The sheriffs of this State shall, under the penalty herein provided, arrest in their respective counties, with or without a warrant, all escaped convicts from the State Penitentiary or from the chain gang or jails found in their respective counties. Upon any such arrest any such sheriff shall immediately notify the proper authority from whose care such convict escaped. Upon any willful neglect or failure on the part of any such sheriff to comply with the provisions of this section he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, be fined in a sum of not more than five hundred dollars nor less than one hundred dollars or be imprisoned for not more than six months or be both fined and imprisoned, at the discretion of the court.