Evangelina Cosio y Cisneros

Evangelina Cosio y Cisneros (September 23, 1877 – April 29, 1970) was the focus of events that played out in the years 1896–1898 during the Cuban War of Independence. Her imprisonment as a rebel and escape from a Spanish jail in Cuba, with the assistance of the reporter, Karl Decker from William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal, created wide interest in the United States press, as well as accusations of fraud and bribery.

Early life and background

Evangelina Cosio was born on September 23, 1877, in Puerto Príncipe, Cuba. She was the daughter of Augustin Cosio, who was an active participant in attempts to gain Cuban independence from Spain; Ms. Cosio's mother, María Caridad de Cisneros y de la Torre, died when Evangelina was a child. In 1895, the Cuban Revolution/War of Independence started under leadership of Cuban writer José Julian Martí in an attempt to overthrow Spanish rule.

In the summer of 1896, Augustin Cosio, as one of the rebel leaders, was captured and sent to a penal colony on the Cuban Isle of Pines (now known as Isle of Youth). Initially the conditions on Isle of Pines were described by Ms. Cosio as relatively comfortable with Augustin living with his family in a small adobe house on the island. Evangelina appealed directly to the governor, but according to Ms. Cosio, he apparently mistook her pleas for something romantic. In short order she was charged with attempted murder and rebellion. The full truth is not known.

As a result of the incident, Evangelina Cosio was transferred from the Isle of Pines to a prison for women in Havana known as Casa de Recogidas, which had been given the reputation of being one of the most unpleasant jails in Cuba.

Imprisonment

Cosio remained in that jail for over a year awaiting trial. Hearst had been actively pushing for American assistance of the rebels in Cuba. After Decker rejected a number of what appeared to be ill-advised schemes, including blowing a hole in the wall of the jail, Cosio devised a more realistic plan.

Later life

Some months after her escape, Evangelina Cosio married one of her rescuers, Carlos Carbonell, who was 28 years her senior. They had two daughters. Carbonell died in 1916. In 1918, Evangelina remarried Miguel Romero, a Havana lawyer. Evangelina Cosio died on April 29, 1970, and was given a full military funeral by the Cuban government, as one of the last heroes of the Cuban War of Independence.