The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-27
| CASTER-OUT OF DEVILS
Belated Instance of Religious Supersti-
tlons OF Remote Ages in Germany.
A Statement of Facts That Recalls the Days Of
Witchcraft and Exorcism-A Case Possess
ing Some Very Unique Features
Among the foreign dispatches published
in the Journal of Tuesday morning was
the foIlowrnu dated Berlin:

the following, dated Berlin:
A rather unusual and very sensational case has
just been settled In the courts In Reichstadt, In
gan an action for Islander against a Catholic
priest, Father Aurelian, whom she accused or as
sersing that that enc w had by, by the 6ev agent in OF h,s wi acisnss
Father Aurelian called In several prominent
c~lergymen. He claimed that he had eliminated
the devil from the boy. The boy himself deposed
that he knew nothing of the alleged exorcism.
The woman was allowed small damages.
In the December number of the Pop ular
Science Monthly is a paper entitled
Modern Instance of DemoniacaI Posses
sion," by Prof. Z. p. Evans, in which the
case upon which the above s nit was based
is set forth. as presented hy the prelate
who was made the defendant by the wom-
an Herr. Father Aurelian had presented
the history of the case, as hs saw il. in a
pamphlet, from which Professor Evans
makes extracts. 1t 10 only interesting as
showing the astounding extent to
which educated men in the church
hold theories which were long since
rejected as absurd by intelligent believers
in the Christian religion, whether Catholics
or Protestants. Three hundred years ago
such things were believed by the Christian
world, rs the burning of the Salem witches
by the most advanced religious teachers
at that date proves. If the Herr woman
had lived in those times, instead of being
permitted to bring q libel suit against
those accusing her of practicing WITCH
craft, she would have been burned at the
stake.
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
Father Aurelian's account of the casting
out of a devil In Germany. In the year
1907 80 an naval that thu ooonnnt IF ft IN
the Popular Science Monthly is given in
connection with the SUIT:
On Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1891, a boy,
ten yaars of age, named Michael ELK, the
eldest son of q miller living near Wern-
ding, in Bavaria, began to act in q very
strange manner. He could not say has
prayers nor hear another person pray with
out falling into fits of rage. The same eff
feet was produced by the sight of a cruel
fix OF of holy water. and by passing near a
sacred shrine or Q church. A. physician was
consulted. but without avail; equally inef,
fectiye were the benedictions pronounced
by pars0n Seitz. of Durrwangen; finally,
recourse was had to the Capuchins, of
Wernding. where Father Aurellan took the
case In hand. and. after o long process
of spiritual or magical diagnosis. consist
ing in the u~tterance OF various forms of
benediction and incarnation. declared that
all the symptoms indicated demoniacal
possession. This opinion was Endorsed by
tu6 III. now DlouOp Il 6uCIdllOuSs Oi AuEc-
burg. who saw the boy May II, 1891. and. Tin
the full consciousness of his episcopal
power and dignity" called upon the un-
clean spirit to come out of him, but the OBJ
after special permission was obtained from
Bishop Leopold. of Eichstadt, to whose
diocese Wernding belongs, the ceremony of
exorcisim was solemnly performed.
We need not here enter into a detailed
description Of the hocuspocus, which be-
gan on the morning of July IL, and ended
with the expulsion of the demon or demons
(fOr there seems to have been ten of them)
was the strength impaired to the boy by
the Indwelling devils that half q dozen
men could hardly carry him into the pres
bytery OF the cioister church. where the
conjuration was to be performed In the
presence of the parents and q few friars
and devout laymen. The results. how
ever, were wholly unsatisfactory, and in
the afternoon the scene of the ceremony
was transferred to the choir of the church;
but even then no response was elected.
until Father AureIian threatened to bring
in the mOnstrance and compel the
demon to worship it. This was more than
the devil could stand. and he cried out in q
terrible rage, The boy IS possessedl" The
incident, as furnishing conclusive proof of
the real presence of Christ in the holy
sacrament Further Interrogstories brought
out the fact already mentioned, that the
~ WOiOt . III iuo IL
answers were always given In the first per-
son singular and In the Bavari8n dialect.
Thus, when conjured to go ont of the boy.
the demon replied. Il moR net" (Ich mag
NIGHT; / o want to-
Father AurelIan. having now got the
devil SO far under control as to make him
speak, felt sure of q brilliant success. and
on the morning of July IA threw the church
open to the public. Wernding, it must be
remembered. has not only q sulphur bath
for the periodical purglng of the ~profane,
but also @ wonder-wcrking shrine, to which
thousands of pious pilgrims resort In order
TO be purified from sin. On this occasion
the persons who filled the church were
chiefly penitents of the latter class. and
constituted q fit audience of eager and
credulous witnesses fully in sympathy
with Father Aurelian and the marvellous
work he bad undertaken to perform. howl
ing. moaning and praying, and wringing
their hands as the priest went on with his
exorcisms.
Tine following is the substance of tho
dialogue between the Capuchin and the
devil:
C.-You must depart from the child; there is no
help for you. d. can't.
C-why can't youl D.-Because she is always
C.-Who is banningi Some womani Dyes.
C.-What Is her namel D.--Her
On hearing this, the parents lifted up
their arms and exclaimed. 'She is our
~neIghbor!"
C.-Wny uld sne send you into the childf D.
Because she was angry.
|. CHAD the child done her any harml D.-No.
/ Glow long have you possessed the childi
sC.-When are you going to get out! d. don't
know.
C.-why don't you knowi D.-Because this
woman Herr keeps on banning, and so long as
she does this 1 can't so.
This conversation. repeated again and
again with slight variations. occupied the
whole forenoon.
ii DEVIL FINALLY YIELDS,
When the exorcisim was resumed, at 1
o'clock in the afternoon. the devil was
evidently considerably dispirited: oc ca
sionally be routed himself and tore the
boy. but less violently than before. and no
longer showed his spite by splitting at the
priest. After having gone through with
the usual forms of conjuration with the
cross. and having brought the magic power
of the Host to bear upon the stubborn imp.
the CapuchIn called upon him in the name
of God and the Mother of God and the holy
%archanRel Michael To say whether be would
now depart, and received the answer.
uttered in q humble tone. ''Yes.v This
question was repeated three times with the
same result. 1.-THE first time.n says Faith er
Aurelian. that the devil expressed his will
lngness to 90 out of the boy, 1 conjured him
not to enter into any of tho persons present
nor any living creature. not even into the
woman Herr. who had banned him into the
bov Int IN deDart tn the Mara w hich f.od