The Severed Head; or, The Secret of Castle Cougey

This 1901 Beadle & Adams publication features "The Severed Head: The Secret of Castle Coucy," a historical adventure serial by Captain Fred. Whittaker. The narrative opens during the First Crusade's siege of Jerusalem in 1099, where two Crusader nobles—Master Gaston and his squire Denis—conspire with the Emir Abou Sheer to murder the noble Guy de Coucy during the assault. Guy leads the attack heroically but is betrayed when false reports of fire cause his men to retreat. He falls to the Turks and is found headless in camp. Seven years later, the story shifts to Coucy Castle in southern France, where a mysterious Eastern-dressed minstrel arrives carrying the bird-of-paradise plumes unknown in Europe. The plot weaves betrayal, chivalric honor, and crusading adventure across Mediterranean and European settings.