yo' kin put him in a stove, yo' know, an' bake him until he git kinda crusty like dat. An' put it in a little bag an' put a piece of lodestone in dere, an' dey tell me - say, dat will give yo' good luck.
(Good luck for what?)
Gamblin' an' shootin' dice.
Entry 10574
Den, if yo' want luck wit winnin', say yo' kill a bat an' take de heart out of de bat, aftah yo' kill it. Den aftah yo' taken dat heart out, take dat heart an' make a toby, see, an' sew it. Yo' take dat heart an' git chew some good flannen, an' aftah yo' git some good flannen, den git some good perfume called Jockey Club - lucky perfume - an' a piece of lodestone. An' den yo' take an' dampen dat lodestone an' sew it togethah - sew it up. Sew it up in dat red flannen. An' den aftah yo' sew it up in dat red flannen, dat's a lucky piece [a toby]. Dat will bring yo' luck. Dat's whut chew call luck. An' all yo' gotta do is jes' grease yore han', jes' when yo' wanta go tuh gamble or sompin lak dat. Oil yore han's 'fore yo' go, den yo'll have luck. Now, if a man is got a lucky han', dey come tuh yo' [root doctor] an' say, "So-an'-so got a lucky han' an' ah wanta know how tuh stop him." All right. Yo' tum right aroun'& den an' git chew some salt an' red peppah an' sew it up in de same thing. an' give it to 'em [himl an' let 'im wear it in his right pock- et. An' when he goes tuh gamble' an' find de fellah dat's got dis luck, take his [own] bag an' hit his han' dat-a-way an' rub de dice. Dat will kill dat.
(Any kind of flannel?)
Yessuh. Jes' since it's de red flannen. Dat'll kill dat.
(Kill the other fellow's luck.)
Yessuh. Dat will kill, too.
Entry 10576
We have what you call, as I 'fore told you [told you before], is a silver dime - one silver dime and a bat. You'll find them goes round in the stable and all there. And you take that bat and take the heart out. He have a heart in him. Mostly everything that be found walking - every creater - if it's a creature, it's got a heart. And you take that heart out of there and take that heart there and you put it on top of this dime. Then you take this lodestone and tie it up in there, and after you tie it up, you find what you call this Star [or Stars] perfume [has stars on label] that's what you gotta feed it with. Then you [can] walk into any place, step in in any business you got, everything's going be [O.K.]. But at the same time, those people that you have dealt with, if you gamble with them [you have to be careful].
(That's for luck in gambling? This is for luck in gambling?)
Yassuh.
(I see.)
That's my way.
Entry 10593
When yo' first ketch him, yo' cut him open an' git his heart an' have yo' a sharp - sompin lak a ice pick an' place dat straight through de center of his heart. Take yo' a red piece of ribbon or string an' run it through dat - tie dat an' den yo' put it in a red piece of flannen an' say yore prayers ovah dat - aftah yo' say yore prayers ovah dat, yo' use de lodestone with it. Dat's fo' gamblin'.
Entry 10611
Git dis heah Adam an' Eve, an' dis powders from Los Angeles, an' lode- stone, an' put it together. Wrop dat up together an' dat'll make a person, if yo' talk to him an' ask him fo' a job, he can't deny yo'. (What kind of powder is this from Los Ange- les. What do they call it?) It's called.... (It's sand, not a powder from some firm in Los Angeles. What is the name of the firm out there?) Yo' kin git some from de Modden?[or Molden?] Company. Dat's in Los Angeles. Don't know whether it's in Los Angeles or San Jose. It's Chicago, ah think. Yessuh. (What is the name of the company in Los Angeles?)
Entry 10617
Dey said dat yo' git dis heah lucky lodestone - yo' git de [lup] lodestone powdah - an' John de Conkah ' Adam-an'-Eve an' mix 'em tuhgethah. Well, it make a lucky gamblin' hand.
Entry 10849
If a person is stuff, yo' know, an' den dey maybe says [let us stay], dat dey has some lodestone an' dey had it workin' in dere first, see, but dat han' [of the body] is tod stiff tuh feel de money when dat lodestone draw it. [A piece of lodestone band- aged on hand before or while gambling.] Dey kill a buzzard an' bury him three days [see v.1, p.533, line 34] see. Den dey will cook dat buzzard an' den dey git dat oil, strain dat oil, an' jes' lak when dey go out in de middle of de night, dey [leave gambling room] take dat buzzard oil an' dey grease dere joints wit it, jes' a little, not much [see No.ll49, p.422, v.1] jes' grease. Aftah dey grease it, well dey come back in [return to gambling room] - grease all around an' grease back of de ears. An' dat makes 'em soup-ple [supple] an' dat makes 'em see whut come in [buzzard has keen eyes]. [While outside] put lode- stone in dere an' take it an' jes' git dat skin up enough tuh put a piece about de size of a button right in dere! An' den put a silver dollar on his tail! An' jes' come in dat house an' jes' take yore han' lak dat...
(What makes the hand stiff, though?)
Ah dunno, stiff joints. An' dey wanta be soupple, see, an' dat buzzard oil is mighty high. [If this rite means what I think it does, there is nothing quite like it! However, see the following rite for something similar.]
Entry 11182
Yo' kin git chew some lodestone [see later], it's sompin dat's lak a incense.
(Lodestone?)
Yes. All right. Yo' take dat an' yo' take some brown sugah an' yo' take some bluein' an' Redbird Epsom Salts an' devil's-shoestring, an' yo' mix allah [all of] dat up tuhgethah, an yo' sprinkle dat aroun' de house. Dat's tuh make dem move. [There appears to be at least three types of what is called lodestone: ground particles or a lump that can be pulverized, both at- tracting iron; and a third substance that is merely an incense.]
Entry 11219
You get the mud dauber.
(Yes.)
Out of a big stable anywhere. You stick this finger.
(Which finger?)
This one.
(The middle finger of the right hand?)
Yes. Get the blood out of it.
(Yes.)
Get all the blood. You write the name nine times on a piece of paper. You roll that mud dauber, that name, steel dust, lodestone, wrap it up. Roll it up tight, and you get [have] some luck. (It separates them.) Man and woman.
Entry 11722
Yo' go in de woods an' we got whut de call de devil's snuff - yo' see dat haven't yo'.... Yo' take dat an' powder it up an' yo' use dat with chure lodestone... [Having turned off the machine too quickly I repeat his answer to t the microphone.] (They call that goofer dust down in Louisiana.) Yes.
Entry 11852
To make love? All right. You kin take dere hair, some sugar an' some bluestone. You understand now? An' some lodestone. Put all of this together with a piece of John de Conkah root. [This root] look like two pieces [see ex- planation later]. Look now [demonstrates], cross that John de Conkah cross there
[these ingredients being mixed or laid in a container] and put it [John de Conkah]
crost de hair, you see, an' tie it at de ends with a little string. You under- stand, at each end you know, with a little string. An' put it [mixture] in a piece of paper, in a piece of brown paper, an' wear that in de bottom of your shoe. [This is a small package.] They kin nevah git away from you. [What does informant mean by saying John de Conkah root look like two pieces? On p.593 (Z.2, v.1) I say, "John de Conkah can be many things; and on p.595 (l.12, v.1) we learn you can git de he one and git de she one. I suggest my informant, a hoodoo woman, is identifying John de Conkah with an actual root called Adam-and-Eve, which has he and she parts, he the smaller, both looking like peanuts (see No.10609, page 4028f., v.5). Our present rite therefore ties our man and woman together with a thread or a string to make doubly certain, magically certain, they are tied to- gether. The sugar sweetens the situation or pays the spirit, the bluestone keeps away evil, lodestone is another drawing power, and brown paper is often used for black clients. My preceding statement about he and she parts among the roots of Adam-and-Eve is a hoodoo, not a scientific one.]
Entry 11854
Yo' kin take a girl's hair an' black lodestone an' yo' kin lead her cross [cross what? I interrupt too soon]. (What would you do with that hair?) Totes de lodestone with the hair, with a piece of solid silver money, and she will follow [wherever you go and any time]. She'll git up an' follow if it's one a'clock in de night.
(You mix those together?)
Yessuh. Jis' keep 'em in a bag an' she will follow.
Entry 12229
They says to have luck: well you know you kin take a piece of lode- stone. You kin take a lodestone an' git choo piece of'High John de Conkah root. An' yo' kin take dat an' put it in a piece of red flannin [flannel], an' take an' sew it up. An' git choo some perfume an' pour it over there. An' you'll have good luck in any games you go in. You will win. That's to draw luck - lodestone would. Jis' bathe [usually feed] it [with the perfume] say about 3 times a week to keep it kin'a mossted [moist]. An' that lodestone will grow. See, that would grow...jis' as long as you keep [feeding it] the larger it be. An' as it grow, little hairs will come out, little teenny hairs. Yo' kin see 'em comin' out. It's a lodestone, look jis' lfke a piece of coal [several places in HOODOO this is called black lodestone]. But only them hairs...an' they will move too. You could take a piece of that an' lay it on this table [between us] in one place, an' then you go back about a half an hour after, it'd be done moved.
Entry 12232
Git you White John de Conkah root - piece of white - piece of white root and it's hard. [Only time I ever heard of white!] You take a knife or hatchet or somepin and cut it. And you put it in your mouth and whilst you goin' round to dose person where you wants a job, you talk to 'um, but you kinda spit real fine and let it get on dere clothes.
(Spit?)
Yes.
[I turn off recording machine but soon restart it.]
(To help you with this, to get that job, you get some lodestone.)
Get some lodestone. You get dat lodestone and put it in de red flannel and you ties it up with a ten cent piece [a silver dime] and needle point. When [then] you wear dat in de pocket separate from anything where no tobacco or noth- in' kin git with it, if you have to make you a little pocket [bag] you just wear it with dat, and you - de person you go to 'em and talk to 'em with dat, why you'll finally draw dere attention and you'll get de job.
Entry 12237
Dey got a lodestone dat's pretty good an' it's oil of cinnamon, an' yo' kin git - if yo' kin git John de Conkah - dat's good to use in spittin' when yo' go in, yo' know.
(To get a job?)
Yes.
Entry 12238
Git a piece of lodestone an' a piece of John de Conkah root an' a piece of Eve-an'-Adam root [Adam and Eve] root an' sew it up in a red piece of flannel an' wear dat. Dat's fo' luck an' jobs.
Entry 12341
[This stone] get it in the eagle nest. There's a white lodestone and there's a black lode- stone. Well, the white lodestone is the female and the black is the male. Well, the female is no good. But it's no hair grows on those stone. [Some rites speak about hair growing on lodestone.] The only thing it is, its FUZZ still grows on it, just [like] the beard on my face - it grow on the lodestone. [This is from Doctor Buzzard of Norfolk, Va., part of whose interview given Pp.1515-1517 and elsewhere.]
Entry 12342
Yo' take an' yo' gets a piece of cloth about four inches square each way, an' yo' take [he and she] lodestone an' mash it together. An' den yo' get yourself, take some of your own perspiration, yo' know, an put it in dere - dampen it. Yo' kin take de end of a piece of your own clothes an' put in dere an' fold it together. Fo' instance, if yo' got a piece of silver money, yo' kin take a piece of your sil- ver money an' put it in dere. It will be a piece about dat wide an' about dat high [very small size] an' yo' take dat an' sew it to de inside of yore under- clothes - under your arm, under your right arm. An' yo' wear dat dere fo' three days. An' yo' don't feel no 'fect from dat until de third day, an' den yo' be- gin to see it. Den after de third day yo' kin go in any gambling game or any kind of winning game yo' wanta, an' yo'll win money.
Entry 12343
Tuh git a job, yo' jis' have tuh dress yo'self an' ah tell yo' jis' whut chew have tuh do. Yo' have tuh dress yo'self wit lodestone an' quicksilvah an' Jockey Club Perfume - both togethah. Ah tell yo' jis' how yo' do now. Yo' git chew a red piece of flannel aftah yo' beat it all up dere to- gethah. Git chew a red piece of flannel an' den take a thread outa yore sock. See, jis' lak yo' got a pair of socks, but let it be a pair of socks yo' done worn amn' take a thread from dat sock an' tie it aroun' dis, an' den befo' yo' go in dere, yo' know, yo' kin'a run yore han's lak dis [demonstrates]. Yo' see, yo' rub yore han' lak dis an' den when he [boss] git tuh talkin' tuh yo', yo' have tuh kinda hold yore face lak dat. An' when yo' go, yo'll kin'a throw yore fingahs lak yo' kinda throwin' yore fingahs tuh him yo' know, an' he'll git de odor of it all right. Dat Jockey Club Perfume dere. The're [there are] two chances tuh one yo' won' be turned down.
(You rub this bag in your hand?)
Dat's right.
Entry 12344
Lodestone.
(Lodestone.)
Keep it wet with perfume and tote that in your pocket. That will give you lock to get a job like that, even be able lucky for anything - luck for anything like that.
Entry 12345
Yo' git chew a piece of lode- stone an' yo' put it in a little piece [of cloth] or yo' kin put it in yore pocketbook, an' a piece of dat in- cense, an' put it together an' keep it. An' yo' tote it in yore pocketbook an' every time yo' go to work, why yo wash yore face an' hands in dat Van-Van an' dey won't turn yo' off.
Entry 12346
Make a little scap [scapular] to wear on you to make luck.
(What's a scap?)
You [know] jis' like a piece...you make it an' you put...jis' like you say, "Ah come to you an' ah wants somepin for luck, an' ah want a hand from you." Now you ass me what ah wants to do with this hand, but ah say, "Mah husband is a man that don't give me money." Well, you gon'a tell me how to fix that. [You are going to make a hand for me so that my husband will give me money.] An' ah'm gon'a wear that on me. Dat's to make him bring me his money.
(How Would you fix that?)
You see, you take dat...dat is jis' w'at ah'm tellin' you about. You go to the CRACKERJACK DRUG STORE - right down here. You git choo a he an' a she lode- stone, a pod of garlic - git a red garlic - an' you put dat with a dime [silver one] an' his name. You write his name furce an' your name on top, an' wear that on you an' he'll give it yuh [his money].
Entry 12347
Lodestone is de luckiest thing there is in de world fo' gittin' money. Yo' kin be standin' heah talkin' tuh me an', if yo' got a piece of lodestone in yore pocket about dat big, it will draw any money ah got in mine out. [Did in- formant have a piece of lodestone in his pocket?]
Entry 12348
They tole me tuh git - they had me tuh git a piece of - a piece of drawing lodestone an' dis same mineral oil. Ah cain't think of it [name]. They still use it as mineral oil. Dis lodestone, dis drawin' stone, you buy, see, an' dis mineral oil and de dust from a comb, ah believe it was - a head comb, de dust. An' yo' 'solve [dissolve] dis dust into dis - dis mineral oil and dust all together, and you dress dis dust and de mineral [oil] and de lodestone wit perfume an' you wears it. But ah was successful.
(That's in hunting a job.)
In hunting a job. Least how, it worked. But thinking about it, ah didn't hole [hold] de job very long. So dat's why ah didn't think dere's much to it. [To be able to buy head-comb dust indicates the catholicity of products sold by some hoodoo shops!]
Entry 12349
[The first page of this rite has been lost or misplaced. From the rite that follows this one and similar rites elsewhere, the meaning is somewhat clear.] (You mean this silverlode? That's the stuff, the silver you get off of a thermometer. That's that kind of silver?) Not [silver or lodestone] from a factory of some kind. They call it Eagle Lodestone [brand name]. That's what they call it. [It is called Eagle Lodestone because it is found in an eagle's nest! The eagle humnts for and picks up this silverlode or lodestone or whatever it is called in order to test the fertility of eggs slow in hatching! Other birds are said to do the same thing - a number of examples in HOODO0.]
(You take drops of that, you say?)
Yes, sir, I uses drops of it. An' ah have been able to reach all complaints within with it. [An early note in pencil on this page reads: A silver dime or silver load (stone?) take 7 drops, can't "poison" you (no one can "poison" you). The sil- ver dime of course, is worn to prevent hoodoo, the 7 drops I am unable to recall at the moment. But to take or prescribe them internally! Compare this rite with the one now following.1 (You mean this silverlode that's that stuff - the silver you get off a thermometer - that's that kind of silver....) Not from a factory of some kind - they call it eagle lodestone...that's what they call it.
(You take drops of that, you say?)
Yes, sir I uses drops of it - an' ah have been able to reach all complaints within with it.
Entry 12350
[Here is a hand from an excellent hoodoo woman whose material was lost before it could be transcribedl: Lodestone, John de Conkah, saltpeter, dime (silver one), make wish while sewing bag to you, anoint every 9 days with whiskey or Jockey Club Perfume, "feed it, ' a bag. [This is my original resume of the rite in pencil, attached to final manuscript.]
Entry 12703
It 'sposed tuh be, whut we use, is called quick lightnin' dust, Blue Ridge Mountain an' lodestone.
(What is Blue Ridge Mountain?)
Blue Ridge Mountain is 'sposed tuh be - well, hit's a dust. De quick light nin', de re'lly fac' [fact] about it, hit's a dust. Well, ah guess yo' know whut lodestone are, nog. Well, dose things, re'lly de fac' about it, suh, if yo'uses dose. Jes' lak if yo' puttin' oust medi- cine, or whatevah it is, at de end of a knife - grains. Yo' uses dose accordin' tuh yore fingah. Ah mean fingah an' toes. Re'lly de fac' about it, if yo' wants tuh make a wonderful [something] why yo' goes tuh wortt an' ases, jes' lay dey [anyone] has 10 fingers an' 10 toes. Well, yo' use 10 gralns roun' an'roun', it 'sposed tuh be gen'lly [generally] of dose 3 [fingers]. 3tunes 10 is 'sposed tuh be 30. Dat's a mixture den an' yo' uses it. Yo' goes tuh work with yore [ingredients] an' yo' drops yo' out 30 drops of Hearts Cologne on dat stuff. An' yo' den stitches it up [in cloth] very tight. It supposed tuh be until it a small object lak yore thumb. [And this thumb-like object is called a hand!] An' den jes' place it intuh yore right pocket, an' take it tuh a game, de really fac' 'bout it. An' den about every 10 minutes yo' changes dat thing from right tuh left [pocket] an' shuffle. yore cards den. Dat put chew den in good luck in good standin'. [Quick-lightning dust should be the soil near a tree struck by lightning and Blue Ridge Moumtain dust should be dirt from the Blue Ridge Mountains, these latter covering a great amount of space. The iden- tity of what a doctor uses or a hoodoo shop sells is not always a certainty.]
Entry 12720
Well, dey tell me fo' luck in gamblin', dey'll go out an' dey'll git 'em a rabbit foot. An' dey cut it off jes' right above de - right above de knee up dere, de left knee. An' dey take dat dere rabbit foot an' dey dress it. Dey dress it with lodestone an' keep it dissolved [fed] in Hearts Cologne. An' dey tote dat in dey watch pocket, an' if dey go out den dey kin win. (You say they use the left hind leg?) [Left hind leg must have been given before recording began.] De left hind one. (And they keep that in this Hearts Cologne so they will win in a gambling game? Yes.
Entry 12990
Yo' kin take a dime an' put it in, yo' know, in a letter. Yo' would take de dime an' jes' lak yo' know somebody, an' yo' wanta git 'em back, an' jes' keep it yo' know wit a piece of lodestone. Wear it wit a piece of lodestone, yo' know, 'bout two or three weeks sompin othah lak dat. Put dis dime in a letter an send it to her an' tell her, yo' know, jes' lak yo' want a pin or sompin othah. An' tell her about dat. An' dey tell me, say, she'll come in de place or send de pin.
Entry 12992
You tie you a piece of - some sugar, you takes a piece of lodestone, and you put you a silver dime in that, you see. And you sew it up. You sew it up in a red piece of flan- nel. You make it like dat and you carry it in your pocket, but you won't have no luck though if you have the cheat against you. As long as you keep the cheat off you, you have luck.
(What do you mean "have the cheat against you?")
"Cheat, '' of course, if you [someone] put down loaded dice or anything, you can't beat it. See, you can't beat anybody that have [loaded dice].
(Oh, they cheat against you.)
Yeah.
(Oh, I see.)
If they cheat, you can't beat a cheat, you see. It won't do no good, you see. [This theme of "unless someone cheats is rare in HOODOO, since it would destroy confidence in ganbling "hands."]
Entry 13234
Well, of course, if they got you in jail, of course, you done have somebody [usually a hoodoo doctor] on the outside to handle that for you. Now, you get you some sugar and you get you some cinnamon, you get some steel dust and lode- stone. You beat that all in a powder, you see. Now, when you beat that in a powder - now they got you before the judge, you have somebody come in the door, and when they [pris- oner] come in the door, in the judge's door - while he be coming in, he [your doctor] be dropping it and he be counting nine times, long as it take you - until you get clean up to the stand. See. Just drop a little of it on the floor the ninth time. I bet you walk out of that place.
(But somebody else has got to do that for you?)
Yeah, somebody got to do that for you, you see, because they already got you in there.
(I see.)
Entry 13300
John de Conkah, you git dat, an' dragon's blood an' a little piece of lodestone [3 ingredients] an' wrap dat in a piece of flannen an' make a [hand and feed] Hearts Cologne or Good Riding Scent [the only appearance of this perfume] an' jes' rub dat ovah yuh face after having a couple of days of good work, yo' know. An' jes' rub dat ovah yuh an' not only de boss - nobody can't turn yuh down. [I hope the reader did not miss the poignancy of after having a couple of days of good work. This desire for work - the many rites for getting and holding jobs - is everywhere in HOODOO. That hoodoo drugstore perfume Good Riding Scent is unique.]
Entry 409
De tree - it carries a po'tion of lodestone.
(What tree does?)
Git de tree out de cemetery - carries a reasonable po'tion of lodestone or somepin similar tuh 'lectricity - dat have a tendency tuh draw to silver.
(They use that for what?)
Fo' sech as huntin' money.
(What do they do - just take a stick or what?)
Jes' take a stick - see, it magnetism dat draws an' guides yo'.
(You say there is lodestone in that wood?)
Yes.
Entry 410
Lodestone is only for attractin' money, finding money, or something like dat - gettin' de location of treasure with dat if someone happen to be buryin' a treasure, died and left it.
Entry 586
( Get some dirt from de grave an' put some lodestone in dere, put some dragon's blood and put a piece of John de Conker, put a piece of Eve and Adam root - puts dem togedder and sew dem up tight.
(Put them in a bag?)
In a piece of red flannin and sew dem tight and you wears it somewheres around you fer two or three days and he [enemy] come around and if he annoys you, you take aholt dat, it be's hot [if an enemy is near], and you carry dat by de string you know - a little piece of string about dat long and you hold on to dat [end of the string so that the bag or sack hangs free] and you talk to 'im, "Come on, Jack, any enemy around me? Any enemy coming toward me?" And he'll [Jack will] move - if he don't move, there ain't nothing wrong.
Entry 731
Tuh keep evil away from de house. Well, yo' could use a herb whut chew might call de High John de Conker. If it wus a female dat did dat - there are two roots yo' would have tuh use - use de female; an' if it wus a man that did that, yo' would have tuh use de man root; that is, of de High John de Conker. Those roots are whut chew call as Eve an' Adam. An' that is a root that cures kidney trouble [and] any kind of insect that is put in 'em, yo' know, by drinkin' or handlin'. Say, yo' give me a piece of candy. Well, maybe yo' take snake dust an' run ovah that candy. Ah eat dat candy. Well, that goes down in me. An' yo' kin take care of that patient by usin' High John de Conker. Yo' git it from de schools [mail order firms or drug stores] that handles that kind of work.
(How do they use that?)
Yo' could git it in powders or yo' kin take a teaspoonful to a pint of boilin' watah - clear boilin' watah, an' let it stan' an' drink it off, an' grad'lly that insect will go off - yo' know, die and come forth in yourself. (John the Conker he root and John the Conker she root. What do you do with those two?) Well, the male root is fo' a man, a man that do's evil; an' if it wus a woman, why yo' take the female - jis' take 'em in de powder for any kinda insect. That is tuh git the germs from de body - whut chew call the old earth medicine.
(What about the Adan and Eve root? What do you do with that?)
Adam an' Eve root creates love. It's good fo' kidneys. It's good fo' blood.
(How would you create love with Adam and Eve root?)
Well, yo' buy de root. De large one is called Adam an' de othah one is called Eve. It's a small little root looks lak - it's not a very large root. Yo' buy it an' aftah yo' buy it there's a little prescription [directions] on there tells you how tuh carry it. An' anytime it's carried in his pocket, it obtains someone yo' like. If yo' see some girl yo' like an' use that root wit lodestone, natural they will smile - see, an' git in close touch. It's jis' like the love-drop perfume. If yo' use those two things an' love-drop perfume, yo' kin take any kind of woman, see. Why? because it has de high power.
Entry 748
I was in a place once in Beaumont, Texas. I was working on a job. A lady sent word by another fellow to me that she could help me out on the job. Well, when he told me that, I told him, say, "Ah don't believes in that." I say, "There ain't nothin' like dat I say ain't but one thing to help you," I say, "and dat's Jesus Christ." He say, "Oh, yes it did, boy, '' he say, "she give me so-and- so and I was so-and-so-and-so." Well, I told him - I decided then I would go. I went to her and she gives me a lodestone, gives me John the Conquer root, some kind of sweet smelling oil and powder wrapped up into a ball [this is a hand]. And I went back to the job and the man told me he didn't want me no more. That's what happened about that.
Entry 783
[Two accounts of the gourd-and-frog trick have been given - Nos.576-577, Pp.186-187; see also Trick in Index.] Take lodestone - ah've heard dat if yo' wanta play some kinda trick or 'nother an' dey - now, ah know a man, he use lodestone. Ah've heard of a man usin' lode- stone - dere wus two of 'em. Dey wus in love with a girl an' so dey were good frien's an' dey didn't wanta fall out. So de girl, she wus in love wit de two boys, an' she say, "Well, ah'll marry de one dat will come in ridin'" - says, "ah'll marry him." Dis heah youngest one he study how he couldn't marry dis girl because he re'lly wanted to. An' she say, "Ah don't want chew tuh ride on no cars, ah don't want chew tuh ride in no horse an' wagon" - she name all de diff'rent things that he couldn't come on, dat she didn't want him tuh ride on. He studied then how could he ride. So he goes an' git him some lodestone an' he showed dis man. An' so he got sick an' he say, "Well, boy, ah tell yuh, let's us both walk." "Okay," he says. So they started off walkin'. He say, "Well, ah tell yo' whut" - dis heah man whut re'lly wanted tuh marry - de youngster, he says, "Well, ah don't feel lak walkin'." He says, "Ah'll tell yo' - ah'll tote yo' a piece if yo'll tote me." So de man tole him all right. So de man taken him an' tote him so he wouldn't be ti'ed [tired] - yo' know, he got dis lodestone in his hand. So he carried dis man. So whenevah he tote him a piece, say, "Yo' ti'ed?" Tole him no he wusn't ti'ed. Long as he had dis lodestone - he had de lodestone in his han', said, "No he wusn't ti'ed." So whenevah they got right to de do', dis heah man said, "Well, now we goin' Walk in." Says, "All right." So when dey go to de do', dis heah man wus holdin' de lodestone an' he got on dis heah othah man's back, an' so whenevah he got near de do' an' he spurred dis man - stuck spurs in him an' made him jump in de house with dis man - so he married her, de youngest man. So he, by him having dis lodestone helpin' to do his trick, dis girl she married dis man dat rolled in on dis othah man's back.
(Where did you hear that story?)
Mah mothah tole me that story long yeahs ago.
Entry 839
Ah heered 'em speak of lodestone. Say yo' kin take a lodestone, git a piece of lodestone an' if yo' wanted tuh go in de bank dere an' git two or three thousand dollars, yo' take dat lodestone an' take it an' hold it in yore hand lak dat. An' say while yo' walk in, yo' walks in de shadow [you look like a shadow], an' yo' walks on it an' yo' gits whut chew want; but yo' still got dat lodestone in yore hand when yo' goes in. Why de people, dat draws - dey says dat draws dey eyes, dat lodestone draws de eyes so yo' can't see. Well, yo' walk ovah dere an gits dis money with dis lodestone in yore hand an' yo' come on out an' git off to yoreself, why yo' takes dat lodestone out of yore han'. Yo' don't have tuh do anything but walk on to de do' an' dat lodestone is so strong, dat it draws de money from through de bars into yore hand. Dey don't know - yo' haven't been behin' dem tuh [yo'] seem nuthin but a shadow. Yo' standin' from de front heah talkin' to de man an' yo's drawin' de money from 'im jes' de same. Yo' drawin' his money an' when he go tuh look round to hand yo' some change, well, he haven't anything - yo' drewed it all from his han's.
Entry 1836
For luck in gambling, I used to buy hands.
(Yes?)
One hand I bought, it was full of charcoal - there wasn't nuthin to dat one. But the other hand, it was purtty good. Ah bought me a ring, see, and my birth- stone was in it. And I would use lodestone and I could soak dice in pepper and chamber lye - keep those dice soaked in 'em, you see. And just like I run a gam- bling house and you come dere, well, you see I'm always got two pair of dice. Well, the dice what you shoot, they're soaked in that stuff - in that lodestone and chamber lye. But now, when it come round for me to shoot the dice, I'm going to shoot that other pair. Well, you see, you losing all de time; you can't make a point on it, but I'm going make a point because I'm shooting a diff'rent pair. See.
(I see. The pair you see, you don't do anything to at all?)
No, sir. I don't do anything to hit at all. And I keep my table, just like I got this cloth on here. I take and get me some silver - 'bacco silver.
(What's that?)
Silver off of tobacco, you know, chewing tobacco.
(Silver paper off of tobacco [tin foil], I see.)
Yassuh, take that silver and I pad it under this here tablecloth, see. I keep a shooting on de cloth all the time. Well, I pad that under there and I get me some - some pound - you see, it's pound lodestone, pound lodestone.
(You mean like powder?)
Yes, it's made up like dust. Well, I get some of that and I put dat silver down and I sprinkle dat lodestone under dat silver and put dat silver over it.
(I see.)
I put dat cloth over dat. See. Well, you don't know what's under dat. But it's all in my favor, none in yours - it's coming in my favor all the time but it's none in yours.
(I see - in shooting the dice.)
In shooting de dice. And you shoot dem dice on dat table, you kill 'em; you'll get a point, but it's three to one that you make that point. See, I can give you - ah'd give you odd bets on it. Why? Because I know ah'm got cinches on you, you ain't got none on me; but ah'm got cinches on you because I just natch'ly know. Then, after I give you odds on it, I kin turn in and switch dem dere - ketch dem dice and throw dat - send another pair out - the same dice but not the same dice what you got the points with. See.
(I see.)
And you going miss. (That silver [tin foil] under the table[cloth] then makes the fellow you are playing against - makes him miss?) Yes, sir.
Entry 1898
Dey tell me yo' kin take a toadfrog an' go into any kind of a show or anything like that, even in a gambling room, anywhere yo' mind to carry 'em like dat. Said jest if someone come in dis town an' yo' wants tuh break up de show or anything like dat, say if there's any kinda lodestone dey have workin' round dere an' yo' wants to find out whether it is lodestone, jest ketch yo' a toadfrog an' go in dere an' dey say de toadfrog will eat all de lodestone dey carries in dere an' dey jest can't act.
Entry 1927
Well, fer as ah know about graveyard dirt, yo' could take dat an' make yo'self lucky an' successful. Well, use it jis' lak yo' use powder. See, yo' kin wear it in yore pocket and den yo' could take an' use it as yo' use powder - put it on yore face when yo' go tuh gamble or anything lak dat, when yo' wanta be lucky. An' co'se yo' gotta have a little lodestone wit it. Ah've got of dat heah in mah pocket.
Entry 1970
You get a lodestone and put it in your pocket and put it wit some money, you supposed to keep money so long as you keep dat rock - long as dat rock, dat stone is in action; but in a certain time, just like anything else, it'll run out.
Entry 1978
Now, if ah go to a two-headed person an' tell 'em tuh tell me somepin, an' he tells me whut ah'm comin' fo' an' who an' everything - he tells me whut's [what it is] ah'm comin' fo' - jes' lak if ah come in dere, why he'll tell me, "Why, yo' comin' tuh do so-an'-so, '' an' everything lak dat. Say, "Yassuh." He say, "Well, yo' ain't had no luck'" - lak dat. Well, see, if ah go tuh him an' he tell me ah'm goin' have luck - jes' lak ah go tuh him an' he give me a han' fo' gamblin'. Why he'll tell me whut tuh do. He'll give me somepin an' won't tell me whut it is, an' tell me tuh go home an' bury it undah mah back do steps, an' aftah ah bury it he'll tell me, 'Come back in two or three days," an' he'll tell me whut it is. [Magic delay.] An' he'll put a toadfrog in a sack an' sew it up an have it sprinkled wit red peppah an' bury it undah my back do'steps. An' ah'll be lucky an' ah won't lose a cent, but ah got tuh keep on renewing it up see, an' he say ah won't lose a bet.
(Well, do you leave that toadfrog under the steps then?)
Yessuh, dat's right. An' when it goes stale yo' know ah gotta go back tuh him, see. When it git old ah gotta go back to him an' keep it renewed up. An' yo' gotta have confidence in him, yo'know. An' den ah kin go tuh him an' tell him whut ah wants did, anything. He mo' den apt tuh send me back home. He ain't wanta do it de first day. He'll tell yo' come back. [Magic delay.] If ah don't believe in him when ah go dere, he'll tell yo' tuh go back an' make up in yore mind dat chew goin' believe in him. An' if ah wants tuh work - if a man is got somepin, see, ah go dere meanwhile an' ah'll tell him. An' he'll tell me how tuh go in a place, a place ah ain't nevah been - yo' know, make out where he is. Ah kin go wheresomevah he is, if he round anywhere. If he drink, ah drink - try tuh git near to him as ah kin, see, an' ah has this Jockey Club an' lodestone, an' den ah'll jes' rub it on him yo' know, put mah han's on him jes' lak if ah wanta tech him.
Entry 1983
For luck in gambling you would use a hand - use a hand such as a oil. (Well, now, explain the details of that hand. What kind of a hand? Do you know how it's made?) Yes, sir. It's a hand. They makes a hand with a piece of red flannel first, and after the red flannel they ask vou for a silver dime. They puts - place the silver dime in it, place a piece of lodestone in it. They takes a piece of John the Conquer root - that's for protection. All right, they takes that hand - that cloth, you see, and they wrap it - sews it up all around. They takes this oil of clover and they gives you a bottle full of it - a little, about three-ounce bottle. You puts that oil on that hand - what we call a hand and soaks it. [This soaking is called feeding.] Then when you go in a gambling house, you supposed not to let no one take that hand - see, no one touch it. If you do, it's supposed to be no good. You walk in to gamble - well, gambling room - playing cards or anything like dice. And that hand is supposed to work. It jumps in your pocket, you see.
(It jumps?)
Just like it moves - slightly more - that's when you must bet. ` And when you are not to bet [it does not jump]. See. Yeah, I had one.
(I see. Did it work?)
It worked purtty good, I was purtty lucky.
Entry 2063
Ah've heard tell of 'em using lodestone. Lodestone is supposed to be a drawing power with yore money. Yo' place it with yore money an' yo' wear it round yore waist with a dime or any silver piece of money. Yo' put dat lode- stone around yore waist an' wear it an' it will bring yo' luck - yo'll always have money.
Entry 2070
Yassuh, ah experienced dat. De way yo' do, yo' git chew a piece of John de Conker root and a piece of de devil's-shoestring and a piece of lode- stone. Dere two kind of lodestone, de male lodestone and de female lodestone. Git chew two pieces of dat lodestone.
(The male or the female?)
A piece of each, yassuh, an' put 'em in yore pocket. Put 'em.in yore pocket or pocketbook, anything - in yo' shirt pocket, coat pocket, anything jes' since yo' got 'em about chure person. An' dat John de Conker root, yo' jes' chew dat root and jes' ack likes it's 'bacco and be jes' chewing - chewing it an' talkin'. If it's any kinda job, yo'll git it.
Entry 2071
When you got a case or something like that and you want to get dis- charged, well you go and use a thing they call lodestone - it's two pieces, it's the he one and a she one. Take and wrap it up in a dollar.
(In a what?)
Take and wrap it up in a paper dollar.
(Paper doll?)
Paper dollar.
(Paper dollar? Oh, a dollar bill.)
Yes, a dollar bill - one dollar bill, and you wrap it up in there and you keep it in your pocket, and when you go - well, when they call you up there in front of the court, well they going to throw it out - they just going to tell you - throw it clean out of the court.
(Well, which piece of this lodestone do you use in that dollar?)
You uses two pieces - it's the he lodestone and it's the she lodestone, it's black lodestone and a white lodestone.
(Which is the black?)
It's got fringes on it just like iron rust. You see iron rust on a old piece of tin. Well, it thataway when you knock that dust off of there.
(Well, is the black the he or the she....? What color is the he lodestone?)
It's white.
(What color is the she?)
It's black. It's got kind of a nose - kind of a tip on the end of it.
(Which one?)
The black.
(Which one did you put in this dollar?)
You put both of 'em. You make two folds with that dollar and you fold it up. You put one just like that and you make another fold, you put that other piece, and you bend the four corners of it together. Then you take this and you put it in your pocket and you keep it and you go up there. Every time you go up there they discharge you or either throw it out, say you come the next day or somepin.
Entry 2094
Uh-huh, dis a gamblin' hand. Well, yo' git magic sand, an' git Adam an' Eve, an' yo' place dat together an' yo' git lodestone, an' put all that to- gether an' combine dat an' mix it. It makes a good lucky gamblin' hand...yo' put that in red flannel.
Entry 2225
Yo' take some of yore urinate water yo' see, an' a lil peppah, an' a little piece of lodestone if yo' kin git it. If yo' cain't git that, well, yo' take a lil piece of rabbit foot. Yo' kin take one rabbit foot an' wrap it up in flannen cloth an' tie it up, have de red peppah to it, an' carry dat in yore left pocket. Dat will make yo' have a good hand.
(That is luck in gambling?)
Yessuh. [Since I did not ask what happened to the urinate water, I probably assumed it was used for feeding the hand - see margin-title Urine later in this subsection.]
Entry 2226
(What do they say about the graveyard rabbit?)
De next thing then dey use in gambling business to be successful - the next thing they git is de graveyard rabbit, and de gits de left hind feet - de ketch him and cut it off while he alive. And you kin turn him loose and let him go - it git much better you know. You carry dat wit a piece of lodestone and put cologne on dat [feed it], chew know, and go about chure business and be's lucky and successful.
(That is for luck in gambling?)
Yes sir, de left hind foot.
Entry 2244
Git some dis same rattlesnake mahstah an' jis' wash it off an' tote it in you' pocket. An' git choo a lil piece of lodestone an' put it right dere wit it, an' a dime. An' yo' kin git a job anywhah.
Entry 2464
You go to the drug store and you get some cinnamon and some oil of clover, and you get some of this yere steel dust and lodestone and you mix that together, and take some parsley and boil it down, and you mix that [all these] together and then you put that down and you sprinkle it all over your house - in the four corners of your house, you see. Sweep in inwards, don't sweep it out; sweep it inwards and then someone will rent the house.
Entry 2527
Yo' git dragon's blood an' yo' git de wisteria incense an' yo' git lodestone. [Three ingredients.] Yo' pound dis up together - dis dragon's blood an' yo' put it wit dis wisteria an' de lodestone. Yo' git pulverized [lode]stone an' yo' burn dis at de do' at nine a'clock in de mawnin' an' as yo' close at night. Dat'll make yore business prosperous.
Entry 4257
Take dere [his] chamber lye an' stops it up. Dat's tuh make yore love stay at home, if he's runnin' aroun'. Git some of yore [his] othah, yo' know, an' put in wit yore [his] chamber lye an' stop it up in a little bottle. [These passive pronouns are explained later.] An' turn de bottle down into de [one of the] cornahs on de side where he sleeps at, an' have it so sompin will be roun' it [hide it] so he cain't discovah it, if he should happen tuh look ovah. An' he jes' think it's a shoe or sompin settin' dere. Yo' have a shoe settin' dere an' a little small vial - have it turnt up. Yo' git up evah mawnin' fo' nine mawn- in's an' shake it [bottle] up an' turn it back up.
(You keep it standing upright all the time?)
Keep it standin' fo' [the first] nine mawnin's up [a usual procedure]. Yo' git up fo' nine mawnin's an' shake it an' turn it back up. (But you let it stand with the head down, don't you? [The change from down to up I do not pursue, down after 9 days is correct; but I do recheck ingredients which are normal.] And what do you put in with that chamber lye? What else did you put in there, did you say?) Some cayenne PePpah - it's de Same thing. [RED PEPPER AND CAYENNE PEPPER ARE ALMOST ALWAYS THE SAME THING IN HOODOO. WHEN RED PEPPER PODS - WHOLE, BROKEN, POWDERED - ARE USED, THE WORD POD IS ADDED. RED PEPPER PODS, COMPARED TO CAYENNE, SELDOM OCCUR.] Put it in dere. An' a little piece of lodestone, drops it in dere wit it an' let it set.
(You put something else from the man in there didn't you?)
Yes, de come [semen]. Put it in de chamber lye, ketch 'is chamber lye.
Entry 8040
Take dat bone [demonstrates].
(This bone from a dead man.)
Dis must be off de dead man. It must be his fo'th fingah [demonstrates].
(Next to little finger on left hand.)
Dat's right. Now yo' take dis an' yo' grind it intuh dust. Den yo' git chew a piece of lodestone. Den yo' git yuh silvah dime an' sew it up in a sack an' take yuh some honey. Yo' know [what they] calls honey, don't chew? Well, yo' take yuh honey an' yo' set it in a saucah - po' yuh honey in a saucah an' jis' put dat sack in dat plate [saucer] an' let it soak good. Turn it ovah, yo' undahstan'. An' dat makes yuh successful in gamblin' propositions.
Entry 9067
Ah've hear'd 'em say dey could go tuh a hickory tree an' go tuh de south side [the warm side], an' about three foot from de ground [3 for the three Highest Names], dat is, if a person is in trouble or in jail or what not, an' wants tuh git out. Dey take dat dere hickory tree, dat piece out de hickory dat dey cut out, an' dey cut it in de shape of a heart. An' when dey cut it in de shape of a heart, out dat hickory tree - if dey scared dey goin' be sent tuh de road [chain gang] or what not, dey tell me dey take dat heart outa dat hick- ory, where dey cut it outa dat hickory tree, an' dey git 'em a piece of high- price lodestone an' dey rub it all ovah dat.
(Over that heart?)
Yes, ovah de heart dey cut out de hickory tree. Rub it all ovah dat. An' when dey do dat, den dey goes den an' dey git some powdahs an' dey git perfume. Dey git dis Hearts Perfume. An' when dey do dat dey take an' dey saturate dem- selves wit dat, in wit dat olive oil. An' dey saturate demselves wit dat. An' den take an' dey dress dis heart an' dey pin dat ovah dere heart, an' den when dey go tuh trial, why den dere's three hearts dere tuhgethah. (What are the three hearts?) De defendant's heart, an' den de judge's heart, an' den prosecutor's heart - de one dat's prosecutin'. An' dey git dose three hearts dere tuhgethah. Well, de one dat wants tuh come cleah, he's de one got dat hick- ory heart pinned ovah 'is heart. An' dat hickory heart, dat represents de judge or whut dey go befo'. An' dis othah heart is de man is tryin' tuh convict: 'em fo' whut dey done. An' dey say dey take dat an' weah dat in dere, an' in so doin's why dat hickory heart which is tuh be de judge, an' by yo' weahin' dat ovah yore heart, an' yore blood is pumpin' ag'in dat, dey say dat will make it light fo' yo'. Prob'ly yo' git out. (They use Hearts Cologne and some kind of powder. Do you know what kind of powder they use?) No, talcum.
[Probably any kind of sweet-smelling powder.]
(All you do [he does] is wear one heart, just the wooden heart. That is all he wears?) Yes, weah dat ovah 'is heart.
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 9087
John de Conkah an' chew on a li'le piece of it, prob'ly hold it in yuh lip.
(Tell me your experience, the whole experience of that trick.)
One Sat'day evenin' ah goes down in mah roasting-ear patch [sweet corn patch] an' git some roastin' ears, 'cuz mine wasn't ripe. A woman Wanted tuh buy a dozen [ears of corn] from me. An' ah jis' stepped ovah, well maybe two or three hunderd feet in dat othah patch, in de othah woman's patch, an' got 'em. Well, she saw me gittin' 'em. Well, she didn't say anythin' den. Ah got de doggone things an' brought 'em on home an' dey laid dere a li'le while. An' den ah went on up on Pearl Street an' carried 'em tuh de lady an' she bought 'em.
(Where did she live?)
On Pearl Street down here.
(Pearl Street, P-e-a-r-l Street.)
Pearl Street.
(I see.)
So ah come on back home an' - it was mah sistah-in-law tole me. See. An' ah Was wondahin'. Ah says, "Ah wondah what's de mattah, ah feel so funny." Didn't wan' tuh go nowhere dat Sat'day night. Well, dat was jis' an' hour or so befo' sundown. Well, ah set down dere. An' ah was settin' down dere an' mah wife had chills. She laid down in de baid. Well, ah had some medicine dat ah made up mahself an' ah give 'er fo' de chills.
(What did you make up for the chills?)
Well, ah don't remembah, but ah kin, see.
(Oh, all right. Go ahead.)
An' somebody knocked on de do' an' ah had a halfa bottle of whiskey settin' right down dere on de flo', right down at de foot of de baid. An' ah was settin' on de baid wit mah back tuh de do', jis' lak dis way [demonstrates]. An' ah didn't look back, ah jis' said, "Come in." Ah jis' thought it was somebody, yo' know, but two police officahs walked right in, an' one walked right up an' stood right ovah dat whiskey. Ah say, "Howya, Captain, what do yo' say? What do yo say?" He says, "So yo' had tuh git chew a few roastin' ears, did yuh?" Ah says, "Oh! Yes, sir. Ah've got some roastin' ears." He say, "Yeah, dey come from right down dere in Madam B's roastin'-ear patch." Ah says tuh mahself, "See?" But ah tell 'im, "What's kin be a li'le wrong?" An' he say, "Well, come on an' go tuh jail." Ah stayed in jail dat Sat'day night up until Monday mawnin' at nine o'clock. Ah took mah toby [hand - mojo - luckpiece] an' torn it open an' took two pieces of John de Conkah root out of dere an' put it mah mouth an' Walked right down dere tuh de judge. He asked me, he said, "Yo' got a patch?" Ah say, "Yassuh."
(You got a what?)
He says, "Yo' got a roastin'-ear patch?" Ah say, "Yes, sir." He says [to the woman], "Yo' got one?" An' she tole 'im, say, "Yes, sir." An' she had seven witnesses an' ah didn't have none. Now, dis is de truth. He said, "Well, what did yuh do wit de roastin'-ears yo' had?' Ah said, "Ah sold 'em tuh Violet.... He said, "Where did yo' git 'em?" Ah said, "Ah got 'em outa mah patch." Yo know, he jis' looked right straight aroun' at 'er an' he say, "Well, yo' got a patch an' he got one, " he says, "His word is as good as yours." She say, "Well, ah got - here's two women here an' [I] got three men dat knows, lookin' right [at] 'im when he got 'em." He said, "Did yo' go on out dere?" Ah say; "Ah went in mah own patch." De judge go on, he said, "Ah'm through wit dis case, an' don' come up here no more wit nuthin lak dat." He say, "Go on outa here, go on home." (Well, what did you have in that toby that you tore up? What did you have in that toby?) Didn't have nuthin but lodestone an' John de Conkah an' a silvah dime. (I see. And you took this piece of John the Conker out and spit it - I mean chewed it?) Yes, sir. Ah didn't spit it at 'im, ah jis' kept achewin' it. An' when ah was talkin' ah was as close as ah am tuh yuh.
(Did he know what you were chewing?)
Naw, sir. "Didn't know what ah was chewin'.
(Was that - did that happen here in the Vicksburg Court House?)
Right here in de City Hall.
(City Hall, I see.)
Entry 12358
Dey use dat fo' luck fo' anything. Lodestone is used fo' mos' any- thing. It's jes' a lucky stone that's all. [Sumter 2345:9.]
Entry 13008
Nine silver dimes, file them, wear in NATION SACK with lodestone for protection and trade. [For the well-known nation sack, private bag worn by wo- men, see interview THE "NATION SACK" WOMAN, Pp.1449-1459, especially p.1458, vol.2.]
Entry 12107
"Take de bow out of a man's hat an' wear it in dere stockin' wit white lodestone...dey all worried tuh git where you at. [Little Rock 1462:6.]
Entry 12351
"Lodestone... John de Conkah root...a little dragon's blood an' mix... keep in little bag." [Little Rock 1474:4.]
Entry 186
Well, dey say yo' ketch it when dat wind - jes' de whirlwind, if yo' kin git it. Git a papah an' ketch some of it when de wind is up in a whirl, an' take that an' mix it up with graveyard dirt an' lodestone an' sulphur - dere's somepin else yo' kin mix up wit it - an' plant it. An' jes' lak dat whirlwind go up, dat person will jes' continue tuh go dat-a-way - jes' drift till yo' nevah see 'em agin, jes' run 'em plumb crazy. Yo' plant it right in back of de do'step where dey do the most of they walkin' - dat's where yo' plant dat stuff.
Entry 276
Well, yo' git chure cat an' yo' stew him up an' git the bones.
(What bone do you get?)
Ah wouldn't know, but it towards heah somewhere up heah in de front part of his body. But anyway, tuh git that bone you have tuh try them all.
(How do you do that?)
Jis' brush 'em [like a toothbrush] in yore mouth an' yo' contin'lly lookin' in the glass, until yo' disappeah. An' when yo' git to that bone yo'll disappeah an' yo' take it to the fo'ks of the road an' turn roun' three times. Yo' do that fo' nine evenin's or mawnin's. An' then yo' take it to a cemetery an' yo' make a crossmark on someone's grave.
(What do you make the crossmark with?)
With that bone. An' then yo' take yore bone back an' yo' wrap it up with some silver money an' lodestone, an' yo' put chew a flannen rag aroun' it an' wear it in yore pocket. That's fo' luck an' that's tuh keep anybody from bothering roun yuh, an' yo' kin do most anything that yo' want tuh do.
Entry 737
Well, oftentimes fellahs carries a lucky piece in dere pocket. Maybe it be lodestone or John de Conker or five-finger grass or some kinda perfume in lodestone - oftentimes fellahs carries it. An' den sometimes fellahs has a pocket-piece like dis dey carries fo' luck. Dat's a piece of John de Conker [he shows it].
(How do you prepare this?)
Well, yo' take it an' yo' put it in a little bag like dis [he shows it].
(In a red flannel bag.)
In a red flannel bag. Yo' take a piece of lodestone an' put in that bag with it an' yo' take a little bit of sachet powders an' put in dat bag. Yo' take a silver dime an' put it in dere between de lodestone an' High John de Conker root. Take yo' a piece of white thread an' carry it round dat-a-way nine times. Yo' carry it round dat-a-way nine times an' take it right in dere wit yore finger an' bring it right dis way nine times. Tie it into nine knots. (Now wait a minute. The first time you carry this thing away from you or towards you?) You carry it away from you nine times.
(On this side here you tie a knot?)
No sir, yo' don't tie no knot - yo' jes' carry it heah.
(You just hold it there?)
An' hold it there, yo' understand, an' make a loop ketch it - don't tie nc knot atall, make a loop ketch it. Bring it back to yo' nine times. An' yo' bring it back to yo' then nine times an' tie nine knots in it right in de center like that. All right, yo' carry it this-a-way nine times.
(Nine times lengthwise - away from you?)
Yes sir - right this-a-way nine times. All right yo' git done with it an' yo' take a straight pin an' stick right down in there - right in de top. Take dis bag an' yo' tie it real tight - tie in de top like dat an' wear it either up heah or in yore left pocket.
(Either under your heart or in your pocket.)
Or either in yore left pocket.
(And what is that bag supposed to do for you?)
Dat supposed to give you luck - drive away de evil spirits an' bring luck an' success an' make friends wit everybody - yore enemies will be yore friends, fellahs who don't like yo' will come tuh like yo'. Ah've got a piece of dis John de Conker [which he had just showed to me] supposed to be good fo' dat. Yo' supposed tuh use it wit holy oil. Dere's a oil dat yo' use wit it - it's a little red oil, dey call it de holy oil. Yo' have to order it. Yo' takes dis oil an' yo' keeps it 'nointed wit dis - keep dis root anointed wit dis oil. [The technical word for anointing is often called feeding.] An' when yo' git ready tuh leave home dat mawnin' yo' take some of dis oil an' po' it in yore han' an' rub it on yore han' dat-a-way an' rub it cross yore chest like dat - jes' like that. (Your right on your shoulder and you bring it down across your chest. And your left hand you have on the right side and bring it straight across.) Straight across it like that. An' while yo' doin' that why says de Our Father prayers.
(That's when you go down to get a job from the boss?)
Yes sir.
(That little red bag like that - where do you get those, buy them?)
Ah ordahs 'em.
(Oh, they have draw strings on them.)
Ah ordahs 'em from Tennessee.
(From Memphis - the Curio Products Company?) [That probably surprised him.)
Yes suh. Ah makes a straight nail for runnin' a person crazy by usin' three strands of dere hair in a pine tree -
(Oh, you told me that.)
Entry 1009
An' git, yo' understan', her ministratin' - a woman's period an' put it in wit lodestone an' some of her hair, rusty needles an' rusty pins, an' bury dat undah her do'step an' that would run her away. Well, de thing that ah saw wus a person had buried this undah a girl's house name Josephine. Well, this Josephine wus livin' in a house an' she wus goin' with a man an' de people wanted her 'way from this place. See. An' somehow or othah they got her stockin' top an' some of her hair an' lodestone. Wrapped that hair aroun' the lodestone an' then she had three rusty needles an' three rusty pins stickin' in through de hair; yo' understan', aroun' dis lodestone, an' buried that undah her steps. An' that wus tuh drive her away. Well, her sistah, Missus Malone, lived 'way on the south end, supposed tuh be one those so-called hoodoos could do things an' drive yo' away. See. An' she told her - she went tuh Miz Malone an' Miz Malone told her about this stuff wus buried undah her do'step an' she got this stuff out - out from undah her do'step. Ah saw de stuff mahself. An' she tole her whut tuh do with it de nex' day. She tole her tuh git up that mawnin' befo' sunrise an' had tuh git three persons tuh burn this stuff. Well, one boy dat ah remembered had burn dis stuff - co'se he's daid now. His name wus - an' he wus de one got de stuff out from undah dat step an' burn it fo' her.
(How do you mean three persons to burn it?)
She meant three persons that she knew - see, tuh git it out an' den each three of these persons do dat tuh see it burn.
(Well, about that piece with the blood - what did they do with that?)
Well, that wus wrapped in with the hair too. Dis bloody piece wus mixed in lodestone an' de hair aroun' de lodestone.
(Did they burn it at any particular time or do anything after they burned it?)
Ah re'lly don't know whut they did aftah dey burn it.
Entry 1261
Yo' kin take a person's hair as dey comb it out chew see - git dandruff and all and wrap dat hair right tight. Yo' know people combin' dere hair it come out in de comb, an: yo' jis' take dat hair an' wrap it real tight in some red flannel wit a piece of lodestone, an' stick needles all through it. Jis' stick 'em all through dem - Jis' diff'rent ways an' dose needles will inflict de body some way. Yo'll break out in spots de size of quarters or half dollahs on yore laig or on yore body. An' yo'll always be afflicted until somebody in de family finds that thing. Ah'm telling dis from experience. Mah mothah wus hurt dat way an' ah found it when ah wus thirteen yeahs old. An' den she bathe her laig in fish brine an' she got well.
Entry 1359
Take any ole snake dust that is dry or lizard dust or any kinda ole creeping, yo' know, a snake lak that. Take that dust an' place it up undah the lettah an' as yo' open that lettah an' git that on yore han's, natch'ral yo' rub it on yore skin an' it will create. It take yo' in yore han's right immediately. May be a little while befo' those han's goes tuh eetchin' but it will go through an' through. Dose are black art works.
(What happens to my hands?)
Whut happens tuh yore han's? Yore han's start tuh eetching an' burnin' an' if yo' don't take care of 'em with that snake dust or that lizard dust, those bumps will fin'lly graj'ly grow, an' aftah while why that snake or that ole scorpion will grow roun', yo' know, in yore skin. Yo' see people dat have snakes in dey laigs. Dey eithah gits it from sweepin' or not takin' a bath when de had things lak that. Dat whut it comes from. If yo' git it in yore laigs, yo' be sweepin' yore flo' - dat's when it gits on yore laigs, yo' see. Dat rattlesnake dust is on de flo' an' when yo' sweep it gits in de pores of yore skin an' by not takin' an' washin' it off, it'll jis' grow an' graj'ly that little bump will come an' that snake will fin'lly grow.
(Is there any way of getting them out?)
Yes, dere's a way tuh git it out, but yo' have tuh take herbs. Yo' have tuh take jimson weeds an' John de Conker, lodestones. Either git John de Conker an' give it to yo' three times a day in a pint of boilin' watah - a teaspoonful, or a tablespoonful is bettah, an' he will gradually die.
Entry 1967
Fo' tuh have luck in gamblin', take white peppah, an' yo' know dat John de Conker ah wus tellin' yo' 'bout it - well, take a piece jis' about this long an' white peppah an' some white sand, yo' know, an' a piece of white lodestone an' be shore it's put into a piece of flannen or, yo' know, not those thick leather - yo' know, jis' lak a kid glove is, leather lak that [shammy or chammy]. An' be sure tuh bind it an' sew it well an' leave jis' about dat much of de little piece open. Now, look [demonstrates] - see, if ah had a string so dat ah could show yo'. Yo' needn't leave not nary piece [of string] on dat, 'cause he ain't goin' understan' dat. But let him wear dat in his vest pocket, yo' see, an' nobody put dere han's on it. Now, ah tole yo' 'bout de John de Conker. If yo' ain't got no John de Conker, ah kin get chew John de Conker. Ah kin git real John an' Low John.
(What does he put this in his pocket for?)
Well, he put that in there fo' luck in gamblin'.
(You make a little bag for that root with that little hole [dropped stitches]
in it?) Yo' don't want no hole in it - no, no hole in it. Dat string-lak kinda handle to it.
(You make a loop in it?)
Yeah. Well, dat loop belongs dere. Dat little loop belongs dere.
(Why does that loop belong there?)
Well, dat loop means yo know somethin'. Well dat little loop on dere, don't chew see, recommends. Yo' see, ah'm a Christian an' ah lak tuh tell de truth. Dat little loop recommends dat ah will make it. Dat'll make it too. [Memphis - Tuesday, May 24, 1938 - 916 - woman 50 - root doctor - not much" - Numbers Book 885-977. This is an underevaluation made because she filled two cylinders only. She is telling me how to make a hand - "leave jis' about dat much of de little piece open." She does not mean the shammy or flannel but the string used in sewing the bag. She wanted to show me how but we had no string. Then she decides, "Yo' needn't leave not nary piece [[of string]] on dat, 'cause he ain't goin' understand dat." The man for whom I was making the hand wouldn't understand the loop anyway. That loop, she says, is 'lak kinda handle to it [[the hand]].] Dat loop means yo' know somethin'...recommends...recommends dat ah will make it. Dat'll make it, too." At the time I must have known or suspected what the loop meant. I can merely guess at the meaning now. The loop was her secret sign, personal trademark. I doubt the loop would have helped me in making hands. [For another hand maker's trademark, see Broken Bottle Hand, p.532.]
Entry 2036
Fo' gamblin' yo' kin git chew John de Conker - dat's a root. Git de he one an' git de she one. Yo' git chew some oil of verbena, yo' git chew some van-van - de perfume kind, not de oil kind. Yo' git chew some Jockey Club an' yo' git chew some lodestone, any silver dime, an' yo' take those things an' yo' make yo' a little bag an' sew it up in dere, an' wear it aroun' yo' fo' yore luck in gamblin'.
Entry 2059
To make yo' keep a job after yo've got it. Dey tell me yo' kin git chew some - somepin dey call lodestone. Yo' orders it from a book. Yo' kin git dat an' git some sulphur an' bluestone an' mix dat all up together fine, an' take yo' a new piece of cloth an' sew it up in dere good an' wear it round yore waist or anywhere on yo. Keep it damp wit Heart Cologne. Say dat keep de police out
Entry 2060
Buy yo' some live lodestone, put it in a cloth, a red cloth, sew it up wit black thread. Yo' go put it on yore body. Den yo' go down an' ah ask yo', "Mister, will yo' give me a job?" Yo' say, "Well, ah might not have a job fo' yo' tuhday, but chew kin come back tomorrah."
Entry 2067
Dey throw salt an' sech as that behin', yo' know, an' burn incense. Dey use graveyard dirt - mixes graveyard dirt an' git a sewin' needle an' break dat all up an' black lodestone, an' dey makes tobies from dat. Well, yo' git a piece of flannel, yo' know, red flannel an' break dat lodestone, crumble it up, an' take de needle an' break dat up an' sew dat up an' put a little perfume in dere. A man dey always say, carry dat in his left pocket. Dat'll keep lucky - dat'll keep him an' his wife on good terms.
(And it's very lucky to do what?)
Burn incense.
(Where?)
In de right corner of yore house, or eithah underneat' yore bed - burn it all night. We giner'lly burn it all night undah de beds.
Entry 2101
Yo' kin take High John de Conker an' git black lodestone an' Adam an' Eve root. Put them together with violet incense powders, an' sew them in a red flannel. They call that mojo an' dat fo' yore luck in gamblin' an' co'se yo feed it Jockey Club perfume.
(When you go to the game.)
Entry 2128
[A few prices for hands have already been given - here are more:]
I had one man make a hand for me once. He tole me he was going to make me a lucky hand and he charged me $50 for it. As long as I had that hand he claimed I'd always be lucky. I was lucky for about three weeks and luck began to change with me. I'd paid him for his hand then. So I went to see what was in this hand. And I began to look. And there was some black pieces of stuff that looked like lodestone, and a whole lot of hair, it looked like horse's hair, and some clay, red blood it looked like, all wrapped up nice in two pieces of rag and sewed over again with a piece of canvas bag. I paid $50 for that. The canvas bag was grey and the rags was black. I was supposed to put that around my neck and keep it over my heart. Wear it all the time, even at night. You keep that hand so no- body can fix you, and you will always be lucky.
Entry 2210
Now in gamblin' yo' takes three cards - three de gamblin' cards, take three de playin' cards. Yo' takes de ace of spades and de king of di'monds and de jack of clubs. You tear jest a small tip off dose three cards - take a small tip off three cards an' after yo' take de small tip off dose three cards, git chew a file. Yo' take dis file and files a dime in half. Yo' take dis dust now from de dime, you save it too, yo' see - save de dust from dis silver dime, yo' save it. Git chew a piece of lodestone. Git chew a piece of red flannel. Yo' place dis first half of de dime on de flannel. Now see, yo' file it half in two, yo' put one half on de piece of red flannel. After yo' put de one half on de red flannel, yo' place either one [of the halves], yo' place one de three pieces of card - either one [any of three], jest a pinch of de card, yo' see. Put a pinch of de card on one piece [of the dime] and place de other half of de dime on top.
(Like a sandwich.)
Uh-huh - dat's right, like a sandwich. An' yo' put de other piece on it, den yo' put de other piece on top of it and put dis dust - dis filin' from dis dime on top of dat. See. An' yo' puts a piece of lodestone in dere with dat on dis piece of flannel - put it in dere with dat. You dress it, too, with hearts - dis Hearts Cologne, jest a little Hearts Cologne and yo' dampen dis, yo see. An' after you dampen dis, you fold it, but befo' you sew it yo' take a pin - a straight pin and cut de head off it, cut de head off de straight pin and put de head inside of it, and when you fold it up, pin dis other part of de straight pin in it and then you sew it up. See. [Pin or needle point is for sharp luck.] An' after you sew it up den you wears dat, yo' see. An' well, when yo' luck seem to be changin' a little, yo' dress it - yo' jes' take dis whole bag and pour dis Heart Cologne and dress it. Dat s to keep dis lodestone agrowin' - it's growing lodestone. (Now in putting this stuff in there - you've got two halves of the dime, haven't you. And you have three pieces of the corners of the cards. You put one piece of the card down first, then you put the half dime down, then a piece of the card, then a half dime, then a piece of the card.) Yeah, put a piece de card [last piece], den de dust on top of dat.
(What you filed from the dime on top of that. What do they call that?)
It's a gambling hand - yo' know, for luck in gambling.
Entry 2339
[A toby is a hand. The following informant uses these two terms as synonyms. Toby belongs to the New Orleans area and is little known along the Atlantic coast - unknown in the country districts.] If yo' wanta make a han', yo' kin make a han' fo' fellah tuh carry in his pocket or if he wanta wear it roun' his neck. Yo' git chew a piece of John de Conker vine. Dat's used often in a lot of dese cases. Yo' take yo' some soda, cookin' soda, an' yo' take yo' some lodestone, a she an' a he, an' sew dat together. Don't have tuh take a great big piece - jis' a small piece. Yo' sew dat up, dat soda, John de Conker vine an' oil of clover. Yo' wet [feed] it wit oil of clover - yo' buy yo' some oil of clover an' yo' wet it. That brings luck. Yo' buy yo' a bottle of Jockey Club Perfume. Wash an' scrub yore han's. Wit dat toby yo' bound tuh win.
Entry 2368
To make luck for gambling, there's quite a few articles you get to put together. Well, you get you some - get you some red flannel and you get lode- stone, steel dust, you see, and cinnamon. You put this together and a silver dime - put that in that little - put it in a little red bag, right in there. You sew it up. After you sew it up and [then] you pass it in a saucer in some luck you buy in the drug store.
(Luck?)
Yeah - it's luck, they call it. It's van-van. You put it in there and roll that in there like that. Then you present [sell] it to the person and you tell them ev'ry two or three weeks it have to be rubbed in some of this luck. That'll make 'em come to you. You'd have to get you - rub it over, you see, that luck.
Entry 2369
Yo' could git chew some lodestone, some bluestone an' - not bluestone but saltpeter, and some red peppah [three ingredients] and put all dat together and put it in a little sack and wear it in de bottom of yo' foot. Git chew some Van-van, rub yo' face and yo' hands with it. Ev'rywhere, ev'ry time yo' gotta go out, go fo' anything, jes' rub yo' face and hands with dat all ovah.... Well, yo' go wheresomevah yo' goin' an' whatevah yo' wan'a do, whatever yo' goin' tuh do, it leaves de way open fo' yo' tuh do whatevah yo' wants tuh do, whatevah yo' got in yore mind to do. An' yo' see yore way looks dark, why when yo' git dere de way be opened fo' yo'.
Entry 2625
People they take a dime and some white lodestone and a needle broken in three parts and you know these little miniature dice - you want to gamble with dice - those little minature dice and sew it up in a little flannel bag. And you get that Seven-Eleven Perfume, there is a perfume Seven-Eleven, and you wet that little bag with that Seven-Eleven Perfume and you're supposed to throw mostly sevens and elevens with dice. And of course with cards you cut a diamond out of a card and put it in instead of the dice if you want to be lucky with cards.
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 4679
Dey take a piece of red flannen an' a piece - an' dey take his intahco'se [semen] an' dat Jockey Club Perfume an' puts it in dat red flannen, an' a piece of lodestone in it, an' dey wrap it. Dey make it [package] flat, tight enough tuh go inside of dat bow. See, it go inside of dat bow, an' when it git in dat bow, dat will trick dem right dere. He cain't git rid of 'er.
(She will put that in the bow of the hat and tie it back in the hat?)
Yessuh, take an' sew it back on dere.
Entry 7187
Yo' uses High John an' yo' uses five fingahs grass an' yo' make charms outa dem, an' den yo' put lodestone all on dat. An' if yo'd make a seal an' wear dat - when yo' read parts of de Bible. "Co'se [of course] dat's de way a lotta people do, but ah go by de Bible. See, whut ah do, ah based on de Bible - prayahs, see, an' sech. [The preceding word charm rarely appears in Hoodoo. For the word seal, see SEALS AND HANDS, p.643 and elsewhere.]
(How would you use this High John and five finger grass?)
Oh, yo' jis' put it in a li'le bag.
(Put it in a little bag and that piece of lodestone with it?)
Yes. An' den put it wit - wet it wit dis lodestone perfume, yo' see, an' weab it.
(And what about the seal?)
Or yo' kin weah a seal. De seals are made outa de Six an' Seven Books of Moses. (And then what do they do with this little bag they wear? That is something separate again, isn't it?) Dis li'le bag, dat's somepin sep'rate.
(What do you wear this little bag for?)
Dat's fo' pertection [protection]. An' prayah too. All de othah [people] weah a prayah. Prayah'll pertect chew too.
(What kind of prayer do you use while you are wearing that bag?)
Well, yo' kin weah a prayah at any time [not only while wearing that bag]. Yo' kin weah a prayah outa de Bible, de 91 Psalms on parchment papah. An' yo' have it wit certain kinds of ink. Yo' write dese prayahs outa de book of de 91 Psalm; mos' any prayah dat's suitable. An' yo' weah dat prayah all de time an' God'll pertec' chew. Yo' kin even put a prayah behind - on parchment - put it behin' jore do' an' no one cain't come an' do yuh any harm. (You say they have to write with certain kinds of ink. Can you tell what kinds of ink they have to use to write that?) Well, ah fergit de kinda ink. Dey have reg'lah ink fo' dat. Ah tell yuh - dove's blood.
(Do you get the blood from a dove or do you buy this?)
Well, yo' cain't very well git it from a dove, yo' have tuh buy dat. See, EVAHBODY CAIN'T GIT DOSE THIN'S. DEY SEN' TUH CERTAIN PLACES.
[Is dove's blood ordinary or special red ink with a dove label on bottle?]
(They send to some firm.)
An' git dose thin's an' dey even make dose parchments. (What firm do you buy these things from? Do you happen to know the name of any firm? There were several down in Memphis and one in Chicago.) Ah know one in Chicago.
(What one do you know there?)
AH DON'T LAK TUH CALL DESE NAMES, AH DON'T KNOW WHETHAH AH'D BE DOIN' RIGHT DEN.
(Oh, I'd just send and get a catalog, that's all.)
Well, de Lawrence [Laurence]. (What is their address? What street do they work on? State Street?) [A penciled note of mine, made soon after the transcription was typed, reads: Use with caution. Later I write in red ink: How cautious I was in the earlier days of collecting!!! This informant is O.K. (signed) H. M. H.]
Entry 8585
Get her a - get his name, just like ah tole yo'. Write it nine times, orite hern across it. Take her - an' then take it - she can put it into 'er lamp, if she can get her some lump sugar. An' she can take her nine lumps of dis lump sugah, an' get her a piece of lodestone, con- quering root [John de Conkah], conquering root powder, cinnamon. Mix ali dat togethah an' his name, an' put it down into 'er lamp, an' put de necked [naked = real] coal oil on it an' set it to burnin'. An' he will come back.
Entry 10166
If yo' Wanta bring a person back - lak a man is away from his wife an' yo' wants tuh bring him back - well de way ah use. Ah takes dere name three times an' put 'er name three times, an' git rose water, orange blossom an' Jockey Club Cologne [for 3 perfumes see p.729, v.1] yo' know whut dat is, honey, crushed sugah, white, three lumps, an' put it in dey bottle. White lodestone, a she an' a he one, yo' knows dat. A ball of quicksilver an' a teaspoonful of steel dust. Dat's tuh return 'im. An' yo' put it in de glass bottle an' set it up - put de haid to [cork in]. Dis is de front do [demonstrates]. Well, yo' put de haid dat-away tuh come in. Dat is to come.
(The head is pointing into the house?)
Into de house. Dat's fo' tuh return de man back. (On this piece of paper on which you wrote the names, you wrote his name three times and hers three times on top of each name?) On top of his'n.
(That is to bring him back.)
[This rite can be done another way.]
Well, yo' take de names an' write it de same way. Yo' take de name an' yo' write it three times an' dey [woman's] name on top. An' den yo' cross de woman's name on top an' den yo' put yore candle an' yore honey, an' yore names in a glass. It supposed tuh be used in a glass an' holy watah with prayers.
(What sort of candle do you use?)
Well, yo' kin use a white one or blue one, anything but a black candle or a red one.
(Do you burn that candle any special time or anything?)
Yes, an hour. Yo' light it six a'clock in de mawnin' an hour an' den yo' put it out. Yo' light it at twelve a'clock ag'in an' dat hour, an' at one a'clock yo' put it out. Den three a'clock till fo', den yo' put it out.
(You do that just one day?)
No, no, yo' do dat about seven days.
(In putting these names down on the paper, do you put his name down first?)
Yo' put his name down first if yo' aftah bringin' 'im.
(Her name is over that?)
On top of his'n.
Entry 12355
Lodestone, John de Conkah, five-finger grass, Low John de Conkah and White Rose Oil in a bag. [Mobile 967:10.]
Entry 982
Now listen, mah pastor, he wo'a little black cap on his haid, see. All right. He often walks along de streets 'sleep. He couldn't git his health back no way, see. All right. De doctah had ordered him tuh diff'rent parts of de country tryin' tuh raise his health back agin. He couldn't git his health. See, he lived on de othah [New Orleans] side but de doctah ordered him on dis [Algiers] side - see, fo' his health. De doctah didn't do him no good.
(On the other side of the [Mississippi] river, you mean?)
On de othah side de rivah. See, but dey [doctors] all came tuh Algiers. All right. So one day he wus passin' on Crownlet[?] Street, dat's ovah de rivah, an' it was noon when de people standin' in front of a do'. It wus a man dere, see - a colored fellah tellin' fortunes or tell yo' 'bout whut's de reason. So he said tuh de othah preacher dat wus wit him, say, "Let's go down dere an' take a look." So when he walked in, by him bein' so tall, he wus standin' lookin' in de do', de man looked at him an' beckoned tuh him tuh come heah, see. He said tuh de preacher, "Dat fellah tellin' me tuh come 'head." He say, "Well, go see whut he wants." See. All right. So when he walks in, de man says, "Let him pass." So when he went in, de man shook han's wit him an' tole him who he wus. He say, "Yo' been sick a long time." He say, "Yes." He said, "Yo' cain't git chure health." He say, "Yo' been travelin' diff'rent places dat de doctahs been sending yo' an' yo' cain't git health." So he say, "Yo' see dat little black cap yo' got on yore haid?" Yo' see, he had his hat lak dis on his haid. See, he say, "Yo' wears a little black skull cap on yore haid." He say, "That skull cap is got so many diff'rent grains of stuff in it, an' fo' gold-haid needles crossways in dere."
(What kind of stuff did it have in it?)
Diff'rent kinds of stuff, see. So he said it had some lodestone, red peppah - dat upstirrin', see. So he said, "Yo' go home." Yo' know he had a church on dat side an' he lived on dis side, but back in de back. He said, "Yo' go home an' look undah dat front steps goin' tuh yore dwellin' an' yo'll find yore underwear, de drawers part, a left-foot sock, undah there, in a shoe box." So he say, "Yo' go back into yore alley, by de step goin' up in yore house, if yo' look undah dere, it got a shoe box got yore left-foot shoe, an' got a left-foot sock." Say, "Go inside an' yore wife got two moss mattress [two mattresses stuffed with Spanish or long moss] on de bed - two moss mattress on de bed." So, he said, "Yo' turn dat mattress back, de first one back," an' he say, "it's a little box an' yore picture whut chew had taken tuh put in de church, dat picture got away from yo' an' yo' didn't know whut become of it?" He say, "No." So he say, "Yo' has yore little black skull cap whut chew dress jis' lak de preacher will dress wit chure Bible in yore hand." He say, "She had dat picture taken in a small picture de same way. She's got dat picture put in a little box in de shape of a casket." He say, "Yo' lays on dat little casket [coffin] all de time an' yo' cain't git chure health. When yo' lays down yo' almost passes out." See. "She fix everything to make yo' convince." He say, "Yo' don't drink coffee, yo' don't drink chocolate - yo' drinks tea." Den he say, "Every time yo' tells her yo' wants a cup of tea, she takes a teaspoon of black-looking medicine an' puts it in yore teapot, makes yore tea an' gives yo' dat tea. Dat's tuh ruin yore inside tuh hurry yo 'way from heah.' An' he say, "Yo' has a dresser set between de middle do' an' de backroom do'." So he say, "Set dere an' yo' call her an' yo' tell her tuh fix yo' a cup of tea fo' yo' an' de othah brother. So she say, 'All right.'" He say, "Now yo' watch her when she goes tuh fix dat tea yo' goin' see de act." So mah pastor say when he call her, says, "Sally, come heah." So she say, "Whut chew want?" He say, "Go fix a cup of tea for me an' Reverend Brown." So she say, "All right." So she went on through an' he say he took his chair an' he sat dis way. Sho 'nuff he could look through dat mirror-glass right to de kitchen. So she goes an' takes a little bit of teapot an' she puts de tea in it an' she reaches ovah behin' de pots an' things she got an' she got a little bottle an' measured a teaspoonfulla dat. An' he call Reverend Brown tuh look at it. See, dey both wus lookin'. Say she stirrin' it up, an' say she steeped de tea. All right. So she took anothah teapot an' put a little bit of tea in it an' po'ed watah on it an' steeped it up. So she took de waiter [demonstrates] an' put it dere [on the table] but a cup dere an' a cup heah [on the waiter]. She put a small cup dere - she put de small fo' Reverend Brown an' his [her husband's cupl wus a large cup cus' he drank plenty tea. She put it dere an' she put de sugah an' milk dere. See, when she started in wit it, dey both turned deyself lak dey wus [before they looked into the mirror]. When she come in she walks tuh Reverend Brown first an' had de waiter. She say, "Heah, Reverend Brown, yo' take de small cup cus' yo' don't drink much tea, ah know." He say, "No." See, she didn't put none de stuff in his cup. So Reverend Brown took de tea an' so she say, "Heah, Henry, heah yo' tea." So her husband took de tea an' sot to be side wit it, wit de sugah an' ever'- thing. An' she wus standin' dere talkin' - dey wus busy talkin' ovah things. So she.say, "Whyn't yo'all drink yo' tea, it's gon'a git cold." Dey say de wants it git cold, it so hot right now. So she left an' she went tuh de back. So he turned an' he brought all de stuff up to de church. He had de shoe box tuh show de members whut she wus doin' tuh him. So she had her bed made up pretty nice an' everythin', so he searched through de bed an' he looked at de bed. He caught de mattress, bedclothes an' all an' whirl it ovah de foot of bed, an' sho' 'nuff, dere wus de little casket - de black casket trimmed. Somebody musta made dat fo' her - trimmed a black casket, a little small one jis' about that long. An' sho' 'nuff dere it wus layin' right in de center of de bed - see, between de mattress.
(What was in that casket?)
His picture. So he took it out an' he open it an' she had had his picture drawed in a small size picture jis' enough tuh fit in dere, de full length of 'im. Dat's why ah nevah git a picture took full length - see [they can't lay you out in a coffin]. See, she had him wit his Bible an' his black cap jis' lak he wus wit fo' gold- haid needles crossed. So he say, "Well, look Reverend Brown, look dere." So she wus busy talkin', so he shut de do' an' latched de do'. He wanted tuh git all de stuff. So he went out dere an' he looked up undah de steps an' he didn't see nuthin, an' Reverend Brown say, "Do lak de man tole yuh." So he got a shovel an dug down up undah dat little shelf an' say, sho' nuff he dug up de pastebo'd box but it hadn't got rotten yet. It wus still dere an' so he shook it up an' he Say, "Well, dis is mah shoe ah been lookin' fo' an' ah couldn't find it" - de left-foot shoe an' de sock wit gold-haid needles. See. So he put dat in de room an' he went undah de front an' his underwear, a pair of sho't underwear an' a left-foot sock wus undah de front steps. He got it all. So Reverend Brown, he say, "Well, man, is dat de kinda wife yo' got - dat's how she got chew tricked up. So he say, "Dat's why ah cain't git mah health back." So he say, "Whut's chew goin' do?" He say, "Now, ah'm goin' call her." Dey had a back entrance. Yo' could see out de back way of her place cus' ah went dere. (Wait a minute now. At the front door they had his underwear and the left- foot sock; at the back door she had a left-foot shoe and left-foot sock.) An' see, he open de do' an' he call her. See, he had all de things on de table - dey hadn't teched de tea, see. He say, "sally." She say, "What?" He say, '"Come heah." So when she walked in she looked at de bed, he say she change color. She wus a bright umber [amber] - say she got blue-lookin'. So she say, "Oh, but chew upset de bed!" He say, "Yeah, we upset de bed. Whut should yo' doin' wit mah picture in a casket ah'm layin' on it. No reason ah almos' passes out at night. Dat stuif yo' got ovah behin' dat pot shelf whut chew put a teaspoonful of it in mah cup an' didn't put none in Reverend Brown." Say she didn't give him chance - she whirl, she left. She didn't give him chance tuh tell her nuthin else. She whirl an' she flew tuh de back. Nobody didn't know where she wus. Dat Friday night he came tuh church an' we had church dere. He come wit de shoe box an' he say, "Well, members," he says, "it may be mah last time ah'm tellin' yo' all dis, but ah wants every member, every friend tuh come up in de rostrum." He say, "Dem who's unseen, let othahs see whut mah wife had me layin' on. How she had me fixed de reason ah couldn't git mah health back, an' ah wus dyin' off." So he say, "Dis underwear an' left-foot sock, yo' all know how mah house situated, ah got dis undah de front steps. Dis left-foot sock an' left shoe, got dat undah mah back steps, comin' in mah do'. Dis little casket wit mah picture [I found] in de mattress - ah wus layin' on dat sleepin'. A cup of tea," he say, "de tea whut chew see in dis bottle." He had po'ed de tea in a bottle. She put a teaspoonful of some kinda black stuff in it, but de tea whut he brought up dere dat night looked blue-lookin'. It didn't look lak tea, it looked blue- lookin' - see, from de stuff she put in it. He say, "Dis whut ah been drinkin'." Dat man tole me, "Ever' time yo' drinks tea, yo' drinks yore death." An' he say, "Ever' time yo' eats, yo' eats yore death." See. Well, yo' know whut it was. He had a lot of property an' brown stuff. He had one boy. See, she wus aimin' to git him out de way, so she could have ever'thing fo' herself. He say, "Now, members an' friends," he say, "ah'm goin' an' ketch de ferryboat in de mawnin', fo' 'clock an' ah'm goin' let dis whole box go down in de middle of de rivah." "An'," he say, "mah property an' stuff, befo' ah leave de world, ah'm goin' fix ever'thing fo' mah boy. She don't git a pinch from me." When he died that boy had everything in his possession. Dat wus mah pastor.
(Where was his church?)
On D'Iberville[?] downtown an' Rochambeau - de French part of town. Den he had one church up on Crown. It settin' dere right now - a concrete church on dat side an' it's got a Catholic church behin'. Dat's de church he built. All right.
Entry 2213
Well, yo' takes dat lodestone and git chew a little piece of flannel an' sew it all up together, an' yo' buy Hearts Cologne an' jest feed it on it - hit grows as yo' feed it, 'noint it a lot. Ah had a piece once a long time ago an' de more yo' feed it wit dat Hearts Cologne why de bigger it grows, an yo'jes' use dat chew see, jest rub it in yore hand an' tote it in your right hand pocket, den yo' go on tuh gamble. Well, it's lucky anyway, jest all de time getting holt of something.
(Why do they carry it in the right-hand pocket?)
Well, dey tell me dat's de place to carry it, say if yo' tote it in yore left pocket, anything leaves yo' - de right fo' coming in an' de left fo' goin' out.
[See margin-title Three Pockets.]
Entry 6030
Out de mole of yore head. (They get the hair out of the mold of your head?) Yes, sir, an' take it an' d wit some cayenne peppah, put some needles in dere, git a papah of new needles Ahut's nevah been used, an' put 'em in a sack, git some lodestone, an' yo'll rua 'en crazy.
(I see. What do you do with that sack then?)
Yo' jes' carry it on yo', an' dat'll cause dem to go crazy. (I see. Well, how many needles do you put in that? The whole paper of nee- dles?) No, fo' or five - sompin lak dat. Git fine needles, an' don' break 'em.
(I see.)
Entry 6358
Yo' kin take de hair an' yo' git chew a lodestone wit it an' sew it up in a piece of red flannel an' weah it nex' tuh yo'. Dat's yore mind. Ah've got it, yore mind. Yo' weah dat an' dat's supposed tuh draw yore mind, see. Keep it always an' weah it on yo'.
(That will draw you.)
Entry 292
Git de black cat an' boil dis black cat and git five of dem little bones an' yo' crosses dem lak Joseph's ladder [surely Jacob's]. [He demonstrates.] (You take two parallel bones and two more parallel and you cross them like that?) [This sound like a ticktacktoe (or noughts-and-crosses) diagram.] Yes. (That's Joseph's ladder?) Yes. An' yo' cross 'em lak that an' yo' make yore wish - lak yo' want luck or make money or somepin, wish it on Joseph's ladder fo' nine times. [He holds up an imaginary ladder.] Dat called Joseph's ladder, say, "In God we trust - luck - luck - luck" - fo' nine times, with that black cat bones.
(What do you do with the fifth bone?)
Well, yo' takes hit an' yo' wears hit - yo' wears hit down in yore bosom, dat fifth bone. (When you are making these wishes, what do you do - you hold the bones up like that?) Yo' hold de bones up in de east an' yo' call Joseph's name - Joseph's ladder name nine times, den yo' wish fo' luck.
(How do those bones stay together that way?)
Well, dey takes a little fine wire - wire 'em togethah. Den yo' make a mattress, kinda lak dat, of 'em [demonstrates] - kinda take a little sawin' knife, so yo' kin file [something like this #].
(Make it like a [rustic] picture frame?)
Yes, kinda lak a little picture frame an' hold it up to de east an' make nine wishes.
(What part of the cat do you get these from?)
Yo' git 'em outa the hin' laigs. (Either hind leg?) [This sort of question is usually conversational - not investigative - and meaningless, see Introduction.] Yessuh, in de hin' laig - that part of the thigh, de small bone - git dem bones, de thigh bones.
[Two cylinders later the black cat bone reappears.]
(I have to go down before the judge - now, what do I do?)
"Fore yo' go yo' have dis heah wishbone - dis heah black cat wishbone.
(Where do you get that?)
Dat's de one ah wus tellin' yo' 'bout when yo' boil de cat an' git dat othah bone - yo' know, dere's five of 'em. Well, yo' only use but fo' of 'em, an' yo' keeps one an' yo' has it on a black cord around yore neck. Well, yo' takes it out an' when dey brings de - yo' settin' dere waitin' an' yo' make a wish nine times in de east - lookin' in de east an' make a wish. Den yo' take de lode- stone an' rub hit on dere an' make yore wish an' put it back in yore pocket. An' when yo' go out, go out with this heah lodestone in yore han', an' de judge will make yore fine light an' he liable tuh dismiss de case.
(What did you say about passing something over my teeth or lips?)
Ah said, nine times, take dat wishbone ovah yore face nine times lak dat - while yo' makin' yore wishes.
(You said you had to look a certain way when you do it?)
In de east, an' make yore wish.
Entry 780
Well, you see, mah husband, he wus a kinda like dis he wus jealous of me; and he wanted to run aroun' hisself, but always, if I even smiled at a man, he wanted to 'cuse me out wid dat man. And so he come to me and he'd beat me and he'd abuse me, he wouldn't - it seemed like he jis' didn't care. I tole 'im I was gon'a leave 'im and I mean' it. And he saw me talkin' to a fortune-teller man dat come to de house one day, and he sayed, "Whu' yah doin', gittin' yore fortune told?" I say, "No," I say, "he jis' come dere and wanted money for him to tell my fortune," I sayed, 'but I didn't," I sayed, '''cause I didn't have de money." I jis' tole 'im dat. So - and it went on like dat, he kept seein' de man dere. But one day he had a talk with de man. So de fortune-teller man, he would tell 'im whut he wanted to know and tell me de same t'ing: He seem to tell Bernice about me and tell me about Bernice; see, jis' breakin' peace.
(Just working one against the other.)
Yes sir. He wouldn't care, jis' so he gittin' de money - he wouldn't care. He'd tell on you jis' as quick as he would on me, and he'd tell you about me as quick as he would tell me about choo. And he tole me dat de best t ing for me to do - he said, to put a little salt and sulphah in mah shoe, and to get away from Bernice as quick as I could. And he tole Bernice sumepin 'nother. But anyhow, Bernice startin' gittin' meaner and meaner. And he must of tole 'im sumepin 'nother to do to make me stay wit 'im, aftah he saw I wus gon'a leave 'im, becuz one day he came home he gave me a quarter - I tole 'im I wanted to go to a show. He say, "Well, '' he say, "take dat, a nickel of it and git me a box of powdered sage." Dat's whut he tole me to do. And I thought it was sumepin mighty funny, becuz he had never ast de sage befo'. So when de fortune-teller man come back I tole 'im. And he say, "Joo git dis sage," he sayed, "but don' choo give it to 'im." And he said to take dis sage and a raw sweet patatah. He sayed, "Cut de sweet patatah in half and scrape some out of both sides de sweet patatah and put it on a little piece of papah, and put a pinch of dis sage in dere and a pinch of sulphah, and wrap it up and put it in de middle of your shoe, on both of 'em." I cut de patatah in half, den de piece heah, I scrape it and put it [the scrapings] in a piece of papah, den I puts some sulphah in dere and some sage, and I fold dat up and put it in one shoe; while off de othah side of de patatah, I do de same t'ing and put it in mah othah shoe. And I did dat.
(What did you do to the sweet potato?)
You throw it away. You mustn't eat any of it or nothin'. You have to bury it or eithah throw it away where nobody can find it. And so I did dat. And Bernice ast me did I get de sage. I say, "No," I say, ''and that isn't all," I say, "I'm not gon'a get it," I say, "becuz you're not gon'a be able to fix me," I say, "if I can help it." He sayes, "Huh, I wasn't gon'a fix yah." And so dat night I picked 'im.
(Started a quarrel with him.)
When he came home I picked 'im. I sayed, "Bernice, you played up nice to me," so he would tell me, becuz I know if I picked 'im I could git anyt'ing I wanted out of 'im. And he tole me. He sayed dat de man tole 'im to git some of mah hair and some sage and some sulphah and some dirt out de graveyard, and mix all of it up in a box, he sayed, and carry dat in his pocket and dat would make me stay wit 'im; you see, cuz he'd have some of my hair and some dirt from de grave- yard and a piece of lodestone. He tole 'im to git 'im a little tiny piece of lodestone and - lodestone is suppose to draw yeh - he say dat would make me stay wit 'im, jes' draw me to 'im. He wouldn't tell me who tole 'im dough [though]. And I tole de man [fortune-teller] about it and he played like he didn't know nuthin' about it. Well, he tole me to take some of mah hair, and take some dirt out of Bernice's tracks, out of both of his tracks, and put 'em in a can, and some sulphah and some sage, he sayed, and to keep dat with me. And he tole me to take some salt and sprinkle it all aroun' mah baid and put some in mah shoe and keep it in mah shoe. And I did dat and I certainly have got along good since I've been doin' dat.
(How long ago did this happen?)
Jis' about two months ago [December 1936].
(Are you still with your husband?)
No, sir.
(You were able to get away from him?)
Yes, sir. And another thing. He tole me dat if I didn't make mah get-a-way from Bernice - he tole me dis on a Sunday night - he tole me if I didn't make mah get-a-way from Bernice by Wednesday, he sayed dat Bernice wus gon'a kill me. And he saw Bernice right up de street dat same Sunday night and tole Bernice dat I wus gon'a leave 'im by Wednesday. And Bernice came right on back and tole me. He sayes, "Make your break Wednesday night if you wanna," he say, "I'll see yah in hell first." Dat's whut he tole me. And so dat Monday I lef' while Bernice was workin'. I lef' becuz I know dat all dat Wednesday he would be watchin'. And he kep' comin' back by de house, even on Monday, to see was I goin', but I managed to slip away. I haven't been back wit 'im since.
(Did he come after you, after you left?)
Oh, yes sir. He tried his best to get me to go back but I'm not. And I wear salt in mah shoe now to keep 'im from harmin' me. [The informant, a girl about 18, had just related the childhood experience given elsewhere.]
Entry 794
[The preceding margin-titles, Live Things in You and Roots (see No.720)
left opportunities for a doctor's ingenuity, but the following trick at the end of informant's account is one sold by the hoodoo trade:] Ah tell yo' 'bout dis hoodoo. Ah spent money an' spent money an' ah lak tuh lost mah home an' wife on account dat. Ah spent money fo' dat to git love wit other women an' buy whole lotta ole junk - dirt, graveyard dirt an' stuff an' put in a rag an' tie up, an' git mah home, git mah mind all tore up by thinkin' 'bout whut he says. An' quit mah home, mah min' all tore up an' there won't be a thing in de worl' tuh ut. It's jes' git chure min' all tore up an' yore family goin' crazy an' yo' be worried 'bout dat. Den yore home jest be tore up fo' nuthin. Ah tell yo' one thing ah've had done. Ah've had a person heah - ah paid a person five dollars year befo' last to give me luck. He had me tuh go to a - he had me tuh go git a bull bat - bull bat dat fly, a leather-wing. He had me git him a leather-wing bat - dat's fer hoodoo. An' ah put out a 'ward [reward] for him to a little boy - give him fifty cents 'ward an' he find him one night. An' ah tuk him an' cut his heart out wit a - he's livin'. Ah put mah foot on his head an' cut his heart out, an' den ah carried it back home, den went to a grave- yard, dis graveyard right ovah heah, one dark night, dark night, an' reached in dat grave wit mah han' like he said, in it an' got some of dat dirt an' carried it back home an' put it in dis bull bat, wit dis bull bat an' tied it up in a piece of red flannen an' dat's [a hand] fo' mah luck. An' ah like tuh went crazy, an' to de chain gang an' ever'where there. Dat's one of badest lucks ah've never seen. Ah've spent thousands an' thousands of dollars. [This is like I've had every doctor in town.]
(Did you go to the chain gang because of that?)
No, sir, like to went. Yes, sir, ah nearly did gwine jes' on account dat dirt Dat hard luck.
(He had you do that to give you luck?)
To give me luck. Yo' wants tuh know about somepin 'bout gittin' yore wife back. Well, yo' go buy yo' ten cents bottle of hearts cologne. He buy a ten cents box of talcum powder an' he put dat wit dat perfume an' den he puts it on yo' - dat's gittin' yo' wife back. Dere no sech thing as that. It's all 'magination. Well, it's some kind of root, it's a kind of a root that goes off in sprouts. Yo've seen dis heah stuff called lodestone - kinda dirt, de rock dey dig up wit fur on it. Dey'll git dat, den dey goes out an' gits some kind of a root with little ends on it - call High John de Conker. Dey git dat an' dey tie it up - it be's all lak together an' den dey'll give it to yo' fo' to tote in yo' pocket, an' ah paid $25 for it. Ah tote it in mah pocket an' tote in mah pocket an' lost everthing. [Lodestone or loadstone is magnetite, an iron oxide and important iron ore. What the hoodoo trade uses I do not know, though I have seen numerous pieces of it - all looking different. A stone having fur, being fed, and growing - this is beyond my visual and tactile experience.] Now, dere one'll come dere. He'll have somepin he kin burn; he jest 'maginat' [working on the imaginations of the] people, see. He may call dis woman outa de crowd an' she'll come dere an' he'll make her think she's got her head hurtin'. She ain't got a head hurt. Den he'll splain to her den, her head hurt an' some- body done somepin to her. She'll say, "Yeah." Say, "A long time ago in yore hat." She say, "Yeah." It won't be a thing but he jes' git dere 'magination. Den he have some kind of a root den, an' he'll burn dat root an' dat root curl up jes' lak a snake. Den he'll make lak dat'll come out of her haid - make lak dat come outa her haid an' den he won't let nobody pick it up but her. Den dey carry it back heah an' throw it out. It ain't nuthin but a root burn an' curl up lak a snake. [A chemical, not a root, is burned - an old trick.]
Entry 1074
Get a piece of St. John the Conquer root, you get he and she lodestone and you put a little piece of it in a little bottle - a little small bottle with a big mouth to it, and you put it down in there and you get the very best perfume in the world which is Oil of Rose. (Oil of Rose.) And you put it in that bottle and you stop it tight and whenever things get - you get worried about anything, you put three drops on your head, "In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost" - in your hair and push it up [demonstrates while I comment]. (You put three drops in your hair and rub your hand around like that while you are saying, "In the Name of the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost.") Yes, sir.
(And you rub it over yourself?)
Yes. [This magic rite of upwards - to improve the situation - is rare compared to the downwards rite. Perhaps the best known of the upward rites is carrying a newborn baby upstairs to rise in life or become high-minded or long-lived - FACI, 2ed., Nos.3201-3206, Pp.144-145.]
Entry 1375
Ah hear that yo' kin git a piece of lodestone and take a needle and break in three parts and on a Friday morning - be sure it's on a Friday morning, and stick each part of that needle in de side of that lodestone. Sew it up in a red piece of flannel and wear it and dey can't do you no harm.
Entry 1376
Yo' git yo' a little bit of saltpeter and a little table salt and a little tiny bit of lodestone and yo' put dat together. Git yo' a piece of red flannel - jes' a red little shallow cloth like, and roll it up in a piece of red flannel and make a knot out of it, and you take that flannel and yo' take you a string and tie it and wear it around yore waist. And yo' take that thing and yo' reduce [feed] that thing with Hearts Cologne fer nine days, and den that breaks it up - dey can't come dere.
(What can't?)
If dey tryin' do somepin to yuh - keep it away.
Entry 1731
Tuh git a job. Well, now yo' git chew some lodestone an' yo' set down an' yo' git chew a screenin' wire - lak dat screen up dere. (The screen in the window.) [Hotel window.] Co'se it take yo' a long time tuh do it but yo' set down an' yo'rub it an' rub until dat lodestone come tuh dust an' yo git chew some cologne - yo' know dis heah Jockey Club. Yo' take it an' put it in a bottle lak ah got heah now. See, dat lodestone. [He shows a small bottle.]
(What is the liquid you have in there?)
That's that Jockey Club Perfume. And den yo' could put yo' - if yo' wanta, yo' kill you a black cat an' git his bone an' grind dat up jis' lak yo' do de lodestone. Put it in dere an' den yo' kin go to a man, talkin' to him, an' he'll git ovah tuh yo' - give yo' a job.
(You have that black cat dust in this bottle? Both of them together?)
Yessuh.
(Any bone from the cat?)
Any bone? Yo' see yo' gotta git a bone from roun' his shoulder - up heah, de left shoulder, from in front. Grind it to a powder an' take dis heah bone an' rub it on dis heah screenin' wire until it comes [to a powder]. It goin' take yo' a long time tuh do it. But hit'll do it. Ah use dis fo' luck in gamblin an' luck an' successful in meetin' mah fren's an' everythin'. Ah make fren's, ah don't make no enemies. [If this man had black cat powder in his hand, it was surely a talcum or similar powder with a label showing a black cat and reading Black Cat Powder (see No.1377, p.459).]
Entry 1732
Wal, dey say it's something whut you could fix uP as a bodyguard, but chew fix it up in a bag. Take a piece of shamry skin, something like hide, like dis shamry skin gloves - you know jis' tough skin. Take that and git diff'rent kind of roots and bark. All right, you git de John de Conker root. You git de lodestone and git de devil's- shoestring root and de black cat wishing-bone, and den you take de John de Conker and a piece of dragon's blood and take all of that and mix it up fine - yo' know, beat it up, mostly powder enough to go in a bag. And den you take that and after you git all that fixed up good, git whut chew call dis here Seven-'leven Oil and put seven drops of that. And mix it up all together and put in dis bag and sew it up. See. And take it and put it - and git a piece of red flannen and sew dis bag up in dat red flannen and jes' put a string around it and tie it and wear it around yore waist or around yore neck and dere won't nothing bother yo'.
(That's to keep people from bothering you.)
That's pertection fo' you.
(Where do you buy this Seven-'leven Oil? Where do you get that?)
You supposed to could - de woman told me that she got some from New Orleans but whut part of New Orleans ah don't know. [All black cat bones are hands (see pp.74-97) and therefore they are also in a sense wishing-bones. But wishing-bone here means form as well as power. As to form, one informant said the black cat bone was "made lak de breast of a chicken" (No. 316, p.94), meaning the furculum or wishbone in front of but not a part of the chicken breastbone. Similarly, another informant described black cat bone as "gon'a have three forks [prongs or tines]...two long forks an' a little small fork" (No. 299, p.88). I suggested this three-pronged fork could have been a 'devil's trident." Actually the "little small fork could have been the hypo- cleidium - the end adhering to the winning half of the broken wishbone. Despite informants, wishbone appears only in most birds; it appears in black cats only by the grace of hoodoo merchants. Among other black cat products I should mention black cat oil (No. 1121, p.417), black cat powder (No. 326, p.96), and black cat water (Nos.328-329, p.96f.).]
Entry 1830
Dey say if yo' git some devil's-shoestring an' nine shots out of a shell - nine shots an' three lengths of devil's-shoestring. Yo"sposed to keep dat with yo' an' yo' kin put most any kind of perfume on it. An' yo' have a piece of lodestone with it - dat makes it bettah. Dat's whut ah hear a man say he wus doin' - ah seen some of it.
(How did he carry that?)
Entry 1860
Well, for gambling I've taken and get me a new nee- dle and get me a piece of five-fingered grass, and get me a piece of lodestone and some steel dust, and take it and sew it - that needle, brand-new needle, not no needle that's been used - in a little piece of leather bag. And use this here fast luck - keep it damp whenever I go to gambling
Entry 1890
Yo' kin git graveyard dirt an' a frog an' take this frog an' put this graveyard dirt an' dis frog an' de lodestone in yore pocket an' dress it ovah wit whiskey. Den yo'll be lucky.
(Lucky in what?)
In gamblin' or runnin' a house or most anything - restaurant - anything yo' doin'.
(You put all this in a little bag?)
Yes, in a little red flannel rag. Sew it up an' it'll make a hand - jis make a hand out of it.
Entry 1932
Graveyard dirt - that's good for gambling.
(How?)
You take the graveyard dirt and you takes needles, seven points of a needle - seven points of seven needles. Take that graveyard dirt and take some emery dust from the drug store and you get some lodestone and you put that together, and you make a wish and you sew that up and you wear it. As long as you have the confi- dence in this, it may bring you succeeding power, but if you don't believe in it it's not good.
The informant describes graveyard dirt among several ingredients and qualifies the claim with confidence, 'may', and the statement that without belief it is not good. The interviewer's question is separate.
Entry 1953
Well, yo' take de gunpowder an' lodestone an' nine seeds of red peppah [three ingredients] an' sew it up in a yarn rag. That's fo' tuh draw luck to yo', too, fo' money. Yo' know, if yo's a gambler, why yo' kin win an' if yore a policy player why yo' win lak that. Or if yo' a busi- ness man, why yo' know, yore business will be.mo' urgent. [Gunpowder appears in many combinations.]
Entry 1987
It's lodestone, a white lodestone - yo' fix that with a piece of stolen garlic. Lak if yo' wanted this thing fixed fo' yo', yo' would steal the garlic - not ask anybody fo' it, steal the garlic without dem seein' yo', an' yo' place this white lodestone with a ten-cent piece an' dis piece of stolen garlic into a red flannel an' yo' sew it up real tight an' every nine days yo' dress [feed] this thing with whut dey call van-van oil. That supposed tuh bring yo' special luck.
(What kind of luck?)
Well, such as yo' - yo' supposed to do things an' come out of 'em clear. An' in yore dealings from person tuh person, yo' supposed to git results. Dey are supposed to pay special attention to yo'. It should be jis' de gen'ral run of all yore luck - fo' luck in de gen'ral run.
Entry 2058
Use Hearts Cologne an' lodestone fo' luck. Well, yo' take yore Hearts Cologne. Take yore lodestone an' jes' sew it up in a piece of flannel. Yo' feed that lodestone with that Hearts Cologne. That's for luck. [This is a simple lodestone hand - nothing else in the bag.]
Entry 2061
Have yo' a little piece of live lodestone an' we call it blue oil in a little bottle about like dat. Take dat blue oil an' po' it by itself in a little bottle an' put dis lodestone in a bottle by itself. Well now, when yo' start out to seek a job, take out a little piece of dat lodestone from dat oil an' po' some of dat blue oil on it an' rub it good, dry it off, take dat wit chew in yore pocket. Well now, wherevah yo' go yo' may not be successful de first time, but dey say in de second-third trip yo' get a job by yo' comin' back an' taking dis lodestone from dis, everything, cleanin' it off good an' droppin' it back in dat bottle to itself. Ah've seen men order such things.
Entry 2064
You take some lodestone powder, tie it in a bag 'bout: like a 'bacco sack and put it right behin' your door - right behind your door and the people that draws 'em - you see, that brings them. (Draws the trade?) Draws the trade - come in all de time, people dat be coming in back and forth all de time.
Entry 2065
I mean you get some lodestone like dust, carry de lodestone in a little bag. You get [can buy] dat already sewed up in a little bag: Get chew a bottle of perfume - Hearts Cologne. Well you feed dat bag and whenever you go to a man fer a job, when you talk with the man, you just squeeze on de bag while you talk- ing to him and you see, when you squeeze on it all dat perfume go in his face, and you give him a look. He'll say, "You want a job?" 'Yes, sir." "You not working?" "No, sir." Without fooling around he will give you a job. Man don't need have anything but that tote [toby] in your pocket.
Entry 2068
In gambling, you wanta have luck in gambling, you got to - of course, you can go to church and make your wishes there for anything you want. I have did it and I was successful too. And now like you wanta be lucky in gambling, you go to a drug store wherever you can find - you get you a piece of John the Conker Root. You get some John Conker Oil and the root. You take this root, you put it in a bottle, you pour this oil on it. You get you a piece - if you are a man and wanta gamble, you get you a piece of she lodestone and you get some per- fume and pour on this lodestone and that'll make life in it. What I mean by, by it make life in it - it would make a lodestone as thick as this key [she shows] when you pour that perfume on there. It will grow and little spangles come out all around it, but you gotta keep it corked up good.
(Little spangles. Little hairs?)
Yeah, that what it do. That's the life in it. And if you are a man and you gamble, you use she lodestone. If I would gamble, I would use he lodestone. I would get the he Conker Root and you should get the she Conker Root. But now when you go on gamblin' and you come home, you always take it out of your pocket and put it in the bottle and shut it up, where the oil won't evaporate. And when you go on out you can take a piece of that Conker Root and chew it and spit it around whenever you gamble on the floor and you will be lucky.
Entry 2069
Dis here magnify lodestone [magnetized?], that will create chure busi- ness, make yore business more greater. Yo' know dere's two diff'rent kinds of stone an' dere's some lodestone that ain't magnify lodestone, which de magnify lodestone whut chew call a he an' a she - dere's two points of it, dere's a she an' a he. Yo' kin take dat'un [that one] an' set it in yore room an' hit will increase your business more greater 'an anything yo' mostly ever had. Ah've used it and ah've seen other people use it. (You mean this piece of lodestone is both he and she, or are there two differ- ent pieces?) Two different pieces but dere's a he an' a she in 'em.
(Magnifying lodestone?)
A magnify. Dere's lodestone but dis heah magnify lodestone is a whole lot better. Ah've got heah magnify lodestone now, with me now. Course whenever it's died down ah creates it up.
(How do you do that?)
Ah creates it up by giving it some whiskey - put on it. Ah'm gittin' 'long all right. Whensomever ah don't use whiskey on it for say, three-four weeks, why it goes down on me. Ah kin tell de change of it. But yo' kin take dese magnify lodestone an put it in dis building heah, a piece about so size [demonstrates].
(You wrap it up in a piece of rag?)
Yeah, jest about dat size.
(Only this little piece?) [The piece he held.]
Yeah take a little piece - don't care how big it is - yo' take an' put it in dis building [Negro hotel in which I was Working] yo'll cultivate more business. Yore business will be more greater. Why ah happened tuh write to dis fellah, ah had a friend an' mah friend he got in touch wit dis man by name of Johnny. He got in touch wit dis man an' ah wrote to him. He give me dat address an' ah wrote to him. When ah wrote to him he give me an answer back. An' after he give me an answer back, then ah wrote back to him an' then he sont me - he sont me this lodestone.
(Where did this man live?)
In New York [City]. An' he sent me lodestone an' he tole me how to handle it - what to do fo' it. An' ah did it an' ah has had very good luck.
(What did he tell you to do for it?)
Tole me to put de magnifying lodestone in it [sack] an' put one ten-cents with it - one ten-cent piece with it.
(You put whiskey with it?)
Put whiskey with it an' then put a dime with it.
(How long did this stone last you?)
Well, ah've it yet. Ah've got it continuing yet.
(If the stone sort of got weak, then you were told to?)
Put whiskey with it. Feed it, feed it and keep afeeding it.
Entry 2082
You go get you some luoky seed. I'll get you a piece of lodestone.
(What are lucky seed?) A lucky seed. (What's that?)
It's a lucky bean, they calls it. And you get you a piece of lodestone.
(What does that lucky bean look like?)
It looks something like a pink bean - beans.
(Is it a real bean?)
No sir, it ain't a real bean - it's a bean but it ain't a real bean.
(What's it made of?)
It's hard, chew can break it.
(All right, then what do you do?)
Now, you get you a piece of lodestone - you get she lodestone, and you get you some gunpowder and you get you a piece of red flannel and you put all that to- gether, and a little cayenne pepper and stuff, and put it in that bag and sew it up and put it in your pocket. That's lucky.
(For gambling?)
For gambling.
Entry 2084
Told me to get some oil of wintergreen - wintergreen oil. Go to the drug store and get some wintergreen oil and this lodestone and get some steel dust and bring it to him. And he put it in a little red piece of flannel and he told me, he say, "Now, you go to this man and tell him, ask him for a job - say your prayers before you go to him. When you go there you ask him for a job. Just before you get there you say your prayers and then you ask him for a job." He say, "And he turn you down the first morning, '' and he say, "you come back to me." And after I went back to him, he give me another little thing but he didn't tell me what was in that bag. And he give me some perfume, something smell - just smell like perfume, you know. So I taken that perfume and I went there and I asked the man for the job driving Goodman's Beer truck. And so he give me a job. So I went back to him and I asked him, I say, "What kind of perfume that you done give me?" He told me, he say, "Well," he say, "I went to the Cracker- jack Drug Store and got some of this same perfume." I say, "What kind of perfume is that?" He say, "They call that Lucky Dog per fume." That's what it was - Lucky Dog.
(He didn't tell you what was in that second bag though?)
He didn't tell me what was in that bag.
narrated request for and receipt of a beer-truck driving job. The first preparation and quoted instructions, second unknown bag, perfume and claimed hiring remain separate episodes. The text does not disclose the second bag’s contents. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 2090
Well, now de beginnin' of dis first story is tuh git his shirt, his sweaty shirt - jes' lak yo' go out dere an' work. An' yo' git de sweat outa dat shirt an' de strength is in dat shirt. Not no one man's strength is de same - de're [dey are] not alike. An' not no one man's taste is de same. Yo' take dis shirt an' mix it wit magie control powder, but git de powder jes' de color of him an' yo' put it into some box - jes' lak into a box there. An' hit'll grow. Yo' know, magic will grow - magic lodestone an' steel dust. An' jes' as that grow, why he'll go. He won't stay no one place. He won't even stop tuh tell yo' [good-by when he leaves].
(You must put this magic steel dust and what else?)
An' controllin' powder but git de powder de color of him. (In addition to that controlling powder, you take steel dust and lodestone, and put it in this shirt and then put the shirt away?) Yeah, put dat shirt away.
(That is to get rid of him - to make him move?)
Yes. ["Beginning second trip to New Orleans, La., Wed., Feb.14, 1940 [[four persons were interviewed and then came]] 1562 - man - works Crackerjack Drug Store [[see Index]] - Ida Bates [[meaning he was brought or sent by Ida Bates Whose interview will be given in the Interviews section]]" - Numbers Book 1558- 1605. A note on the present text reads, "He became a sort of contact man."]
Entry 2091
[Magic sand - black and white - is what some persons called powdered lodestone, black lodestone and white lodestone - see preceding margin-titles Lodestone.] In gambling, we say yo' kin take a little piece of High John de Conker, we take three guinea seeds, you take a piece of lodestone and you take magic sand and you sew this in a piece of cloth. Upon your hands you would use oil of van-van. Then you hold this lucky charm in your hand whilst you are playing with a piece of money and you will be lucky.
(What is magic sand?)
Magic sand is a thing that is made to go with this lodestone - somepin like - looks like black dust, but it comes with lodestone - you buy lodestone and dey give you dis sand with it.
Entry 2093
You get live lodestone, Horseshoe Brand.
(Horseshoe what?)
Horseshoe Brand, magic sand.
(Horseshoe Brand, magic sand.)
Magic sand and lodestone powder. Well, you mix them three mixes together, and you puts it in a piece of brand-new red flannel - you have to go buy the red flannel. And you sews it up. And anything that you goes for, well they couldn't turn you down. You may be the last man he'll turn off of the iob.
(What are these things you mix up now?)
Horseshoe Brand magic sand and a piece of live lodestone and lodestone powder.
(And lodestone powder - those three things?)
Yes. [Here lodestone powder is different from magic sand. We could say it is lodestone powdered but this would conflict with the live lodestone here.]
Entry 2229
Fo' luck in gamblin' yo' kin git chew a rabbit foot an' dress it. Well yo' take dat rabbit foot - yo' git de left foot, de back left foot. Yo' take dat back left foot an' yo' gits a brand-new cord string an' yo' wrap de top of it nine times, wrap it to yo' nine times. Den yo' git chew some kinda perfume an' yo' put on dat. Yo' git chew some lodestone dust an' wrap it - dress it an' den yo' wrap it. See. Den yo' put dat good perfume on it - good luck perfume, real good. Den yo' wear dat. Dat's good tuh tote. Yo' carry dat in yore pocket, carry dat around fo' gamblin'. An' den yo' kin git chw some diff'rent perfumes an' put on yo' fo' luck.
(What kind of perfume?)
Oil of bergamot, van-van oil.
Entry 2314
For luck in gambling you get you some lodestone, you get you some steel dust, and you mix it together and you get you some paradise seeds, and you put all that together in a flannel bag and you sew it up. It's a bag about that size. And after you sew it up in that flannel bag, you take it and you put it down in a saucer - a round saucer and you pour some whiskey - or either good gin on it. You see, you gotta pour that on it. That's to season [feed] it. And you sprinkle a little steel dust on it - you see, that's to season it, and that is supposed to give you luck in gambling. You see, the steel dust supposed to draw and the lodestone. The paradise seeds - well, they include help to make it a success. I got lots of that stuff.
Entry 2315
De graveyard dirt by itself is not no good, but it's a certain time yo' gotta go git de graveyard, de dirt from de graveyard. One minute aftah twelve yo' supposed tuh be dere tuh git it from a fren' dat yo' an' him been long nice good - yo' an' him been good, see jes' lak a fren'. Yo' swap money wit him - could handle money wit him or somepin lak dat. One minute aftah twelve on de dot, yo call him by dey name when yo' go down dere by de graveyard, one minute aftah twelve. Say, "Joe, Jim, '' say, "come heah, ah want some luck from yo'. Ah wanta git a little de dirt." An' don't git de dirt right off de top of de groun'. Git it from as close by de casket [coffin], if de casket ain't rotted up, but it's bettah if yo' could git it right out it if de casket done been long 'nuff fo' it tuh done rotten. An' yo' take it an' mix it wit steel dust an' take yo' a silver dime - dat graveyard dust, de silver dime an' take yo' a piece of red flannen, an' git chew some oil of cinnamon an' mix wit dat an' make yo' a little bag an' wear it on yore left side. Dat's luck. Put de steel dust down in dere wit de silver dime, put it down in dere wit it an' wear dat on yore left side. Dat's luck fo' gamblin'. Success. But it's dangerous! Lightnin'! De dust, it draws. De steel dust is de same as lodestone, yo' know, it's always dangerous. Be sho' tuh take it off yo' in de case of thunder or lightnin' storm. Yo' should take it off yo'.
Entry 2320
Make a trade on somepin like dat, prosperity [property?] trade, yo' git a small piece of lodestone, live lodestone, bundle it wit some devil's-shoestring and put some sweet oil on it, an' yo' kin tote dat when yo' goin' tuh see de man to make de trade an' he'll agree with chew. (If you want to rent something or do anything of that sort?) Dat's de same way - yo' carry dat wit chew.
Entry 2349
The foot of a turtle, you see.
(The foot of a turtle?)
Yes. Take the foot of a turtle and they make hands out of 'em - luck hands out of 'em, see.
(How do they do that?)
Well, you see they cut that foot off the turtle and dry it out, you see. They dry it out and they takes and beat it up and put lodestone in and make a bag with it, see, and put a medal in that bag, you see.
(What kind of a medal?)
One of them holy you know, holy medals. They puts a medal in that bag and sew that bag up, see. And they sew that bag up and they puts perfume on it - oil of cinnamon perfume and they sells it.
(What is it supposed to do?)
It supposed to give you luck.
Entry 2362
You put three drops of urine in a bottle and then empty the contents of a bottle of Hearts Perfume or Cologne, and in that you put nine new needles or new pins and a small piece of lodestone about the size of a pea, and then you drop - if you know that someone's angry with you - you drop nine grains of spice in there. Well, if you gon'a have a chance to meet these persons, you jest drop a few drops of it in your hands and rub yore hands together and then rub them over your face like that. When you meet that person he is going to be pleased with you regardless to how angry - they mighta been most angry with you but that would put them in good humor.
Entry 2644
Then yo' kin take shoes an' scrape 'em off at de bottom. Take that an' put it in a papah an' git some lodestone an' mix wit it, mash it up wit it, an' yo' read a verse in Psalms - yo' read de 27th verse of Psalms. An' yo' put that togethah an' yo' take dat an' put it down at chure do' or up ovah yore do' where dey has tuh pass in an' out. That's fo' gainin' fren's.
(Bringing in trade.)
Yes, an' fo' lawful business an' all lak dat. An' yo' kin burn incense 'bout three time a week. That's when yo' in busi- ness - lak a sto' or any kind of shop or anything. Yo' burn de incense three time a week. Yo' burn it Monday, Wednesday an' Friday. Dat's in yore business - dat's drawin' mo' customers.
Entry 2740
Well, now, dere's lota other things whut ah hear people talk about gamblin' han's. Ah hear a fellah say a time ago dat he went to de Seven Sisters in Virginia, but he said he went dere fo' a gamblin' han'. Well, he wus give a gamblin' han fo' - by, not de people he went tuh see. He went to see dem [Seven Sisters] but dey wasn't in at present, but he found some man dey call Mr. G. H. Smith. He called tuh be a confidence man, which an' evah he is. G. H. Smith & Company ~ de books Company'S name on dat. Spells his name lak dat - G. H. Smith & Company. Dis man gived him a piece of lodestone an' he gave him a piece of somepin dey call de five-fingers [grass]; but dis was to be found in de woods, dis five- fingers. It's like a flower grows - it grow in de shape of five fingers, jest lak dose five fingers [demonstrates]. Dey gave him a piece of dat, after gitting dis lodestone, an' den he told him dat he would give him some othah kind of mix- ture. Dat wus wrapped up in a cloth an' it looked lak dat wus graveyard dirt. An' he told him to put dis all in dis little bottle an' every mornin' he tole him tuh feed dis heah wit Hearts Cologne. Now, dis stuff - ah looked at de thing an' it eat up de stuff, dat Hearts Cologne jest lak yo' take water an' drink it. Now, yo' could po' some of dis bottle like dis morning an' fill dat bottle half full, an' twelve a'clock every bit of dat stuff be gone. Dat stuff - whut dey had in dat bottle wit dat five- finger - would suck it up. Now, dis man could go into a gambling hall - no one knows de truth if I would tell it - he could go into de gambling hall an' money - jest walk in an' hold de cards - pick up any cards - doesn't matter whut cards he pick up - he could pick up any card an' that card would get him through. Now he could sit there an' jes' beat de skin game.
Entry 4200
Dey takes dat [urine] an' dey'll stop it up. Dey puts nine needles, lodestone, nine bran'-new pins, an' den dey'll stop dat up. Even maybe dey'll bury it in de groun' an' turn it bottom up - seals it an' turns it bottom up.
(Do this with this water, this urine?)
Yuh urinate - yuh urinate watah.
(What will that do?)
Well, dey say dat hold's de man - holds 'im, yuh know.
(Hold the man, I see.)
Entry 8679
[The doctor in the following rite for a job has an organized mind, though I was too recent in New Orleans at that time to realize it. In face, on this original transcription I formerly had a note use with care, which can still be seen despite my later erasure.] When yo' go to get a job - ah'll tell yo' about de job proposi- tion. It just like if yo' was out of a job an' yo' runnin' in bad luck. Yo' can't be success- ful in nuthin dat yo' start. Well, yo' get yo' some of dis seniment. Yo' get some of dis seniment with this rain water. (What is seniment? What is that?) Dat's a powder. (What does it look like?) It look just like - yo' ever seen this powder what they call that brown-skin powder? (You mean cinnamon powder?) Yeah. (Cinnamon powder. All right.) [How did I ever guess it!] Yo' take dat seniment powder. An' yo' get some of dis seniment powder an' yo' get what yo' call this lodestone; but ask for lodestone, see, with candy stripes. It's got a little stripe.
(What kind of stripes?)
Candy stripes. Just say, "Give me some of de lodestone." (Like this candy - now wait a minute! It's like this candy they got in the country stores, candy stripes?) Yes, just like that; round, see.
(And what do they call that?)
Lodestone.
(You said something about four-something. Four what?)
[Informant said it while recording machine turned off.1 Fo' corners. Yo' just get de fo' corners. Well, if it ain't got fo' corners, vell yo' just take anything, a file or somepin like dat an' put 'em there.
(You have to make it square. Four corners. All right.)
Yeah. Yo' go anywhere they got them rams - yo' see, them rams, or anywhere yo' know them ramhorns at. [Cowhorn appears several times in Hoodoo. This could be the only ramhorn.] Yo' gets a file an' yo' file some of that dust down there [with the lodestone dust]. Then yo' get some of this here oil what yo' call that green - Wintergreen Pasture Oil.
(Wintergreen?)
Wintergreen Pastures Oil.
(GREEN PASTURES OIL?)
[SURELY THE ENTERPRISING HOODOO-PRODUCTS SALESMAN SHOULD HAVE NAMED IT "PSALM 23 OIL"!] Yeah, an' yo' take some sugar an' seniment an' lodestone. An' take a silver dime an' yo' file dat silver dime on a piece of paper just where yo' got this stuff [various ingredients] at. Yo' take a piece of yellah paper - it [lode- stone?] comes with yellah paper - an' yo' wrap it up twice. Yo' fold it coming to you. Then, after yo' take this Wintergreen Pasture Oil an' yo' put over it, am' yo' put it in your pocket. Keep that in yore left pocket. Then yo' goes back an' yo' get this he Eve [Adam and Eve] root, see. He Eve root.
(He Eve root?)
Yeah, yo' go back an' get that an' yo' got hit, yo' got de she root in yore pocket, yo' understand. Yo' take that - powder up that. piece there - an' yo' get some rain water an' river water or hydrant water [3 running Waters], or anything like that, an' yo' put it in two glasses. Put it in two glasses like that an' yo' let it set, after yo've mixed it. Well, heap up just about de same amount in each glass. Yo' leave it set there fo' three days. Aftah yo' leave it set there fo' three days, yo' take it an' yo' pour it into one glass. Then yo' take this here - this seniment, lodestone an' dis Wintergreen Pasture Oil. Well, yo' Put it in de glass, in one glass, an' yo' let it set there fo' three days. Den take that water off - take dat watah off before yo' go out to see about a job. Just like, if yo' know the foreman's name, yo' take his name an' yo' write his name nine times backwards, just like if yo' write it backwards this Way nine times [demonstrates]. Then yo' fold it, fold it comin' to yo' like dat [demonstrates]. Then yo' write yore name on de top of it, but yo' must write yore name forwards.
(Write your name what?)
The right way.
(You write your name forwards. All right.)
Then yo' take dat an' yo' put it down in dat water where all yore stuff is in the morning when yo' going out - just when yo' going out to the foreman. Yo' got his name. Well, when yo' get ready to go there, yo' take this water out of Chere. Yo' pour it out in a basin or anything like that, an' yo' take it an' yo' wash yo' hands good with it, an' yo' wash yore fingers. Yo' takes this here lodestone an' yo' put it in yore pocket with this she Eve root. Yo' walk to him a'when yo' get there, before yo' ask, just like yo' take a piece of chewing tobacco, cut a little piece off dat she root an' put it in your mouth. An' get this here lodestone thing in your hand like that an' rub it, an' make yore wishes, as yo' walk up to him an' ask 'im for a job. Probably he may not have nuthin to do right then, but he'll run his hand in his pocket if he got any money an' he'll give yo' a piece of money. The first opening that he have - WHEN YO' LEAVE FROM THERE, YO'LL MAKE A WISH FOR ANY - JUST LIKE ANY JOB YO' WANT AROUND THERE, YO' MAKE A WISH FOR ANY BAD LUCK TO HAPPEN TO 'EM PEOPLE AT THAT PLACE. SAY PRAYERS, AN' IN A WEEK'S TIME [7 DAYS] YO'LL HAVE A JOB. There no favor that yo' ask 'im that he could turn yo' down. If he ain't got it at de present time, he will tell yo' a way to come an' get it.
foreman’s name written nine times backwards, contrasted with own name forwards. Keep foreman nine-times-backwards versus applicant forwards on top; not all names backwards. manually inscribed arrangement of foreman’s and applicant’s names. Retain foreman backwards nine times and own name forwards on top, followed by the use of the inscribed paper in the preparation. employment sought from a foreman, with conditional intermediate outcomes and harmful wish. No immediate job guarantee: preserve probably no work, money if he has it, the first opening, and the subsequent one-week claim as attributed. river as a stated possible source of water, alongside rain/hydrant wording. Keep literal rain water an’ river water or hydrant water and or anything like that; do not convert ambiguous conjunctions into an all-three requirement or flatten all alternatives. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3556) · Read full source (printed page 3557) · Read full source (printed page 3558)
Entry 9659
Now we come tuh love affairs. Dis heah's anothah item ah'm gona give yo'. Ah've tried dis on mahself. Yo' kin take yo' some salt an' some cheese an' flour an' make a powdah outa it. Mix it all tuhgethah. An' yo' kin take dat Poodahs. Jes' say fo' a instant [instance] dere's a girl stayed heah dat yo' thought a whole lots of, an' yo' jes' can't get 'er lak yo' wan's tuh do. But chew kin visit 'er an' have all de fun othahwise dat chew want. Yo' kin take dat powdahs dat chew've made an' dust it aroun' in 'er room, an' dat'll bring 'er love tuh where yo' kin handle huh an' she won't deny nuthin dat chew ask. De same thing is mighty good luck in gamblin' too. Dat salt an' cheese an' flour, dat's good luck in gamblin' too. An' den it's a lodestone dat chew kin use dat's mighty good luck in gamblin', a lodestone called magic lodestone [trade name]. Dat's mighty good luck in gam- blin'.
Entry 9670
Well, ah been tricked one time by some of mah things. A girl lived in our home an' she fell out wit me concernin' a man. She'd taken a dress of mine, one of mah monthly period cloths, an' some of mah hair an' got underneath de ahm [arm] where ah sweat at, an' taken it an' cared [carried] it across [town] tuh a man [cunjureman]. (Wait a minute! What did she get from under your arm, the hair or just the sweat?) De sweat from de dress. An' she'd taken it tuh a man an' she had it mixed wit graveyard dirt, peedles an' pins an', well one or two mo' thing but de man [healer I went to] didn't name 'em, see. He put it in a jah [jar] an' brought it back tuh our house unbeknown tuh all of us, late hour of de night, an' buried it. Now, it wus buried out 'bout along by de lavatory, see. Well, one Sunday mawnin' ah was sittin' on de po'ch an' ah got up an' ah went out tuh de lavatory. An' ah had a spell. From den ah commenced tuh feel as though....
(What kind of a spell did you have? How did you feel?)
Ah felt as though ah was dyin' fo' a few minutes. Well, ah started back tuh de house an' when ah got back home, ah tole mothah tuh call de doctah. Our lavatory was out from de house. An' she said, "Well, whut's de mattah? Yo' don't look sick?" Ah said, "Well, ah am." She said, "Well, yo' don't look sick." An' so ah went on de porch. She said, "Go back an' lay down, if yo' want me tuh call de doctah. Don't stan' on de front porch." Ah said, "Well, ah cain't lay down." While she was callin' de doctah ah went runnin' down tuh de drug store. Seemed as though mah mind wus leavin' me, see. An' all ah could have on mah mind right den was dyin' or eithah seein' mahsel' confined in a 'sylum. See? An', well ah got back home an' de doctah came out. He examined me thoroughly. He said nuthin was wrong. Well, ah knowed it was somepin wrong. Still, he said it wasn't anything wrong. Well, mah mothah tried two mo' doctahs. Both of 'em said dere wasn't anything wrong. She'd taken me crosstown tuh a man by de name of Mr. Lee [a root doctor].
(What town was this?)
Waycross, Georgia. Yes. An' ah went ovah dere on Lee Avenue tuh Mr. Lee. An' he tole me of dese things dat had been taken from me. An' tole me dat de onliest way dat he could get dis spell offa me was tuh dig dese things up. An' tole me de charges of diggin' it up. An' he say he knowed dat ah didn't have much money, an' ah could pay dis on installments. See, dat he would charge me $25 fo' takin' dese things up. See. So he charged de $25 an' mah mothah paid 'im ten of it down. He came ovah tuh our house an' he digged dese things up. Dug 'em up an' it was in a jar an' it was stopped up tight. An' it looked as though it had begin tuh kinda rot. See. He'd taken it out. He got a pan of warm watah an' put some lodestone in it an' a little salt. Taken dese things an' po'd 'em in dere. An' - well, ah don't know whut he done wit it. Ah know he'd taken it wit 'im whatevah it was, see. An' he didn't nevah give me anythin' tuh take, but grad'ly by degrees dis spell commence tuh weah off, until now ah'm fine.
(How long ago did that happen, did you say?)
That's been - ah imagine now - dat's been around seven or eight months. No longah, no soonah. [These are the experiences difficult to find.]
Entry 10866
(What do you do with that black cat?)
See, jis' lak he's in de house an' come where yo' is, yo' jis' ketch a little bunch of that hair with chure finger thataway [demonstrates]. Jis' snatch it out that way an' snatch it towards his haid. An' yo' put that in with yore luck piece of yore lode- stone, whatevah yo' got, an' yo' carry that in yore pocket fo' success.
Entry 11879
To hold woman, man obtains hair from her head, adds lodestone, wraps these into a piece of red flannel, and into this package weaves 3 needles cross- ing one another * [the common rimless wheel device or emblem already given a number of times elsewhere: No.5720, p.2920, Z.10, v.4; No.8214, p.3447, v.4; and No.9796, p.3853, v.5; cf. No.10181, P.3961, v.5]. This package he carries in his pocket or keeps elsewhere. [Compare this rite with following 5 needles one, HAIR 11884.] [Memphis, informant (963), 1555:8.]
Entry 1549
They say yo' can take de lodestone and boil it into de sweet milk and a silver dime and file it and git de silver from de dime. Yo' take de saltpeter and de sulphur an' yo' make jes' a medicine of it. Yo' put dat on de inside. Yo' take de poke root, de saltpeter and de sulphur and gunpowder and use it as a bath an' fish brine an' that will kill it.
(What do you put.inside you?)
You put inside you this saltpeter and the sulphur and the lodestone, yo' see, boil this into the sweet milk - inside. Yo' can take de gunpowder inside, tain't goin' hurt chew - gunpowder don't hurt anybody. Yo' use that into de inside. An' then tuh tell whether you've got the stuff in yo' or not, dey tell me yo' kin take a silver dime - a real silver dime and put it in yore mouth and it will turn black immediately, and then yo' kin tell if these things into yo'.
(How do you do that?)
Hold it into yore mouth until a certain - jest about an hour, and dey say if anything like dat in yuh, it certainly will turn black.
Entry 327
[Doctor Hall, who I sought and found in the country near Berkley, Norfolk County, Virginia - see Introduction - "described the usual method for obtaining a black cat bone but said you hold a lodestone near the bones and it will draw out the lucky bone"' (a note made at the time of the interview).]
The source identifies this as a contemporaneous interview note reporting an account; verbatim participant wording is not established.
Entry 689
I wus hurt in beer. I had a snake put in me. Whure it stretch out, it's from mah knee up by mah adam [abdomen]. An' he would quiver. An' his haid wus near 'bout big as mah fis'. You could see it plainly. Mah father taken me from here to Covington, Louisiana. We met a ole Indian man out dere by de name of Gill [or Magill]. He went in de country, he got a whole lot of peppah grass called de shoutin' pussy. [This is surely the shepherd's-purse (Capsella bursa- pastoris), an' introduced herb from Europe, bearing pouchlike pods.] Dey taken de root of dat, dey boil dese. Dey boil blackberry root brier, poke salad root brier, bramble root - dat comes in a big root near 'bout big as dis fingah here. Dey boil dat togethah. Dey bathe me in dat. Aftern dey taken me out of it, dey taken dese pine tags - you git dat pine straw while it's green - an' dey wrap mah whole side up in dat. [Pine tags are leaves (needles) and usually mean new growth.] Den he went to de drug store an' he got bitter aloes, he got bitter apple. He put dat bitter apple in whiskey an' he gave it to me with lodestone an' a little gunpowder. He gave me a big dose of dat. De next two or three days I don't know whut de nex' stuff he gave me, but anyway it wus red [bloodroot?]. An' I passed dat thing in a slop jar, an' it wus somepin like a - it had no skin on it - like a snake. It jis' seem somepin like a jelly, but it was long when dey taken it out de slop jar.
Entry 12356
I think they call it lodestone. And if you wear that in your pocket when you go to get this job, that will make the man interested or bring his influence toward you. [Richmond 385:1.]
The material identification is tentative: the speaker says, I think they call it lodestone.
Entry 12357
Lodestone and brimstone, dat's good tuh give yo' luck, fo' most any- thing yo' undertake. [Sumter 2317:10.]
Lodestone and brimstone are named together in a luck claim; their identities, separate effects and the broad claimed benefit are unverified.
Entries from source headings
These entries are listed under the following headings in the source volume:
- Lodestone — Volume 1, entries 590. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → DIAGNOSIS.
- BLACK MOLASSES OR BLACK SUGAR - CINNAMON - URINE - LODESTONE; THIS "SCRUB" KEEPS POLICE AWAY - "DRAW A LOT OF FLIES" — Volume 3, entries 4000. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- 9 NEEDLES - 9 SPICE - 3 TABLESPOONFULS URINE; HEARTS COLOGNE - LODESTONE - INCANTATION — Volume 3, entries 4195. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- (10) 9 NEEDLES - 9 PINS - LODESTONE - STEEL DUST - URINE; BOTTLED - BOTTOM UPWARDS - UNDER HYDRANT — Volume 3, entries 4354. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → URINE.
- NUMBER OF HAT - BOW - LODESTONE — Volume 3, entries 4626. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → HAT - SWEATBAND - BOW → BOW FROM SWEATBAND OF HAT.
- COBWEBS AND UNDERWEAR BURIED - ALSO; NAMES HIS AND HERS - LODESTONE - FOLDED INTO — Volume 3, entries 4737. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → CLOTHES EXCLUDING HAT, SOCKS AND STOCKINGS, AND SHOES.
- LEFT SOCK - LODESTONE - STEEL DUST; BURIED - TOE POINTING TO HOUSE — Volume 3, entries 4972. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- QUINCUNX MADE WITH 3 RUSTY NAILS AND 2 PEGS; DRIVEN ROUND OR INTO SOCK HOLDING; SULPHUR - LODESTONE - 2 PEGS — Volume 3, entries 5006. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- GRAVEYARD DIRT - 3 LEFT TRACKS - SULPHUR - LODESTONE; MIX - TIE - BURY NEAR HOUSE — Volume 4, entries 5451. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- 9 NEEDLES - 9 PINS - CROSSED IN NEW CLOTH; SWEAT - LODESTONE - ANVIL DUST - RED FLANNEL BAG — Volume 4, entries 6027. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → HAIR.
- SEW INTO RED FLANNEL BAG FOR GOOD LUCK; NEEDLES 2 - NEW AND CROSSED - LODESTONE - GRAVEYARD DIRT — Volume 4, entries 7842. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT.
- (4) MIDDLE FINGER - LEFT HAND-JOINT NEXT TO HAND; BAKE CRUMBLE TO ASHES - ASHES OF DOVE'S LEFT LEG; MIX TOGETHER AND WITH LODESTONE AND SILVER DUST — Volume 4, entries 8039. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → COFFIN - DOLL BABY - BURIAL - BONES → BONES FROM THE DEAD → TYPES OF BONES FROM THE DEAD.
- (m) 9 TIMES SHOOT IN HEART - HUMAN FORM DRAWN; ON WILLOW TREE WITH SPEAR THROUGH HEART; WISH - LODESTONE - DRAGON'S BLOOD — Volume 4, entries 8287. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → PHOTOGRAPH.
- (13) LODESTONE - HE NOT SHE LODESTONE - SHE; ATTACHES TO LAMP WICK - IN BOWL WITH; HIS NAMES 9 TIMES BACKWARDS - LAST NAME; FIRST - AND ON TOP OF HIS NAME SHE; WRITES NAME OF WOMAN HE'S GOING WITH; TURNS LAMP DOWN LOW AND BURNS ALL DAY — Volume 4, entries 8590. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → NAME.
- (15) LORD'S PRAYER AND IN 3 HOLY NAMES; "I WANT THIS MAN BACK TO ME"; ARE SAID BY WOMAN LIGHTING LAMP - AFTER; IT HAS BEEN PREPARED BY WRITING HIS; NAME 9 TIMES AND PINNING IT TO WICK; WITH SUGAR - LODESTONE - STEEL DUST; KEEP LAMP LIGHTED UNTIL HE RETURNS — Volume 4, entries 8592. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → NAME.
- DRY A BEEF TONGUE TO DUST - GRIND UP; DRAGON'S BLOOD - LODESTONE - PUT IN; RED FLANNEL BAG - SEW UP - CARRY - LUCK — Volume 4, entries 8985. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → COURT CASES.
- LODESTONE - CAMPHOR BALLS - ASAFETIDA - IN BAG; WET WITH GASOLINE - CARRY PIECE OF SWEET BASIL; WHEN JUDGE TALKS YOU BE TALKING TO YOUR BAG — Volume 4, entries 9097. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → COURT CASES.
- STEEL DUST - LODESTONE - BLACK PEPPER - SALT; SPRINKLE AT DOORSTEP TO MOVE — Volume 5, entries 9688. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- 9 NEW NEEDLES - LODESTONE - ANVIL DUST - SILVER DIME; PUT EVERYTHING IN FORM OF CROSS - SEW INTO BAG; FEED THIS HAND WITH WHISKEY - LET NO ONE TOUCH IT; YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE SILVER MONEY — Volume 5, entries 9820. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → NAILS - NEEDLES AND PINS - TACKS.
- FROG - RABBIT FOOT - LODESTONE - RAILROAD RAIL DUST — Volume 5, entries 9992. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → FROG AND TOADFROG.
- FROG - RABBIT FOOT - LODESTONE - STEEL DUST; IN RED FLANNEL BAG - GAMBLING HAND — Volume 5, entries 9988. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → FROG AND TOADFROG.
- HIGH JOHN DE CONKAH - LODESTONE - FROG DUST; FEED WITH OLE HEARTS PERFUME OR WHISKEY — Volume 5, entries 9991. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → FROG AND TOADFROG.
- TO KILL THOSE TRICKS CAUSED BY LODESTONE AT; SHOWS AND SHOOTING GALLERIES CARRY LIVE FROG — Volume 5, entries 10005. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → FROG AND TOADFROG.
- BOIL LEFT EYE OF A BLACK CAT AND TAKE THAT; HARD WHITE BEAD - THIS IS WHAT HE SEES WITH; PUT SOME LODESTONE AND LUCKY OIL WITH IT AND; WEAR TO KEEP LUCK - OBTAIN ANYTHING WANTED — Volume 5, entries 10106. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → BLACK CAT LUCKY BONE AGAIN.
- HIS URINE IS HIS NATURE - BOTTLE WITH - HE LODESTONE; STEEL DUST - CINNAMON - SUGAR - DRAWING OIL - MIND OIL; WRITE NAME 9 TIMES - 9 NEEDLES - 9 PINS - MIX WELL; PUT UNDER YOUR DOORSTEP - LET MAN CROSS 3 TIMES; THEN PUT IT IN YOUR PLACE - HOLDS MAN - NEVER LET HIM; FIND IT - IF HE GITS HOLT OF DAT... DAT MEANS DEATH — Volume 5, entries 10278. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SEX AND IMPOTENCE REAPPEAR.
- BULLBAT HAS A LODESTONE - OPEN ALIVE - GAMBLING — Volume 5, entries 10572. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → BAT - THE LEATHER-WING.
- GUTS OF LIVE BAT - LODESTONE - THIRD? - GAMBLING — Volume 5, entries 10569. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → BAT - THE LEATHER-WING.
- LODESTONE BAGGED WITH BAT BAKED IN OVEN - GAMBLING — Volume 5, entries 10573. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → BAT - THE LEATHER-WING.
- SEW INTO RED FLANNEL A BAT HEART AND LODESTONE; DAMPEN OR FEED WITH JOCKEY CLUB PERFUME - THIS IS; A LUCKY PIECE OR TOBY - RUB IT BEFORE GAMBLING; TO KILL ANOTHER GAMBLER'S LUCKY HAND OR TOBY; SEW SALT AND RED PEPPER IN RED FLANNEL - KEEP IN; RIGHT POCKET - IF OTHER MAN LUCKY - HIT YOUR HAND; AND RUB YOUR DICE WITH THIS SALT-AND-PEPPER BAG — Volume 5, entries 10574. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → BAT - THE LEATHER-WING.
- PUNCH HOLE THROUGH BAT HEART WITH ICEPICK - RUN; RED RIBBON OR STRING THROUGH - TIE - PUT IN RED; FLANNEL - PRAY OVER - USE LODESTONE IN - GAMBLE — Volume 5, entries 10593. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → BAT - THE LEATHER-WING.
- ADAM AND EVE - LODESTONE - POWDERS; 3 INGREDIENTS WRAPPED FOR JOB — Volume 5, entries 10611. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- ADAM-AND-EVE - JOHN DE CONKAH - LODESTONE; 3 INGREDIENTS - MAKE LUCKY GAMBLING HAND — Volume 5, entries 10617. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- BUZZARD BURIED 3 DAYS - BUZZARD OIL IS MIGHTY HIGH; AND RITE IS MIGHTY WITH LODESTONE AND SILVER DOLLAR — Volume 5, entries 10849. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- 6 INGREDIENTS: LODESTONE - INCENSE - BROWN SUGAR; BLUEING - REDBIRD EPSOM SALTS - DEVIL'S-SHOESTRING; MIX - SPRINKLE ABOUT HOUSE TO MAKE PEOPLE MOVE — Volume 5, entries 11182. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- IF YOU WANT SOMEONE OF OPPOSITE SEX SEPARATED FROM; PERSON OF YOUR SEX - WRITE VICTIM'S NAME 9 TIMES; INTO THIS PAPER ROLL UP TIGHT: DIRT DAUBER POWDER; STEEL DUST - LODESTONE - BLOOD FROM MIDDLE FINGER; OF RIGHT HAND - CARRY THIS HAND TO SEPARATE THEM — Volume 5, entries 11219. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- GOOFER DUST IS DEVIL'S SNUFF AND LODESTONE MIXED — Volume 5, entries 11722. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- HIGH JOHN DE CONKAH - LODESTONE - RED FLANNEL BAG; SEW INTO - 3 TIMES WEEKLY POUR PERFUME ON [FEED IT]; LODESTONE WILL GROW - HAS HAIRS - WILL MOVE TOO; LAY IT ON THIS TABLE [BETWEEN US]... GO BACK ABOUT A; HALF HOUR AFTER - IT'D BE DONE MOVED - FOR GAMBLING; THIS CALLED BLACK LODESTONE - THERE ARE OTHER KINDS — Volume 5, entries 12229. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- LODESTONE - SILVER DIME - NEEDLE POINT - RED FLANNEL; BAG - WEAR - CHEW PIECE OF WHITE JOHN DE CONKAH - SPIT; SPIT FINE - GETS ON BOSS CLOTHES - CANNOT SEE - JOB — Volume 5, entries 12232. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- LODESTONE - OIL OF CINNAMON - JOHN DE CONKAH - SPIT — Volume 5, entries 12237. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- LODESTONE - ADAM-AND-EVE - JOHN DE CONKAH; SEW INTO RED FLANNEL - WEAR - LUCK AND JOB — Volume 5, entries 12238. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- LODESTONE AND INCENSE CARRY; WASH FACE AND HANDS IN VAN-VAN; EACH TIME GOING TO WORK - TO HOLD JOB — Volume 5, entries 12345. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- LODESTONE - FEED PERFUME - CARRY FOR JOB — Volume 5, entries 12344. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- LODESTONE - MINERAL OIL - HEAD COMB DUST - BUY THESE; MIX STONE AND DUST WITH OIL - PERFUME - WEAR FOR JOB — Volume 5, entries 12348. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- QUICK LIGHTNING DUST - BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN DUST AND; LODESTONE - WITH THESE 3 OUR DOCTOR USING NUMBEROLOGY; MAKES GAMBLING HAND SIZE OF THUMB - FEEDS IT 3x10; DROPS OF HEARTS COLOGNE - KEEP IN RIGHT POCKET 10; MINUTES - THEN 10 MINUTES IN LEFT POCKET - CONTINUE; CHANGING AND AT EACH CHANCE SHUFFLE CARDS IN HAND — Volume 5, entries 12703. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- MAN WEARS DIME AND PIECE OF LODESTONE 2 OR 3 WEEKS; THEN SENDS DIME IN LETTER TO WOMAN ASKING FOR A PIN — Volume 5, entries 12990. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- SILVER DIME - LODESTONE - SUGAR - SEW UP IN RED; FLANNEL - YOU CAN ALWAYS WIN UNLESS SOMEONE CHEATS — Volume 5, entries 12992. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- STEEL DUST COMBINED WITH: LODESTONE - SUGAR - CINNAMON; USED BY PRISONER'S HOODOO DOCTOR - DROPPED 9 TIMES; WHEN PRISONER ENTERS UNTIL HE REACHES JUDGE'S BENCH — Volume 5, entries 13234. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".