University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XV.

Miscellaneous Ordinances.

1. It shall not be lawful for any locomotive to be propelled
at a greater rate of speed than ten miles per hour within the
corporate limits of the town, nor shall it be lawful to blow the
whistle of any locomotive in the limits of the town; and the


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person having charge of such locomotive shall ring a bell while
passing through said corporate limits. For any violation of
any provision of this section, the company so violating by its
agents or employees shall forfeit and pay to the town the sum
of $30.00 for each offence.

2. It shall not be lawful for any person to discharge any gun
or other firearms within the limits of the corporation. Any
person violating this ordinance shall be fined not less than one
nor more than five dollars for each offence: provided that the
occupant of any lot may discharge such firearm into the
ground on his lot for the purpose of unloading and cleaning
the same, and may shoot at rats and other noxious animals on
his premises: and provided further, that this ordinance shall
not apply to military or other companies acting under the permission
of the mayor nor to any licensed shooting gallery.

3. Any person who shall be guilty of riot, rout or unlawful
assembly, or assault and battery or any offence that would
amount to a breach of the peace, and any person who shall in
any public place contend with angry words or use indecent
and profane language, shall be fined for each offence not less
than $1 nor more than $10 for each offence.

4. If any person shall bet at any game of cards, or at any
other game prohibited by the gaming laws of the state which
may be played in any out house, yard, lot or alley, or other
public place within the town, on being convicted thereof he
shall be fined not less than $3 and not more than $20 for each
offence.

5. Any person who shall willfully disturb any assembly of
persons met for the worship of God, whether he be in or outside
of said assembly, shall be fined for every such offense not
less than $5 nor more than $25.

6. If a person shall be found guilty of wilfully obstructing
the officers or agents of the town in the discharge of their duties,
he shall be fined not less than $5 and not more than $25
for each offence.

7. No hog shall be kept in a pen or lot inside of the corporation
of the town from the 1st of April to the 1st of November
of each year, and no hog shall be suffered to run at large
within the corporate limits. It shall be the duty of the chief
of police to take up every hog so remaining contrary to law
within the corporate limits, or so found running at large and
sell the same after giving five days' notice of the time and
place of sale. The proceeds of such sale, after deducting a
fee of twenty-five cents to the police officer for each hog and
the costs of keeping the same shall be paid over to the treasurer
of the town, to be repaid to the owner if demanded within
six months. Provided that the owner of such hog may redeem


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the same before sale on paying the fee and costs aforesaid.
And the fees of the police shall not exceed two dollars
for any lot of hogs belonging to the same owner taken up at
any one time.

8. If at any time the mayor has cause to apprehend the
existence of hydrophobia among the dogs in the town, it shall
be lawful for him to require, by proclamation placarded in conspicuous
places and published in one or more of the newspapers
of the town, that all dogs be confined to the lots of their
owners for such time as he may prescribe, and also to order
that all dogs found going at large without muzzles, contrary
to such requirements, be killed in such manner as he may
direct. The owner of such dog so found going at large shall
forfeit five dollars for each offence.

9. Every dog, which being liable to taxation and shall
not have been listed for taxation, shall be taken up by the police,
and after notice to the owners and keeper, unless redeemed
as hereinafter provided, shall be killed and removed
and interred beyond the limits of the corporation: Provided,
that any such dog may be redeemed by the owner or keeper
paying to the officer having custody thereof, any time before
sunset of the day on which such notice is given, $2.00 for each
dog redeemed, which payment shall be for the use of the town.

10. For the seizing of such untaxed dog, the police shall
be entitled to receive from the town the sum of twenty-five
cents, and the further fee of twenty-five cents for killing such
dog as hereinbefore provided.

Sec. 11. Any person having in his possession any proud
slut or bitch and suffering the same to run at large within the
corporate limits in that condition, or allowing it to remain on
his premises to the annoyance of the neighborhood, shall be
fined not exceeding one dollar for every hour the said animal
shall run at large or so annoy the neighborhood.

12. If any person shall allow his cow or ox to run at large,
between the hours of sunset and sunrise, in the streets or
alleys of the town, such person so offending shall be fined not
less than one nor more than five dollars for every such offence.

13. If any person shall place, or cause to be placed, in or
on any street, alley, sidewalk or lot within the corporate limits
the carcass of any animal, or any other thing, or matter offensive
to any citizen, or to the public, or shall suffer any such
nuisance to remain on any such lot owned or held by him, he
shall be fined not less than $1.00 for every twenty-four hours
such nuisance or offensive matter may remain.

14. All householders and occupiers of lots are hereby required
to keep their privies thoroughly cleaned and in good
order. Every person failing to do so after twenty four hours'


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notice from the health officer, shall be fined $5.00 for every day
he shall fail to comply with this regulation.

15. All privies that open for the escape of filth on any
street or public alley of the town, and also all privies that
stand within six feet of the margin of any street, alley, channel,
drain or sewer (having their opening for the escape of
filth towards such street or alley) are hereby declared to be
nuisances, and the owners or occupants of the premises on
which such privies are situated shall be fined not less than
$1.00 for each day they shall so remain after notice from the
police to remove the same.

16. It shall not be lawful for any person to keep in any
shop, store, warehouse or other building within this town,
without special permission or authority of the council, a greater
quantity of gun or rock-powder, or explosive, at any one time,
than twenty-five pounds; and every person offending against
this section shall pay a fine of not less than $5.00 nor more
than $25.00 for each offense.

17. Any person who shall keep a slaughter-house, or kill
or slaughter any animal in this town or within one-fourth mile
from the corporate limits, without permission from the council,
shall be fined $5.00 for each day that said slaughter-house may
be kept after due notification by the town authorities.

18. It shall not be lawful for any person, without permission
from the council, to erect or build, or place any wooden or
frame building within the limits of the corporation, and any
person offending against this section shall pay a fine of $5.00
for each day such building is suffered to stand: provided, that
privies are excepted from this prohibition.

19. If any person shall tear down or deface any bill or
advertisement, so long as the same may be of any benefit to
the party posting it, he shall, upon conviction, be fined not
less than $1.00 nor more than $5.00 for each offence: provided,
that nothing herein shall prevent any one from tearing down
advertisements posted on his own premises.

20. If any person shall be found guilty of injuring any
shade tree upon any of the streets, alleys or public grounds of
the town, he shall be fined not less than $5.00 nor more than
$10 for each tree so injured.

21. If any person shall in any way break or injure any
curbing, he shall be fined twenty-five cents for every foot so
broken or injured.

22. If any person shall be found breaking or defacing any
of the lamps, lamp-posts, or any other property of the town of
any description, he shall be fined for each offence not exceeding
$20.00.

23. It shall not be lawful for any interment to be made
within the corporate limits outside of the public cemeteries.


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24. All owners or occupants of property within the limits
of the corporation shall be required to remove, or cause to be
removed, the snow from their side-walks within four hours
after the snow has ceased to fall: provided, however, that if
the snow fall during the night, or on Sunday, it shall be removed
within four hours after sunrise of the following day.
A fine of not less than $1.00 nor more than $5.00 shall be imposed
for each and every time the snow is suffered to remain
beyond the time prescribed by this ordinance, and the street
commissioner shall remove the same at the cost of the town.

25. If any person shall apprehend danger by fire from any
shop or other building on account of any defective chimney,
stovepipe, or from any other cause, or if any person shall apprehend
danger from the falling of any shop or other building,
on application to the mayor, in either case, it shall and may
be lawful for the mayor to issue his warrant to any three judicious
freeholders within the town, requiring them to view the
situation of such shop, house, chimney, stovepipe, or other
cause complained of, and make report thereon, and if on such
report it shall appear that such apprehensions are well founded,
the mayor shall issue his summons to the owner or occupier
of such shop, or house, or other cause of danger, to appear
before him to answer such complaint; and if upon a full
hearing the mayor shall adjudge the cause of complaint to
be dangerous, he shall give judgment requiring the party complained
of to remove the cause of danger by such means, to
be specified in said judgments, as the case may require; and
if such party shall refuse or neglect complying with such judgment
within a reasonable time, limited in the same, he shall
pay a fine of not less than $5.00 nor more than $50.00 for
every day's continuance of such neglect or refusal.

26. And the continuance of such cause of danger after
such proceedings had as aforesaid, is hereby declared a nuisance,
and shall be removed or abated by order of the mayor,
and the delinquent shall be liable for all the costs and expenses
attending such removal or abatement, not exceeding
$50.00, to be recovered by warrant before the mayor.

27. The officers and agents of the town whose duty it is
to purchase provisions, drugs, fuel and other supplies for the
use of the town in any of its departments, are hereby required
to distribute the patronage of the town among the tax-payers
thereof, so far as it can be done: provided, however, that all
the said supplies must be purchased at the lowest market price.

28. For the violation of any ordinance for the violation of
which no penalty is prescribed, the person offending shall be
punished at the discretion of the mayor.