Subject:Spirit
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Entry 77
[An excellent example of this belief will also be found in my interview Beer For St. Peter - Whiskey And Cigar For St. Anthony. Here we have a desperate situation demanding exceptional power and daring to make an unwilling man run away from a chain gang.] Now, ah show yuh. It's two miles from heah to de cemetery ovah beyond [Somebody's] Hill, an' a man tole a woman tuh go to de cemetery at first dark an' git some graveyard dust an' fetch it tuh him, an' her husband was in yonder fo' nine months out chere tuh de chain gang. An' he says, "Ah will have him released in ten days. Ah went wit Mag to de cemetery dat night - went round to de cemetery wit her but ah did not git ovah in de cemetery - an' she got de graveyard dust dere; tole her to go right to de head of de grave an' go down in dere about half a foot an' git it, yeah, down in below de ground. Mag come back [to where Informant was - outside the graveyard] an' me an' her come on back home to mah home where ah stayed. Ah says, "Well, Mag," I says, "did joo git chure dirt?" [Mag could not speak between her leaving and returning home; no one could enter the graveyard with her.] She said, "Yes." She showed it to me. She had it tied up in a hand'chief, Mag did - had de graveyard dust tie up in de hand'chief dere. An' ah says, "Well," ah says - dere's a fellah by de name of Ole Man Andrew, he was a hoodooer an' dat. She says, "Yo' tell Mr. Andrew ah'll see him in de mornin'." He was de hoodoo ah had rented de room from in de two-story buildin' where I had a room. Next mornin' Mag come ovah dere an' seen duh ole man Andrew, an' she give ole man Andrew, she did, de graveyard dust. Ole man Andrew tole 'em, says, "Ah'll use it jes' as ah wanta use it." He sent me den de next day after a quart of likker. Ah goes an' ah gits de quart of likker fo' him. He gives me de 75 cents - ah goes an' gits de quart of likker. He says tuh me, he says, "Cal," he says, "now, ah want chew to keep dis kin'a secret" - says, "ah'm gotta fellah tuh run away from de chain gang an' go to his wife to Hastings [?] an' git her an' go to Florida in eight or ten days. Yeah. An' sure 'nuff dis boy come away from de chain gang tuh mah house [his room in the doctor's house] that night. When he was in there, he took the graveyard dust an' put whiskey on it an' put it in a bottle, yeah. An' when Mag come de next mornin' he give it to Mag an' he tole Mag to take that graveyard dust an' in dat whiskey whut he shook up an' use it round her bed an' out in her back yard. Yeah. An' she said dat she done it - she tole me dat she was gon'a do it.
(What will that do then?)
Dat 'fects dat fellah - dat made dat fellah git away from de convict camp. He come to my place, de first time when he broke out - he come to mah place an' den went on up heah to Fairfax an' him an' Mag went tuh Florida, ah know dat much, an' his time wasn't near up. [The bottle and contents is a hand, the whiskey is the spirit's payment for Work to be done, the giving of liquor is called feeding, and the shaking is to activate and incite the drunken spirit. My transcriber heard the doctor's name as Ander or Anders; I as Andrew or Andrews.]
Entry 81
Years ago in the days of my grandmother - my grandmother died before freedom was declared. I never saw her. I only heard her story from my mother. They built their houses out of logs. There was just a front door. They had nothing on the floor but the dirt. The logs were laid close together on top of each other to form the walls. They didn't even have shingles then. The logs were hewed on each side and laid close together for the roof so the water would run off. Then they made little beds in each corner, like a shelf, near the ground. We would call them bunks. In one corner they would have for a table. The chimney Was in the back of the house opposite the door. They had no windows. They [the chimneys] were made of clay. The clay was mixed up, pine straw put in it to make it stick. Just daub it. And they made the chimney like a pen with small sticks, two rows going this way and one in the back, and this [the fourth or front side] was left open. That was the fireplace. When they got up a cer- tain distance [above the fireplace opening left in the form] it was a pen with four corners. They made it as high as the house was. They filled it [the double walls of the pen] with clay and straw. In the fireplace was a iron oven and an iron pot. They had something in the middle of the fireplace [crane] they hung the pot on, with the fire under it. The oven had a iron door. The ovens were iron and made flat. They put bread in there and bake it, and potatoes. This house whenever it was completed they killed a calf. If they had sheep, they would kill a little lamb to let the blood go wherever it was killed, let the earth drink it up. This lamb was barbecued in front of the door. All of their friends and neighbors would come and have a feast there. They did that entering a new family to the house. They kill it right near the house. The blood wastes on the ground, the ground drinks it up, near the house they were dedicating to the family. Now that I have been reading the Bible, I can see that the olden people were taking that from the Bible. It was on the lines of the Bible but they didn't understand it as they do today. The Israelites were told to kill a certain lamb and put it on their door faces. The olden people were just doing it in their way the best they could. In our neighborhood [Orangeburg County, South Carolina] in erecting a home, building a new house to live in, you always are supposed in one of the front pillows [pillars] of the house to fold the Holy Bible, wrap it carefully in oil cloth, that will protect it, put it in a stiff pasteboard, and lay it in the holler [hollow] of the front pillow of the house. This is supposed to be a pro- tection sent from God on your home. And you are supposed to live happily there. This is one of the customs.
Entry 101
De lady next do' tuh me - it's some kin'a man dat curses her, it's a evil spirit, an' wherever she goes he's always using bad language tuh her an' saying things to her, putting all kind of things into her head. She went to someone an' they told her that it's a evil spirit that someone had worked on her, an' she asked him if he could cure it an' he tole her, yes. Well, he went in de house an' he asked her fo' some salt, an' she gave him some salt an' she gave him some sulphur an' two drops of hearts coZogne. Well, he put that in thar an' he tole her to put it in de corner an' every night say some kin'a word over that stuff. An' so she tole me last night at mah home that she was gittin' rid of it - said she jes' kin hear him now whisperin', and she said the man tole her that in a few days she wouldn't hear him at all.
(She can't see this man at all?)
She can't see him but she kin hear him.
(Well, what - just what do they think this thing is that is bothering.her?)
Dey think it's a evil spirit that someone got from de graveyard.
reported nightly unspecified words over a corner preparation. Nested neighbor and practitioner report, not firsthand performance or direct formula quotation. reported instruction to speak unspecified words over the mixture. Unknown words and nested report remain; no invented quotation or observed efficacy. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 102
He said once when he wus young [about 1867] follerin' the water, he say there wus some man put bad luck on 'im. An' he say he fell overboard twice. An' he say he went to some place, he said, to a fortune teller. Said he [fortune teller] told him that a man had put bad luck on 'im, becuz if he fell overboard three times, he said, he would be drown. An'he told 'im when he come home for to go to the church an' to the freshest grave an' get a pocketful of new clay. He wus to wear that in his pocket until it wasted away. An' he went out there an' got a pocketful of new clay, an' when he left - he [fortune teller] told 'im that he would hear some- thing to the church for a long ways, he said, the further he walked - an' when he left the church, why, he heard a laugh until he got home. An' after he wus home, then, he said it disappeared. An' he said all at once sound like he heard some lumber fall right in the yard.
Entry 103
Once upon a time I heard the story that a man - two men were at variance with each other and one of the men died. After two or three months this living man was passing along the road near this house where the other man that was dead did live. And all of a sudden he imagined he saw something and kinda hesitated, and something slapped him, and his head became one-sided and he had to move through life that way. He was never able to turn his head around straight again.
Entry 818
[Power for good or evil comes from many sources - actually, from one's desire or intention:] Well, it wus a little woman, her husband died an' leave two chil'run, a settle woman, light [complexion], an' it wus a bright-skin man, a settle man. He wus much older then she wus dough [though]. He wus single. He had liked this woman, had loved her an' wanted to marry this woman. An' another woman had love him, see, but he didn't care nuttin fer her. Well, he would buy her ev'ry kin' of thing ev'ry kin' of - nice things you know to bring this woman. He carries her candy, milk, ham an' all kin' of things to bring this woman, but she never would eat it when he'd bring it. She would take it out an' bury it. She wouldn't eat it. An' he kep' bringin' her some of his - he'd bring cloth an' all like dat. Well, she wouldn't use it. So he - fin'lly he couldn't git her that way, he came to see her one day, an' fin'lly he wed her anyhow by chewin' some chewin-gum, somepin like chewin'-gum, an' she inhaled it, choo know.
(What did he put on that?)
I don't know, sir, whut he put on it. An' he would use a white han'kerchif - you see, throw it aroun' like this [demonstrates], zhoo know, whenever he'd come to see her. [The Waving or manipulating of a white perfumed handkerchief appears to have been a fad at one time.] He'd throw it aroun' an' fin'lly she jis' went crazy about him, you see, an' she married dis man. But de other woman had loved 'im an' this other woman wus jealous of her an' this man. An' one day she came to her house an' the way she came she had to come through the back doah, an' she [wife] wus in de house. As she came along she drop some dirt down by de table.
(What sort of dirt did she drop?)
Some kin' of grey-lookin' san'" - where she always stan', you know, washin' dishes. An' she said, "Hey." She didn't hear her because she wus in de house. This wus in de country. She didn't hear her because she was inside de house. She said, "Where are you?" She said, "Here I am." She said, "I thought you ought to be standin' here washin' dishes." She say, "No, here I am in de house today." She she went in an' done dropped dis in there in the kitchen as she was passin'. An' they went on in there wit de talkin'. She said, "Well, now, Louise, I got'a get up an' fix dinnah, '' she say, "he'll be here directly for his dinnah." An' she went on back in the kitchen, went to stirrin' aroun' the table, you know, built a fire in de stove an' messin' aroun' de table an' things like that. An' all at once a pain struck her in the bottom of her foot an' then her foot went right on up to her stomach an' her stomach began to hurt an' she said, "oh," she said, "you know my feet hurt!" An' the other woman said, "Yes?" She said, "Whut's de matter with you?" She say, I don't know." She had jes' stepped on this san' an' it went all on de bottom of her foot, but she didn't see it, you see, an' this woman knowed she had put it there. An' she say, "You know, I got a pain down in this toe." It looked like it would come in spells, you know. It would lay off awhile an' come back again. An' she kep' on like that, didn't pay it no min', didn't thought it 'mount to nuthin. Fin'lly the woman kep' on worryin' her - this other woman went on back home. An' she got bad off, real sick, an' they called de doctor an' tried ev'rything they could an' didn't seem to do her no good. An' one woman come there, she say, "You know one thing, I believe you's hurt." She said, "You reckon?" She said, "Yeh, I believe you's hurt." She said, "Well, I don't know how it works but I seen people hurt an' dat's de way it worked - come in spells like dat." An' sure enough, she say that why she couldn't make a pass - couldn't have a action. An' so she tole her about a root man. They took her in de buggy an' carried her - I don't know where he lived - an' this man fixed her up. She said the man said, "This a simple thing." He worked through the spirit, with the Lord, you know. He reads the Bible an' all. Before time she walked in the house he could tell her - he commence to tellin' her whut she come for an' tell her she wus hurt. An' he gave her some plain aloes - this bitter medicine, this black aloes with whiskey on it an' tell her take a teaspoonful of that ev'ry four hour. An' he give her a box of sulphur an' tell her take a pinch of that sulphur whenever she take this aloes. So she did that an' fin'lly she begin to have a action an' you know her bowels begin to hurt an' she pass. A snake come from her. The snake had a head on both end. Den a scorpren [scorpion] at de next time. Well, she said she continued takin' that. After that passed she begin to get all right. She had to pay fifty-five dollah.
Entry 960
Ah remember a lady once lent a fren' lady her shoes tuh wear - she's a dear fren'. When she brought de shoes back - dis lady wore her shoes to church - when she came back she began to swell. She swole up so until she didn't even favor herself. An' so they got doctors fo' her and de mo' she would take doctors medicine, it seems like de worse she would git. An' so fin'lly someone tole her 'bout gittin' a root doctor. So this root doctor came - she was a lady - and she said, "Well, ah can't work on yo' today, see, ah have to work on you when de spirit tell me - ah'll come back maybe two days later." She came back and she brought some kin' of a tea and she heated dis tea and put this girl in terrible hot steaming water - jest was so hot seems like it was scalding. So she jest bathed her down - and she did that fo' three mornings and de swelling left her.
(Why did she bathe her down - why not up?)
She said by bathing her down that'll cause de misery to go on out - go on out
[through feet - see Downwards in Index.]
(Did that happen right here in Mobile?)
That happened in Mobile.
Entry 3332
She kin dress it, yo' know. Well, she dress 'em wit a dishrag. See, she kin take a dishrag while he sleeps, yo' understan', an' she takes dat dish- rag - see, de dishrag is limbah-lak [limber-like], an' she take dat dishrag an' jes' pass it across 'im, yo' know, lak dat. Jes' pass it across 'is penis, yo' know. Yeah, jes' lak yo' wipe [him] off, see, an' it will become he can't use it on nobody else, yo' see, but de person dat wipe. Cuz ah been in dat fix mahself. Evah time yo' go dere yo' can't do it, can't git up. Well, de way it happens, yo' see, dat dressed [or dressing], yo' see it lasts a certain length of time, yo' undahstan'. See, cuz DEY GOT YORE SPIRIT, yo undahstan'. YO' GOTTA FEED UP YORE SPIRIT AFTAH DAT.
(How do they feed it?)
Well, dey repeat it, yo' undahstan' - jes' make a repeat, see. But AFTAH THIRTY DAYS OR SO WHEN IT RUNS OUT, IF DEY DON'T REPEAT IT, yOu'll cOme back to yore nature again, see. But dey can - but long as dey keep dat goin', it will keep yo' off [your nature], yo' undahstan'.
Entry 3333
Take a dishrag an' when she [he] go tuh sleep, he [she] take dat dish- rag an' wipe it ovah him. Carry dat dishrag all ovah him an' 'is lowah part. Take dat dishrag an' wash 'im down dere, wipe him down dere whilst she [he] sleep, an' aftah he [she] done washed wit dat dish - wipe wit dat dishrag, he [she] go tuh work an' throw - carry it to a branch an' throw it down de stream of run- nin' watah. Ah heared folks say dat.
[The preceding interchange of pronouns is not rare in hoodoo.]
(What will it do to that man?)
Cut 'is "spirit." (The woman does that. She rubs him down with the dishrag while he's asleep and then throws it into running water?) Yeah.
Entry 4033
About de woman an' de bottle?
(Yes.)
Yeah. Well, her son wuz livin' wit dis woman, see, an' she wanted 'im tuh move 'way from dis woman - see, she wanted 'im to move. So she'd taken dis bot- tle, a pint bottle, an' she got some of 'is urine. She had 'i tuh - co'se he didn't know it, yuh see. She had a night-jar [any kind of glass jar used as a urinal] yuh see, an' she got some of 'is urine an' put it in dis bottle. An' den she went aroun' an' got snakeroot an' boiled it, an' she put some of dat in it, an' red peppah an' salt. An' she carried it to dis house 'bout one 'clock at night an' jes' made a wish dat he would move. An' he moved. She broke it in de vesti- bule.
Entry 4366
If de person know de man name - yuh goes an' know de man name. Yuh care [carry] a li'le bottle, dis cologne bottle, an' yuh call 'is name an' stop 'im up - jes' bottle up de man [see 38, p.24f.] in yuh fob pocket. An' den yuh [go] talk tuh 'im an' he say he ain't got no job. All right, chew go back home an' fer de nex' nine mawnin's - an' yuh got 'is name all right - yuh take a cord an' tie it aroun' yuh waist an' double it nine times. Make yuh chamber lye on it an' put it in de bottle. An' go back [to the boss] an' call 'is name ag'in, stop 'im up, an' den he'll give yuh a job.
(I see, you get the spirit of his voice in this bottle.)
[An old comment of mine in pencil about this rite reads Use with care. This rite is quite all right, except I failed to understand the word double when first checking transcription with the cylinder. Thinking that the waist measure was increased 9 times, I wondered how such a long string could be squeezed into one of those tiny bottles of perfume then sold for lOc at the Five-and-Ten-Cents Store. At the time of recording I probably knew the meaning of double because I do not ask a question about it, but I must not rule out knowledge coming from later experience. Here is what happens. The man wraps a piece of ordinary pack- age-wrapping string about his waist, ties a knot, and cuts off the two unneeded ends. He now has a loop or circle of string, say about 30 inches in circumfer- ence, which he pushes down over his thighs and off his body. This string he stretches out into a straight line of double string 15 inches long and at a right angle to his body; the knot being at one end, this end away from hi. This knot he now folds toward him until it coincides with the other end of the string. This once-folded string is now 4 parallel strings each 7 1/2 inches long. Turn- ing this shortened string 180°, so that the knot is again away from him, he a second time folds the knot to him, reducing the multiple strings to a 33/4 inches length. Remember, he is folding strings soaked with his urine. The strings are folded to him 9 times, at least theoretically. All this is not stated explicitly in the rite itself; it is implicit in this type of folding rite. No boss having his spirit triply captured - tied into a knot about applican'ts body, folded up towards applicant and in applicant's urine, and finally stopped up in a bottle - no boss could possibly resist such multiple magic.] [Charleston, S. Car., (519), 616:3.] [Human excrement rites are less numerous than those about urine. Numerically the ratio is perhaps 1 to 10. As a special feature, most of them concern trees - two-thirds to be exact. The best one, an unusual love story, will be found else- where in 822, p.284.]
Entry 5438
Dey take yore track, yore right track, an' carry it in de graveyard an' name it aftah yo'. Call yore name, yo' know, tuh some of dose whut dey known in de graveyard whut's dead. Put it down side de person grave an' tell 'em tuh take dis track an' take dat person away from heah. [Wilmington, N. Car., (243), 165:14 0r 240:10.]
Entry 5721
(Have you ever heard of a person getting hold of your foot track and doing something with that to harm you?) Well, dey kin.
(What could they do with that?)
Well, dey kin take dat, take dat wit gunpowdah, an' while yo' are sleepin', call yo' an' yo' answah. Dat's yo'. Dey got yore spirit den. See, dey got chure spirit. See dat's all dey want. An' den dey kin take it tuh a tree, say a gum tree, an' dey kin split dat gum tree an' tack it up in dere.
(What do they tack up in there?)
Dey kin tack or eithah kin splice [split] it [tree]. Put dat right in.
(What do they put in?)
Put de track - put de track in dere. See, de tree will burn.
(What do they do with that gunpowder?)
Dat gunpowdah will keep it hot. Keep yo' hot. Yo' can't stay no one place. Yo' nevah be contented. [In the present rite a part of the victim's spirit, his foot track, has already been caught and mixed with gunpowder in a bottle - see PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE SPIRIT, p.2lf. For good measure informant now catches spirit re- maining in victim's body by calling his name and closing bottle when he answers (see TO CATCH A SPIRIT, p.24f.). Whether these two wholes or two parts of the spirit unite in the bottle, or the gunpowder keeps them dancing apart, I do not know. Evildoer pours contents of bottle into a split made in gum tree and re- moves wedge. The word gum adds to the confusion.]
Entry 6506
Providin' - if yo' wuz a disagreeable person, well dey will use de watah from de foot, from de bath or somepin lak dat. An' sometimes dey use it in dere food, an' dat's why dey does dose tricks. (What do you mean by that? I didn't quite understand that.) Yo' see, jis' lak if yo' wash yore feet in de watah, see, an' de watah is cleah, well den some people dey'll take it an' dey'll cook de food in dat watah. See, an' aftah cookin' de food in dat watah, why den de person who eats dat food, if dere spirit is high, [a cross person] dey mostly will bring it down lak dat. Uh-huh nominal [= make person normal.]
(I see, the temperament.)
Entry 6671
(Tell me that story all the way from the beginning, make a parable of it. What are you going to do now with this turtle?) [That word parable I picked up at the beginning of my field work down the east coast. I found it everywhere, but sus- pected it was dying out. You can see how I qualified Tell me that story to make a parable of it. The words story and tale have a bad connotation in my type of field work.1 Well, ah go back ovah it ag'in. Yo' take an' yo' kill it an' yo' let 'im dry. Den yo' take an' soak it in whiskey - see, yo' gittin' 'is nature. Den yo' give it tuh me tuh drink.
Entry 6821
[All the following graveyard dirt rites, as well as others elsewhere, indicate that the spirit in graveyard dirt fights or protects you against the spirit powering the cunjure put down for you:] Pay de grave an' git dat graveyard dirt...den new needles an' huh [her] ole shoes an' sul- phur...in de room evah night tuh keep ghost aay. [Here is one of other statments showing that the spirit in graveyard dirt keeps other spirits away.]
Entry 6832
Yo' take gunpowdah an' wet it, DAT GUNPOWDAH IS EVIL, IT'S JIS' LAK A EVIL SPIRIT. An' yo' kin take it yo' know an' wet it up. Put chure foot ag'inst de watah. Ah don' know whethah yo've evah seen dat done. Yo' put enough of it in watah an' jis' keep ' a stirrin' 'till dat watah come tuh be perfec'ly black, an' it's all dissolve jis' lak, yo' know, jis' lak sugah. Wal, den yo' take dat watah den an' reverse [see later] it on dat track whah yo' walk. Yo' put some tuh de front, some tuh de back, an' dat do's de work.
(What will that do?)
Wal, dat jis' keepS a man safe, DAT DRIVES DE PART OF EVIL AN' DE SICKNESS AWAY FROM YO'.
(This evil away from you?)
Yes. [First, you protect or cure yourself by dropping gunpowder into a bucket. Wet it up means a little water on the gunpowder in the bucket. Put chure foot ag'inst de watah shows that you mix the water and gunpowder with your foot in the bucket. Next yo' reverse it [the water], not by stirring the gunpowder water in the contrary direction, but by pouring it on dat track whah yo' walk. You pour it on one or more tracks from toe to heel, backwards, opposite the direction of your made tracks. Rites from toe to heel - reversing rites - usually sending maker of the tracks in the opposite direction, are fairly common in Hoodoo. In the present rite the spell is turned back to its sender.]
Entry 7251
If yuh evah wanta cross [the spell] anybody hurt, where somebody done witchcraft 'em - yo' undahstan', yo' don' do did but three times. [In the cure Something must be done or used 3 times.] Now de spirit brought dat tuh me an' ah see de way it works, see. Yo' do dis before sundown. Yo' go out an' any sort of green grass - yo' know whut moody grass is. Yeah dat's dat flat grass, sompin lak ole flat grass dey call moody grass. Chew know whut dat is. An' yo' whut a dog fennel is. All right. Now yo' do dis befo' sundown. Yo' turn yore face to de east right in dat grass an' yo' pull up one bunch. Pull up dat bunch of moody grass, dat flat grass. Yo' pull up dat an' call anybody, jis' anybody yo think what done it. See. Now, if dey ain't did anything tuh yuh, hit goin' give dem good luck; but if dey did sompin tuh yuh, hit goin' back tuh 'em. Ah know dat by experiment. Yo' pull up a bunch of de grass an' call dere name, yo' pull up anothah bunch an' call dey name, yo' pull it up three times an' call dere name [three times] an' say, "Ah wan' chew tuh take yore trouble offa me, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, Name of de Holy Ghost." An' yo' lay it out, see. Yo' dig a li'le trench, lay dat grass in dere an' yo' call dem people name an' talk tuh 'em lak yo' talkin' tuh 'em. Yo' take some red peppah, some cooking salt, yo' put it on it. Yo' pō' jisa li'le bit of kerosene on it an' yo' take an' stick a match tuh it. Put a piece of papah where it will smoke a li'le. See. An' while dat thing burn, yo' continue callin' dere name. So yo' call it nine times an' tell 'em yo' wan' it so. Say, "Ah wan' chew tuh take yore trouble on back, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, Name of de Holy Ghost." An' yo' kivah [cover] dat up an' step ovah it backwards, an' don't look back. An' it ain't goin' be but nine days befo' - if dey did it - dey goin' go down vury sick, an if dey ain't right sharp dey goin' die. But it goin' be offa yo'. See, it will be gone from yo'.
(I see, throws it back on them.)
But chew do dat wit dem green weeds. See dem weeds goin' die an'...
(You do this with that moody grass.)
All right yo' git dat bunch of moody grass, an' den yo' kin git a dog fennel or: any kinda othah green weed.
(What do you do with that other weed?)
Well, yo' jis' call de name, but yo' gotta have dis dog fennel an' dat moody grass. See, yo' gotta work three. Yo' know anything de spirits do is three of it all de time: Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost.
Entry 7517
Yes sir, ah kin go to de graveyard an' git some dirt an' put it into dis room [in Wynn Hotel where I was interviewing, see INTRO. v.1, p. XXX, line 9] an' ah betcha [bet you] can't stay in heah at night. Dere be's somepin all in de cornahs - jes' well, yo' gotta git eveh [every] grain of dat [dirt], yo' can't [become scared and] back aways from 'em [spirit]. Dat's to make, to run a person outa de house, see. Dat will run yo' outa de house. [This opening paragraph contains one of the great laws of the spirit: the complete spirit is in every grain of that graveyard dirt - see margin title, PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE OF SPIRIT, p.21.] Dey take dat stuff - ah kin take some an' carry it to a person's house what ah wants [to move into] an' jes' walk in dere wit it in mah pocket, an' throw it all aroun' in de cornahs wit'out people not knowin' it. In a few days dey'll say dere house is ha'nted, dey'll move. Well, dat's de evil spirit comin' back fer dat dirt, to take it back to dat cemetery. To git some of dat dirt, what chew gotta do, yo' gotta put one cent down dere 'fo' [before] yo' kin bring it away; else yo' can't bring it away, so much racket be aroun' dere [the grave] dat yo' can't bring it away.
Entry 7521
Gotta go to graveyard at night 'tween one an' two - dat's de time yo' gotta go. When yo' go dere yo' gotta have a heartless spirit - yes, dose terri- ble dead people yo' know. Well, jes' de way some of 'em is kilt, dey fs holler- in' dat same thing an' doin' it. Well, yo' go to dat certain grave dat dis person want dis dirt off. Ah'll go dere in de daytime an' pick dat grave out. Den ah'll go dere in de night, go in dere at one 'clock an' fes' dig doom in dere an git de dirt off dat certain person's grave. Well, ah'll come to yo' an' tell yo', ah say, "Nou, yo' take dis dirt an' if yo' wanta move such a one out chure house, yo' take dat dirt an' sprinkle it all roun' in dat house an' dat person can't say in dere to save dere life." An' dat very man yo' wus talkin' to he knows all about it, 'cuz he's de one tole me about it.
Entry 7605
An' den dey say, if yuh wanta run a person, tuh take some dirt out from undah dere steps, an' go tuh de cemetery an' go tuh a sinnah's grave. Dat's whut ah heard. Ah haven't tried dis one, 'twuz told. People have been to folks [doc- tors, fortunetellers, etc.] lak dat. Go tuh de cemetery an' go tuh a sinnah's grave, an' go tuh de breast an' run yore han' down in de grave, as far as yuh kin git chure han' down in dat grave. Take up a han'fulla dirt outa dere an' den yuh pay dat daid a penny. Put it down in dere, say, "Now, ah'm payin' yuh fo'dis." Take dat dirt an' bring it roun' de house an' dat dirt from undah de steps. Take dat dirt an' put it intuh a cloth an' sew it into somepin. Dis box an' dat dirt will drive dat person away from dere. (Do you put that graveyard dirt and this dirt from under the steps into the same box?) Intuh de same box.
(Then what do you do with that box?)
Yuh take dat box - yuh put it in a box or eithah sew it up. Wear it aroun' yuh. Dat drives a person away from yuh, too. Dat's whut ah was told. Ah've nevah tried dat.
Entry 7608
Whut dey do tuh keep de law away from de house is dis. Dey git dis dirt, see, de graveyard dirt, but dey git it from a wicked spirit, see. An' aftah dey git dis dirt, well den dey'll put de same ingredients tuh it, see. An' if dey sprinkle dat dirt aroun' de house from time tuh time, well den if amybody wants tuh come or somepin, well if dey step ovah it, well dey can't come in.
(I see. That keeps the law away?)
Yes.
(What do you mean they get this dirt from a wicked spirit?)
Well, dey git in - like if a person got killed. Yuh know, a wicked person git killed or somepin like dat an' den dey go tuh de grave an' dey pay 'em so much an' dey git dat dirt.
(What would they pay as a rule?)
Dey pay eithah one cent or two cents.
(Where do they put that?)
Dey put dat on de body of de person. Dey dig a hole an' dey git so much dirt from dat hole dat dey put dat penny in, an' dey tell dat person whut dey wan' 'im tuh do an' den dey go away.
(What ingredients do they put with -that dirt before they use it?)
Dey put de same red peppah see, an' dey put de gunpowdah too.
(Was there something else in that ingredient that you mentioned before?)
Dey use a spice if dey wan' chew tuh love 'em, or tuh keep 'em.
Entry 7618
Ah heard 'em say dat yuh kin go tuh de graveyard - lak dat, if ah Wants tuh change mah luck - dat ah kin go tuh de cemetery an' dig right up on de right-hand side of de grave jis' about where ah think de heart oughta lay, an' dig a hole down deep an' git me out two han'fulla dirt. Bring it out. An' when ah git dis dirt, ask fo' luck - jis' ask of de dead fo' luck, an' drop from five tuh eight pennies in dat hole an' plug it up. An' when ah rise up from off mah knees, tuh thank 'em [a rare courtesy!], an' walk away an' don't look back. Well, ah take dis dirt an' carry it tuh mah house an' sprinkle it roun' dere, an' dey say dat will give me luck.
(That is to change your luck. In anything?)
In anything.
Entry 7619
(What do you know about graveyard dirt?)
Well, ah tell yuh, yuh kin take graveyard dirt - now, yuh kin go tuh de grave- yard jis' lak if yuh wanted tuh do anybody any harm. Well, yuh kin go dere. Well, yuh kin carry - it's a cert'in 'mount of pennies fo' yuh tuh carry, see. Well, yuh kin carry dem eight pennies an' yuh go tuh de haid of de person, see. Well, yuh ast dem fo' some of de dirt, see; an' tell 'em dat chew'll pay dem fo' it, see. Well, yuh drop dese pennies intuh de dirt right tuh de haid of dem, see. Den yuh take some of de dirt. Git some of de dirt an' put it in a papah an' yuh kin bring it on back home, see. Well, yuh kin take dat dirt an' jis' lak yuh go tuh a person's house, or yuh kin git someone tuh do it fo' yo'. Yuh kin go in dere an' sprinkle dat dirt roun' in dere, see. Well, it will cause dat whole room tuh git upstarted, see. Dere'll be fussin' an' fightin' an' goin' on until dey [man and woman] be separated, see.
Entry 7626
Stickbo'rd tuh de haid of graveyard [grave]...when yo' goes dere. Yo'll have tuh go dere at twelve 'clock at night. Durin' de time of goin' dere yo'll have tuh pay de graveyard-man three cents an' a half a pint of whis- key. (Where do you put that stuff?) Yo' have tuh dig in de haid of 'is breast, an' dig dat out an' set de whis- key down in de centah of it, an' step across 'im three times - backwards like dat [demonstrates] come across, go across - go across - go across - an' den go back an' talk tuh 'im in dat hole whut chew want 'im tuh do.
(What do you do with the pennies?)
Right in dat same hole where yo' put de whiskey, an' den call 'im up an' bring some of dat stuff away, out de hole, an' put it in a bottle. An' den he'll work fer yuh, do jis' whut chew want 'im tuh do.
Entry 7658
Anyone dat's daid an' dere spirit worry yuh, why yo' go tuh dere grave an' git on de lef' side; an' git some of de dirt offa dere lef' side an' carry it on yore person, an' dey'll stop worryin' yo'.
Entry 7680
(Have you ever heard of people calling your spirit away? Bringing somebody's spirit to you?) Oh yes, dat be done on special occasion, on certain [time] yo' come tuh me an' ah would take yo' tuh de graveyard an' call de man an' have him talk tuh yo'. (Can you tell me of a case of that kind?) Dat's de spiritual line. Dat spiritual, gittin' down tuh de spiritual now. Yo'd have tuh act in a diff'ren' way, diff'ren' form from de witchcrafty business. Dat two diff'ren' things, pictures yo' know.
Entry 7682
Tuh put evil spirits behin' yo', yo' goes tuh a graveyard an' yo' gits de dirt off of a grave but chew do not git it offa a person grave dat died - dat wuz a Christian an' vent tuh heaven. Yo' gits it off a sinner's grave, a person dey know God won' pardon dere sins. See. An' when yo' goes tuh git dat dirt chew leaves a dime, an' yo' takes dat dirt an' sprinkle it anywhere where anybody's dead [alive] an' call dat person name whut's daid an' tell 'em yo' want 'em tuh to'ment 'em. An' dey will tō'ment dat person an' dey won' be able tuh stay no- where roun' where yo' puts dat dirt.
Entry 7684
Yo' go tuh a - if somebody troublin' yo' an' yo' jis' want 'em tuh git in trouble, see. Yo' go tuh a sinnah - yo' gotta know somebody wuz a wicked sinnah an' got killed - yo' see, a gamblah. Yo' go tuh 'is haid an' dig down about wrist deep. An' put three pen- nies dere an' jis' tell it - jis' lak yo' talkin' tuh in - jis' lakyo' know'im, say, "so- an'-so-an'-so, ah wan' chew tuh go tuh Such-an'-such-a-one an' give dem hell, jis' give dem hell. Wham! Fight 'em, make 'em fight. Make 'em kill if it's necessary." An' yo' put de pennies dere. Kivah [cover] de hole up an' go off. Walk off an' nevah look back. Yo' take dat graveyard dirt an' yo' ketch yore dog an' cut some hair off de end of 'is tail, see. All right, yo' ketch chew a ket [cat]. Yo' cut some hair off 'is haid an' 'is tail. An' yo' take dat dog an' cut jis' a li'le bit of hair out 'is fo'haid. Yo' git some of dis urinate, see. All right yo' git yo' some red peppah, table salt, put wit dat. An' yo go by where dem people stay an' jis' tell 'em [dirt and its ingredients] what chew want 'em do wit it. An' throw it.] Don't evah look back, keep goin'. An yo' ain't goin' be a minute off fo' yo' see 'em raisin' Sam [Sam = devil]. Dey goin' move from dere. Aftah while dey goin' move from dat state.
(That is to run them out of there, run them away.)
Dat's tuh run 'em away. Dat's hard tuh ovahcome. Now ah heah'n [heard] a man tell dat an' ah seen it work. See, fo' a fact he used tuh git me tuh go by dere sometime an' throw it dere. Dis ole Doctor Bush.
Entry 7685
Now, ah saw a woman throw graveyard dirt week fo' [before] las', an' ah know de woman is gone. She lef' evahthin' in de house [she left so fast]. (Well, how did she use that graveyard dirt?) Well, yo' gotta git it off a sinnahman's grave an' den yo' gotta put so much money in dis grave. Dey say dat's payin' 'em fo' de dirt. An' den yo' tell dat spirit tuh run 'em away. An' dat spirit runs 'em away.
(And then waht do you do with the dirt after you get the dirt?)
Yo' take de dirt, care [carry] it an' sprinkle it across dat do', or if yo' kin git it inside, put it inside - inside de house. An' if yo' cain't git it inside de house, jes' sprinkle it crossways de do' where dey gotta come ovah it.
Entry 7703
(This grave board?)
Dat's right. Wal, yo' take dat an' yo' draw de name ovah [offa] it, jes' lak dat person's been daid. Now, if a person's been daid an' yo' wants tuh see 'em, Wan' 'em tuh come tuh yuh or sompin lak dat, yo' take dat an' draw is name ovah [offa] dat bo'rd, steam it, jes' lak dat, an' yo' read de 37th Psalm, an' he'll come befo' yo' end [the Psalm] an' talk tuh yuh.
(What do you mean by drawing that name off?)
[Had the name been on a tombstone a rubbing could have been taken.]
Jes' draw it off on a tablet - papah.
(You just put the paper on there and draw it?)
No, jes' draw it off wit a pencil on de paper, jes' lak it dah [there] an' den yo' see, yo' put dat [paper with name] on yore haid wit de [while you read de] Bible. An' yo' read dat [Psalm] an' he'll come an' talk tuh yo', an' tell yo' whut chew want.
Entry 7707
Yo' kin go tuh de grave an' turn de haidbo'd from de grave an' take dat
[dirt], go to a person - jes' lak if yo' want a sweetheart or anything [a man to]
quit wit a woman - an' carry it an' put it dere, an' tell dis person tuh make dis man stop goin' dere. An' why if he evah go dere at night or anythin', go tuh sleep, dis [dead] person will worry him so dat he couldn't go back nohow.
(You put that board in the house?)
Yassuh, [no] put de dirt undah de house. Den yo' change de bo'd an' git de dirt, de graveyard dirt, an' carry it tuh de house. Why he couldn't go back dere.
Entry 7711
Ah've hear'd dat dey go tuh de grave an' talk tuh de daid an' move de haidbo'd an' change it aroun' an' tell de daid whut chew want tuh be done tuh sech-an'-sech-a-one, chew see, an' it be done.
Entry 7719
Now, yo' take an' yo' go tuh de graveyard, an' yo' write her name down three times on a piece of papah, an' change on de stob on de grave, yo' know. Pull it up heah [de- monstrates], see, an' put it down heah [at the foot] - yo' take de haid [headboard] tuh de foot, yo' see. Well, she done left yo' an' yo' want 'ah [her] back, see. Take de haid [board] tuh de foot an' change it [with the footboard]. Dat's to come [to bring her] back. See, she have tuh come back dere.
(What do you do with that paper?)
Dat papah, yo' got 'ah [her] name on it an' yo' [demonstrates] put it down dere an' yo' put it [pour] in some whiskey an' drive it [footboard in hole]. (You put it [paper] in that hole where you pull up that headboard and put it [headboard] to the foot. Then you take the footboard and put it back in the hole in the headboard's place?) Dat's right.
(Then she'll come back?)
She'll come back. [Paying the grave spirit with whiskey is fairly common.]
Entry 7723
See, yo' 'sposed tuh go tuh de graveyard twelve a'clock at night, an' yo' git dis dirt, an' when yo' start gittin' dis dirt, yo' supposed tuh say, "Dead spirit, ah didn't come tuh rob yore grave, ah came heah fo' luck In de Name of de Father, of de Son an' of de Holy Ghost." An' if yo' put money tuh dat grave or a corn or either some fresh rice, anything, yo' supposed tuh pay dem An' jes' lak if yo' want chure luck changed, yo' go dere in de nighttime at twelve a'clock an' yo' take de haidbo'd an' throw it tuh de feet an' take de feetbo'd an' throw it tuh de haid. An' yo' git dis graveyard dirt an' yo' sup- posed tuh put sulphur in it - supposed tuh put red peppah an' yo' supposed tuh put sompin yo' kin git at de drugsto', but yo' don' specially have tuh have dat, an' salt in it. An' yo' burn dis dirt three times a day. If it's wet yo' put it in de sun an' let it git dry, an' when yo' make yore fiah [fire] it gonna smell funny when it be burnin'. Yo' shet up in a room tuh yo'self an' yo' burn dis heah dirt. An' jes' lak if yo' want - if anothah party livin' next do', yo' want 'em out chure house, yo' burn dat dirt on dose people an' tell 'em dat chew want 'em tuh be out. Yo' know, move out de house. An' burn it three times a day. An' jes' lak if yo' runnin' a joint or anything, an' if no one will visit chure joint much, yo' kin burn dat dirt, an' in about ten minutes time yo'll have a crowd at chure house. An' if it's a woman yo' wants tuh see, an' yo' cain't see her, an' yo' burn dat dirt, dogged if she wouldn't be dere in about five minutes' time.
(You make your wishes when you burn that dirt.)
[This was not a leading question. Somewhere while recording machine had stopped this had been mentioned.] Yeah yo' make yore own wishes In de Name of de Fathah, an' de Son an' de Holy Ghost. (What is the stuff that you would get at the drug store if you wanted to use that and add that to it?) It's sompin, but chew specially [don't] have tuh have dat, becuz ah ain't nevah didn't nuse [use] dat. (You don't have to have it. What is it, if you do want to use it?) [Either no answer or I turn off machine too fast.]
Entry 7792
Now, if a person wanta run yo' out of a house, why dey goes tuh a ceme- tery where dere's someone deposit dead dere dat is well known, dat dey knows de disposition of de person [ill- tempered]. Dey carry along 7 pennies an' two lightvood AND HOW [fatwood or fatlighter pine] splinters [stakes]. Dey stick one on dis side jis' across de ways [waist] an' de othah cross de othah side di- rectly opposite an' dey stretch dat string zactly across dere.
(Across the breast from one stake to the other.)
Yes sir, lightly - must be caught lightly. An' den dey take anothah string an' stretch it directly from de foot tuh de haid [demonstrates].
(IN OTHER WORDS, YOU ARE FORMING A CROSS RIGHT ON TOP OF THAT GRAVE.)
Yes, sir. Den yo' go tuh work an' yo' go right intuh 'is hips, de right hip, an' yo' deposit dem 7 cents dere, an' yo' bring up from dere a handful of dat earth. Put it intuh a li'le box of some kin' dat yo' kin close it down tuh- gethah with. An' den tell 'em jis' zactly whut yo' wants done an' how yo' want it done. Den make dem undahstan' dat yo' have paid 'em, absolutely have paid 'em de price an' yo' mean fer 'em tuh do it. Yo' come on back tuh de house an yo' buy one gunshot shell an' cut de shot off, an' yo' takes de powdah an' yo' will po' it out an' measure jis' exactly how much powdah yo' want tuh put in dere. Measure de powdah an' put it intuh a clean piece of cloth an' measure de earth, jis' dat much earth, an' put it intuh dat cloth too. An' den yo'.git yo' dat much ground red peppah. Put it in dere an' fold it up tight an' yo' puts it right intuh de gun an' yo' turn directly an' face westward an' call dere name an' pull de triggah. An' if dey don't move, dey'll drop daid on de spot.
(Where did you learn that?)
Ah learned dat right chere, Charleston.
(Is that a special remedy of anyone? Of any special person?)
Yes, sir, fellah in de neighborhood name of Robert Chaplin. [Charleston, S. Car., (514, Doctor Glover), 595:2.] [For Glover see also references at end of 7214, p.3209 and elsewhere.]
Entry 7816
In some parts of the South they claim if you get some dirt from the cemetery and put it in a box, and place it under the steps of your enemy, it will cause trouble in their home. And oft times they sought a cunjure-man and he in turn gives them a piece of rau- hide, and tells them at intervals to tie a knot until that string is exhausted. That will do away with the evil spirit. [Informant Was born in Jacksonville, Fla.]
Entry 7824
Yo' kin write a lettah tuh a dead person. If yo' want anything tuh happen tuh a person good or bad, write a lettah tuh a dead person. Go dere an' yo' kin carry nine cents, dig a hole an' give dis lettah tuh dis person hut's in de grave. An' dis party, jis' whut yo' ast in de lettah tuh happen, dey say dat would be true.
Entry 7840
Dey kin put some graveyard dirt in de end [hem] of yuh dress an' sew it up, an' dat'll run yuh crazy, make de spirits follah yuh, see. Dey'll be aftah de dirt, choo see, an' dey'll go dere [to your house] an' git it, 股 choo see. Jis' lak yogo dere [to the graveyard] an' git it, git it off a sinnahman's grave. Yo' put de money down, put two cents in at hole where yo' git de dirt from. Yo' say, "Well, ah mean fer yo' [spirit] tuh run sich-an'-sich-a-one crazy an' keep 'em worried until yo' [victim] come ohere ah'm at [come as a corpse to the graveyard]." Well, dat'll keep 'em wor- ried, choo see, until dey die.
Entry 7841
Dey kin take dat bow an' keep yo' wit a headache all de time. Dey odll take dat bow an' take it tuh de cemetery tuh a ole grave an' go tuh de haid of de grave an' call yore name an' bury dis dere, an' say tuh de spirit in de grave, "Why, keep dis till ah come fo' it." An' until dey come, why yo'll have de head- ache. If it's a stockin' dat's been worn, if it's a dirty sock, not one been washed, dat dirty, dat have de sweat or presparin' [perspiring] from 'er feet, don' chew undahstan', den yo' kin take dat an' take hit tuh de cemetery. An' put [it] down at de foot of de grave, not de haid but de foot, an' say tuh dat spirit: Keep dis till ah come back. An' dat puts dis woman's mind on yo'. Now, when yo' git tired of 'er, yo' have tuh go an' git it up an' throw hit in runnin' watah.
Entry 8054
Well, yo' take a bone, say dis wrist bone here [demonstrates].
(The left wrist.)
Yeah. Yo' take de left wrist. If it's a evil person, say like some fellahs ah might recite yuh [or their] name fast: "George Bohall," "Up-jump, de Devil" [etc.]. All dose fellahs had police records, bad. Dey got kilt, dey died bad. Dey had tuh hold 'em down. Well, yo' take his bone an' yo' would bring it ovah tuh de house, an' yo' have what yo' call de dead pot.
(Dead what?)
Have a little pot about dat high, what de women use fo' po'in' [pouring] on.
(For what?)
Fo' po'in' on, tuh keep dere comb warm when dey are straight'en' [straight- ening] women's hair. Well, dey got a small little pot lak dat. It's a little stove, yo' know.
(Yes.)
Well, yo' take dat bone from dat evil spirit [the spirit of the bad man killed] an' yo' take it dere, an' yo' git some good whiskey. Yo' know, an' if he died a drunk. Dose are people dat yo' know [about], yo' know where dey grave, buried at, an' yo' go tuh dat most pahticlah [particular] grave an' git dat bone. Yo' put dat on de fiah an' yo' boil dat. Now, yo' set three hick'ry sticks across dere an' yo' set dat right on top of dat bone. Aftah yo' set dat on dat bone, why yo' take whiskey an' yo' po' ovah 'im, po' ovah dat mos' pahticlah bone. An' aftah yo' po' it ovah 'im, yo' demand 'im tuh go an' kill So-an'-so-an'-so.
(I see.)
An' dey goes on an' yo' do's de work.
(I see.)
Or else, yo' wanta, say, run 'im ovahbo'd [make him jump overboard], let 'im, let a automobile run ovah 'im. Yo' always place him in a place dat he'll git kilt.
(I see. You cross those hickory sticks?)
Cross 'em across. (And then when you - this [I demonstrate] is your pot. Are the bones in the pot?) No, dat's what de sticks are dere fo'. Supposin' de pot about dis size [dem- onstrates]. Well, yo' place [demonstrates] one here, one dere, an' one here. An' den yo' place de bone right 'cross dere lak dat [demonstrates].
(Oh, across the sticks.)
Across de sticks. Dat is tuh [I interrupt]...
(Then what do you do with the pot?)
Well, yo' mos'ly use a li'le turpentine an' linseed oil in dat pot - turpen- tine an' linseed oil in dat pot. But yo' start yuh fiah slow, jis' so, so she [pot] make an ord'nary steam. Dat is tuh keep a certain pressure on 'im. Den yo' demand 'im wit controllin' powah, say, "Ah demand yo' wit controllin' powah tuh go ovah an' do such-an'-such a thing. Go ovah an' kill Such-an'-such a one." An' yo' [the spirit] must do so. (I see.) [New Orleans, La., (819), 1171:2.] [As we have seen, there are many substitutes for the human body: (l) anything that came from the body, such as blood, semen, urine, excrement, sweat, spit, hair, fingernails, toenails, and footskin; and (2) anything that has touched the body, especially clothes. In this division we shall examine three entities that are not a part of the body and yet preeminently represent it - photograph and name and letters and handwriting. Of these three, name already has occurred so many times in the preceding rites, I shall start here with photograph.]
Entry 8141
Now, if yo' wanta kill somebody wit dat, yo' take de photograph. Yo' don' wan'a use but jis' part of it. Jis' take off, if it's got a foot, yo' know some got a whole photo- graph, some got jis' a part, some got jis' de haid. Some got jis' de body, some got de whole an' some got jis' de haid. If yo' wants to kill somebody, an' it's de whole one, yo' cut off, jis' clip off de right foot, an' take dat whole photograph an' take it an' turn it, jis' turn it.
(You take off the right foot. And then how do you turn that, now?)
Jis' take it an' turn it tuh yo', jis' roll it, lak yo' take one roll, two rolls, three rolls [to you]. Understan'?
(Keep rolling it to you. The foot part or the rest of the photograph?)
No, de rest of de whole photograph. Yo' undahstan'? Jis' roll dat lak dat three times an' jis' carry it anywhere, don' care where yo' throw it, jis' throw it out somewhere. Well, now, hit's gone on away. All right. Yo' takes dis right foot, an' bring it on back tuh de house, but chew do nuthin wit it den. Let it stay dere, at least six or seven hours, sompin lak dat. "Bout six or seven hours aftah yo' done dis, hold it, take de pichure of dis foot, takes an' puts it down in a bottle, jis' de smallest bottle yo' kin find, an' puts ah reck- on 'bout dat much of mustard seed, lak yo' ketch dat much [demonstrates].
(Just a little pinch of the mustard seed.)
Drop it in de bottle, wit'out anything in it - jis' say about nine, if it ain't but jis' a haid [means foot]. Drop it in dere an' stop it up, an' jis' keep dat wit choo all de time. Dat's tuh influence dat person. Keep dat wit chew. An' yo' weah it a while. Well, no quickah den dey die, yo' gon'a feel dat right shouldah jump, jump jis' lak sompin skip ovah it. Soon as it do dat, yo' must take it [bottle] an' throw it away lak dat. Throw it lak dat. [If informant demonstrated, I missed it.] De safest way, de spirit comin' tuh yo' an' givin' yo' a notice dat dey daid. Don't care where dey are. (Right after this notice that they are dead, you must throw this bottle away right then?) Right then, de right arm will move when dey come.
(You will have that little kick then in the right arm?)
Dat's right.
Entry 8208
(To make the man come back?)
Well, if yo' have his photograph, yo' kin bring 'im back. Well, yo' kin take his photograph an' sleep wit it an' use dat photograph upside down, see. An' EVAH NIGHT AT TWELVE A'CLOCK CALL "IM DE SAME AS HE WUS DERE. Jis' don' tell 'im anything, but continue callin' 'im. WHEREVAH HE AT, AT DAT PAHTIC'LAH TIME OF DE NIGHT, HE'LL GIT UPSETTED, AN' WHICH AN' WHILE [uSua11y Which and why] DE SPIRIT WILL BRING 'IS MIND ON HOME, AN' HE WILL COME HOME.
(Where do you keep that photograph?)
Well, yo' kin keep it - jis' say fo' a' instan' [instance] if ah want chew tuh do it. See, YO' BRING ME DE PHOTOGRAPH AN' AH'LL DO DE WORK, See. But quite natchly [naturally] if he come tuh Savannah yo' goin' tuh see 'im, see.
Entry 8307
Yo' could take a pichure. Now, if yo' wanta do good, if yo' wanted de person tuh love yo' or somepin an' - yo' put dat pichure tuh de haid of yore bed, an' call de person's name nine mawnin's. An' wit a pin dat's nevah been used, a new pin, yo' put nine holes intuh dis pichure fo' nine mawnin's. An' while yo' punch dose holes, yo' talk tuh de pichure jis' lak yo' talkin' tuh de person. An' aftah de nine mawnin's, jis' whatevah de statements were dat chew made, dat person will do jis' lak yo' ast dem tuh do, but chew must keep dat pichure dere.
(You punch one hole each morning or nine holes?)
Nine holes for nine mawnin's.
(That's nine times nine?)
Eighty-one.
(And you keep it at the head of the bed?)
Yo' keep it dere tuh de haid of yore bed.
(Now you do harm you say with the photograph. Tell me about that.)
Well, if yo' wanta do harm wit de pichure, yo' could take dat pichure an' yo' take dat tuh de graveyard, an' yo' go an' yo' call de spirits of de dead. When yo' think dat de spirit is dere, yo' take out nine han'fuls of dirt out of dat grave. Den yo' place dis pichure down dere an' yo' explain tuh de spirit jis' whut yo' want 'em tuh do tuh dat pahticlah [particular] person, see. An' what- evah yo' say, den yo' pay dat spirit.
(Well, now. What do you usually pay the spirit?)
Well, it goes - Well, NOW DE FIRST DEGREE IS THREE PENNIES. DE SECOND IS NINE AN' DE THIRD IS THIRTEEN. [I do not recall that these sums of money paid the spirit are called degree elsewhere in Hoodoo.]
(Then you cover that picture up in there?)
Let it stay dere. An' yo' have tuh explain tuh dis spirit whut tuh do tuh dat pahticlah person, an' pay dem tuh do dat. Dey'll do it jis' lak yo' ast dem tuh do.
Entry 8308
Well, dere sev'ral things dat chew kin do wit dat. Now yo' kin take a person's - now lak if a person is off an' yo' wanta draw dem tuh yo' wit dere photograph. Yo' kin take dat pichure an' yo' kin turn it - it will show yo' see. Yo' kin take dat pichure lak dis tuh de east part of de world - yo' kin take dat pichure an' turn de face of it lak dat [demonstrates] in de dark. (The face to the east?) To de east. See [demon- strates] lak dis is de face here. Yo' do dat, see, lak, an' let it be in de east part, an' let de face be towards dat way. An' nine mawnin's yo' go tuh dat pi- chure an' lak, if yo' face de haid up dere, yo' go tuh it lak dis [demonstrates and talks].
(Have that part upside down, turn it upside down and talk to it.)
Talk tuh it.
[Informant demonstrates while I describe demonstration.]
(Now this picture is upward on the mantel [of the interviewing room], but the face is against the wall facing to the east and the head is up. When you go there these nine mornings, you pick up the picture and just turn it back so that YOU ARE TALKING TO THE FELLOW WHOSE HEAD IS UPSIDE DOWN. ALL RIGHT, NOW, WHAT DO YOU SAY?) Well, now, yo' call 'im by his name.
(You call this picture by his name.)
Jis' lak, fo' instance, say his name is John. Yo' jis' take his pichure up an' say, "John, ah mean fo' yo' tuh come home, '' say, "yo' heard me talkin' tuh yo'. Come home, In de Name of de Lord." See, an' if yo' use a holy name, why yo' kin call, CALL DAT HOLY SPIRIT'S NAME, yo' See, SUCH AS JACK OR WHATEVAH SPIRIT NAME YO' USE. Call it dat way. When, if yo' not dealin' wit de spirits, why den yo' call 'im [the man]. Jis' call 'im, say, "John, ' say, "ah mean fo' yo' tuh come home." Say, "Yo' know ah want chew tuh come home. Ah mean fo' yo' tuh come. Yo' heerd me callin' yo'. Come home!" See, an' talk tuh 'im dat Way. Turn it [photo] an' leave back up dere; but do dat as early as yo' kin in de mawnin' 'fore twelve aclock, see. An' if yo' don't ketch it in de mawnin' 'fore twelve aclock, den yo' ketch it at nine aclock at night or eithah right aftah twelve at night.
(And you say you do this for nine days?)
Yes sir, fo' nine days.
(And that will bring him back?)
Dat'll bring 'im back. An' den again yo' kin use salt, jis' common cookin' salt tuh bring a person back whatevah direction. If yo' know whatevah direction de party is in - say, north, east or south - whatevah direction, yo' kin jis' take a li'le pinch of salt an' go tuh de do' in de yard where yo' kin throw it. All right, throw it in dat direction an' call 'em by dere name. An' call 'em in dat way an' dey'll git so restless an' uneasy, an' dere mind will jis' git on dat place where yo' want 'em tuh come, cuz dey'll have tuh come.
Entry 8474
When yo' call a person's spirit, twelve 'clock at night, yo' draws on a person.
(Draw her picture?)
Draw his pichure. Git 'is name an' address. Yo' set [in] a dark room by yo'- self. Yo' take a sheet an' put it ovah yo' haid, wit chure eyes out so yo' kin see. Yo' set a li'le bit of whiskey in a glass [to draw his spirit back, spirits lov- ing whiskey, see ALCOHOL FOR an' yo' gotta memorize de person name, an' yo' call 'is name three times. Durin' de time yo's callin' 'is name, take a needle wit chure lef' han' an' punch nine holes in it. (Nine holes in what?) Nine holes in de pichure, in de form what chew draws. An' when yo' done cut de nine holes in it an' yo' watch de pichure an' blow on it. An' durin' de time aftah yo' done blowin' on it, an' if yo' hit it again tuh [do something] den chew light yo' lamp. Aftah dat, den yo' set a match tuh it. See what side she [match] bendin'; if she bend going, if she bend comin' back. She'll [match will] fall back in yuh hands. If she [match] bend goin', goin' de direc- tion she [or hel was [had departedl. she'll [match'll] fall dat way; an' if she [match leans to] dis side, she'll fall dat side; an' if she's [woman's] comin' back, she'll [match'll] fall right up in de woman form. [She] come right on back tuh you. [Informant alternating the sexes is confusing.] An' durin' de time dat dey bring 'er back, yo' git up an' yo' take yo' dishrag an' wring it ovah de do' an' call 'er name. Dat's cases if she gone an' leave yo'. If she gone an' leave yuh, if she leave any she [not her] clothes in dere lak a dress or pettycoat, lak dat, jes' take an' ball it up an' put it 'neat' chure pillah an' she will come back less dan three day's time, if she's able tuh, if she's in de city.
(That's to bring the woman back. You are calling her spirit back that way.)
Yes sir.
Entry 8662
Ah kin take three matches an' stick 'em up - see, let de head be up. Yo' may walk by me. Yo' walk on by me. Ah wants to take de upper hand of yo'. Well, now ah'll take dem three matches an' when yo' git by me, if ah know yo' name, ah'll call yore name three times. Yo' Won't look back but one time. De other time yo' ain't going to look back. That's when ah wanta take de upper hand of yo'. WelI, all right, chew go on to de second block or yo' may walk to de third block. Yo' stop, yo' stop right still an' yo'll turn back. But when yo' git back to where ah'm been, ah'm gone; but ah done got de scent of yo' an' yo' do jest what ah want, an' ah kin git anythin' yo' got.
(What do you do with those matches then?)
Ah take dem three matches an' ah'll jes' let 'em - an' call yo' back. Ah'll take dem three matches an' carry dem to my house an' put 'em down an' bury 'em. [The preceding rite evidently derives from the well-known spirit-catching one in which a person's name is called and his answering voice is stopped up in a bottle. Here we catch a passing person's scent by calling his name three times. He does not answer, merely looks round once. I do not recall another example of the rite. The informant, a good one, evidently believes it.]
Entry 8686
[To stop a person influencin' in de world an' cut his success off, de way yo' do dat. Yo' git, yo' know, some of dis copris [copper] wiah. Yo' know dis roun' wiah kinda lak gold wiah. (Like the electric light wire?) Yes. Well, yo' take dat an' den yo' call this individual's name an' yo' tie three knots in it an' tie it roun' a green 'simmon tree. His success or his influence will be cut off. (A piece of copper wire, any kind of copper wire.) [These two notations of mine emphasize the confusion some informants had between copperas and copper. Present informant says copris.]
Entry 8702
De 85 Psalm from de Bible will make a man care a great deal fo' yuh.
(When do you read that, do you say?)
On a Sunday mornin', face de east, seven times, an' call his name seven times.
(What will that do then?)
Now yo' use de 85 Psalm an' call 'is name an' yo' read it seven times an' every time yo' read yo' call 'is name. Well then THAT SENDS OUT A SPIRIT AND HIS MIND WILL FOLLOW AND THINK jest keeps his mind on yo', until he kin see yo' or come back to yo'. IT'S DE SPIRIT WORRIES HIS MIND WHEN YO' DO DAT.
Entry 8773
If yo' want a man tuh leave town an' travel all his days an' don't stay no place long, yo' take yo' cord string whut chew git yo' round dese groceries. Yo' seen dat. An' when he git dat cord string, he put nine knots in it, but don't have none loose [have knots loosely tied]. An' den when yo' go to his do' an' call him three times, an' aftah callin' him three times, dodge [away from door] an' don't let him see yo' tightenin' dem knots. [The voice is caught in the tightened knots.] Git chew a gun an' anywhere de d'rection dat yo' want 'im tuh go, yo' put hit in dat gun.
(Put the string in the gun.)
Put de string in de gun an' stick a piece of papah in dere tuh wad it down - lak de ole muzzle-loadin' gun lak we used tuh have yeahs back - fifty yeahs ago [50 years before 1939, date of interview] an' shoot it in dat d'rection. He'll nevah stop travelin'.
Entry 8792
(Suppose you want to bring them back if they are gone?)
Oh, yo' kin do dat.
(How do they do that?)
Well, yo' kin, don't care where dey are, even if dey are dead; yo' see dey [dead], yo' know, dere spirit. Yo' kin take dis way: on yore left hand, tuh yore heart [demonstrates]. (Take the middle finger?) Yes, dat's supposed tuh be yore heart, lead [immediately] tuh yore heart. Well, yo' git a ink pin [pen often called pin and pin called pen] bran'-new ink pin wit a point dat's nevah been used fo' nuthin, writin' pin. Well, yo' take dat pin [pen] an' yo' pierce dat right in until yo' git enough of blood tuh write wit, yo' see. Yo' git a plain piece of papah an' yo' take an' write wit chure blood - write dere name an' yore name an' yo' buries dis papah at midnight wit de writin' down. No mattah where dey'll be dey'll come. Dey'll come. If dey dead, de spirit, yo'll see it.
(You'll see the spirit.)
Entry 8808
Oh, yes, dey kin take yore han'writin' so dey says. Take yore han'writin' an' drow it [see No.8836]. An' aftah dey git it, dey steam it, take it, some sort ovah steam, jes' lak yo' boilin' sompin, take it an' steam it. An' dey takes dat an' bury it. If yo' don' lak or yo' lak 'em - eithah one - dey kin take it an' git rid of yo' eithah way.
(If they don't like me what do they do with that?)
Well, if dey don't lak yo', yo' see, dey jes' git rid of yo'. If dey don' wanta kill yo', dey kin git rid of yo'. Jes' take it, yo' know, an' tie it up or burn it up.
(What will that do to you?)
Dat jes' throw yo' mind offa dem, so yo' don' care fo' dem.
Entry 9107
Now, here's another way. If yo' goin' to de judge - sup- posin' yo' goin' down dere to Judge Landix, why yo' just take Judge Landix' name. Take parch- ment papah an' cut out just de sole of yore shoes, stick in your - sew it to de heel of yore shoe. An' yo' take his name an' write 'is name down nine times. He's a nine-months child, see.
(He is a nine-month child?)
Yeah, his mother carried him nine months. Yo' take yore name an' yo' write hit down dere nine times, over his. Yo'll say, "Judge, ah want yo', In de Name of de Father an' de Son an' de Holy Spirit, to have mercy on me today an' let me go. An' dat same thing, whensomevah dey call yo' up befo' de judge - yo'll have a lawyer dere to do yore talkin'. De judge goin' to ask yo' a few question an' de lawyer goin' to take part. Yo' just keep a-sayin' dat inwardly. De policeman get up an' make 'is testimony.'Don' yo' come back here no mo'." Ah say, "Thanks." Dat's fo' dat. Now, yo' use nine drops of Van-van fo' dat.
(How do you put that on?)
Yo' put dat right on - right in dat parchment papah an' den put it in yore shoe an' walk on dat, dat right shoe.
(Is Van-van an old oil?)
An ole oil, but yo' must know when yo' gettin' Van-van. Ah was kiddin' a boy here month befo' last, ah say, "Now, look, ah'm not in de business but, " ah said, "dis is fo' a personal friend of mine, an' she done gone down here [to where Van- Van is sold] an' got some [Van-van] perfume down [there]. Ah don' want dis othah stuff [she got]. Give me de othah stuff." Van-van [of good quality] is kind of
[hard to get]. [For Van-van, see p.662 and elsewhere.]
Entry 9134
Yo' take yo' nine leaves of sage - yo' seen sage - green sage. Yo' take nine leaves of green sage an' yo' put it in de bottom of yo' shoe. Yo' firs' write de twelve disciples names on evah leaf. Yo' know, jes' lak Petah- Paul-John. Yo' write de twelve disciples name on evah leaf of dat sage. Put one in yore right shoe an' one in yore left shoe, an' yo' go down befo' de judge, yo' could repeat dem same words dat ah said jes' while ago: Three daid men looked outa de windah; one had no lung, de othah had no tongue, an' de third wus deaf, dumb an' blind. Holy Spirit, speak fo' me as ah pray tuh three times a day. Only goodness an' mercy shall follah me tuh mah grave. Yo' jes' go in de co'thouse attah dat an' when yo' git up befo' de judge jes' continue tuh say dat, an' he'll dismiss yo'. He will eithah give yo' a sus- pended sentence or turn yo' loose.
Entry 9244
In case yo' wanta do anything wit it, yo' go dere an' yo' take two pennies. Yo' take a aig. Yo' still take a aig an' yo' take two pennies an' yo' go dere at twelve a'clock at night. Yo' bust dat aig right across of dat road. See, what- somevah yo' want, if it's evil, by dat bustin' dat aig, yo' pay de mean spirit two cents. Yo' drop dat two cents in dere [the bursted egg]. An' yo' bust dat aig right across de road at twelve a'clock at night, an' turn right an' go backwards an' don' look back.
[You probably walk backwards as long as you can see the forks of the road.]
(And then you make a wish for something that you want done?)
Dat's right.
(You do that down at the forks of the road.)
Dat's right.
Entry 9697
Now in case yo' want a job, yo' coming on de job [you are at the place where you want the job], put de footprint of yuh boss between dis sulphuh an'black peppah. Yo' will make a bag out'a it an' keeps it aroun' yuh neck, yo see, an' de spirit of yuh boss will always be along wit chew; yo' see. An' fer dat reason, he will nevah have yuh runned aay, as long as he have any incidental business [usually called odd jobs] at aWl. An' now, in ordah tuh fin' dout [find out] from any man de truth about dese chings. It's nuthin but such a simple thing as sulphuh an' salt, dat chew'll put In yuh pocket. An' if he [boss] wants yuh aroun', he will tell yuh; an' if not, dy he'll run yuh out'a dere.
(That's if you are hunting a job?)
Yes. No suh! Dat in case dat chew huntin' one: jes' de same uh [as] many as [men], yo' know, goin' aftah a job an' dey [boss] always puttin' yo'off puttin' yo' off. Well, if yo' directly wanted tuh find out if he gona give yo' dis job or not, den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' put a li'l' sulphuh an' a li'l' salt in dis papah, an' yo' wrap it up verah carefully an' keep it in yuh Ppcket. An' when yo' go tuh 'im, why he'll have tuh tell yo' what he's goin' tuh do; vhethah he goin' tuh give somepin.
(I see. He has to tell you whether he is going to give you a job or not.)
Entry 10045
Well, jis' lak yo' wanta be a rootworkah or somepin lak dat, yo' go in de fo'k of de road an' yo' take a black cat [with you]. An' ketch 'im alive an' boil 'im. Boil 'im live an' take 'im an' take de bone whut run upstream. Take dat bone an' take it an' stand in de fo'k of de road till twelve of midnight at night. An' whatsomevah happen, dey say it will come tuh yuh dat night, an' de devil will tell yo' whut tuh do wit it.
(Tell you how to do the rootwork?)
Yessuh. (After you get this black cat bone, you take it out to the fork of the road and stand there until twelve o'clock at night?) Yessuh, an' if yo' kin stand evahthing whut come about, yo'll be a good one.
Entry 10792
Keep de witches out (How do you do that?) Jes' take de broom an' put it across de do'. Dat's all ah know 'bout de broom.
(What will that do?)
Dat will keep de evil spirits away.
(And the witches out.)
Yes sir.
Entry 11046
To keep dem [law] from de house? Now, if you Wanta a little liquor kept [for sale] in dis place heah and you don't want no man to come in on yuh nov. You go on your station house and git one of de man's name that you'll find out. Git one, two or three - if you kin [get] nine it's much better. De ore you get de stronger it is. If you can't git but one [name], den work on dat Bne one, but let it be de leading man dat you knows is asking about you - to yoar acn judgment. Work by your own judgment, de judgment of your ear. Git dat man nae and git you a brand-new piece of board and write his name. Put 'en cross de world. Write 'em cross de world to you and write 'em backwards.
(Backwards and forwards.)
And dey can't come in fer de devil. And nail dat onto your step and dey can't be seeing you. Not when you nail dat dere. Git you de heart of a chicken and it got to be a black chicken. Cut de heart out of it. Git dat wishin' bone of de chicken breast and you take dat heart wit your hand on dose letters. Put 'em dere so it can't be rub off - on dat board. (You rub this heart over those letters?) All over dose letters, all up and down like dat. And talk at de same time. Tell 'em dat [what] dat spirit is got- ta to do. You don't want no law to worry me. You wants to be up dere selling whiskey. Ah don't want dat law to worry me. Ah don't want no kin' of law. Ah don't even wants 'em to come heah fo' a drink of liquir or beer. Ah [wants] 'em to pass by and keep on passing by. Kin go right in next door but won't come in chere. Take dat wishing-bone, and be shore dat you go. down in de groun' to your shoul- der and turn it down -人. Don't turn it up -Y
(Turn the wishing bone down, the points down?)
[Here we have rite similar to the forked stick or "Y" in No.11032.]
Turn de two prongs down. And while you have - doin' it, you talk to 'em. An' if you know any de officer's names, don't let any come in dere, de fed'ral offi- cer back, de county man back, de city officer back, de state controller, back. Dat take in all 'em, ain't it? Go on over and over. And if you git dose three class of officers, you know why it is, don't you? De federal, de state control- ler, git de county and git de highway man. Den you go to work.
(Where do you bury that wishing bone?)
Under your step, right under your step. Be sure to go under your house. Den you put dat bone. If you ain't got no front, put it in de middleways of de house. [This center under the house and the 4 corners of the house make our rite a quin- cunx.] Dat almost stop people jack-jacking to the front.
Entry 11073
Well, if you wants to stop 'em, if yo' goes out, from the law getting in connection with you. That's very easy to do that, too. Here's whut chew do. Yo' [go] an' git chure own garment, git a piece of your clothes that you had on this day, that has perspiration on it, an' git a piece of theirs. Take those two pieces together an' tie 'em with a piece that you don't want. Tie 'em together and put 'em in a running stream of water. And they never will do nuthin to yo'. That nmning stream takes away the evil thought between you an' him. Run that away. Run that spirit away. [I had asked about keeping the law away from the house, but informant turns my question into anyone seeking to harm you. You begin your protection with a piece of clothing you wore that day, because the perspiration in it is a part of your spirit, hence the whole of your spirit (see PART OF SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE OF SPIRIT, p.21-23, v.1). Next, you obtain something recently worn or handled by the enemy. Then, using a spiritless piece of clothing you have discarded, you tie your spirit and enemy spirit together, making a tight knot. And immed- iately and finally you rush off and throw this package into running Water. Run- ning Water kills or purifies evil work. You understand, of course, that the evil spirit permitted itself to be tied only because it was being tied to you, now even an easier prey. This rite is called a trick. I did not understand this rite when I heard it back in 1939; the reason why my note about informant on the original transcription reads, use with care! This rite is logically illogical!]
Entry 11627
Well, you can take a fish and make a person drift from one place to another, never will stay nowhere or know where they going. You take this fish and you cut him open, and you takes their name and you put it up in there, and you pours moving oil and cayenne pepper and vinegar in there, and sews this fish back up. And you go to any running stream of water and you throws it in there, and you use the three god- heads, which I mean are: 'God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: I wish as this fish float, I want you to drift the same way."
Entry 11687
Yo' go tuh de fo'k of de road - fo' luck yo' mean? [I probably nodded yes.] Fo' luck. An' yo' turn around twice [stand- ing in same place] an' on de right han' side, not on de left-han' side. An' yo' succeeds dere on de right han' of de road. Don' nevah look back, jes' keep right on on de right han' side, yo' understan'. An' right at de bend of dat fo'k of de road - dere's three fo'ks of de road. Well, at de second fo'k of de road, yo' look right at de second road.
Entry 11720
She [hoodoo woman] tell me, if you wan'a make a man an' a girl break up, jis beat up some glass right fine an' put it in a bottle with a little whis- key on it. Drain it [the glass] off of dat whiskey - strain it [the glass] off [of the whiskey], you know. An' when yo's having a party or somepin, jes' slip dat [strained whiskey] into de drink dat you gon'a give dis person. [The person who drinks this strained whiskey will have in him or her a part of the spirit of the broken glass, because spirits share a weakness for whiskey and PART OF THE SPIRIT EQUALS WHOLE OF SPIRIT, No.24, p.21, v.1. Even so the rite is dangerous.]
Entry 11740
Say like if any of yo's people is in jail an' yo' don't have money to git 'em out, yo' go to a graveyard an' yo' takes two pennies. And dey say yo digs a hole, yo' know, 'way down in de middle of de grave, an' yo' pays de dead spirits fer dat dirt. And yo' tell dat dirt, tell dat spirit dat, "Ah wants chew to go direct to de jailhouse and ah wanta git so-and-so out." And dey say yo' jest leave dem two pennies there and you'll go on to de co'thouse when dey be's having co't, and you come [out] without [paying] money. (What will you do with that dirt?) Yo' jest picks up dat dirt and carries it to de jail- house wit yo', an' yo' jest holds it tight on yo', and when de' havin' yo' trial, dey more den apt to turn yo' loose and yo' won't have to pay nuthin - jest dem two pennies what chew left at de graveyard.
Entry 11741
Well, jes' lak now probably dat ah wuz sellin' likker. Well, ever' time ah turn roun' an' somebody knock at de do', ah think it's a customer come in dere. Ah open de do', "Ooh! It's de law." Well, ah goes tuh mah neighbor, yo' know, sell a lotta people roun', "Ah ain't got no luck. Ever'- time ah open mah do's, it's de law comin' in. Ah don' unnerstan'.: Seem lak de law gotta pick at me. Ah want dat law quit comin' tuh mah house." "Well, "' ah declare. "May[be] it's hard luck put on yo', '' [he] says, "dey's things lak dat." Well, jes' lak dat, talk along an' talk along. Ah wuz sellin' right along, gittin' on all right, thinkin' ever'thing wuz okay. Oh, makin' mo' money, yo' know, an' jes' gittin' 'long. Fus' thing ah knows, "Knock, knock." "Who's thah?" Twarn't nuthin but de [wind?] but still it wuz a lil' strange. Goes opens de do'. Who but it is de law ag'in. Well, ah sigh to mahself, "Well, ah taken dese chances but ah don't wanta take nO mo' chances." Ah goes tuh talkin' fo' fair den. So ah got one mah best fren'. Ah call her mah best fren'. So mah best fren' says, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do," say, "yo' go git luck, 'cause dere's bad wishes put on yo'. Yo' gotta have luck. Dere's a bar ovah dere" [someone over there could recommend a hoodoo]. Okay. An' so ah goes an' git luck. So fo' de luck he tole me, says, "Go tuh de cemetery an' git chew a lil' graveyard dirt, an' yo' git it on de off side - cf side of de right. Yo' dig down an' yo' pay. Yo' pay him an' yo' git dis dirt. Dig a hole jes' lak dat an' let chure han' go down in it, jes' lak dat [demonstrates] an' dig yo' up jes' a lil' dirt jes' lak dat. Den yo' put three pennies down in dere where yo' got dis dirt at. An' yo' take it home an' don't look back. When yo' git dis dirt jes' take it an' come right on home an' don' look back. When yo' git home, yo' put a spoonful of sulphur in dat graveyard dirt an' yo' sprinkle jes' a lil' bit of black peppah in dere. An' den yo' jes' put dat - yo' put some right under de front steps, an' den yo' go round an' put some undah yore back steps. An' den yo' gotta speak three times tuh hit, 'Name of de Father, name of de Son an' de Holy Ghost, stay an' nevah come no mo'." Dat'll do it.
(That keeps the law away.)
Keep de law away.
Entry 13218
Dat's done dis Way. Say, fo' ninstan' now, dat a spirit is worryin yo', maybe yo' done perhaps kill somebody maybe yeahs ago, an' dey spirit keep worryin' yo'. Yo' go to a small stream where it's a bridge an' yo' git a lighter [fat-lighter stick] an' peg, an' drive it down at chure left toe, den yo' walk backwards cross dat stream an' drive an- othah peg down at chure right toe, an' yo' tie dat spirit betwixt dere - cross de water an' dey won' follow yo' no mo'. (What do you mean you tie it across the water?) Well, yo' see, when yo' drive de peg down, an' yo' call de person's name three times, den yo' know he's wit chew, dat de spirit is. Den when yo walk backwards, cross de bridge, he still following yo' in front, but when yo' stoop down an' drive anothah peg at chure toe, yo've got him. In othah words, dat's whut chew might call dat chew bury de spirits. [As I say in margin title, our doctor here is a law unto himself, since a spirit cannot cross running water; but here doctor pegs sprit across running water so that his client can return to his own side of the stream. Nice Work!]
Entry 13219
To ketch a spirit - I know a fellow who done it. You take and you gets you books [a writing tablet], gets you a pen and ink. (You get what? Pen and ink?) Yes, sir, pen and ink, writ- ing tablet and get you a bottle. Get you one of these small center tables, get you a chair, and put them in an empty room, but let that room be dark. And put these things in there. Put you a light on the table but don't light the light. Put you a lamp - you know what I mean, put your lamp on the table but don't light it. If it's a good spirit, he'll come in there and he'll write everything that's been done to you. He'll write everything that'll be done to you, he'll write that down in that book [tablet]. Next morn- ing you get up and you'll find that in that book [tablet]. You can read it for yourself. That's what a good spirit will do. But that evil spirit, he'll turn everything over in that room, and liable to come in your room and run you out of there, if there is a evil spirit there. [Rites similar to present one I have collected under DIAGNOSIS, pp.165-217, v.l. Similar ones are scattered through- out HOODOO. In the present rite I do not ask purpose of empty bottle. Could it be a lingering vestige from an earlier day, holder for a candle? I doubt it. That stopperless bottle is to entice my spirit passing by. For catching these spirits with curiosities, see TO CATCH A SPIRIT, Nos.38-47, v.1, and frequently in HOODOO.]
Entry 13221
If a man leaves home an' a woman wants tuh make him come back, well - vell, ah understan' she could take de measure of his whole body an' dat she could take de measure of his- self, an' tie nine knots aroun' it. An' den at de bed where he sleep, de side dat he sleep on, tie it de whole length of de bed. An' den whatsomevah... Yo' know yo' always have a spirit dat chew pray tuh, well are him tuh back yo' up, yo' see. An' make yore wish whut chew want him tuh do. If yo' want dat man tuh come back home, make yore wish an' den scrub yore house oat wit sweeten watah. (What do you do with that length from the head to the foot? What do you do gith that length, that string?) Yo' measure it...yo' tie it de full length of de bed, yo' know, on de spring- Lak, from de haid tuh de foot.
(You don't tie nine knots in it do you?)
Yeah, nine knots.
(And you tied nine knots in the other string too?)
No, yo' tied nine knots in dat string.
(What do you do with that short string?)
Well, dat othah short string yo' wear aroun' yore waist.
Entry 13222
A true sign that someone is going to die in their family soon, either [that of] the bride or bridegroom: This is at a wedding. They're leaving home to get the train, going away on a honey- moon. And the horses prance and keep prancing forwards then back. I knew it to happen in my home. A young man home from New York, he married a girl at my home near Elizabeth City [N. C.], and when they were leaving the church, when the mother came on out, she was the last, something sound like a tray of glasses smashed down in the church. She looked back and didn't see anything, and came on out and said, "My, my, what a terrible crash. My, I didn't know there were any glasses in the church." She said to one of her servants, "Sarah, what's that mean?" Sarah said, "That's the sign of death, Miss Jane." And she said, "Now you watch it. Someone is going out of the family soon." It proved to be true. So when they drove off, they had a hard time to get the horses to go. They kept tramping and backing to and fro, to and fro. They just kept that going for about ten or fifteen minutes. When they did go they went all in a rush. In three weeks time this young woman was called to come back home and visit her mother. Her mother was sick for one month and then passed away. She stayed a week and went on back home. In no time there was a telegram the daugh- ter was gone. She only lived to be a married woman about one year. That was about forty years ago [1896] in a family I knew well. [This belief of course is not hoodoo but it happens to be spirit lore upon which hoodoo is built.] [Informant No.6 in New York City by Ediphone, she coming from near Elizabeth City, N. Car.]
Entry 13240
Take a little bit of sugar and a little bit of coffee and tie it up in your handkerchief - or bread, either one, it's very good. It's luck, if you put it inside of your handkerchief and carry it around on you. It's very good.
(That's for good luck?)
Sugar is drawing you know - they all is drawing you see, because the spirits 11kes those things.
Entry 13250
I stayed at a place up north. Every morning when I kindled de fire- I gen'a'ly made de fire - they had a package of sulphur there on that stove. When it was hot, they would sprinkle de sulphur on it, to fumigate de house with sulphur. They said that kept off the evil spirits and give it luck. (Every morning?) Every morning they'd sat- urate dat stove, when ft. got hot, you know, so that sulphur Would burn, they would sprinkle some of that sulphur on the stove. Said that kept off the evil spirits and give them luck. Druv [drove] the evil spirits out of the house, which, you know yourself, that there are more evil spirits than there are good ones. We are told by the Bible that many's the soul to walks this earth, visible or invisible. What they meant visible ones is the ones that we want to get rid of, don't want to be bothered with 'em. Well, now, we'll go back to de sulphur question. When you go to dig money, you make a circle around, all de way around de place yo' goin' to dig. Now a fellah tole me this to be a fact. Ah never seen it. An' sprinkle sulphur all around it [circle], an' yo' dig inside de ring of sulphur. When de evil spirit comes up there, he can't get inside that ring over that sulphur.
Entry 13293
De second way yo' use dat turpin [terrapin] yo' wanta git at it by a woman. Dere's a woman now and she in love with yo'. Now dis is de way what a woman love yuh [wil] dol. She'll ketch dat turpin and she'll come and throw it in yo' house, come and throw it in yo' yard. And she done tote it in yo' yard, yo' may ketch him an' yo' might could- n't find dat turpin. Well, yo' say, "Well, ah kill dis thing cause it been dat second time ah see him in my yard." But if yo' kill dat turpin, yo' done kill yo' spirit, yo' jes' kill your spirit and yo' gotta go to her.
(How do you mean you killed your spirit?)
Yo' done killed yore spirit fer nobody but her.
Entry 45
Yo' calls a spirit. Now, ah'll go an' put a table out in de middle of de hall - in de middle of the floor and ah'll sit there and rap three times and call a spirit and dey'll come and talk with yuh. And de table will walk - de table will walk.
Entry 55
I know people that have what they call a caul over their eyes. They can set right down with you and they can see things you can't see. People tell you that the air is full of spirits and with that caul on your eye you can see things.
Entry 63
Now, about two years ago [1934], up here to my place [farm near Hampton, Virginia], an automobile driv [drove] in with five men into it and I knew them every one. They driv through my yard and went out and never did come back. When I got after them [later] they disowned it. It was their evil spirits, and they were just as natural, and they were trying to do me out of my place.
Entry 65
I have seen men's spirits, living spirits. I went to visit an old woman one night and I stayed until about ten o'clock. When I was going home a man was standing on the street. I knowed it was the man's spirit and when I got over a little drain of water and looked back he was gone. I knowed that was a spirit - the man was living, he wasn't dead, he isn't dead yet.
Entry 67
There had been a burying of a person and some of the people, that was at the funeral that was at enmity with the dead person, on their way home they heard a russelling [rustlingl at the edge of the road. And when they turned to look, there was a man standing without a head. And they ran until they were out of breath. For the next few days the doctor had to attend them because they were frighten. And it was said by the people, that it was the spirit of that dead person after that man he was mad at.
Entry 71
I can truly say for myself that I have seen a spirit. I was lying in bed one morning and turned over and looked toward the door and there stood: my father- in-law. I knew him well. I knew it was my husband's father. I said, "Merciful Father! Merciful! What does father Dempsy want?" I didn't get frightened at all. I said, "He has come for someone, I know." I never said anything at all to him, but when I kinda winked my eye I saw him go up - he melted away. I never saw no more of him after that. He looked just as he looked in life, only he was just white. I told my husband about it, oh, I guess about three days after that, and he said, "That's nothing strange to me. I'm with all of my dead ones most every night." He said, "That don't bother me at all." And three months after that my husband was taken seriously sick, and I said, "Now I know he will never get up from this attack he had. Seeing father Dempsy, I know he came to notify me that he was going to take him away." It worked out just as I had seen it would.
Entry 72
A man told me that you will see a spirit or a ghost as long as you look at it or seem interested in its presence. As soon as you look away or become indifferent, the spectre will vanish.
Entry 123
This woman kept a bad place on the wharf, like where sylors [sailors] came in. She Was taking little young girls. She died and nobody could run this house and restaurant any more. This ball of fire would be running all over the place. This ball of fire was this woman. Her spirit came in the ball of fire because she was such a wicked old woman. They tore the house down. [New York City, (1), by hand, at Wilmington, N. Car., about 1911.]
Entry 124
A man once told me that a spirit made a remark that he would be home on a certain night. He told his people exactly how he would come. He would appear in a light on the wall. When the hour arrived he really came just as he said. That night he played all around the room just as he already said, then quietly went out and did not return.
Entry 137
De whirlwind, well dat suppose tuh be a spirit in dat whirlwind. Some- times it's a good one an' othah times it's a bad one, but de main point of it is, it is a spirit. Den a person is suppose tuh walk backwards ten steps an' concentrate his mind, an' whatevah his mind fall on, dat's a good spirit or a bad spirit; whatevah it says, see, tuh him. An' if he has somepin tuh do, dat mind will tell him tuh go do dat - he do it, especially when he see de whirlwind; an' if dat mind tell him not tuh do, it's best fo' him not tuh do it.
Entry 138
(They say that whirlwind's a spirit?) [I am repeating what he had just said.] (Do they say you can do anything to it?) Well, dey say dat's a evil spirit, an' it's gittin' away from de good spirit, an' de two spirits are havin' a argument, an' dat's de evil spirit gittin' away from de good spirit.
Entry 139
Whut ah heard people say it wus; dat it wus a evil spirit - jes' lak a person dies wicked an' he wants to come back roun' his home or somepin lak dat, an' he comes in a whirlwind.
Entry 141
Say dat's de spirit of de person dat owns de great lord's plantation - say dat's de day dem come roun' lookin' at all de places. An' den jes' lak if ah reckon - say dat be dem comin' roun' lookin' ovah de place, jes' a whirlwind spirit. (This whirlwind is the spirit of the old owner of the plantation looking over it.)
Entry 166
Sometime dey say it's confusion, sometime dey say death; but whensomevah yo' see dat whirlwind go round an' round lak dat, yo' watch it an' dere'll be a fuss or a fight or somebody probably git killed, jes' where it stop. Dat's whut dey say about dat.
(Do you know what they used to say about that?)
Yeah. Well, dey say some ole devil died dere, somepin lak dat - yo' know, some bad person. Some evil spirit or somepin lak dat. Dat's whut dey call dat evil spirit.
Entry 225
They said they were going down a woods road one night and they said this dog ran up and ran through the legs of the horse and right on between the buggy wheels and ran on off into the woods. They thought it was someone trying to put bad luck on them. They thought it was a spirit, they didn't think it was a dog. They thought it was some spirit someone had sent out for you know, to kin'a cunjure them. [The reader can see at once that this dog was not an ordinary prowling animal meeting by chance a horse and buggy. A natural dog would never have met a horse head on, running between the four legs and then the four wheels, two legs and two wheels each side of him - quite a feat at night! This dog Was going in the opposite direction to cross the occupants of the buggy.]
Entry 227
I heard a man say he was coming along one night and there was a little bit of a dog come trotting along behind him. He said he hollered at the little dog and asked him where he was going. And the little dog still kept trotting out after him and he turned around and kicked the little dog. He said the little dog rose up high, as high as his shoulder was, and liked to scared him to death. He ran until he fell. The dog was supposed to be an evil spirit.
Entry 235
I heard one about a 'possum. Some people went out 'possum hunting that night and when they got out in the woods they looked in a tree and see what they thought was a 'possum and they [shot] at him and missed him. When they started to cutting on the tree they cut it until they cut it down. When the tree fell they looked all around with their lanterns and the 'possum Was gone. Right behind them then they heard a noise splashing in the water. They thought it had gone in there. They never did see the 'possum. It was real funny the 'possum got away. When they come to find out an old man told them it wasn't a 'possum but it was a spirit in the shape of a 'possum.
Entry 236
Well, dey say it's useless to go 'possum huntin' or varmint - any kin'a varmint - on a Friday night. As a rule, de dogs will run ha'nts.
(Where did you hear that?)
Oh, ah've heerd dat all mah days.
(What part of the country, I mean?)
Well, I heerd dat in north Florida an' south Georgia.
Entry 347
I had a party to tell me tha' chew could go to a four crossroad - what is called a four-way road [a crossroad] - for nine mornings at one partic'lar hour in de morning, and dance and sing and put on a little program such as you're able to do, and on the ninth morning the devil'll put in his appearance or some of his imps and give you the power to accomplish what you want to do. And this one boy did do it, but he - and also you can do it by goin' to the woods. And there's a certain location in the woods tha' chew kin do it. And this boy did do it - had he carried it out, he was on his ninth morning. And when a big black man came from behind a pine tree and come to him a-laughin', he couldn't stand it and he run and left it.
Entry 373
Ah've heard dat yo' go to de fo'k of de road between midnight an' day an' yo' take with yo' a violin, an' whatevah de person wants tuh do at de fo'k of de road between twelve an' one a'clock in de night, dey say they will play that violin an' whatevah evil dey wants done, why that evil spirit will come tuh dem. An' dey will have a conversation wit de evil spirit an' dey kin call dat evil spirit to dwell around an' aggravate de person dat dey want dis evil thing done to. An' will cause dis person, yo' know, to lose his mind like yo' know, an holler things in de night.
Entry 392
I heard one time that a man went out in the woods, he went out to dig some money and while he was out there digging - four men were out there digging - a woman came and sit by them all in white. The one that was reading the Bible - he got frightened and started to run. When he started to run the fellows what Was digging started right behind him. When he got out on the road - the spirit had left them out in the woods and run ahead of them. They managed to get by some kinda way. One of the men he lived in the country, he was quite old, and the three young men left him behind. When they got up to the house he [the old man] was sitting on the porch laughing and talking. So then they decided to go back and fastened this hole up. They went back the next day and they claim they couldn't find this place when they went back. This was out in a hickorynut woods right near a big tree with moss all over it and they had a stick there. They say when you mark a place and go back you won't see it no more at all. That was just about three miles from Hampton. [The old man outrunning young men - a dog is sometimes added - is a folk-tale theme long since worn threadbare by comedians.] [Hampton, Va., (31), Ed.1
Entry 403
They have something they call mineral rods. [This is also called money rod (No. 423) and sounding rod (No. 416).] I have heard and have known people who had ideas where deceased people have buried money. They have been told in their dreams where they could find it. And when they would get what they call mineral rods, they had to go at midnight with only [one] person with them. And usually they had to be very brave, because I have heard of them digging for two hours and all of a sudden such a russelling [rustlingl, such a noise, like if it were a wagon and it was about to run over them. And if you got frightened you Would never find anything. But you had to stand still till the noise had passed. Hold to that rod, push it a little further and you would strike something: Then you had to be very calm, not speak one to the other, till the excavation was open and you had taken out whatever vessel the money Was in. If you speak before, they say it would go down and you would never find it. That noise they say is the spirit that will test you to whether you are the proper person to find it and to have it. If you re not, you will become frightened and lose sight of it.
Entry 419
When you dig it up, don't say a word, don't open your mouth; if you do, it will sink down into the earth - it will keep on going right down. No, you can't try for it again. You'll never see a sign of it any more. They say what makes it go, the spirit what buried that money will come back if you speak. It will take the money right away from you. I remember once in my father's time [before the Civil War] a man plowed up some money and he said, "Uncle Pompey, I found some money." And when father got there the money was gone.
Entry 492
No, sir - say a witch don't put spells on you, a witch rides you. [A great amount of evidence is given in this book that a witch does put spells on you and also rides you.]
(How could you keep her from riding you?)
Well, you git - lemme see now - you gits new needles and you gits [new] pins - I know a man had ketched one of 'em - git new needles - he was a sensible man - you know, he know all dem things - he was a sensi'le man - he died now - he caught one. You git new needles and you got'a pins - git new needles and pins, he say, and put 'em in a bottle and when he come a-riding, you know, someone will call his name. You see, someone will be shaking his side to wake him up and somebody will call him - jus' like if I'm over here and you say "John" - you call my name and dat bottle'll be open and slap dat bottle up like dat [demonstrates], you see, and you got his spirit. See, you got de spirit and dey say you kin see de little black thing running around in de bottle. And this one this man had ketched, he stopped de bottle - dey called his [witch's] name - his [victim's] wife called his [witch's name] while he was riding her husband and stopped de bottle up - stopped de spirit up in de bottle, you see, and [later] dis witch takes fits and dey takes him ovah to the hospital and de witch never did get better. And dis witch say if he [could] see dis man - dis man was by de name of Mr. Joe Richardson - he says, "If I could see Mr. Rich- ardson, I would git well." You see, if he could see you and just talk wit you, you see, he would get better - see, because it would git his spirit back. You see, dis man had his spirit. But dis man wouldn't go to de hospital and see 'im, you see, because he done belonged to de same church dat dis man belonged tuh and that he Was a witch. And everybody used to say he was a witch, but you see, some people doesn't believe it. Well, this gentleman [Richardson] he was, you see, half-white and half-colored but he was more white den he was colored and he had plenty sense. So he say, "I tell you he's a witch all right," he say, "I'm goin' ketch him because I know how to ketch him - I'm goin' ketch him." And he [his wife] got de bottle and stopped de bottle up and called his name and ketched his spirit in de bottle wit de new needles and pins, and he tuk sick and he was sick until he died - he died in de hospital. Dey come to your house in de night - late hours.
(Now tell me how to catch a spirit - what will they do now?)
Dey call you late hours in de night when you sleepin' and when you answer 'em, den dey shut de bottle up and shut your spirit up in de bottle. Dat's de way dey catch you.
(I see - you have to answer them though before they catch you?)
Yes, answer - you got'a answer 'em, and if you don't answer 'em dey can't ketch you - your spirit.
(This is if somebody wants to get your spirit to harm you?)
That's right.
(What if they catch your spirit - what will happen to you then?)
Well, you may be spritely and, you know, plenty of spirit in you, and then you be's deadlike - you have to be just like how I am - you see, I can't work - I ain't workded for over two years, I'm not able to work.
(Well, what do you think is wrong with you?)
You see, I was poisoned. You see, I use to been smart, you see, and working, going all de time, and dey didn't like dat - they fixed something you see to take all of my strength away from me.
Entry 804
You can, and you see, it's a peculiar way about it - you just have to go and try to work on yourself and see. Now, if you hurt, doctor's medicine won't do you no good. And you just have to try some other way, and of course, people that dwell with spirits dey kin dwell with de spirits and find out things. And of course, I do most of my work through de spirits and de Bible - reading certain chapters and deal with those things reveal to me. I can see 'em as a flash. In visions like that I kin tell. And if such a thing is true, why you kin go to work on yourself for that. (Well, suppose I had something wrong with me and I came to you - you say you only take care of women, but suppose I came to you. What would you do? HoW would you proceed to handle my case?) Well, depend on what's wrong with you. [Good.] [I either turned off my machine for a moment while we talked or recording too bad to transcribe:] (I see. You'd have to have a vision of it first - of what's wrong with me? I see. And then you'd give your remedy.) [Here I either left out some material about Madame Kaye, which I cannot find or it may have been badly recorded and not transcribed.] (And you say, you don't - you only have women customers, you don't take men at all. Isn't there someone around here that just takes men, in town - someone that fust takes men?) I don't know.
(You said Madam Kaye only takes women, too.)
She just takes women. (I see. Well, now, how did you happen to learn this work - did you learn it from some member of your family?) No.
(I see. Did you have any special gift for it?)
A special gift - that's mostly what I have, a special gift and then course I have learnt from another certain woman which knows. (I see. Well, now, do you ever make up any of your own remedies or cures or do you get most of them out of a book?) I get most out of books. And I know a woman that I works with - ah mostly get 'em from her, she fixes 'em.
(That woman lives here? Would she come around and talk to me, I wonder?)
I think she will if I kin get in touch with her. She doesn't live in Mobile.
(Oh, I see - she lives out of town.)
Lives out of town.
(I see - how far out?)
Well, it's about 25 miles.
(I see - she lives up in the country some place?)
Yes. (End of 709 - this woman was brought by Mrs. Bracy. She's supposed to be a woman who puts men and women together [a technical expression], and she only works for women. Now, Madam Kaye, here in town, who is a white woman, does the same type of work. She only works for women - will not have any men clients.) (This woman, as you see on the cylinders, didn't tell me very much. She might have been a little bit timid - she was, in fact, frightened and THoUGHT THAT I WAS BROADCASTING HER SPEECH. However, she used the Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses and I doubt very much whether she knows many things.) [My comment after woman left.]
Entry 1219
Now a thing dat brings luck - something fo' bringing luck that's good, yo' kin protect a person from being witchcrafted - something dat goes high an' low [high and low covers all contingencies - a dirt dauber flies high and low]. He kin take that dirt dauber nest an' he take sweet spices - jes' a whole grain spice an' he beat up de dirt dauber nes' an' de spices an' he sprinkles or throw it up in de air an' dat brings luck an' also keep away the evil spirits from dat person's premises or wheresomevah they are dwelling.
Entry 1241
Well, she wus a woman, she sold whiskey an' she had a little tree whut be in her yard an' she would say a verse from de Bible to that tree an' den she would burn dragon's blood an' frankincense up undah de tree an' she'd grab de tree an' whip it an' den she jes' turn it back up. An' she'd burn that stuff right at the tree - right at the root of the tree she would burn it. Well, that wus supposed tuh keep away evil spirits an' de law or anything tuh bother her. [See margin-titles Whipping, p.388; Hitting Remedy, p.399.]
Entry 1647
You can easily just buy some of that van-van - they calls that stuff van-van - 'cause that what they use for to keep the evil spirit away from them. [Van-van, largely used for scrubs (scrubbing water) or human body, is a special perfume and oil of pungent quality originally confined to New Orleans - see p.132 and Index.] [New Orleans, La., (843). 1279:2.]
Entry 1696
See, lak de haid of de bed, takes de matches an' cross 'em, dey cross 'em jes' lak dat up undah de pillah an' go on tuh sleep. Dat supposed tuh drive spirits away if de spirits are worryin' yo' when yo' kilt someone.
Entry 2304
I says, ah heard them say if anybody was in the house that you wanted to move out, to get a grave-digger to get you a hand off a sinnerman's - left hand off a sinnerman's body. You know, just like a house was high - well, it's got maybe some place where you got a chance to bury it. Well, quite natch'l, the evil spirit would follow [the hand to] that place, you know, and you would be afraid and you would have to move out 'cause you wouldn't understand nuthin. You would hear some kind of funny noise around there, you know, and you just couldn't understand it and you'd have to move. [House was high means house raised aboveground on four or more rocks or posts to avoid dampness. A person could crawl into this underneath airspace to plant any cunjure.]
Entry 3063
Now, I got a cousin. His grandmother sold him to a evil spirit.
(Do you know how she did that?)
Now, she went - she wanted money and she went down to St. Roc. They had a church down there long years ago and she went down there.
(Where? Here in New Orleans?) Yes, sir. (Where was this church years ago?)
Down there on St. Roc's Avenue. And she went down there and she sold this child to the evil spirit. It was a evil church, didn't do nothing but evil work. And she sold her grandchild to these evil spirits. And the poor little thing he couldn't go nowhere. If he was settin' here, they Wouldn't harm you; but they just would chunk - well, you wouldn't have nothing in there that would set still. Ever'thing would move - chunk bricks and ever'thing. He used to come home to my mama's house and be settin' there eatin' and they'd take all the dishes - we didn't see where they was comin' from though - they just would go chunk. Well, you have to get rid of the child. You had to leave the child go out and you couldn't follow him; they'd chunk you all up and down the street. And that child couldn't get that spell off of him. They had policeman and ever'thing at the house, watchin' to see where the things was comin' from, but nobody never seen them or nothin' else - not until his grandmother died. (Do you know how she sold him to the devil? What she did do to sell him to the devil?) No, we didn't go down there with her, 'cause she didn't let none of us know it. His grandmother did it. And she went down to that church - it was a old church down there, and they went down there and she sold him to a evil spirit.
(Is that church still there?)
No, sir, it's tore down.
(I see. That was years ago?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 10511
Well, jes' lak if yo' wanted tuh be a professional gambler or a pro- fessional slick person. Yo' go dere an' yo' sits at fo' forks, jes' lak dat [is] fork right dere [demonstrates], yo' sits right dere at a cer- tain hour lak midnight, until yo' hear - dere'll be a chain rattlin' jes' lak [someone rattling a] chain. An' dere'll be a spirit or voice come up tuh yo' an' tell yo' whatsomevah yo' wants tuh know. An' it points yo' tuh de way tuh go.
Entry 12490
Yo' kin take some mustard seed an' put out at de baid am'a sifter an' dat'll ketch any spirit. "[Florence 2212:10.]
Entry 24
[There used to be a mathematical axiom stating that the whole is the sumn of all its parts. In hoodoo, however, a part can equal the whole. Every part and function of your body (hair and breath) - anything touching you (clothes and bathwater) - whatever signifies you (name and photograph) - all these and others are substitutes for either the whole or part of the spirit. Many examples of this belief will be found elsewhere - here are a few:]
Entry 998
[In the following whooping-cough cure a mean trick is played on the spirit causing the disease:] Everybody else in the family when they ben' ovah with they han's on each othah's back directly in front the first person, [each person] right behind a person put his hands on his back [the back of the person in front] and - go right behind each, put his hands on my [sick person's back] and the person won't cough no more and the whoop will go down the line to the last person and go. [This is my original transcription in pencil; a note on it reading, "Whooping cough cure - final transcription." The person with whooping cough bends over - behind him a line of bent-over persons forms, each laying his hands on the back of the person in front. The spirit of whooping cough is interested and enters into the spirit of the game. The diseased person whoops and the spirit makes his first mistake. Instead of reentering the diseased person, the spirit hops into the second person. Then the second person whoops and the spirit jumps into the third person and so on down the line. When the last person in line whoops, the spirit jumps backward into the air - he is homeless and the diseased person is cured.] [How can a spirit having power to change form and to go anywhere be so easily fooled? Why doesn't he quickly reenter the last person in line? As I previously remarked, a spirit is a simple-minded creature (No. 505, p.152). He had had a delightful experience playing the new game jumping-backwards; it would never occur to him suddenly to jump forwards. Besides, every' person in the bent-over line was intending and willing or wishing him out into space. Man's increasing ability to think has permitted him to trick the spirits, overcome the obstacles of the universe.]
Entry 11800
"You kin take you a little graveyard dirt an' put it in your [poc- ket]...git it out a colored cemetery...throwin' de craps, see. Yo' git it on your han' an' rub it, see. Dat's your luck. Now, dat's dose spirits, but dey colored." [Author asks: Why couldn't you use some of the dust from the white cemetery?"] "Well, de white rules de white an' de colored rules de colored."
Entry 21
A good spirit, it leaves the body, that is why the body becomes helpless. It cannot exist any longer. It goes to decomposition because the spirit is gone. The life is gone out of it. But still the spirit never dies. It goes to its immediate loved ones on earth, it overlooks them, it hovers around them. In my belief, what I have really had experience of, we are continually being enveloped and surrounded by the spirits of our loved ones who have gone before; especially until their spirits have been reincarnated and born in some child and come back to the world in the flesh again. The reincarnation comes earlier in some and late in others. Sometimes they are reincarnated in babies who are cut off. That spirit comes right back and goes again to be on earth until it is reincarnated. That is the good spirit. The evil spirit, it is abroad in the world. That is the spirit of those who haven't lived their lives consistent with right living. Their spirits are abroad and still doing Work they were engaged in, either frightening or bringing about disorder, just like they was when in the body, until they are reincarnated. They are reincarnated. Usually it comes out in the child. The child is very fretful. Usually, if it goes to any age, it goes into crime. That is the people that chose the evil way in life. When man was created he was created in the image of God. When he fell, that is in the Garden of Eden. Then when he was redeemed, he has since that time been left as a free agent to chose which he will do, right or wrong. That is the choice given us by the Son of God who died for us that we might be redeemed under the curse of the broken Law. Since then, we have this privilege of chosing for ourselves and being left as a free agent. Then this is the point where the evil and the good spirit exist. This is the origination of the good spirit and the evil. The good is permanent and the evil spirit is a choice of man. You know how long Christ stayed on the Cross, three days. It is supposed that everybody when they die their spirit still lingers in their body and about their personalities for three days until they are planted in the ground. Then it is around and about until the changes come. When the spirit comes out of your body your body really becomes like neutral, you can't move or do anything; you never will again. The mind of the person does not die. That is the spirit after all. That is the soul so to speak. It lingers around and it really sees what's being done until its visit is complete. The person who is responsible for the arrange- ment of the final affairs will dream about them. Often you will be half asleep and that person will appear to you and give you some gestures, satisfactory or dissatisfactory. I know that by experience.
Entry 142
Dat whirlwind is a daid spirit - jes' somebody jes' wandering around or some daid spirit somebody send to yo'. An' that spirit jes' wandering roun', he Wandering roun' where yo' at. He come to yo' from de grave to where yo' at; but dat wind, see it ain't de wind. An' hit come down dat way - yo' kin tell it de minute yo' see, don't care whut time a day it is; but it coming to yo"cording to whut time a person send it to yo', cause yo' see dey works on de moon wit it. It's always jes' a bad spirit. If hit comin' tuh harm yo', yo' goin' know it. If it comin' tuh harm yo', it goin' git direct in yore way where yo' kin see an' yo' can't he'p from seein' it tuh save yore life. But if it ain't tuh harm yo hit goin' work clean 'way round yo' an' it gwine to somebody's else path. (Suppose it is coming toward you, is there anything you can do to stop it or break that up - you know, to protect yourself against it?) No suh, ah nevah heard whut dey do to stop it. But dey tells me when yo' see one, if yo' usin' a hammer - yo' see, it ain't got [to be] a natch'ral nail, but den dey got de nail in view, an' den jes' so many time a day dat hammer nail, dat gain yo' so many days from bad luck or good - it's always mostly fo' bad. I don' nevah hear talk dat it was fo' good. [If you have a hammer in your hand or near- by when you see a whirlwind, as many times as you hit a nail or an imaginary nail that day will be the number of days you will be free from bad luck.]
Entry 348
Dere wus mah ole granddaddy, ah used tuh hear him tell it de way he had a uncle doin' it - dat he wanted to be good wit his boss. He would go out to a road-crossin' [crossroad] befo' day in de mawnin' at fo' 'clock - well, when it is winter in de fall of de yeah. An' he'd go dere fo' so many mawnin's an' stan' in dat road-crossin' an' make his wishes. He'd go dere de first mawnin' an' he'd make his wish an' he would go back fo' de second mawnin' an' make his wish; he went back dere de third mawnin' an' he made his wish an' he didn't see anything. He went back de fo'th mawnin' an' made his wish an' he wus tole tuh turn aroun'. When he turn aroun' he seed a man, a great big black man, an' dat man ast him whut did he want. Said he tole him dat he wanted luck. He said, "Well, go back, an' come back fo' nine mawnin's. An' he went back an' de ninth mawnin' he met dis man dere agin an' he ast, "Whut chew come fo'?" He said, "Well, ah come fo' luck." He said, "Well, it's one thing yo' will have tuh do." Said, "Yo' will have to not serve nobody but me." An' he ast him, he says, "Kin yo' say, God isn't all?" An' he tole, says, "Well, ah will serve yo'." Dat whut wus called sellin' yo'self to de devil. Well, de devil ast him, says, "Do yo' believe in God?" He says, "Yes." He says, "Yo' cain't serve me." Den he went back an' ast him agin. He says, "No, ah believe in yo'." An' he tole him den, says, "Ah'm goin' make yo' a part ruler ovah de whole earth as long as yo' serve me, an' yo' must cuss God three times." Say he cuss God three times. An' he tole him tuh go then an' git a black cat an' throw dat black cat into boilin' watah. He tuk dat black cat an' throw it in boilin' watah, an' de bone dat come on top, he took it. An' he says, "Now, when's [when it's] de time tuh git ready fo' a piece of money, git where it is, an' says yo' jes' take dis piece [bone] an' put it in yore mouth an' go an' git de money an' walk on out." An' said, dis uncle [went] down dere [a bank?] one day an' dey all wus sittin' in dere countin' out money, he put it [bone] in his mouth an' walked in dere an' git de money an' walked on out. An' well, ah 'member de time - lota people used tuh tell it dat he used tuh go down to de sto's an' git things in de name of G. Berry. His name was G. Berry. Said G. Berry would go down to de sto's an' git shoes or anything he wanted an' come on out an' de wouldn't see him till he take dat bone out his mouth. See. Dey git atter him an' put de houn's on him, de dogs on him. An' he'd ran an' ran an' put dat thing in his mouth an' de dogs turn roun', dey nevah could run him back. He'd run an' de dogs couldn't see him. De dogs jes' runnin' an' howlin' an' jes' goin' on. An' one time dey put him in jail - dat wus in mah days when ah wus a boy. An' dey put him in jail an' when dey come out - dey locked him up an' come outa jail, dere G. Berry sittin' right on de steps.
(Where did he live?)
He lived in Tifton, Georgia.
Entry 379
Well, to dress the house thataway, you see those paradise seeds. You take that paradise seed and you take you some parsley with paradise seed, you takes you nine rocks like off the railroad [bed of railroad track]. See. Tie that up into a sack. You put that, you understand, at your step but don't bury it - the same as you'd take a piece of stick thataway and tie it up on the side there. Everybody'll pass there, even the children - they'll look, their mind will tell them to stop there, but they'll continue by. [Stick and children I explain later.] The same as any treasure what's buried. In the olden time when they used to bury money, they would take a individual back to the place where they going to bury the money, he not knowing anything. The poor darky would be ignorant of the act. And he would stand there and they'd ask him, "Would you watch this money?" He knows it's money and he would say, "Yes" - for this reason, they worked him so hard, he thought he would just Sit there and watch the money, it would be a easy job for him. He'd say "Yes." They'd say, "Would you swear?" 'Yes." They'd make him raise his hand and swear. When he raise his hand to swear they would shoot him down. Now, to get that money - the evil spirit will come around there and worry you so. You have to know your business to get that money; if not, you will never get it, see, because he have promised, he have made an oath, a dying oath to watch it and he watch that money. You going to dig that money. They have diff'rent forms come there such as lions, elephant and diff'rent things. It don't be anything but a shadow but who's the man will stay there to see whether it's anything or not. Well, it's the same way. Whensomever you make a swear, make a oath that- away, you understand, it means something. It's the same as a law being made in the Senate with an amendment to it; see, not to be broken. Yes sir. (I see. That's the same thing, you say, as this little bag hanging on the stick by your gallery?) [This is a hand to keep children off the gallery.] Yeah. For instance, if there's money buried in the corner of this yard and - you kin have fifteen children, they'll never go in that corner and play; they'll play all over the yard, they may start that way but before they get there they will go to another direction.
(Why is that?)
Well, 'cause that money is there and the spirit is there and they have a good mind - the spirit don't allow no one there, he's there to watch it. They'll have a mind - they'll leave they house to go to that corner of the yard but before they get there, they'll go off. I saw the [this in] natural life - the thing happened at a place in a swamp [a spirit guarded a tree] - they had the skeeter pulling out some logs. There was a tree leaning towards the sunrise. They have a kind of a slot, look like, cut in the tree thataway - like it had been cut out of the tree, the tree was hollowed, and sot back in there again. [This treasure was buried in this slot.] Now, to make fast for the skeeter with that line, he'd have to go and cut the top off that tree for the rigger to tie his rigging there to pull the log with, and don't you know he couldn't go there. He put the axe on his shoulder and leave from the skeeter before he go there. He start thataway but before he get there, he come out the other way. So the white fellow said to him, "Well, skeeter, what's the matter - going to keep me all day?" Say, "Well, I can't go there - get in there." It doing the same thing - they never get there - have to make fast somewhere else.
(What's a skeeter - what's his work?)
That's pulling the logs out of the swamp, you see. They set here, you know, and they got a line pract'ly go to Canal Street - they got a line go to Canal Street, and they attach it to the top of the top bough of a tree. They got a bicycle runs on that cable and they got a tong to hook the log. And, gee, hit pull logs and there's them logs flying up in there just the same as a bullet.
Entry 417
Go to the graveyard at midnight. But chew have to go by yourself and you take a penny. You got'a give 'em, take something with you 'cause then - when you go walk round the grave two or three times see, around the head and you walk round the foot two or three times. And then you go back - well, about nine times all together, and then you kneel down. But yo' have to put yore hand - dig down, put chure hand in and git the dirt from this, right off the coffin. See. But then, when you do that, you have to leave a penny or some vinegar or something.
(Why vinegar?)
Well, that's to keep the spirit from hurting you. You kin even have whiskey on you, see, to keep the spirits from harming you; you see, so they don't be disturbed [see Spirits and alcohol, in Index]. Course ah never did this but ah -
(I know, you are just telling me what you heard.)
And then when you go out, if you don [leave a gift] when you git to that gate, they will rassle [wrestle] with your soul. Even if you call spirits in here now, you make a circle and call spirits; you'd have to fortify that circle, because if you don't - course you do that around twelve 'clock at night. You fortify that circle. You kin call the spirits and when you - they scare yuh to death, but if you fortify it and sit inside that they can't harm you.
(How would you fortify that circle, then?)
Well, you have to make crosses you see - make a circle for yourself to sit in. And then you make a gate like and you put - make a cross there and then you have to use holy oil and holy water and candles, and then you set inside of it and then you can call de spirits and sit there quiet and pray and they'll come. But you has to have a dozen candles. [Washington, D. C. (627), 804:2.]
Entry 426
Ah ain't nevah seen dem hunt money but dere was money gived to me twice through de spirits - see, whether ah was hoodooed or whut, but anyhow it was give to me jes' lak if ah'm laying in dat bed dere 'sleep. Somepin come tuh me an' woke me up and tole me, says, "Right undah heah dere's $12,00 buried right down heah in de ground three and a half feet in de ground," and says, "ah give it to yo'." Well, ah got in tech wit a man in Ocean City, New Jersey - a hoodoo fellah and he come down dere. Hit was a man dey called to put people, yo' see, together when dey separate - he kin put em back together lak dat. [He is not talking about a marriage counselor but about a hoodoo fellah who uses hoodoo methods for putting together or back together - both technical terms.] Well, he come down and he tole me, "Say, Boy, if dere's money heah, it ain't gon'a cost yo' nuthin'. It was not right whare ah was standin' den, but ah knowed where it was.
(Where were you then?)
In Augusta, Georgia, an' dis happen sixty miles from Augusta. Well, we comes on down dere den to dis place. So when he got dere, was some peoples in de house an' so ah tole him, ah say, "How we goin' git dat?" He say, "Ah fix dat." So we went on in dere an' dis man talked wit dis man - de colored fellah what had de house and de was staying in de house - he was just. renting it, see, but it was a white fellah's place. So, well, we goes to work dere den, and dis man said, "Well, ah'll git all de peoples out from roun' heah tuh work, then ah'll let yo'all go inside dere." So we went in dere and de man took de needle and went over searching fo' it to see was it dere. So he searched all round dere and when he got to whare ah tole him where it was, the needle pointed right there - see, went to drawing his hand right on down to de ground. So he bowed his haid, said, "Us mustn't talk." An' so us went on off den. He said, "Yo' kin go off an' talk all yo' wanta." So we went on off dere to de car and he said, "Well, now, ah'm going dress yo' first," an' say, "an' yo' ahead on dere and go to digging right straight down." Say, "But if it's under de house, right at dat man's pillar whut holds up de house" - you see, we had tuh kinda dig [to keep] from undermining dat house, throwing it down, to ketch up with it [treasure]. An' so ah went on an' dig and when ah got through digging, ah had tuh beg - when ah got tired ah had to beg fo' another fellah - wit chure finger - yo' can't talk. An' so he say, "Ah'm goin have tuh dress yo'all. Yo' rub dis ovah yore face [demonstrates], 'cause somepin will come through directly big [as] a cow an' scare yo' to death." Said, "Ah have to dress yo' wit dis heah stuff to keep yo from being scared."
[For another example of a doctor curing a person of fear, see No. 16.]
(And where did he put it, over your face like that?)
Oil - some kind of oil [holy oil - oil the doctor had blessed].
(He rubbed it over your face?)
Yassuh, he'd taken an' jes' rub it ovah his face jes' lak dat an' his hands, yassuh. An' so dis fellah go back to digging. So, well it looked dat - he come back 'gin an' he put dat needle back dere 'gin and it pointed and draw right up under dere where dat block was. An' dat's where de money was under dat block, but chew see, we couldn't git to it. So he got a wagon axle and stuck down in dat ground where dat money was buried, an' covered it up, an' tole de fellah, say, "We are coming back." Jes' lak dat. But ah believe he double-cross me. See. He went to work den and de fellah tole him, said, "Ah'll burn de house down" - see - "an' let chew know. Ah'll stay in touch wit chew so yo' kin git to dis here stuff." See. He say, "Yes, 'cause yo' git good pay if yo' do dat - yo' won't lose nuthin'." So we never did go back. So we went to de other place where de money was gived to me - see, de money gived tuh me twice. An' we went to de other place an' we couldn't git up to it cause dere some white folks staying dere, yo' see, an' we couldn't talk tuh 'em lak we wanted to, so we wouldn't bring it up atall - jes' wait till dey move out.
(This root doctor, did you give him any money or anything?)
Didn't give him a penny - he wouldn't charge me nuthin' - an' de expenses cost him 'round about $12 'cause we made two trips down dere. But he didn't charge me a penny - give me all ah wanted to eat, an' ah's wandering why he did dat. Dat's why ah figured he double-crossed me. He went back an' got it.
Entry 1309
De objec' of de graveyard dust - now, we'll have tuh git dat graveyard dust a sutin [certain] way. Now, yo' gotta pay nine cents. That's, yo' might say, buyin' spirits from de graveyard to perteck yo'. Yo' see whut ah mean. Take nine cents an' carry it to a graveyard, an' go to a pusson who hasn't been dere grave, who hasn't been dead fo' very long, somepin lak two or three yeahs, somepin lak dat. Dat ain't too long. An' go right about midways of their heart of the body - 'bout where dey heart is. Yo' drives it down in dere about eight or ten inches, an' drop that nine cents there and bring up that much dust - see. When yo' bringin' up dat dust, yo' say, "I git chew in de Name of God de Father God de Son, to protect me in all affairs of life." See. Yo' take that an' yo' compose it with that same salt, sulphur an' stuff. That keeps that spirit alive an' full of activity an' vigor - watch fo' him, see.
Entry 1592
Like somebody put somepin on cheh [here] fo' yo' an' right along yore path and when yo' steps on dis, why you'd have a pain in yore laig. Well, yo' Wouldn't know what caused it but chew would go to someone and dey would tell yo' right away. Git sulphur, spirits of turpentine, put all dat on mah han's - spirits of turpentine [and sulphur] and take mah han' and go to de chamber lye and bath 'em in dat, and go right on dere [to buried cunjure] and take it up. [I can now] go over dere and dey won't ketch me, de pain won't ketch me atall. Ah'd take it [cunjuring object] up and take, carry it to de fork of de road and burn it. When ah carry it to de fork of de road and build a fire under it, why it sparks. Well, it's all gone - it go right back to where it come from, see.
[I now ask informant to repeat part of story I failed to record.]
(How did you say you knew this was laid down out there for you?)
Ah seen de spirit - jest like you'd dream, ah seen de spirit and dey go on showed it tuh me. Ah git up in morning and ah goes right straight to it. See. Ah goes straight to it and ah 11 take and bath mah face and han s in dat - dis urinate in de night, and den ah take de spirits of turpentine and ah saturate mah han's good with dat. See. Den ah'll take dat sulphur and saturate mah hands good and den ah'll go dere to de hole and dig it up. When ah dig it up ah'll pick it up and ah'll take it to de four corners of de road and put it in de middle of de street and burns it. When ah put it down dere and build mah fire under early in de morning or late in de evening, an' when ah do that why dat pops. When it pops it goes back to where it come from.
Entry 1659
[Whiskey is frequently fed to a protective hand or to a troublesome spirit.] Well, dey say if a person dies, if he die cruel to yo' or something lak dat, say his spirit will come back. Well, it comes den through a dream - co'se dey has rid me, it jes' as natch'r'l though as I'm lookin' at chew. Dey jumps right up on yo' an' dey ketch yo' an' when dey ketches yo', yo try to call but yo' can't call - yo' jes' [demonstrates] (gasp - gasp) jes' lak dat until he turn yo' loose.
(Trying to catch your breath?) [For a hag or spirit riding, see p.135f.]
That's right - until he turn yo' loose an' yo' kin hear 'im when he hit de floor. An' yo' kin hear 'im when he come in, but chew can't not see 'im.
(This is a spirit?)
That's right.
(Well, can't you keep them out of the house any way?)
Yo' take a new piece of lumber [see p.513f.] an' take yo' a lamp. First, yo' take that lumber, a new piece dat never been used, an' drive it right cross de do' an' set dat lamp about three and a half feet from it, an' he'll never walk in no more.
(What kind of a lamp?)
Jest a ordinary burning lamp, oil lamp.
(You keep that lamp lighted at night or?)
Jes' turn it low an' put dat piece of new lumber down dere an' yo' won't be bothered with him any more - unless you'd use it, take it up. (Did you ever hear of them catching one of those people? Sometimes they catch them.) Well, ah've heard they catch them in a sifter. Yo' takes a sifter an' when yo' put it over yore face, right up on yore breast lak that, or if it's a person dat have drunk whiskey - if he is a whiskey drinker, yo' takes a little whiskey yo' put right round in dat place, an' when he comes, he'll git in that an' yo'll ketch him an' when yo' ketch him, he's jes' a lump of jelly.
Entry 2499
Yo' know de truth always is right. We runs - we wus fulla dem things, too. Befo' mah husband died we run de same thing an' we run de same years, but de lawyers nevah caught us. Well, now ah'm goin' tell yo' whut we use on dat. It was learned to us tuh use dat an' ah used dat. Dat was saltpeter an' dat copperas, table salt an' red peppah, an' we made a powders of dat. An' a dead spirit from de graveyard to get de dirt - yo' know, after yo' done talk to de daid spirit an' tell him whut he want do. An' den mix dat togethah an' make a powdahs, an' he has crossed de road on many a time and de law could nevah come by our do'. (Well, how did you fix that - I mean what would you do with that after you fix that up?) Yo' jes' mash it all up fine.
(Then what do you do with it?)
Throw it in de road - jes' cross de road where dey come 'cross. Jes' ary road dat lead in to yore house with de law, why yo' put dat 'cross dat road - any distance yo' wanta from de home, where yo' know he kin turn in. An' if he evah git to dat one time, he ain't comin' in no mo'.
Entry 2512
I keep holy water tied on my bed - that's to keep the evil spirits away, and I sprinkle it in the four corners of my house-like when I scrub like that for luck. I scrub my house good like today and if I'm going to use lye, if I have any kind of suspicious idea of some of my enemies have crossed the sill of my door. You see? I scrub with lye today and tomorrow I will go aver my house with nine buckets of water. And I'll take that holy water, after the floor dries, and go to the four corners of the house and sprinkle some in each corner. You see? And I make the sign of the cross.
(That's supposed to prevent all evil?)
Evil. That keeps all evil spirits away.
Entry 2758
[Good material about the private shrine is difficult to find. Most of my information I have included under subsection Saints or left intact in the Interviews section. Here I will include one more example - a unique offering of food to enemy spirits living and dead.] (Your aunt did this, had the altar?) Yes - she's daid now.
(And you say she burnt these candles?)
Yes, an' she'd put food there.
(What would she put the food there for?)
Fo' certain people - the people she thought, yo' know, would harm her. An' she would put their name on a piece of papah, an' write it there.
(Well, who ate that food?)
Well, she believed in de spirits.
Entry 10129
I have heard the old people say you get the two hind bones of a black cat's leg, both legs, they should be dried, and sew up into a woolen rag and they should be carried all the time. And you use these bones as your guard against evil spirits.
Entry 11258
[The beginning of this interview has already been published in pages 1515-1517, volume 2. Since that selection contained only 1 1/2 pages of text, I have decided to reprint it here as its proper place, thus giving the complete interview, even its former introductory paragraph.] [Here is one of those little black Buz- zards pretending to be the fabulous Doctor Buzzard himself (p.1417, line 2). He, informant 464, also makes one of those great entrances mentioned in the INTRoDUCTIoN - enters, says nothing, walks up to his side of the interviewing table, and then blows flames of fire out of his mouth at me. A note of mine reads, "Wore a beret - a queer bird!" Another note of mine reports: 'Thursdav. June 10, 1937 - No.464 - Doctor J. D. Buzzard [or] Doctor Alayoon Buzzard - 800 Lincoln St., Norfolk" - Numbers Book 442-621. Doctor Buzzard's consultation technique will be found on pp.307-321, especially margin title, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME, p.316f. Since office hours kept him from staying very long (!), his material is on cylinders 453:6-456:12.]
(My man [contact man Carter] was telling me that you have a very nice office.)
I have. (Well, when these people come in - go to you - do they tell you their diffi- culties and you help them?) No, I tell them.
(Oh, you tell them. I see, they just come in and they don't say anything.)
Don't say anything. I just tell them what they want when they come in. (And then you know just how to take care of each case, what to give in each particular case.) Absolutely.
(Do you have special office hours or?)
Nine to eleven - two to five. But today, on account of it being Thursday, the [Something] Street offices are closed after twelve o'clock, so I got to get there and tell the people 'fore twelve o'clock.
(Do you make any medicines?)
I do. I make a tonic for the body functions - digestion, digest all into the body. Goes to the liver, the kidneys, the bladder, you stomach, your blood and your bowels - to eradicate constipation. And also make a wine tonic medicine - a very good medicine to bring you vitality. You know, medicine is on the form of vitamin A and vitamin B - registered in New York City under seal No.7393, passed the Pure Food and Drug Law of June 6, 1906. Course there are three better, three greater than I am - that Aunt Carolina Dyer.
[For Caroline Dyer, see MADAM COLLINS of Memphis, p.1023, lines 3lf.]
(Where does she live? Dial?)
Dayer. She's in Algiers - the ruling queen of our class.
(Where does she live?)
Algiers. That's where we will hold our convention. (Suppose a fellow is going out to get a job. Is there anything he can do especially to get a job?) Lodestone is one of the best things - and Adam-and-Eve. He can carry it in his pocket.
(When you make gambling hands?)
[You take] lodestone, one silver dime, High John the Conquer, Adam-and-Eve, anvil dust and nine Victrola needles. Then keep it soaked in Hearts Cologne and don't let nobody touch it. Keep it in your own pocket where you have your money you gamble with. You don't ever use quicksilver [tin foil or scrapings from mirror back] in there. Carry the right hand little finger in their pocket.
(Oh, the little finger of the right hand.)
Little finger bone.
(Well, what can you do with that particular bone?)
That bone is a bone to keep evil spirits away - so they claim. Now get this, I'm making it plain now - so they claim. Now, I've had contact with different places and I - I'll make it, "So the rest claim, not me." Because if I can't be right, understand, I don't want to talk with you at all. What they claim, not me.
(Well, what do they claim? What about it?)
Claim it will keep evil spirits away, remove your enemies and bring better conditions to you environment. When a baby is coming up in a lot of these countries, there's a snake will always come where that baby at. And as long as that baby plays with that snake that snake will not unharm [harm] the baby, you either. But if anything kill that snake, he's liable to call the undertaker for the baby.
(The baby will die, too.)
[This snake and baby superstition is usually connected with food, especially milk - see FACI, 2ed., Pp.62-63, Nos.1571-1572.]
[How do you] (keep the law from the house?)
That's easy - 35 cents, that what it cost. It's easy to collect $50 for that. Go to the drug store and get a bottle of rhubarb [liquid preparation]. Go to your kitchen and get bicarbonate of soda, which is nothing but plain baking soda. Take the bottle of rhubarb and plain baking soda and ten dimes and cuss God with them and read John 3:16 ["For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son...."]. And just take the [blessed] water and sprinkle it in your front door and back door, and the law can't come in.
(That actually will work.)
Actually works.
(That you'd get a small fine, or get off, anything of that sort?)
Ain't no fines in anything what I use - walk in and walk out. I use Adam- and-Eve - Husom and Bousum.
(What?)
Husom and Bousum - hang 'em and strangle 'em and master 'em - put 'em in a Pouch with nine needles and nine pins and Black Eagle - that's lodestone. Keep it in your pocket and no judge can sentence you. (Well, now, suppose you tell me some ways people say, or that they can harm you in some ways. Suppose someone was trying to harm you, what would you say?) In speaking of harming me, through my natural experience of 51 years work, born in Abbadaba [Addis Ababa], Ethiopia, reared in South Carolina, KNOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS ROOT DOCTORS OF THE WORLD TODAY, in Other wOrds, lMOWn as Dr. Buzzard.... I was in Charleston when [I stop machine. Twice I stopped machine to bring him back to the point. I had not yet learned, perhaps never learned, tat the "doctor" himself is as important as his rites!] There's several ways that a person can harm you. Then, in other words, there's several ways that people say they can harm you, you cannot be harmed. The foot- track [I had probably mentioned it as a possible source of harm] you cannot be harmed by it. Must be something in the personal body, sweat on the arm of the shirt [armpit], the crotch of the underwear, the sole of the sock, hair from the head [these] can be used in a way to harm, which has been proven. Why? Because in the natural experience of my ownself, I know. Just now, I'm going to [some- where - his office?]. See, like I tole you [before recording began] I had to be [somewhere]. [To say that he was on his way to see a patient at home or in his office was an occasional safety valve for some of the doctors. It provided an excuse to depart quickly, if he became suspicious about my intentions. In the present case I think he was on his way to his office and then to the case that follows.] I'm going out there on a case this afternoon. The mother 35 years old, the daughter 18, [the mother] married to a husband 21 years old. The daughter is puttin' the mother out of the way in order to get the stepfather, and she is using the hair from the mother's head.
(What is she doing with it?)
By using it in a sap tree - in other words, each and everybody knows what a sap tree is - placing it in there with a peg, nine mornings straight hitting it, the ninth morning she runs the mother crazy - not dead, crazy.
(Well, now, how would you handle a case of that kind?)
Take a case of that kind, it's only one thing you kin do, that's go into the Woods and get: mandrakes, Indian turnip, olive leaf, Sampson root snakeroot [Sampson snakeroot?] and rattlesnake [root]. Taking those roots and combining them together and taking what is called the magic crystal, locating the tree, removing the stop [plug] and replacing that in there. That eradicated the cause that has been placing it upon her.
(You say, a magic crystal?)
A magic crystal. I have one.
(What do you do, look into it?)
It is used with salt and water - not the crystal - it's the magic crystal and there's only 26 of 'em made. As I told you, we hold our Convention in June.
(Where is that convention going to be?)
Algiers, La., right across from New Orleans.
(I might go down to it. Figure I could talk to anybody down there?)
Do you want to go? I'll give you a letter of recommendation.
(All right.)
And by me being the president of it, see...they once tried...there was 72 [of us] but by me being the president and one of the oldest ones in existence today, understand me, you would be able to get in there with a letter of recom- mendation. All you gotta do there, ask for Carolina Dyer. [I mention Carolina Dyer somewhere in HOODOO, she was supposed to be up in Arkansas.] You go to New Orleans and you cross over to Algiers. That's an island. [I doubt Algiers being an island!] And then you kin get in there and come in contact - you may derive some benefit from it, but they are very peculiar. (I know, everybody's different; you know what I mean.) [They could not have been more peculiar than the man talking to me! He may have thought the same thing about me!] Because we hold our convention - we hold a gathering. Our convention will cost pretty near around eight or nine thousand dollars.
(What's the name? What do you call the convention, is there any name?)
It's a legal - I mean gathering of the workers of black art. (I mean, has it any legal [title] - the Convention of So-And-So - something of that sort? Call it any name?) Yep! It is the Convention of the Workers of Ahechey [? alchemy?] IN OTHER WORDS, BEING WITCHCRAFT. Some call it black art. (Well, now, suppose a man left home and his wife wanted to bring him back. What could you do to bring that man back?) Well, I got - only thing, I'm sorry, you say you didn't want the witness.
(I see. Well, you tell me what you did to her, I'll believe you.)
Well, I have a case now that just on this same case here; see, where you talked with the girl. Well, she was back here, now. I use graveyard dirt, red pepper - I use mandrakes, High John de Conquer, and blueveins....taking those and placing 'em into a combination together, placing them into a box twelve inches high, sinking it below the surface, and placing it on the side of the bed where she sleeps upon. Taking that stocking and tying nine knots in it and making nine wishes...in nine days time he'll be back... (Well, is there anything to that question of getting hold of your fingernails or toenails?) (That's a personal part of the body, yeah.
(What do they do with those?)
Can take fingernails, take them to the graveyard at the hour of midnight at twelve o'clock at night, and pray to Atomaha. And you pray to Atomaha, and then after you pray to Atomaha, you take three grams of ginseng to....blackroot - some people call it High John. Some of this flagroot that grows in the woods, some calls it calomel, which it is calomel. (Well, then, what do you do to make that, what you were going to tell me, with those roots?) Then you take a ounce elanda[?] and after, you take the balmeter of mandrakes, and you place it in a jar. You get nine rusty nails, ketch the first rain of that month, and place those nails and that balmeter in the jar. Then you cast it in running water, and there's your result.
[While machine is turned off I returned to the magic crystals.]
Everybody can't get those magic crystals.
(Well, how are you supposed to get them, I mean...)
You got to go through the clan [plan?l. Those crystals are made by one special person, one special corporation. They cost all the way from $135 to $400, and you gotta have 'em ordered special.
(Well, now, on this "plan" do you pay dues or anything of that sort?)
They pay $128 a year.
(You have officers and....)
We have officers, sergeants at arms, lieutenants, secretary, treasurer and president, and vice-president.
(You what? You do what?)
Providing she kin get her hands on 'em.
(I see. What would she do?)
With different little complication [combination] of herbs, such as I mention- ed, she kin go ahead and use that. Pat him on his shoulder, put some on his head, and the third day he'll be crying for her. (Well, where does she have to get that from? From somebody that knew how to do it?) Yeah. (Well, what sort of a combination of herbs would they use on a case like that? Or what would you do, what would be the routine?) The procedure to produce productive effects of that would be this: Go to your drug store and get you a Solomon seal - only cost you a dime. Then go to an herb store and get King John [that can be anything]. Also after you get King John get what we call rabbit tobacco.
(You call that rabbit tobacco?)
Rabbit tobacco, that's life everlasting. [Rabbit tobacco - the balsam weed
(Gnaphalium obtusifoliwn). Life everlasting can be any species of Gnaphaliwm.]
Take the herb, the roots of life everlasting and boil it until the water becomes a half a pint, and then add one ounce of Hearts Cologne perfume to it, and sprinkle it on the party. Have it in your hand and pet him on the head and shoulder...
[I turn off machine too quickly and must repeat his words.]
(That works in three days.)
I'll guarantee to bring any man's woman back in 72 hours. [Here again we have the numeral 72, first used as the number of members be- longing to the black art convention, formerly meeting annually at Algiers, La., according to our informant. The number here probably means the 72 disciples mentioned by the Gospel of Luke in Chapter lO. But even here there was a little hocuspocus: 6 days of Creation multiplying the 12 tribes of Israel, etc.]
(Someone told me that lodestone - the hairs grow on it. Do they, naturally?)
It does. No, hairs don't grow on it. They form and then you git anvil dust. They call it lodestone, you kin see it breathe. You kin even see it breathe. (Do you manufacture - do you make hands for people? Sell hands? What they call hands?) Yeah, I make gambling hands, luck charms, mojos. Use the blood from a chicken. Take nine chickens and use the blood form. Take it and find a sinner's grave in de graveyard and bury the blood from those nine chickens after they have bled three minutes each - not under three or over three. And bury it in the sinner's grave in the graveyard. It will bring destruction to a home.
(Three pieces of silver?)
Boil it in quart of water, using High John the Conquer, pine tar, birch, mandrakes, snakeroot. Bath [scrub] your floor and the person will be back in less time than nine days. I'll guarantee you they bring your property [back] promptly.
(You don't have to go to go to law about it at all.)
1453 South Street, Philadelphia, name's Bramberg. Look like he's crying. Wears a turban all the time. Well, he' s one of the clairvoyants. I can name all the clairvoyants: King, High John, High Cock [top], Red Onion, Beetum, Jabacadaba, P.... Hawk, Singe, Placomb is dead, Dr. Harris is dead, Dr. Bayham is dead. There's one more that's dead, Aunt Carolina, she's living. [Is this Carolina Dyer?] Aunt Silver. I can name the clairvoyants down: Miss Alrich, she's all that's left.
(Well, how could a woman make a man give her his money?)
By using the sweat from the hankerchief. She wipes her face on it and boil it and give it to him in his coffee.
(And he'll have to hand over all his money?)
Not all. I wouldn't say all, but the biggest portion of it.
[I think I was to meet him again.]
And I'll show you things that I done done. You'll see...because in my re- search work I want to help a person. Only thing I ask you, if you want to go there, ask for Alayogi [Allah Yogi?]. It's no use talking about it.
(Alayogi.)
Jes' don't use Doctor Buzzard, because we under our secret oath.
(You can trust me absolutely.)
Alayogi.
Entry 12155
If yo' have a sweetheart an' he's got anothah [girl] friend, an' yo' yanta break him up of dat friend. Yo' go tuh a hickory tree an' yo' take - git chew a switch of it - yo' measure three joints of it of de middle fingah.
(The three joints of the middle finger in length.)
Dat's right - an' notch 'em. See, yo' cut dat off. Yo' notch it round. Now when yo' git tuh dis woman house where yo' wanta break yore friend up, yo' begin tuh walk in her yard where she walk ovah, an' yo' begin tuh talk tuh it jes' whatsomevah dat chew wanta say. See. If yo' want 'em tuh part, yo' say, "Well, it seem like" - whoevah yo' wanta part, yo' call dem by dere name, yo' whittlin' dat - say, "Now, ah'm goin' part chew-all [you all]." De second one yo jes' whittle dat off. Well, now yo' take dat othah part an' yo' buckle [bend] it tuh yo'. Buck- le it tuh yo' an' bring it as a hoop an' wrap it jes' dataway. An' it be a hoop. Yo' carry dat an' put it undah yore step, an' dat'll break dem up. (That one piece you cut off the length of your middle finger. That you whit- tle. And then the long piece that is left, you wrap that around you - just make it go around you. Then you let this hoop fall off....) No, jes' lak dis [demonstrates]. (You put that together by intertwining the ends. And what do you say while you wind that other around?) Say, "Now, yo' make lak dat yo' kin stay 'way from dis house, but now ah'm goin' break yo' up from heah." An' as yo' say dat, yo' jes' throw it right undah yore steps. Now, when he come back tuh yo' an' have tuh walk ovah dat step, his spirit will nevah follow dat othah house no mo'.
Entry 13220
You take a little - if you have a certain powder, ah don't [know] what powder it is that this company has - but anyhow if you use [you can use] plain snuff. You know snuff that the people use, Jes' take that in your hand and put a little bit on that way, if you feel a enemy is near. You kin put a little bit on the stove and Watch it and you git all excited, see, an' you jes' blow a little bit out there and con- trol people that way. (In other words if you put this powder on the stove, then I couldn't hurt you - if you burn that snuff and [or] powder.) No, you couldn't do anything to me. See, that would upset you, you would git nervous. Then, if you wanta draw people to you, jes' put a little on yore hand, blow your breath out there and say something, you see. But you have to always say somepin 'cause thoughts are [powerful?], whatever you say. For instance, now if you wanted me to do anything, you say. Ah wouldn't dc anything 'cause ah wouldn't know but chew gotta ask me to do such-and-such a thing. And thats it. Whatever you do, you gotta always talk to the spirits and ask 'em to do it. Whenever you want the powder to do anything, you say, "Powder, I want Hattie so-and-so or Mary so-and-so to do so-and-so, In the Name of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." But it be's for God and everything, but not by darkness. God's our pal.
Entry 13397
Pour urine, salt, red pepper and sulphur at door to protect against evil and spirits. [Washington, D. C. 208:5.]
Entry 48
They tell me you can feel them. You feel creepy your- self; feel like something creeping up on you and going to grab you. You get awful restless. They say - a spirit is creeping up on you.
Entry 50
In country places in the wintertime you can pass a warm stream going over your shoulder and all up and down your face. You're kinda like where they was over a stove right out of doors. There's something funny about that. But olden people said it was a spirit that you met. I've passed them many a time in my time. I've been awful frighten because I hearn the olden people speak about them so much. I thought they could harm me. I used to tell my mother about it. She said, "There's no harm in them. Don't be afeard."
Entry 636
Mah ole cousin - she's dead now - she used to could look in a glass of Water and she could concentrate with the spirits in this glass of water and she have tole some things out of that. She'd knock on de table and she would hold her head down and she would look in that glass of water and she could jest tell you most anything. Ah know, ah have heard - she have told me that. Ah went to her whenevah ah'd git worryin' or vexed - you know, any way aroun' home. Ah would go to her an' ah'd say, "Cousin Net, tell me some- thing - ah'm jest worried to death, ah don't know what will be mah outcome." But co'se, in mah faith [Roman Catholic] we're not supposed to believe in witchcraft or anything like dat. An' ah - ah didn't pay her anything - she jest consolatin' me and that's the way ah looked at it. An' so she say, "Everything's all right," she say, "but de people in yo' house yo' got'a watch out - dey gon'a try tuh skip yo'rent."
Entry 23
If that spirit goes out somewhere and gets killed or drownded, it will not return and the body lays dead.
Entry 34
It will drive them away but you can't make 'em stay, see. A spirit is something that you can't nevah drive away, but you kin silence him. You silence him^by the 23rd division of the Psalms of David - 37th division of the Psalms of David, the 108th division of the Psalms of David - will silence a traveling spirit - that's the spirit that comes in and goes out and each time when he comes in, he brings from one to seven more. Now, that's how come so many people become restless and dissatis- fied - is because of evil spirits transforming 'em, back and forth. Every time you breath you are breathing in and out some kind of a spirit. Well then, at night you will begin to worry about his moving around. In other words you kin take holy water and sprinkle it at chure door - up ovah your door and on each side of it, and read de 23rd division of the Psalms of David, and you will silence them, you won't have any more trouble out of 'em. Holy water is very good. Holy water is good to sprinkle on a person who, we Would say, if they were very sick, or if they were afflicted some way, could sprinkle this holy water around. Dere's lots of times again we would say that evil spirits visit around - dis holy water keeps the evil spirit away because de holy water supposed to be blessed by holy spirits.
Entry 38
[To catch a spirit or to protect your spirit against the catching or to release your caught spirit - this is the complete theory and practice of hoodoo.] Ah kin ketch yore spirit easy. A person kin - jes' lak yo' settin' dere an' ah kin be talkin' to yo'. Yo' talkin' tuh me an' I be walkin' back an' ah got a bottle. Ev'ry word chew says, I ease dat stopper down - ev'ry word yo' say until yo' git to de end, den yo' stop it down. Well, then yo' won't be sick but yo'll jes' be lak a bird flyin' - here an' yon - an' de moment dat yo' kin git to it an' pull de stopper yo'll be yoreself all de same.
(You have to walk backwards while you are pushing that cork down?)
Yes sir.
Entry 39
Oh, yes, dey take dat chamber lye and stop it up and call yo' name. After yo' answer dey stop dat chamber lye up and den dat'll stop you up. See, long as dat chamber lye is runnin', why yo' is gotta luck; but de time dat dey stop dat and call yo' dis way, dat's jes' like yore spirit. Well, dey ketch yore spirit and put it away with dat jug. Well, dat stop yo' bowels from moving altogether - you can't make no water. [This confusion between bowels and bladder is common.] No way in de world fer you to make water 'till dey take dat stopper out.
Entry 60
Yo' dress that bed - specialiy when yore dead people come to yo' an' start to tell you somepin an' yo' wake befo' they tell you. Yo' take two matches an' cross them like that - stick a needle through it and lay it underneat' chure pillah with de point turned down, an' they'll come back an' finish tellin' you what he was tellin' you.
Entry 61
Fer protection from a root doctor - yo' already got dat, ain't cha? Dey cain't do nuthin', ah'm telling yo' now, if you keep it on; but chew gotta keep it on yo'. After ah got hurt, ah learnt - see, it come to me through de spirits to do it. You take yo' - dey kin put down anything dey wanta and you kin walk over it and it won't hurt see. You go to de drug store and git chew a nickel's worth of saltpeter and a nickel worth of bluestone and you take them two things. Don't put all it together. Take jest a little pinch of it, take it on a knife, and every time you pick it up say, "In de Name of de Father, Name of de Son, Name of de Holy Ghost."
(Each time you take a pinch on a knife, you say that.)
A pinch on a knife, say it on each one. All right, yo' take yo' some sulphur, take three pinches of that, "In the Name of the Father, Name of the Son, Name of the Holy Ghost." All right, that's three of 'em together - that's sulphur, blue- stone and saltpeter. All right, yo' take dat table salt de same way - you take dat sugar de same way. And then jest take and break yo' three match haids off and name dem de same way, "In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." Sew it up in a little rag, jest a little small thing, and tie it around yore waist [this is a hand] and you kin step over anything, dey can't do nuthin' - dey kin touch chew but dey ain't goin' do nuthin' to yo', dey ain't goin' do nuthin'.
Entry 76
I know something about spirits getting thirsty and coming and drinking. If you leave a glass of water overnight, don't drink out of it next morning; for they say, when it sets all night, the spirits drinks out of it. Always pour that out and get fresh water for yourself so in order not to drink after the spirit. That's what olden people used to say.
Entry 189
Dat's a wanderin' spirit. (The wandering spirit is that whirlwind. Do they ever do anything with that whirlwind?) No suh. But yo' kin ketch some of de dirt as it fly an' carry [hold] it ovah, an' if dere's any witches be riding, dat kin stop de witches from ridin' yo'.
(How would they do that?)
Dey'll give yo' somepin tuh put on yore bed.
(What will you do with that dirt?)
Carry it to de man - root man.
Entry 349
If you want to know how to play a banjo or a guitar or do magic tricks, you have to sell yourself to the devil. You have to go to the cemetery nine mornings and get some of the dirt and bring it back with you and put it in a little bottle, then go to some fork of the road and each morning sit there and try to play that guitar. Don't care what you see come there, don't get 'fraid and run away. Just stay there for nine mornings and on the ninth morning there will come some rider riding at lightning speed in the form of the devil. You stay there then still playing your guitar and when he has passed you can play any tune you want to play or do any magic trick you want to do because you have sold your- self to the devil.
Entry 384
I know that when I was three years of age, we lived in the country. There was a big cherry tree out in front of my house. Every day about three o'clock in the afternoon I would see a man clad in a suit of armor, a helmet on his head, running out break-neck speed around this cherry tree. After he would run around the tree a few times he would run down the lane and disappear. I would call my mother and sister and try to show them this man, but they would tell me that they saw nothing and would wonder why it was that I would say I saw something. One day when I was trying to show them this, my grandmother came to my rescue and said there was money buried there under that cherry tree, that a man who had been a soldier in the Civil War had buried it there, and there was no doubt that it was that man's spirit who would appear to me every day, because maybe he wanted me to have this money. Later, my mother never consented to allow me to dig at this tree. My grandmother also tried to explain that the reason I could see and the others couldn't was maybe due to the fact that I was too young to be afraid of what I saw.
Entry 385
Well, he [informant's father who was a doctor] said dat chew could go to de fo'k of de road an' yo' could contact spirits an' dey would give yo' treasures an' give yo' information of people who've lived long. Den spirits would appear an' dey would give yo' treasures an' tell yo' where hidden treasures were. (Well, how would you contact them - how would you get in touch with those spirits - what would he do out there?) Well, he said burn incense - yo' kin burn incense dere, or yo' could take yore money needle an' it would lead yo' where de money wus of course.
Entry 386
He went right roun' an' roun' it [the grave]. He had had tuh had a red sack of sand. He had went roun' dat certain one grave, an' he had tuh be very careful of dem sacks - said he would of call up some animosity dere. He had a red sack of de graveyard sand an' a white sack, an' he taked an' empty it right aroun' de grave dere, walkin' right roun' an' roun' de grave of his wife [magic circle] an' emptied de red sack right around de grave dere an' after he empty de red sack he emptied de white sack. An' after he do dat, he stan' right in de middle of de grave an' his wife's spirit come up an' she tell him everything dat he wanted tuh know an' everything - an' anything she had done, where she had leave it an' everything.
(Where she had left this money?)
Yeah.
(Well now, this man, what does he do when he first goes out to the graveyard?)
He goes to dat certain grave - his wife grave an' goes roun' an' roun' dat grave dere - circle lak towards - lak de sun circle - twelve a'clock at night.
(Where did he get the graveyard dirt?)
Right in de heart of de grave - right in de heart of her grave right dere.
(He gets this dirt from her grave?)
Yeah. (Then he must use this red sack and white sack - then he sprinkles it back on her grave?) Yeah - he sprinkle it roun' an' roun' her grave - like de circlin' of de sun.
(And who told you this?)
Ah heard mah grandmothah said dat wus true. (The old man had done this. His wife had died and left some money and he did not know where the money Was. So he went out there to find it - to speak with her to find out where this money was buried?) Yeah. (He went out there and he circled around her grave and then he stood in the middle of her grave and got this dirt and put it in these sacks. Then he went around the grave again and circled it and sprinkled this dirt around her grave. Then he stood on her grave and she told him where it was?) Yeah.
(Your grandmother told you the story?)
Yeah.
Entry 389
I have heard that in digging money you carry some instrument and when you stick it down into the earth this money has a tendency to draw it and one will know that he has struck money. In the meantime something comes to one in the night and tells them about where the money is buried. They are supposed to be the one who buried the money. His ghost comes and tells you. This is made of iron something like a spear. And when you are digging this money, all the time something is around you - a ghost or something, although you may not see it you hear a lot of queer noises. Sometimes people when they want to avoid this noise or this ghost they say, "What in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost do you want?" And this ghost will disappear. And in the meantime I have heard, you will see ghosts all away around you. You say, "What in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost do you want?" They say that money is buried somewhere and they disappear. You go get this money and you will never see them any more. At my home there used to be a lot of people digging money. They used to have a lot of trouble digging it. They go there three or four times and they say they would get it. Every time they go to dig money they have big bad storms - windstorms, trees would blow over. You go out on a clear night and a storm would come up. You're not supposed to say anything. [Title Three Highest Names is informant's term, FACI,2ed.,1965, pp.746,787 etc.] [Place and informant number lost; by Ed.]
Entry 396
They came by the house - I was working on a pile driver - they wanted me to go with them and I decided I would go with them. They put me on guard duty when I got out where the hole was. About a half hour more or less somebody came by there and hollered to them. We thought it was the owner of the property - I did, and another man came and he heard it. They were down in the hole digging, about seven or eight feet down in the hole. It must of been the spirit of the people that owned the money.
Entry 416
You have to use them too, for treasures.
(Hunting treasures?)
Hunting treasure. Take a piece - not take the whole [tomb]stone, but take a piece of it. Supposing we were going to dig money here. We come down and locate the treasure right here. All right. Now, you are the party got a headstone. We knew he died - when he died and passed out. He did good things all of his days. Well, we take that along with us and we dig a hole in the ground so the people passing wouldn't see that light, and we'd light that light there - a pure white candle at that headstone. We'd light that light there, then we'd go ahead and we'd make a circle round there after we locate the treasure - to keep the spirit from entering the ring, and we'd go to work and we'd sprinkle all around there mustard seeds, mustard seeds all around there. Then we'd go ahead down in and we found - we done found the treasure - we got the sounding rod right on top of the treasure. Now, after we'd go through that process, why, then we'd go ahead right on down and dig. That have a tendency to keep the spirit away and the treasure won't move.
Entry 424
After I married Mr. Banks, there was a big crowd went out one night to hunt money and they were getting to the box. They had a woman reading the Bible. They always say to read the Bible to keep down the spirits. They had one man that was digging in there, he had one leg, and he had on a red shirt. And they say everything came in the shape of dogs, hogs, and everything. The last thing came was like what they call a red devil. He had to tail to him, long ears, and a spear in his hand, and spoke. And he said he wanted the man with the red shirt on. It so scared them all they all run away. And they left this poor man in the hole by his own self and he had a hard time getting out because he only had one leg: That ain't no lie. They went digging in there and all got scared and left. A lot of the men are dead and a lot living today. They never got the money. I don't know how they located it. They seen the box all right when these things came. There's certain Scriptures you read for spirits, they say. I don't think this woman could of been reading the right one or the spirits wouldn't have come so fast and scared them.
Entry 425
First of all, take fo' instance if dere a treasure down de cellar dere. Well, yo'll git dis treasure - it's accordin' to de kind of individual dat chew are. If yo' a Christian, well it's a certain verse dat chew read; now whut verse it is ah don't know. All right, when yo' read dis verse, someone supposed to be dere. Yo' not supposed to make any fuss, not supposed to talk at all, jest continuation of digging an' continuation of readin'. All right, if he have anything to say to yo' after yo' start diggin' an' walk off, ah'll hole yo' right whare yo' are. Well, if different spirits an' things fall in dat hole or throw de dirt in it or throw something down while ah'm digging, well ah'm not supposed to say nuthin' - jest continue to dig right on until ah git where ah want. An' ah can't say anything until ah git it outa the hole an' git it away from de hole. Then ah kin talk. Got'a wear red all de time to keep de spirits away [yet, see No. 424].
Entry 478
There's something on you riding and you can't speak. You get up and put de Bible under your head; open de Bible and put it under your head, then you'll - they come back there no more. Or you take a open knife or put a ice pick under there. See, those are evil spirits bothering you - see - and it won't bother you no more.
Entry 534
Ah heard tell, lak ketchin' a person's spirit - if dere's somepin dey calls a witch dat is ridin' yo' - if it's a spirit or somebody dat wantin' tuh tell yo' somepin - or somebody is tryin' tuh worry yo' because yo' worryin' some of dey folks upon heah. Ah heard tell dat at times dey might want a drink of whiskey or somepin if dey wus a big drunkard, an' dey worry yo lak dat; if yo po' down a drink of whiskey, dey're gone away an' won't bother yo' no mo'. If they bother yo' right on, yo' take an' git chew a sifter an' place it in de bed with yo', an' at the time this thing start tuh ridin', if yo' kin ketch it up - but it's kind of a strain fo' yo' tuh ketch it up, an' turn it ovah one time an' yo' ketch de spirit in dere. Dey tell me yo' see a lil' somepin de next mawnin' there in de sifter. [See Spirits, like alcohol, in Index.]
Entry 638
Graveyard dirt kin be used in many different things. It kin be used in love cases. Well, graveyard dust, if yo' wanta use fo' protection in love cases, yo' use it wit de wonderful water.
(What is the wonderful water?)
It's got from a spring runnin' dead no'th, a spring runnin' no'th - lak dis Way, de stream dis-a-way an' de spring heah runnin' no'th. (You get this wonder water and you get this graveyard dirt. How do you prepare this thing now?) Well now, we'll come on down an' prepare it fo' yo'. Yo' git the stream runnin' no'th - de spring is ovah on whut ah would call de south side of a stream runnin' dead no'th. Be sure dat chew find a spring wit de stream runnin' no'th. Well, we takes our graveyard dust an' we gits it in a clear bottle den wit a stopper to it dat we kin stop up, an' we goes an' puts some of de dirt in de bottle an' we gits our spring wit de watah runnin' no'th - we gits dat an' put it in dere. Den when we's goin' pull a deal of any kind, we sits our bottle with this heah graveyard dust in it. Well, quite natch'l, de dust will settle to de bottom of anything. Whatevah we gits our mind on, what de object we got befo' us - whatevah it may be, whether we make good or whether we lose out. Well, we handle dis bottle - we sets it on de table so de top of it will come clear. Yo' know spring watah is clear as a crystal, an' since [if] it clear as a crystal, why we knows everything whatevah we goin' do, we know we'll put it through. We put it ovah whatsomevah it may be. Well, den, if it's not dat way clear, it not fo' our luck tuh change right at dat time, dis heah graveyard dust will come up dere an' cloudy dat water jes' lak a cloudy day - change - de skies will change. It will change within de period of fifteen minutes. It will come on up an' cloudy dat water so yo' can't be sure atall. Den we jes' keep it dere, an' whenevah we goin' tuh do anything - in love cases or whatevah we may do, we goes an' git our bottle an' set it on de table in a quiet place. It's a great magic watah - it's a magic gift. Den we use dat tuh conquer spirits, yo' see, for sech things as whut dey call hants. We use dis heah spring watah wit de graveyard dust in it.
(How would you conquer a hant in that case?)
Well, if we conquer a hant in dat case, we put a little add into dat watah - we add somepin to dat watah, we'd add sulphur. We'd add burnt sulphur, we'd burn it - we'd burn it on de watah, somepin tuh form a little clond on de watah. Den we go up on dere an' git de cloud off an' put de cloud in dere on top of dat. Dat give us mo' force to conquer de spirit - we'd keep spirits away from anything we'd go tuh do. How to make a man come back. Yo'd have tuh use dis same watah in a case lak dat - it's a mind drawin' thing: First, yo' gotta git chure mind on whatevah object yo goin' tuh undertake tuh do. An' aftah we git our mind pin on dis heah, then we sits de watah befo' us an' we looks at de watah. We naturally sits dere an' looks - sometimes it takes us hours, until we kin git contact with the party whosomevah dey may be. They mind an' mah mind contact wit each othah, an' den he'll come tuh me, at de same time whether dey wants me or not. Den if ah want tuh draw 'em back, ah'll turn de watah, ah'll git de square bottle - see, ah'll turn de square side to me, an' ah'll give dem three days tuh roll in. Dey come back an' dey send fo' me. De same watah draw 'em back - draws through de mind, yore mind an' dis othah party's mind would come in contact together an' why, quite natch'ly, yo'll see 'em in three days aftah that. That is, if yo' stay on it dat long.
Entry 797
(How did you happen to learn this work - did you pick it uP yourself or did someone teach you?) Naw sir, ah was gifted to dat. All ah'm talkin' about ah was gifted - took it up mah ownself. When ah was twelve years old ah was showed de spirit - diff'rent herbs jes' fer about twelve-thirteen nights, until ah could go to 'um and tell dem, go to 'em. De five-finger grass dat's one of de luckiest grasses in de world - jes' like yore han'. Juh evah seen dat? (No, I never saw it.) Wall, dat's in dis country - it's hard to find without yo' know dere's some at. An' ah kin go to it right now. (Well, you were shown in this spirit. Did you make any effort to let the spirit teach you these things or what?) It showed me. Den ah went anywhere in de woods to find the same stuff what ah seed in mah sleep and bring it back to de house and showed de people and de older people say, "Well, dat [boy] must goin' be a doctor [or] somepin." Wall, then another night ah lay down and them things arrive befo' me agin and ah see lest little things, but ah go in de woods and ah couldn't find them. Wall, de. same thing arrive befo' me de next night; ah go in de woods an ah keep ahuntin till ah find that thing - dig it up and carry it back to de house. Sell dem jes like he [spirit?] said untul a doctor [which kind?], a white man who Was a doctor, said, "Well," he said, "how old is he?" Said, "He is twelve years old gwine on thirteen." He said, "Well, I would like to have this boy wit me." Wal, ah did not have no mother an' no father. Ah was jest a motherless child, jes' like ah am now - ain't know mah mother and mah father, be's a step-baby. But he's mah step-daddy. So he raised me - ah wasn't no, but get de idea. They knowed mah father and mother when they died and vo' see mah mother and father was under slavery. So dese people have dere freedom dey just taken us and raised us after dey give us freedom. An' so dey didn't have nowhere to go and so fer several nights - ah kin remember as good, we slept in de woods until de lady, name some- thing or other, that they knowed, let 'em have a ole log house to sleep in. Ah remember ah was on de floor. An' so ah kept on selling dem herbs to de white party. So den de doctor tole 'em, said, "Let him stay with me, ah'll give him good wages." And then he'd taken de roots after ah showed him how and tested 'em out and made medicine out of 'em hisself. And yo' see, he wasn't -
(You were born in Como, Georgia?)
Yes. You've heard talk of dat? [I certainly said Como, unless while my machine was turned off he had said something like Comah - in either case, it must have been Comer, a village 75 miles northwest of Augusta. My following yes to his question shows me thinking of two things at once - Lake Como in the summer of 1923, and don't interrupt.] (Yes, but you spent your manhood mostly in Augusta - you went there after you started to grow up.) Mostly in Augusta and here.
Entry 959
Well, as fur as ah kin learn, that's whut got me - it was given tuh me in some whiskey.
(What did they give you?)
Hit was graveyard dirt - it was in whiskey. Well, ah had a spell - all right, ah talked outen mah haid. Well, but ah don't do it only at certain times - an' ah does it now, too - an' ah kin go fo' a certain time till de moon changes - when de moon changes, well, ah gitten dat drinkin' spirit in me an' ah go an drink. Well, dey went an' dey digged dis graveyard [dirt] an' wheresomevah ah got dis whiskey at - [doctor] said dey sprinkle it in dey whiskey an' ah would drink it. Well, ah didn't know it. [For drinking spell & moon, see also No.13.]
(What makes you talk that way?)
Ah don't know - ah guess ah'm been like dat ever since I wus fixed like dat. See, ah had two spells - ah like tuh went crazy. (You said something about the spirit when you first told me - what about the spirit?) Well, it's de graveyard dirt - see, dat's de spirit from dere - yo' go to dat grave an' git dat dirt. Well, dat spirit is gon'a follow dat, yo' know. Well, ah already got some of it in me, an' ah kin heah mah insides always talkin' - jest, yo' know - dey talks to me jest like yo' talkin' - all kinda talks - curses me an' everything.
(These spirits inside of you talk to you all the time?)
Talk to me an' then ah kin heah ord'nary people like dat. (And you say this only happens to you on certain times of the moon. Well, when is that?) That's right - when de moon change - ev'ry time de moon change.
(Then you hear these voices.)
Entry 1175
Black chicken feathers, they burn them tuh drive evil spirits, dey say.
(Drive them away?)
Yes sir - tuh drive them away.
Entry 1203
In some parts of the South they claim, if you get some dirt from the cemetery and put it in a box and place it under the steps of your enemy, it will cause trouble in their home. And oft times they sought a cunjure man and he in turn gives them a piece of rawhide and tells them at intervals to tie a knot till that string is exhausted. That will do away with the evil spirit. [See Spirit Caught in Knot, p.389.]
Entry 1298
Ah've heard of a person writin' a lettah wit blood tuh do yo' some harm...we jes' say fo' instance if yo' were 'fraid of me or somepin lak dat. Dey claim dat if yo' kin git de blood from a goat - yo' kill a goat an' yo' ketch de blood whilst it's runnin', yo' know, hot. yo' see, Yo' take de blood whilst it's runnin' hot an' then yo' would use dat blood to conquer dis person, don't chew see. Yo' take a turkey's quill an' yo' dip it into dis hot blood from a goat...why yo' kill a goat an' yo' ketch dat blood, yo' know, whilst de goat is dying, an' yo' [dip the] quill in dis blood an' yo' write wit dat blood yo' see. It'll conquer yo'.
(What will that do then?)
Dey claim dat dat will conquer anybody that have any evil spirit against chew. Yo' know, yo' afraid of em - jes' lak a woman is afraid of a man, her husband. She left him an' yo' know is afraid of him - afraid he'll do her some bodily harm. They claim dat dis goat blood will vanish away all dat.
Entry 1306
Jest like I had a mother died or you had a mother died and de spirit you know, de spirit keep worrying you. See, lota people don't believe in it but colored peoples do believe in it. You git chew - you go to de grave and git some of that dirt and sprinkle it around de door and den de spirit won't bother you. Ah believes in it.
(Did you ever try it - did it work?)
Yes, sir - it worked.
Entry 1313
An old lady, she lives out there in [New] Kent [County, Virginia]. I can't call her name now, but she's a dark woman, she's got a daughter name Mattie about chore color, and she goes out to it every thirty days. She goes out to the graveyard and get about, I reckon about a half a pound that dirt. Ev'ry morning she changes that dirt in her shoes - says it keep the evil spirit out. And at nights when she go to bed she sprinkles it all around her door. [My informant, who intended no offense, is merely saying that a dark woman had a daughter name Mattie about as white as anyone could be.]
Entry 1343
Take a horseshoe and put it over the door and take some silver paper [tin foil] and wrap it around it, and hang it over the top of the door and you won't have any trouble with the spirit coming back - the prongs down.
Entry 1344
Well, yo' kin - jest lak, now, if somepin be's aroun' yore house sorta lak a spirit or somepin, yo' jest git chew a ole rusty horseshoe an' nail it up ovah yore front do' an' nail one up ovah yore back do', an' yo' won't nevah be bothered wit dem no mo'.
Entry 1347
Then burn this plain temple incense. Plain temple incense brings the good spirits to you and the evil spirits can't stay there. Sulphur, you know, that drives them away, too.
Entry 1364
If a spirit-lak worryin' yo', well yo' kin open a pocketknife an' put it in yore pocket an' no spirit can't harm yo' - any kind of pocket- knife an' put it in yore pocket an' walk off.
[See jack-o'-lantern, No. 136, p.46.]
Entry 1450
Take red peppah an' sulphah an' gunpowdah an' put it in yore shoe.
(What will that do then?)
That'll keep any evil spirits that are tryin' tuh harm you or something away.
(You could walk over anything and it wouldn't hurt you?)
Yes, walk over anything, wouldn't take any 'fect.
Entry 1476
Oh, well, yo' take yore shoes now an' a person try tuh wear it - jes' lak ah try tuh wear yore shoes an' try tuh harm yo'. Take it an' sprinkle salt an' peppah - keep salt an' peppah black peppah in dat shoe an' wear it right underneat' yore socks all de time. Ah mean not changin' dat - jes' let it stay in dat de same. An' den take yore toenails, de end of yore toenails an' trim dat an' keep hit in dere, keep it dere. He couldn't put chure shoes on fo' nuthin.
(Why would you do that?)
Well, dat tuh keep yore spirit in de shoes dat his spirit couldn't connect wit yores. (These are my shoes - whose going to do that? Am I goin' to do that to my shoes? Or some other fellow is going to do it to my shoes?) No, yo' do it to yore own shoes.
(Why am I doing that - to protect myself?)
Yes sir. [Place and reference lost.]
Entry 1621
They took urine and sprinkled it around the doors of any house to keep away bad luck and evil spirits.
Entry 1705
A wood rat. You can take that rat's skin and dry it and make him eat it and that'll stop him from wetting the bed. [The more usual folklore remedy is eating a mouse prepared many ways (Nos. 6308-6309); similar cures being a head louse eaten (No. 6306), or drinking tea from "white droppings of a dog" (No. 6302) - FACI,2ed., 1965, p.289.] [New Orleans, La., (855), 1352:6.] [What is a hand? A hand is a magic helper, an object or act, which aids a person in obtaining a desire. Aladdin's lamp was not a hand because anyone could rub it to activate the indwelling spirit. Quite otherwise a hand concerns known user - it being dressed, powered for him alone, usually toward a single purpose.] [We have already examined many hands: the Black Cat Lucky Bone (pp.74-97); healing hands in Cure and Protection (pp.4lO-519); divining hands in Diagnosis (pp.165-217), particularly the talking hand, Jack (pp.190-193). Talking hand reminds me that hand has other names, among them - toby, guide, shield, roots, mojo, jomo (transposition of syllables in mojo), and hoodoo bag.] [Of interest are what I name battery hands - those that lose strength and must be recharged or they weaken and die. Recharging is called feeding and substances fed are whiskey, perfumes, urine and other liquids. Spirits do not eat solid food. A spirit of course never dies; it merely deserts its temporary dwelling place. Similarly, desertion happens to a lost hand - some informants believing the hand returns to its maker!] [A hand can become a fetish, even a part of oneself. Most instructive here are living hands - the unfortunate chicken (No. 205, p.58), and the two wandering snakes (No. 239, p.66.]
Entry 1815
Take a bone from a dead person an' drop a penny at de side of de grave, an' yo' kin take dis an' bury under yore step an' he'll come to be a spirit dere an' come to be jest; in other words yo' can't live dere. Somebody will be coming all de time - somebody be knockin' on de do'. Ah hear mah grandmother talk a lots about dat - knocking on de do' an' jes' disturbing. Yo' can't live dere.
(That is another way of making a person move out? Out of the house?)
Yes suh.
Entry 1866
(Suppose a man is running around with another woman and his wife wants to break it up and make him stay at home. What would she do to make him stay around the house?) She would tie him to herself with footsteps; her footsteps and yours. She would tie him around her.
(Well, how would she do that?)
You get in there - some of de steps coming in, she ties that, takes de dust - I mean de track from your foot and she brings that in and takes her foot track and brings that in and she tacks dat under de carpet or at foot of de door. That holds you there. There's two spirits of two people.
Entry 2498
Yo' kin keep de law away from de house. Go to a colored cemetery an' git chew - go where yo' know dere's three people dat chew know, dat yo' wus dere when dey buried 'em. Take yo' fifteen cents an' yo' pay each one of 'em nickel a piece, yo' see, fo' each person. But let dis be newly buried - jis' yesterday or de day befo'. An' git chew ten pounds of dat dirt an' put it in yore bucket an' set it where yo' sweep yo'self. Dey won't even come near yore steps. Dose are spirits dat keep 'em back. Dat dead folks dirt whut wus buried, dey cain't come ovah it.
Entry 2757
[The following statements come from the interview with the girl men- tioned in the Introduction because of her youthful age for this kind of work. She - though familiar with usual hoodoo devices - is more interested in her own brand of spiritualism cen- tering around a special power rite. Two candles, one behind the other, are used - the forward blue candle named Uncle, the backward white candle named Master. Uncle or Unkas, a well-know spirit, we shall meet again (see, THE UNKAS MAN, in Interviews section). She does not say so, but any object upon which her candles rest - table, mantelpiece, bureau, box - must be called an altar. She operates a private shrine.] Well, yo' see, it's lak dis. Yo' take two candles an' yo' burn 'em. As yo' burn dese two candles, yo' tell 'em, say, "Well, Jesus, ah want chew tuh back me up. Ah want chew tuh back me up as ah go in back of mah spirit." An' as yo go, the man will tell yo', "Well, yo' come fo' a job. Well, ah kin give you a job." See, it be dat light is helpin' yo where yo' set dat light an' it burn itself. An as [before] yo' go dere yo' take an' git chew some bay rum an' yo' rub in yore han's. As yo' git dis bay rum, yo' take an' take yo' a piece of rag, an' as yo' take a piece of rag, yo' always keep dat rag movin' in yore han's, an'as yo' go in dis place when he begin' tuh ask yo' 'bout a job, well all yo' do yo remembah de light, an' if yo' say, "Lord, he'p me an' back mah light up," well, dat light will always give yo' power an' always help yo', an' yo' go dere an' dat person will give yo' a job. Maybe somebody's been dere a long time an' tryin' tuh git a job an' dey don't know how tuh git a job. All yo' do is set de light.
(What color of light? Any color?)
De bes' light is de white an' blue light, tuh git. De white one is Master an de blue one is Uncle. Yo' always say Master back of Uncle, an' yo' ast him tuh do sech-an'-sech a thing an' he'll do this thing. Yo' take a coconut but yo' must break it square. Yo' know a coconut is round but yo' must keep it square. Sometime yo' cain't break 'em - dey hard fo' yo tuh break 'em square, but it gotta be broke, yo' know, half in two in square. An' yo' take dat coconut an' yo' take de meat out of it an' yo' take a person name an' yo' write it down, but chew make a seal. Yo' evah saw a seal? [Evidently I nod, yes. I previously had seen at least one seal in St. Petersburg, Florida, see 2280, p.644.] Yo' makes a seal an' yo' take dat person's name an' yo' put it down in dat coconut an' dat Rabbit Syrup. Well, yo' take dat Rabbit Syrup an' dat cinnamon an' git chew some bay rum, an' yo' mix dat Rabbit Syrup an' dat pulverized sugah, dat fine, fine sugah whut chew buy in de box. Well, yo' sweeten it. Mix all dat together - de cayenne an' de Rabbit Syrup an' de cinnamon an' de bay rum. Yo' take his name an' yo' make a seal out dat papah, but chew must nuse brown Papah an' yo' put it down in dat coconut an' yo' take yo' a light. Yo' take yore light an' yo' put it - yo' see, yo' have dat seal made round, but chew have tuh cut it out round, yo' see, de brown papah, an' yo' put dat name, write it right in de middle of de seal.
(Just once?)
Yes, an' yo' put de light in de center of dat an' yo' burn it. Yo' make yore wish to dat light, whatsomevah yo' want, an' yo' burn it.
(What kind of light - any color?)
Well, yo' kin take Uncle light. It's a blue light, Uncle. Dat's a spirit. An' yo' kin take a lemon.
(Well, now what does that do? When you burn that in there?)
Well, yo' kin keep a person down - dey won't prosper, cain't git a job no way. Yo' understan' about dat. (To put the candle out [the candle someone is burning against you], every morning you say you get up and do what?) Yo' go to de hydrant befo' yo' say anything an' yo' let de hydrant run an' dat's tuh pray - dat's de way ah do's. Ah goes tuh de sun an' ah prays, an' whilst ah'm prayin' ah let de hydrant run an' ah take three drops - three glasses of watah, an' aftah de sun go down, yo' throw de watah tuh de sunset an' ast de spirit whatsomevah yo' dealin' with tuh give yo' power tuh put dat light out.
(What spirit would you deal with? Any spirit that you wanted to?)
Well, it's diff'rent people - de spirit contained wit yo', see. [Each person has a different or special spirit.] Yo' have a guide an' ah have a guide.
(It is your own spirit that you are getting?)
Yes. If a person tell yo', "Ah want chew tuh do sech-an'-sech a thing fo' me, '' an' [or] yo' want a person, a man. Lak yo' say, "Ah want dis man an' ah'm gon'a git dis man an' nobody have dis man." Well, yo' take a tub of watah an' yo' set dis tub ovah an' yo' take an' light a black candle. Yo' don't light dis candle, yo' put it in dis watah an' let dat watah trickle [from the faucet into the tub]. Put dis man name an' den yo' cut chew a coconut an' cut chew coconut an' put some dust [drops of melted wax] on it. Yo' evah heah dat? An' yo' let dat candle draw [drop] aroun' down in dis place heah. Dat be dat man name. [Melted wax from black candle drops on man's name written on brown paper at bottom of coconut.] Now, he's driftin' all aroun' an' aroun'. [Because his name under black candle in coconut is floating on the water in the tub; the dripping faucet makes it running Water.] He cain't nevah git a job. He nevah kin work. Every time he draw tuh yo', well he gittin' somewhere; but when he leave yo', look lak he driftin'; an' if he want any othah woman, yo' kin drift him away from dis woman - but nobody else, he's gotta have yo' an' nobody else. An' if yo' don't want give him nuthin, all yo' do, jis' put dat candle in dere an' let it drip an' so many hours. Yo' turn de chairs upside down. An' lak if a person goin' tuh co't an' dis person wanted tuh he'p yo' outa co't. All yo' take an' do, take St. Peter pit- chure an' turn it upside down, an' as yo' turn it upside down, dash some watah in [on] dat [picture] an' aftah yo' dash it, den dey come on outa jail. [See, BEER FOR ST. PETER - CIGAR FOR ST. ANTHONY, in InterviewS Section.] But chew de one he'p dem yo' see. Dat's de understandin' of luck. Yo' take an' do so many things with luck. See, den agin lak if yo' want a person - well, ah say, "Ah'm goin' make yo' drift." Well, yo' say, "Well, yo' cain't make me drift." Well, ah'll take an' take yore name, an' take a bottle of watah an' throw that bottle of watah undah mah laig or 'neath mah laig - mah left foot, an' throw it so [she demonstrates], an' tell it tuh go sech-an'-sech a place but don't nevah come back, an' as dat bottle go roun' an' jis work roun' an' roun' [under my foot], mah mind don't nevah come to me, but ah'm driftin' ever' day, goin' off an' off. Don't nevah see nobody, always thinkin' of things, always thinkin' things - diff'rent. [Her mind is faster than her words. My name is written on a piece of paper and stopped up in a bottle of water. She throws the bottle on the floor, puts her foot on it and begin to roll it back and forth. Sometimes, not here, the bottle is kicked about the room and cussed. At the last moment notice how she changes my name to her own. This is one of the many rolling rites in the New Orleans area - see margin-title St. John's Water, p.639, and Index.]
Entry 2924
If the pitchure is on a tintype - from my experience, not no paper, on tintype - they can kill you with that. Take and bury it bottom up and [or] then they can take and set it in ink, put nine black candles around it in the shape of a coffin and burn it for nine days. The best time to burn it is at night, whilst you sleep so it gets the spirits on them.
(That's your photograph?)
Yes, on tintype.
(Now, what else do they - for what other purpose do they burn candles?)
To evil?
(Yes.)
To kill a person and put 'em on a drift, you know, have 'em sleepyfied?
(Yes, how would they do that?)
Well, you just takes a red candle.
(A red candle.)
And [or] a black candle. And they burns that candle in ink for nine days, you'll just drift, just drift away, and you don't know what - you don't feel sick or nothing, only just drowsy and sleepy all the time. See. [New Orleans, La., (822), 1187:1+5.].
Entry 2933
Take de scissors - lak if yore place is haunted, yo' kin take a pair of scissors an' open dem see, an' set chew a light yo' see, an' anything come round dere dat's a evil spirit, dey go away. (You set any particular kind of light?) A candle, a pink candle - eithah a white candle.
Entry 3013
(What do they say about St. Michael?)
Well, St. Michael wus de archangel. He wus one of de angels dat cast Lucifer out of heaven. He wus one of de great archangels, an' anywhere yo' got a devil aroun' yo' or think yo' got a evil spirit or anything aroun' yore house, yo' pray tuh St. Michael an' he'll help yo'. Yo' says de Lord's Prayer nine times an'yo call St. Michael's name, an'every time yo' say de Lord's Prayer yo' call his name. an' axe him tuh help yo'.
(Do you use anything or burn anything special to him?)
Yes, yo' burn a pink candle tuh St. Michael. No, he ain't got no special day
[I probably asked about time] - jes' any day.
Entry 3015
Dey use holy watah tuh keep evil spirits away. Take holy watah an sprinkle it in de fo' corners of yore house an' say, "In de Name of de Father, an' of de Son an' of de Holy Ghost, St. Michael, kecp de evil spirit away." Den yo' kin take holy watah an' bathe yore haid fo' unnatural headaches [usually caused in the New Orleans area by someone burning a candle against you.]
Entry 3075
It was a school teacher I was talking to and this ole woman came from Beaufort and she asked her fer a drink of water. And while she was in de house the woman told her she was a doctor and she was a sister of Doctor Buzzard in Beaufort, [S. Car.]. And she said she was so sorry that she talked with this woman, because this woman had taken her spirit for de day. She said, "Ah don't feel like doing anything else today. I am so sorry I gave her that water." Say, "She has taken my whole spirit." And this was a teacher.
(This was a school teacher.)
A school teacher in [name of Charleston school].
(How old a woman was she?)
She was about 39 years old - not older than that. She was a mathmatician in the high school. And she say, "Ah can't do a thing else today because that woman has taken my spirit." (Did she say how she had taken her spirit? Did she know how this old woman could take her spirit away from her?) No, she didn't know. But she said jes' seein' that ole woman - and de ole woman told her that she was a root doctor. Right off she just got in her mind and she couldn't do a thing else fer dat day.
(How long ago did this happen?)
It was Tuesday.
(Tuesday, here in town?)
Right here in Charleston. ["Charleston, S. C., Friday, June 25, 1937 - 495 Mrs. Clayborne - sister and brother in Augusta, James Ramsey & Sofie Lee - No. 4 Percy St. [[Charleston]] working here - Carter [[my contact man from Fredericksburg, Va.]] staying here. Numbers Book 442-621. So this is the place where I interviewed in Charleston.]
Entry 3331
Take a person's chamber lye an' stop 'em, like if yo' got a wife an' she runnin' aroun' wit anothah man. Yo' take dat an' put it in a cloth, jis' po' it on a cloth an' let it soak intuh dere, an' wrap it tight. Wrap it up in- tuh a piece of flannel.
(Which way do you wrap it?)
Wrap it always from yo'. [It is more likely wrap to you.] Den yo' take a needle an' sew it tuhgethah tight. An' den take dat an' put it inside of yore mattress an' sew it back tuhgethah. Or eithah take it out an' bury it behin' de house or behin' a tree or by a tree, any place like dat. Den yo' kin stop 'er from runnin' roun'.
[St. Petersburg, Fla., (1025), 1659:6.]
[Rites concerning dishrag or dishcloth, and occasionally dishtowel, will also be found under CURES FOR SEXUAL IMPOTENCE, the other subsection of this subject. As in the preceding subsection MISCELLANEOUS, I start this one by quoting a few introductory beliefs. The very first margin title, parts (1) and (2), show that sexual impotence like all disease and ailments in hoodoo is not caused by biolog- ical factors, but by someone capturing your spirit. Let me repeat what I said on the page facing the PREFAcE of volume 1: To catch a spirit, or to protect your spirit against the catching, or to release your caught spirit - this is the com- plete theory and practice of hoodoo. Parts (3) and (4) of the first margin title introduce us to the incredible ideas about penis captivus, a subject unknown to folklore a generation ago. FACI has no example of it.
Entry 7518
An' dey put it in yore bed.
(This graveyard dirt?)
Yes sir, eithah sprinkle it aroun' yore house or anything like dat. (Well, what do they put it in the bed for? What will that do if they put it in the bed?) Well, yo' see, de dead would come where de dust is. Dat'll harm. Yo' see, yo' can't sleep at night. Take it - an' de bed will 'come [become] de way de dust is, if it wus somebody who wus evil, becuz dey done me like dat.
Entry 7519
People say dat chew could go tuh de fo'ks of de road - like two roads cross [crossroad] yuh know. A person walk in dere an' if yuh wan' 'em back, yuh kin take yore han' an' pull away de left [foot] track - dis is de heart [side] chew know - back tuh yuh, jis' a little bit of dirt out de hollah [= con- cave portion of bottom of foot, called ball of foot by some informants]. An' take dat an' put a little bit of - go tuh de graveyard an' git chew some, jis' lak if somebody yuh know is dead, Mary or John, somebody. Yuh say - yuh go tuh de grave yard an' says, "Mary, ah wan' chew tuh help me. An' ah wan' chew tuh follah me." Says, "Ah wan'a buy some of yore dirt." See, if yo' don't drop dem pennies yuh'll be robbin' de dead. An' run yore han' down about lak dat [usually to the elbow] where it nex' tuh [over] de heart an' take out a snuffbox full. Take dat an' some black peppah an' de track, an' jis' put a little bit in de cornah of yore house de foah cornahs. [This is one of the many four corners of the earth rites in Hoodoo.] An' if it's a woman [who left], she'll come right back - she can't leave. If it's a man he'll come back. An' dat spirit will follah yuh, guide yuh evahwhere yuh go.
(Make you come back.)
[This same rite, with a slight variation, is now used for customers if you are in business:] Fo' frien's [customers], de same thing ah tole yuh 'bout dat grave. Yuh know frien's will speak tuh frien's. Yuh git chew some dirt, don't have no track in it yuh know. Jis' go dere an' git dat dirt an' have a little - yuh git a [new] box of black peppah an' don' use it fo' nuthin but dat. Shake a little bit of black peppah in dere an' jis' carry dat black peppah an' de graveyard dirt [back home]. Yuh wanta gain frien's when yuh in business. An' put some in yore coat Pocket an' yuh be laughin' an' talkin', jis' sorta foolin' around - yuh be - lak shakin' yore han's or somepin. [Here informant, according to my penciled nota- tion made while checking original cylinder reads: "Lowers her voice and begins to whisper." Evidently she was afraid someone could hear through the closed door.] Slap [throw] dat roun' an' wherevah it be it will draw dem - wherevah yuh at, in yore store or any business. An' dey will flock tuh yuh. Now ah've heard dat.
(You use black pepper and graveyard dirt together.)
Dat's right.
(And you get the graveyard dirt just the way you got it before?)
Yeah. Now, yuh see, yore han' drop in three pennies, an' covah de grave up, jis' lak yuh do wit chure han's yuh know. If yuh don't drop in pennies, yuh will rob de dead. If yuh carry somebody wit chew, den yuh will drop in silvah, a dime [tol keep from robbin' de dead. [THE LAST STATEMENT - PENNIES IF ALONE OR A DIME IF SOMEONE ACCOMPANIES YOU - IS PROBABLY MY ONLY EXAMPLE OF THIS BELIEF. As We shall see, a dime, no longer of silver, is sometimes given to the spirit; BUT TAKING A COMPANION WITH YOU VIOLATES THE NORMAL CUSTOM OF ONE PERSON APPROACHING THE SPIRIT.]
Entry 7525
[A person] jis' died, yes. Git graveyard dirt, dig it off de head of a white man's grave. Undahstan', go tuh a white man's grave. Go out an' git some wood ashes - ashes burnt from wood, yuh know. [Wood ashes are the payment!] An' put it in de grave an' take about, aroun' about a half a tablespoonful of cayenne peppah, an' put it in through dat [graveyard dirt] an' stir it up - mix it all up. An' when yuh git dat mixed up, make dust out of it yuh undahstan', an' pass it on de hants. Called hants [al spirit, yo' know.
(What will they do with that? What will they do with that then?)
What will yuh do wit it?
(Yes?)
Well, de spirit, somepin like yore hants be - have de spirits. Git yuh dat dirt an' jis' sprinkle it aroun' yore place of business - round about, like dis house is [your place of business]. Well, yuh jis' sprinkle it all aroun' yore house, sprinkle it jis' dere [nowhere else].
(What will that do then?)
That will run 'em away.
(Run what away?)
De hants.
(The hants?)
Yes.
Entry 7527
Well, go right in the graveyard an' gits some of dat dirt, an' throw it under dis house an' throw on top of de house, an' sumpin will run 'im out, jis' keep aworryin' 'im. De dead spirit will jis' keep aworryin' 'im an' git 'im out of dat house. He couldn't stay there. [There are many examples of this belief in Hoodoo.]
Entry 7571
Now, if dere's anythin' done dat gon'a run in yore mind, or jis' [any- thing done] tuh yore home, [or] ef somebody gits yuh [hoodoos you] tuh keep yuh from a job. Which an' why, yuh jis' use yore method dere. If a man know how tuh do - a spiritual man, yuh kin. Yuh have tuh do it. Yuh take a penny an' goes tuh work an' yuh take dat penny an' yuh put it in de middle of de grave. Dat in case of emergency if de person, yo' know or not, is a religious person died. Yo' undahstan', dey know who dat is. Well, dey give 'em a penny an' dey takes some dirt. "Fore dey takes dat dirt, which an' why, dat will make an evil spirit follow yuh, becuz yuh got somepin belongs tuh 'im. Now, dey git in aroun' yore home, it will always keep a confusion an' make a separation. Now, yo'll have tuh be aroun' an' take de method wit a good man. Wit a spirit- ual man, he meet de spirit. He kin set home an' when de spirits come, yuh know what time tuh meet 'im, an' yuh kin cure 'im, if it's not too long [too far gone]. [InfOrmant SayS, IF YOU ARE HOODOOED, A SPIRITUAL MAN WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO. You must pay for graveyard dirt, otherwise the spirit will follow you, evil or good, depending upon who is buried there. A SPIRITUAL MAN (USUALLY A PERSON WORKING LARGELY WITH SPIRITS) can sit at home and wait for the coming of a good- man spirit and use it for curing, if the sick or hoodooed patient is not too far gone.]
Entry 7580
Ah heard dat chew kin take a dirt dauber nest an' some graveyard dirt from a little baby, if yuh know it, an' mix it togethah an' put it somewhere 'bout dere bed or in de cornah some hidden place, an' de baby terrify yuh an' cry so - de spirit will - dat yuh will leave out de room.
(That is to make you move.)
Entry 7601
[Among the many graveyard-dirt rites in Hoodoo, here we have a rare and unusual one, my only example of it - see my comment at the end of rite.] When yuh go tuh de graveyard in de aftahnoon tuh git dis dirt, yuh have tuh go at sundown, see. An' when yuh go at sundown, yuh have tuh git middleways of dis person. Middleways is the center or fifth point of the four-pointed or four- cornered grave, which makes a quincunx.] Git dis dirt an' yuh put a nickel [or] dime down. An' when yuh put de nickel down dere yuh git de dirt, yuh payin"en fo' de dirt. An' if yuh vanta run anybody away, yuh git dis dirt an' walk on back tuh dere house. Sprinkle dis dirt all de way roum' dere house [the rite of circumambulation]. An' aftah yuh sprinkle dis dirt all de way roun' dere house, yuh turn off an' walk sideways an' walk on back tuh de street. [Somewhere in Hoodoo I have explained why a person walks sideways, if he has en- closed himself within a circle.] An' aftah yuh git tuh de street yuh go hone. An' den aftah yuh go home, den yuh throw some of dis dirt roun' yore do' an' dey'll leave. Dey can't stay roun'.
[Our informant says sprinkle dis dirt all de way roun' dere [[victim's]]
house. This means the graveyard-dirt sprinkler goes completely round the house. Here we have a rite of circumambulation, also a circle of graveyard dirt about the house. As soon as the dweller within passes over the graveyard dirt, he will be driven permanently from house and perhaps town. But the sprinkler himself has trouble. He is inside the graveyard-dirt circle! If he walks out of the circle, crossing the dirt, he breaks his spell against the dweller; moreover, the spell automatically turms back upon the sprinkler, who now will be chased by the spirit! Our sprinkler solves his problem with a magic rite I have never recorded or met before. He proceeds neither forwards nor backwards; he sidles sideways. If sprinkler moves forwards or backwards across the dirt, at some point of each step his legs and feet pass and are at the moment of passing in a straight line. In an instant the spirit pounces upon him! But if sprinkler slides his right foot sideways to the right, then his left foot sideways to the right, not letting left foot touch right, then legs and feet are never in a straight line. He always presents to the waiting spirit only one half of his body at each step. The spirit is tricked! Why does sprinkler on reaching home sprinkle some of the same graveyard dirt at his own door? Graveyard dirt is a protective device against a possible call from departing victim and chasing spirit.]
Entry 7631
They git the dirt out of the graveyard and they stop that up in a bot- tle and they will come to yore house. If they don't like you, they come to yore house with that graveyard dirt. Mix it with a little salt and they sprinkles it underneath the steps. Then they stop the other one tight an' bury it. But chew not supposed to be home when dey do dat, and any time yo' go back to dat house why yore spirit is gone. Dat driv yore spirit away. Yo'd go to de house but chew can't stay.
Entry 7675
Ef anyone in yore neighborhood is doin' yuh any harm an' yo' don' want 'em in yore neighborhood, why yo' jes' go tuh de graveyard an' take a penny an reach down dere an' git chew some dirt chew know. An' take a pinch of dat dirt an' bring dat dirt back an jes' throw it on de flo'. An' dey sweep it out, why de spirits will worry 'em so dey has tuh leave dere, dey cain't evah stay dere.
(Whose floor do you throw that graveyard dirt on?)
On dere flo.
(Of the people that you want to move?)
Yes sir, wants tuh move 'em outa dere.
Entry 7687
Fo' evil yo' kin git some graveyard dirt, mix up saltpetah in it an' sulphur, an' cast it roun' a person dwellin' an' whut yo' wush [done], say. Put de jinks [used only 3 or 4 times in Hoodoo] on 'em in diff'ren' forms. It'll make 'em unlucky wit de evil spir- its. In goin' tuh de graveyard an' git- tin' dat dirt it would be wise fo' yo' tuh know de person whose grave yo' goin' tuh. Den yo' pay dem fo' dat dirt an' work wit it. Yo' tell 'em dat, "Ah want chew tuh do dus [thus] an' so fo' me." Whutsomevah dat chew wan' 'em tuh do. It wouldn't make any diff'rence. Say, "Ah'm payin' yuh tuh do so." Yo' git de dirt from off de left side from ovah de heart, but choo runs yore han' down in de grave tuh de elbow down ~ ought tuh be [beyond] yore wrist.
The informant describes graveyard dirt with saltpetre and sulphur for reported harm, payment and requests to a known deceased person, and collection from the left side over the heart. Quoted requests are prescribed speech. Hyatt's glosses and comment on the word 'jinks' remain separate; the printed collection-depth wording is retained.
Entry 7737
Git graveyard dirt an' put it in a bag wit blackroot an' black dirt - de kind yo' buy from lak places lak de island black dirt - an' blackroot. An' put dat in a bag an' go out in de voods at twelve a'clock at night fo' three an' foah nights at de time an' pray tuh evil spirits, etc. [In the southern United States black- root is the perennial plant (Chaenolobus undulatus) with black tuberlike root- stocks used medicinally by herb and root doctors.l
(Down on what island? Where do they sell this black dirt?)
Right on de island ovah dere. Yo' have tuh git dat special shuah [sure] becuz dat is why dey call it black dirt. [This black dirt is top soil washed down from higher land during the years.]
Entry 7793
Jis' git graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it aroun' de step an' kep' [kept] back evil, dey call it.
(What do you mean by that?)
Ha'nts [spirits of dead people]. [The magic principle here is: like cures like, fight fire with fire, hair of the dog that bit you, etc. Spirits of the dead, as those of the living, fight among themselves. Somewhere in Hoodoo an elderly woman remembers seeing as a child a graveyard fight among spir- its.]
Entry 7836
(What do you do with that graveyard dirt, now?)
Yo' kin take it, if yo' know a person dat died dat wuz sinful, yo' undahstand. Yo' kin take it an' throw it ovah dere [at the house]. Say, dat de spirit will ha'nt 'em tuh death an' dey will leave. Den yo' kin take dis graveyard dirt an' mix it wit moving oil an' lemon juice. See, yo' mix dat tuh- gethah, an' if yo' got a friend dat live at dis - ah mean dat visit dis house - an' yo' mix dat tuhgethah an' make a powdah of it. An' yo' come an' yo' sprinkle it from front tuh back. An' dey won't stay in dere aftah three days.
Entry 7867
It is not like ordinary dirt. Most graveyard dirt is reddish clay. You can go to any grave, you see clay, and it'll be reddish clay. If it looks black on top it's red down beneath. All hoodoos use it. You've got to go to the graveyard before midnight. That's an unlucky hour, be- cause then all the spirits is risen and around them.
Entry 7879
He'll go to de graveyard an' he'll dig down in dat graveyard an' git some of dat dirt off de daid person, see. An' he'll mix salt, red peppah, mix it an' use it; throw it all in front of dat man place [of business] in de night aftah twelve or one a'clock. An' dat'll make de people [customers] slack up from goin'; dat'll stop de people, dat spirit. WHEN YO' [A CUSTOMER] GIT DARE A'HAVE A MIND TO GO IN DARE, ANOTHAH SPIRIT - A DAID SPIRIT - WILL JIS' WORRY UP WIT YORE LIVIN' SPIRIT AN' KEEP YO' OUT OF DARE AN' YO'LL JIS' PASS ON BY DAT FLACE. An' de place done contend [commence] tuh gittin' dullah an' dullah, an' so he [proprieter] must leave an' somebody else got dat place.
The informant describes graveyard dirt with salt and red pepper in a business-departure account. Uppercase speech remains distinct from the bracketed editorial identifications and glosses; the spirit explanation and claimed result remain source-reported.
Entry 7922
(They did what?)
Jes' raisin' Cain around dere. Yo' could heah it, sompin lak somebody walkin'. It wus purely graveyard dirt 'cuz ah swept it out. Jes' gits chure mind, evah- thing tormented, 'cuz it's from de daid spirit, yo' know. [Raising Cain equals raising the devil or hell. Spirits walking or unseen footsteps is a common belief, see FACI 2nd ed., Nos.15541-15543, p.733.]
Entry 8575
Ah heard that you could put sugar on the stove nine mawnin's an' after nine mawnin's, yo' write his name on a piece of paper an' stick it in de keyhole.
(In the keyhole?)
Yes, an' call 'im.
(Well, what do you do with this sugar on the stove?)
Burn dat nine mawnin's, dat's all.
(Just one of his shoes?)
No, sugar, SUGAR. (Oh, sugar. You burn sugar for nine mornings. And after that you write this name on this paper and put it in the keyhole.) Jes' write his name over it an' fold it to yo', an' hang it right over de key- hole. [Don't tell me the man is coming back through the keyhole! His spirit rather. The keyhole is the entrance for witches.]
(And you call his name?)
An' yo' call 'is name.
(Just once?)
Just as many times as yo' wanta.
(And he will come back.)
Yeah.
Entry 10098
All right, yo' ketch a black cat an' yo' put 'im in a boilin' pot a watah, an' yo' - till dat flesh cook off 'im. Cook 'im while he alive. Git chew a lookin' glass an' all dem bones, an' go tuh a runnin' stream a watah. An' put all dem bones cross yuh mouth, an' de bone yo' fail tuh see in dat glass - lak yo' lookin' at me - dat's de bone yo' keep. Well, yo' take dat bone an' yo' supposed tuh go - ah supposed tuh take dat bone an' come in here, an' do anything ah wanta an' yo' couldn't see me. Yo' see, yo' can't see me. It a spirit, spiritualist, yo' see. Yo' can't see me long as ah got dat bone in mah mouth.
(But you have to go down to running water?)
Runnin' watah.
(And hold that glass in front of you?)
Yes, sir. An' yo' see, an' throw dem bones - float all dem bones in dat run- nin' watah. An' yo' throw dem bones in dere an' de one dat float back tuh yuh, yo' git dat. An' den yo' take it an' put it in yore mouth, an' look in de glass; an' if yo' can't see yuhself, dat's de bone.
(I see. That's checking up, in the looking glass.)
Entry 10114
Ah have heard dat yo' kin take - ah had a fellah tell me, he wuzn't goin' do it, but ah have known fellahs dat have done it. Yo' undahstan'. If yo' wants tuh be lucky in yuh life, jis' take yuh a black cat an' take 'im, carry 'im down to a rivah or any runnin' watah, yo' undahstan', an' take 'im an' hold 'im down in de pot. Hold 'im down in de pot until he die. An' take him an' hold 'im down tuh de bottom of de pot until he hollah 'fore he die. Turn 'im loose den - turn de pot loose, de lid on de pot loose. An' 'is body den will rise up, his body will be bobbin'. "Cos [of course] though, by an' by de things will be comin'. All kinds of things be comin' up dere; de devils an' cows an' hogs an' all kinda things lak dat will come up, see. But yo' jis' don't bothah. Let 'em go right on until yo' bile [boil] dis black cat up, yo' undahstand. An' when yo' bile 'in good, yo' take den de bones outa dere - de laig bones. An' take 'en tuh runnin' watah an' any bone dat go down stream, don' chew bothah wit it; but de bone whut [you] take, turn roun' an' roun'. All de rest of 'em no good dat go an down, but de bone whut chew want will turn roun' an' roun'. Well, yo' take dat bone, dat black cat bone. An' take it den an' tie it up in a piece of - black piece of cloth. When yo' gits de bone, tie it [in] black, den yo' tie it red. Git dat an' tote it in yuh pocket. An' dey tell me yo'll nevah have ooh vorry any mo' about livin'. Dat's whut ah know 'bout dat.
Entry 10118
Get a black cat, cut the right hind leg and get a bone out...and carry that around your neck, and there won't be any evil spirit harm you, and it will keep cunjures away. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 10705
Well, if you wanted tuh be protected from de spirits, ghostes or things - wanta rest - lak if dey worrying yo' at night, yo' take a Bible an' lay it right under yore pillah wide open. An' yo' kin go to sleep an' rest all night long, and it won't no ghost an' no evil spirit or nuthin lak dat bother yo'.
Entry 10812
If she wanta git rid of him, don't want him tuh come back, jes' sweep de house. When he go out de do', jes' sweep de dirt out behin' him an' kick it three time, an' tell him tuh go away- keep his spirit away. Kick it three time an' jes' say, "Go away," an' jes' sweep it on out de do'. Jes' sweep de dirt right on behin' his foot off de do', an' tell him tuh go away, an' his min' will finally [tell him to stay away]. (Just kick it up in the air three times. That makes him stay away.)
Entry 10941
Ah would jis' simply - ah would make me a smoke, an' dat would knock evahthing in de haid. (How do you make that smoke?) Ah would make it wit de fish livah an' heart. Ah would take de fiah an' ah would put de heart in a saucah an' leave dat set fo' 'bout nine days. An' aftah dat ah would take a furnace an' ah would take jis' a li'le small pinch of it. An' it drives all evil spirits clear away. Absolutely.
(What kind of fish do you use, any kind of fish?)
Catfish. De oldah de catfish is, de bettah it is.
(Now you make this smoke, then what do you do?)
Dat explores all ovah de house where yo' live. De party dat wants tuh git chew out, dey cain't be successful.
(If I want to stay in the house, I make that smoke and they can't move ne out?)
Can't move yo' out.
Entry 11756
Wear graveyard dirt in shoes as a protection against hoodoo and spirits of any kind. [St. Petersburg 1691:4.]
Entry 12166
That is only good for one thing to my mind and I know that. Just like you is at home and its ha'nted at home, spirit that worrys you at home. You take the holy water, put that in a bottle and tie a string right [to the bottle and tie it] on the head of your bed. And the only thing you gotta do is at night to say the Lord's Prayer and no spirit will come around.
Entry 12167
Yeah, holy water is good for spirits. You see, like if the spirits worry you at night, or any time of the day the spirits worry you. As long as you have holy water over your bed and keep it in your room, that keeps the spirit out.
Entry 12197
Take a horseshoe an' nail it up ovah de front do' - or either take new lumber - take an' repair some parts of de house wit new lumber, an' dat yould run de spirits away. [Brunswick 1989:2.]
Entry 12198
Take a horseshoe an' nail it up ovah yore do', ovah each do', an' dey say an' dat will keep de evil spirit out chure house. [Waycross 1746:2.]
Entry 11682
What do they do at the forks of the road? Well, dey go out dere some- time tuh bury glass, a broken glass. Dey go out dere to meet spirits in some way but ah cain't explain dat ex- actly, 'cos' ah done fo'got. (What kind of glass do they bury out there?) Well, dat's a mirror, a lookin' glass. Well, dey bury that there tuh bury their troubles to these fo'ks.
Entry 12961
Or either, if yo' are bothered with some kind of spirit that comes in there an' yo' can't see it, why yo' burn an ole shoe in the stove, or either put sulphur in every corner. [St. Petersburg 1625:2.]
Entry 9807
Well, dey takes a tin plates, new tin plates, an' sulphur an' six nee- dles to each plate. Take yo' six plates an' put chew six needles in each plate, an' set 'em roun' de spots yo' goin' dig at, an' burn yore sulphur wit chure needles in dere wit de points layin' dead in de sulphur. An' dat will keep 'way de spirits from comin' in. (When you are hunting money? Those points are pointing to this little bit of sulphur in that plate?) In de center of de plate. (When you are hunting money?) When yo' huntin' money. [See also section SPIRITS GUARD BURIED TREASURE, pp.111-135, vol.1, and elsewhere.]
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 64
They used to say, when you met a spirit and they knew who it was, they didn't say anything to them. When you got home where this party lives at, they are there. They say, "That was their spirit I met then." They say, "Have you been away from home tonight?" "I haven't been away. Why do you ask?" 'Oh well, I didn't know whether you were out tonight or not."
The informant reports an encounter and quoted identification; the person in the account says they had not been away from home.
Entry 228
Then, I saw a billy goat one night that was a spirit. We were coming home from over town and when we got up to the graveyard we had to pass. There was a bridge there by the path and this goat he come up from under that bridge. There was twenty-five or more women together coming over. And I said, "Oh! look at that goat." Another old lady along there with us, she said, "That ain't no billy goat, that's a spirit." When we got up to the bridge he went overboard then and the water splashed all up. And when we got up there we didn't see nothing.
The informant identifies the billy goat as a spirit in a recollection; another woman's quoted identification remains separate.
Source passage
continuous interview or recording context · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
The nature of me picking it on out
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
[how I learned hoodoo]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
- I was holding a position and to the position I was holding there was an old man, and my sisters, all of 'em, was scared of him. Well, I did all his readin' and writin' fer him.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
[Compare this with how Zorro began his career with Mysterious Parker - p.1166, line 38f.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
So, during the period of time he
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
[did so many things]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
like that I didn't know, the old man he had so much diff'rent magic he could
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
[do]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
. So the first thing he would do, he would take my hat - take my hat and spit in it and tell me to go out on de corner. I'd go out on de corner and I'd tip to some young girl. Now, the girl may be going to the store for her people or some- thing. When she come back I could have an interview with her. And when I'd have my interview, her people could never keep her away from me. As in a period of time - he died somewheres in 1918.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
(What do you mean by interview with a lady?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1389
Had to go right home to do conversation with her - never seed her before.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
(At her home?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
To her home - right dere at her home. She would invite me. The way she talked - I'd tell her - she'd tell me to come in in the presence of her people. I met her just like that - meet her on the corner there and tipped my hat. Then off from that time she'd never be satisfied. This old man - his name was - I never learned any more - his name was Uncle Charlie Jackson.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
(Where did he come from by the way? What part of the country did he come from?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
Oh, he was down in Alabama. And he had three very large snakes. And if a person would come to him for to kill a person, the largest snake what he had would come out and crawl up in de door. That was his magic - that was the agree- ment what he made, you see, with the devil in selling hisself to the devil. Then he had another one what would remove evil spirits from a person. If you came in- to his place, while sittin' down into the chair, this snake would crawl all around you, all through the chair. You get up, you go by God. If you come for a gambling hand - his gambling hand was guaranteed fer one year.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
[See HAND, TIME LIMIT FOR, p.577.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
He would take you into a little room and set you in there and when he get ready fer you, he would tell you - he would send fer yuh. Well, if he couldn't stand - the same way, if a person would come by for to kill a person. If you could jump over de snake what would coil up into the door, when you git back home he would be done kilt - this person. If you wanted a gambting hand - if you wanted to get that from him, when he get ready, then he send this other medium-sized snake in there. If you could stand fer him to come there and crawl around and you follow him back into the room, he would give you the gambling hand.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
(How did he make his gambling hand? Did he ever tell you?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
Oh, he - makes 'em very diff'rent simple ways.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
(What was his way? Did he tell you that way?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
The way he made 'em, he did. They was made out of little children's finger.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
(Oh, the baby fingers?)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
Baby finger j'ints - the j'ints of baby fingers and what we call the corime, the red corime seed.
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
(Red corimee seed.)
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 1390
The red corimee seed. And he would use this here devil's-shoestring, and he would use this here Sampson snakeroot. Into these fixin' - when he would fix them - would be under the new moon. After he would fix them then, he would give them to you on the 15th of the month of the full moon. He would either wait till the moon be in full expanse of the earth, then he would give that to you.
locally coherent printed subpassage
The current speaker remains unnamed. Statements about Charlie Jackson, his alleged acts and the death date are reported in the source.
The printed account does not establish the identity of the unnamed speaker.
Snake behavior, agreement with the devil and contents of hands remain that speaker’s account.
Zorro and time-limit cross-references are editorial; they do not establish that the narrated people or practices are the same.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 2, p. 1387 · Vol. 2, p. 1388 · Vol. 2, p. 1389 · Vol. 2, p. 1390 · Vol. 2, p. 1391
Source passage
continuous interview or recording context · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
Good. Good. Mr. Cubby is going to continue right now. All right there you are.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
CUBBY
informant · Current interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
There's a old neighborhood rumor goin' on aroun' about a Miss Williams who lives at 1911 Melrose Avenue South. I knew Miss Williams ever since I was a kid. I grew up near her. She was a very weird person also. She kep' to her- self. She believed strongly in God. She always said that if anyone ever drink alcoholic beverages or anything of this sort they could never live in her house after she died. This house at 1911 Melrose Avenue South is still standin'. Miss Williams has been dead over 7 years. There has been numerous families who have tried to live there but none were able to live there because they were run out at night. I know for a fac' that doors are openin', lights have turned on without people turnin' the switch, because I lived right across the street at first', at 1910 Melrose. However, now my father resides there. There is one gentleman that I believe could tell you better than I can because he lived next door to her. No one out of the... I'd say 15 or 16 or 17 families maybe, have tried to live there has been able to stay in that house over a period of 3 days. All the families that have moved there have either had to leave that same night or some stayed 2 days and 3 nights, the 3rd day they were gone. I believe that possibly there is a spirit in the house because I've seen even after I've grown up that the lights will come on at night, the doors will open. You can hear voices in there. You can hear jus' as though someone was carryin' on church services in the house and there's no one in the house. The house is still standin' vacant. She has a brother who lives in the back of the house, in a little one room cottage that he has. He has never been able to stay in the house, though the house was willed to him. He continues to fix it up as though someone lives there but there is nc one that resides in the Williams house. This is the end of my story.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
Have you ever heard - you've told that ghost story - have you ever heard there is something you can do to run the ghost out of the house or protect your- self against the ghost or something of that sort? You know of anything like that?
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
CUBBY
informant · Current interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
I've heard once that you could burn some type of incense. An' the story that goes to get rid of the spirit of Miss Williams is that if this house is re- done that her spirit would go away. But her brother has tried repeatedly to re- model the house. He's never completed one thing he's done. As much as he's got- ten to do is paint the house, put in new windows. He's never been able to tear a single board from the house.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
They've never been able to tear a board off the house?
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
CUBBY
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
Not a single one. He says that everytime he tries to tear a board away it seems as though it's the hardes' thing in the world to do. He's had on one occasion to slip from a ladder while tryin' to do something. He felt that she possible shook the ladder. This is his own belief.
editorial speaker label; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT
interviewer · Interviewer; context excerpt · Vol. 5, p. 4754
That's what he thinks. Well that's good, that's a good addition to the story.
Nested source context: attributed third party belief · Vol. 5, p. 4754
He felt that she possible shook the ladder. This is his own belief.
Nested source context: interviewer suggested retrieval frame · Vol. 5, p. 4754
HYATT Have you ever heard - you've told that ghost story - have you ever heard there is something you can do to run the ghost out of the house or protect your- self against the ghost or something of that sort? You know of anything like that?
locally coherent printed subpassage
This printed narrative and its follow-up distinguish rumor, possible spirit, claimed observations and the brother’s belief.
The alleged shaking of the ladder is explicitly attributed to the brother’s belief, not Cubby’s witnessed mechanism.
Hyatt introduces protection and removal alternatives; they are not spontaneous interviewee prescriptions.
The house details remain source wording; no current resident, property or ghost identity is asserted.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 5, p. 4752 · Vol. 5, p. 4753 · Vol. 5, p. 4754 · Vol. 5, page image