The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-14

| death.
Three forty-four caliber revoIvers COW
cred him and his discovery of our position
1 on the roof would have called for his i'm
| mediate execution. Time was then allowed
/ for the natural quiet to drift back upon the
| scene, and when finally everything had be-
! come normal the work Of getting the Jour
nails protege out Of her loathsome dungeon
| was begun.
We crept softly across the roof to the
| window she had indicated. As we reached
| it we saw her standing before it. She was
! dressed in a dark cOlored dress and not
| easily seen in the gloom inside. She gave
! one glad little cry and claSped our hands
crate her at once She had been standing
| there for over two hours and a half but
her patience never deserted her, ana she
! knew that aid was coming as she could
see us on the roof of No. l.
Bidng her be quiet, we started at work
cutting through the iron bar between her
and liberty. We selected the third bar on
! the left side of the window, and began cut
ting it near the bottom. Our progress was
| slow and wearisome, and finally, after an
! hours work, we found that we had only
cut part of the way through. 1t was inn
possible to use the saw quickly, as the bars
were not set firmly in the frame, and rat
| tied and rang like q fire alarm every time
the saw passed across the iron
FIRST NIGHT TOO SHORT.
At last stir in the room she had quilted
warned Miss Cisneros that it was best for
her to retire again; so, leaving US, she
slipped sheet about her and glided quick
dormitory. Before going she begged us to
return the following night and complete our
work She was quickly assured eve would
be on hand again. and she was contented.
We were bitterly disappointed at our
failure. 1 had selected Tuesday night in
view of the fact that the next day afforded
an opportunity to catch the steamer to Key
West, where we could send a man with
the full story of the nights occurrence, as
1t was we'll known that no detailed account
of the escape could be cabed from Havana.
We trusted to luck, however, to stand by
us, hoping only that our anxious neighbors
In NO. would not give the alarm, and
that the cut bar would remain undiscov-
cred. We had no means of knowing the next
day whether or not our attempt of the
night before had been discovered, but pro-
ceeded on the assumption that 1t had not,
and so determined to carry out our plans
to the letter
A lot of cheap secondhand furniture was
purchased in one of the outlying suburbs
and was placed in our house, and that night
when we went there we were surrounded
by our own household lares and penates.
A huge porron decorated the tinnujero,
thanked on either side by bottle of jenevra
and a big bundle of brevas Our sideboard
was set with plates and other crockery,
and chest of drawers, a folding table and
pair OF canvas folding cots had been
We dragged out the tables and set forth
candles until ii cleaned ike q banquet
board. Then we threw open the window
so that the neighborS might look upon the
newcomers in the neighborhood and be-
fell into game of poker around the table
that came near destroying all our strongly
cemented friendship
Until II o'clock the game went on. A
brace of guards, in their striking blue and
red uniforms, lounged up to the windows
to note whether we played for wind or
centeEs. and, finding the game innocent
day in May, wandered off with their
swords clanking about their heels. AT IL
o'clock we shut the window and barred out
the soft, bright moonlight that flooded, the
room with its slvery glory and then turned
in for couple hours patient waiting.
1t was not easy work, as the stone floor
we lay upon was as hard as the heart of
Weyler and twice as cold. The bundle of
brevas went up in smoke as we lay there
talking in whispers, and finally the time for
action arrived. The inmates of No. were
again awake, and, far from being impressed
by our household furniture seemed to fear
us even more than the night before. 1t
was dread of the strangers in the alley
that kept them quiet and made Miss Cis-
neroSS release possible.
They sat up talking this night during the
entire time we were working on the roof
and were still sputtering Spanish when we
left them. This time the fairies seemed to
be working with us and everything moved
as smoothly as clockwork. The ladder was
raised to the roof without sound, and as
we battered about in our stocking feet a
spell of enchantment seemed to fall upon
the city. Far off in the haze of moonlight
a jangling chime of bells seemed changed
by some magic into sweetest music, ana
the ugly tile roofs and queer bits OF old
Moorish architecture, jutting angularly here
and there, seemed transformed by some
magician's touch into palaces.
AGAIN ON THE LADDER.
Again the light, frail ladder was thrown
across from the roof of the azotea. The
trying and perilous journey was made as
quickly as possible. The ladder was with
drawn and we were again in front of the
window behind which Miss Cisneros was
imprisoned.
This time there was no delay. Our outfit
consisted of pair of Stilson wrenches,
and, putting one above and one below the
cut made the night before, we wrenched
the bar asunder with one snap. In a sec
Ond l had caught the broken bar and had
pulled it out enough for a purchase, and
then, Tipping my knee under, L drew it up
till it was horizontal with the roof l then
stopped slipped the bar across my shoulder,
and, graSping the crOssbar above, straight
ened myself bringing the bar far up in the
air A second later 1 had twisted myself
into s huge V above the crossbar, and,
reaching down, caught Miss Cisneros by
the shoulders and pulled her through the
| opening.
| have seen the smile on that poor girls
face as she realized that at last, after fif-
ty they would have felt q happiness as
great almost as hers. That one fieetiny
smile of ineffable happiness was reward
enough for both of us there at the WINDOW
for all our work and risk.
To get our little heroine safely away was
now the question. The trip across the
creaking swaying ladder was made by
Miss Cisneros with the grace ana ease or
a frightened fawn. The astute detectives
who found a knotted rope on the roof stated
that the ends had been held by two men
on either roof affOrding Miss CiSneroS a
hand rail to guide her across.
Nothing of the sort was done. The Knot
| ted rome was to be used in case of emer-
gency in case our return to the roof of No;
/ should be cut off, forcing us TO descend
from some other part of the building. Miss
| Cisneros needed no hand rail in her state
of joy and exhilaration.
the building. We quickly made our way
down stairs donned our shoes and made
off The neighbors heard the clang of the
heavy doors closing, then the sharp, quick
rattle of a carriage dashing reckleSsly of
over the cobhles. and then quiet fell upon
beautiful girl prisoner was at liberty and
would never again feel the Suffocation OF
it's crowding walls.
There was but one bad break in the ar
rangementS we made on leaving. Herman
do taking alarm at a sound in the Reco-
iidas. had drawn his revolver. Then he
placed it on the parapet of the house, lay
ing it down to assist Miss CisneroS across.
He forgot it, and it has been found there
to the great indignation of the police.
The news of Evangelina's escape was
carried to Palmerola at the palace shortly
after O'Clock by Don Jose Quintana, the
alcalde of the prison. For the time Pal
merola was like u crazy man. He burst
into a torrent of abuse against. the alcalde
and every one connected with the prison,
and started at once the investigation that
is now being carried on. He was furious
for hours and no dared go near him
on the most peaceful mission.