Dead Animals in the Walls

Real Stories

When the Bretzuis family decided to insulate their home in Auburn, Pennsylvania in 2015, they discovered that it had already been—with scores of dead animal carcasses. As Fox reported: The dead animals were wrapped in newspapers from the 1930s and 40s and were among half-used spices, and other items. After removing the items they sent hundreds of artifacts and carcasses to an expert in Kutztown. The expert attributed the rotting animals in their walls to Pow-wow or Dutch magic, a ritual originating in the culture of the Pennsylvania Dutch to treat ailments and gain physical and spiritual protection. The Pennsylvania Dutch were a group of German-speaking settlers to Pennsylvania in the 1600 and 1700’s, and are often of Lutheran, Mennonite, or Amish faiths. The Washington Post notes on the magic: Many of the spells deal with the care of livestock, finding water, or the treatment of minor ailments, reflecting the conditions and concerns of early American settlers. But powwow also has within it a tradition of darker spells, and even of such things as conjuring demons. One notable ritual in their tradition is this hex to create loyalty in a dog: To attach a dog to a person, provided nothing else was used before to effect it: Try to draw some of your blood, and let the dog eat it along with his food, and he will stay with you. The mold found on the rotting carcasses in the Bretzuis home has caused illness among the family members, and they say that the odor hasn’t gone away.