Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-10-21
SIAMBE TWINS OUTDONE.


ONE or THE MOST SINGULAR
PRODEGEs EVER HEARD OF.
Ten days ago the wife of Samuel Fin
ley. farmer residing in Morrow county
about FIVE miles southeast of Ashley,
gave birth to one of the most singular
malformations of the human species
ever heard of in any age or country.
The accouchment took place at the
home of the mother, and owing to its
suddenness.-not more than half an
hour being occupied,-only in the pres
ence Of a female attendant by whose
rare discretion the singularity of the
being just brought into the world was
concealed from its maternal parent
The mother was not allowed sight of
her offspring until after the physician
who had been summoned arrived when
it was exhibited to her and, as we are
told, caused her to swoon. And no won
der. for human eyes probably never
looked upon such an anomalous devel-
opment of the human form
One of our prominent physicians who
has seen and examined this strange
freak of nature favors US with the fol-
lowing clear and accurate description:
This wonderful thing can be truly call
ed double child. There is but one spine.
at each extremity of which there is a
perfectly formed head and face. Each
has well formed shoulders. arms and
hands and a good chest containing
lungs and heart, as any other human
being. Each has also a stomach and
liver. There is but one navel, which IS
in the center of the abdomen, equidis-
tant from the two heads. It is at the
middle of the body that the two are
grown together. The abdomen appears
to be but one. and the organs contained
in it, below the stomach and small in
testines. are probably common to the
two, as there is but one external outlet.
Upon one side, ,gat right angles to the
body, there is a welI-formed pair Of hips.
legs and feet. Upon the opposite side
there is one large leg. (possibly the con-
solidation Of two legs). upon the ex-
trennity of which there are eight toes.
Most monstrosities are repugnant to look
upon. This one is not so in any respect,
excepting this leg.
This child, or those children. are now
ten days old and are doing as well as
children mostly de at that period Of ex-
istence. 1t nurses at both heads. One
will be asleep while the other is crying,
and sometimes both viii sleep or cry at
the same time. The natural outlets
from the body are in their natural posi-
ton. between the perfect pair of legs.
and are common to the two, there be-
ing no outlet upon the opposite side. In
sex it is a female. The length from the
top of one head to the top of the other
is twenty inches. and the weight at birth,
was ten pounds
Here, certainly, is a problem for Psy-
biologists as well as physiologists. Is
this one being with one will and one
sentence. or two beings each having in
dependent will and consciousness and
different desires, impulses and feelings,
or is it "two souls with but a single
thought. spiritually welded and trans
fused as they are physically united ?
Many circumstances go to establish the |
theory of two individual existences, not
the identity of sex and the
intimacy of physical union. Persons
who have seen this inexplicable phe-
nomenon inform us that while one half
of it-or perhaps we SHOULD say, one of
those blended existences-has been seen
crying and in the active use of its limbs,
the other was at the same time calmly
asleep, and while the two legs on one
side ofthe body were in motion the sin
gle one on the other side. apparently
under the control of different will,
would be undisturbed. At the same
hour one of these strange beings-if in
deed there are two-win be sick while
the other seems to be at the same in
stant enjoying perfect health; one may
weep and the other appear to be at the
same time perfectly unconscious of dis
tress.
There are no terms in our language
applicable to such a phenomenon; it is
something for which the dictionary ma
Sers have made no provision whatever
and which utterly confounds all gram
matical rules as to gender. number and
person. Let any one undertake to write
about it, being precise as to the meaning
and application of terms, and he will at
once recognize the poverty of language.
As might be expected. the house of
Mr.. Finley has during the past ten days
been oYerrun with visitors come to wit
ness this wonderful curiosity So great
is the press that it has been found nee
essary to charge an admission fee which
is now fixed at one dollar. We under
stand the parents have been offered ten
thousand dollars for the dual infant, the
offer being unconditional as to whether
it should live or not. The offer has not
been and probably will not be accepted,
PREMIUM LIST correctioR.-I Civ
ing the list of Premiums, awarded at
the late County Fair, last week the
following errors were made
Glass C, No. s-The second premium
for one year old b1n was awarded to
A. Thrall, instead of R. Smith, as Civ
en- last week.