Texas Almanac, 1859 Page: 21

ALL THE LAWS OF THE LAST LEGISLATURE. 21
person of color, the person designated for the master or owner, and the witnesses,
to appear in open court; when, after full examination, should there appear no
fraud or collusion, and the person named as the master be a person of good repute,
the petition shall be granted and the petitioner be decreed the property of said
master, the same, in all respects, as if said person of color had been born a slave to
said master, except that said slave shall not be subject to forced sale for any previ-
ous debt of the master. Should such slave be a female, having children under four-
teen years of age, she may, in like manner, by her petition, procure them to be
made slaves to the same owner. In case the mother of such children be deceased,
then the next friend of the children may, by proceeding in the same way, select a
master for them, making them slaves for life.
MOUNTED VOLUNTEERS. (65.)
Authorizes the Governor to call into service 100 mountecf-volunteers for six
months, or longer, if he deems it necessary.
STAY OF EXECUTION. (73.)
Stay of Execution in a Justice's Court shall not prevent defendant from taking
out a writ of certiorari in ninety days after rendition of judgment.
ARTESJAN WELLS. ('74.)
This Act amended (105) autlioizes the State Engineer to contract for five
Artesian Wells on the route. from'Corpus Christi to Brownsville; five do. from
Corpus Christi to Rio Grande City; five do. from San Antonio to El Paso; three
do. from Edinburgh to the junction of the Edinburgh and Brownsville road to San
Patricio; three do. from Corpus Christi to Laredo; one do from Laredo to San
Antonio; and one do. from Carrizo to the Laredo and Carrizo road to Corpus Christi,
making twenty-six wells in all, to be sunk within five years, and deep enough to
afford a constant supply of water at the rate of at least fifty gallons per minute,
and none to be within twenty miles of another, or any permanent sweet water.
Should the land be private property, the contractor is required to procure a release
of fifty acres for the State, in the centre of which the well shall be sunk; and in all
cases, each well to be in the centre of a fifty acre tract which is forever to be de-
voted to the public use. For compensation the contractor shall receive not over
eight sections of land for each well sunk to the depth of from 200 to 400 feet; one
section for every 100 feet of additional depth. The State Engineer is required to
advertise for proposals for .three months, and award to the best bidders.
SEALS OR SCROLLS DISPENSED WITH. (78.)
This Act declares that Seals or Scrolls shall hereafter be unnecessary to the
validity of individual contracts and conveyances of all kinds, and such seals are
only required in the case of corporations.
RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS. (87.)
This Act extends the time two years for the State Engineer to make contracts
for improving rivers, harbors, etc.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS. (88.)
This Act directs Chief Justices to pay their proper share of the public-school
money to such school districts in their counties as have not received it, according
to the number of children taught.
FRAUDULENT CERTIFICATES. (91.)
This Act creates three Commissioners to investigate the fraudulent land certifi-
cates issue in the counties of Peters' Colony, namely, Collin, Grayson, Cooke, Wise,
Parker, Tarrant, etc.