In the sweltering summer of 1944, residents of a small Illinois town awoke to a strange sweet smell—and paralyzed limbs. As more victims reported choking fumes and prowlers, fear swept through Mattoon. Was it mass hysteria, a chemical attack, or something stranger? This is the story of the Mad Gasser: a faceless phantom who stalked a town at night, left no trace, and vanished into legend—leaving only questions in his wake.

SURVEY

Obscurata Discussed FACEBOOK GROUP

The BOOK

BY US A COFFEE

Subscribe to our PATREON

EMAIL us your stories

Join us on INSTAGRAM

Join us on TWITTER

Join us on FACEBOOK

Visit our WEBSITE

Source Information:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/10/30/mad-gasser-mattoon-illinois-mystery/

https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/madgasser

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Gasser_of_Mattoon

https://atlasobscura.com/articles/column-mad-gasser-of-mattoon

https://www.damninteresting.com/the-mad-gasser-of-mattoon/

https://www.library.illinois.edu/hpnl/blog/the-mad-gasser-of-mattoon/

https://shortform.com/podcast/episode/stuff-you-should-know-2024-11-28-episode-summary-live-minneapolis-the-madd-gasser-of-mattoon

Thanks so much for listening, and I'll catch up with you again on Thursday.

Sarah xx

SURVEY https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/mDi5IVFf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In post-communist Romania, witchcraft didn’t vanish—it went viral. From riverbank hexes on corrupt politicians to livestreamed love spells for clients in Dubai, Romania’s witches have become spiritual entrepreneurs, political provocateurs, and global influencers. But beneath the incense and smartphone screens lies a deeper story: one rooted in ancient folk magic, persecution, power, and survival. This is the tale of the modern vrajitoare—the witches who now issue receipts and wield curses.

SURVEY

Obscurata Discussed FACEBOOK GROUP

The BOOK

BY US A COFFEE

Subscribe to our PATREON

EMAIL us your stories

Join us on INSTAGRAM

Join us on TWITTER

Join us on FACEBOOK

Visit our WEBSITE

Source Information:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/06/romanian-witches-cast-antigovernment-spell

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/08/romanian-witches-government-clampdown

http://www.reuters.com/article/technology/romanias-witches-harness-the-powers-of-the-web-idUSKCN1S73GB

http://religiondispatches.org/romanias-witch-tax-magic-meets-bureaucracy/

http://theweek.com/articles/527029/no-witchcraft-tv

http://www.vice.com/en/article/what-happened-when-romanias-most-powerful-witch-moved-to-la/

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/nov/24/tv-tonight-inside-romanias-first-school-for-witches

Thanks so much for listening, and I'll catch up with you again on Thursday.

Sarah xx

SURVEY https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/mDi5IVFf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the windswept dunes of South Carolina’s Pawleys Island, a spectral figure has appeared for over a century – a man in gray who walks the shore just before deadly hurricanes strike. Locals swear by his warnings. Homes spared by the storm. Lives saved. But who is he? In this episode of Obscurata, we wade through witness reports, folklore, and chilling coincidences to uncover the legend of the Gray Man. Was he a grief-stricken lover? A Civil War spirit? Or something older – a guardian bound to the coastline by a pact forgotten in time? What we do know is this: when the Gray Man appears, the storm is coming.

SURVEY

Obscurata Discussed FACEBOOK GROUP

The BOOK

BY US A COFFEE

Subscribe to our PATREON

EMAIL us your stories

Join us on INSTAGRAM

Join us on TWITTER

Join us on FACEBOOK

Visit our WEBSITE

Source Information:

https://www.southernliving.com/travel/south-carolina/gray-man-ghost-story

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/weather/hurricane/article279064874.html

https://www.thoughtco.com/gray-man-ghost-saves-lives-2594526

https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article218493220.html

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/south-carolina/gray-man-sc/

https://www.grunge.com/123828/the-legend-of-the-gray-man-ghost-of-pawleys-island/

Thanks so much for listening, and I'll catch up with you again next Thursday.

Sarah xx

SURVEY https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/mDi5IVFf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the quiet town of Villisca, Iowa, 1912, eight people—two adults and six children—were bludgeoned to death in their sleep with an axe. Over a century later, the crime remains unsolved. Who murdered the Moore family and the visiting Stillinger sisters that night? Was it a jealous businessman? A deranged travelling preacher? Or a serial killer moving from town to town by train?

SURVEY

Obscurata Discussed FACEBOOK GROUP

The BOOK

BY US A COFFEE

Subscribe to our PATREON

EMAIL us your stories

Join us on INSTAGRAM

Join us on TWITTER

Join us on FACEBOOK

Visit our WEBSITE

Source Information:

https://www.villiscaiowa.com/murder-house.php

https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/villisca/murder.html

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2015/06/10/villisca-axe-murder-anniversary/28791541/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-chilling-look-back-at-the-villisca-axe-murders-117037374/

https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/villisca-axe-murders/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58946/unsolved-case-villisca-axe-murders

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/iowa/villisca-axe-murder-house-ia/

https://www.kcci.com/article/ghost-adventures-villisca-axe-murder-house-investigation/43942031

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/ghosts-villisca-axe-murder-house

https://www.history.com/news/villisca-axe-murders-mystery

https://the-line-up.com/villisca-axe-murders

https://www.npr.org/2017/09/24/552195468/the-man-from-the-train-investigates-americas-axe-murderer

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34137794-the-man-from-the-train

https://www.hauntedrooms.com/iowa/villisca-axe-murder-house

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2014/11/07/paranormal-investigator-stabs-himself-villisca-axe-murder-house/18658241/

https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/villisca-axe-murder-house

Thanks so much for listening, and I'll catch up with you again next Thursday.

Sarah & Rog xx

SURVEY https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/mDi5IVFf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the quiet town of Villisca, Iowa, 1912, eight people—two adults and six children—were bludgeoned to death in their sleep with an axe. Over a century later, the crime remains unsolved. Who murdered the Moore family and the visiting Stillinger sisters that night? Was it a jealous businessman? A deranged travelling preacher? Or a serial killer moving from town to town by train?

SURVEY

Obscurata Discussed FACEBOOK GROUP

The BOOK

BY US A COFFEE

Subscribe to our PATREON

EMAIL us your stories

Join us on INSTAGRAM

Join us on TWITTER

Join us on FACEBOOK

Visit our WEBSITE

Source Information:

https://www.villiscaiowa.com/murder-house.php

https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/villisca/murder.html

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2015/06/10/villisca-axe-murder-anniversary/28791541/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-chilling-look-back-at-the-villisca-axe-murders-117037374/

https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/villisca-axe-murders/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58946/unsolved-case-villisca-axe-murders

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/iowa/villisca-axe-murder-house-ia/

https://www.kcci.com/article/ghost-adventures-villisca-axe-murder-house-investigation/43942031

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/ghosts-villisca-axe-murder-house

https://www.history.com/news/villisca-axe-murders-mystery

https://the-line-up.com/villisca-axe-murders

https://www.npr.org/2017/09/24/552195468/the-man-from-the-train-investigates-americas-axe-murderer

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34137794-the-man-from-the-train

https://www.hauntedrooms.com/iowa/villisca-axe-murder-house

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2014/11/07/paranormal-investigator-stabs-himself-villisca-axe-murder-house/18658241/

https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/villisca-axe-murder-house

Thanks so much for listening, and I'll catch up with you again next Thursday.

Sarah & Rog xx

SURVEY https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/mDi5IVFf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.