Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1889-12-28
sAee,s RIGHTEOUSNESS.
A Few Anecdotes Illustrating His close
ness in Money MATTERS.

| A Few Anecdotes illustrating His close.
in Money Matr.rs.
Probably there are some stories cur
! rent up in Troy, whore Russell Sage
/ comes from, that have not reached New
! York. but the New York ones have been
/ rehearsed over and over again, and il
! is only just to the old man to say that
! in these frequent rehearsals they have
! gradually become exaggerated out OF
all resemblance to the truth. He is
! genial and kindly enough, but, so far
as his economical eccentricities are
/ concerned, there is so much truth to be
/ told that nobody need depart from it
| in order to be picturesque. His bust
| ness relations with various clothiers in
the city have doubtless given rise to
many anecdotes, and even his Wall
/ street dealings. Wash Conner tells
how he was getting through a side
street one day in the summer time in
company with Mr.. Sage on his way to
| the pier of the Iron Steamboat Com
pany, when Mr.. Sage's eagle eye was
attracted by the sight of some light
summer vests in the window of small
tailor shop. very conspicuously and at
tructively labeled one dollar each. The
eyes of the old gentleman with $50, 00O,-
600 twinkled with excitement, and he
disappeared inside the shop. and when
he overlook Mr.. Conner again at the
pier he had two of the vests with him,
and had left a two-dollar bill in the
tailor shop referred to.
He used to deal a great deal with a
popular priced clothier on Broad way,
who kept an attractive assortment of
81 pants and coats and vests, which
sold from SO to $15 for a combination.
And he probably would have been
dealing with him yet if a serious acct
dent had not happened something after
the following fashion: After one pur-
chase that Mr.. Sage made there he
found that the trousers were rather
long, and that, in consequence, they
would wear t much sooner than they
had any business to do. With the pru-
dence and thrift, therefore, which
characterized him, he required to an
older pair for immediate use and sent
the bran-new ones back to the shop
with instructions to have them short
ened. When he sent them back, how
ever, he sent back with them $40 or
t45 in 81 bills in what is usually known
as the pistol pocket, and curiously
enough, did not discover his loss until
he had reached home that evening,
long after the clothing store, of course,
had put up it's shutters, and any posi-
bility of getting at the proprietOrs was
gone. Next morning, however, bright
and early, he was on the ground, and
having explained the circumstances.
the clerk made inquiry, and discovered
that the workman into whose hands
/ the trousers had been put had, Of
course, found the money in question,
and promptly and honestly turned it
over to the foreman. Mr.. Sage was
naturally very profuse in his thanks,
and on leaving the store left 80 cents
on the counter as a reward for the
workman who had found the $45.
The clothiers thought that the re-
ward was not sufficient, and somehow
or other couldn't overcome the inclina-
ton to fall into line with dozens and
dozens of people who have told stories
about Mr.. Sage. With a singular lack
Of consideration for an old time GUS
toner they made an advertisement out
of the story and paid for the advertise
ment, and it stirred the old gentleman
up considerably. The privilege brokers
down in his office said that they
couldn't do any business with him for
two or three days he was so Grabbed
and cross-grained. They cOuldn't get
him to make bid, a put or call on
paper Of any kind whatever. but, Of
course, in a few days he forgot
all about it. In the meantime
he explained several times to news
paper men. who were in the habit
of coming into his Office, that he
thought the reward entirely sufficient
He contended that he had not lost the
money in the street. 1t was in a pair
of trousers which he had left with a
reputable clothier, and even if he had
not been at the clothier's store bright
and early the next morning to claim
his property he was entitled to believe
that when the trousers came home
after being shortened that the forty
five dollars would be found exactly in
the place where he had left them. 1t
was certainly rather novel and in
penious view of the circumstances, and
perhaps after all the old gentleman
was right.-Boston Herald.