The Irish standard., 1896-06-27
The Original rlodern interviewer
Is Himself Inter-
viewed.
He Drew Out Alexander H. Steph-
ems, Vice President of the
Confederacy.
How He Came to Have Such Close
Relations With Andy
Johnson.

During the st. Louis convention Frank
G.. Carpenter interviewed Little Mac"
editor Of the St. Louis Gobe-Democrat,
himself the original modern interviewer.
J. B. McCullagh, away back in the COS,
who, as Washington correspondent, was
the chief medium of communication be-
tween President Andrew Johnson and the
pubic. Mr.. McCullagn has long been
noted as one of the brightest Of our news
paper men. Born in Ireland, he began
his life work as a printer in st. Louis,
rising from the case to the reporters desk.
He was mere boy at the outbreak Of the
war, but he at once went to the field as
correspondent, and before long was sta
toned at Washington, sending out news
from that point. It was two years after the
close OF the war that he did his first great
work as an interviewer. He was at the
time correspondent Of the Cincinnati Com
mercial, and as such he made tour
through the south, writing up the condl-'
ton of the different states. During this
tour he surprised the press by a three COL
umn talk with Alexander H.. Stephens at
his home in Georgia. It was the first in
terview of the kind ever given to the pub
lie, and the prominence Of Mr.. Stephens
as ex- yice-president of the Confederacy
and the striking ideas which Mr. McCul-
lagh elected from him created a decided
sensation.
I had long chat the other day with
Mr.. McCullagh about some of his early
newspaper experiences, writes Carpenter.
and during it / asked him as to his first
great interview. He replied:
81 had, you know. good letters Of intro
duction, and these gave me cordial re-
eept:on.t 4 met Alexander H. Stephens at
his home in Georgia. He lived near Craw-
fordsville in an old two-story frame house,
which he called Liberty Hall. There was
station near the house, and supposed
that / should find a tavern there where
could be accommodated during my stay.
When I got off the train found nothing
but an old shanty kept by a negrd
woman. / asked her If she could tell me
where Massa Alec lived. She showed me
the house, and, leaving my valise with her,
/ walked up through the great lawn filled
with forest trees, and knocked at the door.
A moment later met Alexander Stephens
and presented my letters. He insisted upon
NV coming at once to the house. ! re-,
manned with him three days and had sew
eral long talks with him. He discussed
several matters relating to the south and
gave some striking views as to emancipa-
tion and the negro He told me that he
would have emancipated his own slaves
long ago, but that he did not know how
they could be taken care Of. He said that
his plantation would not raise enough to
support them. They did not leave him at
the close of the war, and he had many
still with him at the time of my visit
\ .'What other things did you talk Of, Mr..
McCullagh?" asked.
"a great many was the reply. Gone
of my questions, remember, was as to
what he considered the greatest Of our
state papers. His reply was: 4
"'There are two Of our state papers
which I consider the greatest of them all.
One is Thomas Jefferson's second inaugu-
raj and the other is the second inaugural Of
Abraham Lincoln
"This statement created a great COM
ment throughout the south, end the south
ern .papers. The southerners could not
then see how Alexander Stephens could
mention Jefferson In the same breath with
Abraham Lincoln. /. They looked upon
Lincoln as an uneducated, i.literate man.
and the passions Of the war We're still too
hot for them to give him the credit that
they now do The comments concerning
the statement were so many that when |
met Mr.. Stephens later on at Washington
told him that my report had been disputed
and asked him If had understood him cor
rectly. He replied that he could not just
remember what he had said to me, but
that i had reported him exactly as he
thought, and that as he really did believe
could not see how I had gotten the idea if
not from his conversation Z
.sHow did you come, Mr.. McCullagh, to
have such close relations with President
Johnson y s..:
\, 1T came from talk Of his which I re-
ported. He noted that the article I wrote
expressed his views exactly, and after that
he gave me number Of interviews The
first conversation was given by President
johnson without any idea on his part that
e ~ 1,n,,ld hta ,,nFIjshpd ~ When he had fin