FUR MANIFESTUS

fur manifestus (f<<schwa>>r man-<<schwa>>-fes-t<<schwa>>s). [Latin “manifest thief”]

Roman law. A thief caught in the act of stealing. • A fur manifestus could be put to death on the

spot in either of two circumstances: (1) if the theft occurred at night, or (2) if the thief used a lethal

weapon against the person who discovered the crime. Apart from this, the manifest thief was liable

to pay the owner four times the value of the stolen property. — Also termed manifest thief.[Blacks Law 8th]