A. W. BRADFORD, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

sitting of the Commissioner, which shall be at
the court house, in said Baltimore county, and
after having issued summons to those interested
in any mariner according to the records, dockets
papers, indexes or other instruments of writing,
in the office of the said Clerk, when the summons
process issued to the Sheriff of said county shall
be by him returned summoned, and the party so
returned summoned shall fail to appear or give
such excuse for his failure to appear as shall seem
reasonable in the discretion of the said Commis-
sioner, that then the said Commissioner is hereby
authorized, empowered and directed, to impose a
fine upon each and every person notified and
summoned, from five to fifty dpllars in the discre-
tion of the Commissioner, including all costs.

235

Sec. 5. And be it enacted, That every fine imposed
according to the provisions of this act, including
costs, upon any person or persons, shall be regarded
as a judgment in law, and it shall be the duty
of the said Commissioner to collect each and every
judgment entered by him against any person or
persons by execution or attachment, or any other
process authorized by the laws of this State, for
the collection and enforcement of judgments, aud
pay the same over to the Treasurer of the said
county, who shall receipt to the said Commissioner,
and it shall be the duty of the Treasurer of the
said county, to place the sum or sums so authorised
to be paid to him, to the credit of the fund appro-
priated for the restoration of the records, indexes,
dockets, or other instruments of writing in the
in the office of the said Clerk of the Circuit Court;
for Baltimore county.

Fine to be
regarded as a
judgment in
law.

See. 6. And be it enacted, That in all oases where,
in the judgment of the Commissioner appointed
by this act, any record in the office of the Clerk
of said county, shall have been so burnt or defaced
as to be wholly destroyed by fire, and the indexes
to such record, or the general index may supply
the titling to such record, he shall take and accept
such index as auxiliary evidence, and shall if the
original papers, or a certified copy thereof pro-
perly evidenced as of record, be produced, order
and direct such original paper, or copy, as the case
may be, to be recorded anew, and shall endorse
such order on said paper, and then record the

In case re-
cord be entire-
ly destroyed.