1002 LAWS OF MARYLAND [CH. 493

County Commissioners in counties having no Treasurer before
the first day of July of each year.

200. When any inhabitant of any county shall have any
sheep, poultry or live stock destroyed or injured by a dog or
dogs, he may apply to any Justice of the Peace of said county,
who shall appoint three disinterested persons as appraisers
to view and appraise the damages by him sustained, and they,
or a majority of them, under oath, shall state in writing to the
County Commissioners of said county, the number of sheep,
poultry, or live stock killed, the character and extent of the
injury, if any done, and the amount of the damages sustained
by the owner, and both the appraisers and the owner of the
sheep, poultry or live stock shall make oath that they believe
the same to have been destroyed or injured by a dog or dogs;
and when the report of such proceedings has been filed, the
County Commissioners of said county shall review said report,
and if in their judgment the amount of damages stated is un-
fair, they shall award such amount as they may deem fair;
which award shall be paid out of the fund hereby created;
provided, however, that the said sworn report of the appraisers
shall be deemed prima facie evidence of the fairness of the
award of damages in each instance; and provided, further,
that the County Commissioners shall not change such an award
unless they shall have personal knowledge of its unfairness,
or shall receive competent testimony to the effect that the
award is in excess of a fair commercial valuation of the
sheep, poultry or live stock injured or destroyed by dogs. And
if the owner of the dog or dogs doing the damage be known,
it shall be the duty of the County Commissioners to notify such
owner or owners to kill said dog or dogs immediately. If
such dog or dogs be killed by the owner, after notice as afore-
said, he shall be exempt from all further liability, but in case
the said owner or owners should refuse or neglect to kill said
dog or dogs upon notice as aforesaid, the said owner or own-
ers shall be liable to the County Commissioners for said dam-
ages to the same extent as he would be liable in case of negli-
gence or malicious destruction of property, and the said
County Commissioners may in their discretion have the special
officers or constables to kill said dog or dogs.

201. Any person violating or refusing to comply with any
of the provisions of this Act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor,
and upon conviction thereof before any Justice of the Peace