Season 1, Episode 3
The Murder of Nelson D. Rehmeyer
A book of magic, a media circus, and a crisis in the Pennsylvania Dutch community.
November 7th, 2023
Pennsylvania Dutch powwower Nelson D. Rehmeyer was murdered in 1928. The Philadelphia Record called the murder trial “the weirdest and most curiously fascinating [trial] in the history of modern jurisprudence.” Because Rehmeyer’s killers feared he was practicing witchcraft against them, the trial captured national attention – and nearly destroyed the practice of powwow, a Pennsylvania Dutch healing tradition.
FEATURING
Director of Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, Kutztown University
An avid speaker of Pennsylvania Dutch and advocate for regional folk culture, Patrick’s work blends language, traditions, and vernacular architecture in his folklife research. Patrick is the author of numerous articles and books on Pennsylvania folk culture and healing traditions, including Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Braucherei and the Ritual of Everyday Life (2018), Painter of the Stars: The Life and Work of Milton J. Hill (1887-1972) (2021), Hex Signs: Myth and Meaning in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars (2013), as well as Der Freund in der Noth, or The Friend in Need: An Annotated Translation of an Early Pennsylvania Folk-Healing Manual (2012). Patrick curated two collaborative exhibitions with Glencairn Museum entitled Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Healing Rituals of the Dutch Country (2017) and Hex Signs: Celestial Symbolism in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars (2019). In 2021, Patrick received the Archie Green Public Folklore Advocacy Award by the American Folklore Society for his significant contributions to the expressive life of his community.
Associate Librarian, SUNY College at Cortland
Daniel Harms is a librarian and writer living in central New York. His major area of research is magic from antiquity to the present, especially necromancy and fairy magic. He has been published in Fortean Times, The Journal for the Academic Study for Magic, and The Enquiring Eye, as well as chapters for Palgrave Macmillan and Penn State Press books. Harms is also the author of two books on horror fiction and folklore. He also edited The Long-Lost Friend: A 19th Century American Grimoire (2012)
Initiated Witch & Powwower
Thorn Nightwind (he/him) gained his interest in the Occult from childhood, which included his first introduction to Powwow by his eldest Aunt in South-Central Pennsylvania. That sparked his interest in all forms of Occultism from Theosophy, New Thought, Mediumship, and his love of the religion of Traditional Wicca. Thorn is an initiate of the Wicca religion and part of the Horsa Tradition and the Ancient Order of Bell, Book & Candle. The coven he belongs to in Pennsylvania is called the Wolfa Coven. He loves midnight bonfires with friends, the esoteric lore of herbs and plants, and nature walks in the woods. He enjoys the study and practice of occultism in many forms. More about these interests can be found in the book The Sacred Pentagraph - A Craft Work in Five Volumes written by one of his dearest mentors, Tarostar V*.
Accountant, Powwower, and author of The Powwow Grimoire
Robert Matthew Phoenix is the author of The Powwow Grimoire (2014), The Powwow Guy (2020), and The Powwow Book of Divination (2021). He is also a co-author of Llewellyn’s Complete Book of North American Folk Magic (2023) and in 2016 he was co-author of Supernatural Lore of Pennsylvania by Thomas White. He owns and operates the website Pennsylvania German Powwow (www.PAGermanPowwow.com), an educational blog about his Powwow lifestyle. He has taught several classes and workshops on folklore and folk magic over the years including teaching classes at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Baltimore College, and Swarthmore University. In 2015, he was featured in the documentary Hex Hollow: Witchcraft and Murder in Pennsylvania. He lives in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania with his husband, Bill, their son, Josani, and their various rescue dogs.
Credits
Host: Heather Freeman; Producer: Amber Walker; Editor: Lucy Perkins; Associate Producer: Noor Gill; Sound Design: Jennie Cataldo; Fact Checker: Dania Suleman; Executive Producer for PRX Productions: Jocelyn Gonzales; Music: APM Music and Epidemic Sound; The Project Managers: Edwin Ochoa and Morgan Church; Advisors: Danielle Boaz, Chas Clifton, Abel Gomez, Daniel Harms, and Meg Whalen; Guests: Patrick Donmoyer, Daniel Harms, Thorn Nightwind, and Robert Phoenix; Funding and Support: The National Endowment for the Humanities and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
TRANSCRIPT
LEARN MORE
The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center (YouTube Channel)
The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center (Website)
Episode 49 - Powwow and Braucherei - New World Witchery (Podcast)
Donmoyer, P. J. (2018). Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Braucherei & the Ritual of Everyday Life. Masthof Press & Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, Kutztown University.