Honestly, this sounds like it could be ergot poisoning. It's about the right era -- the last major outbreak of ergot poisoning was in 1926.
Ergot is a type of fungus that infects rye and other grains, and has a ton of negative health effects, especially if consumed for a long period of time. However, acute ingestion leads to powerful hallucinations. Lysergic acid is the precursor for a ton of ergoline alkaloids, and of course, LSD.
All their descriptions sound an awful lot like a mushroom or acid trip.
Ergot is a type of fungus that infects rye and other grains, and has a ton of negative health effects, especially if consumed for a long period of time. However, acute ingestion leads to powerful hallucinations. Lysergic acid is the precursor for a ton of ergoline alkaloids, and of course, LSD.
All their descriptions sound an awful lot like a mushroom or acid trip.
tl;dr: IMO they were probably high on wacky loaf.