548 CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS. [ART. 27

Vagrants and Tramps.

1876, ch. 392 1882, ch 480

273. Any person having in his care, custody or control any
child under the age of sixteen years, whether as parent, guardian,
relative, employer or otherwise, who shall sell, apprentice, or give
away, let out or otherwise dispose of any such child to any person,
under any name, title or pretence whatever, and any person,
whether as parent, guardian, relative, employer or otherwise, who
shall take, receive, hire, employ, use or have in custody any such
child for the vocation, use, occupation, calling, service or purpose
of singing, playing on musical instruments, rope waiking, dancing,
peddllng, begging or any mendicant or wandering business what-
soever, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon convic-
tion thereof before any competent tribunal, to which such person
may be committed for trial, shall be fined not less than fifty nor
more than two hundred and fifty dollars, or be imprisoned in a
county jail for not less than thirty days or more than a year, or
suffer both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the
said tribunal; one-half of all lines so imposed to be paid to the
informer.

Ibid.

274. If on examination before any court or justice of the
peace it shall be proved that any child was engaged in any busi-
ness or vocation, designated or mentioned in the preceding section,
such child shall be deemed a vagrant and committed to any re-
formatory institution to which vagrant minors may be committed
wider the laws of this State.

1880, ch. 31. 1888, ch. 274.

275. Every person, not insane, who wanders about in this
State and lodges in market-houses, market-places, or in other
public buildings, or in barns, out-houses, barracks, sheds, or in
the open air, without having any fixed place of residence, and
without having any lawful occupation in the city, town or county
in which he may so wander, and without having any visible
means of support, shall be deemed to be a tramp and to be guilty
of a misdemeanor, and shall be subject to imprisonment in the
Maryland house of correction for a period not less than two