1835.

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

CHAP. 75

also promptly decided without the delay and expense

attendant upon the present mode of preparing them-

for trial: Therefore,

Authority to decide

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of

causes for small offences without

Maryland, That Baltimore City Court, or either of the

presentment

Judges thereof, shall have power and authority, with-

out any previous presentment hy the Grand Jury, to

hear and determine at the said weekly session of said

court, all complaints for assault and battery, for keep-

ing disorderly houses, for keeping houses of ill-fame,

for violations of the act, entitled, an act to regulate the

issuing of licenses to traders and keepers of ordinaries,

passed at the session of eighteen hundred and twenty-

seven, chapter one hundred and seventeen, and the

supplements thereto, and for any other small offence.

for which no greater punishment than fine and imprison-

ment can be imposed, in the same manner and to the

same extent and effect, as the said court now do cases

submitted to them during the regular terms, after pre-

sentment by the Grand Jury.

Recognizance made returnable

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That it shall be the duty

&c.

of the several Justices of the Peace within the said

city, to make all recognizances taken hy them respec-

tively, from any person or persons charged with any

of said offences, and also of the witnesses, conditioned

for their appearance at the then next succeeding day

fixed by the said court for its weekly session, and re-

turn the same without delay to the clerk of said court,

to he docketed and proceeded en under the direction of

the court, and shall also make their commitments of

persons to jail, for trial at the same time.

Warden to report

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That it shall be the duty

weekly

of the Warden of the Jail, to return to the clerk of said

court, on the day preceding its weekly session, a list of

all persons-confined for offences of the aforegoing de-

scription, with copies of their commitments, and list ef

any witnesses they may require to be summoned in their

defence.

Case of requiring

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That if any of the said

jury trial

accused shall signify to the court that he, she or they

prefer having a jury trial, the court shall take bail-