The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-07-23
Veteran Financier of New York Passes Away at His Country Home at
 Lawrence, L. l.
HEART FAILURE THE CAUSE
FOLLOWS COMPLICATION OF DISEASES DUE TO OLD AGE.

would Have Celebrated His Ninetieth Birthday August 4--Had Been in Ex- ceptionaIly Good Health Since His Arrival at His Summer Place About Six Months AgO--seized with Sinking Spell at Noon Yester- day and Collapsed Rapidly Falling Into UnconsciOusness Two Hours Tater-His Remarkable Career.
 New York, July 22.-Russell Sage died suddenly to-day at his country home ''Cedarcroft, at Lawrence, L. l. The immediate cause of death was heart failure resulting from a complication of diseases incident to old age. The vet eran ffnancier would have celebrated his .ninetieth birthday August 4. MT. Sage had been in exceptionally good health since his arrival at his summer home about six months ago. At noon to-day he was seized with sinking spell and collapsed rapidly falling into unconsciousness about two hours before his death, which occurred at 4;SO clock.
 There were present at the end Mrs. Sage. her brother, Colonel Slocum, the Rev. Dr. Robert Leech, Dr. Theodore s. Janeway of New York, Dr. J. Carl schmuck, a local physician, and pr. John P. Num- for many years MT. sage's family physician, who was sum- rloned from New York when the first alarming symptoms were manifest.
 The funeral services will be held on Wednesday at the West Presbyterian church in West 42d street, of which MT Sage had been a member for many years. The illterment will take place in Troy on Thursday.
 Mrs. Sage and her brother, Colone Slocun, are named as the executors ot MT. Sage's will.
 It is generally believed that MT sage's vast interests will not be seri- ously affected by his death. Severa times within the last few years ru- mors have been set atioat of Mir. Sage's death. On one occasion in June, 1899 Mir. Sage said:
 "I suppose somebody wanted to make a little money by affecting stock values and they hit on this old trick" Asked if stocks had been much affected, h( answered:
 T understand not. The properties ir which I am interested cannot be. seri- tously affected by my death"
 sHis Remarkable Career.
 ; Russell Sage, multi-millionaire and Nestor of American financiers, was fiborn on August 4, 1916, in the little hamlet of Verona, Oneida county, N. Y., where his parents, Elisha and Pen- \ dence Sage, members of a little com pany of pioneers from Connecticut had halted while on their westward march in quest of a homestead. The family decided to settled in Oneida county lAt the age of twelve young Russell began his career as an errand boy in the grocery store of his brother, Hen- ny, in Troy, IN. Y. He was quickly advanced to the post of salesman, and at the age of twenty-two established a wholesale grocery of his own at No 139 River street. Troy.
 He soon became one of the promln- ent merchants of the town and lead CT in politics. He was a whig, and il 1S45 was elected to his first office a' an alderman, later becoming county treasurer. He was delegate to thu national whig convention in 1S4S anC in 1858 was elected to congress iron Troy, serving two terms.
 Tn 1857 the young merchant had ac quired a fortune estimated at almos half a million dollars, a vast amour in those days, and determined to re tire from active business life He had however, already become interested il railroads, his first transaction of thi character being loan to the LaCross Railroad company which led to furthe transactions, resulting in his acquiring large interests in the roads now form ing the Chicago, Milwaukee and St Paul system, of which he became vic president. This determined MT. Sag to devote his future energies to oper ations in Wall street, and in 1863 h opened his first office in New York,
 About this time he became intimat with Jay Gould, with whom he forme an association which continued fo many years.
 About 1872 MT. Sage originated tn system of trading in ''puts" ''calls and "straddles,'' in which he continue ito deal thereafter on a colossal scale While he purchased a seat in the Ne7 York stock exchange in 1874, it is be lieved that he never appeared on tn floor of the exchange. He rarely ir cured any of the tremendous risk which tempted his associates, and fol lowing his own prudent methods wit perfect coolness, even in periods ( widest excitement, he made his wa with almost unvarying success frol
 lContinued on Second Page.)