Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-07-27

At that time he was interested in the
affairs Of the Wabash and the Union Pa
cific, and he and Jay Gould then began
friendship which only ended with the
death Of Mr.. Gould. While Mr.. Gould
lived Mr.. Sage counted the day lost if
he did not spend an hour with Mr.. Gould
at the luncheon provided by the directors
of the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany He and Mr.. Gould had pews in
| the Presbyterian church in Forty-second
street, over which Rev. John Il. Paxton
presided.
Always Had Millions Ready
! He was considered to be the largest
stakeholder in the Importers and Trad
ers' National bank, and it has always
been said by Mr.. Sage's intimates that
he could produce $3O,OO0,00O in cash at
an hours notice. Although a member of
| the New York stock exchange for years
he scarcely ever put foot upon the floor
| He joined the exchange on January %
| 1874. His fortune of $4O,000,OO0 or
$50. 100000 was constantly added to by
dividends and interest, rather than by
! SpeculatiOnS in stock. He was q great
! lender of money to bankers and brokers.
and most of the hours in his business
day were devoted to rolling up wealth in
! this way and to attending the meetings
| of directors. 1t has been said that his
fees as q director would make a com
Portable competency for the average citi-
zen. Up to the last day of his life he
was interested in a modest way in puts
and calls, although from that hot day in
June, 1884, when he was reported to
have lost 100000, he gradually cur
! tailed that branch of his business.
Marries Second Time
! Mr.. Sage had lived in New York but
Q few years when his wife died. The
| blow almost Frustrated him. and it was
| time before ta no En1l
| Of finance. For years he continued to
| devote his entire time to business, with
neither family nor children. Eventually
he married Miss Marguerite Olivia Slo-
| cum, who survives him.
During the last decade of his career
| Mr. Sage's dealings in puts and calls
were comparatively small, though there
| was time when his transa ctiOns in
these privileges amounted to millions of
| dollars annually.
Mr.. Sage's great reputation was that
| of an ecOnOmlZer. He often declared tina t
So was enough for any man to pay for a
suit of clothes and that a 50-cent straw
| hat should be worn at least two sea-
sons. Ana he religiously practiced what
he preached. He never smoked, and his
only sumulent in recent years was a
| thimbleful of whisky just before retir-
ing. He had but one great sbby-to
own and drive fast roadsters. When
after his serious illness in 1905, his wife
and physician persuaded him to gradu-
| ally relinquish the active management of
his business he could be seen every after
noon, save Sunday, driving behind a
handsome pair of horses in Central park
! The past few years he resided in Fifth
avenue opposite St Patrick's cathedral
Previous to that he had lived for many
years in a brown stone mansion in Fifth
avenue just above Forty second street.
Dynamite Plot Failed
For years MI Sages office looked out
in Trinity churchyard, at the corner of
| Broadway and Rector street. After the
attempt to blow him to pieces with dy-
Mantle in his office some fifteen years
ago. Mr.. Sage removed his office to "a
Nassau street.
The attempt to dynamite Mr.. Sage was
made by Henry L. Norcross, a noted
broker in Boston. who gained admit
lance to Sage's office, pretending that he
came from one of the Rockefellers Once
inside he proffered to Mr.. Sage a type
written note which declared that il Mr.
Sage did not Immediately hand out
81 100000 he would fling a bag of dyna-
mite at Mr.. Sage's feet and all would
go to instant perdition. Norcross as Mr.
Sage read the typewriter note, gently
swung satchel.
When Mr.. Sage retreated and Nor
! cross saw that his mission was to fail he
blown to pieces himself Mr.. Sage es-
capped. but not unhurt. The offices were
wrecked and all that was left of Nor
cross was his head. Mr.. Sage CROPPED his
way out of the building. across Broad
way, into a drug store, where his wounds
were bandaged. Then he was driven
home.
Never Lost His Nerve.
On that evening. Superintendent, then
II 1,D Df
cross into Mr.. Sage's bedroom and asked
him if he felt well enough to undergo
the ordeal. Mr.. Sage's physician, had
prepared the head in the meantime, and
Inspector Byrnes asked Mr.. Sage for a
description of the mans face, and he
described the head accurately. The
basket was uncovered and DR.. Mum
held up the head Mr.. Sage half rose
in bed. looked at the face intently for a
few seconds. and then said:
That is the person whom l saw with
the satchel and note"
Up to the time when be was fast ap-
preaching his ninetieth year Mr.. Sage
continued to keep IN the harness All
| the stories told about his taking no va
cation. having no days off" working on
holidays as on business days, Were true
Mr.. Sage was never heard to speak in
Halter years of his family connections In
fact, he is said to have declared more
than once that he had no living relatives.
1t often has been reported, however. that
he has nephews and other relatives liv-
ing in his old home county and also
scattered through the west.
Sage Gloriied Gen. Taylor
Just after the close of the Mexican
war. when paeans of praise We're being
sung for Gen. Taylor. popularity called
'O1d Rough and Ready" Mr.. Sage was
deputed by the board of aldermen of
Troy to come to New York with a fell
low alderman and welcome Maj.-Gen.
John Z. Wood. q citizen of Troy on his
return from the Mexican war At the
| long dinner table on the boat there was
a great gathering. and one of Mr.. Sage's
colleagues arose and addressed the audi
ence in true spreadeagle style. glorify-
ing Gen. Wood. Mr.. Sage. who spoke
next. made the hit of his political career
by ignoring Gen. Wood and publicly
! demanding recognition of the real hero
of the Mexican war Gen. Zachary
| Taylor, who was present.
Mr.. Sage later was Il delegate to the
convention which nominated Gen. Fay
lor for the presidency. He was also a
delegate to the Chicago convention at
which Abraham Lincoln was nomi-
mated.
ATTACKS DEATH WATCH.