From the Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General Advertiser, Saturday 24 October, 1846. Price 5d.

DOVER PETTY SESSIONS

SATURDAY - Christopher Leonard, James Goulding, John Tresise, (privates in the 43rd Regt.,) Elizabeth Lockyer, a married woman, and Rosina Bromley, a single woman, were severally committed for trial, charged with stealing a scarf shawl, value £2, the property of Matthew Harlen, hawker.- The evidence offered was to the effect, that whilst the prosecutor was at the "Canteen" at the Heights on the previous evening, with his pack of goods, he missed the shawl above-named from the bundle. Shortly afterwards the male prisoner came together to the "Dover Arms," a beer-shop in Oxenden-street, and behind a door the prisoner Tresise pulled out the shawl from a pocket handkerchief. The landlady, (Mrs. Knott) enquired what they were doing, and was offered the shawl for 30s. by Goulding, who said he had picked it up at the bottom of the grand shaft. She told him to take it to the place where he got it from. The female prisoners were in the house at the time, and Lockyer undertook to pawn it, receiving 1s. 6d. for herself; she however gave it to the other female prisoner, who took it to Mr. Long's whose assistant (Mr. Scrivener) detained her, and the prisoner Goulding also, who came into the shop when he found the woman detained, and said he had picker the shawl up. - The defence was, that Goulding picked the article up, and the other men agreed to share in the sale of it; the women had only to pawn it. - The prosecutor said he was confident he lost the shawl in the "Canteen;" he had never been up or down the Grand Shaft, and Col. Forelong gave the male prisoners a general bad character.

From the Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General Advertiser, Saturday 2 December, 1848. Price 5d.

CORONER'S INQUEST

An inquest was held before G. T. Thompson, Esq., coroner for the Borough, on Monday, at the "Duke of Cornwall," on the body of Titus Knott, aged 20, who committed suicide on the previous day by hanging himself. The jury being sworn, proceeded to view the body, which was lying at the "Dover Arms," a public-house kept by the father of the deceased, and on their return the following witnesses were examined:-

Elizabeth Knott deposed: My brother was employed in Mr. Rutley's wine-vaults. Yesterday morning about 11 o'clock I went into the bed-room, and saw him hanging at the foot of the bed, when I called for my brother, who went with my father into the room. I last saw my brother alive at breakfast, when I noticed nothing particular in his manner.

Timothy Knott deposed - I was called by my sister yesterday morning, and went to my brother's room, where I found him hanging from the bed by his neck scarf. I lifted him in my arms, and called for my father, who came and untied the scarf. He appeared dead, but the body was warm. I went for Mr. Coleman. I saw deceased at half-past eight that morning. He was standing at the door, and I asked him where he was going. He said to the brewhouse. He returned about quarter past ten o'clock, and went up to his bed-room. Some time since he drove a waggon over a little girl, which frightened him, and I have since noticed that he has been flighty, talking of going to Devonshire, and on board a man of war. He has said he was dissatisfied with the situation, and would destroy himself, and he attempted to do so about six weeks since by strangling himself in the tap-room, but some persons in the next room heard him fall, and untied the handkerchief. I asked him what made him do it, but he would not say. He was very sober, and not at all given to drink.

Thomas Knott, father of deceased deposed: Yesterday morning I was called by my daughter, and on going into deceased's room, I saw him in his brother's arms, and I undid his scarf. I saw some writing in chalk on the table, but I could make nothing of it, and rubbed it off. About 6 months since he ran over a little girl named Horn, and some one told me the child was killed, when he was taken in a fit and appeared quite raving for some hours. He has since talked very incoherently, saying he should buy a house and furnish it, and at other times of going to Devonshire. He came home about nine on Saturday evening, when he left his work. He appeared about as usual, and went out, saying, he was going for half an hour to see a friend. He had not returned home when I went to bed at a quarter to twelve o'clock. He usually went to bed soon after he came from work. He was not addicted to drink, and I have not known him to stop out of a night since last Christmas.

Robert Bush, smith, deposed: I have known deceased for the last 6 years. I saw him about 12 o'clock last Saturday night at the "Newcastle Arms," where I left him. He was rather quarrelsome, and did not appear quite sober. He was in the company of Richard Laslett, drayman to Mr. Rutley. I have never seen him intoxicated before, or seen any change in his manner.

George Geale, cellarman to Messrs. Rutley, deposed; Deceased has been employed with me in the cellar 11 months. He was very sober and attentive to his business. I recollect his throwing his master's horse down. He appeared very nervous when he returned, but I have not seen any particular change in his manner. He was quite sober when he left on Saturday evening.

Richard Laslett, drayman to Messrs. Rutley, deposed: I met deceased on Saturday evening about half-past eight o'clock. I went into a shop to buy an oilskin cap, and he asked me to pay for one for him, which I did. I told him I was going to the fair, and he said he would go with me. He went home, and called at my lodgings about nine o'clock. We went up Limekiln Street, and on passing the "Newcastle Arms," I said it was late to go to the fair, and we went in. We remained there till twelve o'clock, when we left. I went with him to his father's house, which was shut up. Deceased said he could get in the back-way, and went round for that purpose. I waited about ten minutes, when not hearing any footsteps, I went home. I saw him at the brewhouse in the morning, and went with him to get shaved. We parted a little before ten o'clock, when I saw no difference in his manner. He was jocular as usual, and said good bye when we parted. Bush was at the "Newcastle Arms," and tried to quarrel with deceased, but I would not let them, and Bush left the room. We only had three or four pints of beer, and were quite sober.

The Coroner then commented at length on the evidence explaining the difference between felo de se  and insanity, after which the jury were left in consultation, and in about twenty minutes returned a verdict of "Temporary Insanity."

"Felo-de-se" is a Latin phrase meaning "evildoer upon himself," or "felon of himself", or, simply, a suicide. The crime was punishable by forfeiture of property to the king and what was considered a shameful burial – typically with a stake through his heart and with a burial at a crossroad. Burials for felo de se typically took place at night, with no mourners or clergy present, and the location was often kept a secret by the authorities. In England before 1870 a distinction was made between a suicide, which was the name given to an act of self-destruction committed by a person of unsound mind, and a felo-de-se, which was committed by somebody who was sane. A child or mentally incompetent person, however, who killed himself was not considered a felo de se and was not punished post-mortem for his actions. The term is not commonly used in modern legal practice.

The laws relating to felo de se also applied to someone who was killed, or who died by other causes whilst they were committing a crime or other malicious act - e.g. a burglar who got killed by a householder defending his own property.

Above information taken from Wikipedia and Cecil Adams of www.straightdope.com