604                              Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 181

ment, premises, place or thing, then such judge [or justice of the
peace] may forthwith issue a search warrant directed to any duly
constituted policeman, [constable] or police officer authorizing him
to search such suspected individual, building, apartment, premises,
place or thing, and to seize any property found liable to seizure
under the criminal laws of this State, provided that any such search
warrant shall name or describe, with reasonable particularity, the
individual, building, apartment, premise, place or thing to be searched,
the grounds for such search and the name of the applicant on
whose written application as aforesaid the warrant was issued, and
provided further that any search or seizure under the authority of
such search warrant, shall be made within fifteen (15) calendar days
from the date of the issuance thereof and after the expiration of said
fifteen (15) day period said warrant shall be null and void. If, at any
time, on application to a judge of the circuit court of any county or
of the Criminal Court of Baltimore [city] or judge of the District
Court, it appears that the property taken is not the same as that
described in the warrant or that there is no probable cause for believ-
ing the existence of the grounds on which the warrant was issued,
or that the property was taken under a warrant issued more than
fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the seizure, said judge must
cause it to be restored to the person from whom it was taken; but if
it appears that the property taken is the same as that described in
the warrant and that there is probable cause for believing the ex-
istence of the grounds on which the warrant was issued, then said
judge shall order the same retained in the custody of the person seizing
it or to be otherwise disposed of according to law.

§ 558. In Baltimore City.

It shall be the duty of all police officers and detectives in Balti-
more City to arrest and take before [the Municipal Court of Baltimore
City] a commissioner of the District Court 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
Municipal Court] the commissioner shall commit or bail such persons
according to law or rule of court for trial before the [Criminal]
District Court [of Baltimore]; and if any person in Baltimore City
shall be charged on oath before any commissioner or judge of the
District Court [judge of the Municipal Court of Baltimore City or
before the judge of the Criminal Court of Baltimore] with being a
common thief or pickpocket, [such] the commissioner or judge shall
issue a criminal summons or warrant for the arrest of such person and
commit or bail him for trial; and any person convicted [in the Crim-
inal Court of Baltimore] of being a common thief or common pick-
pocket shall be fined not exceeding one thousand dollars or impris-
oned in jail or in the house of correction or in the penitentiary for a
period not exceeding five years, or be both fined and imprisoned
within the limits above prescribed in the discretion of the court; but
if any person is arrested or indicted a second time or more for such
offense, he shall be convicted only on proof that he has continued to be
a common thief or pickpocket 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 pickpocket, and any evidence,
either of facts or reputation, proving that such person is habitually