The Washington times., 1922-12-03
WHEN RUSSELL SAGE TRIED TO
MAKE A WILL--By Chauncey Depew
BY CHAUNCEY M. DEPEw.

ut WAS my privilege to know
Charles A. Dana very well. /
Il first met him when he was on
the New. York Tribune and closely
allied with Horace Greeley. He
made the New York Sun one Of
the brightest, most original. and
most quoted newspapers in the
United States. His high culture.
wonderful command Of English.
and refined taste gave to the Sun
q high literary position. and at the
same time his audacity and criti-
cis.n made him a terror to those
with whom he differed. and his
editorials the delight Of a reader.
Personally Mr.. Dana was one OF
the most attractive and charming
Of men. As Assistant Secretary OF
War during Lincoln's administra.
ton he came in intimate contact
with all the public men Of that
period. and as q journalist his
study was invaded and he received
most graciously men and women
famous in every department Of in
tellectual activity. His reminis-
cences were wonderful and his
characterization remarkable. He
might have published an autobi-
egraphy Of rare value and interest.
Among the thousands Of stories
which appear and disappear Ike
butterflies. It is curious question
what vogue and circulation one can
have over others. BY an accident
I broke one of the tendons OF my
heel and was laid up in my house
for some time. unable to walk. The
surgeon fixed the bandage IN
place by a liquid cement. which
soon solidified like glass.
THE GLAsS-LEG STORY.
Julian Ralph, a brilliant young
Newspaper reporter. wrote q long
story in the New York Sun about
wonderful glass leg. which had
been substituted for the natural
one and did better work. The story
had universal publication. not only
in the United States but abroad,
and interested scientists and sur
Reons. My mail grew to enormous
proportions with letters from eager
inauirers wanting to know all the
particulars. The multitude OF un-
fortuiates who had lost their legs
or were dissa atisfied with artificial
ones wrote to me to find out where
these wonderful glass legs could
be obtained.
The glass.leg story nearly killed
me, but it gave Ralph such a repu-
tation that he was advanced to po-
sitions both at home and abroad.
where his literary genius and I'M
agination won him many honors,
but he never repeated his success
with my glass leg.
I suppose, having been more
than half q century in close con.
tact with matters of interest to the
public, or officially in positions
where I was q party to corporate
activities or movements which
might affect the market. have
been more interviewed than any
enc living and seen more reporters.
No reporter has ever abused the
confidence I reposed in him. He
always appreciated what told
him. even to the verge Of indiscre-
ton, and knew what was proper
for him to reveal and what was
not for publication. In the criti.
cal situations which often occur
red in railway controversies. this
cordial relationship with reporters
was Of great value in getting our
side before the public.
One reporter especially. a space
writer, managed for a long time to
get from me one-half to column
nearly every day, sometimes ap-
pearing as interviews and at other
times under the general phrase:
''It has been learned from a reli-
able source"
I recall a personal incident out
Of the ordinary. was awakened
one stormy winter night by Q re-
porter who was we'll known to me,
q young man Of unusual promise.
met him In dressing gown and
slippers in my library. There he
told me that his wife was Ill. and
to save her life the doctor inform
ed him that ne must send her
West to d sanitarium.
"I have no money" he contin.
ued, "and will not borrow nor beg,
but you must give me a story I
can SELL"
We discussed various matters
which a paper would like to have,
and finally gave him a veiled but
still ineligible story. which we
both knew the papers were anxious
to get. He told me afterward that
he sold the interview for enough
TO meet his present needs and his