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Show like a ring customs. jt: T wasJoeLannon, the p,,,,,.-went p,,,,,.-went through the .notion . i3' round tight quite harmle . a considerable spirit, lh it y play, the complications of X already been adjusted, amh! , hugged his girl as the 'JOHN L. AS AN ACTOR. I The Brawny, . Brainless Bruiser Not a Howling Success in the His-, His-, trionio Art, HE M1Y SLUG, BUT HE CAN'T AOT The Profuse Abandon With Which He Swaggered Ac -ess The Stage His B. Fists. St. Louis Republic. New York, Sept. 1. The threatened assault by John L. Sullivan upon tho drama was mado this afternoon at Niblo's Garden and was repeated in the evening. Tho famous pugilist played a part in a new melodrama called "Honest Hearts aud Willing Hands.." aud did it as well and as badly as could have been expected. The matinee audience was about half sized, but at night tho house was crowded. Xdithcrassemblago was disposed to consider the prize fighter's acting seriously, and tho most sensitive friend of the stage need have no fear that Mr. Sullivan will bo in the least gratified by his theatrical exploit. Not only did the parquet people laugh at him, but the smallest boys in the gallery, gal-lery, away up beyond his fists, joined in the ridicule. His dramatic season, therefore, may depend for length oa his abstinence from auger as well as from alcohol. lie got through his lirst day's work as an actor without stepping over tho footlights aud knocking out a disrespectful audience, but signs of an infirm temper were disccrnablo in him several times and the city authorities were advised to order a net spread not for tho safety of the man, but to protect those upon whom he might fall in his wrath. The role enacted by Mr. Sullivan in "Honest Hearts and Willing Hands" was uot that of the boss hero, but of the hero's brother and assistaut. Duncan Harrison was tho principal in tho anguish an-guish and joy of tho play. Ho had written it, and why not with a pen pointed at his own abilities? As to his lalent, they are those of a robust, manly actor, who either cannot master tho niceties of his art or does riot care to, and who seems quite conten t with the plaudits of the tboughiless multitude. Iu to-day's melodrama he had written as though for the yellow binding and Ueade imprint of the old-fashioned dime novel. But it was uot Mr. Harrison nor his acting, nor yet his play for which fo ks went to Ni'ulo's. The fact was manifest when a big stalwart figure strode into the lirst scene. LOOKS LIKE FAUNTLEUOV. "Ah-h-h-n-h!" murmured the gallery gal-lery mistaking him for Sullivan. Then tho s ii. 1 1 voice of a boy, but expressive of abou :en average men's scorn, broke out with "aw; dat hint him" It was only Duncan Harrison, actor aud author, but not tho champion prizu lighte f tho word. Still when Mr. Sullivau did step iuto sight tho applause which greeted him merged iuto laughter, and it was clear that ho was not going to be taken lor anything but a joke. This lirsi hilarity was caused by his looking like the rockiest Little Lord Fauntleroy that had ever grown iuto an enormous slugger, with hair cropped crop-ped close to a wide-eared head aud hands so big that it was a wonder how the sleeves of his coat had got into his arms: The coat was a short velvet one and tho very wido collar of an open-necked open-necked shirt was turned over it, while the stalwart legs were in velvet panties and liver-colored stockings. Mr. Sulli-ivan Sulli-ivan was an Irish blacksmith in the play, and this costume was doubtless the outcome of an attempt to make him picturesque. His lirst dramatic duty was to help bring in a fragile lady who was hurt and faint from a" carriage accident. ac-cident. She seemed to feel better and safer as soon as she was out of his arms, while ho, with nothing to hang on to, slouched a few steps across the stage with tho true Bowery lurch, such as comedians are so foiid of mimicking, and then stood stock still with a fixed, meaningless face, suggesting paresis, and which may have como of stage fright. His first words were those of thanks to the other characters who had assisted in rescuing tho lady, and he sounded better than he looked. That was true of him throughout tho performance. per-formance. Of course he had no elocutionary elocu-tionary skill whatever, but his voice was oluminous and jiot unpleasant, He soon has occasion to remark to an insulter of the heroine: "By heavens! I'll choke you ." THE AUDIENCE LAl'fins. The upper half of the audience yelled with anticipatory delight, but there was a saving "it" In the threat, and the villain vil-lain escaped a crunching He was outright out-right and outrageous, this villain. In the brief course of the play ho committed com-mitted the crimes of theft, burglary felonious assault, forgery, abducting', perjury and fratricide, and bel ween species of active deviltry, he sneered aid jeered as only a stage villain can But the brawny brothers downed him at last. Mr. Harrison was John, and he had the most of the sentiment to voice. Mr. Sullivan was Jim, and he stood still nearly all the time he was in sight. He was altogether absent from the second act, but the third had himin a blacksmith shop with his amis bared to the biceps and his tremendous lists in full view. He uudoubled oue of them, covered his brow and most of his head easily with the broad palm, and while au expression that was almost human came into his face, said hoarsely I'.vn'i T tl'i,,lk!" Tho Proposition stitiek tho audience as a funny oue, and the heartless laughter was loud and long. But Mr. Sullivan did not smile. He was grimly serious, peahaps because the greatest straiu upon his histrionic powers were just about to be made. John was faslcly accused of murder and Jim compelled him against his brave inclination to hide for a while. It was in this assertion of dominance that the pugdist d.d his best as a player. It was not very good, but it was vigorous, and In the fourth act he had a mectino-jwth mectino-jwth his swecrheart, but the dramatist had not dared to trust him with a love scene, and the interview was only a dozen words long. It was in the fifth ?!rl,hnai "i'M'131 Mr' Sullivan's visaed for the hrst time lost its scowl, and then f ,ei ,T ,S8t'0n.consi8ted of that grizzly facial contortion known in ring paf-ance paf-ance as "coming np smiling."" That appened when he .faced for boxing thP rill" Iinsilia,rthe Mlow lom the Milam had hired to do l,im n o? etl iT 1Pwfelt-(luit0 ,ike himself on more. H0 was in a dress something |