Dan Thompson (Sallows) was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., August 27, 1857.
Maurice Haley, one of the original Electric Three, comprising Callan, Haley and Callan, was a comedian and dancer, and one of the organizers of the Electric Three Minstrels about 1887.
He died in New York August 28, 1890; age 33 years.
J. W. Kelly (Shields), famous the country over as the “Rolling Mill Man,” and one of the greatest natural wits the world ever knew, did a black-face act with Charles Dockstader at the London Theatre, New York, on the night of October 23, 1884, called “Worse and Worse.”
Mr. Kelly, who was a wonderful Irish comedian, was born in Philadelphia, in 1857; he died in New York, June 26, 1896.
Tim Cronin made his first appearance at the “House of Commons” in 1869. This was not the famous place where the Britishers make their laws; not, not; for Timothy did not have political aspirations for many years after that.
It was in 1870 that he played his first minstrel engagement as “Master Charley,” doing a jig and song and dance, with Bryant’s Company in his native city.
A year or two later he joined James Tierney, and as Tierney and Cronin one of their great acts was the “Ashante Recruits.”
During the decade they were together they played several important minstrel engagements, such as Kelly and Leon’s; Neil Bryant’s, and Hooley’s, in Brooklyn, N. Y. With Tierney and Lester and Allen, Mr. Cronin formed the “Four Aces” in 1877, continuing as a quartette for one season.
Mr. Cronin next went with Harrigan and Hart in New York, where about 1881 he left Tierney, and subsequently allied himself with Master Martin, Dan Waldron and William Smith, and for several seasons traveled as the “Big 4.” In 1886 he joined Lew Dockstader’s Minstrels at their permanent home in New York City.