Case Name: Lessee of Williamina Bond against Thomas Hunter and William Hunter
Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1793-05
Citations: 1 Yeates 284
Docket Number: 
Parties: Lessee of Williamina Bond against Thomas Hunter and William Hunter.
Judges: 
Reporter: Reports of cases adjudged in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (Yeates)
Volume: 1
Pages: 283–283

Head Matter:
Lessee of Williamina Bond against Thomas Hunter and William Hunter.
A cause shall not be postponed for the non-attendance of a witness, whose deposition has been taken, where the adverse party agrees it shall be read in evidence.
Mr. Hamilton for the defendants, moved to put off the trial of this canse, on affidavit of the service of a subpoena on Thomas Ferguson, a material witness for the defendants, and his non-attendance.
This was opposed by Mr. Charles Smith for the plaintiff, who urged, that the deposition of Ferguson had been taken by the defendants in pursuance of a rule of court, and he agreed the deposition of the witness might be read in evidence.

Opinion:
Per curiam.
The sole reason of taking depositions is to supply the non-attendance of witnesses; and when the depositions of absent witnesses have been taken and are agreed to be received as testimony, their non-attendance cannot be a ground for postponing the trial.
The trial of the suit was afterwards put off for the want of another witness, whose deposition had not been taken.