Subject:Sulphur
Entries
Entry 3704
(If a man wants to regain his nature, what does he do now?) He takes sulphah an' brimstone an' sugah an' throw it ovah yore left shouldah fo nine mawnin's an' say, "Dead work to put chew - fo' whut chew tryin' tuh do me, go back where yo' come." An' instead of it bein' on 'im, it will be on 'er, yo' see.
(What did you say now?)
"Dead work to it, dead work to her."
("Dead work to her." That will turn it back on her?)
Sho'.
(That left shoulder, you said was what?)
De left shouldah, dat means yore heart. Turn it back to her.
Entry 3708
The follow- ing informant gives 4 separate cures:] Dey say yo' kin take in measurin' a man - well now, in yore husban', if yo' don't want 'im tuh fool wit somebody, why yo' could take an' measure him when he's sleep, if yo' git a chance. Or eithah, yo' fix 'im to pay no 'tenshun - have connection wit 'im fo' a chance tuh measure 'im wit a piece of cord string, dis little cord string dat come off a wrappin'. An' take an' measure 'im wit dat - jes' de length of it. An' den yo' kin take an' tie nine knots in it, an' yo' kin wear it in yore shoe, or if yo' kin, put it down undah de innah sole of yore shoe, an' he can't have anythin' tuh do wit anybody else. Den yo' kin take a piece of new homespun. Jes' lak yo' be playin' an' yo' have a piece of new homespun about de bed, or sompin yo' wus sewin', an' dey kin use dat aftah dey git through. Put it undah yore mattress an' double it up in a piece of papah an' put it undah yore mattress an' he ain't goin' bothah 'bout anyone. An' den if a person gits where dey kin't bothah wit anybody an' wants it taken off dem, dey kin go an' steal a dishcloth - steal someone's dishcloth. An' if dey got greasy dishwatah dere, dey jis' skim off dat grease wit dat dishcloth an' squeeze it up in dere. An' den yo' kin take dat dishcloth an' use it an' wash it off yoreself an' dat will kill it out. An' den yo' kin take an' git some cedar - these cedar leaves. Don't chew know, yo've seen dese cedars in de cemetery. An' take sulphur an' sprinkle it ovah dem, an' put a little fiah undah it, an' yo' kin kinda stand ovah dat an' let dat smoke go ovah yo', an' dat'll kill it. (That will kill it, if his nature has been taken away from him - restore his nature. But you don't have to get that cedar from the cemetery, you can get it any place?) Yes, anywhere. Yo' ain't gotta git it from de cemetery. [Yet, informant prefers graveyard.]
Entry 3730
Well, yo' take de dishrag, if a woman has got a run-aroun' man an' she take de dishrag - aftah she take de dishrag, wipe him wit de dishrag. Wipe him wit de dishrag an' iron it with a very hot iron, an' bury it to de left side of a tree. When yo' bury it to de left side of de tree, dat will perish away all nature dey has fo' any woman. He can't run aroun' any mo', he'll have to stay at home. Well now, if he don't go to de graveyard an' den git de graveyard dirt from de head an' de foot, place a penny in de centah of de grave- pay de grave fo' whut chew git in de Name of de Lord. Take it back an' mix brimstone, sulphur an' sweet milk an' drink it. Well, if he don't do dat, he'll nevah be a man any mo'. He goes to T. B.
(But if he does that, it restores his nature.)
Entry 3808
He kin take cream of tartar, sulphur an' a lil' sugah. Mix dat togethah. Make a powdah of dat an' take a teaspoonful of dat three times a day an' dat will bring it back - bring back 'is nature.
Entry 3810
An' he told me. I knew de girl dat did it. Well, I'm goin' to tell yo' now how it started. I heard of it befo'. I wuz goin' wit 'er, an' I had been goin' wit 'er, an' I wuz in good health, evahthing. An' de way I wuz, dis girl wuz crooked on me, an' I say, "I'm goin' quit messin' roun' wit yo', I ain't goin' to" - well I got me anothah girl, started wit 'er, went wit 'er a time or two. An' I got hold of dis girl's pit- chure whut I wuz goin' wit. I had been messed up in dat stuff befo' but not wit dis girl. An' she wuz from de same place dat I wuz. She knowed broad people, all dose people down dere roun' South Carolina an' way to Georgia. Dere's a whole lot of people down dere dat knows a lot of stuff, dere's lot of em down dere dat knows plenty. I says - I been wit dis girl a time or two - I says, "I ain't goin' to hide yore pitchure, goin' to leave it in my pocket." Dis girl got dis girl's pitchure. She seed it but she wuz scared to bother wit it. I says, "Well.... [A short lacuna appears on the cylinder, probably an accidental rather than intended stoppage.] Seem lak evah time I'd go roun' where she wuz - where she wuz at - I would get cowardah [cowarder] an' cowardah [more and more he lacked courage], didn't have any manhood atall. I goes on. I [finally] went to a doctor [M.D.] an' he gived me some medicine. Kept on havin' de medicine, kept on havin' it. Well, I'd taken it fer about six months an' nevah seen it [the ailing member], gotten no manhood atall. I wuz workin' an' I says, "Hell, somepin's gotta be done." I went to see dis person [a man mentioned later] an' [he] says, "What's de mattah wit yo'?" [I] say, "He's [ailing member is] sick. He can't do nuthin. He haven't [had] a woman. It must be woman [causing this trouble]." I kept a- thinkin' about 'er if I didn't seen 'er [he kept thinking about the first woman though he had not seen her]. I wuz talkin' to a man about dis an' he told me who to go to. I went to a ole lady dat had one leg longah den de othah, an' she told me, said, "Boy," said, "time yo' got here." [Her opening words are quite professional - see CONSULTATION TECHNIQUE, Pp.307- 319. Her long leg and short leg were good for business - see NAMES FOR DOCTORS and PERSONAL APPEARANCE, PP.293-301.] She told me how I wuz messed up wit - how my manhood wuz cut down, an' she said, "But I kin fix yo' all right." I says, "Yo' can?" She say, "Yes." says, "Well, what yo' goin' do?" She says, "Well, dat's all right about whut I do. I'll fix yo' all right." An' she say, "Well, I tell yo' what yo' do. Yo' go an' buy me a half pint of whiskey." I say, "Sure enuff." I says, "If yo want a drink of whiskey, " I say, "I'll give yo' a drink of whiskey, but yo' say yo' kin fix me. Yo' told me somepin an' yo' must know somepin, ain't it?" She say, "Yo' go an' buy me a half pint of whiskey, an' if yo' wanta give me a drink, buy yo' one an' me one, an' I'm goin' to give yo' nuthin out of dat." She told me - she took a knife, jes' about a, lak a case knife, an' black gun- powdah, an' a little bit of sulphur, an' a little bit of salt, an' a little bit of red peppah, an' told me how to use it - how to take dis, put it in de whiskey an' shake it up. She got a piece of flannel - said white flannel or eithah red flannel would do, which she preferred white flannel. She had de scissors an' she cut it off an' had taken some mutton suet. She told me to take dis den an' jes' lathah [lather] it wit dis mutton suet befo' a hot stove, or anything, dat a lamp would do if it were hot enough, an' put in on jes' lak dis [demonstrates] an' give a wish.
(And pull it up three times.)
An' it would stay dere, keep it stayin' dere. Told me if when I got dere, if it would fall down, to come on back. So. I didn't pay, didn't pay 'er a thing until I came back - if I didn't want to, see. Well, it did an' it's been stand- in' evah since.
(Well, WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THIS WHISKEY, then?)
I take a swallah of it three times a day. An' it nevah bothahed me no more. Told me evah time when I started wit anybody dat I wuz payin' attention to, if I thought dey had any underworld ideas - but I nevah had nuthin to do ag'in. [The preceding experience was given on cylinder 482:9. Before that, on 482:6, came the tying-up rite, and now follows on 482:7, the pre-statement for the ex-perience:] Dere's a way dat yo' kin take some salt, an' a little bit a pinch of sulphur on a knife blade, an' somepin lak some sheep suet an' heat it ovah a red hot - somepin lak a red-hot stove. If yo' reach down lak dat an' git it when it cools, an' make a wish, yo' see if it stand up [demonstrates].
(How do you pull it down?)
No, yo' pulls it up, three times.
(Three times?)
Pull it three times an' make a wish.
(And then it stays up itself.)
Yeah.
Entry 3817
Yo' kin take an' take yore own watah, sulphur an' Hearts Cologne, ah heard dat chew could use to bring yo'self [nature] back to yo'. Take yore own watah, Hearts Cologne an' sulphur an' bath [not bathe] wit it. Yo' know sulphur is a peculiah thing anyhow, sulphur is, an' take an' bath.yo'self wit it an' dat'll bring yo' - restore yo'self back an' evah- thing.
Entry 3858
Well, ah'm married, an' people has been tellin' me dat mah husband wus goin' wit a woman. So ah didn't believe it, ah said ah wanted tuh see fo' mah- self. So one night ah were out an' ah went tuh a friend of mine's house an' ah met 'em dere togethah. Co'se ah didn't ack anyway spicious. Ah know whut dey would think. So dis woman dat he wus goin' wit, she wus a friend of mine an' she visited mah house often. An' so one day she came dere an' she happen tuh be ministratin' at de time, an' she ast me did ah have somepin dat she could use. So ah tole her yeah, an' ah gave her a piece. So de piece dat she had on, she gave it tuh me. Ah say, "Yo' give it tuh me an' ah'll throw it away fo' yo', put it in de trash." She said all right. So, since den, ah were out an' ah met 'im an' 'er togethah. So ah tole her, ah SAY, "DE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TELLIN' ME DAT YO' WERE GOIN' WIT MAH HUSBAND, BUT AH DIDN'T BELIEVE IT. NOW AH KNOW IT FO' MAHSELF." AH SAID, "AN' AH WILL FIX YO' IN A WAY DAT YO' WON'T HAVE ANYTHIN' TUH DO WIT MAH HUSBAND AN' NO OTHAH WOMAN'S HUSBAN'.' So whut ah did. De piece dat she left dere, ah got some sulphur an' red pep- pah an' put in it an' burned it. An' in a month's time - ah had tole her dat in a month's time she wouldn't know anyone. So, during dat month aftah ah had burned it, she pined - went tuh pinin' away. An' WHEN DE MONTH WUS UP, DEN SHE DIED.
Entry 3865
See, yo' kin take a hen, a black hen see, an' cut 'er see, an' put sulphur in 'er see, an' takes a lady's ministrate see, her monthly period, a woman yo' dislike or anything, an' put it in dere. An' see, sew dat hen back up an' turn 'er loose, an' as dat hen go 'way an' pine 'way an' die, dat person [woman] will do de same thing. She be sickly until she dies like dat.
Entry 4440
De mess from yuh body, an' yuh take it an' yuh'll dig a hole an' yuh'll po' sulphur - dig a hole 'side of a tree an' put sulphur in dere an' burn dat mess. Well, dat will dry yuh up, goin' dry yuh up where yuh'll nevah have actions yuh undahstan'. Purtty soon dey give yuh medicine tuh have action an' dat will fin'ly [finally] kill yuh.
Entry 4723
If yo' got a house an' if yo' wanted tuh rent it an' want tuh put de people out of it, yo' go dere an' git some of dere ole clothes. Yo' carry 'em off an' burn 'em. An' while yo' burnin' de clothes, yo' take an' keep asprinklin' sulphuh on it. An' yo' burn it up an' yo' git dem ashes an' carry 'em back dere an' dey can't stay in dat house. Dey won't stay in dere long.
(What do you do with those ashes when you carry them back?)
Yo' carry 'em right an' sprinkle 'em right in de yard.
Entry 4724
Becuz if she tie yo' up an' yo' wanta git loose from 'er, jis' all yo' gotta do, git somepin belongs tuh 'er. Yo' git somepin belongs tuh 'er. Git chew some red peppah an' sulphuh an' table salt. PUT IT TOGETHAH, UNDAHSTAN' ME, 'CUZ AH'M NOT GOIN' Undahstan' it. An' put in a tin an' yo' burn it. An' when dat peppah an' dat salt an' dat gunpowdah [sulphuh] flies, her min' goes away from yo' jis' dat way.
(You put some piece of hers with those.)
Yes.
Entry 4773
(What can they do to make the man come back?)
She kin take her [under] clothes an' put 'er clothes on de wrong side, an she'll go tuh de sunrise an' talk wit 'im. She has sulphur an' red peppah in er shoes. An' she kin talk wit 'im befo' de sunrise. In about three days aftah dat he will come home an' he don't know how he come home. (She turns her underclothes inside out and she has to wear them - while she is talking to him - turned that way.) Tuh de sunrise.
Entry 4884
A man wan'a woman, he kin go tuh work an' git de right foot of 'er stockin'. An' yuh kin go out at night, if yuh don't want 'er tuh leave home, or if she leave home an' yuh wan' 'er tuh come back. Yuh take her right foot of 'er stockin' an' make out right in de centah of de do'. Dis is de house an' dis is de centah of de do' right chere [demonstrates]. Right in de centah of de do' right heah, yuh go right straight back yuh undah- stan' about five feet - yuh walk backwards five feet. When yuh walk five feet, stan' right stock still, undahstan', an' dig yuh a little hole right down in de ground, right in de centah of de do'. Take dat stockin' an' put it down in dat hole. Git chew some sulphur an' put on top of it. Kivah [cover] it down in de ground dere, drive dat peg down in de ground out dere, an' dat [stocking] right down in de groun' wit it, kivah it up an' stomp [stamp] it underneat' yore foot. An' tell it, "Ah mean fo' dis tuh do whut ah tell yuh tuh do." An' den go back an' git chure left stockin'. Find 'er lef' sock an' put it right undah de bottom of de do'step - where de bottom do'step. Yuh know where de second an' right on up. Right chere de bottom one. Digs yuh a hole an' put it right down in dere. An' if she leave yuh - aftah dat's done an' she's lef' yuh, den she wants tuh come back. An' yuh leave dat dere an' she gotta walk dere, an' in less time dan 36 hours. Yuh give her 36 hours an' she'll be back. Ah don' care where in de world she is, if she's in New York or'where. (When you bury that second sock right there at the doorstep, do you put sul- phur in that, too?) Not a single thing. Yuh done done de mess out yondah.
Entry 4963
Dey take his right- feet sock an' put nine knots in it an' put some sulphur in it. An' den yuh put some bluestone in it. Bury it at de right feet [side] of de steps an' dat will keep 'im home - keep 'im from runnin' aroun'.
Entry 5102
[Take] de lef' foot of yore shoes an' put it unnerneat' chure foot of yore baid, an' make a spirit stay away. Tuh give yuh good luck, dey [you] take yore shoes, one yore ole shoes, an' yuh put some sulphur in it an' throw it in de fiahplace, an' burn de sulphuh an' shoe tuhgethah. Dat will give yuh luck in yore home.
Entry 5104
Ef a person git one of yuh shoes, ef dey put bluestone an' sulphuh an' beat it all up tuhgethah an' git some of dis stuff from de drug store dey call de incense, dey put dat in de bottom undah yuh shoe. Yo' know de li'le piece dat be's up in yuh shoe [insole]. Put it up undah dere an' put it back down. Well, when yo' put dat shoe on, yo' goin' always stay sickly, an' yuh feets will start tuh swell.
Entry 5135
What chew do wit yore shoes? Jis' sprinkle a little bita dragon blood in dere an' a little sulphuh. Yuh know, jis' sprinkle it in dere an' let it [stay in there awhile] an' den shake it out so dat he cain't see it. Or eithah hole [hold] up dat little thin piece [insole] an' let it go tuh de bottom [all the way to the toes, letting the insoles then fall back into places] an' he cain't stay from yuh. He has tuh come home.
Entry 5206
Yo' kin take dere shoes an' take 'em an' put 'em undah de do'steps, an' put a li'le table salt an' sulphur an' diff'ren' thin's - mix it up tuhgethah an rub it on 'em, an' put 'em undah de do'step. Yo' steal de shoe unbeknownst tuh 'em an' put 'em undah de do'- step, an' dey'll leave town - run away from town.
(Do you get both their shoes?)
Jes' one. If yo' can git one, jes' git de left-foot shoe; if yo' can't git de left-foot, jes' git de right foot - any which one of 'em.
(And if you got my shoe, you would bury it under my door?)
Yeah, under yore own do'step.
Entry 5210
[She was] a wild woman. Ah couldn't git rid of 'er an' ah went tuh another HOODOO. He tole me, say, "Yo' take two of 'er shoes, take 'em an' full 'em wit salt an' sulphur, an' put 'em down intuh a runnin' stream." An' yo' wouldn't have no mo' trouble wit 'er. Well, ah nevah had no mo' trouble wit dat woman. Got rid of 'er.
Entry 5211
Yo' kin take a person's shoes an' put a li'le sulphur an' a li'le salt in it an' dis heah Red Devil Peppah red peppah, an' yo' could take dat shoe an' yo' could bury dat shoe, but let it be de lef' feet. An' bury it in de back yard. An' dat person nevah be able tuh walk straight any mo'. [Red Devil Pepper is either a package of red pepper with a red devil on it, a commercial brand, or a special package sold by a hoodoo drug store or mail-order firm.]
Entry 5214
Git nine little seeds outa [a] red peppah, an' sulphur an' salt, an' put in yore shoes, an' whatevah dey wanta do - run yo' 'way, make it so hot yo' cain't stay where yo' are. (Put that in either shoe or both shoes?) In both shoes. Yo' know, in yore shoes yo' have a linin'. If yo' kin git up dat linin', git nine red peppah seeds an' git sulphur an' salt an' put in dere, dey not knowin' it's in dere, an' dey say yo'll be so hot yo'll jes' have tuh go. Yo' don't [know] where yo' goin' but yo' jes' got'a go.
Entry 5215
Ah've seen lotsa dat done. Take salt an' sulphur, take de ole shoes an' burn it. An' den dey take de ole shoes aftah dey burn it, an' den take it in de four cornahs of de house, er out in de yard an' bury it. An' ah've seen lotsa [people do it] but what it wuz in it [wheth- er this caused them to leave] ah don' know.
[I] seen 'em leave home.
Entry 5216
Dey take some cookin' salt an' sulphur an' mix it an' put it in a fire- place, 'nuff fo' de smoke tuh come out, an' burn it in yore chimley. Yo' kin take a shoe an' burn along wit it tuh make it mo' strong. An' burn it slowly in de chimley an' see dat'll smoke. Dey can't stand dat odor from dat smoke, an' it seems in a couple of week's time dey'll have tuh move. Dey couldn't stay roun' dere. [Burn] three time a day.
(That will cause the people next door to be moved.)
Entry 5217
Well, if yo' think dey goin' put somepin down fo' yo' tuh walk ovah, yo' git some sulphur an' table salt an' - an' saltpetah. Put jis' a li'le bit'a each, about de same quantity of each, an' put it in each shoe, an' yo' walk ovah dat much as yo' wanta.
Entry 5220
Den ah've heard dat dey kin take yore shoe an' scrape de bottom of it. Lak yore shoes is - lak yo' weah yore shoes tuhday. Well, if yo' foot atall sweat, dey kin take it an' pull it off an' scrape de inside of dat shoe, an' git dat dere dirt whut come outa yore foot. An' dey could bind dat dere up an' put intuh a place whereby it cain't ketch no air atall. An yo' cain't walk. Of co'se it cain't kill yo' - won' kill yo' - but yo' won' have no use fo' dat foot. Dat takes de use of it, when dey puts dat intuh a place where it cain't ketch no air. De way dat chew comprehend [overcome] dat is tuh bring de use back tuh yore foot. Git chew some sulphur an' red peppah an' weah it in de bottom of yore shoe an' dat will kill it. See, dat'll kill it in yore foot. Dat won' be no good while dey have it in dat airtight place. Dat 'air [= dere = there] is de way dey ovahcome dat devilment when dey works it.
Entry 5229
Yo' kin keep from bein' hurt dat way, whut ah know. Yo' kin keep sulphur in yore shoes an' keep from bein' hurt lak dat. Evah time yo' git ready tuh go out, evah pair of shoes yo' has, sprinkle a li'le sulphur in dem. Well, yo' nevah ketches anythin' from any- body. It's hard fo' 'em tuh git on tuh yo'.
Entry 5231
Jes' lak if yo' an' a man separated, an' dey say dat if yo' kin git 'is lef'-foot of 'is shoe, an' take it out in de back yard an' burn de shoe wit sul- phur, dat he would came back. (Take the left sole, the whole shoe?) Yes sir, jes' de whole shoe an' turn it down an' sprinkle sulphur on de shoe an' said dat would bring 'im back.
(Then you burn the shoe?)
Yes sir, burn it - jes' make a fire an' burn it.
Entry 5232
Yo' take brimstone an' put a li'le sulphur wit it, an' wear a li'le in yore shoes, an' de tendency of dat would keep anybody from tryin' tuh do any- thin' tuh yo'.
Entry 5233
Take dey lef'-foot shoe an' burn it wit sugah, black peppah, saltpetah an' bluestone. Dat'll call 'em back.
Entry 5234
Ah heard if dere any person dat chew don' wan' aroun' yo', in de mawn- in' 'fore de sun rise, yo' go an' sweep yore front yard. Well, when dey come dere an' dey walk in an' yo' sweep it an' yo' burn a ole shoe. Yo go roun' anywhere where dis person is an' git any ole shoe belong tuh dem an' burn it an' sprinkle it. Well dat will keep 'em 'way from roun' dere.
(You sweep first?)
Yo' sweep'an' den burn a ole shoe - jes' yo' sweep an' den yo' put some sul- phur in dat ashes of de burnt shoe. Sprinkle it in de front yard.
Entry 5237
De shoes - dat right foot of shoes, dey kin burn dat up intuh a powdah an' put sulphur in it. Have dat sulphur an' dat powdah an' dis cloves. AH KNOW YO' DONE HEAR TALK OF SPICES. Have all dat burnin' tuhgeth- ah an' mix it up an' burn it in yore house. Dey says three times a week: jis' Wednesdays, Saturdays an' Mondays, say dat's luck.
(What kind of luck? Luck for what?)
Bring good luck tuh yo'.
Entry 5242
Yo' could take dat inside sole jes' lak ah have in mine heah, dat got de sweat on it, chew know. An' yo' take dat outa anybody's [shoe] who yo' want. Listen good. An' put some sul- phur in it, black peppah an' salt. (Sulphur, black pepper and salt.) Uh-hmm. Den yo' take it an' burn it. In three days times.if yo' want dem back dere, dey'll come back tuh yo' an love yo' bettah dan evah.
(What would you do with those ashes, anything?)
No, jes' let it go yo' know, aftah yo' put dat sulphur an' black peppah in dere, an' salt.
Entry 5243
Wit de shoe - yo' kin take ole shoes an' compel good luck wit 'em one way.
(Well, how would they do that?)
Well, yo' kin git chew three ole shoes an' JES' AS DE SUN IS RISIN' - YO' KNOW DE SUN HAS A MIGHTYFUL POWAH - an' jes' as de sun is risin' yo' take yo' a little sulphur an' put it in all three of dose shoes, right up in de heel part, an' set de toe of dose shoes tuhwards de house. An' yo' burn dose three shoes jes' as de sun risin' in de mawnin', an' dat'll certainly bring yo' good luck. Yo' kin do dat wit de shoes.
Entry 5296
Eithah one of yo' shoes, take de inside sole of dat shoe. He takes a knife an' he'll chip it up real fine, an' he'll take some sulphur an' some black peppah, an' he'll mix it all tuhgethah. Aftah he mix it tuhgethah he'll take it an' carry it tuh a stream of watah dat's runnin'. An' he kin sprinkle de least bit of it in dat sole an' he cain't stay nowhere. He start tuh travel. He cain't be satisfied nowhere he goes.
Entry 5300
Yo' take de lef'-foot shoe at twelve a'clock at night an' yo' make yore wish tuh de fo' cornahs of de world an' pray - jes' a prayah child-lak, in yore own mannahs, see. Yore own way of prayin', see. Den if yo' got anybody dat's gone, why dey'll come tuh yo'. Do dat nine times, pray dat prayer. Co'se yo' burn de shoe once, but yo' pray dat same prayah fo' nine times at de same hour. Yo' pray it an' dat's tuh bring 'em home.
(Do you pray nine times that same night you burn the shoe or afterwards?)
Afterwards. Yo' pray it one prayah dat night an' jes' pray it till nine nights. But yo' only burn de shoe once.
(But you only burn the shoe once.)
One shoe at twelve a'clock.
[A separate rite is now added to preceding one:]
Take dat shoe an' yo' kin put some sugah an' soda an' sulphur. Put it in de heel an' shake it tuh de toe, an' push de shoe in de burnah, stove or heatah. Put de toe in first an' let it burn. Yo' do dat about twelve a'clock at night. Now, dat's good. Dat's de same thing. See, yo' don' have tuh pray no nine times ovah dat. Jes' do dat. An' dat's tuh bring people.
(You use either shoe?)
De right foot.
Entry 5315
Yo' kin take a person's track - take yore han' an' ketch it from de toe an' bring it tuh de heel. Put some salt an' red peppah wit it an' some sul- phur. Mix it up very good. Take it tuh a ants nest an' po' it in dere an' make yore wish In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an Holy Ghost, an' dey'll leave.
Entry 5325
Dat is about a girl, yo' know. Take dis girl out yondah [yonder] an' yo' wan'a go wit 'er. Yo' kin take huh track an' take a teaspoon fulla de sand outa huh track an' a tea- spoon fulla sulphuh an' a little ball of asafitidy. An' tie it up in a black cloth an' put it in yore pocket, an' weah it in dere fo' 'bout nine mawnin's - eithah seven mawnin's. [They] say she'd come tuh yore house. But yo' jes' keep it in dere de ninth mawnin'. But [they] say aftah seven mawnin's yo'd make good wit 'uh. An' jes' weah dere until de ninth mawnin' an' yo'll have 'uh den.
Entry 5357
Jes' in de mawnin' time aftah he done already put on his clothes, yo undahstan', an' he ready tuh go out...as soon as he walk out de door, yo' undah- stan', she goes tuh work an' sweep, jis' swept his foot, jes' lak he's going out dis di', yo' see, she jis' grab aholt of it [a broom] an' go on an' sweep dat dus' right tuhgethah right from de place dat he started off tuh walkin', an' bundle it in a pile, yo' see. Den she added a li'le sulphur on a piece of papah of any kind, yo' undahstan', an' put a li'le piece of shoe sole wit it an' throw it in de stove, anything lak dat. Why he wouldn't be able enough tuh come back de same night.
(Whose shoe sole would she use?)
Well, de shoe soles, yo' see, she would more or less burn de heels part - de heels part of de shoes, yo' undahstan'. An' she will pound it up intuh dat same dust wit de sulphur, then she add it all intuh de stove.
Entry 5480
Take yuh foot track, git chah right foot, an' git choo some sulphah an' some gunpowdah, an' put it in a piece of brown papah. An' strike yuh a match tuh it an' blow it - an' light each cor- nahs of it, de fo' cornahs. It'll blow up. An' yo'll leave town. Anywhere yo're at, choo'll go, keep movin'.
Entry 5493
Take dat - yo' take yore foot track an' yo' put dat wit sulphur, red peppah an' gunpowdah an' put quicksilvah wit dat. Yo' go tuh de rivah an' go throw it right 'cross yore right shouldah. Go on an' don' look back. Dat will run yo'. Dey say dat will run yuh. Quicksilver may be the real thing, tin foil, or scrapings from back of mirror; the important idea being the five letters q-u-i-c-k.1
(You take, use either foot track. It doesn't make any difference?)
No.
Entry 5517
Jes' lak someone yo' don' lak in yore home an' yo' wan' 'em tuh stay from roun' yore home. Yo' watch dey track. Yo' kin git eithah one of dere track, or yo' kin git both of 'em. An' yo' kin put dis same sulphur an' salt wit it an' throw it back. Yo' walk aroun' yore house nine times, an' back at de sunrise [side] on de right side of de house, an' jes' [throw track, sulphur and salt] on top of yore house. Den dey'll stay from roun' dere. Ah have did dat. (If somebody comes to my house and I don't want them around, I will take that dirt from two of their tracks and put the sulphur [and salt] with it. Then I Would walk around my house nine times, and then do what on the sunrise then?) Go on de sunrise side of de house. (You go on the sunrise side of the house, and then you throw that stuff against the house or over the house?) Ovah de house.
(All the way over the house.)
Have it kinda lak a sack. Yo' put it in a sack.
(That keeps them away.)
An' tie de sack tuhgethah, an' dere ain't no ways 'bout it - none atall
[they'll stay away].
Entry 5539
Well, see, if a person is stayin' 'way from home all de time, jis' come home an' eat an' tuh sleep a little while an' go right on off, doesn't have any time tuh be roun' home an' yo' wan' 'em tuh stay at home. Well, yo' ketch de track comin' home to- wards de door. An' if yo' git dat track an' yo' measure it wit a papah or eithah way [another method] yo' kin use cahton; well, if it's a piece dat dere hasn't been anything cut off of it befo'. Den when yo' write de name an' make de wishes - make yore wish yo' wanta make, an' fold it ovah, an' each fold fold it towards de house.
(You write on the cotton cloth or on the paper, and each fold you make?)
Each fold fold it towards de house an' repeat de words, "Come home an' stay at home." An' yo' fold dat an' aftah yo' fold it, yo' take a piece of new home- spun an' yo' put dis in it, an' den yo' put some salt. Yo' puts nine grains of red peppah, a pod of red peppah has nevah been any used out. Well, yo' kin put de whole nine pods or yo' kin put de nine grains, which is de seed yo' see. An' yo' put some salt an' some peppah wit dat, be sure it's de salt an' peppah whut yo' jis' bought 'specially fo' dat - an' sulphur. An' put dat down an' bury dat den. Yo' dig de top soil, yo' dig until yo' git down below de top soil, see, an yo' bury dat, an' make yore wishes. An' den de persons will stay at home.
Entry 5706
Well, if it's anybody yo' wanta git out of town, git dere right-han' track, de right-foot track an' take a teaspoonful of dirt outa it an' mix it wit sulphuh an' burn it. An' tie it up in a flannel rag an' go tuh where a freight train go 'long, an' jis' put it down dere. Throw it in dere as dis freight train go 'long an' say, "In de Name of de Fathah, go."
(You throw that into the freight train?)
Yessuh.
Entry 5729
Jis' lak now if yo' wanta take dey feet track, lak de girl, lak yo' leavin' heah now, dey slip on out de do' an' git chure feet track, an' carry it back in de house an' put it in a box. Go tuh de graveyard roun' about twelve or one a'clock - between twelve an' one. Git tuh some grave where dey dyg a fresh grave, see. An' yo' take it [dirt] an' mix it in wit it [track], an' some table salt.
(Begin right from the beginning. What are you going to do, now?)
Jis' lak yo' be leavin' heah now, [you] step on de groun' an' make a feet track. Take de feet track up on it - in a piece of papah, shingle or anythin' lak dat.
(Either one or both foot tracks?)
From de heel tuh de toe. Den go at one a'clock or twelve a'clock at night - go on tuh de graveyard. Git thirteen han'ful dirt out, if ah ain't mistaken, of a fresh grave. Den when yo' fix tuh leave, yo' see, yo' leave dat one cent in dat grave, in dat hole where yo' dug in de top of it. Den yo' go an' git chew a box of table salt an' mix dat in it. Den yo' go tuh de store an' git chew a box of dat cayenne peppah an' yo' mix dat in it. Den yo' go tuh de drug sto' or some place where yo' buy de sulphuh - aftah yo' git chure box of salt - an' yo mix all of dat in it. Den yo' take it an' yo' go out in woods, somewhere close, where yo' carry dat an' augah [auger] yo' a hole in a tree wit a augah. An' git chew a cork stoppah, yo' undahstan', dat chew drive in dere. Push it in - stove de dirt in de hole, den take de stoppah an' drive it up in dere. IN THREE DAYS HE'LL FALL DEAD.
(What happens?)
He'll eithah die or leave town.
Entry 5793
If a man stay away from a house, jes' go ahead an' - if a woman wants a man tuh stay 'way from a house, all she gotta do, jes' go an' take his track. Take his track an' mix his track up in some sulphuh. An' go an' take it an' carry it way off, somewhere in anothah part of de farm an' throw dat stuff - jes' throw it away. An' when yo' throw it, don't look back, jes' go right on - jes' don't look back, an' he ain't comin' back no mo'.
Entry 6543
Yo' take some dog hair an' put it in some whiskey. Mix yo' a li'le sulphur in wit it an' yo' give dat tuh a person to drink, an' it'll 'cumulate snakes in 'em. [Snakes are created because hair, usual- ly horse hair, will turn into snakes - see SNAKES later.]
Entry 6553
They take a frog and they keep that frog until he has eggs. And when the frog has the eggs, they take those and put in the beer, and they will give that to the enemy to drink. Well, inside of about four or five months, those eggs will hatch and in the person's stomach, and they will have frogs in their stomach. And there is but one way to get those frog eggs out of that person's stomach, out of the belly to keep them from hatching. You would have to go under a operation. The way you can get them out without going under a operation is if you learn they are in there before four months. You can easily get them out with black molasses and burnt sulphur, becuz that ties them up, that brings them right out when you are passing. You pass them right out.
Entry 6620
Yo' git a snake bone an' take de shoes - yo' git de snake bone an' yo' take a person's shoe an' take dat li'le leathah piece outa it whut's in dere. An' yo' take dat li'le bone an' dry it up - yo' know, kinda make li'le powdah of it. An' yo' take de othah part, de tip-end of it, dat sharp part, an' put it down intuh de shoe an' place dat li'le cloth back ovah it. Yo' take dat powdahs an' sprinkle dat all roun' in dere. If it's yore shoe, if ah wanta kill yo' or put sompin in yo', put snakes in yo' where dey won' come out. Well, yo' see when yo' put dat shoe on, yo' goin' press yore weight ag'inst it; an' when yo' does, see, it pops up intuh yo', intuh yore heel. Well, yo' see, dat poison jis' goes right straight on up in yo'. An' aftah dat poison git up intuh yo', in about de ninth day it begin tuh make li'le snakes in yo'. It begin tuh make li'le snakes in yo'. Well, if yo' wanta git dose snakes outa yo', yo' git chew some sulphuh an' green peppah, black peppah an' mix it all tuhgethah. An' den yo' git chew dis milk of magnesia an' den yo' put dat in wit it an' mix it tuhgethah, an' jis' nine drops of spirits of turpentine. Yo' mix it all up tuhgethah an' yo' take dat fo' about eight days an' it will kill dose snakes. An' yo' go tuh de woods an' dere's one li'le sprig of stuff dat dey call dat Copras it bears one of de straight leaves an' de li'le j'ints [joints]. Dey got about four li'le white j'ints run up tuhgethah. [Does informant mean copperas, and does he think it is a plant?] Yo' take dat an' weah dat intuh yore clothes, an' dey say dat will really, surely run de snakes outa yo'. Put it all tuhgethah an' it will run dose snakes out of yo'. (You just wear this root though, you don't take either of those things - just wear it?) Yes.
(And that snakebone, can you get that any place about the snake?)
Yes, yo' kin git it from de snake, jis' any part of 'is body, jis' so it has dat li'le sharp end kind lak a pin.
Entry 6790
If a person bites yo' wit blue gums, yo' kin take a li'le of yore action, yore action an' put it on dere an' rub it in dere roun' good. (Rub it into the bite?) Yeah, an' go git chew some sulphuh an' burn it an' put it on dere, an' slip tuh 'is house. When yo' git dere, an' jis' lak yo' wanta a drink of watah, say, "Git me a glass of watah - git me some watah." An' carry a li'le dat burnt sulphuh wit chew an' - now, lak yo' wan' some watah. Rub it roun' intuh dat glass an' blow yore breath in it three times an' set it down nice, an' tell 'em tuh 'ave a drink of watah. He'll take a drink of watah an' he'll start tuh sufferin' wit de pyorrhea, los' [lostl de teeth outa his haid. (That burnt sulphur that you use in putting on your arm, that is out of the same batch of stuff?) Yes.
Entry 6937
One thing you can do to keep anybody in the world from doing anything to you, you get a silver dime, grate it, put it in water and drink it. Put a dime in each shoe. I guarantee you that you'll never be hurt. That silver dust will stick to the lining of your stomach and remain there indefinitely, and if it is not right, it will come right straight back up.
[Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 6954
Ah seen mah mother-in-law have used sulphur in her house. She sprinkled de sulphur down. An' if any- body comes dere dat don't lak yo', dey won't stay long. Dey go away.
Entry 6955
If yo' think dat yo' goin' be tricked or wuz tricked, well ah tell yo 'bout de luckiest thing dat ah know tuh he'p yo'self. Jes' use sulphur. Jes' put sulphur in each cornah of yore house an' burn de sulphur at night. No roots. It's umpossible tuh work ovah sulphur.
Entry 6956
If someone wuz tryin' tuh move yo' outa de house an' yo' wanted tuh stay dere, yo' would git chew some sulphuh an' go roun' [circumambulate] de house. An' each cornah of de house - yo' wouldn't have tuh tell 'em, yo' wouldn't let nobody know about dis - yo' would ies sprinkle a li'le sulphur in each cornah. An' yo' would jes' rake back jes' enough dirt - if yo' put it right smart - tuh keep anybody from noticin' it. All de way roun' de house. An' de person who wuz tryin' tuh - who wuz comin' in tuh move yo' out of dis house or have yo' move, why dey couldn't come in. An' yo' would stay dere an' dey couldn't put chew out.
Entry 6957
Tuh kill it an' tuh move it from yo', yo' would use sulphur, cream of tartar an' salt - Epsom salts. Dat will remove it outa yo' becuz it will kill it.
Entry 6958
If anyone wanta try tuh put a spell on yo' - whut chew take an' weah it fo', tuh keep dem from doin' dat - is weah a li'le sulphur in yore pocket evah day an' eat a pinch evah now an' den. See, an' dat will keep dem from puttin' de spell on yo'.
Entry 6959
One of de greatest things fo' any disastah, it have been said, dat if anythin' happens tuh yo' by evil people, dat's tuh jis' eat plenty sulphur. Jis' lay right tuh dat sulphur an' it will kill it out.
(That's if there is anything inside of you?)
Dat's de idea. Eat dat sulphur.
Entry 6960
If anybody been poisoned, yo' kin git some sweet milk an' a package of sulphur an' throw dis intuh dis sweet milk. An' stir it up an' carry it an' give it tuh dis person, an' if dey poisoned terribly bad, 'nuff tuh kill 'em, [they'll get well].
Entry 6962
Take a fresh laid egg an' mix de - mix sulphur in it an' fresh milk. Jis' make a li'le crack in dere an' take a straw an' put it dere an' drink it. (What will that do?) Dat'll stop anybody doin' yo' eny harm. See, den yo' kin drink wit yo' frien's. Yo' kin take a - jis' lak somebody would wanta give yo' tuh drink a glass of wine an' dey don' lak yuh, an' dey fix it fo' yuh, say, "All right boys, let's go." Dey jis' take one [drink] an' set it dere, an' dis one [drink] an' set it dere, an' this one [drink], an' set 'em dere [you can safely drink any of them].
Entry 6963
An' dey tells me if yo' wanta be lucky - sho' 'nuff lucky an' nobody can't do yo' nuthin - buy yo' a bran'-new pocketbook. An' pack it wit sulphur an' tote it in yore right-han' pocket, an' yo'll be lucky an' nobody can't do yo' nuthin.
Entry 6964
Put a li'le saltpetah in yore shoe. Weah it in yore shoe an' sulphur in yore shoe. Dat'll keep de poison from gwine [going (into your body)], tetch- in' [touching yo'. See.
Entry 6965
It's also good fo' dose evil thin's. Yo' take de silvah, any kinda silvah or steel. Yo' scrape de - yo' file it, chew know, an' yo' take dat dust an' yo' eat a li'lepincha [pinch of] it in yuh foods. Dat'll always project [eject] de evil, whutsomevah dey've did fo' yo' - tuh yo'.
Entry 6974
Put sulphur an' bluestone an' brimstone, tie all dat up tuhgethah an' put it in chamber lye an' throw it roun' yore house, an' nobody kin put down any cunjure fo' yo'.
Entry 7671
Yo' kin bring up confusion by goin' tuh de graveyard an' gittin' some graveyard dirt, but yo' have tuh run yore han' as fur down in dere as yo' poss'ly kin; but chew mus' carry three pennies, brass pen- nies. Dese pennies, yo' know, jes' carry dat 'long dit chew, when yo' go out dere. Den when yo' bring yore han' up dat pays off, a'yo' do's dat.
(What do you do with it then?)
Well, yo' kin jes' use it eithah way. Yo' kin make him stay home or yo' kin make him go wit de same dirt.
(Tell me how you would use it?)
Well, yo' could put some sulphur an' brimstone wit dat. Put dem three tuh- gethah. Yo' takes dat an' carry dat an' put it inside de house an' dat will cuz confusion.
Entry 7672
He [my contact man] wus askin' me about how would yo' git a woman away from yore home, if yo' didn't want 'er. Wal, ah tole him dat dey kin go tuh a graveyard where yo' know it's some evil person had.died, an' dig down dere about three feet an' git so much - 'bout three teaspoonsful of sand an' mix it in with some black peppah an' take an' mix some sulphur in it an' carry it an' throw it ovahbo'd in a bot- tle, an' curse dat at de present time, lak 'Go.' Curse at de present time three times an' holler "go" - "go" - "go."
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 7687
Fo' evil yo' kin git some graveyard dirt, mix up saltpetah in it an' sulphur, an' cast it roun' a person dwellin' an' whut yo' wush [done], say. Put de jinks [used only 3 or 4 times in Hoodoo] on 'em in diff'ren' forms. It'll make 'em unlucky wit de evil spir- its. In goin' tuh de graveyard an' git- tin' dat dirt it would be wise fo' yo' tuh know de person whose grave yo' goin' tuh. Den yo' pay dem fo' dat dirt an' work wit it. Yo' tell 'em dat, "Ah want chew tuh do dus [thus] an' so fo' me." Whutsomevah dat chew wan' 'em tuh do. It wouldn't make any diff'rence. Say, "Ah'm payin' yuh tuh do so." Yo' git de dirt from off de left side from ovah de heart, but choo runs yore han' down in de grave tuh de elbow down ~ ought tuh be [beyond] yore wrist.
The informant describes graveyard dirt with saltpetre and sulphur for reported harm, payment and requests to a known deceased person, and collection from the left side over the heart. Quoted requests are prescribed speech. Hyatt's glosses and comment on the word 'jinks' remain separate; the printed collection-depth wording is retained.
Entry 7906
Ah heard of people say, if yo' go tuh de grave- yard twelve o'clock night an' git some dirt out de graveyard, an' mix it wit sulphuh an' throw it onto a pusson's porch - any place where dey got tuh step ovah it - [this is] somepin tuh do 'em harm.
Entry 7907
Dey put some graveyard dirt undah her steps, an' some sulphuh, an' she caught it in 'er laigs an' de laigs swolled up - all both her laigs - jes' lak de dropsy. An' she took dis dime an' file some of de silvah off an' taken de [silver] tea an' drank it [as a cure]. [Sulphur a symbol for the devil and hell, and the death symbol graveyard dirt, these two combined would cause almost any- thing!]
Entry 7908
If yo' want a job, when yo' git ready fo' dis job, yo' go an' git chew some sulphuh an' git chew some dirt from de graveyard. An' yo' - jes' lak yo' goin' tuh dis job - yo' git tuh de house, yo' sprinkle dis roun' de house. An' when yo' sprinkle dis roun' de house, den yo' could walk up on de do' an' knock at de do'. An' ask fo' de job an' yo' do dat fo' nine mawnin's, an' in de ninth mawnin' yo'll git dis job.
(You mean you sprinkle this in front of the boss' house or the job?)
Yes [at the home of the boss].
(All the way round the house?)
Not all de way roun' de house, jes' from de front. Lak dat's de cornah [demon- strates], from dere tuh de cornah of de house.
(Just to the front of the house?)
Yes.
Entry 8935
Yo' get yo' a old shoe somewhere, see, an' yo' take an' yo' cut it up good - jis' want de sole of it. An' cut it up good. An' yo' get yo' some brim- stone, see that's a powder, jis' like steel dust. See. An' yo' get yo' some sweet cinnamon an' yo' mix that up together. Yo' takes dat shoe sole an' yo' lights it. See, make a smoke out of it. An' get yo' a little bit of, small quantity of sul- phur, yo' see, an' sprinkle that on that shoe sole. That's to make it burn, yo' understand. All right, then yo' takes this other powder and sprinkle that on there, an' yo' wraps it up in a cloth, preventing it from burn- ing out so soon, yo' see. An' yo' lights it, yo' see. Well, that's goin' burn to a smoke, yo' see. Well, when that smoke starts to smoking, there's nobody gona fool 'round that house atall. See, ever'body comes there an' 'tempts [at- tempts] to go in there, it creates a fear on 'em. See, they losing no time in bothering 'round there atall. Yo' kin leave your house wide open, there ain't nobody goin' in, yo' see.
(That will keep the thieves away?)
Keep the thieves away - ain't nobody goin' in.
Entry 8936
They take some sulphur and set it on fire and put it through the chicken coop. They tell me that sulphur [stops] 'fusion [confusion], the noise of the chickens, an' yo' kin go right in there and get up all chickens. [For another chicken-stealing rite, see 8932.]
Entry 9112
Whut ah heard about goin' befo' de jedge: yo' take two red onions - understand me - an' yo' peel it. Yo' git de peelin' from two red onions an' yo' burn dese peelin', yo' under- stand me, intuh a powdah, an' yo' mix up sulphuh wit it, dis powdah from de red onion. An' put it in yore left-foot shoes an' go on befo' 'im. Dat's all yo' gotta do.
(When you go before the judge?)
Yeah, dat will conkah him, don't chew know.
Entry 9155
Ah seen a fellah do dis one time, an' it come out - it come out really true, right heah on de corner of [some street]. It wuz heah in dis town, mah home town. He tuk, he went tuh anothah fellah dat stayed up heah along de road, supposed tuh be a kind of a root doctah. He went tuh dis fellah. He had called him a...or sompin othah, a purtty bad man. He went up tuh dis fellah an' dis fellah wuz standin' round, say, "Yo' boys come in dis room." Told 'im, "All right." Ah'd gone up dere wit 'im. Ah went on in de room wit 'im. He gave dis boy an' he say, "Yo' do jes' lak ah tell yo' when yo' go in de co't." De boy tole 'im, "Yessuh." He give dis boy somepin - he mixed somepin, said it wuz a salve, sulphuh wit black peppah an' he got, ah think some sage tea. Den he went got him a whole lotta snails. Not no whole lotta snails but li'le articles of sands. An' he tuk [took] an' put dem in a snuffbox an' stirred it up. Aftah he put it in dis snuffbox he stirred it up an' he tole dis boy, says, "Will yo'all step out in dis othah room?" So we stepped out intuh de othah room. We didn't know what exactly [what to expect]. So we stepped out intuh de othah room, an' he tole dis boy, said, "Now yo' take dis stuff an' has de box right in yore han', jes' about lak yo' hold de palm of yore hand, an' put it in yore right-hand pocket; an' when yo' go up dere in de co'troom an' when dey call yo', yo' called up on de stand, an' when yo' go on dere, yo' take dis stuff. Don' let nobody see it. Jes' lak yo' got chure han' in yore pocket, an' jes' take some of dis stuff an don't be watchin' whut chew doin'. An' take it as yo' goin' up dere on de stand an' jes' sprinkle it round lak yo' brushin' dis hand right down de side of de judge." An' he said, "Ah'll guarantee yo' dey won't do anything 'bout chw - guarantee yo'll git out, won't go no time." (Well, what about this other stuff, this salt and sand that was sprinkled around. He put this salt and stuff with this sand and sprinkled it around?) Yessuh, mixed it all up tuhgethah.
Entry 9156
Dat's if yo' git in a lawsuit an' yo' wanta win de case, yo' undah- stan', befo' yo' go. Befo' yo' go dere, why yo' jes' git chew some sulphuh, bluestone, alum an' borax. Beat it up right nice an' fine, an' yo' walk in dat room where de jedge an' de iury an' all of 'em. an' dey'll ask yo' tuh talk firs'. An' yo' git up an' talk an' let de prosecutor come on. Yo'll come out. [The preceding mixture is definitely carried into court and beaten up right nice shows that it was sprinkled.]
Entry 9234
Jes' lak if yo' got a fren' an' he's away from yo', yo' use a chicken aig lak dis. Yo' put it in de mun of de house [under eaves] wit de end [small end of egg] down an' yo' writes 'is name on dat an' yo' puts it dat deep in de groun' [demon- strates]. (About as deep as your hand.) Yes sir, at de drain of yore house, an' yo' call 'im, an' yo' put sulphuh, sugah - all dat mixture is sweet don't chew know. Put sulphuh, sugah an' brim- stone. An' each mawnin' yo' call 'im fo' nine mawnin's. [Brimstone and sulphur raise hell with him, sugar sweetens him.] Yo' call 'im an' he boun' tuh come, he cain't stay away - he gotta come. One aig an' write his name on de aig. Ah'm goin' call yore name, see. Say, "Ah'm callin' yo' an' ah wan' chew tuh come on back home heah tuh me." Write dat on de aig. See, write his name on dere [egg]. Call 'is name an' write dat [name] on dat aig. An' put dat aig right down in dis guttah [in the ground under the eaves].
(Any kind of a chicken egg?)
It would be bettah if it wuz a black hen aig.
Entry 9604
Take yo' some red peppah, sulphuh an' table salt, or eithah graveyard dirt, an' put it in a little cloth an' put it in de bottom of de shoe an' weah it. [That graveyard dirt is a part of preceding com- bination and not a substitute for it, see following rite about graveyard dirt from near headboard of grave.]
(What will that do then?)
Dey can't hurt chew.
(You walk over anything and it couldn't hurt you?)
Yes.
The informant describes a shoe-cloth treatment and protection claim, using the words 'or eithah graveyard dirt'. Hyatt's bracketed note instead treats dirt as part of the combination and refers to the next rite. Preserve that difference and the red pepper, sulphur and salt as distinct ingredients.
Entry 9607
Ah've heard dat dey take salt or sulphur an' gunpowdah an' red pep- pah [and] by puttin' it down at yuh do' makin' yuh fortunate - make yuh have luck.
Entry 9618
Wal, ah tell yuh how dey do dat. Dey take some salt an' sulphuh an' red peppah an' mix it tuhgethah. Go dere at night, chew know, an' sprinkle it ovah huh po'ch [her porch], right down in fron' of 'er do'step. Den she gits all intendin' tuh leave dere. She can't stay on account'a dat red peppah jis' runs 'er crazy.
(That will make her move out of the house.)
Entry 9620
Take sulphur an' salt, cayenne peppah an' spread it roun' yore house - undah de house or roun' in de house. If yo' got any enemies or any- thin' put down dere, it'll kill it.
Entry 9621
Take cayenne peppah an' salt when yuh [visitor] go out de do', an' sulphuh, an' take yore broom an' sweep 'em out. An' let chure broom go on
[sweeping] out in de street behin' 'em an' dey won't come back soon. De way dey go, let de broom go [sweep] dat way.
Entry 9622
Jes' lak he visit de home backwards an' forwards [visits frequently]. Evah tue he leave yo' jes' take some cayenne peppah an' sulphuh an' salt, an' throw it behin' 'im an' make a curse or somepin or 'nothah an' sweep 'is track. He'll have tuh go away.
(That will make him stay away?)
Dat's right. He couldn't stay dere.
Entry 9623
Yo' git some sulphuh an red peppah an' strew roun' yore house fo' ten nin's befo' de sunrise - sulphuh an' peppah an' table salt, an' jes' throw it roun' yuh house fo' ten mawn- in's, evah mawnin' befo' de sun rise. An' if yo' know where dis man lives, yo' go tuh 'is house an' do de same thing. Jes' throw dat peppah jes' as yo' go in. Yo' jes' throw dat peppah up an' down until yo' git tuh de do'.an' yo' throw it out lak dat an' make yore wish. An' de 'leventh mawnin dey say yo'll git a job.
Entry 9624
Sulphah an' red peppah an' put nine teaspoonsful of salt in it, an' bary it to de back do' an' to yore front do', an' dey couldn't stay dere tuh ave dere life. Dey may stay two or three weeks but dey won' stay. (You mean in the house or around the house?) No, yo' jes' bury it right undah yore back steps. An' den go to yore front step an' bury it 'bout de same place - under de front steps. An' dey couldn't stay dere to save dere life.
Entry 9625
They always say if anybody is bothering you or making you git out de buse, they gets five cents worth of new cayenne pepper, five cents of sulphur, amd there's something else you stole, and a box of new salt. Sprinkle it in de doorsill every morning for nine mornings and make a wish and let 'em walk over that. (And this is to do what now?) Jes' to make 'em get dissatisfied, make 'em move out. (Move out of the house. I see.) In other words, you kin take the -e thing - sulphur, cayenne pepper and salt, and de stuff whatever you stole, aod burn it on your stove. And the scent goes out and they says that will run out.
(Run them out of the house.)
Entry 9626
An' den yo' take black [red?] peppah an' salt an' sulphuh - those three chings: red peppah, salt, sulphuh. An' burn it in yore fiahplace an' dat'll run enemies away from yore house.
Entry 9627
If yo' goin' tuh git a job, git up in de mawnin', or even if de sto's now open tuhnight, git chew a package of cookin' salt. Open dat salt. Po' some salt in de cornah of a large han'- kerch'ef. Yo' put red peppah in dere an' sulphuh, an' yo' tie it up. Put it In yore right pocket an' go [to see boss]. An' if de man don' hire yo' dat day, dey'll tell yo' tuh come [back], an' de nex' time yo' go back yo' git a job.
Entry 9628
Yo' kin git chew sulphuh an' salt an' red peppah an' tie it up an' whenevah yo' gits roun' 'im... (Round the boss.) Yo' be talkin' tuh 'im - an' Hearts Cologne, git dat Hearts Cologne. Yo' keep it wet chew know. Yo' talkin' tuh 'im. He give yo' a job.
Entry 9629
Well, git chew some salt- petah an' some table salt, a little sulphuh, an' take dat an' nine pods of red peppah an' yo' jes' make a little bag an' yo' weahs dat. Dat's all.
(What will that do then?)
Dat's to keep it back. Dat kill evahthin'. Can't git up to yo' 'cuz dat keep it off.
(That is to protect you.)
Entry 9665
They takes the toenails and the fingernails, all like that, and wrap it up with sulphur and salt and burn it, and that will keep 'em away.
(Run them away.)
Burn it, just burn it around. You kin take and burn it around like in a heater or anything like that. That run 'em away.
Entry 9667
A shell - yo' see, w'at ah shoot in a gun. Git dat gunpowdah [out of the gunshell]. Git choo a box of sulphuh an' [a box of] salt, an' dig a hole right off down in dere in front dat-a do'. Don't put it on de step, dig a hole in fronta de do'. Put some tuh de back [door] an' some tuh de front [door]. An' ah bet chah, ah guarantee dat woman wouldn't stay tuh dat house fer one day 'fo' [before] she'd be huntin' huh anothah house. [Almost every- ohere in these volumes to get a box of sulphur, salt, anything, means a new or amused ingredient. Often the remainder must not be used for any non-hoodoo pur- pose.] [This man "said he was from the South and didn't speak well" - note made at time of recording.]
Entry 9668
Sulphur, table salt an' IN SHOES gunpowdah, jis' weah it in yore shoes. Use garlic in dat, chew laoc. Dey couldn't hurt chew tuh save dere life.
Entry 9671
Mah uncle tole me dat yo' go tuh de fo'k of de road an' yo' take sul- phuh an' yo' take salt. An' whichsomevah road he [criminal] went yo' sprinkle it [these 2 ingredients] down wit [Red] Devil Lye [Red Devil brand]. An' when yo' sprinkle it down, dey says, "Who be it, it was, dat did de crime, whichsomevah way he went, yo' [3 ingredients] fin' which way he went." An' he can't go no futhah.
(Did you use Devil Lye in that?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 9679
Well, den ah goes tuh work den an' ah worked a few plans. A fellah followed me an' ah tried it tuh see would it work. De fellah - ah wen' tuh work an' ah took dis heah sul- phuh an' ah took dis heah potash an' dis cookin' salt, an' put it in dis box an' where dis man place of business was. Ah went down dere an' turnt roun' nine times an' made a oath - cuss, cussed dis fellah. In three day's time dis fellah was out of dat place an' done moved. Had tuh move, he couldn't stay down dere. He had tuh move.
(What did you do with that box when you turned around nine times?)
Dat box? Ah took de box an' throwed it away. Ah had it in mah han' when ah wus turnin' roun' do [though]. But ah took de box an' throwed it away an' nobody knows whut it was all about.
Entry 9680
[Take] potash whut chew wash clothes with, an' take table salt, an' take dis here sulphuh, an' take one of dese here John de Conkah roots, an' put all dis tuhgethah, an' yo' take it an' bury it undah de steps. Don't let no one see yo'. If anybody move in dat house an' yo' don't want 'em tuh move in dere, dey ain't goin' stay in dere. Dey can't.
Entry 9683
They say that if a person doesn't like you, they'll draw a ring in the road right at your house and they'll sprinkle salt, soda, ashes, lime, other chemicals, sulphur. That will keep you from being an enemy against him. SPRINKLE IN IT: ASHES - LIME - SALT - SODA - SULPHUR
Entry 9684
Jis' like if your husband was goin' with someone else, [I know] of a remedy that would break that up, and that is one heaping tablespoonful of salt. You dip up this here, a tablespoonful of salt, pick it up, an' you take yuh hand an' brush it off [level the salt]. An' you pour that over there on the Papah. Then do the same with de sulphur. An' you brush that off [take a table- Spoon level-full of sulphur] an' pour it into this [salt]. Then take one pinch of saltpeter an' you put this into this [salt and sulphur]. Then you make [mix] it up real good an' start from the front door, go upstairs, you go backwards, sprinkle this. An' they say when he walks over this, it'll break 'em up.
Entry 9686
Tuh keep de policemens away from de house ag'in, yo' kin git chew some sulphuh an' git chew some salt an' soda an' mix it all tuhgethah. An' git up evah mawnin' about five a'clock an' put it in each cornah of yuh house, each cornah fo' nine mawnin's, an' dat will shore keep 'em away from yuh house.
Entry 9690
Now, if yuh wife runnin' aroun' an' yo' wanta stop 'er, yo' git chew some sugah, table salt an' sulphuh an' put it in - take a saucah an' mix it up, lak dat, an' evah mawnin' fo' nine mawnin's - yo' got a woman an' she got a man, an' yo' wanta break 'em up. Yo' take an' put dat in de cornah of yuh house. Jes' take a pinch of it an' put it, In de Name of de Lord, ah wish yo'd quit runnin' round. Evah time yo' put it down in de cornah of de house.
(Put it in the four corners?)
Yassuh, de fo' cornahs of de house, put it in dere, an' dat'll stop 'er from runnin' roun'.
Entry 9696
One of the greatest things for luck, you get a little sulphur an' a little lard an' a little salt, an' put that together an' wear that in a bag around your neck. That will keep all hoodoos, all cunjures and all evils away from you.
Entry 9697
Now in case yo' want a job, yo' coming on de job [you are at the place where you want the job], put de footprint of yuh boss between dis sulphuh an'black peppah. Yo' will make a bag out'a it an' keeps it aroun' yuh neck, yo see, an' de spirit of yuh boss will always be along wit chew; yo' see. An' fer dat reason, he will nevah have yuh runned aay, as long as he have any incidental business [usually called odd jobs] at aWl. An' now, in ordah tuh fin' dout [find out] from any man de truth about dese chings. It's nuthin but such a simple thing as sulphuh an' salt, dat chew'll put In yuh pocket. An' if he [boss] wants yuh aroun', he will tell yuh; an' if not, dy he'll run yuh out'a dere.
(That's if you are hunting a job?)
Yes. No suh! Dat in case dat chew huntin' one: jes' de same uh [as] many as [men], yo' know, goin' aftah a job an' dey [boss] always puttin' yo'off puttin' yo' off. Well, if yo' directly wanted tuh find out if he gona give yo' dis job or not, den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' put a li'l' sulphuh an' a li'l' salt in dis papah, an' yo' wrap it up verah carefully an' keep it in yuh Ppcket. An' when yo' go tuh 'im, why he'll have tuh tell yo' what he's goin' tuh do; vhethah he goin' tuh give somepin.
(I see. He has to tell you whether he is going to give you a job or not.)
Entry 9698
(Do what?)
Sulphur.
(You get some sulphur.)
And sprinkle it on your front and back steps, and get some disinterested per- son to get a fresh box of table salt, you know that never been used out of it, and just sprinkle it and someone clean house with it and sweep it out, you bound to move. (I see. You bury the sul- phur under the front steps and back steps, and then you have to have this salt.) Table salt.
(That hasn't been used. What do you do with that salt now?)
Sprinkle it in the house and just like if I, you know, come in or walk out, well then as soon as I walk out, then you sweep my tracks, sole and all out to- gether, and say, "Well, that settles it. You won't come back, again."
Entry 9699
Ah've hear'd dat de ole folks used tuh say if a party come tuh mah house or sompin an' [I] gits ti'ed [tired] of 'em, says take some sulphur an' salt an' sprinkle it on de flo' when she leave an' sweep it out. An' dey say she'll stay away.
Entry 9700
If dey wanta be protected aroun' de home sometime, it's a very simple thing dat dey kin do tuh bring protection. Dey do dat befo' de sunrise. Dat is tuh take some table salt an' sulphuh an' fo' seven mawnin's befo' de sun rise, yo' git up an' turn yore back tuhwards de sunrise. An' jes' take dat salt an' sulphuh all composed tuhgethah an' jes' throw it up in de air. An' dat supposed tuh protect de home.
Entry 9701
Heah de thing dat he do if he believe in dis [tricking]. He jes' go tuh work an' jes' as he walk out de house, he.begin tuh sprinkle sulphuh an' salt.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat'll keep de othah mens back.
(While he is gone?)
Dat's right.
Entry 9702
The way now to do to git rid of folks - there's folks in your home an' you wan'a git rid of 'em. Yo' take sulphur an' salt - cooking salt yo' know - yo' mix it together an' jis' start right from your bed- room an' sprinkle it all aroun' in there, an' right on out the hall, right on out the steps, right on the steps, right on out de walk, an' jis' throw it north. An' that's supposin' to go out [make a person leave] if there's anybody they wan'a go out, they go out. An' if there's anybody you don't prefer comin' in there, they won't come in.
Entry 9703
About dat keepin' de person from hurtin' yuh, well dey say yo' take dis salt an' sprinkle it roun' in de fo' cornahs of yuh house. Do dat fo' nine mawnin's - dat sulphuh an' salt.
(Is the salt separately or the salt and sulphur - separate or together?)
Each sep'rately, each of 'em. (Each one of them is a different method of keeping a person away.) Yes sir, each one separately. An' yo' do dat fo' nine mawnin's. [Despite my last comment and informant's agreement, I now think sulphur and salt are thrown successively, one after the other, into each of four corners.]
Entry 9704
Well, yo' take, get one - yo' callin' all de time - yo' git chew some sulphuh an' git chew some table salt, an' mix dat tuhgethah an' make yo' a dust. Be callin' all de time. [Call anything you want to: Quarrels in this house must stop.] Jes' cake it an' scattah it right in front dat do'. Always scattah it all ovah de house an' jes' bend as yo' walk all ovah. [Why performer bends over I do not lmov. Like a wounded bird is operator deceiving the spirit working the spell?]
(What will that do?)
Dat'll stop de fuss. (Stop the fuss in the house.) [Kills whatever conjure started and continues the quarrels.]
Entry 9705
Well, dey say yo' kin take sulphuh an' salt, an' yo' kin jes' go dere lak yo' visitin'. An' yo' kin go dere an' strew it roun' dere in dat house as yo' walkin' roun' dere. If yo' got a coat dat's got a hole in de pocket, yo' kin run yore han' down in dat pocket an' yo' have dis in a papah or somepin, dat yo' kin jes' lose a li'l' bit at de time out'a it. Yo' have yore han' [in your pocket]. [This hole-in-the pocket is fairly common and known everyvhere.] Or yo' kin walk behin' 'em, lak it somebody yo' talk wit a whole lot, an' yo' kin jes' sprinkle dat salt an' sulphuh. An' in talkin' tuh dem yo' ldn be cursin' dem in yore mind.'Son-of-a-bitch, git out!" Sompin lak dat. An' it's true dat dey will move. In de ninth mawnin' de' will move.
Entry 9706
If yo' stayin' in a house an' de rent man wanta come dere tuh put chew oot an' yo' don' wanta git out, why yo' ain't gotta git out. Yo' kin fix a way tuh stay dere. Yo' kin go evah mawnin' jes' 'bout time fo' him tuh come - jes' lak if he dowp dere an' yo' see him comin', yo' jes' go tuh work an' take some sulphuh an' salt an' throw it in de fiah. Boa't let no one see yo' an' make a path. He'll ride right on by yuh house. "Caz why ah know dat? "Cuz de girl ah stayed wit she done dat, an' we didn't pay rent fo' God knows how long. An' ah axed 'er why she do dat, an' she say dat's luck.
Entry 9707
An' den, yo' kin take- dey say if yo' take table salt an' yo' mix it wit sulphuh an' anybody - jes' lak anybody ame tuh yore house an' yo' don' want 'em dere any mo', jes' sprinkle it down behin' 'em an' sweep yo' flo' an' curse 'em, dey says dey won' come any mo'.
(How do you seep your floor - just anyway?)
Well yo' jes' sweep it right on out tuh de do' behin' 'em - if yo' havin trouble wit chure [bill] collectah or sompin lak dat. If yo' do him lak dat,
[he'll stay away].
Entry 9708
Take some table salt an' some sulphur an' put togethah an' mix it up very good, an' burn that table salt an' sulphur, say, Ah burn this in the Name of the Father, the Son an' the Holy Ghost. An' it will pass away. (What will pass away?) All interferences in mah business. (If anybody is trying to interfere with your business, that'll kill that out.) Dat'll kill that out.
Entry 9709
Yo' take an' burn salt an' sulphur in de house on a Friday - yo' sacrificin' - an' someone will soon come. (To rent the house.) Yes sir.
Entry 9710
If yo' mad wit a man an' wan'a kill 'is timbah or ruin 'is timbah on 'is place [farm], yo' go dere an' bo' li'l' holes in it an' put sulphuh an' salt in dem holes. Dat'll kill 'is timbah.
Entry 9778
A sewin' needle, where a woman been sewin'. If her an' a woman had been havin' some kinda dispute ovah 'er or eithah a man, yo' kin take dat nee- dle an' carry it an' yo' burn de point of it. Jes' lak if me an' yo' had de [argument or quarrel], well, if ah kin git a needle, or eithah a pin, or borrah yore pocketknife [because you are a man], carry it home an' burn it. Ah burn it off good. Take it an' put it in some sulphah an' burn it ag'in. An' ah put some Hearts Cologne on it [knife or needle] an' sprinkle it [perfume] roun' [where I picked up object] an' put it right back where yo' kin git it.
(What would that do then?)
Well, dat will - if me an' yo' been havin' fusses an' things an' we be bad Out, well dat will gain de influence of me an' yo' back [together again].
(You will be on good terms again?)
Be on good terms.
Entry 9807
Well, dey takes a tin plates, new tin plates, an' sulphur an' six nee- dles to each plate. Take yo' six plates an' put chew six needles in each plate, an' set 'em roun' de spots yo' goin' dig at, an' burn yore sulphur wit chure needles in dere wit de points layin' dead in de sulphur. An' dat will keep 'way de spirits from comin' in. (When you are hunting money? Those points are pointing to this little bit of sulphur in that plate?) In de center of de plate. (When you are hunting money?) When yo' huntin' money. [See also section SPIRITS GUARD BURIED TREASURE, pp.111-135, vol.1, and elsewhere.]
Entry 10190
Burn candles fo' luck. You take the candle, an' put it in each of the four corners of your house an' on that you sprinkle a little of that sulphur. As ah said, sprinkle a little sulphur on it, and in a few minutes that sulphur will be burned away, but that atmos- phere is still there. You light each one of those candles and burn them, and while those candles are burning you says your prayers, an' that create luck in your house that way.
(What kind of luck do they do that for?)
Any kind of luck.
(What color candle did you say they use?)
Jest a plain white candle.
(Do you burn them at any special time?)
Twelve 'clock at night. You get more results out of those things at that time of night.
Entry 10280
Jes' lak a woman if she love yo', she be - well, she take de bow out yore cap. Well, she take dis bow outa yore cap an' when she mess wit chew, she take de germs from yo' an' herself, an' she'll roll dis bow up in it. She roll dis bow up in dat. An' den she'll take dis bow an' she put somepin, anything sweet, jes' amy thing dat's sweet on dere. An' she'll take dis bow an' she'll pee on dis boo every morning for seven mornings. She'll pee on dis bow for seven momings. An' den she'll take dis bow after she do dat, pee on seven mornings, take de gerns from yo' an' her germs an' put on heah. An' she'll roll dis in sulphur. Sulphur always. Ah don't know whut sulphur is but most all womenfolks use sulpbur in ever'thin'. Well, she take de sulphur an' she put it on dere an' she take dis heah bow, after she take it out, an' she'll put it in some close place where yo' transfer back an' forward all de time. An' [does] dat in order - she put [it] dere, dat's for yo' to stay close, wanta be round her. Yo' don't feel satisfied, yo' wanta be round her all de time. "Co'se it don't have nuthin to do wit your nature but chew don't wanta mess wit nobody else but her. Dat's de story ah heard about dat. [Bow of cap, any bow, sometimes considered a cross, a sacred symbol. See many beliefs about bow of cap.]
Entry 10567
Yo' gits a leather-[wing] bat an' yo' gits his heart an' yo' sew it up into a red flannel. An' gits a small piece of rock sulphur an' put it [in the flannel] together. Feed that, gi' [give] to 'em. Tell 'em [I am to tell my patient or client] while he losin', totes it in his left pocket so he kin lose. Well, when he lose as much as he wanta, change it ovah in his right pocket an' gamble right on an' he'll win.
Entry 10717
Ah'll tell yo', whether it's a woman or man, if she leaves yo' an' yo' wanta git her back, why yo' git chew three grains of cor [maize], an' three strands of her hair, an' if dere any way yo' kin git her track, pick up yo' [your] dirt out of each one of her track - three tracks. An' yo' put dat in yore shoe, umdah yore bottom shoe [insole] whut yo' wear. Lift dat [insole] up an' put it udah dere, an' yo' wear dat. An' she'll come back. See, an' when she come back, an' den, if yo' want her tuh stay dere, yo' go an' git chew a bird nest an' yo' put some sulphur an' salt in dat bird nest an' burn it. Make yo' a little fire an' burn it in de chimley so yo' kin git de scent of it, an' she can't leave yo' no way; can't go an' leave him, de man or woman, which one wanta do it.
(Do you wear that corn in your shoe also?)
Put dat cor an' de hair an' dat sand in yore shoe.
Entry 10721
Ah got in a fight with a boy, an' mah grandmother - yo' know, ole fo folks dey are very active - she say, "Come here, boy, yo' got in a fight?" Say, "Yes mam." She say, "Whut chew do?" Ah say, "Ah bit dat boy plenty a place." She say, "Looky heah, come heah an'( Grandmah fix yo' up." She got a little sulphur an' a little kerosene, yo' know, an' she fixed a little bag, yo' know, an' she put it down dere undah mah bed; yo' know, up in de mattress - whut chew call a moss mat- tress [Spanish moss mattress]. Ah say, "Whut chew do dat fo'?" She say, "Don't chew know if yo' bit somebody an' yo' don't take care of yo'- self; don't chew know, dat dey will take bird manure [usually chicken manure] or some kinda manure lak dat, an' 'noint dis place lak yo' would [use] some grease on mah [your] bare face; yo' know, keep dat place [bite] 'nointed dere well, ' she say, "an' yore teeth will drop out." She tole me dat several time. Dey [person bitten] keep dat place 'nointed wit dat manure some kind. She say, every tooth in yore [biter's] head will drop out. (But she would prevent that by doing this.... [sulphur-kerosene hand in the mattress].) Put dis stuff undah mah bed an' dat will keep de othah stuff from coming back at me. [For the treatment of human bite with chicken manure, see Nos.
Entry 10769
An' den yore boss, seems lak he doesn't lak yo' - he doesn't lak yore work. Well, yo' go home an' yo' say, "Well, ah believe ah'll fix somepin fo' mah boss tuh make him lak me." Well, yo' go ahead an' yo' git chew some saltpeter, yo' git chew some table- salt an' some sulphur, [salt and sulphur to kill cunjure put down against you] an' yo' [put the salt] in dat sul- phur an' yo' bathes in dat saltpeter. But chew use dat sulphur, yo' takes a pinch of it, an' den yo' sprinkle some sulphur in yore shoes an' rub yore hands with it. Yo' know, yo' can't go round people with it. An' sprinkle Hearts Col- Ogne round dere [where you walk]. An' when yo' go out yo'll git affection. Dere ah'll come up, right chere, "Good mawnin', everybody, good mawnin', howdee dis mawnin'?" [They answer], "Jes' dandy." "Well, why'd yo' have sech-an'-sech a thing fo' breakfast?" "Oh, i enjoyed such-an'-such a thing last night."
Entry 11028
Ah've heard of 'em usin' dem jest tuh bring luck to de bome.
(How do they do that?)
Dey burn de chicken feathers, yo' know, jest lak ah'd have me a pan an' ah jest git me some of dat same sulphur an' brimstone an' dem chicken feathers. Now, they are lucky. Ah know dat fo' a fact, ah've tried it. An' yo' burn dem around de house. Now, dey are lucky.
Entry 11035
I've heerd of 'em usin' chicken feathers - feathers, bluestone an' saltpeter an' sulphur. Yo' place dem things together an' yo' would take 'em an' burn 'em into yore house. Jest say, fo' an instamce ah wanted to make yo' leave, ah could take all dat stuff a' place it into de house an' burn it fo' three days, an' dere ain't no way in de vorld yo' kin stay in dese house. Yo'd have to leave, ain't no joke.
Entry 11202
Git 'em out of a house. Dey got some of 'em back dere now. Yo' kin git dirt dauber nest. Yo' know whut dey call dirt daubers. Well, yo' git dat an' cayenne peppah, but yo' have tuh git in de house tuh do dat. Yo' cain't do dat on de out- side of de house. See, cayenne peppah, Epsom salts, sulphur an' powdered asafetidy. Yo' know whut dey call powder asafetidy. Well, dey mix dat tuhgether. Well, if yo' cain't git chure tobacca, yo' kin git dis scotch snuff an' yo' mix dat, but chew gotta git in de house dat yo' kin sling it back in dere. Yo' know, an' 'noint de house, an' dey'll move.
(You just throw that in the house and these people will move away.)
Yes.
Entry 11294
Ketch a dog and git his - see, de place in a dog's face right heah where [demonstrates]. Pull dat hair out. An' jes' in de middle of his back, de same amount of hair dat yo' pull out of his face. An' put it into a rag, a spotless white cloth er rag. An' yo' put chew some sulphur an' yo' put chew some gunpowder in dere - gunpowder and sulphur. Yo' tie dat up in dere and make out lak yo' workin' in de yard. As yo' workin' roun' de yard, take a look an' see if yo' see either one of dem would have yore - ef yo' worried about yore husband. If yo' see either one of dem comin' past yore house, yo' jest take it up an' take it ovah to heah an' throw it dis way [demon- strates]. Jest drop dat thing down.. "Co'se it got a little gunpowder an' it will pop an' it will break 'em up. Dat will break dem up, ah know dat. (That is if this woman is fooling around with your husband, you do that to break them up.)
Entry 11297
If someone done any harm to yo', yo' ketch yo' a dog - not chure dog, neither yore cat - an' yo' take dis dog an' shave de hair from right underneath his tail, right dead up close to his tail as pos- sible. Shave it off an' take dat an' take an aig, an' break dis aig an' take de yellah out of it an' leave de white, an' den yo' put dis hair in dat shell. Den yo' set it in de stove wit a little sulphur in it an' parch it. Jes' set it in dere lak yo' bake a apple an' set it in dere till it's parched till it crumble down de center. Don't yo' have to mash it - jes' crumble down in de pan. Den yo' take it out an' bury it at de front step. Dis individual who have done somepin to yo' will come back - come back to yo' an' beg yore pardon - either [or] he will go so far away till yo'll nevah have no contact wit him any mo'. Dat's whut dat'111 do. (That is all you have to do - use that dog hair and that eggshell and the sulphur?) An' de sulphur.
Entry 11344
Yo' go to de drug sto' an' yo' git somepin dey call dragon's blood, a' yo' gits sulphur an' nine seeds of red peppah, an' yo' take dat an' burn it. (What will that do then?) Dat will keep de poleece away. An' den yo' take some of it an' spread it round de front, yo' know, spread it round where he'll come ovah it, but jes' a little bit chew know where it won be noticeable. Take some dragon's blood an' sulphur... Dat will keep down spells.
(That will keep down anything anybody is putting down for you.)
Ah mean keep 'em down where lak where a poleeceman's an' lak dat dey'll come try tuh come in, but dat will keep dem from comin' across.
Entry 11345
One way to do, dey go on dere and dey take an' burn sulphur and dra- goa's blood. Put it behin' de do'r, front do'r. Den dey go down to do'r, one dey go after to git dat jah - job. (I see, they burn that before they go down to the house [to get job].
Entry 11670
Whut dey do's at de fo'k. Well, de fo'k of de road, when yo' do dat, yo' kin draw a person tuh yo' or yo' kin run 'em from yo'. Well, now, when yo' got dere at de fo'k of de road, yo' git dere at sunrise. Well, den yo' make a cross, jes' lak de cross dey say dat Christ hung [on], yo' know. Yo' name dat even, an' yo' cross dat, an' den yo'll take a little graveyard [dirt], good or bad [grave] it don't make no difference. An' den yo' put dat in a little bit of sulphah an' salt, an' den yo' make a powdahs of dat - lak, yo' know, an' den yo' throw it in dat place. An' dat's de way yo' uses dat at de crossroad, yo' know, anything lak a fo'k. An' dey [den?] yo' say, yo know, yo' have to talk to it, say, "Jesus Christ suf- fered an' died on Calvary Cross, why can't yo' do so- an'-so-an'-so." See, jes' anything yo' want tuh name tuh it.
(You do that for harm or bad?)
Yeah, it'll do eithah fo' good or fo' bad, but den yo' have de Lord, an' make it which way yo' want it tuh go.
Entry 11677
Yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road an', when yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road, yo' git a pinch of dirt from de fo'ks of dat road. Den yo' go to do - befo' yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road, yo' go tuh de graveyard yo' know, an' git some of de graveyard dirt an' mx it tuhgethah. Den go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' git some of dat, an' mix dat tuhgethah. Den yo' have tuh season it, chew know. Yo' git dem two things an' yo' git some salt an' yo' git some peppah an' some sulphur, & an' crumble it all wit dat dirt from de fo'ks of de road. An' it will do jes' whut chew want it tuh do.
(What will you do with it?)
Yo' went dere fo' a purpose. When yo' went tuh de fo'ks of de road, yo' vants somebody probably, or yo' wanta change somebody from goin' wit somebody's else, an' yo' bring yo' dese, an' why, dat means dey'll come yore way.
(What do you do with that dirt after you mix it up? What do you do with it?)
Sprinkle it.
(Where?)
Yo' know, jes' lak ah know yo' goin' out. "Sposin' ah'm goin' from heah ovah yondah an' yo've gotta cross dat othah fellah's house, ah sprinkle it right down in yore yard an' yo' walk ovah dat. Yore mind changes, dat changes yore mind. (That changes your mind. That is if you want to bring somebody back, some- thing of that sort?) Yassuh.
The informant describes a mixture of dirt from a graveyard and road forks with salt, pepper and sulphur, sprinkled to influence a person's direction or attachment. Questions clarify use and purpose. The hypothetical yard scenario begins with an unclosed printed quote, so no closing speech boundary is invented; both dirt origins and the qualified return purpose are retained.
Entry 11691
Well, yo' take de colored folk graveyard - yo' nevah been dere, is yo'?
(No.)
Well 'scuse me - dis heah is de white folks graveyard [demonstrates], yo' undahstan', an' de colored folk graveyard come lak dat dere tuh de fo'ks of de road lak dat. Well, yo' kin go right chere 'tween de colored folk graveyard an' de white folk grave- yard, an' any man whut owe yo', take an' write a let- tah, yo' undahstan'. Yo' ain't gotta git no lawyah tuh 'rest him. Yo' go right tuh de fo'ks of de road lak ah tell yo' an' jes' pick up lak dis heah jes' pick up lak dis heah [demonstrates] de white folks graveyard in dis graveyard, yo' understan'. Yo' go right dere tuh dis heah an' take yore han' backwards an' take it up...
(Pick up what?)
Pick up his track backward. An' don't cay [care] if ah owe yo' or anybody owe yo', pick it up backwards, yo' undahstan', an' don' say nuthin 'tall. Jes go home.
(Tell that over again.)
Ah said, any colored man - if yo' open up a place right heah - yo' got dis place right heah now. If ah pass by or anythin' an' yo' not friends wit me, understan'. Well, lak ah wus walkin' from dis side, an' den - well, yo' jes' ketch mah track lak dis heah [demonstrates] undahstan'. An' de sulphur, so dat yo' don't go out dere an' fight dere in de [street]. Yo' go round back in de sto', undahstan', an' set it right dere in de cornah an' yo' jes' shake dat sul- phur up fine, undahstan'. "Fore dat sulphur git burnin' good, yo' undahstan', in dat fo' cornah of de house. See, dat's a cornah of de house, dis a cornah, an' dis a cornah, an' dis a cornah. Well, when yo' set dat table yo' gits a little bit an' sprinkle in dat cornah, dat cornah, dat cornah an' dat cornah. Dat fo' cornah of de house. An' den de man ovah nex' do' can't - de Irishman or Jew or [who?], yo' undahstan', he say tuh dem, "Dis man has opened a place of business heah. Ah been befo' he come heah an' he got mo' customahs den ah got. Ah think ah'm goin' move."
Entry 11741
Well, jes' lak now probably dat ah wuz sellin' likker. Well, ever' time ah turn roun' an' somebody knock at de do', ah think it's a customer come in dere. Ah open de do', "Ooh! It's de law." Well, ah goes tuh mah neighbor, yo' know, sell a lotta people roun', "Ah ain't got no luck. Ever'- time ah open mah do's, it's de law comin' in. Ah don' unnerstan'.: Seem lak de law gotta pick at me. Ah want dat law quit comin' tuh mah house." "Well, "' ah declare. "May[be] it's hard luck put on yo', '' [he] says, "dey's things lak dat." Well, jes' lak dat, talk along an' talk along. Ah wuz sellin' right along, gittin' on all right, thinkin' ever'thing wuz okay. Oh, makin' mo' money, yo' know, an' jes' gittin' 'long. Fus' thing ah knows, "Knock, knock." "Who's thah?" Twarn't nuthin but de [wind?] but still it wuz a lil' strange. Goes opens de do'. Who but it is de law ag'in. Well, ah sigh to mahself, "Well, ah taken dese chances but ah don't wanta take nO mo' chances." Ah goes tuh talkin' fo' fair den. So ah got one mah best fren'. Ah call her mah best fren'. So mah best fren' says, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do," say, "yo' go git luck, 'cause dere's bad wishes put on yo'. Yo' gotta have luck. Dere's a bar ovah dere" [someone over there could recommend a hoodoo]. Okay. An' so ah goes an' git luck. So fo' de luck he tole me, says, "Go tuh de cemetery an' git chew a lil' graveyard dirt, an' yo' git it on de off side - cf side of de right. Yo' dig down an' yo' pay. Yo' pay him an' yo' git dis dirt. Dig a hole jes' lak dat an' let chure han' go down in it, jes' lak dat [demonstrates] an' dig yo' up jes' a lil' dirt jes' lak dat. Den yo' put three pennies down in dere where yo' got dis dirt at. An' yo' take it home an' don't look back. When yo' git dis dirt jes' take it an' come right on home an' don' look back. When yo' git home, yo' put a spoonful of sulphur in dat graveyard dirt an' yo' sprinkle jes' a lil' bit of black peppah in dere. An' den yo' jes' put dat - yo' put some right under de front steps, an' den yo' go round an' put some undah yore back steps. An' den yo' gotta speak three times tuh hit, 'Name of de Father, name of de Son an' de Holy Ghost, stay an' nevah come no mo'." Dat'll do it.
(That keeps the law away.)
Keep de law away.
Entry 12057
In case if sometime a man an' wife is confused, yo' know, lak some confusion in de family. Some kinda dissatisfaction an' wanta bring peace an' harmony, den if yo' kin git a lock of de man's hair or a lock of de woman's hair, an' go tuh de graveyard an' git some graveyard dust. An' den git some of de dust of dere insteps of dey individuals' feet, see.
(Where they walk in the ground, their track?)
Yes, whether dey bared feet or whether dey have on shoes, jes' so it's from de instep of dey feet. An' dey git some sulphur an' some brimstone an' mix all up. Beat dat brimstone tuhgethah fine an' mix all dose tuhgethah. Sew it up intuh a flannen rag - cloth. Sew it up good an' tight, an' yo' kin drop a few drops of camphor; dat's tuh keep it alive, quicken it. An' jes put dat roun' de do'step, bury it two or three inches in de earth. An' dat'll bring peace in de home.
Entry 12133
Heard of 'em usin' a hawk's right foot. Well, yo' take de hawk's right foot, de one dat carryin' a claw [what the other one did I forgot to ask!]. Got a claw like a rooster have on his feet. Yo' take dat foot an' yo' take an' wrap it in a piece of flan- nel cloth wit sulphur an' den wit peppah an' salt mixed [3 ingredients]. Well, dat's fo' good luck in gamblin' an' things lak dat. An' ag'in dey takes de bird [hawk's] head or snake head. Take snake head an' beat it up into a powder an' dat will cripple someone, because ah wus crippled once on dat mahself.
(Just how would that cripple them?)
Dat will cause snakes an' things in dem - sompin of that kind.
Entry 12179
Dey could burn sulphur an' salt. Salt an' sulphur is good fo' any- thing, good fo' killin' poison an' it's good luck. [Having turned off machine because material did not sound promising, I now restart machine by repeating what had been lost.]
(Is it good for, if they want to rent the room or rent the house?)
Yes. Well, ah tell yo' sulphur an' cayenne peppah an' salt - yo' burn dat an' yo' kin git de hoofs off a shoe, yo' know de hosses hoof, an' burn it every night befo' yo' go tuh bed an' yo' stay dere an' inhale dat. Well, den whatevah kind of luck yo' want or whatevah yo' ask it tuh do, why it mo' den apt tuh come out all round...
[Again I turn off machine too soon and must restart it.]
(If you are selling anything or anything of that sort? Would that help bring in trade?) Yes. Keep de police off yo' if yo' sellin' whiskey.
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 12203
Now, listen, she kin take nine horseshoe nails, some sulphur and lard, put those nails in de lard and sulphur at six 'clock in de morning. And then leave 'em there until six 'clock in de evening, standing at chure do' dere, an' call it. Put dem nails up on top yore door like that [demonstrates]. (Lay them along the ledge at the top of the door?) Yes, den you lay them up there and then you call him three times by his name. Jes' like you'd say, "Sam! Sam! Sam! Come heah!" And he would come. Ah don't care where he's at, he'll come.
Entry 12248
That High John de Conkah or sulphur and salt, that'll keep 'em [law] off to a certain extent; but mostly the way that a person kin do that, you kin keep 'em off all right and a person don't really have to be a stooly pigeon [see comment later]. But you kin meet around them [the law] with the right herbs, such as High John de Conkah and Adam-and-Eve, and have it [roots] dressed. If you have it dressed, well, you kin dress it with any kind of perfume. But have it roun' your do'r, and dey come in, won't never look.
(They come and won't do anything?)
Yes. They come and there will always be harmony wit yuh. They won't hardly ever look for nothing. They walk right over the stuff [bootleg alcohol] and won't find it. [Here my informant says police will scarcely bother a stool pigeon, a police informer, who is selling a few bootleg liquor drinks. That is how seller keeps in touch with the underworld. Stool pigeons occasionally came in to see what I was doing. Usually my local helpers informed us, occasion- ally I myself spotted one, as I explain somewhere in the text. Fortunately I never did anything to cause police action, though twice I was mistakenly raided.]
[Norfolk, Va., (472).484:2.]
Entry 12279
De' take de gunpowder an' de sulphur dust - dat not de lump sulphur - an' mix it together an' put it in a quill or some fish-pole. An' go by a per- son's house an' go dat- away three times. (Knocking three times.) [Also blowing 3 times.] An' de persons in dat yard, dey goin' have a uproar in dere. It will make a confusion between everybody. See, somebody in dere is gotta move out. If dere some enemies in dere, well dey gotta git out. [It would probably be safer to try this rite during day when no one was home. There are similar blowing through tube rites in HOODOO.1
Entry 12290
Go tuh any groc'ry an' git chew a new piece of cord dat haven't been used, whut chew tie up packages with, an' jes' lak anything dat yo' wish, an' nine is yore... [What? Number?] Take nine tuh do it. Yo': can't do nuthin until nine days. Jes' lak yo' git up dis mawnin', say, "Ah'm goin' start dis mawnin' an' ah want sech- an'-sech a thing tuh happen.' Jes' tie one knot [in] it an' make yore wish re- gardin' tuh whut it is. An' de nex' mawnin' de same thing fo' nine mawnin's. It'll come true.
(What do you do with this string after all these knots are tied in it then?)
Let it hang right dere, an' when de nine days up, an' yo' sure yo' got de nine knots, jes' take it an' git chew some sulphur an' some salt an' burn it right in yore fiahplace.
Entry 12301
Pass a hole into a lemon an' squeeze de juice out of it an' full it up wit sulphur an' brimstone an' salt. Take nine pins an' put through it an' den wrop it up jes' as tight as yo' kin, an' tie nine knots in it - into de string dat yo' wrop aroun' it. An' stick nine pins in it an' go ahead. (What will you do with that then?) Well, jes' carry it with yo'. (What is that supposed to do then?) An' den ah'll go ahead an' attack whatevah busi- ness yo' wanta attack, an' dat supposed to help yo' accomplish it.
(Any favors or anything of that sort?)
Yes.
Entry 12362
Dere.danger to yo' head all de time. Yo' take a man's hat, yo' under- stand, an' yo' go to de drug store an' git what chew call sulphur of potash, something like a powder and it's called love powder. That's the name fer it Love Powder. Sprinkle dat in de hat, in de lining. Or if he goes with yo' and yo' kin get near to him, sprinkle it in any piece of his clothes. Dat means dat yo' can't stay away, yo' will come back.
Entry 12447
Don't know if dey use de mockin'bird aigs but ah know dey use de mockin'- bird nest. Yo' burn it to ashes, and when yo' burn it to ashes, an' yo' jes' put some sulphur an' saltpeter in it or sulphur an' pep- pah or gunpowders - either of dem three, an' yo' mix a powders with that. An jes' what yo' say it do, it works by what yo' say...
(Give me an example of one thing you could say to it?)
Well, it ain't but one thing yo' kin say, an' den dere's plenty thing yo want to say.... It jes' what yo' want to say, or jes' if yo' have good idea - jes' any feelings tuhwards me, if yo' think ah doin' sompin ah got no business to yo', an' when yo' do dat den yo' tell it whut chew want it to do to me.
Entry 12539
Yo' take de red onion - dat's lucky fo' yore house - yo' take de red onion. It's lak if yo' got a friend, yo' kin rule him by usin' dat red onion. Yo' take dat red onion an' cut it in fo' parts an' git chew a little cup an' put dat in wit sulphur, brimstone an put dat in de corner of yore house - yo' know, where people don't have to be Worryin' roun' dere no way but chewself. An' his name write on a piece of papah understan' dat. An' dat will keep him, make him be nuthin but lovin' to yo', an' den dat will make him bring his money to yo'.
Entry 12540
Take dat red onion peelin' an' yo' take some nice clean pot, an' sulphur, brown sugah fo' colored an' white sugah for white - whoevah yo' workin' it on. An' put it on a shovel on some red coals, de fiah, yo' know, an' yo' let dat burn. Go to each cornah of yore house at five a'clock in de evenin' an' make yore wish, an' whatevah yore wishes is dey'll come true.
(What would you wish, for example?)
Well, jes' whatevah yo' wish fo', yo' know, jes' de main thing whut yo' wish fo' - anything.
Entry 12543
Well, it's two different ways dat chew kin make dem move. Now, yo' kin take nine seeds out of a pod of peppah, piece of rock sulphur; take a tea- spoon fulla sugah an' de peelin' from a red onion an' burn it, an' yo' kin make 'em leave in that way.
Entry 12581
Ah heard if ah wanted yo' to go crazy ovah me, jes' git two pennies an' burn 'em in sulphur, an' when ah git through burning, take 'em an' clean 'em off good, an' give one tuh de girl an' yo' keep one. An' don't chew spend de one which yo' have, yo' jes' keep it. If she spend hers'n dat'll be all right, but chew keep yores.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will make her crazy about chew 'long as yo' keep dat penny.
Entry 12614
Ah've heard people say yo' could take red pep- pah an' throw it round de house. Yo' know red peppah is fussin' anyway [causes a fuss]. Take red peppah an' throw it around de house. Or eithah burn it an' sulphur where dey kin git de scent of it, chew know.
(What would that do to them, then?)
It would cause confusion an' fussin' an' fights.
Entry 12615
Take red pepper an' sulphur, put it in a little bag, put it all to- gether, sew it up. An' yo' lay it right down at de step where yo' have to walk over it, goin' in an' comin' out. Dat'll make yo' [man and woman] separate sure as de worl' [goes round or something]. (That will cause confusion?) That will cause confusion dere. Bust up.
Entry 12616
Well, when yo' know [someone] goin' harm yo', comin' to yore house tuh harm yo', dere ain't nuthin fo' yo' tuh do, but jes' take yore shoes off, both yore shoes, an' put chew some sul- phur an' red peppah in 'em an' wear 'em, an' yo' kin walk ovah anything.
Entry 12617
Go tuh de drugsto' an' git chew a box of new sulphur an' [new] red cayenne peppah - ground-up peppah an' yo' mix dat sulphur an' dat peppah up to- gethah, an' yo' take it an' make a little ball - jes' a little ball. An' yo' tie it in de calf of de laig - in de knee part in de sock. An' sprinkle a little bit in yore shoe an' nuthin won't go up dere - dat [crunjure] won't go up through dat dere.
(What will that do?)
Dat will keep yo' from ketchin' whut dey put down [for you to walk over].
Entry 12618
Well, dey kin take dis heah red peppah, take dis sulphur and, if he's dere in de house, don't [let] him know nothin' about it, she kin make about 9 trips roun' [circumambulates] her house with dis stuff and make a oath. An' take dis stuff an' carry it in her room an' put it in dere where he don't [won't] see it, an' dat room will git too hot fo' him. He's gotta go.
(That is the way a woman can get rid of her husband.)
Yassuh, dat's de way a woman do to git rid of her husband.
Entry 12619
Dey say yo' takes red peppah, gunpowdah, an' sulphah, an' mix dat to- gethah an' weah dat under de bottom of yore shoe an' anythin'.yo' walk ovah dat won't take no effect on yo'. Yo' see, red peppah, gunpowdah, an' sulphah.
Entry 12620
Red peppah, brimstone, sulphur an' burn it an' blow de smoke [towards house] nex' to 'em an' [if people there] don' be in dey house - but if yo' burn it, yo' kin burn it in yore own house an' name it an' blow it nex' their house. Or git some of de garments of de house or somepin othah out of de house jes' since it's been worn. Well, yo' git a garment an' then yo' wrop de brim- stone, sulphur an' red peppah, an' wrop up in de garment. Take de garments to de woods an' bury it undah an' ole rotten log, an' that'll tear de home up altogethah.
(You mean after this stuff is burnt?)
Yes, in dat ole garment, jes' since it somepin out de house. Den de people all in de house - de man or de woman - well, yo' jes' take it an' bury it in de woods undah a ole rotten log.
(That is after you burn all that stuff?)
Yes, put it in that garment.
Entry 12621
If yo' wants tuh draw de customers to de place, yo' git some sulphur an' burn dat sulphur in de fo' corners of de house or de sto' an' den take some sulphur an' salt an' black pepper an' put right in de do' underneat'de steps an' dat will draw de customers.
Entry 12660
Pulverize persimmon bark and sugar, and one teaspoonful of sulphur. Put that on yore stove, on de top of your stove, on a Monday and Wednesdays. That's to get a job. Then you hold it and then you always kin pick up - getting jobs. (Well, what if you have a job?) It will cause you to pick up more, cause you to pick up more, cause you get more extra jobs. [This shows a chronic condition of the times, the Great Depression, there were few jobs for these people, and had there been permanent jobs, few were trained to hold them. Forty years later, as I write, conditions have not improved much.]
Entry 12999
Well, if a man want luck in gambling, well, he'd wanta got Lost John powder. [This could be my only example of Lost John.] (What kind?) Lost John. (Lost John?) Lost John powder, it's good luck. You take Lost John powder and you put it in your pocket. All right, you go get you some pulverized bluestone. You take you five dimes and you boil that in two quarts of water. You boil that water down to one quart [magic of diminishing amount.] You put it in somepin and measure it. You put it in somepin and you boil it until it comes down to one quart [diminishing amount] one quart of water. You gets one quart of water, you pout one teaspoonful of pulverized bluestone, one teaspoonful of granulated sugar, one teaspoonful of sulphur, and well shaked [shake well]. You take your five dimes out of that water after it's boiled and put 'em - you can use them again, you can spend them. [Often articles used in rites cannot be used again, they are dangerous.] You take that and you shake it up - well shaked. You can take that and rub it in the band of your hat, and you go anywhere in town and you can have luck: with the laws, the police, or anything like that. They ain't going to worry with you.
(What do you do with that Lost John root powder? What do you do with that?)
That Lost John root you tote that in your pocket. Tote that in your pocket.
Entry 13002
They have live things in them, you kin take a cupful of lard, and a cupful of sulphur, and you take a cupful of salt. And you puts all of that to about a quart of water and let it boil. And you take a silver [bow or beau or bull] dollar. (A silver what?) A silver dollah, a bow dollah. (A bow dollar?) They call 'em bow dollah, them silvah dollahs, one of them big round dollahs. They don't use 'em very much now [1938]. Well, you let that boil. Yo' get a [cove] oyster can [these were not the recent canned oysters kept on ice] and you let that dollah boil real good. You boil it for about a hour in that water. And you take that water, put it with this other ingredients, this cupful of lard and everything. And I mean that will certainly pass from you. You let 'em drink that fuh 9 mornings, see. Give 'em a cupful and them live things will pass. That'll kill it. An' then you take - behind that give 'em a bath, behind that a bath of saltpeter and bluestone and sulphur.
Entry 13066
Yo' know dese snails whut crawl...whut dey crawl slow. Anyhow dey takes dat an' dey go to work yo' know, dey fix it in sompin dat way it'll bust out chew know. Den dey go to work den, git some sulphur an' gunpowder together, an' dey take it an' carry it an' bury it right tuh yore door, right where yo' gotta step ovah it, yo' know. Dat'll fix yo' up. Yo'll linger 'long [along] linger 'long.
Entry 13242
Ah said, if yo' an' yore husban' or yo' an' yore girl fren' is in a argument or sompin lak dat, an' yo' don' ca' tuh argue, git chew about fo' tea- spoonfulla sulphur an' a teaspoonful of sugar an' put it in a rag. See, mix it up good an' sprinkle a little bit ovah de flo' an' de arguments gone - it won't be no mo' arguments. [Sulphur kills evil, sugar is fo' peace.]
Entry 13250
I stayed at a place up north. Every morning when I kindled de fire- I gen'a'ly made de fire - they had a package of sulphur there on that stove. When it was hot, they would sprinkle de sulphur on it, to fumigate de house with sulphur. They said that kept off the evil spirits and give it luck. (Every morning?) Every morning they'd sat- urate dat stove, when ft. got hot, you know, so that sulphur Would burn, they would sprinkle some of that sulphur on the stove. Said that kept off the evil spirits and give them luck. Druv [drove] the evil spirits out of the house, which, you know yourself, that there are more evil spirits than there are good ones. We are told by the Bible that many's the soul to walks this earth, visible or invisible. What they meant visible ones is the ones that we want to get rid of, don't want to be bothered with 'em. Well, now, we'll go back to de sulphur question. When you go to dig money, you make a circle around, all de way around de place yo' goin' to dig. Now a fellah tole me this to be a fact. Ah never seen it. An' sprinkle sulphur all around it [circle], an' yo' dig inside de ring of sulphur. When de evil spirit comes up there, he can't get inside that ring over that sulphur.
Entry 13251
Well, ah heard dat chew burn sulphur in yore house dat wus luck tuh yore enemies and den it wus bad luck tuh yore neighbors, because it's 'cordin' tuh de way yo' burn dat. Yo' burn dat sulphur certain hours in de night fo' luck fo' yo' friends, an' den yo' burn it certain hours fo' luck fo' yo' enemies. Dat means dat yo' enemies whut chew burn fo' dem will cause dem tuh be in hard luck. An' whut chew burn fo' yore friends dat'll be good luck, but it be certain hours of de night - from 12 to 4 in de mawnin'. Yo' burn sulphur in de night about 12 a'clock. When yo' burn dat sulphur why yo' burn dat sulphur fo' yo' friend providin' if her enemy tryin' tuh harm her an' tuh keep her enemy from harmin' 'er. Well, 4 'clock in de mawnin' yo' burn de sulphur fo' de enemies. See.
Entry 13252
Ah've heard of dem using sulphur. Dey kin burn sulphur in a house fo' good luck. An' den, if dey uses de bluestone long wit de sulphur, an' take it to people's house, dey take it an' burn it in front of dey doorstep at night. Dat will bring dem all kind of bad luck.
Entry 13253
De way ah heard it wuz done, dey take an' go round dat house at de front do' an' at de back do' an' make a straight mahk [a shallow trench with stick]. (All around the outside of the house?) Yessuh, right down dere by de edge of de do'step de way dey have tuh come in an' out. An' yo' take dat when yo' make dat mahk down dere, yo' puts sul- phur an' gunpowder in dat mahk an' when dey do dat yo' take den an' yo' stick fiah in next tuh de do'step, an' when yo' do dat, why it blows out - blows it out, an' ah heard dat in three days aftah yo' do dat it will blow 'em cleah - dat will blow 'em cleah intuh de distance. Dey won't have no mind tuh stay dere. (It runs them out of that house. You mean you make a straight mark in front of each door?) Yessuh.
(Like a trench?)
Yessuh, jes' a lil' trench. (You dig a little trench for that stuff and then light it and let it go
[blow] on out?)
Yes.
Entry 13254
You kin take gunpowder and sulphur, and if you kin get close enough to dem when dey go to sleep or lay down - yo' know where de' goin' to lay down - take and dust it. See, jis like de shett up, and dust de mattress and put it back where de' sleep - goin' lay down over it. And dat thing get in dere bones, see, and dey won't live 6 months.
Entry 13255
You take sulphur, they tell me and mix it together in pure lard and rub with it. You kin move it [poison or cunjure] 股中 away. Sulphur and pure lard, cream it together and rub with it. They say that choo kin get it out choo by that. And [in addition] you take so much sulphur, don' choo understand, with brown sugar. You take it [inwardly]. Well, that purges you, you know, and git all dat bad stuff out.
Entry 13256
Ah heard dat too. Lak if yo' a big bootleggah an' dere's several people dat chew want tuh come tuh yore house, an' yo' wanta keep de law away from yore house or somepin lak dat. Yo' take [and] burn dis sulphur an' ole shoes dat will stink, an' whilst yo' take an' burn dat sulphur an' dem shoes - git up first thin' in de mawnin' - take an' burn dis sulphur an' dem shoes an' aftah yo' burnin' dis stuff, yo' git up an' take a bath round about 'leven a'clock [at night].'Fore yo' take a bath, yo' take dis stuff an' put it in de watah dat chew take a bath in. Yo' take dis stuff an' put it in yore watah an' yo' set dere [until] ah reckon round twelve or one 'clock at night. Well, yo' git up an' yo' burn dis stuff ag'in - dis sulphur an' dis ole shoes an' sprinkle sulphur lak dat. Yo' git up an' den yo' put dis back in de same watah where de sulphur is. When yo' git up jes' about sunrise, jes' as de sun in peepin' up above de trees, an' yo' take dis tub of watah an' yo' go an' po' it out on de opposite of de sun - opposite where de sun rises, but de same side where de sun rise on. Yo' take dis watah jes' 'bout sunrise, dis tub of watah, an' yo' take an' dash it out on de opposite side of de sunrise. An' dis watah will jes' run right on down - dat drive 'em 'way lak dat.
(You do this early in the morning?)
Yessuh, early in de mawnin' jes' about sunrise. (Do you pour this water out on the side where the sun is rising up or where the sun sets down?) Where de sun rise - de same side de sun rise on, de same side yo' po' dis watah out.
(That brings in trade.)
Entry 13257
All yo' have tuh do is tuh git chew some sulphur an burn an' all. Yo' ketch his [policeman's] eyes whensomevah he come in an' look after him, an' let him walk across it, see. (This burnt sulpbur?) Yes sir, burnt sulpbur, an' when he come in yo be lookin' after 'in. Try tuh ketch his eyes. An' he nevah come tuh yore house no mo'. Or yo' could jes' take some - if yo' sellin' whiskey, each maslin' befo' yo' open yore do', befo' anyone come in, yo' jes' take jes' a certain aomt of it [whiskey] an' jes' throw it ovah yore do', both doors, as de customers comes in an' out, see. An' then yo' be fixed - de law will nevah bother yo'.
(You mean you throw the salt and sulphur over the door?)
No, yo' kin take some of yore whiskey.
(Oh, the whiskey. That's to keep the law away, too.)
See, when yo' burn dis sulphur, den yo' throw de whiskey ovah de head - yo' know whut ah mean, jes' throw some ovah de head of de do' up there an' dey won't nevah bother yo'.
Entry 13258
If they run me out, then I will fix that house so no one kin live in there.
(I see. How is that done?)
Well, when I move out, you understand, I would sweep up all my trash. I don't wanta leave none of my dirt. I'd take up all my rugs and carpets and things, and I'd sweep the floors. I will get sulphur, you understand - I will get sulphur. I will get de oil of cin- namon. Yo' know what de oil of cinnamon is. I will get cayenne pepper and I will put it in de four cor- ners of dat room, and I will light it and I will fasten de windows down and de doors down and let it burn - with a curse. No one never will move in there. As they move in, they move out. And if they do move in there - there wouldn't a soul move in there what wouldn't have death in the family. [In former days the cursing of a house like this Was a serious business and most people moving in would have had it uncursed by a doctor.]
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 13260
Yo' take red peppah, cayenne peppah, hot, an' table salt. Let it all be new. Take table salt jes' new an' dis sulphur brand-new, nevah been opened befo' yo' know. Well, yo' take it an' mix it up, an' yo' jes' throw it all round yore house, an' dat's good tuh keep de law from comin' in annoyin' yo'. An' den if a person is comin' tuh yore house an' yo' don't want dem tuh go dere, yo' kin jes' throw dat out behin' dem in de chair where dey sit at in de room. Den when dey git ready tuh git up an' go out, den yo' kin take it an' go on out an' jes' throw it de way dey went, an' cuss 'em, an' dey'll not come back any mo'. Dey won't come back any mo'. If dey do', dey'll come right in an' dey cain't stay dere no time. Yo' gotta git out an' sweep behin' dem.
Entry 29
Dey tell me dat dey kin take yore bath water and bury it. Dig a hole and pore it in dere and put a piece of - jest a small piece of bluestone, sulphur an' asafitadee [assafetida] in dat hole with dat water and cover it up. And dey tell me dat will keep yo' perishing away all de time.
Entry 400
Yo' kin go out an' git a young hickory tree, git de fo'k of a young hickory tree an' split it in de fo'k an' put a fifty cents [coin] in dere, an' carry it any place dat chew spicion there is a treasure, an' gettin' to dis place, if there is a treasure, yo' kin hardly hold the stick. [This is the original treasure finder or a locator before commercial firms entered the field with many gadgets. It is the dowser's forked stick used in dowsing or witching for water; a piece of silver being added for buried treasure. The dowser's Y-shaped (or wishbone-shaped) stick should be about three feet long with the ends of the V about two feet apart so that they can be conveniently held in both hands. The short stem of the Y or the hypocleidium of the wishbone - holding the silver - points away from the operator. As the dowser or treasure hunter walks over the water or money, the end of the forked stick dips down ''yo kin hardly hold the stick." I have described a childhood experience in which a dowser fought his dipping fork (I should say fought himself) until it flew out of his hands with great force - see FACI, 2ed., p.526, No.11779.] Well, yo' don' have tuh talk - yo' shouldn't talk an' yo' should first have sulphur an' also a piece of silver money in yore pocket, an' in digging this treasure yo' shouldn't say anything to anybody. Of co'se there'll be winds an' ghosts an' diff'rent things comin' up, but jes' dig right on an' don' say any- thing because if yo' say anything it will go away.
(What do you do with that sulphur?)
Dat sulphur is tuh keep de ghosts from worryin' yo' tuh death.
Entry 405
Why that's a thing, yo' see, that's worked wit a machine, yo' know. Yo' have to carry sulphur 'long wit yo' an' dere's - ah don't know whut dat stuff is, but it's a kind of a thing like a saucer an' yo' burns dat when yo' out. It has a needle on it chew see, an' yo' place down dis-a-way, yo' see, an' as it goes round wheresomevah it stops an' points down, why it dere that yo' have to dig at. An' yo' not supposed when yo' commence digging - dere might be all kinda things, but if yo' don't see anything - can't open yo' mouth or anything - jest continue working, why then yo'll git it. But if yo' see anything why then you lose your whole hope on it.
Entry 514
Mah grandmother she used to do dat - she'd take a horseshoe. When dey put shoes on a horse - yo' know, take dose shoes off an' put new ones on, why she'd take dose shoes an' put one ovah her front door an' one over her back door; every do' she had yo' know, an' 'nother one right at de doorstep dere at de right corner. Why, she would dig a hole down dere jest about dis big maybe an' put sulphur down in dis hole an' den cover it back up. An' she den would say some kind of ole funny word dey have in dere mind, an' by dat way dey say dey keep witches away - dey wouldn't come in de house an' bother 'em.
Entry 541
I was about ten years old. Well, mah grandmother used to tell me if ah wouldn't be good that a hag. she would come at night an' ride me. Well, ah never did believe it tull - when ah'd go to bed, jis' about ev'ry mawnin' jis' about fo' 'clock, it would always be some dark woman would come an' git right on mah bed an' seemed if she tried to choke me. An' she'd be chokin' me an' chokin' me an' it seemed like always jis' de time ah'd be tryin' tuh holler she'd choke me all de tighter. Well, she kept doin' dat fer about a week - she never would choke me to death but she always would choke me where ah really would be stran- gled. She did dat about two weeks out of ev'ry month an' it wus jes' like dat fer about six months. De doctor he said ah was nervous. So my mother she kept on tryin' ev'rythin' an' so a ole lady [doctor] tole her to take straws an' put 'em in de center of bed at night when ah go to bed, like a cross, an' dat would stop it. Well, she tried dat - two crosses dere fer a while an' fer a while de woman she'd always come an' bother me but she never would come near to choke me, she'd stand off with one of her hands up in front of her face. So mah mother she started to put mah brother in de bed to sleep with me. Well, instead of bothering me de woman would go to mah brother an' bother him, an' she did him de same way she did me fer a long time until she had him where he Was gittin' pore - losin' weight all de time. She tried de straws on mah brother but dey wouldn't help him at all. So she would take him an' put him in bed with her an she could wake up an' really see him choking at night. But de woman never did come bother me long as: de straws was in mah bed. So de ole lady tole my mother that it wasn't but one thing fer her to do, that Was to burn this heah sulphur in all de rooms at night befo' we go to bed - shut de windahs tight down an' wouldn't open up de windahs no mo' atall at night to let air in - let her in - fer at least a month. So mah mother she did dat for at least a month. Well, grad'lly - we'd always hear a noise lak somebody scratchin' on de side of de windahpane tryin' to git in. So purty soon it stopped an' mah mother she could raise de windahs again. But always, along about around de full of de moon, dis woman she'd come back. She always would come back an' yo' could hear her laugh - a funny laugh at night.
(But she never bothered you any more?)
Nevah bothered us any more but she always jes' come back an' laughed.
Entry 698
I'll tell you whut I heard by mah gran'mama. She wus hurt an' she wus hurt in peas an' rice. An' she started jis' as she got this, you know two or three days after, she started to swellin' all up in her laig, all up in her hips an' all. An' there's a ole root doctor came aroun' an' he tole 'em, he said, "If you git a root doctor," he say, "he kin fix you up" - to my gran'mama. An' so he said that he knowed whut wus de matter with her. An' so he give her two doses of sulphur. An' after that he got some whiskey an' sulphur an' a root dey call John de Conker, an' take an' boil this John de Conker in this whiskey an' add this sulphur to it an' he give this three times a day. About the fifth day or the sixth day she got deathly sick. Well, they got scared then an' stop givin' it to her, but the root doctor came back by to see 'em an' tol' 'em, "No, don't stop." He say that was workin' on her. An' so, after she went on an' took it, after she got deathly sick, a snake, a little green snake, an' a scorpion - I don't know whut that is, I've never seen one, but this is my gran'mama that's tellin' us - an' so this came from her. An' so she got all right for three months. She was all right, walkin' aroun' jis' like you or I, all right. An' so roun' 'bout two months later this swellin' started again. They went an' got this ole root doctor an' he give her the same medicine agin. Told 'em continue to give to her. In jis' about two or three more months she got all right.
Entry 733
Yo' kin take, now, if yo' want a good gomblin' hand - now, yo' kin go out an' dere's somepin out in de woods grows dat called rattlesnake master [or button snakeroot (Eryngiun aquaticwn) southern U. S. A.]. Dere's two of dose things grows. One's a she an' one's de man - one grows a white flower, dat's de she; an' de one dat grows de red flower, dat de man. Well, yo' takes dat - yo' goes an' dig up dat root whut chew call de rattlesnake master. Yo' brings dat rattlesnake master back home an' yo' sits down an' yo' cuts it in de shape - kinda cut it in de shape of a spade; cut it out in de shape of a spade or either in de shape of a tooth, ary one dat chew wanta cut it out lak. Yo' send tuh town an' yo' git chew some hearts cologne an' yo' git chew two pinches of flaxseeds an' yo' git chew about two ounces or 'bout half of a halfa ounce of sulphur. Yo place dat root - put all dat stuff roun' an' place dat root in dere an' fills it fulla ole hearts cologne an' sews it up in a red cloth an' yo' sets dat root down on de table. Git a glass of watah - a plain glass of watah an' fo' nine mawnin's yo' go tuh dat glass an' speak to it fo' nine mawnin's. Look at dat glass - jes set dere an' look at it till it begin tuh look lak yo' begin tuh git drunk in de haid lookin' at - somepin lak dat. Yo' speak to dat glass fo' nine mawnin's an' dat ninth mawnin' DAT GLASS WILL SPEAK TO YOU. Den yo' take yo' root an' yo' kin go in any skin game wit any money. See anybody, white or colored, take dat root as yo' see 'em comin' - put yore han' in yore pocket an' rub ovah yore face lak dis an' walk up an' comment to 'em 'bout it. [Where? (?), 2407:2.]
Entry 824
They say they get dirt from a sinnerman's grave, and they say they kin take dat and they kin put you out de world with dat. They say dey'll take that and make a heavy wish on it - and some people they say, mix sulphur with it - dey take and sprinkle it around, sprinkle around, you know, in de air, and you inhales it. And they say, then you'll go down on de bed, you'll stretch out on de bed and be in, you know, what you call a lingering spell, until after a while you commence to - what dey call withering away. [For sinnerman's qrave, see No. 656, p.221; for inhales it, No.655.]
Entry 1053
Dey came heah an' dey try tuh harm yo'. Well, it ain't but the one thing 'bout dat now fur as ah know. If dey kin go an' do that - now these things seem simple but it's this - red peppah an' saltpeter an' sulphur. An' yo' fix them things all together an' dat's jes' if yo' - jes' lak if dey write dat lettah yo' know. Yo' cut chew some little small papahs in pieces an' yo' put so much in there, much as yo' would think that ought to be hold in yore mouth, jes' as de sun rise. An' when de sun rise, yo' see, yo' git out an' yo' say that - an' yo' say, "Father, Son an' Holy Ghost." Den yo' blow dat out chure mouth - dat papah, but chew hole de papah in dat direction. An' when yo' blow it out, yo' let hit know yo' fightin' fo' me because ah have tried to mistreat yo'. An' yo' blow that fo' me. Well, de same thing ah had intend tuh come to yo', it comin' back to me.
(Well, what kind of paper did you put that on?)
Any kind papah, jes' long as it papah, but we mostly uses brown papah. (In other words if I write you a letter and you think I am trying to harm you, you take this stuff [red pepper, sulphur, saltpeter] and put it in a brown paper and blow it toward the sunrise.) [Then the paper is chewed or torn and blown.] Dat's correct.
Entry 1067
Heard if anyone sprinkles things in your home, and I've known it to be true - if they sprinkle anything in your yard, in your home - Mondays and Fridays or certain days - Sundays, Mondays and Fridays - but you do this before the noon hour. You get up and sweep the trash thoroughly out of your front. Put sulphur in it and stick a match to it and burn it. You sweep your back thoroughly and you do the same otherwise, twice every week, that is to keep things found from around your home so no one kin [sprinkle] anything round to take to your body.
(I see, you must do this before noon on Mondays or Friday.)
Mondays and Fridays before noon.
(I see, that's to protect yourself against anything put down.)
To protect yourself and also change your clothing. And on Sunday night turn your clothing or either be sure that they are on the wrong side. Put 'em on twicet a week of that other same, the same days that you burn.
(I see. You change your clothes on Sunday, you say?)
You turns your clothes [Sunday night] so you kin put 'em on on Monday, Monday mornings as you burns the trash. Wear your clothing on the wrong side. Fridays the same. Then nothing kin be taken to your body. (I see. When you burn this trash on Mondays and Fridays, you must do it with your clothes on wrongside out.) And put sulphur in it whilest it's burning.
(Put sulphur in this trash that you sweep out.) [Mobile, Ala., (710), 979:2.]
[Broom rites, used for many purposes, are endless.]
Entry 1157
I have a sister and she was hurt and she jis' started to screamin' an' hollerin' and we didn't know exactly what was wrong with her. And so we jis' run aroun' and ast diff'rent ones. And so they told us to get some caraway seed and bluestone and salt [three things] and rub her wit it; and ever time we rub her with it, that we must say, "In the Name of the Lord and the Holy Ghost," and rub her down; and give her brimstone in water - yo' know, the water drunkt off of that. Let her drink it. Of course we had to do other things. We used sulphur. We rub her with some of it and then let her eat some of it.
Entry 1176
If yo' have a lotta ghosts an' things, or yore house is hanted, well, at night yo' take a pan of chicken feathers an' sulphur an' put it in a pan an burn it. Dat'll [also] keep all de insex [insects] from round yore house.
(All these ghosts and things?)
Yessuh - dat'll shore keep dem away.
Entry 1177
When yo' think anybody has done anything to yore home, yo' burn chicken feathers and sulphur there.
(What will that do?)
Say that wards off what they have did. (You mean if they are trying to plant anything around there or sprinkle anything?) You set, yo' know, jest like if yo' were going to fumigate the house and burn that; yo' put pepper, sulphur and chicken feathers together - rather, to get black feathers is the best feathers.
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 an' sulphur.
(Black hen what?)
Feathers.
(And she stands in that smoke - that is just to give her luck?)
Luck an' successful.
Entry 1180
Heard of 'em using chicken feathers fo' trouble round de home. Dey take de feathers of a black hen an' saturate it wit sulphur an' yo' bury dat under yore do'step. Dat will run off all de trouble an' harm round yore home.
Entry 1317
Take some graveyard dirt like at [to] the crossroads - you know runnin' ever' which way, and make a cross and put this dirt right in the middle of it and kiver it over and put sulphur in it, and that keeps anybody from crossing you.
(Does what?)
You know, harming you or crossing you in any kind of way.
The informant describes graveyard dirt with sulphur at a crossroads and clarifies the reported protection after the interviewer's question. '[to]' is an editorial insertion within the printed speech.
Entry 1321
Yo' kin take a dime an' put it round yore laig, an' yo' take some graveyard dirt an' sulphur an' red peppah seed an' wear it in yore shoes, an' yo' kin walk ovah it [hoodoo] an' it won't harm yo'.
The informant describes graveyard dirt as one ingredient alongside sulphur and red pepper seed. The bracketed word '[hoodoo]' is an editorial identification within the printed speech; the protection claim is reported.
Entry 1347
Then burn this plain temple incense. Plain temple incense brings the good spirits to you and the evil spirits can't stay there. Sulphur, you know, that drives them away, too.
Entry 1406
Let onion peelings and sulphur burn all day in closed room; no one can harm you.
Entry 1448
Yes, ah heard about dat. Dey say dat If yo' think somebody gon'a work roots on yo' or somepin lak that, or somepin dey 'fraid tuh walk ovah, den yo' git chew some cayenne peppah an' put 'bout six swallows of watah in there, yo' understand, an' boil it down to three swallows.
[This is the magic of diminishing amount.]
Yo' take three swallows of dat watah dat night - see, dat first night. Well, yo' don't take nuthin dat next night - yo' skip a night chew see. [This skipping magic is a recurrent magic delay; not the same as alternating magic - left and right, up and down, forward and backward, etc.] Take yo' a teaspoonfula sulphur de next night, chew understand, an' do that fo' - lemme see, yo' take three doses of dis peppah an' den yo' take six doses of dat sulphur. [Here is the complementary magic of increasing amount. Both diminishing and increasing amounts are in multiples of three magic. The exchange between three doses of pepper and three of sulphur is alternating magic; the three additional doses of sulphur being repetitive magic.] An' dat will keep the evil roots an' things off of yuh, so nobody can't harm yo'or nuthin.
Entry 1452
Dey say if somebody is doin' something to yo' an' yo' wanted tuh stay, or yo' wanted tuh stay home. Well, yo'd git some sulphah, a little red peppah an' a little black peppah. Mix it together. Well, yo' git some of dis heah insene [incense] - yo' hear 'em talk about dat - mixes all dat togethah an' put it in a little bag [making a hand] an' sew hit round yore laig - sew it up an' pin it round yore laig. Why yo' is all right, see.
Entry 1525
I hear 'em said that anybody don't want nobody to hurt 'em, to give 'em nuthin, hurt 'em inside, why they kin take a dime, but no one dime of his own. They got a dime, take it an' swap it with somebody else, git another dime. Well, they kin take that an' file it up an' put it in a - file the whole dime up an' put it in a teaspoonful of sulphur an' take that, put it in the mouth, take some water an' wash it down. Well, if you eat anything, if anybody put anything down in somepin to eat for yeh, you kin eat an' it won't hurt yeh.
Entry 1545
Git one of dese little three-edged file and git chew a silver dime an' scrape a little dat silver, and den take a teaspoonful of salt - I mean to say and sulphur, and jes' three drops of camphor and a glass of sweet milk. Dat will git de poison out of you, if dey's got dis dope by witchcraft in you.
Entry 1549
They say yo' can take de lodestone and boil it into de sweet milk and a silver dime and file it and git de silver from de dime. Yo' take de saltpeter and de sulphur an' yo' make jes' a medicine of it. Yo' put dat on de inside. Yo' take de poke root, de saltpeter and de sulphur and gunpowder and use it as a bath an' fish brine an' that will kill it.
(What do you put.inside you?)
You put inside you this saltpeter and the sulphur and the lodestone, yo' see, boil this into the sweet milk - inside. Yo' can take de gunpowder inside, tain't goin' hurt chew - gunpowder don't hurt anybody. Yo' use that into de inside. An' then tuh tell whether you've got the stuff in yo' or not, dey tell me yo' kin take a silver dime - a real silver dime and put it in yore mouth and it will turn black immediately, and then yo' kin tell if these things into yo'.
(How do you do that?)
Hold it into yore mouth until a certain - jest about an hour, and dey say if anything like dat in yuh, it certainly will turn black.
Entry 1568
Yo' mean if anybody try to hurt yo' - how yo' kin protect yoreself. Yo' kin take de least bit of sulphur in a teaspoon nine mawnin's, In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' yo' kin eat anything that anyone give yo' an' it won't hurt chew.
Entry 1569
Yo' go to de store an' yo' git chew a nickel box of sulphur - dat's a common way, an' after yo' git dat sulphur, yo' take dat sulphur an' yo' mix it up with a - take about three good heaping teaspoonsful or two tablespoonsful - yo' mix it up in some cream or milk an' yo' drink dat about twice a week. An' dat will keep anybody from harmin' yo' - nobody can't harm yo'.
Entry 1571
Sulphur, dey tell me, if yo' burn three teaspoonsful on yore trash pile dat'll keep yo' enemies away.
Entry 1573
Well, yo' see, jes' lak if yo' jes' thought now that person had done something to harm yo' or hurt chew. Well, now yo' go to work, yo' take yo' some saltpeter an' yo' take yo' some sulphur. Yo' takes all dat an' yo' puts it in a bag an' yo' wears dat around yore wais' [waist]. Well, yo' see when yo' put dat round yore wais', dat saltpeter an' dat sulphur, yo' put hit in a bag an' wear. Well, yo' see dat kills all dat germ dat dey tryin' to hurt chew wit.
Entry 1577
Jest git chews - like ah said wit dat cologne stuff an' sulphur, an' sprinkle it around yore place. That kills all the bad luck an' de good luck comes in [cf. margin-title Begin Rite By Removing Hard Luck Spirits, p.328].
Entry 1578
Take the sulphur an' the bluestone an' mix it together an' yo' use it fo' nine mawnin's. Jes' sprinkle it around yore home that yo' dwell in an' say that will keep things from evah gitting bad - yo' know, yo' can't be bothered if yo' use that bluestone an' sulphur.
(People can't bother you?)
Can't bother yo' - interfere with chure business. [Wilson, N. Car., (1486) 2660:15.]
Entry 1615
You take a ten-cent piece an' you file it down to nuthin but dust. You take a pinch of sulphur, about a halfa teaspoonful of sulphur, an' you take this on your tongue. An' you take a swallow of your own water. Whoever the person is, now, they got to have their own water - you know, whoever it is urination, just enough to swallow. An' I'll guarantee that ever'thing you eat, that'll come right up, an' it'll come these little ants or anything. While that silver's in you, you never git nuthin - won't nobody kin ever put nuthin in you.
Entry 1633
Yo' kin take chamber lye an' sulphah an' cayenne peppah an' mix it all up togethah, an' go out one dark night, a real dark night, an' jes' throw it all roun' yore house, an' will jes' drive all enemies an' things from yore home.
Entry 1663
If yo' wanta git a spell off anybody, take some sulphur an' put it in yore shoe, po' some whiskey in dere, in yore right shoe, an' drink it - drink dat whiskey an' sulphur right out dat shoe, see. If anybody put a spell on yo', dat'll git it off.
Entry 1692
Git brimstone an' den git - dere's somethin' grows in de woods dey call Indian turnip or Indian potatuh [jack-in-the-pulpit] - it looks lak a.
(I know - kind of like a potato?)
Yes. Well, dey takes that an' goes in de woods where de lightnin' strike a tree - if it's a dead tree it's all right an' if it's a green one, jes' so de lightnin' strike it an' scatter de splinters, de splinters jes' fly in diff'rent directions. Dem splinters will go in diff'rent directions an' den yo' must take dem splinters after yo' pick up 'em an' den burn 'em till yo' git de ashes, an den compound dat 'tater up wit it an' put dem two together an' sprinkle dat roun' de house. Well, he can't come up there.
(That is if anybody is trying to put anything down for you - harm you.)
Yes - dat'll change his mind, that will kill it, he can't come ovah it.
(That will kill what he puts down?)
Yessuh, he jes' can't come ovah it.
Entry 1698
If they gets holt of your hair and you want to prevent the misery and ev'ry what they have, you'll cross those matches in your haid. You wear that, or either put sulphur in the mole of your head, and it will kill that out. Wear the sulphur in the mole of your head.
(How do you cross those matches in your head?)
You'll put one this way and one this way - just make a cross through your hair, right in the mole of your head.
(Just use two matches?)
You kin use three. [This is the double-cross as well as the Trinity.]
(Three.)
Entry 1754
Yo' kin take de gunpowder an' de brimstone an' put dem together an' yo' kin tote dat - put dem together in a little sack. An' git a piece of John de Conker root, put dat in dere wit dat an' a little sulphur an' sew it up. Put dat Heart Cologne on it an' tote it wit chew. Dat's luck. If yo' go tuh anybody an' ask fo' anything dey won't turn yo' down.
(If you ask for a job or anything of that sort?)
Dey won't turn yo' down.
Entry 1825
Dey build whut chew call a dead man. Dey usually goes an' dey gits clay from a fresh grave dat's someone yo' know, an' dey take dat clay an' dey mixes it up wit sulphur an' red peppah an' puts it undah de step - round de front step. Dat usually brings in people or either carries 'em out - jes' whichsomevah yo' wish. Yo' have tuh wish fo' dat.
(What did you say about making a dead man?)
Yo' use clay an' red peppah an' sulphur.
(Well, what do you mean by making a dead man?)
Well, because it's a person yo' know an' dey jes' died yo' understand, an' yo' use it because it's fresh. Yo' gits it at de full of de moon.
Entry 1859
Dere's a fish he's got two stones in his head. Outa dem two stones, you wanta be sure when you open him to git de right-hand stone. Dere's two white stones. You'll take dat right-hand stone and you'll put it in yore pocket and put some red pepper with it - put red pepper with that right-hand stone. And take de left-hand stone and take a handful of sulphur, nothing but sulphur, and you'll wrap dat up good and hid it and put it down by yo' bed - on de left corner of yo' bed, de north corner of yo' bed inside of yo' mattress. But de right-hand stone, you wants to tote dat - gains everything you wants and everything you go after. Actually you got'a git it.
Entry 1964
He had that wropped in a tape, some kinda tape-lak, an' he wrops it in a square and it would be a square de size of a half a dollah, ah guess. It was, you know round, an' he tells me tuh carry dat wit me in mah wallet - carry it wit me all de time. Carry it with me an' 'noint it wit whiskey 'bout ever' fo' or five days. An' den he takes me roun' an' git anothah one. He wrops me a larger one an' tells me tuh keep dat one in de house, an' 'noint hit wit whiskey 'bout time ah think it's dry. Any time ah think it's dry, put sulphur on it an' 'noint lt wit whiskey. An' then he give me some spirits. Ah thought it wus spirits yo' know whut dey dig up out de ground [graveyard dirt?]. So den he gives me somepin, somepin like a pickel jar. He puts de whiskey in de jar an' he put de little herbs in de jar an' [told me to] keep 'em roun' mah place, an' jes' hide it where nobody can't take it - which ah did an' ah got it [now]. An' ah taken it on to de shop. Ah wouldn't take it to de house. De nex' mawnin' ah go to it an' 'noint it wit whiskey, right in de jar, an' ah have de jar right now down at de shop, an' ah jes' put whiskey ovah dat.
Entry 2018
Git dat graveyard dirt - carry those three pennies down wit it an' go jes' as fur as yo' kin reach down an' bring up some of dat graveyard dirt. Git dat wit some brimstone an' sulphur an' put it together. Den if yo' kin git hold of dat Indian turnip [see later], jes' have some of it pound up an' [you] kin git inside de co'thouse - git in wit de man dat cleans up in dere befo' co't commence or dey's dere tuh take up co't. Go in an' sprinkle dat all around where all de officers stan' roun' in dere. Dey has benches up dere where de judge sit - have tuh sprinkle it all aroun' dere where de rest of de officers - go all roun' in dere. Dey throw it out.
(They throw the case out?)
Yeah. [Indian turnip, called Indian potato by an informant, is the root of jack-in- the-pulpit. I found the root rarely used.]
Entry 2020
[I have already given some hands called Jack, divining hands (pp.190- 193 and Index), but in the following example Jack does not divine, he does some- thing else:] Ah have heard in times past dat a fellah gamblin' - co'se he would take his money an' he would take it an' put it wit sulphur an' red peppah an' alum, table salt an' wear it next to him, see, fo' so many days 'fore he start tuh gamblin', nine days. An' den when he goes in an' gambles, why he would be lucky. An' den, if he would happen tuh have a little bad luck, he would take an' put a little Heart's Own Cologne on it. An' co'se he would name it Jack. He would name that hand, Jack - that would be a hand. He would name it Jack. An' if he would begin to fall [to lose] he would take it off an' say, "Jack, Jack, three times, an'he would go back agin an' he start agin. But he supposed to keep it loaded wit dis heah cologne. [Calling Jack three times is a part of recharging the hand.] (He would put this money in a little piece of cloth or something of that sort. He doesn't gamble with that? He would just keep it all the time on his person? On his body?) On his body.
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 2146
Some people say they use nails to keep the police - that's another thing they say to keep the police away an' keep yore enemies out.
(How do they do that?)
They nail one ovah each windah an' talk to it jes' whatevah yo' want it to do, an' ah think yo' dress it with - befo' yo' nail it ovah each windah. Yo' make yo' up some sulphur - sulphur is a thing goes 'bout with ever'thin', an' a little graveyard dirt, an' yo' dress this nail. An' if you can, go write on it whut yo' want it tuh do. Yo' nail one ovah each windah an' one ovah de do', an' they say there's nuthin kin come ovah there.
Entry 2174
Burn sulphur an' onion peelin's together an' dat'll draw mens to yore house wit money, an' all lak dat.
(When do you burn that?)
Yo' kin burn it in de morning[
Entry 2192
Yo' kin take a red onion an' twelve straight pins an' stick 'em down in dere an' put de onion in sulphur an' wrap it up good. Keep it wrapped up an' wear it in yore pocket, an' yo' go out on de street anywhere like yo' boostin' customers, yo' have it in yore pocket an' yore han' in dere on it tight, an' yo' talk to 'em, squeeze it tight an' dat gives good luck, an' dey'll come aroun' an' [that] draws 'em.
(You do that if you are in any kind of business.)
Bootleggin' or anything.
Entry 2253
Mean dey try to do you harm?
(Yes, if I don't want them to do it, how can I stop them?)
It can't do you no harm in a way. You goes to work an' anyone tryin' to harm yuh - goes to work and git chew about a tablespoonful of gun powder, sulphur, red pepper - sulphur and about Adam-and-Eve and dey son - jest about dat big in de woods. Adam-and-Eve and dey son. See Adam-and-Eve stays right on one stem - Eve-and-Adam and de son. You kin git dat and you put 'em right straight in dat and you know, make a little sack. Put 'em away in de front where nobody couldn't do you no harm. Den you'll take you a two pods of red peppah and put it in your stocking. Anything dey put down can't do you no harm.
Entry 2429
Jes' lak yo' got de business an' - well, an' yo' got good trade all de time. Nevah sweep yore dirt on de outside - always sweep it in an' sweep it in de fire-hearth. An' like yo' wanted yore business to keep acomin' on too, yo' take an' go every Friday - git chew a ole shoe, git some sulphur an' a penny, an' yo' put it in de fire-hearth an' let it burn an' shet de do' an' go on outside. At twelve 'clock yo' do it.
Entry 2500
Say jes' git graveyard dirt, red peppah, cayenne peppah, sulphur an' alum, an' beat it together an' sprinkle it all around yore place an' they say that will keep it away - say that will keep de law away. (What is the difference between red pepper and cayenne pepper? Is there any difference?) Well, dere's one ground, an' yo' know dere's one whole grain.
Entry 2530
Ah tell yo' whut ah does: Ah've been usin' few things round mah house since - see, nobody would patronize me. Yo' understand whut ah said? Nobody patronize me. Ah goes tuh work an' ah got me some of dis thing whut chew call de incense. Ah burns some incense an' some sulphur. Now [at present time], ah burns sulphur right on, an' ah've got all de friends - ah don't keep a thing. Ah used tuh use sech as kerosene an' soap an' all lak dat. Why ah had jes' a regular ole common 'fair [commissary?] an' ah can't keep none of it - dey runs in jes' buyin', jes' as fast as ah kin [restock], an' when ah first got it, why nobody 'tended me. Dey said ah wus independent an' all lak dat. But after ah used dat - ah burns me some sulphur. Right now ah put de pile in a plate in de flo' an' ah burns dat, an' befo' it kin git through burnin' de people is ies runnin' in, Yo got any soap - yo got any kerosene - yo got any this - here is yo' money - yo' got any sech-an'-sech-a thing?' Goes off lak dat.
Entry 2547
Yo' git chew some spiritual incense, burn dat in yore place. Burn dat on Friday. On Tuesday burn sulphur. Now, dat'll bring people to yore place.
Entry 2643
If yo' is sellin' whiskey an' wanta keep de law away, heah whut ah always do. Keep one yore ole shoes, yo' burn it, burn yore shoe up an' git de ashes. An' de police come to yore house, when he go out yo' jes' sprinkle dat ashes behin' where he go out an' sweep it. An' every mawnin' yo' jes' sprinkle a little sulphur around in de corner of yore house an' yo' won't have no trouble atall.
Entry 2653
When you sweep, sweep your trash to your business and burn the sulphur with it. Don't never sweep it away from your door; sweep it to your door every morning and burns the sulphur in it. That just draws them to you - that will cause the luck to come to you. (I see. That's to bring in business.) Yes.
Entry 2654
Take de same thing whut ah was tellin' yo' 'bout - dis Hawthorm Cologne [= Hearts Cologne]. An' yo' put dat Hawthorn Cologne, sprinkle it on de floor - puts wit sulphur yo' know where it kill dat odor of sulphur. An' all yo' do, prob'bly befo' de night when yo' clean up, yo' sweeps - start at de front do' like dis. Heah's de front do' where de entrance is. Come in. Yo' sweep all to de back an' don't sweep dis way, yo' see. Den yo' take dis Hawthorn Cologne an put it in a can or somethin', any kind of little container or somethin', an'po' de cologne on dat. Jest a little bit - not to wet it. Den stick a match to it an' burn dat. Ah'll guarantee dey will come in dere after dat. Den close up fo dat night - see, jes' close up. (That is to bring in trade. What do you put in that can to burn?) [I wanted the word sounding like hawthorne repronounced.] A little bit of pure medical sulphur an' Hawthorn Cologne.
(I see, you put this cologne on it.)
Jest a drop or two. Yo' don't need not enough to wet it - jest a drop or two.
Entry 2656
Sulphur and sugar draws trade if you are bootleggin'.
(I see. Well, how do they use that?)
Oh, you burns it on de stove.
Entry 2658
Yo' git chew some sulphur an' sugah, because sugah sweetens every- thing - sugah or either honey an' sulphur. Yo' git that an' yo' mix it together an' yo' git chew some Frank's incense [frankincense] an' yo' burn it fo' de fo'th mawnin', representin' de fo'th trial - representin' de fo' gospels. Ah knew ah'd git it right. Dere so many things on mah mind. An' yo' burn it fo' de fo'th mawnin' an' yore business place will be jes' lak that.
Entry 2660
Yo' kin burn sulphur an' Hearts Cologne, put a little sugah in it. Burn them an' have a wish. Ah've tried these things mahself, dat's de reason why ah kin say dat. An' have'a wish that - make yore wish like on Friday. Yo' start to burn 'em though like a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday night. So Friday yo' make yore wish.
(What time on Friday?)
Well, any time dat day is all right - after midnight Thursday night make yore last burnin'.
(What would you wish?)
Yo' make wish to make $40 or $50 or a $100, or yo' know.
(Any kind of wish in gambling.)
Any kind of wish in gamblin'.
(Well, don't you do anything with this stuff that you burn?)
No sir, jes' burn it in yore room.
Entry 2661
Well, yo' kin keep de law away from yore house wit sulphur, an' yo' kin have de luck to sell. Everybody come in yore house if yo's a whiskey seller, anything. Yo' git up ever' Sati'day mawnin' soon an' git chew a tray an' use some sulphur. Clean yore house out an' burn yo' some sulphur. Den everybody comin' in dere goin' spend somepin if dey got anything. Jes' burn dat sulphur an' let it perfume de house all ovah, everybody come in goin' spend something.
Entry 2662
If you think anyone wanta get cha now, dat dis party come to you and give you any money, a dime or anything like that, fer you jis' rub some sulphur on your hand before you takes the money, and they say if there anything on de money, it can't hurt cha. Yes, sir. Well, you see I was so scary I was like that.
Entry 2663
For luck I burn sulphah ev'ry mornin' for luck - sulphah, cinnamon. I burn cinnamon an' sulphah. (You burn the cinnamon by itself or with the sulphur?) With sulphur an' sugar in it. Three ingredients togethah. When I want trade [informant a woman bootlegger] I wash up mah house with urine - when I want trade, wash it to me. Now, in New York [lived in New York City eight years] I could have trade. I had a plenty trade. I could draw my own trade, but here in Richmond I can't do it 'cus the people notice you too much. I had too much trade a few days ago, then I took mah sign down 'cus too many people was comin' in the house. [I can appreciate this woman's trouble. I, too, had too many people coming into the house or hotel where I worked.]
(Do you burn it at any special time?)
You suppose to burn it in the mornin' an' you read de 23rd chapter of Psalms in the Bible: The Lord is my shepherd. You suppose to burn it aroun' seven o'clock in the mornin'.
Entry 2704
(These fellows that are bootlegging, what do they do to bring the law away?) They buys some sulphur an' po' it in yore bucket, yore night bucket, an' let it set. Let it set in dere an' den dey po' some of it every morning fo' nine mornings. Dey dig a hole an' po' some of it right in front of de do - in de front an' den dey po' some of it in de back, for nine mornings.
(Out of this same bucket - the same water with this sulphur in it.)
The same water that had the sulphur in it for nine mornings - den dey po' it in dere. Den dey sprinkle it [dry] iest all around yore house - ah mean dat sulphur den. All yo' ever do every morning befo' yo' git up befo' day. Ah've had dat done - sprinkle dat sulphur.
Entry 3251
Yo' kin take that him an' her, yo' know, use, an' wrap it up in sulphur an' some sugar an' some red onion. Take it an' pu'tit [put it] in your pocket an' wrap it up. Take dat cloth an' she won't have any other use for no other man.
Entry 4133
Say yo' kin take - yo' put sulphur right in yore do', or eithah take an' put, jis' lak yo' sellin' whiskey or sompin, yo' put yore pee in de whiskey an' dat'll make 'em come back [to buy again].
Entry 4284
Yuh don' do nuthin but jis' de sulphur an' yuh peepee, dat'll keep de law from yuh house an' it will gain dere love.
(Where do you put it?) Jis' sprinkle it on each steps, jis' throw it all roun' yuh house - all roun' yuh house.
Entry 4285
chamber lye kills poison. If yuh keep chamber lye roun' yuh house, wit sulphur an' red peppah, no one can't harm yuh.
Entry 5230
Dey burn ole shoes an' sulphur togethah, yo' know. Dey tell me dat makes yo' lucky - dat's fer luck.
Entry 6568
Dey takes a toadfrog. See, dey takes a toadfrog an' put dat toadfrog alive - put 'im undah de step wit a li'le sulphuh right undah *Is chin dere, an' if de people walks ovah 'im, dat put de toadfrog into de person.
Entry 6921
Silkweed, silver, sulphur, and 3 drops of turpentine boiled tuhgethah; teaspoonful 3 times a day.
Entry 6961
Jes' lak anyway dey had git it in somepin tuh eat, or sompin othah lak dat, well, sweet milk an' sulphur, dey take dat. If dey git dat in time, take it 'fo' [before] it git on too fur, why dat'll cure 'em. Sweet milk an' sulphur. (That will kill this stuff that they have been tricked with.)
Entry 8862
Dey makes a powdah outa sulphuh an' black peppah an' some kin'a talcum powdah - any kin'a powdah dat's got a 'fume [perfume] tuh it, choo know. An' dey write choo a lettah, why [or] yo' kin dress a lettah an' send tuh dem, or eithah send one aftah [if] dey write choo. Yo' take an'...jis' lak yo' gon'a send a let- tah tuh dem, yo' take de papah, spread it out on a table or somepin, an' take de page of it dat joo've written, an' put 'em down on dat, de powdah, on each side. An' shake it off so it won't show, an' send it tuh 'em. An' if someone dat choo Wan'a see, or wan' 'em tuh do somepin yuh ask 'em tuh do, when dey receive dat lettah dey will do it or go crazy.
Entry 9050
Yo' go tuh a little bitta baby grave 'way in de night, a little infant, an' yo' git - yo' take one cent an' pay de baby one penny. An' take - yo' run yore arm 'way down in de round 'bout fur as yore elbow, an' git some sand up an' bring it on out. An' yo' know gunshell powdah. Yo' put gunshell powdah in dere an' put some sulphur in dere an' mix it up. An' jes' lak befo' trial in co't, yo' go an' sprinkle it an' say: Ah'm doin' dis In de Name of de Fathah an' in de Son an' in de Holy Ghost. An' be dogged if he won't come clāh. Ah know fo' mahself.
(That really worked.)
Ah mean it.
Entry 9052
Well, yo' kin git - jes' lak if de law ketch yo' an' yo' git out on a bond. Yo' wanta go down an' be dismissed. Yo' kin git a piece of red flannel. Yo' kin git chew some sulphuh an' git a little bit of grave- yard dirt. An' when yo' go in de co'thouse dat mawnin', have jes' a little in dat red flannel, an' jes' sprinkle it roun' de co'thouse.
(That all you have to do?)
Yes sir, sprinkle it right roun' in de co'thouse.
(And then yo'll get off?)
Yes sir.
Entry 11267
Like if you running rooming house, anything like that. Well, you take, get you some brimstone, put sugar on it, and you burn that brimstone every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and make a wish. An' yo' get choo some oil of bergamine [essence of bergamot, (Citrus Bergamia)], saltpeter an' alum, and Red Seal Lye [trade name] and sugar. And you mop from the front on back and you make your wishes. You mop exactly at 6 o'clock in the morning or either 6 o'clock at night. An' yo' burn this brimstone, you throw it in the fire an' you make your wish. [(960), 1544:6.]
Entry 11269
[Here are several rites that dropped out of my Doctor England inter- view, when I broke it up years ago, expecting at that time to print only one volume about hoodoo! The former interview is on pages 1386-1401, v.2, cylin- ders 432-445. Here are unprinted sections:] It is so simple and easy to bring a person back. Now, you may take the same thing what we call the devil's-shoestring, the devil's-shoestring and what they call the heartsleaf root.
(The heartsleaf root.)
[A plant with a cordate leaf would be common. Is this a root-store name?]
They take 'em ans sulphur at zactly twelve o'clock at night. A person kin burn that, that is one of the items. See, at exactly twelve, and concentrate on the person who by - you want them to return. [434:3.]
Entry 12622
If you mix cayenne pepper, sulphur, asafetida and sprinkle this com- pound in the 4 corners of a room, the person living in it will move out.
[Rich-mond, 293:2.]
Entry 12625
Sprinkle red pepper and sulphur in yard to kill any cunjure "planted" there. [Wilmington 135:4+85.]
Entry 12645
Well, you takes sulphur and red pepper and bury it to your doorstep, and they never will bother you no way atall [at all], de law man, nothing.
[Waycross 1765:14.]
Entry 12648
Yo' kin git some red peppah an' sulphur an' wear it in de bottom of yo' shoes.
(What is that supposed to do then?)
It supposed tuh turn back all poison.
(If you walk over anything, it wouldn't harm you.) [Florence 2182:15.]
Entry 12652
Git red peppah an' saltpeter an' elm an' Epsom salt an' sulphur. Dey mix it all up together an' jis' put aroun' where they bees [are] an' that eats up their luck. [Little Rock, 1467:3.]
Entry 13162
Wash dirty socks an' in this water put bluestone, pepper, sulphur; throw over shoulder into running water and say, "Go," an' don't look back.
[Richmond 303:3.]
Entry 13249
If yo' an' yore wife's together, an' yo' git on bad terms between - yo' know sometimes somebody do try tuh doublecross yo'. Well, ah tell yo' whut yo' kin do. It's a little simple thing dat yo' git from de drug store. Jes' lak yo' has a wood stove fo' cooking, all right, two clock in afternoon or two any time, jes' so it's two clock - two clock in de morning or two clock in de afternoon - yo' kin take - aw jes' about a tablespoonful of sul- phur, an' whilst yo' got a fire in yore stove, yo' kin take a tablespoonful of dat sulphur or anythin' an' put in yore stove, but yo' jes' gonna put it on top. An' jes' lak she's here in town, jes' lak now, say dis is 22nd [Street]. All right, ovah in Methodist Town, which yo' might say called tuh be about 6 or 7 blocks from heah, an' whilst yo' be burnin' dat sulphur, in de next 5 hours she'll come back home. Dis [place where we are talking] is 22nd Street [6 or 7 blocks from[ Methodist Town. All dat's colored section. Wal [well] dis heah [place where we are talking] dey call 22nd Street, a suburb [of METHODIST TOWN].
Entry 13261
Carry it there and mix it up together and burn it, sulphur and gun- powder, and make enemies in the home jis' like you and your wife, somebody want to git between you, they say they kin carry it there and burn it and git be- tween you.
Entry 13263
If yo' wanted tuh bring in customers, at six a'clock in de mawnin' burn yo' a little sulphur - 'bout a teaspoonful fo' nine mawnin's, an' stop nine, an' jes' keep aburnin' it lak dat, an' yore customers will come in jes' plentyful. [Savannah 2174:7.]
Entry 13264
Yo' burns dat in yore house every mawnin' IN DE FO' CORNERS OF A ROOM, de sulphur, in de fo' corner of a room every mawnin' at six an' every afternoon at six. That's luck an' draws business. That's really good.
Entry 13265
Takes a box of sulphur an' burn it ever' mawnin' fo' 'bout 6 mawn- in's, an' he can't come in.
(Keep the law away.)
Entry 13266
Dey builds han's wit sulphur an' gunpowder. Sew it up in a piece of flannen, yo' know, an' have a...keep it damp [feed it] every mawning yo' wake up wit Hearts Cologne...dat's de han' dey builds fo' luck.
Entry 13267
(To keep these spirits away what do you do?)
Use sulphur an' gunpowder, jes' rub ovah yo' an' burn it in de house, dey shore wouldn't come in. After yo' do dat yo' git chew a... [I turn on machine again to catch cussin'.]
(What about cussing them?)
Yo' have tuh cuss 'em all right tuh keep 'em away.
Entry 13269
Dey say if anybody have done anything to yo', yo' kin take sulphur an' sprinkle it all around yore house an' bury some of it under de doorstep, an' den take some of it an' put it in a rag an' wear it round yore waist. Say dat'll kill it.
Entry 13270
Burn sulphur in your house, don' shoo know, an' keep away, don' chew know, de devil, dey tell me. Jis' burn it, let de scent go all over de house. Yo' kin drive de devil out dataway. [Richmond 390:2.]
Entry 13271
(How do they use the sulphur?)
Take sulphur and a little lard and spread 'cross your door - doorstep every morning, and it'll harm you.
(I see. You mean, if somebody did that to my door or - something to harm me?)
Yes. [Richmond 375:3.]
Entry 13272
Dey say yo' kin burn sulphur an' dat will keep dem away.
(Keep the law away.)
Entry 13277
Sulphur sprinkled in person's departing tracks will keep that person away. [Wilmington 156:2+85.]
Entry 13396
Wash floor every morning with urine, sulphur and asfetida to protect yourself against evils and hoodoo. [Richmond 369:3.]
Entry 9880
Yo' take a toadfrog an' yo' split 'im open in de back, see, an' put 'im tuh [point head to] sunrise an' dry 'im out. He's de bes' luck in de world.
(Luck for what in particular.)
Gamblin'.
(Then what do you do then after he is dry.)
Stuff 'im back wit incense an' sulphuh.
(What do you do to him then?)
Put 'im in yore pocket.
Entry 11418
Left footskin in bottle with soda or salt or sulphur, throw into a creek "on a high spring current" and "always after dat you'll roam about de world." [Creek here is an inlet from the sea, in the British sense, and not the American creek = brook.] [Charleston 572:3.]
Entry 11436
"Dey kin take dat [fingernails and toenails] and put it in de stove an' parch it...den take it an' tie it up in a piece of rag, an' put a piece of assafitadee in it an' a little sulphur, an' dey kin bury dat aroun' de house... dat will make yo' come to dat house all de time an' yo' can't stay away."
[Mobile 951:6.]
Entry 11530
"Take the right-foot track an' git you some sulphur an' some gunpowder, put it on a shingle, stick a match to it, that's if you wan'a run 'em away from bome." [Wilmington 204:1+85.]
Entry 13013
"You take a silver dime and put it in your mouth under your tongue, and take a thimbleful of sulphur, swallow it, and keep this dime under there about one or two hours and take it out. If it's black, it's bad [you are hoo- dooed]; if it's not black [the sickness] it's nashural." [Mobile 884:3.]
Entry 11
My father used to go with a lady name Lida and she got tired of him and he wus goin' with another one named Ella. Well, Miss Lida didn't like it and she sent to papa's house for him to come around to hers, and she knew that papa loved whiskey, and so papa went round there and she went back in the kitchen and brung out some drinks. And him and her sat there and drink. But while she was in the kitchen she took some sweet spirits of nitre and put it in papa's drink. Well, he didn't know no diff'rent, 'cause it was strong, and he jis' drank it right on down. And while he was asleep she took some of his hair and - she cut it out - and if you take a person's hair and put it in runnin' water it'll run 'em crazy. And so she cut some of papa's hair. So when he woke up he says, "Well," he says, "Lida, I didn't know I was goin' to sleep," he says, "please excuse me." She says, "Well, that's all right Sam," she says, "you used to come to see me and go to sleep." And he didn't think anything of it and went home. And about three days after, he begin to feelin' funny for some cause or another. And every time he'd take a drink he would - seemed like he wouldn't have any sense at all. When he'd come home, seemed like if anybody would say anything to him - at least you wouldn't have to say.anything to him - the least little fault he'd find, he'd wan'a start fightin'. And Miss Ella couldn't under- stand it. She says, "Sam, what's ailin' you?" And he'd cuss and rip and rare, and the same way he'd beat us. He'd make us all pull off our clothes and he'd take his belt - he'd always wear a heavy belt - and take it off and double it and beat us with it. And so one day a man came to the house and Miss Ella, he was a white man, he claimed to be a fortune-teller, and Miss Ella Was telling him how papa would act. And he said he would come back when papa was home. And so when he came back he looked at papa and he told Miss Ella, he says, "Ella," he said, "there's some- thing awful wrong with Sam, '' he says, ''but I'll tell you wha' choo kin do, '' he says, "zhoo can go to Conway, South Carolina, to a certain man, and he'll tell you exactly what to do to cure him." And so Miss Ella did. And she took papa to Conway. And before they got there - before they got in the gate, the man said, "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Don't come in here with all that mess on you," he say. "Wait a minute! Don't bring that in mah house. And he went out there and he took a wist [whisk] broom and brushed papa off. And he went in there. And the man told Miss Ella that the woman [Miss Lida] that he used to go with, he says, that she still wanted him but she was mad because she [Miss Ella was going with him. And he said that if he didn't get a piece of her clothes and wrap it up with some sulphur and her track - just one would be all right, the right track, a tablespoonful of her right track - he said that there was no way to cure him but dat. And put it in a little box or can or paper bag with some sulphur and a piece of her belongings, and some cayenne pepper, and mix it all up and put it over her head wure she had to go - like wure she had to pass under. And well, Miss Ella couldn't do it, because she knew that Miss Lida didn't like her. So she had her little boy to go to Miss Lida's house one day and tell Miss Lida that a certain woman wanted to see her up at de corner. And she left home and just as soon as she did, James, Miss Ella's little boy, got her track, her right track, and put it in a box. And Miss Lida came back. She says, "There wasn't anyone to see me." He said, "Yes mam, it was, it was a lady." And then he ast her fer a drink of water and den she went in dere to get him a drink of water, and he went in the front room, and he took a pair of scissors and cut a piece of her dress and he took that. And then -
(Howoldwasthelittlebov?)
He was nine years old. And he took it back to Miss Ella. And Miss Ella got some cayenne pepper, hot pepper, and some sulphur, and mixed it up all together. And she sent papa there [to Miss Lida] with it. And while she was back in the kitchen papa took and put it - jis' like that [pointing to the door], you see, put it over the door. And, the man [in Conway] told him if he would do that and leave it there, in nine days time he would be cured, you know, of the worst part of it, then to come back to him. And sure enough, in nine days time papa went back to him. And he said, "Now Sam, '' he says, "take some of your urine," he says, "in a little bottle and put it under her doorstep," and he says, "she'll come to you and confess." And papa did that. But she came while papa was at work. And she sit down and told Miss Ella just how she had done. And she said, "If you will jist please," she says, "take whatever you got on me away," she says, "I'll never do it agin." And Miss Ella had a chance to take the bottle up from under her doorstep and we didn't have any more trouble with her.
Entry 186
Well, dey say yo' ketch it when dat wind - jes' de whirlwind, if yo' kin git it. Git a papah an' ketch some of it when de wind is up in a whirl, an' take that an' mix it up with graveyard dirt an' lodestone an' sulphur - dere's somepin else yo' kin mix up wit it - an' plant it. An' jes' lak dat whirlwind go up, dat person will jes' continue tuh go dat-a-way - jes' drift till yo' nevah see 'em agin, jes' run 'em plumb crazy. Yo' plant it right in back of de do'step where dey do the most of they walkin' - dat's where yo' plant dat stuff.
Entry 415
I really had experience of that my ownself. Another fellow and I went out one night to try and locate a hidden treasure. And after getting to the place, he drew a circle around it and made a gate to it. And after leaving the gate he sprinkled sulphur, milk and so forth all around, and then he began to sound with his apperrattox [apparatus] and he struck what he thought was money. That was a iron rod about six feet long: And we began to dig. And while we were digging - I had never been upon that occasion [adventure] before in my life - you can't talk - whatever you want you must make signs - and I was digging and I held up my head to ask him for something to work with, and I looked and he was gone and I was all there alone. The ring which he made was surrounded by lots of people, but who they were I know them not. And all I had to do then was to come out of the hole and make my getaway - and I beat it, too. [Old Point, Comfort, Va., (27), Ed.; Norfolk Co., Va.,1896.]
Entry 559
I was married quite a spell and I met this woman, as I was lodging wit her. Well, she seemed to have been my best friend before she knowin' dat my husband was goin' tuh marry me. At de time we was gettin' ready to get married she attempted, no doubt, to separate us. And she got very special pieces and cut 'em into pieces. Well, I found 'em after goin' to see dis man.
(Well, tell me about going to see that man again.)
I went to see de man and he says to me, he says, "Dis woman is your worst enemy." Said, "Dis woman means to separate you and your husband." (And he was looking into a crystal or something like that wasn't he?) [She is retelling the beginning of the story because I had failed to start machine.] Yes - you want me to tell dat again?
(Yes.)
He said, "Well, I will show you dis woman as your enemy, and I wants to see whether you know her." The crystal was as big as a - great big round crystal and just as clear as a crystal - that's why I thought it was a crystal - must have been a: crystal ball.
(You actually could see her in there with her arms spread out?)
I seen her spreaded and when he put de crystal, he said, "Now, look in here - it tells you. I says, 1 "All right." "All right." Dis woman was standing between me and my husband like this. He say, "Now, dat's to keep you apart."
(Well, how did it happen that you went to see this man?)
I went home. I had something it effected [affected] me like the rheumatism - that what she had done it effected me just like a rheumatism. I had on my knees something de shape of a egg, dat you would bury you finger in - you know, it would give. (Was it a bump - a big bump?) [I am trying to prevent her from omitting details previously told.] Yes, it was right in this place and it just like you would bury a egg in sand; you know how de egg is an oval - something like dat and it would be half buried - and if you stick your finger in it in de morning it wouldn't come up through de day. And so he examined it and he had to give me a bath. He put de feet just in a bath and he - course I didn't want him to go dat far, but he said that he were my best friend. Then I begin to know it wasn't rheumatism, when he told me about de woman. So, well, I said, "I don't believe what you say." He say, '"Certainly, you don't believe it but I want to show you." And when I seen de woman I believe there was something that wasn't so. So, she was just between us - she trembled just like a leaf - just like that [demonstrates]. [How he agitated the concealed photograph depends upon whether the crystal was in his hands or on a permanent base. More important than the how is the clever- ness of the why.] I says to him, I says, "Well, why is that [trembling]?" He says, "She is very nervous - I'm sending it, turning it back to her." He said, "Now, when you go into your home" - I were leaving in a day or so - "you go to walk." I had to be carried upstairs and brought down. He say, "You go to walk and when you go in, you just say, "Take it off of me and put it on her."
(You say that as you went in the door?)
I was to say that as I go up de steps, and he give me something to sprinkle as I passed - "Take it off of me and put it on Julia" - her name was Julia - ''take it off me and put it on Julia." [He said] "In a few days Julia will become just like she wanted you to become."
(How many times did you have to say that?)
Right as I was goin' up de steps.
(Was there any number of times you had to say it?)
Right on as I goin' up the stairs - till I landed upstairs. I lived over her. And in a few days, he said, she'll become just like she intend me to become, and that was that she'd be sore - all of her private parts would be very, very sore and she'd be so - just effected nobody wanted to have her round. Well, she did. And he said that she'll ask you to wash for her. He said, "Don't fail to do it." Well, dat scared me to death and I wanted to get - you see he said, "Dat's your only savior - that's your only savior." So I went downstairs that morning - she asked me - and she was in a bad condition, and "Don't let dis woman get to your back." Well, it would be every five minutes she could be in dere, and I had to get up, you know, and turn my face to her, and I washed de clothes and I hung dem out. And when I get to my landing up de stairs again, he says, say de same thing, "Take it off of me and put it on Julia." Well, dat woman was taken down so nobody - her husband left her and nobody stayed in dere, all de lodgers left. She was just so offensive - de house and everything. And she stayed that- a-way, I reckon, about three months in de house all alone, nobody paying no attention. And she died all alone. And they found dis package dat belonged to me where she had - and - because I knew de things - and some of my dress and it was something - I said it was red pepper and dis man said it was. And he said that these things were put together to separate us through living very much like two cats or dogs, see, and they'd make me fight. [See No. 78 in which a woman becomes a drunkard because another woman put a spell on her.] Well, while he were treating me, he put me in dis bath and over here he had a table dat he mixed up all kinds of stuff - he had that table full of everything. So this solution that he give me to keep up de bath was something like bluestone, and he had bluestone - as I think it was, and - I was looking right at him - and he had sulphur and he had some kind of a white stuff looking just like salts, I guess.
(Any kind of salts - like Epsom salts.)
Epsom salts - very much like Epsom salts - and he would mix it - he'd do like that [demonstrates] - mix it.
(He would cross his arms.)
Yes. [She continues demonstration.]
(Then he would do like that - fold his arms.)
I - here - that - yes, just like that. [Demonstration continues.] (Then he would move his hands out like that - and he would bring his arms back again - and fold them again - and they would keep going out - hands going out.) Yes, six times.
(Six times - while he was mixing it over the water - after it or what?)
He had de water now, it was just like spring water - it was just so clear and. [She stopped here while I changed to cylinder 429 and as usual I talked to distract attention.]
(He mixed it for you - he put it in a bottle, this medicine?)
Yes, and I was to drop that, which - he said it was two drops or something - looked like blood.
(After it was all mixed up it looked like blood?)
Yeah - no, he just put three drops in dere - very much like blood.
(Oh, he put three drops of [something looking like] blood in there?)
Yes, and he told me to take this and bathe that leg down with mah feet settin' propped square and flat in de basin or in a tub, any place that I would get, and I was to pray and ask de Lord to uproot that. Sure enough I did - in about four days I was ready to run upstairs, and that place gone.
(Was it on the side of your knee or just above your knee?)
Just above - right up on top of de knee - not on de cap but right in de - like in de lap-like of de knee. (Oh, in the lap - I see - one on each side?) [I evidently thought I saw then what I do not see now.] Yes, one on each side, and they were to go all over me and I was to break out so my people would have left me like her people left her. Well, after she died, why I got on splendid and my health improved and every- thing seemed to be going on nicely, and this husband and I got back friendly again, and we live together now.
(Where did this happen - up here in Petersburg, you say?)
Yes - no, no - in Norfolk. Now, Petersburg is mah home. [Now - at the interview - she lived in Norfolk.]
(Oh, Petersburg is your home, I see.)
Yes, and they took me to Petersburg to this doctor.
(Oh, this doctor was in Petersburg?)
Yes, de doctor was in Petersburg.
(What was his name - is he still alive up there?)
Now? I don't think he is, because I tried to look for him for another friend and I don't believe dat he is alive. De last dat dey say dat he was in Richmond. But nobody over there kin tell anything about him no more than he were there, and nobody in Petersburg kin tell no more 'en he was there - lived over in Pocahontas in two huts - there were dirt floors and roughly fixed as a bed - you might say a bunk - that's the way he stayed. And it was a dirt floor in both of these bunks, these huts - and I went in both of 'em - send me first in one and den the other, and I stayed there all day. He ordinarily treated in those places - and when I come on there.
(He treated in one room once and then go and treat you in the other room?)
Yes, and each time I was in a different kind of a chair.
(Different kind of chairs.)
Yes - now one chair he screwed me up to be tall - you know, somepin like a office chair.
(Oh, like a office chair - I see.)
Yeah - a office chair brings you low and high, and he screwed me up. I didn't have to get down for anything until he got ready and then he would attend and do everything, but he used this medicine all de time, see.
(What you had to do at home, he did it in the office first?)
Yes. (Well what sort of - what did he have in that tub - did he have water in that tub or a special mixture in there?) He had water.
(Just plain water.)
Yes, first it was warm water, and then he put dis medicine in there.
(In the water that he had prepared?)
Yes, and then he told me what to repeat, when I went up de stairs, "Take it off of me and put it on Julia." 'Take it off me and put it on Julia." And it took me about six or ten times to say that going upstairs.
(How long ago did this happen?)
Well, that was - I was quite young.
(About how many years ago would you say that was?)
Oh - that would be thirty years - have to be thirty years and more, I think, too - yes, a long thirty years ago. And I see dis man, I think, twice after dat. After I had improved a little, I went to see him again and he says to me, he say, "Don't have anything to do with dat woman whatever - if you even correspond with her, it'll bother my work." And sure enough dat man was doing miracles round in Petersburg and I know people now that he attended, if they are alive.
(What was his name - do you know his name?)
He was named Skipper Tan - John Skippertan.
(John Skippertan?)
S-k-i-p-t-a-n.
(I see.)
A most peculiar name - and he looked very much like a cat. [This reminds me of Doghead whom I twice tried to find in his shack on an isolated public dump in or near Newport News, Virginia - see Introduction. While my machine was stopped I had evidently returned to the almost forgotten package.] My hair?
(Some of your hair was in that?)
Yes, my hair, and these pieces and this [what] looked like to be salt. They were all folded up in a neat little - you might [say] little papers, little piece of papers and there wasn't much of it, you know, but dey were in just little papers about a inch long and I reckon about a inch square - just folded 'em all in dere, and it seems dey were in something like tissue paper, and they were folded over, and when I got dem dey were under my bed. {Her words do not mean what they say - the reason for my following comment.]
(That's where they found them.)
That's where dey found 'em - under my bed. (How many were there of these little things folded up that way? Did they count them or anything like that, these little pieces of paper folded up inside of that cloth?) No, he didn't count dem.
[The doctor found them.]
They were a powder like and de other pieces in dere and my dress - piece of my goods, I knew it by dat, you see. Well, now, how anybody got it but her, I don't know. So, that's why I know when he told me dat this was the woman -Id seen de woman [in crystal ball] - he said, "Dis is de woman dat did dis to you."
(You say your mother took you down there the first time?)
Yes, mother took me.
(Well, what did she think about it?)
Well, my mother thought it was rheumatism and she took me. This friend of hers didn't believe it was rheumatism, but she didn't tell my mother - she just said it was a doctor that would cure me, and I went over there - just married, you know, and couldn't walk, so they tried everything they could to see whether it would do any good.
(How soon did this affect you after you were married?)
About three months.
(About three months after you were married?)
Yes - I was married from her house - I lodged with her. (Well, what did it feel like when it first started to come on - how did it come on you, I mean?) It come on just like, you might say, pains in mah feet and laigs, and ah complained about it for three weeks - I think it was about three weeks coming.
(Did you have a headache or backache or anything of that sort with it?)
De laigs pained and then it affected me in my back, which I never had backache since or before, and I couldn't get up and down de steps - these knees and this back wouldn't allow me. I didn't think anybody was tryin' to do anything because I didn't believe in such things. (You just gradually started to get pains in your feet and your legs and it kept getting worse?) Yes.
(And in three weeks, you said, you couldn't walk at all?)
I couldn't walk at all - I couldn't get up unless somebody helped me. Well, ah thought I was going home as I didn't have any people heah. I was going to leave and go home until I got well, and I did. When I got up there, a friend of my mother's said she knew a man that would cure me, and she believe all de time what it - what she was going to do - she went with us. Now, my mother didn't know this man, but she knew him and she took us over there, and I thought I was going to a doctor. (Well, when you first went there - what did you say to the man - did your mother speak to him or who spoke to him?) The minute I come into the hut, to the place - nobody spoke. He said, "Good morning," he says, "and what are you here for?" He didn't give me a chance to say what I was there for. He says, You're painful - you're sick - it's good dat you come." Well, ah begin to be all funny-looking and feeling funny because why should he say I was feeling bad. I was feeling awfully bad. And he says, "Walk right in dis room and I'll wait on you right. away." He says, "Now, don't you be scared." Just like dat [she imitated his voice]. Well, ah suppose he knew he was comical looking, and I would be afraid. And he didn't let my mother stay in dis room. And - but I was so anxious to get well, as I had just left my home - married and left a home - all dat.
(You left your husband in Norfolk in other words.)
Yes, he had to stay on the job but I went to my mother because I thought I Was going to be real sick. So I sent for money and he sent me $25 and I had to pay him a part of the money when I went in, and then when I got through and got well for him to discharge me, I paid him the rest. But he said, if I was to take sick like that again I could come to him and he would give me every penny back. But I never felt it or seen it again - it went away just like de wind would blow a piece of paper away. I didn't realize it was going or nothing, but I realized that I didn't see it anymore and I continued to walk. I walked everywhere after dat and I didn't - I warn't no time married before I was sick and I just couldn't understand, but now, I believe more in it after he showed me dis woman. Well, if he hadn't showed me dis woman, it would be just like some throwed to east or west 'cause I wouldn't have believed in it. But I did believe in it afterward.
(You actually saw this woman in there, you say?)
I saw her like I'm looking at you, and she was standing between me and my husband, and he said, it was to separate us, and dat was her working to an end. But she died just like she intend me to die. I would have suffered just like she suffered.
(Did she have those bumps on her when she died?)
Ah don't think she had the bumps, but she was Just all over sores - she had very bad trouble and sores. She was sore just everywhere and the doctor pro- nounced it incurable, and dey couldn't do her no good.
(I see.)
Entry 560
I've been hurted with this here witchcrafter twicet in my life. The first in 1918, I was workin' down to the Broadford [Bradford?] Iron Works- dat's down here to foot of Church Street - an' I was a mechanic helper an' I was installin' a motor there one day. They'd pull de truck from de river up to de machine shop that was to haul de heavy tools out from de water up to de shop an' one day I was workin' along an' workin' along an' didn't thought about anything. That night I come on home an' de nex' mornin' I got up, aimed to get up - this ahrm heah felt like it weighed hunderd pounds. It would carry me down lak dis, as fer as that [demonstrates].
(Bend you over.)
Look like it would weigh me on down like that. I laid down [on] de cot in there an' hold it up like that an' kinda feeled it. So I called my wife, I said, "Look here," I said, "this ahrm look to me lak it weighed a hunderd pounds." I thought it would pull my head off of me. She said, "Well, whut's de matter with it?" I say, "I don't know. I jis' can't hold my shoulder up heah an' dis ahrm jis' heavy. "` "Well," she say, "if you can't go to work today, well you'd better git de doctor." Well, I got Du Bose[?], he was de family doctor. So, she went out there an' called him up. He came there an' gave me his medicine. He give me some rubbin' medicine to rub it with an' some internal medicine to take an' I took that about two months. That didn't do me any good atall - it jis' look like it was gittin' worser an' worser an' worser an' worser. I jis' had to put that hand an' hold it in a sling like that. There came a man heah from Greenville, South Carolina. His name was Doctor Daniel - Daniel somepin, I can't remember his whole name now. But he claimed to be a medical doctor - he was a medical doctor an' he was also witchcraft doctor. So I went to him. I heerd about it, I went to him that day. I told him about how this ahrm was an' I had my family doctor workin' on it an' he seemed to not do me no good. He say, "Well, I will examine it an' see what's de matter." He say, "I don't care what's de matter wit joo or anybody," he says, "fis' as long as you're hurted by witchcraft, an' if you's hurted, if it s rheumatism or your blood or somepin like that, I can git you all right." So, he set me upon [a] chair an' we set down there in the bedroom an' [he] took a bag [imitating doctor's kit]. He looked down an' he looked in it an' got out a glass - it wasn't a water glass - about - it was about dat high [see later] an' set it down. An' he brought out a great big white ball [demonstrates].
(Three or four inches in diameter.)
An' set it on de table. An' he put that ball right on top of de glass [stand or base], an' he set there, an' the ball started to turnin' right on top of de glass. He says, "Now, if anything [is] wrong wit you," he say, "after de date that you was hurted," he say, "you'll see what'll be the consequence nine days after they hurt choo." After that the ball kin'a stop. The ball stop, it got as black on de other side yonder as that table there [which I was using]l, an then it [this side towards informant] was jis' like a lookin'-glass then, only turn to me. An' I looked on that glass like that an' seen a man comin' from down out de boiler shop wit somepin in his hand jis' about that long - it looked like a feathah about that long, about a foot long, an' he comes there where dat I was installin' some motor up to de shed up there, an' [demonstrates] he picks up mah hammah an' took de hammah up by de ball [steel head], an' hold dat hammah up an' took dis thing out of his hand an' hold de hammah down on dat side an' hold de hammah down on dat side, an' hold de hammah down on dat side. [I now comment:] (Holding the iron head of the hammer, with the handle pointed downward, the man took this dressed feather and rubbed it down both sides of the handle and he did this three times on each side.) An' I was lookin' [at] him jis' de same as I'm lookin' at you. An' he laid the hammah down. So, he went on back down de shop an' then I come out de shop an' go up there an' got up mah hammah, I nailed the motor down an' started de motor, then went on back de shop. I was feelin' jis' as good as any- thing in de world. I went back de shop an' went on to work - worked on aroun' an' worked on aroun' that after he had did that. Well, I set there. He told me, "Well, now you see - you see what's happened to you," he say, "now you were hurted nine days 'fore dis thing [pain] happened." He says, "Now I kin cure you." I says, "Well, all right; if you can cure me cure me." He says, '"Now, you do what I'll tell you to do - you take jis' whut I tell you to do an' I'll guarantee you I'll cure it. I'll cure it for forty-five dollahs an' you give me fifteen dollahs now an' the others after you're cured." I say, "All right." I give him fifteen dollahs. He say, "Now, you go back home." He say, "You got any red peppah?" I told him, "Yes sir." He say, '"You got any saltpeter?" I told him, "Yes sir." "Well, you go on back home an' git joo about a quarter of a pound of red peppah an' get choo two balls of saltpeter about as large as the end of your finger. An' grind that red peppah up good an' fine an' put it in a pint of Water, an' grind that saltpeter up an' put it in with that - saltpeper an' dat red peppah together. An' git choo" - then I went an' got a five-cent box of sulphah - "take a half a teaspoon of that sulphah ever' night an' mornin', take a teaspoonful of dat peppah-water three time a day, '' an' that was fer nine days a piece. It cured me.
Entry 617
Ah knew a lady one time, her foot gave her trouble - it just busted out in little water blisters and the doctor's medicine you put it on there and it almost run the lady crazy. And so ah chanced to be around there. So I asked the lady, I said, "Well, I've did everything I can," I said, "and we have to take the doctor's medicine off," ah said, "and [use] clear salt water." She seemed to have so much fever. Ah said, "I bathes it [with] hot salted water." And it seemed like that do her some good. "Well, '' she [third woman] says, "Well, ah tell you what to do,"' says, "I'm afraid to tell her but I'll tell you, '' says, "seein' as you," was a nurse." And I was a nurse in the home at that time. [She] says, "Why you take a piece of silver money, ' says, "and you put on a pint of water now and boil it down to a half a pint, says, "and then, if that money turns over and jingles very much," she says, "why you boil it again. You put it in a tin-cup, you know, where it could [can] boil quick, and then you boils it down to just about two tablespoonsful." And then we took sulphur and made a paste - sulphur in that water and made a paste and I went in and took a black hen's feather - she [third woman] told me to ketch a black hen's feather and pull one outen her tail. And I went and caught a black hen and pulled a feather outen her tail and I put that paste over her foot, and that's what cured the lady's foot. [My informant was not given any cure by a third woman or the patient; she is trying to hide from me that she is a healer.] She said that she was hurt in it - well now, she said that a lady showed a piece of false hair and she remembered that piece of false hair fell on her foot. And so after I told her how her foot got better - she got so she could walk den - ah told her what ah did. Then she went and seed a hoodoo doctor and they told her it was the dust from out the piece of false hair - it had poisoned her foot.
(False hair?)
Yes.
(Well, did someone drop this false hair to hurt it or?)
Yes, the lady was mad with her over another man, and they were wearing false hair then and it was the style of wearing the hair in a great big knot, and they'd buy this false hair, you know, to work in with the other hair, you know. Course, both the ladies had good hair, but see they were just wearing that for the style - see, made the style of the hair. And so she was showing her - that's the onliest way that she could get to her, you see, and she went to the lady's home, you see, and was showing her and this piece of hair dropped and fell on her foot, you see. See, she had it dressed especially for it, and I guess, prob'bly, the lady must have had on a house shoe or something like that, or eitherwise if she didn't, you see that dust just went right on through her hose - it doesn't take much dust you see to go through your shoes. And so that's what cured her - that sulphur and silver water [see No. 616].
(That caused the swollen foot and she went to the doctor for those blisters?)
Yes, those blisters.
(She went to the doctor?)
Went to the doctor and he gave her medicine and salve to put on there and they Was just almost running her crazy - wouldn't do her any good. They say doctor's medicine don't do anything like that no good, you know, and you'd have to take that off in hot salt water. It would ease her more and it just made the pain - it didn't pain her when that doctor's medicine wasn't on there, but now say you'd put the doctor's medicine on there, it would be painful, and this stuff just continued to spread. She had a very neat foot - she wore a number four shoe and she weighed around about 165 pounds - nice large legs - real good shape she was. And after that her foot got so that she couldn't wear that small shoe - had a pair of shoes there she never could wear - she had to get rid of them - they were black paten leather with the alligator inlaid - she couldn't wear those shoes any place any more. They said it was because, you see, that goofer dust powder was on 'em - they were dressed.
Entry 719
I remember one night a lady came to a house where I was roomin' at an' I goes out in de yard. [This lady Was sneaking about outside the house.] People said [cried out], "Mattie, dey said, dere's somebody out dere tryin' to put some roots aroun' yore house." And I thought [before neighbors called to Mattie] it was somebody tryin' to set de house afire or somepin. And when I walked out dere somepin got from dis arm clean up to here and commence stingin' and breakin' out. And I rub it all over with sulphur and it didn't hurt me, didn't hurt me a spec'. De lowest little pimples was gone by nex' mawnin'.
Entry 865
Once I was hurted in mah hand and [it] lasted above nine month, an' whilst I was like that - jes' before I got in that condition a fortune-teller came by home one time an' wanted to tell mah fortune, an' I wouldn't let 'im because I didn't have any money. An' he tole me some trouble was comin' fah me, you know, an' said if I would let 'im tell it, he may could avoid it. An' so after [that] he went off. In about two or more weeks after that, a one Satiday - you know, I had a husband, you see, that's runnin' about so bad. An' one Satiday he didn't come home until aroun' - he left home about fiye-thirty that mornin' tc work. An' I looked for 'im about twelve o'clock an' he didn't come, an' five o'clock he didn't come. An' about seven o'clock I went by a lady house that he's always, you know - I used to go by an' he was there. So I went past an' she was settin' on the porch, an' I ast her if Bert wasn't there. An' so she got firin' mad with me, joo know, because I ast her. So about Monday night - she said, "No, he's not herel What the hell you ast me if he's here!" So I didn't pay any attention to her an' I went on back home. An' so that night [the same Saturday night] she set on her porch until about twelve o'clock to show that he wasn't there that Satiday. An' so she waited till he came by [that Saturday night], you see, an' she stopped 'im an' wanted to know how come I could come there an' ast 'er fer 'im. An' so when he come home he ast me not to go by an' ast her again after this. An' so I tole 'im didn't he know the children were hungry an' I was hungry an' didn't have anything to cook or nuthin to get me some with, an' nuthin to pay rent with or nuthin. An' this woman - that he passed on by when comin' home - she waited till that Monday night. About ten o'clock, after I had gone to bed, she come by my house an' ast me - she came to my house and knocked bringin' two more peoples, an' when they knocked I was gone to bed. An' so I didn't dress or nuthin. [She says], "I come up to see you." I says, "All right." I went to the door an' ast 'em in. An' they come in an' set down. An' she wants to know how come I'd come to her house an' ast for him. An' we commence talkin'. An' I tole 'er, I said, "If you had children and you husband was out an' you had no way to get yore livin' from 'im but to wait until he come, you'd go an' hunt him yoreself." An' so she said, "Oh, if that's case, well you kin come again." That happened Monday night when she was in mah house an' that [the following] Satiday mornin' I got an' wash his silk shirts an' pressed them an', you see, did my other work. An' I didn't feel no hurtin' or nuthin like that. An' around two o'clock mah - two o'clock mah arm commence to hurtin', commence to hurtin' - it was a tired feelin'. It kept a hurtin' an' it jis' like the more I'd draw it up an' stretch it out, the worser it would hurt. An' when night come it commence to gittin' worser an' worser an' worser. An' that Sunday it looked like it was gittin' worser an' worser. So I went down about 'leven blocks from the house to church an' I tote the baby, an' before I got back home I couldn't even tote that baby back home an' I stayed down there about two hours, an' before I got back home I couldn't tote the baby. An' so then, that Monday over in the nex' week, then mah arm jis' commence to gittin' worser. An' mah han's was swoll up that Monday about dat high - jist as high. An' so then I didn't have any use of it - couldn't even lift it, couldn't move it no'ere [nowhere] unless dis han' under it. An' so I tried ever'thing. It looked like the doctor medicine, ever'thing I took would make me worser. An' so then this fortune-teller fellah he come by. An' then he tole me - an' he tole me [before] that it was some trouble comin' for me. An' I wouldn't let 'im tell it [at their first meeting]. An' so he tole me that it sure Was put in the wash for Bert for me, because they knowed that I had to wash with mah hands. [The woman dressed Bert's soiled silk shirts. He took them home to be washed by his wife.] An' listen! That han' last me nine months before I was able to put all mah clothes on an' take them off of me. I didn't have no use of that han' or nuthin. I couldn't even steady it up for over a year, but after nine months I felt, you know, I could take care of mah arm - but, I couldn't open nor shut my hand. An' so the remedy what mah mother used, why - she'd, while mah arm was like that - she jis' kept on bathin' an' rubbin' an' bathin' an' rubbin', but looked like none of that wouldn't do any good. An' somebody tole 'er to get a quarter, a silver quarter, an' trim de edge off of it an' put it with some rock sulphah an' beat it up an' let me lick it. An' after I use that, then I commence to feelin' mahself where I could, you see, get mah arm - the use of mah arms back. So they took the quarter [that was left after the milled edge had been scraped off] an' put it in two quarts of water an' boil it down to a pint [magic of diminishing amount] an' make me a tea with that water. An' that seems like it help me more than anything I took. An' then she took a white [Irish] potato an' shave that white potato - jis' split it as little [thin] as you kin git it, an' put that on mah han'. An' after I use that - they put there that night, the nex' mornin' I was able to lift mah han' off the pillah, wherein I couldn't pick it up before. Wilmington, N. Car.,
(293), 214:3; in 1926.]
Entry 903
I know mah brother he vus [was] sick an' he stayed sick a long time, too. An' he vent [went] to de hospital jis' like I did [in another story] an' nothin' couldn't help 'im. So it jis' come to his min' [mind] that somebody had tried to fix im - you know, poison 'im. An' dey vent an' seed [seen] about 'im. An' de doctor she came over dere - you know, de root doctor, an' she vent under de house an' she found it vus somepin in a little bag tied up, an' stuff down under [near] de pillah [one of the stilts on which the house rested a foot or more aboveground]. This vus way [way] back up under a crack in the house. She tole 'em to burn it, but it vus somepin grainy lookin' - but dey didn't open it. An' she tole dem to take it - of course he vus re'l sick - an' put sulphah an' red peppah, camphah an' salt; put that togethah an' put it in a can an' burn it until it get to a powdah, an' take it an' put it back in de same hole where dey got it from an' that would help 'em. An' sure 'nough it did.
Entry 1250
Dat's good tuh cure any poison. Yo' take de fig tree - first yo' take de leaves an' then yo' go an' git the root. Yo' git de root an' de leaves, stir it together an' make a tea. Aftah yo' stir it together an' make de tea, yo' git brimstone, sulphur, sweet milk, an' fifty cents in silver, a ole fifty cents, an' boil it together. Make a tea an' drink the tea three times daily. Take the fig root - boil de fig root an' bathe wit de water an' always throw it to sunrise; if yore poisoned, every bit will come out - it couldn't stay in.
(You drink this tea only from the leaves?)
Outa de leaves.
(And the root tea you use just for bathing?)
Fo' bathing - dat's right.
Entry 1309
De objec' of de graveyard dust - now, we'll have tuh git dat graveyard dust a sutin [certain] way. Now, yo' gotta pay nine cents. That's, yo' might say, buyin' spirits from de graveyard to perteck yo'. Yo' see whut ah mean. Take nine cents an' carry it to a graveyard, an' go to a pusson who hasn't been dere grave, who hasn't been dead fo' very long, somepin lak two or three yeahs, somepin lak dat. Dat ain't too long. An' go right about midways of their heart of the body - 'bout where dey heart is. Yo' drives it down in dere about eight or ten inches, an' drop that nine cents there and bring up that much dust - see. When yo' bringin' up dat dust, yo' say, "I git chew in de Name of God de Father God de Son, to protect me in all affairs of life." See. Yo' take that an' yo' compose it with that same salt, sulphur an' stuff. That keeps that spirit alive an' full of activity an' vigor - watch fo' him, see.
Entry 1377
[Hoodoo lye is almost always Red Devil or Red Seal commercial brands, the former more frequent than the latter, and both bearing pictorial labels of symbolic significance - magic and legal approval.] If they find a red spider on the steps, they get lye, concentrated lye. Red Devil Iye they call it - it's the same kind but they get the kind that's got the red devil on it. They seem to think that the devil will have some effect on it, but you see it's nothing - that's only the man's trademark. But dey don't even seem to realize that. Well, they'll scrub that porch off with it and sprinkle sulphur and sugar around - burn it, you know. And they'll burn sulphur on an ole shoe sole. That's to dispel the witchcraft that people will put down.
Entry 1539
One time I was poisoned an' I taken with a pain in my stomic an' head- ache. Well, I taken real sick. I begin to throw up an' ev'rything I throw up was jis' as green as grass an' bitter as gall. Well, they sent fer de doctor. The doctor came. He give me a 'scription of doctor medicine. Well, I taken a dose of de medicine an' de medicine stayed in me I guess about two minutes. An' de medicine made me awfully sick, made me worser than I was. An' I threw it right back up. Well, we had twelve doctors[il!]. [Twelve doctors like every doctor in town is an exaggerated expression not mean to be taken literally - a hyperbole.] They didn't any do me any good. They did me worser instead of good. De medicine would do me worser all de time. So after that, they said, "Well, dere must be something to do." So I sent my sister to the store an' got a box of Squibbs soda an' a box of sulphur. I taken a teaspoonful of that. And that stayed in me. It gave me a little relief. After that I got nine silver dimes. I boiled them dimes good. Then I let the water cool. I drink nine swallows for nine mornin's. An' I improved an' began to get better. Then I got some Eve- an'-Adam [Adam-and-Eve] - that's a little roots. I boiled de Eve-an'-Adam an I drinked de tea of that an' I got better.
Entry 1594
I had experience of dis myself, I'm fixin' to tell yo' now. I wus goin' wid some woman once. Someone poisoned 'er in some fish an' dey did somepin tuh 'er. An' whutevah dey did, it went true [through] 'er han', broke out in bumps - big large ones 'bout dis size [demonstrates], right true de han'. Yo' could see it. If it hit dere [on one side of her hand], it would come out dere [on the other side of her hand] - look like dey connect wid one 'nothah. Feets an' han's. An' she couldn't put 'er foot on de floah [floor]. I goes me to work an' I got me some Brown Mule [trademark] tobacco. I got me some snuff, Railroad Mail [trademark]. I got me some sulphah. I got me some salt, some salts physic [probably Epsom salts], an' got me some of 'er watah an' some of mine. I mixed it togethah. I say, "Save me all de watah you kin fer de nex' hour or two, [that is] as much as yo' git fer de nex' night er [or] day." I mixes all dat togethah an' I boil it good. I set up wid 'er 'bouts couplea days an' nights er mo' bathin' [bath-ing, not bathe-ing] 'er feets. She couldn't touch de floor [her feet pained so much]. Well, I kep' bath-in' 'er an' kep' bath'in' 'er in dat stuff, an' kep' bath-in' 'er in dat stuff till fin'lly I cured 'er like dat. Den I went an' got some of dis potash fer 'er tuh take - jes' a little bita watah. Yo' kin take dat very easily in a little watah.
(How did she get this way?)
At someone's house she got dataway by eatin'. I know it. I went to a fortune teller. Dey tole me dat dat wus zackly how she got it. Dey even picked it out [while running the cards] an' it was some of 'er own people did it.
(Did the fortune teller tell you what to do?)
Dey didn't tell me. A ole woman tole me dis long long years ago. She always tole me, she says, "Yo' look out, '' she says, "whenevah dat to happen an' know whut tuh do fo' yoreself, if anyone hurt yo'. Git dat an' bath [not bathe] yore- self from de knees on down [see p.369] an' it'll nevah cause no swellin' in de knees." It didn't swell a bit.
Entry 1840
See, ah takin' in a little washin' an' ironin'. Wal, I'se makin' good and she call herself fren' of me an' I believed 'er then. So she come to mah house an' says, "Ann, come heah a minute." An' ah went to her. She says, "Come walk around a piece with me." Well, ah did, but ah said, "Well, ah ain't got time cause ah gotta go an' wash." Well, there was another woman called me at de time, says, "Ann, do yo' know who dat woman is dat walk wit chew." Ah says, "Yes, dat's Lulu Taylor." She says, "Wal, now, ah want tell yuh dat woman will put chew in de worst luck - she put chew in de worst luck yo' evah been in yore life. That's Lulu Taylor's job. She call herself great frien's but she kin put chew in de worst luck yo' evah saw and yo' watch what ah tell yuh." She says, "Lulu Taylor is goin' put chew in hard luck," cause she has put her [speaker] in hard luck. She says, "She goin' put chew in hard luck." Ah says, "Well, how will she do that?" "[She] says, "She goin' burn sulphur on Friday on yo' and she goin' to git graveyard dirt to run yo way from heah. Dat's what she goin' do; put chew in de worst kind of luck." Wal, she did do it. She asked me to come home wit her and ah went and says - when she got a piece out she says, "Ann, does yo' know where any white dog manure is? Wal, ah wanna git some." She say a man's name. Now, it was a man there she had been knockin' aroun' wit, an' another woman come and commence to lose time with him. She say, "Come on an' go with me." Ah said to mahself, "Ef she goin' do this kind of trick, ah wanta see how it's done." Ah goes with her. She went to the graveyard and she dug in top of dis grave, down in de grave about dat deep [demonstrates].
(To her elbow.)
An' she got some dirt out of the grave and she say, "Heah's a penny." She put de penny down and tuk away de dirt, come on back to wheah I was wit it in her han' and says, "What ah want chew to do de first time yo' see any white dog's manure, git it fer me." Wal, by time she got to de house, ah walks on heah and ah see it. Ah calls her and she come on back dere to dat stuff. She mix dis heah stuff and put three pins in dere. She put three pins in dis stuff she had fixed - she wouldn't tell de [other] stuff she had. But she run dis man away. Ah know she done dat. Dat [given name] Thompson, ah think it was [his given name] - she run him away from there. Well, he went. [The preceding statement, come on back to wheah I was, shows the first rule of graveyard procedure - all rites must be performed by operator alone. A good illustration of this is the man who waits outside graveyard while woman enters; he not speaking to woman again until they reach home (see No. 77, p.32). Present informant talking about penny is merely after-the-rite knowledge projected for- ward. If present operator had mentioned penny to present informant before-the- rite, she would have violated the rule of secrecy, this causing failure.]
Entry 2040
[Here is a hand which bears a price and also a moral - perhaps I should say magic - obligation.] Yo' kin take graveyard dirt for gamblin'. Yo' go to a grave at twelve a'clock at night - when de clock strikin' twelve yo' go an' git some dirt at de front, right 'long about de breast. Yo' bring it back home an' drop nine drops of vine- gar on dat graveyard dirt, but let it be a fresh [new] grave - use apple vinegar. Jes' drop nine drops on dere when yo bring it back home. Den yo' take a lil bit of sulphur, jes' pinch of sulphur an' put it in dere. Take it den an' put it in a papah an' tie - yo' can't work wit dat dirt right away, yo' ties it tight an' lays it up somewhere an' let it stay till dat dirt dry out real good. Well, when it dry out good, den yo' kin rub dat to a powder. Den take it an' jes' keep it an' ever' time yo' go tuh fix up anything, or tuh give a person a joomoo, jes' take some of dat an' put in it. But let it be not as a person dat chew know as a christian - let it be a real gambler or some wicked man, where yo' gittin' dis dirt off de person. An' ever' time yo' fix up a joomoo for a person, put some of dat in it - dat's whut chew call de Conker, High John de Conker.
(In fixing this joomoo for gambling...what else would you put in this thing?)
Well, yo' goes in de woods an' yo' gits some stuff called Eve an' Adam, an' dere 'nothah root dey call High John de Conker, and lodestone.
(Lodestone?)
Yeah. Yo' take jes' a pinch of dat an' put in it, dat's good fo' he'p [help]. Dat's jes' nuthin but lodestone, no joomoo atall - jes' a piece of lodestone. Yo' take a piece of dat an' put in it, an' dis stuff dey call Eve an' Adam, jes' a piece of hit, an' a piece of High John de Conker an' dis graveyard dirt.
(You take those things all mixed up?)
Dat's right, an' yo' sew it up in a piece of red flannel an' give it to a person, an' tell 'em tuh go 'head on an' ever' time dey makes $500 - be sho' an' give 'em de understandin' ever' time dey make $500 - to give some ole person dat unable tuh work fo' deyself, $5. Jes' give it to dem or buy 'em anothah present. Only it works best if yo' give 'em $5.
Entry 2059
To make yo' keep a job after yo've got it. Dey tell me yo' kin git chew some - somepin dey call lodestone. Yo' orders it from a book. Yo' kin git dat an' git some sulphur an' bluestone an' mix dat all up together fine, an' take yo' a new piece of cloth an' sew it up in dere good an' wear it round yore waist or anywhere on yo. Keep it damp wit Heart Cologne. Say dat keep de police out
Entry 2123
A person dat is runnin' a gamblin' house - well, yo' take a person dat is runnin' a house, dey is de boss of dat house, see. Well, lak dey Want money to stay in dey home, see - jes' lak if yo' comin' in tuh gamble, see, an' de person want dat money tuh stay in de home. Well, nachur'lly, dey'll git a can of potash an' yo' dig a hole right tuh yore front steps. Well, yo'll put one can of potash down an' yo'll take nine pennies an' sew it up into a little bag an' into sulphur, an' yo'll leave dat on top of dat can of potash an' yo' cover it. Well, dat brings luck into yore home. No policeman kin do yo' no harm. De money'll still be in yore home, see. An' then yo' take some of dat potash an' yo' po' it into a basin of watah an' yo' go round to eve'y one of yore room windah an' throw it up an' let dat watah dreen down, see. Well, jes' lak dat watah dreen down de people'll be comin' in. Well, jes' lak dey come in, well, dat money's leave into yore home. (Just a moment. You throw this water on the windows. On the outside or the inside?) On the outside an' let it dreen down.
Entry 2190
If yo' wanta git a job, yo' git chew a red onion an' yo' take dat red onion an' yo' pack dat red onion wit sulphur, "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost." Den yo' take yo' some good perfume an' yo' po' it down in dat hole, "In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost." an' stick nine straight pins in it, an' yo' go to apply fo' a job an' it's hard fo' 'em tuh turn yo' down. [See stickpin in preceding rite and single pin in following rite.]
Entry 2191
Take yo' a red onion, see, take a pencil an' mash yo' nine holes in it an' yo' fill dat up - dat hole - dem nine hole - jes' fill 'em up wit sulphur, an' physic salts an' table salt - sulphur, an' yo' got chure red peppah, yo put it in dere. Den yo' stop 'em back up, jes' seal it up wit a piece of papah or somepin lak dat till it git cake[d] in dere. If it stand, it will git hard in dere. Yo' take nine single pins an' stick in de end of it - roun' lak dat, right in de end of de onion - see, de top come out de top of de onion - stick 'em right roun' in dere. Den yo' take it an' yo' wear it in yore left-hand pocket on de back till it git dry, den yo' keep it an' yo'll be lucky from den right on. But chew keep de onion.
(What kind of luck do you do that for?)
Gambling, so forth an' so on. [See stickpin and straight pin in two preceding rites.]
Entry 2251
If de law's botherin' yo', yo' go to work - see, yo' happen to go to another fellah yo' hear talk of [from] somebody dat he kin do [your work]. Well, he'll tell yo' dis - say, "Well, ah tell yo' whut ah do, '' say, "now, if he's botherin' yo', ah'li stop him for so-an'-so much." Yo' say, "Well, if yo' stop it ah'll pay yo'." He'll go to work an' he'll fix yo' up a little bag about dat long - jest about fo' inches long. He'll put chew some black pepper in it, put chew about eight grains of spice an' he puts chew nine grains of red pepper, an' he'll put chew in about a little piece of saltpeter 'bout big as a black-eyed pea, an' he'll put chew in about three grains of'sulphur. An' he'll take dat, see, an' den he'll wrop a silk thread string - sew it wit silk thread. Yo' take dat den an' yo' wear it in yore pocket. An' any time de officers come by yore place, why, yo' have nuthin tuh do when dey come in talk wit chew - run yore han' in yore pocket an' jest kinda roll dat round in yore hand, in yore pocket. Every once in a while kinda take yore hand out an' do somepin lak dat [demonstrates]. Yeah, jest rub it ovah yore face, yo' see, an' put it back. An' he'll pass right on by yo' an' dere's no kick to come. [Rolling is a common magic rite - see following margin-title St. John's Water.]
Entry 2408
Why yo' git chew some sulphur an' some saltpeter an' some sugah. Well, yo' take a tablespoon an' a nutmeg an' some bluestone. Well, yo' take a rag an' yo' beat chure bluestone up an' beat up yore nutmeg and yo' takes a tablespoon fulla sulphur an' a tablespoon fulla sugah an' a tablespoon fulla saltpeter. Well, yo' take it an' put it in yore bathwatah an' some Heart's Perfruone put it in yore bathwatah, an' yo take a bath all ovah. Den yo' git up an' yo' mop all roun' de flo'. If yo' got a rug on, mop all roun' de woodwork an' all in yore do' an' wash yore do' down. Well, den yo' take some dat nutmeg an' bluestone an' sulphur an' some sugah - put it on yore shovel on a piece of papah. See, it burns hard. Light it undah de papah an' burn dat an' smoke yo'self in yore room. Do dat Mondays, Wednesdays an' Fridays.
(What do you do this for?)
Dat brings in trade an' makes yore luck good.
(That is if you are bootlegging or if you are a hustling woman?)
Dat's luck fo' yo' tuh do dat.
Entry 2417
Yo' [know] whut dis insin [incense] is.
(Incense.)
Uh-hah - yassuh. An' yo' git some dragon's blood and take dose and yo' git chew some washing powder - mop de flo' good, yo' understand. Den burn yo' insin wit some brown sugah and a little sulphur, and dat'll bring yo' all de customer yo' want. Yo' know that was done heah, 'cus ah kin tell yo' about it. About fifty yeahs ago [1888] ah used to work uptown amongst de sporting people, yo' understand, and ah had to use these things fo' ketching trade, and ah had to do thet every mawnin'. Then yo' take a little beer, stale beer, and put it in de Water when yo' would go to wash but chew have to use dat dragon's blood and some washing powder - no soap or no lye - jes' dat washing powder. And yo' put dat and den yo' burn yore insin, sulphur and sugar, and that brings in de customers. An' po' yo' beer in dere - yo' see dat brings on de drinks, but it has to be stale beer - like dey leave some in de bottle or some in de barrel all night.
(Were the women in this house white or colored?)
White. (What do the girls consider bad and good luck in their business? Do they have any differences about things are bad and good luck?) Oh yes, dey use - take German Cologne and take spice, cloves and cinnamon and put that together, yo' understand and when yo' go to bath, put that in yo' water, yo'understand. That brings good luck to the body.
(And the girls did this that were in that house years ago?)
Yes.
(It sort of brings them trade, too, I suppose?)
Why suah. Those crabs - like offa people.
(Those lice off people. What do they do with those?)
Yeah, they put 'em on deyselves and that brings luck - dat's lucky.
(You mean the girls in the house would do that?)
Yessuh.
(Put lice on them for luck?)
Down dere, yo' know.
(Down below.)
Yes, sir.
(Oh, they put them down there? Do they leave them on or what?)
No. Yo' know dey jest put 'em on dere like tonight dey goin' tuh use trade yo' know, an' dey are lucky and they put 'em on dere. Dey buy 'em from other people - paid ten cents a piece fo' 'em. An' dey buy 'em and den dey'll use dem tonight to make good money.
(Well, how would they get them out again?)
Well, soon as dey'd wash wit little snuff or tubacca - somepin other like dat, why dey are gone.
(Well, they will bite while they are there won't they?)
Well, yes, but dey don't ca' 'bout dat. Dey want de money. [See margin-title Lice later.]
(Have you heard about eating peanuts in a sporting house?)
Yessuh, but you mustn't let nary a hull fall nor none of de inside of de pea- nuts fall - yo' keep it all and burn it, it's bad luck.
(It's bad luck to let the peanut fall?)
Yes. [See margin-title Peanut later.]
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 2468
Where people go in, you know, to see each other - bootlegging or some- thing like that. That what chew talking about? (That's right.) Business like that. Well, now this is something that is sold mostly in the South. Did you ever hear of Darby's fluid?
(What does it look like?)
It's blue - looks like garment blueing: It's something that is almost the same as, you might say, Zonite or - what is this other stuff we use, it's kind of like a disinfectant. You get this fluid - it looks like blueing but it's a fluid. Well, you mix a tablespoonful to a gallon of water. After you have mopped your floors, dey usually take about a quart of urine. Say now, if you dressed your house on a Monday and Fridays, you put a quart of this urine into this water. See. And you drop nine drops of oil of cinnamon in this water and when you dress your house you start at the door and never sweep out the door, because of the sill of the door coming in you see. Just get a mop just for that purpose and don't use it for anything else. Put a half cup of sugar in dis and get it well dissolved in this same water and you just mop your house from de front clean on back to the back. And when you have done that and it is well dried, you wanta be careful don't let anyone to come in your house before that time and you wanta do that before six clock in morning. At six 'clock you get de contents of a five-cent box of sulphur. Mix a teacup of sugar in dis sulphur and measure it out in exactly how many rooms you have. Say now, you might have five rooms or you might have seven. You divide this as near equal as possible with this sugar an' sulphur. You put it on a little tin pan. You don't have to buy a pan, you can get the top of a tin bucket of some kind - just since it's clear and bright. An' put a little of that ~ jest the same as you would a candle - stick it together an' let that burn, an' don't open your house up until this have burned. Befo' three hours time your house will be so crowded you can't hardly stay in it your- self. Now, that is a fact, too.
(You make as many piles as you have rooms.)
That's right. Now that is one thing I can substantiate. I tell you how I know about that. [During a pause she told me she had formerly lived in Cincinnati. I said I also had once lived there.] I used to live right down from Mound Street across from dat undertaker - had dat big house at 714 and times were very good at that time and people were paying pretty good money for rent. But it seems that - I had nice rooms and all, but it was just so hard for me to get people to come in and pay me. They would come in and pay the first, or they would come in and give me half of it and say, "Well, I'm sorry but I haven't got it all." Well, ah wouldn't want to put them out, you know. So I was telling a friend of mine about it. She said, "Well, I will come down and see what I kin do for you." She came down and fixed my house up like that - burned de stuff in de house, and she told me to do that every Monday and Friday. After that I just had so much trade. I tried it several times since then in different places and I found it to be true. It will absolutely do that - I found it to be a fact.
Entry 2501
Yo' go to a ole-time grave an' git chew some dirt. See, dig down in de grave lak dis an' git chew some dirt out of de grave. Well, yo' take dat dirt an' yo' mix dat dirt up with salt. Yo' put table salt in dat dirt an' yo' mix it up. All right, den yo' go to de sto' an' yo' buy yo' some lucky perfwme, Heart Perfume, yo' see. Yo' git chew some Heart Perfume. Well, yo' mix that in there with it. See. Jes' put Heart Perfume all in dere with it. All right, den yo' go an' yo' git chew some sulphur an' yo' put that sulphur in there with it. See. All right, yo' go an' git yo' some John de Conker an' den git chew fo' diff'rent cans - fo' diff'rent small cans, tin cans, where yo' kin put 'em airtight. See. An' yo' put 'em in a circle - jes' lak yo' runnin' a bootlaig place, yo' put 'em in a circle all de way round.
(Around what?)
All way round yore place, yo' understan', de place of business yo' carr'in' on - all de way round, yo' see. Den yo' take, aftah yo' put 'em all de way round [one can on each side of the business], yo' take dat salt an' git in de street all de way round where yo' got chure cans an' yo' care it all de way round yo' see, till yo' git clean round yore house. Well, aftah yo' gone all de way round yore house wit de salt, yo' come on back right where yo' left from an' say, "Ah put dis out, In de Name of de Father, Son an' the Holy Ghost, that ah may have no trouble." Then yo' spit up in dere three times. Yo' won't have no trouble. If yo' have any trouble atall, yo'll git out of it. [The four tin cans with seal-type lids, one on each side of the house, should have been sufficient - an airtight protection.].
Entry 2503
Then agin, I git de graveyard dirt from somebody relative who is dead, [died] good -, ou know, make peace. Any person who dead, git dat dust you know. Den you git de white-horse manure, mix that with salt and sulphur, and sprinkle around yore place. An': hey'll [officers will] call round yore place but they'll go away - wouldn't stir about chuh.
(Keeps the law away.)
Keep away because yo' have a white horse in de pasture and dey'll tell de party, "Oh! Looks like a white horse." (That white horse keeps them away? This is supposed to be the white horse in the pasture?) Yes. See, if you have a white horse in de pasture, dat horse will fight all other horses, but dey never fight dat white horse. (Those other horses won't bother a white horse. That is why the white-horse manure is good.) Yes.
Entry 2523
To have good luck with a boss for a job, yo' always use that sugar - 'vapored [evaporated = refined] sugar [don't use brown sugar on a white boss] - use your sulphur, sprinkle that in your pocket with your sugar. Yo' take your cinnamon bark - you put that in your pocket. All right, any time you go to speak to him, he's always willing [to speak to you]. [Another method.] You take his name and you write it three times - you lay it out on a piece of plain paper and you fold that to you. Don't never fold nothing from you if you want it to be close to you. If you running a place of business and you don't want the laws to bother you. You go to - like a blacksmith shop - like a - you know where they shoe horses at. You walk in there and you ask the man for a couple of [two] horseshoe nails, and he'll give 'em to you. Understand. But don't you take 'em, but you pay 'im for them. You understand. Now, in this you Wanta be lucky - you know, something like you running a place and you wanta have good luck at your place. You take them there [two nails] and you get you - buy you a pink ribbon - a little narrow pink ribbon, and you take them nails and you cross em like a cross, and you wrap that ribbon around 'em and hang it up over your front door where everyone comes in, comes in under that. And you always - when anyone comes, you going to have plenty, plenty, plenty trade. And they ain't going to bother looking. This man that give you them nails, now, when you offer to pay 'em for them, he don't want it, but you give him a nickel or dime or something for them nails any- how. He going to tell you, "Ah, they ain't worth nothing - take plenty." But you always hand him a nickel or dime, so you really having to buy 'em, you under- stand. And lay it down there for him. See. Course, if he just give 'em to you and you don't give him nuthin, they ain't any good to you. Anything that you can get - fust walk out and get it for nothing - that's no trouble for you to get, and you don't know how it come, then it s no benefit to you. Anything that you have trouble to get, why it's a benefit to you. You want to take care of it, you see.
(The law?)
You take the law's name - see, just like that law what you know is bad about raiding or something, you take his name and you write it nine times and fold it to you, you see. You fold it up and you wear it in your shoe. You take them horseshoe nails - them two nails that I told you - and cross 'em and put 'em up over your door. If he comes there, he ain't going to bother you. If any other law comes in town, he'll always know it, so he'll notify you or somebody - see, you ain't got no graft or nuthin to pay. Keep the graft and all out of your way.
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 2548
Yo' take sulphah an' sugah tuh draw luck to yo'. Yo' take sulphah an' sugah an' burn it on de stove, see, or somethin' hot. Jis' sulphah an' sugah an' mix it up an' burn it an' it will draw luck to yo'. An' when yo' wants a quick way tuh git a small piece of money, yo' lights yo' a - ah cain't think of the name of it. Anything will do jis' since it's incense. Light de incense an' put it on yore bed - place it on yore bed, "In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost," an' put it in a white saucer. An' in less time den three hours somebody will give yo' a piece of money if it's nuthin but a nickel or somepin othah lak dat - a nickel or a dime.
Entry 2564
To draw in customer, yo' git chew - lak dat chure front do' dere, yo' git chew a can of [Red] Devil Lye, potash, an' yo' git chew a handful of table salt an' put it right on top of dat can, an' yo' take a ice pick or somepin an' chunk hole all in de top of de can, an' jes' lay dat right on top, at twelve a'clock, an' bury it right in front under yore step or right in front of yore gate. An' one tuh de back. Dey'll be comin' in. Tell yo' whut chew do wit dat. Yo' take dat same potash an' yo' take three Cans - three cans. Take de cans an' open it an' put it in a boilin' pot of watah an' jes' boil it in dat watah an' jes' go all roun' yore house an' sprinkle it all roun' yore house - all in de dirt, all out in de front of yore do', right dere in de front of yore do'. An' yo' git chew a box of spice an' yo' git chew a package of sulphur an' yo' mix all that together an' table salt; an' ev'ry mawnin' befo' sunrise yo' jes' go on an' sprinkle it right out chure gate dere - throw it out dere, turn yore back an' don't look back an' walk on back in yore house. Dey'll nevah - dey'll come an' jes' be passin' by all de time.
(That is to keep the law away?)
Yes sir - keep de law away.
Entry 2630
Yo' kin git some bluestone an' a can of sulphur. Yo' take that blue- stone an' sulphur an' saltpeter, an' put it undah de front do'steps an' de back do'step an' as fur as dey kin go up undah de house - see, round inside the house. Now, yo' burn some sulphur an' put yo' some essence of pennyroyal on that sugah, wit garlic an' a red onion. Don't nevah throw a onion peelin' outa de house. Always keep onion an' garlic. Burn it in dat stove with sugah. It brings luck in the house. An' de law ain't goin' bother yo'. Mop dat front steps - it don't take but a little time. Put yo' some garlic, cut up some garlic, an' chamber lye an' mop that be- fo' seven every mawnin', befo' seven. Do dis befo' seven an"leven. Dat brings yo luck - seven an' 'leven. Do yo' burnin' 'fore seven an' 'leven.
Entry 2639
Dat's fo' luck. Well, on Mondays an' Fridays yo' supposed tuh burn red onions. Yo' git a man's left shoe an' yo' put a piece of garlic an' yo' put some of de hull of a red onion an' yo' put some sulphur an' yo' put some sugah an' yo' put some Hearts Cologne in de heel of that man's shoe. Well, yo' put all de rest of that - some of everything yo' put in de heel - on top of de stove at twelve a'clock an' yo' burn it.
(What will that do?)
Dat's supposed tuh be lucky - jes' whatevah yo' want, jes' lak if yo' want luck in de home, or yo' tryin' tuh ketch de policy, or yo' tryin' tuh git some money or somepin lak dat. Yo'll burn dat Fridays an' Mondays.
(You burn that shoe on top of the stove, too?)
Yo' burn de shoe in de stove, an' den put de rest of de stuff on top of de stove an' let dat go through de house, an' let de othah whut's in de heel go out in de ash.
Entry 2657
Well, yo' kin git chew some garlic an' git chew some sulphur an' git chew some sugar. An' turn yore pan jis' befo' de sun rise - set it in yore do', set it afiah. Close all yore do's while it's burnin'. Yo' go out. Den when yo' git it blue wit smoke, open all yore do's an' de people will run ovah heah. Ah don't ca' whut chure doin', dey'll run ovah heah, comin' tuh see whut yo' got tuh drink. It'll draw 'em.
Entry 2666
You burn brimstone. Yo' use brimstone, bluestone, sulphur, rattlesnake marster, an' yo' git lowbush mercury[?] [myrtle?] - lowbush[?] - dat's a bush dat grows out. in de woods dey call it lowbush[?]. Well, yo' burn dat Sunday mornings three a'clock. Yo' burn that Wednesday night, Wednesday as the clock strike twelve. Yo' burn dat Wednesday. (Twelve o'clock night or noon?) At night. Three a'clock in de morning [Sunday], twelve a'clock at night [Wednesday], an' three a'clock Friday morning. Yo' burns dat in de middle of yore house. Yo' have yo' a pan dat chew use regu'ly [regularly]. Yo' use de brimstone, sulphur, bluestone an' dis lowbush[?]. Yo' burn dose things together. Yo' do dat fo' at least three munts. Den yo' skip an' de next three munts ketch it. [This is skip or staggered magic.] But if you are running a house, why yo' do that ev'ry week. Ev'ry week if yo' runnin' a house, if yo' have gambling, so on, don't chew see. Yo' runnin' yo' house, yo' do that ev'ry week.
(What is that supposed to do? Bring luck or what?)
Yeah, bring luck an' keeps ev'rything goin' smooth. Yeah, bring yo' plenty luck. Yo' have no trouble if yo' sellin' likker, anything lak dat. Yo' have nc trouble a-t a-l-l.
Entry 2673
A woman, if she wan'a bring in some men customers, there's things she do. She git her some saltpeter and she bathe in this saltpeter [see No. 2408f. p.670] and git her some incent [incense] powder and bairns [burns] about a table- spoon into about a teaspoonful of sugar. And she bairns that and then she git her some sulphur, about a half teaspoonful, snuff and sugah, and she keeps that Wrapped up in a hand'chief. And when she be talkin' to him, she lookin' in his eyes, an' throwin' [the handkerchief about] from the foiy [foyer]. Come right on down to his eyes and jis', you know, still lookin' into his eyes, and whatever she asks he'll agree to do it and come on inside.
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 2764
Well, my wife, she was what you call goofer dust. [For Goofer Dust, see pp.222-227.] It was put down on the step for her. In the morning she used to have to go to work very early, you know. And in the morning she come out be- fore leaving-time, come out to clean up the step - didn't have any idea that any- one was harming her, was out to harm her. She stepped in some stuff - it was very white. And that night she came home and she said - that evening late she kind of got a little ailing in her head, you know, hurting. Didn't pay.much attention to it. Well, probably for a week or so later she didn't pay any atten- tion and finally it begin to swell on her. It swell and she went to the doctor and the doctor never could reach her sickness in no way. Well, she was talking to an old lady. Well, this old lady is kinda two-head, a two-headed woman. So she told her, she said, "Daughter, you're hurt." She said, "Your leg is not infected in no way; you never stepped on nuthin or caused a bruise to have this swelling, or something like that." She say, "I want you to go to somebody that can do you some good." She didn't tell her to come to her. So she sent her across the river to a woman by the name of Miss Helen.
(Miss Helen?)
Madam Helen.
(Madam Helen. All right.)
She sent her over there and she goes over there, and the minute she got in there, the woman didn't asked her her name or nuthin, she told her just what she came in there for. She told her, say, "You're hurt." She says, "There's a woman wants your husband," she say, "and she figure by hurting you in some way like that that he'll go off and leave you because you are not able to work." You know. [The husband is telling this.] Well, the woman she told her, she say, "Now, I can take care of you." She say, "I'll charge you $20," she say, ''$20 and I'll put you sound and well again." She say, "And if you want to, I can put it across back on the people." Well, she say, "No, all I want to do is get my- self straight," she say, "I don't have to worry about her." So, I taking her back over there - it was every Wednesday she had to go there. Every Wednesday she had to go there 'fore nine o'clock in the morning - 'fore nine o'clock. Well now, she had a dominic hand. You know what is a dominic hand?
[I did know, though there is momentary confusion here.]
(A hand?)
A dominic - dominic hand.
(A dominic hand?)
[I evidently thought he was talking about a hand made from a domino.]
Yes, kind of like a checker - black and white.
(All right.)
[I knew what he was talking about.]
Sells it. It's a dominic hand. She took this hand. She didn't ring it like some people ring it; she just pops his neck.
(She broke his neck.) [I am repeating his his.]
[At this point my transcriber knew what informant was talking about and over every preceding word hand typed the word henl The word hen was often pronounced han or han or something else. When people were closer to country life than they are today, the word dominic was fairly common. A variation of the word appears in the following couplet: "Dominicker [speckled] sky; storm close by" - FACI, 1st ed.. 1935, No. 540, p.21. I guestion the preceding word 'sells in the text: "Sells it. It's a dominic hand [hen]." As soon as hand is replaced by hen, the word sells is nonsense. The word should be spelds [= splits from Scotland] - see one of the remedies under margin-title Zippy Tull. My informant rightly feeling that I would not understand the word spelds, changes it to pops.]
(She broke his neck.)
Popped it, yeah. She popped his neck and she catches this blood - she holds the chicken up like that [demonstrates] and let the blood drip. She let the blood drip into a little cup-like. And she takes this blood and she puts to it sulphur - it's yellow, sulphur, and some molasses and mixes 'em, turns it into a salve-like. It turns into a salve and she takes this leg and she strokes this leg down with that. Every Wednesday she do that, she stroke this leg down. She don't kill the hen every Wednesday, though. She make enough salve from that to apply. We didn't have to go but for nine Wednesday - it was nine Wednesdays she had to go. And for nine mornings what she had to do - get up every morning be- fore the sun rise, and get her some running water and bathe this leg. She bathed this leg down and after bathing this leg down, then she take a complete bath in this household ammonia and saltpeter. See. This is supposed to take the condi- tion off of her. See? And walk to the east and take a glass of water, make the sign of the cross and throw it over her left shoulder and walk away. Well, she did that for [nine mornings].
(Did she do that before she went to see Madam Helen?)
No, that was when she went to her. She told her what to do.
(No, but she did that each time just before she went over to see Madam Helen?)
Yes, she had to do that before she go there - every morning, see.
(Oh, she did that every morning?)
Yeah, every morning she do that, for nine mornings straight, but she still had to go over there nine mornings. See? That was to help to take this condition off of her. See? And after she did that for nine mornings, well, she stopped, but she continued to take this bath. See, she warned her and told her forever to take this bath because if some more harm was to come to her and if she would take this saltpeter and household ammonia and bathe herself in it, and some running water, that no evil could come to her. You understand? It would guard her - it would be some kind of a safeguard to her. Saltpeter is supposed to have, be pro- tective for all such lines of hoodooism.
(And you wife got well?)
Yes, sir, she's well and working today:
(I see. Now, what your wife got hurt with. Was it goofer dust?)
Goofer dust, yeah.
(What's that?) [See, Goofer dust, pp.222-227, and Index.]
That's a hoodoo - it's a powder. You call it goofer dust. They take it - they puts it down and you're supposed to walk on it and if you walk on it, and it get on you, it will work through the sole of your shoe and it will commence to swelling. And it will make you drag, sick - sick, you know, sick with your leg - just cause it to swell and pain.
Entry 3100
Yo' know when ah first gone [to him], he say ah wus poisoned. An' mah mother an' father befo' dey died, ah wus ovah 27 yeahs, dey had worked on me - dey had got a doctor yo' know tuh cure me. De first doctor dey got, dis doctor dey say wus de one. He didn't do me no good - yo' know, he worked on me. So dey let dat un go an' dey got another one. An' de doctor whut dey got fo' me, dey say dat's de one had fixed it - had deviled me inside. An' he seemed lak he wus goin' he'p me an' ah stayed up, yo' know, round de home - git so ah could be up an' down. An' after ah got sick, yo' see, dey had tuh go an' git another doctor. But ah saw dis doctor in de spirit on a Wednesday night. De Lawd show me where a man come tuh me an' he pull out some of mah hair heah [demonstrates], some heah, an' ah wus.
(From the top of the head and from side of the temples.)
Dat's whut in one of mah dreams - on a Wednesday night ah dreamed it. An' he come dat Sunday. Mah cousin brought him unbeknowst tuh papa dere - jes' lak ah dreamed it on a Wednesday night. So he [doctor] came an' he axt him [father]. He [father] say, "Yes," he had a very sick girl heah. An' he tole, say, "Yes." [Doctor] say, "Well, do yo' care fo' me tuh do anything fo' yo' daughter?" He say, "Yes. So he went on back tuh Jacksonville. He wus runnin' a bar - a barroom, but dis man is daid now but he help me. He come on back an' one Sunday he pull out some hair - yo' know, Jes' lak ah dream it, an' tole me tuh hole mahself right ovah de fire-hearth. He tole mah mother tuh give me some sulphur an' some gun- powder an' one mo' stuff [three ingredients], but ah forgot. An' jes' hol' mah haid ovah it like dat chew know, an' he say it wus a spell on me. Seemed lak somepin wus talkin' tuh me lak ah wus dyin', yo' know, all de time - be scarry an' hot, chew know. Well, ah wus bein' pregnant, see. Two weeks after dis baby born, den dat turn out on me. So dey thought ah had heart trouble, an' so de doctors all examine me. Dr. Kidd, he's buried an' gone, he tole me, says, "Yo' ain't got no heart trouble." He had look everywheres. It wus a spell on me. An' so it went an' went. An' sometimes ah couldn't raise dis arm. Sometime ah couldn't raise dis one. Sometime ah look at cha an' ah couldn't talk. Some- time mah feet chew know would turn in de back an' ah jes' drag: An' sometime ah couldn't eat, an' sometime ah could eat. Sometime nature couldn't hold me tuh save her life - ah'd eat so much yo' know. An' it jes' keep on like dat chew know for about a yeah, jes' right down till dis man, yo' know, worked on me an' got be bettah. So he went tuh de no'th an' he tole mah father dat he'd tried whut all tuh cure me. But, after he got me up he nevah did come back. He tole me he'll send de money but he's de one dat worked on me - Mr. Robinson. He's daid. So ah keep on an' ah come on tuh Brunswick, yo' see, an' ah stay ovah heah an' ah went in business an' ah got married den. So dis woman - ah wus ovah on Bay Street an' this woman come an' hit me on de shoulder. An' when she hit me - mah husband sent me after dat meat yo' see. An' when ah went back an' she hit me on de shoulder - when ah come back ah wus down in de shoulder like dat, an' ah went on an' ah tole him. So he tole mah mother an' dem were. An' so every place ah moved he [first doctor?] send dem wit dis poison. She always claimed it wus a spell agin. Dey had it where it could [come to life] every once in a while. An' every Place ah go, dis thing worries me but hit moves, see, in mah stomach an' wiggles an' come up all in mah throat sometime. Sometime in mah face yo' kin see it. An' it jes' make me feel sick. But on de young moon an' de full moon dat de time it worries me. An' den it goes into dis left foot. Yo' see, it will wiggle under dere sometime an' crawl. An' when it time fo' me tuh work, it'll stop me from workin'.
(That thing is still bothering you?)
Yassuh.
(You weren't cured then?)
Dat's whut dey say. Every once in awhile ah kin feel it.
(Didn't anybody cure you?)
De man say - he he'ped me up though.
Entry 5148
Yuh take de lef' shoe an' cut a square outa de centah of de shoe.
(The center, the bottom or the top part of it?)
De bottom, jis' where yore feet fit right in de bottom of dat shoe. Yuh jis' cut a square outa de inside of de bottom of de shoe. [A square piece is cut out of the center of the insole.] An' yuh bury it.
(What will that do?)
Yuh cut de square outa de shoe an' put it in a li'le sulphuh an' red peppah an' graveyard dirt, an' yo' sew it in a li'le bag an' bury it. An' if yuh wanta hurt a person, well dat will cuz whatevah shoe it is, if it's de right shoe, why dey'll grow lame in dat side. An' dere's no doctah [M.D.] kin cure dem until yuh fin' de person dat has dat [square piece of insole] an' git it from dem. An' de only way tuh find out is tuh [see a] fortunetellah an' let 'em tell yuh how tuh git it.
(I thought it was the left shoe?)
Well, it's de left shoe dat ah'm speakin' about.
(This is out of the left shoe?)
Yes.
(You don't get the right then at all?)
Well, ah nevah learn of de right. It's de left.
Entry 7577
(To keep the law away, you take this same dirt and instead of throwing it into the house.) [I am repeating what informant had said while recording machine was turned off.] See, when yuh throw it intuh yore house, dat's fo' yore luck. Dat's bringin' all de peoples tuh yuh. Dat's tuh make yore business big. An' when yuh git ready tuh keep de law away, yuh go roun' yore house in de mawnin' between eight an' nine a'clock an' yuh draws yuh a cross an' makes yore wishes, tell it whut chew want.
(Where do you draw the cross?)
At each do' 'fore dey kin come in. Well, dey might come out dere but dey nevah comes ovah dere. Put it tuh yore front do' an' yuh put dat down in de cross jis' lak dat an' dey won't come in.
(You put this dirt down in the cross?)
De dirt, sulphur - graveyard dirt an' yore table salt.
(Graveyard [dirt] from the infant's grave.)
Yessuh.
Entry 9268
Yo' kin take a chick- en aig an' it kin be dressed wit sulphuh, graveyard dirt an' peppah, but it has tuh be a rotten aig. An' if ah don' wan' chew tuh come in dis do' no mo', aftah ah git dat dressed, ah come 'long heah early in de mawnin' an' throw it up 'ginst dat do'. Yo' know, right ovah de facin' of dat do' an' let it bust ovah dat do'. Yo' ain't comin' in heal no mo'. (How do you dress it with that graveyard dirt? Just roll the egg around in that sulphur?) [Here is a leading question, more to keep the conversation going than anything else.] Yo' make a hole in it yo' see, jes' a small hole in it, if it wus a rotten aig. Jes' lak yo' goin' suck it [if it was fresh instead of rotten]. An' den yo' pinch dat graveyard dirt in dere, jes' a li'le bit. Yo' know, don' take verah much, an' a li'le sulphuh. Take a match stem or a toothpick an' shove it down in dere. Yo' take a small piece of papah an' wet it an' put ovah dat hole an' stop it up. Put it in yore han' an' come on by dis do' in de mawnin' soon [early] or at night, an' throw it up 'ginst dat do'. Jes' say right in de middle of dat do' where it will bust, an' jes' let it run down dere. Yo' ain't comin' heah no mo'. [Intention is everything here. A woman throws this egg against another woman's door to keep a man or husband from going there, or a man similar- ly drives away another man from some woman's door. Sucking a fresh raw egg, an old custom, may be unknown to a few readers in modern cities. During my boyhood at the turn of the century, when even a city boy could live among chickens and horses, and farms were only a mile or two away, some people would make a small hole in the end of a fresh egg to suck out the contents. From this custom comes the well-known proverb: Go teach your grandmother to suck eggs.]
Entry 9269
Take graveyard dirt an' sulphah an' put people back tuhgethah, an' yo' kin take it an' part 'em. Well, yo' take dat sulphuh an' table salt an' grave~ yard dirt, take it an' break yo' a aig an' put jes' a lit- tle of it in a aig if yo' wanta run 'em now. An' den yo' stick nine pins in dat aig. Den yo' take dat aig an' write de name cross it an' den write de name straight up an' down dat aig. Den yo' take dat aig at twelve'clock in de night an' bust it up onto dere house. Dey gotta go.
(How do you get those pins into the egg?)
Jes' punch 'em in dere, jes' stick dem in dere till de haid go down.
Entry 9401
Take a aig an' den she'll punch a knothole [large hole] right in de centah [of large end] an' den she'll git [a hole] in de small end yo' know. An' den she'll put on each side [3 sides of the width of the egg] three rings: [and write] de Fathah. Son an' Holy Ghost [one in each ring]. An' when yo' put dat dere, den yo' punch a least li'le hole in de centah of it, in dat top [top shell of ring, making 5 holes = 5 nail wounds in egg!] yo' know. Yo' take de spoon whut chew cook bread wit an' yo'll dig it up jis' so it's a spoon yo' uses in yore dinin'room or kitchen. An' yo'll dig a li'le small li'le hole wit dat spoon, an' throw de dirt out jis' lak if yo' puttin' it out as a grave or anythin' else. Yo' dig a li'le hole. An' yo'll set dat li'le aig [in the hole] an' set it straight up. Den yo' take some gun- powdahs an' whiskey an' sulphuh. Yo' know, gunpowdah an' whiskey an' sulphuh. An' den yo'll work dem thin's tuhgethah, in dat whiskey. An' den yo' work some in dat aig, an' jis' keep a-stirrin' lak dat, an' put it in de aig an' keep a- stirrin' it lak dat. An' yo' set dat aig down [in the hole]. Yo' bury dat aig but yo' bury it undah de back part of yore house [remember, houses in the low- lands are raised aboveground], an' yo'll set it up dere an' kivah [cover] it ovah. But now, yo' don't kivah it deep an' yo' don' bury it deep, but yo' bury it in a way dat chew know nuthin won' harm it, yo' know. An' yo'll call de man or de woman, whosomevah it is, three times, an' tell 'em whut chew want. An' yo' put dat aig down dere. She gotta shore [sure] stay in mah house, she ain't goin' no place.
(That is going to keep the man or woman home? Keep them from running around?)
Yeah, dey'll stay at home, yo' See DEY FOLLOWIN' DAT SPIRIT. [What spirit? Surely the spirit in the victim's name called 3 times to equal the threefold spirit of the Godhead.] [For another one of these rare center-of-circle rites, See SALT section, v.5., margin title beginning CENTER OF PLATE...] [The "5 WOUNDs of the margin title are not mentioned in the text, the reason why they are enclosed in a bracket. From where do the "5 wounds come? Notice that the egg has 3 circles, each circle having a hole in its center. Consequently the egg has 3 holes from the 3 circles. Add to these 2 holes, one at each end of the egg Therefore the egg has 5 holes or symbolically 5 wounds from the Cross.]
Entry 10456
Take red pepper an' grind it up an' put sulphur an' stuff in it. Dat's good fo'l hags. (If the hags are riding you?) Yes. sir.
Entry 10919
Mix cat and dog hair with seven ingredients: pepper, bluestone, sulphur, salt, asafetida, etc., put at door; people living there will fight like cats and dogs. [Richmond, Va., 303:10.]
Entry 11523
"They take that out of you right track...git some graveyard dust and a little sulphur and a little salt and a little pepper, put it in a bag...and if they want to run you crazy, they take and throw it in running water." [Wil- mington 148:3+85.]
Entry 11572
"If you don't want anybody to come to your house...get their track, take it up in a paper, put it with some sulphur, some salt, burn it in a pan, and take the ashes and throw it northward and say: Don't come no more." [Fred- ericksburg by Ediphone.]
Entry 11676
If somebody put a spell on you, or evil verk [work] on yuh, ah kin take yuh any night at twelve 'clock an' go tuh de fork of de road. An' lak at a certain time [I will] fetch yuh on back home an' fix de door tuh yuh step - an' den yuh'll go back- ward an' go tuh yuh baid- room an' git a pair of 'is socks or some othah thing. An' nine days aftah dat yuh would be off from home. Nine days aftah dat yuh'll commence tuh... [I inter- rupt.] (Well what would you do at the crossroads? What Would you do down at the crossroads to cure a person?) Why yuh want me tuh tell yuh secret information? (I'm not going to be here to go into business again- st you or anything of that sort, you understand. [Long silence and I continue.] You see, what you tell me is confidential. It doesn't go any farther, you see.) Well, I'll tell yuh anyhow. Now yuh, if anybody harm yuh, hurt chuh, an' yuh Wan'a put a spell on dem [this is called "returning the spell"]. Yuh go an' git a frog, one frog. Git chuh nine, nine eightpenny cut nails. Yo' know what a cut nail is?
(Yes, a square nail.)
Mm [whatever that means!]. An' go carry it tuh de crossroads, jes' go ovah de dirt where his feet print [leave footprints]. Do lak dat [demonstrates] an do lak dat [demonstrates again] an' be raising de nail.
[I describe his actions.]
(The person puts his hands down on the ground.)
[The hands are spread out flat on the ground.]
Gotta have [demonstrates] ground gotta go through his hand, you know [demon- strates].
(Through his fingers.)
[He continues to demonstrate.]
Yuh put yuh fingahs here and den yuh put de nails right here.
[Demonstrates a hammer.]
(A special hammer you use for that purpose.)
[While this is going on.] De devil will come along. Nevah go up to him. Go back home as slow as yuh kin an' carry dat nailed-down [prints] an' take de sand wit it. Nail dem tuh de steps an' yuh do de same thing. Let him go in de house backwards. As he go at de step goes on up, go in backwards an' lay down [to rest]. He gonna git up early - sunrise. Aftah sunrise de nex' mawnin'. An' den yuh give him a quart of vinegah an' sulphuh, an' in dat bottle. An' put it dere an' throw it in runnin' watah, den dat will [begin to work]. An' in nine days time, if he ain't too long [gone, he will begin to recover].
[While machine stopped I ask a question.]
No, yo'll start at de do' an' den take five more [steps] an' git some vinegah. Tie it right togethah wit a piece of cord string an' put about a spoonful of sulphur, wit a quart of vinegah. But chew have dat fixed. Now you have dat fixed a couple of days, yuh undahstan'. Den aftah yuh do it, git de person an' let 'im take a dose three times a day.
(That'll cure him?)
In nine days now dat person week is up an' de reason it is done. If it's recently done, dey has de party dyin' in t'ree days. [Presumably the longer the spell in time, the longer it takes to cure it.]
(The person that put the spell on him.)
Yeah, goes back [to him] see. [This is called returning the spell and by other names.]
[To be on the safe side I continue.]
(As I pass, I put them [my feet] down there and make my footprints and my handprints right at the crossroads.) Right at de cross of de road [making this the center of a square and a quin- cunx rite] and come right back to de steps and do de same thing. An' he'll [doctor] have to carry yuh back as yuh go backwards an' lay in de baid.
Entry 11783
Graveyard dirt, salt, sulphur, needles, and green water (slime or algae) in corked-up bottle under steps will swell you up and kill you. [Wil- mington, 125:2+85.]
Entry 12521
Ah heard of people if dey wanted luck in dere homes, dey git up befo' sunrise in de morning an' take some onions an' some sulphur an' salt, an' set it on de fire in de stove, an' jes' de scent - de incense go through de house- round about. An' read a cer- tain Scripture. Ah don't know whut it is, now, in de Bible. An' dat'll bring yo' luck.
(Luck to the house?)
Yes sir. Dat's good, too. Mah auntie does dat all de time.
Entry 12766
Roots 3: devil's-shoestring, bitter apple, John de Conkah - mix with 4 substances: black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt and sulphur: then name it, sweep it, and man'll leave.
Entry 12933
If she's got his shoes, she'll git de inside of dat lining in dere [insole] dat he wear next to his feet. She will git dat, an' if she kin git 'at, she kin take 'at an' put some - git some brimstone an' sulphur. Put dat in a piece of rag or some tissue paper first. Wrap dis up in tissue paper, but urap coming to her, see. Wrap coming to her. Dis same thing, if she take it an' put it in under her bed, yo' understand, an leave it dere fo' nine sornings under her bed or - don't put it under her haid because dat would take as much effect on her haid as it would his'n. Put it about de middle of her bed [center of bed makes this a quincunx rite] about where her body rests, yo' kmoa, fo' 9 consecutive [days]. An' 'fore dat time, dey say dat he will be just back to her or goin' crazy fo' to git back to her. (After she wraps that material up in the tissue paper, what does she do with that shoe sole?) [My words shoe sole here confuses informant, we had been talk- ing about the inner lin- ing. Another rite for the same purpose now be- gins.l Dat shoe sole, after she fix dat up, put it in some red pepper now, an' brimstone, yeah. It's red pepper an' oil of rose, yeah. Yo' git dat in de drug store. [No- tice: red pepper in the drug store.] Oil of rose, wrap dat up. Course dat's liquid but chew wrap dat together an' dat sulphur will 'solve an' come to be a cake sompin like a flour dough, yo' know. Yo' understan' whut ah mean. Yo' wrap dat together an' bury it. Bury dat at her doorsteps - at her doorsteps. An' at de same time she wanta git her whut chew call a horseshoe an' fix it up. Put dat horseshoe de way it's coming in, not de way it's goin' out - de way it's coming in. An' let it stay dere, an' don't nevah take it down. Nine mornings let it stay dere an' aftah de 9 mornings, during 9 mornings, she must make her urinate 9 mornings. Yo' understand whut ah mean. But fo'evah leave dat horse- shoe dere. When he comes back she will leave de horseshoe dere contin[ual]ly, an' use dat chamber lye fo' 9 mornings right on. Keep a using it until dat head is on dat. Ah'm working on de hair proposition, yo' hair dat chew asked me about.
Entry 12936
Dey burn de left-footed shoe an' dat will bring luck.
(Where do you burn it - at any particular place or time?)
Burn it in dere home - in dere rooms dat chew want de luck to come into.
(Just the shoe alone?)
Well, nope, some people use a - peels off an onion an' a little sulphur. Yo' burn it inside de shoe, yo' know.
Entry 13397
Pour urine, salt, red pepper and sulphur at door to protect against evil and spirits. [Washington, D. C. 208:5.]
Entry 61
Fer protection from a root doctor - yo' already got dat, ain't cha? Dey cain't do nuthin', ah'm telling yo' now, if you keep it on; but chew gotta keep it on yo'. After ah got hurt, ah learnt - see, it come to me through de spirits to do it. You take yo' - dey kin put down anything dey wanta and you kin walk over it and it won't hurt see. You go to de drug store and git chew a nickel's worth of saltpeter and a nickel worth of bluestone and you take them two things. Don't put all it together. Take jest a little pinch of it, take it on a knife, and every time you pick it up say, "In de Name of de Father, Name of de Son, Name of de Holy Ghost."
(Each time you take a pinch on a knife, you say that.)
A pinch on a knife, say it on each one. All right, yo' take yo' some sulphur, take three pinches of that, "In the Name of the Father, Name of the Son, Name of the Holy Ghost." All right, that's three of 'em together - that's sulphur, blue- stone and saltpeter. All right, yo' take dat table salt de same way - you take dat sugar de same way. And then jest take and break yo' three match haids off and name dem de same way, "In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." Sew it up in a little rag, jest a little small thing, and tie it around yore waist [this is a hand] and you kin step over anything, dey can't do nuthin' - dey kin touch chew but dey ain't goin' do nuthin' to yo', dey ain't goin' do nuthin'.
Entry 101
De lady next do' tuh me - it's some kin'a man dat curses her, it's a evil spirit, an' wherever she goes he's always using bad language tuh her an' saying things to her, putting all kind of things into her head. She went to someone an' they told her that it's a evil spirit that someone had worked on her, an' she asked him if he could cure it an' he tole her, yes. Well, he went in de house an' he asked her fo' some salt, an' she gave him some salt an' she gave him some sulphur an' two drops of hearts coZogne. Well, he put that in thar an' he tole her to put it in de corner an' every night say some kin'a word over that stuff. An' so she tole me last night at mah home that she was gittin' rid of it - said she jes' kin hear him now whisperin', and she said the man tole her that in a few days she wouldn't hear him at all.
(She can't see this man at all?)
She can't see him but she kin hear him.
(Well, what - just what do they think this thing is that is bothering.her?)
Dey think it's a evil spirit that someone got from de graveyard.
reported nightly unspecified words over a corner preparation. Nested neighbor and practitioner report, not firsthand performance or direct formula quotation. reported instruction to speak unspecified words over the mixture. Unknown words and nested report remain; no invented quotation or observed efficacy. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 196
[Many examples of the most powerful of spirits, the spirit of the dead, have been given. Very potent also are spirits dwelling at or called to where two or more roads meet.] De crossin' of de road is called cross-spirit [only use of this term], an' dey goes dere, if dey think dat yo' is doin' good or goin' at anything good - dis evil-minded somebody will go dere to cross yo'. Den dey has a certain thing dey put in dere. Dey dig a hole yo' know - jes' a ord'n'ry little hole an' drop it.
(What do they put in that hole?)
Dey tells me dat dey drops cayenne peppah - whut's dat othah thing - cayenne peppah an' sulphah an' garlic, yes. It's jes' a ord'n'ry hole dat chew dig wit chure fingah an' cover it ovah quick.
(What else do you do out there? What is that supposed to do?)
Den dey has some dis same wicked graveyard dirt [dirt from a wicked person's grave] wit 'em an' leave dat evil spirit dere tuh cross yo'.
reported small finger-dug crossroads hole. The recipe is introduced as Dey tells me; no firsthand ritual performance, efficacy or inferred shovel/depth. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 523
Dat sulphur, yo' take dat sulphur an' sprinkle it round yore house - jes' lak yo' got a room an' somepin worryin' yo' in dere, yo' know, yo' take sulphur an' sprinkle it all round in yore room. An' it won't worry yo' any mo'.
(That was a hag?)
Supposes tuh be a hag. Some folks say it a hag an' some folks say it's yore blood, because ah've been lak dat. Dey ride me in de night.
(What do they say they do to get rid of them?)
Well, some folks say yo' kin put a broom on de bed an' some folks say yo' kin sprinkle salt ovah de bed. Some folks say yo' kin take a brand new knife an' put dat - lay dat in de bed side an' dat'll keep 'em from worryin' yo' at night. But ah re'lly didn't try none of those things.
Entry 542
Well, I know a lady one time that was sick from - ah don't know what was de cause of her sickness, but they said that they thought someone was mad at her and they claimed that the witches Was riding her. But what I was just speaking about was here in - this has been 'round about twenty-one years ago. And - oh, the witches would ride 'er nights. A witch got after her one day in the daytime and she described the lady's dress and called de lady's name, and de lady came there to de house that day. She said the man [doctor] told her that he would bring her there to her. And the lady came there and she said this lady had on a blue dress with white round the sleeves - said that she had a real fat wrist. And this lady, we children used to call her butter-wrist. She wasn't neither light nor red; she was a kind of a pumpkin color and we used to call her butter- wrist - her complextion, you know. And so she said this lady was mad with her - see, over a young man. Seems if - she had a niece that, why she had raised, and this young man you know had visited her [the niece] once or twice and he liked this other girl better than he did her, and someone had circulated the news that they were married, going to marry. And this girl [niece] got sick, and then when she began to get better, why then this witch commenced to bother her. And sometimes you could be settin' beside of her bed and you could hear just like someone came in the door, but the door would still be shut. Sometimes the door would shake and the people would say it was the wind. And then you would hear her keeping [imitating?] the noise - see if it would go away. She'd say, "That witch pest is after me," says, "there she go." And so one night we said we were going to stay there and watch - I was always like a little curiosity. So we said we were going to set up and watch for her that night. So they heard 'em say you could hang a sifter over the door, you know, or over your bed, and the witch couldn't bother you because it had to count all those holes, and before they'd get through counting those holes it would be dawn. So we hung the sifter up and then they crossed nine needles and nine pins in the back - said they would stick in her when she come down the back of the fireplace.
(Where did they cross these needles and pins?)
In the back of the fireplace - you know, the fireplace that has the little shoulders, two of them. And you cross them, you see, and they gets hot. And they took a horseshoe and hung up over the door [demonstrates] - see, that will keep evil ones out.
(They hung it with the open part up - I see.)
Yes - see they hangs this horseshoe with the open part up. Say, long as that horseshoe up over the door with the open part up - and we'd taken and got us a box of new cayenne pepper and a box of salt and a box of sulphur, and we mixed that together and put some of that in a thin bag or a piece like mosquito lawn, so it would just set right down over the door, and anyone come in, see, opening the screen door, why that would touch it, you see. Well, they say a witch, you know, doesn't have any skin on, you see, and if that salt and pepper gets on 'em, you see, that will hurt them. And so then we all goes in de room and lays down and we leaves de door open a crack so we could watch her bed, and so we fixes de light out there in her room. And so we takes some Sunday School books - a man told us to take some Sunday School books and Bibles and turn to a certain chapter in de Bible, but have de whole nine chapters - books of de same chapter and lays 'em open - said, and she would come and we could see her in person. Said the person -
(They used nine books?)
Uh-huh - there wouldn't be any way fer her to get on de bed.
(Nine books of what - nine different Bibles?)
Nine Bibles, all the same chapters - see, use those Sunday School books or whatever books you can; little Bible stories that have the same chapter, just like the 15th Chapter of John, you see, or the Psalms. Well, you see, we had difficulty in getting nine Bibles and they used Sunday School books with them. And you take those Sunday School books, and you just lie them down, you see, on de side of de bed and one to the head of de bed and one to de foot and then she takes the Bible, you see, and lies that right 'cross her breast. [Nine Bibles should be used - three on each side of the bed, one at head and foot of bed, and one on the breast; the latter must be a Bible. These nine books are unevenly, odd-numberly placed.] And so, we hadn't just finished fixing that and been in the room more than thirty-five minutes before she says, "Here she is" - says, "here's Miz So-and- So" - says, "here's Miz So-and-So." She said that she made a shadow between her and de light. She says, "Hurry up - she's done blowed out dat light - hurry up and come on out with a lamp - she's done gone and blowed out de light." The lady [aunt] she says, "No, she ain't." "That was her shadow," says [bewitched woman], 'that's her'" - says, "that's her - the light's not out - that's her - she's in between me and the light - ah thought mah light was out." And the door shook again, but we didn't fix but one door, and then she come in the back door. There was two back doors and a shed on the house, and we didn't fix both of those back doors because it usually been the front door, see, where we come in to, the nearer the girl's bed - see, the bed was like there and we fixed the door there, but we didn't fix these two back doors. So, when she went through this door it just shook, and the back door just opened and shut, and we opened the door - opened the inside door and it looked just like looking out through her kitchen door, and it was still so just like we left it.
(Did you see anything at all?)
No, we didn't see anything, but she seen it.
Entry 568
Well, mah husband was runnin' with a woman an' ah didn't know about it. He came - he was in this city an' he came to mah home where he married me an' he brought me ovah heah, an' he moved me not far from dis woman, an' at de time she knew of her affair between he an' her, an' ah didn't. Well, she begin tuh git friendly with me, bringing me diff'rent things to eat, an' a lady tole me that ah stood in danger, an' ah asked what did she mean. She said, "Why dat woman likes yore husband - been liking him fo' about ten-'leven years." An' so ah begin to watch around an' I find out. So pretty soon she begin to work some kind evil spirit in mah home an' ah notice on certain moons mah husband would be very cruel to me an' mah baby. An' so his treatment to me was so cruel tull [till] it arouse mah mother in Bay City, Florida - forty-nine miles below Tampa, an' she begin to have bad dreams about me. She had a dream about me that night that mah brother came to her an' said, "Mother," said, "whut kinda casket [coffin] do yo' want us tuh buy for Janey May." An' she said, "Well, ah want chew to git a brown casket." Well, he goes downtown an' couldn't find one so he comes back an' tells her that he couldn't find a brown one but that he has a gray one. She said, "Ah don't like the gray. So, in her dream she woke up and she sent mah two sisters over here to see whut was wrong with me. So they came over here an' they said, "Mama had bad dreams about chew so we came to see about cha" - to see whut was wrong with me. So they talked with me and they said, "Something's wrong between yo' an' yore husband," said, "yo' better go see someone." So ah came up de way heah on Ninth avenue to Mr. Singleton which is a palmist. He read mah palm an' he tole me that mah husband was vitchcrafted an' de woman did it because she wanted him tuh be cruel to me - he would treat me so mean so ah would leave him. So fin'lly ah left him an' went home - ah vowed ah wouldn't come back tuh him. Ah talked with him to go to Tampa, so he went to Tampa an' the lady tole him the same thing, an' tole him that the stuff was buried under the steps. She tole me to watch close and ah would ketch dis woman because all vitchcraft is usually done at twelve 'clock in de night. An' so ah asked her if ah could dig fo' it. She said if ah would dig fo' it ah wouldn't find it [i!l], but the best thing to do was to go round an' round de house with salt and sulphur. So when ah came back from Tampa that Sunday afternoon ah went round an' round de house with sulphur an' salt. An' so 'bout twelve 'clock dat night mah step-daughter was comin' from de picture show - it was 'xactly twelve an' dis woman was down on her knees in my yard digging holes. Well, mah step-daughter ran ahead and tole me, "Dis ole woman is out heah in de yard digging holes," so ah got up an' run to de do', an' she had run. Well, ah come back to Mr. Singleton, an' ah asked him, ah said, "What was de trouble - what was dat woman out dere fo'?" He say, "She's burying something to make yo' git along bad." An' ah asked him if he could dig it up an' he said, "Yes." An' ah asked him tuh please dig it up. He went out an' he dug up a little hearts cologne bottle - de bottle had a little junk in it - an' he said, "Dis stuff in heah raises lotsa cain." An' ah said, "What do yo' mean by cain?" He said, "Well, it makes yore husband be very cruel to yo' - he loves yuh but he can't treat chew nice because she's got him goin' that way so yo' kin leave him." Ah say, "Well, ah'll not leave him." I says, "If she kin spend her three an' fo' dollars to make him quit me, ah'm goin' tuh spend mine to show her that she can't git him." Ah said, "If she'd come an' ask me fo' him, maybe ah'd give him to her, but if she gon'a work some kinda dirty plan like dat to get 'im, ah'll live tuh see the grass grow on her grave." So, fin'lly, it kept on an' on tull dey tole me ah would have tuh move outa de house ah was in because it was so badly dressed, it would take at least $75 to fix it up so we'd have peace in it. So ah moved in another house an' she fin'lly tricked that one. So ah wrote a letter tuh de Unity School an they wrote me back and tole me -
(Where was this school?)
It's in Kansas City, Missouri. An' so they wrote me back and tole me that they were praying fo' me and that they were very sorry I was havin' such luck. So ah prayed on an' read the 35th Psalm, see, as ah was tole to do, an' ah read it fo' nine mornings. An' so de lady tole me, said, "Yo' continue on tuh read this, that God's will will be done to the person who did yo' this way." So fin'lly, ah kept readin' an' readin', an' readin', an' readin', an' so ah said, "Lawd, look lak yo' will ain't nevah goin' be done" - ah say that in mah mind. So on de last day in May, which is the 30th day of - Decoration Day in May, she got drownded. An' so all de people came around an' said, "Maybe yo'll have peace." Ah said, "Maybe ah'll have peace, after she's gone maybe ah'll have peace." So then, the man tole me about two weeks ago, says, "She's dead, but dat [her] stuff is still livin'." An' ah tole him, ah say, "Ah don't believe yo' kin kill it," I said, "because they usually say when a person dies an' leave that kinda stuff, well, yo' can't git it off." He said, "Well, ah kin take it off," said, "but ah'll have tuh do it dis way," said, "ah'll have to leave it at de [her] grave." He say, "Usually when a person do anything to yo' and they daid," say, "yo' have to take it off an' leave it at de grave," he said, "but if the person livin', why, yo' don't have that to do." He said, "But chure trouble, it has tuh be took off an' left at the grave," he say, "an' ah'll have to go in de grave fo' yo' round fo' 'clock in de morning." An' ah tole him, ah said, "Won't chew be 'fraid tuh go in there?" He said, "No," say, "ah went to the grave on many mornings." He said, "That's mostly how ah ketch people." He said, "Usu'lly, yo' write a letter to a daid person an' take three cents an' lay it on de letter an' when yo' go to de grave- yard, yo' jes' dig a little hole an' stick it in there," said, "when yo' go home yo'll have a dream jes' what plan to do. An' ah asked him how did he know, an' he said he had experience with that, that's how he got so much money for that. So, well, we discussed a lotta things an' he tole me, he said, he wanted me to have some hog husk an' things ready fo' him Tuesday afternoon.
(What?)
Hog husks [tusks]. So we discussed things on an' he tole me, he said, "Yo' husband has lotsa enemies 'cause he's a older man than yo' an' yo's a younger woman than him," an' said, "lotsa men envy him of yo'," an' he said, "ah'm goin' fix him an' put him on his feet but de one thing ah want him tuh do is tuh git me nine hog husks." An' say, "Ah'm gon'a take dem nine hog husks, an' ah'm gon'a git a dime worth of herts perfume an' ah'm gon'a put this dime into some kind of eskit [this is the word = essence? = greasing dime] an' ah want chew tuh swallow it." [See Dime, swallowing, in Index.] He said, "Ah want that dime to remain in yo' body 'leven days."
(How many?)
"Leven. An' he said, "When ah return on de 'leven day," he say, "ah'll remove that dime from yore body." An' he say, "Then ah'll take those hog's husks an' ah'll grind 'em an' ah'll put some mah strong stuff with it." He said, "Then ah want chew to roll it into a cigarette an' smoke it fo' nine mornings, an' each time yo' smoke that cigarette," say, "yo' say these words, say, "let chure work be done Lawd, ' say, "let this bad luck and the evil spell go away an' let me be lak ah once was.'" He said, "Say that fo' nine days," say, "ah'm quite sure that yo' will be on yore feet again." Ah said, "Well, what about dis evil spirit that's bothering me?" He say, "It will even do away with the evil spirit," an' he say, "there's one scripture in de Bible that ah want tell yo' tuh read when ah come back." Say, "Ah want chew tuh read it fo' nine mornings an' ah'm quite sure yo'll be on yore feet."
(Well, what happened then?)
Well, he hasn't come yet - he'll be in Tuesday.
(He hasn't told you what to do yet?)
He hasn't tole me yet. (Well, now, when you get to the end of the story, you come around and tell me again, will you - tell me what he does.) Yes sir.
Entry 590
Yeah, you kin git a piece of lodestone and you kin go to de drug store and git you some turpentine - not de one you drink. You know some turpentine you gits you kin drink it - put on sugar or something like dat and take it, but chew don't git dat kind. You git de kind you can't - you see, you rub wit it but you can't drink it. Well, you kin take dat and if anybody tryin' to do you anything you know, you take dat and sulphur and burn it and dey couldn't do you nothing - dey couldn't stand you, dey wouldn't have nothing to do with you.
(What do you do with that lodestone?)
Well, dat lodestone, it just let you know when anything critical or wrong - you see, it just keep movin'.
(What do you mean?)
Oh, well, dat turpentine - you keep dat lodestone and den at times you jes' take dat turpentine and wet it [lodestone], chew know. And den jes' like if anybody's tryin' to do anything to you or putting down anything for yuh - well, dat lodestone, it would move, you know. You could feel it movin' in yo' pocket or somepin like dat and then you kin jus' rub yourself jest all over, you know, with dat turpentine and just burn it with sulphur an' old shoe, and that will kill that whatsomever it is.
Entry 615
Like sometimes you have a sore on your foot and it's hard to cure up, or you feet swells, give you a lot of trouble and painful. Then you take this bluestone...you boil this silver money in this water and if it jingles [to tell whether you have been conjuredl why then you mix this bluestone in that and then mix this sulphur. You take silver-water like that, they call it, then sulphur - you mix this sulphur with it and make a paste like, or you kin jest use it to soak your feet in and then bake 'em in de fire. You soak 'em for nine days or nine nights, then bake your feet by the open fire. You see, from the heat, and that draws out, they say, the poison. It's something like, they say, they dressed somepin they stepped on or dressed your shoes or dressed your stockings. And when that poison comes out it'll leave little white speck like places in your flesh. That's like if somepin you've powdered they've brushed on you or you've stepped over.
Entry 638
Graveyard dirt kin be used in many different things. It kin be used in love cases. Well, graveyard dust, if yo' wanta use fo' protection in love cases, yo' use it wit de wonderful water.
(What is the wonderful water?)
It's got from a spring runnin' dead no'th, a spring runnin' no'th - lak dis Way, de stream dis-a-way an' de spring heah runnin' no'th. (You get this wonder water and you get this graveyard dirt. How do you prepare this thing now?) Well now, we'll come on down an' prepare it fo' yo'. Yo' git the stream runnin' no'th - de spring is ovah on whut ah would call de south side of a stream runnin' dead no'th. Be sure dat chew find a spring wit de stream runnin' no'th. Well, we takes our graveyard dust an' we gits it in a clear bottle den wit a stopper to it dat we kin stop up, an' we goes an' puts some of de dirt in de bottle an' we gits our spring wit de watah runnin' no'th - we gits dat an' put it in dere. Den when we's goin' pull a deal of any kind, we sits our bottle with this heah graveyard dust in it. Well, quite natch'l, de dust will settle to de bottom of anything. Whatevah we gits our mind on, what de object we got befo' us - whatevah it may be, whether we make good or whether we lose out. Well, we handle dis bottle - we sets it on de table so de top of it will come clear. Yo' know spring watah is clear as a crystal, an' since [if] it clear as a crystal, why we knows everything whatevah we goin' do, we know we'll put it through. We put it ovah whatsomevah it may be. Well, den, if it's not dat way clear, it not fo' our luck tuh change right at dat time, dis heah graveyard dust will come up dere an' cloudy dat water jes' lak a cloudy day - change - de skies will change. It will change within de period of fifteen minutes. It will come on up an' cloudy dat water so yo' can't be sure atall. Den we jes' keep it dere, an' whenevah we goin' tuh do anything - in love cases or whatevah we may do, we goes an' git our bottle an' set it on de table in a quiet place. It's a great magic watah - it's a magic gift. Den we use dat tuh conquer spirits, yo' see, for sech things as whut dey call hants. We use dis heah spring watah wit de graveyard dust in it.
(How would you conquer a hant in that case?)
Well, if we conquer a hant in dat case, we put a little add into dat watah - we add somepin to dat watah, we'd add sulphur. We'd add burnt sulphur, we'd burn it - we'd burn it on de watah, somepin tuh form a little clond on de watah. Den we go up on dere an' git de cloud off an' put de cloud in dere on top of dat. Dat give us mo' force to conquer de spirit - we'd keep spirits away from anything we'd go tuh do. How to make a man come back. Yo'd have tuh use dis same watah in a case lak dat - it's a mind drawin' thing: First, yo' gotta git chure mind on whatevah object yo goin' tuh undertake tuh do. An' aftah we git our mind pin on dis heah, then we sits de watah befo' us an' we looks at de watah. We naturally sits dere an' looks - sometimes it takes us hours, until we kin git contact with the party whosomevah dey may be. They mind an' mah mind contact wit each othah, an' den he'll come tuh me, at de same time whether dey wants me or not. Den if ah want tuh draw 'em back, ah'll turn de watah, ah'll git de square bottle - see, ah'll turn de square side to me, an' ah'll give dem three days tuh roll in. Dey come back an' dey send fo' me. De same watah draw 'em back - draws through de mind, yore mind an' dis othah party's mind would come in contact together an' why, quite natch'ly, yo'll see 'em in three days aftah that. That is, if yo' stay on it dat long.
Entry 705
Yo' take graveyard dirt - go git de dirt off a sinner's grave an' git it right off his heart lak dat, an' take red peppah an' sulphah an' bread salt, an' put all those togethah an' sew that up into red flannel an' lay it away in de yard, in de east corner of de yard. [This is a hand.] Dat will do de work fo' dat. Dat will kill 'em or run 'em away, either one. Or dey kin take, if yo' hurt, an' dat.will cure it. Take that an' make a tea out of it an' let 'em drink that, an' that will cure 'em. (Anybody that has been tricked, you mean - cunjured? You take all this and make a tea out of it? You take the graveyard dirt - everything?) Yes, make a tea of it. If yo' got things in yore well, that will kill 'em.
(You use that to kill live things in the water in the well?)
Yes, jes' lak dey wus in mah well. Ah come home back to mah house. An' mah well, I jes' had it clean out an' dere wus Wigglers [in it again]. Ever' wiggler dere wus dat long - big as mah fingah an' jes' as thick in de watah, jes' as thick as dey could be. Yo' could heah 'em poppin' jes' lak dat - clak-clak. An yo' couldn't even see 'em. An' dat wus tuh kill me.
(Someone put them in there?)
Yeah, a doctor put 'em in dere tuh kill me.
(Did he put the live ones in?)
Yeah, he put 'em in dere an' dey come alive. He put de dust in dere an' dey come alive. But ah have sense enough to know how tuh kill dem.
(What did you do?)
Ah went an' got dat same dust whut yo' heah me talkin' 'bout from de graveyard offen a sinner's grave. An' ah come back dere an' ah put dat sulphah an' dat red peppah togethah an' tied it up in a new piece of cloth an' ah dropped it down in de bottom of dat well. Dey wus daid in two hours.
(That killed them out?)
Yeah, dat killed 'em.
Entry 735
A man dat workin' cunjures an' things lak dat, up in mah country, dey take an' go an' git some peppah, sulphur, salt, an' goes in de woods an'gits a root dey calls de Friendly John - ah knows it, Friendly John. Yo' go in de woods - it grows on a ridge on a hill.- Yo' go git dat Friendly John an' break yo' off about six limbs of it. Make no diff'rence if yo' git de root of it or not - break off, git de limbs of it an' break off six of 'em an' mix 'em together an' carry dem in yore pockets or anything lak dat. An' yo' kin put some of that devil's-shoestring with that, if yo' want to, an' yo'll go fo' twelve months lak dat an' yo' kin jes' go ahead an' tear down anywhere yo' want to - yo' got a arm, whut chew call a goofer bag or a hand. Yo' got a strong one, yo' understand. Ah bought one one time.
(If you want to do any cunjuring work, that's strong?)
Dat's strong.
Entry 764
Den if you wanta turn anybody around, keep 'em from coming in yore premises any way, take in de road an' makes a round ring like a wheel an' cross it; make two crosses in it like a wheel - dat make like a spoke in de wheel, an' take yo' some salt an' sulphah an' put in each one of dem places, each one of dem places where hit in de round of de wheel. Yo' see, jes' drop a little piece in each wheel - dat be about fo' places in de wheel yo' have [only one cross made in circle], an' dat will turn'em round, yo' see.
Entry 780
Well, you see, mah husband, he wus a kinda like dis he wus jealous of me; and he wanted to run aroun' hisself, but always, if I even smiled at a man, he wanted to 'cuse me out wid dat man. And so he come to me and he'd beat me and he'd abuse me, he wouldn't - it seemed like he jis' didn't care. I tole 'im I was gon'a leave 'im and I mean' it. And he saw me talkin' to a fortune-teller man dat come to de house one day, and he sayed, "Whu' yah doin', gittin' yore fortune told?" I say, "No," I say, "he jis' come dere and wanted money for him to tell my fortune," I sayed, 'but I didn't," I sayed, '''cause I didn't have de money." I jis' tole 'im dat. So - and it went on like dat, he kept seein' de man dere. But one day he had a talk with de man. So de fortune-teller man, he would tell 'im whut he wanted to know and tell me de same t'ing: He seem to tell Bernice about me and tell me about Bernice; see, jis' breakin' peace.
(Just working one against the other.)
Yes sir. He wouldn't care, jis' so he gittin' de money - he wouldn't care. He'd tell on you jis' as quick as he would on me, and he'd tell you about me as quick as he would tell me about choo. And he tole me dat de best t ing for me to do - he said, to put a little salt and sulphah in mah shoe, and to get away from Bernice as quick as I could. And he tole Bernice sumepin 'nother. But anyhow, Bernice startin' gittin' meaner and meaner. And he must of tole 'im sumepin 'nother to do to make me stay wit 'im, aftah he saw I wus gon'a leave 'im, becuz one day he came home he gave me a quarter - I tole 'im I wanted to go to a show. He say, "Well, '' he say, "take dat, a nickel of it and git me a box of powdered sage." Dat's whut he tole me to do. And I thought it was sumepin mighty funny, becuz he had never ast de sage befo'. So when de fortune-teller man come back I tole 'im. And he say, "Joo git dis sage," he sayed, "but don' choo give it to 'im." And he said to take dis sage and a raw sweet patatah. He sayed, "Cut de sweet patatah in half and scrape some out of both sides de sweet patatah and put it on a little piece of papah, and put a pinch of dis sage in dere and a pinch of sulphah, and wrap it up and put it in de middle of your shoe, on both of 'em." I cut de patatah in half, den de piece heah, I scrape it and put it [the scrapings] in a piece of papah, den I puts some sulphah in dere and some sage, and I fold dat up and put it in one shoe; while off de othah side of de patatah, I do de same t'ing and put it in mah othah shoe. And I did dat.
(What did you do to the sweet potato?)
You throw it away. You mustn't eat any of it or nothin'. You have to bury it or eithah throw it away where nobody can find it. And so I did dat. And Bernice ast me did I get de sage. I say, "No," I say, ''and that isn't all," I say, "I'm not gon'a get it," I say, "becuz you're not gon'a be able to fix me," I say, "if I can help it." He sayes, "Huh, I wasn't gon'a fix yah." And so dat night I picked 'im.
(Started a quarrel with him.)
When he came home I picked 'im. I sayed, "Bernice, you played up nice to me," so he would tell me, becuz I know if I picked 'im I could git anyt'ing I wanted out of 'im. And he tole me. He sayed dat de man tole 'im to git some of mah hair and some sage and some sulphah and some dirt out de graveyard, and mix all of it up in a box, he sayed, and carry dat in his pocket and dat would make me stay wit 'im; you see, cuz he'd have some of my hair and some dirt from de grave- yard and a piece of lodestone. He tole 'im to git 'im a little tiny piece of lodestone and - lodestone is suppose to draw yeh - he say dat would make me stay wit 'im, jes' draw me to 'im. He wouldn't tell me who tole 'im dough [though]. And I tole de man [fortune-teller] about it and he played like he didn't know nuthin' about it. Well, he tole me to take some of mah hair, and take some dirt out of Bernice's tracks, out of both of his tracks, and put 'em in a can, and some sulphah and some sage, he sayed, and to keep dat with me. And he tole me to take some salt and sprinkle it all aroun' mah baid and put some in mah shoe and keep it in mah shoe. And I did dat and I certainly have got along good since I've been doin' dat.
(How long ago did this happen?)
Jis' about two months ago [December 1936].
(Are you still with your husband?)
No, sir.
(You were able to get away from him?)
Yes, sir. And another thing. He tole me dat if I didn't make mah get-a-way from Bernice - he tole me dis on a Sunday night - he tole me if I didn't make mah get-a-way from Bernice by Wednesday, he sayed dat Bernice wus gon'a kill me. And he saw Bernice right up de street dat same Sunday night and tole Bernice dat I wus gon'a leave 'im by Wednesday. And Bernice came right on back and tole me. He sayes, "Make your break Wednesday night if you wanna," he say, "I'll see yah in hell first." Dat's whut he tole me. And so dat Monday I lef' while Bernice was workin'. I lef' becuz I know dat all dat Wednesday he would be watchin'. And he kep' comin' back by de house, even on Monday, to see was I goin', but I managed to slip away. I haven't been back wit 'im since.
(Did he come after you, after you left?)
Oh, yes sir. He tried his best to get me to go back but I'm not. And I wear salt in mah shoe now to keep 'im from harmin' me. [The informant, a girl about 18, had just related the childhood experience given elsewhere.]
Entry 818
[Power for good or evil comes from many sources - actually, from one's desire or intention:] Well, it wus a little woman, her husband died an' leave two chil'run, a settle woman, light [complexion], an' it wus a bright-skin man, a settle man. He wus much older then she wus dough [though]. He wus single. He had liked this woman, had loved her an' wanted to marry this woman. An' another woman had love him, see, but he didn't care nuttin fer her. Well, he would buy her ev'ry kin' of thing ev'ry kin' of - nice things you know to bring this woman. He carries her candy, milk, ham an' all kin' of things to bring this woman, but she never would eat it when he'd bring it. She would take it out an' bury it. She wouldn't eat it. An' he kep' bringin' her some of his - he'd bring cloth an' all like dat. Well, she wouldn't use it. So he - fin'lly he couldn't git her that way, he came to see her one day, an' fin'lly he wed her anyhow by chewin' some chewin-gum, somepin like chewin'-gum, an' she inhaled it, choo know.
(What did he put on that?)
I don't know, sir, whut he put on it. An' he would use a white han'kerchif - you see, throw it aroun' like this [demonstrates], zhoo know, whenever he'd come to see her. [The Waving or manipulating of a white perfumed handkerchief appears to have been a fad at one time.] He'd throw it aroun' an' fin'lly she jis' went crazy about him, you see, an' she married dis man. But de other woman had loved 'im an' this other woman wus jealous of her an' this man. An' one day she came to her house an' the way she came she had to come through the back doah, an' she [wife] wus in de house. As she came along she drop some dirt down by de table.
(What sort of dirt did she drop?)
Some kin' of grey-lookin' san'" - where she always stan', you know, washin' dishes. An' she said, "Hey." She didn't hear her because she wus in de house. This wus in de country. She didn't hear her because she was inside de house. She said, "Where are you?" She said, "Here I am." She said, "I thought you ought to be standin' here washin' dishes." She say, "No, here I am in de house today." She she went in an' done dropped dis in there in the kitchen as she was passin'. An' they went on in there wit de talkin'. She said, "Well, now, Louise, I got'a get up an' fix dinnah, '' she say, "he'll be here directly for his dinnah." An' she went on back in the kitchen, went to stirrin' aroun' the table, you know, built a fire in de stove an' messin' aroun' de table an' things like that. An' all at once a pain struck her in the bottom of her foot an' then her foot went right on up to her stomach an' her stomach began to hurt an' she said, "oh," she said, "you know my feet hurt!" An' the other woman said, "Yes?" She said, "Whut's de matter with you?" She say, I don't know." She had jes' stepped on this san' an' it went all on de bottom of her foot, but she didn't see it, you see, an' this woman knowed she had put it there. An' she say, "You know, I got a pain down in this toe." It looked like it would come in spells, you know. It would lay off awhile an' come back again. An' she kep' on like that, didn't pay it no min', didn't thought it 'mount to nuthin. Fin'lly the woman kep' on worryin' her - this other woman went on back home. An' she got bad off, real sick, an' they called de doctor an' tried ev'rything they could an' didn't seem to do her no good. An' one woman come there, she say, "You know one thing, I believe you's hurt." She said, "You reckon?" She said, "Yeh, I believe you's hurt." She said, "Well, I don't know how it works but I seen people hurt an' dat's de way it worked - come in spells like dat." An' sure enough, she say that why she couldn't make a pass - couldn't have a action. An' so she tole her about a root man. They took her in de buggy an' carried her - I don't know where he lived - an' this man fixed her up. She said the man said, "This a simple thing." He worked through the spirit, with the Lord, you know. He reads the Bible an' all. Before time she walked in the house he could tell her - he commence to tellin' her whut she come for an' tell her she wus hurt. An' he gave her some plain aloes - this bitter medicine, this black aloes with whiskey on it an' tell her take a teaspoonful of that ev'ry four hour. An' he give her a box of sulphur an' tell her take a pinch of that sulphur whenever she take this aloes. So she did that an' fin'lly she begin to have a action an' you know her bowels begin to hurt an' she pass. A snake come from her. The snake had a head on both end. Den a scorpren [scorpion] at de next time. Well, she said she continued takin' that. After that passed she begin to get all right. She had to pay fifty-five dollah.
Entry 894
A girl named Clara B., she was goin' with a boy named Johnnie, and de girl dat Johnnie used to go with got mad with Johnnie and she got some kind of a dust like, it seemed like it was some sawdust like, and she took it and put it in Johnnie's clothes. And when Johnnie put on his clothes, his moudt turnt from here all away roun' to there, turnt way roun' here, Just as if somebody would take your moudt and turn it around just like dat [demonstrates]. And Clara took him in Kinston [North Carolina], and de man told him to take some sulphur and jist dust hisself all over in de sulphur, and take his clothes and burn 'em up. He'd have to burn all his clothes what he wore up since de time he started goin' with Clara, and he'd have to wear new clothes. And he told him to take some of this same sulphur of what he dusted himself wid and put it roun' her door and roun' her gate, and put nina grains of corn dere. And it turnt right back on de girl [and her mouth became awry]. [Wilmington, N. Car., (267), 263:1; in Wilmington,1932; for more antisepis, see whisk broom, p.10.]
Entry 895
She kin bring dis man back. She kin take some sulphur, she kin take three ounce of potash, an' den she kin take some salt - about a teaspoonful of table salt - an' put all dat together. Why, ah seen dat done. Ah seen de lady when she was mixing it up - see, cause she was calling herself learning me. She takes dis stuff an' she goes out an' she make a oath - cuss, see. Ah say, "Why yo' do dat?" She say, she's dumping all de hard-luck spirits away from her, see, an' gittin' things out de way. An' sure 'nuff shortly after den - about a week or somepin like dat - de man appeared. See.
(What did she do with this stuff then?)
She took this stuff an' buried it under her do'step. See.
(Bring this man back.)
Yassuh tuh bring him back.
Entry 897
I come to tell yah a little short story that happened mah a'nt once - she was in Georgia, she in Atlanta. Mah gran'mother moved down there. An' she [the aunt] was goin' with a boy an' the boy had another girl an' this girl had hated her an' she got some of her hair an' diff'rent little other mixture - I don't know whut it was - an' sewed it up in a rag an' slide it up under her doorstep. An' she got it [the spell], an' she become sick. An' one day, it was mah gran'- mother washin', a man come over, a root worker, an' ask her did she have someone sick an' she told him yes sir, it was her daughter wus sick. He ask her let him go in there an' look at her an' he went in there an' he looked at her an' say she was in pretty bad shape - you know, she was hurt by this girl. An' he made some medicine. He put dime in some milk an' pepper an' salt - he jis' stir it aroun' an' she took it. An' he looked under de doorstep an' he got this hair an' stuff tha' wus under de doorstep sewed up in rag, an' he had to put sulphur an' stuff on it before he touched it - if he don't it would of made him sick. An' dat evenin' she was able enough to play ball wid de other children.
Entry 928
This is the real truth but I'm goin' tell you. When I was livin' in Florida, it's been eight chears ago [1929] I was goin' with a man. You see there's another ole woman wanted to go with the same man. An' I was workin' out but she weren't. An' I'd go to my work in the mornin' - I knew she wanted to go with him a long time before she did this - an' I would go to work ev'ry mornin' an' I always git back home in time for five o'clock. So she lived out in the country an' I lived kin'a in town. So she came in town one day: The train comes in there at Jl:30, see. An' I was workin' but I went home that afternoon about five o'clock an', as a general thing, I went an' I put my right foot upon the steps first [for luck], you see, an' after I got in the house I went on in the house an' put down my packages you know, then I begin to feel sick, an' I begin to spit foam an' white spit, an' it jis' went all over, you see, an' I set there an' I say, "I wonder what's the matter with me." An' I had a brother-in-law there an' he says, "Sister, wha' choo been eatin'?" I said, "Not a thing. I haven't even eaten any dinner [noonday meal]." So he come in there to see if there's nothin' wrong. I kep' a-spittin' that foam an' spit you see. I say, "I believe I'll lie down but first I'm goin' have a drink of water." Then I went an' lied down an' when I lied down the more that foam an' spit would come out of my mouth an' I'd have to spit. So I got up an' I said, "Bert, I feel like I have to leave you." I went to go down de front steps back out to go roun' the house [to the toliet] an' I jis' tumble - jis' my head was jis' [demonstrates] goin' over and over like that. I sort'a had to hold it up you know to keep from fallin'. An' I [came back and] went on into the house an' there wouldn't be a thing but that foam an' spit. So he went an' got a doctor - he got a medical doctor, see. The doctor come. He says, "Why, what's the matter with you - what choo been eatin'?" I said, "Nothin'." He thought - he sayed it might'a been a kin'a indigestion. I said, "I haven't eaten anything." So he give me some medicine; he give me some black froth [= black draft see Index]. First, he give me a dose of Epsom salts. But it got worse. I couldn't eat an' I couldn't keep settin' up alone. So then my brother-in-law say, "Well, I'll tell you, sister," he say, "suppose we try a root doctor." I said, "Well," I said, "anything you think you kin do." That was the next day. So he goes an' gits a root doctor. He's up there about East Palatka, Florida. An' so he got a man to take him up there. They got back that night. He came in an' immediately say, "This woman," he said instantly, "she's hurt." He [brother-in-law] say, "You think so?" He say, "No, I know." He sayed. "Now, let me tell you what choo do." He say, You go there an' you dig under her front steps tomorrow mornin' - the first thing.you go there an' dig." Well, I got along that night - he say, "After you git what's under them steps," he said, "then I'll tell what to do." He [brother-in-law?] went out there the next mornin' an' dug under there an' they got a pint bottle - a pint flask with corn whiskey [often means moonshine whiskey, white] in it an' that had frogs in it. He sayed there were frogs. He stayed around there till they got that bottle - had frogs in it an' lizards. Well, after they got the bottle out, then my leg would start funny - it would grab me like that, llke somepin crawlin' up my leg. It would get up almost to my knee an' then there would be a big knot, jis' like that - you could see that thing with the blood in it.
(What leg was this?)
The right one [she had stepped upon the steps with her right leg first]. Listen good. He sayed, "Now, I'm goin' tell yah what choo do." He: say, "You po' this whiskey off of 'em, you take these things an' burn 'em. He say, "Then, if you kin," says, "you try it," he say, "I know you kin becuz it's right on the railroad" - you see, down in Florida an' the train was always killin' cattle, you see - "an' you go down there an' you kill a buzzard [round the dead cattle]," he say, "it's against the law to kill [a buzzard] but if somebody killed one, you come back, you boil that buzzard, an' you give 'er a cup of that buzzard tea." Oh, it smells horrible! But I wanted to git well. An' then I would drink a cupful an' bathe that whole leg down with it choo know.
(Don't you bathe it up?)
No, he bathed down right on out de toe; told me to bathe right on out de toe. An' take that stuff after I bathed with it, you know, an' throw it north. An' then after that he sayed, "Well, I'm goin' try to cure you. I had four patients like this. They were in terrible condition." An' he did that with that buzzard water in that bucket for two or three days. Then he changed from that an' give me a pint bottle - he put sulphur in it an' whiskey, pure corn whiskey. An' I had to shake that up an' take a tablespoonful of that three times a day. Well, I got better - that spittin' up that foam an' stuff, you see. An' I felt good. Ev'ry day I'd feel all right. I'd go on with my own work till about time for that same - that train would come - the same she come on it that day at 11:30 - I begin to feel bad.
(Why did you feel bad when that train came?)
Oh, that the train she come on to put that devilment down, you see. An' ev'ry day when that ll:30 train come along I begin to feel bad an' I had to go to bed. Well, I - it was in summertime you see, an' I had to put on all the clothes an all the bedclothes they kin git an' put on me. An' the perspiration an' sweat would jis' roll off. An' when that train go back that she went [back] on at 5:30, I'd git all right. I'd git right out de bed - could git out de bed an' do my work. [For knot on head going and coming by time, see p.270.] Well, then I got well, I kep' takin' that sulphur an' whiskey what he told me. Then he fixed another dose [prescription] of red pepper and soda and vinegar in a bottle an' drinked that. He told me to take a swallah [of] dat ever' now an' then when I begin to feel bad an' boil all the water I drink. An' then he told me to lay hot poultices on that leg, an' ev'ry time it begin to pain to put that hot poultice of [corn] meal an' real hot pepper, an' they'd bind that to it. An' from then I began to feel better. [Wilmington, N. Car., (300), 225:3; at Burnell, Fla.,1934; the doctor charging $25.00.]
Entry 1055
Dey always tole me, that chew git up in the mawnin' on Friday mawnin' an' blow yore house out - whut call blowin' yore house out - git up in de mawnin an' put sulphur in dat corner, sulphur in dat corner an sulphur in de fo' corners of your house. See, dat blowin' yore house out. Take de sulphur an' put it in a little somepin an' blow it tuh death. Say dat makes yore house lucky. (They call that bZowing out your house. After they put the sulphur in the four corners?) If dey put.sulphur in de fo' corners of dey house, den dey takes somepin in dey han' an' blow it all ovah de house lak dat. Den take dat in de corners an' burn it.
(You burn that in the corners?)
Yessuh, burn dat right in de corners. See, dat blows yore house out.
Entry 1061
Take some black peppah, salt an' sulphur an' mix it together, an' if they comes about chure house to harm yo' - come in, yo' know - sprinkle it on de floor an' sweep it. An' when dey come in an' go out, sweep de whole thing out an' that will stop dem from comin' dere an' cut off dere prosperity towards hurtin' yo.
Entry 1109
If anybody puttin' things down lak dat, then yo' kin carry asafetida - yo' kin git it at de drug sto' - it'll stop all othah germs. Take this asafetida an' put it in a little bottle wit sulphur into it an' wrap it up. Say yo' kin walk ovah anything.
Entry 1137
If somebody have come to yore house an' yo' don't want them come there agin or somethin' lak that, take three straws out chure broom an' put 'em up ovah yore do' there an' name one of 'em, "Name de Father, Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Spirit," an' den yo' put a little sulphur an' salt on it an' tell it whut chew want it tuh do. Tell it, "Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, ah don't Want 'em tuh come back heah no mo', ah don't want 'em return." Let them straws stay up there an' don't take 'em down.
Entry 1218
If anybody's tryin' tuh harm yo' - 'specially if it's round yore neighborhood roun' dere - jes' git some of de graveyard dirt an' fix it up, an' fix de dauber nest an' de graveyard dirt an' de cookin' salt an' de sulphur undah de steps - or take a aig -
(What are you doing that for now?)
Put it up undah de step an' run dem away - keep dem from harmin' yo'. [For dirt dauber protection and health, see Tomb of the Babe of Bethlehem in Interview section.]
Entry 1303
Well, heahs another good one. Now, it's sech things as evil spirits. If a person luck have been taken away - now, dis is something dat most people dey don't know but it's true. If a fellah's luck have been crossed any way through de witchcraft way, it doesn't make any diff'rent if he's sick or a spell's been cast on him. Yo' kin take a simple thing which is gourd. Yo' take dat gourd an' yo' break it up an' put it into a pot containing saltpeter, sulphur an' salt - cooking salt an' yo' boil dat good. Then yo' take a bath with that. The person take a bath with it but dey don't bathe up - dey bathe down, see. An' after he finish dat, den he takes it to de rivah an' he throw it near de middle of de channel in a running stream of watah, an' dat relieve dat person of dat spell, whatsomevah that may be - crossing of luck or anything, sickness or anything.
Entry 1409
If anyone poison yo', yo' take de frog an' kill de frog, or either yo' kin, if yo' got nerve enough to gut him 'live, jes' take all his guts out an' cut both side of him off - all dis flesh an' stuff off. Jest leave his back an' his hind leg an' his front one an' his head - jes' cut his belly off an' put it into dis bottle wit vinegar, red vinegar, an' after yo' put it in dere, yo' put some artichoke, something dey call artichokes. Put dat in dere wit some red cayenne peppah. Put dat in dere an' some sulphur an' set it fo' nine mawnin's - nine mawnin's, an' then yo' drink that three times a day or at night - when yo' want to. That will relief anything dat evah happened.
(What does an artichoke look like?) [It is just as well that I asked.]
Artichoke is somethin' dat grows somethin' like a potato but it's knotty. Ah got some home. (Green - green on the outside isn't it? And you pull off the leaves like that?) [I must have demonstrated.] It's most lak a Irish potato. Yo' see some Irish potatoes got little knots in 'em, comin' out - well, it's jes' lak dat. (Does it grow out of the ground?) [I should have said, does it mature above- ground.] Yes sir - under de ground.
(What color is it?)
It's white. Yo' don't have tuh peel it, yo' kin jes' wash it off an' scrape it lak dat an' yo' kin eat it jes' lak it is. Jes' it ain't got no nice taste to it; it jes' fo' lak vinegar an' peppah an' onions an' stuff dey put in dere wit vinegar. It something lak somepin dey sprinkle ovah greens, yo' know whut chew call dat.
(Sauces?)
Yes.
Entry 1449
Dere's a protection measure dat you do in order to keep anyone from harming you. You takes a little sulphur inter a little sweet milk and you drink it, you see. Use a little red pepper and a little sulphur to keep in your shoes, you understand, and you contin'lly walk wit dat, you see. Well, tisn't likely that dere is anything dey kin ever do you. Dey kin put down things that will take effect upon you, but you would always get a shock - you'd be over it before there would be any great thing to it. [The informant says that despite "a protective measure...you Would always get a shock when passing over "put down things," but "you'd be over it before there would be any great thing to it." Another informant says, if you walk over some- thing buried for you, the ground will come up like a wave (No.717, p.239). The most frequent indication that you have walked over something evil is an immediate pain in your leg (No. 718, p.239, and Index).] (You take this drink and you wear this stuff in your shoes at the same time? Or are these separate things you do?) Well, now, I tell you, you drinks dis milk fer nine diff'rent mornings into sulphur, you understand. Think it make you sick, but get it straight - it's re'lly purtty good. Drink it - it's re'lly purtty good. And fin'lly, de next nine mornings you puts dis red pepper into your shoes, you see. Nuthin kin be done to you.
Entry 1450
Take red peppah an' sulphah an' gunpowdah an' put it in yore shoe.
(What will that do then?)
That'll keep any evil spirits that are tryin' tuh harm you or something away.
(You could walk over anything and it wouldn't hurt you?)
Yes, walk over anything, wouldn't take any 'fect.
Entry 1467
Lak if somebody come to yore house, which an' why yo' have a house of yore own - if somebody come dere an' yo' know people, if dey wanta harm yo', dey usually put somepin up undah yore steps. If they put somepin up undah yore steps an' yo' walk out, if yo' happen tuh see it or if somebody see it 'fore yo' do, de first thing yo' do, yo' go in de house an' yo' git chew some black peppah an' salt an' sulphur, an' yo' come back out an' yo' throw it cross yore shoulder, turn roun' an' throw it cross yore shoulder, an' throw it ovah de fence whut chew have, an' jes' sprinkle it all ovah yore yard. That'll kill it.
Entry 1469
If yo' wanta keep 'em from doin' anything else to yo', yo' git some table salt an' red peppah, jes' cayenne peppah, an' sulphur an' mix it together an' sprinkle it all roun' yore house. An' while yo' comin' in de path dere, dere where yo' turn off de street into de path, after yo' sprinkle it down, drive yo a ten-penny nail, a new ten-penny nail dere. An' if de path comes into yore house, yo' drive dem nail in dere an' dey can't git to yo' to do nuthin to yo'.
Entry 1470
Yo' kin slow 'em up fo' a while. Yo' kin git a peck of salt - a peck, one level peck. Not in a tin - don't let it tetch de tin if yo' kin - git it in a bucket an' strike it off as dey used to do long yeahs ago, yo' know. [To strike Off salt or grain was to level it across the top of the container by using a straight-edged board, back of saw, etc.]
(A whole peck of salt?)
A whole peck, an' jes' as much - ah guess a quart of sulphur an' mix it all up together. Dis is yore land now - yo' kin do whut chew want on it. Yo' go to de fo' corners of yore place - well, yo' plant it jes' level wit de ground an' cover it up so dat chew won't plow into it if yo's a farmer. An if dey trying to git it from yo' unfairly, why yo' kin stop 'em a while an' yo' kin git straigtened out. Ah've seen dis done. (That is to protect you if anybody is trying to harm you by getting your property? Or drive you away?) Yes sir - dat's it.
Entry 1477
You take some red pepper an' salt an' sulphur, an' put it together an' stir it up, mix it up, put in yer shoe [both shoes]; let it go clean back to the toe, heel an' all. Cut you a false [inner] sole - you ought to always git your shoes big enough to cut a false sole - an' put in theah. Put yer shoe on. They cannot hurt choo, an' you walk over anything you want an' it won't bother yah.
Entry 1478
Yo' kin take some salt - table salt an' sulphur an' red peppah, mix it together an' stir it with yore left hand. Sprinkle some of it in each of yore shoes an' yo' kin travel anywhere yo' wanta travel.
Entry 1479
Yo' kin put sulphur in yore shoe an' wear it in dere or either go to some root man or -
(How do you mean you put sulphur in your shoe?)
Well, see, yo' kin either put sulphur or red pepper - red pepper an' sulphur. Git chew a box of red pepper - ah hear mah mother say dat - git chew a box of red pepper an' brand-new box of salt had nevah been used out of. Sprinkle it inside of yore shoe an wear it in dere. Don't use it fo' nuthin else but that. An' that'll keep anyone from - or either sulphur, wear it in yore shoe - keep anyone from tricking yo' or anything like that.
(Do you sprinkle that in both shoes or just one?)
Both of 'em, either one. Either put it ovah de do'.
Entry 1480
Say if they put anything down fo' yo', if yo' wanta walk ovah it or go ovah it, jes' git chew some sulphur, some salt, black peppah an' take an' jes' make yo' a ball with it lak that an' jes' put it in a red flannel an' yo' kin go anywhere about an' it won't bother yo'.
[This is a protection hand.]
(Where do you keep that red flannel?)
Jes' keep it anywhere next to yore heart - in yore watch pocket or in yore shirt pocket, anywhere.
Entry 1483
And den, how you dress yo' feet. Yo' through wit dat part. How you dress yo' feet, you takes bluestone, beat up fine - not so much, just a leetle bit of piece and sulphur and salt. Put in each one of your shoes, put it under- neath the lining in your shoes. See. Well, you know what dat is fo'? That is for to keep dem from hurting you. See, dey kin hurt chew all kind of ways and dey can hurt chew on your feet so bad, if you don't hurry roun' and use dat chamber lye and things, saltpeter, you shore will get hit - you'll be out dere in de cemetery, for dey re'lly kin do it. Dat's de only thing whut kin pertect yore feet.
Entry 1484
Anybody put somepin down fo' yo': to protect yoreself, yo' kin get yo' some sulphur an' ashes out of de stove, jest de ashes - sulphur an' ashes an bluestone an' tablesalt, an' wear it in yore shoes an' nuthin won't harm yo'. Yo' kin walk over mostly anything.
(Do you wear that in both shoes?)
Wear it in both shoes, nuthin won't bother yo'.
Entry 1485
Now dis salt an' brimstone an' graveyard dirt is used fo' many things - see, that salt an' brimstone. Take table salt an' sulphur an' brimstone an' burn it together - see, burn it together, an' den make a sack of that. See, that is called a bodyguard, body protection - make a sack of that. [This is a hand.] An' every nine days saturate [feed] dat good an' well wit camphor. That will keep - not sin, but will keep de evil spirits off yuh - using a little graveyard dust in dat.
(Nobody can harm you if you have that on you?)
No sir, can't harm you.
Entry 1493
"Somebody tryin' to harm yo' and yo' tryin' to protec' yo'self, de first thing is, dey gits chew some saltpeters and bath yo'self down in saltpeters, and den take yo' some sulphur and salt an' sprinkle round dat do' - round de house in front de do' and dey can't do yo' no harm.
Entry 1499
Yo' take a ole shoe an' sulphur an' asafitidy - yo' know, dat ole stinkin' stuff dat chew take. Dey say yo' take a shoe an' burn it an' make a ash with that - dey say, with the asafitidy an' sulphur, an' dey say it will cure de asthma. Dat's all ah know about de shoes.
(What do you do with that stuff after you burn it, then?)
Yo' have tuh put it in a pipe an' smoke it.
(After you burn the stuff?)
Yessuh, after yo' burns it.
(Then you smoke what's left?)
Yes.
Entry 1503
Well, now, if yo' moved in a ha'nted place an' yo' can't stay there in no peace but hearin' rackets in de walls, why yo' pick up all of yore shoes dat chew could find an' put some brimstone an' sulphur in it an' burn it - put it in a ole bucket an' burn it in all fo' corners of de house. An' dat will run ever' ole thing dat chew heah round dere.
Entry 1507
Yo' kin go out an' jes' lak yo' - yo' git chew some ole shoes anywhere in de streets or road, anywhere in town. Yo' burn dem - yo' take de soles off. Ah nevah have heard of 'em burnin' de whole shoe - take de soles offa dem shoes. Git chew some sulphur an' bluestone or brimstone - it's all near 'bout alike an' jest put chew a little fiah in de yard or put it in a tinpan or somethin' an' burn it out dere. An' dat keeps dem away from dere.
(What do you burn, the shoe or just the shoe sole?)
De sole - not de shoe. Burn de sole an' put dat sulphur an' bluestone or brimstone - either one, jest put it on dere. A woman showed me dat - ah couldn't tell yo' de name, but she burns dat.
Entry 1508
A person's shoes - a woman's shoes - jes' lak if yo' figures somebody is workin' at chew, yo' hunt chew a throwed-way shoe.
(A thrown-away shoe.)
Uh-hmm, a man's shoe an' a woman's shoe. Well, if it's a woman, yo' wanta protect yo'self. Yo' take dat woman's shoe an' put it on top of dat man's shoe an' yo' burn 'em. Yo' put sulphur an' saltpeter, bluestone, gunpowder an' salt on there an' burn it - make yore wishes, whatever yo' want tuh come. An' dat'll protect yo'.
(What would a man do if he wanted to protect himself?)
He'll put de man's shoe on top of de woman's.
Entry 1509
Well, when yo' have a whole lotta trouble in de house - raisin' Sam, dey cain't git along - yo' kin take ole shoes wit sulphur an' cayenne peppah, yo' got fiah, jes' throw 'em in dere in de fiah lak dat, an' de fellah go to de do an' he stan' an' look at de smoke come out de chimley. Den after he go, yo' say, "Son-of-a-bitch, go." He'll nevah come in no mo' - won't come dere no mo'.
Entry 1510
That's for to keep anyone from your home and keep them from hurting you, this here. You take the shoe - now, if it's men and women both you want to keep away, why you take all the shoes of the family, all the old shoes and burn them. And you doesn't burn 'em complete to ashes, but chew burn 'em kin'a so tha' chew can mash 'em up. And you get chew a new box of cayenne pepper, and a new package of salt, and a new package of sulphur, and mix that all up together. Then you get chew a sifter - you put it [this mixture] in a can - then you get chew a sifter and just right after sundown you start from your back door and go on around the house and come on back to the back door right where you began dat. And just make your wishes. And if you want to name the persons in person, why you call those names. Just have like one or two or three individual persons you don't wish to come to your house. You do that for nine successful [successive] days. You do it in the morning and at night repeat the same thing. Well, in the morning you want to do that before sunrise in the morning - before sunrise in the morning and after sundown in the evening. And just repeat your wishes. And you can call, you know, the person's name just the same as if you were talking to them, and wish they'd stay away and not interfere with you. And repeat the Name of God. And you can also take river-shore sand. You take river-shore sand and put that in a sifter and sift it around the house. Mix these same things with it - the sulphur and the cayenne pepper and the salt, but be sure it's packages that never been broken. Just buy it for that especial. And you have the same amount of sand that chew do salt, sulphur, and pepper. See? You have a box of salt and you have the same amount of sand. See? Well, you take the package of sulphur and you take the package of pepper see, and mix with it. And see, that's enough to repeat the nine successful days. Well, you take the shore sand, you begin from yore back door and you go on around the house - like you have a walk away to the well and to the pump or at the gate, you take all the paths with it. You go to your outer buildings with the sand [the complete mixture] and repeat, you see, whatever you wish to be done. And if you think it's someone interfering with yeh, or your stock is dying, you go around the stalls, you know. You repeat and with the same thing may return on them and leave you be - in the Name of God.
Entry 1519
If anybody tryin' tuh harm yo' an' do a little stunt [= trick], take one silver dime - a silver dime an' some sulphur an' cut de bottom of de shoes inside an' lay dat dime's worth of sulphur in dere an' put dat dime on top of it, yo' see, an' wear dat dime right in de bottom of yore shoes all de time.
(You just use that in one shoe?)
No sir, in both of them.
(Both shoes - the dime in each shoe?)
Yes sir, with the sulphur underneath of 'em. [Dime and sulphur is laid under insole; sometimes a depression being cut in the sole for the dime.] [Savannah, Ga., (1271), 2151.1
Entry 1536
I fell in my flower garden an' they taken me in de house an' by that night I couldn't walk on one of my legs an' I didn't seem to be sick any at all before. An' that night dere came some little black pimples, pizen places on it, three of 'em on my leg. An' another woman come dere an' tole 'em in de house whut to fix for me to cure it. She tole me to get a tablespoonful of salt an' a tablespoonful of sulphur an' three dimes an' ten cent worth of Brown Mule Tobacco, an' boil that together an' bathe in it. Take de tobacco when it get cool enough, that wus in it, an' jis bathe my leg from my hip on down and from my feet on out (see pp.369-377) fer three times. You bathe in de same water three times - you bathe tonight, well jis' sit it aside an' de next night heat de same thing up an' bathe in that the second time, [and] de third time do de same thing the nex' night. That's fer three nights. An' de las' night at twelve o'clock throw it - take de dimes out an' throw dis stuff, cup an' all in de middle of de street an' tell it, "From de devil you come from an' de devil you go back." That's whut they tole me to say an' so I did that. [To "take de dimes out" of the bathwater before throwing it into the street is unusual - cf. No. 997, p.384 and No. 1552, p.491 - but "de devil" may make this a rite of turning back spell on culprit rather than a rite of transference to a stranger.] Then I got nine dimes an' boiled them from a quart to a pint an' then drink de water off that. Made two drinks out of it, choo know - drink one half one time an' the other half another time. An' before I did that, the first thing they gave me was a pint of milk. I drank that, sweet milk.
Entry 1570
Yo' take sulphur an' black gunshell powder an' yo' put dem in a bottle, a pint bottle of watah, an' drink dat watah till yo' draw dat up. If dere snakes or anything live into you, take dat gunpowder an' kill all of it.
Entry 1574
If people poison yo', goin' poison yo', wear sulphur in yore shoes an' yo' takes sulphur.
(What will that do?)
That keep the poison out.
Entry 1575
They say, if you take sulphur and burn it - you know in de powder, you know it be's in a powder form - jis' put it in de fire and burn it, and put it in your shoe, and they say dat ain't nobody can't work no kin'a roots on you regard- less to what it might be. They couldn't harm yah a bit, see. This sulphur would keep down envy and keep de people from yah.
Entry 1584
Well, yo' - jes' lak yo' had germs in dis room heah, an' yo' wants tuh git shet of de germs, yo' take some tobacco an' put it into a pan or something an' set 'em afire, a slow fiah, an' let 'em smoke yo' see, but it will kill ever'thing in de world. If yo' ain't got no tobacco, take some ole shoes an' tear 'em up an' put 'em on top of sulphur - it kills. [Tobacco usually appears in compounds - No. 1551, p.491, and Index.]
Entry 1617
Lak yo' scared someone goin' hurt chew - yo' know, if yo' got enemies. Jes' take some red peppah an' salt an' sulphur - take an' sprinkle a little bit of chamber lye ovah dat an' wear dat in yore right-footed shoe. Yo' kin walk ovah anything in de world an' nuthin will evah harm yo'.
Entry 1618
Dey say dey use red peppah, sulphur, chamber lye an' make yo' a bag an' ev'ry mawnin' befo' yo' go out yo' takes an' 'noint [feed] dat bag [a hand] good an' yo' rub it in each one of yore shoes an' dey say dat yo' kin walk ovah any- thing dat's put down fo' yo'. (You put this pepper and salt in this bag and then you anoint it with this chamber lye each morning before you go out. What do you do - just rub that bag on the inside of the bottom of your shoe?) Yessuh - in de bottom of yore shoe.
Entry 1634
Yes sir, ah hear it. Well, yo' take de chamber lye an' yo' take it an' place into a can, an' yo' take some sulphur an' yo' take cooking salt an' place into dis heah pot [can], an' yo' take it an' put it into de house an' take yo' a little old sprayer like an' jest spray it all round into de house (see No. 1630). An' dat would bring luck.
(Any particular kind of luck?)
Bring luck into yore home, see.
Entry 1635
Yo' kin take a - yore urine, see. If yo' think somebody put somepin down round yore place, yore steps, overnight joo understand, to do yo' some harm, yo' kin take yore urine an' put chew some salt an' sulphur in it an' stir it up good, an' bluestone, an' jes' [get] chew a swiss [swish] broom, see. [Swish broom is a one-handed broom; handle broom or stick broom requires two hands. Many substances were used: long grass, broom sedge (which see), leafy twigs, etc. Neither the short whisk broom nor longer besom describes this home- made article. I remember one of the housefly swishes; one large green top, or several small ones, of asparagus gone to seed.] Stick it in dere - put it in a pan - put in de broom, jes' [demonstrates].
(Sprinkle it around.)
Dat's right - yo' do dat fo' two-three mornings. Anytime dat yo' think that things is goin' wrong yo' jes' - dey kin put it there but it will kill it jes' as fast as it hit de ground. Now dese things ah'm telling you, ah've experienced dem.
Entry 1697
Yo' take de matches if yo' goin' anywhere in de night an' scared - jes' take dem matches, take two, an' stick one right in yo' haid. Put de strikin' part dis way [demonstrates]. (You take the sulphur part and set it in your head over your forehead - right up through your hair.) An' dat will cross [demonstrates]. (You make a cross.) [The match in the hair crosses the match held in the mouth.] An' put one in de mout' an' go anywhere yo' wants - yo' won't be scared atall an' nuthin won't bother yo', not a thing.
Entry 1832
An' you know dey tryin' harm you. Well, all you got'a do - git chew a piece of devil's-shoestring and git chew some of dis salt and red peppah see, and devil's-shoestring and some sulphur. And you take it and wear some in vour shoes and take an' make a belt out of it, out of de shoestring, see, and wear it around your waist. But chew use a little piece of copper wire, you understand, mix a little piece of copper wire in it. If you ain't got devil's-shoestring, spread it [copper wire] out round your waist - see, you kin just ball de little piece of copper wire up and put it in dere amongst de red pepper, see. And then when you do that, you take and wear it around your waist. That would stop anybody, they couldn't do anything. They can't do nothing to you but put in your stomach, if dey goin' get cha. That's the only way they kin get cha.
Entry 1892
Fo' gamblin', ah heard 'em say, yo' kin git chew a frog - a toadfrog. Well, a frog is got a numbah undah his neck right undah dere. Take dat frog an' git one wit de even numbah. Don't git no odd numbah lak three or five, but git chew one got a two or fo' an' take him 'live an' put him in yore pocket an' go to de skin gome or any kinda gamblin' game an' yo's lucky in winnin'. An' if yo' think dat dere's somebody else dere dat's got some roots or somepin dat's tryin' tuh win too, yo' jes' take an' git chew some table salt an' put some sulphur in yore shoes, yo' see, 'fore yo' leave home an' go on there. Yo' take dat salt an sprinkle it on their haid an' dey'll lose. Dey roots won't be no good to em.
(That kills that?)
Dat kills dat.
Entry 2086
To keep de police away is tuh git chew High John de Conker root. Git chew High John de Conker root an' Lucky Heart - dat's a weed dat grow up an' it shaped in a heart like, lak dey call it Lucky Heart. It's a red leaf, dey call it Lucky Heart. Yo' take dem two tuh- gether an' yo' put 'em together in a red flannel sack, yo' see. An' yo' take an' put chew some sulphur in dere wit dat. Yo' understan'. An' yo' bury dat right undah yore do'step. Git chew two sacks so yo' kin make two of 'em. Put in each do'step an' dey tell me if de law come dere, dey can't come in. If dey do, dey overlook ever'thing whut dey come in dere fo'.
Entry 2276
If a fellah gits in bad luck altogethah an' ev'rythin' he git, he jis' run away an' he jis' lose it - jis' nuthin come fo' him atall. Well, if he'd go uptown an' buy him a piece of red flannen, an' go in de woods an' git a blackberry root - git a blackberry root an' he git him a root dey call sassafras. Yo' know, yo' see people takin' sassafras tea. Well, yo' git de sassafras root an' de blackberry root, yo' come on back to town wit 'em an' yo' git chew some sulphur, an' take dat root an' sulphur an' put it together an' sews it up in dat flamnen cloth. [Three ingredients.] An' 'stead of yo' puttin' it in yore pocket - don't wear it in yore pocket, wear it roun' yore waist, hangin' in front of yo' all de time. Well, quite natch'l it bring plenty of luck to yo' all de time. Yo'll have a job all de time.
Entry 2296
Ah say ah has learnt dis. If ah go to a man today fo' a job an' he turn me back an' he didn't need anyone, to go back agin tomorrow an' gwine with him agin. Well, he may turn me down dat time. Well, dey said if ah had a old pair of shoes dat ah wusn't wearin', to change mah luck tuh come back home an' git some sulphur an' take 'em to de back yard an' burn 'em an' it would change mah luck. [The third time succeeds.]
(Then you would go down and see him again to get a job?)
Dat's right.
Entry 2321
She kin jis' take de [scraping from the] fo' cornahs off of a table, an' she puts it in with a small little rag an' sew it up, an' soak it with camphah. She could take mos' any colahed rag - you know, any colah tha's plain [cloth must not have a design]. Jis' wrop it up tight, sew it, zhoo know, with black thread. Camphah on it to keep it alive, you know, keep it 'live. Put so much, you know. An' sulphah an' salt in it. An' if she kin git anywhure whure he travel aroun' - anywhure, anywhure whure he could step ovah it - an' if he evah step ovah, why she'll bring 'im right on back. [This rite also keeps a dog home - see FACI,2ed., Nos. 2295-2296, Pp.91-92.]
Entry 2334
Yo' use dat same thing, no mo' den yo' use but three. De mawnin' befo' yo' leave fo' yore trial, yo' bu'st three of dem bottles of watah, an' yo' have in dat watah sulphur an' it's a white lead; dat's whut chew has in dat watah, an' yo' bu'st dem in de house jes' lak yo' did de othah one.
(You put three bottles on the fire and burst one each - one each day?)
De same mawnin' - all three of 'em de same mawnin'.
Entry 2384
Oh, de willow tree root, yo' goes an' git, say about seven a'clock in de mornin', an' cut a piece of root from one of de sunrise [side]. Then yo' git chew a piece of red flannen wit salt an' sulphur, black peppah, an' a needle an' some Heart Perfume, an' yo' sew dat up yo' understand. Yo sew dat up an' yo' keep it 'nointed with dat Heart Perfume an' wear dat in yore pocket. If yo' git it yoreself, name it after yo'; if somebody else git it, name it after them. (Carry that for luck. You get this root from the willow tree. Which side do you get it from?) Yo' git it from de sunrise, yes sir.
interviewer-supplied luck purpose in a compound question, without informant endorsement. No blanket assent to compound question sewing the named red-flannel material combination. No stitch type, bag shape or unmentioned sewing procedure is inferred. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 2395
Someone who used to live on the Riprap Road found a box at the gate one morning and brought it to my house and said, "Look what I dug up at my gate." I said to her, "What's in it?" And she opened it and there was pins in there and needles and some of her hair and sulphur in a bag in there and a piece of red flannel that had four sticks sewed up into that and a dime into it. It was a wooden box about that long. (Eight inches long and four inches wide.) [Probably a cigar box - symbolic coffin.] She said she was going to take it and see who put it there, she was going to take it over to Norfolk to a fortuneteller. And when she came back she told me that her husband put it there. That's what the fortuneteller told her.
Entry 2455
Yo' take chicken feathers - yes, yo' take chicken feathers an' yo' put sulphur an' salt on dis chicken feathers an' yo' use perfume - Hearts Perfume, yo' use dat. Dat's all de 'riginal stuff dey use, an' yo' set dat afire. Yo' see yo' burn dat into yore home in de middle of de flo'. Sometimes it's good to burn it in yore bedroom. Yo' burn it mostly in de room - if a person is in busi- ness or somethin', yo' burn it in de room where yo' handle yore most customers. That will bring yo' in peoples too, chicken feathers - yo' kin burn chicken feathers.
Entry 2476
Git chew two little files an' put up ovah yore do' an' ev'ry mornin' for nine mornin's sprinkle a little table salt an' sulphur ovah dem, an' yo'll jest have all de customers yo' want. (How do you put those files up over the door?) Put one dis heah, put one jes' lak dat [demonstrates].
(In the form of an "x".)"[Cross them.]
In de form of an "x".
Entry 2496
Yo' take de infant dirt from de grave [dirt from an infant's grave], take sulphur, yo'll take table salt - three things. Yo'll git up in de mawnin' at fo' 'clock 'fore de sun an' yo' starts from yore front do', jes' lak if, yo' know, yo' want plenty - ever'body tuh come in. Well, yo' stand to de do' an' throw it in de house, "In de Name of de Father an' Name of de Son an' Name of de Holy Ghost, ah wants all de customers dat ah kin git." An' yo' have mo' people den yo' evah able tuh git through with.
(When you get that dirt, you give it this money?)
Yessuh, always give odd pennies. Nevah give two or nevah give fo' - give odd.
Entry 2612
Git peppah an' salt, if a person constantly comes to yore house an' prob'bly it a person dat chew don't lak an' yo' don't wanta insult dem or wants dem tuh stay away. Ah've heard dat chew take salt an' peppah an' sweep behin' dem an' yo' burn bluestone an' sulphur in de do' dat dey came heah. An' don't let 'em go out dat do' when dey leaves - send 'em out through anothah do', dat's in order dat dey go in 'cross yore house. An' yo' burn de sulphur an' bluestone in de do' dat dey came through an' yo' sweep an' yo' sprinkle salt an' peppah; whereas when dey go out down behin' 'em, sweep it out that way.
Entry 2622
Yo' take lak if yo' have a scissors layin' down there an' lak if yo' have a nice business, an' ah wanta stop yo' from havin' it, why ah steal yore scissors or yore fingernail file. An' ah'll take those right to mah home an' ah'll put - as ah told yo', take that there perfume an' ah'll put mah 'gredients in there which is the sulphur an' nine grains of red peppah seeds. Put that in there an' ah'll put de scissors lak if ah got dem fo' nine mawnin's an' ah take 'em an' junk 'em down in de ground. All yore luck is cut, yo' haven't got any mo' business.
(You use perfume you say?)
Yessuh, Heamt's Perfume.
Entry 2634
Burn sulphur and one foot on de left shoes into a bucket from de front to the back. That would keep dem away. When dey get far as dat, dey will turn and go another way.
(That is to keep the law away if you are bootlegging?)
Yeah.
Entry 2635
Jis' lak if yo's a hustlin'woman, yo' know, an' want good business in yore home, yo' see, well yo' take ole shoes an' burn 'em. But 'fore yo' burn 'em yo' sprinkle sulphah an' salt on those shoes an' put 'em in yore cookstove an let 'em begin burnin'. An' den yo' take a shovel an' take 'em out on a shovel with this sulphah an' salt on 'em an' jis' care 'em all roun' in yore house - yo' see, in all de fo' corners of yore room an' jis' let 'em burn. An' let de odor - close yore house up an' let dat odor stay in dere. Den yo' take de ashes an' start at chore front do' an' sprinkle it from de front to de back an' dat draws trade. Den yo' take yore urinate an' put salt an' sugah in it an' jis' mop yore front po'ch an' out all on de street - out all on de sidewalk where peoples is passin', if yo's runnin' a assi'nation house, see. An' people when dey git dere dey'll jis' have tuh come in. Dat makes good business fo' yo'.
Entry 2636
Well, yo' take de shoe, de man's shoe, de right foot, an' yo' put some sulphur in it an' a piece of bluestone an' yo' burn it. Put it in de middle of de floor an' burn it, an' dat will give yo' luck in yore home. Draw the crowd.
(If you are selling liquor or something of that sort.)
Dat's right.
Entry 2640
Well, dat supposed to bring luck in business - to bring luck in busi- ness an' yo' know tuh drive any evil spirit away, de cops. Well, now, yo' do this on a Friday at twelve a'clock. Yo' take sugah an' sulphur an' salt an' yo' sprinkle it on some ole shoes, an' den when de whistle is blowin' fo' twelve, why yo' have a good while to lay it on, put it in there an' yo' burn it an' let de smoke go out. See, de smoke, well it will go out de chimley an' it will light up good. Why den yo' lift it out in a shovel or somethin' an' yo' carry it roun' in yore place of business an' let dat smoke circulate aroun'. An' den yo' take an' put it back in de stove an' let it finish burnin' up. Do dat each Friday. Well, dat's all to dat fo' good luck. (That is for luck in business - to bring in customers and also keep the police away?) Bring customer an' keep policemen 'way.
Entry 2705
You use Hearts Perfume an' chamber lye - sprinkle it all around in yore place fo' sunrise in de morning. Yo' git up an' yo' sprinkle dat around in yore place. An' then yo' use salt - sprinkle salt around in yore place. If yo' have any rug, anything dat chew kin put dat salt undah, it is very lucky. An' dat chamber lye an' dis Hearts Perfume it's very, very lucky to bring in customers. If yo' use dat chamber lye an' dat Hearts Perfume, an' if yo' will burn some sulphur - if yo'll burn some sulphur into yore place in a pan, right in de middle of de flo', an' use yore Hearts Perfume an' yore chamber lye, why yo'll bring in yore peoples.
Entry 3099
[Pauline lived on an island 6 miles from Brunswick, Georgia, where I Was then working. What an opportunity to have explored that marvelous coastline as I had done at Beaufortl But I resisted the tempta- tion, refusing to break my rule - not to interview white doctors. I have two accounts of Pauline, both taken from broken interviews. In the first, we had been talking about Pauline - I am unable to find this - and then later I ask the following question.]
(Are there any white people that work here now?)
[Informant returns to Pauline.]
She lives on Bly's Island.
(Oh! She is still here. I don't want to talk to her but I just wondered.)
[Brunswick, Ga., (1201), C400:7 = 2017:7.]
iTne second account of Pauline comes from a man who has already given us in- formation about Doctor Buzzard - see 3071, p.893.] A white woman.
(What was her name?)
Miss Pauline.
(Where does she live?)
She lives heah at Bly's Island, a large island right cross tuh de rivah on de road to Jacksonville.
(Oh, just near Brunswick?)
Yes sir - six miles out chere [on the road] tuh Jacksonville. Well, mah mother done taken me out dere. Well, soon as ah got dere she set down an' talk tuh me. She asked me if ah evah worked any place an' ah tole her where ah worked. She asked me, "Did yo' have any enemies round dere?" Ah said, one woman wus a cook dere an' she wanted concernin' me tuh have somepin tuh do wit her - me an' her had tuh make beds in dis, yo' know, to dis home ever' mawnin' together. Ah wouldn't say nuthin to her. She said ah tried tuh play cute. She de one dat put down de stuff at de back gate of dis white tourist home where we were workin', an' ah step on it wit mah right fut gettin' ovah de fence. She done put it right whar ah got ovah de fence at ever' mawnin'. Me an' her wus de first ones dere. So after she seen me - see, ah tried to step on mah left fut, if it done kilt me. See, after two yeahs an' a half ah wus dried up to 135 pounds. She [Pauline] tole mama tuh let me come dere an' she would give me medicine. She taken sulphur, turpentine an' some kinda cocklespur weed - cocklebur weed - taken de cocklebur weed an' made a medicine out of it. [Three ingredients.] So she made a medicine an' ah started to taken dat cocklebur weeds an' sulphur an' turpentine. An' tole me tuh wear three pieces of Irish potatoes - white potatoes in each one of my shoes. So after dey figured - it came on to 'fect mah othah fut an' mah hips, yo' see, an' ah wus dead from heah down [demonstrates].
(From your hips down.)
Yeah, from de hips down. So after dat ah wore de Irish potato an' thing. an' ah begin tuh git bettah. So she tole me not tuh drink no whiskey. So ah stop off from drinkin' some whiskey an' got tuh walkin' an' ah put down de crutches. Yo' know, ah could walk wit de walkin' cane. Ah put down de crutches. So ah begin tuh drink whiskey at night wit de othah boys roun' heah. So dat throw me agin. Dey had tuh take me dere agin. She tole me ah had been drinkin'. Well, when ah got dere dat time, it had done came up into mah shoulders heah - see [demonstrates], it had me, ah'm daid in mah left ahrm - come up mah left side. So she had tuh work fast. Dey had tuh keep me out dere tuh her house fo' three days. So we had tuh pay her wit three pieces of silver money - ah had tuh find three silver dollahs somewhere. She charge only three dollahs - don't care how big de case wus - had tuh pay her wit three silver pieces of money. That concernin' de three links of chain also.
(Of Mary - that Mary wore around her neck?)
["Dat concerning de three linked chain dat Mary wore pertaining tuh de Bible" - from his interview in INTERVIEWS.] Yes sir, dat [represents] three silver dollahs dat ah had tuh pay her wit. De firs' time paid her wit a silver dollah, an' after ah went three times, had tuh pay her de three silver dollahs. So dat's de whole case of it, until ah taken up dis last bottle of medicine. Ah didn't drink any mo' an' dey said ah wus cured of it. Den ah had a fren'. He wus poison by a girl on a piece of cake. But he wus crowin' lak a rooster - jumpin' up an' down. An' ah tole him concernin' dis same lady - tole his mothah. An' she taken him out dere an' she pay her with three silver piece of money - carried him three times. See, each time it wus a dollah. When she carried him de last time, dat's when she gave him some kinda medicine an' out of his throat came a frog, little small wiggle-tail, little small snake. [Three things came out of his throat.]
Entry 3246
A pin, a brass pin. You can take a brass pin - like if she - if a woman's goin' an' she get after you and she wants to give yo' a vener'al disease, you understand. (She wants to give you a venereal disease?) Yes. (I understand.) She take dat pin - she'll take a brass pin when yo' havin' intahco'se wit 'er. An' she'll take dat brass pin an' she'll hold it in 'er mouth, see. Well, she hold it in 'er mouth. Well, all right. Aftah yo' have yore intahco'se wit 'er, see, well nine days aftahwards, if yo' don't have no idea about it, why dat thing will start to run, an' stay on if, if yo' don't know what to do. If yo' don't know whut to do to cure it, why it, jes keeP gIttin' WOrSe. An' I DON'T CARE NUTHIN ABOUT DOCTORS [M.D.'s]. HEDICINE WILL NOT CURE IT.
(I see. That's if she wants to give you a venereal disease.)
Yes, if she want to give it to yo', yo' undahstan'.
(Well, ISN'T THERE ANY WAY YOU GET RID OF IT, if she gives it tO you?)
Yes. Well, de way yo' git rid of dat, yo' go to de woods. Yo' go to de woods or a swamp somewhere an' yo' git Swamp root or de watah lily.
(The what?)
De watah lily root - swamp root.
(Water lily. All right.)
[This is probably the swamp lily, a white flowered lily (Crinum americanun) of the southern United States.] Swamp root, yo' boil dat. Yo' boil it down an' yo' take one tablespoon of sugar, one tablespoon of sulphur. Yo' mix dat togethah into a quart of watah. Yo' take three tablespoonsful a day. Before each meal yo' take a tablespoonful. Dat'll cure it. But not wit'out some Swamp root. Somepin ah'll do it wit, it'll nevah nOt cure It. DOCTORS SHOOTIN AN' ALL DAT KIN'A SHOTS WILL NOT GIT RID OF IT, AN' I HAD IT. SO MANY PERSONS A DAY IN TOWN DAT DIES FROM DAT GOIN' TUH HOS- PITALS AN' NEVAH BE'S CURED. YO' GOTA GIT SOME MAN OUTA DE WOODS, OR SOME MAN TO GIT SOMEPIN OUTA DE GROUN' TO CURE DAT.
Entry 3720
Dis is a story of mahself. Well, ah felt lak ah wuz messed up an' ah sent to a ole man down heah in de country an' he tole me dat time, says, "Well, Ton, yo' take some sweet milk an' take a bath wit it." Ah say, "Well, how long?" He says, "Well, yo' take dat three maonin's. An' take yo' bath wit it an' bring me de milk back, de las' milk yo' use." Well, ah tuk de milk an' carried it back to him an' den he put sulphah in dis milk an' den give it back to me, an' tole me co'se milk will clabbah, an' fo' me aftah tuh use it up to de ninth mawnin'. An' so ah did so, an' co'se de milk had clabbahed an' dat whey - dat sulphuh wuz in dere, kept it from turnin' all to whey. It would not turn tuh whey, see. An' shortly aftah, ah don' know whut ah done tuh make it do dat, but ah be dogged if ah didn't git straightened out on it all right.
(You got your nature back?)
Got it on back, doggone right.
(What did you do with that clabber then?)
AFTAH DE NINE MAWNIN'S WHY AH CARRIED IT BACK TUH 'IM, See. CO'SE HE BURIED IT.
(Well, what did you do with the clabber after that?)
Ah use dat milk right straight on.
(You kept bathing with this clabber then until the ninth morning?)
Yes.
Entry 3761
He kin git 'is nature back ag'in through de same way ah said. He kin take some gourds or one gourd an' beat it up wit saltpetah an' sulphur an' jes' bathe himself down dere - pahtic'lah dova. An' take it to a rivah an' throw it gsMr, an den dat'll be.off of 'im an' he'll becoe jes' as he once wus.
Entry 3789
Yo' take onions an' sulphur - a piece of a red onion an' make a stew out of it. Make a sort of a tea an' drink it, an' yo'll kill dat.
(Get your nature back.)
Entry 3847
De blood, yo' could take dat an' yo could put dat in a bot- tle. Yo' stop dat up, yo' put dat in a bottle. An' yo' put red peppah, sulphuh an' gunpowdah in dat. An' yo' stop dat up airtight, a person blood, an' dat stop dat blood from trans- mission. Dat stop dere passin' of de blood.
(The blood from any part of the body?)
Yeah.
Entry 3928
An' a boy took a girl - a girl he wuz likin' at least - he taken 'er napkins an' stopped 'em up in a jar wit quinine an' sulphur, an' she cain't leave 'im. She tried evahtin' an she went to evah root doctor she could possibly go to, an' dey tole her dey couldn't do nuthin.
Entry 4006
Dey stop up yore [urine, see later] - tie yore guts up. Take yore chamber lye an put it in a bottle an' bottle it up airtight, too - airtight. An' put sulphuh into it an' close it up tight. An' carry it in de east cornah of yore garden, an' turn de head [of the bottle] towards de east [and bury it] an' covah it up. Let it stay dere till dat it rot. Dat chamber lye slll rot. It will do de work fo' yo'.
(How will it affect you?)
It will kill yo'. It effects yore guts - tie yore guts all up in knots.
Entry 4044
Ah've heard 'em say dat choo kin take some chamber lye, cayenne peppah, sulphur an' go dere an' cross it fuh three times in de night, choo know, an' dey say dat'll make 'em move. Dat'll make 'em have a big fuss an' dey'll move.
(You go there and cross them?)
Yes sir, yuh go across [and cross] 'em three time.
(How do you mean?)
Jes' go dere - jes' lak dis de steps [demonstrates] po' it dis way, an' back by an' po' it ag'in [I interrupt].
(Making the form of a cross?)
Yes sir, a cross lak a [letter] X, three mawnin's straight, an' tell 'em to, "Go." An' de house will be vacant an' dey will move.
Entry 4114
(You have good luck you say with red onions. Well, now what did you say you put into that?) Yuh put yuh own chamber lye, an' yuh puts sulphur intuh it, an' yuh put love powdahs intuh it an' a li'le sugah - granulated sugah, a teaspoonful. Dat makes a nice salve. An' yuh gi' dat tuh 'im an' dey'll love yo'. (What do you do with that?) Yuh kin take dat an' gi' [give] dat tuh de person. Yuh gi' tuh 'em tuh eat.
Entry 4155
Take dey chamber lye an' make yuh so dat chew can't make watah. Well dey takes it from yuh an' save it, an' dey git a stran' of yuh hair out chure haid, an' put in it an' let it stay fo' five weeks. Well, aftah dose five weeks dey mix some sulphur wit it an' dey put dat in dere an' dey put a little salt, red peppah, yuh know, whut grows on bushes. Den yuh can't make no watah.
(Where do they put all those things?)
Where dey keep it, puts it in a bottle, airtight so no air can't git in it, an' it stay in dere.
Entry 4233
(What do you put in your shoes, you say, to keep them from harming you. What do they put in your shoes?) Bathes 'em in chamber lye. Puts cayenne peppah an' sulphur.
Entry 4243
Burn sulphur an use de same chamber lye an' salt an' scrub wit it an' burn sulphur in yore house, an' dey'll hardly come.
(Keep the law away. What do you scrub with chamber lye?)
[Informant does not understand my question.]
chamber lye an' potash [and salt]."
Entry 4295
Well, yuh wan'a keep de law away, if yuh're bottleggin'. Evah mawnin' fer nine mawnin's yuh git up, yuh go tuh de front do' - don't evah sweep yuh dirt out de front - befo' de sunrise. Sprinkle chamber lye an' - but firs', burn ole shoe sole an' take de dust of dat ole shoe an' sulphuh, an' sprinkle it all aroun' yeh house out- side. An' den do all dat when de sun go down in de evenin'. As de sun goin' down yuh burn de shoe sole [and the sulphur - see later]. Nex' mawnin' befo' de sunrise, sprinkle it aroun' yeh house [shoe-sole ashes] an' sulphur, an' den sprinkle chamber lye all de way roun'. Den as zhoo sweep yuh house, sweep de dirt all back, from de front all de way back. Take it up on yuh shovel an' befo' sundown dat evening take dat dust whut choo sweep out cheh house an' burn it up in sulphuh an' ole shoe sole. An' do dat fer 9 mawnin', don't miss a mawnin', befo' de sunrise. An' as de sun goin' down in de evenin', yuh burn yuh shoe sole. An' continue sprinkle dat chamber lye aroun' yuh house. An' de officahs, dere wouldn't be anothah step about choo, won't nevah think about chew an' yuh likker.
Entry 4338
Take de persimmon an' dogwood an' boil it an' make a tea outa it. Place chamber lye an' sulphur tuh it an' gives Dentine paste - Dentine tooth- paste. An' dey say yuh kin go anywhere yuh wanta an' yuh gain luck. (Where do you keep all this stuff?) Well, yuh jis' take it an' keep it jis' where- somevah yuh wan' tuh. Yuh have it fixed an' set lak yuh want it tuh set. See, always jis' take a little part of it. Yuh dress it lak yuh wan'a tuh yore own bouse [dress your house with it in any way you want to]. An' when yuh git ready tuh go [away from home], why yuh take yuh luck an' fix [dress] yuh han's wit yuh luck, an' den yuh go.
Entry 4485
They kin take the water that you bathe in and use it, and if properly used give you some kind of a ailments in your skin. If they take that water and put sulphur in it and put it in a bottle and stop it up, your skin will break out with some kind of disease - something like itch or nettZe- rash or something. It will always continue to be thataway. Of course, I don't know that you couldn't go to a doctor [M.D.] and get shots or somepin. [HERE IS A MEMORABLE STATEMENT! INFORMANT THINKS IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO GO TO A DOCTOR (M.D.) FOR SHOTS TO CURE AN ITCH CAUSED BY HOODOO! A hundred times or more in HOODOO a Doctor of Medicine is dismissed as useless for hoodoo; in fact for most ailments. FOR A GOOD ACCOUNT OF THIS SITUATION BACK IN 1938 AT MOBILE, DESCRIBED BY PROFESSIONAL ROOT SELLER, See 12, p.11f.]
Entry 4826
She kin take an' cut de seat out of 'is shorts an' put 'er some sul- phur in dere an' some Lucky Heart Perfume, an' stick it in de hem of 'er undah- skirt - de hem, see. An' he'll stay home.
Entry 4863
Yuh kin do it, but yuh have tuh git somebody's hair or somebody's gar- ments dat's got de odah in it, dat dey wore. An' if yuh take it, yuh put salt an' peppah an' sulphah in it. An' put dat in runnin' watah an' it will start 'em tuh move. (That will run them out of town, keep them on the go?) Yes, dat will keep 'em on de go.
Entry 4941
Yes, sir, yuh take dem stockin's an' bury dem stockin's, see. Yuh go dere an' bury dem stockin's. See, yuh undahstan'. Now take sulphur an table salt an' put in dem stockin's an' den bury 'em. An' den fo' nine mornin's go back dere an' jis' like yuh got'a pencil, yuh un- dahstan', an' yuh hit dat on dere jis' like dat, an' say, "Go." An' dey'll shore go.
(What do you hit that with?)
Wit a pencil.
Entry 5006
Jis' lak a man's sock or sompin, when yuh wanta break 'em up or sompin, or yuh wanta run 'em away, yuh bury it. Yuh jis' take it, jis' lak it's yore ole man or sompin an' yuh wanta git rid of 'im. Yuh kin run 'im away wit 'is sock, or: if yuh wanted tuh keep 'im, yuh kin keep 'im wit chure sock. (How would you run him away with the sock?) Well, yuh take his sock an' yuh wrap 'is sock up in sulphur, lodestone an' bluestone, an' yuh bury dat sock an' yuh put three rusty nails aroun' dat sock an' two pegs, an' yuh'll soon git rid of'em.
(How do you put those two pegs?)
Take de sock an' yuh bury his sock wit dat stuff in it. An' yuh take two rusty nails an' yuh put two on each side of de sock - one on dis side an' one on dat side. P An' put one in de middle of it, an' yuh put de pegs behin' it [like this N N N ]. What are those pegs supposed to do?) Ah dunno. [They symbolize the headboard and footboard of a grave. The design is a cross mark on the grave. She has crossed him.]
Entry 5020
They say you can take a man's sock or a woman's stocking and carry it with yeh and make them do what chew want 'em to do. Just make yore wishes with it. And put sulphur and salt in there. and they say nc one else, whatever the're doing [to counteract your in- tentions] can't do anything with it no more than you. See? Just like if you'd bury it out here in this yard and someone come and sprin- kle something on it, they say that wouldn't be any good. And you take this sock and wear it. And if you want him to stay home, if it's a man you want him to stay home and don't want him to go, why then you bury it. Bury it in the yard some place where you walk over it oftener than he does. And that keeps him home.
Entry 5037
Yo' kin take de socks or de stockin's an' bury it at de foot of yore steps. Write his name on a piece of papah an' put it in dem socks wit sulphur an' brimstone, wit a little bit of sugah tuh make it sweet. An' bury dat at de foot of yore steps. An' as he goin' an' as he comin' in an' out, see he gotta pass ovah dat. An' 'is min' den will be, yo' know, tuh come home.
Entry 5087
She jis' gits a piece of de inside sole [insole of your shoe], puts it in a bottle wit cologne an' red peppah, salt, sulphah - dat keep zhoo in love wit 'er - wit Eve-an'-Adam [Adam-and-Eve] in it. Dat li'le root dey call Eve- an' Adam; it grows, looks lak a li'le tinsy [tiny] Ish [Irish] potatah. De Eve is a woman, Adam is a man. De man one'll swim, an' de she one'll sink. Dey grows on a hillside wit a li'le leaf looks sorta lak a heart leaf.
Entry 5090
Dey take de shoes an' a little sulphuh an' burn it down tuh ashes. Dey'll take de ashes an' dey put allspice an' dragon blood wit it an' jis' like powdah. An' sprinkle it right in dey place. Dat'll bring luck.
Entry 5099
Well, lak yo' livin' in dis house 'sides [beside] yo' neighbah an' he's mad wit chew or somepin othah lak dat. Well, dey want chew tuh move out. Well, prob'ly yo' take an', if yo' kin git some of 'is shoes, an' take an' burn dem shoes, an' sprin- kle sulphuh on dem shoes as yo' burn 'em. An' if yo' take dis ashes aftah yo' burn de shoes - take de ashes an' prob'ly ketch dem goin' 'way from de house someplace or 'nothah lak dat. An' take dis ashes an' sprinkle it roun' both do'steps, de back do'step an' de front do'step. An' when dey goes in an' come out - when dey goes in de house an' come out, den yo' take dem ashes an' take an' bring 'em back, an' yo' burn 'em ag'in wit some sulphuh. Jis' burn 'em in dis sulphuh dis time, an' take an' sprinkle a li'le whiskey on it. Den dey leave ag'in, an' aftah dey leave ag'in, yo' take an' do de same thing, an' let it stay dere dis time. An' den when dey leave out dat time, den de nex' thing dey'll wanta do is move, becuz dat stuff whut she did will begin tuh start tuh work.
Entry 5108
Ah've did it mahself. Yo' take a ole shoe an' yo' burn it. Dat's tuh keep snakes away from de house. Burn de ole shoes wit sulphuh.
Entry 5110
Yo' git some sulphuh, yo' git a piece of ole shoe; but don' do dat, not until yo' dere by yuhself. Yo' set dat afire at twelve a'clock evah Friday. (In the daytime?) Yes sir, twelve a'clock evah Friday, an' burn dat slowly. An' aftah dat, yo' won' have no trouble. It may be slow in comin', but whenevah dey do come, dey come in a heap.
(You burn that at twelve o'clock in the daytime or at night?)
Twelve a'clock in de day, when dere nobody dere but chew.
Entry 5177
Den yo' git de shoes, yo' take - cut a li'le piece outa de bottom of dat shoe. When yo' cut a li'le piece outa de bottom of dat shoe, yo'll fix dat up in a li'le piece of cloth, a yellah homespun cloth. An' yo'll wind dat, yo' know, wit a string. An' yo'll have in dat nuthin but sulphuh an' eatin'-salt. An' yo'll put dat in dere, an' yo'll tie hit tuhgethah intuh dat li'le piece whut yo' cut out dat shoe. Well, now, if yo' hit [aim] tuh bring 'im back, well yo'll take a li'le piece of saltpetah an' yo'll put [make] dat in a powdahs - all dem into a powdahs, an' yo'll fix dat into dat li'le package. An' aftah, yo' wind dat li'le package up an' yo' bury dat at de back of yore house. An' when yo' put all dat in de back of de house, den yo' call 'im three times - woman or man - an' dey cain't he'p but follahin' back. Now, dat's fer as ah know 'bout dat.
(Do you wind it in any special way?)
No pahtic'lah way but jis' long as yo' know it tied.
(And can you send them away with the same thing?)
No suh, ah don' know if yo' send 'em away wit dat.
(You mean that piece in the shoe, that piece inside [insole] that you pul]
up?) Dat's right.
Entry 5184
If she's away from me and I want to bring her back, I'll get nine old shoes, burn one each night at midnight with [nine] ingredients: egg shell, sul- phur, ashes, salt, pepper, alum, saltpeter, cloves, ginger, and walk around this fire and say, Send me my wife, sister or friend or whatever it is, back. And the ninth morning take this ashes, all from the whole nine mornings, and throw the ashes toward the direction the person is. You must have the wind blowing that direction. [The wind blowing the right direction on the 9th morning could make this a difficult rite.]
Entry 5198
Yo' kin pertec' [protect] yo'self - yo' kin go ahead an' git chew a pod of red peppah an' sulphur an' put in de bottom of yore shoe, each foot, an' wear dat. Dey cain't harm yo', dey cain't harm yo'.
Entry 5208
People, yo' know, kin take an' weah sulphur in de shoes, an' as long as yo' weah sulphur in yore shoes, ah don' care who put anythin' down fo' yo', it wouldn't hurt chew. Sulphur an' salt eats up de poison.
Entry 5209
An' den ag'in yo' kin take de salt, de eatin' salt, an' sulphur an' yo kin take dat an' let it been in dat ole shoe. An' take it out dat ole shoe an' yo' kin go an' sprinkle it in mah house, or on de sill of mah house, or anywhere on de step, an' ah walk ovah it ah'll leave.
(Whose shoe do you put that salt in?)
Anyone who yo' wanta work harm wit or good.
(Well, then you would take it out of their shoe?)
Yes, when yo' take it out de shoe, den yo' put it in dat bottle. Sho'. Well yo' jis' take dat salt out as a powdah an' throw it undah mah house or eithah in mah house, if yo' kin. (Well, now, suppose you were running me away and you want to use salt to do it, you would put that salt in my shoe?) No, no suh.
(You mean your own shoe?)
No, nobody's shoe. Yo' jis' takes dat salt an' diff'ren' things whut chew wanta put tuh it, an' yo' throw it down. Yo' kin jis' throw it at de threshhold of mah do' an' ah'd move. Evah time yo' walk ovah dat, see, dat satisfies - dat settle it. Yo'll leave, yo'll git a mind tuh leave heah an' yo'll go.
Entry 5213
Wear red peppah in yore shoes, salt an' sulphur an' black peppah, no one cain't harm yo'.
Entry 5359
If yo' don't want anybody to come to your house, I've heard the old people say you get their track. Take it up in a paper, put it with some sulphur, some salt, burn it in a pan, and take the ashes and throw it northward and say, "Don't come no more." And they say they won't come no more neither.
Entry 5360
If someone comin' tuh yore house an' yo' wanted tuh keep 'em away, well see, yo' kin git dere track an' burn peppah, sulphuh an' some ole shoes. An' go tuhwards de sunset an' say de same thing, In de Name of de Fathah, an' Son, go. Dey'll go. Yeah, yo' won' be bothahed wit dem no mo'.
Entry 5405
Now, say if yo' got'a employah - sompin lak dat - an' he's gittin' bad wit chah an' yo' wan's tuh git 'em down. Wall, yo' kin - don' git 'is track goin' from yuh, git 'is track comin' tuh yuh. Jis' take yore fingah an' pick up 'is track dat way, de right-foot track an' put it in yore han'. Take some sulphuh an' sugah wit it an' sew it in a sack, an' 'noint dat track wit Hearts Cologne an' jes' tote it in yore pocket. An' he'll come calm.
(He becomes quiet.)
Yes.
(His mind changes toward you.)
Entry 5449
Take de foot track an' mix it wit sulphur an' put it in runnin' watah - an' graveyard dirt, an' dat will run 'em off.
(Either foot track?)
Well, it's best tuh git de lef', nex' tuh de heart.
Entry 5451
Den dey say dey could take roun' yore track an' dey kin finely [final- ly] run yuh completely away from home. Dey take out of yore lef' track, take three outa de lef' [3 left tracksl. jis' outa de palm of de track [often called the holZah = hol- lowl. Den jerk it back. Take dat an' mix it wit graveyard dirt. Put some sul- phur an' lodestone. Tie it in a li'le [cloth]. Bury any place right aroun' de house.
Entry 5456
De left foot, gits it from dere where yo' make yore track. Jis' lak yo' make yore track dere in dat sand, well ah come back down dere an' ah see yore track. Den [I] come dere an' jis' git up one teaspoonful of dat dirt out chure track. An' den yo' take dat dirt an' sulphur, graveyard dirt, salt. Mix all dat tuhgethah. An' den take dat thing an' jis' whatevah dey wanta do wit yo', dey kin do it.
(What would they do with that?)
Well, dey could take dat an' if dey want chew tuh leave from dere, don' wan' chew roun', if yo's ahindahin' 'em any, jis' send yo' on off. Dey won't nevah have no mo' tuh do wit yo'. Dey ain't goin' be any way bothahed. Dat's fo' a hinimey [an enemy] of yourn.
(What would they do with that dirt in order to send me away?)
Why dat's whut dey do wit it. Jis' take an' mix all of dat tuhgethah whut ah tole yo'.
(But what do they do with that after they mix it together?)
Well, dey will take dat den an' carry it - dey kin bury it. An' when dey bury it, why dat jis' got chew upset. Yo' jes' got'a leave dere. Yo' can't do any- thing atall.
Entry 5588
Take out a piece of newspapah by yore track. Put chure foot down on de newspapah an' cut out dat track - understan', by de newspapah. An' take some sulphur an' red peppah an' sprinkle it in de bottom of yore shoe, an' set dat papah in dat, an' put chure foot in yore shoe. Yo' kin walk in it an' it [no cunjure or spell] ain't goin' hurt chew. Dat's right.
[Nothing planted for you to walk over will harm you.]
(After putting that stuff in your shoe, you simply put that insole of news- paper on top of it?) On top of it.
Entry 5612
Well, yo' take, if yo' have someone roun joo an' yo' don' wan' 'em aroun' joo, yo' kin take sulphur an' red peppah an' place it in de bottom of dere shoes, shoe track. [Informant should have put shoe track after an' following red peppah - 3 ingredients.] Jis' lak dey step on de soil down dere, jis' take some of dat soil, mix dat all up tuhgethah. Put dat in de bottom of dey shoe, dat will run 'em out.
(Whose shoe do you put that in?)
Put dat in de person dat chew wan' tuh leave.
(You mean in their shoe?)
In de one yo' wan's tuh leave.
(Put some of their own foot track in there?)
Yes, put some of deres - jis' lak if ah want chew to leave, see. Ah'd git soevhere yo'd been steppin', right 'long where yo's been goin'. Wouldn't git it where yo' comin' towards de house, git it as yo' goin' 'way from de house. Mix dat up togethah an' place it in dere shoes, see, ovahnight. De nex' mawnin' [I interrupt].
(Do you put it in both shoes or just one shoe?)
Jis' one shoe.
(And out of what foot track do you get this dirt?)
Out of the left track.
Entry 5633
If someone gone away an' dey wuz persuaded away by some person dat's tryin' to do yo' harm in de family or somepin of de kin', an' dey git dis person out an' tell 'em to leave home, ah wouldn't stay dere; an' den, yo' 'see, dey're tryin' to do yo' harm. Dey would git dis person off, an' den dey would give 'em somepin to keep 'em away from yo'. Ah've heard dat.
(What do they give them?)
Dey say dey would fix up somepin in dere food, some kin', lak women have, an' put it in dere food. An' den to bring 'em back, a lady tol' me dis, she wuz a ole lady, she's daid now, she tol' me dis to bring 'em back. She said if yo' wan' 'em, desire dem back home an' couldn't git 'em back, said if dey did come to see yo', if dey happen to come to see yo', yo' git some salt an' red peppah an' some sulphur, an' sprinkle it in dere tracks when dey leave ag'in, so dey come back ag'in dey wouldn't go back any mo'. If dey leavin', dat'll bring 'em back.
Entry 5634
Dey say yo' kin take dere track an' put it wit some salt an' [red] peppah an' sulphur an' put it in a bottle, an' go to runnin' watah an' throw it in backwards, an' tell de person - call dere name - tell dem to go jis' lak dat track go down dere, down de rivah. An' long as dat watah runnin' carr'in' dat track, why dat person always wundahin' [wandering] roun' an' goin'.
(You use the dirt out of either foot?)
Either one.
Entry 5635
About de track, ah know about de track. De' [dey = they] takes nine pods of red peppah an' de' take nine pinches of sulphur. De' take nine pinches of salt an' git dat track, de right-foot track, when dey're leavin' home. An' mix all dat togethah. Ah seen 'em do it, mix all dat togethah yo' know. An' dey take it an' box it up, an' dey chunk it in de rivah. Den dey'll go. In nine days dey'll leave town an' nevah come back.
Entry 5636
When a person, yo' know, jis' walkin' along, an' dey could take sulphur an' salts an' spirits of turpentine an' mix it tuhgethah an' cuz yo' tuh have a foolish min'. [Spirits of turpentine is used occasionally instead of turpentine, the addi- tion of spirits giving to turpentine a spirit or other-world quality. An inform- ant somewhere in Hoodoo explains the spiritual essence of turpentine.] (Well, what do they do with that stuff after they get it? What do they do with that?) Takes it an' mix it tuhgethah an' as yo'd walk along, see dey po's dat in yore track as yo' go 'long. A certain numbah of tracks yo' know. Ah 'spect [suspect] yo' have tuh put it in de tracks, nine tracks nine mawnin's. An' dat vill cuz yo' tuh go crazy.
(This mixture, they just slip it into these tracks?)
Yes.
Entry 5663
Take yore foot track an' sew it up in a piece of white homespun an' put sulphur to it, an' take it an' go throw it in runnin' watah. Dat makes yo' tra- vel. Yo' can't stop until dat bag hits some part of de rivah, yo' see, where it stop at, can't pass.
Entry 5664
When a person is doin' anything tuh yo', yo' take dey track an' take it - if dey goin' dis way, yo' take de track dis way; if dey goin' dis Way, yo' takes de track dis way [demonstrates]. (You take the track right from the toe back to the heel?) Take de track from de toe. Don't take de heel, take from de instep tuh 'is feet, from de instep of 'is feet. Take dat goin' dataway an' go an' git chew some sulphur, spirits of turpentine, black peppah an' tie it up in a ball. An' go tuh a runnin' watah an' throw it in.
(What will that do?)
Well, dey'll leave.
Entry 5676
Well, yo' take a person's foot track. Jis' lak if yo' wanta run some body 'way from town, move 'em, yo' take dere track. An' if dey goin' dataway, jis' go by an' ketch it from de toe heah, ketch it up from de toe back tuh de heel. Walk along an' don' stop an' pick up de track from de toe tuh de heel. Yo' jis' come 'long dataway an' carry it on home. An' soon as yo' git furt [far] as yore fron' do'step, yo' back back three steps from it an' throw it right ovah yore lef' shouldah. Take a li'le bit of sulphur in dis han' an' throw it ovah de right shouldah. An' yo' take de broom an' go tuh sweepin' it tuh de outside of de yard, an' dem people in less time den three days, dey goin' move 'way from dere. (The track you put it in your right hand and throw it over your left shoulder, and the sulphur you put it in your left hand and throw it over your right shoul- der.) Yo' take de track, see [demonstrates] dis is mah lef' [side]. Throw dat ovah yore lef' shouldah. An' de sulphuh yo' put it ovah yore right shouldah at de same place.
(You use the dirt from either track?)
Yo' use it from de right track.
(That is to make a person leave.)
Entry 5747
This is to cross you. You take the right-foot track, you dig that out and turn it over, and fill the hole full of salt and pepper and quicksilver and sulphur and gunpowder. Then you put that foot track back in the hole upside down and tamp it down and make a wish. You do that the same both for a man and a woman, if you want to break them up.
[Berlin, Md., by Ediphone.]
Entry 5831
[Similar to the margin title BURIED HAIR, only a few examples of burn- ing hair will be given here. Many other rites are scattered through the text.] Dey take mah hair an' put it wit some sulphur an' brimstone, an' dey put it in some of yore watah an' de sand - some of dat sand out de hollah of yore track, or eithah dey take a piece outa yore sock at de hollah of yore feet [if unable to obtain the foot track]. An' put it together an' if dey want chew tuh go, why dey throw it in a runnin' stream wrapped up, an' as long as hit run, why jes' de furthah yo' will go. An' when- evah it stop, yo' will stop until it start rainin' ag'in - till de stream start washin' it, see. An' if dey wanted yo' tuh stay or wanted yo' tuh kill yo'self, why dey'd take it an' put it in - bo' a hole in a tree an' put it in dere an' put a piece back in dere ovah it tuh hold - keep de air from it. Or, eithah dey would take an' burn it. An' if dey burn it, why whenevah - at a certain time de spell, dat spell would come on yo', a real full spell - kinda out of yore senses, an' yo' stick yore head in de fiah or maybe yo' jump ovah- bo'd an' kill yo'self or sompin. Well, dere wuz a boy ah know, hit wuz a girl he wuz goin' wit, an' he wuz leavin' for de CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps, of the U. S. A.] Camp. An' she'd taken 'is picture an' she put it in a - his picture an' some sulphur an' some brimstone an' some of de hair out 'is haid an' de bow outa his hat, an' dey [wo- men] put dis togethah an' burn it. An' aftah dey burn it, dey taken it out de fiah - jes' burn it, put it in a separate place an' burn it in a little box - an' den dey taken it an' wrapped it up good an' real tight an' wore it in dey clothes, in dere undahclothes. Well, as long as she wore it in 'er undah- clothes why he stayed dere. He couldn't stay 'way from 'er house. An' when she taken off 'er cloth [holding the ashes] an' put it - she'd throw it in de fiah, an' he'd taken an' stuck 'is haid in de fiah. It taken six people tuh hol' 'im out de fiah. An' den he got away an' got in de fiah an' caught afiah. An' whenevah dey could git 'im out, he'd ketch hold of de bed, jes' lak dat [may have demonstrated], dey said. An' he'd ketch de foot of it an' draw it togethah, jes' bend it [the 2 legs of the bed together]. An' he kept on lak dat till he died.
Entry 5833
(Well, suppose somebody wanted to harm yo' with that hair. What would they do with that then?) Well, if dey want to do yo' harm, why dey take dat an' burn it with sulphur. Dey kin harm yo' dat way.
(Well, just how would it harm you?)
Well it will give yo' a ramblin' mind, it has yo' goin' from one place to de othah, soonah or latah until yo' don't know zac'ly [exactly] whut chew wanta do. Yo' 'cumulate a silly mind - soon die.
Entry 5867
Dey kin take, yo' know, a little bunch of hair [demonstrates] outa de centah [and] outa de two sides heah [demonstrates].
(Right above the ears.)
Yes sir. Dat would make three bunches, see. All right, take dat an' yo' put 'em togethah an' yo' roll it up in sulphur. An' yo' take it an' put to de west cornah of yore house, to de right as yo' leavin' de house, so de rainy watah will be drippin' down on it all de time. [These 3 bunches of hair are buried under the eaves.l Leave it right dere where de rain'll drip. An' as long as dat stays dere, it will keep.yo' waverin' all de time, keep yo' prackly [practically] mindleSS. Yo' know, YO' KIN NEVAH BE YORESELF - LIKE WE ARE NoW.
Entry 5895
Git hold of yore hair an' ruin yo'. Take yore hair an' ball it up an' Pt sulphur, black pepper an' an ole toadfrog dust in it an' throw it in de rivah r burn it up. Dat kill yo' or make yo' sick. Yo' couldn't do nuthin.
Entry 5914
Well, dey kin take yore hair an' dey kin put a little cemetery dirt wit it an' dey kin put a little sulphur wit it, an' dey kin take dat hair an' wrap it right tight, an' dey kin bury it eithah in de cemetery, or dey kin throw dat hair in runnin' watah. See. An' dat will affect chew.
(How would that affect me? What would that do?)
Well, it will cause yo', it seem lak yore mind will - at times will go away from yo'. Yo'll git frantic an' feel nersiful [nervous], an' jes' look lak if yo' jes' git to de place yo' don't care fo' nuthin.
Entry 5964
Yo' kin take a lady's hair an' make her love yo' all right, if it's lady yo' want an' yo' kin git a chance tuh play wit 'er an' git a stran' of 'er hair. Take it an' wrap it up in some sulphur an' burn it in sompin, but don' burn it up. See, burn it in sulphur, put it in sompin an' burn it. An' take some mo' an' mix all in dat, an' take yore hair an' wrap it up in dat, an' tie it in de cornah of yore pocket han'kechuf an' tote' it in yore pocket. It will draw de woman to yo', so dey tell me. Ah nevah experienced it.
(This hair from the top of her head?)
Yassuh, have tuh git it from de roots.
Entry 6029
Someone who used to live on the Riprap Road found a box at the gate one morning and brought it to my house and said, "Look what I dug up at my gate." I said to her, "What's in it?" And she open- ed it and there were pins in there and neodles and some of her hair and sulphur in a bag in there, and a piece of red flannel that had four sticks sewed up into that and a dime in it. It was a wood- en box [coffin] about that long [demonstrates].
(Eight inches long and four inches wide, probably a cigar box.)
She said she was going to take and see who put it there, SHE WAS GOING TO TAKE IT OVER TO NORFOLK TO A FORTUNETELLER. AND WHEN SHE CAME BACK SHE TOLD ME HER TOLD HER.
Entry 6032
Ah've heard of people takin' an' goin' tuh yore house, yo' know, an' gittin' a little bit of each one of 'ems hair an' mixin' it togethah as well as dey could, yo' know, an' puttin' it in a jar or little glass [bottle] or sompin of dat kind, an' puttin' some needles in it an' some salt an' some pins, sulphur an' some cayenne, red pep- pah, an' takin' it out buryin' it undah de steps. An' dat keeps up a quarrel 'tween dem all de time until dey realize it's undah dere an' git it out.
Entry 6103
Yore hair proposition - dey git chure hair right out de mole of yore haid, right out de mole of yore haid. An' aftah dey git de hair right out de mole of yore head, dey take dat an' wrap it up into some into a rag, some cloth. An' aftah dey wrap it up into some cloth, dey takes it an' puts some red peppah, undahstan'. An' aftah dey put de red peppah in it, dey takes hit, takes de - Put red peppah, bluestone, alum, an' mix it all togethah, an' sulphur, an' put hit in dere an' ties it up. An' dey ties dat up an' dey carries it. Dey'll eithah bury it right at chure do'step - bury it at chure do'step an' yo' walks ovah all dat. Den dat begin pains about chure haid, right about chure haid. Den when it begin painin' about chure haid, put chew in bad sickness.
Entry 6167
If a man leaves a woman an' she want 'im back, she git two stran's of 'is hair, an' aftah she git dose two stran's of 'is hair, she takes some sugah an' den some sulphur an' mix it togethah. An' put 'is hair in dis sugah an' dis sul- phur an' bury it up undah de bottom of 'er do'steps. An' she'll keep 'im all de time. He won't nevah leave her no mo'.
Entry 6380
[This may be my only example of the rare term badge, meaning hand, or toby or mojo.] If yo' wanted 'er tuh love yo', why yo' jes' take some of - jes' lak yo'd take a bath an' git some of de dirty skin from undah de bottom of yore feet, de hollah of yer lef' feet. Trim yer fingahnails good an' close an' git some of de dirt from undah dere. Take dem an' parch dem, parch de fingah- nails. Parch dese fingah- nails brown, beat it up, an' git some of 'er hair an' burn it - de hair from 'er haid an' burn it. Mixes it tuhgethah wit Hearts Cologne an' sulphur, an' weah it undah-yer lef' arm as a badge.
(Wear it under your left armpit as a badge.)
An' in seven days she'll eithah come or she'll write yo' a lettah.
Entry 6452
All right, now, heah's anothah one yo' kin take. Yo' be's roun' some person an' yo'll say, "Lemme look at yore feet." Yo' kin take - yo' know dis heah thick skin dat be's in de bottom of a person's feet. Yo' kin scrape out dis thick skin. Jis' scrape a li'le bit offen dis thick skin an' hold it in yore han'. An' if yo' wanta trick a person, undahstan', jis' lak yo' roun' an' someone sleepin' heah, an' yo'all had a argu- ment or sompin, see. Yo' take dat dere scale offen de bottom of dere skin an git chew some sulphuh, undahstan', an' yo' git chew some red peppah. Well, yo' mix dat tuhgethah. All right, den yo' go an' git chew some wild animal blood, an' put dat in dere. All right, aftah yo' mix dat up good, yo' git chew a li'le box, an' put it in a li'le box an' carry it in yore pocket. An' de nex' thing yo' do wit it, yo' carry it tuh a graveyard. See, yo' goes tuh de graveyard an' yo' do's lak dis, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' stan' up [demonstrates], an' de grave is back dere, yo' stan' up by dis grave [like this].
(You stand up with your back to the grave.)
Wit yore back to de grave, an' yo' chunk dat an' yo' say, "Ah hope yo' go 'vay from me. Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, go 'way." Yo' throw dis back when yo' speak de las' words. Dey gone an' yo' don' have no mo' trouble wit 'em.
(What will that do to them then?)
Well, he'll leave yo' an' yo'll nevah see 'im any mo'. Yo'll nevah see him any mo' an' nevah have no mo' [trouble].
Entry 6494
Dat would make yo' painful. Yo' scrape dat off de bottom of a person's feet an' den put it in a glass - in a drinkin' glass. Jis' put it in a drinkin' glass an' put 17 drops of kerosene on it. Put 17 drops of kerosene on it, a pinch of sulphuh - jis' lak yo' put a pinch up lak dat, of sulphuh. An' git some borax - take a level teaspoonful of borax an' put in dere. An' jis' let it set up.
(Where?)
Jis' let it set somewhere in a dark place lak up in de loft of de house or in a closet where nobody nevah visit at. An' it will dry out de marrah in 'is arms.
Entry 6599
Well, she takes de snake an' she dries 'im up an' she takes 'is bones outa his tail, which dose de softes' bones, an' she dries dose bones up. Dey make a dust outa dem an' put dat intuh a vaseline, or hair oil, or hair grease dat he uses, an' he passes dat ovah 'is head when he combs 'is hair. An' it will penetrate tuh 'is - through 'is skull intuh 'is brain. An' he will al- Ways have a min' dat he wants tuh drown 'imself, or he will always have a min' he wants tuh kill 'imself or commit suicide. But de Way tuh keep 'imself from doin' dat, committin' sui- cide, HE WILL HAVE TUH GO TUH ONE OF DOSE PEOPLE OVAH DE RIVAH [IN ALGIERS], SOME OF DOSE TWO-HEADED PEOPLE, AN' DEY WILL TELL 'IM JIS' WHUT IS WROEG WIT 'IH AN' DERE IS NO DANGAH FO 'IM, BECUZ DEY KIN GIT IT BACK OUTA 'IS SKULL BEFO' IT
(How do they do that?)
Dey shave all de hair off, yo' see, an' dey use fresh lard an' sulphh an' hot towels, an' dey will draw dat - draw dat right out, an' he will have tuh pot eat anythin' fo' nine days. He should not have anythin' on 'is stomic, nuthin in "is bowels, nuthin. Give 'im two or three big dose of salts, an' dey contimue usin' dat fresh lard an' sulphuh on 'is head. An' in about nine or ten days, he il begin tuh come back tuh 'imself, an' den he will realize den whut dangah be sus in.
Entry 6615
Well, yo' kin take de blood outa scorpion, eithah snake, eithah one, an' put it intuh a person's food In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, an' dey'll becone tuh have snakes in 'em, or scorpions in 'em. Den if yo' wan' dose outa dere, yo' git chew some salt, red peppah, sulphuh. Combine 'em tuhgethah an' let 'em take it fo' nine mawnin's In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' Holy Ghost. An' dat soon will git 'em out.
(Get those live things out?)
Yes sir.
Entry 6706
Now ah tell yo ag'in, it have tuh be yo' unahstan' [under- stand]. Yo' have tuh git some earth from outa de groun', but yo' gotta be sure dat it's black dust - black earth, yo' see. Well, den yo' need tuh git halfa teaspoonfula dis sulphuh, den yo' have tuh git halfa teaspoonfula black peppah intuh a one-inch bag, yo' see, an' it have tuh be pure yallah homespun cloth. An' den yo' goes tuh work an' yo' puts dose tuhgethah, an' one red peppah. An' den yo' sew it up dere in de flannen [flannel]. Heah's a li'le bag dat yo' totes along in dat, yo' undahstan'. Well, it's no chance of no one playin' yo', anythin'. [This may be primarily a gambling hand, but it protects you against conjur- ation of any kind.]
(I see, eats it up.)
Eats it up, takes it 'way.
Entry 6814
Well, jis' lak if people has some kinda goofah dust aroun' yo' take salt - cookin' salt - an' sulphuh an' sprinkle it aroun' wit chamber lye. Mix dat tuhgethah an' sprinkle it aroun' in yore house. Dat would kill it.
(Kill off this goofer dust.)
Dat put down fo' yo'.
Entry 6896
Dese here HOODOO dey git dat onion an' cut it up, fix it up in sulphur, stuff, an' git chew tuh tote it in yuh pocket, an' den if anythin' lak dat, chew - dey try tuh do anythin' tuh yuh, dat will keep it off, dat red onion.
(They fix this red onion up with that sulphur in it.)
Dat sulphur is de main thin' dey use.
(Nothing else, just the red onion an' sulphur.)
Entry 6897
Lak if yo're hurt, den yo' kin take red onions, an' urination, sulphuh, salt, vinegah an' boil all dat tuhgethah an' bathe 'em down in it, an' dat will run de poison out of dem.
Entry 6907
Or eithah yo' kin take sulphuh. Say yo' kin [take] sulphuh if anyone comin' in yore house an' salt an' mix it tuhgethah. Jis' go round de edge, go all roun' yore yard an' sprinkle it all aroun'. Dat will keep dem out from comin' in, keep yore ene- mies from comin' in.
Entry 6908
Yo' kin weah cayenne peppah, salt an' sulphur in yore shoes, an' yo' kin walk ovah anythin'.
(If you walked over this stuff they planted for you, it wouldn't hurt you then?)
No sir.
Entry 6909
Well, yo' kin put chew some red peppah, nine balls, [I mean] seeds of red peppah. Yo' have de seeds tuh put in dere. Grind dat peppah. Nine drops of spirits of turpentine, halfa tea- spoonfula salt, halfa teaspoonfula sulphur. An' put it in yore shoe an' weah it an' dat will kill dat.
(Anything they put down for you?)
Planted fo' yo'.
(Do you wear this in one or both shoes?)
Yo' kin put it in de shoes, or else if yo' want, yo' kin put it undah de steps, put it all tuhgethah an' bury it undah de steps.
Entry 6910
If dey do sumpin tuh hurt dere ahm [arm] an' it's swollen up or sumpin lak dat, dey could take some vinegah an' put it in a bottle an' some bluestone an' salt an' red peppah, an' jis' keep a-bathin' de ahm, rubbin', an' dat'll more or less cure it in dem. (What causes this swelling in the arm?) It will be jis' lak if dey wan' tuh poison yo' or: sompin, sompin dey puts down, an' yo' go an' put yuh hand on dis. See, dat makes dat stuff go through yuh ahm. It'll keep on a-workin' an' a-workin' till it git intuh yuh body. If [you] start in time - den let 'em take a lot of sulphur. Sulphur's good, too. Jis' take it, put it in yuh han' an' eat it. An' brimstone. Joo kin take a pill of brimstone an' eat dat an' yo' kin eat or drink poison an' it won't hurt choo. See, dat brimstone kills it out.
Entry 6911
An' anybody got anything put down roun' yore place to make yo' - put chew in hard luck, git chew some sulphur, bluestone an' salt - table salt - mix it tuhgethah an' burn it. An' evah uhich way dat chew think it is, if it's in yuh room, why yo' jis' burn it. Yo' kin burn dat any time. Jis' take a teaspoonful or tablespoonful an' mix it up tuhgethah an' set it down in dere an' shet chure room up, shet it up an' let it explore[!] in dere. An' if anything wuz put in dere tuh put chew in hard luck, whenevah yo' burn dat three or fo' times, dat'll do away wit dat.
Entry 6938
Put sulphur an' a dime in yore shoe an' weah it in dere, an' dey couldn't hurt chew.
(If you walk over anything, it wouldn't hurt you?)
Yes.
Entry 7199
Yo' take a fellah now dat wan's chew tuh move out dis house an' he don' lak yuh atall [at all]. He come in de mawnin' an' he git some ashes, yo' know whut burn in de chimley; oak ashes dō [though], it cain't be pine ashes. He take dat ashes an' he takes somepin dey call - ah cain't remembah de name of it, but it's jis' lak ink. [For this ingredient see later.] An' he take dat ashes [author interrupts].
No, not gunpowdah. It's somepin lak potash. But he uses dis instrument in dis ashes. Den he took it an' he come aroun' tuh yuh dō' wit a li'le of dis black-oak ashes de firs' mawnin', an' he sprinkle it aroun'. De second mawnin' he come an' he take a li'le bit of black an' red peppah an' sulphuh, an' he sprinkle dat aroun', aroun' yuh house - walk aroun' - walk aroun' dere nine mawnin's.
(Walk around what?)
Aroun' yuh house. Yo' know, jis' come from de back dō tuh de front - jis' lak somebody come in yore yard befō' yo' wake an' walk tuh de back an' walk back out tuh de front [circumambulates the house]. Den aftahwahds, it looks jis' lak nuthin in dat house - yo' be upsot [upset], yo' cain't do anythin'. Yuh mind is turrible an' jis' lak someone got chew crazy, until yo' move out, if it isn't a lease.
(You can't think of the name of that stuff that they get?)
Ah cain't remembah de stuff jis' at de present time, but ah knows it jis' as good as ah knows - it somepin lak ink. But it's not ink.
(Is it liquid like oil?)
Crela - creosote! Dat's right, yes sir. Supposed tuh use dat instrument in dere. But dey pō it out an' dat stuff'll git hard jis' lak tar; yo' know, when dey beat it up.
Entry 7258
Now, if ah wanta give yo' a job - [you] come tuh me fer a job. Fer a mattah lak dat, de firs' thing ah'd say tuh [yuh], see mah firs' word tuh yuh, "Have yuh known dis gentleman?" [You answer] "Yes." "Have yuh evah worked fer 'im?" "Yes." "Why did yuh stop?" [Doctor Washington is using the new psychology and business methods floating about in the air about 1937.] Well, he explain tuh yuh. An' while he explain tuh yuh, ah'm gittin' de foundation tuh work on, 'cuz he mighta been workin' ovah in de market an' dere mighta been a fallin' out. Now befō' remarkin' on de fallin', out ah gotta go an' hunt de man whut carry de bone [of contention?] dat where de [trouble?] come from [originally?]. Go back an' search an' den he say, "All right, yuh ali. Well see me tuhmorrah evenin', [or] come back tuhmorrah mawnin' 'tween two and three 'clock. Knock on dō' an' dō' be opened, an' come on in de room an git choo outa baid. An' ah be lookin' fer people an' ah sleep dere all alone, no one but mahself. An' mah street do' an' mah room dō' stay open. Come in dere an' shake me an' ah raise up an' turns ovah an' go on out. When yo' come back, ah say, "Well, have yuh got nine dimes? Dat's whut ah want. Well, git nine. Ah Want 19, firs' an' second half. Dat's all de job. Don't gotta [ask for more] until ah git de man, git de boss right tuh de place ah want. Gotta turn on dis man t'ree [three] times. An' de fot [fourth] time, if ah don't git [him] de t'ree [third time]. All right. Well, do whut yuh could. Now ah might go an' take yuh drawahs. Don't wash de whole, [only] right in de seat. Put 'em in a basin jis' lak dat till dat watah turn black. Wait till it [turn black] now. All right, an' take dat watah in a rag, a cotton rag an' soak it all up in dat rag, an' den use dat watah in de basin an' git it on yuh arm, both sides.
(You Wash your arms?)
All yuh arms. Den take dat same watah, wash it off de rag. Yuh goin' fer de job de second time. Wash yuh face wit it jis' lak dat.
(Won't it smell?)
Yes, it smell. SOME PEOPLE SO CRAZY FER SMELLS.- DAT'S A JOB-JOKE - but do it an' yuh go dere. "Well, Cap [Captain] ah come fer a job dis mawnin'. How about it?" "Ah don' know. Come back latah, ah may see yuh between now an' Monday mawn- in'." "All right, thankee [thank you] sir."
(You salute him with your right hand.)
Yuh salute 'im wit yuh right hand - made de connection - t'ree times. Don't hesitate now. [He] tells yuh, "Ah ain't got nuthin tuh do, but ah'll see yuh maybe 'bout Monday mawnin'. Come back an' ah'll see whut ah kin do fer yuh. Talk tuh yuh surely." "Thankee sir; thankee, sir." Right off dere yuh goes. Come on back wit yuh. Come an' 'is thought wit yuh be. Yuh comin' back an' sleepin'. Yo' go back dere Monday mawnin' an' yo' got de job. Well, whut if yo' bein' treated now, ah wus de person aftah it mahself. Give perfect satisfaction. When yuh come back tuh me, ah done knowed whut ah done wid yuh, wit de watah. Den ah want chew tuh take dat same basin or pan an' git choo some physic salts an' some sulphur. Watch me. Some vaseline, half a bottle of vaseline, an' put about a quart of hot watah in it, an' put 'em intuh a round basin an' fetch yuh. An' wash from yuh navel down. [Here is the magic bath.] Sets de whole body in an' wash from de navel right on troo [through], all troo. An' dat watah turn black. An' den Wash yuh whole haid wit dat all up on yuh arms, all yuh neck an' let it dry. Don't wipe a thing, jis' let it stay on dere an' dry on yuh. Now dat man send fer yuh.
(He'll send for you?)
Dat's right. He'll have de job [for you]. Dat man send fer yuh.
Entry 7511
If dey kin git 'is pichure, jes' lak if yo' wuz stayin' heah an' yo'd kill somebody an' ah wanted tuh git chew back home. Ah wanted tuh find out who it wus did it, ah'd take an' come heah an' git chure Pichure. An' take some quicksilvah an' some sulphur an' some salt an' put it all togethah. An' den some Adam-an'-Eve [root] an' put dat wit it. An' take it an' sew it up an' carry it tuh mah house, an' put it undah mah do'step, an' in two day's time yo'd be back. An' yo'd tell somebody dat chew de one dat did it. It would keep worryin' yo' till yo' did.
Entry 7591
If she war: 'a run aroun', well shc.'ll take an' go tuh de cemetery on a new moon an' git dirt offa innocent's grave, an' take sulphur an' take table salt - nine spoons of table salt. An' as she go out [leaves the house] go intuh de room an' throw it in de room; an' [as] she go out de do' [door] throw it In de Name of de Fathah, de Son an' in de Holy Ghost, an' go on. Yuh know, go out de house. He ain't gon'a come out [the door after her].
(What does she do this for?)
Jis' lak she come in at night - yuh know, lak she goin' out, an' she goin' out tuh be out at night an' she don' wan' 'im tuh come out tuh look fo' her. Well, she git it fresh. She go dere on de new moon.
(She does this so that he won't bother her while she goes out at night?)
Go anywhere she wants.
Entry 7593
(To bring in customers.)
Yo' use de dead man an' de way dey mix it, yo' mix it wit de clay taken from a fresh grave at de full of de moon. Mix de clay an' sulphur an' red peppah an' bury it undah de foot of de step, an' it use'ly brings in per- sons.
Entry 7606
Well, yo' go tuh de graveyard roun' about twelve a'clock at night tuh some sinnah's grave or murdahah have been killed [or executed] an' on de side de heart's on yuh put a penny down dere an' git a handful of dat dirt. An' while yo' gittin' yo' usin' a oath. An' yo' bring it back tuh de house an' take it an' put chew salt an' peppah an' sulphur in it an' yuh keep it. Put it in a jar an' anybody dat chew don't like or wheresomevah yo' go at an' yo' wanta start I confusion, yo' Jes' take dat 'long wit chew an' jes' sprinkle it all aroun' as yo' go. Dat will certainly cuz confusion wit yore enemies.
Entry 7652
Dey goes tuh de grave, dey go tuh de haid side, [I mean] on de heart side. So dey tell me. Ah've nevah done it but ah've heard of it. Dey go dere an' dey git dat dirt, come back, an' dey put dat dirt in a li'le bit of sack. An' dey take dat dirt an' mix some othah li'le stuff wit it, a li'le salt an' one t'ing or 'nothah; a li'le sulphur an' diff'ren' t'ings lak dat. Carry it wit yo' an' yo' kin take it an' put it in a place, a dwellin', an' dere's nobody kin git along in dere. An' dey take dat dirt an' dey go aroun' amongst people dat dey're neighbahs, an' see 'em gittin' along, an' throw datdirt all aroun' 'em, dere windah, where de windah's up, or in de do', when dey kin git a chance, or on de do'steps, or in front of de do's an' t'ings, dat choo'll have tuh walk ovah it. An' consequently it cuzes [causes] a confusion an' yo' can't git along wit yoreself or nobody else.
Entry 7655
Ah hear 'em say dat dey takes some graveyard dirt, if yo' have any man in yore community an' yo' wanted tuh move 'em. Yo' take an' yo' go tuh a sinnah man's grave an' git some of de dirt from right off on 'is left side of 'is heart. Jis' go right down in de grave till yo reach clay, an' take it out, an' take dat clay an' mix it up wit some sulphur an' magic sand.
(Magic sand?) [A hoodoo store product.]
Yessuh, magic san'. An' some dragon blood an' brimstone, an' mix all dat tuh- gethah. An' go in dat house wit'out anybody knowin' dat chew in dere, an' sprin- kle it when all de folk gone from de house. See, in de rooms, an' walk out wit'- out nobody knowin' yo' dere. Yo' know dat chew in dere an' make yore wishes. An' dey say dat dey'll have tuh go 'way from dere.
Entry 7723
See, yo' 'sposed tuh go tuh de graveyard twelve a'clock at night, an' yo' git dis dirt, an' when yo' start gittin' dis dirt, yo' supposed tuh say, "Dead spirit, ah didn't come tuh rob yore grave, ah came heah fo' luck In de Name of de Father, of de Son an' of de Holy Ghost." An' if yo' put money tuh dat grave or a corn or either some fresh rice, anything, yo' supposed tuh pay dem An' jes' lak if yo' want chure luck changed, yo' go dere in de nighttime at twelve a'clock an' yo' take de haidbo'd an' throw it tuh de feet an' take de feetbo'd an' throw it tuh de haid. An' yo' git dis graveyard dirt an' yo' sup- posed tuh put sulphur in it - supposed tuh put red peppah an' yo' supposed tuh put sompin yo' kin git at de drugsto', but yo' don' specially have tuh have dat, an' salt in it. An' yo' burn dis dirt three times a day. If it's wet yo' put it in de sun an' let it git dry, an' when yo' make yore fiah [fire] it gonna smell funny when it be burnin'. Yo' shet up in a room tuh yo'self an' yo' burn dis heah dirt. An' jes' lak if yo' want - if anothah party livin' next do', yo' want 'em out chure house, yo' burn dat dirt on dose people an' tell 'em dat chew want 'em tuh be out. Yo' know, move out de house. An' burn it three times a day. An' jes' lak if yo' runnin' a joint or anything, an' if no one will visit chure joint much, yo' kin burn dat dirt, an' in about ten minutes time yo'll have a crowd at chure house. An' if it's a woman yo' wants tuh see, an' yo' cain't see her, an' yo' burn dat dirt, dogged if she wouldn't be dere in about five minutes' time.
(You make your wishes when you burn that dirt.)
[This was not a leading question. Somewhere while recording machine had stopped this had been mentioned.] Yeah yo' make yore own wishes In de Name of de Fathah, an' de Son an' de Holy Ghost. (What is the stuff that you would get at the drug store if you wanted to use that and add that to it?) It's sompin, but chew specially [don't] have tuh have dat, becuz ah ain't nevah didn't nuse [use] dat. (You don't have to have it. What is it, if you do want to use it?) [Either no answer or I turn off machine too fast.]
Entry 7866
Well, ah've heard some of 'em say dat yo' could take a penny an' go tuh de cemetery, an' say one or two words an' [say to] jes' de person in de cemetery dat chew want 'em tuh work fo' yo'. An' yo' git a li'le bit of dat dirt an' come back home, an' take yo' some red peppah an' sulphuh an' put it in a sack, an' stick it undah- neat' de house. An' it supposed tuh move 'em in nine days.
Entry 7885
Go tuh a graveyard an' git graveyard dirt an' mix salt wit it an' whut's dis dey call some kinda sulphur.
(Sulphur?)
An' jes' sprinkle it round in de house and sprinkle it de way dey want chew tuh go. Sprinkle it all de way through de house. Well, dey gits chure track an' take it an' wrap it up in somepin - a cloth - put graveyard dirt wit it an' if dey goin' down to runnin' watah, throw it down in runnin' watah. (These are two different ways of making you move?) Yes. An' dey take an aig an' write chure name on de side of it an' throw it cross yore house an' break it: if it breaks cross dere, yo' gotta move; if it don't yo' git sick. If somebody [root man] don't do somepin fo' yo', yo' liable tuh die.
The informant reports two dirt-related ways to make someone move: a graveyard-dirt mixture scattered in a house, and a track wrapped with graveyard dirt and cast into running water. A subsequent named-egg rite is separate and does not establish dirt use there. Departure, illness and death remain reported claims.
Entry 7886
Yo' go tuh somebody's graveyard [private cemetery on a farm] an' jes' lak dey got somebody down dere, lak yore name is Jane or John or sompin, say, "Well, dere some people's [people is] givin' me trouble an' ah don't know whut could ah do tuh make 'em go 'way." An' reach down in dere an' git some graveyard dirt an' go right back tuh de house. An' put some salt an' sulphur wit it, an' tie it up an' put it right undah de do'steps. An' when yo' go an' put it undah dere, says, "Go, yo' son of a bitch." An' dat John, he'll worry dat house so, he come down de stairs, got a ball an' chains an' buckles an' evahthin', jes' causin' a rattlin', an' dem folks will move.
The informant gives a conditional account with prescribed addresses, not a record of a particular invocation. The bracketed farm-cemetery and grammar explanations are editorial; the rattling and departure remain source-reported.
Entry 7900
Yo' take lak yo' got on yore shoes an' yo' pull yore shoes off. Dey kin git some of dat graveyard dirt an' sulphuh an' sprinkle in yore shoes. Wal, dat'll put chew in trouble. Dat all dat'll do. Put chew in jail, keep yo' in jail all de time. Put chew in hard luck. Dat's de way dat do's.
Entry 7936
Get dey socks an' fill 'em fulla dirt, an' sulphur an' soda - furse [first] one thing anothah an' bury 'em like yo' do a person. Let it be a secret, don't let nobody see yo', an' dat person dey say will die. [Here we have an unusual combination for So few words: sock, used as a mock coffin, representing feet, to keep a person down uder your feet, and also odor, the smell of death; ordinary dirt is mock grave- yard dirt; sulphur signifies the devil or hell; and soda, its effervescence, suggest body decay. Secrecy covers everything with the added power of ritual silence.]
Entry 8140
Take dey photograph an' git dis gunpowdah out of a shell, wit sulphuh an' salt, an' go out in de field or in de house, wherevah yo' want to. Co'se de gunpowdah makes sech a noise. Yo' kin put dis pichure face down on dis an' make a fiah undah it. (Face down on what?) On de fiah. See, yo' make a fiah an' den yo' put dis pichure face down on a piece of papah wit de gunpowdah an' sulphuh, an' salt an' graveyard dirt. Tell it dat, "Ah want chew tuh run dis person away. Ah want chew tuh kill 'em." But mos'ly tuh kill de person. When de fiah ketch on de pichure, it will kill de person.
Entry 8211
(How would you make a person move out of the house?)
Well, de way ah would do dat - dere's two or three diff'ren ways of doin' it, but de plain way, dey say, fo' instan' maybe yo' live nex' do' tuh me, well ah'm gon'a wait until night, see. An' den yo' kin git some sulphur - in othah words some sulphur an' gun- powdah an' mix dat up. An' about de noon hour of twelve at night, midnight, well yo' kin sprinkle dat befo' de do' an' let it goes in de do'. An' undah nine days time dey'll move. An' dere's anothah way dat chew kin take dat track. Yo' kin take dey track or eithah dey photo or eithah dey name, an' put a rattlesnake mastah root, an' wrap it up wit dey name in it an' dat track. Dey tie it up real tight an' have it so dat it wouldn't sink, not immediately, an' cast it in a runnin' stream of watah. DE SWIFTAH DE STREAM IS DE QUICKAH DEY WILL MOVE. Some people says sompin about aigs, but ah don't use dat. (Well, now, to make them move fast, do you put that rattlesnake master and the photograph together and the foot track or just one of those with the root?) Well, yo' take rattlesnake mastah, de name, an' de dirt dat chew git. Well quite natchly [naturally], if yo' wrap it up in wool, it take quite a bit fo' dat watah tuh soak in dat wool, yo' know.
Entry 8458
Yes, ah've heard 'em tell of dat. Lak if yo' got dey pitchure an' yo' wanta git rid of a man, want 'im tuh leave or somepin lak dat, yo' take dis pitchure an' yo' cut it up. Jes' take an' cut it up in fine pieces. Take an' cut it up in a jumple. Well, yo' take an' fix yo' a kinda a li'le sack, kinda lak a woman has fo' change - keeps a li'le money sack about dat long an' it got a zippah on it. Dey take dat pitchure an' dey chip it up fine an' take yo' some salt an' jes' mash it on dere. Sprinkle dat salt intuh dat pitchure. An' den take yo' some sulphuh an' put dat sulphuh intuh it. Den yo' take an' put dis zippah on dere an' tie it up good an' tight. Well, yo' leave home, ah reckin, 'bout twelve aclock, jes' long as it round midnight on a dark, cloudy night. When yo' leave dere, go right straight tuh a stream of strong runnin' watah. An' yo' take dis zippah [sack] whut dis pitchure an' stuff is in, an' yo' take yore pocket han'ke'- chef an' yo' blindfold yo'self. an' den yo' throw it right in dat stream of run- nin' watah. An' dat's de way yo' git rid of 'em.
(That's to get rid of them. That means to run them away, send them away?)
Dat's right, tuh drive 'em outa dere.
Entry 8505
If yo' had a wife an' she was doin' somepin an' yo' Wanted to break her from it - don't chew know, goin' out wit other mens or somepin like dat, an' yo' caught her an' didn't want her to do dat. Yo' would take dat - sulphur an' aloes an' saltpeter an' mash it up an' yo' would put it together an' git chew a piece of papah an' write her name an' dat party's name down nine times. (You mean you Write this man's name down nine times. What do you do with her name then?) Put it down underneath it nine times.
(You write both of them nine times each.)
An' burn it fo' nine days.
(Burn what?)
Fix dat ovah fo' nine days.
(Well what do you do with those ingredients you mentioned?)
Yo' take dat stuff an' put it in dat writing. Yo' put de sulphur an' de aloes [and saltpeter] in dat writing, see; an' den yo' set it afire an' burn it. An while yo' burn it yo' cuss it, say, "Ah wish yo' would break this [whosoevah it is, yo' know] up." An' jes' cuss it, jes' everythin' bad yo' wanta say to it. Dat will break them up.
Entry 8714
Well, yo' take her name an' yo' write her name down three times. Yo' write yore name three times. Yo' want her now, yo' want her. (Now where would I write my name?) Yo' write her name here first [demonstrates]. Put chure name heah [underneath]. Yo' Yo' write her name heah an' put chure name in dere. Yo' write it three of each, three of each. An' yo' take den an' yo' sprinkle a li'le salt an' a li'le sugah on dis, white sugah. De sugah tuh sweeten it. Salt saves it an' sugah sweetens it. An' sprinkle dat. Yo' put dat on top of a heater an' yo' let dat brown. When yo' let dat brown, her mind will come to yo'. Dat sveetness of dat sugah will sweeten her mind tuhwards yo'. Yo' git 'er. Well, now, if yo' wanta jes', say, carry her off from where she stayin' or make confusion ovah dere first, yo' put red peppah, sulphur an' gunpowdah on dere. Put 'er husban' name or whosomevah man she got, yo' put dat on dere. Dat's tuh confuse dem. Den when yo' confuse 'em, yo' got 'em. Den yo' put dat sugah on dere to sweeten, an' dat salt to save 'er fo' yo'. Yo' put dat on dere tuh bring 'er tuh yo'.
Entry 8721
Yes, ah heard dat chew kin take some sulphur an' burn it. Git chew some sulphur an' put it in a saucer or a plate of somepin dat it kin burn it, a'yo' stan' ovah it an' say tuh it whut chew want done, an' it will happen. Bat chew gotta stan' ovah it an' turn from east tuh no'th, an' talk to it. Yes, yo' gotta start from de east an' yo' swing it right on roun' till yo' git to de no'th, talkin' to it as yo' runnin' roun', an' call[ing] dere name three times. (That is if you Want to cross up that house, so that nobody else could move in there, after they make. you move out?) Yes.
Entry 8722
They take sulphur and saltpeter and incense an' burn it together, but chew got to name it, dey claim. An' as it goes up, de effect of it, de scent dat goes out, comes out from it, de individual dat happens to inhale it, why dey get to a place dat dey can't stand anythin'. Makes dem fickle-minded dey tell me. An' dey get so after while dat yo' get 'em confused about anything. They finally lose dere mind.
Entry 8724
(Dog hair and cat hair, how do they use that?)
Well, yo' take dat dog hair an' dat cat hair together, an' yo." put maybe sompin, my name or yore name, anybody dat chew wanta call. Dey will fight lak cats an' dogs, man an' his wife. Yo' jes' put dere names together, an' yo' take dat cat an' dat dog hair an' yo' put it together, an yo' put red peppah an' sulphur wit dat an' yo' burn dat. Dat will cause 'em tuh fight lak cats an' dogs.
Entry 8820
Well, we could take yore han'writin' an' put it ovah a lamp an' git it black wit de lamp an' burn it in sulphah. Put a little lye wit it, yo' undah- stan'. Take it an' burn it at all fo' cornahs. See, yo' take dat salt an' sulphah an' wipe it off aftah yo' put it on papah an burn it at de fo' cornahs an' mail it back tuh yo'. An' dat'll give yore arm a tremble, a tremble all in yore han', an' dere ain't a way in de worl' tuh git ovah it.
Entry 8837
Well, dey say yo' kin take dat, yo' han'writin'. Dey say dey kin take yore han'writin' an' dey kin put - yo' see, yo' take yore han'writin' an' yo' roll dat up, an' yo' put dat in a bottle wit sulphuh, red peppah an' gunpowdah. An' yo' put chamber lye in dis bottle an' yo' set it up dis way [demonstrates]. Stop it up airtight an' den yo' put fire aroun' dere. It will shoot up in dere - de stoppah will shoot up in dere an' de bottle will bu'st. Dey say dat will take effect on yore nerves - dat will effect yore nerves an' stuff lak dat - yore hands. Kinda throw yo' in palsy-lak, whut dey tell me.
Entry 9031
Well, dey say tuh git a person's shoes, dey always say burnt shoes is good luck. Burn 'em anywheres right in yo' wash-pot in de yard or anywhere in yore house. Burnin' yo' shoes is good. But dey say de shoes is good fo' good luck, dey is good also fo' bad luck, 'cuz if yo' wanta do sompin fo' a person what- somevah yo' goin' do tuh 'em - jes' lak now, say a person uptown in de jailhouse. Well, now, yo' wanta git dat person outa jail. Or in fact, yo' wanta addle de judge an' evah'thin' dere [where] he tryin' 'im. Well, yo' take all dose judge names [officials concerned] an' yo' write 'em on a piece of papah. Yo' take yore gunpowdah an' de sulphuh an' de red peppah, an' yo wrop dat up in dose people names. Yo' stick dat down in de man's [client's] shoe an' yo' turn it bottomside upwards an' yo' burn dat. While yo' shoe burnin', yo' put yore han' tuhgethah tight, lak dis Way [demonstrates] lock yore fingahs tight.
(You interlock your fingers?)
Yes, an' yo' make yore wishes tuhwards he comin' free. Well, dey say dat will free a man.
Entry 9051
Dey go tuh de graveyard an' dey gits dat dirt, if yo' got a case in co't. Ah have done seen it tried. An' yo' git all dat dirt up tuhgethah, yo' see, an' yo' brings it home. An' yo' takes it an' pound it an' put sulphur wit it, an' pound it all tuhgethah. An' go tuh co't wit it an' hold it in yore hands lak dat. An' when de trial comes up, de trial come up, dey'll dismiss it.
[Informant has been wrapping this mixture in a handkerchief.]
(They put it in that handkerchief and wrap it up. When they get to court they just keep it in their handkerchief.) Kin jes' keep it in dere han'ke'ch'ef an' evah once in a while jes' shake it lak dat. Dey don' know whut yo' doin' yo' see.
Entry 9203
Yes sir, yo' kin take sulphuh an' de aig an' table salt an' some kinda perfume. Ah doesn't know whut kinda perfume dey use intuh it, but dey git it from de drug sto'. Dey say it's lucky perfume. Yo' kin take dat perfume yo' see an' po' dat perfume in [on] dat aig but yo' jes' wrap dat aig up in de sulphuh an' de salt, an' put it undah de do'step. Dat brings 'em back.
(Well, do you do anything with that egg, write their name on it or anything?)
[I am not asking a leading question here but trying to make informant repeat what had already been said. A note of mine on the original manuscript reads: This was explained in egg rite C688:14 (informant's rite preceding this one) which I am unable to find at the moment. It may be that C688:14 was discarded, everything being in present rite, or it may turn up in the printed text.] Yes sir, yo' write de name on it an' call 'em. Yo' know if yo' put call on dere it'll bring dem back. Jes' take dat aig tuh bring 'em home; yo' put chure sulphur an' yore table salt an' yore red peppah in dere. Well, yo' see, yo' don't break de egg an' put it in dere, yo' jes' wrap de egg up in dere. Yo' write de name straight up an down de aig. An' den yo' put de name cross de aig [making a cross]. Den yo' write on de side of it. Call "Come back," see. An' den yo' place it in dat cloth an' bury it down undah de do'step to about dis deep [demonstrates].
(What do you do with that perfume?)
Yo' wet it in de perfume. Dat's lucky. Wet de aig an' de sulphuh [etc.] an' wrap it all an' put it underneat' de step.
Entry 9375
Jes' lak now if yo' [ah] want someone tuh move, prob'ly it may be yo'. Ah'm jis' goin say it fo' a instance. Yo' in dis house an' ah don't want chew in heah. Well, ah'll take dat aig an' bust it on yore do', but ah gotta put a li'le sulphuh wit it first an' throw it on yuh do' an' yo' bound tuh move.
(You put some sulphur on that egg?)
Yes, an' bust it on yuh do'.
(Any kind of chicken egg?)
No, a black chicken aig. Put some sulphah on it befo' ah use it an' when ah throw it dere, say, "Ah'm doin' dis In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost. Ah want chew tuh move." An' when ah do dat, why yo' bound tuh go.
Entry 9440
Yo' take a black hen's aig an' break it an' git de yellah an' put it on a rag. Mix it wit some sulphuh an' some salt an' wrap it up in a rag an' tote dat.
[Informant had given rite before recording began.]
(What will that give you? Luck for what?)
Luck fo' anythin' yo' want, gamblin'.
Entry 10637
Go to a ants' nest an' git de dirt from roun' it an' put it in sulphur, red peppah an' table salt, an' wear it in yore pocket; dey say dat gives yo' luck. Brings luck to yore home.
Entry 10870
Git a black cat an' git de hair. Git a strand of hair out of a black at an' - don't git as many as yo' kin, but yo' kin git 'bout one or tso scraods of hair out of a black cat. An' take somepin that kin float on de vatzh. Take at hair, sulphur, salt an' red peppah an' graveyard dirt, an'srite oo a piece of papah whut chew want done, an' put it with cat hair; all dat in a container dat will float on de watah. An' throw it in de watah, runnin' watah, whichevah watah yo' want it. An' whichevah yo' want done, it will be done. Ah've tried that.
Entry 11198
Dirt dauber's nest - take de dirt dauber's nest an' pound it with sulphur an' put it up ovah de do'post an' dat would separate a family an' make it go separately. [What is a doorpost? I would say one of the two posts of an un- ended door frame, such doors being fairly common.
Entry 11689
Dey go to de fo'ks of de road an' dey turn three times, but ah heard dey go to de graveyard befo' an' dey gits some dirt. An' dey take dat dirt an some sugah an' some sugah of lead an' some sulphur, an' take it an' take dat dirt an' bury it undah de steps, undah de front steps, either de back - if dey's out an' yo' want 'em tuh come in...yo' take it an' yo' mix dat all up togethah. Yo' take it an' bury it undah yore steps, where dey gotta come ovah. An' dat'll make dem come back.... Either yo' take it an' bury it out from de steps. Dat'll make 'em go away.
(What about the forks of the road?)
Ah say, ah've heard of 'em goin' to de fo'ks of de road but it be at de grave- yard at de fo'ks of de road, an' git dat graveyard dirt.
(You have to go to a graveyard that's near a forks of the road?)
Yassuh, tuh git dat dirt, but now if yo' say go to de graveyard an' git dat dirt off a grave fo' dat somebody dat's went away.... An' yo' wanta git 'em back.... Dat's whut ah'm tryin' tuh tell yo' 'bout dat graveyard dirt. Yo' go dere an' git dat an' yo' bury dat dirt.
Entry 11746
Dey say 'fore dey bury him [man from whom something Was stolen] dey can fix things to make him [thief], dey can get some graveyard dirt, take and fix it, and dey kin sew [sprinkle] it down and de person what stole, why he have to bring it back 'cause he can't hold it. Yes sir. With graveyard dirt and sulphur. Dat's it, graveyard dirt and sulphur.
(Graveyard dirt and sulphur?)
And mix it together and salt.
(And what?)
And salt, table salt. Say dey kin throw it, throw it up [into air] and put it down [do both]. And dey say dey goin' bring it back, say dey can't hold it.
(That's to bring back something that was stolen?)
Dat's it. And dey ain't comin' in de house with it. Dey goin' throw it at de steps, so you kin get up de next morning and get it. Dey can't hold it, make 'em bring it back.
Entry 12407
If yo' take mat- ches an' take an' cut de haids of 'em off, an' put 'em in your husban's clothes, say dat will make him love yo'. Jes' cut de haids of de matches off an' 'solve [dissolve] 'em yo' see, an' take de watah off of dem an' cook his food with it. That will make him love yo'.
(Well, how do you mean make him love you?)
Jes' take, lak if he didn't ca' fo' terbacca [tobacco] wus runnin' roun' an' wouldn't stay home, den yo' could take dose matches an' take de sulphur out of 'em an' make him stay home.
Entry 12410
Why dey tell me it's danger of lending matches out chure own home. Dey tell me by lending matches out chure home dat a person kin take it to dey house an' use sulphur wit it in a way dat it'll keep confusion in yore home all de time.
(Do you know how they use it? What they do?)
Well, dey say, if yo' loan a person - a person come to yore house an' borrow three or foah matches from yo'. Dey'll go back home - if dey got a nice box wit sulphur inside, dey scrape dat sulphur off de side of de box an' put two of dose matches in de box. Put dat sulphur in dat box an' go to de sto' an' buy yo' a bottle of dis stuff whut chew call sweet spirit of niter. An' fo' three mornin's, drop a drop on each three mornin's - keep it closed - dey say dat will keep confusion an' fussin' in yore house all de time between yo' an' yore folks.
Entry 12413
Yessuh, dat gunshell an' de shots. Well, yo' take de shots out. Ah ain't used de shots very much but ah have used de powder. An' ah have heard tell of 'em usin' de shots. But whut ah have used de powder fo', yo' open dat gunshell, but it must be black powder an' yo' git chew some sulphur. An' if yo' wants peace in yore home, yo' kin take dat powder an' three or fo' matches, an' dig a little hole about dat fur down de steps, an' den yo' light dat powder. Hit's goin blow up an' blow all dem matches away, yo' see, whut chew put dere. An' de in- dividual will be gone whoevah it is, whatevah dey doin' to yo'.
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 12498
Nation sack is a private purse worn by some women - always con- cealed and untouchable by other hands - in which hands, mojohs, keepsakes and all sorts of treasures are carried. Both fol- lowing accounts came from resume's of another in- formants material before all her cylinders were lost - these original pencil copies attached: (l) "Take garlic and piece about a person (fragment from clothing of person you want to hold) and your urinate, keep it wet (keeping this cloth wet with own urine is called feeding it), keep in nation sack or pocketbook." (2) "Sulphur, red pep- per, put together and sugar and wear it in nation sack, can't do yo' no harm."
Entry 12646
If somebody put somepin down an' dey want chew tuh walk ovah it. If yo' put sulphur an' peppah in yore shoes, if they put it down fo' yo', anywhere, an' yo' can't locate it. [Fayetteville 2523:10.]
Entry 12647
If yo' think someone tryin' tuh harm yo' an' yo' wanta protect yo self, wear sulphur an' red peppah in yore shoes. Dey can't harm yo'. [Bruns- wick 2060:6.]
Entry 12649
Wear red pepper and sulphur in your shoes as a protection against walking over cumjure. [Wilmington 228:6+85.]
Entry 12650
Git some red peppah an' sulphur an' wear it in yore shoe, or either yo' kin git a [silver] dime an' wear it round yore laig. That'll keep 'em from hurtin' yo'. [Waycross 1757:15.]
Entry 12651
Red pepper an' sulphur wear it in your shoe or either around your waist...nobody in de world will ever bother you; ah don't keer [care] how many roots you [the other person] got, it [what you do here] will kill 'em. [Jack- sonville 762:7.]
Entry 12848
Salt and sulphur can be burned against any type of evil. [Fredicks- burg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12853
Keep cunjure away by wearing salt and sulphur in a bag round waist or neck. [Wilmington 171:5+85.]
Entry 12854
Mix salt, sulphur and lard and wear it in a bag about your neck to protect against cunjure. [Fredericksburg, by Ediphone.]
Entry 12855
They will lay salt and sulphur on a pan lid or top, set it under your bed, and burn it to run you away from the house. [Memphis 1553:9.]
Entry 12857
You can rid yourself permanently of an undesirable guest by throwing salt, pepper and sulphur behind him, saying, Go you son-of-a-bitch. [Newport News 512:5.]
Entry 12858
An enemy can run you out of your house, permanently by burning in it salt, cayenne pepper, and sulphur. [Richmond 374:11.]
Entry 12860
You can protect yourself against roots or root work by wearing salt, black pepper and sulphur in your right shoe. [Wilmington 138:1+85.]
Entry 12861
Wear salt, red pepper and sulphur in both shoes as a protection against evil work. [Wilmington 208:2+85; Newport News 506:4.]
Entry 12862
As an unusual method of protecting yourself against conjuration, wear salt, pepper and sulphur on top of your head. [A note of mine reads: This is used in one cure story. Which?] [Wilmington 119:6+85.]
Entry 12960
Take an' burn ole shoes an' dey say dat will keep devilment 'way from roun' yore house. Ole shoes an' sulphur. An' burn dat roun' dere an' dat keep all devilment from roun' yore house. [Fayetteville 2557:2.]
Entry 12961
Or either, if yo' are bothered with some kind of spirit that comes in there an' yo' can't see it, why yo' burn an ole shoe in the stove, or either put sulphur in every corner. [St. Petersburg 1625:2.]
Entry 12964
Put sulphur and cayenne pepper over his shoe. Burn it. Runs him away.
[Memphis 1560:13.]
Entry 13133
Ah heard dat they have, that they sell hands. They go out and the git - they go out and they git - jest like a man - ah don't know if you have seen dem aroun' dis part of de country, but dey go out and dey git a root dey calls snipe root. Dey git dis snipe root. (Snipe root?) Snipe root. A snipe is a long thing like a crane [bird]. Well, you take this snipe, de snipe w'at flies. Take dis snipe and cut de snipe neck off and dey pick it - jes' like, most like a crow or somepin like that. And dey pick dis snipe and dey cut dat bone out of it. De bone is somepin like a fork, jes' like a chicken bone. Den dey take dat bone and dey let dat bone set for awhile, and after settin' for awhile, dey take some sulphur. Take dat sulphur and place it on top of dat bone. After taking dat sulphur, take a little bit of red pep- pah and put on dat sulphur, a little gunpowdah and put on sulphur. Rub dat bone in dere. Then they will take a saw or sompin an' cut half that bone off. Then take that sulphur an' red peppah and combine it together and sew a little sack around it. Wear it. Don't wear it around de neck, let it drop between yore laigs. That supposed to keep de law away from de home. [Not every bird has a chicken wishbone; better check about snipe.]
Entry 13141
Take a man's sock or a woman's sock an' bury it. See, where yo' have a fireplace, take up a brick an' sprinkle sulphur an' salt on dat brick an' sprinkle sulphur an' salt on dat brick an' graveyard dirt, an' uri- nate on it fo' 9 mawnin's, an' tell it whut chew want it tuh do. If yo' want him tuh love yo', not leave yo', be right dere undah yore foot an' all, he can't do it, 'cause he's buried right dere wit dat stock- in' an' de minute he takes it up why yo' kin go. But long as hit stays down dere, why he stays dere.
(You bury that stocking right under that brick?)
Yeah, right undah dat brick. Anywhere where yo' kin git tuh it an' urinate on it fo' 9 mawnin's.
Entry 13275
Sulphur worn in clothes or shoes or rubbed on hands that might touch conjured articles is a protection against them. [Wilmington 189:6.]
Entry 13309
Use de thresher [thrasher] feet.
(The feet from a thrasher, the bird. What do you do with those?)
Yo' take an' put that in a bottle. Yo' bottle dat wit chure hair, an' put milk in it, an' yo' put love powders in dere, an' put sulphur in it, an' put red peppah in it, an' yo' work it up airtight, an' dat'll do de work den. Dat will run 'em away. (What do you do with that bottle?) Yo' take dat bottle an' put it in de no'th or de east corner of de garden. Yeah, dat'll make him leave, or if yo' wanta run him crazy, that will run him away.
Entry 13392
If you put urine, salt and sulphur out where you think anything has been buried or thrown fo' you, 'it won't come to nothin.' [Charleston 541:4.]
Entry 9619
Yo' kin take salt an' yo' kin take sulphuh and yo' git red peppah. An' yo' kin throw it aroun' peoples' do' an' dey cain't stay in de house. [Little Rock. Ark., (887).1461:6.]
Entry 9630
Yo' kin take some salt an' some sulphuh an' some red peppah an' tote it in yuh pocket in a piece of red flannel an' can't nobody hurtcha [hurt you].
Entry 9631
If dey puttin' any- thin' down tuh hurt chew, yessuh, yo' could pertec' yo'self. Well, yo' could go ahead an' take sulphuh, red peppah an' salt an' weah it - put it in de bottom of yore shoe. Weah it up undah dat little bitta place, yo' know, dat's made in yore shoe - up undah dere, on de inside [under the insole]. Weah dat in yore shoe. Sat dat [cunjure] won' do yo' harm.
Entry 9632
Put sulphuh an' salt an' red peppah in yuh shoes an' weah it in dere all de time. Den yo' kin step ovah it an' it won't do nuthin tuh yuh. [Sumter, S. Car., (1345 0r 1346), 2328:8.]
Entry 9633
If anybody tryin' tuh harm yo', yo' take some sulphuh, use some cayenne peppah, dis cayenne peppah whut's grind up [ground up] an' dis sulphuh an' some new salt - cookin' salt [not the coarse salt fed to animals]. Yo' weah it in yore shoe an' dey can't harm yo'.
Entry 9636
If dey put anything down fo' yo', yo' undahstan' to hurt chew or cripple yo' or anythin' so yo' can't walk. Yo' take dat peppah, cayenne peppah an' salt an' sulphuh, an' mix dat tuhgethah an' sprinkle it aroun' undah yore do'step, an' aroun' yore place whare yo' walk. Quite nec'sary [necessary] yo' weah some of dat in yore shoes. Well yo' see, dey can't do anythin' to yo', can't hurt chew when yo' got dat peppah in dere. It keeps dat down.
conditional threat of injury contrasted with a claimed protective negation. Preserve cripple/cannot-walk threat and can’t hurt negation; no diagnosis or proven protection. mixing cayenne pepper, salt and sulphur in a reported protective preparation. Keep the literal uppercase MIX destination, named ingredients, page order and the adjacent protection claim without efficacy. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 3812) · Read full source (printed page 3813)
Entry 9637
If yo' know anyone tryin' tuh harm yo' roun' yore home, yo' git chew some dis heah bluestone, an' sulphuh, red peppah, an' salt. Mix all of dat up togethah. Evah mawnin' [you] come outa yuh house, befo' yo' hit de flo', [I mean] hit de groun', yo' take dat dust an' go along wit [use] dat dust - evah anin' befo' yo' come up. An' aftah yo' do dat, why take a li'le bit of it an sprinkle it right in de bottom of yuh shoes, both shoes. Put on yuh shoes an' go anywheres. Dey can't harm yo' none, regardless [of what they put down for you].
Entry 9638
Ah tell yo' whut chew kin do. Yo' read de 54th Psalm. Yo' evah read de Bible? [Since I do not answer, did I nod my head up and down, or shake it sideways. Informant did not know he was talking to a clergyman.] An' yo' takes saltpetah, take cay- enne peppah, an' yo' takes table salt. An' yo' take each one-a yore shoes an' yo' sprinkle yore shoes wit dat sulphur, a teaspoonful'a sulphur. Jes' sprinkle yore shoes wit dat an' walk anywhere yo' want. Nobody can't do nuthin tuh yo' about chew walkin' on anythin'. Nevah min' [mind] about dat [walking on anything].
Entry 9650
(Before the law comes, what do you do to keep them out?) It's not possible tuh keep 'em away. Dey have tuh come once in ordah tuh keep 'em away. Well, yo' use de black peppah an' salt an' sprinkle it behin' dem at evah footstep dat dey make, an' den sweep it out behin' dem lak dat.
(Then they won't come back again.)
Yessuh. An' sometime yo' kin use sulphuh 'long wit it.
Entry 9695
Git some sulphur an' some table salt - not physic salt - table salt, an' lay it in yore shoe when yo' certain... [informant is re- peating].
(They can't put anything down for you to walk over it.)
No sir, dat sulphur an' salt supposed tuh...
Entry 9749
Jes' lak if yo' an' a person have a big dispute or somepin of de kind, den yo' take nine nails, nine bran'-new nails. An' take yo' some sulphuh an' take dem nine nails an' a piece of tin. Yo' know, a top [lid of tin can] an' nail it down lak dat. Nail it through dat top an' put dat sulphuh undah it, undah de top. See [demonstrates], turn de top down, see, an' yo' take nine nails an' nail 'em roun' [through the lid] lak dat. An' if he's plannin' tuh do anythin', take a suit ag'inst yo' or anythin' of de kind, use dem nine nails. Den yo' tie his mind down. Yo' tie his mind down dat he can't do whut he intend tuh do. Can't do it.
(You just simply put the sulphur out there, and turn that tin top [or lid]
down over it, and drive nine nails into it.) Nine nails. An' talk to it jes' lak ah'm talkin' tuh yo', jes' what yo' want tuh be done.
(What would you say?)
Jes' lak dis: "Ah don' wan' chew tuh bring suit ag'inst me. Yo' must be mah fren', not a enemy. Yo' gotta be mah fren'." Yo' see, yo' nail dem nails down an' yo' talk tuh it, jes' lak yo' call 'is name: "John, yo' must be mah fren an' not a enemy tuh me. Yo' must be mah fren'." An' jes' nail yore nails right on down. "Ah'm talkin' tuh yo', John, an' callin' yore name. Dis is Carrie Han' [Hand] talkin' tuh yo'. An' yo' must be mah fren, not mah enemy.' An' jes' nail dem nails down lak dat.
(Where do you nail the nails down?)
Yo' kin nail 'em down jes' anywhere in yore house, yo' undahstan'. [Sumter, S. Car., (1351). 2344:6.]
Entry 9845
Yo' kin take nine needles an' sulphuh an' salt an' put it undah yore do'steps, an' if yo' walk ovah it - it be about nine days befo' it start tuh burn an' de ninth day yo'll feel somepin up an' down yore laigs lak needles an' pins. An' dat'll be cun- juration workin'. Co's' ah've had experience of dat 'cuz ah wus hurt lak dat once. Den dey could take nine pins, lak if yo' wanta bring some- body back or if dey off stay- in' wit anothah woman. Yo' git nine - git a pack [package] of [new] pins an' take nine out of dat an' put 'em up ovah yore do' where dey'll come in an' out. Co's' if dey're not dere, why dey won't; but dey's away, yo' git up evah mawnin' befo' sunrise an' yo' go tuh dat do', an' open dat do' an' say, "Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name Of de Holy Ghost, ah want mah husban' tuh come back tuh me." Or whoevah it is, "Ah want dem come back in Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost." An' in de ninth day, if dey don' come in dat do' - den yo' keep it up an' yo' don' take it down. Yo' keep 'em up dere, where dey walk in. Aftah dey come back, den yo' know where dey walks in an' out. Den yo' don't do it right on lak, yo' kow, right fo' de nine days, but chew do it occasion'ly, in case it die down. Yo know yo' do it occasion'ly, jes' keep it on. Don't do it [all the time], keep it right on straight.
Entry 693
If somebody wants tuh grow a snake into yo', dey gits de blood of a snake an' let it dry into de haid an' jes' sprinkle it into somepin to eat. Well, y yo' eat dat stuff an' it goes down into yore system; well, dat bound to bring little snakes. Well, now ah'm goin' tell yo' whut will kill dat. Yo' go into de woods an' git chew some rattlesnake master, a little bit of sulphur an' some whiskey, an' yo' steep it. Yo' give 'em dat. Well, dat makes 'em vomit it up - well, dey vomits dose snakes up.
Entry 2659
Yo' burn de sulphur one time in de mawnin' an' burn it twelve a'clock in de day an' six a'clock in de night.
(What time do you burn that sulphur in the morning?)
Six a'clock, twelve a'clock in de day an' six a'clock in de night for luck, yo' know, on yore business, money - rooms lak. Ah had roomers.[ Waycross, Ga.,
(1103), 1777:9.]
Entry 7343
He will git sulphur an' will burn sulphur - er [that is] will sprinkle sulphur 'long as he go. Aftah it's burnt ovah, sprinkle it 'long as he go an' dey cannot track 'im. (If he committed some crime?) If he has committed some crime dey wouldn't be able to ketch 'im.
Entry 690
An' then it's a snake. Why, yo' kin kill a snake an' put de snake out an' let him dry where it's real hot. Yo' don't have tuh bake the snake an' git the powder an' put it in water or a person eat it. In nine days it will turn to a snake. If it's in yo', why there'll be a live snake in yo'. An' aftah de snake gits grown, why he will crawl around in yo' - he usually go to yore throat an' choke yo' tuh death. But now it is a way tuh git that snake out of yo'. Yo' take yo' some - yo' git chew some green chinaberries an' yo' boil it an' make a tea out of it.
(You mean the leaves - just the berries on that little chinaberry tree?)
Uh-huh - an' sulphur. Lemme see, dere's de chinaberries an' yo' make a tea of it. Yo' strain this watah off it an' yo' puts this sulphur in it - an' blackroot; yo' boil de chinaberry an' de blackroot together an' yo' strain it. Then yo' put this sulphur in it an' a person kin take it an' it will tear dis snake all tuh pieces an' cause 'em to pass it - or yo' kin heave it up or yo' kin pass it otherwise. That will git the snake out of yo'.
Entry 1088
You use - black molasses and turpentine and sulphur is good for any time you got some kind of a inside ailment from the hoodoo. Its always - they mostly use that all the time for inside of you because that will make you purge - it'll purge it out you, see. This sulphur it'll get in you and help to kill it. As long as it alive, it ain't coming out. The sulphur will kill it. And turpentine, it helps - it takes pains from you, helps your stomach from paining you know. So you can have a very bad pain and that turpentine'll take the gripe out of it. And she takes this and she makes like pills with it and gives it to him. See. He take that and within three days he pass these things out - those frogs.
Entry 2494
Take sulphur an' ground ginger an' mix it together an' put it in a newspapah or any kind of papah an' put it in a ole can an' burn it in de middle of de flo', an' says dat will bring luck to yore house an' make yo' go way ovah yore [usual number of customers]. (That is to bring customers in to buy from you?) Yes. [Sulphur purifies; ginger gingers - makes lively.][ Wilson, N. Car.,
(1477), 2657:15.]
Entry 11489
You kin take, if you kin get somepin like their foot track, the right foot track and take - mix it with some sulphur and some salt or some pepper, and just fix it anyway. You kin burn it [outside the house] or if you kin slip it in the stove, or heat it - anyway like that - around where they are at, the people [will become] so rowing [rou-ing = noisy quarrel] in there that they can't get along [this will break up a family]. [Norfolk 482:4.]
Entry 12644
Well, yo' take some sulphur, red peppah, an' sprinkle it roun' yore do's where yo' come in, yo' do', an' dat'll kill dat.
(Anything that's put down.) [Waycross 1764:7.]
The printed instruction explicitly names sulphur. Sprinkling and 'kill dat' remain source claims; the parenthesized clarification is separate.
Entries from source headings
These entries are listed under the following headings in the source volume:
- CEDAR LEAVES FROM GRAVEYARD - SULPHUR - BURN - FUMIGATE SELF; MEASURE WITH STRING - 9 KNOTS - WEAR UNDER INSOLE; NEW HOMESPUN - DOUBLE UP - KEEP UNDER MATTRESS; STEAL GREASY DISHCLOTH AND WASH WITH IT — Volume 3, entries 3708. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CURES FOR SEXUAL IMPOTENCE.
- SULPHUR - CREAM OF TARTAR - SUGAR — Volume 3, entries 3808. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CURES FOR SEXUAL IMPOTENCE.
- UPWARDS 3 TIMES - WISH; KNIFE BLADE HEATED; SALT - SHEEP SUET - SULPHUR; AMAZING EXPERIENCE; DOCTOR AND PATIENT TALK — Volume 3, entries 3810. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CURES FOR SEXUAL IMPOTENCE.
- URINE - SULPHUR - HEARTS COLOGNE — Volume 3, entries 3817. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CURES FOR SEXUAL IMPOTENCE.
- BURNED WITH RED PEPPER AND SULPHUR; VICTIM DEAD IN 30 DAYS — Volume 3, entries 3858. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → BLOOD → "HER PRIVATE TIME".
- BLACK HEN'S REAR END - INTO WITH SULPHUR; STICK AND SEW UP - DISLIKED WOMAN'S CLOTH — Volume 3, entries 3865. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → BLOOD → "HER PRIVATE TIME".
- (h) HOLE IN GROUND NEAR TREE; BURN EXCREMENT AND SULPHUR — Volume 3, entries 4440. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → EXCREMENT.
- PERSON'S CLOTHES BURNED WITH SULPHUR — Volume 3, entries 4723. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → CLOTHES EXCLUDING HAT, SOCKS AND STOCKINGS, AND SHOES.
- SOMETHING OF HERS BURN WITH; RED PEPPER - SALT - SULPHUR — Volume 3, entries 4724. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → CLOTHES EXCLUDING HAT, SOCKS AND STOCKINGS, AND SHOES.
- BACKWARDS - WALK 5 STEPS FROM CENTER OF DOOR BURY HER; RIGHT STOCKING - ADD SULPHUR - COVER - DRIVE PEG - STOMP; SAY, AH MEAN FO' DIS TUH DO WHUT AH TELL YUH; BURY HER LEFT STOCKING UNDER CENTER OF DOOR — Volume 3, entries 4884. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SOCKS AND STOCKINGS.
- SCRAPINGS FROM INSOLE - AIRTIGHTED; YOU CANNOT WALK; RED PEPPER AND SULPHUR CURES — Volume 4, entries 5220. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SHOES.
- SULPHUR - LEFT-FOOT SHOE - UPSIDE DOWN - BURN — Volume 4, entries 5231. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SHOES.
- SWEEP YARD BEFORE SUNRISE - AFTER ENEMY; ENTERS - SWEEP AGAIN - BURN HIS SHOE; ADD SULPHUR - SPRINKLE IN YARD — Volume 4, entries 5234. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SHOES.
- 3 DAYS: MONDAY - WEDNESDAY - SATURDAY; 3 INGREDIENTS BURN: CLOVES - SULPHUR - RIGHT SOLE — Volume 4, entries 5237. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SHOES.
- 3 INGREDIENTS: SALT - SULPHUR - BLACK PEPPER; BURN WITH HIS INSOLE - RETURNS IN 3 DAYS — Volume 4, entries 5242. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SHOES.
- 3 OLD SHOES - TOE TO HOUSE; BURNED WITH SULPHUR AT SUNRISE — Volume 4, entries 5243. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SHOES.
- WISH TO FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD AT MIDNIGHT; WHILE BURNING LEFT-FOOT SHOE WITH 3 INGREDIENTS; SULPHUR - SUGAR - SODA; PRAY SAME PRAYER 9 NIGHTS AT SAME TIME — Volume 4, entries 5300. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → SHOES.
- ANT NEST: SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR - TRACK; WISH - THREE HIGHEST NAMES — Volume 4, entries 5315. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- BURN: TRACK - SULPHUR - SHOE SOLE — Volume 4, entries 5357. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- HOUSE - AFTER CIRCUMAMBULATING IT 9 TIMES WITH 2 FOOT TRACKS; OF UNWELCOME PERSON, SULPHUR AND SALT - AT SUNSET SIDE ON; RIGHT SIDE - THROW BOTTLE WITH 3 INGREDIENTS ON TOP OF HOUSE — Volume 4, entries 5517. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- MEASURE - TRACK COMING HOME - WITH PAPER OR COTTON CLOTH; NEVER CUT FROM - WRITE NAME ON - MAKE WISHES - FOLD IT; TOWARDS HOUSE - AT EACH FOLD SAYING, "COME HOME AND STAY AT; HOME" - PUT IN NEW HOMESPUN - WITH NEW SALT AND 9 GRAINS; [SEEDS] FROM NEW RED PEPPER POD - BURY WITH NEW SALT,; PEPPER, SULPHUR AND WISHES - MAKES THE PERSON STAY HOME — Volume 4, entries 5539. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- WIND - TO BE BLOWN BY: TRACK FROM ONE PART OF FARM; SCATTERED WITH SULPHUR IN ANOTHER PART - DON'T LOOK BACK — Volume 4, entries 5793. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- SULPHUR - 4 INSIDE CORNERS OF HOUSE - BURN AT NIGHT — Volume 4, entries 6955. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- SULPHUR - INSIDE HOUSE — Volume 4, entries 6954. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- SULPHUR - CIRCUMAMBULATE HOUSE - 4 OUTSIDE CORNERS — Volume 4, entries 6956. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- SULPHUR - CREAM OF TARTAR - EPSOM SALTS — Volume 4, entries 6957. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- SULPHUR - EAT — Volume 4, entries 6959. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- SULPHUR - MILK — Volume 4, entries 6960. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- SULPHUR - NEW POCKETBOOK - RIGHTHAND POCKET — Volume 4, entries 6963. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- SULPHUR - SWEET MILK - EGG; SUCKING THROUGH STRAW — Volume 4, entries 6962. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- SULPHUR WORN - PINCH OF IT EATEN OCCASIONALLY — Volume 4, entries 6958. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → FOLK MEDICINE → CURES FOR AND PROTECTION AGAINST AILMENT AND DISEASE.
- 3 FEET DOWN INTO EVIL PERSONS GRAVE - 3 SPOONFULS OF DIRT; 3 INGREDIENTS: GRAVEYARD DIRT - BLACK PEPPER - SULPHUR; 3 TIMES CURSE - 3 TIMES HOLLER "GO" - OVERBOARD IN BOTTLE — Volume 4, entries 7672. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → GRAVEYARD DIRT MUST BE BOUGHT FROM SPIRIT → AMOUNT OF GRAVEYARD DIRT TO USE.
- 3 HANDFULS OF DIRT - 6 INCHES DOWN IN WICKED GRAVE; SEW INTO RED FLANNEL WITH: SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR; ON STARTING BUSINESS TRIP - BURN LITTLE - WITH INCANTATION — Volume 4, entries 7678. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → GRAVEYARD DIRT MUST BE BOUGHT FROM SPIRIT → AMOUNT OF GRAVEYARD DIRT TO USE.
- 3 INGREDIENTS MIXED: GRAVEYARD DIRT - SALTPETER - SULPHUR; WISE TO KNOW PERSON - PAY FOR DIRT - SAY WHAT IS TO BE DONE; DIRT FROM OVER HEART - ELBOW DEEP - THROW AT VICTIM'S HOUSE — Volume 4, entries 7687. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → GRAVEYARD DIRT MUST BE BOUGHT FROM SPIRIT → TALK TO OR INSTRUCT GRAVE SPIRIT.
- SULPHUR AND GRAVEYARD DIRT - CAUSE DROPSY OR LAMENESS — Volume 4, entries 7907. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT.
- SULPHUR AND GRAVEYARD DIRT - SPRINKLE AT HOUSE; KNOCK - ASK FOR JOB - 9 MORNINGS — Volume 4, entries 7908. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT.
- SULPHUR - GRAVEYARD DIRT — Volume 4, entries 7906. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT.
- SHOE SOLE - WELL CUT UP - MIX WITH BRIMSTONE; POWDER - SWEET CINNAMON - SULPHUR - SET AFIRE; THIS SMOKES - CREATES A FEAR IN LURKING THIEF — Volume 4, entries 8935. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → THEFT.
- SULPHUR BURNED BY THIEF AT CHICKEN COOP — Volume 4, entries 8936. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → THEFT.
- ONIONS 2 - RED ONES - BURN PEELINGS FROM - MIX; WITH SULPHUR - IN LEFT SHOE - GO BEFORE JUDGE — Volume 4, entries 9112. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → COURT CASES.
- SULPHUR - BLACK PEPPER - SAGE TEA - SALT[?] - SAND; IN SNUFFBOX - RIGHT POCKET - SPRINKLE NEAR JUDGE — Volume 4, entries 9155. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → COURT CASES.
- SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR - [OR] GRAVEYARD DIRT — Volume 5, entries 9604. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SALT - PEPPER - SULPHUR; SPRINKLE AT DOORSTEP TO MOVE — Volume 5, entries 9618. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR - THROW BEHIND; CURSE AND SWEEP VISITOR'S TRACKS — Volume 5, entries 9622. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR; UNDER OR AROUND HOUSE — Volume 5, entries 9620. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- 3 NEW THINGS: SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR — Volume 5, entries 9625. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- 9 TEASPOONSFUL SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR; BURY AT FRONT AND BACK DOORSTEPS; AND SOMETHING STOLEN; SPRINKLE 9 MORNINGS ON DOORSILL - WISH; OR BURN THESE INGREDIENTS IN STOVE — Volume 5, entries 9624. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR; IN FIREPLACE TO KEEP ENEMIES AWAY — Volume 5, entries 9626. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR; SCATTER ROUND YOUR HOUSE AND BOSS'S HOUSE - WISH; 10 MORNINGS BEFORE SUNRISE; ON 11TH DAY YOU WILL GET JOB — Volume 5, entries 9623. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SALT - 9 PODS RED PEPPER - SULPHUR - SALTPETER; WEAR IN BAG FOR PROTECTION — Volume 5, entries 9629. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SALT - RED PEPPER - SULPHUR; TIE UP - "FEED" HEARTS COLOGNE - FOR JOB — Volume 5, entries 9628. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- FINGERNAILS AND TOENAILS - SULPHUR - SALT; BURN IN HOUSE TO DRIVE PERSON AWAY — Volume 5, entries 9665. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- POTASH - SULPHUR - SALT - TURN ROUND 9 TIMES - CUSS — Volume 5, entries 9679. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- RING OR CIRCLE DRAWN IN ROAD PASSING HOUSE; SPRINKLE IN IT: ASHES - LIME - SALT - SODA - SULPHUR — Volume 5, entries 9683. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SODA - SULPHUR - SALT - 4 CORNERS OF HOUSE - 9 DAYS — Volume 5, entries 9686. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SUGAR - SULPHUR - SALT - MIX - THEN 9 MORNINGS; WITH INCANTATION IN LORD'S NAME - PUT IN 4 CORNERS; OF HOUSE TO KEEP YOUR WOMAN FROM OTHER MAN — Volume 5, entries 9690. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR AND SALT SPRINKLED BY MAN LEAVING HOME; KEEPS MEN AWAY DURING HIS ABSENCE — Volume 5, entries 9701. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR - SALT - BEHIND UNWANTED VISITOR - SWEEP — Volume 5, entries 9699. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR - SALT - MIX - START IN BEDROOM - SPRINKLE; EVERYWHERE - STEPS - OUT WALK - THROW REST NORTH; THIS DRIVES PERSON OUT - OR PREVENTS COMING IN — Volume 5, entries 9702. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR - SALT - MIXED - THROW UP INTO AIR 7 MORNINGS; BEFORE SUNRISE - BACK TO SUN - PROTECTS THE HOME — Volume 5, entries 9700. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR AND SALT THROWN SUCCESSIVELY; IN 4 CORNERS OF HOUSE 9 MORNINGS; PREVENTS ANYONE HURTING YOU — Volume 5, entries 9703. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR - SALT - MIXED - SPRINKLE BEHIND VISITOR; SWEEP AFTER HIM - BILL COLLECTOR - CURSE — Volume 5, entries 9707. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR - SALT - MIXED - SPRINKLE THROUGH HOLE; IN POCKET - AT HOME OF PERSON YOU WANT MOVED; CURSIN' DEM IN YORE MIND: "SON-OF-A-BITCH, GIT OUT!"; ON 9TH MORNING VICTIM WILL MOVE FROM HOUSE — Volume 5, entries 9705. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR AND SALT INTO HOLES BORED INTO; HIS TREES - KILLS TIMBER ON OWNER'S LAND — Volume 5, entries 9710. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR - SALT - BURN IN 3 HIGHEST NAMES; TO STOP PLANTING OR CUNJURE — Volume 5, entries 9708. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- SULPHUR - SALT - BURN IN HOUSE FRIDAY; THIS CALLED "SACRIFICIN'" - TO RENT HOUSE — Volume 5, entries 9709. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- BITE: IF SOMEONE BITES YOU - RUB WITH MANURE; ALL TEETH OF BITER WILL DROP OUT - PREVENT THIS; BY SULPHUR - KEROSENE HAND IN BITER'S MATTRESS — Volume 5, entries 10721. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- DIRT DAUBER NEST - CAYENNE PEPPER - EPSOM SALTS; SULPHUR - POWDERED ASAFETIDA - TOBACCO OR SCOTCH; SNUFF - MIX - THROW INTO HOUSE - PERSONS WITHIN MOVE — Volume 5, entries 11202. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- DRAGON'S BLOOD - SULPHUR - BURN BEFORE SEEKING JOB — Volume 5, entries 11345. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- REACH FORK OF ROAD AT SUNRISE - MAKE CROSS IN DIRT; NAME IT - TAKE 3: GRAVEYARD DIRT - SULPHUR - SALT; THROW IN THAT PLACE [CROSS] - MAKE A PRAYER - TALK; TO IT - ANYTHING YOU WANT - GOOD OR BAD - NAME IT — Volume 5, entries 11670. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- FORK-OF-ROAD DIRT AND GRAVEYARD DIRT; ADD: SALT - PEPPER - SULPHUR - SPRINKLE; ACROSS PERSON'S PATH TO CHANGE HIS MIND — Volume 5, entries 11677. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- THIS RITE CONCERNS GRAVEYARDS FOR BLACKS AND WHITES; AT FORKS OF ROADS - GRAVEYARD SEPARATED BY ONE; OF THE FORKS - IF WHITE MAN OWES A BLACK MAN MONEY; AND DELAYS OR REFUSES PAYMENT - OR IF HE HAS OPENED; NEARBY BUSINESS - IS A COMPETITOR - DON'T GO TO LAW; TAKE HIS FOOT TRACK BACKWARDS [TOE TO HEEL] IN ROAD; SEPARATING THESE GRAVEYARDS - DO NOT SAY A WORD; GOING OR COMING - NOW AT HOME - WORDS WHEN YO' SET; DAT TABLE SHOW PART OF RITE OCCURS THERE - BURNED; SULPHUR AND FOOT TRACK ARE PUT IN 4 CORNERS OF ROOM; LATTER AND TABLE = 5 POINTS; OR QUINCUNX RITE; DEBTOR PAYS BILL OR BUSINESS COMPETITOR MOVES — Volume 5, entries 11691. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- HORSE HOOF - AT BLACKSMITH'S - 3 PIECES SAME LENGTH; CROSS: THEM: IN NAME OF FATHER, SON AND HOLY GHOST; CROSSING 3 PIECES MAKES RIMLESS WHEEL - SEE DESIGN; IN THE TEXT - PUT SULPHUR AND SALT ON DESIGN - LIGHT; WHILE BURNING TALK TO IT - TELLING IT WHAT YOU WANT — Volume 5, entries 12180. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- HORSE HOOF - BURN EVERY NIGHT BEFORE GOING TO BED; INHALE FUMES - ALSO BURN 3: SULPHUR - CAYENNE PEPPER; AND SALT - BRINGS TRADE - KEEPS WHISKEY FROM POLICE — Volume 5, entries 12179. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- HORSESHOE NAILS 9 - INTO SULPHUR AND LARD - AT 6 A. M.; LET THEM STAND AT YOUR DOOR UNTIL 6 P. M. - THEN LAY; NAILS ALONG TOP LEDGE OF DOOR - CALLING PERSON'S NAME; 3 TIMES: "SAM! SAM! SAM! COME HEAH!" - HE'LL COME — Volume 5, entries 12203. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- KNOTS 9 - IN NEW STRING - 1 KNOT 1 WISH DAILY 9 DAYS; 9TH DAY BURN IT IN FIREPLACE WITH SALT AND SULPHUR — Volume 5, entries 12290. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- NEW SULPHUR - NEW RED PEPPER - MADE INTO BALL; WEAR IN CALF OF LEG - CAN WALK OVER CUNJURE — Volume 5, entries 12617. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- RED PEPPER AND SULPHUR BURNED AT HOUSE CONFUSION — Volume 5, entries 12614. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- RED PEPPER - SULPHUR - SHE MAKES 9 TRIPS ROUN'; CIRCUMAMBULATES? HOUSE - MAKES OATH - MAN LEAVES — Volume 5, entries 12618. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- SULPHUR AND RED PEPPER IN BOTH SHOES; WALK OVER ANYTHING WITHOUT BEING HURT — Volume 5, entries 12616. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- PERSIMMON BARK - SUGAR - SULPHUR; BURN MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS FOR JOB — Volume 5, entries 12660. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- SUGAR 1 TEASPOON - SULPHUR 4 - MIX; SPRINKLE ON FLOOR TO STOP ARGUMENTS — Volume 5, entries 13242. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- EVERY MORNING BURN SULPHUR ON STOVE TO KEEP EVIL; SPIRITS OUT OF HOUSE - YOU KNOW YOURSELF... THERE ARE; MORE EVIL SPIRITS THAN... GOOD ONES... VISIBLE ONES...; WE WANT TO GET RID OF - WHEN YOU ARE HUNTING FOR; BURIED TREASURE - MAKE A CIRCLE ROUND IT - SPRINKLE; SULPHUR ON CIRCULAR LINE - NO SPIRIT CAN ENTER RING — Volume 5, entries 13250. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- LUCK TO FRIENDS - BURN SULPHUR 12 MIDNIGHT; BURN IT 4 IN MORNING - BAD LUCK TO ENEMIES — Volume 5, entries 13251. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- FOR POISON OR CUNJURE OUTSIDE - MIX SULPHUR AND LARD; RUB WITH - IF INSIDE - DRINK SULPHUR AND BROWN SUGAR — Volume 5, entries 13255. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- IF BOOTLEGGING - BURN SULPHUR - SPRINKLE ON FLOOR FOR; POLICEMAN TO WALK OVER - AND CATCH AND HOLD HIS EYE; AND HE WILL NEVER RETURN - OR IN MORNINGS BEFORE YOU; OPEN BOTH DOORS THROW WHISKEY ON THEM FOR CUSTOMERS — Volume 5, entries 13257. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- SULPHUR - RED PEPPER - OIL OF CINNAMON - IN 4 CORNERS; OF ROOM - BURN WITH CURSE - WINDOWS AND DOORS CLOSED; DO THIS AFTER YOU HAVE SWEPT UP AND ARE READY TO MOVE; AFTER HOUSE CURSED - MOVING IN MEANS DEATH IN FAMILY — Volume 5, entries 13258. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- SULPHUR - RED PEPPER - RED ONION CAN BE GOOFER DUST — Volume 5, entries 13259. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
- SULPHUR - RED PEPPER - SALT - ALL NEW - KEEP LAW AWAY; OR FOR UNWELCOME GUEST - THROW MIXTURE BEHIND HER; CHAIR - WHEN SHE LEAVES - THROW WAY SHE LEAVES AND; CUSS - IF SHE DOES RETURN - DO SAME THING AND SWEEP — Volume 5, entries 13260. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
Source passage
continuous interview · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
Well now, I kin take this fer'n
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
[for an]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
instant
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
[instance]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
. Well, I've got a bootleggin' joint. The law comin' - I get a tip-off the law comin' mah house. I got liquor in mah house. The law walk in here.
reported or enacted speech · Current interviewee · Imagined officer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
"Well, w'a's
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
[what's]
reported or enacted speech · Current interviewee · Imagined officer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
goin' on here, Lindsay?"
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
reported or enacted speech · Current interviewee · Imagined householder addressed as Lindsay; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
"Good mornin', Cap'ain
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
[Captain]
reported or enacted speech · Current interviewee · Imagined householder addressed as Lindsay; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
."
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
reported or enacted speech · Current interviewee · Imagined officer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
"W'a's goin' on here?"
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
reported or enacted speech · Current interviewee · Imagined householder addressed as Lindsay; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
"Not a thing."
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
reported or enacted speech · Current interviewee · Imagined officer; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
"I've got a search warrant."
context only; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
reported or enacted speech · Current interviewee · Imagined householder addressed as Lindsay; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
"Well, all you got to do is to search, Cap'ain, if you got it - I can't help you find it, I can't hinder you from searchin'."
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
Why, he's gon'a search. Well, when he enters in here - soon as he gits the center of mah house to search, he'll find his eyes is scattered. You know why?
interviewer · Hyatt (interviewer); context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
(No.)
informant · Current interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
Well sir, because I keep mah red peppah burnin' an' mah sulphah an' mah ole shoes' soles. An' I keeps mah 'ead
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
[head]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
on
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
[all]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
perfumed an' keeps it, mah house, decorated
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
[dressed]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
[This is probably my only example of the term decorated.]
informant · Current interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 2, p. 935
All right.
Nested source context: nested hypothetical dialogue · Vol. 2, p. 935
"Well, w'a's [what's] goin' on here, Lindsay?" "Good mornin', Cap'ain [Captain]." "W'a's goin' on here?" "Not a thing." "I've got a search warrant." "Well, all you got to do is to search, Cap'ain, if you got it - I can't help you find it, I can't hinder you from searchin'."
locally coherent subpassage
Lindsay is an enacted addressee, not authority for the current speaker identity. Hypothetical officer turns are not live interviewer turns.
closed_printed_example
Quoted search-warrant conversation is nested inside the informant turn, not a live police participant.
The decorated/dressed equivalence and unique-example evaluation are editorial.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 2, page image · Vol. 2, page image · Vol. 2, p. 933 · Vol. 2, p. 934 · Vol. 2, p. 935 · Vol. 2, p. 936
Source passage
continuous interview or recording context · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
Why, yo' take a dead person's bone. Yo' gits de middle bone out of 'em. Dat aoapin lak de backbone, sompin lak dat - dat s de middle part of 'em. Yo' gits one joint of dat.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
[The fact that I do not ask the doctor to identify the middle bone would nor- ally indicate that I understood what he was talking about, or thought I did. Bat my transcriber, on the contrary, was confused or impressed, she typing back- back instead of backbone! The jointed bone in the middie of the body, sompin lak de backbone, is the coccyx. And the one joint of dat is the pointed end joint called the indestructible bone or everlasting bone or something - it being able to withstand fire and decay, a magic bone.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
Well, yo' takes it an' yo' dress it - it an' de black cat bone tuhgethah. Yo' go tuh de drug sto' an' yo' git whut chew call de quicksilvah. Yo' gits it in a Ⅱ'le ball about as big as a cent - cost yo' 25c.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
[This is tin foil, not quick- silver.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
Yo' wraps dat up in it an' git chew about fo' ounces of sulphur an Puts in dere wit it. Yo' gits nine pins an' lay 'em in dere 'side of it. Yo' take 'em tuh de no'th cornah of yore house, or in de east cornah of yore house an' lay 'em down. Covah 'em - hide 'em-like. Yo' come tuh be complicated
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
[?]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
or cones tuh - not enemies, or yo' won' have no fren's come roun', yo' know, an hart chew.
Nested source context: informant term and editorial correction · Vol. 3, p. 2099
go tuh de drug sto' an' yo' git whut chew call de quicksilvah. Yo' gits it in a Ⅱ'le ball about as big as a cent - cost yo' 25c. [This is tin foil, not quick- silver.]
locally coherent printed subpassage
Aoapin/backbone and other uncertain forms remain literal. Coccyx/tin foil are Hyatt interpretations/corrections, not the speaker's resolved anatomy/material identity.
closed_printed_instruction_with_ambiguous_terms
Coccyx, indestructible bone and the rationale for identification are editorial assertions, not the informant’s literal identification.
Quicksilver is the informant term; tin foil is the editor’s correction. Preserve this disagreement.
The damaged-looking words and complicated[?] outcome do not support a more precise reconstruction.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 3, p. 2098 · Vol. 3, p. 2099 · Vol. 3, p. 2100 · Vol. 3, p. 2101 · Vol. 3, p. 2102