The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-05

and did not know what to do. I remember
making my way through the passage, from
which the explosion had blown the door. into
the main ofilce. There / met Sage blood drip
ping down his face and hands his clothes torn
and rent and covered with dirt and dust When
he saw me he said: '.How shall we get out?''
"Wait, replied. "until this dust settles and 1
think we will be all right, as the worst must be
over" Then l recovered my senses and taking
him by the arm, led him down the stairway
into the street
Among the debris in the wrecked offices
was found the remains of silk hat. evi-
IDENTIFY worn by the man who gave the
name of Wilson, and in one corner of
Sage's private Office, where James was sit
ting alone at the time of the explosion,
mans hand was found.
Washington E. Connor was in his office
in the Broadway front of the building and
on the same floor as Sage, when the ex-
p.osion came. Connor was out of the
building among the first, and assisted Sage
to the drug store.
The coroner made an examination of the
mangled remains of the man found in
Sage's office, and from the mangIed mass
of flesh and clothing took seven-chamber
bulldog revolver. This was all that could
be found by which Identification could be
made. What was left of the body was
laid out in an undertaker's office on Green
wich street. 1t was not much. The head
was there, blackened, but neither cut nor
distigured in any way. 1t was cut off of
the neck, and looked for all the
world like the mask of man 35 or 40
years old, with full beard that might
have been long. but was now burned
close A q oh 1b
was leg. the right, the left foot one
hand, and that was all. The body proper
was gone. Neither chest nor abdomen
was found. Shreds of clothing were
found, showing that the man had worn
trousers of blue black plaid, black over
coat and long black stocking. that might
have started the story that woman's leg
was found. He had been careful to rid
himself of everything that might disclose
his identity. His name had been written
in the bag, but he had cut it out with
knife. Sage made this statement to In
spector Byrnes this evening:
came out of my office, having been sent for,
and found man with a satchel. He handed me
a card bearing the name of II. d. Wilson. He
said he came from J. d. Rockefeller, and handed
me written letter in a sealed envelope. 1t
addressed to me. found it was a demand upon
me for the payment OF $l,250,000. The letter
stated that Ii the money was not given up at
once to the presenter of the letter he would
blow me, himself and the entire Office up with
dynamite. I read the letter and, placing it in
an envelope, handed il back to him and turned
to go into my private office, when the explosion
occurred.
Coroner Messmer went to the Chambers
street hospital and took the ante-mortem
statement of Frank Roberts, an employe
of Imbrie & Co. He said he went to Sage's
office to get some shares of stock. He saw
man talking to Sage very attentively.
The man held out what seemed like pis-
tol. 1t glittered and he put it IN his right
hand overcoat pocket. Roberts knew
nothing more until he yelled murder. He
heard the explosion, and everybody yelled
murder.
Russell Sage, jr., said that of late Mr..
Sage had received three or four threaten
ing letters signed James Walsh. In one
of them the writer demanded 81, 100000.
What amount the others called for
Sage could not say. The recent troubles
between President Andrews, of the New
York Steam Heating Company, and the
Standard Gaslight Company, now come
into play in the case. A large part of the
stock in dispute belonged to the widows
Spinola and Mannheim. These women,
Walsh said in his letters, he was about to
marry. He therefore demanded money to
put him on their financial level. Sage
paid no attention to him. Jay Gould was
also attacked in letters and denounced in
abusive terms. The writer threatened
Sage's life but no attention was paid to it,
as all who knew about the letters believed
him ''harmless crank" to use Young
Sage's own words.
Several years ago he attempted to kill
man who had asked for money to set him
up in business. On another occasion, when
W. ]. Arkell was in Albany, Wilson made
demand on him, threatened to kill him.
and even attempted to assault him in his
own office. He also threatened the life of
Goodwin Brown, one of the state lunacy
commissioners. Wilson was arrested here
about year ago for threatening to kill
some one.
Russell Sage saw the head of Wilson, the
man who threw the bomb and Identifies
it as belonging to the man who came to
the Office and demanded money. In
spector Byrnes took the ghastly, CORY
head in basket, and, together with
Mum, carried it to Mr.. Sage's bedroom.
The instant the magnate, who was lying
in bed, saw the countenance he said:
That's the head of the man."