654

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

town of Centreville aforesaid, which said notice

shall contain an accurate description of the land

proposed to be condemned, the names of the

owners thereof, and the substance of the allega-

tions and facts stated in said petition; and shall

require all persons interested in said land to ap-

File objections

pear in said court on a certain day, to be specified

in said notice, and file their objections, if any they

have, to the proposed condemnation of said land.

SEC. 4. Upon the day specified in said notice,

Court to hear

the said court shall proceed to hear and determine

and determine.

upon said petition and the objections, if any, filed

against the proposed condemnation; and the said

court may order such witnesses to be summoned,

and hear such evidence as may be desired or pro-

duced before it by the respective parties, to show

the necessity or impropriety of the proposed con-

demnation; and if the said court shall determine

that condemnation of the said land ought not to

be had, it shall dismiss said petition; but if it

shall determine that condemnation of the said

land ought to be had by the said, petitioners, it

shall pass an order directing its clerk to issue a

warrant to the sheriff of Queen Anne's county

Summons
jury.

aforesaid, requiring him to summon a jury of

twenty disinterested residents of said county to

meet on or near the land to be valued on a day

named in said summons, not less than ten days

nor more than twenty days after the issuance of

said summons; provided at least five days pre-

vious notice of the time of said meeting be given

by the said sheriff to the owner or owners, or the

agent or attorney of said owner or owners, of the

land proposed to be condemned.

SEC. 5. And be it enacted, That if at the time

named in such summons any of said jurors sum-

moned do not appear, the said sheriff shall imme-

diately summon as many jurors as may be neces-

sary, with the jurors in attendance, to make the

Who to strike
off.

number of twenty, and from them, each party or

his agent or attorney, or if cither be not present

in person or by agent or attorney, the said sheriff

for said absent party may strike off four jurors,

and the remaining jurors shall act as the jury of

inquest of damages; before this said jury shall