Subject:Read
Entries
Entry 2895
Tuh burn candles. Well, yo' take those candles an' yo' kin take the Bible an' read the Bible - jis' lak some- one have mistreat you. Well, yo' take those candles an yo' take the Bible an' yo' read it an' yo' prays, an' Pray ovah that candle while it's burnin', see, an' yo'll do that ah think fo' 'bout nine days an' nights, an' yo'll gain friendship wit de party that mistreats you.
(What color candle do you burn for that?)
Dat's white.
Entry 5004
Dey kin take yore socks or stockin's an' jis' make yuh do anythin' dat dey wan'a do, aftah dey are dirty; but if dey clean, dey cain't do yuh nuthin. (Now how - what would they do with that?) Well, fo' a instant [instance]; jis' lak mah husban' treat [mistreat] me. All right. Now, mah husban' go on away an' wants 'im back. Take dose socks, de lef' one - or if yuh cain't git it, take de bow from 'is hat, or de stockin', an' put some sugah in it an' urinate on dere. Bury dat. An' evah three time a day read de 23rd Psalm.
(Three times a day. At different hours?)
In de mawnin' about six, twelve, an' six in the evenin' [formula 6-12-6, see p.830]; nine day.
Entry 5384
Ah've heard dat chew kin take de track, de lef'-foot track, an' read de 23rd chaptah of Psalms wit dat lef'-foot track. An' yo' take dat track an' yo' put it in front of yo'. See, put it on a piece of papah, a piece of brown papah. An' yo' stan' ovah dat track an' yo' read de 23rd chaptah of Psalms, see. An' in de direction, de way dat person go, at seven a'clock, yo' throw dat dirt lak dat. Dey gone. Den yo' read dat chap- tah ag'in de nex' mawnin' at seven a'clock, yo' see, an' yo' read it at noon. Yo' read it at seven at night de nex' evenin', afternoon [12 noon], yo' see. Dat's tuh drive yore enemies away from yo', if anybody's a enemy tuh yo' or any- thin' of de kind lak dat.
(Do you take that foot track up in any special way?)
Start at de toe an' git chew a shovel or some kinda sompin an' scoop it up lak dat, but take it all up [demonstrates].
(From the toe back to the heel.)
Yes. (After they have come to your house. Then after they have left, take up one of those tracks?) Yeah, take up one of those tracks. Or if dey'd apt tuh passin' or somepin othah - jes' anywhere dey have tuh walk in de dirt.
Entry 5534
If a man have a woman dat's run away from home, she won' stay home an' won' be satisfied, she wanta do jis' as [she pleases] - de fellah don' wan' 'ah [her] tuh move away from dere. Take a cord string, cotton cord string, put de end of 'ah heel an' de end of 'ah toe, an' git 'ah measure- ment. An' put it roun' a nail an' drive it right ovah in front of de do'. An' den he wanta read de 90th Psalms of David.
(What will that do?)
She'll stay home.
Entry 6890
If someone's tryin' tuh hahm [harm] yo', take 23rd Psalm an' read it three times evah day fo: nine days, an' write it an' put it down in a li'le bag an' weah it on de right side. Dat'll keep 'em from hahmin' yo'.
Entry 7048
" Of it he drink likkah, don't chew know, yo' could jis' take de Bible, an' read de 69th Psalms about five times, an' jis' contin'ly [continually] read it, don't chew know, an' say, "Lord, ah hope he'll stop: In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name of de Holy Ghost. An' he'll stop. An' yo' continue tuh read dat mawnin' an' night an' he'll stop. He'll leave it off.
Entry 7973
Make coffin, put person's pic- ture in face down, read over him jis' like yo' read over de dead, bury in graveyard, kills him.
Entry 8105
Dey could take yore photograph lak if yo's a long Way off. Dey kin take it an' put it at de front do' where yo' live at an' read de 18th Psalm. In nine days yo'll come from where yo' is, ah don't care where yo' is. (How do they put that photograph at the front door? Just what do they do with that?) Dey will put it right at de front do' an' dey will cut dat, yo' know, jis' de size of yo' photograph - cut dat out, see. An' den would put dat piece right back ovah dat, dat same piece, an' put dat 18th Psalm, yo' know, written on a piece of papah, an' place it ovah dat. An' den dey Would read dat 18th Psalm in de Bible. An' den in nine days yo'll surely return.
Entry 8232
Well, yo' take dat pichure an' put it in yore pocket, if yo' wanta carry it wit chew. Yo' kin take dat pichure an' yo' want dem tuh love yo'. Dat whut chew wanta know. Take dat pichure an' git some olive oil an' put nine drops of dat pichure right around, yo' know, right around de haid. An' put dat pichure in yore pocket an' tote it wit yo'. Den fo' nine days yo' read de 23rd Psalms ovah it, an' dat'll make dem people care fo' yo'.
Entry 8491
Now dey kin write a piece of de bossman's name befo' yo' gittin' tuh him, read it three times an' call 'is name three times, when yo' git dere. Why he mo' den apt tuh give yo' a job an' raise yore wages. (What do you write?) Jis' write his name an' call it three times befo' yo' git dere. An' aftah yo' git dere, why he put chew tuh work or raise yore Wages [if you already have a job.]
Entry 8702
De 85 Psalm from de Bible will make a man care a great deal fo' yuh.
(When do you read that, do you say?)
On a Sunday mornin', face de east, seven times, an' call his name seven times.
(What will that do then?)
Now yo' use de 85 Psalm an' call 'is name an' yo' read it seven times an' every time yo' read yo' call 'is name. Well then THAT SENDS OUT A SPIRIT AND HIS MIND WILL FOLLOW AND THINK jest keeps his mind on yo', until he kin see yo' or come back to yo'. IT'S DE SPIRIT WORRIES HIS MIND WHEN YO' DO DAT.
Entry 8756
De 88th Psalms an' de 85th Psalms. YO' EVER READ DE BIBLE? [I either did not answer or answered with my head. Perhaps informant did not give me time to answer.] An' yo' go down to de Ten Cent Store an' yo' buy yo' a ten cents pan [tin pan]. An' yo' write three words on there, God, de Father; God, de Son; god, de Holy Ghost. An' write his name there. In nine days he'll be back there, but yo' still gotta read de 88th Psalm and de 85th Psalm.
(What do you do with that pan then?)
Yo' place it in de corner of yore home.
Entry 8789
Lak yo' would write a lettah to somebody an' if dey wanted yo' to come where dey wuz or somepin lak dat. Well, dey take an' open it [Bible] to a cer- tain chaptah in de Bible an' place it in dere - on a certain chaptah. An' fo' nine mawnin's git up an' read anothah Psalm in de Bible fo' nine mawnin's an' she'll come where dey are. [For Bible, see also No.8840.]
Entry 8852
Dey kin take yore handwritin' an' mess yo' up a great deal. An' maybe kin take yore handwritin' an' by takin' a glass an' holdin' ovah yore handwritin' like dat an' read yore writin' through a glass. An' aftah yo' read yore writin' through de glass - read down from about de second line - den cut de second line in a "v" shape an' throw it in de fire at sundown, an' dey say dat will give yo' a nervous feelin' in yore hand. (Like you would hold a mirror over this writing and you read that writing in the mirror. Read down to the second line. And then how do you cut that?)
[See my comment on word mirror at end of rite.]
Dat's right, cut it in a "v" shape.
(How do you mean cut it in a "v" shape?)
Jes' take a scissors. (Here's the letter now. [I hand my Numbers Book to informant.] Here, what would you do with that?) In a "v" shape...
(How do you mean you cut that in a "v" shape?)
Now, jes' lak dat's a line an' dat's a line an' dat's a line [informant is pointing to lines in Numbers Book]. Read tuh de third line an' den take a scis- sors an' cut a "v" shape in dat. (You cut a "v" out of it, make a hole like a "v". That's the little piece you throw into the fire?) Yes. [My word mirror in paragraph 2 was badly chosen, magnifying glass in the pre- ceding rite would have been much better; but best of all, the meaning here is surely an ordinary drinking glass. Few persons receiving letters and intending evil work with them had a magnifying glass handy. Quite different are these two glasses. Look through a magnifying glass and you see the real world enlarged; look through a cheap drinking glass, probably an ex-jelly glass in informant's case, and you behold a distorted world, the confused and unreal world of hoo- dooism. Understand, look through the mouth of the drinking glass and out through the bottom; use it as a magnifying glass. After three consecutive lines of the letter are read, a solid "v" shape is cut with two strokes of the scissors from the second line and dropped into a fire. This 'V' shape can be made on either edge or side of the page. Though informant says nothing, I suspect he did not touch the "v" with his hand, but clipped and carried it to the fire with the scissors. His own fingerprint Would not be burned. WHAT DOES OUR "v" SIGNIFY? First, since this trick produces a nervous feeling in yore hand, our 'v"', despite its solidity, symbolizes the Roman numeral V, the Arabic numeral 5, the 5 fingers of the hand. Second, our solid "v" is a triangle, showing that this rite works In the 3 Highest Names. True, the triangle should be equilaterial for the Trin- ity, but do not expect such theological accuracy of hoodoo. Three, our "v" as- sures Victory or success for the rite.]
Entry 8880
Well, if somebody wrote chew a lettah now - jes' lak if yo' wanted tuh git tuh somebody an' dey wrote chew a lettah, why yo' take dat lettah an' yo' read it. Yo' read it backwards. An' den, if yo' kin read backwards, take dat lettah an' yo' read it backwards. An' den yo' take an' take it tuh a willah tree. Yo' take it to a willah tree. An' a willah's got a forked root tuh it. Yo' dig down tuh dat root where it's forked down dere, an' den yo' turn dat lettah bottom upwards undah dere, undah dat tree, an' kivah [cover] it back up. Well, yo' git de devil's shoestring an' yo' weah it round yore arm, jes' tie it round yore arm. Dat's whut ah heered 'bout dat.
(What will all this do now?)
Dat jes' lak if yo' love somebody an' want 'em back tuh yuh or want - whatsom- evah yo' want done tuh 'em. Whatsomevah yo' want done, when yo' go tuh dat wil- lah tree an' put dat undah dere, yo' speaks dat befo' de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost.
Entry 8886
Use de Bible an' git de 50 Psalms [Psalm 50] of David in de Bible an' yo' read it three times. An' yo' git chew a do' key, a large do' key. Aftah yo' read dat Psalms, yo' write dat Psalm down on a piece of papah. An' yo' take dat do' key an' yo' put it on dat Psalm, an' yo' tie it wit string an' yo' read de Psalms. An' aftah yo' read dem Psalms, yo' call dis person name three time an' yo' hold dat do' key; an' if it's de individual name yo' call, dat done took sompin from yo', when yo' read de Psalm, dat do' key goin' turn roun' in dat Bible. Jes' lak yo' turn it in de lock of a do', jes' turn; an' if it ain't de individual whut took it, de do' key goin' tuh stay still. But if it's anyone dat took it an' yo' know dere name, yo' call dere name, dat key is gonna turn in dat Bible. (You write this 5Oth Psalm on a piece of paper and then you wrap that around the key?) No suh, de key is tied intuh de Bible on de 5Oth Psalm aftah yo' write it down. See, yo' write it down so yo' kin read it, an' yo' readin' it three times. An' aftah yo' read - while yo' readin' it, yo' don' call de individual [name]. Aftah yo' read it, den yo' call de individual name an' yo' hold dat key. Hold de Bible an' hold de top end of de key, an' when yo' hold dat key yo' have it tied tight in dat Bible; an' if it's dat individual, dat key's gonna turn in dat Bible jes' lak it would in de do'.
[Since key does not fall, By St. Peter rhyme not used.]
(This key though is put into the Bible where this Psalm is. The only reason that you write that 5Oth Psalm is that - so when the Bible is closed, you can read the 50th Psalm?) Yes.
Entry 8896
Well, lak if ah would steal sompin from yo' an' yo' know dat ah wuz de only one dere, but yo' didn't know whethah person'ly dat wuz me. Well, yo' kin git de Bible an' tell dat. Dat tell yo', de Bible an' a key. Well, yo' kin git de Bible an' yo' read de firs' verse of Psalms an' yo' close de Bible. An' yo' ties a string roun' de centah of de Bible. An' yo' gits a key, a do' key, an' hangs on dat string. Hangs it on each string where it hang steady, an' let it stay dere until it git perfectly still. Den yo' say: By St. Petah, by St. Paul, if John took so-an'-so from me, turn Bible an' fall. An' he didn't, dat Bible will not move; but if he did, yo cannot hol' [hold] it till it turn.
Entry 8933
(You'll know who stole it.)
Then you can make them bring it back.
(How do you do that?)
Now, I got to give you the Bible for that ag'in. You read the 65th Psalm three times a day and when you read that Psalm, you say your prayers and call dat person's name and they'll come back. If they don't give it to you, they'll put it on back where you can find it. [This Psalm may have been picked out of the hat (number chosen at random) or it may depend upon verse 2: O thou that hearest prayer, unto' thee shall all flesh come (King James Version). A great many rites, mere statements of Bible reading or praying, I never recorded. Here a Psalm 3 times a day could be considered a magic rite.]
Entry 8990
If a man evah git into trouble an' he wants tuh git outa trouble, co'se [of course] it ain't no root but chew git chew a Testament, a little Bible dat's got de Psalms in it, an' yo' read dat piece ever' mawnin' at seven o'clock. Have dat Bible brought to yo' in de jail whilst dey got chew in prison. Read dat piece ever' mawnin' at seven o'clock. Git up an' read dat piece an' read in dere. Ah've did dat, chew see: Oh, Lord deliver me in mah distress; deliver me from de han's of mah enemies [this sounds like a conflation from 2 different Psalms]. An' dey said dat chew will overcome dat. Ah did it an' ah got out, did conquer 'em. Ever' mawnin' yo' read dat piece. Git dat little book, dat Bible.
Entry 8991
(Now, right at the beginning. You said, he was brought before the judge because he did something.) If yo' go to - if yo' had did somepin othah, an' de judge goin' try yo' fer it, an' yo' was out under bond, yo' read de 109th Psalms ever' mawnin' befo' sun- up, ever' mawnin' three times fo' seven mawnin's until yore trial time. An' den when yo' go down, yo' done read dat, yo' done read an' yo' done read. An' yo' read it. An' de Lord, yo' has asked 'im to an- swer your question. Well, yo's seeking advantage of the judge, an' when yo' goes down, he goin': have mercy. on yo'. He might be goin' try yo' an' give yo' life or your neck, but when yo' go down dere, aftah yo' done read dat seven mawnin's an' burnt dose encense [in- cense] when yo' read it - yo' goes down, an' he'll find, he finally say dat. He'll turn yo' loose. He ain't goin' find yo' guilty. He might fine yo' $100 or $2. He may not fine yo' nuthin, jes' let yo' go on, dismiss de case.
Entry 8992
Ah heard dat if yo' wanta git a light fine, if dey take yo' down fo' speedin'. If yo' kin git chew a Bible an' read de 32nd Psalm fo' nine mawnin's - if yo' stay in dat long, read it fo' nine mawnin's. Git up in de mawnin' an' don't say a word tuh nobody, jes' go 'head an' read de 32nd Psalm fo' nine mawnin'. Dey say de judge would be light on yo'.
Entry 9117
Well, ah learnt dat if yo' wants tuh git chew - jes' lak if yo' had a son or sompin in prison, an' yo' done want him out an' don't have de money tuh git 'im out. Yo' go an' git chew some sage. Take twelve grains of sage an' yo' care [carry] 'em tuh de co'thouse evah mawnin' evah time yo' kin git dere an' give 'im one of dem an let 'im swallow it. An' yo' come back. Yo' penetrate if yo' kin git to 'em [him] give 'im one an' let 'em swallow until he swallow de twelve grains. Come back home an' git a Bible an' dere's a po'tion in de Bible somewhere roun' about de twelve chaptah ah think, dey say, an' yo' read de firs' three chaptah. An' dey'll eithah turn 'im free or dismiss de case.
(What book in the Bible do they read?)
[He must have said St. Luke.]
(St. Luke, you say?)
Yes. [There are appropriate verses in Luke 12 for a person in jail.]
Entry 9118
Yes sir, yo' kin take a Bible an' take de 91 Psalms out it, an' put sage leaves in it an' care it up to de jailhouse; an' if it's anybody in dere dat yo' want out, yo' let 'em read 91 Psalms. An' yo' read it an' dey'll turn 'emout (What do you do with those sage leaves then?) Put 'em in de Bible. (Where the 9lst Psalm is?) Where de 91 Psalm is an' give dem de Bible an' yo' have one an' yo' let dem read de 91 Psalms while yo' readin' it.
(Do you read yours in the jailhouse with them or at home?)
[Notice how I say them agreeing with him, rather than saying him. I frequent- 1y do this in Hoodoo.] Wit 'em at de jailhouse. [Did informant have 2 Bibles or did he copy out Psalm 91 for the prisoner? They evidently read this well-known Psalm together.]
Entry 9173
Yassuh, ah heard dat chew kin - now, ah know dis, ah didn't only heard dis. Jes' lak yo' is in trouble now an' yo' wanta git out. [Yo'] be in jail. Ah go in de woods or anywhere ah kin find a willah tree an' git five willah leaves. An' ah'll give 'em tuh yo' maybe in through by yore ration. Ah'll put it undah yore ration an' carry 'em tuh de jailhouse tuh yo'. Well, yo' take dem three willah leaves, dem five willah leaves, an' put two in each hip pocket an weah one in yore right shoe. An' read de fo'th chaptah of St. Luke in de second verse three times a day, an' yo'll be outa dere in three day's time. [St. Luke says little to the point here: Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. King James Version.]
Entry 9176
Yo' would git up in de mawnin' an' yo' would turn yore clothes - under- Wears - wrongside outwards, an' yo' would turn yore socks wrongside out. An' den yo' would turn to de chap- tah of Psalms, de 25th chaptah of Psalms. It reads lak dis: "Plead mah case [cause] O God, an' stand up fo' thy helpmate, an' so on lak dat chew see. An' yo'll purtty much git dismissed.
(You do that before you go down to see the judge.)
[Psalm 25 does not contain the preceding words. The nearest to them would be those opening Psalm 35: Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me. Similar words are: Plead my cause and deliver me - Psalm 119:154. The helpmate part of informant's quotation does not appear in Psalms.] Ah wuz in jail fo' murdah once, an' it wuzn't no joke 'bout me not bein' guil- ty. Had a ole man [doctor] outa Jacksonville, Fla., an' he come tuh me an' he says, "Well, ah know yo's no risk," said, "but dis chaptah right chere ah'm goin' give yo' tuh read." He say, "Only de 25th eve'y mawnin' 'fore yo' git up, 'fore yo' speak to anybody else, aftah yo' gits up, an' yo' jes' go on an' yo'll be discharged." An' he says, "De ninth mawnin', de mawnin' dat chew bein' tried, ah'll come an' tell yo' whut tuh do." So he come tuh me an' tole me whut tuh do. [I failed to ask what informant was supposed to do on the 9th day, but it was probably to chew John de Conkah root during the trial.] An' ah wuz acquitted wit'out goin' tuh a judge, or even tried. [This is one of those cases settled out of court - see Doctor Washington's amazing account, No.9024, p.3660, v.4.] Dat wuz at Greenville, Fla. An' eve'ybody else could tell yo', by jes' sayin dat. Ah've been down in co't, ah reckon ah've been prob'ly five hundred times
[an obvious hyperbole] an' dat's all ah use.
Entry 9638
Ah tell yo' whut chew kin do. Yo' read de 54th Psalm. Yo' evah read de Bible? [Since I do not answer, did I nod my head up and down, or shake it sideways. Informant did not know he was talking to a clergyman.] An' yo' takes saltpetah, take cay- enne peppah, an' yo' takes table salt. An' yo' take each one-a yore shoes an' yo' sprinkle yore shoes wit dat sulphur, a teaspoonful'a sulphur. Jes' sprinkle yore shoes wit dat an' walk anywhere yo' want. Nobody can't do nuthin tuh yo' about chew walkin' on anythin'. Nevah min' [mind] about dat [walking on anything].
Entry 10196
Dey burn dose an' den dey read de Bible.
(How do you do that?)
Dey jes' sets 'em all round, but one will do.
(One candle.)
Yes, one will do. Set it in de room an' den yo' git chure Bible an' yo' read a verse, de firs' verse dat chew [see when you] open de Bible. Den yo' read dat. (And what color candle do you use?) Well, yo' kin git de red candle. (What is that supposed to do then?) Yo' burn it fo' luck. (What kind of luck?) Well, luck in anything come in, any kind of business yo' got, dat yo' wanted tuh increase.
Entry 10260
Yo' get chureself nine matches.
(Nine ordinary matches?)
Nine ordinary matches and burn each one, an' cross yo'self down dere with dose matches an' read de Ten Commandments. An' every morning you do that for nine mornings, an' the ninth morning, why, you find it different; your nature's come back. "Cause ah've been done that way once an' ah knows. (Just to be sure I understand. Here are the nine matches. I light each one and let it burn [so that each match will become a pencil or mark- erl. Now do I take each match and just make a cross on myself?) Make a cross on it [penis]. (Cross it nine times [all together] with each one of these burnt matches and leave a black mark on it?) That's right, make a black [cross] mark on it. [Somewhere else I may have discussed the match - especially one with a red head - as a phallic symbol. One match is used each day and one cross only is made - 9 matches and 9 crosses.]
Entry 10550
Go down to a cross- road, where a road crosses, nine Sunday mawnin's. It's a very ha'd [hard] thing tuh do. When yo' thought of doin' one thing fo' nine Sunday mawnin's it's a good long while. An' meanwhile ah come an' maybe somebody try tuh hol' him off, but yo' gotta meet at dis same place at de same time of day. Jes' lak ah say ah'll be dere at nine a'clock, yo' gotta meet dere at nine a'clock fo' nine Sunday mawnin's at de crossroads. An' yo' gotta read a verse out de Bible.
(Do you know what the verse is?)
It's de 36 Psalms, an' ev'ryone ends wit de same words - de 136th Psalms, an' ev'ry verse ends dis chapter heah wit de same thing, de same words. Well, yo' start wit dat an' yo' read it fo' nine Sunday mawnin's, an' de ninth [Sunday] mawnin' yo'll meet what yo' didn't expect. Yo'll meet trouble dere, storms, high winds or somepin of dat sort. Yo' cain't tell exactly whut's it goin' be, maybe it will be rain, maybe wind, maybe snow or somepin lak dat. It be somepin diff'rent, de ninth mawnin'. But anyhow yo' continue wit it an' when yo' git through wit it, yo'll do whut chew wanta do so fur as tricks is concerned an wit'out bein' religious atall. But chew kin do anything yo' wants tuh do.
[Wilson, N. Car., (1476), 2655:3.]
12. BAT [Originally this section about the bat - not a bird as folklore believes - was a part of CHANNEL DE WORLD, a catchall later in the present volume. I did not realize until too late, that BAT should have followed FROG AND TOADFROG, a pre- ceding section of the present volume. Yet, to follow section SELL SELF TO THE DEVIL may not be inappropriate. These following rites show less knowledge and interest in bats than in frogs and toads, because bat was a night animal and frog and toad better known and easier to catch and handle.l
Entry 10698
[Unlike the preceding rite, a hoodoo one, this following example can be religious, though mechanical. These I often did not collect or collected later discarded.] If it wus me an ah thought some- body wus tryin' tuh harm me, zh'd git de Bible an' ah'd read de 4th chapter of Psalms; from de 4th chapter of Psalms to de 17th chapter of Psalms. Ah'd read de 4th chapter of Psalms espec- ially. Den ah'd read de llth chapter of Psalms and de 8th chapter of Psalms. 血' all de time ah readin' dem Psalms, why don't forgit de prayer - de Our Rnther Prayer.
Entry 10701
Yo' kin pray an' read Proverbs, first chapter in de second verse an' dey'll bring it back [vhatever mas stolen from you. Proverbs 1:2 is meaningless here]. Hit was a sanctified lady once, wus a girl stole her pockitbook, an' she did dat an' she brought it back to de church.
(Do you belong to the Sanctified Church?)
Yes sir.
Entry 10706
If a person come in an' yo' don't want dem dere, when he comes in, jest sweep him de way he come in. Sweep out his track jest as he come in, de Way he come in, if yo' don't want him dere. An' finally his conscience will jest lead him [to stay away]. Dat's jest de way yo' do de way ah jest tole yo'. Yo' kin talk nice to him an' say ah haven't got so-an'-so. Well, den if he continue to be comin' after dis, yo' git dat book an' put it under yore head an' read it, an' yo' git relieved from him.
(What is the name of that book?)
It's de Bible de 37th Psalms.
(You just put that Bible under your head?)
Entry 10710
[They] take it [sulphur] and they're burning it. Read a certain chapter in the Bible [given later]. If you read it for - like if today's [today it is] at twelve and tomor- row evening at six, and six tomorrow morning, and maybe twelve tomorrow night - for three nights. Contains nine [see comment later] nights because you use it as a different hour. And then you pray over it. And if it's a person that you and them can't get along, and you burn that sulphur, each time that you reads a chapter [= preceding pray Over it]. Well, then they'll finally move away.
(At six and twelve each day for nine days.)
For three days. [Here I stop machine and restart it to repeat missed words.]
(Read the chapter of the 100th Psalm.)
[Here is a time rite I did not fully understand during its recording. At a later date and with greater experience, there would have been more questions. Even at the interview doubt appears in my words: At six and twelve each day for rine days. Actually, informants nine was a slip of the tongue. Hence, for 3 days a person reads Psalm loO [meaningless for the present purpose] and burns sulphur at 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock, night or day. These 3 times are staggered over the three-day period, no two at the same hours. As I have said somevhere in HOODOO, burning sulphur in a room can be a rugged adventure. Therefore, at the end of 3 days burning, who moves, enemy or burner?]
Entry 11145
Well, I've heard of that but it's at night in- stead of daytime, at twelve o'clock in the night. Take a black hen, find one that crows, you go to the fork of that road and at midnight that hen will crow. Go there for nine nights though and go to that fork of the road every night at twelve o'clock and that hen crows, that will bring what you call you - you call, kin call, the devil. That's what I understand. But you gotta read the Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses and just what you desire at the fork of the road after you read that Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses, you get your desire. That is how they sell themselves to the devil. And he will meet you at the fork of that road and just what you want to learn and what you want to do, that's where you get them - out there. You have to read the book while you are out there, and have your mind on your desires.
(When does the devil appear, on the first night?)
No, on the third night, but you gotta go for nine nights to get what you desire.
Entry 11252
( Go home and read the 109th Psalms, a few words from dat every morning. You know how it read, I guess: Hold not, thy peace, O God [these 7 words correct; from King James Version] thy prayers, etc. The 109th anyhow. And in a few moments, just a few moments after that, we had a letter from [about] her [their sister] from the doctors in Goldsboro [N. Car., from the state mental institution]. We wrote my mother a letter that she was getting better, but what did the lady [root doctor] do, I can't say.
(She wouldn't tell you what she did.)
No. [The arrival of a letter soon after a root doctor was employed may have been a coincidence, or a matter of routine, or perhaps root doctor knew a poli- tician who wrote to the state asylum for insane at Goldsboro (whatever its name) asking for a report. At least we have here another good piece of therapeutic work - Psalm 109: stop worrying, I'll take care of everything.]
Entry 12164
Well, before the judge you use the holy water too. You can sprinkle yourself good with it and read the 23rd Psalm of David. You can read the 23rd Psalm of David and sprinkle yourself with holy water. It'll make you wish [you will make your wish] and go before the judge.
Entry 12282
Well, whenevah yo' wanta tie up a person, yo' don't want 'em to have success, yo' put so many knots in a raw cotton thread an' put turpentine on it, an' yo' read ovah it de 22nd Psalms. Read ovah it nine days an' then yo' put that string right behin' there [points to door]. (Behind the door?) Yes.
Entry 12404
Ah know dat chew could git a job jes' by goin' to a magnolia tree. Yo' take an' git - jes' a little piece of cloth an' den sew it up in a heart- style bag in shape of a heart. Yo' take dat heart- style an' yo' fill it up wit nuthin but table salt, salt dat nevah has been used. An' go to a magnolia tree wit three roots dat's runnin' east. Don't care how small or how large it is, an' yo' tie it up together an' feed it off de cologne. An' it's a certain chap- tah in Psalms in de Bible - de Psalms of David. Ah disremembah, but chew repeat dat three times in de mawnin' befo' yo' go fo' three mawnin's, an' aftah dat third mawnin' dat chew'll be successful in gittin' a iob an' holdin' it as long as yo' kin hold dat.
(You put these magnolia roots into this little bag?)
Yes sir, yo' puts it in dat an' sew it up right wit de salt in de heart- style [bag].