Subject:Sends
Entries
Entry 4930
Yuh take yore stockin' - if de man wants a woman, he takes 'er right- footed stockin' an' he'll put a frog, a life toadfrog, an' he'll put dat frog in dat stockin', tie him up in dere, carry 'im tuh de sunpo'ch[!] an' put 'im right undah de steps, right in de centah of de steps an' bury it, bury dat right down dere. (This man puts the toadfrog in her right-foot stocking and buries it right in the center of the steps. Is that all he needs to do?) An' den git holt of candy or dope or sompin an' wear it. Yuh kin tote de stockin' but yuh have tuh tote de stockin' wit'out de frog in yore pocket.
(But what would that do then, after you bury that stocking under the step?)
That will hold 'er undah 'is - not 'er, but undah his'n feet. Dat keeps 'er.
(What did he do with his pee?)
Kin take dat - if she drinks whiskey or dope or anythin', give her some chqmber lye in dat. Dat will change her, dat'll keep 'er. Dat stockin' an' all dat goes tuhgethah. De stockin', yuh kin take it den - de stockin', yuh kin take dat an' de frog, an' yuh kin put 'em tuhgethah in - kin carry 'em tuh watah an' throw 'em ovah- bo'd. Dat will [make] 'em leave yuh.
(You keep that live frog in the stocking?)
Dat's right, dat'll make 'em leave.
Entry 5776
They say they kin take your center part from yo' left foot, if yo' goin' away from home, an' put it in runnin' watah an' run yo' away from home. Get it if yo' goin' towards home. Take a young man - like if a lady Wants a man, yo' see, wan' 'in tuh come tuh 'er home. Why, tuh get sand from out de hollow of 'is foot, see.
(Which one?)
Out of the right foot, goin' tuh 'er home, yo' see. An' tie it up in a piece of new yellow cotton or homespun, something like that - where it nevah have been used, you know, an' they bury it undah the doorstep [to bring him to her home]. An' then they wear it in their shoes fer tuh hole 'em down [after he comes]. Bury it under the doorstep between nine and twelve o'clock.
Entry 6054
Jes' lak yo'd cut de hair out de mole of yore haid an' take de hair from de othah place, an' put both of dem hair togethah an' take dat hair an' sew it up in a bag. Dat's when yo' wanta keep yore man, yo' see, or yore wife or whoevah it is. An' seu it up in hah pillah or 'is pillah. Well, dat'll keep 'em right dere. But of co'se if yo' wan' 'im tuh leave, yo' wan'a run 'im off in de rivah, why yo' take dat hair an' yo' ketch a catfish. An' yo' take a stick an' jes' stuff it down in dat catfish's mouth right good an' den throw dat catfish, throw 'im backwards [demonstrates] out in de rivah. An' jes' as fur as dat fish goin', dat person, uboevah goin', tryin' tuh ketch up wit dat catfish, an' aftah while he'll drown.
(You throw that over your left shoulder.)
Yessuh.
Entry 6292
Dey'll take yore hair an' put it in runnin' watah an' dat'll cuz yo' to leave home, cuz yo' to run away. Sometime, ah've heard 'em say, it'll cuz yo' to go in a 'sylum. But ah do know, dat it run yo' 'way.
Entry 8168
Dey take yore photograph an' write chure name on it an' carry it tuh de cemetery an' put it under a tombstone an' turn yer face downwards. Yo' goin' from heah. (You put under the tomb- stone?) Awrr-right undah it, undah de tombstone [headboard]. Jis' shev [shove] it up undah dere.
(Face down?)
Face down, an' [as] hit goes away, yo' goes away. [Or] take it an' put it bot- tonside upwards an' put it undah yer steps, dat bring 'em home tuh yo'.
(This photograph.)
Entry 8315
It depend upon if yo' know de hour or purtty much de time of dat dat de photograph was taken. Dey kin take it an' do whatevah dey wanta. If dey don' know de hour, purtty much de hour, when yo' had yore photo- graph taken, it's hard tuh do. But if dey kin come an' say, in [within] two hour's time, dey'll take dat photograph an' turn on its face, bury it on its face, an' it will - from time tuh time yo' will jis' begin tuh Wonder [wander], jis' begin - yo've seen people wonderin' [wandering], jis' goin' an' it don't look like, dey treats evahbody nice but 'is mind, people say, "Well, ah knows when yo' was a fine fellah. Ah knows when yo' was jis all right." Do enything fer yuh in de world. Look lak he's lost 'is mind or somepin. Well, dat's de trouble.
Entry 8457
Dey kin take dis pichure heah an' cut dis pichure half in two an' put it intuh a pint bottle. Don't put nuthin dere but jis' put dat pichure in dat pint bottle an' stop it up airtight. An' go tuh de rivah or any place where de watah's powahful strong an' throw it ovahbo'd. Jis' throw it ovah dere an' dey's gone, dey's gone.
Entry 8516
In a she coconut - yo' know de she coconut?
(What is a she coconut?)
A she coconut got two eyes.
(All right.)
Yo' take jis' one of dem eyes an' push it out an' drain dat milk [coconut juice] out. An' yo' put someone's name in dere, if yo' wanta drive dem away from yuh, an' throw it ovah yuh left shouldah [into running water]. An' it's goin' tuh drift, an' wherevah it drift dey gotta go. (Can you bring them back with a coconut?) Yes, if yo' Wanta bring 'em back, yo' gotta git dis he coconut. De he coconut has got three eyes. Yo' push one eye out but yo' gotta be sure dat de right eye yo' pushin' out doesn't got [does not have] a white spot. An' dat main eye dat's de eye yo' push out. An' put a stoppah in dere an' dump dat milk out. [The stopper is inserted after the milk is out.] Now, yo' throw dat disaway, dataway, dat's bringin' 'em back, see [demonstrates].
(Throw it over your shoulder. Throw it at your house?)
Yeah, throw it at your house. [Throwing an object towards the house, door, etc. is a common rite to bring a person back.l
(Over your right shoulder?)
No. Over yuh right shouldah? Yeah, ovah yuh right. (And when you want to bring this man back that's away, you throw it over your right shoulder?) Throw it ovah yuh right.
Entry 8551
Take a fish an' yo' write a person's name backwards, de two parties, if it's two, lak yore husban' is wit a woman.an' yo' cain't break 'em up, an' yo' wants 'em clean away from round yo'. Yo' don't wanta see 'em. Den yo' gits yo' a fish an' yo' dry it, but chew dries it into a perch fish. Dries hit into salt, yo' know, lak yore mack- eral - salt 'em down. Now - but chew have hit open already. Now, yo' takes dem nails backwards lak ah told yo' concerning de lemon, an' put it into dat fish an' sew dat fish up. An' carry 'im an' put 'im into runnin' watah, an' dat run de two away - dey couldn't stay dere. Dey have tuh go.
(The fish is killed before you put it into salt?)
Yes.
(How do you write those names on that?)
BACKWARDS. ALL RIGHT, MAH NAME IS VIOLA DORSEY. DORSEY VIOLA, DAT'S BACK- WARDS. Yores [if it] is Freddy Jones, [write] Jones Freddy. Dat cuts across dere.
[Freddy bisects Jones, the two names forming a cross.]
(That cuts across dere, cross the names?)
Dat's de idea, an' backwards. Cain't be straight fo' good.
Entry 8702
De 85 Psalm from de Bible will make a man care a great deal fo' yuh.
(When do you read that, do you say?)
On a Sunday mornin', face de east, seven times, an' call his name seven times.
(What will that do then?)
Now yo' use de 85 Psalm an' call 'is name an' yo' read it seven times an' every time yo' read yo' call 'is name. Well then THAT SENDS OUT A SPIRIT AND HIS MIND WILL FOLLOW AND THINK jest keeps his mind on yo', until he kin see yo' or come back to yo'. IT'S DE SPIRIT WORRIES HIS MIND WHEN YO' DO DAT.
Entry 9345
Sometime yo' got a enemy in yore way an' yo' don' have a chance tuh do anything, yo' git chew a aig. An' yo' write de firs' Psalms on it, an' write chure enemy's name on dat aig an' carry it tuh de swamp, de rivah, by de woods an' yo' cast dat from yo'. An' yo' see as dat goes, wherevah it goes, dey'll start tuh travelin' an' dey have tuh follah dat, until it don' git no place. [Psalm I is unsuitable here, being used out of context: "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, etc. ". King James Version.]
Entry 9430
They take a black hen egg an' cayenne peppah an' guinea watah - er, yes - an' chuck it at yore door.
(What is that? What else do they take, now?)
Cayenne peppah, yes; a black hen egg...
(A black hen egg and then what?)
An' guinea - not guinea. Aw shucks they call it...
A black chicken egg, cayenne peppah...
(Yes, all right.)
An' yo' mix dat togethah.
(What do you mix now, what kind of water?)
War water!
(Oh! All right!)
An' yo' take an' yo' chuck it at dere door. Now, yo' see, yo' take a black hen egg by itself an' yo' chuck dat at yore door fo' nine mornings, an' dat makes yo' move an' makes yo' an' yore husband or yo' an' yore neighbor fight until yo' go to jail. (I see. All right.) Now, dat war water, just sprinkle it all around yore door. An' yo' just take a whole bottle of it an' mix it wit cayenne peppah an' den chunk it an' it busts at yore door. Yo' are sure to go to jail.
(I see.)
Entry 9773
De bes' thing yo' kin do, if yo' wan' 'em tuh leave out dat house. Yo' git chew a needle dat ain't nevah been sewed wit, an' yo' take dat needle an' yo' stick dat needle up ovah de doah. Jes' stick it up right ovah de do' an' de point of it is right chere, is out [demonstrates].
(The point is pointing outside.) An' ah'll guarantee yo' tuh yore dyin' days [they will never return]. Yo' know why ah know it? (No.) Ah seen it done. An' den de person [who did it]
didn't know, tole a lie [about it].
Entry 10577
(I don't understand what you mean. Tell me the whole thing.)
You take your underclothes. You ketch that bat and tame him, you know, and put that - your underclothes - in his mouth and let him go. And wherevah he go and travel, you gotta travel right on behind. (What do you - you put some underclothes in his mouth, you say?) Yeah, you take and cut the seat of somebody's underclothes out and let him swallow; if he can't swallow it, take a stick and push it down. And just let him go on.
(I see.)
Entry 10620
Yo' take de root - Eve-an'-Adam root an' yo' fix it up. Grind it up an' put it in some coffee an' give it tuh 'im tuh drink. He'll go.
(That will send him away.)
Entry 10807
If yo' take a broom an' yo' sweep ovah a person's foot, dat's bad luck, says yo'll go tuh jail.
Entry 10810
Yo' kin take a broom in jail, dey says dat aroun' in jail, an' bring mo' customers [prisoners]. (They buy the broom?) Yes, de' [prisoners] buy de broom. See, have someone else [buy it] yo' know, probably de keepers. Have someone out dere dey Want [to] give it to. Dey will buy dat broom from him
[keeper?]. Say dat will bring de peoples to de jail.
Entry 11047
Sew dat up in a rag.
(What do they sew up in a rag?)
De black hen manure. Sew it up in a rag an' put de person name in it if dey doin' yo' harm an' yo' don't like 'em. An' yo' take it to runnin' water to de rivah an' throw it in. Put new safety pins in [package] an' throw it in [river] an' dat person'll go clean away an' won't trouble yo' no mo'. Ah done that mahself.
(Just put one safety pin?)
Two - three, yes sir, yo' put one on each end an' pin one across it, three. (Like the letter "H" on the package.) [The figure is more like this Ha double cross.] Yes sir.
Entry 11675
Go out to de fo'ks of de road an' git some dirt, if it a person at yure house, yo' know, an' yo' want 'em tuh leave or eithah come back, see. Yo' git dat dirt out de fo'k of de road an' bury dat up undah de steps. An' put so some sugah an' two brand- new needles ain't been used. (What will that do?) That will make them stay at home.
Entry 12508
I say onions are lucky. You take a onion and you kin make a man stay home, he won't go nowhere. (How do you do that?) Well, you take that onion, a red onion, and you carry it in your pocket all the time. You go to the store and you don't ask for it, and you don't steal it either or pick up a one - take it, you see.
(You mean, pick up an onion!)
Onion, yeah, just one onion. And you take that onion. You take a nail and you bore it through that onion, and you take his name and you just roll it long like a match and take [push] in there [the nail hole] and put it in your pocket. He can't go and he won't go, lessen [unless] now, if you don't want him to go, you kin do that. If you want him to go, well, you take the onion and you take it [the rolled-up name] out and he'll go. A red onion - not all onions, a red onion. You do that with a red onion.
Entry 12990
Yo' kin take a dime an' put it in, yo' know, in a letter. Yo' would take de dime an' jes' lak yo' know somebody, an' yo' wanta git 'em back, an' jes' keep it yo' know wit a piece of lodestone. Wear it wit a piece of lodestone, yo' know, 'bout two or three weeks sompin othah lak dat. Put dis dime in a letter an send it to her an' tell her, yo' know, jes' lak yo' want a pin or sompin othah. An' tell her about dat. An' dey tell me, say, she'll come in de place or send de pin.