Subject:Split
Entries
Entry 3252
If he is away from home dataway, yo' see dose red peppah pod, split de peppah open an' hull it out well - only one. Durin' de times he's sleepin', yo' take de scissors an' cut a little piece of hair off of dat, way down below. Put it in dat peppah, sew it up in a little band, an' wear it aroun' yore waist dat way. She may talk to men but huh mind will have no dealin's wit: 'em, yo' see.
Entry 4400
Take a lizard. Ah've heard 'em say yo' take a lizard an' tuh split 'im open on 'is back. An' when yo' split 'im on 'is back, take an' hang 'im up where de sun will rise on 'im. An' when de sun rise on 'im, see, when de sun is goin' up, yo' hang'im wit 'is tail up an' 'is haid down; an' dey tell me dat will turn dey bowels up so dey can't be unlocked.
(Well, how do you know what person you are working on?)
Well, yo' take an' yo' git some of dere action, an' yo' put it in dere. Put it on dis lizard, inside of 'im, de fo'wards side nex' to de sun, wit cayenne peppah on it. Yo' know, cayenne peppah draws too, it draws up, an' three drops of turpentine. An' den when yo' git dat bone, den yo' hang it up dere. An' dat lizard will dry up to nuthin but jes' dat skin. An' as long as he's hangin' up dere, why dey can't have an action. Dat's whut ah heard on dat.
Entry 4519
Yuh kin take a man's hatban' [sweatband] an' use his hatband, weah it in de bottom of yore shoe, jes' a piece of it, an' 'is mine will always stay aroun' dat fiah [fire]. He nevah is contented nowhere. When he's where yuh at, dat's 'is contentedness time. (The outside or the inside band?) De sweatban'. Take hit an' fold it tuh yuh, split it, an' put it in de bottom of yuh shoe an' evahwhere yuh go, he rearin' tuh go.
Entry 4721
If yuh kin git holt of 'is photograph or anythin', yuh kin git 'im back ag'in.
(Do you know just how they do that?)
Well, yuh git holt a piece of 'is clothin'. Now, if it's a woman dat wants 'im back ag'in, yuh git aholt of a piece of 'is clothes an' yuh dress it in cologne. Yuh take it an' fold it de way [direction] he is. If he is east, no'th, west, or south, yuh take dat piece of clothin', a small piece of it, an' fold it [demonstrates] an' make yore wishes.
(Fold it toward you.)
Towards yuh evah time. Points it de way he is an' fold it back evah time. An' yuh git yuh a couple of needles an' pin it each way, bottom an' top, an yuh split dat needle. Lets 'er wear one in 'er right shoe here, an' give her de othah one an' let 'er hold it in 'er han'. An' she kin walk - an' let 'er go straight tuh runnin' watah an' drop it ovahbo'd. Ketch de wind - she has tuh do dis on de grown [growing] of de moon an' ketch de wind blowin' towards de way she wants 'im tuh come. If she is in New York, ketch de wind blowin' disaway.
(Blowing south?)
Dat's right. Drop dis ovahbo'd an' walk backwards from it about nine steps, turn tuh left an' go on. Make her wishes an' he'll come right - in nine days he'll be dere.
(I didn't quite understand you about putting these needles?)
Yuh see, if yuh fold de clothes, prob'ly fold it dis way. Well aftah yuh git a little pad of it made, git yuh a needle on each side of it. Git chew a pair of keen - anythin' dat's sharp an' split dem needles in two.
(Oh, I see! You cut the whole package in half.)
De needles den will be on each side of it.
(Two halves of the needles will be in each side of the package.)
An' have dem needles so dey won't injure her foot an' let 'er wear it right in 'er shoe. Fasten it in dere in a way dat it won't slide backwards an' for- wards. Take dis half an' fold it in yore han' an' when it gits warm, when yuh go tuh de watah wit it - an' throw it ovahbo'd. Ketch de wind blowin' from de Way dat yuh want 'im tuh come home.
Entry 5026
[To split is a magic rite but not a common one. Usually splitting concerns a stick or tree - which see.] Ah hear 'em say yuh kin take a sock, if it's a boy goin' wit yore daughtah or sompin lak dat an' yuh wanta break 'em up. Yuh kin take a sock. Git on de good side of 'er an' git 'er tuh git one of 'is socks, one de sock dat he's wearin'; not no clean sock whut been already washed, [but] one dat he's been wearin' an' haven't been washed since it's worn. Git one de lef'-han' sock if yuh kin git it. An' yuh take dat sock an' carry it tuh 'er den, an' den de sock yuh split it open [because you want to split up, separate boy and girl]. Yuh splits it open an' yuh gits a horseshoe. Why yuh gittin' a horseshoe, takes a horseshoe an' nail it up ovah de do'. Take de horseshoe an' take de sock, an' place it up ovah de do' where she goes in an' comes out at, an' de do' dat he comes in when he come tuh see 'er. An' place dat sock up dere an' place de horseshoe on top of it, an' nail it up dere good, so it can't be to' [tore = torn] down. An' put 'er 'nitials an' 'is 'nitials in de sock. An' dey say den dat will break dem up. (You just spread that sock behind the horseshoe - spread it [split sock] over it [horseshoe] like a piece of cloth. And you write the initials on the sock with a pencil or something. And that breaks them up?) Yessuh. [This is a new and rather unusual horseshoe rite, and it comes from a root doctor. To walk under anything of yours, here his split sock and initials, up- sets or confuses the mind. And in addition, I suspect the split sock also gives him leg or foot trouble. Her initials assist the mental disturbance.]
Entry 5181
An' yo' kin take a new [right] shoe sole [inner sole]. Buy a new pair an' cut it half in two [see later], an' take a indelible pencil an' write chore name from lef' tuh right. Turn it [inner sole] around, write his name from right tuh left, [or backwards, his family name first and his given name in front of that] coming tuh yo'. The [inner] sole is split [lengthwise] so one half can be worn in each of the new shoes. Make wishes [for him to return]. They say that'll bring a person tuh yo, bring 'em undah yore control.
Entry 5703
Take frogs - jis' lak if yo' wanta run a person off, ketch a live frog an' split 'im wide open. Yo' take a person track - yo' take both of 'is track an' put one crossways, cut it dis way Idemonstratesl. (You cut that frog lengthwise and cross- wise - cross like an "x". All right.) Yo' put de right track straight up an' down, de left track yo' crosses dat. Dat crosses up 'is mind an' he'll drift an' drift an' drift. Dat crosses up 'is mind, see. An' den yo' sew 'im back up an' yo Pat 'im into a green gourd. Put 'im in an' stop it up. A green gourd, dat's right, an' go where de tide is gotta go a long ways, an' yo' walk dere, an' when yo' git tuh dis rivah yo' walk nine steps backwards an throw it ovah, say, "Go, Go." An' throw it ovah. Don' look back, jis' walk from de rivah an' keep agoin'. An' he'll go.
(You say "Go" twice?)
Yassuh.
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 5722
Den ag'in yo' could take up a track - yo' pulls up dat track. When she's comin' home, git behin' 'er an' take de track de same way she's goin', jis' lak she's comin' home. Yo' take it three times. (Where would you take it from, the heel to the toe or the toe to the heel?) Take it from de heel an' carry it to de toe, 'cuz she's goin' home. Take it three time.
(You take it three times. You mean three steps or all out of one?)
Take de leas' leetle bit about a half a teaspoonful, den po' dat in yore han' an' take it an' git nine. Git it nine times, make it three times three. Put dat in dere an' den take de red peppah an' put it tuhgethah. Put it in a bran'-new piece of cloth an' take it an' sew it. Sew it up an' stick it in a green tree, in de limb, an' let it grow up in dat tree. She stay home.
(How do you put it in that limb?)
Jis' take yo' pucketknife [pocketknife] an' split it an' set it right in dere; slip it right intuh dere. Split it.
(And the limb will grow together again?)
An' it will grow ag'in an' it won' hurt 'er neithah.
(That will keep the woman home?)
Yes, keep her home.
Entry 5856
Yo' split de tail of a dog or rabbit, anythin', an' put dat person's hair on dat tail - lay it in dere, fold it an' lay it in dere, an' den sew dat tail back up an' wrap it up so dat it cain't come out. He'll grow back togethah, an' long as dat varmit livin', why dat person will be crazy minded - go tuh de 'sylum.
Entry 6095
An' ah could take yore hair an' ah could ketch me a rabbit, git any Hinda rabbit, an' clip dat rabbit back open an' put chure hair in dat rabbit back, an' ah sew dat rabbit back up, an' yo' nevah will quit'walkin'. Yo' jis' walk till yo' die. If nobody nevah kills dat rabbit, yo'll jis' nevah quit walkin'.
Entry 6096
Now along de hair line. Yo' kin take de hair outa de top if any in- dividual's hair, say if yo' wanta send 'em away. Dis is mo' from sperience ah'm tellin' yo' dat. [Now follows a good example of giving a rite and then illustrating it with a personal ex- perience.] Yo' take dat hair an' ketch a rabbit den, an' split 'is skin right in de fo'head dere, an' place dat hair in dere an' sew it up. Jes' turn 'im loose. Well, who- Cvah hair den dat yo' put in dere, if yo' want 'em tuh leave, when yo' turn dat rabbit loose dey can't stay. [We lived] cross town togethah. I an' 'im were good frien's, too. Well, he bad a right clevah wife. So ah nevah said nuthin tuh anyone heah 'bout dese things jes' like yo' talkin' tuh me now, 'bout runnin' off people. So ah says, "Well," says, "ah kin take de hair outa anybody's head, outa de zole [mold or mould] of de haid an' ketch me a rabbit," ah said, "an' ah kin nm a off quickly." She said, "How do yo' do dat?" Ah said, "Well, yo' git de hair out de mole of dere haid an' ketch chew a rab- bit an' split 'im right in de fo'haid," say, "an' put dat hair in dere an' sew it Turn de rabbit loose. She say, "Shuah 'nuff?" Well, ah didn't pay no mo' 'tenshun tuh it. Two-three days latah ah wus out in de woods cuttin' crossties. [Railroad rails are laid on and spiked to crossties.] All of a sudden he pulls off 'is clothes, all but 'is top-shirt. Ah nevah bothah. Ah reckon about fifty yards distance betveen us - us dere a log-cuttin'. An' when 'is cuttin' stopped, ah stopped aattin', looked tuh see whut wus he doin', weren't thinkin' about nuthin. So chen ah looked he wus standin' up on de log lookin' right straight off tuhwards de cypress pond. He got down off de log an' he walked right straight on off de Way, de direction he wus lookin' tuhward dat pond. He walked on off down dere an' he walked on it. Well, ah nevah pay any 'tenshun, ah went on back cuttin'. Ah say, "Maybe prob'ly got hot an' he's about gone [to] cool off." Dat's whut ah thought tuh mahself. So ah worked on about a hour an' he hadn't came back yet. Ah jes' worked on, hadn't nevah give it a thought. Well, it's about three hours he hadn't come back, so ah thought ah'd go down tuh de pond. Ah went on down tuh de pond where it wus muddy goin' in jes' 'fore yo' git tuh de water. Ah tracked 'im on tuh de watah. Ah whistled an' whistled an' called an' called. Aftah ah couldn't [find] 'im, ah went on aroun' de pond, an' when ah got on de othah [side] de back of de pond - ah seed where he come out. Still ah couldn't git no hearin', ah called an' whistled. So ah went on back, ah said, "Maybe he jes' went off tuh look fo' some [something]." But still he wus in his shirt, nuthin but 'is shirt. Ah went on back an' ah worked on till time tuh knock off. He hadn't came back yet. Time tuh knock off, ah couldn't call 'im up, couldn't whistle 'im. So ah went on back home. So ah went on down tuh his house aftah ah got suppah. He hadn't showed up yet. His wife couldn't tell nuthin about 'im atall. De nex' mawnin' he hadn't showed up. So ah went back out in de woods where his clothes still hangin' dere where he lef' 'em. Well, ah come back tuh de house den tuh tell 'er about it. He git plenty time to git 'rested [arrested for being in his unclothed condition.] Some- body mdght search fo' 'im. Well, de people dat know 'im - de law, dey took 'imup an' dey look fo' 'im dem two weeks. Dey nevah did find 'im. So' 'bout six-eight weeks latah dey got ahearin' from 'im. He wus in de 'sylum. So, I an' 'is wife wus talkin' dere one day aftah he had gone on an' she say, "Yo' know one thing?" "Whut?" Say, "Yo' know whut chew tole 'bout dat rabbit?" Said, "'Yes?" She says, "Ah tried dat. Ah thought yo' wus roun' devilin'," say, "an' dat's whut run mah husban' off from heah."
Entry 6156
Yo' jis' git some his hair out de top of de mole of 'is haid, an' git choo a golgree [?] stick about de size of yore fingah. Dat's a flowah dat grow in de swamp wintah an' summah, white as ivory. An' yo' split dat stick in two. Yo' take dat hair an' put hair in dere, an' yo' kin jis' cord it [urap it with cord string] an' stick in yore pocket dataway. An' yo' [ask for 1 job] an' yo' got a job fer life.
[Is this the swamp lily, the white-flowered species of Crinum (C. americum)
found in the southern states of U. S. A? This flower appears elsewhere in the text. I first saw it in a roadside pond on my trip through Virginia and Kentucky in 1922 - see Intro. v.1, p. XxvIII, last paragraph.]
(You get some of the boss' hair [for that stick]?)
No, DON'T GIT IT OUT OF 'IS HAID. GREAT GOD! DAT'LL RUN 'IM CRAZY! [A split or cleft-stick rite is rare (except a dog's hair in, to keep him wne) but it must appear 7 or 8 times in HOODOO.]
Entry 6157
Yuh take a person's hair from 'is haid an' put it in a stick. Wrap it tight an' throw it in runnin' watah. Dey say as de watah runs, dere mind goes from 'em - will cause dem tuh go crazy. (How do they put it in the stick?) Jis' take de stick an' split de stick open an' put it [hair] in it an' wrap it tightly [and tie].
(Any kind of stick.)
Any kind of stick.
Entry 6158
Put dat [a person's hair] in a lil fat Zightah [pine] splintah. Jis' split de splintah an' stick it [hair] in it [the split], an' tie a string aroun' it, an' throw it de way de water's runnin's out, yuh see, an' dat'll run yuh crazy. [Objects of cunjure or hoodoo are usually thrown into ordinary running water, but one must be careful with tidal water. In the present instance the spellcaster casts the spell object downstream to be certain it does not for a second start to move op- posite or past where he is standing.]
Entry 7964
Take dat left shoe, yo' cut it, yo' jis' cut it all de way cross from dat heel. Yo' take dat shoe... [I interrupt.]
(From the heel to what?)
From de heel tuh de end of de toes.
(HoW would you cut it? How do you mean they cut it?)
[Just make a cut mark? Cut all the Way through? Etc?]
Yo' jis' take a knife an' cut it...
(Just make a cut?)
Yes, sir, jis' take a knife an' cut dat shoe all de way through, yo' see, de sole of it. Cut it all de way through tuh de heel.
(I see.)
An' den yo' take dat shoe an' git two cross-sticks, two cross-sticks [2 sticks to cross] an' yo' cross 'em lak dat [demonstrates].
(Like an X. All right.)
Yo' cross 'em lak dat, an' yo' goes right undahneat' of de house, of [belou] dere baid. Yo' see, yo' make somepin jis' lak a li'le coffin. An' yo' goes undahneat' of de house right undah de baid, jis' where de baid sets. An' yo' tacks de bottom of dat, dat inside of dat sole of dat shoe, [and] yo' tack it undahneat' of de house right undah de baid. An' dat person will jis' lingah, lingah, lingah - lingah until dey die. But yo' tacks it - see yo' tack it right undahneat' de bed. [Nail it to the fllor under the house:] Dat's really de truth ah'm tellin' yo' now. Dat's really de truth.
(Well, what would they do with that box?)
Evahthing ah'm tellin' yo' is really de truth. (Well, what would they do with that box that you made like a coffin? What do you do with that?) That? It all be's tuhgethah.
(Oh! you tack that box, everything. I see.)
But choo see, it all be's tuhgethah. Turn it bottom upwards.
(I see.)
An' yo' tack it right undahneat' of de baid undah de house; but choo see, yo' cross dem sticks.
(Where do you put those sticks?)
Yo' cross dem sticks right undahneat' of it, right undahneat' of de sole. An' yo' tack it an' yo' turn it all bottom ups, an' yo' tacks it right undahneat' of de baid.
(Well, now, you put these sticks in there across?)
Yes. (Then you put this piece of leather in there, from the shoe, and you turn it upside down, and tack it up under the bed, under the house? [I speak slowly and deliberately.] That leather is in there to hold those sticks, that are crossed, from falling down?) Yes, sir, keep dem sticks crossed. Don' put 'em straight, put crossed.
(I see.)
Entry 8018
On de first Friday of de month yo' see, yo' goes an' yo' git chew a beef tongue an' yo' split dat beef tongue jis' long enough where yo' kin stick a piece of papah in dere. Stick dat person's name in dere, write dat person's name lengthways. Jis' don' cross. Kin jis Write it longways, yo' know, jis' write it nine times de long ways. Ah don' mean no cross it, yo' see. An' yo' take aftah dat, aftah yo' write his name, den yo' take it yo see an' yo' stick it down in dat beef tongue. An' yo' go in de graveyard an' yo' bury dat, see. An' when dat beef tongue begin tuh rot, dat person begins tuh feel drowsy an' droopy, sleepy, jis' continue sleep until he kinda sleep hisself away. [Algiers, La., (1590), 2987:4.] [Material about bones from the dead has already been given in many places, among them: MOANING BONES, P.36; HEAD BONE, P.38; POWER FROM HEADBONE, P.282; POWER FROM BROTHER'S SKULL, p.283; DEAD PREACHER'S BONE, p.285; and DEAD GAM- BLER'S HAND BUILT EUREKA HOTEL WHERE I INTERVIEWED IN MEMPHIS BUILT BY THE DEAD, first quotation on p.1871, from p.1876, line 17 from bottom of page, continued on p.1877. I am dividing this subsubsection on bones into: (ea) WHAT BONES FROM THE DEAD DO, and (eb) TYPES OF BONES FROM THE DEAD. These two divisions of course overlap.]
Entry 8551
Take a fish an' yo' write a person's name backwards, de two parties, if it's two, lak yore husban' is wit a woman.an' yo' cain't break 'em up, an' yo' wants 'em clean away from round yo'. Yo' don't wanta see 'em. Den yo' gits yo' a fish an' yo' dry it, but chew dries it into a perch fish. Dries hit into salt, yo' know, lak yore mack- eral - salt 'em down. Now - but chew have hit open already. Now, yo' takes dem nails backwards lak ah told yo' concerning de lemon, an' put it into dat fish an' sew dat fish up. An' carry 'im an' put 'im into runnin' watah, an' dat run de two away - dey couldn't stay dere. Dey have tuh go.
(The fish is killed before you put it into salt?)
Yes.
(How do you write those names on that?)
BACKWARDS. ALL RIGHT, MAH NAME IS VIOLA DORSEY. DORSEY VIOLA, DAT'S BACK- WARDS. Yores [if it] is Freddy Jones, [write] Jones Freddy. Dat cuts across dere.
[Freddy bisects Jones, the two names forming a cross.]
(That cuts across dere, cross the names?)
Dat's de idea, an' backwards. Cain't be straight fo' good.
Entry 8684
Well, yo' go out there [to a crossroad] for whatsomevah yo' want [to] be done. Yo' make a cross in dat road. Yo' go to a 'simmon [persimmon] tree an git a 'simmon tree an' cut [a piece off] about 3 inches, yo' know what 3 inches is. Yo' make a split in that, in that piece yo' cut off, if yo' wan'a stop 'em from goin' de way they're goin', if dey goin' roun' some woman, somepin like dat. Yo' always urinate on it an' make yore wish an' write de name. Stick it [name] right down in dat cut chew made an' drive it in de ground.
[This is one of a number of split stick rites.]
(Where?)
Right in that cross, where you make dat cross.
(At the crossroad.)
Yes sir, under dat cross an' cover it.
Entry 8741
Ah've heard of a person kin write chure name on a piece of papah, an' go to a tree dat's growin' an' bo' a hole or eithah split a place big enough, an' drive dat name in dere on dat papah, an' let it grow up in dere, an' aftah so long a time dat person'll go clean away an' yo'll nevah see 'em or heah from 'em no mo'. Ah've heard of dat being done.
Entry 8769
All yo' have to do, split dat in fo' parts.
(Split this match in four parts.)
Aftah yo' split 'em in fo' parts, yo' cut de sticks across. Dat will be eight, see. An' aftah yo' cut eight, yo' take one an' cut one in half. Dat'll be ten, see. All right, yo' cut de othah one in half. Dat will be 12 pieces. Dat's even, ain't it? See now, dose [are] twelve. All right, it will be even [number]. An' yo' take dem pieces an' yo' sew it up, yo' sew it up into a piece of cloth. Well, aftah yo' sew it up in a piece of cloth, yo' kin go to dat person house an' stick it in de block of de house [see later] fo' yo' kin bury it undah de block of de house, or yo' kin stick it in a crack [of the house] or somepin lak dat. An' yo' kin walk away. When yo' walk away from de house an' [then you] call dat person three times. See, call dem three times. De next time yo' call loud where he kin hear yo', he'll answer yo', see. Well, yo' got his voice right dere, see.
(What do you do then?)
Well, he come out dere. Yo' kin kill 'im den [not immediately but any time later], if yo' want to [because you have his voice in a bottle] or yo' kin do jes' what yo' want wit 'em [voice and bottle]. [Informant may have mentioned spirit-catching bottle earlier (for how this is done, see margin title TO CATCH A SPIRIT, p.24f. and many places) or he assumed I knew enough about hoodoo to understand what he meant. Since you can stick it in or bury it undah, block of de house refers to the foundation sills under the house, not to the piZlars upon which the small lowland house rests aboveground.]
Entry 8967
Yo' get de prosecutor's name.
[Informant takes long pause.]
(All right.)
Yo' get some of de eye witness name - what swearing against yo', ah mean. An' yo' get de judge's name an' de prosecuting attorney's name, an' yo' write dere names down in lines, yo' see [one name under the other]. Den yo' take an' write yore name across dere. [Informant takes long pause.] Nine times. [Informant takes long pause.] (Yes?) Yo' shove in - yo' cut dat beef tongue an' yo' shove it [written names] in dat beef tongue an' yo' sew it back up. Yo' get yo' a brand-new tub, nevah have done been used.
[Informant takes long pause.] (Yes?)
(Yes.)
You get you a block of ice... (What did you say about the twelve apostles a moment ago? The twelve dis- ciples?) The twelve disciples, yo' must write dem twelve disciples name down.
(And what do you do with that?)
The twelve disciples name, dat's like if yo' want.... [They were concerned with another rite.]
Entry 8970
[If you are] in court like this. If yo' done did a bad crime. He got a witness against yo' - or maybe ten or twelve - fifteen or twenty witness against yo'. Yo' take all of these witness names. Now which is de beef tongue, an' it runs about dat long [dem- onstrates]. Yo' know de size of a beef tongue. Yo' take dat tongue an' yo' split it open right into de mid- dle. Yo' take all dese names an' yo' stuff 'em down into dis tongue. Aftah yo' stuff 'em down into dis tongue, yo' get yo' a pack of needles an' yo' use nine of de biggest needles in dere. Yo' get yo' 50 pounds of ice. Dat's de day yo' goin' to court. Get yo' 50 pounds of ice an' yo' take dis beef tongue an' yo' put it down into dis ice an' freeze it. Co'se [of course] yo' could use it de night before dat. An' yo' take dis tongue an' yo' freeze it with these witness names against yo' in it. Then, when they get in court they can't say nothing against you. If it's anything, they going to say somepin for you.
(What do you do with those nine needles?)
The nine needles, you just stick it all in them names and in the tongue. New Orleans, La., (860), 1371:6.]
Entry 8982
Yo' go to de slaughter pen an' yo' get yo' a fresh beef tongue. An' yo' write his name, whosomevah, if yo' kin get dem witness names. Yo' write dem witness name down. Write each witness name down on a piece of papah. An' yo' take dat beef tongue an' split it open just like dis [demonstrates] an' put all dem names in dat beef tongue an sew it back up. An' yo' wrap dat up good an' yo' go on down dere [to court] wit dat in yore pocket. An' sit dere. When de witness get up dere, dey can't talk. All dem tongue-tied, dey can't say nuthin - just cross-talk, dey can't say nuthin. An' yo' goin' to get discharged.
Entry 9119
(1) Dey could git a big sage leaf an' write de Ten Commandment on dat sage leaf an' take it tuh de co't an' yo' make out anybody dere an' jes' throw it. (2) Eithah yo' could take a red onion an' split it in fo' parts an' sprinkle salt in it an' carry it in yore pocket han'ke'- ch'ef, an' whilst in dere, blow yore breath once in awhile. (3) Or eithah yo' kin take a [silver] ten cents an' put it undah yore tongue an' hold it dere, an' dat will make de party dat's against yo', 'sturbed [dis- turbed].
Entry 9882
If yo're poisoned yo' use a frog. Yo' take dat frog an' yo' cut 'im half in two, an' lay 'im on de place where - yo' know, jis' lak it wuz a li'l swollen or sompin lak dat some place. Yo' lay dat frog on top dat place an' de one dat chew had a idea dat did do it, yo' jis' cuss 'em out an' tell 'em, "Ah want chew tuh be jis' lak dis frog is, daid an' in he-ell." An' he'll swell up jis' lak de frog would. Jis' lak yo' are, dat's jis' how it would be happen tuh dem.
Entry 9886
Yo' kin take a toadyfrog an' split it open an' put it undahneat' de centah of yuh steps as yo' goin' in. Well, dat toadyfrog will be mortified tuh yuh all de time. Yo' can't go no time. Yo' can't go up nor come down. Dat will make yuh be's sickly all de time.
Entry 9887
A frog? An' if yo' have bone felon on yuh fingah lak ah had on dis one heah - an' yo' take dat frog whilst he's alive an' yo' split 'im open an' yo' run de fingah dat ails yuh, see, intuh 'im. Dat will draw de misery out.
Entry 9926
Jis' lak dey say if yo' poisoned, yo' take a frog an' split 'im open alive an' tie 'im on. Dey say dat will kill dat poison.
Entry 9927
[To] stop a man from makin' watah, yo' could take dat frog an' split 'im open an' fill 'im up fulla salt an' peppah; an' pull 'im back tuhgethah an' hang 'im up. Split 'im open 'live. Why dey couldn't make watah 'long as dat wuz done. (Do they do anything with the person's water at all?) No sir. [Since the victim's urine is not used on the frog or in any way here, magic power is one of intention verbally unexpressed.]
Entry 9963
Kill a frog while he's hot. Take a frog while he's hot an' kill 'im an' split him open while he's hot. An' take an' rub yore han's on 'im an' rub down yore han's lak dat. An' yo' go out tuh any card game yo' wanta an' yo' be successful. Git chew a live frog an' split him back open, an' rub yore han's on 'im down dere.
Entry 9964
Take a toadyfrog an' yo' split 'im open, see, an' jis' tote him aroun' in yore pocket, an' yo' kin have all de luck yo' want.
(In gambling.)
Entry 9998
Ah've hear'd of 'em. He keeps de frog tricks from workin' roun' shows an' so forth.
(How do they do that?) Yo' take him an' split 'im down 'is back, ah think it is, an' put 'is back, ah think it is, an' put salt on 'im an' put 'im in yore pocket.
Entry 10554
Well, yo' know a leather-wing bat. Well yo' kin take hit an' split him open, an' yo' kin git nine drops of blood from him, an' den git some Heart Cologne an' mix it together. An' yo' kin tote dat in yore pocket an' dat's very good luck. (Well, how would you carry all this stuff, in a rag or in a bottle or in a wallet, what?) Well, yo' take yo' a bottle whut chew buy de Hearts Cologne in an' yo' po'es dat in it.
(You put this blood in the Hearts Cologne bottle.)
Dat's right, an' den yo' see, yo' watch it an' yo' feeds it on dat all de time, yo' see, an' it, yo' know, grows an' grows, makes yore luck be stronger an' stronger.
Entry 10563
Ah'm a turpentine distiller by trade.... An' on de corner of mah rosin shed in '28 [1928] in May, ah don't know what time but it Was in de month of May, coming updepathahhappento sight in de crack where dis rafter come down ah saw a leather-wing bat, an' ah took a sharp stick an' caught him jest out of mischief is all ah caught him fo' - cause he'll bite chew. An' de fellah ah had working de still wit me - ah had workin' a extra man Pamed Tom Willis. Tom asked me to give him to him. Ah said, "For whut?" He said, "Man, ah'm gonna win de money dis payday." So ah give him de bat an' he killed it an' he took his heart out an' split it open an' let de blood out an' let it dry. Wrapped it an' put it in his pocket. An' dat coming Saturday, was payday, Tom won all de money, every bit of it was on de place.
(Did he split that heart?)
Split it open an' let it dry. Put it out in de sun an' let it dry.
(He took the heart only.)
Jest took de heart out of de bat was all he used. Now, ah saw him do that, but he did win de money.
(This was at the turpentine camp.)
Right at de turpentine camp in Marden County [Martin Co., Fla.] doon in close in Indian Town.
Entry 10603
Well, now heah de othah day a friend of mine wus tellin' me. He axe me did ah know where he could - firs' he axe me could ah lend him fo' dollahs. Ah tole him, no, ah didn't 'zactly have de money. He says, "Well, ah know a fel- lah," said, "he claims he kin gi' [give] yo' a han' fo' gam- blin'." Ah wus on de steamship workin' den, see, an' ah met dis fellah on de street an' he jes' stop me. An' he jes' stop me - yo' know, stop me an' jes' spoke. So he axed me did ah gamble. Told him shure, sometime ah gamble. "Well, " he says, "yo' evah have any luck?" "Shure ah has luck?" sometimes, sometimes ah don't." He says. "Well. vo' wanta have luck all de time?" Ah tole him, "Yeah, ef ah'd like tuh win all de time." He said, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do." Says, "Yo' go tuh work an' ketch yo' one dese little bats. Dese little black bats, " yo' know, "an' cut his wings off." Say, "Den - an' don't lose any of his blood - ketch all de blood yo' kin, an' split him open. An' jes' split him open an' take his entrails out, but try tuh keep all de blood dat chew kin." Say, "An' after yo' split him open, let him dry wit de blood in 'im." Say, "An' den fill dat back up with cheese." Fill dat bat, chew know inside of him up wit cheese. "Sew hit up," say, "an' jes' keep it in yore pocket where yo' keep yore money at all de time." Says, "Yo'll have luck all de time."
(In gambling?)
In gambling. So ah thought ah might as well try dat. Ah wus on de steamship fo' foah yeahs.
Entry 10937
Take a catfish entrails, split him open while dey alive - channel cat - an' take dat entrails an' put it in a bottle, or else bury it undah yore do'steps; jes' lak yo' had a place an' wanted tuh stay dere, why yo' kin stay dere as long as yo' wanta, if yo' bury dat undah dere, wit dere name.
(The name of the landlord on it?) Den yo' kin stay at dat place as long as yo' want to.
Entry 10940
If yo' in a house an' de man's hard on yo' wit chure rent, yo' take one dese channel cats.
(A channel catfish?)
Dat's right, an' whilst it's 'live, cut him open. Yo' cut dat channel cat open an' whilst it's hot, yo' take an' bury dat undah de steps where de rentman gotta tuh come ovah, an' yo' kin stay dere jes' as long as yo' wanta. Yo' gotta bury it undah de steps.
Entry 10952
In case yo' poisoned when yo' bitten by a snake, yo' kin take a young chicken an' split him wide open while he's 'live an' put it on dat place, bind it roun' tight, an' dat vi draw off de poison from dere,
Entry 10964
Now if you wanna use chicken blood, you kin use dat. Take de chicken and cut 'em open while he 'live. Don't kill him and den cut him open. Jes' take de knife and stick him right in de back, and cut him open while he 'live, and put dat - each half of dat chicken on each por- tion of your spinal cord here. You understand. It cure any shingles in de world. What you call chicken blood, yeah, wit shingles. Now, dat will stop de shingles.
Entry 11307
Take cat or dog hair an' take a piece of wood an' split de Wood. Stick de hair in dis wood an' nail it down at chure back steps, an' de dog will nevah leave home 'lessen someone taken dat away.
Entry 11629
You take this feesh, you split it open just like you gonna gut it. You open that feesh and then you take that feesh and you puts the man's name in there and you fix it. Put it...
(Wait a minute! Don't leave anything out. What about his name now?)
You take his name...
(Yes?)
And you put his name in de feesh...
(Wait a minute! What about his name?)
[I must have turned off machine accidentally because I repeat what informant says.]
(Ah, nine times. All right now. All right.)
Yes,1 nine times you puts the name in - on a piece of paper into the feesh.
(All right.)
You takes the feesh and you covers this feesh back up whole again. You takes the feesh and you takes a string - a piece of thread No.8 black - and you just tie it all over on that until you gets it together tight. Then you take the full length of the feesh and you put it in the ground just like it is. And then in the ninth day, if you see this party, he'll give you the tale about it, how he would be on the wandering on the drag. He'll never be able to make no kind of any way - no successful at all - with dat feesh.
Entry 12318
If yo' burn a tree - if yo' wuz out with a person an' yo' take an' note where there's a lightnin'-struck tree, an' yo' split it up an' carry it to 'em fo' wood an' he burn it, even unknowingly, he'll lose his home. It's bad luck to him. (You give the fellow bad luck by giving him this wood from this tree?) Even if he didn't know it - he might not have but two pieces of dat, but he'd lose whatevah he had.
Entry 12529
Dey said dat chew take a red onion an' split it in half, when it partways growin'. Split it lak dat an' sprinkle some sugah in it, an' carry it to a person's step an' bury it. An' dat will separate dem an' it will run dem away from dere - separate 'em or run de party out de house. Make 'em move.
Entry 12712
An' if dey wanta run yuh, dey take yore hair, cut hair out de mole [mold] of yore head. And sometime dey do be's fortunate enough to ketch a rab- bit live, split his hide, his skin, and put dat hair in dere. And sew it up in dere and turn him loose an' he [rabbit] run to briar. When dey fin' you [your hair in the rabbit], yo be having yo' head stuck in a briar patch.
Entry 13326
De way ah've heard it now, dey split de tree - a little small sap- ling. Dey jes' split dat tree an' yo' kin take de trimmin'. Jes' lak yo' split it - yo' split de tree an' yo' cut out inside dere. Yo' take yore pocketknife an' yo' cut out de trimmin' 股中商 outa dere. An' den yo' take dat trimmin' an' den yo' go an' yo' - jes' lak a person dat chew see dat chew kere [care] fo' lak dat. Well yo' take de trimmin' outa dat an' yo' slip it in some of his clothes - yo' know, anywhere in de individual's clothes dat he wears regularly. Yo' understand, sew it up in his bindin' an' dey tell me dat'll bind two [one] couple together [you know] make dem cleave to one another. Dat's fur as ah evah hear of dat.
(What does that tree do then?)
Well, dat tree grows - yo' know, hit'll go back together, yo' understand me.