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yet by their imprisonment they are disabled from putting in execution their just intentions and are reduced to great distress:

[Section I.] Be it therefore enacted by the Honorable Richard Penn, Esquire, Lieutenant-Governor under the Honorable Thomas Penn and John Penn, Esquires, true and absolute Proprietaries of the Province of Pennsylvania, by and with the advice and consent of the representatives of the freemen of the said Province in General Assembly met, and by the authority of the same, That the justices of the county court of common pleas for the county of Philadelphia or any three of them, on application to them for that purpose in writing made by the said William Ritchie, and that the justices of the court of common pleas for the county of Lancaster or any three of them, on application for that purpose in writing made as aforesaid by the said John Milliron, shall appoint a certain day and place for holding a special court of common pleas in their respective counties, whereof due notice in writing shall be given to the creditor or creditors at whose suits they respectively stand charged, by leaving the same at his, her or their last place of abode, at which times and places so appointed by the said courts, respectively, they the said respective courts shall by an order or rule of court cause the said William Ritchie and John Milliron severally and respectively to be brought before their said respective courts; and the courts, respectively, upon sufficient proof of the said notice being given to all and every such creditors, as well such as shall reside in foreign and distant parts as those in this province, and upon their exhibiting and delivering to the said courts, respectively, full, true and perfect accounts in writing of all their real and personal estates, debts, credits and effects, shall at the times appointed as aforesaid, in the presence of the said creditor or creditors, if he or they will be present, administer to the said William Ritchie and John Milliron separately and respectively, an oath or affirmation according to law to the following effect, to wit:

That the account by him delivered into that honorable court in his petition to the said court doth contain a true and perfect account of his real and personal estate, debts, credits and effects

whatsoever, which he or any in trust for him have or at the time of his said petition had or is or was in any respect entitled to, in possession, remainder or reversion (excepting the wearing apparel and bedding for himself and family not exceeding ten pounds in value in the whole), and that he has not at any time since his imprisonment or before directly or indirectly sold, leased, assigned or otherwise disposed of or made over in trust for himself or otherwise other than as mentioned in such account any part of the lands, estate, goods, stock, money, debts or other real or personal estate whereby to have or expect any benefit or profit to himself or family or to defraud any of his creditors to whom he is indebted.

And the said William Ritchie and John Milliron having respectively taken such oath or affirmation in open court, and severally making assignments to any one or more of the creditors, as the said respective courts shall order and direct, in trust for all their respective creditors, of all their lands, goods and effects contained in such account by a short indorsement thereon, by which said assignment the estate, interest and property of the lands, goods and effects so assigned shall be vested in the person or persons to whom such assignment shall be made, who may take possession of the same in his or their own name or names, after which no release of the said respective prisoners, their executors or administrators, shall be any discharge against or bar to the assignees aforesaid, then the said respective courts shall cause and order the said prisoners respectively to be discharged from their imprisonment aforesaid; but in case the person or persons at whose suit the said prisoners respectively are held and detained, or any other creditor or creditors, shall not be satisfied with the truth of such oath or affirmation as aforesaid, but shall desire further time to inform him, her or themselves of the matters contained therein, the said court may and shall remand the said prisoners, respectively, and direct such prisoners so remanded and the person or persons dissatisfied with such oath or affirmation to appear at another day to be appointed by the said court, not less than one month from the time of making such oath or affirmation; and if at such second day so to be appointed the creditor or creditors dissatisfied with such oath or affirmation shall make default in appearing, or in case he or they shall appear but shall be unable to discover any

estate or effects of such prisoner omitted in such account as aforesaid delivered into the said court, or to show any probability of his having been foresworn or to have declared falsely in the said oath or affirmation, then the said court shall immediately cause the said prisoners to be discharged upon such assignment of his or their effects; but in case the said prisoners or either of them shall refuse to take the said oath or affirmation, or having taken the same shall be detected of falsity therein, he or they shall be presently remanded.

[Section II.] And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the persons of the said prisoners respectively after such his or their discharge as aforesaid, shall not at any time hereafter be imprisoned for any debts before the time of such discharge contracted.

Provided nevertheless, That the discharge of the said prisoners by virtue of this act shall not acquit or discharge any other person from such debts, sum or sums of money for which such person now is bound or engaged with the said other effects which they may hereafter respectively acquire.

[Section III.] Provided also, and be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That nothing in this act contained shall extend to discharge the persons of the said prisoners or either of them from being liable to be sued, prosecuted or imprisoned for any debt due to the Crown, and that the said debts shall be first paid by the said trustees out of the moneys which shall come to their hands from the effects so assigned.

[Section IV.] Provided also and be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if the said prisoners or either of them shall upon any indictment for taking a false and corrupt oath or affirmation in any matter or thing contained in the said oath or affirmation be convicted by his own confession or by the verdict of twelve men, the said person or persons so convicted shall suffer all the pains, penalties and disabilities which by law may be inflicted on persons convicted of willful and corrupt perjury; and shall likewise be liable to be arrested, taken and imprisoned upon any process de novo and charged in execution for the same debt in the same manner as if they had never been in execution

or discharged before and shall forever after be barred of any benefit of this act.

Passed February 26, 1773.

Referred for consideration by the King in Council, February 2, 1774, and allowed to become a law by lapse of time in accordance with the proprietary charter. See Appendix XXXI.

CHAPTER DCLXXVII.

AN ACT TO REPEAL THE ACT, ENTITLED "AN ACT TO PREVENT FRAUDS AND ABUSES IN MANUFACTURING OF LEATHER.”

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Whereas the act, entitled "An act to prevent frauds and abuses in manufacturing of leather," passed in the twelfth year of His present Majesty's reign, hath not answered the good purposes thereby intended:

[Section I.] Be it therefore enacted by the Honorable Richard Penn, Esquire, Lieutenant-Governor under the Honorable Thomas Penn and John Penn, Esquires, true and absolute Proprietaries of the Province of Pennsylvania, by and with the advice and consent of the representatives of the freemen of the said Province in General Assembly met, and by the authority of the same, That the said act, entitled “An act to prevent frauds and abuses in manufacturing of leather," and every article, clause and thing therein contained shall be and is hereby repealed to all intents and purposes.

Passed February 26, 1773.

Referred for consideration by the King in Council, February 2, 1774, and allowed to become a law by lapse of time in accordance with the proprietary charter. See Appendix XXXI, and the notes to the Acts of Assembly passed August 26, 1721, Chapter 247; March 21, 1772, Chapter 657; and the Acts of Assembly passed April 4, 1843, P. L. 133; April 4, 1864, P. L. 281; April 27, 1864, P. L. 644.

1 Passed March 21, 1772, Chapter 657.

CHAPTER DCLXXVIII.

AN ACT FOR ERECTING A PART OF THE COUNTY OF BEDFORD INTO A SEPARATE COUNTY.

Whereas a great number of the inhabitants of the county of Bedford on the west side of the Laurel Hill have represented to the assembly of this province the great hardships they lie under from being so remote from the present seat of judicature and the public offices:

For remedy whereof:

[Section I.] Be it enacted by the Honorable Richard Penn, Esquire, Lieutenant-Governor under the Honorable Thomas Penn and John Penn, Esquires, true and absolute Proprietaries of the Province of Pennsylvania, by and with the advice and consent of the representatives of the freemen of the said Province in General Assembly met, and by the authority of the same, That all and singular the lands lying within the province of Pennsylvania and being within the boundaries following: That is to say, beginning in the province line where the most westerly branch, commonly called the South or Great Branch, of Youghiogany River crosses the same, then down the easterly side of the said branch and river to the Laurel Hill, thence along the ridge of the said hill northeastward so far as it can be traced or till it runs into the Alleghany Hill, thence along the ridge dividing the waters of Susquehanna and the Alleghany River to the purchase line at the head of Susquehanna, thence due west to the limits of the province, and by the same to the place of beginning, shall be and the same is hereby declared to be erected into a county, henceforth to be called Westmoreland.

[Section II.] And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the inhabitants of the said county of Westmoreland shall at all times hereafter have and enjoy all and singular the jurisdiction, powers, rights, liberties and privileges whatsoever

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