The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-10-15
N%CISNER0S' RESCUER
AND TELLS OF HIS OWN FLIGHT.

Forged the Signature OF the Captain
Generals Secretary aud Told o Fairy
Story to the Omcial Who Inspected
His Passport.
New York, Oct. 15.-Carl Decker, one
of the rescuers of Evangelina Cosio y
Cisneros from the Casa de RecOjidas,
Havana, arrived in this city on the
Spanish line steamship Panama yes
terday afternoon. He was met down
the bay by number Of newspaper
men. and said:
Il was commissioned to go to Cuba
and deliver Senorita Cosio Cisneros
from the filthy Recojidas prison. I
started from New York on Aug. 20, de-
termined to free the woman. though
did not see my way clear as to the
plan to be adopted. After reaching
Havana many plans suggested them
selves to me, but each one proved i'm
1. practicable. I tried to bride the jailer,
or alcalde but he wanted $4,000 TOR
the job, and positive assurances that
he and his family could get to the
United States. This was too rich q
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 was out
Of prison. He said:
when Senorita Cosio y Cisneros en-
tered our shanty adjoining the jail we
let her rest for few minutes and
then took her to carriage waiting
IN 90 xIn
friend. The friend was holding a re-
ceptiOn that night, which was a part
Of the plot. The man who drove the
carriage was one of the conspirators.
The young lady was exhausted from
excitement when she reached the house,
but she did not give way. On Thurs
day morning she was taken to the home
of a friend, where she remained in Sc
crecy until Saturday afternoon.
ITO reach the steamer for New York
she was obliged to walk down Obispo
street, the principal thoroughfare Of
Havana, at time when the street was
crowded, and yet take her time and
smoke cigar. If she had sulksd about
the back streets she would immedl-
ately have been suspected. 1t was over
had a passport made out under an as
sumed name. All the steamships an
Choir out in the stream. Senorita Cosio
Cisneros walked down from the house
clad as a rancher, and my companion
and l followed behind. She sauntered
along leisurely, and once in while
turned about to see If we were follow
ing. 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
1t We knew that the scheme had work.
ed like a charm.
THE day after the jail break the
town was astir over the escape of SEN
orita Cosio y Cisneros d house to
house search was begun and would
have been kept up had not a 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. He threw the jsiler, Jose
Quintana, into jail, whereupon the
taller told about my attempting to bride
him. This, in connection with the sur
mise of De Lone, placed suspicion on
me. l gave it out that / WAS going to
take q steamer for Mexico. There was
only one steamer leaving Sunday, and
that was q Spanish steamer. | 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 Panama Sunday night, and run the
gauntlet, l must get my passport vised
and stamped with the seal of the sec
rotary Of the captain general. I 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 Mon
day morning. l got glimpse Of the
writing of Senior Carioval, the secra-
tary Of Weyler and copied it SO thar
had it down fine. Then I forged the
wise signature. determined to do with
out the seal
AT the last moment I went to the
wharf and took the launch for the
steamship. The inspector looked at my
passport ana asked "ntre lnt seal was.
I assumed nonchalant air and tod
him that Senior CarjovAl was at the
Ingleterre hotel, and having no seal he
signed his name to a statement say
ing it was all right. The inspector hest
tated and showed the signature to an
other inspector, and he said all right.
and I was safe.
The Spanish authorities never
thought for moment that would take
4 Spanish steamship. Nearly all the
Americans take the American line
They did not think to guard the Pana-
ma and watch for me. They arrest all
prisoners at 5 o'clock in the morning.
They were sure l would be in town on
Monday and they were fooled"