Mississippi Code Title 29. Public Lands, Buildings and Property § 29-1-41

It shall be unlawful for any person who has contracted to purchase any state forfeited tax lands to cut, sell, or dispose of any merchantable timber on said lands before the purchase price has been fully paid and a patent duly executed and delivered as provided in this chapter. Any person who shall cut, sell, or dispose of any merchantable timber on any such lands before the purchase price has been fully paid and a patent duly executed and delivered shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00), or by imprisonment in the county jail for a term not to exceed six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court.