TINY ITALIAN REPUBLIC

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LII, Issue 37, 8 May 1931, Page 8

TINY ITALIAN REPUBLIC

REFUGEES ON A HILLTOP.

The tiny republic of San Marina was lately beleaguered by Italian carabinieri. The cause of the strange state of affairs was a little Milanese girl of. 10 summers and her mother, the Marchesa Brambilla, who took asylum in the hill-top republic, where they defied those who sought to put into execution an order issued by an Italian court of law. As the result of a conjugal quarrel and separation the husband of the Marchesa sued her and 'Obtained in the Italian courts an order to take his daughter from Jaer mother and have the total guardianship of the child. Before the legal machinery for the execution of this finding could be put into operation mother and child acted on the original idea of repeating Garibaldi's successful experiment—they sought and found sanctuary in the republic which still preserves its ancient independent rights in the midst of the kingdom of Italy. The legal authorities of both kingdom and republic were thrashing out the "international" legal position, but meanwhile San Marina refused to accede to the attempts made by the foiled husband to enforce the extradition of his wife and child. , The Italian carabinieri did not enter the confines of the republic, but they were picketed at all points of escape or exit, and the police of San Marina were also unusually vigilant. The Italian forces, however, were carrying out the double role of protection and aggression. With the San Marina police they were guarding against any attempt to kidnap the child, as had been threatened. At the same time, the Italian police were ready to arrest the Marchesa should she happen to set foot or be allowed I beyond the confines of the republic. I Pending the exhaustion of all legal [appeals, neither of the two Governments had so far officially intervened

and an "international incident" had so far been avoided, but San Marina was in a state of tension. All strangers entering the town — especially if they happened to look like wicked uncles — were carefully shadowed in case they had come to smuggle out the refugees, and all people on foot and in cars, as soon as they left the town frontier gates,. were confronted by carabinieri with demands of proof of- identity, while departing strangers, accompanied by children were astonished to be asked severely of each of them: "Whose t<^ the child?" i