The Strange Disappearance of The Leatherman • Mystery Files

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ธ.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 3K

  • @watcher
    @watcher  ปีที่แล้ว +623

    Use WATCHER8 to get 55% off your first month at Scentbird sbird.co/41WwmPj

    • @FrFrost-q9b
      @FrFrost-q9b ปีที่แล้ว +15

      :)

    • @Relcilisity_Official
      @Relcilisity_Official ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Ok

    • @danielsantiagourtado3430
      @danielsantiagourtado3430 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Love You guys so much! Leave a hearth ❤❤❤❤

    • @karinamircheva4535
      @karinamircheva4535 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Dear boys, will we ever see some more of Ricky Goldsworth in the future? I miss the guy…

    • @_yashyadav_
      @_yashyadav_ ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Will there be version of hotdog saga in next debrief? 🌝

  • @thepragmaticvoice
    @thepragmaticvoice ปีที่แล้ว +7626

    "Have you ever wanted to be big? Or even average sized?" Shane kills me.

    • @catherinekress2138
      @catherinekress2138 ปีที่แล้ว +366

      Ryan's face and splutter absolutely sent me.

    • @razaldazal2259
      @razaldazal2259 ปีที่แล้ว +196

      Shane went for the throat lol

    • @aavi.
      @aavi. ปีที่แล้ว +125

      ryan went like ✨️ThE AudaCiTy✨️🤌🏻☻️

    • @FluidityContents
      @FluidityContents ปีที่แล้ว +23

      @@razaldazal2259 And that “coffee” went for Shane’s throat. Cue more Ryan confusion

    • @QuietBeast
      @QuietBeast ปีที่แล้ว

      ryan is gay

  • @watchmedo635
    @watchmedo635 ปีที่แล้ว +4661

    I like Ryan’s theory that leatherman was distant because he feared infecting people. Dude was probably just lonely and grateful that people cared enough to feed him

    • @finnbakker
      @finnbakker ปีที่แล้ว +293

      I also wondered if what we were seeing was a case of untreated mental illness , or a neurodivergence of some form.

    • @kartmo
      @kartmo ปีที่แล้ว +167

      ​@@finnbakker I 100% believe that. Even know lots of mentally ill ppl get homeless with no care. Wouldn't be surprised if he eventually got sicker and sicker, was able to hold/find a job, lost his home, etc.

    • @cosmonauthal7651
      @cosmonauthal7651 ปีที่แล้ว +100

      @@finnbakker I’m not a gambling man but the dude who walked around in the same leather suit for 30 years I would absolutely bet had unchecked and undiagnosed mental disabilities.

    • @maddielkaye
      @maddielkaye ปีที่แล้ว +25

      He wouldn’t have been contagious! In plain terms, he died of sepsis when one of the sores in his mouth (caused by the autoimmune disease Lupus) became infected. Although you can pass the main infection onto others, sepsis is not contagious. And he’d have to drink after them, kiss them, etc. etc. to spread that particular infection. Not that he knew that though 😂

    • @watchmedo635
      @watchmedo635 ปีที่แล้ว +58

      @@maddielkaye thanks! I suppose it's likely that he might have thought he was contagious, considering that germ theory back then still wasn't commonly well known. I just hope that he was happy during his life!

  • @marionette4882
    @marionette4882 ปีที่แล้ว +4266

    For the debrief: I used to live along the Leatherman's loop, but I have never heard of this particular folktale before. Curious, I asked my mom and she told me that not only did we apparently live right next to one of his caves, but apparently she read that our house used to be a priest's house and when it was too cold the priest would let the Leatherman come into the house for the night. Long story short, apparently the Leatherman was in my HOUSE. Question for you guys: would you let the Leatherman into your house on a cold winter night?

    • @RosieMe5
      @RosieMe5 ปีที่แล้ว +126

      I grew up in the area as well, you can take a hike at Pound Ridge to one of his caves

    • @MsKJackson831
      @MsKJackson831 ปีที่แล้ว +85

      I dunno man forensics back then didn't exist he could off me and no one would even know he was there. Kinda risky lol Super cool story about your house.

    • @jacobgarvia1065
      @jacobgarvia1065 ปีที่แล้ว

      No motherfuckers he's staying outside with the wind plus that leather gotta be cold and noisy as he walks around yeah he's getting roasted and staying outside

    • @poopoo8475
      @poopoo8475 ปีที่แล้ว +109

      first thats cool as fuck second absolutely i would gotta help out a guy in need that said id sleep on the other side of the house i have germaphobia

    • @Flanneryschickens
      @Flanneryschickens ปีที่แล้ว +25

      That's so cool! And yeah I'd help Leatherman out, he can crash by my fire anytime!

  • @poppyonline4034
    @poppyonline4034 ปีที่แล้ว +6268

    “That’s when the leading cause of death was January.”
    Absolute fantastic line by Shane.

    • @ananiahbolton3443
      @ananiahbolton3443 ปีที่แล้ว +211

      @@xOscarAx it gets cold in the winter and people get sick or there’s not a lot of food for the cold months

    • @sunsun5005
      @sunsun5005 ปีที่แล้ว +63

      I wish Shane had written my grade school textbooks

    • @poppyonline4034
      @poppyonline4034 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@sunsun5005 me too!

    • @xglosis
      @xglosis ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Cracked me right up 😂

    • @missybarbour6885
      @missybarbour6885 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      That's a line from last year's Ryan Reynolds and Will Farrell Christmas movie "Spirited"

  • @Willo_thee_wisp
    @Willo_thee_wisp ปีที่แล้ว +3417

    “Are you telling me the government could be incompetent?” is the most real thing Shane has ever said, I need that on a shirt

    • @mauratyson9580
      @mauratyson9580 ปีที่แล้ว +77

      It’s the same energy as “if you ever think ‘the government wouldn’t do that’ oh yes they would”

    • @tossoutacc9241
      @tossoutacc9241 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@mauratyson9580 I’d love to see a Watcher and Wendigoon collab

    • @georgeDeming
      @georgeDeming ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@tossoutacc9241 that is a damn good idea, we need to petition that

    • @tossoutacc9241
      @tossoutacc9241 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@georgeDeming I feel like Shane and Wendigoon would get along really well even though they have completely opposite supernatural beliefs, they’re just chill like that Fr

    • @elisajimenez8738
      @elisajimenez8738 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      On a shirt in a shirt they shrilled with glee

  • @bridiekelly9323
    @bridiekelly9323 ปีที่แล้ว +1022

    You guys should investigate the button man from Victoria in Australia. Apparently he is still around. He is known for sneaking up on campsites and leaving buttons in tents with photos taken of campers sleeping. He has even been rumoured to be involved in the disappearance of 4 hikers. There are still reported sightings of him, it’s really creepy

    • @amp-le4699
      @amp-le4699 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      damn

    • @AmazingSandMBunny
      @AmazingSandMBunny ปีที่แล้ว +44

      That is heck'n terrifying D:

    • @MrSpooner1985
      @MrSpooner1985 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      Well thats nightmarish. Also, button man is an oldish term for hired killer.

    • @KodakBlacksBrain
      @KodakBlacksBrain ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Yeah you definitely gassed this up a bit lol

    • @SirDankleberry
      @SirDankleberry ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Victoria in general is weird. They're too far south.

  • @Ali-mv3jc
    @Ali-mv3jc ปีที่แล้ว +11648

    I love that these townspeople got so hyped about some random guy wearing leather coming to town.

    • @oceanoflotion8630
      @oceanoflotion8630 ปีที่แล้ว +108

      Lol. Did they see that season of American Horror Story before the rest of us?

    • @daisyjoy242
      @daisyjoy242 ปีที่แล้ว +359

      I find it wholesome that they were happy to see a guy wearing leather in their town.

    • @catherinekress2138
      @catherinekress2138 ปีที่แล้ว +318

      I know right. Taking the day off school to greet Leatherman seems awesome.

    • @Ali-mv3jc
      @Ali-mv3jc ปีที่แล้ว +433

      @@daisyjoy242 when I was a kid we'd all go mad for the scrap iron man. He collected scrap metal once a month and would blow a trumpet and yell "any old iron" and people would bring out their scrap for him, we would all wave at him and he would wave and toot his trumpet at us

    • @mlokgerm
      @mlokgerm ปีที่แล้ว +135

      Probably not much else going on back then

  • @abigailsmith4136
    @abigailsmith4136 ปีที่แล้ว +4621

    I find it absolutely hilarious that Shane gets to write off his leather outfit as a work expense.

    • @robineaken4524
      @robineaken4524 ปีที่แล้ว +143

      Or do you think he already owned it?

    • @raconbacon5649
      @raconbacon5649 ปีที่แล้ว +195

      @@robineaken4524 i dont know which option i find funnier

    • @b0o0dlesn0o0dles
      @b0o0dlesn0o0dles ปีที่แล้ว +59

      needs to add baby powder to the list of work expenses so he doesn't get so slick in his work outfit!

    • @CantTellYou
      @CantTellYou 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      @@robineaken4524 I think he did own already. Because _I_ think.... he *IS* THE LEATHERMAN

    • @williamrice1317
      @williamrice1317 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      This didn’t age well

  • @tinyprayingmantis
    @tinyprayingmantis ปีที่แล้ว +242

    love the idea of using “friend of leatherman” as a phrase. similar to “friend of dorothy”
    except being a friend of the leatherman just implies that you’re ok with a random man eating food on your porch

  • @sashaklepner
    @sashaklepner ปีที่แล้ว +3923

    shane's outfits are getting progressively more insane and i LOVE it

    • @andoncroft5154
      @andoncroft5154 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Sasha and me ghost hunting together 😁

    • @anaherceg7697
      @anaherceg7697 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      It was his first episode shot, but it's a great series finale

    • @Dak_Artz
      @Dak_Artz ปีที่แล้ว

      REAL, ME TOO

    • @TheRogueCommand
      @TheRogueCommand ปีที่แล้ว +29

      he's going to make a great eccentric old man someday

    • @hououinkyoumaich
      @hououinkyoumaich ปีที่แล้ว +9

      More in-shane*

  • @yael8754
    @yael8754 ปีที่แล้ว +5728

    Shane: billionaire, philanthropist, professional ghoul boy, puppet master, and also... Leatherman now? There is nothing Shane cannot do.

    • @Peannlui
      @Peannlui ปีที่แล้ว +85

      because there's no one left to stop him

    • @ferisera
      @ferisera ปีที่แล้ว +169

      They've also called him "daddy" in one the episodes. So I guess he could technically be called a Leather Daddy.

    • @glasscardproductions4736
      @glasscardproductions4736 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      Toss some flesh on him and he's a bear, too.
      The man is unstoppable.

    • @luke-wp8vc
      @luke-wp8vc ปีที่แล้ว +190

      Also a bridge owner

    • @yael8754
      @yael8754 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      ​@@luke-wp8vc I knew I was forgetting something important!!

  • @LPdedicated
    @LPdedicated ปีที่แล้ว +1188

    I'm an archaeologist and we find outlines of graves with no bones all the time. I've never worked with such a "young" grave but in general, organic materials may deteriorate but things such as nails from the coffin will be left behind. The temperate climate of the area and the presumably acidic soil may have created the ideal conditions for organic material to deteriorate relatively fast. I imagine the coffin wasn't of a high quality either, so I think the first option is very possible.

    • @Inthepotwithdiogenes
      @Inthepotwithdiogenes ปีที่แล้ว +190

      The lupus may have also impacted his bone density. There may have been nothing left far sooner than another body in the same conditions may have.

    • @LPdedicated
      @LPdedicated ปีที่แล้ว +127

      @@InthepotwithdiogenesOh yes, absolutely! Very good point. I've seen examples where the bones had more spongy texture thus creating more surface area, and it of course speeds up bone decay way faster (those were from people who had either been pregnant or had syfilis, noticeable in the pelvis and eye sockets, respectively), but an autoimmune disease like lupus will definitely affect bone density!

    • @Inthepotwithdiogenes
      @Inthepotwithdiogenes ปีที่แล้ว +56

      @LPdedicated yeah! I trained as an archeologist before switching to anthropology due to some health issues becoming disabiling. Even something as simple as an iron defficency could have made his bones pretty porous. I doubt a man eating only liquids had a great balance of necessary nutrients in his diet.
      Curious, do you think the leather suit could have survived the soil conditions? I am doubting the autenthicty of the leather suit worn by the "200 year old living leatherman", myself.

    • @je7055
      @je7055 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      FWIW he probably didn't have lupus as we understand it today. 19th century doctors used the term very broadly to describe necrotic patches or open sores on the face, so he probably had mouth or tongue cancer, hence his only being able to drink liquids. the fact that he was able to make his circuit around New England on foot, in such a consistently timely manner, probably rules out any mixed connective tissue disorder.

    • @jessicastar433
      @jessicastar433 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Super cool! Thanks for sharing

  • @whimsicalstray
    @whimsicalstray ปีที่แล้ว +12352

    Can you imagine how Leatherman smelled? Imagine a jar of peanut butter. Now, imagine that jar of peanut butter was a homeless French man that walked around New England wearing leather, head to toe, for years. That's how he smelled.

    • @poppyonline4034
      @poppyonline4034 ปีที่แล้ว +547

      Excellent reference.

    • @Historia_Strange
      @Historia_Strange ปีที่แล้ว +333

      This is hysterical 😭😂 I hope Shane sees this lmfao

    • @kellysowhat88
      @kellysowhat88 ปีที่แล้ว +165

      60 pounds of it in summer time. Yikes! That’s not just peanut butter, it has “experienced” some things.

    • @villeneuve1388
      @villeneuve1388 ปีที่แล้ว +65

      My six year old refuses to let me wash his dressing gown because apparently it 'smells like peanut butter'.

    • @memj7873
      @memj7873 ปีที่แล้ว +76

      Oh my gosh, make a petition for "imagine a jar of peanut butter" to become the new bungee gum meme/copypasta

  • @julie_nelson55
    @julie_nelson55 ปีที่แล้ว +5227

    How...was grave robbing not a theory? I feel like if people were so obsessed "finding his treasure" in his caves, they'd have no problem robbing his grave

    • @moon16879
      @moon16879 ปีที่แล้ว +142

      mmm i think they'd leave evidence behind/would be noticeable if they tried so maybe thats why

    • @starrysky324
      @starrysky324 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      exactly!

    • @____Carnage____
      @____Carnage____ ปีที่แล้ว +305

      @@moon16879 I mean it took them several years just to put a marker on his grave, so who’s to say it didn’t happen

    • @moon16879
      @moon16879 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      @@____Carnage____ yeah thats true, i guess i was just thinking that if you worked in the cemetery for a while you'd probably notice if someone tried to rob a grave

    • @Pashensii-rp2up
      @Pashensii-rp2up ปีที่แล้ว +190

      ​@@moon16879Not really. Grave robbing was a whole moneymaking thing back in the 1800s and early 1900s. And a lot of people were taken from graves without anyone ever knowing until they confessed or were otherwise found. Theres still probably a lot of people that are not in their graves that we dont know of

  • @britpopwh0ree486
    @britpopwh0ree486 ปีที่แล้ว +1597

    Shane quoting matt berry’s “neWw YoRk CitAyyyy” makes me so unbelievably giddy with happiness

    • @Hybries
      @Hybries ปีที่แล้ว +132

      Was hoping to see someone talk about it, that wild WWDITS reference made my day!

    • @julia1493
      @julia1493 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Was looking for that comment :D

    • @juiceyborger
      @juiceyborger ปีที่แล้ว +32

      made me wanna rewatch WWDITS before the new season comes out

    • @sammieadamson3734
      @sammieadamson3734 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Literally same x

    • @butterfly_1795
      @butterfly_1795 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      RIGHT!! I REPLAYED IT A FEW TIMES

  • @brownsugarlicorice
    @brownsugarlicorice ปีที่แล้ว +2554

    Love that Ryan spent the whole video refusing to touch Shane’s horrid leather getup but as soon as Shane said it would be for the audio of the hug he did it. Dedicated to his craft.

  • @Faikitty
    @Faikitty ปีที่แล้ว +915

    "She died several months earlier of death" might well be the the best sentence ever uttered.
    Also, excellent pronunciation of New York City, Shane. Truly impeccable.

    • @babahu15
      @babahu15 ปีที่แล้ว +65

      he was channelling Laszlo from What We Do In the Shadows there

    • @Faikitty
      @Faikitty ปีที่แล้ว +14

      @@babahu15 which is yet another marker of Shane's incredibly amazing taste

    • @arlenedeane8455
      @arlenedeane8455 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Love knowing that Shane has such impeccable taste!

    • @sandraweiss4412
      @sandraweiss4412 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I feel like it's very closely followed up with " R: I suppose it's 1861 at that point. S: Yea, that's when the leading cause of death was January."
      true comedic gold right there pals

    • @OfficerRFriendly
      @OfficerRFriendly ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@babahu15 That's why he had to get that joke cleared.

  • @Emelia39
    @Emelia39 ปีที่แล้ว +524

    As someone who really hates how invasive we are toward peoples' personal lives, I really appreciate the historian who advocated for us to respect leatherman's wish to be left alone.

  • @SaturnFreak
    @SaturnFreak ปีที่แล้ว +2316

    Man, this Shane person seems to know a lot about obscure historical events. He should be on Puppet History, I bet he would get along really well with The Professor!

    • @Grimsded
      @Grimsded ปีที่แล้ว +69

      Yeah we need to get Shane to guest star as a contestant.

    • @CaseyAvalon
      @CaseyAvalon ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Hehe 🤭

    • @Clydedonovn2424
      @Clydedonovn2424 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I agree!

    • @erizodemar4149
      @erizodemar4149 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      Idk about that, with the professor flirting with his girlfriend and all...

    • @louiseharpth1267
      @louiseharpth1267 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Person? No he is a demon❤️

  • @lmooney97
    @lmooney97 ปีที่แล้ว +1626

    I would absolutely believe that the doctors/medical examiners kept the body to use as a cadaver. Rare untreated condition example and all that. Totally thought they’d get away with it too, like “he’s just going to a paupers grave, who’s gonna doubled check we actually send it?”

    • @cristinbuskard9250
      @cristinbuskard9250 ปีที่แล้ว +212

      Even barring his illness it was extremely common at this time for bodies to be sold for medical students to work on. This was my immediate theory as well!

    • @Atuchy
      @Atuchy ปีที่แล้ว +45

      And then maybe medical examiners sold his leather?

    • @rosiejl2798
      @rosiejl2798 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      Yup I thought body snatchers but it would make sense if they cut out the middleman and buried an empty coffin.

    • @manon_0411
      @manon_0411 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      I thought about this too, but one important part in body snatching (or just keeping the body for medical research) is that it had to be super fresh, which is why body snatchers acted as soon as possible after the burial. This guy however, had already been dead three or four days before it got to the medical examiner, and in a cave where he would have been partially exposed to the elements. Maybe add another half day from the moment he was found to the end of the autopsy. Would he still have been fresh enough to be used in medical training/research? My grandpa worked at the morgue for some time, mostly just to assist in embalming and carying bodies, and he said even bodies relatively fresh (dead for a day or two) already smelled horrible, so I'm wondering if this one would have been okay after this time.

    • @aritrasaha441
      @aritrasaha441 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      This is the most logical solution.

  • @meatball1917
    @meatball1917 ปีที่แล้ว +155

    shane has that john green energy of “you’d be an incredible high school teacher but I’m so glad you’re not”

  • @AdeptiHotline
    @AdeptiHotline ปีที่แล้ว +1208

    Question for Shane: Did you already own all of the amazing stylish leather clothes or were you so touched by the Leatherman's story that you immediately had to buy your own leather suit to honor him?

    • @CharlieKling7
      @CharlieKling7 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Real and high quality leather is pretty expensive so I assume the production cost covered it, so they could get a tax write off.

    • @HeyLeFay
      @HeyLeFay ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@CharlieKling7 Just from looking at him, that outfit is pleather. It does not look like really leather; also real leather would be super expensive and uncomfortable.

    • @maddieb.4282
      @maddieb.4282 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@HeyLeFayreal leather is not uncomfortable and breathes better than “vegan leather” aka pleather which is literally just plastic

  • @Peter_Dirga
    @Peter_Dirga ปีที่แล้ว +2678

    Seeing Ryan and Shane become friends again through the wholesome spirit of the Leatherman truly warms my heart.

    • @annabellelee4535
      @annabellelee4535 ปีที่แล้ว +63

      LOL, the sound of the leather when Ryan hugged Shane!!!

    • @lexigrimhaive
      @lexigrimhaive ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Friends again?

    • @prash5203
      @prash5203 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      were they not friends before lol?

    • @RatKingShriggy
      @RatKingShriggy ปีที่แล้ว +211

      @@prash5203 it's a reference to that episode where shane joked that their friendship ended, i already forgot the reason he started that bit, but it was funny

    • @annabellelee4535
      @annabellelee4535 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      @@lexigrimhaive Remember the bit in the last show where Shane declared they were not friends but may be friends again. It was rather funny.

  • @Shadeadder
    @Shadeadder ปีที่แล้ว +688

    Honestly, the E-zek identity is most believable to me. Someone choosing to wear a heavy and uncomfortable leather outfit and continuously walk a circuitous route, relying on other people's generosity, speaking little, and praying sounds like a biblical penance someone would take on if they knew they were dying and feared the state of their soul. He might have been from French Canada.

    • @SorceressRin
      @SorceressRin 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +41

      I agree, he sounds like he had mental health issues and the first two explanations are just two 'clean cut'. Like neat little narratives. Real human lives are more messy and complicated than that.

    • @CantTellYou
      @CantTellYou 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      I like how most the theories revolve around how much people had an affinity for leather 😂 that one actually makes some sense though

    • @anniedouma2307
      @anniedouma2307 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +26

      Could also be the French pronunciation of “Isaac,” adding to the Biblical references

    • @JonCheadle
      @JonCheadle 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      ​@@SorceressRinthe second identity is clearly manufactured. he didn't cut wood, only used fallen branches --> parents where woodcutters. only wore leather --> some story about a guy losing his happy life because of leather.

    • @wearingspacesuits
      @wearingspacesuits 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      @@anniedouma2307oh my god thank you for finally saying this, I was scrolling wondering how in the hell no one immediately went 'oh, his name is def Isaac' lmao

  • @chlotastrophie
    @chlotastrophie ปีที่แล้ว +1017

    You can see in Shane’s eyes how badly he wants to say “unsolved” instead of “still a mystery” 😂

    • @raydux7376
      @raydux7376 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      They got their own touch anywhere they go

  • @firexheartedxmage
    @firexheartedxmage ปีที่แล้ว +1007

    For the debrief: it is entirely possible that due to the Leatherman's lupus, his bone density had changed and made his bones more brittle. With a higher acidity in the soil and an untreated wood casket, common for the type of burial, it wouldn't take long for the bones to decompose. The only thing that would be left would be the metal nails.

    • @nicole4352
      @nicole4352 ปีที่แล้ว +140

      That's a really good point about bone density, and since it was a pauper's funeral, they might not have even used a casket. Those nails could be entirely unrelated.

    • @alex-fs9yt
      @alex-fs9yt ปีที่แล้ว +87

      I think this makes sense and I think Shane and Ryan thought so too, but then got hung up on the picture in the article about the exhumation attempt - the picture shows a wooden coffin for some reason. Which _is_ confusing because it contradicts both the "the only thing left were nails" AND the "they exhumed the wrong burial plot" thing. If it was the wrong burial plot, then why was there still a coffin there, considering a body wasn't found? Seems unlikely to just bury an empty coffin randomly. It would make sense if they dug in the wrong spot because the grave was not even marked until 30 years after Leatherman's grave, and even then it was just a metal pipe not an official headstone. So it makes sense it was the wrong place - it would actually be kinda crazy if they _did_ know the exact grave location 30 years later without any marking - but then why would there even be a coffin without a body (since Leatherman's body disappeared) in the wrong spot? That part doesn't make sense, so I understand why Shane and Ryan would be preoccupied with that. It doesn't make sense to me that a coffin was even pictured at all.

    • @lordvlygar2963
      @lordvlygar2963 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      And hair and fingernails and toenails.

    • @PatricioCharlie
      @PatricioCharlie ปีที่แล้ว +22

      @@alex-fs9yt That occurred to me too but later in the video they mentioned that the nails and soil were reburied in a new coffin. The photo may have been of that.

    • @vaniiya
      @vaniiya ปีที่แล้ว

      What about the coffin? Acid can surely melt down wood or board material , however nails aren't so easy to melt down. Just the body was missing the coffin laid still

  • @miah2400
    @miah2400 ปีที่แล้ว +130

    It's so sweet how the townspeople all loved this man and enjoyed seeing him coming around to visit their town.

  • @anastaciared7528
    @anastaciared7528 ปีที่แล้ว +1221

    Shane’s consistent need for being small in little teeny tiny spaces is one of my favorite on going jokes

    • @catherinekress2138
      @catherinekress2138 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      It's my favorite thing, too. Precious lil bab.

    • @mlokgerm
      @mlokgerm ปีที่แล้ว +30

      Maybe being tall is more traumatic than we thought

    • @KaladinVegapunk
      @KaladinVegapunk ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I just think this case reminds me of that Millverine guy in Milwaukee that redlettermedia talked about, he was a dude that looked like wolverine that would walk around town and was a local meme and mystery.. But then someone interviewed him and he was just some tl weird dude and ruined all the mystery

    • @Lunch_Meat
      @Lunch_Meat ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@mlokgerm as a tall man myself, I can say yes to this. I also have dreams of being small. In fantasy games, I always play goblins or dwarves. I just want to be able to reach the lower shelves of stores without needing to be a yoga master 😔

    • @sunsun5005
      @sunsun5005 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@Lunch_Meat in this description I imagine you reaching the lower shelves with the same pose a giraffe uses to drink water

  • @ariadneschulz8822
    @ariadneschulz8822 ปีที่แล้ว +950

    I'm an Osteoarchaeologist and bones can absolutely more or less disintegrate in the right conditions. Usually there's a little something left like hands, feet, sesamoid bones or teeth and it usually takes more time than he was likely buried for, but it can happen. There's also other factors ... I kind of wonder if he was buried in his leather suit if that might have sped up the process somehow. Also in some excavations if there is a need to go fast a digger can go straight through a grave and scatter it without people noticing. I've also unfortunately observed inexperienced archaeologists trowelling straight through bone that they didn't recognize as such if it's too soft. But if there were just nails left behind that really points to his body just disintegrating in the soil. Sometimes all you're left with is the grave cut.

    • @tairneanaich
      @tairneanaich ปีที่แล้ว +49

      Exactly! I literally nearly missed some (cow) bone just yesterday whilst trowelling bc it just sorta Crumbles sometimes (and the ground is full of chalk here too, so the colour is camouflaged). This mystery feels solved to me tbh

    • @manon_0411
      @manon_0411 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      I just went through a very interesting bit of searching as I was curious about this (I am still nowhere near as knowledgeable as an osteorarchaeologist obviously), but apparently bones can decompose within 30 years depending on the soil (could you confirm this? I want to make sure I read the right information). So yes, I agree with you, it would make total sense that the body would be fully decomposed after 122 years in acidic soil.

    • @tahlialysse
      @tahlialysse ปีที่แล้ว +50

      I mean, not to mention it could have been the grave of someone who had been buried longer, making it even more likely for the bones to disintegrate. It could easily be both the wrong grave AND the actual person there had been acid soiled away.

    • @Donald_Dump420
      @Donald_Dump420 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Yeah my dad grew up working at a cemetery and he told me about a story when someone was digging up a grave to have it moved. And the digger broke the casket and grey goo spilled out everywhere. Not fun not fun at all

    • @maddieb.4282
      @maddieb.4282 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@Donald_Dump420”try the gray stuff, it’s delicious… don’t believe me? Ask the dishes”

  • @jeremyroberts9065
    @jeremyroberts9065 ปีที่แล้ว +337

    As a native French speaker, I can tell you that yes, E-zek is very close to how a French speaker pronounces Isaac, so it probably was his real first name (or at the very least a fake real name). 🙂

    • @patricksheldon5859
      @patricksheldon5859 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      If in fact the name the witness reported was an actual French name spelled phonetically, that seems fairly credible.

  • @User-ef2qv
    @User-ef2qv ปีที่แล้ว +966

    Shane slays each outfit he wears no doubt. From looking like a 80s dorky scientist assistant one day and the next a bad boy sleek cowboy

    • @zink6379
      @zink6379 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      If he thinks about it, all spaces are small for a giant

    • @catherinekress2138
      @catherinekress2138 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      He would play an awesome cowboy... HORSESHOES!

  • @midoriya-shonen
    @midoriya-shonen ปีที่แล้ว +1222

    This one makes me happy. Some guy 150 years ago decided to live his best life and wander around wearing all leather. Everyone was entranced. They made up legends about him and awaited his timely return. And we're still fascinated til this day. It's a case of true human whimsy

    • @annabellelee4535
      @annabellelee4535 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      It's said that someday, he will return!!!!

  • @thatcasualdragon2975
    @thatcasualdragon2975 ปีที่แล้ว +221

    I literally scrolled down to say that E-zek was probably Isac when they got there themselves. It's interesting that, being New England, everyone came up with France as his place of origin and not say Canada. French trappers brought in a lot of the fur trade and at that time I think the Hudson Bay Company had a monopoly. They would have been all over Canada at that point, but the company originally came out of Eastern Canada near the American border, hence the name. It's just interesting it never came up in any of the theories at the time as to who he was.

  • @jml6263
    @jml6263 ปีที่แล้ว +319

    My fave thing about this series is that Ryan and Shane both get to be victim and perpetrator of silliness

  • @watchmedo635
    @watchmedo635 ปีที่แล้ว +902

    I’m delighted that Shane watches what we do in the shadows

    • @FortuitousWench
      @FortuitousWench ปีที่แล้ว +123

      call me crazy but I think the man could be on the show. They had a fuckin impractical joker on last season why can’t Shane be some immortal freakazoid

    • @Ziaberry
      @Ziaberry ปีที่แล้ว +80

      ​@@FortuitousWench he needs to play a demon lol

    • @internallyscreaming890
      @internallyscreaming890 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      HES SO REAL FOR THAT (its very unsurprising that man has great taste)

    • @SolarpunkVince
      @SolarpunkVince ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Wait where was it referenced in the video? I missed it. Anyway he has great taste I love that.

    • @Ziaberry
      @Ziaberry ปีที่แล้ว +71

      @@SolarpunkVince when he said "Ñeeewww York Citaaaaayyyyy"

  • @souulkeeper1384
    @souulkeeper1384 ปีที่แล้ว +170

    Getting to see Ryan ask say things like "let it be a mystery" and question the credulity of a supernatural entity like a man being 200 years old is just perfect. I love this. Shane did a great job with the presentation of it all too.

  • @bridgetscott5785
    @bridgetscott5785 ปีที่แล้ว +540

    "He walked creak creak creak
    No matter what the weather
    He walked creak creak creak
    In 60 lbs of leather
    He walked creak creak creak
    And no one knew his name
    But he returned every 34 days"
    - a song I learned as a kid growing up in CT

    • @evelyngrace8305
      @evelyngrace8305 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      What's the melody?

    • @TimothyPossible
      @TimothyPossible ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Yeah that last line really throws off the rhyme

    • @therecordholder
      @therecordholder ปีที่แล้ว +21

      @@TimothyPossible yah gotta have an accent so it rhymes with name like nayhme

    • @maddieb.4282
      @maddieb.4282 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@TimothyPossibleslant rhyme babay

  • @wallywallyoxenford
    @wallywallyoxenford ปีที่แล้ว +411

    I think the boys would love the story of the Mad Rat River Trapper. Guy led a large manhunt in Northern Canada and scaled an entire mountain on his own, avoiding the police camped out on the only two paths up and down the mountain. He also was the first time planes/helicopters were used on a manhunt in Canada. Another "wait, but who the fuck was this guy??" story, since spoilers: nobody knows who the fuck he actually was. I think they'd have a lot of fun with that one

    • @jordanhawk9949
      @jordanhawk9949 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I'd never heard of this, so I googled it...what a wild story!

    • @hatandbeardmedia5925
      @hatandbeardmedia5925 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I had the exact same thought.

    • @Marzi29
      @Marzi29 ปีที่แล้ว

      I doubt they will since it seems they're only doing cases where nobody was murdered, which isn't the case with the Mad Trapper of Rat River. Also, that one might be solved soon as they're doing genetic genealogy on him and have a few leads.

    • @wallywallyoxenford
      @wallywallyoxenford ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Marzi29 I hadn't heard it might be solved soon! that's cool news. Either way, we'll just have to see if they're cool with covering 100 year old deaths in the future. There's plenty of cool stuff for them to cover that does and doesn't have any involved, I'm excited to see how they go about it

  • @MeAuntieNora
    @MeAuntieNora ปีที่แล้ว +68

    Growing up in this area, my dad told me all about Leatherman and took me hiking to visit several "Leatherman Caves." It was one of several ways he instilled a curiosity in me about the area and the world at large.
    He passed away last October, and it makes me so happy to see stories like this kept alive via channels like this.

  • @antoniaturco1001
    @antoniaturco1001 ปีที่แล้ว +183

    “And we celebrate her for that” was the best way to not sound judgmental when you are passing gossip that I’ve ever heard

  • @s.z.6640
    @s.z.6640 ปีที่แล้ว +517

    As a western CT citizen, I was excited to see Leatherman appreciation! Poor old soul. My grandpa told me that Leatherman had a hole in his cheek caused by disease and had to hold a piece of leather up to his face while he chewed food so it wouldn’t fall out, though I don’t know if there was any documented evidence of that, or if it was just part of the legend. We like to think his spirit found peace in the forests out here.

    • @maddieb.4282
      @maddieb.4282 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Wow. That was likely either cancer or syphilis if true

    • @EL-jq1sq
      @EL-jq1sq ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@maddieb.4282 Or, y'know, the lupus

    • @xyzzyx4839
      @xyzzyx4839 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@EL-jq1sqI mean, people can have multiple health conditions. and I don't think lupus causes.....extra facial holes.

    • @EL-jq1sq
      @EL-jq1sq ปีที่แล้ว

      @@xyzzyx4839 You're right that people can have multiple health conditions, but lupus was the only one mentioned in the video so I assumed that was all the autopsy found.
      Lupus can cause ulcers in the mouth so I think that maybe one or more got so bad (like they got infected) that the lesions formed a hole through the cheek. Either way, this is all conjecture based on hearsay so who knows

    • @Nacanaca12
      @Nacanaca12 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Most "Leatherman scholars" have said that it was cancer that killed him, specifically a cancer that started in his lip and spread throughout his mouth and throat. The Leatherman was recorded to have been an avid smoker, even by 19th century standards. Concerned locals tried to get him to the hospital for treatment, but the Leatherman refused. (Source: "The Leatherman: An American Vagabond" by Jon Scott Bennett th-cam.com/video/W-ujARKkDs0/w-d-xo.html )

  • @mollymcdade4031
    @mollymcdade4031 ปีที่แล้ว +59

    I love that sometimes someone can be wholesomely bizarre enough that people tell stories about them like they’re a mythical creature hundreds of years in the future

  • @MrGreyWolfAlpha
    @MrGreyWolfAlpha ปีที่แล้ว +572

    Archaeology student here, as for the first theory; it makes a lot of sense. In the actual articles there's no mention of a present coffin, just nails presumably left behind after the coffin disintegrated.
    As for the soil acidity, soil does not need to be 'hyper-acidic' to destroy bones. In areas with acidic soil bones generally will not be found as it eats through non burned bones at a rapid rate.

    • @AardvarkAdventure
      @AardvarkAdventure ปีที่แล้ว +31

      This was driving me nuts, lol. Why would there have been a coffin with loose nails in it, and why would anyone have theorized they dug in the wrong spot, then? 😂

    • @manon_0411
      @manon_0411 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      @@AardvarkAdventure @FionnTheHuman Shane did say at first that all that was left were nails in the shape of a coffin, but I think Ryan misunderstood it as "there was still a coffin" and repeated it later so they both ended up being confused. A body will generally take less than 50 years to fully decompose in regular soil (around 10 years for the flesh, up to 30 years for the bones). So 122 years in acidic soil? Makes total sense it'd be totally gone. Shane and Ryan getting confused about the presence/absence of a coffin is the only reason they did not go directly for that theory as the most plausible. It also drove me crazy to see them walk away from it so easily.

    • @Tensen01
      @Tensen01 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      @@manon_0411 I think they were taking the picture in the article as 'see, there was still a coffin.' when actually that picture was of them reburying the nails in the new burial site.

    • @roninfredricson6958
      @roninfredricson6958 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@manon_0411 I think people get confused because we sometimes find bones and stuff from 1000's of years ago, even millions. Those aren't NORMAL circumstances, we only have those bones because they were either fossilized and aren't bones anymore or because something about their final resting place prevented them from decomposing, either deliberate or by chance. Bones aren't rocks (unless they're fossilized) and I'd imagine he didn't have a fancy embalming and an expensive hefty coffin and 122 years is pretty long to be able to find bones even under those conditions.

    • @elowynmoss4452
      @elowynmoss4452 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      another archaeology student here, yeah that checks out. especially if the coffin nails were actually in the shape of where the coffin was, but it could have also be another unmarked grave if theory 2 is true. either way, not weird, bones degrade

  • @clairethemoonbear
    @clairethemoonbear ปีที่แล้ว +524

    The house where I grew up was actually on the leather man’s route and was one of the ones he often stopped at for food so it’s very cool to hear Shane and Ryan talk about - for the Post Mortem I remember being taught that the best behaved kids at a school were the ones allowed to go out and share food with him - would this have worked for either of you as a reward when you were little?

    • @cristinbuskard9250
      @cristinbuskard9250 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      ^This comment needs to be part of the debrief!

    • @Brian-tx5ez
      @Brian-tx5ez ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Visiting the caves as a field trip was the highlight of elementary school!

    • @clairethemoonbear
      @clairethemoonbear ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Brian-tx5ez definitely! I remember we also had a reenactor who came to tell us stories in them though his outfit was not as cool as Shane’s

  • @certified_mandy
    @certified_mandy ปีที่แล้ว +94

    I love that Shane referenced WWDITS. One of my favorite shows and i love that the boys watch it too lol

    • @jojushabadoo2722
      @jojushabadoo2722 ปีที่แล้ว

      So glad I'm not the only one who caught that 😂😂😂

    • @buttgut
      @buttgut ปีที่แล้ว +1

      wonderful Wally Daniel in the street?

    • @chinita2463
      @chinita2463 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​​@@buttgutwhat we do in the shadows. It's a show about vampires that live in Staten Island, NY based on the movie by the same name.

  • @elowynmoss4452
    @elowynmoss4452 ปีที่แล้ว +460

    glad to see Ryan is listed as Shane’s friend again at the start, so happy they’ve resolved their little spat

    • @milkflys
      @milkflys ปีที่แล้ว +12

      they had a little spat?

    • @elowynmoss4452
      @elowynmoss4452 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      @@milkflys i think it was in the debrief before this episode, not a serious one they just joked about no longer being friends

  • @doormatthew23
    @doormatthew23 ปีที่แล้ว +208

    Anthropology student here! Lots of other people have discussed how theory 1 could be possible but I wanted to talk more on the exhumation of the grave in the first place. I think there is a tendency to dehumanize people in the name of “knowledge” or “science”, particularly when it is human remains (especially “rare” remains, like that of Indigenous people / historical figures). Its rather disturbing how easily we throw away the concept of respecting a persons remains just because a prominant person/people want to known more under the guise of academia.

    • @ghostlyamy
      @ghostlyamy ปีที่แล้ว +26

      i agree wholeheartedly, just because it's a ~*~mystery*~ doesn't mean science/academia/the public are owed answers at the expense of this person's privacy and autonomy

    • @coolmoth3771
      @coolmoth3771 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      yeah its pretty strange how bad people wanted to know the personal history of this dude tbh. like do you walk up to random homeless people on the street and start demanding to know their whole life story like they're a soap opera character? what does it matter whether he's french or not? he was literally just some guy trying to survive, struggling with things that either legitimately prevented or made him feel like he couldn't return to society.

  • @starlitbri
    @starlitbri ปีที่แล้ว +123

    i love that shane acknowledges when he doesn't agree with what he's reporting (like calling homeless people tramps or supporting the one lady for having multiple lovers)! i tend to do the same when i'm talking about history and whatnot with people, lol

    • @bugvideos2030
      @bugvideos2030 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      I feel like some sort of slight judgment on her cheating on at least 2 of her husbands is somewhat warranted

    • @indmur
      @indmur ปีที่แล้ว

      Are we seriously supporting cheaters now? Fucking modern world has gone to shit.

    • @CloneCommanderCrater1102
      @CloneCommanderCrater1102 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      ​@@bugvideos2030Only slight judgment? She cheated on TWO separate people, ALL of the judgment is warranted.

  • @andrealiliom2539
    @andrealiliom2539 ปีที่แล้ว +492

    For the Debrief: Have you guys wondered, what if someone just took the body as soon as it was buried? Of course, there is a chance the resting place marked by the pipe was a miss, but he had plenty fans around the years. Plus, they could have taken the body to search for evidence about the mysterious treasures! Btw, Shane, I loved this whole vibe!

    • @Laurencasualtyy
      @Laurencasualtyy ปีที่แล้ว +44

      Even if Leathman's burial site wasn't what was marked by the pipe, what WAS being marked? Why would someone bury and mark an empty coffin? We're positive that the coffin was found, right? When Shane explained it initially I thought he meant JUST nails were found.

    • @andrealiliom2539
      @andrealiliom2539 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@Laurencasualtyy Exactly, it gets messier the more you think about it. Why would someone clip their nails or Leatherman's nails in the first place and WHY would they leave it there? It has something to do with spiritual practices or they had no better alternative to leave behind? The other part is that, even if it was not Leatherman's resting place, then who laid there and why would only nails be left behind? I find it oddly disturbing that they think low soil pH did the work. If it was the case, more than half of the plates and memorial tablets, and overall the graves would have been mortally 'digested', too. Do we have any information on that?

    • @JulieTheReader
      @JulieTheReader ปีที่แล้ว +30

      Nails and an “outline of a coffin,” which says to me the coffin was no longer there.

    • @Abhishek-ue6tj
      @Abhishek-ue6tj ปีที่แล้ว +33

      @@andrealiliom2539 Uh i dont think nails mean fingernails.. i think it’s the coffin’s iron nails

    • @BigKicksMix
      @BigKicksMix ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Not to mention regular grave robbers

  • @mattygutowski
    @mattygutowski ปีที่แล้ว +149

    dude whoever is doing the sound design on these are KILLING IT. production value is HITTING. making it special in its own way to unsolved and elevating the format to fit their styles better. nice job boys!

  • @psycho8logist
    @psycho8logist ปีที่แล้ว +71

    Alternate theory: Shane is the Leatherman, making this episode to throw us off track.

  • @boodramrav
    @boodramrav ปีที่แล้ว +647

    This team is awesome with getting subtitles up, instead of relying on auto-generated subs. 👏

    • @janeh9962
      @janeh9962 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      it's so helpful!!

    • @frankmarano1118
      @frankmarano1118 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      I'm hard of hearing but not bad enough I need subtitles for 99% of the time but still makes me appreciate them more when someone takes the effort to actually make accurate ones

    • @PeminatMotor
      @PeminatMotor ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I agree. I love to watch their videos while eating so when I’m chomping down on the food, the subtitles are very handy

    • @boodramrav
      @boodramrav ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@PeminatMotor actually, same for me lol

    • @dream_walker9726
      @dream_walker9726 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      my auditory processing is so shit it’s unreal so the captions are always welcome lmao

  • @goobholder
    @goobholder ปีที่แล้ว +540

    For debrief: I go to school for archaeology and there are many precedented cases of disintegrated remains in highly acidic environments. For example: the burial of the egtved girl from Denmark around 1300 BCE actually has no DNA or skeletal remains in her coffin due to the highly acidic environment surrounding it, but her hair and brains were preserved through time. Bodies and bones preserve based entirely on the location they were left. Taphonomy is the field, and it’s very fascinating and informative for both the archaeologist and the forensics fanatic alike.

    • @flora1316
      @flora1316 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      I'm also an archaeology student but not much into bioarch -- genuine question, do you think it's possible for the body to disintegrate that fast? I'd at least imagine the exhumers would find bone fragments in the soil when they attempted to relocate him.

    • @goobholder
      @goobholder ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@flora1316 I’m not personally that versed in taphonomy as my cohorts. However from them I know that bones can actually disintegrate within a 20 year time frame if the soil is acidic enough!

    • @dramaticegg
      @dramaticegg ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@goobholder the teeth are gone later than the bones cause theyre more sturdy so sometimes you have burials where there is only the teeth left and no bones

    • @tairneanaich
      @tairneanaich ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@flora1316 it was 150yrs, perfectly reasonable I would think? (also very excited for you both studying Arch, hope you‘re having a fantastic time -an archaeologist)

    • @KateMorris-c7o
      @KateMorris-c7o ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Also an archaeologist (specialising in post-medieval thanatology), and yeah, preservation of bodies is weird. I've seen examples of 200 yr old burials where you only get a coffin shadow and no remains, and others where you have fully preserved internal organs. It would be interesting to know what the preservation was like in the rest of the cemetery.

  • @Headstash1080
    @Headstash1080 ปีที่แล้ว +77

    I think the museum that said they "purchased" the suit after he died, is BS. My theory is, since Shane said they had been searching for him for years, they caught wind of his death and grave-robbed the sight. In order for that to happen, they would've had to be present when he was buried, which Shane also said hundreds of people were in attendance when it happened. That wouldn't be hard to do if you were trying to track this guy down for years. I think the nails found were the old nails they pried off while exhuming the grave, and were unable to put back in. Due to the alleged acidity of the soil, that could be a reason. Also, it looked as if the coffin was resealed, giving reasons to the nails being inside the coffin, and the coffin looking seemingly untouched. After taking the suit, which would have been insanely gross to due given the fact it most likely fused with the corpse, they offered another vagrant to wear the suit on display for pay. The man probably got sick like they said, (from disease of course) and decided to put it on a wooden model. It would be easy to find a freshly dug grave, either the night of, or day after the burial. Anyone who's walked through a cemetery knows that lol. Also, 100,000 dollars in the late 1800's is quite a lot of money. What happened to the body however, could have been anything.

    • @ChamomileT
      @ChamomileT 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Grave robbing was also my first thought lol

  • @slowpoke-9xv
    @slowpoke-9xv ปีที่แล้ว +80

    It was really nice of Watcher to hire a professional Leatherman reenactor to present this episode! It was a nice touch!

  • @evairywon
    @evairywon ปีที่แล้ว +250

    You guys for next season you just HAVE to look into The Button Man in Victoria Australia. His story is wild and so interesting and so so creepy. My friend who camped in his "area" with her school (Timbertop at Geelong Grammar School) had an experience with where when the kids woke up the next morning all their shoes/cooking supplies had been re-arranged. Please it would be so fun

    • @evairywon
      @evairywon ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@frankiebaxter2590 omg did you run into the button man ever 👀

  • @Cora.T
    @Cora.T ปีที่แล้ว +20

    In regards to theory 1: As someone who lives next to a graveyard in the Netherlands, where due to space constraints graves are generally temporary unless you keep paying for them, and thus bodies are dug up, so new graves can be moved in, it takes 10 to 15 years for the body to fully or almost fully disintegrate. The church in the middle of the graveyard faces west, so on the northern side the ground is wetter. On that side it takes 10 years and all you'll find is the metalware that was on the coffin. On the south side it takes 15 years and then you might find some pieces of the cranium. The leather man had been buried there for decades, disintegration is perfectly normal. Fossilisation is actually a process that rarely happens. But because the only bodies that we see are fossilised, there is a survivorship bias

  • @HermicraftAddict
    @HermicraftAddict ปีที่แล้ว +298

    There's nothing like catching a Watcher episode when it first comes out. That intro is amazing!
    Edit: could it be possible that The Leatherman was a former fur trader? He spoke French and wore leather.

  • @D44RK_Iced_Yogs
    @D44RK_Iced_Yogs ปีที่แล้ว +290

    I hope to god we see more dressed up Shane! I like when he uses his outfits to add to our entertainment!

  • @natwilliams705
    @natwilliams705 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    shane saying 'New York citay' in Laszlo Cravensworth's voice is everything to me

  • @kyliethompson5005
    @kyliethompson5005 ปีที่แล้ว +107

    For the debrief: Wasn't this happening around the time it was pretty common for grave robbers to steal bodies for doctors to use for training? Because if so, a pauper's field would be a perfect place to rob since most didn't record who was buried where, and people wouldn't be likely to notice the theft.

    • @nicole4352
      @nicole4352 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I had the same thought and went to google (my search history is now even weirder than before). New York was the last US state to pass laws saying bodies could be donated to science in 1854, decades before the Leatherman died, so it's still possible but unlikely that his body was lost due to medical graverobbing. And if no one was parading his body around, we can assume nobody dug it up for fame and fortune either.

  • @oneslikeme
    @oneslikeme ปีที่แล้ว +105

    Could you imagine being the Leatherman? Just wearing leather and walking from town to town, and people find you so strange that it becomes a "thing", and all the kids run out to greet you and the adults call off school and cook meals for you, and it's just such a BIG DEAL that you exist?

  • @katwthecat
    @katwthecat ปีที่แล้ว +13

    the way i absolutely HOLLERED just now over shane’s wwdits “new york citayy” GOD im so happy they watch that too 😭 it’s my favorite show ❤

  • @howdy4504
    @howdy4504 ปีที่แล้ว +89

    Love the fact that this dude is walking around and the towns as a whole are like "This is the coolest shit ever"

    • @nicki___
      @nicki___ ปีที่แล้ว +12

      most interesting thing going on in 1880's connecticut

    • @harvestmoon_autumnsky
      @harvestmoon_autumnsky ปีที่แล้ว +8

      He was their favorite influencer of the time

  • @freya2294
    @freya2294 ปีที่แล้ว +512

    nothing could have prepared me for shane's outfit

    • @Celticsnets2134
      @Celticsnets2134 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I hadn’t even started the episode saw your comment and thought oh it can’t be that crazy, and I was wrong 😂

    • @anna9072
      @anna9072 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      It really suits him, though.

    • @somerandomgoblin2583
      @somerandomgoblin2583 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      he committed to the bit!!

    • @anaerobic
      @anaerobic ปีที่แล้ว +3

      The preview they showed last episode could have prepared you..

  • @666venox
    @666venox ปีที่แล้ว +44

    i'm so glad you guys are talking about mysteries that are more "light-hearted". i liked unsolved true crime but it was quite depressing most of time. thank you for making this incredible show!!

  • @DanGamingFan2406
    @DanGamingFan2406 ปีที่แล้ว +714

    Am I the only one who thinks Shane's presentation voice sounds suspiciously like the Professor's? Anyway, This one was really fascinating. Just imagine gaining celebrity status from just wandering between towns your whole life. Also, I'm pretty convinced that Leatherman was indeed a Madej ancestor.

    • @watershipup7101
      @watershipup7101 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      Now that you mention it...

    • @stephaniepotts8256
      @stephaniepotts8256 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      They might be related

    • @tairneanaich
      @tairneanaich ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Wonder how recently his folks moved from Poland…

    • @Sicanda
      @Sicanda ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Hmm. 🤔 Must be he's a big fan of the Professors presentations so he's subconsciously copying his way of speaking.

    • @Jah_LEASE_yah
      @Jah_LEASE_yah ปีที่แล้ว +2

      literally felt like I was watching puppet history. LOL

  • @katykatmeow5159
    @katykatmeow5159 ปีที่แล้ว +108

    As someone who has done historical research on some 19th century cemeteries, I have encountered several instances of straight up not knowing where a person was buried, who was buried in a certain spot, or if there is a body or not in a plot. If the records have been lost (which happens a lot) and there is no one alive who remembers anymore, it is extremely hard to find that stuff out.

    • @poke-talia268
      @poke-talia268 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      There's a big old cemetery near my hometown. My great great grandparents and a bunch of other people interred there had their graves moved at some point. I know at least a few went missing at some point and some unmarked were found. It's a really pretty cemetery. At least one murder and one "self un-aliving" happened there.
      I had to go on a field trip there for English class in grade school. They told us some ghost stories about it.

  • @tommywiseau3976
    @tommywiseau3976 ปีที่แล้ว +67

    For the debrief: you guys should have guest hosts everyonce in a while, where they present a solved mystery to ryan and shane who then guess the actual answer and see which ones right. Like a true crime jeopardy

  • @espanjolo830
    @espanjolo830 ปีที่แล้ว +340

    It is mildly upsetting, but mostly funny that Shane switches from collar up to collar down every other cut.

    • @KaytaRaven
      @KaytaRaven ปีที่แล้ว +11

      He can’t decide whether he’s hot or cold

    • @lochness7419
      @lochness7419 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      god once you point this out its. what the hell.

    • @Pixie1820
      @Pixie1820 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Now why the fuck would you point that out?? Can’t stop thinking about it now bruh

    • @nicki___
      @nicki___ ปีที่แล้ว +1

      its indicating his excitement level

  • @acesgumballs7295
    @acesgumballs7295 ปีที่แล้ว +55

    Shane preventing himself from saying "unsolved" in the intro is so funny 😭😭

  • @polybiusou
    @polybiusou ปีที่แล้ว +18

    as a connecticut native who lived near one of these towns, "leatherman day" is exactly the kind of mind-numbingly boring yet fascinating festivity i'd expect from this state

  • @kinrateia
    @kinrateia ปีที่แล้ว +542

    God when Shane hugged ryan the height difference became so obvious it made me tear up of emotion

    • @victai163
      @victai163 ปีที่แล้ว +56

      i find myself giggling at the short jokes directed by ryan, then i snap back to reality and remember im 4'11

    • @WiseSageBum
      @WiseSageBum 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@victai163I'm 5'1"
      Def can't comment

  • @partfish6290
    @partfish6290 ปีที่แล้ว +66

    We have a rooster who has "kitty carrier time" where he tucks himself into a small cat carrier we have on our porch. He gets so happy and makes coo-ing noises the whole time. Maybe Shane needs something like this 😂

    • @lexigrimhaive
      @lexigrimhaive ปีที่แล้ว +4

      That is UNBELIEVABLY adorable. 😻

    • @alexw.7097
      @alexw.7097 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      There are a couple of dogs at my daycare that will pretty much ask us to put them in a crate for a bit so they can relax without worrying about the puppies running all over them. 😂

    • @partfish6290
      @partfish6290 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@alexw.7097 Yeah, I understand that! 😂

    • @alexw.7097
      @alexw.7097 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@partfish6290 Tbh, I wish I could do the same thing sometimes. They're a lot of fun but wrangling a bunch of puppies is *Exhausting,* I'd love a little nap too! 😅

  • @kellysusie247
    @kellysusie247 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Hi guys! Im loving all the conversation about decomposition!
    Wicker caskets are exactly as you said, intended to speed up the decomposition process. The more oxygen introduced to the body the quicker it breaks down.
    Pine coffins will have a similar effect, and in a highly acidic soil (like in New England) it is reasonable for someone with lupus to have completely decomposed.
    Anyway, love you guys a lot!

  • @beccaL10
    @beccaL10 ปีที่แล้ว +221

    For the debrief: did anyone consider that maybe the coffin and body were stolen? He was a popular guy at the time of his death. And for the second theory, if the pipe was put in the wrong spot and he isn’t buried there, have they not looked in other places in the graveyard?

    • @tairneanaich
      @tairneanaich ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Tbf, if the soil really is that acidic, he wouldn‘t be anywhere else in the graveyard either anymore

    • @coletietjen6017
      @coletietjen6017 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      A bit morbid, but stay with me here… Considering the popularity his life/death garnered, it’s not a stretch to imagine someone becoming obsessed with him and exhuming his body to add to the mystery or to sublimate some delusional thought/urge.

    • @beccaL10
      @beccaL10 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@coletietjen6017 nah fr like grave robbing wasnt uncommon and he was well known so…

    • @beccaL10
      @beccaL10 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@tairneanaich I was kind of separating that theory with the second one tbh like what if it wasn’t that acidic - I find it hard to believe something could be that acidic in the ground without it affecting other things

    • @Arlothed1no
      @Arlothed1no ปีที่แล้ว

      That would take a lot of exhumation

  • @chihuahuainacone
    @chihuahuainacone ปีที่แล้ว +196

    Ryan's flabbergasted reaction to Shane roasting his height at 9:56 absolutely slayed me. 💀

    • @erfyw
      @erfyw ปีที่แล้ว +6

      His soul escaped for a second

  • @bigtimednp
    @bigtimednp ปีที่แล้ว +39

    Shane’s comment about it being January is what killed her made me laugh so hard!
    This was super fascinating!!

  • @indiamorgan9804
    @indiamorgan9804 ปีที่แล้ว +58

    I love that Shane poses a question to Ryan and then just immediately interrupts his answer

  • @milqyberri8658
    @milqyberri8658 ปีที่แล้ว +139

    To me, there's nothing more mysterious than the mystery of how these guys keep dropping banger videos.

    • @arjunwali9885
      @arjunwali9885 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@Whooptiewowzers1 patreon

  • @michelenehimunchul3833
    @michelenehimunchul3833 ปีที่แล้ว +34

    Question for the debrief: What if someone stole his body? It seems like people were oddly obsessed with him and it doesn't seem that far fetched to think that some creepo stole his body. Also, Leatherman gives me major Jeepers Creepers vibes

  • @marcusyee2211
    @marcusyee2211 ปีที่แล้ว +121

    I'm proud of Ryan and how he progressed from "does hair grow from the skull?" to "that's not how bones work" 24:16
    But in all seriousness, I love how Shane and Ryan introduce mysteries that some people arent familiar with and moving on from covering murder mysteries. This was really interesting.

    • @tairneanaich
      @tairneanaich ปีที่แล้ว +13

      You say that, but that actually IS how bones work, he hasn‘t actually improved (bless him) 😂
      I‘ve actually been having this discussion all week, I‘m an archaeologist and we‘ve been working in pretty heavily acidic soil so we‘re just not finding what we should be finding bc it‘s all crumbled and disintigrated, it really does happen that way!

    • @marcusyee2211
      @marcusyee2211 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@tairneanaich that's really interesting, thank you for correcting me 🙂 I hope that will be mentioned in the debrief

  • @VS-kf5qw
    @VS-kf5qw ปีที่แล้ว +63

    I love seeing the sheer unbridled delight in Shane's voice. It just takes me back to being 9 years old hanging out with friends telling each other about your obsessively weird special interests. Shoutout to one of the swamp state's lesser known cryptids too! All hail the leatherman. Coming after the confederates was just the icing on the cake.

  • @Samuel-ku1qb
    @Samuel-ku1qb 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    12:33 idk why but Ryan saying this with a dead expression made me chuckle, I can’t tell if it’s sarcasm or he’s so invested he forgot he’s on camera

  • @mamajinx
    @mamajinx ปีที่แล้ว +45

    "Well, she had died several months earlier, from death...Yeah, that's when the leading cause of death was January" made me cackle out loud.

  • @alisonlucilleart2897
    @alisonlucilleart2897 ปีที่แล้ว +52

    I love this show!!! You guys should do Joaquin Murrieta. He was a bandit around the gold rush era that inspired the character Zorro and other heroes in fiction. The mystery is about his missing head after he was caught and executed. Some people believe that they caught and executed the wrong guy and Joaquin lived out his days peacefully. "His head" was reserved and was on display for decades in a museum in San Francisco. Until it disappeared after the 1906 earthquake and fire. To this day, no one knows exactly where it is. It's a very interesting story.

  • @nessalossehelim5026
    @nessalossehelim5026 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    As an archaeologist with some training in physical anthropology I would have to go with theory #1. Seeing as he was buried for about 120 years in a "pauper's grave" (simple wooden casket, maybe a linnen shroud, definitely no embalming) in an area with acidic soil, I 100% believe that everything apart from the nails would have decomposed. It is generally more common for bones to decompose than it is for them to stay in their original composition anyway. Thanks for the great video guys!

    • @nessalossehelim5026
      @nessalossehelim5026 ปีที่แล้ว

      In case anyone is interested:
      Bones are mainly made up of the mineral calcium held together with the protein collagen. Only a couple of enzymes can break down collagen, which means that the conditions need to be right for the bones to decompose. Generally this means the right type of soil and enough water for the enzymes to reach the bones. After the collagen has been broken down the calcium still remains, but will get washed away and mixed in with the soil. A soil analysis could show where a body was buried, as the minerals and other components left behind can alter the composition of the soil.

  • @Broken_Glasss
    @Broken_Glasss ปีที่แล้ว +575

    Shane and Ryan are one of the only good things that came from Buzzfeed. To see these two thriving after BuzzFeed finally got taken out behind the shed makes me feel delighted ☺️

    • @luvely1062
      @luvely1062 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I have a feeling that sadly the try guys will drop off soon.
      Ned's a fucking fucker.

    • @brittneyg6366
      @brittneyg6366 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      We really Old Yeller’d Buzzfeed as an audience

    • @not.applicable.
      @not.applicable. ปีที่แล้ว +41

      Also, Quinta Brunson. 🙂

    • @annarose2714
      @annarose2714 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      ​@@brittneyg6366I get what you're saying, but people actually cried for Old Yeller.

    • @WeatherInOrlando
      @WeatherInOrlando ปีที่แล้ว +59

      Ryan and Shane, Saifya Nygaard and 3 of the Try Guys 🙏

  • @AbbyJD
    @AbbyJD ปีที่แล้ว +108

    Can't believe they ignored the most obvious and definitely plausible answer for the disapperance of old Leathery's body. Aliens. You're telling me if aliens were watching these shenanigans go down they wouldn't immediately pull an 18th century doctor and steal the body for research? That's almost as unbelievable as ghosts!
    11/10 episode and season, keep up the amazing work!

  • @mikeyloool
    @mikeyloool ปีที่แล้ว +4

    i love whenever shane hosts the mysteries bc he’s always like “what do i think? oh yk idk man 🤷‍♂️ “

  • @arkierose
    @arkierose ปีที่แล้ว +47

    We have a leatherman in my neighbourhood. He dresses head to toe in a leather hat, leather pants and a leather trench coat, wandering the street carrying a wooden staff with stuff tied to it. He's really nice most of the time and has been around since I was little. You can hear him coming because his staff makes a jingling sound, and he hangs out around the local cafe.

    • @maxwell4778
      @maxwell4778 ปีที่แล้ว

      300 year old Leatherman!? Real!?

  • @sharksgrr
    @sharksgrr ปีที่แล้ว +2

    i love the commitment to the 'never saying unsolved' bit

  • @morephian3838
    @morephian3838 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    I’m so happy you did the Leatherman! I grew up in one of the areas where he used to visit, and have been to his cave (yes, u can visit his cave). Other fun facts- women would specifically bake pies for him. Also, there was one point he was taken to the hospital, and the doctor officially diagnosed him with basically a wanderlust- for his health, he shouldn’t be put in a workhouse, or kept at the hospital.

  • @generichuman2044
    @generichuman2044 ปีที่แล้ว +86

    This is easily my favourite mystery files so far. The story was incredibly interesting, the theories were the perfect mix of plausible and ridiculous, and Shane and Ryan had top tier jokes

  • @brandonk8948
    @brandonk8948 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Mystery Files is their best series, hope they continue it. Reminds me of the old days. :)

  • @pairoleggs
    @pairoleggs ปีที่แล้ว +11

    As an archaeology major, the soil’s acidity can in fact dissolve bones. The coffin will not do much to protect him, especially if it was made of wood. Unless the conditions are just crazy perfect, that acidic soil will eat through that coffin.
    I did a dig in florida where a previous governor of Georgia was buried along with his family and the soil was so acidic they only found the metal remains of a button, nails and a coin (if I remember correctly).

  • @s0cc3r59
    @s0cc3r59 ปีที่แล้ว +226

    I am absolutely loving this series so far, and its really giving me nostalgia from Buzzfeed Unsolved

    • @leifschannel
      @leifschannel ปีที่แล้ว +38

      Shhhh we dont say these words around here

    • @TyTitan77
      @TyTitan77 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      Don't say the B word around these places.

    • @cearrasio3067
      @cearrasio3067 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TyTitan77 yo whats the backstory?

    • @roewood
      @roewood ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@cearrasio3067 Ryan and Shane were the leading co-hosts on Buzzfeed’s Unsolved series. They eventually left and went on to start their own channel, Watcher, with each other.

    • @cearrasio3067
      @cearrasio3067 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@roewood dam ty a lot

  • @larrymatoyo5424
    @larrymatoyo5424 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Can you imagine the weight of The Leatherman's suit? Imagine a jar of peanut butter, and then imagine 60 pounds of peanut butter. That was it.

  • @lizzystevenson7863
    @lizzystevenson7863 ปีที่แล้ว +49

    The amount of enjoyment Shane got out of wearing all leather and making leather jokes in this episode is epic.