1793.

L A W S of MARYLAND.

C H A P.
LVII.

Complaints
by failors may
be heard, &c.

ten ruinous to the parties and injurious to trade, to compel fuch perfons to appear
at the next criminal court: Be it enacted, That, on any fuch complaint, it
fhall be lawful for any two or more of the faid Juftices to hear the complaint,
and to impofe fuch fine on the offender as they may think reafonable, and to
commit for non-payment thereof; and fuch fines fhall be paid to the fheriff of
Baltimore county; provided, that either party, if the fact is controverted, may
elect to have a trial by jury, and in fuch cafe the complainants fhall give fecurity
to profecute, and the defendant to anfwer, the complaint at the next criminal
court.

Juftices may
order perfons
to be appre-
hended, &c.

XXIII. And be it enacted, That any one of the faid Juftices fhall have full
power to order any perfon within Baltimore-town, or the precincts thereof,
whom he fhall fufpect of being a vagrant, vagabond, or diforderly perfon, or
common proftitute, to appear before any two or more of the faid Juftices, and
fuch order fhall be ferved by any conftable of the faid county; and if, on the
appearance of fuch perfon, and examination by teftimony, any two or more of
the faid juftices fhall determine fuch perfon to come within any of the faid de-
icriptions, the faid Juftices may adjudge fuch perfon to ferve and labour as a
criminal, if a male, as a male criminal, if a female, as a female criminal, ac-
cording to this act, for any time not exceeding one year, unlefs good fecurity be
given to fuch Juftices, to their fatisfaction, for the good behaviour of fuch perfon
for any time not exceeding one year thereafter.

What perfons
fhall be ad-
judged va-
grants, &c.

XXIV. And, to afcertain what perfons fhall be deemed vagrants, vagabonds
and diforderly perfons, within the intention of this act, Be it enacted, That
every perfon who has no vifible means of maintenance, from property or perfonal
labour, and lives idle without employment, and every perfon who wanders about,
and begs in the ftreets, or from door to door, and every perfon who wanders
abroad, and lodges in out-houfes, barns, market-places, or the open air, and
cannot give a good account of the means by which he procures a living, and
every woman who is generally reputed a common proftitute, and every juggler, or
fortune-teller, or common gambler, fhall be adjudged a vagrant, vagabond, or
diforderly perfon, within the meaning of this act.

Perfons con-
demned in a-
ny ftate may
be adjudged
to labour, &c.

XXV. Whereas it is reprefented, that perfons condemned in other ftates to
labour, as a punifhment for their crimes, have efcaped and come into Baltimore
county, and have been taken up as vagrants; Be it enacted, That any two or
more of the faid Juftices may adjudge any perfon, condemned in any of the United
States to labour, as a punifhment for any crime, to ferve and labour as a criminal,
according to this act, for any term hot exceeding the refidue of the term for
which fuch perfon fhall have been condemned, and which condemnation fhall
appear to the faid juftices by the record of conviction; but if fuch perfon fhall be
demanded by the ftate from whence he efcaped, he fhall be immediately delivered
agreeably to fuch demand.

Juftices may
appoint con-
ftables, &c.

XXVI. And be it enacted, That the faid Juftices be authorifed to appoint any
number of conftables they may think proper, and to difplace them, and appoint
others in their room, for the execution of this act; and the faid Juftices may al-
low fuch conftables fuch reward as the faid Juftices may think reafonable, and
they may affefs on Baltimore county any fum not exceeding two hundred pounds
current money, for that purpofe, which fhall be collected with the county affeff-
ment.

Expence to be
paid by Balti-
more county,
&c.

XXVII. And be it enacted, That the expence attending the execution of this
act, fhall be paid by Baltimore county, and fhall be affeffed by the faid Juftices,
and collected with the county affeffment; and the faid Juftices are hereby directed
to publifh, in one of the Baltimore news-papers, a ftatement of the money by
them annually received and expended in virtue of this act, and to return a dupli-
cate of faid account or accounts annually to the general affembly, at their No-
vember feffions.