The New International Encyclopædia/Harboring

HARBORING. In law, the act of receiving and retaining a person in violation of the rights of another or of the public. Harboring the wife of another after notice from the husband not to do so is an actionable wrong against him, unless such act is a proper one for her protection. So the harboring of an apprentice or servant, with knowledge of the latter's obligation to his master, is an actionable tort at common law. One who knowingly harbors a felon becomes at common law an accessory to the crime, while the intentional harborer of one who has committed a misdemeanor is himself guilty of a misdemeanor. An innkeeper who is accustomed to harbor thieves is indictable at common law for maintaining a public nuisance. Some modern statutes make it criminal for any one to harbor thieves; that is, to shelter them or permit them to congregate on his premises. Other statutes impose a penalty for harboring seamen, knowing them to belong to any vessel. Under such statutes, and generally, the offense of harboring does not necessarily involve the element of secrecy or concealment. It is committed by merely sheltering or entertaining the prohibited person or permitting him to take refuge under one's roof. See Accessory; Husband and Wife; Master and Servant; Parent and Child; and authorities there cited.