The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-07
TALK WITHRUSSELLSAGE
THE OWNER OF FIFTY MILLIONS ON
MONEY AND MONEY MAKING.
How He Made His Fortune. and Some
Philosophy of a millionaire.
Copyright. 1897 by Frank G. carpenter)

Va ~
Copyright. 1897. by Frank G. Carpenter)
NEW YORK. Feb 81 had an hours in
terview last Saturday with Russell Sage
in his private Office in the old rat-trap of g
building known as Il Broadway. Every one
has heard of Russell Sage. He is said to
be worth somewhere between fifty and one
hundred million dollars. He has more
money on call than any other man in New
York, and he is ready to loan million or
so at any moment on low interest, provided
he has good security. There are few men
living who have handled so much money as
he. Starting life poor boy, he was mil
lionaire way back in the sixties, and for
the past thirty years he has been turning
his millions over like a SNOWFALL gathering
more and more at every roll. Mr.. Sage is
one of the remarkable characters of this
century. He is now eighty, but he does
not look to be sixty years. All of this time
he has been in the very thick of things. He
was big money handler during the war.
and he has been associated with nearly
every great capitalist Of the past genera
ton. He and Jay Gould were hand in glove
in great enterprises. and he is a director in
road companies that it is said that his fees
for attending directors meetings would
make a good salary for an ordinary man.
1 have seen newspaper statements repre-
senting Russell Sage as an illiterate man.
I have not found him so: No one can be
with the biggest men of this country for
sixty years and not become educated. Mr..
Sage started in life with public school ed
ucation. At the age of twenty-five he was
elected as one of the aldermen of Troy,
and before he was forty he was one of the
most prominent members of Congress.
| Long before he was fifty he was worth
| million, and now, at eighty, he has as
| bright an eye and as quick mind as any
| of the men of half his age who borrow
money of him to play the great game which
Is always going on here among the Wall
| street gamblers.
MR.. SAGE'S OFFICE.
| 1 met Mr.. Sage in his office. His New
| York establishment looks more like a prison
| than the workshop of millionaire. 1t is
| to certain extent fertilization You re-
member how d crank came within an ace
| of blowing him into eternity with a dyna-
| mite bomb d couple of years ago, because
| Mr.. Sage would not write him out a cheek
| for million odd dollars. AS it was, he
was very badly hurt. Now, the average
millionaire, after such an attack, would
have given up business and retired from
danger. That, however, is not the kind of
| man Russell Sage is. AS soon as he re-
covered from his injuries he went back to
work, but he put some guards about him
| to keep off the cranks of the future. To-
| day you cannot walk into his office without
you are known. You cannot see him unless
| you have good credentials. My introduction
was through a letter from Mr.. Henry
| Clews, the famous Wall-street banker
| With this L climbed TO the second story or
1 Il Broadway and entered an office, upon
| the painted door of which were the words
| Russell Sage" Passing through this, l
| found myself in a narrow hall or cell, as 1t
| were, walled with boards TO "a point high
| above my head. Above these boards there
| was u lattcework of iron, almost as heavy
| as that which surrounds the bullion In the
| vaults of the United States treasury. There
| were two doors leading through the board
wall, but these L understand shut with a
| spring lock. In the wall there were two
| little holes guarded with brass bars. Stand
| ing before them, you can look in and see
the clerks who manage Mr.. Sages business.
| Through these holes is the only means of
| getting at Mr.. Sage. You present yourself
| at them, ard Mr. Sage's cashier, gray
| mustached young man, with a critical eye
| looks you over If he is very sure you are
| all right and that your business is of i'm
portance you are presented to Mr. Sage.
| This was what was done with me. The in
vestigation seemed to be satisfactory, and
few minutes later the door in the wall
was unlocked. l was conducted through
an ante-room and shown into the plain
but comfortably furnished private office of
the millionaire.
| HOW RUSSELL SAGE LOOKS.
AS 1 entered, d straight, wel-formed.
smooth-shaven man turned about from a
desk in one corner of the room. He rose
to his feet though his joints were well
oiled. and a pleasant smile came over his
grave features he told me that he could
give me few moments only and asked
me TO be seated. He did not look ut me at
all critically and during the talk he chat
ted with me as freely as though there was
not an Anarchist in the world. Though he
told me that he could see me for but a few
moments, / remained with him for more
than an hour, while brokers and other
business men were waiting outside. lie
became interested in the conversation, and
then leaned over and tapped me on the
knee as he laughed over some story of his
career or became especially interested in
some subject he discussing.
My first question was as to his health and
how he managed at eighty to keep SC
young and bright The old millionaire
laughed az he replied:
Il don't know how L do il, hut i am here
six hours of the day six days of every
week. year in and year out. My good
health i'm old age is, l think, largely due
to temperance | sleep from seven tC
eight hours every night. and l don't allow
myself to be dragged about TO dinners an,
clubs. When | first came to New York
was persuaded into joining the Unio:
League Club and | was member Of 1t fol
years. 1 never attended more than two OIL
three dinenrs there, however, and | seldom
went TO the clubrooms. Then my friend.
wanted me to give up my membership t.
some one else | was asked TO sell il. Yol
see there were n number of men who
wanted TO get i'm. and / could have go
as much as 500 for it, But | told then
that | did not want To make money tina
way, and that | would hold the member
shin until il ran out This | did.
speaking of money making. Mr. Sage
how did you get your start? How did you
| a ,R 1olr