1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. This is the second part 4 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: of our two part episode on the Mad Gasser of 5 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: the two So, with the blessing of our super producer, 6 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: Casey Pegraham, we'll get right into it. We have a 7 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: few days following that initial kind of rash of reporting 8 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: um in the local paper, a Mr. Carl Cords and 9 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: Mrs Bulah Chords coming back to their home them and 10 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: around ten o'clock at night, and they discovered on their 11 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:08,040 Speaker 1: porch a small piece of white cloth that was just 12 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: sitting there next to the screen door. Uh, and Mrs Cords, 13 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: like you do, I guess, uh picked it up and 14 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: sniffed it. I don't know about that, I will. Yeah, 15 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 1: that's that's an odd thing to do. They live in 16 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: a nicer town than we do, probably guess. So maybe 17 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: there was an odor coming off of it or something 18 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: and it was intrigued her. But yeah, she apparently took 19 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: a big, old deep huff of that thing and instantly 20 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: became violently ill. She began to swell up, and hives, 21 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: you know, covered her face and and she had burning 22 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: sensation and her mouth and throat and started violently vomiting, 23 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: like we've seen, very similar effects to some of these 24 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 1: other reports we've seen. She goes weak in the knees, 25 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: full paralysis of the legs soon um follow that, and 26 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: she describes it later it was a feeling of realysis, 27 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: she said. My husband had to help me into the house, 28 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: and soon my lips were swollen and the roof of 29 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: my mouth and my throat burned. I began to spit blood, 30 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: and my husband called a physician. It was more than 31 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: two hours before I began to feel normal again, and 32 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 1: the police came and they took the cloth, and they 33 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 1: also searched the home and they did find a skeleton 34 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,519 Speaker 1: key and an empty tube of lipstick on the porch 35 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: as well, so they figured that the prowler was trying 36 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: to break in using that skeleton key. I'm sure most 37 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 1: people know what skeleton key is, Like I guess before 38 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: the days of more machined kind of locks and keys 39 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: where it was very specific to each lock, you would 40 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 1: have a skeleton key that was just like a basic 41 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 1: key that would just trigger the mechanism of most key. 42 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: And again maybe there were Ben, you might be able 43 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 1: to answer this, Um, maybe they were specifically tooled to 44 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: a set of locks in a home, But to me, 45 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: it feels like it was more rudimentary than that. Yeah, 46 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: it can be difficult. So skeleton keys have been around 47 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: for a while, and some would be specific to a house, right, 48 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: just like that single house has a skeleton key. But 49 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: I was also wondering about this detail, like how many 50 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: locks smiths were in Matune at the time, Like how 51 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: many people would have professionally worked with locks. Was this 52 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,679 Speaker 1: a key that maybe they had like left under their 53 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: mat and forgotten about, you know, because we don't know 54 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: much about that key, and we don't know much about 55 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,839 Speaker 1: this lipstick, but we do know, you know, crazy. We'll 56 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: get into some theories here, but we do know that 57 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: there is one thing that happens with these kind of 58 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: panics and crimes. Copycats entered the chat. So it is 59 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: possible that somebody else tried to do something like this 60 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: with a very different m O. Because up to now, 61 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: the mad gasser has ever attempted to enter through a door. 62 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: They've been at windows, right, and you don't need a 63 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: skeleton key for a window. Uh. They also haven't left 64 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: anything else behind, So if this was the mad Gaser 65 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 1: not a copycat, they were interrupted and a later examination 66 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: of the cloth found no chemicals on it that could 67 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: cause miscords this specific type of distress. But later that 68 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: night someone else reports an attempted gassing. Mrs Leonard Burrow 69 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 1: said that a stranger broke into her bedroom window and 70 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: then tried to gas her as well. So we've got 71 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: so far. Like, if we're the police, let's do law 72 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: and order, Mattoon. So we're on the case. This is 73 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: a huge break in our case, possibly because it's the 74 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: first time we found physical evidence. However, things continue to 75 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:01,839 Speaker 1: escalate from September six through the teeth. Yes, that's right. 76 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: On September the sixth, after the News broke the story 77 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: on the cords, there were seven, no less than seven 78 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: more attacks reported, and that included one that supposedly involved 79 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: or allegedly involved the sighting of the mad gass or 80 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: the prowler, the man in black um. And yeah, like 81 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 1: I said that, we like we said from the start, 82 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: already a lot of anxiety in the air because of 83 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: the war. Um. And now you know you have these 84 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: escalating reports of some lunatic running rampant around their small town, 85 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 1: just gassing people Willie and or Nilly, and the FBI 86 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: gets called in from Springfield, which isn't too far from Mattoon, 87 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: to give the local cops a hand with the investigation. 88 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: So in September seven, even though there were no attacks reported, 89 00:05:54,279 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: this phantom anistetis made the news. And here here's the 90 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: basic kind of takeaway from the from the report, mattuns 91 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: mad and the statists apparently took a respite from his 92 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: maniacal four as Thursday night, the papers said, terrified citizens 93 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:15,039 Speaker 1: are inclined to hold their breath and wonder when and 94 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: where he might strike next. Good lord, let's let's also 95 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 1: pivot the story a little bit to the responsibility of 96 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: the press, shall we. Yeah, that's the issue, and it's 97 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: an important one because they realized the paper was going 98 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: gangbusters as long as it had a story that was 99 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 1: somehow about the mad gas er in in somewhere in 100 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: the folds, right, and so they decided to report that 101 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: there was no report, and uh still try to ratchet 102 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,239 Speaker 1: up the tension by pointing out that people were scared, 103 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: attempting to make the more scared. And when we go 104 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: to the idea of responsibility of papers. We're not just 105 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: talking about the matun Journal gives that anymore. We're also 106 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: talking about the papers in Chicago, right that are popular 107 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: in this town, but they're they're known as national publications. 108 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: So within a few days you would be able to 109 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: read multiple reports and speculative pieces about the gas or 110 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: from any number of papers. Time Magazine even reported on 111 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: this and they said they got a little they styled 112 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: on it, and I like the way they wrote this. 113 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 1: It moves through the night as nimbly and secretly as 114 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: a cat squirting a sweetish gas through bedroom windows, which 115 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: is very like Macavity. You know, I'm sorry, his sweetish 116 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: gas a sweet I mean it made me think of 117 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: Swedish gas, like like like manufactured by the Swedes. That 118 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: is very funny. Secretly, You're right, Macavity. It's very jellical, 119 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: no question about it. And of course this just this 120 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: kind of you can't buy this kind of a story, 121 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: you know, you can't. Uh. And the imagery it's just 122 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: it's absolutely gonzo. Um. So back in the tune, you 123 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: had the police chief, I'm presuming his last name was 124 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: Wiggins put the entire force a ten man force, by 125 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: the way, which is ridiculously understaffed seeming. But not one 126 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: of them could find any evidence of the actual prowler. 127 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 1: So the state police gets called in, got another associated headline, 128 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: state hunts gas madman. That's a tricky one. I almost 129 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: wanted to say mad gas man um the war two uh, 130 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: and the Army's the army is called in the Chemical 131 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: Warfare Service tried to figure out what the gas might 132 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: be bent. Do we have any reports of what was 133 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: on that cloth? I'm sorry if I if I missed that. 134 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: We do not, So we we know that they may 135 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: have found a couple of things, but because it's literally 136 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: a you know, a dirty cloth on the round, but 137 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: they didn't find anything that could do any of the 138 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:09,559 Speaker 1: stuff described by by the neighbors or the victims over 139 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: in Matune. Responding to all the people around the nation 140 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: who are writing in with their own kind of armchair 141 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: investigative opinions, here the police chief and and his forces 142 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,560 Speaker 1: are just it's kind of like the second act of 143 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: a law and order episode where now they have to 144 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: fight the public opinion, all the people saying like, why 145 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: don't you do anything? Up and coming politicians making Hay 146 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,559 Speaker 1: like you know, I would hold the police chief accountable. 147 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,959 Speaker 1: The attacks continue to rise and the police decide that 148 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 1: they're going to have to do something different. So they 149 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 1: stopped looking for this wild and crazy guy who is 150 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:57,440 Speaker 1: somehow managing to attack multiple homes but as a never 151 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,559 Speaker 1: clearly seen by vigilantes who are currently patrolling the town 152 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: every night, and be never leaves evidence. So instead they say, 153 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: we're going to put in a workflow where we verify 154 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:13,960 Speaker 1: these attacks. Hospital examinations of some of the folks who 155 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:19,839 Speaker 1: have come forward have found nothing wrong with them. Zip, zero, zilch, nada, 156 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: and the incident started to decrease a little bit, but 157 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: there was this breaking point for the police and one 158 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: night three reports came in and so police then announced, look, 159 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: you can report it an attack. You should report an 160 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: attack if you encounter one, but when you report it, 161 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: you need to submit to a full medical examination. If 162 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 1: you reported an attack and you don't agree to let 163 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 1: a doctor examine you, then we are going to arrest you, 164 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:57,719 Speaker 1: which is crazy because they have been like inundated with 165 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: what they considered false reports, which led to their follow 166 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 1: up statement on the twelfth where they said, quote, the 167 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: entire incident was likely the result of explainable occurrences exacerbated 168 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: by public fears and a sign of the anxiety felt 169 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: by women while local men were on war service. So 170 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: the misogyny is there. Basically, what they're saying is like, oh, 171 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 1: these women focus so emotional, that's really what's happening. And 172 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 1: you know, I think we can all agree that's that's 173 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 1: a dumb thing to say, at least the second part. 174 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:40,360 Speaker 1: The rest of it, the idea that there are public 175 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: fears that are kind of getting in a feedback loop 176 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 1: and growing out of hand. That makes total sense. But 177 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 1: either way, right after this announcement on the twelfth, the 178 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:55,400 Speaker 1: number of attacks and reports of attacks drops precipitously. The 179 00:11:55,600 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 1: very last report comes on someone says they gas or 180 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: was a woman dressed as a man, and I've found 181 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: their footprints beneath the window for some reason, they were 182 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 1: wearing high heels. By this time, the number of self 183 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:15,200 Speaker 1: reported victims totaled around or was it thirty three according 184 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 1: to the newspapers, And when the attacks stopped, or when 185 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 1: people stopped reporting these attacks, no suspects were ever named, 186 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:28,680 Speaker 1: no charges were ever filed. So our question now ridiculous. Historians, 187 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:33,680 Speaker 1: what the heck happened? Was there even really a mad gasser? 188 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: Was there really a mad gasser? And not? And we're 189 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: not trying to gaslight anybody here. I had to, I 190 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 1: had to do it. But yeah, probably not. It's entirely 191 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:48,959 Speaker 1: likely that there was no mad gas or that this 192 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: was a combination of that paranoia, that anxiety brought on 193 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,800 Speaker 1: by the war conflict, um, and just kind of an 194 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 1: escalating case of mass hysteria like we talked about at 195 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: the top of the show. But also there are some 196 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: pretty amazing theories, some ranging from absolutely absurd and over 197 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: the top to some pretty plausible, and we are now 198 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 1: going to go through some of those. My personal favorite, 199 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: that we won't even put in the numbered list would 200 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:27,000 Speaker 1: be the idea of some sort of extraterrestrial visitor that 201 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 1: was spraying people with nerve agents and using them for 202 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:35,200 Speaker 1: experiments or something with some sort of secret, you know, 203 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:40,679 Speaker 1: nefarious agenda. Uh. Perhaps this was some kind of inventor 204 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: or some sort of you know, mad scientists that was 205 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: testing out his creations on the unsuspecting public or yeah, 206 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 1: or up the government, you know, as when when in doubt, 207 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 1: blame the government, um, because you know, surely the FBI 208 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: and the police and the state police were all in cahoots, 209 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 1: you know. But here's the thing, then, none of this 210 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: is that crazy actually, because again we've talked about MK Ultra, 211 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: and we know that the CIA absolutely did experiments on 212 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:15,200 Speaker 1: the public um through this guy named George Why. If 213 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:16,599 Speaker 1: you want to hear more about that, check out the 214 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 1: show Operation Midnight Climax that I had the privilege of 215 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 1: of hosting and narrating um. But yeah, they they actually 216 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 1: would reach out when people were reporting being dosed with 217 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:30,280 Speaker 1: LSD by the CIA. They didn't know it was the CIA. 218 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 1: They went to report this guy George White, who was 219 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: an agent of the CIA. The police had already been 220 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 1: reached out to by the CIA and told to bury 221 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: the reports. So that this is not outside of the 222 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: realm of possibility of the government angle. But we've got 223 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 1: some much more plausible and realistic potential scenarios based on 224 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 1: the environment. Literally. Yeah, I'd like to go back to 225 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: the government part. Because people also know that the US 226 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: has a long history. Even back in the forties, people 227 00:14:57,640 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: were aware to some degree that the US has a 228 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: long history of human experimentation, not just Tuskegee, Uh, not 229 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 1: just dim k ultra. But but like also things in St. Louis, 230 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 1: chemical spraying of entire populations, this stuff definitely happens, uh. 231 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,840 Speaker 1: And keep in mind that around this time there are 232 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 1: also secret towns like Oak Ridge, which is just up 233 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: the way from some of my relatives in modern day Tennessee. Yeah, 234 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: so I can understand that fear absolutely. These other theories though, 235 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: are as, as we said, more a little more plausible. First, 236 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 1: Mattoons Police Chief ce Coal when they issue that statement 237 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: we mentioned on September twelve, they say that this could 238 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: be industrial pollution. There is an Atlas diesel engine company 239 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 1: that's not too far away and it creates large quantities 240 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: of what's known as carbon tetrachlori gas. Us. He says, 241 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: this gas is the only thing that we can find 242 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 1: that would explain these reported cases paralysis and illness. And 243 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: then he says, you know, it could be carried through 244 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:14,160 Speaker 1: the town. It could have left some stains on that 245 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 1: cloth or that rag that were found on the home, 246 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 1: and explain why it didn't have any like why I 247 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,520 Speaker 1: had a smell, but why it didn't have any chemicals 248 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 1: that on later investigation could have been found to be 249 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 1: an incapacitating agents. And he said, you know, maybe the 250 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: mad gasser is just a figment of the collective imagination. 251 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 1: And he described the entire cases quote a mistake from 252 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:42,080 Speaker 1: beginning to end. So imagine you work at that let's 253 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 1: diesel plant. Are you gonna take this No, You're gonna 254 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,040 Speaker 1: send your spokesperson out to deny the allegations and say 255 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 1: that you only use that specific gas in your fire extinguishers. 256 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: And if there are any other gases that are used there, 257 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 1: they obviously caused no ill effects. Because we have a 258 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:01,560 Speaker 1: ton of people working here. How come they don't ever 259 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: lose the use of their limbs? How come they don't 260 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: ever have a sickly sweet smell and then violent vomiting 261 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: and maybe even more importantly, one of the best parts 262 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,680 Speaker 1: of their argument, how come this gas has never caused 263 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:20,400 Speaker 1: problems in the city before? And so this, this theory, though, 264 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,480 Speaker 1: still has as missing pieces. It's got a lot of 265 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,919 Speaker 1: missing pieces, one of which is like the means of transmission. Right, 266 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,920 Speaker 1: Let's say, if this gas is a byproduct of some 267 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:33,159 Speaker 1: industrial process, like how is it how is it not 268 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: affecting everybody? And or on a much larger scale, if 269 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: it's just being pumped out into the air people are breathing. Um, 270 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:44,679 Speaker 1: why is it like being more targeted. How does this 271 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:47,679 Speaker 1: relate to the rag, you know, the piece of cloth 272 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:50,639 Speaker 1: that that doesn't really add up. It really doesn't make 273 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:53,200 Speaker 1: a whole lot of sense unless it was polluting water 274 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 1: or something that was like easily a source a vector 275 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 1: you know, for people receiving this substance into their bodies, 276 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,879 Speaker 1: you know, and large enough doses that it would actually 277 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:07,480 Speaker 1: affect people. Um. You know, we we've covered on stuff 278 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:09,600 Speaker 1: that I want you to know, bend tons of industrial 279 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: pollution situations. And usually when it really starts to affect 280 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: the population, it starts to affect like the livestock starts 281 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:18,840 Speaker 1: to affect you know, people on mass and it's usually 282 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 1: because of seeping into the groundwater, right, Yeah, it's usually 283 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 1: something that doesn't target a specific house, like lead contamination, 284 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 1: for instance, gets everybody who's exposed to the lead through 285 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: as you said, often water source. That's one of the 286 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 1: biggest holes with theory number one. It didn't explain and 287 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: this is the official explanation, but it didn't explain how 288 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:47,920 Speaker 1: so many people reported seeing the same figure they saw 289 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:51,240 Speaker 1: they saw the same individual and described it the same way, 290 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:56,880 Speaker 1: even when they were talking about different witnesses, and people 291 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 1: would say I saw someone running, even if they didn't 292 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:03,880 Speaker 1: have any idea that a gas attack quote unquote had 293 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: taken place. And this leads us to theory number two, 294 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: an actual individual, like there was an actual person somehow. 295 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,879 Speaker 1: BE very interested to hear your thoughts on this one, folks. 296 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:28,119 Speaker 1: Like we said, there are a couple of paranormal theories 297 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:32,199 Speaker 1: about this, like, hey, it's kind of a cryptod or 298 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:37,000 Speaker 1: hey it's an extraterrestrial or an extra dimensional entity of 299 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: some sort. But this goes back to a guy's work 300 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:42,639 Speaker 1: I really enjoy mentioned them in an earlier Stuff They 301 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 1: Want You to Know episode on Don Decker is a 302 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:49,520 Speaker 1: history teacher named Robert Bartholomew who was based in New 303 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:53,680 Speaker 1: Zealand for a time, and he says there's no proof 304 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:56,680 Speaker 1: that there was some gas or in Virginia. Who later 305 00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: I don't know, through a dartboard at his US map 306 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:05,160 Speaker 1: and yeah, and pick central Illinois. But there is one person, 307 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: a native of of the area named Scott Marona, who 308 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:11,919 Speaker 1: is a high school chemistry teacher and the author of 309 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: a book called The Mad Gaster of Matune. He says 310 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: not only did the mad gas really exist, but he 311 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,399 Speaker 1: thinks he knows who it was, a guy named Farley 312 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:27,399 Speaker 1: lou well Yeah. It sounds about right, sounds like an 313 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: absolute psychopath. I'm just kidding. You can't really judge a 314 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: book by its cover or a psychopath by his name. 315 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: Farley Llewellen was something of an outcast. He's the son 316 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:43,120 Speaker 1: of a grocer um and he was believed by uh 317 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: Scott Marona to have been the mad gas or. Marona 318 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:50,560 Speaker 1: wrote a book in two thousand three about the events 319 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: um where he claimed that lleu Ellen wanted revenge on 320 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:59,159 Speaker 1: Mattune as a whole because they had ostracized him for 321 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:02,960 Speaker 1: being a was certainly tracks in terms of like the 322 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: attitudes of the time in a you know, kind of 323 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 1: rural Midwestern town like that most of the town believed 324 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 1: that Farley was going insane, Marona wrote in the book, 325 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:20,639 Speaker 1: And that Matune was kind of, you know, like a 326 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 1: real gossip mill kind of town. Uh. And there was 327 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 1: a lot of insinuating that the man's sexual preference was 328 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:33,840 Speaker 1: the cause of his quote diminishing insanity. Um. Yeah, so 329 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 1: like extra extra extra, uh, you know, just reductive thinking 330 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,480 Speaker 1: and and and and highly offensive and enough. I'm sure 331 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: it wouldn't you know, make anyone feel very isolated and um, 332 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,199 Speaker 1: you know, just demonized in that way. Uh So I 333 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,679 Speaker 1: can understand the anger there, but what you do with 334 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:58,159 Speaker 1: that anger is is the thing. So Maroona actually came 335 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:02,440 Speaker 1: to the conclusion that Allen was the most likely candidate 336 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 1: because he felt that one of the descriptions of the 337 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 1: suspect in one of those many pieces that were written 338 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: about at the time matched Llewellen, and so he's he 339 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 1: thought he was the guy because Dullen was was a 340 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:22,200 Speaker 1: bit distinct. He was a tall, lanky, thin man um 341 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:28,120 Speaker 1: who matched one of these supposed eyewitness accounts um outside 342 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: of the Kearney home. In fact, Um he had graduated 343 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 1: from the University of Illinois as well with a ding 344 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 1: ding ding chemistry degree and had himself a bit of 345 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:43,840 Speaker 1: a home lab laboratory type set up. Which is nothing 346 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 1: wrong with that, but that is that could be considered 347 00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:50,640 Speaker 1: circumstantial evidence. It's like, it's the thing that on Law 348 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: and Order and matun would make you look into the 349 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 1: case a little more. But other chemists, professional chemists are 350 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 1: pretty skeptical that someone working at home even a mad 351 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:05,680 Speaker 1: genius could create a gas that would be a stable 352 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:09,440 Speaker 1: enough to make someone sick, but be also fleeting enough 353 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:15,200 Speaker 1: something that would dissipate quickly enough too not leave any traces. 354 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:19,680 Speaker 1: And this leads our guy Bartholomew to say the following 355 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,919 Speaker 1: hard line here, ma'am. Anyone who examines all of the 356 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,880 Speaker 1: evidence and still thinks there was a real mad Gasser 357 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:29,879 Speaker 1: is living in fantasy land. The evidence for mass hysteria 358 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: is overwhelming. It is a textbook case. The Mad Gasser 359 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,919 Speaker 1: outbreak was a media creation from start to finish and 360 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:42,200 Speaker 1: has nothing whatsoever to do with the paranormal. And that 361 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: brings us to our third and final theory, mass hysteria. Noel, 362 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 1: Before we get into this, I do want to, uh, 363 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:55,040 Speaker 1: I do want to point out that hysteria itself has 364 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:59,800 Speaker 1: its etymological origins in some in some stuff that I 365 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: don't think any of us listening really agree with the 366 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 1: idea that there is some kind of fundamental emotional instability 367 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:12,520 Speaker 1: in people who identify as women categorically untrue. Luckily now, 368 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 1: and you know, whenever we're saying hysteria, we're talking about 369 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: the modern definition exaggerated, uncontrolled emotional excitement among a given 370 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: group of people. Think, I think that's definitely become more 371 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: the way that it's used, but it's still you see 372 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 1: it thrown around as a as a sexist kind of term, 373 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:37,160 Speaker 1: like oh, you're hysterical, things like that. Um, but yeah, 374 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:39,399 Speaker 1: not cool, and that is not what we're talking about 375 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:42,640 Speaker 1: at all. There's no gender involved in this, one way 376 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:46,520 Speaker 1: or the other. So the local commissioner of Public Health, 377 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: Thomas the Right, he was pretty solid on this particular 378 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:57,199 Speaker 1: concept um. He believed that mass hysteria was to blame 379 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:01,000 Speaker 1: for these outbreaks. He said the following, There's no doubt 380 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,840 Speaker 1: that a mass maniac exists and has made a number 381 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 1: of attacks, but many of the reported attacks are nothing 382 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 1: more than hysteria for the gas man is entirely out 383 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:13,399 Speaker 1: of proportion to the menace of the relatively harmless gas. 384 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:16,520 Speaker 1: He is spraying the whole town is sick with hystarry. Okay, 385 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 1: that's interesting. So he's saying there's a person a person, 386 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 1: but that the attacks are much more innocuous than than 387 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: has been reported or that people have made it out 388 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 1: to be. Was that was that your takeaway? There been? 389 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: So yeah, he's saying there might be some kind of 390 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,560 Speaker 1: dude running around. There might be a rando weirdo, but 391 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: the he's saying that they're not causing your as much 392 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 1: damage as they are, you know, portrayed to be causing 393 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,439 Speaker 1: or perceived to be causing. And then we have to 394 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: talk about the timing. The public concern about this story 395 00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:00,360 Speaker 1: lasted a little less than two weeks until or Labor 396 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:06,320 Speaker 1: Day nine. The reason it was not completely forgotten we 397 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 1: owe that primarily to a guy named Donald Johnson. He 398 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:15,120 Speaker 1: was a University of Illinois psychology student who a few 399 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:21,199 Speaker 1: weeks after the incident visited Matune himself. In n he 400 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 1: published a study of this case and in outfit called 401 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:30,080 Speaker 1: the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, And you can 402 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: read citations of his research in tons of textbooks as 403 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 1: a classic study of mass hysteria, which will go into 404 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 1: a book recommendation I have at the very end of 405 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:44,439 Speaker 1: today's episode. So Johnson goes on to become a professor, right, 406 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:49,399 Speaker 1: and he says, the case of this mad gasser was psychogenic. 407 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:53,760 Speaker 1: It began, he said, with one person's imagination. MS. Kearney 408 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 1: in particular, he said, an exciting, uncritical story appeared in 409 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 1: the evening paper as the news spread, other people reported 410 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: similar symptoms, more exciting stories, like even more exciting stories 411 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: were written, and so the affair snowballed. He's not the 412 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 1: one who said, like more exciting stories that was That 413 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 1: was me. So according to this our real culprit here, 414 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: if you believe Professor Johnson is the newspaper of the day, 415 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,040 Speaker 1: they had the power to influence not just public opinion, 416 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:27,920 Speaker 1: but public health. He thinks that without the press coverage here, 417 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 1: the epidemic of hysteria, as he describes it would not 418 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: have broken out. And this comes to us from the 419 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: Washington Post because the only other medium of mass communication 420 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 1: for local news was word of mouth at this time. 421 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: A word of mouth was too slow to create a 422 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:50,160 Speaker 1: mass outbreak, and it was also considered less reliable than 423 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:52,239 Speaker 1: the paper. But that's why we have the phrase the 424 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:56,000 Speaker 1: paper of note. If the press prints it, it becomes 425 00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:01,639 Speaker 1: in a way true. So Johnson, who allied up almost 426 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:05,160 Speaker 1: thirty police reports, uh, and that you know, the newspapers 427 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:08,800 Speaker 1: noted about thirty three people coming forward. He notes that 428 00:28:09,119 --> 00:28:13,399 Speaker 1: all these police reports got reported in the media pretty 429 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 1: much one time, like one day after the next. So 430 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:26,840 Speaker 1: this kind of added some high octane fuel here. So 431 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:31,040 Speaker 1: now we have perhaps in the crowd today some our 432 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:35,960 Speaker 1: fellow ridiculous historians are saying, Hey, you jerks, I'm from 433 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 1: a tune. We're not a bunch of crazy people who 434 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: are scared of gas coming through our windows. You guys 435 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:48,240 Speaker 1: are being unfair. Well, there are extenuating circumstances that we 436 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: feel should be considered. We're gonna go to belt mag 437 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:55,080 Speaker 1: dot com for help with some of these, right, So 438 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:56,800 Speaker 1: there's a lot of Yeah, there's a lot to unpack here. 439 00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,400 Speaker 1: Man and I made the bad dumb dad joke about lighting, 440 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,080 Speaker 1: but that really is a lot of what's coming on here. 441 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: I think, Ben, you and I have discussed this in 442 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:07,680 Speaker 1: the past. But where the origin of the term gas 443 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:13,680 Speaker 1: lighting comes from. It being a psychological form of manipulating 444 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,360 Speaker 1: people into thinking that they're the ones that are insane 445 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: um And it comes from a play Uh where a 446 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:26,760 Speaker 1: character named Jack Manningham um manipulates his wife Bella into 447 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,800 Speaker 1: believing that she is the one that's like losing it. Um. 448 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: So it's it's a term that gets thrown around a 449 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:34,000 Speaker 1: lot today. And ironically this story has to do with 450 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: gas but not connected. But it very much is a 451 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: thing that's happening here because it happens at night. Also true, 452 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 1: but it very much is a thing that is happening 453 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:48,960 Speaker 1: because you have these folks that are like convinced they've 454 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 1: been attacked or they've been victimized in some way, and 455 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:54,560 Speaker 1: then you have authorities kind of saying, nope, nope, nope, nope, no, 456 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: you're you made it all up. It's your delusional. This 457 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:01,400 Speaker 1: became such a part of this trope that it actually 458 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,719 Speaker 1: made an appearance in the novel The Invasion of the 459 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 1: Body Snatchers, where a character is described or a legend 460 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,560 Speaker 1: within the lore of the book them Tune maniac Um. 461 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:15,719 Speaker 1: He makes an appearance in this this book The Invasion 462 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 1: of the Body Standards, which of course went on to 463 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:22,080 Speaker 1: be made into several films. Um and one character describes 464 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:26,240 Speaker 1: this legend uh and convinces the heroes of the story 465 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:29,800 Speaker 1: that they have become delusional. So because you know, sure 466 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: there were some reports of this being real, but that 467 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:37,880 Speaker 1: it was almost surely completely false. Um. So yeah, it's 468 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:40,720 Speaker 1: like it's easy to get caught up in that, and 469 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:42,520 Speaker 1: and then you start to feel crazy and it can 470 00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:46,320 Speaker 1: almost like escalate your fears because gas lighting is not 471 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 1: meant to calm people down or make them feel like, oh, 472 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:52,760 Speaker 1: you're right, I was just blowing things out of proportion. 473 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:55,080 Speaker 1: The idea is to take something they know to be 474 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,760 Speaker 1: true in their heart of hearts, or at least fully 475 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: believe it, and then convincing them that they are having 476 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:05,640 Speaker 1: some sort of you know, uh, hallucination or mental breakdown. 477 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:08,960 Speaker 1: Like my favorite example of that in an argument someone 478 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 1: says you're gaslighting me, and they say, I'm not what 479 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 1: what is gas lighting? That's just the thing you made 480 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:17,720 Speaker 1: up just now, you're crazy. That's that's like the best 481 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:21,720 Speaker 1: dumbest explanation of gas lighting. But also these fears, again, 482 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:24,720 Speaker 1: they're coming from a very reasonable place. If you look 483 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:29,320 Speaker 1: at the context of the world at this time September, 484 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:34,360 Speaker 1: Are you kidding me? World War two is you know, 485 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:38,960 Speaker 1: we know now in that World War two is winding down. 486 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 1: But people in the US are wondering if those rumors 487 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:47,760 Speaker 1: about some sort of quote unquote hail Mary secret weapon 488 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: are actually true. You know what I mean? There were 489 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:54,640 Speaker 1: reports that were domestic papers of the time that would say, 490 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 1: you know, Nazi Germany has these mystery weapons. They're gonna 491 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,440 Speaker 1: turn the tide of the war. They may deploy like 492 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:10,600 Speaker 1: massively dangerous biological weapons, biological agents. And this is a 493 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:13,480 Speaker 1: town where a lot of young men, Like this is 494 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:16,600 Speaker 1: a rural Midwestern town, so a lot of young men 495 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:20,120 Speaker 1: have been sent directly to the front lines. And that 496 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:22,680 Speaker 1: means news of the war is everywhere. It's in the 497 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 1: front of people's minds. And you think about the fear 498 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,280 Speaker 1: of poison gas. Of course people would have known about 499 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 1: some sort of poison gas. You killed a ton of 500 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:36,960 Speaker 1: people in World War One, and international efforts in the 501 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: interwar years between World War One and World War Two, 502 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:42,760 Speaker 1: there were a lot of efforts to ban chemical weapons 503 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:47,080 Speaker 1: and they all failed totally. Yeah, you would have if 504 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:49,960 Speaker 1: you lived there during this time, you would have known. 505 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:52,880 Speaker 1: You would have possibly personally known someone who came home 506 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:55,400 Speaker 1: from World War One with all kinds of injuries and 507 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 1: burns from chemical warfare right then. And I feel like 508 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:01,040 Speaker 1: a dumb dumb from my questioning of this at the 509 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:03,080 Speaker 1: top of the show. I was speaking more in terms 510 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:05,720 Speaker 1: of nerve agents and like, you know, saren gas, which 511 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:08,440 Speaker 1: wouldn't have been discovered until a time where maybe that 512 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:12,080 Speaker 1: particular one wasn't as known by you know, people in 513 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:14,720 Speaker 1: in these small world towns. But mustard gas and the 514 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: effects of its use in World War two would have 515 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: absolutely been known. And these, um, these discussions about banning 516 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:23,880 Speaker 1: chemical warfare. So I was talking about a little bit 517 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:27,760 Speaker 1: of a different thing. But you know, mustard gas that 518 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:31,040 Speaker 1: just kills you dead, right, I mean that doesn't like 519 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:33,480 Speaker 1: paralyze you, or what's supposed to deal with like nerve 520 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 1: gas versus mustard gas. They're they all just kind of 521 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:38,320 Speaker 1: are meant to to kill you, right. Well, mustard gas. 522 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 1: The weird thing is it's tech it's a chemical warfare agent, 523 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:45,000 Speaker 1: but it's not technically a gas. Uh. It can form 524 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 1: these large blisters on your skin and on your lungs. 525 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:53,320 Speaker 1: So it's an uncool way to go. But in the 526 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:56,600 Speaker 1: minds of like to the point about nerve agents versus 527 00:33:56,640 --> 00:34:00,720 Speaker 1: you know, incapacitating agents versus like mustard assis, et cetera, 528 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:05,440 Speaker 1: to the mind of the average person living in the 529 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,560 Speaker 1: in these towns and across the country at this time, 530 00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:13,160 Speaker 1: these are all kind of the same amorphous, terrifying thing. 531 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:17,080 Speaker 1: It's a really good point, just the specter of the 532 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:20,279 Speaker 1: idea of chemical attack, you know what I mean. Uh, 533 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:22,080 Speaker 1: And and and this just a really good point. Then 534 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,560 Speaker 1: the idea of their being this kind of hail Mary 535 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:29,120 Speaker 1: after the closing bell kind of attack. Um, that actually 536 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 1: absolutely would have been something that would have been on 537 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:32,560 Speaker 1: people's minds in the same way that during the Cold 538 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:35,479 Speaker 1: War people would have been, you know, duck and cover 539 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,840 Speaker 1: and all that, and terrified of potential nuclear holocaust that 540 00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,400 Speaker 1: could have just come at the drop of a bomb. 541 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:46,600 Speaker 1: And people were waiting for that terrible shoe to fall, 542 00:34:46,640 --> 00:34:52,000 Speaker 1: because folks are still worried about a physical invasion of 543 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,319 Speaker 1: the United States, even if you're in what would be 544 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:59,399 Speaker 1: considered the heartland. And also people noticed that no one 545 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,480 Speaker 1: had used is in gas yet in World War Two. 546 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 1: It was produced during that time, and plans were drawn 547 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:08,799 Speaker 1: up to use it, but it hadn't been deployed by 548 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,320 Speaker 1: either side. And if you want to see how fearful 549 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:14,920 Speaker 1: this is, you can just read, not the headlines, not 550 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 1: the features of the journal gazette at this time, look 551 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:21,719 Speaker 1: at the ads. On August twenty, a few days before 552 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,799 Speaker 1: all this stuff starts going down, and the paper ran 553 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:29,239 Speaker 1: this ad promoting what we're called invasion bonds. And if 554 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:32,239 Speaker 1: you look at if you look at the copy, what 555 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:34,520 Speaker 1: you see is there's a picture of the grim Reaper, 556 00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:37,480 Speaker 1: and he's got his hands wrapped around a broadsword instead 557 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:40,200 Speaker 1: of a scythe, which is interesting choice, I guess, and 558 00:35:40,239 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: it says, and then another voice going like by your 559 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,840 Speaker 1: invasion wall bonds today, So like people are being sold 560 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:54,359 Speaker 1: stuff through fear, they're being primed to move in the 561 00:35:54,440 --> 00:36:01,279 Speaker 1: context of that emotion. So of course you're going to 562 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:05,080 Speaker 1: be nervous in general, like their baseline anxiety. Can you 563 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:07,879 Speaker 1: imagine how high it must have been. You already might 564 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:12,360 Speaker 1: already have a relative right and who's across the sea, 565 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:15,279 Speaker 1: and you don't know what's going to happen to them. 566 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:19,320 Speaker 1: So there was this heightened awareness and people were already 567 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:23,640 Speaker 1: on their guard. Miscarney in particular was probably also very 568 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:27,240 Speaker 1: well aware of the reports of this escaped German prisoner. 569 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:31,880 Speaker 1: People were expecting for something terrible to happen, right, They 570 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,759 Speaker 1: were so ready for it in their heads, and they 571 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:37,879 Speaker 1: were anticipating it so much that in a way, there's 572 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:44,040 Speaker 1: this argument that they just started believing it was already happening. Yeah, Unsent, 573 00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:48,200 Speaker 1: it makes sense. And I would be pretty terrified too, Ben, 574 00:36:48,239 --> 00:36:49,600 Speaker 1: I don't know about you, how do you think you 575 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:53,319 Speaker 1: would feel living in this climate? Well, in a way, 576 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:56,400 Speaker 1: and this is something I think a lot of our 577 00:36:56,520 --> 00:36:59,879 Speaker 1: our listeners were thinking about as well during this two 578 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:04,120 Speaker 1: part episode. In a way, we did live through something 579 00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:07,719 Speaker 1: like this, did we not? Because we were relatively young 580 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:12,360 Speaker 1: when the events of September eleventh occurred, and and we 581 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:17,360 Speaker 1: can have people around the country, especially in larger cities 582 00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:23,960 Speaker 1: or metro areas, had a very real fear that their structures, 583 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:28,120 Speaker 1: or people or their entire city would also be targeted. 584 00:37:28,239 --> 00:37:32,000 Speaker 1: And I think a lot of this happens because you 585 00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:36,279 Speaker 1: don't know when you're in the middle of history. You 586 00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:39,279 Speaker 1: don't have the benefit of the textbook, you know what 587 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:42,280 Speaker 1: I mean. Can't You can't like skip the chapter seven 588 00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 1: nine six and go okay, okay, I'll be fine. No, 589 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:53,600 Speaker 1: you can't. Hindsight is in fact, and another another comparison 590 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 1: I think might be to living through what we've lived 591 00:37:56,040 --> 00:38:01,239 Speaker 1: through with COVID nineteen and and not knowing, um, when 592 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:03,400 Speaker 1: the other shoe was going to drop or you know, 593 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:06,640 Speaker 1: whether this was some sort of attack or whether this 594 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:10,239 Speaker 1: was some sort of like unprecedented plague that was going 595 00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:12,560 Speaker 1: to kill us all uh, and just I think you know, 596 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:15,960 Speaker 1: the kind of wait and see kind of um approach 597 00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:19,719 Speaker 1: can really lead to some wild speculation, especially when you're 598 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:21,479 Speaker 1: you know, hold up in your house and have something 599 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:25,240 Speaker 1: to do. But like doom scroll on the internet. True, Yeah, 600 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:28,200 Speaker 1: we have to wonder how again, how the uh, the 601 00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:32,160 Speaker 1: internet would have affected this situation of the mad gas 602 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:37,880 Speaker 1: or so. The Washington Post has another theory about what 603 00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:44,200 Speaker 1: specifically triggered the attack. Here, mattun returned to its normal 604 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:50,239 Speaker 1: um it's relative obscurity, and people still talk about the 605 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:53,839 Speaker 1: mad gas or incidents today, you know, the same way 606 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:56,680 Speaker 1: every like so many towns have kind of a local 607 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:00,000 Speaker 1: legend or a crazy event, uh and the mad gas 608 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:06,680 Speaker 1: her is the the event of Mattoon. But some folks 609 00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:09,640 Speaker 1: at the Post did a little bit of detective work, 610 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:14,799 Speaker 1: and they said, even though Mrs Kearney never really went 611 00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:18,319 Speaker 1: on record talking about what sparked her initial report of 612 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 1: the sweet smelling gas, the Post speculates this all speculation 613 00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:26,600 Speaker 1: that because she was an avid reader and spent her 614 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 1: evenings reading that on the night of the attack, they 615 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:33,399 Speaker 1: conclude that she was reading one popular book of the era, 616 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:37,000 Speaker 1: My Life in Hard Times by James Thurber. It's pretty 617 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,479 Speaker 1: good book. In that book, she would have met one 618 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:45,320 Speaker 1: of Thurber's more infamous characters. Sarah Chouff Uh. Sarah Choff 619 00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:47,960 Speaker 1: is a woman who quote never went to bed at 620 00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:50,239 Speaker 1: night without the fear that a burglar was going to 621 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:53,120 Speaker 1: get in and blow chloroform under her door through a 622 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:56,520 Speaker 1: tube to avert this calamity, for she was in greater 623 00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:59,680 Speaker 1: dread of anesthetics than of losing her household goods. Shows 624 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:02,600 Speaker 1: piled or money, silverware, and other valuables in a neat 625 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:05,879 Speaker 1: stack just outside our bedroom, with a note reading this 626 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,440 Speaker 1: is all I have. Please take it and do not 627 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:12,759 Speaker 1: use your chloroform, as this is all I have. That's 628 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:16,560 Speaker 1: pretty on the nose, right, Yeah, now that's that's wild. 629 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:20,320 Speaker 1: Is there a name for this affliction, Ben, we should 630 00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:25,120 Speaker 1: coin one. If not, it's very specific, like chlorophire. Well 631 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:28,680 Speaker 1: that's good, that's good. Uh. Well it's not our it's 632 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:31,839 Speaker 1: not our best work. Maybe, but this this has been 633 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:35,960 Speaker 1: a wild ride. And as we draw to the conclusion 634 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:40,120 Speaker 1: of our two part episode, I did one recommend one book, 635 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:42,759 Speaker 1: and I know it's one that you and I are 636 00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:47,080 Speaker 1: both fans of. Your knowal it is Outbreak with an 637 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:51,520 Speaker 1: exclamation mark. Let me say that again. Outbreak. The Encyclopedia 638 00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:55,680 Speaker 1: of extraordinary social behavior. This is a reference work with 639 00:40:55,800 --> 00:41:00,480 Speaker 1: tons and tons and tons of real life examples outbreaks 640 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:04,080 Speaker 1: of hysteria throughout human civilization. It's well worth the read. 641 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:09,520 Speaker 1: Uh it's uh, it's weird, but do check it out. 642 00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:11,680 Speaker 1: And if you are familiar with this book, please let 643 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:17,120 Speaker 1: us know which historical examples of hysteria outbreaks most fascinate you. 644 00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:20,400 Speaker 1: And why was that the dancing plate Noel mentioned earlier? 645 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:24,880 Speaker 1: So the more modern screaming Girls of Malaysia Salem which trials. 646 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:28,080 Speaker 1: Perhaps there are tons of choices out there and they're 647 00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:30,840 Speaker 1: probably I'm sure there's several knowl that you and I 648 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:33,840 Speaker 1: have yet to hear of. Indeed, Uh, And I do 649 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 1: want to point out to as a couple of fun 650 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:39,760 Speaker 1: little bits of trivia here. Do you remember the the toys? 651 00:41:40,239 --> 00:41:42,600 Speaker 1: I think it was probably from when we were kids 652 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:45,400 Speaker 1: where they kept going on for a while. Uh. Monster 653 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:49,160 Speaker 1: in my pocket. Yeah, they're they're like muscle men but 654 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,880 Speaker 1: painted right. Yeah, they're like weird little painted like army 655 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:57,800 Speaker 1: muscle wrestler guys, but you know, creepy spooky monsters. So 656 00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:02,200 Speaker 1: one of them from series full or uh and they 657 00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:03,719 Speaker 1: came out in two thousand six that would have been 658 00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:05,239 Speaker 1: a little later. I swear I remember this from when 659 00:42:05,239 --> 00:42:07,160 Speaker 1: I was a little kid, though, so it must be 660 00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:09,200 Speaker 1: the kind of thing where that Yeah, so series one 661 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:15,799 Speaker 1: would have begun in ninety surely, yes, that tracks I 662 00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:18,120 Speaker 1: definitely remember this. Um. I don't know that I had 663 00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:22,200 Speaker 1: any but popular line of toys, because it continued well 664 00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:24,880 Speaker 1: into the two thousand's and one of the two thousand 665 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:29,719 Speaker 1: six editions had a little creature by the name of 666 00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:35,120 Speaker 1: the Mad Gaster of Mattun, who is a green, multi 667 00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:38,720 Speaker 1: armed monster appears to have snakes coming off his body 668 00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:43,960 Speaker 1: as well wearing some very odd brown kind of boot 669 00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:47,520 Speaker 1: looking things, and and and uh on a creepy gas mask. 670 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:51,560 Speaker 1: Um so, yeah, apparently, let's see, there was a line 671 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:53,400 Speaker 1: associated with all of these things that must have come 672 00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:56,879 Speaker 1: with a trading card or something, and his in particular, 673 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:02,560 Speaker 1: says the mysterious Many Act. The Mad Gasser haunts the night, 674 00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:07,120 Speaker 1: releasing a strong, nauseating and paralyzing gas into the homes 675 00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:09,920 Speaker 1: of his innocent victims as they sleep. He's never been 676 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:13,320 Speaker 1: identified or clearly seen. The only proof he exists is 677 00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:17,600 Speaker 1: a trail of blue vapor and poisonous fumes. Don't inhale 678 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:21,400 Speaker 1: and you know what, Also, I'm glad we're bringing up 679 00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:23,879 Speaker 1: this fact at the end. Also we should shout out 680 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:27,800 Speaker 1: not just not just monster my pocket musclemn but Matun 681 00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:30,720 Speaker 1: doesn't need to have its identity reduced to the place 682 00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:34,840 Speaker 1: where the mad Gasser was working. It is also, according 683 00:43:34,840 --> 00:43:38,520 Speaker 1: to the residents of Matune, the bagel capital of the world. 684 00:43:38,680 --> 00:43:40,799 Speaker 1: So we're ending on a more positive note as we 685 00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:44,480 Speaker 1: get into lunchtime hours here self proclaimed bagel capital of 686 00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:48,479 Speaker 1: the world. I don't know that there's any official designation there, 687 00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:50,400 Speaker 1: and I'm sure there are. Bagels are great, but you know, 688 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:53,400 Speaker 1: it's kind of like world's best cup of coffee, you know, 689 00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:57,000 Speaker 1: at a diner, which I love those claims. Like if 690 00:43:57,000 --> 00:43:59,360 Speaker 1: I'm on a road trip and I see something, especially 691 00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:02,399 Speaker 1: even as we at least specific, if it's like I'm 692 00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:05,520 Speaker 1: driving somewhere I see world's fourth largest frying pan, then 693 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:07,480 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go I'm gonna go in there, and I'm 694 00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:10,040 Speaker 1: not gonna you know, I'm not gonna compare it in 695 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:12,920 Speaker 1: a bad way to the third largest frying pan. I 696 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,200 Speaker 1: love roadside attractions. What about giant at aarondeck chairs? How 697 00:44:16,239 --> 00:44:18,680 Speaker 1: do you feel about those? I'm I'm on board with him. 698 00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:21,120 Speaker 1: It makes me feel very much like Tom Petty and 699 00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:23,440 Speaker 1: that one video you know where he's like doing a 700 00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:27,680 Speaker 1: mad Hatter Alice in Wonderland thing. Do you remember that one? 701 00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:30,759 Speaker 1: Are you kidding? Don't come around here no more? The 702 00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:33,640 Speaker 1: cake at the end of the eater. It's terrifying, really 703 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:37,640 Speaker 1: creepy video. He's got a big chair, That's what I remember. Yeah, 704 00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:39,880 Speaker 1: I love those. But yeah, if you want to go 705 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:43,319 Speaker 1: to Mattuns Bagel Fest third week of July, you can 706 00:44:43,440 --> 00:44:46,640 Speaker 1: learn more about it. Just put it into your search 707 00:44:46,680 --> 00:44:50,240 Speaker 1: engine of choice. It has the world's largest bagel breakfast 708 00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:53,600 Speaker 1: with the consumption of more than sixty thousand bagels, and 709 00:44:53,680 --> 00:44:57,920 Speaker 1: to date at bagel Fest, no reports of mad gassing. 710 00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:02,200 Speaker 1: Thank thank god. I don't know if they want that 711 00:45:02,239 --> 00:45:05,439 Speaker 1: in the headline, but there you have it. Uh. Thank 712 00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:08,120 Speaker 1: you so much to our super producer Casey Pegram, our 713 00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:13,560 Speaker 1: guest producer Andrew Howard. Thanks to research or extraordinaire Gabe Louisier, 714 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:17,120 Speaker 1: Jonathan strick on the Quister, Christopher Hacids here in Spirit, 715 00:45:17,320 --> 00:45:20,439 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, who composed our theme, and You've been, You've been. 716 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:23,440 Speaker 1: It was always you. I knew it was you, and 717 00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:26,680 Speaker 1: I'm glad it was you. What a gas, but a gas. 718 00:45:28,080 --> 00:45:52,880 Speaker 1: We'll see next time, folks. For more podcasts for My 719 00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:55,520 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, 720 00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:57,800 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.