The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-10-13

escape from the Casa de Ricojidas,
where she was imprisoned with IL
other women.
Some of the details of the young
Cuban's escape are quite romantic
1t appears that a real estate agent
named Mariana Fernandez who was
in charge of the house, Number l.,
O'Farrel Lane, declares that be re-
Gently rented that building to two
well dressed young men The latter
seemed to be highly respectable.
hired the house for two months and
paid the rent in advance The build
ing was poorly furnished, the pr;nci-
pal room in it containing only an old
table, washstand. wardrobe, an
antique sideboard, six old chairs, six
plates and two cats. But the young
men seemed to be perfectly satisfied
with their surroundings. and little or
no notice of them was taken by the
neighbors or by anybody else, in
spite of the fact that the house
was situated close to the prison
IN which young Cuban girl.
whose story caused such sensation
in the United States, was confined
When the rooms at No l OFarrel
Lane were searched, the police.
in addition to the articles already de-
scribed, found bag of lime. can
of paint and large brush,
which might be used for the
application of either lime or
paint. Inside the window through
which Seuorita Cassie escaped,
the police discovered bed
sheet aud, as this apartment was her
sleeping room, the authorities are in
clined to believe that the
sheet was used by the es
Gaping prisoner to epvelop her,
self, with the object of deceiving
her roommates, if she was unlucky
enough to awaken them, into the
belief that she was poving about in
her night clothes
The quarter of the prison which
was occupied by Senorita Cassie is
known as the New Hall, for the rea-
son that it was constructed only
seven months ago 1t was set apart
fer the use of polictical prisoners and
was quite comfortable compared with
other Spanish prisons
The companions of the young
Cuban woman she left behind say
that the day before Senorita Cassie
escaped, she received a package,
believed to have contained drugged
candies. In any case the Senorita,
contrary to her usual custom did not
at once distribute the candies to her
prison companions but waited until
Wednesday night when she urged
each of them to partake of the con
fections The prisoners did SO. and
they express the conviction that the
sweets were drugged, for they soon
afterward fell into deep sleep and
did not awaken throughout the night.
although the fling Of the iron bar OF
the Senorita's bedroom window must
have caused enough noise to have
awakened the prisoners under or
dinary circustances
People living in the vicinity Of the
Casa de Recojidas have informed the
authorities that they heard the noise
of carriage wheels shortly before
midnight on Wednesday, and this
fact IS supposed to have connection
with the prisoners escape.
There is a division Of opinion as
to whether the escape Of the Sen
orita was effected by Americans or
by Cuban insurgents The police
are hard at work investigating The
escape and all the Spanish authori
ties along the coast have been com
municated with, in the belief that an
attempt may be made to embark The
Senorita upon some vessel leaving
Cuba for the United States or else
where
Fernandez, the iaileS in charge of
the Casa de Recojidas, and four en-
pIoyes of the government who were
on duty there have been arrested and
confined incommunicado, pending
the result of the inquiry being made
into the escape.
Madam Ana Milan de Bendou, who
has been in charge Of the new hall at
the Casa de Recojidas, where Senorita
Evangelina Csssio was confined, and
in whose house in San Rafelst, the
police several months ago found
trunks containing dynamite and cart
ridges, is one of the four employees
who with the jai!er have been arrest
ed and confined incommunicado,
pending the result Of the inquiry be