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On the night of August 31, 1944

A wave of terror fell on the city of Mattoon

People started to feel sick and weak

Always after a strange smell of gas

Prowler in the night

Blue vapor emanating from the houses

A motorized buzzing sound was heard

People thought it was a case

Of domestic gas poisoning

Unable to leave their beds partially paralyzed

Burning sensations on their lips and throats

Tall man dressed in black

Wearing a tight-fitting cap

And carrying a filt gun

Mass hysteria of symptomatic diseases

Fear of the gas man

Paranoid neighborhood

The smell of fear is real

A shadow was seen

Is it a product of people's imagination?

Mass hysteria of symptomatic diseases

Fear of the gas man

Paranoid neighborhood

The smell of fear is real