Section 23. If the person for whom the labor has been performed or furnished or the material has been furnished dies or conveys away his estate or interest before the commencement of a civil action to enforce a lien, it may be commenced and prosecuted against his heirs or against the persons holding the estate or interest which he had in the land at the time when the labor or material was performed or furnished. If the action was commenced in the lifetime of such person, it may be prosecuted against his executor, administrator, heirs or assigns as if the estate or interest has been mortgaged to secure the debt.