ELIHU E. JACKSON, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

217

CHAPTER 200.

AN ACT to empower the directors of the Maryland penitentiary

to purchase or condemn land and improvements for the ex-

tension and enlarging the Maryland penitentiary in the city of

Baltimore.

WHEREAS, it is necessary that the Maryland penitentiary in

Baltimore shall be enlarged and extended; therefore,

SECTION 1. Be it enacted ly the General Assembly of Maryland,

That the directors of the Maryland penitentiary be and they are

hereby authorized and empowered to contract for, purchase and

hold in fee-simple or for a term of years, all the several lot of

Empow-

ered

ground and their improvements embraced in the following metes

and bounds, that is to say, between Eager street on the north,

Concord street on the west, Truxton street on the south and For-

rest street on the east, or such portions thereof as they may deem

necessary.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That if the directors of the Maryland

penitentiary cannot agree with the owner or owners of any of said

land, or of any interest in the same, that they may deem expedient

to acquire and hold by the directors of the Maryland penitentiary

for the purpose aforesaid, then in such event, or if the owner

thereof, or any of the owners thereof at the time of the applica-

tion be a feme covert, under age, non compos mentis, or residing

out of Baltimore city, or from any other cause incapable of

making title to said land, application may be made for and in

the name of the directors of the Maryland penitentiary to any

justice, of the peace of Baltimore city, who shall thereupon issue

his warrant, under his hand and seal, directed to the sheriff of

Baltimore city, ordering him to summon a jury of twenty inhabi-

tants of said city, not related to the parties, nor in anywise in-

terested, to meet on the land to be valued on a day named in said

warrant, not less than ten nor more than twenty days after issuing

Jury.

the same; and if at said time and place any of said jurors sum-

moned do not attend, the said sheriff shall immediately summon

as many jurors as may be necessary with the jurors in attendance,

to furnish a panel of twenty jurors in attendance, and from them,
each party or his agent, or if either be not present in person or by

an agent, the sheriff, for such absent party, may strike off four

jurors and the remaining twelve may act as a jury of inquest ;

and before they act as such the sheriff shall administer to each

of them an oath or affirmation, as the case may be, that he will

justly and impartially value the land and all interest therein re-

quired by the said State of Maryland, for the purpose of enlarg-

ing and extending said Maryland penitentiary; and the said jury

shall reduce their inquisition to writing and shall sign and seal