At a meeting of the Mayor and Councilmen of the Corporation of New Castle, IN on 28 May 1864, the following City Ordinances were adopted. Compared with all the City Ordinances of today, these were easy to remember since there were only nine of them.
Ordinance #1
An ordinance to prevent the obstruction of streets, alleys, gutters, ditches, and sidewalks: Approved May 28, 1864.
OBSTRUCTING STREETS, SIDEWALKS, GUTTERS AND DITCHES
Be it ordered by the Mayor and Council of the Corporation of New Castle. That any person who shall obstructs any street, alley, sidewalk, ditch or gutter, within said Corporation so as to prevent the passage of water along such ditch or gutter noted as to hinder or inconvenience the passage of persons along such streets and sidewalks, such person so obstructing shall forfeit and pay to said Corporation any sum not exceeding five nor less than one dollar.
Ordinance #2
PEDDLERS AUTIONEERS AND SHOWMEN
An ordinance requiring Peddlers, Auctioneers, and Showmen, to pay a Corporation License before Peddling, Auctioning, or Exhibiting any show in the Corporation of: Approved, May 28, 1864. Clerk to issue license.
ISSUE LICENSE
1st, be it ordered by the Mayor and Council of the Corporation of New Castle,
That before any Peddlers shall sell at retail any notions, dry goods, linens, jewelry or other merchandise, and before any Auctioneer shall sell at public auction any goods, wares or merchandise, and before person shall exhibit for pay any caravan, circus, rope or wire dancing, any legerdeiusin, ventriloquism, puppet show, concert, theatrical performance or any other exhibition of whatsoever name or description, such peddler shall pay a license of one dollar per day for every day for every day he shall peddle: Such auctioneer shall pay a license of not less than one nor more than five dollars for each day in which he sells: Such person exhibiting any show, concert or amusement as above set forth, shall pay a license of not less than nor more than fifty dollars for each separate performance. The amount of which said license in all cases shall be assessed and collected by the said Treasurer of said Corporation, shall give such person paying a receipt for the same, which such person shall present to the Clerk of the Corporation, whose duty it shall be to lift said receipt and place it upon file in his office, and issue a license to such person for the number of days or entertainment shown , shown by such receipt to have been paid for.
FINES
2nd Any Peddler, Auctioneer, Showman or any other person who shall do any of the things for which license are required by the provisions of this Ordinance, without first procuring such license shall forfeit and pay a fine of not less than one nor more hundred dollars to said Corporation which said fine shall be in addition to their said license.
Ordinance #3
An Ordinance to prohibit the running of any horse, or the exhibition of any Jack or Stallion in said Corporation. Approved May 28, 1864.
PENALTY
Be it ordered by the Mayor and Council of the Corporation of New Castle.
That any person who shall run any horse, mare or gelding through any of the streets or alleys of said Town, or shall exhibit, or let any Stallion or Jack to a Mare within in the limits of said Corporation, unless the same be done within a closure sufficiently to preclude the public view shall forfeit and pay a fine to said Corporation for every such offense in any sum not exceeding ten dollars.
Ordinance #5
An ordinance to prohibit assaults, assault and battery, affray and riots in the Corporation. Approved May 28, 1864
ASSAULT, ASSAULT AND BATTERY, RIOT AND ROUT
Be it ordered by the Mayor and Council of the Corporation of New Castle.
That every person who shall commit an assault, an assault and battery, affray, riot or rout, in said Corporation, or shall aid, abet, hire, counsel or command any other person to commit the same, such person upon being found guilty there of, shall forfeit and pay a fine to said Corporation in any sum not exceeding ten dollars nor less than one dollar, to which may be added an imprisonment not exceeding 24 hours, which said fine shall be separate and independent, and shall in no way affect his trial, conviction, and fine for said offense as provided by the statute of the State of Indiana.
Ordinance #6
An ordinance to prohibit the obstruction of sidewalks. Approved May 28, 1864.
OBSTRUCTION OF SIDEWALKS, HORSES ON SIDEWALKS, OR CROWD OF MEN ON SIDEWALKS.
Be it ordered by the Mayor and the Council of the Corporation of New Castle.
That every person who shall place or allow to remain on the sidewalk in front of his premises any plow, wagon, wheelbarrow, harrow, barrel, box or any other thing that in the least will hinder or inconvenience the free passage of people along such sidewalk, and any person who shall suffer his horse or horses to stand upon any of the sidewalks of said town a sufficient length of time for any person to pass or desire to pass along such sidewalk, and every man who shall form one of a company or crowd of men, who shall stand upon on any of the sidewalks of said town in such a manner as to prohibit the free passage of women along such sidewalk, and shall so remain until any woman shall have passed along such sidewalk, or in endeavoring to pass shall have been compelled to pass off of such sidewalk into the street in order to get around such crowd, every such person so obstructing in any of the ways aforementioned shall forfeit and pay a fine to said Corporation in any sum not exceeding five dollars.
Ordinance #7
An ordinance to prohibit the erection or maintenance of any nuisance in the Corporation. Approved May 28, 1864.
Be it ordered by the Mayor and Council of the Corporation of New Castle.
That any person who shall erect, maintain or suffer to remain on their premises any nuisance, shall forfeit and pay to the Corporation for every day the same shall be allowed to remain, any sum not exceeding five dollars.
Ordinance #8
An ordinance to prohibit fast riding or driving and suffering horses to run at large in the streets of New Castle. Approved May 28, 1864.
Be it ordered by the Mayor and Council of the Corporation of New Castle.
That every person who shall run or cause to be run, any horse or horses through or along any of the streets or shall ride or drive along any of the streets at a faster gait than an ordinary trot, or shall make use of any of the streets for the purpose of training any horse or horses or shall allow his horse or horses to run at large in said Corporation. Every person so offending, shall forfeit and pay to the Corporation for every such offense, any sum not exceeding three dollars.
Ordinance #9
An ordinance to prevent quarreling in the Corporation and to preserve good order.
Approved June 25, 1864.
Be it ordered by the Mayor and the Council of the Corporation of New Castle.
That any person or persons who shall quarrel or swear in any angry manner or threaten to fight in said Corporation shall be deemed guilty of disturbing the good order of said town, and upon conviction thereof shall forfeit and pay to said Corporation any sum not exceeding ten, nor less than one dollar, at the discretion of the Magistrate trying the same.
And be it further ordered. That every person who shall willfully, wantonly, maliciously or by reason of drunkenness do any other act inconsistent with the quite and good order of said town, or to the annoyance or damage of citizens or citizen thereof, or shall disturb any meeting in said Corporation assembled together for a lawful purpose, every such person so offending shall forfeit and pay to said Corporation a fine in any sum not exceeding ten Dollars.
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