To Recover Stolen Goods

Pow-Wows, or Long Lost Friend, by John George Hoffman, [1820], at sacred-texts.com

HOW TO RECOVER STOLEN GOODS.

Take good care to notice through which door the thief passed out, and cut off three small chips from the posts of that door; then take these three chips to a wagon, unbeshrewdly, however; take off one of the wheels and put the three chips into the stock of the wheel, in the three highest names, then turn the wheel backwards; and say:

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Thief, thief, thief! Turn back with the stolen goods: thou art forced to do it by the Almighty power of God: + + + God the Father calls thee back, God the son turns thee back so that thou must return, and God, the Holy Ghost leads thee back, until thou arrive at the place from which thou hast stolen. By the almighty power of God the Father thou must come; by the wisdom of God the Son thou hast neither peace nor quiet until thou hast returned the stolen goods to their former place; by the grace of God the Holy Ghost thou must ran and jump and canst find no peace or rest until thou arrivest at the place from which thou hast Stolen. God the Father binds thee, God the Son forces thee, and God the Holy Ghost turns thee back. (You must not turn the wheel too fast.) Thief, thou must come, + + + thief, thou must come, + + + thief, thou must come, + + +. If thou art more almighty, thief, thief, thief; if thou art more almighty than God himself, then you may remain where you are. The ten commandments force thee--thou shalt not steal, and therefore thou must come. + + + Amen.