FAMOUS
CASES
The Exorcist
(NOTE: For more information on the
case that led to the books and movies, I recommend you read "Possessed - The
True Story of an Exorcism" by Thomas B. Allen. The author was able to
obtain a copy of the infamous 'dairy' written by Father Bishop during 'Rob
Doe's' exorcism. I do NOT recommend you read this book at night... I
tried, and found there weren't enough lights in the house to keep me
comfortable...)
Few would argue with the
statement that the film "The Exorcist" stands as one of the most frightening
ever made. Who doesn't remember the first time they saw it?
The images of this film haunted me for months afterwards... but it was my
curiosity about the story behind the film that taunted me
long after the mental images faded... It's common knowledge now that the film
was based on an actual case, but until recently, it has been extremely
difficult to find any details about the original case. Until now...
On August 20, 1949, the
Washington Post ran a story titled, "Priest Frees Mt. Rainier Boy Reported
Held in Devil's Grip," written by Bill Brinkley. According to the article,
the rite of exorcism was performed on a 14 year old boy by a Catholic priest,
supposedly to free him from demonic possession. It is this story that served
as the basis for the novel, "The Exorcist" written by William Peter Blatty in
1969-71. Blatty claims that he had written a letter to the priest who
performed the actual exorcism, and prints a censored version of the priest's
response in the 1974 printing of the novel.
The priest claimed that a
diary existed, consisting of a daily record of the exorcism
as it was performed, which was written by another priest, Father Bishop, who
attended it. Blatty managed to eventually read a copy of this diary, but he
does not reveal how he came upon it. It is this diary that the now infamous
novel and movie are based upon.
But, who was the boy, where
did he live, and where did the exorcism take place? Who performed the
exorcism? What do the witnesses claim happened during the exorcism? What
does the boy himself say about these events? Read on...
In the "true" story, the
victim of possession was a 13 year-old boy. the only
reference I could find about the boys' name was the alias, "Rob Doe."
However, in one instance, he was referred to as "Roland."
The general information claims the boy lived in Mt. Rainier, Washington D.C.,
at 3210 Bunker Hill Road. However, a search of the records of ownership for
that property clearly prove that in 1949, the only occupants of the house were
Joseph Haas, and his sister-in-law, Grace Miller. Mr. Haas was a widower at
the time of the exorcism, and he died in 1951 of heart problems, after a
lengthy hospital stay. Ms. Miller gave piano lessons in the house. Neither
occupant had ever had children, nor had there ever been any
children known to live in the house, until the late 1950s. Why the rumour
about the exorcism being performed there, and that the victim lived there at
the time is so persistent is unusual, considering that it can be proved that
the rumour is untrue. It may have been a cover-up to protect the family from
the press, and other unwanted attention.
The Bunker Hill Road house
was burned down in March, 1962, as part of a firefighter's training exercise
in an Advanced Training Course in Firemanship, with the Mount Rainier Fire
Department. If this house was the site of an actual exorcism as claimed, none
of the local people, neighbors, fire department, paper deliverers, or piano
lesson students are aware of it...
The actual
address where the boy lived was at 3807 40th Avenue, in Cottage City,
Maryland. A friend from childhood describes Rob Doe as being somewhat quiet
and sedentary as a child, not interested in sports. Another childhood friend
gives a more negative description of Doe. Apparently, he had a dysfunctional
childhood, dominated by his religiously obsessive mother and grandmother, who
also had a strong interest in spiritualism and Ouija Boards. Doe suffered
from tantrums that would explode into violent outbursts against his family and
friends. He was also, at times cruel and even sadistic towards animals and
other children. Doe was temporarily taken out of school when he was in the
8th grade, after an incident in class where the desk he was sitting in began
to shake violently. When told to stop, he claimed, "I'm not doing it." He
returned to school later that same year. The time he was absent from school
was when the exorcism was performed.
There were actually two exorcism attempts. The first, was held at Georgetown University
Hospital, and a Father Edward Hughes performed it. Hughes served as assistant
pastor of St. James from June 16, 1948, to June 18, 1960. Doe was admitted to
Georgetown Hospital on February 28, 1949, and released on March 3, 1949. It
was then the exorcism attempt was made. Apparently it was unsuccessful. This
was the first exorcism Father Hughes had performed.
The second exorcism was
performed by Father Bowdern and others. One of the assistants was Father
Walter Halloran, who was 26 at the time of the exorcism. What happened during
the exorcism? Here is a summary of what Father Halloran claimed in a
telephone interview with Mark Opsasnick for Strange Magazine:
Rob Doe spoke only English
and some Latin - Halloran believed he was mimicking the priests. Doe's voice
didn't change, he didn't exhibit extraordinary strength.
Halloran didn't see the boy urinate, defecate, or vomit. Doe did spit
frequently, but not significantly. Markings did appear on the boy's skin,
looking as though they had been applied with lipstick. Halloran never saw Doe
mark his skin--the boy's hands were never near the markings. The markings
were not seen by Halloran to form words, letters, or numbers, just clear
lines. No blood was seen dripping from the marks.
The only things witnessed by
Father Halloran during the exorcism that could be described as at all
"paranormal" was a bottle slid from a dresser and across the room, with no one
near it. The bed moved, but it was on rollers "like any bed", although once
it moved when Halloran was leaning on it. Halloran was one of the few people
in possession of a copy of the infamous exorcism diary. He burned it.
The contents of the diary may
never be published, never read by the general public. Apparently, only a few
copies exist, and there is some doubt as to whether they contain accurate
information, or whether the events were embellished for dramatic effect. We
may never really know just what happened to Rob Doe in the months from
February, 1949, to April of that same year.
Today, Rob Doe does not discuss his experiences in the
spring of 1949. He had a difficult childhood, apparently suffered some
behavioral problems because of it, and found himself the victim of supposed
demonic possession, and subjected to exorcism rituals. I don't think I would
want to talk about it either.
-Webmaster.
