Chicago Tribune, Sept 7

MATTOON FIEND FELLS TWO MORE WITH POISON GAS
13 Persons Are Victims of Night Prowler

Mattoon, Ill. Sept. 7 [Special] -- Four more victims were added today to the lengthening list of persons made violently ill and temporarily paralyzed by Mattoon's fiendish night prowler, who has been terrorizing this community of 15,800 persons by spraying a "poison gas" thru open bedroom windows this week.
The four, three of them women, brought to 13 the number of victims of the prowler, who last night extended his operations to the northeast and southwest sections of the city for the first time.
The strange attacks, none of the which has ended in robbery or physical violence, provoked intensified vigils by city police augmented by volunteers and brought to Mattoon Richard T. Piper and Francis Berry Springfield, of the crime bureau of the state department of public safety.

Strangest Case

"This is one of the strangest cases I have ever encountered in many years of police work," said Piper, who will take back with him to Springfield for analysis a fumes saturated damp cloth found Tuesday night on the porch of Mrs. Carl Cordes, 45. Mrs. Cordes was temporarily hospitalized with facial burns after she sniffed the cloth. In addition to the saturated cloth as a clew, police had meager descriptions of the prowler from one of the victims and from a witness to his flight. Mrs. Bert Kearney, his first victim last Saturday, reported him as a "tall, thin man dressed in black and wearing a black skull cap." Robert Daniels, a neighbor of one of last night's victims, reported seeing a "tall man" running from his neighbor's home. The only other possible clews were a skeleton key and an empty lip stick tube found on the porch of one of his Tuesday night's victims.

Victims Interviewed

Piper today was interviewing several victims, including the four added to the police list today. They are Mrs. Ardell Spangler, a shoe factory worker, Mrs. Laura Junken, restaurant operator, and Fred Goble, foundry worker, who experienced the attacks last night, and Mrs. Leonard Burrell, who was gassed by the prowler Tuesday but whose attack was not disclosed by police until today. Mrs. Spangler and Mrs. Junken told police they were made ill and partly paralyzed in the legs and arms for a time by the fumes, which Mrs. Junken said resembled "cheap perfume."

Appears Near Midnight

Mrs. Spangler said the prowler apparently appeared at her home at 10 p.m. and Mrs. Junken, who lives about 10 blocks away, reported her experiences occurred shortly after midnight. Neither woman reported seeing the prowler. Goble, who lives on the southwest side of the city about two miles from Mrs. Spangler and Mrs. Junken, said he was awakened by the "sweet, sickening" fumes about 1 a.m. He reported he suffered severe nausea but that his wife, who was sleeping farther from the open window, suffered no ill effects. It was Goble's neighbor, Daniels, who reported seeing "a tall man" run from between the two houses about the time of the attack.
Mrs. Burrell, Tuesday night's victim, said she was awakened about 11:15 by "coughing and strangling" induced by the gas. She said her son, Dennis Lee, 18 months old, who was sleeping in the bedroom with her, suffered no ill effects. Mrs. Burrell, however, still had a sore chest.
All but two of the reported victims of the gas attacks have been women and all report suffering nausea and temporary partial paralysis. The prowler so far apparently has been intent only upon gassing his victims because no robberies or physical attacks have been reported. -- Friday, September 8, page 6