Found on the tops of
balcony poles in
New Orleans, and probably other
Antebellum Southern cities, and
always pointed out on the
carriage tours, they are
pointy
iron hooks, sometimes even sharpened. They are
barbed wire's ancestor.
AFAIK they are not on the
Amnesty International's list of naughty implements of destruction.
According to legend, these were put in place anywhere young
marriageable women were to be found. They were meant to hinder suitors from
climbing the 15-20 foot high poles and having clandestine visits,
possibly putting the girls to shame. However, upon close inspection, it seems that it would make Romeo's indecent shimmy to the top that much easier, as the larger hooks could easily be used as a foothold
Personally, I think their real purpose was to injure and even maim
any escaping suitor caught trespassing in a single woman's room, or any burglar for that matter.
When a hurried escape down the pole is neccesary, a many pronged iron hook will act both as a speed bump and a dull knife.
Since these are a long standing tradition in New Orleans, the concept has evolved
into people using real barbed wire, broken glass set in concrete, rusty nails set in concrete, and other
outright booby-traps to secure their houses, usually on the tops of the walls to a courtyard or carriageway.