140

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

or possessed by each person or persons, and kept about
the same house; and when the said commissioners shall
have ascertained the number of dogs, after allowing

Tax.

each family one dog free of tax, they shall levy and
cause to be collected the sum of one dollar for every
additional dog kept by him or her, to be collected by
the collectors of the several districts at the same time
and in the same manner as county and State taxes are
now collected, for which the said collectors shall be al-
lowed the sum of six per centum upon the amount so
collected; and it shall be the duty of the county com-
missioners to keep a separate account of the money
arising from the tax on dogs, and the said money shall
be and hereby is appropriated as a fund for remunerat-
ing the inhabitants of said county for any loss they
shall sustain after the passage of this act, by sheep be-
ing destroyed by any dog or dogs.

Damages.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That when any inha-
bitant of the county aforesaid shall have any sheep de-
stroyed as aforesaid, he or she may apply to the nearest
justice of the peace who shall and is hereby empower-
ed to appoint three disinterested persons who are hereby
authorised and required to view and ascertain the damages
sustained by the owner or owners of such sheep destroy-
ed as aforesaid, and they or any two of them shall cer-
tify the same under their hands and seals to the commis-
sioners of said county, and said commissioners shall
draw their warrant upon the treasurer of the county for
the amount so certified, to be paid out of the fund aris-
ing from the tax on dogs; but if there shall not be suf-
ficient money in the treasury belonging to the said
fund, then the said warrant shall be kept by the per-
son in whose favor it shall have been drawn, and be
paid out of the first money that shall come into the
treasury belonging to said fund.

Evidence of
ownership.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That every dog kept or
staying about any house shall be deemed sufficient evi-
dence of ownership to authorise the collector to return
the person inhabiting such house as the owner or pos-
sessor of such dog or dogs; and any person sending his
or her dog from house to house3 or from place to place,
in order to evade the said tax, shall be liable to pay
double tax therefor, and every dog not returned shall
be deemed to have no owner, and may be lawfully
killed by any person who may see such dog running
at large.

Lawful to kill
dog.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That if any dog shall
be seen worrying sheep, it shall be lawful for any per-