Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1906-07-25
RUSSELL sage Dead
.RElRT,EAIlURE TAKES AWAY one
OF RICHEST hen In WORLD.
Veteran Financlsr Was Taking HE
First Vacation at Long island
Would Have Been 90 Years Old on
August +FuneraI Wsdnesday-Dl.
rector in Is Railway Companies.

Russell Sage died suddenly Sunday
at his country home, "Cedarcroft," at
Lawrence, L. I. The immediate cause
of death was heart failure, resulting
from a complication of diseases Incl
dent to old age. The veteran inan-
cier would have celebrated his 90th
birthday on August 4.
Mr. Sage had been in exceptionally
good health since his arrival at his
summer home about six weeks ago.
At noon Sunday he was seized with
sinking spell and collapsed, falling
into upconsciousness about two hours
before his death, which occurred at
4:3O o'clock.
The funeral services will be held on
Wednesday at the West Presbyterian
church. in West Forty-second street,
N. Y, of which Mr.. Sage had been a
member for many years. The inter-
ment will take place in Troy on Thurs
day. Mrs. Sage and her brother, Col
onel Slocum. are named as the execu-
tors Of Mr.. Sage's will.
1t is generally believed that Mr..
Sage's vast interests will not be Sc.
riously affected by his death. Several
times within the last few years ru-
mors have been set afoat of Mr..
Sage's death.
His Career.
Russell Sage, multi-millionaire and
Nestor of American financiers, was
born on August 4, 1916, in Verona.
Oneida county, New York, where his
parents, Eliza and Tendance Sage.
members of little colony Of pioneers
from Connecticut, had halted while on
their westward march in search Of a
homestead. At the age of IL Russell
Sage began his career as an errand
boy in the grocery store Of his brother
Henry in Troy. At the age Of % he
established a wholesale grocery of his
own in that place.
In 1857 the young merchant had &C.
cumulated a fortune of about half a
million-a great sum in those days
and began to retire from active busi-
ness. He had already Uecome inter
ested in railways, his first transaction
IF this character being loan to the
La Crosse Railroad company, which
led to further transactions, resulting
in his acquiring large interests in the
roads now forming the Chicago, Mil
waukee & st. Paul system, of which
he became vice president.
Enters Wall Street in 1866.
This determined Mr.. Sage to devote
his time in business in Wall street,
md in 1866 he opened his office there.
About that time he formed an associa-
Ition with Jay Gould, which continued
several years. In 1867 he originated
the present method of trading in
puts" calls" and "straddles," in
which he dealt later on a colossal
scale. When he purchased seat on
he New York stock exchange in 1874,
it provided that he never appear on
the floor of the exchange.
| Only once, 1t is said, did Mr.. Sage
experience tremendous loss, which
would have shaken another man, but
from which he emerged with conf
ience mistaken. From that memoir
,ble day in 1884, when the great fail.
ire of Grant & Ward was announced,
'esultipg in the loss to Mr. Sage of
,bout 100000 on a long line Of
puts" his operations necessitated .he
possession of vast amount of ready
capital, and Mr.. Sage always kept his
resources so well in hand that in any
emergency he was able to control al
most limitless funds.
at the time of death Mr.. Sage was
an officer and director in rs great rail-
-oad and telegraph corporations.
An incident occurred in Mr.. Sage's
'ffice at II Broadway on December l.,
1891. On that day he was visited by
Henry p. Norcross of Boston, a man Of
Unbalanced mind. who demanded an
immediate gift Of $1,200,000. When
the demand was refused, rorcross
lropped dynamite bomb on the floor
Fhe explosion, which decapitated Nor
cross. killed one Of the clerks and
wrecked the entire office. Mr.. Sage
vas only slightly injured by the ex-
plosion.
For many years Mr.. Sage occupied
turing the winter an old fasnioned
brown stone mansion at 506 Fifth ave
nue. from which he was reluctantly
compelled to move about four years
ago, owing to the invasion of com.
nerce. His summers were spent al
his country place at Lawrence, where
he died.