Conjuring and Conjure Doctors in the Southern United States
Miss A. M. Bacon
Below is a portion of the article on this subject, by Miss A. M. Bacon, copied from the "Southern Workman and Hampton School Record," November and December, I895.
When it is once decided that the sufferer from mysterious symptoms of any kind has been conjured, there remains no hope except through the conjure-doctor. He must be sent for at once, as delay is always dangerous and often fatal. There are few settlements of colored people in which the belief in conjuration is prevalent, in which there is not to be found some person distinguished for his skill as a conjure-doctor. Of their personal peculiarities it is not my part to speak. Of that you already have learned through Miss Herron's paper, but their special methods of procedure when summoned to cure disease, we must try to get some general idea from the mass of testimony presented by the compositions.
The conjure-doctor has five distinct services to render to his patient. He must (i) tell him whether he is conjured or not, (2) he must find out who conjured him, (3) he must search for and find the 'trick' and destroy it, (4) he must cure the patient, (5) he will if the patient wishes turn back the trick upon the one who made it. But as a rule before he does anything for the patient he demands and receives a large fee. Should he find business slack he will sometimes take it upon himself to secure patients by visiting certain persons and telling them that they have been or are about to be conjured, and often presenting irrefragable proofs in the shape of a pin stuck in the north side of a distant tree, or a bottle dug up at a certain designated spot in the yard, he exacts a payment of money for his services in preventing the evil sure to follow if he is not engaged by a good-sized retainer to prevent it. A conjure-doctor summoned to attend a case of mysterious illness in a family will frequently begin his examination by putting a small piece of silver into the mouth or hand of the sufferer. Should the silver turn black, there is no doubt about the diagnosis. The silver piece is not always tried; in some cases the very nature of the seizure proclaims at once to the doctor that it is the work of conjurers. The next step is to study the nature of the disease and search out and destroy the trick by which it was caused. In one case, the conjure doctor recognized the disease by the trembling of the patient's fingers as he came in at the door. The poison had not then taken much effect upon the patient, but the conjure-doctor assured the sufferer that without attention it would kill her. In another case the doctor informed his patient that the charm was fixed to work with the moon and tides. When the tide was coming in he would be worse, when going out he would be better. A case is mentioned of a girl who had been suffering for a long time from a sore and swollen foot, until at last a conjure doctor was called to her relief. 'As soon as he saw the foot he said that she was conjured and that it was done by an old man who wanted to marry her, and that it was done at church one night. Then he said, "I will try to cure you in the name of the Lord." Then he asked her for a pin and scratched her foot on the side and got some blood and he rubbed some cream on it and said, " God bless her," and he called her name, and the next morning this girl, who had been ill for nine months, walked out of doors without crutch or cane.' In another case in which a bright silver piece held in the patient's hand had turned perfectly black in five minutes, the patient was cupped three times. In each case the cupping horn came away filled with live lizards, frogs, and snakes that had had their abode in her. Later she was bathed in an infusion of mullein and moss made with boiling water in a tub. After the bath the water was thrown toward the sunset and this line repeated: 'As the sun sets in the west so should the works of the Devil end in judgment.' This treatment did her good and she recovered rapidly. Another doctor sawed a tree in the middle and put the patient through it four times. He then cupped him and buried the things that came out of him under a tree at sunset. Still another doctor would begin his treatment by making the patient swallow a small piece of silver. He said the conjuration would stick to the silver and his medicine would cure the person conjured. Another practitioner arrived when sent for with a bottle filled with herbs, roots, and leaves; with these he made a tea which acted as an emetic, and the patient threw up a variety of reptiles. Again a conjure-doctor came and chewed some roots and did a great many other things. In one light case of tricking the patient was merely given some roots to carry in his pocket and something to rub with.
Either after or before the cure of the patient is well under way, the doctor will make an effort to find the 'trick' or 'conjure,' and to identify the miscreant who has caused the trouble. He may be able to tell immediately and without visiting the spot, just where the cause of the trouble is buried. An instance is given of an old man who was visited by a woman who lived twelve miles away was able to tell the patient after one look at her sore foot exactly the spot in her own yard where, if she would dig, she would find a large black bottle, containing a mixture, placed there by one of her neighbors to trick her. She went home, dug and found it was as he said. In other cases the detection of the trick seems to be more difficult and the doctor is obliged to have recourse to cards or other means of obtaining the truth. One of our writers tells us of a conjure-doctor who, on visiting a patient, cut his cards and told her that she was poisoned by a woman who wanted her place, and that the conjure bottle was under the sill of her door. Every time she stepped over the sill one drop of the poison dried up, and when the last drop dried she would die. The conjure doctors seemed to have an objection to name the enemy who had cast the spell. In some cases they would simply undertake to describe him; in other cases a more complicated device was resorted to: 'They would find a bundle of roots under the doorstep or floor. After they had found the roots they would ask for a flatiron. They would take the iron and a piece of brown paper and draw the image of the person who put the roots there.
After the enemy has been identified the conjure-doctor may be of further use in securing revenge for the injured person. There are many instances cited where the charm has been turned against the one who sent it. This the conjure-doctor may do by a variety of devices, some of which easily commend themselves to the ignorant minds with which he deals. It is said that if any one tricks you and you discover the trick and put that into the fire, you burn your enemy, or if you throw it into the running water you drown him. One instance is given of a conjure laid down in the path of a young man. He saw it in time, picked it up with two sticks, carried it into the house, and put it in the fire. This took great effect upon the old man 'who danced, and ran, and hollowed, and jumped, and did a little of everything, but still the bundle burned,' until at last the old man acknowledged everything he had done. Another of our writers tells us that, 'If the composition used in conjuring can be found and given to the conjure-doctor, he will throw the charm from the person conjured to the one who did it. This affects him so strongly that he will come to the house and ask for something. If he gets it his charm will return, if not it will end on himself.' One writer cites the case of a man who had been made lame by a lizard in his leg who was told by a conjure-doctor what to do, and as a result his enemy went about as long as he lived with that lizard in his leg.
And now for the ounce of prevention that is worth the pound of cure in conjuration as in other things. Silver in the shoe or hung around the neck seems to be the most universal counter-charm. A horseshoe nailed over the door or even hidden under the sill will keep out conjurers' spells as well as hags and witches. A smooth stone in the shoe was recommended in one case, in another case a goose quill filled with quicksilver worn below the knee. In one case where a man had been under the care of a conjure doctor and recovered, the doctor would not allow him to visit unless he wore a silver coin in his shoe and a silver ring on his right hand.
When it is once decided that the sufferer from mysterious symptoms of any kind has been conjured, there remains no hope except through the conjure-doctor. He must be sent for at once, as delay is always dangerous and often fatal. There are few settlements of colored people in which the belief in conjuration is prevalent, in which there is not to be found some person distinguished for his skill as a conjure-doctor. Of their personal peculiarities it is not my part to speak. Of that you already have learned through Miss Herron's paper, but their special methods of procedure when summoned to cure disease, we must try to get some general idea from the mass of testimony presented by the compositions.
The conjure-doctor has five distinct services to render to his patient. He must (i) tell him whether he is conjured or not, (2) he must find out who conjured him, (3) he must search for and find the 'trick' and destroy it, (4) he must cure the patient, (5) he will if the patient wishes turn back the trick upon the one who made it. But as a rule before he does anything for the patient he demands and receives a large fee. Should he find business slack he will sometimes take it upon himself to secure patients by visiting certain persons and telling them that they have been or are about to be conjured, and often presenting irrefragable proofs in the shape of a pin stuck in the north side of a distant tree, or a bottle dug up at a certain designated spot in the yard, he exacts a payment of money for his services in preventing the evil sure to follow if he is not engaged by a good-sized retainer to prevent it. A conjure-doctor summoned to attend a case of mysterious illness in a family will frequently begin his examination by putting a small piece of silver into the mouth or hand of the sufferer. Should the silver turn black, there is no doubt about the diagnosis. The silver piece is not always tried; in some cases the very nature of the seizure proclaims at once to the doctor that it is the work of conjurers. The next step is to study the nature of the disease and search out and destroy the trick by which it was caused. In one case, the conjure doctor recognized the disease by the trembling of the patient's fingers as he came in at the door. The poison had not then taken much effect upon the patient, but the conjure-doctor assured the sufferer that without attention it would kill her. In another case the doctor informed his patient that the charm was fixed to work with the moon and tides. When the tide was coming in he would be worse, when going out he would be better. A case is mentioned of a girl who had been suffering for a long time from a sore and swollen foot, until at last a conjure doctor was called to her relief. 'As soon as he saw the foot he said that she was conjured and that it was done by an old man who wanted to marry her, and that it was done at church one night. Then he said, "I will try to cure you in the name of the Lord." Then he asked her for a pin and scratched her foot on the side and got some blood and he rubbed some cream on it and said, " God bless her," and he called her name, and the next morning this girl, who had been ill for nine months, walked out of doors without crutch or cane.' In another case in which a bright silver piece held in the patient's hand had turned perfectly black in five minutes, the patient was cupped three times. In each case the cupping horn came away filled with live lizards, frogs, and snakes that had had their abode in her. Later she was bathed in an infusion of mullein and moss made with boiling water in a tub. After the bath the water was thrown toward the sunset and this line repeated: 'As the sun sets in the west so should the works of the Devil end in judgment.' This treatment did her good and she recovered rapidly. Another doctor sawed a tree in the middle and put the patient through it four times. He then cupped him and buried the things that came out of him under a tree at sunset. Still another doctor would begin his treatment by making the patient swallow a small piece of silver. He said the conjuration would stick to the silver and his medicine would cure the person conjured. Another practitioner arrived when sent for with a bottle filled with herbs, roots, and leaves; with these he made a tea which acted as an emetic, and the patient threw up a variety of reptiles. Again a conjure-doctor came and chewed some roots and did a great many other things. In one light case of tricking the patient was merely given some roots to carry in his pocket and something to rub with.
Either after or before the cure of the patient is well under way, the doctor will make an effort to find the 'trick' or 'conjure,' and to identify the miscreant who has caused the trouble. He may be able to tell immediately and without visiting the spot, just where the cause of the trouble is buried. An instance is given of an old man who was visited by a woman who lived twelve miles away was able to tell the patient after one look at her sore foot exactly the spot in her own yard where, if she would dig, she would find a large black bottle, containing a mixture, placed there by one of her neighbors to trick her. She went home, dug and found it was as he said. In other cases the detection of the trick seems to be more difficult and the doctor is obliged to have recourse to cards or other means of obtaining the truth. One of our writers tells us of a conjure-doctor who, on visiting a patient, cut his cards and told her that she was poisoned by a woman who wanted her place, and that the conjure bottle was under the sill of her door. Every time she stepped over the sill one drop of the poison dried up, and when the last drop dried she would die. The conjure doctors seemed to have an objection to name the enemy who had cast the spell. In some cases they would simply undertake to describe him; in other cases a more complicated device was resorted to: 'They would find a bundle of roots under the doorstep or floor. After they had found the roots they would ask for a flatiron. They would take the iron and a piece of brown paper and draw the image of the person who put the roots there.
After the enemy has been identified the conjure-doctor may be of further use in securing revenge for the injured person. There are many instances cited where the charm has been turned against the one who sent it. This the conjure-doctor may do by a variety of devices, some of which easily commend themselves to the ignorant minds with which he deals. It is said that if any one tricks you and you discover the trick and put that into the fire, you burn your enemy, or if you throw it into the running water you drown him. One instance is given of a conjure laid down in the path of a young man. He saw it in time, picked it up with two sticks, carried it into the house, and put it in the fire. This took great effect upon the old man 'who danced, and ran, and hollowed, and jumped, and did a little of everything, but still the bundle burned,' until at last the old man acknowledged everything he had done. Another of our writers tells us that, 'If the composition used in conjuring can be found and given to the conjure-doctor, he will throw the charm from the person conjured to the one who did it. This affects him so strongly that he will come to the house and ask for something. If he gets it his charm will return, if not it will end on himself.' One writer cites the case of a man who had been made lame by a lizard in his leg who was told by a conjure-doctor what to do, and as a result his enemy went about as long as he lived with that lizard in his leg.
And now for the ounce of prevention that is worth the pound of cure in conjuration as in other things. Silver in the shoe or hung around the neck seems to be the most universal counter-charm. A horseshoe nailed over the door or even hidden under the sill will keep out conjurers' spells as well as hags and witches. A smooth stone in the shoe was recommended in one case, in another case a goose quill filled with quicksilver worn below the knee. In one case where a man had been under the care of a conjure doctor and recovered, the doctor would not allow him to visit unless he wore a silver coin in his shoe and a silver ring on his right hand.
Keywords: conjuring, conjure doctors, conjure doctor, conjure, conjuration, charm, roots, spells, trick