This supposedly took place not far from where I lived in Iowa:

In 1928, an exorcism was performed in a convent just north of the peaceful hamlet of Earling. It was one of the last exorcisms officially sanctioned by the Catholic Church. The case was reported in several famous pieces of literature. One is a 48-page booklet called "Begone Satan" by the Rev. Carl Vogl, a witness to the event. The second is a book, "The Devil Rocked Her Cradle," by David St. Clair. The third is a novel inspired at least partly by this exorcism and one other in Washington, D.C. The book is called "The Exorcist" by William Peter Blatty and it inspired a film of the same title, which is considered to be one of the most frightening horror films ever made.

Read the rest of the article.

I hope the Daily Nonpareil will proceed to tell some of the many stories the old timers remember of this time. This is the first time I've ever seen anything about it in print. It's only been word of mouth through the hills of Iowa until now.

I've never searched out any of those books...it still gives me goosebumps to write about it now.