by Dr. Abner Mality
Greetings, humanoids, and welcome once again to the Wormwood Files, that portion of our jolly little journal where I, Dr. Abner Mality, explore the bizarre and inexplicable phenomena that our seemingly mundane world is teeming with.
This time, we won't have far to look at all to examine one of the most incredible incidents in the annals of US history. In fact, we only need to head downstate a couple of hundred miles, to the sleepy central Illinois town of Mattoon. Now, if there is any town that makes Rockford seem like a hotbed of nightlife and excitement, it is Mattoon. Yet this humble burg witnessed a series of terrifying attacks by a mysterious character who was never apprehended. Dozens of Mattoon's citizens were assaulted by a queer-looking figure in black who came to be known as... the Mad Gasser of Mattoon!
No, this isn't something the Good Doctor made up after sniffing formaldehyde. In the 1940's, the whole city of Mattoon was in a state of high panic caused by the Mad Gasser. Who was he? What was he? Did he even exist at all? That is what we will look at in this edition of the Wormwood Files.
The whole incredible series of events began on Aug. 31, 1944, when a man and woman woke in the middle of the night. The man smelled gas, staggered to the bathroom and became violently ill. When he tried to rouse his wife, he found she was paralyzed and unable to move. They were the first victims of the Gasser, though they saw no perpetrator. The same night, a mother and daughter were also overcome by mysterious fumes.
The next night, the Gasser struck again, but for the first time, he was seen. Mrs. Bert Kearney and her young daughter both awoke to the same sickening paralysis the previous night's victims had experienced. They also suffered from burned lips and terrific thirst. They had not dined at a Mexican restaurant earlier. The police investigated the troubling incident but could find no physical evidence. However, Bert Kearney got a look at a mysterious figure leaving the scene. The figure was tall, gaunt, clad entirely in black and wore a tight-fitting skull cap. This, apparently, was the Mad Gasser.
Undeterred by the police, the Gasser hit Mattoon with a vengeance. By Sept. 6, there had been 8 more attacks. Beulah Cordes found a rag soaked with a mysterious substance, a tube of lipstick and a skeleton key on her porch after the Gasser paid her a visit. Many victims had heard someone prowling around prior to the assaults.
By now, the cops were really worried. Hysteria was gripping the town and the Gasser was spotted everywhere. Mayor E.E. Richardson posted a reward for the Gasser's capture. A man was caught but later released due to lack of evidence. Mrs. Violet Driscoll almost caught the Gasser in the act. She heard somebody fiddling with her windows, ran out and saw a figure in black fleeing. The near apprehension made no difference to the foul phantom. He continued to attack the panicked populace, leading police chief E.C. Cole to state, "There is no doubt that a gas maniac exists and has made a number of attacks. But many of the reported attacks are nothing more than hysteria, out of all proportion to the actual emergency."
Try telling that to Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Fitzpatrick, the next victims. Or Mrs. Bertha Bench, who had the best look at the Gasser yet. She saw what looked like a tall woman dressed in man's black clothing. You'd think a tall female transvestite dressed in black and wearing a skull cap would be easy to find in Mattoon but no such person was ever caught. The prints of someone wearing high heels were seen in the dirt below Mrs. Benchıs window. Keep in mind the tube of lipstick found earlier.
Mrs. Bench was the final victim we know of. The gassing attacks only took place over the course of 2 weeks in 1944. As suddenly as the phantom appeared, he (or she...or it) disappeared, leaving a shaken populace and one of the biggest mysteries in Illinois history!
What really went on? Nobody was seriously hurt for long. Victims were paralyzed and sick as a dog initially but all recovered. What was the point of the attacks? Why Mattoon? Itıs worth noting that the city was the site of a huge Atlas Chemical plant. Could release of toxic gases from the plant be responsible for the flap? Unlikely. The Atlas Chemical Company did an investigation and no chemicals in use there could have caused the symptoms that were reported. Was it all hysteria? Many believe it was. And perhaps many of the reports were the result of panicky people letting their imagination getting the best of them and seeing phantoms lurking everywhere. But all of them? Not very likely. Many of the victims maintained their stories years later.
Who was the Mad Gasser? Were the attacks some weird covert government experiment, testing some sort of gas for the war? Was it some mad scientist on the loose? Now donıt look at me... I get around but I wasnıt in Mattoon in 1944. Many people who saw the Gasser said the figure had an unearthly look to it. Was it, in fact, an alien visitor...a true ³Man In Black²? It seems impossible that a normal human wouldn't be caught, no matter how weird he was. But then, would a real alien let himself be seen by so many?
Questions, questions... and too few answers. There have been other reports of mysterious gas attacks throughout the years but the Mattoon incident remains the most famous. It all brings to mind the quote by J.B.S. Haldane... the universe is not only queerer than we imagine, it is queerer than we can imagine.
Until the next time, humanoids, this is Dr. Abner Mality, turning out the lights.
To contact the writer, send your email to: drmality@wormwoodchronicles.com.