Co-written with Rob Yasinsac
 Scan of photo originally published in The Lure of the Litchfield Hills Magazine, December, 1952 |
Scarborough is a hamlet of the town of Ossining, New York, which is about 30 miles north of New York City located on the Hudson River. Not quite as regal as the two or three old mansions it’s best known for – but just as significant and interesting – is the Sparta Cemetery, just off Route 9, yards from the famous Scarborough Presbyterian Church. There, five feet from the road behind a gate pillar, is the grave of “The Leather Man.”
My interest in the real Leather Man was sparked in early 1998 when I discovered that the b-side of the newly released first single from Yield, “Given to Fly,” was a song called “Leatherman.” I was only vaguely familiar with story about this man of the land, but I looked in my copy of History of the Tarrytowns and sure enough, Eddie Vedder’s description of the Leatherman exactly matched the story as told by author Wally Buxton. My question to Synergy’s Rumor Pit in the summer of 1998, and the resulting answer, confirmed it.
Q: Ever since “Leatherman” was released, I’ve wondered if it was written about a certain Jules Bourglay – “The Leather Man” – who wandered Westchester County, NY in the late 19th century. Was it?
A: Yes.
Shortly thereafter, at Madison Square Garden in New York (just 26 miles downstate from the Leather Man’s grave) on September 11, 1998, Ed explained the songs origins to the local crowd: “So two Christmases ago, I was staying with a good friend somewhere on the outskirts; outside of the city, outside of the trains, outside of the traffic. And this next song’s written about this guy we learned about on on this hike that we took. We took this hike and out on these back trails and this guy used to set up these little caves – ya know, rock caves – and he had them all spread around like for ten miles. And he would, just every night, go to a different cave – each one just a few miles away from each other. So the next song’s written about him. So this is ‘Leatherman.’”
Side by side, Eddie’s lyrics match up directly to the facts from excerpts of History of the Tarrytowns
| “Leatherman” words/music by Eddie Vedder I heard about a man To whom I may be related He’s leatherman Died a long time ago In the 1880s Leatherman, leatherman Covered with leather But it wasn’t tight Underneath the moon In the woods at night Making his rounds Ten miles a day Once a month they’d spot him And here’s what they’d say Here he comes He’s a man of the land He’s leatherman Smile on his face Axe in his pack He’s leatherman, leatherman, leatherman Comes out of the caves Once a day to be fed Wasn’t known to say much But “thanks for the bread” So modern day, I walk ’round With my jacket faded Just like a man of leather To whom I may be related Rolled cigarette For which he’d ask for a light Appeared to be an animal Yet so polite Making his rounds Ten miles a day Once a month they’d spot him And here’s what they’d say Here he comes He’s a man of the land He’s leatherman Smile on his face Axe in his pack He’s leatherman, leatherman, leatherman Leatherman, leatherman Shake his hand, he’s leatherman Bake some bread, he’s leatherman Shame he’s dead, I saw his bed It’s all that’s left of leatherman, leatherman Give me some skin, Leatherman |
From A History of Tarrytowns by Caning and Buxton “A grave, unmarked for many years, in Scarborough’s Sparta Cemetery holds the remains of Jules Bourglay, a Frenchman whose curious ways earned him the nickname, ‘The Leather Man’.” “Legend says Bourglay began his strange behavior after his failure in the leather business of his future father-in-law broke up his romance in the mid-19th century. Stricken with grief, he came to America and wandered between the Hudson and Connecticut Rivers, clad in the substance of his ruin: leather. His presence soon was heralded throughout the area as people came to recognize the leather-clad gentleman who was never known to speak, enter a house or accept favors or money from anyone. Some early writers believed he was a mute. He appeared many times in the Tarrytowns, reported Marcus D. Raymond, early historian and editor for the old Tarrytown Argus. “The Leather Man was known for his great appetite. His regular order in local groceries was a loaf of bread, a can of sardines, a pound of fancy crackers, a pie, two quarts of coffee, a gill of brandy and a bottle of beer.” “He wore a suit of heavy leather year-round and must have been a strong man to wear this heavy suit and walk the many miles he tramped each day in his wandering, solitary existence.” “The Darrow family of Shrub Oak in northern Westchester developed such an interest in the Leather Man that, in the front of their account book for 1884-93, they listed the dates he passed through that community from 1885-89. the list shows that he visited Shrub Oak a little less frequently than once a month, usually appearing in mid-morning; next to the dates are brief notes about whether he stopped and, if so, for how long and what he did.” “Representatives for the Connecticut Humane Society became so concerned about the Leather Man that in December 1888 they had the old man arrested and taken to a Hartford hospital. But he wanted his freedom. He had money and refused to stay, so hospital authorities judged him sane except for an emotional affliction, and released him to his wanderings.” “He died March 24, 1889, some say of cancer, in a shelter on the George Dell farm in Briarcliff and, after a coroner’s inquest, he was buried as a public charge in an unmarked grave. History enthusiasts of the Westchester County Historical Society learned the location of the grave and placed markers on it in the 1930′s.” “the inscription on the modest headstone near the entrance to Sparta Cemetery on Route 9 reads: ‘Final resting place of Jules Bourglay of Lyons, France, “The Leather Man,” who regularly walked a 365-mile route through Westchester and Connecticut from the Connecticut River to the Hudson, living in caves, in the years 1858-1889.’” |
| Headstone of the Leather Man
It reads: OF LYONS, FRANCE “THE LEATHER MAN” who regularly walked a 365 mile route through Westchester and Connecticut from the Connecticut River to the Hudson living in caves in the years 1858-1889 |
So that’s it? The Leather Man is Jules Bourglay? End of story? Apparently not.
Historian Dan DeLuca of Meriden, CT has found through research that the Leatherman was not named “Jules Bourglay” and that the story of his origins in France and failed love affair are a myth. In other words, there was a Leatherman – and only one – but his true name and origins remain unknown to us today. “I have been researching the ‘Old Leather Man’ for about 20 years now and have been collecting many articles on him” writes DeLuca. “The first ‘Jules Bourglay story’ was printed by the Waterbury Daily American, August 16, 1884. And four denials were printed in 1889. Historian Allison Albee of Rye, N.Y., who was an authority on the history of the well-known character, spent endless years to keep historical facts from legends. He did research in France, to try to confirm the Jules Bourglay story – No names in the story were able to be confirmed. Research was done on the person who penned the story, and there was no person of that name from that town – the story was made up. The ‘Old Leather Man’ was not ‘Joules Bourglay.’”
The weaving of fact and fiction about this curious character has meant that his story has taken on the dimensions of a minor myth. And the Pearl Jam song, “Leatherman” has gathered it’s own mystery. Why was “Leatherman” the only one of two original studio Pearl Jam b-sides that weren’t included on Lost Dogs? Only Pearl Jam knows for sure.
| “Leatherman”‘s release set the stage for the band’s second trilogy – the “Man Trilogy” (the first trilogy being the well-known “Mamasan Trilogy” of “Alive” “Once” and “Footsteps”). This trilogy consists of Pearl Jam songs with “man” in it: “Better Man,” “Nothingman,” and “Leatherman.” The first time the Man trilogy was performed was at the 6/24/98 Rapid City, SD concert. “Nothingman,” “Leatherman,” and “Better Man” were played one after another, and Ed introduced the songs with “We’re gonna do something this band has never attempted before – play three songs in a row with ‘man’ in the title.”
Leatherman highlights:
06/24/98 Rapid City, SD – First Trilogy, played consecutively Nothingman, Leatherman, Better Man 06/27/98 East Troy, WI – Trilogy, all songs played, not played consecutively Nothingman… Leatherman, Better Man 07/08/98 Phoenix, AZ – Leatherman played, no trilogy
07/11/98 Las Vegas, NV – Trilogy, all songs played, not played consecutively 09/08/98 E. Rutherford, NJ – Trilogy, songs played consecutively 09/11/98 New York, NY – Trilogy, all songs played, not played consecutively 06/04/00 Manchester, UK – Trilogy, all songs played, not played consecutively
06/23/00 Zurich, CH – Trilogy, songs played consecutively 08/07/00 Atlanta, GA – Trilogy, songs played consecutively 08/10/00 West Palm Beach, FL – Trilogy, songs played consecutively 08/21/00 Columbus, OH – Trilogy, all songs played, not played consecutively 08/23/00 Wantagh, NY – Trilogy, songs played consecutively 08/30/00 Mansfield, MA – Trilogy, songs played consecutively
10/09/00 Rosemont, IL – Trilogy, songs played consecutively 10/28/00 Devore, CA – Trilogy, songs played consecutively
11/02/00 Portland, OR – Trilogy, all songs played, not played consecutively
11/06/00 Seattle, WA – Trilogy, songs played consecutively
03/04/03 Osaka, JP- Trilogy, songs played consecutively 04/16/03 Charlotte, NC – Trilogy, songs played consecutively 06/26/03 Detroit, MI – Trilogy, songs played consecutively 07/11/03 Mansfield, MA – Trilogy, songs played consecutively 09/22/05 Halifax, NS – Trilogy, played separately, once each set 10/03/05 Philadelphia, PA – Trilogy, songs played consecutively by John Reynolds
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Bibliography and Further Reading
- History of the Tarrytowns, Canning and Buxton. Harbor Hill Books, 1975.
- “The Old Leather Man”, The Lure of the Litchfield Hills (Magazine), December, 1952
- “Story of Fabulous Leather Man Who Roamed State 88 Years Ago Related.” Waterbury Republican, Page 4, October 14, 1944
- “Old Leather Man”, compiled by Dan Deluca from various sources
- www.HudsonValleyRuins.org
About the Author
Rob Yasinsac has been documenting historic and distinctive architecture in the Hudson Valley since 1994, showcased at www.HudsonValleyRuins.org. A resident of Tarrytown, New York, Rob has focused his work on ruins and abandoned buildings. Since graduating from college, Rob has worked as a Museum Associate at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, NY, a property of Historic Hudson Valley. He serves as a Trustee on the Boards of the Westchester County and Irvington Historical Societies. The author of Briarcliff Lodge, published in 2004 by Arcadia, and Rob is currently co-authoring another book, Hudson Valley Ruins. Rob is also among four photographers documenting the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery for a book on the famed resting place of Washington Irving, Walter Chrysler, William Rockefeller, Samuel Gompers and other luminaries.
This is Rob’s first article for TwoFeetThick.com
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