490

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

mencing on the first day of June, eighteen hundred

and seventy-four ; and that any and every owner of

such animal or animals who shall fail or refuse to

Penalty for

pay the aforesaid tax, shall be liable to presentment

refusal

and indictment by the Grand Jury of said county,

as for misdemeanors, and shall be fined not less than

five dollars, or be imprisoned in the county jail not

less than five or more than ten days, in the discretion

of the court trying the case, one-half of the said fine

to go to the County Commissioners aforesaid, for the

purposes hereinafter specified, and the other half to

Proviso.

the informer or informers ; provided, however, that

any owner who shall kill any dog rather than pay

such tax, shall not he liable for such tax or fine; the

finding of any dog or dogs about the premises of any

person, shall be prima fade evidence of the owner-

ship thereof.

Issue license.

SEC, 2. And be it enacted, That the County Com-

missioners of said county, shall issue licenses with

blanks for the name of the owner, date of delivery,

and description of dog, in the name of the County

Commissioners, signed by the President of the said

Board of County Commissioners, or a majority of

said County Commissioners, and attested by the

clerk thereof, for any such dog or dogs, male or

female, and cause a sufficient number of the same to

be delivered to the several collectors in said county,

whose duty it shall be to deliver to the owner or

owners of dogs called upon for said tax, or applying

to said officers for such license, upon the payment

of the tax hereinbefore prescribed; and at the time

of such delivery, to fill up the blanks in said license

Description.

or licenses, to be left for that purpose, with the color

and name of the owner, the date of such delivery,

and with such an accurate description of such dog as

may be practicable.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That the County Com-

Keep account.

missioners shall keep an accurate account of every

license signed and issued under the provisions of the

preceding section ; shall charge the exact number

delivered to every such collector, and take his receipt

for the same ; and require every such officer to make

to them, once in every three months, a return of his

proceedings, under this act upon oath, exhibiting an .

exact statement of the amount of money received