Pauline was born about 1866 in Germany to parents Ernest and Albertine Ulrich. The Ulrich family started changing their name to Ullary after emigrating to Canada in 1868 and records alternate between the two surnames. Pauline was single in the 1881 census. She married McNab Township farmer Robert Scheel in 1883. Pauline and Robert had two children, Earnest Scheel and Pauline Scheel. In 1890 Pauline, then aged 24, committed suicide by taking poison. A year later her husband married Pauline's younger sister Lizzie Ulrich.
Translated from Latin as Felon of Himself/Herself, Felo de Se was an ancient legal term for suicide. Also known as self-murder it became a crime in thirteenth century England. The church regarded self-murder as a mortal sin. Those committing the crime of Felo de Se were refused Christian burials. They were dumped in an open pit dug at a crossroads then had a wooden stake driven through the heart. The Crown confiscated the felon's property often leaving grieving family members penniless. This cruel history of a misunderstood act of desperation left lasting impressions. As society became more enlightened with increased access to information and advances in medicine, laws changed. By 1870 the British government could no longer seize a deceased's property. However, it was still a crime and concealment by families was common.
In 1890 Pauline Ulrich Scheel's family chose a surprisingly modern way of dealing with their tragedy. They notified a newspaper. From the Arnprior Chronicle Deaths, p.1 Oct 31, 1890. "In 1890, Mrs. Robert Scheel of McNab Twp. After taking poison by mistake."
No doctor had been called. The family didn't report the death, except to the newspaper. On Nov. 10, 1890 Rev. John Stampf, the Baptist Minister, reported the death to the government. Pauline Scheel, age 24, death 25 Oct 1890. Cause: Suicide by Taking Poison.
From The Canadian Encyclopedia.ca: "Suicide is usually the result of a combination of factors, including addiction and mental illness (especially depression), physical deterioration, financial difficulties, marriage breakdown and lack of social and medical support." Canada decriminalized suicide in 1972.
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