New York Urban Legend of ‘Leatherman’, Was This Man Real or Just Myth?

The story of the "Leatherman" has all the makings of an urban legend but so many say the story of a hermit that would speak by grunting and who slept in the caves of New York is true. Locals reported spotting a rare glimpse of him as he wandered a 300-mile continuous loop.

Who is Leatherman? Did he really wear a suit of leather? Who is the man in the pictures below? Did Leatherman even exist or was his story just folklore? Here are the theories based on the little known facts of the life and death of the Leatherman.

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The legend of Leatherman started to form in the late 1800's with reports of an illusive man spotted drifting through New York State. They say this man communicated mostly with grunts and would disappear into caves in the woods. Locals started referring to him as 'Leatherman' because he wore a 70 pound, head to toe, leather outfit year-round.

Between 1862 and 1889, Leatherman was spotted on rare occasions as he briefly left the woods looking for food. Some residents would leave food out for him. Is this Leatherman?

Some say that Leatherman was a Frenchman that was sent to an asylum after falling in love with a woman who he wasn't allowed to be with. Upon leaving the hospital he made his way to the states where he began to walk.

Reports suggest that Leatherman eventually died from advanced lip cancer, which was causing him to communicate with simple grunts. As he was traveling through Mount Pleasant, New York he took his final steps. One of the few items found on him was a French-language prayer book. It is said that Leatherman's final resting place is in Sparta Cemetery in Ossining, New York but the myth lives on.