Chap. 96.—An ACT to incorporate the town of Cedar Bluff, Tazewell county,
Virginia.

Approved February 13, 1901.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the town
of Cedar Bluff, in Tazewell county, shall be, and the same is, hereby
made a town corporate by the name of Cedar Bluff, and that the same
shall have and exercise all the powers conferred on towns of ‘less than
five thousand inhabitants by the code of Virginia of eighteen hundred
and eighty-seven, and be subjected to all the provisions of said code and
to all laws now in force, or which may hereafter be enacted, in reference
to the government of towns of less than five thousand inhabitants, so far
as the same are not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.

2. The limits of said town shall be as follows: Beginning at a point
in the county road in a line between the lands of I. McGuire estate of,
and the lands of W. J. Higginbotham, and with their lines northwardly to
the top of the ridge between the lands of James Peery’s estate of, and
said W. J. Higginbotham, and with their lines northwardly to the top
of a high ridge north of Dry branch, thence with the north line of the
said Peery westwardly to the intersection of the lands of James R.
Brown, thence running so as to include the lands of the said James R.
Brown to a point on the top of a ridge, corner of said Brown and T. W.
Wingo’s land; thence running so as to include said Wingo’s land; thence
to the northwest corner of the said T. ° W. Wingo’s. land;
thence a_ straight line westwardly to a point in the middle
of the road on top of Jones’ hill; thence a straight line southwardly,
to the railroad bridge number twenty; thence up Clinch river on the west
side to railroad bridge number nineteen; thence up the south side of
the right of way of the Norfolk and Western railway to the White sulphur
spring; thence a straight line to a corner of the lands of the heirs of
James M. McGuire and William M. Hurt on the west side of said Hurt’s
house; thence with the said Hurt’s line and E. Claypool’s line to a
corner of the lands of E. McGuire’s estate; thence a straight line east-
wardly to the first tunnel above Cedar Bluff; thence a straight line to
the top of Kent’s ridge to a corner between the lands of J. Marion Mc-
Guire, E. Claypool and W. J. Higginbotham and with the line of J.
Marion McGuire and W. J. Higginbotham northwardly to the begin-
ning.

3. The officers of said town shall consist of a mayor and four council-
men, a recorder and sergeant, and an assistant sergeant, if deemed ne-
cessary by the town council, all of whose compensation shall be fixed by
said council.

4. Until an election is held, as hereinafter provided for, J. H. Gil-
lespie shall be mayor and T. W. Wingo, E. H. Scott, T. A. McGuire, and
W. J.~ Higginbotham shall be councilmen, and said council shall ‘have
power to appoint annually a sergeant, assistant sergeant and recorder
and shall fix their compensation and prescribe their duties, and require
such bond as may be deemed proper and sufficient, all of whom shall hold
office until their successors are elected or appointed.

5, Should any of the officers hereby appointed refuse or fail to accept
or refuse to qualify within thirty days after the passage of this act, then
it shall be the duty of the mayor, or a majority of the council as may
accept and qualify in the absence of the mayor, to fill such vacaney by
appointment.

6. The said council shall have power to impose a specific license tax
on all shows, performances, and exhibitions which may be given in said
town (except school and religious exhibitions and literary entertain-
ments). The said councilmen shall have power to impose a specific tax
for the sale of any merchandise that may be offered for sale by any
person not living in said town nor regularly doing business therein as
one of the inhabitants of said town, and to levy annually such taxes as
may be deemed necessary for the purpose of said corporation: provided,
that such levy shall not exceed one dollar on the one hundred dollars
valuation of property as per state assessment: and provided, further, that
the jurisdiction of said town in criminal matters shall extend one mile
beyond the corporate limits of said town.

7. The said council shall have power to pass all by-laws and ordi-
nances for the proper government of said town and not in conflict with
the constitution and laws of the state of Virginia, or the constitution
and laws of the United States.

8. The first election under this charter for mayor and councilmen of
said town shall be held on the fourth Thursday in May, nineteen hun-
dred and one, and thereafter they shall be elected every two years on
the fourth Thursday in May, and shall qualify and enter upon the duties
of their respective offices on the first day of July following. Said clec-
tion to be held under and according to the general election laws of the
state of Virginia, and vacancies occurring in said council, cither of the
mayor or said council, shall be filled as provided for in chapter forty-four
of the code of Virginia.

9. That for the purpose of carrving into effect the police regulations
of said town, the said town shall be allowed to use the jail of Tazewell
county for the safekeeping and confinement of all prisoners who shall
be sentenced to imprisonment, under the ordinances of said town, and
where any judgment shall be rendered against a prisoner for any penalty,
under any ordinance of said town, and the same is not immediately
paid, the person or persons so in default may be required by order of
the court, mayor, or councilmen (who may try such party in the absence
of the mayor), so passing sentence. to work out such fines or penalties
and costs of prosecution on the public roads or streets in said town, or on
other public improvements within said town, at fifty cents per day, under
the direction of the sergeant, and under such rules and regulations as
may be deemed proper by the council.

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