Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1911-07-27
daown,J JfenonCo Thursday 1911
A Prisoner of Wealth.

One Of the most pathetic figures in the
world today is Mrs. Russell Sage, upon
whom the fortune left her by her husband
imposes a fearful burden. There is
scarcely day that she does not weep,
one of her intimate friends tells us. She
sits and cries at the intolerable burden of
having SOS, 100000 on her shoulders, at
the task of distributing that huge fortune
in the way that will do the most good.
She is 80 years old and has New Eng
land conscience. She wants TO do just
the right thing with il all, and it requires
an amount OF thought and study and i'm
poses feeling of responsibility that is
hard on an old woman who only wants a
quiet corner TO spend her few remaining
years in.
Mrs. Sage has aged very much since
her husbands death. She has grown
thin, pale, bent and wrinkled. Aside
from the natural grief over Mr.. Sage'S
death, Mrs. Sage was plunged almost in
stantly into storm of appeals which
amounted TO a persecution. Her mail
for some years before Mr.. Sage'S death
had amounted to between 40 and so let
ters day. It leaped instantly to 900 a
day, and the entire surplus was appeals
for money. Within two months after
Mr.. Sage's death 1000 letters were carted
away from her house unopened. Two
secretaries work night and day almost to
handle Mrs. Sage'S private mail. If she
attempted to read 10 per cent of it per-
sonaly she would be able to do nothing
else.
At first she tried conScientiouSly 10
look it over herself. She was astoniShed
and disgusted at some OF it. Before Mr.
Sage'S body was cold in its coffin she
received letter from New York man
whom she never had seen asking her TO
send him check for $1,000 by return
mail, and he was kind enough TO incloSe
a stamped envelope forreply. She never
asked for advice as to the disposal Of
this fortune, yet within the first two
months of her widowhood she received
letters from more than 1000 different
men, instructing her how 10 give away
her money so as to do the most good.
The letters that really affected Mrs.
Sage at this time were pathetic appeals
for help from individuals. Many ofthese
were to all appearances genuine, the ap-
peals of poor and ignorant persons, SUI
fering in want and hardship, and patheti-
calIy confident that the kind hearted
woman who had more money than she
knew what to do with would give them
the little that would make them happy.
Some ofthese letters distressed Mrs. Sage
greatly; but they came not only from
every State in the Union, but from foreign
countries. Had she responded to them
she would have dissipated her entire
fortune in small checks to individuals all
over the world. So finally Mrs. Sage
gave up her mail. Now letter which is
manifesty from personal friend is given
her, but nothing else reaches her eye.
II is not only impossible to reach Mrs.
Sage by letter-it has become one OF the
impossible things TO see her Mrs. Sage
formerly was one of the most approacha-
Bile of women. Not trace OF Snobbery
or purse pride is TO be found in her make
up. Aplain, old-fashioned village woman
she started her career, and that she re-
mains to this day. She never cared any
thing about fine clothes or society, and
her friends were chosen by preference
from among the people who are doing
the work ofthe world. With professional
women she was particularly friendly.
That period OF her own life between lS47,
when she was graduated, and 1869, when
she married Mr.. Sage, was spent in teach
ing school whenever her health would
permit, and she never felt above anyone
who earned his or her living. Anyone
who had ever been introduced to Mrs.
Sage could see her as easily at her own
home as if she had been the wife OF a
clerk instead OF a multimillionaire.
Some one wrote book once on Pris-
oners of Poverty. Mrs. Sage is a Pris-
oner OF Wealth. Behind this human
rampant she sits, afraid that some one
may reach her 10 torment her.