Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1858-04-02
Volume III.---No. So.
Abstract Of important Laws.

Baltimore Sun gives interesting abstracts
4 OF the most important laws passed by the
late legislature
THE ACT FOR THE PUNISHMENT OF FREE
NEdRoEs CONVICTED OF CRIME.
A very important act (Which is now in
force and should be made known) con-
nected with the administration of crimi-
nal justice in this State is the act Of
1858, CHI, 32i, to modify the punishment
of free negroes convicted of larceny and
other crimes. It provides that free ne
! grocs hereafter convicted Of tho crime Of
tsinplA larceny, or az ACCESSORY ithcretd,
to the value of five dollars and upwards.
shall be sentenced to be sold at public
sale as slaves for not less than two nor
more than five years. That free negro
convicted of robbery may, in tho discre-
ton of the court, be sentenced to tho
penitcntiary, as now provided by law, or
be sold as a slave, either within or with
out the limits of the State, for ten years.
For stealing horse, mule, &c, FREQ
negro shall be sold as slave, either
within or without the limits of the State.
for not less than two nor more than four
teen years For maliciously wounding,
injuring or killing horse, mule, &c,
free negro shall be sold as above, as a
slave for not loss than two nor more than
four years. For stealing a vessel out of
the borders of county, or for stealing
a negro or other slave, or for aiding
therein, &C., free negro shall be sold
as slave, in the discretion of the court.
for not less than three nor more than
twelve years. For carrying away the
personal property of another person, in
value under five dollars, or for breaking
into any building or clubhouse and steal
ing money or goods, &C.. under the value
of one dollar, free negro shall be sold
as slave for not less than two nor moro
than five years. For burning any public
or private building, q FREQ negro shall be
hung, as now provided by law, or sold as
a slave for life, either within or without
the State. For assisting or pcrsuading
slave or negro apprentice to leave his
master, free negro shall be sold, at the
discretion of the court, as a slave for not
less than five years, or for life, either
within or without the State. The pro-
ceeds of the sale of any free negro made
J under tho &c: is to be applied first to the
costs Of prosecution &C., and the re-
mainder is to be paid over to the county
commissioners, &C., for tho uso Of tho
INDECENT wife or child of the free negro
convicted and Sold The sheriff of tho
county is required to give three weeks
previous notice, by advertisement, of the
termination Of the term of service of all
free negroes sold under the act. ANY
sheriff falling to perform his duties under
the act is subject to penalty of 800.
or not less $50, nor more than sixty
days imprisonment, if improper collu-
sion is apparent to the Judge. The pen
alty Tor reseiling negro for longer
tilne ,nah mat Tor which he was pur-
onaseu 's " me ia uouoie Tue amount for
wniGh nc was sPlu' or IRON sixty TO nine
y Gays imprisonment The object Of
thls ACT IS IN part to relieve tho State
pehi'eht'ary 10 a certain extent OF its
colored cobPlcts and the expense attend
ing Their confinement.
MONEY FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The $lG0, 900 06 received by the
State for interest upon claim against
the General Government is directed BY
the act of 1858, oh. 295 to bo invested
by the treasurer for the benefit of the
free school fund of the State, "to be dis
tributed among the counties and Balti-
more city in the ratio of the whole rep
resentation in the General Assembly Of
said counties and city, in the same man
her tnaC the iree school iund IS noW Tor
may be hcreaiter) dtstribated."
NOTE. The free school fund is now
distributed one-half equally among the
couhties and the city, and the other half
according to representation.
COLONIZATION APPROPRIATION.
The act Of 1858, Oh. 425, appropri-
ates $4,000 per year, for the space of
four years, to the managers of the Mary
land Colonization Society for the general
purposes Of said society. 1t also au.
thorizes the comptroller to pay $40 for
each emancipatcd slave or free negro,
male or female, above the age Of ten
years, sent by said society 10 Africa, and
$50 for each one under ten years of ago
to be paid if sent by said society to
Africa within two months Immediately
preceding the date of written certif-
cate OF the fact from the hoard Of mana