oo bout a 'oman fixing her husband. This 'oman saw anudder
man she wonted so she had her husband fixed so he would throw his arms
up get on his knees and bark just like a dog. So they got some old man
that wuz a conjurer to come and cure him. He woulda died if they hadn't
got that spell off him.

My father told me that a 'oman fixed anudder one cause she married her
sweetheart she told her he nebber would do her any good and sho nuff she
fixed her so dat she would have a spell ebby time she went to church.
One day they sent fer her husband and asked him what wuz the matter with
her and he told them that this other 'oman fixed her with conjure. They
sent for a conjurer and he came and rubbed some medicine on her body and
she got alright.

During slavery time the master promised ter whip a nigger and when he
came out ter whip him instead he just told him "Go on nigger 'bout your
business." Der Nigger had fixed him by spitting as for as he could spit
so the master couldn't come any nearer than that spit.

I know a Nigger that they sed wuz kin ter the devil. He told me that he
could go out hind the house and make some noise and the devil would come
and dance with him. He sed the devil learned him to play a banjo and if
you wanted to do anything the devil could do, go to a cross road walk
backwards and curse God. But don't nebber let the devil touch any of
your works or anything that belonged to you or you would lose your
power.

The nearest I ebber came ter believing in conjure wuz when my step
mother got sick. She fell out with an 'oman that lived with her daughter
cause this 'oman had did something ter her daughter; and so she called
her a black kinky head hussy and this 'oman got fightin mad and sed ter
her. "Nebber mind you'll be nappy and kinky headed too when I git
through wid you." My Ma's head turned real white and funny right round
the edge and her mind got bad and she used to chew tobacco and spit in
her hands and rub it in her head; and very soon all her hair fell out.
She even quit my father after living with him 20 years saying he had
poisoned her. She stayed sick a long time and der doctors nebber could
understand her sickness. She died and I will always believe she wuz
fixed.

After relating the last story my interview with Mrs. Styles came to an
end. I thanked her and left, wondering over the strange stories she had
told me.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Slave Narratives: A Folk His