Karl Decker (journalist) explained

Karl Decker, pen name Charles Duval, (died 1941, age 73) was a journalist in the United States who worked for William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal. He covered events leading up to the Spanish American War and helped Evangelina Cosio y Cisneros escape from a Spanish prison.^{[1] [2] [3]} Controversy over the events ensued. Amy Ephron wrote about the events in her book White Rose (2000).^[4]

Before the war, Decker collaborated with filmmaker William C. Paley, covering a funeral procession for those killed on the U.S.S. Maine.

After the war, Decker returned to Cuba in 1899. He covered severe storm aftermath. He also wrote about Cuba in 1933.^[5]

Later in his career, while working at the Saturday Evening Post, he made claims about who was responsible for the theft of the Mona Lisa.^{[6] [7]}

Notes and References

1. News: KARL DECKER DIES; CORRESPONDENT, 73; Hearst Reporter Many Years Rescued Evangelina Cisneros From a Cuban Prison. The New York Times . December 5, 1941. NYTimes.com.
2. Web site: Not a hoax: New evidence in the New York Journal's rescue of Evangelina Cisneros. fs2.american.edu.
3. Web site: Was 'jailbreaking journalism' a hoax? Evidence points the other way. October 15, 2010.
4. Web site: Cultivating legend of "White Rose'. Edvins. Beitiks. Of the Examiner. Staff. October 12, 1999. SFGate.
5. Book: Campbell, W. Joseph. The Year That Defined American Journalism: 1897 and the Clash of Paradigms. October 8, 2013. Routledge. 9781135205058. Google Books.
6. Web site: 80 YEARS AGO TODAY - THE BIRTH OF A PHONY MASTERMIND.
7. Web site: 100 Years Ago: The Mastermind Behind the Mona Lisa Heist. 7 December 2013 .