Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-10-21
Escape Of EvangeIlna Cisneros.

Escape Of Evangellna Cisneros.
The little Cuban girl. Evangelina
Cosio Y Cisneros, about whom SO
much has been published and whose
imprisonment among the vilest class
women in Cuban dungeon has caused
unfeigned feeling of sympathy, has
been liberated from prison and is now
in America. Her liberty was brought
about, it is stated, by Karl Decker,
who was sent to Cuba by the New
York Journal, and who broke the pris
on bars and took her out. This is ad-
vanced journalism, and has made most
competitive daily papers in New York
and some elsewhere green with envy.
They are belittleing the achievement
and trying to create the impression
that Spain winked at the liberation,
This is rather too thin, and we smile
rs we read their reasoning on this sub
ject. Had they done the deed all would
have been WE'LL But it did not occur
to them. hence when circumvented
by their neighbor or contemporary,
the thing becomes small, and insignifi-
can't, or proves in fact to be the very
thing that Spain wanted. If Spain
had been SO anxious to rid herself of
this troublesome subject as the papers
now seem to intimate, her cunning
statesman would have hit upon some
measure, other than to have awaited
a rescue by an American journal
We have been exceedingly interested
in this young woman since her i'm
prisonment first became known, and
especially since the reasons for it were
made public. Her story briefly is; she
had been exiled to the Isle Of Pines, a
small penal colony on the coast of Cuba,
with her father, who was accused of
some political offense, not sufficient to
cause him to be sent to the African
penal colony. He was allowed to bring
his family to the island. and of that
family Evangelina was the oldest. Her
remarkable beauty attracted the at
tention of the commander who began
visiting her honse. His attentions be-
came more and more numerous, and
at last he began indecent proposals to
her. Thinking her condition and
that of her fathers family might be
ameliorated by being on good terms
with the commander she had allowed
his attentions to continue, but when
he became insulting she told her father
and a young Cuban to whom she was
engaged. The young man gathered
several of his friends, hid them with
himself in an adjoining apartment,
and when the commander came that
night and they heard him for them
selves, they rushed in on him, and
caught and bound him and belabored
him with withes. His cries brought in
some passing soldiers and fight ensu
ed in which one or more persons were
killed. The officer was liberated and
he went to headquarters crying econ
spiracy." The affair was reported as
an attempt at the assassination of the
and Evangelina and all
who survived the fight were imprison-
ed. 1t is believed her fiance was shot.
For more than year she lay in this
filthy prison, until she was accidental
ly discovered. Since then her name
has been before the public. all the
great ladies in the land have signed a
petition for her release, and even the
Pope interested himself.
Our interest in her has been greatly |
heightened since we heard Gen. Fitz !
Lee, who has seen her, sag, that she !
was girl of the most remarkable i
ha Ind eauar aaall W. h q NO