Subject:Mouse
Entries
Entry 12736
Well yo' know dese little rats [mice?] be's in de house. Well, yo' git one of dose an' buy yo' some mo' whiskey, see. Jes' git half a pint or a pint, but put it in jah where yo' kin put dat rat in it, see. Put him in dere 'live an' shet it down an' set it in a cornah till dat rat drown, see. An' yo' git all his strength in dat whiskey. Yo' take dat rat out an' throw him away or eithah barn him up in de fireplace. It would be best fo' yo' tuh burn him up, see. Den yo' take dat whiskey - don't strain it or nuthin, jes' put it back in a pint bottle, see. See, jes' lak yo' ole lady come in, see, an' she wanta drink, she say, "Well, yo' know ah so wished ah had a drink." Yo' say, "Ah think d've got a little drink." Yo' still continually give her a drink out of dat. Hit'll make hah sick but when she git bettah of dat sickness, she won't nevah Ak anothah drink of whiskey.
Entry 626
Some girls wanted to get this boy she was going with. There were two sisters. He went with Rebecca. Rebecca got so she couldn't walk. Her sister, who was almost white, she believed in hoodooing; but Rebecca was a brown-skin girl and she didn't believe in it. So she went down to a lady's house to a party one night and set down and she tore a square piece out of her dress. So when she came home, she was working for some very wealthy white people, she got so then she couldn't hardly walk. And she said she felt like there was a mouse crawling on her leg: She had to go down to get sugar and things to this little town and she rode down. And when she came back home she had a big black blister on her foot. She hadn't walked nowhere. So she stayed home a few days and she got so bad she had to tell her sister what had happened. Her sister said, "Oh! Well, they got you but didn't get me." So the young man, who went to see Rebecca, asked his mother for a wagon and his nephew to drive her to a woman's house what could do something for you. I guess she was what you call a two-header. It was about twenty miles. When she came in the door she [the two-header] took a bottle like that and shake it. Rebecca hollered and said, "Oh! Oh! Don't you do that any more." She did that to try to see what was wrong with her. She come on in and set down. She [the two-header] called all the people [their spirits] to her that were doing something to her. She said, "Now Rebecca you are going home, and the bright woman [the innocent one] is going to go away and isn't going to speak to you; the one that did it is going to whip you, if you let her." [Since the spirit of the innocent woman called before the two-header possessed a bright countenance, we must assume a dark one for the spirit of the culprit - see No. 627.1 So Rebecca came back and stop in front of this store and de young boy [nephew] went in to get some things. I heard such a fuss outside, myself, I goes out to see what is happening. This girl that done something to Rebecca, she lived just across the road, says to her, "There comes your partner [the young man returning from the store]. Yes, you're cunjured. And God Almighty cunjured you. If I get close enough to you, I'll take you out of that wagon and give you a good Wooping [whipping]." But she didn't touch her. And Rebecca went on up home and done what the woman told her to do. She told her how to use [the medicine] what she give her. That would do away with that causing her leg. I don't know what Was in it. Rebecca got so then she could run and jump and ride good. It shows that something had been done to her. [New York City, (7), Ed.; Rappahannock Co. Va.,1896.]
Source passage
continuous interview or recording context · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
Well, now, ah know - AH REMEMBAH A WOMAN, A NICE LOOKIN' GIRL WUZ CO'TIN'
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
[COURTING]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
A PREACHAH, an' he had a li'le money an' a home, yo' know, but he quz a li'le bit too ole fo' 'er. See. So she tole 'im dat she didn't believe she cared fo 'im, he wuz a li'le bit too ole. He say,
reported or enacted speech · Current unnamed interviewee · Preacher represented in the account; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
"Well, if yo' don' do me no good, yo' won' do nobody else no good."
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
An' he took an' hit 'er in de face wit 'is pocket han'ke'chuf, an' somepin fell outa de top of 'er haid lak wood lice 'bout two hours aftah he had hit 'er.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
[A handkerchief tossed or waved about is usually dressed; in this case perhaps with wood-lice powder.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
Aftah he hit 'er, he disappeahed, went on somewhere, yo' see. An' she jis' stan'in' talkin' tuh some of er schoolmates, an' somepin fell outa her haid lak wood lice. An' dey fell all down aroun' on de groun', an' she commence tuh fightin' 'em, frightened aftah 'em, yo' know. All right, SHE COMMENCED TUH HOWL. COMMENCE TUH HOWLIN' LAK A DOG; SHE COMMENCE TUH MAKIN' FUSS LAK A COW, AN' SHE COMMENCE TUH CARR'IN' ON LAK A GOAT. Well, dey'd taken 'er an' carr'in' 'er home an' laid 'er in de baid an' yo' know she couldn't rest. Well she, dat nex' mawnin' - co'se she suffahed all dat night - got up de nex' mawnin' an' LOOKED AT 'ER THIGH. SHE SAID 'ER THIGH HURT 'ER. DERE WUZ A SMALL COOTAH
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
[TURTLE]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
ON 'ER, LAYIN' RIGHT HEAH. DERE WUZ THREE SCORPIONS LAYIN' DOWN ON 'ER THIGH. AN' DERE WUZ A BLUNT- TAIL MOUSE OVAH ON DIS HIP.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
(What kind of a tail?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
A blunt-tail mouse.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
(Blunt-tail?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
Yes, sir, BLUNT-TAIL MOUSE AN' SNAKE layin' ovah on dis side of de hip. Well, evahbody kinda doubted 'er. Yo' see she wuz hurt. DERE WUZ ANOTHAH OLE FELLAH STAYIN' ABOUT 25 MILES FROM DERE. HE COULD DO DAT KIND OF WORK. DEY WENT AN' GOT 'IM AN' HE COME AN' LOOKED AT 'ER. AN' HE SAID DAT HER CASE WUZ PURTTY SERIOUS
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
[for this type of judgment, see CONSULTATION TECHNIQUE, p.307f.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
, but he could do her good inside of eleven hours.
editorial recording or production note; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
[A stoppage of recording shows he also lived eleven miles from somewbere.]
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
(About eleven miles?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
On dis side of Greenville, Mississippi.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
(Greenville, Mississippi. How many years ago?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
Oh, dat been now about 28 years
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
[about 1910]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
(All right, go ahead with the story.)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
An' aftah he looked at - he'd taken 'er up an' laid 'er in de baid - caken 'er outa de baid she wuz in an' laid 'er in de
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
[another]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
baid. An' he saw dat cooth an' dat lizard an' dat mouse. An' he had a kinda grease. He jis'greaseder all ovah, yo' know. An' den he'd taken some kind of a ole funny sosepin look lak a blade an' he marked - he didn't cut 'er skin but he jis', yo' mog, belt
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
[held]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
dat blade right ovah dem things, jis' drawed it across dem but not on de aldn.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
(What kind of blade?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2337
A Kisah blade.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
(A Kiser?)
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[This could be spelled Kaiser.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
Yeah, a kisah blade whu' choo cut bushes wit whut men use tuh work in de right of way.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
(Oh, I see. All right.)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
An' he'd taken dat an' he jis' draw it across dat cootah
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[cooter or turtle]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
. An' he come up on dis side an' he draw it across dat blunt-tail mouse an' right ovah 'er. An' draw it across dem lizards. Well, all right. IN ABOUT ELEVEN HOURS TIME DEY GIVE HER UP TUH DIE, AN' DEM THINGS COME JIS' A-CRAWLIN' OUT OF "ER. AN' WHEN DEM THINGS CRAWLED OUTA 'ER, SHE GOT RIGHT UP AN' LOOKED AT US, AN' DEY WUZ CRAWLIN' ALL AROUND ON DE FLOOR.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[I have no doubt about a Small co0- ter, three lizards and blunt-tail mouse crawling on the floor. There is too much evidence in HOODOO for this sort of thing. THE DOCTOR HAD A FAST HAND! IN THE STORY FOLLOWING THIS ONE WE WILL AGAIN MEET DOCTOR MARTIN, ANOTHER HEALER QUICK WITH HIS HAND.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
An' he tole 'er, say,
reported or enacted speech · Current unnamed interviewee · Healer represented in the account; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
"Ah'm goin' make yo' do dat."
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
She got a stick an' she kilt 'em all. An' de cootah she couldn't ketch. He runned on outa dere. Now, dese three lizards dey wuz so stiff - scorpions rathah, dey couldn't git nowhere. She caught 'em an' kilt dem. So dat woman got all right.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
(WAS THAT ALL HE DID?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
Yes, sir.
Nested source context: nested reported speech · Vol. 3, p. 2337
He say, "Well, if yo' don' do me no good, yo' won' do nobody else no good."
Nested source context: claimed presence not independent event verification · Vol. 3, p. 2338
SHE GOT RIGHT UP AN' LOOKED AT US, AN' DEY WUZ CRAWLIN' ALL AROUND ON DE FLOOR.
locally closed printed account with recording gap
The printed account includes an explicit recording interruption. Eleven hours and miles remain unreconciled.
The recording-stoppage note signals unavailable material; distance and events during the gap cannot be reconstructed.
Scorpions or lizards, blade spelling and other uncertain terms remain as printed.
Wood-lice powder, fast hand and the comparison to Doctor Martin are editorial interpretations.
The healer’s and preacher’s words are reported by the current interviewee. They are not additional live participants, and the editor’s skepticism remains separate.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 3, p. 2336 · Vol. 3, p. 2337 · Vol. 3, p. 2338 · Vol. 3, p. 2339 · Vol. 3, p. 2341