Rev. Karl Patzelt On January 29th 1974, the introduction of "I saw + think "The Exorcist" was the best saterical comidy", arrived three days after the Golden Globe ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 26th 1974, winning four awards for "Best Film", "Best Director", "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Screenplay". However, the germination of the Exorcist letter may have begun after the January 11th 1974 Paul Avery article in the San Francisco Chronicle, which told of the audience reaction to "The Exorcist" movie at the Northpoint Theater at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, entitled "Weird Goings-On at the Movies". In the 2 1/2 weeks subsequent to January 11th 1974.
Beginning two years ago and culminating with fourteen exorcisms in the latter part of 1973, Catholic priest, Rev. Karl Patzelt, director of the Catholic Russian Center and pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church, attempted to rid the "curse of Satan" from a young family home in Daly City, San Mateo, California. This story in the newspapers and on television overlapped the release of The Exorcist movie, which was hit the cinemas on December 26th 1973.
Two weeks after the film release, Paul Avery wrote the above article for the San Francisco Chronicle on January 11th 1974 about the William Friedkin movie, that focused on the exorcism of a young 12-year-old girl in the family home by two Catholic priests. Later that day, just before 11 pm, somebody identifying as the Zodiac Killer phoned the newspapers and police and stated that they had killed a woman and placed her body in a Daly City church, resulting in immediate searches that found nothing. We appeared to have the convergence of several themes amounting from this. The numerous attempts at exorcism by Rev. Karl Patzelt in Daly City that somewhat mirrored the film, a newspaper report about The Exorcist movie by Paul Avery, who wrote about the Zodiac Killer for many years, and a threat from a claimed Zodiac Killer, centered around churches in Daly City, with the Catholic church likely being the focus of all three
Beginning two years ago and culminating with fourteen exorcisms in the latter part of 1973, Catholic priest, Rev. Karl Patzelt, director of the Catholic Russian Center and pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church, attempted to rid the "curse of Satan" from a young family home in Daly City, San Mateo, California. This story in the newspapers and on television overlapped the release of The Exorcist movie, which was hit the cinemas on December 26th 1973.
Two weeks after the film release, Paul Avery wrote the above article for the San Francisco Chronicle on January 11th 1974 about the William Friedkin movie, that focused on the exorcism of a young 12-year-old girl in the family home by two Catholic priests. Later that day, just before 11 pm, somebody identifying as the Zodiac Killer phoned the newspapers and police and stated that they had killed a woman and placed her body in a Daly City church, resulting in immediate searches that found nothing. We appeared to have the convergence of several themes amounting from this. The numerous attempts at exorcism by Rev. Karl Patzelt in Daly City that somewhat mirrored the film, a newspaper report about The Exorcist movie by Paul Avery, who wrote about the Zodiac Killer for many years, and a threat from a claimed Zodiac Killer, centered around churches in Daly City, with the Catholic church likely being the focus of all three
In 1974, Daly City had active churches, notably St. Andrew Catholic Church, which was growing and planning its permanent home, while also making local headlines due to a widely publicized, controversial exorcism case involving a Jesuit priest helping a family, coinciding with Zodiac Killer calls referencing Daly City churches, reflecting a significant religious presence and local news.
Eighteen days after the Paul Avery article, the Zodiac Killer mailed the Exorcist letter on January 29th 1974, threatening that he would kill again if his letter was not printed in the newspapers. A letter probably aimed at Paul Avery, to whom he had contacted by name twice before and never mentioned the pseudonym "Zodiac" in either of those communications also. What was even more curious, is that this latest letter was mailed from San Mateo County (or Santa Clara County), which contains Daly City, the second-most populous city behind San Mateo - and the focus of numerous exorcisms by Rev. Karl Patzelt at the back end of 1973.
The "Zodiac" phone caller on January 11th 1974 claimed he had killed a woman, with the Exorcist letter stating "If I do not see this note in your paper, I will do something nasty, which you know I'm capable of doing". Although we do know the Zodiac Killer was capable of killing, it appeared as though the claim on January 11th 1974 had no validity, and was simply a case of issuing fake information for "police to run all over town with, as one might say, And giving the cops some busy work to do to keep them happy".
The "Zodiac" phone caller on January 11th 1974 claimed he had killed a woman, with the Exorcist letter stating "If I do not see this note in your paper, I will do something nasty, which you know I'm capable of doing". Although we do know the Zodiac Killer was capable of killing, it appeared as though the claim on January 11th 1974 had no validity, and was simply a case of issuing fake information for "police to run all over town with, as one might say, And giving the cops some busy work to do to keep them happy".
The exorcism case Father Patzelt was involved in was widely covered in January 1974, with articles appearing in various newspapers like The New York Times on January 25th 1974 and the Napa Valley Register.on January 21st 1974 The event was frequently compared to the popular novel and film The Exorcist. The phrase "work of the devil" was used in newspaper headlines and captions in 1974 to refer to the real life exorcism case he performed in Daly City, California, which gained significant media attention at the time. There were many newspaper articles reporting this story just prior to the Zodiac Killer's Exorcist letter on January 29th 1974, including the Catholic Northwest Progress on January 25th 1974. One notable statement was uttered by Father Patzelt in many of these newspapers, which read "The activity lasted approximately 22 hours a day, seven days a week for 20 weeks. It would be impossible to relate all the nasty tricks the devil plagued them with". A matter of days later, the Zodiac Killer mailed the Exorcist letter (possibly from San Mateo County/Daly City) and wrote "If I do not see this note in your paper, I will do something nasty, which you know I'm capable of doing". This coming just 18 days after a "Zodiac Killer" phoned the police and press claiming a dead woman in a Daly City church. Was the Zodiac Killer suggesting it wasn't only the devil that could do "nasty" things?
HERE IS THE FULL TRANSCRIPT THAT APPEARED IN MANY NEWSPAPERS
SAN FRANCISCO (NC)— Exorcism is a horror now being experienced vicariously by movie goers all over the country, but to a suburban family here it has all been very real and very horrible. The lives of the young Daly City couple and their baby had been so wrecked by two years of bizarre happenings, attributed to the devil, that last summer they sought the help of Church authorities here who sanctioned a solemn exorcism. A number of exorcism services were held between September 4 and 18. Since that time the family is said to have experienced a return to peace with no undue occurrences being reported. Details of such exorcisms are normally kept secret by the Church. However, national interest in the subject, generated by the movie ‘“The Exorcist’”’, has refocused attention on the Daly City events. A recent Jesuit newsletter disclosed that an exorcism had been performed. Now the full story has been told by the exorcist, Jesuit Father Karl Patzelt, a Byzantine rite priest who heads the Russian Catholic Center and who is also pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church here. The name of the family involved is being kept secret to protect their privacy. It can be disclosed, however, that the father is a 29-year-old transportation worker. His wife is 26 and they have a two-year-old baby. The father was born in Britain and was brought up an Orthodox Jew. He has lived in the San Francisco Bay area for about 12 years. His wife was born a Catholic. Since last year's experiences with what he genuinely believes was the devil, the husband has been converted to Catholicism. According to Father Patzelt, the couple had suffered ‘‘devilish attacks and temptations for over two years.” They spent weeks explaining their problem to all kinds of persons whom they felt might help them, but they met nothing but skepticism, even from their own local parish priest. Yet according to a statement issued by the pastor, associate pastor and deacon assistant at St. Andrew’s Community, the couple’s home parish, reports that the parish would not help or could offer no solutions are *‘grossly inaccurate.” The parish staff said that the priests “plus two law enforcement officers and numerous others” investigated the case for weeks in 1972. But the results of the investigation left “a multitude of unresolved questions", which, while not ruling out the possibility of the supernatural presence of evil, indicated that ‘‘the situation is not as clear cut as present news reports describe.” The statement by the pastor, Father James M. Moher, associate pastor Father James Dillon Riley, and Rev. Mr. Thomas M. RolYe asserted that the question ‘‘is not whether there was an exorcism—for Father Patzelt has made clear that there was ... the concern in our minds is the evidence which we accumulated over a series of "weeks, and the decision which we reached as a consequence of this evidence.” Meanwhile the prioress of a Marin County Carmelite Monastery had come to know the suffering family and she introduced the couple to Father Patzelt. On July 17, 1972, the Jesuit visited their home and was shown evidence which the couple called the work of the devil. “There were broken windows, damaged walls, ceilings and doors dented and scraped, caused by flying objects such. as boots, knives, a poker and any other objects the devil could grab,” Father Patzelt said. ‘‘There were many articles burnt in the house. The rugs, wallpaper, curtains, chairs—even a dress being worn by the wife caught fire while she walked down the hall.” The priest said he asked the couple why they didn’t move out of the house. They told him, “We have already moved twice. It follows us.” The family had moved into the Daly City home in November, 1972, hoping that their troubles would end. However six months later—on May 27 of last year—the ‘‘devilish phenomenon” started all over again. They told Father Patzelt that every night the disturbances would last until about 4 am, leaving them with only two hours sleep a night. They had to get up for work at 6 am. “Often, their arising was not of their own will, the devil made sure they had little sleep,” the exorcist said. ‘“‘During the day there was no peace either. The activity lasted approximately 22 hours a day, seven days a week for 20 weeks. It would be impossible to relate all the nasty tricks the devil plagued them with. Also the physical and mental anguish they suffered was far beyond human endurance. Among the devil’s tricks they told me about were a pot of soup disappearing from the stove while boiling hot; one or the other of the couple would be knocked down, often unconscious, and the young husband would be constantly pestered at work. Objects kept disappearing—especially those with great sentimental value to the couple. Sometimes they would reappear, but often damaged beyond repair. “The couple could not keep food in the house for it, too, would disappear. The wife related how she would prepare dinner for the family, but when they would sit down to enjoy their meal, it had vanished.”. Three day's later, July 20, Father: Patzelt told what he found out for: himself when he visited the home: “I was absorbed in conversation: with the couple and their parents in the living room when the wife excused herself to get the baby ready for bed,” the exorcist said. “On her return to the living room she was pushed to the ground with her arm extended into a strong rigid position. ‘Where is my wedding ring,’ she asked when she got up. ‘lt's gone. He took it". As always in the case, everyone tried to dismiss the incident and went back to the conversation at hand. A short interval elapsed when all smelled something burning. Everyone ran into the kitchen where they found a paper bag, standing on the floor for trash, had burned down and was reduced to smoldering ashes. No sooner had they attended to this when the little boy started crying in his crib. The mother stated that "he always cries like that when he is being disturbed". “I led the way,” Father Patzelt said, “with the others close behind. When we entered the little boy’s room, we found him in the corner of his crib obviously very frightened. The cause of his fright was the fact that his little rocking chair had been lifted into his crib. It had been on the floor.”
SAN FRANCISCO (NC)— Exorcism is a horror now being experienced vicariously by movie goers all over the country, but to a suburban family here it has all been very real and very horrible. The lives of the young Daly City couple and their baby had been so wrecked by two years of bizarre happenings, attributed to the devil, that last summer they sought the help of Church authorities here who sanctioned a solemn exorcism. A number of exorcism services were held between September 4 and 18. Since that time the family is said to have experienced a return to peace with no undue occurrences being reported. Details of such exorcisms are normally kept secret by the Church. However, national interest in the subject, generated by the movie ‘“The Exorcist’”’, has refocused attention on the Daly City events. A recent Jesuit newsletter disclosed that an exorcism had been performed. Now the full story has been told by the exorcist, Jesuit Father Karl Patzelt, a Byzantine rite priest who heads the Russian Catholic Center and who is also pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church here. The name of the family involved is being kept secret to protect their privacy. It can be disclosed, however, that the father is a 29-year-old transportation worker. His wife is 26 and they have a two-year-old baby. The father was born in Britain and was brought up an Orthodox Jew. He has lived in the San Francisco Bay area for about 12 years. His wife was born a Catholic. Since last year's experiences with what he genuinely believes was the devil, the husband has been converted to Catholicism. According to Father Patzelt, the couple had suffered ‘‘devilish attacks and temptations for over two years.” They spent weeks explaining their problem to all kinds of persons whom they felt might help them, but they met nothing but skepticism, even from their own local parish priest. Yet according to a statement issued by the pastor, associate pastor and deacon assistant at St. Andrew’s Community, the couple’s home parish, reports that the parish would not help or could offer no solutions are *‘grossly inaccurate.” The parish staff said that the priests “plus two law enforcement officers and numerous others” investigated the case for weeks in 1972. But the results of the investigation left “a multitude of unresolved questions", which, while not ruling out the possibility of the supernatural presence of evil, indicated that ‘‘the situation is not as clear cut as present news reports describe.” The statement by the pastor, Father James M. Moher, associate pastor Father James Dillon Riley, and Rev. Mr. Thomas M. RolYe asserted that the question ‘‘is not whether there was an exorcism—for Father Patzelt has made clear that there was ... the concern in our minds is the evidence which we accumulated over a series of "weeks, and the decision which we reached as a consequence of this evidence.” Meanwhile the prioress of a Marin County Carmelite Monastery had come to know the suffering family and she introduced the couple to Father Patzelt. On July 17, 1972, the Jesuit visited their home and was shown evidence which the couple called the work of the devil. “There were broken windows, damaged walls, ceilings and doors dented and scraped, caused by flying objects such. as boots, knives, a poker and any other objects the devil could grab,” Father Patzelt said. ‘‘There were many articles burnt in the house. The rugs, wallpaper, curtains, chairs—even a dress being worn by the wife caught fire while she walked down the hall.” The priest said he asked the couple why they didn’t move out of the house. They told him, “We have already moved twice. It follows us.” The family had moved into the Daly City home in November, 1972, hoping that their troubles would end. However six months later—on May 27 of last year—the ‘‘devilish phenomenon” started all over again. They told Father Patzelt that every night the disturbances would last until about 4 am, leaving them with only two hours sleep a night. They had to get up for work at 6 am. “Often, their arising was not of their own will, the devil made sure they had little sleep,” the exorcist said. ‘“‘During the day there was no peace either. The activity lasted approximately 22 hours a day, seven days a week for 20 weeks. It would be impossible to relate all the nasty tricks the devil plagued them with. Also the physical and mental anguish they suffered was far beyond human endurance. Among the devil’s tricks they told me about were a pot of soup disappearing from the stove while boiling hot; one or the other of the couple would be knocked down, often unconscious, and the young husband would be constantly pestered at work. Objects kept disappearing—especially those with great sentimental value to the couple. Sometimes they would reappear, but often damaged beyond repair. “The couple could not keep food in the house for it, too, would disappear. The wife related how she would prepare dinner for the family, but when they would sit down to enjoy their meal, it had vanished.”. Three day's later, July 20, Father: Patzelt told what he found out for: himself when he visited the home: “I was absorbed in conversation: with the couple and their parents in the living room when the wife excused herself to get the baby ready for bed,” the exorcist said. “On her return to the living room she was pushed to the ground with her arm extended into a strong rigid position. ‘Where is my wedding ring,’ she asked when she got up. ‘lt's gone. He took it". As always in the case, everyone tried to dismiss the incident and went back to the conversation at hand. A short interval elapsed when all smelled something burning. Everyone ran into the kitchen where they found a paper bag, standing on the floor for trash, had burned down and was reduced to smoldering ashes. No sooner had they attended to this when the little boy started crying in his crib. The mother stated that "he always cries like that when he is being disturbed". “I led the way,” Father Patzelt said, “with the others close behind. When we entered the little boy’s room, we found him in the corner of his crib obviously very frightened. The cause of his fright was the fact that his little rocking chair had been lifted into his crib. It had been on the floor.”
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