Any warehouseman who shall wilfully violate any of the provisions of this act, except as hereinafter provided for in section 27, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding 2,000 dollars in amount or by imprisonment in the state prison or county jail not exceeding 2 years, or by both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court, and every person or persons aggrieved by the violation of any of the provisions of this act may have and maintain an action at law against the person or persons violating any of said provisions to recover the damages which he or they may have sustained by reason of any such violation as aforesaid before any court of competent jurisdiction, whether such person shall have been convicted of misdemeanor as aforesaid under this act or not.