The Phantom Attacker: The Mystery of the "Mad Gasser" of 1944
In 1944, a mysterious figure allegedly gassed victims in their homes in Illinois. Was the Mad Gasser real, or was it mass hysteria caused by the war?
The Phantom Attacker: The Mystery of the "Mad Gasser" of 1944
The Phantom Attacker: The Mystery of the "Mad Gasser" By USA 360 | Mass Hysteria & Unsolved Crimes I t began with a smell. A sickeningly sweet odor, like cheap perfume or crushing flowers. Then came the nausea. And then, the paralysis. In the autumn of 1944, while the world was focused on World War II, the small town of Mattoon, Illinois, was fighting a war of its own. An unknown attacker was stalking the streets, pumping poison gas into people's homes. They called him the Mad Gasser . The First Attack Late one night, Aline Kearney woke up to a strange smell coming through her open window. Within minutes, her legs went numb. She couldn't move. Panic set in as the paralysis crept up her body. When her sister rushed in to help, she also smelled the odor. They looked out the window and saw a shadowy figure lurking in the dark. The figure vanished, leaving no footprints, only fear. When the local newspaper ran the headline "Anesthetic Prowler on the Loose," hell bro…
