The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-09-23
NUMBER ~.
A CATSKILL LEGEND
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which flows the Kaaterskill creek.
Midway between the base and the
summit is a point called Fawn's Leap.
On either side of the creek a rock
stands some thirty feet above the bed,
separated edge from edge by some If
teen feet The spot is hidden among
the trees. and one passing along the
road near by would scarcely find 1t un-
less instructed where to look for it.
There are many explanations as to
why it is called Fawn's Leap. Which OF
these is correct is hard to tell. One CIV
en- by a mountaineer whose ancestors
have lived in the region since the origi-
nal Dutch settlement is as follows:
In the early days Dietrich Van Pelt
came from Holland and settled at the
foot Of Kaaterskill Glove, Just above
what il now called Palmville. His
daughter, Katrina (at the time the
about fourteen years old, was a verita-
BILE mountaineer. No height was too
steep for her to climb, no cliff so alb
rupt but she could stand upon its edge
unmoved. In vain her parents tried to
keep her at home, warning her against
the wild beasts or, worse, the Indians
who were moving restlessly up and
down the sides of the forest covered
mountains. She did not fear the beasts,
and as for the Indians whenever she
met them she came home loaded with
hi .<,t, IL 4.
pouches or some variety of trinket
When Katrina had grown to be q
symmetrical girl Of twenty, a number
Of Dutch families had settled near By,
one, the Van Santyoorts, on a clif
where now hang the dwellings COM
prising Twilight Park. Gulian Van
Santvoort was, like Katrina, a natural
climber. He met her one day beside
the Kaaterskill fall, and it was there
that he wooed her and their troth was
plighted- One day he gave her a fawn
he had captured and tanned. She made
q pet Of 1t and afterward took 1t with
her IN all her rambles.
The first trouble between the settlers
and the Indians was on account Of Ka-
trina, and this not from hatred. but
from love. A young brave, Leaping
Water, became desperately enamored
Of her and begged her father to give
her to him in marriage. OF course the
offer was declined. One day Katrina.
accompanied by her fawn, climbed to
the top Of what Is called Profile rock
and stood looking down into Kaaters-
kill Glove. Opposite were High peak
and Round Top, to the left and south
a broad stretch of country and the
beautiful Hudson river. The only
sounds were the swayfng of the trees
| In the wind and the tumbling of the
waters in the creek below.
Suddenly Katrina was startled by q
rustic in the bushes about her, and
Leaping Water stood beside her. He
pleaded his cause. at first humbly; but
as she firmly put him aside he grew
wild, threatening that If she persisted
In her refusal he would jump with her
In his arms on the precipice. He
showed such fixed resolution that Ka-
trina was constrained to temporize
| with him and agreed to take the mat
ter into consideration. Then Leaping
L
short distance from the rock.
The little fawn. accustomed only to
white people. was far more frightened
than Katrina at the grim savages.
Katrina noticed this, and it occurred
to her to tie a message to the fawn's
neck giving Information of her condi-
tion and send the fawn out, trust
ing that 1t would make for home. In
her pocket was a bit of paper. and,
dipping a pointed stick into berries.
she wrote. "In Leaping Waters pow
er." As the fnwn was leaving the VII
lage Leaping Water espied the bit of
paper about its neck and gave chase.
Down the rocky side of the Glove
bounded the slender legged fawn, and
not less nimbly went the young Indian.
He might easily have sent an arrow
into its heart; but, though he was q
savage, he could not kill the pet Ka-
trina loved So he followed over the
natural paths made by the rains,
treading on the stones, the tangled
roots. here and there sinking in soft
mud The trees hid the fawn from
him. though he could hear it crashing
through the underbrush, and now and
again he caught a glimpse Of its dun
body or a white spot on its tail. The
little animal, having been tanned, had
lost some OF its natural agility. and by
the time ii reached the bottom of the
Glove was well nigh exhausted, while
Leaping Water was close upon it
Striking the creek where the two rocks
| eh ha
so swiftly that there was nothing fol-
it but to jump. Gathering wha,
strength was left. it shot to the edge
Of the hither rock ard, concentrating
its strength into one terrific leap, light
ed on the rock beyond There it fel
dead.
Meanwhile Gulian Van Santvoort hai
left his home with his gun in search ol
game and was moving down the Glove
on the opposite side. Hearing some an
imal descending beyond the creek, hs
thought to get deer and made hi,
, way I'm the direction the sound wa.
moving. As it approached him he ap
preached 1t, both finally reaching tn,
same place at the same moment. Ka
! trina's fawn fell at Gulian's feet, ant
: In a moment he had seen and read tn,
: note Scarcely had he done SO wheI
. Leaping Water emerged from tn,
trees. Gulian, maddened at the In
: dams action, raised his gun and sho
: him dead.
The same evening a party OF settler
visited the Indian village and now tina
3 Leaping Water was dead had no diff
' ficulty In releasing Katrina. Neverthe
' less the incident was the beginning o
E subsequent hostilities.