personal project
Leatherman (c. 1839–1889 (aged 49–50) was a vagabond famous for his handmade leather suit of clothes who travelled through the north-eastern United States on a regular circuit between the Connecticut River and the Hudson River from roughly 1857 to 1889, sleeping rough in forests and various caves.
His identity and origin are unknown as he refused to discuss his past. He rarely spoke, and communicated using grunts and gestures. He was thought to be French-Canadian because of his fluency in the French Language, his "broken English", and the French language prayer book found on his person after his death. Diagnosed at one time as sane but with emotional problems, he walked a repeating 365-mile (587 km) route year after year, which took him through certain towns in western Connecticut and eastern New York, returning to each town every 34–36 days.
The world changed around him as he walked those same paths through all kinds of weather. even while struggling with cancer of the mouth from his use of tobacco, he walked just the same. leatherman finally died alone in a desolate cave, known yet unknown.
