406 Assembly Proceedings, June 15-July 3, 1773.

No. 13

Liber R. G.

1773
[ Preamble
with Names
of the Pris-
oners re-
lieved by this
Act.]

An Act for the Relief of certain Prisoners in the several Jails therein
mentioned

Whereas Joseph Floyd of Talbot County Thomas Pierson, Robert
Hopkins, Abel Right, John Bowin, Moses Magee, Boston Ale, and
Ezekiel Hitchins of Worcester County, Jacob Knight, Oliver Lind-
sey, John Vears, James Downs, Andrew Long, Leonard Hoyle, George
Wolf, Stephen Richards, John Alexander Brown, William James,
Benjamin Harrison, Mathew Compton, John Houser, and Edward
Bannister of Frederick County, Thomas Swan Jun.^r, Jonathan Gill,
John M^cDonald, Aquilla Chunn, Henry Simpson, Henry Sickle,

p. 184

Jacob Lanham and Thomas Green of Charles County, John Barron,
and Thomas Standage of Prince Georges County, John Messer, John
Broderick, and George Bolton of Ann Arundel County Peter Adams,
James Button of Dorchester County, John Seward, William Seney,
John Nabb, and Edward Crews of Queen Anns County, Samuel
Gosnell, Patrick Hennesy, Philip Barnethouse James Woodward,
Jacob Stoya, Thomas Smyth, Daniel Harkins, John Taylor, Vachel
Worthington, John Hobbs, Gotlip Neeth, Robert Elder, John Lees,
Andrew Williams, Edward Preston, Patrick Quigley, John Keating,
Owen Keef, George Baxter, Joseph Finley, Jane Johnson, Joseph
Robass Rogers, Charles Kees, Thomas Tompkins, Peter Carroll,
Joseph Smyth, and Charles Stewart of Baltimore County by their
Petition? to this present General Assembly have set forth, That they
have respectively continued Prisoners for Debt in the Custody of
the Sheriffs of the respective Counties aforesaid for a considerable
Time past and still continue in the like deplorable Circumstances
not being able to redeem their Bodies with all the Estate or Interest
they have in the World which they would readily surrender up and
part with to their several and respective Creditors if they would
accept of the same and Grant the said Petitioners their Liberty which
seems so unlikely for them to obtain that unless relieved by a
particular Act to be passed in their Favour, which by their said
Petitions they have humbly prayed they must inevitably continue
Prisoners for Life; and as the Allegations of the said Petitioners
appear to this general Assembly to be true, and that their lying in
Jail can be of no advantage to their Creditors, it is humbly prayed
that the said Petitioners may be relieved according to their prayers
and that it may be Enacted.

[Prisoners
to be dis-
charged on
delivering up
their Effects
on Oath.]

And be it Enacted by the Right Honourable the Lord Proprietary
by and with the Advice and Consent of his Governor and the Upper
and Lower Houses of Assembly and the Authority of the same
That in Case the said Prisoners shall deliver up and surrender or
cause to be delivered up and surrendered to the Sheriffs of the
respective Counties aforesaid in the presence of Two Justices of the
peace of the Counties aforesaid whom the said Sheriffs are hereby
required to summon at the request of the said Prisoners at some