Subject:Mixture
Entries
Entry 3870
Ah know it tuh be a fac', if a girl break up - lak if yo' didn't love 'er so good, yo' know, an' if she be sick or sompin othah lak dat. Well, dere's one thin' dat she kin [do], if she's sick, to he'p'er- self. If she kin git yo' tuh eat anythin', or drink watah, den she take a little of 'er sickness, in 'bout a teaspoonfulla watah, an' a li'le bit of red shank, an' boil it intuh de watah. She kin po' dis stuff, jes' 'bout a halfa teaspoonfulla in some watah an' gi' yo' [give you]. Why yo's a fool about 'er, see.
(You put a piece of red shank root into that water?)
Dat right. An' if yo' wanta, dere's a way dat yo' find out dat she did do yo' dat way. Yo' goes in de woods an' gits yo' de devil's shoestring. Den yo' comes back wit dat an' yo' boil it an' take yo' a piece of mullein. Dem [mullein plant] a flat weed sompin lak 'bacca [tobacco], lak a head of 'bacca, yo' know, but it be's somewhut flattah yo' know - it don't be high, yo' know. An' yo' take dat an' yo' take nine strands of dat mullein root an' ball [boil] it, an' two leaves. De way yo' gotta do, yo' git some whiskey an' put on it, on dat, an' git chew a piece of camphor an' put it on it. Well, yo' tote dat in yore pocket fo' 'bout two or three days an' pass 'er do', an' she'll tell yo' she got de headache one day when yo' pass dere. Inside of eight days she'll tell yo' she got de head- ache. Well, yo' jes' say to her, says, "Well, dat's mighty bad but ah got some camphor heah." Well, yo' go ahead by dere an' let 'er rub 'er haid wit it. Yo got 'er an' it's offa yo' den. Well, she git tuh lovin' yo' den. Maybe, if yo' wanta love 'er an' want 'er tuh love yo' - well, it jes' quite natural if a man love a woman, he want 'er tuh love him yo' know.
Entry 4295
Well, yuh wan'a keep de law away, if yuh're bottleggin'. Evah mawnin' fer nine mawnin's yuh git up, yuh go tuh de front do' - don't evah sweep yuh dirt out de front - befo' de sunrise. Sprinkle chamber lye an' - but firs', burn ole shoe sole an' take de dust of dat ole shoe an' sulphuh, an' sprinkle it all aroun' yeh house out- side. An' den do all dat when de sun go down in de evenin'. As de sun goin' down yuh burn de shoe sole [and the sulphur - see later]. Nex' mawnin' befo' de sunrise, sprinkle it aroun' yeh house [shoe-sole ashes] an' sulphur, an' den sprinkle chamber lye all de way roun'. Den as zhoo sweep yuh house, sweep de dirt all back, from de front all de way back. Take it up on yuh shovel an' befo' sundown dat evening take dat dust whut choo sweep out cheh house an' burn it up in sulphuh an' ole shoe sole. An' do dat fer 9 mawnin', don't miss a mawnin', befo' de sunrise. An' as de sun goin' down in de evenin', yuh burn yuh shoe sole. An' continue sprinkle dat chamber lye aroun' yuh house. An' de officahs, dere wouldn't be anothah step about choo, won't nevah think about chew an' yuh likker.
Entry 5721
(Have you ever heard of a person getting hold of your foot track and doing something with that to harm you?) Well, dey kin.
(What could they do with that?)
Well, dey kin take dat, take dat wit gunpowdah, an' while yo' are sleepin', call yo' an' yo' answah. Dat's yo'. Dey got yore spirit den. See, dey got chure spirit. See dat's all dey want. An' den dey kin take it tuh a tree, say a gum tree, an' dey kin split dat gum tree an' tack it up in dere.
(What do they tack up in there?)
Dey kin tack or eithah kin splice [split] it [tree]. Put dat right in.
(What do they put in?)
Put de track - put de track in dere. See, de tree will burn.
(What do they do with that gunpowder?)
Dat gunpowdah will keep it hot. Keep yo' hot. Yo' can't stay no one place. Yo' nevah be contented. [In the present rite a part of the victim's spirit, his foot track, has already been caught and mixed with gunpowder in a bottle - see PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE SPIRIT, p.2lf. For good measure informant now catches spirit re- maining in victim's body by calling his name and closing bottle when he answers (see TO CATCH A SPIRIT, p.24f.). Whether these two wholes or two parts of the spirit unite in the bottle, or the gunpowder keeps them dancing apart, I do not know. Evildoer pours contents of bottle into a split made in gum tree and re- moves wedge. The word gum adds to the confusion.]
Entry 7321
Well, when yo' goes out to de fo'ks of de road is when yo' in any kinda trouble wit de laws or anyone behin' yo'. Yo' kin take an' go out tuh de fo'k of de road an' take some sulphur an' some red peppah, an' go tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt offa any kinda grave dat chew wanta, between twelve [mid- night] to fo' a'clock. An' yo' kin scattah it all de way around yo' [make a circle round you], an' make a cross mark underneat' each one of yore feets an' one up in de hair ovah yore haid. An' jes' goes right where yo' knows evah offi- cah have tuh come out of his do' an' jes' sprinkle some of dat dirt round dere, an' jes' stay outa de way from 'im fo' nine days. Dey will nevah bothah yo'. (You have to go out to the.forks of the road - the crossroad to do that, where you make that circle.) Yes sir.
Entry 7688
Well, dis graveyard dirt, dey say dat'll drive anyone from yer home. Yuh take dat an' mix it wit salt an' some red peppah. An' dey say yo' take dat an' sprinkle it all aroun dese people home as neah tuh de home as yuh kin. An' dey say yuh have tuh talk to all dis stuff dat chew doin' an' say: In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, an' tell it whu' chew wan' it tuh do. An' dey say dat dey be Wantin' tuh leave dere.
Entry 8939
If yo' got any way of leaving your friends, if yo' got a idea of that, of somebody goin' to come there an' trouble yo', yo' understand. Yo' know, all yo' have to do, use this here steel dust and this cinnamon an' sugar. That will sweeten up the place there and they will change their mind. Yo' see, yo' takes a bottle of vinegar and the apartment have - probably may two or three windows into the apartment where you at. Well, yo' take this fresh bottle of vinegar - yo' could get a nickeZ[!] bottle of vinegar - an' yo' put it in a dif- ferent bottle [bottles numbering] just how many windows or doors that you got. Yo' take your cinnamon an' this steel dust an' yo' put down in there [bottles] an' sugar. Put it [bottle] down beneath any window or any door, where they could enter into the building. Just put that there. Every time they get there, their mind is upsetted - changed.
(Do you mix this stuff with the vinegar or use the vinegar alone?)
The vinegar and this here steel dust and this [cinnamon and sugar].
(What do you use the vinegar for?)
The vinegar, that's the strength - to strengthen, to sour it.
(Oh! To strengthen it.)
And sour it. Yo' see, that's to sour that - just like that sugah, that sugah sweetenin' that vinegar. Yo' see? Then yo' take lemons, such as lemon juice, an' squeeze it down in there. Well, yo' put it at all the windows in any little bit of bottle - small little bottle - an' just shake it. An' yo' put it in dere. Well, anywhere round that building they come at, that sugar an' sweetening. When they get there, they'll say, "Oh, well, I'll delay that for another day."
(They won't take anything from there? Won't steal anything from there?)
No, never would take nuthin.
Entry 9028
[This rite could also have been indexed under many blowing breath ex- amples in Hoodoo.] Yo' take dirt daubah nest. Yo' kin be in jail. Ah've done done dis. Yo' kin be in jail an' yo' kin git chew a piece of dirt daubah nest, but don't let it fall. [This is one of those don't-let-it-touch-the- ground rites.] If it fall, don't chew bothah wit it. Cheo git dat [nest] chureself. Yo' mix it up wit table salt an build yo' a li'le fiah, an' yo' burn it as de people do in ole ancient time, sacrificin', In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost. An' make yore wishes fo' whatevah yo' want tuh be done. An' yo' keep a-blowin', an' evah time yo' blow, say, God de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost till words 'mount tuh nine times. An' evah time it'll be yore way. An' if things ain't yore way, evah time yo' burn it, if things ain't zactly, yo' burn it ovah ag'in an' keep a-burnin' it ovah ag'in till things come zactly yore way.
(This is in a court case, you say?)
Yes sir. [For the mystery, awe and magic concerning the dirt dauber nest, See especially the interview, 'TOMB OF DE BABE OF BETHLEHEM," pp.1325-1335, v.2J
Entry 9133
Yo' go an' yo' git twelve green sage leaves, an' yo' write de twelve apostles on dose green sage leaves, an' yo' put dose green sage leaves in de bottom of yore shoe. Den yo' take two red onions an' yo' jes' make a hole in dose red onions, an' yo' stuff dose red onions wit salt an sugah, an' yo' wind dat nine times. An' yo' put one in each pocket an' while yo' are tryin' [being tried] yo' squeeze dose onions. Dey say yo' can't convict a man dat way.
(That's if they have any court case?)
Yes.
Entry 9596
If de law's bothahin' yo', yo' kin take de onion an' de garlic an' cut it in fo' equal parts. Yo' jis' take de garlic, yo' don't cut it all; yo' jis' take diff'ren' pods, pieces [cloves] yo' know. An' yo' use eithah de white or de red onion, an' yo' kin jis' cut it yo' know, in fo' parts: An' go an' yo' po' a whole box of table salt ovah it, an' den yo' po'a whole box of red peppah ovah it, an' sprinkle a li'l saltpetah an' a li'l bluestone on it. Dat'll keep de law out chure house.
(What do you do with that garlic?)
Well, yo' take dat garlic an' burn it. It's fo' luck. Yo' take dat garlic an' put it in a li'l bag an' fold it up an' wit all kinds - all kinda diff'ren' li'le pieces of stuff dat chew use wit it. Weah it. Yo' know weah dat garlic. (How do you keep the law away with that onion after you prepare it? What do you do with that onion?) Yo' take dat onion an' continue tuh burn it till de third mawnin', an' dat'll keep de law away.
(Where do you do that - burn that?)
Well, yo' take it de firs' night an' let it burn up dere, yo' see. Sprinkle it all round yore house. [In preceding subsection see 3 pepper pods halved, No.9587.]
Entry 9612
If you want a person to move, you have to take a stormy night when it is raining real hard. But you gotta take a couple of pods of red pepper and nine pinches of salt and you gotta burn it. Parch it in the oven to look like dirt you know and just cook it right together. Brown it till it looks like dirt. And take a plain paper, if you know de person's name- - you don't, you find it out. Write his name nine times forwards and nine times backwards. [To write for- eards and backwards means to write the name normally turn the paper upside down, repeating the name on top of the first one. This is called crossing names.] Then parch the paper, salt and pepper all together and make a powder. Den a stormy night like we done having storms and all, don't care if it raining hard, you go up to their hall. Don't look back [going or returning] and throw this stuff and come on out. And they'll move in less time from three to nine days. They won't stay there. They kin own the property, they'll rent it out, but they gon't stay.
Entry 9772
[In the margin title I have called this rite amazing because I had com- pletely forgotten about it and its future significance. The person I am inter- viewing here is J. R. Patterson, proprietor of the black hotel, Patterson Hotel, in New Orleans. Among the illustrations at end of HOODOO, volume 2, see the Patterson Hotel letterhead containing pictures of the hotel, the proprietor, and his signature on Wednesday, March 9, 1938, for rent on room No.17, including elec- tricity for my machine, and room space for my clients downstairs. I paid my rent each day before returning to my own hotel, the old St. Charles. To give Mr. Patterson some idea of my work, I suggested that he himself be interviewed. His following rite tells how he could be driven from his own hotel. Neither of us realized at the time that before a year had passed, Mr. Patterson would lose his hotel and I myself would be chased from the black hotel in Memphis by the police. For this later surprise, see Introduction to HOODOO, volume 1, page XxxIV, line 9 following.] De first thing yo' do, git chew a dime's worth of saltpetah. De nex' thing tuh do is git chew a box of cinnamon, a box of cloves. Git chew a nickel's worth of new tenpenny nails, an' den git chew one quart of gasoline. Den git chew a dime's worth of saltpetah. Go by dose person's house an' pick up, whethah it's mud, dirt or sand, take it up an' put it in de bucket wit dose nails. Po' yuh gasoline in dere an' strike a match an' light it, [let it burn] until it comes tuh be dry an' sandy. Den yo' take it an' go backwards from de do' where dey livin' at an' sprinkle it crossways dat way tuh de fo' cornahs of de world: [demonstrates by pointing] dat cornah, dis cornah, dis one, and dat one cross de street. In 24 hours de're [they are] gone. (You just sprinkle it like this [I demonstrate], like a wingy motion all around, cross that house?) [My demonstration of wingy motion must have been a fluttering or flipping motion like a bird. Informant misunderstands my word cross, meaning to put a hoodoo on the house, not throwing back and forth across the house.] No [you don't throw back and forth across the house] yo' tro' it from de house [demonstrates]. Yes, lak dis is de back, dis is de sidewalk out heah [demonstrates], sprinkle it dis way [demonstrates], cross ovah [demonstrates].
[I describe his demonstrations:]
(From the house out to the gutter, you sprinkle it back and forth, like a "v".)
[This "v" or triangle is the 3 Holy Names.]
One block each way, one block each way from de house. Lak Patterson [the speaker] whut chew [suppose you] wanted him tuh move. Well, yo'd git some dirt. See dat cigah ashes [he points to ashtray containing ashes of my cigar] an' [also] pick it from de sidewalk [get sidewalk dirt], an' git some dirt an' sprin- kle it aroun' dere - some sand. An' befo' he sweeps de banquette [= sidewalk in New Orleans] up in de mawnin', yo' jes' come aroun' dere an' brush up a little bit, jes' enough tuh git in yore fingahs an' put in dere. Den yo' come back heah dat night, yo' see, an' sprinkle from his do' crossways de banquette tuh dat cornah. Den yo' go tuh dis cornah an' go cross de street tuh de nex' cornah. Yo' go dat way an' go cross de street tuh de nex' cornah. Den yo' go ovah heah tuh garage. See. In 24 hours dey are moved.
(You have to throw it to the four corners of the world.)
Yes. [New Orleans, La., (1566, J. R. Patterson, proprietor of black hotel, Patterson Hotel), 2866:3.] [The title of this section could have been either Pins and Needles or Needles and Pins, both having tradition behind them; the first because a person is some- times said to walk on pins and needles; the second according to the folklore couplet: Needles and pins, needles and pins; when a man marries, his trouble begins. As in the case of the preceding section about nails, most rites about these objects have already appeared elsewhere in the printed text as parts of rites with other ingredients. The following rites will be listed according to number of pins and needles: 1, 2, 3, etc.1
Entry 10693
And what will she have to do [to bring the man back?]. All right. She'll have to get her some benzoin. Benedict. You know, they call that ben- zoin; some persons call it benedict. See? It's a little weed. It grows some- thing like cor you understand. Call it benedict. [Here I turn off machine un- til informant says something about the French, which starts machine again.] (The French all it what?) Benzoin. (You mean the French [speak- ing people] here in New Or- leans call it benzoin?) But it's benedict. [For the identity of this plant, see my comment at end of rite.l You take that benedict and popcorn - see, this small popcorn - and grind that up fine, fine, and make a powder out of it. You understand. And she make a powder out of that. Take and put it in her mattress, right where he going to sleep; where he have been sleeping at [before he left]. You understand what I mean. And just leaves it there, you see. And get her a dog, any kind of dog, see. And let him [dog] lay on that. Tie him on there if he won't stay there. Tie him on there nine days and he [man] will come back again.
(Well, what has that dog got to do with it?)
That dog puts a heat to it somehow or other. I don't know, that what they [person who sold this substance to him] told me. The dog puts a heat to it, you understand.
(And what happens to it then, when it's heated?)
When it's heated, it foams, see. It makes a foam, swell. See, that bed is there and that corm, whatsomever, it swells up.
(And what will it do if it swells?)
After it swells, he [man] coming back there. Oh yeah, he coming. He going to leave this other woman. That breaks them up. [Informant says: They call that benzoin; some person call it benedict...a lit- tle weed. It grows something like corn [[surely maize = Zea Mays]]. Benedict must be a popular or a trade name. Benzoin means one of two things: (l) It is or was a balsamic resin from Styrax benzoin and other species of Styrax in Jaca, Sumatra, Siam, etc. It is used as a stimulant; incense, perfume, etc. (2) Ben- zoin is also the name of a small genus of aromatic shrubs of the laurel family [lmracese] having two North American species with popular names: (a) spicebush or spicewood and (b) benjamin bush. Informant's benzoin or benedict was probably anything his hoodoo drug store or mail-order house sold him.]
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 11738
Yo' kin go to the graveyard about 12 a'clock at night. Understand now, yo' git this dirt off a sinnerman's grave, 12 a'clock at night. An' yo' take this dirt an' yo' mix some salt with it an' [red] pepper. Yo' under- stand me now? An' yo' go an' git a No.6 gunshell; yo' know one of them No.6 gunpowder, those shotgun, them shells, yo' know No.6. An' yo' open it an' yo' scrape all that gunpowder out. An' yo' put that gunpowder, that cayenne pepper and that salt wit that graveyard dirt, but don't take it nowhere near your home. Yo' understand, don't let it go near your home. An' yo' take that an' throw it up on their door an' all the hunting[?] they do, they shore git killed.
Entry 11741
Well, jes' lak now probably dat ah wuz sellin' likker. Well, ever' time ah turn roun' an' somebody knock at de do', ah think it's a customer come in dere. Ah open de do', "Ooh! It's de law." Well, ah goes tuh mah neighbor, yo' know, sell a lotta people roun', "Ah ain't got no luck. Ever'- time ah open mah do's, it's de law comin' in. Ah don' unnerstan'.: Seem lak de law gotta pick at me. Ah want dat law quit comin' tuh mah house." "Well, "' ah declare. "May[be] it's hard luck put on yo', '' [he] says, "dey's things lak dat." Well, jes' lak dat, talk along an' talk along. Ah wuz sellin' right along, gittin' on all right, thinkin' ever'thing wuz okay. Oh, makin' mo' money, yo' know, an' jes' gittin' 'long. Fus' thing ah knows, "Knock, knock." "Who's thah?" Twarn't nuthin but de [wind?] but still it wuz a lil' strange. Goes opens de do'. Who but it is de law ag'in. Well, ah sigh to mahself, "Well, ah taken dese chances but ah don't wanta take nO mo' chances." Ah goes tuh talkin' fo' fair den. So ah got one mah best fren'. Ah call her mah best fren'. So mah best fren' says, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do," say, "yo' go git luck, 'cause dere's bad wishes put on yo'. Yo' gotta have luck. Dere's a bar ovah dere" [someone over there could recommend a hoodoo]. Okay. An' so ah goes an' git luck. So fo' de luck he tole me, says, "Go tuh de cemetery an' git chew a lil' graveyard dirt, an' yo' git it on de off side - cf side of de right. Yo' dig down an' yo' pay. Yo' pay him an' yo' git dis dirt. Dig a hole jes' lak dat an' let chure han' go down in it, jes' lak dat [demonstrates] an' dig yo' up jes' a lil' dirt jes' lak dat. Den yo' put three pennies down in dere where yo' got dis dirt at. An' yo' take it home an' don't look back. When yo' git dis dirt jes' take it an' come right on home an' don' look back. When yo' git home, yo' put a spoonful of sulphur in dat graveyard dirt an' yo' sprinkle jes' a lil' bit of black peppah in dere. An' den yo' jes' put dat - yo' put some right under de front steps, an' den yo' go round an' put some undah yore back steps. An' den yo' gotta speak three times tuh hit, 'Name of de Father, name of de Son an' de Holy Ghost, stay an' nevah come no mo'." Dat'll do it.
(That keeps the law away.)
Keep de law away.
Entry 12279
De' take de gunpowder an' de sulphur dust - dat not de lump sulphur - an' mix it together an' put it in a quill or some fish-pole. An' go by a per- son's house an' go dat- away three times. (Knocking three times.) [Also blowing 3 times.] An' de persons in dat yard, dey goin' have a uproar in dere. It will make a confusion between everybody. See, somebody in dere is gotta move out. If dere some enemies in dere, well dey gotta git out. [It would probably be safer to try this rite during day when no one was home. There are similar blowing through tube rites in HOODOO.1
Entry 13260
Yo' take red peppah, cayenne peppah, hot, an' table salt. Let it all be new. Take table salt jes' new an' dis sulphur brand-new, nevah been opened befo' yo' know. Well, yo' take it an' mix it up, an' yo' jes' throw it all round yore house, an' dat's good tuh keep de law from comin' in annoyin' yo'. An' den if a person is comin' tuh yore house an' yo' don't want dem tuh go dere, yo' kin jes' throw dat out behin' dem in de chair where dey sit at in de room. Den when dey git ready tuh git up an' go out, den yo' kin take it an' go on out an' jes' throw it de way dey went, an' cuss 'em, an' dey'll not come back any mo'. Dey won't come back any mo'. If dey do', dey'll come right in an' dey cain't stay dere no time. Yo' gotta git out an' sweep behin' dem.
Entry 13455
An' if ah have a enemy that's botherin' me, ah supposed tuh git - yo' know somebody coml' tuh me an' jis' botherin' me all de time an' ah wanted tuh run 'em away. Ah kin run 'em at twelve a'clock in de night. Ah'd buy me a jug of wine an' put a dime jar of mustard in a jug of vine, an' po' that jug of wine right at de hour of twelve a'clock right at de do'step, but be sho' [sure] not tuh let de wine, tetch me. [There are numberous varnings in HOODOO by professional workers not to let any of the in- gredients used touch you.]
Entry 5478
Ah heah 'em say, jis' lak if some people stayin' in de house an' dey don' lak yo' an' yo' want 'em tuh fall out, yo' take some gunpowdah. Yo' git dere track an' take some gunpowdah, an' mix it wit dat track an' put it up undah dere step, an' set it afiah an' let it blow up. In de night, jis' lak if dey be 'sleep, set it afiah an' let it blow up. An' iis' lak hit blow up dis mawnin dey'll have a fuss in dat house.
Entry 12068
Well, dey say dat yo' kin take a dog livah an' grind it up an' take some cow haslet.
(You mean dung? Manure?)
No, not de manure. Take de cow haslet somewhere. De haslet from de livah of a cow - de haslet [transcriber gets it right again]. An' dis dog livah, see, an' grind it up into a meal or either chip it up where it come tuh be fine, an' mix it in with this dog livah. See, an' fix it as a food. See. Well, de ones dat yo' don't like or somepin lak dat, dey eat an' dey'll come tuh bark jes' lak a dog.
Entry 186
Well, dey say yo' ketch it when dat wind - jes' de whirlwind, if yo' kin git it. Git a papah an' ketch some of it when de wind is up in a whirl, an' take that an' mix it up with graveyard dirt an' lodestone an' sulphur - dere's somepin else yo' kin mix up wit it - an' plant it. An' jes' lak dat whirlwind go up, dat person will jes' continue tuh go dat-a-way - jes' drift till yo' nevah see 'em agin, jes' run 'em plumb crazy. Yo' plant it right in back of de do'step where dey do the most of they walkin' - dat's where yo' plant dat stuff.
Entry 2509
Take some cinnamon bark - now, that's what they told me. Take you some cinnamon bark, holy water, and this Lucky Dog Perfume, wintergreen, devil-shoe- string and makes - boil that, mix it all together you understand. Mix all that together and every morning 'fore anybody come in there. You understand what I mean? You take that and you wash your place out. See. Start to washing it from right on into the back. And that make that - that'll draw the people in there. See. I guarantee you.
Entry 2629
(What do you do to bring in customers? For bootlegging or something? Have you heard what they do to bring in the trade?) Certainly. (All right.) You'd take that place. For instance, this was the place right here. All right. You come to me and you say, "Well, my business is full and everybody pass and go to the next fellow." All right. You say, "Now, I wants you to straighten this place out for me so the people would come in, so I could draw customers." Well, the first thing is to do - is to go there before the sun- rise. Scrub that place out from the front to the back, 'cause you want luck to come in. Scrub it out with soap powder and Octogen soap: Some people use lye, but you don't want no lye nowhere near it. That's my method of using it. You scrub it out and after you scrub it out, you just.
(You scrub it with what?)
Octogen soap and plain white powder, plain white powder what they wash clothes with. But don't use no lye. Some people, they have: a tendency to use lye: But you must know whether there's anything been put down there or not. If there's something been put on there to offset this man - to keep his - to bear the people off from coming there, well it's very necessary to use lye to kill whatsomever they got down there. But you must know these things. You go on and you scrub it, mop it, and after you get through mopping it, you take clear water - seven buckets of clear water [nine is the usual number]. Now, if it's you, you must throw 'em over yourself, from back - make your wish - this is the front part, you throw it thataway and make your wish.
(You go from the front to the back?)
Yeah, yeah.
(You throw it out?)
Yeah, throw it out - throw it all out - then sweep it out. Then you go back with your mop and you let the place dry out. Now some - it takes you three days to do that sometimes. I've seen a woman's place and a fellow supposed to have done left - knew somebody in the family but he ain't in his right home. He's Open up a success for himself - bringing success. Now, the next day you go ahead back there, if you got three rooms in there, you take a saucer and you take rock incense - don't use no temple - rock incense and you burn it with lucky oil. They have oil they call lucky oil. You pour a little bit of that lucky oil on that incense and you set it up and you light it. Now, rock incense will make a fog, and you keep your shades down - just have a place in the back for the smoke to go out.
(The incense makes a mist - a fog?)
A fog - a fog. Now, you getting rid of all the evil influence. Now, you go on through with that. Well now, the third day you come on back there with you oil of reeve. [This is how word sounds. Could it be oil of relieve = relief? Oil of reve = dream? Or a nautical reeve = pouring oil on troubled waters?] Well, you might use oil of cinnamon. You might use some Van-van - it's not nec- essary. You might use some oil of cocoa. You might use seven oils into one. Well, you take those oils and you mix 'em into one with rain water. You put, say, about two teaspoons - by diff'rent drops and pour it down in there and fill that bottle up with rain water, and you just take that bottle and you cut holes in the stopper - three ways, so it will - and you shake it round in there, shake it round in there. Well, once every week when you are scrubbing, you do that. I'll say, that fellow have the biggest success in this town. I know some of 'em are doing it now.
(You say Seven-in-one oil. Is that one oil, or seven different oils in one?)
Seven diff'rent oils in one.
(Then you buy it prepared that way?)
Yeah, you can buy it that way. [See later, Three-Way Oil, and Three Oils.]
Entry 8585
Get her a - get his name, just like ah tole yo'. Write it nine times, orite hern across it. Take her - an' then take it - she can put it into 'er lamp, if she can get her some lump sugar. An' she can take her nine lumps of dis lump sugah, an' get her a piece of lodestone, con- quering root [John de Conkah], conquering root powder, cinnamon. Mix ali dat togethah an' his name, an' put it down into 'er lamp, an' put de necked [naked = real] coal oil on it an' set it to burnin'. An' he will come back.
Entry 9271
Yo' take a black hen egg. Yo' boil dat. Yo' git graveyard dust. Yo' git dirt dauber. Yo' boil dat togethah. Den yo' git war watah. An' yo' mix that up together an' put it back in this egg shell. Yo' put it in red, a flannel yo' know, [in] somepin or othah, [because] yo' t'row it [and the mix- ture must not fall outl. In nine days time de person will move aftah dey walk over dis. Yo' t'row it on top of de house.
(What do you do with that egg?)
Yo' break de egg. Yo' boil it see, first. Den yo' break it in dis dirt dauber.
(I want to know just how they use the egg.)
Yo' take de whole [boiled] egg out de shell. Den mash it like yo' gon'a mash- mash potato wit a fork. Yo' take de dirt dauber nest. Yo' mash dat up in dere. Yo' take graveyard dirt off a bad sinner's grave. An' yo' mix dat all up tuh- gethah an' yo' put it in de stoVe. An' yo' kin GIT SOME OF DIS RED GROUND PEPPAH [ground red pepper] FROM DE HOODOO DRUG STORE an' yo' mix dat [in there]. Den yo' stuff dis shell back wit dat egg an' tie it up [in the red flannel] dis way [demonstrates, probably wrapping the string away from you, though a notation of the manner was not made at the time]. An' yo' gon'a t'row it upon dat house. Yo' t'row it in a manners so it'll roll [off and break]. An' de folks won't stay dere long.
Entry 13422
[To make people] get out of a house, you have to use war water, dirt dauber nest, Epsom salts and oil of lavender.
(Oil of lavender?)
Yes. [Long pause.]
(Yes?) [Continue.]
And yo' pound it all together like a flour, and you'll sprinkle it at the front door and in the gate. (In what?) You sprinkle it at the front door and in the gate. (And the gate. All right.) That would upstir the mind of a person. Just like Epsom salts works your bowels, so it would work in among them people. War water makes them restless in that place. You see.
(Yes.)
Oil of lavender will get their mind.
(Those are herbs?)
Yeah.
(Now, what will the oil of lavender do?)
The oil of lavender it'll soften him - the inner, the inner man, the spirit- ual part of that person. That you could - you would have to go. You would slide or either you would be run off. You may put oil into anything to slip [away] - you run off from that person. You understand.
(Now, what else did you put into that thing?)
Dirt dauber nest.
(What would that do?)
Dirt dauber nest is a part of ground.
(Yes?)
It may be made with lime, but you kin put that person to drift and you got nobody to...jis' like you see the dirt dauber goin' gnawin'-gnawin'. In certain places, that part of your track where you put it - where you would go, you could not stand.
(That would make me move out of that house?)
Yes, sir.
(What else did you put in that mixture?)
Epsom salt, oil of lavender, dirt dauber's nest, and war water.
(Anything else go in it?)
Yeah, you could put van-van in that, but if you put Van-van in there, you liable to put that person in trouble. They liable to get into the hand of the law.
(I see, I see.)
That only a part of making them move.
(I see. I understand.)
Entry 545
Now in case a man's child - somebody has caused a man's child to wander about from the house, won't stay home, yo'll see the 'fect of it aroun' de fire- place. Dere'll come a drove of ants, black antses, all on de mantelpiece comin' in droves, some goin' an' some comin', an' will cross each othah this way, cross each othah goin' to an' fro. Well, people have oftentime wondered whut does that mean. Yore child will wander aroun' an' can't stay home. Well, now there's remedy fo' that. The remedy is, if yo' would like to heah it, take some salt - Epsom salts, some quinine an' black peppah an' mix it together three days continuous, an' sprinkle it all on de edge of de mantelpiece all aroun' it an' those antses will leave. Any child mind will become settled.
(Well, why are those ants there? Have you any idea?)
Well, it's a sign your child's mind is not right - it is unsettled. Where dey come from ah don't know, but dey will cease to come.
(Well, what causes that? Somebody has done something to the child?)
Somebody have done something to de child to cause de child not to stay home an' aggravate de parents, keep de parents confused an' dey don't know whut's de matter with de child. He will come home an' his mind become settled fo' a while. Event'lv de chile go clean off an' won't stay at home none at all - dat's a sign of dat.
Entry 808
[I was called other things (see Introduction) besides doctor:]
Yo' not a bootleggah, are yo'? [I shook my head.] Ah jes' wanted tuh know. Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do. See, go tuh de drug sto' an' git chew a ten-cent bottle of this stuff yo' call rubbin' alcohol. All right, leave from dere an' git chew a ten-cent bottle of witch hazel, an' jes' mix dat together, an' ever' mawnin' when yo' git up, jes' rub it on yore han's. All de people jes' comin' in rushin'.
(Simple as that.)
Simplest thing - cost yo' twenty cents. [Brunswick, Ga., (1210), 2045:7.] After informant - root doctor and bootlegger - leaves, I comment to Telediphone, "This woman came yesterday and she wouldn't talk to me."]
Entry 882
(Yes, go ahead.)
In the little town where I was born, you know there was a lotta people there that believed in hoodooism. (I see - and will you talk slow, please.) There were a lotta people and they believe in hoodooism. There was a man, he was - before he married - he was courtin' another lady, and after he married why he still Sweethearted with her. And he moved next door to her when he married. And he took care of his wife and bought her everything that she needed as far as he was able, and his sweetheart envied her, envied his wife because he neglected her mostly altogether. And she tried a certain some way of getting rid of his wife, and she - she sought around, she found out that it was a man in another county that she could go to him and have this lady fixed to get rid of her. And she went - she caught the train one evening and went to this man. It was a man. She went to the man and when the man saw her coming, he told her to come in - he knew what her business was there. (Where did this man live that she went to see? What town did he live in, or near what town?) He lived in New Orleans.
(And where was this town that you were born in?)
Taylor.
(Where?)
Taylor.
(Where is that?)
It's in Mississippi.
(Taylor - how do you spell it?)
Cary.
(All right - go ahead.)
And after she went there, he told her what she - he knew what she came for. And so she explained everything to him. So he gave her a little bottle about fo' inches tall with some kind of a liquid in it - it was a little green bottle with some kind of liquid in it. And he told her, like if - when she come back to bury it under her [wife's] steps. And she came back with it one dark night and took and buried it under the steps. And the next day the lady came out, you see, to go to the store to [buy] some- thing for breakfast. And when she came out, she came down the steps, and as she came down the steps, why something caught her - a pain caught her in the leg and drew her legs up and she couldn't walk. A man came along and he called another lady and he helped put her in the bed. And she was getting worse and worse, look like it would kill her and so her husband thought he would get, you know, consult diff'rent physicians and he couldn't never get any cure for her. So one day, he was long and sad, looking for someone and he met a man, and the man told him that he knew his troubles, and then asked him how long his wife had been sick. And he said about two months. And so he said he could cure his wife. So the man went on back to his house and told him - when he got to the steps he told him to bring him a spade. He brought him a spade and he dug up that little green bottle. The man what he met was a hoodoo himself, and he dug up the bottle and carried it to some running water and threw the - opened the bottle and threw the liquid into the stream, and threw the bottle into the stream, too, both of then, and didn't even look back and went on back to the house and he asked the lady how did she feel, and she said she was feeling better all at once. And so he made up some kind of a mixture of herbs and rubbed her up with it - rubbed her with it, and fixed some stuff in a bottle and told her to put it under the pillow and let it stay under there for about three days. And then after he'd taken it from under her pillow, well, he'd taken and diggin' in the front yard, you know, puts it and buries it in the front yard in front of the gate - opposite the gate, and buried it deep enough so that no one could dig it up or nothing could dig it up. And after he done that, why - after the three days he did as the man told him, and then the lady was getting along fine. And after she was getting along fine, the lady what tried to kill her came - you know, began to visit her. And she seen that she was getting better and when she'd get there; she came in one evening to see her. The lady Was getting along, around the house doing her work, and she was sitting up in the bed. That lady brought some fish, and she ate that fish and why hit kilt her.
(It killed her? They killed the wife, you mean?)
Yes, sir.
(That killed the wife?)
Yes, sir. (What do you mean about the three days - I didn't understand - you said some- thing about three days?) Yeah, he told her for to let that - he fixed some - a little old bottle of medicine - I don't know exactly what all the ingredients was, but he told her to put it under her pillow - under the lady's pillow and let it stay under three day and then take it out and dig a deep hole in the ground and bury it deep enough so that nothing could dig it up.
(He left it under the pillow for three days?)
Yes, sir.
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 1117
(You get this one drop of blood from that same bug [Betsy bug] from an old hollow tree.) Yes, from a ole rotten tree. You drop this blood - one drop into a cup of - into a halfa teacup of grease. Then you get a piece of saltpeter about as big as a red bean. Get a teacup of sweet milk. You see you mix that all up together. You give that to that person that has been tricked and poisoned. They wull throw it up.
Entry 1510
That's for to keep anyone from your home and keep them from hurting you, this here. You take the shoe - now, if it's men and women both you want to keep away, why you take all the shoes of the family, all the old shoes and burn them. And you doesn't burn 'em complete to ashes, but chew burn 'em kin'a so tha' chew can mash 'em up. And you get chew a new box of cayenne pepper, and a new package of salt, and a new package of sulphur, and mix that all up together. Then you get chew a sifter - you put it [this mixture] in a can - then you get chew a sifter and just right after sundown you start from your back door and go on around the house and come on back to the back door right where you began dat. And just make your wishes. And if you want to name the persons in person, why you call those names. Just have like one or two or three individual persons you don't wish to come to your house. You do that for nine successful [successive] days. You do it in the morning and at night repeat the same thing. Well, in the morning you want to do that before sunrise in the morning - before sunrise in the morning and after sundown in the evening. And just repeat your wishes. And you can call, you know, the person's name just the same as if you were talking to them, and wish they'd stay away and not interfere with you. And repeat the Name of God. And you can also take river-shore sand. You take river-shore sand and put that in a sifter and sift it around the house. Mix these same things with it - the sulphur and the cayenne pepper and the salt, but be sure it's packages that never been broken. Just buy it for that especial. And you have the same amount of sand that chew do salt, sulphur, and pepper. See? You have a box of salt and you have the same amount of sand. See? Well, you take the package of sulphur and you take the package of pepper see, and mix with it. And see, that's enough to repeat the nine successful days. Well, you take the shore sand, you begin from yore back door and you go on around the house - like you have a walk away to the well and to the pump or at the gate, you take all the paths with it. You go to your outer buildings with the sand [the complete mixture] and repeat, you see, whatever you wish to be done. And if you think it's someone interfering with yeh, or your stock is dying, you go around the stalls, you know. You repeat and with the same thing may return on them and leave you be - in the Name of God.
Entry 1739
Yo' use black stars an' oil of cinnamon an' oil of bergamot an' mix that together, an' rub it in mah han'. Jes' lak ah'm goin' out now an' ah wanta, ah open mah han' an' ah carry it back that way. Ah'm goin' out fo' good luck now, ah put a drop or two in mah han's heah - ah'm goin' out fo' luck. Ah put dem three things - mix 'em together.
(That is for luck in gambling?)
Yessuh.
(What is that black star?)
That's - hit's black but it's incense.
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 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 4084
Dey could use yuh chamber lye.
(All right, how could you do that?)
Dey tell me if yuh take de chamber lye an' mix it intuh whut chew eat - dey tell me a woomin kin take dat an' sprinkle a little of de chamber lye intuh whut chew eat an' let chew eat dat. Dat'll keep yuh from runnin' aftah othah wimmins.
Entry 5315
Yo' kin take a person's track - take yore han' an' ketch it from de toe an' bring it tuh de heel. Put some salt an' red peppah wit it an' some sul- phur. Mix it up very good. Take it tuh a ants nest an' po' it in dere an' make yore wish In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an Holy Ghost, an' dey'll leave.
Entry 6130
Do dat in diff'ren' ways. I kin take yore hair - I take yore hair, but if I take yore hair, I take from de mole of de haid. Take yore hair from de mole of yore haid. I would plat yore hair. If I Wants to do yo' any harm, I would plat yore hair. If yo' wuz a woman an' I wanted to make yo' come back to me or some- pin of dat sort, I'd put it in de toe of my shoes, an' I'd wear dat hair in de toe of my shoes. I'd plat it an' put it in de toe of my shoes an' I'd wear dat bair in dere. An' while I'se got dat hair in my shoes, walkin' aroun' wit dat wr, I'd gits me one of dese little small perfume bottles. I writes 'er name dosn wit pen an' ink, nine times. I makes dis bottle full of sweet water, jes' as sweet as I possibly kin git it, but say, anyhow, into a syrup. I would take sngah an' make it into a syrup, see, wit dis watah. Put 'er name down into dis bottle an' 'er hair in de toe of my shoe. Dat's if I would want 'er. See, an' I'd keep 'er dere into dis bottle an' in de toe of my shoe, an' I puts dis bot- te udah my steps, but I would bury it undah de steps. I wouldn't bury it so deep. I would bury it an' den she would come on back home. See.
Entry 6382
Well, dey will take dat an' have yo' lame all de time. (What do they do with that then, after they scrape the bottom of the feet? What do they do with that then?) Bottle it up wit some stuff dey call de blue vitrus - wit blue vitrus. An' den dey take it an' aftah dey put dat blue vitrus in wit it, dey take it den wit a mixture fo' tuh do yo' harm - me harm, or somebody else. Don' care whose [who] 'tis. Dey'd mix it, yo' know, an' driv' [drip] it [bury bottle so that it leaks] long wherevah yo' have tuh go, fo' tuh strike yo' wit pain [in the feet].
Entry 6463
But ef dey git aholt of de dust from de trimmin' of yo' fingahnails, dey'd jis' mix it in a little moonshine, yo' know, or little good whiskey. Well, dey mix it wit de moonshine. An' if it's a woman an' dey wanta do any- thin' tuh yo', why dey jis' sew it anywhere in a hem or de bindin' of de sleeve dat dey weah regulah an' don' have tuh wash too much.
(What will that do then?)
Well, I suppose if dey might be a person dat care fer yo' an' yo' ain't payin' dem much attention, an' dat will change yore mind an' make yo' love dem dearly. (And they take the scrapings from a man's fingernails and put it in the whis- key?) Yes.
(What do they put that in then?)
Dey jis' put dat in dere tuh make.a moist taste. An' den dey weah it in a hem or de edge of a sleeve. But it will be a piece of material dat dey don' wash very reg'lah.
Entry 7221
Well, ah've heard 'em say dat if yo' bootleggin' an' yo' wanta keep de law away from yuh house, yo' git out soon in de mawnin'. Yo' take incense. Yo' kin buy dat, an' yuh burn dat, but here's de nex' thing yo' kin do dat ah suggest dan incense. Yo' kin take an' go tuh work an' git dat dirt whut ah suggest tuh yuh.
(What dirt?)
Soon in de mawnin' dat chew go out an' yo' mix up.
(What dirt?)
De dirt dat chew go an' stand on. Aftah yo' make dis dirt, aftah yo' make it up in a mixture. Yo' understand. All right, an' yo' stand on it, an' yo' reach down an' yo' git some of dat dirt. All right. An' aftah yo' reach some from undah de bottom of yuh feet - dis is whut chew call, whut ah told choo 'bout dose twelve head of dose officials, high offi- cials.
(I see.)
But yo' mus' call twelve high officials in de city which yo' live in - names, yo' mus' call dere names. An' yo' put dis dirt in dis pan an' den yo' brings dis pan back. [Then you] goes tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt outa de graveyard. An' den yo' takes dat salt an' yo' sprinkle dat salt ovah dis dirt. An' as yo take dis dirt soon in de mawnin', den de nex' mawnin' 'fo' de sun rise, yo' go all de way roun' yuh house an' sprinkle dis dirt an' say, "As ah cast dis dirt out, ah wants tuh cast [then call some of those officials' names] from dis groun' dat ah stand on." An' dey won't - yo' won' be worried wit 'em. (Will you tell me that story again - over again - you told in the beginning about standing out in a certain part of the house and calling those names. I don't quite remember that.)
[This was a part of the story told before recording began.]
All right. Here it is. Yo' go tuh de east side of de house - de east side, now - an' yo' dig dis dirt [the dirt upon which you stand]. Yo' make it up jis lak yo' wuz makin' a bread; git it good an' crumbly an' soft, yo' see, an' - but choo mus' stand. Yo' want me tuh show yo' how tuh stand?
(Yes.)
Ah'll show yuh [demonstrates]. See? Yo' mus' - aftah yo' git yuh dirt made up good, an' all, den yo' stand upon it lak dis [demonstrates]. See?
(With your shoes on?)
Wit yuh shoes on.
(I see. All right.)
Yo' stand upon it. An' see, when yo' standin' upon it, yo' supposed tuh be standin' on de high officials' heads, becuz dey comes from dust, accordin' tuh de Bible. An' den yo' reach down an' yo' take... [I interrupt].
(Well, didn't you say something about calling names or something?)
Call twelve of dese names of de high officials in dis town, or in de town yo' live. Ah wouldn't know whut dose names is.
(I see. Well, go on again with the story.)
In de town yo' live, see. Yo' call twelve high officials - rulin' powahs in dat town - an' yo' git dat dirt. An' whenevah yo' gits dat dirt from right undah de bottom - de sole of yuh feet - yo' put it in dis pan. An' den yo' takes dis pan an' yo' goes directly from dere tuh de cemetery an' yo' gits some dirt offa de daid body. An' yo' put dat in dere an' yo' mix it wit dat whut choo got from de east side of yuh house. An' aftah yo' do dat, yo' go tuh de table - tuh yuh table or wherevah yuh salt is - an' yo' git some salt an' put in it. An' yo' po [pour] dat salt in it an' den de nex' mawnin' yo' git up soon 'fo' de daylight, den go out an' yo' throw dis aroun' yuh house an' yo' say, "As ah throw dis salt" - jis' throw it out - "dat good fo' nuthin, aftah he [salt] done losed [lost] his savor, but tuh be trampled undah de feets of men." An' den yo' call some of dose twelve officials, high officials, an' yo' won't need worry.
(I see. He would go away, not make him move.)
Yes, keep from makin' yo' move or keep from any officer [keep any officer away] - anything.
(Keep the officers away?)
Yeah, away from your house.
(Trouble of any kind?)
Dat's trouble of any kind.
(I see.)
Entry 7405
Ah've hear'd dat if a man kills a man an' runs away or do somepin - misdemenah [misdemeanor] whatevah it done be - an' gits away. Well, an' dey Wants tuh do somepin tuh make 'im come back. Well, yo' go - yo' gotta have some kinda piece which dis man wo'. It don't make no diff'rence what - if it wus 'is coat or whut - but it must be some kinda piece which he has wo'. An' yo' takes it, see. An' yo' dresses it. Yo' dresses it wit three diff'ren' mixtures, an' yo' puts it in a place where it won't - no one partici- pates in [frequents or looks into], dat place, yo' see. An' aftah thirteen days dat individual [murderer] will show up on de scene dere. But yo' must take it an' yo' gits one of yuh, one of dese [ingredients] dat yo' dress it wit; dat ah've hear'd yo' dress it wit, is de left horn of a cow.
(The left horn?)
De left horn of a cow.
(The left horn of a cow.)
Yo' take dat an' in... [I interrupt].
(What do you do, take the whole horn?)
No, yo' jis' git some of dat. Yo' jis' take a knife an' jis' scrape, jis' scrape some of dat left horn of a cow. An' de nex' thing yo' git, yo' goes down tuh de graveyard an' yo' gits yuh some dirt - some soil. Den yo' go tuh de west enda [end of] dis individual house. Yo' mus' know where he lived at - where he lived at.
(What did you say now?)
Go tuh de west enda his house where he lived at, an' yo' dig up some soil an' yo' mix dat. Den yo' bring it back an' yo' goes an' yo' git a piece of 'is socks, an' yo' put dat in dere. An' yo' puts dis in a secret place where nobody lives an' yo' waits about thirteen or fourteen days. An' yo' go git it an' bring it out, an' sprinkle it down with salt an' watah. An' in a few days dat guy Sii show up on de scene. So ah heard.
Entry 7738
Ah think yo' put brimstone, camphor, bluestone, an' ah think graveyard dirt. Mix it up about soft enough tuh make li'le balls outa it, an' yo' keep dat till it git dry, an' yo' carry dat an' jes' powdah it. Jes' sprin- kle all roun' dere an' wish fo' whut yo' want it tuh do, tuh happen - whut yo' expect tuh happen.
(What do you expect of that?)
Yo' expect, jes' lak yo' want somebody tuh stay away from yore house, yo' could do dat den. Sprinkle it aroun', all roun' so dey can't see it, an' dey won't come ovah it.
Entry 7868
Yo' kin go tuh de graveyard, but it gotta be a certain time; late at night, ah think now, ah dunno. An' yo' go down intuh de middle of de grave, run yore hand down in dere jes' as fer as yo' kin in de middle of dat grave. Yo' bring out some of dat dust, jes' a small amount, don't have tuh have very much of it. An' yo' go back home an' yo' take dis table salt an' mix in wit it. An' lak if yo' wanta come in possession of sompin othah, or Want somebody tuh do sompin dat yo' desire 'em tuh do, take dat dust an' dat table salt an' go an' place it - place it where dey will pass ovah it.
Entry 7881
Dey could send yo' away wit graveyard dust. Git some cayenne peppah dat hasn't been used an' fresh table salt an' mix it wit graveyard dust, an' make a wish an' throw it de Way yo' live. Dat'll run yo' away.
Entry 7882
Yo' may take graveyard dirt an' go tuh someone's house dat chew don' lak, an' take cayenne peppah, black peppah an' table salt, an' run people from home. (What would you do with this powder and all this mixture then?) Mix it all up tuhgethah an' throw it aroun' de house an' throw it up on de po'ch, or carry it in de house if yo' kin git it in there, an' dey will leave.
The informant names graveyard dirt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and table salt in a mixture placed around, on or conditionally inside a house. Departure is reported by the informant; the interviewer asks about placement.
Entry 8958
Yo' take a portion and yo' put it in each shoe.
(You mean the oil. The oil?)
Yes, yo' put it in each shoe. An' there's three oils yo' get. Yo' get this oil of muritel.
(You get what?)
Murotel, yeah. That [is] if you out, yo' understand, goin' to meet co't. If yo're not in jail, yo' can take oil of murotel and cedar oil an' labena [ver- bena]. An' yo' mix them three oils together. [First oil is surely myrtle!] (What kind? Labena?) Labena [verbena], yes sir. An' yo' bathe yoreself in it that morning before going before the judge. An' if yo' have any witness, well yo' take a beef tongue. An' yo' know the right names, yo' writes the name upon dat tongue. An' if yo' got a chimley anywhere in de house, yo' hangs dat up in there, an' your witness can't speak clearly. (Well, what do you hang that beef tongue in that chimney for? What - how do you do that?) Just take it and [first] you roll it around with your feet [it is kicked in No.8956] and hangs it up in there and smoke it.
(Oh, you smoke it! I see.)
Entry 9035
In fact, dere used tuh be a ole fellah roun' heah - he wuz a bad fel- lah, bad principle, an' 'is mothah believe in dat. An' ah've often see 'er - she'd go off in de night, she's daid now, she died in Richmond. But ah'ye seen dat fo' a posi- tive fac', she'd go off an' she'd come back, when 'er son would be in trouble, an' she'd have dat. Ah couldn't sweah dat it's graveyard dirt, yo' undahstan', but it would look dat Way. An' she'd be stirrin', mixin' it. Whether she mixin' it tuh git 'im outa trouble, ah don' know.
Entry 9051
Dey go tuh de graveyard an' dey gits dat dirt, if yo' got a case in co't. Ah have done seen it tried. An' yo' git all dat dirt up tuhgethah, yo' see, an' yo' brings it home. An' yo' takes it an' pound it an' put sulphur wit it, an' pound it all tuhgethah. An' go tuh co't wit it an' hold it in yore hands lak dat. An' when de trial comes up, de trial come up, dey'll dismiss it.
[Informant has been wrapping this mixture in a handkerchief.]
(They put it in that handkerchief and wrap it up. When they get to court they just keep it in their handkerchief.) Kin jes' keep it in dere han'ke'ch'ef an' evah once in a while jes' shake it lak dat. Dey don' know whut yo' doin' yo' see.
Entry 9089
Dey claim that if yo' use God's Name three times aftah usin' three different kind of roses, one a red rose, a white rose, an' anothah a kind of a pink rose - after usin' those roses - they boil those roses an' get de juice out of 'em an' takes a bath in dat juice. An' den take dat juice an' put a little bit in a vial or sumpin like dat in de pocket. An' put a mixture in dat wit High John de Conkah an' bluestone an' aloes an' incense; an' den use de word, "God de Father, God de Son, an' God de Holy Ghost" fo' nine times in de court- house. Dat'll be impossible fo' a judge to give a heavy sentence. [Elizabeth City. N. Car. (482), 498:8.]
Entry 9583
Git salt an' red peppah an' mix all dat up tuhgethah, see, an' put it in yore shoes. See, pertect yo'self anywhere yo' goes. See, nuthin cain't harm yo'. Well, ah've heard dat.
(When you walk in anything it wouldn't hurt you.)
Entry 10963
Ketch de blood when it's warm. When you kill a chicken, don't let de blood get cold, ketch it while it's warm, you see. And take and mix it with sul- phur in a can or anything and set it aside and just before it get cold, if you kin get dat person to bring some of that stuff on them, that will kill them. [This is done magically by putting on vic- tim's name or handing him something that has touched on contains the mixture.]
Entry 11217
Yo' kin take, yo' know, if yo' an' yore husband ain't gittin' long good in yore house, yo' kin take some spice an' dirt dauber nest an' mash it up together; an' after yo' sweep, sprinkle it in each corner of de house. Every- thing will git 'long lovely. Dat's all ah know it's good fo'; yo' know, killin' anything lak dat. Wear it in yore shoe for a fuss lak dat an' sprinkle it round yore house. Dat's all ah know dat it's good fo'.
Entry 12159
Dey put somepin in de shoes. It's a mixture of this ground up - they call it hog-hoof. Yes, dey grind it up lak meal an' dey mix soda an vinegah an' salt, but it's gotta be ground up very fine, jes' lak flaxseed meal, in a powder, so it won't be notice- able. An' jes' powder de shoe aroun' wit dat. Dat will keep him from goin' off. [A note of mine reads: this keeps the man from being hoodooed away by another woman.]
Entry 12568
Yo' kin take one peanut and plant, put it dere. Yo' kin plant one peanut dis yeah. Well, yo' kin take jes' one an' yo' kin put jes' one spoon- fulla fertilizer dere. Well, dat'll make a big- ger root in de ground in de whole field, den if yo' have planted it [pea- nuts] all ovah de field. Dem lil' peanuts got lil' strings out. Jes' got one peanut dere an' it can't git no draft aroun' nowheres cross de earth, but dere's a great big root on de bottom called de [taproot?]. An' yo'll see it [the same thing] on de tree when de tree's picked [dug up] an' ain't growed out [up]. Well, dat root's right on de bottom dere. Den yo' take dat root an' yo' kin parch dat root and anybody's got a bad cold or anything, think it set into TB's or somepin othah, jes' boil dat root an' put chew some Adam [Adam-and-Eve?] in it. Well, Adam is a thing, yo' know, dat's mighty good fo' yo', dis garlic dat yo' cook with. Well, yo' put a lil' Adam in there an' put a lil' cream of tartar into any- thing dey drink. An' den put 'bout a half teaspoonful of gin in it, an' den de next thing yo' do, put in about a spoonful of camphor an' let it set dere fo' 'bout a day or two. Den yo' take. Dat will release all dat [something] on yore throat dere.
(That will cure that trouble you have?)
Dat's right.
Entry 12622
If you mix cayenne pepper, sulphur, asafetida and sprinkle this com- pound in the 4 corners of a room, the person living in it will move out.
[Rich-mond, 293:2.]
Entry 9234
Jes' lak if yo' got a fren' an' he's away from yo', yo' use a chicken aig lak dis. Yo' put it in de mun of de house [under eaves] wit de end [small end of egg] down an' yo' writes 'is name on dat an' yo' puts it dat deep in de groun' [demon- strates]. (About as deep as your hand.) Yes sir, at de drain of yore house, an' yo' call 'im, an' yo' put sulphuh, sugah - all dat mixture is sweet don't chew know. Put sulphuh, sugah an' brim- stone. An' each mawnin' yo' call 'im fo' nine mawnin's. [Brimstone and sulphur raise hell with him, sugar sweetens him.] Yo' call 'im an' he boun' tuh come, he cain't stay away - he gotta come. One aig an' write his name on de aig. Ah'm goin' call yore name, see. Say, "Ah'm callin' yo' an' ah wan' chew tuh come on back home heah tuh me." Write dat on de aig. See, write his name on dere [egg]. Call 'is name an' write dat [name] on dat aig. An' put dat aig right down in dis guttah [in the ground under the eaves].
(Any kind of a chicken egg?)
It would be bettah if it wuz a black hen aig.
Entry 12018
If you mix a person's hair with salt and vinegar and bury it, you will run him crazy. [Wilmington 216:3+85.]
Entry 12831
To separate man and woman, mix black pepper and salt and put it in her window sill. [Norfolk 494:2.]
Entry 13108
An' den yo' kin take it again. Yo' kin take dis graveyard dirt an' yo' kin git rattlesnake dust an' mix it together, an' it will run anybody stone blind.
(Just how would they do that?)
Jes' take de rattlesnake dust an' de graveyard dirt an' mix it tuhgethah. Mix it up tuhgethah an' git anybody hat an' sprinkle it in de hat dat dey gotta dem stone blind.
Entry 4392
Yuh know, lak goin' tuh make a passage, yuh know yuh take some of dat an' burn it, see. Yuh take some of dat an' burn it. Co'se dat will make it so dat it will lock it tuh yuh. It'll lock it by puttin' peppah an' stuff in it, mixin' it up wit sompin else.
Entry 13353
Take dere chamber lye an' let it set fo' days an' put it in a brown bottle an' bury it undah de steps, an' den dat'll run 'em away from home. Dat run de man away. (Whose chamber lye do you put in the bottle?) Yores. Mix some of yores and some of deres together - some of de woman's an' some de man's together. An den dat'll drive him 'way from home. It still make him go 'cross watah an nevah come back. [Either informant dropped something out of this rite or the desire of the magician is sufficient. There are other examples of 2 persons buried together, giving victim a sense of security.]
Entry 13454
An' if yo' wants tuh git rid of him an' don' want him nowhere aroun', go git chew a bottle of wine, black wine, an' git chew a little jar of mustard - git chew half a jar of mustard. Take half a jar of mus- tard into de wine, a quart of wine or half a gallon of wine 'cordin' tuh how yo' wanta use it. Take dat mustard an' beat it into dat wine lak dat, jes' continually beat it, until it all go tuhgether an' yo' cain't see it - de mustard. Take an' sprinkle dat when he leaves outa yore house, if he's stayin' dere yo' know. An' when he leave out, jes' sprinkle dat behin' him an' let him go. He ain't comin' back. He cain't come back. [The wine leads him out, the mustard keeps him away, and informant is marked excellent.]