1 Pa. 356 | Pa. | 1845
The opinion of the court was delivered by
By the fourth section of the act of 1836, Purd. Dig. 937, it is enacted, “ if the court shall approve the report of the viewers, allowing a road, they shall direct of what breadth the road so approved shall be opened; and, at the next court thereafter, the whole proceedings shall be entered on record, and thenceforth such road shall be taken, deemed, and allowed to be a lawful public road or highway, or private road, as the case may be.’’ Now, it is clear from the terms of the act, that at the same time the court shall approve the road, they shall also direct of what breadth it shall be opened; but in the present case, though the court, on the 24th of February, approved the road, as it appears by an entry made on the record to that effect, yet they did not direct of what breadth it should be opened; nor was any direction given or entry made, directing its breadth, until the 21st of October, 1844, when the court confirmed the report of the viewers, and directed the road to be opened fifty feet in width, as appears by an entry made to that effect on the record. It would therefore seem, that no action of the court, such as is recognised and required by the act of Assembly, was taken upon the report of the viewers, before the 21st of October, 1844; for the previous entry of approval made on the 24th of February, 1844, without more, amounted to nothing, as it did hot direct of what breadth the road reported by the viewers should be opened. Then it is also perfectly clear, that even after the court shall have approved the road and directed the breadth it shall be opened, it shall not be taken, deemed, and allowed to be a lawful. public road, or private road, as the case may be, before the next court thereafter; so that it necessarily follows, that it cannot be opened until it has become a lawful road; nor can the court direct an order to be issued for its being opened before it has become a lawful public or private road, according to the directions of the act. The order, therefore, issued by the clerk of the court in this case, for opening the road before the next court, after that at which the court had ordered it to be opened fifty feet, was
The petition, therefore, of John D. Davis against the road, being presented on the 25th day of November, 1844, within less than a term of the court next after the 21st of October, when the court directed the breadth that this road should be opened, was in due time, according to the act of Assembly; and containing facts, which, if true, of which we must presume the court had evidence, were sufficient to warrant the court below in setting the whole proceeding aside. We feel satisfied, therefore, that the order of the court below ought to be affirmed.