Subject:Stopper
Entries
Entry 4058
[The general reader may not know that dripping is an important magic rite in folklore, the magic of various types of occurrence: continual, occa- sional, interrupted, regu- lated, etc. The best-known examples are probably the burial of an article where water from the eaves drip on it - see FACI, 1st ed. 362, p.14, rain-making rite; 847, p.34, divination of crop year; 4124, p.195, 4239, p.203, wart cures.]
(How would they do that?)
Dey jis' git aholt of some of yuh chamber lye an' put it in a bottle an' put yuh a little trench in dat bottle stoppah.
(Put a little trench in the stopper?)
Yes, sir, where it yuh know, it won' run but it'll drip. An' yuh put dat bottle in a tilted position where dat kin drip an' drip an' drip. An' yuh'll become - git tuh de place where yuh cain't har'ly do anythin', lak a man do uhen he gits fixed [hoodooed or witchcrafted] you know. An' fin'ly dat all drips out. Well, if it molts [molds] in dere an' de molt [mold] gits ovah dat hole, an' it quits drippin' an' it stops de hole up, it stops yuh urine. He don' urinate no mo', unless he gits somepin done. An' yo' know a man don' have tuh miss doin' dat long befo' he dies.
Entry 4061
Dey git holt some-a yuh chamber lye, yuh see, an' dey bur' [bury] it. Dey git holt-a yuh chamber lye an' dey put it in a bottle. Dey put somepin else Wit it. Dey put some kin'a Ceylon peppah [says my transcriber, and that is what it sounded like; but here we have a hoodoo drug store or mail-order house product - Sea Lion Pepper]. Kin'a white-liken peppah. [This pepper is white-like and the label probably shows the figure of a sea lion.] But dey have it fine. [The pepper comes ground.] Put dat [pepper] wit it. An' dey make a hole in de top of yuh chamber lye [bottle cork] an' dey turn it [bottle] upside down an' dey bury dat chamber lye. An' if yuh don' find 'at bottle of chamber lye in time an' unburies it, yuh'll die. Dis thing leaks, it will leak out. See, be leaking, but dey do make a hole in it fo' hit tuh leak. Dey bur' 'it. Dey try tuh git it tuh yuh home if dey kin. Dey'd ruthah [they had rather] fo' it tuh be tuh yuh home den be tuh dere house. An it leak out. An' WHEN DAT BE GONE, all dat chamber lye, YUH BE GONE.
[I start fishing for details.]
(What did you say they get for that, the stuff in the can - pepper?)
Be in a pasteboard box. It's white cayenne. Think tuh buy about 15c or 25c but it's kin'a high [expensive].
[Again I fish, for time, anything.]
(And when do they put this in - altogether?)
Put dat in de chamber lye.
[My third fishing trip catches a rare detail!]
(And where do you put that, then? That chamber lye, what do you put that in?)
Oh, any kin'a [bottle] - HOLY WATAH BOTTLE - if yuh leave a little bit of hole. [Use any bottle, but a holy water bottle is more convenient.] Yuh [see] DESE HOLY WATAH BOTTLE GOT DEM KIND, YUH KNOW CAPS, WHERE A LITTLE BIT OF HOLE COME OUT AN' LET IT LEAK.
Entry 4164
Yuh kin take a person chamber lye an' put it in a bottle, an' put a stoppah in it an' put it intuh a dry place, in a dark place where no air cain't hit it. An' yuh kin go to dat bottle evah day fo' nine days an' knock on dat stoppah, an' de las' day yuh hit on dat stop- pah an' drive dat stoPpah up. DAT PERSON WILL BUST OPEN.
Entry 4191
Dey say take a needle, a goldeye needle, an' stick it in de stoppah of a bottle. But yuh gotta axe dis certain somebody fo' a penny, if yuh want 'em tuh give yuh some money, see. An' take dis penny an' his hair out de top of 'is head, an' put dis hair in dat bottle an' a penny, an' use some of 'is urinate an' keep dat. Stick nine goldeye needles in dat stoppah, an' dat'll make 'e [= he = him] give yuh money. But yuh gotta git dat penny from 'im.
(But you put your own [his] urine in the bottle?)
Yes.
(But you get that penny from the man?)
Yeah, from who yuh want de money.
(You just keep this bottle?)
Yes.
Entry 4492
Yuh could take de bath watah.
(The water you take a bath in?)
Yeah. Put it in a quart bottle, or a pint bottle - any [either] one. Yuh gets yuh 9 needles - yuh buy 'em what ain't been used out of - 9 needles, 9 pins. Put 'em in dat [bottle], a bran'- new stoppah. Yuh stop dat [bot- tle] up tight, tight. Turn it like dis, upside down. Bury it undah de hydrant where de watah runnin'. When yuh put dat dere, dat will run 'em crazy.
(I see.)
Entry 5807
Yo' kin do dat, yo' kin take de hair outa woman's haid. Co'se [of course] ah don't know if a man do anythin' to anothah man. But if yo' have a goman yo' wanta make love wit, yo' jes' take de hair outa de mole of 'er haid if yo' POSS'bly kin. YO'D HAVE TO STEAL IT OUTA DERE CUZ WOMEN WON'T LET CHEW GIT DAT OUTA DERE IF DEY KNOW IT. An' if yo' kin, some hair out de mole of de woman's haid, yo' kin put dat into a little bottle, see, an' put some alcohol over it, see, an' put a flannen [flannel] stoppah in it - a red flannen stoppah. DAT COME DIRECT DOWN FROM DE HOODOO BUSINESS cuz ah've had dat. An' tote it in yore pocket an' dat woman'll come back to yo'. Don't care where she is, she'll come back to yo'. If she don't come back she'll go crazy. [For alcohol, see also margin title WHISKEY.]
Entry 5986
Well, if she kin git 'im back she go to de Ten Cent Sto' an' buy her a bottle of Hearts Cologne, if she kin git in touch wit 'im to git dat much of hair oata his haid - a strand of hair. Put it to de Hearts Cologne. Turn de bottle apside down an' call 'is name. When he answah, screw de top - shut de voice up in dere an' he can't stay away. HE'LL COME BACK IN SMILES.
(She does this when he is gone. She gets some of his hair?)
His hair. She hide some place while he gone, an' whensoevah he come in, she has his hair in de bottle, an' jes' call 'im quickly. He'll glance up quickly. Screw de top. She's got 'im. [To hold a bottle of perfume upside down with the cork stopper unloosened, while calling a name and waiting for an answer, could be a delicate operation. But we must realize that the cork is barely untwisted and that the spirit in the answering voice can fly - or what- ever a spirit does - through the smallest crack.] [For catching spirit in a bot- tle, see p.24.]
Entry 6005
An' yo' wanted to keep dat fellah. All right, chew take jis' one of de whole plait out de top of dis fellah's haid. Yo' grabs one of dose plaits an' cut it off, an' yo' cut dat plait off dere clean. Yo' take dat plait an' yo' put it in a bottle of Hearts Cologne an' fo' needles, steel needles - fo' needles stick right down 'side of it an' stop it up tight. An' den yo' carry dat bot- tle wit yo' roun' about 'leven or twelve 'clock at night an' yo' go to de graveyard an' yo' set it to
[the grave of] someone dat chew know an' - co'se he [the spirit in the grave]
arrive befo' yo' have de house [he reaches your house before you]. He unnahstan' dough [though]. He'll arrive befo' yo'. All yo' gota do is tell 'em [spirit] what chew want [done or] what chew wanna know. An' yo' bring dat bottle back [home] an' evah time yo' use it - see [demonstrates] de stoppah will be 'bout dat long. De more yo' shove dat [stopper into the bottle], de worse it will git; de more yo' pull on it [pull it out of the bottle], de lessah it will be.
(In [and out of] this bottle? You have a long stopper about a foot long?)
Dat's right, an' yo' see, de more yo' shove [the stopper] in dat [bottle] de more yo' shove dem [the man] down' but de more yo' pull it [the stopper out of the bottle], why dat de more he [man] be up. Now, if he's down an' yo' jis' take dat same stoppah an' yo' got it dis way [demonstrates]. Well, yo' got it down. Well, de othah way [up], yo' gona ease 'bout a half inch or quarter of inch, increase. But when yo' want 'im to go back down, why yo' jis' shove it on back down dere - lak dat [demonstration ends]. Reep 'em, can't leave home - ain't anyway in de worl' fer 'em to leave home. An' keep dat wid joo - dat is contin'en [continuing] 'is min' d'reck [direct] on yo', his min' couldn't leave.
Entry 6174
(What do they say about that?)
Well, yo' take Hearts Cologne lak ah tole yo', lak dey git it an' dress it fo' to keep yo'. Well, yo' git 9 pins, bran'-new pins what have nevah been used, an' yo' git Hearts Cologne. An' when yo' buy dat bottle of cologne, yo' take de stoppah out - yo' see, cuz dat stoppah been used. An' yo' buy a new stoppah, cork stoppah, an' yo' stick 9 pins in dat cork stoppah. Undahstan? An' put it right down in dat Hearts Cologne. Now, lak dere's some man ah want. I will try to git a piece off 'is clothes, anythin' an' put it in dere, yo' undahstan', fo' 9 days. Well, aftah I gits it in dere, whatsomevah ah want - den ah try to git a piece of 'is hair, an' some of 'is fingahnails an' toenails. If ah can't cut 'em, ah'll jes' take a little file here an' make out ah'm jes' playin' wit 'is han', an' file it off at de same time an' gittin' it in mah han'. Undahstan'? An' if ah kin git a piece of hair from undah his arm, yo' undahstan', an' git a piece of hair from de lowah Part, an' put it all in dere, an' 'tis nuthin atall he kin do unless ah command 'in to do it.
(I see.)
Entry 6218
Bo' a hole in a tree wit a new auger an' dey'll git a new stopper an' dl dat hair in de tree [with a new nail]. Dey say dat'll run yo' crazy.
Entry 8787
If yo' want to make 'em drift, yo' jes' take it an' get dat. Yo' always got to get dat name an' get dere right name, an' fix it up. Yo' put it into a bottle an' yo' get yo' some vinegar, strong, good vinegar, an' stick dat name down into dat vinegar, wit nine pods of red peppah - red peppah, not a strained peppah.
(Nine pods of red pepper?)
Yeah, an' stick it down into dat bottle wit his name in it an' dat old Epsom salts an' dat peppah. An' yo' can take it an' go to de rivah. Yo' seal dat bottle up an' yo' go to de rivah an' pitch it right in de channel. It'll float. An' as long as de bottle will float, dey'll always be goin' - dey goin' to keep goin'. Dey won't stay in no one place. Dey'll go to one place an' den dey'll come back to anothah place. Dey'll keep a-goin' an' dey'll nevah stop goin' until somepin gets dat bottle an' knocks dat stoppah out of dere. It goin' to get loose some way, if dose [things inside] won't keep it [afloat]. (I see. Now, you only write the name once on that piece of paper? You only write it once?) No, write it nine times, an' den make yore wish when yo' are writin' it.
(Oh, I see.)