tion of

Regrating , Forestalling , fc . - Divulgers of False News . I 553 convicting him of the said offence , provided such imprisonment A . D . 1777 . doth not exceed three months . *

A . R . C . 2 . 5 . All the penalties hereby inflicted shall be one half to the Anam use of the Commonwealth and the other to the informer , and , penalties , and where the sum doth not exceed twenty - five shillings , shall be mode of recovery . recoverable with costs before any justice of the peace , and , where it shall exceed that sum , by action of debt or information , in any court of record ; and in such action of debt the clerk shall endorse on the writ , that bail is to be required , whereupon the sheriff shall take sufficient bail for the appearance of the defendant , or be answerable himself , as in other like cases ; and the court may eithey rule the defendant to give special bail , or admit an appearance without , as to them shall appear just .

6 . All acts of Parliament and of General Assembly , rela - Repealing clause . ting to any thing within the purview of this act , are hereby repealed .

C . 139 . An act against divulgers of False News . t

[ Passed December 27 , 1792 . ]

A . D . 1792 . A . R . C . 17 .

1 . WHEREAS many idle and busy headed people do forge Preamble . and divulge false rumors and reports ;

2 . Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly , That Divulgers of false what person or persons soever shall forge or divulge any such news to be fined false reports , tending to the trouble of the country , he shall be and bound to good

behavior . by the next justice of the peace sent for , and bound over to the next county court ; where , if he produce not his author , he shall be fined forty dollars , ( or less if the court think fit to lessen it , and , besides , give bond for his good behaviour , if it appear to the court that he did maliciously publish or in vent it . . 3 . All and every act and acts , clause and clauses of acts , Renealing clanse . coming within the purview of this act , shall be , and the same are hereby repealed .

4 . This act shall commence and be in force , from and after Commencement . the passing thereof .

* Here was inserted a section prohibiting public vendues with certain excep tions ; but that section , having been repealed by the act of 1792 , c . 22 , ( Edi . 1808 , app . ix . c . 26 , p . 117 , ) is omitted here .

+ 1 Hen . st . at lar . p . 434 ; 2 Hen . st . at lar . p . 109 ; 1661 , edi . 1733 , and 1752 , c . 91 ; edi . 1769 , c . 11 ; 1792 , edi . 1794 , 1803 , and ' 14 . c . 112 . This statute had its origin during the provisional government of this country in Cromwell ' s time ; and was intended , as appears by the act itself , to prevent the circulation of news tending to the disturbance of the peace of the colony under the government then established , ( 1 Hen . st . at lar . p . 434 ) . It was somewhat altered by the act of 1661 , ( 2 ld . p . 109 , ) from which this is almost a literal transcript .

VOL . I .