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Show mm SAGE IS CALLED BY DEATH I Veteran Financier of New York Passes Away at Age of Ninety Years. , HEALTH HAD BEEN GOOD H UP TO NOON SUNDAY Dissolution Dne to Heart Fail-ure, Fail-ure, Caused by Weakness of Extreme Age. NEW XORK, July 22. Russell Saga died suddenly today at his country jH home, "Cedarcroft," at Lawrence, L. IH L The immcdiato cause of tho death IH was heart failure, resulting from a IH complication of diseases incident to old age. The veteran financier would havo jH celebrated his HUth birthday on August jH 4. Mr. Sage had been in exceptionally good health since his arrival at his summer home about six months ago. At noon today he was seized with a sink-ing sink-ing spell and collapsed, falling into un-consciousness un-consciousness about two hours before his death, which occurred at 4:30 o 'clock. There were present at the end Mrs. Sage, her brother. Col. J. J. Slocum; Rev. Dr. Robert Leetch, Dr. Theodore IH 5. Janeway of New York, Dr. J. Carl IH Schmu'ck, a local physician, and Dr. IH John P. M"nut or. many years Mr. IH Sago 's f amily physician, who was sum- jH moned from New York when tae first alarming S3rmptoms were manifest. Funeral Next Wednesday. jJ The funeral services will be held on Wednesday, at the West Presbyterian church in West Forty-second, street, of which Mr. Sage had been a member for many ycars. The interment will take place in Troy on Thursday. Mrs. Sage and her brother, Col. Slocum, are named as the executors of Mr. Sage 's will. It is generally believed that Mr. Sage's vast interests will not be sen-ously sen-ously affected by his death. Several times withiu tho last few years rumors have been set afloat of Mr. Sage's death. On one occasion, in June, 1S90, Mr. Sage said: jH "I suppose somebody wanted to make a little money by affecting stock values, and -they hi' on this old trick." Asked if stocks had been much at-fected. at-fected. he answered "I understand not. The proporti.es in which I am in-terested in-terested cannot be seriously affected by the rumor of my death.' Master of Finances. Russell Sage, multimillionaire and Nestor of American financiers, was born on August 4, 1S1G. in Verona, Oneida county, New York, where his parents, Eliza and Pendence Sage, members of a little company of pio- H necrs from Connecticut, had halted while on their westward march in quest of a homestead. At the age of 12 Bus-sell Bus-sell Sage began his career as errand boy in the grocery store of his brother Henry, in Troy. At the ago of 22 he established a wholesale grocery of hi3 own in that place. . In 1857 the young merchant had accumulated a fortune of IH about half a million a great sum in IH those days and began to retire from activo business. He had alroady be-come be-come interested in railways, his first transaction of this character being a loan to the LaCrosse Railroad com-pany. com-pany. which led to further transactions, resulting in his acquiring large inter- ests in the roads now forming the Chi- IH capo, Milwaukee & St. Paul system, of which he became vice-president. This determined Mr. Sage to devote his time to this business in Wall street, and in 1SG6 he opened his office. Partner of Jay Gould. About that timo he formed an asso- ciation with Jay Gould, which continued IH sovoral 3'ears. " In 1867 he originated H the present method of trading iu "puts," "calls" and "straddles' in which ho dealt later on a colossal scale. IH When ho purchased a scat on the New JH York stock oxcliango in 1874 it pro- vided that ho never appear on tho floor IH of the exchange. Only once, it is eaid, did Mr. Sage experience a tremendous loss which IH would have shakon another man, but IH from which ho emerged with confidence unshaken. From that memorable day in 1SS4, when the great failure of lH Grant & Ward was announced, resulting IH iu the loss to Mr. Sage of about $6,000.- 000 on a long line of "puts," his op- IH erations necessitated the possession of JH a vast amount of ready capital, and jH Mr. Sago alwnj's kept his resource so IH woll in hand that, in any emergency he IH was able to control almost limitless jH funds. Had Many Ooxporations. lM At tho time of death Mr. Sage was an officer nnd director in twenty-five IH groat railroad and telegraph corpora- An incident occurrod in Mr. Sage s IH offico at 71 Broadwuy on December 4, IH 1891. On that day ho was visited by JM Honrv P. Norcross of Boston, a man of unbalanced mind, who demanded an IH immcdiato gift of $1,200,000. When tho IH demand was refused, Norcross dropped u dynamito bomb on tho floor. Tho ex- plosion, which decapitated Norcross. IH killed ono of the clerks and wrecked tho entire office. Mr. Sago was only IH slightly injured by tho explosion. IH For "manj' years Mr. Sago occupied. during tho winter, an old-fashioned brown stouo mansion at COG Fifth avc- IH nue, from which ho was reluctantly IH compelled to move about four years IH ago, owing to tho invnsion of com- IH morco. His summers were spent at his IH country placo at Lawrence, whore ho IH Mr. Sage was married twice m 1841 IH to Miss May Wynne, daughtor of Moses IH T. Wvnno of Troy. His wife died in IH Now York City in 1867, and two years IH later ho married Margarot Olivin, daughter of Joseph Slocum of Syra- IH cuse, N. Y. jH |