US Post Offices & Postmasters in 1866 - Perquimans County Page

;pearsi'riersj!theIjexceeding'—;xxn AN ACT, TO ESTABLISH SALARIES FOR POSTMASTERS, ETC.have been or shall be established by internationalpostalconvention or arrangement already concluded or hereafterto be made.Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That the PostmasterGeneral is authorized to sell, or cause to be sold to individuals,corporations and business firms, postage stamps,in quantities of not less than one hundred dollars invalue, at a discount not exceeding five per centum fromthe face value of such stamps, and to sell, or cause to besold, stamped envelopes, in packages containing not lessthan five hundred envelopes, at a discount not exceedingfive per centum from the current prices thereof when soldin less quantities.Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That the twentyeighthsection of the act entitled " An act to amend thelaws relating to the Post Office Department," approvedeighteen hundred and sixty-three, be, andMarch three,the same is hereby amended by the addition of the followingclause, namely. And when any letter bearing a requestfor its return to the writer, in case of its non-delivery,shall have been so returned to the office at whichit was originally mailed, then, and in that case, it shallbe obligatory upon the person to whom such letter hasof his or her official duties, or shall have come or beenplaced in his or her possession in any other manner, andprovided that such letter, or packet, bag, or mail of letters,shall not have been delivered to the person or personsto whom it is directed, such person shall, on convic-been returned to receive the same, and to pay thereforthe postage specified by this section ; and in default of tion for any such offence, be imprisoned not less than tensaid writer to receive and pay for the letter so returned, years, nor exceeding twenty-one years ; and the fact thathe shall be subject to a penalty of ten dollars, to be recoveredin any court of competent jurisdiction.have been deposited in any post office or branch postany such letter or packet, bag, or mail of letters, shallSec. 11. And be it further enacted, That if any person,not authorized by the Postmaster General, shall set of the United States, or in any other authorized deposit-office established by authority of the Postmaster Generalup or profess to keep any office, or any place of business, ory of mail letters, or in charge of any postmaster,bearing the sign, name, or title of post office, every such assistant postmaster, clerk, carrier, agent, or messengerperson shall forfeit and pay the sum of five hundred dollarsfor every such offence.States, shall be taken and held as evidence that the sameemployed in the post office establishment of the UnitedSeo. 12. And be it farther enacted, That if any person was "intended to be conveyed by post" within theemployed in any of the departments of the post office meaning of this statute ; and if any person who shallestablishment shall unlawfully detain, delay, or open any have taken charge of the mails of the United States shallletter, packet, bag, or mail of letters with which he shall voluntarily quit or desert the same before such personbe intrusted, or which shall have come to his possession, delivers it into the post office kept at the termination ofand which are intended to be conveyed by post, or to be the route, or some known mail carrier, or agent of thecarried or delivered by any mail carrier, mail messenger, General Post Office, authorized to receive the same, everyletter carrier, route agent, or other person employed in such person, so offending, shall forfeit and pay a sum notany of the departments of the post office establishment exceeding five hundred dollars for every such offenceof the United States, or to be forwarded or deliveredthrough or from any post office or branch post officeestablished by authority of the Postmaster General ofthe United States, if any such person shall secrete, embezzle,or destroy any letter or packet intrusted to suchperson as aforesaid, and which shall not contain anysecurity for or assurance relating to money as hereinafterdescribed, every such offender, being thereof duly convicted,shall, for every such offence, be fined not less thanthree hundred dollars, or imprisoned not less than sixmonths, or both, according to the circumstances andaggravations of the offence. And if any person employeda# aforesaid shall secrete, embezzle, or destroy anyletter, packet, bag, or mail of letters, with which he orshe shall be intrusted, or which shall have come to hisor her possession, and are intended to be conveyed bypost, or to be carried or delivered by any mail carrier,mail messenger, letter carrier, route agent, or other personemployed in any of the departments of the postoffice establishment of the United States, or to be forwardedor delivered through or from any post office orbranch post office established by authority of the PostmasterGeneral of the United States, such letter, packet,bag, or mail of letters, containing any note, bond, draft,check, revenue stamp, postage stamp, money order, certificateof stock, or other pecuniary obligation, or govern-or for selling stock in the funds, or for receiving the interestthereof, or any letter of credit, or note for, orrelating to, payment of moneys, or any bond, or warrant,draft, bill, or promissory note, covenant, contract, oragreement whatsoever, for, or relating to, the paymentof money, or the delivery of any article of value, or theperformance of any act, matter, or thing, or any receipt,release, acquittance, or discharge of, or from, any debt,covenant, or demand, or any part thereof, or any copy ofany record of any judgment, or decree, in any court oflaw, or chancery, or any execution which may haveissued thereon, or any copy of any other record, or anyother article of value, or any writing representing thesame ; or if any such person, employed as aforesaid, shallsteal or take, any of the same out of any letter, packet,bag, or mail of letters, that shall come to his or her possession,whether such letter or packet, bag, or mail ofletters, shall have come or been placed in his or her possesion to be forwarded or delivered in the regular courseand if any person concerned in carrying the mail of theUnited States shall collect, receive, or carry any letteror packet, or shall cause or procure the same to bedone, contrary to this act, every such offender shall forfeitand pay, for every such offence, a sum not exceedingfifty dollars. (Section twenty-one, act of March three,eighteen hundred and twenty-floe?)Sec. 13. And be it further enacted, That dead letterscontaining valuable enclosures shall be registered in thedepartment ; and when it appears that they can neitherbe delivered to their address nor to the writers, the contentsthereof, so far as available, shall be used to promotethe efficiency of the dead-letter office, according to theprovisions of the seventh section of the act approvedFebruary twenty-seventh, eighteen hundred and sixtyone,entitled "An act to establish certain post routes;"and the amount thereof shall be shown in the annualreport, and shall be subject to reclamation by either theparty addressed or the sender for four years from registrythereof, careful account being kept of the same.All other letters deemed of value or of importance tothe party addressed, or to the writer, and which it ap-cannot be returned to either destination, shall bedisposed of as the Postmaster General shall direct.Sec. 14. And be it further enacted, That letter-carshallbe employed,, at such post offices as the Postmentsecurity of any description whatever, issued, or master General shall direct, for the delivery of letters, inthat may hereafter be issued, by the United States, or by places, respectively, whore such post offices are estabanyofficer or fiscal agent thereof, any bank note or bank lished; and for their services they shall severally receivepost bill, bill of exchange, warrant of the treasury of the a salary, to be prescribedby the Postmaster General, notUnited States, note of assignment of stock in the funds,eight hundred dollars per year: Provided,letters of attorney for receiving annuities or dividends, That, on satisfactory evidence of their diligence, fidelity,