The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-15
DECKER'S DAUNTLESS DEED.
DETAILS OF HIS EXPERIENCE IN
RESCUING THE HEROINE.

~a
First Tried to Bride the JaiIOr Who
Wanted Too Much For the Job.
The Escape Chain of Events
Which Worked without "a Hitch.
SenOritn's Part Played 40 Perfec-
tiOn-DecISer Forced TO Forge His
Passport in order TO Escape From
the IsIand-SenOrita Receiving
Friends at Hotel waldorf.
New York, Oct. 14.-Karl Decker. one of
the rescuers of Evaugelina COssio Cis-
neros from the Casa de Rocigidas, Ha-
vana, arrived in the city on the Spanish
line steamship Panama this afternoon He
was met down the bay by a number of
newspaper men, and said:
II was commissioned to go to Cuba and
deliver Senorita Cisneros from the filthy
prison. I started from New York Aug.
2S, determined to free the woman, though
did not see my way clear as to the adop
ton of any plan. After reaching Havana,
many plans suggested themselves to me.
but each one proved impractcable. 1 tried
to bribe the jailer or alcalde, but he want
ed $4,000 for the job, and positive assur-
ance that he and his family could get to
the United States. This was too rich
proposition for me-"
Mr. Decker repeated the story of the
rescue from the Jail as already told in
these dispatches, and then related what
happened after the girl was out of the
prison. He said:
"When Senorita Clsneros entered our
shanty adjoining the jail, we let her rest
few moments and then took her to a
carriage waiting outside and drove to the
house of a friend. The friend was holding
reception that night, which was a part
of the plot. The man who drove the car
riage was one of the conspirators. Seno-
rita Cisneros was exhausted from excite
ment when she reached the house, but she
did not give away.
''On Thursday morning she was taken
to the home of a friend, where she re-
mained in secrecy until Saturday after
noon.
ITO reach the steamer for New York
she was obliged to walk down Obispo
street, the principal thoroughfare of Ha-
vana, at a time when the street was
crowded, and yet take her time and smoke
a cigar. If she had sulked about the
back streets she would Immediately have
been suspected. 1t was over mile from
the house to the pier. She had pass
port made out under an assumed name.
! All the steamships anchor out in the
| stream. Senorita Cisneros walked down
| from the house, clad as a rancher and
my companion and followed behind. She
sauntered along leisurey, and once in \
| while turned about to see if we were fol-
| lowing. We motioned her to go on. She
| grew more confident as she went alone,
| but we could see that she was under
| strain. She got on the launch and we
WI l1nnPh
| 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 Senorita Cis-
neros. A house TO house search was begun,
and would have been kept up had not
telegram from Minister Dupuy de LONE
at Washington, informed Weyler that the
girl was on the high seas and expected
any day in New York. Then Weyler was
mad. He threw the jailer Jose Quinta,
in Jail, whereupon the jailer told about my
attempting to bribe him. This, in con-
nection with the surmise of Minister de
LONE, placed suspicion on me. 1 gave it
out that L 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 my
mind up to start Sunday, instructions or
no Instructions.
My instructions came, happily My
passport was made out in the name OF
Karl Decker. In order to take the Pana-
ma Sunday night and run the gauntlet
it was necessary to get my passport vised
and stamped with the seal of the secre-
tary of the captain general. 1 knew that
my passport would never be signed, and
I learned that an order for my arrest
was determined on, and that l was to be
arrested at o'clock Monday morning. 1
was in a bad pickle. l got a glimpse of
tary of Weyler, and copied 1t so that /
had it down fine. Then l forged the wise
signature. / determined to do without the
seal. At the last moment | went to the
wharf and took the launch for the steam-
ship. The inspector looked at my pass
port and asked where the seal was | as
sumed a nonchalant air as best 1 could
and told him that Senor Carjoval was
at the Ingleterre hotel and having no seal,
he signed his name to a statement, say
ing it was all right. The inspector hesi-
tated and showed the signature to an
other Inspector and he said all right, ana
/ was safe.
THE Spanish authorities never thought
for a moment that I would take a Span
ish 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 S o'clock
in the morning. They were sure | would
be in town on Monday, and they were
fooled" u
Senorita Cisneros received a number of
visitors at the Hotel Waldorf to-day.
among them Gen Julio Sanguilly, Henry
George, Tom L. Johnson and ex-Postmas-
ter Charles w. Dayton.