Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-05-07
A PET AND A NUISANCE.
JocKO IN DlSREPUTE WITH THE
NEW YORK HEALTH BOARD.

Josef Hofrmann's Ecstatic Monkey Makes
a aTightrope of sIrs. Kaufman's Clothes
line, Picks Putty Out of SkyIight and
Steals Pennies and Milk.
For two wears now Jocko has been
having things pretty much his own way
in back yard in East Fourth street.
But at last he has run up against snag.
Doubtless if Jocko had been content
with his own back yard and had not
gone about prowling for new back yards
to conquer. his name today would not
be on the blotter of the health boards
big book At the weekly meeting Of the
board it will be decided whether he may
keep up his nomadic proclivities un-
molested or whether in the future he is
to be chained to ring in the area steps.
Jocko is the pet monkey of Josef Hoff-
mann, who does brisk business in the
basement at 81 East Fourth street. A
yea captain, who had come home from
voyage to South America for cocoanuts,
brought back Jocko with him, and gave
the animal to Mr.. Hoffman,. If Jocko
had stuck his long, sharp claws into Mr..
Hoffman's heart he couldn't have secured
a deeper hold on that portion of the lat
ter's anatomy than he did on the first
day of his installment in the basement
in East Fourth street.
Every twenty-four hours which have
passed since then have only ysoldered
more firmly the ties between the monkey
and his master So fond. indeed, has
his owner become of the curious little
animal that he has never had the heart
to correct him in any way. The result
was the usual one. Jocko was spoiled.
JoCKo AND THE CLoTHEsLNE.
So one day, as Jocko was sitting rumi
mating in the back yard, with a leg
swung about the trellis and his tail
wound around the grape vine, he spied
Mrs. Kaufman, of the third floor, back,
hanging Der washing out to dry.
Mrs. Kaufman closed the window,
leaving her linen, which she had got up
at 6 o'clock to wash, hanging in the sun.
Jocko waited whole minute after he
heard the sash bang. Then, with cat
like movement, he gained the top of the
nigh back fence, scampered up the fire
escape of an adjoining building, made
well calculated leap of three feet and
landed on the nearest point of vantage
of the taut ropes of Mrs. Kaufman's
clothesline.
Like tightrope walker, Jocko tripped
along the line. He put up one paw to
his whisker, just as the real performer
does when he smirks and throws the in
imitable kiss to the audience Then
Jocko began his aerial feats in earnest.
When Mrs. Kaufman went to haul in
her lines that evening she stood as one
amazed. Her stockings strewed the
ground below like the fallen leaves of
Vallambrosa. Her tablecloths and sheets,
where they were not torn in places, were
tracked in pattern in which the chief
figure was the imprint of a muddy paw.
Some of her linen was actually missing.
Mrs. Kaufman had to get up early the
next morning again, pull out her thread
and needle, and, after mending for al
most an hour, do her whole wash over.
But Jocko never ran amuck among
wash any A1C
had experienced new sensation. and
having once satisfied himself with that
he began to cast about for fresh fields
and pastures new. OF course, if he
wanted to make use of Mrs. Kaufman's
or any other persons convenient lines,
Jocko never hesitated to use them as
public thoroughfare. But as diversion,
clotheslines had lost their seductive
charms for the monkey.
THE Halter PROTESTS
So while looking about another morn
ing for something new and strange" he
clambered up on to the roof of the ex-
tension built out from a hat store on the
Bowery. The skylight was open and
Jocko began dropping odd bits which he
picked up off the roof down into the
room below. His Simian Majesty was
scared away.
Then Jocko's instructive feeling of dis
like for the Hyman family asserted itself
The next day and the next Jocko quietly
perched himself on the rim of the sky
light over the extension of the halter
and began picking away the putty about
the panes. But Jocko had not progressed
far in his operations before he was found
out. Then Mr.. Hyman's patience gave
out, for he saw his living apartments
threatened with leak. He was not as
complacent as his neighbor, Mrs. Kauf-
man, who satisfied her grievance by
shouting out vengeance from her back
windows upon the monkey. The latter
went right down to the board of health
and lodged a complaint against Mr.
Hoffmann's pet.
One of Jocko's tricks is to go out early
in the morning and steal the pennies
which are placed in milk pitchers, and
another is to gather up letters which the
postman leaves under the basement gates
near the monkeys home. Whether he
views the Italian at the corner with in
stinctive hatred or as natural friend it
is impossible to say. but sure it is that
when Jocko wants peanut or fig he
makes no scruple of bagging one from
the stand. Another one of Jocko's cum
ming ways is to stick his snout into any
inviting bottle of milk or dish of pud-
ding that is set out of back window to
cool, and then make his escape with his
stomach full of the delicacy.
Pending the result of the inquiry Mr.
Hoffman, is little anxious for fear the
health board may compel him to i'm
prison his dear Jocko. But Jocko runs
about as usual with no fear for conse-
Quences at ALL One shake of his right
paw against his left whisker fixed" the
sanitary inspector. And if that was not
sufficient Jocko knows enough to ques-
ton the right of the health board to in
terfere in his case at all.-New York
World
Reason for Gratitude.
II even once read grateful defence
of Captain Kidd, the pirate"
''But you don't know the circum-
stances under which it was written?"
mo"
He boarded vessel where everybody |
was seasick. He gave the usual order,
Your money or your ife.' Everybody |
felt SO thankful at the prospect of being
put out of their misery that they one
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