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of sale is produced, to go before some judge or justice of the
peace of the county aforesaid, and the person or persons who
has or have said slave or slaves in possession shall also appear
and enter into a recognizance before the same judge, or justice
of the peace, with two sufficient securities in the sum of one
thousand dollars, for every such servant or slave in his, her, or
their possession, without bills of sale as is herein provided for,
to appear at the next county court to answer to the petition of
said slave or slaves; and if such judge or justice shall have
reason to suspect that such slave or slaves have been stolen by
such person or persons, or received by them knowing them to be
stolen, of that they had knowingly aided therein, in such cases
the recognizance shall provide for their answering such offence;
and if such person or persons, so having such slave or slaves,
shall refuse or neglect to enter into such recognizance, then
such judge or justice of the peace shall commit said person or
persons, and such slave or slaves, to the gaol of the county ; and
the said judge or justice of the peace shall make return of said
commitment to the county court, or Baltimore city court if then
in session, and if not in session then to the next term of said
courts respectively ; or if such person, having entered into such
recognizance, shall refuse to appear agreeably thereto, or if
having appeared it shall appear that such slave or slaves is or
are entitled to freedom, then the court shall adjudge them free,
and if said court shall adjudge them to be slaves for life, or for
a term of years, and it shall appear that said slave or slaves
shall have been purchased with intent to remove them from the
state of Maryland, and no bill of sale for the same shall have
been taken for such slave or slaves, or a false or fraudulent bill
of sale, then the said court shall order such slave to be sold for
the time such slave may have to serve, for the benefit of the
county, or for the mayor and city council of Baltimore, if the
aforesaid proceedings should be had in Baltimore city court;
but if any slave or slaves, after a term of years, or upon any
contingency, then the said servant or slave shall become imme-
diately the right and property of the said person entitled to such
reversion or remainder, in the same manner as if the event or
time in which the reversion or remainder was to accrue had
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Provisos.
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actually occurred ; Provided, that the said person, so entitled to
the reversion or remainder, shall pay the costs of the proceedings
which may have been had in the case, otherwise the said
servant or slave shall be sold for the use of the county, or the
mayor and city council of Baltimore, for the time he or she may
have been bound to serve the person who sold said servant or
slave ; Provided, that nothing herein contained shall be con-
strued to extend to the case of any citizen removing from the
state of Maryland with his servants and slaves, provided such
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