Beadle's Dime Novels No. 300: The Crested Serpent

Catalog Note This issue of Beadle's Dime Novels (No. 300, 1874) features "The Crested Serpent," a serial adventure set in Mexico during Maximilian's reign. The protagonist Jose Vallejo, a patriotic hacienda owner opposed to the empire, is lured to the mountain encampment of Colonel Arnaud Boussard—the "White Tiger of the Tropics"—through an elaborate trap involving a magnificent jeweled horse. Boussard and his wife Murieta, an Arab woman, orchestrate Vallejo's death by hanging as revenge for a slight his daughter Paula once gave Murieta in Mexico City. The narrative describes their opulent camp, Vallejo's fatal visit, and Murieta's poisoned wine toast before the execution. Vallejo's servant Humfredo witnesses the murder from hiding. The issue concludes by promising revelation of Boussard and Murieta's backgrounds and criminal ambitions. A preview also advertises the forthcoming "Mustang Sam: The Mad Rider of the Plains," described as a romance of Apache country featuring daring exploits.