The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-19
MISS CISNEROS' RESCUER


Durlng "a skeCepttOb-s ne WALK down. the
Principal street of Havana to the Steam
er-Decker Suspected-Ord-r Issued for
His Arrest-He Forges the wise Of His
Passport and Escapes On n Spanish Line
Steamer to- New York
New York, October 14.-Karl Decker,
one of the rescuers of Evangelina Cos
sio Cisneros from the Case de Recoji-
das, Havana, arrived in this city on the
Spanish lin steamship Panama his
afternoon. He was met down the bay
by a number of newspaper men, and
said:
Il was commissioned to go to Cuba
n deliver Senorita Cisneros from
the filthy prison. i started from New
York August 28th, determined to free
the woman, though / did not see my
way clear as to the adoption of any
plan. After reaching Havana, many
plans suggested themselves to me, but
each one proved impracticable. I tried
to bride the jailor or alcalde, but he
wanted SIG, 600 for the job, and positive
assurance that he and his family could
get to the United States. This was too
rich a proposition for me-"
Mr.. Decker repeated the story of the
rescue from the Jail as already told in
his dispatches and then related what
happened after the girl vas out of the
prison. He said:
when Senorita Cicneros 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 a friend. The friend
was holding a reception that night,
which was a part Of the plan. The man
who drove the carriage was one of the
conspirators. Senorita Cisneros was
Exhausted from excitement when she
reached the house, but she did not give
way. ON Thursday morning she was
k to the home of a friend where
she remained in secrecy until Satur-
day afternoon.
ITO reach the steamer for New York
she was obliged to walk down ObispO
street, the principal t~hOroughfare of
Havana, at a time when the street
was crowded, and yet take her time,
and smoke a cigar. If she had skulked
about the back streets she would i'm
mediately have been suspected. 1t was
over a mile from the house to the pier.
She had a passport made out under an
assumed name. All the steamships an
Choir out in the stream. Senorita Cis-
nerOS walked down from the house clad
as a ranchman, and my companion and
/ followed behind. She sauntered along
leisurely and once in a while turned
about to see if we were following. We
motiOned 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 Sem
orita CisnerOs. A hOuse-to-hOuse search
was begun and would ave been kept
up had not a telegram from Minister
Dupuy de LONE at Washington inform
ed Weyler hat the girl was on the high
seas and expected any day in New
York. Then Weyler was mad. He
threw the jailer, Jose Quintan, into
Jail; ~whereupon the jairer told about
my attempting to bride him. This, in
connection with the urmis of De
it out that was going to take a steam
err for Mexico. There was only one
steamer leaving Sunday, and that was
a Spanish steamer. I waited for in
structions from New York, and had al
most made my mind up to start Sun
day, instructions or no Instructions.
My instructions came, happily. My
passport was made out in the name of
Karl Decker. In order to take the Pan
anna Sunday night, and run the gaunt-
let, it was necessary to get my passport
vised and stamped with the seal of the
secretary of the captain general. I
knew that my passport would never be
signed and / learned that an order for
arrest was determined on and that I
was to be arrested at 5 o'clock Monday
morning. / was in a bad pickle. I got
a glimpse of the writing of Senior Car
joval, the secretary of Weyler, and
copied it SO that 1 had it down fine.
Then I forged the Wis. signature. 1 de-
termined to do without the seal At the
last m I Eel to the wharf and
took the launch for the steamship. The
inspector looked at my passport n
asked where the seal was. I assumed a
n~Onchalant air as best / could and
told him that Senior CarjOval was at
the Ingleteere hotel, and having no
seal, he signed his name to a statement
saying it was all right. The inspector
1hesitated and showed the signature to
another inspector, and he said it was
all right, and l was safe.
THE Spanish authorities never
thought for a mOmen that I would
take a Spanish steamer. Nearly all
the Americans take the American line.
They did not think TO guard the Pan
anna and watch for me. They arrest
all prisoners at 5 o'clock in the morn
ing. They were sure I would be in
town on Monday and they were fooled"
Senorita Cisneros received a number
day, among them General Julio San
gully, Henry George, Tom. l.. john
son and eX-PoStmaster Charles w.
Dayton.
1t is a mistaken idea that a cough
acquired during the warm season need
not be regarded seriously. Facts prove