Camilla Jackson
From:
Georgia
FOLKLORE
(Negro)
Minnie B. Ross
[MRS. CAMILLA JACKSON]
On November 24, 1936 Mrs. Camilla Jackson was interviewed concerning
superstitions, signs, etc. Mrs. Jackson, an ex-slave, is about 80 years
of age and although advanced in years she is unusually intelligent in
her speech and thoughts. The writer was well acquainted with her having
previously interviewed her concerning life as a slave.
Mrs. Jackson related to the writer the following signs and incidents:
If a tree is standing in your yard or near your house and an owl lights
in it and begins to hoot, some one in the family will die.
If, during the illness of a person, a cat comes in the room, or the
house, and whines, the person will die.
Another sure sign of death and one that has been experienced by Mrs.
Jackson is as follows: Listen child if a bird flies in your house some
one is going to die. My daughter and I were ironing one day and a bird
flew in the window right over her head. She looked up and said, "mama
that bird came after me or you, but I believe it came for me." One month
later my daughter took sick with pneumonia and died.
My mother said before the Civil War ended her mistress owned an old
slave woman 100 years old. This old woman was very wicked and the old
miss used to visit her cabin and read the Bible to her. Well sir, she
died and do you know the horses balked and would go every way but the
right way to the grave. They rared and kicked and would turn straight
around in the road 'cause the evil spirits were frightening them. It was
a long time before they could get the body to the grave.
Mrs. Jackson before relating the following experiences emphatically
stated her belief in seeing the dead but only believes that you can see
them in a dream.
"Many a night my sister has come to me all dressed in white. I have
heard her call me too; but I have never answered. No longer than one
night last week old Mr. and Mrs. Tanner came to me in a dream. The old
lady came in my room and stood over my bed. Her hair was done up on the
top of her head just like she always wore it. She was distressed and
spoke about some one being after her. Old Mr. Tanner came and led her
away. They really were in my room, you see both of them died in this
house years ago."
Mrs. Jackson could not relate any stories of conjuring; but did mention
the fact that she had often heard of people wearing money around their
legs to keep from being conjured. She also spoke of people keeping a
horseshoe over the door for good luck.
During slavery and since that time, if you should go out doors on a
drizzling night for any thing, before you could get back Jack O'lantern
would grab you and carry you to the swamps. If you hollowed and some one
bring a torch to the door the Jack O'lantern would turn you aloose.
Another way to get rid of them is to turn your pockets wrong side out.
One day a man came here selling roots called "John the Conqueror" and
sister Blakely there, paid him 10c for one of the plants, but she never
did plant it. He said the plant would bring good luck.
[MRS. ANNA GRANT]
On the same day Mrs. Jackson was interviewed, Mrs. Anna Grant told the
writer that if she didn't mind she would relate to her a ghost story
that was supposed to be true. In her own words the writer gives the
following story:
Onst a 'oman, her husband and two chillun wuz travelin'. This 'oman wuz
a preacher and only wanted to stop over night. Now this 'oman's husban'
wuz a sinner, but she wuz a christian. Well she saw an old empty house
setting in a field but when she went ter inquire 'bout it she wuz told
that it wuz hanted and no one had ebber been able ter stay there over
night. De lady dat owned de house offered her pillows, bed clothes,
sheets, etc., if she intended to stay, and even told her that she would
give her de house if she could stay there. The woman that owned the
house told her butler to go and make a fire for the family and carry the
pillows, sheets, etc. Well, they all got there the 'oman built a fire,
cooked supper and fed 'em all. Her husband and children went ter bed.
The husband wanted to know why his wife wanted him to go to bed and she
wanted ter stay up. The wife didn't say nothin', just told him ter go to
bed, then she laid the Bible on the table bottom side up and kept
looking behind her. The house wuz two story and after while something
came ter the top steps and said, "Can I throw down," she said "throw
down in the name of the father, son and Holy Ghost." Two thighs and a
foot came down. Later the same voice sed, "Can I throw down," and she
said, "throw down in the name of the father, son and the Holy Ghost,"
and then a whole body came down. The husband woke up when he heard the
noise and ran away from the house. The ghost told the 'oman ter follow
her, and she picked up her Bible and kept on reading and went on behind
the ghost. The ghost showed her where some money was buried near a big
oak tree and then vanished. The next morning the 'oman dug and found der
money, but the 'oman of the house wouldn't take a penny, said she didn't
want it, sides that she gave her the house. They said this wuz a true
story and der reason dat house wus hanted wuz 'cause der family dat used
to live there got killed about money. Mrs. Grant ended by saying "Deres
a horseshoe over my door right now for luck."
[MRS. EMMALINE HEARD]
Mrs. Emmaline Heard lives on Cain St. between Fort and Butler Sts. She
is an ex-slave and on a previous occasion had given the writer an
interesting account of slavery as she knew it. When the writer
approached her concerning superstitious signs, ghost tales, conjure
etc., Mrs. Heard's face became lit with interest and quickly assured the
writer that she believed in conjuring, ghosts, and signs. It was not
long before our interview began. Mrs. Heard, although seventy or
seventy-five years old, is very intelligent in her expression of her
different thoughts. This interview, as nearly as possible, was taken in
the exact words of the person interviewed.
"If you are eating with a mouthful of food and sneeze, that sho is a
true sign of death. I know that 'cause years ago I wuz havin' breakfast
with my son Wylie and one other boy and Wylie sneezed and said "Mama I'm
so sorry I jist coundn't help it the sneeze came on me so quick." I jist
sat there and looked at him and began ter wonder. Two weeks later my
brother rode up and announced my mother's death. That is one sign thats
true, yes sir.
If a picture falls off the wall some one in the family will die.
If you dream about teeth, if one falls out thats another sign of death.
Another sign of death jest as sho as you live is ter dream of a person
naked. I dreamed my son was naked but his body was covered with hair.
Three months later he died. Yes sir, that sho is a true sign.
Jest as sho as your left hand itches you will receive money. If fire
pops on you from the stove, or fire place, you will get a letter.
If the left side of your nose itches a man is coming to the house. If it
itches on the tip, he will come riding.
If the right side of your nose itches a woman is coming to the house.
Following are stories told to Mrs. Heard by her parents, which took
place during the period of slavery. They are supposed to be true as they
were experienced by the persons who told them.
"My mother told me a story that happened when she was a slave. When her
mistress whipped her she would run away ter the woods; but at night she
would sneak back to nurse her babies. The plantation was on old
McDonough road, so ter get ter the plantation she had ter come by a
cemetery and you could see the white stones shining in the moonlight.
This cemetery was near a cut in the road that people said was hanted and
they still say old McDonough road is hanted. One night, mama said she
was on her way to the plantation walking on the middle of the road and
the moon was shining very bright. When she reached this cut she heard a
noise, Clack! Clack! Clack!, and this noise reminded a person of a lot
of machines moving. All at once a big thing as large as a house came
down the side of the road. She said it looked like a lot of chains,
wheels, posts all mangled together, and it seemed that there were more
wheels and chains than anything else. It kept on by making that noise,
clack! clack! clack!. She stood right still till it passed and came on
ter the farm. On her way back she say she didn't see it any more, but
right till ter day that spot is hanted. I have knowed horses to run away
right there with people and hurt them. Then sometimes they have rared
and kicked and turned to go in the other direction. You see, horses can
see hants sometimes when folks can't. Now the reason fer this cut being
hanted was because old Dave Copeland used to whip his slaves to death
and bury them along there."
The next story was told to Mrs. Heard by her father, who experienced it,
as a slave boy.
"My father sed when he wuz a boy him and two more boys run away from the
master 'cause the master whipped 'em. They set out and walked till it
got dark, and they saw a big old empty house settin' back from der road.
Now this house was 3 or 4 miles from any other house. So they went in
and made a fire, and laid down 'cause they wuz tired from running from
the Pader rollers. Soon they heard something say tap! tap! tap!, down
the stairs it came, a loud noise and then "Oh Lordy Master, I aint goin'
do it no more; let me off this time." After a while they heard this same
noise like a house falling in and the same words "Oh Lordy Master, I ant
goin' do it no more. Let me off this time." By this time they had got
good and scared, so my pa sed he and his friends looked at each other
and got up and ran away from that house jest as fast as they could go.
Nobody knowed why this old house wuz hanted; but they believed that some
slaves had been killed in it."
The next is a story of the Jack O'lantern as told by Mrs. Heard.
"Old South River on' the Jonesboro road is jest full of swampy land and
on a rainy drizzly night Jack O'lanterns will lead you. One night my
uncle started out ter see his girl end he had ter go through the woods
and the swamps. When he got in der swamp land he had ter cross a branch
and the night wuz dark and drizzly, so dark you could hardly see your
hand before your face. Way up the creek he saw a little bright light, so
he followed it thinking he wuz on his way. All night long he sed he
followed this light up and down the swamp, but never got near ter it.
When day came he was still in the creek and had not gone any distance at
all. He went home and told the folks and they went back ter the swamps
and saw his tracks up and down in the mud. Later a group of 'em set out
to find the Jack O'lantern and way down the creek they found it on a
bush. It looked like soot hanging down from a bush, burnt out. My uncle
went ter bed 'cause he wuz sleepy and tired down from walking all
night."
The following three stories related by Mrs. Heard deals with practices
of conjure. She definitely states that they are true stories; and backs
up this statement by saying she is a firm believer in conjure.
"As I told you before, my daddy came from Virginia. He wuz bought there
by Old Harper and brought ter McDonough as a slave boy. Well as the
speculator drove along south, he learned who the different slaves were.
When he got here he wuz told by the master to live with old uncle Ned
'cause he wuz the only bachelor on the plantation. The master said ter
old Ned, "Well Ned, I have bought me a fine young plow boy. I want him
ter stay with you and you treat him right." Every night uncle Ned would
make a pallet on the floor for daddy and make him go to bed. When he got
in bed he (uncle Ned) would watch him out of the corner of his eye, but
daddy would pretend he wuz asleep and watch old uncle Ned to see what he
wuz going ter do. After a while uncle Ned would take a broom and sweep
the fireplace clean, then he would get a basket and take out of it a
whole lot of little bundles wrapped in white cloth. As he lay out a
package he would say "grass hoppers," "spiders", "scorpian," "snake
heads", etc., then he, would take the tongs and turn 'em around before
the blaze so that they would parch. Night after night he would do this
same thing until they had parched enough, then he would beat all of it
together and make a powder; then put it up in little bags. My daddy wuz
afraid ter ask old uncle Ned what he did with these bags, but heard he
conjured folks with 'em. In fact he did conjure a gal 'cause she
wouldn't pay him any attention. This gal wuz very young and preferred
talking to the younger men, but uncle Ned always tried ter hang around
her and help hoe, but she would always tell him to go do his own work
'cause she could do hers. One day he said ter her "All right madam, I'll
see you later, you wont notice me now but you'll wish you had. When the
dinner came, and they left the field they left their hoes standing so
they would know jest where ter start when they got back. When that gal
went back ter the field the minute she touched that hoe she fell dead.
Some folks say they saw uncle Ned dressing that hoe with conjure.
"My sister Lizzie sho did get fixed, honey, and it took a old conjurer
ter get the spell off of her. It wuz like this: Sister Lizzie had a
pretty peachtree and one limb spreaded out over the walk and jest as
soon as she would walk under this limb, she would stay sick all the
time. The funny part 'bout it wuz that while she wuz at other folks
house she would feel all right, but the minute she passed under this
limb, she would begin ter feel bad. One day she sent fer a conjurer, and
he looked under the house, and sho nuff, he found it stuck in the sill.
It looked like a bundle of rags, red flannel all stuck up with needles
and every thing else. This old conjurer told her that the tree had been
dressed for her an t'would be best fer her ter cut it down. It wuz a
pretty tree and she sho did hate to cut it down, but she did like he
told her. Yes child, I don't know whither I've ever been conjured or
not, but sometimes my head hurts and I wonder."
Mrs. Heard asked the writer to return at a later date and she would
probably be able to relate more interesting incidents.
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Edwin Driscoll
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Emmaline Heard
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