Elisha G. Lindsey ¹⁰⁸²

   Cause of his death was suicide by shooting.

Lewiston Evening Journal
Lewiston, Maine
March 7, 1891
p.1

SUICIDE IN PORTLAND

A Runner for a Boston Firm Found Dead In His Room at the Preble House

Portland, Me., March 7 -- E.G. Lindsey, a middle aged runner for Allen, Shapleigh & Co., proprietors of the Oriental Tea Co., Boston, shot himself at the Preble House during the night and was found dead Saturday morning. The bullet from the revolver entered an eye and caused instant death. He left a letter to the landlord requesting that his wife at Biddeford be notified and how his body should be disposed of. The probable cause is that he was short in his accounts, a letter and two telegrams from the firm being found on him asking for money he had collected and ordering him to report at Boston without delay.

*****
Lewiston Evening Journal
Lewiston, Maine
March 7, 1891
p.8

E.G. LINDSEY'S DEATH

His Employers Say He Was Perfectly Honest and They Had No Idea of Discharging Him

Boston, March 7 -- E.G. Lindsey, who committed suicide in Portland, Friday night, owed the Oriental Tea Co. but $300. He wrote a letter to the company, Friday, giving a detailed account of his deficiency and asking leave to resign.

He incidentally said that his death would bring $3,000 life insurance to his family. The firm says he was perfectly honest but somewhat careless in the use of money and that they had no idea of discharging him.

*****
Lewiston Evening Journal
Lewiston, Maine
March 9, 1891
p. 1

PITCH DID IT

Runner Lindsey the Victim of the Gambling Mania -- Had Been Playing All Night For Several Nights -- And Had Lost Some of His Firms Money With His Own

Bangor (Me.), March 9 (Special) -- E.G. Lindsey who shot himself Friday night or Saturday morning in the Preble House in Portland died a victim to the gambling mania. He is well known here. He arrived Tuesday in company with several other commercial men, and on the way played 'pitch' on the train at a quarter a corner. During the game he told an acquaintance he had been at the game all the previous night and had been a heavy loser. After his arrival, he joined a party in a game keeping it up all night; he attended to his work the next day and Wednesday night he again joined in a game which also lasted until morning. He lost, all the while, as he played boldly, even to recklessness which in the light of later events shows that it was with him a desperate move where in he was trying to win enough to enable him to forward a remittance to his firm.

Lindsey was well liked here, and among some of his acquaintances it has been known for some time he was in a tight place financially. But he rarely drank and was considered very honorable, herefore he has had but little difficulty getting such assistance as he has asked for.

His method of concealing his shortage as as follows: He would get some friend here to let him have a check for say $500, in return for which he would pay in $300 in which which he had collected for his firm and then give his personal check for $200. The $500 check he would forward to the house, asking his friend here to hold his check a couple of days, during which time he would make new collections, which he would place to his own credit to make good his own check. He has done this many times, failing only once to care for his own paper. On this occasion, his check for $225 was returned with a statement there were no funds to his credit, but he soon after wrote, stating it was a mistake, and later paid every cent.

When he left town, he also left most of the cash he had brought with him and some collections made here as well, in the pockets of the men who had set in with him at the game. He must have gone almost directly to Portland, where he received word to report to his firm, and save for an as yet unexplained circumstances, he would have probably been alive today. It is clear that one hundred dollars would have saved his life, and the strange part of it all is that while my informant says he would have let him have five hundred dollars had he asked for it, and knew a number of people in Biddeford, Saco and Bangor who would have willingly assisted him, yet Lindsey did not seem to know where to get even one hundred dollars. With the nervousness upon him consequent upon three nights at the game, with little or no sleep, and the pangs of his conscience, it is quite likely he did not reason or else dreaded to expose himself by explanations.

He has a brother who is a commercial traveler too, and this brother was due in Bangor the day he left. He comes with great regularity, but this last week he missed the first time for many months. It is learned from Portland he wired this brother here, asking him in the most urgent terms to send him one hundred dollars at once, and receiving no answer, reposted the request with the same result. The brother was not here, and at the time Lindsey was making up his mind to take his life, these mute appeals were in the rack at the hotel here. It is easy to see now how not hearing from the brother who he thought certainly had the telegrams, and thinking he was not inclined to aid him, he grew still more desperate and later took his life

Mention was made in the Journal some weeks ago regarding the growing mania for this game of pitch. It is played everywhere -- on the cars, in hotels, in saloons and club houses, and so great has grown the evil that the Maine Central Road, in order to get the attention of their men from it, are taking vigorous measures to suppress it. It is said there are certain stations upon the line where the employees have been in the habit of gathering Saturday nights and Sundays, surely for the purpose of joining in the game. This has been strictly forbidden. It has penetrated the lumber camps where men having no ready money use checkers made from [--?--] and marked with their initials, in lieu of ten cent pieces, to be redeemed when the men are paid off. So far as it is known, Lindsey is the first man to give up his life in the game.

  Events

• He worked as a sewing machine agent/traveling sales man.

• He appeared on the census in 1860 in Carroll, Penobscot County, Maine. He lived in the household of his parents.

• He appeared on the census in 1870 in Carroll, Penobscot County, Maine. He lived in the household of his parents.

• He appeared on the census in 1880 in Lisbon, Androscoggin County, Maine. He was single and lived as a boarder in the home of Wentworth P. Jordan.

• He appeared residing at 4 Main St. and 270 Union, corner Thirteenth, in 1885-1886, at Bangor, Penobscot County, Maine.

• He appeared residing at house 11 Union, in 1890-1891, at Biddeford, York County, Maine.