ceptions and appeals to the Supreme and Superior Courts in civil cases." "AN ACT "To amend an act, entitled 'An act to facilitate the labors of the justices of the Supreme Court by providing suitable clerical assistance,' approved May twenty-sixth, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one, and providing for further facilitating the labors of the justices of the said court by providing stenographers, typewriters and clerical assistance for the members thereof." Approved June 1, 1901, Laws of Pennsylvania 1901, page 356. "Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That the first section of the act which became a law on the twenty-sixth day of May, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one, entitled 'An act to facilitate the labors of the justices of the Supreme Court by providing suitable clerical assistance,' which is as follows, to wit: "Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That to facilitate the labors of the justices of the Supreme Court, the said justices are hereby authorized to employ the help of stenographers, typewriters, or other clerks, provided the cost of such help shall not exceed the sum of one thousand dollars per annum for any member of said court. The cost of such help shall be paid by the justice employing the same and shall be repaid to him by the State Treasurer on his certificate of the amount paid by him during the preceding three months for clerk hire,' be and the same is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same. That to facilitate the labors of the justices of the Supreme Court, each of said justices is hereby authorized to employ stenographers, typewriters and such clerk or clerks as in his judgment may be necessary to facilitate his labors and for the payment of the services of such person or persons employed by him each of the members of the said court is to be allowed the sum of twentyfive hundred dollars annually, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to be paid to him in quarterly payments by the State Treasurer on his warrants upon said officer for the same." "AN ACT "Authorizing appeals from the decisions of the various courts of common pleas, in assessment of taxes cases, to the Supreme or Superior Court of the Commonwealth." Approved June 26, 1901, Laws of Pennsylvania 1901, page 601. "Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That any owner of real estate or taxable property in this Commonwealth may appeal from the judgment, order or decree of any court of common pleas, in any matter effecting the assessment of taxes upon his property, to the Supreme or Superior Court, in the same manner as appeals are taken in other cases to the said Supreme or Superior Court: Provided, however, That the said appeal shall not prevent the collection of the taxes complained of; but in case the same shall be reduced, then the excess shall be returned to the person or persons who shall have paid the same. "Section 2. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent herewith be and the same are hereby repealed." "AN ACT "Relating to new trials in cases of murder." Approved April 22, 1903, Laws of Pennsylvania 1903, page 245. "Section 1. Be it enacted &c., That whenever by petition, supported by after discovered evidence, it shall be made to appear to the Supreme Court that there is ground for substantial doubt as to the guilt of any prisoner convicted of murder of the first degree, the said court shall have power to authorize the court of oyer and terminer in which such prisoner has been convicted to grant a rule for new trial, nunc pro tunc, notwithstanding the expiration of term in which such prisoner was convicted and sentenced; and thereupon the said court of oyer and terminer may, in its discretion, grant and proceed to hear such rule, as in other case. "Section 2. Upon the termination of the hearing of such rule, if the court of oyer and terminer shall not deem the grounds sufficient it shall thereupon discharge said rule, and the proceedings shall terminate, and the judgment and sentence theretofore entered of record shall remain unaffected. "Section 3. But if said court of oyer and terminer shall be of opinion that, of right and justice, a new trial should be granted, it shall set forth its opinion to that effect, and thereupon the prisoner may bring the opinion, together with the evidence, before the Supreme Court, as if upon appeal; and if the Supreme Court shall, after hearing, concur with the court of oyer and terminer that of right and justice a new trial should be had, it shall have power to authorize the court of oyer and terminer to make the rule for new trial absolute; and thereupon the case shall proceed in said court as if a new trial had been granted in due course, at the instance of the prisoner during the term." "AN ACT "Supplementary to an act, entitled 'An act in relation to the laying out, opening, widening, straightening, extending or vacating streets and alleys, &c." Approved April 18, 1905, Laws of Pennsylvania 1905, Page 198. "Section 3. Where any appeal is taken to the Supreme Court from the action of any court confirming the report of viewers, or any part thereof, and an appeal is also taken to the Superior Court from the same report or any part thereof, and the appeals in both cases are substantially the same, and in which the same questions are involved, it shall be lawful for the Superior Court to certify the said appeal to the Supreme Court, to be heard with the other appeals from the same report, involving the same questions. And it shall be lawful for the Supreme Court to consolidate the said appeals, and to hear the same as one case. And where several appeals are taken from the confirmation of the same report, either to the Superior or the Supreme Court, the appellate court may consolidate the appeals, where the grounds of appeal are similar and the same questions involved. "Section 4. It shall be lawful for the several parties or persons to unite and join in a single appeal from the confirmation of the report of viewers, or any parts thereof, either to the Superior or Supreme Court, where the grounds of appeal are similar and the same questions are involved; but the uniting of the appellants shall not unite the amounts, or change the jurisdiction. When the appeal, if taken by each appellant singly, would be to the Superior Court, then the joint appeal shall be to the said court; but if the appeal of any one joint appellant, if taken singly, would be to the Supreme Court, then the joint appeal shall be to the said court. If any appeal has been taken to the Supreme Court, any other party, without regard to the amount involved, may appeal to the same court, and join in the said appeal, in case the grounds of appeal are similar and the same questions are involved." "AN ACT "To amend an act approved the fifth day of March, 1875, entitled 'An act authorizing the judges of the Supreme Court to appoint officers of said court,' so as to provide for the payment of the salaries of court criers and tipstaves by the Commonwealth." Approved April 24, 1905, Laws of Pennsylvania 1905, page 306. "Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That an act approved the fifth day of March, Anno Domini eighteen hundred and seventy-five, entitled 'An act authorizing the Judges of the Supreme Court to appoint officers of said Court,' which reads as follows: "Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That the Judges of the Supreme Court be and they are hereby authorized to appoint one crier and so many tipstaves as said Court may deem necessary, in each and every city and county in which said court is or shall be held, whose compensation shall be fixed by the Judges of said Court, at a rate per diem, for the whole year, not exceeding that now paid to similar officers of the Court of Common Pleas of said cities or counties; which compensation shall be paid by the proper city or county treasurer, on bills approved by the said Court or by the prothonotary thereof, in pursuance of a rule to be made for this purpose,' be and the same is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That the Judges of the Supreme Court be and they are hereby authorized to appoint one crier and so many tipstaves as said Court may deem necessary, in each and every city and county in which said Court is or shall be held, whose compensation shall be fixed by the Judges of the said Court; which compensations shall be paid by the Commonwealth, on bills approved by the prothonotary of said Court, in pursuance of a rule to be made for this purpose, which shall be certified to the Auditor General, who shall draw his warrant on the State Treasurer in favor of the said court crier and tipstaves." "AN ACT "To authorize the appointment of a deputy and one clerk by the prothonotary of the Supreme Court of the Eastern District, and also the appointment of a deputy by the prothonotary of the Supreme Court of the Middle District, and fixing their salaries.” Approved May 4, 1905, Laws of Pennsylvania 1905, page 384. "Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That the prothonotary of the Supreme Court of the Eastern District is hereby authorized and empowered to appoint a person, who shall be deputy prothonotary, to perform all the duties of the said prothonotary when he shall be absent or unable to attend to the same by reason of sickness, whose salary shall be two thousand dollars per annum; that the said prothonotary is also authorized and empowered to appoint one clerk, whose salary shall be eight hundred dollars per annum. "Section 2. That the prothonotary of the Supreme Court of the Middle district is hereby authorized and empowered to appoint a person, who shall be deputy prothonotary, to perform all the duties of the said prothonotary when he shall be absent or unable to attend to the same by reason of sickness, whose salary shall be four hundred and eighty dollars per annum. "Section 3. That the salaries created by this act shall be paid quarterly, by warrant drawn by the Auditor General on the State Treasurer for the said amounts." "AN ACT "Relating to the entry of bail upon an appeal to the Supreme or Superior Court, from an order, judgment, or decree directing the payment of money, and the release of the appellant's real estate from the lien of said judgment, order, or decree pending the appeal and re-entry of judgment, if judgment be affirmed." Approved April 22, 1909, Laws of Pennsylvania 1909, page 103. "Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That hereafter it shall be lawful for any one against whom an order, judgment or decree directing the payment of money shall have been made by any court of record of this Commonwealth, upon taking or entering an appeal to the superior court or the supreme court of this Commonwealth, to enter bail in the court below in double the amount of such order, judgment, or decree, with security to be approved by the said court, conditioned for the payment of the amount finally adjudged to be due upon such order, judgment, or decree, including interests and costs; or that the appellant in such cases may, in lieu of entering such bail, deposit with the prothonotary of the said court below, in cash, such amount as the said court shall, upon petition, deem to be sufficient to insure the payment of the amount finally adjudged to be due and owing upon said order, judgment, or decree; and, in either case, upon the entry of |