The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-07-26
MRS. SAGE GETS ALL
Financier's Entire Estate, Save
One Small Bequest, Goes
to His Widow.
AMOUNTS TO seo,ooo,ooo

as Had Been Believed = Relatives,
Ignored In Will, to Make Contest.
Nothing Left to Charity = Body Is
Buried In Troy.
New York, July 26.-Every dollar of
Russell Sages great fortune is left to
Mrs. Sage by a will made in 1901 ex-
cept an Insignificant bequest made to
Mrs. Fannie Chaplin of Oneida, n Y,
an only sister, who died two years ago.
The will is to be read at the home
of Mrs. Sage at 632 Fifth avenue and
will be offered for probate Immediate
ly. The will undoubtedly will be con-
tested by the Troy relatives of Mr..
Sage, who will charge that the 1901
will was made after a mental break
down on the part of Mr. Sage and that
Mrs. Sage exerted undue influence over
him in the distribution of his wealth.
Nothing to Charity.
Not one dollar of the fortune is left
to charity. The only contribution Mr..
Sage ever made during his lifetime for
this purpose was when, after years
solicitation by Mrs. Sage, he contribut-
ed $4,000 to build wing of the Pres
byterian hospital, of which Mrs. Sage
was vice president.
The fortune of Mr. Sage, which was
popularity believed to be $1OO,0O000O
and even thought to be greater by the
best informed financial men of Wall
street, amounts to only about $60,00O,-
600.
The will made many years ago by
Mr.. Sage, which was generally believed
to be still in existence, was very brief,
covering a single page of manuscript,
gave to his wife what would legally
fall to her in the event he died without
making a will and they had no chill
dren.
Relatives Lose Million Each.
This would have given Mrs. Sage one
half of the personal property. The
other half would have been divided
equally among his next of kin. There
are twenty-siX of the next of kim
Each of them under the old will would
have received little more than ST.
100000.
The Troy relatives of Mr. Sage were
at the burial in Troy, but kept aloof
from the funeral party. There were
at the grave grandnephew of Mr..
Sage and his wife and Mrs. Gear, a
niece. The only relatives who were
communicated with by Mrs. Sage and
asked to attend the burial services
were Fremont Chaplin, Miss Helen
Chaplin and Mrs. Jennie Monroe, all
of Oneida. They are the sons and
daughters of Mr.. Sage's only sister,
Mrs. Fannie Chaplin
The lawyer who accompanied the
Troy relatives of Mr.. Sage announced
that unless these relatives were gen
erously remembered a contest of the
will would be Immediately inaugural
ed He said that he would be in this
city when Vthe will Is offered for pro-
bate He said that on behalf of the
Troy relatives of Mr.. Sage he had been
making careful investigation of the
later years of Mr.. Sage's life and had
found that he had been practically of
unsound mind for a considerable pc
riod.
Wouldn't Let Sage Talk.
He charged that Mrs. Sage had en-
ployed Thomas Reilly as personal
bodyguard of Mr.. Sage anu chat Reil-
ly accompanied him wherever he went
He went with him driving and accom-
panied him to and from his Office.
Reilly, the lawyer for the Troy rela-
tives declared, had strict injunctions
from Mrs. Sage to prevent Mr.. Sage
talking with anybody on any matter
between his home and his Office or at
any other time
He was particularly enjoineeA the
lawyer asserted, to prevent Mr.. Sage
talking with any of his relatives. He
says that Mr.. Sage was virtually
prisoner in the hands of Reilly for a
number of years before his death. .
The Troy relatives who contemplate
making the contest and who will be
obliged to do it to get any of the Sage
millions, as nothing has been left to
them, are the children of Mr.. Sage's
two brothers, Elisha M. Sage and VIII
liam c. Sage