Subject:Win
Entries
Entry 5789
De foot track is fo' makin' yo' walk.
(How do they do that?)
Dey take a wasp nest an' dey burn dat wasp nest. An' git de print of yore track from dat - halfway lak dat, an' scrape dat firs' dirt back towards de front.
(Where do they take from the toe.or from the heel?)
Scrape towards de toe first an' den yo' scrape back tuh de heel. Den yo' git dat dirt in de centah [of the track] dere. An' yo' mix dat an' de wasp nes' to- gethah on de stove an burn it. An' yo' git outside an' yo' hold yore han' up - have it [mixed wasp powder and foot track] in yore han', an' de wind will blow dat away, see. An' whichevah way dat blows, why yo'll go dat way. (In other words, you scrape the dirt back from the middle - back to the toe and back to the heel? Get that dirt down at the middle?) Down in de centah dataway. [This rite is from my first trip to Memphis. See following rite.]
Entry 8996
Yo' take those ole buckeyes, yo' see, an' yo' carry one in yore pocket; an' jes' lak if yo' had one, get to de co't, why yo' take it an' chew it.
(That's to influence the judge.)
Entry 9022
It jes' lak if yo' Wanta go tuh win a case. Yo' take dese three black hen aigs an' do de same thing. (How do you do that?) Well, yo' take de three aigs an' go tuh de fo' cornahs of de road, gotta be where dirt at. (And these three eggs are black hen eggs?) Black hen aigs, yeah. An' yo' jes' set [demonstrates] one heah an' one heah - undah de sand jes' lak dat, not too deep, so de automobile couldn't mash it. [Egg buried at right angle, not in a straight line.] Set de othah one on dis cornah an' set one on dis cornah...each automobile jes' accordin' tuh how it's [egg is] set, jes' go by dese two aigs an dey bust on dat side. Den de othah yo' could take it an' bring it back. Write an' tell 'im whut chew want done. Pass de case [to the eggl. Man goin' be 'lectricuted. Dat goin' bring 'im back.
(You write this all on the egg. What time do you go out to that crossroad?)
Yo' be dere twelve on de minute. Yo' start dis off at three minutes tuh twelve. THIS IS A SINGLE DIRT ROAD - YOU CAN TAKE ONLY 1 OF 3 (At night.) ROADS AHEAD - SET EGG IN RUT EITHER SIDE OF ROADS Dat's right an' yo' stay dere an' watch dat job.... 3 DOTS OF DIAGRAM =
(Until the automobile runs over it?)
3 NAILS OR NAMES. Dat's right. Yo' see a man on each one of dem automobile.
Entry 9026
Ah heered dem say, if yo' be in trouble or anything, why [here is] whut dey do. Jes' lak if yo' had a lawsuit yo' know, in co't, sompin lak dat, yo' kin git chew a package of needles dat ain't nevah been used, an' stick 'em straight up - stick two straight up dis Way, dis way [demonstrates].
(In your hair.)
Yes sir. Cross, ( cross 'em. An' den take two an' stick 'em 'cross de same way right chere. (Over your breast.) Yes sir. An' take a piece of chalk an' cross undah yore right feet - make a cross undah dere. An' put a dime in de bottom of yore shoe in dat [chalk] cross an' wear it. An' dey say yo'll win.
(How many needles do you use now?)
Say yo' use two up heah an' two heah. See, dat would be fo'. An' yo' jes' take a chalk an' cross undah yore feet an' wear dat dime undah dere. (You cross two needles up here in your hair and you cross two down on your breast?) Yes.
Entry 9114
Dey tell me a man kin take nine pins an' stick one a day, if yo' goin' have a case in co't. Stick one a day fo' nine days an' yo' stick 'em right in a straight line on any part yo' weah in front, yore shirt or yo' coat. Don' let nobody intahfere wit 'em. When yo' get down tuh de las' one, stick de tenth one crossways at de bottom, an' go tuh co't an' yo'll come out.
(How do you stick those pins? Do you stick them down?)
Evah point down, but let de haids be dat neah even if yo' kin, right on down.
(And the tenth one you put it horizontal.)
Put it crossways, cross de - ninth one at de bottom. An' dey tells me dat whups [whips] de lawsuit. [This upside down tau cross is the magic of reversing]
Entry 9116
Yo' git rattlesnake mastah an' shoe-make root, an' yo' chew it an' yo' keep it in yore mouth while talkin' tuh de jedge. [Rattlesnake master is a term in the United States meaning] any plant supposedly curing a rattlesnake bite. These plants are usually the button snake- roots Liatris aquarrosa and L.scariosa, or the plant Eryngium aquaticum of the southeastern United States. Shoe-make is the smooth sumac, a common North Ameri- can sumac (Rhus glabia), sometimes also the dwarf sumac (R.copollina).]
Entry 9154
(Tell me right from the beginning of it.)
From de beginnin' of de accident an' all?
(That's right, and how she had to pay this and all, you know.)
Well, she cooks fo' C. P. D. Dat big man up dere tuh Something & Company. She been workin' dere two years.
(This is your daughter.)
Ah works fo' So-an'-so, de jeweler uptown in de store. All right. Well, on de second Sunday of each month Mrs. D. lets Emily off, she's mah daughtah, fo' her tuh nuse [use] Sunday. She jes' go an' gits break- fast an' don' have tuh clean up, jes' dust. Dat's her commune Sunday. An' she jes' go an' git breakfast an' jes' dust around, make de beds - spread de two beds an' dust around. Yo' know, make things passable. An' she gits off. Well, this partic'- lah Sunday, which dis Sunday gone - a month now - wus de second Sunday. Well, she came home befo' ah did. She got off befo' ah did. She got off befo' ah did an' she came home an' she went tuh de garage an' got her car out. Well, she started to go to a girl's. She had her hair done dat Sat'day. Well, she started tuh go tuh dis girl tuh jes' have her hair turned undah yo' know. She got up dere on de cornah of Amherst an' George Street. She met two friends of hers an' dey said, "Oh, mah feets hurtin' me!" Said, "Would yo' take us home, Emily?" Emily?" say, "Why, yes, ah got time ah reckon." She looked at de watch. She says, "Yes, ah guess ah got time." Well, she went right on down de street dat way an' on House[?] on Egmont Street is where she got in dis collision wit de water - whut chew call it?
(Hydrant?)
Yes, dat's whut dey call it. An' she jes' ran right up intuh it. De steerin' wheel got locked on her. Yes, got locked on her. Well, den, it's nuthin she could do. Well, dat jes' tore de pipe all up an' muddied de streets with water an' everything, see. Well, someone ah guess up dere called up de police. Dat's de bes' thing yo' could have done. Dey came out. Well, dey 'rested [arrested] 'er an' made 'er git in dere cah. So dey called up dere at de wreckah, de Chevrolet wreckah. De Chevrolet wreckah came an' taken 'er car down tuh de Chevrolet place. [Police] taken her along tuh jail. Well, jes' about dat time - she wus in jail about five minutes. Ah got off from work an', cos' [of course] quite natchly [naturally], she gone tuh de co't- house right down dere. Evah'body ran tuh meet me, "oh Mirandy, Mirandy, have yo' heah whut happened?" Ah said, "No - no - what?" Said, "Well, Emily wus in a wreck." Ah said, "Did she git killed or git hurt?" Ah jes' wus flusterated den yo' know. So dey said, "No, she didn't git hurt. Dey taken her tuh jail." Ah said, "Well, all right." Ah went - rushed right on down tuh de fail. Dey said ah couldn't see her but dere wus nuthin wrong wit 'er. Well, where ah wus workin' at de time, ah wus workin' fo' one of de police's sistahs an' he stayed right dere, de little fellah dat rides de motorcycle, Andy C. He said, "No, Mirandy, ah wouldn't tell yo' a story, yo' know, yo' mah cook. Ah would not tell yo' a story." Ah said, "All right." So den ah came on back home aftah ah couldn't see her or talk tuh her. Ah Went ovah dere tuh Mr. G. an' ah axed Mr. G., ah said, "Goodness sake, whyn't yo' call me up an' let me know dat Emily wus in jail?" He said, "Mirandy, it jes' happened jes' now." Said, "Ah didn't know where tuh call yo' an' ah knowed yo' would see me." Ah said, "Well, ah do see." Ah said, "Ah want mah chile out, " ah say, "Emily is no jailbird." Ah said, "An' accidents are likely tuh happen tuh anybody at any time, an' especially wit a cah." Ah say, "Ah seen some cahs would go sailin' by hers a thousan' times an' say be wrecked, " ah say, "an' ah've read in de papahs where a man an' his wife were jes' married on dere honeymoon, got killed an' hurted." Jes' went on explainin tuh 'im. He say, "Yes, " he says, "Don't chew be worried." He said, "If it any sech thing lak money tuh git 'er out, why she's comin' out." Ah said, "Well, 'phone 'em an' ask is she hurted?" So he did. Dey said, "No, dey wasn't anything wrong wit Emily nor de people - de two girls whut wus in de cah. Ah said, "Well, all right." Mr. G. say, "Go on home." Ah say, "No. Well, no." He say, "Yes, yo' go on home." Ah went on home an' as soon as ah unlocked de do' an' opened up de house, den she came. Well, dat wus on Sunday, de second Sunday in last month. So Monday, dat Mon- day, yo' know, dey had co't. Well, de judge didn't wanta fine me, becuz he knows me an' 'er folks, yo' know, an' den ah worked fo' 'im. Ah have worked fo' 'im. Haven't worked fo' 'im. recently but ah have worked fo' 'im. Anyway he knows me. An' de Chief, Chief Francis, said, "Judge, dat Mills woman" - he wus talkin' 'bout me - he says, "ah've knowed her, been knowin' 'er fo' ovah 25 yeahs." He says, "She's a truthful woman. Ah believe evah word she says." He says, "She's all right." But yet, yo' see, de city had tuh pay fo' dat hydrant tuh be put back an' it cost - dey only charged her fo' dat hydrant tuh be put back. Dey had tuh hire extry help, yo' see. De watahin' people had done knocked off at dat time, yo' know, an' dey had tuh call on extry help. Dey had tuh call on extry help. Why ah guess dey had tuh pay dem extry. Ah know dey did.
(Overtime or something?)
Yes. So de Judge wus very lenient wit 'er. Dey only charge her $25.50. $25.50 but aftah she back ovah tuh de co'troom or tuh de jailroom - whatevah yo' call it - why she had tuh pay $26.50. All right, dat wus settled right fo' dat. She didn't have tuh go tuh jail. All right. Den she went on back an' fixed dinnah fo' her people. Well, de cah wus still at de Chevrolet place where she bought it from. So de one tuh go ovah - ovahhaul de cah an' see whut it would cost an' check up on it, yo' know, see whut dey could do. Well, Mrs. D., de lady dat she worked fo', friend - a personal friend is a businessman. So he tried to do it cheap as he could an' it wus $63. Well, latah on de watah people taken a 'tachment [attachment] on de cah an' Sued 'er fo' $55.55. BUT DEY'LL BE AS LONG GITTIN' DAT $55.55 AS YO' OR I WUS GITTIN' GROWN. AH'M GOIN' SEE TUH DAT PART. AH'LL TAKE CARE OF DAT MAHSELF. (Now, you were going to tell me what you have done now to take care of that - make a nice story of it.) Well, ah taken me a piece of stick - common ordinary stick an' ah hew it down jes' about lak dat [demonstrates].
(About as long as your long finger.)
Yes. Ah hewed me anothah piece about a inch, about two inches long. Ah make a cross in dat.
(You made a cross of those two sticks.)
Ah taken it an' ah put it in de back seat undah mah cah - undah de back seat of de car - our cah, de flivvah, mah cah. Well, it's mah daughtah's but ah call it mine.
(The car that was in the wreck you mean?)
Yes. Re'lly, it is mah daughtah's cah. Ah taken me three new nails, three rusty nails an' put dem in de back of dat cah. Ah got me some dust outa dat cemetery an' ah put some peppah, gunpowdah an' salt in a little sack - jes' made it about dat much - jes' a little lak dat, of each [demonstrates].
(Just a pinch of each.)
Jes' lak dat an' ah put it undah de.... [demonstrates].
(Under the seat?)
Uh-huh. Well, yo' know, ah hol' up de hood of mah cah wit a pencil [demonstrates].
(Made a cross with a pencil like that.)
Dat's de end of it.
(Well, now, where did you put those nails?)
In de back seat - undah de back seat of mah cah an' dat cross.
(Well, now the nails - usually they drive them into the wood?)
No, yo' jes' throw dem careless [demonstrates].
(Just throw them careless.)
Yes, careless.
(And just lay the cross in there?)
Jes' lak yo' would have jes' ole rubbage in yo' cah.
(Just throw stuff in.)
Yes, any stuff dat chew might need.
(And that was done so that they couldn't win this suit. That the idea?)
Dey will nevah win it, unless ah die or dat git misplaced. But DEY'LL BE AS LONG GITTIN' IT AS YO' OR AH GITTIN' GROWN UP.
Entry 9787
In bad luck yo' kin take, if a person settin' tuh a table gamblin', git chew two needles, cross 'em in back of dere clothes, right in de centah of dere back. Cross 'em. Dat'll cause dem tuh lose. An' [or] eithah sprinkle some salt on 'em. An' yo' kin git a spidah an' put 'im in a papah sack or sompin. Long as he livin' yo' win in de game.
Entry 9961
(You take an ordinary toadfrog?) A ordinary toadfrog. Don't kill 'im. Stop 'im up in a bottle an' let 'im die. He'll dry up in dere, an' den yo' kin jis' crumple it up. Put it in a piece, sew it up in a piece [of cloth] an' put it in yuh pocket. Yo' boun' tuh win. Ah knows dat.
Entry 9965
Take a toadfrog an' skin 'im an' put 'im in yore pocket, an' nobody cain't hahm [harm] yo' no way. An' yo' [also] kin go all ovah in games, play games, an' yo' win.
Entry 9981
If yo' wanta be a gamblah an' win good, yo' git chew a frog an' put it in yore pocket, an' put a little table salt in it [pocket]. See, if dis heah are de gamblin' hall, yo' know, yo walks in, an' if yo' vanta beat in de game, yo' jis' valk on in wit both hands in yore pockets jis' lak dis [demonstrates]. Stan' aroun' a little bit. Aftah shile maybe yo might be holdin' de cards or whutsomevah de game dey playin', yo' kg, an yo'll win evahthin' in dat house. But dat frog gotta be live.
(Do you put this salt on the frog?)
Yes.
(Right on the frog?)
Right on de frog. Keep 'im live in yore pocket. [St. Petersburg, Mla.
(1024), 1657:9.]
Entry 9982
(What sort of toadfrog? What sort of frog do you take?)
Jis' or'nary frog. Yo' take him an' yo' kill 'im an' yo' jis' salt 'im down. Ah 'magine yo' gits a five-cent box of salt. Jis' take an' scattah dat salt, jis' wad 'im ovah dit it tuh de time yo' think yo' got all dat salted don. An' yo' put 'im in one pocket an' yo' put de salt yo' didn't give tuh 'in in de othah pocket. An' if yo' go in a room roun' anywhere dey gamblin', jis' take dat salt, an' if yo' lucky an' got money, take dat same salt an' put it ovah 'im lak dat [demonstrates] an' dat'll give yo' luck. But chew have tuh pve salt in yore pocket.
Entry 10072
(After you have boil- ed this black cat, you take these bones and limbs. Then what do you do with those bones?)[I am summarizing what informant had said be- fore I: turned on machine.] Yo' has tuh suck evah one of 'em, evah one tuh git tuh de right one. When yo' git tuh de right one, it's a short j'int bone, somepin lak dat [demonstrates]. When yo' git tuh dat, it goin' burn yore mouth. When yo' burn yore mouth, yo' take it an' yo' force it roun' - put it in a sack an' reseal [seal] it up wit some garlic an' salt an' some sugah an' some red dirt [reddish clay unless one buys a special red dirt somewhere; in any case it is a substitute for blood]. An' if yo' goin' play dice wit dat or any kinda game, dere's two words yo' say out de Seven Book of Moses: If ah could win, ah'm goin' win; an' if ah happen tuh win, ah'm trustin' yo'. [Whether this is from Seventh Book of Moses, I do not know.]
(What kind of a sack do you put that in did you say?)
In a mink skin! [After informant leaves room, I say to machine: End of 1604. I think this fellow was a liar. Liar is a little strong, but I did concentrate upon every Word said. That I did not believe everything is shown by the section on made- up material in this present volume.]
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 10578
Catch live bat, cut out heart, put in pocketbook with money, and you will win.
Entry 10584
Ah hear a real gambler say if yo' wants be real lucky in gamblin', kill yo' one of dese leather-wing bats an' cut de heart out of 'em, an' lay it up until it git good an' seasoned. An' go an' buy yo' a piece of pure red silk cloth an' sew it up in dat, an' keep it in yore pocket an' go to yore game. Nobody can't hardly ketch yo'. Fact [in fact] ah have seen dat tried.
Entry 10586
Git a leather-wing bat. Don't shoot him, git 'im alive an' git his heart. An' take his heart an' dry it in de sun an' put it in a silk string - jest a silk cloth wide as yore finger, an' tie it in it an' tie it round yore right arm. An' yo'll win in any game yo' go in. Yo're successful in it, yes sir, morely so on the average than any other way.
Entry 10591
A leather-wing bat, now, understan'. Now, if yo' wanta sell a fellah a hot hand fo' gamblin', go an' ketch yo' a leather-wing bat. Git him alive. Sometime dey go in people's house an' dey knock 'em down wit brooms, in de summertime, dey fly in [there being no screens]. Knock 'em down wit a ole broom, or yo' kin go in ole stumps or ole logs where dey roost at an' yo' kin git 'em out dat-a-way. Yo' can't find 'em in daytime. Yo' take de leather-wing bat an' yo' set right down an' take yore kife, a ole lknife or somepin lak dat an' split him right open in de back. Jes' split it right open while he's live, split him right open in de back jes' lak dat, zo'reach up dere in his left side an' git his little heart out. It's a little ean, de biggest one dey is about lak dat [demonstrates]. Git his little beart ota dere 'bout lak dat. An' he ain't even daid. While he 'live git dat heart ou of dere. Jes' take yore finger an' pull dat heart out. Take dat heart an' go on back wit it, don' wash de blood off, not nuthin. An' git chew a red, an' ah mean red, too; a red an' blue piece of ribbon. Jes' as red [informant points] as dat ring round dat big coffee cup. [In Fayetteville, N. Car., I worked in a kitchen-dining room and I still remember it vaguely.] Let it be jes' 'bout dat wide, an' take it an' set it right down an' lay dat heart in dere, an' sew dat heart up in dat ribbon. Have it long enough an' sew it up in dere good an' tight. Take dat bat heart an' yo' wear it on yo' right han' [see later]. Take dat bat heart in dat piece of ribbon, sew it, make it kind of a belt-lak an' carry it up dere round yore wrist yo' understand, above de elbow, up heah, understand. Fit it up dere, sew dat on dere tight so it fit lak a belt, won't slip off, an' wear it on dere. Sleep wit it on dere. As long as dat bat heart stays in dere lak dat, yo' kin do any kinda bettin' dat yo' want done. Yo' kin win money an' gamble wit it, understand, an' yo' kin go out an' steal it. Go out an' do anything lak dat, an' people could shoot at chew, an' nine times to one, dey nevah hit chew. Wit dat bat heart yo' kin dodge bullets yo' kin dodge a shot.
Entry 12531
Well, yo' kin use red onions for a whole lotta diff'rent things. (Well, what do you use a red onion for in connection with [good] luck or bad luck?) Yo' use red onions fo' luck. Well, jes' say now, yo's goin' to a skin game tonight, well yo' take yo' two solid [= fresh] red onions an' cut 'em up an' put 'em in a spider [a skil- let with legs] put a lit- tle sugah to 'em an' yo' boil 'em till dey come to a sugah. An' when it come to a sugah yo' po' it out into a bottle. An' go in dere [to a game] tonight an' yo' take yo' one or two drinks, an' yo' carry yore [liquor] bottle wit chew - jes' as lucky as it kin be. See, 'cause dey kin smell dat onions on yore breath, yo' know, an' people - a whole lotta folks don't like de smell of onions an' dat jes' draws de 'tenshun from de cards to yore onions. Yo' win up every dime in dere. [Informant does not understand why a red onion is lucky in a card game. The onion does not draw de 'tenshun from de cards to yore onions; the onion pro- tects you against the other man's hand or luck piece, or prevents you yourself from being hoodooed in the game. Nevertheless, if informant, a small-time root Worker believes in his own interpretation, the rite is valid from him.]
Entry 12657
Jes' lak if yo' knew of a person an' he down. Yo' go to his place an' if he isn't there or if he ain't there, yo' take that perfume with yo' an' 'nint [anoint] chureself lak dis [demonstrates] dress yo'self jes' lak that [demonstrates]. (Down your face and down on your body.) That's right, down on yore face and do it lak that, an' do it three times. An' then yo' wait fo him an' whatsoever he got yo' will win it.
Entry 12723
Then yo' take - now if yo' a gamblin' man, yo' kin take a rabbit an' ketch him. Take his left front feet an' cut it off right in de knee joint dere, an' git chew a bottle of Hearts Cologne am' put on it. Keep it up tlll it git dry, yo' take it an' put it right in yore fob pocket up heah on yore pants, an' go to a gae an' rub it in yore han' lak dat [demonstrates]. Rub it in dere. Go in dere am' vin whut chew wanta win. Dat de way ah did.
Entry 12992
You tie you a piece of - some sugar, you takes a piece of lodestone, and you put you a silver dime in that, you see. And you sew it up. You sew it up in a red piece of flan- nel. You make it like dat and you carry it in your pocket, but you won't have no luck though if you have the cheat against you. As long as you keep the cheat off you, you have luck.
(What do you mean "have the cheat against you?")
"Cheat, '' of course, if you [someone] put down loaded dice or anything, you can't beat it. See, you can't beat anybody that have [loaded dice].
(Oh, they cheat against you.)
Yeah.
(Oh, I see.)
If they cheat, you can't beat a cheat, you see. It won't do no good, you see. [This theme of "unless someone cheats is rare in HOODOO, since it would destroy confidence in ganbling "hands."]
Entry 1764
When yo' git ready to go up to de co'thouse - now, lak yo' got a case in co't an' yo' see all dem chairs yo' see - an' yo' turn down ever' one dese chairs, all de ones 'sposed to use, lak dis [demonstrates].
(You turn them down flat?)
Or listen, ah kin come lak dis with salt, lak yo' got ever' one down, an' put a little ovah there an' a little there an' turn 'em down an' go ahead on. Go out dat house an' don't look back when yo' goin' to de co'thouse. Yo' go right to de co'thouse an' yo'll win that case. (You put some salt on each corner of the chair after turning it down, and put salt in each corner of the room?) Each corner, too, an' den go right on, pay no mo' 'tenshun an' go right to de co'thouse, an' yo'll win dat case.
Entry 2557
Yo' kin git crabs - de crab dat be's on people in de haid - an' take dem crabs an' keep 'em an' yo' kin win every game.
(Where do you keep them?)
Keep 'em in yore pocket.
Entry 8536
Now, if it's a lady yo' write chure name first an' den yo' write her name undah yore name. An' den dey'll count de lettahs in dat name. An' if yo' got mo' lettahs in yore name den she got in hers, why yo' kin mastah her. An' if she got de most lettah, den yo' gotta use somepin by which tuh ovahpowah her name so yo' kin control her. Without yo' cain't nevah win 'er. (Do you know what to get to overpower her name?) Ah don' know whut dey use.
Entry 12727
Yo' could take a rabbit foot - cut de rabbit's left foot off an' tote it in yore pocket, in yore left pocket, an' dey say that would cause yo' tuh win. Keep yo' lucky.
(The left foot - either one?)
Yessuh, the back foot. [Fayetteville 2497:1.]
Entry 9976
Git a frog if yo' wanta be successful in gamblin'. Ah have did dat. Git a frog an' put 'im in yuh pocket. Wrap 'im up in a papah sack an' put in yuh pocket. An' jis' about evah time yo' know, yo' be on de turn or somepin lak dat, he would jump. An' if yo' pay 'tenshun dat frog when he jump, why den yo' would nevah bet nuthin tuh lose. Yo' would always bet on de right horse. He wouldn't jump only when it's time fo' yo' tuh win. [The words right horse are merely an expression here. I never heard of a jumping frog used at a race track, the time lapse between jump and bet being too great.]
Entry 9978
Hear dem use it fo' nuthin but luck. Yo' kin take a frog an' carry 'im to a game an' put 'im in yore pocket, chew know, an' go dere an' jes' bet jes' as much as yo' wanta. Long as dat frog kick in yo' pocket, yo' win evahthin' yo'self.
Entry 9979
Ah know dey said dis about a skin game. If a man love tuh skin an' he goin' tuh a skin game, he'd walk along an' he'd pick up 'im a toadyfrog an' put it in a papah bag. An' he'd walk intuh de skin game. If dis frog doesn't move, he gon'a lose ev'ry penny he has. An' if dis frog move - if dis frog kick - he jis' as well put 'is money on de table 'cuz he goin' tuh win.
Entry 1759
Ah hear talk of that. Yo' kin work lawsuits with that even much. Take 'em an' tie 'em in de center - de broomstraws, dem short pieces. Yo' git a piece - Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft.- Rootwork - of shame brier root an' put in between dem straws, an' if yo' wanta come out ahead in anything lak dat, an' yo' got de broom straws, yo' tie 'em together. But yo' always lay it - if he killed an' yo' wanta win, yo' gotta come up higher. Dem othah joints gotta be shorter den yours. An' when yo' git 'em up dere high, yo'll be above, an' even yo' above dat shame brier root. Den yo' kin take de rattlesnake master or a piece of root of hit an' yo'll hold them right together, an' then yo'll tie nine knots in dat string an' yo' tie 'em well. An' then yo wrop it up. Yo'll fix them things an' yo'll tie 'em up. When yo' tie 'em up den yo'll wrop 'em up in a piece of red flannel an' yo' tie it up: An' all you have to do den whenevah yo' go, always, if yo' have to meet a lawsuit or anything, yo' put it in yore pocket an' yo' nevah have to be tried. Ah seen 'em work that.
Entry 2328
If you're a gambler an' wants to go somewhere to win, make your wish before you git there. You see, I do so much work [informant a doctor and excellent]. Go round behind the house an' function [urinate] an' wet on hands - jis' take an' function an' do this way [demonstrates]. (Rub together.) [First] buy you a nickel's worth of rice and sprinkle in this pocket an' this one, an' go on in. Then you'll win the money.
(Put rice in each of your pockets.)
Each of your pockets. See, there's a pocket back here, ain't they, on each side of a man, an' there's one down here [in front] where he puts his money. That's three pockets they put it in.
Entry 2506
Well, ah tell yo', fo' good luck like that yo' git the good luck insane [incense]. Yo' want mah ideas? Yo' git the good luck insane an' yo' burns that with the holy oil every morning fo nine mornings. An' yo' take six drops of Hearts Cologne, one teaspoon of sugar to a gallon of water. Yo dust yore house down, yo' take yore linen off yore bed, clean up one room at a time. Pick up that dust an' put it on a piece of newspaper. Clean up yore next room an' take all de linen if you got a bedroom. Do the same room like that. Put all that dust, all yo' create, git it up off de floor on that one paper. Then buy yo' a box of table salt an' yo' use one cup of that table salt on all that dust that chew taken up. Take yore linen out of doors an' yo' wash it. Clean up everything. Wash yore bedsteads an' yore springs off an' put on clean linen an' everything. An' take that trash that yo've gathered up in those rooms and take one cup of table salt, take it out an' take a shovel an' dig a hole, an' place it in de ground an' kiver it up. Fust one go tuh sleep that night will dream a good dream an' it will be a good luck dream, be a game in it. If yo' play a game of chance yo'll win.
(Now you do all this cleaning up in the house for luck in the home?)
Fo' luck in yore home. (That is if you want to bring in customers to rent your rooms or something of that sort.) An' then when yo' go out, before yo' go out, yo' take that Hearts Cologne an' yo' sprinkle yoreself with it. Every time yo' go out yo' do that an' yo'll advance with everybody - influence with everybody. Anything yo' go after yo'll have influence with the people.
Entry 547
We had a team, the name of it was Blue Caydex - a baseball team, an' we had chalunge of a very hard team, an' we were told to go to an ol' lady, that she could give us somepin that we would win. Anyhow, we goes an' tries the luck out. An' she gave us a little bottle - cut glass. It had eighteen little balls an' somepin [a liquid] into it. One [group of nine balls] wus dark, an' the others wus light, an' they were representin' each team, you see; an' when one of the nine would go down to the bottom, nine would come up to the top. That wus representin' the teams, one goin' down, an' one comin' up wus us. An' she told us to take that an' rub a little bit of it in the sand [of the baseball diamond] before we entered de game. An' we did lak she said an' we didn't have any trouble either.
Entry 1820
You take a bone from a dead man's right hand. You go to the cemetery and dig them up, and you make a pair of dice out of them. And when you get in a dice game - I don't mean a gambling club but around these jobs that have payday, they have a big dice game and you go in there with these dice and you are more than likely to win.
Entry 1893
If yo' gamblin', yo' take yo' a toadfrog - ketch him alive. Yo' know a toadfrog is got numbers on him - jes' lak if yo' kin be lucky enough tuh ketch yo a toadfrog with seven on him, it's a lucky frog. If yo' put him in yore pocket alive an' he stay in dere, ain't no way nobody kin win no money from yo'; but if yo' don't - if he don't stay in yore pocket, yo' kin tell whether yo's in good luck or whether yo' in bad. De minute dat chew put him in yore pocket, he's goin' holler an' jump out. But if yo s goin' have really good luck, take dat from in dere an' put him in yore pocket an' he stay in dere, yo' win de whole time dat frog is in yore pocket. [For putting numbers on frog, see No. 575, p.186.]
Entry 1931
Ah heard 'em say yo' go to the graveyard an' git graveyard dust. An' jis' lak yo' wan'a make a bag fo' tuh gamble or somethin', yo' git graveyard dust an' yo' take it an' put it in a bag, an' put needles an' red peppah an' bluestone an' sew it up in dat bag with dat graveyard dust. An' dey say when yo' go tuh gamble, all yo' got'a do is jis' rub yore han's on it an' yo'll win ever' time yo' put chure han' on it.
Entry 1953
Well, yo' take de gunpowder an' lodestone an' nine seeds of red peppah [three ingredients] an' sew it up in a yarn rag. That's fo' tuh draw luck to yo', too, fo' money. Yo' know, if yo's a gambler, why yo' kin win an' if yore a policy player why yo' win lak that. Or if yo' a busi- ness man, why yo' know, yore business will be.mo' urgent. [Gunpowder appears in many combinations.]
Entry 1979
Mostly they give them to gamblers. It's a little square bag of no particular color. And they tell them to wear it next to their skin and that you will win. They don't tell you what's in that. They tell you if you open it you will have bad luck.
Entry 2023
They got - you kin go to the Crackerjack [drug store] and you kin buy ten cents of steel dust, twenty-five cents of Jockey Club, and you kin get a piece of red flannel. You take this steel dust and you sew it into this red flannel, and you take the Jockey Club and sprinkle it over this red flannel. Ever' time you - you know, if you figure it done got dry on you, you jest get up and go like you goin' in to urine and just wet it with this Jockey Club and just come back, and the money's gotta draw to you - you gotta win it in any game.
Entry 2047
Now, Jest lak if yo' goin' tuh have a trial in co't. They tell me yo' tie nine knots in - tie a knot each morning fo' nine mornings befo' de trial is tuh come up - a big case yo know. Well, each morning yo' tie a knot an' yo' say, "Let me win dis case," 'long lak dat chew know fo' nine mornings. An' each morning why yo' dip this string into de Hearts Perfume an' yo' tie that round yore waist. An' more den likely yo' will win yore case - a big case dat's in de big co't.
Entry 2089
It's a fact that a person kin take lucky oil an' use it, jes' rub it on his han's, an' with a strong determination that he will win an' he will win providin' he believes in it - in gambling, any kind of game.
Entry 2096
Git a root dat chew call master of de woods - dat's a common root, an' yo' kin tote dat an' yo' anoint it with Heartshorn Cologne, an' yo' be successful winning money in games. [See margin-title King of de Woods.]
Entry 2105
A king snake, git his hide yo' know an' skin 'im. Take his hide an' make yo' a underwearing belt out of it - make it jest lak yo' make a money belt. Dey say if yo' put a dollah in dat belt or any piece of paper money - yo' jes' put it in dere an' wear it, dey say if yo' gamble, don't care how much money yo' lose, when yo' git back to dat dollar yo' goin' win in de game. Long as yo' kin keep dat dollar in cir- culation yo' won't nevah lose it when yo' wear it in dat belt. When yo' quit yo' jes' put it right back in dat belt.
Entry 2931
Lak if ah wus goin' tuh co't today, ah'd go tuh de rivah an' ah'd git me - lak if ah had tuh go tuh co't tomorrow, ah'd go tuh de rivah tonight, see. Well de watah's muddy. Ah'd git me a quart bottle of watah. An' ah'd take me about a nickel of sugah, white sugah, an' ah'd put in dere. Ah'd take a lemon an' ah'd open it an' ah'd squeeze de juice of dat lemon in dere. Ah would take de judge's name, see. Lak if his name is Judge Andrews, ah'd take his name. See, dat'd be fo' mahself, an' some honey an' some sugah. Write his name an' git me a white candle.
(Would you write his name just once?)
Well, dat's all jis' in a co't case. Er, no, yo' write his name nine times on de piece of papah.
(How would you write it?)
Well, yo' kin write - fo' de judge, yo' write it [demonstrates] disaway an', write it disaway an' that way an' come back an' write it that way.
(Cross it.)
Yes. An' yo' leave that burn at night, an' leave dat lemon - dat watah from de rivah set there to that lemon. Tomorrah mawnin' when yo' git up tuh git ready tuh go tuh co't, yo' take some of dat watah an' yo' drink it, a glassful, of dose little glasses - take one lak dat full [demonstrates] an' drink dat. An' when yo' be goin' out, yo' leave from de house, yo' take de rest of de watah an' throw it behin' yo', but don't nevah look aroun' - jis' throw dat behin' yore back, see. An' when yore case come up, well, he'll keep on settin' it back. He'll nevah call yo', jis' keep on settin' it back until yore case nevah be called again. Dat makes yo' win de case - it nevah be's called. (Now when you burn that candle, do you burn it just a little bit or burn it all night long?) Yo' let it burn all night long till, yo' know until it burns down.
Entry 5410
Well, ah've heard dis about dat. Ah've heard dat - co'se ah've tried dat. Yo' goes, jis' lak ah'm goin' dis road, walkin' disaway. All right, if yo' wants tuh win a person, jis' lak a game or sompin lak dat. If yo' wanta change de way she gwine, jis' go an' take yore fingah [demonstrates], jes' lak if mah track is turned lak dis, ah'm gwine disaway. Take de fingah an' put it right in de hollah of yore feet - in de hollah of de feet of de track - jis' lak dat, three fingahs. All right, den yo' take it up wit yore three fingahs an' take an' put it in a rag, an' tote it in yore pocket an' yo' have dem dataway.
(You'll have the other person.)
Entry 9969
Yo' take a frog and dry him. You take a frog and wrap him up and let hin die himself. Don't you kill him. Well, when he gets dry, you tote that in your pocket. You can take that and you can do anything you want with that frog. Just like if you a dice shooter, or anything I like that, you rub that [dried frog]. Jis' put it in your pocket and take and put your hand on that [frog] and go to work and shoot dice. Be lucky. Jes' like if you had one game, and if you don't have success with that, turn your back on that game. And select you a card place, if you play cards, and you'll lose one or two games and you know that you ought to win, turn your back on that game.
(How do you mean turn your back on it?)
What I mean, walk away from that game and go to the next game.
(I see, if you have this frog in your pocket.)
drying/state of the wrapped frog after the stated let-die instruction. Keep Don’t you kill him and let him die himself as the source’s wording; do not describe the text as harmless, or replace it with active killing. rubbing the carried dry frog before dice play. Resolve the pronoun from actual complete narrator context, not only the bracketed gloss. conditional lack of success at gambling and changing games. Preserve don’t have success, the card-game losses and the practical walk-away explanation. expected winning contrasted with one or two losses and leaving the game. Preserve if you play cards, one or two losses, ought to win and the instruction to move to the next game. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 7630
Yo' kin take graveyard dirt if yo' is a gambler, if yo's a bolito player or if yo's a poker player or somepin like dat. Yo' kin dig down an' git some graveyard dust an' tie it up in a red bag - see, understand, a red bag an' yo' carry dat in yore pocket. Now, we often wins wit dat, 'cuz dat's where we come from [from the dust of the earth]. An' tote it in yore right-hand pocket. If yo' won't git lucky from dat yo' won't git no luck.
Entry 10117
After a black cat gets killed anywhere, you pick the cat up and cut the right hind leg. The're [there are] three bones in there like a rabbit [like leg of rabbit]. Then you get the mid- dle bone out of that, then dry it, polish that, and put it in his purse and put it in his hip pocket. He don't think anybody can bother him then at all.] He will go into a dice game and put this pocketbook down, there's nothing in it at all, no money, just this bone, and he will keep his hand on it, and he will win all the money in the game.
Entry 10581
Well, you could go to the river and get twelve grain of sand - twelve grain of sand. You go to the river and you get twelve grain of sand and you get a bat. You know what they call a bat. That's some little bird about. [In folk- lore and hoodoo a bat is always a bird.] (It flies around in the air?) Fly around in the air. (All right.) And after you git that bat heart - you git the heart out de bat. And then you take that twelve grain of sand and put it right in that bat heart, and you sew it up and slip it in your pocket. And you'll win all. You'll have the best success that is in gambling.
Entry 10587
Yo' kill a bat. Yo' shoot a bat. Git him whilst he's hot an' cut dat heart out. Put dat heart into a red silk bag an' sew it up an' wear it round yore left arm an' yo' will win in all yore games.
Entry 9974
Dey take dat frog an' put it in a piece of paper an' put it in a back pocket, an' if yo' should go out gamblin', every time dat frog jump in your pocket, you bet or throw dice, why yo'll win.
Entry 10699
Well, yo' wants tuh win. Wherever yo' goin' yo' wants tuh win. Yo' Bo into de gamblin' place an' yo' takes a Bible an' read de 23rd Psalms. Repeat it three times befo' leavin' home, an' on de way repeat it along, an' along until yo' git dere.
Entry 11735
[Graveyard dirt will be found everywhere in these volumes, its largest concentration appearing on pages 3293-3385, volume 4. Here I begin with a few leftover longer rites and end with the more numerous short or condensed ones, these latter to show how widespread they were.] Ah've had [have used] de graveyard dust mahself. If I was in a lawsuit with yo' an' ah wanta win de lawsuit, well ah come in dere [your office] with some graveyard dust in mah pocket. An' ah sprinkle in de - in de fo' corners of de place, an' a little in de do', an' down de steps as yo' [I] go out - when ah start out - unbeknowst tuh dem [you]. It must be done un- beknowst tuh dem. Dat's de way dey supposed tuh be tuh handle dat graveyard dust.
(Where do you sprinkle this graveyard dust?)
In de office - like dey wanted tuh move yo' out of heah or put chew tuh trav- elin', yo' see. Ah'd come in heah unbeknowst tuh yo' an' throw some in dat cor- nah, sprinkle it around ovah in de othah cornah, an' ovah tuh de othah cornah [informant forgets to mention the fourth corner], git it aroun' lak yo' want it. An' if necessary dey gits some on yuh.
Entry 12173
Mostly they give them to gamblers. It's a little square bag of no particular color. And they tell them to wear it next to their skin and that you will win. They don't tell you what's in that. They tell you if you open it you'll have bad luck. [Fredericksburg, No.43 by Ediphone.]
Entry 12229
They says to have luck: well you know you kin take a piece of lode- stone. You kin take a lodestone an' git choo piece of'High John de Conkah root. An' yo' kin take dat an' put it in a piece of red flannin [flannel], an' take an' sew it up. An' git choo some perfume an' pour it over there. An' you'll have good luck in any games you go in. You will win. That's to draw luck - lodestone would. Jis' bathe [usually feed] it [with the perfume] say about 3 times a week to keep it kin'a mossted [moist]. An' that lodestone will grow. See, that would grow...jis' as long as you keep [feeding it] the larger it be. An' as it grow, little hairs will come out, little teenny hairs. Yo' kin see 'em comin' out. It's a lodestone, look jis' lfke a piece of coal [several places in HOODOO this is called black lodestone]. But only them hairs...an' they will move too. You could take a piece of that an' lay it on this table [between us] in one place, an' then you go back about a half an hour after, it'd be done moved.
Entry 12431
Git chew some dis mistletoe. De mistletoe grows in de woods, it grows upon a bush, a big.... Git some dat mistletoe an' put it in yore left pocket.
(What do you do then, when you put it in that pocket?)
Put it in yore pocket an' tote eight or nine days [probably 9 originally].
(I mean, what are you doing this whole thing for?)
So yo' will jes' win de case, won't be sentenced.
(You wear this before - when you go to talk to the judge?)
Yeah.
(That's what I wanted you to tell me.)
Yes sir.
(That's all you use is this mistletoe?)
Yes sir. Keep some in yore pocket an' some in yore shoe, when yo' go dere, an' yo' more den apt to come out. Yes sir, more den apt to turn yo' loose.
Entry 12720
Well, dey tell me fo' luck in gamblin', dey'll go out an' dey'll git 'em a rabbit foot. An' dey cut it off jes' right above de - right above de knee up dere, de left knee. An' dey take dat dere rabbit foot an' dey dress it. Dey dress it with lodestone an' keep it dissolved [fed] in Hearts Cologne. An' dey tote dat in dey watch pocket, an' if dey go out den dey kin win. (You say they use the left hind leg?) [Left hind leg must have been given before recording began.] De left hind one. (And they keep that in this Hearts Cologne so they will win in a gambling game? Yes.