Subject:Sprinkle
Entries
Entry 3756
(How would you take that away?)
Well, de first thing yo' would do, would git dis thing - it's in a powdahed form an' den it's in a lump form, but dey call it dragon blood. Yo' take dat an' yo' wear dat intuh yore shoes, jis' de same as ah wuz tellin' yo' 'bout dat othah thing. Yo' wear dat nine days. Den yo' suppose tuh take dat out, an' den yo' supposed tuh take it an' put it on a piece of papah wit dose names written jis' lak ah done tole yo' befo'. Now yo' write mah name in one direction [demonstrates]. Dat's one person's name nine times.
(What one do you write first?)
Write eithah one, don't make any diff'rence, jis' since dey crossed. Yo' undahstan', yo' cross de othah name wit de othah nine. An' aftah yo' do dat yo' supposed tuh take dis piece of papah an' sprinkle it wit dragon blood dat yo' wo' in yo' shoe on it. Den yo' supposed tuh put a half box of salt on dat. Now yo' know how cookstoves are made, dose dat burn wood. Yo' supposed to put it in de ashpan of dat. An' it ain't supposed tuh burn all at once, but as de hot coals drop down, yo' undahstan', den yo' supposed to be rid of dat. (That will get rid of this thing, that woman did to tie him up - [this re- stores] his nature.)
Entry 4240
Sprinkle red peppah, salt an' chamber lye roun' de house, git chew 'way from dere. (That will make you move?) Yes.
Entry 4295
Well, yuh wan'a keep de law away, if yuh're bottleggin'. Evah mawnin' fer nine mawnin's yuh git up, yuh go tuh de front do' - don't evah sweep yuh dirt out de front - befo' de sunrise. Sprinkle chamber lye an' - but firs', burn ole shoe sole an' take de dust of dat ole shoe an' sulphuh, an' sprinkle it all aroun' yeh house out- side. An' den do all dat when de sun go down in de evenin'. As de sun goin' down yuh burn de shoe sole [and the sulphur - see later]. Nex' mawnin' befo' de sunrise, sprinkle it aroun' yeh house [shoe-sole ashes] an' sulphur, an' den sprinkle chamber lye all de way roun'. Den as zhoo sweep yuh house, sweep de dirt all back, from de front all de way back. Take it up on yuh shovel an' befo' sundown dat evening take dat dust whut choo sweep out cheh house an' burn it up in sulphuh an' ole shoe sole. An' do dat fer 9 mawnin', don't miss a mawnin', befo' de sunrise. An' as de sun goin' down in de evenin', yuh burn yuh shoe sole. An' continue sprinkle dat chamber lye aroun' yuh house. An' de officahs, dere wouldn't be anothah step about choo, won't nevah think about chew an' yuh likker.
Entry 4795
When ah wuz a young girl ah hear 'em talkin' about it.
(You say it was an old woman?)
Yeah, it used tuh be when I wuz a young girl. It's a certain way dey say dat you kin git a piece of dough. Make a flour dough.
(Out of flour, ordinary flour?)
Flour, an' yuh take dat piece of flour dough about dis long an' yuh wear it undah yore lef' arm nine mornings, [then] put it undah yore right arm nine morn- ings an' aftah yuh do dat, den yuh take it an' weah it be- tween yore laigs. (For how long?) Nine mornings. Evah thin' is nine day's work. An' den, dey say, yuh beat it up right fine, jis' lak a powdah, lak peppah or salt, an' den yuh take it an' sprinkle it on somepin tuh eat fer 'im, yuh know, an' dat will make him follah yuh, make him love yuh.
Entry 5095
When I was a boy I was hunting a job here [at the Chamberlain Hotel] as bellboy and I had my mother to see a so-called fortuneteller. And he told her to burn some shoes and to get a few of the ashes, and sprinkle some of these ashes around Richmond's [the manager's] feet when I came to apply for the job. [This was the old Chamberlain, not the new one of 1936, when I interviewed informant, the head waiter there.] [Old Point Comfort, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 5098
Now, in burnin' shoes, if yo' kin git - it don' mattah whethah yo' got de whole shoe or not, but if yo' git de tongue of, de tongue of dere shoe, git de tongue outa it, an' if not, why jis' take de bottom. An' yo' kin burn dose shoes an' take de ashes an' at sunrise sprinkle some toward de sun, say, "Peace be unto yo'." Den turn tuh de west an' tuh de no'th an' say, "Peace be unto yo'." An' turn tuh de south, an' say de same thing each time. An' whut- evah yo' want dat person tuh do, why yo' got 'em dere.
(You don't call his name or anything? That person's name?)
Nawsir.
(But you must have that person in mind when you are doing it?)
Oh yeah, yes sir.
Entry 5099
Well, lak yo' livin' in dis house 'sides [beside] yo' neighbah an' he's mad wit chew or somepin othah lak dat. Well, dey want chew tuh move out. Well, prob'ly yo' take an', if yo' kin git some of 'is shoes, an' take an' burn dem shoes, an' sprin- kle sulphuh on dem shoes as yo' burn 'em. An' if yo' take dis ashes aftah yo' burn de shoes - take de ashes an' prob'ly ketch dem goin' 'way from de house someplace or 'nothah lak dat. An' take dis ashes an' sprinkle it roun' both do'steps, de back do'step an' de front do'step. An' when dey goes in an' come out - when dey goes in de house an' come out, den yo' take dem ashes an' take an' bring 'em back, an' yo' burn 'em ag'in wit some sulphuh. Jis' burn 'em in dis sulphuh dis time, an' take an' sprinkle a li'le whiskey on it. Den dey leave ag'in, an' aftah dey leave ag'in, yo' take an' do de same thing, an' let it stay dere dis time. An' den when dey leave out dat time, den de nex' thing dey'll wanta do is move, becuz dat stuff whut she did will begin tuh start tuh work.
Entry 5193
Ah started tuh make uh gurl love me an' ah did jis' lak de root doctah tole me. He tole me tuh take tuh grain of black peppah [2 pinches of black pep- per] an' take an' weah in mah shoe. Yo' has it [pepper] on a piece of papah. Take a piece of brown papah an' yuh put it ovah dere. Keep it right down by yuh baid unbeknowin' tuh 'er. Yuh take tuh [fresh grains] evah mawnin' an' put in yuh right shoe fo' nine mawnin'. Leave it dere. An' shō [sure] in de nex' mawnin' tuh put tuh mo' in dere. Do dat fer nine mawnin'. [THIS IS AN INCREASING AMOUNT RITE.] Yuh put on yuh shoe an' weah yuh shoe. Weah 'at [that pepper] in yuh shoe. An' den aftah ah weah dat in mah shoe, be sho ven [when] ah pull mah shoe off [eachnight] tuh take an' put mah shoe unduh [under] de cornah of de baid jis' whure she sleep at. Evah mawnin' [during these nine days when] yuh git up, yuh hug 'er. An' den he give some kin'a dus'. He said evah mawnin' sprinkle dat dus' on 'er while yuh huggin' 'er. Den aftah dat [at the end of nine days] go outdo' an' take dis shoe an' dig yuh a hole right undah de front steps, right whure she got'a walk out. Bury de [eighteen grains of] peppah. An' aftah yuh [do] dat, she'll fall in love wit chuh an' yuh cain't git away from 'er, an' she cain't git away from yuh. [Here is my comment on my original pencil transcription: Voice clear but vemy difficult to transcribe - a primitive mind [[not in a technical sense]] - recheck [[original]] before final using - No.311 is a Negro from the Sound [[Wrightville Sound]]. After informant had left room, my contact man Mr. Gavin came in to ex- press his sorrow for him. He had never seen anyone quite so inexperienced and isolated from simple forms of normal life.]
Entry 5234
Ah heard if dere any person dat chew don' wan' aroun' yo', in de mawn- in' 'fore de sun rise, yo' go an' sweep yore front yard. Well, when dey come dere an' dey walk in an' yo' sweep it an' yo' burn a ole shoe. Yo go roun' anywhere where dis person is an' git any ole shoe belong tuh dem an' burn it an' sprinkle it. Well dat will keep 'em 'way from roun' dere.
(You sweep first?)
Yo' sweep'an' den burn a ole shoe - jes' yo' sweep an' den yo' put some sul- phur in dat ashes of de burnt shoe. Sprinkle it in de front yard.
Entry 5423
Ah've heard dat argued up home. Dat's de forks of de road. Yo' go tuh de forks of de road, if a person's a enemy to yo', see. An' if yo' kin git tuh de forks of de road an' git de tracks of dat person from de fork of dat road - see, it's two roads. See. Now de fork of de road dat means de road is prackly [practically] two ways. An' yo' kin take his tracks an' sprinkle de dust down in de left side of de road. (You go out to the forks of the road and you get this man's tracks out there. What do you do with those tracks?) One goes right an' one go lef', if yo' wanta run de man crazy. Ah've heard dat argued a good many times.
(You pick up how many tracks?)
Yo' pick it up outa de right-han' track. Take up de right'han' track an' sprinkle it down on de left side [of "Y" fork] - in de lef' way. Dat's de way dey runs so many people crazy. Ah have nevah done dat.
(You don't touch his left track at all then?)
Yo' takes it outa de right track yo' see an' sprinkle it on de left side [fork] of de road.
(You don't put anything in the other side of the road at all?)
Oh, not de right side, see. An' den yo', when yo' git through dat, den yo' walk down de right side [fork] of de road, unless [you do] dat yo' both will go crazy. Unless - see, if yo' go down de lef' side [fork] aftah yo' sprinkle de track, de dust down in de lef' side, den yo' go down de lef' side, both of yo' will go crazy.
(You have to go down the right fork?)
Yo' have tuh go down de right side of de road. Dat's old-time doin's.
Entry 5463
Dey says if yo' take yore fingah, reach from hollah of de foot tuh de heel, dey take dat dirt up [demon- strates]. (YOu PUT THE INDEX FIN- GER AT THE HOLLOW AND the thumb at the heel and bring it together. Take up a pinch of that dirt. Out of either foot?) De right foot. An' yo' kin take dat den an' put 'em tuh wandahin' - trailin' [a rare word].
(What would you do with that dirt after you got it?)
Well, dey say dat yo' mix a li'le graveyard dirt wit it. Dey kin kill yo' wit it or else dey kin put yo' tuh travelin'. Take dat dirt an' sprinkle it wit nine new needles right in de direction yo' wan' 'em to go. If de house heah, dat yo' wanta run 'em from, yo' go right dere in front dat house an' put dat dirt. Say dat will run 'em. (Now I am not quite certain about those nails. You take this dirt from the foot and some of this graveyard dirt. And then you take nails or needles?) Kin take needles an' nails.
(How do you drive them - into the ground or what?)
Yeah into de ground. An' den nine new pins, an' needles wit it, but chew put dem needles between dem nine nails.
(That will make them go away.)
Entry 5532
Ah've heard dat dey kin git chure foot track an' measure yore foot track, an' take some of de dirt out de hollah of yore track, see. Den go tuh de graveyard aftah twelve o'clock an' git some de dirt from de heart, about de heart, an' from de head an' from de foot [3 places]. An' mix it wit dat dirt whut dey took out of yore track. An' march aroun' dat grave fo' times, firs'. Den come back an' march aroun' it ag'in five, six, seven. De seven is de uneven numbah. March roun' dat seven times. Den take dat dirt whut dey got wit de graveyard dirt outen yore track, an' go an' mix it tuhgethah, an' boil it in salt an' water an' lime. Throw dat in salt, watah an' lime. Den dey will take dat an' sprinkle it wherevah yo' gotta go, where yo' cross ovah at, if it's yore doorstep or some path yo' go. If yo' in a car, why dey'd sprinkle it aroun yore car - sompin like dat - an' dat will do yo' harm. See, when yo' git in dere, yo'll be painful an' cain't rest, an' have no min' tuh stay at home - only be goin' all de time. (NOW TO MAKE CERTAIN ABOUT THIS. When you get this graveyard dirt after twelve o'clock at night, you get it from three places: on the head, the heart, and the feet. And before you get that dirt, do you walk around the grave four times or after?) Aftah.
(Then you say you walk around it again five times?)
Firs' yo' walk aroun' it, dat make five. Den yo' walk aroun' it seven times.
(Seven separate times or all together?)
Altuhgethah.
(You walk around it four times. Then what do you do?)
Yo' walk aroun' it fo' times an' yo' speak words.
(What will you say?)
Yo' will say, "Ah wan' dis man tuh be subjec' tuh me. Ah wan' 'im tuh go an' not come back. Dat 'is min' may go from 'im, dat he may not undahstan' whut he do." See, dat's whut dey'll say.
(Then you will walk around it?)
Two mo' time. Dat makes seven. (They walk around it four times. They dig that dirt up and walk around it four times. Then what do they do after the fourth time, after they say those words?) Den dey walk aroun' it ag'in one time. Dat makes five, yo' see.
(Then do they say anything?)
Naw, don't say anything. Den de fifth time, den de sixth an' de seventh. Den dey march aroun' dere de seventh time, den dey will repeat de same words over ag'in....
(Then you go on away with the graveyard dirt.)
Entry 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 5709
Dey say if anybody in yore town dat chew don' lak, yo' jis' git grave- yard dirt an' yore [this person's left] track an' put some red peppah an' gun- powder in it, an' care [carry] it tuh de rail- road track, an' dis a vich [which] way [way] yo' put it on de track [that is the direction in which this person will travel]. Dey say jis' sprinkle it along on de track, an' if de train ketch it, den dey won' have no mo' trouble wit joo. Dey say dat [foot] track a-make yo' go tuh de station an' ketch de train, an' de track dat dey put it on will be de train dat choo leave on.
Entry 6455
Puts 'em in a bag, dese.
(These fingernails and toenails?)
Yes, takes yore fingahnails an' toenails. Dey git holt of 'em an' puts 'em in a bag. Aftah dey puts 'em in dis bag, dey take an' go tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt in dem an' hang 'em up ovah yore door- sill. An' aftah hangin' yore fingahnails ovah de doorsill, stay up dere awhile, den dey take an' sprinkle dem down by yore do'.
(And what will that do?)
Dat will run yo' away from someone dat dey don' wan' chew tuh be wit.
Entry 6575
Said dat a lady had some li'le lizards in 'er an' she wuz told by a hoodoo lady dat if dey caught dat lizard alive an' tied 'im in a dark cornah an' let 'im die. An' den took 'im an' parched 'im up, beat 'im up an' put 'im in de walk where she had tuh walk. So in de summah- time she'd go wit'out 'er shoes, an' de powdah would stick tuh de hollah of 'er feet, an' quite natchel [natural] 'er havin' life in 'er feets, she'd carry it on an' put on de shoe an' wear it, an' it create little lizards, an' de little lizards grew in 'er.
Entry 6613
Git a snake an' put a snake in yo'. Dey kin go ketch a snake an' kill it, cut 'is head off an' hang 'im on de limb [of a tree] by de tail. Tie a string aroun' 'is tail an' hang 'im up an' put a tin cup or tin plate undah 'im an' ketch 'is blood. Let 'im bleed in dat tin plate or tin cup, whutevah it is. Now dey take dat blood an' dey kin put dat blood intuh yore food or somepin tuh drink; or dey kin let dat blood dry until it comes jis' tuh a hard powdah. Dey kin sprinkle it in yore shoes. An' de perspiration from yore feet will such up de strength of dat blood an' cuz yore body tuh attract dat, an' it will go all through de body an' kill de body. An' it will be crawlin' jis' undah de skin, all about, mostly from de point where dey entered. Depends upon how long it is when it gits in de stomic an' come on up. An' he'll choke yo' tryin' tuh come on up.
Entry 6808
(Suppose I have come to you about taking a spell off?)
Well, ah nuse [use] dis salt, peppah, sage an' stuff - salt, sugah, sage, alum an' saltpetah. Ah got dat ovah in a box, see. An' ah take some new string, nuthin have been worn, an' ah tie dem, an' whatsomevah ah Want chew tuh do [demon- strates]. (Just tie a knot.) Yeah, tie a knot, an' den ah take dat, dis stuff an' sprin- kle it ovah dere, see. An' den if dis spell [is] on me [you], see. An' whosomevah put it on yo', if yo' know dere names, yo' jis' call dere name an' tell 'em yo' want 'em to take dis spell offa yo'. Well, if dey don't, yo' wish bad luck onto dem, see. An' yo' burn dis stuff. An' den YO' STRIP BUCK NECKED [NAKED] AN' DEN TAKE DIS BLANKET AN' PUT IT: OVAH YORE HAID. AN' DIS SMOKE, YO' CAIN'T HAR'LY [HARDLY] STAND IT. If dere's anything in yo' in any way, shape, form or fashion, it'll come out, see. [The preceding term suck necked [[naked]] may be its only use in Hoodoo.] An' den yo' take a li'le whiskey glass an' yo' boil dis heah gourd tea - yo know gourds - an' yo' boil dis gourd tea an' yo' take three glasses of dis gourd tea evah day. An' dat'll take de spell off yo'.
(Especially if they have something inside of you.)
Entry 7165
Take some graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it ovah de house. Dat will put 'em fast asleep, dey say. Ah nevah experienced it but ah jis' heard whut dey would say.
(You mean it would put this man asleep?)
Puts 'im fast asleep an' she kin git up an' go jis' where she wanta.
(Where does she sprinkle that stuff?)
Sprinkle it ovah yore house.
(Oh, all around the house - inside the house.)
Yeah.
Entry 7408
Jis' lak ef a puson wus tuh kill anothah one an' dey can't nevah ketch 'im. Well, dey go on an' dey gits - dat coffin have tuh be dressed whut dat in- divid'l is in tuh cuz dese othah parties tuh come back. An' tuh dress dat coffin dey'll git some dragon's blood an' whut chew call - well it's a oil whut chew call de come back oil, an' dat dragon's blood an' dat Sang-Sang Powdah. [This is probably the same thing as Sen-Sen or Sen-Sen Powder mentioned elsewhere.l An' take it an' put it in a half a pint-a watah, an' put two tablespoonsful of saltpetah in it, an' shake it up good an' sprinkle dat individ'l good in dat coffin. Sprinkle de corpse real good an' dat individ'l, whosomevah it is. An' in about three day's time dem parties will be back.
Entry 7471
If a man happen tuh kill a man an' he fall of his face. If he fall on 'is face, if yo' kin go dere tuh de spot where he fall, an' git some of dat dirt where his face wus lyin', an' take dat dirt an' carry it right tuh dis person house whut kill 'im, an' sprinkle it roun' in de yard, or undah de step where some of 'is family prob'ly walk ovah it, dat'll bring 'im back.
Entry 7540
Yo' go to an ole cemetery dat chew nevah been to befo' an' yo' reach down - reach down an' pick up a little of dis dirt, see. Yo' go to dese fo'ks of de roads - fo'ked disaway, fo'ked disaway an' fo'ked disaway [demonstrates]. (Make the form of a cross right in the road.) Dat's right, make a fom of a cross lak yo' take a pencil an' make a mark, see. Evah whut chew want - who yo' want done or whut chew want done, it Won't be long befo' dey'll be gone. Dat will do one or 'tuthah [the other] - run 'em off, see.
(You don't make a special wish or do something out there?)
Yeah, yo' kin make a wish fo' anything dat chew wanta happen.
The informant describes dirt from an unfamiliar old cemetery, road forks and a cross mark, with a claim that a person will leave and wishes may be made. The demonstration and interviewer clarification remain separate. No unstated way of placing the cemetery dirt in that mark is added.
Entry 7599
"Fore sunrise in de mawnin' yo' kin go. tuh de graveyard an' take a pen- ny an' put it in de centah of dat grave. An' run yore han' down dere an' take up some of dat dirt, In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost. An' yo' kin bring it back tuh dat person house dat chew wanta run away. an' sprinkle it all roun' dere house. In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, an' dash it an' don't look back.
(That will run them away?)
Dat'll run 'em away.
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 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 7653
Yo' could go tuh de graveyard at twelve a'clock at night an' go tuh somebody grave dat chew know dat wuz not very long buried dere - dat chew know 'em by der name personly [personally], see. An' jis' scratch chew a hole right on de lef' side of de grave tuh de haid part, right where yo' 'magine de heart would be, an' run yore han' down in dere tuh de elbow an' drop three pennies in dere. Git dat sand right on out an' come on back home. Put some cayenne peppah intuh dat graveyard dirt. An' on de side of de baid where he always lay, on de front or de back where he always lay, yo' jis' take dat sand an' sprinkle it on de mattress. An' make yo' bed back up an' let 'im lay on dat. Dat will run 'im right off from yore house.
(You will get rid of him then?)
Git rid of 'im.
Entry 7655
Ah hear 'em say dat dey takes some graveyard dirt, if yo' have any man in yore community an' yo' wanted tuh move 'em. Yo' take an' yo' go tuh a sinnah man's grave an' git some of de dirt from right off on 'is left side of 'is heart. Jis' go right down in de grave till yo reach clay, an' take it out, an' take dat clay an' mix it up wit some sulphur an' magic sand.
(Magic sand?) [A hoodoo store product.]
Yessuh, magic san'. An' some dragon blood an' brimstone, an' mix all dat tuh- gethah. An' go in dat house wit'out anybody knowin' dat chew in dere, an' sprin- kle it when all de folk gone from de house. See, in de rooms, an' walk out wit'- out nobody knowin' yo' dere. Yo' know dat chew in dere an' make yore wishes. An' dey say dat dey'll have tuh go 'way from dere.
Entry 7662
Go tuh de graveyard an' go tuh sundown part of de grave, an' git dat dirt an' carry tuh jes whoevah house yo' goin' carry it tuh. An' yo' sprinkle it all roun' de do'step where dey walks out, dey wouldn't [couldn'tl miss it. Put it down dere an' dey step in it, it wouldn't be ovah a veek 'fo' [before] dey die.
Entry 7666
If yo' want a person, tuh drive 'em away, yo' take de graveyard dirt. Take an' go tuh de centah of de graveyard an' git de graveyard dirt. If yo' wan'a person tuh drive 'em away, yo' name dem in de han's of God. Crawl halfway de dis- tance up undah de house. Bring de dirt tuh de front of de house an' cast it onto de front of de house. An' whatevah way dat chew go, yo' carry it right 'long wit chew an' name it as yo' go. An' de person will go de same distance. Dey will go, dey cain't stay.
(You carry that dirt and you scatter it as you go.)
Scattah it as yo' walk. Sow it jes' lak a person would sow oats.
(You crawl under the house first?)
Go undah de side of de house an' don't look back; jes' keep right on plowin' [crawling under housel, don' look back not atall.
(You crawl under the side of the house to the center?)
To de centah.
(And from the center where do you crawl?)
To de front, right on out tuh de front; right on out tuh de front, an' jes' keep right on. But don' look back.
Entry 7667
Dey said dey would take - jes' lak yo' kin go tuh de cemetery an' dey'd git dere a certain hour in de night, twelve a'clock in de night, an' git some dirt from a dead person grave. Dey moves de top of dat an' dig a hole about fo' inches deep, an' git some dirt den from dat, if dey wanted tuh make yo' sick or sompin. An' dey come tuh yore home an' be settin' down an' talkin' wit chew an' look undah yore desk or somewhere an' a pair of shoes or sompin othah dere. Dey jes' sprin- kle a li'le of dat dust, de dust of dat grave in yore shoe, an' it would cuz yore feet tuh become sore an' boily - break out in big sores.
Entry 7676
If any harm wuz roun' yore place, go tuh a graveyard tuh de wickest person dat chew know dey buried in dere. Yo' come in on de right-han' side of dat grave as near as yo' kin. (The right hand side as you enter, come to the head of the grave.) Yes, dat's it. An' yo' go down, run yore han' down in dere an' come out wit as much dirt as yo' kin hold in three fingers [demonstrates].
(In the thumb, the index and the middle finger of the right hand.)
Yes. Den yo' go ahead an' yo' git chew some bluestone, pound it up fine. Den yo' go tuh all fo' cornah of yore steps an' yo' sprinkle dat down, but yo' do's dat at nine-thirty at night. An' ah don' cah [care] whut nobody put tuh de dat steps, dat stuff will run it 'way from dere.
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 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 7686
Dey say dat chew [a woman] could go tuh de cemetery, but yo' have tuh go dere at midnight, an' git dis graveyard dirt. Well, ah do know a woman dat says she went dere. Says she git dis graveyard dirt but yo' gits it outa de breast of a sinnah, a person dat chew know is a sinnah. Yo' go dere an' yo' git it right up outa his breast, an' tell 'im dat chew git- tin' dis heah dust an' yo' want it tuh hold sech-an'-sech-a-one. Yo' gittin dis - jes' lak yo' go an' git it, says So-an'-so, ah'm gittin' dis. Ah wan' chew tuh hold sech-an'-sech-a-one fo' me. An' yo' kin take dat graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it aroun' in yore house fo' nine mawnin's an' he [the man for whom the rite is worked] come an' tell yo' jes' evahthin' mos'ly dat he know. He'll come tuh tell yo' mos'ly evahthin' dat he know in de line of some woman dat he's been naggin' attah [after] or de woman naggin' attah 'im.
Entry 7688
Well, dis graveyard dirt, dey say dat'll drive anyone from yer home. Yuh take dat an' mix it wit salt an' some red peppah. An' dey say yo' take dat an' sprinkle it all aroun dese people home as neah tuh de home as yuh kin. An' dey say yuh have tuh talk to all dis stuff dat chew doin' an' say: In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, an' tell it whu' chew wan' it tuh do. An' dey say dat dey be Wantin' tuh leave dere.
Entry 7720
Well, yo' goes - yo' have tuh go dere twelve a'clock in de night an' git dat [dirt]. An' yo' bring dat back. Yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' takes it [board] from de haid - yo' takes de haid, put de haid tuh de foot [board] an' de foot [board] tuh de haid. Den yo' go right down in de middle [of the grave] wit three cent in yore han'- go down in de middle. Yo' turn 'em loose dere an' yo' bring up dat dirt. Den yo' carry dat back home. An' yo' - jes' lak yo' wanta put it, yo' carry it tuh anyone's house; if yo' wanta run 'em off, throw it round de house. Jes' spread it roun' de house an' jes' call dere name, an' tell 'em yo' wan t'em tuh, "Go, yo' devil." Tell 'em tuh keep goin'. Cain't stay dere.
Entry 7721
If yo' sellin' likkah an' yo' wanted tuh keep de laws away, go tuh de cemetery an' make de change [of graveboards]. If yo' know dey all names, call dem names; an' if yo' didn't know de names, jes' use de word "of yore enemies" an' make yore wish, In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost. An' bring some of that dirt back wit yo', an' leave three pennies. An' then take it an' mix it wit some salt an' red peppah. Sprinkle some on each side of yore house where dey's goin' tuh come up to dere, an' make yore wish on each side of it, "In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, make dat man stay away."
(That will keep the law away if you are bootlegging?)
Yes sir. Yo' make de changes in dat.
(Change the headboard and the footboard.)
In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost, an' bring some of dat dirt wit yo'. Take it tuh de co'thouse aftah yo' mix it wit salt an' red peppah; take it tuh de co'thouse an' sprinkle it aroun' dere.
Entry 7733
You can take graveyard dust and sprinkle in your bed, sprinkle in your bed nine times - once on each of nine consecutive days, that'll fix them so they'll die.
Entry 7743
Yo' go out tuh de fo'ks of de road now, lak if yo' have a boy friend an' yo' want 'im tuh go, or if yo' wan' 'im tuh come back. Yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road, de heart of de road heah, an' take yore foot or else a long stick an' make a, yo' know, a trench long enough tuh spread salt an' sulphur [demonstrates]. (You make a trench like that.) Yes, tuh each one of de fo'ks of de road. Yo' know when de road fo'ks, it fo'ks sompin lak dat [demonstrates]. Well, yo' take an' make yore lines sompin lak dat [demonstrates].
(Make and "x".)
Yes. An' yo' have yore salt an' yore sulphur an' graveyard dirt an' yo' put it in dere, sprinkle it down. Have enough tuh put in dere, an' den yo' tell it whut tuh do. Yo' use graveyard dirt, dat's very good.
(What did you tell it to do now?)
Well now, lak now, if yo' want dem tuh come back. Or if yo' want 'em tuh [be] gone, say, "Go", whichevah direction yo' want. Say, "Go, dis way or dat way, or dat way, an' don't nevah return." But if yo' say, "Wherevah yo' are, if yo' in de no'th, so'th, east or west, come back tuh me."
(You can do it either way?)
Yes.
Entry 7787
Take a chicken alg an' go tuh a ant hill an' dig down in dat hill an' git some dirt an' a red ant. An' den go tuh de woods an' git a young oak tree, a oak tree dat's got jis' kinda sprouts tuh it. An' dey come back wit it an' take it, an' go intuh a kinda forks in de road 'bout where anybody, yo' know, 'spect [expect] tuh walk on. An' den if fellah [lover] or fren' is gone away, take an' bury dat. Yo' know, bury dose things down tuh de ground an'take dat red ant, egg an' all, an' put ovah de top of it, an' dey say dat will bring 'em back.
[Informant now illustrates rite with following story:]
Dey talk about a ole man an' he didn't want 'is daughtah tuh stay 'way. He vent out tuh de red ants' baid an' he got de fo'ks of a li'le tree, an' buried it down tuh de fo'ks of road in de direction which she went, wit graveyard dirt, an' told it whut he want done. An' 'is daughtah came back an' she's up dere tuh 'is house right now.
(You mean just this little small fork off the tree?)
Yes jis' a li'le small fo'k about where it will not be noticed. An' bury it in de direction in which she's gone. Jis' use de graveyard dirt an' tell it whut chew want done an' sprinkle dat graveyard dirt ovah it. (You mean the fork at the tip of a [branch], you cut that off that red oak tree?) Yessuh.
Entry 7806
From personal experience, yo' would go in de cemetery an' git dirt at a cer'in hour at night, an' dat hour would be twelve, 'tween twelve an' one, an' yo' would take dat if possible an' sprinkle it in de no'th cornah; an' if not possible, yo' Would sprinkle it aroun' de house nine diff'ren' times. In less dan nine days dey'd be moved wit'out any trouble. If yo' know how tuh kill it, in case if someone knew dat, had de ideah of dat, he'd do de same thing wit brown salt [salt browned on stove]. Take table salt an' as yo' sprinkle at night, why he'd git up in de mawnin' an' sprinkle ag'in, an' dat would kill it.
[As informant said, this sprinkling is done 9 times.]
(What kind of salt?)
Table salt. Yo' take it an' brown it an' dat will kill it. Now, dat's from personal experience. Ah know dat.
Entry 7864
Take graveyard dirt an' red peppah. Jes' lak if yo' seen somebody yo' hated, why yo' go where yo' think dey walk at in de mawnin'. Go 'fore sun [before sunrise] in de mawnin' Where dey git up an' walk ovah it. Sprinkle it roun' in de yard yo' see, an' den dey'll walk ovah it. Yo' kin fix dem lak dat.
(What will that do to them?)
Well, sometimes it will give dem - dere feet will swell up or dere laigs or somepin lak dat, an' dey can't git it off dem until dey go tuh some root person or somepin lak dat.
Entry 7887
Yo' kin take dat [graveyard dirt] an' put hit wit sulphah an' salt, black sut [soot] out de chimley [chimney] an' take it an' walk by a person dō nine nights, an' if dey don' see yuh [sprinkling this mix- turel, ah guarantee yuh aftah nine nights, de twelf' night dey move. Sprinkle it down.
“Graveyard dirt,” “soot” and “chimney” are bracketed editorial identifications. A later gloss is damaged in the printed text; the nine-night and twelfth-night conditions remain visible.
Entry 7908
If yo' want a job, when yo' git ready fo' dis job, yo' go an' git chew some sulphuh an' git chew some dirt from de graveyard. An' yo' - jes' lak yo' goin' tuh dis job - yo' git tuh de house, yo' sprinkle dis roun' de house. An' when yo' sprinkle dis roun' de house, den yo' could walk up on de do' an' knock at de do'. An' ask fo' de job an' yo' do dat fo' nine mawnin's, an' in de ninth mawnin' yo'll git dis job.
(You mean you sprinkle this in front of the boss' house or the job?)
Yes [at the home of the boss].
(All the way round the house?)
Not all de way roun' de house, jes' from de front. Lak dat's de cornah [demon- strates], from dere tuh de cornah of de house.
(Just to the front of the house?)
Yes.
Entry 7917
Dey say yo' take graveyard dust an' sprinkle it around yore house three times in succession befo' leavin', an' dey say yo'll leave dere - yo' can't stay dere. [For a hazy statement like this one I normally would ask Who sprinkles? Who leaves? Probably I forgot to restart recording when questions began. This could be called a typical spite rite. To get even with the rentman, the departing renter on leav- ing for the last time throws back through the door 3 sprinkles of graveyard dirt. Whether vocally expressed or not, the departing person does this in the Three Holy Names! The next occupant will not be able to remain in the house.]
Entry 8052
Yo' go in de woods. Yo' make it tuh de woods, way outa town, an' yo' turn in an' git chew a black line, a thread line - a thread line dat's black, a spool of thread. (Like a black fishing line?) Dat's right, lak a black fishin' line. An' yo' turn in an' git chew two needles. Yo' bring it [demon- strates] from heah an' yo' roll dat lak dat, reel it out from heah, jis' lak yo' stealin' dis whiskey. Jis' lak yo' in dere stealin' dis whiskey, yo' draw dat fishin' line, see, right on out. Yo's right in heah. Yo' be settin' heah, an' yo' draw dat fishin' line right on out. Well, yo' git den an' yo' stop an' yo' have a li'le yore watah in a tin can, yore pee in it already, an' yo' po' [pour] dat right down. Evah time yo' stops it [the line] po' it down. All right, yo' keep right on runnin' [out the line] an' go a certain distance. Ah [would] say yo' go about, aw jis' a short step, yo' know, aroun' an' den yo' stop an' yo' drop a li'le bit of it [urine]. Well, yo' keep right on a-runnin' [the line] an' see, yo' stop an' yo' drop a li'le of yore pee dere. An' yo' keep right a-rumnin' an' yo' stop ag'in an' yo' put a li'le pee dere. An' yo' git right back where yo' started off an' put some mo' yore pee dere.
[The urine is sprinkled in a circle about his liquor. This is to protect it.]
All right. Den yo' look aroun'. Well, ah did dis In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, dat ah may rest from all evil, an' dat ah may die [several words], an' chunk it on away. All right, den yo' back up an' yo' git up on dis lak dis heah. Yo' back up off it, see, where yo' stop at. Yo' backed up an' yo' look at it [your whiskey]. Yo' stop five minutes an' yo' don't say a word. Yo' look at it. Den yo' walk back up to it an' yo' look at it ag'in. Den yo' back up. Den when yo' back up yo' look in dat direction an' jis' turn an' look an' jis' walk in dat direction. An' when yo' git out in dat direction, yo'll have a seat an' set down dere jis' a few minutes an' look at it. Don't say a word. Jis' look jis' fo' a few minutes. Den yo'll leave from dere an' yo'll go tuh a graveyard. An' if yo' kin git holt of a man's toes, yo' git holt of about fo' or five of de toes tuh fo'k [fork into the ground] roun' [the goods for sale]. Yo' stick 'em in de ground, yo know, round [the liquor], yo' see. An' den yo' say, Ah hope dis will be a fence fo' all [to keep everyone away], In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' de Holy Ghost. Well, devils [evil spirits] will be dere, see an' dat will keep dem dere [those] mens [low men] from comin' in lookin' fo' yo' makin' dis whiskey. Dey drove [are driven] away [by this protection] but yo' dere, but yo' know who dey are. See, yo' keep 'em drove away, but chew stay dere, but dey cain't stay dere. DEY'LL BE FRIGHTENED. WHEN DEY COME AN' CREEP AN' STOP, BEGIN TUH LOOK, DEY'LL GIT FRIGHT- ENED. SOMPIN WILL HIT 'EM ON DE BACK, SEE, AN' DEY'LL GRAB DEY PISTOL AN' TURN ROUN' AN' DERE'S NUTHIN. YO' HAVE HEARD OF THINGS SLAPPIN' PEOPLE. AH KNOW YO' KNOW.
(You said you get two needles. What did you do with those needles?)
Yo' take dose two needles - yo' take dose two needles an' yo' put 'em up on top of dis heah stove, jis' set 'em up dere. See, dat's tuh mean fo' sharp luck. Yo' carry dem needles fo' sharp luck. Yo' put dem needles up dere an' yo' cross 'em, see. Now, dem needles is dere fo' dem devils. See, dem needles is dere fo' dem devils, undahstan'. Dem needles is goin' p'int [point] at dem devils, undah- Stan'. WHEN AH CALLS DEVILS, DEM GUYS COMIN' IN DERE GOIN' TRY TUH RUN YO' OUT. WELL, AH WANTA HAVE DEVILS DERE STRONGAH AS DEY IS, an' dem needleS goin' hold 'em, dey is crossed, undahstan'. Well, ah'll look roun', see, an' put it dere, an' den got de stuff from de graveyard, yo' see, done got dem folk's toes, dem daid toes if it ain't nuthin but de bones. Ah got de toes. Well, ah done named dem, see. Ah name, jis' say, de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, dat dey may keep 'way all devils. Well, when dem othah devils [law men] come, see, up dere tuh ketch me an' carry me down an' lock me up in jail, dese things will keep dem PartieS Off. DEY CAIN'T NEVAH GIT IN DERE, DEY'S ALWAYS SCARED OUT. AN' EVAH TIME DEY PULL OUT DEY PISTOL AN' GO TUH SHOOT, DEY'LL LOSE IT OR SOMPIN, DEY CAIN'T SHOOT.
Entry 8093
If he's gone fah [far] off, yo' could...an' clip each cornah off it [photograph] an' stick it down, yo' know, lak in a crack an' sprinkle table salt ovah dat, an' yo' make urinate dere fo' nine mawnin's, an' he'll be back.
(Just stick it down in the crack?)
Yes.
Entry 8775
Ah heard dey take new war watah an' dey sprinkle it aroun' yore do's an' dey'd call yore name. An' den when yore husband or yore wife come in de night, yo' an' dem would have de biggest kind of humbug. Yo' wouldn't know whut is all de fuss. De' sprinkle war watah all up onto de do'.
Entry 8785
See, lak yo' start today. Well, yo' jes' git chew some steel dust an' sprinkle it all roun' dat house. An' git dere name an' some cayenne peppah an put it all - mix it all up dere togethah, wit some brown cinna- mon an' sugah. An' shake all dat aroun' dere. Throw it all up on dat window sill. An' curse 'em. Yo' know, give 'em a bad name. An' den take dey name an' jes' bring dat name in de window, yo' know, an' tie it up in a pocket han'ke'ch'ef. See, lak dat, an' ah guarantee yo' in two days he done left. He be walkin'. He cain't find no place in world tuh stay. Nobody want 'im. Wanta git rid of 'im an' all. Won't leave him stay. [To get rid of the man in the house, his spirit is tricked by carrying his name, his captured spirit, into house through a window. This confuses the spirit so that it no longer knows how to enter normally through the door. We have a similar piece of magic in the funeral rite in which coffin is' removed from house through window instead of door.]
Entry 8822
They kin take yore han'- writin' - dey kin receive a lettah from yo'. Dey take dat lettah an' dey clip all four cornahs of it, see. Don't clip the whole lettah, clip all fo' cornahs of it off like dat, see. Dey take dat lettah den an' dey burn a little hole in it right in de middle, see. Aftah dey have burnt dat den, dey goes out an' dey. gets a lizard, an' dey takes an' dey kills dis lizard, yo' see. An' dey parches 'im up to where dey kin make a powdah out of it. Aftah dey make dat powdah, den dey sprinkle it all ovah dat lettah, yo' see. Dey folds dat lettah up good, see, an' dey folds it up an' dey take it an' bury it some place in de ground, yo' see, an' yo' lose control of dat hand.
(I see.)
Entry 8840
Yo' have tuh go tuh de grave tuh do dis. Go tuh de graveyard an' go down in a man's grave an' yo' have a penny in yore hand. Run yore han' down in de grave - it make no diff'- rent which han' - run yore han' down in de grave an' leave dis penny an' come up wit de dirt. An' take dis writin' an' sprinkle it [dirt] right 'cross dat writin', an' fold it up, an' lay it undah de lid [cover] of de Bible. An' ah don't care whut she done or nuthin, yo' kin 'tract [attract] her anywhere he want tuh by dis dirt. (You take her writing? Her handwriting, a letter she wrote to you, and you can make any kind of a wish and she'll do anything you want her to do?) Yes.
Entry 8919
If yo' wanted to go some place an' yo' wanted to - yo' just get yo' some mistletoe. Yo' boil dat mistletoe an' shrimps together.
(Shrimps?)
Mistletoe and shrimps. Yo' boil dat together an' yo' put some German Hearts Perfume with dat. (German Heart's Perfume?) German Hearts Perfume. Yo' put dat with de mistletoe an' de shrimps, yo' boil all dat together, an' yo' wash yore house good an' sprinkle dat. An' yo' could go out an' leave your door open, ain't nobody comin' in dere.
(To steal anything?)
No, sir, to steal anything.
Entry 8993
Yo' wanta know 'bout whut ah would do to keep people 'way from me. Ah go ketch one dese wild birds an' ah pull a feather out of his right wing an' burn it, an' burn quick- silvah with it, an' ah sprinkle this around the co'thouse do'. Well, dat beat 'em in all sech case.
(That is to beat a lawsuit case.)
Entry 9029
Ah see whut it done an' done fo' me, but den yo' has a word tuh speak tuh it. If yo' wanta git dat, nuthin but gunpowdah, sulphur, aftah yo' git dat nest. Yo' git de sulphuh an' bluestone an' den dirt daubah out de nest an' dat black pep- pah. An' yo' make a good pow- dahs an' yo' kin sprinkle it anywhere roun' dere, jes' where de judge an' all de rest gotta come in ovah. When dey come inside of dat do' dere, an' dey walk ovah dere, dat settle it. Dat fur as ah know 'bout dat. An' ah've seen dat happen.
Entry 9039
Well, now, in a lawsuit or sompin lak dat, chew go tuh a graveyard an' dig down in dere jes' 'bout jes' as deep as yo' kin reach down in dere wit de arm, an' git dat befo' co't. An' if yo' git a chance tuh go in dere, sprinkle some of it aroun' down where de judge sits. An' in de lawsuit - if yo' steal somepin or somepin lak dat - yo' be lucky in dat case.
Entry 9080
Ah hear'd dey kin git dis root dey call John de Conkah root, see, an' Eve-an'-Adam root, an' take dat root an' boil [usually sounds like ball] it up tuhgethah. If dey kin git tuh de co'thouse see, when dey un- lock it, git it an' sprinkle a aisle around de judge seat. [Sprinkle a circle about judge's chair.] Den dey will set back when yo' come in tuh where de prisonahs is. Den dey'll sit back an' eye de judge right in de eye. See, hol' [hold] dere hand on de vial what have de John de Conkah root an' Eve-an'-Adam balled [boiled] up in it. See. Dey go tuh co'thouse in de mawnin'.
(You said at an hour didn't you? What do you mean by that hour?)
Dey go dere jes' befo' de co'thouse unlock, befo' dey come in. An' dey sprinkle de aisle. Dey take de watah what dey boil up: de John de Conkah an Adam-an'-Eve root, an' gingah, & an' ten grains of black peppah. Dey'll take dat an' sprinkle it - wit de aisle an' aroun' ovah de prisonah box.
(Oh! The prisoner's box. I see, up the aisle.)
[Informant's eye or letter i had bothered me! Aisle!]
An' where de judge goes up intuh his seat, see dey do dat, an' den when de judge is talkin' tuh yuh, yo' gotta look 'im right in de eye. See [if] dey kin git de judge's eye, look 'im right in de eye. An' if de sentence - it Ziminated down. [All this reduces the sentence.] If it's ten yeahs, it Ziminated down tuh three or fo' yeahs. Ah've hear'd dat.
Entry 9152
Say fo' instance, now, dat yo' wus mah boss an' yo' done sompin tuh someone in de wrong [you wrong someone]. Well, yo' in jail an' yo' know yo' goin' [be] sent up de road [to the penitentiary, state prison in U. S. A.]. Ah goes an' gits 20 cents wuth of black peppah, 25 cents wuth of cai-yanne [cayenne] pep- pah, one pound of grana- lated [granulated] sugah, one package of Rex cloves, an' one package of Rex cinnamon.
(That's [Rex is] the name of the Brand?)
Dat's right,15 cents wuth of spice. An' mix all dat tuhgethah an' go in de co'troom dat mawnin'. Sprinkle some roun' de judge's stand an' some roun' de vitness stand. Den start tuh sprinklin' it out de do' tuh two blocks away from de place. An' when de witness gits dere, he's goin' back [especially if he sees anything sprinkled]. He's not comin' dere. He ain't goin' come dere.
(That is if he is coming there to talk against me?)
[I have not forgotten that I am the guinea pig: yo' know yo' goin' be sent up de road. No suh. He ain't goin' come dere. Dey'll call yore case up maybe three times, an' each time ah'm doin' dat fo' yo'. See, yo' in dere an' ah'm out. An' de third time he call it up or de fo'th time, he'll dismiss yo'. We cain't git de witness an' he cain't be located. He ain't goin' be at 'is house.
Entry 9155
Ah seen a fellah do dis one time, an' it come out - it come out really true, right heah on de corner of [some street]. It wuz heah in dis town, mah home town. He tuk, he went tuh anothah fellah dat stayed up heah along de road, supposed tuh be a kind of a root doctah. He went tuh dis fellah. He had called him a...or sompin othah, a purtty bad man. He went up tuh dis fellah an' dis fellah wuz standin' round, say, "Yo' boys come in dis room." Told 'im, "All right." Ah'd gone up dere wit 'im. Ah went on in de room wit 'im. He gave dis boy an' he say, "Yo' do jes' lak ah tell yo' when yo' go in de co't." De boy tole 'im, "Yessuh." He give dis boy somepin - he mixed somepin, said it wuz a salve, sulphuh wit black peppah an' he got, ah think some sage tea. Den he went got him a whole lotta snails. Not no whole lotta snails but li'le articles of sands. An' he tuk [took] an' put dem in a snuffbox an' stirred it up. Aftah he put it in dis snuffbox he stirred it up an' he tole dis boy, says, "Will yo'all step out in dis othah room?" So we stepped out intuh de othah room. We didn't know what exactly [what to expect]. So we stepped out intuh de othah room, an' he tole dis boy, said, "Now yo' take dis stuff an' has de box right in yore han', jes' about lak yo' hold de palm of yore hand, an' put it in yore right-hand pocket; an' when yo' go up dere in de co'troom an' when dey call yo', yo' called up on de stand, an' when yo' go on dere, yo' take dis stuff. Don' let nobody see it. Jes' lak yo' got chure han' in yore pocket, an' jes' take some of dis stuff an don't be watchin' whut chew doin'. An' take it as yo' goin' up dere on de stand an' jes' sprinkle it round lak yo' brushin' dis hand right down de side of de judge." An' he said, "Ah'll guarantee yo' dey won't do anything 'bout chw - guarantee yo'll git out, won't go no time." (Well, what about this other stuff, this salt and sand that was sprinkled around. He put this salt and stuff with this sand and sprinkled it around?) Yessuh, mixed it all up tuhgethah.
Entry 9167
If yo' had a case an' yo' gotta go befo' de judge, befo' yo' go tuh bed at night, yo' kin take yore watah, take yore chamber lye, an' stop it up in a bottle. An' yo' gotta go tuh co't tuhmahrah - we'll say tuhmahrah. Well, yo' do dis three days befo' yo' gotta go tuh co't. Stop it up in a bottle an' when yo' stop it up in dere, put black peppah an' salt in it. An' when yo' go tuh de co'thouse have a cork stoppah in it. Don't have no top on it, no hard top on it. Have a cork in it. When yo' git dere, jis' sprinkle it round in de co'thouse, an' de p'lice won' appeah up on yo' an' de judge won't be dere. Some of 'em gotta be dismissed, de' goin' be sick.
Entry 9402
Jes' lak dis man is heah in dis house an' ah didn't want 'im livin' heah - jis' lak fo' 'im tuh move outa heah - ah'd git me three aigs an' dey have tuh be rotten dough [though], dey have tuh be rotten eggs. Ah throw dem aigs ag'inst dis house, but ah goes nine steps backwards an' ah throw 'em ovah mah shouldah. Dat's whut ah do wit dem aigs den. It be any time of night or any time of day. An' den ah come dere an' sprinkle a li'le dust aroun' dere, dis same dust whut ah got, graveyard dust, an' dey couldn't stay dere. Dey gotta leave.
(You walk backwards from the house?)
Nine steps, nine steps backwards. Not backwards from de house, backwards tuh de house. Jis' lak if ah wuz 'cross de street, ah'd walk backwards tuh de house, not from it, den throw 'em ovah mah lef' shouldah.
Entry 9416
An' den ah kin [take] a aig ag'in - JIS' LAK YO' WUZ MAH OLE MAN OR SOMEPIN ANOTHAH an' yo' had a woman an' ah knew 'er name. Write both of yo'all [you all] name on each one of dese aigs jis' lak ah wuz showin' yo' [Cylinder changed, also author's sex!] [nO- tice lady not woman]. Ah heard yo' were wit mah hus- ban' an' ah knew yuh name. Well, ah would put yuh name on one egg an' mah husban' on de othah one. Good fresh aigs. An' ah'd [I would] go tuh de rivah an' ah wanted yo'all to scat out an' separated, why ah'd go to de rivah an' jis' In de Name of de Lord, say, well, "Ah bus' [bust] yo'all up In de Name of de Lord." Jis' take dose eggs an' jis' smash 'em tuhgethah. Jis' stan' dere an' hol' dem [hold them over the water] until dey dreens [drain] out [of the shells]. Den yo' takes dese shells an' yo' bring dese shell home. Well, yo' put dis shell on top of yuh stove if yo' kin, or somepin clean glittah [glitter], where dere ain't no grease at, an' parch dat shell good an' brown. An' take dat [powdered or small pieces of shell] an' sprinkle it all ovah yuh house, an' all in yuh baid, an' all aroun' yuh doah jis' as much - lightly, yo' know, take an' sprinkle. He wu'd [would] nevah think of 'er [again]. [Memphis, Tenn., (962), 1553: loa.]
Entry 9449
"Fore yo' go down tuh de bossman, yo' git chew some salt, git chew a box-a [box of] bran'-new salt. Den yo' take dat salt an' tie it up in a new piece a yellah homespun, an' yo' put it in yore pocket. An' yo' take yo' some loose salt, have it in yore han', an' yo' sprinkle it all roun' where yo' - [do] not let chure boss see it - all roun' where yore boss makes tracks at. Sprinkle it all roun' dere an', see, salt conkahs. Salt is a conkah thing. Salt conkahs a lotta things yo' know, jes' even cookin' salt. Yo' kin do a lotta things wit salt. Dat's good.
Entry 9452
Anythin' lak dat yo' wanta do an' jis' be's aroun' dere [the bossman] an' yo' have dis pot salt in yore han'. An' why? Yo' know, yo' jis' throw it aroun' an' it's some words yo' say an' it'll work: Mah jus- tice comin' from de Lord an' ah trust 'im tuh regulate all mah affairs. An' it's de words dat yo' kin repeat in de Bible an' it'll work out all right.
(And this boss will give you a job?)
Yes.
(Are those all the words you say?)
Yes.
(Do you say those words just once?)
No, yo' jis' [do] dat [demonstrates]. (While you are sprinkling that salt around. That's in the Bible, you say? Those words are in the Bible?) Yeah, it's in de Bible. [Those italicized words are not in the Bible but the two ideas expressed are Biblical.]
Entry 9473
An' dere's anothah thing dat she kin do or he kin do at de home an' [if] dey can't git along tuhgethah. If he comes back, tuh keep 'em from squab- blin' so much, she kin take a li'le salt, cookin' salt, sprinkle it aroun', in de house, roun' de, 'bout de do'step in cases lak dat, an' he'll be quiet or she'll be quiet.
Entry 9478
Yo' takes cookin' salt an' sprinkle it in front de do', sprinkle fer t'ree mawnin's. Den de fo'th mawnin' de people will move out. Evah mawnin about - time about 'fo' 6 o'clock.
Entry 9479
There's several dif- ferent methods to work at it. The one method, why you would get up in the morning at three o'clock and take three hands of salt, and throw 'em across the door and make your wishes. And sometimes it have a tendency to make 'em move.
Entry 9502
If yo' kin git intuh dere house, take table salt an' carry it tuh de front do' an' throw it out. Jes' come right straight through de house, sprin- klin' it as yo' walk through, an' sprinkle it down an' name it till yo' git tuh de walk where it goin' out [to street or road] an' dey'll move out very shortly behin' yo'. (You go in the back door and walk right through the house?) Walk right through the house an' sprinkle it as yo' go out.
Entry 9536
Dey tell me, git chew some salt when dey goin' [from your house]. Start where dey got up from an' carry it on an' sprin- kle. Throw it out de do' an call dere name an' tell 'em tuh go. Den take up de broom an' sweep dat same salt out chare do'. Dey won't come back.
Entry 9559
Jes' take some red peppah, dis cayenne peppah an' salt, table salt an' jes' sprinkle it all in de house, an' dat'll cuz confusion or a bad sepa- ration.
Entry 9587
[My informant gives the complete rite first and then much later during the interview adds a note about it.l And then they say you kin take and put salt and pepper in your shoe, if you wmta git a fellow. You know, take salt and pepper and put it in and wear it in ygmr shoes.
(In both shoes?)
Yes, in both shoes - yes.
(That's to get him?)
You know, they have a little saying about: If you want a fellow, I'll tell you what to do Just get some salt and pepper And wear it in your shoe Just red pepper, you know. Not black pepper, but red pepper you know.
(That's a little song, you say?)
Yes, but you wanta get a box of salt that ain't even been used out of, you see. Go to the store and buy you a brand-new box of salt. Then you wanta get you a strand of [red] pepper: [pep- per pods] where's never any been used off it. See, if there's any been used off it, it's not any good. See, get you a strand of pepper where there's none ever ben used off it. And then you get a pod - you get you three pods of pepper in your shoe. And you cut one up in one shoe and you cut the other up. You cut half a one [pod] in this one [shoe] and half in the other [shoe]. And each time you cut the pepper you sprinkle some of that salt, you see, and make your wish.
(In doing that you use three pods of pepper?)
Yes, you use three pods.
(You put half in one shoe and half in the other?)
Half in one and half in the other.
(And you cut the second pepper in half?)
Yeah, you... (I [you] cut the first pepper in half, then you put some salt on top of that in the shoe and make your wish?) And make your wish. (Then you take another pepper and cut it in half and put it in the shoe, and then put salt and make the wish, that way?) Yes, three times.
(I see.)
That makes just three times cuttin' [3 peppers or cut] and you make your wish co see him. And then you wait three days to see him. An' he doesn't do like you want him to do in those three days, why you do that again, you see. But you use tree pods of pepper then. Well, probably see, he might come but not up to like yoa'd like for him to come. Well, you'd use three more, see. That makes nine pods, see, and then that makes nine days. See, everything works at nine days. And you know, they say for the right conjuration and for it to do right like you wmt it to do, you wants to work it on the last quarter of the moon, when it's dark nights, and then you see the results on the growing of the new moon. You see, as the new moon grows, why he'll come to you. [This is often called a put- ting-together rite. In the following subsection see onion cut into 4 parts, No.9596.]
Entry 9598
If yo' don't know dey name or sompin lak dat, git chew some salt, black peppah an' sugah an' ground real fine. Yo'll have tuh beat it as a powdah. Jes' take yore rollah an' roll it jes' intuh a powdah. Sprinkle it all aroun' yore house, yo' see, tuh keep off all evils. Yo' sprinkle red peppah an' lye behin it. Dat simple thing. Den yo' kin git chew some dis chlorine salve. It's whut chew call - it's sompin lak a asic [acid] - an' dat keeps anyone from roun' yore house, close aroun'. Yo' kin use it about chure body, dat draws all yore enemies away. An' yo' kin use it as a chloride salve, jes' plain chloride salve without asic an' as adraw- in' card, fo' people's tuh yo'. But jes' dis plain chloride asic is tuh keep 'em from yo', from doin' yo' bodily harm.
Entry 9612
If you want a person to move, you have to take a stormy night when it is raining real hard. But you gotta take a couple of pods of red pepper and nine pinches of salt and you gotta burn it. Parch it in the oven to look like dirt you know and just cook it right together. Brown it till it looks like dirt. And take a plain paper, if you know de person's name- - you don't, you find it out. Write his name nine times forwards and nine times backwards. [To write for- eards and backwards means to write the name normally turn the paper upside down, repeating the name on top of the first one. This is called crossing names.] Then parch the paper, salt and pepper all together and make a powder. Den a stormy night like we done having storms and all, don't care if it raining hard, you go up to their hall. Don't look back [going or returning] and throw this stuff and come on out. And they'll move in less time from three to nine days. They won't stay there. They kin own the property, they'll rent it out, but they gon't stay.
Entry 9617
(To make somebody move?) Yeah. Yo' git salt an' yo' git sugah an' yo' git cayenne peppah an' yo' mix dose tuhgethah. An' as dis person goin' outa de house, why yo' jis' sprinkle dat on behin' 'em. Dey're goin' some place.
Entry 9618
Wal, ah tell yuh how dey do dat. Dey take some salt an' sulphuh an' red peppah an' mix it tuhgethah. Go dere at night, chew know, an' sprinkle it ovah huh po'ch [her porch], right down in fron' of 'er do'step. Den she gits all intendin' tuh leave dere. She can't stay on account'a dat red peppah jis' runs 'er crazy.
(That will make her move out of the house.)
Entry 9624
Sulphah an' red peppah an' put nine teaspoonsful of salt in it, an' bary it to de back do' an' to yore front do', an' dey couldn't stay dere tuh ave dere life. Dey may stay two or three weeks but dey won' stay. (You mean in the house or around the house?) No, yo' jes' bury it right undah yore back steps. An' den go to yore front step an' bury it 'bout de same place - under de front steps. An' dey couldn't stay dere to save dere life.
Entry 9636
If dey put anything down fo' yo', yo' undahstan' to hurt chew or cripple yo' or anythin' so yo' can't walk. Yo' take dat peppah, cayenne peppah an' salt an' sulphuh, an' mix dat tuhgethah an' sprinkle it aroun' undah yore do'step, an' aroun' yore place whare yo' walk. Quite nec'sary [necessary] yo' weah some of dat in yore shoes. Well yo' see, dey can't do anythin' to yo', can't hurt chew when yo' got dat peppah in dere. It keeps dat down.
conditional threat of injury contrasted with a claimed protective negation. Preserve cripple/cannot-walk threat and can’t hurt negation; no diagnosis or proven protection. mixing cayenne pepper, salt and sulphur in a reported protective preparation. Keep the literal uppercase MIX destination, named ingredients, page order and the adjacent protection claim without efficacy. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3812) · Read full source (printed page 3813)
Entry 9647
Ah've heard it said, yo' kin take table salt an' black peppah. As dey go out de do' yo' sprinkle it behin' dem, an' yo' take de broom an' yo' sweep it out behin' den. And dey say dey will leave an' dey won't evah come back dere no more.
Entry 9650
(Before the law comes, what do you do to keep them out?) It's not possible tuh keep 'em away. Dey have tuh come once in ordah tuh keep 'em away. Well, yo' use de black peppah an' salt an' sprinkle it behin' dem at evah footstep dat dey make, an' den sweep it out behin' dem lak dat.
(Then they won't come back again.)
Yessuh. An' sometime yo' kin use sulphuh 'long wit it.
Entry 9657
Well, if you bothered by the law, you take - even for the law, any- body - you get you some parchment [paper]. Here's your door here. [Informant begins to demonstrate.] You hang you some parchment up by your door. [Imitation parchment was sold as genuine and often considered holy.] You hang that parchment up by your door, on this side, and hang you a box of salt on the other. Don't let the salt be - get you a fresh box of salt. Just like that nail is there [informant points to nail]. See that nail? Well you put you a nail up right there [demonstrates].
(On one side of the door.)
On one side of the door. And you hang that salt up there. And over that, between that parchment and that salt, you put you up a loaf of bread.
(You have the parchment on one side and the salt on the other.)
You see, you've got the parchment here and you got the salt here.
(The parchment on the right hand side and the salt on the left.)
And the salt on the left. Now, right in the center, you put you a loaf of bread [demonstrates].
(Above the door.)
Above the door. See. you put you up a loaf of bread. He can come in: the captain, the sergeant, the lieutenant - all of them can come in there when you do that. They ain't going to bother you. Now, when they come in, if they come in, but they might not get no further than right to the door. They might just look in, they ain't going to bother nobody. They going to go away. You see. And when they go away, you sprinkle sugar behind them, after they gone. When they turn their face to go, you sprinkle sugar behind them, you see. You sprin- kle sugar and that'll keep 'em going all the time. They'll never come back. If they come back, they won't bother you. You understand what I mean? They won't bother you. Just sprinkle that sugar behind 'em and they won't bother you at all.
Entry 9669
Yessuh, dere's somethin' dey kin git tuh git 'em away. Git 'em high Life an' saltpetah an' salt an' sandalwood incense, an' mix it up an' throw aroun' yore house evah mawnin' befo' de sun rise. (What is high life?) Ah dunno. It's somethin' yo' git outa de drug sto'. It looks jes' kinda greenish lookin'.
(Is it a powder or a liquid?)
It's a powdah. It's kinda lak sulphuh but chew cain't sprinkle it down where it rains, 'cuz it swells 'way up. Yo' use it when it's dry weathah.
Entry 9670
Well, ah been tricked one time by some of mah things. A girl lived in our home an' she fell out wit me concernin' a man. She'd taken a dress of mine, one of mah monthly period cloths, an' some of mah hair an' got underneath de ahm [arm] where ah sweat at, an' taken it an' cared [carried] it across [town] tuh a man [cunjureman]. (Wait a minute! What did she get from under your arm, the hair or just the sweat?) De sweat from de dress. An' she'd taken it tuh a man an' she had it mixed wit graveyard dirt, peedles an' pins an', well one or two mo' thing but de man [healer I went to] didn't name 'em, see. He put it in a jah [jar] an' brought it back tuh our house unbeknown tuh all of us, late hour of de night, an' buried it. Now, it wus buried out 'bout along by de lavatory, see. Well, one Sunday mawnin' ah was sittin' on de po'ch an' ah got up an' ah went out tuh de lavatory. An' ah had a spell. From den ah commenced tuh feel as though....
(What kind of a spell did you have? How did you feel?)
Ah felt as though ah was dyin' fo' a few minutes. Well, ah started back tuh de house an' when ah got back home, ah tole mothah tuh call de doctah. Our lavatory was out from de house. An' she said, "Well, whut's de mattah? Yo' don't look sick?" Ah said, "Well, ah am." She said, "Well, yo' don't look sick." An' so ah went on de porch. She said, "Go back an' lay down, if yo' want me tuh call de doctah. Don't stan' on de front porch." Ah said, "Well, ah cain't lay down." While she was callin' de doctah ah went runnin' down tuh de drug store. Seemed as though mah mind wus leavin' me, see. An' all ah could have on mah mind right den was dyin' or eithah seein' mahsel' confined in a 'sylum. See? An', well ah got back home an' de doctah came out. He examined me thoroughly. He said nuthin was wrong. Well, ah knowed it was somepin wrong. Still, he said it wasn't anything wrong. Well, mah mothah tried two mo' doctahs. Both of 'em said dere wasn't anything wrong. She'd taken me crosstown tuh a man by de name of Mr. Lee [a root doctor].
(What town was this?)
Waycross, Georgia. Yes. An' ah went ovah dere on Lee Avenue tuh Mr. Lee. An' he tole me of dese things dat had been taken from me. An' tole me dat de onliest way dat he could get dis spell offa me was tuh dig dese things up. An' tole me de charges of diggin' it up. An' he say he knowed dat ah didn't have much money, an' ah could pay dis on installments. See, dat he would charge me $25 fo' takin' dese things up. See. So he charged de $25 an' mah mothah paid 'im ten of it down. He came ovah tuh our house an' he digged dese things up. Dug 'em up an' it was in a jar an' it was stopped up tight. An' it looked as though it had begin tuh kinda rot. See. He'd taken it out. He got a pan of warm watah an' put some lodestone in it an' a little salt. Taken dese things an' po'd 'em in dere. An' - well, ah don't know whut he done wit it. Ah know he'd taken it wit 'im whatevah it was, see. An' he didn't nevah give me anythin' tuh take, but grad'ly by degrees dis spell commence tuh weah off, until now ah'm fine.
(How long ago did that happen, did you say?)
That's been - ah imagine now - dat's been around seven or eight months. No longah, no soonah. [These are the experiences difficult to find.]
Entry 9678
Yo' take de 'simmon bark. Ah heard dat one too, if anyone wants tuh trick yo' in any way. All right, yo' take de 'simmon bark an' yo' goes on an' yo' take nine tablespoon- fuls of table salt an' put it in dere wit dis bark. Yo' boils it. Den yo' take dis stuff an' go tuh dey house at night, chew know. An' when yo' backs out from dey house, yo' let it follah yo' from de do' tuh where yo' goin' - long as it leaks out. Well, if dey try tuh do anythin' dere's nuthin tuh dat.
(You put nine spoonfuls of salt in this persimmon bark?)
Yes.
Entry 9683
They say that if a person doesn't like you, they'll draw a ring in the road right at your house and they'll sprinkle salt, soda, ashes, lime, other chemicals, sulphur. That will keep you from being an enemy against him. SPRINKLE IN IT: ASHES - LIME - SALT - SODA - SULPHUR
Entry 9684
Jis' like if your husband was goin' with someone else, [I know] of a remedy that would break that up, and that is one heaping tablespoonful of salt. You dip up this here, a tablespoonful of salt, pick it up, an' you take yuh hand an' brush it off [level the salt]. An' you pour that over there on the Papah. Then do the same with de sulphur. An' you brush that off [take a table- Spoon level-full of sulphur] an' pour it into this [salt]. Then take one pinch of saltpeter an' you put this into this [salt and sulphur]. Then you make [mix] it up real good an' start from the front door, go upstairs, you go backwards, sprinkle this. An' they say when he walks over this, it'll break 'em up.
Entry 9688
If they don't like you and want you out of the way, the way they do, they goes to the [hoodoo] drug store and they buys some steel dust and lodestone. And they put black pepper and salt in it, and they sprinkle it around your step, see. And when they sprinkle it around your step, that'll move you.
Entry 9694
Anyone take salt an' li'l' sugah an' sprinkle it rom', an' dat brings luck tuh yo'. Dat's tuh keep a job, so no man kin mow yo' doon - tuh hold a job.
Entry 9695
Git some sulphur an' some table salt - not physic salt - table salt, an' lay it in yore shoe when yo' certain... [informant is re- peating].
(They can't put anything down for you to walk over it.)
No sir, dat sulphur an' salt supposed tuh...
Entry 9702
The way now to do to git rid of folks - there's folks in your home an' you wan'a git rid of 'em. Yo' take sulphur an' salt - cooking salt yo' know - yo' mix it together an' jis' start right from your bed- room an' sprinkle it all aroun' in there, an' right on out the hall, right on out the steps, right on the steps, right on out de walk, an' jis' throw it north. An' that's supposin' to go out [make a person leave] if there's anybody they wan'a go out, they go out. An' if there's anybody you don't prefer comin' in there, they won't come in.
Entry 9705
Well, dey say yo' kin take sulphuh an' salt, an' yo' kin jes' go dere lak yo' visitin'. An' yo' kin go dere an' strew it roun' dere in dat house as yo' walkin' roun' dere. If yo' got a coat dat's got a hole in de pocket, yo' kin run yore han' down in dat pocket an' yo' have dis in a papah or somepin, dat yo' kin jes' lose a li'l' bit at de time out'a it. Yo' have yore han' [in your pocket]. [This hole-in-the pocket is fairly common and known everyvhere.] Or yo' kin walk behin' 'em, lak it somebody yo' talk wit a whole lot, an' yo' kin jes' sprinkle dat salt an' sulphuh. An' in talkin' tuh dem yo' ldn be cursin' dem in yore mind.'Son-of-a-bitch, git out!" Sompin lak dat. An' it's true dat dey will move. In de ninth mawnin' de' will move.
Entry 9707
An' den, yo' kin take- dey say if yo' take table salt an' yo' mix it wit sulphuh an' anybody - jes' lak anybody ame tuh yore house an' yo' don' want 'em dere any mo', jes' sprinkle it down behin' 'em an' sweep yo' flo' an' curse 'em, dey says dey won' come any mo'.
(How do you seep your floor - just anyway?)
Well yo' jes' sweep it right on out tuh de do' behin' 'em - if yo' havin trouble wit chure [bill] collectah or sompin lak dat. If yo' do him lak dat,
[he'll stay away].
Entry 9772
[In the margin title I have called this rite amazing because I had com- pletely forgotten about it and its future significance. The person I am inter- viewing here is J. R. Patterson, proprietor of the black hotel, Patterson Hotel, in New Orleans. Among the illustrations at end of HOODOO, volume 2, see the Patterson Hotel letterhead containing pictures of the hotel, the proprietor, and his signature on Wednesday, March 9, 1938, for rent on room No.17, including elec- tricity for my machine, and room space for my clients downstairs. I paid my rent each day before returning to my own hotel, the old St. Charles. To give Mr. Patterson some idea of my work, I suggested that he himself be interviewed. His following rite tells how he could be driven from his own hotel. Neither of us realized at the time that before a year had passed, Mr. Patterson would lose his hotel and I myself would be chased from the black hotel in Memphis by the police. For this later surprise, see Introduction to HOODOO, volume 1, page XxxIV, line 9 following.] De first thing yo' do, git chew a dime's worth of saltpetah. De nex' thing tuh do is git chew a box of cinnamon, a box of cloves. Git chew a nickel's worth of new tenpenny nails, an' den git chew one quart of gasoline. Den git chew a dime's worth of saltpetah. Go by dose person's house an' pick up, whethah it's mud, dirt or sand, take it up an' put it in de bucket wit dose nails. Po' yuh gasoline in dere an' strike a match an' light it, [let it burn] until it comes tuh be dry an' sandy. Den yo' take it an' go backwards from de do' where dey livin' at an' sprinkle it crossways dat way tuh de fo' cornahs of de world: [demonstrates by pointing] dat cornah, dis cornah, dis one, and dat one cross de street. In 24 hours de're [they are] gone. (You just sprinkle it like this [I demonstrate], like a wingy motion all around, cross that house?) [My demonstration of wingy motion must have been a fluttering or flipping motion like a bird. Informant misunderstands my word cross, meaning to put a hoodoo on the house, not throwing back and forth across the house.] No [you don't throw back and forth across the house] yo' tro' it from de house [demonstrates]. Yes, lak dis is de back, dis is de sidewalk out heah [demonstrates], sprinkle it dis way [demonstrates], cross ovah [demonstrates].
[I describe his demonstrations:]
(From the house out to the gutter, you sprinkle it back and forth, like a "v".)
[This "v" or triangle is the 3 Holy Names.]
One block each way, one block each way from de house. Lak Patterson [the speaker] whut chew [suppose you] wanted him tuh move. Well, yo'd git some dirt. See dat cigah ashes [he points to ashtray containing ashes of my cigar] an' [also] pick it from de sidewalk [get sidewalk dirt], an' git some dirt an' sprin- kle it aroun' dere - some sand. An' befo' he sweeps de banquette [= sidewalk in New Orleans] up in de mawnin', yo' jes' come aroun' dere an' brush up a little bit, jes' enough tuh git in yore fingahs an' put in dere. Den yo' come back heah dat night, yo' see, an' sprinkle from his do' crossways de banquette tuh dat cornah. Den yo' go tuh dis cornah an' go cross de street tuh de nex' cornah. Yo' go dat way an' go cross de street tuh de nex' cornah. Den yo' go ovah heah tuh garage. See. In 24 hours dey are moved.
(You have to throw it to the four corners of the world.)
Yes. [New Orleans, La., (1566, J. R. Patterson, proprietor of black hotel, Patterson Hotel), 2866:3.] [The title of this section could have been either Pins and Needles or Needles and Pins, both having tradition behind them; the first because a person is some- times said to walk on pins and needles; the second according to the folklore couplet: Needles and pins, needles and pins; when a man marries, his trouble begins. As in the case of the preceding section about nails, most rites about these objects have already appeared elsewhere in the printed text as parts of rites with other ingredients. The following rites will be listed according to number of pins and needles: 1, 2, 3, etc.1
Entry 9806
You can take a needle if you want to make a person sick and confined to bed. If you can get into their house and can cross two needles on the bottom of the mattress and push them in till they can't be seen from the outside, from the bottom of the mattress, turn the mat- tress up. Then you take three [four] needles and stick them up in the corners of the house. Get them back out of there even if you have to break them off so they can't be seen. Each corner of the house. And then you sprinkle a little salt in each corner, and you have the needle there, and as long as that person stays in that room and [with] those needles and the salt - after they sweep of course there's a few grains of that salt is going to remain in the corner - the person will just get sick and get up and down [from sick bed] and they can't get well until they remove those two needles crossed under their bed. If they can find them and remove them they'll get all right; and if they can't, they won't.
Entry 9851
I have hear'd talk of a needle - dat yuh kin break up needles. Yuh take needles, needle dat sewin' wit, about twelve needles, an' crush 'em up. Yuh know, pind [pound]'em up. An' put 'em wit peppah an' sprinkle 'em arom' a person doah. An' dey'd soon leave dere, an' dey'll take badly off sick befo' dey go.
Entry 9873
Yo'll take dat toadfrog an' yo'll dry 'im, yo' see, an' dere's two ways yo' dry dem toadfrogs. Den yo' go tuh work an' yo' let it be lak - makes a powdah outa it, yo' see, an' yo' sprinkle dat. Dat's fo' gittin' outa a home, too [making a person move]. Den, yo' kin ketch a toadfrog an' don' kill 'im, if yo' wants tuh send a person away ag'in. Ketch a toadfrog an' don' kill 'im, an' den let 'im go off an' die. Yo'll cut 'im at a place whah [where] yo' kin put dese names in dere; lak yore name or some- body yo' have wanta send 'em 'way from dere. Yo' see, yo'll go tuh work an' yo'll cut dat toadfrog, an' it's a way dat dey kin put dat papah up in dat toadfrog an' turn 'im a-loose an' let 'im go, an': jis' [the way] as he goes dem people'll go.
Entry 9891
Yo' take a toadfrog alive an' yo' sew it up. Yo' puts 'im in a sack, sew 'im in a sack 'live. An' den ah cain't git tuh yuh bed, see, but dere is a fren' woman dat kin git tuh dere dat is a pers'nal fren' of mine. Ah give huh dat, tell 'uh tuh put it in yuh bed, in yuh mattress, see. An' when she slip dat, put dat in dat mattress, yo' become restless an' dose things will come tuh be in yuh flesh, becuz ah got de frog in dere. An' ah got de needles in dere, dat make de pain come. An' den dat git chew restless on de bed. Don't care when yo' git in dat bed, yo' gotta git out an' gits dressed. An' den all ah got- ta do den, aftah ah got it in dere, ah'll come tuh yuh house; an' when ah come tuh yuh house, if ah ketch yuh back tuh me, see, ah sprin- kle yuh bed wit dese [some kind of] powdahs. Ah sprin- kle dat, else ah drop one or two drops of dat perfume on dere.
Entry 9938
Well, yo' take a frog an' if yo' wanta jes' kill somebody an' don' Vanta, yo' know, jes' kill 'em right now, yo' ketch a frog an' put it in de cook- stove an' bake him real hard. An' when he gits cool enough, yo' take de frog out an' jes' mash it intuh a powdah. An' de person [to be killed], whatevah room de person sleep in, yo' put it in each fo' cornahs. An' each time dey eat, yo' sprinkle jes' a pinch in dey food. If it's a well, hearty person, dey'll jes' git tuh de place where dey won't have a appetite, an' dey'll grad'ly [grad- ually], de appetite grad'ly will grow po'ah [poorer] yo' know, an' dey'll die - jes' pine away. If it's a sick person, why dey already sick an' it don' take den long tuh die. An' dis frog [dust], if dey eat much of it, will grow a live frog in 'em. Dey [frogs] will move all about in dey body but it will kill 'em.
Entry 9960
If a man - er a wumman - is gamblin' an' ef yo' kin slip a frog up undah de chair [of the victim] some place. Sprinkle some salt on 'is [frog] haid, put 'im in a can, shet de can up - but chew gotta sprinkle dat salt on dere fo it tuh take effect. Slip dat can undah mah seat [informant changes from third to first person] den ah'm gonna lose.
Entry 10141
Dey go down an' take a black cat an' take an' boil 'im. Take him down side of a creek an' boil 'im. Boil 'im all tuh pieces an' take his bones out an' throw 'im intuh three streams of watah. (You throw these bones into three streams of water?) Yessuh, throw 'em in intuh three streams of watah an' de third bone dat come up tuh de top, an' yo' take dat third bone. Yo' take dat bone an' carry an' take it an' have it beat up, jes' groun' up lak yo' would shavin' somepin othah. Aftah dat, yo' take peppah an' take salt, an' yo' does dat way [sprinkles] ovah it fo' ten times. Den yo' take dat an' put it in a red flannel rag. Aftah yo' take dat red flannel rag an' put it [this mixture] in dat. den yo' take it an' tote it in yore Watch pocket al] de time. If yo' decide tuh gamble, yo' take it out chure watch pocket an' put it in de pocket where yo's money's in. Dat's lucky.
(That's lucky in gambling?)
Yes.
Entry 10190
Burn candles fo' luck. You take the candle, an' put it in each of the four corners of your house an' on that you sprinkle a little of that sulphur. As ah said, sprinkle a little sulphur on it, and in a few minutes that sulphur will be burned away, but that atmos- phere is still there. You light each one of those candles and burn them, and while those candles are burning you says your prayers, an' that create luck in your house that way.
(What kind of luck do they do that for?)
Any kind of luck.
(What color candle did you say they use?)
Jest a plain white candle.
(Do you burn them at any special time?)
Twelve 'clock at night. You get more results out of those things at that time of night.
Entry 10207
Tuh make 'em [thief or casual borrower] bring it back, dat's a easy mrtah tuh be come, [that] is tuh git a blue candle, yassuh, an' write dat indi- vid'al name on dat blue candle. An' write dem a note concernin' whut dey taken Sr yuh. An' take some dragon blood, an' sprinkle dat note good wit dragon's blood, an' put de note down. An' put chew a piece of John de Conkah - sprinkle some John de Conkah powdahs [from hoodoo drugstore] on dis note wit dat dragon blood. An' light dat candle. An' light it but don' light it in de mawnin' - jes' burn it at night. See, burn it evah night six 'clock an' let it burn till ten minutes aftah six. An' whatsomevah ah've from yuh ah'll bring it back tuh yuh in less time den seven days.
(Where do you put this note and this candle?)
Put it jes' anywhere in a saucah or in a bowl, somepin othah, but chew kin put it anywheah roun' in de house, up undah de dressah or behin' de bed, jes' any- wheah jes' since it's burnin'. (I mean what do you do with this note. Do you wrap this note around the can- dle?) No suh, yuh spread de note down in yuh saucah or yore bowl whatsomevah yuh burnin' de candle in. Spread it down jes' lak it's - it has tuh be a small piece, yuh know, somepin lak dat [demonstrates size] wit dat name wrote on it. An' sprinkle it good wit dat dragon blood, an' den sprinkle it good wit dat John de Conkah powdah - wit de name wrote on it. An' de name is wrote on de candle an' jes' put it down dere, an' jes' tell me [the thief] say, "Now, ah mean fo' yuh tuh bring so-an'-so back tuh me an' ah don't mean maybe.' An' jes' cuss me an' say, "Ah mean fo' yuh tuh brint it tuh me, an' ah don't mean maybe. Hurry up an' bring it." An' light de candle an' jes' be talkin' tuh me while yo' lightin' de candle. (You put that candle on top of the note?) [This is not a leading question, informant having already said yuh spread de note down in yuh saucah.] Jes' set de candle right on top de note. An' as dat candle burn, well dat rouse up mah [thief's] mind about what ah done done, an' in less time den seven days ah be done brought whatsomevah ah stole back tuh yuh.
Entry 10208
If there's something that you don't want taken regardless of what it is, if you don't want it taken - for an instance if you take, if you lock your house they going to break in, and you don't know how to do for to keep 'em from taking your things. Well, then, first I would go and I would get me some sassafras [roots or pieces of bark]. I'd get some sassafras and I'd get me a knife and I'd trim this sassafras, see. I'd trim it and every little piece that I'd whittle off it [demonstrates].
(Every piece that comes off, what do you do with that?)
Every piece I trim off - I'm going to trim it off until I get to nine pieces, and every time I get the nine pieces, I'd count the nine pieces. I'd get them nine pieces and I'm going to put nine pieces here [demonstrates]. I cut off until I get nine more pieces and I'm going to put that there until I get four times nine. See? Well, all right. Now, I'm going to set it on the outside of my door. That's the corner of my house and that's the corner of my house. I'm going to set nine pieces there and nine pieces there, and at the back end of my house. I'm going to set nine pieces.
(You have nine pieces in each corner of the house.)
In each corner of the house, but on the outside. Under my house, if I can get under there and get to where the fire part is - the fire-hearth part is; under the house, you know.
(You what?)
Get under the house, underneath the house and get to the fire-hearth, see.
(Oh, the chimney - the fire-hearth.)
Yes, the chimney. I take and I put me a Bible there. I put that Bible there. I puts the Bible up under that house and I puts a candle there, and I leave that candle burning, see, and I leave the Bible open. But I put a piece of something in front where nobody can't learn that candle's burning there, you see, and leave it burning there. And then I come out from under that house and I locks my door, and as I'm coming out I'm sprinkling a little sugar, you see. I sprin- kle sugar as I come out, you see, until I get at least fifty feet from my house, you see. Then I won't sprinkle no more sugar and I can go and stay from three or four days and come back. Nobody will go in that house, nobody never go in there.
(What sort of a candle do you burn on that chimney?)
I'm got a ordinary white candle. (A white candle, I see.) [Here we have a quincunx, 4 corners and a double central point - Bible and candle.] [New Orleans, La., (832), 1249:2.] [If the reader is approaching this multi-volumed HOODOO archive for the first time, he or she must be told that the present beliefs and rites about sex are perely a continuation of 167 pages of similar material published in volume 3, Nos.3ll0-3830, Pp.2341-2509; material listed in logical sequence according to the Table of Contents for volumes 5, 4 and 3. The material now following could not be so conveniently arranged, though it does have a certain amount of alpha- betical order and other continuity. I am dividing this section into two parts: (1) COMPLETE RITES and (2) CONDENSED RITES, these latter sometimes a reference oaly.]
Entry 10650
Seek around until yo' find one of dose big red ants' bed jest as near de house as yo' kin find it. Take an' go dere an' mess around dis fellah's house or his table where yo' kin git holt of some of de crumbs dat was cooked fo' dat family. Take dem crumbs an' go an' sprinkle 'em in dat ants' bed. In a few days dat fellah will leave dere - take a notion tuh move if he nevah have thought of movin' - because dem little ants git tuh totin' dem crumbs in an' out de house. He'll git ready an' go tuh movin' jest like dem crumbs - like dem ants is movin' round wit de crumbs- he'll move den. Dat's whut dey tell me.
Entry 10714
Yo' take de bird nest an' yo' git cayenne peppah an' salt, an' yo' put it down where a person has tuh walk.
(What are you going to do with that salt and pepper?)
Yo' mix it with de bird nest. Destroy de bird nest an' yo' sprinkle dat salt an' peppah with it, an' sprinkle it where a person has tuh walk, dat yore enemy, an' he wouldn't harm yo' in any way. (What will that make them do?) Dat will make dem leave.
Entry 10803
You get you some cinnamon and sugar. All right. You sweep. you go to sweep, don't sweep your dirt outside, you sweep your dirt in [into] the building. And you get this cinnamon and sugar and put it in the water, amd you scrub your floor. And then when you get through scrubbing that floor, you just take - get you some oil of clover. See, you buy some oil of clover at the drug store and you put water in there [scrub bucket] and you put a bottle of beer mixed in with it. (Bottle of beer?) Bottle of beer, yes. And you takes - start at the front door and you sprinkle it all the way back into the place, and your place will be packed.
(The place will be packed?)
Yes, sir, your place will be packed with people, all through the day.
Entry 10856
Bury "blackcat ashes, " obtainable from a mail-order house in Memphis, Tenn., sprinkle where victim walks, saying "move, '' causes that person in mind to move. [All this was years ago. The label on the box did not read "Black Cat Ashes but "Ashes only - with the picture of a black cat on the box!] [Mobile, Ala., 882:2.]
Entry 10883
If yo' wuz in dis house an' ah wuz in dis house an' ah wanted tuh make yo' move. Yo' know a cat an' a dog can't git 'long, if both stay at de same place, unless dey's raised tuhgethah, an' dey enemies against each othah anyway. Well, yo' take de dog hair an' de cat hair an' put it together. Take yo' some Red Devil Lye an' cuss 'em out. Tell 'em, "Go, yo'all can't stay tuhgethah, mus' go." Call his Dame. Jes' yo' wanted tuh move 'em an' cuss dem out. Sprinkle it down where dey gotta walk at, see. Cuss 'em out.
Entry 10948
Jest like yo' havin' 'fairs in de home, go to de sto' an' git chew some cheese an' yo' grind dose cheese up. Put chew some cream flour, mix it tcgether. It kinda like a little bit, like sulphur. Jest sprinkle a little bit all ovah de bed an', yo' know, round. An' yo' nevah [have] any mo' 'fairs goin' on in yore house.
(Fussing and fighting.)
Entry 11042
(How do they handle that?)
Well, you see, it's one gut into a chicken.
(There's what?)
There's one gut into a chicken.
(Just one gut?)
One gut, that's all kin do any harm. That's a gut runs from the, from the top of his - you know, the back of his neck all the way to the rear end of it.
(The rear end, the tail end?)
That's right. (To his behind?) To his behind. (All right.) Now, yo' take that gut and you kin fix that gut and you kin dry it out and you kin - and after you dry it out, you makes a powder of it. And you use this powder into a person's eats - what I mean about eats, about sittin' dowo eatin'. You sprinkle that over 'em and you gotta act like a chicken - you just goofy. They acts like a chicken all the time.
(I see.)
Entry 11129
Dey scrape it off a black cow horn, dey say, if anybody is bothahin' yo', to mix some John de Conker wit it an' some kinda dust. Mix dat togethah. Ah fo'got whut kinda dust dey call it. Ah cain't rem- embah de name of dat dust, but anyhow yo' put dose three things togethah an' dey say put it 'roun' yore do'step an' in de cornah of yore house. Say nobody can't hurt chew. [Four corners of house and door the fifth point, rite which occurs frequently, is a type of quincunx.]
Entry 11134
Take it [manure] from a bull and yo' mix cayenne pepper and salt and saltpeter together, and carry it tuh someone's home dat you dislike. Yo' mix it all together and you put it out and let it dry. After it dries you crumble it up and powder it. Jest like someone would live here. You wouldn't want all tuh come out; jest want one person tuh leave dis place. Well, you would take it den and go and sprinkle in de yard and around de do' and call dis person's name. Dey can't stay dere. Dey'll have to move out, go some- where. Dey can't stay dere.
Entry 11136
Not a milk cow, but git de whut-dey-call-it cow.
(The bull?)
Yes. If yo' kin git dat, den yo'll take dat an' a white dog's nunbah two. Dat [these two] be made up in a powdah an' yo'll sprinkle dat anywhere yo' passes an' de people pass, an' de' cain't git a job no way. Dey cain't git a job noway. But chew put peppah an' yo' put dat salt an' anything lak dat an' yo' put dem hot things in dere. Dat'll keep 'en aigoin'
[Number two = dung.]
Entry 11181
Now they take the nails an' they drive them down into - jes' lak yo' take dat Red Seal Lye, dat has five holes in it, an' they take an' drive a nail in each hole of the lye. An' they bury this lye undah the house an' they git it near as they possibly kin ovah that lye [devil's-shoestrings] on the inside of the house. They put whut they call de devil's-shoestring, that's a little weed- as near ovah the top of that [can of lye] as they possibly kin. That's tuh make this person weak, sickly. (They put this devil's- shoestring over that and they bury that can of lye.) Bury that can of lye jis' undah de house as near as they kin. Jis' say fo' in- stance, if dis wuz his bed, they bury it undah that as near as they kin git to it undah there. They then come up an' try tuh put whut they call de devil's-shoestring - which is jis' a little weed-lak, yo' know - put it as near undah [center] de bed as they kin.
[This is surely a quincunx rite.]
Entry 11182
Yo' kin git chew some lodestone [see later], it's sompin dat's lak a incense.
(Lodestone?)
Yes. All right. Yo' take dat an' yo' take some brown sugah an' yo' take some bluein' an' Redbird Epsom Salts an' devil's-shoestring, an' yo' mix allah [all of] dat up tuhgethah, an yo' sprinkle dat aroun' de house. Dat's tuh make dem move. [There appears to be at least three types of what is called lodestone: ground particles or a lump that can be pulverized, both at- tracting iron; and a third substance that is merely an incense.]
Entry 11189
De dirt dauber.
(Sort of like a wasp or a bee?)
Yes. Well, didja evah see de little cells dat dey build?
(Yes.)
Well, now, de people down dis way - especially in dis part of de world at one tine - now ah know dis tuh be a fact. We were living in Conecuh County, Ala. We had a very disagreeable neighbor lived across de street from us, an' she rented from some white people, but we owned our property. And dis person was disagreeable. And de white people dat she liked, dey like her so well, un- til dey wouldn't have her move just tuh please someone else, you see. Well, mah mother told many different people about her. De woman was named Ada Sonworth [Stallworth] - of course I don't have to tell [her name]. Anyway, she was very disagreeable and she would argue. Well, anyway, as I started tuh tell you, dis woman was very disagreeable and it wasn't no possible chance of getting her tuh move. We wasn't going tuh move. And mah mother told an old man 'bout it. An' he was a man supposed tuh have some super-power.
(Did they have any special name for this man? Did they call him anything?)
Yes, dey called him a cunjure, as far as dat is concerned. Well, he told mah mother tuh go and get some of dis dirt dauber cells and pound dem up, and mix one cup of ground pepper and one of black pepper, and one of salt, and have us tuh go tuh her do', you see, at night when dey was 'sleep, and sprinkle it. Said tuh give it tuh us children [to sprinkle] and not her [the mother]. And when you go and sprinkle dat down at de door and walk backwards, you get tuh de gate and throw dat de way you Wanted her tuh go, and said she would leave within nine days. So mah mother didn't believe much about it but she said, well it wouldn't hurt tuh try. It would be so inexpensive until it wouldn't make any difference. So she prepared dis concotion dat we'd have heard, you see, and we did dat - mah brother. Mah brother lives here [Mobile] too, now. We tried dat when we were children and she really disappeared in de next two weeks. Dat's positive.
(How many years ago when you were a child?)
When I was a child dat was in 1915...it was in 1915, and dis little town where dis happened, was in Evergreen. Mah grandfather died in 1917. He was a man dat was very stingy. He was born a slave. "Corse ah don't have tuh tell you but our name is Dubon. Mah grand- father was owned by some French people and dey came from down New Orleans way some place and dey established up here in Conecuh County, and mah grandfather...
Entry 11190
Ah heard dey go an' git a dirt dauber nest an' some cayenne peppah an' sprinkle it undah de do'step an' turn yore back an' nevah look back, an' nevah look back, an' say "good-by." An' dat'll make 'em move an' dey cain't come back again.
Entry 11201
They will spring your doors and things. (Well, how would they do that?) They'll take that - they'll go to three people's house and you can steal you some salt from three people's house, and take that cayenne pep- per and that black pepper and dirt dauber's nest and beat it together and sprinkle your door and you'll move.
(I see. And you'll move. But you only steal the salt?)
Steal the salt.
(The other things you don't take?)
No, you just steal that from somebody's house.
(Just the salt. Those other things you take from your own house?)
Yeah.
(I see. That will make you move out?)
Yes.
Entry 11203
Take nine dirt dauber nest an' pound 'em up together. Put some salt - jes' de least salt, into de nine, which id about a teaspoonful into de nine dirt dauber nests. Then yo' put three teaspoons fulla sugah into dat. Pound it up good together. Then yo' take - after pounding that all up together - then yo' take an' anywhere that a person gotta visit, if it in a home or anywhere that they got dealin's at in dat place, yo' sprinkle it In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost an' make yore wish the way that yo' want it to work. It will work.
(What will you wish for on that?)
Well, if yo' want 'em tuh quit workin' dere or tuh leave dere, why yo' kin wish that way. An' if a person wants tuh continue working to a place, why yo' make that wish there. [Nine dirt dauber nests surely means 9 cells from one dirt dauber nest, not 9 separate nests which would be quite a large amount of dirt.]
Entry 11204
You get you a sock or sompin like that, anything you wear. Take that sock, ball it together, put it with some dirt dauber nest, roll 'em together [sock sprinkled with dirt dauber is rolled up] and you put it in a jar or any kind of bucket or anything that unleaks - what won't leak. Take it to the river, throw it in the river and let it go downstream. You'll be gone!
Entry 11217
Yo' kin take, yo' know, if yo' an' yore husband ain't gittin' long good in yore house, yo' kin take some spice an' dirt dauber nest an' mash it up together; an' after yo' sweep, sprinkle it in each corner of de house. Every- thing will git 'long lovely. Dat's all ah know it's good fo'; yo' know, killin' anything lak dat. Wear it in yore shoe for a fuss lak dat an' sprinkle it round yore house. Dat's all ah know dat it's good fo'.
Entry 11227
Well, now, yo' kin use dirt dauber in confinement an' yo' kin use dirt dauber fo' runnin' people outa town an' around like that.
(How would you run a person out of town with dirt dauber?)
Well, yo' have tuh take - yo' know the dirt dauber nest has all that stuff inside of that clay there, inside of that clay. Well, yo' git the inside [lar- vae] an' yo' kin mix that with cemetery dirt. Mix that with the cemetery dirt an' yo' git chew a piece of brim- stone an' a piece of blue- stone, an' pound it up to a powder an' put in that. An' yo' kin sprinkle that wherevah - whoevah yo' wanta do. Yo' kin sprinkle that an' that will certainly run 'em outa town - run 'em an' they keep agoin'.
Entry 11295
Ef yo' want a person to act like a dog, cut off de end of a she dog and let it dry up and ground it into powder...
(The end of what?)
Oh her, herself, de she dog...
(Her private, cut off the end?)
Cut off a end of it an' put it up an' let it dry...
(A piece of flesh?)
Yassuh and let it dry, an' when it dry jes' sprinkle it all over 'em an' yo' have de nature of a dog... (You have the nature of a dog! How do you mean that?) Of a whelp dog - yo' howl - yo' have nature jes' lak a whelp dog.
(Makes you howl - they rub that over you some way?)
Yassuh, have to rub it ovah yo'.
Entry 11317
(What's that?)
(Bull dog manure?)
Bull dog manure. They'll take bull dog manure and wasp nest. Parch them down to a powder. It'll 'come pulverized like powder. Put them together and mix them. Come to your home where you and your wife been getting along nice and smooth Walk right in that home and talk with your old woman, just come right in the house and throw it around.
(Just sprinkle it around?)
Yes. You begin to squabble and fight and the next thing you know, why one of you is gone away from there.
(I see.) I see.)
Entry 11318
Lak de manure from a dog, why yo' take dat manure an' yo' git chew a nickel's wuth [worth] of peanuts an' git chew a box of salt. An' yo' take dose peanuts an' hull all of 'em an' mix de peanuts up an' yo' take dat whole box of salt an' put in dere an' yo' take de dog manure an' mash it all up in dere together - lak yo' got a jar with a cover on it.... Lak yo' see a dog do his business out dere, de hah'd [hard] hah'd, yo don't git dat soft. Yo' git de hah'd one, an' yo' take dat an' yo' git chew a bag of peanuts. Yo' git chew a box of salt ain't nevah been used out of. Yo' take dose peanuts an' de dog manure an' yo' have yo' somepin yo' kin beat it up in real fine tuhgethah - hammah [hammer] it up tuhgethah.
(What do you beat up, the peanut shell or the nuts?)
No, de nuts. De peanuts an' de dog manure, yo' put dat salt in dere. Yo' git chew a box of red peppah an' yo' put dat whole box of red peppah in dere. An' if yo' don't use it all, yo' take it an' po' it in de toilet: an' turn [flush] de watah on it. Well, yo' mix all of dat up tuhgethah. Well, yo' have sompin dat yo' kin.always keep it in. Yo' have dat, dat's tuh mun a person. Yo' kin take dat if anybody come in an' yo' kin use a little pile of dat. Put some quicksilvah in it an' mash all dar tuhgethah. Dat makes yo' go. Yo' gotta go.
(You take that mixture and scatter it around in there?)
Yo' cain't stay. [For peanuts and bad luck see Nos.2574, p.710, v.l, etc.]
Entry 11651
You git that brown sugar, an' you git that flaxseed, an' you git some steel dus' [3 ingredients] an' mix it up. An' jis' like I'm livin' on this - you livin' on this corner an' you bootleggin'. All right. You take an' you sprinkle it both sides of the street on each corner. The law ain't gon'a bother you.
Entry 11674
Go to the forks of a road and yo' can git dat dirt jes' as it turn off at de forks of de road, yo' kin git dat dirt an' yo' kin take it and bring it back an' sprinkle it in a person's shoes an' if dey wearing dat shoe an' yo' want 'em to go, that will keep them going.
(But you must get this dirt from the fork of the road.)
Git it from de turn, that's to make them leave. (It must be the dirt from their track?) Not from their track. Yo' go out to the forks of the road, you git dat dirt.
(Anybody's dirt or any kind of dirt.)
No, yo' git de dirt out of the road, not nobody else's track.
Entry 11677
Yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road an', when yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road, yo' git a pinch of dirt from de fo'ks of dat road. Den yo' go to do - befo' yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road, yo' go tuh de graveyard yo' know, an' git some of de graveyard dirt an' mx it tuhgethah. Den go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' git some of dat, an' mix dat tuhgethah. Den yo' have tuh season it, chew know. Yo' git dem two things an' yo' git some salt an' yo' git some peppah an' some sulphur, & an' crumble it all wit dat dirt from de fo'ks of de road. An' it will do jes' whut chew want it tuh do.
(What will you do with it?)
Yo' went dere fo' a purpose. When yo' went tuh de fo'ks of de road, yo' vants somebody probably, or yo' wanta change somebody from goin' wit somebody's else, an' yo' bring yo' dese, an' why, dat means dey'll come yore way.
(What do you do with that dirt after you mix it up? What do you do with it?)
Sprinkle it.
(Where?)
Yo' know, jes' lak ah know yo' goin' out. "Sposin' ah'm goin' from heah ovah yondah an' yo've gotta cross dat othah fellah's house, ah sprinkle it right down in yore yard an' yo' walk ovah dat. Yore mind changes, dat changes yore mind. (That changes your mind. That is if you want to bring somebody back, some- thing of that sort?) Yassuh.
The informant describes a mixture of dirt from a graveyard and road forks with salt, pepper and sulphur, sprinkled to influence a person's direction or attachment. Questions clarify use and purpose. The hypothetical yard scenario begins with an unclosed printed quote, so no closing speech boundary is invented; both dirt origins and the qualified return purpose are retained.
Entry 11686
Yo' go out dere 'fore day in de mawnin' an' git a twig offa tree at de fo'ks of de road an' use it. Yo' kin use it fo' luck, fo' bad luck, an' dey use it with dis red flannel. Ah 'magine yo' seen red flannel. Yo' use red flan- nel. An' git chew a twig while de sap is in it, but chew cain't git it when it's dry, at de fo'ks of de road. Dat cause people tuh has spells, fallin' outa beds, agony in de haid, agony in de feet, athaletics feets an' all lak dat. (What do you do with this twig? How do they work that?) Well, yo' git chew a piece of red flannel an' git chew some turpentine an' asafetidy an' boil it all tuhgethah in 'bout, jes' say 'bout a cup of watah an strain it an' po' all dat drugs [dregs], let say yo' has drugs tuh it, an' strain it through dat red flannel. An' aftah yo've strained it through de red flannel, den yo' use only de watah, understan'. Set dis watah in a dark place in a closet an' keep dis twig in dis red flannel wrapped. Yo' kin weah dis roun' yore neck fo' luck fo' yo'self. An' de watah fo' bad luck yo' kin sprinkle around a person's do'steps tuh cause 'em tuh move. If yo' wanta sprinkle it fo' luck, if yo' Wanta sprinkle it, yo' kin sprinkle it tuh cause 'em tuh move. Yo' kin sprinkle it fo' a person dat's sick, tuh make 'em have iller health. Yo' kin sprinkle it where a person is sick, tuh make 'em have bettah health; accordin' tuh whut chew magic' but chew gotta git it from de fo'ks of de road 'fore day in de mawnin'.
Entry 11735
[Graveyard dirt will be found everywhere in these volumes, its largest concentration appearing on pages 3293-3385, volume 4. Here I begin with a few leftover longer rites and end with the more numerous short or condensed ones, these latter to show how widespread they were.] Ah've had [have used] de graveyard dust mahself. If I was in a lawsuit with yo' an' ah wanta win de lawsuit, well ah come in dere [your office] with some graveyard dust in mah pocket. An' ah sprinkle in de - in de fo' corners of de place, an' a little in de do', an' down de steps as yo' [I] go out - when ah start out - unbeknowst tuh dem [you]. It must be done un- beknowst tuh dem. Dat's de way dey supposed tuh be tuh handle dat graveyard dust.
(Where do you sprinkle this graveyard dust?)
In de office - like dey wanted tuh move yo' out of heah or put chew tuh trav- elin', yo' see. Ah'd come in heah unbeknowst tuh yo' an' throw some in dat cor- nah, sprinkle it around ovah in de othah cornah, an' ovah tuh de othah cornah [informant forgets to mention the fourth corner], git it aroun' lak yo' want it. An' if necessary dey gits some on yuh.
Entry 11744
If it's someone behind yuh, the one - you know, someone behind yuh what rid them[-selves] of other people, they will pick it [your foot track] up and mix it with graveyard dust. [Long pause.]
(All right, go ahead. What else?)
And they, they'll take that and mix it with graveyard dust, and they will take and fix it together and sprinkle it around your door, yuh see. And they will take and make - mix it with pepper, black pepper and cayenne pepper, you see. They mix all that up together and they sprinkle it around your house, and that will make for confusion with you and your neighbors, and that will cause you to have to move.
Entry 11746
Dey say 'fore dey bury him [man from whom something Was stolen] dey can fix things to make him [thief], dey can get some graveyard dirt, take and fix it, and dey kin sew [sprinkle] it down and de person what stole, why he have to bring it back 'cause he can't hold it. Yes sir. With graveyard dirt and sulphur. Dat's it, graveyard dirt and sulphur.
(Graveyard dirt and sulphur?)
And mix it together and salt.
(And what?)
And salt, table salt. Say dey kin throw it, throw it up [into air] and put it down [do both]. And dey say dey goin' bring it back, say dey can't hold it.
(That's to bring back something that was stolen?)
Dat's it. And dey ain't comin' in de house with it. Dey goin' throw it at de steps, so you kin get up de next morning and get it. Dey can't hold it, make 'em bring it back.
Entry 11754
Well, jes' lak yo' might see somepin round an- othah person's home dat yo would like tuh git holt of, vell yo'd go to de graveyard an' git some dirt an' sprinkle it on de top of dere house. Dey can't wait until yo' git to do whut chew wanta do - git whut chew'd [you would] like to get.
(If you would want to use that article.)
Dat's right.
Entry 12251
Ah ain't goin' [tell] yo' no lie. Ah'll tell yo' de truth now, but ah'm goin' tell yo' 'bout dis. Now, ah'm goin' [tell] whut ah knows an' whut ah don't know ah won't tell yo', 'c'use ah don' ca' fo' no foolishness. Well, all right. Now, ah have had people roomin' wit me. Ah have rn a roomin' house. Co'se ah haven't run one lately. Fifteen yeahs ago heah in dis coum an' people heah dat wouldn't pay me, an' ah wanted dem tuh stay, an' dey uouldn't stay 'way from mah house. Ah wanted 'em tuh stay 'way. Ah sprinkle Salt dere. Ah had tuh sprinkle salt down. An' now John de Conkah is a straight Sring, is a straight fact, it won't die. John de Conkah root will not. Yo' boils hit an' strains it through a thin white rag, an' git all dem herbs an' trash in through de rag, an' take dat tea an' sprinkle it an' sweep yore flo' wit it. Sprinkle salt behin' dere an' sweep it out, jes' anybody dat go out. Jes' have it in a bottle an' anybody dat go out, jes' sprinkle salt on de floor an' sprinkle dat root of medicine on de flo' an' sweep it out behin' 'em. Ah'll guarantee dey ain' t comin' back dere no mo'.
Entry 12443
Well, dey didn't tell me no certain 'mount, but dey jes' say yo' kin use mockin'bird eggs an' yo' kin separate a couple wit mockin'bird aigs. (How can you do that?) Yo' cook dem aigs. See, dey'll git hard. Under- stand. Cook 'em an' yo' powder dem aigs up, an' den yo' kin sprinkle dat round a person's house or inside dey house, an' dat'll separate dem. Dey always said dat mockin'birds would be - he would make his nest but he would soon tear it down. He wouldn't nevah stay. An' dat's de reason why dey could take dat an' yo' [dey] kin sprinkle it round yore house an' in de house, an' dat'll shore make a couple spearate, fuss, yo' know, have argu- ments an' all like dat.
Entry 12469
If yo's in a house an' a person wanta make yo' move, go tuh de black- smith shop an' git a mule hoof, an' put it on wit some hot watah an' boil it. Yo' takes an' put it in a bottle [cork it right tight, an' put it in] - put it in a bottle when yo's at home. Yo' walks by dey do' an' sprinkle it befo' dey do', dat watah from dat hoof, from dat mule hoof. See dat's a track an' as dat mule walkin' on, dat makes 'em [victim] go.
(You put some holes in this cork?)
Yes sir, put it in de [cork of the] bottle. Cut de mule hoof, dat round hoof where dey shoe a mule. Or a horse, eithah one, an' put it in a bottle. Take it home an' boil it. Boil it jes' tuh pieces. Boil it. It won't come tuh pieces, but when it begin tuh git hot, see. An' put it in a bottle an' cork it down an' put some holes in dere where yo' kin jes' sprinkle it lak dat, tell 'em all de time as yo' sprinkle dat watah, see, say, "Cats an' dogs can't git along, an' yo' gotta go. An' go, damn yo'. An' dat makes 'em leave, dey move. Dey gotta move, dey cain't stay dere.
Entry 12470
Yo' git some mule hoof an' burn it, cross it [make sign of cross with it] fo' yo' luck, right lak that. An' sprinkle a little salt an' a little sulphur. An' in burnin' this yo' calls fo' rich man's name. An' even to that chew ask fo' yo' luck. An' yo'll be successful in whut chew tryin' tuh do.
(If you are trying to rent something or sell something?)
Yessuh.
(If you are trying to sell liquor or anything?)
Yessuh.
(Now, I'll take up this ashes [cigar ashes in tray on interviewing table]
and you put them in the shape of a cross like that [I demonstrate]. You sprinkle them in the shape of a cross?) Yes, yo' sprinkle that, then yo' sprinkle this. Then yo' make the second cross an' sprinkle that. (But you make one cross with the mule ashes first? Then the other crosses you make with this other stuff?) Yes, yes.
Entry 12522
At six 'clock in de evening and six 'clock in de morning, you git up and yo' take a onion an' sprinkle red pepper on it. An' put it behind yore front door and you put it on a paper and sit it down and burn it. Don't let nobody come bother you or no one know you doing that.
(Well now, what will that do then?)
It bumn aad supposed to bring luck to you [in business].
Entry 12544
Dey tell me yo' git some lodestone an' git chew some sen-sen an' a red onion. An' yo' peel dis red onion an' take de hull an' drop de sen-sen down in it. [Sen-sen Was or is trade name of small lozenges to suck to sweeten breath.] An' yo' look in de east an' ask de Lord tuh move yore enemies an' bring yo' luck an' peace. An' den yo' sprinkle de sugah ovah dis same thing an' dis red onion. An' yo' walk to yore front do' an' walk back- vards to yore back do' nine times, aftah yo' fire it back. Dat will bring yo' peace an' yo' be's successful wit chure friends.
Entry 12562
(Well, nog, suppose I'm bootlegging amd I want to keep the lay aoay from the place, what would I do to keep the lay away from the place?) Well, you use this here sugar. You get this sugar, you get some of this saltpeter, and every time that you think of the law or anything, at night, you do it yourself or the one that be's in [the shop] there. You fix it up in a bottle with any kind of green leaf - you know, any kind of green leaf - but leave it be different leafs: might be willow leaf or Palm Of Christian or any kind of leaf. Just a differ- ent leaf. You take it in a bottle with this sinimond [cinnamon], sugar...
[I interrupt. Palm of Christian had to be explained!]
(Now, wait a minute! Where does this Palm of Christian grow?)
That Palm of Christian? Well, just put it in there like that, but stop... (Where does that grow? Here in Louisiana? Does it grow here?) [In New Orleans?] Yes, sir, it grows here - find it everywhere - in the country - they got some right uptown there. (It grows out in the woods - you mean that little palm - that little short palm?) It grows up about that high but with wide leaves.
(Oh! I see.)
[I did not know what it was at the time but I soon found out!] Well, you could take some of them leaves and sprinkle like that - get different leaves, just so its green. And you put it in a bottle and you take - put that sugar and cinament in the bottle like that. Every morning - that's when you thinking that the law's is [= 's & is here] coming and interfere with you, you see - coming and made a raid on your place. Every night and every morning, through the day, re- gardless of how many people are in there [your illegal liquor joint] don't say anything to nobody. Jest take your bottle [of green leaves] like you cleaning up and walk at the end of your property and jest like you'd take the broom and you shaking that bottle, you know, jest like sprinkling to keep the dust down - on back in [into] your place. Any time the law coming there, when he get to your property, he - he jest as pleased as ever. He'll come in there - probably be like this - he'll drink. He'll ask you to give him a [free] drink, a [free] cigar or somepin of the kind like that. And he'll tell you, remember that [a boss] be's over him. He'll tell, too, he'll say, "Well, you be particular, you can git what you want. I was just passing by this way. Well, you jest keep that sugar and ciniment right at your steps, wherever you comes down. And re- gardless of who comes there, he'll never do you no harm. And in prohibition time, well, the time the town went dry, I sold liquor here - I hit on [which he does, you can hear him]. Never had been caught yet. Never have been scared about no law - no prohibition or nothing of the kind... never have. [See margin title PALMA CHRISTI, No.2199, P.626, v.1, and my long comment there.]
Entry 12567
Take a dauber nest.
(Just take one dauber's nest?)
And seven peanut hulls.
(And seven peanut hulls.)
And seven pods of red pepper.
(And seven pods of red pepper.)
And parch all that together and crumble it up. And then sprinkle it around a person's door if you - like if your husband is going over there. And sprinkle it around her door, and the path, anywhere where she goes in and out at. And it will bust them up. But you have to crumble it up fine after parching it, and just sprinkle it all up and down there. See, and it bust 'em up. They will bust up - and they goes - just drift from place to place.
(This will bust them up?)
He will quit her. You use one dauber nest and seven pods.
(And seven pods.)
Oh, I should have said that that dauber nest was to be filled with a certain kind of mud, what is used to tear down. (The dauber nest is to be filled with a certain kind of mud, I see.)
Entry 12607
(If anybody is at your house, you say?) Yeah, an' yo' want 'em tuh go. Dey jis' company an' yo' don' want dere company. Yo'll mix yo' up some coffee grounds, snuff, red peppah, an' yo' be's walkin' around right where dey at, where dey gotta pass any business [and you sprinkle this] an' dey goin' go away an' dey ain't comin' back dere no mo'. Dey ain't comin' back dere to your house.
Entry 12714
Ah say yo' kin take a rabbit if a person - jes' like if it's a man or a woman, yo' kin take de lef' hin' feet [foot] of a rabbit after yo' done killed him. Yo' take dat lef' hin' feet of dat rabbit an' if yo' wear it in yore pocket or yore purse or sompin [MAY BE ONLY MENTION OF PULLING TENDON - TO IMPRESS?] like that, whoever yo' Want tuh [be] round or sompin, well yo' jes' take that if yo' keep that rabbit foot bathed in dis heah Hearts Perfume - if yo' keep it bathed in Hearts Perfume and git chew some dragons blood and sprin- kle on it, and wherevah yo' go, yo' know it's a little cord in dat rabbit's feet, yo' kin pull it an' it seem like it's alive. [Pulling tendon of rabbit foot is rare in rites.] And if yo' go round wherevah yo' go, if yo' take dat piece of root out of yo' pocket or either yore pocketbook, and if yo' jes' touch de person whoevah yo' want or sompin like dat, yo' kin get 'em. With the lef' feet of de rabbit. (Do you touch them with your hand or must you touch them with the rabbit foot?) With de rabbit foot. (And what do you do with that cord [tendon]? Yo' pull it.
(When do you pull it?)
Whenever yo' git aroun' 'em. See dat [tendon] work duh foot.
(Oh, you must pull it when you touch them, you mean?)
Yeah, see, when yo' go in yo' jes' pull it, see. That means yore workin', yo' know, de rabbit's foot - dat little piece of cord dat's in it, yo' know - little stringlike yo' could put it and: it will work. It come out of de feet chew know, piece of de flesh - whatevah it is - when yo' cut it off. Dat's de lef' hin' foot of de rabbit.
Entry 12750
Ah hear dat if a man wanted a job an' he couldn't git none no way, he go an' git one - ah ain't nevah tried it but ah hear de fact of it. Ah don't know whether yo' ever hear tell of dis rattlesnake marster root an' burn it into a powder, an' yo' take dat powder, jest lak dis is yore job heah. Well, ah come to de job an' ah sprinkle dat powder round dere. Den ah git me some of dis shame brier root, a little brier dat grows dey call de shame brier. Ah don't know whether yo' evah hear tell of it. [For shame brier and its various names, see No.2290, p.646f., v.1, and elsewhere.] An' ah'll take dat shame brier root an' den ah'll chew it, lak ah'm talkin' wid chew, [and say] "Ah wants a job, Captain." Why all de time dat me an' yo' talkin ah be chewin' dat root an' spittin'. Dey tell me if yo' do dat, why he'll do jest 'xactly whut chew tell 'im to do. He'll give yo' a job. Or if yo' wants money, yo' take dat shame brier root an' dat rattlesnake marster dust, after yo' pound dat root up, an' keep it in yore pocket whilst yo' talkin' [to boss]. Spit an' chew it an' have dat dust - throwin' dat dust out, yo' know.
Entry 12885
Now, if you bottleggin', you want trade. Now you go to your drug store. You buy you a pound of that brown sugah, you understand. You get choo a codfish ball - you know what dat codfish, big O [ole] codfish! You get that and get you a nickel's worth of pahsley [parsley]. Now, you gona take dat pahsley, codfish ball, the sugar. You take your water, about 2 quarts or quart an' a half. Fix what you want, any kind of water. An' yo' put it in a pot or bucket, or whatsomever will hold it. And put all that stuff into the water and let it boil. Let it boil down to one quart [the magic of diminishing amount]. An' use your pot every morning, like Friday's, that myst be your busy day for Saturday. Like Wednesday you wan'a take that day for cleaning up. Well, you take that water and git you someone to go out to clean up your place for you - just sprinkle that water - go to the front - come to the front like this [demon- strates], you see, an' come right on in [from the front door, leading future customers in]. Now, I don't tell you that people will spend their money there, but I'll guarantee you'll have a crowd there an' you won't have standing room. But somebody will spend money. You understand how that is? That'll square you. I do that.
Entry 12926
Tuh make de boss give yo' jobs, now. Now, if yo' wanta job an' if yo' goin' down dere. See, if de boss is mean to all de rest of de people - mean to yo' - he give everybody a job but chew. All right, well yo' git chew a lit- tle piece of saltpeter an' put into yore pocket. Well, den yo' see yo' git dis heah be 'shamed brier root, as ah tole yo', an' have dat in yore mouth an' spit down to his feets. An' den if he's very mean - if he's very hard - yo' sprinkle a little dis heah cayenne pepper cross his path like if dis he office heah. Ah sprinkle little dis cross yore office where.yo' go in to go into yore place of business an' ah have dat in mah mouth, an' ah says, "Say, Captain." Yo' know it's quite natural fo' a colored man to call a white man "Captain" or "Boss, " see. Well, "Say, Boss, listen, whut about a job dis mornin'." Den he'll look around - an be done crossed dis peppah, yo' see - he look around an' he say, "Well, old Doc, yo' don't wanna work if ah done give yo' a job." Yo' say, "Well, all right, yo try me." He say, "Well, den go on out an' see whut chew kin do." Yo' see, he done changed his mind. Yes sir, his mind is changed completely.
Entry 13239
You go to a job, you have never been dere an' yo' look, yo' don't know de man when yo' walk in dere. Yo' have a little sugah in your pocket. Let it be brown sugah [if you are a black man]. An' ast 'em, if somebody [standing about], whoevah recommend to you [tell you], who is he [the boss] - de one dis [dat] de boss. An' sprinkle dat sugah [on the ground near the boss], say, De Name of de Father, de Son an' Holy Ghost, I guar'tee you git job.
Entry 13241
Sugar and cinnamon and mix it up well together and put it in your pocket. Jes' like I'd come in here and I'd wanta see you, I'd come in and I'd have my hand in my pocket, and as I'd enter the door, I'd jes get a little in my hand and sprinkle it about. And I ask you for a job. Well, you'd be more than apt to give it to me.
Entry 13242
Ah said, if yo' an' yore husban' or yo' an' yore girl fren' is in a argument or sompin lak dat, an' yo' don' ca' tuh argue, git chew about fo' tea- spoonfulla sulphur an' a teaspoonful of sugar an' put it in a rag. See, mix it up good an' sprinkle a little bit ovah de flo' an' de arguments gone - it won't be no mo' arguments. [Sulphur kills evil, sugar is fo' peace.]
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 13257
All yo' have tuh do is tuh git chew some sulphur an burn an' all. Yo' ketch his [policeman's] eyes whensomevah he come in an' look after him, an' let him walk across it, see. (This burnt sulpbur?) Yes sir, burnt sulpbur, an' when he come in yo be lookin' after 'in. Try tuh ketch his eyes. An' he nevah come tuh yore house no mo'. Or yo' could jes' take some - if yo' sellin' whiskey, each maslin' befo' yo' open yore do', befo' anyone come in, yo' jes' take jes' a certain aomt of it [whiskey] an' jes' throw it ovah yore do', both doors, as de customers comes in an' out, see. An' then yo' be fixed - de law will nevah bother yo'.
(You mean you throw the salt and sulphur over the door?)
No, yo' kin take some of yore whiskey.
(Oh, the whiskey. That's to keep the law away, too.)
See, when yo' burn dis sulphur, den yo' throw de whiskey ovah de head - yo' know whut ah mean, jes' throw some ovah de head of de do' up there an' dey won't nevah bother yo'.
Entry 13302
Well, even you could take, just like across the street. That's a man, he's got plenty of customers com- ing in his place. Your place is over on this side. You ain't got much customers. You don't know what's the matter. Every time you look around, you could see officers there. Well, this man over there, he hadn't oughta be there. You take some of this sinamint [cinnamon] and sugar and you take and get actual bat dust.
(Bat dust?)
Bat dust.
(Like a bat that flies around in the air.)
Yeah, that be's up in the fire-hearth [chimney]. Well, you git it and you take his heart and you burn it as a powder - down to a powder. You get any kind of fowl, duck or chicken and kill 'em. And you take that gizzard from a chicken, and you take that skin from off his gizzard, and you take it and you burn that down. You take the gill of a fish and you burns it down to ashes. You takes a piece of somepin like a bar, a piece of barring; you know, bar what you put on the bed for to keep the mosquitos [away].
(Mosquito bar?)
[I had never heard the word barring!]
Yeah, just like that curtain is there.
(Mosquito bar, something like cheesecloth.)
Yeah.
(All right.)
You take that and if you can't get over to that place, you send somebody in there with that all mixed up in there as a powder; you see, that bat-heart dust, that gizzard dust, and that fish-gill dust - with sinemint [cinnamon] and sugar. Hell, now, you take it and you send somebody over to that place. You got some com water. You get war water and he have it in his pocket - just like if you got [carrying] something to drink. You understand. And you take that fish-gill dust and for to keep the odor down, open that war water. He goes to the lava- tory - anywhere, you see - and sprinkle it down in there. And when you leave out of there, pretend just like there be something happen to his shoes, or pants leg or something of the kind like that. He got this here stuff wrapped up and he got a handkerchief in hand and he sprinkle it all the way there, back into your place. And you couldn't turn [round] for the people being in your place. And every morning, you take this stuff and from the end of your property where you at, just come back where you is and sprinkle it - sprinkle your sugar and Sprinkle you sinemint [cinnamon] and do it just after - but don't use no war uater at your place, that will make confusion at your place. You see. But that ear water going to make confusion over to the next place, then that bring the custiment [customers or custum] over at your place. (I see. Well, now do you sprinkle that stuff from his place over to your place?) Yes, just. You ain't got to put it all the way - just like you got...
(He wrapped it up in this cloth, this mosquito bar?)
Yes, just as it come through that. (You sprinkle this war water over his lavatory to cause trouble and then you sprinkle this sweet stuff all the way over to your place?) Yes, just every now and then you coming across the street, just [demonstrates].
(Shake it.)
Shake it and right into your house [place of business]. When you get to your hoase, you turn backwards and [back] into your door. That make a confusion - that war water going to make a confusion over there and that going to make peace Bne in your place. People leaving from there coming following that luck right orer in your place.
Entry 13305
I'd go to the graveyard where a sin- nerman' buried, and get me some graveyard dust and some coffee grinds and put it in a bottle with some war water. And whilst the people be asleep, I'd take the war water and sprinkle all over the front step and they couldn't be in there 12 days.
(You put all these things in that bottle, in the same bottle?)
In the same bottle.
Entry 13421
That war water, that confusion in the house. See, I would go by the house at night, understand, w'ilst they be sleepin'. Understand that? An' I would sprinkle this house. [Good heavens! don't get any of that on you, all materials in hoodoo are dangerous. See many places.] Jis' like if I sprinklin' the house I wouldn't say nothin'. [Does this mean silence is a part of the rite or informant would not tell victims he was sprinkling them!] Sprinkle the house fer 3 days. See, I come out late hours at night. Then they'll have to move.
Entry 13426
I've hearn it like this: if you had a neighbor and you couldn't get along, see. You would take and get you - if you wanted them to move, you under- stand, why you could make a quarrel between the people in the house an' that would cause the landlord to put them out, see. Well, you would use an egg. You could use salt or war water, see. (Just how Would you use these, now?) Well, now, you'd take - you'd get - use the war water which the war water would be the best. See, there's two things you use, you use either the powder or the water.
(Well, explain the war water.)
Well, you take the war water and you would sprinkle that war water. You would use salt - salt makes fuss anywhere.
(How would you use that salt there?)
You would take and you would sprinkle that salt at the four corners of the house and then you'd take this war water and as you - if you can enter into the place, jes' in the alley. You don't have to go in the house. Like if - like I enter this door here. I would walk to the back door which would be the kitchen. If I could get to the kitchen, I would start to sprinkle there.
(You say you begin at the back door?)
At the back door, yes, sir.
(I see. Then what do you do?)
I'm going to sprinkle this water, see. As I come out, I sprinkle the water, letting the water run out of my hand, as I'm coming out the door, jes' as I'm walking [demonstrates] and the water's coming out. And, when I gets to the door, I takes salt and I cross it [make a cross with it] right at the gate. And at the steps, I cross [make another cross at] the steps with salt. And under the steps I jes' take and I sprinkle war water, and I take salt and jes' throw it thataway, see. That's all you have to do, salt and that war water. It'll sort of confuse 'em. You can take salt and make a confusion any kind of way. Now, that would start a confusion in the house with the husband and wife. If it's the people you don't like, see, regardless of who they are, if it be the mother and the daughter, the mother and the son, then the people that you would want to get out, why that would start a confusion. Somebody would have to go. See.
Entry 13427
People generally use this stuff they call war water. They use the powder called war water. There is a liquid called war water. Now you take that and you form it into one [mix war water powder and war water liquid]. Then you take Epsom salts and table salt and coffee grounds. Now, you make one package of that, you see. Just like a fellah lives in that yard over there, you take that before day in the morning and you sprinkle it in the yard. In a couple of days they have a racket in the home, you under- stand.
Entry 13436
Ah've heard dat yo' kin go to a creek an' git some of a creek's watah - where [there is] a runnin' creek - an' git some of de watah an' bring it back an' sprinkle it in de yard. Jes' po' it round in de yard but in po'in' dat watah round in de yard, yo' gotta git some of dis heah John de Conkah. An' take an' boil dat watah good an' boil dat John de Conkah an' sprinkle it all round yore yard. An' dat's tuh make any man or woman move. Move them outa de house.
(Why do they use running water?)
Ah don't know. Ah always heah people talkin' an' ah have used it mahself. [Answer to my question; run you away like running water.]
Entry 7245
Dem peppah seeds?
(No, tell me the whole story right from the beginning, now.)
Yo' kin take dis yeah [here] common spice an' season wit it: black peppah, salt an' devil peppah seeds. (Devil pepper seeds?) Yes, devil peppah seeds. Dat's dem large peppahs about lak dat [demonstrates]. (I see.) An' make a powdah out of it an' den dey sprinkle dat in yuh sock an' [or] yuh shoes, an' it will natchurally put chew in bad shape.
(And what did you do then?)
An' me - ah had a brothah, an' dat's whut a lady [fortuneteller or doctor] tole him dat a frien' did fo' him.
(I see. This is what happened in Louisiana?)
We lived over in Freeport, Louisiana.
(I see.)
Entry 553
Take an' go, not exactly [to] a crossroads, yo' know; roads run lak a T - one jes' run dis way, up, an' dis one come up to it lak dat, yo' know, a T road lak. An' yo' go in that road, lemme see - if dis man wus shot, dey use his coat. Carry it to dis T road an' take his hand an' reach down underneath de coat right in de middle, back of this man's coat, an' take sand an' sprinkle it all ovah dis coat, an' den walk back an' call dis man's name three times an' de coat will lift up off de ground lak dat. An' he ask 'im, say, "Did a certain person - John or Jack, kill yo'?" An' dey say that coat will move ovah in the sand, and dey say when de coat move ovah on dat side, dey say on yore way back to de house, why yo' meets de man who killed dis person. (You put this coat right out there where these two roads come together - put it on the ground and you take some dirt from under the coat and put the dirt on top of the coat? And then you ask the questions?) Yes.
(And if the coat goes in what direction?)
If the coat come up lak that.
(Goes up in the air?)
Yeah, not far, yo' know; jes' lak if yo' push it up lak that [demonstrates].
(Lifts up?)
Yeah, an' say yo' walk back off from it a lil' piece an' call this man's name dat dey say shot dis person, an' dey say dat de coat will move ovah tuh de side - like slidin' like de wind wus blowin' it, an' dey say yo'll meet de person on de way back. (The man who puts the coat out there....he calls different names, and when you get to the right name, this coat will raise up a little and move to the side. And when it does that, why he will meet this fellow on his way home?) On his way back. Maybe he'll be left out of town, but he will come back. He can't stay away.
Entry 754
There was a man that had a farm and people would go backward and forth through this place. There was a public road and they wouldn't go around. He Wanted them not to go through here. So all he could do to them they continued. Well, he goes to work and an old colored man [a cunjure] came along and he said, "What seems to be the trouble that you are always worrying about these people?" And he says, "I can't stop them from going through here." And the old man said, "Well, give me ten dollars and I'll stop them." He said, "I'm going to give you ten dollars in the morning, you come here." He said the next morning he came there and he says, "Come on back and see what I am telling you to do. Now give me the ten dollars." He takes some flour, he takes some salt, and he goes to the path where they get over the gap and draws a mark, an O [the letter O - that is, a circle], and he steps off a little Ways and draws an X [the letter X - that is, a cross]. He sprinkles this salt, he sprinkles this flour on both of them - the X and the O. He goes back to him and says, "They won't cross over there any more." When the old lady came there to the fence, she crawled over, and when she crawled over she seen this salt and this flour. She crawled right back over the fence. She goes back to her husband and says, "Husband, don't go over there. They done trick us across there. "'
Entry 1918
You go back to the graveyard, walk to the third grave and you get some of that graveyard dust. Now, you got'a use it when the moon is full. When the moon is weak, you can't do nuthin' with it. And just get round that job there. He goin' to hold it awhile, maybe not long. Might be in the time of the moon failing when you get it when you going for the job. And you sprinkle that dust down there where the boss goin' to walk. He got'a walk out there to see you where you is. Well, you sprinkle it just where he walks and you goin' to get that job. [See margin-title Three Graves, later.]
Entry 1952
Tuh make 'em move. Well, yo' could take some dem seeds, dey call 'em de guinea peppah seeds. Take guinea peppah seed an' yo' sprinkle it if yo' visit dere, or else git someone tuh come dere to dey house yo' understan'. Yo' take de guinea peppah seed an' yo' throws it an' curse it, if it one or two of 'em. It a little bitta seed lak flaxseed. Chew evah saw flaxseed? Well, yo' take dat an' yo' throw in dere, or else go an' put it undah dey rug where dey pass, an' when dey pass, well, dey always gittin' ideas tuh move, yo' see, an' finally dey'll say, "Oh well, ah'll git outa dis house." Well, dat's really evil doin' - de guinea peppah seed.
[Make 'em move rite is followed by bring back rite.]
All yo' do, go on dere an' git de seed an' yo' passes zactly where dey livin' at, where yo' seen 'em, where dey home at, an' yo' drop de seed at mostly each step, yo' know, where yo' comin'. When yo' leavin', come an' make a block, an' yo' drop one those seeds right in front dey do' an' den when yo' comin' 'long agin. [Machine turned off too quickly but my following comment explains.] (You keep dropping these seeds from their house back to your house. That's the come back seed. That's to bring them back.) Bring 'em right back.
Entry 2141
You go to the drug store an' you git the powder called movin' powder. An' when you git the brown powder [moving powder], an' then you git the movin' lickrish [moving liquid] - it's green. You mix that lickrish an' that powder together into a bottle an' shake it well; an' ev'ry time you shake it, well, you pass 'em a curse over it. An' then you go to work an' sprinkle that at their do' an' they're bound to leave home.
Entry 2220
An' yo' wanta keep dem away, yo' kin git chew some quicksilver an' when dey leave yore house, why yo' kin sprinkle some in front of yore do'step when dey walk 'way. Call dat person by dere name an' yo' be's sprinklin' dis stuff along. Call 'em by dey name an' say fo' 'em not tuh come back dere no mo'. An' dey won't come back no' mo'.
Entry 2572
The best thing you can do to keep the law away from your place - you sees what they call nutmeg. You use dry nutmeg after you scrub your place good: scrub it thoroughly, clean - and walk. Take you two whole balls of nutmeg and grind them and when you walk out of your place, sprinkle that stuff yourself; sprinkle one on the right side of the door and one on the left side of your door - out with nutmeg, out the door. After that is stayed down there all day, that night scrub; scrub out your building outside, scrub it outward. Don't scrub it in, scrub it out, and you'll have no trouble with no law. But if, if ever an officer come to your place - he ever come to your place that they - when they going to make that visit, take that nutmeg that you ground and sprinkle that behind him after he go out. Sprinkle it behind him and let that just be down there 'till morning. And scrub your building, but scrub it out - don't ever sweep it in.
Entry 6899
If yo' got some peoples in yore house is evil an' bad luck tuh yo', all yo' gotta do is sprinkle plenty a red peppah roun' de house. Git de pod peppah whut grows lak yo' fingah [finger peppers] an' crumble it up. It's got seeds in it, little seeds fine an' white. Jis' sprinkle dat round de do' an' dey says none yore enemies will come 'bout. Ah often do dat times mahself, jis' keep up wit dis ole [turn machine off too soon].
Entry 7796
"At's [= Dat's = that is] whut ah hear'd 'bout de graveyard dirt, one way. Ah heah 'em say yo' kin take it an' sprinkle roun' de house, yo' know jes' lak de man an' 'is wife in de home an' yo' wanta break 'em up. Dey sprinkle it all rom' dere yo' know, undah house, roun' dere, an' dey go tuh fightin' an' raisin' Sam [Sam = the devil]. Jes' graveyard dirt.
Entry 7797
Jis' lak yo' gittin' along good here now an' yo' look lak yo' success- ful an' doin' good. Co'se.ah might grudge [begrudge] yo'. [Or] me an' yo' can't git along, sompin lak dat. Well, ah wants tuh put chew out of business, see. Well, jis' lak ah foretole yo', now ah would go tuh de graveyard an' git me some graveyard dust an' ah'll - when ah git about 50 feet from yuh house - ah'll sprinkle it, lak when yo' about 50 feet down de street or road, sompin lak dat. An' why? Yo' jis' couldn't stay dere, see. [This is from Peter Brown, a root doctor, mentioned by Doctor William [Marcus] Brown who belittles him despite my marking him good - see last 14 lines on p.3188.]
Entry 9047
Yo' take graveyard dirt - jes' lak if yo' had a son or sompin in jail an' he's tuh be tried. Well, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' git chew some graveyard dirt. Well, all right, say, "Now mah son's trial comin' off tuhmahrah." Well, all right, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' reach down in a person's grave dat yo' well know, an' call 'is name three times, an' git graveyard dirt. Carry it home. When yo' go in de co'thouse, yo walks right in an' as yo' walk have it somewhere in yore pocket, where it kin jes' kinda sprinkle down on de flo' as yo' walk. As yo' sprinkle it all around on de flo', take yore hand an' rub ovah yore face three time.
(Take your hand and rub over your face three times.)
Three times. Rub ovah three times. Well, now, when dey call dis case up, de jedge can't convict 'im whatevah. He have tuh eithah dismiss de case [or] nol pros de case, fo' dere's no conviction be brought.
Entry 11319
(What do you do with that?)
Well, you can take that and let it get hard, get it hard. And roll it, make it fine. Mash it with something and sprinkle that around, make people move, dog dirt. (Why does it make them move, I wonder?) "Cause you done did 'em a dirty trick and they wants to get out.
Entry 11841
Take gunpowder an' sprinkle it, if yo' kin manage tuh git some, an' sprinkle it around de house, an' if anybody's done anything tuh yo', yo'll find it out. Yo'll be able tuh find it out.
(That is sort of a protection?)
Yes.
Entry 12707
Take quicksilver an' sprinkle round de fiahplace from one corner to de othah an' yo' can't nevah sit to it no mo'. [The bottom of the fireplace is a rectangle. To sprinkle from corner to corner is to sprinkle along the two diagonal lines, creating an "x", crossing up the fireplace. This sprinkling could be along the four outer lines and probably be as effective, but I doubt it here.]
(Why?)
Well, 'cause yo' won' be satisfied, yo'll be restless.
Entry 9542
Well, they say that they could get a - can you hear what ah say?
(I heard you.)
Well, they tell me they can take a red pepper [cayenne pepper] and salt and sprinkle that in front of your door. That's to make confusion and you can't get along there and that [sort of thing]. Why, you'll move.
Entry 9645
Take some salt and black pepper and you mix it up and put in a salt shaker, and [as] they go out your door, you walk behind them and you sprinkle this salt and black pep- per behind them, and I guarantee you they won't come back again.
Entry 11817
"Take graveyard dirt and sprinkle it in front of your door...if you walk in it, dat's poison; it'll kill you."
This printed quoted excerpt contains an ellipsis and makes the alleged harm conditional on walking in the dirt.
Entry 11828
"This graveyard dust, they sprinkle it all around the house or some- thing like that and cause trouble in the house." [Elizabeth City 558:6.]
Entry 12134
[Years ago this healer visited a home to cure a patient after the smallpox sign was up! This information did not come from the healer, the reason for lack of details. [Wilmington 142:1+85.] [Another note of mine refers to a case in Norfolk, Va., in which a healer visits a home to sprinkle a little dust or do something to keep a smallpox sign from being put up! These two notes made years ago are attached to the manuscript.]
Entry 12793
"Have you some salt an' sprinkle it all on him. Get back aroun dere, jis' keep it fallin' off. Dat hecklin' him an' he cain't win nuttin gami bling." [Little Rock 1469:7.]
Entry 12794
"Jis' like I was settin' somewheres playin' a game, somebody sprinkle salt on me, thats bad luck." [Richmond 318:12.]
Entry 12832
"Sprinkle salt and pepper around there at twelve o'clock at night, and they claim when they walks through this, they gets their feet hurtin'. They eventually leave there [their home] completely." [Richmond 459:1.]
Entry 13174
Dirty left sock and dirty left stocking, sprinkle red pepper over, put names of each in, roll tight, bury together: "makes 'em get that much closer to you." [Mobile 876:5.]
Entry 62
I wus livin' with a woman once on Mulberry Street an' this woman claimed that she could - we had a little fuss - she claimed that she could have me kilt. So she goes down on the Eastern Shore [that part of Maryland east of Chesapeake Bay] to see Mr. Bayhan' - he wus a man dey call Mr. Bayhan' [white man] - gon'a have me shot wit' a ball. He's gon'a shoot me through de ball an' I wus to be dead inside of twenty-four hours. She paid him $35. An' then he give her some stuff to come home to sprinkle all through the house. She start at de back doah an' sprinkle to the dining room doah an' starts from the dining room doah an' sprinkle upstairs - sprinkle de whole house ovah. An' he give her somepin to put under de runner where I walked when I come in de front doah - where dat I would walk over this, this would trick me. So, I worked [nights] to the steel plant, an' I came home [very early] one mornin'. She's asleep. Jis' as I opened the front doah, I start to steppin', somepin says, "Raise de runner up - jis' that way, jis' the same as if somebody wus speakin' to me. An' I thought it wus her. I says, "Frances! Frances!" No one answered. Well, I come up to a standstill. I stop [at] de doah an' looked. After awhile I started to take another one [step]. It says, "Raise de runner up. Well, then I kin'a got uneasy, you know. Then I called 'er an' called 'er, but I couldn't git no answer. Well, I say, "Well, I don't believe I'll raise it myself. I'll go across over de street," I says, "I'll git this man up" - the man across the street kept a little resturrant. So I went across de street an' got him to come over with me. I says, "Do you wan'a raise that runner for me?" I says, "cuz there's somepin told me twice to raise that runner up," I says, "an' I think my wife, '' I says, "must be asleep - I called 'er an' she didn't answer." So he said, "I'll raise it up. So he raise the runner up. It wus a black stockin', about that long, across underneath de runner. It wus a ten-cent piece in the center, an' two brass tacks in the toes an' two brass tacks in the end [the topl of it. He looked at me an' said, "Oh!" he said, "I ain't gon'a put my hands on it." I say, "Well," I say, "they say the grace of God is sufficient for all things. It can't hurt me." I says, "I'm gon'a pick it up, but I'm not gon'a pick the stockin' up, but I'm gon'a git de ten-cent piece up." So I reached over an' took my penknife [steel = protection] an' picked the ten-cent piece up an' dropped it in my pocket. I goes back in the house, I walks up an' I walks aroun' the runner, an' gits a fahk [fork]. I takes de end of the fahk an' folds it [stocking] up, [beginning at] de toe end, an' keeps rollin' it up. An' when I got it [rolled] up, you see, then I picked it up on de fahk an' carried it through in de kitchen, an' drops it in de stove an' put salt on it, touch a match to it an' starts it to burnin'. So when it starts to burnin', I goes to call her. I says, "Frances!" She says, "LET ME ALoNE!" I says, "Whut's wrong?" She says, "You's done concern with somepin that don't concern you." She says, "Mr. Bayhan' will get even wit you." Well, if ever I'd walk over it - well, she would git [hear] de shot from it, choo know. Well, [then] I got [would get] the dose. See, as soon as I touched it, why I guess it roused her up, you know. You see? (As soon as you walked over that stocking, that was to shoot the gun off down there where he was?) Yes, sure. That would kill me, you see.
(What kind of a gun did he have?)
He had some kin'a glass, suppose to shoot you through the glass with the gun. That wus suppose to kill me in twenty-four hours. But the Lord's grace is suffi- cient for all things. De spirit put me wise to it befo' I got to it. [Baltimore, Md., (157), 148:1.] [The amazing thing about this story, despite the protective fork, is a man risking his life for a ten-cent piece!]
Entry 1878
Use a toadyfrog for lotsa luck an' fo' gamblin' or somethin' lak dat. Yo' kin take a frog an' put him in yore left pocket an' when yo' take an' put him in yore left pocket, yo' take dat cologne an' yo' kin jes' kinda sprinkle it on him in yore pocket. But chew have him tied so dat de people would [not know you had him] - have him tied up. An' jes' whenevah dat yo' go to de gamblin' game or anythin', if dat frog start tuh jumpin' or somepin lak dat, well yo'll be suc- cessful in whut chew doin'; but if he's not, dere won't be anythin' to it.
Entry 1919
Now when yo' go to de graveyard, yo' go dere on de full of de moon or de first quarter. Yo' hear anybody talkin' 'bout gwine tuh de graveyard, gittin' dirt, dere ain't nobody knows whut tuh do wit it, it don't do's em good. Go down at de full of de moon or de first quarter. Go down dere. Yo' ain't comin' in dere dis way, understand - yo' see, yo' don't wanta go tuh de right, de right's always good; yo' wanta go tuh de left all de time. Yo' see, dere's nuthin good in de devil's work - always go tuh de left. Yo' go tuh de left, yo' walk in dere, in de cemetery on de left side as yo' enter lak dat, an' if yo' know anybody, yore friend or nuthin lak dat, dat'a bad fellah or something lak dat, yo' know where he's buried an' dat, yo' walk in tuh de left of yo', an' jes' go right on ovah, don't say a word. Take yo' five cents or ten cents - well, de ten cents is bestes', it's silver. Take yo' ten cents an' sit down an' dig down as fur as yore arm will go down in dat grave up to heah. Go on down as fur as it is, keep plowin' down in dere wit yore arm till yo' git down dat deep - way down. Yo' says dese words, says, "Ah didn't come tuh steal, ah didn't come tuh walk [I am not out here for exercise], but ah come honest an' wit faith an' truth, tellin' yo' de truth" - talkin' to de dead man - "tellin' yo' de truth, dog-gone it, an' ah wan'a git some of yore earth dat's yo's buried undah. Ah'm not stealin' it, ah wan'a borrow it, an' ah m leavin' ten cents heah. Ah'm not gittin' but a han'ful, an' ah don' disturb yo' an' ah know yo ain't goin 'sturb me." Take a han'ful. Dat's all. An' yo put de ten cents down dere. Take it an' kiver it up an' pack it back. Turns right around an' don't say anothah word an' walk off - don't look back, go home. Well, if ah want one of mah neighbahs where ah'm livia'.ah don't want 'em livin' dere togethah, ah goes - when ah go out de path, walk a ways with it, an' take some of that dust dere, an' when ah come in dis house, ah come in on which- ever de left side is. Lak ah stands dere on de left side an' ah go ahead up to de do'step - any night dey sleep, not in de daytime. Ah ease down an' ah takes some in mah han' an' ah sprinkles it undah dat do'step, right along, right along out ah go till ah hit de road, jes' sprinklin' dis sand. Ah wouldn't leave off till ah hit de road, till ah git off dat path leadin' outa de house, right 'long dere. Now, dey got'a walk ovah dat. Dey goin' walk ovah dat. All right, in a week or so, dat man an' his wife, all of 'em will git dissatisfied, fights be goin' on an' dey won't stay dere no mo' - jes' move.
Entry 1940
You kin git chew a little dis talcum powder, git chew a little grave- yard dirt. Go as near de center of de graveyard as you can. It don't make any diff'rence where [whether] you git it off de grave or not, but you git from sandy dirt like. Take dis talcum powder and mix dat and de graveyard dirt together. Prob'bly you have to put it in de stove somewhere and let it dry out so's it'll be dust. You go and git chew a little of de best cologne dat you kin find and sprinkle into dere. Well now, if you kin git right on to dis boss or kin roun next to 'im, you may drop some of it roun' his feet like dat or run your hands - keep some in your pocket all de time. Run your hand in your pocket and sprinkle a little roun' dere. Well, you take dis same Adam and Eve root. It don't hurt cha if you put it in yo' mouth. You take and place one in each jaw, walk roun' de boss and talk to 'im. Spit ever' once in a while roun' in dere. If dere's anything on his desk or anywhere [like] dat, you kin prob'bly spit in your hand and go and lean on it - jes' like I'd come in chere and ask you for a job, I'd lean up here [against my work table] and talk to you. Now I got dat spittal in my hand you see and put it on his desk. He can't tell nuthin.
Entry 2097
[You use] High John the Conker roots, you use Little John the Conker and use Master of the [Something].
(What is the other one?)
Master of the Woods. And you use Solomon Root. And you put it together in some hot water and you put it in a jar and put a little Hearts Perfume and little whiskey in it - rye whiskey. And you sprinkle it on the outside of your house and that will keep 'em [police] away, but chew gotta say what chew want done.
[See margin-title King Solomon Root.]
Entry 2346
Mop in turpentine, bluestone an' dragon blood an' dat'll keep de law away; an' sprinkle lye aroun' yore house, aroun' de steps, all de way round de house.
Entry 2461
I would get me some cinnamon and I would get me some lump sugar and get me a spice. I would go and mix it all up together - see, grind the spice up. Take that and make a tea out of it, understand. Then I would take that tea and I would sprinkle my house, and then I would take me some water, see and I would take nine buckets of water and I would scrub my house. But I would take the Water and not throw it out the door but in the door toward my house. Then I would scrub that and I would take after I scrub my house, I would take and Sprinkle me some sugar, see, brown sugar made out of pure syrup, and sprinkle it at the bed. Well that for luck. That will bring you somebody - a tenant to rent your house.
Entry 2465
Well, yo' take cloves, de spice, an' salt an' burn it altogether up into a powder, understand, an' sprinkle it in de corner of de store where dey go, to de fo' corners of de store, fo' nine mornings. (Well, you said that you took a shoe, didn't you?) No, de shoe yo' know goes wit dat powder whut chew burn, yo' see about runnin' de people 'way from yo'.
(This last thing is to bring in customers.)
Entry 2467
Take codfish - you know codfish, and boil it and strain the water off, see. And you can put sugar and van-van and oil of geranium and fast luck - put those three in there and some sugar and you can use oil of cinnamon. And put that in a bottle and shake it up and just sprinkle it after you get it scrubbed out good with ammonia water. Just sprinkle it from the front to the back. That'll draw a crowd to spend money - and all with you.
(If you are a bootlegger.)
Entry 2508
You wan'a bring in trade. Well, fo' whut ah've experienced about bringing in trade - ah used tuh be a bootlegger mahself, and ah kin say that ah done that mahself and got benefit out of it. Now hit's a oil - well hit's a water whut chew git and whut chew put in yo' scrub water, hit's whut chew call van-van oil. [See margin- title Van-van later.] An' put five drops in de water, even if yo' don't do nuthin wit it but jes' put it in de water, shake it up and jes' sprinkle it roun' in yo' business place. An' yo' take you some of dat same oil and some brown sugah - about a tablespoonful of brown sugah and about five or seven drops [uneven number] of dat oil, an' put it in a bottle and a tablespoonful of honey, an' take it an' put it in a bottle and fill de bottle most fulla water. An' den put two teaspoonful of holy water in it an' shake it good and set it somewhere close aroun' where yo' kin easily git chure han' on it. An' every time yo' see de law even down dere, if yo' think de law comin' in - but yo' sprinkle yo' place of business good wit dat water every morning. Every morning when yo' come in open up yo' business - when yo' open up yo' do's and do roun' lak dat - jes' sprinkle some roun' yo' do's an' up aside yo' do' facin' and all. But be shore tuh shake well befo' usin'. An' that'll jes' make business come in real breese [brisk] - yo' jes' be tuh de place - yo' jes' be overhanded wit business.
(And that will keep the law away?)
Yassuh. Ah experienced dat.
Entry 2522
If you are bootleggin', to keep de officers away from your house, you get nine pieces of hoof of a horse - go to de blacksmith shop git nine pieces of de hoof of a horse, see, and git nine nails. (What kind of nails?) Horseshoe nails out of de shop - see, nine pieces of de hoof and nine horseshoe nails. An' git chew two piece of ginger and ten pieces of black pepper, see, an' grind it up together and boil dose horsehoofs and nails all to- gether. Den sprinkle dat from yore gate to yore house, see, and when de officers come dey can't - dey turn down de other street and can't come by your house.
Entry 2578
Well now, the way yuh have to do. You git de cap'un [captain of the police] of the presint [precinct] name, then you'll burn his name in this same stuff - honey an' cinamint [cinnamon]. Then you'll take honey, cinamint, an you'll scrub wit dat. An' when you git through, you'll take jis' plain cinamint- water wit dat, an' you sprinkle roun' your front doah wit it. You take you some brick - red brick - beat up fine. You done put verbena-water wit dat brick - red brick - an' sprinkle it aroun' your doah wit sugar, brown sugar. The law won't come.
Entry 2669
Yo' could take dis same perfume stuff - de Three Jacks an' Three Kings [see p.728] an' Three S's [three different perfumes]. Yo' kin take it jis' alone - ah say alone in a way, but chew could git othah things tuh go with it. Take sugah an' yo' git dat brown sugah, or any kind, but de brown sugah is much bettah an' yo' urinate in it an' yo' scrub yore place, if yo' wants tuh git yore business line up. Scrub yore place out thor'ly [thoroughly]. Dat's de right way [with brown sugar and urine]. Yo' take an' clean it out with othah watah, yo' know, jis' clear watah good - scrub it out good. Den yo' take this othah stuff an' sprinkle it lak wit a mop or somethin', an' yo' put it in de fo' corners of yore house. Sprinkle it in de fo' corners of yore house, de same watah, an' scrub with it. All dat'll keep, keep confusin' down - whatevah business yo' got an' keep de law from yore house. Everybody will come to yore house beside de law.
(What do you sprinkle down? Just the sugar and this urine?)
No, wit de Three Jacks an' diff'rent othah perfumes. Yo' know whut ah mean - yeah, de Three Jacks, de Three Kings an' de Three S's. [ssS is a brand name.] (After you cleaned my house, then you put all that other stuff [perfume] to- gether and then sprinkle around the house?) Yessuh, but yo' have tuh git the first dirt out [dirt out first].
Entry 2696
Yo' kin take a person's chamber lye an' put sugah in it an' lye an' oil of anise, an' sprinkle dat an' make yore wish. Sweep yore po'ch back to yore house an' that brings good luck to yo'. Do dat fo' hustlin' people - bring money in yore house.
Entry 4220
chamber lye is fo' success. Dey put it in de watah dat chew mop yuh flo's wit. Put chamber lye an' put sugah in de watah an' oil of cinnamon, an scrub yuh flo's. Start at chure front do' an' scrub on back in de house. Scrub yuh do' facin's an' all, wash 'em down. If yuh got varnish do's an' yuh cain't scrub 'em, why yuh jis' sprinkle 'em; but yuh scrub yuh flo's wit it, mop 'em yuh know lak dat.
Entry 4246
If dey take yuh chamber lye an' put it in a bottle an' put saltpetah in it an' Hearts Cologne, an' sprinkle it in de path where a person walk along, an' it'll cuz 'em tuh like yuh, come aroun' yuh an' visit yuh.
Entry 7574
Yuh go tuh de Cath'lic graveyard an' reach down in dere - dig down in dere an' git chew some of dat dirt offa down on de breast. (A woman's?) Don't make no diff'rence but it's got'a be a Cath'lic grave, an' yuh git dat dirt. An' when yuh git dat dirt, yuh git cher some of dese gourd seeds - green seeds. An' yuh git chew dem green gourd seeds, an' den yuh git chew some red peppah an' git chew nine grains out dat red peppah yuh know, dose pods yuh know. Git nine grains an' roll it tuh yuh an' put it in dere. Well, den when yuh do dat yuh go tuh a - yuh know, git a good bit of it, yuh go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' yuh sprinkle a little bit of dat in de fo'k of de road. Go dere fo' de third day, but chew've got'a do it in de night an' call dose party's name. Call dere name an' dey will return.
Entry 8979
(In this court case now.)
Now, if yo' got a case an' yo' know it's a bad case, well yo' go tuh de market an' git chew a beef tongue, an' aftah yo' git dat subpoenee. Den yo' git de iudge name an' yo' git chure witness name whut ag'inst yo'. An' yo' write all dat down on dat same subpoenee whut de judge name on it. Yo' git chew hot peppah tuh ketch 'em an' yo' put dat in yore lamp. Yo' burn dat until yo' go tuh co't., 'Fo' [before] yo' go yo' turn de chairs, mattress, bed, every- thing, upside down. De shoe, dat left-foot shoe, turn it upside down, whut chew ain't been wearin' fo' quite a while - turn dat upside down. An' yo' git chew a pink candle, a St. Raymond candle [St. Raymond's candle more likely to be green - see No.3042-3051, Pp.877-880] dat a pink candle. An' yo' leave somebody at de house an' dey'll burn it tuh keep it from ketchin' de house [afire] or anything. Yo' git dere an' yo' git chew some cinnamon, some ground cinnamon an' de brown sugah; an' yo' only have tuh have dat much in yore han', as yo' goin' up when de judge call yo'. Jis' have it lak dat an' jis' sprinkle it an' go ahead on up, sprinkle it aroun'. Den aftah evahthing is ovah, yo' come back an' yo' git dat tongue.
(After the case is all over?)
Aftah de case is all ovah, yo' come back an' git dat tongue an' yo' put it down in de ground an' yo' leave it stay in de ground three days. An' aftah dem three days, yo'll take it up an' let it stay up, a day an' a night, on top of de ground. Den yo' take it an' carry it tuh de graveyard an' bury it if yo' yanta. If not, yo' kin carry it tuh de rivah. BUT DE CASE IS OUT. IT'LL NEVAH BE CALL UP ANY MO' ON DIS SIDE OF JUDGMENT [DAY].
(Now, how is that pink candle burned while I am down at the court?)
Well, yo' have tuh have somebody dere tuh burn it all day - all day.
(Where is that tongue all this time? Where is that tongue?)
De tongue gonna be at de house in de smoke, in de smoke an' de needles - in de smoke of wood, papah, anything yo' kin keep it a-burnin' wit, until yo' git back.
(You keep it smoking and the candle is on a table burning?)
Well, de candle is jis' as good as de tongue. Let me tell yo' dat right now.
(Wait a minute! Are we using both the candle and the tongue or what?)
Yo' kin use both, both of 'em.
Entry 9262
If yo' got a man an' he runs out, yo' kin take a chicken, hen aig, an' den yo' kin take an' write his name on it good as yo' kin. An' den yo' kin go tuh de graveyard tuh a wicked person's grave, an' dig as fur as yo' kin git chure han' down in dere, an' git some of dat dirt, an' yo' put a dime in dere. An' den yo' come back an' yo sprinkle dat dirt undah de do'steps. See. Den yo' take dat aig an' yo' throw it hard as yo' kin an' break it [against the door of the other woman]. Dat'll break dem up an' yo' won't have no mo' trouble at all. She'll have tuh leave town. (You throw that egg against the door under which you have buried this grave- yard dirt. That's the black hen egg.)
Entry 11216
Dirt dauber's nest, yeah. You take a dirt dauber's nest. You take it after it's dry. You take that and use that as a dust. You take that, you take sulphur - you take sulphur, you take carppis [copperas = green vitriol or ferrous sulfate].
(Carpus?)
[To my ears later the word was copperas.]
Coprus, yes. You mix that together. All right, you sprinkle that before the person's door or put it anywhere where they can step in it, see. And it'll worry them where they can step in it, see. And it'll worry them and it make their feet be tender. It gives them bad feet, so that they can't get around, see.
Entry 11490
Well, tuh make dem quarrel and git apart, if yo' kin git a woman track - de least bit out of her track, eithah one - an' go an' buy dis ground up peppah. Go in de henhouse and git de dried-hard-up [dried up hard] hen turd [dung]. Pound it all up tuhgethah. Git some of yore friends, if yo' can't do it yo'self, tuh go dere an' sprinkle some of dat in dey stove, an' if yo' go dere dey be quarrellin' - send 'em tuh jail tuh settle it. She git so outright mad until she hardly will fix dat dinnah or breakfas'. She's ready tuh leave yo'.
(That is to cause confusion in the home?)
Yes.
Entry 9858
Twelve new tacks represent the Twelve Apostles. And you put three over the front door, three over the - there different ways of crossing over it, but this is a bad way of cross- ing it up. You put three new tacks over the front door, three new tacks over the middle door, and the other six tacks in the back room on the floor so that it looks - that nobody don't observe it. And in leaving that house, you take cayenne pepper and guinea-hen root... (And what?) Guinea-hen root. (Guinea-hen root?) Yes. And you take these Chings and sprinkle it all around that house. Nobody ain't going to rent that boose. Now, we'll see. Let's see what we get out of that, now. Cayenne pepper is something hot, that no entry of this immaterial spirit going to dvell. [This could mean that any immaterial spirit - in other words a spirit - sent by another hoodoo doctor attempting to uncross the house, could not cross over the red pepper to do the uncrossing.] Guinea root [this time not guinea- ben root] have 'straction odor that burn their nose.
(Extracting odor?)
[Distracting would be better; keeping person from house.]
Yeah. They drive away anything around that would be - it put you in a most Lcksidasic [lackadaisical] condition - you see, of these things. The tacks you drive in the wall is pinning [tacking] down his power, but you must - there some- Ching more in that. You would [must] understand how to use something else there. Gth a brand-new indelible pencil that's never been used before, with a piece of [] parchment paper, and that landlord name must be on that parchment paper. d take that parchment paper and put it into a coconut and bury his power down i che ground. [Here landlord's power is his name.]
(Where?)
Anywhere! Anywhere!
(All right.)
And if you throw it in the Mississippi River, you make him get in trouble. But bury it in the ground anywhere you please and that house won't be rented until the wood in it almost be rotten down. I have done that [this rite] myself. (Now, I didn't quite understand about those six tacks in the room - in that back room. How do you put those six tacks in the back room?) Put one in one corner [he points], one in that corner, one in that corner, one in that corner, one in the middle of the floor [here is a balanced quincunx], and BACK one just three feet - make 1, 2, 3, three steps from the [back] door and put that one there - that six [sixth] tack you put there. And three you put over the one [front] door and three you put over another [middle] door. That's your twelve tacks that you got. You pinning down that man not to rise in successive prosperity [one prosperity after another]. FRONT That is called hoodoo. [This two-room-house diagram is a study in triangulation. To begin we have a second quincunx. superimposed upon a normal quincunx.. which gives us 8 triangles, actually many more which are useless for our present purpose. Notice that the 3 doors are guarded: the front and middle ones by 3 tacks each, the back by 1 tack, totaling 7 tacks. These latter will keep out any spirit sent by landlord's hoodoo doctor to umcross the house. The cross on the house is the original quincunx. The off-center or second quincunx was not intended or forseen by our hoodoo doctor. This seventh tack should have been in the center and under the back door. However, the 3 steps from the back door were sufficient since this involved the Three Holy Names.]
(You pin him down not to rise?)
Not to rise.
(I see, I understand.) [New Orleans, La., (863), 1383:2.]
[Scattered throughout the text of the preceding four volumes are a good many frog and toad rites. Here in this section we shall learn more about the manipu- lation of these small animals, how brutal and demoralizing magic and superstition can be - a strange world indeed, as I said on page 1 of HOODOO.]
Entry 27
Take your handwritin' - see, de handwritin' where it was writ wit ink or lead. Dey take it and soak it in water and get dat ink, get dat ink off it from your handwritin'. Den dey will take dat water and boil it. See. Den take dat water and pour it out gradually - don't pour dat all at one time, fes' kinda sprinkle it along. When dat water pour out chew begin tuh feel bad - yo' hand begin to feel nervous up thru yo' arms and finally, if you don't know what to do, yo' become paralyzed in your right hand.
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 54
I know that when my grandmother died they say that she came back. The reason for her coming back was that she wanted to see her youngest son. At the time of her death he was in France [World War I]. Of course he wasn't able to get home before she died. I had an aunt, Elizabeth, she was born with a veil over her eyes. It happened that she was the only one who could see my grand- mother. When she would go in a certain room she would see her mother standing up there as if she Was looking for someone. So my mother got some holy water from the church - we are Roman Catholics. She sprinkled this water around, especially in the room where my aunt had seen my grandmother. And they say they didn't see her any more.
Entry 168
Dey say dat is de devil in his chariot an' if yo' wanta jes', yo' know, do wicked things, why yo' could git dat dust an' sprinkle roun' a person's premises. It will always keep a man an' his wife at arms at each othah. It will keep a household in confusion if yo' jes' take dat dust, yo' know, an' sprinkle it roun' dere premises; an' it will always be ways where they would be at arms at each othah, an' break up de peace of a home wit dat same dust.
Entry 185
"It's bad luck fo' a whirlwind to come anywheres nearby yore place of business - yo' know, make those rings lak that yo' know, fo' kinda lak a circus. Say it's bad luck.
(What do they say that whirlwind is?)
Ah heared - ah tell yo' de truth about it. Ah re'lly hear some people say - de knowledge of mah experience of dat. Ah heared people say dat if yo' take de vinegar an' throw it roun' yore place of business - sometime people kin do things lak dat; they come up an' be's, do's de devil work. Throwin' vinegar round yore place of business, dey say that [devil work] would nevah happen.
(What wouldn't happen?)
Dose whirlwinds comin' in a circus, yo' know, roun' a person place of business where dey - round in de yard where men about close roun' in de field. Jes' sprinkle vinegar roun' about two acres of yore place of business; after that it would nevah happen. Ah heard a lady tole me dat, but not as ah really think.
(They say if it came here, it would bring bad luck to what you are doing?)
Yessuh, because she said dat it was a man caused dat tuh come roun' her house one time. She said it come in - jes' lak a whirlwind; she couldn't see nuthin' but jes' a round wheel of dust. It would come, she say, sometime on three corners of de house, an' she say every time that would happen, her child would be sick, until she went to a man an' he said dat man had her place dressed, and told her that she must put vinegar aroun' about two acres of her place of business, an' carry some along with her. An' she say from that day until dis, she tole me - she say it happen about two yeahs befo' dis, den it nevah happen any mo'.
Entry 242
If people keep coming there and you don't want 'em there, well, you kin go to a hoodoo. Miss Young, this lady I know.
(You go to Miss Young, you say?)
Yes.
(What does she do, you say?) [I am asking him to repeat.]
Say, she sit you down and have a long snake. Well, dis isn't much about it what I know about it. See, that snake have - talk like a human, and she say [to the snake], "What he ask you, you tell it to him." And so then she give you a little bag. And she say, "You go there and whilst they setting down, ' say, "you just take this little powder out of this and just sprinkle on their back behind." And she say, "They'll stay away from your house." (You said, when you go to see this Miss Young, you see a snake - you say a large snake?) Yes, a large snake.
(Well now, a large or a live one?)
A large and a live one - he's large and he's alive.
(And you say that snake talks?)
Yes sir.
(What did he talk about?)
Well, they never told me that.
(You said, it told you [not my informant] what to do.)
Whatever you tell - whatever that snake tell you, you tell dem.
(Tell whom?)
Tell de people you wanta stay away from your house.
(I see.)
[The client asks Miss Young's snake a question. The snake answers. Ventril- oquism? I doubt it. The snake talks into Miss Young's ear and she repeats what the snake says to her. A good example of the routine will be found under the margin-title Earphone in subsection Diagnosis.]
Entry 326
Now dere's a whole lot 'bout dis dat a person kin do, 'cause ah sold liquor once an' mah house nevah was searched two years in dis town. But chew git - ah got holt of a kind of a powder dey calls de black cat powder, understand. Den dey take dat powder ev'ry mornin' fo' seven mornin's, go to de window where yo' got de sunrise an' say de Lord's Prayer, an' sprinkle dat dust - dat powder round yore house. Yore enemy can't nevah come over it. Ah sold it two years heah an' mah house nevah was searched. See, usin' dat powder, yo' understand. [This could be the Black Cat brand of talcum powder, thought by informant to come from a black cat - see Doctor Frank Hall's origin of dragon's blood.]
Entry 508
A broom what you sweep with, you leave that to yore feet an' a Bible at chure head and dey won't worry you. But, if you wanta ketch 'em, you sprinkle - you go to de drug store and you buy a nickel's worth of flaxseed and you sprinkle that around in de room, and if de come in dere, you'll wake 'fore he done pick up every one, 'cause dey got'a pick up every one of 'em an' 'fore he done pick 'em up you kin ketch him.
Entry 509
They tell me that you can take a broom or flaxseed. I think flaxseed is more better than a broom. You get about a half a pound of flaxseed or else mustard seed, they are small. If this hag comes in and you can manage to wake up before she goes out, you take these seeds, all loose, and you sprinkle them between her and the door, and she will have to pick up all these seeds before she can get away. While she is picking up these seeds you will be successful in capturing her.
Entry 545
Now in case a man's child - somebody has caused a man's child to wander about from the house, won't stay home, yo'll see the 'fect of it aroun' de fire- place. Dere'll come a drove of ants, black antses, all on de mantelpiece comin' in droves, some goin' an' some comin', an' will cross each othah this way, cross each othah goin' to an' fro. Well, people have oftentime wondered whut does that mean. Yore child will wander aroun' an' can't stay home. Well, now there's remedy fo' that. The remedy is, if yo' would like to heah it, take some salt - Epsom salts, some quinine an' black peppah an' mix it together three days continuous, an' sprinkle it all on de edge of de mantelpiece all aroun' it an' those antses will leave. Any child mind will become settled.
(Well, why are those ants there? Have you any idea?)
Well, it's a sign your child's mind is not right - it is unsettled. Where dey come from ah don't know, but dey will cease to come.
(Well, what causes that? Somebody has done something to the child?)
Somebody have done something to de child to cause de child not to stay home an' aggravate de parents, keep de parents confused an' dey don't know whut's de matter with de child. He will come home an' his mind become settled fo' a while. Event'lv de chile go clean off an' won't stay at home none at all - dat's a sign of dat.
Entry 732
De devil's-shoestring[s] an' den it's anothah certin sort of a root dey call Jerusalem root an' anothah one dey call de Adam an' Eve. Dey very peculiar roots chew know - not ever'body would know 'em 'cause dey very peculiar. Well, yo' take all those roots an' put 'em together an' yo' go to de Ten Cent Sto' an' buy some sort of ten-cent perfume, an' put 'em in dere an' let 'em stay fo' so many hours - jes' lak ovahnight. An' aftah dey dissolves yo' shakes 'em lak dat, an' naturally yore luck will gradually come back. Now, ah have know it tuh be a fact, because ah have done it mahself.
(That is for luck in gambling?)
That's fo' luck in gambling.
(What do you do with that stuff in this bottle? Do you carry it or what?)
Oh yeah, yo' carry it in yore pocket. An' co'se den, everybody don' use it alike. Some of 'em jes' takes it, slyly yo' know, an' sprinkle it around in de room lak dat in dere han'. An' some of 'em takes it an' holds it in dey hand an go by yo' an' put it on yo' or somepin lak dat, chew know. Dat put chew in bad luck an' put him in good luck. Jes' lak dat.
(What is peculiar about the Adam and Eve root?)
Well, it has a very strange particular odor which it carry-, In fact, those. three diff'rent roots dey grows diff'rent from any othah root dat's grown.
(What did you say about those three roots that people say?)
Dey [people] means, dey talk to each othah lak dat: Yo' know, Adan an' Eve, devil's-shoestring, an' de ruler of de earth [Jerusalem root?] dey talks to each other. Yo' put 'em in dat perfume an' puts 'em all togethah. In fact dey grows in diff'rent parts of de woods no doubt, but aftah dey all be brought togethah, ah 'magine dey have [are sort] of glad to see each othah, somepin lak dat. Dey all git togethah an' jis' talk lak dat, chew know. [These three roots in a ten- cent bottle of perfume are glad to see each othah and talks to each othah!]
Entry 760
I've heerd mah mothah say dat you'd take some salt an' pepper sometime, then you could take an' mix it up with some sand, sprinkle it acrost de road, you know, an' cross it up [make a cross with it]. She say if'en you step acrost it, why it would cripple yeh.
Entry 824
They say they get dirt from a sinnerman's grave, and they say they kin take dat and they kin put you out de world with dat. They say dey'll take that and make a heavy wish on it - and some people they say, mix sulphur with it - dey take and sprinkle it around, sprinkle around, you know, in de air, and you inhales it. And they say, then you'll go down on de bed, you'll stretch out on de bed and be in, you know, what you call a lingering spell, until after a while you commence to - what dey call withering away. [For sinnerman's qrave, see No. 656, p.221; for inhales it, No.655.]
Entry 857
Ah know a fellah, he was going with the same girl another fellah was goin' with and they was good pals. Well, dis girl she likeded dis fellah cause he had curly hair. See, de other fellah, she liked him a little bit but his hair wasn't as good as the other fellah's; and she re'lly said that if his hair was as good as the other fellah's, she'd like him. So dis fellah he went to a ole Indian woman [colored woman wearing a turban?] heah at Palm Beach and she told him that if he would take salt, sprinkle it all over that man head while he asleep or somepin at night fer at least a week - said dat dat man hair would grad'lly fall out. And he tried it and de fellah's hair re'lly fell out. [For person wearing turban, see Doctor English.]
Entry 973
There was a man once he got into some trouble and he went to Elizabeth- town [North Carolina], and it Was way out on the hill some place, about ten miles out [from the town] on de place, and he came to this lady's home. And whenever she alive [while she lived] she [her voice] sounded like a turkey. [A voice sounding like a turkey must not be too rare - see a doctor called Turkey Gobbler, No. 848, p.294.] She carried him on in a little place and they had a pump - and a little place it shape like a bathtub, but it's made out of cement [a drinking trough for animals?]. And she carried him in there and pump water out of de pump and sprinkled him with it, and got some kin'a salve and some brown-lookin' dust and put on him, and gave it to him and rubbed it in his hair and hands, and tole 'im to go on back home. And he never got caught [by the police].
Entry 1108
You can get some assafitidee and gunpowder and wear it around your waist, and sprinkle a little in your shoes; that'll keep the spell off of you.
Entry 1129
Well, you've gotta go to work then to get you some - you kin dress your home, you have to dress your home with bluestone water to keep down all danger, you see. You sprinkles with that every morning - you sprinkle your home with bluestone water. You have a sprinkler, you know, and you go round and you sprinkle all around your steps and everything like that. That kills out the power of everything. Bluestone is the strongest thing in the world that you could use.
Entry 1199
If a person comes back, they get some new lumber, put an addition to the house with the new lumber. And if that don't stop them [ghost], you get sweet milk and dress all the rooms with the sweet milk. You take the sweet milk and put it on and boil. Then you take something like a little broom, something that will sprinkle, and sprinkle all the rooms good with milk. That's supposed to stop 'em.
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 1312
Yo' kin take maybe half a pint of likker or half a dozen aigs an' go to de graveyard, an' right down somewheres on de breast of someone dat yo' knows is buried dere, an' git up some dirt. Put dis down in dere, de aigs or de whiskey.
(How many eggs do you put in?)
Half a dozen.
(Half a dozen and a pint of whiskey do you say?)
Yessuh, tuh pay him tuh take care - tell 'em, "Ah'm payin' yo' tuh take care of de situation." Carry it on back with yo', dis dirt - carry it at chure home. Starts to de right corner of de house an' sow it clean back on round and yo's jes' taken pretty well care of - de house is taken care of.
(What will that do to the house?)
Den yore enemies won't bother yo'.
(You do this to your own house?)
Yessuh, to yore house.
The opening offers half a pint of liquor or half a dozen eggs; the interviewer later combines eggs with a pint of whiskey and receives confirmation. These differences remain unresolved. The quoted payment words are prescribed speech, and the protection claim is source-reported.
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 1316
This woman, she's a frequent visitor to the graveyard. This has been going on for the last twenty-five years [before 1936]. [If] she feels somebody Wants to harm her or prejudice her, she takes this dirt and sprinkles it toward this person.
Entry 1319
If a person put anything down fo' yo', well yo' kin take that graveyard dirt an' mix it with some - yo' know whut ah wus tellin' yo', git some saltpeter. Mix it with saltpeter an' sprinkle - jis' sprinkle it in yore house an' that'll do 'way with that.
The informant describes graveyard dirt and saltpeter as a mixture. The conditional removal of something laid down remains a source-reported claim.
Entry 1360
Well, you could go to the drug store. There's some sort of a root there you call John.de Conker root. You see, they got j'ints [joints] in 'em and you get three j'ints in the root, or else you could go to the woods - old people could go in the woods and git them themselves without going to the drug store. Yes, sir. You knows 'em in the woods that they's used. You can't miss 'em. And you can get them roots and boil 'em, and scrub your steps down with 'em with water and ah - for nine mornings, and sprinkle it round on your gallery. Then you could break that up [whatever the devilment was].
Entry 1482
Dey go out dere and sprinkle some stuff down in front of the door and Sprinkle stuff where dey know you have to pass on dat, you see - some kind of powder. If you wants to kick [kill] dat, you get you some bluestone and salt and wear dat in your shoe. That'll stop any person - the stuff dey put down from affectin' you dat's ketching it in yore feet, you see, to keep you from walkin'. And if you ketch it yore feet, dey goin' set you down and you goin' be down in de house helpless and you can't do anything, you see, until - and if you don't know what to do, then you gotta go and get somebody that knows more than you know that get that off of you, you see. And if dey get dat off of you - but they ain't goin' tell you what they done, you see. But you always know dat they got it off of you, you know you wasn't in de fix you always was - they done something but they ain't going tell you. Dey'll give you some stuff to take - they won't tell you what dat is. If you don't know, you see, you just don't know.
Entry 1493
"Somebody tryin' to harm yo' and yo' tryin' to protec' yo'self, de first thing is, dey gits chew some saltpeters and bath yo'self down in saltpeters, and den take yo' some sulphur and salt an' sprinkle round dat do' - round de house in front de do' and dey can't do yo' no harm.
Entry 1577
Jest git chews - like ah said wit dat cologne stuff an' sulphur, an' sprinkle it around yore place. That kills all the bad luck an' de good luck comes in [cf. margin-title Begin Rite By Removing Hard Luck Spirits, p.328].
Entry 1646
[Take] that there snakeroot and John de Conker root and boil it and take de urine after boilin' it and put some of that in it, and Hearts Perfume, and boil it so it git de odor through the house, and sprinkle in de front do' and back, mornin' an' night.
(What would they do that for?)
That would bring luck and stop de man from puttin' yo' out.
(Putting you out of the house.)
Yes, an' ah didn't have de money - didn't give a cent and he didn't put me out. Suah stopped that.
Entry 1745
You can cut that little bow out and put this stuff on that little bow and put it in your pocketbook or a little toby - make a little toby and you keep it in your pocketbook and you'll keep him following you all the time. You'll never get rid of him.
(Well, how do you dress that little bow?)
The little bow? Well, you get the good luck stuff that I just told you about. You sprinkle that on that little bow and you put a little piece of Conker Root on it. You pin that in there, sew that up and put it in your pocketbook. You keep it - somebody just think it a little toby: And you always have good luck.
Entry 1757
In 1931 ah owed a big furniture bill and wasn't working and didn't have anyone to help me. Well, I had a brother, too, was in trouble - supposed to been in trouble. So I went to Jackson [Mississippi] over there to a man, and he told me about how ah could do - that he would fix up something for me and he said the furniture man wouldn't worry me and neither would the rent man. Well, ah was behind in both and ah was afraid. And so I went over with another girl - she was telling me about him. Well, he told me - when I went back home - he. gave a little old piece of bottle with some dust in it - hit was broken off - he said he usually did fix them that way - broke off - empty it in your hand, you know, and sprinkle in your front door. Well, hit was some kind of brown-looking stuff - kinda looked like it had little black spots or something in it, and he told me that I could sprinkle that a little before the rent man and a little before the furniture man got there and [he] say, if they come, they wouldn't ask for money at all. And so I did that. And so that Saturday morning [rent paid by the week] the rent man came down and he passed my door and went to another girl and asked for her rent. He didn't do anything but just speak to me. But I don't know what that stuff was - but I know he gave me that, and I didn't have no trouble until I got a job out here on [?] Avenue.
(You went over to Jackson to get that?)
To Jackson to a man named A. J. Williams.
(Williams - a colored man?)
A colored man.
(What did he charge you for that?)
Charge me for it? We only give him three dollars - was all I had. He said that he charges round ten and twelve dollars but he told me in the next two or three days if I could get a job, then I could send him a dollar along like that. [Brilliantl 'I am trusting you, trust yourself. Stop worrying - this will work" Also good business.] He didn't never charge much. But I never did pay him but five dollars after I worked. [The breaking of bottle could be magic act (No. 1015, p.389) or trademark of handnaker.]
Entry 1892
Fo' gamblin', ah heard 'em say, yo' kin git chew a frog - a toadfrog. Well, a frog is got a numbah undah his neck right undah dere. Take dat frog an' git one wit de even numbah. Don't git no odd numbah lak three or five, but git chew one got a two or fo' an' take him 'live an' put him in yore pocket an' go to de skin gome or any kinda gamblin' game an' yo's lucky in winnin'. An' if yo' think dat dere's somebody else dere dat's got some roots or somepin dat's tryin' tuh win too, yo' jes' take an' git chew some table salt an' put some sulphur in yore shoes, yo' see, 'fore yo' leave home an' go on there. Yo' take dat salt an sprinkle it on their haid an' dey'll lose. Dey roots won't be no good to em.
(That kills that?)
Dat kills dat.
Entry 1913
Getaway powder they calls it. (Get-away powder?) Yes, sir. Ortman sells it down here - they got it down there. (Where?) Ortman's Drug Store.
(Where is that drug store?)
On Montmartre and Davis Avenue.
(How do you use that powder? That get-away powder?)
You sprinkle it around - you know, just like if someobdy come and you don't Want them no more, when they go out, then you throw the powder out behind them or something of the kind.
Entry 1943
Well, there's diff'rent things. They said that they take that grave- yard dirt and mix it with - just like if they working on a job and they wan'a get 'em away [from] there. Well they get the graveyard dirt, but they get it off a sinner's grave. And they take this graveyard dirt and you mix with pepper and salt, and get to where this person that you wan'a get off the job, and sprinkle on 'em and they won't be able to stay on that job.
Entry 1944
Well, ah know that chew kin go to the graveyard, yo' understand, an' after yo' go to de graveyard, yo' find a wicked person - a man or woman, yo' see, an' yo' dig down on de left-han' side into dere heart an' yo' git 'bout dat much of dirt. Yo' see de idea. Den yo' have yo' a little salt 'long wit chew, yo' see. Yo' go tuh work an' yo' take dat salt an' yo' put it in dat hole, yo' see, whut chew dug, an' then yo' go tuh work an' yo' take a penny whut chew call a graveyard penny - some of 'em call it. Then yo' go tuh work an' yo take that penny an yo' put that in there, yo see. Den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' cover that up. Yo' go down an' walk roun' to de left an' take de footboard. Yo' takes de footboard an' yo' carries it to de haid. Yo' pull de headboard an' take that back down to de foot, an' yo' stick it back down there yo' see. Then yo' walk away. Now, yo' kin take dat dirt. Yo' goes to de drug sto' an' yo' buys somepin yo' call brimstone. See. Then yo' goes buy - we haven't got it at home, yo' know yo' go buy it to de hardware an' yo' git this black gunpowder. Then yo' carries it on back home. Yo' set down in a off-room to yo'self. Yo' goes tuh work an git chew a dish an' yo' mixes all that stuff together, yo' see. Then yo' stir it lak dis, yo' see. Yo' gits it thoroughly mixed yo' see. Now, if there's anyone that yo' can't git along with, yo' see, an' yo' want 'em tuh go. Well, yo' see yo' got a powder. Or anyone dat yo' wanta work in dere mind yo' see. Yo' have yore powder, yo' see. Well, yo' walk into dere home an' yo' talkin' all de same time, no one noticin' yo' see whut chew got on yo'. Yo' sprinkle dat right ovah de house, if yo' can git into dey home yo' see. Yo' goes tuh work den if yo' can't git into dey home, yo' sprinkle it right round de do'step, yo' see, an' so fo'th. Den dere gone, if yo' havin' any trouble yo' see.
Entry 1962
I was away in Baltimore [Maryland] one time and so a friend of mine - we wag workin' on a job, de foreman he fired us - and he said to me, 'Let's go down in Spring Street." I said, "What for?" He said, "Let's go down 'ere to a woman." I said, "What a you goin' down 'ere for?" He said, "Man," he said, "we can go down 'ere and git us somepin," he says, "you can git work agin." I said, "Man, no!" 'Yes you kin, too." So I went down 'ere with him on a Friday night. We walked in. She says, "You don't live here," she says, "You come across de Waters [Cheasapeake Bay], didn't chah?" Says, "You got but very little money. She told us what happened the day before, gettin' fired. So she says, "Well, I'll give you somepin now jis' fer a dollar, jis' because you're fired," she say, "and you ain't got no money but very little." And she gave him somepin look like a dust. She told him to sprinkle that in his shoes of mornings before he touched a drop of water. Told him three words to say.
(What were those?)
"Father and Son and Holy Ghost." I believe that's what he was supposed to say when he sprinklin' that. And even so, after he did that [next] mornin', it was re'lly a surprise to me. We both went back, we goes right back de next mornin', and before we got about a hundred yards of de job the man come oudt, commence to wavin' fer us. I said to him, I said, "Johnnie," I says, "he don't want us, because we got fired here yes- terday." And we keep on walkin' up to him and he walked up to us and said, "Does you want to go to work?" We told him, "Yes." So we went to work dere and stayed on de job until de job was complete.
Entry 2018
Git dat graveyard dirt - carry those three pennies down wit it an' go jes' as fur as yo' kin reach down an' bring up some of dat graveyard dirt. Git dat wit some brimstone an' sulphur an' put it together. Den if yo' kin git hold of dat Indian turnip [see later], jes' have some of it pound up an' [you] kin git inside de co'thouse - git in wit de man dat cleans up in dere befo' co't commence or dey's dere tuh take up co't. Go in an' sprinkle dat all around where all de officers stan' roun' in dere. Dey has benches up dere where de judge sit - have tuh sprinkle it all aroun' dere where de rest of de officers - go all roun' in dere. Dey throw it out.
(They throw the case out?)
Yeah. [Indian turnip, called Indian potato by an informant, is the root of jack-in- the-pulpit. I found the root rarely used.]
Entry 2138
You can buy oil at the drug store called moving oil - confusion oil they call it, and you sprinkle in front of the door in the night, you know, slip around and do in front where they pass, and that will make them move in a certain length of time. They get a disturbance in the house and they will move. Moving oil or confusion, either one of them.
Entry 2139
Yessuh, it's called a moving powder. Ah've seen it used. Ah nevah used it mahself but ah've seen it used. Sprinkle it aroun'.
Entry 2140
Yessuh, they say you kin take this here moving powder and sprinkle it around the house. That will make you move.
Entry 2241
Ah've been told dat if yo' will dig yo' de fresh rattlesnake marster - an' yo' take dat rattlesnake marster an' use it with perfume. Hearts perfune is de best perfume dat yo' kin use in anything lak dis. Yo' take dat Hearts perfume an' yo' go right straight - if yo' know anybody dat chew know kin go out an' git chew some rattlesnake marster an' John de Conker, yo' put dat rattlesnake marster an' John de Conker together an' yo' use it. Yo' know, saturate it good with per- fume. An' yo' keep doin' dat an' as yo' go into de co'troom - yo' try to git in dere befo' anybody else an' yo' sprinkle dat round where he goin' tuh set, see. An' then yo' use dat freely - use dat freely. Yeah, yo' use dat John de Conker an' dat rattlesnake marster wit dat perfume.
Entry 2383
If dere a person you wants a get a job from, dere diff'rent roots that you kin git, that are used in Heart's Cologne. Now, if you wanta job, go to a white person for it, you go looking fer a root called White Man de Conker. Then, if you go in to get a job at a colored place, you bring along High John de Conker. Well, you kin take that root, and if it's a white man, conquer de white man's mind. You cut it up fine and put it in a little vial. You let it soak over night and you put that on you and that will calm the person's mind towards you. Don't care how angry they are, that will kinda calm their mind towards you. But it's very seldom you kin get dat root without a person know exactly what it is, cause some people sells you fakes. (And you do the same thing in getting a job from a colored man, with the other root?) The Hiah John de Conker and the White Man's Conker.
(Well, do you put anything with that root?)
The Heart's Cologne and a little of your chamber lye.
(Well, what do you do with that?)
Well, after it's soaked all night, you don't have nuthin to do with it but take it with you and sprinkle it on you.
Entry 2464
You go to the drug store and you get some cinnamon and some oil of clover, and you get some of this yere steel dust and lodestone and you mix that together, and take some parsley and boil it down, and you mix that [all these] together and then you put that down and you sprinkle it all over your house - in the four corners of your house, you see. Sweep in inwards, don't sweep it out; sweep it inwards and then someone will rent the house.
Entry 2472
Yo' know a dirt dauber makes his nest up high. Well, he gits de dirt from offa de groun' dough [though], don't he? (What?) He git de dirt offa de groun' - from de earth. Well, den he builds his nest up high. Den, say yo' git dat dirt dauber nest an' git yo' some spice, grain of spice an' beat it up an' poun' it all in together, an' jes' sprinkle it all roun' in yore place of business an' also undah de do' an' yo'll gain all de customers yo' want. Yo' kin burn incense.
Entry 2473
Well, heah whut yo' git - black peppah whut chew cooks wit, whut chew eats wit. Yo'll git dirt dauber nest out de roof de house, yo'll git a little bit of dirt from under yore steps, an' yo'll mix dat an' physic salts. It's a diff'rent one dem salts though from Epsom, but den ah kin tell yo' fur as ah know de salts. Ah don't know - yo' cain't keep up wit de name of 'em, but dere's some salts dey keep right heah in de Kress Ten-Cent Sto' in bags. An' yo'll take some of dat salts an' yo'll take dat dirt dauber nest an' yo'll - now, yo' listen jes' whut ah say now - an' yo'll take a lil piece of bluestone, jes' a lil piece an' yo'll mash all of dat as a powders. See, dirt dauber nest an' black peppah, an' yo'll put them together, yo' see, wit dat little dirt from undah yore steps, an' yo'll mash 'em together an' make a powders of dat. An' all yo' have to do is jes' sprinkle it anywhere roun' yore home an' it will draw dem.
(That'll draw trade?)
Ah mean he gotta come - ah done prove dat.
reported attracting/coming effect without unambiguous trade-only target. Do not convert the claim into exclusively drawing trade/customers or a named person. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 2481
Get you some mackerel brine - what I mean is mackerel brine off a mackerel fish. You take that brine - you gotta buy it, about fifteen or twenty cents worth - you take that brine and get you a bucket of water and put you some sugar and pulverized cinnamon in there and sprinkle it just as fer as your place extends; and whatever you got, you will sell out what you got. That mackerel brine, cinnamon and sugar in that water.
(That's for bootlegging?)
Any kind of business you're in you needn't a-worry.
Entry 2500
Say jes' git graveyard dirt, red peppah, cayenne peppah, sulphur an' alum, an' beat it together an' sprinkle it all around yore place an' they say that will keep it away - say that will keep de law away. (What is the difference between red pepper and cayenne pepper? Is there any difference?) Well, dere's one ground, an' yo' know dere's one whole grain.
Entry 2627
You use Seven-Eleven Holy Oil, ah guess.
(What would you do with that?)
You just sprinkle it around - dat keep de law away.
Entry 2648
I had a saloon and there is another fellow had a saloon, and he was doing more business than I was and I want the business to come to my place. All right. I go get me some water, some perfume called lucky, lucky perfume you know, and I take some clear water and I put it in a bottle and I shake it up. [Water will make the perfume spread farther.] I do this 'fore day in the morning 'fore anybody sees me doing what I got to do. I go to this place that is in the same block my place is. I go to the corner, see, and I come back and when I get before his door I sprinkle. I go to my place of business and go inside and sprinkle. And I take and go to the next corner, not the same corner, and I sprinkle - behind my back, never look behind, and I sprinkle all along that street. And I go to my place and I go in again. And I go back to that [first] corner, the same corner that is left [left from my door], understand, and sprinkle the same way. Sprinkle before his door and go in my place and come out, see. Then I go to the next [second or right] corner. Do that three times you see, each way. [Informant on coming out his front door turns left and walks past competitor's house to first or left corner (= crossroad of city streets). Here he starts to sprinkle his watered down lucky perfume, turns back home, sprinkling past compet- itor's house and into his own home. Immediately leaving home again, he turns and walks right to the second or right corner (= crossroad of city streets). Here he starts to sprinkle his lucky perfume, turns back, again sprinkling into his own home. This sprinkling from the two corners into his own home is repeated three times. We must assume the cork in the bottle has a small hole through which the liquid slowly drips; the word sprinkle being somewhat generous.] After that, I go in my place and I take some sugar and I sprinkle it on my floor, some plain white granulated sugar. I take some sawdust and I put it over that stuff and I go and I get me this lump incense, see. Can I stand up and show you how I come? [I must have nodded yes.] See, I get some lump incense and I burn it. I burn it, take a lamp, light it and burn, put it in a saucer, this lump incense. Then I take my clothes and smoke my clothes, understand. And after I smoke my clothes, I make my wish [demonstrates].
(You fold your hands across your breast.)
Yes sir, and make my wishes. I make my wish and I be saying, "Lord, I hope I be lucky enough to be successful in all my enemies and all my income." I say that three times. And after that I take my pants this Way and I get my pants smoked good with that incense, open it up this way and let the smoke go up - smoke up my pants leg. Then I turn round and I open my door, after that smoke is got settled in my house. While it is burning in my house, there is nobody in the house but myself. While the incense is burning, if it sparks like a match throw sparks, you know what I mean, well, that will tell that's luck. And if the smoke spreads, that's luck; if the smoke goes straight up, the incense ain't much good to you. After you do that, you put that behind your counter - put that in- cense behind the counter. And you have sprinkled the sugar already. Then you open the door. Then you can talk. You cannot talk while you are doing your business, no sir. (Now when you first make the smoke, you have to take off your pants, then you put them back on - the first time?) Yes sir. [Perhaps I should say, informant did not take off pants during demonstration.]
Entry 2655
Well, de way dat would be done, de first thing you should do tuh bring in trade - yo' kin use whut we call a sprinkle. An' yo' could take yo' a little sulphur an' a little salt an' a little peppah an' sprinkle dat round. Den yo kin burn a little sulphur. Yo' burn sulphur on Fridays an' sprinkle a little, then sweep a little round on de flo'. That's very prosperous to bring trade.
Entry 2684
Well, you have to dress the house. Now, that chamber lye which you was speaking about a few minutes ago - if you bootlegging or selling something, you takes that chamber lye which you were speaking about. All right. You takes it soon in the morning, no one around, you take that chamber lye and you wash from your door - porch-step on back. Never, never sweep out your trash out on the outside; always sweep back, going back in the house. Sprinkle that chamber lye every morning for seven mornings and you will have so many people at your place until you just won't have seats for 'em.
Entry 2705
You use Hearts Perfume an' chamber lye - sprinkle it all around in yore place fo' sunrise in de morning. Yo' git up an' yo' sprinkle dat around in yore place. An' then yo' use salt - sprinkle salt around in yore place. If yo' have any rug, anything dat chew kin put dat salt undah, it is very lucky. An' dat chamber lye an' dis Hearts Perfume it's very, very lucky to bring in customers. If yo' use dat chamber lye an' dat Hearts Perfume, an' if yo' will burn some sulphur - if yo'll burn some sulphur into yore place in a pan, right in de middle of de flo', an' use yore Hearts Perfume an' yore chamber lye, why yo'll bring in yore peoples.
Entry 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 3153
Take a black hen feathah. An' yo' know when yo' pull it out 'is wing, yo' git a little bit of juice in dere. An' sprinkle dat 'cross a woman, see. Or yo' kin sprinkle it in yore han' an' rub it in yore han' [and rub across a woman]. Dat's if yo' got a woman dat yo' don't wanta have nobody else. Jes' sprinkle dat in yore han' an' rub it in yore han' an' [rub it across her]. If a man tetch her, she fastened jes' lak a dog.
Entry 3922
Yo' kin take a chicken gizzard an' take it an' let it dry up, jis' let it dry up an' make a powdah outa it. An' jis' lak if yo' wanta make yore husban' crazy about chew, well yo' take dat chicken gizzard an' git some of yore mon'ses [= month- ses = months] an' mix it wit dat chicken giz- zard an' - see, yo' put chure monthlies on dat chicken gizzard whilst it's green an' let it dry up. An' den jis' lak yo' make a pie or sompin else, yo' pound dat up into a powdah an' sprinkle it in 'is coffee or bread or anything, an' he'll jis' be crazy about chew an' follah yo' evahwhere yo' go. AN' EVAH TIME HE SEE A MAN WIT CHEW HE JUMP ON YO' AN' BEAT CHEW.
(Whowill?)
Yore husban' or any man yo' goin' wit.
Entry 4035
(All right, go ahead.)
Well, dey git holt of some of yuh chamber lye. Dey take dat chamber lye an' go tuh de drug sto' an' git some calmels powdah [calomel].
(Get what kind of powder?) Calmels. (Cal - what they take for - in the stomach?) Nawsir [no sir], dis calmel yo' put on sores. Calomel. (Calomel. All right.)
An' put it in dere an' take dat chamber lye an' sprinkle it aroun' yuh house, an' yuh'll move.
(I see.)
Entry 4159
Well, it near about de same thin'. Yuh kin take yuh watah an' Hearts Cologne an' sprinkle it aroun' intuh yuh place. Have it intuh yuh pocket an' where yuh wit de cards. Dat'll bring yuh luck.
Entry 4210
An' de same if yuh owe a debt. If ah owe a debt, prob'ly mahself wit a man, a furniture man, an' ah have no money fo' 'im an' ah don't want 'im tuh come dere, well ah usely [usual- ly] see 'em take de stuff yuh call chamber lye an' like dat. Well, yuh hold dat stuff so many days - think yuh sup- posed tuh hold it nine days until it git strong, an' yuh take dat out in de yard, right where yuh [rent man] got'a come along, an' put nine [spoonfuls?] of de Red Devil Lye in it at de same time an' use dis red cayenne pepper. Well, yuh take an' throw dat right down in front of yuh door, but yuh not supposed tuh put it out in de day - supposed tuh be put in de mawnin'. Say, if yuh put it out in de mawnin', supposed tuh be dere befo' six a'clock. An' den yuh sprinkle dis stuff all aroun' in front dere, at yuh gate, whatevah is dere. If de law or anythin' come dere, why sometime dey may stop an' look but dey keep on by. De same way it is wit de rent man or somepin. Thin's is pretty tough [during the Great De- pression] an' he knows how it's tough or sompin like dat. Well, when he come dere, yuh don't come. Sometime he pass on by. He won't stop.
Entry 4365
Tuh influence de boss - well, yuh supposed tuh use some Hearts Perfume on yuh. Use some Hearts Perfume goin' down [the body] - put some on yuh han's an' put [rub] it ovah yuh don' chew see. An' dere is. a love powdah, dey call it, dat chew use tuh influence. Now dey say dat de Cashmere Boquet Powdah is a very good powdah. But chew use dat Hearts Perfuome an' a little chamber lye tuhgethah. See, put dat tuhgethah an' sprinkle it all ovah yuh an' dey say dat's very lucky.
(If you are going down to get a job.)
Entry 4829
Take a woman undahweah, if her an' her ole man been fussin' an' been havin' confusion an' she don't want 'i. She kin take some of 'is undahweah whut he weahs nex'tuh 'is HYATT skin, SHE BRING ' EM TUH YUH. [Informant thinks author a doctor trying to learn new tricks.] Yuh kin take 'em. Well, yuh take dat undahweah an' yuh burn it intuh ashes. When yuh burn it intuh ashes yuh git some Solly's Corn Whiskey.
(Sally's - Solly's [Solomon's!] Corn Whiskey?)
Yes. An' yuh take - if yuh kin git any of de herb roots, John de Conkah or any dem kinda roots, an' jis' cut it up fine an' mix it in dere. Carry it right back an' put it down anywhere. Jis' sprinkle it right on de front porch or any part of de house yuh got'a walk ovah.
(What will that do then?)
When yuh git 'is undahweah yuh take it an' burn it [I interrupt].
(What will that do after you sprinkle the stuff?)
He cain't stay dere.
(She's driving him away?)
Drivin' 'im away.
Entry 4968
Tuh bring a man back wit de sock, yuh take a lef'-foot sock. Yuh take an' put it down, put it down undah a rug, jis' lak yuh got lino- leum. Yuh put one down - yuh put de firs' sock down comin' in [at the front door]. Yuh go tuh de reah do' an' yuh put de othah sock down goin' out - shoot it [straight] goin' out. Yuh git up [in the morning] an' yuh take yuh some chamber lye an' yuh sprinkle, jis' lift it up soon in de mawnin' an' sprinkle a little chamber lye on dere, see. Go tuh dis [other] one an sprinkle a little bit of chamber lye on it. All right, yuh say, "Now, Lord, combine me an' mah man tuhgethah wit union an' love." Say, "Leave out all stum- blin' blocks, hindahin's an' causes." An' if he as fur away as mah han' he is got'a come. He's got'a come. Yes sir, ah know he's got'a come. Don' care whut direction he is in de worl', yuh take dem socks an' put 'em down lak ah said. Put 'em on down, de firs' sock comin' in dis way, an' dis one goin' out dat way.
(What do you mean by the middle door? Do you mean the back door?)
Jis' lak dat do' right dere [points].
(That back door, away out at the end of the house?)
No, inside de house. [Informant thinks my end of the house means outside the back door. Back door is meant.] (You call that man by name when you are saying that little [I WAS GOING TO SAY INCANTATION BUT STOPPED] - theSe WOrds?) Yeah, yuh have tuh say dose words.
Entry 5027
Take de socks an' sprinkle some steel dust on it an' bury it. Dat'll run 'em crazy.
Entry 5090
Dey take de shoes an' a little sulphuh an' burn it down tuh ashes. Dey'll take de ashes an' dey put allspice an' dragon blood wit it an' jis' like powdah. An' sprinkle it right in dey place. Dat'll bring luck.
Entry 5147
Take de graveyard dirt. An' yuh git a ole shoe an' yuh parch dat ole shoe until yuh kin jis' powdah it up. An' yuh mix dat graveyard dirt wit dat shoe dust an' yuh put sugah in dere an' cinnamon. An' yuh sprinkle dat roun' ovah yore flo's an' lak dat. Dat keeps peace in de home. Dat's fo' success.
Entry 5305
Whut ah know about separatin' yo' husban' from yo' if yo've jis' tied up a man, sompin lak dat. Yo' kin jis' take his right foot track. Yo' see, it's leavin' yo' an' sometime as he go out tuh de do' an' yores when yo' is comin' back away from it. Yo' scoop up 'is right foot track right in de middle, yo' see, an' den yores as yo' turn back tuh go 'way from him. Yo' scoop up yore left foot track. An' yo' take dat an' carry it tuh a red ants' bed - big red ants' bed - an' yo' tell dem red antses, say, "Separate I an' him, I an' So-an'-so, 'In de Name of de Lord, dat we'll nevah have anything tuh do wit each othah any mo'.'" An' ah do know dat tuh be true.
(That is all you do, just put these tracks in that....)
Put dem tracks tuhgethah - jis' take it in yo' a little piece of papah or sompin, yo' know, dat chew won' waste it. An' yo' take it tuh dis red ants bed an' jis' sprinkle it as yo' talkin' tuh 'em.
(That's all you have to do for that?)
Dat's all yo' have to do wit dat.
Entry 6602
Well, all right, ah've had de pleasure tuh meetin' a woman travelin through de country, an' five or six diff'ren' people of mah profession tole [her] dat dere wus snakes put intuh 'er. Now, dey wus Wondahin' how did dese snakes git intuh dis woman. Ah claim dat yo' kin take snake dust an' put snakes intuh a person. Yo' kin sprinkle dis dust over some of dere food an' if dey eat, dey claim dat snakes will grow intuh 'em. Ah've had de pleasure of gittin' one from a woman. Ah've taken de hair from de top of 'er head an' burn dis an' let 'er weah dis dus' in 'er lef' shoe, an it made dese snakes disappeah.
Entry 7538
For to send anybody away, somepin like that - just to send them away, not kill them, not atall like that - you go to the head of a grave, an ole grave, and you dig down there and you get a handful of graveyard dirt. An' yo' take ten new nails, nine new pins, an' seven grains of shot. An' yo' can take this, if yo' want to send them away from home, send them on adrift, an' yo' sprinkle it where they walk. An' the last sprinkle yo' make every time yo' sprinkle yo' drop three pins an' two wire nails - why they'll get in a fidget to go away some place an' they'll go. The chances is they won't be back under three year no how. [For as old a grave as yo' kin' find, see lO lines from bottom of p.2239.]
digging at an old grave's head to collect dirt for a stated non-killing send-away purpose. Retain old-grave/head location, handful wording and explicit send-away/not-kill distinction. direct conditional sprinkling of a prepared mixture to send someone away rather than kill. Preserve the explicit send-away/not-kill distinction and conditional purpose. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified. The informant explicitly distinguishes sending someone away from killing them and reports a chance of absence for three years. Hyatt's final cross-reference is editorial; the ingredients remain separate.
Entry 7543
Well, if yo' know where dey live yo' kin take yo' some graveyard dust an' put chew some red peppah in dere. Git dis dirt off a grave dat chew know, from a person dat chew know is buries, an' put chew some red peppah in dere. Yo' don' have tuh go in de house dat's goin' - sprinkle it in de walk an' throw it up on de po'ch. Dey'll walk out an' git dere feet in it an' git mad lak anything an' done walk away. [Graveyard dirt from the grave of a person known by you is quite common.] [Little Rock, Ark., (897), 1470:3.] [Graveyard dirt from the grave of a weZl- known person is not frequent except for gambler, criminal, etc. For unusual example, See later margin title GUN - GRAVEYARD DIRT SHOT FROM.]
direct sprinkling in the walk, distinct from throwing onto the porch. Retain walk-sprinkling and porch-throwing as two different actions; neither establishes a Sprinkle/Throw/Scatter alias. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 6814
Well, jis' lak if people has some kinda goofah dust aroun' yo' take salt - cookin' salt - an' sulphuh an' sprinkle it aroun' wit chamber lye. Mix dat tuhgethah an' sprinkle it aroun' in yore house. Dat would kill it.
(Kill off this goofer dust.)
Dat put down fo' yo'.
Entry 6907
Or eithah yo' kin take sulphuh. Say yo' kin [take] sulphuh if anyone comin' in yore house an' salt an' mix it tuhgethah. Jis' go round de edge, go all roun' yore yard an' sprinkle it all aroun'. Dat will keep dem out from comin' in, keep yore ene- mies from comin' in.
Entry 6985
[The following rite, a MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE of sexual impotence (pp. 2341-2391), should have followed margin title WATER RUNNING, p.2389:] De willah tree, de weepin' willah. Dey tell me dey kin take de roots of dat an' make a tea or eithah dry it an' sprinkle it on a man an' yo'll stay wit 'im. He'll nevah have no connection wit no one. If he start, he'll fall. (Well, who would do that?) De woman, his wife, anybody, if he's bad fo' runnin' aftah othah wimmins. Or if she's de same way, a man git dat, he can't stay, he'll leave. He'll git mad wit de woman an' leave her. It's eithah way [you can stop a man or woman].
(Well, then when he came home, he couldn't do anything with his wife either?)
Oh, he be all right when he git home - jes' stay home all de time.
(Oh, he wouldn't be all right with other women?)
No, not fo' nobody else, jes' dat woman.
Entry 7176
Yo' know de time de snake's sheddin', yo' know, well yo' kin take an' use his shed an' grind it up into powdahs - right fine powdah-lak dust an' sprinkle it roun' in yore hat. He'll jis' make yo' sleep all de time.
Entry 7532
If ah wanta do anything tuh yuh in yore foot, ah'll git some graveyard dirt an' come an' sprinkle it ip de front of yore do'. Sprinkle it jis' about de time when I think nobody goin' tuh sweep dere, befo' yuh do' where yuh gotta walk by. An' once yuh walk on it today, yuh'll tell de diff'rence tuhmorrah mawnin'. Yore feet'll [commence] swollin' an' dat'll run up [your leg]. It's called - dat's what brings on white swollin', white swollin', an' dat nevah comes till yuh die.
(Do you get any kind of graveyard dirt?)
Dere ain't but one kind of graveyard dirt.
(What kind?)
Jis' a natchel [natural] graveyard - from a fresh grave. Don't git nuthin where's dere already grass.
Entry 7563
[The two following left-foot rites I will keep together, because they are related and were given by the same informant at the same time:] [First rite:] Yuh take an' go tuh de graveyard an' if yuh wan's run 'em away, an' dig - a sinnah die, aftah nine days, aftah he's daid nine days - take an'dig elbow deep at 'is lef' foot. Git choo some grave- yard dirt. put two down, then bring it [tol yore house. Sprinkle it all de way roun' yore house, in de fo' cornahs in de room. An' when he go out de do', sprinkle some behin 'im an' he cain't come back.
Entry 7575
Well, jis' like yuh had two wimmens an' wanted 'em both tuh git along, wanted 'em tuh live in de house tuhgethah. Well, yuh go tuh a graveyard where a young baby is buried an' jis' run yore han' down dere an' git some dirt off 'is haid. Come back an' sprinkle it aroun' yore house evah nine mawnin's, an' dat - dat'll make peace. Dey will git along. (What do you mean by having two women in one house and want them to get along?) If yuh have two of 'em, jis' wan' 'em tuh git along. If dey stay in a separate house it'll be all right, but yuh know yuh have tuh sprinkle it aroun' both houses.
(I see.)
Yuh could put 'em in de house tuhgethah if yuh use dis dirt.
(You mean the two women?)
Yes.
Entry 7616
Go tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt. Change de haid an' footbo'ds from a graveyard. Put two pennies tuh de haid when yuh change it, an' two tuh de foot when yuh change it, an' take dat haidbo'd ap' stick it down where dose [pennies are] on a wicked man's grave. An git some of dat dirt an' bring it back an' sprinkle it roun' dere do'step. Or if yuh git a chance tuh git in de house - lak some people yuh claim as a frien' - put it in de house. An' dat will keep dose frien's of yores.
(What do you mean you put the footboard and the headboard?)
Change it. (Just change them around. And you put them back the same way they came out, stick them right straight down in; but you put the pennies underneath before you put them down?) Dat's right.
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 7620
Dey - yuh take graveyard dirt, it will run anybody. Dey goes out an gits some graveyard dirt out of a grave an' put a nickel in dere where dey done got de dirt from, dat whut dey call payin' fo' it. An' dey go back an' go tuh dis person's house, an' take a little pepper, an' mix wit it, an' go dere an' make lak yuh talkin' tuh 'em, yuh know, an' sprinkle it roun' in dere house. Three days aftah dat, dem folks is ready tuh leave dere.
Entry 7628
Ah learnt dat yo' could git dirt out of a graveyard an' put it roun' a person's house an' run dem away. An' yo' could put it undah de house an' someone would burn de house down. (This graveyard dirt under the house?) Undah de house would burn de house down. An' if yo' sprinkle it roun' de house, why it would make de person move, dey couldn't stay dere. Ah heard dat when yo' git it, yo'd have tuh git it in a bag, put it in a paper bag, an' yo'd have tuh keep it separate from any othah dirt.
Entry 7636
Prob'ly if yo' [a doctor] got girl [patient] an' she's worried up 'bout some man 'nother, an' she cain't git 'im tuh act right, cain't git 'im tuh do right, an' he won't treat 'er right or sompin 'nothah lak dat, den yo' kin go tuh a graveyard at night. Yo' have tuh go dere certain time of night, go at twelve a'clock at night an' git a han'ful of dirt an' tie it up in a han'kerchief an' bring it back dat same night an' be sho' dat yo' know de room dat she sleeps in. Say, fo' ninstance, she sleepin' in dis room, an' yo' come tuh de windah dere an' yo' 'sposed take a li'l' de dirt an' sprinkle it up on de windah sill an' take de rest of de dirt an' sprinkle up on de walk, where dey walk comin' intuh de house. An' he'll nevah treat her wrong no mo'. He will always be nice tuh her den.
Entry 7677
If anyone disliked yuh an' wan' choo tuh move - lak yuh a nex'-do' neighbah - dey go tuh de cemetery an' git graveyard dirt tuh make yuh move. Dey say dey go in dere at twelve a'clock at night an' run dere han's jis' as fer as de joint of dere elbow right down in de earth, an' git chew three han'fulla dat fresh graveyard dirt outa dere an' put it in a bucket. An' bury three pennies in dat dirt when yuh take out de las' han'ful out. Yuh put three pennies in de grave. Dey say dat's payin' fer it. An' den yuh bring it back an' sprinkle it aroun' de person do'. An' dat will make him leave.
Entry 7690
Go tuh de graveyard an' put a penny down in dere an' take up dat grave- yard dirt In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost. An' carry tuh dat person house [be- fore] de sunrise an' throw it, an' yo' walk off an' don't look back. Dat'll do dat person harm. Jes' sprinkle it all roun' where dey gotta come out at.
Entry 7730
Take graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it in yore baid, jis' lak yo' wanta bust up a man an' 'is wife - tuh bust up anybody - why yo' sprinkle dat. If dere any way yo' kin git dat in de baid, sprinkle it in dere an' it'll bust 'em up. Dey won't be tuhgethah no mo'.
Entry 7732
Take graveyard dirt an' put it an' sprinkle it in any- body's bed if dey sick. Put it in dey mattress, sprinkle it all in dey mattress an' dey'll dwindle away tuh nuthin.
Entry 7735
Dat graveyard dirt - dey takes dat graveyard dirt an' dey'll come intuh yore house an' set, laugh an' talk, yo' not payin' 'em any mind. Well, dey'll take dat an' sprinkle it ovah yo'; yo' know, undah yore bed, table, aroun'. Well jes' keeps yo'- rathah be from home den tuh be roun' home. Ah don't care where yo' go, yo' can't stay dere.
Entry 7745
Yo' go tuh de graveyard an' reach right down in de breast, an' dig down in dere deep an' git de dirt right off de grave, right off de breast part. An' mix dat graveyard dirt up an' a li'le cayenne peppah. Mix dat graveyard dirt up an' de cayenne peppah, an' yo' take dat graveyard dirt an' yo' gits a dirt daubah nest. Yo' go tuh a house whah [where] dere ain't nobody died in dat house an' git dat dirt daubah nest an' mix it all up tuhgethah.
(What do you mean, you go to a house where nobody died?)
Yo' see, whah dere's nobody died in dat house it give dat dirt daubah all powah. Git it whah dere ain't nobody died in de house. It have tuh be 'bout in de co'se of time of fo' yeahs. See! If dey died longah time den fo' yeah's time, it's all right; but if dey died recently, don't put dat dirt daubah nest in dere. Yo' have tuh git a wasps' nest. Yo' see, yo' git a wasps' nest an' put dat wasp nest in dere wit dat graveyard dirt an' dat cayenne peppah, an' it keep dem person on de warpath all de time - dissatisfied all de time.
(What do you do with this dust?)
Take it an' sprinkle it across de do'. Sprinkle it 'cross de do', sprinkle it ln dere house, an' let 'em walk ovah it. See, dey will be warfarin' all de time.
Entry 7746
Well, dey goes out an' dey git dis graveyard dirt, an' dey kin take it, if dey wanta give yo' bad luck. Dey kin take a lot of it an' sprinkle it all roun' yo' front dō' an' yo' back dō'. Ah don't know how true dat is, but ah know a lady dat lived next do' from us. She used to go out an' git it an' take it aroun' an' sprinkle it aroun' in front-a people's do's. An' dey said dat it would give dose people bad luck. An' dey really would have a lotta bad luck.
Entry 7752
Take graveyard dirt an', jes' lak if yo' don' lak a person an' dey don' lak yo', an' yo' wanta git rid of 'em. Take dat graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it in dey house, throw it undah dere stoop when dey out - absent. An' when dey come dey'll move. Dey don' know whut makin' 'em move. Dey'll move on out.
Entry 7809
Dey say yo' kin take dat dirt, graveyard dirt, an' put it in de fo' cornah of de house, an' put some right tuh de front of yore do' where yo' walk cross it. Dey say dat'll stop confusion all in yore home.
(How would they put this dirt in the four corners? How?)
Jis' put it onto dere, sprinkle it down. (You put it something like that. Well, you told me before that you cross it. What do you mean by that?) No sir, jis' sprinkle it. [Waycross, Ga., (1098).1775:1.]
Entry 7818
Dey would put hit an' larkspur tuhgethah an' dat would create confusion in de house. (They would put this graveyard dirt and what to- gether?) Larkspur, a flower. Sprinkle it aroumd yore house an' it will create upstirs.
(Make confusion in the family?)
Yes.
(Now, in using that larkspur, they just take the whole plant or?)
Take de flowahs, de flowahs off de larkspur an' pound dem up aftah dey dry - wit de graveyard dirt.
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 7857
If ah wus tuh go tuh de cemetery an' gathah some dust, graveyard dirt as we call it, an' come when dey are not suspectin' an' sprinkle it ovah de po'ch. (What will that do then?) Well, dat would, yo' know whut ah mean, corrupt de minds of de persons dat lives in dat place. An' it won't be long befo' dey leave dere.
(That will make them move out.)
Dey'll move.
Entry 7875
Well, ah've heard 'em say dat dey go tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt an' bring it back an' git some salt an' peppah an' mix dem wit it. An' come tuh yore house an' have it fixed so dat dey would throw it from yore front do' to de back an' drop a bag of it up undah yore steps, or eithah slip back up dere at night an' bury it up undah yore steps. Dat'll make dem move.
(You say you take this from the front door?)
Yes, where dey come in from de front an' sprinkle it all de way up de steps as dey come. An' have it fixed so dey have dere han' in dere pocket an' have a hole in dere pocket lak dat an' have it so dat it'll be siftin' out as yo' be goin' on. [Hole in the pocket is a coumon trick.] Git up an' ast 'em fo watah, an yo' go on, yo' know wit yore han' in de pocket an' drink de watah. An' go tuh de back do' an' walk out on de po'ch an' sprinkle it, aftah yo' got de watah, aftah yo' done got through drinkin".
(They must take it all through the house?)
Yes, take it all de way through de house.
Entry 7884
Ah heard dey kin take graveyard dirt wit salt, Epsom salts, cayenne peppah an' sprinkle it undahneat' de do'steps, or git a chance tuh git in de house an' sprinkle it roun' close places in de house.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat will make 'em move.
(They use both cooking salt and Epsom Salt, too?)
[I wanted to be certain informant did not say salt twice.]
All tuhgethah, an' graveyard dirt.
Entry 7888
Saltpetah - yo' take saltpetah an' beat it up fine, an' if yo' kin use some of dis graveyard dirt, tuh sprinkle in de do'way, see, where dey kin see it each mawnin', mo' lakly [likely] dat person will move from de house.
Entry 7925
Dey tell me if yo' usin' a lavatory, especially a outside lavatory, dat yo' could jes' take a little bit of it an' go dere durin' de night an' sprinkle a little bit around de hole where yo' sit at.
(Sprinkle what around?)
(Around the lavatory?)
Aroun' de lavatory hole.
(And it will injure you, you say?)
Yes.
Entry 8029
Well, dey sprinkle it roun' yore house in yore home, de dust of dat dead person - de dead folks' dust yo' know roun' yuh home. Dat creates confusion. If dey want chew tuhleave, dey do dat jis' tuh run yo' 'way from dere. From de dead person bone, dis ole dust from de bones rotten.
Entry 8031
Take yo' a bone - lak yo' go tuh de graveyard an' take yo' a bone an bury it. An' pound it up. Pound fine, fine. An' if dey wants tuh run yo' crazy, sprinkle some in yore hair. An' dey'll keep dat. Or eithah put some in yore food. An' den yo' come in a length of time, yo' begin tuh pass worms lak snakes.
Entry 8562
Now, jis'lak yo' goin' ast me mah name. Yo' know, ah gotta give yo' mah right name, yo' see. Well, yo' take mah name, lak ah says ah'm named Mary. Now yo' take dat name - gimne dat piece papah an' lemme show yo'.
[I PASS MY NUMBERS BOOK TO INFORMANT, WHO BEGINS TO DEMONSTRATE.]
(Cut it square?)
Yes. Look, see heah. Yo' write Mary right 'cross heah, see. (Diagonally across that square [oblong] piece of paper [in my Numbers Book]. Then you fold it in a triangle. Then you fold it in a triangle again.) Yo' see dat. Yo' know whut them ten-cent snuffboxes is. Well, yo' don' want a little nickel box, yo' wants a ten-cents box, an' yo' have me. NOW, YO' woRKIN FO'ME, DON'T CHEW SEE. WELL, YO' HAVE ME TUH BRING YO' DAT OLE SNUFFBOX, YO' SEE. Bog, yo' take this name an' put it in that snuffbox, see. Aftah yo' put this name in the snuffbox, yo' says three words, Father, Son an' Holy Ghost. See! Den yo put it in de box, put it in dat snuffbox, see. An' when yo' put it in that snuff- box - now, yo' know whut white lodestone is, don't yo'? Sprinkle on it. [During the Great Depression these little boxes, frequently used as snuff- boxes, could be bought in the Five and Ten Cent Store.]
(Sprinkle some of that white lodestone on it?)
Yeah, yeah, sprinkle it on there and shet [shut] it up an' yo' give it to me yo' see. Shet de box. YO' GIVE IT TO ME, yo' see, 'CUZ AH'M DE ONE GIVIN' YO TUH DO DE WORK, don't chew see? An' yo' carry it on to de rivah or where it's a runnin' stream. AH GOTTA CARRY IT MAHSELF, See, 'CUZ YO' DOIN' DE WORK FO' ME.
(You are my client?)
[OR SHOULD I HAVE SAID PATIENT?]
Yeah. Throw it in an' go on back home. An' in five or six or seven, eight, days, dey'll [I'll] go.
(Drive them away. You will come to me and say, "I want to drive Mary away?")
Dat's right. (And I would do this, and you would throw that into running water. Any special way?) Yeah, now listen. When yo' throw it in, see, jis' lak ah'd walk to de rivah, ah jis' throw it in an' come on back home.
(That sends Mary away?)
She gotta go.
Entry 8697
Well, now, she gits some rough rice - rice dat's nevah, de chaff has nevah been taken off - an' she walk roun' her house at sunrise an' call his name, an' open both do's an' throw. Jes' sprinkle dat rice in de house an' she go on roun' de house. Don' turn back. Come right roun' until she go roun' five or six times. An' throw dat rice in de house an' call his name. Den dat will 'tract [attract] his 'tenshun [attention] wheresomevah he may be. He gits worried den about home, an' he'll come back. [Rice was grown in the lowlands of South Carolina and Georgia for generations. This un- husked rice rite could be an old rite.]
Entry 8832
Take yore han'writin' an' take it tuh somebody [professional worker] yo' know. Jis' lak if yo's in love wit a girl an' she don't care fo' yo'. Well, yo' see she writes yo' a lettah an' yo' take it tuh dis person supposed tuh kin undahstan' de work, an' den dey'll dress it an' put - it's a powdah dey puts in dat lettah. An' aftah dey done dressed dis lettah an' dey sprinkle dat powdah - sprinkle it in dere an' yo' mail it back tuh 'em.
Entry 8871
An' yo' want 'em tuh come back tuh yuh. If yo' know where dey are, kin git in touch wit 'em, write dem a lettah some kinda way. Use dis Three S Love Powdah an' yo' sprinkle it all ovah yore lettah. Jis' evah time yo' write a word yo' dab yore fingah in dis powdah an' dab it on evah word, cross it-lak. An' when he read it he'll come right on back.
Entry 8997
Git de buckeye an' red peppah an' John de Conkah root an' jes' pound that up into a powder an' sprinkle it in de co'troom, an' dat makes a deal of dif- ference. (Well, what do you use of the buckeye, the knob [shell] or - the knob or what?) De knob.
Entry 9042
Yo' kin go tuh de cemetery. Yo' have tuh go by yo'self an' carry jes' two or three grain of cawn [corn rare as payment] or two or three cent. An' run yore han' fur enough down in dere to tech de casket, tuh git de dirt, an' put dem pen- nies down in dere. An' when yo' put dem pennies down in dere, tell 'em, jes' say, "Ah want chew tuh do sech-an'-sech a thing. Ah want chew tuh git mah husban' outa trouble, or mah brothah outa trouble, " or somepin othah lak dat, if dey in trou- ble. An' when it time fo' trial dey'll come cleah. Yo' take dat graveyard dirt an' sprinkle it all roun' de co'thouse, all aroun' de jailhouse, or jes' where- somevah he at.
Entry 9461
Dey say if a man is away from yo' an' yo' want him tuh come back, yo' git a new pack of salt dat has nevah been used out of, an' yo' burn it an' call his name, fo' him tuh come. An' jes' nex' yo' leave outa yore house, start where he left an' sprinkle dis salt, an' den turn round an' walk right back in dere, an' call 'is name an' throw some in de fiah. He'll come back ag'inst his mind.
Entry 9475
Now, jes' lak dat - dat's common, dats easy tuh be done, dat's a short argument. Why yo' jes' take a li'le pot salt an' sprinkle it 'fore yuh do'. Yo' will nevah be in no peace at all. Jes' a li'le pot salt.
Entry 9477
Once someone had did somepin tuh hurt me an' dey tole me whut tuh do. Dey said go back home an' look undah de flo' - undah de step an' dig undah dere an' git some salt an' sprin- kle in dat hole. Dat would kill dat whut dey had fo'me. Wahl, ah did dat but ah don' know wus it. Ah did whut dey said all right. Dat'a de best ah knowed of it [to] do.
Entry 9530
All right. Git chew a box of table salt an' jes' when dey leave out, yo' jes' take dat table salt an' sprinkle it behin' dem. An' git chure broom an': sweep de broom out behin' dem. Yo' won' be bothahed wit dem no mo'.
Entry 10265
They say that chew can take the water off of a silver dollah and also the water off of a copper cent, and sprinkle a little bit of that with some snail dust in a woman's place there, and when a man comes there he'll get stuck just like a dog. [Following rite 10266 by same man.]
Entry 10628
Any time root [roots for special times]. Then ah makes a powder tuh sprinkle yore house wit, it call a holy powder... [Informant starts off at a rapid pace and up in the air.] (Now wait a minute! Now, I'm getting my wife back. Now, I put that right underneath, right under the bed?) Yes sir.
(Then what happens.)
Put Eve-and-Adan root undah yore bed, yuh understand, and make a wish - make yore sign [first] - then make a wish tuh the Lord. Make a wish fo' what yore heart desires, you understand, after you carried it [and put it under the bed] and in thirty days she'll be back there. Don't ca' where she gone. An' if she's sued yo' or lawsued choo fo' alimony, then she'll take it out [call off the suit].
(What was that other root?)
Queen Elizabeth. [Informant continues with rites under Queen Elizabeth root and shame brier.] [Mobile, Ala., (655?0, 857:1.]
Entry 10640
Go to a ants' bed an' git dat sand an' sprinkle it round someone's house dat chew didn't like an' dat will also cause trouble. (What kind of trouble?) Like fights an' probably would end up into killin'. Dat's de red ants' nest.
Entry 9537
Have tuh git chew a box of table salt, sprinkle it all ovah yo' flo'. Dat's from de front do' - jis' lak if yo' got a po'ch on yore house, LAK DAT PO'CH DERE [points] - from de front do' tuh de po'ch. [For this porch see comment later.] An' take yo' a broom - one dese ole long brooms, stiff handle one [see comment later] - an' sweep it right out. Jis' take dat salt an' sweep it out. Do dat fo' nine mawn- in's. An' aftah de nine mawnin's dey will move an' nobody won't have tuh tell 'em. (That is to make a person move out of the house. But you have to sweep that stuff up, sprinkle it at their house? Don't you or what?) Don' care whose house it is, if it's yuh house or dere house or anybody's louse. Jis' lak yo' rentin' dat man's house, yo' rentin' dat house belong tuh dat man. Well, prob'ly yo' go dere at night, quite natchel [natural] if yo canta do dat yo' goin' have a broom wit chew. Well, yo' take dat salt an' sprin- kle. [The preceding dat pō'ch dere is a valuable piece of personal memorabilia. I could not remember whether I had interviewed in a second-floor back room, or one looking out upon the upper porch of the former Clark Hotel for blacks at Method- Ist Town, a black settlement then on the edge of St. Petersburg. You can see a colored photograph of this building, now abandoned, among the illustrations at the end of v.3, Ill.8. This picture I took in 1970, 31 years after the present interview. For St. Petersburg, see also vol.1, Intro. XxxIv, and letter to Ed- ward Bufford among illustrations at end of vol.2.] [The preceding long brooms, stiff handle one is sometime called a stick broom (see 2424, p.674, v.1). The short broom or un-stiff one, of course, is various varieties of the hand sweeper; long and tough grasses or twigs laid in a row and doubled, the point of doubling being the handle.]
Entry 9538
If this person was an enemy to you, then you get some salt - out of a jar that has never been used - and when the person leaves, you sprinkle the salt behind them. You did it In the Name of the Lord. Then take a broom and sweep it out the way they went. Then set the broom bck in the house bottom side upward. And they wouldn't come back again. [For setting brushy part of broom up and handle down behind door, a rite widely spread, See 2432, Wilmington, N. Car., and 2433, New Orleans, La., both p.675, v.1, etc.]
[Old Point Comfort, Va., collected in 1936 by Ediphone.]
Entry 9540
If yo' has a individual in yuh house an' yo' wan' dat individual out, an' yo' can't git him out - or can't git him or her out - why evah time dey go out, yo' turn dat mattress ovah. An' evah time dey go out yo' sprinkle salt on dat mattress an' turn it ovah, an' have dere things changed aroun' from where dey put it. When yo' find it at one place, take an' change it an' put it at anothah place. Dat's a kinda torment to de room. Dey will finely [finally] move away. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (983), 1591:12.] [Normally the word pepper alone means red pepper, usually black pepper being described as black (see examples in the black pepper rites at the beginning of section (4), Nos.9644-9654). Black can be substituted for red in an emergency, but red is more powerful; especially potent, if the container in which it was purchased pictures a red devil. Red of course almost always indicates cayenne pepper, though "finger peppers" - the hot-sauce peppers - are sometimes mentioned.]
Entry 9549
Take yo' some red peppah an' salt an' sprinkle in dis person yard in de night, da'kest night, say dey'll move. Yo' wouldn't be worried wit: 'em any mo'.
Entry 9550
Git a bran'-new box of salt an' cayenne peppah an' yo' sprinkle it aroun' in de porch an' in de rooms. Salt an' peppah makes confusion. Cayenne peppah.
Entry 9603
Well, yo' git some fish brine an' some gingah an' red peppah an' boil it tuhgethah an' put it about; wit a teaspoonful of spirits of turpentine which is hot, gives it powah, see. An' yo' take dat an' boil it an' go dere an' sprinkle yore house round yore do'steps. An' dey gotta go when dey git a place dey don't wanta stay dere, an' dey'll move without [giving you] any trouble. (There won't be any trouble getting them out of the house.)
Entry 9649
Ah've learned dat chew kin take black peppah an' salt an' if dey come intuh de back do' an' go intuh de house, why sprinkle dat black peppah an' salt behin' 'em. If dey goes out de front, jes' sprinkle it slowly behin' dem as dey go out an' sweep, an' dey'll nevah come back ag'in.
(But they must come in the back door before you can do that?)
Dey don' have tuh go in de back do' - de same do' dey go intuh. If dey come in de front do' an' jes' go in a room an' set or stan' dere, when dey git ready tuh go out, jes' go back out de same way dey came in, all yo' have tuh do is jes' sprinkle dis black peppah an' salt behin' dem an' jes' sweep it out, an' dey'll nevah come back.
Entry 9658
Dey kin make yo' move wit saltpetah, brimstone an' table salt - jis' plain table salt. An' po' it by night, chew know, at de do' or sprinkle it roun' de do', an' yo' shuh of makin' 'em move.
Entry 9660
Sprinkle coal oil down and salt down. That makes a fuss. Now, to stop the fuss, how would you stop it? All right, I'd stop the fuss in this manner. If I find out they throw oil down there, anything like that, they got that down to fuss and fight. I'd take sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of that, and then I'd burn that. Right wheresomever the spot is where that oil is, I'd Pat the cinnamon and the sugar there and light it and let it burn. It's not going to burn the floor at all. It's going to burn until that floor come back natural just the same as it was before that oil got on there. And then that would be all over with, wouldn't be no more quarrelin' then.
Entry 9687
If yo' don't want no one in yore house, in yore room, an' when dey leave out, yo' take de salt an' sprinkle it in behin' 'em an' sweep, an' den spit init. Dey'll nevah come in yore house ag'in.
Entry 9691
Well, yo' kin burn shoes fo' luck. Jis' put 'em in de stove an' burn 'em. Sprinkle salt an' sugah on 'em fo' luck.
Entry 10909
Git a small puppy an' a small cat [kitten] an' yo' put dem - join 'em togethah an' make 'em mad wit each othah. Now dey bristle up." In de back of dat neck where dey bristle, yo' cut some hair from each an' yo' mix it togethah, an' yo' care it an' yo' sprinkle it down; yo' may say fo' in- stance, undah a mat or anything, dat dis individual constantly have tuh come ovah. An' in de meantime yo' make de expression on, "Cats an' dogs cain't agree. Go!" Den dey go. Move.
Entry 11025
Dey use chicken feathers dey say fo' bad luck. Probably if yo' got some chickens or sompin lak dat an' ah wanta make yo' have bad luck, ah kin take de feathers from yore chick- ens and burn 'em in mah stove. See, an' use de ashes an' dese chicken fea- thers an' take 'em an' sprinkle 'em all round yore house. Dat will cause all yore chickens tuh die, or someone in yore family to die, or sompin lak dat. Dat's whut de' call a re- buke to a family. Or either if ah should happen to have tuh buy a chicken or sompin lak dat, ah kin git some of yore dirt from roun' in yore yard where yo' have travel on, an' use it an' burn it an' cause yo' tuh have bad luck to some of yore family or either probably to yo'.
Entry 11133
Reach arm as far as possible in wicked per- son's grave, mix with bull dung, sprinkle at house, causes confusion.
Entry 11135
That's to keep you from [leaving the house]. (How do they do that?) Dey put it [cow manure] out and let it get dry. [I shut off machine too soon.]
(Crumble it up?)
Yes, sir, crumble it up, dry out and sprinkle it into your house. That will harm you, that will put chew in bad luck.
Entry 11149
An' den if de law take a habit of comin' to yore house, yo' know whut chew do. Takes black peppah an' salt an' mix it together, an' when dey come to yore house, sompin lak dat, yo' sprinkle de salt in back of 'em. Try tuh throw some right on dey back. Try tuh throw some of it when dey goin' out. Always have it prepared an' throw some of dat in dere back. An' den yo' sprinkle it on de floor right where he walk. Jes' lak ah walk in heah an' yo' sweep behin' 'em an' say, "Yo' damn son-of-a-bitch, yo' stay 'way from heah."
(And they won't come back?)
Dey ain't comin' back.
Entry 11168
Yo' kin take a person's shoes an' go ahead an' dress 'en an' have dey foots all swell up.
(How do you dress those shoes?)
How would dey dress dose shoe? Well, yo' kin take dose shoes an' yo' kin go tuh work an' git chew some John de Conkah an' devil's-shoestring, an' make yo' a powder an' yo' kin sprinkle it all in dose shoes. An' dat person will go an git dose shoes an' put 'em on an' dat'll hurt his foot.
(Make sore feet.) [Feet are more than sore! Only a root doctor can cure them!]
Entry 11176
When you wanta cross a house, well you get you some devil's- shoestring - get you some devil's-shoestring, get you some John the Conquer, and get some winnomore seed.
(What kind?)
Winnamore. You get it out the woods, it's a kind of a seed.
(Wintermore or winnamore?)
Winnamore. You mix it together and then they can't stay in that house.
(Well, what do you do with that stuff, after you mix it?)
You grind it up, grind it all up, see. And you sprinkle it over the house, just sprinkle it right on over the house, and they really can't stay.
(That will make them move out.)
Yes, sir. [If a botonist is unable to identify anything remotely like winna- more (which may be a folk name), I suggest these seeds are sold by a hoodoo shop or mail-order house, and that they are sprinkled on the floor by gamblers to winnamore = win more! As we know, devil's-shoestring is sufficient to drive person out of house!]
Entry 11315
They take a white dog's...
(A white dog's what?)
A white dog's nurine and mix it with black pepper.
(Wait, the urine from the dog or the manure?)
The manure from the dog.
(And mix it with what?)
With black pepper.
(With pepper?)
Yes, sir, and sprinkle it up underneath the steps.
(What will that do?)
That will make you move out in nine days. That's what they told me. [For vhite dog manure see also No.1840, p.548, v.1.]
Entry 11362
They have some powder - you go to. the Cracker Jack Drug Store dowatoun you know They calls it the Evil Powder. (Evil Powder?) Yes sir. You takes it and sprinkles it around your house or on your steps, you understand. And finally - not tomorrow you going to move, but finally, you get disgusted of the place and you'll move on away from that place.
(I see.)
Entry 11721
(What is goofer dust?)
Well, it's not a particular thing. It's sompin jes' lak whut chew say, a reefer. It's not a twig, it's mo' of a flour [ = powder-like] but it's ground, ground into a powder, an' they use it fo' sprinklin' fo' luck an' they throws it on peoples' po'ch fo' bad luck. (What is a reefer?) reefer is somepin lak a cigarette; dey smoke reefers - uh-huh, jes' lak hops.
(Drugs?)
Uh-huh.
Entry 11723
Fix it up an' go in de cemetery an' git some dirt an' fixes it up.... (That is all you put in it?) No sir, yo' put sulphur an' put dis table salt an' red peppah, grind it fine, an' yo' take it an' sprinkle it anybody's track - sprinkle it ovah dere - say dey'll leave an' dey won't come back no mo'.
(You call that mixture goofer dust?)
Yes. [This informant gave an unusual account of how to sell self to the devil, No.375, v.1.]
Entry 11725
They claim they get a whole lot of stuff and put in there, High John the Conqueror, nimphel[?] weed [etc.]. Put all of them weeds together and beat them up good, and call that goofer dust. You are walking along in the mud and you put your whole footprint down there. They claim they can sprinkle that dust in there and make you butt your brains out. [Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone 39.]
Entry 11727
Dat goofer dust is made from incense. Yo' take dis lucky incense an' yo' kin burn it an' poun' it up in a can yo' know. Git it out somewhere roun' yore neighbor's an' sprinkle it, yo' know, roun'. Dat makes all of 'em come influenced to yo', yo' know.
Entry 11764
To git a man, git dirt off infant's grave, take piece of John de Con- kah root, put both in nation sack [see interview THE "NATION SACK" WOMAN, p.1449- 1459, v.2, especially p.1458, lines 7-28.] When you git to man, put piece of John de Conkah root and chew and sprinkle the dirt.
Entry 11770
Run hand into sinnerman's grave or baby's grave, take dirt from breast, mix with salt and pepper, and sprinkle round the house to "break up de home, cause confusion." [Mobile 971:4.]
Entry 11792
Mix graveyard dirt and pepper, sprinkle around house or gate, makes person within move. [Vicksburg 991:1.]
Entry 11821
Graveyard dust sprinkled around house causes confusion in home.
[Elizabeth City, 403:6.]
Entry 11826
They sprinkle graveyard dirt at house to make persons within move.
[Little Rock, Ark., 1464:10.]
Entry 11830
If they sprinkle graveyard dirt around your door, that will hurt you.
[Wilmington 105:5+85.]
Entry 12160
De cow hoof or hog hoof - yeah, anything lak dat. Yeah, yo' burn dat. Yo' git dat cow hoof, hog hoof, whatsomevah what it is, an' yo' git chew some Hearts Cologne an' sprinkle ovah dat an' yo' burn dat. Burn it in yore house. While yo' burnin' dat, yo' hook yore han' [fingers] together an' yo' make yore wish. Dat's good wishes. Yeah yo' jes' lock yore fingers together. Dat's good wishes, dat's sompin good. Dere no harm in it. Ah haven't heard it, dere's no harm in dat.
Entry 12164
Well, before the judge you use the holy water too. You can sprinkle yourself good with it and read the 23rd Psalm of David. You can read the 23rd Psalm of David and sprinkle yourself with holy water. It'll make you wish [you will make your wish] and go before the judge.
Entry 12336
Either they could go to that person's house an' sprinkle lime aroun' de house, under de do'step. Dat'll run 'em out, make de folks have some kind of feelin' dey jes' cain't stay there. [Somewhere there is also an example of this from Fredericksburg, Va.]
(Make them move?)
Yeah. [Fayetteville, N. Car., (1426), 2572: la.]
Entry 12362
Dere.danger to yo' head all de time. Yo' take a man's hat, yo' under- stand, an' yo' go to de drug store an' git what chew call sulphur of potash, something like a powder and it's called love powder. That's the name fer it Love Powder. Sprinkle dat in de hat, in de lining. Or if he goes with yo' and yo' kin get near to him, sprinkle it in any piece of his clothes. Dat means dat yo' can't stay away, yo' will come back.
Entry 12367
Get luck powder - love and luck powder.
(Love and luck powder. And what do you do with that?)
Sprinkle it down - keep it sprinkled down around the house.
(And what will that do?)
Make them love you.
Entry 12468
Get some moving powder and sprinkle it around, that'll make 'em move in two days. [New Orleans 1438:2.]
Entry 12491
This story goes, if ah wanta make yo' move, ah go buy a brand-new pot-vessel never been used. Ah go gets a low bush myrtle an' put it in de pot an' boil it. When it's boiled an' cooled, yo' take it an' walk around dere house three times, sprinkle de water an' pray dis prayer, say, "In de Name of God, within three days, move." An' dey say dat's effective. Now wheth- er it's true or not ah never tried it.
Entry 12557
Yo' kin burn tablesalt an' yo' kin burm onions an' sprinkle de salt ovah dem...dat will bring peace and business.
(That is if you are annoyed with the law.) [Wilson 2643 or 2644:5.]
Entry 12566
Git peanut hulls. An' yo' put salt an' sugah with de peanut hulls. Have 'em mashed up an yo' sprinkle dat ovah on de flo', an' dat'll move 'em.
[Memphis 1517:9.]
Entry 12596
She was working fer a private family, three of 'em working together and one of 'em was very disagreeable and dis was de cook. Well, an' de other one was de maid and one was de washwoman. Well, dis washwoman she didn't like de cook an' every night and every time she'd git a chance, she would go in de kit- chen an' sprinkle peppah around de floor in order to make de white lady fire her and probably give her de cook job and git another washwoman. Well, dey linger and linger and all like dat until finally dis girl did break a valuable dish and she lost her job and dis girl dat was washing she got de job, sure enuff and dey got another washwoman. Dese people tried to locate her but she was gone to New York [by] that time.
Entry 12603
Take red peppah, jis' take it an' sprinkle it ovah de stove where yo' cook at, sprinkle red peppah in de stove or eithah throw it in de fiah.
(What will that do then?) Dey won' come neah dere. (That will keep the law away?) Sho'.
Entry 12653
Red pepper, sugar and white gunpowder sprinkle around the house to keep the law away. [Memphis 1553:4.]
Entry 10619
Well, if yo' have a person tuh leave yo' an' yo' wanta bring dem back- yo' loves dem. Yo' loved ones gits scattahed off an' yo' wanta bring 'em back tuh yo'. Dere's two roots grows in de woods, ah'm tellin' yo' truth, dey has two leaves. We calls 'em Eve-and-Adam an' de roots of dem roots is got two little knots about little bigger den a coffee bean - two little knots. One of 'em is a woman an' one is a man. Yo' take 'em an' dry 'em on a stove. Put 'em on a stove an' dry 'em dere stiff an' spongy - spongy like a sponge. But chew cut 'em up when dey gits dry an' make a softa powdah outa dem - a soft powdah. If dat woman drinks coffee, tea, or anything dat she drinks, well yo' kin jes' sprinkle jes' a little bit in de bottom of de cup an' den pour on it. Pour a drink in an' den she drink dat she'll be crazy 'bout chew. Ah believe dat's de truth. Ah'm halfway telling yo' by experience. [St. Petersburg, Fla., (1008). 1630:3.]
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 12803
With new package of salt, sprinkle it behind departing visitor, say, "I don't want so-an'-so here at mah house." Sweep as far out as possible.
[Mobile 942:1.]
Entry 12829
Sweep behind departing person, then sprinkle salt and pepper all over the floor and doorstep. [Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12834
Sprinkle salt and pepper about house at midnight. After the occupant walks over this, his feet will begin hurting and he will move. [Richmond 335:1.]
Entry 12835
Salt and pepper are sprinkled near house as a protection. [Deal Island 24:1.]
Entry 12837
As a protection, salt and black pepper are sprinkled in the house.
[Wilmington 165:5+85.]
Entry 12897
Well, if de [= dey = they] want make him stay home, it's a little blue blossom grows in de woods jes' lak de blossom in a woman's [something], yo' know, dat little nest of hern - fes' lak dat. Yo' kin take dat [blossom] an' steep dat [in water] an' make him stay home. Yo' kin steep dat - say if he's a coffee drinker - an' sweeten it round de home. Sprinkle it round. It's a little vine wit a blue blossom on it. Steep it an' put a little of dat in his cup. Man, he couldn't put a collah an' chain round his laig an' pull him 'way from home.
(What do they call that vine, do you know?)
Dey call [it] a true vine. true vine. Hit's wit a blue blossom like dat blossom be's on a woman, yo' know. [Even Shakespeare in Hamlet was concerned with a similar plant.]
Entry 12958
Tuh keeps de law away, what dey do roun' eah [round here] - ah know a lota dem burn shoes [usually the right] an' make a wish, an' take de ashes from 'em an' sprinkle it all in de fo' cornahs of de house inside. [Richmond 286:5.]
Entry 13231
You can get that party to leave you and there is no one will touch you. Like if you go to the druggist and ask for some stay away powder. It's a powder they sell down there and they call it stay away powder, like if you don't even want any visitors at your home, you sprinkle a little bit of it around your window and around your door. Take a little bit of it in your hand and blow it on your doorknob, jes' blow on your doorknob and, if any one know you and want to see you, they won't come there.
Entry 2295
When I was a boy I was hunting a job here [at the Chamberlain Hotel] as bellboy and I had my mother to see a so-called fortune teller. And he told her to burn some shoes and to get a few of the ashes and sprinkle some of these ashes around Richmond's feet, he was the manager, when I came to apply for the job. [The informant, headwaiter, began as bellboy at old Chamberlain; I interviewed him,1936 at new Chamberlain.]
Entry 13269
Dey say if anybody have done anything to yo', yo' kin take sulphur an' sprinkle it all around yore house an' bury some of it under de doorstep, an' den take some of it an' put it in a rag an' wear it round yore waist. Say dat'll kill it.
Entry 13277
Sulphur sprinkled in person's departing tracks will keep that person away. [Wilmington 156:2+85.]
Entry 13394
Urine, salt and pepper sprinkled at door or about the house, inside or out, protects the house against any evil. [Elizabeth City 406:6.]
Entry 13414
I have heard and they said they would take and put such as war water to make you - to disturb you, see. They say they sprinkle that around your door and that'll upset your mind so or somepin of the kind, if you walk over it; that if you step in it, you walk it all through the house and everybody in there would get upset. And that'll worry them and get them all upset, their mind all upset, so they'll leave you - leave the house. [This informant, 35 persons after informant in preceding rite, shows present rite a common one in New Orleans.]
Entry 13454
An' if yo' wants tuh git rid of him an' don' want him nowhere aroun', go git chew a bottle of wine, black wine, an' git chew a little jar of mustard - git chew half a jar of mustard. Take half a jar of mus- tard into de wine, a quart of wine or half a gallon of wine 'cordin' tuh how yo' wanta use it. Take dat mustard an' beat it into dat wine lak dat, jes' continually beat it, until it all go tuhgether an' yo' cain't see it - de mustard. Take an' sprinkle dat when he leaves outa yore house, if he's stayin' dere yo' know. An' when he leave out, jes' sprinkle dat behin' him an' let him go. He ain't comin' back. He cain't come back. [The wine leads him out, the mustard keeps him away, and informant is marked excellent.]
Entry 10445
Dese dey call such as witches. Ah heard de older folks say dat dat wus sompin similar to somebody dat wus an enemy to yo'. See, lak dat. Dey came dere an' worried yo'. Dey claimed dat yo' kin take sech as de mustard seed, carry dat in dere an' jes' sprinkle it all around de place. Yo' see, when dey came in dat [the seeds] dey would have tuh stop an' count each an' every seed befo' dey could interfere; an' befo' dey'd git through counting de seeds, why it's day would break on 'em an' dey would have to go.
The informant reports an older-folks claim about sprinkling mustard seed around a place; the counting and daybreak effects remain attributed.