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Chap 152 No XIII
An Act
Concerning Patrols.
Section 1.st Be it enacted by the Governor, and Legislative Council
of the Territory of Florida, That it shall the the duty of the Captains of the several
district companies, within this Territory, to cause their respective districts to be divided
into convenient patrol districts, which divisions shall not be altered unless, by the
concent of a majority of the officers of said company, and in case the captain of
any district company, shall neglect to perform the duty herein before, required of
him, he shall forfeit and pay the sum of ten dollars, to be recovered before any
magistrate in said captain's district.
Section. 2: Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the commanding officers of
each district company, to cause to be made out a roll for each patrol district, which shall in-
clude the names of all the free white male inhabitants, above the age of eighteen years, residing
within the said patrol district: Provided that nothing herein contained, shall be construed to
compel any male inhabitant of any district to perform patrol duty, where in person or by sub-
stitute, who may have attained the age of forty five years.
Section. 3rd. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the commanding officers of each and
every captain's company, at every regulat petty muster, to prick off, from the roll of each patrol
district, at his discretion, any number of persons, who shall perform the duty herein after pre-
scribed, until the next regular petty muster; and to every patrol, the commanding officer of
the company, shall appoint some prudent and discreet person as commander, and in case the
commanding officer of the company shall fail to prick off such patrol, he shall forfeit and pay
the sum of ten dollars for every such neglect, to be recovered before any Justice of the Peace.
Section. 4th. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the commander of every patrol, at least
as often as once a fortnight, to call out the patrol under his command, and to take up all slaves
who may be found without the limits of their owner's plantations, under suspicious circumstances,
or at a suspicious distance therefrom; and to correct all such slaves by a moderate whipping with
a switch or cowskin, commonly called cowhide, not exceeding twenty nine lashes, unless the said
slave shall have a ticket or letter to show the reasonableness of his or her absence, or shall have some
white person in company to give an account of the business of such slave or slaves. And if any white
man shall beat or abuse any slave, quietly and peaceably being in his or her master's plantation,
or found any where without the same, with a lawful ticket, he shall forfeit the sum of fifty dollars,
to be recovered by the owner, and to his use, by action of debt; besides being liable to the owner in an
action of tresspass for damages.
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