Subject:Rag
Other forms: Rags
Entries
Entry 3260
He kin take dat inside sole of 'er shoe. Yo' know de piece inside. Take de inside outa her shoe, take her right one, an' he kin put on dere, write on dere, an' take jis' lak he gittin' 'is han'skuff or somepin or a piece of rag, a small piece of rag, an' make lak he's wiping, an' wipe her. An' wrap dat all up tuhgethah. But he writin' on it [before wrapping everything up he has written on the insole], say, I don't want no man to take her away from me - an' have her name down - an' give me no trouble about it. An' he keep dat so she won't put 'er han' on it. Well, kin no man take her away from 'im.
Entry 3413
She kin [take] her a dishrag an' aftah 'er an' 'im have a 'co'se, she wipe 'im off wit dat dishrag. An' she'll take a small piece of dat dishrag an' wipe herself wit it, an' wrap it up in a piece of white rag, a little small white rag, an' jis' tie it right aroun' 'er waist. Den she have him undah 'er control.
Entry 3543
Dey says yo' jes' take a little rag, yo' know, an' make it lak a little towel, lak dat, an' put dat in chure mattress an' sleep on it, see. Now, yo' kin [also] take dat an' yo' kin tote it aroun' in yore pocket; or even if he sleeps, yo' understan', yo' kin take a piece of cloth an' measure his private, yo' know, an' jes' tie nine knots in dat an' put it in yore pocketbook. He couldn't git away to save his life. Dat's de way, when he's workin', what he makes, he's gotta give it [to you] when he comes.
Entry 3606
Dem dere tyin' dem knots, yo' see, is a question lak yo' has to use othah stuff wit it, yo' see. It's prob'bly lak if yo' git a woman's sick rag or somepin lak dat an' tie nine knots in it, yo' see, an den place it into her bed. Well she'll come to be sickly all de time. Dem nine knots yo' know dey use fo' a whole lotta things.
Entry 3835
Well, yo' could take some of de man's blood an' some of de woman's blood an' wrap it up. Jes' take some of it in a rag, of each one of 'em's blood, an' wrap it up an bury it up undah de house, anywhere up undah de house, an' dem people will stay togethah until de' die.
(Who would do this?)
Anyone.
Entry 3859
If ah had a woman an' ah want 'er tuh stay at home - want 'er tuh stay at home - yo' kin take dat. Yo' know, jes' lak she's ministratin', yo' kin take dat rag an' burn it up - burn it up in de ashes. Take it [ashes] an' carry it to de front yard an' bury it. Dat'll keep 'er at home. Yo' would have to steal it [dat rag].
Entry 3860
Now, yo' kin take - jes' lak if yo' wants tuh make 'em weak, weak- minded an' don' have no good health, jes' bad health all de time. Yo' kin take a rag an' yo' kin put it roun' de pot an' burn it. Put it roun' de pot or eithah put it in de chimley an' burn it. An' take de smoke, jes' lak if yo' ketch de smoke in a bottle an' stop de smoke up in de bottle, an' dat'll make dem weak- minded an' don' have real bright sense - an' bad health. (What do you do with that bottle then after this smoke is stopped up? What do you do with that bottle then?) Well, yo' take dat bottle an' yo' bury it right undah de center of yore house- lak de centah of de room heah. Well, yo' bury it right undah de center of de house by de middle block undah [supporting] de house. [Center of house makes a quincunx.] (Just that cloth, the woman's monthly cloth, get the smoke of it.)
Entry 3899
Dey said dat a person take yore hair. Dey could take yore hair an' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' keep it an' yo'll always think swell of 'em. An' ah heard dat a person could take yore hair an', or part of yore ministration rag, an' put it togethah an' one yore dirty socks, an' throw it ovahbo'd an' yo'll go crazy.
(Now somebody would do that to a woman. Take her hair and what else?)
Her ministration rag.
(And her sock. All these things [three things] belong to her?)
Yeah. Yore dirty socks definitely belongs to the woman; the man not adding his own sock to her hair and blood. He would also have driven himself away!]
Entry 3900
If a man got a woman an' he wanta keep her down, ah heard dat he'd take a piece of 'er ministration rag, an' de hair from underneat' 'er ahm [arm], an' a dirty sock, an' a piece outa huh haid, an' sew it up in a bag an' nail it 'cross de do', an' she could nevah go 'way.
(Could never leave.)
Entry 3929
Tell yo' whut dey did to me. See, yore shirttail - de man jes' take de scissors an' clip jes' about dat much off de end of de shirttail. (The front or back?) Cut off de front of de shirttail whut hang by his private. Den she tooks it an' she wrahps [wraps] it up in one of 'er periods rag, yo' undahstan', an' she fix it ovah de do', an' yo' be home.
(That's to keep the man home?)
Dat's right.
Entry 5399
See, lak yo' walk out dere an' yore foot track, an' someone want chew leave heah - sompin lak dat. Dey jis' take a li'le sand out de hollah of yore foot an' put it in a eggshell, an' put some cayenne peppah in it. An' tie it up in a rag an' go tuh de watah an' do dis way [demonstrates] nine time ovah de lef' shouldah [see Later] an' throw it in de watah an' walk back. Walk on off an' don't look back. In nine days time dey be gone - walkin'. Say dey couldn't go back any mo'.
(What track? Where do they get this dirt?)
Outa one track - don't want it outa but one, de lef' track. (Now, SuPPOSe yOu Want this man to gO, YOU MAKE A MOTION AS IF YOU ARE THROWING IT.) YES, EIGHT TIME AN' DE NINTH TIME THROW IT OVAH.{ {THIS FEINTING 8 TIMES BEFORE THROWING AN OBJECT OVER THE SHOULDER IS A RARE RITE. For another feinting rite over the shoulder, also rare, see fourth margin title on p.2004.]
Entry 5410
Well, ah've heard dis about dat. Ah've heard dat - co'se ah've tried dat. Yo' goes, jis' lak ah'm goin' dis road, walkin' disaway. All right, if yo' wants tuh win a person, jis' lak a game or sompin lak dat. If yo' wanta change de way she gwine, jis' go an' take yore fingah [demonstrates], jes' lak if mah track is turned lak dis, ah'm gwine disaway. Take de fingah an' put it right in de hollah of yore feet - in de hollah of de feet of de track - jis' lak dat, three fingahs. All right, den yo' take it up wit yore three fingahs an' take an' put it in a rag, an' tote it in yore pocket an' yo' have dem dataway.
(You'll have the other person.)
Entry 5503
( Git a piece at de toe an' de hollah of yore feet an' at de heel, an' put dat in a yarn rag an' sew it up. Git a piece [of] hair out de mole of yore haid, some old hair from de back of yore neck an' put it in [with] de mole of yore haid. Dat will make 'em care fo' yuh.
(You put that hair with this foot track dirt?)
Yo' put de foot track dirt, sew it up in a piece of yarn rag.
(And what do you do with that rag then?)
Totes it witcha [with you]. Put it in yore pocket an' totes it witcha. (I see. That will make them like you. Well now, do they take that dirt from both feet or just one?) No, de right foot.
(Oh, from the right one. I see.)
An' yo' put dat in a yarn rag an' sew it, an' ev'ry time yo' sew it, bring de stitch to yo'.
Entry 5597
Now, I heard that you can take and find a man's foot tracks, count nine of them, the right track, and you get a little dirt out of that right track [the ninth right track]. And you take the dirt and take a little piece of brown paper, and put the dirt in it and save it. And when you get a chance you get the woman's tracks and you get the same out of hern, the right one [after counting nine of her right tracks]. And you put both of them together and you put [to this combined dirt] one third table salt, and you make just enough of your water into it to make it mucky. And you roll it up and get a piece of rag and lay this piece of brown paper into the rag and fold it up into a ball. And get a strong string, cottonor something similar, wrap it up as tight as you can wrap it; and as you wrap it make nine wishes, whatever you wish them to do. And you take it and hide it in a dark place and let it stay. And that's putting you two together.
Entry 5613
[he pick up her track] an' put nine seeds of red peppah in it, if he Want de woman. Put nine seeds in dere an' sew it up in a little yarn rag, an tote.it in 'is pocket. Dat's de way he'll keep de woman. (Get that dirt out of her track - either track?) Either track, yessuh.
Entry 5625
Take de dirt from undah a person's right feet an' put it in a rag, an' put red peppah an' salt intuh it an' put it in runnin' watah. Dat will cuz a person tuh bust - goes mos' anywhere yo' wan' 'em tuh go.
(That will send him away.)
Entry 5632
Ah heard a ole man say if yo' had a bad enemy, ah mean neighbor an' he come tuh be a enemy, he said, dat yo' could take his track. Take a track of 'is. An' he said yo' could take some black peppah an dis pulverize - yo' know yo' take peppah an' make it outa tobacco [pepper out of tobacco equals snuff]. An' he said yo' git some of dat [also] an' tie up 'is track. Tie it up good in a rag. An' take dat rag an' dey said tie it aroun' dere good an' tight. An' den take a stick an' put it down in de watah - runnin' watah. An' he said, when yo' do dat - an' leave it dere In de Name of de Lawd. An' fix it so it will be weighted down an' watah run ovah it. DEY GOIN' DOWN DAID. Now, dat's whut ah heard about it - a enemy.
(They put black pepper with that?)
Scuse me. Dey put black peppah an' salt, a tablespoonful, an' dey take de red peppah already ground an' put it.
(Cayenne pepper?)
Yessuh. An' put it in dere. An' den aftah yo' do dat, po' de salt all ovah dat, an' take an' tie it up In de Name of de Lawd. An' put nine knots in dis rag. An' den aftah yo' put dose nine knots, yo' take an' drive down de rag through a stick - drive through de rag de stick to hold it down dere. Den yo' lay a rock or somepin ovah it an' let de watah run ovah it. An' dat'll make 'em move from dat place. Dat's whut ah heard.
Entry 5645
Ah heard dat when dey take up yore foot track, yo' tie it up in a silk rag an' throws it in runnin' watah; run a man from his home or a lady. (Put it in silk rag - just wrap it up in there, and you must throw it in water running north?) De watah runnin' no'th... [I turned off recording machine too soon to catch the final words watah runnin' no'th, because informant was slow in adding them. This sudden addition is quite common while interviewing. That is why I comment or ask question hoping informant will repeat. Sometimes he does, other times he does not.]
Entry 5686
They tell me that they can take the dust from under the right foot and mix that with High John de Conkah and bluestone and alum and aloes, and then use the word, "God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, " will bring him back. And take that then and wrap it in a rag and bury it under their doorstep and let it stay there for nine days. And then take it out and put it in a rag and wear it around her body, and he'll be compelled to come back.
Entry 5688
Take some sulphuh an' cayenne peppah wit it [foot track] an' change his co'se from where he's trav'lin'.
(How do they do that?)
Yo' take de sand up out de middle of 'is track, de lef'-foot track, an' put some sulphah an' cayenne peppah in it in a li'le rag-lak. Yo' would make a small ball an' throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah, an' make him take a diff'ren' route from de route he's trav'lin'. (How would you throw it, just throw it over your left shoulder?) Ovah yore lef' shoulder dis way [demonstrates]. Jes' don' look back aftah yo' throw it ovah dis way. Dat makes 'im take a diff'ren' route from where he's trav'lin'.
(You throw it over on the ground?)
Jes' throw it ovah on de groun'.
Entry 5692
Ah heard dey could, yo' know, lak dey say yore right foot, chew know, an' it wuz in de sand where yo' could git it good. Say dey'd take three pinches out de toe, an' den three out de heel, an' den dey'd go tuh de middle an' git three pinch- es. An' aftah, dey wuz sup- posed tuh take dat, chew know, an' put it in a rag an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' turn yore back an' not look back. An' den yo' wuz supposed tuh travel. Yo' nevah supposed tuh be satisfied nowheres yo' go, yo' know.
(That's the right idea [that's what I want].)
Entry 5719
Take yo' track an' rake it from de toe back tuh de heel. Dey take dat sand an' dey tie it up in a rag an' it hangs dere fer so many days. Have it tied up in a tree or a ceilin'. Hangs it in de centah dere. Dey puts nine stick pins in it, two needles. Go across lak dat [demonstrates], pins lak dis; jis' put de needles up an' down, right across dere. Now, dat's tuh run yo' away from dere. Do yo' harm so dat yo' can't git along wit nobody dere. (Now they take up that track, they get six [nine] pins. and two needles. And what do they do with those?) Take an' put de pins dis way [demonstrates].
(Put the pins one way.)
Put de pins dis way an' dis way, an' de middle pin goin' cross dem two needles right 'cross dere.
(I see, they make a cross. Then what do they do with those things?)
Tie de things up.
(I see, they tie that foot track and these needles and pins in a rag.)
Dat's de one dat... [I interrupt. Informant was about to say, "Dat's de one dat keep yo' confus- ed."]
(Then what do they do with that rag?)
Take an' tie it up an' put it at de cornah of yo' baid. [Previously inform- ant said center of ceiling. Bed or ceiling causes confusion in home.] Dey takes de track an' yo' tie dat dirt up in a tree, tuh a limb tuh a tree. Dat's tuhmake yo' leave.
(What foot track do they take?)
De lef' foot track.
(What do they tie it up in?)
Piece of rag, jis' in any kinda rag. (What do they do with that foot track with those needles and pins in? What do they do with that?) Tie it undah yore baid. Dat's tuh keep yo' confused. Yo' an' yore family are confused.
Entry 5972
Now if dere a ole lady yo' can't git away from yore house- dere a ole lady dere or someone roun' dere an' yo' want 'em tuh leave an' yo' can' git rid of 'em, stick roun' wit 'em where de man git 'is hair cut or sompin lak dat. Git some of 'is hair, see. Git some of 'is hair an' put 'is hair in a little flannel rag an' use some Heart Cologne. An' yo' take dis hair an' dis Eeart Cologne an' yo' do it up in dis rag. Don't sew it, yo' tie wit cotton string an' yo' do it up good. An' jes' befo' yo' do it up, tie nine knots in it, jes' about a inch from de end of de cotton string. Tie nine hard knots in it an' 'noint 'em all good in spirits of turpentine, an' make a wish evahtime yo' make a tie. See. Evahtime yo' make a tie in it, wrap it aroun' an' make a tie. Well, yo' make a tie fo' nine times, an' den jes' put it in yore pocket an' walk on tuh a runnin' creek an' throw it in dere, an' don't look back, keep a-goin'. Yo' won't have any trouble wit 'em atall no mo'.
(Runs him away.)
Yessuh, he gone.
Entry 6321
Dey could take yuh hair an' tie it up in a rag an' wear it nine days in dat rag, an' throw it in runnin' watah an' dat run yo' crazy.
Entry 6367
Ah heard people say yo' could take a person's hair an' tie it up in a rag or sompin lak dat, an' put salt an' ah think dey said spices in it an' carry it wit 'em all de time. Dat make 'em love dem, see.
Entry 6480
Yo' take yore fingahnails an' toenails an' put 'em in a piece of rag or somepin an' tote 'em, an' yo' kin make a person like yo', or even yo' kin make 'em hate chew, but chew have tuh put salt an' black peppah with it, or salt an' red peppah. (You do that to make them hate you?) Yessuh.
(And you tote them then?)
Dat's right, an' make 'em not have nuthin tuh do wit yo' in no way or form or no fashion. Dey can't harm yo', but dey Won't bothad wid joo.
Entry 7225
[This woman was called Humpadee [= Hwmpty] without the Dumpty because of her great size. As an unconscious defensive mechanism, she laughed from the moment she entered the room until she left. Hers was an agile mind. Later I would meet two women of similar size: A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE (No.1257) in Savannah, Ga., PP. 1268-1276, and THE LAUGHING DOCTOR (1125) of Waycross, Ga., Pp.1470-1500.] She kin take de milk outa huh breast an' when he come in fah [for] eatin' food, joo know, she jis' put dis right in 'is coffee or in 'is tea, an' make a wush [wish]. Well, afo' [= afore = before] she do it, she got tah take an' grease huh dis rag - listen at me good - grease huh dis rag in lahd [lard] w'ah [what] she cook wit. Den aftah greasin' in lahd, she gota rub it undah huh lef' ahm [arm]. Git all dat stench from undah 'eah [heah] wipe de cup wit it. Den aftah she wipe his cup out, den she milk 'uh breast in 'ere, jis' put so many drops
[number not given]. Dat'll make him love huh an' keep 'im dere [in her house]
too. [Richmond, Va., (404), 358:9.] [For 2 other rites of hers, see No.1338, p.453, and No.1711, p.521.]
Entry 7766
He tole me one time, he says: Jes' lak yo' knew a person dat died re- cently, it don't make no diff'rence how long he's been [dead]. Dat's providin' if he's a gamblah, a man or a woman. It don't make no diff'rence, if he's a gamblah an' yo' wanted tuh git a "lucky hand" or sompin lak dat tuh be successful in gamblin'. Ah have nevah tried it but he tole me, said he wus successful. Ah noticed he handled plenty of money. Said, jes' lak yo' knew a person dat died, woman or man, an' dey wus a gamblah or pokah playah or sompin of de kind, an' yo' Wanted a little luck. Well, whutevah 'mount of money yo wanted tuh give 'em - yo' have tuh pay 'em firs'. Jes' lak yo'd git up, why it be twelve a'clock at night. Yo' go tuh dis pahtic'lah grave of de person yo' knew, yo' knew tuh be de gamblah, an' git so much dirt - jes' a little pinch lak dat. Jes' dig yo' a hole in dere an' git it, an' 'fore yo' close it back up, put some money in dere. Pay 'em fo' it an' take it an' wrap it up in yore little rag. An' tote it in yore pocket where yo' money at an' dey say yo' be lucky.
Entry 7855
(What was that?)
Graveyard dust. Dey say dey kin go tuh de graveyard an' git some graveyard dirt an' take it an' use it. Keep it in dere pocketbook or prob'ly tie it up in a li'le rag, or prob'ly put it in a can in dere house. An' dat will bring good luck tuh home. Well now, whethah it's so, now ah don't know.
Entry 7997
Yo' see, she makin' yo' [your] image. Well, now she carry dat home tuh heep yo' home wit 'er. Well now she is in love wit chew. Well now, when she done git through fixin' dat, if she know what tuh do wit it, she take an' she put nine grains of red peppah. Now listen tuh me good. She put nine grains of red peppah in dere. She'll take pickle [? or pric- kle?] feet but she'll put - tetch it wit dat, not put it in. She'll tetch it wit dat. [Prickle feet could be a weed like horse nettle.] Dat got chew ag'in. An' yo'll nevah confess tuh know dat chew do it. Got chure brain dere an' all tuhgethah.
(Well, how did she make this little image?)
She make dat image of a man.
(What did she make it out of?)
She make it out of rags.
Entry 8051
Ah heard dat yo' kin go tuh de graveyard an' git one of dese bones. If it's a sinnah, yo' kin take de bone off 'is right foot, de big-toe bone, an' take it an' put some black peppah an' salt an' cayenne on it. Dat's fo' gamblin'. (How would you handle that, then?) Well, yo' jis' go an' dig it up, see. Ah ain't nevah tried dat now. Go an' dig it up, see, an' cut dat bone off. Yo' have tuh git a saw an' saw if off. Saw dat bone, dat j'int dere. Saw dat off an' git chew black peppah, salt an' bluestone, see. Well, yo' car- ries dat home dere an' let it stay undah yuh step fo' nine mawnin's, see. Well, yo' take it den an' put it up ovah de do' - jis' lak yo' sleepin' in dis room, an' put it up ovah de do' an' let it stay dere den contin'ly [continually]. But yo' have tuh sew it up intuh a black rag, see. Let it stay dere contin'ly an' den yo'll be lucky in gamblin'.
Entry 8453
Dey takes dat photograph, lak if dey wants yo' tuh - ah may say run yo' away or maybe sometime have yo' daid or somepin lak dat. Dey take it an' fold it up in a piece of white rag also an' put a zinc [see later] on it an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' dat supposed tuh make yo' mindless. [Zinc = sink = sinker, a lead weight used in fishing.] If dey don't do dat, dey'll take an' bury it on de face. When dey bury it on de face it supposed tuh kill yo'.
Entry 9311
Yo' git a fresh aig an' yo' bust dat fresh aig. Yo' first write her name an' his name on dis aig an' yo' take dat fresh aig an' bust dis aig, yo' understan'. An' yo' take de yellah of de aig an' yo' throw de white away. An' take de aig shell, aftah yo' done bust it, an' Jis' crumble it up jis' as fine as yo' kin git it. An' den take de yellah of dat aig an' mash it all up in it, an' put chew a little black peppah in it. An' put it in a piece of papah an' rag an' bury it right up undahneat' de do'steps whah she passes in an' out, an' dere won't be no gittin 'long [along]. Dat'll separate dat man an' woman.
Entry 9440
Yo' take a black hen's aig an' break it an' git de yellah an' put it on a rag. Mix it wit some sulphuh an' some salt an' wrap it up in a rag an' tote dat.
[Informant had given rite before recording began.]
(What will that give you? Luck for what?)
Luck fo' anythin' yo' want, gamblin'.
Entry 9450
Take some table salt an' yo' wrop it up in a little piece of white rag, an' tie it up an' tote it in yore pocket. An' aftah yo' tote it in yore pocket, yo' take a little bit in yore han' an' jes' rub it right lak dat [demonstrates]. An' rub it all ovah yore haid an' face an' all lak dat.
(Over your hands?)
Yes sir, an' aftah yo' done rub it all in yore han's, jes' go [to the boss] an' he'll look out fo' yo'. Prob'ly yo' don' git de job tuhday, prob'ly not tuhmahrah, but befo' dat week or so out he'll give yo' sompin tuh do.
Entry 9673
If yo' wan'a a job, yo' don' wan'a eat no breakfus'. Jis' put a red onion in yuh pocket wit yuh salt, mos'ly in de right pocket. Keep it in a rag. An' go tuh a man fo' a job. Yo always be dere befo' he do.
Entry 9741
Says yo' take nine nails an' carry 'em tuh a graveyard. An' if a per- son real mad wit chew, take nine nails an' carry 'em tuh a graveyard, an' leave a penny down dere, an' take some dat dirt. An' tie it in a rag an' carry it an' put it undah dat nail at 'er fiahplace. An' dat person dat mad wit chew, dey come dere whah [where] dat down. De woman or man dey come dat same night.
(You bury those nine nails in the graveyard?)
Yo' bury dem down dere an' yo' bring de dirt. [That nail at the fireplace is a peg upon which she can hang various articles. Having paid a penny for the graveyard dirt I see no reason for leaving the 9 nails there. Surely both grave- yard dirt and 9 nails were buried at the fireplace.]
Entry 9797
Yo' take needles an' pin 'em in a flannel rag, an' it must be needles dat have nevah been used, an' yo' wrap dem in a angle an' fold'em in a angle, an' dat brings a lotta trouble. (How many needles did you say?) Three. See, yo' stick dem through de flannel lak dat [demonstrates], chew know, an' den lak dat.
(Like the spokes of a wheel?) [See diagram in preceding rite.]
Yeah. Den yo' wraps dem up an' yo' buries 'em.
(Where do you bury them?)
Undah de steps.
Entry 9848
If yuh boy frien' wz goin' wit somebody an' yo' didn't want 'im tuh go wit 'uh, yo' could git nine red an' white [headed] matches [the red head of the match has a white dot on it], nine goldeye needles, an' nine gourd seeds, an' nine "grains" of dis red peppah.["Grains" are fre- quently used, meaning here seeds or pieces of the pep- per.] Take de inside out. Nine dose grains of dat pep- per. An' take dat an' mix it up all tuhgethah. Stir it up all tuhgethah an' tie it up real tight in a yarn rag. An' soak it in vinegah ovahnight. An' take dat an' t'row it undah somebody's step, whoevah dis boy's goin' wit, if yo' wan'a break 'im off from dis girl. An' he'll nevah go dere no more. He won' ca nuthin about nobody but chew.
Entry 10179
Yo' couldn't zakly [exactly] make de candle go out, but chew could fix it so it wouldn't do yo' no harm. (How would you do that?) Git chew some red peppah, saltpeter, tie it up in a rag an' a li'l piece of root dey call John de Conkah root, an' yo' weah dat in yuh pocket. An' dey couldn't hurt yo' no way.
Entry 10239
Keep a man from runnin' roun'. Well, now, yo' kin take a woman - jes' lak if she got a husban' an' he likes tuh run roun', why yo' [she] take dem bed rags dey use. Why she kin jes' take dat an' tie a knot in 'em after yo' [he] git through with it, an' jes' keep it up in de bed somewhere. Why he can't run out after no other woman but dem [her].
Entry 10878
Yo' take a black cat, de same cat yo' got de [lucly] bope [froa]. Yo take dat hair an' yo' tie it up. Yo' gotta tie it in a rag an' yo' wear it in yore shirttail. When yo' wear it in yore shirttail, yo' kin conker anybody. (You get the hair from the top of his tail?) Right from de top of his tail, right from de butt of his tail. (And the man will give you a job?) "Cause him tuh give yo' a job or yo' kin git anything that chew want.
Entry 11231
Yo' steal a person's dishrag an' hide it in de henhouse tuh make 'em move - make de person move. Jes' lak yo' didn't like me an' ah wuz in a place by yo' or sompin an' yo' didn't want me there, why yo' would steal mah dish- rag an' hide it in de henhouse 'mongst de chicken nests.
Entry 12251
Ah ain't goin' [tell] yo' no lie. Ah'll tell yo' de truth now, but ah'm goin' tell yo' 'bout dis. Now, ah'm goin' [tell] whut ah knows an' whut ah don't know ah won't tell yo', 'c'use ah don' ca' fo' no foolishness. Well, all right. Now, ah have had people roomin' wit me. Ah have rn a roomin' house. Co'se ah haven't run one lately. Fifteen yeahs ago heah in dis coum an' people heah dat wouldn't pay me, an' ah wanted dem tuh stay, an' dey uouldn't stay 'way from mah house. Ah wanted 'em tuh stay 'way. Ah sprinkle Salt dere. Ah had tuh sprinkle salt down. An' now John de Conkah is a straight Sring, is a straight fact, it won't die. John de Conkah root will not. Yo' boils hit an' strains it through a thin white rag, an' git all dem herbs an' trash in through de rag, an' take dat tea an' sprinkle it an' sweep yore flo' wit it. Sprinkle salt behin' dere an' sweep it out, jes' anybody dat go out. Jes' have it in a bottle an' anybody dat go out, jes' sprinkle salt on de floor an' sprinkle dat root of medicine on de flo' an' sweep it out behin' 'em. Ah'll guarantee dey ain' t comin' back dere no mo'.
Entry 12509
Go to de sto' an' buy a onion an' yo' chip it up fine an' yo' tie it up in a rag an' chunk it undah de lady's house. An' let it stay dere fo' several days an' den yo' send somebody ovah dere to git it. An' dey go ovah dere an' git it an' Open it up, an' jes' throw it out in de road in front de house an' den dey'll move.
(Any kind of an onion.)
Yes sir, any kin' onion.
Entry 5412
Well, yo' take it up, if yo' Wanted 'em tuh stay wid chah. Take it up comin' tuh yuh, de lef' feet, an' tie it up in a rag. Take a brick up outa de hearth an' bury it in dere an' dey wouldn't leave yuh.
(And suppose they didn't want you to stay?)
Yo' could take it up goin' from yo' an' go off wit it. Go off lak yo'd go about a mile or sompin an' throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah an' say, "Go, God damn yo'!"
burial beneath a removed hearth brick in the retaining alternative. Do not assert the removed brick is the buried object or borrow a precise substance from adjacent entries. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 1005
If yo' havin' chills like dat, why ah've heard of they cuttin' off they fingernails and dropping it at de forks of de road in a sack; jest tie it in a rag and somebody comes along and pick it up, why the chill will git off you and git on them. [Jacksonville, Fla., (608), 786:9.] [This is also part-for whole transference.]
Entry 2197
I know about my father. He was an oysterman. He used to go oystering and to keep people from stealing his tongs, he would tie a piece of red flannel on his tongs and saturate it with coal oil, and he wouldn't lose them. And I have known him to leave bushels of oysters in his boat and put these tongs ring over them, with a red flannel rag on each end, and go back the next morning and the oysters were there. [The father, a young man in slavery, became an oysterman at Hampton, Virginia, inmediately after he was freed and remained one until death some 30 years later. The son, a man of 60, has also lived at Hampton all his life.]
Entry 2288
Den dey go to a woman an' git some of her hair, understand, some of her hair down heah, de private hair, an' tie it up in a red han'kerchief or red rag or somepin an' tote it in dere pocket - yo' know, wear it on yo'. Work it in yo' han's yo' know [before playing or betting] an' stick it back in yo' pocket. (What do you do that for? For luck or what?) [Work it in yore han's indi- cates gambling but I wanted a statement.] For luck in gamblin'.
Entry 2343
Ah've heard dat chew kin git dose trumpet roots, git five trumpet roots - de little bush which grows about dat high an' it got a top like dat. Yo' git dose little round roots - kind round like a ball - marble. An' yo' git five of dose an' tie 'em in a rag - tie a knot - put one in each knot.
(Like a necklace - like a string of beads?)
Yes, and have it long enough to go around your waist. An' if yo' wear dat up, why dey claims it takes a great influence, if yo' go up in co't or anything lak dat. (When you go up before the judge. Where do you find these roots? On the ground or in the water?) Dey don't grow in de water - they grow right in a flat place yo' know - course not up on a hill but on de side of a falls like, yo' know. Yo' see 'em, dey got a white top.
(White top and a green stem.)
Entry 3112
Ah heard yo' kin take dese red antses beds, yo' know, an' git chew some of 'em. Take 'em if yo' wanted to fix up a man or anything lak [that] yo' know, an' yo' kin take 'em an' beat 'em [into powder] an' wear 'em roun' yore wais'. An' aftah de man - say yo' an' 'im be togethah. An' aftah he git through wit whut he done, yo' jes' take dem antses an' jes' wipe right, takes 'is leg an' den let it run up an' down 'is back, dese antses lak dat. But chew have it tied up in a rag. An' say den yo' wear it roun' yore wais'. Den de man can't have any dealin's wit anyone but choo. Ah've heard of dat much about antses.
Entry 3120
[To] fix a man to stay at home - dere's two or three ways yo' kin fix. I man, see. Well, jes' lak a woman's got a husban' an' he runnin' aroun'. She kin stop 'im from wandahin', yo' undahstan', an' de wimmins do do it, cuz I done seed 'em do it. Dey'li take dat - dey kin cook cake, pies.
(What?)
I say, jes' lak yo' have intahco'se wit yore wife, have connection wit 'er, well de rag what she wipe yo', well she'd put dat in de middle of dat bed where yo' lay at. I'll guarantee dat yo' can't have no othah wimmin.
(I see.)
See, she put dat an' fasten it to de mattress. See, an' keep dat rag where yo' sleep at, right where yo' lays all de time. An' I betcha yo' can't have nuthin to do wit no othah wimmin.
(I see.)
Entry 3167
Well, if she want 'im stay home, she'll have connections wit 'i, lak dat, an' she wipes 'im off wit a rag, an' take dat rag an' put it ovah de do' where he have tuh come in, where he come in de firs' night, an' he always dere. Won't go out. When he go out tuh work or sompin lak dat, he hurry right back home. Keep 'im home.
Entry 3221
Take de rag whut she nuse - take it an' yo' know, press it yo' know, iron it real hard yo' know, jes' press de stuff in dere an' put it up somewhere underneat' chure bed or sompin othah lak dat, an' de' tell me dat will take yore nature away. [For another ironing rite with the same purpose, ironing a live frog, see 3203A.]
Entry 3228
While dey have a intahco'se deyself. (The very first time?) [The words first time are not mine but those of the informant before I decided to start my recording machine.] Yessuh, den she ketches de contents, see, on a little rag - a little han'- chuff - but let it be clean, yo' see, an' she wrap it up good an' tight an' small [magic rite], yo' see, an' she'll put it in 'er mattress, an' dat'll keep 'im at home tuh serve 'er.
Entry 3289
Well, dere was a woman her husban' used to run around quite a bit an' she couldn't understand it, see. Otherwise - yo' know some men jes' can't git enough trimmin'. Yo' see, every time yo' see 'em, jes' wanta go, wanta run, yo' see. An' so, ah don't know, some wimmin jes' can't take it [husband run- ning about] as much as others, an' someone advised dis woman tuh go down town an' buy whut chew call a new flannel rag or something, yo' see; an' so aftah yo' finish, jes' take an' wipe him off wit dis new rag, an' he can't have any desire fo' any othah woman, yo' see. He jes' can't raise heart fo' any othah woman, only fo' dis woman.
(Well, what did she do with that rag?)
She didn't do anything special wit it, only she jes' wiped him off - jes' wipe him off wit a new rag, flannel or something. Jes' wipe him off whenevah he git finish - jes' wipe him off an' dat would jes' absolutely keep him away from othah wimmin. Ah know dis woman. Her husband jes' didn't - ah don' know, aftah he married dis woman he jes' lost affection. In other words, while he wus goin' wit her, he wus jes' merely - it wus infatuation, an' aftah he married her he wanted tuh leave her. Dis woman bought some steak fo' him an' befo' she fried de steak, she took dis steak an' pulled it between her laigs an' den fried it fo' him, an' he thought it, no doubt - he thought no doubt it was de best steak he evah had in his life. An' so yo' know she didn't nevah have no mo' trouble after that.
(They call it trimming?)
Yes - yo' know lak in different sections of de country - trimmin', dey call it trimmin' down heah. (They call it trimming like trimming a stick [a piece of lumber]. Othahwise, intercoursin', yo' know. People have different names for it in different sections of the country.
(What about the egg8 in connection with that?)
Well, no mo' than maybe yo' jes' [take] certain eggs an' fix 'em in certain things. It will jes' maybe give yo' mo' energy. [Eggs here are believed to be an aphrodisiac - perhaps one of a nourishing meal.1 [At the end of informant's brief interview - he did not know much about the material I wanted - I speak to my Telediphone: "(This man in here,1389, is a school teacher. School is over now and he is going to work for us.)".]
Entry 3451
Well, now, in case - fo' instance now, if a man gits - lak if ah tell yo' or yo' tell me, says, "Listen, Doc [Doctor Dawson], ah want yo' stay 'way from mah woman." An' ah say, "Well, ah ain't bothahin' yo' woman." Yo' says, "Yes, yo' is bothahin' 'er. Ef ah ketch yo' dere 'gin, de worl' will know it. [FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON MY TRANSCRIBER AT THIS POINT LEAVES ABOUT THREE INCHES OF MASSED DOTS. THIS INNOCUOUS BUT IMPORTANT MATERIAL SHE OMITTED I ADDED BY PENCIL WHEN I CHECKED THE CYLINDER AGAINST TRANSCRIPTION. DOCtOr Dawson, as well as other informants knew that I was collecting material to write a boOk. HERE ARE THE DELETED WORDS:] FOR GOD'S SAKE! WILL DAT THING BE PRINTED HERE? DESE WHITE FOLKS WILL HANG ME! Well, ah say, "Ah ain' bothahin' wit yo woman. Yo' [a woman] say, "Hell, yes yo' is." Well, den ah'm slippin' roun' dere, yo' see. An' ah think dat chew [woman] don't know how tuh ketch me. Well, yo' walk out in de woods dere an' yo' go an' git a dog, a dog dat's proudin' bad, an' she's proudin' an' she'll swelled up right dere behin'. All right, yo' ketch dat dog an' yo' take yo' pocket han'scuff lak when - yo' undah- stan' - when a dog gits through wit 'er, yo' take dat pocket han'scuff an' wipe dat dog's contraption good wit dat pocket han'scuff. All right. Well, yo' roll dat up tight den. Yo' roll dat up den an' when yo' go home at night, an' yo' go home, an' when she lay down to sleep, yo' take dat rag an' rub 'er. Rub all up inside her thing good wit dat rag. Yo' say, "Well now, de son-of-a-bitch, if he gits on 'er now de worl' will know it." Well, den ah'll come in dere, ah'll be hot chew know, wouldn't be thinkin' nuthin. Well, den ah'll go jump on 'er. Ah'll say, "Come on, lady, gimme me [HERE AGAIN MY TRANSCRIBER RESORTS TO DOTS AND HERE IS WHAT SHE OMITTED;] a little bit of it. Well I'll then aroun', jump on dat woman. Well, when ah git through wit dat woman....ah can't pull mah thing out to save mah life. Ah'm hooked dere.
Entry 3452
A woman had a bad husband an' she wanta bring a shame on 'im to de public. She can't keep 'im at home. Git a dog when he proudin', when kin anothah dog be hung to her. Ketch dis dog aftah a dog got loose from 'er. Take yo' a rag an' ketch de dog, wipe him lak dataway wit de rag in de back, carry it on de house an' put dat rag down. It will eithah do one or de othah of 'em - it will hang a man to a woman or break dem up. Won't have no mo' trouble outa him wit dat part, or hang 'im dere. Or she'll come to be sick, yo' know, an' jes' fall away to nuthin.
(The other woman will?)
De othah woman will.
Entry 3453
Why when yo' go to fool wit 'er, git dat livah an' rub on 'er.
(What kind of liver?)
Dog livah. Rub on her an' anybody go to fool wit 'er, why she hang lak dat. Or yo' eithah take some dog slime an' put.on 'er an' she'll hang lak dat.
(Dog what?)
When a dog come yo' know, take de dog - git some an' put right in 'er, put on an' rub ovah 'er. I seen em jes' hang up togethah.
(Just put that stuff on her, this nature from the dog?)
Yes, jes' take a rag an' wipe her up dere wit it - make no diff'rence if - jes' take an' rub it on 'er, why he'll, jes' soon as he be dere it will stick 'im soon he go in dere. When he git wet, why it jes' stick 'im, see.
Entry 3557
Make nine knots.
(What?)
Nine knots, as I undahstan' it, an' tie dat. Take de rag where dey had de intahco'se wit an' dey wet it [by wiping with it], see. An' take a piece off dat rag where dat fluid is an' extract, it offen de fellah - from de germ cell. Take dat an' tie dat aroun' dere waist, see. An' dey'll usely [usually] will wear dat an' fo' some - fo' some reason, why it creates a kin' of a feelin' in a man's system. Me myself, I know of co'se about dem things cuz I stopped - I was messed in dat pahtic'lah position.
Entry 4381
Dey kin lock yore bowels up when yuh go out in de woods, when yuh use - git some of dat an' tie it up an' burn it up. Dat'll lock 'em. Tie it up in a rag an' burn it up.
Entry 5329
Ah heard of a person kin be walkin' along an' a person kin take yore track, an' put it in a papah bag or eithah sew it up in a rag, an' carry it tuh rmnin' watah an' put it in, an' it'll cuz dat person tuh go - jes' keep goin'.
Entry 5354
They claim that if you take some of the dirt out of their track and put that in a rag and throw it in the fire and burn it, that they won't come back any more.
Entry 5786
Ah know if yo' love a man an' he had [an idea of] leavin' yo', yo' take his track an' tie it up in a rag or sompin dat won' break yo' know. An' go on de step of a house an' beat dat thing, dat all tuh pieces, an' yo'll break 'em up. Ah heard of dat.
(What did you put this track in?)
Have tuh take it in a rag or sompin, yo' know.
(And all you do, just beat it on the step?)
Yo've seen people take a sack an' beat it, haven't chew? Beat it till yo' gits dat dust all tuh pieces.
(Then he won't leave you?)
Yeah, dat's de way dey do's.
(This man won't leave you if you beat his track up?)
If he payin' 'er no mind an' he took up wit somebody else ovah yondah, an' yo' d dat. She'll fall out wit him an' he'll turn an' come back home.
Entry 6634
Yo' kills a snake an' yo' let 'em dry. Aftah yo', yo' know, let 'im dry, den yo' parch 'im an' take dat dust. Yo' beat it up an' put it in a rag an' shake it ovah a person's sompin tuh eat, or dey food if yo' kin git a plate dressed. Dat whut we call dressin' a plate. An' when dey eat, in time an [at] times he begin gittin' sick, an' it will create live snakes in 'em an' dey grow tuh maturity till it kill 'em.
Entry 6778
[I know] evahthin' about it. Yo' take yo' some vinegah an' dirt daub- ah, yo' see, an' yo' mix it up jis' lak a salve-lak, yo' see, an' lay it on yore face wit a rag, yo' see. Plastah it on yore face. Dat bring dat swellin' down.
Entry 10355
Wipe bitch with rag after dog leaves her, rub man down with it uhile naking wish [Richmond, 359:8, by Humpadee].
Entry 10358
Wipe slut when she becomes loose from dog, wipe woman with this rag or handkerchief, bury it; she's no good until cloth is taken up and washed.
[Wilmington, 172:5.]
Entry 11848
(This woman would take his hair and bury it where?)
Take an' tie it in a washrag an' bury it underneath the do'step.
(What will that make him do then?)
Make him come back home.
Entry 12667
Well, dey say yo' kin take a silk han'ke'ch'ef an' rub it into a strand an' when she meets dis man, she kin continually take dat rag an' puttin' it 'bout his haid an' face, switchin' [swish- ing?] it ovah his face yo' know, an' sometime hit him cross de face wit it [dangerous for eyes] an' take dat rag an' wipe it undah her arms an' about her joints, an' git de perspiration of herself - an he won't have any desire fo' anothah woman.
(She takes this handkerchief and rolls it up into a strand, you say.)
An' den jes' wipe in undah her arms an' her joints.
(And then just waves it around him.)
Entry 10407
"Take a snail shell [not the snail] and rub it across her stomach just like when she asleep, and wrap it up into a rag and carry it in your left-hand pocket, and she'll never have a man until he come back [Vicksburg, 1059:3].
Entry 11436
"Dey kin take dat [fingernails and toenails] and put it in de stove an' parch it...den take it an' tie it up in a piece of rag, an' put a piece of assafitadee in it an' a little sulphur, an' dey kin bury dat aroun' de house... dat will make yo' come to dat house all de time an' yo' can't stay away."
[Mobile 951:6.]
Entry 11487
"Ketch your [left] foot track up...without breaking it, and put it in a rag, carry it down to the running water and throw it overboard...you'll start to running [like the water]." [Wilmington 219:2+85.]
Entry 276
Well, yo' git chure cat an' yo' stew him up an' git the bones.
(What bone do you get?)
Ah wouldn't know, but it towards heah somewhere up heah in de front part of his body. But anyway, tuh git that bone you have tuh try them all.
(How do you do that?)
Jis' brush 'em [like a toothbrush] in yore mouth an' yo' contin'lly lookin' in the glass, until yo' disappeah. An' when yo' git to that bone yo'll disappeah an' yo' take it to the fo'ks of the road an' turn roun' three times. Yo' do that fo' nine evenin's or mawnin's. An' then yo' take it to a cemetery an' yo' make a crossmark on someone's grave.
(What do you make the crossmark with?)
With that bone. An' then yo' take yore bone back an' yo' wrap it up with some silver money an' lodestone, an' yo' put chew a flannen rag aroun' it an' wear it in yore pocket. That's fo' luck an' that's tuh keep anybody from bothering roun yuh, an' yo' kin do most anything that yo' want tuh do.
Entry 1773
Well, yo' kin take a black pullet - ah ain't done dese things, ah'm tellin' yo' whut ah heard about dem. Yo' kin take a black pullet - well yo' kin kill 'im an' git his gizzard out dere, an' yo' know dat skin in dere whut yo' peels off, yo' take dat skin an' sprinkle some salt an' black peppah on it, an' sew it up dere in a little rag an' wear it next to yo' skin an' sweat it through, an' dat'll make yo' lucky.
(Lucky for what - anything in particular?)
Yes sir, in most anything. [Every statement made by this informant ended, "Ah ain't done dese things."]
Entry 1798
Well, yo' take a aig an' draw a casket [coffin] on de aig.
(Any kind of an egg?)
A hen aig.
(And you draw what on it?)
Draw a pitchure of a casket on de aig, an' yo' take dat aig an' yo' bury it fo' nine days in a woolen rag, an' yo' take dat egg after yo've buried it - on de eighth day yo' go to where dat aig is an' put chew about a teaspoon of salt, tea- spoon of sulphur an' teaspoon of black pepper, an' in de nine days [on the ninth day] it will bust. He'll be a daid man.
(Where do you bury this egg?)
Right at de middle of de doorstep.
(Whose doorstep?)
De fellah dat yo' an' him livin' disagreeable.
(The fellow you want to kill?)
Dat's right - yeah.
Entry 2128
[A few prices for hands have already been given - here are more:]
I had one man make a hand for me once. He tole me he was going to make me a lucky hand and he charged me $50 for it. As long as I had that hand he claimed I'd always be lucky. I was lucky for about three weeks and luck began to change with me. I'd paid him for his hand then. So I went to see what was in this hand. And I began to look. And there was some black pieces of stuff that looked like lodestone, and a whole lot of hair, it looked like horse's hair, and some clay, red blood it looked like, all wrapped up nice in two pieces of rag and sewed over again with a piece of canvas bag. I paid $50 for that. The canvas bag was grey and the rags was black. I was supposed to put that around my neck and keep it over my heart. Wear it all the time, even at night. You keep that hand so no- body can fix you, and you will always be lucky.
Entry 2408
Why yo' git chew some sulphur an' some saltpeter an' some sugah. Well, yo' take a tablespoon an' a nutmeg an' some bluestone. Well, yo' take a rag an' yo' beat chure bluestone up an' beat up yore nutmeg and yo' takes a tablespoon fulla sulphur an' a tablespoon fulla sugah an' a tablespoon fulla saltpeter. Well, yo' take it an' put it in yore bathwatah an' some Heart's Perfruone put it in yore bathwatah, an' yo take a bath all ovah. Den yo' git up an' yo' mop all roun' de flo'. If yo' got a rug on, mop all roun' de woodwork an' all in yore do' an' wash yore do' down. Well, den yo' take some dat nutmeg an' bluestone an' sulphur an' some sugah - put it on yore shovel on a piece of papah. See, it burns hard. Light it undah de papah an' burn dat an' smoke yo'self in yore room. Do dat Mondays, Wednesdays an' Fridays.
(What do you do this for?)
Dat brings in trade an' makes yore luck good.
(That is if you are bootlegging or if you are a hustling woman?)
Dat's luck fo' yo' tuh do dat.
Entry 10129
I have heard the old people say you get the two hind bones of a black cat's leg, both legs, they should be dried, and sew up into a woolen rag and they should be carried all the time. And you use these bones as your guard against evil spirits.
Entry 12026
To send a man away, wrap up in a rag some of his hair with 2 needles and several pins, and bury this package on the bank of a river. [Here again we have one of these many rites in which the victim is buried to send him traveling!]
[Fredericksburg by Ediphone.]
Entry 12933
If she's got his shoes, she'll git de inside of dat lining in dere [insole] dat he wear next to his feet. She will git dat, an' if she kin git 'at, she kin take 'at an' put some - git some brimstone an' sulphur. Put dat in a piece of rag or some tissue paper first. Wrap dis up in tissue paper, but urap coming to her, see. Wrap coming to her. Dis same thing, if she take it an' put it in under her bed, yo' understand, an leave it dere fo' nine sornings under her bed or - don't put it under her haid because dat would take as much effect on her haid as it would his'n. Put it about de middle of her bed [center of bed makes this a quincunx rite] about where her body rests, yo' kmoa, fo' 9 consecutive [days]. An' 'fore dat time, dey say dat he will be just back to her or goin' crazy fo' to git back to her. (After she wraps that material up in the tissue paper, what does she do with that shoe sole?) [My words shoe sole here confuses informant, we had been talk- ing about the inner lin- ing. Another rite for the same purpose now be- gins.l Dat shoe sole, after she fix dat up, put it in some red pepper now, an' brimstone, yeah. It's red pepper an' oil of rose, yeah. Yo' git dat in de drug store. [No- tice: red pepper in the drug store.] Oil of rose, wrap dat up. Course dat's liquid but chew wrap dat together an' dat sulphur will 'solve an' come to be a cake sompin like a flour dough, yo' know. Yo' understan' whut ah mean. Yo' wrap dat together an' bury it. Bury dat at her doorsteps - at her doorsteps. An' at de same time she wanta git her whut chew call a horseshoe an' fix it up. Put dat horseshoe de way it's coming in, not de way it's goin' out - de way it's coming in. An' let it stay dere, an' don't nevah take it down. Nine mornings let it stay dere an' aftah de 9 mornings, during 9 mornings, she must make her urinate 9 mornings. Yo' understand whut ah mean. But fo'evah leave dat horse- shoe dere. When he comes back she will leave de horseshoe dere contin[ual]ly, an' use dat chamber lye fo' 9 mornings right on. Keep a using it until dat head is on dat. Ah'm working on de hair proposition, yo' hair dat chew asked me about.
Entry 239
There was a woman that died - the night before she died, we was crossing Gilmore and Moore Street, going to church and her snake got away.
(Her snake?) Her snake got away from her. (Did she have a snake?)
Yes, kept two snakes in de house - say she could send 'em anywhere/ she wanted to.
(Oh, I see.)
And those snakes got away and come out and one run down de culver' [one ran into a culvert and was lost] and a man killed one, and when the one he killed - when he killed that snake she drahpped [dropped] sick in de chair. So I went around next morning to see her and she made me open de drawers. I was about twenty-nine years old then. And she had a drawer on side of de wall there - settin' up in a rack - and she made me open that drawer and pull out about half a dozen socks, tied in a knot in the middle and pins were up in de toes. And then she had pieces belongs to diff'rent women, and one of the women that the pieces belonged to lived right up in the square, and she got that when she give birth to a baby, and she was ridden down, but she didn't die till recently because somebody - they cleaned the place up and burnt up all them rags. She had rags - she had hair - she had pieces cut out the seat of a person's pants - oh, she had everything, in a jar about that tall. (Well, why did she die when these snakes were killed - what did she say about that?) [He doesn't understand me. He would have, had he known the answer.] She takes the snakes - she say she could take them snakes and. make 'em go anywhere she wanted 'em and sprinkle the dust.
(Well, that's what she did - but she died when those snakes were killed?)
She died - well, they say that that was all her company. [He almost has the answer. She and the snakes are really one spirit; her life being magically bound up with the lives of the snakes.]
(Well now, this woman you say, that was going to have a baby or something?)
She had a baby. And she paid five dollars for somebody to get one of her sanitary pieces and she had that stopped up there in a box.
(Trying to harm her or something?)
Harm her, which she did harm her. Whatever she did, now, I didn't know; but whatever she did it jest rid her down.
Entry 849
(What did they call it when you were a boy?)
Dey call it hoodoo. Yeah, dey called it de hoodoo man, de cunjure.
(Did you ever hear any little stories about them?)
Ah had a first cousin - his name was Bill Bidgood. This was in Blacksburg, South Carolina, twelve miles from mah home. He was a farmer. He had made three or fo' bales of cotton dat yeah an' wheat but he owed de man dat he was rentin' [from] a whole lotsa money what took him all to pay fo' it. Now, Will tole me dis himself. He died in Cincinnati in 1906 about thirty-three years ago. He died - he was older'n me. He said he heard of a man in Charleston, South Carolina, from Blacksburg, that could he'p him out of a strain to keep de white man from taking all his cotton, so he said he went on down dere. He said when he went on down dere, he knocked at de man's do' - said he lived 'way out - cans was bent all ovah his house, de shingles was rotten - an' he said yo' wouldn't hardly see de ole man only - yo' jes' be looking round tuh go in de do' an' fust thing yo' know he be looking - stood right at chew. He said, "He would scare yo' tuh death, Cousin John - de beard hung on his stomach - he looked lak he had nevah shaved - an' his eyes was red as flame. An' he says, "Yo' wanta see me?" [Ah] says, Yes sir.'" [Cousin Bill] says he was scared tuh death - he walked into de house an' he said - dis is honestest trught, he said dis man WAS a cunjure - he knowed: He says tuh him, he says, "Yo' come heah tuh see me on some business to save from payin' yo' debts." He says, "I have." Says, "Ah owe 'bout three hundred dollars to mah man that ah have rented from." He says, "Well, ah'll tell you what yo'll do. Ah don't want chew to leave me no money heah. Be sure, ah ain't gon'a beat chew out of it. But, when yo' go home, yo' wrap it up in a rag an' lay it ovah de do' facing of yo' house." Dat was in Blacksburg he should lay dis money. "Then yo' go up to de sto' next day an' see yo' man. Yo' got a shoat dere?" He said, "Yes, ah got three bo' [boar] hogs. An' he said he went up to de store to see de man he owed an' says, "Ah come fo' tuh settle dis mawnin'." He says, "Well, we'll settle it heah, but," he says, "ah tell yo', Will, yo' got a boar there an' yo' got a sow." Said, "Ah tell yo' whut chew do, yo' gimme dat sow an' dat boar an' dem pigs, an' dat two small guinea shoats an' we'll call it off even - call it off even - we'll settle fo' new year - call de debt off even." So he gave him credit fo' dat. So he went back to the house an' de next day de money was still dere. An' so de next morning when he got up, he went an' looked over dere an' it was gone. He said, "Dat man musta knowed somepin how dat money got away out dat house." Will Bidgood, my name is John Bidgood - we were brothers' children - he tole me that.
Entry 3322
A man an' woman can't git along togethah an' he can't have sexual in- tahco'se like he wants to wit 'er, [the reason] is becuz some othah man is got 'er mind along wit 'im. An' de way she do to hold dat good husban' at home, she'll go to work an' have it wit 'il, intah- co'se wit 'er husban', an' she'll take dat rag an' go an' bury it undah de leaks of de house where de watah falls off de top, an' dat cuts 'im down wit any othah woman, an' she kin go have all she want wit de othah man.
Entry 6042
Ah have heard dat chew kin take, jes' lak yo' do me dataway. Jes' take yore hair out chure haid, comb it out, an' take it an' put it in a papah an' wad it up, jes' a little bit of it yo' undahstan', an' take an' wad it up an' take an' tie it up in a rag, an' tote it in yore pocket. An' ah have heard dat chew could - ah haven't done tried dat - but ah have heard dat chew kin take it an' do dat, an' if yo' wanta love a woman, yo' kin do wit her any way yo' wanta.
(You get that hair off the woman and do that with her hair?)
Yes sir, if yo' do dat wit 'er hair, yo' kin do anything yo' want wit it [her].
Entry 6319
Cut de top of yuh hair off [from the mold] an' tie it up in a piece of rag an' throw it ovahbo'd.
(What will that do?) Dat'll run yuh away.
Entry 599
Well, ah'm sorta man - ah ain't no crazy man jealous. Ah works fo' mah livin', do ever'thing ah kin in de worl' fo' mah woman, if ah had one, but ah ain't got nobody but mahself now - haven't been fo' yeahs. But ah'm a jealous man, see whut ah mean, but ah ain't crazy. An' a woman come up fo' murder heah at Florala, Alabama. Ah reckon yo' heah talk of dat. Well, ah married her dere an' ah brought her back tuh mah home an' we live together down heah a couple of yeahs. An' she took advantage of me. A lotta people says dat a person can't do nuthin' to yo' lessen dey git something in yo' dere to stay. Dey kin take advantage of yo'. Well now, while me an' her has transaction, she got mine de same as ah would git hers, see. She got me an' dressed mah side of mah bed up. See, she know whut side ah sleep on, an' she dressed it all an' she got me so dat ah didn't pay any 'tenshun to her.
(What did she do when she dressed it?)
She got her sickness an' dres8ed it up an' got mine with hers an' put it in some flannel rag. She got a new one an' got mine an' hers together, an' she cut de fo' corners off it, see - lak de fo' corners of de world. Well, she dry hit by de sun, see, an' she bandage dat up an' dressed dat up an' had her piece wit dat. Well, she got me crazy by that - ah didn't care whut she done, how she come an' how she go. Ah wouldn't say a word. It tickle me tuh see her enjoy herself. Well, ah knowed that weren't nachural an' ah went to a man an' he fixed me. Ah went to a man at mah home an' he fixed me so that ah could come tuh mah- self - said, ah come back to mahself. Well, ah went back home an' ah tole her, "Well, that's all right. Yo' took advantage of me." Ah went dere Sunday an' Sunday night ah woke her up an' said, "Well, listen" - ah wake her up, say, "ah want talk wit yo' a little bit." She asked me, "Whut's de mattah?" So de main thing wus, "Ah ain't angry with yo' an' ah know yo' ain't with me, but we cain't stay tuhgethah any longah, 'cause ah done done de best dat ah know how. If yo' fix me one way yo' fix me anothah." An' ah said, "Bess, in de mawnin' ah'll take yo' back to yo' mother.' Thought, well, maybe some day when ah cain't he'p mahself, ah may call on her tuh do me a favor, see. "Ah'm goin' take yo' back 'way from me." So dat Monday mawnin' ah took her an' carried her back home an' told her mothah ever'thing, how it was. Well, ah came back agin tuh dis man an' he dressed me again.
(Do you know what he did?)
Yessuh.
(What did he do the first time you went there?)
De first time dat ah went dere he - now, ah tell yo' de kinda man he are. He's a lady-hearted man. He won't do nuthin' tuh harm anybody, he 11 take it off yo'. He had a pack of lil' cards dere an' dey didn't have no diamonds or nuthin' on 'em - jes' wimmin's on 'em. Had some wimmins on dose cards, an' he kept turnin' 'em up an' he handed me two, an' he kept turnin' 'em off till he got where he wanted to. So dat's all right. So he took dem back an' he give me two leaves an' he crossed 'em an' ah took 'em in dis han' an' ah couldn't turn 'em loose. Ah couldn't turn 'em loose until he got 'em. He said, "Well, ah know where it's at now." He said, "It's in yore haid." Ah said, "All right." An' he got up an' went off in his othah room an' come back in dere an' he stood up behin' mah haid an' caught me in de back of mah neck, in de spine of mah neck right dere an' he caught me dere an' ah heah him sayin' somepin - he wus prayin' or somepin. An' it jes felt lak ah wus - did yo' evah tote a load an' put it down an' it felt lak yo raisin' [it] up agin? Well, he dressed me dere twice lak dat, an' ah ain't been troubled wit dat woman an' ain't thought about her no mo' an' done fo'got about her.
(What did she do to you, fix you up so that you couldn't do anything?)
Well, ah couldn't fuss with her, see, about nuthin' she'd do.
(You just took everything she did?)
Everything.
(Was it a colored man or a white man told you this?)
It wus de white man straighten me out.
(Did he tell you how this was done?)
Yessuh.
(And what did he say that she did to you to make you that way?)
A lizard. Jes' took dis lizard an' skin dis lizard an' laid him out so many days an' dried him until he come tuh be a ashes. Well, she took dis an' den put it in mah hat, an' took mah bow outa mah hat. Well, she done somepin tuh dat bow but he didn't nevah finish tellin' me. Ah's tuh go back an' he told me he'd finish tellin' me de rest of it. Well, ah didn't nevah go back to him to finish tellin' me all of it, but he tole me dat much. An' well, ah went in dere dis man, he'd rub mah haid up lak dat an' when he'd rub mah haid up, ah'm tellin' yo' true, it jes' felt lak ah had a hundred pound of lead on me.
Entry 739
It's a root in de woods dey call de shame bush root. It's a brier, see. It run away off like dat, an' de bushes on it, yo' kin tetch it anywhere on de end - jest tetch it - all dem bushes will, yo' know, will shet up. Dat why dey call 'em de shame bush - yo' know, de leaves on it. [This very common root in hoodoo is called the shame brier; outside hoodoo circles it is usually known as shame vine. This is the sensitive brier Schrankia uncinata.] Well, yo' go dere an' dig dis root up. Hit grows a pretty good piece down in de ground - ah reckon 'bout three-fo' foot deep. She grows an' hit's a prong, see, on de end of it. Well, yo' go on down dere till you git to de prong. Well, yo' bring that on up an' cut it off right to de prong, see. Well, yo' take it den an' sew it up in a rag an' git chew some John hearts cologne an' puts it into another little bottle an' po' dat John hearts cologne onto it, an' dat's whut chew do wit de rest.
(What will that do?)
Dat make yo' lucky in anything - success in anything.
Entry 969
[Everyone has heard of the double-cross; here is a triple-cross - three crosses in a row or the letter X repeated three times:] I went to see what they call a two-headed man. And this particular man prescribed to me, he says, "Take you three tablespoonfuls of saltpeter and put in your bath water ev'ry time that you bathe. And whenever you have an intercourse with this particular individual, be careful to Wet that rag - you see, because that have the tendency to tie you, to have you tied to a woman - continually using that rag and you sleeping on that rag ev'ry night and not wetting it."
(How do you mean? What would she wet it with?)
Well, just the water - plain water, you see, because it soaks that fluid off of there and it doesn't leave any danger of any harm being done. Then, he gave me what they call [he calls] the Three X's package.
(The Three X's package?)
Three X's package, yes sir - call it the Three X's - they just the common, no more than three X's.
(Three X package.)
The Three X package [magic of repetition]. He told me to take the Three X package - it consisted of a little powder in a can - just exactly how it was - it consisted of a powder substance - the powder seemed to have been in there but it would come like a paste. Well, at that particular time I couldn't have an intercourse with any other woman other than my woman - the woman that I was living with [see No. 796, p.269]. He told me to take this stuff and place it under the head of my - just at the time that I could get ready to have an intercourse with the one that I was tied to, and that it - and in the course of time, and washing in this saltpeter and in the course of time, why I found that I could go out and have other women.
(Now, what was on this package - this XXX package?)
It - it was just the XxX package. The directions he gave me those himself, because no doubt those secrets have to be carefully guarded and like.
(Was there three X's on the package?)
Three X - yes, sir.
(And nothing else on it at all?)
That's all - three X.
(Was it drawn on or printed on?)
Printed.
(Printed on. Nothing - was it a white package or something or that sort?)
No, sir - it was just - you've seen these pill boxes haven't you?
(Yes.)
Well, the box was white trimmed in blue. It was just like you would have a pill-box.
(And then it had a sticker on there with three X's on it?)
Three X - yes, sir.
Entry 1665
Git de willow tree bark off de sunrise, an' den go round to de back where de sun go down an' cut dat off, an' he took de piece of splinter off dat an' pick de tooth until it bleed. An' jes' take dat stick an' carry it an' wrahp it an' put it ovah yore do'. Yo'll nevah have no toothache any mo'.
(Which side do you get that splinter from? The sunrise side or sundown side?)
De sunrise an' dey go round to de sundown an' cut it de same way, but dey git de splinter from de sunrise.
(But they only get one splinter?)
One splinter - dat's all.
(Well, what do they do at the sundown side then?)
Yo' jes' cut dat de same direction - de same way.
(You don't do anything though?)
Yo' don't do anything. Jes' cut it de same way, de same direction - cut it lak dat. But yo' git dat splinter out de sunrise an' go down round de sunset an' do de same thing - lak ah tell yo' 'bout dis tidewater.
(What did you say before? Did you say something that you pick your teeth?)
Pick yore tooth till it bleeds, den spit it out an' yo' take dat splinter an' carry it an' tie it up in a rag an' put it ovah de do'.
Entry 1814
Yo' kin sew it yo' see, aftah it's petrified - yo' kin sew it in a rag.
(This bone from the dead person?)
Yes, an' dress it ovah wit whiskey an' oil of cinnamon an' yo' be lucky fo' anything that chew be's trying tuh run.
Entry 1890
Yo' kin git graveyard dirt an' a frog an' take this frog an' put this graveyard dirt an' dis frog an' de lodestone in yore pocket an' dress it ovah wit whiskey. Den yo'll be lucky.
(Lucky in what?)
In gamblin' or runnin' a house or most anything - restaurant - anything yo' doin'.
(You put all this in a little bag?)
Yes, in a little red flannel rag. Sew it up an' it'll make a hand - jis make a hand out of it.
Entry 2069
Dis here magnify lodestone [magnetized?], that will create chure busi- ness, make yore business more greater. Yo' know dere's two diff'rent kinds of stone an' dere's some lodestone that ain't magnify lodestone, which de magnify lodestone whut chew call a he an' a she - dere's two points of it, dere's a she an' a he. Yo' kin take dat'un [that one] an' set it in yore room an' hit will increase your business more greater 'an anything yo' mostly ever had. Ah've used it and ah've seen other people use it. (You mean this piece of lodestone is both he and she, or are there two differ- ent pieces?) Two different pieces but dere's a he an' a she in 'em.
(Magnifying lodestone?)
A magnify. Dere's lodestone but dis heah magnify lodestone is a whole lot better. Ah've got heah magnify lodestone now, with me now. Course whenever it's died down ah creates it up.
(How do you do that?)
Ah creates it up by giving it some whiskey - put on it. Ah'm gittin' 'long all right. Whensomever ah don't use whiskey on it for say, three-four weeks, why it goes down on me. Ah kin tell de change of it. But yo' kin take dese magnify lodestone an put it in dis building heah, a piece about so size [demonstrates].
(You wrap it up in a piece of rag?)
Yeah, jest about dat size.
(Only this little piece?) [The piece he held.]
Yeah take a little piece - don't care how big it is - yo' take an' put it in dis building [Negro hotel in which I was Working] yo'll cultivate more business. Yore business will be more greater. Why ah happened tuh write to dis fellah, ah had a friend an' mah friend he got in touch wit dis man by name of Johnny. He got in touch wit dis man an' ah wrote to him. He give me dat address an' ah wrote to him. When ah wrote to him he give me an answer back. An' after he give me an answer back, then ah wrote back to him an' then he sont me - he sont me this lodestone.
(Where did this man live?)
In New York [City]. An' he sent me lodestone an' he tole me how to handle it - what to do fo' it. An' ah did it an' ah has had very good luck.
(What did he tell you to do for it?)
Tole me to put de magnifying lodestone in it [sack] an' put one ten-cents with it - one ten-cent piece with it.
(You put whiskey with it?)
Put whiskey with it an' then put a dime with it.
(How long did this stone last you?)
Well, ah've it yet. Ah've got it continuing yet.
(If the stone sort of got weak, then you were told to?)
Put whiskey with it. Feed it, feed it and keep afeeding it.
Entry 2227
Say, fer an instance, yo' wanta be a gambler. All right, chew go to de graveyard an' yo' take an' yo' roll up yore sleeve an' yo' go to one certain grave - he's a gambler. Yo' go dere to de graveyard an' yo' run yore arm down as fer as yo' kin, an' git graveyard dust, an' yo' take dat graveyard dust an' yo' go on home. All right, if yo' wanta be lucky, yo' take dat graveyard dust - yo' do dat first, den yo' would see a rabbit dat it would be a rabbit coming towards de graveyard, yo' see, an' yo' kill dat rabbit an' yo' cut [off] his left foot.
(He has two left feet you know - which one do you take?)
De left one - see, de back. An' yo' take dat an' yo' would take dis dust an' tie it up in a rag an' tote it in yore pocket, an' yo' would be lucky all de time fer gambling. Any kind of a rag.
Entry 2426
Law bothering you, keep sugar and cinnamon around your house - just take and sprinkle it all around. Mix sugar, cinnamon and water and just get up and pour it right on out, the sugar and the cinnamon.
(What will that do?)
And pour it on out - dash it on out.
(That'll keep the law away?)
It keep them from coming to your place to bother you in any way. If they bother you too much, you get you a old broom and you take and you cut the straws all loose - them strings, you know that hold the broom together. Well, you take and you cut them loose. And get you a box of salt and sprinkle that whole box of salt down in there and wrap a white rag around it and set it behind the door. The law won't bother you at all.
(How do you set that broom down?)
Set the handle down and the straw part up.
Entry 2757
[The following statements come from the interview with the girl men- tioned in the Introduction because of her youthful age for this kind of work. She - though familiar with usual hoodoo devices - is more interested in her own brand of spiritualism cen- tering around a special power rite. Two candles, one behind the other, are used - the forward blue candle named Uncle, the backward white candle named Master. Uncle or Unkas, a well-know spirit, we shall meet again (see, THE UNKAS MAN, in Interviews section). She does not say so, but any object upon which her candles rest - table, mantelpiece, bureau, box - must be called an altar. She operates a private shrine.] Well, yo' see, it's lak dis. Yo' take two candles an' yo' burn 'em. As yo' burn dese two candles, yo' tell 'em, say, "Well, Jesus, ah want chew tuh back me up. Ah want chew tuh back me up as ah go in back of mah spirit." An' as yo go, the man will tell yo', "Well, yo' come fo' a job. Well, ah kin give you a job." See, it be dat light is helpin' yo where yo' set dat light an' it burn itself. An as [before] yo' go dere yo' take an' git chew some bay rum an' yo' rub in yore han's. As yo' git dis bay rum, yo' take an' take yo' a piece of rag, an' as yo' take a piece of rag, yo' always keep dat rag movin' in yore han's, an'as yo' go in dis place when he begin' tuh ask yo' 'bout a job, well all yo' do yo remembah de light, an' if yo' say, "Lord, he'p me an' back mah light up," well, dat light will always give yo' power an' always help yo', an' yo' go dere an' dat person will give yo' a job. Maybe somebody's been dere a long time an' tryin' tuh git a job an' dey don't know how tuh git a job. All yo' do is set de light.
(What color of light? Any color?)
De bes' light is de white an' blue light, tuh git. De white one is Master an de blue one is Uncle. Yo' always say Master back of Uncle, an' yo' ast him tuh do sech-an'-sech a thing an' he'll do this thing. Yo' take a coconut but yo' must break it square. Yo' know a coconut is round but yo' must keep it square. Sometime yo' cain't break 'em - dey hard fo' yo tuh break 'em square, but it gotta be broke, yo' know, half in two in square. An' yo' take dat coconut an' yo' take de meat out of it an' yo' take a person name an' yo' write it down, but chew make a seal. Yo' evah saw a seal? [Evidently I nod, yes. I previously had seen at least one seal in St. Petersburg, Florida, see 2280, p.644.] Yo' makes a seal an' yo' take dat person's name an' yo' put it down in dat coconut an' dat Rabbit Syrup. Well, yo' take dat Rabbit Syrup an' dat cinnamon an' git chew some bay rum, an' yo' mix dat Rabbit Syrup an' dat pulverized sugah, dat fine, fine sugah whut chew buy in de box. Well, yo' sweeten it. Mix all dat together - de cayenne an' de Rabbit Syrup an' de cinnamon an' de bay rum. Yo' take his name an' yo' make a seal out dat papah, but chew must nuse brown Papah an' yo' put it down in dat coconut an' yo' take yo' a light. Yo' take yore light an' yo' put it - yo' see, yo' have dat seal made round, but chew have tuh cut it out round, yo' see, de brown papah, an' yo' put dat name, write it right in de middle of de seal.
(Just once?)
Yes, an' yo' put de light in de center of dat an' yo' burn it. Yo' make yore wish to dat light, whatsomevah yo' want, an' yo' burn it.
(What kind of light - any color?)
Well, yo' kin take Uncle light. It's a blue light, Uncle. Dat's a spirit. An' yo' kin take a lemon.
(Well, now what does that do? When you burn that in there?)
Well, yo' kin keep a person down - dey won't prosper, cain't git a job no way. Yo' understan' about dat. (To put the candle out [the candle someone is burning against you], every morning you say you get up and do what?) Yo' go to de hydrant befo' yo' say anything an' yo' let de hydrant run an' dat's tuh pray - dat's de way ah do's. Ah goes tuh de sun an' ah prays, an' whilst ah'm prayin' ah let de hydrant run an' ah take three drops - three glasses of watah, an' aftah de sun go down, yo' throw de watah tuh de sunset an' ast de spirit whatsomevah yo' dealin' with tuh give yo' power tuh put dat light out.
(What spirit would you deal with? Any spirit that you wanted to?)
Well, it's diff'rent people - de spirit contained wit yo', see. [Each person has a different or special spirit.] Yo' have a guide an' ah have a guide.
(It is your own spirit that you are getting?)
Yes. If a person tell yo', "Ah want chew tuh do sech-an'-sech a thing fo' me, '' an' [or] yo' want a person, a man. Lak yo' say, "Ah want dis man an' ah'm gon'a git dis man an' nobody have dis man." Well, yo' take a tub of watah an' yo' set dis tub ovah an' yo' take an' light a black candle. Yo' don't light dis candle, yo' put it in dis watah an' let dat watah trickle [from the faucet into the tub]. Put dis man name an' den yo' cut chew a coconut an' cut chew coconut an' put some dust [drops of melted wax] on it. Yo' evah heah dat? An' yo' let dat candle draw [drop] aroun' down in dis place heah. Dat be dat man name. [Melted wax from black candle drops on man's name written on brown paper at bottom of coconut.] Now, he's driftin' all aroun' an' aroun'. [Because his name under black candle in coconut is floating on the water in the tub; the dripping faucet makes it running Water.] He cain't nevah git a job. He nevah kin work. Every time he draw tuh yo', well he gittin' somewhere; but when he leave yo', look lak he driftin'; an' if he want any othah woman, yo' kin drift him away from dis woman - but nobody else, he's gotta have yo' an' nobody else. An' if yo' don't want give him nuthin, all yo' do, jis' put dat candle in dere an' let it drip an' so many hours. Yo' turn de chairs upside down. An' lak if a person goin' tuh co't an' dis person wanted tuh he'p yo' outa co't. All yo' take an' do, take St. Peter pit- chure an' turn it upside down, an' as yo' turn it upside down, dash some watah in [on] dat [picture] an' aftah yo' dash it, den dey come on outa jail. [See, BEER FOR ST. PETER - CIGAR FOR ST. ANTHONY, in InterviewS Section.] But chew de one he'p dem yo' see. Dat's de understandin' of luck. Yo' take an' do so many things with luck. See, den agin lak if yo' want a person - well, ah say, "Ah'm goin' make yo' drift." Well, yo' say, "Well, yo' cain't make me drift." Well, ah'll take an' take yore name, an' take a bottle of watah an' throw that bottle of watah undah mah laig or 'neath mah laig - mah left foot, an' throw it so [she demonstrates], an' tell it tuh go sech-an'-sech a place but don't nevah come back, an' as dat bottle go roun' an' jis work roun' an' roun' [under my foot], mah mind don't nevah come to me, but ah'm driftin' ever' day, goin' off an' off. Don't nevah see nobody, always thinkin' of things, always thinkin' things - diff'rent. [Her mind is faster than her words. My name is written on a piece of paper and stopped up in a bottle of water. She throws the bottle on the floor, puts her foot on it and begin to roll it back and forth. Sometimes, not here, the bottle is kicked about the room and cussed. At the last moment notice how she changes my name to her own. This is one of the many rolling rites in the New Orleans area - see margin-title St. John's Water, p.639, and Index.]
Entry 2839
(Well, how do they burn those black candles on you? How do they do that?) Well, those black candles, you take them and roll them in saltpeter, and cay- enne pepper, and cook[ing] - table salt. You roll them good in there but you dampen this candle 'fore you, 'fore you do that. You dampen it just a little bit - you know, just pass the rag over it, dampen it. (With water?) Yes, with a little damp rag, you know, so it'll stick to it. Just roll it good - roll it good and then you light it, you light it and burn it. Don't put it out - just let it burn all day. Just burn all day and you'll just worry that person so that he'll just - he don't know [what] he do, almost wanta kill hisself.
(Well, how do you know whom that candle is for?)
You call their name and be cursing them, what you want to happen to 'em - want 'em go and jump overboard.
Entry 3122
[Informant is repeating at my request.] Jes' lak if yo' had a sweetheart an' yo' wanted tuh quit 'er or she wanted tuh guit chew. Ah said, yo' could take de rag, de towel dat chew all wipe wit, an' yo' kin take dat towel an' yo' kin roll it up an' put it undahneat' yore baid. An' if she goes she'll come back.
Entry 3146
Well, when yo' an' he's doin' yo' git choo a brass pin an' put it in yore mouth up undah yore tongue, an' yo' hold yore breath. An' whilst yo' hold- in' yore breath, yo' jes' sayin', be repeatin' tuh yo' heart what choo don't wan' tim [want him] to do to nobody but choo. An' den when yo' git through, well yo' take dat brass pin an' tie it in a rag an' wear it. An' any time he go tuh anothah woman, well it'll fall.
Entry 3158
Well, now, anothah way is if yo' know someone dat has a young calf, cow wit a calf. If yo' know dis person milks de cow, yo' go dere when de person is milkin', yo' know. An' de calf sucks de cow has dat saliva in it. Yo' reach yore han' in dere an' git dat saliva. Carry a rag or sompin wit yo', yo' see.
(The saliva from the cow?)
No de calf's. (Do you get it out of the cow's mouth or get it out of [off] the tits of the cow?) Yes, out [off] de tits from de cow. Yo' put dat on dat rag. If yo' know dis person [man] is goin' away an' is goin' tuh be wit somebody [a woman] dat day, well yo' [a woman] gotta be wit me [him] befo' yo' [he] leave, yo' see. [THE SHIFTING PRONOUNS ARE SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO MANAGE.] Well yo' take dis rag an' when yo' are through, yo' dries 'im wit dat. An' when dey [woman] do dat, dey [the man] will stay dere. [The man will be held there.] Dat's a fact.
Entry 3168
(How would a woman take the nature away from a man?)
She'll take, jes' lak you'd go out an' be wit 'er dat night, she goin' - when yo' an' use de rag at - all right she goin' take dat rag an' she goin' put it - she ain't goin' wipe huhself off wit it, eithah wash huhself off wit it. She goin' let yo' wash off wit it. An' when yo' throw de rag down, she goin' stoop down an' git it an' yo' ain't goin' know whut. Yo' might not know whut she be gittin'. Well, when yo' know anythin' she'll have de rag back tuh de house. Lak some night she'll be gwine off tuh be wit a woman or somepin an' yo' might have good nature whilst she gone, an' jes' at de minute dat chew walks out an' git off wit anothah woman, why yo' ain't got no nature atall. She'll take dat rag, an' dat stuff be on de rag which yo' have used wit 'er, an' she'll put some salt in it an' put it up ovah de do'. An' evah time yo' go out de house, gwine out tuh have anothah woman, dat's goin' tuh kill yore nature.
(That is if you walk out under it?)
Yes. Ain't no diff'rence had it at de front do' an' back do' an' yo' cain't miss it. Yo' gotta go out one of de do's. An' when yo' go out dat do', gwine tuh huh, yo' ain't goin' tell 'er nuthin about it. Yo' know, yo' gwine out tuh have a woman. Yo' jes' slippin' out de do', yo' know, wit huh dat night. Well, when yo' go out tuh go wit huh, an' jes' as yo' an' huh git in de baid, dere ain't nuthin yo' kin do.
Entry 3188
If a man runnin' aroun' an' a woman wanta stop 'i, cut 'im completely off where he won't have no nature, know whut chew do. She act sweet wit 'im, go to bed wit 'im tull he discharge a little. She don't do nothin', she fool wit 'im [fools him], yo' see. All right, she takesdat rag an' she fold it three times to her. She take a hot smooth- in' iron an' put on it an' leave dat set dere fer about thirty minutes. She take it up an' she fold it ag'in - she folds it three times firs'. All right, an' she leave dat iron set dere 'bout thirty minutes. She take an' fold it three mo' times to her an' leave dat iron set dere ag'in. Den she take it an' put it, hid it somewhere in de mattress or eithah hide it somewhere he gotta sleep. He cain't do nothin. Evah time he go out, he jes' go jes' lak
[demonstrates with a falling gesture].
Entry 3204
If a woman wants a man tuh drive away - well if yo' kin git in touch wit 'er, if him an' 'er have a intahco'se, yo' git de rag where dey use an' yo' take dat rag, an' yo' go to de graveyard or cemetery where dere somebody jes' fresh buried, an' git some of dat dirt an' mix it wit it an' put some Heart Cologne on it, an' bring it right back an' drop it right undah de step where dey walk ovah. It will take 'em on away.
(That is to separate the man and his wife, the man and woman.)
De man an' woman.
Entry 3207
Well, de othah is, yo' kin take halr from roun' yore private an' use in a way, say a man or a woman, if she runnin' aroun' an' yo' in love wit 'er or somepin, an' yo' wanta stop 'er. Say yo' use dat tuh stop 'er. (Do you know how they would use it?) Take it - yo' have tuh git it durin' intahco'ses an' git it an' keep it tuh yo'self. Take it an' put dis hair in a bottle an stop it up, an' den somepin othah goes with it - take a cloth or rag, anythin' she use. Take dat an'.
[Informant was so long trying to finish sentence, that I suggested:]
(You carry it with you, that the idea?)
No, yo' kin stop her tuh make her stay where yo' is, have no connection wit nobody but chew...
[I stop machine and let him talk (see dots) and then attempt to summarize:]
(By taking some of her private hair and a piece of her monthly cloth, and putting it in this bottle and stopping it up, and keeping it on your person. Wearing it.) No suh, place it in a secret place right ovah de do' dere or anywhere yo' kin hide it - up ovah her, where she goes through.
(That will keep her from running out with men?)
Yes.
Entry 3248
Jes' lak mah wife figures dat ah'm messin' wit anothah woman an' she wants tuh stop me. She'll go ahead when we done have connection an' she'll take an' wipe me when ah - den she'll take de rag, an' take de rag an' wear it in 'er pocket. An' when ah go to anothah woman, jes' lak ah go to anothah woman, ah would nevah have any nature fo' de othah woman. Ah would have no nature fo' no woman but mah ole lady, or if dis wuz mah woman - sompin lak dat.
Entry 3255
(Do they get it out of any particular track, or doesn't it make any difference?) No, it don' make any diff'rence jis' since it de hollah of dey track, yo' undahstan'. See, right in de hollah of dey track. Dey take dat dirt, yo' undah- stan' an' wrap it up in a rag, see. Take dat rag, if yo take it out a girl's track, yo' take it to yore home, yo' undahstan', an' put dat rag up undah de baid in de rollah.
(You take the roller out and put it up in that hole and put the roller back?)
Dat's it, an' dat girl won' take nobody else, have nuthin tuh do wit inter'- co'se atall. [Bed leg, roller not mentioned, will be found later under margin title UNDERWEAR.]
Entry 3259
Well, if dis man have any - if he's runnin' aroun' an' if he have any dealin' wit dis woman, she [wife] could take dat piece he use, yo' see, an' put it in some lukewarm watah an' it would clab- bah jis' lak buttahmilk. An' she puts it in a pint bottle. Yo' know, put dis watah in a pint bottle an' let 'im sleep on it three nights an' shake it up each night he sleep on it. An' well, he cain't have nuthin tuh do wit no othah woman. He cain't do dat.
(Who does this now? The wife does that?)
De wife do's it. (When he has connection with her, then she does it. Then he won't have any dealings with any other woman.) See, she have tuh use it. When he gits through, she shouldn't git through. See, jis' let 'im git through, an' den she wipe, yo' know dis rag whut he use it. Well, den she take it an' put it in some lukewarm watah an' it'll clabbah, an' den she puts it in a pint bottle an' den let 'im sleep on it three nights. Put it in de bed where he cain't see it - yo' know, all unknown tuh him, an' let 'im sleep on it three nights, an' den shake it up each mawnin' an' sleep on it, an' it ain't no woman he kin have.
(What would she do with that bottle after he sleeps on it three days?)
She has dat bottle, keeps dat bottle. She kin bury it in de ground, but it ain't nuthin he kin do.
Entry 3261
[AS YOU KNOW, THE READER WHO HAS MORE THAN DIPPED INTO HOODOO, I AM FREQUENTLY USED AS A GUINEA PIG. THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLE IS A LITTLE UNUSUAL!] I will tell yo' - of co'se yo' could - maybe if yo' have to - now, yo' know what yo' do? It's a sure sign - yo' could try it. Now, lak if me [a man] an' yo wus a woman - listen good! - yo' an' me lie in de bed an' go to bed. Now, well, yo' know she'd use de hair. Soak it in watah. Well, she give yo' one rag an' he take one. Well, while yo' [who?]. Yo' undahstan', don' chew [the woman] wipe wit dat, undahstan'. Listen good! Yo' wipe wit de one what yo' have.
(Well, what would she use then?)
No, what you use.
(I see. [I see that I am still the guinea pig.])
An' yo' cut a piece out right dere an' wear dat in yore shoe. I betcha she do dat evah day.
(I see - that's to hold her [or him].)
Entry 3286
Yo' kin have a' intahco'se wit a woman. A woman if she wants to, she kin have a' intahco'se wit yo' an' whenevah yo' go 'head, yo' know, an' she kin ketch some of it an' take it an' put it in a rag or sompin, an' go tuh any kinda tree an' cut a notch an' bury it in dere, an' close it up, said dat chew cain't rise fo' nobody but 'er.
Entry 3309
In othah words, see, jes' if yo' got a woman an' yo' an' 'er - yo would like her, yo' undahstan'. Yo' would like dis woman an' yo' couldn't do nuthin in de world, yo' undahstan', to keep dis woman. But here what you'd do. Yo'll take dis woman an', yo' know, fool aroun' wit 'er, yo' see, an' you'll - jes' like yo'll discharge, de man'll discharge, eithah one of 'em [it depends upon which one wants to hold the other]. She take, yo' know, an' [keep it] herself. [Here informant changes from man to woman.] Den she takes a rag an' go off an' strap it down in a bowl, yo' undahstan'. Den she won't dis- charge wit it, yo' undahstan'. [I don't understand.] [This belief of hoodoo makes a woman into a sort of man, a lesser one at that. I have mentioned this problem several times in HOODOO.] An' aftahwards, she jes' take it an' go back an' urinate ovah herself, yo' see, [I mean] ovah hit [man's rag]. Den, aftah dat she take it [with him and her in the rag] an' rinse it out an' wash it, see. Well aftah she rinse it out an' wash it out, she take some of it an' put it down in a bottle, see. An' den when she stop it up, yo' [man] go where yo' want, yo' won't wanta see no othah woman in de world but her, yo' see.
(How can a man get rid of that?)
Well de way I get rid of dat, be jes' a-continue on - keep 'er.
Entry 3556
Fo' instance, when she have a intahco'se wit 'im, whensomevah he would discharge, instead of 'im wipin', she would take an' wipe him wit de rag. Den tearin' a strip off de rag an' tyin' nine knots in it an' wearin' it roun' 'er waist, an' when he'd go wit othah women dataway he'll be ambitious fo' 'em, but he won' do anythin' until he git dat way fo' her.
Entry 3572
Well, yo' could take socks an' ah could let 'im - jes' lak he mess wit me, ah could let 'im wipe on dat sock an' ah not wipe on it. An' ah could tie it to de.spring of de bed - not on de sock, a rag. Dat do jes' as good as de sock. An' ah could tie it in nine hard knots an' let it stay to de spring of de bed, an' he nevah mess wit anothah woman long as dat sock [rag] tied dere.
Entry 3700
Ah heard a fellah say if a woman take his nature datavay, if he wants tuh git it back, he have tuh go tuh work an' git some of 'er ministrate. If he git dat, yo' see, an' he'll git it on a rag, an' he'll go tuh work an' take him some gin- whiskey an' put it in qin-whiskey. an' give it tuh 'er tuh drink. When she do dat she'll go tuh work an' release it offa him.
Entry 3788
Now, I kin tell yo' somepin dat'll make yore courage rise, if a man falls, yo' know. Yo' know some people say yo' kin fix a man where he can't have nobody but chew. But chew take a red onion an' yo' wrap it up in a wet rag an' put it in de fiah an' roast it, an' when it git done lak a roast aig, yo' take an' let it git cool. Take dat an' squeeze dat juice all de way on yore private an' yo' rise lak dat.
(That will cure it?)
Kills anything. If dey hang up de rag lak some do's, dey take de dishrag an' run yo' wit it.
Entry 3814
Wal, dere wuz a gurl ah started correspondin' wit in a - an' she wuz a purtty nice gurl an' we got along purtty tuhgethah [at first]. Well, ah dunno, we jes' couldn't git 'long tuhgethah an' she - ah guess she felt dat she wuz losin' me, see. So, well she used to cook fo' me. Well ah would eat from 'er an' ah would eat from othahs. It didn't make much diff'rence. Ah nevah did pay much 'tenshun tuh how she cooked anything fo' me cuz ah didn't [think] she'd try tuh poison me or do anythin' tuh me. So she fixed me up some meals one day, an' it wuz 'long about de 20th - 'bout 'tween de 29th an' de lst - fixed mah meals fo' me. An' right aftah ah eat dat meal ah got sort of sick. Well ah came out it an' den - well, while ah wuz goin' roun' wit anothah frien' of mine, ah met anothah girl. An' well, she wanted me tuh come an' live wit 'er. So ah would go an' spend nights wit 'er. An' well, ah'd sleep in de same bed. An' it seemed dat evah time dat ah'd wanted tuh have intahco'se wit 'er, it seemed jis' lak ah couldn't git mah mine [mind]. Mah mine jis' seem to fall, jis' couldn't git mah mine set on havin' intahco'se wit 'er. So ah went to a doctor [M.D.] heah an' ast 'im whut could be de mattah. An' he said dere wasn't anythin' de mattah wit me - took a blood test an' all, an' say he couldn't fin' anythin' wrong wit me. So a frien', he heard about dese thin's [women do], so he ast me whut all had she been doin', an' ast me could ah have intahco'se wit 'er. Ah tole 'im suah [sure], anytime ah'd go home an' git in bed ah could easily have intahco'se wit 'er, but othahwise any strange woman ah couldn't. So he wuz astin' me had ah noticed any funny thin's about 'er. Ah tole 'im ah nevah notice anythin' funny about 'er. So he ast me what kin'a food had she been feedin' me. So ah tole him diff'ren' meals. Well one special food she wuz feedin' at least twice a week an' dat be tomatoes. So ah tole him about dat. So he ast me did ah notice anythin' funny 'bout de 'matoes de nex' time she fixed 'em. So ah paid 'tention when she wuz fixin' 'em, but ah nevah noticed anythin'. But ah noticed she strained de tomatoes. Ah didn't pay any 'tention at it becuz ah figured she knows whut she's doin'. So ah tole him about 'er strainin' de tomatoes. So he say, whut kin'a rag did she strain it through. Tole me ah shoulda paid 'tention. So he tole me tuh go ovah heah an' ast 'is brothah 'bout it. So ah ast 'is brothah an' tole his bro- thah what happened. So his brothah ast me de nex' time roun' about de firs' of de mon' tuh pay close 'tention tuh see whut she would do. So it went on lak dat fer about six mont's an' ah wus goin' - still goin' ovah heah tuh see dis othah [second] gurl, an' ah wus livin' on wit 'er. She wus try- in' tuh do evahthin' [about my impotence] she could fo' me. So ah went on an' paid 'tention closah tuh 'er [first girl], an' one day ah caught 'er in dere an' she wus strainin' de 'matoes through some of 'er undah- weah. So ah ast 'er whut wuz de cuz of dat. She said, nuthin, she jis' couldn't fine 'nothah rag tuh strain de tomatoes in lak dat dat wuz clean. Wal, ah seen stains in de undahweah, but ah didn't pay any 'tention tuh it. Ah figured de tomatoes put de stains in dere. So ah tole mah frien' about it an' he said, well, she's been usin' 'er reg'lah rag dat she had on, when 'er reg'lah mont'ly sickness come on, strainin' de tomatoes through it, an' dat's whut wus cuzin' [causing] me tuh feel lak ah did tuhwards 'er an' couldn't do anythin' tuh any othah woman. So he tole me to go see a fellah, a fellah used to be a herb doctor. He's daid now. He died a few years ago. Tole me to go ast 'im whut ah should do. So ah'd seen 'im an' he tole me tuh take - tole me tuh try git holt of a good- size jar of 'er urinate an' take dat, an' boil it an' put plenty a salt in it, an' drink it at least twict a day. So it happen ah got holt of some. One night when she wusn't payin' attention tuh me, she got up an' urinated in a basin [she] had dere, yo' know. So de nex' mawnin' she went outside [away from home] tuh go tuh de baker's [to work?]. So ah'd taken it an' ah boiled it, an' ah boiled it an' strained it lak he tole me. Fixed it jis' lak he tole me tuh fix it, put some salt, an' ah drank it twict a day. An' purtty soon ah begin tuh feel mah- self ag'in. So ah left 'er, an' den ah went tuh stay wit dis othah woman. An' ah stayed wit dis othah woman one night.... [Remainder of this [[cylinder]] cannot be transcribed because of defective reception.[[comment by transcriber]].] See, we [informant and second girl] had been usin' de same towel all de time. So ah didn't pay any 'tention tuh it an' well, de nex' mawnin' when she got through wit dat towel, she took it an' folded it up careful an' put it away in de drawah dat ah'd used. Well ah didn't pay any 'tention tuh it cuz ah wus young an' didn't figure a woman would try any kin'a tricks on a fellah. So ah looked to be gittin' sorta po' [poor] an' skinny. An' ah used tuh go roun' tuh dis othah gurl [first one] an' we wuz lak we wuz goin' go back tuhgethah ag'in.
(The first girl or the second girl, you mean?)
De firs' gurl. So de secon' gurl she kep' on arguin' wit me an' arguin'. We fight an' fuss, back an' fo't' [forth] all de time. So ah went on - kep' on bothahin' dis secon' gurl. So one night ah went ovah an' stayed all night wit 'er, but still an' yet, when ah went to do somepin wit 'er, ah'd have dat strong feelin' until ah'd git right in bed wit 'er, an' den when ah git in bed wit 'er, seemed lak all hopes would drop an' ah jis' couldn't do anythin'. Ah'd Jis' lose mah nerve all de way roun'. So ah'd kep' on goin' lak dat an' she tole mah frien', mah close frien', dat she wuz livin' at 'is mothah. [Informant's first girl was rooming with the mother of the male friend who advised him to see a herb doctor.] She tole him about it. So he ast me [at the place where both worked - see later] whut wuz happ'nin' tuh me. Ah looked to be gittin' lak ah wanted to die [or] sompin. So ah tole him ah didn't know. Ah jis' seem to be gittin po'ah [poorer] an' po'ah an' mah healt' jis' wouldn't seem tuh build up atall. Ah'd eat de right thin's an' all. So he ast me wuz ah eatin' from home. An' ah tole 'im no, ah didn't eat from home cuz ah nevah had time, as mah wife, she didn't fix anythin' fo' me. So he ast me wuz dis othah gurl an' me on bad terms. Ah tole him yeah. Well, we wuz, 'cuz ah wuz about tuh quit 'er. (This was the second girl you were about to quit. The first one was your wife?) Yes, de firs' one wuz mah wife. So - an' ah wuz about tuh go back tuh mah wife, see. Aftah a while he ast me did ah know some man to cure me by. Ah tole him no. So one day he wuz up tuh de house an' we wuz jis' aftah takin' a showah. It wuz real hot [shower or day?], so ah gave him some towels. Ah didn't pay much 'tention tuh it, a towel wit a hem in it, an' ah happened tuh han' 'im a towel dat she had took dat night. An' he noticed dat right outa de centah, a hole wuz cut outa it. An' so he ast me how did dat happen. Ah tole him ah didn't know. So he begin tuh think. He's experienced on it 'cuz he wuz lots oldah dan ah wuz an' dat's one thin' [tricks of women] dat he always believe. Ah called 'im smart. Ah figured he wuz tryin' tuh be smart. Well, anyhow he really did know a lot of thin's. So he tole me de nex' time dat ah noticed, whethah she wuz un- dressin' or not, tuh notice whethah she had anythin' tied aroun' 'er neck or vais' or laig or anythin', an' if she did, tuh come an' tell 'im. Well, ah stayed wit 'er dat night, ah wouldn't stay out dat night. Ah stayed wit 'er dat night an' ah noticed dat when she got in bed, she had a little black bag tied right down in de centah of 'er stomach. So ah ast 'er what it wuz. An' she said dat [was] to keep 'er from havin' pains in 'er stomach. So ah tole mah frien' de nex' day when ah went tuh work. An' he tole me, he sayed dat he believe dat [in the] bag she had wuz a piece of dat towel out [without] de bag. [He now explains this confusion.] Said a woman could take a piece of towel dat a man would wipe on, an' could take it an' put some kinda black-cat-bone dust [see BLACk CAT POWDER, p.526], from a young black cat wit dat piece of towel in a sack, an' hang it in front of 'er an' de man nevah could leave her, no mattah where he go he'd always have tuh come back tuh 'er, an' dat he nevah could have anythin' tuh do t no othah woman but 'er. So ah jis' laughed at 'im. An' ah thought he wuz jokin'. An' ah went on tuh dis othah girl de nex' night an' went tuh 'er house. Well, ah wuz feelin' good an' ah felt lak ah wanted tuh have intahco'se wit 'er. An' so we got in bed all undressed. Well ah had high hopes until de minute ah got in bed wit 'er an' den evahthin' flopped. An' ah laid in bed fer half de night an' still an' yet ah couldn't git up nerve enough tuh have anythin' tuh do wit 'er. So ah tole him about it de next day. So he tole me tuh go back an' see could ah have anythin' tahdo wit mah wife. So ah went back dat day at dinnah time [noon]. Mah wife got off dat day at dinnah time an' I went ovah dere. An' she wuz home in bed, so ah got sweet wit 'er an' got in bed along wit 'er. Well, when ah went tuh have intahco'se wit 'er she took dis here bag from aroun' 'er wais'. Well ah got in bed an' ah jis' had high hopes an' ah jis' carried thin's right on through. Well, ah come back an' tole 'im about it, an' he tole me dat dat whole thin' wuz de trouble. Said where she had dat bag aroun' 'er wais' an' said fer me to git dat. So his bro- thah wuz de same way [impotent by trickery], but 'is brothah didn't believe in dis othah one. Some of 'em don't like dat [drinking the woman's urine]. [A bad spot in the cylinder follows. The next bracket contains my pencil notes made while checking original cylinder against transcription.] [Bad recording from here. [[Substance of informant's words follows.l] So ah went home. Ah ast 'er whut wuz dat bag. She said it was none of my business. So [[ah tried to take it.]]. Well she got mad an' said if I take it she'd kill me...didn't pay any 'tention tuh 'er...aftah awhile I was goin' wit anothah woman.] [To take a woman's hand, called a nation sack in the New Orleans area up to Memphis, can be a dangerous venture - see p.1449f.] So dat night ah come home jis' lak ah goin' stay dere. An' she got undressed, ah grabbed 'er an' got de string an' ah snatched it. When ah snatched it ah took an' run into de kitchen wit [it] an' put it in de stove an' burn it up. De min- ute ah did dat, it seem lak she jis' seemed to have lak a reg'lah fit. She jis' started runnin' all ovah, got real... [Here is a typical reaction - other than outright death - to the destruction of a witch's power. Yes, this woman is technically a witch, she having caught the man's spirit. There are many ways given in HOODOO to break a witch's spell; See also FACI, 2nd ed., Pp.790-920; and for burning the object she uses, Pp.882- 886. DE DOCTORS COME AN' DEY COULDN'T DO NUTHIN FO' HER. DEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WUZ DE MATTAH WIT 'ER. She continued to keep on fer about six mont's an' aftah dat she seemed gradually to come back tuh 'erself... [small remainder of recording bad].
Entry 3910
Well, yo' kin take nine knots, yo' know. A woman kin take dat rag, yo' know, an' tie nine knots in it an' [or] she'll take a string an' tie nine knots in it, yo' know. An' when she make yo' coffee, see, she drop dat string in yo' coffee fo' about sev'ral mawnin's an' yo' become, yo' can't hardly bear 'er out of yore sight.
(What does she do with that string first?)
What she do wit de string, she take de string - yo' know whut wimmins have while dey be - an' git dat on de string yo' know, an' den put nine knots in it an' put it in de coffee. (That is from her monthly cloth. She puts nine knots in that and then puts it into your coffee.) Yo' drink of dat, see, an' yo' come to - yo' can't do wit'out 'er.
Entry 4669
A woman kin take dat bow if she wants de man tuh be crazy 'bout 'er, an' don't want 'im tuh mess wit no mo' wimmins - jis' follah her. She kin take dat bow an' sew it up in a little rag an' wear it nex' tuh her meat an' he nevah will follah no one but 'er.
Entry 4682
Dey kin take dat, take dat bow from mah hat, if anybody git holt of it, lak dat [shows his hat]. Yuh see, dere it's hot now. Yuh see ah'm sweatin'. Sit down dere, yuh undahstan', an' takin' a knife an' scrape it outa dere, jis' lak dat, an' take all dat dirt an' sweat out of dere tuhgethah, an' git it outa dere till dey git quite a nice bladeful. Git about a knifebladeful out de bow of de hat, yuh undahstan'. An' yuh take dat an' yuh go tuh work, yuh undahstan', an' go tuh a tree an' digs yuh a hole in dere. Gits yuh somepin othah tuh gouge yuh a hole in dat tree lak dat dere. An' den take dat knife an' wipe dat thing off on a li'le piece of rag, an' take an' shove it back in dere. An' git chew a stoppah, make yuh a peg tuh fit dat hole an' drive it in dere. Drive it in dere tight jis' lak dat. Yuh kill 'em, bash it - hit ovah 'is haid.
(That gives him a bad headache and kills him?)
Kill 'im.
Entry 4709
She likes yuh very much an' she wants tuh keep yuh. Well, she takes dat bow out see, an' she puts dat in a rag. She puts it in 'er mattress an' keeps it. She do dat in ordah tuh keep yuh. An' if yuh go away from 'er, evah time yuh go tuh go across watah, why it will cuz yore head tuh have an ache in yore head all de time. [That hat bow contains a part of the man's spirit and therefore his whole spirit (see HooDOO p.21). A spirit cannot cross water (see FACI, 2nd ed., p.754, and several places in HOODOO).l (If you go across water, you will get a headache; then, while she has this bow tied up in the mattress, you will come back to her.)
Entry 5291
Den he'll take his left-foot shoe. Dat'll he'p, too. Take his left- foot shoe an' carry it tuh a rivah an' tie it up in a rag an' put a brick tuh it an' carry it tuh a rivah an' throw it ovahbo'd. (What will that do then?) He can't stay dere, he'll leave town.
Entry 5422
Makes some crosses intuh a crossroads. Make a cross in three forms - see, kinda, ah couldn't explain dat to yo'. (Well, just make it right there. You sit down and make it there and I'll see it.) Jis' lak dis, see [demonstrates]. Now dis de crossroads, an' dey makes it in dis mannah. Right lak dat, kin' of a "Y" shaped. Undahstan' dis way?
(Yes, like a "Y".)
Well, right up - jis' lak [demonstrates] dey come in heah [at the crossroads]. Ah come disaway - dis is de way ah live. An' dis de way - say, dat's where yo' live.
(The two prongs of the "Y" - all right, comin' together, to a meeting.)
Comin' together. An' if dey jis' take yore track from dis place, an' tie it up in a pocket hank'scuff or rag or sompin lak dat, an' tie it in a knot an' put it down undah de cornah of de do'step, yo' have tuh go.
(Go where?)
Go 'way from de city, if yo' wus in de city. (Whose doorstep do you put it under? [Your doorstepl or under the other fel- low's? This track you pick up?) De one yo' got de track off.
Entry 5615
Well, yo' take de red peppah an' git dis track of de woman undah de hollah of 'er foot. Den yo' wrap dis dirt up in de peppah tuhgethah wit a lit- tle - in a rag, an' yo' go tuh runnin' watah an throw it intuh de watah an' don't look back. An' when it go on away, dis woman will go away an' won' bothah yore husban', fo' ah have tried dat fo' mahself.
(You just use the foot track - either one?)
De foot track, either one.
Entry 5700
She's livin' not far from me an' ah seen 'er do dis. She would git up evah mawnin' de time she knowed dis man wuz goin' tuh 'is work. An' she'd go on out - ah git tuh de windah dere an' ah look - an' she'd pick up 'is track, three mawnin's. She picked up jis' one track, his lef' track. She picked it up from de heel an' bring it up disaway, from de heel tuh de toe. An' put it in a rag an' put it in 'er bosom an' put some salt in it, becuz she tole me dat's de way she fixed it. An' dis man on de fo'th mawnin' he wuz back tuh 'er house. He wuz stayin' wit 'er but anothah woman wuz goin' tuh take 'im away from 'er an' wuz gittin' 'im back. An' he wondahed how it come he wuz back dere. Ah tole him ah didn't know. Ah didn't tell 'im nuthin, yo' know, she'd bein' doin'. An' she said de nex' evenin' when ah come home, "Ah," she says, "John's back. Ah tole jah ah wuz gon'a git 'im back." Ah said, "Did jah?" She said, "Yeh." Ah says, "Yo's all right. "[
Entry 5713
Yo' wants whut could ah do tuh make yo' move out dis house. Well, all right, ah'll tell yo'. Now, ah could git some of yore track. Yo' make a track on de groun'. An' ah'm gona take dat track up an' ah'm gona put dat track in a sack or tie it up in a rag. An' ah'm gona ca'y [carry it out, way out in de woods, an' ah'm gona hang it up; an' ah'm not gona look back at it. An' yo' gona move.
(Where are you going to hang that?)
Hang it 'way up in de tree, out in de woods.
(Will you take either one of my tracks or just one track?)
Jis' take eithah one of 'em, jis' one.
(That will make me move.)
Entry 5739
A pinch of dirt outa twelve tracks from a woman, dat's good luck.
(What do you do with that dirt?)
Take it an' sew it in a rag an' tote it. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1017, 1647:3.]
Entry 5896
Well now, whut about de frog. Dat's about a woman's hair. Well, yo' din take her hair an' TIE IT TO A TOADFROG an' he'll hop aWay wit it, an' DAT'LL DC HER SIT DOWN AN' SLEEP ALL DE TIME. An' if yo' TIE IT TO A BIRD an' let 'im fly away, dat'll MAKE HER HAVE DE aDaCHE all de time. Yo' PUT IT IN A BOTTLE AN' STOP IT UP an' go to runnin' watah an' throW it in rumin' watah, an' dat'll run 'er off. An' a man kin take it an' PUT IT IN 'IS WATCH FOB or EITHAH TIE IT UP IN A RAG, THREE KNOTS in a rag, an' put it in his Watch pocket an' dat'll make her love him.
Entry 6102
All right, yo' got a girl frien' an' she don't want chew doin't [doing it] wit nobodys else but 'er. She kin take some hair from right back of de mole of yore head, middle yo' know - back of yore head, some right oat de top. An' take it an' tie it up, an' tie it up in a rag. An' put some salt in it, an' soak it wit vinegar an' black peppah an' about two pods of red Peppah. An' bury dat right at yore front do'step. An' ef yo' don't go wit 'er yo'll go crazy.
Entry 6103
Yore hair proposition - dey git chure hair right out de mole of yore haid, right out de mole of yore haid. An' aftah dey git de hair right out de mole of yore head, dey take dat an' wrap it up into some into a rag, some cloth. An' aftah dey wrap it up into some cloth, dey takes it an' puts some red peppah, undahstan'. An' aftah dey put de red peppah in it, dey takes hit, takes de - Put red peppah, bluestone, alum, an' mix it all togethah, an' sulphur, an' put hit in dere an' ties it up. An' dey ties dat up an' dey carries it. Dey'll eithah bury it right at chure do'step - bury it at chure do'step an' yo' walks ovah all dat. Den dat begin pains about chure haid, right about chure haid. Den when it begin painin' about chure haid, put chew in bad sickness.
Entry 6280
De way dey'll take dat hair, dey'll take dat hair an' dey'll call it [by name], will call yo', an' dey will make a dressin' of it an' will git chure mind. An' in gittin' yore mind dey got chew.
(How do you make a dressing of it?)
Dress yore hair?
(How do they dress it?)
All right, yo' take nine thimblefulla chamber lye an' yo' take nine thimble- fulla salt an' put it in a bottle an' yo' dress dat. Yo' do it up in a rag an geah it aroun' yore waist, an' evah three days yo'll dress it an' call it, say, Ah wants tuh rule, control So-an'-so." See, yo' callin' it. Well, QUiTE NAT- CHAL WHEN YO' CALL A PERSON YO' GIT DERE MIND. An' sO dat's de Way yo' do it.
(And you do this, as you say, for love?)
Fo' love.
Entry 6444
Yuh take yoah toenails, den yuh put 'em in a li'le rag yuh see an' tie 'em up re'l tight. Cu' [cut] choo a fo'ked stick - yuh see, has two fo'ks tuh it - an' go right undah dere doah step. An' pu' dat rag right in dis fo'k an' drive it down so de fo'k will hol' de bag down tuh de groun', see. An' pu' tit in de groun' jis' enough, yuh know, jis' fer nobody can't see it, yuh know. An' [they] tell me dem toenails'll grow as yuh go away. An' yuh fall off an' go 'way tuh nuthin jis' like dem toenails grow.
Entry 6577
Ah heard a woman in Birmingham, Ala., say dat if yo' had a enemy an' if yo' wanta git de enemy out de way, say yo' could take a lizard an' dreene [drain] it. Yo' know, make de blood come outa it. An' take dat lizard's blood an' put it on a rag all de way roun' de rag. An' den take dat bloodly rag from de lizard an' put it in de band of a hat. An' dey said dat yo could take dat from a lizard an' put it in dere, an' in nine days, lizards be run- nin' all roun' in yore haid an' up an' down yore body.
Entry 6818
Yo' go an' git a green gourd, ole gourd. Yo' know dose green gourd dat grows on a vine. Jis' lak a - jis' any kinda gourd, yo' know. Yo' break dat gourd an' yo' git chew a pint of sweet milk, an' yo' beat dem guts up in dere, dem seed, jis' lak yo', yo' beat dat all tuh pieces. An' yo' put dat intuh a rag an' yo' squeeze dat. An' den take dat rag an' squeeze it [gourd juice] intuh a bottle an' yo'll give it tuh dem. An' give dat person dat tuh drink an' evahthin' dat's intuh yo' [the person] is comin' out.
(Anything that is live in them?)
Anything dat live in dem is comin' out.
Entry 7598
Dere's lotsa people always say dat if yuh go tuh de graveyard 'long about - well, 'fo' [before] day in de mawnin' an' dig down right about de heart of de person, right about de breast of de person, dig down way down deep intuh de grave an' git de graveyard dirt, no doubt, an' put it in yore shoes or wrap it in a rag an' tote it in yore pocket, dey always say - dat anothah sayin' - dat is good luck fo' gamblin' also.
Entry 7622
Take some dimes an' git chew a little graveyard dust an' bury it undah de front dō'steps an' dat finely [finally] make 'em leave. Yessuh, some dimes an' wrap 'em up right tight in a rag, an' put some of dat dust dere an' bury it undah dat do'step. (What is the idea of putting the dimes, I wonder?) Well, dem dimes - see, dey stay dere so long ah guess, an' dey cankers, see, an' yo' know anything dat cankers will gen'ly [generally] make anything go 'way. [Is this the reason? Or is the rare case of payment for the dirt being kept with the dirt?]
Entry 7768
Dat [is a] luck proposition. Yo' kin go tuh de graveyard an' run yore han' down in dere up tuh yore elbow an' bring out as much dirt as yo' kin bring out between dem two two fingahs dere [demonstrates].
(The thumb and the little finger of the right hand.)
Yes, an' put it in a rag an' jis' lak yo' luck fo' skinning or gambling, any- thing lak dat. An' go ahaid on tuh de skin game an' set down an' yo'll break evah game dere.
Entry 7771
Well, ah heer'd, if yo' wanted graveyard dirt fo' luck, tuh go tuh some bad man. Jes' lak ah wanted tuh git some graveyard dirt fo' luck fo' gambling, go tuh 'is grave an' call 'im by his name. An' dig down in 'is grave an' tell 'im dat ah want some of dis dirt fo' luck an', "Ah'm goin' pay yo' fo' it." An' drop two cents in dat hole an' pay him fo' it an' kivah hit back up. Take dat dirt an' go on gamble wit it. Dat is lucky.
(How do you carry it?)
Take dat dirt an' tie it up in a rag an' tote it in yore pocket.
Entry 10125
They say you catch a black cat and boil him alive. And you take the bone from the left hind leg and wrap it in a piece of rag, and always carry it wherever you go. That makes you lucky in gambling always. If you do that you've sold yourself to the devil. [Petersburg, Va., first collecting visit there, Ediphone 34.1
Entry 10262
Ah heard dey said yo' could take yo' discharge an' put it in a rag an' put it where no air kin git to it, an' put it in yore pillah, an' he cain't do nuthin off nowheres else, an' he'll have tuh stay home.
Entry 10365
Measure man with string or rag, tie into knot and wear about waist.
[Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 10596
Dem little ole leather-wing bats. Well, ah heard dat chew kin - dem little ole leather-wing bats, dem little bitta ones dat goes all up in de corner of yore house. Well, ah learnt dat chew could take one of dem an' kill him, an' git his heart while it's hot, an' keep it until it git dry, an' put some salt an' black peppah an' bluestone onto hit. An' sew it up in a rag an' wear it in yore pocket, an' dat's good fo' gambling. Make yo' win money. [Waycross, Ga., (1136) 1850:5.]
Entry 9593
Ah heard dat chew could take some red peppah, cayenne peppah, an' some bluestone an' some salt an' black peppah. Dat's fo' luck. Well, yo' take an' sew hit up into a rag an' wears it in yore shoe an' dat'll keep yo' hot, dey say. [Does cayenne pepper explain red pepper or is the latter broken pieces of a pepper pod?]
(That's for luck?)
Fo' luck.
Entry 9754
A man an' a woman had a fuss an' got mad. An' dey'd fuss an' dey'd fuss, an' fuss an' fuss. An' dey come say whut dey goin' do. He say, "Yes, ah will take somepin an' ah'll put it round mah do'step, guess she'll be hoppin'. Okay. So, aftah he [he now changed to she] put it down, she got onto it - undah- stood it. She says, "Well, it's a two-handed game. It's jes' as much fo' me as it is fo' her. So now de first one gits de mos' of it, be de first one tuh go doon." So she goes an' she gits nine nails an' nine needles an' nine pins, an' she pat it in a red flannel rag, an' she put it undah de do'step an' let it stay dere nine mawnin's. An' de nine mawnin's, dis woman she passed by dis house an' she goes - jes' lak ah wuz walkin' 'long de street chew know, jes' lak ah wuz goin'aftah sompin, she passed right on by. So she goes off where she wuz goin' an' she turned off an' come back an' she went on home. So she laid down fo' a spell fo' a rest. When she went tuh git up, she couldn't git up. That wuz the last of dat. So dat stayed dat way fo' awhile. So she commence tuh study herself an' she says, "Ah think someone musta done opin tuh me." Says, "Ah feel very peculiah an' don't feel lak ah should feel lak dis. Ah ain't hurt nowhere, ah jes' can't use dis laig. Jes' weak in dis laig." Says, "Ah believe ah'll be smart if ah go someplace. So she goes somewhere to try tuh git relief. So she went [to a hoodoo doctor Gbo told her what had happened, the substance of this present rite]. So de man jes', he jes' kept right on tellin' stories, kept right on tellin' stories. He aoaldn't do nuthin fo' 'er. Finally she died.
Entry 10892
Well, the first thing that happened, this girl, other girl, was going with the woman's husband; and she [other girl] wanted the woman's husband for herself, and the woman wanted the husband at home. And she [other girl] told me that she was going to make them [husband and wife] get along bad. So she put some dog hair and some cat hair dat - you know, caught 'em fighting and cut the hair out of the dog and the cat, and put this hair together and put it in there, in his coat lining. And she say, whenever he go home that would cause he and his wife to get along bad, and they'd set up argue, fuss all the dune. Quite natural nobody wants to stay with anybody like that. After which, ohen they separated - the man and wife - den she wanted him back.
(The wife wanted him back?)
The wife wanted him back. And to get him back, she decided to get to him and soft talk, you know, love and talk to get him back home to have intercourse with hin, and then she was going to take part of his and keep it at home. She say she tie it in a rag and put a silver dime in the corner of the rag, and she stick it under her bed mattress, and that would make him to come back to where be left froa.
(Well, then, did he come back?)
Yes, he came back.
(Oh, he came back all right.)
Entry 11047
Sew dat up in a rag.
(What do they sew up in a rag?)
De black hen manure. Sew it up in a rag an' put de person name in it if dey doin' yo' harm an' yo' don't like 'em. An' yo' take it to runnin' water to de rivah an' throw it in. Put new safety pins in [package] an' throw it in [river] an' dat person'll go clean away an' won't trouble yo' no mo'. Ah done that mahself.
(Just put one safety pin?)
Two - three, yes sir, yo' put one on each end an' pin one across it, three. (Like the letter "H" on the package.) [The figure is more like this Ha double cross.] Yes sir.
Entry 11214
Yo' kin take dirt dauber houses, yo' know, an' put 'em in a piece of rag an' hang it up ovah yore front do', an' ah don't care who yo' owe, dey won't come dere. Dey won't come nowhere round yo'.
Entry 11979
If you tie a person's hair into a rag and tie the rag to a brick and drop the brick into running water, the owner of the hair will always be travel- ing [Richmond 292:9.]
Entry 12666
An' de woman takes de watah from [under] her ahm. Take a rag an' git watah. Takes a rag an' she take a bath from undah her ahm an' her person. Well, now, she'll take dat watah an' she won' take a whole lotta it, jis' take enough tuh git enough tuh do dirty work, yo' see. She'll take dat watah an' when de man come tuh fix his food, she'll have dat watah settin' maybe some- where. She'll take dat an' she'll put it ovah his food. Dat'll keep him home an' keep him in touch with her, keep him lovin' her mo' an' mo'.
Entry 10219
Say, now a woman and she has a husband, and she doesn't want him to have anything to do with any other woman in the sex line. She goes to the store and she buys a brand-new big [white] pocket han'ke'ch'ef. (What kind of a pocket handker- chief?) A brand-new white pocket han'ke'- ch'ef. She takes that back home to the bed and tonight she fool with him. She will use that to wipe him on, don't cha know. And she won't use that on herself. All right. She wait until he's gone and then she'll take that and she bury it in a small jar, don't cha know, right in front of the steps where he'll have to walk over that whensomever he comes. He kin go wherever he wants and be with whoever he wants to, but he can't have nothing to do with 'em.
(Well, suppose a man did that [to a woman]?)
That just reversing it. Reversed it. When she bury it, she'll bury it on the bottom [of jar]. He'll take it and bury it on de top, on end [turn it upside down so that handkerchief will be against reversed top of jar].
(Well, how do you mean she buries it on the bottom - bottom of what?)
Bottom of the jar. Put it in the jar, see, and she gotta set the jar down and bury it. Well, he'll go there, why he just take it and put it outside of that, the way she had - upside down, the bottle up.
(I see, that fixes her, sees that she can't get away.)
I mean that she can't get away. See, the only way she kin get away is when the top rots off and the rag rots up.
Entry 10934
Catfish blood is supposed to be lucky fo' a gamblin' hand. Well, dey take de catfish an' cut him, an' de blood comes out, see, bleeds out. Den yo' take dat blood an' yo' wrap it up into a rag an' yo' bury it an' let it stay buried fo' eight days, so ah learnt, an' den take it up out of there an' put it in yore pocket an' dat supposed tuh be lucky [probably if you gamble on the 9th day].
Entry 12894
If a man have a lady out dere whut he consumin' his time wit an' she devoted to him, well if it ever come a time when he can find no sensation wit her, well it isn't but one thing that she had to do. Well, that nature that flows, jes' put it on a rag or somepin like that an' put it away in de bed under de mattress jes' so he don' know it - under his head. Well quite natural he won't have no feeling fo' no one else but her. [Recording bad, I evidently ask whose nature.] Both of 'ems.
Entry 12913
Well dey say dey take de snail an' yo' boil him - de woman do - an' soak it in a rag, Boil him up good an' den put de rag in a, a nice clean rag, in dere, den wring it out an' let it dry. An' den let de man wipe wit dat rag after dey have intercourse, an' dat will take away his nature. [Snail rite were also given in No.2458-2470, in v.3, and there are probably a number in interviews.]
Entry 4144
Dey say yo' [a woman] kin take a man's wee-wee, ah mean 'is wet, an yo' know, watch 'im as he wets, dey say, an' go dere an' git dat an' put it into a rag an' den yo' wear it on yo'. Put it in a rag an' wear it right dere. Sew it up an' wear it. What will dat do? Dat'll keep 'im from goin' wit any othah woman but chew. So dey say.
(YOU TAKE UP THAT DIRT WHERE HE'S WEE-WEED AND YOU WEAR IT DOWN BELOW?)
Yassuh, put it into a rag.
Entry 4386
Ah heard dat if - now jis' lak if yuh love a person an' dey mistreat yuh or sompin othah. Jis' lak ah may love yuh an' yuh don't love me. Dere man yuh know of dat kind, don't love 'em. Why - an' yuh love 'em an' do all yuh kin tuh git 'long wit 'em an' can't. Why yuh jes' takes most - well, any 'mount chew want of - well, food yo' know dat pass through dem. Yuh kin take dat. Yuh take dat an' yuh put it intuh a little rag, any kinda rag, or maybe a papah, anythin'. An' yuh take it down an' jis' lak yuh take up a brick outa yore chimley, an' yuh bury it undah dat brick an' let it stay undah dere fo' 'bout three days. Yuh take it out. Yuh take dat up den an' yuh burn it.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will bring 'im back.
(You burn his passage to bring him back?)
Yassuh.
Entry 13242
Ah said, if yo' an' yore husban' or yo' an' yore girl fren' is in a argument or sompin lak dat, an' yo' don' ca' tuh argue, git chew about fo' tea- spoonfulla sulphur an' a teaspoonful of sugar an' put it in a rag. See, mix it up good an' sprinkle a little bit ovah de flo' an' de arguments gone - it won't be no mo' arguments. [Sulphur kills evil, sugar is fo' peace.]
Entry 13269
Dey say if anybody have done anything to yo', yo' kin take sulphur an' sprinkle it all around yore house an' bury some of it under de doorstep, an' den take some of it an' put it in a rag an' wear it round yore waist. Say dat'll kill it.
Entry 3230
[To] take a man's courage or sompin lak dat, why yo' kin take a rag, jes' a rag whut chew wipin' wit, an' yo' kin take dat an' take it an' wrap it roun' dere nails an' wear de nails roun' yore waist fo' nine days, an' dat'll make a man stay home - eithah dat or keep 'is courage. (What kind of a nail do you use?) Use a six-penny nail.
(Just one?)
Yeah, jes' one six-penny nail.
(And this rag that you use, you wrap around that nail?)
Yeah, roun' dat nail an' wear it round yore waist fo' nine days.
(Then what do you do with it?)
Well, dat will take a man's courage.
Entry 10300
She wipes man and puts the rag in the mattress [Ocean City, by Edi- phone].
The brief printed account and its recording notation do not establish a verbatim transcript.
Entries from source headings
These entries are listed under the following headings in the source volume:
- CLOTH OR RAG AS MEASURE — Volume 3, entries 3543. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → KNOTS AND TYING → KNOTS NINE.
- HOUSE - HIS AND HER BLOOD IN RAG BURY UNDER - KEEPS TOGETHER — Volume 3, entries 3835. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → BLOOD → EVERYDAY BLOOD.
- TREE: HANGING FROM - TRACK TIED IN RAG - WITH 9 PINS AND; 2 NEEDLES CROSSED - RUNS YOU AWAY - HANGING FROM CENTER OF; CEILING OR UNDER MIDDLE OF BED - CAUSES CONFUSION IN HOME — Volume 4, entries 5719. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- SALT AND BLACK PEPPER FOR LOVE - RED PEPPER FOR HATE; WITH FINGERNAILS AND TOENAILS IN RAG - WEAR — Volume 4, entries 6480. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FINGERNAILS - TOENAILS - FOOTSKIN.
- POCKETBOOK WORN OR CAN AT HOME - GRAVEYARD DIRT IN - RAG TIED — Volume 4, entries 7855. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT.
- (3) RAGS - DOLL BABY SEWED FROM RAGS; 9 GRAINS OF RED PEPPER - PRICKLE FEET — Volume 4, entries 7997. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → COFFIN - DOLL BABY - BURIAL - BONES → DOLL BABY.
- NEW ONION - CHOP FINE - TIE IN RAG - THROW UNDER; WOMAN'S HOUSE - AFTER SEVERAL DAYS LET SOMEONE; BRING IT BACK - OPEN - THROW INTO ROAD - WOMAN MOVES — Volume 5, entries 12509. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".