REWARD, in a legal sense, some en couragement which the law holds out for exertions in bringing certain classes of criminals to justice. The courts of as size may order the sheriff of the county, in which certain offenses have been com mitted, to pay to persons who have been active in securing the apprehension of offenders charged with crimes, or with being accessory before the fact to any of such offenses, or to receiving any stolen property, a reasonable sum to compensate them for expense, exertion, and loss of time. So by a later statute courts of quarter sessions are author ized, in the case of any of the above offenses which they have jurisdiction to try, to order such compensation; but the payment to one person must not exceed $25. If any one is killed in endeavoring to apprehend a person charged with one of these offenses, the court may order compensation to be made to the family. The amount to be paid in all such cases is subject to regulations which may be made from time to time by the Secre tary of State. By another statute it is
a felony, punishable by penal servitude to the extent of seven years, to cor ruptly take any reward for helping a person to property stolen or embezzled, unless all due diligence to bring the of fenders to trial has been used. In Great Britain an advertisement offering a reward for the return of stolen or lost property, using words purporting that no questions will be asked or inquiry made after the person producing the property, renders the advertiser, printer, and publisher liable to forfeit $250. The offering of rewards by the government has in England been discontinued on grounds of public policy. In the World War, however, the British Government offered rewards for the apprehension of dangerous enemy spies and others.