Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-02-10
LEGTSL4TTTE


Mr.. Negley, Of Butler, offered the following inn
portant bill
SEC. 1. Be it enacted, &c, that all persons with
in this Commonwealth being liable to military SER
vice. and who have been drafted or may be drafted
under any law of the United States or of this Com
monweath for the suppression of rebellion or repe
ling of invasion, and who have deserted or may de-
sert from said service, or have escaped or may es-
cape from their homes proper enrolment districts
for the purpose of avoiding said service. or have
concealed or may conceal themselves from any officer
person charged with their arrest, have refused
may refuse to report to the proper authorities a
ter being notified Of their being drafted or have
concealed or may conceal themselves in order to
avoid the service of any such notice, or of any notice
relative to said draft aud who shall continue so to
desert escape refuse to report, conceal themse-
for the period of one month after the massage of
this act all and every such person or persons are
hereby declared to be deprived of the rights of ct-
zenship within this Commonwealth, and shall be in
capable of visiting at any election of the citizens or
of holding any Office of honor trust or profit within
the same, or of nheritng any estate under the nes
tate laws of this Commonwealth, or of by contract
acquiring possessing or disposng of any real or
personal estate within the same.
SEC. That it shall be the duty of any all Inspec-
tors and Judges of the elections within this Common
wealth to refuse and reject the vote votes of all
such aforesaid persons who they, or any of them
may know to have so deserted, escaped or avoided
military duty or the service of any notice as aore
odlu; OF VINO may De proven 10 tnem 10 nave so de-
Serted escaped, or IN any manner avoided said mill
itary service or the service of any said notice. and
the said Inspectors aud Judge of any election. on
the request Of any qualified voter shall receive proof
showing the person offering to vote at any said cleo
ton, has so deserted escaped or avoided such ser
vice, and if any said Inspectors and Judge or a ma
jorty ofthem, shall knowingly receive the vote or
votes Of any such person persons, they shall be
liable to indictment for misdemeanor in Office on
the information OF any citizen and on conviction
shall be fined III sum not less than one hundred
dollars and be imprisoned for term not less than
month.
SEC. 3. That shall be the duty of all Consables
Sherits and other officers of the peace within this
Commonwealth to give any information they may
receive, or knowledge they may have concerning
the said persons so deserving or avoiding the milf
Election where said persons may reside or offer to
vote, and failure to do shall be liable TO ndict
ment therefor-as for misdemeanor.
SEC. A. That it shall be the duty of all Constables
Sheriifs and other officers of the peace within this
Commonwealth to render aid and assistance to any
officer or officers of the government of the United
States charged with making the arrest of or service
of any notice any such person or persons desert
ing escaping refusing to report or eoncealing them
selves provided by the first section Of this act
and on failure refusal to do so shall be liable to
Indictment and punished for misdemeanor in Office
and fined and imprisoned in such sum and for such
term as the court trying the same may adiudge.
SEC 5. That any person or persons advising, coun-
selling, assisting, harborng, conceang, or in any
manner aiding III the deserton, escape, or conceal
ment of the person or persons described and provi
ded for by the first tsecton of this act, shall be deem
ed guilty OF nisdemeanor and on conviction of
the same in any Court of this Commonwealth shall
be fined in a not less than one hundred dollars
and be imprisoned not less than three months.