Subject:Salt
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Entry 1944
Well, ah know that chew kin go to the graveyard, yo' understand, an' after yo' go to de graveyard, yo' find a wicked person - a man or woman, yo' see, an' yo' dig down on de left-han' side into dere heart an' yo' git 'bout dat much of dirt. Yo' see de idea. Den yo' have yo' a little salt 'long wit chew, yo' see. Yo' go tuh work an' yo' take dat salt an' yo' put it in dat hole, yo' see, whut chew dug, an' then yo' go tuh work an' yo' take a penny whut chew call a graveyard penny - some of 'em call it. Then yo' go tuh work an' yo take that penny an yo' put that in there, yo see. Den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' cover that up. Yo' go down an' walk roun' to de left an' take de footboard. Yo' takes de footboard an' yo' carries it to de haid. Yo' pull de headboard an' take that back down to de foot, an' yo' stick it back down there yo' see. Then yo' walk away. Now, yo' kin take dat dirt. Yo' goes to de drug sto' an' yo' buys somepin yo' call brimstone. See. Then yo' goes buy - we haven't got it at home, yo' know yo' go buy it to de hardware an' yo' git this black gunpowder. Then yo' carries it on back home. Yo' set down in a off-room to yo'self. Yo' goes tuh work an git chew a dish an' yo' mixes all that stuff together, yo' see. Then yo' stir it lak dis, yo' see. Yo' gits it thoroughly mixed yo' see. Now, if there's anyone that yo' can't git along with, yo' see, an' yo' want 'em tuh go. Well, yo' see yo' got a powder. Or anyone dat yo' wanta work in dere mind yo' see. Yo' have yore powder, yo' see. Well, yo' walk into dere home an' yo' talkin' all de same time, no one noticin' yo' see whut chew got on yo'. Yo' sprinkle dat right ovah de house, if yo' can git into dey home yo' see. Yo' goes tuh work den if yo' can't git into dey home, yo' sprinkle it right round de do'step, yo' see, an' so fo'th. Den dere gone, if yo' havin' any trouble yo' see.
Entry 4349
Well, jis' lak if yuh wants tuh harm a person, yuh see, lak dat, or yuh wanta git dat yuh might got 'em down undah yore feet tuh a certain point. An' yuh take dat hair an' yuh put it in a bot- tle, but chew put in it chamber lye an' salt. An' den yuh stop dat bottle tight, an' den yo' kin bury dat bottle or chunk it in runnin' watah - eithah one of dem things. Dat's whut de story ah got. Well, each one of 'em will harm yuh.
Entry 8100
Ah heer'd dat yo' could take a photograph an' put, place it in de dark, yo' see. Place it in de dark with peppah an' salt. Sprinkle on dis photograph. Wrap it up an' put it in a dark place. Well, yo' say, throw it away an' it would cuz homes tuh be broken up or somepin lak dat. Ah hear'd of dat, too.
Entry 9672
In cookin' an' usin' onion, take de onion an' put salt on it an' put it in de stove. It bring good luck tuh de house. (How do you mean put this onion in the stove?) See, yo' cookin' a pastry or soipin an' yo' use de onion, an' de outah peel yo' cut off de onion. Yo' take dat an' sprinkle salt ovah dat, an' wrap it up in a papah, an' put it in de stove an' burn it.
(What is that supposed to do?)
Bring luck to de house.
(Just any kind of a house?)
Yeah, jes' any house. Don't be any particular house.
Entry 2473
Well, heah whut yo' git - black peppah whut chew cooks wit, whut chew eats wit. Yo'll git dirt dauber nest out de roof de house, yo'll git a little bit of dirt from under yore steps, an' yo'll mix dat an' physic salts. It's a diff'rent one dem salts though from Epsom, but den ah kin tell yo' fur as ah know de salts. Ah don't know - yo' cain't keep up wit de name of 'em, but dere's some salts dey keep right heah in de Kress Ten-Cent Sto' in bags. An' yo'll take some of dat salts an' yo'll take dat dirt dauber nest an' yo'll - now, yo' listen jes' whut ah say now - an' yo'll take a lil piece of bluestone, jes' a lil piece an' yo'll mash all of dat as a powders. See, dirt dauber nest an' black peppah, an' yo'll put them together, yo' see, wit dat little dirt from undah yore steps, an' yo'll mash 'em together an' make a powders of dat. An' all yo' have to do is jes' sprinkle it anywhere roun' yore home an' it will draw dem.
(That'll draw trade?)
Ah mean he gotta come - ah done prove dat.
reported attracting/coming effect without unambiguous trade-only target. Do not convert the claim into exclusively drawing trade/customers or a named person. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 61
Fer protection from a root doctor - yo' already got dat, ain't cha? Dey cain't do nuthin', ah'm telling yo' now, if you keep it on; but chew gotta keep it on yo'. After ah got hurt, ah learnt - see, it come to me through de spirits to do it. You take yo' - dey kin put down anything dey wanta and you kin walk over it and it won't hurt see. You go to de drug store and git chew a nickel's worth of saltpeter and a nickel worth of bluestone and you take them two things. Don't put all it together. Take jest a little pinch of it, take it on a knife, and every time you pick it up say, "In de Name of de Father, Name of de Son, Name of de Holy Ghost."
(Each time you take a pinch on a knife, you say that.)
A pinch on a knife, say it on each one. All right, yo' take yo' some sulphur, take three pinches of that, "In the Name of the Father, Name of the Son, Name of the Holy Ghost." All right, that's three of 'em together - that's sulphur, blue- stone and saltpeter. All right, yo' take dat table salt de same way - you take dat sugar de same way. And then jest take and break yo' three match haids off and name dem de same way, "In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." Sew it up in a little rag, jest a little small thing, and tie it around yore waist [this is a hand] and you kin step over anything, dey can't do nuthin' - dey kin touch chew but dey ain't goin' do nuthin' to yo', dey ain't goin' do nuthin'.
Entry 147
When it start tuh runnin', take some salt an' throw into it while it's a-runnin', ah hear dem say, an' it won't whirl where yo' live no mo'. (Why wouldn't you want it to whirl where you live - why do you make it go away from there?) It's yore enemies. Dey say it's jes' yore enemies - dese ha'nts an' things, yore enemies. Want chure enemies go 'way from dere, throw de salt into it.
Entry 157
When yo' see a whirlwind, if yo's quick enough at it an' yo' have a great 'sponsibility on yo' dat chew cain't git [manage], chew know; yo' run right quick an' git chew some table salt in yore han' an' run right in dat whirlwind whilst it whirlin' up, an' all yore troubles of whatevah yo' thinkin' about, whatevah troubles yo' have, would go 'way with the wind - with that whirlwind.
Entry 198
It was tole to me that a woman took - stole another woman's door key and took it out to de forks of de road and buried it - buried dat key - sprinkle some dat - wrote dat woman's name five times on a piece of paper and sprinkled some salt and cayenne pepper - de pulverized cayenne pepper and dis heah hard ice- cream salt, but chew beat it up - not de fine table salt but ice-cream salt. An' taken dis salt and pepper and put it in dis paper wit dem names on it and put de woman's do' key in dat salt and pepper and rolled it up and jest cussed de woman; jest called her bad names and rolled it up tight and buried it right in de forks of de road. Well, de woman had to walk all on her feet for days, but still an' all de mo' dat key rusted in dat salt de worser de woman got. And when dat key rusted in dat, rust in two, dey tell me dat woman died. Yes sir, gotten rid of her.
Entry 443
I often hear people say a witch will ride yo'. Well, some people say, "Oh, dat's' [fogyism] - all right. So she goes in de room one night an' put her some salt right down by dis boy's bed. All right, an' she takes a little salt an' sprinkle it round, yo' know, at de side of de bed lak right along heah where yo' got'a git in de bed. An' say dis witch come - when dey git on yo', why dey pull off dere skin, yo' know an' git on yo'. See, de witch throwed de skin down on de flo' an' when it throwed it down why it got salt on it. When it jumped back in de skin, why it make a noise - de salt be burning yo' see an' it couldn't git back in de skin. So dey caught dat witch. Said it was a Woman right dere in town. Said dey caught dis lady an' said de white folks got her an' took her out an' burned her. Dat's a real fact. She [who?] tole me about it - dey took her out an' dey said dey burned dis lady.
Entry 446
There was a witch that used to go out every night. She would ride different people. Anyhow, she kept on riding different people. After awhile someone Was smart enough to go to work and ketch up with her. They caught her as she come out of her skin and they sprinkled salt into her skin. And when she came in and goes to work to put her skin on, the salt had drawn her skin up And her words was, "Do witch! Do come! Come on skin!" She couldn't get in her skin and died.
Entry 447
This is a story I used to hear my grandmother tell. There was once an old witch who used to go out every night. So one night she went out and jumped out of her skin and left it hanging on the door. So some of the folks in her house salted it and the next morning she came in late and jumped into her skin and it stung her so she jumped out and say, "Lookee here, old skin, don't you know me?" And she jumped in again and out again and say, "Lookee here, old skin, don't you know me?" So at last it worried her so she died.
Entry 449
It was suppose to happen there home in the country. She was suppose to be a witch. That was years ago. My father used to tell us about it to scare us. I used to be a-scared to look out of the door at night, thought I would see her standing there out of her skin. At a certain time in the evening she would go about what they called witch-riding. Dem days witch-riding is what we call these days stagnation of the blood. Why I said that - when I came out of a operation in the hospital I saw about one thousand cats. The cats just clawed me. I woke up trying to get away from them cats. This witch would get out of her skin and go to somebody's place at night when they were asleep and ride dem. They would see things, just lak dem cats I told you about. She did that every night. Some- body said to find out where she lived and go where she lived and put salt in their skin. They leave their skin behind when dey go out, get right out of it. I don't know how they found out where she lived. When she came back to go into this skin she couldn't get in it. They must never let the light [dawn] catch dem without being in their skin - they will die sure. She couldn't get into the skin and dey say she went down [to the river] and jumped overboard.
Entry 451
I've hear'n about one getting out of his skin and couldn't get back in. That had been going on for a long time. They had been missing some of the food, so they decided they would really watch to see. So this old man came in. They said he commenced to shake and shake like that [twisting his shoulders]. They said they were a-watching of him and they said he got out of his skin. They said he looked to be putting something [grease] on himself. I don't know what he put on. And they said when they came to look at him, sure enough, he pull it off and laid it aside, then he commenced going all over the place and getting ever what he wanted. In the meantime some of them said to put pepper and salt in that skin. They said he couldn't get back in. The last they saw of him he Was saying, "SkinI Skin! Don't you know me?" That's the last they saw of him. Then they left. They were scared to hang around for fear he might do them some harm. That's the end of it as far as I know. I was a small child when I hear'n that. That was seventy years ago [1866].
Entry 452
My grandmother, she knew of a party in this community that were accused of being a witch in her day [during slavery]. And this party always denied it. And they figured up ever' way to trick her. So finally they goes to the stable - this'll sound so unusual, but of course we had to believe it - and they find dat de horse was gone. The horse Was gone and there was her [the witch's] hide. They taken the hide and they put salt and pepper in the hide and that's how they found who the witch was.
Entry 455
(Did you ever hear that story about the old witch that got out of her skin - some old witch got out of her skin or something?) Well, yes, I heerd of dat. They tell me once that a witch used to go through the keyhole, get out and go to riding people. They'd get out of dere skin and they'd turn round in de room and say, "Round about, round about, and out you go. Well, they'd go through de keyhole. And they tell me once that a ole man was laying dere - it was chilly, you know, and he happen to watch dis witch. When she'd get out of her skin, he slips dere and takes salt and pepper and peppered dis skin; you know, filled it full of pepper as he could get it. And after he filled it full of pepper, why dis witch come back and went to get in dis skin, dis skin would burn her. Well, she was running round dere and she was hollering, "Skinny, don't choo know me! Skinny, don't choo know me!" Finally she couldn't stand it to get back in her hide, and finally she died.
Entry 37
[Talking to so-called inanimate objects is a common practice.]
Why, if yo' wanta make people come in a place, yo' jes' take de pot salt an' carry it all round de place an' talk to it, "Ah want chew tuh draw a crowd at mah place." Why, de nex' day or two yo' be successful - be a crowd at dat place.
Entry 450
There was a old witch. She said, "I'm gon'a get out of my skin and when I come back I will get in my skin." She lifted it right off like this [informant demonstrates, putting her hands to her shoulders and taking hold of the skin, lifted it off as she would her nightgown]. If you haven't anybody wise enough, she can go and stir up trouble. One time when she was out of her skin they put salt in it and when she got back she said, "Oop! My skin doesn't know me." She couldn't get in it. She died.
Entry 454
Once upon a time dey said there was an old woman and there was a certain family that was always pestered with what they called nightmares or hags. They called it hags in those days. Some people would get 'em. It seems it would bear on 'em so hard until they would just holler in their sleep. It was called a hag. And so, once upon a time, an old woman came and she said to the other woman, "You know what you do? You sprinkle salt all around your bed and later on you'll find out what that is that's bothering you." So that night the woman sprinkled salt all around her bed. She got in her bed. At the usual hour this thing came and she got all overpowered with it. She jumped up in her sleep and when she jumped up there was a man standing there. And he said, "Skin! skin! You don't know me! Skinl Skin! You don't know me!" So the woman caught him. And it was some man that she knew that was a witch. And he pulled his skin off and laid it down, then torment her. When he got ready to put it back on that night, it had salt on it and he could not put it back on. They said they caught him and tortured him and really destroyed him, because this other witch instructed them how to catch him.
Entry 501
Dey only use a broom in case [what] dey call de hag or some kind of a witchcraft rides yo' at night. Dey takes an' put it 'cross de do' an' - sprinkle lot'a salt on de flo' yo' know an' den take an' put it cross de do'. Dat stops dem from comin' in.
Entry 513
wäl, ah take a horseshoe and wets it - ah dips it in salt water an' ah place dat ovah mah door and each night ah say, "Lord, ah wish dis hag would nevah ride any mo' and ah be jest [left alone]."
Entry 527
Tuh ketch dat thing yo' call a witch - ah've known of 'em tuh ketch dat. Jes' lak if yo' 'custom to have a witch ridin' yo', yo' always have somebody notified. Jes' lak yo' will snore - yo' cain't holler, yo' kin snore, an' when dey ridin' yo', have somebody dere wit de sifter an' a whole lot'a mustard seed. An' no sonner [sooner] den dis witch startin' ridin' yo', dey come right on ovah an' jes' take dat sifter an' jes' lay it ovah dere.
(They do that while you are asleep?)
Take dat an' jes' lay dat ovah yo'. Now, when dey git offa yo', when yo' wake up den, yo'll find dem standin': Dey ate a hole in it an' dat mustard seed went through dat sifter. An' yo' kin git a - or if yo' kin git a silver ball, silver or copper or somepin lak dat, an' de person whosomevah it is dat jumped outa dere skin -
(That person whoever it is will jump out of their skin?)
Dat's right, dey call dat juonpin' out dere skin. An' if yo' see dat thing, don't kill 'em. Yo' kin go an' put some peppah an' salt on it, an' ev'ry time dev jump in dey got'a git right back out. An' dey stay dere lak dat seven or eight hours, trying tuh git in it. De black peppah burns 'em every time - de time dey jump in it.
(And that kills them?)
Yes.
Entry 542
Well, I know a lady one time that was sick from - ah don't know what was de cause of her sickness, but they said that they thought someone was mad at her and they claimed that the witches Was riding her. But what I was just speaking about was here in - this has been 'round about twenty-one years ago. And - oh, the witches would ride 'er nights. A witch got after her one day in the daytime and she described the lady's dress and called de lady's name, and de lady came there to de house that day. She said the man [doctor] told her that he would bring her there to her. And the lady came there and she said this lady had on a blue dress with white round the sleeves - said that she had a real fat wrist. And this lady, we children used to call her butter-wrist. She wasn't neither light nor red; she was a kind of a pumpkin color and we used to call her butter- wrist - her complextion, you know. And so she said this lady was mad with her - see, over a young man. Seems if - she had a niece that, why she had raised, and this young man you know had visited her [the niece] once or twice and he liked this other girl better than he did her, and someone had circulated the news that they were married, going to marry. And this girl [niece] got sick, and then when she began to get better, why then this witch commenced to bother her. And sometimes you could be settin' beside of her bed and you could hear just like someone came in the door, but the door would still be shut. Sometimes the door would shake and the people would say it was the wind. And then you would hear her keeping [imitating?] the noise - see if it would go away. She'd say, "That witch pest is after me," says, "there she go." And so one night we said we were going to stay there and watch - I was always like a little curiosity. So we said we were going to set up and watch for her that night. So they heard 'em say you could hang a sifter over the door, you know, or over your bed, and the witch couldn't bother you because it had to count all those holes, and before they'd get through counting those holes it would be dawn. So we hung the sifter up and then they crossed nine needles and nine pins in the back - said they would stick in her when she come down the back of the fireplace.
(Where did they cross these needles and pins?)
In the back of the fireplace - you know, the fireplace that has the little shoulders, two of them. And you cross them, you see, and they gets hot. And they took a horseshoe and hung up over the door [demonstrates] - see, that will keep evil ones out.
(They hung it with the open part up - I see.)
Yes - see they hangs this horseshoe with the open part up. Say, long as that horseshoe up over the door with the open part up - and we'd taken and got us a box of new cayenne pepper and a box of salt and a box of sulphur, and we mixed that together and put some of that in a thin bag or a piece like mosquito lawn, so it would just set right down over the door, and anyone come in, see, opening the screen door, why that would touch it, you see. Well, they say a witch, you know, doesn't have any skin on, you see, and if that salt and pepper gets on 'em, you see, that will hurt them. And so then we all goes in de room and lays down and we leaves de door open a crack so we could watch her bed, and so we fixes de light out there in her room. And so we takes some Sunday School books - a man told us to take some Sunday School books and Bibles and turn to a certain chapter in de Bible, but have de whole nine chapters - books of de same chapter and lays 'em open - said, and she would come and we could see her in person. Said the person -
(They used nine books?)
Uh-huh - there wouldn't be any way fer her to get on de bed.
(Nine books of what - nine different Bibles?)
Nine Bibles, all the same chapters - see, use those Sunday School books or whatever books you can; little Bible stories that have the same chapter, just like the 15th Chapter of John, you see, or the Psalms. Well, you see, we had difficulty in getting nine Bibles and they used Sunday School books with them. And you take those Sunday School books, and you just lie them down, you see, on de side of de bed and one to the head of de bed and one to de foot and then she takes the Bible, you see, and lies that right 'cross her breast. [Nine Bibles should be used - three on each side of the bed, one at head and foot of bed, and one on the breast; the latter must be a Bible. These nine books are unevenly, odd-numberly placed.] And so, we hadn't just finished fixing that and been in the room more than thirty-five minutes before she says, "Here she is" - says, "here's Miz So-and- So" - says, "here's Miz So-and-So." She said that she made a shadow between her and de light. She says, "Hurry up - she's done blowed out dat light - hurry up and come on out with a lamp - she's done gone and blowed out de light." The lady [aunt] she says, "No, she ain't." "That was her shadow," says [bewitched woman], 'that's her'" - says, "that's her - the light's not out - that's her - she's in between me and the light - ah thought mah light was out." And the door shook again, but we didn't fix but one door, and then she come in the back door. There was two back doors and a shed on the house, and we didn't fix both of those back doors because it usually been the front door, see, where we come in to, the nearer the girl's bed - see, the bed was like there and we fixed the door there, but we didn't fix these two back doors. So, when she went through this door it just shook, and the back door just opened and shut, and we opened the door - opened the inside door and it looked just like looking out through her kitchen door, and it was still so just like we left it.
(Did you see anything at all?)
No, we didn't see anything, but she seen it.
Entry 568
Well, mah husband was runnin' with a woman an' ah didn't know about it. He came - he was in this city an' he came to mah home where he married me an' he brought me ovah heah, an' he moved me not far from dis woman, an' at de time she knew of her affair between he an' her, an' ah didn't. Well, she begin tuh git friendly with me, bringing me diff'rent things to eat, an' a lady tole me that ah stood in danger, an' ah asked what did she mean. She said, "Why dat woman likes yore husband - been liking him fo' about ten-'leven years." An' so ah begin to watch around an' I find out. So pretty soon she begin to work some kind evil spirit in mah home an' ah notice on certain moons mah husband would be very cruel to me an' mah baby. An' so his treatment to me was so cruel tull [till] it arouse mah mother in Bay City, Florida - forty-nine miles below Tampa, an' she begin to have bad dreams about me. She had a dream about me that night that mah brother came to her an' said, "Mother," said, "whut kinda casket [coffin] do yo' want us tuh buy for Janey May." An' she said, "Well, ah want chew to git a brown casket." Well, he goes downtown an' couldn't find one so he comes back an' tells her that he couldn't find a brown one but that he has a gray one. She said, "Ah don't like the gray. So, in her dream she woke up and she sent mah two sisters over here to see whut was wrong with me. So they came over here an' they said, "Mama had bad dreams about chew so we came to see about cha" - to see whut was wrong with me. So they talked with me and they said, "Something's wrong between yo' an' yore husband," said, "yo' better go see someone." So ah came up de way heah on Ninth avenue to Mr. Singleton which is a palmist. He read mah palm an' he tole me that mah husband was vitchcrafted an' de woman did it because she wanted him tuh be cruel to me - he would treat me so mean so ah would leave him. So fin'lly ah left him an' went home - ah vowed ah wouldn't come back tuh him. Ah talked with him to go to Tampa, so he went to Tampa an' the lady tole him the same thing, an' tole him that the stuff was buried under the steps. She tole me to watch close and ah would ketch dis woman because all vitchcraft is usually done at twelve 'clock in de night. An' so ah asked her if ah could dig fo' it. She said if ah would dig fo' it ah wouldn't find it [i!l], but the best thing to do was to go round an' round de house with salt and sulphur. So when ah came back from Tampa that Sunday afternoon ah went round an' round de house with sulphur an' salt. An' so 'bout twelve 'clock dat night mah step-daughter was comin' from de picture show - it was 'xactly twelve an' dis woman was down on her knees in my yard digging holes. Well, mah step-daughter ran ahead and tole me, "Dis ole woman is out heah in de yard digging holes," so ah got up an' run to de do', an' she had run. Well, ah come back to Mr. Singleton, an' ah asked him, ah said, "What was de trouble - what was dat woman out dere fo'?" He say, "She's burying something to make yo' git along bad." An' ah asked him if he could dig it up an' he said, "Yes." An' ah asked him tuh please dig it up. He went out an' he dug up a little hearts cologne bottle - de bottle had a little junk in it - an' he said, "Dis stuff in heah raises lotsa cain." An' ah said, "What do yo' mean by cain?" He said, "Well, it makes yore husband be very cruel to yo' - he loves yuh but he can't treat chew nice because she's got him goin' that way so yo' kin leave him." Ah say, "Well, ah'll not leave him." I says, "If she kin spend her three an' fo' dollars to make him quit me, ah'm goin' tuh spend mine to show her that she can't git him." Ah said, "If she'd come an' ask me fo' him, maybe ah'd give him to her, but if she gon'a work some kinda dirty plan like dat to get 'im, ah'll live tuh see the grass grow on her grave." So, fin'lly, it kept on an' on tull dey tole me ah would have tuh move outa de house ah was in because it was so badly dressed, it would take at least $75 to fix it up so we'd have peace in it. So ah moved in another house an' she fin'lly tricked that one. So ah wrote a letter tuh de Unity School an they wrote me back and tole me -
(Where was this school?)
It's in Kansas City, Missouri. An' so they wrote me back and tole me that they were praying fo' me and that they were very sorry I was havin' such luck. So ah prayed on an' read the 35th Psalm, see, as ah was tole to do, an' ah read it fo' nine mornings. An' so de lady tole me, said, "Yo' continue on tuh read this, that God's will will be done to the person who did yo' this way." So fin'lly, ah kept readin' an' readin', an' readin', an' readin', an' so ah said, "Lawd, look lak yo' will ain't nevah goin' be done" - ah say that in mah mind. So on de last day in May, which is the 30th day of - Decoration Day in May, she got drownded. An' so all de people came around an' said, "Maybe yo'll have peace." Ah said, "Maybe ah'll have peace, after she's gone maybe ah'll have peace." So then, the man tole me about two weeks ago, says, "She's dead, but dat [her] stuff is still livin'." An' ah tole him, ah say, "Ah don't believe yo' kin kill it," I said, "because they usually say when a person dies an' leave that kinda stuff, well, yo' can't git it off." He said, "Well, ah kin take it off," said, "but ah'll have tuh do it dis way," said, "ah'll have to leave it at de [her] grave." He say, "Usually when a person do anything to yo' and they daid," say, "yo' have to take it off an' leave it at de grave," he said, "but if the person livin', why, yo' don't have that to do." He said, "But chure trouble, it has tuh be took off an' left at the grave," he say, "an' ah'll have to go in de grave fo' yo' round fo' 'clock in de morning." An' ah tole him, ah said, "Won't chew be 'fraid tuh go in there?" He said, "No," say, "ah went to the grave on many mornings." He said, "That's mostly how ah ketch people." He said, "Usu'lly, yo' write a letter to a daid person an' take three cents an' lay it on de letter an' when yo' go to de grave- yard, yo' jes' dig a little hole an' stick it in there," said, "when yo' go home yo'll have a dream jes' what plan to do. An' ah asked him how did he know, an' he said he had experience with that, that's how he got so much money for that. So, well, we discussed a lotta things an' he tole me, he said, he wanted me to have some hog husk an' things ready fo' him Tuesday afternoon.
(What?)
Hog husks [tusks]. So we discussed things on an' he tole me, he said, "Yo' husband has lotsa enemies 'cause he's a older man than yo' an' yo's a younger woman than him," an' said, "lotsa men envy him of yo'," an' he said, "ah'm goin' fix him an' put him on his feet but de one thing ah want him tuh do is tuh git me nine hog husks." An' say, "Ah'm gon'a take dem nine hog husks, an' ah'm gon'a git a dime worth of herts perfume an' ah'm gon'a put this dime into some kind of eskit [this is the word = essence? = greasing dime] an' ah want chew tuh swallow it." [See Dime, swallowing, in Index.] He said, "Ah want that dime to remain in yo' body 'leven days."
(How many?)
"Leven. An' he said, "When ah return on de 'leven day," he say, "ah'll remove that dime from yore body." An' he say, "Then ah'll take those hog's husks an' ah'll grind 'em an' ah'll put some mah strong stuff with it." He said, "Then ah want chew to roll it into a cigarette an' smoke it fo' nine mornings, an' each time yo' smoke that cigarette," say, "yo' say these words, say, "let chure work be done Lawd, ' say, "let this bad luck and the evil spell go away an' let me be lak ah once was.'" He said, "Say that fo' nine days," say, "ah'm quite sure that yo' will be on yore feet again." Ah said, "Well, what about dis evil spirit that's bothering me?" He say, "It will even do away with the evil spirit," an' he say, "there's one scripture in de Bible that ah want tell yo' tuh read when ah come back." Say, "Ah want chew tuh read it fo' nine mornings an' ah'm quite sure yo'll be on yore feet."
(Well, what happened then?)
Well, he hasn't come yet - he'll be in Tuesday.
(He hasn't told you what to do yet?)
He hasn't tole me yet. (Well, now, when you get to the end of the story, you come around and tell me again, will you - tell me what he does.) Yes sir.
Entry 577
Wal, ah'll tell yo' a incident 'bout where a cunjuration did good. Ah came heah and ah knew an ole party dat came from out in Ohio somewhere - moved right down in de same place called Hick's Bottom right heah in Richmond. An' those people - a man [old man from Ohio] an' his nephew came an' dey were nice to me when ah wus a boy an' ah nevah fo'got 'em. So when ah went in de Navy an' came back heah agin, why, ah found out that de old man wus very ill, an' mah grandmothah tole me dat de only trouble wit de old man wus dat he believed dat he wus cunjured. An' he stayed in de house, he didn't git any de fresh air, he didn't git any exercise. Now, she say, all he needed wus a bath, some exercise, fresh air an' some good food. So ah went tuh a friend of mine wus in de racket - wus a root doctor an' one thing anothah yo' know." But he knew dat ah'ad onlv but so much belief. vo' know, in it. So, he consented to come an' help de ole man out from it. But ah had tuh work on de old man's superstitions to do him any good. So ah tole him dat ah wus goin' bring him a papa loi - a good cunjure doctor, yo' understand. (A papa loi - it used to be down in Haiti they called them that, a papa loi or a mama loi?) Yeah.
(How did you get that word - have you been down in Haiti?)
Yes - ah been in Haiti but ah've been roun' wit so many West Indians in New Yawk, see, an' we all talk it ovah, yo' know, sometime. An' sometime ah kinda believe mahself, but - ah don' know. Anyway, we'll skip dat. So, dis ole man - we'll omit his name. An' aftah mama, mah grandmothah, tole me whut wus whut, ah talked to dis friend of mine who dabbled in de stuff, an' he say he had de han' an' all dat kinda stuff, see. An' he had a black cat bone himself, see, tied aroun' his neck. But, anyway, he goes tuh de ole man an' de ole man had confidence in me, so he put hisself in de han's of dis man - see, dis cunjure doctor. So when ah explain to dis cunjure doctor jes' whut wus whut.
(Did you tell the cunjure doctor that he wasn't hurt or that he was?)
Ah tole him jes' whut wus whut. Well, he tole me dat he wus goin' take de spell off him. Dis cunjure doctor had a gourd - yo' know whut a gourd is, a small gourd - dat yo' use tuh drink outa, but a small one. He had put a hole in his gourd an' he had put in dis gourd, woodbugs an' worms an' things lak dat, an' he sealed it back up again. Well, he tole de ole man dat he had tuh have a tub of hot watah, twelve 'clock at night but not at de full moon - when de moon wus goin' off. Well, dat's when yo' git de fifth moon - de [something?] moon. [His fifth moon = dark of the moon, the few days interval between full and new moon.] So he had tuh have dis hot watah at midnight an' it must be midnight when de Cycle is changin' - well, ever' man know whut a cycle means - an' dat he had tuh have moon soap: In dose days yo' sold soap called moon soap, but it jes dat Octagon soap [trade name] dat had a [picture of the] moon on it. An' it didn't have a full moon either - it had a moon jes' about de size of a moon when it's fulla watah. [Evidently I comment "a crescent while my machine is stopped.] Dat's it - a crescent. So, he had tuh have this soap. So, in de meantime he gits a pastebo'd pillbox - dat is de cunjure doctor - an' he puts a few grubworms an' bugs in dere, an' rock salt, an' so forth, an' he puts that in his pocket. Well, at sharp twelve a'clock he puts de ole man in de tin tub, yo' know, a regular washtub. See. An' he begin tuh give de ole man a bath. Well, plenty dirt wus comin' off. So, in de meantime, he put de gourd on de table. He puts his pipe near de gourd. So, he says, "Spirits, tell me, hokus-pocus or some kinda words or ritual he used, yo' know, an' he grabbed de ole man an' he pinch him [see Pinch in Index] - pinched de ole man. He says, Have ah got im, have ah got 'im, spirits, have ah got 'im?" But in de meantime he push his pipe close up tuh de gourd. Well, de heat from his pipe goes tuh de gourd an' dat makes de worms move - de heat makes de worms move. Well, de gourd would move. Well, den, de ole man's eyes would git big as dat [demonstrates with his eyes] yo' know. When he see de gourd he figured de spirits wus in dat gourd showin' off. Well, when he pinch him an' do dat, an' de gourd roll, he would reach in his pocket an' drop in de tub a bug or a worm, see. Well, he kept dat up - see, continuously an' he give de ole man a hot bath. He give him a good rubdown. It wus whut de ole man really needed, ah guess. He tole de ole man not to empty that tub until de sun wus directly ovahhead de next day, an' he wus tuh keep it covered, an' when he empty it out, empty it out so he see it an' he would see jes' whut was in it, that he had re'lly gotten it out of him. An' he tole de ole man dat he wus bein' hoodooed, yo' understan', between de hours of five an' six a'clock, an' fo' him tuh git out ever' mawnin' at quarter tuh five, so dat when dis cunjure person dat wus puttin' dis trick on 'im - when he sprinkle down dis goofer dust so it wud make him have itchin' fut an' run hisself tuh death - see, so dat he wouldn't be dere [in the house] an' it wouldn't work on 'im. An' then [after six o'clock when he reentered the house] he could keep his do' open. [See subsection Time.] So de next day at twelve noon when de sun wus ovahhead, de ole man empties his tub an' he finds dis rock salt, worms - grubworms an' bugs, an' de ole man swoah [swore] dat dis cunjure doctor had taken de spell off him. So de ole man would take his bath - he tole him tuh take his bath every Sunday befo' de week change, befo' de Sabbath change into de workday. De ole man had so much belief, he followed dem instructions. Every mawnin' at quartah tuh five yo' would fin' dat ole man goin' up de railroad track, walkin' - an' he wus supposed tuh walk out into de country. An' he'd git back at six a'clock. Den, whoevah wus sprinklin' dis goofer dust down fo' him, see, wouldn't harm him. Dat ole man followed those instructions - an' he wus tole not tuh eat any fried food, see - nuthin' but boiled food - dat de steam an' de moisture would carry 'way all de goofer dust an' cunjure an' so forth - de steam would carry it away - nuthin' but boiled food. An' dat ole man followed dem instructions an' when ah came through heah five yeahs latah, he wus workin' in de Tredical works where dey handle iron.
(Where was he working?)
In de Treadical works - Treadical[?] Iron Works, an' dat jes' build him up by havin' de belief an' confidence. Now, dat's a incidence where it did good. Dere's one ah fo'got tuh tell while ah wus tellin' dis. Now, yo' want me tuh tell vo' dat about it?
[I probably nodded, yes.]
He wus told - he made de ole man trim his corns an' trim his toenails. He tole him tuh keep his toenails short because de goofer dust would git undah his toenails an' it wus harder an' cost him mo' to git it out - to git de spell off him if it got undah his toenails. An' dat ole man followed those instructions. Of co'se, de ole man had tuh give him money - see, he had tuh give him money. An' ah think de ole man give him a coupla dollahs, but it wus bettah den a doctor's prescription.
Entry 587
(This is the lucky hand you say - and how is that made?)
It made with peppah an' salt an' a penny or a dime.
(A penny or a dime?)
Yes - an' sew it up in a piece of red flannel. An' dere's a string left to it an' when yo' git ready to - fo' anything to happen in yore favor, you hold it by de string lak dat an' talk to it. An' when yo' git ready tuh go 'way, yo' say, "When ah git ready tuh leave heah - when ah git ready tuh leave dis country, ah hope ah nevah come back."
(That thing will revolve?)
If yo' de nerve tuh go. When it stops, den yo' go. Well, ah tried dat once mahself - ah heard it an' ah tried it.
(What do they call that little bag?)
Dey call dat a lucky hand.
(You ask questions of it?)
Yeah. An' hit goes certain ways, an' whatevah it says, yo' do.
Entry 600
Mah husband, he wus witchcraft heah a little before Christmas, an' when he begin, he begin as a chills-an'-fevah. An' course I didn't know, you know, right then [that he was witchcraft] an' I had de doctor - de medical doctor. They say he had the flu. An' so he wusn't whut you call real, you know, sick like a medical doctor, you know. The medicine he give 'im - he give 'im medicine an' it didn't seem to do him no good. So his mind led 'im that he knew it wusn't pure sickness. So I had my fortune told an' it [her husband's sickness] wusn't pure natural. [This is diagnosis by proxy.] So they fixed 'im - a root doctor fixed him some medicine. An' it holp him, too; but you see, jis' like they put somepin down for yah, all the medicine you take it won't cure you. So I had someone to come to pick it up. I don't know exac'ly whut it wus, but it wus down under the - kin'a in the south part of the house an' right in the middle, jis' like you walk over it. An' this filth, of course you have to step in it. An' they taken it up, an' after takin' it up, you know, they kill it. They kill it with salt. An' then I had to - after takin' it up they put salt on it, wash it off, an' put it in a paper an' let it dry. Then I had to take it an' put lye, an' sulphur, red pepper an' gunpowder, put it in a quart cup an' put a quart of water in it an' boil it airy bit of the water out it, right dry, an' then take an' care [carry] it to a runnin' water an', you know, put it in. That's called, that's turnin' back on the one that did it.
(What was this stuff that you found?)
I didn't look in it becuz I wus kin'a scared. It wus a package. One wus a package an' one's a bottle. I had taken 'im to de hospital, you see. Of course I didn't know it [was witchcraft]. The same day I taken 'im hospital, that's the day I had it taken up. An' the one take it up says he'd find some relief in twenty-four hours, but not till it wus taken up.
Entry 705
Yo' take graveyard dirt - go git de dirt off a sinner's grave an' git it right off his heart lak dat, an' take red peppah an' sulphah an' bread salt, an' put all those togethah an' sew that up into red flannel an' lay it away in de yard, in de east corner of de yard. [This is a hand.] Dat will do de work fo' dat. Dat will kill 'em or run 'em away, either one. Or dey kin take, if yo' hurt, an' dat.will cure it. Take that an' make a tea out of it an' let 'em drink that, an' that will cure 'em. (Anybody that has been tricked, you mean - cunjured? You take all this and make a tea out of it? You take the graveyard dirt - everything?) Yes, make a tea of it. If yo' got things in yore well, that will kill 'em.
(You use that to kill live things in the water in the well?)
Yes, jes' lak dey wus in mah well. Ah come home back to mah house. An' mah well, I jes' had it clean out an' dere wus Wigglers [in it again]. Ever' wiggler dere wus dat long - big as mah fingah an' jes' as thick in de watah, jes' as thick as dey could be. Yo' could heah 'em poppin' jes' lak dat - clak-clak. An yo' couldn't even see 'em. An' dat wus tuh kill me.
(Someone put them in there?)
Yeah, a doctor put 'em in dere tuh kill me.
(Did he put the live ones in?)
Yeah, he put 'em in dere an' dey come alive. He put de dust in dere an' dey come alive. But ah have sense enough to know how tuh kill dem.
(What did you do?)
Ah went an' got dat same dust whut yo' heah me talkin' 'bout from de graveyard offen a sinner's grave. An' ah come back dere an' ah put dat sulphah an' dat red peppah togethah an' tied it up in a new piece of cloth an' ah dropped it down in de bottom of dat well. Dey wus daid in two hours.
(That killed them out?)
Yeah, dat killed 'em.
Entry 711
Jes' lak somebody's got a snake or a frog in dey foot, somepin lak dat, yo' go to a stockyard an' yo' git chew a cow dat's jes' dropped manure. Pick it up in a shovel an' carry it home an' git chew fo'teen pods of red peppah - red peppah. Then yo' git chew thirteen pods of green peppah befo' it turns red. Yo' set down an' cut it up in round pieces in dat fertilizer. Yo' put three han'ful of table salt in dere - cookin' salt. Yo' put it on a fiah an' put yo' a quart, from a quart to a half a gallon of watah in dere an' boil it. Yo' git yo' a fiannel rag an' place dat roun' dat person's foot an' whut's in dat feet is comin' out in two day's time. But chew must put it on there hot an' yo' change it three times a day - mawnin', noon an' night. An' if it's a frog in dere or snake, it's comin' out.
[Informant now tells how the snake or frog was put in the person's foot.]
When yo' git 'em that way, ah tell yo' whut chew do. Say, fo' instance, yo' take a person's name an' yo' take de size - de numbah of de shoe dat he wears an' yo' write that on a aig, a fresh yard aig - it matters [not] whut kinda aig it is, jes' so it's fresh. It's got'a be a yard aig, though. Write that on there. Yo' take that an' carry it an' bury it undah dere front steps. If dey got a front po'ch, bury it undah de front po'ch, if dey ain't got no steps. An' when that begin tuh form in that aig - when that aig begin tuh form, den it will begin tuh form in yore instep or your feet. Dat de onliest place it's gon'a be, is right on de instep right in heah. It'll begin tuh form there. When it grows tuh be de full length of that aig, it's in yore feet de same way.
(You put something in that egg did you say?)
Jes' write dey name on dere, whut chew want, an' yo' must bury dat aig - bury it in somepin that it ain't gon'a rotten, lak a fruit jar. Yo' see, yo' take a rubbah - same lak yore wife put up fruit, put rubbers on the jars. Yo' put that aig down in there. See, it don't break it - put it down in there nice an' put the name on there whut chew want. See. Then yo' put the top on it an' go to these person's house - if yo' cain't git in there, pay somebody to do it - an' dig a hole an' put dat down dere an' cover it up an' level it off good. An' when dat frog or dat snake begins tuh form in dat aig, it will form in yore foot, de same way. Well now, de onliest way dat chew kin git rid of that, if de doctah don't operate on yo', is to take dat fertilizer - dat cow fertilizer. (What would you write on that egg, for example? Suppose you wanted to do that to me. What would you write on that egg?) Well, ah would try an' git chure name - jes' git chure name an' says, "Perform in his instep, right or left feet, frog or snake or lizard." See, den ah plant it down dere. But it's got'a be a fresh aig - matters [not] whut kinda hen it come from, but it's got'a be a fresh yard aig.
Entry 735
A man dat workin' cunjures an' things lak dat, up in mah country, dey take an' go an' git some peppah, sulphur, salt, an' goes in de woods an'gits a root dey calls de Friendly John - ah knows it, Friendly John. Yo' go in de woods - it grows on a ridge on a hill.- Yo' go git dat Friendly John an' break yo' off about six limbs of it. Make no diff'rence if yo' git de root of it or not - break off, git de limbs of it an' break off six of 'em an' mix 'em together an' carry dem in yore pockets or anything lak dat. An' yo' kin put some of that devil's-shoestring with that, if yo' want to, an' yo'll go fo' twelve months lak dat an' yo' kin jes' go ahead an' tear down anywhere yo' want to - yo' got a arm, whut chew call a goofer bag or a hand. Yo' got a strong one, yo' understand. Ah bought one one time.
(If you want to do any cunjuring work, that's strong?)
Dat's strong.
Entry 760
I've heerd mah mothah say dat you'd take some salt an' pepper sometime, then you could take an' mix it up with some sand, sprinkle it acrost de road, you know, an' cross it up [make a cross with it]. She say if'en you step acrost it, why it would cripple yeh.
Entry 764
Den if you wanta turn anybody around, keep 'em from coming in yore premises any way, take in de road an' makes a round ring like a wheel an' cross it; make two crosses in it like a wheel - dat make like a spoke in de wheel, an' take yo' some salt an' sulphah an' put in each one of dem places, each one of dem places where hit in de round of de wheel. Yo' see, jes' drop a little piece in each wheel - dat be about fo' places in de wheel yo' have [only one cross made in circle], an' dat will turn'em round, yo' see.
Entry 780
Well, you see, mah husband, he wus a kinda like dis he wus jealous of me; and he wanted to run aroun' hisself, but always, if I even smiled at a man, he wanted to 'cuse me out wid dat man. And so he come to me and he'd beat me and he'd abuse me, he wouldn't - it seemed like he jis' didn't care. I tole 'im I was gon'a leave 'im and I mean' it. And he saw me talkin' to a fortune-teller man dat come to de house one day, and he sayed, "Whu' yah doin', gittin' yore fortune told?" I say, "No," I say, "he jis' come dere and wanted money for him to tell my fortune," I sayed, 'but I didn't," I sayed, '''cause I didn't have de money." I jis' tole 'im dat. So - and it went on like dat, he kept seein' de man dere. But one day he had a talk with de man. So de fortune-teller man, he would tell 'im whut he wanted to know and tell me de same t'ing: He seem to tell Bernice about me and tell me about Bernice; see, jis' breakin' peace.
(Just working one against the other.)
Yes sir. He wouldn't care, jis' so he gittin' de money - he wouldn't care. He'd tell on you jis' as quick as he would on me, and he'd tell you about me as quick as he would tell me about choo. And he tole me dat de best t ing for me to do - he said, to put a little salt and sulphah in mah shoe, and to get away from Bernice as quick as I could. And he tole Bernice sumepin 'nother. But anyhow, Bernice startin' gittin' meaner and meaner. And he must of tole 'im sumepin 'nother to do to make me stay wit 'im, aftah he saw I wus gon'a leave 'im, becuz one day he came home he gave me a quarter - I tole 'im I wanted to go to a show. He say, "Well, '' he say, "take dat, a nickel of it and git me a box of powdered sage." Dat's whut he tole me to do. And I thought it was sumepin mighty funny, becuz he had never ast de sage befo'. So when de fortune-teller man come back I tole 'im. And he say, "Joo git dis sage," he sayed, "but don' choo give it to 'im." And he said to take dis sage and a raw sweet patatah. He sayed, "Cut de sweet patatah in half and scrape some out of both sides de sweet patatah and put it on a little piece of papah, and put a pinch of dis sage in dere and a pinch of sulphah, and wrap it up and put it in de middle of your shoe, on both of 'em." I cut de patatah in half, den de piece heah, I scrape it and put it [the scrapings] in a piece of papah, den I puts some sulphah in dere and some sage, and I fold dat up and put it in one shoe; while off de othah side of de patatah, I do de same t'ing and put it in mah othah shoe. And I did dat.
(What did you do to the sweet potato?)
You throw it away. You mustn't eat any of it or nothin'. You have to bury it or eithah throw it away where nobody can find it. And so I did dat. And Bernice ast me did I get de sage. I say, "No," I say, ''and that isn't all," I say, "I'm not gon'a get it," I say, "becuz you're not gon'a be able to fix me," I say, "if I can help it." He sayes, "Huh, I wasn't gon'a fix yah." And so dat night I picked 'im.
(Started a quarrel with him.)
When he came home I picked 'im. I sayed, "Bernice, you played up nice to me," so he would tell me, becuz I know if I picked 'im I could git anyt'ing I wanted out of 'im. And he tole me. He sayed dat de man tole 'im to git some of mah hair and some sage and some sulphah and some dirt out de graveyard, and mix all of it up in a box, he sayed, and carry dat in his pocket and dat would make me stay wit 'im; you see, cuz he'd have some of my hair and some dirt from de grave- yard and a piece of lodestone. He tole 'im to git 'im a little tiny piece of lodestone and - lodestone is suppose to draw yeh - he say dat would make me stay wit 'im, jes' draw me to 'im. He wouldn't tell me who tole 'im dough [though]. And I tole de man [fortune-teller] about it and he played like he didn't know nuthin' about it. Well, he tole me to take some of mah hair, and take some dirt out of Bernice's tracks, out of both of his tracks, and put 'em in a can, and some sulphah and some sage, he sayed, and to keep dat with me. And he tole me to take some salt and sprinkle it all aroun' mah baid and put some in mah shoe and keep it in mah shoe. And I did dat and I certainly have got along good since I've been doin' dat.
(How long ago did this happen?)
Jis' about two months ago [December 1936].
(Are you still with your husband?)
No, sir.
(You were able to get away from him?)
Yes, sir. And another thing. He tole me dat if I didn't make mah get-a-way from Bernice - he tole me dis on a Sunday night - he tole me if I didn't make mah get-a-way from Bernice by Wednesday, he sayed dat Bernice wus gon'a kill me. And he saw Bernice right up de street dat same Sunday night and tole Bernice dat I wus gon'a leave 'im by Wednesday. And Bernice came right on back and tole me. He sayes, "Make your break Wednesday night if you wanna," he say, "I'll see yah in hell first." Dat's whut he tole me. And so dat Monday I lef' while Bernice was workin'. I lef' becuz I know dat all dat Wednesday he would be watchin'. And he kep' comin' back by de house, even on Monday, to see was I goin', but I managed to slip away. I haven't been back wit 'im since.
(Did he come after you, after you left?)
Oh, yes sir. He tried his best to get me to go back but I'm not. And I wear salt in mah shoe now to keep 'im from harmin' me. [The informant, a girl about 18, had just related the childhood experience given elsewhere.]
Entry 857
Ah know a fellah, he was going with the same girl another fellah was goin' with and they was good pals. Well, dis girl she likeded dis fellah cause he had curly hair. See, de other fellah, she liked him a little bit but his hair wasn't as good as the other fellah's; and she re'lly said that if his hair was as good as the other fellah's, she'd like him. So dis fellah he went to a ole Indian woman [colored woman wearing a turban?] heah at Palm Beach and she told him that if he would take salt, sprinkle it all over that man head while he asleep or somepin at night fer at least a week - said dat dat man hair would grad'lly fall out. And he tried it and de fellah's hair re'lly fell out. [For person wearing turban, see Doctor English.]
Entry 878
[As the preceding examples indicate, the first part of a hoodoo consul- tation concerns time: either You came to me just in time or You came too late - depending upon whether the doctor thought his cure would succeed or fail. We now come to the second part of the consultation, which is always something like: You're on your way to the graveyard!1 He lived over on the same farm that I was raised on - I left there when I was four years old - and he claimed that he was one of these high fellahs [usually high man = root doctor or cunjureman on the Eastern Shore]. So he got his name out here as being one of those high fellahs. So he fixed the path between his house and our path, our house rather, and fixed this path up like he wanted it. In fact, he got himself a spool and he made some holes in this spool just about the size of a needle point. He takes these needles and he puts 'em down in here. And he goes and gits himself some muratic [muriatic] acid [commercial name for hydrochloric acid]. He bores [small holes] in the bottom of this bottle and lets the points of these needles go through this spool just where they could touch this acid. Well, the needle would stick up just above de earth where these barefooted folks walked. ["The heads of the needles touched the acid and the points stuck up above the ground" - my note made at the time of my transcription, a few days after story collected.] And then, naturally, when a man come along and stepped on one of these spools with his bare foot, you know what took place, with that muratic acid through that needle in his flesh. ["The acid is supposed to go through the length of the solid needle" - my note at time of my transcription.] And in two or three days time this man would be all swelled up and dey didn't know what was the trouble. Now, they had to send for him. [No high man, even a stupid one, would have used such a crude trick as exposed needles in a path. This piece of gossip is merely one of many versions of the buried-needle theme - a pain or swelling in foot or leg comes from walking over a buried needle. However, a person does not step on an exposed needle point; contact between needle and flesh is magical. Originally the buried needle was a buried root (see No. 718, p.239). The author or editor of our story has heard of hypodermic needle but he does not know that it is hollow. How he thought acid could flow through a solid needle I am unable to say.] He'd come around and tell 'em, 'There's first, one thing buried here around this post." Said, "I don't wonder tha' chew being swelled up - no, I don't." He says, "Man, you got somepin awful around your house here. I kin move it. I know right where it is and I kin take it away from here. Well, naturally, you want that thing taken away. You all swelled up there and didn't know what de trouble was. He'd go to work and he'd come there, and he'd git a bottle of hair, needles and pins, first one thing and then another, and bring it in the house, open this bottle, and there you'd find all this stuff. He said, "Man, you're ruined, you ruined for life. You've got to be worked on and worked on quick." And he just gone there and took those few needles up in the earth there, see [those he was supposed to have buried], and he'd know just what to do, you know, to cut that acid from hurtin' yeh or burnin' yeh to death. And you'd pay him your money. And the first thing, you know, he'd go in the pound [cattle enclosure] and git a ole dumplin' of cow dung, you know, and fix it up. And go out and git hisself a few leaves of ole field mullein and elder roots, and boil all of that stuff up together. Then he'd put that on a fire and boil it up, and put some rock salt in there and a little table salt, fix it up, in a few minutes have your feet in there up to your knees. And you sit there now until he tell yeh to get up in a certain length of time.
Entry 900
Dey did it with mah brothah. Well, dey took one of de dead bones out of it, out of de dead person rib - de last rib on de left side. An' dey cut dat rib into three parts an' make it as near like a cross, see, an' den wrap it an' sew it into a piece of cloth, red flannen, an' den dey put black peppah, salt an' graveyard dirt in that, an' bury it right at de front steps, as yo' come out. That'll cause yo to go crazy, hate everybody dat near yo' would care fo' yo' - would like anybody dat hate yo', an' de people dat care fo' yo' dey can't come near yo', an' finally yo'll die. Well, it be a short death, 'cause he didn't live ovah one week an' fo' days - mah next oldest brothah. An' dis man dug it up an' showed it to us, an' he said it wus de last rib of a man an' wus cut into three parts - 'cause we looked at it. It placed in a little small three-cent cream can - was in dat an' buried undah de steps.
Entry 1061
Take some black peppah, salt an' sulphur an' mix it together, an' if they comes about chure house to harm yo' - come in, yo' know - sprinkle it on de floor an' sweep it. An' when dey come in an' go out, sweep de whole thing out an' that will stop dem from comin' dere an' cut off dere prosperity towards hurtin' yo.
Entry 1106
A good many of 'em use assafitidee and pepper and salt and dey put it in a little bag around dere neck and dat supposed to keep 'em from hurtin' you, too. They put all these things together in this bag. Dey sew it up in dere and put it around dere neck.
(I see. Any kind of a colored bag or any kind of cloth?)
Yeah, a yellow homespun bag. It have to be a yellow homespun an' it has to be new.
Entry 1115
Ah heard dat chew could take graveyard dirt offa a baby's grave an' it would drive away evil spirits. But chew would have to mix dis dirt wit salt an' gunpowders an' it's a perfume yo' git outa de drug sto' - dey call it a - it's a violet perfume dat chew git out de drug sto'. You mix dat together. [Violets are a graveyard flower: Some people say that the unusually large and beautiful violets which the children used to love to gather around the old deserted Seaman property [at Fourteenth and Main Street [[Quincy, Illinois]], but no longer deserted] were unusually beautiful because years and years ago there was a cemetery there, and the graves having fallen into abandon, neglected by any relatives and friends, that the spirits of the dead cultivated the natural flowers for their own sake, and that any that were plucked and taken away immed- iately wilted and died, so that finally none but children ever ventured to pick them. (FACI, 1st ed., No. 10368, p.595; 2ed., No. 15238, p.703.)]
Entry 1171
A fresh aig an' git to de middle of dem steps an' dig yo' a hole an' turn de sharp end of it up an' cover it up wit salt - cover it up an' all de roots an' things dey put down can't hurt me. Dat fresh aig an' salt sucks it all up.
Entry 1200
Well, ah know de woman. Once dey had a woman fren', supposed to be, an' she wus jealous of her an' de boy fren'. So in comin' to dis woman's house she tried to break 'em up by talkin' to her an' she couldn't. So den she dressed de do'knob, dressed her do'knob fo' dis woman. An' dis woman dat wus dressed, it started from one finger as a red spot an' den dis red spot grew cross from finger to finger, every finger excepting de thumb. So dis woman's han' swole clean down to dis finger, an' got to de place where she couldn't open it, couldn't git it up ovah her haid, an' she re'lly didn't know whut tuh do. She did things an' did things an' fin'lly she wus told to git her chamber lye an' to put fresh salt in it an' to wash de do'knob with it, an' it would turn white, an' to do dat fo' nine days. An' den she tole 'er to go to a cow lot an' git dis hot passage from de cow an' put a plaster in her han' dat night an' de nex' mawnin' her han' would be as white as a piece of cloth, an' it would rid her of ever'thing. An' she did dat an' dat cured it. (She wiped off that doorknob each day for nine days. She didn't put any chamber lye on her hand or anything?) No - jes' de do'knob.
(All she put on her hand was this cow manure?)
Dat's it - one time. [For interesting story of cow manure on head, see No.967, p.362.]
Entry 1204
Take a crab or anything like that - you just done heard people say - which you could parch. You parch their shell, you know, just like you'd ketch a live crab and you burn him. You burn a live crab and after you burn him down to dust, you take some hot water and sugar - like if you was crossed. If you know that people have got you crossed, that you can't be successful or nothing, you're starving, you take that crab, the whole crab, and you put him down in the fire and you parch him there, but have it where that you could get all that dust from him. Well, you get this crab and you get you some sugar and hot water, and you crumble that crab down in that. You pours your cayenne pepper down in there with your salt. You take that crab dust that you burned off, and you get down in that water and you stay in that water. You bathe from the mole [mold] of your head - just like this here [demonstrates] - just like I would take water with my hand - just like taking water with your hand - don't use no towels or nothing - just with your necked [naked] hand like that. See. Take it and you wash all over with that. Then, after you get out of there, you take this here crab shell what you done parched down to dust ~ take some sugar in with it - and you rub your hands and everything like that - come on down with it just the way you bathe [this is a dry bath] and nobody couldn't do you no harm or nothing. [This is a reversing rite - a crab moving backwards, here uncrosses the cross.]
Entry 1218
If anybody's tryin' tuh harm yo' - 'specially if it's round yore neighborhood roun' dere - jes' git some of de graveyard dirt an' fix it up, an' fix de dauber nest an' de graveyard dirt an' de cookin' salt an' de sulphur undah de steps - or take a aig -
(What are you doing that for now?)
Put it up undah de step an' run dem away - keep dem from harmin' yo'. [For dirt dauber protection and health, see Tomb of the Babe of Bethlehem in Interview section.]
Entry 1270
I've heard they use a frog, but it must be a toadfrog. You know what a toadfrog is?
(No, what is a toadfrog?)
Well, he's a thing he abides on dry land. He's not a water animal. Course he kin swim but he abides on dry land, see. And now, I've heard that you gets the toadfrog but you don't get him dead - don't let him be dead. You wants to let the toadfrog be alive and when you get him, you take him and you puts him - well, you may have you a little box made. You put him in this box and you go get you some salt and you sprinkle that on him. You goes and you gets you some baking powder and you sprinkle that over him, and after you sprinkle that over this frog you don't want - don't kill him, you may be hurt. You bind this frog to the place where you hurted and just leave him lie there, see, with that pepper and baking powder on him, but brang him to the place where you hurted, and in seven days that place will come to a head and whatever in that place it will run out. Where doctors have failed to do you any good, well, that frog will kill it.
Entry 1273
Dey tell me dat yo' kin take a frog an' wrop him up in a silk pocket han'chief an' take jes' dis common bread an' salt. Give him de bread an' put salt in yore shoes, an' have dis frog in yore pocket han'chief an' wear him dere in yore pockets, an' yo' kin walk ovah anything dat dey put down fo' yo' an' it's no harm dey kin do.
(This frog, do you keep it alive?)
Yes.
Entry 1291
If a person have done yo' a little wrong an' yo' have a pain or somepin about chew - see, if anybody have done yo' wrong, why yo' git garlic and beat it up with a little salt an' wear it in yore shoes, an' den it cain't take no 'ffect on yo'.
Entry 1303
Well, heahs another good one. Now, it's sech things as evil spirits. If a person luck have been taken away - now, dis is something dat most people dey don't know but it's true. If a fellah's luck have been crossed any way through de witchcraft way, it doesn't make any diff'rent if he's sick or a spell's been cast on him. Yo' kin take a simple thing which is gourd. Yo' take dat gourd an' yo' break it up an' put it into a pot containing saltpeter, sulphur an' salt - cooking salt an' yo' boil dat good. Then yo' take a bath with that. The person take a bath with it but dey don't bathe up - dey bathe down, see. An' after he finish dat, den he takes it to de rivah an' he throw it near de middle of de channel in a running stream of watah, an' dat relieve dat person of dat spell, whatsomevah that may be - crossing of luck or anything, sickness or anything.
Entry 1330
Heah's another one - this is important an' this is worth a heap, too, because this is true. In de event yo' say, now if a person had turnt a - cast some evil spell upon a person, dey was undah dere spell. Dis is a sure Way of dem turnin' dat spell, breaking dat spell an' turning it back to de one whomsomevah did it. Yo' take then - let him take about a cup or two cups of meal, make him a small hoecake of bread which we say. But he makes that up using a level cupful of salt an' his own chamber lye. He gits white homespun an' lay that - take away all the ashes out de fireplace an' he lay dat homespun down first an' he jest pat - put's dat bread down in dere an' he pads [pats] it out down dere see, after he's mixed it up, an' he turns dat - has it long enough that he folds that cloth back ovah, jest towards de chimley: An' that turn that back an' burns it until it all burn up. An' den dat turns dat same spell back to de person whosomevah did it. [The baker cleans a place on the hearth by removing ashes, lays a piece of white (unbleached) homespun on the cleaned place, spreads or pats out his hoecake on the homespun, has the homespun long enough so that by lifting up the outer edge and bending it back towards the chimney the hoecake is turned completely over towards the chimney.]
(Where did you hear that?)
Well, ah got dat from a ole master craftman.
(It sounds old.)
Yes, sir. Well, it's not so old but dat's de truth.
Entry 1349
Ah want tell yuh dis. Ah got hurt oncest in mah feet so ah couldn't walk. Ah got dese doctors aroun' heah and dey all of 'em say diff'rent things. You know what called to me to do? Yo' know what a jimson weed is? (Yes, I know what it is.) It got cockleburs stuck on it. Pull up de whole jimson weed, put it in a pot and boil it, put a handful of table salt in it, a handful of red peppah, and you suppose to jest bath in it - see, jest as hot as you kin bear it. But ah was in such a bad fix that I drunk a teaspoonful of it before ah went to bed that night. An' ah was [had been] down fer about eight months - ah couldn't walk - an' de next mawnin' ah hit de floor fo' mawning [could stand up and walk]. An' after ah did it, ah talked wit a old experiment [experienced] root doctor and he tole dat would kill any kind of poison. [Presumably informant took bath before drinking tea. See jimson-weed bath, No. 1075, p.405.]
Entry 1358
Yo' would go ahead an' yo' would git chew some John de Conker an' yo' would git chew some salt an' yo' would git chew some peppah an' yo' would git chew some sage or somepin, an' put it in a bag an' tie it roun' yore waist - sew it around yore waist.
(They couldn't harm me?)
Couldn't harm yo'.
Entry 1376
Yo' git yo' a little bit of saltpeter and a little table salt and a little tiny bit of lodestone and yo' put dat together. Git yo' a piece of red flannel - jes' a red little shallow cloth like, and roll it up in a piece of red flannel and make a knot out of it, and you take that flannel and yo' take you a string and tie it and wear it around yore waist. And yo' take that thing and yo' reduce [feed] that thing with Hearts Cologne fer nine days, and den that breaks it up - dey can't come dere.
(What can't?)
If dey tryin' do somepin to yuh - keep it away.
Entry 1380
Ah heard 'em tell of - say if anybody got poisoned or put down anything fo' yo' an' yo' don't wanta move, yo' jes' git chew two ten-cent can of potash, Red Devil Iye, an' at twelve a'clock in de night yo' dig a hole as deep as yore elbow - measure yore hand all down - gotta do it exactly at twelve though. An yo' bury a can of dat potash an' git chew a brand-new box of cookin' salt.
(Where do you bury that potash?)
Tuh de gate - between de gate an' de steps, at twelve a'clock in de night.
(That's just one can?)
Yo' put one can dere an' a fresh box of salt whut chew have nevah nused any of it.... Yo' dig dat hole an' yo' put dat potash down in dere an' po' dat cookin' salt, de whole box, on top of it tuh yore front an' yore back. Ah don't care whut it is dey put down round dere, dat potash will eat it up. It can't hurt chew - can't harm yo'.
Entry 1411
Then I seed a woman taking a frog from a woman. She got some peach tree leaves and she boiled them until they was real, real strong, and then she'd taken table salt and put in it and saltpeter and bathed her. And she put twenty drops of turpentine in that and give her a dose of castor oil behind it and it passed through her. (Now, what did she make to wash her with? And what did she give her to take inside, now?) Peach tree leaves - just an ordinary peach tree. Well, she just got those leaves and she boiled them until they were real, real, real strong; and then after you know, she got 'em boiled clean and cooled out, she put twenty drops of turpentine in it, and she put so much saltpeter in it and table salt. Did you understand me? [I was supposed to be somewhat deaf - for recording purposes.]
(I understand.)
Then she bathed her with it and also give it to her to take.
(Oh, there's just one liquid - you bathe in it and you drink some?)
Yes.
(I understand now. I see. And that got these frogs out.)
And afterwards she give her purgative behind it, and it worked it all through her.
Entry 1457
A person dat has been tricked in de skin, it's something dat is buried for 'em or laid down on de steps for 'em - de house been dressed. You take nine teaspoonful of cooking salt, you take one dime of saltpeter, use dat, an' eight quarts of water, hot water - just like water for a bath. You pull off all of your clothes, ever'thing you got on, you get in there and take a bath in dat same water nine times.
(What do you mean nine times? All at once or different times?)
Dat same water - don't throw dat water away, you keep it in something like you take a bath in. Never rub upwards - always rub from here down [demonstrates].
(From your face right down.)
From there down. A person whut's been tricked in de skin, rub from here down and use dat water nine times, and de last time you use dat water, take it and throw it towards de sunrise, soon in de morning before de sun rise, so you get rid of dat complaint. Ah'm telling you whut's done happened 'to me.
Entry 1458
Now, if - when yo' wanta be lucky an' stay lucky so yo' kin jest - yo' know, thrive an' have prosperity, yo' jest git chew a nickel worth of saltpeter an' take a tablespoonful of that an' put into yore water, five quarts of water an' take a tablespoonful of table salt an' mix with that an' let it boil down. An' after yo' git dat five guarts of water, yo' heat it. Whenever it start tuh, look like it gon'a boil, yo' jest stir this salt an' brimstone together an' then when yo' begin tuh lie down, yo' take yore bath wit it. An' when yo' take yore bath with it, yo' save dat water an' throw it east. An' every time yo' throw yo' explain lak dis - say, "Lord, moves thine evil influence." An' that [is called] putting de enemies under yore feet.
Entry 1459
The best thing you do, when you go out in the morning, if you got - before you leave your home, if you feel that such as that is carrying on around you, you take such an ordinary thing as - take salt, black pepper and mix that together in a bottle, and scrub your place out. Don't scrub it inward, see. Always scrub out from your place. And with that water you mix salt and black pepper and scrub every morning before the sun rise. Make that a habitual habit to scrub in the morning before the sun rise - every morning scrub out your door before the sun rise, and that will give you a natural protection against anything that's evil. Somebody's put something against you, down for you, that will give you protection against that. [Many scrubbing rites for protection are also given under subsection Business and Customers.]
Entry 1461
I have heard a old lady say that along about sundown that if one should go out to the front door and throw out a handful of salt, no evils will approach that house over the night.
Entry 1462
You take salt and put it down on the ground at your door and that would keep all evil spirits away. That's what the colored people used to do to over- come master and mistress. After the master and mistress walks over it, it scatters.their mind.
Entry 1463
If someone tryin' tuh harm yo' or put anything roun' yore house, jes' git up at night an' yo' thinkin' dey goin' do dat, every night fo' nine nights an' put dis salt. Put de pot salt - carry it round de house fo' nine nights an' talk to it, an' why, no one couldn't harm yo' an' put nuthin else round dere atall.
Entry 1464
If someone tryin' tuh do yo' somepin round yore home - maybe injure yo' or cumjure yo' tryin' tuh do yo' some harm, if you wanta prevent this trouble, you might read the 7th chapter of the Psalm of David and then walk around yore home about nine times during de night or in de morning between de sun setting and de sun rising, wit salt in yore han' an' call de name of yore enemies or those yo' think about as trying to do yo harm, an dey'll do yo no harn.
Entry 1466
If a evil person comes in your house, go to the back door with salt in your hand and throw the salt over your right shoulder with your back turned to the door and don't look back to keep from having bad luck.
Entry 1467
Lak if somebody come to yore house, which an' why yo' have a house of yore own - if somebody come dere an' yo' know people, if dey wanta harm yo', dey usually put somepin up undah yore steps. If they put somepin up undah yore steps an' yo' walk out, if yo' happen tuh see it or if somebody see it 'fore yo' do, de first thing yo' do, yo' go in de house an' yo' git chew some black peppah an' salt an' sulphur, an' yo' come back out an' yo' throw it cross yore shoulder, turn roun' an' throw it cross yore shoulder, an' throw it ovah de fence whut chew have, an' jes' sprinkle it all ovah yore yard. That'll kill it.
Entry 1469
If yo' wanta keep 'em from doin' anything else to yo', yo' git some table salt an' red peppah, jes' cayenne peppah, an' sulphur an' mix it together an' sprinkle it all roun' yore house. An' while yo' comin' in de path dere, dere where yo' turn off de street into de path, after yo' sprinkle it down, drive yo a ten-penny nail, a new ten-penny nail dere. An' if de path comes into yore house, yo' drive dem nail in dere an' dey can't git to yo' to do nuthin to yo'.
Entry 1470
Yo' kin slow 'em up fo' a while. Yo' kin git a peck of salt - a peck, one level peck. Not in a tin - don't let it tetch de tin if yo' kin - git it in a bucket an' strike it off as dey used to do long yeahs ago, yo' know. [To strike Off salt or grain was to level it across the top of the container by using a straight-edged board, back of saw, etc.]
(A whole peck of salt?)
A whole peck, an' jes' as much - ah guess a quart of sulphur an' mix it all up together. Dis is yore land now - yo' kin do whut chew want on it. Yo' go to de fo' corners of yore place - well, yo' plant it jes' level wit de ground an' cover it up so dat chew won't plow into it if yo's a farmer. An if dey trying to git it from yo' unfairly, why yo' kin stop 'em a while an' yo' kin git straigtened out. Ah've seen dis done. (That is to protect you if anybody is trying to harm you by getting your property? Or drive you away?) Yes sir - dat's it.
Entry 1471
To protect your things when you leave home - I've heard old people say, to keep anyone from entering your house while away, if you'll walk five steps from the door, throw some salt over your left shoulder, then over your right shoulder, then make a hole and spit in the hole and cover it with dirt, then walk ten more feet and make an X in the road, make a circle around the X, and then make a secret wish - if you should go away from home and stay two weeks, no one will enter your house while away.
Entry 1473
Jis' like you wanted someone to stay away from you. An' you take a box of brand-new salt an' you git a box of this cayenne peppah. Well, now, you got to take the cayenne peppah an' measure it jist as high as the salt box [the salt pile from the emptied box] is make each one [each pile] even with the other one. Then you take them all an' dump them into a papah right togethah - jist mix it all up togethah good. An' if there's someone jist keep botherin' you or they's put something down for you - why, jis' like they'd come an' sprinkle acrost that doah, whutevah they have - you start from your doah an' sprinkle. Jis' take this peppah [and salt] an' sprinkle it backwards - jis' walk right backwards to it [what the enemy has sprinkled]; an' then you walk aroun', don't come back over it you'self, walk right on aroun', an' come in you' next doah. An' they can't come no further than that same place there.
Entry 1474
(If a person has crossed you?)
Yeah.
(You go to the stove?)
Go to the stove or place where a fire what's lit, and you take you some salt, you see, and just sprinkle it over the flame, you know, and you repeat the Lord's Prayer, and the flames quiver from de salt, you know, and then you do with your hand like dat and read the 37th Psalm [demonstrates].
(You hold your hands up in the air together after you said your prayer.)
After the prayer. You repeat the Lord's Prayer and ask the Lord to give you peace of mind and, "The Lord deliver me from mine enemies. ".
Entry 1475
Get a bag of salt and put it under your pillow, open your window and put a spoon under it, and he [a ghost] can't cross that.
Entry 1477
You take some red pepper an' salt an' sulphur, an' put it together an' stir it up, mix it up, put in yer shoe [both shoes]; let it go clean back to the toe, heel an' all. Cut you a false [inner] sole - you ought to always git your shoes big enough to cut a false sole - an' put in theah. Put yer shoe on. They cannot hurt choo, an' you walk over anything you want an' it won't bother yah.
Entry 1478
Yo' kin take some salt - table salt an' sulphur an' red peppah, mix it together an' stir it with yore left hand. Sprinkle some of it in each of yore shoes an' yo' kin travel anywhere yo' wanta travel.
Entry 1480
Say if they put anything down fo' yo', if yo' wanta walk ovah it or go ovah it, jes' git chew some sulphur, some salt, black peppah an' take an' jes' make yo' a ball with it lak that an' jes' put it in a red flannel an' yo' kin go anywhere about an' it won't bother yo'.
[This is a protection hand.]
(Where do you keep that red flannel?)
Jes' keep it anywhere next to yore heart - in yore watch pocket or in yore shirt pocket, anywhere.
Entry 1485
Now dis salt an' brimstone an' graveyard dirt is used fo' many things - see, that salt an' brimstone. Take table salt an' sulphur an' brimstone an' burn it together - see, burn it together, an' den make a sack of that. See, that is called a bodyguard, body protection - make a sack of that. [This is a hand.] An' every nine days saturate [feed] dat good an' well wit camphor. That will keep - not sin, but will keep de evil spirits off yuh - using a little graveyard dust in dat.
(Nobody can harm you if you have that on you?)
No sir, can't harm you.
Entry 1488
[They get some dust] from the grave and sprinkle it in yeh house, and that cause you to have disease - cause you sickness. But.now the way they get rid of that is to take salt see, if you see this dus' in yer floor. You kin see it, you see, becus [it] is brown, yellah - whutever [color] it is. And you kin sprinkle salt over that see and you take some pepper. And you sweep all that up together and then you go out de door see, and if there's anywhere any running water, you throw it in this running water. That'll throw it back on the person.
Entry 1489
A lettah from a person, a lettah already dressed fo' yo' - dey always tole me, say, don't nevah receive de first lettah in yore hand, say git chew some table salt an' throw it on it an' den pick it on up, say it can't hurt chew. Yo' kills dat right den.
(Any letter you get?)
Yes sir, if yo' think it.wus somethin' dressed fo' yo'. Jes' take yo' some table salt an' put on it an' dat kills all dat. Or use turpentine.
(Or use some turpentine?)
Turpentine is good.
Entry 1493
"Somebody tryin' to harm yo' and yo' tryin' to protec' yo'self, de first thing is, dey gits chew some saltpeters and bath yo'self down in saltpeters, and den take yo' some sulphur and salt an' sprinkle round dat do' - round de house in front de do' and dey can't do yo' no harm.
Entry 1536
I fell in my flower garden an' they taken me in de house an' by that night I couldn't walk on one of my legs an' I didn't seem to be sick any at all before. An' that night dere came some little black pimples, pizen places on it, three of 'em on my leg. An' another woman come dere an' tole 'em in de house whut to fix for me to cure it. She tole me to get a tablespoonful of salt an' a tablespoonful of sulphur an' three dimes an' ten cent worth of Brown Mule Tobacco, an' boil that together an' bathe in it. Take de tobacco when it get cool enough, that wus in it, an' jis bathe my leg from my hip on down and from my feet on out (see pp.369-377) fer three times. You bathe in de same water three times - you bathe tonight, well jis' sit it aside an' de next night heat de same thing up an' bathe in that the second time, [and] de third time do de same thing the nex' night. That's fer three nights. An' de las' night at twelve o'clock throw it - take de dimes out an' throw dis stuff, cup an' all in de middle of de street an' tell it, "From de devil you come from an' de devil you go back." That's whut they tole me to say an' so I did that. [To "take de dimes out" of the bathwater before throwing it into the street is unusual - cf. No. 997, p.384 and No. 1552, p.491 - but "de devil" may make this a rite of turning back spell on culprit rather than a rite of transference to a stranger.] Then I got nine dimes an' boiled them from a quart to a pint an' then drink de water off that. Made two drinks out of it, choo know - drink one half one time an' the other half another time. An' before I did that, the first thing they gave me was a pint of milk. I drank that, sweet milk.
Entry 1593
A fellow once, named Brown, a root doctor - me and my wife was on de outs. Course I caught her wrong and I went away from her. So he [Brown] was working in the shipyards. He say, "I found a shoe." So I say, "All right, I'll take it." He said it was a right shoe - brand new shoe - just had a little - and he had got that snake's blood and put all on de inside of it. And I put dat shoe on. In nine days time my ankle give away and commence to hurt me and so I says, "Mother, since I been wearing dat shoe Mr. Brown give me," I said, "I been having trouble with my ankle. I think I'll go to de doctor." So she looked at de shoe. So then I went to Dr. Willis and took dat shoe and cut de top off it - the entire top and give it to him and he took it and put it in something and sterilized it and found out it was snake blood. That's Dr. Willis dere - chemistry.
(Dr. Woodard?)
Willis - in the drug store.
(I see - from the drug store and he found it was snake blood?)
Yeah - what he told me.
(What did he put that in to sterilize it, I wonder.)
I don't know. He used a lot of chemistry - you know how dey have chemistry, and it all up-separated off the leather, come off the sweat and ev'rything else. And he said, "That's snake's blood, boy." I said, "It look peculiar cause ev'ry time it rained it would freshen up just like fresh paint, red paint, but when the sun was shining it was dry and looked kind of scaley, you know, kind of brownish looking.
(How did you get rid of that then - from that snake blood?)
Well, I tell you, I got rid of it. My mother took 'bacco. She turned around and took a chicken and she put a chicken poultice on there first. And then she took tobacco and my water and boil it hot and let me put my feet right down in de hot water.
(Did she boil that tobacco and your water together?)
Yes, and put my feet in there. I put it in there ever' night and put salt brine in there and it came all right.
Entry 1597
At one time I was off from my work and my wife was sweeping our back yard and she swept over a jelly jar. It was stopped up and turned bottom up in the yard. By the sun shining I see that jar and I stopped and asked her what was that shining. I thought it was a piece of money. So I went there and dug it up out of the ground in my back yard. I came to the steps and I opened it. It had some kind of powder.
(Do you know what the powder was?)
No, I don't know what kind - it was a brown powder.
(All right - go ahead.)
And something like a sponge was mixed up and stopped in there. When I opened it, it knocked me down when I inhaled it. [As I explain elsewhere, this sort of thing is a hyperbole, not a lie.] Later on, my wife's leg broke out - swole up rather, and my leg swole up. And we heard of a man who could tell you things, and we went there and he told me that I had stepped over something. And I asked him what could he do for it. He told me that he believed through the help of God that he could cure me. And I told him that I would be pretty glad if he would. And he got some ashes, some salt, some red pepper and some chamber lye and he mixeded that up in a pan - stirred it thoroughly well and he took and got us there to the pan and washed our leg down, washed this leg down. So later on, two or three days maybe, the leg went down, and it broke out little skin - little dry lookin' skin on there. Well, all of that come off and my leg began to get all right.
Entry 1599
Well they claim, if you near-sighted or somepin like that in your eyes an' mis'ry in yore haid all the while, they say you take chamber lye an' heat wit salt you know for pains. You bathe the haid an' the steam that choo - hol' [hold your head] you know over the bucket like that. You put salt in it. Sometime it git ole. They say the older it gits you know an' smell [the better]. A man, his daughter use it one day. She was near-sighted. She couldn't see atall. An' she bathe in that for a week [7 days] an' when de week out after she'd used it, then she could see.
Entry 1604
An' right in mah laig heah - ah couldn't move an' ah couldn't walk but mah sistah would bring whut ah'd tell her tuh me. Ah tole her, ah said, "Now yo' bring me a basin an' when ah urinate," ah said, "ketch dat fo' me." See, she Saved it twice, that made enough you know tuh bathe wit yo' see. An' then ah had her tuh bring me some salt an' some saltpeter. Den ah sent her tuh de drug sto' an' bought me some John de Conker an' ah had her tuh bathe me from heah out to de end of mah toes on both laigs. Ah jis' couldn't walk.
(What did you do with that John the Conker?)
Ah kept it roun' in mah pocket - jis' keep it in yore pocket.
(Why did she bathe you down that way?)
[Informant does not understand my question, I do not reask it. I wanted her to answer, "That made the cunjure go out through my toes."] She bathe me down dat way. Yo' know that cured it. Yo' see, this saltpeter an' this chamber lye an' table salt, it'll cure it. An' aftah she bathe me three times in dat ah got so ah could stretch out mah laigs an' jis' kept on an' kept on an' fin'lly till ah got up from bed an' went tuh walkin'. An' dat's whut cured me.
Entry 1617
Lak yo' scared someone goin' hurt chew - yo' know, if yo' got enemies. Jes' take some red peppah an' salt an' sulphur - take an' sprinkle a little bit of chamber lye ovah dat an' wear dat in yore right-footed shoe. Yo' kin walk ovah anything in de world an' nuthin will evah harm yo'.
Entry 1629
A woman was mad at my sister and I was staying across the street from her and she came by my house. And I got up next morning to go out and she had a whole lot of graveyard dirt throwed all over my porch. And do you know, I had to move out of that house - made me move. They sure make you move. I didn't know she put it there but someone tole me after I moved that she did. Of course, if I knew it, I wouldn't move I reckon. They tell me how to kill that out - to get some chamber lye and salt and pepper, and throw it all around yore house and that'll kill that out.
Entry 1630
I had a sister-in-law her husband tried to hurt her and she'd taken a simple thing - there was table salt, and red pepper and chamber lye and mixed it together, and sprinkled it all around her house - in her house (see No. 1634), and it killed what he had put down for her.
Entry 523
Dat sulphur, yo' take dat sulphur an' sprinkle it round yore house - jes' lak yo' got a room an' somepin worryin' yo' in dere, yo' know, yo' take sulphur an' sprinkle it all round in yore room. An' it won't worry yo' any mo'.
(That was a hag?)
Supposes tuh be a hag. Some folks say it a hag an' some folks say it's yore blood, because ah've been lak dat. Dey ride me in de night.
(What do they say they do to get rid of them?)
Well, some folks say yo' kin put a broom on de bed an' some folks say yo' kin sprinkle salt ovah de bed. Some folks say yo' kin take a brand new knife an' put dat - lay dat in de bed side an' dat'll keep 'em from worryin' yo' at night. But ah re'lly didn't try none of those things.
Entry 677
Dat's somepin de same thing dat ah have jes' told yo' - whut chew make UP, peppah an' salt.
(That's all goofer dust - any kind of dust?)
Yeah, any kind of dust.
Entry 884
My great-grandmother was poisoned in some cabbages by one of her friends an' she gave her the cabbage to eat an' she ate it an' soon after she ate 'em she was swollen all up her feet clean in her hips. An' one of her friends went to see her an' she looked at her an' said she thought she was hurt - in fact this friend knew she was hurt an' she told her she's gon'a get a doctor, a root doctor, to do her some good. So she went to get the doctor an' when she got there he was so busy 'tending to somebody else he jes' told her whut to do for her. He told her to take lysol an' bathe in it in hot water all over an' take a dose of vinegar an' Epsom salt - make a dose of that together. She took it an' when it worked through her little green things come right out of her.
Entry 1137
If somebody have come to yore house an' yo' don't want them come there agin or somethin' lak that, take three straws out chure broom an' put 'em up ovah yore do' there an' name one of 'em, "Name de Father, Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Spirit," an' den yo' put a little sulphur an' salt on it an' tell it whut chew want it tuh do. Tell it, "Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, ah don't Want 'em tuh come back heah no mo', ah don't want 'em return." Let them straws stay up there an' don't take 'em down.
Entry 1631
To protect yo'self against dat if someone had put somepin down fo' yo' to walk ovah, why yo'd git joo some red peppah an' salt an' git joo some chamber lye an' put in that red peppah an' salt, an yo' would put that red peppah an' salt aroun' yore do' fo' nine mornings. This is, if something was planted aroun' yore do', yo'd put dat salt, red peppah an' chamber lye.
Entry 1632
All yo' have tuh do is take some chamber lye an' red peppah an' nine drops of turpentine an' some salt an' take yo' a halfa can of potash - probably a can of potash an' git up soon dat mawnin' an' sprinkle it all de way around yore house an' under yore step. Den dere's no way fo' no roots tuh take effect of yo' at all.
Entry 1634
Yes sir, ah hear it. Well, yo' take de chamber lye an' yo' take it an' place into a can, an' yo' take some sulphur an' yo' take cooking salt an' place into dis heah pot [can], an' yo' take it an' put it into de house an' take yo' a little old sprayer like an' jest spray it all round into de house (see No. 1630). An' dat would bring luck.
(Any particular kind of luck?)
Bring luck into yore home, see.
Entry 1635
Yo' kin take a - yore urine, see. If yo' think somebody put somepin down round yore place, yore steps, overnight joo understand, to do yo' some harm, yo' kin take yore urine an' put chew some salt an' sulphur in it an' stir it up good, an' bluestone, an' jes' [get] chew a swiss [swish] broom, see. [Swish broom is a one-handed broom; handle broom or stick broom requires two hands. Many substances were used: long grass, broom sedge (which see), leafy twigs, etc. Neither the short whisk broom nor longer besom describes this home- made article. I remember one of the housefly swishes; one large green top, or several small ones, of asparagus gone to seed.] Stick it in dere - put it in a pan - put in de broom, jes' [demonstrates].
(Sprinkle it around.)
Dat's right - yo' do dat fo' two-three mornings. Anytime dat yo' think that things is goin' wrong yo' jes' - dey kin put it there but it will kill it jes' as fast as it hit de ground. Now dese things ah'm telling you, ah've experienced dem.
Entry 1637
Ah wus fixed. Ah wus dressed one time an' ah wus tole to take some table salt an' go roun' an' roun' mah buildin' three time a week an' jes' scatter it 'long. An' take some of my chamber lye at night an' in de mawnin' throw a han'ful in de fire an' jes' sprinkle dat chamber lye right in de fire behin' yo' an' don't look back at it - jes' back up to de fire an' throw it in an' don't look back. An' it 'move mah misery - it painful all ovah.
(You threw that handful of salt in the fire every morning [for three mornings]
and then you threw that chamber lye behind it?) Yes - fo' three mawnin's, befo' sunrise.
(And you threw that salt around the house three mornings in the week?)
Three mornin' in de week.
(One morning right after the other or what?)
Yes sir, three mornin': Monday mornin', Tuesday mornin', an' Wednesday de last momin'.
Entry 1644
Take an' sprinkle that aroun' yore do' - take chamber lye an' salt an Hearts Cologne, when yo' scrub off de step. Jes' keeps de evil from takin' effect, whut de mean people put down. Dat's whut ah hear dey say.
Entry 1715
Yo' take an' kill yo' a bull [male?] bat an' yo' take him an' cut him Open. Git his heart an' yo' git dis bluestone an' salt an' put it in a new piece of cloth an' sew it up, an' yo' tote it in yore pocket, if yo' gamblin' an' yo'll win.
Entry 1780
All right. You take and you make a real coffin, but a small one - you know, a small coffin. You can make a big one too, but it would be unnecessary if it was big. Say, for instance, they really want to harm you. They can make a Coffin, well, say, about the size of this here - the top of this thing here [my recording machine]. Make a coffin fust about that size. They could bury you in that coffin.
(How would they do that?)
Now, they take that and they'll go to the graveyard, see. They get what we call graveyard dust, you know. They get this dirt, see, off of the tomb. They come back and they spread that into this coffin that I've made - I spread it into that. If I can get anything that you sweated in - if it's your socks, the band of your hat, your underwear, anything that you sweat into - I gets that and I put that in there, now, and when I put that in this thing, I'm going to put a cross in there and I put that cross in there.
(What kind of a cross?)
A cross - a real cross.
(A wooden cross?)
I can buy one. You see, I can buy crosses to put there - if it's a brass one, I'll put it in there, I'll put it into this coffin.
(What will that do?)
I'm going to put more dirt in there, you see. Now, I'm got that hatband or your socks or underwear in there, and I'm got that laying on top of that dirt, and I'm got the cross in there. I'm going to put more dirt on top of that. Now, I'll put that dirt on top of that and I'm going to take and I'm going to get salt and I'm going to sprinkle that salt in the four corners of the coffin. Then I'm going to carry this coffin and bury this coffin. I bury this coffin and if I know your name, I'm going to bury this coffin and put your name on top of it. But I'm going to put your name down on this coffin in red letters, but I'm going to put 'em, put your name down just about that big - just about that big, so it'll take a little time for it to come off, you see. And as your name wears out and that sweat is drying up - that sweat ain't going to dry right away because - your clothes I mean that's in there, they ain't going to dry right away because that dust going to keep 'em damp. But as this name be wearing out, that piece - well, I take [took] it from you - it's drying. Now as that's drying, you drying too. And now when that dries, if you don't die that day, you'll die sure that next day, because if that paint dry today, if you don't die today, you'll be dead in the morning.
Entry 1781
Dat's easy. You kin take an' make a little box. You know you kin git dese, any kind of little box you understand and make it - you know, shape it like a coffin. But co'se you have to have it shaped like a coffin, don't you. Got'a carry it to somebody if you can't do it yourself - got'a carry it to somebody an' have dem fix it jis' like a coffin. You gits some new linen cloth and you tack it around in there with shoe tacks never been used - git chew a nickel box of shoe tacks and you tack dat cloth around in dere, see. After you tack that cloth in there, you git some black dirt and put into it; git some pot salt and sprinkle onto dat dirt. Well, after you have sprinkle de salt, you git chew some clear sand. You know dese sand and gravel whut you mix concrete wit; git some clear sand like dat and put on top of dat salt, see. All right, and you git chew some chamber lye from somebody else - you understand, not yours. You have to git it from somebody else and you pour that onto that you understand and you carry dat [coffin] and bury it into de graveyard. And that will be the end of dem.
(Well, whose end would that be? Whom would you kill that way?)
Kill de person you want, see. (Well, how would you say that? "This is the person I want?" How would you do that?) You would jest have to call dere name - see, at de time when you buryin' it.
Entry 1835
Well, yo' kin take a pair of dice an' put 'em away, pee on 'em, see. Pee on a pair of dice an' shet it up in a airtight box an' put some salt in on dem dice - table salt. See, table salt is somethin' slick. See, put some salt on those dice an' put 'em away an' let dat salt an' pee stay on dat dice dere fo' a while. An' yo'll always be lucky when yo' goin' out wit dice in yore pocket.
Entry 1943
Well, there's diff'rent things. They said that they take that grave- yard dirt and mix it with - just like if they working on a job and they wan'a get 'em away [from] there. Well they get the graveyard dirt, but they get it off a sinner's grave. And they take this graveyard dirt and you mix with pepper and salt, and get to where this person that you wan'a get off the job, and sprinkle on 'em and they won't be able to stay on that job.
Entry 2034
High John de Conker root is fo' gamblin'. Yo' kin take it if yo' want tuh be lucky an' successful in gamblin' an' yo' could put it in a small glass an' po' some whiskey on it fo' about fo' or five days. An' if yo' let it stay dere de fo'th day an' de sixth day, yo' take de High John de Conker root out an' yo' bite off de tip end of it an' turn to de sunrise an' make yore wishes. An' yo' go tuh de game an' yo begin tuh gamble an' yo' begin tuh win. An' if yo' want 'em tuh lose - if a person want a man tuh lose all of his money, he wanta be lucky in gittin' all of his money, he git him a box of salt any time de day of de cards an' he take some of dat salt an' sprinkle it on his back. He'll lose his money. (And that other thing about biting off that end of John the Conquer. What do you do when you bite that off?) You chew that up.
Entry 2151
If yo' know de boss name, yo' git chew a piece of High John de Conker root an' put dat same cayenne peppah an' salt in it 'fore yo' leave home, an' says, "Name, son-of-bitch, ah have to have a job. Ah want mah job back." An' yo talkin'to de root. An' den put it in yore pocket an' go on down dere an' he say, "Come heah, John, go tuh work. What's de matter? Where yo' been?"
Entry 2178
Yo' take table salt an' yo' put it in de palm of yore hand, jes' a little, an' yo' build yo' a fire. Yo' take onion peelin's an' put it in de palm of yore hand, say, "God de Father, God de Son, God de Holy Spirit," an' throw dis in de fire. "Strike de fire in mah house. Bring success an' peace an' money an friendship in mah home." Yo' throw it in dat blazin' fire. (And you take each one of those things that you say and throw them into the fire?) Dat's right - de salt.
(The salt and those pieces of onion?)
No, yo' put de onion in yore hand an' jes' three pinch of salt.
(Three pinches of salt on the fire?)
Three heads - God de Father, God de Son, an' God de Holy Spirit.
(That is to bring in customers.)
Entry 2233
Yo' kin take a rabbit an' kill him an' take his left hin' foot an' take it an' soak it in salt an' sugah. Mix salt an' sugah together an' soak it in salt an' sugah all night an' git it up de nex' mawnin' an' put it in yore pocket an' let it dry out in yore pocket. Den yo' have a lucky han' fo' gamblin'.
(What foot do you take?) [A check, not tricky question.]
De left-han' back foot.
Entry 2258
De fo' Psalms, that chew use. And yo' use rose oil tuh grease yore face and hands befo' yo' go in - rose oil and salt. An' grease yore hands and face and use the fo't division of Psalms - it's a prayer.
(You do this before you go up before the judge.)
Entry 2266
Take salt an' black peppah an' three pods of garlic an' yo' wear it in de right pocket, an' if de fellah have anything dere fo' luck, yo' understand, it won't be very severe, yo' see. If he's any man with any kind of talent at all, he'll know it's somepin wrong an' he'll fin'lly quit that game, yo' see.
Entry 2267
When yo' gamblin' yo' have a buddy, a fren'. Well, dis fren' he'll be 'long wid joo an' when de crowd git tuh gamblin', yore fren' will have yo' some salt in his han' an' some red peppah or black peppah - jes' so's it peppah. An' dey go roun' de othah people, not both together, fes' his fren' go roun' to de othah people an' jes' throw a little down deys back - three times up an' down his back wit dat salt, an' de last one of dem who he put dat salt on dey'll fall, dere luck will fall.
(That kills the luck of everybody there.)
Kills it.
Entry 2268
Ah've taken some salt an' black peppah an' stuff an' went to skin game an' ah've let mah han' git wet an' take an' jes' put it all ovah de cards an ever'thing an' ah've taken salt an' sprinkle it all roun' peoples lak dat, an' been in a game an' ah win money lak that.
Entry 2270
Take salt and burn it, then dampen it, let it become hard, put it in a paper, wrap it up tight, wear it in your left pocket, and they say you'll have good luck.
Entry 2272
If a person leave home, yo' take some table salt - jes' take it on de palm of yore hand an' blow it an' make a wish. Git up eve'y mornin' befo' de sun rise an' blow it towards de east for de nine mornin's, an' de ninth day dey'll be back. [In former days course salt was used for everything - cattle, curing meat and at the table. On farms it was bought by the old-fasioned wooden barrel. After finely granulated salt was introduced - first in small cloth sacks and then in cardboard boxes, this smaller salt was sometimes called table salt. In horse- and-buggy days, persons living in towns sometimes called it horse salt.] [Waycross, Ga., (1093), 1761:13.].
Entry 2273
Ah proved dis mahself, when yo' want a job, take yo' some table salt an' tie it up in de corner of yore han'kerchief an' go dere an' ask him fo' a job, an' feel dat salt in yore pocket an' mash on dat salt, work on dat salt, lookin' him straight in de eye an' tell him whut chew want, an' he'll give yo' a job. Ah done tried it.
Entry 2274
Said dat if yo'd like to run a person from a place, yo' could put salt around their bed, an' dey wouldn't be interested in staying dere no longer - dey would soon leave.
(How do you put that salt around their bed?)
Well, jest po' a little slight stream, yo' know, wit de hand - a little hand- ful, yo' know, jest round de bed in a circle.
Entry 2287
Cross him up - you gotta cross him up. See, like that, there's two- three Ways to cross him up for that. Now, you kin go to his house, if you wanta quit that game at that time - if you could get at his woman you could cross him uP. That's going to put him in bad luck. And sometimes you kin change cards and go and put him in bad luck. But the best way to cross him up in that game, you kin draw his cards. If not that, you git behind him and you sprinkle a little salt on his back. [Salt sprinkling with variations is known everywhere.] " See, that salt, that kills him [kills his luck]. (How do you mean, if you got his woman you could cross him up? You mean while he is in the game?) Yeah, while he's in the game gambling, and you go to the house and have his woman - he can't ketch nobody.
(Then his luck is bad in gambling?)
Yeah, that's right - it's going to be bad.
Entry 2319
Fo' luck in gamblin' yo' go in de woods, an' it's a weed dat chew git in de woods it has a little yellah flower. Some people call it candyweed, an' some of 'em call it peppermint, but it's real sweet - de root, when yo' pull it up. De flower ain't got no scent 'tall, but yo' pull hit up hit got a sweet root. Now yo' put dat Heart Cologne an' yo' rub it in yore hand an' go amongst de people in de game. An' then yo' kin take salt, table salt, an' yo' rub it in yore hands until yore hands sweat from rubbin' that way. Why den, if it's necessary, yo' go into a game; but if yo' don't sweat, why den don't go into de game 'cause yore luck is not on.
Entry 2359
If this fellah heah had three or fo' hunderd dollahs an' ah had three or fo' hunderd dollahs, jes' take that salt an' sprinkle on each one of 'em, an' jes' go on tuh gamblin'. Well, when de deal is done, if they ain't sharp, yo's got all de money. Or either yo' kin be a gambler an' say, "Well, he's lost his luck - done lost his luck an' de biggest part of yore money." If yo' ain't taken it out where yo' kin git salt an' stuff, why take a lil chamber lye an' jes' rub it on yore han's lak dis. Rub it all ovah yore han's lak dat, an' come back dere an' shuffle de cards up an' draw one, an' den dis othah man kin git his'n. Have anothah deal down an' yo' got practic'lly all de money that is in de game.
Entry 2365
To keep de police from naggin' yo'. Yo' know dis bluestone don't chew. Yo' know table salt don't chew. Pee on it. Put it in pee an' throw it at chure do'step. Dey cain't come ovah it tuh save they life.
(That keeps the cops away.)
Entry 2374
Ah tell you what you can do. Yo' kin take some salt an' black pepper and some cinnamon and some cloves; an' yo' go to de drug store, yo' kin git chew some war water. (What's that?) It's water in a little bottle about that size, about that high. Yo' pay ten cents fo' it.
(War water. What do you use that water for?)
You put it with this mixture, ah mean.
(I mean, ordinarily [without ingredients], what do they use that for?)
They use that fo' runnin' yo' - kin use that. Take that water and pore it on de steps, understand, and if there's somebody in this house tha' chew don't want in here.
(You buy it at the drug store?)
Yes, sir.... Yo' jes' go tuh de drug sto' an' buy yo' a bottle of war water. Yo' get dat at Mr. [Somebody's] drug sto' ovah heah on [Something] Avenue, and it cost yo' ten cents.
(It's called like a war - like a battle?)
W-a-r - war water. And you take that an' put it on de steps out dere, and when ah cross dere ah ain't coming back in heah no mo' - ain't comin' back heah no mo'.
Entry 2411
If you wants to take a bath in water for success, you see, you put sea salt in there and oil of geranium - any kind of that you prefer for perfume you see - in that water. Sea salt. Wash yourself down and throw it at [towards] sunrise. Well, that'll keep you in good luck.
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 2448
If you are bootlegging and want to keep the law away from you, they say they got some - wait, let me see the name of this stuff. If they don't want them to come around, they got some - well, you take witch hazel, red pepper and salt. When they be passing in front of your door, you know, then you throw that out behind them. And after they been visiting your house, trying to break you up from doing it, and you don't want them there, say you take a chair like this [demonstrates], and you turn the chair bottom up, you know, crossways of the door, and put a broom 'cross that chair. They'll never come to your home no more.
(Just turn the chair upside down and.)
And put a broom 'cross it.
(Just an ordinary broom across it?)
Yes sir, and throw you some red pepper and salt behind them and make a wish - just say, "I wish they keep agoing and don't never come back no more." And when you throw it you mustn't look at them an' they won't never worry you no more.
Entry 2455
Yo' take chicken feathers - yes, yo' take chicken feathers an' yo' put sulphur an' salt on dis chicken feathers an' yo' use perfume - Hearts Perfume, yo' use dat. Dat's all de 'riginal stuff dey use, an' yo' set dat afire. Yo' see yo' burn dat into yore home in de middle of de flo'. Sometimes it's good to burn it in yore bedroom. Yo' burn it mostly in de room - if a person is in busi- ness or somethin', yo' burn it in de room where yo' handle yore most customers. That will bring yo' in peoples too, chicken feathers - yo' kin burn chicken feathers.
Entry 2476
Git chew two little files an' put up ovah yore do' an' ev'ry mornin' for nine mornin's sprinkle a little table salt an' sulphur ovah dem, an' yo'll jest have all de customers yo' want. (How do you put those files up over the door?) Put one dis heah, put one jes' lak dat [demonstrates].
(In the form of an "x".)"[Cross them.]
In de form of an "x".
Entry 2478
I lived with a woman and she was selling herself, and she told me that the law never would come to her house, and she only got her a file and drove it in each corner of her house, and she said that the law wouldn't come there. And another time when we moved in another house and she hadn't had a chance to put these files up, the law came in and she told me he'd never come back again. She say, "Baby, get some salt and throw behind him and sweep it right on out." And I went and put some salt behind him and then swept on back straight and he never came back. And no other law ever came in that house all the time she was selling herself.
(You mean, they put a file in each of the four corners of the house?)
Just a file.
(Outside or inside?)
Inside - stick 'em up in de corner.
(I see. What do you do - stick them into the wall or the floor?)
No, in the wall.
Entry 2496
Yo' take de infant dirt from de grave [dirt from an infant's grave], take sulphur, yo'll take table salt - three things. Yo'll git up in de mawnin' at fo' 'clock 'fore de sun an' yo' starts from yore front do', jes' lak if, yo' know, yo' want plenty - ever'body tuh come in. Well, yo' stand to de do' an' throw it in de house, "In de Name of de Father an' Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Ghost, ah wants all de customers dat ah kin git." An' yo' have mo' people den yo' evah able tuh git through with.
(When you get that dirt, you give it this money?)
Yessuh, always give odd pennies. Nevah give two or nevah give fo' - give odd.
Entry 2518
Takes a horseshoe an' dress it in red.
(Dress it in red?)
Dress de horseshoe ovah in red an' place it in front of de do' backwards an' farwards, an' yo'll run good business. (How do you mean dress it in red? What do you do?). Yo' take an' git - have tuh git ovah at de sto' - git a red piece of cloth an' yo' jest wind dat, yo' know, dat horseshoe all ovah in dat an' place it up ovah de do', an' to de back, an' yo' won't have any trouble by yore customers - yo' draw mo' den all. Yo' takes - go in de sto' an' gits yo' Red Devil Lye an' salt, an' yo' place it at de front do' an' de back. Dat go wit dat horseshoe, an' yo' takes chamber lye, a handful of sugah, salt, an' yo' goes round dat jest befo' day, all round dat house wit dat, an' yo' got no trouble wit de sheriff or with yore house. [Perhaps the largest hand ever wrapped in red, except the treasure hunter who insulted the devil by wearing a red shirt - see No. 424, p.127.]
Entry 2583
Yo' take table salt an' yo' start with de right han' corner of yore house an' yo' put jes' a little pinch in each corner. An' if yo' tell - yo' say whut chew want to be done when yo' go roun' wit dis. Yo' go right on roun' an' keep to de right all de time. Everything will be all right.
(That will bring in trade if you are bootlegging?)
Yes. [Right-hand corner as you face the front of the house. This is a rever- sing rite - anti-clockwise circumambulation - reversing known bad luck or unknown spell cast upon house or business.]
Entry 2584
Wal, dey said dey - early in de mornin' befo' sunrise dey get a package of salt and dey'd go to de front do' and make a cross mark; one mark straight and 'nother acrost it, an' throw de salt in dose lines. And by doing dat why dey keep de law away. If de law come, why he'd come smiling and it won't be anything to it - won't 'res' 'im an' won't car' 'em down [to jail]. [For cross of salt, see No.1472, p.477; No. 2602, p.714.]
Entry 2585
An' if yo' sellin' likker, it's a simple thing an' it don't cost but a nickel - spill salt. Git chew a box of salt - S-A-L-T. An' yo' sprinkle from de corner of yore house or yore fence lak dat, chew know, round dat way an' cuss em - yo' know, call dem by dere names an' curse them out an' they cannot enter yore premises. Dey can't come dere.
(You begin to sprinkle that salt down where?)
Jes' lak, yo' see, where did lot run. Yo' sprinkle it from right in front of yore do' right straight on 'cross.
(Just in front of your property?)
An' cuss 'em out. Turn roun' lak dis yo' see [demonstrates], cuss 'em, "Don't come in mah house." Cuss 'em out - talk nasty to 'em. Jes' lak dat an' turn yore back an' don't look back. Keep talkin' to 'em, "An' don't come back. Don't come tuh mah house. ". See. An' dat's easy tuh be done.
Entry 2587
Now de way yo' do dat - yo' jest git chew some table salt an' stroll round yore do'steps an' mix it wit a little ashes an' strew it all round yore do'step. An' yo' git chew some saltpeter an' use yore chamber lye all round dat house. An' den yo' read - read de 23rd Psalms an' den yo' won't have no trouble. (You won't have any trouble with the law? And anybody can't do you harm if you are in business?) Shore - no, no. An' use dat stuff in yore shoes - dat pepper an' salt.
Entry 2589
(What did you do?)
For me to have customers when I was bootlegging? I didn't do nothing but something simple. I got me a quart jar and I made me up a jar of salt and sugar water.
(What kind of water?)
Jest table salt and pure sugar.
(You just take salt and sugar together?)
Yes, in that jar. And you take and you sprinkle it from ever what entrance they come in at, clean on into the other entrance, and back on and you say a verse. You say, "In the Name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Ghost, give me luck, success and money." And anything that I call for I'll get it, and you be sprinkling that and saying that verse all the time. Well, you get plenty of customers when you do that. When I was bootlegging, when I would do that, I would have plenty of customers. That worked for me - yes, sir, that truly worked for me.
Entry 2591
(So nobody will rent this house?)
Well, now, see tuh do that yo' use salt, ordinary table salt. Yo' know whut Epsom salts is, doesn't yo'? Well, yo' mix that together yo' see an' boil that jis' about two hours into jis' 'bout a quart of watah don't chew know. An' if yo' could git there, why yo'd sprinkle that jis' right aroun' the do'step, don't yo' see - jis' throw it roun' ord'nary, yo' understand.
(What do you put that on the steps for?)
Well, yo' said, "If yo' wanted git 'em 'way." Didn't that whut yo' said?
(Who away?)
The owner of the place.
(You mean that's to keep the landlord away?)
Yeah - keep de landlord away.
Entry 2593
(What do you do to keep the law away?)
Use salt like you dig.
(Dig salt?)
Uh huh - bury a sack of salt at the gate on one side and lye on the other side, and they'll stay away.
(Who will stay away?)
The law.
(That's for bootlegging? That will keep them away?)
Uh huh. I was selling on Dry Street 'fore this good whiskey came out [after Prohibition]. I used to sell it and I kept 'em away.
Entry 2594
This man told me if I'd ever get in any trouble and wanta skit and get away from de law, he told me to take some salt and spice and black pepper and cayenne pepper, and mix it all together in a tin can, and take and put some under my doorsteps for nine morning, de back door and front door. Dey say regardless of how much sand you raise in your house or what choo take in your house, if any- body try to send de law to your house, dat dey wouldn't come no farther then de front steps.
Entry 2595
Yo' kin take salt an' throw it in de fire if anybody come in de house; yo'll run 'em if dey come dere fo' money.
Entry 2596
Ah'm goin' tell yo' right quick now what ah did. Ah was bootleggin' down in Taylor County [Florida] and de sheriff was comin' on me - and ah'd taken some salt, jes' table salt, and dis here same cayenne pepper - jes' wropped it up in something, you know, and put it back of de heater - in a little ole heater stove - right back in dere where it couldn't burn up right quick - [in a place where I] jes' stored de wood - it was in de wintertime enyway - and den made de fire upon it and den when it go to burn, it would burn slow and den the ashes from dat - de smoke of dat goes out, chew see, and den as dat goes out it accumu- lates in de air and nobody dat comes dere do yo' no harm - do yo' no harm. If dey come dere, dey'll come dere, shake hands with yuh. "How do yuh do, Ed." "Jest fine. How a'yo'?"
Entry 2598
I've heard say then, you could take a salt when the law comes in your house. You kin take salt when he starts out an' throw it out behind him, an' they say he won't hardly come back to your house no more. They say if he comes back in, why he won't hardly arrest you for no whiskey. [Wilmington, N. Car., (298), 224:4&85.1
Entry 2599
Now say dis foot track - yo' could take a person if dey come to yore house an' yo' do not wants 'em no mo', take some of dat footsteps [foot tracks]. Well, yo' could take some salt an' pitch it behin' 'em an' curse 'em, wishin' 'em tuh stay away from yore home. Well, dey'll nevah return back any mo'...
[I was too quick turning off machine.]
(What is that?)
Hot footstep - immediately dey walk out. [Usually this is called hotfoot, a hotfoot powder being made for this purpose - see p.590.]
Entry 2600
Well, ah heard dat chew could take some table salt an' jest lak if dey could come heah, yo' be fixin' tuh go out an' dey go behin' yo' an' sprinkle dat salt behin' yo' till yo' git to de do' an' tell yo' tuh, "Go, God damn yo'." Yo'll go.
(That will make you move out of the house?)
Well, yo' can't stay.
(They would do that after you leave the house?)
No, sir, when yo'd be walkin' out jes' lak dey'd be talkin' to yo' an' yo'd on tuh de do', yo' see dat's de way dey do.
Entry 2601
Take a box of table salt an' don' let nobody use it, an' ever' time dat he come to her house, she take dat salt an' throw it behin' him, an' be shure when she throw it behin' him, that ever' time she throw it, she throw it in at least one of his tracks, right or de left, fo' nine times. An' after nine times, he wouldn't even wanta look after her. Dat's what she wanta stop. [To keep any- one away for any purpose.]
Entry 2602
Now, to keep the policeman away from your place, it's another thing. The first one come in to inspect your place, it doesn't mean any harm or nothing at all. Well, you do - they wants to see just how that place goes along. You didn't take nothing but salt after he gone - you knows, quite natural, you's the boss of the house, but you gotta represent yourself to him when he comes to talk with you. You just take salt - you go up to him and talk to him very nice and as soon as he turn his back, you just throw it at his back. Don't ever let him see it- - throw that salt three times behind him. Then at the door vou put that salt crossways right where he has been standing: [ For cross of salt, see No. 1472, p.477; No.2584, p.712.]
(You make a cross right there.)
You ain't going to see him at that place, I guarantee you, any more.
(I see, that will keep the law away.)
Yes.
Entry 2603
When the law officer come in yore house one time - when he come in there that one time, as he goes out of there, yo' mixes yo' some table salt, jest put yo' de least bit of black pepper in there, and yo' walk right on behind him to de door and when he walks out de door yo' throw that right in behin' him and turn an' don't nevah look back at him and tell him, say, "Yo' go, yo' scamp, yo' ain't got no business in heah no mo'." And dey say that he will nevah come back dere.
Entry 2604
If someone came to yore house an' yo' don't like fo' dem to be dere, whenevah dey leave, yo' jest git up behin' 'em, an' yo' kin either have yore salt an' peppah where dey can't see it. When dey walk out yo' jest throw it all 'long where dey walked at an' then chunk it towards 'em an' tell 'em, "Don't come back any mo'." Course dey don't have tuh hear yo'. Yo' won't be bothered with 'em.
Entry 2605
Dey say dat chew kin take table salt an' black pepper an' jest sprinkle it round in yore house an' jes', every time dey come dere, sprinkle it round in dere house an' in dere tracks, an' it'll git it so dat dey couldn't even stand when dey go by dere - dey come to hate de place.
(That keeps them away.)
Entry 2606
Now, if this person comes to your house and you don't want 'em to come no more, why you just take a little piece of rock salt and put it in your mouth; and if you get a chance, spit on her dress tail or on his coat tail and he'll leave and he won't come back no more.
Entry 2607
If they [unwelcome visitor] leave a handkerchief, put it in a cold tub of water with salt and that'll make them stay away from there.
Entry 2610
Yo' have dat salt watah in heah, an' they come to their house an' they go out, well, they'll take that broom an' dip it in that salt watah an' jes' sweep it right out behin' 'em jes' lak dat.
(That keeps them away?)
Yes.
Entry 2612
Git peppah an' salt, if a person constantly comes to yore house an' prob'bly it a person dat chew don't lak an' yo' don't wanta insult dem or wants dem tuh stay away. Ah've heard dat chew take salt an' peppah an' sweep behin' dem an' yo' burn bluestone an' sulphur in de do' dat dey came heah. An' don't let 'em go out dat do' when dey leaves - send 'em out through anothah do', dat's in order dat dey go in 'cross yore house. An' yo' burn de sulphur an' bluestone in de do' dat dey came through an' yo' sweep an' yo' sprinkle salt an' peppah; whereas when dey go out down behin' 'em, sweep it out that way.
Entry 2613
Yo' take a snail - if he crawlin' along, yo' picks him up - jes' lak he crawlin' dis way, yo' pick him up an' carry him back. All right yo' take dis snail an' yo' carry him home, an' yo' put dis snail in a jar an' let him git good an' dry, an' yo' goes to someone house, or either is someone come tuh yore house an' yo' don't want 'em roun' yore house. Yo' take dis snail an' jes' a little bit dis salt when dey goes back out, an' sprinkle it from where dey wus settin out to de do' - sweep it on out. Dey can't come back dere no mo'.
(What do you do with that snail?)
De snail - yo' take de snail an' put him in a jar an' let him stay in it till he git dry up - see. Den yo' take de whole shell, hull an' all an' beat it up fine. Take de salt an' put in dere wit it, an' right where dey's settin', yo' jes' sprinkle from dere right on out de steps, an' yo' sweeps right on behin'. Dey cain't come back dere no mo' den. [Snail slows up unwelcome visitor's return - see Snail, p.648.]
Entry 2614
You take yer graveyard dirt in the morning - like a person you're dis- satisfied with or a man wan'a leave there, an' as these people come in, you take an' sprinkle it down behind 'em. An' then you take urinate water an' pepper or salt an' sweep. That's whut they call sweepin' behin' 'em. An' that person Wouldn't come roun' you no more. If you do that as much as three times, they'll never come roun' you no more.
Entry 2624
If you wants to take a bath in water for success, you see, you put sea salt in there and oil of geranium - any kind of that you prefer for perfume you see - in that water. Sea salt. Wash yourself down and throw it at [toward] sun- rise. Well, that'll keep you in good luck.
Entry 2635
Jis' lak if yo's a hustlin'woman, yo' know, an' want good business in yore home, yo' see, well yo' take ole shoes an' burn 'em. But 'fore yo' burn 'em yo' sprinkle sulphah an' salt on those shoes an' put 'em in yore cookstove an let 'em begin burnin'. An' den yo' take a shovel an' take 'em out on a shovel with this sulphah an' salt on 'em an' jis' care 'em all roun' in yore house - yo' see, in all de fo' corners of yore room an' jis' let 'em burn. An' let de odor - close yore house up an' let dat odor stay in dere. Den yo' take de ashes an' start at chore front do' an' sprinkle it from de front to de back an' dat draws trade. Den yo' take yore urinate an' put salt an' sugah in it an' jis' mop yore front po'ch an' out all on de street - out all on de sidewalk where peoples is passin', if yo's runnin' a assi'nation house, see. An' people when dey git dere dey'll jis' have tuh come in. Dat makes good business fo' yo'.
Entry 2638
If you was bootleggin' - you'd sit around, look like nobody much didn't come dere. So you kin take your old shoe, take you some onions and peel 'em and take de peelin' - dese dry hulls off de onions and put 'em in dat shoe. Take you a little sugar and put it in dat shoe, and a little salt and put in dere, and walk to de stove and take de heel part and turn it right up over de toe like dat, and put it bottomside upwards into de stove [upside down rite] and let it burn dere. In ten or fifteen minutes you have more people in your house den you kin wait on.
Entry 2640
Well, dat supposed to bring luck in business - to bring luck in busi- ness an' yo' know tuh drive any evil spirit away, de cops. Well, now, yo' do this on a Friday at twelve a'clock. Yo' take sugah an' sulphur an' salt an' yo' sprinkle it on some ole shoes, an' den when de whistle is blowin' fo' twelve, why yo' have a good while to lay it on, put it in there an' yo' burn it an' let de smoke go out. See, de smoke, well it will go out de chimley an' it will light up good. Why den yo' lift it out in a shovel or somethin' an' yo' carry it roun' in yore place of business an' let dat smoke circulate aroun'. An' den yo' take an' put it back in de stove an' let it finish burnin' up. Do dat each Friday. Well, dat's all to dat fo' good luck. (That is for luck in business - to bring in customers and also keep the police away?) Bring customer an' keep policemen 'way.
Entry 2655
Well, de way dat would be done, de first thing you should do tuh bring in trade - yo' kin use whut we call a sprinkle. An' yo' could take yo' a little sulphur an' a little salt an' a little peppah an' sprinkle dat round. Den yo kin burn a little sulphur. Yo' burn sulphur on Fridays an' sprinkle a little, then sweep a little round on de flo'. That's very prosperous to bring trade.
Entry 2678
They takes de chamber lye and salt and mix it together and dey takes that, if they have a collector or anything comin' yo' know, dey kin scatter that every morning in front of they do'steps an' back steps, that'll keep them away - won't have no collectors.
Entry 2679
Jest take a little urinate, your urinate, and a little pot salt and dis little ground peppah - hot cayenne peppah. [Three ingredients.] " You carry a certain distance from your house, see, and you sprinkle, you know. Jest like de road come up to your house or de street, why you jest sprinkle it across, you understand. Why dey couldn't come no farther than that. Every time dey git dere why dey jest change dere mind and turn back.
(That keeps the law away.)
Entry 2682
Take the chamber lye, that is yore own chamber lye an' let it set up three days, an' a little salt in it an' wash yore house good, an' that will bring luck to the house.
Entry 2705
You use Hearts Perfume an' chamber lye - sprinkle it all around in yore place fo' sunrise in de morning. Yo' git up an' yo' sprinkle dat around in yore place. An' then yo' use salt - sprinkle salt around in yore place. If yo' have any rug, anything dat chew kin put dat salt undah, it is very lucky. An' dat chamber lye an' dis Hearts Perfume it's very, very lucky to bring in customers. If yo' use dat chamber lye an' dat Hearts Perfume, an' if yo' will burn some sulphur - if yo'll burn some sulphur into yore place in a pan, right in de middle of de flo', an' use yore Hearts Perfume an' yore chamber lye, why yo'll bring in yore peoples.
Entry 2869
Ah'd light a white candle an' put salt in each corner of yore house, an' write on de candle whomevah it would be [to] bring whatsomevah dey got away from me back. (When would you burn this candle?) Ah would burn this candle from ten to twelve - from ten in de day to twelve, jis' one day only.
Entry 2950
[If they] burn de candle tuh harm yo', git up an' light chew a red can- dle an' read Psalms 112, an' read Psalms 113 and 114 - uh-huh, de hundred Psalms de thirteen verse an' fo'teen verse of Psalms.
(What would happen then?)
Well, whosomevah wus trying tuh do yo' evil, they would leave you alone if dey burnin' dat candle. Light the red candles, yes, when yo' git through an' - yo' read that an' put de salt in each corner of de house - an' blow it out. Yo' not supposed [ordinarily] tuh blow a candle out; yo' supposed to smother it out lak dat [demonstrates].
(Those candles vou burn vou mean?)
Yes. [Normally the red or any candle would be snuffed out, but here it is blown out.]
Entry 2964
Yo' kin take a little pinch of salt an' put it in yore hair near de mole [mold] of yore haid. Well - an' den yo' take two matches an' cross 'em in yore haid. Dat puts it out - dat candle's out an' it cain't do yo' any harm.
Entry 2965
You git a penny box of matches from de groc'ry store, an' you git choo some salt an' needles, an' cross it in your haid. You say, "By St. Peter, by St. Paul, by the Lord that made us all." An' cuss de one dat choo think has got dem can'les [burning against you]. An' dey go out.
(You put this salt in your hair?)
You put de salt. An' de matches yuh cross 'em in your head. An' you rub it [the salt]. You go there ever' mornin' an' rub it, choo know. Ever' mornin' you take a little salt an' rub it. An' say that prayer ["By St. Peter"] for nine mornin's. An' he'll run away.
(That candle will go out?)
Yes, that candle will go out.
(How many matches do you put in your hair?)
Two. Each mornin' you put new matches out a box has never been used.
(Just two - just across the two.)
Just two. [Needles also crossed.]
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 3637
[While recording machine was stopped, informant said you get a live snail.l Now dis is about if a man is runnin' aroun'. If he's runnin' aroun' an' yo' vanta stop 'im.
(All right, now you get this live snail.)
An' not any - don't git 'im wit de shell. Yo' know, yo' see some snails wit- out de shell an' some wit de shell. Git de one witout de shell. An' den yo' take a new han'ke'cheff an' yo' put 'im in dis new han'ke'cheff on de end lak. Well, yo' put salt on it ian' let it dissolve. Well, yo' see, yo' take dis han'- ke'cheff yo' know, when yo' have a connection wit each othah an' yo' let 'im wipe Alt it. Well, dat will stop 'im from havin' any intahco'se wit any woman at all except yo'.
Entry 3792
Yo' git hot watah jis' lak yo' goin' take a bath an' red peppah - cayenne pep- pah - wit salt an' saltpetah an' put it in de watah. Salt all ovah it. See, throw it dataway. Dat wash it off an' kill it. But chew gotta do dat befo' yo' evah git ovah it.
(That is to bring his nature back?)
Yes.
(How do you throw that water, just any way?)
No, throw it dis way, don't chew know. Dat's west. [You have to throw it to the west] befo' de sun rise. Keep it wit yo' dat night, keep it until befo' de sunrise an' yo' git up befo' de sunrise an' throw it dat way [to the west].
Entry 4235
Take salt an' put it in yore chamber lye an' throw it in front of yore do' an' it will conquah, yo' know, yuh enemies dat way.
Entry 4236
Yuh take yuh chamber lye an' po' it roun' yuh do'step an' some table salt, if anybody try tuh put anythin' down undah yuh steps. Jis' come right along an' po' dat aroun' de do'step. Dat's no use dere, dey hurt chew.
Entry 4237
Take anybody chamber lye, if yuh want 'em tuh stay wit yuh, an' put table salt in it an' bury it undahneat' yuh do'step.
(What do you put that chamber lye in, anything?)
Jis' put it in a bottle wit cookin' salt.
(Whose chamber lye do you take, that person's that you want to stay?)
Yeah, dat person yuh wanta stay. Jis' lak a man comin' tuh mah house an' goin' tuh anothah house, well ah kin take his pee an' put cookin' salt in it an' bury it undah mah do'step. Well de othah woman, she could do de same thing, if she knew how. Well he jis' have tuh keep penetratin' from dis house tuh dat house, dis house tuh dat house. He can't stay tuh one house. He gotta go tuh dat house. He come tuh see me an' he got a wife. Well ah've got 'im fixed up so bad wit diff'ren' thin's, see, dat when he go back home he can't give a good word out tuh 'is ole lady. If she say anythin' tuh 'im, it make him cross.
(That will cause confusion.)
Entry 4244
Yuh kin take a person's chamber lye an' git chew some table salt an borax an' dat'll, dat'll put 'em outa business or - jis' lak if yuh's some woman who wanted [to] git a place. In case if yuh wanted tuh git a place an' yuh couldn't git in dere 'lessen dey [the person who had the place or job] wuz out, why den yuh take chamber lye.
(Whose chamber lye?)
Git some of yuh own chamber lye. Take yuh chamber lye an' table salt an' some borax. Yuh go dere an' jis' po' it aroun' de place an' it won't be long 'fore he [the person holding the place or job] be outa dere.
(You pour it around the place where he works or around his house?)
Aroun' de place where he work. Jis' go dere some days [nights?], jis' take it an' go right roun' de do', front an' de back.
(That is to get the other fellow's job?)
Dat's tuh git de othah fellah's job.
Entry 4293
Git yuh some salt - git yuh some table salt an' throw it out dere on de sidewalk. Dey'll move. Git dat salt an' put it out dere, yuh'll move 'um. When yuh pass, come along, yuh goin' call 'um. He'll have a mind tuh come here. He'll wanta when he start, but when he git here, 'is mind, dat carries 'im on by, yuh see. Dat salt - yuh've got 'i gwinin' [going], yuh see. Jis' sprinkle dat salt an' mix it up wit some chamber lye, an' carry it dere an' thrown it down out dere, early in de mawnin' about oice a week 'fore sunup, yuh see. An' he's gone, he ain't nevah goin' come back. He goin' stay 'way all de time. But he'll see you somewhere an' he say, "Well, ' he say, "ah'll be back tuh see yuh sometime, '"' say, "tell me yuh boot- leggin'." Yuh tell 'em tuh come on, but he ain't comin'. He ain't nevah comin'. Dat salt keep 'im weakened an' dat chamber lye keep 'im weakened, see. Yuh go on home. He ain't gwine wit yuh, he ain't nevah comin' back.
Entry 4300
She said she cut dis piece of 'is clothes, cut out a roun' plug. Ah reckon de plug mus' have been dat roun' [demonstrates], jis' 'bout de size of a dollah. Cut it outa de seat of 'is drawahs. She said she took it an' put it in a bag an' put some fish brine salt in dere wit it. An' she said, an' carried it on de no'theast cornah of 'er house an' dug de hole an' put it in dere. She said evah mawnin' befo' de sun rise she'll go roun' dere an' make watah on it. She done it fo' nine mawnin's, she said. An' dey say he left here an' nevah did come through here [Richmond] no more. [Richmond, Va., (340), 373: l, about 1929 in Richmond.]
Entry 4312
[Here is a rite that may have been widespread and fairly common at one time, but I found few examples of it - the urine rite.] Take plain table salt an' each time dey go out, she kin throw it behin' dem. An' some people will jis' urinate behin' dem people. Ah've know dat tuh make em move.
(The salt itself will make them move?)
Jis' plain table salt, dat's it.
(If that person urinates behind them, that'll make them move?)
Dat'll make dem move.
(Well, how would they urinate behind them?)
Dey watch fo' dem, or some people will hold it fo' jis' dat length of time. If somebody goes out an' dat dey jis' hate 'em an' don't want 'em, yuh know, dey jis' squat behin' dem an' jis' do dat, an' den take de broom an' sweep it right straight out behin' dem.
Entry 4317
Yo' take chamber lye, salt an' red peppah an' car- ries it roun' yore house three nights. Dat takes care de buildin', whut chew [have] in dere - keep any- body from puttin' anythin' roun' dere tuh harm yuh.
Entry 4394
Yuh kin take a little salt an' black peppah an' put it in 'is passage, yuh undahstan', an' take an' burn it, an' it stops 'is bowels.
(Locks his bowels?)
Locks 'is bowels. Dere yuh are.
Entry 4796
If she doin' yuh any kinda way an' de law pertect [protect] 'er in whut she do, if yuh cain't git rid of 'er an' yuh wan'a git rid of 'er, wanta git 'er kilt. Say, fo' ninstance, yuh wanta kill 'er, an' don' want 'er tuh be pertected. See, yuh take one of 'er clothes from 'er suitcase, whut she wear, an' sprinkle salt on dat an' go tuh de no'th side of de house an' dig a hole in de ground about two an' a half feet deep, an' yuh bury dat. An' den sprinkle salt ovah dat place evah mawnin' when yuh firs' git up. An' den sixteen days from de date chew bury dat, she'll be a corpse. An' all de insurance or whatsomevah she got, yuh'll receive. An' dere cain't no doctor [M.D.] detec' it.
Entry 5087
She jis' gits a piece of de inside sole [insole of your shoe], puts it in a bottle wit cologne an' red peppah, salt, sulphah - dat keep zhoo in love wit 'er - wit Eve-an'-Adam [Adam-and-Eve] in it. Dat li'le root dey call Eve- an' Adam; it grows, looks lak a li'le tinsy [tiny] Ish [Irish] potatah. De Eve is a woman, Adam is a man. De man one'll swim, an' de she one'll sink. Dey grows on a hillside wit a li'le leaf looks sorta lak a heart leaf.
Entry 5116
Yuh kin take a man's shoe, yuh kin take one of 'is ole shoes, jis' lak yuh got some steps dat yuh come up, lak yuh got stair [door] steps, if yuh kin git undah dem stair steps [doorsteps], yuh bury dat shoe in de ground. Put salt in dat shoe an' bury it in de ground. He'll be back dere.
(Either shoe?)
Eithah shoe.
(You don't bury it any particular way? Just so that you bury it?)
Yuh bring it back [point it towards the house], den he's gotta come back. Git 'im so he'll cross ovah dat shoe an' he cain't stay away. Dat shoe will bring 'im back.
Entry 5201
Well, yo' kin take de shoes an' burn 'em an' dey'll come back.
(Both the shoes?)
Yes, burn shoes.
(After you burn them what do you do?)
Yo'jes' burn 'em wit salt. If yo' jes' take salt an' sprinkle it behin' a person dey will leave. Den yo' kin take de shoes an' burn 'em wit salt an' dey'll come back. [Burning the shoes with salt - both burning and salt - breaks the spell cast that send the person away.]
Entry 5204
Take red peppah an' salt an' put it in yore shoes tuhgethah. An' mix it in a li'le bag or papah an' put it in yore shoe an' weah it. Dat'll keep any- one from hurtin' yo'.
Entry 5205
Dey say yo' kin take a man's shoe an' git chew some peppah an' salt, an' mix it up on a piece of papah - jis' mix it up. Jis' lak yo' be's roomin [with me] an' ah'd git hold of a pair of shoes yo' weah. An' maybe ah won't stay dere [you are not rooming with me], but ah'd go in dere an' jis' sprinkle de stuff right in dat shoe. Dey says when ah sprinkle dat in dat shoe, dat peppah stuff, yo'll git outa mah sight. If yo' do dat, if it's a man a enemy 'g'inst yo', yo' kin run 'im away by puttin' dat in 'is shoe, sprinklin' in it. He'll move.
(You do that with both shoes?)
Both of 'is shoes. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1008), 1630:2.]
(subsection SHoEs continues in volume four)
Entry 5207
Git yo' some men's shoes - git chew a [new] pack of sulphur. Put chew a teaspoonful of sulphur in each one of those shoes, a pair - two, yo' know, burn 'em only two at de time. An' yo' put dat sulphur in dose shoes an' table salt an' put it in yore stove an' let it burn. Yore house will be so full yo' can't git in an' out on 'em.
Entry 5208
People, yo' know, kin take an' weah sulphur in de shoes, an' as long as yo' weah sulphur in yore shoes, ah don' care who put anythin' down fo' yo', it wouldn't hurt chew. Sulphur an' salt eats up de poison.
Entry 5209
An' den ag'in yo' kin take de salt, de eatin' salt, an' sulphur an' yo kin take dat an' let it been in dat ole shoe. An' take it out dat ole shoe an' yo' kin go an' sprinkle it in mah house, or on de sill of mah house, or anywhere on de step, an' ah walk ovah it ah'll leave.
(Whose shoe do you put that salt in?)
Anyone who yo' wanta work harm wit or good.
(Well, then you would take it out of their shoe?)
Yes, when yo' take it out de shoe, den yo' put it in dat bottle. Sho'. Well yo' jis' take dat salt out as a powdah an' throw it undah mah house or eithah in mah house, if yo' kin. (Well, now, suppose you were running me away and you want to use salt to do it, you would put that salt in my shoe?) No, no suh.
(You mean your own shoe?)
No, nobody's shoe. Yo' jis' takes dat salt an' diff'ren' things whut chew wanta put tuh it, an' yo' throw it down. Yo' kin jis' throw it at de threshhold of mah do' an' ah'd move. Evah time yo' walk ovah dat, see, dat satisfies - dat settle it. Yo'll leave, yo'll git a mind tuh leave heah an' yo'll go.
Entry 5213
Wear red peppah in yore shoes, salt an' sulphur an' black peppah, no one cain't harm yo'.
Entry 5260
Yo' kin take de right-foot shoe of a man, if yo' won't want tuh be bothahed, an' yo' take table salt an' a pod of red peppah - not li'le brown pep- pah, de red peppah. Go tuh a train where a box- car an' tack it up dere an' dat party will leave. Or yo' kin do de same thin' an' carry it tuh de rivah an' put dat shoe in any watah dat's runnin' an' he will leave. Dat is true, also.
Entry 5324
If yo' know it's yore husban's track - yo' see 'im when he make dat track [as he leaves home], she kin go däh [there] an' git de dirt out de hollah of 'is feet. Jis' pull de dirt back tuh 'er out de hollah dat feet ovah de heel. Bot' of 'em. An' take it home, yo' know, an' put it in a bag, an' put some salt wit it - nuthin but salt. Make de bag strong enough, an' wah [wear] it right undah 'er right ahm. An' dey say he'll come back, straight back home.
Entry 5339
Well, yo' see, jes' lak if ah's walkin' across de street - yo' know, if ah wanta do yo' a injury, ah'd go dere an' ketch chure track, dig it up an' put it in a bottle an' pee on it, an' put salt an' peppah, an' jes' stop it up an' bury it in de groun'. An' dey pine away. Dey wouldn't live but a few mo' months aftah dat.
(What foot tracks do they pick up? Both of them?)
No, jes' one, de left foot.
Entry 5633
If someone gone away an' dey wuz persuaded away by some person dat's tryin' to do yo' harm in de family or somepin of de kin', an' dey git dis person out an' tell 'em to leave home, ah wouldn't stay dere; an' den, yo' 'see, dey're tryin' to do yo' harm. Dey would git dis person off, an' den dey would give 'em somepin to keep 'em away from yo'. Ah've heard dat.
(What do they give them?)
Dey say dey would fix up somepin in dere food, some kin', lak women have, an' put it in dere food. An' den to bring 'em back, a lady tol' me dis, she wuz a ole lady, she's daid now, she tol' me dis to bring 'em back. She said if yo' wan' 'em, desire dem back home an' couldn't git 'em back, said if dey did come to see yo', if dey happen to come to see yo', yo' git some salt an' red peppah an' some sulphur, an' sprinkle it in dere tracks when dey leave ag'in, so dey come back ag'in dey wouldn't go back any mo'. If dey leavin', dat'll bring 'em back.
Entry 6593
Den it's anothah somepin. A fellah will do dat. Yo' know whut a snail Is. Well, yo' could take dat an' put it in dey drinkin' watah. Sprinkle a little salt in dere. Yo' know, take de snail an' sprinkle salt on it till it dwindle all away. Ah don' care how large he is he'll dwindle on away tuh nuthin. an' yo' n do de same thing wit a woman person. Let 'em drink watah.
(What will that do to a man?)
Dat will kill 'im. Yo' know, jis' dry 'em up, jis' lak dey would git sick an is'dvindle away. (But you have to dissolve this snail dust in salt and then put that juice into irdrinking water?) Yessuh.
Entry 6904
Jis' lak if yo' were stay- in' dere in dis house an' yo' vanted tuh stay dere, didn't want anyone tuh hurt chah anyway. Ah heard 'em say dat dey could git some table salt an' black peppah, jis' whut chew kin make an' hold it roun' in yore hand, see. Mix it up well. Git enough where yo' kin go all de way roun' yore house, undahstan'. Throw dat all de way roun' yore house. Dere no harm dey kin do yo'. But be sure yo' have aplenty so it be put down all de way roun'.
Entry 6905
If anybody come tuh yore house dat is not right in heah, dere's sompin lak dat wrong, dey swole up, git chew some salt an' black peppah an' throw it in de fiah an' jis' go on out. (You mean if he has a disease, a veneral disease?) Yessuh.
Entry 6907
Or eithah yo' kin take sulphuh. Say yo' kin [take] sulphuh if anyone comin' in yore house an' salt an' mix it tuhgethah. Jis' go round de edge, go all roun' yore yard an' sprinkle it all aroun'. Dat will keep dem out from comin' in, keep yore ene- mies from comin' in.
Entry 7339
Takes a pod of red peppah an' gits nine grains [seeds] an' put it in both shoes an' wear it in dere. An' take yo' some salt an' sugah an' put it in de toe of yore shoe, an' yo' could walk anywhere yo' Wanted tuh go. If dey hounds wuz aftah yo', den yo' git chew some red peppah [cayenne] or eithah a piece of sock or sompin, an' rub it undah yore arms, undah each arm an' put it in yore shoe, den dey couldn't trail yo'. (Put those nine grains of red peppah in each shoe, so if you walk over any- thing it won't hurt you?) Dat's whut dat's fo'.
(This other is for the hounds tracking you?)
Yes.
Entry 7340
Sprinkle salt as dey go, if dey goin'. An' right aftah dey go, jes sprinkle salt along dere an' de dogs can't trail 'em - can't trail 'em ovah dat salt. (You mean if a person committed a crime you would sprinkle some salt around?) Dat's right. Can't trail 'em.
Entry 7341
Ah jes' heard dem say dat dey wear salt, table salt, in de shoes an' nobody couldn't git dere track. Couldn't pick up dere foot track.
Entry 7405
Ah've hear'd dat if a man kills a man an' runs away or do somepin - misdemenah [misdemeanor] whatevah it done be - an' gits away. Well, an' dey Wants tuh do somepin tuh make 'im come back. Well, yo' go - yo' gotta have some kinda piece which dis man wo'. It don't make no diff'rence what - if it wus 'is coat or whut - but it must be some kinda piece which he has wo'. An' yo' takes it, see. An' yo' dresses it. Yo' dresses it wit three diff'ren' mixtures, an' yo' puts it in a place where it won't - no one partici- pates in [frequents or looks into], dat place, yo' see. An' aftah thirteen days dat individual [murderer] will show up on de scene dere. But yo' must take it an' yo' gits one of yuh, one of dese [ingredients] dat yo' dress it wit; dat ah've hear'd yo' dress it wit, is de left horn of a cow.
(The left horn?)
De left horn of a cow.
(The left horn of a cow.)
Yo' take dat an' in... [I interrupt].
(What do you do, take the whole horn?)
No, yo' jis' git some of dat. Yo' jis' take a knife an' jis' scrape, jis' scrape some of dat left horn of a cow. An' de nex' thing yo' git, yo' goes down tuh de graveyard an' yo' gits yuh some dirt - some soil. Den yo' go tuh de west enda [end of] dis individual house. Yo' mus' know where he lived at - where he lived at.
(What did you say now?)
Go tuh de west enda his house where he lived at, an' yo' dig up some soil an' yo' mix dat. Den yo' bring it back an' yo' goes an' yo' git a piece of 'is socks, an' yo' put dat in dere. An' yo' puts dis in a secret place where nobody lives an' yo' waits about thirteen or fourteen days. An' yo' go git it an' bring it out, an' sprinkle it down with salt an' watah. An' in a few days dat guy Sii show up on de scene. So ah heard.
Entry 7511
If dey kin git 'is pichure, jes' lak if yo' wuz stayin' heah an' yo'd kill somebody an' ah wanted tuh git chew back home. Ah wanted tuh find out who it wus did it, ah'd take an' come heah an' git chure Pichure. An' take some quicksilvah an' some sulphur an' some salt an' put it all togethah. An' den some Adam-an'-Eve [root] an' put dat wit it. An' take it an' sew it up an' carry it tuh mah house, an' put it undah mah do'step, an' in two day's time yo'd be back. An' yo'd tell somebody dat chew de one dat did it. It would keep worryin' yo' till yo' did.
Entry 7542
Well, when you want your next door neighbor to move outa dat house, you go to the graveyard and get you some graveyard dust. You walk to the third grave - get you some graveyard dust; bring that dust back there and keep it - you sprinkle a little salt in it - just a little salt and you stop it up. Now, on the full of the moon, you walk around there and you sprinkle that dust and they going to move from there - they gotta move.
(What do you mean by the third grave?)
The third grave in that - after you enter into the graveyard - the third grave you git to. You get you some dust off. [For a variant of this rite with a different purpose, see 1918, p.563; and for more about moon as a time for getting graveyard dirt, see following rite, 1919.]
Entry 7591
If she war: 'a run aroun', well shc.'ll take an' go tuh de cemetery on a new moon an' git dirt offa innocent's grave, an' take sulphur an' take table salt - nine spoons of table salt. An' as she go out [leaves the house] go intuh de room an' throw it in de room; an' [as] she go out de do' [door] throw it In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' in de Holy Ghost, an' go on. Yuh know, go out de house. He ain't gon'a come out [the door after her].
(What does she do this for?)
Jis' lak she come in at night - yuh know, lak she goin' out, an' she goin' out tuh be out at night an' she don' wan' 'im tuh come out tuh look fo' her. Well, she git it fresh. She go dere on de new moon.
(She does this so that he won't bother her while she goes out at night?)
Go anywhere she wants.
Entry 7810
It's de same as yo' were livin' intuh dis premises right chere, yo' undahstan', an' he might not be a sufficiently good enough neighbah roun', yo' know, in de community, an' yo'd like tuh git someone out chere. Well yo' goes tuh de graveyard yo' undahstan' an' yo' gits holt of some of dat dirt an' yo' put, ah think it's black peppah an' salt, an' yo' sprinkle it aroun' in de fo' cornahs of de house. An' den yo' jis' take de rest an' den yo' scattah it an' go on out tuh de street. It won't be but a day or two befo' dey'll go on, have tuh leave dere.
(Have to move out of the house?)
Oh! dey couldn't stay in dere.
Entry 7869
Dey could take dat an' make de person do as dey want 'em tuh do.
(How would they do that?)
Dey would go git de graveyard dirt an' dey mix some wit table salt, put it in yore pocket, an' go on talk wit 'im an' he will give yuh a job.
(Don't you have to do anything with that salt at all?)
No sir.
Entry 7870
Take some graveyard dirt, a li'le bit of it an' a li'le bit of salt, an' eithah sprinkle it roun' de house or eithah 'neath de house. An' dat'll make him leave or eithah have a fight. [Florence, S. Car. (1323), 2268:4.]
The informant describes graveyard dirt mixed with salt and reports departure or fighting as alternatives; the account does not establish an observed effect.
Entry 7871
Go tuh de graveyard an' git some graveyard dirt an' bring it back home an' put salt in it, an' sprinkle it all roun' yore do' an' yo'd have tuh go.
(That will drive them away?)
Yassuh.
The informant's description, the interviewer's question about driving people away, and the informant's confirmation remain separate parts of the exchange.
Entry 7876
If dey go tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt, an' yo' go tuh somebody an' in some way git holt of dis dirt, an' take it an' carry an' put some salt an' peppah [black?] in it. An' den take it an' bury it undahneath dere do'step, de same thing will turn back on dem.
[This is a method for returning the spell.]
(You bury this under the back doorstep?)
Dat's it. [This informant, a note tells me, was a rapid talker.]
Entry 7877
Ah heard 'em say sompin 'bout - some people say dey take graveyard dirt an' salt an' peppah an' all lak dat stuff, yo' know. Well, dey say - ah don' know how dey fix it all, but dey mix it tuhgethah an' throw it up on dere house an' all lak dat. But whethah it is true, ah don' know.
(That is supposed to make you move out?)
Yes.
The informant reports hearsay and explicitly does not know how the mixture is prepared or whether the claim is true. The interviewer's question concerns the supposed departure effect; the answer does not remove the stated uncertainty.
Entry 7879
He'll go to de graveyard an' he'll dig down in dat graveyard an' git some of dat dirt off de daid person, see. An' he'll mix salt, red peppah, mix it an' use it; throw it all in front of dat man place [of business] in de night aftah twelve or one a'clock. An' dat'll make de people [customers] slack up from goin'; dat'll stop de people, dat spirit. WHEN YO' [A CUSTOMER] GIT DARE A'HAVE A MIND TO GO IN DARE, ANOTHAH SPIRIT - A DAID SPIRIT - WILL JIS' WORRY UP WIT YORE LIVIN' SPIRIT AN' KEEP YO' OUT OF DARE AN' YO'LL JIS' PASS ON BY DAT FLACE. An' de place done contend [commence] tuh gittin' dullah an' dullah, an' so he [proprieter] must leave an' somebody else got dat place.
The informant describes graveyard dirt with salt and red pepper in a business-departure account. Uppercase speech remains distinct from the bracketed editorial identifications and glosses; the spirit explanation and claimed result remain source-reported.
Entry 7886
Yo' go tuh somebody's graveyard [private cemetery on a farm] an' jes' lak dey got somebody down dere, lak yore name is Jane or John or sompin, say, "Well, dere some people's [people is] givin' me trouble an' ah don't know whut could ah do tuh make 'em go 'way." An' reach down in dere an' git some graveyard dirt an' go right back tuh de house. An' put some salt an' sulphur wit it, an' tie it up an' put it right undah de do'steps. An' when yo' go an' put it undah dere, says, "Go, yo' son of a bitch." An' dat John, he'll worry dat house so, he come down de stairs, got a ball an' chains an' buckles an' evahthin', jes' causin' a rattlin', an' dem folks will move.
The informant gives a conditional account with prescribed addresses, not a record of a particular invocation. The bracketed farm-cemetery and grammar explanations are editorial; the rattling and departure remain source-reported.
Entry 8636
Well, you can take a lemon and put your name and his name - not his, but jes' like he got some woman; yo' understand [and you, a woman, want] to separate them. Well, yo' write it [her name] down nine times all kinda ways, and then you put aloes. Yo' can put cayenne peppah an' salt, some dat have never been used, a fresh box of each - that have never been used. An' yo' take that an' yo' put it in de lemon, an' yo' put it [lemon] in a vinegar, in a bottle of vinegar. [To put lemon in bottle, cut it in 4 parts - see No.8632.] An' yo' shake it like that, an' kick it all around de floor, like yo' dog it. AN' JES' LIKE YO' "DOG" THAT BOTTLE [TREAT IT LIKE A DOG] THAT JES' DE WAY HE'LL "DOG" HER and [they will] break up. Jes' like yo' kick de bottle, yo' know, knock it around - jes' take your feet, yo' see, an' kick it an' curse it - that is the way he'll do to her. An' then they'll separate.
Entry 8858
Kin take yo' han'writin' an' if yo' run off from home, yo' take dat han'writin' an' fetch yo' back. Dress 'em wit cologne an' put some salt on it. Yo' could be in California, yo'll come heah in Savannah.
Entry 8927
If a person come in here an' steal somepin from yo', he may steal five dollars or he may steal ten dollars. Well, now yo' go to bed. Yo' wanta go down an' put de law behin' [the thief], but don' chew do dat. Yo' ain't gotta put de law behin' 'em. Den go to work an' lay down in yore bed at night an' de fust thing yo' dream yo' git up. De fust thing yo' have in yore dreams, yo' git up. Yo' go an' take up yo' right-footed shoe. An' take it an' put it at de head of yo' bed, underneath chure head. Well, de fust thing yo' dream after yo' put it underneath chew head, yo' come downstairs an' take some soda, cookin' soda, in yo' hand. An' take some table salt an' put it in yo' hand, an' a little bit of red pepper an' put it in yore hand. Go to de do' an' call three names of de ones dat been to yore house. An' dat man will come back dat night an' bring dat back an' say he got it.
Entry 9140
Say yo' kin take a pair of bran'-new socks an' one tablespoon- ful of salt an' put it in yore socks, an' dey can't give yo' a fine. Dat's one.
(You put one tablespoonful of salt in each sock, when you go before the judge.)
When yo' go befo' de jedge.
(But those socks must be new?)
Must be new.
Entry 9141
Git some salt an' cinnamon an' yo' weah dat in yuh right pocket, an' when yo' talkin' wit de judge, why jis' empty salt as yo' talkin' an' dat'll bring yo' peace, luck.
Entry 9195
Ah heard dat yo' take coffee groun's an' egg shells an' yo' beat dat up wit salt, an' yo' put dat undah de step. An' as de persons who live in de house track dat, well dey'll be disagreeable an' dey wouldn't be in dat premises long. Dey'll move out in perhaps a few days.
Entry 10111
Jis' lak if yuh wan'a git a bone from a black cat. Jis' lak if yuh got a black cat shut up tuh yuh home heah. Yuh cud take dat black cat an' kill in. An' jis' lak if yuh got a li'l assafitadee [asafetida]. Yuh ought tuh shet 'im up an' let 'im stay dere nine days [with asafetida - a bad or good smell for the devil]! An' dey say in de nine days ven [when] yuh take dat cat an' yuh'll kill dat cat, an' yuh git dat bone from right out 'is hip, right heah [demon- strates]. Yuh kin git two of 'em out one cat, outa each hip. An' yuh take dat bone den, an' yuh cud take yuh a li'le roun' sumpin - got [to punch] a hole in it, see; yuh know, a roun' sompin, yuh punch a hole - jis' lak a icepick, yuh see. An' yuh take it an' yuh punch holes in it. An' yuh go tuh de drug sto' an' git chew some a -w'ut-a yuh call dat sweet thin'? Some a -w'a chew call it? But anyhow it jis' a root [John de Conkah?] yuh found in witchcraft, yuh know. Yuh put on de bone, yuh feed dat bone wit dat. (You put this stuff in that hole in the bone?) Yes sir. Ah'll remembah it [dat sweet thin'] in a few minutes. Yuh take dat bone den - jis' lak if yuh wus gamblin', yuh kin take dat bone. An' jis' as long as yuh feed it befo' yuh go. An'yuh take a li'le bit of dat an' put it in yuh left pocket. An' yo' couldn't lose.
(How do you carry this bone?)
In a li'le sack in yuh lef'-han' pocket. Yuh put some salt in yuh right-han' pocket. An' don' nevah let nobody see de bone an yuh'll be lucky.
(What do you get at the drug store?)
Foom. Foom. Yuh go tuh de drug store an' call fo' a bottle of foom - de sweetest thin'. He giv't yuh.
(Is it perfume?)
Yes sir! Yuh go dere an' call fo' a bottle of foom an' he'll give it tuh yuh. It looks lak watah in a bottle, but it's de sweetest thin' yuh evah did put on yuh in yuh life. [The fisherman from down the Sound was difficult to understand. My contact man felt sorry for him saying he was so backward - un- educated and naive, primitive.]
Entry 10462
If you put salt and red pepper in empty skin of witch, she or he will be unable to reenter the skin. [This was a common theme down the Atlant coast- line.]
Entry 10637
Go to a ants' nest an' git de dirt from roun' it an' put it in sulphur, red peppah an' table salt, an' wear it in yore pocket; dey say dat gives yo' luck. Brings luck to yore home.
Entry 11191
Dirt dauber nest, red pepper and salt mix, sprinkle or hang up or bury
[person must walk over or under it] causes confusion. [Mobile, Ala., 873:1.]
Entry 11268
You kin take up their foot track an' put it in a snuffbox, an' you puts some salt an' peppah in there an' make a wish, an' throw it in the runnin' watah an' then you kin do this [I interrupt].
(What do you do when you reach the water?)
You make a wish for them to leave town [(960), 1544:7].
Entry 11288
They takes it [hair] from de mole [mold of your head] and after tak- ing it from de mole, they tie it up with pepper or salt, and then they kin put it with some one of your soiled napkins. (The woman?) Shore. And they practi- cally will come to be what you would say dizzy in de head. Then, again, it will cause them probably to lose a portion of their hair for a time, then he begins to work.
Entry 11306
Yes, sir, ah heah 'em say if yo' got a dog. Ah hear'd 'em say if yo' have a dog at yuh house an' dat dog keep goin' in somebody's house, or won't stay away, yo' kin take some of de hair out 'is tail, an' take it an' put some salt wit it, an' take it an' bury it at yuh steps, undah yuh steps. Dey say dat dog'll nevah leave dere no more. (I see, that keeps the dog at home.) [The addition of salt to this rite is not common.]
Entry 11770
Run hand into sinnerman's grave or baby's grave, take dirt from breast, mix with salt and pepper, and sprinkle round the house to "break up de home, cause confusion." [Mobile 971:4.]
Entry 11781
Mix graveyard dirt and salt and sprinkle it in or near a house to make the people within move. [Norfolk 534:2.]
Entry 11782
If they drop a mixture of graveyard dirt, salt and pepper at your step or center of gate, 'your mind will just waver all de time." [Mobile 902:2.]
Entry 11794
Graveyard dirt, salt and pepper mixed, then thrown behind person to drive him away. [Washington, D.c., 80:7.]
Entry 11795
Graveyard dirt, salt, cayenne pepper, throw around house, confusion.
[Memphis(969), 1568:16.]
Entry 11797
Confusion powder, graveyard dirt, salt, cayenne pepper, a mixture that will cross-up house. [New Orleans 1451:2.]
Entry 11984
They mix your hair with human excrement, add salt and vinegar, and throw it into running water before sunup to run you crazy. [Washington, D. C., 822:3.]
Entry 12018
If you mix a person's hair with salt and vinegar and bury it, you will run him crazy. [Wilmington 216:3+85.]
Entry 12188
[Put] a horseshoe into yore front do'.
(To keep the ghosts away or spirits away.)
Yeassuh, yo' take an' use pepper an' salt.
(Where?)
Yo' use it into yore house, into yore bed, yo' see, to keep 'em 'way - to keep witchcrafts away. Dat's de same thing, ah imagine. [St. Petersburg 1649:4.]
Entry 12215
Ah heard if yo' had a enemy, a unfeeling enemy who was hard an' bit- ter against chew, tuh go out in de morning befo' de sunrise in an open field, an' take salt an' olive oil, ah think it is, an' burn incense. An' take dis salt an' olive oil an' make yore wish, an' throw it toward de sunrise, before it rises, an' dey will feel to [for] yo'.
Entry 12557
Yo' kin burn tablesalt an' yo' kin burm onions an' sprinkle de salt ovah dem...dat will bring peace and business.
(That is if you are annoyed with the law.) [Wilson 2643 or 2644:5.]
Entry 12566
Git peanut hulls. An' yo' put salt an' sugah with de peanut hulls. Have 'em mashed up an yo' sprinkle dat ovah on de flo', an' dat'll move 'em.
[Memphis 1517:9.]
Entry 12782
Salt in left shoe gives you bad luck. [Avoid this by looking into shoe before putting it on.] [Richmond 335:4.]
Entry 12783
If visitor is going to cause trouble, throw salt in front of him be- fore he enters door. [This is unusual, rare, but certainly possible.] [Memphis 1569:1.]
Entry 12784
If you throw salt into unwelcome person's departing tracks, he will never return. [Wilmington 189:5+85.]
Entry 12785
To be effective buy 1 pound of new salt, sprinkle behind unwelcome guest from where he was sitting to outside, then sweep out. [Old Point Comfort, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 12786
To keep undesired visitor away, sprinkle salt in the yard where it can be seen and he will not come in. [Hampton, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 12787
Salt merely thrown in direction person lives will keep him or her away - how long? [Ocean City, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12788
After you throw salt behind unwanted guest, sweep 9 times with new broom. [Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.
Entry 12789
Unwanted visitor will not return if after his departure you wash the doorstep with a pound of salt in water. [Presumably this should be new salt and kept ready for the occasion.] [Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12802
Throw salt behind departing person, sweep 9 strokes, and he will not return. [Mobile 890:4.]
Entry 12803
With new package of salt, sprinkle it behind departing visitor, say, "I don't want so-an'-so here at mah house." Sweep as far out as possible.
[Mobile 942:1.]
Entry 12804
They throw salt into house when they leave, sweep it out of house, and tell them [unknown new renters] to keep out. [Mobile 877:1.]
Entry 12805
As a protection against conjure, wear salt in left shoe. [Snow Hill 2:2.]
Entry 12809
Even if you have no suspicion of conjure outside your home, sprinkle salt outside to be on safe side. [Petersburg, first visit, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12810
Salt sifted about your yard in the morning kills anything put dowD overnight. [Fredricksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12811
I have heard an old lady say that along about sundown that, if one should go out to the front door and throw out a handful of salt, no evils will approach that house over the night. [Berlin, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12812
If an evil person comes in your house, go to the back door with salt in your hand and throw the salt over your right shoulder with your back turned to the door, and don't look back [at back door] to keep from having bad luck.
[Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12813
If someone is living in the house with you and you want that person to leave, throw salt behind him and sweep it behind him for 9 mornings. wll- mington 106:9+85.]
Entry 12814
Throw salt under person's doorstep to make him move. [Petersburg, 2nd trip, 421:1.]
Entry 12815
To sprinkle salt in a person's house causes fussing in that bouse.
[Baltimore 43:3.]
Entry 12816
Take salt, jis' table salt and throw it all around the steps, and that will make confusion. [New Orleans 1158:7.]
Entry 12819
If you put salt in a bag and lay it over the top of the door, that will keep the law away. [Richmond 375:2.]
Entry 12821
If you put salt and pepper under the chair on which visitor will sit, then when he leaves throw salt and pepper behind him, he will not return. [St. James, black community or Eastern Shore of Maryland, by hand.]
Entry 12822
Throw salt and cayenne pepper after departing person and say without his hearing you, Go out. Do this on 3 visits. [Newport News 500:1.]
Entry 12823
If a person is unwelcome, throw salt and cayenne pepper behind him and he will not return. [Petersburg, 424:2; Norfolk, 493:7; Fredericksburg, by Ediphone; Richmond, 290:4; Wilmington, 195:6+85.]
Entry 12825
After an undesirable guest, sweep out salt and pepper and wish he does not return. [Richmond 325:4.]
Entry 12826
Behind undesirable departing guest throw salt and pepper and sweep.
[Wilmington 116:12+85.]
Entry 12827
Behind unwanted guest throw new salt and new cayenne pepper, and sweep with new broom. [Wilmington 79:3+85.]
Entry 12828
Under chair on which undesirable guest sits throw salt and black pepper and sweep it out after him. [Wilmington 74:1+85.]
Entry 12829
Sweep behind departing person, then sprinkle salt and pepper all over the floor and doorstep. [Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12830
Bury a small package of black pepper and salt at steps to keep away undesirable visitors. [Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12831
To separate man and woman, mix black pepper and salt and put it in her window sill. [Norfolk 494:2.]
Entry 12834
Sprinkle salt and pepper about house at midnight. After the occupant walks over this, his feet will begin hurting and he will move. [Richmond 335:1.]
Entry 12835
Salt and pepper are sprinkled near house as a protection. [Deal Island 24:1.]
Entry 12837
As a protection, salt and black pepper are sprinkled in the house.
[Wilmington 165:5+85.]
Entry 12838
Protect yourself by wearing salt and pepper in your shoes. [Deal Island, Md., 18:2; Wilmington 175:3+85; Petersburg, 422:8; Norfolk 426:4; Elizabeth City 511:4.]
Entry 12839
Salt and red pepper are worn in left shoe for protection. [Wilming- ton, 168:8+85.]
Entry 12840
Make a ring of salt and pepper completely round the outside of your house for protection. [Norfolk 466:4; Deal Island, informant 123, cyl. 34.]
Entry 12843
As a protection against evil, wear 3 ingredients in your shoes: pep- per, fish salt, and burnt alum. [Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12845
Put salt in foot tracks to keep person from harming you. [Memphis 1550:2.]
Entry 12848
Salt and sulphur can be burned against any type of evil. [Fredicks- burg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12849
To protect yourself against cunjure, wear salt and pepper in both shoes. [Wilmington 254:1+85.]
Entry 12853
Keep cunjure away by wearing salt and sulphur in a bag round waist or neck. [Wilmington 171:5+85.]
Entry 12854
Mix salt, sulphur and lard and wear it in a bag about your neck to protect against cunjure. [Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12855
They will lay salt and sulphur on a pan lid or top, set it under your bed, and burn it to run you away from the house. [Memphis 1553:9.]
Entry 12857
You can rid yourself permanently of an undesirable guest by throwing salt, pepper and sulphur behind him, saying, Go you son-of-a-bitch. [Newport News 512:5.]
Entry 12858
An enemy can run you out of your house, permanently by burning in it salt, cayenne pepper, and sulphur. [Richmond 374:11.]
Entry 12859
Dig a hole on each side of the gate and into them bury salt, soda and sulphur, calling the Lord's Name 3 times. This keeps any person with evil against you off the property. [Wilmington 205:3+85.]
Entry 12860
You can protect yourself against roots or root work by wearing salt, black pepper and sulphur in your right shoe. [Wilmington 138:1+85.]
Entry 12861
Wear salt, red pepper and sulphur in both shoes as a protection against evil work. [Wilmington 208:2+85; Newport News 506:4.]
Entry 12862
As an unusual method of protecting yourself against conjuration, wear salt, pepper and sulphur on top of your head. [A note of mine reads: This is used in one cure story. Which?] [Wilmington 119:6+85.]
Entry 12865
Sprinkle salt, pepper and vinegar in your house and on the doorsteps to prevent people from giving you bad luck. [Washington, D. C. 822:2a.]
Entry 12946
Salt and pepper in a shoe buried on the "sunrise side" of the house keeps up a fuss there all the time. [Wilmington 274:2+85.]
Entry 12947
Put salt and black pepper in shoe and bury it under the doorstep: "it jis' aworry yo', keep yo' walkin', run yo' crazy, an' keep yo' mindless."
[Wilmington 257:4+85.]
Entry 12948
Into right shoe put salt, red pepper, bluestone and alum, and bury shoe heel out and toe to house. This makes wearer of shoe stay home. [Mobile 906:1.]
Entry 12956
Put salt in old shoe, name him while burning this in fire, and he'll have to come back. [Wilmington 134:6+85.]
Entry 12957
Get a ole shoe of a ole man an' burn it up, an' then take de ashes am' red pepper an' salt, an' if de law comes, whenevah he leaves, to throw dis behind him an' he won't come back any more. [Norfolk 524:3.]
Entry 13062
If you are tricked, wear 2 silver dimes, one in each shoe with a pinch of pepper and salt. [Memphis 1569:9.]
Entry 13149
A woman can use salt and vinegar on a man's socks and sew them up into the mattress to influence him. [Washington, D. C., 813:5.]
Entry 13198
Bury man's left dirty sock in walk, throw urine and salt on; 'he'll leave home and he won't come back any more." [Mobile 961:3.]
Entry 13362
A man before going to work in the morning can sprinkle salt and pep- per around door and make a wish, or [and] can throw urine out the window. This he does to keep other men away: they won't have any nature for his wife or wo- man, she won't have any nature for them. [Richmond 349:1.]
Entry 13376
Save your urine for 9 mornin's or nights, put salt and pepper in, sweep steps down, and sweep it up, repeating what you want done to bring person back. [Memphis 1570:13.]
Entry 13392
If you put urine, salt and sulphur out where you think anything has been buried or thrown fo' you, 'it won't come to nothin.' [Charleston 541:4.]
Entry 13394
Urine, salt and pepper sprinkled at door or about the house, inside or out, protects the house against any evil. [Elizabeth City 406:6.]
Entry 13395
You can throw outdoors urine, salt and pepper 9 mornings to protect the house against evil. [Wilmington 162:4.]
Entry 13399
After person leaves the house, sweep urine and salt out the same door to make him drift away. [Washington, D. C. 813:10.]
Entry 9442
Well, anybody comin' tuh yuh house an' yo' git tired of 'em comin' tuh yuh house, yo' jis' follah dem tuh de do' as dey goin', an' have some salt in yuh han' an' throw it on 'em. Dey won't come back.
Entry 9444
Jes' lak anybody comin' tuh mah house. All right, ah'm tired of 'em comin' dere. Ah figah [figure] dey don' do me no good or nuthin. When dey go tuh leave, ah throw salt at 'em.
Entry 9445
Ah hear'd a ole lady say it wus a true sign, if someone would come tuh yuh house an' yo' wanted tuh make 'em stay away an' didn't wan'a insult 'em any way. Yo' could jis' take a handfulla salt, if dey pass - if dey leave yuh house wit dere back turned, an' chunk a han'fulla salt at 'em. Say, yo' nevah would have no trouble dataway any mo', cuz ah've: hear'd a lady say she did dat.
Entry 9446
Ah've hear'd dat if a person come tuh yuh home an' yo' figah [figure] dat dey are not dere fo' de right purpose, dat aftah dey leave out, chew kin take a han'ful of salt an' throw out behin' dem. An' dey won't come dere agin if dey have anythin' of 'em lak witchcraft.
Entry 9456
Hell, ah've saw 'em use broom or knew dey used brooms, fo' instance, lak if yo' have a party dat visits yuh house an' yo' not interested in dat party. An' when dey come tuh de house, yo' take dat broom an' put it upside down in de cornah of dat house. When dey leaving outa de house, throwin' three handfulla salt behin' dem. Dey don' come back.
(I see.)
Entry 9457
When a person come in yore house dat yo' don' wan' 'em in dere, yo' kin strew down a li'le salt, an' take dat broom an' sweep dat salt on out behin' 'em; an' when dey go, yo' kin shake de broom an' dey'll quit comin' roun' dere.
Entry 9459
If you had an enemy call upon you and you did not desire his visit or attentions, when they are beginning to leave, without letting them know what you do, sprinkle salt on their back and sprinkle salt across the doorsill. And let it remain twenty-four hours, then sweep it out the door and across the sidewalk, and take it up and burn it up, and that person will never visit you any more.
Entry 9462
When dey [person moving from house] git ready tuh leave an' done swept up evahthing, done swept de whole house up, jis' sweep it intuh a - it have tuh be a chimley. Sweeps it intuh a chimley. An' dey throws a handful of salt in dere, an' den dey make a "x" in de back an' dey burns dat papah stuff [old papers] up in dere. An' anybody dat moves in dat house won't stay dere. Dat's de way dey done things.
(Where do they make that "x"?)
In de back of de chimley, right in de back of de chimley. [For burning salt In fire, see also No.2271, p.641, v.1; also No.9139, p.3699, v.4.]
Entry 9469
Well, yo' go in tuh be tried, yo' jes' sprinkle de salt all roun' dere, all roun' jes' where no one see yo'. Jes' sprinkle salt as yo' goin' up de steps, right on up evah step, an' jes' as close tuh de officah, de judge, as yo' kin git tuh wit dat salt. An' dat'll lighten up de case, it won't be hard on yo'.
Entry 9470
Carry some table salt wit chew an' evah word yo' says - evah word, yo' know - jes' lak ah wus sayin', evah word yo' say, why sprinkle some of dat salt. Keep sprinklin' it all de time.
(What will that do?)
Well, if yo' goin' git a fine, it will cut it down - shortah, won't be as heavy.
(You mean every time you speak or the judge speaks?)
Evah time ah - jes' lak ah wus in co't an' ah wus talkin'. Evah time ah would say a word ah be mashin' it... [in my hand].
Entry 9486
Yo' kin git table salt an' sprinkle it in de fo' cornahs of de house: one, two, three, fo'. An' yo' put dat table salt in de cornah dere an' yo' sprinkle some salt around de side of de bed where he sleep at, an' dat'll make de home jes' charmed...make it lovin, not have no fuss. Dat'll stop de fuss...make peace, yessuh. [All of this be- cause salt keeps out "witchcraft." For keeping out witchcraft, see No.9446, p.3780.]
Entry 9487
Take some salt an' throw it in fo' corners of dat place, an' take yo' two sticks an' cross 'em in de middle of de flo', an' walk out backwards. Did ju' [you] heah me? (Yes. Now what would that do?) Dat would keep de landlord from rentin' de place. (That is to cross up the house so that the landlord can't rent the place after he has moved you out.)
Entry 9493
Take an' put dat salt on 'em.
(What did you say - salt?)
Salt will kill anybody [anybody's lucky hand] what sets dere at dat time.
(Kill anybody's what?)
Toby. [Word toby was rare down Atlantic coastline.]
(I see.)
At de time dey usin' it, if yo' kin git a chance tuh sprinkle salt on 'em, de toby won't do 'em no good. An' yo' kin win jis' as much as dey kin. Ah know dat. (Even if you can't sprinkle that salt on the toby, if you sprinkle it on them it's all right.) But put it on dem, dey got dat on dem. Yo' sprinkle it on dem. (It will kill the strength of the toby. I see, a gambling toby.)
Entry 9496
If yo' winnin' an' somebody slip up behin' joo an' sprinkle salt on yo', say yo' go tuh losin' den.
Entry 9498
In othah word, if yo' wanta give him bad luck, yo' could give him bad luck by puttin' salt on him. Tuh cross his luck yo' po' salt on dis man. Dat's bad luck tuh anyone gamblin', enythin', so forth.
Entry 9507
An' even in usin' dat salt - did ah tell yo' 'bout de salt? Remembah when ah tole yo' 'bout de usin' de salt tuh keep de law away from yore house? Now, dat salt whut chew use fo' dat, don' nevah use dat fo' cookin' or nuthin else but jes' fo' dat pahtic'lah purpose. [Here is a part of a fundamental law in hoodoo: ingredient used - other than parts of a person's body or anything touching him, such as clothes - must be new; and anything left over must not be ased again for any purpose. Like all laws, they are often broken!]
Entry 9513
Ah wus told once that the law, the way to keep them away from your Loose is to throw salt behind them, if they ever come. Get a handful of salt Wd throw behind him and they will be very seldom visitin'.[ New Orleans, La.,
(796), 1109:9.]
Entry 9514
Ah've heard dat if yo' don' wan'a person tuh yore house, when dey leve take a hand of table salt an' throw it behin' dem an' dey'll nevah return.
Entry 9517
Yo' take salt fo' nine mawnin's an' yo' start from de back side of yore house an' jes' goes lak dis heah [demonstrates], jes' go lak dat, an' dat keep any enemies out. Jes' go ahead an' throw yore salt, say: Stop her In de Name of de Lord. An' yo' have frien's all de time, yore enemies won' stay dere. An' de law won' come tuh dis house... [I stopped recording but immediately turned on machine to repeat the missed words.] (You do that for nine mornings, and you say: Go 'way enemies, an' come in frien's.) Drive yore enemies out an' bring yore friends in. An' scattah it inside de house.
Entry 9530
All right. Git chew a box of table salt an' jes' when dey leave out, yo' jes' take dat table salt an' sprinkle it behin' dem. An' git chure broom an': sweep de broom out behin' dem. Yo' won' be bothahed wit dem no mo'.
Entry 9532
An' when ah gits tid [tired] of 'em comin' tuh see me, dey way ah do's him: When he - jis' when he gittin' up goin' out, ah'll put salt behin' him, an take a broom an' sweep him on out. An' ah won't be bothahed wit him no mo'. Ah won't have tuh hurt his feelin'.
Entry 9537
Have tuh git chew a box of table salt, sprinkle it all ovah yo' flo'. Dat's from de front do' - jis' lak if yo' got a po'ch on yore house, LAK DAT PO'CH DERE [points] - from de front do' tuh de po'ch. [For this porch see comment later.] An' take yo' a broom - one dese ole long brooms, stiff handle one [see comment later] - an' sweep it right out. Jis' take dat salt an' sweep it out. Do dat fo' nine mawn- in's. An' aftah de nine mawnin's dey will move an' nobody won't have tuh tell 'em. (That is to make a person move out of the house. But you have to sweep that stuff up, sprinkle it at their house? Don't you or what?) Don' care whose house it is, if it's yuh house or dere house or anybody's louse. Jis' lak yo' rentin' dat man's house, yo' rentin' dat house belong tuh dat man. Well, prob'ly yo' go dere at night, quite natchel [natural] if yo canta do dat yo' goin' have a broom wit chew. Well, yo' take dat salt an' sprin- kle. [The preceding dat pō'ch dere is a valuable piece of personal memorabilia. I could not remember whether I had interviewed in a second-floor back room, or one looking out upon the upper porch of the former Clark Hotel for blacks at Method- Ist Town, a black settlement then on the edge of St. Petersburg. You can see a colored photograph of this building, now abandoned, among the illustrations at the end of v.3, Ill.8. This picture I took in 1970, 31 years after the present interview. For St. Petersburg, see also vol.1, Intro. XxxIv, and letter to Ed- ward Bufford among illustrations at end of vol.2.] [The preceding long brooms, stiff handle one is sometime called a stick broom (see 2424, p.674, v.1). The short broom or un-stiff one, of course, is various varieties of the hand sweeper; long and tough grasses or twigs laid in a row and doubled, the point of doubling being the handle.]
Entry 9546
Well, if yo' wanta make 'em fight bad in yore home, yo' jes' go dere an' git chew some salt an' red peppah, an' yo' take it an' yo' throw it in each cornah of de house - throw it in each cornah of de house. Take it an' put a li'l bit on de flo'. Won' be long 'fo' dey be fightin'.
Entry 9547
Take cookin' salt an' mix it wit cayenne peppah, ef dey have a rug or anythin' on de floor, an' spill it in evah cornah in de house. He cannot stay dere. He'll have tuh leave. CORNERS OF HOUSE - ALL OF THEM
Entry 9549
Take yo' some red peppah an' salt an' sprinkle in dis person yard in de night, da'kest night, say dey'll move. Yo' wouldn't be worried wit: 'em any mo'.
Entry 9550
Git a bran'-new box of salt an' cayenne peppah an' yo' sprinkle it aroun' in de porch an' in de rooms. Salt an' peppah makes confusion. Cayenne peppah.
Entry 9553
Take some salt an' red peppah an' bury it undah de steps. Dat'll make 'em leave.
(Make them move out of the house?)
Yessuh.
Entry 9554
Ah hear'd dey take salt an' peppah an' put it undah yuh dohstep, dat'll hurt choo.
Entry 9562
(How do you do that?)
What you do with a broom? Just like I want you to leave out of this house, where I'm got tired and sick and disgusted [with you]. All I gotta do is get me some salt, you see, and some pepper. And just as you leave out, I take the salt [and pepper] and throw it behind you - throw it down and I take the broom and sweep.
Entry 9565
They tell me that if you on a job- like now, if I'm workin' heah with some people an' yo' don't like me. [You say] "I wish you'd git away from heah, '' 'cause he [you] got hateful ways or sompin like that, "stuck-up' [maybe]. They tell me yo' take salt an' cayenne peppah an' mix it togethah. If you could ketch dem goin' out of do', throw it at 'em so they won't see it an' sweep it on out. An' they said he won't be deah long.
Entry 9566
Dey say dey sprinkle salt an' peppah in de house an' when dey go out yo' kin sweep it out behin' 'em an' dey'll move out lak dat.
Entry 9567
Yo' kin take red peppah an' salt an' sprinkle it, chew know, where yo' set down [have been sitting] an' where yo' walk, an' sweep it direct out de do'. An' if dey keep on doin' dat constant, piles of people tell me, really yo' git tuh de place dat yo' couldn't stay dere.
Entry 9581
In dis way. Yo' kin git chew some salt an' peppah an' weah it in yore shoe an' it ain't nuthin in de world dat a person kin do [against you] wit dat salt an' peppah [in our shoes]. Salt an' peppah keeps down all of dat sorta thing [conjuration or witchcraft]. But chew has tuh weah good shoes. [The ad- monition here means you must wear holeless shoes to prevent the leakage of salt and pepper. Many of my informants wore cast-off shoes, few of them wearing con- dition, cardboard insoles being common. Remember, the material of these hoodoo volumes was collected during the Great Depression of the 1930's.]
Entry 9582
If a person tryin' tuh poison yo', yo' kin take peppah an' salt an' weah it in yore shoes. Evah time yo' put chure shoe on, keep dat red peppah an' salt in dere [see that it has not leaked out] an' ah don' care whut dey put down, it cain't hurt chew.
Entry 9584
Weah peppah an' salt in yuh shoes tuh git a job. Gits boss's min' torn up [confused], an' if he hasn't nobody he'll hire yuh. [This rite is for luck in the sense that any cunjure to keep you from obtaining the job will fail.]
Entry 9615
Get a ole shoe of a ole man an' burn it up, an' den take de ashes an' red peppah an' salt. An' if de law comes, whenevah he leaves [you have] tuh throw dis behin' 'im, an' he won' come back any mo'.
Entry 9619
Yo' kin take salt an' yo' kin take sulphuh and yo' git red peppah. An' yo' kin throw it aroun' peoples' do' an' dey cain't stay in de house. [Little Rock. Ark., (887).1461:6.]
Entry 9632
Put sulphuh an' salt an' red peppah in yuh shoes an' weah it in dere all de time. Den yo' kin step ovah it an' it won't do nuthin tuh yuh. [Sumter, S. Car., (1345 0r 1346), 2328:8.]
Entry 9646
Git chew some salt an' black peppah, evah time dey come - come in yore house - jes' slip it up behin' dem an' dey'll finely [finally] leave yo' alone.
Entry 9648
He comes an' [you] have a good frien'ly talk wit 'im in de porch or at de gate wherevah he stops at. An' den watch 'im, an' soon as he leaves, go right in de house an' git chew broom. An' sprinkle roun' dere, where he was, oit salt an' black peppah, an' sweep it de way he went. He won't come back.
Entry 9649
Ah've learned dat chew kin take black peppah an' salt an' if dey come intuh de back do' an' go intuh de house, why sprinkle dat black peppah an' salt behin' 'em. If dey goes out de front, jes' sprinkle it slowly behin' dem as dey go out an' sweep, an' dey'll nevah come back ag'in.
(But they must come in the back door before you can do that?)
Dey don' have tuh go in de back do' - de same do' dey go intuh. If dey come in de front do' an' jes' go in a room an' set or stan' dere, when dey git ready tuh go out, jes' go back out de same way dey came in, all yo' have tuh do is jes' sprinkle dis black peppah an' salt behin' dem an' jes' sweep it out, an' dey'll nevah come back.
Entry 9651
[To] make you move from out the house. Well, I see this happen al- ready. I see this fellah take some black pepper an' salt an' mix that together. An' yo' goes to the house an' yo' sprinkle it as yo' comin' from the house. Sprinkle it goin' in the direction you wants them to Dove from, an' those people they goin' to move out of that house.
Entry 9687
If yo' don't want no one in yore house, in yore room, an' when dey leave out, yo' take de salt an' sprinkle it in behin' 'em an' sweep, an' den spit init. Dey'll nevah come in yore house ag'in.
Entry 2988
Take some matches and put in your head across, a little salt, a little ammonia and rub it in the middle of your head. And if you want them candles to go out, you wear your clothes on the wrong side. Every piece you got underneath, excusin' the top, you wear em on the wrong side and the candle'll go out. Well, you can tell when someone knows the candle's burning on 'em, when they take and change their clothes. Just like the candle was burning on you, you come and you say, "Oh, my head hurts me so bad." I say, "Someone is burning a black candle on you. I say, "Put your clothes on the wrong side." You'll change your clothes and when you start to change your clothes, the candle goes - start to popping. The candle don't go out. You keep your clothes on there and put that salt in your head, them two matches like a "x" in your head, and in that way the candle will go out. And if you don't wear your clothes on the wrong side, them candles is not going - they going to burn 'em until you die.
Entry 11417
Skin from the bottoms of your feet and salt tossed into running water hurts you in some way or runs you crazy. [Wilmington 270:8+85.]
Entry 11418
Left footskin in bottle with soda or salt or sulphur, throw into a creek "on a high spring current" and "always after dat you'll roam about de world." [Creek here is an inlet from the sea, in the British sense, and not the American creek = brook.] [Charleston 572:3.]
Entry 11484
"Take your foot track...put a little salt with that...shut that up tight in a bottle...make you come back." [Charleston 640:3.]
Entry 12793
"Have you some salt an' sprinkle it all on him. Get back aroun dere, jis' keep it fallin' off. Dat hecklin' him an' he cain't win nuttin gami bling." [Little Rock 1469:7.]
Entry 12794
"Jis' like I was settin' somewheres playin' a game, somebody sprinkle salt on me, thats bad luck." [Richmond 318:12.]
Entry 12832
"Sprinkle salt and pepper around there at twelve o'clock at night, and they claim when they walks through this, they gets their feet hurtin'. They eventually leave there [their home] completely." [Richmond 459:1.]
Entry 871
I was hurt myself - I was hurt in whiskey and I started with a little pain back of my head. And it keep hurtin' and hurtin' and I thought it was from a - I caught cold. And so I went to the doctor and I got some medicine but that made me still worse and so I got down in the bed. And so they keep gavin' me medicine and that wouldn't do no good, and so my aunt went and seen a root doctor. I was so sick I couldn't go myself. Well, she got him and bring him up to the house and he look after me. And he went and got some mustard and got some salt from the drug store, and some black pepper, and take a little bit of dat salt and black pepper and put it in the mole [mold] of my head, and when he put it in there he said, "In the Father and in the Son and Three in One." And when he did that he took that mustard and some black pepper and salt and a little flour and mixed it together, and he take it and made a plaster and he put it under the bottom of my feet. And I was so I couldn't sleep that night. And after he did that and I got relief in less than thirty minutes. If he hadn't of done somepin to me under twenty-four hours, you see, I would of been dead [thig is what the doctor told her]. He said I get it in this whiskey give me by my friend.
Entry 923
Now mah wife, I an' her wus togethah heah year befo' last. We separated Christmas gone a year ago. Ah reckon we lived heah three months ago. Now, she wus fixed, although she's impregnant - understand. Sometimes she would grow out an' den sometimes she would go back in. Ah could lay mah han's on her stomach an' I could feel somepin knockin' lak dat - jes knockin'. Well, ah tried doctors - de doctors stayin' in town heah now - Dr. Fields, Dr. Olson, Dr. Roach. She wus workin' in de Georgia Power an' Light Company. So she came home an tole me, she say, "Well, now," says, "ah don't feel no bettah." She say, "Ah jes' have de fainting spells, ah don't feel no bettah atall." Well, dose peoples next do' to us would come ovah an' he'p do fo' her. Well, ah wus a man an' ah had no business doin' all those things fo' her. Some things I could do an' some things ah wouldn't do, although ah wus her husband. Well, dey would come ovah an' dey would do fo' her. So ah tole 'er one day, ah said, "Say, listen, whut de doctor say?" Ah say, "Did yo' went to him?" She say, "Yes, ah went to him." She say, "Dr. Fields say an' also Dr. Walker say I was impregnant. She say, "Well, ah tried Dr. Whitman, an' he say de same identical thing," she say, ''but ah can't understand it, ah'm not impregnant." Well, ah say, "Ah don't know - dis way is funny - mahself - but," ah say, "de blame is on yo' - ah don't know." She went like that fo' seven months an' she come out well. Well, she had to be operated on fo' first of October - Dr. Louis told her she had to be operated on de first of October, also Dr. Whitman, an' wus operated on. So ah tried an' tried an' tried an' tried an' at de main time dat de chile Wus supposed to be born, if it wus a chile; but it wusn't no chile, wusn't nuthin. So ah goes to a fellah - de fellah's in town now. Ah goes to him an' ah walk to de do' an' look round. He say, "Hello there." [I] say, "Hello." [He] say, "How yo' feelin'?" [I say] "All right." He says, "Well, yo' comin' tuh see about chure wife?" "Yes, ' ah say, - "Yessuh, '' [I] say, "she's come with a little condition." Ah say, "Well, from whut ah kin learn, ah can't understand de matter she's in, can't understand de sickness." He say, "Her sickness is not nach'ral," say, "she wus run home - dat's where [when] she got her dose - yore wife is a woman dat she loves tuh run round" - well now, he wus tellin' me wit dis on cards. He says, "Yore wife loves to run round," he says, "she's not a woman true to one man, she wants yo' an' fo' or five or six men." An' he say, "She messed wit a man's wife up dere an' jumped on de woman about her husband an' de woman had her fixed like dat. Now, she's fixed an' perhaps she is pregnant." Well, ah know de girl - tell yo' de truth, Boss, she nevah come in de house [came home] at all. He said, "But chew go back to de house an' yo' go up under about three feet," he say, "under de do'step." He say, "Go up under de house an' stop, dig jes about dat deep." He says, "Dat's where de mess lays - all messed up." He say, "Can't chew smell somebody's chamber lye all round yore house?" Ah tole him, "Yes sir." He say, "All right, den yo' go back to yore house an' git dis." He give me some kinda thing like vaseline, but it wasn't vaseline 'cause ah smelled it - it wasn't vaseline. It was greasy - to keep de misery from comin on me, yo' see. [This thing like vaseline was to protect him, especially his hands, while digging up the mess.] He said, "Yo' git this an' yo' bring it to me." He said, "Yo' go in de woods an' git me three," he say, "git me three piece of cedar-tree root, jes' about dat long," he say, "an' bring dem back to me. Ah tole him, "All right, sir." He say, "Co'se ah won't have it fixed fo' yo' till tomorrow," see, "sometime," he say, "but tonight at twelve a'clock zactly, yo' go out chure back gate, come all round de streets dat chew come in de front do' an'," he say, "have yo' some salt an' some red peppah." He say, "Sprinkle dat salt all de way through yore house from de gate on out to back an' back round de house again." He say, "Make a round ring," he say, "an' den put some dat peppah de same identical way." He say, "Now, dese people will go to yore home tomorrow to git a match. In case yo' don't let dem have de match, dey gon'a be back ovah dere to borrah some lard." Ah tole him, "All right." He say, "Now, yo' have to give me chance - tomorrow ah'll have her all right." He say, "Co'se she gon'a be operated" - she wusn't operated on den. He say, "Co'se, she got'a be operated on - operation do her good, but still ah do somepin an' let somebody else [the surgeon] do something fo' her, or," he says, "she'll be in a terrible condition till she die."
[This is my only example of cooperation between doctor and doctor.]
An' ah went back an' got dis stuff from under de house an' carried it back tuh dis man, an' dis man fixed it. Now, what he put in it - ah don't know whut he put in de stuff. But ah tell yo' whut was in de stuff dat wus fixed fo' her. Dey had a piece of her hair. Dey had some of dis heah cut from de seat of her underclothes. Somebody had eithah slipped in de house an' got dat stuff - see, she wouldn't let nobody do washin' or anything - co'se dey prob'bly had a chance tuh cut it off de line out dere while it hangin' up on de line dryin'.
(The seat of her underwear?)
Dat's right, an' dey got a piece of her underskirt - right up undah heah [demonstrates].
(Under her arm?)
Dat's right, dat wus in dis mess - now, ah'm tellin' you whut ah seen in dis mess. Dat wus inside dis mess whut dey had fix fo' her. An' a little somepin - ah don't know whether it wus tomatoes or don't know whether it was some of her ministration or whut, but hit wus inside a little rag, it wasn't in no bottle, it was in a rag. An' ah carried it on back ovah dere an' gave it tuh him. So after ah gave it tuh him, he say, "Well, now, don't chew git uneasy," he say, "in a few days she'll be all right." An' so - well, it wus on a Friday when ah had taken it back ovah dere to him. An' dat Sunday, she got 'long jest as - nevah been sick no mo'. (Do you know what he did with those three pieces of cedar root that you took to him?) Ah don't know, suh. He wouldn't even tell me whut he did wit it. After ah'd taken her back dere wit me, he wouldn't even let me come in de room whilst she's in dere. When ah got de cedar tree root ah give it tuh her. Yo' see, ah went back ovah dere wit dem all right but ah give it to her, an' him an' her went in a room, like yo' in heah now [and no one else in the room], an' he wouldn't let me come in dere at de time he fixin' dat fo' her. An' he tole her tuh wear dat. Cause she's living now - ah reckon, if she's not daid - but ah haven't seen her in 'bout a year an' three months, cause I an' her separated.
Entry 1093
Take yo'self - you kin git somepin and fix 'em up - dress yo'self so nobody could harm yo'. (Well, what do I get to dress myself?) Yo' could take three dimes and go to de graveyard - three dimes and three matches and three new pins, and any place you kin git some of dat dust, you pick it up and yo' pay 'em wit de matches and de dimes. Pay de grave. Take up a little of dat dust and fix 'em up together, understand, and git some of rock salt. Take some of dat dey call de elder [alder].
(What?) [Words alder and elder are frequently confused.]
Yo' know de elder [alder] dat grow in de creeks like, you take dat [graveyard dirt] and you fix/it wit dis elder [alder] and you bile 'em you understand. You boil 'em together and you git some gunpowder and you sew it up and wear it round your waist or your neck. Nothing could harm you....
(What do you do with that money and pins...?)
Well, ah tell yo' what ah do wit de money. Now if you go to de graveyard and don't pay 'em, dat one goin' - you understand, he.do somepin to harm yuh. You go and give him a dime. Now 'fore you git some dust - heah, yo' see [demonstrates]. You'll have de matches wit de pins stickin' in de matches head. Put dat dere and put a dime dere. An' you come back and you git some dirt. You do de same thing and when you done, you say, "De Lord giveth and de Lord taketh away, Blessed be de Lord." An' you walks straight away - back out.
(With this graveyard dirt.)
Dat's de graveyard dirt. Den bring it home and you go down to de creekside; you find yo'self a creek. Sometime dey find 'em in de tide - de root in de tide like, you see.
(The alder.)
Den dey git some of dem and dey bile 'em together, and when yo' done boilin' 'em you take dat same stuff and take the things out, you understand....
(What do you do with that graveyard dirt?)
You put de graveyard dirt and de elder [alder] root together and you bile it. Den when you done biling dem, understand, yo' take de water - leave it go off. You take de elder [alder] and same [graveyard] powder and you sew it up in a root bag or cloth or something like that and you wear it from your waist or from your neck and nobody can't harm you.
Entry 1460
They was working at de new shipyard.
(You had thirteen men in your boarding house?)
Yes, and they were paying me well, and I was saving my money and keeping up with my expenses, and things were getting along fine. And I had a neighbor lived downstairs under me and she envied me so much, and she put so much bad luck on me - well, until I just - I'd just gone to nothing because a friend of hers - she Was my friend too - had a car and she would get the friend to always take her out and she told her friend - [who] told me because we been friends, been neighbors - and she says, "Miz Davis, '' she says, "let me tell you one thing, you be careful because the woman that lives downstairs under you, she's a great enemy for you." She say, "Every time we go to ride, she want me to carry her to some old root doctor 'nother," and she say, "I asked her one day, 'How come you go to those kind of folks so much?" And she say, "It's a old mess living up over me and I never let nobody stay upstairs over me but so long, ' an' say, "that old mess up there, she got a whole lot of men and things in her house and she just thinks she's the only thing. "" I didn't do nothing but work, cause I got up every morning at four o'clock and cooked for all those mens and fixed lunches - you know I didn't have much time for foolishness. Jest by myself too because I was a widow and I didn't have - my children were grown and married and gone and - but she would go [to] everybody [doctors] and she had one [root doctor] to come there and I re lly know that he was one. Dey say he come from up about Back River somewhere, and he come in selling vegetables - you know, claim to sell. Well, he wouldn't sell to her for I have asked him, I says, "'What you ask for so-and-so, '' and he wouldn't pay me any mind. And he would come - and one day after he left there, that night I had to go to church early to be at prayer meeting and I was going down by the door, at the front. I was upstairs over her. It wus a three-story building. I had the second and third floors, she had the bottom floor. Well, I d gone out and some- thing was on my door screen and it looked like where a snail or something had been, and I put my hand right in it to open the door. I said, "Ooh, I wonder what's this on my hand, and one mind caught me right away, says, "Run and wash your hands in some warm salt water, table salt." And I ran back upstairs. And they all say, "What's the matter?" I say, "There something bad on the door. I just come back to wash my hand - I got my hand in it." And they say, "What is that?" I say, "Ah don't know." But I'd taken some of that warm salt water and wring and washed it off the door. But do you know this hand got where it had went up in my shoulder and for a year or more I could hardly use this arm; I had to hire the most of my work done. But I kept a usin' it kept on my mind to use this salt and water and I used it and used it. And then it just come to my mind to sprinkle salt and I just kept salt water and sprinkled my steps and all around my door that way. And you know one thing? Fin'lly she moved herself. Now, she did. She moved herself and I didn't never bother her. We'd both belong to the same church and she was a choir member and I was usher of the same church. And while she envied me, I didn't never say anything to her - never had nothing to do with her nohow cause I worked all the time. But that's what happened to me, and she just throw bad luck on me. [Here is where this particular story ended. I thought so because I turned off my machine. But the old lady started off again, visiting a white fortune-teller before I could push the starting button.] She say, "Chile, you ought to move out of that house, you have so many enemies that.... [This advice is often given by doctors.] Her continued story not too promising, I again stopped the Telediphone. Suddenly I must have asked, "Who was this woman?" before I could maneuver to the switchbox. One neither jumps at the switch nor keeps his hand constantly on it
(see Introduction).]
A white lady and ole. And she was up there [in the country] and she say, "I would come down there and dress your house and you'd have better luck, and kill out of some of these things. Oh! if you knowed what we speaker and guiding spirit] saw over your house. You wouldn't even have no idea." And Isaid, 'But I don't bother nobody." Well, she say, "Those [are] the warnings. You tends to your business and work hard and they envies you, and you have a whole lot of trouble. You don't mind [if you are not careful] they goin' trick you." And they re'lly tricked me. You know, all those mens was runned away from there. And lemme tell you one thing, my own son run from mah home like - when he came from Philadelphia, he came from Philadelphia - because he told me because I wouldn't let him have his way, because I want everything to be quite among nice neighbors and things. He's kind of rough. He just come from Philadelphia, you know, and he wanted to keep up his old rough crowd and I wouldn't have it. And he said, "You'll just set around here and go crazy about a little money you is making here, but there ain't goin' be nobody here 'cept you." And it shore was and I always believed he did it. Now I shore does. I've had a hard time here, I certainly has, and I haven't no husband, not a soul, even I haven't a friend. I had a good friend and they even run him away from me, and we didn't falled out or nuthin - he just left. And that took all my help you see. You see, when I had no help, I just went down to nothing - jest So many spells and things. That lady told me, she said, "You cain't live here in no peace. Your house is ruined. You don't have the idea who come in there and dropped it [cunjuration] as they come in - pretend to be friends." Well, I said, "Well, I don't take nobody for no friend." " She said, "But you wouldn't have the idea." And I knowed my own son was one of them and he's living downtown today and he won't help me as much as anybody else. He certainly won't, because he envied me. And he ought not to because when his work gave out in Philadelphia he came home here and I'd taken care of him a whole year before he could get anything to do, because there wasn't any work, and soon as he got into the.shipyard he went on and got him a room somewhere else. He did that and he'd do that today.
Entry 1638
When a person git yore fingernail er toenail, he take de sweat - what ah mean, not de sweat - de chamber lye from his body and put it in a bottle and begin to shake it wit nine needles and he'll do that [for a] length of time. And how you got'a git rid of that - you got'a make yore chamber lye near de stove or anywhere you make a fire - make yore water in it and throw a handful of salt in dere fer nine mornings, and call "God de Father, God de Son and God de Holy Ghost." And git up [do this] four a'clock every morning. Then he'll turn you loose.
(What does he do with those fingernails: and toenails?)
Well, de fingernails and toenails in de bottle with it. (He puts them in the bottle, too. I see. And what is this supposed to do to you?) Well, he make you do jest what he wanta do. [Charleston, S. Car., (519), 613:4; Doctor San Mongain.1
Entry 1643
I went to a lady onest an' it was a place I couldn't stay in de house, an' she told me to get up every morning and soon an' sprinkle a box of table salt all around the house, and leave that go until it penetrated into the place, you see. An' then around twelve o'clock, get out there with a box of lye, Red Seal Lye, and broom and some chamber lye, you know, and you scrub it. And said after that then throw nine buckets of water, clean water, and that will wash it all away - that's if somebody tricked around your place.
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 2067
Dey throw salt an' sech as that behin', yo' know, an' burn incense. Dey use graveyard dirt - mixes graveyard dirt an' git a sewin' needle an' break dat all up an' black lodestone, an' dey makes tobies from dat. Well, yo' git a piece of flannel, yo' know, red flannel an' break dat lodestone, crumble it up, an' take de needle an' break dat up an' sew dat up an' put a little perfume in dere. A man dey always say, carry dat in his left pocket. Dat'll keep lucky - dat'll keep him an' his wife on good terms.
(And it's very lucky to do what?)
Burn incense.
(Where?)
In de right corner of yore house, or eithah underneat' yore bed - burn it all night. We giner'lly burn it all night undah de beds.
Entry 2191
Take yo' a red onion, see, take a pencil an' mash yo' nine holes in it an' yo' fill dat up - dat hole - dem nine hole - jes' fill 'em up wit sulphur, an' physic salts an' table salt - sulphur, an' yo' got chure red peppah, yo put it in dere. Den yo' stop 'em back up, jes' seal it up wit a piece of papah or somepin lak dat till it git cake[d] in dere. If it stand, it will git hard in dere. Yo' take nine single pins an' stick in de end of it - roun' lak dat, right in de end of de onion - see, de top come out de top of de onion - stick 'em right roun' in dere. Den yo' take it an' yo' wear it in yore left-hand pocket on de back till it git dry, den yo' keep it an' yo'll be lucky from den right on. But chew keep de onion.
(What kind of luck do you do that for?)
Gambling, so forth an' so on. [See stickpin and straight pin in two preceding rites.]
Entry 2433
If anyone come aroun', yo' see, lak a pestilence - yo' know, someone yo' wanta keep away - yo' git de broom an' turn it an' spit on it an' say, "Ah want chew tuh go."
(How do you turn this broom?)
Well, yo' see, turn de straws up in de corner [demonstrates].
(You turn the straws up and you spit on it.)
Yeah. An' then when a person goes, throw peppah behin' dem or salt, an' curse 'em. Dey'll nevah come back.
Entry 2437
An' den dere's another way - jest lak if yo' wus living heah an' ah wus a enemy to yo'. Yo' felt dat ah wus a enemy tuh yo', dat ah put bad luck on yo' or somethin', or if yo' owed bills or somethin' of de kinds. It's a simple thing dat chew have, dat everybody keeps in dey own home yo' kin use. Yo' take sulphur, salt, spice an' red peppah, yo' powder dat up together an yo' keep dat. Jest lak if ah wus heah today. Well, yo' expectin' me tuh be back an' yo' knew ah wus a enemy. Well, somebody who knowed how to do to keep me 'way from heah, understand, dey done put chew wise. Well yo' git dat an' have it ready, so when ah leave, yo' see, as ah walk out yo' sprinkle dat stuff right out behin'me. Den goes back an' git chure broom an' sweep it out backwards. Don't nevah turn yore face - sweep it out backwards on out to de street. Dat keep 'em 'way.
Entry 2465
Well, yo' take cloves, de spice, an' salt an' burn it altogether up into a powder, understand, an' sprinkle it in de corner of de store where dey go, to de fo' corners of de store, fo' nine mornings. (Well, you said that you took a shoe, didn't you?) No, de shoe yo' know goes wit dat powder whut chew burn, yo' see about runnin' de people 'way from yo'.
(This last thing is to bring in customers.)
Entry 2499
Yo' know de truth always is right. We runs - we wus fulla dem things, too. Befo' mah husband died we run de same thing an' we run de same years, but de lawyers nevah caught us. Well, now ah'm goin' tell yo' whut we use on dat. It was learned to us tuh use dat an' ah used dat. Dat was saltpeter an' dat copperas, table salt an' red peppah, an' we made a powders of dat. An' a dead spirit from de graveyard to get de dirt - yo' know, after yo' done talk to de daid spirit an' tell him whut he want do. An' den mix dat togethah an' make a powdahs, an' he has crossed de road on many a time and de law could nevah come by our do'. (Well, how did you fix that - I mean what would you do with that after you fix that up?) Yo' jes' mash it all up fine.
(Then what do you do with it?)
Throw it in de road - jes' cross de road where dey come 'cross. Jes' ary road dat lead in to yore house with de law, why yo' put dat 'cross dat road - any distance yo' wanta from de home, where yo' know he kin turn in. An' if he evah git to dat one time, he ain't comin' in no mo'.
Entry 2503
Then agin, I git de graveyard dirt from somebody relative who is dead, [died] good -, ou know, make peace. Any person who dead, git dat dust you know. Den you git de white-horse manure, mix that with salt and sulphur, and sprinkle around yore place. An': hey'll [officers will] call round yore place but they'll go away - wouldn't stir about chuh.
(Keeps the law away.)
Keep away because yo' have a white horse in de pasture and dey'll tell de party, "Oh! Looks like a white horse." (That white horse keeps them away? This is supposed to be the white horse in the pasture?) Yes. See, if you have a white horse in de pasture, dat horse will fight all other horses, but dey never fight dat white horse. (Those other horses won't bother a white horse. That is why the white-horse manure is good.) Yes.
Entry 2504
Take dat graveyard dirt - take some and divide into each one, see, and git you some salt. Some of de graveyard dirt into each one of de shells.
(Of these shells?)
Yes, dey done already shot, you see. And you take another shell and git some of de gunpowder and put - divide it and put some in each one of those shells. And then you take a needle and stick it in each one - stand de needle up in dere like you goin' sew some cloths, but jest right on de tip. And put dat stuff in dere round and pack in around dere tight - jest like you fixing de shot in de shell, see. And then you take that and put one under your front step, and then you turn around and put one under the back step, you see. And if you got any side windahs or anything like that, chew kin jest take and put one at de main windah where you always keeps open, you see. [Three shells.] When de revenuer comes he'll come round to everybody house but chores, and people wonder how come he won't stop to yores - and you selling whiskey in dere, too. But he jest won't have no spirit to come towards that house. He figure there won't be nothing there, when the revenuer comes there. Never won't have no spirit. Co'se ev'ry- body don't know that, you see - don't know everybody telling that. See, if I tell a person that, I want some money fer telling that.
Entry 2506
Well, ah tell yo', fo' good luck like that yo' git the good luck insane [incense]. Yo' want mah ideas? Yo' git the good luck insane an' yo' burns that with the holy oil every morning fo nine mornings. An' yo' take six drops of Hearts Cologne, one teaspoon of sugar to a gallon of water. Yo dust yore house down, yo' take yore linen off yore bed, clean up one room at a time. Pick up that dust an' put it on a piece of newspaper. Clean up yore next room an' take all de linen if you got a bedroom. Do the same room like that. Put all that dust, all yo' create, git it up off de floor on that one paper. Then buy yo' a box of table salt an' yo' use one cup of that table salt on all that dust that chew taken up. Take yore linen out of doors an' yo' wash it. Clean up everything. Wash yore bedsteads an' yore springs off an' put on clean linen an' everything. An' take that trash that yo've gathered up in those rooms and take one cup of table salt, take it out an' take a shovel an' dig a hole, an' place it in de ground an' kiver it up. Fust one go tuh sleep that night will dream a good dream an' it will be a good luck dream, be a game in it. If yo' play a game of chance yo'll win.
(Now you do all this cleaning up in the house for luck in the home?)
Fo' luck in yore home. (That is if you want to bring in customers to rent your rooms or something of that sort.) An' then when yo' go out, before yo' go out, yo' take that Hearts Cologne an' yo' sprinkle yoreself with it. Every time yo' go out yo' do that an' yo'll advance with everybody - influence with everybody. Anything yo' go after yo'll have influence with the people.
Entry 2515
De first thing yo' do if yo' goin' in business an' wanta be lucky - de first thing yo' do, yo' hangs a horseshoe right up ovah yo' do'. Dat's de first thing yo do. Well, de next thing yo' do den to be lucky, yo' go in yore house - befo' yo' go in yore house, don't let nobody see yo', yo' take dis cookin' salt an' sprinkle it right in front of yo' do' where de people's comin' in. See, dat's to cut de hard luck off - if a man comin' dere, dat's tuh cut de hard luck offa him whilst he's comin' inside yore place of business to keep from throwin' yo' in hard luck. Well, he comes on it. When he git in dere [you do the third thing], yo' take dis sulphah an' burn it in yo' house ever' mornin' befo' nine 'clock - sulphah. Jes' take a little sulphah an' put it in a lid an' strike a match to it an' jes' let it smoke - ever' mornin' befo' nine 'clock. An' you gon'a be lucky and successful in yo' business.
Entry 2552
Scrub with Red Seal Iye, table salt an' sugah, bluein'. Take about a teaspoon of bluein' and de mo' sugah, have it white sugah, pure sugah - half a cup, teacup of sugah. Burn a little incense an' call 'em three time while it's burnin'.
(What do you call?)
Call yore wish - if yo' wanta make a call an' wanta make yore wish an' den call. Yo' kin call a special person or yo' kin call, "Send me a man." But chew make dat wish three times.
(Out loud.)
Whilst it's burnin' - not let it go out. Wait until it's burnin' an' make it three times on there. [This is a rite for roomers.]
Entry 2563
Like this [business] burns [flourishes] here and that one over there [burns] - well, if that burns out and the trade here - he ain't got no trade here. And I'll tell you I always seen it did, and I've did it myself during Prohibition. I'd scrub my place out - you see, sweep it out good. and scrub it. But as I said before [in another statement], I'd sweep in all the time, though - never sweep out. Sweep in. When you sweep, you take and get you nine buckets of water. You get you a box of lye, get a bottle of ammonia - get you a bottle of ammonia and a box of lye and use nine buckets of water. You put your lye - you take lye and you sprinkle it all around your floor first. See. You throw a bucket of water to your right, one to your left, but always throw it inside. Stand at your door and throw your water. Don't never let your water go out your door - throw that in your door, see. And when you starts scrubbing your place, you scrub to the back. Start right at the front of your door but be backing up all the time. Don't never walk - back up, see. As you scrubbin', back up. When you start sweepin', then you face your place - going in all the time, but don't use over nine buckets of water. And after you scrub your place good and you get it dried out, you puts you some cinnamon and sugar down. You get you - I think it costs ten or fifteen cents for a box of it, you get you some of that incense and you light that and you burn that in your place. Now, after you got all the inside of your place straightened out and scrubbed clean, you come to your banquette [sidewalk]. You get on the outside and you use nine more buckets of water on the outside. Now, vou sweep both ways there. All the time sweep to your door, you see. You sweep thisaway [to the right], you sweep to your door; you sweep thisaway [to the left], you sweep to your door. See. Now, sweep your water to your door - don't sweep it in the place, but sweep it to your door and let it run down to the ditch itself. And then you sprinkle your cinnamon and your sugar again. See. But you sprinkle it to your door and throw it from your door - throw it in, see. Well, that make that trade come across over there to here. And that'll make - you'll get all the business over here. And, if you see where you can't do no good there, just go over there and sprinkle you some salt after you done scrubbed your place - but you have to pay somebody [to do it]. Get them to go over there and throw some salt down, and it'll cause a big row over there. See, when they start to rumpus over there, everybody will run over here to this place here.
Entry 2564
To draw in customer, yo' git chew - lak dat chure front do' dere, yo' git chew a can of [Red] Devil Lye, potash, an' yo' git chew a handful of table salt an' put it right on top of dat can, an' yo' take a ice pick or somepin an' chunk hole all in de top of de can, an' jes' lay dat right on top, at twelve a'clock, an' bury it right in front under yore step or right in front of yore gate. An' one tuh de back. Dey'll be comin' in. Tell yo' whut chew do wit dat. Yo' take dat same potash an' yo' take three Cans - three cans. Take de cans an' open it an' put it in a boilin' pot of watah an' jes' boil it in dat watah an' jes' go all roun' yore house an' sprinkle it all roun' yore house - all in de dirt, all out in de front of yore do', right dere in de front of yore do'. An' yo' git chew a box of spice an' yo' git chew a package of sulphur an' yo' mix all that together an' table salt; an' ev'ry mawnin' befo' sunrise yo' jes' go on an' sprinkle it right out chure gate dere - throw it out dere, turn yore back an' don't look back an' walk on back in yore house. Dey'll nevah - dey'll come an' jes' be passin' by all de time.
(That is to keep the law away?)
Yes sir - keep de law away.
Entry 2707
You use saltpeter, blood root, chamber lye, salt, pepper and alum. You mix it all altogether and you boil dis. You boil it in your own water MondayS, Wednesdays and Fridays and after you have boiled it down, you take the bottom of it - let it boil dry - de bottom will be a powder and you jest put it to de front door. Throw it out and rub it on yore door, and dey [officers of the law] won't come. Dey'll pass by and go to next house.
Entry 2770
An' then der'e's somethin' else dat chew kin do if you wanta move 'em from dere - to make trouble fo' dem - is dis. You git their name, you under- stan', an' de lan'lord's name, an' you write it back- wards nine times. You understan' dat. (You write this person's name - that is in the house - you write his name backwards nine times. And you get the landlord's name and write his name backwards nine times.) On top. An' then you say, you do it this way, "Son-of-bitch, ah want chew tuh vacate" - whichevah way it is. You understan', you git very angry. You don't have the good spirit with you, you'd have the mean one with you. All right. Well, you do that nine times an' you git double-strength war watah - double- strength war watah you understan', an' you git wal-wal powder. [For War Water, see p.663.] You understan' dat. You git cayenne red peppah, an' you git black peppah, but it has tuh all be fresh. You git Epsom salts an' you git soda. An' den you put these ingrediments into a bottle, de amount dat chew kin git it into, an' remember wit dat yo're not pleased, lak you talkin' to me, listenin' an' shakin' - yo're very angry, you see. You want them tuh git out an' you tell 'em that they must, an' the whole while dat chure doin' that you concentrate wit that mean spirit that chew want them tuh git out. Then you mix the ingrediments to- gether an' you shake it an' you say the same thing an' as often as you shake it, an' you tell 'em, "You must go, you shall an' you must," an' you stomp, an' den you roll it [bottle] an' you put it down. You roll it down [under your foot]. Dat puts 'em undah yore feet, you see. An' if yo evah work wit lights, yo' work wit lights.
(What do you do with this bottle now?)
Yo' keep dis bottle, yo' understand. Yo' see, yo' shake it as often as yo' kin an' den yo' use lights if yo' want 'em tuh go quick, if yo' evah use lights. You wash yore han's. Dat's devil work you doin'. All right. You see, you understan'.
(Well, what do you do with that bottle then?)
Listen, if you kin git anywheres tuh throw it - you git chureself some rattle- snake dust. You know whut that is - rattlesnake dust. Graveyard dirt, you know whut dat is. An' you mix it in dat ingrediment, you understan', an' you sprinkle it with that cayenne peppah, an' at de same time you throw it, 'Son-of-bitch, yo must vacate." But throw it wit a mean spirit. An' if you kin git aroun', you keep it sprinkle. An' dat wal-wal powder is shure tuh make 'em move, as ah set in dis chair. Yo' see. (After you get all these things in this bottle, you throw the bottle at their house?) No, nol You don't throw that bottle at their house, you keep that bottle. No, nol You kin bury that bottle, if you wanta. Co'se it'll take a little time. You kin hasten it if yo've got a place dat chew kin burn dese lights. But be shure that chew don't burn the lights in yore home. You know dat's de devil, don't chew? You know each one of the ingrediment don't mean anything good. All right. Now, if you wanta use the light - if you would wanta use the light, you go to de graveyard. All right. You gits de graveyard dirt, a lump. Understan' dat. You gits de Epsom salts. Yo' gits de cayenne peppah. Yo' git the black peppah. You git the salt. Yo' understan' that. You git chureself St. Michael - yo' understan', his picture. An' de red lights. You write dere name de same way in puttin' dat down. You understan'. You use the nine lights, you know whut time tuh use it - at midnight, while de spirit is 'sleep, you ketch it, an' you do it for nine, an' then you repeats, you see, until it do. But it guaranteed tuh do it. See.
(You burn this thing in front of St. Michael's picture?)
Listen. Take St. Michael's picture an' you put it in de east corner an' call it, you understan'. An' you put chure light down but don't put it out underneath dere. He'll do yore work quicker, you understan'. An' yo'll keep him there an' yo'll burn it fo' twelve - you understan', every half hour. You see. An' you wanta draw him? All right. You git chew parchment papah. You under- stan' dat you please - you see, you want a sweet spirit [therefore you use parch- ment paper]. One, two, three (knocking). [Parenthesis is by transcriber because 3 knocks can be heard.j You call him. He'll come. He's lookin'. "Why did joo leave her? Whut did she do? Why don't chew come back?" [You knock for the spirit again.] One, two, three. He's lookin' agin, an' you tell him, "Now, ah Wants you James, tuh come back to me, Louella. James come back to Louella, James come back to Louella, James come back to Louella." Yo' continue an' yo' knock. Well now, you got his spirit to yo' into that house, fo' with papah yo' write on goin' dat way, yo' have goodness into you, an' while you writin' his name you tell him, "Ah want chew tuh come back to Louella. Ah want chew tuh come back to Louella. Ah want chew tuh come back to Louella." Whatevah name that is. See? Now, you git chew nine lumps of sugah - you know dat lump sugah. All right, you git chure money. All right, yo' git chure drawin' oil. All right, yo' git chure mind on him an' yo' git chew steel dust. You understan' dat. You git chew pink lights, cinnamon - you work wit pink. First you use yore lights. Dat is to make peace. Now, maybe he's all you have left in de worl'. Den, you understan', dat white [not pink] light is fo' peace. Den yo' use yore pink. Yo' understan'. Well, ah mostly use mine an' git results through de Sacred Heart of Jesus. He first united you together an' you use Him as a patron saint an' ask Him. Den you take St. Anthony an' you give him de brown lights, an' he brings him back. Den there's anothah remedy you wanta have. Co'se ah dunno if you would wanta give it tuh her. You know whut ah mean. You would like tuh keep it or you could give it to her, you see, tuh make money, because when dey git wise to yore reme- dies, yo cain't do anything. You git chew a choice apple, you understan' whut that is, an' you do de same thing. You know de remedies dat ah tole you into this, an' you put it into that apple, an' de same way yo'll dress that apple - you really dresses it. You kin git holy water an' you bless it wit chure Our Father ovah it. Den you wipe it [apple] with yore holy watah an' you cores dat apple an' you use the names an' you talk to him while yo're doin' it. Den yo' put the ingrediments - de same - you remembah de same ingrediments dat ah tole you dat chew do. An' you want him tuh reason with her in dis remedy an' you take nine raisins [because the English word raisin looks and sounds something like French word raison meaning reason]. You know whut that is, an' you put it into that. Well, you put that ingrediment in there - all de ingrediments dat ah told you to. An' you git chew first a white light, an' you light 'em into that. An' den you burn one pink light an' in burnin' it you put his name on each one of the pink lights an' hers on de top. Yo' first wipe it [apple] off undah yore faucet. Yo' don't know whut han' an' yo' don't know whut crossin' has been on it, an' yo wipe it dry an' yo' bless it wit chure holy watah. Den you take an' shet it up an' you stan' it up an' you wipe that off on a clean piece of papah, but you use parchment papah with their names. Yo' understan' that. An' yo' dress it - you dress it with that mind oil - dat's to keep his mind to 'em. An' dat dryin' oil, you put that on dere. You see, when you dressin' that mind oil, you put that steel dust - everything is tuh draw him. An' yo'll burn [one candle] one time into de apple. When that one light - that's the name on de light, it isn't lak ah told chew. Then you shet chure apple up, an' if it's de 23rd of that, you dress it every 23rd an' it don't bring him dere, he won't be brought back. Ah'm tellin' yo' remedies that ah used an' that have helped an' de lady dat recommend me, know that these things are really good because ah have been with her an' he'ped her in some things.
Entry 2773
[I made no special effort to collect material about Marie Laveau, the second, or the hoodoo dance. It was too late for either one and besides I am not a historian. There will probably be a little more material about both in the text somewhere.] Well, dat's a person will do yo' somethin' dat chew go - it sup- posed tuh be mean things when yo' go to a fo'k of de road. Dat supposed tuh be very mean but den dere ain't nuthin whut a mean person won't do at times. Well, yo' take yo' a aig an' yo' soak it in vinegah an' dis cayenne peppah, but chew put de names of de party on dat aig. Yo' understand, put de name of the party on that aig an' put it in a jar an' soak it in vinegah fo' nine days in dis peppah an' salt. An' den yo' goes tuh de fo'k of de road an' make yore wish, an' yo' dance an' ever'thing, an' break it, but nevah look back at it - jis' break it an' leave it dere.
(What will happen to that person then?)
He'll leave direct - won't be a long time leaving, leave town. Yo'll send him away.
(The way she explained it to you?)
Well, she tole me dat dere wus a woman by de name of Marie Baptiste. She had two daughters an' she liked fo' her daughters tuh outdress de girls down in de 7th Ward. Dat's whare ah wus bo'n in de 7th Ward. An' she sol' herself to de devil at twelve a'clock at night wit de fire of furnace - a furnace fire, yo know, at de fo'k of de road in de woods.
(What kind of a fire? A furnace? How'd she get the furnace out there?)
[I soon realized she was talking about a charcoal brazier, when her furnace becomes a hot pot.] Well, she brought it out dere. She had it out dere an' she sol' herself to him dat she could git anything she wanted so she could go in de sto's an' any- thing she take dey couldn't see her.
(What did she do when she got out there? Didn't she do anything?)
Well, dey had some kin' of a dance dey danced, de hoodoo dance - dey danced wit a'kinda meetin' lak. Dey danced an' dat's de way she sol' herself tuh de devil an' dey had de devil tuh git her away from de devil.
(Have you ever heard of that woman Marie Laveau?)
Yessuh, ah've heard of her.
(What have you ever heard said or told about her?)
Well, dere's so many things tole about her. Well, ah tell yo', her an' mah mothah used tuh be friends an' ah used tuh be in her house. Some of 'em claimed ah wus partly christened at her house, an' she done everything she could do. She used tuh use dem furnace an' fiah too, an' hot pots on her. Ah kin carry yo' tuh de same spot of ground where her house wus on - yessuh, St. Ann between Rampart an'Burgundy.
(She was pretty good wasn't she?)
Yessuh, she wus fine.
(Did they used to have those old hoodoo dances when you were a girl?)
Yessuh.
(What did they used to do?)
Dance in dey petticoat tail an' dey shimmy tail - dance.
(Did you ever hear of them dancing a person to death?)
No, ah nevah heard of that.
(They just had those dances for good-time dances?)
De good-time dance an' dey wus doin' dey work at de meantime, but dey wus doin' hoodoo work when dey used tuh dance. Plenty tuh eat an' plenty tuh drink, an' if it wus anything tuh harm, dey would have hearts - raw hearts an' dey would eat that.
(What kind of hearts?)
Beef hearts. (Can you tell me any particular whole story about any one particular thing that you used to do?) No, ah wus too young tuh remember.
(Does any of that go on today or has it all died out?)
Well, ah think it's all died out an' dere ain't nuthin of that much now. It's gone. It's mo' de spiritual whut's goin' on now. (All that ole-time stuff has all died out? Those dances and things of that sort?) Jis' de time dey has it at de ole lake every 24th day of June. Yo' know dat's St. John's day an' dat's mah day. At de lake [Pontchartrain].
(What would they do?)
De hoodoo dance. Dey dance an' dey has a meeting, an' anything dat dey would want tuh do, dey does it that day. If it's good or bad they does it that day. An' anybody could go out dere if dey would wanta go. [After she leaves, my contact man Edward and I talk, though a part of the opening conversation is unrecorded.] Dat her name non est.
(How do you spell that?)
Ah don' know.
(Is that her real name or just a?)
Jis' a nickname we give her. [If Edward actually used the words non est, they were something our assistant Mack, old-time taximan, had picked up in New Orleans.]
(She is supposed to be pretty good?)
Yes, she's a spiritualist.
(That woman that was just in here?)
Yes. End 1584. ["Algiers, La., Fri., Feb. 23, 1940 - 1584 - old woman - several things - Ph [[something looking like Phillip - probably name of person who brought her]]." Numbers Book 1558-1605. Almost anyone would have been described as giving "several things" after following 1583, Nahnee - see her long interview. I did not know that the next woman to walk through the door would be - DARK LADY - DARK GLASSES - DARK DEEDS - See her interview.]
Entry 2909
Take a white candle to make a man love you and stay with you, don't get. away from you. If he go, he can't stay.
(Well, how do you do that?)
You take a white candle and roll it in sugar, sugar and salt - salt that's not never been used out of. Just roll it, roll it good, roll it good about fifteen minutes - see, you roll it on a paper. And then you take a match.
(A match?)
Take a match and you hold that candle right on there and light it, and you know, smoke it enough for it to melt for the paste [melted wax, sometimes called sponge] to come out, you know, and then you place it right in the middle of a saucer.
(Wait! You stick this candle down on the saucer?)
Yes. [The candle is set in the melted wax at the center of the saucer.] And if he is a drinker, you know, and likes to drink, well, you put you about a tea- spoonful of whiskey around that candle, and then you light that candle and you burn that candle fifteen minutes and all the whilst you burn that candle, well [demonstrates], you be doing just like this, you know - like this with the flame, you see, from the candle. (You wet your two fingers in your mouth, and then you go to the candle and pretend that you are sort of pulling this flame towards you - keep pulling it towards you.) Yes, that's it. And make your wishes what you want him to come back and do and what you don't want him to do - just like - you burn it fifteen minutes.
(At what time do you burn that?)
Any time, any time. Burn it any time, but in the three fifteen minutes you burns the candle up - in the three fifteen minutes. And when that candle is burnt up, and all that whiskey's gone, and [then] inside of five or nine days, he'll be back - he'll be back to you. [The two preceding versions of flame pulling and whiskey are from the same informant but separated by 70 cylinders. I had her brought back because some of her material was badly recorded.1
Entry 2929
Yo' take some of dis same solution yo' know, salt watah, an' put it all in de room yo' know, all aroun', an' then yo' burn those little [white] tapers, too. Burn that all aroun' an' yo' git this bergamot an perfume de room with that, yo' understan', an' that's good luck.
(That will rent the room for you.)
Ah've had experience in that mahself.
Entry 3067
[This remarkable man we have already met, along with his friend who was equally adept at sudden disappearance. Perhaps you remember him by his more familiar name, Daddy Snakelegs, "cause he could run so fast and he could disappear." A precious pair! Sorry, I should also include the third member of the group, Ole Sal, the disappearing mule. See 845, p.293.] I've done hear [what you want]. I kin tell you most everything you ask me.
[I turn off machine and we talk until something of possible interest appears.]
(Burying you alive? How do they do that? Do you know?)
Burying you alive and you bound to follow the dirt.
(I see. Well, how do they say they do that?)
Well, I heard ole man Alexander tell that. He say he makes a coffin.
(Do what? Makes a coffin?)
Makes a coffin and puts this dirt in it.
(What kind of dirt?)
Graveyard dirt. Puts a needle catercorner there and puts another one cater- corner here.
(Like making an X in the coffin?)
No, just.
(Here - that's the coffin there.)
[I probably use my small oblong Nuonbers Book, used for altar, p.886.]
There's the coffin. Well, dey lay de two needles straight, right along here. And right between here they put a piece of cayenne pepper, table salt, and a piece of new salt [sulphur?] right there. Then they lay a piece of devil's root, dey call it - drive that down in there, you see, and they say that draws you up. (I see. Now, they put these needles like this [cross them], sort of making an X in the corners like that, and up here at this top part - up here at the top of the coffin.in that sort of a V there [one of the 4 angles of the crossed needles] they - what do they put up there?) They put a pinch of cayenne pepper.
(Cayenne pepper. What do they put down here in the left-hand corner?)
A pinch of sulphur.
(And what do they put in this corner - the right-hand corner of the coffin?)
New salt.
(And up here - where do they put the root?)
Up here - they put the root chere.
(Up in the.right-hand corner they put this root.)
And there's your head. (That's your head. And they put - what was the name of that stuff they put there?) Ah - ah devil's root. I suppose they want the devil to get that coffin.
(I see. And what [else] will they do for the devil to get that coffin?)
Carry it out and bury it - bury it in the dirt.
(What will that do?)
That's all - just carry that out and bury that down in the dirt. [See Coffin, PP.536-542.]
Entry 3101
You know I wus bootleggin' an' de law come furce. Dis bad luck had been planted aroun' de house to ketch some bad luck fer me, you see, and I jis' had bad luck all de time. De law constan'ly come, constan'ly come. So I fixed salt an' t'ings down dey would tell me to, but dat didn't do no good. So den I goes to S'uth Car'lina - Doctor Small in S'uth Car'lina.
(What town does he live in?)
Florence, S'uth Car'lina. Doctor Small - I[J?]. H. Small.
[For Small, also see 3079-3080, p.897.]
He gits his cane an' he shake his cane up an' tells me all dese men's names. He tells me about Kid-eyed Reeves[?].
(Kid-eyed Reeves[?].) [The liquor man who supplied her?]
He tells me who sent 'em in dere. An' he gave me dis piece of luck - jis' somepin he [had].
(Did someone tell you about him being down there?)
Someone told me - someone sent me to him.
(How did he shake his cane?)
He had dis cane. He put somepin in dis cane. It was loaded - a loaded cane - and he shake zit up: An' he went on to tell me where dis cousin Ivry [Ivy] is, an' why mah husband an' I didn't agree [because] he liked dis cousin. Whut to do with his cousin. If he got a chance he'd kill 'er [wife] - dat he wus so jealous dat he wanted 'er so bad, he'd do anything to harm 'er [wife]. Den he went on to tell me dat he [husband] sent de law. An' he named all de officers names one by one - ev'ry one of 'em name, an' ev'ry time he shake de cane he give me another one name. An' he told me, he said. "You take dis [piece of luck = hand] an' t'row it over - he told me between North Car'lina, I mean S'uth Car'lina, an' Richmond [Va.] - to t'row it over in runnin' water. But I was afraid dat it might go up against de bank [of river] or somepin by not knowin' dat [where?] was travelin'. So I waited till I came home.
(You were traveling in an automobile?)
No, I was on a train. He told me to throw it in de runnin' water when de train pass but I didn't take a chance on it. I was afraid it might lodge some- where on a bank. So I brought it back here.
(Did you look at it? Did you know what it was that he gave you?)
I tell you. It was somepin on de order of - frankincense is one thing. You know he put four or five differen' little things. An' he'd shake up his bottles an' things an' mix dose things together. An' when I came back - an' he give me some lucky stars [see LUCKY STAR, p.607; 2541-2544.p.702f.1] So I came back an' he told me de next mornin' [after returning home], I get in mah car an' I goes to a bridge an' I named all dose men name an' threw it [the piece of luck] off. An' den, jes' after I threw it, I went to court. It was all through in de court [case was dismissed].
(You say there was something buried for you in the front yard?)
Yeah, it was buried.
(Who took this up?)
A spiritual taken it up. She dig it up: You're not suppose to handle 'em. He [Doctor Small] sent some spirit-man an' he found it. An' then, you don't suppose to handle [it] yourself. He didn't let me handle it - I couldn't put my hand on it.
(Who worked this for you?)
[Doctor Small may have sent a spirit-man to locate the buried article, but who dug it up?] It was a spiritual of Lakeside, whut lady went to see at Lakeside.
[Was she the person who had sent client to Small?]
(A spiritual?)
But she's a fortuneteller of Lakeside. She found it. She told me where it wus an' she come over dere an' found it.
(It was like a ball?)
[This shows I had turned off my machine somewhere, or informant had told part of the story before recording began.] Yeah, like a ball. I paid her to take care of it.
(Names of these officers, when did you call them?)
I called all four name, an' de last name I called, I t'rew it over mah left shoulder into de runnin' water on de bridge. An' dat case wus absolutely dis- missed.
Entry 3799
Oh, dat is when people fix yo' so, yo' know, so yo' can't have intah- co'se wit anyone but dem. I don't think I told you dat. Yo' go wherevah dey have sheep, an' de male sheep, yo' cut dere hair from aroun' 'im - yo' know all aroun' 'im lak dat. (Around his private-like?) Dat's right, an' den if possible to get some of de water [urine]. Of co'se sometimes yo' can't get de urine so handy, but if yo' can, yo' get dis an' bottle it up an' keep it, an' whenevah yo' know anyone has a spell of dat kind put on 'em, yo' heat dis wit a teaspoonful of salt in it an' give dat to dem to bathe in, an' dat will come back natural. (That is if they lose their nature, they bathe themselves with it.)
Entry 4865
Ah would go an' git me some sugah an' salt an' sprinkle aroun' yore do' an' also in yuh house. An' if ah could git a piece dat chew weah close tuh yuh skin, ah will take dat an' take a piece out of [it] jis' lak [that] an' tie it up in a rag or sompin, in a piece of red flan- nen, an' wrap it tight in a piece of red flannen. An' den ah go tuh de drug sto an' ah may git some whut chew call cayhine [cayenne] peppah, yuh undahstan', an' mix dat up wit it. An' git chure name an' write it on a piece of papah, an' put it in dere, an' take an' put it in a bottle an' put it in some runnin' watah. Dat'll pull yuh 'way.
(And that sugar and stuff you simply sprinkle it around the house?)
Yeah, dat cause confusion, dat makes 'em leave.
(Do you do all these things together or do each thing separately?)
De way yuh do, yuh put de sugah an' de salt in de house separate, yuh under- stan'. An' de othah stuff, why yuh put dat tuhgethah. Yuh put cayhine peppah.
(Do you use all these things together or do you just use one at a time?)
Yuh kin use 'em both tuhgethah, yuh see. [This answer is vague but under- standable.]
Entry 4954
Well, ah know dat if a man leave a woman, or somepin lak dat, if yuh take a stockin', de ole dirty foot of a stockin' an' tie it up in three knots, an' put it undah yore bed an' sleep on it fo' three nights, an' make yore wishes tuh come true, fo' him tuh come back tuh yuh an' be in love, dat yuh could aftah de three nights take dat stockin', an' take a box of new salt an' sprinkle it ovah dat stockin', an' den take dis salt an' build a fire, an' put dat stockin' on de fire an' burn it. Burn it In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost. Said dat would draw yuh back tuhgethah.
(Whose stocking would you use, his or yours?)
Yuh use yore own stockin'. Dey always tell me yuh use yore own stockin' fo' dat, eithah stockin'.
Entry 5119
Take de linin' [inner sole] outa fellah's right shoe, tote hit in yore pocket, see. An' take hit an' some devil's shoestring root an' wrop it up tuh- gethah. (Do you wrap it any special way?) Any special way? Jis' as [so] it wropped aroun' wit some asafitadee. Put it in dere an' wrop it away [from you].? Tote it in yore pocket. If yo' wanta run 'im away put red peppah an' salt in it.
(Then what do you do with it?)
Keep a-carryin' it. Has it on a string hangin' down on yore left side. Keep a fellah jis' hangin' dataway. Dat will keep 'l away from dere. Dat's like yuh have a case in co't an' want somebody tuh do somepin.
Entry 5761
Well, yo' know what a wasp is. Yo' know what a wasps' nest is. Well, so' git the wasp nest. Yo' go an' get their left foot goin' this way, from you, an' yo' take this dirt up. You start at the toe an' yo' [go] round [in] the front of it. You take it up this way with a spade or something to keep from disturbing - keep from breaking it. An' then you sprinkle that over with salt. Sometime if you have time I would demonstrate to you how you do this? You sprinkle de salt goin' from you an' then you sprinkle red pepper all over that, an' then you put this in the stove, a red-hot stove; an' you just cook it until it just parched, just until that salt is just brown, you know, and the dirt is jest as hot. Well, you take that an' you put it into a snuffbox or any kind of box that chew kin jest cement with wax or anything to airtighten it. Then you throw it down in a runnin' stream, and that person will have hot feet. They will go jest as long as that water will carry them, keeps them wandering. That is something that has been proved. (Now, the track is going away from me and you take this shovel and you go under it like that - from the heel to the toe and pick the whole thing up.)
Entry 7577
(To keep the law away, you take this same dirt and instead of throwing it into the house.) [I am repeating what informant had said while recording machine was turned off.] See, when yuh throw it intuh yore house, dat's fo' yore luck. Dat's bringin' all de peoples tuh yuh. Dat's tuh make yore business big. An' when yuh git ready tuh keep de law away, yuh go roun' yore house in de mawnin' between eight an' nine a'clock an' yuh draws yuh a cross an' makes yore wishes, tell it whut chew want.
(Where do you draw the cross?)
At each do' 'fore dey kin come in. Well, dey might come out dere but dey nevah comes ovah dere. Put it tuh yore front do' an' yuh put dat down in de cross jis' lak dat an' dey won't come in.
(You put this dirt down in the cross?)
De dirt, sulphur - graveyard dirt an' yore table salt.
(Graveyard [dirt] from the infant's grave.)
Yessuh.
Entry 7581
Git graveyard dirt, yuh know, an' dig tuh yore elbow on de left side - not on de right. On de left side dig tuh yore elbow an' aftah yuh git tuh yore elbow, den yuh git whut chew want outa dere. An' git a bran'-new box of peppah, red ground peppah whut peoples puts in somepin, yuh know, tuh put on de barbecue. An' git a bran'-new box of salt an' mix all dat tuhgethah. If yuh wan'a person tuh move, yuh could throw dat on dere house, or up on de house, or carry it in de house, jis' one time. An' den yuh kin take an' git chew NINE ROCKS OFF A LIL' BABY'S GRAVE jis' so's it not no ten or 'leven yeahs ole chile - a lil' small baby. Git chew nine rocks offa dat dere grave - an' dis is true 'cuz ah have tried dis mahself - an' take it, take dem nine rocks, an' if ah want some- body [to] move, ah kin throw it ovah dere windah [window] up ovah de po'ch, jis' anywhere, jis' since ah hits dat house ovah dere windah. Ah don't care 'bout de othah family, dey'll be dere [in the house]. Jis' whoevah ah want moved from dere [will be moved]. An' take dem baby rock an' throw 'em dere. Go lak tuh- night, an' tuhmorrah night ah go again, till de nine nights run out, an' ah call 'em by dere name, an' dey'll leave.
(You throw one rock each night?)
Each night. Dat's true 'cuz ah've done dat. An' dis graveyard dirt is true too.
Entry 8999
Ketch a fellah an' take him down tuh de judge. If it's so an' dat he has some friends an' dey kin git to him an' kin give him somepin tuh he'p 'iml self. If dey do, why dey sends out tuh de drug sto' an' buys 'em 15 cents of incense. Yo' kin git it now in small packages. It use'ly cost yo' 25 an' 30 cents. Git 'im some incense an' git 'im 'some cayenne peppah. Lak yo' got a friend some place dat chew wanta be good to 'em. Git dat cayenne peppah an' dat incense an' 'bout half of a teaspoon fullah salt. Take a silver [dime] an' put it in yore mouth, an' when yo' lay dat undah yore tongue to yore mouth, why yo' goes back an' read de 23rd Psalms. Dat says, De Lord is mah shepherd. Ah shall not want. Well, yo' repeats dat nine times. An' when de judge calls yo', yo' take dat peppah an' holds it in yore han', when he call yore name, an' rubs it. Yo' hol' dat in yore han' rubs it. An' evah time de judge says somepin, yo' mashes [squeezes] yore dime an' still rubs yore peppah. An' when yo' do 'gin [begin] tuh think dat he's gittin' really rough wit chew, yo' takes an' yo' brushes yore han' lak dat. Well, de fellah dat is clost tuh yo' is goin' burn a candle on yo'. When yore trial begin tuh come, yo' burns dat candle, once in de mawnin' befo' de sunrise, an' in de evenin' jes' as de sun go down. An' whatevah it is, yo' see, yo' makes dis wish 'cuz yo' know at de same time dat chew burnin' dis candle, yo' burnin' it fo' 'im. Well, if he don' turn a-loose, he'll make it easy fo' 'im. Prob'ly he won't git no time an' if he do, he may git a light fine.
(What color candle do you burn?)
Yo' bums a perfect white candle.
(What do you do with that incense that you bought. What happens to that?)
De incense is fo' de luck an' yore success. De red peppah an' salt kills all evil spirits. Dat keeps de judge from believin' hard witness ag'inst chew.
(Where is that incense burned? Is it burned or what? Who burns it?)
Yassuh, it's tuh burn. De one dat burns de candle burns de incense, at home with de little taste of sugah in it. An' de peppah is on de stove. Yo' have tuh burn it, yo' know, fo' it's somepin hot. An' dat salt, he has hit himself. But no one cain't use no salt outa dat box fo' nuthin else but jes' fo' his use. An' aftah he git out, he takes de salt an' take it tuh de rivah an' throw it in run- nin' watah. Dat throws away all his trouble.
(He only throws away the salt?)
Yassuh, aftah he git out. Why he comin' out. Well, he goes ovah an' throw dat salt in de rivah an' don' even look back. His bad luck is gone. Jes' pitch it in dere an' walk on off.
Entry 9269
Take graveyard dirt an' sulphah an' put people back tuhgethah, an' yo' kin take it an' part 'em. Well, yo' take dat sulphuh an' table salt an' grave~ yard dirt, take it an' break yo' a aig an' put jes' a lit- tle of it in a aig if yo' wanta run 'em now. An' den yo' stick nine pins in dat aig. Den yo' take dat aig an' write de name cross it an' den write de name straight up an' down dat aig. Den yo' take dat aig at twelve'clock in de night an' bust it up onto dere house. Dey gotta go.
(How do you get those pins into the egg?)
Jes' punch 'em in dere, jes' stick dem in dere till de haid go down.
Entry 10919
Mix cat and dog hair with seven ingredients: pepper, bluestone, sulphur, salt, asafetida, etc., put at door; people living there will fight like cats and dogs. [Richmond, Va., 303:10.]
Entry 11505
"Pick up his track and puts some salt in it, gunpowder, red pepper. You tie it up [in a piece of cloth] and put it on a string and set it afire... [swing it at least once about head and let loose] turn it loose in de air where that it busts and scatter it. He goin' leave here." [Charleston 548:2.]
Entry 11523
"They take that out of you right track...git some graveyard dust and a little sulphur and a little salt and a little pepper, put it in a bag...and if they want to run you crazy, they take and throw it in running water." [Wil- mington 148:3+85.]
Entry 11572
"If you don't want anybody to come to your house...get their track, take it up in a paper, put it with some sulphur, some salt, burn it in a pan, and take the ashes and throw it northward and say: Don't come no more." [Fred- ericksburg by Ediphone.]
Entry 11635
Pound up a fish head, dry to powder, mix with salt, give in whiskey to a person; creates a live fish in him. [Washington, D. C., 625:5.]
Entry 11774
If you place 9 needles, 9 pins, 9 Victrola points, graveyard dirt, coffee and sugar, black pepper and salt; if you place all these under the rug at the front and back door, it will break up that home. [Norfolk 453:4.]
Entry 11783
Graveyard dirt, salt, sulphur, needles, and green water (slime or algae) in corked-up bottle under steps will swell you up and kill you. [Wil- mington, 125:2+85.]
Entry 11975
If you stop up a person's hair with salt and pepper in a snuffbox and throw it into running water while wishing and then walk away Without looking back, you will either run the owner of the hair out of town or run him crazy. [Memphis 1545:5.]
Entry 12474
You kin git a fresh hen egg, you understand. You kin git a fresh hen egg an' put it right in this [murdered] man's hand, you understand, an' bury it in there. An' then [an- other method], you kin burn on 'im, don't choo understand. See, you kin take his [whose?] name an' you kin write his name 9 times. You under- stand, write his name down 9 times an' put it in a lamp, see. An' light that lamp 12 a'clock in the daytime, you understand. You write it on - let me show you how you do this. You write his name 9 times. Understand? An' you puts a teaspoonful of salt in there, don't chew understand. A teaspoonful of salt on an' then you take an' make a little package. You wrap that. You wrap that to you 9 times. Wrap that up you see. Then you put it right in this lamp, 12 a'clock in the daytime. Under- stand you light it an' make you wish an' you put some oil of wintergreen on it, in there. An' you let that lamp burn for 21 days, see. An' when you drop this in, you say: In the Name of the Father an' Son an' Holy Ghost. Let that lamp burn for 21 days. An' then that man will come to you wherever you at. He'll come to the place, the man that kilt the othah one. You kin do that [this pre- sent lamp rite] behind [after] putting that fresh hen egg right in his hand, too.
Entry 12521
Ah heard of people if dey wanted luck in dere homes, dey git up befo' sunrise in de morning an' take some onions an' some sulphur an' salt, an' set it on de fire in de stove, an' jes' de scent - de incense go through de house- round about. An' read a cer- tain Scripture. Ah don't know whut it is, now, in de Bible. An' dat'll bring yo' luck.
(Luck to the house?)
Yes sir. Dat's good, too. Mah auntie does dat all de time.
Entry 12663
All right, if yo' got this thing dey call de a - we call it ole di- arrhea or dysentery, go tuh a persimmon tree an' git chew six switches. Yo' kin have it on yo' today an' dat go down in yore stomach an' den yore bowel be choked up an' de doctor [M.D.] can't hardly break it. Yo' go tuh a persimmon tree an' git chew six switches offa dere an' don't peep? 'em, understan', take dem [just as they are] an' chew 'em an' swallow de juice. An' when yo' swallow dat juice at night befo' sundown, yo' won't know yo' got no such a thing as [running off]. Yo' won't know yo' have it. Yore bowels will be tied up, tied up in a knot jes' lak dat knot [informant refers to a knot of some sort]. Tie yo' jes' lak dat. Yo' gotta take salts an' all tuh loosen up yore bowels ag'in. Dat whut 'simmon tree is good fo'. [I do not know the meaning of the preceding word peep. Some- thing is done to persimmon switches before using them. What? For one of then see following rite.]
Entry 12766
Roots 3: devil's-shoestring, bitter apple, John de Conkah - mix with 4 substances: black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt and sulphur: then name it, sweep it, and man'll leave.
Entry 13028
For trick or cunjure, drink 3 times daily a tea made with rainwater and following ingredients: filed dime or quarter, black pepper, salt and vine- gar, followed by a dose of Epsom salts. [Vicksburg 1013:6.]
Entry 13161
Get 'em some gun powder an' some black pepper, an' put in dat sock. an' get 'em some salt, an' tie dat sock 3 different knots, an' turn dat sock bottom upwards in runnin' water, an' yo' goin' go crazy. They don't take but one [sock] to kill you. [Vicksburg 1004:7.]
Entry 13397
Pour urine, salt, red pepper and sulphur at door to protect against evil and spirits. [Washington, D. C. 208:5.]
Entry 13422
[To make people] get out of a house, you have to use war water, dirt dauber nest, Epsom salts and oil of lavender.
(Oil of lavender?)
Yes. [Long pause.]
(Yes?) [Continue.]
And yo' pound it all together like a flour, and you'll sprinkle it at the front door and in the gate. (In what?) You sprinkle it at the front door and in the gate. (And the gate. All right.) That would upstir the mind of a person. Just like Epsom salts works your bowels, so it would work in among them people. War water makes them restless in that place. You see.
(Yes.)
Oil of lavender will get their mind.
(Those are herbs?)
Yeah.
(Now, what will the oil of lavender do?)
The oil of lavender it'll soften him - the inner, the inner man, the spirit- ual part of that person. That you could - you would have to go. You would slide or either you would be run off. You may put oil into anything to slip [away] - you run off from that person. You understand.
(Now, what else did you put into that thing?)
Dirt dauber nest.
(What would that do?)
Dirt dauber nest is a part of ground.
(Yes?)
It may be made with lime, but you kin put that person to drift and you got nobody to...jis' like you see the dirt dauber goin' gnawin'-gnawin'. In certain places, that part of your track where you put it - where you would go, you could not stand.
(That would make me move out of that house?)
Yes, sir.
(What else did you put in that mixture?)
Epsom salt, oil of lavender, dirt dauber's nest, and war water.
(Anything else go in it?)
Yeah, you could put van-van in that, but if you put Van-van in there, you liable to put that person in trouble. They liable to get into the hand of the law.
(I see, I see.)
That only a part of making them move.
(I see. I understand.)
Entry 101
De lady next do' tuh me - it's some kin'a man dat curses her, it's a evil spirit, an' wherever she goes he's always using bad language tuh her an' saying things to her, putting all kind of things into her head. She went to someone an' they told her that it's a evil spirit that someone had worked on her, an' she asked him if he could cure it an' he tole her, yes. Well, he went in de house an' he asked her fo' some salt, an' she gave him some salt an' she gave him some sulphur an' two drops of hearts coZogne. Well, he put that in thar an' he tole her to put it in de corner an' every night say some kin'a word over that stuff. An' so she tole me last night at mah home that she was gittin' rid of it - said she jes' kin hear him now whisperin', and she said the man tole her that in a few days she wouldn't hear him at all.
(She can't see this man at all?)
She can't see him but she kin hear him.
(Well, what - just what do they think this thing is that is bothering.her?)
Dey think it's a evil spirit that someone got from de graveyard.
reported nightly unspecified words over a corner preparation. Nested neighbor and practitioner report, not firsthand performance or direct formula quotation. reported instruction to speak unspecified words over the mixture. Unknown words and nested report remain; no invented quotation or observed efficacy. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 245
(All right - suppose you tell me that?)
See, year before last, I had a fence round my house and I had vent cross to the store, and when I come back and I put my hand on the gate. Well something hit me in that finger [demonstrates] just like it was a - had stuck it with a pin or something.
(The little finger of the left hand.)
The little finger. So, I didn't pay no attention, and the next day I looked on my arm, right along up there and it was a long black mark like that and like a cross. Well, when I seen it, I know it was something wrong. Well, I got up and went got me some of this fish brine; you know, what come off a mackerel fish. I put me some saltpeter in it and I put me some salt in it and heated it, and I put some soda in it - heated it right hot and I bathed in it. Well, then after I bathed it, in a day or so it was gone off - I bathed it but once or twice, but- it left a little sign of it there. So I went to a kind of a fortune teller woman when I was here in town and she told me just what I used was the right thing. Well, I told her I sure was glad, I didn't know that because, I said, if anything else happened to me I'd know exactly what to do. So she told me that it was where somebody had had a painted snake and dressed my gate with it.
(What kind of a snake?)
A painted - some kind of a painted snake.
(A painted snake?)
Yes sir.
(Well, what do you mean - was it a live snake? What kind of a snake?)
I guess it was. And they must have painted him with something what they had, and just laid it on the gate, and I caught it on my hand and arm.
(You mean they painted the paint on the snake?)
Yes sir - some kind of old poison stuff. See. And see, when I went to the gate and caught holt of it, it got on my hand. (I see.) [This snake was dressed with a poison and sent out to smear it on the gate.]
Entry 545
Now in case a man's child - somebody has caused a man's child to wander about from the house, won't stay home, yo'll see the 'fect of it aroun' de fire- place. Dere'll come a drove of ants, black antses, all on de mantelpiece comin' in droves, some goin' an' some comin', an' will cross each othah this way, cross each othah goin' to an' fro. Well, people have oftentime wondered whut does that mean. Yore child will wander aroun' an' can't stay home. Well, now there's remedy fo' that. The remedy is, if yo' would like to heah it, take some salt - Epsom salts, some quinine an' black peppah an' mix it together three days continuous, an' sprinkle it all on de edge of de mantelpiece all aroun' it an' those antses will leave. Any child mind will become settled.
(Well, why are those ants there? Have you any idea?)
Well, it's a sign your child's mind is not right - it is unsettled. Where dey come from ah don't know, but dey will cease to come.
(Well, what causes that? Somebody has done something to the child?)
Somebody have done something to de child to cause de child not to stay home an' aggravate de parents, keep de parents confused an' dey don't know whut's de matter with de child. He will come home an' his mind become settled fo' a while. Event'lv de chile go clean off an' won't stay at home none at all - dat's a sign of dat.
Entry 563
Well, may I tell mah experience about it? Well, once ah was dressing a lady's hair an' I slightly took off mah shoe, de left one. Well, de lady was an ole enemy of my father and I didn't know any definite reason why she should do anything to me. But on June the 4, 1937, I immediately had a swelling around mah ankle. Ah didn't pay it any attention - ah thought it was probably from my shoe, and it continued to grow. Everything got swollen 'bout me 'cept mah arms, and I didn't know de reason why my daddy cared [carried] me to de doctor's - he [father] thought it was a touch of dropsy, but de doctor said it was dropsy an' gave me medicine. The more medicine-medicine [doctor's medicine] that ah took, de worse ah got. Ah only found out whut was de matter wit me by a dream - an' I interpret de dream mahself. I had a dream of mah mother. I dreamt she had a jade green earring - earring and necklace round her neck, and I asked her whut were they for. She say, "Darling, '' [she] says, "Gren signifies poison." An' ah immediately waked up - an' when ah awaken ah went downstairs an' tole mah daddy just whut ah dream an' interpret mah dream to him, an' so he carried me to a root doctor. An' de root doctor tole me dat ah was poisoned an' ah wasn't poisoned from de mouth - ah was poisoned from de shoe." An' he took de shoe an' dressed it fol me an' tole in five days ah would be able to wear mah shoes agin, an' ah was.
(Did he tell you how this shoe was dressed for you?)
He didn't tell me definitely how de shoe was dressed, but he tole me the lady had placed something in it. And he took this shoe an' sprayed it with salt. An' after spraying with salt, he told me tuh wear it. I wore de shoe an' immediately my swelling Went down within five days.
Entry 597
Jes' lak dey say somebody got chew down - yo' can't rise an' strive wit nuthin'. Dey got somepin roun' yore house fo' yo' an' de way yo' kin tell - dey say yo' kin nuse [use] dis bluestone an' red peppah while bathin' yore foot with it; yo' know, washin' yore feet with it. An' den yo' tote cookin' salt an' de red peppah in yore shoes - wear that an' make a pad like an' wear dat in yore shoes. An' if it's true, when yo' strike it yo'll know 'cause yo' give in to yore knee.
(You do what?)
Yo' give 'way - go down - give 'way tuh yore knees. Yo'll know when yo' run cross it.
(That is if you wear anything like this bluestone?)
Yeah, see, yo' have tuh nuse dis bluestone washin' yore feet an' it eat it up, an' ev'ry mawnin' befo' de sunrise, why yo' throw out chure night chamber lye yo know an' bluestone an' cookin' salt soaked in it, chew know - throw dat out - all round yore house - yo' know whut ah mean - put it all round yore house an' it kill it out. (Well, now what would cause you to sag in your knees - your knees get weak - what causes you to do that?) Say yo' run cross de root - de devilment ever whut it is dey got round dere fo'yo'- when yo' hit it why dat peppah an' salt weakens it but it let chew know yo' hit it 'cause yo go down. (In other words, as soon as you hit it, that pepper and salt will let you know by letting your knees get weaker.) Yassuh - go jes' lak yo' drop a curtsy.
Entry 842
Mah own experience. Yo' see, me an' mah wife isn't tugethah now, cause dere wus anothah man. Ah used tuh sell whiskey an' quite natch'ly if yo' sell whiskey yo'll have plenty friends comin' in. He wus a railroad man an' he come dere an' he telled her dat he could do mo' fo' her den ah could. Well, natch'ly, he wus a friend of mine - after he were comin' dere, natch'ly ah had to take him as a friend cause he spent his money dere an' drink his whiskey. He git drunk, ah'd take ca' of 'im from de officers till he git ready tuh go home. He is a man supposed to have been a root doctor. He fixed up a medicine after he git in touch wit mah wife an'dey went tuh lovin' each othah, goin'on, an den dey couldn't git 'long so good, dey wanta git rid of me. Understand. Dey fixed up dis medicine, so dis man [a root doctor I went to] tole me - de doctor tole me, dis othah root doctor tole me dat it wus rattlesnake, de dust of a rattlesnake. It wus boiled into dis tea - de natural tea whut we drink ever' day, an' broom sage [broom sedge], dis grass; broom sage boiled with pokeroot, boiled in a halfa gallon of watah down to a quart [magic of diminishing amount]. After dat, he put it in a bottle till it become to be three days old, den see he give it to my wife tuh give tuh me. Ah were drinkin' dat. If ah come home so sick or tired until ah hardly could walk, she would give me dis medicine befo' ah eat. Ah got tuh de place so dat when ah set down lak long as ah wus [have been] settin' heah [with you], ah would have tuh git up, cause mah whole body would a'been dead - jes' lak yo' know sometime yore han' go tuh sleep, yo' know. Mah whole body would go tuh sleep. An' ah got tuh de place dat ah could not stand to talk to no woman atall - ah didn't have nutin to do wit her or no othah woman. Only one sister an' mah own father, dat's all ah got; an' ah hated dem, ah didn't go by dem. Ah wus dyin'. Ah got to de place ah couldn't work - ah lost a job - mah job. Ah used tuh run a pawn shop - ah lost a job in dere cause ah couldn't make de [pawn tickets, he probably Was going to say]. [He evidently was moon- lighting - working in pawn shop by day and selling bootleg whiskey by night.] Mah sister come an' hunt me one day an' tole me, said, "Lance, yo' oughta do somepin - where yo' sense? Dere somepin wrong wit yo' - yo' nevah been dis way." Ah said, "Well, dere's nutin fo' me tuh do - ah don't want anythin'." She said, "Well, all right, ah'm goin' see 'bout chew mahself." Says, "Dey ain't but two of us left." She goes to dis man an' tell dis man. Dis man come an' tole me, says, "Now, yo' go back home" - ah didn't have tuh tell 'im anythin', said, "an' if yo' go back home an' open yore trunk, look right down in de back of yore collar. Yore white shirt ironed an' pressed an' lay down dere, yo' ain't wearin' it. Dis lady done fold it nice an' it layin' down - de collar right stiff. Look in de bottom of dat an' yo'll find a little package containin' - about dat long - containin' three brand-new wire nails, flathead wire nails, wit de hairpins, three of 'em, an' a little pinch of salt an' eggshell, jes' tied up togethah in dis package, layin' undah a black comb of yore hair [= hair comb] whut yo' use." Say, "Yo' kin hunt fo' it."
(Under the comb?)
De comb - layin' undah de comb. De comb 'bout dat long, see. Dey wus layin' right up an' down de comb an' de comb wus on top an' it wus layin' right up an' down in de back of mah shirt. An' ah went on back home an' ah found it. He said, "Now, when yo' find dat, yo' bring it to me." Ah car'ed it back to him an' he took de package an' opened it an' showed me whut wus in it - see. Den he says, "Ahm goin' tuh keep dis. Now, whenevah she meet wit dis man agin, yo'll see 'em - yo'll be right dere an' see 'em." Ah says, "All right." He said, "But don't hurt either one of dem. Dey'll hurt deyselfs. [This is a device to protect the doctor in case of a shooting or serious disturbance. He also kept the instrument of cunjuration, the package, for the same reason.] So he fixed de comb - he took de comb an' fixed de comb. Dis man [loving informant's wife] went on out on his work to de railroad. An' he [root doctor] says, "In from three tuh nine days, he won't do her no good." So he went on out an' he got his laig cut off up to his thigh. Well, he lived around three weeks an' shortly aftah dat he died. But ah didn't tell him to do dat, but dat's whut he did with it. She's out dere in de world some place now - but me an' her's not togethah. Now, dat whut happened to me.
(Well, who told you about the snake dust thing. Who told you about that?)
De root doctor.
(What did he say?)
How dis othah man had fixed it? Dis othah man fixed it - he cut de snake - killed de rattlesnake an' cut de head off an' parched it till it come tuh be a dust like. Den he put it in dere, see, an' mix it wit dis broom sage.
(But who had fixed this comb and stuff?)
Mah wife an' him.
Entry 895
She kin bring dis man back. She kin take some sulphur, she kin take three ounce of potash, an' den she kin take some salt - about a teaspoonful of table salt - an' put all dat together. Why, ah seen dat done. Ah seen de lady when she was mixing it up - see, cause she was calling herself learning me. She takes dis stuff an' she goes out an' she make a oath - cuss, see. Ah say, "Why yo' do dat?" She say, she's dumping all de hard-luck spirits away from her, see, an' gittin' things out de way. An' sure 'nuff shortly after den - about a week or somepin like dat - de man appeared. See.
(What did she do with this stuff then?)
She took this stuff an' buried it under her do'step. See.
(Bring this man back.)
Yassuh tuh bring him back.
Entry 897
I come to tell yah a little short story that happened mah a'nt once - she was in Georgia, she in Atlanta. Mah gran'mother moved down there. An' she [the aunt] was goin' with a boy an' the boy had another girl an' this girl had hated her an' she got some of her hair an' diff'rent little other mixture - I don't know whut it was - an' sewed it up in a rag an' slide it up under her doorstep. An' she got it [the spell], an' she become sick. An' one day, it was mah gran'- mother washin', a man come over, a root worker, an' ask her did she have someone sick an' she told him yes sir, it was her daughter wus sick. He ask her let him go in there an' look at her an' he went in there an' he looked at her an' say she was in pretty bad shape - you know, she was hurt by this girl. An' he made some medicine. He put dime in some milk an' pepper an' salt - he jis' stir it aroun' an' she took it. An' he looked under de doorstep an' he got this hair an' stuff tha' wus under de doorstep sewed up in rag, an' he had to put sulphur an' stuff on it before he touched it - if he don't it would of made him sick. An' dat evenin' she was able enough to play ball wid de other children.
Entry 910
My father, he got hurt. He 'uz [was] carin' a sore on his ankle an' - it jis' wus small - an' it kep' inflammin' an' he went to de physical doctor. An' he give 'im medicine an' de more he'd put on it, de worser hit got, so he stopped. An' his brother came an' took 'im an' car'ed 'im to a witchcraft. So de witchcraft doctor he fixed 'im some medicine an' tole 'im to nuse [use] dat on it. It wus red an' it smelt funny; in fact I don't know de name of it. So he nused it on dat. An' he tole 'im to bathe it in chamber lye an' salt. An' he bathed it in chamber lye an' salt befo' he put de medicine on it. So he could walk. An' in a few days he isn't gettin' bettah, so he went back to 'im again. An' he give 'im some kin'a salve to put in dat place - it was a hole right in his ankle, right at bone - an' it commence healin' up. So he put de salve in an' it healed up. An' he got so he could walk aroun'. An' dey [doctor] tole 'im he wus hurt an' tole 'im to look under de side of de baid. An' he found somepin down dere. But he [doctor] wouldn't turn nuthin back on 'em; he would jis' show 'im an' tell 'im whut to do to turn it back. An' he tole 'im somepin to do to turn it back an' -
(What did he tell him to do? But first, did your father look for this thing?)
Yes. He found some kin'a little balls sewed up; out of cloth - it wus dirty - it wus five in a sort of bag [a hand] an' hit sewed up an' de top wus tied with a string - it [bag] wus white but hit wus dirty - looked like hit had been toted a long time. An' a bottle of perfume in it [bag]. [This was one of those tiny bottles formerly sold at the lOc store.] He [doctor] tole 'im to git it an' bring it to him. So he got it an' car'ed it to 'im. An' he tole 'im to go back home an' take a half-a-gallon jar an' to do dirty in de jar.
(Water or the stool?)
The stool. An' take it an' care it an' bur' it in [the] people's path, an' de one whut did dat [witchcraft] would walk over it an' would git in de same fix he wus in. An' so he did it. An' dey [it] wus a lady did it, an' so she took de sore on her ankle. An' den [by this sore] dey found out who did it. So de man tole 'im to come back to 'im after he found out who did it. An' he got cured of hissen an' he git so he wus walkin' aroun'.
(Whatever happened to this bag with the balls in it?)
He took de bag an' took an' burn it up, I think de witchcraft. [Wilmington, N. Car., (222), 136: l; between Florence & Sumter, S. Car.,1930.]
Entry 1027
[An example of crossing pain was given in Crossmark Cure (p.365), where a boil was willed or intended away. In the following rite the operator asks the spirit to cross or remove the pain - this is prayer:] Ah wus hurt. Ah caught a pain in mah side an' ah stayed sick aboat - it wus t'ree veeks [weeks] befo' ah give up, you know, in de baid. An' ah got a veak [weak] an' ah turnt re'l black. An' ah vent tuh de hospital. Dey couldn't do me no good. An' ah get, you know, medical doctah, an' none of dey [not dem] couldn't do me no good. So I vent in baid on it, stayed in dere t'ree veeks, an' dey [family or friends] had a root doctah tuh come an' zamin me. An' t'wus somepin in mah side wit a pain. It seem lak it keep movin' up - you know, lak somepin turnin' aroun' in yer side. An' she [root doctor] said dat she didn't know no [internal] medicine or nuthin lak dat would of kilt it, but she could of fix an' rub it. She take a penny an' some sulphah an' gas'lene an' salt an' pu-tit tuhgethah an' tell it to cross de pain - yuh know, cross it, cross de pain wit it, zhoo know, jis' rub it. She had tuh mix it all tuhgethah in a jah [iar] an' sha-kit [shake it] re'l good. Yuh see, dat penny get right brown - I mean lak sulphah. Fus' [first] t'ing, she take [starts] to rub it - jis' do lak dat [demonstrates]; made a cross ovah de pain wit de medi-seen. Den she jis' rub it straight down fuh nine mawnin's an' tole me to stay in de baid aboat five days. An' aftah she rubbed it fuh nine mawnin's, den I would of been able to get up, you know, an' walk aroun'. An' it sure did help.
(Did you find out who had done this?)
Dey find it. It wus some needles tied up in a little claht [cloth] an' stuff down in a bottle an' undahneat' mah baid, you know, undah de house. An' den undah de [outdoor] step it wus some match haids an' some kin'a seeds. Dat wus in a bottle. Dat wus undah de step. She found it an' brought it in de house an' sprinkled salt ovah it an' take it wit 'er. [Sulphur, as well as salt, is used to sterilize a hoodoo object - see No. 897, p.328.] She tole me ah could of keep it an' pu-tit in a runnin' watah an' it would do de same good, but ah'd ruthah, yuh know, let 'er care [carry] it off. [Wilmington, N. Car., (231), 155:2+85; happened 1932.] [I would like to illustrate further this important rite of talking over disease or ailment among persons of German descent in Adams County, Illinois:] ["Ten or eleven years ago (1920-1921) I came upon a superstition which was quite new to me at the time. Questioning a little girl about the health of her cousin who was suffering from a badly infected arm I was told that his condition was very serious, "Grandma had to talk to him last night." On inquiry I learned that Grandna knew how to 'talk over' people who were afflicted with wounds or sores and made them well, and that she frequently exercised her art for all sorts of people. She had 'talked over' Marie herself, but Marie declined regretfully but firmly to tell what she said. "You dassunt tell or something bad will happen." The school janitor to whom all the secrets of the 'South End' Ithe Calftown in No. 214, p.60] are an open book, told me that he knew several old women who pretended to this skill, and he mentioned one within two blocks of the school, a radius that would include Grandma also. I mentioned Grandma's curious practice to Mr. B., pastor of K. Church. He received the tale without any surprise and acknowledged that the thing was comnon. Walter [informant's brother] asked several acquaintances of German parentage what they knew about it, and he found that old women who will 'talk over' you can be found in north- east Quincy as well as in south Quincy. No doubt this is an old German superstition. It is certainly alive and flourishing in Quincy." FACI, 1st ed., p.206; 2ed., p.199.] [Miss Ella Randall, one of my great friends, wrote this statement as well as others and also gave material orally. She was interested in my collecting for FACI but died before the first edition of 1935. A copy of the second edition I presented as a memorial to her to the Quincy Public Library, where she for years had been on the Library Board. We first met during high- school-freshman English; she the elderly teacher, I the young pupil.]
Entry 1030
[Although the following rite deals with love, the doctor uses this coffeepot method for all sorts of cases:] Now, listen. Dis woman an' her husband couldn't git along. He's very noisy an' he has - naturally he is diff'rent from her an' he do things she didn't like an' always cause an argument. So he goes away fo' foah months, yo' understand. He goes away fo' foah months. Well, dis woman she got in love - dis is Anna - Anna wus so much, yo' know, so crazy about him an' loved him an' want to live with him an' all lak dat, so she goes to dis woman an' tole dis woman how, whut an' ever'thing. Dis woman said, "Kin yo' come down heah eleven-thirty? Ah want chew tuh go to de cemetery. Bring two pieces of money - two pennies, an' take up dirt from de foot an' de haid an' bring it back to me. Ah'll put it in a coffeepot." She fixed it up - she put sulphur an' peppah or salt - ah don't know jes' what, but we'll say peppah an' she give it back to Anna. She put salt an' peppah with dis dirt - she put it in de coffeepot an' she prayed ovah it. Ah don't know whut de prayer. An' she give this dirt to Anna an' she said, "An' yo' write his name on a papah three times a day an' burn dis papah six a'clock in de mawnin', twelve in de day an' six in de evening" - see - "an' do dat fo' nine days, an'in de third day write him a lettah."
(The third day during those nine days?)
Yes - yo' understand. After ah do dis nine days [she reveals the identity of the woman going to the doctor], den after dat three days, write him a lettah on de third day, yo' understand. "An' yo'll hear from him, an' yo' an' him will git back together in three days or three months." An' in two months time dey wus back together. (When she went out to the graveyard, what did she do out there? She took some dirt and what?) She took dirt from de graveyard - dat wus supposed to be at twelve a'clock at night, but Anna had tuh go to dis place an' be there at eleven-thirty an' talk to dis woman. She had to go to dis place alone - de cemetery alone. Well, Anna is very nervous ~ er - ah had a lot of nerve, yo' know. She goes to de cemetery an' she gits dis dirt from de foot an' de head. Yo' understand me? An' she bring it back to this woman. She put it in a coffeepot wit, we'll say peppah - put peppah in it an' give it to Anna an' said, "Yo' write his name on a piece of papah."
(When she put it in the coffeepot did she do anything to it in the coffeepot?)
Not anythin' - jes' put it in dere an' pray ovah it an' take it out. No - no cookin'.
Entry 1128
I tell yuh I heard 'em say where - say dey go up de street and get ten cent worth - dey say dey get de bloodroot. (The bloodroot.) I hear 'em say de bloodroot and High John de Conquer. I hear 'em tell dat. And dey say dey take dat and make a tea of it. And put table salt with it dey says and dey take it and make a salve of it, and rubs deyself down good wid it, dey says, and dey can become so dat people can't do anything with 'em. I heard dat.
(Well, where would they rub this salve?)
Dey say dey rub from dere neck to de feet.
(From the neck all the way down to the feet.)
And say you rub your hands just like dat [demonstrates], and say dey rubs 'em right on out, and dey can't do nothing with 'em.
(That's to throw the spell off you.)
Throw de spell off. Dey say that throws de spell off.
(Oh, that is used when-the spell is on, already?)
Yes, sir, and to fix it so dey can't put de spell on you.
Entry 1439
If somebody goin' put somepin down fo' yo' tuh walk ovah or somepin like that, yo' could use salt an' red peppah in yore shoes, or either a piece of root by de name of rattlesnake conker - put that in yore shoes.
Entry 1476
Oh, well, yo' take yore shoes now an' a person try tuh wear it - jes' lak ah try tuh wear yore shoes an' try tuh harm yo'. Take it an' sprinkle salt an' peppah - keep salt an' peppah black peppah in dat shoe an' wear it right underneat' yore socks all de time. Ah mean not changin' dat - jes' let it stay in dat de same. An' den take yore toenails, de end of yore toenails an' trim dat an' keep hit in dere, keep it dere. He couldn't put chure shoes on fo' nuthin.
(Why would you do that?)
Well, dat tuh keep yore spirit in de shoes dat his spirit couldn't connect wit yores. (These are my shoes - whose going to do that? Am I goin' to do that to my shoes? Or some other fellow is going to do it to my shoes?) No, yo' do it to yore own shoes.
(Why am I doing that - to protect myself?)
Yes sir. [Place and reference lost.]
Entry 1479
Yo' kin put sulphur in yore shoe an' wear it in dere or either go to some root man or -
(How do you mean you put sulphur in your shoe?)
Well, see, yo' kin either put sulphur or red pepper - red pepper an' sulphur. Git chew a box of red pepper - ah hear mah mother say dat - git chew a box of red pepper an' brand-new box of salt had nevah been used out of. Sprinkle it inside of yore shoe an wear it in dere. Don't use it fo' nuthin else but that. An' that'll keep anyone from - or either sulphur, wear it in yore shoe - keep anyone from tricking yo' or anything like that.
(Do you sprinkle that in both shoes or just one?)
Both of 'em, either one. Either put it ovah de do'.
Entry 1483
And den, how you dress yo' feet. Yo' through wit dat part. How you dress yo' feet, you takes bluestone, beat up fine - not so much, just a leetle bit of piece and sulphur and salt. Put in each one of your shoes, put it under- neath the lining in your shoes. See. Well, you know what dat is fo'? That is for to keep dem from hurting you. See, dey kin hurt chew all kind of ways and dey can hurt chew on your feet so bad, if you don't hurry roun' and use dat chamber lye and things, saltpeter, you shore will get hit - you'll be out dere in de cemetery, for dey re'lly kin do it. Dat's de only thing whut kin pertect yore feet.
Entry 1484
Anybody put somepin down fo' yo': to protect yoreself, yo' kin get yo' some sulphur an' ashes out of de stove, jest de ashes - sulphur an' ashes an bluestone an' tablesalt, an' wear it in yore shoes an' nuthin won't harm yo'. Yo' kin walk over mostly anything.
(Do you wear that in both shoes?)
Wear it in both shoes, nuthin won't bother yo'.
Entry 1486
Take salt, table salt, an' black peppah an' hone, an' mix dat together an' grease yore foot wit it an' use dat in yore shoe. Dat would keep dis offa yo' - lak if dey wanted to hurt chew, dat would keep dat off.
(If you walk over anything?)
Yes.
Entry 1508
A person's shoes - a woman's shoes - jes' lak if yo' figures somebody is workin' at chew, yo' hunt chew a throwed-way shoe.
(A thrown-away shoe.)
Uh-hmm, a man's shoe an' a woman's shoe. Well, if it's a woman, yo' wanta protect yo'self. Yo' take dat woman's shoe an' put it on top of dat man's shoe an' yo' burn 'em. Yo' put sulphur an' saltpeter, bluestone, gunpowder an' salt on there an' burn it - make yore wishes, whatever yo' want tuh come. An' dat'll protect yo'.
(What would a man do if he wanted to protect himself?)
He'll put de man's shoe on top of de woman's.
Entry 1510
That's for to keep anyone from your home and keep them from hurting you, this here. You take the shoe - now, if it's men and women both you want to keep away, why you take all the shoes of the family, all the old shoes and burn them. And you doesn't burn 'em complete to ashes, but chew burn 'em kin'a so tha' chew can mash 'em up. And you get chew a new box of cayenne pepper, and a new package of salt, and a new package of sulphur, and mix that all up together. Then you get chew a sifter - you put it [this mixture] in a can - then you get chew a sifter and just right after sundown you start from your back door and go on around the house and come on back to the back door right where you began dat. And just make your wishes. And if you want to name the persons in person, why you call those names. Just have like one or two or three individual persons you don't wish to come to your house. You do that for nine successful [successive] days. You do it in the morning and at night repeat the same thing. Well, in the morning you want to do that before sunrise in the morning - before sunrise in the morning and after sundown in the evening. And just repeat your wishes. And you can call, you know, the person's name just the same as if you were talking to them, and wish they'd stay away and not interfere with you. And repeat the Name of God. And you can also take river-shore sand. You take river-shore sand and put that in a sifter and sift it around the house. Mix these same things with it - the sulphur and the cayenne pepper and the salt, but be sure it's packages that never been broken. Just buy it for that especial. And you have the same amount of sand that chew do salt, sulphur, and pepper. See? You have a box of salt and you have the same amount of sand. See? Well, you take the package of sulphur and you take the package of pepper see, and mix with it. And see, that's enough to repeat the nine successful days. Well, you take the shore sand, you begin from yore back door and you go on around the house - like you have a walk away to the well and to the pump or at the gate, you take all the paths with it. You go to your outer buildings with the sand [the complete mixture] and repeat, you see, whatever you wish to be done. And if you think it's someone interfering with yeh, or your stock is dying, you go around the stalls, you know. You repeat and with the same thing may return on them and leave you be - in the Name of God.
Entry 1741
You have to have black pepper and salt - see, black pepper and salt, and any time a man have a toby or anything of the kind that way he have to be very careful, and if it isn't charged up with the right material, it don't do him any good. For instance, he'll put the fifteen cents, which represent money - silver dime and nickel in the toby. He'll put nine needles and nine pins. He will use some cinnamon powder in there with Cashmere Bouquet perfume to 'noint it with. See, writing his name and diff'rent names, the players' names that he plays with, on parchment paper - the sure enough one. They have the imitation and they have the sure enough parchment paper - it's kind of imitate [imitation] of sheepskin - having the name on the parchment paper, putting it in the toby and wearing it in their right pocket. Now, you got steel dust in there, you have a certain amount of lodestone. Now, whensomever anything going to happen in there - like a fight or any killing thataway, you will take a fearful feeling: That's time for you to leave. If any cutting or anything, any blood is drawn around in there near that it don't work any more.
(It kills the toby?)
Yeah, if any blood is drawn, you see. Any blood is drawn, you understand, it will have to be renewed again.
(I understand.)
So that's why any time anything is happening around thataway, you always have a fear feeling, you leaves out. See. And the same as a battery or anything of the kind, after a certain amount of time, you have to recharge it again, because it don't holds up - it goes away the same as a battery on a automobile. [The preceding fifteen cents is the magic of odd number - see margin-title Money - Uneven.]
Entry 1832
An' you know dey tryin' harm you. Well, all you got'a do - git chew a piece of devil's-shoestring and git chew some of dis salt and red peppah see, and devil's-shoestring and some sulphur. And you take it and wear some in vour shoes and take an' make a belt out of it, out of de shoestring, see, and wear it around your waist. But chew use a little piece of copper wire, you understand, mix a little piece of copper wire in it. If you ain't got devil's-shoestring, spread it [copper wire] out round your waist - see, you kin just ball de little piece of copper wire up and put it in dere amongst de red pepper, see. And then when you do that, you take and wear it around your waist. That would stop anybody, they couldn't do anything. They can't do nothing to you but put in your stomach, if dey goin' get cha. That's the only way they kin get cha.
Entry 1892
Fo' gamblin', ah heard 'em say, yo' kin git chew a frog - a toadfrog. Well, a frog is got a numbah undah his neck right undah dere. Take dat frog an' git one wit de even numbah. Don't git no odd numbah lak three or five, but git chew one got a two or fo' an' take him 'live an' put him in yore pocket an' go to de skin gome or any kinda gamblin' game an' yo's lucky in winnin'. An' if yo' think dat dere's somebody else dere dat's got some roots or somepin dat's tryin' tuh win too, yo' jes' take an' git chew some table salt an' put some sulphur in yore shoes, yo' see, 'fore yo' leave home an' go on there. Yo' take dat salt an sprinkle it on their haid an' dey'll lose. Dey roots won't be no good to em.
(That kills that?)
Dat kills dat.
Entry 2009
Take dat 'nure [manure] an' put lodestone with it an' people sell dat fo' lucky han's. Dey gits hoss manure an' cow manure an' mix all dat together an' lodestone an' salt an' that makes him be lucky. An' 'noint it down wit whiskey. See, dat'll make yo' have a lucky han'. An' yo' kin carry dat an' rub it - jis' lak yo' want a job or somepin, yo' carry it an' rub dat an' yo' mo' den apt to git chew a job.
carrying the described lucky hand while seeking work. Keep mo’ den apt as a qualified claim, not actual employment or a guarantee. combining horse/cow manure, lodestone and salt before whiskey anointing. Do not turn whiskey anointing into an unspecified extra ingredient proportion or combine neighboring recipes. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 2152
(You get the boss's name?)
An' write it down, see. Well, yo' bring it home an' yo' take salt an' sugah an' sprinkle it ovah dis piece of papah whut choo got de boss's name on it... an' wear it in yore shoe fo' nine days, an' jis' keep a-goin' back, back tuh him. An' git chew some of dis heah oil of clover an' oil of bergamine [bergamot] an mix it togethah, an' Jockey Club perfume an' mix it together. [Three perfumes.] Git chew some root dey call John de Conker. See, aftah yo' got his name in yore shoe, well, yo' put dat oil of clover an' oil of bergamine wit dat Jockey Club perfume. Dat Jockey Club perfume keeps dat oil of clover and oil of bergamine from smellin' an' yo' sprinkle it on yo'. An' den yo' have dat John de Conker vine or root in yore mouth an' yo' chew it well, an' when yo' walk up to 'im talkin' about jobs, see he'll git de influence of dat odor, an' den yo' be jis' spittin jis' lak yo' chewing tobacco, an' yo' keep a-goin' dere an' event'lly he'll give yo' a job.
Entry 2181
You kin take a red onion and put nine drops of spirits of turpentine on it and a half teaspoonful of salt, and a piece of homespun, and take dat, wear it on you. And beat it up real fine, if you're in any trouble [with the law]. I was goin' wit a man and he didn't like dat [using a whole onion], and he beat it up fine and squeezed dat juice in his shoe.
Entry 2321
She kin jis' take de [scraping from the] fo' cornahs off of a table, an' she puts it in with a small little rag an' sew it up, an' soak it with camphah. She could take mos' any colahed rag - you know, any colah tha's plain [cloth must not have a design]. Jis' wrop it up tight, sew it, zhoo know, with black thread. Camphah on it to keep it alive, you know, keep it 'live. Put so much, you know. An' sulphah an' salt in it. An' if she kin git anywhure whure he travel aroun' - anywhure, anywhure whure he could step ovah it - an' if he evah step ovah, why she'll bring 'im right on back. [This rite also keeps a dog home - see FACI,2ed., Nos. 2295-2296, Pp.91-92.]
Entry 2372
My mother didn't believe in anything like superstition but my aunt did. I was working in Newport News, Virginia, with my uncle and one Saturday afternoon when I came home I found my aunt had gone down and had mama arrested. She was mama's sister-in-law, not her sister. My aunt found a bottle underneath her house, it wasn't buried in the ground, and swore that mama had put that bottle there. It had vinegar, salt and pepper, and a hard boiled egg cut up in it. An officer came out to serve a warrant on mama and when she heard about it she went over after my aunt. She lived next door. She figured she was a better woman and she was going to beat her up. Before she could beat up my aunt the officer took her down to the judge. The justice fined her $6.90 for trespassing. He didn't do anything about the bottle.
Entry 2384
Oh, de willow tree root, yo' goes an' git, say about seven a'clock in de mornin', an' cut a piece of root from one of de sunrise [side]. Then yo' git chew a piece of red flannen wit salt an' sulphur, black peppah, an' a needle an' some Heart Perfume, an' yo' sew dat up yo' understand. Yo sew dat up an' yo' keep it 'nointed with dat Heart Perfume an' wear dat in yore pocket. If yo' git it yoreself, name it after yo'; if somebody else git it, name it after them. (Carry that for luck. You get this root from the willow tree. Which side do you get it from?) Yo' git it from de sunrise, yes sir.
interviewer-supplied luck purpose in a compound question, without informant endorsement. No blanket assent to compound question sewing the named red-flannel material combination. No stitch type, bag shape or unmentioned sewing procedure is inferred. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 2427
If yo' wanta be a bootleggah an' sell whiskey, don't evah sweep de tracks out do's; always take de tracks an' sweep dem in de corner of de house an' put cookin' salt in em an' put em in de stove. An' if yo' wanta keep de police from your house, keep from runnin' back an' forth out chure house, go an' git chew a new coffeepot an' git chew some loose salt, table salt, an' yo' full up dat coffeepot, two of 'em, an' put 'em to de back do' an' de front do', "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost," an' dat will keep de man from yore house.
(That will keep the officer away?)
Yes sir.
informant-recited invocation accompanying salt-filled pot placement. Preserve the exact Father/Son/Holy Ghost formula without appending words, theological identity or Prayer/Incantation equivalence. stated aim of keeping police away, with interviewer-confirmed officer referent. No housing eviction claim These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 2442
Well, dey do dat wit herbs. Dere's a little herb dey call buttonroot, grows jest about dat hight.
(Two inches high?)
Yeah, an' yo' take de buttonroot and yo' plant it in a tub. Yo' place it on whatever you got in front in de yard. If yo' got a buttress yo' place de button- root ovah there. Gits yo' a red rose and yo' place it over heah - you know, jis' ozit [opposite] with that buttonroot. And then early in de morning yo' takes some salt and throw out between these two individual things, dis rose and dis root ovah heah, and then after you have done that yo' go back into the house and anything made of silver, that chew burn, an' that officer won't come.
(If you are bootlegging or anything of that sort?)
Yeah.
Entry 2575
Then you scrub your place. But you go to, say to a drug store, and the first thing you get - there's something that is commonly used that everybody know but very few use it. You see, the thing that we use is peroxide - that regular form of peroxide. Well, when it be's in a powder first from the salt [oxide], you take you a teaspoonful of peroxide in a bucket of water. You take a half tablespoonful of salt and a whole tablespoonful of sugar. [Three ingredients.] Mix that and dissolve it good and scrub all your place. But sweep inside - don't never sweep nothing out chure door. But get fresh water. Don't get no water that is - try to catch water that's rain water, don't get no water from the hydrant. Get you fresh rain water in that bucket and at night you scrub that place. Scrub it at night, don't scrub it in the day. Scrub it after sundown and scrub it inward in your building and sweep that water right on back through your building. And then if you got any mop, mop up after that dry. Then clear out your place, mop up - sweep with any other water you Wanta after that. But scrub that over and let that dry in your building. You take just a half a tablespoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of sugar and a half a teaspoonful of ordinary peroxide that you use from the drug store on the sore. And scrub in your building - not out chure building, in your building. That's the way you increase your business.
Entry 2633
Dey say dat whut dat is fer - tuh make mens come to yore house.
(What what is for?)
Burnin' ole men's shoe. When dey lonesome an' ain't got no company, say, "Well, ah'm goin' do so-an'-so. Ah'm goin' have some company." Yo' see, take dem ole shoes an' make a fiah an' burn em in de fiah, an' then throw some salt on it an' let 'em burn. An' that bring men.
Entry 2645
Tuh keep de police away yo' git de salt, keep de salt - git dis heah Bluebird Salt an' jes' sprinkle it good roun' yore do', an' keep yore flo's scrubbed wit lye. Scrub every Friday mawnin' wit concentrated lye. An' it's a silver sand dat chew use - yo' know, silver sand. Well, yo' git dat sand an' yo' sprinkle dat roun' yore do'steps. If yo' wants tuh make a place be bad or if a man is got a place tuh rent an' if yo'wanta keep him from havin' much success, yo' gits some parsley seed an' throw em out roun' de do'. Dere won't nobody hardly go dere tuh stay.
Entry 2744
You've gotta know something about de Bible to do it. Comes from de devil, let it go on back [to him]. I would nevah try to do nothing to people and I wouldn't, and ah don't put no spells. De people come and dey says, "Well, could you put dis back." It don't work. Long as I git you well and work for yo' happiness, then it's all that's necessary. (Well, what sort of cure do you use? If I came to you and - had a spell put on me, what sort of a cure would you use?) Well, de first thing ah'd do - I heals, too. That's the next thing. The first thing I heals and then I use salt. Salt is used fer a thousand things that is good and bad. I puts this salt on a plate, saucer, then the party that's sick, I let them make a hole in dis salt wit de big finger [demonstrates].
(Of the left hand.)
Any hand but jest only dis finger - not de index finger, the middle finger. And then I repeats certain words from de Bible and let dem repeat after me and tell em - oh, yes, ah pour alcohol in it and let it burn, and de word dat dis light goes out on, it [sickness] stops right there. Then they must sleep over dis salt overnight. Then take it to the deep rivah and throw dis salt in de rivah and let it go. That watah running and dis salt will take away your con- ditions. Course dere's nothing you kin do fer nobody if they don't believe nothing. If a person don't believe nothing - nothing doin'. Becus if dey comes tuh me and if ah'm even jest goin'tuh heal dem ordinarily, ah says, If you don't be- lieve in God and you don't believe ah kin, ah don't wanta bother with you - no use using de energy:"' And then I always repeat certain words over a person when ah'm healin 'em.
(Are those words a secret? Or something you wouldn't want to tell me?)
"May it please thee, O Jehoges, to prosper" - I mean, "May it be thou most holy will, O El Mejah to heal de body and soul of dis person." You gotta call de mother's name and de person that you are healin'. "May it be thou most holy will, O El Mejah, to heal de body and soul of John or Susan, free 'em from plague and oppression."
(What were those words that you read out of the Bible? Were those secret?)
No, dat wouldn't be secret. It would be secret to people dat come to see me but not secret to persons dat knows - you know what I mean, if you understand. It's the loth Psalm of the Book of Moses. [We must remember here as well as everywhere in hoodoo, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses - probably in a number of versions and under various names - is considered by believers to be a part of the Bible.] Dis one dat keeps running in mah mind is de Psalm dat you read three times befo' sunrise. Dat's de 4th Psalm. That is in order to accomplish things that you desire. There's a certain name, a certain spirit, that you call upon.
(Is this Psalm in the Bible or in the Book of Moses?)
Both - but de meanings is in de Book of Moses - Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses. The 10th Psalm - well dat Psalm whut you use fo' healing and removing conditions from a person.
(Do you use any other book in addition to Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses?)
You kin take and look in de Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses and find out whut to read, and den you go in yo' Bible and read it from yo' Bible. You go to the fo' corners Of the earth and you take nine new keys and you call the spirit of this person - nine keys and walk to the four corners and you call the spirit. Yo' go dere at midnight and you call de spirit of de person whut you Want and this person will come. You worry 'em - de spirit [identified later] will worry 'em. Yo' send out yore thoughts through dese new keys and that brings the person back that you desire to.
(You mean the spirit of the dead person back?)
[This also brings the spirit of a living person.]
Yes, because you are sending out a self-conscious mind and yo' sending out the Spirit forces to bring this one back what chew want.
(Why do you bring this person's spirit back?)
Why do you do it? Well, because you wanta see this person that's away. When you making charms you use sugar with Adam-and-Eve, tea, coffee and sugar, 'cause everybody likes sugar in dey coffee or sugar in dey tea, and you mix that three together in your charm. That's the onliest way ah knows.
(What is the charm for?)
The charm is fo' those things ah told you about while ago, but chew gotta put Adam-and-Eve in it. If Adam-and-Eve is in, it holds the two together close, the man and wife, or sweetheart and friend.
Entry 2837
If you wants to run a person 'way from yo', yo' go ahead and git chew a black candle. Write dere name on dat black candle, yo' see. Yo' cut dere name on dat black candle - see, let be seven or nine times on dat black candle. An' roll dat black candle in salt and burn it fifteen minutes, and dat will run em away from yo' - dat runs 'em, dey can't stay it atall.
(Just burn one candle. Any special time did you say?)
Set it at six 'clock in de morning an' burn it fifteen minutes - see, burn dat candle fifteen minutes. Well, den at twelve 'clock yo' burn it fifteen minutes again. Six 'clock fifteen minutes to go on. Well, all right, ah'm goin' tell yo' dis 'gin now. Yo' set it in de mornin' fifteen minutes six 'clock and let it burn and quarter past six fifteen minutes an' twelve 'clock yo' wanta burn it fifteen minutes 'gin - see. Dat's uh half a hour an' den six 'clock in de evenin' yo' burn it fifteen minutes agin, yo' see. Dat's three-quarters of a hour gone, see. Well, an' de third day dey gone in de air - dey can't stay.
Entry 2838
White candles or blue candles for peace; black candles for danger or for to kill you or to run you crazy or something like dat. (Just how would they burn them? How do you mean they burn them?) Well, they say that they kin stick pins in black can- dles and roll them in pepper and salt and burn them at seven o'clock in the morning, you know, or eleven o'clock - some [uneven] hour like that, eleven or seven in the morning and the same at night. That will run you crazy or confuse you or something of the kind. That's a black candle. And the white one, they say you sprinkle them with sugar and burn them - you know, at the hours of seven-eleven, or a blue candle for love. Ah've heard that.
Entry 2977
Somebody is burning a candle on you, and you got fire in the grate or else in the wood stove. You take a tablespoon of sugar and you put that in that fire and you take a tablespoon of salt and you put that in there. In about three minutes them candles will go out, cause I had it happen to me and I did it.
Entry 3119
Yuh take dat [bath] watah, put it in a bottle an' mix it wit wo watah, adx it wit salt an' gunpowdah. Throw dat in de runnin' watah, see. Dat will keeps yuh tied up. Well, it will make yuh lose ami bition fo' de woman dat yuh have, yuh undahstan'; an' it will keep yuh wit a mind - yuh undahstan', yuh will nevah be satisfied where yuh be yet.
Entry 3141
If she have connection wit a man, she kin jes' take a piece of raw cotton an' wipe huhself wit it, an' she take dat an' stop it up in a bottle, an' put some alum an' salt in it. Put dat in dere an' makes huh wishes, an' screws de top on real tight. An' if she don't want tuh do dat, she kin take a neW cloth an' Wipe it on dat an' throw It in DE EAST CORNAH OF HUH HOUSE [the sun-rising side] when he go out [leaves the house]. Jes' tie it up an' jes' when he go on out of do', jes' throw it in de east cornah of de house. Den yo [he] kin go but nuthin yo' [he] kin do - he can't do nuthin.
Entry 3186
Or jes' lak yo' be wit 'im an' yo' love 'im. Yo' don't want 'im go out. Keep 'im from havin' othah women. Yo' git a bran'-new pocket han'scuff an' yo' be wit 'im. Yo' let 'im use dat han'- scuff an' yo' full it wit salt an' roll de fo' cornahs to yo', an' bury it undahneat' chure steps. He goin' bring dat money home when yo' git 'im lak dat.
(He isn't going out with other women.)
He ain't goin' bothah wit 'em, he cain't.
(That's the way you take his nature away from him then?)
Yes. [Brunswick, Ga., (1201), 2016: lla.]
Entry 3203
Ah heard dat yo' git a toadfrog an' yo'od, kill 'im, an' put some black peppah an' some salt on 'in, an' carry 1m to a red ants bed an' put 'im down in dat - lay him right down in dat bed - go know, dem big bed yo' know - lay him right down in dat bed an' let de ants eat 'im up all but de skin an' bones. Den yo' kin take dat sharp bone - yo' low, let 'im stay dere though fo' nine days - an' take dat sharp bone an' carry it an stick in yore wife's garment, her nightgown, can't nobody else mess wit 'er atall but chew. [Waycross, Ga., (1136), 1850:3.] 3203A. If he had a ole shirt, an' iron a frog - yo' know a ole frog - on de tail of it...he'll stay dere... [These 3 separated periods show that I stopped my recording machine twice. A later copy of an original comment explains Why: "THE WOMAN HAS BEEN HOPPING ABOUT LIKE A FROG [[demon- strating the rite]]. Iron him [[the man represented by his shirt]] as you do the frog and his nature will be killed."]
(IRON A FROG ON THE TAIL OF THIS OLD SHIRT OF THE MAN?)
YESSUH. [This woman is marked prof? (professional) and good, but SHE EVIDENTLY HOPPED ABOUT DURING THE WHOLE INTERVIEW. This sort of thing Was Wonderful when Words accompained actions, but in the present case she was pretending that my inter- viewing table was an ironing board. But with my recording machine, switch con- trol, notebook, and old black hat on the table, I preferred demonstration a little farther away.]
Entry 3253
Well, ah tell yo' whut chew kin do tuh break a man up wit a woman. Yo' buy a bran'-new pocket han'chuf, if yo' wanta break up 'im from intahco'se wit 'er. Take yo' a bran'-new pocket han'chuff an' have intahco'se wit 'im. See, ketch it [semen] all in dis new pocket han'chuff an' take it home wit chew. Yo' take dat han'chuff jis' lak dis [demonstrates] an' roll dis to yo'. See dis, evah time. Yo' turn it roun' an' yo' roll it right back to yo'. Den yo' turn an' yo' roll it ag'in. Fold it up, see. Take yo' nine pods of red peppah [9 dried finger peppers - hot peppers] an' put it on dere an' two spoonsfulla table salt. Dig yo' a hole in de fiahplace or cookin' stove. Do dis at twelve a'clock in de night, zackly twelve, an' don't talk tuh nobody, be by yo'self. Dig dat hole an' put it in dere. An' whosomevah build a fire - yo' don' have tuh build no fiah [if there is a fire, use it; if not] build a fiah dere an' burn dat up an' don't even look back, an' if yo' don't do whut chew wan'a do, dat's yorn [man or woman]. Ah had a man ah vuz re'lly crazy about. Ah re'lly loved 'im an' he done rid- ded [got rid of me] me fo' anothah woman. A Mistah John Cook [Mistah indicates a white doctor], ah nevah will fo'git, he tole me fis' whut tuh do an' ah tried it. Ah thought he wuz jis' lyin'. So ah went home an' ah tried it. He quit dis woman. He moved up dere wit Miz Wallace. He worked fo' dem [Wallace family] a long time in de garden. He said, "Honey, ah jis' don' feel satisfied if ah ain't wit chew." An' ah went off an' left 'im mahself, come ovah heah [to Little Rock]. He lef' [the Wallace family] an' he come home tuh me [followed me to Lit- tle Rock] an' he stayed dere.
Entry 3550
De stockin's [are] fo' love affairs. Now, dey kin take mah stockin's or mah socks - man or woman, don't make no diff'rence who it is, an' dey kin cut de toe of dat sock off an' de heel part of dat sock off, see. An' aftah dey cut it off, den dey tie it wit nine knots. Now dat's fo' love, [but] dat's not tuh drew [draw] dis love. It's lak if yo' loves a lady - ah should explain it tuh yo' lak dat. Jes' lak if ah loved a lady mahself an' she quit me fo' some othah man, an' ah don't want Ter tuh be intimate wit dis man. Prob'bly she could be wit 'im, but still she couldn't have no intahco'se wit 'im. Yo' undahstan'. All right, aftah ah cut de toe of 'er sock off heah an' de heel of 'er sock off - yo' know women don't har'ly wear stockin's now, some of dem wears socks now. Aftah ah cut dat off, ah takes me an' sets down, an' ah cuts it intuh a kin'a string-lak. Aftah ah cut dat off, see - ah wan'a show yo' whut ah'm talkin' 'bout. Ah think ah got a han'ke'chuf in mah pocket heah. Let dis kin'a be de toe of 'er stockin'. Ah cuts dat off, yo' undahstan'. Den ah takes an' tear dat, an' aftah ah tears dat, ah sits down an' ties me nine knots. See, nine knots In it in a diff'ren' form. An' aftah ah tie dose nine knots, ah pull dem darn tight. An' aftah ah tie dose nine knots, ah takes me a needle. Aftah ah git it all tied up, ah takes me a needle an' ah pins dat - see, wit de needle an' one of de pins. Now, [if] ah kin git a chance tuh git tuh her home, ah go tuh her home an' ah put dis in de middle of de bed. Prob'bly if it's too much [several beds] - if not, if it's only one, ah put it in de middle of it. [The center of a bed is the fifth pOint Of the quincunx.] NOW ANYBODY DAT SHE WANTS TUH INTAHCO'SE WIT, SHE CAN'T HAVE NO FEELIN' FO' DEM AT ALL. NOW, HE KIN DO IT, PROB'BLY HE WILL, BUT SHE WON'T HAVE NONE - NO FEELIN' FO' HIM AT ALL. [This Same nO feeling WIll alsO be found in No.3569.] DEN OTHAH WAYS ABOUT IT. Ah kin take her sock or 'er stockin's an' ah kin cut dat off ag'in, an' not even tie dem nine knots. Jes' cut it off an' take an' go tuh de woods. Now, ah'm goin' tuh de woods an' ah git me whut chew call herb stuff, now. Ah'm goin' tuh de woods an' ah git me whut chew call a holly leaf. Yo' [think] it's some Christmas holly wit berries on 'em, but dere's othah holly leafs hasn't got no berries on 'em - got dose sharp thorns on de leaves of 'em. Now, ah'm goin' dere an' take dose thorns. Ah'm gon'a git me nine leaves an ah'm gon'a break off all dose thorns on de leaves. Aftah ah done cut dat end of dat sock off, put it intuh a mere bottle - a half a pint flask. Put dose nine thorns offa all, each one, of dose leaves intuh dat bottle. An' aftah ah put it intuh dat bottle, den ah takes me a little of whut dey call - it's a water lily, it grows in de water. [This is probably the white-flowered species (Crinum amer- icanum), popularly called swamp lily (see 3246) of the southern United States.] Gits a bud outa dat. An' aftah ah gits dat bud outa dat, den I gits me jes' a leetle bit of salt, an' about, jes' aroun' about, a tablespoonful of hot peppah whut dey call red peppah. An' ah kin parch dat peppah [pod] now, or eithah ah kin let it be [buy it] in de cans. An' put it in dere wit dat an' stop dat bot- tle up. An' ah kin take dat bottle an' ah kin go home an' bury dat bottle any place in mah house ah wants tuh bury it. Take dese two fingahs [demonstrates].
(0f the right hand.)
Of de right hand.
(The index finger and then the finger next to the little finger?)
Dat's right. If she but been to mah house one time, ah kin take dese two fingahs heah an' git me a sharp match stem an' pick dese fingahs until dey bleed. Now her name is Miss H. M. Smith or H. M. Williams. Wit de blood of dat, dat come outa mah han's, ah writes 'er 'ritial - see, "H. M." See. An' puts dat in dat wit dat bottle an' bury dat bottle. Now, ah'm drivin' 'er tuh me, see. Ah'm bringin' 'er tuh me. Ah'm not drivin' 'er from me. Ah'm bringin' 'er tuh me. See. Now hit gotta set dere fo' nine mawnin's, an' aftah dese nine mawnin's den, in de tenth mawnin' yo' see her comin'. Don't kere who she is, she'll come.
Entry 3726
An' de dishrag in de same lak mannah. Take dat dishrag an' she'll wipe it, dry off wit dat dishrag. Don't make no diff'rence if it's dry or if it's been used in grease, an' dat takes 'er courage away. Takes all de nature away from 'em. Now if a woman ties yo' lak dat now de way dat she do, she'll wait till he's asleep an' she'll mess roun' wit chew an' she'll hang her gown or sompin ovah yore haid till yo' go tuh sleep yo' see [common rite]. An' she'll git a cord string an' she'll measure de length of yo', an' den when she measure de length of yo', she'll tie dat many knots in it, see. Den she'll tie it roun' 'er laig, right around de [calf] of 'er laig, or else roun' 'er wais'. Most of de time she tie it aroun' dere. Well, yo' find it an' yo' mistrust dat. Well den, yo' don't know whut tuh do, yo' tried evahthing, go to de doctors [M.D.'s] an' still dey ain't done any good. Well, yo' lay awake until yo' ketch 'er asleep, an' den yo' slip to her an' take dis cord string off of 'er. An' den when yo' take dis cord string off of 'er, while she's 'sleep, yo' kin take dis same [string] in lak mannah an' measure it [her] dis way, see. An'when yo' measure it dat way, an' den dis way, an' yo' tie it in string in dat shape.
(In a round shape?)
Yes, an' den yo' take dat same string an' yo' sew it; see, sew it from dis heah, dataway. Jes' cut it out an' sew dat togethah. An' dat will git off yo an' git on 'er. Den yo' take yo' some warm watah, as warm as yo' kin bear it, an' put table salt in it an'.wash yo'self real good. An' git cedar oil an' rub - jes' yo'self real good. An' take yo' a dry rag an' wipe down. Dry it off real good an' dat'll do away wit it.
Entry 3756
(How would you take that away?)
Well, de first thing yo' would do, would git dis thing - it's in a powdahed form an' den it's in a lump form, but dey call it dragon blood. Yo' take dat an' yo' wear dat intuh yore shoes, jis' de same as ah wuz tellin' yo' 'bout dat othah thing. Yo' wear dat nine days. Den yo' suppose tuh take dat out, an' den yo' supposed tuh take it an' put it on a piece of papah wit dose names written jis' lak ah done tole yo' befo'. Now yo' write mah name in one direction [demonstrates]. Dat's one person's name nine times.
(What one do you write first?)
Write eithah one, don't make any diff'rence, jis' since dey crossed. Yo' undahstan', yo' cross de othah name wit de othah nine. An' aftah yo' do dat yo' supposed tuh take dis piece of papah an' sprinkle it wit dragon blood dat yo' wo' in yo' shoe on it. Den yo' supposed tuh put a half box of salt on dat. Now yo' know how cookstoves are made, dose dat burn wood. Yo' supposed to put it in de ashpan of dat. An' it ain't supposed tuh burn all at once, but as de hot coals drop down, yo' undahstan', den yo' supposed to be rid of dat. (That will get rid of this thing, that woman did to tie him up - [this re- stores] his nature.)
Entry 3778
Git chew some stingin' net- tles - know dose thing ah mean. Git chew a root of dose an' boil 'em, an' put some honey, sugar an' salt in dere, an' take it fo' nine mawnin's - nex' nine mawnin's an' dat'll bring it back.
(What kind of salt did you put in that?)
Table salt.
(That will bring his nature back.) [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1043), 1693:5.]
3778. If he's runnin' roun' wit wimmin, she could take his courage away from 'im. Well, she could take his courage by wipin' 'im. Him an' 'er have a connec- tion an' she could take it wit 'er undahcloth, or she could take it wit de dish- rag. Each one of de ways is diff'ren'. Yo' would have to use a diff'ren' remedy on each one of de ways to git dat han' offa yo'. [Informant calls the undercloth and dishrag hands (see pp.519-669), which they are.] If she take it with de dishrag, why yo' kin go out in de woods an' git chew a stingin' nettle root. It got roots on it jes' lak a nut branch, jes' lak nut branch, an' yo' go down until yo' git to de third nut an' yo' take dat nut an' make a tea out of it, an' dat'll knock dat out. (You mean you swallow the tea then and that will bring back the courage, if you have been fixed up with the dishrag.) Den if yo' been fixed up wit 'er undahclothes, den yo' have to take de sandy pea root. An' hit don' have any nuts atall on it. It's jes' a root dat goes off lak dat. Ah've been in dat condition. Well, now yo' take dat stalk up an' den git de root of it, an' jes' clip de whole root off an' den put it in a bottle of watah, about a quart of watah an' take drinks offa dat. Now, dat ain't nuthin - jes' as quick as dis othah one, yo'll have to take drinks offa dat, too.
(This sandy pea root, is that the same as that they call the shame briar?)
Ah 'clare ah don' know, De onliest name ah know is de sandy pea root.
Entry 3810
An' he told me. I knew de girl dat did it. Well, I'm goin' to tell yo' now how it started. I heard of it befo'. I wuz goin' wit 'er, an' I had been goin' wit 'er, an' I wuz in good health, evahthing. An' de way I wuz, dis girl wuz crooked on me, an' I say, "I'm goin' quit messin' roun' wit yo', I ain't goin' to" - well I got me anothah girl, started wit 'er, went wit 'er a time or two. An' I got hold of dis girl's pit- chure whut I wuz goin' wit. I had been messed up in dat stuff befo' but not wit dis girl. An' she wuz from de same place dat I wuz. She knowed broad people, all dose people down dere roun' South Carolina an' way to Georgia. Dere's a whole lot of people down dere dat knows a lot of stuff, dere's lot of em down dere dat knows plenty. I says - I been wit dis girl a time or two - I says, "I ain't goin' to hide yore pitchure, goin' to leave it in my pocket." Dis girl got dis girl's pitchure. She seed it but she wuz scared to bother wit it. I says, "Well.... [A short lacuna appears on the cylinder, probably an accidental rather than intended stoppage.] Seem lak evah time I'd go roun' where she wuz - where she wuz at - I would get cowardah [cowarder] an' cowardah [more and more he lacked courage], didn't have any manhood atall. I goes on. I [finally] went to a doctor [M.D.] an' he gived me some medicine. Kept on havin' de medicine, kept on havin' it. Well, I'd taken it fer about six months an' nevah seen it [the ailing member], gotten no manhood atall. I wuz workin' an' I says, "Hell, somepin's gotta be done." I went to see dis person [a man mentioned later] an' [he] says, "What's de mattah wit yo'?" [I] say, "He's [ailing member is] sick. He can't do nuthin. He haven't [had] a woman. It must be woman [causing this trouble]." I kept a- thinkin' about 'er if I didn't seen 'er [he kept thinking about the first woman though he had not seen her]. I wuz talkin' to a man about dis an' he told me who to go to. I went to a ole lady dat had one leg longah den de othah, an' she told me, said, "Boy," said, "time yo' got here." [Her opening words are quite professional - see CONSULTATION TECHNIQUE, Pp.307- 319. Her long leg and short leg were good for business - see NAMES FOR DOCTORS and PERSONAL APPEARANCE, PP.293-301.] She told me how I wuz messed up wit - how my manhood wuz cut down, an' she said, "But I kin fix yo' all right." I says, "Yo' can?" She say, "Yes." says, "Well, what yo' goin' do?" She says, "Well, dat's all right about whut I do. I'll fix yo' all right." An' she say, "Well, I tell yo' what yo' do. Yo' go an' buy me a half pint of whiskey." I say, "Sure enuff." I says, "If yo want a drink of whiskey, " I say, "I'll give yo' a drink of whiskey, but yo' say yo' kin fix me. Yo' told me somepin an' yo' must know somepin, ain't it?" She say, "Yo' go an' buy me a half pint of whiskey, an' if yo' wanta give me a drink, buy yo' one an' me one, an' I'm goin' to give yo' nuthin out of dat." She told me - she took a knife, jes' about a, lak a case knife, an' black gun- powdah, an' a little bit of sulphur, an' a little bit of salt, an' a little bit of red peppah, an' told me how to use it - how to take dis, put it in de whiskey an' shake it up. She got a piece of flannel - said white flannel or eithah red flannel would do, which she preferred white flannel. She had de scissors an' she cut it off an' had taken some mutton suet. She told me to take dis den an' jes' lathah [lather] it wit dis mutton suet befo' a hot stove, or anything, dat a lamp would do if it were hot enough, an' put in on jes' lak dis [demonstrates] an' give a wish.
(And pull it up three times.)
An' it would stay dere, keep it stayin' dere. Told me if when I got dere, if it would fall down, to come on back. So. I didn't pay, didn't pay 'er a thing until I came back - if I didn't want to, see. Well, it did an' it's been stand- in' evah since.
(Well, WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THIS WHISKEY, then?)
I take a swallah of it three times a day. An' it nevah bothahed me no more. Told me evah time when I started wit anybody dat I wuz payin' attention to, if I thought dey had any underworld ideas - but I nevah had nuthin to do ag'in. [The preceding experience was given on cylinder 482:9. Before that, on 482:6, came the tying-up rite, and now follows on 482:7, the pre-statement for the ex-perience:] Dere's a way dat yo' kin take some salt, an' a little bit a pinch of sulphur on a knife blade, an' somepin lak some sheep suet an' heat it ovah a red hot - somepin lak a red-hot stove. If yo' reach down lak dat an' git it when it cools, an' make a wish, yo' see if it stand up [demonstrates].
(How do you pull it down?)
No, yo' pulls it up, three times.
(Three times?)
Pull it three times an' make a wish.
(And then it stays up itself.)
Yeah.
Entry 4033
About de woman an' de bottle?
(Yes.)
Yeah. Well, her son wuz livin' wit dis woman, see, an' she wanted 'im tuh move 'way from dis woman - see, she wanted 'im to move. So she'd taken dis bot- tle, a pint bottle, an' she got some of 'is urine. She had 'i tuh - co'se he didn't know it, yuh see. She had a night-jar [any kind of glass jar used as a urinal] yuh see, an' she got some of 'is urine an' put it in dis bottle. An' den she went aroun' an' got snakeroot an' boiled it, an' she put some of dat in it, an' red peppah an' salt. An' she carried it to dis house 'bout one 'clock at night an' jes' made a wish dat he would move. An' he moved. She broke it in de vesti- bule.
Entry 4040
Use some cloth dat yuh have, if de party don't wash fo' yuh. Nobody'll evah wash fo' yuh, dey can't make yuh move out, 'cept come tuh yuh do' roun' five a'clock in de mawnin' an' throw de night- watah roun' de do' see. An' dey put salt in de night-watah, yuh see. Dat's fer tuh make 'em move out - an' de smell of de watah. Den yuh go an' dig up some dust an' put on de watah in de back of de house, an' taken some turpentine an' throw it on top of it, an' yuh cannot go.
(That is, if you don't do it, it will make you move.)
Yes, [if] yuh leave it stan' out dere.
(I.see. But if you do that, they can't make you move. I see.)
An' if anybody comes tuh yuh an' tell yuh dey comin' tuh 'rest [arrest] yuh fer dat crime, [you] say, "Dey won't come here." Yuh take yuh a mouthful of cold watah, undahstan', an' take a mouthful of hot watah behind dat wit a little salt in it. Salt in de hot watah aftah drinkin' de cold watah an' walkin' in acircle. AH'M GIVIN' YUH FAX [facts].
Entry 4155
Take dey chamber lye an' make yuh so dat chew can't make watah. Well dey takes it from yuh an' save it, an' dey git a stran' of yuh hair out chure haid, an' put in it an' let it stay fo' five weeks. Well, aftah dose five weeks dey mix some sulphur wit it an' dey put dat in dere an' dey put a little salt, red peppah, yuh know, whut grows on bushes. Den yuh can't make no watah.
(Where do they put all those things?)
Where dey keep it, puts it in a bottle, airtight so no air can't git in it, an' it stay in dere.
Entry 4238
Take chamber lye an' yuh kin put salt in dat an' throw dat in de rivah. Dey say dat will run yuh 'way from home.
(You would throw this person's chamber lye in the river.)
Entry 4239
If dey take yuh urine, dey kin have yuh so dat yuh can't make yuh watah.
(How would they do that?)
Dey'd take yuh urine an' put in a bottle an' dey'd stop salt an' peppah up in dis bottle, an' dey turn dat bottle upside down an' bury it, an' jis' let it stay dere. When dat cork dissolves an' dat watah, urine drains outa dat, dat pines yuh away.
Entry 4240
Sprinkle red peppah, salt an' chamber lye roun' de house, git chew 'way from dere. (That will make you move?) Yes.
Entry 4242
( Chew kin take chamber lye an' make peace an' yuh kin take chamber lye an' make evil.
(Well how do you do each one of those?)
If yuh want tuh make peace wit chamber lye an' yuh wanta make de home pleas- ant, yuh take de chamber lye an' salt an' peppah an' yuh scrub wit it an' yuh use oil of mint, if yuh want tuh make yuh home pleasant. If yuh wanta have luck in yuh home, yuh know, yuh doin' any kinda business.
Entry 4245
Yuh kin use garlic an' [or] yuh kin use onions an' yuh kin use yuh slop jar watah.
(How do you use garlic for example to keep the law away?)
Take a package of garlic, a small piece of garlic an' put it up each night, a piece of it in yore slop jar an' throw de table salt, de table salt dat chew use, an' let it git on yore table. [Let it come from your table.] Yuh jis' keep it damp somewhere an' mix it an' throw it aroun' yuh do' both front an' back. An' co'se yuh have some good lodestone an' grad'ly [gradually] dey'll pass on by yuh an' yuh kin sell right on. Dat keep de officahs away. Throw it in de grass an' all lak dat aroun' yore do', but don't walk in it yuhself. [NEVER WALK OVER YOUR OWN HOODOO!] Leave it so dat people kin pass ovah it. Let it lay dere an' dey ain't goin' worry yuh.
Entry 4277
Yuh take dis chamber lye an' set it, set it fo' 34 hours, see. An' yuh let it stay dere an' den yuh take it. Boil dis [John de] Conkah root an' boil dis snakeroot tuhgethah. Put de juice of dis snakeroot an' conkah root intuh dis chamber lye wit a tablespoonful of red peppah, tablespoonful of table salt. Stir it all up tuhgethah. Ef anybody come in dere an' yuh don't want 'em come in, when dey go out jis' throw it behin' 'em an' keep on like dat. Dey nevah come dere no mo'. An' yuh kin break a fellah's business up wit it. [This Conker root is really devil's-shoestring says infor- mant in 798:3, several rites preceding present one.]
Entry 4313
It'll bring peace. Yuh put salt, three spoonsfulla salt, an chamber lye. Den if yuh want 'im tuh lak yuh, yuh take an' throw it. Talk to it an' jis' throw it in de path dat chew walks from yuh house. Throw it an' he will always be approachin' de do' tuh speak tuh yuh.
(That chamber lye, what will that do then, if you put it in this path?)
If yuh wants 'im tuh lak yuh, he'll lak yuh an' won' have no harm ag'inst yuh.
(That will make the man come back and like you?)
Yes.
Entry 4356
Takes yuh chamber lye an' dey puts it in a bottle an' dey puts - git nine peas, nine black-eyed peas, an' nine nails, eight-penny nails about dat long [demonstrates] an' a needle, one sewin' needle. An' po' dat [urine] in dere [the bottle], an' a piece of fat meat an' throw dat in dere, an' nine straws. An' fo' dey put dat in dere, dey'll take it an' let it set up nine days. An' when it set up nine days dey'll go an' put it - dey'll take it an' put some mo' [things in]. Put black peppah an' salt an' vinegah in it an' three pods of red peppah. An' dey takes it [bottle] tuh de rivah an' throws it ovahbo'd ovah de right shoulder [using the left hand]. Dat'll run yuh crazy.
Entry 4357
Take dey chamber lye an' stop a person. (How do they do that?) Well, dey take it an' dey put it in a bottle an' dey bottle dat up fo' nine mawnin's. An' dey'll put peppah, salt, gunpowdah, war watah an' dey stop dat up fo' nine mawnin's. An' dat'll stop yuh from urinatin', see. Dat'll almos' run yuh crazy. Den dey throw it in de rivah.
Entry 4409
Well, dat is said to be done in dis way. Yo' have tuh watch a pusson to see where dey goes tuh discharge dere stomach, yo' understan' an' yo' git aholt of some of dat, yo' see. An' yo bo' a hole in dat tree, an' yo' git a wedge an' yo' put dat stuff in dat hole. Yo' git a wedge an' yo' drive it in jes' as tight as yo' kin drive it, an' den yo' put some table salt in dat. Dis table salt is fo' killin'. Table salt will kill a live tree, yo' know dat. An' de pusson wanted tuh git rid of yo'. When dey do dat dey wanta git rid of yo'. Bo' dat hole an' git dat table salt an' dat, dat discharge from dey stomach an' drive it. Drive it, an' as dat tree begin tuh rot - ah don't think dey kin wait dat long - but dat man will nevah discharge from de bowels no mo', in de hospital or nowheres else. Locked 'em fo'evah.
Entry 4459
Dey kin take yuh passage or yur urinate.
(That is your business, you mean?)
Yes, take dat aftah dey do it, while it's fresh, an' take it tuh a big hick- ory-nut tree an' bo' a hole in it, in de hickory-nut tree, an' put dat stuff in dere. Pack it. An' go git a li'le salt, cayenne peppah an' turpentine an' stop dat in wit it. Dat will lock yore bowels so dat yuh can't have no passage. Yuh feel lak yuh wanta do it. When yuh go tuh do it, it will burn yuh.
Entry 4526
Well, dey tell me dat yuh kin take dat sweatband outa man hat an' keep it salted fo' de third mawnin'. Keep it salted an' dampened till de third mornin', an' take it up an' lay it in de sun an' let it dry, an' it will run 'em distracted.
(You put that in salt for three days?)
Yes.
Entry 4578
Take dat bow. Hit stands in de back of de man's hat. Take dat bow an' take nine needles an' nine pins an' stick 'em evahwhah in dat bow crossed up yuh possibly kin. An' when yuh git 'em all fixed in dat bow lak it supposed tuh be - naow [now] a woman kin fix dat fo' a man an' run 'im crazy - an' take it an' put it in a bottle. An' put some, fill de bottle half up wit table salt, an' den fill de bottle clean up wit 'er urine an' stop dat bottle up. Turn it upside down an' stick it mos' any kin'a cornah or any kinda drawah or [place] up ovah de head or anywhere, but jes' since it's outa sight in a dark place. An' dat man'll go sta'k [stark] crazy.
Entry 4583
Yuh take dis little bow here an' take some devil's-shoestring dey call it. Take dat devil's-shoestring an' dis bow an' some cinnamon bark an' salt [and] black peppah. An' dey takes dis bow an' put it in de sole of yuh shoe. See, like yuh got a shoe, a woman would do dat. Dat's tuh make her - make yuh stay. Yuh goin' tuh stay right wit 'er. An' she'll take dat an' put it in de sole of 'er shoe an' wear it dere. As long as she got dat thing in dere, yuh can't leave her.
Entry 4681
Dis little bow here [demonstrates] dat ah've got 'im mah hat chere, a woman kin take dis bow an' - an' take it an' put some peppah in it an' salt an' some incense, an' take it an' bury it, yuh see. An' bury dis bow accordin' tuh de moon. But she gotta bury de bow when de moon is young. An' as de moon go down, de old- ah it git, de more it take effect on me. Ah'd git a misery in mah head, yuh see, until de moon go down. When de moon go down in darkness, well ah'm certain tuh lose mah memory. Do yuh hear? [My hearing is supposed to be weak.]
(I see.)
Entry 4718
Git dat sweatban' out from undah heah, undah yer arm, dis heah lef' one. (Cut that out of the armhole. And what do they do with that?) Takes dat an' puts peppah wit dat an' salt an' buries dat. Dat's to run anybody, to git [rid] of 'em - yer enemies wit dat.
Entry 4724
Becuz if she tie yo' up an' yo' wanta git loose from 'er, jis' all yo' gotta do, git somepin belongs tuh 'er. Yo' git somepin belongs tuh 'er. Git chew some red peppah an' sulphuh an' table salt. PUT IT TOGETHAH, UNDAHSTAN' ME, 'CUZ AH'M NOT GOIN' Undahstan' it. An' put in a tin an' yo' burn it. An' when dat peppah an' dat salt an' dat gunpowdah [sulphuh] flies, her min' goes away from yo' jis' dat way.
(You put some piece of hers with those.)
Yes.
Entry 4747
Jis' lak a woman got a husban' runnin' roun', or yuh got a woman run- nin' roun' an' yuh wanta stop 'er. Yuh know wha' chew kin do wit dey socks or dey undahclothes. Yuh kin take de socks or eithah dey undahclothes wha' dey wore nex' tuh 'um an' bury dem. Put dat salt on it. Put a boil aig in it. Take a boiled aig an' put in dere an' dat salt.
(Leave the shell on or off?)
Leave de shell on - jis' a boil aig hot. Wrap it right up in dat clothes, see, an' bury it down undahneat' de front steps. MAN, DAT'S ONE OF DE WORST THINGS YUH EVAH. IT WEAKENS DOWN YUH MIND, YUH THINK YUH GOIN' DIE. Dey gits sick, jis' weaken down. Don't have no mo' strength atall. Dat's if a man is runnin' roun' an' yuh cain't stop 'em, see. An' yuh kin take it up, if yuh wanta ease de pain; but if dey start in ag'in, put it right back down an' dey git right back down ag'in. (That is if they are running around.)
Entry 4777
Well, if ah'm a enemy tuh yuh an' wants tuh confuse yuh in yore home, ah mah- self, ah cain't do it. Got'a git someone tuh help me tuh do it, an' dat's by goin' an' gittin' a piece of yore clothes, sompin othah dat chew wears, don't chew know - sompin dat chew wears. An' ah takes dat an' tear it up, makes a very small string out of it. Take it an' twist it.
(Tear the whole piece of cloth up?)
Not de whole cloth, jis' git yuh a strip off about lak dat [demonstrates], whatevah it is, an' jis' tear it up in small strips. Take an' twist it dis away [demonstrates]. One [strip] dis way an' one dis way, jis' lak dat, yuh know. Jis' keep atwisting it till yuh git right intuh a fine - down-lak yuh know, tuh a string. Yuh take it den an' yuh put it - draw a knot intuh it. Yuh know how yuh tie a knot intuh anything. Well, yuh take dat an' git it intuh whatevah yuh kin git it intuh [a jar, see later]. Den yuh take some salt an' take some vine- gah an' anything dat dey'd use lak a garlic. Yuh git yuh some garlic tuh put in dere an' nine drops of turpentine. An' tighten dat up real - tighten it down howevah yuh wanta tighten it down.
(Tighten that jar down?)
Tighten de jar down, yassuh, an' den yuh prob'ly cain't git tuh de house; but git somebody tuh bury it tuh de back of de steps.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will - dey cain't git along in dere.
Entry 4805
Dey kin cut out de seat of 'is drawahs, de man's drawahs. Take dat an' mix it up wit salt an' peppah an' take it an' bury it on de roadside. An' dat'll keep a man always wit a mind tuh go. He won' be contented at home. [Burial on roadside is rare; in a road, no.]
Entry 4863
Yuh kin do it, but yuh have tuh git somebody's hair or somebody's gar- ments dat's got de odah in it, dat dey wore. An' if yuh take it, yuh put salt an' peppah an' sulphah in it. An' put dat in runnin' watah an' it will start 'em tuh move. (That will run them out of town, keep them on the go?) Yes, dat will keep 'em on de go.
Entry 4880
Take a lady's sock if yuh like her - dat's fo' love - take it an' put a little salt in it an' a little black peppah, an' weah it undah yore arm, pin it undah yore right arm outside. Dat got a girl evah night fo' a long time.
(That works?)
Yes sir.
Entry 4915
An' den dey take an ole sock an' dey could put salt in it an' bury it down dere undah yore do' an' yore man'll stay right dere.
(Do you bury just one sock or both?)
Dat left sock, one sock.
Entry 4916
Yuh wanta break it up, yuh git 'is socks an' put chew a little salt an' cook- in' soda, see, in it an' bury dat at 'is step. Dat will bring 'im back home, if he's gone off. Dat will bring 'im right back home an' he stay home, too. (Both socks did you say?) No, one - one, eithah one, right or lef', jis' since yuh git one.
Entry 4937
Ef she has any dealin's wit dis man an' he leaves home, of co'se she kin take his socks or anythin' dat he wears nex' tuh 'im an' take de sweat from 'is thin's, see. All right, she would take 'is dirty sock an' fill it wit salt, an' lay it intuh de chimley hearth an' put a brick on it, see. An' ef she leaves it dere, he may be gone for some days; but he won' stay away, he'll come back.
Entry 4941
Yes, sir, yuh take dem stockin's an' bury dem stockin's, see. Yuh go dere an' bury dem stockin's. See, yuh undahstan'. Now take sulphur an table salt an' put in dem stockin's an' den bury 'em. An' den fo' nine mornin's go back dere an' jis' like yuh got'a pencil, yuh un- dahstan', an' yuh hit dat on dere jis' like dat, an' say, "Go." An' dey'll shore go.
(What do you hit that with?)
Wit a pencil.
Entry 4987
If yuh git holt a man's stockin' - sock, but it's gotta be dirty, a dirty sock. Now, jis' lak ef mah husban' wuz tuh go off an' leave me, see. Now, ah'd want mah husban' back. Ah'd take his dirty sock an' fill dis sock up wit salt - would git a sack of salt. Used tuh be time we used tuh buy dese cloth sacks of salt an' ah guess yuh kin fin' 'em now. De sack of salt, an' take de salt an' fill it half full regardless tuh where he's gone. He done forgot about it. Would fill dat sock half fulla salt - dirty sock, an' take a piece of papah an' write his name 'cross lak dis [demonstrates - one name below the other] on de papah. Have de papah square, write his name 'cross five times an' den turn dat papah right roun' ag'in an' write mine, ef ah want 'im back - five time on his'n. See. (Wait a minute. You write his name five times, one right above the other, down in a line [column]. Then turn the paper around and write this other name just across it five times.) Thas right, yessuh.
(Do you take both of his socks?)
One - yuh see, whenevah a sock's dirty, a pusson kin tell de right-foot sock from de left-foot sock, an' always take de left-foot sock, an'.
(You said which is which when they are dirty?)
Yessuh.
(How?)
On account hit be's shaped lak a foot. Yuh see, tuh strictly 'tenshun [if you pay strict attention], yuh kin see where de toes fit in it. Becuz it's gotta be a whole sock tuh fix it tuh git anybody back, yuh see. But a raggly [raggedly] sock yuh cain't tell nuthin about it 'cuz it don't have no shape tuh it. Take dat sock an' fill it half fulla salt an' den aftah dat name is wrote, put it down in de sock, see. An' den fill dat sock up tuh de ankle wit de salt. An' den sprinkle some sugah. Put some sugah on top dat salt. (Now first you put the salt in the sock, half full. Then you put the paper in and then you fill up some more salt.) An' den put some sugah on top of it, about half a teacup of sugah on top of it. An' bury dat sock at de front steps. Bury it up undah de front steps wit de feet comin' in. In about five or seven days dat man will be back home.
Entry 5019
[I turned on my machine too late to record the beginning of the rite; the reason for my guestions in an effort to recapture the rite.l Put salt in it an' bury it undah de groun' an' it will eithah keep de man from runnin' aroun', or it will make him stay at home.
(Well, just what do you take now?)
De left sock.
(You take the man's left sock. And what do you put in it?)
Salt, jis' ord'nary salt.
(And then what do you do with it?)
Bury it undah de steps.
(That will keep him from running around.)
Entry 5020
They say you can take a man's sock or a woman's stocking and carry it with yeh and make them do what chew want 'em to do. Just make yore wishes with it. And put sulphur and salt in there. and they say nc one else, whatever the're doing [to counteract your in- tentions] can't do anything with it no more than you. See? Just like if you'd bury it out here in this yard and someone come and sprin- kle something on it, they say that wouldn't be any good. And you take this sock and wear it. And if you want him to stay home, if it's a man you want him to stay home and don't want him to go, why then you bury it. Bury it in the yard some place where you walk over it oftener than he does. And that keeps him home.
Entry 5168
Yo' git de inside sole of a man's shoe. All right now. Yo' git some lightnin'-struck wood an' yo' take some sweet milk, an' yo' soak dat three days. Den yo' make a dress of dat [dressing or hand of wood and milk] an' yo' go tuh de crossroad where hit like dat, see [demonstrates a crossroad]. Den yo' call - git some salt.
[Here is an example of details often omitted in an interview.]
(Wait a minute! What do you mean you call?)
Call 'is name, say, "Ah wanta run So-an'-so." YO' HAVE TUH CALL 'EM TUH RUN "EM. Git chew some salt an' yo' make a dressin' of dat an' yo' bury dat. An' YO' TELL IT WHUT CHEW WANT IT TUH DO. An' evah - in about three days yo' go back there an' make yore dressin' an' tell it whut chew want it tuh do. DAT LIGHTNIN'-STRUCK WOOD GIT'S 'EM CONFUSED IN 'IS MIND. Yo' haVe tuh work 'is mind to do anythin' wit it. [This piece of wood dressed with lightning, milk and salt, 3 things, becomes a hand.]
Entry 5177
Den yo' git de shoes, yo' take - cut a li'le piece outa de bottom of dat shoe. When yo' cut a li'le piece outa de bottom of dat shoe, yo'll fix dat up in a li'le piece of cloth, a yellah homespun cloth. An' yo'll wind dat, yo' know, wit a string. An' yo'll have in dat nuthin but sulphuh an' eatin'-salt. An' yo'll put dat in dere, an' yo'll tie hit tuhgethah intuh dat li'le piece whut yo' cut out dat shoe. Well, now, if yo' hit [aim] tuh bring 'im back, well yo'll take a li'le piece of saltpetah an' yo'll put [make] dat in a powdahs - all dem into a powdahs, an' yo'll fix dat into dat li'le package. An' aftah, yo' wind dat li'le package up an' yo' bury dat at de back of yore house. An' when yo' put all dat in de back of de house, den yo' call 'im three times - woman or man - an' dey cain't he'p but follahin' back. Now, dat's fer as ah know 'bout dat.
(Do you wind it in any special way?)
No pahtic'lah way but jis' long as yo' know it tied.
(And can you send them away with the same thing?)
No suh, ah don' know if yo' send 'em away wit dat.
(You mean that piece in the shoe, that piece inside [insole] that you pul]
up?) Dat's right.
Entry 5184
If she's away from me and I want to bring her back, I'll get nine old shoes, burn one each night at midnight with [nine] ingredients: egg shell, sul- phur, ashes, salt, pepper, alum, saltpeter, cloves, ginger, and walk around this fire and say, Send me my wife, sister or friend or whatever it is, back. And the ninth morning take this ashes, all from the whole nine mornings, and throw the ashes toward the direction the person is. You must have the wind blowing that direction. [The wind blowing the right direction on the 9th morning could make this a difficult rite.]
Entry 5200
Women take de shoes - why den dey a - if dey wanta keep a man home. Women mostly do dat. A man don't hardly do dat. Wanta keep )'im home, he always gone off some place. She goes tuh work an' put salt on 'er shoes an' - both feet, an' she buries dat shoes. Dat keeps 'im home - anywhere in de yard. Dat's fur as'h [as I] heard about dat.
Entry 5202
Well, dey take yo' shoes if dey wan'a do any- thin' tuh yo' - anythin' lak dat. Dey take - if dey don' wan'a bury de shoes dey'll burn dem. But dey git somepin tuh put in dere tuh burn 'em wit. Dey git some of dis here bluestone an' put in dere an' table salt. An' dat tear yuh all tuh pieces. Dat'll run yuh ragged.
(You put this bluestone and the salt in the shoe and then burn the shoe.)
Yes sir, burn de whole thin'. An' den when it burn, he jes' as foolish as he kin be.
Entry 5206
Yo' kin take dere shoes an' take 'em an' put 'em undah de do'steps, an' put a li'le table salt an' sulphur an' diff'ren' thin's - mix it up tuhgethah an rub it on 'em, an' put 'em undah de do'step. Yo' steal de shoe unbeknownst tuh 'em an' put 'em undah de do'- step, an' dey'll leave town - run away from town.
(Do you get both their shoes?)
Jes' one. If yo' can git one, jes' git de left-foot shoe; if yo' can't git de left-foot, jes' git de right foot - any which one of 'em.
(And if you got my shoe, you would bury it under my door?)
Yeah, under yore own do'step.
Entry 5210
[She was] a wild woman. Ah couldn't git rid of 'er an' ah went tuh another HOODOO. He tole me, say, "Yo' take two of 'er shoes, take 'em an' full 'em wit salt an' sulphur, an' put 'em down intuh a runnin' stream." An' yo' wouldn't have no mo' trouble wit 'er. Well, ah nevah had no mo' trouble wit dat woman. Got rid of 'er.
Entry 5211
Yo' kin take a person's shoes an' put a li'le sulphur an' a li'le salt in it an' dis heah Red Devil Peppah red peppah, an' yo' could take dat shoe an' yo' could bury dat shoe, but let it be de lef' feet. An' bury it in de back yard. An' dat person nevah be able tuh walk straight any mo'. [Red Devil Pepper is either a package of red pepper with a red devil on it, a commercial brand, or a special package sold by a hoodoo drug store or mail-order firm.]
Entry 5215
Ah've seen lotsa dat done. Take salt an' sulphur, take de ole shoes an' burn it. An' den dey take de ole shoes aftah dey burn it, an' den take it in de four cornahs of de house, er out in de yard an' bury it. An' ah've seen lotsa [people do it] but what it wuz in it [wheth- er this caused them to leave] ah don' know.
[I] seen 'em leave home.
Entry 5216
Dey take some cookin' salt an' sulphur an' mix it an' put it in a fire- place, 'nuff fo' de smoke tuh come out, an' burn it in yore chimley. Yo' kin take a shoe an' burn along wit it tuh make it mo' strong. An' burn it slowly in de chimley an' see dat'll smoke. Dey can't stand dat odor from dat smoke, an' it seems in a couple of week's time dey'll have tuh move. Dey couldn't stay roun' dere. [Burn] three time a day.
(That will cause the people next door to be moved.)
Entry 5217
Well, if yo' think dey goin' put somepin down fo' yo' tuh walk ovah, yo' git some sulphur an' table salt an' - an' saltpetah. Put jis' a li'le bit'a each, about de same quantity of each, an' put it in each shoe, an' yo' walk ovah dat much as yo' wanta.
Entry 5218
Ah've heard dat yo' could take two ole shoes, two ole workin'-men's shoes, an' burn 'em. Take some salt an' po' on 'em, an' a li'le sugah an' po' on 'em, an' burn 'em an' dat will make yo' have luck.
Entry 5223
[HERE FOLLOWS A RARE SIFTING RITE - SIFTING WITH A SIFTER.]
An' ah've heard 'em say dat chew take like nuthin but wimmen, take three or fo' wimmen here, or jis' me, one person'ly, say. Now, ah take all mah ole shoes now an' burn 'em up, but ah burn 'em on somepin dat ah kin save all dose ashes. An' burn tuh a charcoal an' den mash 'em up. An' den ah take salt an' peppah an' mix wit dose shoes now. An' ah take de siftah an' between nine an' twelve a'clock at night ah go aroun' de house an' sift 'em three times tuhnight.
(How do you mean, sift it three times?)
Jis' put it in a siftah, yuh see, jis' sift de dust [shoe ashes]. (You.mean you go round the house three times, or you sift the dust three times?) How - like ah begin now from de back door, from mah back door, an' ah go around dere an' make mah wish, yuh know. If ah wish fo' all men tuh come tuh mah house, or jis' one indivij'ly [individually], yuh know. An' if dere's some Woman dat ah think she's a enemy tuh me, yuh know, an' ah don't wan' 'er tuh come dere, yuh see, ah wish fer 'er tuh not come, an' wish fer 'im tuh come an' stay always wit me.
(I see.)
Ah'd go aroun' three times lak dat an' begin. An' de last wish, dat ah make right where ah begin dat, yuh see. An' ah wish dat he may come an' stay wit me always. See, when ah says always, ah'm [back] in de house den an' turns de sift- ah loose on de inside. An' den tuhmorrah - ah do dat tuhnight between nine an' twelve. An' tuhmorrah mawnin' now between twelve an' nine, well, prob'ly yuh kin do dat at three a'clock in de mawnin', fo' or five or six a'clock, any time befo' nine a'clock, but de bes' time dat dey do it is befo' sunrise. See, aftah twelve o'clock [and] befo' sunrise - roun' about fo'-thirty or five a'clock, an' yuh do de same thin' an' come back in an' drop de siftah right at de same place again.
(You sift it all over again?)
De same thin' all ovah again. An' dey say, when yuh do dat - well, dey say yuh don't have tuh have many shoes. Doesn't take much, take much siftin's fo' dat dust, 'fo' dat dust is gone. Well, yuh do dat till all dat dust is gone through dat siftah, yuh see, an' dey say he'll nevah leave yuh den. He'll nevah leave yuh.
Entry 5241
Ah heard tell dat yo' could take a person's shoes an' put red peppah in 'em an' salt an' some coppahs. Yo' have tuh take a penny. Take a coppah or brass, dat jis' whut dey use, an' take an' scrape it. Take a file an' scrape. An' put all dis heah stuff tuhgethah an' git it in yore shoes some way or othah. Den aftah yo' git dat in yore shoes, den dey cain't wear no shoes.
[To scrape a silver dime is common; to scrape a penny is rare.]
(What will happen to him?)
Well, his [skin] will begin tuh itch. All.de shoes he'll wear will have tuh be jis' de same as sandals. Yo' know yo' cain't weah a good pair of shoes on yore feet counta [on account of] dey disfigured yo' know.
(It hurts his feet when he gets this stuff on them?)
Yessuh.
Entry 5242
Yo' could take dat inside sole jes' lak ah have in mine heah, dat got de sweat on it, chew know. An' yo' take dat outa anybody's [shoe] who yo' want. Listen good. An' put some sul- phur in it, black peppah an' salt. (Sulphur, black pepper and salt.) Uh-hmm. Den yo' take it an' burn it. In three days times.if yo' want dem back dere, dey'll come back tuh yo' an love yo' bettah dan evah.
(What would you do with those ashes, anything?)
No, jes' let it go yo' know, aftah yo' put dat sulphur an' black peppah in dere, an' salt.
Entry 5314
Well, yo' take a person track. Yo' put a person track wit salt, black peppah an' yo' put it down in dat dirt daubah's nest - ah mean dat antses nest. An' dem antses goes - yo' see dem antses goin' in an' out of de nest. Dey be goin' an' totin' dirt an' stuff. Dey be totin' dat stuff an' dey be wavahin' [wavering] jes' lak dat [demonstrates]. It will keep 'em on a wave jes' lak dat goin' an' comin'.
Entry 5315
Yo' kin take a person's track - take yore han' an' ketch it from de toe an' bring it tuh de heel. Put some salt an' red peppah wit it an' some sul- phur. Mix it up very good. Take it tuh a ants nest an' po' it in dere an' make yore wish In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an Holy Ghost, an' dey'll leave.
Entry 5316
Ah git yore lef'-feet track an' yore frien' lef'-feet track, take it tuh a ants nest... Ah would take some red peppah an' some black peppah an' some salt, an' call de person name, an' throw it in dere. An' he'll [the ants will] tote it evah bit out. An' when he git through totin' it evah bit out, why yuh an' yore frien' will have a big row, an' yuh'll have tuh leave yore home.
Entry 5322
Well, git his track - git nine track comin' tuhwards yo' an' git it an' put it wit some red ants nest - in de red ants nest, an' some salt in it. An' stir it roun' an' talk tuh de red ants an' tell it whut chew want done, work an' all, an' he'll come back. (That is to bring the man back? You get nine tracks as he is coming toward you?) Yes.
(Just one track right after the other, I see.)
Entry 5341
Yo' put 'em tuh ramblin', see. Well, now, heah's whut ah mean by dat. Yo' takes a fresh hen aig see, an' hit will be jes' fresh laid. An' wheresom- evah yo' transfah [walk] at on de natchal [natural] groun', yo' take dat an' bury it in de hollah of dere track. See. An' yo'd be sho' [sure] not tuh bury it mo' den three inches deep, an' in place of rakin' de dirt ovah lak dat, yo' rake it ovah back tuhwards home, where yo' wan' 'em tuh come. See. See, yo' rake it back de way yo' wan' 'em tuh come. An' den yo' take dat an' yo' git chew cleah watah an' put it in nine bottles at chure home. An' yo' take dem bottles an' put 'em on a grate or heatah or whatsomevah yo' have, one at de time. An' have a co'k stoppah in dat [bottle] so it wouldn't burn out, an' dat would bust in dat fiah, see. An' dat will break dat trouble an' draw 'em back. (The woman, when he leaves home, she would get one of his foot tracks and put that egg in that foot track. Bury taht egg in that foot track. And after she does that, carries it back toward the house. Then she gets her nine bottles of clear water and puts one on the hearth...) Puts 'em dere one at de time.
(And each one must break.)
Each one must bust, explode, jes' pops.
(And after she has done nine of them, then he'll come back to her.)
Will come back. If he knew dat she wuz doin' dat an' he still wanta stay 'way an' not go, well he'd have a way tuh keep from doin' dat. Well, now, he'd do dat wit de same thing - salt. He'd burn dat salt and put it in a little bag, see, an' keep dat in his pocket. Dat would break dat.
Entry 5404
Well, if a person wan'a harm yo' in a foot track, dey got diff'ren ways dey kin harm yo' in dat. Dey kin take fo' ninstance - dey kin take an' git eggs, dey kin harm yo' in dat. Dey kin use salt an' harm yo' in dat. (How do they harm you with the eggs with that?) All right. Dey take a egg. Dey kin take a egg an' break dat egg. Beat dat egg up - beat dat egg an' when dey beat dat egg, dey put sugah in it. Dey'd git what chew would call - de same thin' as ah jis' tole yo', spoke of; but yo' git de powdah, de war powdah. Yo' mixes dat tuhgethah, but when yo' mixes it, it will come as a paste, see. Well, yo' jis' mix dat tuhgethah an' yo' gits - lak DERE'S A DRUG STORE RIGHT HERE, A FEW BLOCKS FROM HERE, WE GOES TO. Yo' gO dere an' yo' git some of de steel dust, or else take a silvah dime an' scrape it. Yo' git de dus' off de dime. An' yo' stir dat up good, an' if yo' git dis person's tracks, yo' put jis' a li'le in each track. Well, yo' know dey's goin' tuh pass an' dey bound tuh put dere feet in it. Be sure yo' know dey goin' tuh put dere feet in it. Yo' ketch one track here an' yo' may ketch anothah one ovah dere. Yo' know some people make big steps. Yo' ketch de track an' yo' put some in dere, in each track of de party yo' doin' harm. See. An' dat be all of dat. Dere won't be nuthin done in dat - see, in tryin' tuh harm 'em.
(What will that do to a person then?)
Now, tuh keep a person from [I interrupt].
(What will that do to him if you put that in his track?)
Well, what will it do tuh yo'? Why, den it would maybe paralyze 'im, his foot. It could paralyze yo', make yo' go lame in one leg or maybe de whole side. See, if a person done harm yo'.
(I see. Then - what would they do then? Do you know how to prevent that?)
Entry 5439
If yo' wan'a person tuh go yore way an' wan'a take all de money dat dey've got [they say] da' choo could take dere right track an' put it up in a li'le piece of papah wit some salt, an' stick it down tuh de haid of a baby's grave, an' dat'll cuz a man tuh do anythin' da' choo wan' 'im tuh do, or a woman'eithah, if a man treats 'er dat way.
Entry 5440
Ah have heard a person kin run yo' crazy. Dey kin take some of de dirt, git a part of yore track. Go tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt. (Get the dirt from both tracks or just one?) Yore right feet - from yore right feet track, an' go tuh de grave of a gamblah an' git some of de dirt from de foot of 'is grave. Take it an' carry it home an' git chew some red flannel, table salt, an' take it an' put it right undah 'is steps, an' in seven days he'll be crazy or mindless. (You Wrap all this stuff up in that red flannel and bury it under his own step.) Undah 'is step.
Entry 5456
De left foot, gits it from dere where yo' make yore track. Jis' lak yo' make yore track dere in dat sand, well ah come back down dere an' ah see yore track. Den [I] come dere an' jis' git up one teaspoonful of dat dirt out chure track. An' den yo' take dat dirt an' sulphur, graveyard dirt, salt. Mix all dat tuhgethah. An' den take dat thing an' jis' whatevah dey wanta do wit yo', dey kin do it.
(What would they do with that?)
Well, dey could take dat an' if dey want chew tuh leave from dere, don' wan' chew roun', if yo's ahindahin' 'em any, jis' send yo' on off. Dey won't nevah have no mo' tuh do wit yo'. Dey ain't goin' be any way bothahed. Dat's fo' a hinimey [an enemy] of yourn.
(What would they do with that dirt in order to send me away?)
Why dat's whut dey do wit it. Jis' take an' mix all of dat tuhgethah whut ah tole yo'.
(But what do they do with that after they mix it together?)
Well, dey will take dat den an' carry it - dey kin bury it. An' when dey bury it, why dat jis' got chew upset. Yo' jes' got'a leave dere. Yo' can't do any- thing atall.
Entry 5471
Well, yo' kin ketch a person's lef' track gwine away from yo' an' draw it tuh yo'. An' den yo' kin put it in a bottle an' put graveyard dirt wit it an' cayenne peppah, an' a li'le sugah an' some table salt, an' air- tight it an' throw it in runnin' water. An' den if dat bottle drift away, why yo' drift away wit it.
Entry 5472
Jis' lak ef ah wan' chew tuh move, yo' leave heah - jis' move from de place or somepin lak dat, leave out dis town. Well, ah would go behin' joo an' git chure track offa de groun'. See, jis' lak yo' goin' dis way an' ah'm comin' behin' yo'. Well, ah grab up yore right track dat way, yo' know, de dirt, behin' yuh, yo' see [demonstrates].
(From the heel to the toe.)
Yes sir, dat's right. Well, ah puts it intuh a papah or somepin othah so ah kin keep all dat dirt, see. When ah git it ah git it goin' [track going away] jis' lak daE. So - well den, ah goes tuh de cemetery an' gits some graveyard dirt, jis' anywhere, yo' know, about de grave, an' puts it in dere wit dat dirt. Well, ah put me some black peppah intuh it an' salt, see. An' den ah takes an' carry it onto de rivah somewhere, anywhere de watah's runnin'. Well, ah throws it intuh dat stream of water an' say, "Go, yo' devil, yo'." An' so dat night, ah reckon yo'll - yo' know, git goin' some way. Hit'll run yo' off, make yo leave.
Entry 5473
If yo' want 'em tuh go, yo' kin git de track up from yo' - take it from yo'. See, if yo' want 'em tuh go [demonstrates]. (Here's the toe here and here's the heel, then I take it up right like that. Like this?) Start at de hollah of de foot an' take it from dere tuh de toe. See, dat whut ah mean. Yo' want 'em tuh go. Take it jis' dis way, see. An' yo' take dat foot track an' put chew some red peppah an' some salt in dere. Listen, some grave- yard dirt, an' sew dat up an' go tuh de rivah befo' de sunrise. Yo' kin turn yore back an' throw it right where de watah's runnin' right along, an' throw it ovah dis way [demonstrates].
(Over your right shoulder?)
Yes. An' when yo' leave, yo' kin say anythin' - some of de baddest things, an' don't look back, an' walk away an' nevah look back. Dey'll go. An' if yo' wan' 'em tuh stay, yo' take it tuh yo' - if yo' wan' 'em tuh stay. Take it up tuh yo', see. Take dat track an' yo' kin fold it in a piece of news- papah. See, stretch it on out an' write dere name down nine times, an' pin it ovah yore do' an' make yore wish - where dey's comin' in an' out. An' dey's comin' in dere. Dey will continue comin' as long as yo' - until yo' take dat up an' destroy dat. Dat's tuh bring 'em, see, if yo' wanta.
Entry 5499
Jes' lak if he run aroun' wit a woman, yo' kin take his track - dat's yore husban'. Take his right track an' git de dirt out de hollah of 'is foot, 'is track. Take dat dirt an' put some black peppah intuh it, an' a li'le salt, an' wrap it up in a piece of brown papah, an' bury it undahneat' of yore do'step. Put a li'le of 'is hair in dere. An' he'll stay bne.
Entry 5532
Ah've heard dat dey kin git chure foot track an' measure yore foot track, an' take some of de dirt out de hollah of yore track, see. Den go tuh de graveyard aftah twelve o'clock an' git some de dirt from de heart, about de heart, an' from de head an' from de foot [3 places]. An' mix it wit dat dirt whut dey took out of yore track. An' march aroun' dat grave fo' times, firs'. Den come back an' march aroun' it ag'in five, six, seven. De seven is de uneven numbah. March roun' dat seven times. Den take dat dirt whut dey got wit de graveyard dirt outen yore track, an' go an' mix it tuhgethah, an' boil it in salt an' water an' lime. Throw dat in salt, watah an' lime. Den dey will take dat an' sprinkle it wherevah yo' gotta go, where yo' cross ovah at, if it's yore doorstep or some path yo' go. If yo' in a car, why dey'd sprinkle it aroun yore car - sompin like dat - an' dat will do yo' harm. See, when yo' git in dere, yo'll be painful an' cain't rest, an' have no min' tuh stay at home - only be goin' all de time. (NOW TO MAKE CERTAIN ABOUT THIS. When you get this graveyard dirt after twelve o'clock at night, you get it from three places: on the head, the heart, and the feet. And before you get that dirt, do you walk around the grave four times or after?) Aftah.
(Then you say you walk around it again five times?)
Firs' yo' walk aroun' it, dat make five. Den yo' walk aroun' it seven times.
(Seven separate times or all together?)
Altuhgethah.
(You walk around it four times. Then what do you do?)
Yo' walk aroun' it fo' times an' yo' speak words.
(What will you say?)
Yo' will say, "Ah wan' dis man tuh be subjec' tuh me. Ah wan' 'im tuh go an' not come back. Dat 'is min' may go from 'im, dat he may not undahstan' whut he do." See, dat's whut dey'll say.
(Then you will walk around it?)
Two mo' time. Dat makes seven. (They walk around it four times. They dig that dirt up and walk around it four times. Then what do they do after the fourth time, after they say those words?) Den dey walk aroun' it ag'in one time. Dat makes five, yo' see.
(Then do they say anything?)
Naw, don't say anything. Den de fifth time, den de sixth an' de seventh. Den dey march aroun' dere de seventh time, den dey will repeat de same words over ag'in....
(Then you go on away with the graveyard dirt.)
Entry 5539
Well, see, if a person is stayin' 'way from home all de time, jis' come home an' eat an' tuh sleep a little while an' go right on off, doesn't have any time tuh be roun' home an' yo' wan' 'em tuh stay at home. Well, yo' ketch de track comin' home to- wards de door. An' if yo' git dat track an' yo' measure it wit a papah or eithah way [another method] yo' kin use cahton; well, if it's a piece dat dere hasn't been anything cut off of it befo'. Den when yo' write de name an' make de wishes - make yore wish yo' wanta make, an' fold it ovah, an' each fold fold it towards de house.
(You write on the cotton cloth or on the paper, and each fold you make?)
Each fold fold it towards de house an' repeat de words, "Come home an' stay at home." An' yo' fold dat an' aftah yo' fold it, yo' take a piece of new home- spun an' yo' put dis in it, an' den yo' put some salt. Yo' puts nine grains of red peppah, a pod of red peppah has nevah been any used out. Well, yo' kin put de whole nine pods or yo' kin put de nine grains, which is de seed yo' see. An' yo' put some salt an' some peppah wit dat, be sure it's de salt an' peppah whut yo' jis' bought 'specially fo' dat - an' sulphur. An' put dat down an' bury dat den. Yo' dig de top soil, yo' dig until yo' git down below de top soil, see, an yo' bury dat, an' make yore wishes. An' den de persons will stay at home.
Entry 5551
Yo' be walkin' 'long an' pass by 'im. Yo' gwine down de street disa- way, ah'm comin' disaway. All right. An' when yo' pass by me yo' turn right roun' de first time yo' walk past, take up 'is track. Run down an' pick up de track. Yo' have tuh git it run- nin' an'... (How do you mean get it running? What do you mean by that?) All right, now ah'm walkin' down behin' joo, an' yo' lookin' dat way an' ah'm lookin' de same way yo' is, but ah'm lookin' at chure track an' ah'm goin' walk in a hurry. Yo' know, jis' take a little fast trot an' stoop down an' pick dem tracks up, runnin' like dat. An' take 'em an' put some salt in'em an' black peppah. An' take 'em tuh de rivah an' turn yore back an' throw 'em ovahbo'd, an' yo'll go crazy.
(What shoulder do you throw them over?)
Throw 'em ovah yore lef' shouldah.
(And what tracks do you pick up?)
Yo' jis' pick up two tracks, each foot - each one of yore foot.
Entry 5590
Ah've heard 'em say dat yo' could git de - if dey wan'a fix yo' fo' dere own benefit, to bring 'em to dem, yo' take dere lef' track from de toes. Yo' wan'a take it up wit a shovel or a hoe. Take it from de toe back to de heel. Dey takes dat den an' put it in a li'le bag. An' dey take dat bag an' secure dat fo' nine days. Den dey open it. Dey puts a li'le salt, table salt in dat bag, an' dey carry dat bag wit 'em. Dey weah dat aroun' de waist.
Entry 5619
Carry away yo' tracks - if he git chore foot track to hur' chew, take it up an' turn yo' toes back to yo' heels an' bury it. He'd make yo' sick. But if he'd take it from yo' toes back to yo' heels an' don' do nuthin wit it, an' yo' could nevah feel sick de fus' [first] time, take an' take yo' some salt, table salt, sprinkle it down in yo' yard an' call dat person name, if yo' kin. Squash it. He can't do no harm den.
Entry 5621
Dey say if yo' goin' anywhere an' a person don' wan' choo dere, an' yo' leave, dey walks right back out on yore foot track; an' take de firs' two track, an' takes up one han'- ful of dirt from de lef' an' den throw some salt in de right one. Dey take de sand [from left track] on back to de house wit 'em an' put it in a bag: an' keep dat. An' dey say yo' can't come back to de house no more.
Entry 5623
If yo' be walkin' down de dust [dusty road or field], well dey kin pull dat track back [from toes to heel] an' take up some of dat dust. An' take an' put salt in it. An' take it to de rivah an' throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah into de watah. An' dat'll run 'em.
Entry 5624
Dey git de dirt outa yo' track an' put salt in wit dat, an' go tuh rnnin' watah an' throw it ovahbo'd, an' yo'll move an' can't he'p yo'self. Dat uhut dey tell me. Said dey could run 'em wild - dat whut dey tell me - wit it. Said dey take dat an' tie it up in a new cloth, an' go tuh runnin' watah, throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah an' make a wish, say, "Go 'way." Yo' mind will go, sompin lak dat. (That track you got up thefirst time, you get it from the toe to the heel?) Uh-huh, an' yo' walk tuh de runnin' watah. An' put salt in it an' walk tuh de runnin' watah, an' throw it ovah yo' lef' shouldah an' don't look back, an' make yore wish an' leave on away. An' don' have nuthin tuh say.
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 5627
Yo' kin take a person track an' take red peppah an' salt an' put it in a halfa pint bottle, an' chunk it in runnin' watah de way yo' wan' de person tuh go an' dey'll leave. Dey won' evah come back.
Entry 5628
Take de foot tracks up an' put dat in abottle of water, an' put some cayenne peppah an' salt an' steel dust, an' throw it inde rivah. Dat will make yo' drift. Track of de left foot.
Entry 5629
Take dey track.
(Either track?)
No sir, de track outa de right foot. Take it up from yo', put it in a jah [jar]. Put chew some salt an' red peppah wit dat, stop it up tight. Go down tuh de rivah when de tide's goin' out an' stan' wit chure back lak dis [demon- stratesl, an' pitch it ovah yure lef' shouldah an' call dat person name. An' dey'll leave out jis' lak dat - dat bottle go down wit de ebb tide.
Entry 5630
Well, yo' take dat foot track goin' dis way an' - yo' take it goin' - an' den yo'. take it comin', see. Well, aftah yo' take dat track - gits both tracks - see, yo' git one goin' an' de othah one comin'. Yo' gits a piece of Lowe's, bran'-new Lowe's cloth. It's thick stuff whut dey make sacks outa, cotton sacks.
(What they call Louis?) [Lowe's.]
Yessuh. Yo' git a piece of Lowe's an' yo' sew it up [into a bag]. An' yo' go git chew a box of table salt. Yo' git chew a box of cayenne peppah. An' take dat track an' yo' compounds all dat up tuhgethah an' yo' put in dere [small bag nade from new Lowe's cloth] an' [put] dat [Lowe's-cloth bag into a bag of] red flannen. [A bag of any material holding the ingredients of a hand is often en- closed within red flannel for added power.] An' yo' goes tuh de rivah an' yo' turn backward dis way [demonstrates] an' chunk it ovah in de rivah. See, lak dat, ovah yore lef' shouldah.
(What will that do?)
Dat will run 'em away.
Entry 5631
Well, dey gits up de foot track an' dey prepare dat up an' tote it. We use red peppah an' black peppah - sech as dat. We sprinkle dat down an' we salt it. Salt is sup- posed tuh save things. We use salt wit de idea in view of de savin' powdah by dat. We put de salt in dere tuh save it. As long as de salt holds it strength, we got holt of de undahtakin' at de time. SALT IS A GREAT IHING BUT LOTTA PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IT.
(Just what do you do with that track now?)
Well, We takes dat track - IT'S NOT BUT A VERY FEW PEOPLE IN DIS DAY'S TIME HANTS TUH KILL A PERSON, BUT DEY WANTS DEM TUH COME UNDAH DERE CONTROL AN' HOLI "EM, Yo' KNOW. When dey do dis, so den dey use dese means.
[Informant, professional worker, starts another rite.]
Put DUST IN YORE SHOES. PREPARE IT WIT THREE DIFFREN THINGS. An' dey uSe dat tuh sprinkle dat in yore shoes. Dere certain things yo' kin do tuh pertect yo'. Yo' kin walk ovah any kind whatsomevah it is. It melt away. Why.all yo' would do - use salt, nine drops of vinegah.
(How would they use that?)
Weah three needles in yore cap or hatband or whatsomevah yo' gwine tuh do. Stick it - conceal it away.
(What did you do with that salt and vinegar?)
Well we take de salt an' vinegar an' drop nine drops in each shoe. Jis' put a little pinch of salt in dis shoe an' one in dis one, an' we walk anywhere we vanta go.
(You can walk over anything?)
Walk ovah anything a man kin put down.
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 5635
About de track, ah know about de track. De' [dey = they] takes nine pods of red peppah an' de' take nine pinches of sulphur. De' take nine pinches of salt an' git dat track, de right-foot track, when dey're leavin' home. An' mix all dat togethah. Ah seen 'em do it, mix all dat togethah yo' know. An' dey take it an' box it up, an' dey chunk it in de rivah. Den dey'll go. In nine days dey'll leave town an' nevah come back.
Entry 5636
When a person, yo' know, jis' walkin' along, an' dey could take sulphur an' salts an' spirits of turpentine an' mix it tuhgethah an' cuz yo' tuh have a foolish min'. [Spirits of turpentine is used occasionally instead of turpentine, the addi- tion of spirits giving to turpentine a spirit or other-world quality. An inform- ant somewhere in Hoodoo explains the spiritual essence of turpentine.] (Well, what do they do with that stuff after they get it? What do they do with that?) Takes it an' mix it tuhgethah an' as yo'd walk along, see dey po's dat in yore track as yo' go 'long. A certain numbah of tracks yo' know. Ah 'spect [suspect] yo' have tuh put it in de tracks, nine tracks nine mawnin's. An' dat vill cuz yo' tuh go crazy.
(This mixture, they just slip it into these tracks?)
Yes.
Entry 5637
Well, dey say dat if a person - if dey git de foot track right at de do'step, see. When dey git de foot track right at dis step right aftah dey Walked in an' out, dey could take some out of it an' put it in sompin an' put some salt, peppah, black peppah, two or three drops of vinegah, an' bury it up undah de back steps. Says, dey von' come back any mo'.
Entry 5638
Yore left track - if yo' goin' down 'er steps, she could rake yore left track to her an' jis' mix a little sugah an' salt wit it, an' yo' jis' keep yore min' on 'er all de time. (What would she do with that track?) Heah it, Weah it in a little bag, an' dat jis' keep yore min'.
Entry 5650
Well, ah'll tell yuh whut dey do. Dey takes dere track an' den dey pats some kinda stuff wit it, see. An' dey take dat track an' den dey take it an' dey'll throw it eithah ovahbo'd or dey buries it, see. Or dey put it in a dirty sock an' dey'll bury it, see. An' dat will prohibit yuh from goin' if yuh vanta go some place.
(Keep you from going where?)
Wherevah yuh wanta go. Jis' like providin' if yuh got somebody an' dey love yuh, see. An' dey kin prevent yuh from goin', why dey takes dat track, see. An' dey'll fix it an' dey bury it. An' dat will keep yuh from goin' away.
(What sort of powder did they put in that track, did you say?)
Dey puts some ingredients in it, see.
(What do they put in it?)
Dey puts spice, sugar, or salt, eithah one, an' dey bury it.
Entry 5672
When he come tuh yore house, when yo' see his tracks comin' towards yore house, well when he comes tuh yore house, yo' know dis 'is tracks. An when he stays - when he stays 'is length of time, an' when he starts out, git chew some salt an' throw on 'is back, an' den throw some salt in de yard, " den yo' start tuh sweepin'. Start from de do' an' sweep 'is tracks out back clean out. Dat's sweepin' 'im on away.
Entry 5674
Tuh drive 'em away - tuh drive 'em away yo' git yo' some cayenne peppah an' salt. Jis' lak if a person is comin' in heah an' yo' don' wan' 'em in heah. An' yo' git chew some cayenne peppah an' salt, an' yo' set an' hold 'em [inl a conversation. Set an' talk wit 'em, be frien'ly wit 'em an' ack lak yo' ain't mad, chew know. An' den dey say, "Well, ah reckon ah bettah go." Well, yo' already has dat salt an' peppah mixed up an have it in yore han's somewhere, an' yo' follah 'em out de house. See, when dey goin' out, jis' sift dat cayenne peppah an' salt in dere tracks. Den go tuh each fo' cornahs of yore house an' put some cayenne peppah an' salt in each fo' cor- nahs of de house. An' den take de broom an' sweep it all on out an' sweep it de Way de' go an' flirt it. When yo' sweep it down on de steps, jis' lak if dey goin' up de street dat way, yo' flirt it de way dey goin' [demonstrates].
(How do you do that? Do it with your hand like that?)
[Flirting with a fan I had read about and had seen on stage; but flirting with a broom, though good English, was beyond my experience.] Wit chure broom, when yo' flirt it yo' say - WHEN YO' SPRINKLE IT DOWN IN YORE [ROOM] HERE, SAY, "WELL, AH'M CONKERIN' MAH ENEMY, IN DE NAME OF DE LORD. DRIVE DE DEVIL AWAY FROM ME, IN DE NAME OF DE LORD." An' jis' sprinkle it on dere, an' WHEN YO' SWEEP IT AN' YO' MAKE DAT FLIRT, YO' SAY, "WELL, AH'M FLIRTIN' MAH ENE- MIES AWAY FROM ME, IN DE NAME OF DE LORD." An' den flirt de dust on de street. Dey nevah put dere foot in yore house.
Entry 5675
Yo' mean de foot track tuh go or de foot track tuh come?
(Well, both of them - one one way and one the other way.)
Well, now, if yo' want somebody tuh come back, yo' git dis foot track an' don't - now, like de foot track is goin', don' turn de foot track back tuh yo'. Yo' git chew a piece of papah an' write on dat papah nine times, an' put it undah de step an' turn dat foot track back tuh de house. Dat's tuh come. Now, if yo' wan' 'em tuh go. (What do you write on that paper nine times.) Yo' write, "Come back, come back." An' ah don' care how far dat person is - an' if yo' wan' dat person tuh come back, in nine or 21 days dey will come back. Dat's fo' - now tuh go, yo' turn de track. Dis is de track, yo' write dat nine times, "Go."
(You turn the track as if it is going away?)
Yes. Git chew a handful of salt an' jis' dash it down an' sweep 3 times. Dey gone.
Entry 5679
(This woman whom the man has left, she would get hold of his left sock?) Git holt of 'is lef' socks, 'is drawahs, an' take an' take dem home, an' put 'en undah de do'steps. Don' let nobody see or know yo' put 'em undah dere. An' den take yore broom, when he come inside de house. an' sprinkle salt down evah'where he walks. When he's goin' out, don' sweep it out do's, sweep it back in de house. Seep it all back in de house. Sweep 'is track all back tuh de kitchen, an' let dat stay undah dere, an' dat will bring 'im back.
Entry 5696
If yo' wan' 'em tuh go, yo' don' wan' 'im tuh stay, git choo a table- spoonful of salt, a tablespoon whut dey call cayenne peppah. Git choo a red flannin rag now, an' git saltpeter - woman salt- peter. Yo' know it's two kinds, a she saltpeter an' dere a he saltpeter. Yo' git de she. Take yo' a teaspoonful an' put it dere an' put it - make a li'le. red-flannin sack an' put it down in dere. Well, now if yo' know dis party, yo' watch 'er walk. Yo' count de tracks as dey walk. Yo' count de tracks lak dey 3 right-foot tracks. Yo' jis' take it from de toe. An' take it up, po' it in dat sack. Sew it up. Yo' meet de sun three mawnin's as it rise, an' wet on it. Take it tuh de rivah befo' de rise de fo'th day, an' throw it in dere. Ah don' care where yo' wan' 'em tuh go, dey'll leave dere. Dey can't stay.
(WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "SHE" AND "HE" SALTPETER?)
DE "SHE" IS A LARGE LUMP AN' DE "HE" IS IN LI'LE BITA CRUMBS.
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 5711
Take gunpowdah an' a man track, or a woman track, an' salt, peppah an carry it to a red ants nest on a railroad an' say to it whut chew want done, an' it will be done. (You just put it there, you don't do anything else to it?) Jes' stir it roun' an' TALK TO IT AS YO' STIRRIN' AROUND; an' whut chew want done to it, it will be done. [The place collected and number of informant have temporarily been lost.]
Entry 5729
Jis' lak now if yo' wanta take dey feet track, lak de girl, lak yo' leavin' heah now, dey slip on out de do' an' git chure feet track, an' carry it back in de house an' put it in a box. Go tuh de graveyard roun' about twelve or one a'clock - between twelve an' one. Git tuh some grave where dey dyg a fresh grave, see. An' yo' take it [dirt] an' mix it in wit it [track], an' some table salt.
(Begin right from the beginning. What are you going to do, now?)
Jis' lak yo' be leavin' heah now, [you] step on de groun' an' make a feet track. Take de feet track up on it - in a piece of papah, shingle or anythin' lak dat.
(Either one or both foot tracks?)
From de heel tuh de toe. Den go at one a'clock or twelve a'clock at night - go on tuh de graveyard. Git thirteen han'ful dirt out, if ah ain't mistaken, of a fresh grave. Den when yo' fix tuh leave, yo' see, yo' leave dat one cent in dat grave, in dat hole where yo' dug in de top of it. Den yo' go an' git chew a box of table salt an' mix dat in it. Den yo' go tuh de store an' git chew a box of dat cayenne peppah an' yo' mix dat in it. Den yo' go tuh de drug sto' or some place where yo' buy de sulphuh - aftah yo' git chure box of salt - an' yo mix all of dat in it. Den yo' take it an' yo' go out in woods, somewhere close, where yo' carry dat an' augah [auger] yo' a hole in a tree wit a augah. An' git chew a cork stoppah, yo' undahstan', dat chew drive in dere. Push it in - stove de dirt in de hole, den take de stoppah an' drive it up in dere. IN THREE DAYS HE'LL FALL DEAD.
(What happens?)
He'll eithah die or leave town.
Entry 5747
This is to cross you. You take the right-foot track, you dig that out and turn it over, and fill the hole full of salt and pepper and quicksilver and sulphur and gunpowder. Then you put that foot track back in the hole upside down and tamp it down and make a wish. You do that the same both for a man and a woman, if you want to break them up.
[Berlin, Md., by Ediphone.]
Entry 5759
Now, yo' kin go in de woods an' DERE SOME LI'LE VINES DAT GROWS WHERE A LOTTA ROTTEN WOOD GROWS, STRINGY VINE WIT WORM-LAK HAIDS. YO'VE SEEN DESE KINDA EARTHWORMS WIT NO PAHTIC'LAH Well, dere's a vine grows in rotten wood in de earth, grows'mingled an' tangled wit de rotten wood. Both of 'ems [plant and animal has] got sharp ends. Yo' go an' git some of dat vine.
(What is the vine called?)
AH DON'T KNOW, IT JIS' COME UP IN DAT ROTTEN WOOD. AH RECKON AH WOULD CALL II DE ROTTEN-WOOD VINE, 'CUZ DERE NO OTHAH VINE GROW LAK DAT. [Take] dat vine an' take de same dust outa de instep. In othah words, git dat an' turn de person. Lak de person goin' dataway, yo' take de dirt outa his feet goin' backwards. Ketch it from 'is toes an' take it backward dat way, an' bary dem things aroun' de home. Put a li'le table salt in it. Dere yo' got 'em. Dose three compositions will drive 'em away outa de home.
(That will drive them out of the home.)
Entry 5791
Go tuh de forks of de road, anybody yo' wanta send dem tuh travel or n 'em away from dere. Goes out dere when de wind be blowin'. Take some of 'is track an' red peppah an' salt, an' throw it an' say, "Go, yo' son-of-a-bitch." Dataway. Or yo' kin throw it in some watah. (Or you can throw it into some water and it will do the same thing. Which way do you throw that stuff?) De way yo' want 'im tuh go.
(Well, what about. the wind blowing?)
De wind will blow it de way he want 'em to go.
Entry 5792
Git de feet track meetin' it.
(Pick it up meeting it - that is, they are coming to you.)
Yes. Yo' pick it up on a paddle or yo' know somepin. Pick it up whole. Yo' duap it intuh yo' lef' han'. An' take it on in [house] an' mix black peppah an' salt wit it. An' call yo'[victim's] name three times as yo' mix it. Now, yo' will have tuh take dat fer nine mawnin's an' go out wit de sunup. An' in de evenin's wit de sundown. An' cast it befo' de fo' winds, yo' know, an' put down certain words.
(What words would you put down?)
Ah don' know whut de words are. [There are many examples of these words of dismissal in HOODOO: Go, never return, etc. Often a curse is added.] Now, den, dat will put chew tuh wandahin', run yo' away, or run yo' crazy. Yo' ain' touched [in the head], yo' won' have no mind tuh do nuthin, yo' ain't crazy; [you] jes' wandahin'.
(Restless.)
Entry 5891
Ah heard of 'em takin' table salt an' - if dey take de hair out of a person's haid an' git de dog an' cat bristles an' take table salt an' bury it in de fo'ks of de road, dey say dat will run a person crazy. (That's about the same as you told me at first?) Yes.
Entry 5904
Right in de top of yore haid yo' git a certain stran' - git a stran' out de top of yore haid an' take an' put dat in a bottle. Fix it wit graveyard dirt an' salt an' stop it up, or eithah bury it undah yore do'steps, or else chip off a block on a tree, on de no'th side of de tree an' bury it - put it in dere. Dat will run yo' crazy.
Entry 5930
Yo' take a man if 'is wife quit 'im. See. He kin take piece of 'er hair, git it out de lef' side. Cut a piece off if she got long hair, cut a piece off her plait if she sleep at night - any time he kin git it. He could plant dat piece of hair, see. She ain't gwine 'way. If she in Chicago, she comin' back. Plant dat hair - plant it in 'er house or out do's. Yo' kin plant it in de house wit 'er wall - lak a mantelpiece roun' where dey put de foundation of concrete. Take yo' some cement an' take a little augah an' put dat piece of hair down an' plastah it undah dere. Dat's yore own busi- ness. An' she gonna come dere. Ah don't [care] wherevah she goes, she comin back dere. An' dey do de men in de same way, but if he leaves de house, den yo' write his name or 'er name down on a papah, an' yo' kin put it in a lamp, or put it amdah de candle. Burn it. Dat brings deyself. An' now ah don' care how much dey fussin' in a house or whut dey doin' or how mch dey cut up, take some table salt, jis' de plain table salt, an' throw it on de fiah an' burn it. Dat breaks dat - do's it right now. Ah kin throw it right at 'em - dat ceased. Dey don' have tuh go on fussin'. Dat brings back love an' hy dat hair's planted. When she goes, she comin' back dere.
Entry 5932
I say, dey say dey kin take yore hair, see, jes' a clip of yore hair Octa yore head - I think it's on de lef' side, see - an' take it an' bury it wit some soda an' table salt fo' nine days. An' den dig it up an' sew it in a bag an' wear it. An' what- eah dey say dey wanta to it [whatever they tell the bag they want done], why yo lin be wishin' it. Dey say it'll come true - if dey run yo' crazy or make love Tvhatevah dey desire.
Entry 5955
[Informant speaks about intention, a word rarely used in hoodoo though its presence is everywhere; it being the power behind potive, ritual and desired result. As informant says, the present rite wouldwork eithah way, depending upon intention. Many rites work either Way - see preceding HORSEHAIR. Dey says dat dey could give good luck by taking yore hair an' mixin' it up wit othah ingredients.
(Do you know what the other ingredients are?)
Well, such as salt an' pepper an' common things of dat kind. An' put it into a little bag an' bury it undah de doorstep, an' if dere's no steps to de house, hy close roun' de house, where de person would step ovah dat in an' out of de bouse. An' dey claim dat would eithah - it would work eithah way. It would Sork so as to keep de people livin' in dat house or to move 'em out, whichevah gay dat de intentions were fer it to go. (Well suppose you intended them to stay in, would you have to do anything ex- cra? Say anything or do anything? How would you express your intention?) Well, yo'd express yore intention in dis way, in de same mannah. If yore intention wuz to keep dem in de house, why yo' would do jes' de same, use de sue ingredientses an'.... (You would form your opinion. That determined whether they were to stay or to go.) To stay or to go.
Entry 5990
Dey drive yuh crazy. Yuh kin do good an' yuh kin do bad. Well, dey take dis hair an' dey put it in a bottle, an' put a little salt an' red peppah. Dey write de person's name on dis slip of papah an' put it in de bottle an' stop it up tight. Yuh go tuh runnin' watah an' throw it ovah yuh shouldah backwards into dat watah. An' jis' since dat watah always runnin', why dat person will jis' go an' jis' go. Evah time dey git a place, dey stay a little an' dey not satisfied. Dey'll go ag'in. Finely [finally] dey'll jis' go an' quit.
Entry 6032
Ah've heard of people takin' an' goin' tuh yore house, yo' know, an' gittin' a little bit of each one of 'ems hair an' mixin' it togethah as well as dey could, yo' know, an' puttin' it in a jar or little glass [bottle] or sompin of dat kind, an' puttin' some needles in it an' some salt an' some pins, sulphur an' some cayenne, red pep- pah, an' takin' it out buryin' it undah de steps. An' dat keeps up a quarrel 'tween dem all de time until dey realize it's undah dere an' git it out.
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 6105
If dey git holt of some of yore hair, dey kin take dat hair an' put it in some hot salty watah, yo' undahstan' an' bury it undah yore step wit de bot- tle neck turnt out from - yo' know, from de way yo' come out de house. Well, dat'll cuz yo' tuh have addle brains. If yo' don' fin' it - if it stay undah dere nine days, dat'll cuz yo' tuh have addle brains.
Entry 6107
Dey kin take whut chew call a lock of yore hair, mean a plait, an' put salt an' peppah in hit, an' wrap de same thing up an' put it at chure do' an' bury it. Yo' cain't stay dere, yo' gotta go. Long as dat stays dere an' yo' don't find it, yo'll keep a-travelin', wandah, an' yo' won't nevah stop. Yo' stay awhile an' den yo'll go somewhere else. Yo'll keep a-goin' but yo' won't be at de same place. Wrap it up in a flannen cloth.
Entry 6129
Take a plait out chure haid an' take it an' put salt in it an' black Peppah an' take it an' wear it in de bottom yore shoe. Do dat to make love.
(Do you wear it in either shoe?)
Yes sir an' when ah do it, why everything's all right.
Entry 6152
She kin take his stockin's an' turn 'em wrongsides befo' she wash 'em, yo' see, an' den she kin git some of de hairs of 'is haid an' put dat in dose stockin's an' table salt. It's a common thing dis table salt, an' put ut [it] undah de haid of 'er baid - see, fo' nine nights. An' dat'll stop 'im.
(That is if he is running around with other women - make him stay home.)
Yes sir.
Entry 6176
Take yore hair an' put it into a pint of watah an' put some red peppah an' salt in it an' bury it in de groun' In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' dey'll shure leave de worl'.
(Well, how do you put that water into the ground - won't it run away or what?)
[Evidently it is stopped up in a pint bottle.]
Entry 6191
An' den yo' kin take some hair an' have a hole bo'd in a tree an' take dis hair an' salt an' sulphur an' peppah, red peppah or eithah black peppah, an' stir it togethah an' put it in dis hole in dis tree an' cork it up. That will kill a man.
Entry 6192
Dey kin take dat [see later for meaning of dat] an' put dat in a rag an' wrap it up, an' go to a tree - listen good. Go to a tree an' take a augah, yo' see, an' bo' a hole in de tree. An' take [that] thin' [= thing, the rag holding articles named later] an' slam it right back up in [the bored hole], push all dat stuff up in de tree. An' take dat same thin' w'ut yo' bo' [bored] out dere an' take a peg an' drive it back in dat tree. An' dat jis' kill yuh as daid [dead] as [anything?] in dis worl'.
(What do they put in that tree?)
De dirt off yore feet, an' some yore fingahnail, an' a li'l bit yore hair off yore haid, an' table salt. Dat'll end it up.
Entry 6239
They say you can meet people that go deep into that [work you inquiring about] and involve their whole mind in it. They supposed to can get contact with Satan at the crossroads, but the words that they say in certain ceremonies they go through with, well I don't know that part of it.
[At this point I probably ask how I could protect myself against evil work.]
There are several things you could do to protect yourself, but in protecting yourself you sometimes have to hurt the other party. Now, if a person is going to get, say HOODOOING me, well he's got to make me lose my mind if he possibly can. Well, I can go to another per- son [fortuneteller, rootworker, hoodoo] and I can find out that he's trying to make me lose my mind. Well, I can make him lose his mind before he can make me lose mine, as my only means of protection in that case. Now natchly [naturally] I'm an enemy to this person and I can't get up close to them myself, but if it's a man I can put some woman up to stay with him all night and get just a teeny bit of his hair on the left-hand side of the temple, on the left temple. And we take that hair and write his name on a new piece of paper, and we put that hair with salt and pepper in that paper, and we fold it very tight. Then we go to the woods at the beginning of spring and we bore a hole in a tree, and we take a hammer and nail, and we nail that piece of paper just as far up in the tree as we can - upto Che end Of the naiI. AND THE IDEA IS, WHEN THE SAP RISES THIS PERSON WILL BEGIN TO LOSE THEIR MIND WHEN IT REACHES THAT PAPER, AND WHEN IT GOES COMPLETELY UP TO THE TOP OF THE TREE, THEIR LIVES WILL HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY LOST; AND WHEN DE FALL COMES AND THE SAP GOES DOWN, THEY DIE.
Entry 6261
Dey'll fool roun' an' soon git a scissor [or] somepin an' cut off some of yore hair. Git dat hair an' put nine pins wit it an' some graveyard dirt an' hang it up in a tree. An' in nine days, eight or nine days, yo' loses yore mind. Well, dere's a way tuh stop dat, ef dey git it [your hair] an' yo' ketch de idea dat dey got it [your hair] befo' it's too late, or aftahyo go to de [doctor] an' bring yo' back [how to cure yourself]. Yo' kin go tuh de drag store an' buy dis ole rose watah an' mastah dat rose watah.
(How do you mean master it?)
Yo' kin go tuh de drug store an' buy yo' some old rose watah - smells good - a' yo' mastah it. [Mix it with] a quart of watah an' a teaspoonful of table malt. An' yo' use dat on yore head an' at nighttime. If yo' don't want'a do dat, yo' kin git chew somepin on yo' dat chew kin do without buyin'. Well, yo' arah [urine] penetrates through yo', yo' know. Well, YO' TAKE A PINCH OF SALT A'KETCH YORE WATAH WHILE IT'S HOT AT NIGHT, AN' PUT IT ON YORE HEAD 'FORE YO' 00 TUH BED, AN' ON YORE FACE. WELL, DAT HAIR WILL FALL OUT OF DAT TREE. YeS, su, hit'll fall out of dat tree. Dey run yo' crazy when dey hangs dat up dere. IF SOMEBODY DON'T BE SO BRIGHT, T'S GOIN' STAY UP IN DERE. As long as it stays up in dere, yo'll goin' [lose yoar mind]. [I turned off machine here and had to repeat substance of informant's words S y following statement.] (If you do that at night, then this spell will be turned back on the other person.)
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 6323
Ah've heard dat chew take de hair an' git a lock of hair an' pat salt an' peppah wit it. How yuh wanta know about de hair? (Well, what are you going to do with that hair now, after you put that salt and pepper with it? To harm them some way? All right.) Dat's whut ah wanta know. Ah wanta know did yo' wanta know tuh harn dem or [hrt them].
(Burt them. Either one.)
Well, yuh put salt an' peppah in dat hair, an' den yuh git dat track an' put wit dat, an' den yuh take it an' sew it in a piece of new Sea Island cloth [see later], Sea Island cloth, an' den yuh throw it in de divah. Dat's if yuh want dem tuh not think anythin' about chew atall - jis' don' vorry wit chew, don't chew know, jis' don't bothah yuh. Do dat an' throw it in de rivah an' run dere min' away from yo'.
(You take either track?)
No, yo' take de left track.
(ou want to put all those details in, in telling your story.)
[Sea Island cloth, made from Sea Island cotton (Gossypium barbadense), was so alled because this cotton with an unusually long and silky fiber Was grown on certain islands off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, until the boll wee- lll made its culture unprofitable. If I remember correctly, this (and some in- formant under BAT) is the only occurrence of the term in Hoodoo.]
Entry 6334
Dey git holt of yore hair an' dey take an' dey gits a - put it in a bottle, an' put red peppah, cayenne, an' salt in dere an' yore name, an' stop it up in a bottle. Dat'll make yo' have de headache all de time, an' make yo' feel if yo' ain't satisfied nowhere yo' move. In no time yo' go. Git dat bottle an' throw it. (What do you do with that bottle?) Yo' take an' throw it in de rivah. An' [or] den yo' kin take an' yo' kin put it up ovah 'is do' where [he walks under it] or if yo' [ain't] scared he'll find it dere, if yo' a friend of 'em an' yo' visit 'em, yo' take an' yo' git it in de mattress or undah dat [bed].
Entry 6338
Wal, dey kin take yuh hair. Git 'em on a piece of papah an' wrap it up an' put some salt an' black peppah wit it. Put it in runnin' watah an' yuh got-a git outa dis town. Dat will put chew a-travelin'.
Entry 6349
Dey git de hair from de comb an' dey mix it up wit a little - put some salt in it, de way ah heard it. Now, put salt in it an' sometimes dey puts cham- ber lye in it. Put dat in de chamber lye in de bot- tle. Put dat in de bot- tle - put de chamber lye in it an' put de salt in it an' stop it up. See, an' goes tuh de rivah an' chunk it as de tide goin' out. An' dey chunk it as de tide goin' out, well, about from three tuh five tuh nine days, yore mind will be goin' - goin' till yo' go, an aftah while yo' find yoreself crazy.
Entry 6366
Yo' kin git some of dat woman's hair an' take an' put a halfa teaspoon- ful of salt intuh some watah an' a li'le bit of camphah tuh it, dey says. An' yo' kin shake dat up - de hair an' a li'le bita camphah an' watah an' dat table salt tuhgethah. An' she will leave from where she's at or leave de man she's wit.
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 6390
It's gotta be close frien's tuh git dat. But dey kin take dem fingah- nails an' dose toenails an' dat dead skin off de bottom of yore feet. An' take some dragon blood, see, an' some John de Conkah powdah. It's a powdah an' den it's a root, but chew take de John de Conkah powdah. (Where do you get the powder?) Yo' gits dis powdah from New Orleans. De woman tole me, yassuh. An' take it, dat dragon's blood an' dat John de Conkah, an' take dat dead skin an' dem toenails [and fingernails]. An' if it's possible, yo' kin git a piece of de individual's hair. Now ah'm tellin' yo' a way tuh drive 'em clean on out of town. An' put some cayenne peppah wit dat an' roll it up. An' sprinkle some table salt on it an' roll it up tight, an' burn it graj'ly [gradually]. Don't burn it real fast. Jis' put it in a place where it kinda simble [simmer] all day long. An' den [after] hit git burnt up, de party would git jis' hot-footed, hot-headed to go.
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 6482
Well, yo' kin take a li'le bit of yore dirt from undah yore fingah- nails. Well, yo' git some salt an' git some alcohol, some vinegah - salt, an' put it in a bottle an' shake it up, an' make yo' do jis' lak dey want chew tuh do. (Do you get that dirt from under your fingernails or under mine?) No sir, git 'em from undah yore fingah- nails. Make yo' do jis' lak ah wan' chew tuh do. (Who would do that? Some woman to a man or man to a man? Something of that sort?) Eithah one could do it if dey knew [how]. Jis' lak yo' were mah wife an' yo' runs aroun' an' ah couldn't keep yo' home. Well, ah could git a li'le bit of dat dirt, yo' know, from undah yore fingahnails, an' make yo' do jis' lak ah wanted yo' tuh do.
Entry 6501
An' take de dust an' put it in a glass, an' put some vinegah on it an' salt, an' dat will fix 'em. (What will that do to them? Suppose they took this dust from my fingernail. What would that do to me then?) Dat will make yo' wandahing.
Entry 6580
May water, cayenne pepper, nine pods of pep- per, salt; bathe down and take physic. Live things come out.
Entry 6615
Well, yo' kin take de blood outa scorpion, eithah snake, eithah one, an' put it intuh a person's food In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' dey'll becone tuh have snakes in 'em, or scorpions in 'em. Den if yo' wan' dose outa dere, yo' git chew some salt, red peppah, sulphuh. Combine 'em tuhgethah an' let 'em take it fo' nine mawnin's In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost. An' dat soon will git 'em out.
(Get those live things out?)
Yes sir.
Entry 6705
Ah've heard of de bat an' ah've heard of de frog. (What about the bat?) Well, dey say dat chew take a bat an' yo' git 'is heart, an' yo' keep de heart fo' tuh weah on yore person. But dere some kinda way dey say dat chew put it in alcohol an' dey keep it; but it supposed tuh be in a small bottle an' dey weah it on dey person. Dey take de rest of de bat an' salt 'im down lak yo' would a hide or sompin, yo' unahstan', until he petrifies. An' when yo' tack dat up in yore house somewhere, he [you] have de bat an' de heart. Dat supposed tuh pertec' [protect] yo' from all enemies an' show yo' special favahs [favors] aroun' yore home.
Entry 6746
Yo' take some black peppah an' salt an' sulphur an' a piece of homel spun; put a piece of homespun around it. Take black peppah, salt an' sulphur an~ put it on dat [package] an' as it burns tell it whut chew want it tuh do an' dey won't come back any mo'. Take a piece of new homespun an' cut it nice [demonstrates]. (Cut it round like a cir- cle.) Yes, yo' have tuh cut it out lak a circle. Den as yo' take sulphur, take a pinch of sulphur - sulphur an' salt [and black pepper] an' put it tuhgethah an say, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name of de Holy Ghost, whut chew want it tuh do.
(That will make them stay away.)
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 6814
Well, jis' lak if people has some kinda goofah dust aroun' yo' take salt - cookin' salt - an' sulphuh an' sprinkle it aroun' wit chamber lye. Mix dat tuhgethah an' sprinkle it aroun' in yore house. Dat would kill it.
(Kill off this goofer dust.)
Dat put down fo' yo'.
Entry 6845
Ah hear'd dat vinegah an' salt - take vinegah an' boil it, see, an' a li'le cayenne peppah, a [new] box of cayenne peppah, a five-cent box of cayenne peppah. Put a li'le lahd [lard] in it. Put a li'le, any kinda liniment in it, an' boil it tuhgethah an' strain it. Anint: [anoint] choreself [yourself] wit it. An' IT'S CALLED GRANDPAH LINI- MENT, LINIMENT MADE BY DE IN- DIANS, DE OLDEST LINIMENT EVAH BEEN. CURE RHEUMATISM, ANYTHIN' EVAH SUPPOSE DEY EvAH HAD. It's name is grandpa liniment, de oldest liniment out. An' it's made by a ole puson, an' it's good today. An' AH'VE SEEN DEY TAKEN SCALES OFF PEOPLE FEET LOOK LAK FISH SCALES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE DRAGGED DEM THROUGH FISH BONES AN' GIVE DEM WHISKEY TUH DRINK AN' CUZ SCALES TO COME [IN] DE BODY.
(How do they do that?)
Well, dey take de scales an' grin' dem up, see. Dey put it in whu' choo drink. If yo' lak coffee or tea, or even if yo' lak bread, yo' can't tell it when it look lak powdah. Dey sift it. An' it's in yuh body in a co'se [course] of time when de fish commence tuh 'eelin' [peeling] scales, yuh 'eel [peel] scales on yo' feet - 'eels [peels] de scales on dere body. Yo' know fish shed scales, an' when dey git ready tuh shed scales, yo' shed dem scales on yuh body.
(How did you say you take those scales off?)
Wit grandpah's liniment. [Grandpa's liniment could be the product of a hoodoo drug store or some hoodoo doctor.]
Entry 6906
Git a fresh box of salt, have nevah been used an' a box of red peppah, an' yo' mix a certain amount tuhgethah. Put some aroun' yore do' an' in front of gate an' yo' weah some in yore shoes. An' dat would keep dem from crossin' yuh, if dey wanta put hard luck on yo'.
Entry 6908
Yo' kin weah cayenne peppah, salt an' sulphur in yore shoes, an' yo' kin walk ovah anythin'.
(If you walked over this stuff they planted for you, it wouldn't hurt you then?)
No sir.
Entry 6909
Well, yo' kin put chew some red peppah, nine balls, [I mean] seeds of red peppah. Yo' have de seeds tuh put in dere. Grind dat peppah. Nine drops of spirits of turpentine, halfa tea- spoonfula salt, halfa teaspoonfula sulphur. An' put it in yore shoe an' weah it an' dat will kill dat.
(Anything they put down for you?)
Planted fo' yo'.
(Do you wear this in one or both shoes?)
Yo' kin put it in de shoes, or else if yo' want, yo' kin put it undah de steps, put it all tuhgethah an' bury it undah de steps.
Entry 6910
If dey do sumpin tuh hurt dere ahm [arm] an' it's swollen up or sumpin lak dat, dey could take some vinegah an' put it in a bottle an' some bluestone an' salt an' red peppah, an' jis' keep a-bathin' de ahm, rubbin', an' dat'll more or less cure it in dem. (What causes this swelling in the arm?) It will be jis' lak if dey wan' tuh poison yo' or: sompin, sompin dey puts down, an' yo' go an' put yuh hand on dis. See, dat makes dat stuff go through yuh ahm. It'll keep on a-workin' an' a-workin' till it git intuh yuh body. If [you] start in time - den let 'em take a lot of sulphur. Sulphur's good, too. Jis' take it, put it in yuh han' an' eat it. An' brimstone. Joo kin take a pill of brimstone an' eat dat an' yo' kin eat or drink poison an' it won't hurt choo. See, dat brimstone kills it out.
Entry 6911
An' anybody got anything put down roun' yore place to make yo' - put chew in hard luck, git chew some sulphur, bluestone an' salt - table salt - mix it tuhgethah an' burn it. An' evah uhich way dat chew think it is, if it's in yuh room, why yo' jis' burn it. Yo' kin burn dat any time. Jis' take a teaspoonful or tablespoonful an' mix it up tuhgethah an' set it down in dere an' shet chure room up, shet it up an' let it explore[!] in dere. An' if anything wuz put in dere tuh put chew in hard luck, whenevah yo' burn dat three or fo' times, dat'll do away wit dat.
Entry 6912
An' yo' kin take kerosene an' bluestone an' brimstone an' salt an' rub wit it [the pains caused by conjuration] an' dat'll kill it, too.
Entry 7145
Tell yo' whut dey do wit yore shoes. Lak if yo' go out an' stay out late at night, or sompin lak dat, an' dey wanta keep yo' home. Dey don' wan' chew tuh go out too much at night. Or if yo' layin' down sleepin' an' dey wan chew tuh sleep soun' an' don' wan' chew tuh wake up, take an' put some black peppah an' salt in de shoe, an' turn it bottomside upwards an' put it undah yore bed - both de shoes.
Entry 7184
Take de watah an' sweeten it an' have salt in it an' set it by de bed, an' he'll stay asleep until yo' come back. (You put each of these in a separate thing or?) No, yo' put a little watah in a little bottle eithah a little glass an' set it undah yore bed. Dat'll keep 'im asleep.
Entry 7202
Ah wus goin' wit a girl 'long [along] at dat time an' - well, ah wus engaged tuh marry de girl, an' de boy she wus goin' wit, she tole 'im. He tell 'er, "If yo' don' marry me, "' say, "yo'll nevah do dat othah fellah no good." Well, ah got in a li'le trouble an' ah got on a chain gang fo' six mont's. An' den when ah come back... [I interrupt.]
(Over this girl?)
Yes. Well, he wus livin' wit 'er, see. Ah come back on de 'leven day of March, he wus livin' wit 'er out cheah [here] tuh 'er house. She come tuh me, ah say, "Well, whut chew want?" She says, "Well, ah cain't ha'p [help] mahself." She say, "Ah don' love 'im, ah cain't he'p mahself." Ah say, "Ah don' see how come yo' cain't, yo' goin' wit 'im." Say, "He cain't pake yo' live wit 'im." She say, "Dere somepin othah wrong." Ah says, "Well, ah'll see 'bout dis." Ah jumps an' goes back tuh dis same fellah [in another story] an' tole 'im, ah says, "Heah, '' ah says, "ah has a girl fren' an' she's livin' wit a man, ah'm engaged wit 'er." He say, "Ah knowed all dat." An' he say, "Ah kin git 'haid [ahead] of dat if yo' want." Ah say, "Well, ah would lak fo' yo' tuh do it." Ah say, "How much will dat be?" "Five dollahs, " he says. Cheap. [He says this to me not to the doctor.] He got somepin in a jah [jar], a half-gallon jah, an' he gived me 'bout halfa pint outa dat. An' de way de stuff did look, ah couldn't tell whut i'twas. Dere li'le things jis' about dat long, look lak crawfishes. Well, he give me two drinks outa dat dat day ah wuz dere, an' he put a pint in a bottle. An' he tole me tuh give her a drink of dat fo' nine mawnin's, an' he tole me tuh git a piece of'er step-ins. Yes, ah got a piece of 'er step-ins, an' de sand offa 'er[foot] track, an' take some sulphur, salt an' black peppah an' red cayenne peppah, an' mix it tuhgethah, an' tote it aroun' nex' tuh mah waist. An' he say ah would git 'er back. An' she come back, she quit 'im.
(She quit the other fellow and came back to you?)
She come back tuh me. An' in '37 on de third day of April, she took sick. Well, now, when it came - it started in 'er thumb an' it went from 'er thumb tuh 'er wrist, an' from 'er wrist, in 'er shouldahs. An' ah carried 'er tuh.a doctor [M.D.] an' he says it's de rheumatic rheumatism. Dat's whut de doctor say. He give me some medicine, an' de medicine he give me tuh rub her an' fo' her tuh take, it would do mo' harm den it would good. [Everywhere in Hoodoo we learn that a medical doctor's medicine is useless for hoodoo.] An' it lef' out 'er shouldahs an' it went tuh de bottom of 'er foot, right in de centah [de pam (palm) of the foot it is often called]. An' it lef' from de centah an' it com- mence tuh workin' in de joints. Den ah carried 'er back an' ah said, "Dis medicine didn't do her no good." Ah said, "De misery goin' all ovah 'er." He took a x-ray pichure of 'er an' [it] goin' - nex' she had tuh be cut down undah heah, nex' tuh 'er foot down undah heah [demonstrates].
(Right under her knee?)
Yeah. Ah tole 'im, "Well, ah wouldn't wish fo' her tuh be cut, fo' if she cain't walk now, she nevah will walk if yo' cut 'er undah dere." He say, "Yes, we kin treat 'er, we kin git 'er up." Well ah say, "Ah haven't got no money right now tuh put 'er in de hos'pital." Say, "Yo' kin come down an' see her 'bout once a day." Say, "Dat even much as ah know yo' kin stand." Well, he come down an' he didn't do her no good. An' ah tried Dr. [Somebody]. He didn't do her no good. He jis' tole me - he come out an' say, "Well, ah cain't do her no good. Ah don' know whut's wrong wit 'er." Well, ah jumped up an' went to a place, an' dis fellah tole me.
(Here in town, did you go?)
No, outa town. [Out-of-town doctor] said, "Well, how long has she been sick?" Ah said, "Got 'er down now so she cain't walk." Ah said, "Ah have tuh he'p 'er up an' down jis' lak a baby. She lak a baby." He got sompin. It wus about as large a thing - about lak dat [demonstrates] an' he goes an' looks in it.
(What did it look like?)
It look lak a great big ole glass marble. Marble pichures. Look lak one of dese things yo' call 'roun' de worl'.
(The globe?)
Yes. An' he looked in dat an' he say, "Yeah."
(It was glass though Wasn't it?)
Yes. "Yes, " he [doctor] say, "he got 'er." Ah said ah didn't git 'im [didn't understand what he meant]. He said, "He got 'er through by a drink."
[Suppose we stop here to see what happened.]
[Informant's great big ole marble or round de worl' and my the globe show that the doctor now looks into his crystal ball. Seeing something in the glass he says, "Yeah, " meaning I now understand what happened. To my informant puzzled by the "Yeah, " he explains clearly that the woman had been tricked in a drink. Informant's marble pichures bothered me. I thought these were small pictures a doctor sometimes pasted on the ends of his fingers and held various places against his crystal ball, so that a client looking into the ball could see them! For an example of this tricky, as well as skillful work, see margin title CRYSTAL BALL, p.172. Actually, marble pictures were merely the pictures the doctor could see in the great big ole glass marble!]
[We now return to the doctor's, "He got 'er through by a drink."]
Ah said, "Drinkin' watah?" He said, "Drinkin' likkah." He said, "He [did not] give it tuh 'er - anothah woman give her." An' he said, "Ah'm goin' give yo' some medicine 'cuz it'll take a long time tuh git 'er well, 'cuz she's strong an' weak," say, "it take a long time tuh git 'er up." An' he give me a quart of sompin look lak shoe polish - slick looks to it. Tell me give her dat three times a day.
(Was it liquid?)
Yes. An' he got some - he went out in de hollah of a ole log an' he got nine snails, an' he sont [sent] - give me some money an' tole me go tuh de drug sto' an' git a nickel wuth of Epsom salt an' a bottle of Sloan linament an' a nickel wuth of camphor gum, an' ah come back. Den he put dat stuff on an' he heat it all up tuhgethah - ground it up an' put it in a li'le silver[!] pot an' boil it, an' boil it an' made a liquid outa it. An' he tolt [told] me tuh run 'er [What? See that she urinated?] evah night at nine a'clock when she wus ready tuh go tuh baid. An' take a saucah, a coffee saucah, an' fill it roun' half fulla salt an' slide it undah de baid.
(Why did he do that, did he say?)
Say dat salt would keep down de fevah. An' dat's de only thing got 'er up.
(That helped her?)
Yessuh, got 'er up.
Entry 7221
Well, ah've heard 'em say dat if yo' bootleggin' an' yo' wanta keep de law away from yuh house, yo' git out soon in de mawnin'. Yo' take incense. Yo' kin buy dat, an' yuh burn dat, but here's de nex' thing yo' kin do dat ah suggest dan incense. Yo' kin take an' go tuh work an' git dat dirt whut ah suggest tuh yuh.
(What dirt?)
Soon in de mawnin' dat chew go out an' yo' mix up.
(What dirt?)
De dirt dat chew go an' stand on. Aftah yo' make dis dirt, aftah yo' make it up in a mixture. Yo' understand. All right, an' yo' stand on it, an' yo' reach down an' yo' git some of dat dirt. All right. An' aftah yo' reach some from undah de bottom of yuh feet - dis is whut chew call, whut ah told choo 'bout dose twelve head of dose officials, high offi- cials.
(I see.)
But yo' mus' call twelve high officials in de city which yo' live in - names, yo' mus' call dere names. An' yo' put dis dirt in dis pan an' den yo' brings dis pan back. [Then you] goes tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt outa de graveyard. An' den yo' takes dat salt an' yo' sprinkle dat salt ovah dis dirt. An' as yo take dis dirt soon in de mawnin', den de nex' mawnin' 'fo' de sun rise, yo' go all de way roun' yuh house an' sprinkle dis dirt an' say, "As ah cast dis dirt out, ah wants tuh cast [then call some of those officials' names] from dis groun' dat ah stand on." An' dey won't - yo' won' be worried wit 'em. (Will you tell me that story again - over again - you told in the beginning about standing out in a certain part of the house and calling those names. I don't quite remember that.)
[This was a part of the story told before recording began.]
All right. Here it is. Yo' go tuh de east side of de house - de east side, now - an' yo' dig dis dirt [the dirt upon which you stand]. Yo' make it up jis lak yo' wuz makin' a bread; git it good an' crumbly an' soft, yo' see, an' - but choo mus' stand. Yo' want me tuh show yo' how tuh stand?
(Yes.)
Ah'll show yuh [demonstrates]. See? Yo' mus' - aftah yo' git yuh dirt made up good, an' all, den yo' stand upon it lak dis [demonstrates]. See?
(With your shoes on?)
Wit yuh shoes on.
(I see. All right.)
Yo' stand upon it. An' see, when yo' standin' upon it, yo' supposed tuh be standin' on de high officials' heads, becuz dey comes from dust, accordin' tuh de Bible. An' den yo' reach down an' yo' take... [I interrupt].
(Well, didn't you say something about calling names or something?)
Call twelve of dese names of de high officials in dis town, or in de town yo' live. Ah wouldn't know whut dose names is.
(I see. Well, go on again with the story.)
In de town yo' live, see. Yo' call twelve high officials - rulin' powahs in dat town - an' yo' git dat dirt. An' whenevah yo' gits dat dirt from right undah de bottom - de sole of yuh feet - yo' put it in dis pan. An' den yo' takes dis pan an' yo' goes directly from dere tuh de cemetery an' yo' gits some dirt offa de daid body. An' yo' put dat in dere an' yo' mix it wit dat whut choo got from de east side of yuh house. An' aftah yo' do dat, yo' go tuh de table - tuh yuh table or wherevah yuh salt is - an' yo' git some salt an' put in it. An' yo' po [pour] dat salt in it an' den de nex' mawnin' yo' git up soon 'fo' de daylight, den go out an' yo' throw dis aroun' yuh house an' yo' say, "As ah throw dis salt" - jis' throw it out - "dat good fo' nuthin, aftah he [salt] done losed [lost] his savor, but tuh be trampled undah de feets of men." An' den yo' call some of dose twelve officials, high officials, an' yo' won't need worry.
(I see. He would go away, not make him move.)
Yes, keep from makin' yo' move or keep from any officer [keep any officer away] - anything.
(Keep the officers away?)
Yeah, away from your house.
(Trouble of any kind?)
Dat's trouble of any kind.
(I see.)
Entry 7240
Well, mah sistah got hurt once in 'uh han' [hand]. Also one a [of] mah brothahs got hurt. He [doctor] come tuh de house. Mah daddy went [to Ouincy] an' got 'im. An' he tole fathah, say, "Yo' make me a fiah in de stove." He got nine needles in a li'le bottle of watah. Ah don' know whut else he done tuh 'uh. He say de people's been here [who caused her trouble]. An' fō' many mō' minutes dat thing got tuh boilin'. He says, "Dere's a woman goin' come in, ast yo' tuh give her somepin." He say, "Don' give her nothin. She goin' come in aftah some salt." Dat woman did come dere an' it jis' pō'in' down rain. She come in de rain, an' ast mah daddy fer tuh give her a li'le bit of cookin' salt. He tole 'er, "No, ah'm sorry." "Well, all right, goodbye." An' she went right off in de rain, see. Well now, HE WUS TAKIN' DE SPELL OFFEN MAH SISTAH AN' SHE [visitOr] CARRIED IT RIGHT BACK WIT 'ER. Dat's true. [The preceding story, simply and briefly told, is one of the finest statements in Hoodoo. I consider it a work of black literature, beautiful, saying much with little. Consider those two groups of five words each: it jis' po'in' down rain when the woman arrived, immediately repeated as she come in de rain. Within a few minutes the whole world changed. Before the woman's arrival the rain poured, after her immediate departure the rain fell gently, because she carried it [the spell] right back wit 'er. Remember, the informant is speaking extemporaneously. Try to rewrite this story using the same number of words. The doctor's equipment also amazes me. Nine needles in a small bottle! Yes, the woman was a confede- rate, quite worthy of the doctor. After her request for salt is refused, she answers, Well, all right, goodbye. Simplicity is everywhere, exaggeration no- where. Some day I hope a black Lady Gregory will discover this tale and trans- form it into a vehicle for great black, not white-folks acting.] [For a parallel to the preceding story, see NEVER LEND TO A WITCH, in which the witch also comes to borrow salt (FACI 2nd ed., p.875, story of Germanorigin). In our present hoodoo story we have, not some neighbor dropping in to borrow; but the appearance of the mysterious stranger, an awesome theme as old as history.] [A penciled note of mine on the transcription reads R.D. (= root doctor) near Quincy, Fla.]
Entry 7248
An' so aftah dat ah wus goin' wit a [another] girl an' dis girl quit De: Dat wus about three or four yeahs ago. An' ah went tuh anothah - AH NEVAH BELIEVED IN IT 'FORE, NEVAH BELIEVED NUTHIN ABOUT IT. An' ah neVah think about de girl at all, but dis man caught 'er - [this man] who had cured me. Well, he say, "Yuh girl have quit yuh, havent she?" Ah say, "Yes." He say, "Well, ah kin help yo'." Say, "Do yo' want 'er back?" Ah say, "Yeah." 'Well, '' he say, "yo' give me fō' pieces of silvah." Ah say, "Whut yo' mean by fō' pieces of silvah?' He say, "It gotta be a dime anyway." Say, "It can't be a nickel or anythin' ovah a dollah." Ah give him fo' dimes, but ah ain't payin' no ten-cent tip whutevah. Ah gives 'im dese fō' dimes an' he take de girl's name an' mah name on top, an' wrote it backwards [family name first, then given name] an' tell me tuh put in mah shoe [demonstrates].
(In your left shoe.)
In mah lef' shoe. Ah put it in mah lef' shoe. So ah goes tuh work de nex' mawnin' an' de girl says [this girl where he is] vorkin' on de job - so ah got sick of it, see. It kept on lak dat, an' kept on lak dat, an' kept on lak dat. Dis.[first] girl wus teachin' school. An' so dis girl dat wus teachin' school had gone tuh teachin' school in North Carolina, an' she thought she would go tuh New York an' event'ly [eventually] she'd come back tuh Norfolk aftah livin' in New York fō' a while. Ah really didn't want tuh see her come back. So she did. ["This low voice not at all understandable," says transcriber. Fortunately ve: soon return to the doctor.] So he [doctor] said, "Git me a red onion." Well ah wus a couple of days find- in' a red onion. Went aroun' tuh de market an' evahbody had white onions. Ah couldn't find a red onion. So by an' by ah went tuh de A & P Store an' ah passed an A & P store an' dere wus a delivery truck deliverin', an' ah saw some red onions on dere an' brought one on home. He made me cut it in half. Cut it dis way an' let de two skins on it an' cut dis.
(You cut it from the top to the bottom?)
No, no! Lak [demonstrates] dere's one skin here an' one here, dat way.
(Oh, cut it across.)
Yeah, right 'cross.
(Across the rings.)
So he'd brought some salt an' peppah. Took de salt an' peppah an' dumped a li'le pile of salt an' dumped a li'le pile of peppah, an' he said, "Take nine pinches of de salt an' put it in dis half."
(What did he put in one-half now?)
Put nine pinches of salt in de left half, nine pinches of peppah in de othah half. An' den he gives me a needle. Takes de needle an' stick it up through dis half an' pull dat needle an' take de two onions apart an' make dem tuhgethah, yo' see.
(You sort of pin the two of them together with the needle?)
Sew de onion right back, fix de onion right back so dat de salt an' peppah in it will be tuhgethah. Git a string an' tole me tuh hang it up in de no'th cornah of de wall.
(This needle was threaded with string?)
Yeah, de.onion wus hangin' on de string. Took it dere jis' lak he tole me an' he tole me in fō' day's time she would be back. Well, ah kept it dere, kept it dere fo' fō' days an' she didn't come back. So ah tole him she didn't come. He said tuh give her two mō' days. Ah give her two mō' days an' she didn't come. Ah goes back tuh 'im ag'in. He give me nine pods of red peppah. Yo' know dose red peppahs dat hang down. He give me dem an' a needle an' thread an' tole me tuh tie it, them up tuhgethah.
(These nine pods, did you put the needle through all of them or one?)
Yes, fix dem tuhgethah. Break 'em, yo' know, apart an' den take a needle an' jis' link 'em tuhgethah; yo' know, one on top of de othah. An' he tole me tuh hang it on de same nail wit dat onion. See, [demonstrates] jis' lak dis cornah of de house here is settin' dat way an' dis cornah here is de no'th dataway. An' he tole me tuh hang it in de middle of de house [making a quincunx]. See [demon- strates]. If de house wus settin' dis way, so dat would be de no'th cornah, hang it across.
(The other was hanging in what corner?)
De no'th comah. Cuz [because] she wus in New York. If she wus in de So'th, it would be in de so'th cornah.
(So you hung the peppers in the north corner, too.)
So he tole me in 24 hours she will be dere. An' she come in de nex' train, came right on de nex' train.
(She came?)
Yes sir, right on de nex' train. Ah wus made tuh do dat mahself, but he made me do it mahself - took de onion an' de salt an' peppah. But whut he did aftah dat ah really don' know.
(What did she say when she came? What did she come back for?)
Well, she tole me aftah when she come back dat she jis' couldn't sleep, jis' dreamin' about me all de time, an' diff'ren' things lak dat. But ah nevah let 'er know anything about dat. If ah had continue tuh let it hang dere she would of still been crazy [about me] an' ah had tuh throw dat away so dat she wouldn't be callin' me up on de job an' diff'ren' places lak dat.
(That's a personal experience you've had.)
Well, ah nevah have desert - ah nevah did want 'er tuh leave me no mo'. Co'se ah didn't want 'er too crazy, cuz she would call me up too much. So when she go tuh sleep ah cut a li'le piece of 'er hair off de top of 'er haid an' take some of 'er combin's, or she'd wash 'er comb an' drop a li'le bit of hair dere. So ab buried [this] down 'side of de do'step an' she nevah leave dere.
Entry 7251
If yuh evah wanta cross [the spell] anybody hurt, where somebody done witchcraft 'em - yo' undahstan', yo' don' do did but three times. [In the cure Something must be done or used 3 times.] Now de spirit brought dat tuh me an' ah see de way it works, see. Yo' do dis before sundown. Yo' go out an' any sort of green grass - yo' know whut moody grass is. Yeah dat's dat flat grass, sompin lak ole flat grass dey call moody grass. Chew know whut dat is. An' yo' whut a dog fennel is. All right. Now yo' do dis befo' sundown. Yo' turn yore face to de east right in dat grass an' yo' pull up one bunch. Pull up dat bunch of moody grass, dat flat grass. Yo' pull up dat an' call anybody, jis' anybody yo think what done it. See. Now, if dey ain't did anything tuh yuh, hit goin' give dem good luck; but if dey did sompin tuh yuh, hit goin' back tuh 'em. Ah know dat by experiment. Yo' pull up a bunch of de grass an' call dere name, yo' pull up anothah bunch an' call dey name, yo' pull it up three times an' call dere name [three times] an' say, "Ah wan' chew tuh take yore trouble offa me, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, Name of de Holy Ghost." An' yo' lay it out, see. Yo' dig a li'le trench, lay dat grass in dere an' yo' call dem people name an' talk tuh 'em lak yo' talkin' tuh 'em. Yo' take some red peppah, some cooking salt, yo' put it on it. Yo' pō' jisa li'le bit of kerosene on it an' yo' take an' stick a match tuh it. Put a piece of papah where it will smoke a li'le. See. An' while dat thing burn, yo' continue callin' dere name. So yo' call it nine times an' tell 'em yo' wan' it so. Say, "Ah wan' chew tuh take yore trouble on back, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, Name of de Holy Ghost." An' yo' kivah [cover] dat up an' step ovah it backwards, an' don't look back. An' it ain't goin' be but nine days befo' - if dey did it - dey goin' go down vury sick, an if dey ain't right sharp dey goin' die. But it goin' be offa yo'. See, it will be gone from yo'.
(I see, throws it back on them.)
But chew do dat wit dem green weeds. See dem weeds goin' die an'...
(You do this with that moody grass.)
All right yo' git dat bunch of moody grass, an' den yo' kin git a dog fennel or: any kinda othah green weed.
(What do you do with that other weed?)
Well, yo' jis' call de name, but yo' gotta have dis dog fennel an' dat moody grass. See, yo' gotta work three. Yo' know anything de spirits do is three of it all de time: Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost.
Entry 7258
Now, if ah wanta give yo' a job - [you] come tuh me fer a job. Fer a mattah lak dat, de firs' thing ah'd say tuh [yuh], see mah firs' word tuh yuh, "Have yuh known dis gentleman?" [You answer] "Yes." "Have yuh evah worked fer 'im?" "Yes." "Why did yuh stop?" [Doctor Washington is using the new psychology and business methods floating about in the air about 1937.] Well, he explain tuh yuh. An' while he explain tuh yuh, ah'm gittin' de foundation tuh work on, 'cuz he mighta been workin' ovah in de market an' dere mighta been a fallin' out. Now befō' remarkin' on de fallin', out ah gotta go an' hunt de man whut carry de bone [of contention?] dat where de [trouble?] come from [originally?]. Go back an' search an' den he say, "All right, yuh ali. Well see me tuhmorrah evenin', [or] come back tuhmorrah mawnin' 'tween two and three 'clock. Knock on dō' an' dō' be opened, an' come on in de room an git choo outa baid. An' ah be lookin' fer people an' ah sleep dere all alone, no one but mahself. An' mah street do' an' mah room dō' stay open. Come in dere an' shake me an' ah raise up an' turns ovah an' go on out. When yo' come back, ah say, "Well, have yuh got nine dimes? Dat's whut ah want. Well, git nine. Ah Want 19, firs' an' second half. Dat's all de job. Don't gotta [ask for more] until ah git de man, git de boss right tuh de place ah want. Gotta turn on dis man t'ree [three] times. An' de fot [fourth] time, if ah don't git [him] de t'ree [third time]. All right. Well, do whut yuh could. Now ah might go an' take yuh drawahs. Don't wash de whole, [only] right in de seat. Put 'em in a basin jis' lak dat till dat watah turn black. Wait till it [turn black] now. All right, an' take dat watah in a rag, a cotton rag an' soak it all up in dat rag, an' den use dat watah in de basin an' git it on yuh arm, both sides.
(You Wash your arms?)
All yuh arms. Den take dat same watah, wash it off de rag. Yuh goin' fer de job de second time. Wash yuh face wit it jis' lak dat.
(Won't it smell?)
Yes, it smell. SOME PEOPLE SO CRAZY FER SMELLS.- DAT'S A JOB-JOKE - but do it an' yuh go dere. "Well, Cap [Captain] ah come fer a job dis mawnin'. How about it?" "Ah don' know. Come back latah, ah may see yuh between now an' Monday mawn- in'." "All right, thankee [thank you] sir."
(You salute him with your right hand.)
Yuh salute 'im wit yuh right hand - made de connection - t'ree times. Don't hesitate now. [He] tells yuh, "Ah ain't got nuthin tuh do, but ah'll see yuh maybe 'bout Monday mawnin'. Come back an' ah'll see whut ah kin do fer yuh. Talk tuh yuh surely." "Thankee sir; thankee, sir." Right off dere yuh goes. Come on back wit yuh. Come an' 'is thought wit yuh be. Yuh comin' back an' sleepin'. Yo' go back dere Monday mawnin' an' yo' got de job. Well, whut if yo' bein' treated now, ah wus de person aftah it mahself. Give perfect satisfaction. When yuh come back tuh me, ah done knowed whut ah done wid yuh, wit de watah. Den ah want chew tuh take dat same basin or pan an' git choo some physic salts an' some sulphur. Watch me. Some vaseline, half a bottle of vaseline, an' put about a quart of hot watah in it, an' put 'em intuh a round basin an' fetch yuh. An' wash from yuh navel down. [Here is the magic bath.] Sets de whole body in an' wash from de navel right on troo [through], all troo. An' dat watah turn black. An' den Wash yuh whole haid wit dat all up on yuh arms, all yuh neck an' let it dry. Don't wipe a thing, jis' let it stay on dere an' dry on yuh. Now dat man send fer yuh.
(He'll send for you?)
Dat's right. He'll have de job [for you]. Dat man send fer yuh.
Entry 7325
An' black or red peppah, salt, bluestone. Make dat stuff up an' sprin- kle it down, if yo' done a crime an' yo' Wanta git away. Dey goin' take de blood- hound to git aftah yo'. Git dat graveyard dirt an' dat bluestone an' salt an' stuff an' put it in your shoe. An' anywhere yo' go dat dog'll track yo' till yo' got dat, an' den when yo' got dat he can't track yo' no furthah, yo' see. Yo' see, yo' done hoodooed dat dog. Dat dog come on back. An' he can't go ovah dat cuz it's too strong fo' 'im, yo' see - dat graveyard dirt.
Entry 7338
Ah've seen dis done - pardon me. Ah've seen 'em git some cayenne pep- pah an' put, yo' know, cayenne peppah an' salt, table salt - dey gits real table salt. Put a teaspoonful of cayenne peppah an' a teaspoonful of table salt an' put it into - jes' put it on some papah an' stir it up, yo: know. An' den dey take dat cayenne peppah an' put's it in dey left hand [of] de person dat done some devilment, yo' know dat shot a man - jes' like dey had killed 'im - an' he throws it ovah his left shoul- dah. Throws it ovah his left shouldah, den he walks right on. Don't look back. An' he walks right on an' nobody don't bothah 'im.
(If he had killed a man. So they won't catch him.)
Yassuh, ah've seen dat done.
Entry 7383
Wal, dey say if a man kill a man an' yo' wanta git 'im, all yo' have to do, git 'is - some pieces of 'is clothes. Git a piece of clothes an' put some salt and vinegar ovah it, an' he come an' give up hisself to yo'. Yo' say, "What yo' want?" He say, "Wal, ah jes' like to come to see yo'." Sompin lak dat an' make a argue [argument]. Dat's de man.
(I see. You take the dead man's clothes and put the stuff on it.)
Yeh.
Entry 7600
Dey say - some dey buy thin's tuh make yuh move. Some, dey go in de graveyard an' git thin's tuh make yuh move. Yuh supposed tuh go in de grave yard - now dis is one ah'm gona tell yuh. Yuh supposed tuh go in de graveyard at noon of de day, reach down intuh de bosom [of] any grave dat chew kin reach down, an' git a han'ful of dirt down tuh which yuh think would be tuh de body of dat person, or neahest [nearest] dere heart as yuh could git. Yuh take dat dirt out, den yuh put in two or three pennies. Tell dem dat chew didn't come tuh beg nor tuh borrah [bor- row] yore way, but chew payin' yore Way tuh make such an' such a party move - put 'em tuh movin'. Den yuh place dose pennies in dere an' shut dat hole up. Yuh take dat dirt an' take it home. Put some salt wit dat dirt an' de name of de party an' sprinkle it wherevah dat person is. Dey tell me dat dey can't stay dere.
Entry 7606
Well, yo' go tuh de graveyard roun' about twelve a'clock at night tuh some sinnah's grave or murdahah have been killed [or executed] an' on de side de heart's on yuh put a penny down dere an' git a handful of dat dirt. An' while yo' gittin' yo' usin' a oath. An' yo' bring it back tuh de house an' take it an' put chew salt an' peppah an' sulphur in it an' yuh keep it. Put it in a jar an' anybody dat chew don't like or wheresomevah yo' go at an' yo' wanta start I confusion, yo' Jes' take dat 'long wit chew an' jes' sprinkle it all aroun' as yo' go. Dat will certainly cuz confusion wit yore enemies.
Entry 7652
Dey goes tuh de grave, dey go tuh de haid side, [I mean] on de heart side. So dey tell me. Ah've nevah done it but ah've heard of it. Dey go dere an' dey git dat dirt, come back, an' dey put dat dirt in a li'le bit of sack. An' dey take dat dirt an' mix some othah li'le stuff wit it, a li'le salt an' one t'ing or 'nothah; a li'le sulphur an' diff'ren' t'ings lak dat. Carry it wit yo' an' yo' kin take it an' put it in a place, a dwellin', an' dere's nobody kin git along in dere. An' dey take dat dirt an' dey go aroun' amongst people dat dey're neighbahs, an' see 'em gittin' along, an' throw datdirt all aroun' 'em, dere windah, where de windah's up, or in de do', when dey kin git a chance, or on de do'steps, or in front of de do's an' t'ings, dat choo'll have tuh walk ovah it. An' consequently it cuzes [causes] a confusion an' yo' can't git along wit yoreself or nobody else.
Entry 7657
Yo' kin take salt an' go tuh a graveyard an' git chew some real sinnah, a real sinnah dat chew know dat died. Yo' git some of de dirt off of 'is left side. Git it off 'is left side an' yo' go back tuh dis person house an' yo' git up early one mawnin' 'fore anybody stir. Don't let nobody see yo' do it, an' throw it ovah yo' shouldah three times [demonstrates].
(Over your left shoulder.)
De left shouldah. Take yore right hand and throw it ovah yo' shoulder three times.
(You mix the salt and the graveyard dirt together?)
YesSUh, SALT WILL RAISE 'STURBANCE. AH GUESS YO' KNOW DAT.
Entry 7678
Go tuh de graveyard if yo' wanta do anything; in fac', if yo' want some money, or want yo' a good job. Yo' kin go tuh de graveyard an' yo' kin git chew some dirt from off de grave, but let it be a wicked person. Don't let it be a good person. Try an' let it be a wicked person yo' see. Yo' go dere tuh dat grave an' yo' digs down dere jes' about - well, jes' about a half a foot, an' yo' git some of dat dirt out of dere. Git chew jes' about three good han'fuls lak dat. Take dat on home wit chew. An' yo' take dat an' git chew some red peppah an' some salt an' sulphur an' yo' mix all dat up tuhgethah. Put a li'le bit of it in a piece of flannen cloth an' sew it up. Weah it in yore pocket. Evah mawnin' take a li'le bit 'fo' [before] yo' walk out: "By de help of God on mah journey, ah hope ah'll succeed." Put a li'le bit in de fiah. Evah mawnin', evah time yo' goin' off tuh transact business, yo' know, or anything lak dat, yo' do dat. But chew keep dat dust in yore pocket in dat red flannel. Keep dat in yore pocket an' evah mawnin' when yo' gwine off tuh business, anything yo' wanta 'tend tuh anything yo' vanta do, when yo' do dat it will be a success.
Entry 7684
Yo' go tuh a - if somebody troublin' yo' an' yo' jis' want 'em tuh git in trouble, see. Yo' go tuh a sinnah - yo' gotta know somebody wuz a wicked sinnah an' got killed - yo' see, a gamblah. Yo' go tuh 'is haid an' dig down about wrist deep. An' put three pen- nies dere an' jis' tell it - jis' lak yo' talkin' tuh in - jis' lakyo' know'im, say, "so- an'-so-an'-so, ah wan' chew tuh go tuh Such-an'-such-a-one an' give dem hell, jis' give dem hell. Wham! Fight 'em, make 'em fight. Make 'em kill if it's necessary." An' yo' put de pennies dere. Kivah [cover] de hole up an' go off. Walk off an' nevah look back. Yo' take dat graveyard dirt an' yo' ketch yore dog an' cut some hair off de end of 'is tail, see. All right, yo' ketch chew a ket [cat]. Yo' cut some hair off 'is haid an' 'is tail. An' yo' take dat dog an' cut jis' a li'le bit of hair out 'is fo'haid. Yo' git some of dis urinate, see. All right yo' git yo' some red peppah, table salt, put wit dat. An' yo go by where dem people stay an' jis' tell 'em [dirt and its ingredients] what chew want 'em do wit it. An' throw it.] Don't evah look back, keep goin'. An yo' ain't goin' be a minute off fo' yo' see 'em raisin' Sam [Sam = devil]. Dey goin' move from dere. Aftah while dey goin' move from dat state.
(That is to run them out of there, run them away.)
Dat's tuh run 'em away. Dat's hard tuh ovahcome. Now ah heah'n [heard] a man tell dat an' ah seen it work. See, fo' a fact he used tuh git me tuh go by dere sometime an' throw it dere. Dis ole Doctor Bush.
Entry 7688
Well, dis graveyard dirt, dey say dat'll drive anyone from yer home. Yuh take dat an' mix it wit salt an' some red peppah. An' dey say yo' take dat an' sprinkle it all aroun dese people home as neah tuh de home as yuh kin. An' dey say yuh have tuh talk to all dis stuff dat chew doin' an' say: In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, an' tell it whu' chew wan' it tuh do. An' dey say dat dey be Wantin' tuh leave dere.
Entry 7721
If yo' sellin' likkah an' yo' wanted tuh keep de laws away, go tuh de cemetery an' make de change [of graveboards]. If yo' know dey all names, call dem names; an' if yo' didn't know de names, jes' use de word "of yore enemies" an' make yore wish, In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost. An' bring some of that dirt back wit yo', an' leave three pennies. An' then take it an' mix it wit some salt an' red peppah. Sprinkle some on each side of yore house where dey's goin' tuh come up to dere, an' make yore wish on each side of it, "In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, make dat man stay away."
(That will keep the law away if you are bootlegging?)
Yes sir. Yo' make de changes in dat.
(Change the headboard and the footboard.)
In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost, an' bring some of dat dirt wit yo'. Take it tuh de co'thouse aftah yo' mix it wit salt an' red peppah; take it tuh de co'thouse an' sprinkle it aroun' dere.
Entry 7723
See, yo' 'sposed tuh go tuh de graveyard twelve a'clock at night, an' yo' git dis dirt, an' when yo' start gittin' dis dirt, yo' supposed tuh say, "Dead spirit, ah didn't come tuh rob yore grave, ah came heah fo' luck In de Name of de Father, of de Son an' of de Holy Ghost." An' if yo' put money tuh dat grave or a corn or either some fresh rice, anything, yo' supposed tuh pay dem An' jes' lak if yo' want chure luck changed, yo' go dere in de nighttime at twelve a'clock an' yo' take de haidbo'd an' throw it tuh de feet an' take de feetbo'd an' throw it tuh de haid. An' yo' git dis graveyard dirt an' yo' sup- posed tuh put sulphur in it - supposed tuh put red peppah an' yo' supposed tuh put sompin yo' kin git at de drugsto', but yo' don' specially have tuh have dat, an' salt in it. An' yo' burn dis dirt three times a day. If it's wet yo' put it in de sun an' let it git dry, an' when yo' make yore fiah [fire] it gonna smell funny when it be burnin'. Yo' shet up in a room tuh yo'self an' yo' burn dis heah dirt. An' jes' lak if yo' want - if anothah party livin' next do', yo' want 'em out chure house, yo' burn dat dirt on dose people an' tell 'em dat chew want 'em tuh be out. Yo' know, move out de house. An' burn it three times a day. An' jes' lak if yo' runnin' a joint or anything, an' if no one will visit chure joint much, yo' kin burn dat dirt, an' in about ten minutes time yo'll have a crowd at chure house. An' if it's a woman yo' wants tuh see, an' yo' cain't see her, an' yo' burn dat dirt, dogged if she wouldn't be dere in about five minutes' time.
(You make your wishes when you burn that dirt.)
[This was not a leading question. Somewhere while recording machine had stopped this had been mentioned.] Yeah yo' make yore own wishes In de Name of de Fathah, an' de Son an' de Holy Ghost. (What is the stuff that you would get at the drug store if you wanted to use that and add that to it?) It's sompin, but chew specially [don't] have tuh have dat, becuz ah ain't nevah didn't nuse [use] dat. (You don't have to have it. What is it, if you do want to use it?) [Either no answer or I turn off machine too fast.]
Entry 7812
Yo' kin take graveyard dirt, dat keep anybody from movin' in dis [empty] house. Take graveyard dirt an' salt an' cayenne peppah [3 ingredients] an' mix it tuhgethah an' plant it tuh de fo' cornahs of dis heah [empty] house. Well, yo' nevah take a notion tuh move [into this vacant house, this] keep yore mind off. (You mean you wouldn't move into the house.) Jes' lak ah say, if dey [you] have dis heah [house we are in] an' yo' move out, say fo' instance if yo' don' wan' de man tuh rent it, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' git chew dirt from de worst man's grave yo' knows, a wicked person - some wicked person dat didn't b'long [belong] tuh church or sompin lak dat. Yo' stick a cane [bamboo] down in dere deep, about two feet chew yo' know, an' git up de dirt an' take it out. Put three cents down in dere an' covah de hole up an' bring dat dirt tuh de house. An' mix it up wit salt an' peppah an' put it tuh de fo' cornahs of de house. Ah doubt whethah he'll rent it fo' twelve months. [Our cane, reed or bamboo here is probably genus Arundinaria, species maero- sperma, of the southern U. S. A. The only other American species is A. tecta, a small cane. Informant of course could be referring to one of the foreign bamboos introduced into the U. S. A., but I doubt it.]
Entry 7868
Yo' kin go tuh de graveyard, but it gotta be a certain time; late at night, ah think now, ah dunno. An' yo' go down intuh de middle of de grave, run yore hand down in dere jes' as fer as yo' kin in de middle of dat grave. Yo' bring out some of dat dust, jes' a small amount, don't have tuh have very much of it. An' yo' go back home an' yo' take dis table salt an' mix in wit it. An' lak if yo' wanta come in possession of sompin othah, or Want somebody tuh do sompin dat yo' desire 'em tuh do, take dat dust an' dat table salt an' go an' place it - place it where dey will pass ovah it.
Entry 7874
Yo' want sompin fo' luck or sompin lak dat, take some graveyard dirt. Depend on how much yo' want. Now, yo' don' wanta make a plastah of graveyard dirt fo' no sickness or nuthin. Yo' take a tablespoonful of graveyard dirt an' a tablespoonful of salt an' git chew some bluestone. An' mix dis up in a quart bottle an' use it in 'er room or in a hall where it's private. Now lak if it in yore room, use it in yore room. But yo' gotta git out an' use some out dere too an' not let 'em know nuthin about it.
(What do you do with that after you put it in that bottle?)
Shake it up an' use it jes' lak yo' would perfume, yo' see - jes' lak yo' do perfume. Yo' kin use it on yo'self, go tuh baid an' use it.
[To shake it up, a magic rite, excites the spirit in the bottle to action.]
(What will that do?)
Entry 7875
Well, ah've heard 'em say dat dey go tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt an' bring it back an' git some salt an' peppah an' mix dem wit it. An' come tuh yore house an' have it fixed so dat dey would throw it from yore front do' to de back an' drop a bag of it up undah yore steps, or eithah slip back up dere at night an' bury it up undah yore steps. Dat'll make dem move.
(You say you take this from the front door?)
Yes, where dey come in from de front an' sprinkle it all de way up de steps as dey come. An' have it fixed so dey have dere han' in dere pocket an' have a hole in dere pocket lak dat an' have it so dat it'll be siftin' out as yo' be goin' on. [Hole in the pocket is a coumon trick.] Git up an' ast 'em fo watah, an yo' go on, yo' know wit yore han' in de pocket an' drink de watah. An' go tuh de back do' an' walk out on de po'ch an' sprinkle it, aftah yo' got de watah, aftah yo' done got through drinkin".
(They must take it all through the house?)
Yes, take it all de way through de house.
Entry 7878
If dere anybody in yore house an' yo' wanta git dem out an' yo' ast dem tuh git out an' dey wouldn't git out. Well, yo' jis' take yo' some graveyard dirt an' red peppah an' salt an' burn it all. An' make a good fiah an' put it right up on top of de stove, an' let it burn an' don't have no mo' worry den. Git dem away.
Entry 7881
Dey could send yo' away wit graveyard dust. Git some cayenne peppah dat hasn't been used an' fresh table salt an' mix it wit graveyard dust, an' make a wish an' throw it de Way yo' live. Dat'll run yo' away.
Entry 7882
Yo' may take graveyard dirt an' go tuh someone's house dat chew don' lak, an' take cayenne peppah, black peppah an' table salt, an' run people from home. (What would you do with this powder and all this mixture then?) Mix it all up tuhgethah an' throw it aroun' de house an' throw it up on de po'ch, or carry it in de house if yo' kin git it in there, an' dey will leave.
The informant names graveyard dirt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and table salt in a mixture placed around, on or conditionally inside a house. Departure is reported by the informant; the interviewer asks about placement.
Entry 7885
Go tuh a graveyard an' git graveyard dirt an' mix salt wit it an' whut's dis dey call some kinda sulphur.
(Sulphur?)
An' jes' sprinkle it round in de house and sprinkle it de way dey want chew tuh go. Sprinkle it all de way through de house. Well, dey gits chure track an' take it an' wrap it up in somepin - a cloth - put graveyard dirt wit it an' if dey goin' down to runnin' watah, throw it down in runnin' watah. (These are two different ways of making you move?) Yes. An' dey take an aig an' write chure name on de side of it an' throw it cross yore house an' break it: if it breaks cross dere, yo' gotta move; if it don't yo' git sick. If somebody [root man] don't do somepin fo' yo', yo' liable tuh die.
The informant reports two dirt-related ways to make someone move: a graveyard-dirt mixture scattered in a house, and a track wrapped with graveyard dirt and cast into running water. A subsequent named-egg rite is separate and does not establish dirt use there. Departure, illness and death remain reported claims.
Entry 7899
Well, graveyard dirt - yo' jis' take graveyard dirt an' yo' take it up, an' jis' put chew some salt in dere, an' jis' git chew a li'le nail, jis' a li'le nail, not nuthin tuh hurt, jis' a li'le nail wit dis graveyard dirt. An' yo' put it inside of de stove an' den yo' let it [graveyard dirt and salt] git hard, jis' hard. An' den yo' jis' powdah it in de bottom of yuh shoe. [The nail of course does not powder, it merely being a magic object completing 3 ingredients.] Dat makes yo' lucky. Git hard lak a powdah an' den jis' weah it in de bottom of yuh shoe. Jis' sprinkle it [in your shoe]. An' den sometime yo' put talcum powdah wit it.
(What do you put talcum powder in it for?)
Well, dat makes it lucky.
(How do you get the talcum powder?)
How git it? Buy it. [A good answer!]
Entry 7903
Jes' lak ah told yo' 'bout de [grave- yard] dirt. Dey put dat in it or dey put de salt in dat sock, dat dirty sock, an' dey'll also bury it. An' dat also will keep yo' away, a wife from goin' off anywhere.
Entry 7921
Take chamber lye an' graveyard dirt an' mix it de same as ah jes' tole yo' while ago, an' jes' keep it all roun' de house. That will keep de law away. Dat chamber lye wit de graveyard dirt an' de peppah an' salt. ah wuz tellin yo' 'bout jes' awhile ago. (That will keep the law away?) Dat keeps de law away.
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 8140
Take dey photograph an' git dis gunpowdah out of a shell, wit sulphuh an' salt, an' go out in de field or in de house, wherevah yo' want to. Co'se de gunpowdah makes sech a noise. Yo' kin put dis pichure face down on dis an' make a fiah undah it. (Face down on what?) On de fiah. See, yo' make a fiah an' den yo' put dis pichure face down on a piece of papah wit de gunpowdah an' sulphuh, an' salt an' graveyard dirt. Tell it dat, "Ah want chew tuh run dis person away. Ah want chew tuh kill 'em." But mos'ly tuh kill de person. When de fiah ketch on de pichure, it will kill de person.
Entry 8229
Tuh break up a home, well yo' kin take gunpowdah.
(How would you use that?)
Well yo' would take de gunpowdah an' yo' draw a pichure lak it's fo' two peo- ple. Yo' draw 'em jis' lak dey goin' tuh fight - yo' know how chil'ren kin draw funny pichures - jis' lak dey goin' tuh fight. Yo' takes de gunpowdah an' nine pinches of salt, an' nine pinches of red peppah, an' yo' put it in de stove an' make yure wishes. An' dat breaks 'em up. (Well, what do you do with the picture then?) Well, yo' take de pichure perhaps an' stand it on de head an' put it in a dark closet.
(No, this picture that you draw. What do you do with that?)
Oh, what you drew. Yo' burns dat. Yo' writes dere names on dis papah. Yo' draws on a plain piece of white papah, den yo' takes dis pichure, de man's havin' a fight, yo' puts de gunpowdah in dere, nine pinches, nine pinches of salt, an' nine pinches of cayenne peppah, red peppah. An' den yo' put it in de stove fo' nine mawnin's.
(I see, you put the stuff into the picture?)
Yeah.
(You have to draw that thing nine times?)
Uh-huh. Yo' don't have tuh draw it zactly [exactly] lak 'em, but yo' draw it lak a man if yo' kin or do it lak a woman, see.
(Well, do you do that over again and again?)
Ovah ag'in fer nine mawnin's.
Entry 8246
(If a man leaves his wife, how would she make him come back?) Make him come back?
(How would the woman make him come back?)
Well, dey kin go buy a box of salt an' take his pichure. Take dat pichure an' de box of salt an' put dat pichure head foremost - put de head down an' feet up - dat [feet] on top, de top of 'is feet in dere. See, dis side up. An' aftah it set in dere nine days, yo' take dat salt off. Take dat pichure, aftah he come - soon as he come home - take dat pichure an' put it up. If yo' wan' tuh make him come quick, take dat pichure an' put it in a li'le frame, an' put it close tuh de stove, an' keep a fiah in dat stove. An' den, if yo' want's it hot, den yo' sprinkle peppah on de bottom part of dat pichure. I heah sometime dey put....
Entry 8308
Well, dere sev'ral things dat chew kin do wit dat. Now yo' kin take a person's - now lak if a person is off an' yo' wanta draw dem tuh yo' wit dere photograph. Yo' kin take dat pichure an' yo' kin turn it - it will show yo' see. Yo' kin take dat pichure lak dis tuh de east part of de world - yo' kin take dat pichure an' turn de face of it lak dat [demonstrates] in de dark. (The face to the east?) To de east. See [demon- strates] lak dis is de face here. Yo' do dat, see, lak, an' let it be in de east part, an' let de face be towards dat way. An' nine mawnin's yo' go tuh dat pi- chure an' lak, if yo' face de haid up dere, yo' go tuh it lak dis [demonstrates and talks].
(Have that part upside down, turn it upside down and talk to it.)
Talk tuh it.
[Informant demonstrates while I describe demonstration.]
(Now this picture is upward on the mantel [of the interviewing room], but the face is against the wall facing to the east and the head is up. When you go there these nine mornings, you pick up the picture and just turn it back so that YOU ARE TALKING TO THE FELLOW WHOSE HEAD IS UPSIDE DOWN. ALL RIGHT, NOW, WHAT DO YOU SAY?) Well, now, yo' call 'im by his name.
(You call this picture by his name.)
Jis' lak, fo' instance, say his name is John. Yo' jis' take his pichure up an' say, "John, ah mean fo' yo' tuh come home, '' say, "yo' heard me talkin' tuh yo'. Come home, In de Name of de Lord." See, an' if yo' use a holy name, why yo' kin call, CALL DAT HOLY SPIRIT'S NAME, yo' See, SUCH AS JACK OR WHATEVAH SPIRIT NAME YO' USE. Call it dat way. When, if yo' not dealin' wit de spirits, why den yo' call 'im [the man]. Jis' call 'im, say, "John, ' say, "ah mean fo' yo' tuh come home." Say, "Yo' know ah want chew tuh come home. Ah mean fo' yo' tuh come. Yo' heerd me callin' yo'. Come home!" See, an' talk tuh 'im dat Way. Turn it [photo] an' leave back up dere; but do dat as early as yo' kin in de mawnin' 'fore twelve aclock, see. An' if yo' don't ketch it in de mawnin' 'fore twelve aclock, den yo' ketch it at nine aclock at night or eithah right aftah twelve at night.
(And you say you do this for nine days?)
Yes sir, fo' nine days.
(And that will bring him back?)
Dat'll bring 'im back. An' den again yo' kin use salt, jis' common cookin' salt tuh bring a person back whatevah direction. If yo' know whatevah direction de party is in - say, north, east or south - whatevah direction, yo' kin jis' take a li'le pinch of salt an' go tuh de do' in de yard where yo' kin throw it. All right, throw it in dat direction an' call 'em by dere name. An' call 'em in dat way an' dey'll git so restless an' uneasy, an' dere mind will jis' git on dat place where yo' want 'em tuh come, cuz dey'll have tuh come.
Entry 8312
Dey kin take yore photograph, lak it be a li'le small pichure, an' take some - if dey Wanta hurt cha, dey kin hurt cha wit yore photograph. An' den dey kin bring yuh home tuh dem wit de photograph. But de way dey hurt chew wit de photograph, dey take de photograph an' dig a hole an' put it down in de hole. Bury it an' about five inches down in de ground, an' put salt an' peppah on it, cayenne peppah, dis here pulvahized cayenne peppah an' saltpetah [3 ingredients]. An' bury dat down in dere an' dat will make yuh git down sick, jes' on a drag. An' de mo' dat photograph rot, de mo' closah tuh de grave yo' will be goin'; an' aftah de photograph rots, yo' will be daid.
Entry 8458
Yes, ah've heard 'em tell of dat. Lak if yo' got dey pitchure an' yo' wanta git rid of a man, want 'im tuh leave or somepin lak dat, yo' take dis pitchure an' yo' cut it up. Jes' take an' cut it up in fine pieces. Take an' cut it up in a jumple. Well, yo' take an' fix yo' a kinda a li'le sack, kinda lak a woman has fo' change - keeps a li'le money sack about dat long an' it got a zippah on it. Dey take dat pitchure an' dey chip it up fine an' take yo' some salt an' jes' mash it on dere. Sprinkle dat salt intuh dat pitchure. An' den take yo' some sulphuh an' put dat sulphuh intuh it. Den yo' take an' put dis zippah on dere an' tie it up good an' tight. Well, yo' leave home, ah reckin, 'bout twelve aclock, jes' long as it round midnight on a dark, cloudy night. When yo' leave dere, go right straight tuh a stream of strong runnin' watah. An' yo' take dis zippah [sack] whut dis pitchure an' stuff is in, an' yo' take yore pocket han'ke'- chef an' yo' blindfold yo'self. an' den yo' throw it right in dat stream of run- nin' watah. An' dat's de way yo' git rid of 'em.
(That's to get rid of them. That means to run them away, send them away?)
Dat's right, tuh drive 'em outa dere.
Entry 8518
Now when a man and a woman are together and some other party wants them completely separated for good, wants to break them up completely, they buy them a new cocoanut. And they punch the three eyes out of that cocoanut and leave the milk in. And they write those two peoples' names the same as they do when they're going to the crossroads ["they'll write the man's name nine times and then they write the woman's crossing nine times" - from the same cylinder, 1574:3 somewhere in text]. And cross each other and they curse them for everything they can think of, and they fold that paper tight and stick it down in the hole of that cocoanut. Then they put anything that purges, like Epsom salts, or black draught. And they put pepper sauce in there, something very hot - pepper sauce and red peppers. And they put salt in there and saltpeter. And they write those two persons' names across each other, like this, on three separate pieces of paper, and fill the eyes of that cocoa- nut. And then at 12 o'clock at night they go to the river and throw it over their left shoulder. And if that black draught and that different stuff in that cocoanut begin to work, you know when it gets stale.it'll work, those two people begin fussing and fighting, and within a period of nine days they're absolutely separated. And there's a whole lot in that. [Memphis, Tenn., (973), 1574:5.] Those cocoanuts.
(Different from what you told me?)
Yes, just a little different. They use gunpowder instead of the salt and pepper and stuff like that. That makes people mean and drift and they can't have any luck at anything at all they do. [This woman is marked excellent pro- fessional. She was from Shreveport, La.] [Memphis, Tenn., (973), 1577:2. The first reference for this rite Was given in the text.]
Entry 8626
What other way they say they can do?
(Yes.)
They can take your name and write it nine times and write the landlord's name nine times on top of your name. Then they takes a lemon, and they gets graveyard dust, Epsom salts, red pepper, black pepper, plain salt and takes a lemon and hulls it out and puts that name down in there and bury it in de ground de butt end up, an' when that name rots, that landlord will put yo' out.
(I see, the landlord will put me out?)
Yes. Yo' an' 'im fall.out. (Now, you say - you write my name nine times in a row, then you write the landlord's name?) Across it.
(You turn it like that [I demonstrate] and cross it?)
Cross it.
(You cross it like that or just write over it?)
No, over it but cross it.
(Oh, you cross it. You turn the paper upside down and write across it?)
[Names are on same line but upside down.]
Yes.
(Well, why do you put his name on top of mine?)
To make him fall out wit yo':
(Oh, I see.)
Entry 8628
A lemon is a sour thing, 'vided [provided] whut chew wanta do wit it. Yo' take dis lemon an' yo' take all de fillin' out of it, an' yo' fill it up fulla salt, table salt. An' yo' carry it to a crossroad an' den yo' call dis indivi- dual's name. If it's three or fo' [times] it makes no difference how many it is. Yo' call dere name de third time In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost. An' den mention whut cheW want tuh be done. An' den turn yore back on it an' GO ON BACK [HOME] AN' TRUST IN DE LORD. It'll be done.
(What do you do with that lemon out there at the crossroad?)
Yo' leave it dere, jes' leave it dere. Don't chew pick it up at all.
Entry 8638
Yo' take his [murderer's] name an' write it down nine times, de party dat did de killin'. Yo' write it [murdered man's name] down nine times across his [murderer'sl name. An] den yo' stick dis into a lemon. On top of dis lemon yo' put a spoonful of salt, an' yo' bury dis at de place where he committed de crime, an' he won't leave. [This rite could have been placed under subsection (2) HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT, p.3258f. A lemon rite at this date in Washington, D. C., merely means that our informant, Doctor Sims, had come from New Orleans. For some of his material, see Nos.23,532,2091, and especially margin title IT'S A GIFT ETC., No.2742, p.746f.]
Entry 8643
Hullin' dat lemon out, an' puttin' de partchment papah in dere wit de party's name on dat, an' puttin' some red pep- pah, salt, black peppah, sewin' it up an' buryin' it anywhere in de soil, or else tro' it in de rivah." Dat break up any party dat livin' togethah in comfort.
(That is to break up a man and woman?)
Yes.
Entry 8655
They use bluestone into a lemon, an' salt, black pepper, an' cayenne pepper, an' the woman's an' man's name, an' throw it in the river. That makes them drift. (You put this all inside the lemon?) Yes, sir.
Entry 8701
Put some salt in there an' bluestone an' yore name mixed wit it. An' tie it up an' put de [Red Devil] lye over it an' set it afiah. Yo' burn a whole can of lye. Dey take dat an' run people crazy with it.
Entry 8714
Well, yo' take her name an' yo' write her name down three times. Yo' write yore name three times. Yo' want her now, yo' want her. (Now where would I write my name?) Yo' write her name here first [demonstrates]. Put chure name heah [underneath]. Yo' Yo' write her name heah an' put chure name in dere. Yo' write it three of each, three of each. An' yo' take den an' yo' sprinkle a li'le salt an' a li'le sugah on dis, white sugah. De sugah tuh sweeten it. Salt saves it an' sugah sweetens it. An' sprinkle dat. Yo' put dat on top of a heater an' yo' let dat brown. When yo' let dat brown, her mind will come to yo'. Dat sveetness of dat sugah will sweeten her mind tuhwards yo'. Yo' git 'er. Well, now, if yo' wanta jes', say, carry her off from where she stayin' or make confusion ovah dere first, yo' put red peppah, sulphur an' gunpowdah on dere. Put 'er husban' name or whosomevah man she got, yo' put dat on dere. Dat's tuh confuse dem. Den when yo' confuse 'em, yo' got 'em. Den yo' put dat sugah on dere to sweeten, an' dat salt to save 'er fo' yo'. Yo' put dat on dere tuh bring 'er tuh yo'.
Entry 8717
Well, de socks, yo' take de man's socks but yo' don' have tuh nuse
[use] all of it if yo' don' wan' tuh. Yo' write his name down an' yo' [lay]
dose nine needles, de goldhead needles, an' yo' roll dat sock up. But chew put de cayenne peppah in dat name - de salt an' cayenne peppah in dat. An' to take an' nuse yore cross- in' yo' cross 'em up in dat. An' aftah yo' cross 'em up, yo' take dat an' yo' put it in dat sock. An' yo' roll it an' yo' take de pins an' yo' stick 'em, but evah time yo' stick 'em yo' cross dem. An' dat - dat part would make de man, if yo' want tuh keep de man at chure house, tuh always [stay there] when yo' bury. But yo' don' have tuh bury it all de time. Yo' could jis' put it ovah a joice [joist] somewhere. [Burying the sock could be a nuisance, if you wanted to get rid of the man later; but I suppose the sock could be dug up.]
Entry 8800
If yo' got a purtty han'writin' an' a person don't lak it, an' if dey get a holda yore writin', dey'll take yuh writin' an' burn it up wit cayenne peppah an' salt, an' dat'll get choo nervous in yuh writin', yo' know, when yo' start tuh write, an' yo' can't write a nice decent hand as yo' once did, yo' know, cuz yo' can't hold it [pencil or pen] level.
Entry 8820
Well, we could take yore han'writin' an' put it ovah a lamp an' git it black wit de lamp an' burn it in sulphah. Put a little lye wit it, yo' undah- stan'. Take it an' burn it at all fo' cornahs. See, yo' take dat salt an' sulphah an' wipe it off aftah yo' put it on papah an burn it at de fo' cornahs an' mail it back tuh yo'. An' dat'll give yore arm a tremble, a tremble all in yore han', an' dere ain't a way in de worl' tuh git ovah it.
Entry 8831
And they knows yore handwritin' - get holt of it, dey can.
(What will they do?)
Well, dey will take dat han'writin' an' dey kin cross-write yore han'writin', yo' see, so ah'm told. Cross-write yore han'writin', jes' like yo' write a lettah straight; well, now, dey'll go 'cross it.
(I'll write it straight?)
Straight, an' dey'll turn it [the paper upside down] an' go across it. (I see, just cross it - just turn the paper around and cross it.) Cross it, see. Dey turn de Papah aroun' an' cross it. Well, when dey cross it, den dey'll fold dat papah differently, yo' see. An' dey'll puts it in a draw, draw it with heat or watah, see. An' aftah drawin' it with heat or watah; de sweat from dat papah is what dey uses, yo' see. Well, if dey use dat sweat, dey got yore han' jes' de same, yo' see. An' dey put it in a bottle an' use it, cause yore han' tuh swell up. Dey put salt, peppah an' alum in it an' dey'll lay it in a place undah de step, an' it will cause yore hand to swell.
Entry 9028
[This rite could also have been indexed under many blowing breath ex- amples in Hoodoo.] Yo' take dirt daubah nest. Yo' kin be in jail. Ah've done done dis. Yo' kin be in jail an' yo' kin git chew a piece of dirt daubah nest, but don't let it fall. [This is one of those don't-let-it-touch-the- ground rites.] If it fall, don't chew bothah wit it. Cheo git dat [nest] chureself. Yo' mix it up wit table salt an build yo' a li'le fiah, an' yo' burn it as de people do in ole ancient time, sacrificin', In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost. An' make yore wishes fo' whatevah yo' want tuh be done. An' yo' keep a-blowin', an' evah time yo' blow, say, God de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost till words 'mount tuh nine times. An' evah time it'll be yore way. An' if things ain't yore way, evah time yo' burn it, if things ain't zactly, yo' burn it ovah ag'in an' keep a-burnin' it ovah ag'in till things come zactly yore way.
(This is in a court case, you say?)
Yes sir. [For the mystery, awe and magic concerning the dirt dauber nest, See especially the interview, 'TOMB OF DE BABE OF BETHLEHEM," pp.1325-1335, v.2J
Entry 9111
[The red onion is one of the well-known objects in hoodoo, having been inherited from folk medicine as well as what passed for the scientific medicine of the day. A few examples of its use will be found in margin title ONION, Pp.622-626, v.1. 0n p.625, line 6f., I find a note of my own: 'Red onion - like red flannel ball or (red) bag for hands - symbolizes the human heart." Where that came from I no longer remember. Perhaps an informant in Hoodoo says it. Since the rite about to be given is a squeezing rite (another type of magic often ignored and unindexed), see No.2188, p.625, for another red onion squeezed in court.] If yo' goin' up befo' de judge an' yo' don' want de judge tuh put no sentence on yuh atall, yo' wanta come cleah of whut chew done. Git chew a red onion an' yo' cut a roun' hole in dere, cut a roun' hole in dat onion. An' aftah cuttin' de hole in dat onion, yo' take yo' some salt an' full it up, full dem holes wit dat salt.
(How many holes?)
Fo' [demonstrates]: one heah, one dere, one dere, an' one dere - de fo' holes. An' evahone dat yo' thinks ag'inst chew, yo' take yo' pins - stickpins [ordinary pins], an' evahone yo' learn ag'inst chew, call dere name an' punch it down in dere. Evahone yo' thinks ag'ins' chew, call dere name, "By de he'p [of God] ah wan' chew tuh git me off." Do dat in de mawnin' or any time in de day, jes' put 'im down in dere. Put 'im down in dere, evahone yo' think ag'ins' yuh, jes' stick 'em down in dat onion. An' aftah stickin' 'em in dat onion, take dat onion an' take an' put it in yore pocket. But be sure tuh hold it [keep your hand on it]. Jes' lak yo' put dese pins down in dere, be sure tuh hold it in yore han's jes' lak dat [demonstrates] jes' dat-a-way. (Bring your fingers over the top of the onion, and have the heads of the pins under them.) Yes, dat's right. Keep it in yore pocket. Keep it tight an' he can't do anything wit chew. He'll turn yo' loose.
Entry 9119
(1) Dey could git a big sage leaf an' write de Ten Commandment on dat sage leaf an' take it tuh de co't an' yo' make out anybody dere an' jes' throw it. (2) Eithah yo' could take a red onion an' split it in fo' parts an' sprinkle salt in it an' carry it in yore pocket han'ke'- ch'ef, an' whilst in dere, blow yore breath once in awhile. (3) Or eithah yo' kin take a [silver] ten cents an' put it undah yore tongue an' hold it dere, an' dat will make de party dat's against yo', 'sturbed [dis- turbed].
Entry 9133
Yo' go an' yo' git twelve green sage leaves, an' yo' write de twelve apostles on dose green sage leaves, an' yo' put dose green sage leaves in de bottom of yore shoe. Den yo' take two red onions an' yo' jes' make a hole in dose red onions, an' yo' stuff dose red onions wit salt an sugah, an' yo' wind dat nine times. An' yo' put one in each pocket an' while yo' are tryin' [being tried] yo' squeeze dose onions. Dey say yo' can't convict a man dat way.
(That's if they have any court case?)
Yes.
Entry 9138
Well, now de best ah learned about a case in co't, dey had me in fo' gamblin'. Ah goes up dere dat mawnin' - ah wus out on a bond - taken up some salt an' throw it fo' diff'ren' ways an' den goes out. [You] say, evah time yo' throw it... [cylinder changed]. (You throw that four different Ways in the courthouse. All right.) Right in de fo' cornahs, an' say, "Bring peace out of confusion." Go in de othah cornah, "Bring peace out of confusion." Ovah dere, "Bring peace out of confusion." [Informant forgets fourth corner.] Take some of dat an' throw some on de judge's seat, an' on de grand jury stand. Two tuh one, dey'll turn yo' loose.
Entry 9139
Yo' kin say dat [see incantation later] whenevah yo's [you is] in trou- ble or anythin'. Now, lak yo' git in trouble or somepin, go befo' dat judge an' nobody be on yuh side, yo' know, tuh see dat chew come out. Yo' jis' take dat salt befo' - if yo' git out on bond, yo' know - befo' yo' go tuh co't. Yo' say, "Fo'sake [forsake] ebahbody in de worl' but me. In de Name of de Fathah an' de Son [an' de Holy Ghost], Who made us all." An' drop dat salt on de fiah. [A note of mine reads, "Light re- cording because informant had gone over to fireplace to demonstrate." I remember this young woman quite well. At one point she went hopping about the room with an imaginary broom sweeping someone into jail. This should be recorded some- where. Another note of mine on the original transcription reads, "For this com- plete salt rite, given by the same informant and used by a woman to draw some man to her, see No." (Missing). I just took time out to search for the missing reference and found it! No.2271, p.641-642, is quite a rite! Fortunately my comments were made several days after the original recording.]
Entry 9143
Dey git chew up when yo' goin' 'fore de judge, yo' set right down 'fore de judge, yo' set right down 'fore de judge dere an' yo' goin' be tried tuhmah- rah. Ah nevah did tell yo' all about dis, it's a secret. Dey goin' try yuh. All right, yo' understan', yo' go tuh work an' git chew some black peppah an' put it in yore pockets; an' git chew some sul- phuh an' salt tuhgethah, an' put dat in yore pockets. Dat so it will be a hot case an' git 'em all tangled up. Undahstan'? Jes' hot as dat stuff in yore pocket, de hottah de case will be; but it all will be in yore favahs [in your favor]. Evah time it will be in yore favahs, yo' see. Well, den, when yo' git ready tuh leave home - yo' goin' be tried tuhday - yo' leave home. Yo' tell yuh wife, undahstan', or yore brothah, whoevah it is, be sure tuh git one of yore left foot of yore ole shoes - de ole shoes, not a new one. One dat's throwed aside, yo' undahstan'. An' yo' gotta tell dem whut tuh do. [I] says, when ah git offen de do'steps, ah tells mah daughtah or what- evah [whoever], says, dey chunk it as hard as dey kin. Hit me in de back. An' ah don' look back an' ah laugh. Hit me right in de back wlt it, wit dat shoe. Well, dey take dat ole shoe an' yo' goin' out dere an' WHAM! Don't chew look back, go right on. Now, if dey don' git de case dismissed...
Entry 9167
If yo' had a case an' yo' gotta go befo' de judge, befo' yo' go tuh bed at night, yo' kin take yore watah, take yore chamber lye, an' stop it up in a bottle. An' yo' gotta go tuh co't tuhmahrah - we'll say tuhmahrah. Well, yo' do dis three days befo' yo' gotta go tuh co't. Stop it up in a bottle an' when yo' stop it up in dere, put black peppah an' salt in it. An' when yo' go tuh de co'thouse have a cork stoppah in it. Don't have no top on it, no hard top on it. Have a cork in it. When yo' git dere, jis' sprinkle it round in de co'thouse, an' de p'lice won' appeah up on yo' an' de judge won't be dere. Some of 'em gotta be dismissed, de' goin' be sick.
Entry 9168
I heard dey takes some salt and pepper and mix it together, and carry it in court; or either wash dere face in chamber lye and throw it over your left shoulder, before you go down in court to be tried. (That will help you out?) Yeah, that will help you out. [One of many examples in tert showing interviewer and informant repeating each other's words.]
Entry 9203
Yes sir, yo' kin take sulphuh an' de aig an' table salt an' some kinda perfume. Ah doesn't know whut kinda perfume dey use intuh it, but dey git it from de drug sto'. Dey say it's lucky perfume. Yo' kin take dat perfume yo' see an' po' dat perfume in [on] dat aig but yo' jes' wrap dat aig up in de sulphuh an' de salt, an' put it undah de do'step. Dat brings 'em back.
(Well, do you do anything with that egg, write their name on it or anything?)
[I am not asking a leading question here but trying to make informant repeat what had already been said. A note of mine on the original manuscript reads: This was explained in egg rite C688:14 (informant's rite preceding this one) which I am unable to find at the moment. It may be that C688:14 was discarded, everything being in present rite, or it may turn up in the printed text.] Yes sir, yo' write de name on it an' call 'em. Yo' know if yo' put call on dere it'll bring dem back. Jes' take dat aig tuh bring 'em home; yo' put chure sulphur an' yore table salt an' yore red peppah in dere. Well, yo' see, yo' don't break de egg an' put it in dere, yo' jes' wrap de egg up in dere. Yo' write de name straight up an down de aig. An' den yo' put de name cross de aig [making a cross]. Den yo' write on de side of it. Call "Come back," see. An' den yo' place it in dat cloth an' bury it down undah de do'step to about dis deep [demonstrates].
(What do you do with that perfume?)
Yo' wet it in de perfume. Dat's lucky. Wet de aig an' de sulphuh [etc.] an' wrap it all an' put it underneat' de step.
Entry 9307
Take a chicken aig an' beat it up fine an' put plenty black peppah an' salt in it. Git chew two nails an' put it in dere mattress, if dere any way yo' kin git it in de mattress, an' sew de mat- tress back up. Anyone in dat house, dat'll run 'em outa dere.
(How would you put these two nails in that egg?)
[Since I did not kid my informant's, my mind here must have been tired!]
Yo' take two bran'-new nails an' jes' wrap it up wit de aig an' black peppah an' dat stuff an' jes' put it in de mattress.
(Use any kind of egg?)
Yes sir. any kind of hen aig.
Entry 9348
Well, yo' see, de aigs, dere are two kinds of aigs. A roostah's aig is long an' de hen's aigs are round. Well, yo' git two hen aigs an' some salt an' black peppah. Well, yo' git on dis hen aig whut chew want done. Den yo' go an dig a hole de way yo' want tuh run it - tuhwards runnin' watah. Yo' dig a hole to- Wards runnin' watah an' den yo' put dis aig down in dere an' de black peppah an' salt, an' tell it evah whut chew want it tuh do. An' dey'll come back.
(You leave it there. You use two eggs though?)
Yeah, yeah, two aigs. Dey're round aigs. Yo' see, a roostah's aig is long an' de hen aig is round [the words long or round being words based upon sexual symbolism, not biology]. Well, yo' use de hen aigs. [For long eggs and round eggs see also following rite, and for round eggs and square eggs see also No.9284, p.3738.]
(You dig a sort of a ditch?)
No, a hole tuhwards runnin' watah. Yo' know, sometime yo' have ditches run- nin'. Well, yo' kin tell which way de watah is runnin'. Well, yo' dig de hole tuhwards runnin' watah.
(You mean between your house and the running water?)
Well, if de ditch is runnin' between yore house, yo' kin dig it right in front of de ditch, jes' so's it's runnin' which way de watah is runnin'.
(You mean you dig the hole away from you, down the way the water is running?)
Yeah, well, yo' take nine steps tuhwards de runnin' watah an' dig yore hole, an' den aftah yo' dig yore hole, yo' put chure aig an' salt an' black peppah down in dere. Co'se dis aig already has on it whut chew want it tuh do. An' den yo' have it bring 'em back.
(That is to bring them back?)
Yes.
Entry 9362
Dey say dat chew kin take a aig, rotten aig an' put peppah, cayenne pep- pah in it. Jab a little hole, yo' know, in it [the egg]. Put cayenne peppah in it an' shake it up, an' throw it ontuh yuh do' nine days, mawnin's. An' den, whenevah yo' git up in mawnin', take peppah an' salt, an' where yo' walk 'long, jis' sprinkle it all behin' dem. An' dey tell me dat'll make a person move away from dat place. (Now, you mean you take a different egg each morning?) No sir - yes, sir, a diff'- ren' aig fo' nine mawnin's. Dat's whut dey tell me. (In addition to that, you have to put this other stuff in there?) Dey tell me yo' jis' jab a little hole in it [the egg]. (You do both of them, to make them move.) Yes, tuh make dem move.
Entry 9399
If a lady wanted yo' tuh leave from yuh home, an' yo' had some chicken dat wus black, coal-black, an' yo' take three of dose aigs. De lady dat wan' shoo tuh leave home - lak if yo' wus married an' yore wlfe wanted yuh tuh leave, she would take dose aigs. An' jis' lak if yo' wus a man dat liked tuh drink an' she Would make yuh a aignog, an' take one or two teaspoons of salt an' stir it in dere, an' a li'le black peppah. Jes' enough where yo' maybe taste it an' maybe not, jis' enough tuh make yuh drink it. An' she would take some of dat same peppah outa de same hand [holding the pepper] dat she put in dose aigs. An' put 'em in a papah an' put 'em in a jah [jar] or somepin, an' stop it up fo' five days. She'll let it stay stopped up. An' den she go back an' open dis an' burn dat peppah an' stuff, jes' tuh where it git hot, an' stop it up an' bury it where dat yo' cross ovah. An' if she wants yuh tuh leave, some way or 'nothah somepin goin' happen dat chew'll have tuh leave. (She puts it in this bottle, some of the eggnog that has this stuff in it, after he has drunk some of it.) Yes.
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 10146
A root doctor wrapped up a black cat bone in cloth, put in sack with salt, put in pocket on right side, go to boss for job. [Wilmington, N. Car., resume, 109:2.]
Entry 10151
(This black cat lucky bone?) Yes. Yo' take some sugah an' some salt an' put it on dis bone, an' let dis bone soak in it fo' an hour. An' den yo' take it an' yo' take dis bone an' put it in yore pocket. An' yo' kin go anywheah yo' wanta, an' do anythin' yo' wanta wit dat, tuh anybody yo' wanta, an' dis bone won' let nuthin hurt chew.
Entry 10170
A friend of mine wanted tuh git rid of her husband an' she wuz in love with anothah man at de same time, an' so she took his picture, her husban's picture, an' she had some bergamot an' vinegah, salt an' peppah - jes' ordinary black peppah. And she kept it undah his bed.
(What did she do with these ingredients?)
Had them all together, folded togethah, an' even a piece of his hair. An' she folded that together an' she lighted a candle an' kept that burnin' undah his bed.
(The candle burning under his bed?)
Yessuh, little small tapers - white ones, very small. As soon as one would go out, she'd light the othah one. She kept a boxful, yo' know, continually. An' finally he left. [Some of the small tapers or candles are about the size of an old-fashioned wooden match.]
Entry 10183
If they're burning a candle on you, you burn - now this is the same thing you kin do. You kin burn this same red candle. You burn this red candle, you stick it in 3 pins. See, you fightin' against them. You says, "I wish my enemy would leave me alone." An' then you go an' throw you a handful of salt in the fire an' you says, "I wish my enemies quit working after me an' leave me alone In the Name of the Lord." An' take you a bath in some saltpeter, blue- stone an' sugar, an' repeat the Lord's Prayer 3 times, see. You see, you burn this candle, that would set them down. Or else, you kin put 'em down sick. You kin git a purple candle an' you light it an' you make your wish an' put some salt in there an' spit in it, see. An' you burn it on 'em again an' you says, I wish ohosomever this is that's workin' after me will leave me alone, "' an' spit in it. You see, that'll drop 'em. That'Zl drop 'em. That'll put 'em down sick. That'll make 'em drop. An' continue to burn brimstone [not men- tioned previously in this rite but surely in some pre- vious part of interview]. See, that brimstone is the best thing in the world, that brimstone. An' sugar. Continue with that sugar in the fire, see: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. [Mem- phis, Tenn., (960, excellent hoodoo woman, my rapid hand transcription of cylinder missed by my transcriber, 1544:9.]
Entry 10259
Yo' kin take a lemon with a woman when she's in heat, when she wanta have a man. Yo' kin take dat lemon an' put salt in dat lemon, an' yo' take it an' yo' drop some of it on her. Dat ain't goin' make her hot no mo', she won't wanta have nobody else no mo' until aftah yo' reduce [dat lemon].
Entry 10415
She caught it [hag in a bottle. She put the bottle under her bed, turned the mouth of it toward the bed - under bed - it was a black bug [in the bottle next morning]. The first person coming to the house next morn- ing and asking for a match or salt or anything, if she give to her, won't get rid of the hag. [For loans to witches, see NEVER LEND TO WITCHES, No.16338, P.875, in Folklore from Adams County Illinois, 2nd ed., and elsewhere in witch- craft section.] If you don't let the bug out the bottle, the person will die.
(Story rather disconnected, if nothing better may transcribe for a footnote.)
[This was my note shortly after transcribing cylinder. Never got back to it.]
Entry 10458
If a witch ridin' yuh, botherin' yo', followin' yo' aroun', yo' kin git salt, cookin' salt, an' tie it up in a little rag an' yo' kin git rid of dat witch. She can't stand salt. (What do you do with that rag then?) Yo' take dat rag an' yo' ties it an' yo' lets it stay right in yore room. An' yo' have tuh put a little lard on dat rag. Yo' know, have it kinda greasy. An' jes' hang dat rag right up in yore room an' dat witch ain't goin' tuh bother yo' no more. So, dat's de onliest time - look, lak de witch will bother when yo' in, yo' know, in yo' room tryin' tuh rest, be try- in' tuh ride yuh.
Entry 10574
Den, if yo' want luck wit winnin', say yo' kill a bat an' take de heart out of de bat, aftah yo' kill it. Den aftah yo' taken dat heart out, take dat heart an' make a toby, see, an' sew it. Yo' take dat heart an' git chew some good flannen, an' aftah yo' git some good flannen, den git some good perfume called Jockey Club - lucky perfume - an' a piece of lodestone. An' den yo' take an' dampen dat lodestone an' sew it togethah - sew it up. Sew it up in dat red flannen. An' den aftah yo' sew it up in dat red flannen, dat's a lucky piece [a toby]. Dat will bring yo' luck. Dat's whut chew call luck. An' all yo' gotta do is jes' grease yore han', jes' when yo' wanta go tuh gamble or sompin lak dat. Oil yore han's 'fore yo' go, den yo'll have luck. Now, if a man is got a lucky han', dey come tuh yo' [root doctor] an' say, "So-an'-so got a lucky han' an' ah wanta know how tuh stop him." All right. Yo' tum right aroun'& den an' git chew some salt an' red peppah an' sew it up in de same thing. an' give it to 'em [himl an' let 'im wear it in his right pock- et. An' when he goes tuh gamble' an' find de fellah dat's got dis luck, take his [own] bag an' hit his han' dat-a-way an' rub de dice. Dat will kill dat.
(Any kind of flannel?)
Yessuh. Jes' since it's de red flannen. Dat'll kill dat.
(Kill the other fellow's luck.)
Yessuh. Dat will kill, too.
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 10626
Adam-an'-Eve an' High John, an' make a bag of it, an' put it cal gethah an' put a li'le sagah dd it - a teaspoonful of sugah vid it - or salt wid it. An' mix it tuhgethah an' sew it up an' care it wid joo. To'll git a job dat way.
Entry 10714
Yo' take de bird nest an' yo' git cayenne peppah an' salt, an' yo' put it down where a person has tuh walk.
(What are you going to do with that salt and pepper?)
Yo' mix it with de bird nest. Destroy de bird nest an' yo' sprinkle dat salt an' peppah with it, an' sprinkle it where a person has tuh walk, dat yore enemy, an' he wouldn't harm yo' in any way. (What will that make them do?) Dat will make dem leave.
Entry 10715
Ah heard dat chew could take a bird nest. Yo' could take a bird nest if dere wuz someone interfere [interfering] with yo' in yore business or livin' in yore sec- tion close about chew. Yo' take a bird nest an' take some table salt an' put it in dis bird nest, an' take dis nest an' throw it up on top of de house. Any per- son botherin' yo', dey'll move out an' keep goin'.
(Throw it on top of the house of the person that is bothering you?)
Yessuh. Dat's right, take de bird nest an' put de salt in it. An' jes' tear it down, jes' sit dere an' tear it down, an' put dat salt in it, an' throw it up on top of somebody house. Let de nest be fulla salt an' dey will scatter - dey'll move on out.
Entry 10717
Ah'll tell yo', whether it's a woman or man, if she leaves yo' an' yo' wanta git her back, why yo' git chew three grains of cor [maize], an' three strands of her hair, an' if dere any way yo' kin git her track, pick up yo' [your] dirt out of each one of her track - three tracks. An' yo' put dat in yore shoe, umdah yore bottom shoe [insole] whut yo' wear. Lift dat [insole] up an' put it udah dere, an' yo' wear dat. An' she'll come back. See, an' when she come back, an' den, if yo' want her tuh stay dere, yo' go an' git chew a bird nest an' yo' put some sulphur an' salt in dat bird nest an' burn it. Make yo' a little fire an' burn it in de chimley so yo' kin git de scent of it, an' she can't leave yo' no way; can't go an' leave him, de man or woman, which one wanta do it.
(Do you wear that corn in your shoe also?)
Put dat cor an' de hair an' dat sand in yore shoe.
Entry 10816
Yo' take a new broom, yo' see. Yo' take a new broom, if yo' go move in a house, an' always have a new broom an' have a loaf of bread an' a box of salt. An' it's lucky, a new broom, if yo' sweep yore house. An' nevah tuh go, tuh go [to] work an' leave it [when you move]. Nobody will have it, because it will bring evil into de house. A new broom.
Entry 10819
Yo' use black peppah when dey comin' to yore house, an' as dey go out use black peppah an' salt an' yo' throw it behin' 'em. An' den yo' git a broom an' yo' sweep out de do' dey goes, an' git a clear bucket of watah [bucket of clear not scrubbing water] an' throw it behin' 'em. Throw de watah right out in de street right aftah dey go out de do'; throw a clear bucket of watah right behin' 'em.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will keep 'em away. Dat drives 'em away from yore house.
Entry 10865
Take de hair from a cat - hair from a cat an' salt an' throw it in a room an' start fusses an' fights in a room, but yo' supposed tuh git it from undah his tail.
Entry 10870
Git a black cat an' git de hair. Git a strand of hair out of a black at an' - don't git as many as yo' kin, but yo' kin git 'bout one or tso scraods of hair out of a black cat. An' take somepin that kin float on de vatzh. Take at hair, sulphur, salt an' red peppah an' graveyard dirt, an'srite oo a piece of papah whut chew want done, an' put it with cat hair; all dat in a container dat will float on de watah. An' throw it in de watah, runnin' watah, whichevah watah yo' want it. An' whichevah yo' want done, it will be done. Ah've tried that.
Entry 10877
Git two cats, yes- suh, an' rub dere haids tohl gethah till dey git nad l till dey git real mad at one anothah. Den yo' smarch a lock of hair outa each cat's hzid, yo' know, an' yo' fold it togethah. An' put some red peppah an' salt in it 血' care it an' put it in de no'th cornah of dere house. Dey'll leave, dey'll part. Dat's whut separate 'em.
(Separate this man and woman?)
Ub-hah.
Entry 10884
If you want to break up a person, you kin take the dog hair, you know; like the bristles of cat's neck. You know, where bristles up, you understand. Where she bris- tles up back there. And then oa the dog's tail you cut out some hair, like if you Wanta break up a person. And you take and put that stuff together and puts some salt and some cayenne pep- per with it. And you write their name down 9 times. And you go and throw it in the fire, you say, "I wan' choo to fuss, fight and bust up: In the Name of the Lord." That's wha' choo do with that dog hair and that cat hair and things. Or else you kin take doze things, the cat hair and that, and you kin take it, you kin make a fuss in the home. You kin break up a person. Put the sugar and cay- enne pepper with it. You kin throw it all through the house, under the house.
Entry 10970
Take a aig an' boil it, cut it half in two, an' take de yelloo part out an' fill that up with salt, an' take it an' eat it without drintdn'gyatah at all. An' ask to see de man dat chure goin' tuh marry or the w yo goin' tuh marry, an' yo'll see 'em when yo' drink dat watah. [You vill see the that night in a dream. This is ordinary folklore. I have included it bere becamse divination is part of a hoo- doo or root doctor's work. He or she might offer this advice to a client.] [Fay- etteville, N. Car., 2572:16.]
Entry 11064
Dey tell me yo' gits a piece of newspapah, an' jes' lak dis yo' makes a 'V' lak dis. Keep a-makin' it lak dis, keep a-makin' it lak dis. Keep a-makin' it lak dis. Yo' make dat nine times dis way. Yo' take dat papah an' yo' stick it in front of yore steps an' put salt - covah it wit salt an' jes' pull it. Jes' pull it- dis part heah yo' turn it back dis way. Dat's fo' 'em not tuh come in, an' pull it dis way an' yo' turn dat back dis way. Bury dat undah yore step in front of yore do'way an' den come cross an' covah dat wit salt an' dat will make 'em stay out, dey say. (I want you to draw that for me to show me just how it is done. You make your mark right on that piece of paper - this is a newspaper now [let this be the piece of newspaper you mention; probably handed informant a sheet from my note- book]. What kind of mark do you make? [Informant makes a mark.l You make a mark sort of like a crescent, it goes to the right and comes back like that.) Now, dis means "stay out, don' come in." Now, if yo' want a person tuh come in dere. If a person out an' yo' want 'em tuh come in dere, yo' jes' turn it dis way [demonstrates]. Dat means 'come in.' Dis means [demonstrates] 'stay out." (Well, those half circles, crescents, when the arc of the half circle is out from the door, that means "come in.") Yo' understand dat. [I certainly did!]
Entry 11107
Yo' git whut de' call three clover leaf.
(One three-clover leaf or three different leaves?)
One leaf but three different leaves on it. It's all in one - three clover leaves. All right, chew name dose leaves de days yo' goin' tuh see yore boss an' use de same perfume on it - Hearts Perfume - use dat on it, an' tie that up in a red flannel with a needle, and put a little ashes an' salt, an' dat'll give yo' - use dat fo' luck. Ah have done it. (When you go before the boss to give you a job?) Yes sir, ah wus three days in gittin' a job, yo' see. Yo' see yo' name it de days yo' go. [If you go for a job on Monday, name the hand Monday. "Monday, I want you to get this job for me today, etc."]
Entry 11136
Not a milk cow, but git de whut-dey-call-it cow.
(The bull?)
Yes. If yo' kin git dat, den yo'll take dat an' a white dog's nunbah two. Dat [these two] be made up in a powdah an' yo'll sprinkle dat anywhere yo' passes an' de people pass, an' de' cain't git a job no way. Dey cain't git a job noway. But chew put peppah an' yo' put dat salt an' anything lak dat an' yo' put dem hot things in dere. Dat'll keep 'en aigoin'
[Number two = dung.]
Entry 11149
An' den if de law take a habit of comin' to yore house, yo' know whut chew do. Takes black peppah an' salt an' mix it together, an' when dey come to yore house, sompin lak dat, yo' sprinkle de salt in back of 'em. Try tuh throw some right on dey back. Try tuh throw some of it when dey goin' out. Always have it prepared an' throw some of dat in dere back. An' den yo' sprinkle it on de floor right where he walk. Jes' lak ah walk in heah an' yo' sweep behin' 'em an' say, "Yo' damn son-of-a-bitch, yo' stay 'way from heah."
(And they won't come back?)
Dey ain't comin' back.
Entry 11201
They will spring your doors and things. (Well, how would they do that?) They'll take that - they'll go to three people's house and you can steal you some salt from three people's house, and take that cayenne pep- per and that black pepper and dirt dauber's nest and beat it together and sprinkle your door and you'll move.
(I see. And you'll move. But you only steal the salt?)
Steal the salt.
(The other things you don't take?)
No, you just steal that from somebody's house.
(Just the salt. Those other things you take from your own house?)
Yeah.
(I see. That will make you move out?)
Yes.
Entry 11203
Take nine dirt dauber nest an' pound 'em up together. Put some salt - jes' de least salt, into de nine, which id about a teaspoonful into de nine dirt dauber nests. Then yo' put three teaspoons fulla sugah into dat. Pound it up good together. Then yo' take - after pounding that all up together - then yo' take an' anywhere that a person gotta visit, if it in a home or anywhere that they got dealin's at in dat place, yo' sprinkle it In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost an' make yore wish the way that yo' want it to work. It will work.
(What will you wish for on that?)
Well, if yo' want 'em tuh quit workin' dere or tuh leave dere, why yo' kin wish that way. An' if a person wants tuh continue working to a place, why yo' make that wish there. [Nine dirt dauber nests surely means 9 cells from one dirt dauber nest, not 9 separate nests which would be quite a large amount of dirt.]
Entry 11228
Well, yo' supposed tuh git it offa sinner, like yo' know a person's died a sinner - git it offa de breast of him. Imagine where de breast should be. Yo' git dat dirt. Take yo' left han' an' git dat, a left handful of dat dirt. Well, yo' takes cayenne pepper and table salt and dis ole dirt dauber dat be's in houses up in de walls. Yo' mix dat tuhgethah. Say dat'll make a fuss anywhere. It will even cause de law tuh come tuh yore place.
(Well, what do you do with this after you mix it up?)
After yo' mix it up, jest put it where yo' want it tuh be. Jest like if yo' are angry wit someone, or somebody yo' know is bothering yo' or sompin. Well, yo' wants dem tuh move or git on out de way. Yo' jest throw it where it can be tracked in dat house. Dey'll go tuh fighting and de law goin' come.
Entry 11229
Take graveyard dirt and dirt dauber's nest and cayenne pepper and new salt and parch it - you mix it and parch it and make a powder. And throw it Monday night, Wednesday night and Friday night where they walk over. They change their mind and they go on about their business. They move off and go off.
(They leave the house?)
Yes.
(You sow this on these nights. Do you throw it or sow it?)
You throw it around. (Oh, you throw it around.) [The preceding combination of 3 days is common in New Orleans for burning candles - see p.830, v.1.]
Entry 11329
Git chew three dollars.
(What kind of dollars, silver dollars or paper dollars?)
Paper dollars. An' dress dem wit some salt and some bread, an' wear it fo' three days on yo' left side, an' fo' three days yo' take an' go to three stores an' spend each one of them dollars - a dollar to each store yo' go to. An' dat'll bring yo' luck. (What kind of luck?) Well it bring yo' luck in making - gittin' holda money every day yore life.
Entry 11366
Jes' lak if mah husband be's goin' wit a woman an' ah been tryin' tuh prevail wit him tuh leave her alone an' she won't do it. Yo' git de green an' red pod peppah an' git two. All right, yo' dig all dem seed an' every- thin' outa dose two pods of peppah an' yo' kin throw dat away anywhere yo' want. yo' git chew a gunshell but it gotta be black [have black pow- derl. Git chew some dis salt in one pod of dat peppah an' name it de woman he goin' wit. Put de gunpow- dah in de othah pod an' name it he. Yo' curse her while yo' doin' dat an' den yo' curse him. Yo' git chew some fat lightwood splintahs [can be large pieces of wood] an' yo' cross dem disaway [demonstrates]...
(Like an "x"?)
Yessuh, an' while dey burnin' yo' jes' be cursin' 'em fo' everythin' yo' kin think of, an' when dat powdah blow up, when he go tuh see her ag'in, he'll beat her an' den he won't go tuh see her any mo'.
(He'll beat her?)
Yes sir. Dey'll fall out right den, see.
Entry 11670
Whut dey do's at de fo'k. Well, de fo'k of de road, when yo' do dat, yo' kin draw a person tuh yo' or yo' kin run 'em from yo'. Well, now, when yo' got dere at de fo'k of de road, yo' git dere at sunrise. Well, den yo' make a cross, jes' lak de cross dey say dat Christ hung [on], yo' know. Yo' name dat even, an' yo' cross dat, an' den yo'll take a little graveyard [dirt], good or bad [grave] it don't make no difference. An' den yo' put dat in a little bit of sulphah an' salt, an' den yo' make a powdahs of dat - lak, yo' know, an' den yo' throw it in dat place. An' dat's de way yo' uses dat at de crossroad, yo' know, anything lak a fo'k. An' dey [den?] yo' say, yo know, yo' have to talk to it, say, "Jesus Christ suf- fered an' died on Calvary Cross, why can't yo' do so- an'-so-an'-so." See, jes' anything yo' want tuh name tuh it.
(You do that for harm or bad?)
Yeah, it'll do eithah fo' good or fo' bad, but den yo' have de Lord, an' make it which way yo' want it tuh go.
Entry 11677
Yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road an', when yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road, yo' git a pinch of dirt from de fo'ks of dat road. Den yo' go to do - befo' yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road, yo' go tuh de graveyard yo' know, an' git some of de graveyard dirt an' mx it tuhgethah. Den go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' git some of dat, an' mix dat tuhgethah. Den yo' have tuh season it, chew know. Yo' git dem two things an' yo' git some salt an' yo' git some peppah an' some sulphur, & an' crumble it all wit dat dirt from de fo'ks of de road. An' it will do jes' whut chew want it tuh do.
(What will you do with it?)
Yo' went dere fo' a purpose. When yo' went tuh de fo'ks of de road, yo' vants somebody probably, or yo' wanta change somebody from goin' wit somebody's else, an' yo' bring yo' dese, an' why, dat means dey'll come yore way.
(What do you do with that dirt after you mix it up? What do you do with it?)
Sprinkle it.
(Where?)
Yo' know, jes' lak ah know yo' goin' out. "Sposin' ah'm goin' from heah ovah yondah an' yo've gotta cross dat othah fellah's house, ah sprinkle it right down in yore yard an' yo' walk ovah dat. Yore mind changes, dat changes yore mind. (That changes your mind. That is if you want to bring somebody back, some- thing of that sort?) Yassuh.
The informant describes a mixture of dirt from a graveyard and road forks with salt, pepper and sulphur, sprinkled to influence a person's direction or attachment. Questions clarify use and purpose. The hypothetical yard scenario begins with an unclosed printed quote, so no closing speech boundary is invented; both dirt origins and the qualified return purpose are retained.
Entry 11723
Fix it up an' go in de cemetery an' git some dirt an' fixes it up.... (That is all you put in it?) No sir, yo' put sulphur an' put dis table salt an' red peppah, grind it fine, an' yo' take it an' sprinkle it anybody's track - sprinkle it ovah dere - say dey'll leave an' dey won't come back no mo'.
(You call that mixture goofer dust?)
Yes. [This informant gave an unusual account of how to sell self to the devil, No.375, v.1.]
Entry 11746
Dey say 'fore dey bury him [man from whom something Was stolen] dey can fix things to make him [thief], dey can get some graveyard dirt, take and fix it, and dey kin sew [sprinkle] it down and de person what stole, why he have to bring it back 'cause he can't hold it. Yes sir. With graveyard dirt and sulphur. Dat's it, graveyard dirt and sulphur.
(Graveyard dirt and sulphur?)
And mix it together and salt.
(And what?)
And salt, table salt. Say dey kin throw it, throw it up [into air] and put it down [do both]. And dey say dey goin' bring it back, say dey can't hold it.
(That's to bring back something that was stolen?)
Dat's it. And dey ain't comin' in de house with it. Dey goin' throw it at de steps, so you kin get up de next morning and get it. Dey can't hold it, make 'em bring it back.
Entry 11844
I tell yuh jes' what 'tis. My uncle it was, was tellin' me this. That's why I was goin' tell yuh. A lady that he was courting, he was going with her, and of course this man [rival or hoodoo man] tole him that he was hurt, because he thought he was going with her. And he told him that the lady had put somepin in a bottle an' buried it under the doorstep. And that thing that she buried under the doorstep was some of his hair that she'd gotten from the barber shop and mixed it with some salt, pep- per and whiskey, and buried it under her doorstep, and that whenever he walked over it, would hurt him. [At least we know uncle liked whiskey!] But if he would take this up and put it in some boiling water, and if it floated, then he could ward off the spell that she had put on him, and that he probably could throw it back on her, on the parties who was puttin' it on him. He could take and just take this out and roll it under his arm. [then] roll it in some meal.
(Hold it under his arm?)
Roll it. Yeah, roll it under his arm.
(Oh, under his arm first.)
Yeah, and then put it in some meal and make it into a cake-like, and bury it underneath the steps, the same step where the other stuff was buried, and that would return it on her.
Entry 12159
Dey put somepin in de shoes. It's a mixture of this ground up - they call it hog-hoof. Yes, dey grind it up lak meal an' dey mix soda an vinegah an' salt, but it's gotta be ground up very fine, jes' lak flaxseed meal, in a powder, so it won't be notice- able. An' jes' powder de shoe aroun' wit dat. Dat will keep him from goin' off. [A note of mine reads: this keeps the man from being hoodooed away by another woman.]
Entry 12179
Dey could burn sulphur an' salt. Salt an' sulphur is good fo' any- thing, good fo' killin' poison an' it's good luck. [Having turned off machine because material did not sound promising, I now restart machine by repeating what had been lost.]
(Is it good for, if they want to rent the room or rent the house?)
Yes. Well, ah tell yo' sulphur an' cayenne peppah an' salt - yo' burn dat an' yo' kin git de hoofs off a shoe, yo' know de hosses hoof, an' burn it every night befo' yo' go tuh bed an' yo' stay dere an' inhale dat. Well, den whatevah kind of luck yo' want or whatevah yo' ask it tuh do, why it mo' den apt tuh come out all round...
[Again I turn off machine too soon and must restart it.]
(If you are selling anything or anything of that sort? Would that help bring in trade?) Yes. Keep de police off yo' if yo' sellin' whiskey.
Entry 12180
Well, if yo' want good luck an' success, yo' know, yo' go to de black- smith shop an' git hoof from de horse hoof, an' yo' take it an' lay it down. Yo kin take three pieces. Have 'em all three de same length. An' yo' take an' lay 'em [demonstrates]: One fo' de Father, one fo' de Son an' one fo' de Holy Ghost. (You cross them when you are doing it.) Yes. An' then yo' put sulphur an' salt on top of that, an' while it's burnin' - burn it - an' while it's burnin', yo' jis' talk to it an' tell it anything that yo' want to have - if yo' want any good luck or anything yo' want done. [For this same design in other rites see those listed at end of rite 11879.]
Entry 12190
Keep a horseshoe fo' good luck. (That is all you have to do?) Dat's de only thing ah heard dat yo' kin do wit de horseshoe. Make a fiah an' turn it upside down an as it burns, sprinkle salt on it an' make some wishes with it.
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 12284
Yo' kin git saltpetah, sage, alum, sugah an' salt - yo' know - stuff, yo' know, whut he nuse [use]. Yo' know, salt an' sugah an' stuff lak dat whut chew wanta know in dose strings. Yo' say, "In de Name of de Fathah, an' de Son, ah'm bringin' yo' back tuh me." Call his name, see, an' say, "Long as yo' eat sage, as long as yo' eat sugah, drink sugah in yore coffee" - sompin lak dat. An' call dose names, an' tie dose strings, an' tell him yo' want him tuh come back tuh yo'. Well, he'll come den. An' aftah yo' tie dose strings, put dose strings in a pile an' sprinkle dis saltpetah an' stuff ovah it, an' red peppah, an' yo' take kerosene. An' den yo' say, "In de Name of de Fathah an' de Son, ' an' burn it. An' put it out in de yard an' let it smoke.
Entry 12290
Go tuh any groc'ry an' git chew a new piece of cord dat haven't been used, whut chew tie up packages with, an' jes' lak anything dat yo' wish, an' nine is yore... [What? Number?] Take nine tuh do it. Yo': can't do nuthin until nine days. Jes' lak yo' git up dis mawnin', say, "Ah'm goin' start dis mawnin' an' ah want sech- an'-sech a thing tuh happen.' Jes' tie one knot [in] it an' make yore wish re- gardin' tuh whut it is. An' de nex' mawnin' de same thing fo' nine mawnin's. It'll come true.
(What do you do with this string after all these knots are tied in it then?)
Let it hang right dere, an' when de nine days up, an' yo' sure yo' got de nine knots, jes' take it an' git chew some sulphur an' some salt an' burn it right in yore fiahplace.
Entry 12301
Pass a hole into a lemon an' squeeze de juice out of it an' full it up wit sulphur an' brimstone an' salt. Take nine pins an' put through it an' den wrop it up jes' as tight as yo' kin, an' tie nine knots in it - into de string dat yo' wrop aroun' it. An' stick nine pins in it an' go ahead. (What will you do with that then?) Well, jes' carry it with yo'. (What is that supposed to do then?) An' den ah'll go ahead an' attack whatevah busi- ness yo' wanta attack, an' dat supposed to help yo' accomplish it.
(Any favors or anything of that sort?)
Yes.
Entry 12470
Yo' git some mule hoof an' burn it, cross it [make sign of cross with it] fo' yo' luck, right lak that. An' sprinkle a little salt an' a little sulphur. An' in burnin' this yo' calls fo' rich man's name. An' even to that chew ask fo' yo' luck. An' yo'll be successful in whut chew tryin' tuh do.
(If you are trying to rent something or sell something?)
Yessuh.
(If you are trying to sell liquor or anything?)
Yessuh.
(Now, I'll take up this ashes [cigar ashes in tray on interviewing table]
and you put them in the shape of a cross like that [I demonstrate]. You sprinkle them in the shape of a cross?) Yes, yo' sprinkle that, then yo' sprinkle this. Then yo' make the second cross an' sprinkle that. (But you make one cross with the mule ashes first? Then the other crosses you make with this other stuff?) Yes, yes.
Entry 12524
As I told you a while ago, you use that just like you do garlic, but you cut the onion up fine and put it in hard water, and you put salt in there instead of sugar. And you, just like a person tell me to mop their house, I'm sup- posed to keep their house mopped out with that, and instead of having good luck, it's bad luck. You get arrested or anything. That Salt jinX them. [AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER, THIS IS THE ONLY HARD WATER RITE IN "HOODOO," and it Was given by that professional hoodoo woman from Shreveport, La., the woman who said, "They tried to run me out of Louisiana." Little did either of us realize that within a few hours I myself would be chased out of Memphis!]
Entry 12536
They peels a onion an' has yo' fixed an' yo'll quarrel all de time. They po' an excessive amount of salt an' pepper on de onion hull an' place it where yo' kin step ovah it an' yo become a very disagreeable person.
(Do you have somebody do that or do you do it yourself?)
Yo' kin definitely do that yo'self. (Just sprinkle this salt and pepper on the red onion hull, and chat party will walk over it and they will become disagreeable. Yeah.
Entry 12611
And get you a pound of brown sugar and a pound of black pepper and - there's somepin else goes with it - and a pound of salt. And you gets that pound of grain [whole] black pepper and you chew it - bites it up. Goes through the house and mix it all together and spread some in your house every morning and night and he won't come dere.
(What is that supposed to do then?)
Keep the law away from the house.
Entry 12623
A man said if: I could take a needle and 3 grains of pepper, red pepper, de seed of it, and some water and put in it, and salt, and then a few grains of black pepper. And take that needle and stick it down in that bottle. And when you get ready to go out, you go and take that bottle up and jis' shake [a magic act] it up and say, "Good luck and good prospire" [prosperity]. And go out. And he said, "You get a job." The man that told me that...and I declare I went and did it, I fixed it up, and I declare I git the job, the one I got now. And I've been with it over a year.
Entry 12706
Then, if any woman that far off, from you, or anything and you wants to see them...
(You say they're far off?)
Yeah - just like - far off - well, they's got a [liquid] which they - we call The Long Long Livest Friend.
(The Long Long Livest Friend.)
Yeah. Well, you go get some of this Long Livest Friend and you take some of this Paris Ennis Oil. It ain't but 25c a bottle.
(Paris what?)
Paris Ennis Oil, and you take it and you put it inside of this bottle with some of this, which we call this here steel dust. You get steel dust and you get some of this here rock salt. And when you put it down, just anything that they ever slept on - any- thing they ever left there - socks, or old shoes, or any bedclothes they laid on, well you just take that and just every morning, you get up, just sprinkle it all over that. Take some of this sugar of lead with this rock salt...
(Sugar of what?)
Sugar of lead - yes, sir, with this rock salt, beat it and put it in the cen- ter of your bed [center of bed = quincunx]. Anywhere, they get at, their mind is rdght back where they come from.
(That's to bring - that's if you want to hear from them or bring them back.)
Yes sir. They coming back, they going to come back in - don't care, inside of chree or five days she'll be back, if there any way for 'em to get there at that time.
Entry 12726
Them goes to work and git a rabbit - a wood rabbit foot - and put salt on it and wrop it up tight and he nevah tell you no. (The boss won't.) No. You must go de same day [you catch rabbit]. If you kin know de day yo' birth, dey bery day yo' birth, go dat day. President Roosevelt can't tell you no. [Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt could not refuse you.]
(What foot do you take?)
Right one.
(Which one, front or back?)
De one in de front, de front foot.
Entry 12779
Ah heard you could take - get some kind of oil and stuff and use like that, and then, if anybody [in the game] had any wager in dere against you, or you was playing against wager or somepin like dat, why you could take dat. Take a frog - use a toadfrog and carry 'em in dere, and take that salt and pepper and sprinkle it.... [Here I turned off machine but decided to continue.]
(How do you...)
[You are having bad luck because someone:]
Done went to somewhere and got somepin stronger than what you got dere - Luck.
(What do you do with that frog?)
You put him in your pocket.
(I see. And what about the salt and pepper?)
You take that salt and pepper and sprinkle it around in your house where you playing at.
(I see. That's to break up that wager.)
Wager that luck against you.
(That weight [luck] against you.)
Entry 12780
An' ole lady, she'd dead now, she tole me if a person ever git shoo [gets you] by [bad mouth or cunjure], not to say anything at all to them. Go to work and git me a pocketful of table salt and go to de gate where dey crosses over, ev'ry night and morning, and jis' throw dat salt across dere before de sunrise, and say de Lord's Prayer for 5 times. Soon as dat person goes over dere dey can't harm you.
Entry 12987
De best luck is a silver dime. Git chew a silver dime an' git chew some dis heah stuff yo' cut outa a hank[?] - cheap boxes yo' know. Take dat dere stuff [packing] an' dat silver dime... [interviewer interrupts].
(Is it sort of sawdust or shavings?)
An' put hit an' de dime an' some salt an' a piece of red flannel, an' sew it an' wear it round yore laig.
(What will that do?)
That will keep you lucky...
[I ask what kind of luck and restart machine.]
Any kind of luck - most any kind of luck.
Entry 13142
Ah experienced dat. Ah've had dat done on me, take your sock and cut de heel out of it, a pair you been wearing. Get your socks and cut de heel out of both of 'em, an' take de heel and put some salt in it, snakehead or some kind of worms [to make you crawl]. And bury de heel of dat sock under de doorstep and put de other part of it [heel] over de door, over your haid. And every time you go in and out dere, you gittin' dat, and first thing you know yo' goin' way from dere. Yo' done left, you see. Your wife, she done put you outten from dere and you gone, and you won't know how you gone. And you done missed your socks and everything. You don't know nothin' at all about it or you jest...and done you dataway, but you gone - jest gone along. Don't wanta run off, but you won't never come back until you find it. And you find dat, you come back home.
(I see. Do you put one sock down there or just one piece of the sock?)
A [2] piece [2 pieces are used].
(I see.)
Entry 13260
Yo' take red peppah, cayenne peppah, hot, an' table salt. Let it all be new. Take table salt jes' new an' dis sulphur brand-new, nevah been opened befo' yo' know. Well, yo' take it an' mix it up, an' yo' jes' throw it all round yore house, an' dat's good tuh keep de law from comin' in annoyin' yo'. An' den if a person is comin' tuh yore house an' yo' don't want dem tuh go dere, yo' kin jes' throw dat out behin' dem in de chair where dey sit at in de room. Den when dey git ready tuh git up an' go out, den yo' kin take it an' go on out an' jes' throw it de way dey went, an' cuss 'em, an' dey'll not come back any mo'. Dey won't come back any mo'. If dey do', dey'll come right in an' dey cain't stay dere no time. Yo' gotta git out an' sweep behin' dem.
Entry 13351
Well, dey tell me a person's chamber lye - yo' takes a person's chamber lye - do yo' mean tuh do good or do harm? (Either one. Tell one first and then the other.) Well, yo'll take a person's chamber lye an' yo' put nine needles in dat chamber lye, brand-new needles. Yo' stick one point down an' one point up, one point down, until yo' git all of 'em down in dere. Yo' take dat an' yo' put dat chamber lye - bury it somewhere where dey kin walk ovah it. Dat will do 'em harm.
(Well, just what would it do to them?)
Well - well, if yo' wanta do good, now...
(How would it harm them?)
Well, dat would harm 'em, dat would ketch 'em in dere bladdah. Dat's de way dat'll harm dem, swell dem up down in heah.
(How do they do them good, do you say, with chamber lye?)
Well, yo' take dat chamber lye, ifs yo' want a man tuh stay home, take dat chamber lye wit some salt an' some sugah an' yo' stop dat up. An' yo' put dat undah de haid of yore bed, somewheres neah yore bed, or in a dark cornah in yore room - anywhere lak dat. Dat will make him stay home an' quit runnin' an' rov- in' aroun'. Dat'll make him stay home.
Entry 13425
And I wouldn't want you in that place. You kin go to the [hoodoo] drug store and get you what they call some war water and take that bottle and bust that bottle in front of your place, not mine, in front of your place. And in busting that bot- tle, come back and take your name and some salt and bury it right behind your place - right at the back of your place. (Your own house, now, not the hosue of the person you want to move, but be- hind your house.) No, behind your house. See, I wanta move you.
(Oh, you're moving me?)
Yes. (And you throw this water in front of my house. Now, you are going to bury my name in salt at the back of my house.) At the back of your house, see. When that salt is buried, in less than 9 days you'll be out of there.
(I see.)
Entry 13426
I've hearn it like this: if you had a neighbor and you couldn't get along, see. You would take and get you - if you wanted them to move, you under- stand, why you could make a quarrel between the people in the house an' that would cause the landlord to put them out, see. Well, you would use an egg. You could use salt or war water, see. (Just how Would you use these, now?) Well, now, you'd take - you'd get - use the war water which the war water would be the best. See, there's two things you use, you use either the powder or the water.
(Well, explain the war water.)
Well, you take the war water and you would sprinkle that war water. You would use salt - salt makes fuss anywhere.
(How would you use that salt there?)
You would take and you would sprinkle that salt at the four corners of the house and then you'd take this war water and as you - if you can enter into the place, jes' in the alley. You don't have to go in the house. Like if - like I enter this door here. I would walk to the back door which would be the kitchen. If I could get to the kitchen, I would start to sprinkle there.
(You say you begin at the back door?)
At the back door, yes, sir.
(I see. Then what do you do?)
I'm going to sprinkle this water, see. As I come out, I sprinkle the water, letting the water run out of my hand, as I'm coming out the door, jes' as I'm walking [demonstrates] and the water's coming out. And, when I gets to the door, I takes salt and I cross it [make a cross with it] right at the gate. And at the steps, I cross [make another cross at] the steps with salt. And under the steps I jes' take and I sprinkle war water, and I take salt and jes' throw it thataway, see. That's all you have to do, salt and that war water. It'll sort of confuse 'em. You can take salt and make a confusion any kind of way. Now, that would start a confusion in the house with the husband and wife. If it's the people you don't like, see, regardless of who they are, if it be the mother and the daughter, the mother and the son, then the people that you would want to get out, why that would start a confusion. Somebody would have to go. See.
Entry 13427
People generally use this stuff they call war water. They use the powder called war water. There is a liquid called war water. Now you take that and you form it into one [mix war water powder and war water liquid]. Then you take Epsom salts and table salt and coffee grounds. Now, you make one package of that, you see. Just like a fellah lives in that yard over there, you take that before day in the morning and you sprinkle it in the yard. In a couple of days they have a racket in the home, you under- stand.
Entry 13428
Kin you understand what I say, now?
(I understand now.)
To make you move out of the house, you go and get some holy water, see [and] war water and you sprinkle that. And then you go to the graveyard, get some graveyard dust, and you go and sprinkle it with black pepper and salt. And you sprinkle it all around the step and put it underneath the steps. If it got a brick there, you put it underneath that, where they can't see it. And when anyone can't see it, it's more better. When you come down the steps and walk away, you'll cross over it. See, when you cross over it, then maybe you'll start to go black [not feel well] and then you'll come back 'round and you'll start to scrubbing - get some lye. You says, somebody's been sprinkling me. All right. You'll go and get some lye and your urinate, and take it and scrub that up. Well, the next morning, I'll go back and do the same. And when you do find it, you say, "Well, I'm going to move. Somebody is sprinkling 'round here. They must be wanting the house or something." And I done move out of the place. So that's why I give it to 'em and that's why I move.
Entry 13430
If you been tricked and have dese fainting spells - any kind of spells been put on you. See, dere's a way fer you to do - is fer you to go to de person dat you think put 'em on you. Speak to him about it. Well, you see him den and you tell him how you been tricked and all like dat. Say, dey can't look at you straight to save his life because he put it on yo'. Den after yo' git dat, den you go to swift water, ah've been told. And git dat swift water and bring it back and boil it and put cayen- ne pepper in it. See, cayenne pepper and ginger. See, dat's power - dat's strong. See, dat have a great odor to it. Take dat and boil it and salt, an' carry it to his doorsteps an' yo' kin take yore time. Let it be 'way in de night, way about twelve or one clock an' pour it at his doorstep. An' it will turn de trick right back on it. Yo'll git well and it will go right back on him.
Entry 9441
Whut chew do, if dey wanted yo' tuh move outa heah [the room in which speaker and I are sitting]. Well dey jis' git behin' yo' when dey came in yore room where yo're at. Dey may shake han's wit choo, see. An' den dey will jis' git dem a han'fulla salt - it's reason- able, too - jis' git dem a han'fulla salt, an' jis' as yo' walk dey would put dis salt in yuh back, right at chure feet jis' as yo' go out. Undahstan', jis as yo' go out, dey will put dat salt right tuh yuh feet, an' it'll move yuh. [Informant and I are talking in my interviewing room at the Memphis downtown hotel for black people, the Eureka Hotel. Some days later I was thrown out of that very room, not by salt, but by the police! See vol.1, INTRO., p. XXXiV, line 10f.]
Entry 9448
Yo' would have tuh go...no, yo' kin take table salt. Now, lak dey'll come lak, say tuhday, an' yo' don' wan' 'em tuh come no mo'. Yo' take yo' a han'fulla table salt an' when he turn tuh go away from yo', an' throw dat salt behind 'im an' put it an' say, "Go, yo' son of a bitch an' don' come back here no mo'." Dey won' come back, dat salt'll keep 'im away. Or even, yo kin put watah an' Epsom salts an' throw dat watah behind 'em. For throwing salt behind departing person and shaking your apron, this near Snow Hill, Md., see No.1468, p.477, vol.1.1
Entry 9449
"Fore yo' go down tuh de bossman, yo' git chew some salt, git chew a box-a [box of] bran'-new salt. Den yo' take dat salt an' tie it up in a new piece a yellah homespun, an' yo' put it in yore pocket. An' yo' take yo' some loose salt, have it in yore han', an' yo' sprinkle it all roun' where yo' - [do] not let chure boss see it - all roun' where yore boss makes tracks at. Sprinkle it all roun' dere an', see, salt conkahs. Salt is a conkah thing. Salt conkahs a lotta things yo' know, jes' even cookin' salt. Yo' kin do a lotta things wit salt. Dat's good.
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 9451
If yo' goin' tuh hunt a job an' yo' think yo' not goin' be a success, yo' always tote yo' a li'le salt in yore pocket. Have salt in yore pocket evah mawnin' when yo' on dat job or when yo' goin' jes' tuh look fo' a job, see. An' jes"fore yo' git tuh yore boss, yo' put a li'le bita dat salt in yore han' an' goes up wit chure han' lak dat [demon- strates] an' jes' rub. An' go on tuh yore boss.
Entry 9454
One of de mos' valuable things, yo' kin take salt an' run evahone out dat house in ten minutes.
(Just how would you do that?)
Jis' take dat broom an' open de back do' an' de front do', jis' lak yo' open dis do' heah, an' take de broom an' turn it bottom upwards, an' put a handfulla salt right in de broom, an' set it wit de broom up an' close de do'. In ten minutes evahone of 'em git restless an' leave dere. Ah run company dat way some- times, when ah have company home an' git sick of 'em. Ah jis' git up an' go in de kitchen, an' take de broom an' set it behin' de do' an' throw salt on top of it, come back dere an' set down. In about ten minutes dey all git restless an' leave - dey go an' leave.
Entry 9461
Dey say if a man is away from yo' an' yo' want him tuh come back, yo' git a new pack of salt dat has nevah been used out of, an' yo' burn it an' call his name, fo' him tuh come. An' jes' nex' yo' leave outa yore house, start where he left an' sprinkle dis salt, an' den turn round an' walk right back in dere, an' call 'is name an' throw some in de fiah. He'll come back ag'inst his mind.
Entry 9465
Put some cookin' salt right in de do', in fron' of de do' yo' see; an' put some backwards tuh de kitchen where dey be walkin' in. An' dey walk in ovah dat salt, he'll have good luck de balance of dey days.
(Who would do this?)
De man, or anybody wus runnin' de house.
(Of any kind [of business] - selling what?)
Sellin' moonshine or....
Entry 9466
Yo' kin take a box of salt an' jes' t'row it all de way roun' yore house evah mawnin'. Don't use nuthin fo' dat but jes' t'row it roun' de house fo' nine mawnin's. An' dat will give yo' luck.
(Luck for what?)
Luck fo' business, peoples comin' in an' tradin' wit chew.
Entry 9467
An' den, dey says, yo' kin take some table salt an' put it in a piece of new homespun. An' yo' kin put - open up yore mattress an' put it right in de centah of yore mattress. An' sew dat mat- tress back up on it an' let 'im lay on dat salt bag. Say. An' yo' talk tuh dat salt fo' nine mawnin's an tell it whut chew wan' it tuh do. Jis' PAT IT [new-homespun bag containing salt] an' den make a cross-mahk across it, yo' see. An' dey says he'll always stick tuh yo' lak dat.
(You just tell that salt anything you want done with that man?)
Wit dat'man. Make a cross-mahk across it. (You only talk to that salt while you are putting it in there, you don't talk to it each morning?) Yo' talk tuh it each mawnin', yo' make a cross-mahk each mawnin'. [This may be the only patting rite in H00DOO.]
Entry 9471
Husban' or wife or jis' a frien'. Well, dat salt, jis' as yo' come in, wherevah yo' set or wherevah yo' went in de house, sprinkle dat salt dere an' den lak dis [demonstrates two strokes making sign of cross]. If yo] step ovah de salt, dey says dat's misfortune wit yuh mind, an' yo' jis' forget about evahthing an' yo' won' come back.
Entry 9473
An' dere's anothah thing dat she kin do or he kin do at de home an' [if] dey can't git along tuhgethah. If he comes back, tuh keep 'em from squab- blin' so much, she kin take a li'le salt, cookin' salt, sprinkle it aroun', in de house, roun' de, 'bout de do'step in cases lak dat, an' he'll be quiet or she'll be quiet.
Entry 9474
Jis' lak yo' wan'a house - jis' lak anyone naggin' an' dere be a whole lot of rows in de house an' yo' wan'a quit dat rǒwin' an' live pleasant in de house. Yo' take a li'le bit of table salt, but choo have tuh use it In de Name of de Lord. An' yo' take dat table salt an' yo' put a li'le bit in a can or anything, an' put it up ovah de do. An' dat's good tuh keep yuh home quiet.
Entry 9476
Throw salt on de do' or on de porch, an' dey more den apt tuh leave. Yo' know salt gives 'em bad luck if yo' bring it from yuh own house. An' den dey won't stay dere in peace an' dey'll fin'ly move out.
Entry 9477
Once someone had did somepin tuh hurt me an' dey tole me whut tuh do. Dey said go back home an' look undah de flo' - undah de step an' dig undah dere an' git some salt an' sprin- kle in dat hole. Dat would kill dat whut dey had fo'me. Wahl, ah did dat but ah don' know wus it. Ah did whut dey said all right. Dat'a de best ah knowed of it [to] do.
Entry 9478
Yo' takes cookin' salt an' sprinkle it in front de do', sprinkle fer t'ree mawnin's. Den de fo'th mawnin' de people will move out. Evah mawnin about - time about 'fo' 6 o'clock.
Entry 9479
There's several dif- ferent methods to work at it. The one method, why you would get up in the morning at three o'clock and take three hands of salt, and throw 'em across the door and make your wishes. And sometimes it have a tendency to make 'em move.
Entry 9480
Yo' say yo' wan' zem tuh move out dis house. Git chew some salt an' carry it unbeknown tuh dem an' sprinkle it across de sill of de do' - see, right crossin' de do'. All right. Well, now, yo see, dey gotta step ovah dat. An' when dey open dat door de nex' mawnin' comin' tuh go out where dis here salt is, yo' see, dey goin' tuh pass ovah it, yo' undahstan'. Why dey gotta sweep it outa de house outa de way. An' when dey go tuh sweep dat salt away from dere, see evahbody in de house follah it. Won't be long, maybe. Ah've had dat done tuh mahself all right.
Entry 9481
Ah heard yo' could git some cookin' salt. Ah've heard dat chew kin take salt, cookin' salt, an' if anyone was kin' of a enemy of yo', dat is if yo' an' him has had some disagree- ment some way an' he seem tuh be a enemy of yuh, dat yo' could bury it undah yore steps, an' he'd walk ovah it, dey say he'll even come - really aftahwards - come tuh be yore friend, comes all de way 'long.
Entry 9482
Fo' peace in yore home, yo' kin take table salt, jis' common table salt, an' sprinkle it roun' de flo', but don't sprinkle it heavy so dey kin de- tect it, yo' see. An' dat keep de diff'rence outa yore home.
Entry 9484
Go tuh de sto' an' buy yo' cookin' table - box of cookin' table salt. An' if yo' kin git a chance tuh go tuh dat house, yo' put it roun' tuh de fo' cornahs. Put about a tablespoon of dat tuh evah foah cornahs of dat house. [4 corners outside and 4 corners of each room]. An' yo' go inside an' yo' put as much as yo' kin in each cornah of dat house. Don't care how many cornahs it's got, yo' put some in each cornah - a tablespoonful. An' dey have tuh move, can't stay in dere.
Entry 9488
If anyone will come in yuh house - jis' lak a person wan'a come in yuh home an' broke yuh home up, an' yo' know dey come [for that purpose], take some salt an' go all through yuh house an' throw it in de each fo' cornahs of de house, an' use it In de Name of de Lord. An' when dey use dat salt, throw it through de house. Dey throw it undah yuh do'step too when dey come. Why when dey come in dey can't do a thing tuh yuh an' evahthing will go on pleasant.
Entry 9490
Yo' kin put red peppah an' salt - yo' weah dat in yore shoes, see. An' den yo' take salt an' put it in each cornah of de wall in yore rooms where yo' sleep at. An' if anybody [come] tuh yore house dat yo' don' want tuh come tuh yore house - dey come tuh yore house an' yo' don' wan' 'em dere - de time dey'd leave yo' sprinkle salt an' red peppah in dere tracks right out dere behin' 'em, an' sweep it out. See, an' dey won' evah come back a'gin. Well, we tried dat one time 'bout a police, about a law. Dey haven't nevah been dere tuh bothah us no mo'. (That first about that salt and pepper [in 4 corners of bedroom], that is to keep you from being harmed?) Yeah.
Entry 9491
Why, yo' kin be moved even wit de sunshine, even wit de table salt.
(How do you do that?)
Yo' take de Bible an' yo' take de salt an' go tuh de do' at de risin' of de sun, an' yo' throw yuh salt tuh de east. See [demonstrates]. An' yo' go through yore rooms no'th, east, so'th an' de west. See, an' yo' throw dat salt around in dat room. Dat is, eithah way yo' kin do it. An' den yo' go back - yo' do dat fo' three mawnin's an' he'll git upset an' of co'se he'll move. Yore [victim's] nerves will become nervous an' yo'll [he'll] have tuh go.
(Now I go to the door that's facing the east, and throw some salt...)
Dat way, yes, an' dat way [demonstrates]...fo' directions.
(That will make them [him] move out.)
Entry 9502
If yo' kin git intuh dere house, take table salt an' carry it tuh de front do' an' throw it out. Jes' come right straight through de house, sprin- klin' it as yo' walk through, an' sprinkle it down an' name it till yo' git tuh de walk where it goin' out [to street or road] an' dey'll move out very shortly behin' yo'. (You go in the back door and walk right through the house?) Walk right through the house an' sprinkle it as yo' go out.
Entry 9503
Yo' kin take salt. Lak a man when he leaves, yo' kin take salt fo' nine straight mawnin's an' yo' stan' in de do' an' yo' go on - yo' come out. Come out in de front yard an' take dat salt an' throw it back on dis man three times. Throw de salt back in de house ovah yore right shouldah three times, an' ovah yore lef' shouldah three times. Dat'll bring 'im back. (You stand out in front of the door with your back to the house and you do that nine mornings?) Nine mawnin's. He'll be back in nine mawnin's. He's gotta come back.
Entry 9505
Dey take salt nine mawnin's an' put it from de front tuh de back, miss nine mawnin's, an' den put it roun' nine mawnin's, an' den in twenty days dey'll be gone. Dey couldn't live dere any mo'.
(That is to make them move out of the house?)
Make them move. (In putting this salt from the front to the back, do you go through the house or round the house?) Roun' de house, de outside, nine mawnin's an' den yo' skip. Den yo' do de othah nine mawnin's. Dat's two nine mawnin's, jes' skip one nine an' den put it roun' dere nine - outside of de buildin'. Ah've heard 'em say dat would make dem move, dat dey'll nevah have good luck wit dat house. An' dey can't stay dere any mo'. (In other words, you simply go round twice, nine mornings?)
Entry 9508
Now if yo' runnin' a gamblin' house, sellin' whiskey, got women, if yo' wanta be lucky 'bout dis thing, always keep in yo' place loose salt, ice cream salt. Git de ice cream salt, it's in big lumps. [Ice cream salt is rare in HOODOO.] Dey says yo' could swallah oneof'em[lumps], deygood fo' yo' stomic anyway. Jes' put one in yo' mouth an' swallah it an' dey says dat ev'ry once in a while jes' scattah some all round de house. It roll up lak snow [informant not a native of place where we are talking] or sweep it out. Dey says de cops or p'lice will bar'ly evah pass by; if dey do, dey speak tuh yo' an' wave dere han's. Yo' do dat fo' nine mawnin's straight an' den yo' skip nine. Dey tell me dat'll work fine. An' ah believe some people's doin' it right heah [in the city] now, 'cuz ah been heah a long time. Dey say dat's a fact.
Entry 9509
Salt throw tuhwards sun- rise 3 times, say, Whitefolks go an' don't come back. An' dey'll [police] stay 'way from yuh. "Go yuh way an' Let me alone.
Entry 9510
Ah heard yo' could take salt an' sprinkle it roun' yore house. Yo' know, bury it undah de do'steps an' - if yo' wanta sell likkah an' keep de law away from dere.
Entry 9511
Yo' rise early in de mawnin' befo' de sun rise an' put salt befo' de do', an' nobody will nevah come in de gate.
(That is to keep the law away or your enemies.)
Entry 9512
Well, now, it ain't but two things tuh keep de law away from de place. To' spread table salt down where he is an' he ain't goin' tuh come up dere. Dat's all it is. Yo' jes' git tuh 'im an' throw 'em down 'is back an' put 'im in hard luck, an' he's goin' on away from dere. He's not goin' tuh come where yo' is. [Memphis, Tenn.,
(976).1581:2.]
Entry 9515
Take table salt an' sprinkle it roun' de do' fo' nine mawnin's, an' dey gotta go.
(bey have to move out of that house.)
Entry 9518
[New Orleans was the scrubbingest place of them all, special prepara- tions often being called a scrub.] She take some salt watah an' evah mawnin' befo' day - it wouldn't be quite light yo' know - she'd take dat watah an' scrub de whole place an' scrub 'er room. An' when he'd come she'd rest his hat, lak anyone would do yo' know. An' she'd have a soft damp rag wit de same solution, an' when he'd be readin' or othahwise lak dat, she'd dampen his hat, jes' take it lak dis [demonstrates] an' dampen it.
(Just dampen the hat with the rag. What is that supposed to do then?)
Keep him dere, yes. [To keep him from being taken away would have been a better answer.]
Entry 9520
People say dat yo' could take salt, fresh salt in de shoes - weah it in de shoes. Anybody put down anythin' ag'in yo', dey say it wouldn't take no 'fect. (If you walk over anything?) Yessuh, if yo' walk ovah anythin' why it won't take 'fect 'count [on account] de salt.
Entry 9521
Den yo' kin take table salt an' weah it in de bottom of yuh shoes, jes' lak yo' got dis business goin' on now [informant will return to dis business of mine later]. Yo' kin take table salt an' weah it in de bottom of yore shoes, an' go roun' dat by day wit dat undah de bottom of yore feet, an' yo' come tuh be slick an' yo'll come tuh be lucky in yore doin's an' successful.
(You say wearing the salt in your shoe makes you lucky in all sort of things?)
Jes' in all sorts of things dat chew carry on. TAKE TABLE SALT AN' PUT IT IN DE BOTTOM OF YORE SHOES DAT YO' WEAHIN'. DAT'S SO'S YO' GIT SLICK AS GLASS. YO' HAVEN'T NEVAH TRIED DAT?
(NO.)
WELL, YO' TRY DAT IN YORE BUSINESS. JES' LAK DIS BUSINESS YO' CARRYIN' ON put table salt in de bottom of yore shoe, yo' be lucky an' suc- cessful. Yore feet git slick as glass.
Entry 9522
I've known people to wear salt in the bottom of their shoe, the left shoe rather, to prevent anybody from cunjuring them; or, if they go any place and walk on anything, it won't injure them. [Snow Hill, Md., (85), grade school teacher who was born and still lives near Richmond, Va., except during the school year,14:2.]
Entry 9527
Why, if yo' is gone away from yuh wife an' [often equals Or] she gone away from yo', why yo' kin git up soon in de mawnin', mos' any mawnin'. Don't speak tuh anyone. An' jes' go back dere an' git salt - a box. Git some salt an' call 'er name fer three mawnin's. De foth mawnin', if she is a li'le mind of it, [if she has the slightest intention of returningl, she comin' back.
(What do you do with that salt?)
Take dat salt an' throw it de way she went.
Entry 9528
An' den if yo' wan' him tuh tell evahthing he knows, yo' kin put his han' while he's 'sleep - if yo' maybe ketch him drunk - put his han' in some cold salt an' watah, if yo' wanta find out whut he's doin', an' he'll tell evahthing he knows.
Entry 9529
If yo' know de person dat's goin' dere, if yo' seein' 'em an' it's jes' somebody whut visit yo', dat yo' don' wanta visit yo'. Well, now whenevah dey leave, yo' jes' throw jes' a li'le pinch of salt behin' dem, an' sweep it in de direction dey gone. Dey can't - dey won't come dere, dey'll stay 'way.
Entry 9533
Den, in case, if de police come tuh yuh house an' yo' runnin' a whiskey house or some kinda business, well yo' kin take some salt an' throw it out behin' dem, an' sweep it out wit a bran'-new broom. He won't come back no mo'. Dat will keep 'em from comin' back.
Entry 9534
As person leaves, throw salt, make wish, take broom and sweep, won't come back.
Entry 9538
If this person was an enemy to you, then you get some salt - out of a jar that has never been used - and when the person leaves, you sprinkle the salt behind them. You did it In the Name of the Lord. Then take a broom and sweep it out the way they went. Then set the broom bck in the house bottom side upward. And they wouldn't come back again. [For setting brushy part of broom up and handle down behind door, a rite widely spread, See 2432, Wilmington, N. Car., and 2433, New Orleans, La., both p.675, v.1, etc.]
[Old Point Comfort, Va., collected in 1936 by Ediphone.]
Entry 9539
As person leaves, make one throw of salt behind him: In the Name of the Father, second In the Name of the Son, and third In the Name of the Holy Ghost. Won't come back. This same thing in another person's house will make him move out.
Entry 9540
If yo' has a individual in yuh house an' yo' wan' dat individual out, an' yo' can't git him out - or can't git him or her out - why evah time dey go out, yo' turn dat mattress ovah. An' evah time dey go out yo' sprinkle salt on dat mattress an' turn it ovah, an' have dere things changed aroun' from where dey put it. When yo' find it at one place, take an' change it an' put it at anothah place. Dat's a kinda torment to de room. Dey will finely [finally] move away. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (983), 1591:12.] [Normally the word pepper alone means red pepper, usually black pepper being described as black (see examples in the black pepper rites at the beginning of section (4), Nos.9644-9654). Black can be substituted for red in an emergency, but red is more powerful; especially potent, if the container in which it was purchased pictures a red devil. Red of course almost always indicates cayenne pepper, though "finger peppers" - the hot-sauce peppers - are sometimes mentioned.]
Entry 9544
.. Take de peppah an' salt an' press it tuhgethah an' burn it, an' put it in yore pocket an' carry it wit yo' when yo' goin' tuh look fo' a job, if yo' want luck. An' if yo' talkin' tuh yore man, yore bossman, dat's yo's tryin' tuh git a job wit, have dat in yore han' an' [they say yo'll git yo' a job if anybody gits one. [Wilson, N. Car., (1486), cylinder 2660: item No?]
Entry 9545
If de opposite party would want confusion in yore house, dey [you] take an' send ovah tuh yore neighbah tuh borrah some salt. An' aftah yo' git dat salt, yo' see, yo' take dat salt an' yo' go roun' de house - an' yo' put some cayenne peppah [with it] see - roun' de three cornahs of de house, see. Yo' put dat cayenne peppah roun' dere an' it will cuz confu- sion dere. Dey won't be no kinda 'greements [agreements] atall. Dey'll jes' be in a uproar all de time roun' dere, by borrahin' de table salt. (Well, now who would do that? Suppose they [people] would want to cause con- fusion in this house [where I am interviewing], some other person outside would borrow from some neighbor near here?) Borrow it from heah [the house we are in now]. (You have to borrow it from the person with whom you are going to cause con- fusion?) Yessuh.
(Then you say they are right at the same house where they borrow it?)
Yessuh.
Entry 9548
When person leaves, throw salt an' red peppah behin' 'im an' make sign of cross an' tell 'im tuh GO! [Washington. D. C. (?). 817:6.]
Entry 9551
Heard of 'em usin' salt an' red peppah tuhgethah. Dat is tuh raise disturbance roun' de home. Mix de salt an' peppah tuhgethah an sprinkle it undah de do'sill or somewhere neah de house, an' in crossin' dat, dat'll teah up a home. [The words doorsill and saddle of the door are infrequent in hoodoo usage.]
Entry 9559
Jes' take some red peppah, dis cayenne peppah an' salt, table salt an' jes' sprinkle it all in de house, an' dat'll cuz confusion or a bad sepa- ration.
Entry 9560
Well, jes' lak yo' got a good ole man an' sometimes dey begrudge yo', well, yo' jes' sprinkle salt an' cayenne peppah aroun' every mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's, an' dat keeps up a disturbance - keep 'em fightin' an' fussin'.
(That breaks you [a family] up.)
Entry 9563
I hear say if de rentman come to your house an' yo' ain't got de money, ain't able to pay him an' yo' don't want him to put yo' out, get yo' a brand-new box of salt, and a brand-new box of pepper. Open de door an' don't use nothin' else but that. Every time he come dere, sprinkle your house an' sweep it, sweep it in the room an' yo' oon't have no trouble with him.
Entry 9564
As person leaves, sprinkle salt an' peppah behin' 'im an' say, Go! An' don't come back no mo'. [Washington, D. C., (?), 822:2f.
Entry 9568
Well, if yo' are here an' ah want chew tuh leave out, ah throw salt when yo' leave out de doah. Ah throw salt behin' yo' befo' yo' turn - when yo' turn yuh back tuh leave. Ah throw salt an' den ah take de broom an' ah sweep, ah sweep it all out tuh de sidewalk [sweep the visitor's foot tracks off your property]. An' if yo' continue tuh return, jis' add some pepper to it an' finely yo'll quit comin'.
Entry 9569
Ah've heard 'em say they could take salt an' red peppah an' make 'em move. (How would they do that?) When yo' leave out the house, dey sprinkle that salt an' [red] peppah an' sweep it out behin' yo', throw it ovah they left shoulder an' sweep it out behin' yo'. Den yo'll leave.
(You mean if I were doing that, I would throw it over my left shoulder?)
Yessuh.
Entry 9570
Well, dey jes' take salt an' peppah an' mix it tuhgethah - red peppah an' salt, mix it good tuhgethah an' each time yo' come, put it undah de do'step. Jes' keep it up undah de do'step, an' each time yo' come back, jes' throw it at chew an' yo' know, take de broom an' sweep it out. Purtty soon yo' will stay away.
Entry 9571
When dey come, jes' mix a little salt an' red peppah tuh- gethah, an' as dey goes yo' sprinkle it right on behin' de do'h an' sweep out - sweep behin' dem. Cuss dem' some. Say, "Go an' stay an' nevah come back." (They will never come back again.) [Charleston, S. Car., No.518, Doctor Nelson, 610:11.]
Entry 9572
Take salt an' peppah. See, evah time yo' come tuh yore house yo' jes' throw it behin' 'im an' yo' cuss 'im out. Don't say nuthin good, jes' cuss 'im out, jes' say, "Go on! Don' chew come back heah tuh mah house no mo'." Jes' sweep 'im on out de street. An' he stay 'way from dere.
Entry 9573
If yo' got a man or a woman an' yo' wanta git rid of 'em, yo' jes' let 'em come in an' yo' take some salt an' peppah an' sweep it out behin' 'em an' tell 'em, 'Git out heah, yo'devil, yo'! Don't nevah come back tuh heah no mo'!" [That is] if yo' wants tuh git rid of 'em.
Entry 9575
If yo' want to keep people away from your house an' afraid that they Ykrt chah, yo' must always have salt an' red cayenne pepper mixed together. Yo' take that salt an' cayenne pepper, they people go out. When they come in de house, yo' don't want 'em to come, yo'd put that salt and cayenne pepper all behin' 'em. An' then yo' take de broom an' sweep that off de way that they go out. As yo sweep it, make a wish, "Keep outa my house." See? Well, they do that three ties. An' then they won't come back to your house no more. If they mean yo' any harm, they ain't comin' back no more. [This is an unusual preparation for an emergency: You must always have salt an' red cayenne pepper mixed together. Often materials must be new and remainders discarded.] [Richmond, Va., (348), 291:1 0r 348:1.]
Entry 9577
Take yo' some peppah - ah mean red peppah - an' den yo'll fix it, yo' see, an' yo' go jes' lak yo' wan's tuh pay a visit ovah deah. Yo' go an' set down deah, see, an' pay a visit, an' den yo' have dat peppah in a lettah [enve- lope] or sompin an' make lak [pretend] yo' git some fiah or light off de stove. An' yo' take dat peppah an' throw it in dere - in dat stove yo' see. An' outside, as yo' come on de outside, well yo' put some of it right down on de stoop an' some salt. Salt an' peppah tuh- gethah sprinkle it on de stoop, right on de top, right on down tuh de groun' an' trall it on tuh de cornah [of the street].
(And that makes them move out of the house.)
An' den aftah yo' do dat clean tuh de cornah, jes' take whut chew have leaved [left] in yore han' - take it an' throw it dat way [demonstrates] tuhwards de side where de wind is blowin', an' dey'll shore move out in less dan...
Entry 9579
When dey come in, an' as dey go out - yo'd have yore salt an' yore peppah, an' as dey walk out yo' sprinkle it right behin' 'em. An' as dey go out - yo' have yore broom- sweep it [salt, pepper, and tracks] from inside right on out. Say, "Don' come back, don' come back." Yo' repeat dat [incantation] nine timies, evah time dey come an' fine'ly dey'll stop comin'.
(That will keep anybody away - the law or anybody.)
Anybody - de salt an' pepper in dere tracks.
Entry 9580
If dey tryin' tuh harm yo' - yo' know, lak dey put down sompin an' yo' scared yo' walk ovah it - yo' kin take salt an' peppah, red cayenne peppah, an' weah it in yore shoe. (What will that do?) Dat'll - yo' cain't detect nuthin in yuh feet or anythin'.
Entry 9583
Git salt an' red peppah an' mix all dat up tuhgethah, see, an' put it in yore shoes. See, pertect yo'self anywhere yo' goes. See, nuthin cain't harm yo'. Well, ah've heard dat.
(When you walk in anything it wouldn't hurt you.)
Entry 9588
De salt an' peppah that chew wear in yore shoe, that's to make some- one - well, see, lak if yo' wanta man or a woman an' yo' can't git a chance out dem. An' yo' make yore wishes an' put dis salt an' peppah in it. [Here I turned off machine to ask if this was the same or a similar rite to the three red-peppers one.] Yes, yo' use three pods of red peppah. Yo' put one whole one [red-pepper pod] in one shoe an' one whole one in de othah shoe, but chew cut dem in half, see. Yo' put half one in each one [shoe]. Yo' put half in dis shoe [he indicates the right] an' half in de left one, an' yo' do them pods like that an' de third pod...see, that makes a pod an' a half in each one [shoe]. An' yo' put the sulphur an' salt in that. [Informant has added sul- phur.] An' see, yo' use dese cork soles [insoles], or yo' just use a paper [in- sole] ovah there, see, or yo' kin take up dat little inner sole an' just put it down [put mixture under insole] in yore shoe. An' dey say that'll bring a man to yo' or bring a woman to yo'. Yo' make yore wishes.
Entry 9589
Yo' git some black peppah - jes' lak ah'd wan' chew tuh move outa mah house. Ah'd git some of yore black peppah an' some salt, an' go tuh a grocery stō' an' git chew [me] some'a dis red peppah [either because you do not keep any or it must be new] an mix dat up an' throw it right undah - right 'fore yore do'. Dat'll natchly wanta git chew out.
Entry 9592
Yo' git chew some bluestone an' tote dat in yore pocket an' a little red peppah an' salt an' tote dat wid chew. Dey can't har'ly [hardly] - can't do a thing wit chew.
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 9594
I'll tell you what I would do [to make a person move]. I would get some bluestone and salt and pepper, and put that down right beside of the house and wish them to go, and they're bound to go. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 9595
All she gotta do is tuh go tuh work an' take some cookin' salt an' some red peppah an' some bluestone an' beat it all up tuh- gethah. An' den she ain't got a thing tuh do but jes' pass by de gate where de lady lives an' jes' throw it three times ovah de gate where yo' bound tuh cross it, chew know, comin' in an' out. Yo' won't go dere any more. Dat breaks up de home.
(That breaks up the man and this other woman?)
Yes, an' he'll come back tuh 'is wife. An' stay.
Entry 9597
Well, now, yo' see, jes' lak yo' had a house. Yo' wanted tuh rent it an' yo' wanted tuh be lucky on it. Well, yo' take an' go tuh a person, say, "Well, ah'll rent yo' dat house fo' so much." Well, now yo' wants tuh be lucky in rentin' it. Yo' go tuh work den an' yo' take yo' some black peppah, some salt, an' take yo' nine pods of red peppah, an' yo' take yo' three grains of calomel.
(Is that the stuff you take for your bowels?)
Dat's right. Take dat an' yo' put it all tuhgethah an' yo' put dat in a bag [making a hand]. Yo' take den an' yo' carry it tuh yore home an' yo' lay it right up ovah de do', or eithah put it right undah de right cornah of yore do'- step. Well, yo'll always be lucky in dat home.
Entry 9598
If yo' don't know dey name or sompin lak dat, git chew some salt, black peppah an' sugah an' ground real fine. Yo'll have tuh beat it as a powdah. Jes' take yore rollah an' roll it jes' intuh a powdah. Sprinkle it all aroun' yore house, yo' see, tuh keep off all evils. Yo' sprinkle red peppah an' lye behin it. Dat simple thing. Den yo' kin git chew some dis chlorine salve. It's whut chew call - it's sompin lak a asic [acid] - an' dat keeps anyone from roun' yore house, close aroun'. Yo' kin use it about chure body, dat draws all yore enemies away. An' yo' kin use it as a chloride salve, jes' plain chloride salve without asic an' as adraw- in' card, fo' people's tuh yo'. But jes' dis plain chloride asic is tuh keep 'em from yo', from doin' yo' bodily harm.
Entry 9599
Well, ah tell yo', yo kin git chew some salt an' red peppah an' oil of citronella an' weah dat bag intuh yuh pocket each night when yo' go out gamblin'.
Entry 9602
Dey tell me that chew go to de east side of yore house an' yo' dig a small little pail full of dirt an' yo' pat hit full of salt an' peppah an' yo' put hit right out in front of yore door where yo' gotta enter de steps an' dey say hit'll keep it away but...
(That will keep the law away?)
[My use of word "law", already used by informant, causes nervousness.]
BUT AH DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT! AH'VE NEVAH TRIED IT! Your enemies, well dat's de laws.
Entry 9604
Take yo' some red peppah, sulphuh an' table salt, or eithah graveyard dirt, an' put it in a little cloth an' put it in de bottom of de shoe an' weah it. [That graveyard dirt is a part of preceding com- bination and not a substitute for it, see following rite about graveyard dirt from near headboard of grave.]
(What will that do then?)
Dey can't hurt chew.
(You walk over anything and it couldn't hurt you?)
Yes.
The informant describes a shoe-cloth treatment and protection claim, using the words 'or eithah graveyard dirt'. Hyatt's bracketed note instead treats dirt as part of the combination and refers to the next rite. Preserve that difference and the red pepper, sulphur and salt as distinct ingredients.
Entry 9609
[Take] de person name an' write it down an' git chew some salt an' peppah, an' when dey come in jes' sweep it back out. [Informant had started with a letter be- fore recording began.] (Why do you write that name down? What do you do with that?) Write 'em a lettah - jes' lak yo' gona write 'em a lettah - tell 'em stay away from your house, an' burn it up intuh a ashes. When dey come in, take dat salt an' peppah an' throw it down dere an' den sweep it back out.
(What do you do with the ashes then?)
Sweep it out 'hin' [behind]'em. (You mean with this salt and pepper [and letter ashes], sweep it out behind them. I see.)
Entry 9610
Dey'll go 'head an' come heah an' put some salt an' peppah. An' dey'll come to yore house - an' at night yo' know, or any time yo' know at chure ab- sence - an' dey'll sprinkle it all up dere. An' den dey'll put chure name in dat. Write it as dey goin' off fo' vacation. An' when dey do dat, dey kin leave it an' within nine days yo'll have tuh go. (They write your name on a piece of paper and say that you are going on a vacation?) Taking a vacation. An' den put salt an' peppah. When yo' leave an' when yo' walkin' dat way, an' yo'll move within nine days.
(Where will you put this paper?)
Put it in de shoes.
(Who wears it? Would you wear that if you were trying to harm me?)
Dey put it in yore shoes, see, 'cuz jis' lak dis, [if] dey couldn't git to yo'. An' dey put yore name in dey shoe, an' den dey put a little dat salt an' Peppah. An' when dey go dere dey'll sprinkle [salt and pepper], an' within nine days yore gone. [I turn off machine and then turn it on again for missed por- tion.] (When they sprinkle it, they just say "vacate." But you have my name on thi's Paper in your shoe, and you sprinkle this salt and pepper around my house?) In yore name.
Entry 9611
They say they take pepper and onions and table salt, and put that to- gether and name it, and throw it in the fire and burn it, and it will cause a confusion in the family between a man and his wife.
Entry 9612
If you want a person to move, you have to take a stormy night when it is raining real hard. But you gotta take a couple of pods of red pepper and nine pinches of salt and you gotta burn it. Parch it in the oven to look like dirt you know and just cook it right together. Brown it till it looks like dirt. And take a plain paper, if you know de person's name- - you don't, you find it out. Write his name nine times forwards and nine times backwards. [To write for- eards and backwards means to write the name normally turn the paper upside down, repeating the name on top of the first one. This is called crossing names.] Then parch the paper, salt and pepper all together and make a powder. Den a stormy night like we done having storms and all, don't care if it raining hard, you go up to their hall. Don't look back [going or returning] and throw this stuff and come on out. And they'll move in less time from three to nine days. They won't stay there. They kin own the property, they'll rent it out, but they gon't stay.
Entry 9616
Den if yo' - if somebody wus in some business, got a lotta trade-like, an' yo' wanta break it up. Well, yo' could git some soda an' salt an' red peppah an' put it togethah. Mix it up togethah. An' when yo' go into dis place where dey are at - where de business is goin' on at - yo' could sprinkle it round in dere on de flo'. An' ah know fo' a fact dat it is good.
(It will break up their business.)
Break up their business.
Entry 9617
(To make somebody move?) Yeah. Yo' git salt an' yo' git sugah an' yo' git cayenne peppah an' yo' mix dose tuhgethah. An' as dis person goin' outa de house, why yo' jis' sprinkle dat on behin' 'em. Dey're goin' some place.
Entry 9618
Wal, ah tell yuh how dey do dat. Dey take some salt an' sulphuh an' red peppah an' mix it tuhgethah. Go dere at night, chew know, an' sprinkle it ovah huh po'ch [her porch], right down in fron' of 'er do'step. Den she gits all intendin' tuh leave dere. She can't stay on account'a dat red peppah jis' runs 'er crazy.
(That will make her move out of the house.)
Entry 9620
Take sulphur an' salt, cayenne peppah an' spread it roun' yore house - undah de house or roun' in de house. If yo' got any enemies or any- thin' put down dere, it'll kill it.
Entry 9622
Jes' lak he visit de home backwards an' forwards [visits frequently]. Evah tue he leave yo' jes' take some cayenne peppah an' sulphuh an' salt, an' throw it behin' 'im an' make a curse or somepin or 'nothah an' sweep 'is track. He'll have tuh go away.
(That will make him stay away?)
Dat's right. He couldn't stay dere.
Entry 9623
Yo' git some sulphuh an red peppah an' strew roun' yore house fo' ten nin's befo' de sunrise - sulphuh an' peppah an' table salt, an' jes' throw it roun' yuh house fo' ten mawn- in's, evah mawnin' befo' de sun rise. An' if yo' know where dis man lives, yo' go tuh 'is house an' do de same thing. Jes' throw dat peppah jes' as yo' go in. Yo' jes' throw dat peppah up an' down until yo' git tuh de do'.an' yo' throw it out lak dat an' make yore wish. An' de 'leventh mawnin dey say yo'll git a job.
Entry 9624
Sulphah an' red peppah an' put nine teaspoonsful of salt in it, an' bary it to de back do' an' to yore front do', an' dey couldn't stay dere tuh ave dere life. Dey may stay two or three weeks but dey won' stay. (You mean in the house or around the house?) No, yo' jes' bury it right undah yore back steps. An' den go to yore front step an' bury it 'bout de same place - under de front steps. An' dey couldn't stay dere to save dere life.
Entry 9625
They always say if anybody is bothering you or making you git out de buse, they gets five cents worth of new cayenne pepper, five cents of sulphur, amd there's something else you stole, and a box of new salt. Sprinkle it in de doorsill every morning for nine mornings and make a wish and let 'em walk over that. (And this is to do what now?) Jes' to make 'em get dissatisfied, make 'em move out. (Move out of the house. I see.) In other words, you kin take the -e thing - sulphur, cayenne pepper and salt, and de stuff whatever you stole, aod burn it on your stove. And the scent goes out and they says that will run out.
(Run them out of the house.)
Entry 9627
If yo' goin' tuh git a job, git up in de mawnin', or even if de sto's now open tuhnight, git chew a package of cookin' salt. Open dat salt. Po' some salt in de cornah of a large han'- kerch'ef. Yo' put red peppah in dere an' sulphuh, an' yo' tie it up. Put it In yore right pocket an' go [to see boss]. An' if de man don' hire yo' dat day, dey'll tell yo' tuh come [back], an' de nex' time yo' go back yo' git a job.
Entry 9628
Yo' kin git chew sulphuh an' salt an' red peppah an' tie it up an' whenevah yo' gits roun' 'im... (Round the boss.) Yo' be talkin' tuh 'im - an' Hearts Cologne, git dat Hearts Cologne. Yo' keep it wet chew know. Yo' talkin' tuh 'im. He give yo' a job.
Entry 9629
Well, git chew some salt- petah an' some table salt, a little sulphuh, an' take dat an' nine pods of red peppah an' yo' jes' make a little bag an' yo' weahs dat. Dat's all.
(What will that do then?)
Dat's to keep it back. Dat kill evahthin'. Can't git up to yo' 'cuz dat keep it off.
(That is to protect you.)
Entry 9630
Yo' kin take some salt an' some sulphuh an' some red peppah an' tote it in yuh pocket in a piece of red flannel an' can't nobody hurtcha [hurt you].
Entry 9631
If dey puttin' any- thin' down tuh hurt chew, yessuh, yo' could pertec' yo'self. Well, yo' could go ahead an' take sulphuh, red peppah an' salt an' weah it - put it in de bottom of yore shoe. Weah it up undah dat little bitta place, yo' know, dat's made in yore shoe - up undah dere, on de inside [under the insole]. Weah dat in yore shoe. Sat dat [cunjure] won' do yo' harm.
Entry 9636
If dey put anything down fo' yo', yo' undahstan' to hurt chew or cripple yo' or anythin' so yo' can't walk. Yo' take dat peppah, cayenne peppah an' salt an' sulphuh, an' mix dat tuhgethah an' sprinkle it aroun' undah yore do'step, an' aroun' yore place whare yo' walk. Quite nec'sary [necessary] yo' weah some of dat in yore shoes. Well yo' see, dey can't do anythin' to yo', can't hurt chew when yo' got dat peppah in dere. It keeps dat down.
conditional threat of injury contrasted with a claimed protective negation. Preserve cripple/cannot-walk threat and can’t hurt negation; no diagnosis or proven protection. mixing cayenne pepper, salt and sulphur in a reported protective preparation. Keep the literal uppercase MIX destination, named ingredients, page order and the adjacent protection claim without efficacy. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3812) · Read full source (printed page 3813)
Entry 9637
If yo' know anyone tryin' tuh harm yo' roun' yore home, yo' git chew some dis heah bluestone, an' sulphuh, red peppah, an' salt. Mix all of dat up togethah. Evah mawnin' [you] come outa yuh house, befo' yo' hit de flo', [I mean] hit de groun', yo' take dat dust an' go along wit [use] dat dust - evah anin' befo' yo' come up. An' aftah yo' do dat, why take a li'le bit of it an sprinkle it right in de bottom of yuh shoes, both shoes. Put on yuh shoes an' go anywheres. Dey can't harm yo' none, regardless [of what they put down for you].
Entry 9640
Ah heard dat chew take yore chamber lye an' dis salt an' peppah, an' throu it evah mawnin' befo' sunrise at chure do'. Dat'll keep de laws from run- nin' on yo' an' all fren's will come to yo'. An' don't sweep no, none of de dust out chure house, out chure front do'. Don' nevah throw none out; throw it in de fiahplace. Dat always brings in luck. But nevah carries out any [sweepings]. (If you are in business of any kind, especially bootlegging?) Yes, bootleggin' an' gamblin'.
Entry 9642
De nex' one wit sugah ag'in: if yo' got somebody a pusson yo' wanta make 'em stay at home, yo' mix dat wit allspice an' salt. An' put it in a li'le piece [of cloth] in de mattress, where de people gotta sleep, tuh make folks stay home. Put it in 'is mattress, jes' a li'le bit. Make 'em stay home.
Entry 9647
Ah've heard it said, yo' kin take table salt an' black peppah. As dey go out de do' yo' sprinkle it behin' dem, an' yo' take de broom an' yo' sweep it out behin' den. And dey say dey will leave an' dey won't evah come back dere no more.
Entry 9650
(Before the law comes, what do you do to keep them out?) It's not possible tuh keep 'em away. Dey have tuh come once in ordah tuh keep 'em away. Well, yo' use de black peppah an' salt an' sprinkle it behin' dem at evah footstep dat dey make, an' den sweep it out behin' dem lak dat.
(Then they won't come back again.)
Yessuh. An' sometime yo' kin use sulphuh 'long wit it.
Entry 9652
Take black peppah an' salt all roun' at chure do's. Dey cain't come ovah it. (They can't come in and steal things?) No.
Entry 9654
Take salt an' black peppah, tie it up mixed togethah. Jes' take it. Yo' got some made up: Yo' gamblin'. Put dat stuff right in yore pocket. Evah now an' den, when yo' shuffle de cahds or sompin, jes' run yore han' in yore pocket. Yo' ain't gotta pull out none [of the mixture], jes' git de dust of dat on yo'. (That will give him luck.)
Entry 9655
If I see a person I don't like and I don't want him in my house, I can take salt and bluestone and put it under the door and they can't come in. [Fredricksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 9656
[If anyone puts anything down for you] an' yo' wanta walk ovah it, jes' put chew some bluestone an' cookin' salt in yore shoe. Jes' take up dat little piece in de bottom of yore shoe [insole] an' sprinkle a little bit in dere an' put dat back down, an' yo' kin walk where yo' wanta walk.
(Nothing will hurt you?)
Nuthin will hurt yo'.
Entry 9658
Dey kin make yo' move wit saltpetah, brimstone an' table salt - jis' plain table salt. An' po' it by night, chew know, at de do' or sprinkle it roun' de do', an' yo' shuh of makin' 'em move.
Entry 9659
Now we come tuh love affairs. Dis heah's anothah item ah'm gona give yo'. Ah've tried dis on mahself. Yo' kin take yo' some salt an' some cheese an' flour an' make a powdah outa it. Mix it all tuhgethah. An' yo' kin take dat Poodahs. Jes' say fo' a instant [instance] dere's a girl stayed heah dat yo' thought a whole lots of, an' yo' jes' can't get 'er lak yo' wan's tuh do. But chew kin visit 'er an' have all de fun othahwise dat chew want. Yo' kin take dat powdahs dat chew've made an' dust it aroun' in 'er room, an' dat'll bring 'er love tuh where yo' kin handle huh an' she won't deny nuthin dat chew ask. De same thing is mighty good luck in gamblin' too. Dat salt an' cheese an' flour, dat's good luck in gamblin' too. An' den it's a lodestone dat chew kin use dat's mighty good luck in gamblin', a lodestone called magic lodestone [trade name]. Dat's mighty good luck in gam- blin'.
Entry 9662
Ah tole yo', when yo' want 'em tuh go [pauses].
(Yes.)
When dey makes de track, why yo' take a new broom an' sprinkle salt. Salt an' saltpetah, mix dat togethah an' sprinkle dat an' devil's snuff.
(Devil's snuff?)
Devil's snuff, yes sir.
(Where do you sprinkle that?)
Yo' sprinkle it right on behind. Jes' lak dey goin' out de do', yo' sprinkle it right on behin' dem. An' den yo' takes dis broom an' sweep it an' tell 'em - yo' make, make de wishes dat yo' want 'em tuh go an' stay [away]. Jes sweep 'im, jes' sweep 'im away. [The salt] outa box of salt dat's nevah been used out of.
(I see. Do you use salt? And what else did you say you used?)
Salt an' saltpetah an' devil's snuff.
(Devil's snuff. I see.)
Entry 9664
All right. Well, first, if they trying to harm you, you get you some Epsom salts, take you some table salt. All right. And you take you some warm water and let that set overnight. Then you take you a good bath with that. Well, they can't do anything with you.
Entry 9665
They takes the toenails and the fingernails, all like that, and wrap it up with sulphur and salt and burn it, and that will keep 'em away.
(Run them away.)
Burn it, just burn it around. You kin take and burn it around like in a heater or anything like that. That run 'em away.
Entry 9669
Yessuh, dere's somethin' dey kin git tuh git 'em away. Git 'em high Life an' saltpetah an' salt an' sandalwood incense, an' mix it up an' throw aroun' yore house evah mawnin' befo' de sun rise. (What is high life?) Ah dunno. It's somethin' yo' git outa de drug sto'. It looks jes' kinda greenish lookin'.
(Is it a powder or a liquid?)
It's a powdah. It's kinda lak sulphuh but chew cain't sprinkle it down where it rains, 'cuz it swells 'way up. Yo' use it when it's dry weathah.
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 9679
Well, den ah goes tuh work den an' ah worked a few plans. A fellah followed me an' ah tried it tuh see would it work. De fellah - ah wen' tuh work an' ah took dis heah sul- phuh an' ah took dis heah potash an' dis cookin' salt, an' put it in dis box an' where dis man place of business was. Ah went down dere an' turnt roun' nine times an' made a oath - cuss, cussed dis fellah. In three day's time dis fellah was out of dat place an' done moved. Had tuh move, he couldn't stay down dere. He had tuh move.
(What did you do with that box when you turned around nine times?)
Dat box? Ah took de box an' throwed it away. Ah had it in mah han' when ah wus turnin' roun' do [though]. But ah took de box an' throwed it away an' nobody knows whut it was all about.
Entry 9681
An' tuh avoid thin's lak dat tuh keep people away from yore house, lak dat - yo' kin take a piece of quicksilvah an' some table salt. An' mix it in, if yo' kin git somepin from 'em, a piece of deres. An' throw it away tuhward dey house an' dey won't nevah One tuh yore house any mo'.
Entry 9682
You take some salt, get you some soda and some rainwater. You understand, that's about the best. All right, you get up there and you mop good, and anywhere those people wants to make you move, then they cn't make you move.
(You do that so that they can't make you move?)
Sure, ah knows that positively.
Entry 9683
They say that if a person doesn't like you, they'll draw a ring in the road right at your house and they'll sprinkle salt, soda, ashes, lime, other chemicals, sulphur. That will keep you from being an enemy against him. SPRINKLE IN IT: ASHES - LIME - SALT - SODA - SULPHUR
Entry 9685
An' if yo' don't want 'em tuh come tuh yore house, yo' take table salt an' snake dust - cos' [of course] snake dust will kill yo'. Dey throw it at chew when yo' goin' tuh de house. Yo' take dat an' chunk it. Dey call it throwin' it at chew, but dey don't throw it at chew, dey put it down fo' yo' tuh walk ovah it. But if dey don't want chew tuh come tuh de house, yo' take one of yore right-foot shoes, an' sweep dat shoe, dirt an' all out de do', an' den dey'll walk backward from dat shoe in de house. Dey ain't comin' back no mo'.
(Whose shoe do they put out there?)
Yores. Jes' put a little table salt in dere. Dat will carry dem away.
(What do you do with the snake dust?)
Dat snake dust? Well, now, dat's tuh kill yo'. Dey won' do nuthin but jes' pur dat down, right down in yore pathway.
(Where you can walk over it?)
Yessuh, an' yo' walk ovah it. (But if they want to get rid of you, they just put that salt in your shoe and seep it out?) Yessuh. But dat snake dust, if yo' walks ovah dat snake dust an' dey got it in dere, why dat'll git chew, see, 'cuz dey got dat lodestone in it, yo' see.
Entry 9690
Now, if yuh wife runnin' aroun' an' yo' wanta stop 'er, yo' git chew some sugah, table salt an' sulphuh an' put it in - take a saucah an' mix it up, lak dat, an' evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's - yo' got a woman an' she got a man, an' yo' wanta break 'em up. Yo' take an' put dat in de cornah of yuh house. Jes' take a pinch of it an' put it, In de Name of de Lord, ah wish yo'd quit runnin' round. Evah time yo' put it down in de cornah of de house.
(Put it in the four corners?)
Yassuh, de fo' cornahs of de house, put it in dere, an' dat'll stop 'er from runnin' roun'.
Entry 9691
Well, yo' kin burn shoes fo' luck. Jis' put 'em in de stove an' burn 'em. Sprinkle salt an' sugah on 'em fo' luck.
Entry 9692
Jes' lak if ah had a husban' an' he don' nevah stay at home, an' ah wanted tuh keep 'im at home. Well, ah kin jes' take table sugah an' salt an' mix a little of it tuhgethah an' weah it undah mah ahms. Well, dat'll make 'im draw, love yo'; yo' know, make 'im git close tuh yo'.
Entry 9694
Anyone take salt an' li'l' sugah an' sprinkle it rom', an' dat brings luck tuh yo'. Dat's tuh keep a job, so no man kin mow yo' doon - tuh hold a job.
Entry 9695
Git some sulphur an' some table salt - not physic salt - table salt, an' lay it in yore shoe when yo' certain... [informant is re- peating].
(They can't put anything down for you to walk over it.)
No sir, dat sulphur an' salt supposed tuh...
Entry 9697
Now in case yo' want a job, yo' coming on de job [you are at the place where you want the job], put de footprint of yuh boss between dis sulphuh an'black peppah. Yo' will make a bag out'a it an' keeps it aroun' yuh neck, yo see, an' de spirit of yuh boss will always be along wit chew; yo' see. An' fer dat reason, he will nevah have yuh runned aay, as long as he have any incidental business [usually called odd jobs] at aWl. An' now, in ordah tuh fin' dout [find out] from any man de truth about dese chings. It's nuthin but such a simple thing as sulphuh an' salt, dat chew'll put In yuh pocket. An' if he [boss] wants yuh aroun', he will tell yuh; an' if not, dy he'll run yuh out'a dere.
(That's if you are hunting a job?)
Yes. No suh! Dat in case dat chew huntin' one: jes' de same uh [as] many as [men], yo' know, goin' aftah a job an' dey [boss] always puttin' yo'off puttin' yo' off. Well, if yo' directly wanted tuh find out if he gona give yo' dis job or not, den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' put a li'l' sulphuh an' a li'l' salt in dis papah, an' yo' wrap it up verah carefully an' keep it in yuh Ppcket. An' when yo' go tuh 'im, why he'll have tuh tell yo' what he's goin' tuh do; vhethah he goin' tuh give somepin.
(I see. He has to tell you whether he is going to give you a job or not.)
Entry 9698
(Do what?)
(You get some sulphur.)
And sprinkle it on your front and back steps, and get some disinterested per- son to get a fresh box of table salt, you know that never been used out of it, and just sprinkle it and someone clean house with it and sweep it out, you bound to move. (I see. You bury the sul- phur under the front steps and back steps, and then you have to have this salt.) Table salt.
(That hasn't been used. What do you do with that salt now?)
Sprinkle it in the house and just like if I, you know, come in or walk out, well then as soon as I walk out, then you sweep my tracks, sole and all out to- gether, and say, "Well, that settles it. You won't come back, again."
Entry 9700
If dey wanta be protected aroun' de home sometime, it's a very simple thing dat dey kin do tuh bring protection. Dey do dat befo' de sunrise. Dat is tuh take some table salt an' sulphuh an' fo' seven mawnin's befo' de sun rise, yo' git up an' turn yore back tuhwards de sunrise. An' jes' take dat salt an' sulphuh all composed tuhgethah an' jes' throw it up in de air. An' dat supposed tuh protect de home.
Entry 9701
Heah de thing dat he do if he believe in dis [tricking]. He jes' go tuh work an' jes' as he walk out de house, he.begin tuh sprinkle sulphuh an' salt.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat'll keep de othah mens back.
(While he is gone?)
Dat's right.
Entry 9702
The way now to do to git rid of folks - there's folks in your home an' you wan'a git rid of 'em. Yo' take sulphur an' salt - cooking salt yo' know - yo' mix it together an' jis' start right from your bed- room an' sprinkle it all aroun' in there, an' right on out the hall, right on out the steps, right on the steps, right on out de walk, an' jis' throw it north. An' that's supposin' to go out [make a person leave] if there's anybody they wan'a go out, they go out. An' if there's anybody you don't prefer comin' in there, they won't come in.
Entry 9703
About dat keepin' de person from hurtin' yuh, well dey say yo' take dis salt an' sprinkle it roun' in de fo' cornahs of yuh house. Do dat fo' nine mawnin's - dat sulphuh an' salt.
(Is the salt separately or the salt and sulphur - separate or together?)
Each sep'rately, each of 'em. (Each one of them is a different method of keeping a person away.) Yes sir, each one separately. An' yo' do dat fo' nine mawnin's. [Despite my last comment and informant's agreement, I now think sulphur and salt are thrown successively, one after the other, into each of four corners.]
Entry 9704
Well, yo' take, get one - yo' callin' all de time - yo' git chew some sulphuh an' git chew some table salt, an' mix dat tuhgethah an' make yo' a dust. Be callin' all de time. [Call anything you want to: Quarrels in this house must stop.] Jes' cake it an' scattah it right in front dat do'. Always scattah it all ovah de house an' jes' bend as yo' walk all ovah. [Why performer bends over I do not lmov. Like a wounded bird is operator deceiving the spirit working the spell?]
(What will that do?)
Dat'll stop de fuss. (Stop the fuss in the house.) [Kills whatever conjure started and continues the quarrels.]
Entry 9705
Well, dey say yo' kin take sulphuh an' salt, an' yo' kin jes' go dere lak yo' visitin'. An' yo' kin go dere an' strew it roun' dere in dat house as yo' walkin' roun' dere. If yo' got a coat dat's got a hole in de pocket, yo' kin run yore han' down in dat pocket an' yo' have dis in a papah or somepin, dat yo' kin jes' lose a li'l' bit at de time out'a it. Yo' have yore han' [in your pocket]. [This hole-in-the pocket is fairly common and known everyvhere.] Or yo' kin walk behin' 'em, lak it somebody yo' talk wit a whole lot, an' yo' kin jes' sprinkle dat salt an' sulphuh. An' in talkin' tuh dem yo' ldn be cursin' dem in yore mind.'Son-of-a-bitch, git out!" Sompin lak dat. An' it's true dat dey will move. In de ninth mawnin' de' will move.
Entry 9706
If yo' stayin' in a house an' de rent man wanta come dere tuh put chew oot an' yo' don' wanta git out, why yo' ain't gotta git out. Yo' kin fix a way tuh stay dere. Yo' kin go evah mawnin' jes' 'bout time fo' him tuh come - jes' lak if he dowp dere an' yo' see him comin', yo' jes' go tuh work an' take some sulphuh an' salt an' throw it in de fiah. Boa't let no one see yo' an' make a path. He'll ride right on by yuh house. "Caz why ah know dat? "Cuz de girl ah stayed wit she done dat, an' we didn't pay rent fo' God knows how long. An' ah axed 'er why she do dat, an' she say dat's luck.
Entry 9707
An' den, yo' kin take- dey say if yo' take table salt an' yo' mix it wit sulphuh an' anybody - jes' lak anybody ame tuh yore house an' yo' don' want 'em dere any mo', jes' sprinkle it down behin' 'em an' sweep yo' flo' an' curse 'em, dey says dey won' come any mo'.
(How do you seep your floor - just anyway?)
Well yo' jes' sweep it right on out tuh de do' behin' 'em - if yo' havin trouble wit chure [bill] collectah or sompin lak dat. If yo' do him lak dat,
[he'll stay away].
Entry 9708
Take some table salt an' some sulphur an' put togethah an' mix it up very good, an' burn that table salt an' sulphur, say, Ah burn this in the Name of the Father, the Son an' the Holy Ghost. An' it will pass away. (What will pass away?) All interferences in mah business. (If anybody is trying to interfere with your business, that'll kill that out.) Dat'll kill that out.
Entry 9709
Yo' take an' burn salt an' sulphur in de house on a Friday - yo' sacrificin' - an' someone will soon come. (To rent the house.) Yes sir.
Entry 9711
Salt an' sugah an' perfume; de three combine an' dey say dat brings de crowd in. Or eithah de kind of incense yo' burn will bring 'em in.
Entry 9712
Lak if yo' wan'a job, dey tell me sompin but ah have nevah tried it. Lak if yo' wanted a job, ah heah de boys say, go tuh de bossman's house. An' aftah yo' go tuh 'is house - lak if yo' go dere an' try tuh git a li'l' work tuh do roun' dere. Prob'ly yo' fine some things roun' dere dat he's got or somepin he weahs or somepin lak dat. Yo' take dis. An' yo' come back an' take it tuh yore home. An' yo' come back an' yo' take dis turpentine an' olive oil an' salt. An' yo' take dis stuff an' yo' fix it up. Well, aftah yo' take dis stuff an' fix it up, yo' take an' care [carry] it back tuh dis bossman's house. An' yo' take an' hide it up undah, anywhere undah where he walks aroun' in 'is room. Yo' take dat stuff an' yo' care it right dere, an' put it somewheah in 'is room, wheah he kin walk ovah it. Well, yo' take it den. Yo' take an' go back an' git it if yo kin git back an' git it. Git back an' git it. Meanwhile he wuz workin' aroun'. An' yo' take an' bury it. Lak he's got a desk wheah he do's 'is writin', keepin' time, or sompin lak dat. Yo' take an' put it up undahneat' de desk or sompin othah lak dat. An' dey say dat stuff, whut chew put in dat stuff, will take effect on 'im. An' den yo'll come tuh 'im an' he says, "Well" - when yo' ast 'im fo' a job - "come to work." He'll give yo' job. Dat stuff will take effect on 'in, work on 'im in a way, an' he'll have tuh give yo' a job.
Entry 9806
You can take a needle if you want to make a person sick and confined to bed. If you can get into their house and can cross two needles on the bottom of the mattress and push them in till they can't be seen from the outside, from the bottom of the mattress, turn the mat- tress up. Then you take three [four] needles and stick them up in the corners of the house. Get them back out of there even if you have to break them off so they can't be seen. Each corner of the house. And then you sprinkle a little salt in each corner, and you have the needle there, and as long as that person stays in that room and [with] those needles and the salt - after they sweep of course there's a few grains of that salt is going to remain in the corner - the person will just get sick and get up and down [from sick bed] and they can't get well until they remove those two needles crossed under their bed. If they can find them and remove them they'll get all right; and if they can't, they won't.
Entry 9824
Why ah could come up tuh yuh ev'ry day an' git me a pin or eithah a needle. If ah don' borrah a pin from yuh ah'll borrah a needle from yuh. Well, when ah gits mahself nine needles an' nine pins, well all right. Ah goin' come an' borrah salt or eithah black peppah from yuh, or eithah red peppah from yuh. Well, ah done borrahed an' borrahed it. Ah knows mah num- bah what ah done got from yuh. Ah done got nine pins an' nine needles from yuh. Ah takes 'em an' carried 'em tuh a green tree, an' ah takes an' digs a li'l hole in dat green tree, an' ah - see, ah got a cork stoppah. An' ah put dem needles an' pins, drive 'em in dere, an' ah take dis cork stoppah an' stop 'em in dere. Well, in about nine days yo'll be daid. [Informant names victim by intention; besides, victim has handled the articles.]
Entry 9845
Yo' kin take nine needles an' sulphuh an' salt an' put it undah yore do'steps, an' if yo' walk ovah it - it be about nine days befo' it start tuh burn an' de ninth day yo'll feel somepin up an' down yore laigs lak needles an' pins. An' dat'll be cun- juration workin'. Co's' ah've had experience of dat 'cuz ah wus hurt lak dat once. Den dey could take nine pins, lak if yo' wanta bring some- body back or if dey off stay- in' wit anothah woman. Yo' git nine - git a pack [package] of [new] pins an' take nine out of dat an' put 'em up ovah yore do' where dey'll come in an' out. Co's' if dey're not dere, why dey won't; but dey's away, yo' git up evah mawnin' befo' sunrise an' yo' go tuh dat do', an' open dat do' an' say, "Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name Of de Holy Ghost, ah want mah husban' tuh come back tuh me." Or whoevah it is, "Ah want dem come back in Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost." An' in de ninth day, if dey don' come in dat do' - den yo' keep it up an' yo' don' take it down. Yo' keep 'em up dere, where dey walk in. Aftah dey come back, den yo' know where dey walks in an' out. Den yo' don't do it right on lak, yo' kow, right fo' de nine days, but chew do it occasion'ly, in case it die down. Yo know yo' do it occasion'ly, jes' keep it on. Don't do it [all the time], keep it right on straight.
Entry 9847
[This rite I preserved only in my own original notations made soon after the interview.1 Her sister, they found her hair and nine needles and nine pins in a cologne bottle - salt in the hair - buried under the house beneath the head of the bed. She broke out in sores and pains. A root doctor called in and told them the woman had been tricked. To prove his diagnosis he crawled under the house and came out with the bottle. He showed the bottle but would not let anyone touch it, especially the patient, who would have died!]
Entry 9927
[To] stop a man from makin' watah, yo' could take dat frog an' split 'im open an' fill 'im up fulla salt an' peppah; an' pull 'im back tuhgethah an' hang 'im up. Split 'im open 'live. Why dey couldn't make watah 'long as dat wuz done. (Do they do anything with the person's water at all?) No sir. [Since the victim's urine is not used on the frog or in any way here, magic power is one of intention verbally unexpressed.]
Entry 9982
(What sort of toadfrog? What sort of frog do you take?)
Jis' or'nary frog. Yo' take him an' yo' kill 'im an' yo' jis' salt 'im down. Ah 'magine yo' gits a five-cent box of salt. Jis' take an' scattah dat salt, jis' wad 'im ovah dit it tuh de time yo' think yo' got all dat salted don. An' yo' put 'im in one pocket an' yo' put de salt yo' didn't give tuh 'in in de othah pocket. An' if yo' go in a room roun' anywhere dey gamblin', jis' take dat salt, an' if yo' lucky an' got money, take dat same salt an' put it ovah 'im lak dat [demonstrates] an' dat'll give yo' luck. But chew have tuh pve salt in yore pocket.
Entry 9987
Tuh git luck fo' gamblin' yo' goes an' git chew a toadfrog. If a man is a gamblin'-man, he goes an' gits 'im a toadfrog an' take dat toadfrog an' ketches 'im an' goes tuh any drygoods sto' [to distinguish from Wetgoods store!] an' buy 'im a box of black peppah an' red pappah an' some table salt. An' he put it in dat frog's mouth. An' when he put dat in dat frog's mouth, de frog'll go tuh coughin', an' he [man] come on back tuh dis gamblin' - where he be gamblin' at - an' he take dat salt an' throw yuh [his] han' out lak dat [demonstrates] tuh throw dat salt all ovah de whole crowd. An' dat frog he'll go tuh coughin' wit dat peppah an' will start tuh movin' roun'. An' he wins at evahthin' da' 'tis [that is] in de game. Jes' gits 'im a toadfrog, jis' a hoppin' toadfrog. Toadfrog anywhere hoppin' 'long - anywhere, jis' pick 'im up. Jis' reach down an' grab 'im an' take dat frog an' rub 'im in yore han' lak dat [demonstrates] an' go on tuh a game. An' go buy yo' some black peppah an' take it an' throw about a box in 'is mouth, an' shet 'is mouth up an' go on tuh de game. An' git chew a handful of salt an' when yo' git in de house, yo' take dat salt an' does lak dat [demonstrates]. An' when yo' do's lak dat, dat frog go tuh coughin'. When he go tuh coughin', well dat starts evahbody tuh lookin', an'evahbody lose all dey winnin's.
Entry 1487
He [root doctor] told her [his patient] she go in de house and git him some salt and he put hit on de place where he dug it [dug up the hoodoo article] and covered it [the hole] up. [Cf. No.897, p.328.]
Entry 1628
Ah know dis mahself. Ah wus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, once an' ah wus workin' ovah dere. Ah lived ovah dere fo' seven-eight yeahs. An' a girl dere she had a boy fren' an' she liked him. Well, ah nevah know anythin' about her - she wus a Virginia girl. An' so she goes somewheah, ah dunno wheah an' - it wus mah idea - de [first] time ah evah knowin' sech things tuh happen, yo' see. An' she goes some place, ah dunno wheah. Dere wus a lil' path come right up from - lemme see now - jes' lak de house up heah. Well now, ( dey has upstairs. Yo' know people lives upstairs jes' lak yo' do downstairs. Dey live downstairs jes' lak dey do upstairs. Well, dis lady had a kitchen an' de bedroom. Well, ah had - an' dey had two rooms right back behin' dere, see. Well, yo' come right up dere out de front street into de gate right straight down de lil' steps, right straight on down to where ah wus to de house, an' den come up. [The house was below the street and on the side of a hill.] We wus all in de same house. An' so she came right on up de steps, goin' upstairs into de kitchen an' den goin' on upstairs. Ah saw dis fo' mahself. So a girl from Alabama, she wus tellin' me, she said, "Yo' watch dat girl." Say, "she goin' try trick yo'." Ah said, "Trick me? How? Whut she goin' do? Ah dunno what chew talkin' 'bout.' Well, ah wus dumb to de fac' 'cause ah nevah deal wit nuthin lak dat. An' so she said, "Well, now, yo' watch." She kept tellin' me dat. Ah wus workin'. Ah had a good job at $lO a week - yo' know, not knowin' - jes' mahself - not knowin' much about work. So ah goes back an' started tuh bed an' she says, "Come heah a minute." De windah wus up an' it wus upstairs an' we looked out an' she says, "Look." Yo' know de higher yo' up, de bettah yo' kin look out down on de groun'. An' she had somepin she wus puttin' it down, her an' a man - jes' strewin', strewin' it all roun'. An' ah said, "Fo' heaven's sake, whut is dat?" She say, "Well, don't chew go out dere. She done aim tuh trick yuh." Say, "She goin' kill yuh." Say, "If yo' cross dat stuff she's puttin' down dere she put it all down at de do' an' den back up to de gate - yo' know, back aroun' to dat place wheah ah walked. An' she say, "Now, ah tel 1 yo' whut chew do tomorrah mawnin'." It excited me 'cause ah nevah wus in nuthin lak dat. Says, "Ah tell yo' whut chew do tomorrah mawnin'." Says, "Yo' go somewheah an' yo' do sech-an'-sech a thing." We had a slop jar upstairs, yo' see, jes' fo' all three of us - us three women. An' so we did - we used it in de mawnin'. Well, de nex' mawnin' she tole us tuh put a box lye in it an' table salt, an' dis girl taken it herself an' carried it out in front of me, an' she jes' po'd it an' jes' strewed it yo' know. An' she said - well, ah wus afraid tuh go out. She said, "Dat's all right, yo' kin go on now." Ah re'lly know dat to be true - ah saw dat.
(They poured chamber lye around to keep out the stuff she put down for you?)
Yes - an' de box lye an' salt. Say de box lye eat it up an' de salt. [This old-fashioned term is box lye not box of lye - to distinguish it from chamber lye.]
Entry 2586
Yo' use salt an' sugah an' yo' mix that together. Dis heah ole-timey salt is de best salt - dis Bluebird Salt. An' yo' jis' throw it [salt and sugar] roun' yore house - jis' throw it out, all roun' yore house. A man dat used tuh live nex' do' tuh me he sold whiskey all de time an' dat's all he use.
Entry 9523
They say that they [an enemy] could take salt and put it in your left shoe and it'll give you bad luck for a certain number of years. [This and pre- ceding rite about salt in left shoe demonstrates the power of intention.]
Entry 9693
Jis' lak he move intuh yuh house an' yo' want 'im outa dis house. Yo' take an' git chew some salt an' sugah an' put in dere an' he'll leave jis' fo' dat [sugar and salt. He leaves because he thinks some enemy is "throwing" for him].
Entry 654
One time I came out of the door, that was before we moved to Norfolk City [from County of Norfolk into Norfolk, Va., about 1885]. Right at the door was a snake-shed [the whole skin shed by a snake]. It was filled with sand. My mother was looking out the door. I thought it was a snake. My mother looked and said, "That ain't no snake." I said, "Yes it is, mother." 'No, that ain't no snake. Get some paper." She wouldn't touch it herself. She made me pick it up. You see, if that was for me, it wouldn't hurt nobody but me. If you touched it, it would be all right - it wouldn't hurt you. Mother thought it was for her. That's why she made me get it on that paper. You see, some woman was mad at her. She [other woman] said, "Never mind, I'll cross your path soon." I have heard them say that a lot of times. [This is called a bad mouth.] Then they put some- thing down for you to walk over. She was afraid I would drop it, "Don't you let that fall!" Then she said we would go to the bridge. She wouldn't let me go by myself. She and I went together. She did not cross it, the place where that snake Was, but went way around. She wouldn't walk behind me. She walked a way on the other side of the road. When we were halfway there [to the bridge] she said, "It came from the devil, let it go back to him." She made me go right out on the middle of the bridge, right in the middle of the channel, and throw that snake-shed right in the water. When she came back she bought a pound of salt and sprinkled that salt all over the place [where the snake-shed had been found], to kill the germs I guess. [For these germs, see No. 645.]
Salt is narrated as bought and sprinkled; killing germs is the narrator's guess.
Entry 12808
You have the idea that they put somepin down, you jis' git some salt, sprinkle it over it...it will kill it. [Jacksonville 785:4.]
The informant describes getting salt when something is thought to have been put down, followed by an attributed sprinkling and kill-it claim.
Entry 2609
Ah got a boy, mah youngest boy. Ah cain't stan' de p'lice no how: Of co'se dey ain't doin' no hahm [harm] - jis' sometime, yuh know, people cain't har'ly stan' 'em. An' dis boy of mine would always be in trouble. Well, a ole white lady tole me to go an' git a box of salt, cut it half in tah [two]. She said [next time a policeman comes] po' it right down an' sweep it on out do' an' tell'im to, "Go, you ain't none of mah frien'." An' ah did it. An' 'at been fo' yeah nearly; ain't nevah been back to mah house since.
The informant reports advice to obtain salt and says the action was carried out. The nearly four-year nonreturn is not independently verified or shown to be caused by salt.
Entry 11583
Mix foot track with salt and pepper, throw into running water over left shoulder, don't look back; separates you from some person, the evil doer doesn't want you to be with. [Norfolk 493:11.]
Salt is explicitly named in the instruction; its directions and separation claim remain source content rather than verified acts or effects.
Entry 881
[The first two parts of a hoodoo consultation have been given: You come to me just in time or You came too late, and You're on uour way to the araveuard The third and final part concludes the omniscience of the Doctor: Don't tell me a thing, not a word; I knew all about your trouble even before you came - what caused it, who did it, and where to find it:] Somebody buried something in my yard. I went out to the line to hang up some clothes and I got a pain in my foot. I thought I sprained it at first. I sent for the doctor and he gave me some medicine. After awhile it come to hurt again. And my daughter she realized more than I did about such things, sitting around and reading, and she went to somebody and when she came back she say, "Mama, you're hurt." So she bought a bottle of medicine. I had to take it and rub with it. She got it from a root doctor. Then Iwent to his house. And he say, "I know just where they're at. They seem to be up your leg. You don't have to tell me. They're in the bend of your leg going down to your heel." He gave me two kinds of medicine. One was white to rub my head in and the other was green to rub mv body in. So then I got better. So he told me to take some salt and sprinkle in the back yard to the front yard and round to the back [make a circle of salt around the house]. I was to take this salt right from the store - you don't use that yourself, new salt - and he say, "Nobody will be able never to hurt you. You put it down there and when they come to throw anything else in your yard, they'll pick it up them- selves and it will turn right back on them."
The account names new store-bought salt; protective and return claims remain unverified.
Entry 9495
Yo' take dis table salts in yore han', don' let it tetch yo' [except your hand], an' yo' sprinkle it all ovah dem whut's lucky, an' dey begin tuh fallin'.
(They begin losing.)
Yeah.
The salt reference is informant speech; the bracketed hand exception is editorial and '(They begin losing.)' is interviewer clarification.
Entry 9531
Ah've heard that if there's anybody come to yore house that yo' don't want them tuh come there, when they go tuh leave, throw some salt behind them an' jes' sweep lightly an' that will stop them from comin' [to sweep lightly here is a part of the magic action].
This is an 'Ah’ve heard' report about salt and light sweeping; the bracketed magic-action explanation is editorial.