April 5, 1889 Texarkana, Arkansas John Doe

  His killers had made his grave too small and had to cut off his head where it was buried separately. Inside his body was lying on its side. He had been stabbed as a common and sharpened kitchen knife was found between his ribs. Three pieces of oak wood were placed around the body. His clothes had disintegrated and a leather belt was found. He had red hair. He had been dead for at least 2 years. 

I'm not sure if this John Doe was ever Identified or if his killers had been. There was only one source for this murder. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Austin Weekly Statesmen April 11, 1898

The Gatton Tragedy: Murder of the Murphy Siblings

Norah              Michael                Ellen

On the night of  Boxing Day on December 26, 1898, around 8 p.m. 27-year-old Norah, 18-year-old Ellen, and 29-year-old Michael Murphy left their home at Black Fellow's Creek outside of Gatton, Australia in a two-wheeled cart.  Michael was driving his sisters to a dance held at the Gatton Divisional Hall and hoped to arrive by 9.  They were looking forward to the dance.

Unfortunately, they didn't know until they arrived at the dance hall that it had been canceled. It was canceled due to the lack of females that were going to arrive. So the trio had to return back home. But they were never to arrive back home.

When they didn't return their mother knew something was off and asked her son-in-law William McNeil to go look for them. He found them that morning after following his Sulky's recognizable tracks due to a wobbly wheel. 

He found them in a horrifying sight. All three of them were dead and the horse had also been killed. William shocked went to a hotel that was close by and told them of the news and contacted the police. Due to him telling people at the hotel people flocked to the scene and this caused evidence to be contaminated by the onlookers. 

At the scene, Ellen and Michael were laying back to back while Norah lay a few yards away on a neatly spread rug. The girls had them hands tied behind their backs with handkerchiefs Micheal may have had his hands tied at one point. Micheal had been both beaten and shot to death. The girls had been sexually assaulted and then they were beaten to death. Norah may have also been strangled with the hames strap that was tightly wrapped around her neck. Their horse had been shot and killed and 15 shillings were missing from Michaels purse. His purse was in his hand and a breeching strap nearby. 

Some suspected maybe they were killed by family members or they had been killed by a local priest as someone heard a woman screaming "father" that night. But the police believed that it may have been a transient who was in the area who killed the three. 

They had two main suspects one was man name Richard Burgess, but he had a solid alibi and the other was a man named Thomas Day. Thomas's hut was near the scene and someone claimed to see him wash the blood from a pullover days later. But there was no clear evidence of who the murderer or murders were. No one was charged with this case and will remain unsolved. 

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Gatton Murders
Western Mail
Daily News
Huff Post

Who was the well loved Leather Man?

In the 1860s there was a man who would make a round of every 34 days to visit the same homes. He would travel around 365-mile walk from Connecticut to New York. He went through towns like Danbury, New Fairfield, Watertown, Middletown, and Canaan into Westchester, New York then back to Danbury. Typically this trip would take around 34 days. He would stay in caves and visit homes he was welcomed to for food. Some of these homes he would visit for more than 25 years.

Now, what was the name of this mysterious traveler?

No one knows. People had noted him for his unique fashion and called him Leather Man since he wouldn't say his name. He wore clothes that were stitched together pieces of leather made from old boot tops. He would wear this outfit all year round even during the summer. It was estimated that his jacket alone weighed 60 lbs.

He would not hunt or fish on someone's land without permission. He also kept the caves on his path neat with a pine bough or leaf bed. He would have wood stocked up for the next visit. He preferred to sleep in the caves rather than in people's homes. People were generous and would give the man tobacco, food, and pennies. In some towns, school was let out for Leather Man day so that the children could visit with him and give him pennies.

It seemed that he was fluent in French and spoke broken English. He would mostly talk in grunts and movement. When people were to ask him personal questions it seemed that he would avoid questions and leave the conversation. He carried around with him a bible written in French. It could be possible he was French Canadian or just French.

After a bad winter in 1888, the Leather Man began to have a growth on his lip. Which turned out to have been cancer. He didn't get treated or help with the growth and in 1889 the Leather Man was found dead in one of the caves in Ossining New York.

There have been many theories on who he was. But for the most part, the theories are tales spun to give him some sort of background. None of them have been proven to be true.

Another mystery appeared in 2011 when the grave of Leather Man had been dug up. Other than a few nails there was nothing in the coffin. Leather Man's body wasn't in the grave and no one knows where it had gone.
 
SOURCES:

Historic Mysteries

The Leather Mans Loop

New England Today