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"A Night with the Hants": And Other Alabama Folk Experiences
This volume represents a good cross section of the folktales of Alabama, of all citizens from all parts of the state.
286 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
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October 29, 2022One time dare was a man studyin' to be a minister and he brain bad. So he go to de doctor. De doctor 'vised dat he see a speshlist.
De speshlist say dat he need a brain operation. He say dat de brain got to come out and be scraped and retimed. So de man he left de brain dare and went away. He 'sposed to come back in a few days for de brain, but he never come back. Few days later de speshlist see de man on de streets weavin' back an' fo'th. So de speshlist ast him why he never come back for he brain. Say it been ready for days now. De man say that he could keep it. Say when he come in with de bad brain he was studyin' to be a minister and he needed he brain, but now he's 'cided to be a doctor and he won't need it.
Rev. R.M. Hamner (pg. 97)
One of the best ways to catch fish is with a wart or a corn. These make excellent bait. One time, for instance, there was a man down near La Pine, Alabama, who was out logging in the woods. He was logging on the river down to Mobile. One day he decided to catch some fish. He had his hook and line, but didn't have any bait. Well, he didn't let this bother him long. He just took out his knife and cut off a big wart that was on the palm of his hand, put it on his hook, and caught the biggest fish that he had ever caught.
Mrs. Weark (pg. 143)
One time two men was killed down at the crossroads just below our house, at Academy Lane near Cherokee Street, and for a long time after that, we could see lights down there every night. Now those lights was the hants of those murdered men.
Mrs. A.H. Blankenship (pg. 145-146)
There was a family had an old African * cooking for them, and they had a mighty fine baby, just about three or four months Old, a awful fat baby. And this * tended to it a lot. And one Sunday morning this family were getting ready to go to church.
The baby had gone to sleep, was in the crib. So the woman said to the * woman: "I believe I'll leave the baby here with you while you fix dinner. It's asleep and probably won't wake up. And you can keep it till we get back. The preacher is coming home with us for dinner, and I want you to fix a real good dinner.' The * told her all right.
So they left and went on to church. Just as soon as they were gone, the old * woman was studying what she was going to fix for dinner. So she went in and looked at the baby, and it was so fat, till she said, "Well, I don't see why we couldn't have a fine dinner off that baby." Old Africans eat babies a lot. So she took the butcher knife and cut the baby's head off. And she cooked its body, and made a stew with it. And at dinner they came in, and she covered the baby back, just left its head there and placed the blankets back.
At dinner they went in and ate dinner, and ate the stew, they didn't know what they were eating, and they all bragged on it being such a good stew.
So the mother got to getting uneasy about the baby. She asked the * if it hadn't waked. She said, "Nome," it hadn't waked.
And after she'd eat dinner, she went in there to see, and turned the cover back, and there was just the baby's head. So she asked the old * why she had done that, and she said, "Well, you told me to fix the best thing I could think of for the preacher, and that was the best thing I could think of."
She told her husband what the * had done. And he said,
"Well, we're going to punish her the worst that we can think of to punish her."
They said, "We're going to put rich lider splinters under her fingernails and toenails and set them afire and burn her." And that's the way they put her to death, burned her.
Mrs. Cora Lee Pennington (pg. 152)
One night some women were sitting up with a corpse. They were in the room alone with the corpse. The men were on the outside of the room. About midnight suddenly the women saw the corpse start wiggling, and heard the bed springs creaking. They were not easily frightened and at first they ignored the movement. In a few minutes, however, there was a large movement of the corpse and the women went out to get the men to come in and see what was wrong. The men came in and went over to the corpse, which was still jumping up and down. They caught the corpse and rolled it over. Just as they did, three big black cats sprang out from under the body and jumped out the window. When the men examined the corpse they saw that the whole under side of it had been eaten away.
Ray Browne (pg. 186)
One night some women were sitting up with a corpse. They were in the room alone with the corpse. The men were on the outside of the room. About midnight suddenly the women saw the corpse start wiggling, and heard the bed springs creaking. They were not easily frightened and at first they ignored the movement.
In a few minutes, however, there was a large movement of the corpse and the women went out to get the men to come in and see what was wrong. The men came in and went over to the corpse, which was still jumping up and down. They caught the corpse and rolled it over. Just as they did, three big black cats sprang out from under the body and jumped out the window. When the men examined the corpse they saw that the whole under side of it had been eaten away.
Ray Browne (195)
De speshlist say dat he need a brain operation. He say dat de brain got to come out and be scraped and retimed. So de man he left de brain dare and went away. He 'sposed to come back in a few days for de brain, but he never come back. Few days later de speshlist see de man on de streets weavin' back an' fo'th. So de speshlist ast him why he never come back for he brain. Say it been ready for days now. De man say that he could keep it. Say when he come in with de bad brain he was studyin' to be a minister and he needed he brain, but now he's 'cided to be a doctor and he won't need it.
Rev. R.M. Hamner (pg. 97)
One of the best ways to catch fish is with a wart or a corn. These make excellent bait. One time, for instance, there was a man down near La Pine, Alabama, who was out logging in the woods. He was logging on the river down to Mobile. One day he decided to catch some fish. He had his hook and line, but didn't have any bait. Well, he didn't let this bother him long. He just took out his knife and cut off a big wart that was on the palm of his hand, put it on his hook, and caught the biggest fish that he had ever caught.
Mrs. Weark (pg. 143)
One time two men was killed down at the crossroads just below our house, at Academy Lane near Cherokee Street, and for a long time after that, we could see lights down there every night. Now those lights was the hants of those murdered men.
Mrs. A.H. Blankenship (pg. 145-146)
There was a family had an old African * cooking for them, and they had a mighty fine baby, just about three or four months Old, a awful fat baby. And this * tended to it a lot. And one Sunday morning this family were getting ready to go to church.
The baby had gone to sleep, was in the crib. So the woman said to the * woman: "I believe I'll leave the baby here with you while you fix dinner. It's asleep and probably won't wake up. And you can keep it till we get back. The preacher is coming home with us for dinner, and I want you to fix a real good dinner.' The * told her all right.
So they left and went on to church. Just as soon as they were gone, the old * woman was studying what she was going to fix for dinner. So she went in and looked at the baby, and it was so fat, till she said, "Well, I don't see why we couldn't have a fine dinner off that baby." Old Africans eat babies a lot. So she took the butcher knife and cut the baby's head off. And she cooked its body, and made a stew with it. And at dinner they came in, and she covered the baby back, just left its head there and placed the blankets back.
At dinner they went in and ate dinner, and ate the stew, they didn't know what they were eating, and they all bragged on it being such a good stew.
So the mother got to getting uneasy about the baby. She asked the * if it hadn't waked. She said, "Nome," it hadn't waked.
And after she'd eat dinner, she went in there to see, and turned the cover back, and there was just the baby's head. So she asked the old * why she had done that, and she said, "Well, you told me to fix the best thing I could think of for the preacher, and that was the best thing I could think of."
She told her husband what the * had done. And he said,
"Well, we're going to punish her the worst that we can think of to punish her."
They said, "We're going to put rich lider splinters under her fingernails and toenails and set them afire and burn her." And that's the way they put her to death, burned her.
Mrs. Cora Lee Pennington (pg. 152)
One night some women were sitting up with a corpse. They were in the room alone with the corpse. The men were on the outside of the room. About midnight suddenly the women saw the corpse start wiggling, and heard the bed springs creaking. They were not easily frightened and at first they ignored the movement. In a few minutes, however, there was a large movement of the corpse and the women went out to get the men to come in and see what was wrong. The men came in and went over to the corpse, which was still jumping up and down. They caught the corpse and rolled it over. Just as they did, three big black cats sprang out from under the body and jumped out the window. When the men examined the corpse they saw that the whole under side of it had been eaten away.
Ray Browne (pg. 186)
One night some women were sitting up with a corpse. They were in the room alone with the corpse. The men were on the outside of the room. About midnight suddenly the women saw the corpse start wiggling, and heard the bed springs creaking. They were not easily frightened and at first they ignored the movement.
In a few minutes, however, there was a large movement of the corpse and the women went out to get the men to come in and see what was wrong. The men came in and went over to the corpse, which was still jumping up and down. They caught the corpse and rolled it over. Just as they did, three big black cats sprang out from under the body and jumped out the window. When the men examined the corpse they saw that the whole under side of it had been eaten away.
Ray Browne (195)
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