794 CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS. [ART. 27

1892, ch. 545.

56. If any person shall falsely make, alter, forge or counter-
feit, or cause or procure to be falsely made, altered, forged or
counterfeited, or shall willingly aid or assist in falsely making,
altering, forging or counterfeiting, or shall utter or pass,
knowing it to be falsely made, altered, forged or counterfeited,
any order, paper, letter writing, prescription, recipe or other
device purporting to have been made by a regular practising
physician, for any drugs, medicines, spirituous or fermented
liquors, he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on
conviction in any court in this State shall be sentenced to the
jail, the house of correction or penitentiary, for not less than
six months nor more than two years, in the discretion of the
court. If upon trial of any person charged with, or indicted
for such misdemeanor, it shall appear that he paid for, or
offered or promised to pay for, the drugs, medicine, spirituous
liquor or fermented liquor obtained by means of such falsely
made; altered, forged or counterfeited order, paper, letter writ-
ing, prescription, recipe or other device purporting to have
been made by a regular practising physician, he shall not by
reason thereof be acquitted of such misdemeanor.

Cruelty to Animals.

1890, ch. 198, sec. 1.

57. Any person who wilfully sets on foot, instigates, engages
in, or in any way furthers any act of cruelty to any animal, or
any act tending to produce such cruelty, or by any act, conduct,
neglect or omission wilfully causes, permits or suffers any
animal to undergo any species of torture or cruelty, shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

Ibid. sec. 2.

58. The words " torture or cruelty " shall be held to include
everything whereby unjustifiable physical pain, suffering or
death is caused or permitted, and the word animal shall be
held to include every living creature except men.

State v. Falkenham, 73 Md. 464

1892, ch. 340, sec. 1.

59. Justices of the peace shall have jurisdiction concurrent
with that of the courts of criminal jurisdiction to try and
determine all cases in relation to cruelty to animals and to pro-
nounce sentence of fine and imprisonment, or either, in the
same manner as said courts; but if either the parties accused