Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-23
SOME CURIOUS CUSTOMS

In Texas the unique custom prevails
in each county of holding a sale of
stray ponies and cattle the first Mon
day of each month. The "strays" are
animals that have wandered away
from their own pastures or grazing
grounds and have been taken up by
some rancher or farmer and driven to
the county capital the first Monday of
the month If the owner of the lost and
found animal has not come to claim
his own
But not all the stock driven to the
stray sale are strays. Many horse
traders and cowpunchers go to market
with ponies and cattle to swap or to
sell. Every county capital has it's
public square, and there on the first
Monday the sale takes place, AS early
as 8 o'clock the place is crowded by q
mott array of horse traders. cow
punchers, stock raisers and owners of
strayed or stolen ponies or cattle. If
a man finds there some of his cattle
which have been taken up and posted
by some one he has only to prove his
claim, pay the small charge which is
held against him for the trouble of
driving the animals to stray sale and
his property is delivered into his own
hands.
At 10 o'clock the auction begins, and
continues until the last pony or steer
is disposed Of If the business cannot
be finished in one day it is continued
on the next day, but this rarely hap
pens.
There is great honor among the live
stock raisers of Texas, each man con-
stituting a committee in himself to re-
port any stray animal that may come
his way and doing all he can toward
ntNTv~ .fV,sa 1.s.H 11,N4r As.
owner.
STONE OF INFAMY
There may be seen to this day in
many Italian cities stone called
Petra d'Infamia (stone of infamy).
One such stone stands near to st.
Marks church, Venice, and in the old
markets of Verona and Florence the
stones of infamy are still to be seen.
Formerly this stone was used for the
purpose of furnishing bankrupts. On
certain day of the annual carnival
all traders who had failed in their
business were marched to this stone.
A vast mob of hooting and jeering
people surrounded the poor unfortu-
mates. Even the schoolboys were ad-
vised by their parents to attend this
cruel ceremony, as it might prove a
lesson in financial morality"
One by one the banlxrupts were
placed on the stone to hear the read
ing of their balance sheets and to en-
dure as many reproaches as their cred
itors could cram into the limited time.
When time was up the presiding Off
cial touched q bell and the storm of
intersections was hushed. Then the
bankrupt was solemnly Invested of
necessary portion of his dress, after
which three stout men laid hold of his
shoulders and three others of his
knees, and, raising him every time
as high as they could, bumped him de-
liberately twelve times, "in honor of
the twelve apostles" against the cold
stone. An old writer states that the
creditors crowed like cocks during the
humping, but that when it was over
few of them entertained any animosity
against the bumpee. In proof of which
he AYERS that not one of them could
look at the victim with dry eyes as he
sneaked through the crowd to hide
himself from sight.
THE ROUsING STAFF
Formerly in the churches of Eng
land a most curious and laughable
custom was that of using the "rousing
staff" This was long stick or pole
in the hands of the beadle who walked
softly up and down the aisles of the
church during the religious service of
Sunday, his eyes scanning the mem
bers of the congregation. If perchance
a worshiper was discovered mapping
out went the rousing staff the farther
end of which "bobbed" the offender
in the ribs or on the shoulder. The
sleepy one would not close his eyes in
church again that day.
An amusing story is told of woman
who acted as sluggish waker' in Holy
Trinity church, Warrington, about the
year 1920. 1t is given here:
I'm the early years of the nineteenth
Uri, nn1IrCh War
rington, a masculine bit of womanhood
named Betty Finch held the office of
sluggish walker which was there known
as the 'bobber.' She is described as
walking majestically along the aisles
during the service armed with a long
stick like a fishing rod, which had
bob fastened to the end of it, and
when she caught any one speaking or
mapping she gave him a nudge with
the stick. Her son was engaged in the
belfry and often truthfully sang:
any fathers a clerk,