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.

[5] While there is much controversy as to the actual events, what is known is that the Colonel showed up at the young woman’s residence one night, and after making what she considered inappropriate advances, a commotion ensued.

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.

[3] This came during the high point of the so-called “yellow journalism” period when Hearst and Pulitzer were each attempting to outdo each other with ever more sensational news stories to attract the newly literate general public in New York.

[3] Hearst then decided to send another reporter to Cuba, Karl Decker, described as a swashbuckling “man of action,” who was given the task of breaking the young woman out of her jail cell.

[5] He also had assistance of some members of the U.S. Consulate in Havana, who helped with at least the tacit approval of the American Consul-General, Fitzhugh Lee, a former Confederate General and the nephew of Robert E.

[10] 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.

[5] He and his associates, over two nights, climbed over to the roof of the jail and sawed through one of the bars, which created a large enough opening for the slight prisoner to squeeze through and escape.

[10] After three days of hiding from the police-conducted searches, Cosio, dressed as a man, with her abundant hair stuffed under a large hat, and carrying an unlit cigar, walked through Havana to the dock, boarded a New York bound ship using false identification papers, and escaped to the United States.

[3] This included receptions at Delmonico's and Madison Square Garden, and later a meeting with President McKinley in Washington D.C.[3] She then commenced a fund raising campaign for Cuban independence, while Hearst continued to trumpet the escape as a prime example of “Journalism that Acts.”[3] Rival newspapers suggested that a hoax, or at least bribery, was involved.