Page:Revised Codes of the State of North Dakota 1895.pdf/1367

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Malicious Mischief.
PENAL CODE.
§§ 7583-7590

above specified, is punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary not exceeding five years and not less than two years.

§ 7583. Opening and reading sealed letter. Every person who willfully opens and reads or causes to be read, any sealed letter not addressed to himself, without being authorized so to do, either by the writer of such letter, or by the person to whom it is addressed, and every person who without like authority publishes any letter, knowing it to have been opened in violation of this section, or any part thereof, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

§ 7684. Disclosing telegraphic dispatch. Every person who discloses the contents of any telegraphic dispatch or any part thereof, addressed to another person, without the permission of such person, except upon the lawful order of a court or the judge thereof, to his loss, injury or disgrace, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

§ 7585. Secreting telegraphic dispatch. Every person who having in his possession any telegraphic dispatch addressed to another, maliciously secretes, conceals or suppresses the same, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

§ 7586. Injuring works of art or improvement. Every person who willfully injures, disfigures or destroys, not being the owner thereof, any monument, work of art or useful or ornamental improvement, within the limits of any village, town or city, or any shade tree or ornamental plant. growing therein, whether situated upon private ground, or on any street, sidewalk or public park or place, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

§ 7587. Þestroying works of literature or art. Every person who maliciously cuts, tears, disfigures, soils, obliterates, breaks or destroys any book, map, chart, picture, engraving, statue, coin, model, apparatus, specimen or other work of literature or art, or object of curiosity deposited in any public library, gallery, museum, collection, fair or exhibition, is punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary not less than one and not exceeding three years, or in a county jail not exceeding one year.

§ 7588. Breaking gas or water pipe. Every person who willfully breaks, digs up or obstructs, any pipe or main for conducting gas or water, any works erected for supplying buildings with gas or water, or any appurtenances or appendages therewith connected, is punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary not less than one and not exceeding three years, or in a county jail not exceeding one year.

§ 7589. Destruction of farm buildings. Felony. Any person who shall enter upon any farm lands situated in this state and not situated within the limits of any incorporated city, town or village, the land being the property of another, and shall tear down and remove from any unoccupied buildings standing on such premises any door, window, siding, shingles, ceiling, floor, sheathing, finish, rafters or scantling, or tear down any chimney, and shall burn such material on the premises or shall remove and take away any such materials from such premises, whether he uses or destroys the same, shall be deemed guilty of malicious trespass; and should the materials that have been taken away reduce the value of the buildings standing on said premises in the sum of more than twenty dollars, without regard to the value of the materials taken away, such person shall be deemed guilty of a felony, otherwise, of a misdemeanor.

§ 7590. Misdemeanor, felony, how punished. Every person violating any of the provisions of the last section shall be pun-

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