The clerk of the circuit court for the county is hereby directed to make, or cause to be made, a general index of all causes appearing upon the equity docket of such court, beginning with the earliest of such docket, the general index to be made upon the same plan, and in similar books, as now used in his office for general indexes of the land records; in which index he shall place the name of every party to each cause, and where the suit is for the sale of lands of any person deceased or otherwise, the name of such owner shall also appear in its proper place in such general index. The clerk shall enter, in connection with the name of each person, the number or year of the docket, and the number of the case thereon in which such person is a party or in which his property is involved, and where the papers in any cause have been recorded, the book and page of such record. (Mont. Co. Code 1965, § 7-22; 1906, ch. 757, § 1; 1912, ch. 790, § 124.)