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CHAPTER XV.—An act to amend article 1547 of the Revised Civil Statutes, passed February 21, 1879.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That article 1547 of the Revised Civil Statutes shall be so amended as hereafter to read as follows:

Article 1547. Justices of the peace shall hold the regular terms of their courts at their respective offices at such times as may be prescribed by the commissioners' court of the county.

Sec. 2. There being no adequate law now in force fixing the time of holding the justice's court, where there are more than one residing at the county seat, and it being impossible for the constable to wait upon the courts holding sessions at the same time, an imperative public necessity exists that this act take effect at once, and the same shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Approved February 17, A. D. 1881.
Takes effect from passage.

CHAPTER XVI.-An act to reorganize the twenty-fifth judicial district of the State of Texas, and to provide the times for holding the district courts therein.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the twenty-fifth judicial district of the State of Texas shall be composed of the following counties: Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Zapata, Webb, Encinal, Duval and Nueces.

Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That the district courts of said district shall be holden at the times hereinafter specified, to wit: In the county of Cameron on the second Mondays of May and December, and may continue in session four weeks; in the county of Hidalgo on the fourth Mondays after the second Mondays of May and December, and may continue in session one week; in the county of Starr on fifth Mondays after the second Mondays of May and December, and may continue in session three weeks; in the county of Webb on the eighth Mondays after the second Mondays of May and December, and continue session three weeks; in the county of Duval on the eleventh Mondays after the second Mondays. of May and December, and may continue in session two weeks; in the county of Nueces on the thirteenth Mondays after the second Mondays. of May and December, and may continue in session until the business. is disposed of, not exceeding six weeks.

Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, That the counties of Zapata and Encinal be and they hereby are attached to the county of Webb for judicial purposes.

Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, That all writs and process, civil and criminal, heretofore issued by or from the district courts in the several counties of said district and made returnable to the former term of said courts as said terms are now fixed by law, shall be returnable to the next ensuing terms of said district courts in each county as they are prescribed in this act; and all such writs, process that may be issued by or from said county, at any time within five days next before the holding of the next ensuing terms of said courts, as prescribed herein, and hereby made returnable to said terms respectively, and all such writs and pro

cess herein before mentioned are hereby legalized and validated, to all intents and purposes, as if the same had been made returnable to the term or terms of said courts, as the terms thereof are herein prescribed; provided, that if the counties of LaSalle and McMullen shall not be incorporated in a new judicial district, and until then the said counties shall continue to constitute a portion of the twenty-fifth judicial district, and the judge of said district is hereby authorized and required to designate the times of holding the terms of the district courts in said counties by an order that shall be entered on the minutes of the district court of McMullen county, which order shall be published in a newspaper published in the county of Webb for four successive weeks before the first court, (the time of holding which may be so fixed by order) shall be held, which times, when so fixed, shall not be changed, except by the Legislature; and provided further, that the said county of LaSalle shall, until otherwise provided, continue to be attached to the county of McMullen for judicial purposes. Sec. 5. Be it further enacted, That whereas, the short time elapsing before the ensuing term of the district court in the county of Cameron, as now provided by law, creates an imperative public necessity and emergency for the suspension of the constitutional rule which requires that all bills shall be read on three several days, and the said rule is accordingly suspended. That this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage, and that all laws and parts of laws in conflict herewith be and the same are hereby repealed.

Approved February 24, A. D. 1881.
Takes effect from passage.

CHAPTER XVII.-An act prescribing the times for holding terms of the county court for criminal business in Grayson and Dallas counties.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That there shall be begun and holden a term of the county court for criminal business of Grayson and Dallas counties, at the county seats thereof, at the following times, to wit: On the first Mondays in January, March, May, July, September and November, and on the third Mondays in February, April, June, August, October and December, in each year, which shall continue in session until the business of the term is disposed of; provided, the term for criminal business shall not extend beyond the commencement of the term for civil and probate business.

Sec. 2. The crowded condition of the civil and probate dockets in the county courts of Grayson and Dallas counties, resulting almost in a denial of trial to litigants, creates an imperative public necessity that the constitutional rule requiring this bill to be read on three several days be suspended and an emergency that this act take effect from and after its passage, and it is so enacted.

Approved February 24, A. D. 1881.
Takes effect from passage.

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CHAPTER XVIII.-An act to create the thirty-fourth judicial district, and prescribing the time of holding district courts therein, and to provide for the appointment of a district judge and district attorney therein.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the counties of Clay, Archer, Baylor, Young, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Hardeman, Cottle, Motley, Floyd, Hale, Lamb, Bailey, Cochran, Hockley, Lubbock, Crosby, Dickens, King, Haskell, Stonewall, Kent, Garza, Lynn, Terry and Yoakum be and the same are hereby constituted the thirty-fourth judicial district.

Sec. 2. The county of Wichita is hereby attached to the county of Clay for judicial purposes until organized; the counties of Wilbarger, Knox, Hardeman, Cottle, King, Dickens, Motley. Floyd, Crosby, Lubbock, Hale, Lamb, Hockley, Cochran and Bailey are hereby attached to the county of Baylor for judicial purposes until organized; the counties of Haskell, Stonewall, Kent, Garza, Lynn, Terry and Yoakum are hereby attached to the county of Throckmorton for judicial purposes until organized.

Sec. 3. That the district courts in the counties comprising the thirtyfourth judicial district shall be holden as follows: In the county of Clay on the first Mondays in April, August and December, and may continue in session two weeks; in the county of Archer on the second Monday after first Mondays in April, August and December, and may continue in session one week; in the county of Baylor on the third Monday after the first Mondays in April, August and December, and may continue in session two weeks; in the county of Throckmorton on the fifth Monday after the first Mondays in April, August and December, and may continue in session two weeks; in the county of Young on the seventh Monday after the first Mondays in April, August and December, and may continue in session two weeks.

Sec. 4. That all process heretofore issued or served, returnable in any of the counties of said judicial district as heretofore prescribed by law, shall be considered as returnable at the time prescribed herein, and all such process is hereby legalized and validated, as if the same had originally been made returnable at the times herein specified.

Sec. 5. That immediately after the passage of the act the governor shall appoint some suitable person as judge of said district, and some suitable person as district attorney of said district, who shall each hold their office until the next general election for State and county officers, and until their successors shall be elected and qualified.

Sec. 6. That an imperative public necessity and emergency exist that this act pass and take effect at once; it is, therefore, enacted that the rules requiring this act to be read upon three several days be suspended, and that this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Sec. 7. That all laws and parts of laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed.

Approved February 25, A. D. 1881.

Takes effect from passage.

CHAPTER XIX.-An act to diminish the civil and criminal jurisdiction of the county courts of Henderson, Parker, Lampasas, Blanco, Bexar, Kimble, Nueces, Gillespie, Kendall, Uvalde, Wheeler, Oldham, Bandera, Wharton, McMullen, Medina, Frio, Dimmitt, LaSalle, Hidalgo, Starr, Zapata, Duval and Burnet counties, and to conform the jurisdiction of the district and justices' courts of said counties to such change.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the county courts of Henderson, Parker, Lampasas, Blanco, Bexar, Kimble, Nueces, Gillespie, Kendall, Uvalde, Wheeler, Oldham, Bandera, Wharton, McMullen, Medina, Frio, Dimmitt, LaSalle, Hidalgo, Starr, Zapata, Duval and Burnet counties shall have and exercise the general jurisdiction of probate courts; shall probate wills, appoint guardians of minors, idiots, lunatics, persons non compos [mentis] and common drunkards; grant letters testamentary and of administration; settle accounts of executors, administrators and guardians; transact all business appertaining to the estates of deceased persons, minors, idiots, lunatics, persons non compos mentis and common drunkards, including the partition, distribution and settlement of estates of deceased persons; and to apprentice minors, as required by law; and all matters of eminent domain, over which the county courts have jurisdiction by the general laws of this State, and to issue all writs necessary to the enforcement of its jurisdiction; and to punish contempt under such provisions as are or may be provided by general law governing county courts throughout the State; but said county courts shall have no other jurisdiction, civil or criminal.

Sec. 2. That the district courts of said counties shall have and exercise jurisdiction in all matters and causes, civil and criminal, over which, by the general laws of the State, the county courts of said counties would have jurisdiction, except as provided in section one of this act, and except all causes and matters, civil and criminal, over whien, by the general laws of the State, the justices' courts of said counties would have jurisdiction; and that all cases, other than probate matters, and such as are provided in sections one and three of this act, be and the same are hereby transferred to the district courts of said counties; and writs and processes, civil and criminal, heretofore issued by or out of said county courts, other than those pertaining to matters over which, by sections one and three of this act, jurisdiction is given to the county courts and justices' courts of said counties, be and the same are hereby made returnable to the next term of the district courts of said counties.

Sec. 3. That the justices' courts of said counties, precinct No. 1, shall have and exercise jurisdiction in all matters and causes, civil and criminal, over which, by the generallaws of the State, the county courts of said counties would have jurisdiction; provided, that, by this section, no more jurisdiction shall be conferred on said courts than is given by the general laws of the State, and that all cases, over which the justices' courts have jurisdiction by the general laws of the State, be and the same are hereby transferred to the justices' courts, precincts No. 1, of Henderson, Parker, Lampasas, Blanco, Bexar, Kimble, Nueces, Gillespie, Kendall, Uvalde, Wheeler, Oldham, Bandera, Wharton, McMullen, Medina, Frio, Dimmitt, LaSalle, Hidalgo, Starr, Zapata, Duval and Burnet counties, and all writs and processes, civil and criminal, heretofore issued by or out of said county courts, other than those pertaining to matters over which, by sections one and two of this act, jurisdiction is given to the county and dis

trict courts of said counties, be and the same are hereby made returnable to the next succeeding justices' courts of said precincts No. 1 that convene after this act takes effect.

Sec. 4. That the clerks of the county courts of Henderson, Parker, Lampasas, Blanco, Bexar, Kimble, Nueces, Gillespie, Kendall, Uvalde, Wheeler, Oldham, Bandera, Wharton, McMullen, Medina, Frio, Dimmitt, LaSalle, Hidalgo, Starr, Zapata, Duval and Burnet counties be and they are hereby required, immediately after the passage of this act, to make full and complete transcripts of all the entries on their dockets, civil and criminal, heretofore made in causes which, by sections two and three, are transferred to the district and justices' courts of said counties, and file the same, together with all original papers of all of said causes and proceedings, with the clerk of the district court of said counties, and justices of the peace for precinct No. 1 in said counties, which includes all judgments, both civil and criminal, that remain uncollected and not satisfied; and, for the purpose of carrying into effect fully this act, the court having jurisdiction of the subject matter shall have full and ample power to enforce the same by issuing execution or other process required by law, and all of such causes, under this act, transferred to the district courts, shall be immediately docketed by the clerk of said court, and shall stand on the dockets of said courts as appearance cases for the next term of said courts; and all of such causes, transferred to the justices' courts, shall be filed at once by the justice of the peace thereof, which shall stand for trial at the next term of said courts; and for each of said transcripts the county clerk shall receive twenty cents per hundred words, and fifty cents for certificate thereto, to be taxed against the party cast in the suit, if a civil suit, and if criminal against the defendant, if convicted.

Sec. 5. That all laws and parts of laws, in conflict with this act, be and the same are hereby repealed.

Sec. 6. Whereas, the unnecessary expense and trouble that the people are now and will be put to in attending the county courts of said counties, and the importance of the passage of this act at once, creates an emergency and a public necessity that the rules requiring this act to be read on three several days, should be suspended, and that this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Approved February 25, A. D. 1881.

Takes effect from passage.

CHAPTER XX.-An act validating the proceedings of the county court of Jackson county.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That all the terms of the county court, for civil and probate business, in and for the county of Jackson, heretofore begun and held on the first Mondays of January and July of each year, be and the same are hereby legalized and validated, and all the proceedings therein shall have the same force and effect as if said terms were held on the third Mondays of January and July of each year.

Sec. 2. That the public at large are interested in the validity of the records of its courts, and from the amount of work already carved out, and the number of bills now before the Legislature, there is a probability that this bill will not be reached in its regular order during this session,

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