Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-08-07
NUMBER 81

BLUE Laws.
When these Free States were colonies,
Onto the mother nation,
And in Connecticut the good
Old Blue Laws we're in fashion.
The following extract from the laws
ordained by the people of New Haven,
previous to their Incorporation with the
Saybrook and Hartford colonies, afford
an idea of the strange character Of their
prohibitions. AS the substance only is
given ir the Transcription, the language,
is necessarily 1iiodernized.
No Quaker or dissenter from the es~
tablished worship of the dominion shall
be allowed to give vote for the election
of magistrates or any officer
No food or lodging shall be afforded
to Quaker, Adamite or hereto.
IF any person turns Quaker, be shall
be banished, and not suffered to return
upon the pain of death.
No Priest shall abide in the dorainion5
he shall be banished, and suffer death on
his return. Priests may be seized by
any one without warrant.
No man to cross a river but With an
authorized ferryman.
No one shall run on the Sabbath day,
or walk in his garden, or elsewhere, ex-
.cept reverently to and from meeting.
No one shall travel, cook victuals,
make beds, sweep house, cut hair, or
shave on the Sabbath day.
No woman shall kiss her child on the
Sabbath or fasting day.
The Sabbath shall begin at sunset on
Saturday.
To pick an ear of corn in neigebor's
garden shall be deemed theft.
A person accused of trespass in the
night shall be judged guilty, unless he
clears himself by oath. s5@
When it appears that an accused has
confederates, and he refuses to discover
them, he may be racked.
No one shall buy or sell lands without
the permission of the selectman.
A drunkard shall have master ap-
pointed by the selectman, who are to de-
bar him the liberty of buying and sell
ing.
Whosoever publishes lie to the
prejudice of his neighbor shall sit in the
stocks and be whipped fifteen stripes.
No minister shall keep school.
Men -stealers shall suffer death.
Whoever wears clothes trimmed with
gold, or bone lace, above two shillings by
the yard, shall be presented by the grand
jurors, and the selectman shall tax the /.
offenders at 9300 estate.
A debtor in prison, swearing he has
no estate, shall be let out and sold to
make satisfaction.
Whoever sets fire in the woods, and
burns house, shall suffer. death; and
persons suspected of this crime shall be
imprisoned without benefit of bail.
Whoever brings cards or dice in this
dominion shall pay fine of G5.
No one shall read common prayer,
keep Christmas or saint days, make
mince pies, dance, play cards, or play on
ANY instrument of music, except the
drum, trumpet and jewsharp
No gospel minister shall join people
in marriage; the magistrates only shall
join in marriage, as they only may do it
with much less scandal to Christ's
Church. 'E
When parents rofuse their children
convenient marriages, the magistrates
shall determine the point. rf, s, -
The selectman, on finding the children
ignorant, may take them away from
their parents, and put them in better
hands, at the expense of the parents.
A man that strikes his wife shall be
punished as the court directs.
A wife shall be deemed good evidence
against her husband.
Married persons must live together or
be imprisoned. *
No man shall court maid in person,
or by letter, without first obtaining the
consent of her parents; 97 penalty for
the first for the second
and for the third, imprisonment during
the pleasure of the court a-
Every male shall have his hair cut &C.
cording to cap.