Early Springfield Ordinances
From Directory of the City of Springfield
John W. Kees & Co., Springfield. 1852
AN ORDINANCE
For the punishment of certain offenses therein names.
Sec. 1. Be it ordained by the city council of the city of Springfield, That if any person shall place or cause to be placed, in any street, lane, alley, lot, common, or watercourse within this city, the carcass of any dead animal, or parts or fragments thereof, or any putrid or unsound animal or other substance tending to corrupt the atmosphere, and shall leave the same exposed or unburied, such person so offending, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding ten dollars and costs.
Sec. 2. If any animal shall die in the possession of any person in this city, it shall be the duty of such person to cause the same to removed without the limits of the city, or to be buried so that the same shall not corrupt the air, or cause any injury to the health of the city; and if any person in whose possession any animal shall die as aforesaid, shall neglect or refuse to cause the same to be removed or buried as aforesaid, for six hours after notice thereof, such person or persons, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs.
Sec. 3. If any person shall suffer stagnant water, filth, manure or any noisome or offensive liquid, or substance, which may corrupt the air, or be injurious to the health of any other person, to remain upon his or her premises within this city for an unreasonable time after complaint made to such person, every such person, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding ten dollars and costs.
Sec. 4. That if any person or persons residing within the bounds of this city, shall make, or cause to be made, any gutter or drain, or shall suffer or permit any gutter or drain to continue to remain open, so as to conduct or carry the slop or wash from his or her dwelling house kitchen, into any of the streets, gutters, sidewalks, or alleys thereof, every such person on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine of one dollar and costs for the first offense, and the sum of fifty cents for each and every day the same shall remain thereafter.
Sec. 5. If any soap boiler, tallow chandler, tanner, or any other person shall make, keep, colect or use upon his or her premesis, within this city, any stale, putrid, stinking fat or grease, or any other noisome or offensive matter or substance, such person, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding ten dollars and costs.
Sec. 6. If any distiller, or any other person, shall collect, or keep any hog or hogs, in any pen or inclosure within this city, so that the same shall become noisome or offensive to other persons residing in the neighborhood, such person, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding ten dollars and costs.
Sec. 7. If any person shall suffer any privy on his or her premesis within this city, to become offensive to any other inhabitant of this city, such person, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs; and any person offending against this, or either of the two preceding sections of this ordinance, and shall neglect or refuse to abate the nuisance complained of, shall be liable to an additional fine upon fresh complaint of the continuation of such nuisance, until the same shall be abated.
Sec. 8. If any person in this city shall keep a bawdy house, or shall harbor or keep about his or her house, any lewd and dissolute woman, or common strumpet, such person, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding fifty dollars and costs; and for every repetition or continuation of the said offense, such person on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars and costs.
Sec. 9. If any person within the limits of this city, shall commit or perpetuate any indecent, immodest, lewd or filthy act, in the presence or view of any other person, or in such a situation that persons passing and repassing might ordinarily see the same; or shall utter and speak any bawdy, lewd or obscene word or discourse, within the hearing of any other person, such person, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding ten dolars and costs. And it shall be lawful for any householder, residing within the limits of this city to apprehend, without breach of the peace, any person found in the act of violating this section of this ordinance, and to convey such person before the mayor, to be dealt with according to law. And if any person taken in the act of violating this section of this ordinance, shall refuse to go before the mayor, or shall resist any such householder who is lawfully attempting to take him or her before the mayor, to answer therefor, such person refusing or resisting, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding ten dollars and costs.
Sec. 10. If any person, being naked at the time, shall bathe or swim within the limits of this city, so that such person may be seen at the time, from any dwelling house, or public road, or street, within this city, such person on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs.
Sec. 11. If any minor, or other person, shall play at marbles, pitch quoits, or engage in any other game or sport, within this city on the Sabbath day, commonly called Sunday, any person so offending, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs.
Sec. 12. If any minor or other person shall fly any kite, or play the game of foot-ball, shinney, bandy, or roll hoop, or engage in any other play, game or sport within the public streets of this city, calculated to frighten horses thereby, or in any other manner tending to produce bodily injury, or endanger the life or property of any person, every such person, on conviction thereof, and if he be a minor, his parent or guardian shall pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs.
Sec. 13. If any person shall permit or negligently suffer any team, or any horse, mare, gelding, mule, ass or ox, attached to any carriage, wagon, cart, dray or other vehicle under the charge of such person, to run away or to go at large in any of the streets, alleys, highways, or commons within this city, such person or persons, on conviction thereof shall pay a fine not exceeding twenty dollars and costs.
Sec. 14. If any person shall ride, or drive any horse, mare, or gelding, or any team composed of any of the said animals, in, or upon any of the streets, alleys, highways or commons within this city at such an immoderate gait, as to endanger any other person therein or thereupon, such person or persons, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs.
Sec. 15. If any driver, owner or other person having charge of any carriage, stage, wagon, dray, railroad car or other vehicle, new or old, finished or unfinished, shall suffer the same to be and remain in any street, or alley within this city, in such a situation as to interrupt the convenient passage of the same, or to incommode the owner or occupant fo any building, or shall stop any carriage, stage, wagon, dray or other vehicle, so as to interrupt the crossing at the intervention of streets or alleys in the regular course of the sidewarks, and shall not immediately remove the same, on request being made; or shall be absent from such carriage, stage, wagon, dray or other vehicle, if a horse or other animal, or team shall be attached thereto, so that such request cannot be made, any person so offending, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs; provided, that nothing in this section shall be so construed as to interfere with market wagons, on market days, and evenings previous thereto, while attending market.
Sec. 16. If any person shall dig into, or in any manner break up, any of the streets or alleys in this city, or remove any earth therefrom, or raise, or break up, any pavement or curbing therein, without the authority of the city council, or city engineer, such person, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding fifty dollars and costs.
Sec. 17. If any person shall saw, cut or split any firewood, upon any of the sidewalks in this city, such person on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding one dollar and costs.
Sec.18. It shall be lawful for merchants, shop-keepers, and others, to place upon the side walks, adjoining their premises, boxes, barrels, or other articles of merchandise or manufacture, which they may have for sale; provided, that such boxes, barrels, or other articles shall not extend more than four feet into the street, from the line of the houses, nor more than four feet in height from the pavement. And if any person or persons shall obstruct any sidewalk in this city, by placing thereon any box, barrel, firewood, or other article, except within the limits prescribed in this section, or shall leave or suffer any such obstruction to be or remain upon any sidewalk in front of his, her or their premises, by whomsoever the same may have been placed upon such sidewalk, except for such reasonable time as may be required to load or unload the same, every person so offending shall, upon conviction thereof, pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs.
Sec. 19. If any person or persons, owning or occupying any cellar, the door of which may be in the street, in this city, shall cause or allow such cellar door to remain open, at any time between twilight in the evening, and daylight in the morning, without at the same time having a light in such cellar way, every person so offending, shall, upon conviction thereof, pay a fine not exceeding five dollars with costs.
Sec. 20. Whenever any person shall be about to erect or repair any house or other structure in this city, it shall be lawful for such person to place in the street in front of the lot and on the same side of the street, on which such building is to be erected or repaired, any lime house, mortar bed, lumber and other materials necessary to be used in the erection or repair aforesaid; provided, that the same shall not occupy more than two-fifths of the width of the street between the sidewalks; and, provided further, that neither any sidewalks, nor the water way in the gutter, shall be impeded or obstructed thereby. And if any person shall place, or cause to be placed, any lime-house, mortar-bed, lumber or building materials in any street in this city, except within the limits and according to the provisions specified in this section, every such person so offending, shall, on conviction thereof, pay a fine not exceeding twenty dollars and costs.
Sec. 21. If any person or persons shall injure, damage or befoul any public building belonging to the county of Clark, or the corporation of this city, within the limits thereof, or any church or place of religious worship, or any school house, bridge or culvert, or any fence or railing, or any tree or shrubbery, or any gravestone, tombstone or monument, or any property, whether public or private, within this city, every person so offending shall, upon conviction thereof, pay a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars and costs.
Sec. 22. If any persons shall beat or otherwise injure any horse, mare, gelding, or any other domestic animal in an immoderate, cruel or unneccessary manner, such person, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding ten dollars and costs.
Sec. 23. If any person or persons shall disturb the peace and good order of this city, by unusual and unnecessary noise, or riotous, or disorderly behavior, or wrangling and quarreling, every person so offending, shall, on conviction thereof, pay a fine not exceeding twenty dollars and costs.
Sec. 24. If any person or persons shall fire any gun, cannon, or other fire-arms, within the bounds of the building lots or cemetery ground in this city, or within one hundred yards of any public road within this corporation, except by permission of council, and except in proper situations for firing salutes, or by command of a military officer in the performance of military duty, every person so offending, shall, on conviction thereof, pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs.
Sec. 25. If any person shall wantonly and without reasonable cause, raise a false alarm by crying fire within this city, such person, on conviction thereof, shall pay a fine not exceeding five dollars and costs.
Sec. 26. If any person shall ride, or drive any horse, mare, gelding, ox, mule, or ass, or any team composed of any of said animals, with or without any vehicle attached thereto, upon any paved or graveled sidewalk in this city, such person shall, on conviction thereof, pay a fine not exceeding two dollars and costs.
Sec. 27. All ordinances and parts of ordinances of the president and council of the town of Springfield, that conflict with this ordinance, are hereby repealed.
This ordinance shall take effect, and be in force, from and after the publication thereof.
JAMES M. HUNT
Mayor of the city of Springfield
SAMUEL PARSONS,
Recorder
Passed June 8, 1850.