Subject:Luck
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Entry 895
She kin bring dis man back. She kin take some sulphur, she kin take three ounce of potash, an' den she kin take some salt - about a teaspoonful of table salt - an' put all dat together. Why, ah seen dat done. Ah seen de lady when she was mixing it up - see, cause she was calling herself learning me. She takes dis stuff an' she goes out an' she make a oath - cuss, see. Ah say, "Why yo' do dat?" She say, she's dumping all de hard-luck spirits away from her, see, an' gittin' things out de way. An' sure 'nuff shortly after den - about a week or somepin like dat - de man appeared. See.
(What did she do with this stuff then?)
She took this stuff an' buried it under her do'step. See.
(Bring this man back.)
Yassuh tuh bring him back.
Entry 1914
You got a house out [vacant] an' yo' wanted people to go in dat house. Well, yo' jes' go - yo' takes a - de person whut chew wanted to go in it, jes' whosomever it is - yo' go there an' yo' dress that house, yo' see. You kin dress the house. Yo' kin go in an' take this dust powder - take it an' dust it jes' lak that. An' it's jes' lak if yo' take a person tuh show him de house an' then if he gits de odah of that, he takes de house - pays de price regardless.
(What kind of powder is that?)
It's good luck perfume powder. It hasn't got a special name - yo' order it.
Entry 2080
If you wanted a job, I've heard that you kin go to work and there's diff'rent things which you kin use to get a job. You use a powder. There's a powder that you calls luck powder. You kin get that powder and put on you and you kin go and present yourself to the boss and as he gets a scent of that powder, I've heard that he will give you something to do pref'rence from anyone else.
Entry 2440
Ah'll git me some powder, luck powder - dat brown luck powder, call fo' brown luck powder, an' ah'll fix mah do', mah do'sill. Den ever'thing will be all right, ever'thing will turn in yore way. (You mean the customers will come in?) Yeah. [Brown luck powder is like the use of brown sugar and brown paper; see latter two in Index.]"
Entry 2475
Do something to git renters for that house. You know what you do?
(No.)
All you just go - for that you go to the drug store. You go there and you get you some mixture. Now, you just ask for mixture. They going to give you the mixture for it. Now, it somethin' smells like perfume. It's called fast luck. You go there and you get that fast luck and you bring it there, sprinkle it right in front of that building. There be people there - ah don't know - there be a crowd of people. Just as though if you had a place that you'd already rented [and were in business] and couldn't get a crowd for it, go there and get you some of that fast luck and sprinkle it. But you gotta sprinkle, you gotta know how to walk with it. See, you sprinkle it - walk backwards. You don't walk forwards and sprinkle it, you know. Start out at the front and walk backwards.
(I see. That'll bring a crowd - bring a crowd.)
There - there even be people there that will rent that house and look for - rent in a day.
Entry 2622
Yo' take lak if yo' have a scissors layin' down there an' lak if yo' have a nice business, an' ah wanta stop yo' from havin' it, why ah steal yore scissors or yore fingernail file. An' ah'll take those right to mah home an' ah'll put - as ah told yo', take that there perfume an' ah'll put mah 'gredients in there which is the sulphur an' nine grains of red peppah seeds. Put that in there an' ah'll put de scissors lak if ah got dem fo' nine mawnin's an' ah take 'em an' junk 'em down in de ground. All yore luck is cut, yo' haven't got any mo' business.
(You use perfume you say?)
Yessuh, Heamt's Perfume.
Entry 2938
To kill dat out, why yo' jest go right on back home an' burn yore can- dles. Take yore lucky piece [that is losing its power] an' set it right between dem candles, two candles, an' set it right between dem candles for maybe two or three times yo' know a week, an' den go an' try yore hand again. Yo' see, dat do's away wit it. It will come back to yo'. (I see, if some other fellow has a stronger hand than mine, I take my hand home and put it between two candles.) Dat's right, an' put chure lucky piece - dat's right, put one dere an' one dere [demonstrates]. Shet chure room up - jest shet up yore room an' go ahead an' Jest burn 'em long as you wanta.
(Any color candles?)
Any color. [I believe this is my only example of a worn-out hand being re- charged between two candles. For time limit on hand, feeding it, and renewing its power, see pp.577-580.]
Entry 3634
Dey say snails is hard luck to have roun' yore home. If yo' bring any of 'em roun' yore home, yo'll have a lotta misfortune, yo'll lose lotsa things dat yo' git hold of.
Entry 3995
Ah have tried it workin' on mah han's in dealin' wit de cards an' ah have been prosperous. (You found it lucky?) Absolutely.
(You mean peeing on your hands?)
Yeah. (Well, now that's something I asked and you thought you didn't know.)
Entry 4159
Well, it near about de same thin'. Yuh kin take yuh watah an' Hearts Cologne an' sprinkle it aroun' intuh yuh place. Have it intuh yuh pocket an' where yuh wit de cards. Dat'll bring yuh luck.
Entry 4768
Why dey turns dere clothes befo' dey go tuh bed, whatsomevah dat piece dey gon'a wear nex' tuh dem. Why when dey gits up in de mornin', dey jis' picks up dat garment an' puts it on. Dat undah garment, jis' put it right on 'em, jis' like dey find [it].
(They put that on wrongside out for luck.)
Entry 5038
Yuh could fix 'em diff'ren' ways in dat if yuh got dere stockin' or anythin', cuz dere [they are] dark stockin'. Well dey - well yuh take a dirty sock or stockin' from 'em like dat. Well dey got dirt in dere. Yuh could take dat dirt an' if yuh want tuh do 'em harm, yuh could take it an' bury it or do anythin' yuh want wit it - jis' depend what yuh wan'a do it fo'. See, dat's how dey do's wit dat. Now, yuh could take her socks or stockin's from a woman an' run 'er crazy wit it.
(How would you do that?)
Well, yuh see, yuh take her stockin' an' it got dirt in it. Yuh git a piece of 'er hair an' yuh sew it up wit what yuh call dis fast luck [perfume or powder] an' sew it up tight. Yuh walk tuh any creek or any runnin' watah - an' sew it up tight - an' when yuh walk back from down tuh de creek or anywhere de running [water] is, yuh jis' turn backwards an' make three wishes - any wishes yuh want. Jis' like if yuh wanta run 'er in dat fast watah or run 'er out of town, or run 'er any part of de worl' dat yuh feel like. Jis' make de wishes fo' dat. Throw it backwards. Walk nine steps befo' dat yuh evah look back tuhward dat watah. Jis' long as dat turnin' in de water, she go on.
(You mean, you throw it over your left shoulder?)
Yeah, ovah yore lef' shouldah an' walk nine steps befo' yuh evah look back. But yuh make de three wishes, jis' de wishes yuh want.
Entry 5048
Jis' say, if yuh wanta bust up [broken-home remedy], see. A woman kin take his socks an' take her stockin's an' put 'em tuhgethah, heel tuh heel an' toe tuh toe. Use de lef' foot. Some say de right but de lef' foot is bes'. An' yo' put some sugah in dere an' some peppah, black peppah: if it's white person, put white peppah; an' if it's a black person, put black peppah. An' den yuh put a little cayenne peppah in it, see. An' den yuh roll it to yuh, lak dat [demonstrates]. An' aftah yuh roll it tuh yuh, den yuh git chew a bran'-new co'd [cord] string an' yuh wrap it nine times.
(How do you wrap that?)
Tuh yuh. Yuh roll it tuh yuh an' wrap it tuh yuh. An' den git chew a needle an' git chew some red silk thread an' sew it on each end, nine stitches. Pull it tuh yuh all de time dis way [demonstrates]. Pull it tuh yuh all de time.
(You put nine stitches on each end.)
Dat's tuh bring peace.
(What do you do with that then?)
Well, yuh kin wear it in yore pocket or put it where yuh kin evah day jis' dress it. Yuh know, jis' take yore han', don' have tuh put nuthin on it. Jis' take yore han' or jis' put a little perfume on it - good-luck perfume, any kinda good-luck perfume an' jis' rub it in yore han'. An' den yuh kin sleep on it. Or yuh kin put it where nobody won' go by [near] it but chew. See.
(That is for them to live together in peace.)
Yes.
Entry 5102
[Take] de lef' foot of yore shoes an' put it unnerneat' chure foot of yore baid, an' make a spirit stay away. Tuh give yuh good luck, dey [you] take yore shoes, one yore ole shoes, an' yuh put some sulphur in it an' throw it in de fiahplace, an' burn de sulphuh an' shoe tuhgethah. Dat will give yuh luck in yore home.
Entry 6808
(Suppose I have come to you about taking a spell off?)
Well, ah nuse [use] dis salt, peppah, sage an' stuff - salt, sugah, sage, alum an' saltpetah. Ah got dat ovah in a box, see. An' ah take some new string, nuthin have been worn, an' ah tie dem, an' whatsomevah ah Want chew tuh do [demon- strates]. (Just tie a knot.) Yeah, tie a knot, an' den ah take dat, dis stuff an' sprin- kle it ovah dere, see. An' den if dis spell [is] on me [you], see. An' whosomevah put it on yo', if yo' know dere names, yo' jis' call dere name an' tell 'em yo' want 'em to take dis spell offa yo'. Well, if dey don't, yo' wish bad luck onto dem, see. An' yo' burn dis stuff. An' den YO' STRIP BUCK NECKED [NAKED] AN' DEN TAKE DIS BLANKET AN' PUT IT: OVAH YORE HAID. AN' DIS SMOKE, YO' CAIN'T HAR'LY [HARDLY] STAND IT. If dere's anything in yo' in any way, shape, form or fashion, it'll come out, see. [The preceding term suck necked [[naked]] may be its only use in Hoodoo.] An' den yo' take a li'le whiskey glass an' yo' boil dis heah gourd tea - yo know gourds - an' yo' boil dis gourd tea an' yo' take three glasses of dis gourd tea evah day. An' dat'll take de spell off yo'.
(Especially if they have something inside of you.)
Entry 6828
Goes tuh de graveyard an' git dirt fo"luck: An' yo' kin git it fo' bad luck. If anythin', yo' kin git it offa certain grave, if yo' kin remembah de certain grave; an' if yo' cain't remembah de certain grave, git de dirt, but it's gotta be at night. Yo' cain't go in de daytime an' git. Some peoples have tried it in de daytime when dey goin' tuh de funeral an' git it, but chew'll have tuh go at night, when only de gravediggers are dere.
(What do you do with it then?)
Yes, yo' kin use it fo' luck. Yo' kin take dis graveyard dirt an' git chew some of de flowahs dat's in de graveyard. Yo' kin git some of de rose - yo' cain't use it unless yo' has some kinda flowahs - rose. Yo' kin git chew a flow- ah from de graveyard an' use dis graveyard dirt or eithah fern from de graveyard; or eithah some kinda sprout twig - not any dry. Yo' cain't use any dry twigs, yo' have [to] git 'em all sproutin' when de sap is in 'em. An' place 'em tuh- gethah an' wrap 'em in any kind of cloth yo' wanta. An' wind 'em roun' yuh waist fo' luck, or eithah yo' kin have 'em fo' peoples havin' spells. Or eithah yo' kin use it fo', if yo' have a person sick in yuh home, it's bettah fo' dat. If a person's sick in yore home an' yo' figure dat dey're not goin' git well, de doctors an' evahthin' have given 'em up, use dis graveyard dirt fo' dat, but chew'll have tuh cook it in dere food. Regardless tuh how dirty it is an' all lak dat, yo'll have tuh cook it in dere food, fo' de condition dat dey are in - fo' dere health.
Entry 7255
Dem [= them = hel wus a hoodoo doctor. [I] knew all dat. Dat's all dat wus. [He] gived me one an' it looked lak it wus a toby tuh me or somepin, [a piece of] cattle [ani- mal] heart. It wus nuthin but a plain dried cattle [animal] heart, which dey [he] had placed in it [bag with] luck pins, looked lak it wus. (What did you carry that for? You carried it? Were you supposed to carry that?) Yes, ah carried it. It looked lak ah would git a job. An' ah played - if ah played politics ah would git it [the job], until ah lost it [the bag].
(Well, how did you carry that?)
Jis' tied it up in a red bag.
(In a red what?)
In a red bag, rag, a li'le small piece, yo' know, an' ah wore it around mah waist.
(I see.)
[This toby was a small piece of dried animal heart [chicken?] with several luck pins in it, carried in a red flannel bag.] [Vicksburg, Miss., (772) 991:4.]
Entry 7607
Take dat penny an' put it in de graveyard. Yuh go dere at twelve clock at night, yuh [dig] undah an' take dat penny an' put it in, bury it an' let it stay dere fo' 24 hours. Twelve clock yuh go dere an' git it up. An' den when yuh take de penny, whut chew wanna do wit de penny, whatevah way yuh wanta treat de person, if yuh wanta treat 'em good or treat 'em bad, why yuh turn dat penny tuh de east, ran de haid of it tuh de east, see. An' dat fellah will come tuh be successful. An' if yuh turn it to de west, he'll go down.
(Well, does it happen to know that you are getting the right fellow?)
Well, yuh know. Yuh know de fellah yuh aftah [intention]. Yuh already know de fellah yuh aftah. (After you go out there and get this penny: for good luck I turn this penny to the east, or for bad luck I turn it to the west.) Dat's right.
(Well, do I do that at any particular time of the day?)
No sir, twelve.clock at night. Yuh go dere an' put it down at twelve clock at night, an' den yuh go dere an' git it up at twelve clock at night [24 hours later].
Entry 7618
Ah heard 'em say dat yuh kin go tuh de graveyard - lak dat, if ah Wants tuh change mah luck - dat ah kin go tuh de cemetery an' dig right up on de right-hand side of de grave jis' about where ah think de heart oughta lay, an' dig a hole down deep an' git me out two han'fulla dirt. Bring it out. An' when ah git dis dirt, ask fo' luck - jis' ask of de dead fo' luck, an' drop from five tuh eight pennies in dat hole an' plug it up. An' when ah rise up from off mah knees, tuh thank 'em [a rare courtesy!], an' walk away an' don't look back. Well, ah take dis dirt an' carry it tuh mah house an' sprinkle it roun' dere, an' dey say dat will give me luck.
(That is to change your luck. In anything?)
In anything.
Entry 7641
Dey go out tuh de fo'ks of de road, an' ah think dey speaks fo' times [recite an incantation of some sort] an' turns tuh de lef'. An' dey goes tuh de graveyard an' dey gits some graveyard dust from de left, from de head of de grave, an' put it in a li'le bag an' weah it in dey pocket- book. (What is that supposed to do?) Dat supposed tuh give yo' luck. (That will give you luck, I see. You go out to this crossroad and speak four times?) Yes, sir.
(What time do they go out there, any particular time or just any old time?)
Naw, five an' six o'clock in de mawnin' an' twelve o'clock at night, an prob'ly three o'clock in de mawnin'. [This means midnight or after, or before daybreak - the usual dark hour.]
(I see, and from the crossroads then they go to the cemetery.)
Yes, sir.
Entry 7645
Way dey does it is dey take de dust from de footboard an' some of dem jes' tote it in dey pocket. Dat's tuh give dem good luck.
Entry 7663
( Git some graveyard dirt outa each end of de grave, yo' undahstan', an' den yo' kin take an' tie it up an' put it in de east end of de cornah of yore house. Dat fo' tuh bring luck. [Memphis, Tem.
(952), 1538:4.]
Entry 7692
Ah heard 'em say if yo' wanted luck, dat chew would go tuh de grave; but chew wouldn't have tuh git no dirt dis time. But yo' would go tuh de grave an' yo' would make a prayah, an' yo' would ask fo' yore luck, In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost.
(That is all you have to do?)
Yassuh, dat's all.
Entry 7696
[He can take] de haidbo'd an' footbo'd, see, dem two li'le pieces, one at de haid an' one at de foot at de graveyard, dat [belong to], some of 'is rela- tives. Kin take dat at home an it will be lucky tuh 'im. (You mean the relatives of this dead man will go out and take these boards, and that gives them luck?) Sho' [sure].
Entry 7701
Dey'll go tuh de graveyard at midnight jis' befo' de clock strikes twelve, an' dey'll make a cross mark - dat is a X - right acrost de footbo'd an' de haidbo'd [that is 2 crosses]. Dey go tuh de foot firs', den dey take nine steps backwards, back de way yuh come in [the graveyard], den yuh kin come on out. Dat's fo' luck.
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 8023
Dey take 'em an' make luck pieces an' things. A man kin take an' weah 'em in 'is pocket fo' tuh gamble wit an' things lak dat. (This bone of a dead person?) A dead person bone.
Entry 8051
Ah heard dat yo' kin go tuh de graveyard an' git one of dese bones. If it's a sinnah, yo' kin take de bone off 'is right foot, de big-toe bone, an' take it an' put some black peppah an' salt an' cayenne on it. Dat's fo' gamblin'. (How would you handle that, then?) Well, yo' jis' go an' dig it up, see. Ah ain't nevah tried dat now. Go an' dig it up, see, an' cut dat bone off. Yo' have tuh git a saw an' saw if off. Saw dat bone, dat j'int dere. Saw dat off an' git chew black peppah, salt an' bluestone, see. Well, yo' car- ries dat home dere an' let it stay undah yuh step fo' nine mawnin's, see. Well, yo' take it den an' put it up ovah de do' - jis' lak yo' sleepin' in dis room, an' put it up ovah de do' an' let it stay dere den contin'ly [continually]. But yo' have tuh sew it up intuh a black rag, see. Let it stay dere contin'ly an' den yo'll be lucky in gamblin'.
Entry 8052
Yo' go in de woods. Yo' make it tuh de woods, way outa town, an' yo' turn in an' git chew a black line, a thread line - a thread line dat's black, a spool of thread. (Like a black fishing line?) Dat's right, lak a black fishin' line. An' yo' turn in an' git chew two needles. Yo' bring it [demon- strates] from heah an' yo' roll dat lak dat, reel it out from heah, jis' lak yo' stealin' dis whiskey. Jis' lak yo' in dere stealin' dis whiskey, yo' draw dat fishin' line, see, right on out. Yo's right in heah. Yo' be settin' heah, an' yo' draw dat fishin' line right on out. Well, yo' git den an' yo' stop an' yo' have a li'le yore watah in a tin can, yore pee in it already, an' yo' po' [pour] dat right down. Evah time yo' stops it [the line] po' it down. All right, yo' keep right on runnin' [out the line] an' go a certain distance. Ah [would] say yo' go about, aw jis' a short step, yo' know, aroun' an' den yo' stop an' yo' drop a li'le bit of it [urine]. Well, yo' keep right on a-runnin' [the line] an' see, yo' stop an' yo' drop a li'le of yore pee dere. An' yo' keep right a-rumnin' an' yo' stop ag'in an' yo' put a li'le pee dere. An' yo' git right back where yo' started off an' put some mo' yore pee dere.
[The urine is sprinkled in a circle about his liquor. This is to protect it.]
All right. Den yo' look aroun'. Well, ah did dis In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, dat ah may rest from all evil, an' dat ah may die [several words], an' chunk it on away. All right, den yo' back up an' yo' git up on dis lak dis heah. Yo' back up off it, see, where yo' stop at. Yo' backed up an' yo' look at it [your whiskey]. Yo' stop five minutes an' yo' don't say a word. Yo' look at it. Den yo' walk back up to it an' yo' look at it ag'in. Den yo' back up. Den when yo' back up yo' look in dat direction an' jis' turn an' look an' jis' walk in dat direction. An' when yo' git out in dat direction, yo'll have a seat an' set down dere jis' a few minutes an' look at it. Don't say a word. Jis' look jis' fo' a few minutes. Den yo'll leave from dere an' yo'll go tuh a graveyard. An' if yo' kin git holt of a man's toes, yo' git holt of about fo' or five of de toes tuh fo'k [fork into the ground] roun' [the goods for sale]. Yo' stick 'em in de ground, yo know, round [the liquor], yo' see. An' den yo' say, Ah hope dis will be a fence fo' all [to keep everyone away], In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' de Holy Ghost. Well, devils [evil spirits] will be dere, see an' dat will keep dem dere [those] mens [low men] from comin' in lookin' fo' yo' makin' dis whiskey. Dey drove [are driven] away [by this protection] but yo' dere, but yo' know who dey are. See, yo' keep 'em drove away, but chew stay dere, but dey cain't stay dere. DEY'LL BE FRIGHTENED. WHEN DEY COME AN' CREEP AN' STOP, BEGIN TUH LOOK, DEY'LL GIT FRIGHT- ENED. SOMPIN WILL HIT 'EM ON DE BACK, SEE, AN' DEY'LL GRAB DEY PISTOL AN' TURN ROUN' AN' DERE'S NUTHIN. YO' HAVE HEARD OF THINGS SLAPPIN' PEOPLE. AH KNOW YO' KNOW.
(You said you get two needles. What did you do with those needles?)
Yo' take dose two needles - yo' take dose two needles an' yo' put 'em up on top of dis heah stove, jis' set 'em up dere. See, dat's tuh mean fo' sharp luck. Yo' carry dem needles fo' sharp luck. Yo' put dem needles up dere an' yo' cross 'em, see. Now, dem needles is dere fo' dem devils. See, dem needles is dere fo' dem devils, undahstan'. Dem needles is goin' p'int [point] at dem devils, undah- Stan'. WHEN AH CALLS DEVILS, DEM GUYS COMIN' IN DERE GOIN' TRY TUH RUN YO' OUT. WELL, AH WANTA HAVE DEVILS DERE STRONGAH AS DEY IS, an' dem needleS goin' hold 'em, dey is crossed, undahstan'. Well, ah'll look roun', see, an' put it dere, an' den got de stuff from de graveyard, yo' see, done got dem folk's toes, dem daid toes if it ain't nuthin but de bones. Ah got de toes. Well, ah done named dem, see. Ah name, jis' say, de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, dat dey may keep 'way all devils. Well, when dem othah devils [law men] come, see, up dere tuh ketch me an' carry me down an' lock me up in jail, dese things will keep dem PartieS Off. DEY CAIN'T NEVAH GIT IN DERE, DEY'S ALWAYS SCARED OUT. AN' EVAH TIME DEY PULL OUT DEY PISTOL AN' GO TUH SHOOT, DEY'LL LOSE IT OR SOMPIN, DEY CAIN'T SHOOT.
Entry 8247
I have heard of boys and girls being inti- mate together, and if this girl would have a pic- ture of this boy, and if she had any feelings of any kind against him, she would take this picture and scratch it all up to give him bad luck.
Entry 8742
If a person's in a house an' yo' want 'em tuh move or somepin like dat, yo' go in de woods an' cut a hole in a tree an' wish 'em some [bad] luck an' come back an' throw it [the sawdust or shavings from the hole] on dere house an' dey'l] move.
[Name is implied in the wish.]
(What kind of a tree do you go to?) A pine tree or oak tree or any kinda tree. (You cut a hole in that tree, you say, and what do you do then?) Yes sir, yo' wish dis person bad luck, an' come back home an' throw it under dere house.
(What do you throw on the house?)
Whatsoevah yo' cut in de tree. (You mean that sawdust and stuff from the hole. I didn't know what you were throwing under the house. You throw this stuff from the hole under the house. That's to make them have the bad luck, whatever you wish them.
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 9146
Well, suppose if yo' done anythin' wit'out...why yo'd have sense tuh see a root worker an' git somepin dey call a han', yo' know, fer pertection. It would pertect yuh in case yo' was tried in court, an' if yo' Would ask fer mercy, yo Would git it. See? [While recording machine stopped, informant says something about seven lucky herbs. This is not a common name and may be my only example.]
(There are supposed to be seven lucky herbs?)
Yo' gathah 'em out de woods. (That is all, make just a hand? Do you have to know what those herbs are? Do you know the names of them?) Ah know de names of about five of 'em ah 'pect [expect].
(What are those?)
Southern [John de Conkah] an' High John de Conkah, de fo'-leaf clovah, de nex', Eve-an'-Adam Root, anothah root dey calls de leathah herb, lovett herb. Dat's fo'. De nex' is devil's-shoestring, five.
Entry 9189
Dey say yo's kin git a black hen aig, dat wus fo' bad luck. Dey say if yo' git a black hen aig an' somebody take it an' break it, an place it roun' where yo' gotta travel ovah, say dat will put bad luck on yo' bad luck will follow yo'.
Entry 9466
Yo' kin take a box of salt an' jes' t'row it all de way roun' yore house evah mawnin'. Don't use nuthin fo' dat but jes' t'row it roun' de house fo' nine mawnin's. An' dat will give yo' luck.
(Luck for what?)
Luck fo' business, peoples comin' in an' tradin' wit chew.
Entry 9524
And he [root doctor] told me to wear salt in my dight shoe and take a little salt and sprinkle up under the bed every day. He uay it would change your luck.
Entry 9640
Ah heard dat chew take yore chamber lye an' dis salt an' peppah, an' throu it evah mawnin' befo' sunrise at chure do'. Dat'll keep de laws from run- nin' on yo' an' all fren's will come to yo'. An' don't sweep no, none of de dust out chure house, out chure front do'. Don' nevah throw none out; throw it in de fiahplace. Dat always brings in luck. But nevah carries out any [sweepings]. (If you are in business of any kind, especially bootlegging?) Yes, bootleggin' an' gamblin'. Savannah, Ga., (1279), 2176:3.]
Entry 9641
It was once a rootworker told me to take some urinate some cayenne pepper and salt - half full from the urinate to de top of the bottle and the other [half fill] with sugar. An' take you a piece of cotton and stick down in there, and stick two needles in there, and keep that. That's luck to you.
Entry 9691
Well, yo' kin burn shoes fo' luck. Jis' put 'em in de stove an' burn 'em. Sprinkle salt an' sugah on 'em fo' luck.
Entry 9694
Anyone take salt an' li'l' sugah an' sprinkle it rom', an' dat brings luck tuh yo'. Dat's tuh keep a job, so no man kin mow yo' doon - tuh hold a job.
Entry 9695
Git some sulphur an' some table salt - not physic salt - table salt, an' lay it in yore shoe when yo' certain... [informant is re- peating].
(They can't put anything down for you to walk over it.)
No sir, dat sulphur an' salt supposed tuh...
Entry 9739
On dat person's premises, if dey drive tenpenny nails intuh a tree - on dat person's premises - why yo'll change dere luck. Dey jes' lak a fellah dat won't have good luck. (Just one nail?) No, seven tenpenny nails.
Entry 9770
Have five cents worth of new nails. Don't ase 'em fo' anything else an' nail 'em on de do' facin' [saddle] right [upright] 'em right down dere, right straight down at dat piece, dat crosspiece. Dat make luck.
Entry 9846
(What's that?) Take nine needles... [I interrupt.] (You take nine needles.) Put 'em in a cross [form] - see, right across dataway; jis' dataway, see. An' put 'em intuh a bag of red flannel an' keep it 'nointed; good perfume, not de cheap, yo' umdahstan'. Put it intuh a bag an' put anothah bag aroun' dit. An' keep it 'nointed wit incense in dat red-flannel bag. [This red-flannel bag here represents the heart. Small needles can be placed head to tail or point, a symbolical crossing; or actually cross them through material in the bag. For this type of hand or mojah, see No.2163, p.621, vol.1 and elsewhere.]
Entry 9861
Yo' kin trim a fat-lightah splintah, lak a peg outa it, an' yo' ketch dat toadfrog befo' de sun rise. Anyway, kill 'im befo' de sun rise. Yo' push dat peg through 'im an' yo hold 'im dere until he dies. Den yo' take de peg outa dere an' tie a cord roun' 'is feet, an' yo' kin hang 'im up any- where on a bush. Or jis' take a stake an' put 'im on it an' make yore wish, In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an'Holy Ghost. If yo' wan'a person tuh move, yo' kin stick it up an' make dem move; if yo' want luck, yo' kin stick it up an' make yore wish fo' luck.
Entry 9904
Well, you take a frog, you take you a nail, or take a knife and peg him down alive jes' like that with a peg right at your house. Take some sugar and just sprinkle it good, you see. The worms, the ants and things will eat all the flesh off it. And after they eat all the flesh off it, you will find a forked bone at the back tail of it. Then you take that oil of clover, van van and fast luck, see. Now you take that and sew them together and make you a little bag, and put it in your pocketbook. But that fast luck. you must keep a little bit out when you going out, on the side, and scrape in your hand like this [demonstrates]. That gives you gambling hand; power in gamb- ling.
(Is fast luck a liquid or a powder?)
That's lickrish [liquid]. When you put it on your hand it burns shoe [burns you]. Now, when you look at it, when you put it on your hand and rub it, you see that curl up, sort of yellowish. It gives you satisfaction.
Entry 9907
Dey say yo' kin take a red ants bed an' cut a frog up an' let de red ants eat up dat frog - eat all of 'em [pieces]. An' den yo' could take cer- tain bones from 'im, lak a laig bone, lak dat an' carry it fo' luck. Dey say dat's very successful fo' a luck charm.
(Luck in anything?)
Yes sir, luck in anything.
Entry 9930
And then you kin take, ah - now this is self experience. Not for my- self but when I was a kid growing up; I guess round about fourteen, twelve, thir- teen, fourteen years. See, I was raised in the country and worked on a farm. My father died when I was small in 1903 and nothin' but a woman raised me. My mother and I didn't have anything, she and me had to work. Well, this was a ageable [elderly] nan and he was able to pay high wages for, you know, a full-grown man and he'd work lotsa children, you see. You see, where those large farmers didn't bother with we children, he'd work us in turnin' [sweet potato] vines and settin' out his potatoes like that. And this was a green frog. It's not a bullfrog. It's between a toadfrog and a bullfrog. I expect you've seen him. He's green and has those black specks on his back. It's long-legged though. Some say eventually after they get old they turn to a bullfrog. But he used to ketch those frogs and he'd tell we children to catch 'em. But if he didn't tell us to ketch, we could ketch 'em. But he'd tell us to ketch 'em and we would ketch 'em and he'd put it in his pocket and it wouldn't jump out. And he said you take those frogs and put it up in a bottle and make your wish. And set him on de stove and dry him out and take that and do anything you want to do with it. Well, of course, dis man I knew was pretty good and he always seemed to be lucky. He tolt another girl and I one day - we was pretty good in settin' out potatoes. So he asked us to ketch every one of those frogs that we could see. See, we'd have to go to the ditch to dip out water, you know, to water those sprouts that was planted there. So we come to him, we asked him. "Well, '' he says, "Well, I'll tell you-all something if you'll [not] tell." Ah says, "Well, What's that?" Ah says, "Never is a long time." He says, "Well, if you-all want those boys you going with," he say, "why go ahead and marry 'em, '' says, ''but I'll tell you, '' says, "Viola," says,"'this boy you going with, '' he says, ''he ain't goin' make you any good husband at all." Says, "They is fast, but you get these little spring frogs, you see, these little green frogs where you kin squeeze 'em and they goes way up into water." He says, "You catch every one of those you Kin find." He says, '"If you all have a fig bush, you kin get plenty of 'em in there." And he says, "And you get that frog," he says, "and put him in a box ad make your wish." And he says, "And set him in de stove or onto the back of the stove." He says, "In a small can like a five-cent or ten-cent baking-pouder box [can] where you kin close it up. Put him in there alive," he say and he Bys, "you doesn't open him in nine days," he says, "but each day make your wish for this man." He says, "When you open that frog, '' he says, "you have you a piece of yellow cotton. Go to the store and buy you five-cent piece of yellow Cotton, or you might buy two or three cents worth if you kin get it." Three oeats worth - that was during wartime [World War I] - was just about as wide as yoar chin[?]. He says, "And make you a little bag and make it four corners, ' be says, "jis' so it won't be anything but the form of the frog." He says, "Sew all that dust in there," he says, "and you'll always have good luck, and get any man you want and go anywhere you want to." And ah know hr made it for real. She really did it. An' she came there and she bought five dollars worth of figs when she got one of those frogs. We [man informant worked for] had a large fig orchard, and she come there and threw the money down. [Elizabeth City, N. Car., (438), 391:5+].
Entry 9959
Yo' take fo' an instant [instance] a gamblah is gonna go out fo' a big game tuhnight or today, an' 'is luck is bad. He goes out an' he finds 'im a frog. He takes dat frog an' he holds 'im in 'is hand tuh 'is eah [ear] an' dat frog will - yo' know dey don' holler lak no othah li'l' creatures on earth. Dey say, "Quank, quank, quank." An dat'll change yore luck.
Entry 9963
Kill a frog while he's hot. Take a frog while he's hot an' kill 'im an' split him open while he's hot. An' take an' rub yore han's on 'im an' rub down yore han's lak dat. An' yo' go out tuh any card game yo' wanta an' yo' be successful. Git chew a live frog an' split him back open, an' rub yore han's on 'im down dere.
Entry 9964
Take a toadyfrog an' yo' split 'im open, see, an' jis' tote him aroun' in yore pocket, an' yo' kin have all de luck yo' want.
(In gambling.)
Entry 9966
Ah hear'd dat if - jis' lak if a man wants tuh be a swift gamblah, an' he wanted tuh be lucky in 'is gamblin', dat he'd ketch a toadfrog an' he'd cut 'is hin' guartah off - 'is left [hind] quartah - an' put it in 'is pocket. De longah yo' tote dis heah hin' quartah, dey say yo'd be lucky in gamblin'. An' den if yo' evah lose yore luck, why yo'd lose yore love. [The preceding folk- lore or hoodoo penalty was and still is new to me, uhich may be the reason why I failed to ask an obvious question. What do you Dean by love? Would you lose your lover or sexual potency? Could these final words be a proverbial saying?]
Entry 9971
If yo' git de laid of a frog an' weah it in yore pock- et, dey say yo'll always be a lucky person. (That's lucky for anything?) Yes.
Entry 10040
De way ah've heard it, yo' ketch chew a black cat. It must be black cat an' when yo' ketch dat cat, yo' take it to de fo'ks of de road at twelve a'clock. Have yore watah hot. Don't kill 'im. Dive 'im in dat pot of hot watah an' shet it up, an' let 'im cook till hit cook de meat off 'is bones. Den yo' take all dose bones an' taken 'em down tuh de runnin' stream, de stream goin' dis way [demonstrates]. Dat's down, backwards is upwards. An' yo' po' dem bones intuh dat runnin' stream one at de time. An' de bone dat goes back up de stream, dat's de lucky bone an' yo' git dat.
(What do you do with that bone?)
Well, dey tell me yo' kin take dat bone an' tote it in yore pocket an' it brings good luck in love affairs, gamblin' an' sech lak as dat.
[While machine turned off informant says something about disappearing.]
(Use that same bone you say?)
Yes sir, yo' put it in yore mouth an' it makes yo' invisible, people can't see yo'.
Entry 10053
After killing black cat and sucking bone, go to three- pronged road 7 mornings before day, you will meet devil. Luck for seven years..[Deal Island, Md., resumé, 19:3.]
Entry 10060
Ah hear'd if a man wanted any luck, wanted tuh learn how tuh be a ex- pert or a musician, or if he wanted tuh be a expert gamblah or what not, dey goes out tuh dat crossroads fo' nine mawnin's. An' de ninth mawnin' when he go out there - but befo' he go out dere, he goes den an' he git 'im a black cat. Ah bettah [begin again] so yo' kin undahstan' it good. Befo' he goes tuh de crossroads dat nine mawnin's, he goes de firs' mawnin' an' he git 'im a black cat. An' he takes dat black cat an' he cares 'im out dere wit 'im tuh de crossroad nine mawnin's. An' when he cares 'im dere nine mawnin's, de ninth mawnin' when he git dere, dey says dat de devil 'imself meets 'im dere. An' dey says he'll tell 'im anything dat chew wan'a do or anything yo' wan'a know. Says, he'll give me anythin' between de sole of yuh haid an' de crown of yuh feet. [With a mixup like this between sole [soul] and crown, devil still must have been working.] He says, "It shall be granted tuh yo'." An' so when- evah he do dat, he takes dis black cat, which he's got alive, an' he gits 'im a pot.
(After he has gone there nine mornings, he takes the cat and gets this pot?)
Yessuh. An' when he gits dis pot, den he goes den tuh a stream of watah dat's runnin'. He makes 'im a fiah on de hill right up above de watah. An' when he makes dis fiah an' git dat watah boilin', he throws dat black cat in de pot alive an' lets dis cat cook alive. An' when de cat cooks until all de flesh has come off de bone, he takes de carcass of dat cat an' throw it in de runnin' watah. An' all de bones an' all de ones dat goes down de stream, he let 'em alone. He takes de - an' de bone dat runs up de stream, dat goes back up de stream de object [opposite] way, why he takes dat bone den an' he totes dat in 'is lef'-breas' pocket. An' when he tote it in 'is lef'-breas' pocket why anythin' he desires den, he'll git dat.
Entry 10096
I heard one fellow tell that too. As near as I can recall what he said. You take a black cat at twelve o'clock at night, boil the cat in hot Water until the flesh is boiled away from the bones. The first bone that floats up to the top of the water, you say certain words - I don't remember the words. You tie a string to the bone and keep the bone in your outh a certain length of time. Then tie that string around your neck with the bone hanging to it. That puts the person in the power of what they call...in ocher words he sells himself to the devil. He can work wonderful miracles. Be can do anything he wishes. It gives luck in gambling, too. [Fredericksburg, Ta., by Ediphone,62.]
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 10115
First you catch the cat, kill it, then you take the bone out of the front right leg. Take this bone and let it dry and tie it around your leg, either leg, and wear it all the time. That'll bring you luck.
[Fredericksburg, Va., Ediphone 50.]
Entry 10116
There was a fellow who used to say - a long time ago a fellow was not so very lucky, and another man told him to go and git hisself a black cat bone. He told him to go over into the graveyard and find whatsoever he could of a bone from a person, and then come back and git a black cat bone, and keep them in his pocket. He told him to git the fore right-hand arm of the black cat and keep it and the other bone in his pocket and his luck would change.
Entry 10125
They say you catch a black cat and boil him alive. And you take the bone from the left hind leg and wrap it in a piece of rag, and always carry it wherever you go. That makes you lucky in gambling always. If you do that you've sold yourself to the devil. [Petersburg, Va., first collecting visit there, Ediphone 34.1
Entry 10127
Take a [black] cat and cut off its hind leg, either [one], and wear it in a bag for luck. [Fredericksburg, Va., Ediphone 60.]
Entry 10139
I have heard of the scalp of a black cat being used. They take that and sew it in a bag and keep it for luck. [Ocean City, Md., Ediphone 14.]
Entry 10141
Dey go down an' take a black cat an' take an' boil 'im. Take him down side of a creek an' boil 'im. Boil 'im all tuh pieces an' take his bones out an' throw 'im intuh three streams of watah. (You throw these bones into three streams of water?) Yessuh, throw 'em in intuh three streams of watah an' de third bone dat come up tuh de top, an' yo' take dat third bone. Yo' take dat bone an' carry an' take it an' have it beat up, jes' groun' up lak yo' would shavin' somepin othah. Aftah dat, yo' take peppah an' take salt, an' yo' does dat way [sprinkles] ovah it fo' ten times. Den yo' take dat an' put it in a red flannel rag. Aftah yo' take dat red flannel rag an' put it [this mixture] in dat. den yo' take it an' tote it in yore Watch pocket al] de time. If yo' decide tuh gamble, yo' take it out chure watch pocket an' put it in de pocket where yo's money's in. Dat's lucky.
(That's lucky in gambling?)
Yes.
Entry 10144
Black cat ashes [surely a preparation sald by a hoodoo dealer!], left hind foot of rabbit.9 claws from rabbit. 9 needle points, 9 pin points, all in red flannel bag, which is fed with Jocley Clob per fe. Wear when gambling.
Entry 10148
You kill a black cat, boil it, then dry the bones. Put it in a luck bag and carry it around your neck for good luck. [Fredericksburg, Va., Ediphone cyl.45.]
Entry 10190
Burn candles fo' luck. You take the candle, an' put it in each of the four corners of your house an' on that you sprinkle a little of that sulphur. As ah said, sprinkle a little sulphur on it, and in a few minutes that sulphur will be burned away, but that atmos- phere is still there. You light each one of those candles and burn them, and while those candles are burning you says your prayers, an' that create luck in your house that way.
(What kind of luck do they do that for?)
Any kind of luck.
(What color candle did you say they use?)
Jest a plain white candle.
(Do you burn them at any special time?)
Twelve 'clock at night. You get more results out of those things at that time of night.
Entry 10196
Dey burn dose an' den dey read de Bible.
(How do you do that?)
Dey jes' sets 'em all round, but one will do.
(One candle.)
Yes, one will do. Set it in de room an' den yo' git chure Bible an' yo' read a verse, de firs' verse dat chew [see when you] open de Bible. Den yo' read dat. (And what color candle do you use?) Well, yo' kin git de red candle. (What is that supposed to do then?) Yo' burn it fo' luck. (What kind of luck?) Well, luck in anything come in, any kind of business yo' got, dat yo' wanted tuh increase.
Entry 10588
Ah heard of anothah thing in gamblin' but it's a hard thing tuh git. But ah believe dis cus' de man dat tole me, cos' he's daid now, but he used tuh be a great gambler. He tried tuh git me one dem once. Yo' ketch a leather-wing bat. Dey say if yo' kin ketch a leather- wing bat an' kill him, an' take his heart an' wrap it in a silk han'kerchief, an' wrap it round heah [demonstrates], yo' can't be caught in no poker game yo' play in.
(Wrap it in a silk handkerchief you say, and tie it around your arm.)
Tie it round yore arm an' wear it jes' whilst yo' playing. Dis fellah gambled wit 'em. Ah didn't gamble wit 'im, an' he gambled wit white people, wit colored people, an' ah've known him tuh have as much as two an' three thousand dollahs at one time. [I turned off machine too soon. Informant mentioned name of hotel where this gambler had worked.l
(He was working at the.... Hotel?)
Yessuh.
Entry 10602
Now a fellah tell me fo' a fact dat chew kin ketch a bat an' yo' kin carry dat round wit chew jes' like: yo' would take dem wings off him an' don't have nuthin but de bat, jes' de little ole skin. Ain't nuthin but skin nohow. Take de little ole bat, de little haid, an' put him in a papah sack or a cloth. Tie it up - sew it up jes' lak yo Would sew up a little bow, an' carry it out in yore pocket. An' yo' kin go an' do most anything yo' want. Ah don't know whether dat's true or not.
(You take just the wings off the bat though?)
Take de wings off.
(And just tie up the body?)
Tie up de body.
Entry 10623
De Adam-an'-Eve root, yo' takes de Eve [part] an' yo' takes it an' yo' weah it in yore pocket. If not dat, chew take a lil' root chew call - dat lil' root chuh call Adam. [Adam-and-Eve are on the same root.] Yo' take dis lil' root an' yo' take dese three needles an' yo' break 'em all three in three pieces, each one needle broke in three pieces. Well, dat supposed tuh be nine pieces. Yo' takes dis root an' dese needles an' let 'em stay in dis root three days. Takes dese needles from dis root an' throw it in runnin' watah [I inter- rupt]... (You throw the needles in the running water?) In runnin' watah. Yo' take dis dime an' puts it wit dis root an' tie it back up, an' if yo' goin' out fo' luck or anything, yo' wipes it 'cross yore face - wipes it 'cross yore face an' haid. An' takes de root an' puts it up, keep it from bein' annoyed - [anyone] git atter [get after] dis root - if yo' wanta have any luck.
Entry 10629
Take Eve-an'-Adam root an' Queen Elizabeth root an' five-finger grass an' bind dem together an' put on [them] whiskey, an' let it soak fo' seven days to abstract dere pow- ers. An' yo' take yore- self: yo' bathe yore body, anoint yore body [with this concotion] an' dey say dat will bring back love an' luck to yore lose ones, put man an' wife back together.
Entry 10662
Anvil dust mixed with guicksilver [often tinfoil, sometimes the scrap- ings from back of mirror, rarely real quicksilver] worn in pocket for gambling luck.
Entry 10676
Ah hear'd dey take a axe an' carry it down tuh de fo'ks of de road an' throu it back ovah yuh haid, ovah yuh shouldah, an' don't nevah even look back at it. Clain den dat'll dhmge yuh luck.
Entry 10697
Yo' go to a fortuneteller or Hoodoo and pay them a certain amount of money to have what is known as good luck to follow your home while you are gone. And it is said that she would tell you for this amount [of money given to her] to buy de Bible and not open it. Open it in de house [itself] and find de 17 division of Psalms, Psalms of David, [close Bible] and walk in yore garden and git as near de center as possible [here is a quincunx rite!] not yet opening Bible. And turn yore face as near towards de east as possible, and valk 17 steps and stop, and read de 17 division of de Psalms, and den close de book. And no harm will befall yore home or nuthin will happen to yore wife. (This is to sort of to protect your family; especially if a man is going away from home?) Yes, that's on leaving home. The same thing holds good, de wuman tole me, if a man's wife leaves him and he wants her to return.
Entry 10759
After you have a bath in that water, you put household ammonia and some sugar and some blueing [in the used] water, and that will uncross your bad luck, and bring you success- ful. An' yo' take that and you throw it where the sun rise.
Entry 10773
Ah heard sompin 'bout a broom. Now, yo take a broom now - dey claim dat yo' take a broom an' yo'll sweep with it. Well, now, if yo' take a broom an' lay it down an' step ovah it, it will give yo' bad luck. Always, if yo' step ovah a broom forward, step backwards ovah it an' dat give yo' good luck.
Entry 10787
If yo' see anybody comin' tuh yore house, throw a broom 'cross de do' like dis [demonstrates]. Step ovah it [demonstrates]. Dat's bad luck.
(To the person that is coming in?) Yes sir.
Entry 10795
Put a person in bad luck, yo' take de broom an' sweep him down every morning.
(How do you do that?)
Jes' take - leave him stand up in de house an' take yore broom an' sweep him down. Put him in all de worstest luck in de world. Or let somebody sweep 'cross yore foots [feet] wit a broom, dat de same thing.
Entry 10801
Keep de broom, de part chew sweep wit, let it stand up an' be in de right cor- ner of yore house. Dat's lucky fo' yo'. (What do you mean, the right corner of the house?) Jes' lak yo' come in, de right side of de house.
Entry 10802
Yo' take a broom. A broom is a concern, jes' say fo' instance, yo' vorkin' wit someone, yo' know, an' dey smart or sompin lak dat, an' yo' jes' haul off an' hit 'em wit de broom. Dat will make a person have bad luck. Put bad luck on dem. Dey'll either git fi'ed [fired from his work] or sompin vill bg pen to him. [For hitting person with broom, also see JAIL margin title under BROOM later.]
Entry 10818
If yo' use yore own broom to sweep yore house an' [somebody] else's that's a little bad luck on that. An' don't sweep yore yard wit de same broom yo' sweep yore house with. Dey say that's bad luck. They always say that if a person use de same broom to sweep de house with an' dey use the same broom to sweep de yard with, that brings about a little difficulty wit de family.
Entry 10839
About de vulture - de buzzards. Ah heard dat chew could git de redhead buzzard an' cut his head off, an' boil it an' git his brains, an' put it in a cup or in anything, jest confine it an' dig to de clay [dig through the top soil] an' bury it. Said dat would give you luck.
(Where do you bury that?)
On de no'th side of de house.
(Do they have any buzzards around here?)
Dey had red [head] buzzards heah, yes sir.
Entry 10842
Git de buzzard feath- ers. Burn dem all around yore place or jest burn 'em in yore yard - anything. Now, dey are very lucky.
Entry 10854
In gambling, yo' take an' git chew a dime worth of dat Georgia Pure Syrup [perhaps brand name] an' sprinkle a little sulphur in it an' cook it an' jes' pull it to a candy. An' when yo' git it to a candy, take a little piece - about dat much [shows a finger] an' wear it. After it git dry, yo' grease it an' wear it. An' ever' time yo' git in bad luck, yo' pull off an' yo' scrape a little of it in de bottom of yore shoe an' go on. Yore luck's always on.
(Luck in what?)
Fo' gamblin'.
(And you have a piece of this candy about the size of one of your fingers?)
Yassuh, a little piece about dat long, about de size of yore finger. An' old-fashioned candy, yassuh. An' ole reg'lah syrup candy. But chew put dat sulphur in it.
Entry 10873
Well, de hair from a black cat - a real black cat dat ain't got no white spot on him. Yo' know a black bone is lucky. Well, now, yo' tote dat in yore pocket in a gamblin' game. Git de hair from under de fo' laigs. (Under the four legs? Each one of the four. Each one of de fo' laigs.
(The hair from this black cat?)
Dat's right. An' dey tell me yo' go right behin' his ear an' pull it out, an pull it to yo', an' clip it from each one of his ears.
(Each one of his ears. Do you cut off the hair or the ears?)
Cut de hair.
(Cut the hair from each ear?)
From behin' each ear, an' de tip-end of his tail. An' dey tell me yo' kin do anythin' yo' wanta do.
(Well, what do you do with that hair after you fix it up?)
Fix it up, jes' keep it in yore pocket. Yo' wouldn't need to have no big bag, jes' a little small bag. Have it in yore pocketbook, jes' lak yo' goin' tuh git in a big poker game - a big gamblin' game.
Entry 10874
If yo' happen to see a cat - if it passes dat road, if it's a black cat, walk backwards, dey says, an' yo'll always succeed. But if he's a gray cat or a white cat, says step right on ovah it. (Over the cat.) Yeah, step right on ovah where he walks, but walk backwards if he's black an' yo' shore will have better luck.
Entry 10916
Heard dem say if folks wanta give you bad luck, dey kin go to grave- yard and git graveyard dust. And they kin take - and dey kin git some hair off a dog's back and cut de hair off a black cat's tail, and bury it under yore door, and dat will give you bad luck. (All those things together?) Suah [sir], all dem together and tie dem in a sack and put it under yo' door and give yo' bad luck.
Entry 10934
Catfish blood is supposed to be lucky fo' a gamblin' hand. Well, dey take de catfish an' cut him, an' de blood comes out, see, bleeds out. Den yo' take dat blood an' yo' wrap it up into a rag an' yo' bury it an' let it stay buried fo' eight days, so ah learnt, an' den take it up out of there an' put it in yore pocket an' dat supposed tuh be lucky [probably if you gamble on the 9th day].
Entry 10962
Dat chicken blood an' de bat heart, an' yo' take it an' put it in a bottle. An' take de chicken blood an' po' it into de bottle an' dat makes yo' lucky in yore home...an' de heart of a bat an' use de chicken blood.
Entry 11025
Dey use chicken feathers dey say fo' bad luck. Probably if yo' got some chickens or sompin lak dat an' ah wanta make yo' have bad luck, ah kin take de feathers from yore chick- ens and burn 'em in mah stove. See, an' use de ashes an' dese chicken fea- thers an' take 'em an' sprinkle 'em all round yore house. Dat will cause all yore chickens tuh die, or someone in yore family to die, or sompin lak dat. Dat's whut de' call a re- buke to a family. Or either if ah should happen to have tuh buy a chicken or sompin lak dat, ah kin git some of yore dirt from roun' in yore yard where yo' have travel on, an' use it an' burn it an' cause yo' tuh have bad luck to some of yore family or either probably to yo'.
Entry 11037
Take a chicken foot, take de right foot an' hang it up. Yo' take all of his toes an' yo' bend 'em down an' den yo' go into de [backhouse] an' hang it up, an' whatsomevah one jes' straightens out, dat's de one. Take dat along an' wear it in yore pocket an' in all yo' travels yo' always have luck.
Entry 11045
De rooster, ah know a little sompin 'bout him. Yo' kin take a rooster three yeahs ole an' kill him. Take his haid. Yo' see a ants' bed haven't yo'? Jes' take dis ole rooster's haid an' jes' put it in dat ants' bed an' let it stay. Yo' know de ants will shore eat de meat off de skull. An' let it stay dere jes' long enough fo' dose ants to git all de meat off de skull, go through his haid an' git all de brains an everything till it come to be testified [petrified?] an' ole. Well, dat's luck.
(How would they use - what would they do with that?)
After den, dis ole fellah tells me, yo' goes tuh de 67th [6th and 7th] Book Of Moses an' den he'll give yo' de direct answer.
Entry 11135
That's to keep you from [leaving the house]. (How do they do that?) Dey put it [cow manure] out and let it get dry. [I shut off machine too soon.]
(Crumble it up?)
Yes, sir, crumble it up, dry out and sprinkle it into your house. That will harm you, that will put chew in bad luck.
Entry 11166
(What do they do with the devil's-shoestring?)
Dey take dat and put it down in a bottle of perfume with some garlic and ies keep it in a bottle, you see. And if you got it at home, well every time you leave out of home, why you take it and rub it on your hands. Dat's fer luck. And fer your protection op de streets, you git dat devil's-shoestring and you take it and put it around your waist right to your skin. You tie it around your waist.
(What will that protect you from?)
Dat's to protect you from de law. All you gotta do is tie it to yoar shn.
Entry 11187
(You get what?)
Somepin lak de' call de devil's toothpick, dat's a root, an' keep dat in mah mouth 'long as ah'm roun' de house. Well, dey nevah bothah yo' an' nevah have nuthin tuh say tuh yo'. Jis' soon's [as soon as] yo' git out de house yo' kin take dat out yore mouth an' put it in yore pocket, but ah keep it always in mah pocket.
(Why do you keep that in your mouth when you are round the house?)
Well, yo' see, dat call fo' mah luck, yo' see, an' dey won't bothah yo' an' won't have nuthin tuh say tuh yo'. (I asked you if they could make me move out of the house. And if I don't want to move what can I do?) Aw - yo' ah use dat devil's toothpick - dat's if ah didn't wanta move. Yo' kin git dat in de woods yo' see. Very few people know what it is.
(What does it look like?)
Have yo' evah seen Italian [something?] whut made outa pipes [something?] a little root? [Does he mean brier?] It's sompin lak dat [demonstrates].
(It runs along the ground. Is it the same thing as devil's-shoestring?)
No suh.
(Where is the toothpick, on the vine or under the vine?)
It grows in knots jis' lak Italian [brier?].
Entry 11213
Take the dirt dauber and take dis man's name.
(Yes?)
And you write the man's name and you set this in the bottle, and when you puts this in the bottle...
(Now what do you put in the Bible?)
You puts - in de bottle!
(Oh, in a bottle. You put all this in a bottle?)
All this in a bottle. Well, I call a bottle a jar - one of these pickle jars - and put the vinegar in there with the man's name in there. That's the dauber dust. Then you takes this man's name and you just put the pin and the tacks and the needles in there. And then you put it in there, and every day at twelve o'clock you shake it up and call this man's name. Every day you do the same thing until the ninth day that you see that you get your wishes.
(What kind of wishes do you make?)
Well, the wishes that I would make, would be the bad destruction on him. That'd be bad luck for him to have. That's the bad wishes.
Entry 11215
Dirt dauber nest, pound, put piece of garlic with, in purse for luck. [Garlic is lucky because it is a witchcraft deterrent.]
Entry 11230
For real good luck - real shure 'nuff good luck - yo' kin steal a dishrag outa dere house. Jes' slip [in] unbeknowst to 'em an' steal a dishrag, an' go ahead an' bury it some place way out [where houses and people are few] an' yo' git all de luck an' dey won't have any. Dey have yorn bad luck an' yo' have dere good luck.
Entry 11343
Take dragon blood an' dress it with Hearts Cologne, sompin lak that, a' jes' use it in yore home. That would make it lucky fo' things lak that. (If you were selling liquor or anything of that sort.)
Entry 11369
Dey say de fig tree leaves is good fo' luck. See, yo' take dem an' put 'em in yore cifforobe [combination of wardrobe and chest of drawers (U. S. A.) or yore trunk or put 'em in yore billfold, de fig leaves. Dey are nice fo' luck. Jes' take a leaf yo' know, lak a little young leaf-lak, a little young one, yo' know, not one de great big ones. Put it some- where yo' kin handle it, jes' spread it out.
Entry 11371
Dey take de root of a fig tree from de no'th side an' hang it up ovah de do' dat chew go in an' out de most, an' it would make yo' be lucky in havin' a job or anything yo' wanta undertake tuh do.
Entry 11372
Ah know if yo' go to a fig tree an' cut a root outa fig tree - cut dat root 'bout large as yo' could hold it in a pocketbook - well, it's luck to yo'. An' den in any kinda games - yo' are lucky in any kinda games wit fig root. Yo' know, put it in yore pocket an' tote it lak dat. It's lucky.
Entry 11642
Now mah sister, she gambled - she used tuh gamble. She don' gamble no mo'.... But fo' luck fo' gamblin', tuh eat herrin's or sardines, dat'll give 'em [luck]. (Luck for gambling?) Yes.
Entry 11666
Yo' go down to de fo'k of de road an' yo' kin take a fresh aig - jes lak yo' in bad luck. Git a fresh aig an' a penny an' throw it cross yore shoulder at de fo'k of de road an' walk on an' don' look back. After while it put chew in good luck. (You throw that penny and
[WHY EGG? THAT IS PAYMENT FOR SPIRIT OF THE FORK] the egg over it [shoulder]?)
An' de aig ovah - both of 'em together, an' throw it cross yore shoulder an' walk on - de left shoulder and walk on. An' why dat put chew in good luck? An' de one dat come an' find dis penny, it put dem in bad luck. [This is a tranference rite, very common in wart cures.]
Entry 11671
When yo' go to a forks of de road, make a cross mark an' go. If yo see a fork of de road, make a cross mark an' go [on your way]. Said yo' more den apt to be lucky. Dat's whut ah heard, yo' more den apt to be lucky. [For luck by making cross at fork of road, see No.11668.]
Entry 11686
Yo' go out dere 'fore day in de mawnin' an' git a twig offa tree at de fo'ks of de road an' use it. Yo' kin use it fo' luck, fo' bad luck, an' dey use it with dis red flannel. Ah 'magine yo' seen red flannel. Yo' use red flan- nel. An' git chew a twig while de sap is in it, but chew cain't git it when it's dry, at de fo'ks of de road. Dat cause people tuh has spells, fallin' outa beds, agony in de haid, agony in de feet, athaletics feets an' all lak dat. (What do you do with this twig? How do they work that?) Well, yo' git chew a piece of red flannel an' git chew some turpentine an' asafetidy an' boil it all tuhgethah in 'bout, jes' say 'bout a cup of watah an strain it an' po' all dat drugs [dregs], let say yo' has drugs tuh it, an' strain it through dat red flannel. An' aftah yo've strained it through de red flannel, den yo' use only de watah, understan'. Set dis watah in a dark place in a closet an' keep dis twig in dis red flannel wrapped. Yo' kin weah dis roun' yore neck fo' luck fo' yo'self. An' de watah fo' bad luck yo' kin sprinkle around a person's do'steps tuh cause 'em tuh move. If yo' wanta sprinkle it fo' luck, if yo' Wanta sprinkle it, yo' kin sprinkle it tuh cause 'em tuh move. Yo' kin sprinkle it fo' a person dat's sick, tuh make 'em have iller health. Yo' kin sprinkle it where a person is sick, tuh make 'em have bettah health; accordin' tuh whut chew magic' but chew gotta git it from de fo'ks of de road 'fore day in de mawnin'.
Entry 11687
Yo' go tuh de fo'k of de road - fo' luck yo' mean? [I probably nodded yes.] Fo' luck. An' yo' turn around twice [stand- ing in same place] an' on de right han' side, not on de left-han' side. An' yo' succeeds dere on de right han' of de road. Don' nevah look back, jes' keep right on on de right han' side, yo' understan'. An' right at de bend of dat fo'k of de road - dere's three fo'ks of de road. Well, at de second fo'k of de road, yo' look right at de second road.
Entry 11721
(What is goofer dust?)
Well, it's not a particular thing. It's sompin jes' lak whut chew say, a reefer. It's not a twig, it's mo' of a flour [ = powder-like] but it's ground, ground into a powder, an' they use it fo' sprinklin' fo' luck an' they throws it on peoples' po'ch fo' bad luck. (What is a reefer?) reefer is somepin lak a cigarette; dey smoke reefers - uh-huh, jes' lak hops.
(Drugs?)
Uh-huh.
Entry 11855
Well, yo' see now, it's anothah story. A lady an' her husban', yo' know, dey were gittin' 'long all right. So she saw somebody else she liked an' so she, yo' know, comes right to de front of it wit her husband an' dey nevah wanta agreein' in de home, so she say, "Well, ah dunno, seem lak mah mome is gittin' too upset. Ah dunno, seem lak ah dunno whut tuh do." So dis kept on workin' lak dat. So ah guess in travelin' an' talkin' roun' - prob'ly in, up an' down de streets, so dis [would spread] - 'nothah man or woman, somebody, say, "Whut? Yo' dunno whut tuh do wit chure home?" Says, "No." Say, "Don' be silly, go an' git chew some luck." Said, "It'll make yore home all right." Say, "Will ah be able to work ut? Ah don' know whut tuh do or how tuh do it." So, [she or someone] said dat dis man says, "Well, ah'll see yo' ag'in an' talk wit chew."
['"Dis man" wanted time to inquire about doctors.]
"Okay." An' so prob'ly latah dey got tuhgethah, see. Say, "Seem lak mah home is still gittin' worsah an' worsah an' 'stead a-git' tin' bettah, ah want chew tuh prove whut chew wuz talkin' tuh me 'bout." Says, "Okay." Says, "W'yn't [why not] yo' git chew a cah [car] an' go down South an' git chew some luck. Don' chew know whut tuh do tuh take ca' yo' home?" Says, "No." Says, "Well, ah've got de money if yo' kin git a cah." Says, "Well, ah kin git chew a cah all right." So he got a cah an' so dey went down South. So de ole man commence 'splainin' tuh him whut it wuz all about. So he tole 'em, says, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do." Says, "Yo' right easy when she go tuh bed," says, "at night," says, "cut so many strands of her hair." Says, den go down below an' cut so many down dere." An' he says, "Yo' git dat all tuhgethah an' put a lil' of 'er sickness. Ketch onto her monthly an' take a lil' of 'er sickness, an' two strands off 'er haid, two down there, an' a lil' of her sickness, yo' know. Put dem togethah an' tie it up in a lil' bag." An' said, "An' every month when she be lak dat, yo' watch closely an' yo' git a drop of her sickness an' jes' damp it wet lak dat, see, an' she be all right. She'll take care of yo'."
Entry 12136
Dat's usin' dis heah, whut chew call oil of peppermint an' Hearts Cologne. Yo' kin take dat an' mix it together an' every morning when yo' git up, before yo' speak to anyone, yo' kin put it in yore hand an' rub it in yore hand, an' den jest say, "De Lord is my shepherd" - hold yore hands touards de sun an' say, "De Lord is my shepherd an' I will"... [demonstrates]. (Hold the palms of your hands up like that.) Yeah, de palms of your hands up towards de sun an' say, "De Lord is my shep- herd an' I shall not want." An' you will be very lucky all that day an' things will come to yo' whut chew wouldn't a thought would come to you, see. It gives yo' better luck all dat day.
Entry 12165
Well, yo' uses holy watah lak fo' somepin good. Yo' kin use it lak fo' sprinklin' round yore house, yo' see. An' then yo' kin git a bottle of holy watah an' keep dat on de back- side of yore bed. Lak de bed. An' ah put a leetle string [on the bottle] an' keep it hung on dere [behind bed]. Dat's luck, yo' know. It's successful [brings success] in yore home, too.
Entry 12189
Ah heard dat chew could take a horseshoe off a grey horse an' turn it up, de p'int up ovah yore do', an' yo'll be lucky an' de home will be lucky.
Entry 12204
Ah've heard about horseshoe nails. Dey tell me yo' git nine horse- shoe nails dat's mighty good luck. But de way ah've heard about de nine horse- shoe nails, yo' take them nine horseshoe nails an' wrap them up in a piece of flannel cloth. Jes' have de head this way heah, jes' change 'em disaway [informant demonstrates].
(You put one head one way and one the other.)
Yes sir. An' then yo' - after yo' put a piece of cord, yo' tie it tight. An' dey say yo' keep dat in yore house. That's mighty good luck in yore home.
Entry 12205
De horseshoe - git nine horseshoe nails, an' yo' tie 'em head an' tail, an' yo' name 'em, an' put 'em ovah yore do', an' dat's fo' luck.
(What would you name them?)
Well, yo' name 'em fo' jes' whut chew want 'em tuh do.
Entry 12207
Sech as ah heard people take horseshoe nails. An' dey take 'em an' make a [finger] rind out of 'em tuh give 'em luck.
(Lucky for what?)
Fo' gamblin' or fo' anything. (A horseshoe-nail ring?) Yes.
Entry 12216
Well, yo' goes tuh work an' yo' git chew some incense an' yo' burn it in yore lamp or anywhere, roun' evah mawnin' 'fore de sun rise. An' yo' talk tuh de incense whilst it Smokin' - whilst it burnin' - an' say whut chew want it tuh bring toward yore place, an' dat will bring yo' good luck.
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 12280
Yo' kin tie a knot in a rope or either in a pocket han'ke'ch'ef or sompin lak dat an' yo' kin use it. Dat's whut dey call a jinx to peoples. Ah could tie a knot in yore pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' dat could be a jinx to yo'. An' aftah [that] ah wash it an' den pressed it out. Dat's ohut dey call a jinx to a person. It's no luck to nobody, a pocket han'ke'ch'ef wit knots in it. Or either some peoples passes by yo' might seen clothes line hangin' out. Peoples could put knots in dat fo' a jinx to peoples which dey call bad luck. An' den dey kin fix it in dere fo' luck fo' peoples. It's a certain way dey tie it. Some of 'em tie it in a bow knot an' some they call it in de crawfish oot an'....
Entry 12291
Wal, say yo' tie twelve knots in a cotton string an' wear dat string right on - next to yore flesh. Quite natural yo' dresses dat string wit not a thing in de world but Hearts Own Perfume an' wear it right nex' to yore skin.
(What do you wear that for?)
Well, yo' see dat give yo' luck - keep hard luck away from yo' an' bring good luck to yo'.
Entry 12306
When you receive a letter, rub it with a four-leaf clover and wear the letter and it will affect the writer's hand. My original pencil transcript attached to original manu- script comments "doubtful," showing how critical I was at an earlier collecting day. A clover of 4 leaves, a good-luck symbol would counteract any bad luck! If you believed it did.
Entry 12337
Ah tell yo' what ah used tuh use. Git de horseshoe - yo' know when dey are shoein' de horse, yo' take de hoof [cut off] an' yo' take a stuff dey call limestone, an' red onion peels, an' red pep- per an' burn it together. Why dat brings luck. See dat bring yo' luck.
Entry 12375
Lak now, say, if yo' wuz mad wit me. Well, if ah go to one of dese iucky men's, see, an' git me some of dis hoodoo stuff. Well, now, yo' don't come tuh mah house but Sarah ovah dere comes. Well, yo' give dis tuh Sarah an' Sarah vill come to mah house an' de fireplace is broken up heah or down heah. [Sarah vill] poke dat stuff in dere. All right. I got tied because it's in mah house all de time.
Entry 12405
All round where you live [here in New Orleans they throw] the dead- head matches - not the matches that ain't struck - the matches that are al- ready struck. Thrown all around. Will put you in the worst kind of luck, same thing [as something else we were talking about]. Throw them all around your door.
Entry 12426
Talking about anything of that sort [informant shows me something].
(Oh, yes, un huh. That's to be worn isn't it? For protection, isn't it?)
It's for protection. See this is a picture of...
(Of our Lord?)
Of our Lord, yes. Now, this is for protection. This is for protection, you wears this to your heart, you know, right around your neck here, you see [demon- strates]. But of course I totes it in my pocket and that's for luck. I HAVEN'T GOT ANY OF MY OTHER MEDALS AND THINGS ON ME, but now, I never knowed they take and use medals for harm. I know of 'em using medals for to do good - to do good, you see. [New Orleans, La., (832), 1245:1.] - Hoodoo - Conjuratfon - Witchcraft - Rootwork -
Entry 12470
Yo' git some mule hoof an' burn it, cross it [make sign of cross with it] fo' yo' luck, right lak that. An' sprinkle a little salt an' a little sulphur. An' in burnin' this yo' calls fo' rich man's name. An' even to that chew ask fo' yo' luck. An' yo'll be successful in whut chew tryin' tuh do.
(If you are trying to rent something or sell something?)
Yessuh.
(If you are trying to sell liquor or anything?)
Yessuh.
(Now, I'll take up this ashes [cigar ashes in tray on interviewing table]
and you put them in the shape of a cross like that [I demonstrate]. You sprinkle them in the shape of a cross?) Yes, yo' sprinkle that, then yo' sprinkle this. Then yo' make the second cross an' sprinkle that. (But you make one cross with the mule ashes first? Then the other crosses you make with this other stuff?) Yes, yes.
Entry 12519
Take de red onion an' git de outside peelin', dat hard part, off. Put sugah intuh de onion an' put it on a hot stove an' let it jis' burn. Burn till it's all gone away. Dat supposed to make luck in yore house. Say, fo' instance if yo' were sellin' whiskey, dat supposed tuh bring customers.
Entry 12522
At six 'clock in de evening and six 'clock in de morning, you git up and yo' take a onion an' sprinkle red pepper on it. An' put it behind yore front door and you put it on a paper and sit it down and burn it. Don't let nobody come bother you or no one know you doing that.
(Well now, what will that do then?)
It bumn aad supposed to bring luck to you [in business].
Entry 12524
As I told you a while ago, you use that just like you do garlic, but you cut the onion up fine and put it in hard water, and you put salt in there instead of sugar. And you, just like a person tell me to mop their house, I'm sup- posed to keep their house mopped out with that, and instead of having good luck, it's bad luck. You get arrested or anything. That Salt jinX them. [AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER, THIS IS THE ONLY HARD WATER RITE IN "HOODOO," and it Was given by that professional hoodoo woman from Shreveport, La., the woman who said, "They tried to run me out of Louisiana." Little did either of us realize that within a few hours I myself would be chased out of Memphis!]
Entry 12534
Yo' take a red onion fo' yo' luck, dey say. Yo' tie it up in somepin tight - sompin lak dis heah [informant has handkerchief or something]. All right, yo' put a cord or sompin around it an' wear it round heah [see later], but if yo' scared dat somebody see it round heah, wear it round heah.
(Wear it either around their neck or around their waist?)
Entry 12535
(What do you do with the red onion?)
Well, dey say if yo' break de skin of it an' jes' carry it in yore pocket, some of it, or either throw it away, jes' throw it away, dey say dat's lucky. If yo' boil it, boil yo' three dimes in it an' den drink de watah, dat's lucky fo' yo' - yore in- come will be good.
Entry 12544
Dey tell me yo' git some lodestone an' git chew some sen-sen an' a red onion. An' yo' peel dis red onion an' take de hull an' drop de sen-sen down in it. [Sen-sen Was or is trade name of small lozenges to suck to sweeten breath.] An' yo' look in de east an' ask de Lord tuh move yore enemies an' bring yo' luck an' peace. An' den yo' sprinkle de sugah ovah dis same thing an' dis red onion. An' yo' walk to yore front do' an' walk back- vards to yore back do' nine times, aftah yo' fire it back. Dat will bring yo' peace an' yo' be's successful wit chure friends.
Entry 12572
[The former silver dime of the United States of America Was the magic lord of money during my collecting days - the 30's and early 40's - but not far behind was the lowly copper- based penny or one-cent piece. This remarkable coin as an awesome object I first heard about from my Pullman porter on the former Pennsylvania Railroad between Chester, Pa., and Baltimore, Md., in rite No.2108, p.6ll, v.l. An early list of penny rites is given in Nos.2108-2127, Pp.6ll-615. In the rites now following most of them are new, others merely show the ubiquity of the beliefs. I shall begin with the new]: Take de brown money we call de pennies, lil' pennies, yo' know, an' burn it till it git real black, one penny. An' git some spirits of rosin - it grows when de turpentine run yo' know - an' put in some flour. Mix it together, flour dough, an' mix it together an' then tie it round yore waist, an' carry it wit chew an' yo'll be lucky.
(Lucky in what?)
In gambling.
(You just burn this penny until it is black?)
Yes.
Entry 12575
Fo' luck. Yo' jes' take a penny an' yo' tack it right under de piece right by yore do' - right in front de do' ~ where de folks walk backwards an' farwards cross it. Yo' jes' tack it where nobody won't take it up, where dey wouldn't see it [or step on it either, because it is under the overhang of the tread. Normally this coin is reposed, if trade is wanted].
(What will that do then, for you?)
Make luck fo' yore house.
(For customers?)
Yes, an' keep yore house lucky. Jes' lak ah 'fore tell yo' [told you before] about dat same potash an' 'bout dis penny, dat makes luck fo' yore house.
(Keeps the law away.)
Yes sir, de revenuers.
Entry 12623
A man said if: I could take a needle and 3 grains of pepper, red pepper, de seed of it, and some water and put in it, and salt, and then a few grains of black pepper. And take that needle and stick it down in that bottle. And when you get ready to go out, you go and take that bottle up and jis' shake [a magic act] it up and say, "Good luck and good prospire" [prosperity]. And go out. And he said, "You get a job." The man that told me that...and I declare I went and did it, I fixed it up, and I declare I git the job, the one I got now. And I've been with it over a year.
Entry 12705
Take de quick- silver an' melt it up an' put it in a bottle an' put bluein' in dere an' carry it 'long [with you]. Dat's fo' good luck.
(Quicksilver? You mean that paper that comes around plug tobacco?)
Yessuh.
Entry 12717
Take graveyard dirt an' dey would go an' git it an' put it in a bag. Co to de head of a sinner's grave, dat is someone in hard luck [goes]. Dey go to de head of dis sinner grave an' dig down to de marshy dirt. Yo see dat on top is dry an' den why when you dig down in de ground it's marshy. An' dey dig down an' git some of dis marshy dirt off of a sinner grave from de head. An den dey would put it in a bag an' git whut dey call a rabbit foot an' put in dere with it, an' dat would cause to bring good luck. (If you are out of luck, you wear it or carry that. What foot do you get from the rabbit?) De left foot, de back.
Entry 12723
Then yo' take - now if yo' a gamblin' man, yo' kin take a rabbit an' ketch him. Take his left front feet an' cut it off right in de knee joint dere, an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne am' put on it. Keep it up tlll it git dry, yo' take it an' put it right in yore fob pocket up heah on yore pants, an' go to a gae an' rub it in yore han' lak dat [demonstrates]. Rub it in dere. Go in dere am' vin whut chew wanta win. Dat de way ah did.
Entry 12754
Ah heard dat chew could [take] a raven's aig. Go find his nest an' take de aigs outs his nest an' boil 'em. Say, cook 'em, an' return 'em back to dat nest, an' dat raven would go somevhere an' git a stone, an' bring it back an' jes' put it in dat nest. Den yo' go dere an' git dat stone, an' yo' have all de luck yo' wanta fo' anything. [This egg-substitution rite in various forms is told about different birds in HOODOO.]
Entry 12758
How, [of] course I Was bootlegging myself and I had a powder that I used to use. Of course, this pow- der come from Germany [which may nor have been true]. (What was it called?) Well, I don't know the name of the powder, but it was mixed up with a simple thing, some Gretna. (Oh, you called it Gretna?) [This could be something sold by someone in Gretna back in 1938.] Gre tna.
[I turn off machine but restart it at word sugar.]
(Yes, and you mixed it with sugar, you say?)
Mix it with sugar.
(And it turned what?)
It would turn red, and after [that] you would burn it, you'd have to burn it With solid white paper. And after you would burn this, about ten minutes after that, you wouldn't have to worry. You could be sitting down and people would come from all, every direction, to your place to buy stuff there.
(How much did you pay for that?)
One dollar.
(One dollar, I see.)
Yes, sir.
(They made it in Germany. What color powder was it?)
It was a red powder. [This is an interesting illustration of hundreds of special or isolated mixtures floating about, compounds that never came into general use. I am guessing that this Was a cheap incense, though a dollar dur- ing the Great Depression Was money!]
Entry 12775
[Letter "s" in this long CHANNEL DE WORLD division begins perhaps with the largest sentence in HOODOO:] They say, if yo' take the Twelve Apos- tle's names like I told joo, an' write 'em on a piece of paper, or each Apostle's name on a sage leaf, an' have the Apos- tle's names on another piece of paper, fold them toward joo all the time, an' keeps 'em in your pocket an' have 'em whensomever yo' go for a job, they say he'll [you will] more than apt to be lucky. [For sage leaves and court see also No.9117-9137, some of which also contain 12 Apostles, v.4.]
Entry 12779
Ah heard you could take - get some kind of oil and stuff and use like that, and then, if anybody [in the game] had any wager in dere against you, or you was playing against wager or somepin like dat, why you could take dat. Take a frog - use a toadfrog and carry 'em in dere, and take that salt and pepper and sprinkle it.... [Here I turned off machine but decided to continue.]
(How do you...)
[You are having bad luck because someone:]
Done went to somewhere and got somepin stronger than what you got dere - Luck.
(What do you do with that frog?)
You put him in your pocket.
(I see. And what about the salt and pepper?)
You take that salt and pepper and sprinkle it around in your house where you playing at.
(I see. That's to break up that wager.)
Wager that luck against you.
(That weight [luck] against you.)
Entry 12879
Take de scissors an' don' close 'em up, open dem out yo' know, an' stick dem [them] down jes' undahneath yore bed. Stick de points up lak dat [demonstrates]. Keep yo' in good luck.
(Have the scissors open and the points sticking up under your bed?)
Yes. Yo' know, jes' lak de scissors open dis way, an' jes' stick dem down dat way [demonstrates]. [Points of scissors stick down into floor.] Or eithah a glass of watah. Yo' see, dat glass of watah, jes' have enough watah in it to know dere's watah in de glass undah yore bed. Dat's for luck.
(The points of the scissors are sticking down to the floor under the bed.)
Entry 12884
Scrub it out good with Red Seal Lye, got the red seal [trademark] on it...an' yo' wrench [rinse] it good this day - like today - and tomorrow you go there and you use nine buckets of water. And the ninth bucket of water you put sugar and cinnamon and Burben fast luck in it, and it'll be lucky and you'll, can rent the house.
(What kind of fast luck?)
Berb - bur - I believe - Burbeans - you know that spells beans.
(Burbean's?)
Yeah, Burbean's Fast Luck.
(What is it, an oil or a powder?)
It's a oil-like. You gets that outa the drug store.
Entry 12929
An' some say yo' git dis heah Be Shame Root, Be Shame Brier an' git hit an' cut it up an' put it in dere an' put dis heah Hearts Cologne wit it.
(What do you put that root in?)
In a cloth an' sew it up an' wear it. Say dat will make yo' be lucky in any- thing yo' put chure han' tuh do. [Root became a normal hand for any kind of luck.]
Entry 12987
De best luck is a silver dime. Git chew a silver dime an' git chew some dis heah stuff yo' cut outa a hank[?] - cheap boxes yo' know. Take dat dere stuff [packing] an' dat silver dime... [interviewer interrupts].
(Is it sort of sawdust or shavings?)
An' put hit an' de dime an' some salt an' a piece of red flannel, an' sew it an' wear it round yore laig.
(What will that do?)
That will keep you lucky...
[I ask what kind of luck and restart machine.]
Any kind of luck - most any kind of luck.
Entry 12999
Well, if a man want luck in gambling, well, he'd wanta got Lost John powder. [This could be my only example of Lost John.] (What kind?) Lost John. (Lost John?) Lost John powder, it's good luck. You take Lost John powder and you put it in your pocket. All right, you go get you some pulverized bluestone. You take you five dimes and you boil that in two quarts of water. You boil that water down to one quart [magic of diminishing amount.] You put it in somepin and measure it. You put it in somepin and you boil it until it comes down to one quart [diminishing amount] one quart of water. You gets one quart of water, you pout one teaspoonful of pulverized bluestone, one teaspoonful of granulated sugar, one teaspoonful of sulphur, and well shaked [shake well]. You take your five dimes out of that water after it's boiled and put 'em - you can use them again, you can spend them. [Often articles used in rites cannot be used again, they are dangerous.] You take that and you shake it up - well shaked. You can take that and rub it in the band of your hat, and you go anywhere in town and you can have luck: with the laws, the police, or anything like that. They ain't going to worry with you.
(What do you do with that Lost John root powder? What do you do with that?)
That Lost John root you tote that in your pocket. Tote that in your pocket.
Entry 13001
Ah've heard of a person dat gambles, if dey want 'em to have good luck in gambling, take a silver quarter [25c], a silver halfa a dollah [50c] an' dey fix dat up in a package or rag or some way, an' tote it with 'em. Keep it on 'em an' that will give 'em luck fo gambling. Use Hearts Cologne on it [to feed it].
Entry 13003
Usin' a bull dollah - a silver dollah.
(They call it a bow dollar? Why do they call it a bow?)
Dey always claim they could work roots with it. (That's what they call a silver dollar: a bow dollar - bull dollar? Do you mean like a bow - like this kind of a bow?) [I demonstrate either by holding and drawing a bow, or drawing design on paper.] Ah don't know how yo' spell it. It jes' a bow. Git chew a bow dollah an' go to any sto' an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne. An' yo' take this heah bow dollah an' yo' take an' rub it with this heah Hearts Cologne. An' take an' put it in a red flannel sack an' wear it round yore waist, where it will 'cumu- late money to yo', bring happiness to yo', an' yo' jes' be lucky all de time.
Entry 13240
Take a little bit of sugar and a little bit of coffee and tie it up in your handkerchief - or bread, either one, it's very good. It's luck, if you put it inside of your handkerchief and carry it around on you. It's very good.
(That's for good luck?)
Sugar is drawing you know - they all is drawing you see, because the spirits 11kes those things.
Entry 13251
Well, ah heard dat chew burn sulphur in yore house dat wus luck tuh yore enemies and den it wus bad luck tuh yore neighbors, because it's 'cordin' tuh de way yo' burn dat. Yo' burn dat sulphur certain hours in de night fo' luck fo' yo' friends, an' den yo' burn it certain hours fo' luck fo' yo' enemies. Dat means dat yo' enemies whut chew burn fo' dem will cause dem tuh be in hard luck. An' whut chew burn fo' yore friends dat'll be good luck, but it be certain hours of de night - from 12 to 4 in de mawnin'. Yo' burn sulphur in de night about 12 a'clock. When yo' burn dat sulphur why yo' burn dat sulphur fo' yo' friend providin' if her enemy tryin' tuh harm her an' tuh keep her enemy from harmin' 'er. Well, 4 'clock in de mawnin' yo' burn de sulphur fo' de enemies. See.
Entry 13252
Ah've heard of dem using sulphur. Dey kin burn sulphur in a house fo' good luck. An' den, if dey uses de bluestone long wit de sulphur, an' take it to people's house, dey take it an' burn it in front of dey doorstep at night. Dat will bring dem all kind of bad luck.
Entry 13437
[Here is a simple, unusual and probably rare rite:] "If some people do things to you like that, an' you in bad luck an' things like that, well the best thing to do is to walk acrost a pond - a pond where clear water at. You go acrost that pond an' it will change your luck." [This of course is a substitute for running water, the reason for the insistance on clear water. One hears little about ponds in HOODOO, I was not seeking general folklore.]
Entry 13449
Well, now a persimmon - de persimmon ain't much good as dat. But de weepin' willow tree, it's mighty fine fo' luck. A weepin' willow tree, is mighty lucky.
(Well, how do you do that?)
Well, yo' take dat an' gits de leave of it, de roots of it, an' dry it. When yo' shake it dry, den yo' jes' put it in a bottle an' set it up on de mantel- piece. About once a month yo' take a taste of it. An' ah declare hit'll bring luck in yore home fo' hit shore brought it in mine. [Since the weeping willow is a tree of ill-omen and generally considered unlucky, our present rite is unusual, one of defiance of fate, or one based upon contraries, or the well- known poison kills poison doctrine.]