The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-08-10
ANECDOTES OF THE
LATE RUSSELL SAGE

An incident occurred in Mr. Sage
| office at Il Broadway on December 4
| 1891. on that day ne was visited b,
Henry P. Norcross OF Boston, MAJ
of unbalanced mind, who demanded al
immediate gift of 200 900. When the
demand was refused Norcross dropped
a dynamite bomb on the floor. The ex-
plosion decapitated Norcross, killed one
of the clerks and wrecked the entire
office. Mr.. Sage was only slightly in
jured by the explosion.
| For many years Mr.. Sage occupied
! brownstone mansion at SOC Fifth ave-
nue.. from which he was reluctantly
compelled to move about four years
ago, owing to the invasion of COM
merce. His summers We're spent at the
country place at Lawrence where he
died.
In order to make one-three-hundredth
of l per cent on money he had loaned
Russell Sage, on November %. 1904. up
set all Wall street. Stocks broke and
tumbled in ten minutes, rates of inter-
est We're shifted suddenly, the Stock
Exchange went mad, and after finan-
ciers had poured millions into the mar
ket to bolster it UP and the usual rou-
tine was recovered the aged financier
sat back, contented that he had come
out just s55555 richer than when he
started the panic.
Sage had called in his money. which
had been out at per cent. Ten min
utes or so later he loaned $40, 600 900 at
A Vol
what game he was playing and cold
chills went down brokers and bankers
backs until the mystery was solved.
Sage was a sort of barometer for
many stocks Every time he was re-
ported i'll the effect was apparent on
quotations and the street became agi-I
tated. When the f1nancier cut his
working day to three hours and was
attended by physician in his office |
and to and from his work wild rumors |
of approaching collapse were circu- |
lated. Yet ii is a notable fact, at |
tested by Mr. Sage himself, that on |
his birthday, whether stories of I'LL
ness were rife or not, the holdings he
had always rose and his luck in the |
great game was remarkable.
The tenacious love which Mr.. Sage
bore toward his business was illustrat-
ed on November Il, 1903 when he suf-
erred severe bilious attack The !
Jeteran money lender went as usual to
lis office with physician. He reached
here before Change opened and sat
n an easy chair all day. Near him the
ECKER chartered, but he did not scan
he tape. Around him clerks were
,usy. But he did not work. He could
carcely live away from the rush and
oar he had known all his life, could
lot sever the bonds even for lit
lie While when ill., AS the last quo
alton was jotted on the tape and the
ECKER operator gave good night
age arose, put on his hat mechanical
Y and went home. He was greatly
that night.
The first thing Russell Sage did on l
is eigl1ty-sevensh birthday, which :
ell in 1908, was to attend a meeting I
the board of directors of the I'M
orters and Traders Bank. He sat
tolidly through the short session and
ocketed with alacrity the SO gold
iece always given to the members as
.es on such occasions. Then he went
, 195 Broadway and ate luncheon at
he expense of the Western Union
Company, which he had
one since the Civil War. He then
de uptown on the IL road, ex- II
lifting his pass to the ticket chop
ar. On personal expenses he,ayas Just :
O ahead on the day. II