"The Severed Hand: From "German Tales" Published by the American Publishers' Corporation" by Wilhelm Hauff is a suspenseful short tale about a d doctor who is hired by a mysterious man in a red cloak to do a strange job that proves to be riskier than intended. When a young woman is murdered and his client disappears, the tale's hero is left needing to explain his innocence despite all signs pointing towards him as the culprit.