Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-29
STARS OF LONG AGO.
Two Clipper 0ctosenarianS Meet at The
Players Club.
ACTORS HOWE AND COULDOCK.
Both Have Seen Almost sixty Years
of Stage Life, and Howe II stlIl
Mt It-Talked of Macready and
Kean.
Correspondence Of the Dispatch.)


NEW YORK, September 2s.-In these
days OF new stars dazzling the theatrical
armament It becomes a matter Of inte-
rest to take a backward glance at the
stars OF long ago. Some OF them are still
shining with faded brilliancy, one or two
are booming along amid unmitIgated
splendor, but most OF them are passing
gently by the last few mIle-stones OF
life. away from the flashing Of the foot
lights.
At the Players Club the other day two
nne-looking, white-haired old men met.
They greeted each other with dignihed
courtllness, and then sat down in large
arm-chalrs and began talking Their eyes
twinkled with keen interest and Joy; they
made little gestures, which. to the on
lockers. were as plain as words; they
laughed meodlously now and then: they
nudged each other playfully, and one
smoked long. Misunderstanding stogies.
while the other slipped Scotch whiskey
and water.
what did they talk Of? It is not diff
cult 10 answer this question when you
know who these old men were. What
could tney tdlh VI nut olu liiu'S-NHe
DAYS OF the great Macready, OF Booth
the elder and the younger OF Edmund
Kean. Of all the wonderful players Of
the last sixty years.
one OF the old men was Henry Howe,
g years OF age and n player for nearly
six decades. More than that, he Is still
PLAYING. being a member Of Sir Henry
Irying's company. The other old man
was Charles W. Couldock. 50 years old.
He made hts debut lfty-nlne years ago.
Both Of these old men are English born,
but Mr.. Couldock has spent much OF his
life I'm this country. and intends ending
his days here. Mr. Howe was a protege
OF both Kean and Macready. and Mr..
Couldock regarded Macready as his pa
tron saint
What bonds OF unity tied these men
togetheri And meeting In the Players
Club. hallowed by the declining years
and death OF Edwin Booth, the grandest
Of all Hamets, what emotions must have
thrilled the frames OF these old men!
with fine pride one OF these octogena-
rians pilotod the other octogcnarian
through the beautiful home OF the play
ers.
WHERE THEY TALKED.
When they came to the suite of rooms
which were the home Of Booth they
spoke softly. In Booths sitting-room,
with everything arranged exactly as II
was on the day the owner died. they sat
down in the arm-chairs on either side OF
the small table, and spent the rest OF
the day there. They had no wish TO 80
anywhere else. 1t would have been al
most a sacrllege for actors Of the young
generation to sit there and talk and
handle the books. pictures and trlnkets
which Booth loved so well. but If the
ff..tpy h., Ia
have welcomed these old fellows to his
home
Mr. Couldock told Mr.. Howe il was a
pity that another fine old fellow. Joe JEFF
f9son, was not in town. because Mr..
Jefferson Is 10 the Players Club now
what Mr Booth used 10 be. But Jeffer-
son was schoolboy when the other two
were actors with established regulations.
Jefferson has not reached the SEVENTEEN
milestone OF life yet. So he Is regarded
as quite a boy by the other two.
COULDOCKS DEBUT.
It would require volumes TO adequately
give the history OF these two men. Mr..
Couldock tells Of his first stage appear
ance In this way:
Il was born on April g, 1915, at LonJ
Acre London. My father died when l
was years old. leaving me an orphan
and my grandmother undertook my rear
ing. Now. as 10 my going on the stage
that is quite a story. had an uncle.
the possessor OF an agreeable speaking
voice. who used TO contribute his par.
TO Christmas and Twelfth Night enter
tainments by reciting.
Twice n year. generally during the
holidays, my uncle took me 10 see per,
formances at the Surrey Theatre until |
was about II years old. I saw Macready
at different times play 'Hotspur,'
Cassius.' King John Jacques
Cardinal Wolsey, Hamlet Mac
beth 'Richelieu.' 'Othello.' Claude
Melnotte.' Evelyn IN Money 'Brutus.'
and other characters lie was fine in
everything he did. | have no doubt that
Edmund Kean could play certain parts
better than Macready-say, Richard III
'Othellb,' Sir Giles Overreach,' and Shy
lock- but lie could not have approached
him as 'Cassius' and Hotspur.'
HIS FIRST AUDIENCES.
when I was IS had quite reputation
among warehousemen for Rotations,