The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-13
Revived Stories of Russell Sage.


millionaire's career than Giovanni P.
Morosirli, the banker, once the business
associate of Jay Gould. says the New
/ York American.
Seated Monday on the big veranda of
ais magnificent country PLACE IN River
qeep scar won in his fights under Carl
baldi. recalled the days when Sage, then
business partner of Gould, occupied of
flces adjoining his in No. Il Broadway.
The death of Mr.. Sage brings to my
mind the escape he had from death in
1888 1t is recalled the more vividly,
sald MT Morosini, because at the time
of the bomb explosion l nearly lost my
own life. Look. here on my hand is the
| scar that a piece of glass made as il
struck me when the explosion occurred.
L was sitting in my office with only a
partition wall between me and the room
on my desk were thousands of dollars in
bills. Suddenly l heard great noise,
and the wall caved in and fell in every
direction. | ducked my head, and my
roller top desk saved my life. / rushed
to the window, thinking the building
was giving away.
"A tremendous crowd had gathered in
the street. and as | stepped out upon the
window coping and looked down, | saw
| them carrying Russell Sage into the
drug store. Someone in the crowd recOS-
nized me and shouted. Speech Morosini!
speech! Imagine such a remark at such
/
Finding the building was safe, ! hur-
rled back, gathered UP the money and
pushed my way into the room where the
dead anarchist had lain. on every side of
which was the wreck of the explosion.
Il do not believe that Russell Sage
ever felt his life TO be free from danger
from that day.
MIR. Sage was counted by Wall street
solely because of his money. He could
always be relied on for ready cash His
stlnSiness has not been exaggerated. His
tree lunch habit was proverbial. He was
fond Of eating, but he took 20-cent
luncheOnS because he did not want to
spend more. He ate heartily enough of
the luncheons which Gould provided
1T was through his love of cucumber
salad that | once was able to make him
wnen nothing else upon earth would
have gotten him away from his desk.
Gould had a man from Kansas with
whom he had been trying for days TO
close a big deal The day arrived and
the man came. but the hitch was with
Sage. He persistently refused TO leave
his desk to sign the papers. Gould saw
the deal was about to fall through and
he appealed to me to get Sage into the
office,
% Tell him I'm too busy was all Sage
would SOY. Gould then winked and said
Get him in here. MOrosin' That wink
meant diplomacy. / thought hard for
Why on earth don't you come in?' /
said to Sage, the luncheon is in there
waiting piping hot and the cucumber
salad-why, the very smell of 1t makes
my mouth water
THAT did the business. Down went the
papers and in Mr. Sage rushed. Where
is the luncheon, GOuldY he asked precpi-
lately. Just minute, Mr.. Sage; this
is Mr.. Blank of Kansas and we want to
get that little deal closed. Just sign
your name
Sage, impatient at the delay over the
salad, hastily took the pen and signed.
Then he walked into the inner office for
the luncheon. He came out perturbed,
according to Mr.. Gould, and l quickly
got out of the way.
Gould had quite a time pacifying
was done, the papers signed. Gould
afterward laughed heartily at the joke.
During the Columbian Centennial
celebration here in 1892 / bought five
tickets for the banquet at the Lyceum.
extra one and gave it to Mr.. Sage.
What q lot of money to pay for one
meal he said I never in all my life
have been to anything like that, but I'm
lily of. every wine that was served.
Toward the end of the evening he got
what the boys call Joyous and spec
tacular jag. and he sang to the top of
Ills VOICE anu was ditOStblicI Hdppy anu
hilarious. That was the only time I
ever heard of him attending anything
like that. He told me the next day |
that his head felt about ten times too /,
big for his hat"
During the Memphis yellow fever |
epidemic said Mr.. MorOsini, Mr.. Gould |
had subscribed $1,000, and nearly everyone /
else in the district contributed gener- |
ously. Sage, as usual, did not give a sou. |
Some wag started the report that Mr.. /
Sage was going to sing The Star Span
gled Banner on the steps Of the stock ex-
change at O'Clock that day for the bene-
fit Of the fund. 1t got into the afternoon
papers and huge crowd filled the street
Sage did not see the papers, and at
o clock-the hour he left the Office-he
started down the street, and was amazed
at the mob.
What is all this about?' he asked.
Why, aren't you going TO render
THE Star Spangled Banner" on the
stock exchange steps? was asked.
We'll, Sage was piping hot. but the
next day he, too, saw the humOr in the
joke, and l believe afterward was wont
to tell it on himself"