Private Acts of 1917 Chapter 33

SECTION 1.  That hereafter it shall be unlawful for any person or persons owning, or having the custody and control of horses, mules, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, geese, and all domestic fowls instead of other livestock to permit or knowingly allow, such animal or animals, or livestock, to run at large in counties of this State having a population of not less then 19,390 nor more than 19,410 according to the Federal Census of 1910, or any subsequent Federal Census.

SECTION 2.  That the owner of, or the person having custody and control of, said livestock mentioned in Sec. 1 of this Act shall be liable for all damages done to the property of other persons by said livestock while running at large in said counties, in violation of this Act, and the party so damaged shall have a lien on the animal or animals doing the injury to his property to secure such damages; and said lien may be enforced by attachment, or by judgment and execution, as in the case of landlord's lien for rent.

SECTION 3.  That any person, his agent or tenant, upon whose land or property such livestock may be found running at large, shall have the right to take up and confine same, giving them reasonably good food and attention, and shall be entitled to a reasonable compensation therefor, and shall have, and is hereby given, a lien upon such stock so confined to secure such compensation, which lien may be enforced along with, and in the same manner as the lien prescribed in Section 2 above.

SECTION 4.  That any person violating this Act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for each offense.

SECTION 5.  That nothing in this Act shall operate to annul or repeal or in any way change the railway stock and fence laws, and that the liability of railroads, operating in said counties, for damage to livestock shall in nowise be changed by this Act.

SECTION 6.  That any and all laws, or parts of laws applicable to the counties set out in Sec. 1 of this Act, in so far as they are in conflict with this Act, are repealed.

SECTION 7.  That if any section of this Act shall be held to be invalid for any reason, that fact shall not affect the validity of any other section, or sections.

SECTION 8.  That this Act take effect from and after its passage, the public welfare requiring it.