468

LAWS OF MARYLAND— 1802.

CHAPTER 96.

AN ACT relating to runaway Servants and Slaves.
See 1796, ch. 67, and the notes thereto, where all the modifications of
this system are presented, ante page 334.

Sheriffs to
advertise
runaway
slaves
taken up.

SEC. 1. Be it enacted, by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That it shall be the duty of the sheriffs of the several counties
of this state, and they are hereby respectively required and
directed, upon any runaway servant or slave being committed
to his custody to cause the same to beo advertised in some public
newspaper or papers printed in the city of Baltimore, the city of
Washington, and the town of Easton, and in such other public
manner as he shall think proper, within fifteen days after such
commitment, and to make particular and minute description of
the clothing, person and bodily marks, of such runaway.

If not
applied for
within siity
days there-
after, to sell
them.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That if the owner or owners, or
some person in his, her or their behalf, shall not apply for such
runaway within the space of sixty days from the time of adver-
tising as aforesaid, and pay, or secure to be paid, all such legal
costs and charges as have accrued by reason of apprehending,
imprisoning and advertising such servant or slave, it shall be
the duty of such sheriff, and he is hereby required and directed,
to proceed to sell such servant or slave, and immediately to give
public notice by advertisements, to be set up at the court-house
door and such other public places as he shall think proper, in
the county where such servant or slave is in custody, of the
time and place for sale of such servant or slave, by him to be
appointed, not less than twenty days after the time limited as
aforesaid has expired, and at such time and place shall proceed
to sell and dispose of such servant or slave to the highest bidder.
By 1817, ch. 112, sec. 6, the sheriff, instead of selling the servant or
slave as directed by the latter part of this section, is to carry him before a
judge of the county or orphans court, who is to examine whether he be a
slave or not, and if believed to he a slave, to remand him to prison, and
cause notice to be given to the supposed owner. If after such remand, and
within the lime for which he may be remanded, no person applies for and
proves title to such suspected runaway, the 'sheriff shall discharge him.
But if the judge shall not believe such suspected runaway to be a slave, he
shall order him to be released.

To return
to levy
court an
account of

expenses.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That the sheriff shall, under the
penalty of fifty dollars for every such offence, make out, on oath,
and return to the justices of the levy court, at their next session
after the sale of any servant or slave, an account, stating the
time of the commitment, the time of sale, the name of the pur-
chaser and terms of sale, and the expenses and costs of advertis-
ing, securing and keeping, and the amount for which such
servant or slave has been sold, and out of the money arising
from such sale to retain the amount of such costs and charges