Arizona republican., 1902-11-08

bcryc,w from MT. Sage regularly and are glad to do 90. It is noteworthy that the enormous business he does is conducted in two small rooms in the Bank of Commerce building. one O: which is used by his cashier and clerks. The other, where the loans are made, the securities taken and exchanged an6 the checks fer the loans gwen and re oeived is divided into two comcart- nonts no bigger than a good sized dog kennel, with a boarded-oT space rine feet by four in size for the customers, waiting brokers clerks, etc.
 Doing such an immense cash loan business. MT. Sages bank account is
 CT Couse, a pretty large one, but it is said that it is not a very profitable ac- count to the bank in which it is kcCt As a director Of the Importers and Traders National bank, he naturally Goes nost of his business with that institution. He was a director e. the Mercantile Trust company years ago, and then he kept an account there Two reasons have been given for his retirement from it's directorate. One was that he had a personal difference with a fellow director. The ether was ton with his account. The management could never tell when they could use any ot his balance, all though they allowed him per cent upCn it. because, while he might, and frequently had, $5.OG0CO0 or SS,GO0, ,O0c or more to his credit in the morning it could net be told with any degree O. certainty whether he would have ST. c00,c00 there at night or net. This, of course. will ba better appreciated by bankers than by the general public, but it illustrates very well one feature Of MT. GaSe's shrewdross.
 Only cnce ia the memory Of the pres ent generation was MT. Sage Known to set caught in Wall street. and that was in the famous panic of 1884. In 1872 he originated the selling of privileges, known as puts" and "cal.s' and
 'straddles." He dealt he 1ily in them. and made great Gea..l. money th2rc
 by, and was known as the king of that business. At the time of the Grant Ward isilurc, however, his habitua goo1 judgment and coc,ness apparently deserted him, and the result was that he lost. it is said, between $6.O0O. .OC0 O. SGC00 coo Gs the result O. his deals. Stories were told at the time Of hoy he barricaded himself in his office wSen the demands poured ia upon him for the redemption Of the privileges ne ha@ sold. He met the demands, hcXev1r with promptness, paying cash on tA7 spot, and it is believed that within year he had more than recovered all his losses. Since that time he is said to have dealt much in privilege, c--c ciallly in ''straddlss."
 Such is Russell S75e as the present generation knows him from a business point of view. But he has lived eighty-five years. and has seen nearly three generations in Wall street and was contemporary Of Q hest of men famous in politics as well as in finance who have long since passed to their rest. It may be difficult for the pres ent generation to think of Mir. Sage a g anything else than money lender, ia nous for his wealth, his penuricusness, as exhibited in his raiment (which is not at all equal tc what his purse could buy), and ia varioC3 other parsimo- nious habits. And yet Mir. Sage has had most distinguisehd career. has on several occasions in his early life received the suffrages of his fellow citizens for high political offices, and i1 all respects, according to the few L-sc-l i~ I-iIleIlDts nm al that tune, he depCrtcd himself in those days as a man who cared for the respect not to say admira ,ion of his fellow men; was subject to the tender passion the same as other men, as witness the fact that he has been twice married. and that while it is not recorded of him that he had any children, yet it is said of him, even at this day that he is fond O. children and children's prattle. and has always enjoyed. as he enjoys i today. good horse and keenly relishes drive behind a pair of fast trotters, which is believed to be his only lux ury. He is ah5temious in his habits, does not drink or smoke, but loves fruit. Cver-inGulgence in which, by the way, was the cause of his recent ill., ness, an extravaganza. however, that he is not likely to repeat if Mrs. Sage has anything to say on the subject New York Commercial Advertiser.