New-York daily tribune., 1849-02-22
THE FLIGHT OF THE ANTELOPE.
AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF KIT CARSON.
WI u FDfl IHt IHlHLNE
BY DAVID L BROW

.ainene has been murdered by the Blackfeet. Kit
Carson, who has been searching the country IN al
directions for the ast three days, hss just returned
and reports that be has 10 hopes Of his being alive
haviEg followed on what be considered to be h.
trail for some twenty miles 70 the vicinity Of the
Madison River, where his horse tracks became
mingled in the footprints Of other horses and
then having continued in the same direction to the
north bank Of that stream he found puddle Of
blood upon the ground with some fragments OF
clothing resembling that a hich Fontsinele wore.
Here, Carson says, desperate struggle, as # for
life, appeared 70 have taken place, the grass and
earth being torn up and trsmpled in all directions
for space Of twenty yards. TINS IS sad sad
business It will Kill poor Ca;harins.
The other entry is as follows;
August lO.-Catherine the daughter Of Batste
Co9uin, who started with the camp yesterday
morning, hes mystenously disappeared. The
country has been secured in all directions, but
not vestige or trace Of her can be found. God
grant she may not have fallen into the hands Of
these accursed savaees, the Backieet II my
fears should be well founded shudder to contem-
plate the fate Of The poor girl Mark Head has
sworn fearful oath, 70 cut the throat Of every
Blackfoot he may come across, be II man, woman
or child. From what know Of Mark, have no
doubt that he will be as good as bis word.
What food Of recolections rushes upon my
memory in glancing over these brief and meager
passages
Julien Fontainele, the person alluded 10 IN the
first Of the above extracts from my notebook was
creole or native Of Louisiana, of French extrsc
ton, as his name implies, Of warm and aiec-
tionate, although volatile disposition, aud was as
much beloved for his frank and manly qualities,
a. he was respected and and admired FOR his IN
compromising honesty and unblenching courage
There was quite romance attached u his Life
He was about twenty five years Of age, that most
enviable period Of a mans life. when rs yet sa
tiety and distrust have not stepped in 10 desden
endowment, and impair our confidence IN mankind
His education evidently good and be had as
evidently been accustomed to good society he
had come 10 the mountains about three years pre-
vious to this time. and had been employed IN the
service Of the Fur Company, as trspper- up 70
the time Of his disappearance
Those admitted 10 his confidence, and they were
few. had been told tale Of love, suffering and re-
morse. OF his having wooed and won the sfec'
chant OF New-O eans--the latter having at first
countenanoed and afterward discarded the lover
OF his child, when a richer and more eligible |
suitor, in worldly point of view, had presented |
himself. OF his having been driven to despair
and desperation in consequence OF quarrel, chal-
lense and duel in which the only brother Of his
beloved was the victim. Other consequent agony
and entrance into a nunnsry, and taking the veil
thus cutting of and forever, all hope from her
lover Such is brief summary Of all that was
certainly known Of the former life Of Fontsnelle.
Catherine was an Indian girl, the daughter Of
Batiste Coqsn. full-hooded lroquois, who had
bean IN the empivy 90 the Fur Company Cor
number of years as hunter and trapper. Her
mother. who had died while she was yet in her
infancy, had been Snake or Shoshone woman,
who had been captured by the Crows, the heredi-
tary enemies of her tribe, while very young, and
sold by them for a trihing consideration to the
father Of Catherine.
A more beautiful Indian girl than Catherine Co
ouin have never seen. At the time of her dis
appearance she was about sixteen or seventeen
wears of age, with all the infsnte grace and inno
cence of childhood, sweetly blended with the just
awakening power and enthrslling fascination OF
earliest womanhood A party of Shawnees and
Delaw ares, belonging to our camp, in admiration
of her beauty. had conferred upon her the appro
priate and poe,ical name OF Showens, or the An
telope.
As may readily be supposed there were numer
Gus suffers for the hand Of the fair Indian girl
among our hunters, but none appeared to meet
with any encouragement, save Julien Fontainene
and so universal favorite was he with the whole
camp that scarcely any, even Of those who had
made pretensions to the honor of her hand, be
grudged him the happiness they had so iondly as
pred to. Still there was one man, whose lower.
ing brow and ruthless character, portended any
thing but happiness to the youthful lovers. This
was Mark Head, a man whom have alluded 20 IN
previous sketches OF the Rocky Mountains, and
who was known and feared by the Indian tribes
wherever the Fur Company men bad penetrated,
for his ferocity and courage, many OF their best
and bravest warriors having fallen under his dead
ly nae
Although the father Of Showena, as our Indians
terned her, appeared to have no particular prefer
ence for any of his daughters suitors previous to |
the time OF Julien FOntanelle's disappearance |
and probable death yet since that event 1t became
obvious that some powerful, though hidden infu-
ence in addition to the grief naturally consequent |
upon the iorebodings connected with her lovers
fate, was exeried over Catherine mind, from the |
rapid change that took place in her appearance and
demeanor. From being the life and soul Of the |
camp the poor girl became emsciated and spirit |
less So that We could scarcely recognize, IN the
detected and melancholy Indian maiden, the once
buoysnt and happy creature whose srtless inno-
and beauty had relaxed the brows and penetrated
the hearts Of our rude and stern hunters. twas,
therefore, conjectured that Bstiste, her father,
who was awsry and unscrupuous man, and who,
from his known disposition and character had by
the Creole and Canadian French ofour party, been
surnamed Coquin rascal, wss using al undue IN
auence over bis daughters mind to cons'rsn her to
become the wife OF Mark Head. These conjeetures
became certainties. when, in few dsys after the
return Of Kit Carson nom his fruItess search alter
Fontainelle, Head himself announced his approach
4. - Na Surh was the state OF