In Hanger v. Abbott (1867) 73 U.S. 532, it was ruled that the time during which the courts of the Southern states were closed to the citizens of other states during the War Between the States was, in suits brought by such citizens, to be excluded from the computation of the time fixed by the statutes of limitation, within which only suits might be brought, and this, though the statutes contained no such exception. In other words, it was held that the statute of limitations of the Southern states was suspended while the courts in those states were closed by the war. In that leading case, a resident of New Hampshire brought suit against a resident of Arkansas in assumpsit. The right to bring suit had matured in October 1859, but suit was not brought until April 1865. Arkansas had a 3-year statute of limitations patterned after the English statute of limitations of 1623 which excepted minors, femes covert, non compos mentis, etc., but which made no mention of war. The problem before the court was whether or not the statute continued to run during the Civil War, thus barring the plaintiff's suit. The opinion of the Court contained a lengthy historical discussion which explained why the statute of 1623 and its American antecedents did not include war in the list of exceptions. The Court concluded that the statute was suspended during the Civil War even though it contained no provision for such suspension. The following language appears in the Court's opinion: "Total inability on the part of an enemy creditor to sustain any contract in the tribunals of the other belligerent exists during war, but the restoration of peace removes the disability, and opens the doors of the courts. Absolute suspension of the right, and prohibition to exercise it, exist during war by the law of nations, and if so, then it is clear that peace cannot bring with it the remedy if the war is of much duration, unless it also be held that the operation of the statute of limitation is also suspended during the period the creditor is prohibited, by the existence of the war and the law of nations, from enforcing his claim. Neither laches nor fraud can be imputed in such a case, and none of the reasons on which the statute is founded can possibly apply, as the disability to sue becomes absolute by the declaration of war, and is a conclusion of law. Ability to sue was the status of the creditor when the contract was made, but the effect of war is to suspend the right, not only without any fault on his part, but under circumstances which make it his duty to abstain from any such attempt. His remedy is suspended by the acts of the two governments and by the law of nations, not applicable at the date of the contract, but which comes into operation in consequence of an event over which he has no control." The Supreme Court stated that: "Absolute suspension of the right, and prohibition to exercise it, exists during war by the law of nations, and if so, then it is clear that peace cannot bring with it the remedy if the war is of much duration, unless it also be held that the operation of the statute of limitation is also suspended during the period the creditor is prohibited, by the existence of the war, and the law of nations, from enforcing his claim. Neither laches nor fraud can be imputed in such a case, and none of the reasons on which the statute is founded can possibly apply, as the disability to sue becomes absolute by the declaration of war, and is a conclusion of law. Ability to sue was the status of the creditor when the contract was made, but the effect of war is to suspend the right, not only without any fault on his part, but under circumstances which make it his duty to abstain from any such attempt."