The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-05

IDENTIFY worn By the man who gave his name
as Wilson, and In one corner of Mr.. Sage 8
private office. where Mr.. James was sitting
alone at the time of the explosion. man 8
hand.
Mr. Washington L. Conner was in HE
Office, on the Broadway front of the build
ing. and on the same floor with Mr.. Sage,
when the explosion came. Mr.. Conner was
out OF the building among the first, and
assisted Mr.. Sage to the drug store. Within
half an hour afterward he had opened q
jnew office, Just across Broadway, and as
transacting business all day. As Mr.. Sage
was being led through the lower hall of the
building. into the street, he said: 1t IS q
dynamite explosion, and they meant it for
us this time"
MR.. SAGE'S SECOND STATEMENT.
Russell Sage made the following state
ment to Inspector Byrnes this evening:
Il came out of my office. having been sent
satchel. He handed me card bearing the
name of II. p. Wilson. He said he came
from John ID. Rockefeller. and at the same
time handed me typewriter letter in o
sealed envelope. 1t was addressed to me.
/ opened it and found that it was a demand
upon me for the payment of a million and a
quarter dollars. The letter stated that If
the money was not given up at once to the
presenter of the letter that he would blow
me, himself and the entire office up with
dynamite. l read the letter, and, placing
1t in the envelope. handed it back to him,
and turned to 60 into my private Office
when the explosion occurred"
Coroner MESSENGER went to the Chambers
street Hospital and took the ante-mortem
statement of Frank Robertson. nineteen
years old. an employe of w. NJ. Imbre 81
Co.: stock brokers. at No. So Broadway. He
said: About 1880 o'clock went over to
Mr.. Russell Sage's office. No. II Broadway,
with check to get one hundred shares of
burlington ~ Quincy stock. l saw man
talking very attentively to Mr. Sage. The
latter seemed to shun him. The man pulled
out what looked like a pistol. 1t all gilt
tered, and he put il in his right-hand over
coat pocket / knew nothing more until
called murder. l heard an explosion. and
every body yelled murder. The explosion
the glittering object in his pocket The
man had a high silk hat. light brown side
whiskers. was about thirty ght years old.
wore black Overcoat, and was well
dressed, He was alone. and had @ square
satchelv
The story of the plot on Mr.. Sage's life
goes far back. Russell Sage, jr.. talked
freely about IT. He said that of late Mr..
Sage had received three or four threatening
letters. signed by one J James Walsh In one of
them the writer demanded 8, 100000. Why
that sum Mr.. Sage could not say. The re-
cent troubles between President Andrews,
of the New York Steam Heating Company,
and the Standard Gas-light Company now
came 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 Mr.. Sage
paid no attention to him. Mr.. Jay Gould
was also attacked in the letters and de-
nounced in abusive terms. The writer
threatened Mr.. Sages life, but no attention
was paid to it, as all who knew about the
letters believed him to be harmless
crank" to quote Russell Sage. jr.'s own
words. The result is known. and Mr.. Sage
has been made an object of the dynamite
fie nd.