Subject:Success
Entries
Entry 2936
Yo' kin burn these light green candles, yo' see, an' yo' burn that candle an' make yore wishes. An' if yore wishes come as yo' make 'em, an' yo promise tuh save somepin, an' yo' go ahead an' donate dat to de church, well yo'd be successful. [New Orleans, La., (1560).2856:11.]
Entry 4781
Tie nine knots in yore - jis' lak yuh pajama strings or sompin lak dat. Jis' tie nine knots in it an' it'll make yuh successful.
Entry 7681
[Here is a rare rite. While talking to the grave spirit, ask him to give you a sign before you 'leave the grave, that you will be successful in your undertaking with his dirt.] What dey do wit it? Well, dey take dat, yo' see, an' dey go an' shake hands wit de dead yo' see. Den dey give dat to dem. (Well, how do they do that? They get hold of your handwriting. And how would they shake hands with the dead, then?) Well, yo' see, yo' go tuh a pusson who's neighbah yo' know died, yo' know [buried]. An' yo' go down elbow deep an' yo' know, when yo' git down elbow deep, down dere it'll be as cold as de pusson is dead, yo' see. An' yo' talk tuh 'em an' yo'll request whethah yo' be successful an' tell 'em give yo' a sign. Well, if it's a calm day, yo' call de sign, an' yo' tell 'em tuh make a - shake a limb on a tree or shake a bush or send a breeze of wind. An' he give yo' a sign by dat, yo' know. Yo' know whethah yo' be successful when yo' leave [the grave] or not. He give yo' de sign 'fo' yo' leave, yo' know.
(Well, what do you do with this handwriting?)
Dey jes' take it an' put it right - as yo' go down dere elbow deep, dey'll put it in dat hole an' pay 'em two cents an' tell 'em whatcha wanta happen wit dis, yo' know, what chew Wanta happen - kill
Entry 10167
(Tell me something more about burning these candles. How do they burn these candles? Give me an illustration.) Well, you burn those candles - they got different ones they burn. Now, for to make you die, you get a black one. To have luck and successes, you get a pink one [luck] and a blue one [success]. And a blue one will make your man come back to you, if he's gone. (Tell me how you do - just how you burn it. Do you know how you handle that?) Yes. You take that candle and you put it in a saucer or something and you put a little sugar. You take some sugar and you take a piece of paper or else - but honey is the best. Honey is better than sugar because honey is sveeter than sugar. And you put it in a saucer and you have that man's name down. And when you fold it, don't fold it from you, you fold it to you. And you put that candle there. Well, when that candle burn out, well, you see hit'll spread all over there, you see. And you put it where nobody won't see it. You burn that candle like today, the next day he'll come if he don't stay no more than [I interrupt]
(Do you put this honey in the saucer?)
In the - in the - look [demonstrates]: you put the piece of paper in the sau- cer. You put, you know his name is on it, the paper; you put the paper down first in the saucer. You put the honey [demonstrates].
(On top of the paper.)
On top of the paper and you fold it over like you fold a napkin, and you set the candle right up there.
(Down in the honey?)
Yeah, but you see - yeah, down in the honey; but you see, the paper is fold, you know.
(Before you put the honey there?)
Yeah, and you take piece of the candle - you take the candle and you let it drip. Let some of this wax drip on the paper so hit can stick. Well, stick it
[candle] there. Now, when that's burn out, well you go get another one [candle]
and you do the same. Well, you have his name in that [folded paper sweetened with honey]. That's to sweeten him.
(Well, how often can you burn that candle? Or when?)
Well, you burn it, the candle, for nine days and in nine days he'll be back to you, you see; but you burn it every day - you see, every day.
(All day long?)
All day long. Or, when that one go out, you burn another one. You see? You buy you - well, you say, well, I'll buy me [candles]. If you buy you nine can- dles, well [use them] long as those candles burn out; but when you ain't got no more, you go get some more for nine days. And when that - he'll be back in the nine days, 'fore the nine days.
Entry 10568
Yo' could take a leather- wing bat an' gut him alive, an' take his heart an' sew it up in a piece of red flannen, an' it vill make yo' successful in games of all kinds. Jes' while he 'live, cut him open 'live an' take his heart while it's bleedin', an' tie it up in a piece of - put it in a piece of red flannel an' it will make yo' successful in games.
Entry 10590
Well, you just take your bat, catch you a live bat, cut him open and take his heart. You gets you one yard of ribbon, red ribbon. Yes, sir. And anything you deal with, you take that ribbon and that heart and you tie it together. Take two brand-new needles and stick 'em an' make a cross in there like shen you going out, and that'll make you successful. Gambling success. That's called a gambling hand. You pin on the hand you use, on the hand you are using: if you deal with the left hand, on the left; and if you deal with the right, you use the right hand.
Entry 10759
After you have a bath in that water, you put household ammonia and some sugar and some blueing [in the used] water, and that will uncross your bad luck, and bring you success- ful. An' yo' take that and you throw it where the sun rise.
Entry 10840
Ah hear 'em say dat dey take a buzzard aig. Yo' git hit dey said an' yo' heat it hot.but not cook it, an' yo' could carry it to a certain place around a person's house, de do' where dey visit around. An' yo' put dat - name it, yo' see. Yo' write dere name on it an' it'll either run 'em away from dere or dey nevah would have no success dere. Ah heard dat.
Entry 10866
(What do you do with that black cat?)
See, jis' lak he's in de house an' come where yo' is, yo' jis' ketch a little bunch of that hair with chure finger thataway [demonstrates]. Jis' snatch it out that way an' snatch it towards his haid. An' yo' put that in with yore luck piece of yore lode- stone, whatevah yo' got, an' yo' carry that in yore pocket fo' success.
Entry 10960
Dey use de chicken's blood fo' evilness, but now, it's somepin else dat dey have tuh use wit it. Dey takes chicken blood an' writes people's name wit it. Dey have tuh use a feathah. Dey take de feathah out of de chickens tail. Take an' write a person's name wit chicken's blood an' kill 'em. Why yo' uses dat feathah fo' yore pencil an' yo' kin write dere name in de fo' cornahs on anything an' fold de fo' cornahs, jes' lak dat. Why dat gives 'em a awful mind. If it don't kill 'em it will jes' [have] dem passin' away all de time. (What do you do with that paper then, after it has those names on it?) Take dat papah aftah yo' put dat name on it an' bury it in undah dey do'steps or any place wit dat chicken blood on it. Yo' write dey name wit de chicken's blood, dey perfect [full] name fo' times on de fo' cornahs of dat papah, an' fold it an' bury it undah dere do'steps or undah yores, any- body's elses. It don't make any diff'rence jes' since it's in de earth. An' as dat chicken blood passes away, why it gives yo' success. Dey cain't stay any place.
Entry 11719
I know a root I will get and it makes you lucky, successful in life. That's the root you call, it's a little small root that grows, it...you know, gingsing [ginseng]. You take that root, you have to be mighty careful with it, you wrap it in cotton and sew it in a nice lit- tle cloth, make a nice little pocket [bag], you can even carry it in your purse. You have success in life and in traveling, absolutely. I've been all over. I was born in Tennessee. I know all about all this business. [I have very few examples about this well-known root.]
Entry 12165
Well, yo' uses holy watah lak fo' somepin good. Yo' kin use it lak fo' sprinklin' round yore house, yo' see. An' then yo' kin git a bottle of holy watah an' keep dat on de back- side of yore bed. Lak de bed. An' ah put a leetle string [on the bottle] an' keep it hung on dere [behind bed]. Dat's luck, yo' know. It's successful [brings success] in yore home, too.
Entry 12429
Well the fact is, if yo' wan'a job, they have Mind Oil. You hear of it? Mind Oil. Well, suppose the boss's name John Henry. You sign his name to that parchment paper, put it in that Mind Oil. You will get you some paradise seed, get you some parsley. You take a bath with that. After taking bath, you must stay in that building all night, and throw the water out into the Middle of the street, see. And anything that instead of going contrary, you ill have a success with. [For "paradise seed" see margin title GUINEA SEEDS etc., P.570, v.1. Throwing bath water into street is a transference rite and remaining instead in building all night recalls ancient incubation rites.]
Entry 12460
I works with the moon. Now anything that choo start on the dark of the moon is not successful, see? Anything you wan'a be successful at is not successful. You starts on the third day of the new moon - see, on the third. Anything you want to be success- ful in, you start on the third day of the new moon. [Another excellent hoodoo woman.]
Entry 765
It's a vine - ah dunno whut chew call it - it's some kind of a vine dat dey call a cross vine. [Crossvine is a woody vine (Bignonia capreolata) in the southern United States; a transverse section of a stem often showing a cross mark.] It grows an' of cos' if yo' move that, why yo' won't have any luck an' yo' be troubled in every way - no prosper of no kind an' fin'lly yo'll jis' have it in yore mind tuh move.
(What do you do with that vine, now?)
Put it undah de ceiling of a house.
(Under the ceiling - like that up there?)
Yo' kin put it up ovah the do' or underneat' undah de steps. (You get two pieces of this cross vine and cross it, so that if anybody moves in there they can't stay - they'll have to move.) Yes.
Entry 942
De sign dat dey's bo'n undah - jis' lak ah or yo' wus bo'n undah a sign lak, dat's de way yo' work dese things.
(Give me an example.)
Fo' yore luck yo' gota work yore problems on time dat yo' wus born - yo' know, on de month an' de day an' lak dat. Den yo' kin go [to the] almanac an' yo' kin see whut - ah cain't call it plain lak some people [can't say Zodiac] but anyhow each one of those - see, lak those fishes an' de woman an' those things. Well, yo' kin go to that an' yo' kin tell whut sign yo's bo'n undah. An' it show yo' in de almanac whut days to do that on. (In other words if you were doing this work for somebody, you do it according to the sign he was born in.) Dat's de best time tuh do it in - de time dey is bo'n in.
(The sign of Zodiac you were born in. What about the moon?)
Well, de moon - it's de time dat de moon rises befo' day or somethin' lak dat. Yo' always ketch a full moon for stillness on a yellah moon see that's growin'. A growin' moon is fo' prospects an' when de moon's 'bout on de waste away, dat's de time den dat yo' do fo' not a good success, yo' understan'.
Entry 948
Jis' lak if yo' wanted somethin' tuh work good, see - yo' work on de new moon. Start on de new moon. Jis' lak dis mawnin' - as soon as yo' git up this mawnin' if ah wanta have success, see, start wit de new moon. If ah want yo' back soon, bring yo' back or leave, yo' start yo' work den. It's bettah tuh work on de moon, yo' see - he'll come back. Yore work will take effect quicker den - waitin' till de middle of de month till it git off, cain't do nuthin den.
Entry 1079
I order me incent [incense] an' a bottle of holy oil. This incent [demonstrates] I set it in this corner, this corner, this corner and this corner.
(The four corners of the room.)
Yes. An' ah burns them down at that corner. I git down dere an' ah wish fo' whut ah want - success, prosper, money. An' by burning that an' have yore whole heart an' min'on it, why it would - it comes true. An' when yo' burning that incent an' with the holy oil, yo' po's that holy oil on that incent, yo' see. Yo' order that. Ah don't buv it out de drug store. ah orders it mahself. An while it's burning yo' wishes. It's jest lak de Cath'lics, yo' know, by yore faith yore saved aren't [or not] an' by yore faith yore damned. An'by mah faith I always has success an' prosper an' everybody mostly likes me.
Entry 1081
Use this holy water - it's clear like rain water. You can take a bath in that three times a day 'cause I tried that - take a bath in that three times a day. And after you take a bath in the water three times a day - you don't use no soap or nothing, you bring it out and you throws it towards the sunrise. You see, like the sun rise over there, you throw the water over there and after you throw it you makes a wish. And if anybody got you tricked or anything like that, why, you see, you done throwed your troubles out there. Well, they cross over it and they catch it - that leaves, it get off you and get on them [see Transference, p.38f.].
(I see. Well, now, do you take that bath three times a day? How many days?)
No, you take it nine mornings - every morning for nine mornings, you take that bath.
(I see. Well, now, where do you get this holy water?)
You get it at the Spiritualist [or Spiritist or Spiritual] church. [This name is sometimes difficult to freeze into an exact word.]
(The spiritist church holy water, I see.)
Yes, sir.
(You don't use the Catholic holy water?)
Yeah, it's all the same. You see, the priest blesses it and he sends it out to diff'rent spiritualist people - chapters and all. You got to take holy water, if your house is crossed. Take the holy water and you see, you sprinkle it in this corner - the four corners of the house. In each one of them four corners you sprinkle the holy water and then take the rest of it and wash all in front your door for three mornings, and that will bring peace and success to your home. [See also Holy water Medicine, p.382, and Index.]
Entry 2177
Take your onion, a raw onion and put it in the middle of the fish, don't sprinkle it, just take a whole onion and put it in there. You clean it and put it on in the fish, and you ain't going to have none left - all them going to be sold out.
(That's when you're having your fish fry. Do you put it in each fish?)
That? No, just put that in the skillet in the first fish you fry - just that whole onion in the middle of it when it's frying. Put it on top of the fish there and let your fish fry. And your next one [skillet] you fry, just put it on there, all your fish will be eat.
(Each fish that you fry?)
Not each fish, just in the front of the skillet. Turn your fish over and take the onion up and set it back, don't set it where it'll burn, set it on top of there. You clean it but you don't cut it up. Use catfish and buffalo. All of them will sell out.
Entry 2238
Yo' take for a' ninstance, yo' take a rattlesnake - yo' know, he's called to be a rattlesnake master.
(You're talking about rattlesnake master?)
That's right. Dey have a bush, too - it's climber bush, it's very nicely, it's silkish. An' yo' take dat an' yo' put dis - it's not Hearts Cologne. "Yo' git another cologne - it cost yo' $5 [during the Great Depression!]. I'll bring it down to yo' sometime an' let chew see it. An' yo' sprinkle that an' put it in de bottom of yore trunk. If you haven't got chure clothes, put chure clothes in there. Yo'll have good luck the balance of yore days - yo'll be successful in yore jobs, always ever'body will want chew to work for them.
(Rattlesnake master is a root isn't it?)
Yes, it's a root. [I rewrite the underlined words: If you haven't got (all) chure clothes (with you), put chure clothes in there (after you go home)...always ever'body will want chew to (root) work for them. Once again I am a doctor - see Hyatt, H. M., in Index.]
Entry 2257
Well, the only thing to do in case if you should happen to want any result and be successful in luck [getting a job], jes' go and git some oil of rose from de drug store, which and why, you gits dat in all leading drug stores. You don't find dat in no little drug store, you know, 'cause it is too costly. It costes 10ç a drop and you know what one drop is - it's jes' only a whiff of it, so therefore you will have to git at least about ten drops in dere to do you much good. Now, you take dat ten drops of oil of rose and jes' rub it over once in de palm of de hand - rub it jes' like dis [demonstrates]. Rub your hands together and press it down and while you is pressing it down, say, "God de Father, God de Son." And press your hand like dis and press it across your face - bring it down - don't evah rub it up - always bring it down, you know, pressing it in. Then when you git through wit that, then you gits de Scriptures and read de 3lst chapter Psalms, the 45th and the 52nd. And then you go out depending on luck. And de first place you stop in, well, jes' knowing exactly how to approach, they won't take you then, but will tell you as much as possible to drop in now and then, and by going on you will come into the sense of being successful and get the job.
(You got the job?)
Yes, you'll come to have a chance of getting it.
Entry 2882
(What do you do with that red candle did you say?) A red candle is fo' love - a white candle is love. Well, yo' burns two candles, yo' burns a white one an' a red one, yo' burn 'em jes' befo' sunup every mawnin' an' jes' at sundown. That is fo' love an' success.
Entry 10833
Whensomevah yo' want a job, yo' kin take one of dese heah buckeyes. Yo' know it's sompin dey call buckeyes dat grow in de woods, some kinda thing dey call de buckeye. An' yo kin take some of dat, cake bit an' put it in yore pocket. Bole [hold] it in yore hand an' squeeze it in yore hand when yo' go look fo' a job, any kinda favor. Dey'll nevah deny yo'. While yo' talkin', hol' dat buck- eye in yore hand; yo' know, squeeze it tight an' talk to dem, an' dey won' deny yo' fo' yo' job, whatsomevah yo' go dere fo'.
Entry 12163
(All right. Now, what about that holy oil?)
If you got a holy oil, you keep yourself anointed with that. That will keep you lucky and successful with a job, or business, or anything.
Entry 12455
Go in de hills [mole runs] where a mole's at an' dig a MoLE up, ketch him alive, an' jes' rub himself in yore han' an' yo' be's successful in amything yo' undertake tuh do. [Memphis 2713:3.]
Entry 12516
Now if yo' in business an' yo' wanta be successful in yore business, yo' kin take a simple thing as a red onion. Yo' kin burn it in yore fire an' it's a known fact yo'll always keep a crowd. [Waycross 1890:4.]
Entry 12963
(When do you burn your shoes?)
On Friday fo' luck fo' people come roun', yo' mo' successful in money.
[Memphis 1515:11.]
Entry 9494
Yo' kin take pot salt an' carry it tuh a [skin game], jes' lak if yo goin' gamblin', an' throw it right where yo' at or where de people at till it connect me wit all de money. Have good luck an' successful. An' throw it an' talk to it. Dat why yo' have good luck an' successful. Good luck in gamblin'.
Entry 14
Ah take de name of de party who havin' spells so terrible it seems tuh be. Ah write dat name seven times, either seven or nine, but then this is a prayin' job now. When ah write that name seven times ah prays de seven prayers - de same prayer seven times an' in less than nine hours he'll 'bout come tuh life.
(What prayer - any particular prayer?)
Yessuh. Dis pa'tic'lar prayer, dat's in a secret prayerbook.
(You take any prayer you Want to choose?)
Yessuh, yo' kin look through an' see which is de best one fo' sech case, accordin' tuh whatevah yo' likely tuh pray on. [Thinking he had finished I stopped my machine - he repeats a line or two of prayer.] Dat's page 51 though mostly.
(It's a prayer of the Episcopal Church, isn't it?)
Yessuh. [The secret prayerbook was The Book of Common Prayer - certainly not from page 51, which begins with The Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birth; probably one of Collects from page 49.] Dat's a gurontee tuh put a person in a house if they wanta git in there. Well, we take dis pink luck success an' de white luck success an' have them tuh pass an' break a bottle in front of de do' an' in de next six or seven days de house is his, if it's no one in it.
(Where do you get this luck success?)
At de Crackerjack Drug Sto' down heah at - dat's where ah deals at mostly. An' though ah nevah did desire to handle so much of de mean stuff, but some- times yo' have tuh do those mean things tuh git at the good ones. An' ah uses de hair of a white person into a colored person's ear fo' dizzy haids, an' ah use a colored person's hair into de white person's haid fo' dizzy haids. Sometime dey think yo're bumin' candle on 'em. [In the New Orleans area dizzy head is usually caused by someone burning a candle on you - see Headache in Index.] So ah take a little of de white person's hair, about say an' inch, an' stick in his [colored person's] ear, or ah'll take de colored person's hair an' put it in de white person's ear - [claps hands once] jes' dat quick [the dizziness leaves]. [For Negro hair in white person's ear as earache cure, see FACI,2ed., p.201; 1st ed., p.241.] Well, about burning de candle on jah - tuh put de candle out, ah take rivah watah, rain watah an' ditch watah or well watah, anything lak dat, jes' so it's three watahs mixed together, an' ah pass dat ovah dere haid three times dis way an' den three times de othah way an' make him wash his haid good wit it, an' it seems tuh been workin' out very well so fur. [Many doctors and spirituals in the New Orleans area make their holy water - usually they bless it - this three-waters rite being one way of making it.] (You bring that water over his head three times forward and three times back- ward?) Dat's right.
(What will that do about that candle then?)
Well, it supposed tuh put it out. Yo' git relief to de haid. [For other methods to put out candle, see Candle in Index.] Use a green candle, at least ah does, on Mondays an' Wednesday an' Fridays fo' success. Dat green candle dat's mo' fo' success. An' den with the green candle - yo' doesn't light the candle with a match, yo' git van-van [a hoodoo perfune]. Dat's whut ah use, van-van, an' put a little in de saucer an' light de van-van an' hold de candle to dat, an' den make yore prayer, whatevah wish yo' wanta make, an' den set dat dere an' yo' supposed tuh have a success from Monday up to Saturday. Burn dat Monday, not de same candle dough - burn dat whole one out Monday, an' de whole one out agin Wednesday, an' de whole one out Friday. An' den Saturday yo'll have a success in receiving a payment, if it's nuthin' but a little job in order to make a dollah or so.
(Do you light that candle at any particular hours?)
On Monday yo' light it at six a'clock, an' on Wednesdays yo' light it at nine a'clock, an' on Fridays at twelve a'clock noon [light them with the growing Of the day].
(That is just for general success?)
Yessuh. If someone is fixed an' dey husban' an' wife doesn't agree at home very well ah have them tuh burn a white candle - if dey kin burn it in dere home. Some of 'em, dey cain't burn it in de home - ah'll burn dat fo' dem. Ah'll have dem tuh hold de candle an' ah ask God tuh bless it, an' den let dem burn dat. Dat's tuh make de husban' an' wife agree an' stop squabblin' an' goin' on. Dat's de white candle.
(Do you burn that at any special time?)
Yessuh - ah burns that at three a'clock.
(Any special day, I mean.)
Yessuh - fo' peace, ah burns dat on Tuesday.
(If he has left, this is to bring him back?)
Yessuh - if he's gone an' yo' have de picture of him, well, dey take it an' turn it against de wall. Turn de face of de picture against de wall an' write his name nine times an' put it in de bottle, an' put essence of van-van on dere with the same amount of Floridy [Florida] watah, an' shake dat an' set it down on de flo' undah de picture, jes' lak de pictures up dere an' yo' set dat bottle undah dere. An' ever' time yo' shake it, it'll upset his mind till he returns. Dat's been proven. Ah don' wanta talk nuthin' dat ain't been proven. (In writing that man s name down nine times, how do you mean you write it - just one name right after the other?) No, suh - write this this way three times. Swing yore papah roun' an' write it de whole six times. De first three times yo' write it right straight that Way, an' den whirl it ovah again an' den write it six times. Dat'll return him back. Then yo' fold dat good an' keerful an' put it in de bottle an' put de Floridy watah an' de same amount of Floridy, yo' put that amount of van-van. Dat's de essence of van-van. An' when yo' shake that, well, no doubt it may be three or fo' days befo' de party returns - depend on de distance dey are. But when they shake that until the papah come aloose, it's okay. An' if he's a long [distance] we gen'ral'y write that with red ink an' that returns him.
(Can you give me a little account of your work - about that healing?)
Mostly a healer, dat's mostly whut ah am, a healer. When it come tuh lawsuits or any othah little home upset, well, ah jes' makes dat ovah. But mah main work is a healer. Ah gen'ral'y do de most of mah work wit mah necked [naked] han'. If a person come tuh me wit a pain in dey laig or dey arm, anywhere, ah lay dat han' on 'em an' pray, an' rub up in it an' he git up an' go 'way, say in about three minutes. Dat's mah main work. [Rub up instead of down is unusual.]
(You use an altar you say. Do you do anything with the altar?)
No suh, ah jes' stan's in front of de altar. (Do you wear any costume or anything of that sort when you are doing that work?) Nuthin' but de beads - prayer beads [he shows a rosary].
(With the little cross on them.)
Yessuh, dat's right.
(Do you wear anything on your head?)
Nuthin' but a little cap - a little black cap.
(Like a littie skull cap?)
Yessuh. (How did you get your power to do these things? Did someone teach it to you or were you initiated into it or were you just born that way?) [This is not a leading question; I had asked it too often - the answer always being the same.] Jes' nachally bo'n dat way - nevah went tuh school nary a minute in mah life. (This man who was just in here is a healer. He only knew a few things to tell me, but he might be a good contact man. End of 1578.)
Entry 57
Yo' take a pitcher - dis wus gived to me in a vision - yo' take pennies, an' ah tried it to see whether or not it wus true. Yo' set it in de east corner of yore house, a half a pitcher of watah. An' ev'ry day yo' drop a penny in dere. See, dat's plantin' 'em. An' if yo' drop one in dere, yo' goin' git anothah one de next day, some way - if yo' don't know where yo goin' git it, yo' git it. An' ev'ry time yo' drop a penny in dat pitcher yo' say somepin good ovah it, jes' lak a Bible verse or somepin - whatevah come to yo', an' yo' jot dat down so yo' kin remember, yo' see. An' dat works out all right. It's diff'rent things yo' should say ovah 'em an' dey always come out - diff'rent things come true. Dat's called plantin' pennies.
(How long do you keep that up?)
Jes' as long as yo' evah want success to yore house or to yore business or to whatevah yo' doin'. See, try not tuh take 'em out till yo' git ready to start tuh plantin' some mo'. Don't take 'em out an' jes' leave de pitcher empty. Look lak yo' don't do so good if yo' move 'em.
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 1902
Ah used de nest of de red ants mahself - see, ah used to be a gambler. Yo' git a frog an' take tie him up, both his laig, to a stake ovah a nest of dose large red antses an' let dem eat de flesh off his bones, see. An' den yo take de bones an' wrap 'em up in a cloth an' dress em wit cologne an' yo'll win. But it's dangerous - yo' have tuh pay fo' it.
(What do you mean by that?)
Well, yo' li'ble lose a member of yore body, yore arm or laig, toe, yo' know, or lose somebody in de family yo' love, or either yore life. Yo'll have to pay fo it. It s de devil's trick.
(What do you do with that frog? You stake - you mean?)
Yo' stake him - yo' torture him - yo' let de red ants eat de flesh off him - stake him alive. Yo' tie him up, all fo' of him laigs where de ants kin git to his flesh.
Entry 2415
Wash yore face in sugah de first thing in de mawnin' with yore han' first [not with washcloth] an' go out an' meet de person an' den yo'll have good success. An' yo' know, take consecrated [concentrated] lye an' mop yore place 'fore de do' heah an' don't say nuthin to nobody while yo' takin' care of dat. Dat'll bring luck to de place an' yo' sell a lotta liquor.
Entry 2420
Yo' git yo' some sugah an' sulphur an' git chew a bottle of Heart Perfume. Po' it on there, don't chew know, down on de sugah an' stuff an' about six a'clock burn dat. An' then yo' git de Bible an' yo' read de 47 Psalm an then to make them come - yo' gotta say, "May mah crowd gather together thick. May mah crowd gather together thick. In de Name of de Father, in de Name of de Son, in the Name of de Holy Spirit." An' they begin to gather thick an' yo'll have so many folks yo' won't know whut to do. After yo' read de 47th Psalm yo' say, "May mah crowd gather together thick tonight, all gather together thick tonight, thick as hops, '' an' say, "In de Name of de Father, in de Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Spirit." An' yo' won't have no trouble. That brings in trade - I mean they come in.
Entry 2505
A hustlin' woman in de streets, yo' know tryin' tuh make money, she should ever' mawnin' befo' sunrise fall on her knees an' say her prayers, de Lord Prayer three times, an' git up an' wash her face down with olive oil an' have a olive-oil bag pinned up on her an' salt - [she corrects this to] olive oil an' salt-bag pinned up on her [salt-bag only - fed with olive oil], if she wants luck in de street wit de mens. An' pee an' throw de pee out from de house, de east corner of de house - pee in a cup or 'nother an' throw it out befo' she has anything tuh say to anybody, an' she 'posed to make money out in de streets dat day while she's out. If a hustlin' womans want tuh git out on de streets an' be lucky, make money, she'd use de van-van holy oil, drop de van-van holy oil on her. She buy de van- Van holy oil an' drop it on her an' make a wish, an' be sho' she use olive oil too.
[Van-van is not called a holy oil - see margin-title Van-van later and Index.]
(How would she use the olive oil?)
Listen - wash her face down, bathe her down good in olive oil. Put de olive oil an' salt-bag you know on there as I 'fore tole joo, an' say her prayers like dat an' - let me see, I gon'a tell you whut prayer she supposed to wear. She supposed tuh wear de prayer in her purse - Holy Idy - de Holy Name Idy in her purse. An' if yo' leavin' goin' to a strange place, a strange city, when yo' in dat city an' want tuh be successful, yo' should walk out in a vacant field, somewhere where it's vacant an' turn yore face in the south an' use that word Holy Adam - Holy Adam - Holy Idam - Hebrew lang'rige - Holy Adam.
(Do you know how to spell it?)
Not Adam but Iden - I-D-E-N.
(Do you know what it means?)
No - dat's in Hebrew lang'rige.
(It isn't the Garden of Eden?)
No suh - Iden. Yo' use dis when yore hustlin' out in de streets or eithah goin' tuh a strange place an' want tuh be successful. Yo' kin jis' walk up to someone an' use dat inward Iden - inward - an' ask them fo' a favor - they'll come very near doin it.
Entry 2510
(What about that holy water in scrubbing, now?)
The holy water you can put it in the water and scrub. See. And that opens the way in your house and makes luck in your house. You takes the holy water and you takes some sugar - nine lumps of sugar, and you takes essence of verbena or fast luck and you put that, mix that up in the water. Then, you put it in a tub and you get you nine buckets and then you scrub from your front to the back in that same water. Then you dip some in the bucket - you take it out of the bucket and you pour it in the tub and then stir it round, then clean from the front to the back with it. That opens the way for you and makes luck and success in your house.
Entry 2515
De first thing yo' do if yo' goin' in business an' wanta be lucky - de first thing yo' do, yo' hangs a horseshoe right up ovah yo' do'. Dat's de first thing yo do. Well, de next thing yo' do den to be lucky, yo' go in yore house - befo' yo' go in yore house, don't let nobody see yo', yo' take dis cookin' salt an' sprinkle it right in front of yo' do' where de people's comin' in. See, dat's to cut de hard luck off - if a man comin' dere, dat's tuh cut de hard luck offa him whilst he's comin' inside yore place of business to keep from throwin' yo' in hard luck. Well, he comes on it. When he git in dere [you do the third thing], yo' take dis sulphah an' burn it in yo' house ever' mornin' befo' nine 'clock - sulphah. Jes' take a little sulphah an' put it in a lid an' strike a match to it an' jes' let it smoke - ever' mornin' befo' nine 'clock. An' you gon'a be lucky and successful in yo' business.
Entry 2525
Yo' git de dragon blood, devil's-shoestring an' incense, an' yo' burn dat in yore house all de time; git chew sulphur an' yo' burn dat an' yo' incense, an' yo' have plenty customers an' nobody tuh bother yo'.
Entry 2542
If yo' got a roomin' house an' yo' haven't no roomers an' cain't make no success, yo' git up befo' day in de mawnin' an' yo' scrub roun' in yore house an' den yo' scrub yore po'ch. Yo' scrub it with urinate, Hearts Cologne, oil of cinnamon - jes' diff'rent things lak dat. Den yo' make a wish. An' aftah that when yo' git through, den yo' come in an' yo' burn sandalwood incense or either dis Lucky Star - jes' anything yo' prefer burnin'.
Entry 2694
Well, just like if you thought someone was doing you something - trying to harm your house or your home or something - you pour that [urine] around your house and also this here consecrated [concentrated] lye with the hog on it. [Hog roots out things.]
(With the hog on it? Or a pig?)
Uh-huh.
(With the hog on it or the pig, you mean?)
[This was new to me. I wanted to be certain.]
You seen consecrated lye got a hog on a can, a pig. (I haven't seen the hog on the can but I know what the lye is. They have to have a hog on that can?) Yes. That's the best - it's got a big old fat pig on it. Well, you sprinkle that round your house and that'll keep people from harming you.
(You sprinkle it all over with that chamber lye?)
You don't have to mix it - just either one of them's supposed to cure any kind of harm. Another thing that you kin do - just like women you know have lots of men they can get money from. They call it tricky [tricking] you know. Well, on Monday morning and Friday morning you get up, sweep and scrub your house with this lye what I'm talking about now.
(This hog - this concentrated lye.)
That's got the hog on the side of the can. And you mix it with sugar and yo' urinate in it - use chamber lye. And you'll be successful.
(That's to bring in trade.)
Yes.
Entry 2698
You can take cinnamon and sugar and clear water and oil of verbena. See, like this is your front - well you start ascrubbing from the front, back in but not out. See, and sweep it back in. You see. Then you get what you call dragon's powder [dragon's blood]. See. You smoke the four corners up with that. [See margin-title Smoke 'em, p.723; also Incense, p.700.] Natch'ly you'll be successful in a business.
Entry 2715
Take a little sulphur and burn in yore business place in de morning of nine mornings. Open your business place and burn that sulphur. And burn that and say a little wish - wish for your money or success in there before anybody enters. And that brings you luck, that brings your trade. But burn this every morning for nine mornings. Then you take a little van-van - keep a little mop - that draw de customers. Jest mop your floor once or twice a week - Wednesdays and Fridays. That brings you trade.
(What do you mop it with?)
Van-van. That's little thin-like stuff from de drug store. Jest put little drops in yore water and mop - jest a few drops to wipe de floor Wednesday morning and Fridays.
(Do you have to mop the floor in any particular manner?)
Jest bring it in though - all in, don't carry it out. You jest come inside - starts from de stair and come inside and then you bringing your luck in. See, to draw de persons to come tuh yo'. That sulphur you burn fo' nine mornings, that keeps your luck always. But burn it nine mornings - a tablespoon or much as you want - in de place befo' anybody cross your doorstep. Don't allow nobody to come in before you get that sulphur burn.
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 5000
De sock - anyone's sock. Well yuh take it, de sock, if yuh wanta bring - dat's anothah bring-back. Or yuh could take it an' put de heel of de sock in de do' jis' as yore shoe, undah de rug or anywhere. Yuh have tuh put it undah de rug tuh keep anybody from seein' it. Well, dat's tuh keep 'em in, yuh see. Yuh take de sock an' put some Jockey Club [Perfume] - no, Three Jacks Perfume, Three S's [sss], an' Three Kings. Yuh go tuh de drug sto' an' git dat. Dat's a good perfume. Yuh put it in dere an' yuh put de shoe [sock] - put de sock undah de rug. See, all dat's drawin'. Den yuh could bathe in bluein' an' success fo' yore home an' fo' yuhself, too. Anywhere yuh wanta go gamblin', take dat Three Jacks, Three Kings, an' Three S's an' dey could make a toby [a hand] out of it. Yuh could take a silver dime an' de Three Jacks an' Three S's an' de John de Conkah an' red flannel. Well yuh put all dat togethah an' make a little sack, yuh see, an' give it [feed it] a little likkah lak gin. Well, yuh put a little gin in it tuh wet it, an' yuh go an' make money, lak in gamblin' games - yuh shoot dice.
Entry 7244
Ef enybody did yo' wit poison, [you] drink it, dere ain't but two roots dey use in dat. Dat's gall of de earth an' conkah root, called devil's-shoe- string. It's a root dat grows in de groun' has vury long prongs tuh it, some of 'ems dat long [demonstrates], yallah, an' it's vury good tuh chew tuh draw trade - anything, yore business, anything.
(What is the name of this root?)
Conkah root.
(It isn't John the Conqueror?)
Yeah, but not de othah John. Dis is jes' devil's-shoestring, yo' know. Den dere's anothah piece a [of] root yo' call John de Conkah. It's a li'le shortah dan dat. Dat comes from de South. Ah've seen dat, but dat don' act much as dis here devil's-shoestring. Dis devil's-shoestring de main root dat's roun' [it is the most popular root sold]. Now yo' take some of dat - jes' - an' gall of eart' - jes' de two of 'em an' boil it tuhgethah. An' give dat person a dose a [of] dat three times a day, an' it might take a month, but it will cure 'em. No othah medicine won' do 'em no good but dat.
(What will that do to them?)
Clean 'em out of de poison.
(Well, what sort of poison would they have in them?)
Well, sometime - most all of 'em [who] come tuh me does drink whiskey. Some wimmin done tricks tuh 'em, jealous of othah wimmin. Dey kin git tuh yuh through some whiskey, lak if ah'm fonda [fond of] drinkin'. Well, yo' put sompin in dat whiskey 'cos' yo' know ah lak whiskey an' dat where yo' goin' git me at. Dat's whut ah works on all de time.
(Then to get this poison out of them, you use....)
Gall of de earth an' devil's-shoestring. Them two.
(What other name did you call devil's-shoestring?)
Some people call it John de Conkah, too.
(You just called some root Conker, didn't you?)
Well, dere's 'nothah John de Conkah, too, but dat's a thick root. It don't grow heah. Dat grows in South Carolina. Ah've seen it. [798:3.] [The following portion of this interview, 798:4, has already been printed in Hoodoo as No.1980, p.580, in margin title HAND SECRECY, because I wanted to ill- ustrate in this HAND section the necessity for secrecy.] Conkah root - devil's-shoestring - black rattlesnake root, boil 'em both [2 roots] tuhgethah an' put a li'le red peppah, fresh table salt, an' mix it tuh- gethah intuh dis, an' as dat police nosin' aroun' dere - when yo' ketch 'im away, yo go behind 'im wit a li'le bottle an' sprinkle a li'le behind 'im. If yo' do dat, ah bet he'll nevah come dere. DAT'S WHUT AH SELLS, BLACK RATTLESNAKE ROOT AN' CONKAH ROOT FER DAT. LOTS OF PEOPLE USE IT TUH KEEP DE LAW AWAY. IT MUSTA DO IT 'COS' DEY ALL COME BACK AN BUY FROM ME ALL DE TIME.
(This conkah root is the same thing as devil's shoestring?)
Yes, dat [isl devil's-shoestring. Dere's anothah root dey calls real John de Conkah. Dat don' grow heah. Grows in No'th Carolina. But WE GATHAHS WHUT WE KNOW HEAH. Dis heah is purtty good 'cos' evahbody wants it an' buys it. [798:5.] Git dat devil's-shoestring, git a fresh piece, put a piece in yore pocket. Yo' go roun' tuh dat man evah mawnin' dat chew kin git close enough tuh 'im. Yo'll put a piece of dat root in yore mouth an' chew it. Aftah yo' chew it all good, yo' commence spittin' lak yo' spittin' 'bacco juice. An' den yo' take it out an' teah [tear] it all up an' throw it all roun'. Jes' as true as ah'm set- tin' heah, bet chew'll git a job - git a break. Keep on goin' dere. Ah've given lots of people dat. Ah should have lotta money but people ain't got no money.
[This Was during the Great Depression.]
(HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE FOR ROOTS AS A RULE?)
15c AND 2Oc ACCORDING TO DE SIZE OF 'EM.
(WHAT IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE ROOT YOU SELL?)
John de Conkah, Adam-an'-Eve an' Master...dat's a hard root, rough root, look lak a bamboo briar [bramble briar?] root almost. Dat's de mastah. Lots of peo- ple use dat.. "COS' EVAHBODY GOT A WAY OF USIN' EVAHTHING.
(WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR ROOTS?)
AH GIT PURTTY NEAH ALL OF 'EM FROM DAT MAN SETTIN' IN DERE - DARK MAN. HE BRINGS 'EM TUH ME, 'COS' HE KNOWS. BUT HE'S DE ONE PUT ME INTUH DE BUSINESS.
(He hasn't come in here yet.)
No, he been here presently. See, he lives in de country. He de one put me wise tuh all dis root business. He's [his] brothah too, brothah do same thing.
(Where did he get these roots? Where? You said in the market?)
YEAH, AH GOT A STAND DOWN AT 5TH AND K STREET. AH'M DE OLDEST ONE DOSE ROOT WOMAN DOWN DERE. DIDJA EVAH SEE A COLORED WOMAN WIT HUH PICTURE IN DE PAPAH? ALL OVAH DE WORLD WIT MAH PICTURE. DAT'S WHUT DEY PUT IN DE PAPAH. AH'M DE GREAT ONE.
(You are the root woman.)
YEA, AH'M DE ONE DEY PUT IN DE PAPAH. DON'T PUT NOBODY IN DE PAPAH BUT ME. DEY PUT ME IN DERE THREE TIMES. MAH PICHURE'S EVEN OVAH IN HONOLULU. Yeah, 'cos' ah got a white man dey sends here once a month an' gits [some root], gits a dozen [of the roots] evah once a month. An' 'is daughtah sends it tuh 'im in Honolulu.
(I'm going to come down and see your stand down there.)
Yo'll find me there. [Unfortunately I could not visit her stand.]
Entry 7254
[Doctor King, my first great failure, I remember quite well. In a group of ten dissimilar men, I could still identify him: very black, very formal, very professional. Yes, he carried a medical kit! A recent arrival in Richmond, so he said, my contact man Carter found him just as he was about to leave home on a professional call. Only because Carter had an automobile, that would save time, could he see me for a few minutes to make an appointment for the following day.] If he git holta [hold of] yuh shoe, dere's a root dat yuh call stationary root. He kin take yuh shoe an' shave off a li'le dust, off dat root, an' put it in yuh shoes. An' yuh kin put yuh shoe back on yuh feet, yuh unnahstan', an' dere ain't nuthin yuh kin do. Yuh unnahstan'? Well, if yuh wan'a be successful or anythin' lak dat, yuh unnahstan', dere's nuthin yuh kin do. Anythin' yuh do is stationary, yuh cain't do nuthin. This stationary root is any root the mail-order firm or hoodoo drug store says it is.] [Richmond, Va., (392), 446:1.] Dere's a certain bone dat chew git a holta [hold of]. Yuh'll fin' dat bone right ovah 'is left eye. Yuh notice when anybody, somepin gon'a happen tuh any- body, yuh've heard people says, "Ah'm gon'a have bad luck, mah left eye jumpin [see Folklore from Adams County Illinois, 2nd ed., Nos.4035-4050, p.176]. It's de only sign bone yuh got. Yuh unnahstan', it's a soft bone, it's right ovah yuh left eye. Dat's de bone dat zhoo git. Now, dat's de bone dat chew waäh lak yuh do a black cat bone (see Hoodoo Pp.74-97, etc.). Keep yuh outa all dangah, any time yuh're goin' intuh trouble or goin' tuh be disappointed or anybody goin' tuh do somepin tuh yuh. Well now, listen. If yuh know a man or a woman dat dey wuh [were] undah forty-seven yeah ole, not oldah but undah forty-seven, an' if yuh know dat person, an' anybody kin git dat bone an' wrap it up in a black han'ke- chef, aftah he's daid, an' - yuh take dat bone an' put it in yuh cloz an' weah dat bone continly [continually]. An' evahthin' dat's gona happen tuh yuh, wheth- ah it's bad or it's good - when somepin gona happen tuh yuh dat's good, dis bone will git hot, yuh unnahstan', an' yuh kin feel it burnin', yuh unnahstan' fō'a short while. Now, yuh know yuh're gona git in good luck. But if yuh're gona git intuh trouble de bone will move, jis' lak yuh eye jump lak dat. It will move So dat choo kin feel it. [446:2.] Now, if yuh have a paralastic [paralytic] stroke, somebody give yuh [has given yuh] somepin, put somepin down aroun' de house [for you to walk over or touch] an' yuh cain't git along. Yuh stay sick all de time, yuh haven't got no pahtic- lah [particular] ailment, yuh unnahstan', but choo jis' pō'ly [poorly] all de time, bad health, no courage, no man of 'bility [ability] tuh make connection wit yuh wife, an' all dat kin'a stuff. Yuh absolutely know dat dere sompin wrong. Well, all right. NOW, YUH KIN DEDICATE AN' KILL ANYTHIN' DAT IS AROUN' YUH HOUSE AN' IT WON'T HAVE ANY POWAH TUH IT AN' YUH GIT WELL. [Doctor King Says to dedicate and kill an animal around the house will not cure no courage. The killing of animals as a remedy for impotence is common in Hoodoo: ants, Nos.31ll-3112, p.2342; frog, Nos.3198-3203A, Pp.2360-2362; liver of live dog, Nos.3425-2443, Pp.2411-2414; snail, Pp.2458-2470, and duckling, No.6787, p.3122.] To dedicate the animal before its death is not so apparent, except by intention. There may be in Hoodoo an example or two of real dedication.] Now, ah tell yuh [a second method] whut choo do. Yuh go tuh work an' cut a piece of cloth outa de baid [bed] when yuh be sleepin'. Unnahstan', cut a piece of cloth outa de undahgarment dat choo wheah. Set it afiah [afire] an' let it Smoke. An' git chew a handful of natchal [natural] table salt, pō' [pour] it in- tuh a bottle, an' hold dat smoke right on dat bottle an' it will fill dat bottle up wit smoke [demonstrates]. (You hold the neck of the bottle down [tilt it]. Yuh put a rag dere, de smoke goin' in de first hole it comin' in. Well, fill dat bottle up wit smoke yuh unnahstan', an' stop [up] dat bottle wit dat smoke in dere. De smoke will live, it cain't escape.
(The handful of salt is placed in the bottle before it is corked up.)
An' yuh dig a hole undah yuh step an' put it undah dere. An' yuh git well.
[346:3.]
[Doctor King gives us another impotence cure:]
Now, whu' choo [what you] gota do now, yuh gota go tuh work an' git a male horse, a stallion. Ketch some of 'is watah, yuh unnahstan'. Ketch some of 'is watah an' baz [bathes] yuhself [the penis] down in watah [stallion urine] an' dat will...yuh git chure courage [sexual potency] back. [A penciled note of mine made at the time of my pencil transcription attached reads: Do not use unless par [lparallel]] secured. This rite of perfect magic needs no parallel, though there may be one in Hoodoo or elsewhere. Since this rite was never typed I have attached to this sheet my original penciled tran- scription made a few months after the collecting.] [446:4.] Yuh [someone else] kin take yuh photograph an' go tuh de graveyard, an' walk aroun' de grave seven times, jis' lak de walls of Jericho when dey walked around it seven times de walls fell. Pick some dirt off de daid man grave an' put it intuh a envelope, an' put dis pitchure in dere. An' bring it back an' put it anywhere yuh wan'a put it, upside down yuh unnahstan', an' [the person of the picture] yuh'll pine away tuh death. [467:1.] [At the end of this brief interview Doctor King left to visit his waiting patient. Carter let him out of the automobile somewhere. Next day Doctor King failed to appear for his appointment with me. As soon as convenient Carter went after him. No one at the house had ever seen or heard of a Doctor King! Unfor- tunately the landlady Was out shopping. Normally I would probably have returned to New York City after my work in Richmond. Instead I took a flyer down to Petersburg to visit Doctor King's old address, the one he had given us. Again, no one had ever heard of him or his name. What had happened? Doctor King had probably sprinkled some of his stationary root dust in my interviewing room. At least, as far as he was concerned, we were stationary.]
Entry 10532
Ah heard dat chew could go out to de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawn- in's with a banjo, guitar or anything. An' if yo' wanta play - whatevah yo' wmta do - jes' go out dere fo' nine mawnin's 'fore day. An' de ninth masin yo'll succeed in whatevah yo' wanted tuh start - de purpose yo' went out dere fo'.
Entry 11106
Says if yo' go and git a piece of fo'-leaf clover and chew it and spit right down near de boss and talk to him and ask him fer a job and look hin straight in de eye, you would be successful in getting a job. [To look the boss straight in de eye is frequently a part of seeking-jobs rites.]
Entry 2730
You can go to the east and make your wish, "In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit," and throw three glasses of water and make your wish for anything you want - to make a success and get it.
(Do you face the east or turn your back to it?)
No, you face the east.
(And throw the water?)
And throw the water.
Entry 281
Ah heard dat chew could ketch a black cat an' take him an' boil him - dat's black all ovah - take him an' boil him in water. An' dere's a crossbone dat come out of him, but chew got'a take him to a stream somewhere an' let it wash off, an' den dere's a crossbone come out of him. Ah heard that chew could take an' go to a forks of de road fo' nine mawnin's an' den de ninth mawnin' whenevah yo' go there, why den yore luck'll change. Yo' jes' keep dat same bone if yo' go to de forks of de road nine mawnin's an' then whenevah yo' come back, why take that bone in de place yo' want de luck in. An' yo' wrap it up an' jes' put it in yore pocket an' tote it an' that will bring yo' luck an' success for many years. (You go to this crossroads after you get that black cat bone? Do you carry the bone with you there?) Yes - yo' carry de bone wit yo' fo' nine mawnin's after yo' done cook him to pieces and git dat bone. Dat brings yo' luck.
Entry 595
To begin with in that I have been abnormally mistreated by. superstition what we call hoodoism. See. Well, in that my family was torn to pieces and I was just wrecked and jest now recovering from that. Now, when it come ah went to a hand reader to read mah hand. (Where did you go - here in town?) Yes - she read my hand - a white lady, and she told me of dese things without coming in contact with any of them. Being a minister I found what she said about people being torn in mah congregation - I found that to be true. She told me that I wouldn't be able to get along with 'em - ah found that true. Now, ah been married three times. This wife I have now - ah was told that they did not want me to have her, and hear say to de cause and de reason why they did not ["want me to have her"] and what they done to prevent me from her and have her return back home. Ah married her against her people's consent - they didn't want me to have her. Then they put in to take her from me and to kill me - that was, she said, because of my age, you see. They wanted me out of de way so she could come back home, and in that they give me all kind of trouble. A friend of mine, who was in my church at dat time, somehow or another got onto it and told me it was best for me to go see about it mahself. I'd done got into a kind of a wreck some way - my mind wasn't nuthin' and ah couldn't remember nor think nuthin' long - couldn't do no one thing completely - ah'd start and stop. (What did this woman do to tell you to get rid of this? Did they tell you what to do?) They told me what to do and give me something to protect myself - ah kin show you some of the things now - got 'em in my pocket. See 'em [he shows them]. (This white woman gave you this to carry ~ a white fortune-teller - a hand- reader?) Yes - a reader of cards. (It's a little tin box with - it's a large quinine capsule with red powder of some sort in there. Do you know what is in there?) No, ah don't.
(What is that supposed to do - you carry that?)
Well, that is supposed to give me success and prosperity and get by. Now, this dime was given - she told me to get a dime and put in mah pocket and handle it as much as ah could fo' three days. Now, it wasn't as colored as it is now, and at that time it was real bright as you could see. And she said whatever they Was trying to do, the dime would ketch it and turn like a copper cent. And sure as I sit here today and tell you, this is the same dime - only it jest like a copper cent. And den again, I could tell just as good when the thing was going to strike me and was on me, as I can tell I'm sitting here.
(How can you tell that?)
By mah feet - by de way ah felt, and I had kind of strikes in mah toes - big toes, each one of them - and I couldn't hardly stand the blow. Well, I had a strike de side of de head like somebody struck me - it was sore for several days.
[I repeat one thing he said while machine was off for lack of interest:]
(Six people made a wish for you - gave you this bad luck?)
Yes - made a wish fo' me - an' then they was intendin' that ah'd die and mah wife come back home - right heah in dis city. Ah's pastor heah.
Entry 739
It's a root in de woods dey call de shame bush root. It's a brier, see. It run away off like dat, an' de bushes on it, yo' kin tetch it anywhere on de end - jest tetch it - all dem bushes will, yo' know, will shet up. Dat why dey call 'em de shame bush - yo' know, de leaves on it. [This very common root in hoodoo is called the shame brier; outside hoodoo circles it is usually known as shame vine. This is the sensitive brier Schrankia uncinata.] Well, yo' go dere an' dig dis root up. Hit grows a pretty good piece down in de ground - ah reckon 'bout three-fo' foot deep. She grows an' hit's a prong, see, on de end of it. Well, yo' go on down dere till you git to de prong. Well, yo' bring that on up an' cut it off right to de prong, see. Well, yo' take it den an' sew it up in a rag an' git chew some John hearts cologne an' puts it into another little bottle an' po' dat John hearts cologne onto it, an' dat's whut chew do wit de rest.
(What will that do?)
Dat make yo' lucky in anything - success in anything.
Entry 994
That holy water is to bless your house and keep what is supposed to be dead people away and make success in your house, especially after you scrub, and keep one [bottle] tied up behind the door or on your bed open and the other one you close it up - take it as a tonic, some medicine, you know, when you feel bad, drink that. That's success, too, that holy water. It keeps all imps and every- thing wrong from around your house - that brightens it up, you understand.
Entry 1178
Well, yo' jes' have to strip up necked an' light de fire an' burn her feathers - stan' ovah it an' burn dat [bad] luck off her.
(What do you burn?)
(Black hen what?)
Feathers.
(And she stands in that smoke - that is just to give her luck?)
Luck an' successful.
Entry 1352
[John the Conqueror or John de Conker - plain, high or low - is not the name of a root; it is the commercial label of several roots - identity depending upon digger or seller.] Yo' cud [could] git John de Conker. Yo' writes to New York an' gits dat John de Conker. Yo' git John de Conker an' - why yo' keeps it perfumeded wit Hearts Cologne an' dat's whut dey call de root, King Of de Worl', an' hit'll bring happiness, good luck to yo'. Everything that chew undertake to do, that chew'll have successful at. Yes, ah've tried that mahself.
Entry 1717
Well, yo' kin - yo' ain't gotta keep de whole bat. Yo' kin git jes' even de two right wing off it, yo' see, an' yo' jes' kin sew it up. Keep it yo' see an' use dis same Heart Cologne.
(What is that good for?)
Good fo' luck - good fo' gamblin' - good fo' success in work an' all lak dat.
(Just the wing?)
Yes sir - de right wing - or yo' kin git two or three of dem, yo' see, jes' enough tuh make a little package yo' know - dey ain't large nohow. [Brunswick, Ga., (1249), 2123:7.] [These bat hands with many variations are everywhere and too numerous to catalogue here.]
Entry 1903
Jes' lak yo' go to de race track bettin' on de horse races, yo' ketch - yo' have two toadyfrogs - jes' have 'em wit chew, see. An' Jes' lak yo' bettin', take an' pat 'em on de horse an' de horse yo' want to win he will win every time.
(How do you carry those frogs?)
In yore pocket - either in a papah bag, both of 'em together so long as dey live. If dey's live it all right; if dey's daid dey ain't goin' be no good.
Entry 1908
Ah've heerd of 'em usin' garlic. Jes' say fo' an instance, ah wanted to be lucky in a skin qame. Ah would take a piece of garlic an' place it into Hearts Cologne. I would stick it in dere an' ah would go dere an' ever' time ah would make a bet into a skin game, ah would take an' po' some dis stuff into mah hand. An' 'long as ah was doin' dat ain't no way ah could - ah would win all de money into dat game 'long as ah used dat stuff.
Entry 1932
Graveyard dirt - that's good for gambling.
(How?)
You take the graveyard dirt and you takes needles, seven points of a needle - seven points of seven needles. Take that graveyard dirt and take some emery dust from the drug store and you get some lodestone and you put that together, and you make a wish and you sew that up and you wear it. As long as you have the confi- dence in this, it may bring you succeeding power, but if you don't believe in it it's not good.
The informant describes graveyard dirt among several ingredients and qualifies the claim with confidence, 'may', and the statement that without belief it is not good. The interviewer's question is separate.
Entry 2027
Yes, I've heard that, too. I've heard 'em say if they get John de Conquer - some High John de Conker and there's Low John de Conker - and they say if you kin get High John de Conker and go anywhere to the boss to get a job, they put it in their mouth and chew it and spit, and walk up and talk to this boss and spit around, say if there airy job anywhere there' the boss is goin' to hire you.
Entry 2033
Now, I know a man and he got out of a job. He was out of a job for over a year and he got some High John de Conker and put it in some Hearts Perfume and heli'trope perfume and saturated hisself right good and went 'fore dis man. Well, when he usu'lly used to go dere the man wouldn't talk to him. So he made his wishes as he came out de door what he wants to happen. "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, I'm going before my boss for a job, hoping that I be successful." Well, when he got there the boss walked up and shook his hand and said, "Walter, you huntin' fer a job?" He said, "Yeah." He said, "You ought been back long time ago." And give him his same job back, which he had knocked him off.
Entry 2051
A stockin' - yo' kin take a stockin' an' yo' kin tie a knot in that stockin'. Say, now, if yo' got business out there an' ah won't want yo' to run that business an' ah wanta put chew outa there, ah kin tie that knot in that stockin' an' draw it right tight an' ah kin take that stockin' and conceal that stockin' into the dark - in a dark place. An' every time - well, say, every three hours ah kin go to that stockin' an' draw that knot a little tighter, see. An' as ah draw that knot yo'll begin tuh draw outa that place. Yo'll git so worried an' everything will go wrong with yo', yo' can't be no success. Yo'll leave outa there.
(Whose stocking will you use?)
Well, any ole stockin' at all - jest so it's an ole stockin'. (And you conceal it in your own house.) [I am repeating what he said after I had turned off the machine.]
Entry 2096
Git a root dat chew call master of de woods - dat's a common root, an' yo' kin tote dat an' yo' anoint it with Heartshorn Cologne, an' yo' be successful winning money in games. [See margin-title King of de Woods.]
Entry 2110
Jes' in a small business. Like havin' a house. Yo' know like dese houses are. Yo' kin put a Indian heah, penny wit de face pointin' tuh de street, de head on dere wit de face pointin' toward de street, an' a horseshoe ovah de do', an' dat'll draw 'em.
(Draw trade. What kind of a house did you say?)
In any kinda house where dey operatin' - it draws business, sellin' things.
(Selling liquor.)
Entry 2112
Take two pennies an' nail 'em right up to de bottom of de do'sill - yo know, under dat crosspiece.
(Under the sill of the door?)
Yes sir, under de sill of de do'. Dat's lucky to yo', too - two pennies, two rusty pennies.
(That's to bring in trade to the house?)
Yes sir.
Entry 2115
If yo' bootleggin' an' yo' wants tuh have a plenty customers - when de customers come to yore house yo' jes' offer them a drink of whiskey an' after yo' offer dem dis drink of whiskey, yo' take an' put the sulphur up undah this glass they use an' let it sit there about an hour, an' then yo' take it an' wash it out an' after yo' wash it out an' rinse it out, yo' sit it back there an' yo' git two Indian head pennies an' nail one at yore front do' an' one at chure back do', an' yo'll always have customers. (Now here's the glass that he has used. You put some sulphur in' the glass or under the bottom?) Undah the bottom of the glass.
Entry 2127
An' travelin' agin. An' a poah person ain't got nuthin, yo' kin take copper - yo' know, a penny an' bury that in a rich person's track in de fo'ks of de roads an' that makes them come from bad tuh good. Dey'll be successful.
Entry 2178
Yo' take table salt an' yo' put it in de palm of yore hand, jes' a little, an' yo' build yo' a fire. Yo' take onion peelin's an' put it in de palm of yore hand, say, "God de Father, God de Son, God de Holy Spirit," an' throw dis in de fire. "Strike de fire in mah house. Bring success an' peace an' money an friendship in mah home." Yo' throw it in dat blazin' fire. (And you take each one of those things that you say and throw them into the fire?) Dat's right - de salt.
(The salt and those pieces of onion?)
No, yo' put de onion in yore hand an' jes' three pinch of salt.
(Three pinches of salt on the fire?)
Three heads - God de Father, God de Son, an' God de Holy Spirit.
(That is to bring in customers.)
Entry 2208
Yo' kin tack de king of diamonds, de queen of diamonds, de jack of dia- monds, an' de ten of diamonds up ovah yore do' an' burn incense an' use lye. It will bring all de trade yo' need.
(Who does this?)
People dat are gamblin' an' selling whiskey.
Entry 2235
Like he wus down on his business. It's a thing look like a lily, name of rattlesnake master. Dat's one of de luckiest roots dey is out for business. Take dis heah rattlesnake master an' set it out in a bucket like yo' would a lily - or pot - an' take some water an' spit on it ever' mornin'. Business will come to yo'.
Entry 2240
Well, sir, yo' hear tell of de rattlesnake marster. Well, git de roots of hit an' git some Hearts Cologne an' cut it up into a bottle; an' jes' when yo' be round people, be wit people, keep yore face an' hands 'nointed wit it. Say it draws friends an' plenty customers.
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 2340
Dey tell yo' 'bout de tree dat's struck by lightnin'. Yo' take de bark from dat tree an' yo' take dat bark an' yo' burn dat bark into ashes an' yo' take dem ashes an' yo' git chew some Epsom salt an' put wit dat. Yo' kin take de Epsom salt an' de ashes from dat tree an' yo' put it in a flannen rag with lode- stone an' yo' sew it up, an' yo' take that an' use it as a toby for all de time. If yo' wanta go yore way, jes' go on an' go yore way. Long as yo' got that wit chew, yo' cain't nevah be disappointed, nobody will evah refuse yo' no way, yo' nevah have no fusses. [For "struck by lightning," see Thunderbolt Hand above.]
Entry 2385
De breast bone - yo' know it's a little fo'ked bone, call dat a wish- bone. Yo' carry dat in yore pocketbook an' that's fo' if yo' goes somewhere an' yo' wants tuh git somepin - dere's somepin yo' want. Yo' make yore wishes befo' yo' leave home an' yo' keep dat bone oiled with lucky oil an' yo' carry dat bone in yore pocket in de day, an' at night when yo' take it out yo' lay it up somewhere where nobody kin remove it but chew. An' yo carry that in yore pocket. That's fo' something that chew haven't got but chew's expectin' to, an' it's always successful anyhow tuh carry a wishbone.
Entry 2446
Use de oil of cedah an' use it an' put it about chure body an' on yore do'knob where de people come back an' fo'th in, an' if that roomah doesn't come back, if he leaves there, anothah one will come back an' yo'll have mo' success with that one den yo' will wit de othah one.
Entry 2454
Yo' kin take chicken feathers an' then yo' kin draw a crowd with that, too. De way yo' do that, yo' take those chicken feathers an' put 'em in some kinda instrument [utensil or vessel] an' yo' put 'em out in de'open air. Den yo' git chew a quantity of brimstone an' den yo' burn it an' hit'll bring yo' success an' also hit'll he'p yore business place.
Entry 2459
Well, you got to get you some - if you want to scrub out door, you mean? Something to put at the door? Oil of cinnamon. You get you some [some- thing - this is mentioned later], pour in a clear bucket of water. You take that bucket of water and set it up there and do like this over it and say the Lord's Prayer [demonstrates].
(You put your right hand up to your brow.)
Yeah, right over the bucket.
(And look down into the bucket.)
That's right.
(And then say the Lord's Prayer.)
Yeah. Then you say - when you finish you say, "In the Name of the Father" - look at me [this addressed to me].
(Yes.)
"Of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."
(Make the sign of the cross.)
Yes. "Amen, for luck and success." (Yes. Now, wait a minute. You have water in that bucket. What else do you use in that bucket?) Nothing but the water and the oil of cinnamon.
(Oh, all right.)
Pour it in there. Then you pray over it. And you say - the last you say, "In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, for luck and success."
(While you make the sign of the cross.)
Yes. You right at your door like that, you go outside where the people coming in at and you bring it in with the broom - just have somebody washing in with the broom come in with it. Then mop all around neat with it. but alwavs bring it in the door - you bringing the luck in your door.
(I see.)
Anything you handle, whilst handling it, rub your hand in that oil of cinnamon when you go to send it off to the people. What you do for de people [customers], rub it [oil of cinnamon] on your hand, it coming back to you [in luck and money].
Entry 2480
Well, if he drinking or anything like that, you mean? Well, they come in - the man who is drinking - and they's [men customers who drink are] coming in. You always have something to eat in your house. You keep a fish in your house - you always will keep water, clear water. You always will be successful and lucky and you - you change water with your fish, you know. Well, you keep your fish there. He will swim around, you see. Well, there be somebody always coming in - going and coming out your house. Keep a fish cause he's lucky and successful. ["Goldfish in the house are lucky say some; unlucky say others" - FACI,2ed., No. 1539, p.61. J
Entry 2495
In business yo' kin go an' take a penny - yo' take de head of dat penny an' put it down head-down an' let it stay dere, an' take dat dirt from round dat grave an' sprinkle it any place an' yore business will be successful. If yo' want 'em to move out [to put them out of business], yo go back to de same grave an' take that penny an' put it head-upwards dere, an' yo' take some of dat dirt from de left part de foot part of grave an' sprinkle dat under those steps or inside. Dey'll go.
Entry 2524
Now in that line [bootlegging line] ah have sold whiskey. Ah haven't tried anything but sell whiskey in that line. Ah goes downtown to a drug store and ah git some incense, this incense and burn that and ah have been successful in selling whiskey - didn't have trouble about de police. (What kind of incense did you buy?) Any kind of incense.
(You burn that at a certain time?)
Yes, yo' burn it in de morning and at night - early in de morning and at night.
Entry 2526
Oil of cinnamon, dragon's blood, an' den devil's-shoestring. [Three ingredients.]
(Well, now, how do you prepare those? What do you do with them?)
Yo' buys dat right out de druggist. Yo' burn 'em, burn 'em all together an' put 'em in de fo' corners of yore house - jes' same as yo' in heah now in dis house heah.
(What would that do for me then?)
Give luck - good luck an' successful.
(Bringing in customers to buy from me.)
Entry 2534
Dey tell me that chew could use de incense. When yo' runnin' any kind of a business an' yo' use incense, yo' jes' take an' light chew one an' sets it up on de table or anywheres on de floor an' makes yore wishes dat chure place will be crowded an' that yore place will be successful or anything lak that.
Entry 2545
Ah have run a rooming house an' ah didn't have no roomers. An' dere was a powder dey call de Sen-Sen Powders. An' yo' take that an' yo' burn it in yore house nine mornings an' nights, an' yore house will become full of roomers. Ah have tried dat.
(What time in the morning and the night do you burn that?)
Burn it about six 'clock in de morning an' about eight 'clock at night.
Entry 2554
Dere's a root dey call de king of roots. If yo' have a business, yo' kin take dat root an' bring it in heah, yo' know where yo' business at, if it's dull, why yo' kin have mo' customers den yo' kin handle. (Has that root any other name? Or just called King of Roots?) King of Roots. It grows an' it has three little prongs - leaves. It grows straight up like a okra blossom. It has three little okra blossoms on it, three little okras yo' see. Yeah, it look like okra - pod of okra.
(Like the green okra - like a vegetable?) [This is not okra.]
Yo' kin dig one dem little roots - Jest have room all de way round, yo' kin dig 'em. Some of 'em is big as mah wrist. An' yo' kin jest take a small piece like that an' put it in yore place of business where yo' work at an' yo'd have mo' people heah den yo' kin handle.
Entry 2624
If you wants to take a bath in water for success, you see, you put sea salt in there and oil of geranium - any kind of that you prefer for perfume you see - in that water. Sea salt. Wash yourself down and throw it at [toward] sun- rise. Well, that'll keep you in good luck.
Entry 2628
That's Seven-Eleven.
(How would you handle that?)
You puts two drops behind each ear and five drops right chere in each shoe.
(In each shoe or just one shoe?)
Just one shoe.
(Which shoe do you put it in?)
Your right foot. But you put two drops behind each ear.
(What do you use that oil for?)
For luck.
(What kind of luck?)
Well just, you know - just like you selling something and you wan'a be suc- cessful with it. Whatever business you into.
(I see. That's all you have to do?)
Yes - just use Seven-Eleven.
Entry 2645
Tuh keep de police away yo' git de salt, keep de salt - git dis heah Bluebird Salt an' jes' sprinkle it good roun' yore do', an' keep yore flo's scrubbed wit lye. Scrub every Friday mawnin' wit concentrated lye. An' it's a silver sand dat chew use - yo' know, silver sand. Well, yo' git dat sand an' yo' sprinkle dat roun' yore do'steps. If yo' wants tuh make a place be bad or if a man is got a place tuh rent an' if yo'wanta keep him from havin' much success, yo' gits some parsley seed an' throw em out roun' de do'. Dere won't nobody hardly go dere tuh stay.
Entry 2701
Fo' luck yo' take de chamber lye an' yo' put chew some oil of bergamot dey call it - yo' but it at de drug sto', oil of bergamot. Put dat in de chamber lye an' put chew some sugah in it an' yo' put chew some bluein'. An' yo' take that an' yo' scrub yore house all out good wit it, see. An' aftah yo' scrub yore house with it, then yo' take an' drop three drops in each corner an' make a wish. That's success fo' yore house.
(You mean for bringing in customers to buy from you?)
Yes.
Entry 2733
If you own a house and you wanta get a renter for that house, you take you some, what they call yellow wash, sugar, and your urine [three ingredients], and you put that in a bucket and you scrub that house all over. Start from the front steps, scrub up, and scrub it plumb to the back, and leave that house open and just make a prayer. When you make that prayer, in less time than two or three days you will have that house rented.
Entry 2777
And jest like if you goin't to a job - If you want dis job, you kin jest burn dis white candle fo' success and make yore wish and it will favor yo Yo' know dey burned candles when Christ died. [The Rev. Mr. Young has already said something similiar, "We understand dat de candles represent something in the life of Christ possibly," see 2735, p.745, line 1.]
Entry 2799
Yo' take a white candle an' yo' take a red candle. Yo' burn the white candle in the back an' de red candle in de front of yore place of business. Then yo'll take about - that oriental incense is the best - git about five piles of it an' yo' burn it, say fo' instance, in fo' corners of de house as near as yo' kin git. Say fo instance if the house got mo' den one room, say if it's three rooms, yo' put one in this corner an' one in dis corner [of the front room] an' one in the othah corner of the last room an' one in the othah corner [of the back room] an' put this fifth one in de middle [of the middle room]. [The two far corners of the front and back rooms, and the center of the middle room - these five points create a quincunx. The center of a crossroad is also a quincunx and a magic spot. See Quincunx, p.710.] Yo' understan' an' yo' burn that. That's supposed to bring the customers.
Entry 2878
Ah burns white candles on Monday, ah burns pink candles on Wednesday, an' ah burns red candles on Friday. Ah burm 'em fo' luck an' success in mah hou e an' keep mah roomers an' all.
Entry 2922
Say, when you giving a party and you wanta have luck and success in your party, say, just 'fore your party starts, you get you seven candles. (What kind? What color candles did you say?) Red, and set 'em on your table in a round row [circle] and you light those seven candles. Well, you let 'em stay lit, say about twenty or thirty minutes. Well, you blows 'em out. Well, all right, after the crowd is gone - well, say the party break up at eleven o'clock; just about nine-thirty, well you start 'em burning again and burn 'em about thirty minutes. Say that brings luck and success to you.
Entry 3000
St. Espidee is fo' luck an' St. Espidee is fo' unfortunates. Lak if a man is unfortunate, well fo' luck he kin burn a candle. Dey got cup candles dey call 'em. Dey sell dem in cups. Yo' burn a light tuh him eight days. Yo' burn a light tuh St. Espidee eight days an' yo' have some kinda luck in eight days, but dat's providin' if yo' make a promise to him. If yo' make a promise to him fo' luck an' success, he goin' give it to yo'; but if yo' lie to him, he'll take yore success away from yo'. Well, dat's de candle burnt to him dey call de cup candle, an' dat's whut he's fo', luck an' success.
Entry 3023
And the Mother of Perpetual Help, she opens the way, she gives you bread when you got children like I have - she opens the way for you to have suc- cess. Well, you give her a blue candle - that's for children. And you pray twice a day to her - at twelve o'clock sure and in the morning. And whatever you promise her when you get your wish, why you give her that.
Entry 3028
Now, St. Peter is another saint. He don't pray. St. Peter don't pray atall. He's - he don't stand no foolishness. Now, St. Peter is a man who'll do anything that you ask him to do, for this simple reason - he's got the keys of heaven, see. Now, you get down and you get to St. Peter and you ask him for things, he'll open the way for you. You ask him to open the way for you and he'll open the way for you and he'll let you get jobs. You promise him something, give it to him. Now, the biggest thing you can give St. Peter is a key. You get you a key and get you a piece of blue ribbon. Put that key on a piece of blue ribbon and hang it around his neck; give it to him and you'll have success in every way and in every respect that you undertake. Understand.
(Where do you have St. Peter? In the church you mean?)
St. Peter's in the church. Course you could have 'im at the house, if you have 'im blest, but you got to always be sure you know what you are doing when you talking to saints. Course we talking to the saints, but we talking to The Man Above, too, because He's got something to do with this, you see. But when you.talking to the saints and you promise them things, if you don't hold to your promise you're just blowed up - that's all there's to it.
Entry 4314
In de mawnin' befo' yo' speak tuh anybody, take yuh chamber lye an throw it out in front an' jis' keep it all saturated roun' yore house.
(What will that do then?) Well, dat will make customahs come tuh yuh.
Entry 4501
Jes' like yuh wanta have control an' influence ovah people. Aftah yuh wash yuh face an' han's, jes' throw it out de front [door] an' make a wish. Wish tuh be successful in yuh wishes - of being, like man- agin' an' gettin' dere mind in influence.
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 5728
Well, yo' kin take a person's foot track an' take de lef' foot up in de centah, in de hollah of de foot; an' yo' take it an' go an' nail it up in a tree, an' jis' as dat tree rotten down, dey'll fade on away. (How could you nail it in the tree?) Jis' go tuh de tree an' put a hole in de tree an' take dat track, In de Name of de Father, Son an' de Holy Ghost, dat dat person will nevah succeed, an' put dat piece back in dere an' stop it up.
Entry 9969
Yo' take a frog and dry him. You take a frog and wrap him up and let hin die himself. Don't you kill him. Well, when he gets dry, you tote that in your pocket. You can take that and you can do anything you want with that frog. Just like if you a dice shooter, or anything I like that, you rub that [dried frog]. Jis' put it in your pocket and take and put your hand on that [frog] and go to work and shoot dice. Be lucky. Jes' like if you had one game, and if you don't have success with that, turn your back on that game. And select you a card place, if you play cards, and you'll lose one or two games and you know that you ought to win, turn your back on that game.
(How do you mean turn your back on it?)
What I mean, walk away from that game and go to the next game.
(I see, if you have this frog in your pocket.)
drying/state of the wrapped frog after the stated let-die instruction. Keep Don’t you kill him and let him die himself as the source’s wording; do not describe the text as harmless, or replace it with active killing. rubbing the carried dry frog before dice play. Resolve the pronoun from actual complete narrator context, not only the bracketed gloss. conditional lack of success at gambling and changing games. Preserve don’t have success, the card-game losses and the practical walk-away explanation. expected winning contrasted with one or two losses and leaving the game. Preserve if you play cards, one or two losses, ought to win and the instruction to move to the next game. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 7550
Yuh kin go tuh a cemetery tuh find where a murderah wuz buried, a bad man whut got killed. An' take a dime, dig a hole, a little hole wit chure fingah. Take a dime an' put it down in dere an' covah de dirt back up. Dig yore dime back up an' take dat dirt off de top of dat dime. Take it an' sew it up in a little flannen cloth an' keep it in yore pocket.
(What will that do?)
Dat will keep anybody - anything yo' wants tuh do, why yore successful in it. An' yuh'll nevah be caught in anything yuh wants tuh do, or sompin dat yuh do, yuh'll nevah be caught in it s'long as yuh tote it.
Entry 7589
At twelve a'clock at night yuh git graveyard dirt, yuh see. An' git graveyard dirt. Dat's mos'ly [mostly] fer harmin', dat's fer nuthin good. Yuh go dere at twelve a'clock at night, but not when de moon's shinin'. Yuh go dere on a dark night. An' yuh take dat graveyard dirt. If yuh jis' wan' a person in bad luck, yuh jis' take graveyard dirt an' throw it at a person - strictly wit'out anythin' else. It's strictly bad luck. Dey'll nevah be successful in nuthin dey undahtake tuh do. Anythin' dey undahtake tuh do, dey won't be suc- cessful - be disappointed.
Entry 7607
Take dat penny an' put it in de graveyard. Yuh go dere at twelve clock at night, yuh [dig] undah an' take dat penny an' put it in, bury it an' let it stay dere fo' 24 hours. Twelve clock yuh go dere an' git it up. An' den when yuh take de penny, whut chew wanna do wit de penny, whatevah way yuh wanta treat de person, if yuh wanta treat 'em good or treat 'em bad, why yuh turn dat penny tuh de east, ran de haid of it tuh de east, see. An' dat fellah will come tuh be successful. An' if yuh turn it to de west, he'll go down.
(Well, does it happen to know that you are getting the right fellow?)
Well, yuh know. Yuh know de fellah yuh aftah [intention]. Yuh already know de fellah yuh aftah. (After you go out there and get this penny: for good luck I turn this penny to the east, or for bad luck I turn it to the west.) Dat's right.
(Well, do I do that at any particular time of the day?)
No sir, twelve.clock at night. Yuh go dere an' put it down at twelve clock at night, an' den yuh go dere an' git it up at twelve clock at night [24 hours later].
Entry 7678
Go tuh de graveyard if yo' wanta do anything; in fac', if yo' want some money, or want yo' a good job. Yo' kin go tuh de graveyard an' yo' kin git chew some dirt from off de grave, but let it be a wicked person. Don't let it be a good person. Try an' let it be a wicked person yo' see. Yo' go dere tuh dat grave an' yo' digs down dere jes' about - well, jes' about a half a foot, an' yo' git some of dat dirt out of dere. Git chew jes' about three good han'fuls lak dat. Take dat on home wit chew. An' yo' take dat an' git chew some red peppah an' some salt an' sulphur an' yo' mix all dat up tuhgethah. Put a li'le bit of it in a piece of flannen cloth an' sew it up. Weah it in yore pocket. Evah mawnin' take a li'le bit 'fo' [before] yo' walk out: "By de help of God on mah journey, ah hope ah'll succeed." Put a li'le bit in de fiah. Evah mawnin', evah time yo' goin' off tuh transact business, yo' know, or anything lak dat, yo' do dat. But chew keep dat dust in yore pocket in dat red flannel. Keep dat in yore pocket an' evah mawnin' when yo' gwine off tuh business, anything yo' wanta 'tend tuh anything yo' vanta do, when yo' do dat it will be a success.
Entry 7960
An' dey make a li'le coffin dataway, git a piece of de woman's stock- ings. Dey git a piece of de woman's undahweah, if it's possible. Dey will take nine needles. Dey will take nine pins. Dey will put red peppah an' dey will put Epsom salts. Dey put oil of verbena an' bury dat undah de party's step. See. An' dey will nevah put de end tuhgethah, dey an' dey husband...
(They do what?)
Nevah git de end tuhgethah, nevah make de ends meet. Don't care if dey both be workin', dey always will be somepin: lak if dey have shoes, dey hayen't got any hat; if dey got a hat, dey haven't got any skirt; if dey got a skirt, dey owe de landlord. Dey'll nevah will be successful.
Entry 8040
Take dat bone [demonstrates].
(This bone from a dead man.)
Dis must be off de dead man. It must be his fo'th fingah [demonstrates].
(Next to little finger on left hand.)
Dat's right. Now yo' take dis an' yo' grind it intuh dust. Den yo' git chew a piece of lodestone. Den yo' git yuh silvah dime an' sew it up in a sack an' take yuh some honey. Yo' know [what they] calls honey, don't chew? Well, yo' take yuh honey an' yo' set it in a saucah - po' yuh honey in a saucah an' jis' put dat sack in dat plate [saucer] an' let it soak good. Turn it ovah, yo' undahstan'. An' dat makes yuh successful in gamblin' propositions.
Entry 8686
[To stop a person influencin' in de world an' cut his success off, de way yo' do dat. Yo' git, yo' know, some of dis copris [copper] wiah. Yo' know dis roun' wiah kinda lak gold wiah. (Like the electric light wire?) Yes. Well, yo' take dat an' den yo' call this individual's name an' yo' tie three knots in it an' tie it roun' a green 'simmon tree. His success or his influence will be cut off. (A piece of copper wire, any kind of copper wire.) [These two notations of mine emphasize the confusion some informants had between copperas and copper. Present informant says copris.]
Entry 8711
Yo' go to a place - if yo' know de place where yo're goin' an' know de people's name [name of person who hires]. Yo' git chew a piece of pastebo'd an' yo' cut it down as a shoe sole, de print of a shoe sole [an insole]. Yo' write dem people name down nine times wit a indelible pencil. (You just write one right after the other?) One right aftah de othah, nine times. (Now, if the boss's name was Sam Jones, you just write Sam Jones right underneath Sam Jones?) Yassuh, an' den aftah yo' do dat, yo' git chew some cinnamon an' yo' git chew some sugah. An' yo' puts dat in yore shoe an' yo' weah dat. An' yo' git yo' a piece of John de Conkah root, an' yo' chews dat root, an' as yo' go in dere yo' spits, an' make yore wish fo' whut chew goin' dere, whut kinda job yo' goin' dere tuh be successful. Yo' git dis job.
(You just make one sole [insole] or two?)
Jes' one sole.
(For either shoe?)
Fo' either shoe, it don' make no diff'rence.
(It doesn't make any difference what shoe.)
Either one.
Entry 8985
Yo' take beef tongue an' dries it. Yo' make a dust out of dat, under- stand. Yo' take that an' dries it. Yo' take it - just like yo' take it an' lay it, let it just wither up. Hang it so it wither up, yo' see. Well, yo' take it, yo' take blood of dragon - dragon's blood. Yo' take lodestone. Yo' take that an' grind it up. An' yo' takes a piece of red flannel an' yo' puts them in there an' makes yo' a bag out of that. An' yo' sew it up an' yo' tote it in your pocket. He always be's lucky an' successful man, never being bothered or worried or caught up when he's out walking around. See, he ain't got no job or nothing, he's out hustling for his living. Laws and things don't pick him up an' ask him a lot of questions or any- thing. If they ask him, all he's got to do is to tell him, why he's goin' tend- ing to his business, an' they let's him go.
Entry 9521
Den yo' kin take table salt an' weah it in de bottom of yuh shoes, jes' lak yo' got dis business goin' on now [informant will return to dis business of mine later]. Yo' kin take table salt an' weah it in de bottom of yore shoes, an' go roun' dat by day wit dat undah de bottom of yore feet, an' yo' come tuh be slick an' yo'll come tuh be lucky in yore doin's an' successful.
(You say wearing the salt in your shoe makes you lucky in all sort of things?)
Jes' in all sorts of things dat chew carry on. TAKE TABLE SALT AN' PUT IT IN DE BOTTOM OF YORE SHOES DAT YO' WEAHIN'. DAT'S SO'S YO' GIT SLICK AS GLASS. YO' HAVEN'T NEVAH TRIED DAT?
(NO.)
WELL, YO' TRY DAT IN YORE BUSINESS. JES' LAK DIS BUSINESS YO' CARRYIN' ON put table salt in de bottom of yore shoe, yo' be lucky an' suc- cessful. Yore feet git slick as glass.
Entry 10013
I've heard of that but I've never committed that sin. My grandmother has spoke of it several times in front of me, how you sells yourself to the devil, that you go in the woods and get you a black cat and kill it. And you get a boiling pot of hot water and you throu this cat in that water. And if yon can stand there and watch that cat cook to death, that you will be lucky and success- ful. Take the bones and throw them in a creek and the bone that float8 upstream, that's the bone that you take. And long as you wear that bone you slll be lucky.
(I see.) [Boiling cat in the woods is rare.]
Entry 10028
(What do they say about getting that black cat lucky bone?)
Yo' take dat black cat. Ketch 'im alive, don' kill 'im. An' have yore watah on hot. Chunk 'im right in de pot wit'out killin' 'im. Yo' chunk [him] down in de pot 'thout killin' 'im. Put on de lid an' boil 'im. Boil 'im until prakly [practically] all de meat will leave de bones. Take de bones an' drop 'em in runnin' watah, see. De' [they] claim dat de bones will sink. In othah words dat [bone] come back up tuh de top, take it. Say dat's de lucky bone.
Entry 10034
Ah have information concerning that, how a person sells theirself to the devil, but ah have never [done that]. They tell me what you do to sell your- self to the devil. They say, you take a black cat alive and boil him. Drop him in hot boiling pot of water and boil him, you see. And after you boil him, you take out all those bones, the different bones, and you drop them in a running stream of water. Now, the bone that runs [floats away], you see, you pick up that bone. And you make a oath to the devil that you sell your soul for so many years to be successful. Not forever, you know. You sell your soul for ten years, you see. You be successful and can get everything your heart desires. But othervise, you oouldn't have no luck. If you dies, you couldn't go to heaven. You belong to the devil and all [heaven can't save you].
Entry 10106
Take de black cat an' git one of 'is eyes, his lef' eye, an' take it an' boil it an' yo' git dat bead. Yo' know it's a li'le white hard bead in it, dat's whut dey sight is. Yo' take dat an' mix it up wit - put some lodestone in it an' put some lucky oil, an' take dat an' weah it. (What do you wear that for?) Dat's fo' tuh keep any luck, a job or anythin' yuh wanta keep. Dat's fo' tuh be successful in mos' anythin' yo' want. [For eye of black cat and its hardness, see No.10046.]
Entry 10152
Hold it [a black cat bone] in your hand, in the palm of your hand - until it sweat, and just smooth it [bone surely, not palm of hand] over your face; and anything that you undertake to do, that you'd be successful with.
[Vicksburg, Miss., resumé, 989:8.]
Entry 10199
A candle for luck and success you burn to St. Peter. He hold de key in his hand. All right dat opens. They call that open the way for you, you see. St. Raymond that's money. You burn to him and he keeps you with a piece of money; and you got to give him a piece of money, and he keeps you with a piece of money. That's the Way that is. (Do you know any other saints? St. Micahel? Any other saints they burn candles to?) Yes, St. Micahel. They burns to St. Peter, St. Raymond and St. Anthony.
(What do they burn to St. Anthony for?)
They burn to St. Anthony for to bring people back, mens back to - women back when they done quit. You make a wish and burn that light to him. Go to the church anywhere and light a light, if you don't have the saint at the house. If you have had the saint blest and put at your home and you prays to it three times a day, that's to bring anybody back to you what done left you.
(Do you mean three times one after the other, or?)
Three times a day, twelve - say six in morning, twelve in the day, and six in the evening. That's three times, you pray to this saint. And have your light burning. It'll - in nine days you see an improvement.
Entry 10497
Those forks of the road? If a man wants to join in with the order world work, he want to go to the forks of the road at between twelve and one o'clock at night. He'd want to take his guitar and he'd want to play it at twelve or one o'clock at night; see, at the forks of the road. And cuss The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and he'd get them. His sight would come through his eyes [sight would be only guide] where he could be a underworld man and anything don't bother him - the worry. And he'd just say he joined the devil and anything that he'd take, that Wasn't right, well he'd be successful at it.
Entry 10589
Dey tell me yo' kin take de heart of a leather-wing bat an' yo' kin tie it up in a piece of silk cloth, an' tie a little silk string to it, where yo' kin tie it on yo'. Tie dat round de left wrist. Dey say dat's wonderful to bring a gamblin' hand, a regular gamblin' hand.
Entry 9541
Tuh do yuh harm? Well, dere's sev'ral ways dat a person could harm yuh. At times a person would take red peppah an' salt an' stir it an' sprinkle it aroun'. At times dey could throw it on yo' shouldah or enywheres about chah an' make yuh have ill luck. (Well, what do you mean by throwing that salt and pepper around?) Jes' take it, yuh know, lak dey got it in de hand, yuh know. Jes' have it lak dis [demonstrates]. While yo' standing dere dey could sprinkle a li'l on yuh back. Well, sometimes, yuh know, dey come tuh yuh wit dey han' an' jes' rub on yuh, yuh know, an' say, "How yuh is?" Dey parts it [salt and pepper] down [on you] de same time, see.
(What will that do to you then?)
Dat'll give yuh ill luck.
(That will give you ill luck?)
Dat'll give yuh ill luck. Yuh wouldn't be a success fer nuthin, prob'ly fer de rest of yuh days.
Entry 9676
If ah wus in trouble, like ah wus wantin' tuh sell whiskey like evah- body is doin', wanted tuh have a success fo' mah business where de man wouldn't bothah me. Git me a package of salt an' bury it tuh mah front do'steps, bury one tuh de back where yo' have to come ovah - walk ovah it [them].: Take me a penny an drive it down, drive de penny right down on de do'stop; yo' know, like de do' [denonstrates], drive it right up dere. De police may come dere an' try tuh search me. He'd look a little bit - ah'll jest show yo' [demonstrates about roan]. "Well [says policeman] he ain't got nuthin. Let's go." [For pennies at door, see also many examples in vol.1, p.6llf., Nos.2108-2120 and elsewhere.]
Entry 9767
Tuh keep dem [police] away, if yo' kin find out how many officahs are in town. An' fo' evah man yo' git dat many of tenpenny nails, an' drive dem all in de front of yore do'. It's not officahs goin' come tuh yore house atall. An' if yo' wanta gain customahs, if yo' have one an' he comes dere, now yo' take some of yore watah - take de last drop of yore watah - an' put it in de whiskey. An' dey says dat dey will not stop comin'. Dey'll bring yo' all de customahs yo' kin wait on.
(That is the first customer who comes?)
Yessuh.
Entry 10782
Why, if yo' wanta make it lucky, every day yo' sweep yore premises, don' sweep de track from yore place, sweep it towards your place, an' it will mos' invariably bring good business.
Entry 11286
On 7lst Psalm of David. See: Oh, Lord God in thee I put my trust. Never let me be put confusion in [be put in confusion]. Thy have beholdth from the womb. Thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels and my praise shall be contained in thee. [More or less like the King James Version.] This is the only Zuization, [Does he mean Utilization? In any case translate word remedy.] that I know of to keep your sexual force, you understand, away from you in that respect, and that don't he'p you very much, but the still of that is to keep down - the enemy's force down. Says, Cast me not off in the time of old age, and forsake not my strength, for my enemies speaks against me. And they that lay waste my soul take counsel to- gether. [Also from Psalm 71.] That's the second chapter Proverb. There's the 9th, 10th and 24th verse, yeah of the 7lst Psalm of David. Now, that's a very good portion of Scripture that I know dey use in that respect.
(In what respect?)
I say in that respect what you asked me just now about.
(About what?)
About the bootlegging proposition, yeah.
(Oh, bootlegging, yes, if you want to keep the law away from there.)
I mean, that's a very good chapter, I mean for to keep you successful in
[your] own undertaking there.
Entry 11678
Yokin git de graveyard dirt. Yogo tuh de graveyard. Yo' kin go dere any time a-night dat chew wanta, if yo' ain't scared tuh go, an' git chew some of dat dirt: but chew gotta burn some of it, an' keep some of it unburned. Anwhenyo gits in a place, jes [like] ah'm in heah an want chew tuh do business wit me. Ah keeps some wit me all de time, an'ah jes' rubs mah han's when ah wants tuh be lucky. An'ah raps mah hands on de table lak dat [raps on interviewing table] an' ah've nevah gone out broke. Ah've always had a dollah every day of mah life, evah since ah've been usin dis dirt an' burnin' ah've got it. An' den yo' kin take dis graveyard dirt an' yo' kin go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' git dirt; dat's where yo' meet dem two fo'ks of de road. Yo' know whut ah'm talkin' about. Yo' go in dere. Now, yo take yo' a silvah spoon, yo' go to de fo'k of de road an' yo' git chew some dirt an' put wit dis graveyard dirt. Yo' kin conkah all of yore enemies in any way yo' want, if yo' take dis dirt an sprinkle it round dere [their home]. An' yo' kin be partic'lah wit it, ain't gotta let 'em see it; 'cause if yo' let dem see it, yo' know, say yo' doin' sompin wrong. Yo' gotta be partic'lah wit anything yo' do. See, dat's de way ah use graveyard dirt. An' it gotta be burnt, some of it's burnt. When yo' git dat dirt outa de fo'k of de road yo' ain't gotta burn it atall, but yo' put it wit dis graveyard dirt an' yo' kin do anything. Yo' kin conkah all yore enemies in any kind of way. Dat make yo' successful. Yo'ain't got nuthin tuh do tuh keep de law away, but jes' yo' go out an' den yo' go tuh de fo'k of de road. Go on back tuh de fo'k of de road now in dis partic'lah business. Yo' take yo' silvah spoon an' yo' git yo' some dust an yo' ain't gotta put de graveyard dust. Now, jes' about nine or ten steps 'way from yore house an' in front of dere, jes' sprinkle dat dust down, an' count de tracks dat chew make, cause if yo' make a mistake, well, yo' liable tuh have tuh go ag'in 'cause somepin othah liable tuh happen. But it always causin' tuh keep yore enemies cowered at chure feet when yo' git that dust from de fo'k of de road. If yo' got it wit de graveyard dirt it goes bettah wit chew. If yo' ain't got it, well, it's all de same - it'll do it right on. Jes' go tuh de fo'k of de road on de left-han' side.
Entry 12152
A hickory tree is good, dey say - not exactly a hickory tree, but dey say if a person wanta tie a person down, tie a person down, dey go tuh a hickory tree an' yo' measure it yore size - come tuh yo' - measure tuh yore waistline. Yo' stand up an' measure it tuh yore waistline, an' yo' bring 'em [bend tree] down lak dat, yo' bring it down till yo' bring de top end down tuh de bottom [of tree]. Dat fasten a man down an' he cain't - he's havin' good process, pro- gress an' all dat - an' dey say dat fasten him down an' cause him so he cain't git no success. Yo' know, jes' lak throwin'a man intuh tough luck where he can't git no job - jes' go tuh pieces. Take dat hickory tree an' yo' put dat hickory down tuh de groun'.
(You do this to the little hickory tree.)
Jes' de lil' small hickory tree.
(You keep bending it down and bending it down.)
Yeah it down till yo' bend it on down tuh de roots dere. Dat ties a man down where he cain't have no success.
(Well, do you leave that tree bent down then?)
Yo' tie it down. Yo' wind it down dere. Yo' wind it down dere nine times with a thread, brand-new thread. Dat keeps a man down.
Entry 12180
Well, if yo' want good luck an' success, yo' know, yo' go to de black- smith shop an' git hoof from de horse hoof, an' yo' take it an' lay it down. Yo kin take three pieces. Have 'em all three de same length. An' yo' take an' lay 'em [demonstrates]: One fo' de Father, one fo' de Son an' one fo' de Holy Ghost. (You cross them when you are doing it.) Yes. An' then yo' put sulphur an' salt on top of that, an' while it's burnin' - burn it - an' while it's burnin', yo' jis' talk to it an' tell it anything that yo' want to have - if yo' want any good luck or anything yo' want done. [For this same design in other rites see those listed at end of rite 11879.]
Entry 12194
Git a horseshoe an' nail it up ovah yo' do', an' yo' be lucky an' successful an' de law don't have to come to yore house. Nail it right ovah yo' do' or right at de bottom of yo' do'. [Horseshoe at bottom of door not usual, yet see No.12191.] [Waycross, Ga., 1732:1.]
Entry 12211
Dey tell me yo' buy some insane [incense] an' yo' burn dat every Friday, an' Friday nights, an' dat will make yore place come to be lucky. An' some say yo' git dis John de Conkah an' put it in a cloth an' sew it up, an' put it round yore waist an' it makes yore home be happy, an' yore place be lucky an' successful.
Entry 12228
Wal, yo' kin git dat John de Conker, called de King of de World. Ah've tried dat an' dat's not so good. Wal, yo' take it when yo' git it an' git chew a piece of red flannen, see, an' sew dat up in a piece of red flannen. (Sew this John de Conkah up in this red flannel.) Dat's right an' den git chew some Hearts Perfume [bottle has 2 or more small red hearts on label] an' put chew 9 drops on dere. An' put chew twelve pins in dat, see, right out a bran'-new package of pins. Wear it in yore left pocket every day yo' go. An' in a cer- tain length of time, dat odor - yo' has to perfume it ovah ag'in - dat means every 3 weeks. It'll work fo' yo', too. Ah've tried dat.
(What do you wear this little bag for? What is that supposed to do?)
Well, dat's to keep yore enemies away from yo'. An' if yo' wanta start any business, yo' have success an' good luck after dat - no cops to bother, nuthin atall [at all]. Dey might come to yore place but when dey come to de place dey'll sit down an' talk with yuh.
Entry 12348
They tole me tuh git - they had me tuh git a piece of - a piece of drawing lodestone an' dis same mineral oil. Ah cain't think of it [name]. They still use it as mineral oil. Dis lodestone, dis drawin' stone, you buy, see, an' dis mineral oil and de dust from a comb, ah believe it was - a head comb, de dust. An' yo' 'solve [dissolve] dis dust into dis - dis mineral oil and dust all together, and you dress dis dust and de mineral [oil] and de lodestone wit perfume an' you wears it. But ah was successful.
(That's in hunting a job.)
In hunting a job. Least how, it worked. But thinking about it, ah didn't hole [hold] de job very long. So dat's why ah didn't think dere's much to it. [To be able to buy head-comb dust indicates the catholicity of products sold by some hoodoo shops!]
Entry 12404
Ah know dat chew could git a job jes' by goin' to a magnolia tree. Yo' take an' git - jes' a little piece of cloth an' den sew it up in a heart- style bag in shape of a heart. Yo' take dat heart- style an' yo' fill it up wit nuthin but table salt, salt dat nevah has been used. An' go to a magnolia tree wit three roots dat's runnin' east. Don't care how small or how large it is, an' yo' tie it up together an' feed it off de cologne. An' it's a certain chap- tah in Psalms in de Bible - de Psalms of David. Ah disremembah, but chew repeat dat three times in de mawnin' befo' yo' go fo' three mawnin's, an' aftah dat third mawnin' dat chew'll be successful in gittin' a iob an' holdin' it as long as yo' kin hold dat.
(You put these magnolia roots into this little bag?)
Yes sir, yo' puts it in dat an' sew it up right wit de salt in de heart- style [bag].
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 12518
Yo' git a bran'-new red onion dat's nevah been used an' yo'd have fiah. Yo' put dat red onion in dat fiah an' put some sugah in it an' den axe fo' whatevah yo' want. Make a wish fo' whatevah yo' want an' yo' mo' den successful in yore undahtakin'.
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 11713
Well, it's a root whut chew call de Georgia [George?] crooked root. It grows an' it has a red flowers. Now, yo' kin take dat root an' yo' kin bring love in yore home. Yo' take dat root an' yo' dig de root up. Put it up an' let it dry. An' aftah dis root is dried, yo' cut two 'nitials in dis root. De root grows about dat big. Lak if yo' cut L. A. or whoevah name it is. An' yo' wanta be successful in yore home an' yo' want peace dere, yo' cuts two 'nitials in dat root. Yo' bury dat root up undah de do'steps an' dat will bring plenty peace in de home.
(What do you call the name of that root?)
George Crooked root.
(Where does that grow? Around here?)
Ah nevah see any in dis state but dere's plenty of it in Georgia. [Is this the Georgia bark tree, Pinekneya pubens?]
Entry 2911
Well, if for instant, say, you got a husband - a man, and he's done left you, you take a white candle and you burn it. That's to draw him back to you. All right, then when you get him back to you, you get a blue candle - that's for true love. A pink candle is for success, see. All right, that's what you do. (Well, how would you burn that blue candle? Or that white candle to bring him back, for example?) With his name.
(Explain the whole thing to me.)
Oh, explain the whole thing?
(Yes.)
You write his name three times and you put it under a saucer. You take a saucer and turn it upside down and you put the candle on top of that, burn it.
(Burn the candle - the white candle?)
The white candle - that's to draw him.
(Back?)
Yes. (Well, do you burn that any particular time, or day, any particular length of time, or what?) See, this is burned completely out.
(Oh, burn it completely out?)
Completely burn it until hit makes a - takes effect on him to bring him back. See. It's according to the person's constitution. You see, sometime you don't have to burn them long - about two or three weeks. It's according to the con- stitution. Some people is [more resistant to candles]. (I see. Now, suppose he comes back, then what do you do with that blue candle there?) All right, you burn the blue candle - that's for true love.
(And how would you burn it?)
The same way. The same way - to keep his name completely under there. You see, you conquer him - you conquer anybody with their name.
(And then what was the other candle?)
The pink - that's for success. You'll be successful. You see, you burn the three candles - the white is to draw, blue is for true love, and pink is for success.
Entry 2947
If you think candles is burnin' on you, you kin burn one on [them] yoreself. Suppose dey says, "Well, dere's candles burnin' on you." Well, you burn a candle - break it in half, if you think a candle is burnin' on you or some reader [reading the cards for you] will tell you a candle is burnin' on you. Or you feel lak a candle's burnin' on you, git a candle an' break it in half, jis' half, [and]. read, well maybe 118 Psalms, an' light it. [For other broken candles, see p.816 and Index.]
(Do you light this candle you break? Or another one?)
Light dat one - it'll burn.
(Where do you light it?)
Jis' crack it lak that - [light it] de usual place. It'll remain [lean] ovah but it'll burn. That'll stop de othah candle from burnin'.
(How would I feel if I felt that a candle is being burnt on me?)
Oooh, you feel bad, feel somethin's been crossed, an' you say, "Well, ah musta been crossed. You feel bad. You feel bad all de time an' you jis' feel lak yore livah is outa ordah an' lak that. Maybe yore blood feel lak it's a little hot. Yo' don't rest well, an' yo' don't have no success, an' jis' lak feelin' down all de time.
Entry 13259
(What is goofer dust?) Well, whut dey call goofer dust is - dey takes sulphur, red pepper an' a red onion an' sew it up in a red piece of flannel an' dat's whut chew call goofer dust. [Normally of course this is a hand.]
(What do you do with that then?)
Take it an' wear it in yore pocket, jes' wear it all de time in yore pocket.
(What is it supposed to do for you?)
Well, it'll make yo' lucky an' successful. [This of course is not normal goofer dust, a dust; but if it is for informant, it is.]
Entry 8529
Yo' write de name seven times. After yo' write de names, yo' bore yo' a hole in a coconut an' pour de water out. An' take that piece of paper what yo' write de name an' stuff it in de coconut. Then yo' put de stuff they call moving powder. Yo' get that at the [hoodoo] d drug store at X Street. Yo' sprinkle dat in there. That's when yo' want to put a fellow on a drift. When yo' sprinkle in there an' close it [coconut], yo' take that an' care [carry] it down to de [Mississippi] river an' jis' turn yore back, an' throw in de river like this [demonstrates] an' say, Damn yo', yo' go. Nevah have no good luck as long as yo' live. Throw it back over yore right shoulder. Yo' never have no good luck as long as yo' live. No success or nothing. It'll put yo' on a drift. Yo' could be a millionaire, you're gon'a be down.
The account predicts 'No success or nothing'; whether those exact words are prescribed recitation remains uncertain.