Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-22

The only Jail there is in Havana to-
day is the Quartet, which stands In
delightful situation at the entrance to
the harbor half surrounded by a park;
and Sir William Van Horne has offered
half million dollars for the site He
wants to build a big modern hotel there,
and ought to have the chance, because, as
l told you yesterday Havana needs
hotel more than anything else
Prison of Miss Cisneros.
The notorious Casa de Recogidas, the
women's prison, where the wife of Gen.
Rodriguez was treated SO barbarously by
the Spanish authorities, has been torn
down and new building has been erected
in it's place. 1t was from this house that
Miss Cisneros, another of the herolnes OF
Cuban independence, was rescued. A New
York newspaper claimed the credit, and its
correspondent here Mr.. Carl Decker took
an active part in the adventure. but the
man who planned and directed the rescue
is now the husband OF the lady. ana they
are living in a lovely home with their
handsome boy in the fashionable part or
the city. There were very good reasons
why he and his companions should not be
known in the matter at the time. The
business interests they represented would
have been ruined, or very badly injured,
but there is no reason why the true story
should not be told now.
Miss Cisneros is native OF the city OF
Puerto Principe in the central part Of Cuba,
where, in the latter part of 1882 her tather
was arrested for giving assistance TO the
insurgents and was sent to the Isle or
Pines which, during Spanish domination,
was the Botany Bay of Cuba, settlement
of people who had been convicted or were
suspected of disloyalty to Spain. The girl
accompanied her father, and after living
there quietly for several months was the
cause of a mutiny among the prisoners,
who tried to murder the governor. The lat
ter claimed that Mr.. Cisneros was at the
bottom of the plot and that the daughter
enticed him to lonely place where he was
set upon by several men and beaten nearly
to death. That Is the substance of his re-
port to the governor general. Miss Cls-
neros and her father explained that the
governor attempted to outrage the girl,
when. hearing her screams, several pris-
oners ran to her rescue and gave the
scoundrel only half the punishment he de-
served. At any rate, the father was sent
to the dungeons Of Cabanna and the girl
was locked up in the Casa de Recogidas,
among lot Of abandoned women.
Rescue of Miss Cisneros.
There Mrs. Fitzhugh Lee and her daugh-
ter, Ellen Lee, found and comforted the
beautiful young woman. Their sympathies
were excited. and Gen. Lee, then in charge
Of the American consulate, attempted to in
terfere in her behalf, but she was Cuban.
and he was not able to do anything for
her. Gen. Weyler declared that she was
dangerous person and deserved severe
punishment Her beauty and her romantic
story became the talk Of Havana. and the
sympathy and interest of the American
colony particularly were excited. Several
chivalrous gentlemen undertook to secure
her release, and as they crossed the paths
Of each other, concluded to work together.
Those who were most active and finally
successful were Mr.. Carbonel, agent of the
New York and Cuba Steamship Company;
William Mcdonald, agent of the Munson
Steamship Line; Charles Thrall. agent of
American dealers in electric supplies and
Carl Decker, the newspaper correspondent,
to whom have already alluded.
Mr.. Mcdonald rented a room in the house
next door to the prison with Q scuttle hole