The age-herald., 1897-09-12
NISS CISNEROS' STORY
Told to a Sun Correspondent in
 the Havana Jail.
SHOCKING PROSECUTIONS
That Were the Penalty of Repulsing the Ad- vances of One of Weyler's Lieutenants-
 Charges of Conspiracy Denied.
From rhe New York Sum

Although much has been written about Miss Evangellna, Cosslo Cisnaros, I think it will stin be of interest to know the story of her wrongs as taken from her own lips when I met her in the Havana Jail where I was imprisoned She came to that prison on May 2S, 1897, with thirteen. companions, suffering fnpris- onmenH on different charges in the Casa de RccogJdas, and had come to the court house in the jail to testify before their respective judges. Nla o
 The latte had met that morning to review Itlle pending cases. It Is the rule in the Spanish procedure, either civil or military, thalt every three months there shall be gehefar review of pris- oners, as it is styled, in which all the prisoners are made to appear before a special tribunal, formed, If military, of all the judge-advoicaites, under the presidency of ithe general commanding the district! Before that special trlbu- nal the prisoner is asked if he has any complaints to make against the judges for delays or breaches of formalities in the proceedings. If any complaint is made and it is found reasonable, the judge is admonlishsd by the president and urged to attend to the matter at once. Miss Cisneros thus came to make her complaint of negligence against her judge who had had her case in hand for eleven months and had not come to q decision I saw her when she appear ed before the trdbunaa, and could not help admilfng the courage and firmness with which she protested her innocence and requested prompt examination of l,a ;,, orfJe n "a ci- to h F sufferings in the awful s1,ua ton which she was placed. Her pleadngs were of no avail then, as is proved by the fact that she remained three months more in the wretched place before her condl- stion was amelfoIalted thanks to the mo- ble and generous efforts of American women in their stirring appeals to the queen regent of Spain.
 I was presented to Miss Cisneros by one of my companions, for I had no acquaintance with her previous to my incarcera tton, and was very anxious to know her, having heard so much about her. Miss Cisneros and her friends had arrived early in the morning in a closed van, escorted by the police. Inside the building they were not allowed to min gle with the rest of the prisoners, but were placed in a sort of yeSsfbule, close to the door, fenced in ell sides with heavy iron bars, which gave it the ap- peanance of cage. As she was not permitted to receive her friends, l was compelled to speak to her through the bars during the time she remained in the jail, which was about couple of hours.
 My first impressions of Miss Cisneros were of wonder and admiration alt her delicate bea Aty. No words can fitly de- scribe her. Her large eyes, yelled with long, soft la shes, and her dropping gaze give to her whole face an expression of grealt candor and innocence. She has a mass of long, wavy, black hair and a small and perfect oval face, dazzling white Seeth, a small Roman nose of the purest type, a dtn1pled chin of great beauty, and a white, fair complexion. She is small of stature, rather below the medium height, and slim in proportion. Her voice has a soft musical ringing tone delightful to hear. She was neatly dressed in black, and for ornaments had only a pair Of cheap earrings and her gold enga cement ring.
 She told me her tale in a plain and modest manner. And when heard from her, in timid phrases, the story of her woes and sufferlngs I felt an inbense sensation of pity and sorrow for the frail and lovely creature was looking ait through the iron bars, still suffering the hardships of her terrible ordeal. If I did not have the absolute evidence of the facts before me I would never have believed thla,. any of my countrymen could have so far forgotten the tra- ditional chivalrous spirit of our ances- tors and the high respect and devotion we have always felt for women in gen. eral as ito treat an fnnocent girl in such a way and persecute her so relentlessly.
 Although I was we'll acquainted with all the facts in connection with her case, I did not let the occasion pass without asking her, for my own satis- faction, if there was any truth in the story which everybody knew in Havana. She confirmed 1t to me in every respect.
 ''When my father was arrested in the month of May, 1S9e, on the charge of aiding and abetting in the rebellion and without any trial or hearing was sent exi1ed to the penal settlement of the Isle of Pines" she said, 'I thought 1t but natural, as faithful, dutiful, and loving daughter to follow his footsteps, and accompany him in his hours of be- reavement. Consequently, requested permission from the civil governor. Se- nor Porrua, who after many pleadings and with great reluctance granted me the favor. Once on the island, through the mediation of som5 good friends I found there, succeeded in obtaining from Senor Menendez, who was then governor of the place, permission to withdrew my father from the rest of ths prisoners suffering sentences for all sorts of common crimes, and have him to live with me. With our little sav- ings we took small but decent-look- ing house fn the main street of the town of Nueva Gerona, which Is the seat of government of th* island, and there peacefully lived until the arrival of the notorious Lieutenant Colonel Ber- rig.
 "From the outset noticed with cer- tain alarm that Berriz was trying by
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