Civil actions 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 recovery of real property, in any case mentioned in section 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 ever. CHAPTER 8. Actions other than for the recovery of real property. § 24. Civil actions other than for the recovery of real for the recovery property, shall only be commenced within the following of other than periods after the cause of action has accrued : real propertyWithin 15 years on judgments, decrees, & written contracts. Within 10 years on all bonds of § 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 under 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 oth er 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, property. bills trespass to real 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. of promise of marriage. An action upon a statute for a penalty or forfeiture, oth 1851. In equitable pro. of action ac fraud discover ed. Between mer 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 hail, 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 deemcrued when ed to have accrued until the discovery of the fraud. § 31. In an action brought to recover a balance due upon chants, cause of 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. from last item. tion on bond of accrues when ward, &c. attains 21 years. §32. The right of action upon the official hond of a Right of ac. guardian, executor, or administrator, or of a sheriff, or other guardian, &c. 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. For relief can § 33. An action for relief, not herein before provided for, only be brought can only be commenced within ten years after the cause of within 10 years. action has accrued. Limitation to apply to cases §34. The limitations prescribed in this chapter, shall by the common. apply to actions brought by or in the name of the commonwealth. wealth, in the same manner as to actions by private persons. CHAPTER 4. General provisions. 1851. When an ac tion 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. § 36. In every other case, the action shall be deemed to have been commenced at the date of the summons actually served upon the defendant, or one of several proper defendants, or at the date of the warning order regularly obtained therein. Action deemed to have been at commenced dads of date of summons. Time allowed Infants, &c., to sue--not to ex. ceed 15 years. Slaves of in braced. § 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 lia- fants not ble 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 em, If person diea before right of action accrues, lowed adminis trator to sue. three years al. If a person die before the bar is complete, one year. allow. 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 alter 5 years af ter qualification. No action to be 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 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. § 42. No action upon a cause which accrued against a deceased person in his lifetime, shall, where his estate has brought against 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. heirs and devi sees after seven years. 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 limited for the commencement of the action. § 47. The time of the confinement of a plaintiff in the penitentiary is not a part of the period limited for the commencement of the action. § 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. |