48

LAWS OF MARYLAtfi).

take before some one of the station house Justices
in Baltimore cjtyy all persons whom they shall find
in any passenger railway car, or in or about any
railroad depot in Baltimore city, or in any place of
public amusement, or in any street of the city j whom
they shall know or have good reason to believe are
common thieves or pickpockets, and said Justices
shall commit or bail such persons for trial before the
Criminal Court; and if any person in Baltimore city
shall be charged on oath before any Justice of the
Peace in Baltimore city, or before the Judge of the
Criminal Court, with being a common thief orpick-
pocket, such Justice or Judge shall issue a warrant
for the arrest of such person, and him commit or
bail for trial, and any person convicted in the Crim-
inal Court of Baltimore, of being a common thief
or common pickpocket, shall be imprisoned in jail
not more than two years nor less than six months,
and be fined not more than one hundred dollars ;
but if any person is arrested or indicted a second
time or more for such offence, he shall be convicted
only on proof that he has continued to be a. com-
mon thief or pickpocket for at least one month
since his last conviction or acquittal, and it shall
be necessary to charge in the indictment only that
the person is a common thief or common pick-
pocket, and any evidence either of facts or reputa-
tion proving that such person is habitually and by
practice a thief or pickpocket, shall be sufficient for
his conviction if satisfactorily establishing the fact
to the court or jury by whom he is tried, and there
shall be no discretion in any police officer or Justice
of the Peace to discharge or release any person who
is by such proof before them, or knowledge on their
part, shown to be a thief or pickpocket as aforesaid;
but such person shall be bailed or committed for
trial, and no conviction or charge of, or for being
a common thief or pickpocket, shall prevent any
such person from being tried and convicted for any
particular act of larceny he may have committed.

Persons
charged with
being a pick-
pocket or thiel
to be taken be-
fore a Justice
of the Peace.

Sec, 2. And be it enacted, That if any person
shall be arrested at any place on the line of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, or on the line of the
Northern Central Railroad, or on the line of the
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railway,
or in any of the cars or depots, or at any of the
stations on said roads, or on any ferry boat em-