Brooklyn Times-Union/1916/Charles Pilkington a Suicide

Charles Pilkington a Suicide. Separation from Wife Followed by Loss of $150 at the Mineola Fair Thought to Be Cause. Farmingdale, New York; September 29, 1916. Charles Pilkington, 29, committed suicide Tuesday night at his home on Conklin street, by inhaling gas. He had returned from the Mineola Fair saying he had lost or been robbed of $150, obtained from the sale of an automobile. This, with domestic troubles which resulted in his living apart from his wife for several weeks, is thought to have led him to suicide. He had received a letter from his wife, saying she would not live with him again. His son, Jarvis, 10, discovered his father's body. A letter is said to have been found explaining the suicide. Pilkington is survived by his widow formerly Miss Alice Lattin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis Lattin, of Isle of Pines, Cuba, and formerly of Farmingdale; two sons, Lester, 6, and Jarvis, and a brother, William. He was nephew of the late Mrs. John Allen and was brought up by her, with his brother. Funeral services will be held Saturday from the home, the Rev. Veddo Van Dyck officiating. Interment will be in Amityville Cemetery. Pilkington had worked in the signal maintenance division of the L.I.R.R. for the last five years, and was a member of the Protective Order of Signalmen of America, who sent a handsome floral offering.

Notes: $150 in 1916 would be the equivalent of $4,000 in 2021.