The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-11-21
A NOTED CAREER.
lGath, in Exchange.l

Among the earliest faces saw at the Arch Street theatre. in Philadelphia, was
 ohn Mccullough. Mccullough was an uneduca,ed Irish boy, or of Ihe plaines' schooling, who had come out to America to be brought up by an uncle, who was a chair-maker, and, think, a Presbyterian
 He had not been long with his uncle be- fore he saw play, and that filled h's mind with nothing but acting. He was of warm Saxon-lrisA temperament and married a plain giri-a Presbyterian, think-while he was still an apprentice She had up and down views about mar. tai proprieIy and the choice of an occu' patton. Thus began their living apart Sae would not compromise her ideas nor her rights as his wife, nor would he sur render his passion for acting.
 Possessed ot an agreeable and expres. sive face, and healthy though not very fine person. Mccullough found employ ment at the Arch Street theane, and there saw him on the first appearance where he had any lines to speak. He kneIs in ," Julius Ca sar," and said: " Hail, C9sar read this schedule" Another suitor a, once put in his petition, and Mccullough continued 70, Cesar, read mine trs, for mines suit that touches CGSay nearer. Read it, great Ccsar" Cesar responds to this youth What touches us ourselves shalt be last served" Me Culiough then spoke again with fe,vor Delay not, CGSay read instantly CGsar then tnrns to him and says 'Whatl Is the fellow madT Twenty. , hrMm aftnvunvA 1all~A ks~ tion to that night and he asked in sur. prise: Were you therep Then he told me how he had only twenty-five cents that day to get his dinner with, as he lived in little, cheap house in Kensing. ton and received but some four dollars a week for playing. He reserved for him. self twenty five cents to get dinner. When he rehearsed the part of Ayttmi6oyXs Fredericks, the stage manager, sad 1: !" My boy, you are going to get round of applause for that. Now come 10 my room aud l will give you a good suit to wear in it." As he gave Mccullough the suit he said: "It you had your hair curlcd for this part it would help your appear ance."
 Mccullough slys that he gave his twen- ty-6ve cents to have his hair curled, and got no dinner that day. Hts walk, his deep throat elocution, his gestures, have been pitched upon the same key from the start WAat he required was a teacher of elocution and of acting to show him the use of his legs, 10 give him the notes ot hrmoi and to break up his heaviness But he had taken life at the wrong end, had been married in mere boyhood, was without the means to get instruction, aud as years went on was never out of sight of time-killers, suckers and those who wanted to make one use or another o' him. His benefits were tremendous. There was considerable of the gentleman in him by nature. He never was much out of confidence in any company. Ladies of good breeding might notice some lit tie deviations from the proper style of eating in Mccullough but he had, like Oliver Goldsmith, the cheering Irish na- ture and took human nature as 1t came along. He was not anything of thinker 1 hardly ever heard him make an inquiry about the text of any play. He folio we'd the precedent, was good listener, and il was much easier for h,m to rage and work hard on the stage than for Booth and Barrett and actors of more understand. ing.
 It was noised about Philadelphia in 1860 that Mccullough was to support Edwin Forrest at his reappearance on on the stage after five years ot withdrawal Forrest had beea divorced from his wife and had retired into his house at Phila- delphia, and had used up the few moral resources he had O occupation. and he wanted to come back to tue stage and earn money and be employed. He had arranged with Edwin Adams, then a young leading actor at the Walnut Street theatre, but Adams, when it came to the point would not be let of from his CD. gagement there, and Mccullough, only partly to Forests satisfaction, took his place. Forrest was hard man to get along with, but Mccullough was s, trac- table and uniform in his behavior tha he parted with that actor after several years of mutual work, without any rupture. He travelled all over the country with For rest, enormously extending his acqu Ain. t-nce, and finally, in California, R4lston the banker, either made him proposi s,on or listened 10 one, to fousd theatre, of which Mccullough should take con. lrol.
 Alter the death of R alston, which in- volved Mccullough in debt for many years for RAlston, after having made his fortune, then demanded reciprocal in. dorsement and cred,t), the actor resolved to become a star. Many of his friends thought he would tail in this, but after a season or two he made his way, partly by the athletic average 0! his play, and large ly by his great personal following in the newspapers and about the towns and cities.
 For period of years Mccullough played to large houses. but he did no, begin to accumulate money, being very iree-handed with what he made, uutil Captain Connor became his agent. Con. nor was the most indefatigable agent any star in this country has ever had. He travelled in advance. and would work a