The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-15
MISS CISNEROS'S ESCAPE
KARL DECKER TELLS HOW THE
FAIR CUBAN WAS RESCUED.
And Also How He Forged n Passport
and EIuded the Vigilance of
General WeyIer's Police.

NEW YORK, Oct. 14.-karl Decker, one
of the rescuers of Evangelina Cosio Cis-
neros from the Casa de Recojdas, Havana,
arrived in this city on the Spanish line
steamship Panama this afternoon. He was
met down the bay by a number of news
paper men, and said: Il was commissioned
to go to Cuba and deliver Senorita Cosio
Cisneros from the filthy Recojidas pris-
on. l started from New York Aug. Is de-
termined to free the woman, though l did
not see my way clear as to the plan to be
adopted After reaching Havana many
plans suggested themselves to me. but each
one proved impracticable l tried to bride
the jailer or alcalde, but he wanted $4,000
for the job and positive assurances that
he and his family could get to the United
States. This was too rich proposition for
mo-"
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 was out of the prison. He
said: when Senorfta Cosio Cisneros en-
tered our saanty 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
q part of the plot. The man who drove
the carriage was one of the conspiratorS
Senorita Cosio Cisneros was exhausted
from excitement when she reached the
house, but she did not give way. On
Thursday morning she was taken to the
home of friend, where she remained in
secrecy until Saturday afternoon
ITO reach the steamer for New York
she was obliged to walk down Obispo
street. the principal thoroughfare of Ha-
vana, at time when the street was
crowded, and yet take her time and smoke
cigar. If 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 a passport made
out under an assumed name. All the
steamships anchor out in the stream. Sc
norita Cosio y Cisneros walked down from
the house, clad as a. rancher, and my COM
panion and 1 followed. She Sauntered
along leisurely and once in 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 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 d charm.
THE day after the Jail break the town
Cisneros, 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. lie threw the jailer, Jose Quintana,
into prison, whereupon the jailer told about
my attempting to bride him. This, in con-
nection with the surmise of De LONE,
placed suspicion on me. / gave 1t out that
| was going to take a steamer for Mexico.
There was only one steamer leaving Sun
day, and that was a Spanish steamer. I
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 Karl Decker. In order to take the Pan
anna Sunday night and run the gauntlet
with the seal of the secretary of the cap
tain general. l knew that my passport
would never be signed and l learned that
an order for my arrest was determined on
and that | was to be arrested at 5 o. clock
Monday morning. l was in bad pickle
| got glimpse of the writing of Senior
CarJoval, the secretary of Weyler and
copied it so that l had it down fine. Then
l forged the wise signature. / determined
ment went TO the wharf and took the
launch for the steamship. The inspector
looked at my passport and asked where the
seal was. / assumed a nonchalant air as
best could and told him that Senior Car
joval was at the Ingleterre Hotel and, hay-
ing no seal, he signed his name to state
ment saying 1t was all right. The inspec-
tor hesitated and showed the signature to
another inspector and he said all right.
"rhe " Spanish 5 rlf authorities never thought
for a moment that 1 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 o'clock in the
morning. They were sure L would be in
town on Monday and they were fooled"
Senorita Cosio Cisneros received a.
number of visitors at the Hotel Waldorf
to-day, among them Gen. Julio Sanguilly,
Henry George, Tom L. Johnson and ex-
Postmaster Charles W. Dayton.