§ 34-1-123 — Admissibility of conveyance or record thereof as evidence

All deeds, mortgages, conveyances or instruments of any
character, concerning any interest in lands within this state,
which shall be executed, acknowledged, attested or proved in
accordance with the provisions of this act or the laws of this
state, or the local laws of any mining district wherein such
real estate is situate, in force at the date of such
acknowledgment, attestation or proof, may be read in evidence,
without in the first instance additional proof of the execution
thereof, and the record of any such deed, mortgage, conveyance
or instrument, whether an original record of any mining
district, or a copy thereof deposited in the register's [county
clerk's] office of any county, in accordance with the laws of
this state (as a part of the records of such mining district) or
a record of such recorder's office, when the same appears by
such record to be properly acknowledged, attested or proved in
accordance with the laws of this state, or of the proper mining
district in force at the date of such acknowledgment,
attestation or proof, or a transcript from any such record,
certified by the register [county clerk] of the proper county
where such deed, mortgage, conveyance or instrument ought by law
to be recorded, may, upon the affidavit of the party desiring to
use the same, that the original thereof is not in his possession
or power to produce, be read in evidence with like effect as the
original of such deed, mortgage, conveyance or instrument
properly acknowledged, attested or proved as aforesaid, but the
effect of such evidence may be rebutted by other competent
testimony.