A DIGEST OF THE LAWS OF PENNSYLVANIA FROM 1700 TO 1894 TOGETHER WITH THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA THOROUGHLY ANNOTATED BY NOTES AND REFERENCES TO ALL THE DECISIONS BY GEORGE WHARTON PEPPER, A. B., LL. B. OF THE PHILADELPHIA BAR, PROFESSOR OF LAW IN THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA AND WILLIAM DRAPER LEWIS, LL. B., PH. D. OF THE PHILADELPHIA BAR, LECTURER IN INSTITUTIONAL LAW IN THE UNIVERSITY IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. I PHILADELPHIA T. & J. W. JOHNSON & CO. PREFACE. IN submitting to the public a new annotated Digest of the Laws of Pennsylvania, the editors deem it proper to make a brief explanation of some of the salient features of their work. They are not unmindful of the fact that the members of the legal profession are notoriously conservative, and it is to be expected that, having become accustomed to a single form of digest of the laws of Pennsylvania, the lawyers of this State will at first look upon innovations with suspicion. It is to be remembered, however, that during the last few years the art of making digests has been carried in some of our sister commonwealths to a high state of perfection; and while the editors might feel some hesitation in offering to the bar a work in its nature experimental, they have no such feeling in respect of a work which is in great part based upon the substantial results of experiments tried elsewhere. The reader will notice first of all that a double-column page has been used throughout the work. It has invariably been found that the shortening of the lines of text and notes makes reference and reading easier, and this style of page is universally adopted in the most approved modern books of reference. In the next place, an examination will disclose a multiplication of titles. Instead of massing a number of subjects under a single title in an attempt at analytical classification, the consistent effort of the editors has been to make the titles as numerous as possible, as it is their belief that an approximation to strict alphabetical arrangement will in the long run be found the most serviceable. In some cases, owing to the peculiarities of legislation, it has been found necessary to group several allied subjects under a generic title. Wherever this has been done the specific titles appear in their alphabetical position with careful cross-references to the title under which the subject is treated. It may be observed here that throughout the work special attention has been paid to the matter of cross-references, and an effort has been made to provide for the reader a clue to the legislation for which he is searching by referring to it under every title to which, conceivably, he may turn. Again, it will be observed that, under there is printed, in addition to the analytical list of section headings, a complete list of all the general acts of the Province and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This list places before the reader a comprehensive view of the entire scheme of legislation on the subject in hand. Repealed acts are appropriately indicated as is also the case with acts superseded, supplied, become obsolete or declared unconstitutional. There will be found also a general list of all acts in force with reference to the column in the text in which they will be found. The reader, under the present system, has at hand the means of determining for himself whether or not the editors are right in considering that a particular act is or is not repealed. The reader will next observe that each section of the acts of assembly is preceded by a black-letter heading containing a general reference to the subject-matter of the section and so worded as to indicate to one who hurriedly consults the work whether (iii) |