Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 159

# Red Rudiger, the Archer; The Lady Bertha's Treachery

This Beadle & Adams dime novel by Captain Frederick Whittaker, serialized in the November 9, 1881 issue, presents a historical romance set in fourteenth-century Switzerland. The narrative opens with two chamois hunters—the auburn-haired Red Rudiger Stauff and dark-haired Black Max—pursuing game in the Bernese Alps near Jungfrau. After successfully shooting chamois, they encounter a fair-haired nobleman named White Rudolph, who claims the white chamois they pursued. The hunters discover Rudolph's bolt actually killed the animal, and Rudiger concedes defeat gracefully. Rudolph then reveals political urgency: Frederick of Austria threatens the Swiss cantons' liberties, and a meeting is planned at the Springs of Grütli. Rudiger and Max agree to join Rudolph in resistance. The second chapter opens on Lake Lucerne's shores, suggesting the story will interweave romantic intrigue—particularly regarding the Lady Bertha of Unterwalden—with historical struggle for Swiss independence.