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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 reco-
vered 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.
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Masters,
&c. not to
suffer slaves
to depart,
&c.
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SEC. 17. 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 quar-
ter, 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 cre-
dible person, (such complaint or information being supported by
oath or affirmation, as the case may require,) to cause such com-
plaint 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
slave or slaves, thereby to cause such master, mistress, owner
or owners, to appear before them at some day to be limited 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, con-
trary to the provisions and intention of this act, the said court
are hereby empowered and required, to cause such master, mis-
tress, 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 exe-
cutors 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 recogni-
zance, his, her or their executors or administrators, shall be con-
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