Subject:Overboard
Entries
Entry 3899
Dey said dat a person take yore hair. Dey could take yore hair an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' keep it an' yo'll always think swell of 'em. An' ah heard dat a person could take yore hair an', or part of yore ministration rag, an' put it togethah an' one yore dirty socks, an' throw it ovahbo'd an' yo'll go crazy.
(Now somebody would do that to a woman. Take her hair and what else?)
Her ministration rag.
(And her sock. All these things [three things] belong to her?)
Yeah. Yore dirty socks definitely belongs to the woman; the man not adding his own sock to her hair and blood. He would also have driven himself away!]
Entry 5191
De only thin' dat ah knows of dey shoes, dey take an' jes' kinda burn or scorch it a little bit an' throw it ovahbo'd.
(What will that do?)
Dat will run 'em jes' about mindless. Dey'll have spells. Dey mind is goin' an' dey jes' cain't stay one place. Evah time dat shoe would be goin', flippin' back an' fo'th, dey mind will jes' be goin' lak dat, until dey jes' go crazy an' run away from yo' or somepin lak dat.
Entry 5582
Beginning Norfolk, Va. [This is the first rite from Norfolk.] Take right foot track an' put nine needles in it. [Of] co'se I'd git 'em in a bottle, nine needles, an' yo' goes to de rivahside, see, nine mawnin's. See, you got nine nee- dles in dis here bottle wit de dirt in [from the right foot track]. An' goes down to de rivah nine mawnin's. An' when yo' gits down dere yo' walks backwards so many feet - yo' walks backwards nine times [9 steps] each mawnin'. An' de las' mawnin', yo' throw dat bottle ovahbo'd. Nine needles an' go down to de rivah nine mawnin's an' de las' mawnin' yo' throw dis bottle ovahbo'd.
(I see. Well now, what is this supposed to do to a person?)
Dat will cuz a person to leave his job, or cuz fuss 'tween man an' woman. If a woman want tuh git de man from 'er husban' [a bad influence on her husband, gambles, etc.], dat would make him leave. Dat's how a woman out here - a woman said dat 'er sistah had been did [sister had been sent away by some man's wife].
(Now, what foot track do they dig that dirt from...both feet or...)
Naw, dis one - de right foot.
(The right one.)
De right foot. Take dat dirt outen de right foot. Go on dere jis' as soon as de sun rise - see, 'fore de sun gits hot an' dat sun rise. [I stop recording here but informant continues. I try to recover missed words.]
(What carries it out, did you say?)
De tide, de water. You know, when de tide goes out, takes dat bottle out wit it.
(Yes, and after that carries it out, what does it do then?)
Dat cause dat man to leave, see.
(Carries him out.)
Carries 'im out, carries 'im from 'is work or 'is wife.
Entry 5584
Dey take dat[foot track] up, put dat in a bottle. Understand? Put dat in a bottle an' put war watah. Git chew a bottle of war watah an' put some of dat war watah on it, cayenne peppah, yo' undahstan', nine needles, nine pins, an' take dat an' stop it up, an' go to de rivah. Git on de ferry an' when de ferry git in de middle of de rivah, throw it an' turn aroun'.
(You throw it and you turn around?)
Throw it in de watah an' turn aroun' [demonstrates] an' say a oath.
(I see, you throw that as you turn around.)
Turnin' aroun'. Throw it an' turn aroun' [demonstrates]. Wheel like dat.
(I see.)
An' dey'll go right on behind it. Yes, sir, right on behind it.
Entry 5618
Take dere tracks an' take a pinch, three pinches an' git chew nine grains of red peppah an' nine grains of black peppah an' nine peas of black- eyed peas, an' put it in a bottle an' throw it ovahbo'd, an' don' look back. Says she'll 'peah [appear] 'way from dere. (Here's the track like that. You take three pinches out of that track - either track, the right track or theleft?) De right track.
Entry 5665
Well, if yo's a person dat want a person tuh leave town or anything like dat, if yo' kin ketch 'is footprint in de evenin' when de sun's goin' down. Yo' gotta lay fo' 'im. Some- times it be weeks an' months, yo' know, when anything like dat goin' tuh occur, yo' gotta wait until yo' kin ketch 'im goin' dat way. An' yo' kin git de whole shapes - de whole shape.
(Either track?)
Eithah track, right or lef', an' de same thing ag'in. Carry it right down tuh de rivah. He lef' town but he won't be hurt.
(Well, how do you pick that up.)
Yo' gotta pick dat up wit 'is face goin', goin' west, his face turned from de sunrise tuh de west. Yo' pick up dis track.
(Then what do you do with that track?)
Yo' have tuh take it an' put it in a bag or anythin' an' carry it. Throw it ovahbo'd where de tide's goin' out an' he go right along. He [will suddenly] have a job [somewhere], he'll rush tuh go.
Entry 8715
Jes' lak if a person want 'em [to] leave, wanta run a person outa town, yo' take a brand-new bar [of] Octagon [trade name] soap an' write in de fo' cor- ners of it. Yo' take it an' go to de rivah. (You do what on the four cor- ners?) Write de person name whut chew Wanta leave, want 'em leave outa town. Write dere name on de fo' corners of de soap, an' throw it ovahbo'd when de tide be goin' out. An' dat will make dem leave town. (How do you write that name on the corner? Here's the soap [I demonstrate]. Do you write it like this, or like that?) De fo' corners [demonstrates].
(Like that, catercornered in the four corners.)
Yes.
Entry 8921
Now, if anyone has stole anythin' from yo', yo' go tuh some runnin' watah an' yo' write his name on dat piece of papah an' put slime or mud, whatso- evah it 'tis, an' call de Three Great Names - dat's de Father, Son an' de Holy Ghost, "may he bring dis back to me, ' an' throw it ovahbo'd. An' dat runnin' watah hit'll run back to yore house, bring it back to yore house. He pick some chance tuh bring it back, 'thout [without] chew seein' 'im. [The preceding expression Three Great Names is rare compared to the more usual ones of Three Highest Names and Three Holy Names. (If you think that's the person that stole the article, you write his name on a piece of paper, and you put this mud on the piece of paper.) Right on top of his name.
Entry 9434
Yo'll take dat chicken aig, de red[!] of de aig. An' den yo'll git chew three needles, new-bran' [brand-new] needles, an' yo' run it through dat, de red of de aig. An' yo' wrap it wit red flannen an' den throw it ovahbo'd. Well, it don' kill yo', jis' make yo' wandah - wandah aroun'.
(How do you know that you have the right person?)
Oh! well, yo' go tuh work an' pick up de right person through a card [having fortune told by cards]. Write de name of de person on de aig.
(On the outside of the egg, before you break it and get the yellow?)
Yeah, yeah, git dere name an' jes' write it - write dere name. [These 3 new needles, symbolizing the 3 Holy Names are here worked through yolk taken from egg, but I now believe the yolk was left in the egg and the needles worked through the shell and crossed inside - see No.9272, p.3736.]
Entry 10056
Dey git a black cat an' care 'im tuh de fo'ks uh de road fuh nine mawnin's about six a'clock. An' dey come back home an' bile dat cat. An' dey says den dey kin do mos' anythin' dey want. Dey bile dat cat an put 'im a - take all de bones, yuh know, aftah dey boil de cat, an' care it down tuh a creek am trow all de bones ovahbo'd. Well, all de mos' a dem bones'll go tuh de botto. save de bone w'ut float. Dey say dat be de lucky bone.
Entry 10938
Yo' take it an' pick it up from de ground dis way first [demonstrates]. (From the toe back to the heel.) Yes, back to de heel, and den from de heel to de toe. Yo' carry it and get some black gunpowder, and you take it and go to a river and ketch a catfish. And when yo' ketch him, don't kill him, put dis in his mouth in a piece of paper. And sew his mouth up and throw him overboard and dey'll go until de fish stops. Wheresomevah he stop, dey'll stop; whether it be beyond de state, where dey come from.
(Do you put just a piece of plain paper?)
Yes sir, jest plain paper.
(How many tracks do you take?)
Jest one.
(Which one, any one?)
Right.
Entry 13369
Yo' kin take a aig. Yo' kin take one aig an' yo' kin put dat aig intuh chamber lye an' let it lay fo' 9 days, see. Well, den yo' kin take dat aig, jes' lak yo' goin' tuh fix a person. Well, yo' go tuh fix 'em, well yo' kin take dat aig aftah 9 days an' yo' kin take it an' throw it ovahbo'd. See. An' if a person's aftah yo', well yo' could - yo' know - git rid of 'em. (How do you throw that egg overboard?) Yo' throw it overbo'd tuh eithah run de person crazy or make 'em leave town. (Well, how do I know I've got the right person? By just using that egg? What else do I do with that egg?) Whut else? Well, ah don't know nuthin' else except yo' know, yo' go some- wheres an' yo' git information, see.
(The egg is supposed to represent the person you are to send away?)
Shore.
(Well, how do I know it's representing that person?)
Sign dere name on de aig.
(Oh! Did you tell me that before?) [Notice the answer.]
No, ah wasn't in heah befo' tuh yo'.
(I mean, did you tell me that a moment ago?)
No.
(Did you tell me you had signed the egg?)
[Here is a good example of working hard for information informant thinks you know.] See, yo' sign dat person name on dat aig.
(Any kind of a chicken egg?)
Yeah, jes' ole black hen aig.
(You didn't tell me that before, see.)