American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-06-20
NUMBER 2s

before any election board, of the fact of
desersion and consequent disability and
disquaiiilcation as an elector Prop;fsd
That If any person shall wilfully use or
present any false, fraudulent or forced
paper, parporting to be certified copv
or extract as aforesaid, he shall be dsemed
guilty of misdemeanor, and, on convic.
tion thereof, shall be punished in like
manner as is now provided in the second
section of this act And provided, hop.
erer, That il, by the production Of cet.
tificate of his honorable discharge, IL shall
appear that such peis,n, SO Offering q,
vote, was.in the military service of the
United Stateslbefore and at the time of
his being drafted into such service. and
thereupon failing to report, or in she case
of the fact of desertion appearing, BY
certified copy Of his company roll il shall
appear that he was afterw ards acquitted
taereof aud hore bly, dis hargei, such
proof shall be received as evidence IN
prove his said qualification: And pro.
o'ded further, That if any person liable
to be objected to as disqualified as afore.-
SAID shall produce, before any board of
election officers, any false or fraudulsut
paper purporting or pretended to be his
honorable discharge from the United
States service, he shall be deemed guilty.
OF forgery, and on conviction thereof
shall be punished as persons are now by
law punishable for forgery.
Sec. z. That it shall be the duty If
the judges and inspectors of elections
hereafter to be held in this Common
wealth, whenever the name of any Der.
son offering to them ballot or ballots.
shall be found upon certified copy. or
extract, furnished from said rolls. or rec.
ords, by clerk Of court Of quarter ses.
sions, marked as deserter, or whenever
any person shall be objected to as dis
qualified, as aforesaid, at any election, by
any qualified voter, at the request or suR.
ee'tion of such person, so offering bal.
lot, to examin, such person, on oath OF
affirmation, a, to the fact appearing from
such certificate as alleged against him by
the elector SO objecting, and if he DENY
it, as to his reasons therefor Ptop;isd
horever, That if any of his answers un.
der examination are false, such person
shall be deemed guilty of the crime of
perjury, and, upon conviction thereof. he
shall be punished, as persons are now nun.
ishable by law, for perjury.
SEC 8 That it shall be The dutv oY
the sheriffs in the several counties of this
Commonwealth, to insert in their proclat
nations of elections hereafter to be held
the first four sections Of this act, with the
preamble thereof; and upon conviction
of any violation of the requirement of
this section, any sheriff shall be deemed
guilty Of misdemeanor in Office, and be
punished in like manner as the offences
prohibited by the second, third and fourth
sections Of this act are punishable.
SEC. 9 That in the trial of all cases
arising under this act, IT shall be the duty
of the courts trying the same to inquire
into and determine any question Of fact,
as to alleged desertion involved therein,
upon proofs furnished by exemplifcations
or extracts from such rolls and records,
duly certified by the proper clerk of q
court of quarter sessions, which are here.
by made evidence thereof and also from
such proofs by parol as may be given id
evidence by either party: Provided. That
the provis ons of this act, so far as appli-
cable, shall apply to persons who volun.
tarily or without any kind of duress or
constraint enlisted in the rebel service.
JAMES r. KELLEY,
| Speaker of the House of Representatives.
DAVID FLEMING,
Speaker OF the Senafe.
|