Dark Histories

The Mad Gasser of Mattoon


Listen Later

In 1944, residents in the town of Mattoon in Illinois came under a prolonged series of attacks by a man the papers named as “The Mad Gasser” and “The Phantom Anesthetist”. Despite the witness accounts that claimed to see a man stalking around the victims houses on multiple occasions, the authorities and subsequent psychological studies chalked the whole saga up to nothing more than a case of “Mass Hysteria”, but did that diagnosis really answer every question posed by the evidence of events that ran for over two weeks, as summer faded over the small farming community, or was it just a convenient outcome for a police force with no answers to give the troubled population?

SOURCES:

Maruna, Scott. Mad Gasser of Mattoon: Dispelling the Hysteria (2003), Swamp Gas Book Co. 

Evans, Hillary & Bartholomew, Robert E. Outbreak!: The Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Social Behavior (2009) Anomolist Books, TX USA

Bartholomew, Robert E. Little Green Men, Meowing Nuns and Head-Hunting Panics: A Study of Mass Psychogenic Illness and Social Delusion (2001) McFarland Publishing, USA

------

For extended show notes, including maps, links and scripts, head over to darkhistories.com

Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories

Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast

Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories

& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/

Or you can contact us directly via email at [email protected]

or via voicemail on: (415) 286-5072

or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/6f7e2pt

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Dark HistoriesBy Ben Cutmore

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

1,795 ratings


More shows like Dark Histories

View all
Lore by Aaron Mahnke

Lore

45,038 Listeners

Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast by Blue Ewe Media

Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

2,789 Listeners

Unexplained by iHeartPodcasts

Unexplained

7,597 Listeners

The Conspirators Podcast by The Conspirators Podcast

The Conspirators Podcast

1,202 Listeners

American Hauntings Podcast by Cody Beck and Troy Taylor

American Hauntings Podcast

1,588 Listeners

Southern Gothic by Southern Gothic Media

Southern Gothic

972 Listeners

Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities by iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities

8,405 Listeners

Noble Blood by iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

Noble Blood

13,565 Listeners

The Midnight Library by Astonishing Legends Productions

The Midnight Library

1,115 Listeners

Horrifying History by Horrifying History, Bleav

Horrifying History

311 Listeners

Haunted American History by Bloody FM

Haunted American History

432 Listeners

American Shadows by iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

American Shadows

2,259 Listeners

Haunted Road by iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

Haunted Road

3,170 Listeners

How Haunted? Podcast | Horrible Histories, Real Life Ghost Stories, and Paranormal Investigations from Some of the Most Haunted Places on Earth by Rob Kirkup

How Haunted? Podcast | Horrible Histories, Real Life Ghost Stories, and Paranormal Investigations from Some of the Most Haunted Places on Earth

87 Listeners

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal by History Hit

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

1,079 Listeners