The record-union., 1897-10-15
THE ESCAPE OF
MISS CISNEROS.
Carl Decker, One Of the ReScuers,
Arrives at New York.
Relates What Happened After The Girl Was
Out of Prison.
Decker Comes Near Landing in
Prison HimseIf-Sai1s From the
Island on Spanish Line
Steamer With Passport to
Which He Had Forged the Sig
nature of Wey1er's Secretary.

NEW YORK, Oct. 14.-Carl Decker,
one of the rescuers of Evangelina Cossio
CisnerOs from the Casa de Recojides,
Havana, arrived in this city on the
Spanish line steamer Panama this after
noon. Mr.. Decker repeated the story
! of the rescue from the Jail as already
told in these dispatches, and then re-
lated what happened after the girl was
out of the prison. He said:
when Senorita Cossio Y Cisneros
entered our shanty adjoining the jail
we let her rest a few moments, and then
took her to a carriage waiting outside
and drove to the house of friend. The
friend was holding a reception that
night, which was part of the plot. The
man who drove the carriage was one
Of the conspiratOrs. Senorita Cossio y
| Cisneros was exhausted from excite
ment when she reached the house, but
did not give way.
'On Thursday morning she was taken
to the home of friend, where she re-
mained in secrecy until Saturday after
noon. To reach the steamer safely she
was obliged to walk down Obispo street.
the prominent tloroughfare of Havana,
at a time when the street was crowded,
and yet take her time and smoke a ci-
gar. IL she had skulked about the back
streets she would Immediately have
been suspected. 1t was over a mile
from the house to the pier. She had
passport made out under an assumed
name.
"All the steamships anchor out in the
stream. The senorita walked down from
the house, clad as a rancher, and my
companion and 1 followed. She saun-
tered along leisurely, and once in a
while glanced about to see if we were
| following. We motioned to her to go
on. She grew more confident as she
went along, but we could see that she
! was under a strain. She got on the
! launch, and we waited, and when the
! launch returned from the vessel and
/ she was not on it we knew that the
scheme had worked like a charm.
THE day after the Jail break the
town was astir over the escape of Sc
norita Cisneros. A house to house
search was begun, and would have been
kept up, had not a telegram from Min
! lister Dupuy De LONE at Washington
| informed the authorities of his belief
| that the Senorita was on the high seas,
and expected any day in New York.
| Then Weyler was mad. He threw the
the jailer told about my attempting to
bribe him. This, in connection with the
surmise of De LONE, placed suspicion on
me. I gave it out that was going to
take a steamer for Mexico. There was
only one steamer leaving Sunday, and
| that was a Spanish steamer. 1 waited
for instructions from New York, and
had almost made up my mind to start
/ Sunday, instructions or no instructions.
| My instructions came, happily.
My passport was made out in the
| name of Carl Decker. In order to take
| the Panama Sunday night and run the
gantlet, [ must get my passport re-
vised and stamped with the seal of the
| Secretary of the Captain-General.
knew that my passport would never be
| signed, and I learned that an order for
my arrest was determined on, and that
1 was to be arrested at o'clock Mon
| day morning. 1 was in a bad pickle.
| got glimpse of the writing of Senior
Carjoval, the Secretary of General
Weyler, and copied it so that I had it
down fine. Then I forged the sigma
ture. 1 determined to do without the
seal.
''At the last moment I went to the
wharf and took the launch for the
steamship The inspector looked at my
passport and asked where the seal was.
l assumed a nonchalant air as best L
could, and told him that Senor Carlo
val was at the Ingleterre Hotel, and,
| having no seal, he signed his name to
a statement saying it was all right.
The inspector hesitated. and showed the
signature to another inspector, and he
said all right, and I was safe The
| Spanish authorities never thought for
moment I would take a Spanish
steamer. Nearly all the Americans
take the American line. They did not
think to guard the Panama and watch
for me. They arrest all prisoners at D
O'Clock in the morning. They were sure
I would be in town on that day. and
| they were fooled"