Beadle's New Dime Novels: Red Slayer

This Beadle and Adams dime novel, Red Slayer, presents a frontier adventure set near Schenectady and the Mohawk River in colonial New York. Warren Champlin, a young man on an official mission to the Caunagawa Mohawks, encounters a mysterious reclusive hunter dwelling in a limestone cavern for twelve years. The hunter—armed with rifle, pistols, and knife, accompanied by a fierce hound—initially confronts Champlin suspiciously but invites him to his cavern home. The hunter reveals an obsessive hatred of Indians while displaying survival skills and detailed knowledge of the region. He cooks venison steaks and cornbread, shows Champlin an observatory carved into the rock offering views of the Mohawk River valley, and warns of impending French and Indian attacks on colonial settlements. The hunter hints at a mysterious past purpose driving his isolated existence, refusing to disclose details while expressing deep bitterness toward indigenous peoples. The narrative establishes themes of frontier danger, colonial conflict, and the hunter's cryptic motivation.