The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-05-03
Public Local Law
CHAPTER 573.
AN ACT

To provide for the assessment ofthe unclaim-
Military Lots and tracts of land in Allegany
and Garrett counties, and for the collection
of state and County taXes thereon, by sell
ling the delinquent lands and turning the
net proceeds into the State Treasury.
WHEREAS, Under the Acts of 1881 and 1857
and 1873 upwards OF two hundred thousand
acres of tine reserved lands westward of Fort
Cumberland" were laid out in fifty-acre Lots
and gratuitonsly awarded to the officers and
Soldiers of Ehe MAI yland Line" for their SER
vices in the Revolutionary War, and
WHEREAS 1t appears from the Assessment
Books that upwards OF one thousand of these
Military Lots are not now assessed, and never
have paid any State or County Taxes during
the past century, owing to the difficulty in
ascertaining the names of the last owners
who are non-residents of the counties in
which the Lots are located, and
WHEREAS, Many of these lots have been
taken up under escheat, and other warrants
and patented by the State and subsequently
dis0wned by the patentees, for the alleged
reason that living, but nonresident heirs of
the soldiers had been discovered therefore,
SECTION /. Be 1t enacted by the General AS
sembly of Maryland, That the Newspapers
selected to publish the Laws passed at this
session shall publish the following notice,
daily, fol thirty days, in all daily newspapers
so selected, and weekly for ten consecutive
weeks in all the weekly newspapers so Sc
lected.
(Form of notice to be published)
Notice is hereby given to the legal heirs,
Officers and soldiers who served in the
Maryland Line" during the Revolutionary
War, that unless their claims of Military
Lots Lying westward Of Fort Cumberland
| are legally established on or before the first
day of April, 1891, in such manner as to secure
| the payment of state and County Taxes there
on, all their right shall be forfeited to the
State and all such lots, as have not been pat
ented or claimed by legal heirs, shall be adj
vertiSed and sold to the highest bidders for
cash and the net proceeds paid into the State
Treasury.
SEC. .. And be it enacted That in order to
enable the county authorities TO trace aud de-
fine the titles to these untaXed lands In time
for the approaching General Assessment,
that they, or theiragent shall have free access
to the records in the Land Office ofall patents,
certificates of resurveys, indexes, &c, that in
any way effect the titles to these unclaimed
| and untaXed lands, and that all fees charged
to Garrett County for searches heretofore
made in the Land Office by Hiram z. Tasker
as agent for the Commissioners of Allegany
and Garrett Counties be and the same are
heteby RENTED in consideration of the State
taxes to be hereafter collected annually from
these unclaimed lands.
Sec. 3. And be it enacted, That after the
| first day of April. 1891, the County Commits
| sioners and collectors of Alegany and Gar
rett counties shall be authorized to cause all
of said Military Lots, that have not been
claimed by living heirs, and on which the
taxes have not been paid, to be assessed to
the heirs and assignees of the Officer or Sol
der to whom each Lot was originally award
ed, and to advertise and sell the same to the
highest biddes for cash, and all sums realized
from such sales, in excess of the taxes due,
shall first be applied to the payment Of all the
necessary costs and expenses incurred in
tracing the titles. locating, advertising and
selling the unclaimed and untaXed lands, the
net proceeds of all sales so made shall be paid
into the State Treasury. And the said coun-
ty Commissioners shall be authorized to re-
tain One-hdT OF the first gears State taxes re-
allied from these new assessments and apply
the same to the payment in part of the nee
essary expenses incurred by them, under ex .
istinS contracts. in having these untaxed
lands ferreted out, the titles traced, the lands
located, assessed and the taxes collected.
SEC. L. And be it enacted, That this Act
shall take effect from the date of its passage.
1928 Approved April s, 1890.