The Leather Man

nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
From around 1857 to 1889, this strange person dressed himself in a hodgepodge of scarves, ratty old clothes, and shoes hewn from leather, and proceeded to make a never-ending 365-mile circuit around western Connecticut and eastern New York, along the Connecticut River and the Hudson River for purposes that remain unclear.

Along the way of his continuous journey, he would stop at various towns along the way approximately every 5 weeks for food and supplies, living in rock shelters that would come to be known as “Leatherman caves.” He would simply keep on this circuitous route year after year, becoming a fixture of the landscape itself.

Leatherman.gif


It is reported that this mysterious individual was perhaps French-Canadian, and that he could speak fluent French and a bit of English, but would choose to communicate mostly through gestures, grunts, and growls. It was said that a sure way to push him away and make him lapse into silence was to ask him anything about his background or purpose, he declined to eat any meat on Fridays, and he remained a specter of sorts during these years, almost a walking, breathing legend.

People always knew his predictable route, and many were usually standing by with supplies and food to donate to this wayward enigma of a man. At one point he was detained by the Connecticut Humane Society, who deemed him to be remarkably healthy considering the harsh climate and his tenuous vagabond existence, and considered him to be “sane except for an emotional affliction.”

He continued this cycle for years, no one ever really knowing what his ultimate goal was on his relentless journey, until one day on March 24, 1889 he was found near Ossining, New York, dead of cancer of the mouth, probably brought on by his heavy use of tobacco. On his body was found a French language prayer book.

The Leatherman was buried in Ossining, New York, although he has been exhumed and reburied, which oddly turned up no remains except for some nails and scraps of clothing. His true identity has been debated ever since.

His original tombstone read “Final resting place of Jules Bourglay of Lyons, France, ‘The Leather Man,” but his real identity has never been ascertained, and his current headstone simply calls him “The Leatherman.”

To this day no one knows who the Leatherman was or why he chose to circle continuously through his hard, harrowing, and never-ending route.
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Strange and Mysterious Photographs of Unidentified People
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
Toroid said:
That looks like a heavy outfit.
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Indeed and carrying that weight on the 365 mile circuit he walked for almost 30 years...
 
SOUL-DRIFTER

SOUL-DRIFTER

Life Long Researcher
A sad story for this man.
From the beginning he had no idea his life would be..."Hell bent for leather."..
 
michael59

michael59

Celestial
I don't think it's so sad. He seemed to be taken care of by people he came across. Now he's a legend, still being talked about for over 100 years.

I think there are more pictures of him than there are of me.
 
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