New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-09
or,rp INTERNATIONAL COMPLICATIONS.

r,,,rossed in our own foreign complications
ve are mt to forget that there are internatloha.
d;ecult,es elsewhere. Yet such is the faco IL
reliance NAV be placed on recent European us
rotcbes These difficulties are OF uneIehO
rotrro from ours, but on the whole may NC
Ito &c serious. and will doubtless come luhy
40 near bringing on war-perhaps nearer as 'heS
GRO between two countries separated ny al
Imaginary boundary line alone. and hostiii'ieS
could mo carried on with the greatest ease
Tho difficulty to which we refer IS between
Germany and Switzerland for though IN ltaiiah
e at the bottom Of it Italy seems TO DC taxing
no mart in IT, perhaps thinking that she mas
enouob to attend to in her with this country
or nerhaps the Italian may be citizen OF o"ltZer
Iand-we are not informed on this point Inc
facts seem to be as follows: During the las1
few months an Italian named Fiippo Cortoni has
hoon making q tour of Switzerland with hand-
ORGAN and a performing monkey Having eN-
bansted the Swiss resources in the way Oh the
small change set aside for Italian hand-orgah
men. he decided to cross over the boundary lhOo
Germany. having first fitted his organ with
cvlinder of music by German composers ana dressed
his monkey in German uniform BLU fllppo
neglected to get a passport, and he had pehe-
trated Germany scarcely mile when nc was
arrested and clapped in JAIL His monkey was
given into the care Of turnkey, but this oihclal
knew no more about monkeys than he dld anouo
the other side of the moon, and while taking Deer
with n brother turnkey the monkey escaped 10 tne
street. Away from the restraining presence OIL
his master and being somewhat disguised at the
turn which affairs had taken. tAe monkey decided
IN revenge without regard to the triple alliance
or the comfy of nations, and began by
biting child. The child screamed. and
an officer swooped down upon the mon
KEY and promptly killed him. The next
dav Filippo Cortoni was released and conveyed
back across the Swiss frontier, near the village OF
Hofen He was very angry, partly at the IN
prsonment but more so at the killing OF his
monkey. and he instantly decided to carry on the
war so bravely begun by the little animal lie
accordingly took up his station about ten yarus
from the German line and directly opposite the
German sentinel who was guarding IL, ana oegan
to shout the most eXasperating abuse ana the
widest threats OF the officer and the whole uer-
man Empire which it was possible for MS tongue
70 frame ending each volley with demand ior
a money reparation for the loss OF his monkey.
He did not demand like the Italian Premier in
our case an assurance that the officer VINO killed
the monkey would be punished, but he did demand
prompt recognition VI PiihNAPiN W ~N"'FN
ton. and an early carrying out of the prlnclple.
Having excellent lungs, remarkable staying powers
and good command of three languages, Italian,
French and German, he soon made it very dis
agreeable for the German sentinel He has Kept
il up now for something like week, putting IN
about sixteen hours each day in execrating Ger
many in.every term of abuse and insult known TO
the three languages OCCASIONALLY he stops for
few minutes and turns to his organ and plays the
French national airs in loud key, following them
with an insane and car-torturing rendition OF DE
Yacht am Rhen,' produced by turning the crank
backwards The German authorities have re-
ouested the Swiss authorities to suppress Filppo,
but this they refuse to do, on the ground that he
is not actually iniuring the German Empire and
that he has real grievance, the revenge he is
taking being no more than Germany deserves.
So he continues 10 take his stand early every
morning and to abuse Germany till far into the
night.
Americans, we believe, will agree with the
Swiss authorities. The fellow seems TO have o
better case against Germany than has Rudini
against this country. We must admire his cour-
age. and can only hope that he will continue to
whoop and make the life of the sentinel burden
till Germany pays him for his monkey.