Several ghost and goblin stories abound in Botetourt, but one scary story written by William B. Van Huss is a true unsolved mystery. It is “The Mad Gasser of Botetourt County: Reconsidering the Facts,” published in 2017. The cover of the book shows the snowy conditions and the possible criminal in a gas mask.
Historically the event happened in the winter of 1933-34. There were homes in rural Botetourt that were filled at night with an invisible noxious gas. The residents awoke feeling ill, but there were no footprints in the snow. Mass hysteria spread as people feared for their lives. The local law enforcement was put on the case, but the suspect was never apprehended. A decade later in Mattoon, Ill., a second series of gas attacks took place and the crime was never solved.
Those who would like to read about the mysterious crimes of the “Mad Gasser” can check the book out through the Botetourt County libraries.
~ Botetourt County Museum of History & Culture
