Act 11 June, 1879, Sec. 1, P. L., 162.-Any person or persons who shall wantonly and wilfully kindle any fire on the lands of another, so as to set on fire any wood lands, barrens, or moors, within the limits of this Commonwealth, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding three hundred dollars, and undergo an imprisonment not exceeding twelve months, or either, or both, at the discretion of the court; and prosecutions for such offences may be commenced at any time within two years from the commission thereof.

Act 9 April, 1869, Sec. 1, P. L., 786.-Any person or persons who shall intentionally set fire to said lands, shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, nor less than fifty dollars, or shall be confined in the county prison for a term not exceeding one year, nor less than thirty days, or both, at the discretion of the court, on conviction in any of the courts of this Commonwealth, one-half of said fine to be paid to the person or persons who make the information, and the other half to be paid into the county treasury.

ED. NOTE.-Refers to mountain and wild lands in Union. Act 2 June, 1870, section 2, P. L., 1317, extended to Schuylkill, Lehigh, Berks, Lycoming, Centre, Snyder, Luzerne. Act of 19 May, 1871, P. L., 950, exempts Lycoming.

Act 2 June, 1870, Sec. 1, P. L., 1316.-It shall be the duty of the commissioners of the several counties of this Commonwealth to appoint persons, under oath, whose duty it shall be to ferret out and bring to punishment all persons who, either wilfully or otherwise, cause the burning of timber lands, and to take measures to have such fires extinguished where it can be done; the expenses thereof to be paid out of the county treasury, the unseated land tax to be the first applied to such expenses.

IX. FIRING WILD LANDS IN UNION AND OTHER COUNTIES. PENALTY.

Act 9 April, 1869, Sec. 1, P. L., 786.-Any person or persons who shall intentionally set fire to said lands shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, nor less than fifty dollars, or shall be confined in the county prison for a term not ex

ceeding one year, nor less than thirty days, or both, at the discretion of the court, on conviction in any of the courts of this Commonwealth; one-half of said fine to be paid to the person or persons who make the information, and the other half to be paid into the county treasury.

ED. NOTE.-Extended to Schuylkill, Lehigh, Berks, Centre, Snyder, Luzerne and Union, by Act of June 2, 1870, P. L., 1317.

X. MAYOR, ALDERMAN, JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, OFFICERS OF INSURANCE COMPANIES AUTHORIZED TO SUMMON JURY AND WITNESSES TO INQUIRE INTO CAUSES OF ANY FIRE.

Act 17 April, 1869, Sec. 1, P. L., 74.—Whenever it shall be made to appear, by the affidavit of a credible witness, that any building or other property has been set on fire maliciously, or burned from an unknown cause, it shall be lawful for the mayor or any alderman of any city, or justice of the peace of any borough or township wherein such fire may have occurred, upon request of any citizen of such city, borough or township, as the case may be, or of any president, secretary or agent of any insurance company having a policy written and in force upon the premises burned or attempted to be burned, to proceed, with all reasonable dispatch, to investigate and ascertain, as far as practicable, the facts relating to the cause and origin of such fire; and for this purpose the said mayor, alderman or justice of the peace shall have all the powers of a coroner for summoning a jury and witnesses and conducting the investigation.

Act 17 April, 1869, Sec. 2, P. L., 74.-The number of jurors shall not be less than three, and shall be selected from the vicinity where the fire occurred, who, after being sworn or affirmed to perform their duties faithfully, and inspecting the place where the fire occurred, and hearing such testimony as may be produced before them in regard to the premises, shall make out and deliver to the officers having cognizance of the case, a report, under their hands and seals, in which they shall find and certify, as far as ascertained, how and in what manner such fire occurred, and who was guilty of firing the same, either as principal or accessory, or if not wilfully set on fire, then to certify how the same originated, as far as can be ascertained.

Act 17 April, 1869, Sec. 3, P. L., 74.—If the jury shall find that any person or persons wilfully set fire to the premises in question, or that reasonable cause exists for believing them to have been accessory thereto, then the mayor or other officer having cognizance of the case as aforesaid, shall bind over the witnesses to appear at the next Court of Quarter Sessions of the proper county, to give testimony in the case; and if the person charged or implicated by the jury as aforesaid be not in custody, the mayor or other officer holding the inquest shall issue his warrant for the arrest of the accused, and being brought before such magistrate shall be committed or admitted to bail, to appear and answer, at the next Court of Quarter Sessions of the proper county, such bill or bills of indictment as may then and there be preferred against him, her or them, in the same manner as persons are held by such magistrates to answer, upon information made before them for like offences.

Act 17 April, 1869, Sec. 4, P. L., 75.-The officer issuing such process shall have the same power to examine the defendant as in other cases; the testimony of all witnesses examined before the jury under this act shall be reduced to writing, by the officer holding the inquest, and shall be returned by him, together with the inquisition of the jury and the recognizances and examinations taken by such officer, to the next Court of Quarter Sessions of the proper county.

Act 17 April, 1869, Sec. 5, P. L., 75.-The compensation of the mayor or other magistrate holding such inquest, and of the jurors and witnesses in attendance, shall be the same as is now allowed by law in cases of coroner's inquests super visum corporis, and shall be paid by the person or persons at whose instance the proceedings are instituted, in all cases where the inquest shall not find sufficient cause to bind over any person on a charge of causing or being accessory to such burning; but if such cause shall be certified by the said inquest, then the costs of the proceedings shall abide the issue in court, in the same manner as costs before committing magistrates on similar charges instituted by information now do, and shall be paid accordingly: Provided, That this act shall not apply to the city of Philadelphia or to the county of Allegheny.

XI. ATTEMPTING TO BLOW UP BUILDINGS.

Act 31 March, 1860, Sec. 141, P. L., 416.-If any person shall unlawfully and maliciously place or throw in, into, upon, against or near any building or vessel, any gunpowder or other explosive mixture, with intent to do bodily harm to any person, or to destroy or damage any building or vessel, or any machinery, working tools, fixtures, goods or chattels, every such offender shall, whether or not injury is effected to any person, or any damage to any building, vessel or machinery, working tools, goods or chattels, be guilty of felony, and, being thereof convicted, shall be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, and to undergo an imprisonment, by separate or solitary confinement at labor, not exceeding three years.

XII. INJURY TO PLANK-ROADS OR TURNPIKES, HOW

PUNISHED.

Act 7 April, 1849, Sec. 3, P. L., 461.-If any person or persons shall wilfully and maliciously remove or destroy any part of such turnpike or plank-roak, or the property, buildings or other works belonging to such company, or shall, designedly and with evil intent, place any obstruction on the line of said road, so as to endanger the safety of persons travelling on or over the same, such person or persons so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in the county jail, for a term not exceeding six months, at the discretion of the court.

XIII. MALICIOUS INJURY TO RAILROADS.

Act 31 March, 1860, Sec. 142, P. L., 416.-If any person shall wilfully and maliciously put, place, cast or throw upon or across any railroad, any wood, stone or other matter or thing, or shall wilfully and maliciously take up, remove or displace any rail, sleeper or other matter or thing belonging to any railroad, or shall wilfully and maliciously turn, move or divert any switch or other machinery belonging to any railroad, or shall wilfully and maliciously make or show, hide or remove any signal or light upon or near any railroad, or shall wilfully and maliciously do, or cause to be done, any other matter or thing, with intent, in any of the

such

cases aforesaid, to obstruct, upset, overthrow, injure or destroy any tender, carriage, car or truck used on such railroad, or to endanger the safety of any person travelling, or being upon railroad, every such offender shall be guilty of felony, and, being thereof convicted, shall be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars, and to undergo an imprisonment, by separate or solitary confinement at labor, not exceeding ten years.

XIV. CASTING WOOD, STONE, ETC., UPON A CAR. Act 31 March, 1860, Sec. 143, P. L., 417.-If any person shall wilfully and maliciously, cast, throw, or cause to fall or strike against, into or upon any engine, tender, carriage, car or truck used upon any railroad, any wood or stone, or other matter or thing, with intent to endanger the safety of any person being in or upon such engine, tender, carriage, car or truck, every such offender shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, being thereof convicted, shall be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, and to undergo an imprisonment not exceeding three years.

XV. MALICIOUS INJURY TO ARTIFICIAL NAVIGATION.

Act 31 March, 1860, Sec. 144, P. L., 417.—If any person shall wilfully and maliciously break, throw down, level or destroy the whole or any part of any lock, sluice, flood-gate, bank, wastewier, dam, aqueduct, culvert, bridge, feeder, guard-wall, towingpath or berme bank belonging to any artificial navigation, or stop up or obstruct any such feeder, waste-wier, aqueduct or culvert, such person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars, and undergo an imprisonment, by separate or solitary confinement, or by simple imprisonment, at labor, not exceeding three years.

XVI. WANTONLY OPENING OR SHUTTING ANY LOCK OR WASTE, FEEDER, OR SLUICE GATE, OR PREVENTING THE UNOBSTRUCTED USE THEREOF.

Act 31 March, 1860, Sec. 145, P. L., 417.-If any person shall wantonly open or shut, or cause to be opened or shut, any lock or safety-gate, or any wicket, paddle, or culvert gate, or any waste,