The Mad Gasser of Mattoon

It is the late summer of 1944. The town of Mattoon, in the US state of Illinois, has found itself gripped by a fear so strange, so disorienting, that even now — decades later—historians, psychologists, and true‑crime researchers still argue about what really happened. It began with a husband and wife waking up during the night, to a sweet, sickly smell. Suspecting a gas leak they decided to check the kitchen stove downstairs. Yet they found themselves unable to move their legs. Their lips were tingling and then their throats felt tightened. Then by dawn - they were recovered. The cause was unknown, but a story of gas attacks would soon spread.

Credits:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/mad-gasser-of-mattoon
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/column-mad-gasser-of-mattoon
https://creativehistorystories.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-mystery-of-mad-gasser-of-mattoon.html
https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/panic-on-the-pavement-the-mad-gasser-and-the-city-that-held-its-breath/
https://thartribune.com/inside-the-1944-panic-that-swept-mattoon-the-unresolved-case-of-the-mad-gasser/
https://time.com/archive/6599045/crime-at-night-in-mattoon/?utm_source=copilot.com

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

It is the late summer of 1944. The town of Matoon, in the US state of Illinois, has found itself gripped by a fear so strange, so disorienting, that even now, decades later, historians, psychologists, and true crime researchers still argue about what really happened. It began with a husband and wife waking up during the night to a sweet, sickly smell. Suspecting a gas leak, they decided to check the kitchen stove downstairs. Yet they found themselves unable to move their legs. Their lips were tingling, and then their throats felt tightened. Calling out for help seemed to mimic a bad dream, for their voices were absent. Then, by dawn, they were recovered. The cause was unknown, but a story of gas attacks would soon spread. Others came forward to report similar incidents, and some would describe a tall, dark figure that was sighted during the attacks. Soon the town was paralyzed with fear, and the people would be convinced that a mysterious figure was stalking their homes under cover of darkness. This is the Mad Gasser of Matunha. Many of the townsmen were away fighting in Europe. The streets were darker, and homes felt emptier. The first of the documented mad gasser attacks occurred at a house on Grant Avenue. Mr. Urban Wraith woke up to a faint, sweet, and sickly smell, but soon experienced nausea, vomiting, and a burning sensation in his throat. His wife decided to go downstairs to check the gas cooker, but she was partially paralyzed and couldn't get out of bed. Both were in a panic, unable to seek assistance, yet soon recovered within a matter of hours. Mr. and Mrs. Rafe did not report the incident to police as they were unsure how to explain what had occurred. However, it wasn't long before stories of a silent attacker took its grip on the town's population. On the next evening of September 1st, in a modest home on Marshall Avenue, Mrs. Elaine Kearny was settling in for the night after putting her two young children to bed. Her husband, Bert, who was a taxi driver, was at working late. She wasn't alone, as her sister and nephew were staying over. At around 11 p.m., Aline woke suddenly. She couldn't say why, only that something felt wrong. The air smelled strange, sweet, almost like perfume, but heavier. Suspecting it may have been the flowers located just outside an open window, she decided to get out of bed to close it. When she tried to sit up, her legs wouldn't respond. Her lips tingled, her throat felt thick. She later described it as a paralysis. Aline managed to call for help and her sister entered the room. Immediately hit with a foul odor, she saw the bedroom window open and closed it, believing the smell was coming in from outside. The police were called, and officers listened politely, they took notes, and suspecting Aline was seeking comfort or attention, carried out a search of the property to reassure her. But the reality was most likely that they didn't believe her. It was after the officers had left that Bert arrived home. When parked in his taxi, he saw an unidentified man standing near one of the property's windows. The man made off when being sighted, but Bert was able to give a description of the prowler, describing him as a tall man dressed in dark clothing, wearing a tight-fitting cap. The police were again called, and this time took the matter more seriously. The incident was recorded as an attempted robbery, but the description was soon to become a regular occurrence within the local media and the town's population.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Her husband, Bert Kearney, a local taxi driver, was working at the time. According to Mrs. Kearney, the air in the bedroom carried a sweet, heavy smell which she first believed might be drifting in from flowers near an open window. When she attempted to rise and close it, she found her legs unresponsive and experienced a tingling of the lips and a tightening of the throat. She later described the condition as a paralysis. Police officers were summoned and conducted a search of the premises, while they reported finding no evidence of forced entry. Shortly after the officers departed, Mr. Kearney returned home. Upon parking his cab, he observed a man standing near one of the windows of the residence. The stranger fled when seen, but Mr. Kearney was able to provide a description. A tall man dressed in dark clothing and wearing a tight-fitting cap. Local officials advised citizens to remain alert and to report any suspicious activity without delay.

SPEAKER_00 6:55

It was only a few days later that the gasser struck again. This time, the victim was Mrs. Beula Cordes of North 21st Street, who returned home to find a small piece of cloth lying on her porch. It looked soaked wet with something oily. She picked it up to examine it, and immediately her mouth and throat began to burn. She staggered inside and her husband, upon recognizing the symptoms, rushed outside, searching for whoever had left it. He would claim to have seen a tall figure running away into the darkness. The police were called and carefully seized the cloth so that it could be forensically examined. The item was sent by investigators to the Illinois Criminal Investigation Laboratory, where it was tested for chemicals or anesthetic agents, but the laboratory reported no detectable gas, residue, or chemical substances. The police soon received multiple reports from members of the public concerning attacks involving the presence of a gas-type odor causing debilitating symptoms. The newspapers seized on the story, and the town of Matoon descended into full panic mode. Within days, reports flooded in. A woman said she woke to find her legs numb. A man claimed he saw a figure lurking outside his window. Children reported strange smells drifting through their rooms. One family said they saw a shadowy person fleeing their yard. The symptoms were always similar. Numbness, tingling, temporary paralysis, nausea, burning sensations, a sweet chemical smell. Local law enforcement increased their visible patrols, but this did not stop the residents arming themselves when leaving home. Some began nailed their windows shut in fear that would be opened from outside. Families began sleeping in shifts so that one could keep watch through the night. The town's fear was so intense that even the smallest noise, like a creaking floorboard or a rustling bush, sent people into a panic and calling the police. Only a few witnesses would claim to see the gasser and could only describe him in very vague and unsettling terms. A tall man, thin, dressed in dark clothing, sometimes wearing a cap, sometimes a mask, and always silent. One witness said he moved like smoke. Another said he vanished when chased. Police dismissed these descriptions as unreliable, but the newspapers did not. They printed every detail, every rumor, every whisper. And soon the Gasser became more myth than man, and a figure who could slip through the night unseen. The town was now fully convinced someone or something was stalking Matun.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Many describing incidents similar to those reported on Marshall Avenue and North 21st Street earlier in the week. While officers have not confirmed any new evidence of chemical use, they acknowledge that the number of reports has increased sharply. In several homes, occupants claimed to have detected a sweet or sickening odor shortly before experiencing nausea or temporary weakness. Others reported seeing a man fleeing the vicinity after being discovered near windows or porches. Descriptions of the suspect remain consistent. A tall figure dressed in dark clothing, often said to be wearing a tight cap. Despite official reassurances, fear spread rapidly across the city. Families kept windows shut tight, and many residents sat up late into the night, watching their yards and alleyways. Several blocks of organized informal patrols, with neighbors taking turns walking the streets armed with flashlights. The incident at the home on North 21st Street, where a damp cloth was found on the porch and later sent for laboratory testing, continues to be the most widely discussed case. Although state investigators reported no chemical traces on the cloth, the event has done little to calm public fears. City officials say they are considering additional measures, including increased nighttime patrols and coordination with state authorities. Meanwhile, residents are urged to report suspicious activity promptly and to avoid spreading unverified rumors.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

Police were overwhelmed. Residents were terrified. Newspapers were running daily stories. One night, officers responded to eight separate reports of gassin within a few hours. Some claimed they saw the gasser fleeing. Others said he was hiding in bushes. One family insisted he tried to break into their home. But when police arrived, they never found anything. No footprints, no tools, no chemicals, no attacker, just frightened residents. It was on September 12th, Chief C. E. Cole of the Matoon Police Department declared publicly that the gasser did not exist. He blamed the newspapers for creating panic. He blamed residents for misinterpreting normal smells. He blamed wartime anxiety for fueling hysteria. The town was left stunned at the announcement. Some felt relieved at the revelation. Others felt dismissed as idiots, and a few were angry at the dramatic shift in police attitude. But the strangest part? After the announcement, the reports dropped sharply, and within days, the GASA seemed to vanish altogether.

SPEAKER_01 13:32

After nearly two weeks of nightly alarms, scattered reports, and widespread public uneasiness, the series of alleged gas attacks that unsettled Matun appears to have come to an end. Chief C. E. Cole, who has overseen the investigation since the first reports on Marshall Avenue, said that the department has found no conclusive evidence of a gas-wielding prowler. We have examined every lead, Cole stated, and nothing has been uncovered to support the belief that a chemical agent was used. Many of the symptoms described can be attributed to ordinary causes. The chief added that several incidents were likely the result of industrial fumes, spilled household products, or nervous reactions brought on by wartime strains. Residents, however, recall a tense period marked by shuttered windows, neighborhood patrols, and nightly speculation. The discovery of a damp cloth at the home of Mrs. Beula Cordes on North 21st Street, later found by state chemists to contain no trace of any anesthetics, fueled both fear and confusion. With no new disturbances reported, officials now urge citizens to resume their normal routines. While some residents remain unconvinced, most appear relieved that the strange chapter has closed. City leaders say they will continue routine patrols, but do not anticipate additional developments. For now, Matun settles back into its usual rhythm, hoping the mysterious visitor, real or imagined, has departed for good.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

By late September, the panic was over. The town tried to move on, but the incident left deep scars. Some residents never fully recovered from the fear that had been installed. Some insisted the Gasa had been real, yet others felt embarrassed for believing the rumors. The newspapers eventually stopped covering the story. Police closed the case, and the town of Matun returned to normal. But the mystery has remained, and many still to this day continue to ask what really happened. Was there truly a chemical attacker? Was it mass hysteria? Was it a stalker? Or was it something stranger? Experts from the time of the attacks and researchers today have speculated what occurred in the town of Matoon. Some believed the gasser was a genuine criminal, someone with access to anesthetic chemicals, possibly stolen from a hospital or industrial plant. The symptoms match certain anesthetics used in the 1940s, such as chloroform, ether, nitrous oxide, and industrial solvents. Yet these chemicals don't behave the way that victims described. They don't drift through windows in sweet-smelling clouds. They don't cause paralysis within seconds, and they typically don't vanish without leaving residue. Police did consider the possibility of a real attacker, but they never found the evidence to support this theory. We need to remember that this was 1944. America was deep into World War II. Fear of enemy agents, German spies, saboteurs was widespread. Some residents believed the Gasa was a foreign agent testing chemical weapons on civilians. It may sound dramatic, but wartime paranoia was real. And Mattoon wasn't far from industrial plants that produce military materials. But no law enforcement or other governmental agency ever found proof of sabotage to support this. Another theory suggested the gasser was a disturbed individual, someone experimenting with homemade chemicals. But again, no suspect was ever identified or at least described in any detail. And no one in town was known to routinely possess such substances required to inflict the symptoms reported. The theory most historians now accept as the most credible is mass hysteria, also often referred to as collective delusion. This occurs when fear spreads rapidly through a community, causing people to misinterpret normal sensations as symptoms of attack. The newspapers are described as having played a significant role. Headlines were sensational and stories were exaggerated. People smelled normal household odors, paint, gasoline, cooking fumes, and believed they were being gassed. They felt numbness from sleeping awkwardly and assumed paralysis. They saw shadows and believed they were seeing the gasser. Fear became contagious. The hysteria theory remains more widely accepted than others, but some victims had reported real symptoms such as burns to their skin. So, was it hysteria? Or was it something else? A lesser known theory suggests police downplayed the incidents to avoid panic. According to this idea, the Gasa was real, but authorities didn't want to admit they couldn't catch him. There's no evidence for this. But the abrupt shift in police attitude, from alarmed to dismissive, does suggest they acted on some type of information and not just a gut feeling. To understand the gasser, we need to understand fear. Fear changes perception. Fear amplifies sensations. Fear spreads like wildfire. And in Matun, fear became contagious. One person's report made the next more likely. A strange smell became a chemical attack. And a shadow became a prowler. Collective delusion doesn't mean people are lying, it only means they're interpreting real sensations through a lens of fear. We cannot dismiss the possibility of a real attacker entirely. Was someone experimenting with homemade chemicals? Could a prowler have used a mild irritant, a chemical not easily detected? Maybe the gasser had been real, but his methods primitive in execution. All are possible. But without evidence we can't say for sure. Many historians now believe the gasser was a combination of a real prowler, misinterpreted smells, media exaggeration, wartime anxiety, and psychosomatic symptoms. In other words, a real person may have been lurking around homes, the unique gas smell was imagined, and fear filled in the gaps. Today, the Mad Gasser of Mattoon remains one of America's most fascinating unsolved mysteries. It's a story about fear, about perception, about the power of suggestion, and about how communities respond to the unknown. It's also a reminder that not all mysteries involve monsters or criminals. Sometimes the most powerful force is the human mind. Even if the gasser was a product of hysteria, even if no attacker ever existed, even if the symptoms were psychosomatic, the fear was real, the panic was real, the terror was real. And for the people of Maton, that was enough. The story of Maton teaches us something important. When fear takes hold, it doesn't need evidence, it doesn't need logic, it doesn't need a villain. Fear creates its own monsters.