The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1889-04-10
HIS SECRET DIED WITH HIM,
HIS wANDERINGs AT AN
END. u.
The Tale of His Disappointment
In L0ve--A Tramp that Only
Ended with Death.
New York Star,

New York Star.
Five and thirty years age there
appeared in Eastern Connecticut, a
strange, mysterious character who
refused to associate with mankind.
He was clad in an entire suit Of
leather and lived in rudely con-
structed huts or in caves. Year af-
ter year he wandered through the
Nutmeg State AMI Eastern New
York, avoiding his fellow men as
much as possible, anti he became
known as Connecticut's hermit and
a terward as The Old Leather Man. "
Lust week the old man was found
dead. He WAS buried as he had
lived unknown.
4 strong web OF romance had
been woven aro"nd the poor, miser-
able and broken-hearted creature
who lived such silent and MOURN
ful life. Year in and year out he
wandered. seldom speaking to his
fellow men and never asking for
food He was always given to eat
by kind-hearted farmers wives, who
expected him at certain seasons Of
the year. The "Ola Leather Man"
had q circuit over which he tramped,
by night and by day, all these years.
Hn could be met at midnight or at
noontide on his lonely tramp, which
ended only with death.
When he first became known, in
ls4S, he was a fine specimen of man
hood. He was then nearly SIX feet
tall, straight and strong. From
long exposure 10 the elements his
strength had wasted, and finally di-
sease brought his wand rings to a
close. He lay in log hut on a farm
in Mount Pleasant without medical
attendance or food. Cancer had set
in and eaten It's slow but deadly
course through his body. IL had
seized upon his lead and throat, so
that he could not eat If he had food
given him. Starvation was what
really caused death.
When found he Law upon bed Of
leaves, with his head resting on a
loS. His face presented 4 horrible
and siSkening sight, for il had been
terribly rayaged BY cancer.
This mystery Of a man had never
been known TO pass q night in a
house. Even by force he could not
be induced TO occupy a ahabitstion in
which other men lived. He pre-
ferred his caves and flimsy huts.
The latter he built from logs and
tree branches. The one in which
he died he had occupied Of and on
for twenty-eight years. Il was
built against a shelf Of rock, and
was thevery crudest sort Of . shelter.
The old mans sufferings as the end
drew nigh must have been agoniE-
ing. Without power 10 aid him
self he lay for over two weeks dying
inch by inch. No one came to sue
cor him, and his secret died with
him. Day by day death drew near
er and nearer, until at last il ended
the unfortunate itinerant's sadly
II
spent life. His limbs, when found
were drawn up, and his features were
fercely contracted, showing that
there had been q terrible battle for
life. Two small brown paper book.
were found in his hut. There wass
strange cipher on them, which could
not be read.
| Ills suit Of leather, which he had
patched and repatched until, hardly
a piece Of the original remained, he
had worn from the time he was frs
seen in the lonely sections Of Con-
necticut. The suit entire weighet
fully sixty pounds. II was made
principally from old boot Logging
sewed together with leather bands
II was colored brown by the Storm
L a a