Norwich bulletin., 1919-10-07
GIVES THE HISTORY
 OF FOLD lEATHEE MAN,

1 Tn response to a recent request ! printed in The Bulletin for inforna : i ton about 'The Old Leather Man. l an article was written and here is an 1 other one taken from a clipping of ! paper by Mrs. Samuel Mitchell. of ] Central Village. Mrs. Mitchell hay l ing seen the queer old hermit her i self while living in Southington. The queer old hermit who has been 1 known throughout this vicinity for {. some years as the Leather Man" 1 from his unioue apparel, was found ;! dead in his cave on the George Dell I farm in Mt Pleasant. near Sing Sing ] N. Y. Sunday. March 24. 1889. His i head was badly bruised. whether 4ac l cidentally or intentionally is not i known. Two of his huts which he visited at regular intervals of about ] thirty days year after year were To- cated in Southington.
 Nothing of value was found in his , hut. He was j feet : inches tall, and weighed about 40 pounds. Two
 books. each made of a few pieces of
 brown paper written all over with figures we're found. There was no : word of writing in either. The cor oners verdict was: That the "Leath-
 CT Man came to his death from car1-
 cel and Inability to obtain or take
 food" The body was buried Monday in
 the Sparta cemetery. I
 Last fall a cancer developed on the
 left side of the lower lip and 1t had
 eaten away a greater part of the lip
 and made q hole through the jaw in
 to the throat. His pitiablc condition
 led last November to his arrest on
 Saddle Hill. near AIiddletown. by Chief
 of Police Cha pman. at the instigation i of R. L. Lezins, agent Of the Humane
 society. All efforts to .detain him l were fruitiess and after remaining at 1
 the Hartford hospital f1r several l hours he took his little lea ther bag and resumed his journey, for the hos DitaI officers had no power to detafn I1T him to change his lea ther garments for some of cloth but he objected On the following nday. December 9th, he appeared at the house Of J. F Barnard in North Haven. It was cold and wet The old man was dripping with rain and mud. No one had ever known of his knocking q [ q door be- fore He was brought to the fire by chance that few have had for close inspection cf his curious character. He was q pita ble object. He was given all tho care he would accept before de- a largo leather bag which was very heavy It contained far as could he seen old boot legs and an axe He l1a q q cloth bag also which seemed full His clothes were work of art and should he preserved. They were made of pieces Of leather sewn to- gether with thongs like belt facing His trousers were of the same ma teri3I. Ills coat was very heavy and long. and had numerous pockets on the inside q $ could be seen by the stitches on the outside. His boots had wooden soles two three inch es thick His hat was made entirely of lea ther, l. was made like a soldiers cap with a visor, His forhead was high and white, and his hair was dark brown and curly. His eyes were large and dark blue. He had a wandering inocent and at the same time intelligent look,
 His coat alone weighed 20 pounds and the weight of the entire suit. in cluding the hat and boots. was more than So pounds. IL is thought that thir same suit served as the dead mans apparel for nearly % years. Summers and winters he wore t. and no one saw him in any other kind of attire
 From docume ents which he lost some Tears ago and which were found by others his Ife's story was discovered fc- the first time It is stranger than fiction g tragic nlournful romance
 Crazy Jules Bourlay= the old |Ieath- CT Man. was broken hearted, shat tered hrainsd creatnre. who did si- Ieut and systematic penance for his disa strous failnre in carly life IT has hees, learned from authentic sources tka :. he was or ErsocM pRrEntage, hay iny bee, born in Lyons France. s wears ago. His fst,e- was ,a Eoon dealer who gave hEm n HtHa1 eMn- cat1mn Yprng B1qu4ay becnme ac- cr11ztnta1 xnh fhe beHMtn Hn& no =