The Strange Mystery of The Leatherman

[@decodingtheunknown2373]

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[@catasrophieGrrl]

I love when towns and people see someone who doesn't quite fit into society and instead of being cruel or cold, they go "Yay! Our weirdo, we love him!" And embrace them. It's heartwarming.

[@lizzimmermann7164]

In my town it’s Greg. He stands on one street corner every day and talks to people who pass by and waves at cars. His uniform is jeans, blue tshirt, rainbow suspenders.

[@markedis5902]

I know two. First was a guy we called marigold, he wore marigold washing up gloves and tried directing traffic on the ring road. Second was Fred, Fred’s family either died or left and he just couldn’t cope. He lived as a tramp where I grew up and was often drunk. He’d usually do something minor to get arrested around Christmas or if it was really cold, that way he got fed and was somewhere warm.

[@valekennedy8727]

When I was a kid it was this kid Phillip. He was autistic in the hood in LA. From what I overheard when I was in trouble in the principals office, Phil lived on the very edge of our school district and biked to and from school every day over 2 miles. He always helped out EVERYONE with their new iPhone 3’s and gameboy DS’ when they had issues or couldn’t beat a level. I had him over once and dude beat a boss first try in a game I was stuck on for weeks. He was weird af and had a lot of freak outs and would get made fun of A LOT. However, the 2 times I saw where someone tried to actually mess with him the bullies got jumped. The best one was a kid started beating the shit out of Phillip in PE for doing the Cornholio bit from Beevus & Butthead cause it was “gay”. About 6 of the most thuggery out, ghetto kids jumped in to protect him. One of them said “nah, don’t mess with him, he’s with us”

[@Ali_D_Katt]

We have/had a few in my home town. The one I knew best was Phillip he would pull a wagon behind a very rickety bike around town collecting cans and doing odd jobs. My step dad was a firefighter and had a special place in his heart for special needs folks. He'd always come by the fire house they'd feed him and give him some pocket money for smokes (he'd always be picking up butts) he'd always try to pay them back. When he got hit by a car they visited him in hospital and since his bike and wagon were irreparable they took up a collection around town and got him a new tricycle and wagon all fixed up for him when he got home. He lived at the halfway house in town. He always sat with our family on the front porch of my cousin's house to watch the 4th of July parade. He passed a few years back.

[@brycestoll]

There is one in my town named Bryan. He is an older fellow who looks kinda like Gandalf. He always has a big walking stick and crazy white hair and white beard. He is tall and eyes that look right past you while he talks crazy stories that make no sense. He has done so many drugs in his days I think he is in complete psychosis. Usually friendly but hard to deal with as he barely knows what reality he is in and I work customer service at a pot shop so he is always entertaining but sometimes stressful. Poor guy is so crazy he can't do much other than beg

[@gregorymeyer1798]

Having been homeless (or residentially challenged as I tell people) for close to 4 years, I can say that the smell most people experience are the lack of being able to regularly wash clothes. Most clothes begin to stink a day or two after wear regardless of how often one washed him/herself but with the cost of laundry these days there's little that can be done. Even when I make money either by doing odd jobs or pan handling the washing of clothes is pretty far down on my list of things to spend on. Since I'm a person who is in this current predicament following a long list of bad things starting with my wife passing away of breast cancer at 34 years old (and does not include any alcohol or drug use). Living in So Cal, it is expensive everywhere and I did actually make it long enough to see my kids reach adulthood and get out of their own before I lost my house. But when you lose so much gaining it back is not as easy as most might think.

[@jakobminckler7227]

He gets on my nerves as well, his videos usually have good info but his commentary more often than not tends to just be annoying and trying way too hard to be funny. I’m sorry to hear that man I’m sending some good energy your way

[@casadilla111]

It is, as they say, exceptionally expensive to be poor.

[@jakobminckler7227]

@@casadilla111 very very true, when I hit some rough times I’ve always just scraped together what I can and got a greyhound ticket

[@better.better]

​@@jakobminckler7227WIS will hire anybody (as long as you can pass the background check), you have an internet device so you can get the schedule... you also need a physical address at first (if you don't know anybody that will allow you to use theirs to get some mail, there's a couple of mail services that vanlifers use, (I've never tried them so I don't know how they work) you need a place to receive the pay card... I've seen some people just have it set to the office... but once you get that card it works like any other Visa debit card... the important part is that the app allows you to set up 3 customized "piggy banks" and every time you get paid you can have money automatically moved into those. for example mine is set up so that whenever I get paid more than $300, $50 goes into one piggy bank, and $25 goes into the other two. this has enabled me to save a lot of money, because if I want to use any I have to make a special effort log into the account and go to the piggy banks to move money to my main account. this has also been a lifesaver because a couple of times somebody got my card number through skimming or something, but they were unable to touch the money in the piggy banks. things were tight while I waited for a new card, but at least they didn't get everything. anyway as long as you show up and stay productive and don't steal anything, it's very hard to get fired from WIS. TIP: to make the most money, it's better to also be a company driver and a Supervisor.

[@jrmckim]

Not many people realize that he's made millions. Plus came from a long line of physicians. He irritates me when he "guesses" the next line in the script, even tho he's said a few times that he always scans one sentence/line ahead. Seriously, it gets old... Also, I was homeless for a few months when I was 18. I never lived on the streets but lived out of my 93 Jeep Cherokee on nights when I couldn't find a couch (more like a floor) to sleep on. Finally found a place as a live in babysitter for a single mom. She worked nights as a bartender. We are still friends 18 years later. Took a long time, but I got my ged and accepted into nursing school.

[@AthenaisC]

You can tell Simon did a particularly grim episode of CasCrim before this. He was fully expecting Leatherman to eat children. 😂😂😂

[@Redkrovvy]

Exactly! I’m guessing one of Dr. David Baker’s excellent and brutal scripts, if I had to guess.

[@justinread4381]

I instantly thought of Leather face from the Texas chainsaw fame. Is it wrong? I'm a bit disappointed it wasn't.

[@templarw20]

The Ed Gein episode left its mark.

[@AdamOBrien29]

I immediately thought about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

[@PositiveOnly-dm3rx]

Leatherface? Hello?

[@jlb478]

The only thing I would add is that the Old Leather Man tended to follow the railroad tracks. That's why his route was only delayed a few days after the blizzard. The train tracks got cleared out quickly, and then he was able to continue his journey. Oh, and the picture of him eating was taken at a farm house in Middletown, CT.(Which was close to the train tracks). That farm house was torn down a few decades ago and is now a CVS.

[@AcaliahWolfsong]

Of course it's cvs...

[@jlb478]

@ashleylarue3339 There is also an Aldi

[@krunguspungus2376]

CVS, I tell you, my township’s 1807 tavern was torn down for a CVS. They at least saved the original wooden beams, but nothing’s been done with them for years

[@Telcontar86]

Sounds like southern New England to me 😅

[@fett713akamandodragon5]

Simon: No one's here for these tangents. Everyone: It's like you don't even know us man.

[@kjs8719]

This is how you can tell he doesn't read the comments. If he did, he would definitely know that we are here FOR the tangents 😂

[@majorhayze]

Us: Yeah, well. That’s just like your opinion, man… 🤣

[@sullyvancarter]

Can confirm, am here for the tangents. At first I thought I was here for the information. But then I started watching episodes of material I already knew about from other sources. Clearly here for the tangents. 😂

[@YuNherd]

yes we need it, adds to the Simon lore. keep it going oh great messenger of youtube, all hail Simon.

[@daffyduck1974]

So basically he was the human cat. He wandered round different places he called ‘home’. Where he stopped off for a spot to eat b4 moving on. I think he was just one of those old fashioned ‘mountain men’. Maybe a trapper who trade pelts & stuff for what ever he needed. I think with the communities it was nice. That they hated the thought of him being alone out there. Enough to care that he’s ok & offering help.

[@bonniea8189]

Lol I love the cat comparison. They even trapped him and took him to the "vet"

[@Mhichil]

Cats are just autistic dogs. I say this as an autistic autism professional 😅

[@lacyLor]

A lot of homeless people are offered housing but will not/can not continue a traditional living situation due to mental illness or addiction. It’s a sad situation without an easy solution. In my city we have an organization that offers free showers to homeless in a nice mobile shower unit. The folks who take advantage of it seem to feel like a new person afterward and are so appreciative, especially because they no longer have to be staying in a shelter in order to shower.

[@PhillipMikeHunt]

They had showers for homeless people in 1940s Germany.

[@jjlpinct]

Oooh!! I live on his path!! My great-grandmother used to feed him when he passed

[@function0077]

Simon, the main reasons I listen to you is your genuine enthusiasm for life and your random-ass, yet sincere, tangents.

[@somethinunameit637]

"Land of the free, home of the good." I almost spit out my tea with how wrong that sounded lol

[@joseybryant7577]

Simon, you're finally covering my all-time favorite mysterious figure. I even did my final presentation for French class in university on this guy.

[@Vaeldarg]

I wonder if part of the fascination those people of the past had with him is he kinda behaved like a caveman (not to denigrate, we now know them to have been likely smarter than assumed with more recent archaeology) with his use of leather scraps, use of natural shelter/campfires, and seemingly limited language. Would've felt like a connection with the past, back when just about all of humanity was living that way.

[@joseybryant7577]

​@Vaeldarg My own fascination is down to his routine. The fact that people could set their clocks by it is wild to me. As well as his journals. What was in them? I highly doubt he was insane or even mentally ill.

[@Vaeldarg]

@@joseybryant7577 Was probably similar mentality to stories/movies about the "wild west" involving what today would be referred to as a "drifter". Someone who, like a tumble-weed, just wandered from town-to-town. Except instead of just "going where the wind takes me", he had a route he tried to keep closely to through the safer areas.

[@LKaufman9050]

Re the lack of anything in the grave: wood coffins w/out a vault usually last about 75 years. Also, they shift around underground. Creepy but true.

[@Ms.Pronounced_Name]

The tiny amount of brandy from that store seems more like a disinfectant than a drinking amount

[@robr4662]

It could have also been used as an oral anesthetic, which makes sense if he had cancer of his jaw.

[@Ms.Pronounced_Name]

@robr4662 Definitely possible It could also have started as a disinfectant then changed to oral anesthetic, depending how long he was truely walking his route.

[@PositronWeaponD]

Not going to lie, as soon as I got mostly nonverbal, strict schedule, and so much of the “strange behavior” stuff, my mind went straight to autism. Not to mention he was always wearing the same suit and clearly didn’t think much about hygiene (sometimes the latter does unfortunately happen, especially if it can’t be easily integrated into a routine). And while there’s often a stereotype of autistic adults not being able to care for themselves, that’s not always true. He could have easily understood food as a necessity but not “gotten” why bathing and changing clothes was so important. It’s kind of hard to explain, I guess? (It’s late where I am) It could be that I’m just reading too much into it, and I hadn’t considered the idea that he wasn’t proficient in English until it was brought up. However, being French Canadian and being autistic are not mutually exclusive! So he could have been nonverbal (or mostly nonverbal) autistic as well as someone whose first language was French. I could be projecting or just way off base though, I don’t know.

[@nothanks9503]

You can’t just tell them you know that BO smell that’s staph?

[@evapreu3011]

Yes; I thought autism as well. Especially the part when he started to avoid people who got too nosy or chatty despite accepting their help earlier. He probably preferred a quiet environment and got anxious in social situations.

[@DubhghlasMacDubhghlas]

@@evapreu3011 not just people with autism have social anxiety. And he could have some sort of speech issues. Is their chance he could? Yes, but is that the only possibility? No.

[@susanmolnar9606]

I’m a native of CT along that area and grew up hearing the stories of Leatherman. Also I was close to my grandfather’s brother who lived in Ossining NY. What was the common theory that he was French Canadian and what was considered eccentric at the time. No one judged him and let him live his life. Some folks are just like that and you need to respect everyone’s choices.

[@NPettipas]

We have a man like that in our town, Norm. Always out and on his own, doesn't like going inside, will accept help and is actually very sweet and kind. Everyone around here knows him.

[@Ms.Pronounced_Name]

The fact this guy was around before the civil war but we have photographs of him blows my mind.

[@janetpendlebury6808]

Depends what civil war your talking about. The first photo was taken in 1827.

[@Ms.Pronounced_Name]

@janetpendlebury6808 I know that, and I know when the US Civil War was. Still blows my mind. Same goes for the last wooly mammoth being younger than the pyramids. I know it, but it continues to blow my mind

[@SEAZNDragon]

While still new tech, photography matured by the 1860s to make taking a photograph feasible if cumbersome task by today’s standards. Remember there were battle field photos from the Civil War and soldiers of all ranks managed to to get a photo of them in uniform taken.

[@luckyspurs]

@@Ms.Pronounced_Name Yeah, it's like seeing photos of actual soldiers in the Crimean War in the 1850s. Even seeing film of World War I is wild and the crazy amount of World War II film footage there is.

[@davea5884]

As a note to the amount of shoes you can go through with excessive walking. (for reference I'm a postal worker who walks 10 miles 6 days a week). Early in my career career with the post office I was going through a pair of cheap shoes every 2 weeks to a month. A decent pair lasting me maybe a month and a half. Now, although almost 10 years into my career, it's much different. My feet have become so accustom to the never ending walking that I only swap out for a new pair after extreme amounts of wear. Typically when I'm done with a pair of shoes now I've completely eroded away all rubber tred away and warn the foam lining away until the center of my foot begins to contact the ground every step. This usual takes me 3 winter months or 2 warm months. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

[@Hillbilly001]

I used to think Simon was an agent of the Lizard Overlords, but now I think the denizens of the basement are the agents and Simon holds them captive so he can make money. Cheers from Tennessee

[@MrJack123455]

I'm a life-long western Connecticut local, and a long time fan of Simon. I was pleasantly surprised to see a local figure like The Leatherman showing up here! This is definitely the most comprehensive piece I’ve heard about him. Connecticut is one of those small states that even Americans find impossible to remember. One of the few reputations Connecticut has is being a paranormal hot-spot. Which is a gold mine for a show like this. I grew up just up the road from the infamous "para-normal researchers" Ed and Lorraine Warren who are responsible for the allegedly true stories behind the movies Annabelle, The Conjuring, and The Amityville Horror. I saw that Kevin hinted that he is already working on a piece about them. Which make me hyped to see another local figure getting put under the DtU microscope!

[@4lyeskas]

As someone outside the US I'm familiar with Conneticut as the state in which one of my fave childhood book series took place - Stoneybrook, from the Babysitters Club!

[@Julia-uh4li]

If Kevin does a script on them, I hope he shows just how nefarious the 2 of them were. Shame on those people. I'm glad there's already much out there exposing them for the frauds they were. BTW, Conneticut is one of my favorite East Coast vacation places. Especially around Mystic. Just beautiful.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Now this is exciting. I actually have a theory on the Leatherman. I think, and this is based on the fact that he spoke French, that he was highly likely Québécois possibly from Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Back during the height of the factories in New England Woonsocket was home to a large Québécois population so I believe the Leatherman (or as I call him Jean-Pierre) was from one of these Québécois families.

[@jwhitely7]

Straight into tangent, love it as always Simon

[@breccamerie1]

There was a period in time where it was fashionable to have a hermit living on your property. They were known as garden or ornamental hermits.

[@nickmiller8131]

Simons tangents actually keep me interested on episodes where I’d be otherwise less interested in the topic

[@GeoffBosco]

Wow! As a native Nuttmegger (CT is the nutmeg state) I'm very excited about this one! I'm not I've seen any Leatherman content on a channel this big.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Same here. I actually first heard of the Leatherman via Weird New England. Funny thing is my family has a connection with him. You see my dad came from one of the towns in New York the Leatherman would go through and I grew up in one of the towns in Connecticut that the Leatherman would go through (Redding). He, the Leatherman, was even the subject of an article in the Redding Pilot and has a page on the town of Redding website.

[@hpgdovin]

​@@mirandagoldstine8548 Loved that book! I can't imagine how many times I read that as a kid.

[@mr.badtouch1482]

I'm actually from one of the towns where the cave is that the Leatherman lived (hid). The cave is absolutely tiny, it's really just a big rock, that is supported by a bunch of tiny rocks that is over a hole in the ground.

[@rachelnotluf4585]

It's a strange experience to visit the "cave" and try to imagine actually staying in it. Another similar local one is Judges Cave in New Haven - somehow even more cramped and terrifyingly claustrophobic.

[@nothanks9503]

We have a cave just like that over a rail road tunnel I tend to hang out in on my regular hikes I guess I’m the leatherman jr

[@nothanks9503]

@@rachelnotluf4585people tend to pee in them too unfortunately for some reason like let me not pee on this tree right here that’s going to get rained on let me pee in this cave where it’s just going to stink until we get a heavy storm

[@beagleissleeping5359]

17:55 Back in the day (and sometimes nowadays) many people decided that the reason you're poor was because you were just lazy and therefore didn't deserve help. That's why the American version of a work house was called a bettering house because they were going to make you see the error of your ways. Aren't there places that are trying to make it illegal to be homeless?

[@1pcfred]

I believe vagrancy laws still exist.

[@SugarandSarcasm]

Definitely prevalent around here

[@darkerarts]

People sometime do abnormal things outside of society, it doesn't have to be sinister, and they don't always need a reason

[@SugarandSarcasm]

Doesn't stop people from trying to make one up 🤷‍♀️

[@eh3010]

The french canadian idea makes a lot more sense then him immigrating from France. It's unlikely he went from living a 'normal' life to suddenly deciding to don a 60 lb leather suit and take up some epic hikes. Him moving regularly would have made more sense then sticking in a single location - because well you're not likely to keep getting hand outs if you ask the same people over and over again. If a smelly man wearing a 60lb suit of leather is asking for food at your front door every day you're eventually gonna get mad and stop helping. But if that same man shows up every 34 odd days to ask for food, then it becomes a novelty, and you give him food to see how long this novelty will continue.

[@emily.toombs]

Leather was the most common material for outdoorsmen to make clothing of during that period. It’s not like they had Polly-filled puffer jackets at the sporting goods stores in the late 1800s. You had wool, which is a nightmare if it gets wet, cotton or silk which wouldn’t keep you warm enough, or you had leather. Leather resists ripping and tearing from things like getting snagged on a branch when bumping through the woods. What’s more, hats were compulsory for almost everyone up until the 1960s where they started to decline in use and popularity. Leatherman doesn’t strike me as a beaver felt (yes made from beavers) hat kinda guy as they were fairly expensive, but his leather hat was contemporary with the styles of the era. Summers weren’t as sweltering as they are now over 100 years ago and in the deep forest it gets dark and cold fairly quickly. From cowboys of the southwest to the northern explorers in all the photographs from the period you’re going to see men in leather.

[@thespaceherpe1]

I'm glad a large channel has finally covered this. I used to visit some of his “caves” often growing up.

[@4lyeskas]

If you're familiar with Buzzfeed Unsolved from the old 'Feed, then Ryan and Shane did an episode about Leatherman on their new channel Watcher! It was great -- Shane was hella committed to the bit 😂

[@arche2460]

I did too! I've lived in CT my whole life, I remember pretty much any vague cave/rock-shelter was dubbed "A Leatherman's Cave" even though they couldn't have ALL been Leatherman Caves. I got super excited to see Simon made a video about him!

[@justjukka]

Soap? I like to give EVERYONE a pamper kit. It includes fancy soaps, lotions, cute scrubbies, and a tube of Burt’s Bees lip balm.

[@samlindsey8978]

Your tangents are part of what I am here for, even when utterly mundane, they end up entertaining

[@CrockSeventeen]

@40:40 "Journalists in the past just made shit up", I don't think much has changed in that respect

[@KeelyIleanBaker]

Oooohhh new shirt idea! - Decoding The Unknown - Generally Unsatisfactory!

[@anna9072]

Poison or water hemlock is a herbaceous plant, related to wild carrot. The tree hemlock is totally unrelated, but what I can’t tell you is why they share a name. However, they do.

[@nothanks9503]

I hate when they do that

[@EricNSK]

I'm from Connecticut, the Leatherman was a local legend. Enjoyed the episode!

[@michaelcordes]

I spent 2 years on the streets only at the end of last year I managed to beat the cycle. I learnt to only accept foot that was sealed in a package. I was given some homemade flapjacks once that evening I was violently sick until I finally passed out in agony. Sub Humans still try and poison rough sleepers

[@VictoriaEMeredith]

Sometimes people suck.

[@coolbeanz9145]

A few years ago my family and I had done our monthly grocery "big" shopping trip. The entire bed of the pick up was full. On the way home, we saw a poor guy holding a sign that just said "Hungry". I asked my husband to stop and we loaded this guy up with some canned goods and pop, even a bag of hard candy. We've never been homeless, but there was more than one time we needed help like this, so we wanted to pay it forward, ya know? So once we gave this man the food and made sure he could carry it all, he asked for cash. A little frustrating since we just gave him 50 bucks worth of food, but, hey, it never hurts to ask, right? So, we told him no, we didn't have any cash on us. He promptly got angry and started yelling about we were terrible for not offering/giving him cash. We pointed out that his sign simply said Hungry and we just got in our truck and left. Later that day, we drove past that spot again and every crumb of food we gave that man was still sitting in the spot where all this took place. I'm not sure what to make of that, but I don't help folks as often as I used to, that's for sure. I hope that don't make me a terrible person.

[@elliebeck]

Thank you so much for doing this one! I live in the hudson valley and he is a legend here. We hike up to some of the caves and follow his routes. Even being a local I learned a lot from this 🙂

[@kpturn42]

Love it when we get a DTU/Mystery Files crossover, maybe we can get a DB Tuber episode of CasCrim next 😂

[@theeniebean]

god db tuber please yes

[@damiencouturee6240]

​@@theeniebeanDB tuber?

[@cox1012009]

Simon - no one is here for the tangents.. me - i am kind of here for the weird long tangents

[@luckyspurs]

All those years we thought Simon was taking adventage of Danny locking him in the basement and instead he was just protecting him from being beaten up going to the shop for chocolate milkshake.

[@bonniea8189]

*banana

[@joeboggio4002]

Mystery Files and Decoding the Unknown wading in the same waters is awesome

[@connorriley7511]

“…no one’s here for these tangents let’s, well maybe you are…” Yup that’s definitely a big reason I am here 😂

[@danielnixon8416]

Simon there are two types of hemlock. One is poisonous and looks like and is related to the carrot, the other is a conifer native to north America and east Asia.

[@TheLithp]

I think they just misspelled the website because I found it on the first try. Technically, it's "leaveTHEleathermanaalone," emphasis mine, but it was made in 2010, & the only mentions of a previous website (dated 2012) are referring to a pre-hacking version of the blog. It's just a basic blog. Nothing too outrageous.

[@RAKKAR7]

Actually, good sir, we may not have initially come for your tangents, but they're why most of us frequenters subbed, turned on notifications, and keep coming back to all 27 of your channels!! So...

[@ve2vfd]

As this story takes place in the north eastern USA, I would think it is way more likely our French speaking leatherman walked down across the border from Quebec than sailed across the ocean from France. As for his woodsman skills, most or rural Quebec was populated by farmers and people who made a living off the land around that time, so he would not necessarily have to be from the First Nations. Also as the Catholic Church literally ran Quebec at that time, it’s not impossible (and even quite likely) a Native man would have been catholic.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Agreed. I actually think it’s even more likely he was from Woonsocket, which is a town in Rhode Island that has a long history of Québécois residents. You see back in the days of the mills and factories there was a wave of Québécois who migrated to New England. So the Leatherman (who I call Jean-Luc) could have been from Woonsocket.

[@mercuryvincent6796]

Simon has been totally scarred by Casual Criminalist that the 1st thought of hearing Leatherman is that he uses the skin of not adults, but children 😱😭

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

I subscribe to the Trauma Induced Homelessness Theory. Even if he did pop up before the war, America was still wild back then. Its entirely possible he witnessed or took part in the killing of a native tribe as part of the westward expansion, or witnessed his party being killed by either natives or other settlers(because they killed eachother quite frequently) and was driven insane. Thats my first guess as to how he ended up the way he was. My second choice is that he burnt out his brain on Laudanum. Its a mixture of Opium and Ethanol that was a commonplace medicine at the time. Its EXTREMELY addictive and is just as damaging to the mind and body as you'd imagine a mixture of opium and liquor would be. The fact that his only known purchase included liquor and beer leads me to believe some form of addiction could be the culprit. My third choice would be undiagnosed autism. The lack of social skills, abnormally regular schedule without variation, and generally avoiding social contact just makes me think that if his brain wasnt damaged by trauma or drugs then autism or a similar diagnosis was the cause.

[@Dude0000]

Two, even three, things can be true at once.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

@@Dude0000 Thats a good point. I was just sticking to single source solutions, but you are very right.

[@raquellofstedt9713]

I have thought of the undiagnosed autism. Many I have met who manage one language well have difficulty managing a second and the mental flexibility that it requires. If h were highly functioning, he could manage survival skills quite well, and might well not have the need for social interaction beyond what he got when he approached people for food or goods. He does have the facial features that often accompany the syndromes that co ocurr with autism syndrom, such as th broad spacing bewten the eyes and the midface development, but all that is usually less than absolutley dfinitive and could be something else. I really am relieved that most people seemed to be protective of him.

[@rosiejl2798]

The alcohol was such a small amount it was likely used as a disinfectant rather than a sign of alcoholism. I agree it is likely he had some form of neurodivergence such as Autism and adhd. It doesnt seem like he was unhappy with his lifestyle or suffering so I think it is unlikely that it was some self imposed punishment. He may have experienced trauma that created a fear of people but it seems more like he just prefered keeping his distance due to the more close you get to others, obligations and expectations around reciprocity creep in, in addition to more complex social communication. By keeping a distance he was able to matain the low demand lifestyle he wanted and avoid the hurt that can come from misunderstandings in communication. Those are my thoughts as an Autistic person who also studied psychology.

[@anamkarajoy]

That awkward moment when Simon frustrates himself within his own tangent, ending with indignantly insisting you know what homelessness smells like.

[@KamielDV2]

Well everyone unfortunately knows what not getting to wash yourself unfortunately smells like. I've had swampy nuts before

[@Balrog-tf3bg]

Take a walk downtown where I live and tell me you also don’t know what homeless people smell like 🤮

[@agingerbeard]

I was homeless. I didn't bathe or wash clothes for over a year. My clothing was rancid, but my body itself wasn't as bad according to others. Spend a night in a men's shelter, you don't forget the smell of neglected human bodies.

[@btetschner]

A+ video! Excellent images and story!

[@katcaparula7898]

I like how when Simon says Leroy it sounds like a fancy name unlike in my head where it sounds like a toothless mechanic in Alabama.

[@matthieusaade3616]

I will forever hear LEROOOOOOY JENKIIIINS

[@SmartStart24]

Lmao so true

[@pretzelhunt]

"what is this it's a regular cracker, theres nothing fancy about this cracker. ooh those look good.." lmao

[@SunnySoprano420]

There was a homeless man in my city that walked around in all weather wearing these huge chains around his neck. The type of chains that are used on tug boats. There was a million origin stories about him but I don't think anyone new his true story

[@-Katastrophe]

The fact that Leatherman's jacket burned in a fire seems quite fitting as he just wanted to be left alone, not be used as a curiosity.

[@adamwiggins9865]

Ever hear of Francis Abbot the hobo of Niagara Falls? He was known to live on Goat island and would be observed hanging over the falls from planks of wood seemingly for gags. He was in the area for years and then was last seen near the banks of the river one day, his clothes were found in that spot folded in a pile. Never seen again

[@uruuphiil8335]

God rest this unknown free spirit. in my own years of homelessness I knew many sould like The Leatherman, those who lived unusual lives.. all of them, to a person, were gentle souls who just preferred to live their own way in this world. God rest you, Leatherman. may you now rest in peace.

[@hpgdovin]

Grew up on stories of the Leatherman. So excited to hear about a local story!

[@QwertiusMaximus]

Wait... This is not about the folding multi-tool?

[@Le-cp9tr]

Two episodes in one day? We’re spoiled for choice!

[@Hillbilly001]

Two? Places and Side projects posted today too. Cheers

[@nateoconnor97]

I absolutely love the fact that as soon as the URL was provided, both Simon and I did the exact same thing by checking to see if the site still existed.

[@ajkleipass]

French-Canadian or French-Native American makes more sense than him being French-born. The combination of religion and indigenous roots is concerning given the Canadian history with forced integration schools. It's just too difficult to estimate how much of his behavior was nature (neurodivergent) and nurture (religion / anti-indigenous policies on both sides of the border). We can probably conclude that he was a good man, but a troubled one, and that in his final years he preferred to exist on the edge of society. Not quite alone, but not quite a part of any one place. 😢 As for his remains, or lack thereof, we are presuming that the first grave marker was placed correctly above his unmarked grave. It could have been placed at a convenient location for tourists. The grave site might have been vacant, or might have been an older unmarked grave.

[@13thMaiden]

This story kinda brought up memories of another story: The green man of New Castle, Pennsylvania. A guy that caused an urban legend by just being a severely disfigured man taking a walk.

[@Silhouex]

Please do an episode on Lu Bu, "The Flying General," possibly the greatest warrior to ever live. Not only is the fiction of his story amazing, but his true story is simply jaw-dropping. Also, no one on Spotify has covered him. The man faught 3 high-ranking generals to a stalemate in bladed combat.

[@btetschner]

58:32 Love the dark forest background and that music during the credits!

[@proWaffl3]

One of his shelters was at the summer camp I went to in southington, right next to Bristol/forestville, the shelter was literally just a few rocks but it was cool to see

[@rcrawford42]

I spent some time around the Society for Creative Anachronism, and at one event -- in the middle of Illinois, mid summer -- one of the tournament fighters fought in leather armor, head to toe. As he explained it, through the day it doubled its weight from soaking up sweat. So that's what Leatherman dealt with in the summer, though maybe with a little lower humidity.

[@ulalumewitch]

loved this! my hometown was featured in this and I’m sad to say I’ve never heard of The Leather Man before. as soon as the weather is warm i’ll definitely be hiking some of these trails!

[@mamaggear]

My sister and her family lived in Short Beach for years and we never heard of this before either

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

The Leatherman story (and his caves) are detailed as a vignette in the 2018 video game Where the Water Taste Like Wine, by a mysterious character later revealed to be the ghost of the Leatherman himself.

[@jrmckim]

Never heard of Leatherman before. Tho he sounds like some of the Cajun men I know from Southern Louisiana 😅

[@arska-pelejavlogejajaautoj5030]

We are here specifically for the tangents, Simon.

[@astralshore]

Nice one mate. For those interested in (even) more information about this interesting case, I can heartily recommend the relevant episode of the fantastic podcast Strange Familiars. Not affiliated in any way: just love it to bits.

[@milesprunier1198]

Simon, thank you for this episode on The Leather Man! I've been fascinated by him for decades and I used him as a character in my second novel THE LEATHER MAN'S CURSE. His story is so interesting that I was able to include much of his actual history in the story!

[@btetschner]

I just looked up that novel on Amazon.

[@DannySalter]

If Catholics can get away with eating fish on their so-called ‘Meatless Fridays’, then I’m pretty sure I was wrongfully arrested for eating Doner Kebabs on Pancake Day.

[@1pcfred]

The prohibition is for creatures that walk on the land. Fish swim so they're OK as they do not walk on land. There's also a dispensation for this kind of water rat type of creature too, if you actually have to have a bit of red meat. A sort of loophole if you will. Then you may dine on capybaras. Me, I go for fish. Lent is my favorite holiday. I love seafood.

[@janetpendlebury6808]

@@1pcfred And what exactly happens if you eat meat on a friday?

[@1pcfred]

@@janetpendlebury6808 that's a matter of theological debate. Ultimately God decides what happens. Acts of piety are generally viewed as being favorable though. The whole Friday meat thing is somewhat complicated. If you want to get into the full letter of it all. I'm not even going to try to cover it all here.

[@DneilB007]

They weren’t Doner Kebabs, were they? They were Donner Kebabs….

[@histrogeek]

Anglicans (e.g. Church of England), which I assume Simon's school was, often hold a Lenten discipline of no meat on Fridays in Lent (early spring before Easter). It's not usually maintained after that, although the school might have kept it for tradition sake. Until 1960s Roman Catholics were required to abstain from meat on all Fridays, barring speciall exemption. Fun fact: McDonald's added the Filet o' Fish because the franchise owners around Chicago wanted to keep their Catholic customers in Fridays.

[@jrmckim]

Can we please have more visuals of Joffery dying? I often wish Simon could get into GoT just share the pleasure of seeing Joffery meet his maker 😂

[@austinconway3918]

Love Decoding the Unknown. Let's go!!!!

[@thelordofcringe]

"Assault can just be words, cantit?" Simon revealing his Britishness here. In the US, you can say anything you want short of things like yelling fire in a theater, and similar malicious things that directly cause physical harm. You can insult and yell at people pretty openly, and it only becomes a crime if, say, you follow them and continue harassing them. Some sociologists believe it's this differing standard of what constitutes assault that explains the absence of a football hooligan equivalent in the US. In the UK, since just insulting rival fans is basically a crime in many cases, theres not much to lose by beating them up. In the US, only actually hitting them crosses the line, so there's less incentive to actually fight.

[@waynesteffen3262]

Danny, King of the Basement-great script!

[@panqueque445]

"We had double English, that's 120 minutes" I remember having double math. Half the class was tuned out after the first hour.

[@tabiunderwood9895]

Thanks for keeping things light and fun it helps a ton to watch when I'm having panick attacks ❤

[@slantedshark3853]

Thank you for this vid. I have lived in ct for the majority of my life and have never heard of this man or story. Im super interested in my states past and its awesome to hear one i didnt know existed. Thanks again simon and crew. Keep it up

[@bradlevantis913]

As someone with a French Canadian mother, a French Roman Catholic prayer book as a prized possession makes sense. Even in to the early 20th century the catholic roots were strong. My mother too had a well worn French prayer book.

[@mikaylacole4498]

How has Simon not cover the case of Asha degree? This case is truly bizarre. There are multiple layers, and if you take away one detail in the case, It can completely sway your opinion of what might’ve happened . It’s a very sad case, a true mystery, and for me its right up there with the JonBenét Ramseys case in terms of just wanted to know the truth. Asha degree was a nine-year-old girl who went missing from her home in February 2000 during a storm . She was seen walking along a highway at three in the morning. Two of the individuals who reported the sighting were a father and son pair of truckers, one of which I believe once worked at ashas school, and had ties to the police department. Questions of family involvement in the police cover-up swirl around this mystery. It drives me crazy that more channels don’t cover this case, and I would love to hear Simmons opinion on what could’ve happened

[@rachelann9362]

I’ve heard of that case, crime weekly has a huge three parter on it but it’s always good to get more perspectives. My personal opinion is that she was groomed. Perhaps by someone pretending to be a local kid. It was 2000, but there was still absolutely predators on the internet. I was born a few years earlier in ‘85 and I was being groomed online during the same year. It could have also been through one of the church groups she was involved in, or through other activities. I fully believe she was lured away from home-she didn’t seem to have the sort of life where one might expect running away like as in abuse, and I don’t think there’s much of any evidence to suggest someone took her from the home. Whether the groomer was involved in her disappearance directly I can’t really say.. there’s too many creeps and sadistic people out there. It’s a shame there’s a huge racial bias in reporting missing people on the news. She could have benefited from many more people being away of the situation.

[@RHenry83]

Hi from Branford CT…very famous story and man.

[@leolinguini260]

This is one of the best episodes so far. Props Danny & Simon

[@BaronVonQuiply]

56:55 The watch comment gave me a weird flashback regarding the calculator watch and how it went from an expensive bragging-rights luxury to a punchline in a relatively short time. Of course, having just said that I now realize that if I go search for one I'll likely find it for 12k because they rare collectibles of today are the things most people threw away yesterday.

[@CooperBayBay]

Pearl Jam has a track titled ''Leatherman" its good

[@tylerwood8710]

These scripts are just a delivery method for Simon's tangents. That's not even some irrational neg; it's a positive.

[@scottieman2]

The first time I've heard about Leather Man was on Watcher. Weird stuff.

[@fried_egg2282]

I’ve been to his grave and one of his caves. People pile up stones on his grave, it’s very nice. The cave I went to is very cozy, maybe about 4x5 ft, I wouldn’t mind staying there for a bit.

[@negativepercentage]

Whatttttt that’s crazyyyy 17:22

[@chrf65]

I grew up very close to the route of The Leatherman. Possibly even on his route if he veered off his known route. I still live in the area. Growing up in the 80s, we learned all about him. Awesome to hear local history on DTU. Dan DeLuca I'd from a town 20 minutes away.

[@TremendousaurusRex]

Suggestion for future episodes: Robert Taylor UFO incident Enfield poltergeist The Hobbits of Flores island

[@Crawfishness]

I haven't watched the video yet, isn't this the guy who's supposed to bring us sugar and tea and rum?

[@matthieusaade3616]

Hahahahahahhahaha , best comment on this video 😂. Just in case , it's the Wellerman

[@danielnixon8416]

the Leatherman was one of the local legends where I grew up.

[@SJDraco]

I grew up in ridgefield CT and the story of the Leatherman is dear to my heart ❤️

[@Tkon321]

Being a native from NewHaven, this makes me very happy. Thank you Simon and team!!

[@MeeraReads]

23:56 I love when Simon drops little reminders that he went to law school 😂 Assault can indeed just be words. Battery requires a harmful or offensive contact

[@SeanCurtiss]

I live near the trails he frequented. It is a cool piece of local lore, this and Dudleytown.