Year: 1877

AN ACT in relation to the appointment OF No


taries Public and amendatory of chapter Ia,


of the Revised Statutes. entitled I" Of Notaries


Public"


sented in senate and assembly, do enact a.


follows:


Section 1. Section l, of chapter IL, of the
Revised Statutes, entitled !" Of Notaries Public"
is hereby amended so as to read as follows: Sec
ton L. The Governor shall appoint in each or
ganized county of the state one or more notaries
public, who must be residents and qualified
electors of the county from which they are ap-
pointed, who shall be considered state officers,
and hold their Offices for the term of four years.


Section 2. Section of said chapter IL of the
revised statutes is hereby amended SO as to read
as follows: Section 2. Every notary public
before he enters upon the duties of his Office,
shall take and subscribe the oath prescribed by
the constitution of this state and shall give a
bond to the governor in the penal sum of five
hundred dollars with sufficient surety, to be ap-
proved by the county Judge or the clerk of the
circuit court of his county, conditioned for the
faithful discharge of the duties of his Office.
He shall also provide official seal, which shall
make distinct and legble impression on paper,
giving his name, Office and county, and shall
deposit an impression of the same together
with said oath and bond in the Office of the
secretary of state, whereupon the secretary
of state shall furnish and deliver to such no
tary public a certificate of his appointment,
stating the date when his commission viii
expire, which certificate shall be filed In the
office of the clerk of the circuit court of
the county where such notary resides together
with his autograph and impression of his official
SEAL The notary public shall, at the time of his
appointment, pay into the state treasury the sum
of two dollars which shall be in full for his
commission and the certificate of the secretary of
state. All certificates heretofore or hereafter
made by clerks of courts to the qualifications
of notarles public, based upon the filing of their
commissions in his Office previous to the passage
of this act shall be as valid and lawful and shall
have the effect as though a certificate of the
secretary of stlte together with such notarys au-
tograph and an impression of his notarial seal
had been filed with such clerk.


Section 8. 1t shall hereafter be the duty of the
secretary of state to give less than thirty days
notice by mail to every notary public of the time
when his commission will expire.


Section 4. If any person shall after the first
day of May, 1877, knowingly act notary pub
Hc exercise any authority, or enter upon the dis
charge of any duty appertaining to such Office
without being duly qualified according to law, he
shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor, and
shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of
not less than fifty more than five hundred
dollars.


Section 5. If any person shall be damaged or
injured by the unlawful act, negligence or mis-
conduct of any notary public, the person damaged
or I'M jured may maintain n civil action on the
bond of such notary public, against such notary
public, and his suretes and recovery in such
action shall not be bar to actions on such bond
for any other cause or causes, to the full amount
of such bond.


Section g. This act shall take effect and be in
force from and after its passage and publication.


Approved March 3, 1877. EBCOPY.