452 CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS. [ART. 27

1904, art. 27, sec. 394. 1888, art. 27, sec. 257. 1864, ch. 38.

446. Any person convicted in any county of this State of the offense
of being a common thief or common pickpocket shall be fined and im-
prisoned in the county jail for the same amount or time as provided in
section 444, and the provisions of said section shall apply to this section,,
except so far as altered by this section.
See note to section 444.

Threats and Threatening Letters.

Ibid. sec. 395. 1896, ch. 396, sec. 257A.

447. Every person who shall knowingly send or deliver, or shall
make, and, for the purpose of being delivered or sent, shall part with
the possession of any letter or writing with or without a name sub-
scribed thereto, or signed with a fictitious name, or with any letter,
mark or other designation, threatening therein to accuse any person of
any crime of an indictable nature under the laws of this State, or of
anything, which, if true, would bring such person into contempt or
disrepute or to do any injury to the person or property of anyone, with
a view or intent to extort or gain any money, goods or chattels or other
valuable thing shall be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof
shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for not less than
two nor more than ten years.

An indictment under this section need not set out the name of the person
to whom the threatening letter was sent. The sentence of a traverser to.
ten years in the penitentiary under this section is not a cruel and unusual
punishment. Several counts in an indictment relating to the same trans-
action, upheld. A variance denied. A confession held voluntary Alleged!
objectionable argument of the state's attorney. Instruction to the jury at
their request after they have retired to their room. Tooiner v. State, 112:
Md. 285.

Ibid. sec. 396. 1896: ch. 396, sec. 257B.

448. Every person who shall verbally threaten to accuse any persons
of any crime of an indictable nature under the laws of this State, or of
anything which, if true, would bring such person into contempt or dis-
repute, or to do any injury to the person or property of anyone, with
a view to extort or gain any money, goods or chattels or any other val-
uable thing shall be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof shall
be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for not less than two
nor more than ten years.

Ibid. sec. 397. 1890, ch. 98.

449. Any person who with intent to extort money or procure other
profit shall falsely accuse or threaten to acciise another of any crime,
or of anything which if the accusation were true would tend to bring
him into contempt or disrepute, shall be deemed guilty of a misde-
meanor, punishable by imprisonment in jail or the house of correction,
not exceeding two years.