Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 37, § 8: Suits on bonds of sheriffs

Section 8. The holder of a judgment against a sheriff or his estate, for a cause which constitutes a breach of the condition of his official bond, or a person who has obtained an allowance of such claim against his estate, if settled as insolvent, may, at his own expense, prosecute a suit on such bond in the name of the state treasurer, and the proceedings shall be the same as in a suit by a creditor on an administration bond.