The Earling Exorcism

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MYS412: In a tiny convent in Earling, Iowa, in the summer of 1928, one of the most dramatic and disturbing exorcisms in American Catholic history began. For weeks, a woman known as Emma Schmidt was subjected to the Rite of Exorcism by Father Theophilus Reisinger, a Capuchin friar — as witnesses described levitation, preternatural knowledge, animal-like vocalizations, and physical phenomena that seemed to defy explanation.

Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli take this case over two episodes. Part 1 draws on two primary sources: Begone Satan, a public account published in 1935 based on eyewitness testimony from Father Joseph Steiger, the parish priest who hosted the exorcism — and a secret manuscript written in 1934 by the Jesuit Father F.J. Bunse, never intended for public circulation, which carries an explicit warning at its outset against publication or preaching.

Before turning to the main mystery, Jimmy shares new data from an interview with Father Vincent Lampert, an exorcist in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, who estimates that only 1 in 5,000 cases reported to him represents genuine demonic possession. Jimmy walks through the math and explains why this coheres with the 1–2 per million figure he has cited in previous episodes — and why he’s confident he isn’t downplaying the phenomenon.

The episode then traces the full backstory: the quiet farming community of Earling, the backgrounds of the two priests involved, and what can be pieced together about Emma Schmidt — a woman who met Father Reisinger around 1898, began showing symptoms of possession around 1908, and had already been exorcised at least once before the 1928 case. Her history includes a troubled family background, an abusive father referred to by the pseudonym Jake, and a long pastoral relationship with Father Reisinger, who watched the case for years before acting.

During the exorcism, four primary entities emerged: Beelzebub (claiming to be a seraphim-class fallen angel), Jacob (Emma’s deceased father), Mina (his mistress in hell, who confessed to murdering four of her own children), and an entity claiming to be Judas Iscariot. The spirits also made eschatological claims — asserting that the Antichrist was already born in Palestine in 1928 — claims Jimmy examines with appropriate skepticism.

What emerges is a case rich in evidence for those inclined to believe and genuine questions for those inclined to scrutinize. Part 2, airing next week, will cover the secret manuscript’s additional revelations and examine the case from the faith and reason perspectives.

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Links for this episode:

Chapters:

  • 0:00 – MYS412
  • 0:23 – Intro
  • 9:41 – Two sources
  • 11:43 – Earling, Iowa
  • 13:19 – The priests
  • 15:18 – The energumen
  • 23:11 – Why Earling?
  • 25:08 – Incident before the exorcism
  • 27:37 – Thank you to Patrons
  • 28:06 – Sponsor: The Grady Group
  • 28:26 – First exorcism: 8/18/1928
  • 31:50 – The possessing spirits
  • 42:27 – Preternatural knowledge
  • 48:57 – Sayings of note
  • 51:46 – How long the exorcisms took
  • 57:07 – The end result
  • 1:00:47 – Further Resources
  • 1:01:11 – Mysterious Feedback: #401 Ghost Pets
  • 1:06:33 – Your mysterious feedback
  • 1:07:10 – Thank you to Oasis Studio 7
  • 1:07:15 – Jimmy’s YouTube channel
  • 1:07:52 – Next Time: Secrets of the Earling Exorcism
  • 1:08:18 – Mysterious World store
  • 1:08:26 – Get your Mysterious merch
  • 1:08:34 – Show notes
  • 1:08:40 – Become a Patron
  • 1:08:48 – Sponsor: Rosary Army and School of Mary
  • 1:09:14 – Outro

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