Shreveport daily news., 1861-06-12

visions of this or any former act,
whether the same are impressed or
printed on or attached to envelopeslo lor
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 counterfeited
dies, plate, engraving or postage
stamp, or who shall make, or print, or
authorize, or procure to be made or
printed. any pastage stamps of the
kind provided and furnished by the
Postmaster General as aforesaid, with
out the especial authority and direc-
ton of the Postotfice Department, or
who, after such postage stamps have
been printed, shall, with intent to de-
fraud the revenues of the Postoffce
Department deliver any postage
stamps to any person or persons other
than such us 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 Postofiice Department
shall, on conviction thereof be deemed
guilty Of felony, and be punished by
a fine not exceeding $500, or by inn
prisonment not exceeding five years,
or by both such fine and imprison-
ment; 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 Postofice Department on
the certificate Of the Postmaster Cen
eral out of any money in the Treasury
arising from the revenues of the Post
Office Department.
"Sec 4. and be 1t further enacted,
That it shall be the duty Of every
Postmaster to cause to be defaced in
such manner as the Postmaster Cen
eral shall direct, all postage stamps
of this Confederacy to letters depos-
tied in his Office for delivery or to be
sent by mail; and if any Postmaster
sending letters in the mail with such
postage stamps attached shall omit
to deface the same, it shall be the
duty of the Postmaster to whose
office such letters shall be sent for
delivery, to deface the stamps and re-
port the delinquent Postmaster to the
Postmaster General. And ifany per-
son shall use, or attemp' to use, in
prepayment Of fpostage, any postage
stamps which shall hay { been before
used for like purposes, such persons
shall be subject to a penalty of fifty
dollars for every such otfense, to be
recovered in the name Of the Confed-
crate States of America in any court
Of competent jurisdiction.
"Sec .. Asa1 be 1t .tu1Aer enacted.
That from and after the day when
this act goes into effect, the
tranking privilege shall be abolished;
prorided, that the Postmaster Gener-
al and his chieSclerks, and the Audi
tor Of the Treasury for the Postotfice
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
Postotfice DEPARTMENT.; but they
shall in every such case. endorse on
the back OF the letter or 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 further, the several Depuy-
Postmasters throughout the Confeder
ate Shall shall be and hereby are au-
thorized to send through the mails
free of postage all letters and pack
ages which it may be their duty, or
they may have occasion to transmit
to any person or place, and which
shall relate exclusively to the busi-
ness of their respective Offices, or to