FRANCIS THOMAS, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

1841.

CHAPTER 127.

CHAP. 127.

An act to abolish. Magistrates Courts in Dorchester Coun-
ty, and to extend the jurisdiction of a single Justice of
the Peace in said County.

Passed Feb
23, 1842.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
Maryland, That from and after the first day of April,
eighteen hundred and forty-two, the act entitled, an act to
establish magistrates courts in the several counties in this
State, and to prescribe their jurisdiction, passed December
session, eighteen hundred and thirty-five, chapter two hun-
dred and one, and the several supplements thereto, so far as
the same relates to Dorchester county, be and the same is
hereby repealed.

Repealed

Sec. 2. And be it enacted, That in all cases where suit
has been instituted in said courts for the recovery of a sum
not exceeding one hundred dollars, if no judgement shall
have been thereon rendered on or before the said first day
of April, it shall be the duty of the respective chief judges
of the said courts to deliver to some justice of the peace
in the district, all papers and proceedings relative thereto;
and in case any writ of capias ad respondendum, scieri
facias, capias ad satisfaciendum, fieri facias or venditioni
exponas, issued by cither of the said courts, for the recove-
ry of a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars, shall be in
the hands of any sheriff, coroner, or constable of the said
county, after the said first day of April, it shall be the duty
of the said sheriff, coroner or constable, as the case may
be, to return the same to some justice of the peace of the
district, who shall take such proceedings therein as if the
same had been originally issued by a single justice of the
peace.

If no judg-
ment has been
rendered, pa-
pers to be re-
turned to a
justice of the
peace

Sec. 3. And be it enacted, That a single justice of the
peace shall have jurisdiction in all cases of accounts, note or
bond, when the amount does not exceed the sum of one
hundred dollars in all cases of assault and battery, where
the damages laid or claimed do not exceed the sum of fifty
dollars, and that in all cases where a warrant is demanded
of a justice of the peace in civil cases of assault and bat-
tery, he shall require the party demanding the warrant, to
state the amount of damage claimed, and insert the amount
in his warrant.

Jurisdiction
of single jus-
tice of the
peace defined

Sec. 4. And be it enacted, That it is hereby made the
duty of the chief justices of the magistrates courts in and
for Dorchester county, to deliver to the clerk of the said
9*

Dockets to be
delivered to
clerk of coun-
ty court