Subject:Turpentine
Entries
Entry 2646
Yo' kin take Sloan's linament an' turpentine an' mix a proportion of it together an' bury it down up undah de house where de bootleggah is an' dat will - dat supposed tuh keep de law away. It will fo' a while. There ain't nuthin dat's goin' keep dem police 'way all de time, but dey'll visit yo lesser den dey would without any help at all.
Entry 3280
[Three ingredients is only one of many groups of 3's in the text (pp.651-654 and elsewhere). Blackjack received it's name from the black bark of the common oak Quercus marilandica. Palmetto in the present case are the scrubby palm plants one sees in the coastal lowlands from North Carolina down into Florida. Turpentine weed can be one of several plants having an actual or a fancied odor of turpentine.] [To] fix dat up to keep de mens away from dere [his wife or woman] he'd go out in de woods an' he'd git 'im - jis' ast anybody, any of dem ole people. Dey tel] 'im right, yo' know, right where to git dat, dem kinda roots at. Yo' take a blackjack root - get de blackjack root an' a he palmetto root an' some of dis 'tentime [turpentine] weeds. Dey got some weed dey call de 'tentime weeds. An' yo' mix dat up, yo' understan', an' put it on yore private see, an' let it dry.
(You mean, you just mix the leaves up, themselves?)
Yes, jis' take nuthin but de leaves, see.
(You don't boil them, you just mix the leaves up?)
Mix de weeds [leaves] up, yo' undahstan'.: See, it'll come wit juice all ovah it. An' mix 'em up, put 'em on yore private, see, an' let it dry. Don't wash it off. An' go wit yore wife, yo' undahstan', an' go ahead on out dere an' work where yo' wanta work at. Evah time a man git ready to go wit yore wife - dey won't have it, but he'll get on her, yo' undahstan'. Well, he'll jis' straddle her an' 'is thing will fall - he can't have her.
Entry 3616
Well, yo' kin take a woman's sanitary cloth [a term rarely used at this date by informants], aftah she'd put it dere somewhere. Yo' kin take it an' tie it in nine knots - not take nine knots in de cloth an' tie it, but yo' know yo' kin take a piece of cord string an' tie nine knots hard dis way, yo' undahstan'. Tie nine knots in. An' yo' take it aftah yo' tie dose nine knots in it, an' put turpentine on it an' burn it up.
(You mean you tie this string around the cloth?)
Roun' de cloth wit nine knots in it.
(And then you put nine knots in the string after you tie it?)
Shu' [sure] - no, tie knots wit de string. See, wrap it roun' an' tie dat one dere; den wrap it roun' ag'in, see. (This string, you wrap it around once, around the sanitary cloth, and tie it Once; wrap it around again and tie a knot; wrap it around again and tie a knot. Get nine knots?) Git nine knots. She won' be no mo' [good] to 'erself or no one else.
Entry 3619
A string, an' measure it, de length of 'is [privates] an' tie nine knots in dis string. Now, if it's not long enough to go roun' 'er waist she might piece it out. Now she tie dem nine knots an' she [wet] dem nine knots in turpentine an' wear dem nine knots right below 'er stomach in front [mons veneris], an' in time won't have no nature fo' nobody but 'er.
Entry 3627
Yo' could win a man. Yo' could take, yo' know, a string an' put nine knots in a cord string an' put it in turpentine, yo' know, an' wear it aroun' yore waist, an' it would keep 'im from havin' dealin's wit any othah woman but chureself.
(Well what do you do with that string first before you put the nine knots on it?)
Well, yo' take an' put nine knots in it, see, an' make a wish an' put it in dat turpentine an' tie it aroun' yore waist, an' evah time he git ready tuh have a intahco'se wit any othah woman, see, he couldn't.
Entry 3780
If a man have a bad disease, yo' kin git de bark from de no'th side, outside, of a gum tree, an' de bark from de east side of red oak tree, an' mix 'em togethah an' make a tonic, an' dat will cure him of de bad dis- ease. Yo' put a few drops of turpentine in it.
Entry 3895
Dey say yo' kin take a woman's piece to de cemetery an' put [on it] some saltpetah, some cayenne peppah an' some turpen- tine an' bury it. Put it in a piece of papah an' bury it an' it will rot. When it rots it'll turn yo'. It rots in yo', yo' won't be no mo' good fo' nuthin.
(What will it do?)
It'll rot chew down heah.
(It rots you and the doctor has to operate?)
Yeah, see, yo' won' have no mo' mens, it turn yo' outside.
(It turns them inside out.)
Entry 3965
An' git chew some vinegah an' nine drops of turpentine an' dat'll stop a woman's periods on 'er. (How would they give that to her?) Give it to her by de tablespoonful - yo' know, jes' lak [demonstrates]. (That is what you call root-working. She knows he is doing that.)
Entry 4040
Use some cloth dat yuh have, if de party don't wash fo' yuh. Nobody'll evah wash fo' yuh, dey can't make yuh move out, 'cept come tuh yuh do' roun' five a'clock in de mawnin' an' throw de night- watah roun' de do' see. An' dey put salt in de night-watah, yuh see. Dat's fer tuh make 'em move out - an' de smell of de watah. Den yuh go an' dig up some dust an' put on de watah in de back of de house, an' taken some turpentine an' throw it on top of it, an' yuh cannot go.
(That is, if you don't do it, it will make you move.)
Yes, [if] yuh leave it stan' out dere.
(I.see. But if you do that, they can't make you move. I see.)
An' if anybody comes tuh yuh an' tell yuh dey comin' tuh 'rest [arrest] yuh fer dat crime, [you] say, "Dey won't come here." Yuh take yuh a mouthful of cold watah, undahstan', an' take a mouthful of hot watah behind dat wit a little salt in it. Salt in de hot watah aftah drinkin' de cold watah an' walkin' in acircle. AH'M GIVIN' YUH FAX [facts].
Entry 4076
Git de feathah from a black chicken, if yo' a man thirsty fo' a woman, in love wit 'er. Yo' take dat feathah from a black chicken an' yo' manage tuh git some of 'er ministra- tion. Now, de way ah've heard dis: if yo' kin git some of 'er ministration, an' yo' put dat wit dat feathah in dere. Den yo' take dat feathah an' put it in a bottle an' yo' put yo'self some spirits of tur- pentine in dere. Yo' put some dis othah stuff [urine? semen?]. Put some quinine in dere. An' den yo' take dat piece [hatband] or de bow, eithah one, outa yore hat, an' put it in dere. Let dat stay right dere nine days. [Auto horn.] Aftah nine days yo' bury dat thin' right somewhere 'bout de no'th cornah of yore chim- ley in de groun'. Den yo' go out dere an' yo' make watah on dat dere fo' nine days. Yo' pee on dat fo' nine days. Den dat dere - dat draws 'er 'fection to yo'.
Entry 4400
Take a lizard. Ah've heard 'em say yo' take a lizard an' tuh split 'im open on 'is back. An' when yo' split 'im on 'is back, take an' hang 'im up where de sun will rise on 'im. An' when de sun rise on 'im, see, when de sun is goin' up, yo' hang'im wit 'is tail up an' 'is haid down; an' dey tell me dat will turn dey bowels up so dey can't be unlocked.
(Well, how do you know what person you are working on?)
Well, yo' take an' yo' git some of dere action, an' yo' put it in dere. Put it on dis lizard, inside of 'im, de fo'wards side nex' to de sun, wit cayenne peppah on it. Yo' know, cayenne peppah draws too, it draws up, an' three drops of turpentine. An' den when yo' git dat bone, den yo' hang it up dere. An' dat lizard will dry up to nuthin but jes' dat skin. An' as long as he's hangin' up dere, why dey can't have an action. Dat's whut ah heard on dat.
Entry 4459
Dey kin take yuh passage or yur urinate.
(That is your business, you mean?)
Yes, take dat aftah dey do it, while it's fresh, an' take it tuh a big hick- ory-nut tree an' bo' a hole in it, in de hickory-nut tree, an' put dat stuff in dere. Pack it. An' go git a li'le salt, cayenne peppah an' turpentine an' stop dat in wit it. Dat will lock yore bowels so dat yuh can't have no passage. Yuh feel lak yuh wanta do it. When yuh go tuh do it, it will burn yuh.
Entry 4777
Well, if ah'm a enemy tuh yuh an' wants tuh confuse yuh in yore home, ah mah- self, ah cain't do it. Got'a git someone tuh help me tuh do it, an' dat's by goin' an' gittin' a piece of yore clothes, sompin othah dat chew wears, don't chew know - sompin dat chew wears. An' ah takes dat an' tear it up, makes a very small string out of it. Take it an' twist it.
(Tear the whole piece of cloth up?)
Not de whole cloth, jis' git yuh a strip off about lak dat [demonstrates], whatevah it is, an' jis' tear it up in small strips. Take an' twist it dis away [demonstrates]. One [strip] dis way an' one dis way, jis' lak dat, yuh know. Jis' keep atwisting it till yuh git right intuh a fine - down-lak yuh know, tuh a string. Yuh take it den an' yuh put it - draw a knot intuh it. Yuh know how yuh tie a knot intuh anything. Well, yuh take dat an' git it intuh whatevah yuh kin git it intuh [a jar, see later]. Den yuh take some salt an' take some vine- gah an' anything dat dey'd use lak a garlic. Yuh git yuh some garlic tuh put in dere an' nine drops of turpentine. An' tighten dat up real - tighten it down howevah yuh wanta tighten it down.
(Tighten that jar down?)
Tighten de jar down, yassuh, an' den yuh prob'ly cain't git tuh de house; but git somebody tuh bury it tuh de back of de steps.
(What will that do then?)
Dat will - dey cain't git along in dere.
Entry 5054
Tuh stay on dere ain't but one thing yuh could do an' dat is tuh git, jis' - well, yuh could jis' say a piece of dere ole sock or jis' any of dey clothes or anything lak dat. An' take it an' take an' jis' dip it in some turpen- tine. An' wrap it in a piece of cloth an' jis' tie it right roun' yore right arm. An' wear it dere fo' about fo' days or eithah six. Dey cain't do a thing-a wit chew. Dey couldn't move yuh. (If you were trying to move me out, I would get your sock and do that, so that you couldn't harm me then. If I did that, that would keep you from harming me any way - any kind of way at all?) Yessuh.
Entry 5268
Well, dey kin git yuh shoes. Dey will git a li'le piece of de innah sole out of 'em, jis' outa eithah one of 'em. An' take dat innah sole an' carry it an' use turpentine on it; may- be ten or fifteen drops, not undah ten an' not ovah fifteen. Take it an' put it in a tobacco can or snuffbox. Git dat an' bury it, jis' keep it buried dere. An' YO'LL BEGIN TUH TAKE PAINS IN YUH ANKLES AN' KNEES, JIS' AS LONG AS DAT'S BURIED, JIS' LAK YO' WUS A MAN WIT DE RHEUMATISM. YO'LL BE DOWN IN YUH ANKLES AN' YUH KNEES, AN' FINELY [FINALLY] IT WORK ON UP IN YUH HIPS. AN' WORK ON THROUGH YUH BODY. IT'LI WORK ALL OVAH YO'. IT'LL GIT YO' IN SICH A CONDITION DAT YO'LL HAVE DE STIFF- NECK AN' EVAHTHIN' ELSE.
Entry 5269
If de boss fire yuh - yeah, he fired yuh. Yuh goes tuh 'im an' ast 'im fo' a job ag'in, once mo', an' he says, "No." Yuh say, "Well, ah been work- in' mighty faithful fo' yuh an' yuh's not treatin' me right.' Sompin lak dat. Git chew some spirits turpentine an' if yuh kin git tuh 'is shoe or sompin lak dat, his right shoe - if yuh kin ketch 'im wit 'is shoe off sometime, rub it on de bottom of 'is shoe, yuh know. An' take a li'le dust dere from de bottom of 'is shoe an' mix wit some turpentine an' put it in a li'le can. An' stop it up an' carry it an' bury it undah yore do'step. An' yuh got a job wit 'im right on. Yes sir, yuh git de job back.
Entry 5617
Take a fellah's track. Git right 'long behin' 'im an' take his track, if he be walkin', movin'. Yo' know right whilst he's movin', git 'is track from right behin' 'im. An' dey say dey'll take dat track den an' dey'll go git some black peppah, red peppah, turpentine, Sloan Linament - anything real hot whut'll burn yo' know. Says dey'll put it in dis track den an' dey'll take it den an' go tuh a runnin' stream of watah. Dey'll stan' wit dere lef' shouldah tuh dis stream of watah, an' dey'll throw it ovah de lef' shouldah an' den dey'll walk away. Well, dey say den dat track as it floats down de stream, say dat'll take, carry yo' on off - will run yo' away from home, jis' make yo' go on where- evah dat goes. Yo' jis' go on off till yo' die.
(How many tracks of mine do they take - or just one?)
Jis' takes one track - eithah one.
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 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 5689
Git aholt of dat foot track, take up a half of a pound of dat firs' track along dere tuh de toe. Take dat wit 2 drops of vinegah, 2 drops of tur- pentine, 5 drops of coal oil. An' den dat will draw de man back home - woman or man. Aftah yo' git all dat tuhgethah, why yo' take dat [track] an' put it in a bottle an' drop dis [9 drops] on it. An' den yo' sprinkle dat along where dat, if yo' are gone away from yore home, yo' undah- stan', sprinkle dat along in de tracks [made after the first onel. Dat'll draw 'im along back home.
Entry 5737
Ah heard dat yo' could take dat track up an' put it in turpentine, dat will give dat person rheumatism. (Do you take both tracks up or does it make any difference?) It really doesn't make any difference, jis' so you git one de per- son's tracks.
(And just put it in something with turpentine?)
In turpentine, dat 'sposed tuh give 'em rheumatism. Dey say dat it does.
Entry 5972
Now if dere a ole lady yo' can't git away from yore house- dere a ole lady dere or someone roun' dere an' yo' want 'em tuh leave an' yo' can' git rid of 'em, stick roun' wit 'em where de man git 'is hair cut or sompin lak dat. Git some of 'is hair, see. Git some of 'is hair an' put 'is hair in a little flannel rag an' use some Heart Cologne. An' yo' take dis hair an' dis Eeart Cologne an' yo' do it up in dis rag. Don't sew it, yo' tie wit cotton string an' yo' do it up good. An' jes' befo' yo' do it up, tie nine knots in it, jes' about a inch from de end of de cotton string. Tie nine hard knots in it an' 'noint 'em all good in spirits of turpentine, an' make a wish evahtime yo' make a tie. See. Evahtime yo' make a tie in it, wrap it aroun' an' make a tie. Well, yo' make a tie fo' nine times, an' den jes' put it in yore pocket an' walk on tuh a runnin' creek an' throw it in dere, an' don't look back, keep a-goin'. Yo' won't have any trouble wit 'em atall no mo'.
(Runs him away.)
Yessuh, he gone.
Entry 6040
Dey take a lock of yore hair out de mole of yore haid. If yo' vanta ake love, dey could take dat hair an' plait it as much [many] times as dey kin git it. Dey sew it up in white cloth an' den in a flannen [flannel] cloth. (What kind of a flannel cloth?) A red flannen. Dey take dat hair -' SEW IT INTO DE TICK OF PILLAH, dey pillah whut dey sleeps on, an' dey keeps it moist thoroughly wit spirits of turpentine an' dat'll make love. [This love hand is fed (p.578) spirits of turpentine because of the word pirits says an informant somewhere in text.]
Entry 6374
Well, ah heard it said if yuh git nine strands of der hair an' yuh wrap dat aroun' a cord nine times jis' lak yuh tyin' up a [package] - jis' aroun' de hair, wrap it from yuh all de time. Den yuh git chew nine drops spirits of tur- pentine an' yuh put on dat, an' yuh wrops dat up in a piece of papah. [You put 9 strands of victim's hair in a piece of paper, add 9 drops of turpen- tine, and wrap a cord from you 9 times about this paper pack- age.] An' yuh go an' put it undah de [house owner's or renter's] doorstep. Yuh put it undah dere evah mawnin' befo' de sunrise fo' nine mawnin's. Yuh put dat undah dere an' yuh go back after sundown. Yuh put dat undah dere an' yuh go back aftah sundown. Yuh put it undah dere befo' sunrise an' go back aftah sundown an' git it, den put it back dere ag'in befo' sunrise. Yuh go it fo' nine mawnin'san' on de ninth mawnin' dey [owner or renter] goin' be movin'. [Wrapping and winding, two important magic actions have not always been indexed in the past. There are in Hoodoo many examples of the former, especially wrapping to you or away from you. True winding rites probably will also be found in Hoodoo, they appearing in love rites of general folklore (see BALL OF YARN examples, FACI, 2nd ed., p.439). [Wilmington, N. Car., (294), 217:4 - 85+.1
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 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 6936
If anybody wuz poisoned an' lak if anybody wuz goin' do anythin' fo' dem, an' dey jis' really knows dis one thing an' jis' make up an' do fo' dem. Well, if dey wuz poisoned in a way dat chewed wanta do sompin fo' 'em, why yo' would take whiskey, a dime drink of whiskey, an' nine drops of turpentine an' puts it in dis whiskey. An' [if] dis whiskey don' make 'em drunk an' de tur- pentine won't bothah 'em, well dey drinks it down. Well, dey drinks it down. Well, tuh make it shore, yo' takes a ten-cent [piece] an' file it off wit a file. Well, yo' puts it in sweet milk an' give it tuh dem tuh drink evah day, jis' lak yo' do a meal.
(What will that do?)
Well, dat will draw de poison from 'em.
Entry 6943
[Silver will] run it outa yo'. Ah'll run it outa yo'. Ah'll git me a dime or quartah - so it's silvah money - take me a file an' ah'll file dat stuff, dat quartah, yo' see, an' git de dust, git it plumb dusty. All right, ah'll git me some vinegah, some salt. See, ah'll put it in dere. Ah'll put me fif- teen drops of turpentine in dere wit it. Ah'll git me a box of Epsom salts. Ah'll give yo' dat Epsom salts three times a day. Dat's tuh keep yore bowels open. Dat vinegah an' dat, whut ah got made up. Yo' drink it fo' times a day until it take a act on yo'. Well, now, it - in drinkin' dat, why it'll stir dat up in yo', yo' see, stir dat poison up. An' dat Epsom salt [is] tuh keep yuh bowels open, yo' see, an' pass it on through.
Entry 6982
Ah've had de claps so bad until ah didn't do nuthin but a solid stream of blood evah time ah made watah. An' ah went tuh Dr. O'Leary here an' he vashed mah bladdah out an' he tole me, he said, "Yo' got a sore on de end of yo' bladdah. Yo' been havin' dat - yo' been ovahstrainin' so long until it's worked back up intuh yo' stomic." (This doctor, was he a medical doctor?) Yes, an' he nevah did do me no good. So finely, ah one day, ah wuz workin' at de shop down dere, ah ovaheerded someone, a fellah, talkin'. An' ah says, "Well, ah'm goin' tuh use dat remedy. Ah went right on home an' tried it. He says get a pint of, a bottle, an' fill it half-fulla meal.
(What kind of meal?)
Half-fulla cornmeal.
(Half-full of cornmeal.)
An' put nine drops of turpentine in dere. Den git chew some rain watah an' fill dat bottle up. An' den shake it up right good 'till it all resolve [dis- solve] an' yo' know - when it resolve [dissolve] down de meal, dat brings it down about dat low [demonstrates]. Den yo' see it sinks down in dat watah. Yo' shake it up an' take a good swallah outa dat three times a day, an' dat cleah yo' out. Ah don' care whut's de mattah wit chew. Well, ah had it so bad dat ah couldn't hardly walk, it burned me tuh walk. [I fixed] dat jah [jar] mahself, yo' know. An' ah say, "Ah'm goin' home an' try dat." Now, dis, dis is by ex- perience. Ah've done it twice. Evah time ah have it an' I've tole othah men about it. Ah know a frien' dat done dat. Ah fixed 'im a bottle of it an' it Cured 'im. Ah carried - ah goes home an' ah gits me a pint bottle, an' ah fills it half fulla meal, an' ah gits dis rain watah. [Here, thinking that informant was merely repeating, I stopped recording to save cylinder space; but immediately realizing that he was adding something new, I restarted machine to ask what he did with the cork.]
(What did you do with that cork?)
Put a trench in dat stoppah so de air will jis' sour dat meal, sour it where de air kin git out an' it won' blow de cork out or eithah bus' de bottle.
(I see.)
Or put chew a papah stoppah or somepin, so dat it won't be so tight. Well, in about three days dat will be good an' sour, an' it have a good taste from dat tarpentine. An' dat'll rid yo' - ease yo' an' cure yo' up.
Entry 7276
To keep from being caught, let murderer jump backwards across the corpse and then put turpentine on feet.
Entry 7298
One thing yo' kin do, yo' kin go tuh a stable or a cow lot an' walk in dere. Den yo' kin take othah - somepin lak turpentine - jes' lak dat an' put on yore feet, an' de dogs couldn't trial yo'.
Entry 7326
Ah heard of if a man or a woman done a crime an' dey git out an' try tuh git away, dey'd rub turpentine undah de bottom of dey feet an' walk across de graveyard an' dey could git away. [This may be my only ex- ample of a woman trailed by dogs. Yes, I remember Eliza in Uncle Tom's Cabin.]
Entry 7331
If a person - lak nov, say ah kilt somebody an' ah wanted tuh git away. Ah kin take mah foot an' put it in dat [cow] manure an' den step in tur- pentine an' run through a cemetery. An' ah'm gone, dey couldn't find me.
Entry 7344
A fellah tole me - now dis - dat he run away from de chain gang. Yo' want me tuh tell de whole story, dat's it. He run away from de chain gang an' he stopped at a woman's house an' got some turpentine an' put it in de bottom of his shoes. An' he said dat dey had de hounds aftah 'im an' he stopped tuh mah house. An' ah said, "Put it in de bottom yore shoes?" He said, "Yeah." Dat wus up heah in Baldwin County, Georgia. Yeah, neah Millersville. He'd run away from de camp. An' ah tole de woman - ah wusn't married tuh her, ah was livin' wit 'er. Ah says, "Git dis fellah sompin tuh eat." An' as he got sompin tuh eat ah lifted up de shoe an' smelled of it an' he wus about five miles from dis camp at dat time. Ah wus standin' in mah back do' an' ah heard de dogs barkin' an' howlin' an' goin' on. When ah heard de dogs hollerin' ah come tuh de front do' to look out down tuhwards de rivah tuh see. Ah thought maybe some of 'em had de fox houns' out. An' dis fellah come up. at de time. Yeah. He had done got de turpentine in be- tween mah house an' where he run away from de convict camp, don't chew undahstan' me. [I am not supposed to hear well.] An' ah give him sompin tuh eat an' he left, an' de dogs come as fur as mah camp an' de captain an' de fellah dat wus wit de dogs, dey couldn't track 'im no fu'thah. Dey look aroun' an' dey says, dey axed [asked] me de questions about de fellah comin' dere. An' ah tole 'em dere come a man dere but he didn't have on no stripes, yeah. He had got de clothes dough [though]. He tole me de fellah back behin' had give him some clothes to change wit.
Entry 7348
Ah heard a man say he went to de forks of de road, jes' like dey did some devilment an' de law was aftah 'em. De fellah said he'd go dere, yo' know, wit a bottle of turpentine an' marks right an' one east, an' po's [pours] a little turpentine in each one of dem marks - goin' across de road, an' dey nevah couldn't trail 'em. (Now, you said just across the road he makes a mark. How would he make the first mark?) He makes one north - east yo' know, east an' west, an' den south an' north. Dere don't be but two. (He makes one east and west. Then what does he do? Then he makes another mark? Where does he make that one?) Make dat one south an' west.
(South and north you mean.)
Yes, south an' north.
(I see. Then what does he do?)
Po's [pours] de turpentine in each one of dem marks.
Entry 7349
Ah heard dat if yo' wuz tuh do anythin' an' run away an' dey put de dogs behin' yo', den if yo' wuz tuh keep gasoline an' spirits of turpentine on yore feet, den dey couldn't track yo'.
Entry 7350
Yes, in dis way: Ah don't know whethah it's fact dat de law couldn't find or not, but ah do know dis one thing. If yo' were tuh do sompin chere an' dey wus on yore - say, if dey had hounds runnin' yo' or sompin, yo' could put turpen- tine an' red peppah undah yore shoe sole an' dem dogs couldn't track yo' no fu'thah dan where yo' use dat material. Right dah dey'd lose track an' dey couldn't start it.
Entry 7352
I have bin lak dat way in de South, zhoo know. A man down dere lak tuh kill a fellah once. It wus mah secon' cousin, yo' know. So he went one night - he had tuh be taken on de Manning [S. C.] Road - I had tuh cart 'im, yo' know - taken on de Manning Road. I take 'im on down dere [road] tuh a little ole neighbor's house, zhoo know. So he tole huh whutevah he wants. She said, "Well, yo' in a very bad con- dition, becuz, yuh know, a murderin' case, " she said, "that's one case that any- one har'ly git ovah." She said it wusn't goin' to cost no more dan thirty-five dollahs, she said, tah clear it. He said, "Well, de thing whut I wan'a git aftah is not ta ketch me." He said, "If they don't ketch me, " he say, "I'll leave, if I kin git out de way." She says, "Well, all right." She went back in there, she stepped back in de room again, she gits sumpin in a little bottle - red jis' like vinegah. She mix some vinegah wit it, she take a little turpentine an' she put in it. Dat whah I seed 'er put in dere mahself. She take sumpin come-like - it looked like table salt. Well, she fixin' it so it boil. So he come back home tuh town dat night jis' about 'leven-thirty. So I drived up to de nex' cornah of de road [just beyond the town] an' let 'im git out an' come on back [to town] yo' see. He take his left-footed shoe, an' taken some turpentine an' put in de bottom of de left-footed shoe, an' some salt; den he went up to de law office [courthouse] see, de office's on left-hand side de road. Well, he takes some of dat [liquid] from de bottle given to him by de witchcraft woman, an' po'ed it right down 'neath de steps. An' dey ain't nevah did ketch 'im.
Entry 7353
Well now, jes' lak if he done de killin', [he] say, "Ah wants tuh git away." Well, he'll go to work yo' see an' git 'im a pair of new shoes, he'll git 'im a bottle of turpen- tine. He'll take dat turpentine an' he'll pull 'is shoes off an' rub undah de bottom of 'is feet wit dat turpentine, an' he'll po' a little in 'is shoes. He'll go to work den an' he'll git 'im jes' about nine grains of black pepper, six grains of spice, an' git 'im jes' about a piece of bluestone a little bit biggah den a black-eyed pea. An' he'll put all dat togethah. He'll go to work den an' git 'im a dime bottle of alcohol, an' evah mawnin' regardless to where he goin', he'll take dat alcohol an' rub behin' 'is ears, rub across 'is fo'haid, an' he'll take dat turpentine an' 'noint 'is shoes - under de bottom of 'is shoes - an' he'll chew a grain of dat black peppah, one grain of dat spice, evah day, an' jes' a little crumb of dat bluestone mixed togethah. An' as long as he continue wit dat, he'll always keep a-goin'.
(Can't catch him.)
He'll keep a-goin'. [Waycross, Ga., (1097), 1771:5.] [Rites for catching a murderer are much more varied and interesting than those permitting him to escape, egg rites alone being amazing both in number and diver- sity. Everywhere the spirit of the murdered person is present or its presence assumed.]
Entry 8054
Well, yo' take a bone, say dis wrist bone here [demonstrates].
(The left wrist.)
Yeah. Yo' take de left wrist. If it's a evil person, say like some fellahs ah might recite yuh [or their] name fast: "George Bohall," "Up-jump, de Devil" [etc.]. All dose fellahs had police records, bad. Dey got kilt, dey died bad. Dey had tuh hold 'em down. Well, yo' take his bone an' yo' would bring it ovah tuh de house, an' yo' have what yo' call de dead pot.
(Dead what?)
Have a little pot about dat high, what de women use fo' po'in' [pouring] on.
(For what?)
Fo' po'in' on, tuh keep dere comb warm when dey are straight'en' [straight- ening] women's hair. Well, dey got a small little pot lak dat. It's a little stove, yo' know.
(Yes.)
Well, yo' take dat bone from dat evil spirit [the spirit of the bad man killed] an' yo' take it dere, an' yo' git some good whiskey. Yo' know, an' if he died a drunk. Dose are people dat yo' know [about], yo' know where dey grave, buried at, an' yo' go tuh dat most pahticlah [particular] grave an' git dat bone. Yo' put dat on de fiah an' yo' boil dat. Now, yo' set three hick'ry sticks across dere an' yo' set dat right on top of dat bone. Aftah yo' set dat on dat bone, why yo' take whiskey an' yo' po' ovah 'im, po' ovah dat mos' pahticlah bone. An' aftah yo' po' it ovah 'im, yo' demand 'im tuh go an' kill So-an'-so-an'-so.
(I see.)
An' dey goes on an' yo' do's de work.
(I see.)
Or else, yo' wanta, say, run 'im ovahbo'd [make him jump overboard], let 'im, let a automobile run ovah 'im. Yo' always place him in a place dat he'll git kilt.
(I see. You cross those hickory sticks?)
Cross 'em across. (And then when you - this [I demonstrate] is your pot. Are the bones in the pot?) No, dat's what de sticks are dere fo'. Supposin' de pot about dis size [dem- onstrates]. Well, yo' place [demonstrates] one here, one dere, an' one here. An' den yo' place de bone right 'cross dere lak dat [demonstrates].
(Oh, across the sticks.)
Across de sticks. Dat is tuh [I interrupt]...
(Then what do you do with the pot?)
Well, yo' mos'ly use a li'le turpentine an' linseed oil in dat pot - turpen- tine an' linseed oil in dat pot. But yo' start yuh fiah slow, jis' so, so she [pot] make an ord'nary steam. Dat is tuh keep a certain pressure on 'im. Den yo' demand 'im wit controllin' powah, say, "Ah demand yo' wit controllin' powah tuh go ovah an' do such-an'-such a thing. Go ovah an' kill Such-an'-such a one." An' yo' [the spirit] must do so. (I see.) [New Orleans, La., (819), 1171:2.] [As we have seen, there are many substitutes for the human body: (l) anything that came from the body, such as blood, semen, urine, excrement, sweat, spit, hair, fingernails, toenails, and footskin; and (2) anything that has touched the body, especially clothes. In this division we shall examine three entities that are not a part of the body and yet preeminently represent it - photograph and name and letters and handwriting. Of these three, name already has occurred so many times in the preceding rites, I shall start here with photograph.]
Entry 8386
(What can they do to me with my photograph?)
If it's on a tintype, dey bury it. It'll kill yo'. But if it's on a paste- bo'd, dey jes'bury it, dat'll bring yo', dat'll keep yo' dah. But if it's on tintype, it will kill yo'. (How do they bury that tintype?) De tintype's buried in turpentine. (Just how do they bury that?) Jes' take it an' dig a hole fer a foot an' a half an' yo' turpentine it good. Put de turpentine at de bottom where yo' lay it, an' yo' put dat - jes' put it right down in dere lak dat an' pack de dirt on.
(You turn the face up?)
Turn de face down. Yes, de face is turned down. Well, dat divides dem.
Entry 8532
Use a coconut, put turpentine in dere an' de party's name, an' stop it up tight an' throw it intuh de Mississippi River, when it will float in de watah, an' de party will leave dere home. Turpentine in dere, yes.
Entry 8620
Ef yo' worried about de law comin' round, yo' take yo' some sugah an' some - understan', an' a quart beer bottle an' yo' put one [of the two articles] at de front do' an' one at de back do'. If de law is botherin', take dem names an' Write it [them] on a piece of papah nine times. Take jis' about a bottle of turpentine an' put it [names] in dere an' jis' throw it behin' 'em an' tell 'em don't come back no mo'.
Entry 8904
If a person stole a.thing from yo' an' yo' wanta find out if it's dem dat did it, yo' gotta git chew some coffee grinds [grounds] aftah de coffee's [coffee has] been made. Git dose coffee grinds. An' den yo' take some coffee grinds an' let dem set outdo's [outdoors]. Don't leave dem in de house, yo' let 'em set outdo's. An' den yo' will git chew a bottle of turpentine. Now, dey done stole it an' yo' wanta find out de fak' [fact]. An' den, when yo' git some turpentine an' dose coffee grinds - an' den yo' take dat eggshell an' brown hit an' put it in dere. An' den yo' take dat eggshell - aftah yo' take dat egg- shell. An' yo' make yore wish while yo' fixin' it up. Yo' make yore wish while yo' fix it up an' den yo' take dis eggshell. An' den yo' take an' beat up some garlic an' brown dat garlic. Yo' gotta brown evahthin' yo' use. An' den yo' take, if yo' have an idea who got it - if somebody tell yo' dese people got it an' yo' know where dey live at...
(If you have an idea who did, what do you do with it then?)
Take it tuh dere do' an' bury it right up undah de centah of dere do', right up undah de centah of dere house eithah much [if you prefer]. [Center of house makes this a quincunx rite.] An' if dey got it dey'll bring it back. Dey'll bring it back.
Entry 8930
Well now, if you - like you was to take a dollah, say fo' 'ninstan' [an instant = an instance], if you'd take a dollah, or if yo' took mah glasses, or if yo' took anything out mah house, or anything yo' take from me, if yo' steal it from me in the street, I gits a red onion. Listen at me good. I splits dis red onion, but not let it come apart. See, yo' jis'gash it like that [demonstrates].
(You turn it like that, gash it through the side, not from top to bottom.)
Well now, you take an' git five drops spirits turpentine. Yo'll write your name on a cigarette papah. Like your name John James, I'll put in on a ciga- rette papah, put five drops of spirits turpentine, put that name [in the split onion], then put about two little pinches of cayenne pepper, an' spit in it five times, an' make yo' a woosh [wish]. An' then I take yeh [the onion holding your name] an' bur' [bury] mah things back. If yo' don't it'll run yo' crazy, if yo' didn't. See, that will drindle right on your mind 'bout choo takin' mah glasses.
Entry 9159
Take a white pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' dampen it wit peroxide an' kero- sene an' turpentine, an' jis' - see, yo' be's in de co'thouse, yo' see, where dey is, an' as he talkin', yo' jis' carry dat pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' dey make it [sentence] light. (Where do you carry it?) Do it jes' lak [demon- strates by shaking or waving handkerchief]. See, dat will make de scent of it
[reach the judge and jury].
Entry 9406
Git chew a fresh hen, black hen aig an' yo' put a hole in it, an' aftah dat stuff outa dat aig [come] outa dere, git chew a bottle of turpentine. An' fill dat aig up wit dat turpen- tine an' bury it right where dey have tuh pass ovah it. Sure tuh move.
(That drives them out of the house.)
Entry 9603
Well, yo' git some fish brine an' some gingah an' red peppah an' boil it tuhgethah an' put it about; wit a teaspoonful of spirits of turpentine which is hot, gives it powah, see. An' yo' take dat an' boil it an' go dere an' sprinkle yore house round yore do'steps. An' dey gotta go when dey git a place dey don't wanta stay dere, an' dey'll move without [giving you] any trouble. (There won't be any trouble getting them out of the house.)
Entry 9712
Lak if yo' wan'a job, dey tell me sompin but ah have nevah tried it. Lak if yo' wanted a job, ah heah de boys say, go tuh de bossman's house. An' aftah yo' go tuh 'is house - lak if yo' go dere an' try tuh git a li'l' work tuh do roun' dere. Prob'ly yo' fine some things roun' dere dat he's got or somepin he weahs or somepin lak dat. Yo' take dis. An' yo' come back an' take it tuh yore home. An' yo' come back an' yo' take dis turpentine an' olive oil an' salt. An' yo' take dis stuff an' yo' fix it up. Well, aftah yo' take dis stuff an' fix it up, yo' take an' care [carry] it back tuh dis bossman's house. An' yo' take an' hide it up undah, anywhere undah where he walks aroun' in 'is room. Yo' take dat stuff an' yo' care it right dere, an' put it somewheah in 'is room, wheah he kin walk ovah it. Well, yo' take it den. Yo' take an' go back an' git it if yo kin git back an' git it. Git back an' git it. Meanwhile he wuz workin' aroun'. An' yo' take an' bury it. Lak he's got a desk wheah he do's 'is writin', keepin' time, or sompin lak dat. Yo' take an' put it up undahneat' de desk or sompin othah lak dat. An' dey say dat stuff, whut chew put in dat stuff, will take effect on 'im. An' den yo'll come tuh 'im an' he says, "Well" - when yo' ast 'im fo' a job - "come to work." He'll give yo' job. Dat stuff will take effect on 'in, work on 'im in a way, an' he'll have tuh give yo' a job.
Entry 10605
[Out in the field I rarely if ever asked directly for self-perfor ed abortion rites; what I wanted was miscarriage, delayed birth, malforation or death caused by an enemy's witchcraft. The rite now following is a piece of folk medicine or practice a hoodoo doctor, fortuneteller or wise womas ooeld sggest to a client:] Some green coffee, coffee what you drink, she'll make a tea out of that and put some whiskey in there and turpentine and drink it hot - hot, hot as she can. And take a slop-bucket of hot boiling water and sit over it. Go to the store and buy her a lead pencil, brand- new, have never been used. And take that pencil and open her womb and spill that water. And when that pencil - the mouth of it is closed, you know. She take that pencil and put - she can do that herself better than anybody can, you know. Take that pencil and shove it until the mouth of her womb is open, where the heat can get in there, stay in. When she take the pencil and shove it, well she going to take the end of the pencil and make a little hole to open it, you know. And when - while she's doing that, she still over the bucket. Well, you see, the heat is going in there. You see, that heat hit there, that make the womb open like that and there come all - what was in there, going to come out. You see. Well, now, after hit come - well, it's according to how many months she be. Well, if it be four months, it's a baby. Now, it done come and she got to get that afterbirth out [and if] she can't get nobody [to help her], she take her fist and blow hard as she can. And still stay over that. After while that afterbirth come.
Entry 10903
Well, yo' take de hair off a bad dog's back, de hair off a cat's back, an' take a woman's underwear when it's dirty, an' wash it, taking dat watah an' applyin' it wit dat hair off de dog's back an' off de cat's back, an' puttin' turpentine wit it, an' shuttin' de bottle up, an' throw it in de Miss'ippi Rivah. It will cause one de greatest rows in dat house yo' evah did see.
Entry 11686
Yo' go out dere 'fore day in de mawnin' an' git a twig offa tree at de fo'ks of de road an' use it. Yo' kin use it fo' luck, fo' bad luck, an' dey use it with dis red flannel. Ah 'magine yo' seen red flannel. Yo' use red flan- nel. An' git chew a twig while de sap is in it, but chew cain't git it when it's dry, at de fo'ks of de road. Dat cause people tuh has spells, fallin' outa beds, agony in de haid, agony in de feet, athaletics feets an' all lak dat. (What do you do with this twig? How do they work that?) Well, yo' git chew a piece of red flannel an' git chew some turpentine an' asafetidy an' boil it all tuhgethah in 'bout, jes' say 'bout a cup of watah an strain it an' po' all dat drugs [dregs], let say yo' has drugs tuh it, an' strain it through dat red flannel. An' aftah yo've strained it through de red flannel, den yo' use only de watah, understan'. Set dis watah in a dark place in a closet an' keep dis twig in dis red flannel wrapped. Yo' kin weah dis roun' yore neck fo' luck fo' yo'self. An' de watah fo' bad luck yo' kin sprinkle around a person's do'steps tuh cause 'em tuh move. If yo' wanta sprinkle it fo' luck, if yo' Wanta sprinkle it, yo' kin sprinkle it tuh cause 'em tuh move. Yo' kin sprinkle it fo' a person dat's sick, tuh make 'em have iller health. Yo' kin sprinkle it where a person is sick, tuh make 'em have bettah health; accordin' tuh whut chew magic' but chew gotta git it from de fo'ks of de road 'fore day in de mawnin'.
Entry 11751
They kin take some graveyard dirt and people's hair and some of their clothes, and they would soaken it in vinegar and turpentine and wrap it up tight in some kind of jar, and put it underneath of the people's [victim's] steps that they may walk over it. It would cause an infection or transaction between the two. The person would git in contact with the person with whom he want to git to. That would bring the one whom that they wanted to them. [The person who walks over the bottle will find and visit the person who prepared the bottle.]
Entry 12047
You take a piece of red flannen [flannel] and you dampen that with kerosene and turpentine. Then you take a piece of John de Conkah and Jockey Club [perfume] and a piece of saltpeter. (Jockey Club perfume?) Yes, Jockey Club, and then you take all that and you put it into a little new piece of paper, but I mean brown paper. Put it onto the brown paper first and then put it in - put the devil's - annimum [an- vil] dust. Put annimum dust in there with it. And then wrap it up in that brown paper [brown paper for black person, white paper for white person is the rule]. Wrap it to you. Wrap it right to you. And then put it in a brand-new piece of 'lastic [elastic]. And then you get a new spool of No.8 thread, and then you wrap that good. You wrap it to you. See, you wrap it to you. See, that's bringing you luck. Just wrap it to you. And then you get you a new needle that you've never used - out of a new case [package]. And then you use that brand-new thread and you sew it to you, you know, and make your wishes. You sew it to you. And then you takes that
[package] and tacks it onto your [elastic] belt. You know, that piece of [red]
flannen, you know, and you put that kerosene and turpentine on there, and then you put it round your waist, just wear right round your waist right next to your meat. That's to keep anybody from harming you.
(I see.)
Annimum - an-n- (Wait a minute - annirmum dust.) [I am making a final effort to record this vord correctly. Anim and various things until later in New Orleans I knew it was anvil dust.]
Entry 12246
You git you a assafidadee [asafetida] see, an' beat it up fine, an' put some turpentine in it, some Hearts Cologne. And git chew a piece of John de Conkah root, and cut dat up fine and sew it up tight, and wear it right around yo' neck, an' leave it lay right on yo' chest, and nothin' kin nevah harm yo', if somebody goin' poison you.
(Nothing will ever harm you, I see.)
Even if somebody give you [him] sompin to eat, it couldn't go into his stomach. His stomach like a stone.
Entry 12282
Well, whenevah yo' wanta tie up a person, yo' don't want 'em to have success, yo' put so many knots in a raw cotton thread an' put turpentine on it, an' yo' read ovah it de 22nd Psalms. Read ovah it nine days an' then yo' put that string right behin' there [points to door]. (Behind the door?) Yes.