Surety Liability Despite Uncertified Signature

An individual who signed a promissory note as a surety for a debt, without having their signature formally certified as required by a specific statute concerning suretyship agreements, nevertheless remained legally bound by the obligation because the relevant statute was designed solely to protect the surety against fraudulent claims from the creditor and did not invalidate the agreement itself if the creditor was unaware of the formality's absence. The court upheld the lower court's decision, reasoning that the statutory requirement for certified signatures was a rule of proof and not a condition of validity for the suretyship contract, and thus the surety could not invoke the lack of certification to escape liability to the creditor.