976                              Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 616

Sec. 17. And be it further enacted, That Article 27 of the Anno-
tated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), title "Crimes and Punish-
ments", Section 477, be and it is hereby repealed and reenacted,
with amendments, to read as follows:

§ 477. Jurisdiction over violators; prosecution; jury trial.

The several justices of the peace in the respective counties of this
State shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the circuit courts for
their respective counties [; and the justices of the peace selected
to sit at the respective station houses in the City of Baltimore shall
have concurrent jurisdiction with the Criminal Court of Baltimore]
in the case of persons arrested for the violation of the provisions of
§ 474 hereof, and such respective justices of the peace shall pro-
ceed to hear and determine such cases when the parties arrested
upon charges of such violation are respectively brought before them,
and to acquit such persons, or to sentence such persons for the offense
if convicted thereof, unless such respective persons so charged, when
so brought before any such justice of the peace and before they are
respectively tried, as aforesaid, shall pray a jury trial. If any
person charged with the commission of any one or more of the
several offenses mentioned in § 474 hereof, and brought before any
justice of the peace, shall pray a jury trial as aforesaid, it shall be
the duty of the said justice of the peace to commit such person for
trial, or to hold him in bail to appear before [the Criminal Court
of Baltimore or] the circuit court for the county [as the case may
be]; and to return the commitment or the recognizance in such case
immediately to the clerk of said court, and if such person or persons
shall be found guilty of a violation of any of the provisions of § 474
hereof, the court or justice of the peace imposing the punishment
therein prescribed shall also award to the rightful owner or dealer
possession of all of the property involved in such violation.

Sec. 18. And be it further enacted. That Article 27 of the Anno-
tated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), title "Crimes and Punish-
ments," sub-title "Thieves and Pickpockets," Section 558, be and it
is hereby repealed and reenacted, with amendments, to read as fol-
lows :

§ 558. In Baltimore City.

It shall be the duty of all police officers and detectives in Baltimore
City to arrest and take before [some one of the station house jus-
tices in] the Municipal Court of Baltimore City all persons whom
they shall find in Baltimore City or upon any train, boat, car or
other vehicle commonly used for the transportation of passengers
which may be bound to or from Baltimore City who they shall know
or have good reason to believe are common thieves or pickpockets,
and said [police justices] Municipal Court shall commit or bail
such persons for trial before the Criminal Court of Baltimore; and
if any person in Baltimore City shall be charged on oath before any
[station house justice in] judge of the Municipal Court of Balti-
more City or before the judge of the Criminal Court of Baltimore
with being a common thief or pickpocket, such [justice or] judge
shall issue a warrant for the arrest of such person and commit or
bail him for trial; and any person convicted in the Criminal Court
of Baltimore of being a common thief or common pickpocket shall