Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1866-06-27

who, with his local assistants, shall estab-
lish schools for freedmen when the number
of children of persons of color IN any coun-
ty or counties will warrant the same, provl-
ded the funds hereinafter provided tor shall
be sufficient to meet the expenses thereof
1t also lays light tax upon the freedmen
to support the schools. The last section de-
clares that if any person shat tedch any
school of persons of color in this State octth-
out first haring obtained the license or Ger
titcate heretofore provided for, he or she
shall be guilty Of misdemednor and upon
conviction thereof shall be fined not less
than one hundred dollars, nor more than
| five hundred dollars, or be imprisoned not
| less than thirty days nor more than sixty
days, at the discretion Of the court. "
MISSISSIPPI FUGITIVE FREEDMEN ACT.
Mississippi gives us, perhaps, the most
| interesting chapter OF legislative science on
the subject of freedmen. The act OF Nov.
"a, 1865, opens briskly: "All freedmen, tree
years, found on the second Monday in jan
uary, 1866, or thereafter, with no lawful en-
| ployment or business, or found unlawtully
assembling themselves together, either IN
the day or night time, and all white persons
SO assembling with freedmen, free negroes
or mulattoes, or usually assoclatlng with
| freedmen, free negroes or mulattoes on terms
of equality, or living in adultery or formca
| ton with freedwoman, free negro or mu-
alto, shall be deemed vagrants, and on
conviction thereof shall be tined in the sum
of not exceeding, in the case OF freedman,
| free negro or mulatto, $50, and white man
| 5000, and imprisoned at the discretion OF
the court, the free negro not exceeding ten
davs and the white man not exceeding six
| months" Said negro may be hired out
oy, a;luro fo nav the fine tax.
In section first of an act OF Nov. %, II Is
provided that all freedmen, free negroes and
mulattoes may sue and be sued, lmplead
and be implicated in all the courts OF law
and equity of this State, and may acquire
personal property and chooses in action by
descent or purchase, and may dispose OF the
same in the same manner and to the same
extent that white persons may; provided,
that the provisions OF this section shdn not
be construed as to altoio any freedman tree
negro, or mulatto to rent or tease any lands
or tenen,ents, except In incorporated towns
in which places the corporate authorities
shall control the same. 49,.
Section four provides that in addition to
cases in which freedmen, free negroes and
mulattoes are now, by law, competent wit
nesses, freedmen, free negroes or muiattoes
shall be competent In civil cases, when a
party or parties to the suit, either plalntlf1
or plaintiffs, defendant or defendants, and a
white person or white persons Is or are the
opposing party or parties, plaintiff or plaln-
titfs, defendant or defendants. They shall
also be competent witnesses In all criminal
prosecutions where the crime charged is al
legged to have been committed by white
person upon or against the person or prop
erty of freedman, free negro or muiatto
provided, that in all cases said witnesses
shall be examined in open court on the
stand, except, however, they may be exam
ined before the grand jury, and shall in all
cases be subject to the rules and tests OF The
common law as to competency and credl-
bility.
Section five provides that every freedman,
free negro and mulatto shall, on the second
Monday of January, 1866, and annually
thereafter, hare q ldpfm home or employ
,neat, and shall hare 11ritten er1dence there
of, as follows, to wit If living in any incor-
porated citv, town or village, license from
the Mayer thereof, and if living outside OF
any Incorporated city. town OF village, from
the member of the Board of police of his
beat, authorizing him or her to do irregular
and job work, or written contract, as pro-
vided in section sixth of this act; which
licence may be revoked for cause at any
time by the authority granting the same
fcer shall, and erery person may arrest and
carry back to his or her legal employer any
freedman, free negro or mulatto who shall
quit the service of his or her employer be-
fore the expiration of his or her term OF
service without good cause and said officer
and Derson shall be entitled to receive for
orresting and carrying back every deserting
employee aforesaid the sum of FIVE dollars,
and ten cents per mile from the place of ar
rest to the place of delivery, and the same
shall be paid by the employer and held as a
set-off for so much against the wages of SAID
deserting employee; provided, that said ar
rested party, after being SO returned, may
appeal to a Justice of the peace or member
of the board of police of the county, who,
on notice to the alleged employer. shall try,
summarily, whether said appellant Is legal,
ly employed by the alleged employer, and
has good cause to quit said employer either
party shall have the right of appeal TO the
county court, pending 1ohich the alleged de-
serter shall be remanded to the alleged en-
pIoyer. or otherwise disposed OF, as shall DE
right and Just and the decision OF the
county court shall be final -,
Section ten provides that II shall De law
full for any freedman, free negro or mulatto
to charge any white person; ,reeomaa' .ree
criminal offence against his OF her personal
property, and upon such affidavit the prop
er process shall be issued and executed as if
the said affidavit was made BY white per-
son; and it shall be lawful for any freedman,
free negro or mulatto, in any action, suit or
controversy, pending or about to be instltu-
ted in any court or law or equity of the
State, to make all needful and lawful affida-
Wits as shall be necessary for the institutions
| prosecution or defence of such suit
Colored youths may be apprentices mncn