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LAWS OF MARYLAND.

New sections

seven of the Code of Public General Laws, entitled "Crimes
"and Punishments," to be inserted after section two hundred
and fifty-seven of the said article, and to be designated sections
two hundred and fifty-seven A and two hundred and fifty-seven
B, under the sub-title "Threats and Threatening Letters."

Threatening
letters.

257 A. 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 subscribed thereto, or signed with a fictitious
name, or with any letter, mark or other designation, threaten-
ing 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 any one, 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.

Verbal
threats.

257 B. Every person who shall verbally threaten 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 any one, with a view to extort or gain
any money, goods or chattels or any other valuable thing, shall
be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof shall be pun-
ished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for not less than
two nor more than ten years.

Effective.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this act shall take
effect from the date of its passage.

Approved April 4, 1896.

CHAPTER 397.

AN ACT to appropriate one thousand dollars to the support
of the Aged Men and Women's Home of the Methodist
Episcopal Churches of the Washington Annual Conference
of Baltimore city.

Appropria-
tion.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That the sum of five hundred dollars for the fiscal year
1897, and the like sum of five hundred dollars for the fiscal