Subject:Silver
Entries
Entry 356
Now, de fo'ks of de road - now, in case dis is whut chew wanta do, if yo' wanta learn hoodooism. See, if you wanta learn hoodooism, you go to de fo'ks of de road. Go dere - yo' leave home zactly five minutes of twelve an' make it dere at twelve 'clock - make it dere zactly twelve an' have yo' a fo'k. Git chew a bran'-new silver fo'k an' git to de fo'ks of de road an' git down on your knees an' stick dat fo'k in de groun'; see, an' anything on earth yo' wants tuh learn an' know, things will come 'fore yo an' tell yo' what to do. See. But chew got'a be dere zactly twelve 'clock - go dere de third day but it's got'a be in de night, twelve 'clock in de night.
Entry 618
In the beginning of it - she was a woman she loved long hair and it was a man setting there and she was combing her hair. And he said, "Hattie, ah tell you how you to do to make yore hair grow." And she said, "Well, tell me." He say, "Well, when you git through combing yore hair tonight, '' says, "leave it out there on de table and when de wind blows [it] away, finally, [he said] dirt would [will] settle on it and dat hair begin to take root, and when it takes root chure hair will grow." Well, she did it as he told her, and fin'lly she begin tuh git to de place she couldn't stay home - night neither day until she got to the place where she did not pay her children no mind. And she got tuh tellin' some man [root doctor] about it. Co'se he knowed these things and he told her, says, "Well, he jes' got chure hair buried," and he said, "if you give me" - ah don't know how much de money was - but anyways she paid him something. But he had something - about fifty cents or twenty-five cents in one these old-fashioned glasses they call tumblers - got a rocking bottom to it. Well, he put the money in that glass and placed about a handful of water in it and he went up to [and then under] this house and every time he would move, the silver [would move] in the glass. He moved until he found it and when he found it, it was buried in a little box in the shape of a coffin. And what he did with that, now ah can't tell. Ah was a chile but ah kin remember them things. [I failed to ask for obvious details here, the action being based upon the boiling-silver rites in this margin-title. When the proper time arrived the Water was poured from the tumbler and the tumbler shaken - the jingling silver publicly announced a discovery.]
(How long ago was that time - thirty years?)
Been longer than that - been about thirty-five years.
(Where did that happen, here in Alabama?)
Over in Louisiana.
(What part of Louisiana?)
Delta, Louisiana.
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 3265
You can take a dime, a silver dime, an' put it underneath your tongue when you're on top of a woman, and keep that dime under your tongue all the time [during intercourse], and she'll have no nature for any other man, and no man, can raise a head for her. [I would say the preceding word head is rare in HOODOO, heart or hard being the coron term. But I was not collecting sexual language, merely recording speech as it cme.
[Fredricksburg, Va., No. OO, by Ediphone.]
Entry 3266
To give a man a disease, she kin take an' hole [hold] a silvah dime in 'er mouth. See, she take an' hole a silvah dime in 'er mouth. She take de wax out of 'er years [ears] an' when she go to fool aroun' wit yoreself [with a man] yo' undahstan', she kin put dat on de head of it, if she gits a chance to do it she put dat on de head of it, yo' see. Now, when yo' go to have any connections wit 'er, yo' undahstan', an' when yo' go to discharge, she's got dat dime in de cornah of 'er mouth. An' when yo' 中商 goes to dis- charge, she put it in de roof of 'er mouth. She hole it in de roof of 'er mouth an' dat's goin' to strain yo', see. It'll strain yo' an' by strainin' yo', dis here wax what she'd taken outa her years an' put on yo', yo' see, dat's goin' to burn. Dat burn, dat make yo' tendah dere dat's goin' to give yo' a cut, see. An' den dat strain yo' in de back an' when yo' git through, when yo' git up from dere, de nex' mawnin' when yo' look at yore self, yo' got what yo' call a cleft. Yo' see, yo' got a cleft. An' den from a cleft it'll turn into maybe a shingle. An' dat'll cause maybe fer yo' to be op- erated on. If yo' let it run, come too bad, dey might have to operate on yo'. She give it to yo' dataway. An' de shankle is de worst disease dat a person kin have, excusin' de pox. See? Well, den yo' kin git de pox off of de same thin'.
(That same way? That same woman?)
Yes, sir.
(What do they use to get rid of those things?)
Well, now, if she wuz givin' yo' anythin' of dat sort - shankle, or pox or somepin of dat sort, yo' git yo' some of dis brown healin' powdah, dey call it.
Entry 3268
This is so, I done tried that myself. If you wan'a be wit a woman an don't wan'a discharge so quick, yo' take a dime, jis' put a dime in your mouth an' hold it underneath your tongue there, an' yo' kin screw that woman I reckon about two or three times as long as you would if you didn't have it. Dong if yo' can't whip 'er almos' to death.
Entry 3269
Wal, ah heard if yo' wanted 'im tuh come right quick, jes' put it undah yore tongue.
(What would you put under there?)
A dime, yes sir, or either a needle. Yo' kin put a needle in yore mouth[!!!]. (Well, that isn't the way I heard it.) [I was thinking of endurance rites for men.]
Entry 3270
A man kin take de piece of his - when he through wit 'er, he kin take dat piece an' tote it in 'is pocket an' wrap it up wit a silvah dime an' she won't have no othah man but 'im as long as he tote dat piece. (What piece is he going to tote with him?) De piece dat he use yo' know, when dey have intahco'se wit one anothah. He steal one of dose pieces an' put a silvah dime in dere.
(You mean what they wipe with?)
Yessuh.
Entry 3271
Well, when a man is runnin' aroun', yo' ask 'im fo' a silvah dime. He [does not] give yo' a silvah dime an' he gives yo' two nickels. Well, yo' know, [say], "oh! honey, ah don't want dis becuz ah don't want it aroun'." Or somepin lak dat. Give him some kinda story in ordah to git a silvah dime from 'im. Well, yo' takes a dime of yore own, go to de drug store or any store dat sells Hearts Cologne an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne. Git chew a piece of white cotton, jes' enough to covah a dime. Den go wash out a jar, yo' know, a vaseline jar dat's large enough. Whenevah at night de man have intahco'se wit de woman, well he kin take [the cloth], or she rathah - it [cloth] be [at] de woman's side. Most mens take first but in [this case] a woman must take first. She takes dis cotton an' jes gits - jes' sodge [massage] it in dat, see. Fold it ovah dis dime an' drops it in de bottom of dis little glass jar. Den po's de Hearts Cologne ovah it [cloth] an' tighten it [jar] up tight, an' den set inside in de clothet. Or if a man, he kin do lak dat. He kin keep it in 'is pocket jes' in ordah where nobody won't see where - where she won't see it. Dat will keep 'im where he won't go out any mo'.
(How many dimes do you use, just the one or two?)
Jes' one, but when yo' see it's dryin' out, why yo' jes' renew it wit Hearts Cologne, dat's all. Den jes' massage it ovah ag'in an' use de Hearts Cologne.
predicted keeping a partner from going out after a concealed preparation. No verified control These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 2376) · Read full source (printed page 2377)
Entry 3272
If yo' have a man an' he don't give yo' money lak he should, yo' buy yo's a bran'-new pocket han'schuff an' yo's fool wit 'im when yo' use him an' have a intahco'se an' yo' take de pocket han'- schuff an' put a silvah quatah in de pocket han'- schuff. Fold de pocket han'schuff to yo' - lay it in dere an' fold de pocket han'schuff to yo' an' weah it in de shoe, an' he kin be mean to yo' but he'll give yo' his money.
(You wear that in either shoe?)
Eithah shoe, it don't make any diff'rence.
Entry 3786
Yo' kin take a pineapple, co'se it's diff'ren' to all kinds of - plenty diff'ren' things, plenty diff'ren'. Yo' take a pineapple. Now, a lady's got yo' so dat yo' don't wanta be wit anybody else but 'er, she's got yo' tied in nine knots, which, whut I mean, she'd have a string, she done meas- ured your private. She got dat tied in nine knots an' wears dat aroun' 'er waist. Now, yo' take a pineapple, yo' buy yo' one pineapple. Yo' take her name an' yo' write in nine times on a note. Yo' put it into dis pine- apple [demonstrates].
(Just nine times like that, one right under the other.)
Right on top of one anothah. See [demonstrates]. Yo' put it once dis way, jes' go right on down - not a large piece - den yo' come back right on top of dat again. See, nine times, an' yo' say yore prayers ovah dat. An' aftah yo' say yore prayers ovah dat, den yo' take it an' yo' go to de rivah an' throw it ovah yore shouldah backwards [demonstrates].
(Over your left shoulder.)
Ovah yore left shouldah. An' den yo' reach in yore right pocket an' take a silvah dime an' say, "In de Name of God de Father, God de Son, an' throw it ovah behind dat, ovah yore right shouldah. An' den yo' walk away wit'out lookin back. Don't look back. An' when yo' get back home, yo' beginnin' to feel all right, an' dat night yo' kin tell de diff'rence. Yo' kin tell yo' done broke dat [spell]. But yo' must do dat.
Entry 3800
A woman kin have a intahco'se wit a man an' git some of 'is stuff, aftah he be's wit 'er, an' take it an' tie it up in a pocket han'ke'chuf, an put some silvah money in dere an' tote it roun' in 'er pock- etbook an' say yo' cain't have no interco'se wit no othah woman - nobody but 'er. Say yo' git up a heart an' evah- thing an' de time fo' 'im tuh git tuh have intahco'se wit de woman, say when he go tuh git on 'er, he'll fall, he cain't raise up. (She just takes the handkerchief with that stuff on it and the silver and wears the whole thing?) Dat's all, yessuh.
Entry 3801
Git a bran'-new silvah dime from dis man whut chew goes wit, an' yo' git chew a large piece of white cloth an' tie it up in dis cloth. An' whenevah yo'd have intahco'se wit dat man, yo' used dis cloth wit dis same dime in it. When yo'd git through usin' it, yo'd put it in yore pillah an' let it stay in dere length of time, an' den yo' take it outa de pillah an' wear it down between yore laigs, see or eithah in yore nation sack. [For nation sack, see interview THE 'NATION SACK' WOMAN, p.1449, introductory comment.]
(What will that do then?)
Dat'll make de man come back.
Entry 3802
Well, if a person go tuh work an' take de measure of yore private an place it on a piece of paper, yo' take an' go tuh work an' git to de place dat chew can't be social wit no othah man, yo' take de five dimes an' swallah dem. When de five dimes came back in passes, why yo'll be a perfect person ag'in. Yo' kin go all de way an' love wit anyone dat chew want to:
(You say a woman will take a man's measure on what?)
On de private.
(How does she measure that?)
Wit 'er fingahs.
(Then what does she do with that, then?)
Take dat an' tie nine knots wit a cord string.
(Then what does she do with that string?)
She take dat string an' place it aroun' 'er waist.
(And that takes the man's nature away?)
Yes.
(Now, how is he going to get his nature back?)
He will have to go tuh work an' [provide himself] wit de five silvah dimes, jes' lak she will. Swallah five silvah dimes.
(Swallow the whole dime?)
All whole.
Entry 3803
A man tole me dat dey had him fixed so he couldn't git nuthin from an- othah woman, an' he took about five or six half-a-dollah - silvah half-a-dollahs an' put 'em in a vessel an' let 'em boil down to a quart of watah [magic of diminishing amount] an' he drinked it an' he come to be all right.
(He just drank the water that was boiled with the silver?)
Yes sir, say he boiled dat money. [Silver-water shows that the man thought his condition was caused by a spell - see p.484f.]
Entry 3918
I can send 'em away in dis mannah. Now, if I would - say fo' ninstance if I wanted to kill a person or somepin of dat sort, why den, man or woman. If it wus a woman, I could take an' - I'd take her pieces, yo' know, when dey dirty. I'd fold 'em up an' put nine needles in 'em. I'd take an' I'd go to de riv- ah, but when I get to de rivah, when I gets jes' about twenty feets of de end of de walk where I'm goin' to stand at - dere's de wall [of the room] heah, when I get jes' about twenty feets right heah, I'd back myself back to dat, see. An I wouldn't look back, jes' back up to dere. When I gets dere I throws dat over mah left shouldah. When I throw dat in de rivah ovah mah left shouldah. I throws a silvah dime behind me, an' dat'll make her drift. She'll pine away to nuthin an' when yo' look again, why she'll be in de cemetery.
(Well, what do you throw over your shoulder?)
[I know, but I am continuing for the dime later.]
I throw 'er pieces ovah my shouldah.
(Oh! What do you mean, her monthly pieces?)
Yes, sir.
(Her monthly pieces?)
Yes.
(Well, why do you throw that dime over your shoulder?)
Dat dime is fo' death. Dat dime is to carry her on - see, dat dime is to carry her on. She's got to go.
(Does anybody get that dime? Pay her?)
[Informant already has said that dime is: for death, but I am trying to obtain a fuller statement without suggesting what I want - the dime pays the spirit for doing the desired work.] No, no, sir, nobody gets dat dime. Dat dime goes in de rivah. Nobody gets dat dime.
Entry 3919
[HERE IS VERSION ONE OF THE RITE:]
Well, she goin' bring 'im home an' make 'im stay dere wit 'er. She'll take dat [sanitary] cloth an' take dem needles, dem nine needles an' cross 'em, take a silvah dime from 'i血m if she kin git it, an' take a piece of 'is hair outa his haid an' tie it, an' sew it all up in dat cloth togethah, an' cross it - crosses dose needles lak dat [demonstrates] - dat way. [The crossing of needles or pins in a cloth is a frequent magic act. Each needle or pin is stuck into the cloth so that it crosses over one or more needle or pin.] Well, aftah she do dat, she takes it an' puts it in 'er pocket. If it's nec- essary she wears it all de time.
Entry 4274
(Git his right-foot sock?)
Yeah, git 'is right-foot sock an' take a silvah dime. Yuh know, roll de sock up nice. Ah jis' kin show yuh. Yuh undahstan' whut ah'm talkin' about. Roll de sock nice an' carry it - de right sock. But co'se she'll have tuh use it wit a little of 'er chamber lye, don't chew know, an' bury it undah 'er do'step.
(What does she do with her chamber lye?)
Well, yuh see she jis' urinate a little in dat sock, don't chew see.
(And bury it in under the doorstep?)
Yeah, right whare he come in an' out.
(What will that do then when she does that?)
Dat make him stay dere.
Entry 4668
Take dat bow an' git a silvah dime an' wrap dat bow aroun' dat silvah dime, an' wear it undah yore gartah in yore stockin' yuh know, an' dey say dat'll make a man give yuh money.
Entry 4823
Now you can take a piece of the oldest lamb, a piece of his right ear, and get that.blood and get a piece of her garment and stain it. And get nine ten-cent pieces and take and carry them to a muddy branch, and make a fold of this piece of garment and bury it [blood stained garment about 9 dimes] in the muddy branch, and she'll just follow you anywhere.
Entry 5021
Now listen, de way dat ah undahstan's dat, yuh take both heels [of her stockings] an' c'ook [crook] 'em togethah wit a dime in it. Well, yuh rolls 'em up an' yuh hides 'em 'way in some secret place or 'nothah an' yuh'll always have de advantage of 'er.
(You take these two heels of her stockings?)
Take de two heels togethah an' wrap a dime up wit 'em an' hide dem away. Yuh'll always have de advantage of 'er, den.
Entry 5023
[There are a number of rites in which a woman asks a man for a dime or a piece of silver; the following one being quite complicated:] Do dat tuh make a man bring 'is money home. Well, yuh kin take a man's sock an' let 'im weah it an' yuh weah one of yore [stockings], de right-foot sock [and stocking]. Den yuh git a dime, a silvah dime from 'i, outa his han. Den yuh writes 'is name nine times tuh yuh. Write it nine times, write, "Ah want chew tuh bring yore money home tuh me an' don't cash yore check until yuh git it tuh me, '' nine times. Den yuh takes dat name an' dat silvah dime, dat he give yuh outa his han', an' yuh fold it nine times [demonstrates] an' yuh tell it whut chew Want it tuh do [demonstrates].
(You are folding it toward you, aren't you?)
Uh-huh. Yuh talk tuh it, yuh know, "Ah want chew tuh bring yore money home tuh me." Make dat nine folds on it tuh yuh. Den yuh take yore stockin' an' fold it. Yuh take dis dime yuh know an' de name yuh know, aftah yuh fix it up an' put it in de toe of 'is sock, his right-foot sock, his'n, whut he'd been weahin'. Den yuh take one of yores an' yuh write on dere mah name, an', "Ah Wants tuh be boss. Ah wan' chew tuh bring yore money home tuh me. Ah'm yore wife." or "yore girl fren', " or whut-not. Den yuh fold yore sock [stocking] tuh yuh [and say], "Ah'm goin' bring it home. "See, lak dat [demonstrates]. "Ah'm goin' bring it home." Den yuh puts de man's sock in yores. See, yuh wants dis, an' shet it inside lak dat. Den yuh buries it where he kin walk inan' ovah it. An' HE WON'T CASH 'IS CHECK.
Entry 5070
Yuh kin take a woman's stockin' an' a co'se a [and of course al woman's stockin' - but ah tell yuh whut have tuh be done. A woman's stockin' have tuh be washed in Lysol, dat's Lysol whut chew take a douche wit. [Lysol is a trademark for a solution of cresols in soap, used as disinfectant and antiseptic.] Well now, yuh gotta take dat stockin' an' wash it in Lysol, an' den when yuh git through, don't rench [rinse], jis' wash it in de Lysol an' don't rench it. Hang it up an' let it dry, an' den when yuh git ready tuh press it, de way yuh do, yuh have tuh press it in dere, now. Yuh take dat stockin' an' den yuh git chew a dime an' put it right in de toe of dat stockin', where de big toe go at, an' yuh tie dat dime up in dat stockin'. An' aftah yuh tied dat dime up in dat stockin' yuh done tied 'er up in a knot wit dat Lysol. Don't take none of dat germ outa her feet whut's in 'er stockin' an' yuh'll have her.
(What do you do with that stocking after you get it prepared?)
Aftah yuh git dat stockin' 'pared, put it intuh de bottom of yore trunk an' lay [it] between a papah, or [and] lay it between de bottom of yore trunk.
(Who does this, the man?)
De man or woman, eithah one of 'em.
Entry 5653
Dey kin take yore foot track up. Jis' go out an' jis' lak yo' stan' in de sand, take it up wit a silvah spoon. Jis' take it up real lightly an put it in a bottle, an' stop it up an' throw it in runnin' watah an' it will carry yo' away.
(Either track?)
No suh, have tuh be yore lef' track.
Entry 5916
(All right, you were going to tell me?)
If dey git some of yore hair. Now, sometime dey lose on dat an' sometime dey don't lose. If dey git de hair from yore head - remembah dey kin take dat hair. ALL BIRDS DON'T USE HUMAN HAIR. But dis guinea hen chick bird [I interrupt]. (What kind of bird?) Guinea hen chick bird. (Guinea hen chick bird?) Yes, if dey kin GIT DAT BIRD - TO TAKE DAT HAIR AN' PUT IT INTO HER NEST. YOU'LL SUFFOCATE WIT A HEAD- ACHE TILL YO' GO BLIND. I kin take dat hair. Oh my! An' bore holes - wrap it into a silvah thimble an' put a silvah dime against it [open end of thimble] an bury it in de ground an' make warts come out on yore head. (Now, that guinea hen. You mean the ordinary guinea hen that runs around the yard. I see.) Yeah, yeah.
Entry 6026
Git a plait of hair an' yo' plait it undahwards, yo' know, lak dat [demonstrates]. Don't plait it ovah lak we plait our hair, plait it undah lak dat. Den tie a little bow of ribbon on dere. An' aftah yo' tie dat hair in dere, yo' take an' put a piece of lodestone wit it, an' yo' put nine pins an' nine needles in dere, an' yo' sew dat up in a flannel bag, an' yo' puts a little sugah in dere, too - ah'd fo'gotten dat - an' anvil dust lak at de blacksmith shop, dat dust where dey grind.
(From the anvil?)
[From the hoodoo drug store or mail order firm I should have said.1 Yes. Put dat anvil dust in dere an' a silvah dime. Dat's tuh keep de person dat chew love, yo' know, keep dere minds contented towards yo'.
Entry 6819
Now, if yo' wuh [were] poisoned an' yo' find out dat dat dime wuz turnin' black, why yo' would take a silvah dime an' yo'll file it. Yo' take [and] yo' file, file, file an' yo' take de powdahed pieces of dat dime an' put in some watah. Yo' git some killbash [calabash] an' yo' take de seeds an' yo' boil 'em tuh- gethah, an' yo' strain it an' yo' drink dat watah. Dat supposed tuh kill dat poison dead regardless of whutevah it is, eithah brings it out one way or de othah. In de case of yo' takin' a few dose of dat medicine, den yo' [take] some laxative medicine. Yo' eithah bring it out one way or de othah. It's poison.
(Well, do you boil this silver with the killbash seeds?)
Wit de silvah an' de killbash seeds tuhgethah. Boil tuhgethah.
Entry 6901
Anything wrong, yo' kin take some sweet milk an' heat it real hot, an' put some red cayenne peppah in it an' put some red pod peppah in it. An' scrape some silvah off de dime an' put in de glass, an' put some gun- powdahs in it, an' yo' drink it. An' when yo' drink it, jis' makes yo' bu'st out in a big sweat an' den yo' kin vomit it up.
(This poison?)
Yeah.
Entry 6922
[Silver - especially the American dime or ten-cent piece - was one of the most widespread and frequently used magic articles in hoodoo. Has the de- basement of metallic currency in the U. S. A. killed off these beliefs, or is there a brisk sale of true silver dimes? Despite that extensive collection of silver beliefs previously given on Pp.484-493, there are many more scattered throughout Hoodoo. The rites that follow may be duplicates, but they are un- printed in Hoodoo.] Dese people in St. Petahsburg, weahs a dime roun' dere ankle tuh keep 'em off - as a preventive.
(To keep off what?)
Any kinda HOODOO or hard luck or stop anythin' dat would happen tuh 'em. Why some of 'em weahs one on each laig!
Entry 6931
Yo' take a silvah dime, yo' file dis silvah dime in- tuh a pint of milk, yo' bile dat milk, yo' drank it, an' dat milk's gon'a bring whutsomevah poison in yuh. It's gon'a bring it out.
Entry 6934
(How do you do that, now?) Take a dime, one thin dime, an' file it in sweet milk an' drink it, an' take fresh lard an' drink down, an' dat poison-a come up. Pull dat poison up.
Entry 6935
[If they get it] inside yuh body, lak worms an' diff'ren' things lak dat, yo' take some gunpowdah an' cow's milk, warm cow's milk an' take a silvah dime an' grate it. Yo' undahstand? Grate dat silvah dime intuh dis gunpowdah an' milk, an' drink it fer, say ten or fifteen days, an' yo'll pass it all outa yuh. Yer passin'll be as black as smoke.
Entry 6936
If anybody wuz poisoned an' lak if anybody wuz goin' do anythin' fo' dem, an' dey jis' really knows dis one thing an' jis' make up an' do fo' dem. Well, if dey wuz poisoned in a way dat chewed wanta do sompin fo' 'em, why yo' would take whiskey, a dime drink of whiskey, an' nine drops of turpentine an' puts it in dis whiskey. An' [if] dis whiskey don' make 'em drunk an' de tur- pentine won't bothah 'em, well dey drinks it down. Well, dey drinks it down. Well, tuh make it shore, yo' takes a ten-cent [piece] an' file it off wit a file. Well, yo' puts it in sweet milk an' give it tuh dem tuh drink evah day, jis' lak yo' do a meal.
(What will that do?)
Well, dat will draw de poison from 'em.
Entry 6937
One thing you can do to keep anybody in the world from doing anything to you, you get a silver dime, grate it, put it in water and drink it. Put a dime in each shoe. I guarantee you that you'll never be hurt. That silver dust will stick to the lining of your stomach and remain there indefinitely, and if it is not right, it will come right straight back up.
[Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 6939
They claim that if you put a ten-cent piece under your tongue while you're having sexual relation wit a woman, you won't catch any diseases from the woman. [This belief should have pre- ceded No.3258, p.2373, but it was under CURES and missed. This original tran- scription of mine in pencil was never typed. See ILLUSTRATIONS for original.]
Entry 6940
(If I had these things, live things in me, now what would they give me to get rid of these - to get them out?) Dey'd [they would] give yo' vinegah fer one thing, 'twill run 'em out; an' use tobacco fer anothah. An' den de medicine dat yo' take, dat's whut dey give yo' fer tuh rub wit; but de medicine whut yo' take an' whut supposed tuh be some silvah money in it, some time might be a dime or quartah or somepin lak dat. But anyway, it supposed tuh be a big piece, so yo' could take a file or somepin-lak an' file it an' git - prob'bly git dust offa it or somepin, an' put it in some medicine an' let it set, an' drink it. Well, aftah yo' drinkin' dat, why dat supposed tuh run 'em outa yo', fix yo' so yo' kin git 'em out, if yo' are stopped up.
(What did they do with this vinegar and tobacco?)
Well, dey use dat fer tuh bathe dere body in.
(Do they use that alone or do they mix something with it?)
No, sir, mix it wit red peppah.
Entry 6941
Ah think yo' take - ah think it's three dime an' boil 'em an' dreen [drain] de watah offa dem three dimes.
(What will that do then?) Dat will bring dem live things outa yo' if anybody got dem in yore body.
Entry 6942
Folkes 'ave dose roun' dere neck, an' on dere laig, fo' tuh keep somebody comin' dere tuh do anythin' tuh 'em. When anybody do anythin' tuh 'em, den dat silvah turn black. (You say they wear one around the neck, one around each wrist and one around the ankles? They use fifty cents altogether - five dimes?) Yessuh.
Entry 6943
[Silver will] run it outa yo'. Ah'll run it outa yo'. Ah'll git me a dime or quartah - so it's silvah money - take me a file an' ah'll file dat stuff, dat quartah, yo' see, an' git de dust, git it plumb dusty. All right, ah'll git me some vinegah, some salt. See, ah'll put it in dere. Ah'll put me fif- teen drops of turpentine in dere wit it. Ah'll git me a box of Epsom salts. Ah'll give yo' dat Epsom salts three times a day. Dat's tuh keep yore bowels open. Dat vinegah an' dat, whut ah got made up. Yo' drink it fo' times a day until it take a act on yo'. Well, now, it - in drinkin' dat, why it'll stir dat up in yo', yo' see, stir dat poison up. An' dat Epsom salt [is] tuh keep yuh bowels open, yo' see, an' pass it on through.
Entry 6944
Well, dey say yo's hurt if it turns black, if somebody's hurt chew or tricked yo' some way, it turns black. Said yo' kin put it in yore mouth an' it will turn black, dat dime, or yo' kin weah it. Eithah a fifty cent piece or a quartah, an' it will turn black if somebody has hurt chew.
Entry 6945
Well, yo' take it an' yo' boil it an' yo' drink it, an' dey say dat will kill de poison. If anybody done anythin' tuh yo', hit would kill it.
(How do you mean? Poison you how?)
If anybody fix a dose fo' yo'. (You mean if they have live things in it or some- thing of that sort?) Yassuh, if yo' drink dis watah, yo' boil three quartahs an' drink it, three quartahs.
(You said three quarters or forty cents. What do you mean by forty cents?)
[Informant had said forty cents before recording began and I want a repetition and explanation.] Dat means fo' dimes. (You do the same thing with the-four dimes that you did with the three quart- ers?) Yessuh, yo' kin boil 'em an' den drink de watah.
Entry 6946
Say, fer instant [instance] if somebody wus poisoned or sompin, sompin intuh 'em. Take a silvah dollah an' scrape it an' put it in a pot or kittle
[kettle] an' boil dat scrapin' an' give de individual watah. Dat's all. Dat will make dem bring dat poison back up.
Entry 6965
It's also good fo' dose evil thin's. Yo' take de silvah, any kinda silvah or steel. Yo' scrape de - yo' file it, chew know, an' yo' take dat dust an' yo' eat a li'lepincha [pinch of] it in yuh foods. Dat'll always project [eject] de evil, whutsomevah dey've did fo' yo' - tuh yo'.
Entry 7050
Trim [scrape] his feet up from yuh [his] toes an' also scrape yuh nails an' boil it [together]. Den boil some money wit it, two fifty cents [2 half-dol- lar pieces, formerly of silver] an' let 'imdrink it. Cos' [of course]yo' have tuh slip it tuh 'im [disguise it], lak a tea. Yo' have tuh kinda [do this secretly]. [They] say dat'll stop 'im from drinkin'. (You scrape [from] the bottoms of his toes back to his heel. Then you scrape your fingernails; then take the two pieces of silver money.)
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 7342
Git some ole money, ole silver money. Take that and tote it in de pocket, dey say the law can't ketch you.
Entry 7419
Yo' kin take some eggs an' bur' [bury] 'em in 'is [corpse's] han' an' [or] put eggs in de baid, an' dat'll evah who did [the murder] dey cain't go nowhah [now- where]. All right, to fin' out who de murder[er] [is] yo' put 2 silver forks 'cross 'is heart [forks crossed] an' bur' 'im, an' de murder[er]'ll come to yore home.
(What bed do you put these eggs in?)
In 'is baid. Jis' lak yo' killed me, dey put 'em in mah baid.
(How many?)
Three eggs. [A chicken egg, a symbol of life and power, is frequently used in death and burial - see later margitn title EGG with many submargin titles.]
Entry 7497
Go tuh de graveyard ag'in an' take a piece of silvah. Yo' take a large piece of silvah when yo' want chure work done. Yo' go tuh a baby's grave - yo know, a child's grave, an' yo' say - face de risin sun - an' yo' say, "In de Name of de Fathah, an' Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Ghost, de man dat killed mah husban', brothah, sis- tah or whoevah it wuz, ah want chew tuh bring 'im back befo' de sun sets." An' dey say gen'ly [generally] comes. Come back an' connect aroun' where he kin be caught.
Entry 7624
Now, if yo' wanta go tuh a cemetery, somebody daid dat chew know, take 25 cents 'long wit chew, tuh de haid of de grave an' push yore arm down as fur as yo' kin git it. An' leave dat quartah down dere an' bring up yore three fingers of dirt, an' take dat long wit chew. Dat'll give yo' luck. [Instead of picking up a pinch of dirt with two-fingers, thumb and index fin- ger, a method mentioned elsewhere, some other informant says pick it up with three fingers: thumb, index finger, and middle finger.]
(What do you do with that after you get it?)
Wrap it up in a piece of paper or a piece of brown cloth an' put it in yore pocket an' keeps dat 'long wit chew. Well, dat's one way tuh git chureself luck.
The informant describes paying a quarter at the head of a known deceased person's grave, taking three fingers of dirt and carrying it in paper or brown cloth for reported luck. Hyatt compares two-finger and three-finger collection methods, referencing another informant; that comparison remains editorial.
Entry 7638
Dirt from man's grave, at face part, pick up with silver spoon, go at just dark or just before day, sprinkle in 4 corners of house, or throw on top of house, to move.
Entry 7901
Git chew - git nine or ten grains of fresh graveyard dirt an' fix it up wit garlic an' a piece of silvah, a dime. An' take de silvah dime an' scrape it. Scrape some of de silvah in wit dis sand an' a piece of garlic an' tie it up an' weah it. [This hand has 3 ingredients.] Dat's luck. (Luck for what?) Well, it's lak yo' got someone dat chew lak an' she don't care much about chew, yo' weah dat. Dat's suppose [to] be luck.
(You take ten grains you say?)
Yassuh, nine or ten grains.[ Brunswick, Ga., (1182), 1992:9.]
Entry 7915
If yo' had a house yo' wanted tuh rent, take dis graveyard dirt ag'in. Yo' nevah will fail wit dis graveyard dirt. Yo' kin use a penny or else use silvah. SILVAH WORKS FASTAH den de othah. Well, yo' kin go tuh de graveyard ag'in an' put chure silvah money down dere an' tell it whut chew want, whut chew wanta git chure dirt fo'. But, prefah a baby's grave, an' git chure dirt an' come back. An' yore house has fo' cornahs tuh it. [Informant now points out the corners of my interviewing room.] Yo' put some in dat cornah an' den yo' say, In de Name of de Fathah, an' Mame of de Son, an' in de Name of de: Holy Ghost, ah want some luck brought intuh dis house. Ah want dis house rented. Ah want someone tuh occupy dis house. Put chew some dirt in dis [second] cornah, an' say de same thing in dat [third] cornah an' say de same thing at dat [fourth] cornah. An' den yo' say [it again] befo' yo' leave out [the house]. Yo' should have it in dere, scattah it all aboutdere, Jame of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost. An' den when yo' go out, jes' scattah it all down on de steps, an' den somebody will come an' rent it. [Fayetteville, N. Car., 2556:8.]
Entry 8034
A bone from a daid pusson depends whut chew wanta use it fo'. N Now, yo' kin use a bone from a dead pusson fo' two diff'ren' thin's. Yo' kin use it - well, say three: yo' kin use it fo' gamblin', yo' kin use it fo' tuh hahm [harm] somebody or somepin of dat sort. (How do you use it for gambling?) Well, now, yo' take a bone. If yo' kin git de bone an' yo' can't beat it, if it's too hard fo' yo' tuh beat, yo' take dat bone an' yo' git chew a file an' yo' file dat bone. An' as yo' file dat bone, yo' file it intuh somepin, a clean piece of white papah where yo' kin git all dat dust yo' file [from] dat bone. When yo' git all de dust yo' want tuh, offa dis bone, yo' git chew a silvah dime an' yo' cut fo' holes - not holes, but ah mean marks in de dime, jis' lak whut is aroun' dis ole piece of ring ah got heah [shows it and demonstrates]. Yo' cut a hole dere, one dere, an' one dere, an' one dere - yo' cut fo' holes.
(Sort of a notch, like you cut a piece of pie.)
Yes, sir, a notch.
(Cut a little piece off of it.)
Yes, yo' cut fo' lak dat in dat dime an' put dat dime in dere wit dat powdah. Yo' git chew some steel dust, see. Yo' git de steel dust an' dis dime an' yo' put 'em in, an' yo' git chew three needles. Yo' take dem three needles an' yo' put 'em on a piece of flannel - red flannel. But chew put one lak dis an' one dataway. Yo' cross 'em. An' yo' put de othah one 'way up above it dataway in dis position. See? Now, yo' wrap dis needle up here, yo' wrap it ovah dis way firs'. (Now, Wait a minute. You have these two needles crossed like that [I demon- strate], and then you put one above it like that?) Yes, sir. (One - this top one is just like you're making a "T" out of it. One, this top one is up above the "x" [the two crossed needles] there.)
[These 3 needles are now folded 9 times in a complicated rite:]
One's above de othah, yo' see. Well, dat's de one yo' fold, yo' see. Yo' fole dis othah one - when yo' fole dis othah one, yo' see, it'll fole right from dere tuh dere. Yo' kin covah dese othah two needles, yo' see. Now, when yo' fole dis way, dat one fold. See, when yo' fole ovah disaway ag'in, dat two folds. Yo' foles disaway, dat's three foles. An' disaway, dat's fo' foles. Now, yo' got fo' foles dataway. Now aftah yo' fole 'em dataway, yo' take an' yo' fole it ag'in. Dat's five. An' yo' fole disaway. Dat's six. An' fole dataway. Dat's seven. An' fole disaway. Dat's eight. See? An' yuh last fole, de ninth fole, it'll be about dat big. Dat's yuh las' fold. An' yo' fole jis' lak dat. Dat be yuh las fole an' it's goin' tuh be jis' - not a bit biggah dan what de needles, de length of de needles are. See, when yo' git through foldin' dat, dat'll be de length of de needles. Yo' put dat in yuh pocket, or yuh pocketbook rathah. An' now yo' got dat in yuh pocketbook, be sure dat chew got anothah small piece of coin dat chew kin put wit dat besides dat silvah dime yo' already have. Now, if yo' got anothah silvah dime, yo' put dat in de pocketbook wit dis othah stuff dat yo' jis' finished. Yo' put dat wit dat. Now, dat steel dust an' dose two silvah dimes, an' dose needles is tuh draw money, see. Yo' kin go an' shoot dice, play cards, anythin' yo' want. Yo' needn't tuh worry. Yo' might a-go dere an' lose de firs' dollah yo' have, yo' might even lose de firs' fifteen or twenty dollahs. Don't worry about dat. Yo'll make dat back in de nex' two plays yo' make. Yo'll make double of dat, yo'll make triple of dat. Dat steel dust an' dem dimes an' de needle is done draw yuh money tuh yo'. See.
Entry 8039
Ah heard dat dey take de middle-fingah bone an' if dey wants tuh be lucky.
(What do you call the middle-finger bone?)
Uh, dis fingah heah [demonstrates].
(The middle finger on the left hand.)
Yessuh, dis one [demonstrates].
(The third joint. That's the joint right next to the hand.)
Yessuh. An' dey take dat an' dey let it git hard an' dry, an' dey take den an' dey put dat in de stove an' let it bake till it becomes - it bleaches white an' lak crumbly. Den dey takes it an' dey crumble it tuh ashes. An' dey take dose ashes, take de ashes from dat middle fingah, an' den dey take de ashes of a dove's laig, of dis lef' laig, an' dey take dose two ashes an' put 'em tuhgethah, an' den dey put lode- stone in dere. An' aftah dey put de lodestone, den dey take den an' dey put dis silvah; not de liquid quicksilvah, [but] yo' know dis silvah dat's kinda lak dey shake it out jis' lak powdah. An' dey take dose three thin's an' dey mix 'em all tuhgethah.
(The silver is just like a powder you mean. It's a silver just like powder?)
Yessuh, grind it tuh a silvah powdah. Yo' know, not de quicksilvah whut chew po's out, whut chew po' lak watah. An' dey takes an' dey mix dose three thin's tuhgethah an' dey say dat it will cuz dem tuh have powah an' dominion ovah me tuh rule 'em.
(A man would do that to get power over another man?)
Yessuh.
Entry 8201
Use it fo' back luck, by scrapin' dat silvah offa dere; well, dat silvah offa [the back of] dat lookin'-glass. Dey take dat an' scrape it offa pichure. Jis' lak if dey wanta harm yo', dey take an' scrape dat silvah off dat pichure [mirror] an' put it in yure face, on yure pichure.
(On the face of your picture?)
Dat's right, an' den dey take it an' put it in sompin, [anything to hold the scrapings and photo], an' bury it, bury it [face] down. Dat'll make yo' dwindle down an' die. Make yo' stay sick an' nuthin will cure yo' unlessen somebody [hoodoo doctor or healer] take an' find whut's wrong wit chew.
Entry 8842
Dey taken 'er han'writin' an' go tuh de graveyard, a child's grave, an' dig a hole long enough tuh put 'is han' right through. An' take a piece of sil- vah an' tell dis silvah whut choo want it tuh do, an' sompin will happen tuh yuh hand [writer's hand] (You leave that handwriting and the silver right in the grave?) Yeah, don't bring it away. [In hoodoo or witchcraft a person may and frequentIy does talk to an inanimate object, such as the present silver, but at the grave the spirit of the dead per- son buried there controls all action and any dirt carried away. This power of the grave-spirit is abundantly displayed in Section DEATH-BURIAL-GRAVEYARD, Pp.3293-3385, and elsewhere in the total text. However, if informant believes that the silver does his or her work, that is the magic truth for him or her!]
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 9820
Latsa people dey take nine needles, bran'-new needles an' dey git a piece of lodestone an' put 'em in dis way an' dat-a-way [demonstrates].... (Now wait. [I try to repeat informant's demonstration.] Put in this way and that way?) [I am making a cross.] Yes sir, cross [demonstrates].
(Cross them all.)
An' den yo' go tuh a blacksmith shop an' git chew some anvil dust, de steel from de anvil where dey make de iron, an' put it in dere. An' git chew a piece of lodestone an' put ten cents [a silver dime] in it. It's lucky tuh yuh if yo' keep it an' let nobody touch it. Feed it wit whiskey. Yo'll always have silvah money. [Even during my collecting days back in 1938 the preceding anvil dust never saw an anvil; it came from ma- chine-shop filings. Anvil dust and steel dust were the same thing, depending upon age, size, color, etc.] [In the following comment I am not talking for informant's benefit, I am an- notating for the future.] (Now in putting these needles, you put one needle like that, and then you put another needle on there like that - like a cross, sort of like little squares, like tick-tack-toe.) Yes. [Everything is arranged or sprinkled into the form of a cross before the combined materials are put in the bag.]
Entry 9876
Dey have used frogs wit de hard lumps on dem [toads?].
(How would they do that?)
Let 'em dry an' throw it undah de house. Yo'll nevah go an' neithah come.
(How would you get rid of that?)
Well, all yo' got'a do, jes' take de frog an' pays 'im a [silver] dime. An' when yo' pays 'im a dime, yo' ketch 'im alive an' yo' stick im on yo' do's. Stay wit chew a length'a time an' den he goin'a run dem out de house. (You do what?) Stick 'im alive on de backa yo' do'. Yo' ketch 'im an' take 'im swallah a dime. An' take a picket [stake] an' put a picket in 'is haid two han's [feet], bottom 'ands [back legs], until he come tuh be dry. When yo' want 'im tuh go out dere, den yo' go out dere an' den throw im dat same distance [direction] where dey is. Den he do yo' work.
(He'll [second toad will] throw off the other frog.)
[Two toads are used here, the first one thrown under victim's house so that he can nevah go and neither come. To counteract this spell, victim or his doctor catches and pays another live toad to work for him.] Yeah.
Entry 10265
They say that chew can take the water off of a silver dollah and also the water off of a copper cent, and sprinkle a little bit of that with some snail dust in a woman's place there, and when a man comes there he'll get stuck just like a dog. [Following rite 10266 by same man.]
Entry 10442
A witch will ride yo'. Yo' kin take a silver knife an' fo'k an' cross it, put it in yore bed an' dey won't bother yo'. Den yo' kin take a sharp knife, pocketknife, an' put it in dere - put it under de bed. Ah use one dese witchin' Knives undah mah bed all de time. Dat cut's 'em off.
Entry 10491
"Some people call a hag a witch. She rides you. To keep her from riding you, put a dime in the keyhole an' she can't come in."
Entry 10576
We have what you call, as I 'fore told you [told you before], is a silver dime - one silver dime and a bat. You'll find them goes round in the stable and all there. And you take that bat and take the heart out. He have a heart in him. Mostly everything that be found walking - every creater - if it's a creature, it's got a heart. And you take that heart out of there and take that heart there and you put it on top of this dime. Then you take this lodestone and tie it up in there, and after you tie it up, you find what you call this Star [or Stars] perfume [has stars on label] that's what you gotta feed it with. Then you [can] walk into any place, step in in any business you got, everything's going be [O.K.]. But at the same time, those people that you have dealt with, if you gamble with them [you have to be careful].
(That's for luck in gambling? This is for luck in gambling?)
Yassuh.
(I see.)
That's my way.
Entry 10623
De Adam-an'-Eve root, yo' takes de Eve [part] an' yo' takes it an' yo' weah it in yore pocket. If not dat, chew take a lil' root chew call - dat lil' root chuh call Adam. [Adam-and-Eve are on the same root.] Yo' take dis lil' root an' yo' take dese three needles an' yo' break 'em all three in three pieces, each one needle broke in three pieces. Well, dat supposed tuh be nine pieces. Yo' takes dis root an' dese needles an' let 'em stay in dis root three days. Takes dese needles from dis root an' throw it in runnin' watah [I inter- rupt]... (You throw the needles in the running water?) In runnin' watah. Yo' take dis dime an' puts it wit dis root an' tie it back up, an' if yo' goin' out fo' luck or anything, yo' wipes it 'cross yore face - wipes it 'cross yore face an' haid. An' takes de root an' puts it up, keep it from bein' annoyed - [anyone] git atter [get after] dis root - if yo' wanta have any luck.
Entry 10836
I'll tell you another story I have heard; I heard a fellow say. This fellow had killed a fellow and he couldn't rest that night, and a man told him to take a bullet and to take the steel part out of the bullet, and let that powder stay in there. And take some silver paper [tinfoil] and pack in it and whenever he seen this spirit [of the man he had killed] shoot it with his pistol and he would never see it again. [I vaguely remember this man, a mature bellboy at the hotel in Peters- burg, Virginia, where my wife and I stopped from the night after leaving Old Point Comfort. This Was in 1936. Previously, in the margin title at the bottom of p. XIX, v.1 of HOODOO, I thought we had spent that night at the old Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. Actually we did not stop at Richmond on this trip but from Petersburg continued on to Fredericksburg where we had luncheon next day and I met my future contact man Carter for the first time. It was then I arranged with him for my return to collect at Fredericksburg. That afternoon we continued on to Warrenton, where that night I interviewed a waiter. By the way, the bell- boy at Petersburg Was No.33, and the bullet story was recorded on Ediphone cyl- inder No.26. My original transcription is attached to this sheet on which I am now writing.]
Entry 10849
If a person is stuff, yo' know, an' den dey maybe says [let us stay], dat dey has some lodestone an' dey had it workin' in dere first, see, but dat han' [of the body] is tod stiff tuh feel de money when dat lodestone draw it. [A piece of lodestone band- aged on hand before or while gambling.] Dey kill a buzzard an' bury him three days [see v.1, p.533, line 34] see. Den dey will cook dat buzzard an' den dey git dat oil, strain dat oil, an' jes' lak when dey go out in de middle of de night, dey [leave gambling room] take dat buzzard oil an' dey grease dere joints wit it, jes' a little, not much [see No.ll49, p.422, v.1] jes' grease. Aftah dey grease it, well dey come back in [return to gambling room] - grease all around an' grease back of de ears. An' dat makes 'em soup-ple [supple] an' dat makes 'em see whut come in [buzzard has keen eyes]. [While outside] put lode- stone in dere an' take it an' jes' git dat skin up enough tuh put a piece about de size of a button right in dere! An' den put a silver dollar on his tail! An' jes' come in dat house an' jes' take yore han' lak dat...
(What makes the hand stiff, though?)
Ah dunno, stiff joints. An' dey wanta be soupple, see, an' dat buzzard oil is mighty high. [If this rite means what I think it does, there is nothing quite like it! However, see the following rite for something similar.]
Entry 10892
Well, the first thing that happened, this girl, other girl, was going with the woman's husband; and she [other girl] wanted the woman's husband for herself, and the woman wanted the husband at home. And she [other girl] told me that she was going to make them [husband and wife] get along bad. So she put some dog hair and some cat hair dat - you know, caught 'em fighting and cut the hair out of the dog and the cat, and put this hair together and put it in there, in his coat lining. And she say, whenever he go home that would cause he and his wife to get along bad, and they'd set up argue, fuss all the dune. Quite natural nobody wants to stay with anybody like that. After which, ohen they separated - the man and wife - den she wanted him back.
(The wife wanted him back?)
The wife wanted him back. And to get him back, she decided to get to him and soft talk, you know, love and talk to get him back home to have intercourse with hin, and then she was going to take part of his and keep it at home. She say she tie it in a rag and put a silver dime in the corner of the rag, and she stick it under her bed mattress, and that would make him to come back to where be left froa.
(Well, then, did he come back?)
Yes, he came back.
(Oh, he came back all right.)
Entry 11284
Ah went to a hoodoo an' he tole me to git a silver dollar. Ah don't know why ah should 'splain diz or not. Whut [ah] am goin' say now, yo' know it's kinda bad thing to explain. He tole me say, "Yo' git on a woman an' while yo' on dat woman, yo' have her to tie dat knot into yore shirttail on yore back. An' dat's de best experience ah evah had in mah life.
(Tie what knot?)
Tie a knot into my shirttail - dat silver dollar tied up into mah shirttail in dat knot. Dat's de best experience ah evah had. She did it. Ah did dat.
(What kind of luck did that give you?)
Well, ah wus lucky all de time.
(In all sorts of ways?)
Yes suh.
(You mean you had to be actually on her while she tied that?)
While she tied dat knot ah'd have to be on her. An' ah tole her whut ah want to do, a silver dollar. [For a man to tie 9 knots in a string and to tie it on woman's back while loving her, compare 10678, p.4044, v.5.]
Entry 11678
Yokin git de graveyard dirt. Yogo tuh de graveyard. Yo' kin go dere any time a-night dat chew wanta, if yo' ain't scared tuh go, an' git chew some of dat dirt: but chew gotta burn some of it, an' keep some of it unburned. Anwhenyo gits in a place, jes [like] ah'm in heah an want chew tuh do business wit me. Ah keeps some wit me all de time, an'ah jes' rubs mah han's when ah wants tuh be lucky. An'ah raps mah hands on de table lak dat [raps on interviewing table] an' ah've nevah gone out broke. Ah've always had a dollah every day of mah life, evah since ah've been usin dis dirt an' burnin' ah've got it. An' den yo' kin take dis graveyard dirt an' yo' kin go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' git dirt; dat's where yo' meet dem two fo'ks of de road. Yo' know whut ah'm talkin' about. Yo' go in dere. Now, yo take yo' a silvah spoon, yo' go to de fo'k of de road an' yo' git chew some dirt an' put wit dis graveyard dirt. Yo' kin conkah all of yore enemies in any way yo' want, if yo' take dis dirt an sprinkle it round dere [their home]. An' yo' kin be partic'lah wit it, ain't gotta let 'em see it; 'cause if yo' let dem see it, yo' know, say yo' doin' sompin wrong. Yo' gotta be partic'lah wit anything yo' do. See, dat's de way ah use graveyard dirt. An' it gotta be burnt, some of it's burnt. When yo' git dat dirt outa de fo'k of de road yo' ain't gotta burn it atall, but yo' put it wit dis graveyard dirt an' yo' kin do anything. Yo' kin conkah all yore enemies in any kind of way. Dat make yo' successful. Yo'ain't got nuthin tuh do tuh keep de law away, but jes' yo' go out an' den yo' go tuh de fo'k of de road. Go on back tuh de fo'k of de road now in dis partic'lah business. Yo' take yo' silvah spoon an' yo' git yo' some dust an yo' ain't gotta put de graveyard dust. Now, jes' about nine or ten steps 'way from yore house an' in front of dere, jes' sprinkle dat dust down, an' count de tracks dat chew make, cause if yo' make a mistake, well, yo' liable tuh have tuh go ag'in 'cause somepin othah liable tuh happen. But it always causin' tuh keep yore enemies cowered at chure feet when yo' git that dust from de fo'k of de road. If yo' got it wit de graveyard dirt it goes bettah wit chew. If yo' ain't got it, well, it's all de same - it'll do it right on. Jes' go tuh de fo'k of de road on de left-han' side.
Entry 11854
Yo' kin take a girl's hair an' black lodestone an' yo' kin lead her cross [cross what? I interrupt too soon]. (What would you do with that hair?) Totes de lodestone with the hair, with a piece of solid silver money, and she will follow [wherever you go and any time]. She'll git up an' follow if it's one a'clock in de night.
(You mix those together?)
Yessuh. Jis' keep 'em in a bag an' she will follow.
Entry 12232
Git you White John de Conkah root - piece of white - piece of white root and it's hard. [Only time I ever heard of white!] You take a knife or hatchet or somepin and cut it. And you put it in your mouth and whilst you goin' round to dose person where you wants a job, you talk to 'um, but you kinda spit real fine and let it get on dere clothes.
(Spit?)
Yes.
[I turn off recording machine but soon restart it.]
(To help you with this, to get that job, you get some lodestone.)
Get some lodestone. You get dat lodestone and put it in de red flannel and you ties it up with a ten cent piece [a silver dime] and needle point. When [then] you wear dat in de pocket separate from anything where no tobacco or noth- in' kin git with it, if you have to make you a little pocket [bag] you just wear it with dat, and you - de person you go to 'em and talk to 'em with dat, why you'll finally draw dere attention and you'll get de job.
Entry 12234
If you is gambling and you wants luck, well you'll git you some steel dust. See. You git you a dime - a silver dime. Git that dime and you put it in a piece of flannel, and you take it and you git a piece of John de Conkah root. See, that John de Conkah root. You takes all that and you put it down in there. Steel dust, and then you get you some of that cinnamon powder. You understand. And you takes that down [from shelf] and put it in there, and then you git you some Van- van. You ever heard of that. Or some good Jockey Club Perfume. And you put it [flannel package or hand] in your pocket. See, that steel dust draws. Then you put it in your pocket and every time you wants to gamble with somebody, you take it and rub it like that in your hand. You see. Take it and rub it in your hand but don't let 'em see you. And whatever you doing, you going to be lucky.
Entry 12342
Yo' take an' yo' gets a piece of cloth about four inches square each way, an' yo' take [he and she] lodestone an' mash it together. An' den yo' get yourself, take some of your own perspiration, yo' know, an put it in dere - dampen it. Yo' kin take de end of a piece of your own clothes an' put in dere an' fold it together. Fo' instance, if yo' got a piece of silver money, yo' kin take a piece of your sil- ver money an' put it in dere. It will be a piece about dat wide an' about dat high [very small size] an' yo' take dat an' sew it to de inside of yore under- clothes - under your arm, under your right arm. An' yo' wear dat dere fo' three days. An' yo' don't feel no 'fect from dat until de third day, an' den yo' be- gin to see it. Den after de third day yo' kin go in any gambling game or any kind of winning game yo' wanta, an' yo'll win money.
Entry 12461
Wit silver money dey have good luck. An' show it to de moon, an' he Walk back fo' so many - 'bout nine steps backwards; an' then yo' turn roun' an' hit those steps wit dat money, an' say de moon give yo' good luck. [This is a tricky rite to perform in moonlight. I suggest it could be come as follows: facing moon and holding silver coin in right hand, if you are right-handed, step backward with right foot, kneel down, touch track made with coin. Now step back with left foot, kneel down, touching this track with coin. Continue for the 9 steps and tracks.]
Entry 12505
Yo' have to be dressed [with a hand]. Make sompin disaway. Jes takin' a nutmeg, an' ah don' know if yo' know - yo' know dose little seeds dat grows in a natural six, takin' dem while dey's green, three of dem, which represents De Name de Father an' de Son an' Holy Ghost. Take yo' nutmeg, dose three seeds an' 45 cents [in silver = 1 quarter, 2 dimes] an' put dat in a little bag, an' he'll come so he kin be as rapid as he want, but he'll come to de place where yo' an' him will be friends yo' see. An' anything dat yo'd undertake to do, look like jes' whut yo' says, he would be perfectly satisfied of it. See. Well, yo' keep de othah fellah's name an' thing on yo', because yo' be at different things an' yore [juke] box may be playin', an' he'll come an' git at them from playin'. Yo' always have cents [money] wit yo'.
(Always the law won't bother you or anything else?)
No.
Entry 12535
(What do you do with the red onion?)
Well, dey say if yo' break de skin of it an' jes' carry it in yore pocket, some of it, or either throw it away, jes' throw it away, dey say dat's lucky. If yo' boil it, boil yo' three dimes in it an' den drink de watah, dat's lucky fo' yo' - yore in- come will be good.
Entry 12986
Yo' could take a dime an' git a leaf dat nevah was scorched[? some- thing meaning undamaged] yo' know, dat de frost don't kill. Any kinda leaf de frost don't kill. An' put dis dime on dat leaf an' hold it on dere, an' yo' kin keep dat dime near dat leaf an' yo' have de best kind of luck. Put chew in real good luck. An' yo' keep it 'long as yo' keep dat dime.
(You just keep the dime, you don't keep the leaf?)
No, yo' don't have tuh keep de leaf, jes' keep de dime. Keep de dime. When yo' first git it, put it on de leaf an' hold it on de leaf. Den yo' keep dat dime den. Den yo' have good luck. Keep it in yore pocket - don't lose it - keep it in yore pocket.
Entry 12988
Yo' could take a lizard or a snake or a frog or anything like dat an' Perish it tuh death. Jes' put it in a can or sompin, yo' know, an' let 'im die. Sell, when he die yo' could, yo' know dry it up. Yo' could make a powder out of hin like dat. Well, den if yo' kin git dat in anybody's food, he gonna have dem Live things in 'im - hit'll come back tuh life. Yo' see, dey grow. Well, not de thing dey is tuh git dat out of him - jes' say, if yo' put it in 'im or anybody else put it in 'im, an' dey come tuh yo' [author become a root doctor] fo' tuh git it out of 'im, yo' git chew a silver piece of money. An' yo' wash dis heah, every edge, if yo' use a dime or a quarter or fifty-cent [piece] or anything. Let it be solid silver. An' hit every edge dat dey is round dere. Well yo' give him dat silver [intern- ally] an' dat silver will git dat out of 'im. Hit'll take every bit of dat poison out of 'im.
(You have to hit every edge. With what?)
Yes sir, hit every edge [of the milled coin] with a file. Git chew a brand- new file dat has nevah been used an' yo' hit every edge - jes' a little grated silvah an' [and you give it internally to your patient poisoned by lizard, snake or frog].
Entry 12992
You tie you a piece of - some sugar, you takes a piece of lodestone, and you put you a silver dime in that, you see. And you sew it up. You sew it up in a red piece of flan- nel. You make it like dat and you carry it in your pocket, but you won't have no luck though if you have the cheat against you. As long as you keep the cheat off you, you have luck.
(What do you mean "have the cheat against you?")
"Cheat, '' of course, if you [someone] put down loaded dice or anything, you can't beat it. See, you can't beat anybody that have [loaded dice].
(Oh, they cheat against you.)
Yeah.
(Oh, I see.)
If they cheat, you can't beat a cheat, you see. It won't do no good, you see. [This theme of "unless someone cheats is rare in HOODOO, since it would destroy confidence in ganbling "hands."]
Entry 12993
Yes sir, ah've heard dat yo' take an' steal a dime - a silver dime - an' carry it to de... (You steal this dime?) Yes sir, steal it from someone. (And then you cross it. How do you cross it?) Right cross de piece. Take a pocketknife or sompin an' cross a cross mark cross de face [on the dime]. An' carry it to de cemetery an' bury it, an' she'll follow yo' ev'ywhere yo' want her tuh.
(Whom would you steal this dime from?)
Anyone. It be best tuh steal it from her, providin if she got one.
(Oh, I see. To make her love you?)
Yes sir.
Entry 12994
If yo' want him tuh give yo' his money, all his money, sometime ask him fo' money. If he happen tuh han' yo' a silver dime, don't chew spend dat silver dime. Yo' take dat silver dime an' wrap it up in a piece of - it ain't cotton flannel either. It's woolen stuff. Yo' put chew two needles in dat, a short one an' a long one, an' yo' make a wish fo' tuh rule him an' fo' tuh have him bring yo' dat money. An' yo' git chew some oil from de drug sto'.
(What kind of oil?)
Oil of annis. An' keep it [wrapped up hard] anointed wit it an' put it in de bottom of yore trunk, an' he'll bring his money tuh yo'. Dat's whut ah kmoc 'bout dat. Dat's whut ah have experienced.
Entry 12995
Take a silver dime. Yo' [a woman] git a silver dime from him an' yo' take dat silver dime an' yo' put it in a glass an' put two teaspoonfuls of sugah on dat dime an' set it back in a corner. If he makes any money he'll bring it. He'll bring it to yo'.
Entry 12996
Jes' lak anybody, well, jes' say if a woman have a friend or sompin an' he is able tuh give her, an' can give her, an' hit look lak he don't wanta use her fo' convenience, why she kin git a dime from him an' she kin take dat dime an' put it in a brand- new piece of domestic an' fold it tuh her nine times, an' sew it an' wear it right next tuh her an' dat's good. Dat'll help out a whole lot in peace with him an he'll provide for her mo' bettah.
(Just wear it any place on her body?)
Yeah, jes' pin it right inside her on de right side, wear dat down dere.
(Next to the skin?)
Yes.
Entry 13001
Ah've heard of a person dat gambles, if dey want 'em to have good luck in gambling, take a silver quarter [25c], a silver halfa a dollah [50c] an' dey fix dat up in a package or rag or some way, an' tote it with 'em. Keep it on 'em an' that will give 'em luck fo gambling. Use Hearts Cologne on it [to feed it].
Entry 13002
They have live things in them, you kin take a cupful of lard, and a cupful of sulphur, and you take a cupful of salt. And you puts all of that to about a quart of water and let it boil. And you take a silver [bow or beau or bull] dollar. (A silver what?) A silver dollah, a bow dollah. (A bow dollar?) They call 'em bow dollah, them silvah dollahs, one of them big round dollahs. They don't use 'em very much now [1938]. Well, you let that boil. Yo' get a [cove] oyster can [these were not the recent canned oysters kept on ice] and you let that dollah boil real good. You boil it for about a hour in that water. And you take that water, put it with this other ingredients, this cupful of lard and everything. And I mean that will certainly pass from you. You let 'em drink that fuh 9 mornings, see. Give 'em a cupful and them live things will pass. That'll kill it. An' then you take - behind that give 'em a bath, behind that a bath of saltpeter and bluestone and sulphur.
Entry 13003
Usin' a bull dollah - a silver dollah.
(They call it a bow dollar? Why do they call it a bow?)
Dey always claim they could work roots with it. (That's what they call a silver dollar: a bow dollar - bull dollar? Do you mean like a bow - like this kind of a bow?) [I demonstrate either by holding and drawing a bow, or drawing design on paper.] Ah don't know how yo' spell it. It jes' a bow. Git chew a bow dollah an' go to any sto' an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne. An' yo' take this heah bow dollah an' yo' take an' rub it with this heah Hearts Cologne. An' take an' put it in a red flannel sack an' wear it round yore waist, where it will 'cumu- late money to yo', bring happiness to yo', an' yo' jes' be lucky all de time.
Entry 13143
Yo' kin take his sock to make 'im love you an' yo' stockin' an' put it [them] together. Understand? An' puts some sugah with it. An' take it out an' bury it on the side of your house, an' go out there every mawnin' an' pour your chamber lye there. Don't you under- stand? See, on that. An' you take the sock an' your stocking an' roll it together, see. Now put a red onion with it, a dime - that's to make 'im give her money - roll it together. Sew it to you an' make your wish - that's her, you see - sew it up in your mattress. That man'll give you money, give 'er roney as long as he's there.
Entry 8679
[The doctor in the following rite for a job has an organized mind, though I was too recent in New Orleans at that time to realize it. In face, on this original transcription I formerly had a note use with care, which can still be seen despite my later erasure.] When yo' go to get a job - ah'll tell yo' about de job proposi- tion. It just like if yo' was out of a job an' yo' runnin' in bad luck. Yo' can't be success- ful in nuthin dat yo' start. Well, yo' get yo' some of dis seniment. Yo' get some of dis seniment with this rain water. (What is seniment? What is that?) Dat's a powder. (What does it look like?) It look just like - yo' ever seen this powder what they call that brown-skin powder? (You mean cinnamon powder?) Yeah. (Cinnamon powder. All right.) [How did I ever guess it!] Yo' take dat seniment powder. An' yo' get some of dis seniment powder an' yo' get what yo' call this lodestone; but ask for lodestone, see, with candy stripes. It's got a little stripe.
(What kind of stripes?)
Candy stripes. Just say, "Give me some of de lodestone." (Like this candy - now wait a minute! It's like this candy they got in the country stores, candy stripes?) Yes, just like that; round, see.
(And what do they call that?)
Lodestone.
(You said something about four-something. Four what?)
[Informant said it while recording machine turned off.1 Fo' corners. Yo' just get de fo' corners. Well, if it ain't got fo' corners, vell yo' just take anything, a file or somepin like dat an' put 'em there.
(You have to make it square. Four corners. All right.)
Yeah. Yo' go anywhere they got them rams - yo' see, them rams, or anywhere yo' know them ramhorns at. [Cowhorn appears several times in Hoodoo. This could be the only ramhorn.] Yo' gets a file an' yo' file some of that dust down there [with the lodestone dust]. Then yo' get some of this here oil what yo' call that green - Wintergreen Pasture Oil.
(Wintergreen?)
Wintergreen Pastures Oil.
(GREEN PASTURES OIL?)
[SURELY THE ENTERPRISING HOODOO-PRODUCTS SALESMAN SHOULD HAVE NAMED IT "PSALM 23 OIL"!] Yeah, an' yo' take some sugar an' seniment an' lodestone. An' take a silver dime an' yo' file dat silver dime on a piece of paper just where yo' got this stuff [various ingredients] at. Yo' take a piece of yellah paper - it [lode- stone?] comes with yellah paper - an' yo' wrap it up twice. Yo' fold it coming to you. Then, after yo' take this Wintergreen Pasture Oil an' yo' put over it, am' yo' put it in your pocket. Keep that in yore left pocket. Then yo' goes back an' yo' get this he Eve [Adam and Eve] root, see. He Eve root.
(He Eve root?)
Yeah, yo' go back an' get that an' yo' got hit, yo' got de she root in yore pocket, yo' understand. Yo' take that - powder up that. piece there - an' yo' get some rain water an' river water or hydrant water [3 running Waters], or anything like that, an' yo' put it in two glasses. Put it in two glasses like that an' yo' let it set, after yo've mixed it. Well, heap up just about de same amount in each glass. Yo' leave it set there fo' three days. Aftah yo' leave it set there fo' three days, yo' take it an' yo' pour it into one glass. Then yo' take this here - this seniment, lodestone an' dis Wintergreen Pasture Oil. Well, yo' Put it in de glass, in one glass, an' yo' let it set there fo' three days. Den take that water off - take dat watah off before yo' go out to see about a job. Just like, if yo' know the foreman's name, yo' take his name an' yo' write his name nine times backwards, just like if yo' write it backwards this Way nine times [demonstrates]. Then yo' fold it, fold it comin' to yo' like dat [demonstrates]. Then yo' write yore name on de top of it, but yo' must write yore name forwards.
(Write your name what?)
The right way.
(You write your name forwards. All right.)
Then yo' take dat an' yo' put it down in dat water where all yore stuff is in the morning when yo' going out - just when yo' going out to the foreman. Yo' got his name. Well, when yo' get ready to go there, yo' take this water out of Chere. Yo' pour it out in a basin or anything like that, an' yo' take it an' yo' wash yo' hands good with it, an' yo' wash yore fingers. Yo' takes this here lodestone an' yo' put it in yore pocket with this she Eve root. Yo' walk to him a'when yo' get there, before yo' ask, just like yo' take a piece of chewing tobacco, cut a little piece off dat she root an' put it in your mouth. An' get this here lodestone thing in your hand like that an' rub it, an' make yore wishes, as yo' walk up to him an' ask 'im for a job. Probably he may not have nuthin to do right then, but he'll run his hand in his pocket if he got any money an' he'll give yo' a piece of money. The first opening that he have - WHEN YO' LEAVE FROM THERE, YO'LL MAKE A WISH FOR ANY - JUST LIKE ANY JOB YO' WANT AROUND THERE, YO' MAKE A WISH FOR ANY BAD LUCK TO HAPPEN TO 'EM PEOPLE AT THAT PLACE. SAY PRAYERS, AN' IN A WEEK'S TIME [7 DAYS] YO'LL HAVE A JOB. There no favor that yo' ask 'im that he could turn yo' down. If he ain't got it at de present time, he will tell yo' a way to come an' get it.
foreman’s name written nine times backwards, contrasted with own name forwards. Keep foreman nine-times-backwards versus applicant forwards on top; not all names backwards. manually inscribed arrangement of foreman’s and applicant’s names. Retain foreman backwards nine times and own name forwards on top, followed by the use of the inscribed paper in the preparation. employment sought from a foreman, with conditional intermediate outcomes and harmful wish. No immediate job guarantee: preserve probably no work, money if he has it, the first opening, and the subsequent one-week claim as attributed. river as a stated possible source of water, alongside rain/hydrant wording. Keep literal rain water an’ river water or hydrant water and or anything like that; do not convert ambiguous conjunctions into an all-three requirement or flatten all alternatives. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3556) · Read full source (printed page 3557) · Read full source (printed page 3558)
Entry 95
(About those eyes?) I made a mistake - I said a nickel, I wanted to say a silver dime. Like it be - you'd kill a man and you'd start on off. Somebody done get to him and take and roll his eyes back and put a silver dime on each one of his eyes - this man he cannot get out of existence. He'll try, but he'll get caught before he can get away.
(Well, who - oh, they put these dimes over the dead man's eves.)
Over the dead man's eyes. [New Orleans, La., (866), 1404:1.}
Entry 395
(Who was this man?)
He wus a Powhatan - a mulatto, yo' know.
(That's down here near the water, isn't it?)
Dat's down heah cross de town.
(You say a Powhatan is a mulatto?)
[Momentarily, I do not understand him. A mulatto by dictionary definition is half Negro and half White. My informant calls this man - part Negro and part Powhatan (American Indian) - a mulatto.] Is a mulatto man. Someone killed him an' dey killed this man an' dey buried dis man an' at de head of his grave they buried $300 an' his cousin when he came from up in de country - he had found out about de money. He wus told dat de money wus buried there, which it wus. It wus said then that this man went there to dig up this man - dig up this grave an' git this money. He thought the money wus his'n. An' whatevah partic'lar time he goes there, an' when he got near to it, de place where de money wus buried - it wus silver money - dere jes' come a whirlwind or a storm an' about a dozen dogs, an' the wind blew an' he had tuh run away from dere immediately, with de hole open an' de money wus dere visible.
(He couldn't stand it?)
He couldn't stand it. De evil spirit or whut it wus, it wanted tuh git this money - he had to run off an' leave it.
Entry 401
[The informant's father, a clergyman, frequently attempted to locate hidden treasure at the request of both colored and white people. The fact that he had been born with a veil (caul) assisted him in this work. He employed the following method:] He used a switch. I think it was a willow switch. It was two branches out from the tree with an end on them like a wishbone." He put some kind of silver thing [holder] around that part [the jointure of the fork]. Then he put a hole in the top of it so money could fit in it, about the size of a quarter. It had to be silver money. You take each handle in your hand and you just hold that steady and follow it where it leads, because it will lead anywhere money is - not paper money, silver and gold. You walk and when you get to the money, it
[the fork] will turn down [see No.400].
Entry 409
De tree - it carries a po'tion of lodestone.
(What tree does?)
Git de tree out de cemetery - carries a reasonable po'tion of lodestone or somepin similar tuh 'lectricity - dat have a tendency tuh draw to silver.
(They use that for what?)
Fo' sech as huntin' money.
(What do they do - just take a stick or what?)
Jes' take a stick - see, it magnetism dat draws an' guides yo'.
(You say there is lodestone in that wood?)
Yes.
Entry 531
If yo' be worried lak that, yo' take yore chewin' tobacco an' yo' place it undah yore pillah. Well, vo' put chure money there undah yore pillah - silver money, a dime or a quarter, ah guess. Well, dey says take a chew of tobacco an' count yore money if yo' got any change an' den dey are gone.
(The night hag?) [Informant had called the rider a hag.]
Yes. [This is a good trick if you can do it - to count your silver while chewing tobacco, despite a witch's hands about your throat. Spirits and witches dislike tobacco, detest tobacco juice: "I told my husband she had my chickens bewitched. He said, "I will fix her." So he drawed her picture with her pipe in her mouth. It sure look like she was standing right there. My husband is a witch doctor and he did not have to take her picture to a white oak tree, he just spit tobacco juice in her eyes. Several weeks after that I met my friend (the witch) and she could not see. Her eyes were all sore. I said, "What is wrong with your eyes?" But I knew it was the tobacco spit in her eyes." (Following this quotation is the word Irish - meaning informant was of Irish origin.) See FACI,2ed., p.835.]
Entry 543
Her daughter wouldn't let her be shrouded.
(Well, why wouldn't they let her be shrouded - what's the idea of that?)
Well, they said people would find out where she was.
(Oh, I see.)
You see, that was to keep people from finding - knowing where she was, and she had been shot in her hip, and she was crippled in her hip. Of course, you know, she wasn't shot person'ly - she fell on the road and it [her hip] broke, but they said a man had drew her pitchure in the woods, you know. He had a little store and each and ev'ry night someone would go in there, you know, and get things outen the store and he couldn't see nowheres they entered. So a man [doctor] told him one day what to do to prevent 'em - says, "Now, you put a hacksaw in there [storeroom? or keyhole?].
(A hacksaw?)
A hacksaw - that's one of them things with a whole lots of picks sticking up. I don't know now what you use it for. [He] says, "When you come back tomorrow, you kin sprinkle some salt and pepper 'round here near the keyhole" - says, "and when you come back tomorrow morning, she'll be standing out chere anxious fer you to go in" - says, "and don't you open the door and let her in" - says, "if you do, why you can't taken it offen her." So that morning, the man says, when he came down, why she was standing there. And she says, "Ah been here waiting and waiting fer you fer hours." [He] says she just hollered at him. [She] says, "And ah want some matches. I can't make a fire," she says, "and cook me and my children nothing to eat." He says, "Well, I'm sorry, I haven't got no matches, '' says, "I'm started down to the post office and I haven't got time to go in the store. I'm in a hurry." And he went right on. Ooh, they says she just shook and she ran on then and started running home. So he went on back to the house - instead of keeping on to the post office, he went on back to the house. And he'd always heard that you could draw a person if you [the person] was a witch and draw dey pitchure on a shingle, or eitherwise on a cake of bread, you know, like people used to bake bread to a fireplace, flour bread. I don't know whether you've heard talk of it but they could.
(Flour bread?)
Yes, take and make it up like you gon'a make biscuits and put it on a griddle and sit it up to a fire - in front of a fireplace and let it bake. And he draw her pitchure as near as he could, or the image of her, you know, and taken it back in de woods and shot it - cut up silver money and put in there instead of the shots in de shell and shot it. And they said that she was just about a quarter of a mile from home and on a plain straight road, smooth road - no roots, not anything - and when he shot that pitchure just through de hip, she fell. Her leg broke - her hip. And so de people went and found her - she hollered and the people came. And she said she had stumped her foot over a root and there wasn't any root there, and they said she had a broken hip. And so her daughter wouldn't let anyone shroud her when she died.
Entry 605
Whut chew could do to pertect yo'self against it? Well, yo' kin take yo' a silver dime an' yo' kin take dat dime and put a hole in it. Yo' wear it round yore waist or yo' wrist or yore laig - any place you wanta or either round yore neck. Ah guess yo've seen dem wit dimes round dere necks hanging down. Well, whenever dat dime turns black - a dime is silver - when it begin to turn black, dey say dey trying to harm yo', see. But dey can't git up to yo' long as yo' wear dat piece of money - that silver dime. Well, yo' kin tell if they trying to throw at chew or do anything by that dime turning black.
Entry 609
Take a silver dime an' place it in yore mouth undah yore tongue at night an' sleep with it undah yore tongue durin' de night, an' in de mawnin' when yo' wake up it will be black as yore coat [see Coat, my black, in Index] - den yo know yore hurt.
Entry 1255
Take fish gall - make a woman miscarry by rubbin' it on her navel. (What kind of fish gall - from any kind of fish?) Any kind of a gall from a fish [gall from any fish]. Put nine drops of it or as many drops as you kin in her navel an' let it stay in dere, an' let her lay flat on her back an' put a silver button ovah it or pearl button ovah it on top of her navel. Dat will make her miscarry.
Entry 1363
Well, you take some steel dust - steel dust and Conquer Root Powder, and you mix that together with a little silver. Lift up that back piece in your shoes, don't you know. (That little piece inside there?) Inside the shoe and you puts that - sprinkle that in the shoe and put a dime down in there in your shoe and wear it.
(What will that do then?)
That keep anybody from doing you any harm. Or takes a dime, put a hole in the dime and wears it around the ankles - you know, tied around the legs.
Entry 1415
Say fo' instance anybody wanted to harm me. Ah would take a penny an' place it into de middle of mah foot an' ah would wear dis penny all de time. Ah would put a dime - a silver dime up above mah knee, see - an' dere ain't nuthin yo' kin do. Ah kin walk ovah anything wit dat dime wit a hole in it round mah laig.
(Would you wear that penny, too?)
Could wear de penny - could keep de penny in de bottom of yore shoe, see. Yore left shoe.
Entry 1521
Dey says if anybody put anything down fo' yo' to walk on, why yo' take a piece of silver an' scrape it off lak that an' make a tea out of it an' drink it, an then aftah yo' make the tea, then take an' put a hole in it. Co'se it jingle fo' a time on accounta they's small. An' tie it round yore laig an' then they can't do anything to yo' - or roun' yore knee. They can't do anything to yo'.
Entry 1528
Take a dime made in 1898 an' yo' kin place it under yore tongue an' if anyone is tryin' tuh give yo' any poison or anything, yo' kin drink all yo' want an' that dime will take that poison from it - yo'll nevah git poisoned wit it. Then, when yo' take that dime from under there an' drink dis stuff, yo' kin take it an' wear it round yore laig an' yo'll never - nobody never could poison yo', jes' long as yo' keep that dime round yore laig. Let it be a silver dime though.
Entry 1547
If yo' got anything in yo', yo' git chew some parsley an' some sweet milk an' a silver dime, an' yo' grates dis silver money an' yo' supposed tuh give 'em a pint of dat sweet milk wit dat boiled parsley in it an' dat grated silver dime, three times a day at six in de mawnin' an' twelve at noon an' six at night, an' yo' give it to 'em fo' nine days. An' den at the end of de nine days then yo' give 'em some kind of purgative medicine an' work it on 'em. Dat'll make 'em pass it. Whensomevah dey have any kind of insects or anything dey got in 'em, yo' see, dis heah sweet milk will kill it. An' den when de sweet milk an' de silver dime positively kills it in yo', den yo' gives 'em a purgative an' dat makes yo' pass it right out.:
Entry 1550
They took some of her underclothes and bury 'em under de front step. We had to send to South Carolina to git a fellah to work on her mind. He said she walk over it nine mornings, dat was the cause of her be like dat. So he told us to git her some siZkroot and boil it with some money, silver money, and let her drink de liquid; and take a brand-new towel, dat nobody ever used, and wear it aroun' 'er waist next to the skin and dat would cure 'er. [Wilmington, N. Car., (226), 220:1; Savannah, Ga.,1929.]
Entry 1553
Well, if dey had anything down, yo' could take a silver dime an' git some of dat silver offa dat dime an' make a wish - yo' know, yo' don't want no trouble or nuthin tuh come against yore place, or yo' don't wanta be swole up or whutnot. Scrape some of dat silver off an' yo' kin put it in yore shoe. Jes' sprinkle a little bit, take up dat sole in yore shoe, de first sole, an' sprinkle a little of dat silver - all dat in de hollow [arch] of yore feet, yo' might say. Den yo' kin take some cayenne peppah an' saltpeter, jes' about a quarter or halfa teaspoon, an' make a cross an' put hit in his shoe. An' hit won't hurt chure business whatevah they put down; it won't hurt chew or nuthin. It kills dat, whatevah they brought there.
(You mean you sprinkle this stuff in the form of a cross?)
[He reexplains, adding details.]
Yo' kin take a papah, yo' understan' - take some table salt that hasn't been used an' yo' make yore wishes. Always make yore wish to de Father, de Son, when- evah yo' want things tuh vanish away an' don't harm yo'. Yo' put some of that silver first in yore shoes [under first sole] an' then yo' takes that table salt that hasn't been used an' yo' kin take some cayenne peppah that hasn't been used an' then yo' folds it in a little papah, jes' a little thin papah wit jes' a little bit in it. Then yo' folds it like a fan. Then yo' take the peppah an' put up on top of that saltpeter as a cross in yore shoe lak that.
(You put each one in a little package - these two packages are crossed then?)
Dey crossed and you layi 'em cross lak that in yore shoe in the flat part of yore shoe, an' whatevah they brought there it won't harm yo'. [The silver dust and two packages of mixed salt and cayenne pepper above it are crossed first with saltpeter and then these are crossed with red pepper - this being two crosses, a double-cross.]
Entry 1554
Lak a spirit or somethin' lak dat, dat chew wanta kill an' keep 'em from messin' with yo', yo' take de balls out [shotgun shell] an' put chew a silver dime in dere an' shoot it, an' dey claim it won't bother yo' no mo'. (This spirit won't bother you no more?) [This repetition of his words is unconscious, not intended.] No suh. [A spirit cannot be killed as he admits later.]
Entry 1557
Well now, you see, it's two kind - dere good spirits an' dere evil spirits, an' evil spirits is hard tuh control. If yo' don't know how tuh control 'en yo' cain't do much with 'em, dey'll run ovah yo'. But yo' kin take yo' a silver spoon an' yo' kin control 'em with dat spoon. Yo' kin take dat silver spoon an' put it up ovah de do' or anywhere round near de do' wherevah at dey come in at an' worry yo' - dey can't come ovah dat silver.
(The evil spirits?)
No sir, dey can't come ovah dat silver. Or yo' kin use a piece of new bo'd. Yo' kin take any kinda piece of new bo'd, jes' so it's big as my finger, an' tack it right up ovah where de do' where dey - ah 'magine dey come in at. Yo' usually kin tell where dey come in at - dey'll come in - yo'll hear de do' squeakin' or make some noise or 'nother. Whatevah direction dey come in from, yo' put dat up ovah dere - dat'll keep 'em out. [For "new bo'd, ' see margin-title Wood - New Wood Against Spirits; also Index.]
Entry 1836
For luck in gambling, I used to buy hands.
(Yes?)
One hand I bought, it was full of charcoal - there wasn't nuthin to dat one. But the other hand, it was purtty good. Ah bought me a ring, see, and my birth- stone was in it. And I would use lodestone and I could soak dice in pepper and chamber lye - keep those dice soaked in 'em, you see. And just like I run a gam- bling house and you come dere, well, you see I'm always got two pair of dice. Well, the dice what you shoot, they're soaked in that stuff - in that lodestone and chamber lye. But now, when it come round for me to shoot the dice, I'm going to shoot that other pair. Well, you see, you losing all de time; you can't make a point on it, but I'm going make a point because I'm shooting a diff'rent pair. See.
(I see. The pair you see, you don't do anything to at all?)
No, sir. I don't do anything to hit at all. And I keep my table, just like I got this cloth on here. I take and get me some silver - 'bacco silver.
(What's that?)
Silver off of tobacco, you know, chewing tobacco.
(Silver paper off of tobacco [tin foil], I see.)
Yassuh, take that silver and I pad it under this here tablecloth, see. I keep a shooting on de cloth all the time. Well, I pad that under there and I get me some - some pound - you see, it's pound lodestone, pound lodestone.
(You mean like powder?)
Yes, it's made up like dust. Well, I get some of that and I put dat silver down and I sprinkle dat lodestone under dat silver and put dat silver over it.
(I see.)
I put dat cloth over dat. See. Well, you don't know what's under dat. But it's all in my favor, none in yours - it's coming in my favor all the time but it's none in yours.
(I see - in shooting the dice.)
In shooting de dice. And you shoot dem dice on dat table, you kill 'em; you'll get a point, but it's three to one that you make that point. See, I can give you - ah'd give you odd bets on it. Why? Because I know ah'm got cinches on you, you ain't got none on me; but ah'm got cinches on you because I just natch'ly know. Then, after I give you odds on it, I kin turn in and switch dem dere - ketch dem dice and throw dat - send another pair out - the same dice but not the same dice what you got the points with. See.
(I see.)
And you going miss. (That silver [tin foil] under the table[cloth] then makes the fellow you are playing against - makes him miss?) Yes, sir.
Entry 2063
Ah've heard tell of 'em using lodestone. Lodestone is supposed to be a drawing power with yore money. Yo' place it with yore money an' yo' wear it round yore waist with a dime or any silver piece of money. Yo' put dat lode- stone around yore waist an' wear it an' it will bring yo' luck - yo'll always have money.
Entry 2134
Take a silver dollar and scrape the, yo' know, the United States things off it an' sew it up in a sealed cloth, an' dat gives yo' good luck.
(Luck for what?)
Most anything.
Entry 2135
Git some ole money, ole silver money. Take that and tote it in de pocket. Dey say the law can't ketch you.
Entry 2261
Now, you kin wear a medal, but you gotta have a silver medal to wear. You kin wear St. Theresa. Wears it and you will hold a job and you will keep a job. (You will hold this job and keep it, if you wear the medal.) That medal will bring you a job and once in a while if you be late on the job, the watchman ain't goin' say a thing to you, dey think you doin' dey work.
Entry 3267
You hold a silver dime in your mouth and when a man is dischargin, yo' hold that dime on him, an' he'll take the claps.
Entry 4875
[The woman speaking is a professional worker we have already met. ( (See 291, p.85; 593, p.194; 638, p.216; 647, p.222; 869, p.307; and 1271, p.442.) Her words that follow give the hidden mystery of the silver knife making a cross over socks before burial beneath a brick in the hearth. She calls this markin' yuh and says it's sacred tuh yuh. For the sacredness of the cross mark, see my explanation of the mark "Doctor" Brown saw on my forehead, in my comment at the beginning of his main interview on p.1290.] Yes, ah heard about de socks. Dey take de socks an' dey - evah'body don' have de [same] idea 'bout de socks. Some don' care de socks de same way. [Care de socks = take care of the socks = handle the socks.] Some take de socks an' put 'em down in de hearth - take up a brick an' lay it down undah dere. Long as dese things work, fine - jis' as long as dey keep 'em concealed anywheres. But if a person be's wise an' seekin' information from any othah source [from fortune- teller or doctor], dey tells 'em where dese lost an' hidden mysteries is; an' if he [doctor] gits it [gits the buried sock] up, den he's [patient is] all right.
(What is it supposed to do, when they put those socks down in the hearth?)
Well now, dey doesn't do a thing but use a silver knife, jis' lay it across dere. Mark it, jis' make a cross across it jis' lak dat [demonstrates], an' put de sock down dere. Don' put anything else jis' lak dat. An' lay de brick on it.
(What is that supposed to do to me then?)
Well, dat's not put dere tuh destroy yore life. Dat's put dere tuh make yuh turn some object whatsomevah dey may [have] in view - whut dey want chew tuh do. It might be a love case, it might be somepin dat dey wan' chew tuh put ovah fo' dem. An' dey jis' go tuh work an' jis' mark yuh - call dat jis' markin' yuh. Well, if yuh mark a thing up lak dat, she knows dat it's sacred tuh yuh. Dey call dat markin' an' dey do it wit a silvah knife, a sterlin' silvah knife.
Entry 6924
Takes a dime an' put a hole through it, an' yo' kin weah it roun' yuh ankle or roun' yuh arm or roun' yuh neck. Dat's in case if a person wants tuh try tuh poison yo'. Dey claims dat dat poison goes in dat silvah in place of in yuh system.
Entry 6925
Fo' pertectin' yo'self if yo' thought dat dey wus goin' tuh put any- thin' down, lotta people goes tuh work an' take a silvah dime an' put it roun' dem laigs an' weah dat. Dey say de silvah dime will ketch de poison.
Entry 6928
Well, dey say if yo' are hurt, yo' kin put a dime in yuh mouth, a sil- vah dime, an' de dime will burn black. Dat's de way yo' kin tell if yo're hurt.
Entry 6929
Tuh see whethah a person's poisoned or not. Dey take dat silvah dime an' dey put it in yuh mouth an' put it undah yuh tongue, an' keep it undah dere ten minutes; an' if yo' take de dime out an' de dime black, why dey say yo're poisoned.
Entry 6932
An' if yo're hurt yo' kin take a dime, a silvah dime, an' file it up. Jis' take a new file an' file it, an' put it intuh some sweet milk, an' swallah it, an' dey say dat will kill it.
Entry 9087
John de Conkah an' chew on a li'le piece of it, prob'ly hold it in yuh lip.
(Tell me your experience, the whole experience of that trick.)
One Sat'day evenin' ah goes down in mah roasting-ear patch [sweet corn patch] an' git some roastin' ears, 'cuz mine wasn't ripe. A woman Wanted tuh buy a dozen [ears of corn] from me. An' ah jis' stepped ovah, well maybe two or three hunderd feet in dat othah patch, in de othah woman's patch, an' got 'em. Well, she saw me gittin' 'em. Well, she didn't say anythin' den. Ah got de doggone things an' brought 'em on home an' dey laid dere a li'le while. An' den ah went on up on Pearl Street an' carried 'em tuh de lady an' she bought 'em.
(Where did she live?)
On Pearl Street down here.
(Pearl Street, P-e-a-r-l Street.)
Pearl Street.
(I see.)
So ah come on back home an' - it was mah sistah-in-law tole me. See. An' ah Was wondahin'. Ah says, "Ah wondah what's de mattah, ah feel so funny." Didn't wan' tuh go nowhere dat Sat'day night. Well, dat was jis' an' hour or so befo' sundown. Well, ah set down dere. An' ah was settin' down dere an' mah wife had chills. She laid down in de baid. Well, ah had some medicine dat ah made up mahself an' ah give 'er fo' de chills.
(What did you make up for the chills?)
Well, ah don't remembah, but ah kin, see.
(Oh, all right. Go ahead.)
An' somebody knocked on de do' an' ah had a halfa bottle of whiskey settin' right down dere on de flo', right down at de foot of de baid. An' ah was settin' on de baid wit mah back tuh de do', jis' lak dis way [demonstrates]. An' ah didn't look back, ah jis' said, "Come in." Ah jis' thought it was somebody, yo' know, but two police officahs walked right in, an' one walked right up an' stood right ovah dat whiskey. Ah say, "Howya, Captain, what do yo' say? What do yo say?" He says, "So yo' had tuh git chew a few roastin' ears, did yuh?" Ah says, "Oh! Yes, sir. Ah've got some roastin' ears." He say, "Yeah, dey come from right down dere in Madam B's roastin'-ear patch." Ah says tuh mahself, "See?" But ah tell 'im, "What's kin be a li'le wrong?" An' he say, "Well, come on an' go tuh jail." Ah stayed in jail dat Sat'day night up until Monday mawnin' at nine o'clock. Ah took mah toby [hand - mojo - luckpiece] an' torn it open an' took two pieces of John de Conkah root out of dere an' put it mah mouth an' Walked right down dere tuh de judge. He asked me, he said, "Yo' got a patch?" Ah say, "Yassuh."
(You got a what?)
He says, "Yo' got a roastin'-ear patch?" Ah say, "Yes, sir." He says [to the woman], "Yo' got one?" An' she tole 'im, say, "Yes, sir." An' she had seven witnesses an' ah didn't have none. Now, dis is de truth. He said, "Well, what did yuh do wit de roastin'-ears yo' had?' Ah said, "Ah sold 'em tuh Violet.... He said, "Where did yo' git 'em?" Ah said, "Ah got 'em outa mah patch." Yo know, he jis' looked right straight aroun' at 'er an' he say, "Well, yo' got a patch an' he got one, " he says, "His word is as good as yours." She say, "Well, ah got - here's two women here an' [I] got three men dat knows, lookin' right [at] 'im when he got 'em." He said, "Did yo' go on out dere?" Ah say; "Ah went in mah own patch." De judge go on, he said, "Ah'm through wit dis case, an' don' come up here no more wit nuthin lak dat." He say, "Go on outa here, go on home." (Well, what did you have in that toby that you tore up? What did you have in that toby?) Didn't have nuthin but lodestone an' John de Conkah an' a silvah dime. (I see. And you took this piece of John the Conker out and spit it - I mean chewed it?) Yes, sir. Ah didn't spit it at 'im, ah jis' kept achewin' it. An' when ah was talkin' ah was as close as ah am tuh yuh.
(Did he know what you were chewing?)
Naw, sir. "Didn't know what ah was chewin'.
(Was that - did that happen here in the Vicksburg Court House?)
Right here in de City Hall.
(City Hall, I see.)
Entry 13007
Dey tell me dey take a piece of silver money an' put it in a red sack - flannel - an' put a piece of garlic to it an' tote it on yo'. That be fo' good luck. [Brunswick 1992:6.]
Entry 13009
Jes' lak if yo' didn't know whether yo' wus poisoned or not, but a piece of silver is de best. If yo' think yo' were poisoned an' don't know enough fo' shore, if yo' put a piece of silver in yore mouth an' hold it in dere, in de length of time it will turn black if dey is any poison in yo'.
Entry 13027
If person is poisoned, boil Brown Mule chewing tobacco with grated silver dime, boil teaspoonful twice a day. [Memphis 1569:7.]
Entry 13036
If you are hurt, file portion of silver quarter or 25c pence, boil this dust and drink, and you will become well. [Wilmington 73:3+85.]
Entry 13037
To kill live things in baby, drink tea from the dust of silver half- dollar scraped upwards. [Vicksburg 1032:9.]
Entry 13013
"You take a silver dime and put it in your mouth under your tongue, and take a thimbleful of sulphur, swallow it, and keep this dime under there about one or two hours and take it out. If it's black, it's bad [you are hoo- dooed]; if it's not black [the sickness] it's nashural." [Mobile 884:3.]
Entry 13019
"You takes sweet milk an' grate a silver dime and drink off it." [Some of the silver dime is filed into sweet milk, not the whole dime.l [Mobile 969:6.]
Entry 13044
A silver dime is worn on unspecified leg for cunjure. [Petersburg, Va., 413:2; Richmond 318:2; Wilmington 97:3; everywhere.]
Entry 276
Well, yo' git chure cat an' yo' stew him up an' git the bones.
(What bone do you get?)
Ah wouldn't know, but it towards heah somewhere up heah in de front part of his body. But anyway, tuh git that bone you have tuh try them all.
(How do you do that?)
Jis' brush 'em [like a toothbrush] in yore mouth an' yo' contin'lly lookin' in the glass, until yo' disappeah. An' when yo' git to that bone yo'll disappeah an' yo' take it to the fo'ks of the road an' turn roun' three times. Yo' do that fo' nine evenin's or mawnin's. An' then yo' take it to a cemetery an' yo' make a crossmark on someone's grave.
(What do you make the crossmark with?)
With that bone. An' then yo' take yore bone back an' yo' wrap it up with some silver money an' lodestone, an' yo' put chew a flannen rag aroun' it an' wear it in yore pocket. That's fo' luck an' that's tuh keep anybody from bothering roun yuh, an' yo' kin do most anything that yo' want tuh do.
Entry 475
Well, I know once, a witch used to ride a woman - a man, it was. You would like for to hear dis story'
(No, I never heard it - yes, yes, I'd like to hear it.)
Once dere was a boy he was traveling through de country and he went to a rich farmer's home and he asked him, said, "Mister, could you give me a place to stay tonight?" He says to him, said, "Yes, I got a big place over yonder," he said, "if you kin stay over dere," he say, "I'll give you dat place - you kin have it." He said, "Well, I'll go over dere and see kin I stay." He said, "It's really ha'nted, '' he say, "I never knowed no one to go there and stay." He say, "Well, I'll go try." So he cut up some wood dat day what he carried in to her and she fixed supper for him, and den she give him an old lamp and a little oil to go tc make him a fire, or so he could have a little lamp burning sittin' up dere by himself. Sittin' up dere by himself he started to burn dis old lamp. And after while, he had him some beans an' he ete up all dem beans. And after while he looked and he saw five black cats was coming down de stairs - looked to him they had a coffin totin' of it, and he'd taken his [New] Testament and begin to read it upside downwards. And the next thing walked in was five chickens. He's still reading - still reading. And the next thing he looked and saw a cat dipping his paw in de wash basin tryin' to put de light out.
(He what?)
The cat had his paw - putting it in de water, trying to slap de light out - splashing de water trying to put de light out - he still reading. And after while he looked and saw dis cat and he seed a ring on de cat's paw and he grabbed de hatchet, you know, and chopped de paw off and had taken it up and put it in his pocket with de ring on it. Well, de next morning he went up to de boss' house and spoke to him. De boss say, "Well, I'm surprised to see you here alive." He say, "Yes," say, "well, I made out all right but I had a hard time - [he's ahead of his story] - but jest before he gets: dere [to the boss], a little low-sided, gray-headed man walked in, which was a ghost. Well, dis boy -
(What kind of a man?)
A little short gray-headed man - about three foot high with beard hanging down to his shoe-top. Dis boy say, "What in the Name of the Lord, the Father, and the Son do you want here?" And dis ghost says, "You follow me," said, "I've got a fortune for you." Well, de boy went on down in a old out-house way down into de basement and he [ghost] put a mark down and he say, "You dig down here and you'll find a fortune." Well, de boy, he marked dis place and after he marks it, he waited till the moon got right - on the growing of de moon, he started to plan for to dig at dis place. Den he goes up to de house and the old man [the boss] says, "I'm surprised to see you livin'." He says, "Well, I had a hard time but I made it all right." Well, he told de boy he could have the place, which he gave de place to him, and de boy he run his hand in his pocket and passed him dis ring. De old man lqoked at the ring and says, "Seem lak I know dis ring." His wife was in bed very sick. Well, he got de doctor for her. When de doctor rech for her hand, she 'fused to pass him her right hand and give him de left hand. Well, why she give him de left hand? "Cause de right hand was chopped, you see, which had de finger cut off in de shape of a cat, for she was a witch, you see, but dis man didn't know she was a witch. Well, he made her hand her right hand and he happen to see de finger all chopped up dere and the hand being bloody. He wanted to know what was de trouble. He happen to look at de ring and he found it was de ring dat boy give him, and dey found out she to be a hag. Well, de old man got a little troubled den and got to worryin' over it. An ole riddle says, "He sent 'er out jes' as fur as men an' water could take 'er" - he got rid of 'er. An' dis boy he begin to dig down dere and he find a whole lot of silver and gold, what de spirit had give him.
(Where did you hear that story?)
Well, I heard dis story in North Carolina, down in Bertie County.[ Norfolk, Va., (466), 463:10; Doctor Paul Bowes.]
Entry 612
I know a lady in Baltimore, she was taken to the asylum. She was hurt with some kind of white stuff. Someone next door throwed it in her hair. She Was crazy. A man told us he could cure her. The day she was to be taken away he came to see her. He put a Bible under her head and told us to wash her head with tobacco and we did so. Before he did that he taken a glass of milk, he taken a silver ring off of his finger and let it stood in this milk, and give it to her to drink. It [milk left in glass after the drink] didn't turn black, so he said she wasn't hurt inside. He said let her go on to the asylum and he guaranteed in four weeks time she'll be out. So we did. He give me a [dressed] handkerchief, a brand-new one. He told me don't let my hands touch it, carry it to the asylum and give it to her to wipe her face. And I did. I could tell a diff'rence in her before I left. In four weeks time she was at home.
Entry 616
The pins and needles - well, that's when someone hurts yeh and you're trying to turn it back on them. You buy a new paper of needles and a new paper of pins. And you take nine needles and nine pins, and you put on a quart of water, and you put a fifty cents or a dollar or a dime - any silver piece of money in there - and then let it come to a boil. And if you're hurt, why this money will turn over. Well then, if the water boil, it'll turn with the boiling water. You do that when the moon's on the last quarter or right on the full moon as the moon's going away. That's when you boil this money, they say. And that tells whether you're hurt. This money'll boil and turn over, just continue to turn over and just rattle. And then you drop these needles and pins in there and make your wish, you see, that whatsomever they do to you may return back on the ones that put it on you., See? Well then, after it boiling, you boil it down. You take a quart, say for a instant [instance], you boil it to a half a pint. Then you make this same wish again. And you go on back down then until it gets to a half a pint. You never boil it clean completely away. You drink this water, you see, when you take this spell off. And then you take those needles and pins and put them in something that you doesn't care for, something about your person, put 'em in paper or, if you found you anything around there where it's been put down, why you put all this together and throw that in running Water between nine and twelve o'clock, anytime after sunset. And make your wish just whatever way that chew goin'. (While wishing, stand facing the direction that you will take after the article has been thrown into the river.) You see, you can turn around [backwards] on your way [to the river]. Don't never turn around [after reaching the river]. Be in the position that chew goin' when you throw them away. And never look back. Well, you see, if you do it right on the full moon, see, then by the time it changes and goes completely away, see, why this spell is off of you; then, see, and those needles and pins, they've done and washed on away.
Entry 617
Ah knew a lady one time, her foot gave her trouble - it just busted out in little water blisters and the doctor's medicine you put it on there and it almost run the lady crazy. And so ah chanced to be around there. So I asked the lady, I said, "Well, I've did everything I can," I said, "and we have to take the doctor's medicine off," ah said, "and [use] clear salt water." She seemed to have so much fever. Ah said, "I bathes it [with] hot salted water." And it seemed like that do her some good. "Well, '' she [third woman] says, "Well, ah tell you what to do,"' says, "I'm afraid to tell her but I'll tell you, '' says, "seein' as you," was a nurse." And I was a nurse in the home at that time. [She] says, "Why you take a piece of silver money, ' says, "and you put on a pint of water now and boil it down to a half a pint, says, "and then, if that money turns over and jingles very much," she says, "why you boil it again. You put it in a tin-cup, you know, where it could [can] boil quick, and then you boils it down to just about two tablespoonsful." And then we took sulphur and made a paste - sulphur in that water and made a paste and I went in and took a black hen's feather - she [third woman] told me to ketch a black hen's feather and pull one outen her tail. And I went and caught a black hen and pulled a feather outen her tail and I put that paste over her foot, and that's what cured the lady's foot. [My informant was not given any cure by a third woman or the patient; she is trying to hide from me that she is a healer.] She said that she was hurt in it - well now, she said that a lady showed a piece of false hair and she remembered that piece of false hair fell on her foot. And so after I told her how her foot got better - she got so she could walk den - ah told her what ah did. Then she went and seed a hoodoo doctor and they told her it was the dust from out the piece of false hair - it had poisoned her foot.
(False hair?)
Yes.
(Well, did someone drop this false hair to hurt it or?)
Yes, the lady was mad with her over another man, and they were wearing false hair then and it was the style of wearing the hair in a great big knot, and they'd buy this false hair, you know, to work in with the other hair, you know. Course, both the ladies had good hair, but see they were just wearing that for the style - see, made the style of the hair. And so she was showing her - that's the onliest way that she could get to her, you see, and she went to the lady's home, you see, and was showing her and this piece of hair dropped and fell on her foot, you see. See, she had it dressed especially for it, and I guess, prob'bly, the lady must have had on a house shoe or something like that, or eitherwise if she didn't, you see that dust just went right on through her hose - it doesn't take much dust you see to go through your shoes. And so that's what cured her - that sulphur and silver water [see No. 616].
(That caused the swollen foot and she went to the doctor for those blisters?)
Yes, those blisters.
(She went to the doctor?)
Went to the doctor and he gave her medicine and salve to put on there and they Was just almost running her crazy - wouldn't do her any good. They say doctor's medicine don't do anything like that no good, you know, and you'd have to take that off in hot salt water. It would ease her more and it just made the pain - it didn't pain her when that doctor's medicine wasn't on there, but now say you'd put the doctor's medicine on there, it would be painful, and this stuff just continued to spread. She had a very neat foot - she wore a number four shoe and she weighed around about 165 pounds - nice large legs - real good shape she was. And after that her foot got so that she couldn't wear that small shoe - had a pair of shoes there she never could wear - she had to get rid of them - they were black paten leather with the alligator inlaid - she couldn't wear those shoes any place any more. They said it was because, you see, that goofer dust powder was on 'em - they were dressed.
Entry 701
They say some people had frogs. I don't know whether you ever heard tell of frogs that been put in 'em. See. The doctors couldn't do 'em no good. They didn't know what they had their ownself. Well, there was a old lady, she's dead now - reckon you've heard tell of her, Mother Catherine.
(Mother Catherine?)
Yes, sir. They went to her. She was living way down in St. Bernard Parish. [The State of Louisiana is divided into parishes instead of counties. St. Bernard Parish, nearly touching New Orleans, extends eastward to the Gulf of Mexico. It is almost surrounded by water and full of coastal islands. I like the informant's nostalgic words ''living way down in." Mother Catherine must have lived in a naturalist's paradise long since surely taken over by automobiles, pleasure boats and weekenders.] They went to her and she told them what to do. She gived them descriptions of what to get. Now they got - the first thing they got was this root they call sasafax [sassafras]. That was only to make a tea and to purify the blood. She told 'em, say, "Get you some sasafax and boil that sasafax, put it in a bottle and get you some whiskey and put on top of it. You drink that sasafax for nine mornings and after drinking the sasafax for the nine mornings," she told 'em, she says, just like this, "you get you some asafitadee, get that, take a silver dime and scrape it and get the dust from it with a bottle milk, and you use that for nine days." That would be eighteen days. And cured her within the eighteen days time. Got the frogs out of her stomach, you understand.
(I see. Mother Catherine is dead now, isn't she?)
She's be dead quite a spell now.
Entry 737
Well, oftentimes fellahs carries a lucky piece in dere pocket. Maybe it be lodestone or John de Conker or five-finger grass or some kinda perfume in lodestone - oftentimes fellahs carries it. An' den sometimes fellahs has a pocket-piece like dis dey carries fo' luck. Dat's a piece of John de Conker [he shows it].
(How do you prepare this?)
Well, yo' take it an' yo' put it in a little bag like dis [he shows it].
(In a red flannel bag.)
In a red flannel bag. Yo' take a piece of lodestone an' put in that bag with it an' yo' take a little bit of sachet powders an' put in dat bag. Yo' take a silver dime an' put it in dere between de lodestone an' High John de Conker root. Take yo' a piece of white thread an' carry it round dat-a-way nine times. Yo' carry it round dat-a-way nine times an' take it right in dere wit yore finger an' bring it right dis way nine times. Tie it into nine knots. (Now wait a minute. The first time you carry this thing away from you or towards you?) You carry it away from you nine times.
(On this side here you tie a knot?)
No sir, yo' don't tie no knot - yo' jes' carry it heah.
(You just hold it there?)
An' hold it there, yo' understand, an' make a loop ketch it - don't tie nc knot atall, make a loop ketch it. Bring it back to yo' nine times. An' yo' bring it back to yo' then nine times an' tie nine knots in it right in de center like that. All right, yo' carry it this-a-way nine times.
(Nine times lengthwise - away from you?)
Yes sir - right this-a-way nine times. All right yo' git done with it an' yo' take a straight pin an' stick right down in there - right in de top. Take dis bag an' yo' tie it real tight - tie in de top like dat an' wear it either up heah or in yore left pocket.
(Either under your heart or in your pocket.)
Or either in yore left pocket.
(And what is that bag supposed to do for you?)
Dat supposed to give you luck - drive away de evil spirits an' bring luck an' success an' make friends wit everybody - yore enemies will be yore friends, fellahs who don't like yo' will come tuh like yo'. Ah've got a piece of dis John de Conker [which he had just showed to me] supposed to be good fo' dat. Yo' supposed tuh use it wit holy oil. Dere's a oil dat yo' use wit it - it's a little red oil, dey call it de holy oil. Yo' have to order it. Yo' takes dis oil an' yo' keeps it 'nointed wit dis - keep dis root anointed wit dis oil. [The technical word for anointing is often called feeding.] An' when yo' git ready tuh leave home dat mawnin' yo' take some of dis oil an' po' it in yore han' an' rub it on yore han' dat-a-way an' rub it cross yore chest like dat - jes' like that. (Your right on your shoulder and you bring it down across your chest. And your left hand you have on the right side and bring it straight across.) Straight across it like that. An' while yo' doin' that why says de Our Father prayers.
(That's when you go down to get a job from the boss?)
Yes sir.
(That little red bag like that - where do you get those, buy them?)
Ah ordahs 'em.
(Oh, they have draw strings on them.)
Ah ordahs 'em from Tennessee.
(From Memphis - the Curio Products Company?) [That probably surprised him.)
Yes suh. Ah makes a straight nail for runnin' a person crazy by usin' three strands of dere hair in a pine tree -
(Oh, you told me that.)
Entry 997
A silver dime in the bath-water - taking a bath in the tub at nighttime, not no day - zinc tub, a washtub. After bathing, keeping the water in the house all night, throwing it out in the middle of the street where someone pass at. The man or woman passing picks that up, picks up all your bad luck and everything that went wrong with you. You git along fine, you as anybody else.
[I stop the machine to ask for a clearer account.]
In the bathtub that you goin' bathe in, you see, you take de water, you put the silver dime and a nickel which is fifteen cents, odd money. Heat the warm water, pour it on the fifteen cents. After takin' this solution - with parsley, granulated sugar, with Karo syrup, ammonia and Jockey Club perfume, see - pour it in the water and bathe from head to feet, leave it stay in the house all night. That next day you throw it out in the middle of the street near to 4 o'clock that morning with the fifteen cents. Of course you know, if anybody passes money on the street, they will pick it up. The one who picks it up, well they picks up your bad luck and you start a new true life again. [For cures, see Transference in Index.]
Entry 1250
Dat's good tuh cure any poison. Yo' take de fig tree - first yo' take de leaves an' then yo' go an' git the root. Yo' git de root an' de leaves, stir it together an' make a tea. Aftah yo' stir it together an' make de tea, yo' git brimstone, sulphur, sweet milk, an' fifty cents in silver, a ole fifty cents, an' boil it together. Make a tea an' drink the tea three times daily. Take the fig root - boil de fig root an' bathe wit de water an' always throw it to sunrise; if yore poisoned, every bit will come out - it couldn't stay in.
(You drink this tea only from the leaves?)
Outa de leaves.
(And the root tea you use just for bathing?)
Fo' bathing - dat's right.
Entry 1517
Well, you take a silver dime and you tie nine knots in a cord string and you wear them in turpentine [knots soaked in turpentine, see Turpentine title later] - [or] six of them in green coal oil, and you bore a hole in that dime and wear it around your ankle, and you take the dust that you bored the hole outa that dime and put it in vaseline and make a salve and rub it around your waist, and they can't do you anything. Yes, if they put it down for you, it won't take on you. That silver, it'll keep it from taking on you. [No question asked at the time indicated I thought I knew the meaning of green coal oil. This could be crude oil, green indicating unrefined rather than color; otherwise, a coal oil (kerosene) colored green sounds like a hoodoo commercial firm product. The choice is between 9 knots in turpentine or 6 in qreen coal oil.] [New Orleans, La., (851), 1317:6; informant "excellent."] 011.
Entry 1530
Cut yo' a silver dime into fo' parts wit a file, if anybody have given you any poison or anything dataway. Yo' take an' cut de silver dime into fo' parts, an' yo' take yo' some fresh beef lard an' take de cow milk an' drink that, an' yo'll vomit everything that chew took - fight it right now, in about fifteen minutes everything will come up. (You just take the dust of the dime. You don't cut the dime all the way throughthen?) Yo cut dat dime all de way through see, because yo' goin' tuh swallow that silver.
(But you must cut the silver into four parts.)
Yo' cut into fo' parts an' den roundin' it so it won't irritate de entrails, makin' it very round so yo' won't have no sharp point on it atall. See. Take an' mix it with that milk, that cow milk, an' that fresh lard an' drink it down. Anything that chew take that won't kill yo' in de co'se of twenty minutes, it comes right back up.
(You don't use the dust?)
No, not de dust - dat's very dangerous, de dust. If de dust git into de intestines dataway, yo' understan', an' settle - why, yo' understan', yo' got'a file it aroun' an' make it small enough tuh swallow de same as a pill yo' know. Not de dust. [Sometimes the whole dime is swallowed - see Dime in Index.]
Entry 1535
Three dimes made in the same year - three pieces of silver, but'they must be silver dimes and they must be a dime dat de woman settin' upon. Let me show you. [He shows me a dime.] It mustn't be that, just de neck and the head it must be the whole woman. Well, you must git three pieces of dese and they must be made in the same year, and put 'em into a little vinegar and you take three swallows for nine mornings off of that. And then dose things will begin to worry. And after dey work, den you kin tell whether they're [live things] in you. Den you kin go and git you some mulleins, git you some broom sedge root, git you some siZkroot [silkweed]. You mix all that together, make you a tea. Then you git you some potash, mix that with it. You git a little wormwood and mix with it too.
Entry 1539
One time I was poisoned an' I taken with a pain in my stomic an' head- ache. Well, I taken real sick. I begin to throw up an' ev'rything I throw up was jis' as green as grass an' bitter as gall. Well, they sent fer de doctor. The doctor came. He give me a 'scription of doctor medicine. Well, I taken a dose of de medicine an' de medicine stayed in me I guess about two minutes. An' de medicine made me awfully sick, made me worser than I was. An' I threw it right back up. Well, we had twelve doctors[il!]. [Twelve doctors like every doctor in town is an exaggerated expression not mean to be taken literally - a hyperbole.] They didn't any do me any good. They did me worser instead of good. De medicine would do me worser all de time. So after that, they said, "Well, dere must be something to do." So I sent my sister to the store an' got a box of Squibbs soda an' a box of sulphur. I taken a teaspoonful of that. And that stayed in me. It gave me a little relief. After that I got nine silver dimes. I boiled them dimes good. Then I let the water cool. I drink nine swallows for nine mornin's. An' I improved an' began to get better. Then I got some Eve- an'-Adam [Adam-and-Eve] - that's a little roots. I boiled de Eve-an'-Adam an I drinked de tea of that an' I got better.
Entry 1831
Fo' a gamblin' han' yo' git chew some blacksnake root an' some devil's- shoestring an' some John de Conker, an' some cinnamon, an' a van-van perfume. An' yo' git chew a piece of shammy. Yo' put dese ingredients in dere wit de silver dime, an' yo' takes dat perfume an' yo' dresses it an' yo' wears dat piece in yore pocket.
(What will that do then?)
That's supposed tuh be a gamblin' han - whut dey call it.
Entry 1919
Now when yo' go to de graveyard, yo' go dere on de full of de moon or de first quarter. Yo' hear anybody talkin' 'bout gwine tuh de graveyard, gittin' dirt, dere ain't nobody knows whut tuh do wit it, it don't do's em good. Go down at de full of de moon or de first quarter. Go down dere. Yo' ain't comin' in dere dis way, understand - yo' see, yo' don't wanta go tuh de right, de right's always good; yo' wanta go tuh de left all de time. Yo' see, dere's nuthin good in de devil's work - always go tuh de left. Yo' go tuh de left, yo' walk in dere, in de cemetery on de left side as yo' enter lak dat, an' if yo' know anybody, yore friend or nuthin lak dat, dat'a bad fellah or something lak dat, yo' know where he's buried an' dat, yo' walk in tuh de left of yo', an' jes' go right on ovah, don't say a word. Take yo' five cents or ten cents - well, de ten cents is bestes', it's silver. Take yo' ten cents an' sit down an' dig down as fur as yore arm will go down in dat grave up to heah. Go on down as fur as it is, keep plowin' down in dere wit yore arm till yo' git down dat deep - way down. Yo' says dese words, says, "Ah didn't come tuh steal, ah didn't come tuh walk [I am not out here for exercise], but ah come honest an' wit faith an' truth, tellin' yo' de truth" - talkin' to de dead man - "tellin' yo' de truth, dog-gone it, an' ah wan'a git some of yore earth dat's yo's buried undah. Ah'm not stealin' it, ah wan'a borrow it, an' ah m leavin' ten cents heah. Ah'm not gittin' but a han'ful, an' ah don' disturb yo' an' ah know yo ain't goin 'sturb me." Take a han'ful. Dat's all. An' yo put de ten cents down dere. Take it an' kiver it up an' pack it back. Turns right around an' don't say anothah word an' walk off - don't look back, go home. Well, if ah want one of mah neighbahs where ah'm livia'.ah don't want 'em livin' dere togethah, ah goes - when ah go out de path, walk a ways with it, an' take some of that dust dere, an' when ah come in dis house, ah come in on which- ever de left side is. Lak ah stands dere on de left side an' ah go ahead up to de do'step - any night dey sleep, not in de daytime. Ah ease down an' ah takes some in mah han' an' ah sprinkles it undah dat do'step, right along, right along out ah go till ah hit de road, jes' sprinklin' dis sand. Ah wouldn't leave off till ah hit de road, till ah git off dat path leadin' outa de house, right 'long dere. Now, dey got'a walk ovah dat. Dey goin' walk ovah dat. All right, in a week or so, dat man an' his wife, all of 'em will git dissatisfied, fights be goin' on an' dey won't stay dere no mo' - jes' move.
Entry 2072
You kin fix that yourself, far as I know. I have did it and I know it holped me out, 'cause I was selling whiskey and I used it. Now, you take the John the Conker and a little lodestone, that is [if] you kin get hold of a piece, a lady piece, and make you something like a toby - just sew it up in a piece of flannel with silver in it. They sav vou use a silver dime and you keep it damp with alcohol. Keep it damp with alcohol all the time and put it up over your door where your customers come in at. Then that will draw plenty of customers. One will bring the other and everyone pays his own way, and they'll be back again - everyone.
Entry 2133
Yo' kin take a silver dime an' a piece of bluestone an' a piece of alum, an' yo' kin take a small piece of saltpeter, an' yo' put that together an' wear that. That's good fo' good luck.
(In gambling?)
Yes sir.
(What would you put that stuff in?)
Wrap it up in a piece of cloth.
Entry 5000
De sock - anyone's sock. Well yuh take it, de sock, if yuh wanta bring - dat's anothah bring-back. Or yuh could take it an' put de heel of de sock in de do' jis' as yore shoe, undah de rug or anywhere. Yuh have tuh put it undah de rug tuh keep anybody from seein' it. Well, dat's tuh keep 'em in, yuh see. Yuh take de sock an' put some Jockey Club [Perfume] - no, Three Jacks Perfume, Three S's [sss], an' Three Kings. Yuh go tuh de drug sto' an' git dat. Dat's a good perfume. Yuh put it in dere an' yuh put de shoe [sock] - put de sock undah de rug. See, all dat's drawin'. Den yuh could bathe in bluein' an' success fo' yore home an' fo' yuhself, too. Anywhere yuh wanta go gamblin', take dat Three Jacks, Three Kings, an' Three S's an' dey could make a toby [a hand] out of it. Yuh could take a silver dime an' de Three Jacks an' Three S's an' de John de Conkah an' red flannel. Well yuh put all dat togethah an' make a little sack, yuh see, an' give it [feed it] a little likkah lak gin. Well, yuh put a little gin in it tuh wet it, an' yuh go an' make money, lak in gamblin' games - yuh shoot dice.
Entry 12997
Dey could take his shoe sole an' jes' take up his shoe sole an' take a silver dime an' file it. File dis silver dime till... Jes' lak if he's got a lotta money. He jes' a business fellah an' some- body gotta grudge ag'in him, git a silver dime of his'n - any fren' yo' know, jes' lak makin' change. I jes' git holt dis dime of yore [man'sl money an' take it an' file it. Take dis shoe sole an' take all dis little dust offa dis dime an' puts it on dis shoe sole. An' dey'll take dat an' dey'll go bury dat under yore steps, right under yore steps where yo' goin' walk ovah it. An' wherevah yo' money is, as yo' go in an' come out, yore money'll jes' leave yuh - jes' fall down, fall right down to nuthin. Jes' come down to nuthin. (Now suppose I had this money and you were trying to do that to me. You would get my shoe sole, the inside sole or the outside sole?) Yes sir, take dis inside sole.
(You sprinkle the silver dust inside of my shoe, underneath that inner sole.)
Jes' take dis sole, de shoe sole - no sir, [take] dis inside piece [insole]. Yo' take it an' yo' fold it up [certainly away from you] dis [inner] sole, an' bury it under yore steps.
(You take this from either shoe?)
Yes sir, either shoe.
Entry 13023
Boil silver dime and drink in water or milk for body-ailment by cunjure. [Wilmington 189:10+85.]
Entry 13034
As a prevention of or cure for cunjure boil 5 silver dimes and drink the water, and wear bluestone in both shoes. [Wilmington 113:6+85.]
Entry 8294
Ah heah mah gran'mothah use tuh say dat dey could take yuh photograph an' could take dat an' put it up side a tree. An' said yo' take a silvah bullet an' shoot at it, an' shoot yuh in yuh lef' side neah yuh heart. Shootin' yuh heart, it would kill right away.
Entry 589
Ah kin tell yo' a way dat he kin find out whether dat wus so. Jes' say dat wus his wife down dere - when he wants tuh go out with another woman, take his pocketknife, an' when him an' her git down to, yo' know - stick it right up in de ground or in de flo' by dem, an' if his nature won't come, why she's [wife has] got him tied [unable to have another woman]. Now to loose dat, ah don't know, but ah have been told two ways on dat - wear a silver dime in de left shoe fo' de woman. Den ah wus told another one - take a silver dime an' - see, dis is his private - fo' nine mornin's rub it up dere - dat silver dime once fo' nine mornin's. (Rub the silver dime on the side of his - once each morning for nine mornings. That is supposed to restore his nature.)
Entry 608
Wal, ah tole him [Edward, my contact man] ah wus poison one time. An' ah had moved in a house an' de woman had dressed de hat fo' me 'cause she didn't Want to move out of de house, an' mah han's got so till ah couldn't use 'em - mah fingers, yo' know, jes' lak a person have poison. An' ah wus in jes' sech a bad fix - two doctors wus tendin' me. Ah wus jes' about - ah thought ah wus goin' die. So a gentleman recommend me to anothah man, but he went an' got dis man an' bring him to me. An' dis man put a silver dime in mah mouth, an' ah kept it in dere fifteen minutes an' dat dime done turn black. Den he took de dime after it turn black an' put it in a black fryin' pan an' he boiled dat dime in dat fryin' pan fifteen minutes. An' when he boiled it fifteen minutes, he took de watah dat boil in de dime an' gi' me a tablespoonsful of it fo' thirty minutes. An' in twenty-fo' hours ah felt as good as ah feel right now. An' two doctors give me up.
(You say this woman had fixed you in a hat?)
Dressed me in a hat. Ah had done took de hat down an' shaken it - sweepin' yo' know, de house out, an' didn't know dat de hat was dressed fo' me.
Entry 700
In some cases you kin take some dragon's blood and spirits of turpentine and a little silver and mix it all up together and make a pill out of it - kind of a ball. Give 'em one of them every half a hour from - until they have taken three, six or nine. When they have taken three or de first one, they will quiet down - three they will become normal and go to sleep. When they have taken the nine, they will sleep good for a while and then they will wake up and wanta vomit or go to the toilet. Then you take a little sweet milk, which I won't say what it is you put in it - something you use - jest one something that yo' put in that sweet milk and give 'em a drink of it. An' they no quicker then [than] swallow it then in the space of five or ten seconds they start vomiting. They bring it up. Well, now in the course of time these things are in yuh, de flesh has a tendency to bring alive that powder in de same form of the animal - hatch it out. And when it comes out of yo' it come out as though it were young antses or young Wasps jest hatched - have no use of they wings, they tender and all that.
Entry 712
This girl had two snakes in huh.
(Did she get them out?)
Yes, sir.
(What did they do to get them out?)
Give huh some silvah - jis' take silvah an' scrape it an' give huh five doses of silvah on de young moon. An' 'en, aft' she done dat, she took asafitadee on some whiskey an' give 'er some asafitadee nine mawnin's befo' de sun rise. Well, you see, aftah she do dat, dat'll make dis snake turn down [in the body so that it can be passed through the bowels]. He can't stand asafitadee. [Wilmington, N. Car., (196), 101:4; near Darlington, S. Car.,1921.]
Entry 879
I went to a lady and I was crossed. I used to be very luckv and I got crossed. So when I went in there she told me, she says, "Girl, vou is crossed." So I didn't know what she meant. So she told me, she say, "You is crossed in money." She say, "You give a lady fifty cents." And I had give a lady fifty cents 'cause the lady didn't have nothing. I say, "Yessum." She say, "Well, when you give her the fifty cents," she say, "she took your money. You give it to her out of your hand, a piece of silver money, and she took your money and she got it buried up under the steps with a weight on it." And she said, "That's to keep you down. You'll never be lucky no more unless you get it up. S Well, I didn't know how to get it up myself. So I went to another lady [man] and he told me the same thing. He told me that I was crossed and I start crying and he told me, "You going to be in bad luck all the time." Ah say, "Well, could you tell me what could I do to help myself."
(Did he tell you how you were crossed?)
Yes sir. He tole me I was crossed in money. He tole me a lady what I had a lot of confidence in, I gived her my money. Well, I used to give her money. He say, "She crossed you in the money. Ah say, "Well, could you tell me how I can do to help myself." He say, "You get you some saltpeter and some ammonia and," he say, "you take a bath in it for nine mornings." And he say, "After taking a bath in it, you throw your water to the sunrise." And he say, "You meet me in prayer [at] nine, twelve and three," he say, "and you ought to get that condition off you." So I did that. That been two years ago. So I did that and I got all right.
Entry 1051
Yo' use a dime to keep anybody from poisonin' yo'. Yo' take dat dime an' a new file - yo' take a new file an' ten cents an' file it into a glass. Den yo' put into that about two good mouthfuls of sweet milk an yo' drink it down. Dat cures fo' seven yeahs - dat nobody can't hurt chew fo' seven yeahs. Yo' kin step ovah anything yo' wanta, eaten anythin' yo' wanta, an' dat silver will turn it. Dat ah've proven out dat, cause ah had a uncle dat had eaten somepin. [Could this remedy derive from the belief that, "The entire composition of the body changes every seven years?" FACI, 1st ed., No. 2855, p.139; 2ed., No. 3534, p.159.]
Entry 1083
[Many examples have been given of payment to the dead for their grave- yard dirt. Here, a doctor, a man offers a rare healing principle about roots:] De dime - some people uses a dime an' wears it around dere laig, so if dey walk ovah anything it'll turn black an' hit'll take it. An' den take a person, dey take a dime - same as if like if dey in de woods diggin'a root. Well, yo' supposed tuh pay off fo' dat root; if yo' don't pay off fo' it, it ain't goin' do yo' no good. When yo' diggin' John de Conker or de chew root - see, hit's a root dat grows in de woods dey call de chew root. Well, yo' kin take dat an' yo' kin chew an' go befo' co't. Why anywhere yo' wanta borrow anything, why jes' go ahead an' chew it an' spit it round dere and dey'll take sides wit chew. But when yo' diggin' dese roots an' things yo' should pay off in silver.
(Why is that?)
Well, dat's de sacrifice.
Entry 1519
If anybody tryin' tuh harm yo' an' do a little stunt [= trick], take one silver dime - a silver dime an' some sulphur an' cut de bottom of de shoes inside an' lay dat dime's worth of sulphur in dere an' put dat dime on top of it, yo' see, an' wear dat dime right in de bottom of yore shoes all de time.
(You just use that in one shoe?)
No sir, in both of them.
(Both shoes - the dime in each shoe?)
Yes sir, with the sulphur underneath of 'em. [Dime and sulphur is laid under insole; sometimes a depression being cut in the sole for the dime.] [Savannah, Ga., (1271), 2151.1
Entry 1520
Take a silver dime an' put in a quart of watah an' boil it down to about a teacupful, an' tie de dime down yore laig an' yo' kin walk ovah anything dey is on earth.
(You have to boil that dime first, though?)
[He said this but I am asking for a repetition which often produces other details.] Oh yes! oh yes! Yo' take de dime an' boil it in a quart of water down to about a teacupful [magic of diminishing amount] and put de dime down yore laig.
(Either leg?)
Either laig an' yo' kin walk ovah anything.
Entry 1538
If a person got dem live things in 'em, you kin git chew nine dimes an' take an' git chew one dose little cornered file an' git yo' a piece of newspapah. Yo' file one-half of each one of dose nine dimes an' git chew half a pint of sweet milk and take dat dust an' po' into dat drink of sweet milk. Let that silver lie in yo' all night long till de next mawnin'. Den yo' git up an' git chew a brand new bottle of castor oil an' take. That silver, dat kills that thing, and oil jis' - it'll all pass out. Silver kills poison.
Entry 1615
You take a ten-cent piece an' you file it down to nuthin but dust. You take a pinch of sulphur, about a halfa teaspoonful of sulphur, an' you take this on your tongue. An' you take a swallow of your own water. Whoever the person is, now, they got to have their own water - you know, whoever it is urination, just enough to swallow. An' I'll guarantee that ever'thing you eat, that'll come right up, an' it'll come these little ants or anything. While that silver's in you, you never git nuthin - won't nobody kin ever put nuthin in you.
Entry 1969
Ah used tuh try tuh be a gambler mahself, an' a fellah tole me, said, "yo' go an' see a fellah," an' he give yo' fo' winnin'." Well, ah went to where dis fellah tole me. Ah'm goin' [tell] yo' dis now - fellah name of Jackson, ah goes tuh see him an' ah tole him. Ah said, "Look heah, mister," ah said, "ah wants a han'." He says, "Whut degree han' did yo' want?" Ah said, "Well, if it don't cost too much, ah want jes' a han' de degree dat ah kin git." He says, "Well, ah works 25 degree, 30 an' 40." Ah said, "Well, how much would dat 40 degree be?" He said, "Dat's de best." Say, "Dat will cost yo' $25." Ah say, "How long would it las'?" He say he guarantee it fo' five yeahs anyway. An' he say, he give it, 'An' de first money dat chew win, yo' take it an' go tuh de bank an' git it in silver dollahs an' send me five of de money first." Said, "An' de next time yo' win," he say, "yo' send me all of it." Well, de first time when ah start tuh gamblin', ah start with a dollah an' ah win $25. An' ah say - an' ah rushed to de bank an' got $25 in silver an' sont him five of it. An' ah didn't win no mo' in about a month. Den de nex' game ah went in ah win $50. Well, ah sont him all de change [none of the paper money]. An' de second time ah win, he wrote me a lettah.
(What did he say in his letter?)
He tole me in de lettah dat de las' time dat ah would win, ah would have to come back an' git dat renewed agin. Well, ah nevah have went back tuh git it renewed.
Entry 2156
He likes her and she don't like him, he can take and write her name nine times backward and wear it in his left shoe with a silver dime and that will cause her to be wanting him all the time. See, he can make her like him with his - with her name, cause he got her in his shoe, she can't help herself.
Entry 2315
De graveyard dirt by itself is not no good, but it's a certain time yo' gotta go git de graveyard, de dirt from de graveyard. One minute aftah twelve yo' supposed tuh be dere tuh git it from a fren' dat yo' an' him been long nice good - yo' an' him been good, see jes' lak a fren'. Yo' swap money wit him - could handle money wit him or somepin lak dat. One minute aftah twelve on de dot, yo call him by dey name when yo' go down dere by de graveyard, one minute aftah twelve. Say, "Joe, Jim, '' say, "come heah, ah want some luck from yo'. Ah wanta git a little de dirt." An' don't git de dirt right off de top of de groun'. Git it from as close by de casket [coffin], if de casket ain't rotted up, but it's bettah if yo' could git it right out it if de casket done been long 'nuff fo' it tuh done rotten. An' yo' take it an' mix it wit steel dust an' take yo' a silver dime - dat graveyard dust, de silver dime an' take yo' a piece of red flannen, an' git chew some oil of cinnamon an' mix wit dat an' make yo' a little bag an' wear it on yore left side. Dat's luck. Put de steel dust down in dere wit de silver dime, put it down in dere wit it an' wear dat on yore left side. Dat's luck fo' gamblin'. Success. But it's dangerous! Lightnin'! De dust, it draws. De steel dust is de same as lodestone, yo' know, it's always dangerous. Be sho' tuh take it off yo' in de case of thunder or lightnin' storm. Yo' should take it off yo'.
Entry 2772
She tole me she had been kind of worried. She, you know, have a busi- ness - a cook shop, she had. An' it wasn't no real good business. She was doing this to help support her children and herself, and she tole me that she had a lotta competition. Dey was trying to make her go in [into the city arrangement] you know and she Was paying license [to someone] you know out in de suburbs, and of course de city men hadn't come out tuh her yet. Dey turn her up dat she hadn't paid her city license and she was just worried to death, she tole me. She went to see this fellah and while she was there she wanted some luck. She told him she wanted some luck and she wanted him tuh help her out on dis case - see whut he could do fo' her. So he tole her if she would give him three pieces of silver, which that [is] three fifty cents - er [or] a dollar and a half, that he would burn a candle. Now, he read cards fo' her and told her this: And in these cards she saw where it was three pieces of silver - de silver dollar mixed up in dere - [and he] fixed it out [interpreted] so she'd have to pay the three pieces of silver [to him], and he tole her that this man what was in the cards would come in at the time [soon] and speak to her. He say in the cards - he was reading the cards.
(She had to give him three pieces of silver - fifty-cent pieces.)
An' everything would come out all right. He guaranteed it, he told her, and she wouldn't have to pay dis heavy fine.
(How much was the fine?)
$10. An' dat dis man [in the cards] would come in [court] an' speak for her. And jest as she got in there, she had to wait till others paid and de others went off - and instead of closing her up like they had threatened to do, she didn't have all of her money - jest as it was her turn to come, this man, the policeman that served her de warrant, came in and while he was there an' she was telling about herself, he heard it. He came in and told her it was jest a little kitchen affair - was not a big display of it but if she could help her family. An' then he tole her to pay him $2.50 and then pay him a dollar a week or pay him a little bit along, he would be lenient towards her, an' she could open her a big shop if she wanted tuh, but he would give her that chance for the effort that she was trying to make fo' employment. An' of co'se she had all confidence in this man [hoodoo fortuneteller] because he told her that at ten 'clock when she reached this place that he would be burn- ing the candle.
(He would be burning this candle while she was in the courtroom?)
While she was in the courtroom. And he guarantee that this would happen. [I would not say the doctor actually burned the candle, but I am guessing that his psychic power knew the policeman "would be lenient towards her" in court - "a little along each week.]
(Did that happen here in town?)
Yes.
Entry 3562
Yo' take a string an' measure dis person, an' tie a knot at de end of dat string. Yo' see, tie a knot at de end of dat string. Yo' see, tie a knot at de end of dat string, at de firs measurin' place an' den yo' tie it, an' from dere on yo' tie eight more which makes nine, an' den yo' kin eithah pin it aroun' yore ankle wit a sil- vah dime. Stick a hole in a silvah dime an' wear it aroun' de ankle, dey won't love no one but yo'. Well, NOW SOME PEOPLE SAY DEY USE IT FER CRAMPS [see Nos.1516-1517], BUT DAT'S ALWAYS AS AN ALIBI. DAT'S [LOVE IS] WHUT DE USE IT FO'.
(They say they use it for cramps, but they really want to keep a man.)
Entry 6074
Dey say yo' take a silvah dime an' git nine stran's of a man's hair from 'is private down heah, an' some John de Conkah root, an' yo' chews it up good, an' puts it in dis bag wit dis dime, one dime, an' sew it up anl tie it aroun' yore waist. An' dis man cain't git rid of me, cuz he don't wanta git rid of me, an' still yo' cain't git rid of 'im. Yo' wear dat nine stran's of hair. Well, ah know dat's a fac' 'cuz ah tried it tuh see would it come out.
Entry 1819
[In my earlier collecting days a hairball among white inform- ants was: "A cow licks her hair and that hair goes down in the left side of the pouch and that forms a ball, and if you have one of those in your hand you can bewitch anyone." This object is sometimes called a witch-ball: "One morning the cow didn't come up for milking and they went out to find the cow and found it dead. It had been shot in the thigh with a hair-ball.... You see, a witch always uses a silver bullet or a hair-ball to kill anything, and this man [witch] had shot the cow with one of those witch hair-balls." FACI, 2ed., Nos. 15884 & 15885, p.797; see also No. 16151, p.827.]
[In the following account we have a different hairbalZ:]
Now, dere's a hairball - dat's concernin' a lady, misfortune between yo' an' her. Now, yo' kin wear dis hairball tuh keep in contact with her an' yo' kin wear it dat chew may nevah git in contact with her no mo'.
(What kind of a hairbalZ do you mean?)
It's an ordinary hairball.
(Well, where do you get that hair?)
Well, it's hair dat's from ole dead people, yo' know, befo' it's event'lly decayed - it's spoiled. Put it in a thimble or somethin' round that chew may put it in a ball. Quite natural, by it gittin' air it will not, yo' know whut ah mean - fade away. Quite natural if yo' know de person that die - everythin' all right. Now, this hairball - it comes in a ball. To keep in contact with this party, yo must put this in a bag - yo' know, somethin' lak a Bull Durham sack. [The latter was a small cloth sack containing a cigarette mixture used in "rolling your own" - making your own cigarettes. The paper label on the sack had the picture of a bull.] Yo' make a small bag small enough fo' it tuh git in. Now, tuh keep in contact with this person, yo' must put this hairball in that bag an' sew it. Make nine stitches, an' dere's three words yo' must say while sewin', "With me Fo'evah." Yo' know, as yo' make a stitch, jes' say a word. Now at de end, when yo' git tuh de end of de bag, do not make a knot in it. Make three turns wit chure needle - yo' know, lak yo' be sewin' dis, jes pass it roun dere three times. Den yo git chew a string an' put nine knots in dis string an' de ninth knot, yo' take a needle an' attach it to dat bag an' wear that next to yore skin. Now, tuh git rid of dis lady event ally, wear dis hairbalZ jes' outright - don't put it nex' tuh yore skin. Fo' instant [instance], lak yo' got chure coat on dere, dis top pocket heah - jes' keep it in dat pocket, jes' outside from yo'. See. An' yo' wear it thataway yo'll nevah come in contact with her. That's all it is to the hairball.
Hyatt quotes earlier FACI material comparing a silver bullet with a hair-ball as alternatives. The quoted cow account uses the hair-ball. The following Algiers informant describes a different hair-ball; the quoted bullet is not part of that later recipe.
Read full source (printed page 544) · Read full source (printed page 545)
Entry 6921
Silkweed, silver, sulphur, and 3 drops of turpentine boiled tuhgethah; teaspoonful 3 times a day.
Entry 6933
Well, yo' kin tell by takin' somepin. Here's whut yo' take if yo' have a mine [mind] dat dere is someone got de best of yo'. Yo' git a silvah dime. Yo' grit [grate] it wit a pocketknife. Yo' grit some pieces offa it an' git 'em on a piece-a papah or piece-a rag, yo' undahstan', an' put dat intuh bot- tles wit one quart of sweet milk. An' drink dat an' den yo' pass dis. An' yo' put it somewhere dey kin see de bucket of slop. An' IF YO' "TRICKED" INSIDE, YUH PASSAGE IS BOUND TUH BE AS BLACK AS DAT SUIT YO GOT ON. NEW OrlEanS, LA.
(815), 1150:3.]
Entry 8659
You take his name an' write it nine times, an' git choo a he an' she lodestone an' put it in there with his name, an' git a silver dime from 'im. An' he'll give yo' ever' nickel of money he kin make or scrape. (What do you do with that after you get this stuff together?) Yo' make it like in a little bag an' yo' pin it on yo'. Yo' see, yo' write his name first, yo' make yore wish jis' w'atevah yo' want done, yo' understan', an' den yo' wrap it up to yo' an make yore wish an' sew it up an' wear it on yo'.
(What do you do with this dime?)
Put it in there with dat - dat lodestone. Draws it, draws his money to yo'.
Entry 12186
(What do you do to keep the law away from a place? The law - to keep the police away?) The policeman?
(Yes.)
Well, I knows some of them puts a cross up on the side of their door.
(What kind of a cross?)
[Informant evidently thought a cross is a cross and I did not insist.]
A horseshoe - you know them horseshoe - a cross. They either take a horseshoe or either they has some silver - just like that is. [He pulls out a piece of tinfoil.1 Take a brand-new that never has walked on [an unusual expression] you see, that never been used. And be sure it's a brand-new piece. Put that there and put that horsefeet [horseshoe] up- side down [prongs or toes up]. The law will never come there. [Do not use tin- foil picked up from street or off floor. For tinfoil from street see No.12192.]
(Just one horseshoe?)
Yes. He [policeman] pass right on by there.
Entry 13026
If you are tricked inside, drink tea made of grated silver dime and gunpowder. [Vicksburg 1042:5.]
Entry 13032
Boil 3 pieces of silver money, money with stars on it, and drink the water for cunjure within. [Wilmington 243:8+85.]
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 1541
I heard of a lady - she wusn't none of mah people - an' she got tricked choo see by a snake. And they said this woman had got some ole snake sheds, joo know, an' throwed it into her water bucket. An' she drank water off it an' that create snakes in her flesh. Well, she goes to someone an' they tole her about it - told her whut it wus, an' told whut to get to cure her. An' she went an' got it. She told her to get three pieces of silver money - fifty cents, twenty- five cent, an' ten cent, an' some silkroot an' boil it. Put it in a quart of water an' boil it down to a pint an', you know, jis' keep doin' that an' drink off it. An' that cured it.
Entry 1545
Git one of dese little three-edged file and git chew a silver dime an' scrape a little dat silver, and den take a teaspoonful of salt - I mean to say and sulphur, and jes' three drops of camphor and a glass of sweet milk. Dat will git de poison out of you, if dey's got dis dope by witchcraft in you.
Entry 1548
Lak when yo' come tuh mah house an' ah got anything against yo', if ah wanta hurt yo', ah'll fix somepin an' yo' eat dat an' yo' gits sick. So dis man, yo' know, he drunk some whiskey at a woman's house an' on de way tuh curin' him, somebody got a dime, a silver dime, an' took dat silver dime an' scraped it. An' den he got some gunpowder an' he got sweet milk an' mix it together an' give it to 'im. An' he puked dat stuff up.
Entry 1549
They say yo' can take de lodestone and boil it into de sweet milk and a silver dime and file it and git de silver from de dime. Yo' take de saltpeter and de sulphur an' yo' make jes' a medicine of it. Yo' put dat on de inside. Yo' take de poke root, de saltpeter and de sulphur and gunpowder and use it as a bath an' fish brine an' that will kill it.
(What do you put.inside you?)
You put inside you this saltpeter and the sulphur and the lodestone, yo' see, boil this into the sweet milk - inside. Yo' can take de gunpowder inside, tain't goin' hurt chew - gunpowder don't hurt anybody. Yo' use that into de inside. An' then tuh tell whether you've got the stuff in yo' or not, dey tell me yo' kin take a silver dime - a real silver dime and put it in yore mouth and it will turn black immediately, and then yo' kin tell if these things into yo'.
(How do you do that?)
Hold it into yore mouth until a certain - jest about an hour, and dey say if anything like dat in yuh, it certainly will turn black.
Entry 4527
Whut chew kin do wit a man's hat. Now, yuh kin take a silvah dime. Yuh kin take a silvah dime an' plastah it tuh de centah of a man's hat back dere an' it'll change his mine [mind] from dif- f'ren' things. Jes' say, fo' an in- stance, if ah wuz stay- in' wit a lady an' she didn't wan' me tuh leave or somepin, well now, she would take dat silvah dime, see; an' me not payin' no 'tenshun an' plastah it right in dere in mah hat undah dat tag whut be's in dere [put dime in sweatband]. An' dat'll keep me from leavin'. All right, she kin take dat same dime an' she'll kill enough chinches tuh git enough blood, jes' enough blood tuh stain dat dime off of a chinch, see. An' put dat same dime right down dere [in the sweatband] an' fold it back ovah dat. Well, when ah sweat dat's goin' run down in mah face an' goin' run me blind.
(Those chinches, that's the same as the bug from the bed?)
Dat's it.
Entries from source headings
These entries are listed under the following headings in the source volume:
- Silver in Tumbler: Type of Jack — Volume 1, entries 618. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → DIAGNOSIS.
- SILVER - DRINK HALF-DOLLAR TEA — Volume 3, entries 3803. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CURES FOR SEXUAL IMPOTENCE.
- SILVER - SWALLOW 5 DIMES; AFTER YOU RECOVER THEM; YOU'LL BE CURED — Volume 3, entries 3802. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CURES FOR SEXUAL IMPOTENCE.
- SILVER - 2 FIFTY-CENT PIECES [= 2 SILVER HALF DOLLARS]; BOTTOMS OF FEET AND FINGERNAIL SCRAPINGS — Volume 4, entries 7050. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → ALCOHOLICS.
- GRAVE OF BABY OR CHILD - SILVER - FACE RISING SUN; REPEAT 3 HIGHEST NAMES WITH PETITION — Volume 4, entries 7497. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- 3 HIGHEST NAMES - 5 TIMES - WHILE SCATTERING DIRT FROM; BABY'S GRAVE - IN 4 CORNERS OF HOUSE - OUTSIDE ON LEAVING; TO RENT HOUSE - SILVER [PAID FOR DIRT] WORKS FASTER — Volume 4, entries 7915. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT.
Source passage
continuous interview or recording context · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
(I see. Well, how did your son become mixed up in this?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
My son didn' git mixed up...my son got in a teenage scrape, doesn' concern it.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
(Oh, I see. You've been trying to find this man...)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
To fin' somebody to he'p us git dem out. Yo' know, de people whut said could he'p yo'. Say dey could dress clothes an' he'p you git 'em out
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
[of jail]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
(Oh yes. I see.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
Dat's how me an' 'er came in contac' togethah.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
(I see. Some of the root doctors say they can get you out of jail too.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4495
Dey can. It one down in Williston, Florida can git choo out. ALL YO' GOTTA DO IS TAKE 'IM A OL FIFTY-CENT - DE OLDES' FIFTY-CENTS YO' CAN FIN' AN' HE WILL HE'P YO'.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(What is his name, do you know?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
I don' know his name but.... Do yo' know him?
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
[Addresses this question to Cubby.}
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
I know where he is...
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4496
He's down in Williston. Somebody s'posed to take me down dere, but it's too late now. Dey done sentenced my son. Dere's nothin' I can do about it - not ha'dly anymore. Although I be right upon him. Ev'ry fourth Sunday I go up to see 'im
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
[her son]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(I see.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
But this gurl is still workin' on her son - hard, hard
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
[draws out this hard]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
. Yo' know Ronnie, don' yo'?
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
[Addressed to Cubby.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Got in dat trouble - his mother's Lois.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Oh, yes, yes. I know who yo' talkin' about.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Dat's de one. Yo' don' remember the gal who wus stayin' wit 'er? He had her about crazy one time, yep.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(Do you know where this fellow down in Williston lives? How far is Williston from here?)
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
[Question addressed to Cubby.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Williston is not too far.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
[Miffin answers.]
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Williston is about an hour's drive.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Yeah about an hour's drive. Because I have been bein' so broke, but they tole me if I git me de oldes' fifty-cent I could fin' an' go down dere an' take it I will git little Timmy some money an' keep me a little piece of money. Now I defin'tly know people dat go down dere.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(Now what does he do? Have you any idea? Has anyone told you what he does?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Well, dat's up to yo' an' dis main wha' choo do. Yo' know wha' choo wan' did. It's up to yo'.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(You take an old fifty-cent piece in silver.)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Yeah, but yo' gotta have dat. Have yo' heard dat?
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
[Again asking Cubby.]
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Yo' gotta git de oldes' fifty-cent piece yo' can fin'.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
I happen to know where he lives because I've taken a fare there before.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(You've taken a fare there. To see him?)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
But yo' know what? I know a woman dat got 'er son dead out of trouble goin' up dere - dead out. But I'm too late fo' my boy 'cause I didn' b'lieve in dis an' I jis' couldn' git myself up to go 'til it wus too late. Dey sentenced 'im an' ev'rything. My son got from 6 months to 20 years an' he was jis' 15.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(Oh, that's terrible!)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Yeah.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(That's terrible!)
informant · Miffin (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Yeah, but he can make it out in another year if I understan' de parole. But dis main is good down in Williston, Florida. Have yo' heard he Was real good?
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
[Again talking to Cubby.]
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Yeah, I've heard he's very good.
uncertain turn attribution; attribution alternatives: Miffin (speaker in this passage), Cubby (speaker in this passage); attribution is uncertain; context excerpt; unresolved source attribution, context only · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Yeah, tha's whut I heard too.
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(We'll have to try to see that man, Mr. Cubby.)
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
CUBBY
contact participant · Cubby (speaker in this passage); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
We can get down there week after next.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
HYATT TO CUBBY
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
(All right. I'd like to see him.)
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Nested source context: live participant knowledge limit · Vol. 5, p. 4496
CUBBY I happen to know where he lives because I've taken a fare there before.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4496
He's down in Williston. Somebody s'posed to take me down dere, but it's too late now. Dey done sentenced my son. Dere's nothin' I can do about it - not ha'dly anymore. Although I be right upon him. Ev'ry fourth Sunday I go up to see 'im
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Dat's de one. Yo' don' remember the gal who wus stayin' wit 'er? He had her about crazy one time, yep.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Yeah about an hour's drive. Because I have been bein' so broke, but they tole me if I git me de oldes' fifty-cent I could fin' an' go down dere an' take it I will git little Timmy some money an' keep me a little piece of money. Now I defin'tly know people dat go down dere.
Unresolved source context: exact live turn attribution unresolved · Vol. 5, p. 4496
Yeah, tha's whut I heard too.
locally coherent printed subpassage
Attribution of several unlabelled continuations remains uncertain.
closed_printed_multi_participant_exchange
Unlabelled first-person speech about the son remains Miffin’s; named CUBBY turns do not absorb her following paragraphs.
The malformed closing brace in the Addresses this question note is preserved as editorial production markup.
Cubby’s taken-a-fare statement establishes his own claimed transport history, not direct knowledge that treatment worked.
They say, I know a woman, heard he was good and I heard too are differing reported-evidence claims, not verified efficacy.
The final HYATT TO CUBBY label is structural addressee information, not another spoken name.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 5, p. 4493 · Vol. 5, p. 4494 · Vol. 5, p. 4495 · Vol. 5, p. 4496 · Vol. 5, p. 4497