Priest and celebrated exorcist, born Braz, Austria, 1727; died Pondorf, 1779. When his physicians had failed to restore his health, he applied exorcism and was cured. Convinced that certain maladies were caused by the evil spirit, he utilized the procedure on others with wonderful success. The fame of these cures caused him to be invited to the Diocese of Constance, to Ratisbon, and elsewhere, and everywhere he obtained similar results. He worked openly in the presence of Catholics, Protestants, scientists, and ecclesiastics, following everywhere the directions of the Church ritual. Official records of his cures were made, and the commissions appointed by Ingolstadt University and the imperial government approved of his procedure.