JAMES THOMAS, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

1833.

John A. Keadle, [..]e Kreigh, Robert I. Brent, Esq. Hugh

R. Hughes, Jacob Sheaeberger, John Snyder, Lewis A.
Grosb, William Wise, James McGonigle, George Eakle,
Jacob Isenmenger, William Johnston, George Kemp, Ja-
cob Bachler and George Vanpool, and such other persons
as now are or hereafter may become members of the said
Washington Beneficial Society, shall be, and they are here-
by declared to be one community, corporation, and body
politic forever hereafter, by the name and style of the
Washington Beneficial Society, and by that name they shall

CHAP. 122.

Style

be, and they are hereby made able and capable in law, to
have, purchase, receive, possess, enjoy and retain to them
and their successors, lands, tenements, rents, annuities or
other hereditaments, and the same to giant, demise, alien

Privileges granted

or dispose of in such manner as they may judge most con-
ducive to the interest of the society, provided nevertheless,
that the said corporation or body politic shall not at any
time hold or possess, property, real, personal or mixed, ex-
ceeding the sum of twenty thousand dollars.

Limitation of es-
tate

Sec. 2. And be it enacted, That the said society and their
successors, by the aforesaid name, shall forever hereafter
be able and capable in law to sue and be sued, plead and
be impleaded, answer and be answered, defend and be de-
fended, in all or any coutt of justice whatsoever, and also
to have, make and use a common seal, and the same to
break, alter and renew at pleasure, and also to assemble
and meet at such times and places as they may agree upon,

Legal capacity ves.

and to ordain, establish and put in execution such by-laws,
ordinances and regulations as to them shall seem conducive
to the interest of said society and necessary to the good
government and orderly management thereof, the same not
being contrary to the laws of this state or of the United
States, and generally to do and execute all such acts mat-
ters and things as to them shall or may appertain to do.

General powers

Sec. 3. And be it enacted, That no member of the said
society shall be answerable in his person or individual pro-
perty for any contract or engagements of said society or
for any losses, deficiencies or failures of the corporate pro-
perty of said society, but the whole of the said corporate
property, together with all tights and credits belonging to
said society shall at all times be answerable for the dam-
ages against the said society.

Liabilities

Sec. 4. And be it enacted, That nothing herein contain-
ed shall be taken and construed so as to authorise the said
company to establish a Banking Institution, or to exercise
directly or indirectly any of the privileges of a bank.

Banking prohibit-
ed