consisted of dancing and banjo playing. Slaves from other plantations
sometimes attended, but it was necessary to secure a pass from their
master and mistress in order to do so. A prize was given to the person
who could "buck dance" the steadiest with a tumbler of water balanced on
the head. A cake or a quilt was often given as the prize.
A marriage ceremony was performed after both owners had given their
consent, when bride and groom did not belong to the same master. Often
neither owner would sell their slave to the other, in which case it was
necessary for the husband to be given a pass in order to visit his wife.
Slaves were given treatment by the doctor when they became ill, but if
the doctor stated that the slave was well enough to work, they had to go
to the fields. Sick babies were left at home while the parents were at
work in the field. No matter what sickness the child suffered, castor
oil was the only remedy ever given.
Slaves who chanced to be visiting away from his plantation without a
pass from his owner would be severely handled if caught by the Ku Klux
Klan or "patterrollers" as they were more commonly called. Fear of the
"patterrollers" was invoked to frighten children into good behaviour.
A few Civil War incidents impressed themselves upon Emmaline's memory
although she was a very young child at the time. One day, she recalls,
as she and her little mistress Fannie sat on the front fence facing the
highway they saw a cloud of dust in the distance down the highway and
soon a troop of soldiers in blue and silver uniforms marched by. The
children, frightened by the sight of these strange soldiers, ran to the
house to tell the mistress. Mrs. Harper instructed Emmaline's mother to
run to the smokehouse, lock the door and bring her the key. In a few
minutes the soldiers tramped into the kitchen and ate all of the food
they could find. When they found the smokehouse locked they demanded the
key from Mrs. Harper, and when she refused proceeded to break down the
door and appropriated all the meat they could conveniently carry. They
also robbed the cellar of its store of jellies and preserves, hitched
the buggy mare to the wagon and drove off with the best of the mules
tied behind, as Mrs. Harper and the family looked on in tears.
When the Harpers learned that the slaves were free, they offered
Emmaline's father and mother a house, mule, hog, and cow if they would
remain on their plantation, but they thought they might fare better
elsewhere and hired out to a plantation owner in an adjoining county.
A few years later, when she became old enough to obtain on her own
account, she came to Atlanta where she has lived ever since. She is now
being cared for by a grand-daughter and a son. She is an ardent admirer
of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and declared she would like to vote
for him a hundred times.
PART II
Mrs. Emmaline Heard, who resides at 239 Cain St., N.E. has proved to be
a regular storehouse for conjure and ghost stories. Not only this but
she is a firm believer in the practice of conjure. To back up her belief
in conjure is her appearance. She is a dark browned skinned woman of
medium height and always wears a dirty towel on her head. The towel
which was at one time white gives her the weird look of an old time
fortune teller. Tuesday December 8, 1936 a visit was made to her home
and the following information was secured.
"There wuz onst a house in McDonough and it wuz owned by the Smiths that
wuz slave owners way back yonder. Now this is the trufe 'cause it wuz
told ter me by old Uncle Joe Turner and he 'spirense it. Nobody could
live in this how I don't care how they tried. Dey say this house wuz
hanted and any body that tried to stay there wuz pulled out of bed by a
hant. Well sir they offered the house and $1000.00 to any one who could
stay there over night. Uncle Joe sed he decided to try it so sho nuff he
got ready one night and went ter this house to stay. After while says he
something came in the room and started over ter the bed; but fore it got
there he sed "What in the name of the Lord you wont with me." It sed
"follow me there is a pot of gold buried near the chimney; go find it
and you want be worried with me no more." Der nect morning Uncle Joe
went out then and begin ter dig and sho nuff he found the gold; and
sides that he got the house. Dis here is the trufe Uncle Joes' house is
right there in McDonough now and any body round there will tell you the
same thing cause he wuz well known. Uncle Joe is dead now."
Anudder story that happened during slavery time and wuz told ter me by
father wuz this: The master had a old man on his plantation named
Jimson. Well Jimson's wife wuz sick and had been fer nearly a year. One
day there she wanted some peas--black eyed peas; but old man Harper
didn't have none on his plantation so Jimson planned ter steal off that
night and go ter old marse Daniels farm, which wuz 4 miles from Moore
Harpers farm, and steal a few peas fer his wife. Well between mid-night
and day he got a sack and started off down the road. Long after while a
owl started hootin who o o o are e-e-e, who are o-o-o- and it sounded
jest lak some one saying "who are you". Jimson got scared pulled off his
cap and ran all the way to old man Daniels farm. As he run he wuz saying
"Sir dis is me. Old Jimson" over and over again. Now when he got near
the farm old Daniel heard him and got up in the loft ter watch him.
Finally old Jimson got dar and started creeping up in the loft. When he
got up there chile Marse Daniel grabbed his whip and almost beat Jimson
ter death.
This here story happened in Mississippi years ago but der folks that
tell it ter me sed it wuz the trufe. "There wuz a woman that wuz sick,
her name wuz Mary Jones. Well she lingered and lingered till she finally
died. In them days folks all around would come ter the settin up of
somebody wuz dead. They done sent some men after the casket since they
had ter go 30 miles they wuz a good while getting back so the folkses
decided ter sing. After while they heared the men come up on the porch
or somebody got up ter let em in. Chile jest as they opened the door
that 'oman set straight up on that bed, and sich another runnin and
gittin out of that house you never heard; but some folks realized she
wuzn't dead so they got the casket out der way so the wouldn't see it
cause they wuz fraid she would pass out sho nuff; just the same they wuz
fraid of her too. The men went off and come back with pistols guns,
sticks and every thing and when this 'oman saw em she sed don't run I
wont bother you' but child they left there in a big hurry too. Well
this here Mary went to her sister's house and knocked on the door and
said "Let me in this is Mary I want to talk to you and tell you where
I've been. The sisters' husband opened the door and let her in. This
'oman told 'em that God had brought her to and that she had been in a
trance with the Lord. After that everyone wuz always afraid of that
'oman and they wouldn't even sit next 'ter her in church. They say she
is still living.
This happened right yonder in McDonough years ago. A gal went to a party
with her sweet'art and her ma told her not ter go well she went on any
how in a buggy. When they got ter the railroad crossing a train hit the
buggy, and killed the gal; but the boy didn't get hurted at all. Well
while they wuz sittin up with this dead gal, the boy comes long there in
his buggy with anudder gal in the buggy; and do you know that horse
stopped right in front 'uv that house and wouldn't bulge one inch. No
matter how hard he whipped that horse it wouldn't move instid he rared
and kicked and jumped about and almost turned the buggy over. The gal in
the buggy fainted. Finally a old slavery time man come along and told em
to git a quart of whiskey and pour it around the buggy and the hant
would go away so they did that and the spirit let 'em pass. If a han't
laked whiskey in they lifetime and you pour it round when theys at they
will go away.
The following are true conjure stories supposedly witnessed by Mrs.
Heard.
There wuz a Rev. Dennis that lived below the Federal Prison now he wuz
the preacher of the hard shell baptist church in this community; This
man stayed sick about a year and kept gittin different doctors and none
'uv them did him any good well his wife kept on at him till he decided
ter go ter see Dr. Geech. His complaint wuz that he felt something run
up his legs ter his thighs. Old Dr. Geech told him that he had snakes in
his body and they wuz put there by the lady he had been going wid. Dr.
Geech give him some medicine ter take and told him that on the 7th day
from then that 'oman would come and take the medicine off the shelf and
throw it away. Course Rev. Dennis didn't believe a thing he sed so sho
nuff she come jest lak Dr. Geech sed and took the medicine away. Dr.
Geech told him that he would die when the snakes got up in his arm. But
if he would do lak he told him he would get alright. Dis 'oman had put
this stuff in some whiskey and he drunk it so the snakes breed in his
body. After he quit taking the medicine he got bad off and had ter stay
in the bed; sho nuff the morning he died. You could see the snake in his
arm, the print uv it wuz there. When he died the snake stretched out in
his arm and died too.
I got a son named Jack Heard, well somebody fixed him. I wuz in Chicago
when that happened and my daughter kept writing ter me ter come home
cause Jack wuz acting funny and she thought maybe he wuz losing his
mind. They wuz living in Thomasville then and every day he would go sit
round the store and laugh and talk but jest as soon as night would come
and he would eat his supper them fits would come on him. He would squeal
jest lak a pig and he would get down on his knees and bark jest lak a
dog. Well I come home and went ter see a old conjure doctors. He says
ter me, "that boy is hurt and when you go home you look in the corner of
the mattress and you will find it." Sho nuff I went home and looked in
the corner uv the mattress and there the package. It wuz a mixture of
hair his hair and blue stone wrapped up in red flannel with new needles
running all through it. When I went back he says ter me, Emmaline have
you got 8 dimes no I sed but I got a dollar. Well get that dollar
changed inter 10 dimes and take 8 'uv em and give 'em ter me. Then he
took Jack in a room took off his clothes and started ter rubbing him
down with medicine all the same time, he wuz a saying a ceremony over
him, then he took them 8 dimes put 'em in a bag and tied them around
Jacks chest some where so that they would hang over his heart. Now wear
them always says he ter Jack. Jack wore them dimes a long time but he
finally drunk 'em up. Any way that doctor cured him 'cause he sho woulda
died.
The following is a few facts, as related by Mrs. Heard, concerning an
old conjure doctor known as Aunt Darkas.
"Aunt Darkas lived in McDonough, Georgia until a few years ago. She died
when she wuz 128 years old; but chile lemme tell you that 'oman knowed
jest what ter do fer you. She wuz blind but she could go ter the woods
and pick out any kind of root or herb she wanted. She always sed the
Lord told her what roots to get and always fore sun up you would see her
in the woods with a short handled pick. She sed she had ter pick 'em
fore sun up, I don't know why. If you wuz sick all you had ter do wuz go
to see Aunt Darkas and tell her. She had a well and after listening to
your complaint she would go out there and draw a bucket of water and set
it on the floor and then she would wave her hand over it and say
something. She called this healing the water. After this she would give
you a drink of water as she handed it ter you she would say, now drink,
take this and drink. Honey, I had some uv that water myself and believe
me it goes all over you and makes you feel so good. Old Aunt Darkas
would give you a supply of water and tell you ter come back fer more
when that wuz gone. Old Aunt Darkas sed the Lord gave her power and
vision and she used ter fast fer a week at a time. When she died there
wuz a piece in the paper 'bout her."
This here is sho the trufe and if you don't go out ter Southview
Cemetary and see Sid Heard my oldest son he been out there over 20 years
as sexton and book keeper. Yessir he tole it ter me and I believe it.
This happen long ago 10 or 15 years. There wuz a couple that lived in
Macon, Ga., but their home wuz in Atlanta and they had a lot out ter
South View. Well they had a young baby that tuck sick and died so they
had the babies funeral there in Macon then they put the coffin in the
box placed the lable on the box then brought it ter Atlanta. Folkses are
always buried so that they head faces the east. They say when judgement
day come and Gabriel blow that trumpet every body will rise up facing
the east. Well as I wuz saying they come here Sid Heard met im out
yonder and instructed his men fer arrangements fer the grave and
everything. A few weeks later the 'oman called Sid Heard up long
distance. She said, "Mr. Heard." "Yesmam," he said. "I call you ter tell
you me and my husband can't rest at all." "Why?" he asked. "Because we
can hear our baby crying every night and it is worrying us ter death our
neighbors next door says our baby must be buried wrong." Sid Heard sed,
"Well I buried the baby according ter the way you got the box labled."
"I'm not blaming you Mr. Heard but if I pay you will you take my baby
up?" Sed she "Yes Mam I will if you want me to jest let me know the day
you will be here and I'll have everything ready". "Alright," sed she.
"Well," sed Sid Heard, "the day she wuz ter come she wuz sick and
instead sent a carload of her friends. The men got busy and started
digging till they got ter the box, when they took it up sho nuff after
they opened it they found the baby had been buried wrong the head was
facing the west instead of the east. They turned the box around and
covered it up. The folks then went on back ter Macon. A week later the
'oman called up again. "Mr. Heard," she says. "Yes maam" says he. "Well
I haven't heard my baby cry at all in the past week I wuzn't there but I
know the exact date you took my baby up, cause I never heard it cry no
more".
=On December 3 and 4, 1936, Mrs. Emmaline Heard= was interviewed at her
home, 239 Cain Street. The writer had visited Mrs. Heard previously, and
it was at her own request that another visit was made. This visit was
supposed to be one to obtain information and stories on the practice of
conjure. On two previous occasions Mrs. Heard's stories had proved very
interesting, and I knew as I sat there waiting for her to begin that she
had something very good to tell me. She began:
"Chile, this story wuz told ter me by my father and I know he sho
wouldn't lie. Every word of it is the trufe; fact, everything I ebber
told you wuz the trufe. Now, my pa had a brother, old Uncle Martin, and
his wife wuz name Julianne. Aunt Julianne used ter have spells and fight
and kick all the time. They had doctor after doctor but none did her any
good. Somebody told Uncle Martin to go ter a old conjurer and let the
doctors go cause they wan't doing nothing for her anyway. Sho nuff he
got one ter come see her and give her some medicine. This old man said
she had bugs in her head, and after giving her the medicine he started
rubbing her head. While he rubbed her head he said: "Dar's a bug in her
head; it looks jest like a big black roach. Now, he's coming out of her
head through her ear; whatever you do, don't let him get away cause I
want him. Whatever you do, catch him; he's going ter run, but when he
hits the pillow, grab 'em. I'm go take him and turn it back on the one
who is trying ter send you ter the grave." Sho nuff that bug drop out
her ear and flew; she hollered, and old Uncle Martin ran in the room,
snatched the bed clothes off but they never did find him. Aunt Julianne
never did get better and soon she died. The conjurer said if they had a
caught the bug she would a lived."
The next story is a true story. The facts as told by Mrs. Heard were
also witnessed by her; as it deals with the conjuring of one of her
sons. It is related in her exact words as nearly as possible.
"I got a son named Albert Heard. He is living and well; but chile, there
wuz a time when he wuz almost ter his grave. I wuz living in town then,
and Albert and his wife was living in the country with their two
chillun. Well, Albert got down sick and he would go ter doctors, and go
ter doctors, but they didn't do him any good. I wuz worried ter death
cause I had ter run backards and for'ards and it wuz a strain on me. He
was suffering with a knot on his right side and he couldn't even fasten
his shoes cause it pained him so, and it was so bad he couldn't even
button up his pants. A 'oman teached school out there by the name of
Mrs. Yaney; she's dead now but she lived right here on Randolph Street
years ago. Well, one day when I wuz leaving Albert's house I met her on
the way to her school. 'Good evening, Mrs. Heard', she says. 'How is Mr.
Albert?' I don't hardly know, I says, cause he don't get no better. She
looked at me kinda funny and said, don't you believe he's hurt?' Yes
mam, I said, I sho do. 'Well,' says she, 'I been waiting to say
something to you concerning this but I didn't know how you would take
it. If I tell you somewhere to go will you go, and tell them I sent
you?' Yes mam, I will do anything if Albert can get better. 'All right
then', she says, 'Catch the Federal prison car and get off at Butler
St.' In them days that car came down Forrest Ave. 'When you get to
Butler St.', she says, 'walk up to Clifton St. and go to such and such a
number. Knock on the door and a 'oman by the name of Mrs. Hirshpath will
come ter the door. Fore she let you in she go ask who sent you there;
when you tell 'er she'll let you in. Now lemme tell you she keeps two
quarts of whisky all the time and you have ter drink a little with her;
sides that she cusses nearly every word she speaks; but don't let that
scare you; she will sho get your son up if it kin be done.' Sho nuff
that old 'oman did jest lak Mrs. Yaney said she would do. She had a
harsh voice and she spoke right snappy. When she let me in she said,
'sit down. You lak whisky?' I said, well, I take a little dram
sometimes. 'Well, here take some of this', she said. I poured a little
bit and drank it kinda lak I wuz afraid. She cussed and said 'I ain't go
conjure you. Drink it.' She got the cards and told me to cut 'em, so I
did. Looking at the cards, she said: 'You like ter wait too long; they
got him marching to the cemetery. The poor thing! I'll fix those devils.
(A profane word was used instead of devils). He got a knot on his side,
ain't he?' Yes, Mam, I said. That 'oman told me everything that was
wrong with Albert and zackly how he acted. All at once she said: 'If
them d----d things had hatched in him it would a been too late. If you
do zackly lak I tell you I'll get him up from there.' I sho will, I told
her. 'Well, there's a stable south east of his house. His house got
three rooms and a path go straight to the stable. I see it there where
he hangs his harness. Yes, I see it all, the devils! Have you got any
money?' Yes, mam, a little, I said. 'All right then,' she said. 'Go to
the drug store and get 5¢ worth of blue stone; 5¢ wheat bran; and go ter
a fish market and ask 'em ter give you a little fish brine; then go in
the woods and get some poke-root berries. Now, there's two kinds of
poke-root berries, the red skin and the white skin berry. Put all this
in a pot, mix with it the guts from a green gourd and 9 parts of red
pepper. Make a poultice and put to his side on that knot. Now, listen,
your son will be afraid and think you are trying ter do something ter
him but be gentle and persuade him that its fer his good.' Child, he sho
did act funny when I told him I wanted to treat his side. I had ter tell
him I was carrying out doctors orders so he could get well. He reared
and fussed and said he didn't want that mess on him. I told him the
doctor says you do very well till you go ter the horse lot then you go
blind and you can't see. He looked at me. 'Sho nuff, Ma,' he said, 'that
sho is the trufe. I have ter always call one of the chillun when I go
there cause I can't see how ter get back ter the house.' Well, that
convinced him and he let me fix the medicine for him. I put him ter bed
and made the poultice, then I put it ter his side. Now this 'oman said
no one was ter take it off the next morning but me. I was suppose ter
fix three, one each night, and after taking each one off ter bury it lak
dead folks is buried, east and west, and ter make a real grave out of
each one. Well, when I told him not ter move it the next morning, but
let me move it, he got funny again and wanted to know why. Do you know I
had ter play lak I could move it without messing up my bed clothes and
if he moved it he might waste it all. Finally he said he could call me
the next morning. Sho nuff, the next morning he called me, ma! ma! come
take it off. I went in the room and he wuz smiling. I slept all night
long he said, and I feel so much better. I'm so glad, I said, and do you
know he could reach down and fasten up his shoe and it had been a long
time since he could do that. Later that day I slipped out and made my
first grave under the fig bush in the garden. I even put up head boards,
too. That night Albert said, 'Mama, fix another one. I feel so much
better.' I sho will, I said. Thank God you're better; so for three
nights I fixed poultices and put ter his side and each morning he would
tell me how much better he felt. Then the last morning I was fixing
breakfast and he sat in the next room. After while Albert jumped up and
hollered, 'Ma! Ma!' What is it, I said. 'Mama, that knot is gone. It
dropped down in my pants.' What! I cried. Where is it? Chile, we looked
but we didn't find anything, but the knot had sho gone. Der 'oman had
told me ter come back when the knot moved and she would tell me what
else ter do. That same day I went ter see her and when I told her she
just shouted, 'I fixed 'em the devils!' Now, says she, do you where you
can get a few leaves off a yellow peachtree. It must be a yellow peach
tree, though. Yes, mam, I says to her. I have a yellow peachtree right
there in my yard. Well, she says, get a handful of leaves, then take a
knife and scrape the bark up, then make a tea and give him so it will
heal up the poison from that knot in his side, also mix a few jimson
weeds with it. I came home and told him I wanted ter give him a tea. He
got scared and said, what fer, Ma? I had ter tell him I wuz still
carrying out the doctor's orders. Well, he let me give him the tea and
that boy got well. I went back to Mrs. Hirshpath and told her my son wuz
well and I wanted to pay her. Go on, she said, keep the dollar and send
your chillun ter school. This sho happened ter me and I know people kin
fix you. Yes sir."
The next story was told to Mrs. Heard by Mrs. Hirshpath, the woman who
cured her son.
I used to go see that 'oman quite a bit and even sent some of my friends
ter her. One day while I wuz there she told me about this piece of work
she did.
"There was a young man and his wife and they worked for some white
folks. They had just married and wuz trying ter save some money ter buy
a home with. All at onct the young man went blind and it almost run him
and his wife crazy cause they didn't know what in the world ter do. Well
somebody told him and her about Mrs. Hirshpath, so they went ter see
her. One day, said Mrs. Hirshpath, a big fine carriage drew up in front
of her door and the coachman helped him to her door. She asked him who
sent him and he told her. She only charged 50¢ for giving advice and
after you wuz cured it wuz up to you to give her what you wanted to.
Well, this man gave her 50¢ and she talked ter him. She says, boy, you
go home and don't you put that cap on no more. That cap? he says. That
cap you wears ter clean up the stables with, cause somebody done dressed
that cap for you, and every time you perspire and it runs down ter your
eyes it makes you blind. You jest get that cap and bring it ter me. I'll
fix 'em; they's trying ter make you blind, but I go let you see. The boy
was overjoyed, and sho nuff he went back and brought her that cap, and
it wasn't long fore he could see good as you and me. He brought that
'oman $50, but she wouldn't take but $25 and give the other $25 back ter
him.
"What I done told you is the trufe, every word of it; I know some other
things that happened but you come back anudder day fer that."
EX-SLAVE MILDRED HEARD.
The following interviews were obtained from Mildred Heard, a young woman
who has lived in the country most of her life and might easily be
described as a child of nature. Although a full grown woman and the
mother of two children she seems much older than her years, this is true
I believe because she has always lived among much older people. She is
fairly intelligent and expresses her thoughts clearly and without
hesitation. Quite a few of the stories related here were handed down to
her from the older residents of the settlement. These stories are
related in her own words.