An exceedingly rare account of one of America’s most infamous exorcisms, which occurred in a convent in Earling, Iowa, in 1928 and was a main inspiration for William Peter Blatty’s novel “The Exorcist.”

The exorcism was performed by a Capuchin monk named Theophilus Riesinger on a woman referred to as “Mary” but identified in various publications as “Emma Schmidt,” “Anna Ecklund” or simply “The Woman.” Seven years later, a German pamphlet was published, translated in English as “Begone Satan! A Soul-Stirring Account of Diabolical Possession in Iowa.” This account lauded the church’s success at ridding the woman of her demoniacal interlopers.

After its publication, Riesinger disputed what was said in “Begone Satan!” and wrote his own account, in German. The present report is based off of Riesinger’s writings. It was written by Frederick J Bunse, a German-born Jesuit priest out of Buffalo who spent several weeks consulting Riesinger sometime after the 1928 exorcism.

Among Riesinger’s disputes, as told by Bunse, the most notable is that the exorcism was a success. Bunse asserts that Riesinger had known “Mary” many years, and she had been possessed as early as 1908. Moreover, after the 1928 exorcism, she was repossessed almost immediately. As well, her body was inhabited not only by several demons, but also by Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the archangel Michael, other heavenly beings, and a few of her deceased relatives (referred to as “damned souls”). The report contains a series of transcripts of interrogations (likely reconstructed from memory) between Riesinger and the spirits possessing “Mary,” including her late father and aunt, both of whom were apparently abusive and according to them, through “Mary,” currently residing in Hell. These passages hint at real world traumas that often coincides with “supernatural” affairs.

Though it was against Church doctrine to interrogate the possessed on “future or hidden matters,” Riesinger did so and in doing so learned much about the forthcoming end-times. Much of the report is dedicated to these apocalyptic findings, which reveal, among other things, that the mother of the Antichrist is a nun who held intercourse with “the old serpent,” Jesus would return to Earth in the 1950s (hence the latter part of the title), and the events in Earling would play a pivotal role in the final showdown between Heaven and Hell.

Dated 1934, the mimeographed pamphlet was never published, possibly due to Bunse’s death later that year. Though there is evidence to suggest Riesinger did want his account made public. After publishing a review of “Begone Satan,” the Southern Nebraska Register received a letter from Riesinger, which was summarized in a subsequent article. It said that Riesinger had “written a full report of the case and sent it to the Holy Office at Rome. He personally has not been responsible for a line about the case published in any newspaper but says he has a report ready for publication, although it will be some time before it will be published.” Riesinger is then quoted as asserting, after the publication, everyone “will see the beginning to the end of the whole case and everybody will see the wonderful things heaven has accomplished through this case. In my report all the objections that have been made and could be made will be answered.”

There are only two other known examples, both of which different slightly from each other and this present version.