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force from and after its passage, and that all laws and parts of laws in conflict herewith be and the same are hereby repealed.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 docket 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 sage, and it is so enacted.

Approved February 24, A. D. 1881.

Takes effect from passage.

pas

CHAPTER XVIII.-An act to create the thirty-fourth judicial dis trict, 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, L bock, 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 OF"ganized.

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 the first Mondays in April, August and December, and say 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 fib 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 origi nally been made returnable at the time 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 offu:ess, 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 sus pended, and that this act take effect and be in force from and after s 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, Whartoo, 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 panish 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 which, 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 general laws 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, precinct 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 p:oceedings 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,

therefore there is an imperative public necessity and emergency that the constitutional rule requiring this bill to be read on three several days, be suspended, that this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage, and it is so enacted.

Approved February 25, A. D. 1881.
Takes effect from passage.

CHAPTER XXI.—An act to provide for the payment of the interest due on the public debt March 1, 1881.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the sum of twenty-five thousand four hundred and fifty-five dollars be and the same is hereby appropriated, out of any moneys in the State treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of paying the interest accruing on the public debt up to March 1, 1881.

SEC. 2. That no default be made in the prompt payment of the interest due on the public debt, and the brief time between the present and the first of March, when such interest becomes due, creates an imperative public necessity and emergency that the constitutional rules requiring this bill to be read on three several days be suspended, and that it take effect from and after its passage, and it is so enacted. Approved February 26, A. D. 1881.

Takes effect from passage.

CHAPTER XXII.-An act to amend an act entitled An act to change and define the times of holding the terms of the district court in the fifth judicial district of the State of Texas, passed by the Sixteenth Legislature, and approved April 23, 1879, so that the same shall hereafter read as follows:

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That hereafter the terms of the district courts of the fifth judicial district of the State of Texas shall be holden at the times hereinafter specified, to wit: In the county of Cass on the first Mondays in February and September, and may contimue in session three weeks; in the county of Bowie on the third Mondays after the first Mondays in February and September, and may continue in session three weeks; in the county of Morris on the sixth Mondays after the first Mondays in February and September, and may continue in session two weeks; in the county of Titus on the eighth Mondays after the first Mondays in February and September, and may continue in session two weeks; in the county of Franklin on the tenth Mondays after the first Mondays in February and September, and may continue in session two weeks; in the county of Camp on the twelfth Mondays after the first Mondays in February and September, and may continue in session two weeks; in the county of Marion on the fourteenth Mondays after the first Mondays in February and September, and may continue in session six weeks; provided, that no jury shall be impaneled after the fourth week of said term.

SEC. 2. That writs and process returnable to said courts shall be returnable to the terms of said courts as herein defined, and all such