The eerie saga of the Mad Gasser commenced in a tumultuous cascade of bewilderment and foreboding back in 1944, casting a pall of fear over the residents who found themselves ensnared by an enigmatic cloud of gas. Mattoon, Illinois descended into disarray as whispers of unexplained assaults disseminated rapidly, suffocating the populace with uncertainty and dread of the imminent noxious onslaught.