Shreveport daily news., 1861-09-26
provided or furnished under the pro-

provided or furnished under the pro-
visions of this or any former act,
whether the same are impressed or
printed on or attached to envelopes!!or
not, or any dies, plate or engraving
therefor, or shall make, or print, or
knowingly use or sell or have in pos
session, with intent to use or sell, any
such false, forged or co,mterfeited
dies, plate, engraving or postage
stamp, or who shall make, or print, or
authorize, or procure to be made or
printed, any pastaSe stamps of the
kind provided and furnished by the
Postmaster Generalas aforesaid, with
out the especial authority and direc-
ton Of the Postotfice Department, or
who, after such postage stamps have
been printed, shall, with intert to>dc-
fraud the revenues of the Postoffice
Department deliver any postage
stamps to any person or persons other
than such as shall be authorized to
receive the same by any instrument
Of writing, duly executed under the
hand ef the Postmaster General and
the seal of the Postotiice Department
shall, OH conviction thereof be deemed
guilty Of felony, and be punished by,
a fine not exceeding $500, or by i'm
prisonuent not exceeding five years,
or by both such fine and imprison-
,nent; and the expenses Of procuring
and providing all such postage stamps
and letter envelopes as are provided
for or authorized by this act, shall be
paid after being adjusted by the Au-
ditor of the Postotfice Department on
the certificate OF the Postmaster Gen
eral out of any money inthe Treasury
arising from the revenues OF the Post
Office Department.
"Sec q. ind be II t~rther enacte1,
That it shall be the duty of every
Postmaster to cause to be defaccd in
such manner as the Postmaster Gen
eral shall direct, all postage stamps
of this Confetleracv to letters dcpos-
tied in his office for delivery or to be
sent by mail; and if any Postmaster
sendin. letters in the mail with such
postage stamps attached shall omit
to dctace the same. 1t shall be the
duty Of the Postmaster to whose
office such letters shall be sent for
delivery, to Getace the stamps and re-
port the Delinquent Postma ster to the
Postmaster 6 General. Anc fanv per-
son shall use, or attcmp' to use, in
prepayment OF postage, any postage
stamps which shall ha, been before
used for like purposes, such persons
shall be subject to a penalty Of fifty
dollars for every such otiense, to be
recovered IN the name of the Conied-
crate States Of America in any court
ofcompetent jurisdiction.
Sec 5. and be 1t turthcr enacted,
That from and after the day when
this act goes into effect, the
franking privilege shall be abolished;
p,ori{cd, that the Postmaster Gener-
al and his chief clerks, and the Audi
tor of the Treasury for the Postotiicc
Department shall be and they are
hereby authorized to transmit |
through the mails, free of postage.
any letters, packages, or other mat
ters relating exclusively to their Off
cial duties, or to the business of the
Postotiice Department.; but they
shall in every such case endorse on
the back of the letter on packages to
be sent free of postage over their own
signatures, the words, Official bust
ness, and for any such endorsement
falsely made, the person So offending
shall forfeit and pay taxes $500; and
prorided .tarthcr, the several Depuy-
Postmasters throughout the Conteder-
ate Shall shall be and hereby are au-
thorized to send through the mails
free of postage all letters and pack
a ,:es which it may be their duty, or
they may have occasion to transmit