1911

DORCHESTER COUNTY.

upon conviction thereof before a magistrate, forfeit and pay to
the owner or owners of such gate, a sum not less than one, nor
exceeding tea dollars, for every such offence, to be recovered
as small debts are out of court.

Owner of
gate to pay
a tax of $1.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That on all gates authotized by
this act to be kept on the aforesaid public toad, the owner or
owners thereof shall pay annually a tax of one dollar for each
and every gate by him, her or them, kept on the said public
road in said county.

To return
to levy
court the
number of
gates owned
by him j

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That the ownet 01 owners of all
such gate or gates, as ate by this uct allowed, be and they are
hereby icqutred and directed, to transmit, on or before the first
day of April annually, to the clerk of the levy court of said
county, the number by him, her or them, respectively owned
and kept on the said public road, in writing, under his, her or
their hands and seals; and such clerk shall keep a list of the
same, and shall deliver a copy thereof, with the amount of tax
on each annexed, to the sheriff or collector of the county taxes,
to be by him collected us other taxes.

Penalty for
neglecting
to do so.

SEC. 5. And be it enacted, That if any person or pet sons, who
is or are the owner or owners of such gate or gates, shall ne-
glect or refuse to give in a statement of the number of gates by
him, her or them, owned and kept on the said public load, to
the clerk of the levy court afoiesaid, on or before the first day
of April in every year as aforesaid, and shall continue to use or
keep up such gate or gates, such person or persons shall forfeit
all the protection afforded by the provisions of this act, and
shall be in the same situation respecting their gates as if this act
had not passed.

Money col-
lected to be
applied to
pay county
charges.

SEC. 6. And be it enacted. That all moneys collected by the
sheriff or collector of the said county, under the provisions of
this act, shall be paid over to be applied by the levy court of
said county towards defraying the county charges.

Punishment
of slaves for
injuring
gates.

SEC. 7. And be it enacted, That if any slave shall cut down,
destroy, injure, or wilfully leave fixed open, any gate on the
said public road, which shall have been entered in the manner
prescribed by the fourth section of this act, such slave shall be
punished for every such offence, on conviction before a justice
of the peace, by the oath of one or more witnesses, by whipping
on his or her bare back, in the discretion of the said justice, not

Proviso.

exceeding for each offence the number of ten lashes ; Provided
always, that the master or mistress of such slave, or any other
person in their behalf, may redeem such slave, so convicted,
from said punishment, by the payment of the fine to the owner
or owners of such gate, imposed by this act upon free persons
for like offences ; And provided also, that no free citizen shall
be fined, or slave punished, under the provisions of this act, in