Subject:Steel
Entries
Entry 2314
For luck in gambling you get you some lodestone, you get you some steel dust, and you mix it together and you get you some paradise seeds, and you put all that together in a flannel bag and you sew it up. It's a bag about that size. And after you sew it up in that flannel bag, you take it and you put it down in a saucer - a round saucer and you pour some whiskey - or either good gin on it. You see, you gotta pour that on it. That's to season [feed] it. And you sprinkle a little steel dust on it - you see, that's to season it, and that is supposed to give you luck in gambling. You see, the steel dust supposed to draw and the lodestone. The paradise seeds - well, they include help to make it a success. I got lots of that stuff.
Entry 2315
De graveyard dirt by itself is not no good, but it's a certain time yo' gotta go git de graveyard, de dirt from de graveyard. One minute aftah twelve yo' supposed tuh be dere tuh git it from a fren' dat yo' an' him been long nice good - yo' an' him been good, see jes' lak a fren'. Yo' swap money wit him - could handle money wit him or somepin lak dat. One minute aftah twelve on de dot, yo call him by dey name when yo' go down dere by de graveyard, one minute aftah twelve. Say, "Joe, Jim, '' say, "come heah, ah want some luck from yo'. Ah wanta git a little de dirt." An' don't git de dirt right off de top of de groun'. Git it from as close by de casket [coffin], if de casket ain't rotted up, but it's bettah if yo' could git it right out it if de casket done been long 'nuff fo' it tuh done rotten. An' yo' take it an' mix it wit steel dust an' take yo' a silver dime - dat graveyard dust, de silver dime an' take yo' a piece of red flannen, an' git chew some oil of cinnamon an' mix wit dat an' make yo' a little bag an' wear it on yore left side. Dat's luck. Put de steel dust down in dere wit de silver dime, put it down in dere wit it an' wear dat on yore left side. Dat's luck fo' gamblin'. Success. But it's dangerous! Lightnin'! De dust, it draws. De steel dust is de same as lodestone, yo' know, it's always dangerous. Be sho' tuh take it off yo' in de case of thunder or lightnin' storm. Yo' should take it off yo'.
Entry 3276
I know anothah remedy, would stop 'im. I'll take a knife or fork an' go to bed an' he'll tell me, he say, "Come on, let's give a piece." But I say, "I don't feel lak it." I feel bad or somepin. He'll start to fussin'. I'll get up an' I go get me a fork dat yo' eat wit. I take dat fork an' I place it right back here in my back, an I lay down on it. When he get ready to go wit me, when he get right dere, he gona fall - fall. Dat fork, de way I've got dat fork, I've got dat fork stickin' de point towards mah head. But I'm layin' down right here - yo' see, right in dere [demonstrates].
(In the hollow of your back?)
In de hollah of mah back. So, he can't raise no heart. He'll have one when he git ready to go dere, but he won't - he can't put it in, he'll go fall evah time.
Entry 3864
Well, ah heard dat dey kin take - lak a man wants tuh do sompin wit a woman - he kin take a woman sanitaries an' put it into a black bottle an' bury it an' kill de woman. (He would take the sanitary piece from her and put it in this black bottle and stop it up and bury it and it would kill her.) Put devil vinegah wit it an' some cinnamon an' some steel dust [3 ingredients].
[For black bottle see BLACK BoTTLE, p.523.]
Entry 4354
Oh! a person kin do a lot wit dat.
(Well, what for example? One thing.)
One thing, yuh kin take dat.
(This chamber lye.)
Put it in a bottle, put some lodestone in it, steel dust, nine pins an' nine needles. Turn it upside down in yuh home. Dat would make a man stay. Yuh kin take it an' do dat wit it. If yuh want tuh harm 'em, yo' take dere pee an' stop it up in bottle wit a new stopper an' bury it: Bury it where dere's no watah, an' when dat bottle busts, dey will die. But if yuh jis' wants 'em, have dem beggered an' be wit yuh, put it undah de hydrant [considered run- ning water] where it's cool, dat watah, an' dat bottle will nevah - nevah bust, cuz de watah, it won't sour. It'll keep it cool. But yuh see, dat stuff, well hit gits strong in a bottle somewhere up in a warm place. Yuh know yuhself it will bust. Well, when it busts, dat's de last of a person.
Entry 4913
De woman's stockin's, put 'em up ovah de sill of de do'. An' dat steel dust, as yuh call it, put it up dere wit cayenne peppah wit it, in a bottle, stoppin' it tight. Write her name in it an' dat run 'er stone crazy. Dat give mah mamma de haidache so, she didn't know her haid from her arm or 'er feets.
Entry 4972
If he is away from yuh, if yuh wan' 'im tuh stay wit yuh, yuh take it an' yuh git cheh some steel dust - dat's drawin' - an' lodestone, dat's drawin'. Yuh put it in 'is sock. Yuh take dat sock jis' lak dat goin' in. (Going into the house.) Intuh de house. Yuh put it down in de groun' an' yuh bury it wit de feet goin' in. He cain't stay away from dat house.
(I see. You take the left.)
[Left is nowhere mentioned. Informant may be repeating story and assumes I know which sock; or after story completed I may have turned off machine and then asked left or right before restarting machine in time to catch the answer.]
Entry 5025
Yuh kin take his name an' yore name tuhgethah. Dat's to keep 'im wit yuh right on. Yuh write his name on some brown papah lak dat brown wrappin' papah. Yuh write his name on [with] indelicate [indelible] pencil - new indelicate pencil. An' yuh put it [name] between 'is socks an' yuh sew it up wit No.8 black thread - de man's dirty socks. Yuh take dat brown papah an' yuh cut it jis' lak seat [bottom or sole] of dat sock. Yuh write his name on dat paper [cut in the shape of a sole]. Yuh write jore name on dat nine times, but joo write yore name on top of 'is fer nine times. Yuh put it between dem socks. Yuh sew dat up wit No.8 black thread. Yuh take drawin' powdah, yuh take steel dust, an' roll it up through dem socks; an' put it [socks] in yer mattress, an' he sleeps on dat. Dat'll keep 'im from goin' away from yeh.
Entry 5027
Take de socks an' sprinkle some steel dust on it an' bury it. Dat'll run 'em crazy.
Entry 5404
Well, if a person wan'a harm yo' in a foot track, dey got diff'ren ways dey kin harm yo' in dat. Dey kin take fo' ninstance - dey kin take an' git eggs, dey kin harm yo' in dat. Dey kin use salt an' harm yo' in dat. (How do they harm you with the eggs with that?) All right. Dey take a egg. Dey kin take a egg an' break dat egg. Beat dat egg up - beat dat egg an' when dey beat dat egg, dey put sugah in it. Dey'd git what chew would call - de same thin' as ah jis' tole yo', spoke of; but yo' git de powdah, de war powdah. Yo' mixes dat tuhgethah, but when yo' mixes it, it will come as a paste, see. Well, yo' jis' mix dat tuhgethah an' yo' gits - lak DERE'S A DRUG STORE RIGHT HERE, A FEW BLOCKS FROM HERE, WE GOES TO. Yo' gO dere an' yo' git some of de steel dust, or else take a silvah dime an' scrape it. Yo' git de dus' off de dime. An' yo' stir dat up good, an' if yo' git dis person's tracks, yo' put jis' a li'le in each track. Well, yo' know dey's goin' tuh pass an' dey bound tuh put dere feet in it. Be sure yo' know dey goin' tuh put dere feet in it. Yo' ketch one track here an' yo' may ketch anothah one ovah dere. Yo' know some people make big steps. Yo' ketch de track an' yo' put some in dere, in each track of de party yo' doin' harm. See. An' dat be all of dat. Dere won't be nuthin done in dat - see, in tryin' tuh harm 'em.
(What will that do to a person then?)
Now, tuh keep a person from [I interrupt].
(What will that do to him if you put that in his track?)
Well, what will it do tuh yo'? Why, den it would maybe paralyze 'im, his foot. It could paralyze yo', make yo' go lame in one leg or maybe de whole side. See, if a person done harm yo'.
(I see. Then - what would they do then? Do you know how to prevent that?)
Entry 5628
Take de foot tracks up an' put dat in abottle of water, an' put some cayenne peppah an' salt an' steel dust, an' throw it inde rivah. Dat will make yo' drift. Track of de left foot.
Entry 6835
[Here is one of many examples in Hoodoo of my restarting recording machine, hoping informant will repeat the brief rite just given:] (You use that for poison?) Poison, yo' know. Yo' take gunpowdah an' steel dust an' yo' grin' dat up an' yo' take dat a sweet milk, drink it, an' whatevah inside'a yo', yo'll pass it.
Entry 6965
It's also good fo' dose evil thin's. Yo' take de silvah, any kinda silvah or steel. Yo' scrape de - yo' file it, chew know, an' yo' take dat dust an' yo' eat a li'lepincha [pinch of] it in yuh foods. Dat'll always project [eject] de evil, whutsomevah dey've did fo' yo' - tuh yo'.
Entry 7980
I've heard whut it'll do, dat little coffin. But jis' like I tellin' yo' a few minutes ago, dat stuff about makin' a little coffin. Put 'em undah de step, yo' see, wit de people's photo in dat coffin, de party. Dat why plenty people won't take dere photos yo' see. Put it in dat coffin wit some pins, some needles, yo' see, an' some steel dust and lodestone. See. An' dat draw dose people outa dat house, yo' undahstan', an' fix 'em so dey will nevah wan' tuh see one anothah no mo'.
Entry 8034
A bone from a daid pusson depends whut chew wanta use it fo'. N Now, yo' kin use a bone from a dead pusson fo' two diff'ren' thin's. Yo' kin use it - well, say three: yo' kin use it fo' gamblin', yo' kin use it fo' tuh hahm [harm] somebody or somepin of dat sort. (How do you use it for gambling?) Well, now, yo' take a bone. If yo' kin git de bone an' yo' can't beat it, if it's too hard fo' yo' tuh beat, yo' take dat bone an' yo' git chew a file an' yo' file dat bone. An' as yo' file dat bone, yo' file it intuh somepin, a clean piece of white papah where yo' kin git all dat dust yo' file [from] dat bone. When yo' git all de dust yo' want tuh, offa dis bone, yo' git chew a silvah dime an' yo' cut fo' holes - not holes, but ah mean marks in de dime, jis' lak whut is aroun' dis ole piece of ring ah got heah [shows it and demonstrates]. Yo' cut a hole dere, one dere, an' one dere, an' one dere - yo' cut fo' holes.
(Sort of a notch, like you cut a piece of pie.)
Yes, sir, a notch.
(Cut a little piece off of it.)
Yes, yo' cut fo' lak dat in dat dime an' put dat dime in dere wit dat powdah. Yo' git chew some steel dust, see. Yo' git de steel dust an' dis dime an' yo' put 'em in, an' yo' git chew three needles. Yo' take dem three needles an' yo' put 'em on a piece of flannel - red flannel. But chew put one lak dis an' one dataway. Yo' cross 'em. An' yo' put de othah one 'way up above it dataway in dis position. See? Now, yo' wrap dis needle up here, yo' wrap it ovah dis way firs'. (Now, Wait a minute. You have these two needles crossed like that [I demon- strate], and then you put one above it like that?) Yes, sir. (One - this top one is just like you're making a "T" out of it. One, this top one is up above the "x" [the two crossed needles] there.)
[These 3 needles are now folded 9 times in a complicated rite:]
One's above de othah, yo' see. Well, dat's de one yo' fold, yo' see. Yo' fole dis othah one - when yo' fole dis othah one, yo' see, it'll fole right from dere tuh dere. Yo' kin covah dese othah two needles, yo' see. Now, when yo' fole dis way, dat one fold. See, when yo' fole ovah disaway ag'in, dat two folds. Yo' foles disaway, dat's three foles. An' disaway, dat's fo' foles. Now, yo' got fo' foles dataway. Now aftah yo' fole 'em dataway, yo' take an' yo' fole it ag'in. Dat's five. An' yo' fole disaway. Dat's six. An' fole dataway. Dat's seven. An' fole disaway. Dat's eight. See? An' yuh last fole, de ninth fole, it'll be about dat big. Dat's yuh las' fold. An' yo' fole jis' lak dat. Dat be yuh las fole an' it's goin' tuh be jis' - not a bit biggah dan what de needles, de length of de needles are. See, when yo' git through foldin' dat, dat'll be de length of de needles. Yo' put dat in yuh pocket, or yuh pocketbook rathah. An' now yo' got dat in yuh pocketbook, be sure dat chew got anothah small piece of coin dat chew kin put wit dat besides dat silvah dime yo' already have. Now, if yo' got anothah silvah dime, yo' put dat in de pocketbook wit dis othah stuff dat yo' jis' finished. Yo' put dat wit dat. Now, dat steel dust an' dose two silvah dimes, an' dose needles is tuh draw money, see. Yo' kin go an' shoot dice, play cards, anythin' yo' want. Yo' needn't tuh worry. Yo' might a-go dere an' lose de firs' dollah yo' have, yo' might even lose de firs' fifteen or twenty dollahs. Don't worry about dat. Yo'll make dat back in de nex' two plays yo' make. Yo'll make double of dat, yo'll make triple of dat. Dat steel dust an' dem dimes an' de needle is done draw yuh money tuh yo'. See.
Entry 8043
Take de dead man's bone, take fo' of 'is fingahs. Yo' see, dese: one, two, three, fo' fingahs here. An' take each one of 'em j'ints. Yo' undahstand. Yo' take de end of dem fingahs, aftah all de meat's done faded offa dem.
(Either hand?)
No, no, take off de right hand.
(All right.)
Dat's 'is gamblin' hand, makes a gamblin' hand outa it. Dat's tuh make yuh win, undahstand. Dat's supposed tuh make yo' lucky, make yo' win. Take dem fo' fingahs here an' dey chip 'em right in half. When dey chip dem fo' j'ints in half, dey puts 'em intuh a li'le bag, yo' undahstand. An' put some steel dust in dere an' lode- stone an' six needles, gold-eyed needles, an' sew dat up an' give it tuh yuh. Call dat a lucky hand.
(For gambling.)
Entry 8216
Git dey pichure an' it have tuh be a whole body; jis' lak dose pi- chures dere [on the wall of interviewing room] dat girl an' one de li'le chil'- ren, jis' de whole body of a person. Well, yo take it an' it have tuh be - not no papah, see. Jis' lak dem ole common [old-time] pichure. Yo' take a tintype an' yo' take it an' put it in a saucah wit de fellah, woman, or whosomevah it is, an' yo' write it nine times, see.
(What do you write nine times?)
Well, yo' put it on a piece of papah wit ink. See, yo' put it wit ink. (You write that name nine times on a piece of paper. Now where do you put that paper?) Yes, yo' put dat papah undah de saucah, see an' den yo' put de pichure on top of de papah, an' de saucah on top of all of it, mo' tuh de groun'. Den yo' take - yo' have tuh dig de hole six feet, an' den aftah yo' do all dat yo' see, well yo put de steel dust on top of it an' de red peppah, an' all dat diff'ren kind [of things]. Jis' lak dat, yo' know, fo' tuh keep dat tuhgethah, keep de whole thing tuhgethah. Yo' put de dirt on top of it an' when de nine days out, well debody's gone. He's goin' take sick befo' den, but in de meantimes he'll disappeah.
(Why do you put that saucer on top of those things?)
Well, dat saucah, dat's fo' tuh keep it down, yo' see. Tuh keep it mo' tuh de groun'. Mos' of 'em uses Saucahs. EVAHBODY MOS'LY USES SAUCAH WHEN YO' WANTA KILL SOMEBODY IN DAT LINE. (How do you put that picture in there? Do you [I probably demonstrate] put the face up like that?) No, yo' have tuh put de face down on de name.
(And how is the name? Is that name up or is the name down?)
De name is down. De whole thing is down, de pichure, de name an' evah'thing. An' yo' turn de saucah down. All dat down tuh de ground, tuh de earth.
(And you just go out and dig a hole any place?)
Well, YO' HAVE TUH DIG IT SIX FEET. YO' CAIN'T LET NO ONE SEE YO'. ANY PLACE IN DE GROUN', BUT IT HAVE TUH BE YO' KNOW AT NIGHT. Yo' wOuldn't Want nObody [to see you].
Entry 8484
Ah say yo' could take him an' write him [his name on a piece of paper] an' put 'im in one of these black wine bottles; his name and some steel dust an' some golden powder, washing powder. Take an' throw him [bottled] in de rivah. (Any kind of washing powder in black bottle?) An' that makes 'im go on a drag. [Black bottle in New Or- leans before Prohibition] and World War I was always the French dark-green-glass wine bottle. These bot- tles, become scarce after Prohibition, introduced the dark bottle, usually a brown beer bottle. Though informant does not name the golden washing powder, I am sure the formerly well-known Gold Dust Twins was meant.]
Entry 8511
(What do you do with that graveyard dust?)
Well, yo' take graveyard dust an' put it wit - tuh break up a woman an' a man.
[Long pause by informant.]
(How would they handle that? How would they use that?)
Well, dey take de graveyard dust an' steel dust an' guinea seeds an' war wa- tah, an' put it intuh a coconut, yo' see, an' red peppah, cayenne peppah, Epsom salts an' bittah apple an' bury it. An' yo' see, dat cuz a 'sturbance. Den dey writes de man's name an' de woman's name nine times an' dat break 'em up, cuz dem tuh make terrible 'sturbance. An' dat cuz dem tuh break up, see. (Where do they bury this?) Well, dey bury it undah de porch - bury it in de ground, bury it in de ground. [For preceding guinea seeds, see long margin title GUINEA SEEDS... GRAINS OF PARADISE, p.57Of. Red pepper in present margin title could be a repetition for preceding cayenne pepper, but more likely it means a piece of hot red-pepper pod. The preceding bitter apple - also called bitter cucunber and bitter gourd - is the colocynth (Citrullis colocynthis), a Medi- terranean and African vine related to the watermelon.]
Entry 8514
(What are you going to do when you get the coconut?)
Whut chew goin' do wit de coconut? Yo' goin' empty de watah [milk or juice] out de coconut, dry it out good. See, don' leave no watah in dere, let it drain good. An' den put jis' a li'le steel dust an' a piece of lodestone, an' yo' orite dat name nine times. Write his name nine times. Take dat spool of thread, No.8 black, an' wrap dat comin' tuh yuh [saying] "Ah want chew tuh stay heah. Yo nst stay an' yo' gotta stay. Ah want chew heah." Yo' put dat intuh dat coconut an' yo' take a li'le stoppah an' yo' cut de stoppah off, an' shet dat up an' bury it undah de steps. See. (Is there any special way you must bury it under the steps?) No, yo'jis'.... Yo'see, yo' have tuh bury it up lak dat [demonstrates]. Yo' bury it up lak dat, but de coconut is in de ground. See. Now ah did dat. (What will that do then?) Well, dat brings 'is mind, makes 'im stay dere, an' him an' her been tuhgethah evah since.
Entry 8564
Git de dirt from a person foot track an' yo' could put some steel dust with, an' hair from undah yore arms, an' yo' could bury it, an' yo' could keep a person down lak that. Either yo' could make 'em travel. Yo' could take a person's foot tracks an' yo' could take de steel dust, hair from undah yore arms an' dirt from undah yore fingernails. An' yo' take dis ole [anything you measure with] yo' know de length that yo' measure. Measure it [foot track] crossway an' straight up an' down, too. An' yo' could write de name [on a piece of paper or article used for measuring] an' bury it an' yo' keep 'em down. An' yo' could take a piece of their sock with that, yo' understan'.
Entry 8592
A light, a light - she take this lamp an' she write your [a man's] name nine times, an' she take: de steel dust, dat's to draw; lodestone, dat draws; put it in dis lamp. She takes his name an' she pins it on de wick.
(On the wick of the lamp?)
Yes. After she write his name nine times, she write hers on top of his name. Always she'd be on de top (I see.) Pin that on the wick an' set this light. When she decided to set this light.... [I interrupt.] (She lights the light?) [I want to know, does set mean light the lamp.] She puts that name on there and she puts lodestone and steel dust over it right in the bottom of this light, some sugar. [To set this light means to prepare the lamp.] And she lights this light and whilst lighting it she - she light it and make the Lord's Prayer. An' say, "In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, I want this man back to me, '' an' light it an' leave it light- ed. Don't let it go out an' he'll come back.
Entry 8630
Yo' take some de entrails out [of the lemon] yo' know whatsomevah it [inside of lemon] is [called] an' yo' take a person name. Yo' could take it three times. Yo' could write it three times or else nine, de most is nine, but yo' could take it at three. An' yo' puts anyone yo' want. Heah's anothah separation. Dere plenty ways fo' separation. 1 make 'em confuse an' angry wit anothah, tuh keep 'em apart. Well, yo' put dis down in dere, put de name down in dere. Yo' don' have tuh take ink, yo' could put ink or else a pencil lak dat ink - yo' know, indelible or any kind. An' yo' do it zactly lak ah said wit dis othah one. Put nine time or three time wit one on top each othah. Den yo' take dis steel dust an' dis pePpah, de same red peppah. RED PEPPAH IS REAL HELL. Well, yo' put dat red peppah an' salt an' all dat togethah, an' dis steel dust togethah, an' yo' take it an' put it down in dat lemon, see. An' yo' take de top of de lemon whut chew cut off an' yo' pin it togethah, see. Hit don' have tuh be six feet of dirt where yo' could make a little hole about dat deep [demonstrates].
(About a foot deep.)
Yessuh. An' yo' put it down in dere an' yo' curse it. AN' YO' HAVE TUH BE DRUNK. Yo' have tuh git drunk, an' let de evil come up, yo' undahstan', an' curse it while puttin' it in. When yo' be puttin' de dirt on be cursin' it, yo' undahstan'. Any kinda ole dirty cursin' yo' wants tuh do.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat's separation ag'in, dat's fightin'.
(While you are doing this, you have to be drunk to do it.)
Yo' have tuh be good an' - not say good an' drunk. WHUT AH MEAN, KNOWIN' WHUT CHURE DOIN'; BUT YO' HAVE TUH HAVE PLENTY LIKKER IN YO'. An' jis' curSe it, yo' know, while puttin' it any place in de ground.
Entry 8699
[To] make them move out of that house, tell you, yo' go an' get some of that olive oil.
(Wait a minute! Olive oil?)
Olive oil, and get some of dis here steel dust. Get a fresh bottle of vinegar.
(Get a fresh bottle of vinegar.)
Yes, sir. Yo' get the neighbor's name, either one in de family name [the man's or woman's]. Take a piece of papah an' cut it off just how many letters in that name. [The name is writ- ten and then each letter of the name is clipped off as a separate slip of paper.] An' take it an' put it down in that bottle. An' after puttin' it [these slips of papers] down in the bottle, take it an' roll it on de floor. After rollin' it on de floor, yo' take dat bottle an' set it up. If yo' ever could get anywhere close to de house, yo' set. it at sunrise. An' when yo' set it there, in three days dem people goin' from there.
(They will move away?)
Done gone away without any confusion at all. Yo' [they] wouldn't know how it was did. [New Orleans. La., (829).1221:1.]
Entry 8776
[Late in turning on recording machine] put chew some cayenne peppah an' some steel dust in dat [lemon, see later] an' yo' sews it up an' throw it in de rivah. Now, if yo' can't git de lemon an' yo' wants tuh use a bottle, yo' gits dat bottle an' yo' git chew some war watah. Yo' puts dere name down up in dere. All right, yo' use dis cayenne peppah an' git chew nine tacks down up in dere vinegah. All right, yo' kin stop dat up an' throw 'em in de rivah.
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 8939
If yo' got any way of leaving your friends, if yo' got a idea of that, of somebody goin' to come there an' trouble yo', yo' understand. Yo' know, all yo' have to do, use this here steel dust and this cinnamon an' sugar. That will sweeten up the place there and they will change their mind. Yo' see, yo' takes a bottle of vinegar and the apartment have - probably may two or three windows into the apartment where you at. Well, yo' take this fresh bottle of vinegar - yo' could get a nickeZ[!] bottle of vinegar - an' yo' put it in a dif- ferent bottle [bottles numbering] just how many windows or doors that you got. Yo' take your cinnamon an' this steel dust an' yo' put down in there [bottles] an' sugar. Put it [bottle] down beneath any window or any door, where they could enter into the building. Just put that there. Every time they get there, their mind is upsetted - changed.
(Do you mix this stuff with the vinegar or use the vinegar alone?)
The vinegar and this here steel dust and this [cinnamon and sugar].
(What do you use the vinegar for?)
The vinegar, that's the strength - to strengthen, to sour it.
(Oh! To strengthen it.)
And sour it. Yo' see, that's to sour that - just like that sugah, that sugah sweetenin' that vinegar. Yo' see? Then yo' take lemons, such as lemon juice, an' squeeze it down in there. Well, yo' put it at all the windows in any little bit of bottle - small little bottle - an' just shake it. An' yo' put it in dere. Well, anywhere round that building they come at, that sugar an' sweetening. When they get there, they'll say, "Oh, well, I'll delay that for another day."
(They won't take anything from there? Won't steal anything from there?)
No, never would take nuthin.
Entry 8964
Yo' take de beef tongue, yo' see. Yo' first upset de house, yore house, evahthing into it, or if yo' have a partner dat have a court case, yo' do dis to git de judge. Git de judge's name. All right, git de client name dat de judge is gonna per- secute [prosecute!]. Yo' understan' dat. Den de person dat's persecutin' 'em [prosecuting attorney]. All right. Yo' have dat. Now, yo' take dis person dat chew workin' fo' - her name - an' de judge name an' de lawyer's name together, dat dey'll cooperate together. Yo' see, den yo' git dat same remedy. Well, yo' git first dis Drowin' Oil, den yo' git dis Min' Oil; yo' git Florida watah, an' yo' git Orange Blossom watah. Yo' know whut dat is. Den yo' git steel dust, an' den yo' git dat nine lumps of sugah an' yo' git dat honey. Dat is fo' dat good act. Dat is to git 'em togethah. When yo' do dat way ahead when dey come to yo' first. An' yo' shake it [these things in a bottle]. Jes' shake it. Yo' keeps dat an' yo' shake it. Well, yo' put it off [aside]. Now, as fer as de beef tongue. Tuh freeze a client's [tongue] dat yo' know gonna talk, git chew 50 pound of ice an' take de beef tongue. Yo' know how tuh do dat. An' den wit de names dat are goin' against de person dat chure workin' fo', an' freeze 'em, an' dey won't be able tuh talk.
(You use both the beef and these other ingredients in the bottle?)
Yes.
Entry 9030
Take his name and write it, the judge's name, [and] the district at- torney's name and all the high peoples names there. An' yo' write their name an' put it into yore left shoe, with that cinnamon, sugar an' steel dust, an' that sweeten 'em up. Put it in yore left shoe when yo' go in the courthouse. An' as yo' go in there, yo' cross yore fingers three times an' call their names.
(You do what with these fingers?)
Cross your fingers three times.
(Snap your fingers?)
Yeah, three times.
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 9855
You make it like the sign of the cross down by your floor [see note later]. Take tacks, the steel tacks [not brass headed], and you make a sign just like a cross underneath your mattress [but on floor, see later]. That's to hold a man that you want. Well nine [tacks] you just put 'em like this:. that's a cross; this way and like that [demonstrates again by making cross on table or in air]. [In the original transcription our present word floor is door; the latter surely an error, which produces two crosses instead of one. Informant's word nine also indicates one cross. As you can see, the word door would produce two crosses. A cross on the floor under the bed - the fifth point in between the four legs of a bed - creates a quincunx. A bed quincunx is fairly common.]
Entry 9988
Live frog, rabbit foot, lodestone, steel dust, red pep- per - in red flannel bag. Frog is put in alive.
Entry 10278
Whut chew kin do with a dirty sock, least dat is tuh keep a man with a woman, dat is she's about tuh go or he's about tuh go from her, is dis: His urine is his nature. Yo' understan' dat. Yo' git de bottle an' git de urine an' yo' git de he lodestone, steel dust, cinnamon, sugah, drawin' oil, mind oil. Write de name nine times, nine needles an' nine pins. An' yo' put dat ingrediment [ingredients] together, yo' understan', an' yo' shake it well an' put it undah de do'step. Be shure dat it crosses ovah it three times, an' den aftah yo' take it an' put it anywheres in yore place. Yes, ah kin guarantee yo' it bring de woman dat ah did de work fo' dat ah he'ped [helped] out with it, an' through prayers, goin' to de chapel an' makin' prayers.
(That'll hold the man?)
Listen, dat'll hold him an' yo'll nevah git, but don' evah - dat means a man'll kill yuh if he gits holt of dat, yo' see. Dat means death. An' it really will hold him.
Entry 10595
You take the bat's heart, you understand. That's supposed to be luck. Take the heart from the bat before he is dead. Over that Jockey Club perfume wit Blue Di'mond, git from the pharmacy; it's a lickrish [liquid]. Saturate it, you see. Sew it up in a piece of red flannel, you see, with some steel dust. Well, if you are a gambling man, that will make you lucky.
Entry 11219
You get the mud dauber.
(Yes.)
Out of a big stable anywhere. You stick this finger.
(Which finger?)
This one.
(The middle finger of the right hand?)
Yes. Get the blood out of it.
(Yes.)
Get all the blood. You write the name nine times on a piece of paper. You roll that mud dauber, that name, steel dust, lodestone, wrap it up. Roll it up tight, and you get [have] some luck. (It separates them.) Man and woman.
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 11712
Well, garlic's for luck for skinning.
(For what?)
Any kind of card games. You take garlic and antiphigestin. They have a' 'nointment, a salve-like they calls aniphigestine. People use it for sores. Well, you take garlic - take those little buttons of garlic - take one of 'em and cut it up into nine pieces. (Nine pieces.) Nine pieces of it. Take this - a whole tube of anamjestine... (Ana - anamajestine?) Anamajestine. Yes, sir. (All right.) Then you take it and wrap it up in a nice clean ohite cloth - just so the cloth is nice and clean. Then you take and take a piece of white - red flannel and wrap it up in that. And take this stove coal - hard, hard, you know, and beat it up just like a powder.
(Black coal?)
Black coal, yes, sir. And take some vinegar and put this coal in some vinegar, nalf a glass of vinegar. And put about a teaspoonful of that coal dust in that and steel dust - a small amount of steel dust. And put it on and boil it down i real low. And then you take and soak that garlic and anamajestine in it. That akes a toby.
(What's a toby?)
For cards - that tells you when your cards is on the table, when to turn 'em D. Tell you when to set.
(How will it tell you that?)
Well, when it's....it'll jump in your pocket.
(Do what?)
It'll jump.
(It'll jump to tell you to do that.)
Entry 12128
(What does she do?)
She gets some steel dust.
(And what does she take?)
The bow out of your hat. And she mix it with this bow and this steel dust together. And she put it right in the front of your hat thataway. She slips it back in there. See, when you perspire, why the steel dust will run with it and go into your eyes.
(What will that do?) Run you blind.
Entry 12234
If you is gambling and you wants luck, well you'll git you some steel dust. See. You git you a dime - a silver dime. Git that dime and you put it in a piece of flannel, and you take it and you git a piece of John de Conkah root. See, that John de Conkah root. You takes all that and you put it down in there. Steel dust, and then you get you some of that cinnamon powder. You understand. And you takes that down [from shelf] and put it in there, and then you git you some Van- van. You ever heard of that. Or some good Jockey Club Perfume. And you put it [flannel package or hand] in your pocket. See, that steel dust draws. Then you put it in your pocket and every time you wants to gamble with somebody, you take it and rub it like that in your hand. You see. Take it and rub it in your hand but don't let 'em see you. And whatever you doing, you going to be lucky.
Entry 12275
Yo' kin take a file or a knife an' go to de corner of yo' place an' yo' stick it down in de left-han' side an' name it. An' ever' day go dere an' push it down a little bit, an' when it git down to de last, whosomevah dey name is yo' goin' fix dat fo', dey'll fall. Dey'll fall lak dat. When it git down to de last it will fall. Dey'll nevah git ovah it.
Entry 12671
Ah understan' about de snail an' a person's photo. Well, yo' kin take a photo an' bury it upside down in de graveyard, an' yo' take a snail an' yo' git some steel dust an' yo' write dat indivi- dual name down an' yo' glue it onto de snail yo' see. An' whatsomevah yo' make yore wish, whatsomevah yo' wants tuh, yo' know, make it fo'. If yo' want a person tuh drag lak dat [snail] an' as dat snail crawl yo' see an' de picture fade away, well, dat person will jis' drag until dey die. (You do those two things but you don't do anything to the photograph at all except bury it in the graveyard.) Yo' take de photograph an' yo' write de person name on it nine times, an' if yo' want 'em tuh drag or sompin, why yo' write whatsomevah yo' want, yo' know, tuh happen tuh 'em, an' turn it upside down [and bury it] in de graveyard. An' probably, maybe somebody whut chew know died bad yo' see. Yo' turn it, point it tuh where dey died [buried?] at yo' understan', upside down. An' yo' take de snail an' yo' git some steel dust an' yo' write dere name down on a piece of papah an' yo' put dat steel dust in dere, an' yo' take it - glue it, yo' know, onto de snail. An' yo' see, yo' know, a snail crawl away slow; an' jis' as dey [the snail] crawl an' dat picture fades away, well, dose people will drag an' dey'll pass out.
(Do you write this in any special way, with just an ordinary pencil or what?)
Well, yo' could write it with blue ink if yo' wanted tuh.
Entry 12706
Then, if any woman that far off, from you, or anything and you wants to see them...
(You say they're far off?)
Yeah - just like - far off - well, they's got a [liquid] which they - we call The Long Long Livest Friend.
(The Long Long Livest Friend.)
Yeah. Well, you go get some of this Long Livest Friend and you take some of this Paris Ennis Oil. It ain't but 25c a bottle.
(Paris what?)
Paris Ennis Oil, and you take it and you put it inside of this bottle with some of this, which we call this here steel dust. You get steel dust and you get some of this here rock salt. And when you put it down, just anything that they ever slept on - any- thing they ever left there - socks, or old shoes, or any bedclothes they laid on, well you just take that and just every morning, you get up, just sprinkle it all over that. Take some of this sugar of lead with this rock salt...
(Sugar of what?)
Sugar of lead - yes, sir, with this rock salt, beat it and put it in the cen- ter of your bed [center of bed = quincunx]. Anywhere, they get at, their mind is rdght back where they come from.
(That's to bring - that's if you want to hear from them or bring them back.)
Yes sir. They coming back, they going to come back in - don't care, inside of chree or five days she'll be back, if there any way for 'em to get there at that time.
Entry 12882
Scrub your home with sugar, cinnamon and wintergreen and you mop that out. Don't put no soap or no powder, just mop the place in. Always start at de sill of the door, mop it in. Then after that, take you some cinnamon and steel dust and sprin- kle all around into the home, just sprinkle it into the place - the four corners of the house. And that draws openers for you for business.
Entry 13130
You take water, if you going to take a bath in water. You wanta hurt me or anything of that sort. Well, I'm going to take my bath and probably just before I take my bath, if you after hurtin' me [that word after preceding hurt- ing was added by Irish transcriber], you would take, say for instance, this is my bathroom. I'm fixin' to go in there to take my bath. Well, I liable to draw my water first. See, and I got my water took, I'm liable to walk out. And if I don't do that, you take and you - before I go in the bathroom to draw my water, you get you some of the stuff you call kankeena.
(What do you call that?)
Kankeena.
(Kankeena?)
Kankeena.
(Where do you get that?)
It's a powder you can get it at most any drug store.
(I see.)
Get kankeena, it's a white powder. You get very little for a nickel, just a very small quantity for a nickel. You gets that. Now, when you get that pow- der, you sprinkle it around that tub, all around on the edges, not to the bot- tom, but be sure it gets just around the tub, like that.
(On the outside or inside of the tub?)
On the inside of the tub. It's got to get into the water, see. Now, that stuff there is to take - when I bathe in the tub, this powder going to get on me. Now, when I get this powder on me, it liable to startin' and itchin' an everythin'. After I done bathin' it start in itchin'. It won't be the soap, it won't be the water. I won't know what it's all about. See. It'll start me to itchin', probably, I'm liable to start to breakin' [out] in a few days - break all kind of sores out on me [quite a separation between break and out!]. See. Well, then I liable have to go to a doctor [M.D.] to find out what it is. He think it's my blood's bad. He try to use different medicine. He wanta give me shots of somepin. Probably he can't do me no good with the shots and all that they gives you. Well, then, if he couldn't do me no good, he done give me [I turn off machine to bring informant to point]. (This doctor [M.D.] couldn't do you any good and you go to the Cracker Jack Drug Store and get the same things you said, you mentioned.) I'm going to get - I'm goin' to get more than the one thing, I'm goin' to get some of this steel dust.
(I see.)
I'm goin' to go to the Cracker Jack - I'm usin' steel dust again. I'm going to use the steel dust. I'm going to get me what you call the snake oil - they sells that. I'm going to get that snake oil. I'm goin' to get steel dust. Now, when I get the snake oil and the steel dust, I'm goin' to put those two together. See. I'm going to use that to rub with. I rub myself with that at least three times a day. Now, in rubbin' with that stuff, I says the 35th [23rd] Psalms of David. See, that's a prayer. You say it, that's the 35th [23rd] Psalm of David. I says that! "The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want." See, as I'm rubbing: 'The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want." And I just keep arubbin'. See. Well, now I may have to do that, maybe nine or ten days. I may have to do it for a couple of weeks. Eighteen or twenty days at the most, anyway. See. Well, then I do that and as I do that every day for three times a day, I says the 35th [23rd] Psalm of David and for about twenty days and then I'm over with that. See.
Entry 13233
They take a shoe - the bottom [insole] out of your shoe - and they can put some steel dust in there, you see. Steel dust! And you walk on it, you see. Well, that steel dust in there, you see, that's to swell your foot up. You see. (You put this in the bottom of the shoe, you say?) Right in the bottom of the sole of your shoe, you see, and you walks on it, you understand, when you get that.
(If they put that steel dust in your shoe, then you would see that?)
No, some of 'em could put it - you see that piece what goes in the bottom of the shoe, that leather rag, they puts it under the leather [insole]. See.
(I see.)
Entry 13234
Well, of course, if they got you in jail, of course, you done have somebody [usually a hoodoo doctor] on the outside to handle that for you. Now, you get you some sugar and you get you some cinnamon, you get some steel dust and lode- stone. You beat that all in a powder, you see. Now, when you beat that in a powder - now they got you before the judge, you have somebody come in the door, and when they [pris- oner] come in the door, in the judge's door - while he be coming in, he [your doctor] be dropping it and he be counting nine times, long as it take you - until you get clean up to the stand. See. Just drop a little of it on the floor the ninth time. I bet you walk out of that place.
(But somebody else has got to do that for you?)
Yeah, somebody got to do that for you, you see, because they already got you in there.
(I see.)