SECTION 48. Claim by owner after public auction; payment to owner

If, within two years and six months after such money has come into the possession of an officer or other employee of said department or within two years after any such sale, the owner claims such property and proves ownership to the satisfaction of the colonel, the amount of such unclaimed money or the proceeds of the sale of such property, after deducting reasonable expenses, shall be paid to him by the state treasurer.