Shreveport daily news., 1861-08-03
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 envelopesIor
not. or any dies, plate or engraving
thorefor, 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 g eneral as aforesaid, with
out the especial authority and direc-
ton Of the Postoffice Department, or
who, after such postage stamps have
been printed, shall, with intent to de-
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, on conviction thereof be deemed
guilty Of felony, and be punished by
a fine not exceeding $500, or by i'm
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 Postosfice Department ON
the certificate Of the Postmaster Gen
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 eepos-
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 detace 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 Postma ster to the
Postmaster General. And ifany per-
son shall use, or attemp' to use, in
prepayment of postage, any postage
stamps which shall har & been before
used for like purposes, such persons
shall be subject to a penalty Of fifty
dollars for every such offense. to be
recovered in the name of the Conted-
crate States Of America in any court
Of competent jurisdiction.
..Sec 5. And be 1t further enacted,
That from and after the day when
this act goes into effect, the
ranking privilege shall be abolished;
prori1cd, that the Postmaster Gener-
al and his chief clerks, 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
z,rO,1/le1 furfLor tho soyeral nanuv
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 nn1, nar.on ,lano n,,l ,,.l; |,