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We have to go back almost 100 years for one of York’s most infamous crimes. John Blymire grew to believe that his acquaintance and suspected "witch" Nelson Reymeyer hexed him and was responsible for his illnesses, the death of two children, and other misfortune.
In late November 1928, Blymire and two accomplices visited Rehmeyer at his home in Stewartstown, beat him, strangled him, and burned the body. It was two days before another neighbor came upon the grisly site.
The three were arrested and all served time for the crime. The murder made national news at the time.
The home, now dubbed the Hex House, was rebuilt after the fire and still stands to this day. Some say Rehmeyer haunts it.
The murder of 13-year-old Gregory Whitman in his own home sent shockwaves through the community of New Freedom on Oct. 2, 1998. Older brother Zach, 15 at the time of the crime, was accused and convicted of stabbing his brother so many times that he nearly decapitated him.
Zach Whitman served 20 years for the crime; he pleaded guilty to third-degree murder—after initially proclaiming his innocence—for his sentence to be reduced and to be eligible for parole. The older Whitman was released from prison in May 2019.
The cause for the violence? Purported anger over one brother not taking the other brother’s girlfriend’s call.
Every community has its tales of tragedy—York County among them. These stories serve as a reminder to us all of just how fragile life can be.
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