Leatherman (tramp)

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Leatherman, June 9, 1885

The Leatherman (* around 1839, † 1889 ) was a famous American tramp in Connecticut . He wandered in a steady 350 miles circle between the Connecticut River and the Hudson River from 1856 to 1889 ; his handmade leather clothing shaped his person. Although he is sometimes called Jules Bourglay , his real name is unknown. It is believed that he was of Canadian or French descent, as he was fluent in French, but only spoke broken English.

Life

A Leatherman cave near Watertown , Connecticut

The Leatherman lived in what is now known as the Leatherman Caves and visited towns in his area every 34 days to get food and other items. According to statements, he always walked clockwise and never changed his path. He was called "Leatherman" because all his outfit was made of leather.

He usually only communicated with gestures and short sounds. Questions about his origins led him to abruptly end the conversation. After his death, a prayer book in French was found with him.

The people in his territory gave him food every 34 days, which he always ate on the doorstep or under a tree nearby. He was known for his irrepressible appetite. Jules Bourglay did not accept money, only took tobacco, pieces of leather, and matches.

Itinerary

"The Leatherman" did a regular walking tour of Connecticut that covered the route north of Danbury to Waterbury, then followed the towns along the Connecticut River to Long Island Sound, then started west with a major detour around New Haven and Bridgeport to Norwalk, where it went via New Canaan and Wilton to New York State. It appears that between this circuit in Connecticut he crossed Westchester and Putnam counties, visiting towns like Purdy's, Kensico Village, South Salem, Croton Falls, Yorktown, Shrub Oak, Bedford Hills and Briarcliff.

Occasionally he continued his route through Long Island Sound, visiting cities like Greenwich, Rye and Mamaroneck in a more southern part of the county. An estimate of his entire trip found that his route was approximately 365 miles and lasted over a month, including about 240 miles through Connecticut and 125 miles through New York The Leatherman's Circuit .

death

The Leatherman died of cancer of the oral cavity, presumably caused by tobacco consumption. In 1888 he withdrew from forced treatment by the Connecticut Humane Society. His body was found on March 24, 1889 in one of his caves in the Saw Mill Woods near Ossining . He was buried in the Sparta Cemetery in Scarborough . The following inscription was on his tombstone:

FINAL RESTING PLACE OF
Jules Bourglay
OF LYONS, FRANCE
"THE LEATHER MAN"
who regularly walked a 365 mile route
through Westchester and Connecticut from
the Connecticut River to the Hudson
living in caves in the years
1858–1889

In 2011 the grave was exhumed and the remains, coffin nails and some earth, were moved to a new grave. The new tombstone, which was erected on May 25, 2011, has a brass plaque that reads The Leatherman .

literature

  • Rosa Gangloff: The Story of Thomaston: It's Origin and Development . Waterbury, CT: Speed ​​Offset Printing 1975. Print
  • Dan W. de Luca: The Old Leather Man - Historical Accounts of a Connecticut and New York Legend . 2008, ISBN 978-081-956862-5

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Legend of the Leatherman | http://leathermansloop.org/2009/02/the-legend-of-the-leatherman/
  2. ↑ Jim Fitzgerald, "Wanderer From 1800S Gets More Peaceful NY Grave." , boston.com, May 25, 2011
  3. ^ At last, a proper 'burial' for the mysterious Leatherman, New York and Connecticut's celebrity tramp . In: Daily Mail , May 26, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2011. 
personal data
SURNAME Leatherman
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bourglay, Jules
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American tramp in Connecticut
DATE OF BIRTH around 1839
DATE OF DEATH 1889