El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-05
A True Story OF
Evange1ina CiSnerOS
of the Of Arrest and Imprisonment
Now For the First me evealed.-A Romance
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The famous Recojidas Jail at Havara
has always been OF profound interest," a.
the place where Dona Evangelina Be-
lancourt Cisneros, the beautiful youne
Cuban girl, was imprisoned, and from
whence, through the assistance OF sy NJ
pathetic friends, she subsequently
made her escape, But the actual mo-
tives which led to the arrest and I'M
prisonment of this estimable young
lady have long been shrouded In mys-
terry. During the writer's recent trav-
els in the West Indies. however. it was
his fortune to be temporarily the guest
Mayor of Nueva Corona, the principal
city of the Isla de Pinos, from which
gentleman, who was formerly at the
head of large fraternity of insurgent
sympathizers on the island, the follow
ing facts were gathered and are now
for the first time revealed. The various
details associated with this romantic
incident are at once path cite and beau
tiful-pathetic because of the hardships
and privstions endured by the heroine
for the sake of her country and her
honor, beautiful beca use of the unfalt-
ering courage she maintained through
out the narrowing ordeal and the hap
piness which characterized it's ending.
Evangelina Cisneros, by which m aid
emily title she must ever be known to
history, is q native of the Isle de Pinos,
and prior to the incident in question
lived in the suburbs of Nuevs Corona.
Her parents, although in poor circum-
stances, were eminently respectable,
er q much greater dignity and be.uty
OF character than is commonly found
even in more exalted households.
BASE PLOT.
Now, the City of Nueva Corona was
at that time governed by Spanish Of
fetal known as the Alcalde. whose re-
putation for evil doing was familiar to
all of the better class of Inhabitants
who dwelt on the island. AS Evenge-
lima Cisneros developed into blushing
young womanhood her loneliness was
marked by this base character whose
brain became fred with an unh allowed
determination to make her his mistress.
The wish had no sooner entered his au-
dacious mind than he Immediately took
steps toward its ful6llment. On the
outstarJ his. vanity prompted him to
make open advances to the young lady,
who, it Is needless to say, spurned his
proposal and at once acquainted her
father with the nature of the insult to
which she had been subjected. Foiled
AlcaIde next approached her father,
OF whom he requested her hand in mar
riage. His overtures in this direction,
however. were equally unavailiug, the
proposition being quietly but firm
ly declined. Enraged at his rejection
at the hands of both father and dsugh
ter, the Spaniard at once devised a
foul sch enc for putting the former out
of the way, believing that the latter,
when bereft of q fathers protection.
would submit to his will. The lila de
Piuos being at that time under mill
tary rule, it was the Alcalde's privilege
to detail any one within his jurisdic-
ton for whatever service he required.
Taking advantage of this authority, he
issued orders to Senior Cisneros to pro-
coed on some fictitious errand to q re-
mote part of the island, intending to
have q detachment of soldiers waylay
and murder him while on the road.