The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-11-29
ON THE ABOLITION STATES

OF Georgia, 81 to provide for garnishment in
certain cases, and for other purposes
Whereas it is provided, by the Constitution o.
the United States, that fugitives from service
or labor, escaping from one State into another
shall be delivered up, on claim of the party to
whom such slave or slaves may belong: And
whereas the citizens of the State of Georgia
have been wronged and injured in their proper-
ty by failure on the part of certain States to
recognise and enforce this provision of the aol4
emn compact aforesaid, for remedy whereoYs
SEC. l. Be it enacted by the Senate and
House OF Representatives of the State of GN>or
gia IN General Assembly met, and it is hef sby
enacted by the authority of the same, that
when any slaves shall have escaped or Lay
hereafter escape from his or her owner, Ind
ice to any other State, or be carried to my
other State; and if the owner of such slavi or
slaves, his agent or attorney in fact, theieto
authorized by said owner, shall demand lin,
her, or them, from the Governor Of the STATE to
which the escape has been made, or to wliich
such slave or slaves has been carried, such
demand to declare the loss of the shave or
slaves, the value thereof, and the hire of the
same, and said demand to contain description
of such slave or slaves the age, sex, complexion,
and name thereof, which demand, with the facts
therein stated, shall be verified by the oath of
the owner of such slave, his agent or attorney,
before any officer authorized to administet an
oath; and if after such demand, such slays or
slaves shall not be delivered up, on claim al ore
said, within thirty days thereafter, then aui in
that event each and every citizen and body co.,
porate Of said State to which such fugitive nay
have escaped or been carried, shall be deeJaea,
held, and bound, as debtors, to the said owner of
such slave or slaves, to the full amount Of the
value of said slave or slaves, and the hire
thereof.
SEC. 2. And be it further enacted by the All
thority aforesaid, That it shall be lawful for
the owner Of such slave or slaves, upon the hap
pening of the contingencies specified in the
foregoing section, to make an affidavit before
any officer authorized by law to administer
oaths, that his slave or slaves has or have es
capped or been carried to another State, that he
has made demand and claimed them from the
Governor of the State to which said slave or
slaves had been carried, in pursuance Of the
terms of the second section Of this act, and that
thirty days have elapsed since the service o. the
said demand, and that said slave or slaves nave
or have not been delivered at the time O. the
making of tho affidavit, and shall also, III said
affidavit, state the value Of the slave or sloves
and the value of the hire of the same az | de-
scribe them, and to file such affidavit j. the
Clerks office of the Superior Court of any oun-
ty in this State and when 80 fled it sha,l be
the duty of the Clerk of said Court to is he
summons of punishment, directed to the S',eriff
of said county, to cite such person or pc sons
or bodies corporate as may be named b.. the
affidavit to appear at the next term of the upe
rior Court to be held in and for said CO ,nty,
twenty days after the said citation by the Sheriff
as aforesaid, to answer what ne, she, or il. was
indebted to any citizen of or body corpor te Of
fha 70 70 nh, oh 81, :.
have escaped or been carried at the time OF. such
service.
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted by tK : au-
thority aforesaid, That il such garnishee shall
fail to appear and make answer, iude ment
"nisi" shall be rendered and entered b. the
Court against him, her, or it, lii favor Ct the
afhant, for the amount of the value and. hire
specified IN the affidavit, which said iudg ment
shall be made final at the next term, unless
good cause be shown tor the failure to answer
and full answer be then filed; and when such
garnshee shall answer, and in such answer
shall admit that at the time of the service, or
since the service aforesaid, he, they she, or it,
was indebted to any citizen, firm, or body cor
porate, of such State, TO which said slave or
slaves has escaped or been carried as aforesaid
it shall be the duty of the Court to call jury
of twelve men to come, who shall upon proof
escaping, and the value of the hire thereGi, and
| thereupon the Court shall render judsment
against such garnishee for the amount so as-
sessed, provided the same does not exceed the
| amount admitted in the answer, and execution
| issue accordingly in favor of the afiiant
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted by the au-
thority aforesaid, That if the answer of the
garnishee shall deny indebtedness as aforesaid,
| or shall not admit an amount sufficient to pay
off and discharge the value of the slave or
slaves so escaping as aforesaid, and the hire
thereof as assessed by the Jury aforesaid, then
and in that case execution shall issue for such
an amount as is admitted to be due, and the
afiiant shall institute like proceedings in any
other county against any other person or per
sons, and upon return of "nulla bona" iby
the Sheriff, on an execution so obtained AGAINST
| any garnishee as aforesaid, when the answer
| admits any amount to be due, said affiant shall
! have the like proceedings against any person in
| any other county.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted ~ the au-
thority aforesaid, That the payment by any
garnishee of Judgment under this act shall
be discharge, to the extent of such payment,
| from any liability to such q citizen Of such
defi.ulting State, as such garnishee shall admit
in his answer was his creditor at the time of
the service of garnishment.
SEC. 6. And be it further enacted by the au
thority aforesaid, That if any garnishee shall
| answer that he gave note or notes, or bill or
bills of exchange, or other coMIpereial securi-
| ty, FOR the payment of the debt due from him
| to such citizen of said defaulting State and
| that said securities for money were not due at
| the time of the service of said garnishment
and were payable to bearer or order, such gar
| nishee shall still be deemed and held the debtor
| of the payee, unless he shall further answer
T! tLst he was, before the said service, notified
| that the same had been transferred, and to
whom such transfer had been made.
| SEC. I. And he it further enacted by the au-
tholity aforesaid, That all laws and parts of
laws initiating against this act be, and the
same are hereby, repealed.
The BREAD LEAGUEs.-These organizations
| have assumed an Importance in our city, rem,
dering them worthy of general consideration,
| and we might devote space in our columns to
an estimate of the results that will probably
flow from this movement. There are defects
| in the plans of most of these Leagues that will
render them of no avail, as far as economy is
concerned. Most of them look to q single ope,
| ration, and then they terminate. But there is
q plan, proposed by the Philadelphia Flour and
Produce Company, which promises someth ing
permanent. According to this proposition,
eight or ten individuals will be Incorporated,
securing a charter for ten years. The amount
of their capital IS $4,000. The number of
| the shares of stock is $500 To become a
member, each person must pay the sam of Eve
dollars On share, and the remainder of the
value of share in regular instruments The
| subscribers to the stock will receive the quan.
tity of -four they desire, at only five per cent.
advance on the original cost. The operations
of this Society are at present confined to folr /;
but if successful, they will be extended to other
articles necessary for the support of tie house,