CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS 1155

Fraud—Upon Electric Companies, and Damaging, Interfering, or
Tampering With the Property of Such Companies.

An. Code, 1924, sec. 106. 1912, sec. 91. 1904, sec. 83. 1898, ch. 400, secs. 59A and B.

1927, ch. 677, sec. 180A.

206. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to wilfully con-
nect or disconnect any electrical conductors belonging to any company
using or engaged in the manufacture and supply of electric currents for
purposes of light, heat and power or either of them, or to make any connect
tion with any such electrical conductors for the purpose of using or wast-
ing the electric current, or to in anywise tamper with any meter used to
register current consumed, or to interfere with the operation of any
dynamo or other electrical appliance of such company, or to tamper with
or interfere with the poles, wires or conduits used by such companies,
unless such person or persons shall be duly authorized by or be in the
employ of such company; provided, that nothing in this section shall in
any way interfere with any lawful supervision and control of electric light
and power companies, their electric conductors, appliances, machinery and
poles by the municipality within which such companies are doing business,
or by the officers of such municipality, nor shall anything in this section
interfere with any right now existing in the councils of any municipality
to pass ordinances relating to and regulating such electric light and power
companies. Any person or persons found guilty of a violation of any of
the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and
shall, upon conviction thereof, be imprisoned not exceeding six months or
fined not exceeding five hundred dollars, or both or either, in the discretion
of the court. The existence of any connection, wire, conductor, meter
alteration, or any device whatsoever which effects the diversion of electric
current without the same being measured or registered by or on a meter
installed by any company engaged in the manufacture and supply of elec-
tric current for the purposes of light, heat and power, or either of them,
or the use of electric current furnished by such company, without it being
measured or registered on a meter provided therefor by such company,
shall be prima facie evidence of intent to violate and of the violation of
this section by the person or persons using or receiving the direct benefits
from the use of electric current passing through such connection, wire, con-
ductor, device or altered meter, or being used without being measured or
registered on a meter as aforesaid, and in case a check or test meter in-
stalled or employed by such company shows that a customer is using a
larger amount of electricity than is registered on the meter installed by
the company on the customer's premises for the purpose of registering the
electricity used by customer, such condition shall constitute prima facie
evidence that the unregistered current has been wrongfully diverted by
such customer, and shall further constitute prima- facie evidence of the
intent to violate and of the violation of this section.

Fraud—Advertisements.

An. Code, 1924, sec. 181. 1912, sec. 159. 1914, ch. 606.

207. Any person who with intent to injure, humiliate or defraud any
person or body corporate of this State, by causing any false notice by way
of advertisement or otherwise, to be inserted in the columns of any news-
paper, periodical or public press shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor,
and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the