Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-09-25

Wcyler Releasing Other Isle OF Pino
Prisoners Who Will Testify
ADainst Her.

Havana, Sept. IL, via Key West, Fla,
Sept. 20.-Preparations for the trial
of Evangelina Cisneros are still Icing
made, and il is believed that when
Weylcr returns from his trip to the
eastern provinces he will call up for
trial the Isle of Pines case, rs II Is
known to Spanish officials.
Four more Isle of Pine prisoners
| have been released from Cabanas af er
n confinement of five months. Tbs
action is fully in accord with Weyler's
plan of campaign against this h lpless
girl, as outlined in my previous dis
patches. All the unimportant prison.
ers will be weeded out, leaving on,y
Evangelina, her father. the Beta court
brothers, one of whom is her fiancc,
and those who actually assisted in the
rescue of Evangelina.
The prisoners who are being re-
leased purchased their liberty with
promises to testify against E,ange-
lima when her ease comes TO trial.
Weyler is now determined To max
every effort to secure the conyc i'm
Of this poor girl, as he has cabled 10
the queen regent in answer to her in
structions to exercise clemency a de-
famatory statement, closely in line
with that printed in some papers. an |
claiming that he can show conclusive
" when the trial comes off hat Evan
gelina was guilty of starting an in
surrection against the government in
the Isle of Pines.
Weyler's hatred of Eyangelina HIS
been intensified by the agitation in
the American press in her favor, and
he will now attempt TO demons rate
that his course was right by proving.
through perjured witnesses, that
Eyangelina was guilty of the crime
charged against her. Sixteen other
prisoners are TO be released shortly
ON the same understanding.
Meanwhile Colonel Berriz, the foul
assailant of the defenselcss girl. on
tinues an honored officer of the Span
ish army. Weyler is anxious to have
the favor of General Azcarrapa, the
Spanish Prime Minister. who is Ber-
riz's uncle, and the mere matter of
the lives of half a dozen Cubans AMI
the honor and liberty of n Cuban girl
cannot be permitted to interfere wi h
his desire 10 oblige the m;niste Of
war.
In Havana nobody believes that any
OF the men most deeply involv.d in
thS Isle VI lHcS hHalf can escape II G
execution gorge in Cabanas. The girl
herself is still incommunicado i'm the
Recojidas. Wcyler has ignored the
Instructions from Spain to have her
transferred to a convent and placed In
the custody of the religious sisters.
The trumped up charge of a reb,ll-
ion in the Isle of Pines would be HIidi-
culous anywhere but in Cuba. When
the girls friends rushed to her resCui
in response to her shrieks for II lip.
they captured and bound Bsrriz, the
military commander of the isle. Had
they been bent on rebellion they
would have killed him then. They
ran from the soldiers who came to
IIerriz's aid. The prisoners were with
out firearms and were ou~tnumbered
by the Spanish troops on the island
Though describing the excitement as
a sublevation, even the Spaniards did
not report a single soldier injured.
However. these things will hardly
count before a court martial. They
are formed 10 convict and the prison
ers whose choice is between perjury
and execution in all probability will
testify as they have been ordered.