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LAWS OF MARYLAND.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That all prosecutions for

violations of the provisions of this act, and which are

hereby declared to be criminal offenses, may be either

upon presentment and indictment, or trial before a

justice of the peace, who shall have jurisdiction original

Prosecutions —
how conducted.

and concurrent with the circuit court of said county ;

and the said justice shall have power to issue all pro-

cess and to do all acts which may be necessary to the

exercise of his said jurisdiction, and may try and de-

termine all cases whereof he may have jurisdiction,

and may pronounce judgment and sentence therein in

the same manner and to the same extent as the cir-

cuit court for said county could do in such cases as if

such cases were tried before said court without the

Proviso.

intervention of a judge; provided, however, that if

any person, when brought before any such justice

having jurisdiction of the case, shall, before trial for

the alleged offense, pray a jury trial, or if the state's

attorney for said county shall, before trial of such

alleged offense, pray a jury trial on the part of the

state, it shall be the duty of any such justice to com-

mit such alleged offender for trial, or to hold the said

Right to jury
trial.

offender to bail to appear for trial, in the circuit court

for the county in which the offense was committed at

its then session, if it be in session, or at its next session,

if it be not in session, and to return said commitment

or recognizance, with the names and residences of the

witnesses for the prosecution endorsed thereon, forth-

with to the clerk of said court; provided, the justice

before whom the case is tried shall inform the person

charged of his or her right to a jury trial, and which

in every such case the said justice is hereby required

to do.

SEC. 5. And be it enacted, That state's attorneys

and justices of the peace having knowledge of any

previous conviction of any person accused of violating

the provisions of this act in preparing warrants, pre-

Allege previous

sentments and indictments shall allege such previous

conviction.

conviction therein; and it shall be the duty of the

clerk of the circuit court to furnish such information

to the state's attorney and grand jury, but it shall not

be necessary to set forth particularly in any such pre-

sentment or indictment the record of a former convic-

tion, but it shall be sufficient to allege briefly that said

person or persons, corporation, company or association

had been convicted of a violation of any of the pro-