Mad Gassers of Virginia & Illinois
The annals of American history are peppered with unexplained events, leaving behind a trail of speculation, fear, and unanswered questions. Among these enigmatic occurrences, the tales of the "Mad Gassers of Virginia & Illinois" stand out as particularly bizarre and unsettling. During the 1930s and 1940s, two separate communities, separated by time and distance, were gripped by a shared terror: the fear of an unseen assailant who released noxious gases into their homes, causing a range of alarming symptoms. These incidents, which unfolded in Botetourt County, Virginia, in 1933-1934, and Mattoon, Illinois, in 1944, remain shrouded in mystery, with no definitive explanation ever offered.
The phantom attacker, dubbed the "Anesthetic Prowler" and the "Phantom Anesthetist," became a figure of local legend, inspiring both fear and fascination. The identity of this shadowy character, or perhaps characters, who infiltrated the sanctity of people’s homes with foul-smelling odors, has never been conclusively determined. Were these isolated incidents of disturbed individuals seeking to terrorize their neighbors? Or did they represent something more sinister, perhaps a reflection of the anxieties of a nation grappling with economic depression and the looming threat of war?
The first wave of attacks began in the rural landscape of Botetourt County, Virginia. On December 22, 1933, the Cal Huffman family, residing near Haymakertown, became the first reported victims. Around 10:00 p.m., Mrs. Huffman detected an unusual odor, quickly followed by nausea. Initially, the family dismissed it, but the stench returned with greater intensity approximately 30 minutes later. Concerned, Mr. Huffman sought help from a neighbor to call the police. Law enforcement officers arrived but were unable to identify the source of the smell.
By 1:00 a.m., the mysterious gas reappeared, affecting all eight members of the Huffman family. Their symptoms included nausea, headaches, and constriction of the respiratory system. Alice Huffman, a 20-year-old, was the most severely affected, requiring artificial respiration administered by a summoned doctor to revive her. Cal Huffman suspected foul play, and a neighbor claimed to have witnessed a shadowy figure fleeing the Huffman residence. The police launched an investigation, enlisting the aid of Dr. W.N. Breckinridge, who ruled out ether, chloroform, and tear gas as potential culprits. However, the specific type of gas remained unidentified. Investigators did find a woman’s shoe print beneath a window, fueling speculation about the perpetrator’s identity. The incidents known as the "Mad Gassers of Virginia & Illinois" had begun.
Just two days later, on December 24, another family in Cloverdale, the Halls, experienced similar symptoms: nausea, burning eyes, and weakness. Clarence Hall, his wife, and their two children arrived home around 9:00 p.m. Within minutes, they detected a strange odor. Mr. Hall became so weak that he could barely stand, while his wife suffered from nausea and had to help him outside. Mrs. Hall experienced eye irritation for the following two days. Once again, the police were called, and Dr. Breckinridge assisted in the investigation, noting that the gas had a "sweet" taste with a trace of formaldehyde. Police discovered a nail had been pulled from one of the windows, and a neighbor reported seeing a figure with a flashlight near the Hall residence. After this incident, Clarence Hall sent his family to stay with friends and organized a neighborhood watch to search for the "Mad Gasser," but their efforts proved fruitless.
The "Mad Gassers of Virginia & Illinois" spread panic and fear throughout the region. The Roanoke Times reported on December 27, "Gas Attacks on Homes Continue." The very same night, A.L. Kelly and his mother, residing in Troutville, Virginia, became the next victims. Kelly reported seeing a man and a woman driving back and forth in front of his home in a 1933 Chevrolet around the time of the attack. A neighbor managed to get a partial license plate number, but police were unable to locate the vehicle.
The local media engaged in rampant speculation, further fueling public anxiety. Armed men began patrolling their properties at night, and the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors offered a $500 reward for the capture of the elusive "anesthetist." Throughout 1934, more attacks occurred, impacting various households.
On January 10, 1934, the home of Homer Hylton in Fincastle was targeted. Residents reported hearing mumbling voices and someone attempting to open a window. Hylton’s neighbor, G.E. Poage, confirmed hearing voices outside around the same time. On the same date, G.D. Kinzie, a Troutville resident, also experienced an attack. On January 16, the home of F.B. Duval, near Bonsack, was attacked. As Duval ran to call the police, he saw a man flee to a parked car and drive away. The next day, police found women’s shoe prints where the car had been parked. On January 19, the "Mad Gasser" sprayed into a window of the Campbell home near Cloverdale. Mrs. Campbell, sitting near the window, felt nauseous immediately after the window shade moved. On January 21, Howard Crawford’s house between Cloverdale and Troutville was attacked as he and his wife entered their home, immediately being overwhelmed by gas.
On January 22, three separate attacks occurred in Carvin’s Cove, targeting the homes of Ed Reedy, Raymond Etter, and George C. Riley. One of Mr. Etter’s sons claimed to see a figure disappearing from the direction of the house. George Riley immediately called his brother, an officer with the Roanoke Police Department. Police established roadblocks around the area, but the "Mad Gasser" once again evaded capture. On January 23, Mrs. R.H. Hartsell and her family returned to their Pleasantdale Church home at 4:30 a.m., to find the house filled with gas.
As the gas attacks continued unabated, the citizens of Botetourt County were in an uproar. Local men, armed with shotguns and rifles, patrolled the roadways at night. The police expressed concern that "some innocent person passing a house or calling upon a neighbor may be wounded or killed through nervousness." While initially dismissing the incidents as pranks by adolescents, they eventually acknowledged the seriousness of the attacks.
The New York Times covered the story, running the headline: "Virginians Are Terrorized by Gas Thrower, Who Flees in Night After Making Victims Ill." Subsequently, the Virginia State Assembly passed a bill prescribing a maximum prison term of 10 years for anyone convicted of releasing noxious gases in public or private places. If the incident caused injury, the "gasser" would be "deemed guilty of malicious wounding and punished with from between one and 20 years in the penitentiary."
On January 25, the "Mad Gasser" was thwarted when Chester Snyder, hearing his dog bark, grabbed his shotgun and fired at a man fleeing his house. Although he missed the man, the police found footprints leading to the house and signs that the prowler had hidden behind a tree.
Despite these efforts, the "Mad Gasser" continued his attacks. On January 28, the home of Ed Stanley in Cloverdale was targeted. Frank Guy, a hired hand on the farm, reported seeing four men fleeing the house. Two nights later, the "gassers" returned to the Stanley’s home but fled when Stanley heard a sound outside the window and confronted his attacker.
By January 30, some citizens began to believe that "the whole gassing case is a mere hoax or figment of the imagination of reported victims." Dr. S.F. Driver, who initially believed in the reality of the gasser, admitted at a meeting of the County Board of Supervisors that not all cases appeared to be genuine gassings. On at least one occasion, the offending fumes were traced to a coal stove. Sheriff L.T. Mundy expressed skepticism, declaring himself a "Doubting Thomas" unless he experienced the gassings himself.
The last attack occurred at A.P. Scaggs’s home in Nace on February 3. This time, the perpetrators may have used more gas, as the family was severely affected. Sheriff Williamson stated, "No amount of imagination in the world would make people as ill as the Skaggs are." The family suffered from convulsions and hysterical shrieking.
Reports of more attacks followed, including 20 in nearby Roanoke County and several others in Lexington. However, most of these later reports lacked the details of the original attacks and were likely hysterical reactions to ordinary odors. Many in the area began to believe that all of the "attacks" were caused by normal household events, such as faulty chimney flues, and that the owners’ reactions were little more than panic and hysteria.
Local authorities eventually released a statement saying that the "Mad Gassers" didn’t exist, that the gases were caused by normal events, and that the panic was spread by out-of-control rumors. However, some police officers, especially those close to the investigation, did not believe this.
The press began to express suspicion, as evidenced by an editorial in the Roanoke Times proclaiming: "Roanoke Has No Gasser." The editorial stated, "This newspaper has so believed in the gasser’s nonexistence from the first, but it seemed best to permit the police to go ahead and investigate without whatever handicap they might be under were cold water to be thrown on their search in advance." The "Mad Gasser of Botetourt County" was never found.
Eleven years later, similar attacks began in Mattoon, Illinois. More than two dozen cases of gassings were reported to police over two weeks. In many cases, the victims also reported sightings of a suspected assailant, who was described as a thin, black-clad prowler.
The first attack occurred on August 31, 1944, at the home of Urban Raef, who was awakened by a strange odor. Both he and his wife were nauseated and felt weak. Mr. Raef suffered from vomiting, and Mrs. Raef was partially paralyzed. The next day, a young mother living in a neighboring home also found herself paralyzed, and her daughter was coughing.
The next evening, Mrs. Bert Kearney was awakened by a strong, sweet odor around 11:00 p.m. As the odor became stronger, she began to lose feeling in her legs. She called out to her sister, Mrs. Ready, who determined that the smell was coming from a bedroom window, which was open. The police were contacted, but no evidence of a prowler was found. At around 12:30 a.m., Bert Kearney returned home from working as a taxi driver and found a man lurking outside one of the windows. The man fled, and Mr. Kearney later described the prowler to the media, stating that he was tall, thin, dressed in dark clothing, and wore a tight-fitting cap. Mrs. Kearney reported suffering from a burning sensation on her lips and throat. An investigation suggested the prowler’s motive was probably robbery. However, local newspapers reported that the incident was the first attack by the "Mad Gasser of Mattoon."
In the days that followed, several "attacks" were reported, but none of the victims could provide a description of the prowler, and no clues were found by the police. On the night of September 5, Carl and Beulah Cordes returned to their home around 10:00 p.m., where they discovered a piece of white cloth on their porch. Beulah picked up the cloth and smelled it, becoming extremely ill, suffering from a swollen face and a burning sensation in her mouth and throat, and vomiting. She also reported feeling weak and experiencing partial paralysis of her legs. The police were called and took the cloth into evidence, along with an old skeleton key and an empty tube of lipstick, which they found on the porch. The authorities concluded that a prowler had probably been trying to break into the house.
The same night, Mrs. Leonard Burrell reported seeing a stranger break in through her bedroom window and attempt to gas her. The next day, seven reports were made, one of which included a sighting of a prowler believed to be the gasser. Many of these people complained of a sickeningly sweet odor that caused them to become sick and slightly paralyzed. On September 7, Miss Frances Smith and Miss Maxine Smith reported seeing a blue vapor and hearing a motorized buzzing sound believed to be from gassing machinery. Between September 8 and September 13, seven more reports of attacks were made. In the last report, Bertha Burch described the gasser as a woman dressed as a man, and a woman’s footprints were found at the scene.
Public concern over these alleged gassings rose quickly, and local authorities summoned FBI agents from Springfield to become involved in the case. Armed citizens patrolled the streets at night for the "Mad Gasser." But the presence of the FBI didn’t calm the nerves of local residents, and rumors flew that the attacker was an escapee from an insane asylum or a mad scientist testing his equipment.
During these events, local newspapers ran alarmist articles about the reported attacks, and it was likely the newspapers who were behind the "Gasser hysteria." By September 12, local police had received so many false alarms that they announced the entire incident was likely the result of explainable occurrences exacerbated by public fears. After the announcement, the gasser reports declined, and newspaper accounts took a more skeptical tone.
Though there is no evidence that the "Mad Gasser" attacks in Virginia and Illinois were perpetrated by the same person(s), there are similarities, including the accounts of woman’s shoe prints, the attacks often being made through a window, and the smelling of strange odors followed by symptoms of coughing, nausea, and vomiting. In both cases, victims quickly recovered from their symptoms and suffered no long-term effects.
Today, these cases are generally believed to be examples of mass hysteria. However, many maintain that the "Mad Gasser of Virginia & Illinois" actually existed, though his or her motive remains unknown. Some have speculated that the gases were caused by industrial pollution. Others have suggested paranormal activity, crazed scientists, the government testing a new vapor-based weapon, or a deranged WWI veteran. In the end, we will likely never know the truth behind the strange incidents of the "Mad Gassers of Virginia & Illinois."