| Date | 1856 |
|---|---|
| Law/Legislation | Law |
| Jurisdiction | VA |
| Title | Chapter 48 |
| Description/Full Text | Any free person who shall cause to be carried away, or be concerned in the escape of any slave, shall be confied in the penitentiary five to ten years; and, moreover, in lieu of damages forfeit to the owner double the value of the slave, pay reasonable expenses incurred in the attempt to regain the slave, and in the discretion of the jury to be publicly whipped to such an extent and at such times as it may deem fit. No whipping shall exceed thirty-nine lashes for anybody in any one day. If the offender be in command or attached to a vessel, it shall be forfeited to the state. The section includes any masters of a vessel, and any free person traveling by land. Any master of a vessel who knowingly receives on board a runaway slave shall be confined in the penitentiary five to ten years, and forfeit the full value of the slave, be whipped, etc. If the slave is found on board after leaving port, or in the night time the person in charge shall be presumed to have knowingly received him, and if any free white person advise any slave to abscond, or furnish him money, clothes, provisions, or other facility, he shall be confined five to ten years in the penitentiary, and be whipped as the jury sees fit. A slave so persuading or conniving shall be punished with stripes and sold out of the state. Any free white person who gives information leading to the conviction of a free white person engaged in carrying off a slaves or in any manner concerned in helping an escape, shall be entitiled to a reward of $500.00, to be paid by the state. |
| Additional Information | – |
| Source | Black Laws of Virginia, By: June Purcell Guild |
| Transcriber Notes | – |
If you are citing this record, please use the following format:
[Author (if known)], Laws and Legislation Related to Slavery and Free Blacks in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (1642-1860), [Date (if known)], Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva’s Black History, Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University.
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