Year: 1874




A New Way to Make the African Pay
the ex.SlavehOlder for His Body
and SOul--Peonage i'm Texas.
An act to provide for the employment
of prisoners and conyicts of misde-
meanors and petty offenses.


Section l. Be it enacted by the
Legislature of the State of Texas that
whenever any person is hereafter con
victed OF a misdemeanor or any petty
offense by any of the courts of this
State, and as punishment therefor
is to be imprisoned in the county Jail
of any county, it shall be lawful for
the presiding justice of such county to
employ such convicts to labor upon
the public buildings or works of the
county or upon the public roads of the
county during the whole term of his
imprisonment or any part thereof; or
said presiding justice may hire out
such convict to labor either by private
or public contract to any responsible
person who will hire him, and pay the
highest price for such services: Pro-
vided, that no convict shall be hired
for less amount than fifty cents per
day.


Sec. 2. That the presiding Justice
is also authorized to employ in like
manner the labor Of all conviats who
may be under the sentance of i'm
prisonment for the non-payment of a
fine imposed by any court of this
State for the commission of misde-
meanor or petty offense, for which the
convict shall receive a credit of one
dollar per day for each days work on
any bubble buildings, roads or other
county works, and, when the fine and
all costs are paid by him with such
labor, he shall be discharged from
Imprisonment, unless he is held fol
some other offense: provided that il
there is no necessity for the labor o.
such convict at any public works O
the county, the presiding justice shall
hire out such convict either by private
or public contract to any person wht
will pay the fine and all costs, anc
take such convict to labor for tn.
shortest period of time.


Sec. 3. All persons confined il
jail on account Of having committed /;
misdemeanor or petty offense may b,
employed in like manner from tn
time of imprisonment until the tim
of trial, and if upon trial such persol
shall be acquitted, he shall be pait
not less than twenty-five cents no
more than one dollar per day, as tn
presiding Justice may contract: provi
ded that before trial and conviction
no person shall be held to labor with
out his consent.


Sec. 4. Ifany person who is hire,
out under the provisions of this ac
shall escape from the person to WHOM
he is hired, it shall be lawful for tn
sheriff of any county in the State t
capture and return such convict t.
the person from whom he escaped
when an affidavit is made, before an
person authorized to administer oaths
that such person is an escaped con
Wet. All the labor done by an es
capped convict shall be forfeited to hi
employer, and should he be capture
and brought back he shall recon
mence his term of labor, and continu
until the expiration of the full tim
of the contract made BY the said jus
tice.


Sec. 5. All the money that ma
be realized under the provisions q
this act shall be paid into the count
treasury, as other county funds.


Sec. 6. That all laws or parts G
laws in conflict herewith be and tn
same are hereby repealed, and tha
this act take effect and be in fore
from and after its passage.