Subject:Mirror
Entries
Entry 592
Well, I've hear'd of 'em gittin' dirt from de fork of de road. Well, if a - you could go to the fork of the road and git dirt. You works with a mirror. You takes a mirror and you bury it at the fork of a road. Understand? And you let that mirror stay there for three days and afterward you digs this mirror up, and you don't want to be de first one to look into it. Let a cat, either a dog, look into it first. Then after that you can know just what you wants to know through this mirror if anything coming against you.
(You can see it in that mirror?)
Yes, sir - that what ah knows about the fork in the road.
Entry 2921
Dey said tuh take a black candle an' de person's name dat chew want out of de way, write it on dat candle and burn it down; but place a mirror behin' dat candle and when it burns out it wouldn't be long befo' de person dies.
Entry 2970
Ah was cooking fo' a lady in this town - now this is real fresh [personal experience] - and another lady, a real dark lady, wanted the job. She wanted the job where ah was at. And of course ah took sick. In a few days ah recovered and went back down there and the [boss] lady had hired another woman. Well, she [new cook] got afraid that the lady was goin' tuh take me back - which she had tole me tuh come back to the job - she was afraid she was goin' tuh take me back, understand. Then she [boss lady] told me, she says, "Sarah, is yo' able to work?" Ah said, "Yessum, ah kin work some, Miz Smith, but ah'm not give you all the labor that choo do have, and ah drather not work, not jest now." So ah goes back down there when ah got able tuh work and under the kitchen cabinet as ah went out of the door ah viewed two - three black candles.
(In the kitchen where you worked?)
Where ah worked at, yes sir, under the kitchen cabinet, and all three of 'em was aburning. Well, ah didn't say anything to her about those candles.
(You didn't say anything to the cook about them?)
No, ah didn't say anything to her. So that night when ah went to bed, ah dreamed about those candles, and she told me in mah sleep, "Those is to keep you away an' to keep you ailing." And then ah told another old Indian lady [hoodoo doctor] about it that come to our house, and she tole me, she say, "You take a looking-glass and turn it on its face under yore bed and you'll put those things out." Well, ah did that and shore enough, ah never seed any more of 'em. Ah visited jest to see was they still burning. So ah didn't say anything to her about 'em atall. But ah found out [from doctor] through that that's what she was burning 'em fo'. An' she's got the job today - today.
Entry 5457
Ah heard a lady dat ah knew, she wanted tuh do a person a very bad trick. She taken a bran'-new bucket, a tin bucket dat nevah been used. Put dat bucket dere an' put some graveyard dirt in it. An' put dat lady's name in whut she jis' didn't care much fo' in dere. An' walked tuh a place an' took 'er left foot, mashed it in de ground, so she could git de print of 'er foot. An' put dat in dat new bucket, an' bought a bran'-new looking glass - bran'-new ten-cent glass an' put dat in de bucket. An' den she buried dat. Dat's tuh turn them down against de world. She buried dat glass an' de left print of foot, an' de graveyard dirt, an' put it in dis new bucket an' buried it. She wuz buryin' 'er down. (She put this graveyard dirt in the bucket and then she puts this woman's name in the bucket.) De name on a papah. (Then suppose I'm doing this to you. Then I make my own footprint, put my own footprint on top.) Ah'm de one supposed tuh be puttin' mah prints on top of yo'. (You are putting your prints on me to keep me down. I understand.) [An old note of mine read, "Woman talks so fast."]
Entry 5554
Take up a track an' put it ovah a glass.
(On a glass. What kind of a glass?)
Eny kin' of lookin' glass.
(Oh! It must be a looking glass, a mirror?)
No, a mirrah [mirror] glass. An' yo' ta' kem [take them] back home.
(That all you do to it?)
No, den go tuh work an' take.some sweet cologne [unusual term] an' sprinkle 'em in de track.
(Which track do they get?)
Dey git de right-foot track. Pick it up - shovel it up an' put it on de mirrah, an' take dat cologne an' sprinkle ovah it an' put it tuh one side. An' evah day dey goes in dere an' sprinkle some more cologne fer nine days, an' in de nine days he'll come back.
Entry 7211
A gamblin' han' [the best] dat yo' evah had, if yo' wan'a gamblin' han'. Well, yo' might go intuh a graveyard where dere somebody dat yo' know well, an' dey been buried fo' several days or several yeahs, yo' might say. Yo' take dere fingah dey call a dog fingah. (Which is the dog finger? Point it out to me. Which is the dog finger?) Here 'tis, right cheah [here]. (Well, which hand?) On de right han' [demonstrates]. (All right, I see the index fin- ger of the right hand.) Dat will be de right han' dere. Dat is de third fingah from de front. (The middle finger, then, on the right hand?) Dat is de thing. (All right, the middle finger.) All right. Den yo' take dat fin- gah an' clean de bone in milk - git de li'le bone out, but yo' gotta do all dat work at twelve o'clock at night. An' yo' find yo'self dere when yo' boilin' dat. WHILE BOILIN' DAT BONE DERE, YO'LL FIND YO'SELF FEEL FEAHIN' [FEARING]. WHUT AH MEAN BY MIS[TERIOUS? OR MIS- ERABLE?] YO'LL FEEL YO'SELF - YO'LL FEEL WARM. AH DON' CARE HOW COLD YO' BE. YO' KIN DO IT IN DE MIDDLE OF DE STREET, OR IN DE MIDDLE OF DE BANQUETTE [=SIDE- WALK IN NEW ORLEANS, LA.] OR IN DE YARD DERE; AN' IF IT BE COLD AS ICE, BUT YO'LL FIND A GREAT HEAT RIGHT AROUN' YO', BECUZ WE HAVE WHUT CHEW CALL THREE WITCHES DAT RUNNIN' IN DE AIR DERE. AN' IF YO' DEALIN' WIT DEM, WHY DEN IT COMES HEAT. DEY'LL BRING HELL FLAMES TUH DERESELF AN' TUH YO'. Yo' are dealin' wit dem.
(Oh, I see, you're dealing with three witches. Oh, all right.)
An' quite natchel, if ah'm dealin' wit chew, yo' have a right tuh go ovah dere an' see aftah me [see what I am doing]. An' yo' are wit me.
(I see.)
Now, maybe all three of 'em come tuhgethah. An' TUH GIT DEM [WITCHES], YO' GOTTA SET A SUPPAH, A DINNAH. YO' HAVE TUH MAKE A DINNAH, AN' DE DINNAH WHICH DEY EAT'LL BE A TURTLE HEART.
(A turtle heart.)
An' one thing again would be cel'ry whut chew eat aroun' - make salad.
(Celery?)
Yo'd git cel'ry. An' we have one thing, which de nex' would be, three grass- hoppahs. Yo'd have tuh put dose things in yuh mouth, dat is, tuh make de suppah; cuz yo' couldn't make de dinnah if yo' wouldn't do dat. An' in othah words, yo' hardly kin make de dinnah in de wintahtime. Yo' have tuh make it in de sumah, becuz we haven't much grasshoppahs who run in de wintah. Yo' undahstand?
(I understand.)
An' aftah dis suppah is made an' is started, yo' would fin' dem. Yo' would take a glass [mirror], but yo' - dat glass have tuh be bran' new, dat nobody nevah look intuh it.
(A looking-glass?)
Yes, sir. An' yo' could see dem lookin' intuh dere aftah yo' begin tuh eat. Yo' kin see three people but chew couldn't recognize yo'self, but chew dere. But chew cain't recognize yo'self, but chew see three people; but chew dere, but chew don't see yo'self. Yo' wouldn't count yo'self 'cuz yo' cain't see yo'self. But chew see three people dere, but one of dem dere is yo'. Den yo' see upset one person, den dat'll be de dragon. He look very proud, very nice-lookin' fel- lah, standin' right dere but den he's a destroying angel. Dat's de truth ah'm tellin' yo'. Den, aftah dat yo' won't see nuthin dere. Evahthin' disappeah from dis glass. Den yo' able den fo' tuh go on an' do anythin' whut chew wanta do. (I see. They'll call the witches. After that you use your power to do these things.) Why certainly.
(Well, what about using that bone? What do you do with that bone, now?)
Well, whichevah bone dat dey call de middle bone. Many people, if dey know whut de bone is, dey kin find ft, dat is, in de black cat, wit'out goin' tuh work an' takin' it an' usin' dem all; but some people by not knowin', dey'll have tuh use all of dem until dey git tuh de right one. But, de sense, if yo' know whut de right bone is, yo' kin go right tuh it an' git it. Maybe yo' might miss one, but yo'll git de nex' one an' dat'll be it. Undahstand? An' dat bone carries three fo'ks [forks]. Dat is, three j'ints tuh it. Whut ah mean by three j'ints, three rows, an' yo'll find between de edges of de bone, yo'll find three crosses. Dat's supposed tuh be main powah. An' yo' fin' dat dey use dat in more Mason lodge and Odd Fellahs, lotsa people do, tuh do dere work. [New Orleans, La., (861), 1374:7 to 1375:4.]
Entry 7212
[Two weeks after margin title RATTLESNAKE OIL received its typing for the printer's photographic process and had been followed by other material in final page form, I found the missing page mentioned in lines 24-26, page 3098, volume 4. Here it is:] (This is Tuesday, June 29, 1937, working in Charleston, beginning the morning's work, testing the machine. In case I lose these slips [of paper] in my note book [later called Numbers Book, a book numbering each informant and making a comment about him] written out by Doctor D. Giles, root doctor, Number 512. [Here] is his recipe for making rattlesnake oil. Calls [for a] bottle of mint lOc, witch hazel lOc, sassafras root lOc. That makes snake oil.) [As the reader can see, I am testing the stylus by repeating what Doctor Giles had said the day before just in case I lost the slip or slips of paper he had written out. He had not been the last informant of the preceding day.l Now, for [the bath or the anointing you] strip [take off clothing], put two [both] hands back of the head, [then] wash hands in [sassafras] root water [wash- ing] forwards [that is, away from you]. Turn over [hands and wash other side]. Get glass [a mirror] and hold hands before mirror, and [if] they get black, why you are all right [a spell has not been put on you]; if they don't [get black] why you are not [all right]. [This is merely one of many methods of diagnosis used by doctors; see DIAGNoSIS, Pp.165-217, especially MIRRoR, p.193 and the danger of looking into it.] [To end this rite] put glass [mirror] over hand and spell root, spell root three times - R-0-0-T. (Another root doctor says [not R-O-O-T but] M-0-N-Q-T-O-N-Y or it looks like monotony. Don't think I've ever heard it before. [After repeating the word three times] the little [hand mirror] answers, "I live [by the power of God or something similar].")
Entry 7234
Ah wus goin' wit a girl about six yeahs ago an' ah quit dis girl. An aftah ah quit dis girl, ah started goin' wit anothah girl. An' dis othah [first] girl got acquainted wit dis othah [second] girl. An' so she [first girl] got acquainted wit de girl ah wus goin' wit, dis othah [second] girl. Co'se [Of course] ah didn't tell 'er dat ah had evah been wit dis girl. An' so dis [first] girl had a party one Satiday night an' she got me dis girl dat ah didn't wan' 'er tuh know of. Quite natchel ah wen' tuh de party. So she had a Victrola, wusn't no radio den. In fac' [fact] she didn't [would- n't?] have one no way. An' she had a li'le whiskey fer de party dat night. An' so, all de while ah wus goin' wit 'er de ole Victrola, de spring 'ud [spring would] jump off sometimes an' ah used tuh fix it fer 'er, while ah wus goin' wit 'er. So she, aftah de music stopped, she tole dem dat ah could fix de Victrola. An' she'd [she had] taken de Victrola in de kitchen an' put it on de table. An ah went in dere an' see zactly [exactly] whut wus de mattah wit it an' fixed it. An' she put a pint of whiskey on de table up dere. Well AH DIDN'T PAY NO 'TEN- TION 'CUZ AH NEVAH DID BELIEVE IN DIS STUFF [HOODOO]. SO AH DRINK SOME OF DIS WHISKEY. MATTAH OF FACT AH'D TAKEN SEV'RAL DRINKS OF DIS WHISKEY. An' so, aftah ah got de Victrola completed an' evahbody got tuh dancin', an' den ah started takin' a couple a dances mahself. Well, when ah started takin' dese few dances mahself, ah got dizzy; got a li'le dizzy an' got a haidache an' got out mah haid some. An' de girl frien' ah wus goin' wit den, she'd taken me tuh 'er apartment. Aftah she'd taken me tuh 'er apartment, ah woke up nex' mawn- in' an' found mahself dere. So ah kinda come tuh mah haid a li'le bit. An' den she rent de cah [car] tuh take me home. So dey'd taken me home. An' when ah got home - ah don' remembah when ah got home or nuthin of de kin' lak dat. So 'bout nine o'clock Sunday mawnin', well ah started havin' fits, one right behin' de othah. So dey tell me, ah don' know anythin' about it. Ah fell unconscious den. So dey spent dat Sunday. DEY HAD ALL KINDA DOCTORS. DEY SPENT $74 ON ME DAT SUNDAY ON DIFF'REN' DOCTORS AN' NOBODY WOULD TAKE DE CASE. SOME DOCTORS WOULD COME IN AN' TREAT ME FER SOMPIN - DIABETES AN' DIFF'REN' THIN'S - AN' MAH REG'- LAH FAMILY DOCTOR, HE COULDN'T TAKE DE CASE. So he tole mah uncle an' evahbody dat he didn't know whut wus de mattah. It wus a case tuh 'im. So den ah stayed unconscious from dat Sunday mawnin' at nine o'clock until dat Monday night at half past eleven. Well a frien' of mine - didn't tell me - ah wus still unconscious, but he tole mah uncle. "WE DONE TRIED EVAHBODY ELSE CHERE [HERE], SUPPOSE WE TRY A HOODOO DOCTOR. IF HE DON' DO NO GOOD, WE JIS' WON' PAY 'IM. He [this doctor] run worms out mah mothah, but she [mother] said, "Ah know anothah good lady [but she is too far away], but anyway, by he bein' so bad off, we'll go up an' see dis one firs'." So dis fellah came in - so dey tell me, see ah wus still unconscious - said, "Yes, " S SAID AH WUS POISONED, AN' HE WOULD HAVE ME ON MAH FEET IN 45 MINUTES. Well, it wus about eleven-thirty den.
(In the morning or night?)
In de night. An' dis wus on a Monday night. Ah had been unconscious since Sunday mawnin' nine o'clock till ovah dat Monday night at eleven. SO HE COME IN AN' COMMENCES TUH WORKIN' ON ME. SAYS MY BOWELS WAS LOCKED AN' DIFF'REN' THIN'S. HE GIVE ME SOAP AN' BITTAH ALOES...
[I interrupt.]
(How did he give you the soap?)
He taken de soap an' he jis' mixed it up in a glass; yo' know, jis' watah enough tuh make de soap dissolve. Yo' know, Octagon soap, an' made somepin lak a pill outa it an' jis' held mah mouth an' rubbed mah throat - so dey tell me - until ah swallah dat. An' den dey give me bittah aloes an' dat unlocked mah bowels. AN' SOON AS IT UNLOCKED MAH BOWELS, AH COME TO. When ah cOme to, ah knows mahself. When ah wus on de party ah wusn't able tuh go tuh de bathroom. AN' [AFTER MY BOWELS MOVED] DEY SHOED ME A ANIMAL COME OUTA ME 'BOUT - AH GUESS ABOUT DAT LONG [DEMONSTRATES].
(As long as your little finger.)
YEAH AN IT LOOKED SOMEPIN LAK DE COLAH OF A ORANGE PEELIN', AN' IT RAN UP ON DE MEDICINE GLASS TRYIN' TUH GIT OUT. Ah [had] come tuh, den. Co'se ah wuS weak aplenty. Ah wus weak aplenty from havin' dose fits. Ah wusn't any good. De fact is, he tole me it would take aroun' a couple a yeahs tuh git so ah wus well ag'in. In fact it did. So ah commence tuh askin' question Who did it. HE'D TAKEN A NEWSPAPAH AN' PLACED IT IN A PAN OF WATAH AN' LET IT SET IN DIS PAN A WATAH SOMEWHEAH ROUN' ABOUT AH THINK - IT WUS NINE MINUTES AH THINK, AN' DIS WOMAN'S PICHURE COME ON DAT NECKED [NAKED] JIS' LAK SHE WORN NUTHIN ON 'ER - NECKED ABSOLUTELY.
(The woman that did this to you?)
Yeah. So he ast me did ah know dat woman. Ah say, "Yes." He say, "Well do yo' wan' tuh have her tuh come here an' confess tuh yo'?" DE PICHURE APPEAHED ON DE NEWSPAPAH RIGHT LAK DAT AN' HE TOLE ME TUH LOOK AT IT QUICK. AN' AH LOOKED AT. IT QUICK AN' AH RECOGNIZED IT AN' IT JIS' FADED AWAY AN' JIS' STAYED LAK DAT. [Before proceeding to the doctor's magic-mirror trick, let me pause in an attempt to explain his pan-of-water trick, the latter an excellent example of hydromancy. The doctor had brought in his usual medical kit a newspaper folded into folds about 3 inches wide; the top fold containing type only, the bottom fold also the picture of a scantily dressed woman. He then holds the newspaper several inches under the Water, type side up and picture side down. Patient is instructed to free his mind of all thought except the identity of the spellcaster soon to be revealed. Gaze at the water constantly without blinking. After a long period, as much as 9 minutes, the doctor begins to rotate the newspaper so that the picture suddenly appears and disappears. He tole me tuh look at it quick an' ah looked at it quick an' ah recognized it an' it faded away.] So he said, now ah'll have her tuh come here an' confess tuh yo' dat she did it, if yo' want me tuh. Ah tole him, ah said, "Yeah, ah'll be glad tuh." He'd taken a mirrah an' turn it bottom upwards; taken a mirrah an' turn de face up lak dat [demonstrates].
(The face of the mirror up.)
Lak dat. An' he said - ast me whut wus 'er name. An' ah tole 'im 'er name. Ast me whut wus mah name, an' ah tole him mah name. He wrote mah name at de top an' 'er name at de bottom.
(On this mirror?)
On a piece of papah an' placed it on topa dis mirrah. An' den he'd taken a clock an' turned it face down, almos' right on topa de mirrah, an' let dat stay dere fo' five minutes. An' he'd taken it up in fo' an' a half minutes, an' put it down fō' a few seconds, den picked it up. He tole me she would be dere in five minutes. Ah don' know where she wus. She wus away cross town, somewhere. But he tole me tuh watch out fer 'er, she would be dere in five minutes. Ah Wus wondahin' how she goin' tuh git dere. She lived on Marshall Avenue 'bout fō' or five blocks from dere. Well in fō' an' a half minutes from de clock she wus dere. She come up on - man had a automobile, a taxi. Ah don' know whethah she wus on 'er way dere or whut, but in fō' an' a half minutes she wus dere. She tole me dat she did it an' she wus sorry. She says she didn't do it 'erself, said she got somebody else tuh do it, an' tole me his name an' evahthin'. (Do you know what they put in the whiskey to hurt you that Way? What she put into the whiskey?) Yes, dis fellah had taken two grains of snake dust an' put in de whiskey. But dat wasn't did dat Satiday night. Had it been did dat Satiday night, it wouldn't a worked so fast, see. She had did it somewhere roun' about three months agO, an' DAT LIVE ANIMAL HAD BEEN PERFORMED FROM DAT SNAKE DUST. An' den ah had been away from 'er fō' fō' or five months, an' had been goin' wit anothah girl an' had passed 'er up. Well dis girl wus teachin' school. Well ah wouldn't let dis girl know dat ah had evah been wit 'er, cuz ah thought dere would be a lot a jealouSy dere. WELL, WHEN AH WENT BACK DAT NIGHT, DEY STIRRED IT UP, YO' SEE, AN' DAT MADE DIS LIVE ANIMAL LOCK MAH BOWELS. AN' IT HAD TUH PASS THROUGH OR ELSE AH'D A LIVED SO MANY HOURS HAVIN' DOSE FITS AN' DIED.
Entry 8196
If a person is away an' yo' wan' 'em back, yo' could take a photograph, no mattah whethah it's tin or pastebo'd. No mattah if it tin or papah, dey kin take dat an' put it on top of de dressah, what choo call de bu- reau. Git ready, yo' take dat. Take a pichure, male or female, an' yo' could take dat an' wrap it up. If a woman wan' tuh bring 'im back, take a piece of 'er clothes an' weah it nex tuh him. [Informant has right idea but may have had a drink.] An' he wrap dat pichure up an' turn it on de haid an' rip dat piece, yo' know whut ah mean, be- hind de glass [of the mirror] an' put it dere lak dat [demonstrates]. Ah don' [care] whäh he is, aftah nine days he'll come, or twelve days, soon as he kin git dere.
Entry 8197
Take yure pitchure an' put it in a looking glass [the carboard behind the small.hand mirror having been removed]. An' turn it [photo] upside down [against mercury backing of mirror, restoring card- board back] an' put it undahneat' [you] an' sleep on it or walk on it or put it somewhere somebody'll tread on it an' break de glass, an' yo' [person of photo] got tuh come back. Go tuh de do' an' burn some disinfect [disinfectant] an' make yure wish [wish] an' burn it in de house. Den go to de do' an' make yuh wush [again] an' come back. An' 'at [that] been done in Short[?] William Street alley [here in Richmond]. Den [another method] yo' put it [photo without mirror] undah- neat' de carpet or in a trunk upside down tuh draw yuh back. Well keep yuh on yure haid or yuh feet till yuh git back home. An' use dat powdah, insex, love insex [love incense] dey call it. Burn it on a stove.
Entry 8198
Jis' lak if yo' got a daughtah run away from home, yo' undahstan', an' she might run away wit some young man dat married, yo' undahstan'. An' yo' don' know where she at an' don' know where she gone, an' she won' write chew or come. See, lak yo' got 'er pichure dere. All yo' gotta. do, take dat pi- chure dat's dere an' turn it bottom upwards. Turn it bottom upwards [demon- strates].
(Take the picture and turn it like that?)
Dat's right.
(Turn it on its face.)
Thah's de pichure right dere leanin' back 'ginst de wall lak dat, yo' see. Bell, all yo' gotta do - some of 'em say take dat pichure an' put it 'ginst de nirror lak dat [demonstrates].
(Put the face to the mirror?)
Dat's right. Well, now, de way ah heah it. See, lak dat [demonstrates], de pichure's facin' yo'. All yo' gotta do, turn de haid down dataway.
(Have the picture standing on its head?)
Dat's right.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat'll make her git on de haid about chew, an' den she'll come back home.
Entry 8199
Well, ah learnt dat chew kin take a person's photo an' if yo' wants to do dem any harm, sech as killin', dat maybe yo' kin take it an' hold it ovah a lookin'-glass twixt - aftah de sun raise one hour, an' take an' carry it back tuh yure mantelpiece an' put it ovah yore mantelpiece. Turn de glass down ovah it. An' dey say in nine mawnin's he'll be a daid person.
(What kind of a glass do you turn over it?)
A lookin'-glass.
Entry 8200
(What would they do with my photograph?)
Take yure photograph an' place it intuh a small lookin'-glass, face intuh de glass lak yo' would look intuh de glass, an' put it intuh a runnin' place of watah two or three weeks, an' it will run yuh crazy.
Entry 8201
Use it fo' back luck, by scrapin' dat silvah offa dere; well, dat silvah offa [the back of] dat lookin'-glass. Dey take dat an' scrape it offa pichure. Jis' lak if dey wanta harm yo', dey take an' scrape dat silvah off dat pichure [mirror] an' put it in yure face, on yure pichure.
(On the face of your picture?)
Dat's right, an' den dey take it an' put it in sompin, [anything to hold the scrapings and photo], an' bury it, bury it [face] down. Dat'll make yo' dwindle down an' die. Make yo' stay sick an' nuthin will cure yo' unlessen somebody [hoodoo doctor or healer] take an' find whut's wrong wit chew.
Entry 8420
Take yo' pichure now - if yo' had a fellah's pichure an' wanted tuh draw 'im back tuh yo', take dat pichure an' turn it down ovah a glass of watah. Put a lookin'-glass on top of it.
(You turn that face down over the glass of water.)
Face down. (Then you put a mirror over that? A mirror ovah it. Dat'll draw 'im back tuh yo'. Dat's all yo' have to do.
Entry 10079
Yo' kin git a black cat an' boil it an' stan' befo' a mirror in a dark room an' run dem bones across de mouth an' de one dat's de natural bone, why it will be a whole lot- ta diffrent sights dat will appeah befo' yo'. [Here is a tricky one: if you can see into mirror in a dark room, you do not need a black cat bone! Probably my informant means you will see all the horrors including the devil, you missed, had you gone to a crossroads.]
Entry 10082
[I heard of] people using a cat.
(All right, how do they use that?)
Well, yo' git a real black cat. Dat's now in regard if yo' wants tuh hurt someone, yo' undahstan'. Ah've heard yuh git a real black cat, an' yo' heat yuh some watah. Yo' git de watah real hot an' yo' put de cat in dere alive. Yo' put a lid on topa de pot an' jis' drop de cat in dere alive. An' aftah he's in dere alive, let 'im boil 'til evah bone in 'im - 'til it come all off de meat, therly [thoroughly] done. An' aftah yo' boil 'im therly done, den yo' take 'im out an' yo' suck evah bone in de cat 'til yo' git tuh de right bone. Whenevah yo' git tuh de right bone, it'll cuz yuh [to disappear] by yo' cannot see yuhself - yo' can't see yuhself in a mirrah. Yo' kin look in a mirrah an' yo' fail tuh see yuhself.
(Then what do you do?)
Well, yo've got de right bone, an' yo' kin do mos' anything den yo' wants tuh. Yo'll accomplish mos' anything yo' want tuh accomplish.
Entry 10089
De black cat bone, ah've always heard dat wus good. Ketch a black cat about midnight in de night an' throw 'im in a hot pot of boilin' watah. An' yo' git befo' a mirrah an' yo' be- gin fittin' de bones 'cross yore mouth whilst lookin' in de mirrah; an' when yo' git tuh de right bone, den yo' vanish - yo' cain't see yo'self in de mirrah. Dat's de way ah've heard it.
Entry 10090
See, jis' lak dis black cat bone - yo' kin disappeah. (How do you do that?) Well, dey tell me yo' kin take dat black cat bone an' yo' keep agoin' till yo' git de right bone; an' when yo' git de right bone, yo' rub yore face on it an' look in de glass [mirror] an' can't see yuhself, yo' disappear. Can't no one else see yo'.
Entry 10091
That fer stealin' also. Yo' take a black cat with notta white spot on it. Yo' understand what I mean. Yo' take this black cat an' yo' have a hot boilin' pot of water. Yo' put this black cat in there. Cover him up, and let him cook all to pieces. After he cooks all to pieces, then you take him out and pour that water off of it. Dash them bones in some cold water and take a looking glass, and put that stuff before this looking glass. And take ev'y bone and pass it between yore teeth and look in this glass. An' the bone that yo' pass between your teeth and yo' can't see yourself in this glass, that's the right bone. Yo' can tote that bone and do anything you wanta.
Entry 10093
Put a black cat in boiling water while he is alive and keep him there, and when the meat comes off, you take the bones and stand before a mirror. And put them bones through your lips, yes, one at a time, and when you can't see your- self in the mirror, that is the right one, the black cat lucky bone. All black cats have it. If you are gambling or anything and losing and want to leave, if you run a black cat lucky bone through your lips, suck it, out you go and they can't see you.
Entry 10102
Yo' take a live black cat an' tie 'im, an' put 'im intuh a large pot what have a covah - live. An' yo' boils 'im alive. Yo' kill 'em [by boiling]. Co'se dat's jis' de same as goin' tuh de crossroads. When yo' boil 'em, yo' boil 'im so's [so he's] right off de bones - meat comes right off de bone. Yo' git a mirrah, yo' know a small mirrah an' yo' put it right between yuh two laigs. An' yo' takes evah one of dem bones, one by one, an' pass it through yuh teeth. An' de one dat yo' passes through yuh teeth lak dat an' yo' cain't see yuhself, dat's de one dat yo' want. Dat de bone dat yo' keep, see. Dat's fo' yuh appearance an' disappearance.
Entry 10135
Take a bone, the dead man's bone, and take a black cat bone. That's tvo bones; a certain bone in the black cat, a certain bone in the dead man. And you'll be... (You use them together?) Yes, sir. (I see. All right.) Listen. Take a: certain bone of the dead man and certain bone of the black cat, tying them across [in the form of a cross], wearing them in your pocket. After wearing them in your pocket, you'll be a mystery man at least. You'll do things that it look impossible to do. For instance, I would walk in here - come in and walk on out and I wouldn't see yoo aad you wouldn't see me. But it's a certain bone.
(What bone is that?)
That's a certain bone of that black cat you have to take, you see. They got a bone in that cat - it come from the shoulder, from the left shoulder, that bone. You take that bone, and after taking that bone, to find out if you have the right bone, you takes a mirror, see, passing those bones that way [demonstrates passing che through mouth]. And long as you see yourself in the mirror thar isg't the right one. The moment you get the right one, you don't see yourself my nore. gell, that's supposed to be that bone that you kin absolutely disappear. You'll be coming in the street there and you don't disappear, but anyhow the party you hope don't see you, won't see you. When they do see you again, you'll be a dis- tance off.
(What bone do they take out of the body? Out of that person's body?)
Out of a person body? That bone they got right here, it's a small bone near to your spine.
(At the end of the spine?)
Yes, sir.
(Where you sit down on?)
Absolutely! [Some place else in HOODOO I have another example of the "inde- structible bone, " but I cannot recall where it is.] Take that bone and that black cat bone from the left shoulder and tying them acrosst. But the bone of the cat, to be sure that you have the right one, you have to use a mirror.
Entry 10162
Take his photograph and turn it up bottom [upside down] to the [look- ing] glass and burn the candles, nine of them; claim if you's in Europe that would bring you back. (How would you do that?) With a candle. Put your name on it nine times - put mine on top and write yours up to mine. And turn you [in photograph] up, bottomside up [upside down] to the looking glass. And burn the candle for nine days. That'll bring you back.
(I see.)
Entry 10165
If yo' got a gurl - it's dis way. Ah got a gurl an' she runned away from me. She done lef' me. She's gone. Well, lak [I] say, dere's a lotta watah 'ween heah an' New Yawk. Say she's gone tuh New Yawk. She jes' jumped up an lef' me an' ah haven't did anythin' tuh 'er an' want 'er back. She won' come bach tuh me by writin' tuh 'er. All right. Ah go tuh de drug sto' an' ah gits me a 15-cents blue candle. Take de same nails an' needles an' put in dat.
(How do you put them in there now? How many do you get?)
A nickel wuth of ten-penny nail. Put eight nails, an' de whole papah of needles, an' about eight big pins. Yo' git dem ovahsize sticky pins yo' know, dem ovahsize one. Some packages dey sell two fo' a nickel. Dey are de small size. An' de large package it's got one long one dat way; dey sells dem one fo' a nickel. Yo' git chew a piece of lookin'-glass lak dat an' yo' tum de part dat chew look it, an' git chew a saucah of watah or git chew a bowl or cream saucah, or anything dat will hold watah. Den turn dat [looking] glass down ovah dat way. Take dat candle an' take de end of it which yo' is gonna set down, take a match an' light it dat way. Don' light de top part where de stem is; light de bottom part an' put it on dat glass.
(With the top part downward?)
Yessuh, on top of de glass, an' let it set dere an' make yuh wishes fo' hit. But yo' start hit at ten minutes an' burn it fo' twenty-five. In twenty-five [days?] yo' receive a lettah from her, to send aftah her or send her ticket. She's on her way back tuh yo'.
Entry 274
Whenevah he be goin' tuh gamble, he jes' go an' ketch him a black cat - anybody's an' throw him in de fiah 'live an' burn him up. Jes' keep him right in de heat ever'where dey is an' burn him up. An' den dey takes dis bone dat isn't burn all de way up, jes' kinda yo' know ashes, an' take an' go tuh de mirror an' if he kin stand tuh carry it cross his mouth lak dat yo' know, if he's got dat much nerve, after dat den at night, or wait until night an' go in de graveyard. Keep de bone with him an' if he's got nerve, stay in dere all de remain of de night, an' if any animals or any spirits, an' he's ain't scared, why dat bone will work fo' him, but if he gits scared an' come out why it ain't no good to him.
Entry 290
They tell me the most lucky thing a person can get to guide him for one's life or luck or love is to take the bones from the carcass of a black cat. Now, the way to find this bone is simply to get a solid black cat, a cat that hasn't a particle of white about it, not even a strand of white hair. Take a boiling pot of water and put the cat in alive until all the flesh is boiled off the bones. Then take the bones and carry them in front of a mirror and look in that mirror, and put a bone in your mouth until it comes that you are invisible in the mirror, then you put that bone aside. Then you put all the bones back and start to putting them in your mouth again until you can see yourself again reflected in the mirror. Then take those two bones and carry them to a stream of running Water, and throw them over your left shoulder and run down the stream and catch them. Just where you catch them you take them and mark them, and carry them to a clear pool of deep water. And when you see yourself reflected in the Water, you put the bone in your mouth until you can't see yourself. Put that bone in one pocket - either pocket. And put the other bone in your mouth, and when you come back visible again, you have the two lucky bones. And you can do anything you want with them. You can walk right into a bank and they can't see you and you can take the money out. I know a boy that tried that at home and they put him in jail. I don't think he waited long enough until he found the bones.
Entry 291
Ah heah talk of 'em sellin' deyself to de devil. Well, dey take a black cat an' dey carries him - dey builds a fiah to de pot an' dey boils de cat 'live. Dey boils him till all de meat comes off his bones: Den dey take all dem bones out an' carry dem tuh runnin' watah. See, de two bones dat go up de stream, dey gits dem two an' dey worries 'em in dey mouth, an' dey go tuh de lookin' glass an' stan' befo' de glass an' try demselves, an' whenevah dey go out of sight dey knows dey's workin' den. An' dey goes on de ninth mawnin' aftah dey do dat an' dey meets de devil - to de fo'k of de road jes' at sunrise, an' dey meet de devil an' he tell 'em whatso- mevah art dey wanta take, he tells 'em whut tuh do.
Entry 293
Ah heard where yo' kin disappear - yo' disappear. Yo' git a black cat wit not a white speck on him nowhere, an' yo' make a fire in yore fireplace - wherevah yo' might make yore fire at, chew know. An' when that water git hot, yo' put dat cat in dere an' yo' put some bricks on top or any weight tuh hold it down, an' boil him alive. An' when dat cat git done, de meat will slip off de bone. An' git chew a mirror-glass, an' don't look in de pot - reach down like dis - don't tetch yore mouth - jes' came across [demonstrates] - "No, that ain't the one." Keep a-doin' till yo' git de right bone, an' yore face will disappear out de glass. An' then yo' jes' keep dat bone - yo' go anywhere yo' want. If yo' wanta disappear, yo' can't be caught by a officer or nuthin' - yo' kin disappear.
Entry 294
[My informant thinks my asking about the black cat bone means that I am going to try the rite.] But chew ain't goin' do dat - yo' ain't goin' even do that. Yo' got'a git a black cat an' put him in de pot 'live an' boil him, see. An' after yo' boil dat cat an' he git done good, yo' ain't got done - well, yo' got'a tuh eat dat. An' when yo' git to de right bone - an' yo' got'a stan' in front of a mirror, understan', whilst yo' eatin' it. An' when yo' strike dat right bone, den yo' kin see yo'self in a dark room in de glass - see yo'self in de glass. But yo' got'a git a jet black cat.
(You have to be in a dark room when you are doing that?)
Have to be in a dark room - all de shades, an' everything. Let it be as black as it kin be. Yo' got'a eat dat cat - eat it after yo' boil it. Yo' put him in de pot an' shet him up where he can't jump out, an' put him in de pot of watah an' boil him - have him, yo' know, done good.
(What do you do with that bone after you get it, then?)
Yo' keep de bone an' yo' kin do anything yo' wanta do - anything yo' wanta do.
Entry 295
Well, the way you sell yourself to the devil, you get you a black, black cat, you see. And after you get you a black cat, you take that black cat and you boil it - you boil that black cat 'till it get real done. After'the cat boil and you get done, you take that left hind leg, you see, and get that left bone out of it. Get that bone out of it, out of his left leg and you get in front of a glass and you pass this 'cross your teeth three times, you see. And the third time you pass it across your teeth, if you got the right bone it will blind you, you see. And after it blind you, well you got the right bone. You can - you are so you can go anywhere and get anything you want. You can do something and as long as you got that bone in your hand, they won't see you.
Entry 296
Ah had two uncles an' dey wus lak dat. Now, dey had whut chew call a black cat bone an' John de Conker root. Mah uncle Sam said dey had taken a black cat an' tied him an' had a pot of boilin' watah in a dark house, an' dropped de cat in de pot an' let de meat boil off his bones. Den dey git befo' de lookin' glass an' when dey git befo' de glass, dey pull dese bones across dey mouth an' dey know when dey git to de last, dey - when dey git near to de last, it come tuh gittin' dark an' thunderin' an' lightnin' an' snakes an' everything - chains, bells, an' everything. An' den he stood dere until he got dat. Den he taken de John de Conker root an' put dis in dere mouth an' den dey go out an' take dat black cat bone an' put it in yore right han' an' hold it, an' say no one will see yo' disappeah. An' yo' kin unlock any kinda lock dat wus locked.
(They had to cook this cat in a dark room?)
Yes, they had tuh cook him in a dark room - cook him 'live, don' kill him. Dey's lucky - dat's high luck. Dey say dat's de smallest bone in him. An' it will stick to de lips when yo' git to it, stick right to yore lips - yo' cain't git rid of it. An' aftah it stick to it, den it come a-lightnin' up, den yo' see.
Entry 297
Now, fo' gamblin', it's a black cat yo' must git - a jet black cat, de only thing white on him should be his teeth. Yo' ketch dis cat but have him penned up fo' six days. Fo' instance, have a little cage or somepin lak yo' have fo' birds. Keep him penned dat he must git mo' fury - yo' know, tuh git angry, mad, angry fo' human bein's. Git him dat-a-way. Now, de seventh day, dat mawnin' yo' git up at dawn dat seventh day an' put on a boilin' pot of watah - a large, large pot. Keep dat watah boilin'. Let it boil dere till yo' see it bubblin' an' dere's a foam ovah it. Git dis cat. Event'ly [eventually] yo'll have tuh have someone tuh work with yo', 'cause quite natchral yo' couldn't handle a cat in a wild fury - take him outa dere an' put him in dere. Have some- body dere tuh take dat lid off dis pot yo' got. Have dem take it off, unpen an' dump him down in dere in dat pot an' put dat lid on it, but chew must have a lid heavy enough to keep him down, 'cause yo' know if a person - say, if a person is in a fury an' are bein' killed or somepin, dey have super-strength. Yo' know whut ah mean - dey be evah so strong. Now, yo' put de top on dat pot an' let him boil dere fo' three hours. Aftah he's boiled there fo' those three hours, let him cool off. Soon as it da'k, whut we call dusk heah - don' know how yo' call it up dere [in the North] - aftah it's da'k, yo' take an' yo' separate all those bones. Be somewhere where yo' kin reach, but be in a dark room befo' a mirror. An' standin' befo' dis mirror, yo' take bone fo' bone an' hol' yore teeth dat-a-way. [Demonstrates, baring teeth.] Jes' pass it - now, it's one of those bones in there dat's goin' sparkle an' yo'll see it befo' de glass. Now, dat bone is de bone yo' must wear, an' there's no special place tuh wear it, but secure it in a place dat yo' won't misplace it. An' yo'll have all de luck in de world fo' gamblin'. Dat's all it is to dis black cat.
Entry 2218
Git de dust of dat - dat's tuh make love. (The file?) [Steel tool.] Yessuh. Yo' take an' file dat off, git de steel of it an' git de dust, an' yo' puts hit in quicksilver an' yo' - it'll run yo' cross country, jes' run yo' clean to devilment. Yo' take an' put dat powders an' dat silver dust together an' yo' take an' make a salves of dat - make a salve of dat silver an' lard, don't put no peppah in dat. Grease yore han's wit it an' when yo' shake han's wit anybody, dat's conjurin' anyone. (And that quicksilver, is that the silver that comes around tobacco?) [I ask because quicksilver and silver are sometimes tin foil.] No, it comes on de back of a lookin'-glass, on de back of de lookin'-glass.
[Steel dust is usually bought prepared.]
Entry 2219
Now, dis is a real fac', ah've seen people use it. Yo' kin git somepin dey calls anvil dust an' yo' kin take the back ofa mirror an' scrape that stuff off. An' den yo' take pods of peppah. [Three ingredients.]
(The pods of ordinary red pepper?)
Yes, but it gotta be red, it cain't be green. An' yo' put it in somepin an' kinda parch it up an' mix it up an' put it in there. (What do they do with this anvil dust and this mirror dust and this pepper then?) Put it all together an' throw it in de house an' make a wish dat dey'd leave.
Entry 10043
Well, mah bruthah killed a black cat once, an' dis black cat didn't have any spot on 'im - white spot on 'im nowhere. He wus black all ovah. An' he'd taken dis black cat an' he put 'im - caught 'im alive an' put 'im intuh a boilin pot of watah. Cooked 'im. But de way he did, he built a kind'a dam-lak ovah one stream of watah, an' dis fiah wus up ovah dat, see. An' when it boiled all good, den he'd have a lookin'-glass an' he helt it lak dat ovah dis pot. An' only two of dem bones showed up in dat lookin'-glass. He throwed off both-a dem bones. One-a de bones floated crossways de rivah an' one of dem floated up tuh 'im. Well, de one whut floated up tuh 'im, dat's de one he'd taken an' put in 'is pocket. An' de bone dat floated off from 'im, he'd taken dat an' buried it. An' dat one bone dat he took, he could disappeah he says fo' a time, if dere anything dat he Wanted tuh do. Jis' hol' dat bone in 'is mouth an' disappeah. An' hit wus some boys wus standin' on de cornah. Dey tole me, says mah brothah walked up tuh dem one day an' ast dem did dey wanted a drink. Dey said, "Yes." An' so he said, "Hol' mah suitcase till ah come back." An' when he came back dey saw 'im at a distance when he got at dis sto', but when he got at de sto' dey didn't see 'im no mo'. When dey see 'im ag'in, he wus comin' back wit a case of whiskey. [To informant, a doctor and man, these two bones were dangerous, the reason for not looking into the pot. The bone floating away from him he safely buried, the one floating to him was harmless if properly used.]
Entry 10095
Dey take de cat an' boil it till all de bones come apart, an' yo' take an' git dat lil' bone. An' yo' take an' cross it an' wrap it up in flannel. An' dey take dat bone an' sell it tuh somebody, an' whatsom- evah dey got intuh...
[Here I turn off machine not expecting much, then start it again.]
(You say the person who buys this bone puts it in a red flannel bag. Then ohatdotheydo?) He takes it an' - lak if de law gits aftah dem or sompin lak dat, he takes dat bone an' gits befo' a mirror; an' rubs it cross his teeth an' goes on off 'bout his business. An' walk all roun' de law an' dey don' seem tuh know 'im or don' bothah 'em [him].
Entry 10097
Now, ef ah wanted tuh sell mahself tuh de devil, so ah kin be a hoodoo ' do all kinds of tricks, ah would go tuh de fo'ks of de road at tvelve 'clock Inight - on a Sat'day night. An' dere [at forks] ah'd stay an' leann dese tricks an' git a black cat bone. Boil de black cat chew undahstan', an' git 'is bone. An' when ah see dat bone through a looking ' glass until ah turns dark, ah git dat bone in dere. An' ah'd do whut dat bone tell me to. An' ah kin do anythin' ah wanta do, an' go anywhere ah wanta go.
(What do you mean about turning dark in the glass?)
When yo' see yuh got a certain bone an' yo' pull it through yore mouth, dat glass turn dahk, yo' undahstan'. Makes 'im know dat he's got de right bone.
(Makes what turn dark, the man?)
De glass will turn dahk [everything disappears!].
The informant presents a hypothetical Saturday-midnight road-forks visit and black-cat-bone test, initially describing himself turning dark before clarifying that the glass turns dark. The interviewer's questions and Hyatt's disappearance gloss remain separate; the wording is not silently reconciled.
Entry 11682
What do they do at the forks of the road? Well, dey go out dere some- time tuh bury glass, a broken glass. Dey go out dere to meet spirits in some way but ah cain't explain dat ex- actly, 'cos' ah done fo'got. (What kind of glass do they bury out there?) Well, dat's a mirror, a lookin' glass. Well, dey bury that there tuh bury their troubles to these fo'ks.
Entry 11283
Now, I was in Beaufort, South Carolina [pronounce Bū'fert, but for Beaufort, North Carolina pronounce Bo'fort] where de real herbsman is. Dat's where I leanred it [from the] leading herbsman [he means Doctor Buzzard] of the country [lived]... [later I asked about any initiation ceremony]: (When Doctor Buzzard taught people, did he initiate them in any way?) Oh, yes. (Did he have some sort of initiation when they became doctors? Or something of that sort? Some sort of a ceremony or something of that sort? What did he do to make a person a root doctor?) You don't supposed to give them initiation signs away, but ah kin show you.
(Well, suppose you show it to me. If you can't give it away, show it to me.)
[Informant gives a worthless demonstration, faintly whispering while I coml ment:] (put two hands back of your neck. Wash your hands in the wine, in the water, and then stand back to back. Turn back, glass over hand. What kind of glass? Mirror? Spyglass? Just pick a glass. And take and spell root, spell it three times. What do you mean by getting black?) The hands will turn dark. The inside of your hands, after he has examined them. (After he examines you in your work, the hands will turn dark, if they are or if you are not pure.) He's got a glass that he hold up like that, see. Big old glass. Then you go to the mirror. You put that stuff in your hands.
[Informant is demonstrating.]
(You put your hands against the mirror, one, two, three times.)
If that hand turn black, why you are no good! [You will never be a root doctor.] (Well, now, do you mean that if you should meet somebody in a different city, that you'd have any password so you could identify each other or something of that sort, or do you know each other?) No, ah got something to tell you. Every herb doctor knows dere but one special one any part de city dey go. Give me de book and I'll tell you that.
[Is he asking for my Numbers Book so that he can write it down?]
(When you meet this fellow, what do you say to him?)
Them same words.
[Informant makes some noises!]
(Momentary Rrr? Momentary Ah, ah.)
An' you say this to me.
[He says something I repeat.]
(I N T E. Then he knows you are a root doctor?)
Oh, yes. Suppose dey [a doctor] come in here to you, jes' say momentary, "Ah-ah, " and he tell you, "I love P. D."
Entry 11681
If one wants tuh marry a man, gits a looking glass an' go de east of de fork of de road an' buries it there. Well, that makes this man marry her. (She simply takes the looking glass and goes out and buries it at the forks of the road.) Forks of the road. Turn it up, an' den she visit dat yo' know fo' nine mornings.
(Well, how does she know she is going to get the right man?)
Well, dat de one she want. Well she put his name on dat glass an' puts it dere.
Entry 299
After you play de moosic a certain lenck of time [at the fork of the road], all de rest of spirits gon'a leave but dey gon'a leave dis spirit standin' dere. Dis de spirit da' choo want to git chore gif' from. An' den yo' ask 'im an' den he'll tell you, whut to do an' how to do it. It jis' de same as usin' a black cat bone an' ev'rything like dat. Now, de black cat bone is used at de same fork of de road. Gi' choo a black cat roun' about de ahur [hour] of twelve o'clock at night. You go out dere [to the fork of the road] an' you boil 'im out dere. You take a lookin' glass out dere wit cheh. Put it in fron' chore face like dis. Do [though] when you put dat cat in dat boilin' water, you gon'a be worried wit a-many pains, becah' zhoo got'a put 'im in dere live - you can't kill 'im an' put 'im dere, you got'a put 'im in dere live. An' you take dat cat out when de meat all boil off de bones. Now, dis is hoodooism, too. You kin git anything you want any ahur [of the] day, go in any place. You take dat glass, you hold it like dis at twelve o'clock at night, an' if it dark an' rainy would be de best. You go out dere, you pass ev'ry one dem bone crost yore mouf. You see, ain't gon'a be no meat on 'em. De meat is gon'a be boiled off de bone, but it gon'a be a hot bone. Take an' cross 'em out of yore lips. An' de bone tha' choo gon'a git, it gon'a have three forks [prongs] to it - two long forks an' a little small fork [a devil's trident?]. You pass em all aroun' in yer mouf. Well, if you didn't know dis bone, you might have to pass - dat might be de las' one you git to, cah' zhoo don't know which bone it is. But choo jis' gon'a pass till you git to de bone. When yo' git to dat bone, yore pitchure disappear from dis glass. You see, dat wha' choo call de disappearin' bone. You kin walk in a place - when you walk in a place you use dat bone in yore mouf [demonstrates].
(Hold it in your mouth like that.)
Dat make de people can't see you - you disappear. Dey may hear 'em walkin', but dey think it a cat or somepin. You understand, dey can't see you as long as you got dat bone in yore mouf. Well, dat bone don't 'pose to be used - when you gon'a go in a place - in yer pocket; it suppose to be used in your mouf. Jis' [like] you goin' into a bank or somepin to rob it; well, when you git to de doar, jis' befo' you git to de doah, put chore bone in yore mouf. By de time you git in de doar you be done disappear. You be in de bank but nobody kin see you. Well, dat used [the way you did it] at de fork of de road, bu' choo got'a talk to dis spirit when you pass dem bone across yer mouf [at the fork of the road]. Why dey gon'a be spirits all dere, out dere. Some have maybe eye like a ball of fiah; some make fiah come out dey nose. You see, some people can't stand it. It's jis' natchral somepin joo got'a go through wit to git de gif'. An' dis spirit will coumand you to go to do whatso- mever you wanta do. You see, dis is a evil spirit - he died in a evil way. You see, dey got a good spirit but de most of de people dese days dey lookin' fah somepin evil - dey not lookin' fah de good. You got to dress that bone.
(Well, why do you dress that bone?)
To be sure dat it will work. You take it to a hoodooism, an' dey'll take dat bone an' dey'll polish it. You see, dey'll polish it jis' like a lookin' glass. Now, here's a way for when you first git it. But it not 'posed to be finished. You have to take it to a hoodooism to git it finished. Now, dey take it an' dey call dat poZishin' it. Dey'll take an' dey'll have it jis' like a lookin' glass. An' den dey'll dress it. You see, in dressing it, dey'll put it down wit somepin else in it about ten or fifteen day. An' dey'll soak in dis an' dey soak it in somepin else, an' dey'll soak it in somepin else [soak it in three things]. Well dat'll cos' zhoo money to git dat done, but you wouldn't min' payin' money to git somepin done you gon'a live off of. See. An' dey will take dat bone an' dey'll dress dat bone. An' when dey give you dat bone back, dey'll let you try it. You see, dat whut dey [call] test it. If you wouldn't go give it test an' put it in yore mouf - you'd want somepin to guarantee it. Maybe, before you put de bone in yore mouf - well, you say, "How many years you goin' to guarantee it?" Now, in dis room dey gon'a have you in, it gon'a be glass all roun' you, all aroun' you. Dey put choo in a room where dere's nothin' but glass. An' den you put dat bone in yore mouf an' you look - you can't see yoreself. An' whosomever be in dere wit you, dey can't see you. Well, dey tell you to take de bone out chore mouf. You have to take de bone out chore mouf yoreself. You see, still alive in yore natchral use. You kin be in dere usin' yore arms, you see, but de other feller can't see you. Yore [you are] de same as a person dat 'vaporated away: Now, ain't many people use black cat bones becuz dey don't wanta go through - see, you have to sell yoreself to de devil. Any hoodooism is sold to de devil. You got to go dere twelve o'clock at night. A rainy night de best becuz de evil spirits walks more. When it lightnings an' thunders spirits travel more dan dey do any other night. But any ahur of night at twelve o'clock de evil spirits out.
Entry 10085
Dat black cat - takin' de black cat, pure black, no white spot, no nuthin, an' puttin' 'im in a pot of watah alive an' boilin' 'im. Aftah he is boiled, tuh find de right bone, yo' must take a lookin'-glass an' passin' each bone through de mouth. When yuh git tuh de right bone, yuh don' see yuhself in de glass at all. Well, dat's de bone dat chew use in yuh pocket. An' whensom- evah yo' use dat bone in yore pocket, yuh walks intuh any place - yo' may be comin' up along de street an' ah see yo' comin', an' befo' yo' git tuh me yuh'll disappeah an' ah don' see yuh. See. Yo' done git invisible wit de black cat bone. But it's only one certain bone dat it kin be done wit.
Entry 300
Now, there was a man at my home whose name was Philip Williams.
(Where was your home?)
Mackey's Ferry, North Carolina.
(What county is that in?)
Dat's in North Carolina.
(What county?)
Oh, Pasquotank County. [On Albermarle Sound; county seat, Elizabeth City, a place where I collected.] Now, dis fellow - I was talking to him once about de world's gift - he could take a piece of paper and turn it to a dollar bill [bank note] or a twenty-dollar bill, or anything that he wanted to turn it to. So, well, he told me to get me a black cat and find me a stream of water runnin' off in two brothers' land. Well, I did that. Well, you take this old black cat and you stick -
(A stream of water that runs off in two brothers' land.)
And you boil dis cat till - let it be about eleven-thirty when you put him in there. Well, you put him in there and put a top on him, and while dis cat is cooking and begin to die - a wind will rise, it will begin to rain and it will thunder and lightnin' around there a little bit. And if you kin stand de test when dis cat gets done, so you kin take him up it and shake - the meat will fall off de bones. You wants to get you a looking glass. After you get your looking glass, take dis cat to a stream of water.
(The stream of water that runs on the two brothers' land?)
Yes - that runs off the two brothers' land. Kind of always, when you doing that, you must try to locate two brothers' property that joins so the water be coming offen both of 'em like - where dis bone will work. And you take dem to the stream of water an' drag de bones cross your mouth and - [but first] throw dem in the stream of water, but you want to ketch dese bones. When you come to de right bone, dis right bone will hang up in your mouth and you will disappear in this looking glass - you can't see yourself in dis looking glass. When you do that, you got the right bone. Den, the devil, he gon'a appear in front of you and ask you what you want, and you'll tell him that you wants the world's gift, and if you kin stand to get the world's gift, then you kin do anything that you want to do. You kin disappear before people and talk to 'em and they can't see you. That's what you say when you walk about wit a black cat.
(I see - that is why they say you walk with a black cat.)
That's the onliest thing you kin say.
Entry 317
Take a black cat an' take a pot of hot boilin' watah an' take dis cat alive. Yo' mus'n't kill 'im - yo' take him alive an' put him in dat hot boilin' watah live an' let him boil all to pieces. An' take dem bones an' hold dem 'fore de mirror an' de one dat shake in de mirror dat's, yo' know, dat's de right bone. Or yo' either take it to runnin' water an' de bone dat go down de stream dat's not de right bone, but de bone dat go up de stream an' de water running dat's de right bone. Take it an' put it in a black bag - sew it up in a real black bag an' jes' when yo' wanta do a trick or anything, put on a real black shirt an' yo' kin go in a store or anywhere an' git anything yo' want - nobody will nevah see yo', yo' disappear. (Now when you hold that bone in front of the mirror - what happens to that bone when you hold it in front of the mirror?) It will shake in front of de mirror.
(Oh, the bone will shake.)
De right bone will jes' shake in front of de mirror. (You do either one - you either hold it before the mirror or you go to running water.) Yo' do either one of those an' yo' git de right bone.
Entry 8293
[Quicksilver in hoodoo is rarely the. metallic element mercury; it is usually tin foil, or scrapings from the metallic amalgram backing a mirror. There are other examples of this quicksilver in Hoodoo, and perhaps one or two of the real substance.] Ah said dey take a gun an' load it wit quicksilvah an' shoot chure pichure, in yo' arm or somepin lak dat. Make a card, don't chew undahstand, an' if yo' don' do somepin fer it, why it will jis' keep arottin' an' rottin' till it ruin yo', yo' undahstand, wit bloodpoison. (How could you shoot quicksilver in a gun?) Take yore [gun] powdah an' put it in dere an' den yo' pack it. Now yo' [add] buckshot. Den yo' take yo' quicksilvah lak dat [put these 3 things in gun or shell] don't chew undahstand, an' put it in de gun.
Entry 10084
Dat black cat bone - well, yo' ketch a real black cat, see. All right. Aftah yo' ketch dat cat - he have tuh be alive, yo' see, an' yo' take 'im an' put 'im in boilin' watah. Put 'im in a big ole pot, chew know, an' boil 'im. An' when yo' done boil 'im down, well den yo' pick de bones, an' den yo' have tuh have a lookin'-glass an' fin' de right bone. Den, when yo' hit de right bone an' yo' git de right bone, dat glass gits smokey an' yo' cain't see yo'self in dat glass. Well, den dat'll be de bone dat yo' must git. (When you pick these bones - do you do anything to them when you pick these bones? What do you do with the bones when you pick them?) Well, when yo' be pickin' 'em, yo' jes' continue pickin' de bones an' lookin' in de glass, don't chew undahstan'.
(You are just picking up the bones?)
Yes, lookin' tuh see whut kind a bone yo' must git, an' den when yo' git de right bone, well, den de glass - yo' cain't see yo'self in de glass any mo'.
Entry 10094
Cats? Dey took one of 'em an' throwed 'em on de inside of a pot of hot boilin' watah, an' aftah - ah mean, aftah dis cat done boiled tuh pieces, yo' undahstan', dere'll be two bones whut swims upon de top of de watah. Yo' see, in de pot. Well, now yo take dose two bones an' yo' carries dem befo' de mirrah, an' yo' looks intuh de mirrah. An' de one derein dat chew could see yuhself in de glass, well dat, it not de bone. But de one where yo' cannot see yuhself intuh de glass, dat will be de one yuh want. Yo' cannot see yuhself. Well, all right, [that is] sellin' yuhself [to the devil]. [Could there be concealed here a forgotten catch or trap? Originally did you have the choice of either bone? If you failed with the first one, you had to start all over again, possibly meaning ad infinitum.]
Entry 13431
Jes' lak yo' may have people in New York or othah foreign distance place, an' yo' want 'em tuh come home or yo' want tuh see 'em. Yo' take a clean watah glass an' yo' full dat glass wit watah an' yo' take dat, glass right be- hin' de lamp - see. Dat lamp should be shaded very plain - no flowah or nuthin', jes' a plain white shade, yo' know, a plain glass. Jes' have it clean. Yo' know, sterilize it so yo' kin see through it. An' have dat glass full of watah, an' yore lamp shade is clean so yo' kin see through dat. Den yo' take a lookin' glass an' put behin' dat watah, understan'. An' yo' jes' always say, "Come home." Call dem by dere name, 'Come home, come home. Ah vants tuh see yo', ah wants tuh see yo'." An' dey'll appeah right in dat watah behin' dat lookin' glass. Ah'm tellin' yo' dem things, ah've done it mahself.
(The lamp is lighted?)
Yessuh, gotta be light. An' do it midnight in de night.