The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com.  In this recording Robert Clack, Judge Neal, and Elizabeth Neal discuss traditional medicine. The recording begins with Robert Clack discussing how he cures ailments such as warts, minor injuries, and thrash by reciting the Lords Prayer. At 10:38 Clack recalls an old log cabin near Lake Yogy that supposedly had a hole cut into the wall to shoot American Indians.Then at 15:03 he described seeing a full eclipse in 1900. The audio pauses at 16:10, then begins again at 17:09 with Elizabeth Neal discussing three ways to cure warts. Between 23:22 and 30:12 she describes remedies to prevent and cure common illness. One ointment to prevent tetanus contains animal meat, turpentine, and kerosine. Another contains sulfur and lard to treat and prevents livestock disease. Near the end of the recording at 32:01, Neal tells a scary story told to children to prevent misbehaving.  Judge Tallie Neal Jr. (1917-1982) was born in Fulton County, Georgia, to Elizabeth E. Neal (1892-1973) and Judge Tallie Neal Sr. (1888-1940) and raised with two siblings Sarah Neal (1915-?) and James Neal (1920-?). In 1940 he joined the United States armed forces. He completed college and in 1942 he married Grace Bullock Davis (1914-2008). Robert Stanford Clack (1885-1976) was born in Auburn, Georgia, with four brothers and two sisters. During World War I, he served in the United States armed forces; later he moved to DeKalb County where he managed a farm and then worked as a carpenter. He married Rosa Alma Smith (1891-1957) and they had two children, Winnie (1910-1992) and Aubry (1912-1992).  AHC Oral History Cataloging Worksheet File Information Catalogue ~<'< loOq, \t() ro number ~"0 "''' .""J, \ .., ,/ Source Field* (ContentDM) Release form ~orNo Transcript Yes or No scanned: From Yes or(r<Jd) Default text: Contributed by an OR: Donated by individual: individual through <your org, name> " through <your org. name> Georgia Folkiore Collection Object Information Enter information about the Title (interviewee name and date of interview) bt)( (\ ,\{\ J 'Il~{\ cloA- h"i\ ,j..\\1 \11 \RlI'S , Ge, .\ ,bj tr'0~ ,(";\,')v;c,,,,\ '", \.vln,,9,r .\, [1,41,.~"llJ' . 0'0<, t)(, , "'<l.I(,) Description (bio on interviewee) .IJI >. r'-;'\iZ<A\l'~\; '!.A{,,,tl ,"~cv~\' "I)'l)I!\,~"vv""I(~'fj'"'"",.-\1U",\ ,r~,~' ,.-,,"'I, '~X'tI 'J ""f'''' III'''',It', sle <is' ,,' 11f' Of" FIA;,b,,,k .S\e" ." v\\I.""I'h, 1 Creator (Enter either an individual's name or an organization) Collection Name (within the organization) 3U0)0\ !,'\ u,j, \t \(XlVi Burrison Folklore Class Georgia Folklore Archives Creation Date Exact Date (yyyy-mm-dd) /4bCY Oc(CyLj(" r II (use only one) I-Y-e-a-r-(i-fo-n-Iy-t-h-e-ye-a-r-is-k-n-OW-n-)--+--'-~""--'---"""-",,--,~'-.!L-'-'--''-----'--'--------j Circa (4 digit year) Object Type Year Span Image_ Text - Text and image _ Video and sound Sound only ~ - From To Media Format Reel-reel (VHS, reel to reel, etc) Recording Hours: 0 extent Minutes: ';2, \:,CJ' Sl Derivatives Access copy: Yes or No Access copy format: Recording clip Clip extent: Time code for clip (h:m:s) Yes or No Beginning: ()', 1.1 ; !) 0 End: (r;)u e',', ;',\ i;'fl Notes (interview summary) , th, C)()l.C\,\ ~\'}Q ()\>\ U '2:, (\~, t" \\O\~;w ('U\'(, \J-))\'U', I \J\f'('C)t'f\\ Or,C\' \1\\ (t,l\ - HI. CJ <AC!", te\l~ ';';Of'\{) (:;hc,:;Z ~.';h)\ '0, t))()\ \ \ ,(' n \)\\~\' q, \\\)~Y\ to ("\e,f.l", ,Iq!;.,.".> 't un _ '~.". , ......,l' V 1.\'.,. ~.~"" n \'f CiI)(\' \ , , ,. , ~fA\\:,. IJtot ,,('}\)'u, (\U\ Q(" \ 0\ \,1'(:1\ \':"1  1,'\" (;. (\)X'i'<\ -be 1\'C, ~,(\)dft"! Ccd \"\ (\ \ OJ\() t, \\p v:\\(' ,,\ (I,I,,\) \ \ \ i: f\, ~\ Li \ t, ,to '" i 2 Recording issues (background noise, echo, static, etc,) Subject Information Enter 'Informat'Ion about the content 0 f theob)l'eCt here: Subject Date Exact Date (yyyy-mm-dd) (use only one) Year (if only the year is known) Circa (4 digit year) Year Span From To Subject Who Last Name First Name MI o (').QK . Kt)t)'~ \~ -( . ,")'t).{.\ \'i)\ ,) !JCA\ t l \,:.<\ \.,Q(\i\ \ l'h e-Cb ANn \. ';_;U1t.(\'c,--, T ( Jvl.IS :') I c, SUbject Country State .County Town Local Name Location \)Sf"\ (~I\ Atlc\NY( q Subject What AHC Cataloger will complete this for you, (LOC subject headinns onlv) Keywords Burrison, John Personal names See subjeqt who for additional n~mes (' \ c\\' \< '1'\ \) \>\' \ ( ~CIV\' \\,,' .(' ......... _. \' .. I ._\ ",'" ,J n'et.A \ , "I !l".,..'-L/;' t ,'~._,\)t, >, ~\,'i\ I. i _.\ \J CJ(\C 3 Corporate names Geographic locations Topics i~ I. (\) ('; C)/\()(j\J V ,(~(U(\j( _,n \ ( I:) ,\ 4 Do You Remember the One  ? by Susan Williams for Mr. Burrison Folklore 300 Georgia State University I I Ji,,',:f . j'\ 11/;\.'/' /. .{"j I /,1 I I, "_.' " (f /-' ( , i' December 1, 1969 I I I I 1 I 1 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Table of Contents Biological Sketch of Mr. Clack             .  1 CUre for Warts by Prayer ....... 3 Cure for Stopping Blood by Prayer . 3 Oure for Thrash by Prayer 3 Anecdote about stopping Blood  .        . "      4 Tale about Crippled Man in Cemetery  7 Tale about Dead Man and Potato        .  . "     . 8 Tale about Haunted House and Cat               Haunted Houses                        Description of Log House  .    II             12 Witohes  " ... 14 Eclipse of Sun                     . 16 Biological Sketch of Mrs. Neal  17 Cure for Warts by Hiding Han~(erchief.       . 17 Cure for Warts with Bag of Stones.              18 Cure for Warts with Rooster and Corn             19 Cure for Thrash.                       19 Anecdote about Ouring Thrash                 19 Cure for Burns ,dth Collard Leaves            21 Anecdote about Curing Burns . .       "    .   . 21 Dog Days               Cure for Cuts with Kerosine and Meat                         23 23 Cure for Croop with Onion Poltice               2'5 Sassafras Tea to Thin the Blood                26 Cure for Mange or Ground Itch     .         .   27 Anecdote about Curing Mange    .              27 Rawhide and Bloody Bone s    .      . .  "      28 Tale about Old Lady and Robbers                29 Tale about Lady Churning.                   31 Do You Remember the One  ? Remembering stories and events of decades long past and quickly overcome by today's fast-changing world is sometimes an impossible task. But when these pieces of life in the good old days are remembered, it can be a valuable and interesting experience. ManIs past is elusive and may be lost forever if someone is not in the right place at the right time to record it. Man I s history is an integral part of him and his actions today are a reflection of his past. In our complex world it has become all-important for man to understand his fellow man; to do this he must first understand himself. The collection of folklore, one manls knOWledge of how it used to be, and thus part of the key to why men are the way they are, can help men understand each other I s motives for their actions. And while it helps him understand, it can also entertain and provide a permanent and accurate record of his past. Folklore can give us a "feeling" of an age gone by--something we might never experience by reading a history book or tallying statistics. It can preserve a culture I was introduced to my first informant by my father Who had talked to him occasionally when he stopped to buy vegetables from him. Mr'. Robert Sanford Clack of 2595 Caldwell Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia (DeKalb County), was born on July 19, 1885, and is 84 years old. Born in Orbern, Georgia, he also lived in Winder, near Bethlehem, and in Atlanta, Most of his childhood lias spent in Winder, Georgia, where he lived 2 with his brother-in-law after the death of his father. He grew up on a farm and was a farmer by occupation until 1925. Mr. Clack had four brothers and two sisters and he went through the third grade (then called the third class) in school. \Vhen he attended school, it was in a "log house" where the grades two through nine were all taught in one room by one teacher. However, he did not like school and I..hen he did no~ attend, rabbit hunting was his favorite form of hooky. He continued to enjoy hunting and told me of the time when the area where he now lives was sMll woods and he hunted here. He was married and had one son and one daughter and his main vocation was that of carpenter. He also enjoys gardening and now keeps a large garden of collards, sweet pota~oes and other foods. He still seems to be very attached to the earth as most "moderns" are not. Mr. Clack has lived in his present house for thirty-five years and seems to be a happy, religious man conten~ with his life. He began my interview with him by telling me hovi he cures various ailments. vlilliams: I'm Susan Williams from Georgia State University, at the home of Mr. R. S. Clack at 2595 Caldwell Road, in Atlanta, Georgia. And Mr. Clack is going to tell me some ways you can cure warts and things like that, and some scary stories, and anything else he can think of. Okay, you were, uh. Let.s see, first you told me how you can take a vlart off, didn.t you? Clack: Huh? 3 Williams: First you told me how you could take a wart off. Clack: Yeah, by saying 'OUr Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. Take that wart off of  ' \Vhat's his name? Williams: \1hatever the name? Clack: Yeah. Williams: My name, say, SUsan Williams. Clack: Yeah, yeah. vlell, uh, whatever anybody's name is. And the same way about stopping blood or anything. Say, 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, and \vith thy power, stop that flow of blood' on ever whose nose is a bleedin', ya know, John or Bill or anybody1s. Williams: Un-huh. Clack: And the same way about the, the thrash. If a little bitty kid got blisterin l err won1t nurse or nothing, won1t use the bottle, they got it called the thrash. You just say the same thing, 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, and \vith thy power stop that flow of thrash on I and then call the baby by its name. Williams: And didn't you, uh, do that for some people one time? Clack: Three times, and it'll be all, all right. Williams: It worked, huh? Clacle: You can recollect (?) that an' all. \iilliams: IVho did you do it for? Do you, would, do you mind telling me? Clacle: v/ho did I do it? Well, I, I don't know, know of none around here. Lot 'a kids around here. The little Adams' girl right up the street here come, her Da , Grandpa come down here--oh--a month ago, I reckon his nose was bleeding. She said he said his nose quit bleedin' gin (?) he got back up there. But I don't know but I forgot what the youngin t S n , name was now. Williams: Didn't you tell me about a Roy Perkle? Clack: Yeah, Mr. Roy Perkle. He's a old man \'lOrked at the \ialkendorth Nursery when they used to have a nursery over here. And, Mr. Range, he come over here one night, 'bout sundown, wanted me to see if I could stop Mr. Perlele's nose from bleedin' an' they had it packed with cotton an' everything else. An' he told his wife to look, give 5 hiln Ibout time to git over here and then look to See wha--his nose quit bleedin!. And he said when he got back OITer, I said, his wife said that uh, just about time he had time to get over there his nose had quit bleedin'. And that's been fifteen, twenty year ago. If the old man's nose ever bled anymore, I don't know it. I'lilliams: um. And who'd you say taught you how to do this? Clack: Huh? \'iilliams: Who taught you how to do this, where did you learn Clack: (overlapped) M , Mrs. Garner, an old lady, do,m at Winder, Georgia. Williams: Winder? Clack: Un-huh. \~ell, we I s out in the country down at \~inder, and that's out at, that's my hometO\iO, Winder is. Yeah, I 'as raised up down by Senator Russell. Williams: Un-huh. Clack: I know Senator ever since he 'as born, I'm old, I'm thirteen year older than -I;he Senator is. Williams: 6 How old is that? Clack; Eighty-four. Williams: Eighty-four! Clack: Be eighty-five next July. Williams: Uh-well, let.s see, uh, didnt you tell me you cured the thrash for your little girl? Was that it? Clack: \fuat? Williams: That you little girl, when she was born, had the thrash? Clack? Yeah. You know that Iva Io/illiams: that you Clack: it, it don't 10 , the little boy  Williams: ah, your little boy. Clack: Well, no nw little girl had the thrash when the old ma. , old lady, learnt me how to conjure the thrash. But that's been fifty year ago. \~illiams: Well, let's see  Do you know how to cure anything else like aching feet or Glack: No, I  Williams: earaches, anything else? Glack: Donlt believe I do. I, I got old scary tales that I can tell you about. Williams: Okay, now, got some scary tales, huh? Glack: Yeah. He said one time there las an old feller that couldn't walk, cripple an' all, had to sit up with him, with the  two fellows settin' up ,dth him one night. Said, they got to talkin' about c  , cemetery. They said, one of 'em said that he wouldn't go down there fer nothin'. That feller that couldn't walk said hetd go down and stay all night if he could get down there. Said, they picked him up and toted him down to the cemetery. My daddy-in-law said, said there's fellows down there on (?) the cemetery, said, s'pectin' this bUddy to bring in a sheep--they'd stealinl sheep. Said they went totin' that old man in on his back--that old feller under the little old house buil't on the cemetery. Said, he crawled out said 'Is he fat or lean? I That feller throwed that old cripple man off his shoulder, says 'Fat or lean, take him. I An', said that cripple man got up an' outrun the " i / i'i '  \ 8 other folks back to the house. Williams: Qh  Well, my goodness. Who told you that story? Clack: Huh? Williams: Who told that story to you? Clack: Huh? \'iilliams: \'lbo told that story to you? Clack: My daddy-in-law. Uh, uh, he told one said one time there's old guy died--this old bachelor lived out in the country. Two of them went along to set up that night with him an' said they'd got some sweet potatoes and they scratched it out in the ashes and they roasted them in the ashes. And said they'd eat on the ;potatoes awhile. He said, oneof them went to sleep. Said the other one, he, he got up and picked that, raised that dead Inan up and put a ohair to his baok, sat him up in the bed and stuck a 'tater in his mouth. Said, he reached over and shook the old man that was asleep and said 'Looley here, I said, 'he done got up and eatin' a 1 tater. ' Williams: Oh gosh  Clack: And he.... Said they both jumped up and ran out and left the old 9 feller settin' there with a 'tater in his mouth. Williams: I guess that could be pretty scary--especially after a deep sleep! Clack: Yeah, he just all the time tellin l something' funny that way at night. I lived in a house with him first years I was married, me and my wife, and sometimes he'd set up till bed~till late bedtime tellin' funny jokes that way. Williams: Well, I remember we used to tell a lot of those when I was little and they scared me half to death, I think. Did he tell you about any haunted houses or anything around you? Clack: Yeah, he told one about an old hainted house--nobody wouldn't stay in it. Said, one feller said, he'd stay in there. Said, they told him he, bet he wouldn't. So, he got up his supper and his bed clothes and he went down and got in that old house, that, 'bout dark he \~ent and spread his supper out on the table an I sat do~m to eat. Said a cat jumped up on the other end, no head on. Says, 'Two of us tonight.' That feller jumped up says 'Won't be but one in a little while. I Said he, he tore out down the road, said, run down the road a piece and settled down on a log to rest. Said, the old cat sat down on the log beside of him, said, 'You're a pretty good runner. I The feller jumped up, said, 'You ainlt seen no runnin' yet!' vfilliams: Well, did you know where that house was? 10 Clack: Huh? I'lilliams: Did you know where that haunted house was? Clack: No, I, I knowed where they claimed to be a hainted house, but I never did see nothing there. I never, I never have seen nothing. I don't believe in no such tom-follery. Some of 'em ask me if I'm afraid to stay here by myself. I said 'no.' That feller Whitehead out yonder, said he wouldn't stay out there for, by himself fer nothin'. I been here, soon be twelve year by myself. \filliams: Oh, really? Clack: Is that thing made, puttin' this on there? Williams: Um-uh. But that's okay. \'-'ell, let's see. There any haunted houses around here? Clack: Not that I lrnow, no hainted around here. 'Round Winder, there claim to be one over there we all call Aunt Emily Thompson old place. Just down belo~1 Bethlehem campground, old /two-story log house '.Ithat some folks, Twitters, or some such a name as that, killed one another din (?) that stairs down in that old house. And they claim that you can hear folks hollerin' in there. See, well there was scme blood on the floor--an old black place on the floor, where they said one of 11 'em bled and died. But I, they've tore the old house down nOvl, so it's all gone, I guess. Williams: Wonder why they killed each other? Clack: They's, I don.t know what they's fightin l about. They told, but then I done forgot. Williams: V Were they bothers, is that what they were? A Clack: I think they was brothers. Ivilliams: Um. Clack: One of 'em upstairs, and they clajmed he shot, the other one shot him upstairs. Now you knOVI the, down here at Winder that big lake down there. You've heared of it, haven't you? That st  vJilliams: No. Clack: st. Yogy (?), Yogy lru{e? (possibly Yargo?) Williams: I don't think I have, but Clack: An old Indian name, you know. Iven it's a big lru{e. I don't knOVI, there's several hundred acres of land down there. And they, 12 they got what they call an old fort, where there used to be an old Indian fort, you know. Big old log house, and the logs is, oh, they're twelve, fourteen inches wide. They been split and notched dOvm and they pegged up with peg--ain't got no nails in lem. And they got over the windows an over the doors ani on each side of the chimley, peep holes they call 'em, 'bout six inches square, where they peeped out them holes and shot Indians. That's, last time I was down there I tried to find a, thought maybe I could find a bUllet, but them logs have gotten picked so they, they picked all to pieces. There wasn't, there ain't a bullet to be found in that old log. It's a big old twostory, well, not a very big house, it's a two, two-story old built on, back in old Indian times. \villiams: I wonder if there's any ghosts in that? Clack: Huh? \villiams: I wonder if there's any ghosts in that? Clack: I don't know. It's old enough. I been in it and went up, upstairs, it's got upstairs to it. And then I went out in the front yard about fifty feet, a little further, a big, finest spring you ever saw in your life. Williams: Um. Clack: 13 Now this is a government Williams: A what? Cla ck: A government bUilding down Williams: Oh. Clack: building down there. The lake belongs to the government. Anybody goes down there. We go down there have our eat, have dinners down there. Williams: lhn. Clack: An', this, they got great old big shelters built Williams: That's really nice. Clack: That a, and there are barbeque places, everything, skatin' rinks, just everything else down in one of them places. They's three on the Monroe side, on the Augusta side, and then there's boy scouts and I don't know "hat allover on the Monroe side going down from Winder to Monroe, on the Monroe side. Williams: Urn-huh. Clack: 14 There's 1800 acres of ground in, in all of it. And they're buildin' oh I don't, theY're buildin' for this folks that's not able, like this boy across the street here, in a rollin' chair, and such as that, theY're buildin' 'em houses down there. And they can go down there and register and stay all night and all day for a dollar and a half, I think they said. Williams: Urn. \~ell, tell me this, a, do you know any witches or did you ever hear anybody tell about witches or anything like that? Clack: Yeah, they'll talk about witches, but I never did know much about none of 'em. Williams: Well what did they have to say about 'em? Clack: Oh, they claim that they'd get to come in an' you could see 'em movin' around an' comin' in and maybe b ... , walking around in the house where you was at. And you could see it, it was.... I lived in a place five year and they claim you could see a woman come in there with a black bonnet on. I never did see nobody. I sta,yed there five year. Some folks that lived 'there before I did claimed that woman came in dressed in black with a bonnet on. See her goin l round in the kitchen. Williams: Urn. Clack: But I ... vlilliams: And she was supposed to be a witch? Clack: Supposed to a been a witch in there. I'lilliams: Urn. Clack: I didn't see nobody. I stayed there five year. I never did see no witch an' no ghost or nothing else. Williams: Ive11, do you remember any other stories about haunts, or  Clack: No, I Ivilliams: ghosts or anythng like that? Clack: That's about the end of what stories I know, I believe. I'lilliams: Okay. \villiams: Okay. Well, let's see, we were saying you were born in 1885. Clack: Urn-hum. I, you want to start about the, the eclipse now or Ivi11iams: Yeah, well, let's see you were fifteen when that 16 Clack: Yeah. I l'laS fU"l;een in 1900. A totB~ eclipse of the sun, about 9:30 on one morning. I was sittin l , I was choppin l cotton. It got so dark why, I just turned around an' set down on the terrace. It went on over and it just a tie-totally (?) clean covered it up outside, a little streak I believe on my finger on the south side. And then it begin to go baok. Begin to get light. I got up and went home again. Williams: And what did all the animals do? Clack: The cows, they, they t,hought it was night. 'fhey l'lent up to the barn an f the chickens even, went to roost. My Mother told me before I ,lent out there. I was a long ways from home, I guess half a mile up there I suppose, that there's goin f be a total eclipse an f not to try to come home, Hid be over l'lith in a little bit, so not be a-scared. So I."  Williams: Well I l'londer how she lenel'l? Clack: She knew, back them days I think they had a total eclipse 'bout every two or three years, back l'lay back fifty, a hundred years ago. Williams: Huh. At this point Mr. Clack began asking me questions about my fathe~ the tape recorder and other things not relating to my project, and I 17 ended my interview with him. My second infonnant, Mrs. Elizabeth Everett Neal, was introduced to me by Judy Neal, Mrs. Neal's granddaughter. Mrs. NeaL lives at 3999 Beechwood Drive, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia (l?u1ton County), but the interview was conducted at her son's home at 2848 North Thompson Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia (DeKalb County). Mrs. Neal is a remarkable woman with a clear, sharp memory and very eager to help. She was born in Sugarvalley, Georgia, but grew up in Atlanta. Her family, oonsisting of three sisters and one brother, grewup on Fairbank Street in Southwest Atlanta, "when i't was a nice section." She graduated from Girl's High. School and worked for the Fulton County Courthouse Superior Court for t!;enty-five years. She was married and had two sons and one daughter. Mrs. Neal said repeatedly how she tries to tell her grandchildren these stories as she remembers them. Her son's wife, Mrs. Judge T. Neal, also told a few stories, but the interview !;as mainly .'lith Mrs. Elizabeth Neal. Her first contributions were old home remedies she remembers from her childhood. Williams: I'm at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Judge Neal and, uh, I will speak to Mrs. Neal's ma , to Mr. Neal's mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Neal. E. Neal: Dm. Uh, well, I remember when I was uh, a little girl that uh. I al.;ays had warts on my hands. And, uh, somebody would tell me about these !;arts--wha-t -to do for -them. So, my Aunt come -to see us one day and she said 'Oh, TilTf, , .;hat in the world are you doing !'lith all that, that big old wart under your fingernail? I And I said 'Oh my 18 goodness. I don It knOli, I cain' t get it,' you know, I I cain' t get it off.' And uh, she said 'Well, ] '11 tell you. I, I'm just going to buy that wart.' And she gave me a real pretty little handkerchief. And she said 'Now you hide this handkerchief where you'll forget where it is, and, one day, uh, you look at your hand in about a month "nd, and uh, the wart will be gone.' And, uh, I did and find and I looked at my hand and the wart was gone and I could never find the handlcerchief. Uh, later I l.lh,. after I got older \.lh, my uh, one of the salesmen comes by the house said.... I had developed more warts and, uh, I had about seven, and he said 'vlell, what are you doing with all those warts on your hand?' And I said 'Well, I don't know, they just come.' He said 'You been a flayin' (sic, should be playing) luth the frogs?' And I said 'No,' I didn't play with the frogs, I don.t reckon.' So, he said 'Well, I'll tell you how, how to get tid of them.' I said '\'1ell, fine. What?' He said , You make a pretty little bag, attractive looking, and uh, pick up as many pretty little stones as you have warts and put them in that little bag. And have a drawstring, draw it up and Nalk down the street and when no, Nhen no, not anybody lookin', and throw it over your left shoulder. Just throw And then, don't look baCk, just walk on back and leave it there, and, in a short time the warts'll be gone.' And they were. So Williams: Well, was somebody supposed to, to get them? Was somebody supposed to pick the bag up? (overlapped) E. Neal: Yes, well uh, yes, they pick.... The one that picks up the bag 19 gets the warts. Um. \iilliams: I wouldn't want to pick it up! l'lrs. J. Neal: Mother, tell her about when Jud got burned and what Granny did. Mr. Neal: No, tell her about the rooster while she's at it. E. Neal: About the rooster and the... Yeah, another one, another one, I did not do this one about the rooster, but l've been told this one lots of times, that uh, to get a grain of re  , uh, re  , uh red grain of corn and pick the wart a little and let it bleed just a little and, on that grain of corn, and go out, and give it to the old rooster, and the wart'll leave. So, now I didn't try that one, but I'm, I thiru{ it would work just the same. I'm a firm believer in wa , conjurin' warts. Now, have I missed any? Mrs. J. Neal: I dOn't lmow any more wart stories. E. Neal: I, uh, well, but I will tell you about the, uh, thrash in children's mouth. You know, I had, uh, my son, was about eighteen, well I don't know whether he was eighteen months, oh no, he was about a year old, I, and he got this yellovi thrash. His mouth was just as yellow inside as it could be'. And uh, and it rose, and just, I thought just run pus out you know. A \;hole cupful I Well, I'd taken him to the doctor all the time arlthey didn't seem like they could do anything and, my sister 20 said 'You bring him over here, bring him over here to my house. There1 s an old lady that never did see her Daddy. She was born after he died. And she cures thrash.' And she came up, and she came up to my sister's house and spent the night one night, and frrnn then on Mr. Neal: She breathed in (overlapped) E. Neal: that throat got better. He got all right. Hr. Neal: She breathed in my mouth, mama. E. Neal: What? Mr. Neal: She's supposed to breath in their mouth. E. Neal: Well, I don't, she, they won't tell you. She doesn't tell you. But that, it might be what they did. I don't know. But, uh, she just said that she doctored it and, and that's what she, you Imow.... Hrs. J. Neal: Well, what did not seeing her father have to do with it? E. Neal: I don't know what that is, it just uh, just something that goes !'lith people that's never seen their Daddy, that was born after he died. Um, um. !1rs. J. Neal: In other words, people that know their parents couldn't do that? 21 E. Neal: No, don't reckon they could. At least that's the only one I ever did hear of, but she, it sure did get that thrash out of his mouth. Urn, urn. All right. All right, Grace, ask me something else. Mrs. J. Neal: Well tell them about your home remedies, like E. Neal: ah. Mrs. J. Neal: l'Jhen Jud got burned and you E. Neal: ah, when, I was, my mama was livin' with me when he got burned, and the hot water burned him here, and Brs. J. Neal: Jlnd on his leg, down in his shoe. E. Neal: Yeah, burned him on this hip, just all this hip, you know, ,~d in his buttonholes. So, uh, uh, she co.me, came home as fast as she could, she viaS at the store, and she said, uh, 'Go get some collard leaves from some'--one of our neighbors then had some collard--'get some big collard leaves,' and she put 'em in some warm, uh hot water, or warm water and wilted them. Jlnd then, she uh, put that, uh, she put a Brs. Bush's Burn Remedy, a little on the store (sore) and put that over it. Now, the main thing that, that col... , collard does help it, nothing sticks to it at all. It never makes a scab. It heals ldthout making a scab, m , out making a big scar. So 22 Mrs. J. Neal: He didn't have any scars left either. E. Neal: No. Mrs. J. Neal: It went down, they wore little button shoes E. Neal: Yeah. Mrs. J. Neal: it went all down in Mr. Neal: I got a scar on the top of my foot. E. Neal: That's where he got, it Mrs. J. Neal: It's not bad, though. E. Neal: went in his shoe buttonhole  Mrs. J. Neal: Like it would have been E. Neal: Well, the, you haven't got any up here where it stayed. Mr. Neal: No. E. Neal: Um-hum. Urn-hum. It just was as nice as you please. And it was 23 a big, you know, burn. Is this recording all this? Hrs. J. Neal: Yes, H'am. E. Neal: Come on, tell me something else. Jud? Hr. Neal: Well, I don't know E. Neal: Can't think of any (overlapped) Hr. Neal: About dog days E. Neal: Well, I, I don't know that good enough to tell you. But uh, anyway, you can put it down about the, when you uh, uh, la , the people those days didn't have a serum for anything, a lock jaw or anything, so they, uh knew that if you, when they paid a lot of attention to dog days, and when they, when it was dew on the grass they WJ uldn' t let them walk in it barefooted because theY'd get the stores (sores) would get infected and just make big sores. I don't know how, hovl they, t~(e ~m a long time to get them well. Williams: Urn,  E. Neal: That's all I know,about it--about dog days. When uh, vlhen you, la , When, then doctors didn't do or uh or have any shots or tetanus or anything. So you stuck a nail in your foot they get a take your 24 foot and uh pat it with something till they made it bleed good then they put, uh, put some kerosine on it and--kerosinefs a good medicine-and, uh, they'd put the, on it, and then cut a piece of fat meat good-~ about two, two inches square--uh, re  , just plain fat meat, side meat, and Illt it on, put a little maybe a little turpentine and kerosine on it and, uh, bandage it on there and it uh, cures it up. Mrs. J. Neal: It draws the infeotion out of the wound E. Neal: Draws the infection (overlapped) That's right--draws the infection out. Urn.... The fat meat, the fat meat does the suction of. 11rs. J. Neal: Yeah. E. Neal: Um-hum, um-hum Williams: \vell, uh E. Neal: Yeah, you Williams: 1'here was something about an onion poltice? E. Neal: Oh, yeah. Well.  Mrs. J. Neal: She still USes those if she aDn get anybody to let you put it on her. 25 E. Neal: Well, it.s one of the best things for a child you ever seen, when they get croop and stuff like that. Uh, uh, you, you, an Mrs. J. Neal: How do you make one, Mother? E. Neal: Well, uh you have to uh get you some big onions, three or four, uh, er what, n , not, how big you want your plaster, and you uh slice it and put it in--real lard's the best thing--to cook it till, don't rush it none, but let it melt it real uh, where it's limber. And uh then you just haveyou a good soft rag--a flannel rag's better-and just open it,up and put that, all that in, put, pour s  , put, dot some turpentine around on it Mrs. J. Neal: And corn meal. E. Neal: And uh, well you st ha , I didn't finish up the poltice, did 1'1 Mrs. J. Neal: No, M'am. E. Neal: You put, take the, the, get it soft and then you put, to keep that grease or anything runnin', you put meal, stir it up wj..th meal and make it just the right consistency, and, put it in that bag, and as hot as they can stand it, put it on their chest and around, and if you wanted to you could cover their whole, you know, their body 26 around with it. But uh, it sure takes the cold out. And this, I, the Doctor told me, he said 'Well, people Will tell you things can't go in the pores, but,' he said 'I'm just as sure that they do go in,' something like an onion poltice, an, and Doctor Maynard told me that. He said they do, uh, they do heal that way. So it'll, it'll take the cold out of, you know, keep 'em from havin' pneumonia or something. Urn Mrs. J. Neal: Tell her about the sulphur and lard--or the sulphur and molasses. E. Neal: Well, that's just a dose that if you, I don't know, I can remember-- no, I can't remember, but my mama used to tell me about how ever(y) Spring they always gave a, ever, the whole family some suI , a tablespoon of syrup and molasses mixed up, and, uh, also had ice, uh. Mrs. J. Neal: Sassafras E. Neal: Sassafras tea, get the roots, mllice some good strong sassafras tea, and they did that in the Spring to thin people's blood so they, uh, wouldn't have, uh, boils and stuff like that. Urn. And Mrs. J. Neal: Well, we used to drink sassafras tea. E. Neal: Yes, I can Mrs. J. Neal: I did it because I liked it. It was good--we didn't have any 27 coca-cola. E. Neal: Well, nearly everything you say now, Lord 'a mercy, no, uh they'd say 'Oh, sassafras tea does something, something to you, sassafras does.' I said 'Well, gosh da , everything you mention now is wrong. , Mrs. J. Neal: That the gene, generation gap. E. Neal: Um, um. Mrs. J. Neal: \vell, this is a remedy for animals but itt s one that's been passed down from our ancestors to use, uh, yellow sulphur and pure lard made from animal fat and. it's to cure mange or ground itch on dogs. And it actually works because we had a dog that had mange, and we had carried him to the vet and he had shots, and pills, and ointments which hadn't done any good and, uh, our aunt told us to try this, uh, potion E. Neal: No, where to buy (overlapped) Mrs. J. Neal: or whatever this ointment, or whatever you call it made from lard and sulphur, and we did, greased the animal with it, and,jt cured him. And our next door neighbor had a collie that was already at the last stages of the disease and the vet's were gonna put her to sleep and the little girl didn't want to lose her dog so we told her about it and she dosed him with this stuff every afternoon. And, that's 28 been several years ago and he's a beautiful dog today--still livin'. E. Neal: Um, um Mrs. J. Neal: With no mange. So I know for a fact it works. E. Neal: Um-hum. t1rs. J. Neal: If you've got the patienCe to do it. Ivilliams: And where did you say this came from--the re... , 'Iho told you? Mrs. J. Neal: Uh... Hy husband's aunt, and she 's, she's an old lady about seventy-five, I imagine. And she, it was something that she had used and something that her family had used over a period of years. Hrs. J. Neal: Well this is not a story that yOU'll find printed in any books but when we were children we lived on a farm and uh, when we weren't good--misbehaved--instead of tellin' us we were gonua be punished or something was gonua be taken away from us, they'd say 'If you don't be good, 01' rawhide and bloody bones is gonua get you.' E. Neal: That was after night. Mrs. J. Neal: At nighttime.... And 'course, nobody could visua.lize ,mat in the world rawhide and bloody bones was. Bu't they'd say 'Shhhh.... Dont  29 you hear him scratchin' on the house? He's out in the chimney corner.' And just about scare you out of your wits. But, till this day I don't know what rawhide and bloody bones could of possibly have looked liked. But I know one thing, I sure was mortally afraid of him. E. Neal: Well, stop it now and let's think a little more. E. Neal: I'll see if you think this is, this uh, old lady lived in a house by herself--way back in the woods. An' these robbers, uh, had been out stealin' uh, that night and they came back and they didn't know anybody was in that uh, uh--they'd stole animals, and, too, and they uh, sa when they went over to this house with their animals and they got, stayed out in the yard and skinned them and then they went inside and they got to talkin' and, so uh  After awhile one of them, they took out the paunch, you know, I guess it's the bladder, but they took the paunch out of this animaJ., and so this old lady is stillsittin1 back in there and hadn't said anything, and so, uh, they took out that paunch and they just threw it over there. Said, 'Here Grandma, is your I nightcap.' And, uh, so she picked it up and put it on, and uh, put that thing over her head and she went to the door and she said 'Well how do you think I look?' And she scared 'em all so bad they left all of their animals and run off, and run She used to tell us so lnany, and especially about that and about those chains a-fallin', but I can't remember it, good, I don't knol1 why. \~illiams: About in haunted houses? 30 E. Neal: Yeah. Um-huh. Yeah. Ohains a-fallin' ani everything, but, I was trying to -think of one that Mrs. J. Neal: Well, Mother you remember any of those riddles they used to tell? I don.t renlember those, but do you remember any--I can remember when I was real snaIl they used to sit around the fire in the evenings and tell riddles, but I can.t remember any of those riddles. Don't you remember any of them? Remember any of the answers to them? E. Neal: No, I can't remember. I'm tryin' to thiill<. It takes a lot of thinkin l matter to bring back all these things. Mrs. J. Neal: Yeah. E. Neal: But I try not to forget everything like that. MnI t many could tell you a lot of them, I know. Let.s see. Hum Mrs. J. Neal: I don't remember the E. Neal: I know one in the book about the Mrs. J. Neal: It canlt be one in the book. E. Neal: No, uh Mrs. J. Neal: 31 This has to be homemade. E. Neal: \'Jell you know that anyway l1here the dog, the cat an' the dog an' all took off together and told a stcry. \Vell--you can, why don't you stop it a minute and \oJilliams: Okay. Judy Neal: It's not any big thing. Mrs. J. Neal: No, it's kind'a nasty even. Not vulgar nasty but just plain nasty. E. Neal: This old lady was way out in the country and she 1IlaS sittin' dol'lll churnin' and churnin' and so she, uh, raised the lid to, uh, look in and see how the butter was coming along and the cat jumped in the churn. And so, she 10  , she said 'Oh lny. \Vell, I'll just fix you up.' She picked it up l:ly the ears and stripped it dol'lll and said 'You take nothin' in you take nothin' outl' Mrs. J. Neal: I t was real nasty I 1'his ended my interview with the Neal's. I found these people, and Mr. Clack, to be very warm and anxious to help me. They realiz.ed that the stories they remembered from childhood days are in danger of bec~ning completely forgotten. Once lost, they can never be recovered 32 and if that should happen, an important aspect of life would be lost. This collection project gave me a valuable experience. Although much good information can be learned in a classroom, it can not compare to actual face-to-face encounters with the subject itself. And so, while I learned more about folklore itself, I also learned more about people in general. My frame of reference has been broadened and more awareness of lUy past has come with it. It was an experience to remember I  A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access.  Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions.  As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us inaposition to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, andbias isreflected in our descriptions, whichmay not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materialsaccurately.Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment.We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created.Additionally,our work to use reparative languagewhereLibrary of Congress subject termsareinaccurate and obsolete isongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or description please let us know by emailingreference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.