ART. 51.] JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 357

26. Justices of the peace shall enter up judgment in all cases
brought or tried before them within three days after a final hear-
ing of the case.

27. All judgments for the payment of money entered by a jus-
tice'of the peace, shall be so entered as to carry interest thereon
from the date thereof.

28. If the parties appear before the justice on the return day
of the summons, and the justice enters judgment, either by con-
fession of the party or after hearing and trying the case, such
judgment shall be valid, although the summons may be made
returnable before any or some justice of the peace, without
naming specifically which justice.

29. A justice of the peace may enter a confession of judgment
by a defendant without any summons having been issued, and
such judgment shall be valid.

30. In all cases for debt, tried before a justice of the peace, he
may enter judgment against either plaintiff or defendant for such
sum as to him may appear just and right, with such costs as may
have accrued in the case; which judgment, if in favor of the
defendant, shall be of equal effect as a judgment in favor of the
plaintiff, and may be enforced in the same manner.

31. The jurisdiction of justices of the peace extends to cases
where administrators are parties, plaintiffs or defendants, except
that no administrator shall be sued before a justice within twelve
months from the date of his letters.

32. If any administrator shall allege in writing, and verify the
same by oath, that he has no assets in his hands, or that he has
reasonable cause to believe the assets will not be sufficient to pay
the debts of the decedent, then the justice of the peace shall
transmit the proceedings in relation thereto to the next Circuit
Court for the county, or the Court of Common Pleas, and such
court shall hear and decide the case.

33. If the defendant, in an action before a justice of the peace
for cutting, destroying or carrying away timber or wood to or
from any land in this State, or for doing any other injury to such
lands, shall allege in writing that he claims title to said lands, or
that he acted under a person claiming title to the same, whom