[Senate No. 169 ] 
 
 SENATE, Jauuarv 10, 186 V— Read fi^si and second times and 
 referred to Coramittee on the J-idieiary. January 14, 15i65.— Re- 
 ported without amendment, and ordured to be printed-. 
 
 [Mr. Walker, by lea ye. 
 
 A BILL 
 
 To secure, more effectually, the preservation and distribution of the 
 effects of deceased officers and soldit rs 
 
 1 The Congress of the Confederate Stat,^ , . ijierica do enact, 
 
 2 That whenever any person claiming to be an agent of any one 
 
 3 of the Confederate States, duly empowered by such State to 
 
 4 attend to the collection, preservation and jjroper distribution of 
 
 5 the effects of officers or soldiers fro a such State, who have 
 G ' died or may hereafter die, while in the service of the Confed- 
 7 erate States, shall show, to the satisfaction of the Secretary of 
 5 War, that he is the legally appointed agent of such State, hav- 
 9 ing the powers and subject to the duties above mentioned, it 
 
 10 shall be the duty of the Secretary of War to issue an order re- 
 
 11 quiring all quartermasters, surgeons or other officers, civil or 
 
 12 military, of the Confederate States, or any person, other than 
 
 13 the legal represenatives of the deceased officer or soldier, hav- 
 
 14 ing charge or possession, or whose duty it shall be to take charge 
 
 15 or possession of the effects or any part thereof, of such de- 
 
 16 ceased dBcer or soldier, or in case Fuch effects have been sold, 
 
 17 of theproceedsof the sale of such effects, to deliver or satisfac- 
 
2 
 
 18 torily account for such effects or proceeds to such agent ; to the 
 
 19 end tliat such effects or proceeds may be promptly delivered by 
 
 20 such agent to the persons legally entitled thereto : Provided, 
 
 21 however, that this Act shall not be construed to apply to such 
 
 22 military clothing as under tlie regulations of the War Depart- 
 
 23 ment is or may be required to be appraised and re-issued 
 
 1 Sec. '2. Upon the exhibition of such order from the Secretary 
 
 2 of War and the demand of such agent, it shall be the duty of 
 
 3 any quartermaster, surgeon or other oflicer having charge or 
 
 4 possession, or whcse duty it is or may be to take charge or pos- 
 
 5 ses^^ion of the effects or proceeds referred to in the first sec- 
 
 6 tion of this Act, forthwith to deliver or account for the same 
 
 7 to such agOLt, who is hereby authorized to cause strict investi- 
 
 8 gation to be made in reference to the receipt, possession or 
 
 9 disposition, by any oflicer or person, of the effects or the pro- 
 
 10 ceeds thereof, of any deceased officer ©r soldier from the State 
 
 11 represented by such agent, and to demand of any officer or per- 
 
 12 son having charge or possession, or whose duty it may be to 
 
 13 take charge or possession of such' effects or proceeds, a written 
 
 14 statement or inventory of the same, clearly setting forth the 
 
 15 specific article, amount and kind of money, watches, jewelry, 
 
 16 side-arms, papers, notes or other effects of such deceased offi- 
 
 17 cer or soldier, that may have come to the knowledge, possession 
 
 18 or control of such officer or person. And any officer of the 
 
 19 army who shall fail or refuse to deliver to such agent, under 
 
Ir, 
 3 
 
 20 the order of the Secretary of War, such effects, or the pro- 
 
 21 ceeds thereof, of any such deceased soldier or officer, as may be 
 
 22 in his possession or under his control — or who shall fail or re- 
 
 23 fuse satisfactorily to account to such agent for all such effects 
 
 24 or proceeds thereof as it may have been his duty to take 
 
 25 charge or possession of paying to sach agent the full value of 
 
 26 all such effects or proceeds as may have been lost or destroyed 
 
 27 by the neglecE of said officer — or who shall fail or refuse to de- 
 
 28 liver to such agent on demand, the written statement or inven- 
 
 29 tory,above mentioned, shall, on conviction by court martial, be 
 
 30 deprived of his commission and put in the ranks as a private 
 
 31 soldier. 
 
 1 Sec. 3. Any Quartermaster, Surgeon, or other officer, who may 
 
 2 deliver or account for the effects, or the proceeds thereof, of any 
 
 3 deceased officer or soldier, to the agent of any State, under 
 
 4 the provisions of this Act, shall take from such agent duplicate 
 
 5 receipts, one of which shall be forwarded to the 2d Auditor of 
 
 the Treasury, who shall record and preserve the same ; and 
 
 7 the delivery of such effects or proceeds, in pursuance of this 
 
 8 Act, to said agent, shall exonerate the officer making the same, 
 
 9 and the government of the Confederate States, from all liabil- 
 10 ity therefor. 
 
 1 Sec. 4. This Act shall not be construed to affect or disturb ex- 
 
 2 isting or future regulations relating to the cliargc, preservation 
 
 3 or disposition of the effects of deceased officers or soldiers, ex- 
 
4 
 
 4 cept in so far as the authority of the agent of a State. uimLi 
 
 5 ' order of the Secretary of War, to demand and receive; and the 
 G duty of all officers or other persons to deliver to such agent 
 
 7 such efl'ects or the proceeds thereof, as hereinbefore provided, 
 
 8 may be consistent with such regulations; and all Quarter 
 
 9 masters, Surgeons or other officers or persons ■uho are, or 
 
 10 may be required by such regulations to take charge of the ef- 
 
 11 fects of deceased officers or soldiers, shall continue to do so in 
 
 12 accordance with said regulations, except so far as the same may 
 
 13 conflict with the provisions of this Act; and are not required 
 
 14 to account for or to deliver such effects or the proceeds thereof 
 
 15 to the agent above, referred to, until the same shall l)e specially 
 
 16 demanded by him, under order of the Secretary of War, as 
 
 17 hereinbefore provided.