Chap. 541.—An ACT to authorize the voters of Northampton
county to vote upon the question of moving the courthouse, and
to provide for the erection of a courthouse in case of removal.

Approved March 4, 1890.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia,
That it shall be the duty of the judge of the county court
of Northampton county to order the officers conducting
the elections at the several places for holding elections in
the county of Northampton, on the Tuesday after the first
Monday in November next, to open a poll to ascertain the
sense of the qualified voters of said county whether or not
the site of the courthouse of said county shall be changed
from its present location to Cape Charles, in said county.
The said election shall be conducted by ballot, and said
ballots shall have written thereon, “For removal] of the
courthouse to Cape Charles,” or “ Against the removal of
the courthouse to Cape Charles.”

2. The manner of receiving and canvassing the ballots
cast at said election on said question, and making returns
and abstracts thereof, shall conform in all respects to the
requirements of the general election law of the state, ex-
cept that the certificates of the judges shall be as follows:
We hereby certify that at the election held on the
of , eighteen hundred and ninety, freehold
votes, and non-freehold votes were cast for the re-
moval of the courthouse to Cape Charles, and free-
hold votes and non-freehold votes were cast against
removal of the courthouse to Cape Charles.

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AB t clerks. GH! Judges.
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And the county commissioners of the returns of elections
made to the county clerk’s office shall canvass the returns
in like manner ay other election returns, and certify the
votes cast “for removal” and “ against removal,” respect-
ively, to the county clerk of said county. If a majority
of the freeholders voting, or a majority of the non-free-

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holders voting, shal] be against removal, then the present
site of the courthouse shall not be changed.

3. In the event of a majority of the freeholders voting
and a majority of the non-freeholders voting being cast
for removal, then the board of supervisors of said county
are authorized to dispose of by sale the courthouse, jail
and other property of the county located in Eastville; the
property so sold shall be delivered at the option of the
supervisors, the proceeds of said sale to be applied to the
building of a new courthouse and jail at Cape Charles, but
the amount used by the authorities of said county towards
building the said new courthouse and jail shall not ex-
ceed five thousand dollars. If the amount realized from
the sale of the old courthouse and jail, and so forth, as
aforesaid, should not amount to five thousand dollars then
the board of supervisors are hereby authorized to appro-
priate so much of the glebe fund of said county as may be
necessary to make up the said five thousand dollars. But no
gale shall be made as above provided and no appropriation
made by the authorities of said county for the purposes
aforesaid, unless and until the town of Cape Charles shall
have appropriated the sum of five thousand dollars to be
used by the authorities of said county in addition to the
amount aforesaid in erecting said new courthouse, jail,
and so forth, at Cape Charles.

4. This act shall be in force from its passage.