The Mad Gasser of Mattoon

Mattoon was the site of the "Mad Gasser" attacks of the 1940s.

The Mad Gasser of Mattoon was the name given to the person(s) believed to be responsible for a series of apparent gas attacks that occurred in Botetourt County, Virginia, during the early 1930s, and also in Mattoon, Illinois, during the mid-1940s.

He was also called the Anesthetic Prowler, the Mad Anesthetist, the Phantom Anesthetist, and the Mad Gasser of Roanoke.

It is, however, debated whether the attacks were anything more than a case of mass hysteria and if the individual reports were connected. No one seems to have the ultimate explanation for the events to supposedly happened during this time.

Most contemporary descriptions of the Mad Gasser are based on the testimony of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Kearney of 1408 Marshall Avenue, the victims of the first Mattoon case to be reported by the media. They described the gasser as being a tall, thin man dressed in dark clothing and a cap.
Another report, made some weeks later, described the Gasser as being a female dressed as a man.

The Gasser had also been described as carrying a flit gun, an agricultural tool for spraying pesticide, which he purportedly used to expel the gas.

Police increased nighttime patrols,in an attempt to catch the gasser. Citizens began to keep nightly watch. The City brought in State and Federal authorities to assist in the case.
However, no law enforcement and vigilantes could catch the phantom gasser.

There are three primary theories about the Mattoon Mad Gasser incident: mass hysteria, industrial pollution, or an actual criminal assailant.

The events have also been written about by numerous authors, resulting in a wide variety of interesting stories.