Subject:Rattlesnake
Entries
Entry 3787
(Can he get cured of that condition?)
De only thing ah would recommend to him to git cured of dat wuz to use de rattlesnake mastah, de gall of earth an' about [how many?l eggs an' beer. (How would he use that?) Well, ah'd take de rat- tlesnake mastah an' dem othah herbs an' boil 'em togethah, an' ah'd take dem on occasion as ah felt dat ah needed 'em. An' de beer, of co'se, ah'd take early in de mornings.
(Just ordinary beer?)
Jes' ordinary beer an' bust a egg an' put in it.
(That would restore his nature.)
Entry 4525
De' take de dust of a rattlesnake an' put it in a person's hat, an' when he sweat dat sweat rolls down towards 'is eyes an' it'll blind 'im. But it's nuthin'll do dat no good [there is no cure for it], if it's a rattlesnake.
Entry 4985
Yes, dere some work dat people do wit 'em, an' jis' say fo' instan' if maybe yo' wan'a man jis' de same as yo' say jis' awhile ago. If a woman wan'a man tuh leave 'er, she take 'is socks an' carry 'em tuh a stream of watah. In othah words, wit de same thing, de rattlesnake mastah. Ain't de rattlesnake mastah, but dey calls it de rattlesnake mastah - but it supposed tuh be a mastah of all roots an' herbs in de woods. An' if yo' place his name on dat in 'is sock, he compel- led tuh go. But de reason ah spoke of de same jis' awhile ago, if yo' want me tuh move from nex' do', yo' could quickah git mah track den yo' could mah sock, see.
Entry 5608
Take up yore tracks yo' see, yore lef' track. Takeit up an' yo' goin' - see, jis' lak yo' spotted a person goin' dat way, pick up yore track an' dress dat track, an' dat'll keep yo' goin'.
(How do they dress that track?)
Well, dey dress it wit powdah - yo' see, dis snake powdah dat ah started tuh tell yo' 'bout awhile ago. Snake powdah. Dey call it rattlesnake powdah. It come already compounded yo' see an' fixed up. Dey git some of dat yo' see an' put it in dere. An' pick up yore track an' put yore track intuh a hollow tree. Jis' lak a tree got two forks [trunk of tree branches into one fork], yo' see, it's got'a hollah in de middle of it. An' let dat stay dere fo' 13 days. See, an' dat'll keep yo' goin'. If yo' don't fin' somebody fo' yo'self, fine'ly [finally], evently [eventually] hit'll run yo' crazy. It be bu'stin' headache yo' see, keeps yo' worried all de time.
(Well, after 13 days what do you do with that track then?)
Well, dey take it den outa dere. See, dey has it in somepin, wrapped up in somepin lak a rag. Dey take dat outa dere den an' carry it tuh de watah, see an' throw it ovah de lef' shouldah in de water. Well, see dat'll keep yo' goin' an' jis' keep yore mind jis' flusterated, jis' lak yo' cain't stay in no one place long, yo' jis' worried tuh death all de time.
(Where do you get this rattlesnake dust? Do you buy it some place?)
No sir, see if yo' ketch a rattlesnake, yo' kin take an' skin 'im an' parch 'in up. Parch 'im, bake him lak yo' bake anything, an' yo' make a powdah of dat.
Entry 6009
Dey say yo' take dis hair an' a piece of shed off a rattlesnake - rat- tlesnake shed an' take dat hair an' some five pins an' five needles an' put it down in a bottle of Epsom salts an' fill dat bottle up wit watah an' turn dat bottle upside down in de groun' an' bury it an' yo'll [go] stone crazy.
(Do you bury that any place?)
Bury it in de north cornah of de yard.
Entry 6098
Take yore hair, cut de hair out de top of yore haid, near de mole of yore haid, an' den dey would take dat hair an' would put it into some Hearts Per- fume. Git de Hearts Perfume an' take dat hair an' put wit dat hair some whut is known as John de Con- kah, an' rattlesnake marstah. An' den yo' would take dat hair an' put it in a bag an' yo'd wear dat hair round yore waist to make someone love yo'.
Entry 6619
Yo' kin take a - take a rattlesnake - yo' kin take anythin' dat wandahs in de woods snakelike - yo' take 'im an' yo' cut 'is haid off. Well, yo' put dat snake up an' let 'im be dried by de sun. Yo' take dem snake bones an' beat 'em up tuh apowdah, an' yo' put jis' a little bit of dat whiskey - alcohol, anythin' - an' yo' kin set dat bottle up, if yo' wan'a do it. Yo' set it up dere an' if yo' don' happen tuh give it tuh 'em dat day, or dat night, den mawnin' when yo' git up de snakes will be in it [bottle] - little snakes. [Snakes in the bottle next morning proves that snakes would have been in a victim, had you given the snake blood to him the day or night before.]
Entry 6625
Well, yo' kin use a rattlesnake haid. Yo' kin use a rattlesnake haid, if yo' git someone tuh kill a rattlesnake an' take de haid of it, an' put 'im in de stove an' let 'im jis' stay in dere undah a hot fiah, an' let it parch up fine. An' yo' kin take dat an' put it in anybody's [water]bucket - jis' de dus' from it, yo' know. Aftah yo' take an' beat it up, pound it up good, git de dust of it an' sprinkle it in anybody's watah bucket. Ary [or] a li'le pinch of it in dey food. An' it'll kill 'em.
Entry 6638
[Before we begin margin title RATTLESNAKE POWDER, we must realize that snake oil was frequently used as a medication; see especially my introductory comment, to interview: 'IT'S KIND OF A MYSTERY, " p.1930. Since I have in Hoodoo almost no material about the preparation of snake oil, I am inclined to believe that the old tradition of snake oil was largely continued by local hoodoo drug stores. The following prescription for rattlesnake oil is complete except for a final page which may turn up later. The essential ingredients are here:] Now, if yo' got'a wife an' yo' wife leave yo', an' yo' can't git chew wife back; an' yo' wife leave as much as hat or a dress or a cloak in de house, yo' git dat cloak in dat hat. All right, yo' take dat hat an' yo' put jis' about a teaspoonfula sulphuh in vinegah, yo' unnahstan', an' den yo' takes whut dey call some rattlesnake oil an' sprinkle it in de hat.
(How do you get that rattlesnake oil? How do you get that?)
Dey make dat. Ah'm gona tell yo' how tuh make it directly [in a moment]. An' when [after], yo' put dat in de hat, an' den yo' put de hat back up, yo' see, an' she comin' back in maybe tuh git somepin or put on de hat, an' she can't go out dere. All right. Now give me a piece of papah an' ah'll give yo' a prescription how tuh make de oll: [I handed a piece of paper to informant and he wrote out the prescription. This sheet is missing at the moment, though I had it a few days ago. Fortunately the ingredients are written on the present transcription sheet in my handwriting: '10c oil of mint, lOc witch hazel" [[for some reason a fairly rare substance in hoodoo]], and 'lOç for 1 pound of sassafras."] [Charleston, S. Car., (512), 581:2.] [For Doctor Giles and rattlesnake oil, see No.7212, p.3208.]
Entry 6639
Now, lak people has dese li'le ole [worms] an' thin's, yo' know, be's workin' roun' in dere skin. Well, dey kin take a rattlesnake an' kill 'im an' let 'im dry up, an' take some of dat dust an' stuff an' put it in a bottle [of whiskey?]. An' let it stay fo' a while till it 'solve [dissolve] good an' let 'em drink dat. An see, dat's whut cuz dese snakes an' thin's tuh work all undah people's skin. Dat's de way dey git it in 'em.
(How do you get them out?)
Well, ah dunno [how] dey git 'em out.
Entry 6642
Dey say, jis¹ lak dey use a rattlesnake, dey use a scorpion, jis' git Dey say, jis¹ 1 de hide an' put it up [to dry]. An' yo' know, jis' lak a han'ke'chuff, sompin lak dat, lay on it an' de dust. Yo' see when dey dry it, it has dust. An' say jis' lak ah walk up tuh yo' an' hit chew in de face wit dis, cross yore nose, an' dat dust would go inside of yo'. An' dey say dat would cuz scorpions or eithah rattlesnakes tuh come on de inside of yo'. [There are a number of the handkerchief tricks in Hoodoo - with snake dust, perfume, etc.]
Entry 6646
He wuz goin' wit dis girl an' ma'ied [married] de girl. Well, she goes tuh work an' gits dis rattlesnake dust. She gits 'er.some High John de Conkah an' she gits 'er some a [ofl de spittal from a daid man. (Spittal from a dead man?) Jis' gits intuh 'is mout', an' she makes a salve of dat. She takes 'er some of dis ole Vicks pneumonia salve an' makes a salve of it. When he come from work de doorknob - she have an'inted 'is doorknob an' reach ovah on 'is gate, it has one of dese li'le iron drops, latches thin's. She has dat greased wit it. Well he reached ovah an' unlatched de gate an' no- ticed he had somepin on 'is han'. He went tuh open de do' an' de doorknob wus full of it. Well he went in tuh put dat [hand] in hot watah. Dat [is] why it make it commence tuh go intuh de po's [pores]. He went in an' noticed it on 'is hands, greasy. He got some hot watah an' washed 'is face an' hands. An' aftah he had washed 'is hands, his hands commenced tuh sting an' burn, an' finely [fi- nally] it swelled up from 'is elbow down, swelled up an' he nevah got ovah it.
(Never got over it?)
His arm busted open.
Entry 6649
[Similar to rattlesnake rattles we have the whole tail:] If yo' git up tuh a person an' [can] cut off dis rattlesnake's tail an' put it in some whiskey an' give it tuh someone else, in dat bottle of whiskey, an' let 'em drink dis whiskey, dat'll cuz de snake tuh be in 'em. [Let the tail soak in a bottle of whiskey, take it out, and then let someone drink the whiskey.]
Entry 6752
Dey tell me dat chew git a po'tion [por- tion not potion] of rat- tlesnake dust, red peppah, gunpowdah in yore shoes, dat'll cuz [cause] yo' tuh have achin' an' swellin' j'ints an' stuff. Dat'll put a spell on yo'.
(Sort of swell up your feet or make your joints ache?)
Yeah, yore j'ints ache, an' swell yore j'ints up, too.
(Well, is there any way you can cure that, I wonder?)
Yessir, yo' go tuh a cow stall an' yo' git dat dung, dat rakin' of de cow stall where de cow trample.
(The cow manure?)
Yeah. Yo' take dat an' yo' boil dat an' yo' bathe yore feets in dere. Yo' dilute dat an' put a li'le salt in it. Bathe yore feets in dere wit dat. An' yo' take dat an' yo' THROW DAT SUNDOWN SIDE. DAT MEANS FO' DE MISERY TUH GO DOWN, de sweat of it goes down an' de mis'ry [misery] tuh go out. Yo' throw dat sundown side.
Entry 6891
Rattlesnake mahstah, puts it on whiskey an' let 'em drink dat till dey drink a pint. Aft' dey drink dat pint dey'll be so dey cud [could] walk aroun'. An' yuh cud fix anothah quart, an' a quart or a pint'll cure yuh.
Entry 7212
[Two weeks after margin title RATTLESNAKE OIL received its typing for the printer's photographic process and had been followed by other material in final page form, I found the missing page mentioned in lines 24-26, page 3098, volume 4. Here it is:] (This is Tuesday, June 29, 1937, working in Charleston, beginning the morning's work, testing the machine. In case I lose these slips [of paper] in my note book [later called Numbers Book, a book numbering each informant and making a comment about him] written out by Doctor D. Giles, root doctor, Number 512. [Here] is his recipe for making rattlesnake oil. Calls [for a] bottle of mint lOc, witch hazel lOc, sassafras root lOc. That makes snake oil.) [As the reader can see, I am testing the stylus by repeating what Doctor Giles had said the day before just in case I lost the slip or slips of paper he had written out. He had not been the last informant of the preceding day.l Now, for [the bath or the anointing you] strip [take off clothing], put two [both] hands back of the head, [then] wash hands in [sassafras] root water [wash- ing] forwards [that is, away from you]. Turn over [hands and wash other side]. Get glass [a mirror] and hold hands before mirror, and [if] they get black, why you are all right [a spell has not been put on you]; if they don't [get black] why you are not [all right]. [This is merely one of many methods of diagnosis used by doctors; see DIAGNoSIS, Pp.165-217, especially MIRRoR, p.193 and the danger of looking into it.] [To end this rite] put glass [mirror] over hand and spell root, spell root three times - R-0-0-T. (Another root doctor says [not R-O-O-T but] M-0-N-Q-T-O-N-Y or it looks like monotony. Don't think I've ever heard it before. [After repeating the word three times] the little [hand mirror] answers, "I live [by the power of God or something similar].")
Entry 7524
[Despite the rule in the preceding margin title, the following two rites are the exceptions proving the rule. Moreover, if I remember correctly, they are also the only two beliefs permitting a black person to use graveyard dirt from a white per- son's grave. The fol- lowing words may be a third exception: yo' could go tuh de grove- yard...take...three pennies an' go PAY WHITE OR COLORED - see interview RAGGEDY HAN, p.2195, line 19.] [I have never heard how you] harm anybody wit graveyard dirt but I have heard dis: I've heard dat yo' git graveyard dirt, an' a button from a rattlesnake, an' two teeth from a cotton-mouth blacksnake - two of 'is front teeth. Dey say dat yo' kin take dat dirt, but graveyard dirt from a white person's grave - not from a colored person's, a white person's graveyard - an' dey say yo' kin come into a lotta wealth. I've heard of dat dataway.
(Well, what do you do with these teeth and things?)
Well, now yo' put all dat togethah an' tie it up in a little red flannel cloth an' yo' wear it roun' yore neck - jes' tie it roun' yore neck an' yo' wear it. An' evah mawnin' befo' speakin' to anybody yo' have prayers. I disremembah what de prayer is an' den yo' kin become very wealthy. FROM DE WHITE PEOPLE I'VE HEARD DAT.
Entry 8211
(How would you make a person move out of the house?)
Well, de way ah would do dat - dere's two or three diff'ren ways of doin' it, but de plain way, dey say, fo' instan' maybe yo' live nex' do' tuh me, well ah'm gon'a wait until night, see. An' den yo' kin git some sulphur - in othah words some sulphur an' gun- powdah an' mix dat up. An' about de noon hour of twelve at night, midnight, well yo' kin sprinkle dat befo' de do' an' let it goes in de do'. An' undah nine days time dey'll move. An' dere's anothah way dat chew kin take dat track. Yo' kin take dey track or eithah dey photo or eithah dey name, an' put a rattlesnake mastah root, an' wrap it up wit dey name in it an' dat track. Dey tie it up real tight an' have it so dat it wouldn't sink, not immediately, an' cast it in a runnin' stream of watah. DE SWIFTAH DE STREAM IS DE QUICKAH DEY WILL MOVE. Some people says sompin about aigs, but ah don't use dat. (Well, now, to make them move fast, do you put that rattlesnake master and the photograph together and the foot track or just one of those with the root?) Well, yo' take rattlesnake mastah, de name, an' de dirt dat chew git. Well quite natchly [naturally], if yo' wrap it up in wool, it take quite a bit fo' dat watah tuh soak in dat wool, yo' know.
Entry 9116
Yo' git rattlesnake mastah an' shoe-make root, an' yo' chew it an' yo' keep it in yore mouth while talkin' tuh de jedge. [Rattlesnake master is a term in the United States meaning] any plant supposedly curing a rattlesnake bite. These plants are usually the button snake- roots Liatris aquarrosa and L.scariosa, or the plant Eryngium aquaticum of the southeastern United States. Shoe-make is the smooth sumac, a common North Ameri- can sumac (Rhus glabia), sometimes also the dwarf sumac (R.copollina).]
Entry 9136
Well, ah tole 'im [author's contact man] in de case of bein' in trouble which ah had one experience of dat - cus [because] ah have been in trouble mah ownself - twice fo' murder[?] - an' ah've taken an' got some rattlesnake mastah, which ah wus tole tuh git dat, an' it wus sent tuh me an' put in cologne, wit some mustard seeds in it. An' tuh use dat cologne an' tuh wipe it ovah mah face about three days befo' mah trial, an' havin' dat mustard seed scattahed around, twelve mustard seeds around by de co'thouse. An' put twelve sage leaves in de bottom of yore shoes, six in each one, an' take an' write twelve names of de apostles on it. An' do dat all in three days, an' when yore trial come, it would not be anythin' tuh it.
(Well, now, where did you put those mustard seeds?)
Jes' scattah 'em anywhere roun' de co'thouse, anywhere round.
(Inside or out?)
Anywhere yo' wanta, outside right tuh de do', twelve of 'em.
Entry 9918
Well, once a man went picking huckleberries an' he got bit by a rattle- snake, so he run to a woman's house an' de woman said, "Ah'll git a bullfrog right quick." So she went out in de bushes an' caught a big bullfrog an' cut 'im an' jes' laid 'im right on de place where he was bit at. Let dat [bullfrog] blood run down on dat place. An' so he made it tuh de doctah an' de doctah saved 'im.
Entry 10269
[A woman] fixes a man so he don't have nature fer any other woman. Ah [a doctor] always nuses [uses] pure cream wit a massage to him - wit de cow cream - an' give him dis rattlesnake master an' deer tongue root. Take de deer tongue an' dig an' git de root part of 'em, an' boil 'em all into one. An' de picka- nettZe [for identity See later]. An' boilt it into one an' give him to drink; [remedy] which most [people] says is worked as a Spanish fly work, but ah did not add dat. You better not [in your work] call it dat [Spanish flyl. But it work jes' as you.... Dis cream dat she got - what I gave him to massage hisself, begin wit black gunpowder. Dat will kill de germs of whatever she put on him, whatever kind of herb she put on him; a powder, have to be a dust. It have to be a burnt dust to take effect - put on him. I wash him off wit an' give him dis to take an' dat will give him a nature to go anywhere wit any woman. (This "pickle" business [actually "pickanettle"] is the same as "gall of the earth, " isn't it?) Yes, sir. It grows straight up [the reason why it is used as an aphrodisiac], but ah got some near to de house. Ah'll make it mah business to come back an' bring some of mine so you could see jes' what ah got. It grows jes' straight up jes' like it got lotsa thorns on de back. [I had heard of pickanettle in Charles- ton, a nettle or thorny plant of some sort.]
Entry 10954
Kill de chicken while it's live an' cut it open an' put it on de wound, it will kill poison from de rattlesnake.
Entry 12740
Get a rattlesnake - ah heard yo' take de rattles, yo' know, an' keep 'em in yore trunk till yo' git ten years of age, an' den yo' become wealthy. Cut de rattles off of 'im an' put dem in a trunk, put dem in jes' where de air can't strike it. Yo' see whut ah mean. Fo' ten years yo'll be a wealthy man. (You keep them in there ten years before you are a wealthy man.)
Entry 12742
Dey kin take yore shoes dat chew wear every day, if dey kin git holt of it an' if dey kin git a rattlesnake. Git de haid. Git him mad an' git dat rattlesnake haid an' dry it. Let it come so yol kin jes' compound it up. Understand, compound it up good an' put it in somewhere - inside de linin' of his shoe. It got linin' in dere, an' it surely runs yo' off. Or yo' kin put it in de band of yore hat. Either one. Den yo' can't see. It will blind yo', cause yo' know yo' sheds yore skin, an' yo' kin git blind from it. Jes' as shure as....
Entry 12743
I have heard that in some parts of South Carolina - of course it seems as though they have quite a...something against South Carolina - that you crush snake heads. One woman would pay so much for rattlesnake heads, just cut this rattlesnake head off and make a powder from then. And they would send these to the people who were envious towards the others, and that would cause snakes to come in their bodies. I imagine this povder they put in their food.
Entry 12744
Rattlesnake mahrster [master] why yo' git dat herb an' it has - it grows kinds about lak mah finger, de bottom of it. De root is large, sometime it dat long [demonstrates]. Well, yo' git dat. Ah mean yo' pull dat up, an' den all around dere it's different colors - dis root [ex- plains it] dey sprinkles out dere like dat, an' dis heah at de bottom of it, dat's de root down dere, an' dese grows all around dere. Well, now dat's de lucky root. Yo' put dat in yore pocket an' use with dese things. Den sometime yo' kin take one of dose [roots] an' put it in yore mouth an' chew it yo' know - when yo' around like dat kind [boss?], yo' know [he spits] dere [in his presence] a little bit an' dat help yo' out a whole lots.
(In what?)
In gittin' jobs, gittin' favors...
Entry 12745
Dey tells me of a root - dat's a rattlesnake master. Yo' use dat an' put it in de whiskey an' stroke his step down different ways wit dat, an' den point de way to yore house. Dat'll [that] man will walk ovah dere, he'll go an' git dem things, an' come back to you wit it. (You don't give this man any whiskey to drink?) No sir. (You just soak the root in the whiskey.) Den take it an' go to his doorstep an' wipe it on dere an' point [the root] de way to yore house. He come out dat do' de next mawnin', his mind will git so fuddled, he'll go back an' git dem things an' bring dem to you.
Entry 12746
Rattlesnake marster like dat is good. Jes' take it yo' know an' wear it chew know in a piece of cloth yo' know. An' den every mawnin' yo' take an' rub it in yore han' jes' like dis heah [demon- strates], an' den rub it ovah yore face.
(What will that do for you?)
Git a job.
Entry 12747
Yo' kin take rattlesnake marster, spice an' yo' kin take Hearts Own Cologne an' alum an' yo' put dat in a little bag an' yo' kin carry it 'long wit chew in yore pocket, but chew wanta have yo' some Hearts Own Cologne aloag, yo' know, to 'noint it wit, yo' know, an' keep dat liven up. [Dressing or feeding a hand as here gives it life, power.] An' yo kin go an' yo' kin git a job most anywhere. An' when yo' git it chew be de last one to be cut off practically, if de [dey or dere] be any cutting off being done.
(You would be the last one fired.)
Entry 12748
Get yo' a piece of rattlesnake marster - git chew a piece of rattle- Snake marster an' some devil's-shoestring an' put it dere in yore house, on yo'. an' yo' kin stay dere [in the house] long as yo' want am' be won't bother yo' - de rent man von' t bother you.
[Wavcross. Ga., (1126). 1832:2.]
Entry 12749
Yo' take dat...an' yo' puts a piece of rattlesnake master, put a leaf of dat fern.
(Leaf of that fern.)
An' chip off from rattlesnake master an' put it into a bottle an' dat's fo good luck. Dat'll make yo' peaceful at home. Dat'll keep yo' in peace at home.
Entry 12750
Ah hear dat if a man wanted a job an' he couldn't git none no way, he go an' git one - ah ain't nevah tried it but ah hear de fact of it. Ah don't know whether yo' ever hear tell of dis rattlesnake marster root an' burn it into a powder, an' yo' take dat powder, jest lak dis is yore job heah. Well, ah come to de job an' ah sprinkle dat powder round dere. Den ah git me some of dis shame brier root, a little brier dat grows dey call de shame brier. Ah don't know whether yo' evah hear tell of it. [For shame brier and its various names, see No.2290, p.646f., v.1, and elsewhere.] An' ah'll take dat shame brier root an' den ah'll chew it, lak ah'm talkin' wid chew, [and say] "Ah wants a job, Captain." Why all de time dat me an' yo' talkin ah be chewin' dat root an' spittin'. Dey tell me if yo' do dat, why he'll do jest 'xactly whut chew tell 'im to do. He'll give yo' a job. Or if yo' wants money, yo' take dat shame brier root an' dat rattlesnake marster dust, after yo' pound dat root up, an' keep it in yore pocket whilst yo' talkin' [to boss]. Spit an' chew it an' have dat dust - throwin' dat dust out, yo' know.
Entry 12751
Well de first thing would be if yo' wanted a job. An' dat go fo' a job, a favor or money or anything. Dat chew would git chew some of dis root whut de' [they] call rat- tlesnake marster, an' spice. An' yo' take dat root an' yo' chew dat rat- tlesnake marster, but chew have [hold] de spice in yore mouth. An' yo' spit dat when yo' speakin' tuh him. "Fore yo' consult him yo' spit from him an' nevah spit tuh him. Den he cannot turn yo' down even [whether] it's money or job or whut. If he don't place yo den, he will place yo' [later], but don't nevah spit, jes' spit tuh him but [when] chew spit jes' turn away from him, turn yore haid from him an' spit.
Entry 12753
De rattlesnake master [plant not snake] hit got dust in it dat will blind a person. Well, yo' see, keep it till it git dry. When it git dry jes' shake dat dust out of it into sompin an' den when yo' shake it into sompin, yo' gi' where somebody wanta blin' somebody wit it. Throw it at 'em, throw it in his face. [Whether rattlesnake master powder actually blinds, I do not know. Anything into eyes would be dangerous. There are a number of these throwing- into-the eyes rites in HOODOO.]
Entry 12767
You know - well, dis about - about Adam-an'-Eve. You see Adam is two buttoag [2 root bulbs attached] rep resent two buttons - is locy buttons. I don't know exactly what harm in dem but dey says dey is locy but- tons, Adam-an'-Eve. Well you get dem an' get dis John de Conkah - says dat lucky - and somepin like rattlesnake master.
(Rattlesnake master?)
Yes, sir, is round I think. Dere's [also] sweet root, it's de ost stringy- lookin' root. See, you drink dat, dat's medicine. Jes' Ltke aaybody's got a pain in his stock [stomach?] dat ease de pain. Well, dat's all I know what dat intended for. Dat suppose be for medicine. I know black root and white root, dat's for colds. You cut dem up together, see and bile dem and see, you make medicine outen dat. Rhubarb and some kind of...
Entry 12770
Well, a person take dat - sometime dey got rattlesnake [dust] in it, rattlesnake dust an' graveyard dust. If yo' step across it, it run in yuh. See, den dat becomes - grows - forms other rattlesnakes [in you]. So de king of de woods to do all dat work, is prickle feet - jest as I give it to yuh.
(That is to get that out.)
To get that out.
Entry 12774
If I wanta harm yuh - if I wants tuh harm yuh, I'm goin' show yuh de way I'd harm yuh. Now, ah've got somepin dat ah wants to git nex' to yo' fo'. Ah'll come to yore house an' sit down an' talk wit chew today. Dat to git de sense to see what chew, yuh notice me about, if yo' don' notice me too much. Den tomorrah when ah come back, ah bring my dose [mix- ture] what I wants to git nex' to yo', an' sprinkle it in yore house. An' de day what chew got - understand, dat what chew got. When ah leave yo' house, [you] will always wanta see me all de time.
(Well, what sort of dose would you fix up?)
Well, ah'll fix up sompin wit lobelia and hippo - lobelia and hippo root. [This may be my only example of Hippo, the name of the blood flower from the Bahamas.] Now ah git blacksnake powder or rattlesnake powder an' tie yo' up.
(Rattlesnake powder?)
Rattlesnake powder an' tie yuh up. Yo' take dis rattlesnake powder - yo' take it an' bring it wit chew out de Woods an' yo' put one knot in it. Git de blacksnake-shoestring [he means] de devil's-shoestring. Tie dat together an' ah've got chew.
(What is this blacksnake root that you tie up?)
Blacksnake root? Blacksnake root supposed to conkah anything yo' start after, an' rattlesnake powder...
(Rattlesnake powder?)
Rattlesnake powder, dat's a big bush grows about dat high an' grows about dat wide [demonstrates]. Yo' kin take it - yo' kin go to de woods an' take it an put it in yore yard or plant it in yore flowers. But it's no good heah to yuh, yo' gotta git it out de woods. Git chew five-fingah grass. It grows about dat high [demonstrates]. Yo've seen snake's tongue, ain't chew? Well it jes' like a snake's tongue. It grows about dat high [demonstrates], from de ground an' it spread out jes' like a snake's tongue.
(Well, what do you do with that five-finger grass?)
Yo' take dat an' bring it to yore house an' conkah anybody dat chew wanta come by. Anything dat come to yo' mind to do, yo' kin do it. Yo' don't miss nuthin.
Entry 13078
Yo' ask him fo' a job an' he says, "No, ah ain't got a job fo' yo'." Well, yo' go out in de woods an' find yo' a rattlesnake an' take off dose rattles, an' take an' cut one rattle an' bust it open, an' git de dust out from one dose rattlesnake rat- tles [or buttons] yo' know. An' git some gunpowders an' puts 'im in a little sack, an' tie it round yore waist an' go back to him. He'll give you a job, put chew to work.
Entry 13082
Rattlesnake buttons - his rattles - jes' cut 'em right off an' wrap 'em up. An' put 'em in yore [breast] pocket right up 'side yore h'aht an' carry dem with you. An' if de sheriff or anybody dat is pursuing yo' tuh do yo' a vital injury, dem things would rattle jes' lak a rattlesnake would rattle an' notify yo' dat he's near.
(That the danger is near?)
Yeah. Den dey use a drop of camphor on dem to keep dem kinda saturate. Some people keep dem 'live - keep life in 'em. If yo' haven't got camphor, use a little whiskey. All dat have a tendency to keep 'em live - quickening. Dat's whut rattlesnake rattles is fo'. A man have given me $15 fo' one. I killed de rattlesnake an' cut de buttons off. Ah didn't know dat wus what he want with 'em.
Entry 13085
They say they take a rattlesnake and kill him. And they'll burn it or whip it like that and get that dust. [Long pause.] (Yes?) And they put that in your comb or in your brush and let you use it in your hair. And that'll take all your hair off.
(I see.)
Entry 13089
Yo' take if yo' got a guitar - if yo' got a guitar, you take dat an' it has de strings on it.... Have yo' strings on de guitar an' yo' kin take de rattles, dat's if dey dry, de rattles of de rattle- snake and put 'em in dat guitar. An' when yo' play de rings an' makes a fine music.
Entry 13092
I have heard they take the toenail, or either the fingerail, but the only thing I have heard, they have took the fingernail. People have took their fingernails, you under- stand, and done used that by parching it, 'cause I have a sister, she got that on her face now. Well, this girl, she had took her fingernail. Well, her fingernail was long, and she got rattlesnake dust and she had it up under her fingernail and she was talking to my sister. And she just done thataway [demonstrates] and my sister is blind today for hit.
(She just flicked it into her eye.)
She just slipped it right into her eye and she is blind and the doctor couldn't do her no good. She's blind today and all in her she's dark and all in her [eyes?] look like heavy lipstick - all where that dust hit her in her face.
Entry 13093
Well, they can take your clothes and they can take your hat. In oth- er words they can take your hat and they can put rattlesnake dust - you can buy it in this town - see, rat- tlesnake dust, and they can put it in your hat. And when you sweat in your hat, it makes you blind. (I see, I see.) [I heard little about selling snake dust to blind.]
Entry 13094
Well, dey tell me if yo' wanta harm a person dat way, dat chew kin kill a rattlesnake an' let him dry till yo' kin pound his bones up an' make a dust out of his bones - skin an' all. An' put some of de dust in a han'kerchief. Heet dis person an' turn yore back to de wind an' dey face to de wind. Take de han'kerchief out an' shake it jes' lak if yo' were goin' tuh wipe soiled han's, an' let dat dust go in dere face. Dey will nevah see no mo'.
(That will make them blind.)
Entry 13095
Kin put different things in it to cause yo' feet tuh swell, such as rattlesnake's - take de haid of a rattlesnake an' go out dere an' dry it in a sack yo' know an' take dat dust - dat aw- ful poison yo' know - jes' a little bit of dat. Dat's de same way as dey do tuh kill yo' - right through dis country. Dey'll take dat rattlesnake haid an' dry it yo' know an' git a dust an' lak yo' vanted a drink, dey'd be standin' aroun' an' yo' happen tuh po' de likker out, dey drop de least bit of dat in dere, yo' know. Dat's rank poison. Yo' drink dat whiskey an' it kill yo' an' it hardly kin be detected. Or dey put dat in yore shoes an' cause yore feet tuh swell.
Entry 667
Rattlesnake dust. You know, if the rattlesnake die in the dust [snake shed?] you sprinkle that all around and moving powder.
(They call that goofer dust, rattlesnake dust?)
It's a rattlesnake dust.
Entry 669
Jest a - yo' see yo' git a snake - yo' kin take a rattlesnake an' dry his haid up, pound it up, an' den yo' kin go to work an' use dat as goofer dust. Kill anybody.
Entry 1164
A black hen, now, dat's for when anything - a snake or rattlesnake bites you. Wanta see what a rattlesnake is, you jes' go out here in de woods. If you is goin' huntin' purtty soon you see a rattlesnake down here [in this part of the South]. You know a rattlesnake look green-grayish; you know you can't hardly know it's a rattlesnake lessen you look down good. Well, if he bites you, if you kin git to a frog or a black hen and cut him open while he is alive - cut him open and put him on dat, it will draw all dat pizen out. [The blood is the essential element in these split live-animal rites, which cure just about everything.]
Entry 1435
Yo' kin kill a rattlesnake an' kill him an' take de three buttons off him an' - after dey corner de rattlesnake, yo' know. Yo' take dem rattlesnake buttons an' sew it together an' make a belt an' put it round yore waist. Ain't no one can't do nuthin to yo'.
(They can't harm you in any way?)
No sir, can't harm you. Ah weared one a good while mahself. Ah got 'long purtty well. Well [why I don't wear one now], why ah never done no great novelty dat anyone would hate me so much, but den [in my younger days]. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1021), 1652:6.}
Entry 6644
Yo' kin kill a rattlesnake. Yo' kin git 'is rattles an' yo' keep it till it dries, an' yo' put it in anythin' fo' a person tuh eat or drink, it will cuz young snakes tuh come in 'em. Or eithah scor- pions. Git de haid of de scorpion an' mash it up yo' know in some dust, an' put it in anythin' dey eat or drink. Why dat'll make young scorpions come in 'em. Rattlesnakes, yo git de rattZe dust.
Entry 1127
[In the two preceding beliefs blacksnake root was a protection; here it is a crippling poison, which reminds us again that everything depends upon intention.1 My mother's sister was fixed like that. This guy went out in de woods and he got some blacksnake root, and he went and killed a rattlesnake and he got some blood off it and he cut off de rattlesnake's head, and buried it underneath the doorstep and de next morning when she step out - you know, she had to step right over it, her foot fastened up in her back and she still go about in dat position.
(It still fastened in her back?)
It still fastened in de back and she walk on crutches. (He got the rattlesnake and caught the blood and cut it up with this black- snake root.) With the blacksnake root and buried it under de steps. De first person that steps over that, that's the one goin' get it, see. [The first person that steps over that is sometimes heard, but it violates the widely accepted safety rule of It Warn't Put There For You, No. 653, p.220.]
Entry 1087
They had something like snakes in 'em; whole lot of things just working up. So I fixed up a remedy and she passed all those from her. I got the stuff and gave her it and she passed a rattlesnake first - the first dose I gave her. And then the next dose I gave her, she passed a whole lot of little things just working up. I was working down here and someone knocked at the door, the first time. He woke me up and he says, "Go to the back door." And there was a bottle at the back door. I went there. He told me to carry it to her. Well somehow another somethin' said, "You can't go." And I got the axe and took that in there and I struck the bottle and broke the bottle up. It was a bottle about that long and in this bottle was a piece of her dress - the back part of her dress. The reason why I know it was the back part, we found the dress on the back porch balled up in a corner and that's why I know it was a piece of her dress. We found it. And then there was a piece of hair in there and a whole lot of piece of needles - sharp-pointed needles and pins. In this bottle it smelt like cologne. And there was a piece of root in there - it looked like High John de Conquer root - was in this bottle. And there was a cork stopper in the bottle. We opened it - course I didn't, but I got another lady to open it for me. And we'd taken 'em out later on in a piece of paper and looked at 'em. This girl was almost crazy. So I got some - something told me to do this. I went and got some Jerusalum root. I reckon you've heard talk of Jerusalum root - a root that grows.
(Jerusalum root?) [Jerusalem artichoke?]
Yes. I just got that root and then I got some of these pokeberry roots and I got me some red pepper - pod pepper and I got me some fish salt and I put it into a boiler and boiled it all up together - cooked it all up together, and just cooked it enough to have enough for her to bath in. And I bath-ed her in this here for nine mornings, and then I had another - and her hair come off her head just like your hand [handfuls] she was just almost crazy. Then after bath-ing her with this, then I takes up this red pepper and some grease and mix it together with olive oil and just greased it good all over with this here pepper and oil together, after bath-ing her for these nine mornings. Then after doing it nine mornings, bath-ing her, then I told her to take those bottles and throw it all overboard, but not to do it before because I've heard people say if you were tricked and before you were cured, if you throw that away if you found it, why it wouldn't do any good.
Entry 1294
Ah heard 'em talk 'bout rattlesnake. De rattles of a rattlesnake, yo' take dem an' dry 'em an' if yo' want tuh put snakes in a person, why yo' jes' take an' shake dem in de water bucket or anything dat dey drink, an' de dust from dem rattles will turn tuh rattlesnake in 'em.
(Is there any way of getting those out?)
Yes sir, wit garlic.
(How would you do that?)
Eat it.
(Just eat it and that will bring those things out?)
Yes, sir. [This simplest of remedies comes from a doctor, man.]
Entry 1433
She got holt of a thing - some kind of a snake got in her - de rattle- snake, de rattles of a snake. An' when she drink de watah from it she went blind an' she sent fo' mah mothah an' mah mothah had tuh go to her. She went an' she went an' she carried her fifteen miles from Danville, Virginia, to [somewhere] Virginia, to a man. Den he went out an' got a rattlesnake an' put him in a bottle, put him in dis thing alive an' po' s whiskey on him. See, dat cooked him an' den dey taken de whiskey an' fed mah aunty on it fo' nine days - give her nine drops, give her nine drops fo' three times a day fo' nine days, an' de ninth day she come back to her sight. An' some of these bells [buttons or rattles] wus undah her do'step an' some wus found in de spring. Dis man found 'em afterwards[!!!]. Her sight come back to her. She got well. [This is a remarkable example of like cures like (see p.394); it is also an original and brilliant piece of therapeutic thinking by a master of his craft!l (Now, what did they do with these drops? Did she drink them or put them on her eyes or what?) She drink them, she drink nine drops fo' nine days.
(Who was this?)
This mah aunty.
(And what was the name of the town?)
Danville, Virginia.
Entry 1434
Ah heard of 'em usin' de rattlesnake rattles fo' a hemorrhage. Well, yo' only Wet it - dip it in watah an' stick it to de place where yo' hemorrhage. Even if it in yore nostrils, yo' jes' stick it inside of yore nostrils; an' if it yore bowels, yo' stick it down yore lower part an' hit'll stop it right away. Ah used to tote one all de time.
Entry 2399
Well, you kin go out in de woods and kill you a rattlesnake. Well, you take dat rattlesnake and you skin 'em. Be sure dat dey didn't strike demself now - be sure that he's not strike himself to kill himself, because you jest ketch him you understand and tease a rattlesnake why he strike to kill him own- self. But now, you be sure dat you kill him. Well, you kill him and you skin him, see. Well, you cut him open and you git dat fat. You git de fat and you fry it up. You fry it up into grease and you can't use too much of it - [see No. 1435, p.469]. You take dat grease and you jest rub yo' limbs - rub yo' limbs down, you understand - rub your limbs, all yo' legs and stuff and your whole body, jest as near as possibly you can in a closed closet where nobody kin see you, see. Nobody will know what chew doin'. Well, you will be jest as limber as dat rattler. A person - Jesus Christ kin pin you down to de ground but He couldn't throw you.
Entry 6605
Go down tuh dat Crackerjack Drug Store an' git some, some of dis rattlesnake dust. Git some of dat rattlesnake's dust an' put in dere food. No, dey ain't put it in dere food, dey jis' put a little pinch of it intuh it. An' ah'll guarantee dey have nuthin but snakes in 'em.
Entry 6641
An' dey could go ahead cross den an' could take a snake, ole rattle- snake, an' dey could pound dat rattlesnake up. Jis' poun' dat snake an' pound 'im up an' put it in bread fo' yo' or anythin' dat go down in yo' - yo' eat. Well, live thin's 'ill come right in yo' - snakes. Dey comes alive.
(Well, is there any way to get those out of you, that you know?)
Well yo' go to de hoodoo an' git dis root medicine an' sompin dey call rattle- snake marstah, rattlesnake marster an' - oh, it's anothah root.
Entry 11757
Graveyard dirt, let dry on stove, get rattlesnake buttons, beat up and mix these two, make 2 piles, put one pile in whiskey, put other pile around waist, this keeps person from harming you. Give whiskey to enemy, snakes in him.
Entry 13101
Well, yo' kin take dat bow an' yo' kin put - if yo' kin git holt of some rattlesnake dust out of a rattlesnake's rattle an' put it in dat hat, it will run de man blind.
(Well, just how would it run him blind? How would it do that?)
Well, jes' a...yo' wearin' dat hat, while yo' wearin' dat hat yo' sweat, dat scum git in his [you] eye an' hit'll blind him [you].
Entry 13107
Dere is such things as dat. Dere's a little graveyard dirt. You kin get it in - you get graveyard dirt and you get de dust from a rattlesnake's rat- tle and make you a powder of it. And den he'd come along and 'tempt to play with you. Take your hat off, "Oh, dat's a nice hat." Take your hat like dat and probably look at it. Put dat dust in dere and you put your hat on. It may be warm or it may drift down your face if you perspire, or anything, run down and blind you. You never will see again. (You have this rattlesnake dust and the graveyard dust mixed.)
The informant describes graveyard dirt mixed with rattlesnake-rattle dust and a hypothetical hat-handling scenario, with claimed blindness. The quoted compliment is prescribed or imagined speech within that account. The interviewer restates the mixture without a recorded confirmation; harm claims remain source reports.
Entry 13108
An' den yo' kin take it again. Yo' kin take dis graveyard dirt an' yo' kin git rattlesnake dust an' mix it together, an' it will run anybody stone blind.
(Just how would they do that?)
Jes' take de rattlesnake dust an' de graveyard dirt an' mix it tuhgethah. Mix it up tuhgethah an' git anybody hat an' sprinkle it in de hat dat dey gotta dem stone blind.
Entry 6645
Dat's about a rattlesnake ah think. Ah heard dat chew could beat up 'is rattles intuh some kinda fine dust. An' take an' sprinkle a teeny bit of dat in sompin, see - some kind of [food] or sompin othah, an' den dey would eat a little. An' den in de long run dem people would git insurance offa dem. Dey would soon die. [Here rattle-powder is a poison rather than a creater of live snakes.]
The informant says 'a rattlesnake ah think' and 'Ah heard' in an account about rattles; the final comparison with live snakes is bracketed editorial matter.
Source passage
continuous interview or recording context · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
SO NOW, DERE WUZ ANOTHAH WOMAN AN' SHE WENT TUH A DANCE ONE NIGHT, an' he wuz a real dancah
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[dancer]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
. An' 'er fellah didn't wan' 'er tuh dance wit nobody, an' he hauled off an' pushed 'er. Well, heah come anothah fellah wuz likin' 'er, yo' undahstan'. BE TOOK AN' LAID 'IS HAND ON DIS FELLAH'S SHOULDAH AN' DIS FELLAH FELL. AN' WHEN HE FELL HE COMMENCE TUH HOWLIN' LAK A COLLIE. Well, dey'd taken ' im an' carried 'im home. An' aftah dey carried 'im home, dey ran an' got de doctor. Well, he begin tuh retch very bad, yo' see. Oh! he jis' got restless as if he possessed. An' aftah 'im doin' dat, AFTAH DE DOCTOR COME, DE DOCTOR LOOKED AT 'IM AN' HE SAY,
reported or enacted speech · Current unnamed interviewee · Medical doctor represented in the account; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
"AH CAN'T DO HIM NO GOOD. AH DON'T KNOW"
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
- A MEDICAL DOCTOR, YO' KNOW -
reported or enacted speech · Current unnamed interviewee · Medical doctor represented in the account; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
"AH DON' KNOW WHUT'S DE MATTAH WIT 'IM. AH NEVAH SEED A MAN ACT LAK DAT BEFO'."
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
DIS FELLAH YET HOWLIN' LAK DAT COLLIE. AN' SO, DEY TURNED DAT MAN OVAH TUH LOOK AT 'IS BACK, THINKIN' YO' KNOW HE HAD A FEVAH. DERE WUZ THREE SNAKES: A RATTLESNAKE AN' A GARTAH SNAKE AN' A CHICKEN SNAKE IN 'IS BACK. BUT YO' COULD SEE DEY WUZ SNAKES BY DERE SKIN - jis' right In 'is skin in 'is back. Well, dis same fellah dat ah'm tellin' yo 'bout - ah think yo' heard me speak of Doctor Martin - he come.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[For Doctor Martin, see p.2327, line 15.]
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
(Where is he from?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
HE'S AT AVON, MISSISSIPPI.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
(Avon, Mississippi.)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
DOCTOR MARTIN COME AN' GOT DEM SNAKES OUTA DAT FELLAH'S BACK AN' HE GOT WELL.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
(Do you know how he got them out? What he did to get them out?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
YES, SIR.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
(What did he do to get them out?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
WHEN HE GOT READY TUH GIT 'EM OUT, HE PUT 'IM IN A BATHTUB AN' HE WENT TUH DE SOUTH SIDE OF A HILL AN' HE GOT SIX DIFF'REN' KINDA ROOTS, an' he Say One of de roots wuz de Queen Elizabeth root an' de othah root wuz de shargrass root
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[?]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
(What kind?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
Shargrass
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[?]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
root. Shargrass root an' de Queen of Elizabeth root. An' de othah
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[4 of the 6]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
wuz de blacksnake root, an' de ginseng root, an' de beechluck
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[beechnut = beech]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
root, an' de sippahred
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[?]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
root.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
(Sipper?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
Sippah-red
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
[?]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2338
root. Well, he'd taken dat an' he boiled it. Den aftah he
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
boiled dat, he dropped a KNO4 tablet in it.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
(What KNO?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
KNO4 tablet an' de watah turnt as red - well, it turnt as red as dat, as dat spot in dere.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
[He may have pointed to something red in the room; carpet or window curtain.]
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
(I see.)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
AN' HE LAID "IM IN DAT WATAH AN' BATH-ED
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
[NOT BATHED]
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
"IM. AN' WHEN HE GOT THROUGH BATHIN' 'IM, HE TOLE 'IM, LOOK BACK BEHIND IM. AN' WHEN HE LOOKED BACK, WELL DERE DEM SNAKES WUZ IN DE BATHTUB! BUT DEY WUZ DAID. YO' SEE. DEY WUZ DAID, BUT HE
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
[DOCTOR]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
KILLED DEM. HE PUT 'EM IN DAT WATAH. YO' SEE, NOW, WHOT WUZ GIVIN' IM DE TROUBLE, DEY WUZ ALIVE, SEE. SEE, WHEN DEY WUZ MOVIN' ABOUT
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
[IN HIM]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
DEY WUZ HURTIN' 'IM.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2339
[My informant doctor is saying Dootor Martin killed the snakes with the red bath water. I say a good trick!]
Nested source context: nested reported medical doctor speech · Vol. 3, p. 2338
HE SAY, "AH CAN'T DO HIM NO GOOD. AH DON'T KNOW" - A MEDICAL DOCTOR, YO' KNOW - "AH DON' KNOW WHUT'S DE MATTAH WIT 'IM. AH NEVAH SEED A MAN ACT LAK DAT BEFO'."
locally coherent printed subpassage
A local printed ending does not establish unabridged recording coverage.
The medical doctor’s quoted speech is narrated, not a live clinician in the room.
Root names, KNO4 and the uncertain gesture remain literal; no chemical or plant identity is resolved.
He may have pointed is the editor’s conjecture, not a confirmed interview demonstration.
The good trick conclusion is the editor’s competing interpretation.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 3, p. 2336 · Vol. 3, p. 2337 · Vol. 3, p. 2338 · Vol. 3, p. 2339 · Vol. 3, p. 2341