User:Perfectblue97/gasser

Mad Gasser (Also known as The Anesthetic Prowler, The Mad Anesthetist, and The Phantom Anesthetist, The Mad Gasser of Roanoke) was the name given to the person/persons behind of a series of apparentl gas attacks that occurred in Botetourt County, Virginia during the early 1930s, and in Mattoon, Illinois during the mid-1940s. Whether the attacks actually occurred, or whether they were the result of panic, misconceptions and misinformation, remains point of debate.

Appearance
Most contemporary descriptions of the Mad Gasser are based on the testimony of Mr and Mr 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 wearing a tight fitting cap. Another report, made some weeks later, describes the gassers as being an female dressed as a man. The Gasser has also been described as carrying a flit gun; an agricultural tool for spraying pesticide, which he purportedly uses to spray his gas.

Botetourt
The first recorded Mad Gasser incident occurred in Botetourt County, Virginia, with attacks occurring between 22 December 1933 and February 1934.

Chronology
The first of the 1944 gasser incidents occurred at a house on Grant Ave, Mattoon, on August 31 1944. Mr. Urban Raef was woken during the early hours of the morning by a strange odor. He felt nauseous and weak, and suffered from a fit of vomiting. Suspecting that he was suffering from domestic gas poisoning, Raef's wife tried to check the kitchen stove to see if there was a problem with the pilot light, but found that she was partially paralyzed and unable to leave her bed.

Later that night, a similar incident was also reported by a young mother living close by. She was woken by the sound of her daughter coughing but found herself unable to leave her bed. (due to differing depictions of the night of the 31st and the morning of the 1st, some contemporary accounts list the second attack as having occurred the following day).

The next day, Friday September 1st, there was a third reported incident. Mrs. Kearney, of Marshall Avenue, Mattoon, reported smelling a strong sweet odor around 11pm. At first she dismissed the smell, believing it to be from flowers outside of the window, but the odor soon became stronger and she began to loose feeling in her legs. Mrs. Kearney panicked and her calls attracted her sister, Mrs. Ready; who was in the house at the time. Mrs. Ready also noticed the odor, and determined that it was coming from the direction of the bedroom window, which was open at the time. The police were contacted, but no evidence of a prowler was found. At around 12:30 that night Bert Kearney, Mrs. Kearney's husband (a local taxi driver who had been during the time of the attack), returned home to find an unidentified man on hiding close to one of the house's widows. The man fled and Kearney was unable to catch him. Kearney's description of the prowler; a tall man dressed in dark clothing, who wore a tight fitting cap, was reported in the local media, and became the de facto description of the gasser throughout the Mattoon incident. . After the attack, Mrs. Kearney reported suffering from a burning sensation on her lips and throat, which were attributed to the effects of the gas.

Initially, it was suspected that robbery was the primary motive for the attack. At the time the Kearney's had a large sum of money in the house, and it was surmised that the prowler could have seen Mrs. Kearney and her sister counting it earlier that evening. Local newspapers incorrectly reported this incident as being the first gasser attack.

In the days following the Kearney attack, there were half a dozen similar attacks (See table), though none of the purported victims were able to provide a clear description of the prowler, and no clues were found at the scene of the attacks. The first real physical evidence was found on night of the 5th of September, when Carl and Beulah Cordes of North 21st street returned home around 10pm, and after spending a few minutes in the house they noticed a piece of white cloth, slightly larger than a man's handkerchief, sitting on their porch next to the screen door. Mrs Cordes picked up the cloth and smelled it. As soon as she inhaled, she became violently ill. She described the effect as being similar to an electric shock. Her face quickly and lips began to swell, she experienced a burning sensation in her mouth and throat, and began to vomit. As with other victims, She also reported feelings weak and experiencing partial paralysis of her legs. Mrs Cordes later hypothesized that the cloth had been left on the porch in order to knock out the family dog, which usually slept there, so that the prowler could gain access to the house unnoticed.

In addition to the cloth, a skeleton key; described as looking well used was reportedly found on the sidewalk adjacent to the porch, along with a large, almost empty, tube of lipstick. The former of which appeared to lend weight to the idea that the prowler intended to gain access to the Cordes residence. .

The cloth was analyzed by the authorities, but they were unable to determine what chemicals were involved or why the cloth had such a reaction in Mrs. Cordes.

The night of the cordes attack, there was a second incident in North 13th Street, at the home of Mrs. Leonard Burrell. Who reported seeing that a stranger tried to break in through her bedroom window before gassing her.

Public concern over the gassings quickly rose, the FBI became involved, and the local police were soon forced to issue a statement calling on residents to avoid lingering in residential areas, and warning that groups set up to patrol for the gasser should be disbanded for reasons of public safety. Chief of Police C.E. Cole also warned concerned citizens to exercise due restrain when carrying or discharging firearms. .

During this period, there was also an apparent increase in physical evidence of attacks taking place; ranging from footprints being discovered underneath windows, to tears being found in window screens.

By the 12th of September, local police had received so many false alarms; mostly from citizens believing that they smelled gas, or that they had seen a prowler, that they reduced the priority afforded to gasser reports, and announced that the entire incident was likely the result of explainable occurrences exasperated by public fears, and a sign of the anxiety felt by women while local men were on war service. (See Mass Hysteria and Toxic waste of pollution).

After the police announcement, gasser reports declined, or at least ceased to be recorded. The only incident of note after that date was arguably the cased of Bertha Burch (See Farley Llewellyn).

(List incomplete)

Mattoon
The second spate of gasser incidents occurred in Mattoon, Illinois. It began in late August 1944, and attacks continued for several weeks.

Chronology
The first of the 1944 gasser incidents occurred at a house on Grant Ave, Matton, on August 31 1944. Mr. Urban Raef was woken during the early hours of the morning by a strange odor. He felt nausious and weak, and suffered from a fit of vomiting. Suspecting that he was suffering from domestic gas poisoning, Raef's wife tried to check the kitchen stove to see if there was a problem with the pilot light, but found that she was partially paralized and unable to leave her bed.

Later that night, a similar incident was also reported by a young mother livinng close by. She was woken by the sound of her daughter coughing but found herself unable to leave her bed. (due to differing depictions of the night of the 31st and the morning of the 1st, some contemporary accounts list the second attack as having occurred the following day).

The next day, Friday September 1st, there was a third reported incident. Mrs. Kearney, of Marshall Avenue, Mattoon, reported smelling a strong sweet odor around 11pm. At first she dismissed the smell, believing it to be from flowers outside of the window, but the odor soon became stronger and she began to loose feeling in her legs. Mrs. Kearney panicked and her calls attracted her sister, Mrs. Ready; who was in the house at the time. Mrs. Ready also noticed the odor, and determined that it was coming from the direction of the bedroom window, which was open at the time. The police were contacted, but no evidence of a prowler was found. At around 12:30 that night Bert Kearney, Mrs. Kearney's husband (a local taxi driver who had been during the time of the attack), returned home to find an unidentified man on hiding close to one of the house's widows. The man fled and Kearney was unable to catch him. Kearney's description of the prowler; a tall man dressed in dark clothing, who wore a tight fitting cap, was reported in the local media, and became the de facto description of the gasser throughout the Mattoon incident. . After the attack, Mrs. Kearney reported suffering from a burning sensation on her lips and throat, which were attributed to the effects of the gas.

Initially, it was suspected that robbery was the primary motive for the attack. At the time the Kearney's had a large sum of money in the house, and it was surmised that the prowler could have seen Mrs. Kearney and her sister counting it earlier that evening. Local newspapers incorrectly reported this incident as being the first gasser attack.

In the days following the Kearney attack, there were half a dozen similar attacks (See table), though none of the purported victims were able to provide a clear description of the prowler, and no clues were found at the scene of the attacks. The first real physical evidence was found on night of the 5th of September, when Carl and Beulah Cordes of North 21st street returned home around 10pm, and after spending a few minutes in the house they noticed a piece of white cloth, slightly larger than a man's handkerchief, sitting on their porch next to the screen door. Mrs Cordes picked up the cloth and smelled it. As soon as she inhaled, she became violently ill. She described the effect as being similar to an electric shock. Her face quickly and lips began to swell, she experienced a burning sensation in her mouth and throat, and began to vomit. As with other victims, She also reported feelings weak and experiencing partial paralysis of her legs. Mrs Cordes later hypothesized that the cloth had been left on the porch in order to knock out the family dog, which usually slept there, so that the prowler could gain access to the house unnoticed.

In addition to the cloth, a skeleton key; described as looking well used was reportedly found on the sidewalk adjacent to the porch, along with a large, almost empty, tube of lipstick. The former of which appeared to lend weight to the idea that the prowler intended to gain acess to the Cordes residence. .

The cloth was analyzed by the authorities, but they were unable to determine what chemicals were involved or why the cloth had such a reaction in Mrs. Cordes.

The night of the cordes attack, there was a second incident in North 13th Street, at the home of Mrs. Leonard Burrell. Who reported seeing that a stranger tried to break in through her bedroom window before gassing her.

Public concern over the gassings quickly rose, the FBI became involved, and the local police were soon forced to issue a statement calling on residents to avoid lingering in residential areas, and warning that groups set up to patrol for the gasser should be disbanded for reasons of public safety. Chief of Police C.E. Cole also warned concerned citizens to exercise due restrain when carrying or dischargine firearms. .

During this period, there was also an apparent increase in physical evidence of attacks taking place; ranging from footprints being discovered underneath windows, to tears being found in window screens.

By the 12th of September, local police had received so many false alarms; mostly from citizens believing that they smelled gas, or that they had seen a prowler, that they reduced the priority afforded to gasser reports, and announced that the entire incident was likely the result of explainable occurrences exasperated by public fears, and a sign of the anxiety felt by women while local men were on war service. ,ref name=taylor1/> (See Mass Hysteria and Toxic waste of pollution).

After the police announcement, gasser reports declined, or at least ceased to be recorded. The only incident of note after that date was arguably the cased of Bertha Burch (See Farley Llewellyn).

(List incomplete)

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

Mass hysteria
Almost 2 weeks after the Mattoon attacks began, local Commissioner of Public Health Thomas V. Wright, announced that there had undoubtedly been a number of gassing incidents, but that many instances were likely down to hysteria; residents hearing of alarming events, and then panicking when confronted by an out of place odor or a shadow at the window.

“''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. Fear of the gas man is entirely out of proportion to the menace of the relatively harmless gas he is spraying. The whole town is sick with hysteria''” Thomas V. Wright

On September the 12th, local Chief of Police C E Cole took Wright's prognosis a step further; announcing that there had likely been no gas attacks at all, and that the reported incidents had probably triggered by chemicals carried on the wind from nearby industrial facilities, and then exasperated by public panic.

Wright and Cole's diagnosis was given further validity in 1945 when the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology published "The 'phantom anesthetist' of Mattoon: a field study of mass hysteria" by Donald M. Johnson, which documented the Mattoon incident as a case study in mass hysteria. In 1959, his opinion was seconded by psychologist J P Chaplin, and went on to form the basis for several subsequent studies of the phenomena of mass hysteria.

In 1972, Johnson and Wright's diagnosis was challenged by paranormal researcher Jerome Clark and anthropology expert Loren Coleman; who specializes in contagious social phenomena. Upon examining the Mattoon incident they concluded that authorities, and those researching the events at a later date, had glossed over several aspects of the case in order to diagnose mass hysteria, and proposed that there may have been several real incidents that were surrounded by several which were induced by hysteria.

In 1994, the empirical value of Johnson's study was called into question, along with the validity of findings based on his work, after it became publicly known that Johnson was still an undergraduate without significant field experience at the time that his study was written.

A hypothesis has also emerged that mass hysteria was put forward as an explanation to the Mattoon incident as part of a conspiracy to hide the true identity of the gasser (See Farley Llewellyn).

Most of the physical symptoms recorded during the Botetourt and Mattoon incidents; including chocking, swelling of mucus membranes, and weakness/temporary paralysis, are all known symptoms of an hysterical reaction.

Toxic waste or pollution
On the 12th of September, Chief of Police C E Cole told a press conference that odors and symptoms reported may have been the result of pollutants or toxic waste released by nearby industrial plants, and speculated that carbon tetrachloride or trichloroethylene; both of which have a sweet odor and can induce symptoms similar to those reported by purported gasser victims.

In response to Cole's statement, Atlas-Imperial, the primary company implicated in affair, released a statement of its own saying that their facility had only 5 gallons of carbon tetrachloride in stock; which was contained in firefighting equipment. It also denied that quantities of trichloroethylene (an industrial solvent used by Atlas) could be responsible for sickness in the town. Reasoning that it would have taken significant quantities of the chemical to sicken the townspeople, and that factory workers would have succumb long before anybody outside of the factory was effected.

At the time of the gassing, the Atlas plant had been certified as safe by the State Department of Health.

Actual assailant
Some have argued that an actual assailant carried out the attacks more or less as reported by witnesses.

There was a similar series of gasser attacks in Botetourt County, Virginia (pronounced: bot-a-tot) during the winter of 1933-34. The possible relationship between these events and the Mattoon events is debated: as noted above, some contend that it was a similar case of mass hysteria, which may have inspired or informed the events in Mattoon. Historian Mike Dash, however, suggests that the attacks might have something in common, citing female footprints and similar symptoms as evidence. However, the earlier case received only a brief press mention outside Virginia, rendering the idea of a copycat attacker implausible.

Farley Llewellyn
A recent theory, suggested by former area resident Scott Maruna, blames a local named Farley Llewellyn. Maruna'a theory is related in his book; see "external links" for further information.

An outstanding chemistry student at the University of Illinois, Llewellyn had both the means and the motivation to commit the attacks. Shortly before the first attack, Llewellyn's home chemistry lab was rocked by an explosion. Llewellyn was ostracized by the local community as a suspected homosexual and was bitter toward the townsfolk. Maruna states that the first several victims were high school classmates of Llewellyn's, and most of the attacks occurred near the Llewellyn home. Maruna believes Farley Llewyllen was attempting to make bombs using nitromethane, an explosive, sweet-smelling compound which, when inhaled, can produce symptoms not unlike those reported by the victims. Another possibility is that the gas was 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, which smells similar to the gas used in Mattoon, and has similar effects when breathed in.

One objection to this explanation is the lack of explosions or fires accompanying the attacks or physical evidence of any explosive device. Another possible flaw is that Llewellyn was the only suspect at the time and was placed under constant surveillance at the height of the attacks. Maruna suggests Llewellyn's sisters conducted several additional gassings in an attempt to exonerate him. This would explain why the victims of the final attack on September 13 described the gasser as a woman in men's clothing, and prints from high-heeled shoes were found the next day.

Shortly after the attacks ended, Farley Llewellyn's family had him committed to a mental institution, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Jon Downes, writing in Fortean Times No 216, says the residents of Mattoon have always known that Llewellyn was the culprit, and that they colluded to keep the truth a secret out of respect for his (now deceased) philanthropist father. Thus they had to put up with "50 years of UFO freaks, conspiracy theorists, and assorted nutcases."

In Popular culture
During early releases of Monster in My Pocket, there was a character named "The Mad Gasser of Mattoon"(monster number 110). When the franchise was rereleased in 2006, it was renamed "The Mad Gasser".