Connecticut and New York's Wandering Hobo

October 11, 2007 12:08 PM

"Since 1862, many have heard the tale of a wandering vagrant who traveled in an endless 365-mile circle between the Connecticut and Hudson rivers. The strange man only spoke with grunts or gestures and dressed in crudely stitched leather from his hat to his shoes."

..."The suit was made of heavy pieces of raw leather estimated to have weighed more than sixty pounds in total. It was a coat of armor the vagrant depended on to protect him from the sometimes harsh New England elements. "Leatherman", as he was dubbed by those who encountered him, would only sleep outside year-round ...mostly in caves around Connecticut and New York." Some speculate that he was Jules Bourglay, a French leatherworker, though mystery still surrounds his identity.

posted by horsemuth (20 comments total)

But I bet that fucker has crazy hit dice.
posted by nasreddin at 12:23 PM on October 11, 2007

But I bet that fucker has crazy hit dice.

I dunno, sounds like a garden variety brigand or bandit; probably just a 0-level man at arms with 1d6 hitpoints.

And with the leather armor and no shield, his AC of 8 makes him pretty easy to hit, too.
posted by dersins at 12:32 PM on October 11, 2007 [4 favorites]

I dunno, sounds like a garden variety brigand or bandit; probably just a 0-level man at arms with 1d6 hitpoints.

And with the leather armor and no shield, his AC of 8 makes him pretty easy to hit, too.

He looks more like an ogrillon to me. Plus, he's clearly wearing human skin armor, which is like +4. Did you look at that picture?!
posted by nasreddin at 12:35 PM on October 11, 2007

On the other hand, he has a +1 French grunting attack.
posted by user92371 at 12:35 PM on October 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

If he were around today, he would wander up to the Indian (native American) casino and play blackjack and perhaps get a free meal or two.
posted by Postroad at 12:37 PM on October 11, 2007

Cool story. I remember reading a book when I was a kid that I think was called Mysterious New England that had a chapter on this man. Something that sticks with me is that he would eat at peoples houses and would methodically work clockwise around his plate every time.
posted by Rarebit Fiend at 12:38 PM on October 11, 2007

...he would eat at peoples houses and would methodically work clockwise around his plate every time.

Hey, there's nothing wrong with that!

Yeah, what a weirdo that guy.
posted by cog_nate at 12:53 PM on October 11, 2007

clockwise around his plate every time.

You must be right-brained.
posted by dersins at 12:59 PM on October 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

The Leatherman!

As kids in Northern Westchester we heard stories about The Leatherman all the time. I think he spent a lot of time in our little area right on the New York- Connecticut border.
posted by maggiemaggie at 1:26 PM on October 11, 2007

Leathermen of the Hudson today (NSFW)
posted by Pollomacho at 1:34 PM on October 11, 2007

...and then he made a multi-purpose tool.

And now you know....the rest of the story.
posted by LionIndex at 1:42 PM on October 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

I imagine he eventually wandered off to chill with Emperor Norton.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:57 PM on October 11, 2007

I wonder if his ghost is as reliable? It would be neat to do EVP work at one of his sites every day for a month. All you need is one hit and you'll know which site is next.

Thanks for this, nice story.
posted by butterstick at 2:03 PM on October 11, 2007

I imagine he eventually wandered off to chill with Emperor Norton.

No, he wandered off to hang with the Fisher King.
posted by dersins at 2:30 PM on October 11, 2007

Following the link to "mysterious people" in that Wikipedia article makes for some fascinating reading.
posted by A Long and Troublesome Lameness at 2:46 PM on October 11, 2007

No, he wandered off to hang with the Fisher King.

Ha! I had the exact same thought, and then wandered off on Wikipedia to the Arthurian legends section.
posted by LionIndex at 3:10 PM on October 11, 2007

But I bet that fucker has crazy hit dice.

I bet that fucker has crazy hit movies. At convenient times, too. In theaters near you, even.
posted by dhartung at 4:18 PM on October 11, 2007

Now I have to find out more, right in my own backyard even...
posted by pupdog at 5:51 PM on October 11, 2007

As a kid in Connecticut I wrote a report on him, based largely on a book that I found in the school library. Then I ran away from home.
posted by okbye at 6:47 PM on October 11, 2007

Interesting story. Here's another article.
posted by tellurian at 7:15 PM on October 11, 2007