982                              Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 616

which he has jurisdiction to hear and determine may, in his dis-
cretion, issue a summons directed to the proper officer requiring
him to summons or give notice to the party whose attendance is
required of the nature and circumstances of the supposed offense,
and of the day and hour of the appearance of the accused before such
court, justice of the peace, police justice or other similar officer; and
a copy of every such notice or summons shall be served upon the
accused which shall be returnable on a day to be stated in said
summons or notice, not exceeding five days from the time of issuing
the same; but the invalidity of any such notice or summons or of
such service thereof shall not affect the jurisdiction of such court,
justice of the peace, police justice or other similar official if the
accused party appears and the charge is one of which the official
issuing the notice or summons has jurisdiction, and the said notice
or summons may be amended.

§ 24. Warrant of arrest.

Nothing in § 23 shall prevent a Municipal Court judge, justice of
the peace, police justice or other similar official from issuing a war-
rant of arrest in the first instance, or at any time after the issuing
of the notice or summons mentioned in § 23, and when the warrant
of arrest is issued it shall supersede and nullify any outstanding
notice or summons issued under the provisions of § 23.

§ 29. Delivery with other papers to clerk in case of vacancy in
office—in general.

(a) Delivery within thirty days.—Whenever a justice of the peace
shall vacate his office by resignation, removal from office, or the
expiration of his official term, he shall deliver his docket, together
with all the notes, bonds, accounts and papers in his possession
appertaining to judgments or whereupon suits have been entered,
to the clerk of the circuit court for the county in which such justice
resides, [or to the clerk of the Baltimore City Court, in case such
justice resides within the City of Baltimore] within thirty days
after such resignation, removal from office, or expiration of official
term; and any justice of the peace who shall fail to deliver his
docket, as aforesaid (in case the said docket shall not have been
unavoidably lost or destroyed), shall be deemed guilty of a mis-
demeanor and on conviction thereof shall be subject to a fine of two
hundred dollars or to six months imprisonment in the jail of the
county [or city,] at the discretion of the court.

§ 48 38. Attachment for contempt and fine for failure of witness to
appear.

If the witness shall fail to appear on the return day of the summons
the justice shall issue an attachment of contempt made returnable
before the justice issuing the same who may, at his discretion, fine
such defaulting witness in any sum not exceeding three dollars and
shall issue execution for such fine and costs; and the same shall be
collected and paid to the justice who shall, on or before the first day
of January, annually, pay the same to the clerk of the circuit court
for the county. [, or the clerk of the Superior Court of Baltimore
City.]

Sec. 24. And be it further enacted, That Article 66½ of the An-
notated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), title, "Motor Vehicles⁰,