Unfortunately, in front of the under-construction City Hall, Barney slipped his rope leash and darted up a palm tree. As Joe and several others struggled to coax Barney down, a crowd of about 600 spectators gathered to cheer them on. Enjoying his audience, or perhaps terrified of them, Barney leaped 15 feet out of the palm tree, and made a dash for City Hall. He then proceeded to scale the building, and in three minutes, was sitting on the Lindbergh Beacon.
Pagglia went up to the 28th floor, and cajoled Barney into position. Then, he made a lasso, tossed it over Barney’s head, cinched it around his belly and hoisted his simian friend into Daddy’s loving arms. The Times reported that "hereafter, the monkey pet will occupy a cage in Pagglia’s backyard," which is terribly sad. But Barney seems like a crafty fellow – here’shoping he eventually made another break for it.
