| Date | 1839 (38? according to MSA) |
|---|---|
| Law/Legislation | Law |
| Jurisdiction | MD |
| Title | An act to provide for the recapture of fugitive Slaves |
| Description/Full Text | Escape made felo-ny. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That from and after the passage of this act, any negro slave, who shall escape from this State into the District of Columbia, or into any of the States of this Union against the will and consent of his maste or ownerm with a view to escape from such servitude, shall upon suficient evidence of such facts be deemed guilty of felony. On conviction thereof. Sale directed. Proceeds to be paid over. Sec. 2. And be it enacted, That upon conviction of the offence prescribed in the first section of this act on an indictment by the Grand Jury of the county or city from which such slave shall have escaped, the said slave shall be sold, after ten days' notice, by the sheriff of such county or city, to the highest bidder, and after de- ducting the necessary expenses for arrest, detention and conviction of such slave, the balance shall be de- livered to the master, mistress, or owner of such slave. On evidence of fact of escape. Sec. 3. And be it enacted, That upon evidence of the fact of such escape afforded either by affidavit, be fore any person authorized to administer the same to this State or by indicment by any grand jury of this Governor shall de- mand such slave from such State, as a fugitive from justice. State, being furnished to the governor of this State, by the master, mistress or owner, or any person duly authorized by them to make such claim, it shall be the duty of the governor to demand such slave from the proper authority in the District of Columbia, or from the governor of the State, into which such slave may have escaped as a fugitive from justice. Purchaser of such slave shall bond to remove him from the State, &c. Sec. 4. And be it enacted, That the purchaser of such slave, under the provisions of the second section in the office of the clerk of the county or city in which said slave shall be made, a bond to the State of. Mary- land, in the penalty of the sum for which said slave shall be sold, to remove him or her from the State of Maryland, and in default of the execution of such bond by the first purchaser, the said slave shall be again exposed to sale, and shall not be delivered out of the custody of the sheriff, until such bond shall have been filed by the party purchasing. |
| Additional Information | – |
| Source | http://slavery.msa.maryland.gov/html/research/histlaw.html https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000598/html/am598--50.html |
| Transcriber Notes | – |
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[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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