Henderson, MN Forums History Remember when... What Happened to Emily Rose???

What happen to Emily Rose?

Come to Henderson Sept 10 and 11 and find out the truth.

Could you brief this forum with more information on what is happening on those dates...

See the home page for "official" activities.

Nice plug Tom, Wish I could be there!

I've been seeing some more previews for that movie. Looks like it might be pretty good. There should have been a special screening premier in Henderson.

I always thought she was possessed.

Remember that night in Charlie's?

I thought no one was to speak of that night?

I'll say no more. Let's hope nobody asks Oscar.

I'm confused. Who's Emily Rose again?

I can only say that I loved Emily Rose so much...doesn't anyone in the City know what's going on here? Where's the city administrator when you need him or did he go to New Orleans?

You lost me at "hello".

Regarding the Emily Rose story and the possible Henderson connection, I may be able to shed some light on this though time may have dimmed certain recollections. I have no first-hand knowledge of the story, rather it is second- even third-hand. Let me also say that the story is long and twisted so by necessity I must break this down into bite-size episodes lest it overload this website and tax the patience of web vistors. The timeline reaches back and the main players in it are Dr. Jacques Duclos, a turn-of-the-last century physician in Henderson, and Win Working, a reporter for the Independent during the same years. Both characters are referenced frequently in the Henderson Blue Book and are anything but fictional. My connection to their story is through a now-deceased Hendersonian who, as a young boy, knew both Duclos and Working. Discretion requires that I not disclose this persons identity. Story length has overtaken me and so this ends episode #1. I will try and log on future episodes daily, time permiting. Next: An midnight encounter at Duclos' Rush River Camp.

I should have known that the legendary Doc Duclos would be involved.

I know Tex Teigs talks about how when he was a kid that there was this lady (lady might be stretching it, let's say female) who use to spend the summer by Devil's Jumpoff in a little cabin and winter in Minneapolis. I betting she must be related to Duclos family as Devil's Jumpoff is on the Rush River. (Not to be confused with Vampire Valley, which is at the convergence of the Buffalo and High Island Creeks.)

Episode #2...continuing: Dr. Joseph Duclos came to Henderson in 1899. A Canadian, he was trained in the reknowned Laval School of Medicine in Montreal. Duclos was a brilliant if somewhat eccentric individual. For many years his office was in the Masonic building on Main Street. He also had a cabin--Doc's Camp it was called--on the Minnesota River where the Rush River enters. On hot summer days Doc's habit was to wade out into the river buck-naked and fish for whatever was hitting. In the summer of 1920 Duclos was spending the night at his camp and as he was preparing to retire there was a load bang on the door. In the light of the kerosene lamp Duclos could make out a tall, bearded man, a stranger to him. "You must come to my house, doctor, quick," he announced in a heavy German accent. "My Rose, she is sick, very sick." In the conversation that followed Duclos learned that the man lived west on the Rush River maybe a half hour by horseback. By the time he was dressed and saddled his horse--he normally hitched it to a wagon but not for this ride--it was past midnight. In the dim moonlight he followed the man along the north bank of the Rush. No words were spoken. At length they came to a small shack set on a bluff above the river. "My Rose she is here, Doctor. I will light a lamp. Inside a frail girl lay on a cot. "She is my daughter, you must help her." Duclos quickly determined she was burning with a fever and he feared it might be the Spanish influenza that had recently spread in the Henderson area. For the next hours he applied cool compresses in an attempt to break the fever.
"Are you a religious man?" Duclos asked the man. "She isn't responding. If I were you I would get a minister or a priest." The father responded: "I know a man...of the cloth...he is nearby...I will get him." Duclos thought: "Who in tarnation...I know all the preachers in these parts...there's no one close to here." As dawn broke over the Rush River hills the man returned with a stranger. Duclos was mystified by the man's identity. "No one from these parts," he mumbled to himself. End of episode #2. Continues next: Incantations and strange languages.

this is a very interesting story i just might have to see the movie

Good Job Don, Can't wait for Episode 3.

Episode #3...continued: The Henderson physician watched intently as the just-arrived stranger knelt beside the girl and began chanting softly. Words Duclos, who was fluent in four languages, did not understand. Half speaking, half chanting, the man had paid no attention to the Henderson doctor. Shortly, a calm seemed to fall over the young girl; her breathing became easier. Ten, perhaps 15 minutes passed and presently the girl opened her eyes and responded in...again...words Duclos did not comprehend. "I'm hellucinating," he said under his breath, "Been up too long." Finally he turned to the father, "She seems out of danger, how? I'm not sure. I'll be on my way. If you need me you know where I am." He rode back to the Camp trying to make some sort of sense out of the events of the past evening. Back at Camp he disrobed, walked in the cool river water and tried to clear his brain. It seemed to work. Dressed, he hitched his horse to the buggy he customarily used to make his rounds, and headed into town...and into the midst of the influenza cases that where multiplying daily. He was so busy he had little time to think about the bearded man with with the German accent, the frail sick girl, or the man--was he a minister? priest?--who had materialized from...where? Through the rest of the summer and into fall Duclos spent 12-14 hour days seeing patients. A dozen, perhaps more, died from the flu; he'd lost count and that, too, bothered him. Frequently he slept in his buggy as his horse sensed the route and made her way to the next stop. By early November the worst of the epidemic seemed to be over. He had not been to his Rush River Camp since that strange evening and so after he closed his office, he packed a small bag, jumped into his carriage and made straight to the Camp. "River water's too cold for a dip," he said to no one around except his horse. So he dismounted, tied the horse to the nearby hitching rail, and set out a bucket of oats for her; oats that his good neighbor, Fritz Kelm, had thoughtfully placed in his carriage earlier that afternoon. With that he entered the cabin, laid down on the bed, and promptly fell asleep, still fully dressed. End of Episode #3. Next: A trip back up the Rush to the stranger's shack. Continued...

my mom diane frauendienst wants to know if this is a true story

Everything you read on the "Chatter" is the absolute truth. Is Emily Rose any relation to Mary On?

Episode #4...continued: Early morning at Doc's Rush River Camp. "Hey, Doc, you up yet?" Long pause: "I am now, is that you, Fritz?" Fritz Kelm, a young neighbor boy of Doc's was outside. After some huffing and puffing Duclos appears, a wash towel slung over his shoulder. "I was here last night but you must have been sleeping...so I threw a blanket over Betsy. It got kinda cold last night." Doc made his way down to the river bank and washed up in the cold, flowing water. When he came back up young Fritz was no where in sight but he noticed smoke rising out of the chimney. Inside Fritz said: "Cold in here, thought I'd take the chill off and, oh, my Ma sent over some doughnuts." "Shouldn't you be in school?" Doc said, munching on a sugar doughnut.
"Nope, it's Saturday. You forget?" "The days of the week run together," Doc said, adding: "You ever been very far up Rush River, Fritz?" "Sure we hike up there a lot; me and the Johnson brothers, you know, Swede, Bubber. Their dad's the barber." "Well, you know that old shack, about half hour or so on foot?" "Yah...but nobody lives there. Empty and almost falling down." Doc looked at the young boy and said, "Not now...there's a guy living there, has a young daughter about your age, how old are you, 10?" "I'm 11, actually 11-1/2...but there ain't no young girl living up that way." "You're wrong, Fritz, and if it's okay with your parents I going up that way if you want to join me." Fritz was out the door so fast he almost took the screen with him. In a half hour he was back. "Paw says it's okay with him...when are we leaving?" Duclos and the young boy decided to travel on foot and left old Betsy at the Camp for a much needed day of rest. Late that morning they were on their way, again following the north bank of the Rush. They traveled slowly, partly because the trail was rough and Duclos was not as agile as his young traveling companion. Around a sharp bend heading north Fritz shouted: "There Devil's Jump-off, ain't it a sight? Wonder why they call it that?" "Optomism, hoping to get rid of the Devil, maybe. Some call it the End of the World, but I agree with you, Fritz, it's a pretty sight. If I'm right, the shack's around the next bend." "Yup, can't be more then a mile...on the same side of the river...but I'll bet no one's home. Wanna bet, Doc?" "Save your money, Fritz, you'll need it." Right on schedule the old shack came into view...and it looked deserted. Doc and Fritz went to the front door and banged loadly with no response. Around the back they found a small window and Doc cupped his hands and said, "Let me hoist you up, Fritz, and you can look inside." As Fritz peered in the dusty window a voice behind said, "Looking for something?" Startled, Doc almost dropped the boy as he spun around. End of Episode #4...continued:

this is a great story Don, can't wait for the next episode =)

Don....Keep the stories coming. They are wonderful. My grandpa Shorty used to tell me stories about Doc Duclos back in the day when he used to live at the Hell farm just above Doc's river camp. Very interesting stuff and it brings back memories of stories told to me in my younger years.

Is this the shack that Thomas and Graham speak of? Is is still there?

My favorite part of Tex Teig's story was how the old lady in the cabin at the End of the World (Devil's Jumpoff) would scour her cast iron pans with the ashes from her campfire while humming a tune.

Episode #4...continued: The tall bearded man glared at Doc and the boy. Doc dusted himself off and spoke: "I came back to find out about the girl...Rose...How is she?" "There's no girl here, you're mistaken." "I think not," Duclos responded, "I was here this summer. You came to my river camp and..." The man broke him off: "There's no one here but me; never has been. I live here alone. You are mistaken." Duclos eyed the man sternly and spoke: "Listen to me. I'm a doctor. I suspect your daughter...the girl...might have had an infectious disease. For all I know she could have died. I'm duty bound to report this to the county health department. So tell me what you know." The man turned to walk away then stopped abruptly: "And I tell you, doctor, nobody is here and never was. Now please leave." Duclos spoke softly: "Sir, your name? I must report this to the authorities. If you don't want the sheriff out here for a visit...well, you can make things easy by just teling me your name. Then I'll be off." The man removed his hat, wiped his forehead with his shirtsleeve and said quietly, "Heidleberg...August," and fell silent. "Thank you, Mr. Heidleberg...August. I hope all is well with you and now we bid you good day." Duclos and the boy turned and started there trip back to the River Camp. After some moments young Fritz spoke: "Wow, Doc, what do think? Is he lyin'?" "Oh, he is, boy, I just don't know why. But I aim to find out. He's holding something back." "Did you notice the strange look in his eyes, Doc? Like they were blank or something?" Fritz offered. "Yup. He's a different one, for sure. But we've only got an hour or so before dark, Fritz, and your folks will be looking for us, so let's move out."
Back at Camp, Doc hitched Betsy to the carriage and told Fritz to hop in. "I'm going to town and I'll drop you at your house on the way." The Kelm farm was a mile north of Doc's camp, near the small lake that had come to be known as Kelm's Cut-Off, a small oxbow formed by a long forgotten and left behind bend in the Minnesota River. The Kelm's were good neighbors. On the way to the Kelm farmstead Duclos said, "Boy, I've been thinking, I don't think there's really anything so unusual about Mr. Heideleberg. He's a recent immigrant, I think, and he's just a little confused. That happens to people. Best we just forget about it. It'll all smooth over, you'll see." Doc chatted with the Kelms briefly: "Fine young man you have here," he told them. And in a few minutes he flicked the reins and urged Betsy on toward town. But the physician had not put the incident out of his mind. He just didn't want young Fritz to be troubled by the events of the day. The next steps were beginning to take shape in Doc's mind. He needed to have a talk with Win Working. "Win's got a nose for searching out facts," he said to himself. End of Episode #4. Next: A meeting with Win Working. To be continued...

Episode #5: Monday, November 10, 1920. Doctor Joseph A. Duclos, is in his office early. Duclos is a short, stocky man--perhaps 5'7", with a goatee and mustache. His medical diploma on the wall from Laval University in Montreal, Canada, says he graduated in 1895, practiced briefly in Montreal, moved to Shell Lake, Wisconsin, and then to Henderson. In 1920 he is perhaps 50 years of age, mentally sharp and uptodate with medical techniques. This Monday he is busy with a steady flow of patients until well into the afternoon. The other town physician, Felix Traxler, had just returned from service in World War I and is re-establishing his Henderson practice. Late in the afternoon he steps outside and across the street the Johnson boys, Carl and Earl, were playing in a vacant lot next door. Doc approached them: "Earl, I'll bet you a nickel you can't name the capitol of New York?" Earl held out his hand, "Pay me, Doc, it's Albany. We just learned the state capitols in Miss Foltz's class." "Okay, Carl, the capitol of South Dakota?" "That'd be Huron, Doc, pay me." "Gladly," Duclos replied. He played these games with the kids and carried a pocket of change just for that purpose. "Now, can you do me a favor? Would you run up to the Independent office and tell Win Working I'd like to see him when he's done working?" With that the boys were off running. Back in his office Duclos pulled an medical book from the shelf, went to the index and ran his finger down to "Para-normal." Duclos was acquainted with para-normal phenomena from his studies at Luval. Incidendents that appear to transcend normal, rational expectations. What happened that night last summer up on Rush River, was it a para-normal phenomenon? Duclos was above all else a rational, logical man and always searched first for scientific explanations to events. Somehow the pieces to the events that night didn't fit neatly together. He read deeply into the chapter in his medical book, losing track of time, when he looked up and saw the smiling Win Working in the doorway. "In deep thought, Doc? The Johnson boys told me you wanted to see me." Win Working was Henderson-born, graduated from the local school in 1903. In the trivia department, he played on the first football team in Henderson school history in 1901. Early on, Win demonstrated a flair for writing and caught the eye of Gus Buck, owner of the Independent. Off and on for the past fifteen years Working worked at the Independent. In between he wrote free-lance for other papers in the state, including the large Minneapolis newspapers. If Working had a flaw, folks said, it was that he sometimes...hmmmmmmm...stretched the facts to fit his conclusions? That aside, Win was an energetic reporter and a good writer. "So, Doc, what did you want to see me about?" For the next hour or more, Duclos filled Working in on the mysterious caller to his Camp last summer, his trip to the shack up beyond Devil's Jump-Off, and the strange happenings up there. Working listened without saying a word, paying close attention to Duclos' account. Finally, he arose, stretched and said, "So you think it might have been some para-normal experience? I don't put much stock in that stuff. Malarky, I say." "I hear you, Win. But what I'd like you to do is see if this guy...Heidleberg, he calls himself...see if he's left any trail around here. If he's living up there legally the county must know about it, about him, maybe where he came from. You know, I don't have to tell you how to do investigative reporting. You're a newspaper snoop, Win." "Now, Doc, that's not a nice thing to say about a friend. But, for you, I'll look into it. Doubt it will lead anywhere but...who knows...maybe there's a story here. The big city papers go for this kind of weird stuff. But I gotta run, Doc, there's a poker game out a Roy's place tonight...and he's got some of that High Island 'white lightning,' good stuff. Damn this prohibition puts a crimp in a man's style. I'll get back to you, Doc." With that Working was out the door. End of Episode #5. Next: The boys plan a trip up to the Devil's Jump-Off shack. continued...

This is good stuff. I thought Putter Miller was going to ride in and save the day. Maybe that's next?

Patiently waiting for episode 7. Good job Don!

Episode #6: Monday afternoon. The school bell rang at 4 o'clock and the boys were out the door and running. Down the terrace, through the cut in the woods that went by the jail and constable's house and past the Community Hall. At a corner table in Blassing's Drug Store four boys were sitting, three quietly and listening to young Fritz Kelm. "I tell you, guys, it was really strange. Me and Doc were up at this shack by Devil's Jump-Off, and we run into the wierd guy who talks with a funny accent..." At the table with Fritz were the Johnson brothers, Earl and Carl, and Harold Haas.
Fritz told them the whole story, including how Doc had been up there in the summer...and there was this sick girl...how this stranger--a minister or priest, maybe--comes and chants and speaks in foreign language. "Doc says he couldn't undwerstand a word...and you know, Doc, speaks purt near every language there is." Earl Johnson spoke up: "What you make of it Fritz? Is Doc going back, and are you goin' with 'em?" "Doc
said he thinks it nothin' and it'll all blow over. Just some knda misunderstanding, I don't know." After a moment, Harold spoke up: "You know, it's Thanksgiving break next week...if the weather's nice...maybe we oughta hike up there and take a peek, what do you think?" "Not me," Carl said, "too scary." "No, I don't mean we go to the shack...we sneak up around the back side of Devil's Jump-Off and look down from the hill...plenty far enough back." Fritz: "If we do, I don't think we oughta tell our folks, they'll have a fit...or Doc, too." Carl: "I say we wait and see...if it's nice weather we can follow the Rush River bed up and then loop behind Devil's Jump-Off. Maybe we can break the case, like the big city cops do." The other three boys laughed but the idea struck home with them. Fritz: "O.K. I think Carl's right. Let's wait and see how the weather goes, if it's nice, let's go...but keep the plan to ourselves, for sure." With that they were out of Blassing's and on the way home for afternoon chores. Early morning, three days later. Win Working is in Duclos office..."I'll give you an update, Doc. Been over to the county courthouse and, you're right...the guy out a Devil's Jump-Off...name's August Hiedleberg. Been here since March of this year...came from Austria...alone...no family with him." Doc listened intently. "That it?" he said. "No," Working continued, "here's the interesting part, he has a family back in the old country, a wife and...ready?...a daughter...daughter name Emily Rose." Doc stared at the ceiling, then shifted his gaze to Working: "Emily Rose? Rose Emily? You thinking what I'm thinking, Win?" Working replied: "Yah, Doc, and I don't like what you're thinking and where this is going." End of Episode #6...Next: Thanksgiving hike to Devil's Jump-Off...to be continued.

Episode #7: Meanwhile, in Weiner Neustatdt, Austria. A woman and a young girl are walking on the city street. "Good morning to you, Frau Heidleberg...and to you, too, Rose. I have not seen you for a while. Have you been gone." "Yes...no...I mean, we were in Vienna for a visit...with my sister who lives near the University," she replied. The man contined: "And August, what do you hear from him...he is traveling...out of the country, do I understand?" "He is in America,
yes, we get letters from him." "And what about his studies?" the man continued, "Will be return to the University?" "I don't know...yes...I think so...I'm sorry we must go on, we are late." Frau Heidleberg was visiibly distraught and had no wish to carry on this conversation. Her questioner, Frederick Eisenstadt, a teacher in the local school was a casual acquaintance of the Heidelbergs and knew August to be a brilliant but somewhat reclusive man. He wondered about his disappearance and, to America, why? End of Episode #7. to be continued...

Episode #8: Thanksgiving Day, 1920...(Pursuing the possible Emily Rose/Henderson connection. Is there anything to it?). A group of a dozen or more boys were playing touch football in the vacant lot across from the fire hall. Doc Duclos, out for an after dinner walk, stops to watch. The Johnson brothers, Earl and Carl, Harold Haas and Fritz Kelm come over to talk with the Doctor. "Okay, boys...I'll bet you each a nickle you can't name the Minnesota All-American football player who came from Arlington? WAIT...not so fast...if you know, raise your hand say his name altogether...one, two, three...The four boys all shouted out in unison: "Johnny McGovern!" Doc loved to play these games with the Henderson boys. "Right! Johnny 'Duffy' McGovern it was." And with it he paid off his bet. "What do you boys have planned for your Thanksgiving Day vacation days?" Fritz gulped and thought to himself, does Doc suspect we're going out to the Devil's Jump-Off shack? "Nothing, a little football, too early to skate...no ice on our lake yet." "Well, enjoy yourselves," and with it Doc was on his way. "Wow," Earl said when Doc was out of earshot, "I thought he knew." Harold spoke up: "So we're still on? Why don't we meet here first thing after breakfast, then bike out to Rush River and put our bikes under the bridge." Fritz said, "O.K. I'm right near so it'll only take me five minutes to get there. I'll meet you there. Remember, no tellin' anyone or we'll be in big trouble with our parents." Forward to the next morning: Fritz arrives before the other boys and puts his bike under the bridge. Before long Earl and Harold arrive. "Where's Carl?" Fritz asks. "Not feelin' well," Earl said. "Too much turkey, I think. He's home in bed." With the bikes all out of sight under the bridge the boys start the hike up the Rush River following the creek bottom. "Funny looking clouds over that way," Harold remarked. "Yah, well, if it rains we'll won't be too far away," Fritz said. A half hour later they were approaching Devil's Jump-Off. Earl: "What do say we climb up on the back side of the Jump-Off and circle around behind the shack?" Without a word the boys made toward the ridge. Up on top Fritz looked down: "What a slick view, eh guys?" To the north another short climb would put them on the hill behind and above the shack. "Those clouds are sure gettin' blacker," Earl said. "Yah, notice it's gettin' colder, too? Harold joined in. Just at that moment Earl stepped in a hole, twisted his ankle, and went tumbling down the hill. "You O.K.?" Fritz hollered. "Quiet!" Harold whispered, "That weird guy might hear us!" The boys gathered around Earl: "How are you? It hurt? Can you walk?" Earl winced: "Ouch, it sure does...don't think I can walk on it...now what are we gonna do?" Unnoticed by the boys a tall, bearded man had been watching them from a distance. When he noticed that one of the boys appeared to be hurt he hurried over. The boys, too busy with Earl, had not seen him. "Can I take a look?" The boys all but came out of their boots. They would have run but that would have left Earl alone. End of Episode #8. Next: Storm on the Rush River. To be continued...

OK, I obviously I am new at this forum chatter thing, but I am so intrigued by your story, I can not wait for episode 9. I came across your forum looking for any truth to the movie, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". I figured that if any truth would come of it, it would be in the local paper somewhere. I no longer live in MN, I did live in Inver Grove Hts. for a couple yrs, a couple yrs ago. I, again, can not wait to hear the next installment of your story that has kept me waiting for the truth to come out. Like someone earlier wrote, takes you home to the stories your grandfather would tell you.
thank you for putting out there the real deal!
Nicole :-)

Episode #9: Light snow was beginning to fall as Win Working left the Independent for the short walk to Dr. Duclos' medical office. Stepping inside he say Doc engrossed in a book on the desk in front of him. "Hey, Doc...thought I'd fill you in more on the mysterious August Heidleberg." Doc looked up over the tops of his glasses waiting to hear more. "I was in Muinneapolis filing a story I wrote for the Journal and stopped by at U.S. Immigration...I have a friend who works there "carelessly" left Heidleberg's file on her desk when she ran out to do an errand." Doc looked up, "My, my...what became of journalistic ethics"? "Doc, you think I'd stoop....well, it was open, what was I to do? Anyway, call it what you will. Seems our friend...or your friend...out at Devil's Jump-off is no ordinary country bumpkin; has a PhD in psychology from the University of Vienna." Now Duclos looked up and gave the Independent reporter his full attention. "But why would a man like that be living in a shack out on Rush River?" Working continued: "Seems he doesn't own the place but is staying there courtesy of friends." Doc: "And who might they be?" "That is not clear from the file," Working continued. There's a woman mentioned, Brickritz by name, lives in Minneapolis. She may own the property. I'll have to dig further. I also had a hour to spare and went over to the public library and dug up some material on para-normal experiences. Doc, this is a fascinating subject." Doc replied, "I was reading up on that when you came in." Working continued: "The story that got me was about a young spanish girl who seemed to "materialize" periodically in the New Mexico Territory. She'd be there awhile and then...somehow she's recorded as being back in Spain. Anything to this phenomena, Doc?" "No scientfic explanation, Win, but it seems more than fable." Working headed for the door, looked out and said, "Heavy snow coming down, Doc. Best we both call it a day. I get back to you soon as I can."..........Up the street Fred Johnson was closing his barber shop early. "No customers," he muttered to himself, "Might as we head home." Down the street he stopped in at Dempsey's store and bought 2 pounds of hamburger, Mrs. Johnson would be making Saturday night goulash, a family favorite. The talk in Dempsey's was all about the weather. "Don't like the looks of it, heavy and wet," Mark said. Again down the street he stopped in a the Post Office, picked up the mail and exchanged weather notes with Walter Comnick. "This is gonna be a bad one, Fred...get your snow shovel out." Outside George Berla was just returning from his late afternoon run to the depot in East Henderson. "Road's getting bad, Freddy...I figure she'll be closed down in an hour or so." Finally at home Mrs. Johnson met him at the door with a worried look on her face. "Earl's not home...and now Carl tells me he and the boys headed out to Devil's Jump-off this morning...Fred, I'm really worried. What are we going to do?" End of Episode #9. Next: Blocked roads out of Henderson. To be continued....

Episode #10: Meanwhile...out at the shack near Devil's Jump-off on Rush River. August Heidelberg carried Earl the 1/4-mile back to his shack, the boys quietly trailing behind. Scared would be describing their feelings mildly. It was warm inside the small building, a small wood heating stove stood in the middle of the one room. August set Earl on the single cot and removed his boot. "Sprained for sure," he observed, "Hopefully not a break. I'm going to put some colder water on it, that should hold down the swelling." None of the boys--Earl included--had said a word since Heidelberg had discovered them up on the hill. After a few minutes August spoke again: "Afraid, aren't you? You're wondering who I am and if you're safe here, I'm sure. Well, don't be. I mean no harm and I'll do my best to get you safely back to town." He looked at Fritz Kelm: "You were here with Dr. Duclos, weren't you?" Fritz nodded his head but said nothing. "Suppose you came out to take a closer look at the stranger out in country. Can't say as I blame you...but please...please...do not be afraid." Finally Fritz spoke: "I guess we were scared, sir, what with you livin' out here by Devil's Jump-off and..." August broke out laughing: "So that's what the call the cliff back there...I didn't know...all the more reason for you to wonder about me." Harold spoke up: "Some people call it the End of the World, too." August laughed again. "Devil's Jump-off at the End of the World, well, that's enough to stir anyone's imagination," he said as he walked over and opened the door. "Look at that...heavy snow...I didn't really expect that and it's gotten quite a bit colder since we came inside. I've got to figure out what we do next, I know your parents wll be worried. But you--what is your name?" he said looking at Earl. "I'm Earl...Earl Johnson...sir." "You can't walk on that foot, Earl," Heidelberg continued, "so what are we going to do? The snow in the Rush River bottom will be getting deeper so we can't walk through there, we won't know what's snow, what's water."
August walked outside and over to the bank of the river then back to the shack. "The only safe thing we can do is stay here until the storm is over....I know, I know, you're worried about your parents, but we can't do anything that could get you in trouble. The weather...it just doesn't look good. We're warm here...I have food...simple food...but we are safe, and that has to be my primary concern...your safety. We'll get you out as soon as we can." End of Episode #10. Continued next: Riding out the Thanksgiving storm. Anxiety runs high back in Henderson.

Don, This is really good!!! Fritz is a relative of mine and I have never heard this story might have to talk to Rose Kelm, His wife. Also I was starting to think like Tom that Mary On might have had a sister!! As after I left Henderson I moved to Gaylord and have lived in Gaylord now for over 20 years, next door to her until her house burned a few years ago. I can't wait for the next Chapter to this story!!

Great Story Mr Don. I can't wait to hear the rest! thanks. :-)

Episode #11: Saturday evening and the town of Henderson is snowbound. Nonetheless, people have walked to Main Street and are congregated at Blasing's Drug Store. The discussion is the boys: Where are they? Are they safe? Who is the mysterious stranger living out on Rush River? Dr. Duclos knew about him? Why weren't townspeople alerted? And the kids warned to stay away? And...what about the strange happenings that occured out there last summer? A young girl, ill...Emily Rose, is it? Or Rise Emily? In the midst of the discussion was Dr. Duclos who urged that people stay calm. "I know nothing that would indicate that this man--August Heidleberg's his name--is the least bit dangerous." Mayor P.J. Hensler chimed in: "Doc's right, folks, we need to keep calm, the boys' lives could depend on our keeping our heads." George Berla spoke up: "I can tell you that we're going nowhere tonight. Every road leading out of here is blocked, drifts up to 3-4 feet in places. I know that Rush River area and our going out there? Well some of us might not come back." The telephone switchboard was located in the back of Blasing's Drug Store. "The mayor spoke again: "Any of the phone lines up? he asked. Ted Blasing spoke up: "You kidding? Lines are down all over. I can't even reach the Kelms and they're just a few miles south of town. Nope, Berla's right...we're snowbound." Dr. J. F. Traxler had been listening to the discussion. He had recently came back to Henderson after serving in the Army during the war. "As difficult as it wil be," the young physician spoke up, "Let's try and get some rest and when daylight comes we'll see if we can send out a rescue-search group. Anyone have skiis, snowshoes?" Hands shot up around the room. "Good. Have things in ready and...what do you say, Mayor Hensler, meet here at daylight?" Hensler responded: "Doc's right...try and get some rest. Ted [Blasing] can you have the coffee going at 6 o'clock?" "Count on it," the druggist replied. End of Episode #11. Next: Fighting blowing snow and deep drifts.

Episode #12: In the hours before dawn, Sunday, in the shack at Devil's Jump-off. Young Earl Johnson awoke, his sprained ankle throbbing. A soft light from a kerosene lamp shown in the far corner of the room. Earl propped himself up on the cot to better see. Someone was working at table...he strained hard to see in the poor light. There...next to an adult figure was...he made out the outline of...a young girl? yes, she seemed to be rolling, shaping something...as if she was kneading loaves of bread, he thought. What?????? Puzzled, he laid back, closed his eyes and dozed off to sleep again. End of Episode #12. Next: Early morning lights in George Berla's Livery Stable; horses whinny.

Episode #13: George Berla was in his Livery Stable on Fourth and Main at 5: a.m. stoking the potbelly stove in his small office. George had eight horses stabled in the back end of the building. Actually, six horses and 2 mules that belonged to neighbor "Coonie" Steinberg. "Coonie" plowed most of the gardens in town. As the fire started and George adjusted the damper, "Coonie" came in. "Figured you'd need help getting the sleds ready, especially if we're taking the mules." George: "Yup, I figure the sled going up the hill west is a job for your team." Within the hour the Livery barn was full of people. "Mayor Hensler: "We met at Blasings earlier and the plan is to take two sled out. One going south, the other up the hill going to Rush River that way. We've got four people going with each sleigh." On the south sled Doc Duclos was in charge with help from Mark Dempsey, Paul Kroehler, and Erv Johnso driving the team. On the mule team with "Coonie" in charge was Doc and Marie Traxler, and Leo "Boony" Hermann. Marie Traxler: "You need a mother's touch on this trip." Duclos spoke: "I'm sure we'll pick up a third sled when we go by Julius Kelm's farm." By 8 o'clock the two sleighs were headed up Main Street and on their mission. Sure enough, at the Kelm farmstead Julius' team was harnessed and pullin out of the drive. The men chatted briefly and were on their way to Rush River. It was slow going but Erv handled the team with precision. At 9:30 they reached the Rush and there, under the bridge, was the boys' three bikes. "Now the hard part begins," Duclos said. "It's up the stream to Devil's (he used the short name) and I don't think we can travel the stream bed. Too easy to step through and into the water. So we'll go by skiis or snowshoes, whatever we have, along the bank of the river." With that the men begin their preparations. The west-bound sled, even with the mules, had trouble with the hard packed drifts. A half-mile up the main road they retreated and took the old fort road instead, where the snow had not drifted as deeply. Still, it was 11 o'clock when the reached the flat ground and begin to pick their way around, over, through the deep snow. It had stopped snowing but the winds were strong and out of the northwest making visibility at times all but impossible. "Coonie" proved himself a masterful driver. The passengers, with blankets over their laps, helped spot the sides of the road as "Coonie" warned them, "If we go in the ditch we could be here all day." ....Meanhile...at the shack at Devil's Jump-off....the boys and August were seated at the lone table in the room. Harold Haas exlaimed: "Fresh bread! And hot oatmeal! Where'd that come from?" The question made Earl squirm as he recalled what he saw...or thought he saw?...during the night. "I bake bread," August said...and the oatmeal I get when I walk to the Rush River store once a week. The bread flour here is wonderful...I use Pillsbury here..." he ponted to the 100-pound sack with the large XXXX's on the side. End of Episode #13.
Next: Reunion at the shack.

Episode #14: By mid-day the wind subsided and both teams were making good progress. "The Mule Team" piloted by "Coonie" Steinberg headed west toward Barke's Woods then cut south angling toward Devil's Jump-off. When they approached Rush River the snow had lodged in and the road was all but impassable. "Time to get the snowshoes out," Dr. Traxler said. The decision was made to leave "Coonie" with the sleigh and team and Doc, Marie and "Boony" would go ahead on foot. "We need to bring blankets with us," Marie offered. "It's getting colder and we don't know what's ahead." MEANWHILE...The south teams was snow trekking along the north bank of the Rush and making good headways. Erv Johnson had stayed with the sleigh and Duclos, Mark Dempsey, Paul Kroehler and Julius Kelm headed west on the Rush: Doc on skiis and the other three on snowshoes. Near the Jump-off they paused and Duclos spoke: "We're only a mile away, it's around the next bend in the river." By some remarkable coincidence, the other team was also closing in on the shack. Marie was the first to speak: "I wonder if that's it? Small shack...and look...smoke's coming out of the chimney!" Doc came up behind her: "Looks like the shack Duclos described. Let's move up, remember, we don't know if the boys are here...or if they are what predicament they might be in." Doc, Marie and "Booney" made their way slowly down the hillside toward the tiny cabin. As they cautiously approched the door popped open....and out came young Fritz Kelm. Startled, Fritz hollered out, "What're you doin' here!!" Marie was the first to rush forward, "Boys? Are you all right?" In seconds Harold Haas and August Heidleberg emerged. There was stunned silence for moment, finally Heidleberg spoke: "I think you will find that they are all right...except for young Earl..." Marie interrupted him, "What do you mean? What's wrong with him?" Heidelberg: "No, no, nothing serious...just a sprain in the ankle...he has trouble walking." At that moment Duclos' group came into view and Julius Kelm was leading the sprint to the shack. "Fritz?! Are you all right??" "I'm fine Paw, we're all okay except Earl...he's got a bad ankle." For the next minutes there so many questions no one had time for answers. Doc Duclos held up his hand: "Mr. Heidelberg, maybe you can explain what's been oing on here?" Heidelberg stroked his beard and spoke slowly: "I guess the boys...came out here to take a closer look at me...and Earl...well...slipped up there on the hill and badly sprained...at least I think a sprain... his ankle. Then the snow came down so heavily we just had to...we were just snowbound. They are fine, I assure you..." Doc Traxler looked at his pocket watch. "2 o'clock and we'll be losing daylight soon. We'd better head back to the sleighs." Both of the doctors took a look at Earl's ankle and pronounced it a sprain, no break. "Booney" spoke up, "Earl's not gonna walk. I think we can cut some spruce bows and rig up a sled of sorts to pull him back to the sleigh." The decision was made to take Earl back to "Coonie's" mule team, the closest sleigh to where they were. As preparations were made Duclos approached Heidelberg. "August, I suggest you come back to town with us. It'll be easier to clear things up. Folks need to see for themselves what the stranger out at the "End of the World" looks like." Heidelberg was hesitant. "I don't know...it's best I stay..." Doc interrupted, "Trust me, I think this is right. You can stay overnight at my house...then come back out here in the morning." So it was that the five men, nurse Marie, and the three boys headed back to the two sleighs...Earl Johnson being pulled on a comfortable sleigh fashioned out of spruce branches and snug in one of Marie's blankets. The trip back to town was uneventful. Back in town the word travelled swiftly. Within the hour people were congregating at the Community Hall; casseroles and desserts starting arriving in the kitchen there. It was indeed a celebration. Walter "Blix" Comnick entertained those assembled on the piano. There were short speeches by Mayor Hensler, and Doc Duclos introduced August Heideleberg and folks had a chance to size up the man from Devil's Jump-off.
Finally Marie Traxler spoke: "These boys have had a long, exciting day and must be very tired. Let us thank God they are back safe and get them back to their homes." With that the party broke up. Heidelberg accompanied Duclos to his home and there Doc said, "Let's all get a good nights sleep and talk in the morning. There's some things I'd like to discuss with you." And so a long day ended with everyone bone-tired but happy. End of Episode #14. Continued next...Duclos and Heidelberg sit down and chat. Heidelberg announces a decision.

Episode #15: Early morning at the Duclos home and Doc and his overnight guest have finished breakfast and are chatting over coffee. Duclos is first to speak: "August, I need to talk with you about that night last summer when you summoned me to your place out on the Rush. You want to talk?" Heidelberg was visibly uneasy. Doc again: "I think you owe me some sort of explaination." Finally Heidelberg speaks: "I do, you came out in the middle of the night, yes, I owe you...You see, I had heard you had a place on the river. My Emily Rose...she is just Rose to me...she was ill and needed help. I came hoping to find you there..." Doc responded: "August, you don't owe me anthing. I'm a doctor...when people are sick...and need me, I come. But what was going on out there? And your...Rose...where is she now?" "She is back home in Austria...and she is well." Doc pulled on his goatee, a habit when he was frustrated, which he was at the moment. "What I witnessed, August, was...almost surreal...you understand?"
"Yes...I do understand...What you do not know about me is that I am a professor of psychology at the University...Vienna...and I am considered an expert on extra-sensory perception...on the mind-body connection...[a long pause] there are things that happen that I do not understand...and then there are things I experience that I cannot...or will not...speak about. That night is one of them." At length Duclos replied: "I respect your privacy and won't pursue it further. But one thing, tell me what in God's name is a man like you doing holed up in a shack out on Rush River?" August laughed, "Fair question and I have, believe it or not, a good explaination. Sometimes I feel trapped in my academic life...I yearn to do things with my hands, to have some sense of independence. In a way I escaped here...but little did I know it was to a place called Devil's Jump-off..." and the two men roared with laughter. "Doctor, I have Austrian friends who emigrated here...bought that land out there on the Rush...and they told me I could come and use the cabin, primative as it is." He sipped his coffee and went on, "And a wonderful thing happen in these months. I have found myself...isn't that funny? A psychology professor finding himself?" Duclos spoke: "Do you know why I have a cabin on the river? Because every so often I have to go there and find myself. I just don't have to go a continent away to do it, August." And again both men roared with laughter. "So," Doc continued, "What now?" "I am going back out to the cabin and pack up my belongings...catch the train...and I am going back to Vienna. And I feel good about what I have done and now my life ahead." "Tell you what," Doc said, "I'll get you a ride out to the bridge...we'll hike back and get your belongings...and arrange to get you to the depot. You can catch the 5 o'clock train for St. Paul and then on to New York." The two men were out the door and on the way out to Rush River.
End of Episode #15. Next: Epilogue...1935: Henderson Independent reporter Win Working searches for information on August Heidelberg, PhD. Psychology, and his newly published book on Para-Normal Psychological Phenomena: Real or Imagined?

Epilogue: The date: September in 1935...fifteen years after the Incident at Devil's Jump-off. Win Working, writer for the Henderson Independent, continues in that capacity but is doing more free-lance writing for other publications. Often he writes under the pseudonym
Rex King and his stories are syndicated through Midland Feature Services. In the intervening years Dr. Duclos has filled in many of the voids in the story that Working was not personally witnessed. He had all but forgotten the incident but for an obscure bit of information he happened upon quite by accident. At the University Library, doing research on story he authoring as Rex King, he came across mention of a book just published by an Austrian psychologist, August Heidelberg. "That name?" he mused to himself..."where have I heard...of course! the man out at Devil's Jump-off!" According to the article he was reading Heidelberg's book was on the subject of extra-sensory, para-normal phenomena. Could it be? Is it possible, Working thought, that there was reference to the event fifteen years ago near Henderson? He went to the library reference desk and enquired. Yes, he was told, there was a copy ordered for German language department. It is written in German, she told Working. Could he check the book out for just a week, he asked? "It's an unusual request, Mr. Working...but if you promise to have it back...alright." On the train back to Henderson, he thought: "Now what do I do? it's in
German...maybe Doc will have a suggestion." Back in Henderson he hurried to Duclos' office with his find. Doc listened closely and finally said, "My German is very limited, especially on the technical level. There's a new pastor in town--at St. Paul Evangelical...they used to call it the German Lutheran. Some of his sermons are in German, he's your man, I'll bet." Off to St. Paul's parsonage he went and was ushered into the pastor's study. It took him awhile to background the Reverend, who listened with great intensity. "You have a fascinating story Mr. Working. Might it have been an excorcism that Dr. Duclos witnessed that night? You know, exorcisms aren't always related to evil or demonic spirits; indeed they can, I read, be an attempt to dispell malignant influences, however you choose to define that." Working replied, "Reverend, what I want to determine is if there's any reference, any mention of Henderson in the book. It just possible that Heidelberg explains in the book what that night at Devil's Jump-off was all about." The Reverend said, "I'll read through it and look for passages like that...give me three or four days...I do have a Sunday sermon to prepare, you know" Working left the book with the pastor and went on his way. Three days later Working looked up from his desk at the Independent to see the St. Paul's pastor chatting with Gus Buck. "Well, Reverend, what success did you have?" The pastor handed back the book and said, "Very little. Yes, there is reference to Henderson in the book. Mr. Heidelberg relates how in 1920 he spent several months in Henderson, rejuvenating himself, and writes glowingly about the countryside and the friendly people. Oh, yes, he mentions striking up a professional friendship with Dr. Duclos...and how the good doctor counseled him on the therapeutic benefits of the great outdoor." Working responded: "That's it? No strange events at the cabin?" The pastor shook his head, "Not a word." Working continued, "Does he mention his family? A daughter, maybe?" The pastor took the book back and turned to the front pages, "The book is dedicated to his daughter, Emily Rose...otherwise, I don't recall another mention." Working dropped the book on his desk, "Damn," he said..."Oh, Reverend, pardon my language...I'm just disappointed; thought there might be some answers to what happened that night out on the Rush." The Reverend turned to Gus Buck, "Mr. Buck, I so enjoy reading your paper, especially your editorials. You are a great booster of Henderson." Gus responded, "Thanks, Pastor, I hear you preach a mighty fine sermon." "Come listen for yourself, Mr. Buck, I'd like to see you out front on Sunday morning." With that the Pastor was out and on his way. Buck looked at his reporter, "Well, Win, you can't win 'em all. There's lots of other stories out there. Let this one go." Win Working was a prolific writer for the Independent and other area publications. But nary a word was ever written about August Heidelberg, Rose...or Emily Rose...or what he, Dr. Duclos, and other came to refer to as The Strange Incident at Devil's Jump-off. NEXT...The Last Word...to be continued.

#17: The Last Word. Time for all cards on the table to be turned face up. How often have you heard/read these words: What you are about to hear [read] is a true story, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent, etc. Now turn that statement around: The above is NOT a true story, the only thing that is accurate is the people and places. There are only a few fictional people in the story; the places are all real...even Devil's Jump-Off, also known as The End of the World to some. To readers of this story who are not from the area, Devil's Jump-Off is a high bluff area on Rush River west of where the Rush empties into the Minnesota River. And the legendary but real-life Dr. J. Duclos, M.D. had a camp/cabin at that spot from about 1920 to 1950. The writer has had something of a fascination with Devil's Jump-Off probably tracing to boyhood days and playing in and around there. I have tried unsuccessfully to find out how and when the cliffs got this picturesque name. No one I've talked with has a clue. So now you know that the aforegoing, insofar as the plot is concerned, didn't happen. Most of the people in the story I knew from my growing-up years there. Dr. Duclos, Gus Buck, and the three boys in the story: Fritz Kelm, Earl Johnson and Harold Haas. I did not know Henderson Independent writer Win Working though he was indeed a real person who wrote extensively for the local newspaper, and other area publications, as well. Duclos was a colorful character worthy of Reader's Digest material. He left Henderson in the early 1940s and the Blue Book says he died in 1946. All of these people--and the places in and around town--made an impression on this kid growing up there during the Depression and World War II years. As I wrote in "Growing Up in Henderson," it was a great time and place to grow up. So there you have if, I've 'fessed up. If I've disappointed anyone...well, that certainly was not my intent. The story just got started and got away from me. Stories have a way of doing that. 'til next time, when hopefully we meet again. Be kind to each other. The end, really.

So is this really a movie? If so where can it really be seen? Or is this one of the IMC movies, that never make the theaters?

Yes, it is really a movie! It's in theaters now. Just check your local movie theater schedule to see when it's playing in your area.

"What happened to Emily Rose" is a movie. Mr. Osell's story is not a movie, yet!

But his story should be a book!

I think so too!! Don have you written any books?? If you haven't you should think about it!! You are a very good story teller!! You had me going and waiting to read your next post!!

Don is the author of "Growing Up in Henderson"...can't believe you haven't read it.

MH 82-83: "Growing Up in Henderson" is at the Henderson Library so you could order it through your library. I believe that it is also for sale around town.

"What happened to Emily Rose" will be coming out on DVD next Tuesday.

Who's playing the role of Dr. Jacques Duclos?

Who is playing Fritzie Kelm?

The Exorcisim of Emily Rose!
I downloaded this movie on the net and converted it to DVD.
But I just have not taken the time to watch it. Now I can't wait!
Maybe tonite!