1842

FRANCIS THOMAS, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

CHAP. 281.

shall be deemed guilty of felony, and upon indictment and
conviction in any county court of this state or the city court
of Baltimore as the case may be, shall be confined in the
penitentiary for a lei in of not less than tive years nor more
than ten years; or if a free negro or mulatto, or free ne-
groes or mulattoes, lie, she or they shall be deemed guilty
felony, and upon indictment and conviction in any county
court of this state or in the city court of Baltimore as the
case may be; and upon conviction lined not less than fifty
dollars, and if not paid, be sold for such term as may be
adjudged equal to said line, one half of which line shall go
to the informer and the other hall to the state; and for the
second offence shall be sold out of the state, and the pro-
ceeds, after deducting one half for the informer, shall be
paid into the treasury of the state.

Penalty for
permitting so-
ciety to meet.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That if any person or per-
sons owning or having charge of land, bouse, room or other
place, shall knowingly suffer any masonic or other lodge or
pretended lodge or secret society of negroes or mulattoes
or secret society formed jointly of negroes and whiles to
assemble or meet therein or thereat, he, she or they, if
white, shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars, or
be confined in the penitentiary for a term of not less than
five years, nor more than ten years, at the discretion of the
court, and if said person or persons shall be a free negro
or mulatto or free negroes or mulattoes, he, she or they
shall be sold as a slave as provided in the first and second
sections of this act.

Sheriff and
police officers
to disperse &c
arrest.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That it shall be the duty of
all persons, and especially all constables, sheriffs and other
peace officers, to disperse any and all assemblages of ne-
groes, whose proceedings and objects are not public, and to
arrest such negroes or mulattoes as shall be found in such
assemblage or assemblages, and the same to carry before
some justice of the peace or judges of the county court
and Howard District and city court of Baltimore, so that
they may be committee answer for a violation of the
provisions of this act, and for a failure so to do, such con-
stable, sheriff or other peace officer shall be subject to a
fine of not less than one hundred dollars.

Constables,
to have power
to summon to
their aid per-
sons, &c.

SEC. 5. And be. it enacted, That for the more certain
execution of the provisions of this act, all constables and
other peace officers shall have full and ample power to sum-
mon to their aid such of the citizens of this state in their vici-
nage as in their judgment may be necessary to enable them to
disperse the unlawful assemblages as aforesaid, and to ar-
rest the parties engaged therein, so that they may be brought
to trial, and any person who shall wilfully refuse to obey