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1851.

Action by fe

male or her

heirs, who has

conveyed, to be

brought within

3 years after dis

ability. Certifi cat e of clerk

sufficient to

prove execution of deed.

Further savings males and her

in favor of te

heirs.

she has, jointly with her husband, executed a deed after her arrival at the age of twenty-one years, and acknowledged such execution before an officer authorized to take an acknowledgment of a married woman's deed conveying her inheritance, can only be brought within three years next after she became discovert, or within three years next after the right to bring the action accrued to her heirs, where she died during coverture. In any such case, the certificate of the officer that the deed was acknowledged before him by the female, shall be sufficient proof of its execution by her, though such certificate may not, in other respects, be in compliance with the law.

22. If, in any case mentioned in the last section, the female, when she became discovert, was of unsound mind, the action may be brought by her, or those claiming under her, within three years next after the removal of such disability, or next after her death-whichever has happened first. And where the female dies during coverture, and her heirs are all under the disability of coverture, infancy, or unsoundness of mind when the right to bring the action accrues to them, the action may be brought within three years next after the removal of such disability as to all of them. § 23. But the period within which an action for the reBut the time covery of real property, in any case mentioned in section beyond 10 years: twenty-one, may be brought, shall not be extended beyond ten years from the time the female became discovert, or the right of her heirs to bring the action first accrued-whichever has happened first-by reason of any disabilty what

not extended

Civil actions

for the recovery of other than

real propertyWithin 15 years on judgments, decrees, & writ ten contracts.

Within 10 years

on all bonds of

ever.

CHAPTER 3.

Actions other than for the recovery of real property.

§ 24. Civil actions other than for the recovery of real property, shall only be commenced within the following periods after the cause of action has accrued :

§ 25. Within fifteen years:

An action upon a judgment or decree of any court of the United States, or of any state or territory within the United States, the period to be computed from the date of the last execution regularly issued thereon.

An action upon a recognizance, or a written contract, other than one for which a different limitation is hereinafter prescribed.

§ 26. Within ten years:

An action upon the official bond of a sheriff, marshal, officers, admin sergeant, clerk, constable, or any other public officer, or his junction bonds, deputy.

istrators, &c. in

&c.

An action upon the official bond of a personal representative, guardian, curator, or committee.

An action upon a bond for an appeal, supersedeas, attachment, injunction or order of arrest, or for the delivery

of property; or a bond for the forthcoming of property, or to obey or perform an order or judgment of a court in an action; or a bond for costs, or any other bond taken by a court or judge, or by an officer pursuant to the direction of a court or judge, in an action; or upon a replevin, sale, or delivery bond taken under an execution, or warrant of dis

tress.

An action upon an indemnifying bond taken under a statute, or upon a bond to suspend a proceeding or sale un* der an execution or distress warrant.

§ 27. Within five years:

An action against a surety in any recognizance, bond, or contract, except where a shorter period is hereinafter prescribed.

An action upon a contract, express or implied, other than one for which a different limitation is herein prescribed. An action upon a liability created by statute, other than a penalty or forfeiture.

An action for trespass upon real property.

An action for the profits of, or damages for withholding real property.

An action for taking, detaining, or injuring personal property, including actions for the specific recovery thereof.

An action for an injury to the rights of the plaintiff, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated.

An action upon a bill of exchange, check, draft, or order, or upon a promissory note placed upon the footing of a bill of exchange.

An action to enforce the liability of a steamboat, or other vessel, in a case in which it is specifically subject, by statute, to the plaintiff's claim.

An action upon an account concerning the trade of merchandise between merchant and merchants, or their agents.

An action for relief on the ground of fraud.
§ 28. Within three years:

An action against a surety in the official bond of a clerk of a court, sheriff, coroner, jailer, constable, sergeant, or marshal, or against a surety in the bond of a sheriff or collector for the collection of the revenue or the county levy, or of a town or city tax.

An action to recover a penalty or forfeiture imposed by the laws against gaming, or by the laws prohibiting the importation of slaves.

$29. Within one year:

1851.

Within 5 years

against sureties,

trespass to real

property. bills

exchange, &c.

Within 3 years

against sureties of clerk, &c.

in official bonds

Within one

An action for an injury to the person of the plaintiff, or year for slander, of his wife, child, ward, or servant other than a slave.

seduction, mer. chants accounts breach of pro mise of marri

An action for a malicious prosecution or arrest.
An action for seduction, criminal conversation, or breach age, &c.

of promise of marriage.

An action upon a statute for a penalty or forfeiture, oth

1851.

In equitable pro.

er than those for which a different limitation is prescribed in this chapter.

An action for libel or slander.

An action for the escape of a prisoner arrested or imprisoned on civil process.

An action to enforce the liability of bail, or of a sheriff or other officer as bail.

An action upon an account for goods, wares, and merchandise sold and delivered, or for any article charged in a store account. In every such action, the limitation shall be computed from the first day of January next succeeding the respective dates, or times of the delivery, of the several articles charged in the account, and judgment shall be rendered for no more than the amount of such articles as were actually charged, or delivered, within the year preceding that in which the action is brought. The dates of the delivery of the several articles charged in any such account, and of the receipts taken for them, shall he truly stated in the account. And if any merchant or trader shall wilfully postdate any article charged in such account, or the receipt for the delivery thereof, he shall forfeit tenfold the amount of such article, to be recovered by any person, with costs, before a justice, where the penalty does not exceed fifty dollars, and where it does exceed that sum, in the circuit court.

§ 30. In an action by equitable proceedings for relief on ceedings, cause the ground of fraud, the cause of action shall not be deemed to have accrued until the discovery of the fraud.

of action ac.

crued when

fraud discover. ed.

Between mer

chants, cause of

from last item.

§ 31. In an action brought to recover a balance due upon a mutual, open, and current account concerning the trade of action accrued merchandise, between merchant and merchant, or their agents, where there have been reciprocal demands between the parties, the cause of action is deemed to have accrued from the time of the last item proved in the account claimed, or proved to be chargeable on the adverse side.

Right of ac

tion on bond of

guardian, &c.

accrues when ward, &c. attains 21 years.

For relief can

only be brought within 10 years. Limitation to apply to cases

§ 32. The right of action upon the official hond of a guardian, executor, or administrator, or of a sheriff, or other officer acting as such, in favor of a ward, or of a devisee or distributee, who was an infant when the bond was given, shall not be deemed to have accrued before the plaintiff' attained the age of twenty-one years. Where there are several wards secured by the same bond, or several devisees or distributees who, or some of whom, were infants when the bond was given, the right of action of each one of such infants shall not be deemed to have accrued before he attained the age of twenty-one years.

§ 33. An action for relief, not hereinbefore provided for, can only be commenced within ten years after the cause of action has accrued.

§ 34. The limitations prescribed in this chapter, shall by the common. apply to actions brought by or in the name of the commonwealth, in the same manner as to actions by private persons.

wealth.

CHAPTER 4.

General provisions.

1851.

When an action is deemed to have been

§ 35. Where an action is commenced in a county in which it is required or specially permitted, by this code, to be brought, or where any other action is brought in the commenced, county of the residence of the defendant, or of one of several proper defendants, every such action shall be deemed to have been commenced at the date of the first summons issued therein where it is served, or where, if it is not served, such summons and successive summonses in the action, regularly issued from term to term, are delivered to the proper officer, and where the last of them is served, or a warning order is regularly made in the action without the intermission of a term.

Action deemed to have been

§ 36. In every other case, the action shall be deemed to have been commenced at the date of the summons actual- commenced ly served upon the defendant, or one of several proper defendants, or at the date of the warning order regularly obtained therein.

§ 37. If a person entitled to bring any action mentioned in the third chapter of this title-except for a penalty or forfeiture, or for an escape of a defendant arrested or imprisoned on civil process, or against bail, or an officer liable as bail-was, at the time the cause of action accrued, an infant, married woman, or of unsound mind, the action may be brought within the like number of years after the removal of such disability, or the death of the personwhichever happened first-that is allowed to a person having no such impediment, to bring the same after the right accrued; except that it shall, in no case, be brought after fifteen years from the time the right accrued. This section shall not apply to the slaves of infants.

§ 38. If a person dies before the time at which the right to bring any action mentioned in the third chapter of this title would have accrued to him if he had continued alive, and there is an interval of more than three years between his death and the qualification of his personal representative, such representative shall, for the purposes of this ti tle, be deemed to have qualified on the last day of such period of three years.

§ 39. If a person entitled to bring any action mentioned in the third chapter of this title, dies before the expiration of the time limited for the commencement thereof, and the cause of action survives, the action thereon may be brought by his representative, after the expiration of that time, and within one year from his death.

§ 40. If a person, against whom any action mentioned in the third chapter of this title may be brought, dies before the expiration of the time limited for the commencement thereof, and the cause of action survives, an action may be commenced against his personal representative, after the

at.

date of sunmons.

Time allowed infants, &c., to

sue-not to ex

ceed 15 years. Slaves of in

fants not

braced.

em,

If person diea before right of

action accrues,

three years al. lowed adminis.

trator to sue,

If a person die before the

bar is complete, one year allow

ed to sue.

If defendant

die before bar is

complete, one

year allowed to tor, and 2 years to sue heirs.

sue administra

1851.

No action to be brought against administrator

expiration of that time, and within one year after the qualification of such representative; and if there is no personal representative, the action may be brought against his heirs or devisees, or both, after the expiration of the time limited for bringing the same, and within two years after his death.

§ 41. No action against a personal representative, who has settled his accounts, and distributed the estate of his testator or intestate, on any judgment or decree against alter 5 years af such testator or intestate, or on any contract made by him, shall be brought, after the expiration of five years from the qualification of such personal representative.

ter qualification.

No action to be brought against

heirs and devisees after seven years.

If defendant the state, time

is absent from

computed from his return.

If defendant absconds or con time to be de

ceals himself,

ducted.

If judgment is reversed 1 year

allowed to bring new action.

If plaintiff is

§ 42. No action upon a cause which accrued against a deceased person in his lifetime, shall, where his estate has been divided and distributed, be brought against his heirs or devisees, separately, or jointly with his personal representative, after the expiration of seven years from his death.

43. If, at the time any cause of action mentioned in the third chapter of this title accrues against a resident of this state, he is absent therefrom, the period limited for the commencement of the action thereupon against him, shall be computed from the time of his return to this state.

§ 44. Where a cause of action mentioned in the third chapter of this title, accrues against a resident of this state, and he, by departing therefrom, or by absconding or concealing himself, or by any other indirect means obstructs the prosecution of the action, the time of the continuance of such obstruction, shall not be computed as any part of the period within which the action may be commenced. But this section shall not avail against any other person than him so obstructing, notwithstanding another might have been jointly sued with him if there had been no obstruction. § 45. If an action is commenced within due time, and a judgment therein for the plaintiff is reversed, the plaintiff, or, if he dies and the cause of action survives, his representative, may commence a new action, within one year after the reversal.

§ 46. Where a plaintiff is an alien, and a subject or citizen of a country at war with the United States, the time of the continuance of the war, is not part of the period limiwith U. S. COR. ted for the commencement of the action.

a subject of a country at war

tinuance of war

to be deducted.

§ 47. The time of the confinement of a plaintiff in the Time of plain penitentiary is not a part of the period limited for the commencement of the action.

tiff's confine.

ment in penitertiary deducted.

Time action is stayed by

Junction deduct ed.

Disability will

not avail unless

it existed when

right accrued.

§ 48. Where the commencement of an action is stayed by injunction, the time of the continuance of the injunetion is not part of the period limited for the commencement thereof.

§ 49. No person can avail himself of a disability, in any action mentioned in the third chapter of this title, unless it existed when his right of action accrued.

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