The age-herald., 1897-09-05
MISS EVANGELINA CISNEROS
Beautiful Cuban Prisoner Inter- viewedin Casa de Recojidas.
A TWENIY-YEAR SENTENCE
Crown Prosecutor Has Informed Her That Is in Store For Her-Bt of Inside History Which
 May Explain Her Imprisonment.

From a Globe-Demoerat Staff Corre- spondent.
 Havana, Sept Undetermined to learn the truth in regard to Evangelina Cos story Cisneros, I today made her visit in the Casa de Recojidas. This jail is full of women, black and white. Many of the women have their children with them. I understand this is caused from the fact that when mothers are arrested and ths children have mo home they are allowed to be taken to jail, where they can be cared for. From a moral standpoint 1t would be better that they starve, as here they mingle with the vsry worst of women.
 I saw many of these children today. Their poor little sad faces peered at the visitors though the bars of their moth- CTS cells. The women are mostly in- carcerated for political reasons, but many of them are of the fallen class. These latter are kept on the second floor, while the better class are on the ground floor op=ning out into a courtyard. In this yard are provided shower baths. but they have no privacy as the baths can be viewed from almost any point of the jail and can be plainly seen from the anterooms. There were clotheslines stretched across the yard full of wo- mems garments, drying.
 While waiting for Miss Cisneros I had opportunity to examine some of the other women who were receiving visits. There was seven or eight of them in the room, and twice as many visitors. The guard pointed out one woman who was very handsome and well dressed. Her crime he said, was selling ammuni- ton to the insurgents. Another was there because explosives had been found in a house where she was keeping board CTS. Soms men came to the house, and while their trunks were being unloaded they were seized by the police and found to contain dynamite. The woman was arrested, and has now besn in the jail a year. The men, understand, escaped, and the woman is held responsible.
 Miss Cisneros Appears.
 In a few moments I noticed pretty girl come into the room. She went to the guard and asked who wished to see her. He brought her to where I was standing and introduced me to Miss Cis- neros. I told her my mission and her face brightensd, and when spoke of the
 
 in her behalf her eyes filled with tears. Her hair was brushed back from her forehead and hung down the back be- Bow her waist. Her eyes are dreamy and almost black, with an expression of tenderness, but flashed when I men, tioned her prosecutors. Her manners are perfect and she has a degree of possession that is incomparable. qclxed hpr if GhQ xyO1i1d al ment in her own handwriting for the Globe-Democrat. She politely refused. She said that she had been advised by her friends to make no statement to papers. She always liked to oblige news paper men, they had been so kind to her, but she must follow the advice of her friends. She discussed her case with great caution, though she told me quite freely what she expected.
 asked her If she knew that she was to be removed to a convent, and she re- piled that she had no desire to go to a convent; that 1t would be bes. for her to remain here, and said that the letters that were written to her by Col. Berry, on the Isle of Pines, had been taken from her by friends and sent to Spain by a trusted mess ng T, and that they would soon be in the hands of the Queen Re gent She Is satisfied could she have an interview with Gen. Weyler that she could prove her innocence, and her great est wish, she says, is to face her ac- cusers in open court. I questioned her closely in regard to her sentence, and asked her If she knew that she had been sentenced, and she made the astounding reply that the crown prose tor had told her that she would receive a hwenty-year sentence Now, if she had not been sentenced by the court, how could the crown prosecu- tor tell her? While was speaking with her several visitors had arrived and were asking for her, and as took my leave met two Havana reporters and an American waiting to interview Miss C.s- neros.
 have obtained bit of inside history of Evangelina, which may have a bear ing on her long imprisonment. There .s fortune lying in chaTcery here to which she has better claim than any body else. I am not in position to ac- cuse any official of trying to cheat her of her inheritance, but the matter VIII bear investigation. The facts are these, as given me through source absolutely trustworthy:
 Heress to Millions.
 In 1883 EvangeHna's faL her, with his wife and two girl babies, drifted to Key West. There were lot of Cubans there at that time who were rather destitute. The then capaain-genera sent warship to bring to Cuba as many as wished to come. Evangelina's mother was very i'll. She and her husband took the warship and settled a. Sagua la Grande. There the mother died. The father became im- prevalent through grief, and friends ap- pealrd 10 the munfc pal court for author
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