50 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

from liability to a person to whom the negotiable receipt has
been or shall be negotiated for value without notice of the
proceedings or of the delivery of the goods.

SEC. 15. A receipt upon the face of which the word "dupli-
cate" is plainly placed is a representation and warranty by the
warehouseman that such receipt is an accurate copy of an
original receipt properly issued and uncanceled at the date of
the issue of the duplicate, but shall impose upon him no other
liability.

SEC. 16. No title or right to the possession of the goods
on the part of the warehouseman, unless such title or right is
derived directly or indirectly from a transfer made by the de-
positor at the time of or subsequent to the deposit for storage,
or from the warehouseman's lien, shall excuse the warehouse-
man from liability for refusing to deliver the goods accord-
ing to the terms of the receipt.

SEC. 17. If more than one person claims the title or posses-
sion of goods, the warehouseman may, either as a defense to
an action brought against him for non-delivery of the goods,
or as an original suit, whichever is appropriate, require all
known claimants to interplead.

SEC. 18. If some one other than the depositor or person
claiming under him has a claim to the title or possession of
the goods, and the warehouseman has information of such
claim, the warehouseman shall be excused from liability for
refusing to deliver the goods, either to the depositor or person
claiming under him or to the adverse claimant, until the ware-
houseman has had a reasonable time to ascertain the validity
of the adverse claim, or to bring legal proceedings to compel
all claimants to interplead.

SEC. 19. Except as provided in the two preceding sections

and in Sections 9 and 36, no right or title of a third person

shall be a defense to an action brought by the depositor or per-

. son claiming under him against the warehouseman for failure

to deliver the goods according to the terms of the receipt.

SEC. 20. A warehouseman shall be liable to the holder of a
receipt for damages caused by the non-existence of the goods or
by the failure of the goods to correspond Avith the description
thereof in the receipt at the time of its issue. If, however, the
goods are described in a receipt merely by a statement of
marks or labels upon them, or upon packages containing them,
or by a statement that the goods are said to be goods of a cer-
tain kind, or that the packages containing the goods are said
to contain goods of a certain kind, or by words of like pur-
port, such statements, if true, shall not make liable the ware-
houseman issuing the receipt, although the goods are not of the