Feral Nightmares
A true crime and supernatural podcast hosted by Taye and Binks
Feral Nightmares
Birdman And The Mad Gasser
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A man can stab a guard in front of a thousand witnesses and still end up remembered as a quirky genius with a birdcage. That’s the uncomfortable tension we sit with as we tell the true crime story of Robert Franklin Stroud, the so-called Birdman of Alcatraz, and compare the legend to the record: violence, solitary confinement, prison politics, and the public’s appetite for a redemption narrative that fits neatly on a movie poster.
We walk through Stroud’s early life, his first killing, and the moment his prison sentence turns into a life-long lockup. Then we follow the bizarre pivot that helped build his myth: canaries in confinement, detailed research on bird diseases, published books, fan mail, and the privileges that came with unwanted fame. We also talk about what the film version leaves out, and why “palatable” storytelling can erase the danger victims and staff actually lived with.
From there, we head into a mystery that feels like folklore but happened in real neighborhoods: the Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Illinois. In late summer 1944, residents report strange sweet odors, nausea, burning sensations, and temporary paralysis, with a shadowy prowler description that spreads as fast as the fear. We dig into the theories that tried to explain it, from industrial pollution to mass hysteria fueled by World War II paranoia, and why the lack of hard evidence keeps the case unsettled.
If you like true crime podcast deep-dives, unsolved mysteries, and the messy place where myth meets reality, subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review so more people can find Feral Nightmares.
Welcome And Dark Humor Warning
SPEAKER_03Welcome to Feral Nightmares, where true crime and true supernatural collide.
SPEAKER_04Hello there. My name is Zachary Binks, but you can just call me Binx. And I am your host who is gonna be why are you laughing like that? And I'm the host who's gonna be doing all the spooky shit. Why? Because I'm a huge fancy nerd. I love urban legends, I love folklore, and like I just generally love all things spooky. And I'm a psychology major, so why I'm not the one studying doing true crime? Well, I'm gonna leave that to my co-host here.
SPEAKER_02Hello, I am Tay Mayhem Myers, and I will be covering all of our true crime where we show you the real monsters are actually fucking people.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
SPEAKER_02So pretty much the reason that I am into this is because my mother falls asleep to the ID channel every night because the narration is so soothing. Um but in reality, my entire life has basically been one crime scene after another. And it just it fascinates me that people are this sick and twisted. I mean, and then that's us, and then there's us.
SPEAKER_04But we're all in a different category.
SPEAKER_02Yes, we don't let the intrusive thoughts in most of the time. All right, so hopefully you guys can enjoy hearing our stories, our banter, and us being two halves of a whole idiot. So please stick around.
SPEAKER_04And also, just a giant trigger warning for us, we are not family-friendly. We are not.
SPEAKER_02We also use a lot of dark humor. And we're part of the dead dads club, so and there will be jokes.
SPEAKER_04I'm part of the dead sibling club, and you're an honorary member.
SPEAKER_02I'm an honorary member, yeah.
SPEAKER_04So, yes. We use our trauma as um form of comedy for y'all. So I hope you enjoy. It's either you laugh or you cry, and I choose to laugh. Look, either everything is funny or nothing is funny. Exactly. Everything is funny.
SPEAKER_02All right. So I guess I'm going first, huh? Yes, ladies first. Ladies first. All right.
Birdman Of Alcatraz Origins
SPEAKER_02So our very first true crime case for you guys is actually one that was inspired by my dead dad. Um, little bit of backstory is this man loved to claim he was related to famous people. Now says none of it has been substantiated. I have no proof, but one of the first ones I remember him telling me was the bird man of Alcatraz. And he went into this whole story about how he was killed trying to escape and all of these things. My dad was full of it. Like he was with everything else. So, in honor of my dad and the fact that we are recording this the day before Father's Day, and my dad's dead, so I don't have to celebrate with him. Uh quit laughing. It's sad and tragic.
SPEAKER_03My dad's also dead, so you know what? Like I said, your dad always came back with the milk. Mine didn't. Except for when you went to the bathroom and never came back. Right. Anyway.
SPEAKER_02And if you can hear the audible eye rolling in the background, that would be our producer, my amazing husband, Michael Big Poppy Myers, uh, who is trying his hardest not to laugh at our terrible jokes. We love you, Mike. We love you, Poppy. All right, so first case is going to be Robert Franklin Stroud, the birdman of Alcatraz. So getting into this case and actually reading it and finding out just, you know, how much my dad did not know about his supposed relative was kind of a fun journey for me. But basically, Robert Stroud was born January 28th of 1809. So old as fuck.
SPEAKER_00Old as fuck.
SPEAKER_02Uh, in Seattle, Washington. He was the eldest child of Elizabeth and Benjamin Franklin Stroud. Now, Elizabeth did have two daughters from a previous marriage. Um home life wasn't great, as it usually is with most, you know, murderers and all of that, you know, blame their childhood. But in 1903, at the age of 13, he ran away from home to escape his abusive alcoholic father. So, do know together, where he was essentially her pimp. Now, just before he turned 19 years old on January 18th, 1909, our dear boy Bobby. Damn it, Bobby. Damn it, Bobby, had to uh confront a client of Kitty's. Uh was a bartender by the name of FK Charlie Von Dahmer.
SPEAKER_04I just love like those kind of names. I do too.
SPEAKER_02Of a good Vaughn. Yeah. Um so Bobby goes up and he's like, Charlie, what the hell, right? Basically, what had happened is Charlie had hired Kitty for her services. Supposedly they had agreed upon a $10 fee. And when they were done, he gave her $2. That that rapast. Right? So Bobby's like, hey, where's my money? Well, a scuffle ensues. Charlie's not coming up off the extra eight bucks. Bobby's gotta make a point. A pimp's gotta do what a pimp gotta do. Right. There's a reason there's the term pimp slap, okay? So during the scuffle, yeah, yelling, cursing, throwing each other around, whatever, Robert Stroud shoots Charlie, killing him. So once uh kind of made sure that Charlie was no longer with us, oh I pee Charlie. Right. He went uh Stroud went ahead and relieved him of all of his money. As one does after you shoot someone in cold blood.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I mean, also for them not paying your girl, you know. So steals all his money, gives it to Kitty, and then takes himself to the police and turns himself in. Claims self-defense. Says Charlie had a pistol. So yeah. Police records state that Robert Stroud had actually knocked the man unconscious prior to fatally shooting him. So, of course, it goes to court, trial, all of that. Stroud was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 12 years at McNeil Island Penitentiary in 1909.
Prison Fights And Extra Time
SPEAKER_02So, during his time at McNeil Island, Bobby was a pain in the ass. Which is going to be kind of setting the precedent for the rest of his life. So, McNeil Island records indicated that Robert Stroud was anything but a model prisoner. He had frequent feuds not only with other inmates, but with prison staff. Uh, he attacked an orderly uh who claimed that Stroud had reported or who Stroud claimed had reported him for threats and intimidation uh for access to morphine. This attack earned him an additional six months on top of his original 12-year sentence. So, you know, hostile environment. If you're dealing with Robert Stroud, it's a hostile workplace. In a prison, you don't want to deal with him. He's a pain in the ass. There's reports of him stabbing other inmates who claimed he stole food. I mean, if a man's hungry. I mean, bitch gotta eat. But it's prison food. I don't think it was that good. So as the prison's population grew, and you know, with years of complaints against him, Robert Stroud was transferred from McNeil Island uh in Washington State to Leavenworth Federal Prison in 1916. Now, you think, new start. Let's turn over a new leaf. Let's actually try to better ourselves. Right. I I've been sentenced to 12 years, got six months added to it. You know, and I'm not doing too bad, right? Like, I still might have a future getting product. I got like five and a half years left on my sentence, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Because it's 1916. This motherfucker. This motherfucker.
Leavenworth Guard Killing
SPEAKER_02So on March 26, 1916, shortly after he was transferred to Leavenworth, Robert Stroud asked to speak to corrections officer Andrew Turner. They're in, you know, the mess hall, the cafeteria, whatever they called it. He asks permission, he goes up to Turner and he's like, Hey, did you report me for that shit I did yesterday? And Turner's, you know, was like, no, actually, I didn't. Um, and basically the the whole reason for this interaction is that the seriously minor infraction that he had made the day before, which I could not find out what it was, you know, could have caused him a visit from his brother. So, you know, Bobby's a little pissed.
SPEAKER_04I mean, like, I would um be mad if that was the case as well. And like, especially if it's like so minor that like you couldn't find anything about it. Fully understand that.
SPEAKER_02But here's the thing he goes up to Turner and he's like, hey, you know, did you report me? Turner says no. And it is at that point Robert Franklin Stroud stabs correctional officer Andrew Turner directly in the heart, killing him.
SPEAKER_04What the fuck, Bobby?
SPEAKER_02And this is a quote from Stroud. The guard took ill and died all of a sudden. He had a heart condition, puncture of the heart. There was a knife hole in it. He ran into my knife. He ran into my knife ten times. Right. So he did this, and I and a two different sources gave me two different numbers. Somewhere between 1100 and 1500 witnesses. He was in the mess hall, right? Everybody's there for their lunch, and you're gonna stab a guy, and especially a corrections officer. Now, here's where it gets a little interesting, though. The other inmates went to the warden, uh, this warden's name was T.W. Morgan, and asked if they could give money to C.O. Turner's family. They ended up giving $400 in 1916, which in today's money is $12,220.92. Like, like they legitimately were like, oh my god, this guy got killed. We saw it, we feel so bad here. Take our money.
SPEAKER_04Right. Oh my, like, that's so that is so sweet of those inmates.
SPEAKER_02Fucking Bobby. Right. So two years later, he is sentenced to hang. As he should. As he should be. Well, one thing you gotta know about Bobby. Even though he ran away from his father, he is a mama's boy. So his mother, Elizabeth Stroud, pleads with President Woodrow Wilson. Please don't execute my son. You know. So Elizabeth Stroud goes to, you know, pleads with the President Wilson, don't kill my baby boy. He's not that bad of a man. It was a misunderstanding. I don't know what she said. Can't find out what she said. I just know that she pleads with President Wilson. President Wilson commutes the sentence to life in prison. Warden Morgan is not happy about this at all. Because honestly, he's the one that has to deal with this man on a daily basis. So between Warden Morgan and the attorney, uh, I want to say it's the attorney general, they managed to ensure that Robert Stroud would spend the remainder of his life, not only in prison, but in solitary confinement.
SPEAKER_04I mean, that way he can't do any more damage than he's done. Right. So life goes on, right? Like that's basically like the equivalent of um locking him away and throwing away the keys.
SPEAKER_02Pretty much. And I mean that's that's basically what they did. So, you know, a couple years go by.
Canaries And Prison Science
SPEAKER_02Stroud's getting to spend some time out in the yard, because he is allowed a little bit of time out in the yard. Um, and he rescues three injured sparrows because he found their nest, they were injured. Not a hundred percent sure how that works. Um, but he ended up raising them into adulthood and found a useful, you know, way to spend his time. And at the time, inmates were allowed to buy canaries. Really? Yes. I don't know why. I don't know what purpose they served. Because you're not training them. They're just like they're pets. They're pets, basically. I mean, like if I was in if you were in a coal mine, I get it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, but like a prison, I mean, to be honest, to be fair, if I'm in the prison, I'm gonna want a pet of some sort just to occupy my occupy my thoughts.
SPEAKER_02Not 100% sure why. Um definitely worth looking into just now because the Yeah, I am the brain's been peaked. Um, but anyway, Stroud ends up getting canaries, and then he goes on to spend a significant amount of time, you know, caring for these birds, studying these birds. And, you know, during this time, you know, he's able to sell them, trade them for supplies, and he's taking that money and he's helping support his mother. So being a good son while in prison. Doing the best he could, doing what he can with what he's got. So shortly after this, William Biddle, uh the new warden, comes into Leavenworth, sees you know, this prison, and he's like, I can make this, I can make this look good. Here's the optics, we're gonna get it, right?
SPEAKER_03Okay, um, I'm just thinking like a full like queer eye episode of the prison. This is what we're gonna do, okay?
SPEAKER_02Um, keep that snap in. So he comes in and he's like, I got a vision, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, a rehabilitation prison. It's progressive. That's what we need. We can reform these hardened criminals, right?
SPEAKER_04Honestly, I'm all for reform.
SPEAKER_02Right. Uh if you can, and if it is someone if you can be reformed. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Not everyone's um able to, and that's just like a damn decision. If they don't want to save themselves, right, then yeah.
SPEAKER_02So Warden Biddle goes, you know what, Bobby? I'm gonna hook you up. I like the work you're doing. So he gives Robert Shroud cages, chemicals, stationery, so that he can research and like record his research caring for these birds. And Biddle gives him all the things he needs machinery, you know, pens, papers, whatever. So over the next couple of years, Stroud raises 300 canaries. Damn. He writes two books, one of which is the 60,000-word treast, Diseases of Canaries, in 1933.
SPEAKER_04Dang. Do you have the titles of those books? That was one of them, yes. Oh sorry, brain blah brain part, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um the second book, which you know, the second book was Stroud's Digest on Diseases on the Diseases of Birds. It was in 1943. So he had like a solid like at that point, 23 years of research on these birds.
SPEAKER_04Auntie, that's pretty impressive. I'm like inside of a solitary confinement.
SPEAKER_02Inside of solitary confinement in a federal penitentiary, and having to smuggle the books out. It was yeah, the books had to be smuggled out. So like so he was able to write these books, and then somebody had to use their prison pocket and get it out, yes.
SPEAKER_04Like the warden gave him all this stuff to research, like do his stuff with it, but he still had to smuggle it out.
SPEAKER_02I feel like, honestly, with all of the the leeway they had given him, he his mom could have just walked out with it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but but I feel like there was like like they had to keep some some sense of some structure and rules with him.
SPEAKER_02But with this all of this research that he did do and all of the information that he collected, he made important contributions to you know avian pathology.
SPEAKER_04And uh, this is where he gets the birdman like title.
SPEAKER_02This is where he gets the nickname Birdman. So one of those contributions was a cure uh for hemorrhagic septicemia, uh, family of diseases. Um so obviously he's been doing this, he's published some books, he's selling birds, he's you know, whatever. He makes some fans. Um, and of course, when you're in prison, all mail in and out is read, copied, and then delivered where if whether it's going in or out.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So because of his contributions to you know the bird lovers, he had his own full-time prison secretary for his mail.
SPEAKER_04Like an actual another inmate acting.
SPEAKER_02No, wait, like an actual employee of the prison who worked full-time just reading all of Robert Shroud's correspondences.
SPEAKER_03This man is like he like he's like living the dream, right? In solitary confinement, like right.
SPEAKER_02Oh, it gets better.
SPEAKER_04How so?
SPEAKER_02It gets so much better. So, like, uh the prison's starting to get a little irritated with him, right? Like, are you talking about like the warden and like or just other prisoners? Like, I mean, he's in solitary, he's not having a lot of interaction outside of the employees and the staff.
SPEAKER_04Okay, so it's okay.
SPEAKER_02So, but it's the just the the influx of mail, and then him responding to it, because what else is he gonna do? Also, he had free range canaries. So they're flying all over the place. Not just in their own cell that they had, but just all around the prison. All around the prison, all around his cell, bird shit everywhere.
SPEAKER_04Which is a problem.
SPEAKER_02A problem, right? It's just nasty.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, in uh let's see, 1931, which this is actually before the first book was published, he had started corresponding with a bird lover from Indiana named Delamae Jones. Now this is around the time that the prison's like, hey, you gotta get rid of your birds. This has become too much. So Miss Jones, being the you know, loving person she is, went to the newspapers and said, you know, this man is researching, you know, for this and he's contributing to this, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He is an important person. He needs to be able to continue his research. He needs his birds.
SPEAKER_04I mean, like, honestly, I'm kind of on that side because, like, if you're like doing important um research, like despite being in prison, like, I would want that research to be going on as well. Minus the bird shit, but like just clean up after your birds. Exactly. Well, that should have been like his his responsibility. It worked.
SPEAKER_02The news hit, it broke. Stories all over the place about this man. So it works. Petition with 50,000 signatures is sent to Herbert Hoover. He gets to keep his birds, but his mail starts being restricted. He's losing some privileges at this point. So Miss Jones decides she's gonna move to Kansas and go into business selling bird medicines with Robert Stroud. You know, Leavenworth, they're getting tired of him. Yeah, like they're they're they're like, dude, come on. So they're wanting to transfer him somewhere else.
SPEAKER_04They are regretting the decision.
SPEAKER_02Right. They're like, you know what? Choices were made. At the time they seemed good. Yeah. But basically, get the fuck out. We're we're done with you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So Stroud is not an idiot, though.
Proxy Marriage And Mother Walks Away
SPEAKER_02He manages to find a Kansas loophole in their laws. We do love a good loophole. I love a great loophole, right? Well, this particular loophole in the law forbids the transfer of prisoners who are married in the state of Kansas.
SPEAKER_04I can see where this is going.
SPEAKER_02So I'm gonna do a little dramatic reading for you. Oh, yeah. I know you love my storytelling. Della. Because I'm Bobby. Alright, I'm Bobby right now, right? Okay. Della, marry me. By proxy. Now I'm Della. Oh Bobby.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, yes.
SPEAKER_02Leavenworth Prison and Mama Stroud. Oh hell no. Oh hell no. So mama's not happy, right? She has spent all of this time advocating for her son, saying, you know, he's a good boy, he didn't mean it, whatever. And I mean, as a mother, I love my kids, but I can admit when they've done some wrong. Yeah, you can't be pulling that that bullshit. Right. So she uh basically said women are nothing but trouble for her son. Talk about being fucking control.
SPEAKER_04Like, that's just like feels a little edgeing. Yeah, like what you're calling. It kind of feels without the nipple belt. Okay, we're gonna have to talk about that after the podcast.
SPEAKER_02Anyway, so she starts advocating to keep his ass in prison. She's like, Don't do not let him out. Wow, that switch up is wild. Right? Then she moves away from Kansas and does not speak to him again. Like ever? Ever. For the rest of her life. She dies in 1938.
SPEAKER_04Because of the fact that he married this woman.
SPEAKER_02So I don't know.
SPEAKER_04It's getting kind of like a little bit of a reverse Oedipus complex. A little bit.
SPEAKER_02Like it's it's just it's a little, it's a lot going on. Well Bobby ends up complaining, okay? Because he is not getting paid. I'm not getting paid for this shit. I'm not getting paid for this shit either. But he's not getting paid for his books that have been published. So he starts complaining to the publisher, like, hey, you know, bitch better have my money, right? Bitch better have my money. So the publisher's like, I got you. Goes to the warden. Hey. He saws, you know, he's causing problems. The warden's like, alright. Start the paperwork for transfer. He doesn't get transferred immediately. And it I it nothing is saying why. None of the the research I did said why he was not transferred immediately.
SPEAKER_04Okay, but he at this point he was he got married to Yes.
SPEAKER_02He was married to Delamae Jones, now Stroud.
SPEAKER_04Okay, and what you can call it. And the loopholes is he can't move because he cannot be transferred. Because they're married, but they're still trying to do it anyways.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_02Like they gotta have a really good reason to kick his ass out of that prison. So, you know, he manages to behave. Because this started in like 1938 or 33, sorry. And he behaves for a couple of years. He's doing good, he's doing his research, he's selling his bird medicines with his wife, he's you know this and that.
SPEAKER_04This and that. But at this point, um, has he um um he released the books at this point, right? Yes.
SPEAKER_02Okay, or at least the first book.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, which is he's not getting paid for it, that's why he's bitching and complaining. Honestly, I understandable. But, you know, he's doing good. Supposedly.
SPEAKER_04Ooh, supposedly.
Prison Moonshine And Transfer
SPEAKER_02Until a routine inspection of his prison cell laboratory reveals that he has taken one of the machines and turned it into a still and is producing alcohol. Honestly, kinda nice, not gonna lie. You know, this is where you get toilet wine, okay? Yeah, it it happens. So at that point, Levinworth, Federal Penitentiary, looks at our boy Bobby and goes, So long farewell, how did the zing goodbye and ships his ass off to Alcatraz? Bye, Bobby! Bye. So he goes to Alcatraz, and this is the the kind of the funny, not necessarily funny ha ha, funny ironic point. This man is known as the bird man of Alcatraz. Guess what Bobby didn't get to bring with him? His birds. His birds. They literally went to him the day he was to be transported. Or to start his transport. And they're like, bitch, you got 10 minutes, get your shit, pack your shit, you're going. 10 minutes to pack up his possessions before being transferred to a prison on an island. Several states away. So you know it happens. He doesn't get his birds, he doesn't get any of these privileges because Alcatraz being the new prison that it is is about punishment. You know, this is not about serving your sentence. It's this is not about rehabilitation. You know.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02This is you fucked up. And you're gonna pay for it. Right. Um you know, this is a prison that was built with no heating, no air, no glass in the windows. You know, you're out in the middle of you know, the water, it's gonna get cold. It's gonna, you know, yeah, it's just not gonna be fun for anybody. So he gets sent to Alcatraz December 16th of 1942.
Alcatraz Reality Versus Movie Myth
SPEAKER_02Uh in 1943, he was finally diagnosed as a psychopath and as having an IQ of 112. So he said, he's not an idiot, he's actually an intelligent human being.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, he went on to write two more books uh that were not allowed to be published. The warden said no. Uh, one of them was an autobiography called Bobby. Just Bobby. Bobby, which is why I've been calling him that. Uh, and the other one was the name of it was like a pamphlet from the 1600s about witches. Like 12 words long. My hand cramped trying to write it.
SPEAKER_04So I didn't finish writing it. But Okay, I want to know like the snippet that you did like Oh no, it was I was like, this is too long.
SPEAKER_02Pretty much my I looked at it and my hand cramped.
SPEAKER_04It's like I'm not writing that down. No, just like, and my author my authorites um acted up. And he wrote a second book.
SPEAKER_02Um but upon his death, those books were actually delivered to his attorney. Okay. Now, yeah, this man he's he's lived an interesting life in solitary confinement. But he was described by other inmates as a wolf.
SPEAKER_04You know what a wolf is? Yes, I know what a wolf is. Zach, tell us what a wolf is. An aggressive homosexual.
SPEAKER_02Yay! Good for you, gold star. So basically, he was just an aggressive homosexual with a bad temper. I know a lot of twins like that. Me too. Uh but you know, this is the 1940s. You don't talk about it, right? We don't talk about prune. No, no, no. Please don't sue us. We love Disney. Please don't sue us.
SPEAKER_04Please. We're sorry. This is how we became friends. Don't sue us. We love we love Encanto. Just please don't sue us.
SPEAKER_02So, you know, during his time in Alcatraz, a uh writer by the name of Thomas E. Gaddis writes a book, The Birdman of Alcatraz. And it's gets turned into a movie. Wait, really?
SPEAKER_04Yes. Gets turned into a movie. Yeah. Like, are we talking about like an old school like black and white movie, or like um color came out at this point?
SPEAKER_03I'm thinking it was like in the 40s. So I'm thinking like Bellalogosi. Maybe I'm not thinking Bellalogosi Dracula. Like I'm not thinking like that.
SPEAKER_02Because you're gonna remember, like uh wait. Was it 1939 for Mike Mike? Google Google um 1939 was The Wizard of Oz.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And then so like it would be c um It it should be in Technicolor, maybe. I don't know. I haven't seen it. I'm kind of curious about it now. Um, but you know, he ended up meeting the actor that would play him, Bert Lancaster.
SPEAKER_04Wait, really?
SPEAKER_02Yes.
unknownBlack and white.
SPEAKER_02Black and white. Okay, so it was black and white. Thank you, Poppy. Thank you, big poppy. Um, so he meets Bert Lancaster.
SPEAKER_04Oh, is that like a new one? Or is that just like a colored um photo of? That's the colored poster. That's a colored poster? Yes.
unknownHmm.
SPEAKER_02So not gonna lie, the act was kind of handsome. Like the actor was handsome. I mean, Bert Lancaster was a handsome actor. But he, you know, meets with Bert. So you got Robert and Bert.
SPEAKER_04That wouldn't get confusing.
SPEAKER_02No, it's you know, Bobby and Bert, we're good. And reveal, and he basically tells, you know, Bert he's like telling him about his life, like, so he can learn the character, right? You know, like get that method acting on get that method acting on. Very Daniel Day-Lewis, whatever. This is what Bobby tells Bert is one of the reasons that he cannot be paroled.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_02He's an admitted homosexual.
SPEAKER_04An admitted one. I mean, I'm also admitted one, but you know. I guess clutch.
SPEAKER_02Anyway.
SPEAKER_04We should get parals, just we should.
SPEAKER_02I thought about it. Add it to the list. Um, add it to the list. And 1959, and this is where my dad's story drastically differs from reality. Okay. Just like a lot of um what my dad's stories. Anyway, 1959, Robert Stroud is transferred from Alcatraz to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. You know, because at this point, he's 69 years old. He's old. He's not necessarily lived an easy life.
SPEAKER_04Well, like he's been in prison.
SPEAKER_02He's been in prison for a hot minute. Like, whatchamacallit 50 years. 50. Oh, like he was like, what, like 19. He was oh yeah. He was 19 when he committed the first murder. So he's been in prison for that long. Um, so he's basically he's in the hospital, right? And on November 21st, 1963, Robert Franklin Stroud died after serving 54 years in prison, 42 of which were in solitary confinement. Um, he was buried at the old Masonic Cemetery near Metropolis, Illinois. He never got to read the book about his life or see the movie. They came in after he passed away. All right. Now, inmates, you know, said that uh Shroud in real life was not like the character portrayed by Bert Lancaster. He was much more sinister, dangerous, and all around unpleasant. So what I'm hearing is um Bobby lied. Um to there was some exaggerations, some softening. So he basically Creative licensing. That's what I'm looking for, that was taken.
SPEAKER_03Um by Bobby or by the writers. By the writers? Yes.
SPEAKER_04I thought it was like Bobby trying to make himself no. So Bobby was like being on like honest and like telling him the truth. It was the writers of the movie that had to make him more palatable for an audience.
SPEAKER_02Well, that's some bullshit. Because they're definitely not gonna put in that he's an aggressive homosexual.
SPEAKER_04What I mean, also like whatchamacallit, this was the um, it was like the late 30s when this movie came out. No, the movie came out what, 62? 63? Okay, so I mean, but like still, it was still like during more like very conservative times. Yeah, like um 62. 62. And like, wasn't like the Hayes Code also um abound during that time? Yes. Yeah, so there was a lot of stuff stuff that they couldn't um show in movies and stuff.
SPEAKER_02But I'm gonna end this with a quote from uh one of his fellow inmates. Robert Stroud was a vicious killer, and I think Bert Lancaster owes us all an apology.
SPEAKER_04Honestly, that kind of go goes a little hard.
SPEAKER_02Like that goes hard. So that is the bird man of Alcatraz. Ooh. So honestly. I hope you guys enjoyed it. And hopefully we didn't have too much editing for my husband. I might be divorced by the end of this episode, just saying.
SPEAKER_04Maybe okay, let's give it up to taste. Snaps for her. Now, let me take into my side of the woods on this one.
The Mad Gasser Haunts Mattoon
SPEAKER_04Let me set the scene for y'all. It is late summer, specifically August 31st, 1944. You know, America is at war, the men are overseas, leaving the wives and children behind to hold down the forts. And you know, it's summer, it's hot, it's humid, but also full of a sense of dread and unease. But in this in this small town, that fear and paranoia is kicked up a notch. A prowl a prowler has been reported stalking those streets and then assaulting people with gas. Yeah, I know. Gas. So I mean, do we know what kind of gas? Actually, no. They couldn't um like actually pin down what's happening.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'll get more into that. Okay. You jump with a gun. I love that. I I mean, I know nothing about this, so yeah, I know. This is why I kind of picked this one for the first actual one. I know, and I apologies to those who do not drink.
SPEAKER_02We had to get some liquid courage into Zachary. I am a wreck, even on good days.
SPEAKER_03I can attest to that. I spent 10 hours a day with him at work.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. But let me tell you the tale of the madgasser of Matoon. So, as I said, this is then a summer, specifically August 31st, 1944. This is when the first two victims were attacked, and this was before like this was like the very first ones before like they even fully realized what was going on. Like, as most things, most things of this sort are. So the first two victims are Urban, Reef, and his wife. I could not find the name of the wife, so we're just gonna call her Mrs. Weef.
SPEAKER_02See, that is like a very common thing. Yeah. Wives, they don't get names. I know, and that's even in my old lady cookbooks, it's like Mrs.
SPEAKER_04whatever. Yeah, and like honestly, that is complete bullshit, but at the same time, this is 1944.
SPEAKER_02I understand. I can be pissed, but I can understand. Yeah. I mean, I have signed a few notes, alleged threats as Mrs. Michael Myers, but you know what that's for one specific person.
SPEAKER_04And you know what? That gives off very nice like ambiance. Like, if I got a threat for Mrs. Michael Myers, I'll be shitting my fucking pants.
SPEAKER_02Well, I did sign it, you know, hugs and kisses.
SPEAKER_03So you know how how come that makes it so much worse? I know, right? He keeps it on his wall in the office.
SPEAKER_04Anyways, well, Urban Weef and his wife, though waking by a foul odor in the middle of the night. Well, early morning of August 31st. So you know, sun's like right before sunrise. Mr. Mr. Weef um reported that he felt nauseated and weak and started to suffer from an intense fit of vomiting. Shouldn't have had those burritos last night. You really shouldn't have. His wife, Mrs. Reef, God, I still hate the fact that they couldn't give names. You know, fucking 1942. Can we name her? Uh I'm thinking Mary. And if you do know this person, please reach out to us. Please reach out to us because like we would want to know these things, especially like stuff that history has erased. Erased. Yeah. Well, we're gonna call call her Mary because that's a beautiful, lovely name. And oh and everyone should everyone deserves to be uh have a first name. Yeah, everyone deserves to have a first name. Well, Mary, she suspected that her husband was suffering from some sort of gas poisoning. Like, honestly, like good on her for like Ray, like recognizing that?
SPEAKER_02Immediately recognizing someone like that. I'm sorry, if I wake up to a weird smell in my house and my husband's vomiting, I'm thinking he's got food poisoning infarted.
SPEAKER_04So, you know, like Mary, she was on top of this. So, you know what? She goes and tries to check to see if um check the soap and see if the pilot light was on, see if that was a problem. But she found out that she was partially paralyzed and wasn't able to get out of bed. So she so like um like honestly, like of course they report of the problem, but like because of the fact that like let me just tell you this straight up no one dies, and there's no actual long lasting harmful effects. So, like over so like over time, like these people just like get better. And that's good, and that's good. Like, honestly, I am thankful that no one died during this incident. Because that would just make things a whole lot worse, and honestly, no one should really go out in like in their own home like that.
SPEAKER_02Right. Because I mean, any type of death caused by gas poisoning is not pretty.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. So, but the next attack happened um that night um or early the next morning. So either like it's still August 31st or September 1st. And this um and it was a young mother, but the media didn't have her name. Like always. Um but she experienced a similar incident where she w should we give her a name as well? I feel like she's a Gertie. Gertie? Alrighty. So, Gertie, she awakens and she hears her daughter violently coughing. And like any mother, like those protection instincts, you immediately check on your baby. And like, but she also found out that she wasn't she was also pale-like, she couldn't get out of bed, like like Mary and like um Urban.
SPEAKER_02Like that is terrifying.
SPEAKER_04That is terrifying, especially like hearing your baby like having a violent attack of the bigger. I mean, how old was the baby? Do we know? We do not know, and like as I said, like a lot of this was like didn't even have a name reported.
SPEAKER_02Like I need the 1940s journalist to do better.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and I said, like, if you do have the names of these people, let us know. Like, and as I said, no one got her in, there was no longer lasting effect. So, like, the mother and child were fine afterwards. So, thank God for that. Whatchamacallit. Like, and honestly, like going after like a mother and an infant child, like That's a new kind of low. That's a new kind of fucking low. But on the next day, September 1st, like, this was actually like the most like the incident that kind of kicked
Sweet Odors And A Tall Suspect
SPEAKER_04off everything. This was like the one that was like first reported to the news, and like this is like like media-wise, the first canonical um what's that word again? Canonical. I was gonna have it right the first time. The first canonical incident of the gasser, and this incident was reported by Aline Kearney, and this Yay, a lady with a name, and her sister law has a name. Oh my gosh! Progress. And like all this was reported around like 11 p.m. So like almost midnight. And like she started um smelling like a strong and sweet o odor, and at first, like, she dismissed it. She like her um bedroom window was open, and she thought it was just the flowers from out there, so she thought really nothing uh um about it.
SPEAKER_02I mean, summer, early September, your windows are open. Yeah, especially like when in 1940s when there's no air conditioning.
SPEAKER_04But like, whatchamacallit, but the scent becomes stronger and she starts to lose feeling in her um legs, and like honestly, like I'm with her. I would start to panic as well. Right. And that panic drew the attention of her sister-in-law, Mrs. Reddy, who was at um who was at the house at the time. And Mrs. Reddy also noticed the odor and determined that um something um it was also coming from the bedroom window, um, which was still open at the time, and that's when she contacted the police, but the police w didn't find any evidence, so it was kind of just like you know frustrating. Frustrating. But only an hour later, around 1230 um in the morning, that's when um Bert um Kearney, Mrs. Kearney's um husband, returned um home from his job as a taxi driver. And as he was turning home, he spotted a mysterious figure like outside one of his windows. I'm assuming it's his um bedroom window because that's where the stuff was coming from. And he tried to um give chase, but he couldn't catch the person. And but he was able to actually give the description, and this is like the primate description of what the problem looked like throughout the entire case, except for the last one, but I'll get to that when time comes. He described the assailant as a tall man wearing dark clothing and a tight-fitting cap. The hat man? The hat man. The hat man of Matun. Better than Slender Man. We'll get into him at some point. Yes, we will. But like, whatchamacallit. This description was reported to the media, and this is and as I said, this is like the most common description of the prowler that we get. And this is also where we get um the name of the Mad Gasser. We also have some other fun nicknames, such as the Phantom Anesthesis, the Anesthetic Prowler, the Thin Man of Matun, and honestly, this one's kind of my favorite one, the Screwball Chemist. Yeah, like when I saw that, I'm just like why can we have gone with that one? I guess it doesn't sell papers. It doesn't sell papers, but the screwball chemist, like, honestly. That would have been amazing. And honestly, I think that would have sold more, but that's just my kind of comedy. That's my kind of comedy. But then again, like the reason we can joke about this is because no one actually got seriously long-term hurt. Right.
SPEAKER_02No, if there had been serious consequences, I mean we would still joke because we're fucked up. Oh, yeah. But we feel bad about it.
SPEAKER_04But we'll feel bad about it, but we don't feel bad about this one, so you know. But after the cat, um after the cat, after the attack, Mrs. Um CUNY reported cat's attack too. Yeah, my cats can attest to that.
unknownMrs.
SPEAKER_04CUNY reported um suffering from a burning cessation um on her lips and also in her throat. And these were just attributed to the after um after effects of the gas attack. Whatchamacallit. And this is kind of when a lot of the more like the reports start coming in of people seeing something like this is just the beginning of the plunge into chaos for this town.
SPEAKER_02I love a good chaos plunge. Don't we all?
SPEAKER_04I love it when it's not mine. So but it kind of does suck because like this can result in like harm to innocent people. Right.
SPEAKER_02And of course, especially in that time period because of all of the additional concerns with World War II.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. And like, as I said earlier, like there's paranoia in the air, like people aren't on edge. Yes, they are fearing another attack like Pearl Harbor, they are fearing like uh attacks on US soil. Right. Yeah. So on the night of September 5th, Carl and Beulah Quordz returned home after 10 p.m. And like, what from call? They didn't notice this at first, but like after spending some time inside, they noticed something that was um that was left on the deck. And when um Beulah Quords went out there, she um saw a piece of cloth, and it was described as like the size of a man's um larger than a man's handkerchief. Yeah. I mean, like, I don't know what the size of a man's handkerchief is. So I'm just like a bandana? Like a bandana, okay. It was just like you know what? Let's go with like a bandana. We'll go with it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we'll go with it.
SPEAKER_02I mean, that's what my grandfathers carried.
SPEAKER_04So and like this handkerchief was just sitting on the porch next to the screen door, and honestly, like I don't know why she did this, but she picked it up and smelt it. I don't know why your first reaction would be to smell it. At least you didn't taste it. At least you didn't taste it, but then again, like I'm assuming like these attacks, like the reports of attacks, have been going around. So even then, I wouldn't have smelt it. Right. And but when she smelt it, she became violently ill, kind of like the other um victim. Hey, does this hanky smell like chloroform? That's what I ultimately thought when I saw that. She described the effect being similar to electric shock, and when I first read that, my person seemed like, how's it? How do you know what um uh like I was thinking about like the electric chair, but then I'm just like static electricity.
SPEAKER_02Electric shock therapy. Electric therapy. That was big during that time. Maybe she was institutionalized for you know any of the number of things women have been institutionalized for in history.
SPEAKER_04That is another story.
SPEAKER_02Beula might have some experience that we need to delve into deeper. That's all I'm saying. Continue.
SPEAKER_04But or not, like we don't know. Speculation. Speculation. And if you're all related to her, we are sorry. As us as we said before, we are assholes.
SPEAKER_00Very much so.
SPEAKER_04But like her face, um, but her face also began to swell. She experienced burning sensation on her mouth and throat, she began vomiting, like all the same symptoms.
SPEAKER_02It sounds like maybe one of our co-workers was lavender perfume.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. As long as as well as the partial paralysis.
SPEAKER_02I wish that was a side effect. It'd get me out of work so much faster.
SPEAKER_04Well, same. Um Beulah later hypothesized that the um cloth was meant to knock out the family dog, so the because he often slept on the porch. Not the puppies! Not the puppies. Like, honestly, go after the people, but leave the dogs out of it.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_04Might see. Oh, you were gonna watch it. I will make you watch it. Do you want to see a horror movie? I'll make you watch it. Look, I could I couldn't stop crying during Marley and Marley and me. Anyways. Don't watch Eight Below then. I will not. But anyways. So um they thought that it was to take out the dog so the Prowler could get into the house unnoticed and attack them. But like that feels like a lot to take out the dog. That feels like a lot to just take like, especially if like the person, like, we don't even know how the guys got in with the first with the first two. Like, we know with this um with the third one that was because like an open window.
SPEAKER_02Well, I mean, in all reality, they probably had open windows. Yeah. Or didn't have their doors locked, depending on you know the size of this town.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Um, whatchamacallit. And like, as you said, it's summer, it's hot, no air conditioning. People are gonna have open windows. Right. Yeah. But like, whatchamacallit? Fresh airs for dead people. We learned that from morbid. A, we love you, Alfie.
SPEAKER_01We love you, Ashnelena.
SPEAKER_04Please take us seriously. Or don't. It's your choice.
SPEAKER_01But we love you anyway.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. But like on the sidewalk adjacent to the house is where they found a couple of weird things. The first thing being a skeleton key that has been described as well used, as well as a large empty, almost empty tube of lipstick. I don't know how that fully relates. It's just something Rag Queen. In the 1940s.
SPEAKER_02Hey, friends of Dorothy. Okay. Okay. I'm just gonna beat my microphone up for a second.
SPEAKER_04Hang on.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_04Don't abuse her equipment. Um, Big Poppy might get mad. He would.
unknownYes.
SPEAKER_04He nods his head at us, yes. So the authorities ran tests on the handkerchief, but they could not find any chemical to explain why she had this reaction. So we think that this might be a point where hysteria starts to grip people.
Chasers, Guns, And Wartime Paranoia
SPEAKER_04Honestly, like, I hate saying hysteria because every time I hear it, it's always with a negative connotation towards women. But like, honestly, I don't really Damn the man. Anyway. Damn the man. Fuck the patriarchy.
SPEAKER_02Spoken like a true white man. I'm tired of this, grandpa. Too damn bad. Keep podcasting.
SPEAKER_04On the same night at the home of uh Mrs. Leonard Buell again with the Mrs. Liana? No, that's too close to the too close. Mrs. Buell will Mrs. Buell. Björl? Burrell. B-U-R-R-E-L-L. Oh, Burl. Burl. I'm just an idiot. Ignore me. He's only half of an idiot. Together we're a whole one. Yeah. She um like, but she just reported seeing a stranger try to break into her bedroom window and then attempt to gas her. That's all she reported. Like, that's all I could find about her. Which honestly, like, it's just like as I'm plausible. Plausible. Plausible. But like at the same time, like getting into it. Like, because at this point, like there are like dozen, like up to like 20 reports like come in having to do with like similar attacks, um, where the victim was not able to provide like clear descriptions of the gas with no any type of clues tied to the crime scene.
SPEAKER_02Frustrating.
SPEAKER_04It's frustrating, it's frustrating, and as I said, like No, hang on. Let's go back to Beulah. Was the lipstick hers? Maybe? No, because like this was like to the street adjacent adjacent to us.
SPEAKER_02Wait, but if the person could have potentially been in their home. Um, whatchamacallit? Like, it doesn't like Because I feel like you know 10 p.m. would have been considered late.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Like, and but like they're just like returning home at this point. So they were out. But at the same time, why would the gas or like uh like put the handkerchief out to like um gas the dog if to in order to get in? Like, you know what I mean? Like like to be in there but also put out the to get in, like, you know what I mean? I mean he could have dropped it. Could he could have already he could have, you know, like been in there with they weren't home, left, dropped it, dropped it.
SPEAKER_02But stole her lipstick because it was his shade. I don't know.
SPEAKER_04No, because like those things like have no real like the skeleton thing key could like explain like getting into places. Like he probably like if this was an actual attack of the like he probably would have left it there on purpose because like the dog probably fighting him off, put it The man had holes in his pockets. The man has probably but this is all speculation.
SPEAKER_02He needs a nameless wife to sew the hole in his pockets. Man, women doing all the work in society. Right, because we're already holding down the fort at this point. Yeah. And don't even get me started on the fact that the women had to take over the factory jobs and you know beat the the badasses that women are. And then immediately as their husbands come home from war, sorry, back to the kitchen.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Honestly, this entire episode was gonna turn into like one about women's rights. I mean, like, we should always talk about women's rights. Yay, feminism. But anyways, but like those things I might need to slow down. But like those things, like especially like the big tube of lipstick, like has no actual doesn't feel like it has actually any real um relevance, but the skeleton key could potentially like be um how he um be how he gets in, but later reports I feel like the entire town wouldn't have the same lock though, because even skeleton keys, the locks are different.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_04So let me let me continue.
SPEAKER_02I'll let you continue, I'll stop interrupting.
SPEAKER_04Oh no, I love your interruption.
SPEAKER_02I know.
SPEAKER_04But like, as I said, there'll be um like dozens more attack of similar um similar MOs, but not able to give a clear description or um provide any actual physical evidence. So, you know, like it could just be people just like hopping on the bandwagon, like it could be like there's a lot of things clout chasers. Clout chasers, yeah, exactly. But like whatchamacallit, but it got to the point where the FBI even got involved. And because like this all takes place, um, as I said, this takes place during World War II, and so like of course, like the FBI is gonna be worried about like this could be chemical can't um attacks by enemy agents, but they also weren't able to find any ty kind of foul play.
SPEAKER_02Right. And I honestly, you know, I've never even heard of this town in Illinois. Yeah. And it feels like a small town.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it does it does feel like um small town, and like especially like for 1940.
SPEAKER_02Right, like I feel like there wasn't a there wouldn't be a reason for it to be foreign chemical attacks.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, but like as I said, it's World War II. Right, I understand.
SPEAKER_02Paranoia.
SPEAKER_04But like, whatchamacallit, but like this is when this is the period of time where like physical evidence, mostly false alarms, have been dramatic like dramatically on the rise. People claiming seeing footprints under windows, and also um to like seeing tails in the windowscreen, also just strange shadows and odors, like people's minds are on high alert, making them like jump at shadows. Like it got like it got to the point where like several groups formed um what they call themselves chasers, where they followed police cars, searched down dark alleys, and like carried guns with them in hopes to try to capture the prowler. Like, it got to the point where the police were more worried about the chasers than the gasser himself because Right, because they're just interfering. They're just interfering at this point, and like the police started to arrest the chasers because they feared the innocent people would get hurt or worse. There was even an account of a woman who shot a hole in her own house due to the stress and panic of the entire situation. So, like, obviously, people are not reacting well to not at all all this.
SPEAKER_02And I mean, I I have been in a similar, you know, kind of state of mind previously, where there's just been you know something going on that, and it is a case I will eventually talk about, um where it literally started two houses down from us.
SPEAKER_04Oh, wait, was this in like your old old house?
SPEAKER_02Yes, the old house. Um there's a lot of shit attached to that house. Um, there is actually a Netflix documentary about a previous owner. I'll talk about that later. That's on later episodes. Stay tuned. Please like and subscribe. Um please give me content. I will I have plenty of content. Listen to me. I my entire life. So I I mean I understand being like in that state of constant fear.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I've you know, I've been there. So don't necessarily think I would have blown a hole through my own door, but you know, to each their own.
SPEAKER_04Like, and on like honestly, like the police have started issuing statements at this point to just avoid lingering in residential areas. Like, as soon as you get to just go home.
SPEAKER_02Like, don't go home, go inside, lock your doors, lock your windows, hide your wife, hide your kids. They're coming for you, like, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04And like they also warned the um the groups of chasers um to just stop to just dispens to just stop. Like, you are gonna be doing more hard than good. Like the chief of police at the time, um he has to use his dad voice. Probably C Cole warned uh warned citizens to exercise caution while carrying discharging firearms with the previous example um rage. Like, honestly, like this that was the only like report that I found that like actual shots were shots fired, yeah. But like honestly, it could have been a lot worse with it really could have. And as I said, like no one died, no one, no long lasting effects, like no innocent got hurt in the long run.
SPEAKER_02Of course, the people who were temporarily hurt, and of course, for the you know, the the young mother with her baby being paralyzed like that, and that's terrifying.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02On a whole different level.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. But but like at this point, the like by the time of September 12th, like as I said, like um multiple people called in, like, there's been so many false alarms at this point by the time of September 12th, like there's not really been any more, like, notable incidents. That by the time of um September 12th, the local police um with so many false alarms that they actually end up reducing the priority of the gas reports. No, and then and announced that the entire incident was most likely a result of explainable occurrences, and that was exacerbated by public fears, and basically described as historical women. Like, that's exactly commit them all, commit them all.
SPEAKER_02They can they can go to the asylum, commit them all, they'll get electroshock therapy, which I think our girl knows about, and bake some bread or something. I don't know. I would love some bread at the moment. Dude. But like the Amish market closes soon, so over to Yeah. Close at five.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Like after after that public announc um announcement, s surprisingly, I say within quotations, the Gasser um reports dramatically de declined after that after that. And there was only one other notable Um incident that happened on September 13th. This was like kind of like the last one. Involving Bertha Birch, who claimed that she got a name. Who claimed that she saw the gasser, but it instead of it being the tall, thin man, it was a woman in men's clothing. But that's all she told us.
SPEAKER_02Like I can see it. I can see it. Myrtle has a score to settle. Like all I can think about was moaning what yeah, no, Myrtle's got a score to settle. Um Mary stole her lipstick prize winning. Oh no, that was uh That was Beulah Beulah. Uh no, Mary stole her prize-winning petunia you know, award. I don't know. The young mother, like the young mother was just pretty.
SPEAKER_03And um the baby um didn't stop crying during church.
SPEAKER_02Right. The baby didn't stop crying during church. How dare you do that during God's time? Beulah wore her signature color lipstick. Um I mean, I can go on. I can give you plenty of reasons why this could be a woman doing it.
SPEAKER_04Um but um whatchamacallit? We're really gonna have to start a counter for that. Hey, two so far.
SPEAKER_03That is wonderful.
SPEAKER_04That is a record low. Record low. I am so proud of myself for that.
SPEAKER_02I am so proud of you too. Five years of friendship. That's like a definite record. Yeah.
Pollution Theory And Mass Hysteria
SPEAKER_04But this is where the theories come in of what actually happened.
SPEAKER_02I love a good theory.
SPEAKER_04Same.
SPEAKER_02Is it a conspiracy?
SPEAKER_04A little bit.
SPEAKER_02A little bit, yes.
SPEAKER_04Um, one of the um theories, um, and this one is like the chief of police was endorsing this one. Is that chiefy? Alright, alright, daddy chief. Yeah, I wouldn't go that far.
unknownI know.
SPEAKER_04I feel like he had a pot belly, but at the same time, this is 1944 and any type of um gay disturbed and disturbed them.
SPEAKER_02True. But I feel like he definitely wasn't like daddy cop.
SPEAKER_04Okay, I forget the song, so you're gonna have to do it.
SPEAKER_02I don't remember the song at the moment, which is terrible of me because I know the song. Mike, my. We're not singing it, we're not getting sued. We already may have a lawsuit from Disney. We love you, Disney.
SPEAKER_04Don't don't sue us. Continues. Continue with your your can your theories. As I said, the this one was endorsed by the Chief of Bleed, um, who said that this was all due to toxic wake waste and pollution, and that um a lot of the symptoms um were reported to have the result of pollution, toxic waste, was released by um nearby industrial plants. Um, Atlas Imperial um company is like the main one at the center of this. And but they say that um the chemicals can have caused um this. And the chemical of course they do. Yeah, but the chemicals um that they had was carbon um tetrachloride, tri um chloroethylene. The Atlas Imperial Company denied any implication in the events, like of course they are, yeah. So did PPNG with Aaron Brokovich. But like they only had like five gallons of the carbon um tetrachloride in stock, and all that was within firefighting equipment. And the trichloroethylene, like that people would have to been exposed to a significant quantity of that in order to it to actually affect them. And they do make a good point that the first people who would have been affected by this would have been the workers at the factory.
SPEAKER_02Unless it's one of the workers doing it. Unless it's one of the workers doing it. Because remember, once again, the women were working in the factories. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So um look at me connecting dots. We love that for you. That's why that's why you're the um true kind person. But like also a little um sign out that I think that I saw may not be fully relevant, but at the same time, I think I should probably add in is that um the entire facility was um certified safe by the State Department of Health, but at the same time, that's corrupt as shit. And institutions are corrupt as fuck. Was OSHA a thing? I don't know. Michael's gonna Google.
SPEAKER_01This is why we love him.
SPEAKER_04Exactly. He was like somehow. No, it was not, see? See, and the last the last thing we talked about, which we've already discussed, is the mass hysteria. The local commissional pu um commissioner of public health, Thomas V. White, he um he announced, and he fully thinks, that there is definitely a gat who a gas maniac who was doing this, the mad gasser, did a number of these attacks, but still, the amount of reported attacks were nothing more than hysteria um perpetuated by the fear of the gasser itself. So he did, he does think that there was a mad gasser. Good. But that most of every but like most of the reported signings and stuff is due to um mass hysteria and the fear.
SPEAKER_03Quick question. Possibly quick answer.
SPEAKER_02What's the gas they use at the uh uh dentist office? Dentist anesthesia? No, it's not anesthesia, it's like the laughing gas. Could this be just be a disgruntled dental hygienist?
SPEAKER_03Nitris.
SPEAKER_04Nitris. Nitris. Uh no, um, no, but um, that wasn't one of the um chemicals that they thought of. Okay, well, there goes that theory. Honestly, that would have been um funny, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_02I mean, honestly, a disgruntled dental hygen dental, I can't talk at the moment. Dental hygienist. We're keeping that in. Um, words are hard. We all know it. We are trying here. English is our first language, but we have no tear. Actually, I didn't fail English.
SPEAKER_04I got ace same, but we also have no respect for our own language. Yeah, we have no respect for our own country at the moment.
SPEAKER_02Uh, the country, yes. People in charge no. I digress.
SPEAKER_04But that's a story for another time.
SPEAKER_02That is a story that we will not be sharing publicly.
SPEAKER_04Um But whatchamacall? As I said, even the Commissioner of Public Health believed that there was an attacker. But most of it um Most of it was hysteria. Now like, especially because like the menace was relative it was relatively harmless, like no devs, no long-lasting effects. Right. As we said before. And but the local chief of police, C. E. Cole, he's the one perpetuating that there is no attacker involved, and all of this um comes from the industrial um industrial plan and exacerbated by public panic. So new theory. What's the theory? It's him. I mean, like, there's no actual evidence for that except for-I mean, there's no actual evidence of anybody. Yeah, exactly. Like, that's what makes this case so frustrating. Frustrating is because of the fact that there's no actual um full physical physical evidence. The only descriptions that we got was a tall, thin man in dark clothing, and that could be a woman. And that could be a woman, and then from there is just a bunch of different false reports.
SPEAKER_02Like a slender man. I'm just gonna say it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02But anyway That's up by Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_04Anyway. Anyways, anyway, so that's the story of the um mad gas of Matoon. Like, there's no no resolution.
SPEAKER_02No resolution on this. Like, I would actually be very interested in seeing if they were able, like, nowadays to test to see what time of handkerchief.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Whatchamacallit, because it could just be, I just got my own watch, whatchamacallit, so three. Three.
SPEAKER_02Um, for those who don't know, that is Zach Spiller's phrase. And I will be soon starting a counter of whatchamacallits.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you're also gonna be on that counter, not just me.
SPEAKER_02I don't say whatchamacallit.
SPEAKER_04Bullshit. We caught it earlier in the audio. No, we didn't. Mike did. We caught um. We caught um oh, we caught um's not whatchamacallits. That's all I mean.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, whatchamacallit is all you, Zachary Binks.
SPEAKER_04Go fuck yourself, Mike. And you're over 15, whatchamacallit. This is my 13th reason why you're gonna have to use an Ouija board to contact me from here. I'm not using a Ouija board to get in touch with you. But yeah, that's been my creepy little store on my side of the woods.
SPEAKER_02Awesome.
SPEAKER_03Awesome.
SPEAKER_02I knew nothing about that, and now I'm gonna have to like try and research it and find out, you know, if it was Beulah or not.
SPEAKER_03It could have just been her. It could.
SPEAKER_02But at the same time, like, I want to like see if I can actually find the names of find more information. Find more information. And unfortunately, like, I would love to know the actual names of these women. Instead of just Mrs.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You know, whatever. Um, but that is a sad fact of history. A lot of things go unsol. A lot of women were only as important as their husband's name.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. And then a lot of um mysteries like this go unsolved. Like, yeah. It literally just happens and for a time period and then it's gone. It's gone. Um leaving no actual web resolution.
SPEAKER_02And sad to say, that's just a there are several uh events like this that I I could think of if my brain worked at the moment. My brain is not working very well at the moment. Maybe should have held off on the margarita. But oh, it's actually five o'clock right now. It's five o'clock somewhere. All
Cheers, Shoutouts, Sweet Nightmares
SPEAKER_02right. So since this is our first recording, we're gonna clink glasses. Cheers. We finally did it. It made it out of the group chat.
SPEAKER_04It made it out of the group chat for fucking once something made it out of there. Besides brunch.
SPEAKER_02Besides brunch, brunch is a but brunch is a different story. Brunch is a different story because somebody can't remember to tell us when she's off work. Love you. We love you.
SPEAKER_03Um but yeah, this has been the first episode of Phil Nightmares.
SPEAKER_02Yes, and we want to give a quick shout out to our you know, a couple of our supporters from work. Uh, Mama Juju, love you, Isaiah. Can't wait for you guys to get to hear this. So we hope you enjoyed. Uh, we will be dropping more episodes and more cases, more creepiness, sweet dreams, and fail nightmares.