The Exorcism of ‘Robbie Mannheim’: Expanded Account

In early 1949, a teenage boy known by the pseudonyms “Robbie Mannheim” or “Roland Doe” underwent a series of exorcisms that would become the most thoroughly documented possession case in American Catholic history. Beginning in Maryland and concluding in St. Louis, Missouri, the case involved dozens of witnesses, multiple priests, and phenomena that participants described as unmistakably supernatural. The events later inspired William Peter Blatty’s novel “The Exorcist” and the landmark 1973 film.

Prelude

The boy, approximately fourteen years old, lived in Cottage City, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C. His family was Lutheran. According to accounts, he had been close to his Aunt Harriet, a woman interested in spiritualism who had introduced him to the Ouija board. They had used it together, attempting to contact spirits.

In January 1949, Aunt Harriet died. Within weeks, strange events began in the household. Scratching sounds came from walls and ceilings. Objects moved without visible cause. The boy’s bed shook while he slept.

The Phenomena

As weeks passed, the manifestations centered increasingly on the boy:

Scratches appeared on his body—words and symbols that seemed to be carved into his skin from within. The word “HELL” appeared repeatedly. A date appeared that witnesses later interpreted as predicting the end of the possession.

His bed moved across the room with him in it, despite being heavy furniture. Chairs he sat in slid and toppled.

He began speaking in voices not his own—deep, guttural sounds that seemed impossible for a teenage boy to produce.

He displayed knowledge he could not possess—speaking Latin phrases he had never learned, knowing secrets of those around him, revealing hidden things.

Religious objects provoked violent reactions. Holy water caused him to scream. The presence of clergy induced convulsions and rage.

Lutheran Response

The family first sought help from their Lutheran minister, Reverend Luther Miles Schulze. Schulze observed some of the phenomena and concluded something supernatural was occurring. He arranged for the boy to spend a night at his home for observation.

That night, Schulze witnessed furniture moving on its own and heard scratching sounds throughout the house. Convinced the case required Catholic intervention—the Catholic Church having established exorcism protocols—Schulze referred the family to Catholic authorities.

Georgetown and Father Hughes

The family contacted priests at Georgetown University. After preliminary examination, Father E. Albert Hughes was assigned to perform an exorcism. During an early session, the boy allegedly produced a piece of bedspring and slashed Father Hughes’s arm, requiring over one hundred stitches. Hughes withdrew from the case.

The family then relocated to St. Louis, where they had relatives, hoping for a fresh start and additional help.

The St. Louis Exorcism

In St. Louis, the case came to the attention of Father William Bowdern, a Jesuit priest at Saint Louis University. Bowdern assembled a team including Father Walter Halloran and Father William Van Roo. After evaluation, they began formal exorcism sessions in March 1949.

The exorcism extended over approximately two months, with sessions occurring regularly. Father Raymond Bishop kept a diary documenting the events—a 29-page document that later became a primary source for understanding the case.

The Diary Record

The diary described disturbing phenomena witnessed during the exorcism sessions:

The boy’s body contorted into positions seemingly impossible for human anatomy.

He spoke in multiple voices, some claiming to be demons with distinct personalities.

Words and symbols continued appearing on his skin, witnessed by multiple priests as they emerged.

Objects in the room moved during sessions.

The boy demonstrated extraordinary strength when restrained.

The room temperature fluctuated dramatically.

On one occasion, the word “EXIT” appeared on his chest, followed by a date. The priests interpreted this as a prediction of when the possession would end.

The Conclusion

On April 18, 1949, during what would be the final exorcism session, the boy suddenly spoke in a clear voice: “Satan! Satan! I am Saint Michael, and I command you, Satan, and the other evil spirits, to leave the body in the name of Dominus. Immediately! Now! Now! Now!”

The boy then became calm. He reported experiencing a vision of a brilliant white figure driving out darkness. The phenomena ceased and never returned. He was released from the hospital where sessions had been conducted and resumed normal life.

Aftermath

The boy went on to live an ordinary life—marrying, having children, working successfully. He reportedly remembered little of the possession period and never discussed it publicly. He died in 2020.

Father Halloran gave interviews in his later years, maintaining that what he witnessed was genuine and supernatural. He acknowledged that the events depicted in the “Exorcist” film were dramatized but insisted the underlying phenomena were real.

The Exorcist Connection

William Peter Blatty learned of the case while a student at Georgetown. Decades later, he used it as the basis for “The Exorcist,” changing the possessed child from a boy to a girl and relocating events to Georgetown. The novel became a bestseller; the 1973 film became one of the most successful horror films ever made.

The case’s influence on popular culture has been enormous, shaping how possession and exorcism are understood and depicted in Western society.

Skeptical Assessment

Critics have questioned aspects of the case. The primary documentation is religious in origin, from witnesses predisposed to supernatural interpretation. No secular psychiatrists examined the boy during the possession period. The physical phenomena were witnessed by clergy, not independent observers.

Some researchers have suggested the symptoms could be explained by mental illness—perhaps adolescent psychosis or a dissociative disorder. The “possession” occurred during a period of psychological stress following a beloved aunt’s death.

Legacy

The case remains the best-documented possession in American Catholic history. The combination of multiple witnesses, the Bishop diary, and the apparent success of the exorcism have made it a touchstone case in discussions of demonic possession.

Whether supernatural or psychological, the case profoundly affected those involved and, through “The Exorcist,” influenced millions more. The boy from Cottage City whose bed moved and whose skin bore mysterious markings became, through Blatty’s dramatization, the template for how Western culture imagines possession.