The Curse of Hex Hollow: The True Story Behind the York Hex Slayers

[@GrouchierBear]

I doubt Simon will see this, but the tree bark thing is willow bark, which basically contains aspirin. There are still people who'd rather spend a bunch to get willow bark extract than just take some generic aspirin because they think it's better because it's "natural".

[@fridayhunt7075]

The words right out of my mouth!😂

[@wendyrichards7458]

Foolish, unless people are very ,very sure of their supplier .The quality and exact quantity of a natural substance is very hard to predict .So much depends on the time of year it was harvested ,the age of the plant ,the sub species ,local growing conditions ,the precise part of the plant used (New growth vs old growth etc ) and other factors .Then there's the possibility for mistaken identification ,Angelica and hemlock (For instance ) look similar but one of them is quite deadly while the other was once a popular vegetable ."Natural" can be something of a gamble .

[@generatoralignmentdevalue]

@@wendyrichards7458 Some people are more comfortable risking all of that than coming to terms with the fact that as non-chemists, they are going to have to trust other people to do chemistry for them. It's especially common in people who just can't think in systems. So instead of seeing an industry of people under social pressure to be correct in front of their peers and economic pressure to produce results, they just see trusting a stranger. Grifters selling natural "cures" will present as a specific, known individual who honestly believes in what they're selling.

[@philbert006]

It's specifically the bark, leaves, and stems from several varieties of willow tree, namely black willow, white willow, crack willow, and people willow. The compound is called salacin, and it is not Aspirin. Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, and it is not a naturally occurring compound. The salacin has shown a tendency for pain reduction and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as thinning the blood, similar to aspirin, but nowhere near as consistent or strong. Tylenol, acetaminophen, can be synthesized from aspirin. They are rather similar in respect to pain relief and fever reducing capacity, but aspirin is also an anti inflammatory drug and a bit safer than Tylenol.

[@MCsCreations]

Well, it would kill me either way. (I'm allergic to this stuff.)

[@Metallica4Life92]

you mentioned something about people chewing bark to feel better at the start of the video. This is actually a thing where people chewed on bits of willow bark that contained salicylic acid, a precursor to acetyl salicylic acid aka aspirin. This acid does nothing to relieve pain, it is only a means to lower ones fever, as the synthetically added acetyl group is the part of it that actually makes it an active painkiller.

[@andiward7068]

It also reduces inflammation, which lessens pain.

[@mellie4174]

Well at least it lowered thier fever

[@MeeraReads]

@@andiward7068yeah, I was going to ask, I thought it was used for menstrual cramps too. So the anti-inflammatory makes sense

[@ingrid_mxx]

This was a fun episode. I'm from Transylvania and my grandma used to give me all sorts of natural remedies when I was sick, they worked most of the time cause most medicine is made out of plants and I'm pretty sure she did that as a way to save money too, it's cheaper to have chicken noodle soup and mint tea with ginger and honey when you have a cold than spend a lot on paracetamol and ibuprofen in Romania 😂👌🏻

[@stevencook9167]

ROMANI know things I don't care what Simon Says.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

My Native American grandfather taught me all sorts of traditional remedies that still work. They worked before medicine and still work today. Some of the best ones don’t actually do anything, but doing them while you get over the cold makes you think they worked. Modern medicine can’t explain those at all, because a placebo effect is still beyond their science. Chicken soup is for dehydration and contains proteins. Ginger is for nausea. Honey is an antiseptic. Mint is an over-powering taste that conceals other tastes.

[@silvia.argent]

Can confirm, all of this check out, it's definitely a Romanian summer at gran's experience 👍👍🤗🤗🌳🔥🌿🌿🤣

[@luperdrgz]

Colds can’t be cured with medicine anyways, you can just alleviate the symptoms

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@i.b.640 Look at MRSA. All the best antibiotics can't kill it. Throw the earliest sulfide antibiotics at it and it kills it dead. Use them sparingly and seldom. It makes medications much more effective when needed.

[@bradlevantis913]

Let’s all give a shout out to Katy for acknowledging the people who make the suggestions. I’d never be able to keep that straight

[@kiefgringo]

I love how Simon realized mid-explanation of not wanting to be used for profit after he's dead, that he really doesn't care and actually encourages it. I feel very similarly. At the very least, I want to be put into the dirt as naturally as possible, in hopes that my soggy remains fertilize something pretty and feed the creatures feeding on my flesh. Other than that, do whatever helps you or other people. I won't be around to care, and even if there is some goofy afterlife, I'm still dead and want my remains or story of them to be useful or entertaining in some way.

[@porterslostluggage6046]

And we are finally getting to a place where laws are changing and we can be buried more naturally!

[@DerptyDerptyDUM]

🏆

[@susang2535]

If you haven't found Ask A Mortician here on KZbin, I highly recommend you check it out.

[@porterslostluggage6046]

​@@susang2535 I love Ask a Mortician! My family owns a funeral home and I love seeing more history behind the practice and different traditions that I haven't seen taken place.

[@phaedrapage4217]

I recently learned that there's a small company that uses human cremains in mineral blocks for livestock and certain wild animals like deer. I drink a lot of milk and I take a multivitamin and mineral supplement so I should be a good source of calcium, among other things. I thought that sounded pretty cool.

[@rashkavar]

Regarding Penicillin entering the mainstream: yeah, it took another world war to get that going. It was discovered that year, but lab scale production and market scale production are VERY different beasts. WWII and the various major injuries people suffered from during that were what spurred investment into researching a mass production method.

[@aceundead4750]

Simon's tangents are the only time unnecessary words are perfectly fine.

[@dragonsdynamite6403]

Let’s agree to disagree

[@MelodyofDarkness0001]

It actually helps draw my attention back to the video when he goes on a tangent

[@somerandom3257]

$80 uninsured for an appointment would be a steal, I was recently told I needed to have a physical appointment to be allowed to continue having video calls with my doctor. When I got there I was told by my doctor that they thought I made the appointment. Turns out It was the corporate part of the doctors office and insurance company just wanting me to sign 2 pieces of paper and without insurance they would charge $210. I spent maybe 15 minutes there in total including checking in and waiting.

[@murrayscott9546]

Did you pay? What a rip ! I give thanks and praise for my country, Canada for our health care system.

[@somerandom3257]

@@murrayscott9546 that’s the wonderful thing about the US, You don’t have a choice about paying /s Thankfully with insurance (which I still have for another year and a half) it’s only my normal co-pay which is $30

[@unowen9668]

When I lost my insurance an office visit was $100 cash.

[@decodingtheunknown2373]

I was talking to a friend this weekend (American), and a mate of his had an aneurism and got a bill for $1.8 million dollars. Insurance paid, but didn't pay for a $70k follow up, which is double what that friend makes in a year. Like wtf.

[@somerandom3257]

@@decodingtheunknown2373 I’ve put off 2 surgeries that could improve my life for years because I can’t afford it/was told that it’s not a big enough problem for them to deal with. And one of them was nearly outright dismissed and talked down to me because the corrective surgery “might” have an impact on whether or not I can have kids because “Those feelings will change as you get older”. It’s also not uncommon for doctors even in the same hospital to not be on the same insurance approved list typically referred to as in “network” especially as you get more specialized, so I’ve seen bills where they’ll cover only what certain doctors did during operations/visits and they’ll rarely inform you beforehand about it. It is a system designed to maximize profits every quarter, every year, forever with zero thought towards reality or patients. It’s made medical debt the number one reason for bankruptcy in the US. Meanwhile it makes private companies and their executives filthy rich as they pay as little taxes as possible due to loopholes and “donating” to private charities often connected to themselves as tax write offs while using public money for research. All while being some of the lead “donators” to our politicians which leads to a majority of them being millionaires, who have healthcare fully covered by the government. Meanwhile I make even less than what your friend does(no anger at your friend, I know just writing it makes it sound like I am)

[@lilykep]

My freshman year in high school (kids aged 14 to 18) I *FULLY* convinced a classmate I was an actual witch with the ability to curse people. and apparently he still believes this to this day. At age 14 I moved from Louisiana (known for Voodoo) to Oklahoma (known for gullible hillbillies, sorry Oklahomans) and was not having a great time as it was a MUCH smaller town than I came from. One day in English class when we turned out assignments up to the teacher the guy in front of my grabbed my assignment and crumpled it. I was *enraged* and grabbed a homemade pendent, that I used as a fidget toy, and whispered to my self dramatically under my breath "don't murder morons, don't murder morons". The boy who crumpled my assignment said "Oh what are you doing? Voodoo? Are you cursing me?". Being a 14 year old drama bitch I immediately was like "Yes! Until you beg my forgiveness you will have the *worst* days of your life!" This is of course utter bullshit and I instantly forgot about it as soon as my anger waned. The boy I "cursed" however totally believed that I had cursed him. For the next several days every single thing that went wrong was the fault of the "curse". Academic suspension from his baseball team because he was a poor student? Obviously the curse's fault. Breaking his leg in a car crash he got into because he was drowning his woes in some underage drinking? Why take responsibility for your own actions when you can blame a curse. Girlfriend break up with you because she doesn't want to deal with your bullshit? *THE CURSE!!* All this happened over a week while I wasn't paying attention to his bullshit but after this week of reaping the consequences of his actions he came to me in the hall at school and begged my forgiveness. I had nearly forgotten the whole incident by this time and was like "Umm, sure you're forgiven" and went on my merry way. Turns out being grounded for underage drinking and having a broken leg is a great way to give you time to study, so by the time his leg healed he was once again academically qualified to play sports. It also turns out that being a big important jock on campus is a good way to get your girlfriend back so he started dating her again. AND wouldn't you know it! Having a rich daddy makes getting a brand new even fancier car to replace the car you wrecked a breeze! So within the next week or so everything he "lost" during the time he was "cursed" was returned and improved after I "lifted" said "curse". This *CEMENTED* in his mind that I was actually a real witch who would and could actually curse people. This conclusion was both hilarious and *very useful* when it came to warding off potential bullies. I didn't even have to claim to be a witch myself, I just had to glare at people and he was more than happy to warn them of the consequences of "crossing the witch"

[@MsMorri]

I think the phrase “a curse is as powerful as you make it” applies here. Meaning he made the curse real, not you.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

I have to agree. He probably caused the effects himself via paranoia and he has to live with the knowledge it was his dumbass ways that brought all those terrible events to him when he was in high school.

[@lilykep]

@@mirandagoldstine8548 Ok but this was nearly 20 years ago now and my sister saw him in town recently while she was visiting and apparently he STILL believes I'm a witch. Some people are just dumbasses.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

@@lilykep Well I guess he’s still haunted by his actions or else he’s just really gullible. Who knows.

[@lilykep]

@@mirandagoldstine8548 I think he's just an idiot lol

[@lyraria]

For herbal naysayers, yo I'm Native. Many plants have medicinal properties. I was raised to try herbal remedies first, THEN antibiotics if nothing worked because antibiotics also kill off good bacteria, throwing your system out of whack. And herbs helped 70-80% of the time anyway. This is something my parents knew waaaay before the gut microbiome was talked about (late 80s/early 90s). Just watch Alone to see how useful plant medicine can be if you lose access to modern medicine. That said, if I can get medicine in a concentrated form like a pill instead of a nasty bitter tea you have to drink a liter of? Gimme the convenience. 😆

[@phaedrapage4217]

Most plants that have common names ending in "-wort" or "-balm" were/are medicinal. Something I kept in mind back when I had a big garden. Nature does supply us with a lot of remedies, if you know what you're looking for.

[@KryssLaBryn]

Hi Simon, just wanted to say that 1928 isn't that long ago to me; I'm only Gen X, but this takes place less than a year before my dad (who is still alive and 93) was born. So, definitely not a long time ago from a historical perspective; but also not a long time ago from the personal perspective of at least one audience member :)

[@corvidsRcool]

Another Gen Xer here. My dad was actually already born when this happened and he fought in WWII, so I always feel like such a weirdo when people act like these things happened so long ago nobody could possibly be connected to it except by great-grandparents. And then I feel old. 🙃

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Funny thing my dad’s dad was a teen when this happened (albeit he was living in Chicago) and my mom’s dad was Pennsylvania Dutch so I actually had a direct relative who was around when this case happened. I wish I could ask popop (mom’s dad) if his relatives heard about this case. Sadly I can’t. He died in 2016 so I have no clue if any of my relatives heard of this case.

[@Werevampiwolf]

Hell, I'm on the very tail-end of Millennials and I had two grandparents who were born the year after this happened. (Said grandfather passed when I was a teenager, and I lost my grandmother to COVID, which really goes to show how recent this was in the grand scheme of things)

[@yukiochan1]

"How much is a dr in America nowadays" Without insurance it varies. Basic check in at my drs was 75 base because i was an established patient. $25 more if you went after 4. Just vitals and a chat, no tests. My daughters dr, chat over televisit so not even vitals... $300+, no tests Can't blame people for smoking the flowers and bark and hoping it goes well.

[@ElysetheEevee]

In my area, it's anywhere from $50 (they say "base" but ALWAYS add more and it's usually "base" starting at twice that), to about $150-200 base price. The law says they're supposed to lay out the price of your care before doing so, that way you know how much you'll pay, but I seem to run into doctors who will lay down some of the charges and then add more at rhe end claiming it was "unforeseen" and then demanding you pay. Since doctor's bills can be submitted to your credit report, it screws so many people. We need drastic reform in the US for medical care, 100%.

[@phaedrapage4217]

In my area, there are a couple clinics that use a sliding scale fee that's based on your income, adjusted for expenses like rent, utilities, etc. Not sure what it starts out at now but it used to be as low as $15 which included lab work. They also have a dental clinic and the fee covers x-rays and all work other than crowns and dentures. And they've added a behavioral health clinic now as well. It's an awesome resource for people who don't have insurance! They just need to add an optometrist and an audiologist now.

[@ktm42080]

I'm Pennsylvania Dutch (German) you see hex signs on barns all over here, to ward off evil. Ze ist ferhexed/ du bisht ferhexed are applicable, she's been cursed/ you've been cursed, translation. Cheers ✌️

[@sarahk8053]

The spelling of those are so interesting! I'm German and can somewhat read it but it's quite different from modern German in spelling. It would be "sie ist verhext"/"du bist verhext".

[@ktm42080]

@@sarahk8053 Pennsylvania German is phonetic, mostly. They lost the umlaut, only used in formal names like my grandfather's, and no essets, either. In later years ferhexed refers to mental illness, there aren't many that believe in witches anymore 😁.

[@kevaughnmerrill6534]

I think Simon genuinely needs to understand that people believed magic to be real for large periods of history. People aren't tricking each other (always, some are). Most people genuinely believed that they were seeing demonstrable proof of magic, hexes, etc.

[@ElysetheEevee]

I agree. I'm atheist, well maybe a weird combination of atheist and agnostic (which seems impossible), and I'm very skeptical of the paranormal and all that, but even I feel he's far too mocking of others' beliefs at times. I truly feel everyone is entitled to their own spiritual journey, and we still don't have answers for everything, even in this day and age. Some things that seem stupid and childish for some may be something powerful and real for others. To me, it's similar to various mental illnesses, disorders, belief systems, etc. (as someone with reality-breaking mental illnesses, anyway). One person's reality can be very, very different to the person next to them. It's no less real to them than someone else's reality is to them. It seems dehumanizing, ignorant, and just...shitty, to mock and belittle others' beliefs when it's not really warranted. It's a bit disappointing to see from Simon, to be honest....

[@TheNerdyBrew]

Agreed

[@TheNerdyBrew]

@@ElysetheEevee I agree

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

I totally agree with you especially since I am a Celtic Wicca who also honors Freyja and I have Pennsylvania Dutch in my family (mom is part Pennsylvania Dutch). I grew up in an interfaith household (my parents don’t believe in going to church or synagogue) and both are fascinated by ancient religions. In fact my mom actually argued that it was fine to worship nature as it was part of the creations by a higher power. This was when she was a teen. Little did she know she would have a daughter who would become a Neopagan in her teens.

[@error404webpagenotfound]

I'm not too bothered by it, it's a little annoying, but nothing that makes me super angry. It is disrespectful to mock others religious beliefs though. Debating and mocking are two different things, and he definitely mocks more than not. I'm Pagan/Wiccan so it's very often he mocks my beliefs. I just try not to pay too much attention to it because I really like his content. I do wish he'd cut back on it though.

[@jessica_in_japan]

Never thought I'd hear about the York Hex murders from Simon. Always interesting hearing mentions of my general hometown area on here and the other channels. A lot of barns in the area still display hex signs (like circular panels with interesting designs) on the sides of them to protect against evil. They're actually rather pretty looking and add some color and cool decoration to a plain looking barn.

[@joshlewis5486]

Yeah that’s m from the area and never thought I’d here it on here

[@codymiller7138]

Yeah I live like 10 minutes away from the house

[@Sumscarsnvrheal042]

I live in York Co. and my family is related to the Reymeyers

[@codymiller7138]

@@Sumscarsnvrheal042 my buddy is related to the blymires lol

[@clubjed6276]

I'm the one who got him to do this episode. I live in Dallastown

[@kupaaiau]

I think Simon only does this channel to brighten his mood after recording casual criminalist. Glad he can find something to laugh and mock.

[@fullmetalf4i]

going to the doctor in America without insurance depends on what you're going for. Simple stuff like upper respiratory infections you can get out of there for around $100, a little more if they will set you up with medication samples instead of writing you a prescription (pharmaceutical typically come in weekly to try and sell their particular brand of allergy medication or antibiotic to doctor's offices and give them sample packs of the medication, as well as providing the office with a catered lunch for their sell session). Some of them would rather cut you a break since you're paying them cash and they're not fighting the insurance companies to get their money. If you got to an urgent care for a physical injury or you've come down with something like strep throat, stuff that you dont go to the hospital for, you're looking between $150-$500 depending on what you leave with. (Pro-tip don't get crutches from the urgent care or the hospital. go to Goodwill or a small medical supply shop, the 2nd of which will rent them to you for pretty cheap). If you need to got to the hospital... First drive yourself, have a friend drive you, have a neighbor drive you. Ambulance rides are billed separately from your medical expenses. Also, just because you arrive in the ambulance does not mean you will get a bed faster. Triage is there for a reason, get the most hurt/sick people in a bed, yeah your broken hand may hurt, but unless you've got uncontrolled bleeding, you're sitting in the waiting room. Hospital visits can range from $350 (cheapest I've ever gotten away with) to well into the $1000s.

[@mggrech]

I read this and still do not understand why Americans think national insurance as in Europe is so bad.

[@corvidsRcool]

@@mggrech Most Americans don't think that at all. And a lot of us want that desperately. A small loud minority and a lot big money campaign donors and lobbyists don't want single payer/medicare4all/national insurance etc so here we are.

[@decodingtheunknown2373]

$100 for a prescription for antibiotics for a throat infection is mental when you consider the minimum wage.

[@differentdestiny]

@@decodingtheunknown2373 all costs associated with our medical care is mental when you consider even $5/hr above minimum wage. It's traumatic to live here

[@TQFMTradingStrategies]

I don’t trust our government. Not that their malicious just not super bright or motivated…. You’d have to ask for antibiotics like 3 times because someone kept losing your form and then when you did get them they’d accidentally send you double what you needed as they filed the request they did get twice by mistake. Basically what happened last time I needed to get something done at city hall…

[@robertcarter9535]

My fiancé is from the Philippines and it is surprises me when she gets sick or somebody in the family gets sick that her first response is not to go to the medical doctor or the health clinic but to go to a for lack of a better word a witch doctor and get some sort of herbal cure… And then usually about a week later she’s talking to me on the phone saying that she still in pain and I said just go to the health clinic takes care of the problem… But yeah in some parts of the world this is still a very strong belief

[@--enyo--]

Part of that might also be the medical system in the Philippines.

[@anna9072]

Aspirin came from tree bark, penicillin from bread mold.

[@MichaelEilers]

And the first vaccine was made of pus from blisters on cows

[@pathemeleski]

Specifically, aspirin comes from ASPEN or willow tree bark.

[@lilyw.719]

I'm frequently amazed by the basic, common knowledge that Simon does not know. He can actually be outright offensive with how stupid he is at times. The time he mangled, dismissed, and laughed at the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity was pretty bad. Scientifically I don't watch Simon much, because his supercilious attitude with what he doesn't understand is too annoying.

[@MichaelEilers]

@@lilyw.719 except that the holy trinity is bullshit made up by people who wanted to control others

[@westkossuth]

Uninsured American here. It's $150 to get in to see the doctor. That doesn't include any tests they may order, or prescriptions they may write. Used to suck when I worked for a boss who required doctor's notes if you called out. Once had a doc say, "Wait, so you're paying $150 to NOT work? That's fucked"

[@MichaelEilers]

Take a shot for every “the past is the worst” to start Friday off right

[@andiward7068]

And end Friday by 6pm? How about a sip instead of a shot?

[@MichaelEilers]

@@andiward7068 ha ha yeah don’t eat an edible every time he says it, you will be in a coma

[@volvo145]

I am only two years older than Simon but why my maternal grandparents were born in 1914 and 15 respectively and my paternal are from the 19th century anyway I love when he uses his southern preacher voice

[@porterslostluggage6046]

This was a fun one! And I agree with Simon, whatever happens to me after I'm dead? Don't care, I'm dead. Give anything of use to others and let the rest help some trees or plants grow and that can be how my family remembers me.

[@douggaudiosi14]

I'm the same way. This entire embalming bodies and letting them rot in a box for eternity is insane

[@ryanbailey487]

I live in York County and they have a great Halloween hayride that they used to do right past the house. That was always a little creepy they would have actors hiding in the woods to jump out and scare you. And they would tell you the history of the house as you went by it behind a farm tractor. Very good episode

[@spitfire_2]

Yes, I went on one of those hayrides! I was a young teen at the time; it was a bit creepy.

[@popculturecorner142]

Hey Simon! Love the videos. I used to live not far from where this took place. Growing up in PA it was an interesting esp with the folk lore which comes from all over including Germany. Hex the book about this case is really interesting and if you can find a copy its a worth while read.

[@zachruby270]

So stoked to see a story from my area! Keep up the great work

[@deltatango6793]

I remember an English teacher telling our class that they did, indeed, get paid by the word. I have no idea if that was actually true or not, but might be interesting to look into it!

[@seraphimsurprenant9762]

It depends on the publisher, who is being paid, and the time period. Part of the reason why French has a lot of silent letters in their words is because the printers would be paid by the letter. Throw in some "silent" letters and you get paid more! Authors in 20th century America were paid by the word, so they had the motivation to include more words and sentence to be paid more.

[@liquidfiretibby]

I live right by there!!! Looked for it in high school but its all posted private now and they will call the cops :(

[@clubjed6276]

I went to dallastown. We would bUZz cruise the hollow often

[@jimmccauley9099]

Went to York Vo-tech. Raced out of Collinsville discount in the 70s. Ran the hollows with friends all over down there.

[@jamesstewart3771]

Y’all do understand that 80 dollars in 1928 was a lot of money . That’s equal to a couple hundred these days . A ford model A was 328 dollars . A coke cost like a nickel .

[@Ghostykins]

When you said 1928 I absolutely thought "Oh wow, that's not that long ago." My grandmother was born in 1921 and only died in 2018. She was 65 when I was born and in her 90s when I had her first great grandchild who she actually got to meet. I'm 36, fwiw. All that to say-- for me whose grandparents were both born well before that and who were a big part of my childhood/life the fact this was when my grandmother was a little girl is mind blowing to me.

[@kimhohlmayer7018]

Simon, boneset is a wild plant in the mint family which settlers in America used as a poultice to aid the healing of broken bones. Thing is, modern historians aren’t sure whether it actually had curative powers or worked because during its use the patient to hold the affected limb completely still, which is the best way to heal a broken bone with or without medicine. LOL!

[@Almosthomeforever]

Trying to stay positive about this video, I appreciate the brief few seconds you said that these beliefs were not thought out of the ordinary in this area. Because the excessive imagery being used in this video of what most have been taught a “witch” looks like isn’t at all what it was (and is somewhat) like there. These were uneducated farmers in this area who believed that these things where everyday occurrences. I grew up going to school with the said peoples grandchildren. Living within walking distance of the house itself. My grandmother was a powwower. It’s part of the Pennsylvania Dutch culture. ( Along with the Amish) It’s isn’t called The Hex Belt for nothing. And unless you’ve experienced it of coarse you would say it doesn’t work. They weren’t “witches” to us. But healers. I’m not saying any of it was good.. it definitely wasn’t. But this video content is just detached opinion along side of a few facts.

[@stevenotto1456]

I hope you guys can cover The Picnic at Hanging Rock. A mystery from Australia where a bunch of school kids disappeared. Obviously it was alien ghosts who abducted them, but it'd be interesting to cover it nonetheless.

[@MichaelEilers]

This sounds fascinating.

[@murrayscott9546]

I think he's done it.

[@stevenotto1456]

@@murrayscott9546 no, I just checked and he hasn't.

[@Bethgael]

That was a novel by Joan Lindsay, and then a movie (directed by Peter Weir) later came out based on the novel. Neither were based on "true stories". It would be like covering Atlantis, which was a thought experiment, and was called a thought experiment in the original writing, but that people tried to turn into a real thing. The only "mystery" was that the author (deliberately) didn't tell her readers what happened to them, so when the movie came out people wanted to know. She never told anyone, but a previously unpublished "final chapter" was published after her death. It was a work of FICTION. There you go. Covered. :) Ref: I grew up during the period of time the film came out and was privy to the original questions as a result, and I also read the "final chapter" when I was 19 so know what the author had envisioned [I could spoil it, I won't. I will say: not aliens]. Also, from wikipedia: "Although the events depicted in the novel are entirely fictional, it is framed as though it were a true story, corroborated by ambiguous pseudohistorical references. Its unresolved conclusion has sparked significant public, critical, and scholarly analysis, and the narrative has become a part of Australia's national folklore as a result. Lindsay claimed to have written the novel over two weeks at her home Mulberry Hill in Baxter, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, after having successive dreams of the narrated events."

[@babbittybabbitt]

It's a fictional story? Lmao 😭

[@jorgelotr3752]

3:55 and then they tell you "it's not bleach, bleach is hypoclorite and this is chlorite", but it just so happens that "bleach" is a blanket term for alkaline substances used in cleaning, blanching and disinfection and while sodium hypochlorite is common house bleach, sodium chlorite is one kind of industrial bleach (and if the adjective attached doesn't tell you a thing, it means that it's a more potent variety, i.e. more corrosive and therefore worse for your health):

[@darkmaer]

It’s funny how this little story continues to grow and people get to experience it. I grew up about a mile away from cross Roads, Pennsylvania and I wanna say it’s like 5 miles away from Stewartstown. And it is cool growing up and having like this little legend, and the folk magic powwow stuff is still probably as big as it ever was in a but yeah, every Halloween always a hayride that would go through that part of the countryside.

[@shae113]

The motion to "start at the pit of your heart" and go down would act as a vagal nerve stimulant. Though it won't stop others from talking about you, it would calm your nervous system. Considering that most of the time when we think others are talking about us, they really are not and it's all in our heads, it would calm that thinking and re-center your thoughts on yourself.

[@lilykep]

I had just taken a bite of food when you said Blamhemehme and laughed so hard I almost choked myself. Thanks for that Simon.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:40 - Chapter 1 - What was going on in stewartstown in 1928 ? 5:40 - Chapter 2 - The 3 witches 14:30 - Chapter 3 - The witch is dead 20:35 - Chapter 4 - Rehmeyer's hollow today PS: For future episodes, why not *Bigfoot : Tall Tale or Tall Ape ?*

[@whoarewe7515]

We know big foot is real. His name is Jeremy Clarkson.

[@MarkHarrisonBNE]

@@whoarewe7515 NotBigEnoughFoot, IMO anyway, cos we still hear him :)

[@whoarewe7515]

Rah Rah Rah. 😂

[@haleyw5677]

Some of the traditional healing practices that he might have been drawing in actually used herbs with medicinal benefits, he probably just misattributed the successes of those plus the placebo effect to his magic healing

[@armphidiic2609]

Not surprised to hear about this in PA, a lot of superstition. The Amish Hexen Men are also a long standing tradition of folk medicine and "magic."

[@andrewmullenbennett]

Hey, Simon et al, I love your videos. I would like to submit a suggestion for a future decoding the unknown episode. Third man phenomena would be, in my opinion, would be a fun and interesting topic.

[@pamelamays4186]

I love Simon's televangelist voice.

[@zakpike8019]

From someone that has done multiple videos about how corrupt pharmaceutical companies are I'm surprised you would reject natural remedies so fast

[@brokendad2222]

I am in Oklahoma, and Pow Wow has a entirely different meaning here.

[@Vfox1983]

This is literally my family, lol. John was my great grandmother's cousin. Grandpa grew up a few houses down from Nelson's old place. Folks didn't like to talk about it, even when I was a kid. Spooky magic and whatnot. It's a lot easier to find information now and folks don't particularly believe in the magical side of powwow anymore. It's viewed similarly to reiki in a sense nowadays. Read the Long Lost Friend or the Albertus Magnus. It's mostly folk medicine mixed with German mysticism and Christian mysticism. But without modern medicine being available at the time, a lot of the "spells" were just folk remedies that did have some impact. So it stuck around and was still in regular use well into the 1980's.

[@liquidfiretibby]

You should do a follow up on the nearby 7 Gates of Hell

[@fortressgothika]

Biden's first seven executive orders.

[@clubjed6276]

Agreed

[@meepmoopiethe3rd]

Herbal remedies actually have a lot more efficacy than they often sound like they do. Now, you can't always cure diseases with plants, but there are countless studies where herbal remedies from across the globe get tested and are found to be super effective. Sometimes weird old ways of doing things end up working better than modern medicine. I can't remember all the details, but I was recently reading something about how this old remedy for sties caused by staph were treated in some way that works better than modern meds do. Wish I remembered the details because it was wacky.

[@kieramaccourt8717]

A group of researchers were trying to find out if a "cure" really worked. Obstensibly, the idea came from some archeological remains that needed to be tested. What they found was that if the compounds in a jar were combined they weren't as helpful as they thought; but if the compounds were heated in a bronze pot and then applied, it would be effective against staph infections. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4542191/

[@kathrynkramer8345]

Rough, very rough estimate of an average office visit to the doctor in 2023 is $200. Depends on how much the doctor has to do, where in the country you are, etc. But, a lot more than $80

[@phantomechelon3628]

Simon's pronunciation of Rehmeyer made me chuckle as I kept thinking of the well-respected survival expert Ray Mears.

[@TheOneandOnlyD-R-E]

Commenting for the algorithm. Simon, I love your purposeful mispronunciations!❤️🤣

[@spacefurballs1678]

Me growing up PA Dutch, w great grandparents who lived well into my life, spoke the german dialect, and still believed in things like this, watching this like: 😎✌️

[@Almosthomeforever]

This guys made a joke out of our families just so he can make a “cool video to showcase himself” after reading a few facts he has no understanding of. It sickens me.

[@ZombEKing18]

Without even watching this episode yet thank you for doing it because this is where I live...

[@spitfire_2]

Me too

[@shirleyjeanpilger3482]

Yes, Simon, writers did get paid by the word In the past.

[@ElGord0Gring0]

Im originally from york, spent a lot of my youth in the hollow...partaking in youthful activities.... the amount of variations of stories that went around were amazing. Never seen anything there...and i was usually hallucinating...

[@DaleRibbons]

My impression of the 'Whooping Cough Bush Cure': "OW! You threw me (cough cough) into a bush! What the Hell (cough cough) is your problem?!?"

[@michelle.drinks.coffee]

I’ve never heard of this one! Definitely will check out the documentary. Great job Simon and team!!🎉

[@nicwilliams7840]

Longtime listener of your various channels and would just like to say that this is my home town and hearing about all of the weird hometown rumors being talked about like this is WILD!!

[@lucretialee3691]

I find it all a mixed bag. On the one hand I shudder at people thinking they can cure everything with essential oils and other woo BS, but I also have a collection of family remedies that don't cure, but they do help give some relief of certain symptoms.

[@matthewganong1730]

Started watching Simon’s channels a couple months ago; imagine my surprise to come across this story from my hometown on one of them! I’ve lived in York, PA most of my life and I’ve always heard this referenced but never heard the whole story like this. Pretty cool!

[@josephpatterson4042]

My grandmother grew up in Blymire's hollow (Blymire lived up the road from them) the next valley to Rehmeyer's only about 1.5 miles away and was 8 when this happened. She told me once that she woke up that night and watched them walking down the road on the way either to or from killing Rehmeyer. She also told me Rehmeyer was a moonshiner and claimed the only hex Rehmeyer had on Blymire was his moonshine

[@checkthegatepod]

the house is not open to the public, it is not possible to enter the home. Thank you for the plug on my documentary!

[@tarabytez]

Simon, my mom's father (my grandfather), was born in 1890. I'm adopted myself, but my sister, who's biologically related to my mom and grandfather, was born in the mid 1980's.

[@Amenhir1]

John Blymire was my grandfather's first cousin. My father would tell us that we were related to that guy but I never really believed him until I saw the Hex Hollow documentary. During that time I discovered that Alice Blymire, my great-grandmother, was John Blymire's aunt. My theory has always been that Nellie Noll was a scam artist and since Pow-wowing at that time could earn someone a living, she felt that Rehmeyer was competition. John was considered kind of dim so it's not unbelievable that she conned him into thinking Rehmeyer cursed him.

[@brendakrieger7000]

My mom would accuse my granny of being witch😹 She wasn't, but she was very strange and very obsessed with superstition..she believed them all! I am of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. This was my Dad's mom. She was always mumbling stuff under her breath and weird things would happen when she was present. Lol, she was definitely weird. She did eventually get dementia which was probably the true cause.

[@decodingtheunknown2373]

Because witches aren't real.

[@brendakrieger7000]

@@decodingtheunknown2373 NOPE,definitely not!

[@atomic3691]

7:00 I think going to see another "practitioner" is perfectly reasonable, Simon. Therapists don't do therapy on themselves, and most surgeons don't remove their own appendix. Going to see another professional in your field when you have a problem is actually logical since you, being the one with the issue, might ignore symptoms and details that a more removed person won't.

[@JohnSmith-bv1jg]

Except it's not reeaaaaal lol

[@Insanati]

I think you missed the part where the profession in question is "con-artist."

[@christinebenson518]

A doctor in my town preformed his own hemorrhoid surgery in his bathtub at home. He was weird.

[@atomic3691]

For those saying it's not real, I know...hence the quotation marks around "practitioner."

[@stefanietaushanoff3079]

Is there something about "thrust a child through a blackberry bush" that I am not picturing correctly because oh, my, god. Up here in the Washington/Oregon region wild blackberry bushes don't eff around.

[@makinka0cp]

Katie slays again, I had do much fun!

[@se7enity648]

The part I enjoyed more were the remedies for common ailments. One of your best.

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

Why would a pow-wow doctor consult another? Granted it's superstition, but a surgeon doesn't operate on himself, so it makes sense of a sort.

[@MichaelEilers]

Yeah, you’d think that bullshit artists would avoid each other, any good bullshitter knows it when they see it

[@jamm8284]

Not quite the same. One you normally have to be sedated and you can die. The other is bullshit 🤷‍♂️🤣

[@Benspooky]

Well, how it works in theory. You needed to know exactly what hex was used to reverse it

[@willowthistle3648]

Because not everyone practices the same. Maybe one day people will realize that not everyone has exactly the same thought process nor reacts to things the same way.

[@MichaelEilers]

@@willowthistle3648 or just stops believing bullshit

[@Impossiblywild]

Pow wow used to be very common in eastern Pennsylvania. I’ve talked to several old people who say they have had relatives treated by it. It’s not really a thing anymore. It kind of died out around World War Two. The same time they stoped teaching Pennsylvania Dutch to kids. You can still find people who have some knowledge about pow wow but now it mostly looked at as a historic novelty.

[@MCsCreations]

The surprising part is that stupidity isn't a crime yet.

[@themightymoose5047]

I was just looking for another whistler episode to watch

[@josephmatos6802]

This is wild I live about 30 minutes from here and never knew it existed

[@SaulG88]

Ok but what exactly is "unknown" in this case? The killer & motive are both quite clear. I feel like it should've been an episode of Casual Criminalist.

[@paigeharrison3909]

I'm amused that you're surprised this was going on in the 1920s. I lived in South Carolina in the 1980s and girls I went to school with believed you would get ill if you washed your ham during your menstrual period. I also heard a couple of girls on the school bus discussing how to avoid bad luck from a broken mirror. I think it was something along the line of burying the shards under an oak tree during a full moon at midnight.

[@paigeharrison3909]

Washed your hair. Damn autocorrect.

[@katywatson4940]

@@paigeharrison3909 ha ha, I was like "washed your HAM??!!? Like a honey baked?

[@andrewpangburn5456]

Finally!!!! York county on the map 🤣😂. To be honest the house and the hollow aren't that scary. But this is the big spooky story in our area! Pretty awesome to see this!

[@spitfire_2]

Agreed! I was born, raised, and live in York, Pennsylvania.

[@CharleyHorse33]

The tree bark thing reminded me of something, but I'm not sure it's for this channel. Somewhere recently I was informed that if it was submitted today acetaminophen would not be approved because the difference between a therapeutic and toxic dose is too close. I wonder if there are other drugs that have been "grandfathered" and represent some risk we don't appreciate? Something like that, maybe Top Tenz or Today I Found Out?

[@christopherboyd7177]

Hey, I'm from York PA. Nice!!

[@spitfire_2]

Me too!

[@RaelNikolaidis]

Aspirin. Salicylic Acid is in some tree 😊bark. Cherry bark for instance.

[@jhonmcauliffe8873]

A friend of mine Shane wrote a song called Rehmeyer's Hollow. It's on the Shane Speal and the Snakes CD stay primal. Excellent listen, just as all of your shows are! And yes Shane is from that area.

[@storkbomb7417]

To address Simon's question of "How can he have believed in witchcraft when he was a witch and knew firsthand that it wasn't real?" In short, he didn't know that firsthand. He fully believed in the magic, and believed that it worked when he did it, and it worked when other people did it too. It's confirmation bias at work. So if, for example, someone's talking shit and you do that thing with your thumbs and your shirt, maybe something will happen (sooner or later, doesn't matter when) that will make them stop - they'll get bored, they'll get distracted, they'll die. Doesn't matter, the spell worked. Maybe you'll just get a thicker skin and won't be bothered by it anymore. That's the spell working too. Usually at that point, some kind of lesson about magic giving you what you need, not what you want will also be derived. What if instead they just up their shit-talking game and utterly ruins your reputation? In that case, either there's another, more powerful witch opposing you, or maybe you cast it wrong, or with impure intentions or something. Either way, it got worse because of magic. I dated a self-described "witch" for a while, and while there's a lot more to it, that's the gist. The funny thing is, she was very rational about it, openly acknowledging that confirmation bias was at play but somehow still believing in it.

[@paulmc7068]

I’d love to see a video on the canibal family in Scotland sawney bean or something on the gorbals vampire of Glasgow cheers

[@user-dg9pu4pe9d]

Good thing I keep my copy of the Necronimicon written by Abdul Alhazred hidden away.

[@spitfire_2]

😂 Good one!

[@uberbeeg]

Bark of Willow trees Simon, it's where Asprin comes from.

[@bjmarsh11]

Love this channel, all the vids are interesting. Just commenting to suggest Prester John as a topic. I went searching for a video on KZbin and couldn't find a decent one, and I think you guys could do better.

[@aarontaylor4967]

I'm just laughing at him constantly saying 'Wooping Cough'.

[@spoops2357]

The last thing i ever expected from a simon-cinematic-universe video was a metalocalypse gif, but here we are 😂🖤

[@stephendonovan3206]

Don't underestimate the power of ritual Simon.

[@adrianrastopsoff9171]

People in the past were rather simple of the mind, as you are at times Simon a simple Simon

[@pamelamays4186]

FYI Simon, Pennsylvania is not considered as part of New England.

[@alexwhitehead2566]

I was surprised by this episode because I lived about 20 minutes away from were this happened.

[@jessicaleonard4228]

Simon's televangelist voice is my favorite.

[@Therika7]

I love Simon’s preacher voice!

[@Desertbearsangel]

Actually Simon, if you are a cash paying patient in the US, you pay less. The insurance companies have everyone bamboozled and are making a killing on the profits. This isn’t a conspiracy theory it is the absolute truth which is really very sad. My husband and I know this firsthand. A specialist eye appointment with a specialized retina scan cost us $65 dollars cash, if it had been covered by insurance we would have payed $250.

[@finalgirl640]

I'm not sure what insurance you have but my experience has been soooooo drastically different. My meds out of pocket for my blood pressure and stuff are over $1000 a month. My insurance gets them free. My migraine meds are $90 a pill. Free on insurance. Not every policy is equal I guess. Plus they won't even let you see a specialist without a referral especially if you want the app to be paid for.

[@Tehed82]

2:09 is next level editing! O_O

[@anonymousrex5207]

This is why you should always practice safe hex.

[@adamdaley8090]

Editer.....excellent Dethklok insert.

[@clubjed6276]

Oh shit! That's me I'm trevan leib. Sorry got too excited haha

[@xevsetter1201]

A doctor appointment will cost about $100.-$250. ish for 1hr or 15min however long the doc takes

[@AnarchoFeminist]

I know I'm late but thanks for this, Simon. I teach a graduate seminar on American Folk Magic Traditions and this is one of the cases we look at. Now I can have my students watch this rather than buy a book. Love the channel.