One hundred years ago this week the East Coast of the United States would finally come to grips with an unseen terror. While thousands were dying on the Somme Battlefield in France, and hundreds from a heat wave and polio in the cities, it was the murky waters of Matawan Creek that would strike fear into the hearts of many. Two men had died in similar attacks at Beach Haven and Spring Lake during the first days of July, but there was still some confusion as to the culprit.

On July 8, 1916, Barrett Smith wrote to The New York Times saying, “Having read with much interest the account of the…