Creepy Legends: Exorcisms

 

It is said that when a demon catches hold of a person, possesses them, makes them do heinous things and hurt the innocents, then it usually means that the person requires an exorcism as the only means to save their soul.

But an exorcism isn't performed on a whim. A careful investigation is always undertaken to make sure there are no frauds who are using demonic possession as an excuse to get fame or to get away with their unruly behaviour.

This is why there are fewer "real" exorcism stories out there and even then there's some controversy surrounding the authenticity of those cases.

One of the well-known exorcism cases documented is about a thirteen-year-old boy called Roland Doe. Of course, it isn't his real name and as he was a minor at the time of the incident, his name was concealed.

Roland's case became an inspiration for writer William Peter Blatty who wrote the novel in 1971 titled The Exorcist. By 1973, the novel was already adapted into a movie that is still known as one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Of course, a few liberties were taken with the actual incident, one of them being the victim of demonic possession was a girl rather than a boy.

So what exactly happened to Roland Doe?

Roland used to live in Cottage City, Maryland. As he was an only child, he didn't have any playmates and his Aunt Harriet became his best friend. But Aunt Harriet didn't only play games with him, she taught him how to use the Ouija board to summon spirits.

Aunt Harriet soon passed away and immediately after, strange things begin to occur around Roland.

Is it possible that he started to use the Ouija board without supervision and tried to contact his dead aunt, only to have a demon enter our realm instead?

That's one theory.

The parents noted that vases flew across the room, furniture moved and lights flickered whenever Roland was present in the room.

There was, of course, no proof to confirm this but eventually, the parents contacted the local church and then the Bishop claiming their son was possessed after Roland's behaviour began to change too.

He was a thirteen-year-old boy. Was it possible that his behaviour was a result of puberty?

The parents did not think so and so an exorcism was performed only to be halted when Roland slashed the priest's arm using a spring from the mattress he was restrained to.

But it was then that the words 'Louis' appeared on the boy's stomach. The parents immediately thought it was a sign that they needed to go to St. Louis.

So the family travelled there immediately and Roland's cousin used his contacts to get another exorcism performed on Roland.

The priests visited Roland and allegedly found that the boy did exhibit symptoms of someone in the grip of demonic possession. Furniture flew around, objects levitated, Roland spoke in a different voice and grew an aversion to everything religious.

Permission to conduct an exorcism was granted and Roland was taken to South City Hospital.

The mattress on which Roland lay, shook, the words 'evil' and 'hell' appeared on his body, and during the procedure, Roland even attacked one of the priests, breaking his nose.

But the exorcism finally worked and the demon was driven out.

Roland Doe managed to get his life back. He led a normal life, and according to one investigator who claimed to have discovered the real identity of the boy, Roland married and had kids.

The room where the exorcism was conducted, was boarded up and years after, the whole facility was torn down.

The house where Roland lived and experienced possession, stands till today.

Whether this incident is true or not, one thing is for sure, there are better board games out there to play than an Ouija board.