The Interments act of 1882 permitted to inter the culprit in a
churchyard or parish burial grounds, again without rites - though a
special kind of rite was allowed.
British law did not cross the ocean. Thus, William Penn included this
clause in the charter of privileges he granted to the inhabitants of
Pennsylvania:
"If any person, through temptation or melancholy, shall destroy
himself, his estate, real and personal, shall notwithstanding, descend
to his wife and children, or relations, as if he had died a natural
death."
http://www.lectlaw.com/def/f106.htm
http://3.1911encyclopedia.org/F/FE/FELO_DE_SE.htm
The "winter blues" are supposed to cause suicidal ideation. There is
even a mental health syndrome called Seasonal Affective Disorder,
supposedly alleviated by bright light therapy (therapy using
artificial sources emulating daylight).
But suicide rates are highest in the spring and summer months. They
are lowest in winter. The propensity to commit suicide INCREASES with
increasing hours of daylight. It is not correlated with any other
meteorological variable, such as rainfall or temperature.
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