Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 September 1893 — Survival of a Strange Custom. [ARTICLE]

Survival of a Strange Custom.

On July 13 of this year, as on July 13 of every year since the thirteenth century, the inhabitants of the province of Baretous, in France, including the mayors of three communes, performed a curious ceremony in expiation of a crime their ancestors committed more than five hundred years ago. In those early days the people of Baretous fed upon the people of Eoncal, in Spain, just across the border, massacred thousands of men, women and'children. To-day their descendants humiliate themselves before the Eoncalese as a token of sorrow and regret. Punctually at 9 o’clock In the morning the ceremony began. The Baretous dignitaries, escorted by an armed detachment, stood at the frontier. A peasant, bearing a red pennant as a symbol of justice, was at their side. At the stroke of the hour the French mayors advanced, wearing their scarfs of office and preceded by a peasant carrying a lance, with a white pennon as a flag of truce. Behind these followed the peasantry of Baretous, some leading three white heifers. “Do you wish peace?” cried the Spanish mayor of Isaba. “Yes,” replied the Frenchmen. They laid their lance on the boundary stone. The Spaniards planted theirs on French soil, then laid it across the French weapon. One of the French mayors stretched out his hand above the cross thus formed. The' Spaniard did the same. Then they repeated the formal oath and all present swore to observe it. “Pazdavafns!” (“Henceforth pearCe!”) said the Spanish mayor. His escort fired off their guns toward the French territory. The three white heifers were next turned over to the Spaniards. The two parties then dined together at the expense of the Spaniards, and a paper was drawn up which all signed. Formerly the blood tribute took the shape of three white mares. Their price and the difficulty of finding them has brought about the change. The heifers cost about one hundred and twenty dollars—a large sum for these poor mountaineers.