Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 17.djvu/339

FORTY=SECOND CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 335. 1872. 299 any such money-order ; any person who shall, with intent to defraud, pass, &e., with intent utter, or publish, or attempt to pass, utter, or publish, as true, any such t° defmud ““Y . V . money~order. false, forged, counterfeited, or altered money-order, knowing the same, or any signature or indorsement thereon, to be false, forged, counterfeited, or altered, every such person shall be deemed guilty of felony, and, on conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than two nor more than five years, and be fined not exceeding five thousand dollars. Sec. 117. That all payments and transfers to and from money-order Payments and ofdces shall be under the direction of the Postmaster-General. He may g;g;S§;§ngg3¤d transfer money—order funds fromgone postmaster to another, and from the order offices; postal revenue to the money-order funds; and he may transfer money- order funds to creditors of the department, to be replaced by equivalent transfers from the postal revenues. Sec. 118. That the Postmaster-General may transfer to the postmaster Tm¤Sf€*‘S by at any money-order office, by warrant on the treasury, countersigned by g2;rf;E,;g;§°t' the auditor for the Post—oiHce Department, and payable out of the postal revenues, such sum as may be required over and above the current revenues at his office to pay the money-orders drawn upon him. Sec. 119. That the Postmaster—General shall require each postmaster Accounts ui at a money-order office to render to the Post-office Department weekly, §gf‘°g'l;;f‘L"9'?e_ semi-weekly, or daily accounts of all money-orders issued and paid; of quiiied daily, gw, all fees received for issuing them; of all transfers and payments made from money—order funds; and of all money received to be used for the payment of money-orders or on account of money-order business. Sec. 120. That the auditor for the Post—office Department shall keep A¢¢0¤¤¤S of the accounts of the money-order business separately, and in such manner flggsggidegc as to show the number and amount of money-orders issued at each office, kept separatelv the number and amount paid, the amount of fees received, and all the expenses of the money—order business. Sec. 121. That all money received for the sale of money-orders, in- M¤¤9y¤¤· cluding all fees thereon, all money transferred from the postal revenues to *§;"°;’;°g; the money-order funds, all money transferred or paid from the money- desmeii ‘*nloney- order funds to the service of the Post—office Department, and all money- °*'d“ funds-" order funds transferred from one postmaster to another, shall be deemed and taken to be money-order funds and money in the treasury of the United States. And it shall be the duty of the assistant treasurer of the ASSiSf¤¤¤· United States to open, at the request of the Postmaster-General, an ac- gf;i‘;2‘:;;°O'}pe° count of " money-order funds " deposited by postmasters to thecredit of money-order the Postmaster—General, and of drafts against the amount so deposited, fundsdrawn by him and countersigned by the auditor. Src. 122. That any postmaster, assistant, clerk, or other person em- Misusing, &c., ployed in or connected with the business or operations of any money- fu’Q;,;“%’;€g;h‘;;°;;*’ order office who shall convert to his own use, in any way whatever, or mcrgit, m bg emloan, or deposit in any bank, or exchange for other funds, any portion of l>¤¤Zl¢¤¤¤¤¢s the money-order funds, shall be deemed guilty of embezzlement ; and any pmany mem. such person, as well as every other person advising or participating therein, f<>F· shall, on conviction thereof for every such offence, be imprisoned for not less than six months nor more than ten years, and be fined in a sum equal to the amount embezzlcd; and any failure to pay over or produce any Failure to pay money-order funds intrusted to such person shall be taken to be prima- °:5;h*¥;d€*;£‘j facie evidence of embezzlement; and upon the trial of any indictment gem, Oyembek against any person for such embezzlement, it shall be prima~facie evidence zlement. . ‘ ‘ .· _ . In trials for, of a balance against him to produce a transcript from the money oider &c_ mmsmpt account~books of the auditor for the Post-office Department. But nothing {,—.,,,§, &C_, to be herein contained shall be construed to prohibit any postmaster depositing, Iirlma f?€°1°Vlunder the direction of the Postmaster-General, in a national bank des- gggfjsz aww ignated by the Secretary of the Treasury for that purpose, to his own credit as postmaster, any money-order or other funds in his charge, nor prevent his negotiating drafts or other evidences of debt through such