The San Francisco call., 1897-10-15

{ RESCUED
CISuEROS
Mr., Hearst's Journal
Had Nothing to Do
With 1t.
STORY TOLD BY THE
RESCUER.
Sent to Havana by the Cuban
Leaders at New
York.
TO SAVE THE GIRL FROM
WEYLER.
Karl Decker Tells How He Broke
Down the Bars Of the Awful
Sent to Havana by the Cuban
Leaders at New
York.
TO SAVE THE GIRL FROM
WEYLER.
Karl Decker Tells How He Brok 9
Down the Bars Of the Awful
Prison.

NEW YORK, n. Y, Oct. 14-Charles
Duval Decker, the man who rescued
Evangelina Cisneros arrived here late yes
terday afternoon on the steamer Panama,
which sailed from Havana on Sunday. 1t
is as Charles Duval the American public
knows this newspaper man who took the
poor girl from under WeyIer's nose and
set the world talking.
He looks the rescuer every inch. The
tug Atwood met the Panama down the
bay aud then only did the officers of the
ship realize who their quiet passenger
was. He was heartily cheered as he de-
scended the gangp!ank and boarded the
tug at the quarantine.
Decker is good looking. a sculptor
might have picked him for a model for
Hercules had not the Cuban Junta chosen
him to 60 to their war-ridden island and
rescue Evangeiina Cisneros from a Span
ish dungeon. He is tall-perhaps feet
and looks the athlete. Smiling gray eyes
meet his questicners; blonde hair and a
long sandy mustache frame kindly face.
AS he stepped aboard the tug his friends
set up cheer. Decker took off his golf
cap and yelled, dropping the big cigar he
was smoking. He wore a light gray coat.
waistcoat and dark trousers. In his hand
he carried some fine Havanas done up in
brown papers, and in a tWinkling he was
surrounded by group OF enthusiastic
friends.
There was the deuce to pay" he
laughed. Tine Spanish authorities were
in a fearful stew over Miss Cisneros' es-
cape. We managed to get her away on
Saturday afternoon and I followed her
next day. While waited l did not try to
hide. Weyler could have found me any
time in Havana at the Hotel Angleterre.
The Spanish authorities had their suspi-
cions of me, pui they conld not pin them
down. They did not dare risk making a
break, ard they went on the ground that
l would have gone into hiding had l been
mixed up in he escape. That was the
Spanish OF II. They would not under
sand a good Anglo Saxon bluff.
However, The scent got warm and they
decided 10 arrest me after the Alcalde of
the prison, Jose Quintin, told that l had
tried to bribe him. They got out their
warrant, and had l stayed till Monday l
would have been cast into prison.
These Spanish had no fear of a SUM-
day pc. The only boat that left Sun
day was the Panama, Spanish vessel,
and people have to have their passports
vlsed to get away on Spanish vessel.
They did not imagine l could get one
vised, but did, by viseing the thing my
self.
Il got over that little formality by sign.
ing the name of Carvaiol, the secretary of
the new Governor, 10 my passport, hav-
Ing made a study OF handwriting. The
regulation detectives were at the gang
plank: Your name said they. Baker
said / Now, Decker was on the pass
port, but these Spanish buffers are no
good on names, and they did not bother
any more when they saw the proper
signature. l did not have any seal on the
passport, but explained that the secre-
tary had signed IN a cafe, where he could
not get one.
81 had g aterooE1s engaged and my cor
rect name was On the passenger list.
Ihere were only hve passengers III the
cabin, most OF them as well as the officers
Spanish. All hands discussed the escape
,of Miss Cisneros freely, but they never
yad any idea that l was The one to
blame"
1t was savage-looking line of heads
that giowered over the rail when tine Off
GERS of the Panama realized who their
affable passenger was, but it was useless
then. Ia New York Bav Spanish antbor-
ity was a discount
Mr. Decker was very modest over mis-
share In Inc escape. 1T was all bluff, ," he
said. Il did not have TO use much rnonev
| offered but one bribe and that to iailer
AS it was that nearly caused NY undoinq
That prison WAS the hlthiest place I ever
D law. I'm glad l did not see the inside of
lit 1t IS of adobe, one story high. rectan-
guar in shape, with iron bars on ali the
windows.
left New York on August % to do the
trick. L was determined to rescue thar
poor girl. But for the life OF me. did
not know how 1t was 10 be done After I
got to Havana several schemes presented
themselves to me- but ali were lmprac-
ticable. FIRST [ tried to bribe the alcalde
or iailer-this fellow Quintin-but he
wanted $4,000 for the job and assurance
that he and his family could get to the
United States in safety. That was too
much of proposition for me.
''Labo ers and longshoremcn and people
of the lower class live around RecoiiGas
AT one corner of the prison was a one
Story shanty. This struck me as a good
base of operations. l kept jollying the
jailer along for fear he would tell how I'd
tried 10 bribe him, but he bill at the bait
long enough.
There were hve of US in the scheme TO
rescue the girl. | won't mention
their names, for the other four
are still! living at Havana, and it might
mean death for them. Two are nat ye-
DOIH d nGi4CdiSs i NO are
Miss Cisneros was In the second story of
the Jail and we determined 10 cut the bars
and release her. A note was written to
Miss Clsneros in EGgllsh and given to a
wAman who ca led on one of the other
PRISONERS. As none of the inmates of the
- son could read English, and very few
cJts!1 read Spanish even, it was a safe
proposition.
The note informed Miss Cisneros that
she shonid be prepared on Tuesday night,
October g. We went into the cabin and
lAyed cards for matches for three days
before we attempted TO put our plan into
execution. AS the military police are
constantly on the lookout we could not
play cards ior money. No gambling is al
lowed.
swell, it was our luck to have a bright
moon on Tuesday night. as well as The