The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-10-15
TOLD BY HER RESCUER
FIRST HE TRIED TO BRIBE THE
JAILOR.
DECKER'S ESCAPE WAS WONDERFUL
It Appears That Karl Decker's Story May Gel
Some Persons in Trouble Who Are
Still on the War RaviShed
Island.

Island.
| New York, Oct 14.-Karl Decker,
one of the rescuers of Evangelina Cossio
Cisneros from the Casa de Recojidas,
Havana, arrived in this city ON the
Spanish line steamship Panama this af-
ternoon. He was met down the bay by
"A number of newspaper men and said:
Il was commissioned to go to Cuba and
deliver Senorita Csneros from the filthy
prison. l started from New York August
%. determined to free the woman,
| though | did not see my way clear as
| to the adoption of any plan. After reach
| ing Havana many plans suggested them
selves to me, but each one proved inn
practicable. l tried to bribe the jailer or
Alcalde, but he wanted $4,000 for the
job and positive assurance that he and
| his family could get to the United
States. This was too rich proposition
| for me-" shT& st
Mr.. Decker repeated the story Of the
lrescue from the Jail as already told in
these dispatches and then related what
happened after the girl was out of the
.fprison. He said:
when Senoritaa Cisneros entered our
fshanty adjoining the jail we let her rest
| a few moments and then took her to n
carriage waiting outside and drove to
the house uf Il friend. The-friend was
holding a reeeptiou/tha night, which
was a partIof the plot The man who
drove the carriage was one of the con.
spirators Senorita Cisneros was eX-
hausted from excitement when she
reached the house but she did not give
way.
ION Thursday morning she was taken
/ to the yhome OF a friend, where she re-
manned in secrecy until Saturday after
noon. at
! To reach the steamer for New York
she was obliged to walk down Obispo
street. the principal thoroughfare of
| Havana, at a time when the street was
crowded, and yet take her time and
smoke cigar II 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
lpasspot made ont under an assumed
I name All the steamships anchor out in
the stream Senorita Cisneros walked
idown from the house clad as a rancher.
and my companion and | followed be-
hind She sauntered along leiSurely, and
once in a while turned about to see if We
were following. We motioned her to go
on. She grew more confident al she
went along, but we could see that she
was under q 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 IA charm.
! The day after the Jail break the town
was ast:r over the escape of Senorita
A IN u-D
ordered and would have been kept up
had not a telegram from Min
lister 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 jailer, Jos. Quintin into Jail,
| whereupon the jailer told about my at
J tempting to bribe him. This in connec-
ton with the surmise of De LONE, placed
suspicion on me. / gave it out that
was going to take steamer for Mexico.
There was. only one steamer leaving
Sunday, and that was Spanish steam
er. | waited for Instructions from New
York, and had almost made my mind up
to start Sunday. instructions or no in
structions. My instructions came, hap
/ PLY.
| Ny passport was made out in the
name Karl Decker. In order to take
the Panama Sunday night and run the
gauntlet, it was necessary to get my
passport vised and stamped with the
seal of the Secretary of the Captain
General / knew that my passport
would never be signed and learned that
an order for my arrest was determined
on and that | was to he arrested at five
o'colck Monday morning. l was in a
bad pickle. / got glimpse of the writ
ing of Senor Carjoval, the Secretary of
| Weyler, and copied it so that / had it
down fine Then / forged the wise sg-
nature. | determined to do without the
seal. At the last moment | went to the
wharf and took the launch for the
steamship. The Inspector looked at my
passport and asked where the seal was.
l assumed a nonchalant air as best /
could, and told him that Senior Carioyal
was at the Ingleterre hotel, and having
10 SEAL he signed his name to a state
ment saying it was all right. The in
spector hesitated and showed the sigma |
ture to another inspector, and he said |
all right, and I was safe.
The Spanish authorities never Thought |
for moment that | would take a Span |
ish 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 five
o'clock in the morning. They were sure
/ would he in town on Monday and they |
were fooled.
Senorita Cisneros received a number
of visitors at the hotel Waldorf to-day.