Year: 1860

Shall,
issue summons to be directed to one or more con
stables, they may fit, of their respective dis
t,icts, whose duty it is hereby made to the
same upon every free negro of all ages and sexes
in said districts, and by virtue of which it shall be
the duty of said constable to have said free negroes
SO summoned before the said Board of Commission
at the time and place specified in said sum-
mons.


Sec. 4. And be it enacted, That it shall be the
duty of said Board of Commissioners to duly mott
fly all said free negroes when brought before thcna
except such shall be otherwise provided for in
the subsequent sections, that unless they shall pro-
vide homes by hiring themselves to some industri-
-ous and respectable citizen, hereafter provided,
T. labor and service by the year, they the sad ia
public sale to the highest bidder for the term OF one
year.


Sec s. ind Je it enacted That it shall be the
duty of said Board OF Commissioners, alter having
given the aforesaid notice, to expose at public sale
to the highest bidder for the term of twelve months,
all such free negroes who shall fail to produce be-
fore said Commissioners on or before the trst day
of January, eighteen hundred and siXty-one, and
on or before the first day of January of every sue
ceeding year, the note bond of some respectable
and worthy citizen, with security thereon, to be
approved BY the same for the hired services of said
negro or negroes for the term of twelve months,
which said note or bond shall contain the stipula-
tions of the partes and shall be subject to suit as
other notes or bonds are, before justice Of the
peace, the Circuit Courts for st. Marys, Calvert
Howard, Kent, Baltimore, Worcester, Somerset,
Talbot, Queen Anne's Prince Georges and Charles
Counties, may be required by the amount OF con-
sideration in said bond.


SEC 6. Ind be it enacted, That it shall be the
duty Of said Board of Commissioners to indenture
to citizen of the said countless all free negroes
from four to twelve years of age, said male free
negroes to serve until they arrive at the age OF
twenty and said females until they arrive at
the age of thirty the party giving bond to the State
of Maryland for the good treatncat and care of
said free negroes.


SEC. 7. And be it enacted, That it shall be the
duty of said Boar of Commissioners to REQUIRE of
he % whom female aforesaid,
other female hired bound under this act, may be
bound, to provide for and support all existing or
subsequent issues of said female during her term of
indenture hire, until they arrive at the period of
four years of age, at which time it shall be the du-
iy of said Commissioners to bind out the said issues
in the manner and for the period specified in the
foregoing section it being the intent of this act,
that all free negroes, minors from the time of birth
to the period of four years of age, shall be exempt
from the hirn an and binding provisions , of the same
mssioners to allow the mother of such issues to Sc
lcct the individual to whom said issue shall be
bo1nd Prosided, said individuals shall execute a
bond with approved security to the State ef Mary
land, as before required.


SEC. 8. And be 1t enacted, That in the event of
any free negro hired bound under this act, shall
refuse to serve faithfully the party to whom he or
she may be bound for the full term of bis her in
denturc, either by absconding, secreting run
ming away from the service of said party, it shall
be the duty of said Board of Commissioners on
complaint of the party and proof of the same, by
some reliable and dsinterested person under oath,
to expose the said hired or bound free negro, at
public sale to the highest bidder, to be sold az a
slave for life, the proceeds of which shall be paid
by said Board to the Register of Wills of ST. Marys,
Calvert, Howard, Kent and Baltimore Counties, to
be appropriated by him to the primary school fund


SIC. 9. Amd be it enacted, That it shall be the
duty of the said Board of Commissioners to provide
fund for the support Of such free negroes they
may fail to hire or indenture, because Of their ex
treme old age disability of any kind, and for any
female and her issues whom they may be unable
to hire because of the membranes of said issues,
and which said issues may not be subject to hire by
said Board under the provisions of this act, which
said fund shall be subtracted from the gross amounts
of the hrebonds executed for the services Of aforc
said free negroes, and the said sum shall be sub
tractcd well from the bonds Of such free negroes
who shall annually hire themselves to labor aud
service as from the bonds of such free negroes who
may be hired by the said Commissioners.


Sec. 10. Ind be it enacted, That it shall be the
duty of said Board Of Commissioners to collect by
suit or otherwise, the amount stipulated in each
bond and report the annually to the Count y
Commissioners with statement of all the expenses
attending the operation Of this act, including at