The Devil Came to St. Louis: The Uncensored True Story of the 1949 Exorcism by Troy Taylor

Author:Troy Taylor [Taylor, Troy]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2021-09-12T00:00:00+00:00

His gyrations were in all directions. He pulled off the upper part of his underwear and held his arms high above himself in supplication. Then he made as though he was trying to vomit from his stomach. His gestures moved upwards, close to his body. He seemed to try and lift the devil from his stomach to his throat.

Ronnie cried for someone to open the window, and one of those gathered in the room threw up the sash. Cold winds whipped into the room, snapping the cloth of the curtains as Ronnie screamed again. “He’s going! He’s going!” the boy cried. “There he goes!” As these words echoed into the night, Ronnie collapsed onto the bed, his body limp and soaked with sweat.

Father Bishop wrote, “Everything seemed to indicate it was over. In a moment, he seemed normal and seemed relieved.”

All of those gathered in the room knelt, and Father Bowdern led a prayer of thanks. Odell wept tears of joy. Ronnie told everyone what he had experienced. According to the boy, he had seen a huge black stain that had clouded his vision. Inside of the darkness, he had seen a terrible figure in a black cowl who had turned and started to walk away from him. The figure grew smaller and smaller, and then suddenly, it disappeared.

The nightmare, it seemed, was over at last.

Ronnie got out of bed and smiling happily, put on his robe and went downstairs with the three Jesuits. He talked with them for a few minutes and then said goodbye to them at about 1:30 a.m. Father Bowdern, Father Bishop, and Walter Halloran, relieved and feeling joyous over the events of the evening, drove back to the university and bid one another good night.

Father Bowdern walked to the rectory and, after his prayers, climbed into bed. He was soon fast asleep. At 3.15 a.m., however, the rectory telephone jangled him awake. Dreading what he was going to hear, Father Bowdern picked up the receiver to find Ronnie on the other end of the line. His screams were horrifying as they came over the line. “He’s coming back! He’s coming back!” the boy cried.

Father Bowdern stumbled back to his room and hurriedly got dressed. Careful not to awaken anyone else in the residence hall, he quietly knocked on the door of Walter Halloran’s room. The young man had just gotten into bed, and he later recalled that Father Bowdern said, “We’re going to go again.” He didn’t have to say anything else. Halloran knew that they were going back to Roanoke Drive.

After rounding up Father Bishop, the three men drove back to the house. Without speaking, they ascended the stairs and filed into Ronnie’s bedroom. It was as though the final events of earlier in the evening had never occurred at all. Father Bowdern began to recite the prayers of exorcism as Ronnie writhed on the bed, howling, and screaming in agony. The ritual continued for the next several hours until, around 7.30 a.m., Ronnie fell into what seemed to be a peaceful and natural sleep.

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