Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-16
THAT TIER NAN AGAIN.
Trying TO Unrayel the Mystery OF his Wan.
behring's.

deriBgs.
A Bridgeport Comm telegram saws ::
Every few weeks the press OF the State an
nounces the sudden appearance and dlSap.
pearance in some oIit.of-the-way locality OF
"The Leather Man." For the past quarter
OF a century this uncOutli, repusiye, and
wholly inexplicable person has leomed 10
in certain localities TO puzzle the good
people Of those sections. Who he is
and where he came from no one
knows. Tie will not, II he can, speak
to any one. and studiously avoids
meeting any OF his species. In the carly
part OF this month Mrs. John X. COm'tOck.
OF Wilton, in this county, wrote letter to
the Standard, OF this city, announcing that
this uncouth and unkempt {" Whist j. itY'
would appear at her house about August
18th. She based this assertion not upon
any word received from him. but upon the
fact that his visits to her house, where he
has always been fed, were made at rcgu.
larlv.recurring intervals. Arccord OF these
visits she has kept until she is sltisfcd ~
this fact. Sure enough. IN accOrdlnce
with her predictions, he did appear In VIII
ton on The very date specified.
Among the other places in this State
which this queer specimen visits with
equally unvarying regularity Is the resi-
dcnce Of a Mr.. Hall. at the Naugstuck rail-
road junction. above STAFFORD. This point
is four mites above this city. and il twenty
six miles by rail from Wilton. The time
taken by the itinerant from the N1ugaiucs
Junction TO Mrs. Comstock's Is four days.
What route he trayerses is not known. 1t
must be a circuitous one. however. for he
81, int IIflfnY, from, tho parfll-
cast along The line Of the D1nbury aud
Norwalk railroad. In ihis way he avoids
the large cities. Bridgeport and Norwtlk.
and keeps in the farming districts. After
leaving Wilton he goes 10 q cave near
the South NOrWalk reservoir. about a mile
west OF Mrs.. Comstock's, and then on to-
ward New Canaan. He also has 4 cave near
Waterbury. i'm New Haven county. and an
other at u point between Bristol and South.
ington, IN Hartford county, near Com
pounce Pond. The fact that he willingly
visits the latter place lead, those living near
there to believe that he has charm against
attacks from snakes, or else that he is rat
tlesnake-prooi, for the cave at Compounce
Pond abounds with rattlers, which are 50
numerous as to prevent its being visited by
the most adventurous Of the parties who
SPOT. Some hold that the much-patchcd
and begrimed suit Of leather clothing which
he always wears is proof against the iangs OF
any serpent that might strike him.
Accounts published during the past
twenty Years show that the leathcr-mln
has regularly visited Waterbury. Middle.
bury, Woodbury.. WATERFOWL. southbu'
.Wolrott, Bristol. OXfoid. Navigating.
Bethlehem, Morris, Goshen, Litehhe III
Torrineton, Winchester, Newton, Canalw
NM ONE, .claces in the northern and we'f
erd portions OF the State, with occasion
Waits to Rye Mount H'Soo, and 9th.I
places in Westchester county, in New lort
State. These visits years ago used 10 n
made at intervals OF three or four month";
each. He would occasionally be helrd
from in the eastern part OF New-Hayeh
county, and even in New-LOnd0n county.
Visits 10 these last.named sections have
been abandoned Of late years, however. Ia
fact. the old tramp seems TO have curiaiicd
the district visited OF late. combining his
tourney ings to portions Of Fairfield and
New-Ilaven counties. a. nearly A. can be
ascertained. Within this territory his nov
familiar suit OF leather, his leather hayer-
sack. wooden shoes, and the long,
are familiar objects once in five or six
weeks. There is probably no one in the
state who has been able 10 obtain from him
any word I'm conversation except the word
"oat," which he USES aud accompanies
with motion OF the hand toward the
mouth, when he calls At a farmhouse for
food. Those whom he regularly visits for
HIS supplies are divided in their opinions a.
TO whether he is French OF Portuguese aud
a. to whether he Is sane or insane. These arr
disputed points between the farmers and
| their wives which will probably never be
settled. Linguists have tried him III vain
when they could yet hold of him. ana
have piled him with food aud Offers Of to-
| baccO and liquors. one Of the most noted
| philoloeists IN the state spoke to hun in q
! Lali dozen different Languages when he
! was once able 20 capture him in the town
Of Bristol. lie could get 10 reply but a
! cuitur-; sound which meant nothing. and
which was more animal than human n IL.
character.
Although there is in this State q severe
| law against tramp-, making tramplng a
| State-pris0n offence, no one has ever NJ
tempted TO put il in force as against him.
| The reason is that no one, woman or
child, fears him, fer all know that he
| is a harmless creature, md tradition
at least has il that he never dill
and never would harm ANYBODY OF
anything. lie has also an enyisa-
bic reputation for honesty aud sobricty.
Concerted action seems now about to be
taken TO unrayel the many years mystery
Of his wanderiugs. il not Of his lie. rhi,
bodies i'll for the old man ; peace Of mind
and some think will drive him out OF the
State to die, perhaps in strange territory