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means of maintenance, from property or perfonal labour, and lives idle, without
employment, and every perfon who wanders about and begs in the ftreet, 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, mountebank, fortune-teller, or common
gambler, is hereby declared and adjudged a vagrant, vagabond, and diforderly
perfon, within the meaning of this corporation act; provided, that thefe powers
fhall be fubject to the future regulations of the general affembly: The recorder,
and any two or more of the aldermen, may adjudge any perfon condemned in any
of the ftates to labour as a punifhment for any crime, who may be found within
the county, to ferve and labour as a criminal for any time not exceeding the refi-
due of the term for which fuch perfon fhall have been condemned, and which
condemnation fhall appear to the faid recorder and aldermen 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: Tavern-
keepers, ordinary and retailer's licences, within the bounds of the corporation or
city, and precincts, and pedler's licences, fhall be granted by the faid criminal
court, and the money thence arifing fhall be paid in the manner that now is or
that may hereafter be directed by acts of affembly: The recorder, and the two
aldermen, judges of Baltimore county and city criminal court, or the recorder
alone, or in his abfence the faid two aldermen, fhall conftitute a civil court,
which fhall be a court of record, to be called Baltimore City Civil Court; and
the faid court fhall have concurrent powers and jurifdiction with the county court
in all civil matters, things and caufes, where the defendant refides within the ci-
ty, or its precincts, or is a foreigner or nonrefident of the ftate, fubject to re-
movals, appeals, and writs of error, and to the jurifdiction and fuperintendence
of the fuperior courts of common law, and the court of chancery, in the fame
manner as the county courts now are or hereafter may be; and the common-
council fhall fix the times for holding the faid court: The prefent county clerk
of Baltimore county fhall be the clerk of the faid courts, and fhall make all en-
tries, and tranfact all their bufinefs, in the fame manner as he is now by law
obliged to tranfact the bufinefs of Baltimore county, or Baltimore criminal court;
but after the death or removal of the faid clerk, the faid criminal and civil courts
fhall appoint their own clerks, and may remove them for mifbehaviour in office,
at their difcretion: The fees of the faid clerk, and other officers of the faid
courts, fhall be the fame as the fees eftablifhed for the like officers in the county
courts: The faid courts fhall have the appointment of conftables, and all officers
neceffary and ufual to the county courts; and any one of the faid affociates may
hold and adjourn the faid city civil court, direct attachment of contempt to iffue
againft witneffes or jurors for non-attendance, order fpecial bail to be taken, and
for want thereof commit the defendant, and may direct judgment to be entered
on confeffion or non fum informatus: The fheriff of Baltimore county fhall be and
is hereby directed to fummon jurors from within the bounds of the corporation,
and to do all other acts, matters and things, for the faid court, and the aforefaid
criminal court, and their officers, which he is by law obliged to perform for the
county court, or their officers; and the common-council fhall fix the allowance
of jurors: And for the better trial of any intricate or important caufe, the faid
civil court may iffue, from time to time, procefs to compel the attendance of a
fpecial jury, under fuch regulations as may be prefcribed by ordinance of the com-
mon-council; every perfon fummoned as a witnefs or juror to attend either of
the faid courts, and making default, fhall be fined by the court in its difcretion,
not exceeding thirty dollars; and on default of any witnefs or juror, the court
may award procefs of attachment, and by virtue thereof the fheriff of Baltimore
county fhall be obliged to have the body of fuch witnefs or juror, and may com-
pel his attendance; and it fhall be lawful for the faid courts to allow to every
perfon legally fummoned to give evidence before them fixty-five cents for every
day's attendance, and if fuch witnefs refides out of the county, the court may al-
low him fo many days itinerant charges as it fhall think reafonable, at the rate of
fixty-five cents per day, and the fame fhall be paid in the fame manner as allow-
ances to witneffes in fuch cafes are or fhall be by the laws of the ftate directed to
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C H A P.
LXIX.
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