44. The Mad Gasser of Mattoon

A historic event rocked the small town of Mattoon, Illinois when reports of a strange smell would cause people to become partially paralyzed in the middle of the night. Some reports even claimed to have seen a dark figure escaping in the distance. Who or what caused these mysterious attacks?

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Episode Pictures and Videos:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nprillinois.org%2Fpost%2Fhysterical-history-mad-gasser-mattoon&psig=AOvVaw0-UCcmqZKcWXBbvMy0q_TH&ust=1611718385221000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCIjB4oTVuO4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAi

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mad-gassers/

https://orangebeanindiana.com/2020/09/21/madness-and-the-1944-mad-gasser-of-mattoon/

Episode Sources:

• https://jg-tc.com/news/author-claims-to-have-solved-mystery-of-mad-gassers-identity/article_2a2b65fc-91c3-5bb6-b989-dd2f9ed2a5e2.html

• https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/the-mad-gasser-of-mattoon-1944-79a7ace82cb5

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196927526/urban-j.-raef

• https://monsterinmypocket.fandom.com/wiki/Mad_Gasser_of_Mattoon

• https://beltmag.com/the-mattoon-mad-gasser-looking-back-at-a-textbook-case-of-mass-hysteria/?gclid=CjwKCAiAr6-ABhAfEiwADO4sfSylsgqFxAEIFihm1tdRZe3tkqBs3oiTANDLZcUvK67KuJOH9z5YBRoCyq8QAvD_BwE

• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mad-gassers/

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1979/09/02/the-mad-gasser-of-mattoon-ill/ba64859c-7231-4d27-a19e-7c228ddc68e9/

• https://jg-tc.com/news/local/mattoon-mad-gasser-incidents-began-75-years-ago-this-month/article_b8ca3620-f674-5377-ad38-da980cafd4b6.html

• https://www.eiu.edu/localite/gasserhome.php

• https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/madgasser

• https://www.library.illinois.edu/hpnl/blog/the-mad-gasser-of-mattoon/

• https://web.archive.org/web/20060925063728/http://www.eiu.edu/~localite/coles/mattoon/gasser/Mattoon%20Map%201940.htm

• https://web.archive.org/web/20060620192934/http://www.eiu.edu/~localite/coles/mattoon/gasser/The%20Mad%20Gasser%20of%20Mattoon%20Home.htm

• https://web.archive.org/web/20060925063855/http://www.eiu.edu/~localite/coles/mattoon/gasser/Location%20of%20Gas%20Attacks.htm

• https://web.archive.org/web/20070927205957/http://www.eiu.edu/~localite/coles/mattoon/gasser/Calm%20Weekend%20-%20To%20All%20Citizens.htm

• https://web.archive.org/web/20060827214454/

• http://www.prairieghosts.com/gasser.html (Virginia)

• https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210105/http://www.eiu.edu/~localite/coles/mattoon/gasser/First%20Victims%20Article.htm

• https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210235/http://www.eiu.edu/~localite/coles/mattoon/gasser/Mrs%20Cordes%20Burned.htm