The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1920-06-25
PUBLIC GENERAL LAWS

County shall have any sheep, poultry OF
live stock destroyed sor injured by a dog
or dogs. he may apply TO any Justice of
the Peace of said County, who SINH ap-
point three edisinterested persons as Hp-
praisers to view and Rpprafse the dam
ages by him sustained, ana they. or a ma
lorlty OF them. under oatn. shall state in
writing to the County Commissioners OF
said County. the, number of sheep, poul-
try, or live stock killed, the character and
extent of the injury. if any done, and the
amount of the damages sustained by the
owner: and both the appraisers and the
owner of the sheep. poultry or live stock
shall make oath that they believe the
same to have been destroyed or injured By
a dog or dogs and when the report OF
such proceedings has been fled the Coun-
ty Commissioners of said County shall re-
view said report, and IL in their Judgment
the amount of damages stated is unfair.
they shall award such amount as they
may deem fair; which award shall be
paid out of the fund hereby created pro
vided, boUerer, that the said S910rn re-
mort of the appraisers shall be deemed
PRIAdA FACIE evidence OF the fairness OF
the dtrard, of damages in each instance;
and br0Uided further, that the County
Commissioners shall not change such an
aarGrd unless they shall haze personal
knoicled0e of its MnfGirHess, or shat re-
ceiUe competent testimony to the effect
that the atoqrd is 81 excess of a fair com
ptercidI radiation of the sheep, poultry
or lire stock injured or destroyed bg dogs.
And if the owner of the dog or dogs doing
the damage be known, it shall be the duty
Of the County Commissioners to notify
such owner or owners to kill said dog or
dogs Immediately. If such dog or dogs
killed by the owner, after notice as afore-
said. he shall be. exempt from all further
soL, yolH n
owners should refuse or neglect to kill
said dog or dogs upon notice as aforesaid.
the said owner or owners shall be liable
to the County Commissioners for said
damages to the same extent as he would
be liable in casesof negligence or malicious
destruction of property, and the sdad
Coantvs Commissioners mag IN Their dis.
cretiofS haze the special officers o.. Con-
stables to XII said dog or dogs
2O1.Y Any person violating or refusing
to comply with any of the provisions OF
this Act shall be guilty ORA misdemeanoEs
and upon convictions thereof before any
Justice of the Peace of the County in
which he resides, or in the Circuit Court
Of said County shall be fined q sum OF
TWENTY-FIVE dollars or shall be imprisoned
in the county jail for not more than
thirty days. or shall be both fined and i'm.
prfsoned In the discretion Of the Court
1t shall be the duty Of the States s5tt6r-
ren the Sheriff and the Gonstdbles of the
seuefdI Counties of the State to Prosecute
all persons found vfotnfings the IAN dt5 re-
fusir0 to comply aeith its provisions. Pro.
yided that nothing in this Act shall apply
to the City of Baltimore. All laws or
parts of laws, whether public genera lows
or public local laws. inconsistent with the
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed
to the extent OF such inconsistency.
5 SEC. 2. Ind be 1T further enacted
That this Act shall take effect June J.
1920.
Approved April 9, 1926