1021a

Children of both sexes under sixteen (16) years of age are hereby prohibited from engaging in public beggary. Every father, mother, guardian, or person in charge of a child under sixteen (16) years of age, or any other person, who authorizes, induces, permits, or orders a child under sixteen (16) years of age to engage in public beggary, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, punished by a fine of not less than five dollars ($5) or by imprisonment in jail for a period of not more than twenty-five (25) days; Provided, That whenever a child under sixteen (16) years of age is caught for the first time in the act of begging publicly, his father, mother, or guardian, or the person in charge of him, shall be summoned to the District Court, where the judge shall warn the said father, mother, guardian, or person in charge, of the provisions of §§ 1021a—1022b of this title; Provided, further, That after the said warning, the catching of such [a] child under sixteen (16) years of age in the act of public beggary shall constitute prima facie evidence that the father, mother, guardian, or person in charge of him has violated the provisions of this section. History —Feb.

ears of age in the act of public beggary shall constitute prima facie evidence that the father, mother, guardian, or person in charge of him has violated the provisions of this section. History —Feb. 25, 1902, p. 88, § 1; June 23, 1955, No. 96, p. 502.