|
JOHN H. STONE, Esquire, Governor.
|
1796. |
sum of eight hundred dollars, one half to the use of the county in
which the
recovery may be had, and the other to the informer, to be recovered
by action
of debt, or bill of indictment; and if the said sum be not paid, or
secured to
be paid, as herein directed, within thirty days after judgment, then
such person
or persons shall and may be adjudged by the court to serve on the roads
for any
period not exceeding five years. |
CHAP.
LXVII.
|
XVI. And
be it enacted, That from and after the passage of this act, if any
person or persons shall import or bring into this state any free negro
or mulatto,
or any person bound to service for a term of years only, and shall
sell or otherwise
dispose of such free negro, mulatto, or person bound to serve for a
term of
years only, as a slave for life, or for any longer time than by law
such person
may be bound to serve, knowing such negro or mulatto to be free, or
entitled to
freedom at a certain age, every such person or persons shall, for every
such
offence, forfeit and pay the sum of eight hundred dollars, to be recovered
by
action of debt or indictment, one half to the use of the county, the
other half
to the informer; and in case the said sum shall not be paid, or secured
to be
paid, within thirty days, then such person or persons shall and may
be adjudged
to work on the roads for any term not exceeding five years. |
Or importing
them into this
state, &c. |
XVII. And be it enacted,
That if any master, mistress, owner or owners, of
any slave or slaves, shall suffer any such slave or slaves to depart
from their
respective habitation or quarter, and remain at large, begging or becoming
burthensome
to the respective neighbourhoods, or to other persons, it shall be
lawful
for the county courts where the master, mistress, owner or owners,
of such slave
or slaves shall reside, and they are hereby required, upon the complaint
or information
of any credible person (such complaint or information being supported
by oath or affirmation, as the case may require,) to cause such complaint
or
information to be minuted among their proceedings, and thereupon to
issue their
warrant to the sheriff of their county against such master, mistress,
owner or
owners, of such slaves, thereby to cause such master, mistress, owner
or
owners, to appear before them at some day to be limitted in such warrant;
and
if, on a due examination in a summary way, the said court shall be
satisfied that
such master, mistress, owner or owners, of such slave or slaves, have
suffered
such slave or slaves to depart and wander, or remain at large, contrary
to the
provisions and intention of this act, the said court are hereby empowered
and
required to cause such master, mistress, owner or owners, of such slave
or slaves,
to enter into recognizance, with one sufficient security, if the same
shall be
awarded, in the penalty of one hundred dollars, to be taken to and
in the name
of this state, and the condition of the said recognizance shall be
such, that if
such master, mistress, owner or owners, of such slave or slaves, his,
her or
their executors or administrators, shall suffer such slave or slaves
to depart and
remain at large, contrary to the provisions of the act in such cases
made and
provided, then such recognizance shall remain in force and virtue;
and if any
such master, mistress, owner or owners, of any such slave or slaves,
shall afterwards
commit any breach of the condition of such recognizance, it shall be
lawful for any person to put in suit and prosecute such recognizance
against the
cognizor or cognizors thereof; and if the master, mistress, owner or
owners,
bound by such recognizance, his, her or their executors or administrators,
shall
be convicted of any of the breaches assigned by verdict, confession
or otherwise,
the judgment of the court shall be rendered for the penalty and costs
of suit,
and the same may be recovered by any process of execution, and one
third of
the penalty shall be applied to the use of the prosecutor, and the
remainder to
be applied as a fund for the county school, if any, if not, to the
use of the
county in which such conviction shall happen, and the name of the person
prosecuting
such recognizance shall be endorsed upon the original writ, and such
person shall be answerable for the fees and costs; provided, that if
any slave or
slaves shall run away or abscond from the service of their master,
mistress, owner
or owners, contrary to the will of such master, mistress, owner or
owners, such
running away and absconding shall not be construed, deemed or taken,
to be a
departing and remaining at large within the meaning of this act. |
Masters, &c.
not to suffer
slaves to depart,
&c. |
|
 |
