1404                             Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 771

moned, of the names so selected choose and appoint one who shall be
foreman of the grand jury, and shall cause all the names selected,
except the name of the foreman previously chosen, to be placed by
said judge or judges in said [compartments of said] box. [respec-
tively which bear the numbers of the districts where the persons so
selected respectively reside] It shall be the duty of the said judge or
judges, when selecting the panel of not less than three hundred
(300) nor more than four hundred (400) persons as provided for
in Section 8 of Article 51 of the Code of Public General Laws, 1951
Edition, to distribute the names of the persons on said panel [as
nearly equal as may be possible among said compartments.] sub-
stantially proportionate to the population of the respective election
districts of said county as disclosed by the latest public census. The
judge or judges, in addition to the foreman so selected, shall draw
from said [compartments] box in all not less than [ninety-two] one
hundred and twenty-seven (127) nor more than [one hundred and
twelve] one hundred and fifty-seven (157) names. [, and from all of
said compartments an equal number of names as near as possible]
Provided, that if the foreman so selected should die or for any cause
should be disqualified or be excused by the Court, the said judge or
judges, after drawing another name from the [compartment repre-
senting the district in which the foreman originally selected, and
so dead, disqualified or excused, resides,] box may select and appoint
any one of the jurors drawn as foreman in place of the foreman so
dead, disqualified or excused. The names so drawn shall be duly
recorded by the said judge or judges or by the clerk in his or their
presence and under his or their direction, in the order in which they
shall be drawn. Thereupon forthwith the said judge or judges shall
order a venire facias directed to the sheriff of the county, command-
ing him to summon as jurors to attend at the next ensuing term of
said Court the several persons whose names may be drawn as afore-
said; and if any such persons whose names are so drawn and are
embraced in said venire facias shall be dead, sick or otherwise unable
to attend, or shall be absent and therefore not to be found, it shall
be the duty of the sheriff forthwith to return the fact of such death,
disability or absence to the Court; and the said judge or judges shall
thereupon cause to be drawn from said [compartments of said] box
in the manner hereinbefore directed, [namely, from the compart-
ment or compartments representing the district, or districts from
which said juror or jurors, being dead, under disability or absent,
was originally drawn,] other names in the place and stead of the
original persons who may be dead, under disability or absent; and
shall cause the name or names of such persons so as last aforesaid
drawn to be inserted in the venire facias to be submitted as aforesaid.
It shall be the duty of the sheriff to summon the persons named in
the venire facias and to make return thereof to said Court at the
opening of its session.

917. Of the jurors so drawn in accordance with the preceding
section and summoned, not less than fifty-eight nor more than sixty-
eight, including the Foreman of the Grand Jury previously selected,
to be designated in the venire facias as the first week's jury shall be
required to attend the opening session of the Court, from which is
to be selected the Grand Jury and the first week's Petit Jury. The
next group of jurors drawn and summoned in accordance with the
preceding section, after those designated as the first week's jury, con-
sisting of not less than thirty-five, nor more than forty-five, shall be