Each person engaged in the express business, and each common carrier, who has in his possession for six months any unclaimed article not perishable, may sell it at auction and out of the proceeds retain the charges of transportation and storage and of advertising and sale. No such sale shall be made until four weeks after the first publication, in a newspaper published in the county in which the place is located to which such unclaimed article or articles are consigned or addressed, of a notice of such sale, containing a description of such articles and the name of the person to whom directed; and the expense of advertising shall be a lien upon the articles advertised, in a ratable proportion according to the amount received for each article. Such notice shall be published at least twice within said four weeks. No such article or articles shall be removed or transported from the place to which consigned until after the expiration of such four weeks.