Subject:Psalm
Entries
Entry 2951
Well, whenever they're trying to harm you, if it's with a candle, you take the Bible and you get up every morning fust before sunrise, look to the east and you make a prayer. Then you read a verse in the Psalms, the 9lst Psalm, which is supposed to be one of the strongest Psalms of David. You read it - a verse out of that back- Wards. Stead of reading it down, you reads it backwards every morning for nine mornings straight.
(Would that make the candle go out?)
Yeah, reading this Bible backwards for nine mornings, that'll put that candle out and set the house on fire.
(I see. And set the house on fire?)
It'll set the house on fire.
(I see, I see.)
Cause they generally have the candle in a closed space and wherever that is, the heat'll be so that it will ignite. The way the candle'll do it, it will bend over and eventually burn the paper - whatever they got under there. Sometimes they writes your name for nine times on this paper, backwards and forwards, prob- ably crossways. But you must use an indelible pencil, see. And sometimes the candle drops over - it's always a matter that it looks like it's a accidental way to do. It'll drop over and probably burn the scarf or ketch the paper wherever the wax have run, you see, and it will set fire. I've seen it happen many times.
Entry 4892
Ah hear sompin about socks, dat chew take it an' take yore socks, one, dis is de right-foot sock, a man's sock. Ah guess it's de same way about de stockin', whut a man does fo' a woman. Yuh take dat an' put it undah yore do'- step. Let de toe go south an' de heel go east, an' de upper part no'th. Straighten it out straight. real straight undah dere. Yuh know, undah de do'step, rake yuh off a nice clean place undah dere, down in de dirt jis' about a inch down in de dirt, an' yuh lay dat down in dere, see. Git chew some tacks an' put three in de toe an' three in de heel an' three in de uppah part, an' three in de part right in front de heel. Yuh know, jis' stretch it out straight.
(You put three in the toe and three in the heel and three in the top.)
An' den three ovah heah in de front part, right heah, see [demonstrates].
(Right there in the ankle, the upper part of the ankle.)
An' den yuh put dat dirt back ovah it smooth. Dat's whut ah heard dat yuh could do wit dat. Put dat dirt ovah dat smooth, an' whoevah name is dere or who- evah yuh fixin' it fo', write dey name an' put dat intuh dere. Put dat on de sock befo' yuh put de dirt on it, see. An' den yuh read de 27th chapter of Psalms. Say dat's fo' people - tuh prevent drunkness, drink too much. Dat'll break 'em up from dat. [This keep-him-home rite keeps him from going out to drink with the boys.]
Entry 5004
Dey kin take yore socks or stockin's an' jis' make yuh do anythin' dat dey wan'a do, aftah dey are dirty; but if dey clean, dey cain't do yuh nuthin. (Now how - what would they do with that?) Well, fo' a instant [instance]; jis' lak mah husban' treat [mistreat] me. All right. Now, mah husban' go on away an' wants 'im back. Take dose socks, de lef' one - or if yuh cain't git it, take de bow from 'is hat, or de stockin', an' put some sugah in it an' urinate on dere. Bury dat. An' evah three time a day read de 23rd Psalm.
(Three times a day. At different hours?)
In de mawnin' about six, twelve, an' six in the evenin' [formula 6-12-6, see p.830]; nine day.
Entry 5384
Ah've heard dat chew kin take de track, de lef'-foot track, an' read de 23rd chaptah of Psalms wit dat lef'-foot track. An' yo' take dat track an' yo' put it in front of yo'. See, put it on a piece of papah, a piece of brown papah. An' yo' stan' ovah dat track an' yo' read de 23rd chaptah of Psalms, see. An' in de direction, de way dat person go, at seven a'clock, yo' throw dat dirt lak dat. Dey gone. Den yo' read dat chap- tah ag'in de nex' mawnin' at seven a'clock, yo' see, an' yo' read it at noon. Yo' read it at seven at night de nex' evenin', afternoon [12 noon], yo' see. Dat's tuh drive yore enemies away from yo', if anybody's a enemy tuh yo' or any- thin' of de kind lak dat.
(Do you take that foot track up in any special way?)
Start at de toe an' git chew a shovel or some kinda sompin an' scoop it up lak dat, but take it all up [demonstrates].
(From the toe back to the heel.)
Yes. (After they have come to your house. Then after they have left, take up one of those tracks?) Yeah, take up one of those tracks. Or if dey'd apt tuh passin' or somepin othah - jes' anywhere dey have tuh walk in de dirt.
Entry 5534
If a man have a woman dat's run away from home, she won' stay home an' won' be satisfied, she wanta do jis' as [she pleases] - de fellah don' wan' 'ah [her] tuh move away from dere. Take a cord string, cotton cord string, put de end of 'ah heel an' de end of 'ah toe, an' git 'ah measure- ment. An' put it roun' a nail an' drive it right ovah in front of de do'. An' den he wanta read de 90th Psalms of David.
(What will that do?)
She'll stay home.
Entry 6532
Goin' tuh a red ants' bed - jis' like yo' wanta put ants intuh some- body. Dat will jis' eat 'em up. Jis' git dem antses an' take 'em outa dere an' put 'em in anything dat dey'll parch up tuh a dust. Put 'em in dere live an' put 'em where dey'll parch up tuh a dust. An' git de Bible an' read de 37th Psalms while it's parchin', an' take it out. An' anything yo' put dat intuh, if dey nuse [use] it, drink it or eat it or anything, why dem ants will come alive in dem - jis' eat 'em up. [Why Psalm 37 should be used, I do not know.]
Entry 6890
If someone's tryin' tuh hahm [harm] yo', take 23rd Psalm an' read it three times evah day fo: nine days, an' write it an' put it down in a li'le bag an' weah it on de right side. Dat'll keep 'em from hahmin' yo'.
Entry 7047
Den yo' kin take de 65th Psalms an' read dat continly [continually] fo' dem, an' dey'll gradjly [gradually] slow down from drinkin'.
Entry 7048
" Of it he drink likkah, don't chew know, yo' could jis' take de Bible, an' read de 69th Psalms about five times, an' jis' contin'ly [continually] read it, don't chew know, an' say, "Lord, ah hope he'll stop: In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name of de Holy Ghost. An' he'll stop. An' yo' continue tuh read dat mawnin' an' night an' he'll stop. He'll leave it off.
Entry 7400
Take yore shoes sometime an' lak if dey did anythin', yo' kin take dere shoes an' have 'em caught.
(How would you do that?)
Well, yo' take an' put - yo' git chew some quicksilvah. Well, yo' kin git some of dat an' put nine drops in each shoe. Dat's, if yo' wanta git dis person, put nine drops in each shoe. Den yo' take dese shoes an' yo' pray ovah dem fo' three days, an' yo' use de 26 Psalm on dat fo' three days 'fore sunup, an' put 'em undah de steps whence [where] he goin' back to. Bury dem undah dose bo'ds. An' in nine days he'll be back dere.
(If he has committed some crime.)
Entry 8086
Turn 'im [his photo- graph] down tuh de ground an' make a wish wit dat black hen feathah an' yore wishes will come true. An' at de dawn of day, read a chaptah ~ read de 36th chaptah of de Psalms of David. Yo' pray tuh God an' ast 'im fo' whut chew want an' yo'll be purtty lucky tuh git it. (Use the person's photograph. How do you use that black feather? What do you do with that?) Lay it across de pichure, turn it [picture] down tuh de ground.
(Face it down.)
Entry 8105
Dey could take yore photograph lak if yo's a long Way off. Dey kin take it an' put it at de front do' where yo' live at an' read de 18th Psalm. In nine days yo'll come from where yo' is, ah don't care where yo' is. (How do they put that photograph at the front door? Just what do they do with that?) Dey will put it right at de front do' an' dey will cut dat, yo' know, jis' de size of yo' photograph - cut dat out, see. An' den would put dat piece right back ovah dat, dat same piece, an' put dat 18th Psalm, yo' know, written on a piece of papah, an' place it ovah dat. An' den dey Would read dat 18th Psalm in de Bible. An' den in nine days yo'll surely return.
Entry 8232
Well, yo' take dat pichure an' put it in yore pocket, if yo' wanta carry it wit chew. Yo' kin take dat pichure an' yo' want dem tuh love yo'. Dat whut chew wanta know. Take dat pichure an' git some olive oil an' put nine drops of dat pichure right around, yo' know, right around de haid. An' put dat pichure in yore pocket an' tote it wit yo'. Den fo' nine days yo' read de 23rd Psalms ovah it, an' dat'll make dem people care fo' yo'.
Entry 8534
Woman writes man's name on four corners of piece of paper, makes wish, says Psalm, puts in bottle of honey, screws lid down tight, puts in secret place, man will come back, will be sweeter than ever to her.
Entry 8702
De 85 Psalm from de Bible will make a man care a great deal fo' yuh.
(When do you read that, do you say?)
On a Sunday mornin', face de east, seven times, an' call his name seven times.
(What will that do then?)
Now yo' use de 85 Psalm an' call 'is name an' yo' read it seven times an' every time yo' read yo' call 'is name. Well then THAT SENDS OUT A SPIRIT AND HIS MIND WILL FOLLOW AND THINK jest keeps his mind on yo', until he kin see yo' or come back to yo'. IT'S DE SPIRIT WORRIES HIS MIND WHEN YO' DO DAT.
Entry 8754
Fo' example, yo' take two tin plates an' yo' write de 23rd Psalm upon de back [of one] an' de 42nd Psalm upon de back of de [other] tin plate, an' yo' place it [them] under yore pillah an' sleep dere an' he'll shortly return. [The word name does not appear in the text of this rite but it is surely intended. It may have dropped out before recording began.]
Entry 8755
Jes' lak if somebody did sompin tuh yo' an' yo' didn't like it or sompin of de kin'. In othah words, if yo' got a man off some place or 'nothah an' yo' take a new tin plate. Git it tuh de Five-an'-Ten-Cent Sto'. An' yo' write dis chapter out de Bible, de fo'th chapter of Psalms [Psalm 4]. Yo' write dat out de Bible on dat tin plate an' write his name down de bottom [and an unusual construction of In 3 Holy Names 'De Father bids yo' come, de Son bids yo' come, de Holy Ghost bids yo' come, an' yo' must come back home tuh me in Jesus' Name." An' yo' turn dat plate an' put it undah yore mattress, where yo' gotta sleep on every night.
Entry 8789
Lak yo' would write a lettah to somebody an' if dey wanted yo' to come where dey wuz or somepin lak dat. Well, dey take an' open it [Bible] to a cer- tain chaptah in de Bible an' place it in dere - on a certain chaptah. An' fo' nine mawnin's git up an' read anothah Psalm in de Bible fo' nine mawnin's an' she'll come where dey are. [For Bible, see also No.8840.]
Entry 8886
Use de Bible an' git de 50 Psalms [Psalm 50] of David in de Bible an' yo' read it three times. An' yo' git chew a do' key, a large do' key. Aftah yo' read dat Psalms, yo' write dat Psalm down on a piece of papah. An' yo' take dat do' key an' yo' put it on dat Psalm, an' yo' tie it wit string an' yo' read de Psalms. An' aftah yo' read dem Psalms, yo' call dis person name three time an' yo' hold dat do' key; an' if it's de individual name yo' call, dat done took sompin from yo', when yo' read de Psalm, dat do' key goin' turn roun' in dat Bible. Jes' lak yo' turn it in de lock of a do', jes' turn; an' if it ain't de individual whut took it, de do' key goin' tuh stay still. But if it's anyone dat took it an' yo' know dere name, yo' call dere name, dat key is gonna turn in dat Bible. (You write this 5Oth Psalm on a piece of paper and then you wrap that around the key?) No suh, de key is tied intuh de Bible on de 5Oth Psalm aftah yo' write it down. See, yo' write it down so yo' kin read it, an' yo' readin' it three times. An' aftah yo' read - while yo' readin' it, yo' don' call de individual [name]. Aftah yo' read it, den yo' call de individual name an' yo' hold dat key. Hold de Bible an' hold de top end of de key, an' when yo' hold dat key yo' have it tied tight in dat Bible; an' if it's dat individual, dat key's gonna turn in dat Bible jes' lak it would in de do'.
[Since key does not fall, By St. Peter rhyme not used.]
(This key though is put into the Bible where this Psalm is. The only reason that you write that 5Oth Psalm is that - so when the Bible is closed, you can read the 50th Psalm?) Yes.
Entry 8933
(You'll know who stole it.)
Then you can make them bring it back.
(How do you do that?)
Now, I got to give you the Bible for that ag'in. You read the 65th Psalm three times a day and when you read that Psalm, you say your prayers and call dat person's name and they'll come back. If they don't give it to you, they'll put it on back where you can find it. [This Psalm may have been picked out of the hat (number chosen at random) or it may depend upon verse 2: O thou that hearest prayer, unto' thee shall all flesh come (King James Version). A great many rites, mere statements of Bible reading or praying, I never recorded. Here a Psalm 3 times a day could be considered a magic rite.]
Entry 8990
If a man evah git into trouble an' he wants tuh git outa trouble, co'se [of course] it ain't no root but chew git chew a Testament, a little Bible dat's got de Psalms in it, an' yo' read dat piece ever' mawnin' at seven o'clock. Have dat Bible brought to yo' in de jail whilst dey got chew in prison. Read dat piece ever' mawnin' at seven o'clock. Git up an' read dat piece an' read in dere. Ah've did dat, chew see: Oh, Lord deliver me in mah distress; deliver me from de han's of mah enemies [this sounds like a conflation from 2 different Psalms]. An' dey said dat chew will overcome dat. Ah did it an' ah got out, did conquer 'em. Ever' mawnin' yo' read dat piece. Git dat little book, dat Bible.
Entry 8991
(Now, right at the beginning. You said, he was brought before the judge because he did something.) If yo' go to - if yo' had did somepin othah, an' de judge goin' try yo' fer it, an' yo' was out under bond, yo' read de 109th Psalms ever' mawnin' befo' sun- up, ever' mawnin' three times fo' seven mawnin's until yore trial time. An' den when yo' go down, yo' done read dat, yo' done read an' yo' done read. An' yo' read it. An' de Lord, yo' has asked 'im to an- swer your question. Well, yo's seeking advantage of the judge, an' when yo' goes down, he goin': have mercy. on yo'. He might be goin' try yo' an' give yo' life or your neck, but when yo' go down dere, aftah yo' done read dat seven mawnin's an' burnt dose encense [in- cense] when yo' read it - yo' goes down, an' he'll find, he finally say dat. He'll turn yo' loose. He ain't goin' find yo' guilty. He might fine yo' $100 or $2. He may not fine yo' nuthin, jes' let yo' go on, dismiss de case.
Entry 8992
Ah heard dat if yo' wanta git a light fine, if dey take yo' down fo' speedin'. If yo' kin git chew a Bible an' read de 32nd Psalm fo' nine mawnin's - if yo' stay in dat long, read it fo' nine mawnin's. Git up in de mawnin' an' don't say a word tuh nobody, jes' go 'head an' read de 32nd Psalm fo' nine mawnin'. Dey say de judge would be light on yo'.
Entry 9118
Yes sir, yo' kin take a Bible an' take de 91 Psalms out it, an' put sage leaves in it an' care it up to de jailhouse; an' if it's anybody in dere dat yo' want out, yo' let 'em read 91 Psalms. An' yo' read it an' dey'll turn 'emout (What do you do with those sage leaves then?) Put 'em in de Bible. (Where the 9lst Psalm is?) Where de 91 Psalm is an' give dem de Bible an' yo' have one an' yo' let dem read de 91 Psalms while yo' readin' it.
(Do you read yours in the jailhouse with them or at home?)
[Notice how I say them agreeing with him, rather than saying him. I frequent- 1y do this in Hoodoo.] Wit 'em at de jailhouse. [Did informant have 2 Bibles or did he copy out Psalm 91 for the prisoner? They evidently read this well-known Psalm together.]
Entry 9129
[The word Lamed in this rite is the title for lines 89-96 in Psalm 119, which is broken up into a number of named sections. Lamed is not the au- thor's name but a direction. Verse 94 shows why this portion of the Psalm was chosen: I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts. In recent years these courtroom rites, like the present one, could be called fox-hole or shell-hole religion. The Lord is not a Way of life but a last resort. Our rite has another interest, one of the oldest and commonest of all beliefs, the right foot first: Always start a journey right foot first for luck - Folklore from Adams County Illinois, No.12829, p.367, 2nd ed.] Well, yo' take sage leaves an' yo' write twelve names from de Bible, twelve names on each leaf of sage.
(You write one name for each leaf?)
Yes. An' yo' put it in yuh shoe, de right shoe firs'. [I must have been nodding here! Does it mean 6 leaves in the right and then 6 in the left? Or does it mean alternate: one right, next left, etc?] An' den yo' read, yo' read de word of Lamed in de 119 Psalm befo' yo' go [to court]. An' yo' PUT DE RIGHT FOOT IN FORWARD FIRS' an' yo' read dis 119th Psalm, de word of Lamed, an' yo' turn evah thing bottom upwards in de house: chairs, stools, evahthing bottom upwards, an' go on down.
(Before the judge.)
Entry 9135
Dat fo' co'thouse scrapes. (All right, tell me that.) Well, now, yo' kin take twelve fig leaves - yo' knog dere wus twelve disciples - an' yo' take twelve fig leaves. An' yo' git chew a bottle of ink, a bran'-new bottle of ink dat nevah been used, an' a pen dat's nevah been used, an' yo' write a disciple name on each one of dose leaves. See, yo' got twelve leaves, yo' got twelve disciples. An' yo' write dose names on dose leaves. An' den, when yo' write dose names on dose leaves, yo' take yore Bible. IT'S DE 35th PSALMS AH THINK. AH GOT MAH BIBLE HEAH, AH LAK TUH BE SHORE YO' LET ME SEE. [HE CONSULTS HIS BIBLE!] It's de 35th Psalm. Yo' take de 35th Psalm an' read it ovah dose twelve leaves. [Psalm 35 begins: Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me...] Den aftah yo read it ovah dose twelve leaves, yo' fold dose leaves tight, yo' know, small tubl gethah intuh a white piece of papah. It kin be a piece of writin' papah or a cleah piece of papah lak dis [something he may have had in the Bible] ah guess, but let it be white papah. An' yo' kin put dat in yore right pocket.
(All twelve of those leaves?)
Yes, jes' put it in dere, but chew mus' write de names on dere firs'. An' den yo' read dat 35th Psalms ovah dose leaves an' wrap dose leaves up. An' evah who gonna be tried in co't, let dem put it in dere right pocket an' dey'll cer- tainly Walk out. An' if yo' can't git dose fig leaves - sometime yo' can't git dose things, yo' can't git de fig leaves - yo' git chew twelve - use 'em fo' a tea, too - not catnip, sage leaves.
Entry 9164
[Preceding rites in this section have given us examples of turning household objects upside down before court. Here is one to establish the margin title:] If it's a bad case when yo' goin' tuh co't, choo turn yuh chairs bottom upward. Yo' turn evahthing bottom up. Upset things in yuh house. Yo' read de seven Psalm [Psalm 7] in de Bible. Aftah yo' read dat, den yo'll take de judge name an' yuh name an' put it in de bottom of yuh shoe. Yo' write it on parchment papah. Write his name, yuh name on topa it, an' put it in de heel of yuh shoe, de right shoe. An' yo' tote dese nine pods of garlic. Yo' have yo' piece of John de Conkah root, an' when yo' git tuh dat [courtroom] do', yo' spit three times. Den yo' walk on intuh de co'troom an' yo' spit tuhwards de judge. Den, if yo' goin' in front of de judge he'll be lenient on yuh. Yo git discharge.
Entry 9176
Yo' would git up in de mawnin' an' yo' would turn yore clothes - under- Wears - wrongside outwards, an' yo' would turn yore socks wrongside out. An' den yo' would turn to de chap- tah of Psalms, de 25th chaptah of Psalms. It reads lak dis: "Plead mah case [cause] O God, an' stand up fo' thy helpmate, an' so on lak dat chew see. An' yo'll purtty much git dismissed.
(You do that before you go down to see the judge.)
[Psalm 25 does not contain the preceding words. The nearest to them would be those opening Psalm 35: Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me. Similar words are: Plead my cause and deliver me - Psalm 119:154. The helpmate part of informant's quotation does not appear in Psalms.] Ah wuz in jail fo' murdah once, an' it wuzn't no joke 'bout me not bein' guil- ty. Had a ole man [doctor] outa Jacksonville, Fla., an' he come tuh me an' he says, "Well, ah know yo's no risk," said, "but dis chaptah right chere ah'm goin' give yo' tuh read." He say, "Only de 25th eve'y mawnin' 'fore yo' git up, 'fore yo' speak to anybody else, aftah yo' gits up, an' yo' jes' go on an' yo'll be discharged." An' he says, "De ninth mawnin', de mawnin' dat chew bein' tried, ah'll come an' tell yo' whut tuh do." So he come tuh me an' tole me whut tuh do. [I failed to ask what informant was supposed to do on the 9th day, but it was probably to chew John de Conkah root during the trial.] An' ah wuz acquitted wit'out goin' tuh a judge, or even tried. [This is one of those cases settled out of court - see Doctor Washington's amazing account, No.9024, p.3660, v.4.] Dat wuz at Greenville, Fla. An' eve'ybody else could tell yo', by jes' sayin dat. Ah've been down in co't, ah reckon ah've been prob'ly five hundred times
[an obvious hyperbole] an' dat's all ah use.
Entry 9345
Sometime yo' got a enemy in yore way an' yo' don' have a chance tuh do anything, yo' git chew a aig. An' yo' write de firs' Psalms on it, an' write chure enemy's name on dat aig an' carry it tuh de swamp, de rivah, by de woods an' yo' cast dat from yo'. An' yo' see as dat goes, wherevah it goes, dey'll start tuh travelin' an' dey have tuh follah dat, until it don' git no place. [Psalm I is unsuitable here, being used out of context: "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, etc. ". King James Version.]
Entry 9638
Ah tell yo' whut chew kin do. Yo' read de 54th Psalm. Yo' evah read de Bible? [Since I do not answer, did I nod my head up and down, or shake it sideways. Informant did not know he was talking to a clergyman.] An' yo' takes saltpetah, take cay- enne peppah, an' yo' takes table salt. An' yo' take each one-a yore shoes an' yo' sprinkle yore shoes wit dat sulphur, a teaspoonful'a sulphur. Jes' sprinkle yore shoes wit dat an' walk anywhere yo' want. Nobody can't do nuthin tuh yo' about chew walkin' on anythin'. Nevah min' [mind] about dat [walking on anything].
Entry 9783
Yo' kin take a tinpan an' control a person. Yo' kin take a brand-new tinpan an' yo' kin write - lemme see. Ah got it right heah, de psalms yo' find where it says 'Vau - v-a-u. Yo' kin take that an' write that on a brand-new tinplate. (This psalm in which the word "Vau" is used?) Yes sir. It's in psalms [the psalm of a hoodoo book] an' yo' kin write that. But now yo' don't write it with a pen- cil or nuthin like that. Yo' take a needle or pin or new nail that's sharp - anything that's sharp except a pencil - an' yo' write that psalm on that tin- plate. Then yo' kin take that tinplate an' put it away where it won't be dis- turbed or be handled by anybody else. An' yo' kin control that person if yo grite that psalm fo' them.
Entry 10163
You kin make a table [altar] with that [rite] you see. You understand, that's if it's something that choo want, well you kin make a table with that. You kin, that is, if it's for you to make a sacrifice, something that you want. Well, git choo three candles, you put the picture - you fold the picture up you under- stand.
(This picture of the Lord?)
This picture of the Lord. That's right.
(On the table?)
On the table. That's right. An' then you make it like a rainbow [a semi- circle]. You put one candle - you git three candles. You make [place] one right here, an' one right around here, an' let it [candles] come aroun like a rainbow. An' you make you a wish fo' wha' choo want, an' you say a prayer. You say, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, the 23rd Psalm. You say that Psalm an' then you get 'down an' repeat the Lord's Prayer for what you want. Yo' make a wish with these three candles. Then you let them burn plumb on out... right in front of the Lord's picture... You do this about 6 o'clock in the morn- ing or 6 o'clock in the evening or 9 o'clock at night.
Entry 10550
Go down to a cross- road, where a road crosses, nine Sunday mawnin's. It's a very ha'd [hard] thing tuh do. When yo' thought of doin' one thing fo' nine Sunday mawnin's it's a good long while. An' meanwhile ah come an' maybe somebody try tuh hol' him off, but yo' gotta meet at dis same place at de same time of day. Jes' lak ah say ah'll be dere at nine a'clock, yo' gotta meet dere at nine a'clock fo' nine Sunday mawnin's at de crossroads. An' yo' gotta read a verse out de Bible.
(Do you know what the verse is?)
It's de 36 Psalms, an' ev'ryone ends wit de same words - de 136th Psalms, an' ev'ry verse ends dis chapter heah wit de same thing, de same words. Well, yo' start wit dat an' yo' read it fo' nine Sunday mawnin's, an' de ninth [Sunday] mawnin' yo'll meet what yo' didn't expect. Yo'll meet trouble dere, storms, high winds or somepin of dat sort. Yo' cain't tell exactly whut's it goin' be, maybe it will be rain, maybe wind, maybe snow or somepin lak dat. It be somepin diff'rent, de ninth mawnin'. But anyhow yo' continue wit it an' when yo' git through wit it, yo'll do whut chew wanta do so fur as tricks is concerned an wit'out bein' religious atall. But chew kin do anything yo' wants tuh do.
[Wilson, N. Car., (1476), 2655:3.]
12. BAT [Originally this section about the bat - not a bird as folklore believes - was a part of CHANNEL DE WORLD, a catchall later in the present volume. I did not realize until too late, that BAT should have followed FROG AND TOADFROG, a pre- ceding section of the present volume. Yet, to follow section SELL SELF TO THE DEVIL may not be inappropriate. These following rites show less knowledge and interest in bats than in frogs and toads, because bat was a night animal and frog and toad better known and easier to catch and handle.l
The informant describes nine Sunday mornings at crossing roads at a fixed chosen hour, reading a Psalm, with unexpected weather or trouble on the ninth and claimed abilities afterward. The spoken Psalm number changes from 36 to 136 and remains literal. The following BAT heading and Hyatt's section-placement introduction are retained only as surrounding context.
Entry 10663
Write names of 12 Apost- les, pin them on you, and also write Psalm 70. Write them every time the moon changes. Take off the old one and put on the new ones for protection. [Since the moon is new, the charm must be renewed.]
Entry 10697
Yo' go to a fortuneteller or Hoodoo and pay them a certain amount of money to have what is known as good luck to follow your home while you are gone. And it is said that she would tell you for this amount [of money given to her] to buy de Bible and not open it. Open it in de house [itself] and find de 17 division of Psalms, Psalms of David, [close Bible] and walk in yore garden and git as near de center as possible [here is a quincunx rite!] not yet opening Bible. And turn yore face as near towards de east as possible, and valk 17 steps and stop, and read de 17 division of de Psalms, and den close de book. And no harm will befall yore home or nuthin will happen to yore wife. (This is to sort of to protect your family; especially if a man is going away from home?) Yes, that's on leaving home. The same thing holds good, de wuman tole me, if a man's wife leaves him and he wants her to return.
Entry 10699
Well, yo' wants tuh win. Wherever yo' goin' yo' wants tuh win. Yo' Bo into de gamblin' place an' yo' takes a Bible an' read de 23rd Psalms. Repeat it three times befo' leavin' home, an' on de way repeat it along, an' along until yo' git dere.
Entry 10706
If a person come in an' yo' don't want dem dere, when he comes in, jest sweep him de way he come in. Sweep out his track jest as he come in, de Way he come in, if yo' don't want him dere. An' finally his conscience will jest lead him [to stay away]. Dat's jest de way yo' do de way ah jest tole yo'. Yo' kin talk nice to him an' say ah haven't got so-an'-so. Well, den if he continue to be comin' after dis, yo' git dat book an' put it under yore head an' read it, an' yo' git relieved from him.
(What is the name of that book?)
It's de Bible de 37th Psalms.
(You just put that Bible under your head?)
Entry 10710
[They] take it [sulphur] and they're burning it. Read a certain chapter in the Bible [given later]. If you read it for - like if today's [today it is] at twelve and tomor- row evening at six, and six tomorrow morning, and maybe twelve tomorrow night - for three nights. Contains nine [see comment later] nights because you use it as a different hour. And then you pray over it. And if it's a person that you and them can't get along, and you burn that sulphur, each time that you reads a chapter [= preceding pray Over it]. Well, then they'll finally move away.
(At six and twelve each day for nine days.)
For three days. [Here I stop machine and restart it to repeat missed words.]
(Read the chapter of the 100th Psalm.)
[Here is a time rite I did not fully understand during its recording. At a later date and with greater experience, there would have been more questions. Even at the interview doubt appears in my words: At six and twelve each day for rine days. Actually, informants nine was a slip of the tongue. Hence, for 3 days a person reads Psalm loO [meaningless for the present purpose] and burns sulphur at 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock, night or day. These 3 times are staggered over the three-day period, no two at the same hours. As I have said somevhere in HOODOO, burning sulphur in a room can be a rugged adventure. Therefore, at the end of 3 days burning, who moves, enemy or burner?]
Entry 10971
(What would you use that egg for?) Yo' fast all day on Thursday to turn [improve] yore mem- ory, dat chew will git de right understanding. You fast de entire day. And den you boil dat aig and remove de shell. After you remove de shell, den you write de 4th and 8th verse, I think it is, [of Psalm lO4] on dis aig. Anyhow you write as much as about ten or twelve verses on dis aig, and put de egg in yo' mouth whole, and dat will turn yore mem- ory, will help you to keep your memory and get some [knowledge] of things which you wanta do. Dat's one thing egg will do. Dat's de only thing I know about de egg, but chew must put de whole egg in de mouth, when you have wrote dis on dis egg: Remove de shell and write dis on dere. De egg must not be broken.
(What do you write that with?)
Ink. Dere's nothing else will write on it but ink, on a boiled egg.
(And what verses of what?)
De 104th Psalm.
Entry 11252
( Go home and read the 109th Psalms, a few words from dat every morning. You know how it read, I guess: Hold not, thy peace, O God [these 7 words correct; from King James Version] thy prayers, etc. The 109th anyhow. And in a few moments, just a few moments after that, we had a letter from [about] her [their sister] from the doctors in Goldsboro [N. Car., from the state mental institution]. We wrote my mother a letter that she was getting better, but what did the lady [root doctor] do, I can't say.
(She wouldn't tell you what she did.)
No. [The arrival of a letter soon after a root doctor was employed may have been a coincidence, or a matter of routine, or perhaps root doctor knew a poli- tician who wrote to the state asylum for insane at Goldsboro (whatever its name) asking for a report. At least we have here another good piece of therapeutic work - Psalm 109: stop worrying, I'll take care of everything.]
Entry 11286
On 7lst Psalm of David. See: Oh, Lord God in thee I put my trust. Never let me be put confusion in [be put in confusion]. Thy have beholdth from the womb. Thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels and my praise shall be contained in thee. [More or less like the King James Version.] This is the only Zuization, [Does he mean Utilization? In any case translate word remedy.] that I know of to keep your sexual force, you understand, away from you in that respect, and that don't he'p you very much, but the still of that is to keep down - the enemy's force down. Says, Cast me not off in the time of old age, and forsake not my strength, for my enemies speaks against me. And they that lay waste my soul take counsel to- gether. [Also from Psalm 71.] That's the second chapter Proverb. There's the 9th, 10th and 24th verse, yeah of the 7lst Psalm of David. Now, that's a very good portion of Scripture that I know dey use in that respect.
(In what respect?)
I say in that respect what you asked me just now about.
(About what?)
About the bootlegging proposition, yeah.
(Oh, bootlegging, yes, if you want to keep the law away from there.)
I mean, that's a very good chapter, I mean for to keep you successful in
[your] own undertaking there.
Entry 11370
Ah heah mah grandfather say dat evah yo' workin' fo' a man an' felt lak he wanted tuh git rid of yo' or somepin othah, it slow on de job, yo' jes' go an' take a fig leaf an' Write de 23rd Psalm, ah think, an' put it in a lil' red bag an' keep it an' let it stay in a stream of runnin' watah fo' about eight days. Say he won't fiah yo'.
Entry 11673
Say yo' kin go to de fo'ks of de road an' take, yo' know, dat crossin' sand. [sand from crossroad used in crossing person]. An' go an' git 'im, say, a box about foah inches square. An' git a piece of flannen cloth. An jest lak it wus me, dey take mah name [write it] and [write] whatsomevah dey wanta do tuh me; lak dey wanta kill me or wanta lingah me. Dey kin take dat an' read de 35th Psalm fo' nine days at sunrise, an' [while reading it] turn yore haid to de sunrise, an' dey kin kill yo'. (What would they do with all these things in that box? You didn't tell me vhat they did with those.) Well, dey would jest go an' dey would take dat crossing sand [sand from cross- road] yore name, yo' understand, an' dat jest be closed up [in the box]. Yo understand me. Go out an' put dat ingredients in deah. It's a dragon's blood dat chew kin git - dragon's blood - put it in dere. An' put dat box back to- gether, yo' know, jest like yo' kin use dat sand an' dat dragon's blood an yore name an' read dat - yo' understand, dat 35th Psalm.
(Where do you put that box then?)
Well, yo' jest place it most anywhere about in de house, ain't got no certain place.
Entry 12164
Well, before the judge you use the holy water too. You can sprinkle yourself good with it and read the 23rd Psalm of David. You can read the 23rd Psalm of David and sprinkle yourself with holy water. It'll make you wish [you will make your wish] and go before the judge.
Entry 12282
Well, whenevah yo' wanta tie up a person, yo' don't want 'em to have success, yo' put so many knots in a raw cotton thread an' put turpentine on it, an' yo' read ovah it de 22nd Psalms. Read ovah it nine days an' then yo' put that string right behin' there [points to door]. (Behind the door?) Yes.
Entry 12404
Ah know dat chew could git a job jes' by goin' to a magnolia tree. Yo' take an' git - jes' a little piece of cloth an' den sew it up in a heart- style bag in shape of a heart. Yo' take dat heart- style an' yo' fill it up wit nuthin but table salt, salt dat nevah has been used. An' go to a magnolia tree wit three roots dat's runnin' east. Don't care how small or how large it is, an' yo' tie it up together an' feed it off de cologne. An' it's a certain chap- tah in Psalms in de Bible - de Psalms of David. Ah disremembah, but chew repeat dat three times in de mawnin' befo' yo' go fo' three mawnin's, an' aftah dat third mawnin' dat chew'll be successful in gittin' a iob an' holdin' it as long as yo' kin hold dat.
(You put these magnolia roots into this little bag?)
Yes sir, yo' puts it in dat an' sew it up right wit de salt in de heart- style [bag].
Entry 12699
And then this 109th Psalms. Jest like you know if someone has mis- treated you, and you didn't want to go right to their face to settle it. Well, you pray dis 109th Psalm for 3 days. Then you go and you get you a pint of new wine and put some mustard in there - new mustard - have a new jar - everything new and put it in there. And go to that person's door the fourth night, after you pray the third - the fourth night. Den you go there and put it right cross- Ways of that door, but don't ever let a drap get on you. And so he'll go to the God that gives it [this rite is evidently pow- ered by God!]. [The horizontal bottle, at the foot of the door or steps, does not coml pletely cross vertical door, only symbolically. Moreover the "T" cross is upside down
Entry 13130
You take water, if you going to take a bath in water. You wanta hurt me or anything of that sort. Well, I'm going to take my bath and probably just before I take my bath, if you after hurtin' me [that word after preceding hurt- ing was added by Irish transcriber], you would take, say for instance, this is my bathroom. I'm fixin' to go in there to take my bath. Well, I liable to draw my water first. See, and I got my water took, I'm liable to walk out. And if I don't do that, you take and you - before I go in the bathroom to draw my water, you get you some of the stuff you call kankeena.
(What do you call that?)
Kankeena.
(Kankeena?)
Kankeena.
(Where do you get that?)
It's a powder you can get it at most any drug store.
(I see.)
Get kankeena, it's a white powder. You get very little for a nickel, just a very small quantity for a nickel. You gets that. Now, when you get that pow- der, you sprinkle it around that tub, all around on the edges, not to the bot- tom, but be sure it gets just around the tub, like that.
(On the outside or inside of the tub?)
On the inside of the tub. It's got to get into the water, see. Now, that stuff there is to take - when I bathe in the tub, this powder going to get on me. Now, when I get this powder on me, it liable to startin' and itchin' an everythin'. After I done bathin' it start in itchin'. It won't be the soap, it won't be the water. I won't know what it's all about. See. It'll start me to itchin', probably, I'm liable to start to breakin' [out] in a few days - break all kind of sores out on me [quite a separation between break and out!]. See. Well, then I liable have to go to a doctor [M.D.] to find out what it is. He think it's my blood's bad. He try to use different medicine. He wanta give me shots of somepin. Probably he can't do me no good with the shots and all that they gives you. Well, then, if he couldn't do me no good, he done give me [I turn off machine to bring informant to point]. (This doctor [M.D.] couldn't do you any good and you go to the Cracker Jack Drug Store and get the same things you said, you mentioned.) I'm going to get - I'm goin' to get more than the one thing, I'm goin' to get some of this steel dust.
(I see.)
I'm goin' to go to the Cracker Jack - I'm usin' steel dust again. I'm going to use the steel dust. I'm going to get me what you call the snake oil - they sells that. I'm going to get that snake oil. I'm goin' to get steel dust. Now, when I get the snake oil and the steel dust, I'm goin' to put those two together. See. I'm going to use that to rub with. I rub myself with that at least three times a day. Now, in rubbin' with that stuff, I says the 35th [23rd] Psalms of David. See, that's a prayer. You say it, that's the 35th [23rd] Psalm of David. I says that! "The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want." See, as I'm rubbing: 'The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want." And I just keep arubbin'. See. Well, now I may have to do that, maybe nine or ten days. I may have to do it for a couple of weeks. Eighteen or twenty days at the most, anyway. See. Well, then I do that and as I do that every day for three times a day, I says the 35th [23rd] Psalm of David and for about twenty days and then I'm over with that. See.
Entry 480
You read de 35th Psalms of David and then after that reading that Psalm, you put the Bible under your head, but you must read that Psalm for nine nights and after reading that Psalm, you put it under your head, and then go to sleep and after that nine nights the hag will go away and won't worry you.
Entry 1078
But on mah husband's side, he went to a woman in Tampa an' she gave him some holy oil an' she tole 'im to put that holy oil - make a cross in his hand in de mawnin' an' make a wish an' wish de bad luck away, an' make cross on his feet at night fo' goin' tuh bed, an' in de mawnin' when he got up tuh read the 37th Psalms fo' nine mawnin's, an' that would kill de bad luck; an' read de 35th Psalms if he wanted something to happen to the person that did it. An' so he tried that an' his luck begin tuh change.
(Did he make this cross in both hands?)
Well, yo' kin make it in both or yo' kin make it in the strongest hand, which would be the right hand. (What about the cross in the palm of the feet?) [Palm of the feet, a common expression, shows she is retelling rite and I am repeating unrecorded words of hers.] Both feet an' make a wish.
Entry 1119
Whenevah ah'm afraid of someone doin' me harm ah read the 37 Psalms [Psalm 37] an' co'se ah leaves the Bible open with the head of it turned to the east as many as three days. An' den sometimes ah read it an' ah have read it an' left it open nine days - each mawnin' until aftah twelve at eatin' an' [then] ah closed it. An' ah found out that it re'lly did help me.
Entry 2257
Well, the only thing to do in case if you should happen to want any result and be successful in luck [getting a job], jes' go and git some oil of rose from de drug store, which and why, you gits dat in all leading drug stores. You don't find dat in no little drug store, you know, 'cause it is too costly. It costes 10ç a drop and you know what one drop is - it's jes' only a whiff of it, so therefore you will have to git at least about ten drops in dere to do you much good. Now, you take dat ten drops of oil of rose and jes' rub it over once in de palm of de hand - rub it jes' like dis [demonstrates]. Rub your hands together and press it down and while you is pressing it down, say, "God de Father, God de Son." And press your hand like dis and press it across your face - bring it down - don't evah rub it up - always bring it down, you know, pressing it in. Then when you git through wit that, then you gits de Scriptures and read de 3lst chapter Psalms, the 45th and the 52nd. And then you go out depending on luck. And de first place you stop in, well, jes' knowing exactly how to approach, they won't take you then, but will tell you as much as possible to drop in now and then, and by going on you will come into the sense of being successful and get the job.
(You got the job?)
Yes, you'll come to have a chance of getting it.
Entry 2279
De seals [are] in de Six an' Seven Books of Moses. Yo' take dis parch' [parchment] papah an' de seal dat fits yore complaint. Take dis seal an' yo' put dis seal, aftah yo've copied it [from the book], in de inner sole of your shoe, de right shoe an' yo' wear it dere constantly an' read de 25th chapter of Psalms fo' nine straight mawnin's. (What will that do then?) Dat's supposed to protect yo' from all enemies. [Seals are usually said to be from the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, but an able doctor will sometimes make his own seal (see No. 2281) and occasionally a person will call almost any hand a seal.]
Entry 2419
If you tryin' to make a trade with anybody - jest like if you wanta buy a automobile from me or enybody, see, or buy a home somewheres, don't make no diff'rence what it is, you go to de people and try to buy, and dey tell yuh, "No, ah don't wanta sell yuh - I don't wanta atall." All right, you go off and dey think dey ain't goin' to sell it tuh yuh. Yo' read de 56th Psalm before sunup wit chure face to the east - read dat 56th Psalm over three times. Read it befo' you go to bed and den git up dat mawnin' and read it three times before sunup, before you speak to enybody, and jest go on to dat man house and if he don't make de trade, ah'll eat chure hat. [Here is one of many references to my old black hat containing concealed microphone on the table - see Author's black hat, in Index.] Ah's did that mahself.
Entry 8751
Yo' git a new tin pan an' yo' write de name on de back of dat pan an' yo' write de 27th Psalms of de Bible, an' when yo' want dem to come, return, an' dey will return. (What do you do with the tin pan?) Aw yo' puts hit behin' yore do' or in yore room, jes' most anywhere, yo' know, where it won't be [seen].
Entry 8988
If yo' go tuh co't to de judge, it's a scripture in de Bible. It's a Psalm, it's a verse in there, an' while de judge is talkin' yo' be repeatin' dat to him: Make haste, O Lord, tuh deliver me [perhaps Make haste to help me, O Lord my saZvation - Ps:38:22]. An' fast as he be talkin' to yo', yo' be repeatin' dat in yore mind.
Entry 12701
To have good luck befo' sunrise read the 33rd Psalm - read it befo sunrise. Jes' git up an' light your lantern an' read the 33rd Psalms. Ah do's that now. An' it gives yo very good luck an' blessings through de day.
Entry 13311
Take an' write de 42nd Psalms on a tin plate an' sleep with it under her haid, or his haid, an' dey will return.
(That is to bring a man back or a woman back.)
Yes. [Waycross 1778:2.]
Entry 11536
"Git de foot track and measure it from de foot [toe] to de heel of it and scrape dirt backwards and make you run away with that. Now, dey have to read the 23 Psalms of David before de sunrise. Take an' throw 'em [dirt and victim] no' thwards. [Mobile 962:2.]
Entry 829
You know you heard of the Seventh Book of Moses, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. That book contains symbols. There's the symbol of Jupiter, Jupiter being the god of lawsuits and financial plenty. You cut that symbol, it is the black symbol copied from where they made them in Bible times and just before you go to trial you bury that symbol and you recite the 72nd Psalm, using the name lye[?] instead of God, which is supposed to forset all lawsuits. And those books cost $2.00, Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses.
Entry 1948
Take seeds of paradise - seven grains, seeds of para- dise. Yo' buy that in the Hindu companies, yo' know, those dirty strong [smelling] places [because incense is burning]. Seven grains of paradise. An' throw it aroun' yore do'. Make a good wish an pray an' take yore Bible an' read de Psalms of David an' ask God tuh open de way fo' yo' an' yore business will gradually grow. Also yo' kin read de sixth chapter of Luke an' dat'll he'p yo' in de Bible in de Christianity. That is tuh bring business to yore home. [The preceding Hindu companies were more likely a company with an oriental name and someone wearing a turban (see Turban in Index). Since I always assumed some of these companies may have worked under protection, I never visited any of them - I had enough trouble collecting.]
Entry 2282
(If I want a seal, just how would I do that?)
Well, yo' write chure own seal. Yo' take yore birth, de day yo' wus bo'n, an de ll8 or 'long somewhere lak dat in Psalms - lak dat. Fold it very.even an' pir it somewhere down heah in de front - jis' so it's in front of yo' all de time. An' den yo' might write one an', put it in yore right shoe, but it don't have to move. Yo' have to seal it - yo' know, put a muscilage on it an' put a papah ovah it an' seal it. Let dat stay dere - jis' let it stay in a warm place. Dat keep anyone from harmin' yo' dat's tryin' tuh harm yo'. Ah puts dat seal in it an' ah wears dat saltpeter in dat shoe - make a dust of it an' put a little bergamine [bergamot] in dere, an' have mah seal in dere al- ready. If ah don't, ah put a seal in dere an' den ah wear dat in dere all de time, an' once in a while put a little white sugah. White sugah is pretty sweet.
(That is if the shoe was dressed for me, that would undress it.)
Well, ah'd git dat job seal. De seals is re'lly good. An' if vo' write a seal fo' a job, yo' would put it in a pocket, in a tobacco sack or somepin [thus seal becomes hand] an' put it in yore pocket an' den yo' take yore bath an' git chew a little piece of conker [John de Conker] an' talk to it.
(How would you make that seal for the fob?)
Yo' would make that seal jis' lak yo' would make the othah seals. Seals is wo'n mo' now den anything. [The latter is a personal judgment of the informant - doctor, woman and good. Seals were practicaliy unknown along the Atlantic coast and not used often in New Orleans. Copying a seal, whether design or prayer, is for the lazy or ungifted practitioner.] Everybody that works have someone workin' ovah 'em an' if they [the law] git chew, why the madam or whoever it is, will make a seal an' git it to yo' - the seals of the law [the seals to conquer the law].
(Have somebody over you to bring the seal to you in jail?)
Yes.
Entry 2420
Yo' git yo' some sugah an' sulphur an' git chew a bottle of Heart Perfume. Po' it on there, don't chew know, down on de sugah an' stuff an' about six a'clock burn dat. An' then yo' git de Bible an' yo' read de 47 Psalm an then to make them come - yo' gotta say, "May mah crowd gather together thick. May mah crowd gather together thick. In de Name of de Father, in de Name of de Son, in the Name of de Holy Spirit." An' they begin to gather thick an' yo'll have so many folks yo' won't know whut to do. After yo' read de 47th Psalm yo' say, "May mah crowd gather together thick tonight, all gather together thick tonight, thick as hops, '' an' say, "In de Name of de Father, in de Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Spirit." An' yo' won't have no trouble. That brings in trade - I mean they come in.
Entry 2745
To bring in trade or any kind of congregation, you get what they call the Adam-and-Eve root, place that in the front of your door. Then you go to work and get what they call Louisiana hoodoo dust and put that under yore doorsill. Then you go to work and git what they call the good and evil candle and place that at twelve 'clock in the night in your front door with your door closed and burn it. And with the Eqyptian incense and by reading the 37th division of the Psalms of David, reads as follows, "Fret not yourself because of evildoers, be thou not envious in the works of iniquity and so forth. Why each night if you do that three times a week, you will have trade for thirty days.
(What do you do with this incense?)
Burn it.
(While you are reading the Bible?)
Yes, jest light it - light it iest befo' you start de reading.
(Where do you get this Louisiana dust?)
Wal, yo' kin write to - ah don't know her address - Louisiana - New Orleans, Louisiana.
(And she will send you this dust.)
I know fer mahself from an experience in 1923.
(Where was this experience?)
Heah in Washington, right heah. My first wife, we were living at 217 "E" Street, N. W., Washington, and she said to me on a Saturday - she had been invited out fo' dinnah next do'. She wanted me to go there with her an' I refused. Any- way she went. Sunday - that Sunday - [she] came back home [Saturday] - that Sun- day night she got in bed. On Monday morning between 9:30 and 10 'clock I had to rush her to Garfield's Hospital. And with them taking her to the hospital on that Monday morning, of having several specialists to examine her, to give her a thorough examination from time to time, and each one of them said that her body showed as though it was normal from start to finish. Well, her mother said that it was a spell. Later on, the one that she had taken dinner with begin to talk and tell other people about what she had done. And she said this, that she'd taken the skin of a frog and put it in a pan and cooks it real crisp and powders it up and give it to her in coffee and that was the cause of her sickness and also her death. Dr. Fowler, being at the time the head surgeon of the doctorical staff of the District, he give a thorol examination and said that he couldn't locate or tell what her disease was - even up to her death. I noticed on the night - on Saturday night - like she died Sunday morning, I was there at the hospital all that night. I notice between the skin and her flesh there were the figure of frogs. Her eyes begin to turn yellowish - de white of her eyes and her head. She suffered with very severe pains. After the doctors couldn't find out, even by taken a picture - they said her heart were perfect, her stomach perfect, her liver perfect, kidneys perfect - her whole system. But by the misery being in her head, dey couldn't figure or tell whether it might have been a form of an abscess somewhere on the tissue of the brain. So after her death they asked permission of holding an autopsy on her brain, and when they did that why they said that her brain were normal. Well, it goes on to show me that the fruits of the thing that which she [the other woman] had said that she had done was true. Later on ah begin to seek into such [the truth of hoodoo]. I goes to Alexanderia, Va., to a woman by de name of Cely Coles, and begin to seek information 'long dose lines. An' she says to me, she says, "It's true just what she said she done." That was itl But if you had obtained or had of went to work and taken some sulphur, table salt and alum and made a solution out of it, or made a little drink and give her nine tablespoons- ful, why she would have passed them from her and she would have gotten well.
[To remove 'live things conjured into the body, see pp.227-239 and Index.]
(After you found out these things, what happened after that?)
Well, ah came back. Wasn't anything that I could do then - jest to give it up in de hands of God. But I was glad to know these things. And then later from self experience - for mahself - ah had went to what we call a donkey party.
(What is that?)
That's jest the figure of a donkey made up into a picture of some kind and then you buy a whole lotta tails and then you take chances, see. And de one dat pin dose tails in the proper or nearest the proper place, they get the prize. Ah goes to dis donkey party - it was for the benefit of the St. Paul Baptist Church - an' while being there they were serving refreshments or selling refresh- ments and I bought some of them. An' after I had bought a glass of lemonade and drank it, I goes home and nine days from dat day I had hairy worms in my stomach. Now the cause of that was the oil out of the skin of a frog created those worms. A man ovah heah on tenth street at de time - I were carried to him and he give me medicine fo' that. Later on I found out jest what to do to prohibit those things. It matters not what a person might be hurt with, matters not what chew walk ovah, and if they come to be alive in you, you can take a silver dime or a silver dollar and take a fine file and file off part of it and boil it and take a tea- cupful of it. It will remove it one way or the other [above or below]. [See also, pp.484-493.] Not only that, we have a way to tell, there is a way to tell, even if you have just a weakness, whether you are hurt or not. And the way that is, is by taking a salt mackerel fish and bind it wheresomever that weakness is, with the head up and the tail down, and that misery will then become a terrific terror there. You will know then that it's no need of taking any medical doctor's [Doctor of Medi- cine's] treatment. You will have to seek other sources. Well, ah know at mah home town - Richmond, Virginia - there were an' ole lady by the name of Mary Moody lived on Green Street. That's in the east end.
(I've heard of her.) [Her name is somewhere in the text.]
Mary Moody. In other words there Was a woman lived in my neighborhood by the name of Lucy Williams. I leave Coatesville, Pa., an' I goes home and she becomes jealous or envious of me because I wouldn't go or keep company with none of her daughters. She goes to work, she did, an' taken one of those square halfa pint whiskey bottles used to be [before Prohibition] - Sherwood bottles. Comes to my father's house and my mother used to be fond of her, used to let her do all of her washing at times, and she'd taken a part of my underclothes, the seat of them, and a part of my left sock and carried it off with some different roots. Ah don't know what de roots was, but those different roots she packed in that bottle and she dressed it with still water - poured it in this bottle.
(What do you mean by still water?)
Water that she had let stand fer a certain length of time. And she dressed that nine days before she buried it, and when she buried it, she buried it in the pathway that leads from my mother's house to her well, that I might walk over it. An I become - begin to go over towards my left side and dwindling away to noth- ing without a ache or pain. An' mah father he'd taken me to Mary Moody. Mary Moody wanted her pichure and mah father happened to have one the pichures on a tintype in the home. An' he'd taken that and she said to him, says, "Now, you go back home and plow up your pathway from your house to your well and when you find this bottle," she said, "bring it to me." An' he did so. An' when he did that, why she'd taken it and drew that Lucy Williams pichure from de other one on a sheet and put this bottle behind it and shot it. She said, "Now, when yo' git back home, the same thing that yore son have on him, she will have on her and she cant git rid of it." An' that happened.
(What did she shoot this bottle with?)
With a pistol - a real pistol. (She drew this picture on a piece of paper and put it up before this bottle and shot through the paper and broke the bottle?) Yes.
(How long ago did that happen?)
That's been - that was in 1916. It's a man lives - he lives in Beaver Falls [Pa.] too - 606 Eighth Avenue. He don't keer if you give a policeman his address, he's iest that smart. He takes - he has five spools, spools what thread come off, takes three needles and run through 'em - that little hole in those spools.
(He puts the three needles right through the spools.)
If the street is coming this way in front of his house, he sets one object to that corner, one obiect at this corner, and one where you turn in off the street to go in de front of his door - with the one at each corner is pointing straight up and down the street.
(You mean this spool is pointing straight up and down the street.)
That's right. The one what enters the door pointing in an' out the door, and he has the two at the back the same way that the two at the first two corners are. An' he gits up and calls on de four winds - five waves of de water with the speech that he makes telling these people - it matters not who it is - to keep on passing his door. Dey would come round an' start to his door and their mind change and they walk right on away. Right today he has two stills turning out round about 90 gallons of whiskey each. (Now here's the street going by his house. On the corner of the street here and this corner of the street are the two spools - they are turned this way, the holes are turned this way [parallel to the street passing house]. Then you come to his house and the [third] spool is turned with the holes going this way - toward his house. And then where does he put - he puts these remaining two spools at his back door?) At the back corners of his house, yes. (And the holes in these spools are parallel with that of his house [the third spool]. He just passes these three needles through each of these holes. He doesn't do anything with the needles.) Man in Norfolk, Virginia, he was telling me one day, said that if you want a person to die, dat you take one of those cut nails.
(Those square nails?)
Square nails and take and carry it to a green tree on Sunday morning and you stump it [start the nail into the tree] and each morning for nine mornings go there and hit it, and you tap that together, and then the ninth morning, the ninth day you drive it up to the head. After that nine mornings, he said that person going crazy - drifting.
Entry 2768
(Was that the time you were being hurt?) Yes, sir. (Well, tell me what happened? How did they hand it to you? And how was that cured? Tell me the whole experience - the whole story.) Well, you know, that I couldn't even - couldn't walk in here like that.
(Couldn't even do what?)
Couldn't walk in here like that.
(You couldn't walk in here. All right.)
But then one fellow who came down here [to Vicksburg] took me to a fellow called Johnson down there [to New Orleans].
(Where did he take you to?)
To New Orleans.
(To a fellow called Johnson?)
Yes, sir. And course he told me that I was crossed up like that.
(Well, what happened when you went in? What first happened when you went in?)
He just asked me if I want git rid of my misery, and everything like that. He didn't do a thing but just rubbed me. And of course then I had a misery in my head. And then he said a man must have hurt my eyes, and he tied it up and told me use them head bandages - placed a candle over me for nine mornings and read a Psalm, and said a prayer. But the prayer was - but what the prayer was I don't know. (Was that a woman you went down with [from Vicksburg to New Orleans] or was this woman at Johnson's house?) They was there - she was. One was a woman and one was a man.
(Oh, they were working together in the same house.)
You see, when I first went to see him, why he was setting out on de porch. Well, it wasn't no porch either, but it like a church and he was sitting out there on a little old balcony kind of.
(It appeared like what?)
It's just a big church and place.
(Oh, a church.)
And still he treats people and all like that, see. He took us and carried us on upstairs.
(Into a room?)
Yes, sir - in a private room.
(And what was in that room?)
Like - just like desks and different things like that, just chairs and desks.
(I see. And then what else did he do?)
He asked me what was my misery and how long had it been hurting me and when it first started, and how did it work and things like that. And I told him. He told me to stand up and come to him - walk to him. See, I couldn't - I couldn't walk right. He told me that somebody had throwed something for me and so he would rub me. He would rub me and have me turn all the way around and bowing over and walking and coming back to him like that.
(What did he rub you with?)
Sir? Jest his hand. He didn't put no oil or nothing on it - jest rubbing and saying something. Jest rubbing [she demonstrates].
(He rubbed down off your clothing.)
In my clothes - just rubbing me down like dat for a long time. Then he would tell me to press up while he would hold me, push on me right here like that. I would strain up like that. I done paid him and then went on off.
(And then after that? Then where did you go?)
Ah went to a rooming house.
(Where?)
Went to a rooming house. (Went to a rooming house. Where did you meet this woman? Where did you find her?) The lady? Oh, I went back down there the next morning.
(You went back to this woman the next morning.)
And he told me to come back. I was supposed to go back and take the final treatment. He told me if I didn't have that why I couldn't walk up straight any more. Everything have happen to me like that. So, he tell me I was going too much, says, "Women like dat." I didn't tell him about how my head hurt, I didn't consider it was worth-while, thought it was just ordinary or something like that. He told me to come back and see about my head. So I went back the next morning.
(You went back to this church the next morning.)
Went back the next morning where we - so he was telling her about it. She didn't carry on [rub her], but she carried me around and telled me to sit down before the table and she asked me how my head hurt and all that and this and everything like that. And I told her. She told me sit down and she would fix my head up. So she lit a candle and put it before my - kind of a yellow candle and placed my hands before it, aside the candle. She got her one and lighted it, and went to passing it over her head [demonstrates] and she was saying something or other. (When she passed it - how did she pass it over her head? Like this? [I demonstrate.] Around her head in a circle?) Yes, sir. [See margin-title later, Halo Sign.] And so I had stayed there that day. And had to go back nine days - nine mornings. (Nine mornings. She did that nine mornings, you say. She said before sun- rise?) Yes, sir. No, sir - any time between twelve o'clock - between sunset and one in the evening.
(Any time between twelve o'clock at night and sunrise in the morning?)
[My question confuse her but she now gives the proper answer; the well-known magic rite.] Ah don't know how. But she told me to always come - never come at twelve - come before twelve when the sun was still on a rise. (Oh, I see - when the sun was still going up. I see. And that was all she did - burn this candle on you?) Everything.
(And then when she finished that - after the nine days, then what happened?)
Hit was gone! Never seen it no more.
(I see. What did they charge you?)
$25.
(The both of them - S25 for both of them?)
No, that was $25 for my head. I paid the same thing for the hip part.
($25 apiece? Each for the hip and the head?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 7187
Yo' uses High John an' yo' uses five fingahs grass an' yo' make charms outa dem, an' den yo' put lodestone all on dat. An' if yo'd make a seal an' wear dat - when yo' read parts of de Bible. "Co'se [of course] dat's de way a lotta people do, but ah go by de Bible. See, whut ah do, ah based on de Bible - prayahs, see, an' sech. [The preceding word charm rarely appears in Hoodoo. For the word seal, see SEALS AND HANDS, p.643 and elsewhere.]
(How would you use this High John and five finger grass?)
Oh, yo' jis' put it in a li'le bag.
(Put it in a little bag and that piece of lodestone with it?)
Yes. An' den put it wit - wet it wit dis lodestone perfume, yo' see, an' weab it.
(And what about the seal?)
Or yo' kin weah a seal. De seals are made outa de Six an' Seven Books of Moses. (And then what do they do with this little bag they wear? That is something separate again, isn't it?) Dis li'le bag, dat's somepin sep'rate.
(What do you wear this little bag for?)
Dat's fo' pertection [protection]. An' prayah too. All de othah [people] weah a prayah. Prayah'll pertect chew too.
(What kind of prayer do you use while you are wearing that bag?)
Well, yo' kin weah a prayah at any time [not only while wearing that bag]. Yo' kin weah a prayah outa de Bible, de 91 Psalms on parchment papah. An' yo' have it wit certain kinds of ink. Yo' write dese prayahs outa de book of de 91 Psalm; mos' any prayah dat's suitable. An' yo' weah dat prayah all de time an' God'll pertec' chew. Yo' kin even put a prayah behind - on parchment - put it behin' jore do' an' no one cain't come an' do yuh any harm. (You say they have to write with certain kinds of ink. Can you tell what kinds of ink they have to use to write that?) Well, ah fergit de kinda ink. Dey have reg'lah ink fo' dat. Ah tell yuh - dove's blood.
(Do you get the blood from a dove or do you buy this?)
Well, yo' cain't very well git it from a dove, yo' have tuh buy dat. See, EVAHBODY CAIN'T GIT DOSE THIN'S. DEY SEN' TUH CERTAIN PLACES.
[Is dove's blood ordinary or special red ink with a dove label on bottle?]
(They send to some firm.)
An' git dose thin's an' dey even make dose parchments. (What firm do you buy these things from? Do you happen to know the name of any firm? There were several down in Memphis and one in Chicago.) Ah know one in Chicago.
(What one do you know there?)
AH DON'T LAK TUH CALL DESE NAMES, AH DON'T KNOW WHETHAH AH'D BE DOIN' RIGHT DEN.
(Oh, I'd just send and get a catalog, that's all.)
Well, de Lawrence [Laurence]. (What is their address? What street do they work on? State Street?) [A penciled note of mine, made soon after the transcription was typed, reads: Use with caution. Later I write in red ink: How cautious I was in the earlier days of collecting!!! This informant is O.K. (signed) H. M. H.]
Entry 8999
Ketch a fellah an' take him down tuh de judge. If it's so an' dat he has some friends an' dey kin git to him an' kin give him somepin tuh he'p 'iml self. If dey do, why dey sends out tuh de drug sto' an' buys 'em 15 cents of incense. Yo' kin git it now in small packages. It use'ly cost yo' 25 an' 30 cents. Git 'im some incense an' git 'im 'some cayenne peppah. Lak yo' got a friend some place dat chew wanta be good to 'em. Git dat cayenne peppah an' dat incense an' 'bout half of a teaspoon fullah salt. Take a silver [dime] an' put it in yore mouth, an' when yo' lay dat undah yore tongue to yore mouth, why yo' goes back an' read de 23rd Psalms. Dat says, De Lord is mah shepherd. Ah shall not want. Well, yo' repeats dat nine times. An' when de judge calls yo', yo' take dat peppah an' holds it in yore han', when he call yore name, an' rubs it. Yo' hol' dat in yore han' rubs it. An' evah time de judge says somepin, yo' mashes [squeezes] yore dime an' still rubs yore peppah. An' when yo' do 'gin [begin] tuh think dat he's gittin' really rough wit chew, yo' takes an' yo' brushes yore han' lak dat. Well, de fellah dat is clost tuh yo' is goin' burn a candle on yo'. When yore trial begin tuh come, yo' burns dat candle, once in de mawnin' befo' de sunrise, an' in de evenin' jes' as de sun go down. An' whatevah it is, yo' see, yo' makes dis wish 'cuz yo' know at de same time dat chew burnin' dis candle, yo' burnin' it fo' 'im. Well, if he don' turn a-loose, he'll make it easy fo' 'im. Prob'ly he won't git no time an' if he do, he may git a light fine.
(What color candle do you burn?)
Yo' bums a perfect white candle.
(What do you do with that incense that you bought. What happens to that?)
De incense is fo' de luck an' yore success. De red peppah an' salt kills all evil spirits. Dat keeps de judge from believin' hard witness ag'inst chew.
(Where is that incense burned? Is it burned or what? Who burns it?)
Yassuh, it's tuh burn. De one dat burns de candle burns de incense, at home with de little taste of sugah in it. An' de peppah is on de stove. Yo' have tuh burn it, yo' know, fo' it's somepin hot. An' dat salt, he has hit himself. But no one cain't use no salt outa dat box fo' nuthin else but jes' fo' his use. An' aftah he git out, he takes de salt an' take it tuh de rivah an' throw it in run- nin' watah. Dat throws away all his trouble.
(He only throws away the salt?)
Yassuh, aftah he git out. Why he comin' out. Well, he goes ovah an' throw dat salt in de rivah an' don' even look back. His bad luck is gone. Jes' pitch it in dere an' walk on off.
Entry 34
It will drive them away but you can't make 'em stay, see. A spirit is something that you can't nevah drive away, but you kin silence him. You silence him^by the 23rd division of the Psalms of David - 37th division of the Psalms of David, the 108th division of the Psalms of David - will silence a traveling spirit - that's the spirit that comes in and goes out and each time when he comes in, he brings from one to seven more. Now, that's how come so many people become restless and dissatis- fied - is because of evil spirits transforming 'em, back and forth. Every time you breath you are breathing in and out some kind of a spirit. Well then, at night you will begin to worry about his moving around. In other words you kin take holy water and sprinkle it at chure door - up ovah your door and on each side of it, and read de 23rd division of the Psalms of David, and you will silence them, you won't have any more trouble out of 'em. Holy water is very good. Holy water is good to sprinkle on a person who, we Would say, if they were very sick, or if they were afflicted some way, could sprinkle this holy water around. Dere's lots of times again we would say that evil spirits visit around - dis holy water keeps the evil spirit away because de holy water supposed to be blessed by holy spirits.
Entry 966
I was sitting to my machine sewing when I taken sick in this arm and in the spine of my back; felt just like-a chill begin to run over me. And from there my heart begin to beat too fast and I thought once or twice that I might just had a dumb chill when it first struck me. And my mind just lead me to get up and I'd gotten up from my machine and I walks to my front porch and I sits down. And then another spirit told me to pray and I prayed. And whilst I was doing that I walked on a ways and I come back and had taken some medicine. From there on I rang-ed [rang = telephoned] up my brother that I thought that I had a stroke or was taking one from the way I was and he came to me. And from there they prevailed with me to go to someone that knowed a little more than I did. And they [the doctor] told me how come that I had it; that my [sewing] machine was dressed on this side. [For another bewitched sewing machine, see FACI,2ed., No.16337, p.875, white person.] And the chair that I setting in, it had - liquid was poured in it and from there I lost the use of this arm, had no use for it. And when I'd stand up my heart would just go so that I had to lie down. But it wasn't but one thing cured me and that was that ammonia and cooking soda. And then they told me how come I to get it. I got it through a piece of meat and by my machine was dressed and chair. And the minute that I begin tc take it and begin to read the Bible, it begin to leave me.
(You did what?)
I read the 7th Chapter, Psalms of David, in the morning and the 7th and 8th of Psalms, I read it in the afternoon, and before noon I'd taken that teaspoon of soda and ammonia. You don't drap the medicine, cause when the Bible speaks of witchcraft you shouldn't drap it; you should pour a certain amount instead of drapping it, cause if you drap it, it'll do you just as much harm if you hadn't taken it. You pour it.
[Whether to drop or pour medicine - not in the Bible so far as I know.]
(Well, how do you pour it then?)
Just hold it and pour it - a certain amount as you think you should take into the glass, instead of drapping it. Well, that's what I'd taken and then from there on I begin to rub this arm with alcohol to help to gain the strength back and by reading the Psalms of David - just taking it right back to the one who put it on me. (Did you also take this medicine in the afternoon when you read this chapter in the afternoon?) I'd taken the medicine in the morning and read the chapter right along with it
(You didn't take any medicine in the afternoon?)
No, just in the morning.
(Once a day. I see.)
Entry 1283
An' then yo' kin cure disease with that frog. A frog is wonderful tuh take off spells.
(How would they do that?)
Well, now, yo' kin ketch a frog an' yo' kin let the party that has the spell Spit three times into that frog's mouth an' blow their breath three times in it an' then yo' kin - when they do that yo' read the 23rd Psalms. See, read the 23rd Psalms an' after yo' read de 23rd Psalms, yo' let them take that frog an' throw it ovah dere shoulder jest as hard as they kin an' don't let that frog come back towards where that sick person is standing - keep that frog off from that sick person. An' that frog will carrv that disease off. Yo' kin take off witchcraft fo' anybody wit dat.
Entry 1464
If someone tryin' tuh do yo' somepin round yore home - maybe injure yo' or cumjure yo' tryin' tuh do yo' some harm, if you wanta prevent this trouble, you might read the 7th chapter of the Psalm of David and then walk around yore home about nine times during de night or in de morning between de sun setting and de sun rising, wit salt in yore han' an' call de name of yore enemies or those yo' think about as trying to do yo harm, an dey'll do yo no harn.
Entry 1861
Well, before you even go on this job, you read the ll9th Psalm. You look in de 119th Psalm and you read a verse in there. And you'll find favors with him, and you'll use High John de Conker too, and you'll take the five finger grass and carry it. Put it in yore handkerchief. And you ask him for the job as a favor and he hardly will refuse yuh.
(How will you use that High John the Conker?)
Well, some chew it. Some people boil it and jest make liquid and dress dere- selves before dey goes.
Entry 1889
A frog, now he's good fo' luck too.
(To make the lucky hand. Tell me that all over again.)
Yo' git dis - yo' take dis frog an' yo' git chew some moonshine [illegally distilled whiskey] an' make yo' a - have yo' a container an' have it deep enough where that he'll go down in there, see. Then yo' fasten him down in that stuff an' let him stay in dere until he die. [You drown the frog in moonshine.] An' when he die, then yo' git some mercury an' yo' fill his mouth - yo' know, put that in his mouth. Yo' put this mercury in his mouth an' then yo' take him an' a piece of flannel - yo' know, a square piece of flannel, red flannel, an' put him in dis flannel an' then yo' drop nine drops around in de flannel.
(What kind of drops?)
Mercury. Then yo' sew dis flannel up an' ev'ry time yo' make a stitch, bring it to yo' like that [demonstrates] - ev'ry time yo' make a stitch until yo' git it sewed plumb up. Well, when yo' git it sewed plumb up, den yo' pray de 23rd Psalms fo' three days, an' all at de same time he'll drink [soak] up this othah stuff. Put him in some more an' let him drink that an' git him good an' full of it, don't chew know. Den put that in yore pocket an' that's tuh bring yo' luck.
(In gambling?)
Yes sir.
Entry 2258
De fo' Psalms, that chew use. And yo' use rose oil tuh grease yore face and hands befo' yo' go in - rose oil and salt. An' grease yore hands and face and use the fo't division of Psalms - it's a prayer.
(You do this before you go up before the judge.)
Entry 2587
Now de way yo' do dat - yo' jest git chew some table salt an' stroll round yore do'steps an' mix it wit a little ashes an' strew it all round yore do'step. An' yo' git chew some saltpeter an' use yore chamber lye all round dat house. An' den yo' read - read de 23rd Psalms an' den yo' won't have no trouble. (You won't have any trouble with the law? And anybody can't do you harm if you are in business?) Shore - no, no. An' use dat stuff in yore shoes - dat pepper an' salt.
Entry 2663
For luck I burn sulphah ev'ry mornin' for luck - sulphah, cinnamon. I burn cinnamon an' sulphah. (You burn the cinnamon by itself or with the sulphur?) With sulphur an' sugar in it. Three ingredients togethah. When I want trade [informant a woman bootlegger] I wash up mah house with urine - when I want trade, wash it to me. Now, in New York [lived in New York City eight years] I could have trade. I had a plenty trade. I could draw my own trade, but here in Richmond I can't do it 'cus the people notice you too much. I had too much trade a few days ago, then I took mah sign down 'cus too many people was comin' in the house. [I can appreciate this woman's trouble. I, too, had too many people coming into the house or hotel where I worked.]
(Do you burn it at any special time?)
You suppose to burn it in the mornin' an' you read de 23rd chapter of Psalms in the Bible: The Lord is my shepherd. You suppose to burn it aroun' seven o'clock in the mornin'.
Entry 2731
Go to work and put on some bathwater in the morning.
(Bathwater?)
Bathwater. She go to work and she get her some saltpeter, just a little piece of saltpeter, put in that water and some red tape lye. (Red tape?) [Red Seal?] Yes, sir. You know, I mean concentrated lye, and she bath in that water. She don't dry at all. She just get out of the water wet and turn ev'ry piece of hern wrong side outwards, wear it from the morning until four o'clock in the evening and then she throw it off. Then she get the Book of Psalms and read the tenth verse and her luck'll come.
(Saltpeter mixed with lye. That'll bring in men for the night?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 2743
Set it eleven 'clock at night and you dress the candles. You get seven candles fer that purpose and you dress them with a certain kind of perfume. But chew have to do these things on the new moon. Anything that's good has to be done on the new moon; the bad thing they do on the waste of the moon. But now, if you wanted a person to come back, you dress the candles and you set 'em at eleven 'clock at night so it work on the new moon. And then you have to set the candles to burn and pray. [Pray while candles are burning.] And burn the High John Conker Incense. An' you do that from about eleven to half-past eleven. And then sometimes you set and concentrate. You know, concentration means a whole lot. Set and concentrate - hold your thoughts on him and you say while you talking to the candles, "John - Mary Louise," what- ever the name is, "In the Name of God the Father, let you be upset and let chew have no rest or peace wherever you are." Then you read a prayer in the book and - but you keep it up and finally they can't stay away. They will have to come back.
(What do you mean by that book? Do you mean the Bible? Or do you mean?)
Or the Bible.
(Do you have to buy these candles specially or just any kind of candle?)
Oh, no, you have to buy them specially. Sometimes you kin git them already dressed. You git them in New York on Lennox Avenue. You gits them there and you kin git them from Lawrence. Dressed candles. (Have you ever heard of people having little altars and burning candles? On little altars like in a Catholic Church?) Yes, ah do that myself. (I am rather interested in that for a special reason. Can you tell me just how you do that?) Well, we have our altar and we have the holy oil because everything must be holy. And because it's a place, people coming and cursing and that, and some- times they'll fergit and so the place is full of evil and dirty. But everything must be clean. We have holy oils - we have holy candles and you light them. You have seven holy candles, large ones, but chew have 'em in the form of a cross.
(Will you tell me again about burning those candles?)
You know you have them in the form of a cross. You see, you have those little candles. If you don't have those candlesticks that have the form of a cross, why you can jest sit your candles in a row there in that cross, you see.
(Two rows crossed.)
No, see. That's one row of candles across, that's 1,2,3,4,5,6, and then you have some here. That's a cross, you see. Then you have seven small candles like they have on birthday cakes. You have those and you burn those too. And you have those little votive lights sitting around.
(Well, now where would you put those little candles?)
You set them right in front of the seven cross like.
(Well now, how do you make a cross out of those seven candles?)
Those seven little ones you don't have to make a cross of them. Jest let them burn there.
(That other cross, how many do you put in that one row?)
Well, you jest - it don't make any difference how many, jest so you have a cross. Make a cross, you see.
(Then you use those little candles.)
Yes, but chew must burn yore incense. We call it holy incense. And then you use holy water. Yo' sprinkle yore place down with holy water and bless your place - must pray and read the 23 Psalms. Course you read the 23rd Psalms when you git up in the morning and you face the east and you say - you read so many verses until you get to, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me to the side of still waters." Then when you say that, and after you turn your face to the east, then to the west, and then you say a couple of more verses. And then when you say those other two verses, turn to the north and say the other two, and when you finish with them, make the last verse to the south. And that will keep your place holy and blest in the form of the cross, you see. And use the 9lst Psalms, if you wanta read, you wanta read a person to be able to git the very best results, to keep out the evil, you read the 9lst Psalm - jest a few verses you want of it. And use the holy candles with holy oil - that keeps the evil out and you aIways be able to get a good message and good vibration. You work better. (Now, you go through this ceremony before you go into this special room. That the idea?) Yes, you do that.
(Before you go in to work for someone.)
Before you start to work. Now if you was goin' tuh have a meetin' heah, a spiritual meetin', you'd come in round about six 'clock and then you'd do all that, and have your place all set up. And then you would git on your knees and you would pray and you jest set your candles all there and you pray and burn the incense.] Burn the incense while you on your knees praying, asking God to bless you and send you in a good crowd and success and let no one be evil, and sprinkle around the holy water and then you set and you concentrate, and you set and you hold your thoughts on success and prosperity and draw the people to you. That's all you do.
(Now do you have meetings? How often do you have meetings?)
Ah have been having meetings three nights a week, but I haven't been very well and not doin' so much now. (I thought if you were going to have a meeting while I am here in Washington, my man and I would come around to be at one of the meetings.) Well, you might come down Sunday - think ah'll probably have a meeting Sunday night.
(Sunday night?)
Yes, 'cause ah'm in kind of a small place now. Ah used to have a big place but ah'm jest having it in my house in mah rooms.
(Well, what time does the meeting begin as a rule?)
Round about nine 'clock. People don't git out until that time. (If a person wanted to get into this work, must he be initiated into it or what.) You would have to be born psychic and after you born psychic why then as you grow older it comes to you but then you have to have some one to instruct you, teach you.
(Then there is no form of initiation or anything of that sort?)
Then after a meeting, after you accepted in a class, course there's certain kind of instruction telling you what to do, and if you say you seen anything - sometimes you see things and don't know 'em. But they will tell you, explain to you. Then you get so - you get so then that you kin jest talk - jest open your mouth and the words will come right out. Then sometimes you see things - you see symbols, you see signs and you see jest the words. You get the words mostly in this ear sometimes [demonstrates] and you walk along.
(Your right ear?)
No, the left ear. This is the left ear. You kin hear it in the left ear, but you have to be born psychic. You were born psychic yourself.
(I'm born psychic? I suppose I am. Never have been sceptical about it.)
[We are talking about different things - see comment later.]
(About the people who are called Holy Rollers or the First Dominical Penta- costal Church. Do you think they have a spiritual gift?) Well, ah think they have a spiritual gift, but ah think that they don't quite understand the Bible. Now for instance, this Holy Roller, ah don't know anything about that, but this - what did you say the word there, The Holy Sanctified?
(This is something different from The Holy Sanctified.)
Well, ah think The Holy Sanctified has a gift of tongues - course it's in the Bible [1 Cor.12, and 14]. You see, if you pray enough and live close to God, the spirit will git on you so will talk in tongues. Your mouth will jest thuth, thuth, till the spirit got on yuh. But as far as being sanctified, ah don't think anybody is really all sanctified. Cause when you sanctified, ah think God takes you away from here when you get so holy. (If a person thinks he's hurt or anything of that sort, could you give him help in any way? Tell him anything about it?) Yes, if they was hurt and the spirit would show it tuh me, and I would see it and tell them about it.
(Then you could describe how they were hurt or something of that sort?)
If I see so. Most generally I see jest how it's done.
(Would you prescribe any remedy for them?)
Well, depends upon how they were hurt. Sometimes if people - lots of people comes to me and say that they are hurt and they are not. You know some people, the southern people, are very superstitious. And if they get a pain in their laig they think they are hoodooed or hurt. Not all the time it isn't that. If you don't tell 'em that, they'll go round and pay somebody else and give em the money. But lots of times they're not hurt. Sometimes people do's has things in them, but I have nevah seen anybody yet that had anything in 'em. Cause when I was a child somebody said that a person had something in them, but I don't - any that talk - I never seen any of it.
(Weren't you born in the south?)
Ah was born right in Washington, but ah lived in New York quite a while. (Well now suppose a person has this pain in his leg, what would you advise ordinarily?) Well, ah would give 'em a treatment with mah hands and pray over him. Or if I wanted, if the place was swollen I would get some herbs and mix a solution and bath it down. See. (But you don't believe that there is any spell? I mean, you don't think that he is hoodooed or anything of the sort?) Ah don't know really. They tell me they kin do it, but ah don't know. Ah never heard or seen. [My comment about being psychic merely means being aware and having a sense of direction (see Introduction). What little I have of this came from training; it was not a gift.]
Entry 3976
Ah heard dat chew cud [could] take some dere. wearin' apparels, an' it said in person dat yo' cud place dem, an' read certain po'tion of Scriptures an dey wud [would] be removed [killed].
(Where would they place these pieces of clothing?)
In runnin' watah an' when all dat blood wud wash away - dat's de way mah mothah wuz killed - an' dat chew'll pass away.
(You do this in particular to the woman?)
Yessuh.
(Do you know what portion of Scripture you read on that?)
Yas, de 37th Psalms of David. [Either Psalm 37 is a guess or quoted out of context: For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb (King James Version). With- er has little in common with running water.]
Entry 4774
An' den ag'in yuh kin read about De Lord is mah shepherd an' anyone's away an' yuh wan' 'em tuh come back. Yuh pull off yuh clothes at night an' turn 'em on de wrong- side an' say, "De Lord is mah shep- herd fo' three mawnin's, an' dey'll come back.
Entry 8788
[Here we are concerned with the great magic rite of wrapping, folding, rolling, turning, and twisting something to you or from you. I have added infor- mant's foot-track rite to show the "from you" aspect of the action.] Concernin' de moon, yo' wants tuh pick de new moon, growin' early, when de moon is in its infancy. Den yo', when yo' cravin' fo' luck, write chure name on a piece of papah, see, an' yo' begin tuh fold it. Roll it tuhwards yo', yo' undahstan'. An' yo' roll it tuhwards yo' an' den yo' wrap anothah piece of papah askin' or expressin' yore desire. Ask dem tuh be good enough tuh accomplish whut chews aftah. An' yo' wrap dat in a sepa- rate paper towards yo' den. Den yo' make a wish on de third papah. Roll it tuhwards yo', fold it up all de time. Yo' understan'.
(You make this wish on the third piece of paper. You write that down.)
Den yo' take dis piece of papah wit yore wish on it an' yo' bury it at chure front do', see. Bury it exactly at de centah of de steps so dat yo' could always walk ovah it, even if yo' not thinkin' of it at dat time. Yo' do dat especially fo' three mawnin's in succession, one right behin' de othah. Try to arrange tuh have tuh do all dis in de time of de new moon. Dat's de end of dat person.
(What do you do with those other two pieces of paper then?)
Dese two pieces of papah dat yo' have first written, yo' wrap dem up tuhgethah den in anothah piece of papah. Fold dat outer papah towards yo' ag'in at de same time. Den yo' repeat de 37th Psalm three times, an' each mawnin' yo' undahstan', but in de meantime yo' weah dat in yore right pocket. Keep dose two writin's in yore pocket, whilst de othah one is layin' at chure front door. (Then, how long are you supposed to wear those papers and keep that other paper under the steps?) Let dose papahs stay dere until dey have exhausted. Only yo' kin every mawnin' make yore urinate an' pour it right where yo' have dat buried.
(And what do you do all this for?)
Fo' good luck, tuh accomplish, tuh be successful in anythin' dat chew Want.
[Foot-track or "from you" rite begins:]
Dey will take dat, dis foot track an' dey will try to git every bit of it; yo' undahstan', don't leave any of it. Git dat an' put dat in a piece of papah - yes, papah. Wrap it up in three wrappin's, an' if dey wants to run yo' away, dey will take dat an' put it in de nearest runnin' stream of watah an' throw it ovah- bo'd an' den dey go ahead.
(What do you mean, wrap it in three wrappings - just one, two, three?)
Yo' wrap dat from yuh. An' den dey'll wrap it in three different papahs, see. Dat same wrappings. An' den take dat an' throw it ovahbo'd. An' dey do dat, too, in de new moon.
(And they get this dirt out of how many tracks or any particular track?)
Out of yore right track. (And do they take these three pieces of paper altogether, one, or just throw them separately into the water?)
[I knew what was done. This is merely a search for further details.]
No sir, put dem togethah, wrap 'em up. Dat is, ah mean dey wrap all dese three tuhgethah. An' every one of dem dey wrap, dey will wrap 'em goin' from dem. An' when dey wrap de last one, dey wrap it goin' from dem. An' den dey throw dat in a stream dat is goin' from de do' [throw downstream]. Dey don't throw it de way dat [stream is coming]. Dey always throw it behin' de stream. Yo' see, dey throw it so dat wrappah - so it goin' from yo', not comin' to yuh. Yo' undahstan' whut ah mean?
(I understand.) [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1051), 1705:6.]
[Closely connected with the preceding section NAME is the present section LETTERS AND HANDWRITING, the letter part of the latter title being concerned with the names of the writer and the person to whom the letter was written. Here in the written word we have magic action second only to the spoken word. As usual in hoodoo or witchcraft or magic, nothing belongs exclusively in one action, condition or location. Both letters and handwriting, therefore, are scattered throughout the complete text.]
burial of the written wish at the center of the front steps in the first rite. Preserve new-moon timing and three mornings; do not merge burial with the later from-you track rite. repeating the specifically named37th Psalm three times each morning in the first rite. No psalm text, translation, verse interpretation or outside scripture is supplied or consulted. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3588) · Read full source (printed page 3589)
Entry 8444
An' den dey kin take yuh photograph an' throw it ovahbo'd. Dat will drown yuh. But dey got'a read de 108 Psalm.
Entry 8752
Write his name on one of dose little fryin' pie-a-pans, tin plates, yes sir. Write his name in dere an' write de 13th chapter of Psalms. An' den write his name three times an' Write de Psalms twice, but chew must read dose verses backwards. Place 'em underneath of de steps with very little over earth over it, dat means de dirt over it, an' leave it underneath of dere from nine to eight- teen days. He'll be back dere.
Entry 8753
To bring back, git choo a tin pan or tin plate whut choo use fo' cookin'. Write his name on dat nine times an' write de 85 Psalm on dere, on dat tin plate, an' put it any place dat secret place in de house. [Charleston, S. Car., (518, Doctor Nelson, see p.1599f., 2260, etc.) 611:9.]
Entry 8756
De 88th Psalms an' de 85th Psalms. YO' EVER READ DE BIBLE? [I either did not answer or answered with my head. Perhaps informant did not give me time to answer.] An' yo' go down to de Ten Cent Store an' yo' buy yo' a ten cents pan [tin pan]. An' yo' write three words on there, God, de Father; God, de Son; god, de Holy Ghost. An' write his name there. In nine days he'll be back there, but yo' still gotta read de 88th Psalm and de 85th Psalm.
(What do you do with that pan then?)
Yo' place it in de corner of yore home.
Entry 8892
Well, de 12th Psalms... [I mean] de 24 Psalms an' de 12th verse. Yo' read it fo' nine mawnin's an' put a key intuh it, an' dey says dat if yo' read dat fo' 'bout nine mawnin's an' make yore wish, an' de man whut did it, dey say he'll come back. He'll come right back tuh yo'. (You put the key into what?) Intuh de Bible. Yo' have tuh put de key in dere an' fine [find] dis chaptah an' read it. Yo' place de key in de centah [of Bible? or of Psalm?] an' yo' close de Bible up, an' yo' make wish, an' yo' have tuh do dat fo' nine mawnin's, an' dey says he certainly will come back. Ah've heard dat.
(What did you read now? What Psalm?)
De 12th Psalm an' de 14th verse. [Informant's Psalms and verses are meaning- less in this present rite.]
Entry 8896
Well, lak if ah would steal sompin from yo' an' yo' know dat ah wuz de only one dere, but yo' didn't know whethah person'ly dat wuz me. Well, yo' kin git de Bible an' tell dat. Dat tell yo', de Bible an' a key. Well, yo' kin git de Bible an' yo' read de firs' verse of Psalms an' yo' close de Bible. An' yo' ties a string roun' de centah of de Bible. An' yo' gits a key, a do' key, an' hangs on dat string. Hangs it on each string where it hang steady, an' let it stay dere until it git perfectly still. Den yo' say: By St. Petah, by St. Paul, if John took so-an'-so from me, turn Bible an' fall. An' he didn't, dat Bible will not move; but if he did, yo cannot hol' [hold] it till it turn.
Entry 10698
[Unlike the preceding rite, a hoodoo one, this following example can be religious, though mechanical. These I often did not collect or collected later discarded.] If it wus me an ah thought some- body wus tryin' tuh harm me, zh'd git de Bible an' ah'd read de 4th chapter of Psalms; from de 4th chapter of Psalms to de 17th chapter of Psalms. Ah'd read de 4th chapter of Psalms espec- ially. Den ah'd read de llth chapter of Psalms and de 8th chapter of Psalms. 血' all de time ah readin' dem Psalms, why don't forgit de prayer - de Our Rnther Prayer.
Entry 10702
Well, yo' would turn to Psalms. Yo' read dat. Yo' read de six: By St. Peter, by St. Paul, by de God who made us all, if (whomsomevah it is, yo' call dem by dere name) is got sech an' sech a thing, why Bible let me know by wheelin' an' fall. Well, if dey got it, dat Bible will wheel an' fall. Whosomevah wus in de house, yo' follow de names around till yo' git to de right one.
Entry 11015
Break egg against side of house, do for 3 mornings, read 23rd Psalm for 9 mornings. you'll move. [Mobile, Ala., 967:1.]
Entry 11787
If someone sprinkles graveyard dust at your doorstep and reads Psalm 117, "that will make you move." [Psalm 117 has two short verses: "O praise the Lord, all ye nations...the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise ye the Lord" - King James Version] [Mobile 962:1.]
Entry 1262
A grass known as five-finger grass, they say, if you git a hold of that grass and take a piece of - a real light piece of papah and write the 23rd Psalms on this piece of papah, tie this piece of papah and this five-finger grass up with some clean piece of cloth and wear it next to your body [skin], no one can't harm you with any tricks and things. [This cloth-paper package is a hand.]
Entry 2947
If you think candles is burnin' on you, you kin burn one on [them] yoreself. Suppose dey says, "Well, dere's candles burnin' on you." Well, you burn a candle - break it in half, if you think a candle is burnin' on you or some reader [reading the cards for you] will tell you a candle is burnin' on you. Or you feel lak a candle's burnin' on you, git a candle an' break it in half, jis' half, [and]. read, well maybe 118 Psalms, an' light it. [For other broken candles, see p.816 and Index.]
(Do you light this candle you break? Or another one?)
Light dat one - it'll burn.
(Where do you light it?)
Jis' crack it lak that - [light it] de usual place. It'll remain [lean] ovah but it'll burn. That'll stop de othah candle from burnin'.
(How would I feel if I felt that a candle is being burnt on me?)
Oooh, you feel bad, feel somethin's been crossed, an' you say, "Well, ah musta been crossed. You feel bad. You feel bad all de time an' you jis' feel lak yore livah is outa ordah an' lak that. Maybe yore blood feel lak it's a little hot. Yo' don't rest well, an' yo' don't have no success, an' jis' lak feelin' down all de time.
Entry 2950
[If they] burn de candle tuh harm yo', git up an' light chew a red can- dle an' read Psalms 112, an' read Psalms 113 and 114 - uh-huh, de hundred Psalms de thirteen verse an' fo'teen verse of Psalms.
(What would happen then?)
Well, whosomevah wus trying tuh do yo' evil, they would leave you alone if dey burnin' dat candle. Light the red candles, yes, when yo' git through an' - yo' read that an' put de salt in each corner of de house - an' blow it out. Yo' not supposed [ordinarily] tuh blow a candle out; yo' supposed to smother it out lak dat [demonstrates].
(Those candles vou burn vou mean?)
Yes. [Normally the red or any candle would be snuffed out, but here it is blown out.]
Entry 8987
Yo' jis' read it befo' yo' have to go before de judge. Yo' read de 27th Psalm: [The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear... For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his taber nacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock. King James Version.]
The informant names the 27th Psalm. The bracketed King James excerpt is supplied editorially; no recitation, reading event or court outcome is established.